Sprint Report

This weekend I decided to do a sprint race. Sprint races, at this point, are a more fun tempo workout for the day. Besides you can never have enough open water swim practice, since I won't go open water swimming besides a race.

The race report is as follows:

I have run about 5 times total in the last month. To say I am concerned about leg pain and running, is to say the least. However, I know my knee hurts at about 30 min and I figured I shouldn't be still running a 5k at the 30 min point.

I arrived at the race to find the parking for this race was about a mile from the start. I was happy I wasn't pushing the time, like usually. I arrived at the race and watched the people all in some kind of a panic about what to do, how to do it, etc.

I was in wave 9 so I watched the first few waves start and then went down right before my start. When you look at buoys out in the water it always looks further than it really is, distance wise. The water was cold and I was immediately thankful for my wetsuit, even thinking I might have benefited from my long-sleeve one. I got up in the front for the start of the swim. I have learned that even though I am not the fastest swimmer, I am not a scared swimmer. Contact doesn't bother me and I prefer having some people pass me than be in the back and have to swim around more people.

I started the swim and quickly realized that this was similar to swimming in a mass wave start. It was a wave start, but the waves in front were about 2min ahead and most were slower swimmers. I came up on people very quickly and was trying to swim around people. Eventually, I had to swim "over" quite a few people that were swimming next to another person. Besides the slower people the annoying problem was that it was kind of wavy. The buoys were also orange on both sides of the rectangle and there were a lot of swim caps that were orange. It made sighting kind of annoying. The best idea is one color buoy out and one in this way there is no mistake. I passed a lot of people on the swim and wasn't sure where I was in my age on the swim, but couldn't see many people in front of me.

I started the bike, my favorite part of racing. Sadly, it was only 10 miles which doesn't allow me too much of an advantange. It was rolling hills and again in races it is difficult when you are passing many people and nobody is passing you. You are not sure if you need to push more or if you are going fast. I tried to go as fast as I could. I have no idea what my time was for the bike because my race split is missing from the results.

I changed into run shoes, without socks (trying to make transition faster for a sprint) and ran. At about 1.5 miles I was passed by a girl in my age group. I tried to keep her in my sights to push past her at the end. Sadly, the push was not there. Probably the lack of time running, but it was annoying.

In the end I took first in my age and 5th overall if you take out the relay's (otherwise 9th). It was just another "practice" race day. Now I am just wishing my ITband would stop hurting so I can train.

If it doesn't stop hurting soon I may have to take some time off of running (even the one run a week) and see if it gets better. If not then I will have to do the boulder half just swimming and biking and skip out on the run. Which is killer to me, but a smarter decision than to be injured and not be able to train for my big race in Nov.

Here is a pict of me with my trophy after the race:

Pacing...

Yesterday Pedro and I decided to go run at Barr lake. Barr lake is about 8.8 miles around. It was 90 degrees by the time we headed out to run. This time it wasn't my fault, he wasn't "ready" to go. I had been up since 7am for swim club and a lesson.

We go to Barr lake and pay the entry fee to park and get ready to run. We decided on a direction around the lake and took off. Well, more exactly, Pedro took off. He was running way faster than I run. The first sign we passed said 7.5miles. So I assumed we were running the lake backwards and had 7.5 miles to go. There was very little shade and I was carrying my water bottle filled with my amazing nuun drink (which has prevented headaches and tastes pretty dang good).

30 minutes into the run my stupid knee started to hurt. Too bad, I thought, I am going to run the whole lake. The run was on dirt paths and for a little while thru a small track within the grass. I ran behind Pedro trying to keep up with him!

I knew he would get tired. The question was when?? At about the sign that said 4miles he started to slow a little bit. This was about when we passed a field of sunflowers where a deer was watching us run. Anyway, we got to the sign that said 3.5 and Pedro started walking. I continued on running. I stopped about a mile ahead and couldn't see him anywhere. I waited for a song on my ipod and then ran back to see if he was ok. About a quarter mile back I found him still walking. He was complaining it was HOT! Yes, I knew this. But he always tells me how much he LOVES the heat, when I am telling him how much I HATE the heat! He decides he will run with me again.

We pass mile marker sign that says 2 miles. I tell him great news only 2 miles! Though it looked really much further. Mile marker 1!!!! Keep going I say, only one mile to go! He starts walking again, with the comment that it is HOT and "one mile my ass." True, it wasn't looking like one more mile but who knows what one mile looks like??

I keep running. Mile marker 0!!! Yep, not anywhere near where we needed to be. Crap. I keep running and arrive at our car. I drink some coke and wait. Still no Pedro. I decided to go check on him and bring him a coke (he drank part of my water so he did have something to drink earlier). I find him slowly jogging. We walk back to the car. He informs me again, it wasn't him it was just HOT! Yes, yes I know this. He tells me he had a headache before he left home. I explain I am so excited because I don't have a headache (which almost ALWAYS happens in the heat) and I say the drink stuff is awesome!! He responds with "I SAID, I had a headache before I left home, it isn't the heat!" I had to inform him that I wasn't refering to his headache just excited I didn't have one!

Anyway, the 8 mile run turned out to be 9.1 miles for me, running back to find him. Probably about 8.8 miles if I didn't go back. Not sure why they have the signs out that they have, really doesn't help mentally when you are running and think you are done and realize you are not even close!

