NJ State Olympic Tri Race Report - A PR!

As I stated a while back I have been "non-plan" since Mooseman and I wouldn't necessarily say I like it, because I need to have structure in my life.  BUT, on the flip-side, it turned out that non-plan is actually a good thing when things are pretty crazy. I decided for the rest of the season, it would be best to stick with short distances with everything going on with Mike's dad.

I spent Saturday before the race at the hospital with Mike and his dad until about 8pm.  I was sad to leave Mike by himself for another over-nighter.  Tiffany said she would come and stay over so she could be my sherpa for the day. 


The nice thing about NJ State is that it's about 10 minutes away and it's where I train, which means...I can sleep in!!  I got up at 6am and got my breakfast ready (2 slices ezekial bread and 1 tbsn of almond butter).


We got there sort of early (I'm surprising people left and right!) and was able to get a decent spot in transition and get over to the swim start.  While trying to instagram (cause I can't stop) a picture of me and my sherpa, Tiff, I happened to find a nice girl and guy to ask them to take the picture.  Ironically it was Donna (@trintriagain) who just moved from Texas to Atlantic City!  Again social media at it's best.  She was cheering on her boyfriend who was racing.

Sherpa Tiff and me!

Donna and Tiff

I am going to compare this to 2009 race since 2010 was 110 degrees and ended up being a sh$%show death march.  The only other Olympic I did was Red Bank this year, where I only really PR'd on the run.

Swim - 1500 meters 0:38:36 (compared to 2009 time of 0:40:20) - PR

Again one of the last waves W35-39

 I ate about 3/4 of a banana about 30 minutes before the start in place of my usual Gu to see how that worked.  The water was warm 78 degrees and for me no wetsuit equals a more comfy swim!  I decided to start in the middle and pushed my nerves aside by saying "Heather, you have swam in this race 5 years in a row, get over it!"  That did it and I was off and feeling pretty good until the turn around and realized I forgot my mirrored goggles and the sun was directly in my face.  I kept having to stop and take them off, defog and reassess where I was, I think I drifted a few times, but all in all I felt good in the swim and ran up the ridiculous hill to transition where the timing chip would complete my swim time...

T1 2:20 (compared to 2009 time of 3:20) - PR
 Uneventful, but I was a little more organized than in previous races.  Could it be getting there early?

Checking my Garmin saying huh, I got ready quick this time.

Bike -  25.6 miles 1:22:27 18.6mph (compared to 2009 23.2 miles time of 1:16:30 @18.2mph) - PR
I started on the bike feeling hungry so I quickly took a GU coming out on the park road before the turn.  I was sipping on GU brew as I went on the ride.  I realized it was really hard to pedal....and that a mountain biker was passing me (okay she wasn't a mountain biker I later found out but a road bike without the drops) so I realized my brakes were hitting the wheel.  I got off and checked.  Yup, it was, and fixed it and went passed the girl.  I then saw Yasi while she was on her multi-hour run and then I turned and it happened again, this happened about 4 more times and I decided to just fix while in aero which proved to work, but would not recommend to do it while in a race.   With all that aside, I recently got a new bike fit from Bill and he put me in a more agressive position dropping my handlebars and pushing my seat up and I have to say it was fantastic.  I LOVE IT!!! My goal was to do 19 or above and I did it in 18.6.  However, with the brake issue and looking at the Garmin data at those points, it could have happened...c'est la vie!

T2 2:55 (compared to 2009 time of 2:48)

There really is no excuse for this...I should be faster.


Run - 6.2 miles 59:46 9:38/mile  (compared to 2009 1:05:37) - NJ State PR -but Red Bank was faster at 9:13/mile
Humidity kicked in big time and I decided to walk the water breaks and take in the Heed.  I took one GU at mile 3 and then stuck with water for the remainder.  I slowed down for mile 5 but then picked it back up for the final mile or so.All in all no cramps and felt good for the last mile or so to kick it in. 


