Race Reports #24 and #25

I finished my 24th and 25th half marathons exactly one week apart. I flew to Santa Barbara with the flu for a gorgeous, yet hilly race. It finished right on the beach in Leadbetter Park and was a simply breathtaking course--through a woodsy area, along the coastline and through the hills. I loved it, despite my sore throat. I was glad to be out of Phoenix that weekend for personal reasons.

Seven days later I did my 25th half marathon in Mesa. Flat course, but didn't get my best time. Oh well. Still recovering from my illness. I have been dehydrated lately and I lie in bed at night and my muscles are spasming--not exactly how I should feel before a race.

Now I am going biking to try to spin out some lactic acid because I have a 10 mile race tomorrow known as Iron Girl. It's an all female race around Tempe Town Lake. I love it. This will be my 4th year doing it. So I'll be covering 23.1 miles in two days, not even a full marathon. No prob.

Still in braces :(

Blogging

I love reading my friends' blogs. I feel so voyeristic, maybe that's why I am addicted to some reality shows. I feel a part of their lives without actually being there.

I have been busy at work lately with a project I am struggling with, so sometimes working late. I did get to do some charity work through my job and actually peeled and cut potatoes in the process. I really love working in large kitchens like what you see on the Food Network or Top Chef and charity work magically puts a smile on my face.

I am going to San Diego this weekend for yet another race. Can't seem to slow down.

Health Issues

I went out running this weekend and my knee gave out. I've never had that happen before until now. My quads and knee on my right leg hurt so badly I couldn't run and had to walk. Unfortunately, I was still 5 miles from my car and had no choice but to keep going. Very scary and I'm worried for a race I have this weekend. It took me a significantly long time to get done. In fact, I was only at mile 11 where I would usually be at mile 13.

I am also having problems with my heart. I still cannot sleep on the left side of my body.

On a happier note, I am in love with this movie called Dear John. I've seen it twice already and I will see it again, probably on Valentine's day. I will pretend Channing Tatum is my Valentine. I will also be doing a race on Valentine's Day and I can't think of a better way to spend this Hallmark holiday (which I loathe) than running and watching Channing Tatum in a military uniform.

Last race

I had my last race of the year this weekend. It caps a year of 30 races ranging from 5K to full Ironman. With 52 weeks a year, I averaged just over 1 race every other week. And I can feel it. My last two races have been harder than I expected and my knees and IT band really hurt.

I think I need a break. I don't think I'll be doing the big rock 'n' roll marathon this year in January. The next few weeks I think I'll run, but at a nice, easy pace. But, I am contemplating doing my first ultra marathon of a 50K distance. Might be an experience to try. So I hope the break I need won't last too long and I get back to feeling normal soon.

I think always having something to train for is filling some kind of social void in my life. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing.

Happy holidays! I love this time of year: eating, eating, eating and baking and looking at lights and singing Christmas carols off tune (at least I do).

TGIF

Today was a fantastic, wonderful day. I did another one of my aquathon's with a swim and a sprint. It was freezing water...freezing. Putting my face in the water felt like splashing ice on it. Usually when you swim you warm up...not this time. Even on the run I was freezing cold. I kept trying to blow on my hands to warm them up. It was a quiet race on a chilly evening ending with another gorgeous desert sunset.

I then headed to a party with my triathlon group for an evening of friends, costumes and food. I had a nice time chatting with friends and learning how to bike better because heaven knows I need it.

Nathan's Triathlon

On Sunday I participated in Nathan's Olympic Triathlon. I did this race two years ago and got into a very nasty bike accident. My bike came into pieces and I ended up in physical therapy for 3 months. But I did finish the race in 3 hours with the bike accident.

Sunday's race took me 3:17 and it was so frustrating. The swim took me 13 minutes longer than it did in 2007 and so that really screwed with my head for the rest of the race. My self talk was really negative because I thought I was so much slower in swimming, which doesn't make any sense because I have been swimming so much more than I ever have. So I was really bummed out. My bike took a while and then on the run, for the first time in my life, I got a side stitch. It felt like a hernia. I heard that to rid yourself of the stitch, you walk with your arms over your head leaning to to the side with the stitch. So I did and within 5 minutes it went away, but I did have to walk a little. I've never walked in a triathlon ever. So really frustrating experience.

Then I find out that the swim course was 300 m longer than it was supposed to be and even the elite athletes had their worst swim times. But still a frustrating race.

After the race, one of the ladies in my training group said to me, "well, maybe Ironman just isn't for you." I think that was the most hurtful thing anyone has ever said to me. I came home, got down on the floor and cried for 2 hours straight. I haven't even cried like that over a guy.

Maybe she is right. Or maybe that was just rude to poop on someone's goals like that. My coach told me that is wrong and that I am ready for it. Another girl told me yes, I should do the race. So it's nice to know I do have some supportive people behind me.

My mom thinks my priorities are screwed up. But my mom says that about everything in my life.

I have a hobby and I (usually) enjoy it (except for this race).

