Friday, March 29, 2013

Oceanside Here I Come!

Tomorrow is race day and I'm ready! It's not often that I feel I'm ready for a race, so maybe I'm being overconfident. I hope not, as I hope to PR. Here are my goals:

Swim
39
On par for the other years I've done this race

T1
5
I have a wetsuit that's easier to take off, so hopefully that will save me a minute 

Bike
3:10
My fastest is 3:16, but I'm hoping I've improved a bit in all these years, but then again cycling is my weakest leg.

T2
3

Run
1:45
This is where I plan to shine. My running has improved by leaps and bounds this year. I've proven to myself that I can still run fast after getting off the bike. 

Overall
5:45

Yes that's a tough goal, but as I mentioned before I feel prepared. So much of racing is mental to me. I need to realize that I CAN do it and I don't need to walk. I WILL have fuel in the tank to run. I CAN keep up that pace for another hour of the run. Positive talk. I CAN do it. I WILL do it!!

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Race Outfit


I'm always thinking about what to wear on race day, especially during a triathlon. And when I'm doing something long like Oceanside 70.3, it has to be perfect because I don't want to be hot/cold/sweaty/rubbing/ugly. 

Skyler got me a new Pearl Izumi tri top for Christmas. Since I didn't have a triathlon to test it out on before this race, I wore it during a trail run last month. I love it! I matched a Team Sparkle skirt and visor with it and I'm set. Can't wait until Saturday!

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Exhausted


My big race is in a few days and I can't wait for it to be here! I like pushing myself hard, but I especially like it when I have a reward for it too. My last big workout consisted of a 2-1/2 hour bike followed by a 1 hour run at race pace. I couldn't help myself and ran 8 miles at a 7:30 pace. I was shocked I was able to run that race after such a hard brick. I'm ready to rock this race. Wish me luck!

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Pregnant and Half-Ironman

Two years ago I found out I was pregnant, just five days before my "A" race. I'm reminiscing since I'm racing Oceanside 70.3 again in just a few days.

Re-post from June 7, 2011:

This year started off with with some heavy training. My "A" race was early, so I needed to kick start the new year with some major mileage. I got a triathlon coach and began the hard work. My schedule wasn't an easy one. My workouts doubled to two a day. My Saturday mornings were devoted to long bike/run bricks. At first I loved having structure, but then the miles began adding up and I was exhausted every day. It wasn't uncommon for me to have 150 mile / 16 hour weeks.

The day finally came for my big race and I was ready. I was thrilled and of course super nervous. I've already written my race report for the Ironman 70.3 CA months ago, but I left out one little detail. It wasn't even part of the race, but it consumed my thoughts the entire day. After I crossed through the finish line, Skyler was there to greet me. The part I didn't tell you is what happened after that. I flipped over my bib...




...and gave Skyler the shock of his life. I am pregnant!

So you're probably thinking...wait, but I thought she did a half-Ironman. Yes, I did that too. Here's what happened. I had just finished one of my hardest weeks of training and was winding down for race week. On the Monday before the race, the start of my taper week, I had a hunch something was up. This could have been anything, as I had been doing some crazy training. A quick trip to Target confirmed what I thought. Just five days until race day. What to do? Tell Skyler? Not race?

I saw this as a blessing in disguise. I really wanted to do this race and I really wanted to get pregnant. As I thought about it, I realized I had been pregnant during the toughest training days of the year. If this baby could make it through that, then this race would be a piece of cake.

Five days later I had the best race of my life. A miracle?! I don't think so. A blessing.

So here are the details: I'm 14-1/2 weeks along, just starting the second trimester. I'm definitely showing...a lot. I'm due December 2nd. Skyler is the best almost-dad in the world. I've been nauseous almost the entire time and he's been super sweet at accommodating me. As for my training, it went from 16 hours a week to 2. I haven't done much of anything. Actually that's an exaggeration, but it's definitely changed. I'm a snail now. I have to move so slow to keep my heart rate down. But I don't mind....we're have a baby...my baby and me!!




Monday, March 18, 2013

Losing Baby Weight


I just found some notes I took right before and after giving birth. I was kinda obsessed with my weight while pregnant because it was scary to see such high numbers. It's super interesting to see how fast the weight just fell off, especially since I was eating like a pig. I ate a whole apple pie in two days! That would be nice. Here are the stats:

9 months pre-baby: 108 lbs
Yes I was a bit underweight but that was because I was at peak race weight for Oceanside 70.3

6 days pre-baby: 145 lbs
Looks like I gained about 40 pounds. I was scared of tipping 150 or weighing more than Skyler. Thank goodness that never happened.

3 days post-baby: 133 lbs 
Des weighed almost 9 pounds, so I was surprised I didn't lose more.

5 days post-baby: 123 lbs
10 pounds in two days! Let's just say I had been a bit constipated during the last several days of being pregnant. Finally I wasn't anymore and my weight showed for it.

8 days post-baby: 119 lbs
Still losing weight even during the pie incident.

10 days post-baby: 117 lbs
Still have a big belly though. I didn't like all of that extra skin. Someone sent me a post-pregnancy velcro ab belt. It was supposed to help hold your stomach in and hold your abs in place when beginning exercising again. Thank goodness for this device because it made me feel and look somewhat normal.

Today: 110
I'm back to my normal weight as if nothing had happened. Those last 5 pounds took a while to come off, but I'd say I was back to normal in about 5 or 6 months.

