Race Report: Bryan Health Indoor Triathlon

Fam and I post-race

A little late for my post, but things have been quite busy and hectic in the Hohman house.  So--better late than never, right?  Philip and I (and my sissy Emilie) once again competed in the Bryan Indoor Triathlon in Lincoln.  We were so impressed with the event last year--a chance to get a good tri in during "off season".  Last year, we felt like we had discovered a diamond in the rough...the event seemed relatively small and we knew no one else competing.  This year, the cat was out of the bag as several of our friends were entered into the mix.

The event has heats going off all day with 8 participants competing at a time.  I signed all three of us up to be in the same heat so we'd be able to spend the afternoon together (our heat was set to go off at 12:05).  The race consisted of 10 minutes of swimming, a 10 minute transition, 30 minutes on the spin bike, followed by a 5 minute transition, and finished up with 20 minutes on the bike.  After checking out where each portion of the event takes place, I learned that the leading female (a team NE runner) had made it 3.05 miles during the run--my goal, in addition to a high placing, was to run farther than that in the time slot.  I was pretty sure that I ran farther than that last year, but wasn't sure how good of shape I was in this year.

The Swim
Each swimmer was assigned a lane with another swimmer.  Upon checking in, Philip and I discovered that we were sharing a lane.  Philip and Em got in a quick warm-up while I stretched by the side of the pool.  A couple minutes to start, we adjusted our goggles and got ready.  As I don't swim much (actually, I haven't swum since last summer's half ironman), my pacing isn't the best.  I started out a little fast...but after settling in, I felt pretty good.  Emilie finished one lap in front of me and Philip finished one lap behind me.  So far, so good.

The Bike
After changing out of our swimsuits, we made our way to the biking studio and adjusted our bikes.  The bike portion of the event was measured in average watts (output of power) divided by your weight.  This was a new scoring method this year--the race organizers hoped that this would make things more fair as bigger people most likely had more power than smaller ones.  (Philip pointed out that the opposite was true on the run.)  There isn't much for entertainment during the bike ride, so this year opted to run listening to music on my phone, which really helped out.  I can't say that the 30 minutes went by quickly, but was over soon enough.  Philip completely destroyed the competition by coming in with an average of 270 watts compared to my 152.  I was a little disappointed.  Despite many hours in the saddle, I haven't seemed to find much success there.  Onto the last portion!

The Run
This is my strength.  I hadn't turned in the strongest swims and bikes of the day, so REALLY had to get after it on the treadmill.  Once we were allowed to start, I set my treadmill at 9.8 MPH, which is a little over 6 minute miles.  I was able to hold this pace until shortly after two miles, but then my legs started feeling like jello.  I wasn't sure if I control my legs at this point and was seriously worried that I might crash off the treadmill.  I backed off to about 9.2.  As the finish drew near, I was able to finish a little bit faster and ended my 20 minutes with 3.19 miles.  This I was happy with.

Philip, Em, and I showered and got a quick lunch at Five Guys (so yummy, so unhealthy).  As there were still several heats to go, results would not be posted until that evening.  After church that day, we learned that I had won with Emilie getting third for the ladies.  Philip came in number two for the guys. Way to represent, family!

Next up is the ultra competitive Leprechaun Chase...stayed tuned! :)

Race Report: Hy-Vee Triathlon

Seriously...look at all those bikes behind us!! :)

The Hy-Vee Triathlon was set to be our last tri of the year.  It also marked a switch from summer racing to fall.  Philip and I signed up for this race way back in February when the registration rates were lowest and well before we knew we'd be shooting for a 70.3.  I was slated to compete as an individual and on a team...basically, my swim would count twice, once for me and once for the team.  Two nights before the race, we got the news that the race would be changed from an Olympic distance to a sprint due to flooding on the course.  LOTS of people were disappointed, but at least the event was not cancelled.  We left our home Saturday morning and drove to Omaha to pick up my sister and her husband.  We arrived at the expo mid afternoon, attended the pre-race meeting, and picked up our race packets.  I was a little unsure about how much race would be conducted since I would have two of everything so I talked to a race official about this.  Basically, I would wear a timing chip on both ankles, the relay's on the right and mine on the left.  Instead of starting with my age group, I would start with the relay swimmers.  Then I would head into the relay transition area to hand the timing chip off to our biker before getting ready for my ride.  After figuring everything out there, we headed to the race site at Gray's Lake in Des Moines to drop our bikes off.  After a yummy dinner at Noah's Ark, we turned in early to get ready for race morning.