There you have it 3:06:06 a PR from 3:08:29 in 2009 which was 2.3 miles shorter on the bike! 

Relaxing on the deck with my pup

I have new goals that start this week which consist of lots of speed work on all disciplines.  I am very excited for September 15th and Atlantic City Olympic Tri and have a new goal to break 3 hours (hoping for a 2:50).  

The Strange Truth About Triathletes....

The other night we went to support Yasi as she led a triathlete discussion at Lululemon in Princeton with newbies for NJ State, and I realized during our post-lulu-conversation with fro-yo that triathletes not only have something wrong with our brain (really I think there needs to be some research going on here) but we are strange and sometimes disgusting human beings...or are we??  You decide...

Please note if you tend to not use the words shit or poop or tend to be uncomfortable if people talk about those words you may not want to read...

Here are some observations I have made since I embarked on the sport 4+ years ago :

1. We talk about how many times we shit before a race during a formal dinner party and say this as if we were talking about the weather.
2. Some of us pee on our bike (it's true - they actually make a shirt)...and about 70%* of triathletes probably have. *Note: this is a fictional made-up number and not from actual market research.
3. If the thought of #2 was not enough, we need to run a half marathon or even marathon after we have peed on the bike and ourselves...(just to be clear, I actually tried to pee once but could not, it's not easy) 
4. Triathletes think it is completely normal that you pee in your wetsuit if you are swimming in cold water to "warm you up."
5. There are times when you have to make a restroom out of a bush because you have no idea where the next restroom is during the middle of the run. Oh yeah and we are so proud of this (see Diamondman post from 2010).
6. We wear spandex.  Enough said.
7. We shove ice in our sports bras and sometimes out of necessity we eat the "sweaty and dirty lake that has caked on our skin" ice.  
8. We shove our hands down our spandex in front of 100's of people to put a product called Hoo Ha Ride Glide to prevent our girly parts chafing and developing saddle sores.....

   

   Reflect Sports has great products including their Swim shampoo

9. We carry Glide (another chaffing substance, because we can't get enough) with us in our purses next to our lip gloss.
10. We wear fanny packs which although can be disguised as a race belt, an iPhone holder, GU holder, it's a freaking FANNY PACK....etc. etc.

    

    This thing really is great holding my phone, cards, gu, race number
    

11. We sometimes don't shower for long periods of time (we won't divulge) - well why would you if you are just going swimming in chlorine the next day and you are just sooo tired after your bike at night that would require an extra energy expenditure...And why would you when they sell something called "Showerpill."
12. We revert back to a child and drink from our adult "sippy" cups...
13. We eat a sugary slimy substance that goes by the name of "GU" - I mean really, who was part of that marketing team...
14. Although we look and act like healthy people, we drink good beer as a recovery drink, think of margaritas as a source of sodium replacement from the salt lost during a race.  We think of snickers, coke and potato chips as acceptable normal food choices DURING a long workout or a race.
15. We know how to fix a bike tire and a chain derailer but have no idea what to do when the oil change light comes on in the car (TRUE STORY).
16. Most of us that are not sponsored, spend oodles of money just to get this nifty thing (race medals).
17. We clearly go though a very mentally exhausting day that is filled with pain and negativity which immediately evaporates the minute they put one of those valuable medals on your head....

Not sure if this is the face of "I'm having fun"

"I'm so happy I got this cool medal - this was so fun, let's do it again"

I couldn't think of any more to give me an even 20....

In conclusion, I love this sport and it embraces my inner weirdness...can't you tell from that last picture!

Goals or Lack of...

I have been struggling with writing a post for a while because I decided to do my A race (that looked more like a C race) so early in the year.  I initially was motivated by the fact that my fitness is better than it usually is mid-summer and I am still debating another half-ironman this year but since a couple races I would like to do don't workout date-wise...I have just been in limbo...I have no plan, I have been winging it, which in one respect is nice, almost calming.  I haven't rode or ran with my Garmin at all.  The real reason is I need to erase the data and I am too damn lazy to do it.  On the contrary, I don't do well without plans, I need something to keep the ADD (by the way this is not a medical diagnosis just my own) in check, otherwise I am all over the place.