Do I want to do this all over again? Des is going to need a sibling.....

Friday, March 15, 2013

My 1st Aquathlon


Sometimes you just have to take advantages of situations when they arise. Skyler worked from home last week since he was sick. I changed my training plans to accommodate that since it's not often I am Des-free in the middle of the day.

I ran 2.5 miles to the gym (not easy when wearing a non-running backpack), swam 2500 yards, then ran back home. It was another beautiful day which is why I chose to run outside for a bit. But I learned why the swim isn't at the end of a triathlon. More people would drown. It's not easy swimming about running in the hot sun outside.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

#bejealous


I've been hashtagging a lot of my instagrams with #bejealous lately. Not everyone has the luxury of training in a place like Southern California. We had a beautiful week recently and I took advantage of it as much as I could. When the housekeeper came for the day, I left Des and did a quick two-hour ride to the beach and back. Talk about beautiful. Yup, I'm lucky.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Sky and Big Baz


Skyler is quite the trail runner lately as he's raced in several of the Big Baz trail races recently. Desmond and I hadn't been out to spectate because there's not much to see due to the out-and-back course. But we finally made an appearance at the last one, which was 21k long. And then I realized why it was better not to come. As much as we wanted to support Skyler, there's just not much to do with a non-walking 15-month old at a campground. But we had a fun impromptu photo session with the two-hour break from seeing Skyler. 

Skyler had a goal of completing the race in under two hours. He did it with a time of 1:59 and change. Great job!

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Sweating Blood


As you can tell from the band-aid on my knee, I had a fight with my razor and it won. Made for an interesting day when I cycled in my living room for an hour and then saw blood dripping down my legs. Gave me a fright for a second, then I remembered the shaving incident. Fun photo though.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Race Report: Princess 1/2 Marathon

I knew this was going to be a magical race when I saw my race bib. I didn't realize it, but when you register they ask for your favorite princess, which then becomes your race bib color. Plus who wouldn't love a bib that says Princess Elise?!

Having a low number for my bib number is always a bit intimidating because it's based on your expected finish time. So in reality I should be the 137th finisher. Kinda cool to imagine, but that usually doesn't happen.



After working two full days and getting half a day at the pool, I was ready to race. I hadn't done a run workout since the previous Sunday, so my legs were ready to move. But that doesn't mean I did nothing all week. I swam one day, biked one day, and jogged to the park one day. I taper hard.

Racing at Walt Disney World is tough because of the early start times. Race started at 5:30 am, but we had to be out of our hotel at 3:30am. That's rough, especially when not acclimated to Eastern Standard Time. Temperatures were expected to be high that day like they had been for the rest of the week, but instead it was cool and humid. I'm not talking about a little humid. I'm saying 99.9% humidity.

After getting bused to the start line, we had to walk at least a mile to the real start line. At least it warmed my legs up. It wasn't cold anymore and I felt ready to crush my PR.

I was in Corral A so I got to start on the starting line again. We began and I tried to hold back a bit. I asked around to see if anyone else was trying for a 1:40. No one responded since everyone had music in their ears. So another lonely race it would be. And let's not forget about warm. I've never ran in such humidity before. I was soaking wet by mile 2. Thank goodness I was only wearing a tank and skirt.

The race course was kinda boring. Pretty much you run for 5 miles to Magic Kingdom, run through it for 2 miles or so, then run back to Epcot. Every mile along the way there would be a float or character to take pictures with. Other that that, you were running on asphalt roads with nothing else to see. There were quite a few "hills" on the course. These hills were overpasses, so they weren't super steep but they were long. At mile 10 there was a longish, circular uphill. The Armyman character said this was the last hill, but he lied. There were still a few more rollers after that. I didn't expect so many hills, so I powered a bit too hard through them. I wanted to keep my 7:30 pace, but I was dragging just a bit.

I passed by my friend Kelly around mile 5. We ran for about 1/4 mile together then she stopped to puke. I felt bad, but there wasn't anything I could do. So I kept running. My slowest miles were in the theme park because of all the turns in there. Maybe having such a boring course was beneficial to me after all.

I got to the Mile 11 mark and saw that I needed to finish in 15 minutes to be under 1:40. That would mean a 6:40 pace for the last 2.1 miles. I knew it would be almost impossible, but I tried anyway. Thanks to all my training, my last two miles were my fastest. It's nice to know that's working. I crossed the finish line in 1:40:49. Yes it's 50 seconds slower than I wanted to be, but it was a 1:20 minute PR. I couldn't be sad about that.


I hurried through the finish chute so I could get my two medals. Yes, I said two medals. One for this race and one Coast to Coast medal. That means I finished two RunDisney 1/2 marathons in one year.

I don't think I've mentioned my costume yet. Carrie, Kelly, and I did matching costumes again. This time, Star Wars. Kelly was Princess Leia, Carrie was R2D2, and I was Han Solo. Yes, this is the closest I'll ever get to Harrison Ford.


Official Time - 1:40:49 (7:39 pace)
PR by 1:20
12th in age group
53rd woman overall (out of 21,222 women)

Mile 1 7:47
Mile 2 7:28
Mile 3 7:43
Mile 4 7:32
Mile 5 7:42
Mile 6 7:56
Mile 7 7:51
Mile 8 7:43
Mile 9 7:49
Mile 10 7:43
Mile 11 7:43 
Mile 12 7:27
Mile 13 7:16
Mile 0.17 1:11