Sunday morning we arrived at the transition area around 6am.  We didn't start our race until after 9am, but because the pro race started so early, transition was closing at 6:45am.  It wasn't too bad though, as we got to watch the pro race...Philip and I stood right by their transition area and watched them race in on their bikes and take off for their run.  Very cool.  We both said that it made us want to be better athletes! 

Swim-15:34

We headed over to the other side of the lake where we'd start our swim a little after 8.  Because so many athletes were competing in this event (I think I heard something about 5000??), they were conducting the start as a time trial, with age groups were starting 4 minutes apart. This means that they line up six people in an age group, start them, and then 10 seconds later the next group starts.  My swim went so well! I ran into the water and got right to it...no panic symptoms!  As always, it's hard to dodge other swimmers and at one point, a guy ran into me.  I accidentally kicked him try to get away from him.  As the swim was only a 750, it was over relatively quickly. I finished in 15:34.

T1-3:16

As I exited the water, I heard my brother-in-law cheering for me.  (It's so nice when friends and family are out there supporting you...thanks, Josh!!)  I headed over to relay transition...HOLY cow, there were TONS of people there! One girl stopped right in front of me at the entry way, and because it was so crowded, I had a hard time getting around her.  A race official tried to get her to move, but I think she was a little disoriented from her swim.  Rick (our biker) spotted me, I handed him the chip, and off we both went.  At my transition area, I threw down my cap and goggles, put on my shoes and socks, put my jersey on, then sunglasses, and helmet.  I grabbed my bike and headed out onto the course. (Okay, so this still isn't that fast...but the relay transition did substantially add on to T1.)

Bike- 38:22

The bike course was two loops totally a 20k (12.5 miles).  The roads were closed to traffic so the cyclists had an entire 3 lanes in which to race...this was a first for me! Triathlons that I have competed in have you riding on the shoulder and are open to cars, but typically patrolled by police to make sure everyone is safe.  The course wasn't too hilly and I felt good on the bike.  

T2-1:50

With so many athletes competing, this was a very big transition area.  I raced back to my spot, racked my bike, took a quick gel and swig of gatorade, then ran off.  As I headed out to the run course, I attached my race belt and number and put my visor on.  Off I went.

Run- 21:37

Because of the changes, this was a weird course...it was out and back for first mile and half, then a loop (which ran by the finish) for the second portion...all in just a 5k! As I ran out, other runners were coming back so I got to see lots of people.  I got to see Philip twice on the run which is always fun :)  I still felt fine at this point, but I was having a hard time switching gears and running hard and fast.  The finish line was very cool, but extremely congested.  I found Philip and we waited for Emilie (she started in the heat behind mine).  We found out that we all finished within a minute and a half of each other!!

Final time (individual): 1:20:37--I've only raced an "official" sprint race one other time, but my time from 2011 was 1:30...nearly a 10 minute PR!! :)  I finished as 30th overall woman and 8th in my age group.  As I'm a pretty competitive person, this is not where I'd like to be.  Hopefully I'm able to make some changes so my place will be higher next year.

Final time (relay): 1:12:20--my teammates raced so well!! :)  I always love doing team events and look forward to competing in M2M NE with my Women Run Nebraska teammates! 

Complete Results can be found here: http://www.hy-veetriathlon.com/athlete-information/Race-Results.aspx#/results:&AthleteSearch=(Enter%20Name,%20Bib%20No.,%20or%20City)&Division=Women:1409535547149

Race Report: Cornhusker State Games Triathlon

Yesterday morning, Philip and I competed in our second triathlon of the summer.  The CSG Triathlon takes place at Holmes Lake in Lincoln...I remember doing this race when I was in high school, albeit on a team with my friends in those years.  (I was the swimmer.)  Years ago, this race took place at Branched Oak outside of Lincoln.  I am not sure why this switch took place, but it gives the race a much different feel.