Weekend

Friday I ran 18 miles and did an hour swim. Then Saturday I did a 4000M open water swim race in very choppy waters. We were near the boats and water skiis that made for a very bumpy swim. I am super prone to getting sea sick and I did during the race. The waves made for a very nauseating swim. It was one of the hardest physical challenges of my life. After the race, I did a 2 hour bike ride in 105 degrees.

It is almost October and still having the same heat as in July. This heat will not end.

On Sunday, I did a 90 mile bike ride with a group of bikers. The group had set up aid stations and I got to refill with ice cold water. Lovely! I was getting used to drinking warm water on my rides. Cold water just quenches the thirst so much better. I also had no flat tires! Happy day.

Weekend

This weekend I participated in the Arizona Road Racers Series. I came in 10th out of 41 in my age group. Not great, but it was really, really hot. I left my house at 5:45 am and it was already hot. It has been 115 almost everyday for a few weeks now.

After I finished, I spent about 10 minutes recovering and then set off for a long run which I finished at 9:00am dying of heat.

I also completed a 3 hour slow bike ride this weekend.

Changing Hands bookstore, my favorite bookstore, held a publishing seminar on Saturday that I attended after my running.

I didn't do the Mountain Man triathlon. I am trying to save money and that would have meant a long drive with gas and a hotel stay, not to mention registration fees. I will be doing a lot more races this fall, so I am keeping my money in the bank.

I am also planning on getting braces on July 28th. I've had the molds done and probably will get them, unless something drastic happens. This will surely put a damper on my social life. I'm only supposed to wear them for 6 months, so that's not too bad.

On Friday I read my horoscope, which I do once in a while for fun, I don't believe in it, but this one said "An old flame returns, step back and then come out ahead." Well, this weekend I saw an old flame, not the one I thought would return, but I did see one. Trying to get over that fact.

Weekend

I had dinner on Friday with a group of girlfriends and then on Saturday evening with another girlfriend who gave me a belated birthday gift. It was very sweet of her. The temperatures are rising and it is summer already. I love the long summer days and waking up when the sun has already risen, rather than the dark when it feels like I should still be sleeping.

I skipped the international triathlon this weekend and thought it would make me feel good not to get up nervous for a race, but rather, I woke up feeling guilty. I missed racing. I missed the bike course and swimming in the inviting waters.

I found out a friend of mine was hit by a car when she was walking across the street and is now unconscious in a hospital in San Francisco. I hope she will be alright and await to hear. She is my friend who works at Sephora and loves to talk beauty supplies with me. I really hope she will be okay.

Racing some more



I will be doing another aquathon today and am skipping the Tempe International Triathlon as I just did a triathlon last weekend and have a big race next week. So many races and the temps just go up up up. Tonight's race will be in 103 degrees. The swim will be nice, but the run will be painful.

Here are photos from my last race.

And here are photos from the race before.

The weekend



This weekend was packed full of activity. Saturday I arose early to participate in Pat's Run. It is a short 4.2 mile run honoring Pat Tillman and raising funds for his foundation. I averaged just 8 minute miles, but there were so many people it was hard to run. Over 20,000 runners on the course and so many were getting trampled on. I saw children go down, adults fall over. Pretty crazy and hectic. But it was a nice day and I had a good run. I finished in the top 5% of female finishers.

I then took 4 beautiful young girls to go see the new Hannah Montana movie. Surprisingly, it wasn't as cheesy or as lame as I had expected.

Sunday I arose at 4:45am for a triathlon to raise money for breast cancer: Tri for the Cure. When I got to the parking lot and was putting my bike together in the dark, I had difficulties. The screw holding the brake pads together had come loose and now my tire was sitting on my brake pad. I was worried I wouldn't be able to do the race. I had three people try to fix it and luckily it got fixed in time. Unfortunately, it was a pool swim, which meant one swimmer after another after another. We all had to be out of transition by 6am, preferably by 5:30am, yet my number wasn't coming up till 9am. This meant a lot of sitting around and waiting and waiting and the temperatures just kept getting hotter and hotter. They started with number 1 and I was number 463. I finally got to start the swim at 8:59:30. So I had already been there since 5:15 and was just starting the race, which ended up only taking me 58 minutes to finish. I placed 18th out of 89 in my age group. I think I finished 91 overall. There were a few DNFs. I finished around the 20% mark for both my age group and overall. Not exactly where I'd like to be...I need to swim faster. I placed okay in the bike and run, but my swim was really slow. I see I have a lot of work to do. The unfortunate part of the race was all the waiting around. I think I would have done a better race had I not had to wait for hours and hours, which screwed up the nutrition and temperatures were racing past 90 degrees by the time I got to the run. I did manage to run just over a 7 minute/mile pace for my quick 2.25 mile run, despite the heat.

I don't think I'll be doing any more races by this company. Many competitors told me that this is what happens with most of their races, just wait and wait and wait. I did do a triathlon by this company back in 2005, but it was an open water swim, so different story.

Well, it's getting hot here. Temperatures are hovering near triple digits, which means no more afternoon runs...getting up very early to beat the heat.

Cha-ching!



How often do you feel like this with racing? I swear triathlons are cash cows. I know it takes money for liability, security, blocking off roads, but some are super expensive. So I guess in this economy, you have to be selective about what you enter.