I told Pedro he needs to learn pacing. Longer runs (which this was his longest) are not done at the same pace as a 2 mile run. He proceeded to do the same thing today on the bike. He followed me out 7 miles on my wheel. I told him to slow down a bit and not try to ride so fast. We turned around and came back (mostly uphill) and he was forever behind me, again I think it is pacing.

If he gets his endurance and pacing down...he will be great to run/bike with because he is really faster than I am and makes me go A LOT faster!

Unable to walk correctly today because of knee pain. Got a massage and she also discovered the giganitic knot in my outside quad that seems to be putting pressure on my IT band...ugh.

Summer has arrived!

The good and the bad about Colorado weather. You can have wonderful days in the winter, fall and spring (note summer is not wonderful). You can also have horrible days in the winter, fall and spring. This weekend summer officially began and it started with a bang. A week ago I was out riding wondering if I should put on my toe warmers. Now I am wondering if anyone would notice if I had no clothes on..? Probably, so I have opted to wear as little as possible, besides I know my new bike seat is comfortable, but probably not that comfortable.

Anyway, I am still not in full run yet. I am building on my bike and swims but not yet really running. When I say really running, meaning more than about 4-5 miles on NON-consecutive days. Monday I biked for 65 miles in 90 degree heat with a surprising 2,200 feet of total elevation gain. Which was a nice surprise! I followed it with a run with run club and when you go from running in cold weather and you take two weeks off of running and run in 90 degree weather, it seemed like a long slow run. But it was only 4.5 miles!

90 degree days have taken over and I am hoping to try to run about 8 miles tomorrow and see how my knee does.

Hoping for a few more "cooler" days before the devils breath (as I mentioned last year, the hot hot wind on the hot days) starts up as well.

Weekend Update...

This weekend has been a busy weekend, for not having basketball. Friday night we went out to eat for my Dad's and Dena's birthday. After dinner we went downtown with one of Pedro's police friends for some snacks and music. Saturday I got up early for run club, for one of my first runs in awhile since my knee has been hurting. After run club we went to a fundraiser for our team where we had all you can eat pancakes. Then we went to the gym for a short workout before heading to M and B's graduation party. Where we ate as much mixed fruit as possible and some other snacks. After that we went to the rockies game with Pedro's police friends and we had a great surprise. While waiting to buy tickets for the game, some guy approached us and said he had two extra tickets for the game that we could have. They were awesome seats. Front row first baseline!

After that long day, Sunday I had a swim and then we went to my parents for a bbq. Here are some pictures from the day.

Life in the slow lane...

Right now basketball season is starting to pick up. We have had tournaments on the weekends that go from 8am games until 9:00pm games. Which makes for a ridiculous long day, especially for someone that likes to sleep as much as I do! After the games I don't have much time for training and so that makes the day even worse. On top of no time, I have had a few days that included no time for food because I am rushing from one game to another. So, think of me, a tired, hungry and lack of training person and imagine me.

Those are the weekends right now and the last two weeks haven't been much better. The first Monday after the long weekend I was sick to my stomach. I couldn't eat much, I was dizzy and just didn't feel good. I started to feel a bit better and wanted to get my long run in...well that was one of the biggest mistakes I have ever made. The first six miles went pretty well. Then I met up with another runner for run club and decided to run another 8 miles or so. After about two miles I realized I was not feeling great. My energy was low (hmm I wonder why, since I had only eaten one small meal and it was 6pm) and I wasn't sure I could keep running. I tried to keep moving but when we hit the corner (about .5miles to my house) I was done. It was the longest nearly, 13 miles of my life. I had to walk from the corner to my house, which I have never done. Then of course, it started to rain as soon as I started walking. I tried to jog but I thought I might be sick. I finally arrived home and I was cold and wet from the rain and exhausted. I sat in the shower until all the hot water was gone. Of course it was a day that Pedro worked and so I had to try and summon some strength to make food. I thought maybe a smoothie. After I put all the ingredients into the blender I had to go and sit down because I thought I might be sick. I wanted some food, but didn't want to make it.

The next few days were better but the weather wasn't great and then another tournament. I then started having IT band problems. Only when I run. So, this week I have only gotten in one real run and my long run consisted of 30min on tred, 30min on elliptical until I had reached 2hrs. My long bike was done outside in the 55 degree weather and I was so cold after I was done that I lost my mind. I had to go to the gym to do run club (the one run I did this week) and I turned on the heat in my car because I was so cold and I got to the gym and realized I had been driving the whole way with my window down! On top of that, on Monday I had another stomachache. This one was apparently from the food that we had from the night before because a few players and parents also had stomachaches. UGH. This week I have gotten in my long ride, long swim (indoors, since it is rainy and tornadoes) and a "pseudo" long run. Mixed in with two other indoor rides and one other swim.

I leave for Wichita tomorrow for another long weekend of tournaments. I have four teams in the tournament so I imagine it will be a ridiculously long weekend.

On a separate note, Pedro has bought a bike to start riding with me. He is currently capable of riding about 15 miles on his bike. I love when he rides with me and I can draft off of him, it's nice not to ride through the wind since he is blocking it all!


We need to get him a bike jersey!

So, right now I am doing very little running with hopes my IT band gets better, since my main focus is for my full ironman in November.