We once again woke up to a beautiful morning.  Seriously, what is up with July? Yes, we've had some hot days, but all in all, it's been great for summer racing.  We left our home at 5:40am and headed into Lincoln with all of our gear.  We always pack for triathlons the day before because you need so much gear...swim cap, goggles, helmet, sunglasses, gatorade, gu, race belt, visor...  Philip and I pack everything in a large bucket.  That way, after we unload everything in transition, we can flip it over and sit on it while we are switching events during the race.  By the time we had gotten our chips, swim caps, and body markings at the race site, we took our bikes to transition.  Maybe we should have left earlier, because all that was left (in Philip's words) were the "cheap seats"...we were as far as you could be from the bike mounting area.

Our main goal for the race was to have a positive experience in the water.  My plan was to start off to the side, breast stroke for a bit, and then move into freestyle for the 500 meter swim.  When I started with the other females in the second heat, this is what I did.  And you know what?! The swim went great!  I felt good the whole time and never felt "panicky"!  This was a great confidence booster for Ironman Steelhead. (I had two nightmares last week about the open water swim in Michigan.)  I must had done alright, because the majority of the bikes were still in transition when I exited the water.  Philip had beat me out of the lake so we talked briefly before he headed out on his bike.

Once I began the bike course, which was approximately three four mile loops (12.5 miles total), I shifted my head for my new task.  This was a tricky bike course with all the turns...I have to slow down substantially as I turn (I am not a very daring biker at this point), so was constantly losing and gaining momentum.  The bike portion went smoothly and was over before I knew it.

When I got back to transition, Philip was no where in sight...he must have had a fabulous ride! I pulled off my helmet and sunglasses, drank some gatorade and ate a GU, grabbed my number, and was on my way.  I always bank on a strong run since it's my best event of the three, but it can be tough to gut it out after already swimming and biking.  It seems to me that the majority of triathletes are bikers who swim and run on the side...those who can do all three well are definitely in the minority.  I am a runner who swims and bikes on the side, so I even if I am tired, I need to use the run as my strength.  I felt pretty good and was able to pass lots of people.  The course is an out and back 5k...this was really nice as I was able to watch lots of guys (and some ladies) on their way to the finish.  I saw Philip when he had about a mile left to go...he looked great!

I ended up finishing my race in a time of 1:17 flat...the last time I competed in this race, I did it in 1:19 (granted, this was about two months after Quinn was born).  My swim was in 9:48, the bike was 42:46, and I finished out my 5k in 20:56.  My first transition was a very slow 2:29 (partially attributed to rinsing off my very muddy feet), but T2 was in 1:05 which is better.  I won my age group and placed 6th overall.  After doing five races in July, I am exhausted.  I am so excited to have a weekend off...and then it's time for our 70.3...Ironman Steelhead!  This event (1.2 mile swim, 56 bike, and 13.1 mile run) will be the culmination of our summer's work.  I am very nervous and very excited to be taking on such an endeavor...and couldn't be more excited for a couple days in Michigan with my husband.

I remain very thankful for the ability to compete in events such as this...and having Philip by my side while doing so.  While life has definitely thrown us some challenges, we have much to be thankful for!  Happy swimming, biking, and running!

Complete results can be found here: http://www.onlineraceresults.com/race/view_race.php?race_id=41560&re_FN=e.g.+Joe&re_LN=e.g.+Desch&re_NO=e.g.+1946&re_CITY=&re_STATE=&re_DIVISION=F&submit_action=select_result&race_id=41560#racetop

Race Report: Omaha Triathlon

Heading into transition from the swim

Finally! After months of multi-sport work, it was time to compete!  The Omaha Triathlon was our first of four triathlons this summer. (We are also doing Cornhusker State Games, Ironman Steelhead, and Hy-Vee.)  This would also serve as Philip's first real triathlon...we did an indoor tri this past winter, but this particular triathlon is not known to be easy.  The Omaha Triathlon (Olympic distance) consists of a 1.5 kilometer swim (nearly a mile), a 25 mile bike ride, and a 6.2 mile run.