I have an Olympic distance race next week and I have no plan.  It's odd, yet I feel ready as anything and interested in what I can do.  I have been working my ass off since November and maybe this little "no plan thing" will work out and maybe not.  I am still getting in my quality workouts, like my 9 mile runs in mid-morning when the heat is blazing, humidity is ridiculous and the only thing to look forward to is wearing a new lululemon outfit that I bought as my prize for finishing Mooseman.

New speed shorts and sportbra!!  Love them!

Every week, I muster up a schedule that gets shot down usually by Tuesday.  Partly because there is so much on my mind lately with my father-in-law and everything going on.  My husband, God bless him, has been there almost daily and nightly at the hospital with his sister and mom that is an hour away.

When your heads not in the game its time to call a break.  So after some deep reflections and looking at the positives in our lives, I decided to get some workouts in, sign up for some races with friends, get fast and have fun for the rest of the season. I signed up for Splash-n-Dash in Marlton, NJ and was able to knock off a few seconds of my swim time (albeit not great, but I'll take the improvement), improved my t-time (although I will never beat the transition ninja, Christine and her 30 seconds) and improved my run time in the 5k with 8:44 min/miles. 

Had a blast racing with my Team Triumph crew!!

In other news, we had our 2nd Annual Christmas in July shindig!  I was so glad we had one day to escape everything going on and that for one day Mike could relax !  We had a wonderful Christmas in July - there was no snow, but poolside fun, tons of fireworks, and plenty of beer and I was even able to get in a 45 mile ride with Yasi that morning....

Mad Elf aged for 2 years, Great Divide Collette, and DFH World Wide Stout!!

Xmas montage

Fireworks display compliments of Bill

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!

Rejuvenating that Triathlon Spark by Meeting Andy Potts

Friday was a time to get all giddy school girl like when we found out D&Q bike shop was having a Q&A session before Philly Insurance Tri (part of the 5150 series) with Kestrel and Fuji pros Andy Potts, Matty Reed, Cameron Dye and Sarah Mclarty.  My husband is probably tired of me gushing but it was a pretty cool event.

That day started at 8am with some pretty hilarious facebooking as the girls from Team Triumph went as far as declaring themselves single to deciding who was going to be sitting on Andy Potts lap...I would describe this as pretty close to when friends of mine got front row seats to NKOTB in 1988....Humor aside, it was a great event and learned a lot from these guys and gal, especially these four takeaways!

Lesson 1 - Positive Self-Talk
This was my favorite lesson and hope that I can carry this to heart next time I am in a dark place on a race or a long workout.  The question in so many words was how to calm yourself in the swim when the excitement and anxiety of the situation gets the best of you.  Potts answered this question with what he does (yes, he says he has anxiety as well).  He said he is a big fan of positive self-talk; whereas I do 'what the fuck did I sign up for' self-talk.  Maybe this is the key?  Similar to ZenTri and his "I see you hill" podcast.  Not sure if you ever heard that one, but the Zentri says when a large hill is coming up just start repeating "I see you hill" and pretty soon the hill is over and you are on the other side. Back to Potts, he says he likes to time his breathing with his "I'm okay, I'm okay, etc."  He says after a while you will stop saying it because you are, in fact, "okay." 

Lesson 2 - Do NOT squirt down your Gu in one shot - your sphincter will close.  
We have all heard "don't take a Gu without water" but some of us think that means "shoot the gu in your mouth, follow by a swig of water."  When you swallow all that gel, it sits on the lower esophageal sphincter (okay nerdy Heather is back), the sphincter closes or clogs you can say and does not get into the stomach to be digested....ahhhhh this is where water comes in. 

I'm pushing up my glasses off my nose as I type...nerd...

