Wildflower, Post-Wildflower

Ah.....the familiar 2-week funk! It has been just over 2 weeks since Wildflower, and they have not been my favorite 2 weeks. After any big race, I experience a period of "down" time where I usually eat bad food, lay around, and avoid workouts at all cost. It is similar to studying for a big test or writing a long paper - the last thing you want to do after all that prep (and accomplishing the task itself) is pick right back up again. This is probably not the best philosophy, but it's how these things go down with me. The post-race funk this time is much more complicated, since I didn't finish my race...

Wildflower: May 1

I remember this race experience in fragments, so bear with me...

Fragment #1 - Camping + triathlon = complicated

Fragment #2 - I LOVE my teammates. What a great time hanging out, enjoying the great outdoors, and reflecting on the past 6 months of hard work.

Fragment #3 - The swim was my favorite part - fun, challenging, exciting - and I felt strong. T1 was uncomplicated, and actually faster than I thought, given the hill from the swim finish to my bike.

Fragment #4 - Beach Hill was KILLER in the first mile, but I stayed on my bike and did not stop. All I could think about was throwing up. Or hyperventilating.

Fragment #5 - My lower back started hurting after Beach - REALLY hurting. Sharp pain. Distracting pain.

Fragment #6 - Stopping for sunscreen & Extra Strength Tylenol at an aid station early on in the ride. Realizing at this point that I might not finish.

Fragment #7 - Pushing through in the heat and wind to get to Nasty Grade. I made it halfway up before stopping (mile 43). Not worth the pain. At least in that moment it was not worth the pain.

Fragment #8 - I cried for the first time in a race - definitely not finishing and waiting for a ride. Thank God Sara D. came along. We both won't make the cutoff at this point anyway.

Fragment #9 - Seeing the coaches and other DNFers back in transition. NOT a good feeling, but we are definitely not alone.

Fragment #10 - Waiting at the finish line with the team. Waiting for EVERY last Ironteamer to finish. These people are amazing, and I miss them already!

So...I need to decide what to do next! I want to sign up for another half as soon as possible, and July 31st is an option. We shall see. Meanwhile, I need to try and harness that once unquenchable excitement for training, and get out there NOW!

Procrastination Station

So I have been absolutely terrible about updating my blog! It is definitely a testament to my crazy schedule (both training and work). Wildflower is a month away, Desert Tri is on the books, and we head off for Wildflower training weekend this Friday. I regret that I have not been more detailed in my posts, but one thing I can do is provide the pics!

First, some brief thoughts on the Toyota Desert Triathlon, which I raced on March 7th...

The day before the race, we biked 32 miles through the windy Palm Springs desert. It was a fun ride (except for the major traffic on Washington street heading out). We were all complaining about doing a long ride before the race, but it really wasn't that bad in the end.

Throughout the weekend I experienced MANY different degrees of anxiety...but learned to control them in small ways. (More on this later).

We got up early the morning of the race and headed to Lake Cahuilla for transition setup. It was fun to sit around and chat with my teammates once everything was in order.

The Swim:

Thankfully it wasn't too crowded in my wave, but I did have a brief anxiety attack in the water. Our coaches told us this would happen, and that we would need to take a minute to get ourselves together. I kept going – and tried to focus on being grateful for my health, ability to compete, and for the many blessings in my life. This tactic worked, and I had a good swim - much better than I thought.

After a quick transition, I was off on...

The Bike:

Rain was the issue here. It rained. The WHOLE time. The ride was flat, but I felt a bit tentative on the slippery roads. I managed to pass a few cyclists, but was passed by many. The course was 2 loops around farmland and residential neighborhoods in La Quinta. I enjoyed the ride (despite the weather) but had no idea how to manage my energy, knowing there was a run remaining. In the end, I think I played it too safe.

The Run:

I felt slow on the run, but held my own and finished in a respectable amount of time. The rain definitely complicated things, but after a while I was actually happy that it wasn't too hot.

What I learned:

-You can’t control everything on race day, but can control your attitude and outlook on the experience.

-If you are nervous, try to be grateful for what your body can do and reflect on that often.

-Shared human emotions (including nervousness) are powerful.
-Preparation and organization are everything in triathlons.
-Get in line for the bathrooms early (also marathon wisdom).

-A banana ½ hour before the swim start is a good thing. :)

Desert Tri Race Report Coming Soon!

Manhattan Beach 10k Race Report

It was a rather last-minute decision, but I decided last week to register for the Manhattan Beach 10k on October 3rd. A friend was choosing this as her first race, and I was inspired to make this my comeback race. My training has been spotty over the last two months, and I really needed to feel inspired again. The fact that MB is local made this choice even easier.

I was a bit nervous at the start, but I wanted to keep this race low pressure and high fun. I saw a ton of TNT people and some other acquaintances along the way. The route had plenty of hills, including one biggie at mile 5. Surprisingly, I maintained an 11:15 pace throughout - MUCH faster than my usual training pace (typically 12:00-13:00 depending on terrain). I had to run-walk up the final hill (due to lack of recent hill training), but it was heaven coming down onto the Strand for the final mile and a beautiful ocean view. I tried to push myself to the MB pier, where I saw balloons and the blessed finish line. My official chip time was 1:09:34. I am more than satisfied with the result, given my lack of consistency these days.

I can't wait to get back into my training routine and run my next race, which might be during a business trip in Washington, DC.

In other news, I am off to Hawaii for a wedding this week. I will definitely be bringing my running shoes and logging some island miles!