The Swim
As I was on the swim team in high school (making it to state each year I competed), I consider myself to have a decent water background.  I have done open water swimming on several occasions, starting out as a teenager.  I have never found swimming to be particularly difficult and historically, this portion of the tri is where I am least concerned.  However, three years ago, while competing in a triathlon using a wetsuit for the first time, I experienced my first full blown panic attack in the water.  I think the wetsuit must have been too tight and when I started out, I couldn't fill my lungs with air.  My entire body freaked out and thought it was drowning.  I knew in my own mind that I wasn't, but couldn't convince my body otherwise.  Since then, my lungs seize up every time I get into a lake.  In the pool, I am 100% fine.  Open water, no dice.
The swim start was divided into several heats, divided by the different competitions and gender (collegiate, aqua-bike, male, female, sprint). Philip was starting with the male olympic competitors in heat 3 and I was slated for women's olympic in heat 4.  I thought that maybe, as it had been two years, I might be okay in the water.  I had easily done a 40 minute swim at the pool a couple weeks before with no issues.  However, once my heat started, I once again felt the familiar warning signs that has become open water swimming.  Ugh.  I am pretty sure that almost every one of the women I was competing against passed me up in those first few minutes.  I held back, got to the side of the water course, and kept my head above water.  I moved very slowly forward using an inefficient breast stroke.  About 5 minutes into the race, I noticed the rescue kayaks off to the side.  I seriously considered flagging them down and having them drag me back to shore.  But in the back of my mind, I knew that things would be okay if I could just get through the swim.  Finally, I got to the point where I was able to join the race again, this time using a quicker freestyle stroke.  I finished my swim in 34:38 and headed into the transition area.

The Bike
When I returned to my transition spot, I tossed down my swim cap and goggles.  I dried off my feet with my towel and threw on my socks and shoes.  I then grabbed my sunglasses and helmet, slugged some gatorade, ate a Gu, and was on my way.  The Omaha Triathlon boasts a very hilly course and  while I have become much more efficient training in aero, I was unable to do much of this as I was either working really hard to go up a hill or speed down one.  The bike seemed to go by pretty quickly as my brain was working almost as hard as my legs.  I was constantly checking out the road to make sure I wasn't going to hit anything, watching for other bikers, and switching gears depending on whether I was going up or down.  I didn't count, but I was able to pick off lots of people with my modest biking abilities.  As I finished up my bike ride, I was a little nervous to start the run.  I had worked my quads harder than I had expected and wasn't sure how they were going to feel when I started my 10k. I finished the bike portion in 1:33:42. This isn't that fast of a time, so I decided to take my watches off for my run.  At this point, I realized that I was most likely not going to earn a new personal record for the olympic distance.  (A PR for me would be a 2:52.)

The Run
Finishing up the bike ride, I practiced in my mind what I was needing to do in transition.  I needed to take my sunglasses and helmet off, eat another Gu and drink some water, and grab my race belt with my number attached.  I quickly did these things and headed out.  Starting out, I surprisingly felt really good...typically, it takes me about 3 minutes to shake my legs out and switch gears from biking to running.  Almost a mile into the run, I realized that I forgot my race belt.  There was absolutely NO WAY that I was running back to get it.  If they disqualified me, they disqualified me.  I kept going.  Since I realized I was not going to PR, I decided to relax a little bit on the run.  As it was an out and back course, I cheered for everyone I met along the path.  Since my pace was slower than what I usually run a 10k in, I actually enjoyed chatting with other participants and taking in the course, part of which was an off-road trail.  As I came into the finish area, I spotted my friend Matt....his wife typically participates in this race, so he was here cheering for her.  I waved at him and ran through the finish line.  Though the clock said 3:07, I wasn't sure what my finishing time was...I started in the 4th wave so my time would be several minutes faster than this.  However, it would be a push to finish under three hours.  I found out that I ran my 10k in 47:32 and the full race in 2:59:30.  I was the 10th overall female finisher and won my age group.  Even though I didn't earn a new PR, I'll take it.  I can try again next month at the Hy-Vee Tri in Des Moines.