 Potts was saying that he fills his flask with water and gel (yes I have heard this before but never did it) so that it is easily digested.  Funny thing is, this is very intuitive, and I was a little mad at myself for not having the common sense....


Lesson 3 - Practicing Race Simulations of Open Water Swims
This is a no-brainer, right?  We all try to get into some open water swims but how about race simulations.  Like maybe going with a few friends or more and all try swimming in the same lane...have each other swim over top of you, maybe not the kicking and punching but you get the point.  Also, Sarah (I'm on a first name basis with all these peeps) has a great site where she has some swim sets posted.  Check her out, she is a pretty standout swimmer.


Lesson 4 - A Race Should Be a Celebration of Your Training

Wow, this was a good one.  I never heard this before but it is true.  You work your ass off, literally, in training and when it comes to the race it shouldn't be "shit, I can't believe I HAVE to do this" or "I don't want to do this, it sucks."  Basically stop your freaking whining (okay he didn't say that) and come into the race as a celebration, this is your party!  You worked so hard and you have graduated, now show that race who's boss.  So he only said that the Race Should be a Celebration of Your Training, I just added my interpretation. 

All in all, as much as I am not a huge fan of the bike shop, they put on a really nice event.  I mean really nice.  I got a free water bottle or two, got some Gu and Chomps for 20% off and had a great time meeting some really awesome people and hanging with some friends.  Here are a few pics of the night!! 

TT Lisa Campisi with Matt Reed

Potts with the HGRC girls...

With all our free shit!

Christine showing off her delts while practicing swimming

Yasi getting new shades and showing just how tan she is from eating carrots

The five finger discount I accidentally got, I tried to pay for it and they said it was free!

Read closely bitches, it says "to Heather" yeah!

Happy Training and Racing to Everyone!

Recovery, and then what?

A couple first times....
1.  I did an early June HIM with no plans after....
2.  I didn't go straight to vacationing just to drink and eat myself into a coma for a week or two...
3.  I actually did recovery workouts and did walking around farmer's markets instead of a workout that considered walking in vineyards or walking to a bar in Sweden (all of which sounds awesome right?)


Last week consisted of:

Monday - Drive 7 hours home...
Tuesday - EASY spin for an hour while watching bad TV
Wednesday - OFF
Thursday - EASY 3 mile run and stretching
Friday - OFF
Saturday - 40 mile ride with Yasi
Sunday - Outdoor yoga at Lululemon

Things have been very stressful with our family and lots of trips to the hospital back and forth.  My coping mechanism with stress is to make sure everyone is okay and to make sure everyone is properly fed with good food.  I stocked up with some great farmer's market finds on Wednesday and Thursday.

Okay, okay, I did still indulge a couple times in my basement with Weyerbacher Heresy and Dogfish Head Burton Baton

in case you are wondering that is a kangaroos scrotum bottle opener...a present from a dear friend...

Oh yeah, I also did a bit of shopping....(you know by myself a present or more for my race)

Top Left: Nordstroms including Paige feather shorts; Top Right: Lululemon

Bottom Left:  VS;  Bottom Right: Saucony Mesh Bullets and Sanuk

I decided to do a second week with some yoga, cycling, swimming and light running before I start another training block.  I need to figure out what I want to focus on, my brain is very scattered (my undiagnosed ADD).

Yoga followed by Froyo

I know I want to focus on speed, getting faster, since I feel the endurance is already there.  I signed up for NJ State Olympic in July and am deciding on another sprint, century and possibly another half-iron type of race possibly in September...I am working another week on my training schedule to figure all that out.  I have my sights on Poconos 70.3 since it fits into the schedule and has a nice mix of rolling hills and it's not too far away.  Part of this is that my Mooseman didn't go as planned, but I also feel like I have built a great base this year and feel really refreshed.  I thought I would be burnt out like I usually am when I do a later race in Sept. It's definitely a different feeling doing a bigger race earlier in the season, almost like you are not ending it in a bang!