Final Thoughts
Although Philip and I did not race together, it was very uplifting seeing him on the course.  After training solely with him these past several months, it was very cool completing such a tough race together.  I literally almost cried when I saw him on the run course.  That afternoon, after picking up our boys from my sister and bro-in-law's house, Philip and I were able to dissect the race and talk about what we needed to work on.  Our big goal of the summer, Ironman Steelhead, is only a few weeks out...the distance of this race is roughly double what we did today.  The swim was the worst part of the day for both of us, so we discussed techniques so that we would be able to get through the swim without drowning.  (I might be slightly exaggerating, but not by much!)  We both felt very humbled by how many amazing athletes we competed against that morning....the race leaders and such studs in all three endeavors.

Happy Running! (and swimming and biking!!)

Complete Results can be found here: http://www.truetimeracing.com/results.php?id=3218&t=division

Race Report: Bryan Health Indoor Triathlon

I decided to compete in the Bryan Health Indoor Tri a bit late...initially, my husband was just going to do it.  However, I figured since I'd already be there that I might as well jump in.  The format of the race was as follows: 10 minutes of swimming, followed by a 10 minute transition, 30 minutes on a spin bike, 5 minute transition, finished with 20 minutes on a treadmill.  Not knowing quite what to expect, I was a little nervous...I've never done an indoor tri before.

The race was broken up into heats which began at 8am.  Each heat allowed 8 athletes to compete.  When you signed up, you were able to choose what time you wanted to start.  Since I was planning on running the 5k at Kicks and Kisses that morning, Philip and I chose to start the tri at 1:15pm.  We arrived about an hour before our time slot...we checked out the bikes and figured out our settings, checked out the pool and treadmills, and got our gear unpacked in the locker rooms.

THE SWIM: We began right on time at 1:15pm.  There were four lanes in the pool which meant that there were two athletes per lane.  After the gun went off, we shot into the water.  The swim went well, and once our 10 minutes was complete I darted off to the locker room.  10 minutes sounds like a long time for a transition, but the locker room was downstairs and the spin bikes were located upstairs so I really had to hustle.  I think I arrived at my bike with three minutes to spare so had plenty of time to get my bike ready.

THE BIKE: The bike portion was to be measured by average watts over the 30 minute time period, not distance, which made sense to me.  If it was just based on distance, you could turn your bike to the easiest resistance and just go to town...however, this wouldn't really measure how strong of a biker you are.  I spin three times a week on our bike, but I simply "bike"...I don't measure RPMs, watts, or distance...I just bike for 30-40 minutes.  That being said, this watts thing was totally new to me.  I was able to average (I think) 134 watts over the 30 minute time period.  I had no idea if this was good or bad or what.

THE RUN:  I had to say, I was getting pretty tired when it was time to run...again.  My legs were more tired than I expected after Kicks and Kisses so I was a little worried about what I'd be able to do on the treadmill.  I grabbed a quick drink of water and hopped on a Precor treadmill.  The guy in charge of the running portion told us that the farthest distance that anyone had made it over the 20 minute time period was 2.88 miles.  I thought that I could possibly beat that.  I started out the run at 9.2 MPH.  Holy cow, that run felt like it took forever.  I would try to stare at the t.v....mine was turned to something on the History Channel.  However, I would be running along, sure that at least three minutes had passed, but when I looked down, it had only been one minute.  Yikes.  At one point, I accidentally hit the emergency stop button on my treadmill and my entire machines stopped.  Luckily, it didn't erase my time, and I started back up, this time at 10 MPH. The same thing happened to Philip, and he had to quickly change machines and probably lost at least a tenth of a mile. I ended up finishing my twenty minutes with 3.13 miles.  (After seeing the final results, someone in a later heat made it 3.14 miles.  Darn.)

After both Philip and myself finished, we changed and had a little food before heading out.  We didn't find out the results until that evening as there were a few heats to finish up.  We were very pleased to find out that Philip had WON the overall male division and I got 2nd place.

All in all, this was a very well run event and I would recommend it to both newbie and experienced triathletes.  If you consider the very cheap entry fee of $20, this event can't be beat! Well done! :)