When asked what my goal was by a family member, I finally came to the realization that triathlons are really a lifestyle and I just enjoy training!  So whether I do another half-ironman in September or not, I will be still be training, and giving Yasi a training partner as she takes on Ironman NYC (er...NJ I mean...)!!

Mooseman 70.3 Race Report

I had huge hopes for this post with how good I felt going into it, all of the training that should have gave me a really good race time, what the weekend was SUPPOSED to look like weather-wise, planning the perfect family/friends long weekend.

So let's throw all that out the window and restart....

I got sick on Wednesday, I was in denial that it was allergies, but it was a cold.  I thought the best thing to do was REST, so I did, I slept and biked and got in a short run prior to the race.

My father-in-law Carle was experiencing some breathing issues Friday morning before we left, 7 hour drive just could not happen for him.  However, we were positive that he would be better with some rest and they would leave the next day.

I consolidated my bags, took my necessities, and hopped a ride with Yasi and her mom for the trek up Friday. 

My parents and sister were leaving a little later on. Later when we got into New Hampshire,Mike called to say Carle was being rushed to the hospital and admitted into ICU.  Part of me wanted to get right home and be with Mike and the family and part of me knew that I was doing this for Carle and this horrible disease.  I wrestled with this decision Saturday morning until I spoke to Mike.  Apparently, Carle was telling every nurse, doctor, tech about what I was doing, where he was supposed to be, and Mike even hung up a sign in the hospital room that said "Go Heather!  Finish #1!" that they were supposed to bring.  Okay, I thought, the decision is made...even with the torrential downpour, this thing was happening and I was going to do exactly what that sign said "FINISH."

Since it was pouring, we decided to use the hotel gym for some light "movement" - I was on the precur strutting and looking like an alien from that movie Signs (Mel Gibson) watching old Project Runway, while Betty (mom) power-walked and Yasi biked tweeted...

We had a great lunch and was able to meet up with Anabel, whom I met last year via twitter and at Vineman.  Anabel and her cycling phenomena fiance gave Yasi and I the ins and outs of the bike course.  We then went to the meeting where we heard that it isn't supposed to rain that much (as it was downpouring about 2 inches or so of rain) tomorrow and that they would be using sub-pumps to get out most of the water...great!

Dinner was pretty awesome, I found a place that has quinoa on the menu - you can't go wrong with that...

Went to bed after some "good luck" phone calls from the husband and family and ready for the next day.

Early morning tweeting

And then the nerves started, maybe it was seeing some rain, maybe it was because we were running late, but I couldn't stomach the 1/2 Ezekiel English muffin and almond butter.  My transition spot was in a huge puddle, I am talking large, and I had barely enough time to throw everything in a trash bag and run out to get my wetsuit on and hand off a bag to my mom.  The water looked cold, I don't know how that is possible but it did and there was no time for me to sit in there and waddle around.

looks cold huh...

I decided to run to my mom and see if there was an extra Gu - I was worried I didn't eat enough beforehand.  So I shoved it down, took a sip of water and it was GO!

Swim (49:46)
Women 39 and under were in the same wave which was the second wave and as expected it was COLD.  Not the 66 degrees that it was supposed to be.  I would estimate maybe 59/60.  Head was not going in and I have to say I didn't freak, I just moved slow and then eventually developed a groove for the first 800 meters.  I couldn't breathe ever 3 so I had to do every 2 which ends up being way slower for me, but I was calm and that was important.  Eventually I started swimming normal (as usual the last 800 meters) and then realized I couldn't feel my feet and had to start moving faster to prevent numbness.  I got out dizzy, very dizzy and kind of nauseous and that little cold I was in denial about made me feel like shit.

T1 
It was a long transition, after the wet suit strippers, I was numb, cold and shivering, I found the arm warmers got my stuff on, but it was a clusterf*%* of errors, arm warmers were backwards, I had to put them on again right, I dropped my socks in teh mud puddle, I got my bike and started running out and then realized this was not going to be good, I really didn't feel well, I remembered my white long sleeve in the trash bag, ran back, threw it on, dropped my helmet in some mud and got the hell out of there...

Bike (4:01 - I have an excuse...)

after my 8 min T1 time....ugh

The first part was nice as I expected, I tried some of the Perpetum but my stomach wasn't having it, so I tried a Peanut Butter Gu (can I say yum!) and then we started approaching the hills.  Initial thought, not so bad!  And then, my dreaded fear, a flat.  I hate flats, I suck at fixing them, I am slow and to add on the extra numb fingers and thumbs, I couldn't get the levers to take off the tire, it was bad.  Eventually, bike support came by fixed it and I was back on my way a good 30 minutes later.  The ride was great especially with the downhills and the flats.  The hills sucked at about mile 2 when I ran out of gears....that was hard.  I was so cold on the downhill, and was so far gone in time, I thought about quitting a few seven times.  I stopped at a water exchange and promptly puked a little, got some electrolyte drink, some chomps, and then went on my merry way.  I do have to get better at gearing so I don't waste time with chains popping off (another few minutes wasted) during the second climb.  If this was a nice day and I wasn't sick, I really would have loved the bike course.

During all this, remember that little thing called DOUBT?  well, he crept up, and during the first loop, I said I'm just going to quit when I see a bike support, I feel like shit.  Then I pushed into the second loop, during the major descend after the second climb, I said I was finishing at mile 56.  I was done, I was cold, I had snot hanging from my nose, I was coughing and almost puking and I just said.  "you know, I finished 2/3, people can't be upset.  I am really sick." and then my other part of my brain saw a vision of the sign in Carle's hospital room that said "Finish #1 Heather"...but then that little asshole  DOUBT came in and was like "how are you going to finish, you feel like shit.  You are REALLY going to run 13 miles"  And this went on over and over for 40 miles...I passed my family coming in and went into T2, completely ready to load the bike and call it a day and watch my friends come in.

Run (2:15)
And then this literally happened...no lie...exactly like the movie...I found myself putting on my sneakers "And in that particular moment I decided to go for a little run."


 And the first 8 miles felt great despite those damn hills....seriously 8 times??

This was the first 6 miles then you do it again...

That was crazy, but then I started cramping, made some more friends, and finished!!

Yasi and Anabel!  Yasi had her fastest 1/2 mar time and Anabel got 2nd in AG and a spot to Vegas for World Championships!

me and my mommy!

So even though I didn't have the bike I wanted, the best weather conditions, and wasn't 100%, in this odd weird way, it was a great race!  For the first time I was happy about the run and ran a respectable 1/2 marathon after that bike (for me), I don't have any more of the bike to run transition slowness and I didn't completely screw up the swim.

Even more importantly, I was able raise awareness and money for ALS and make Carle proud!
Tri-ing to Fight ALS

For all of this to happen:
I have the most amazing husband who supports me during these crazy things AND I had friends and family that supported me through this both virtually and there!

my sister and Tiffany made me a cool sign!

My awesome support crew!!  I love the Family!

Oh yeah, and I had an awesome training partner this season!  Check out Yasi's race report - so proud of her and her race!!

If you recall, I wanted to do one earlier in the season for two reasons:
1.  I was hurt last year and wanted to start training ASAP.
2.  I wanted to not worry about training every weekend in the summer.

BUT, the minute, I crossed the finish line and was all happy because there is something in your brain that instantly erases every awful thought you have (I will never do this again, I can't wait to not have anything to do on a Sat except drink beer and work on my tanlines so I don't look like a farmer, I am really happy to be done with this), every bad feeling you get during a race, is immediately replaced when someone puts this cool little medal on you...and the only thought you have is "I can't wait to do another one."

So here's to the thought that triathlons are not just a race it's a lifestyle and I enjoy every part - the ups and downs, the crying, laughing, all of the sweat and hard work and mental preparation makes me a stronger person and able to take on life's challenges.