Last week I had already mixed my workouts up a little, so Friday morning I got up and did a short 30-minute ride on the trainer: 5' warm-up; 5' minutes single leg drill (alternating every 30 seconds); 4x (1' high, 1' low, 1' recovery); 3' high/hard w/10" sprints each minute; 5' recovery. It was nice to start the day that way.
Saturday morning I got up and ready to head down to Prince William Forest Park again. I have not been there in well over a month! I actually got Jeff to go along and we were meeting Carol and Pam. They were doing five loops, but we were only going to do three. When we arrived in the park we saw a fox! Before we started the ride we saw a couple of deer and during the ride we saw two more deer (unless they were the same ones!) and a snake! I love it when I get to see critters! Anyway, it was a nice ride – and nice to be in the shade a good portion of the time, too. I had programmed in Carol’s workout (modified somewhat) into my Garmin watch the night before because she had had such success with that. So, we started out from the parking lot...and of course I forgot to start the workout! I was able to get it going at about .76 miles in. Oh well. That mean that the 'actual' workout was cut a bit. It was fun though – it beeped at me if my heart rate was too low or too high during the particular portion, and buzzed when it was ‘just right’. I will definitely use this workout feature again, biking and running! Jeff, who has hardly ridden at all these days, had ‘no problem’ with any of the ride! Brat... We went almost 25.93 in 1:45. That is pretty consistent for me on that ride. After the ride we changed shoes and put our bikes away for a short run. We ran 1.01 in 11:12 – not a bad morning!
Sunday morning was to be a run/swim day. I showed up at Wakefield Park in the hopes that people that I used to run with regularly would be there for the usual Sunday morning run around Lake Accotink. Success! Four people showed up and we headed out promptly. This is a nice trail run that is mostly flat, with two nice, short climbs – one up what we call the ‘dam hill’ because, well, it goes up hill by the dam. (Sadly, they are doing dam repairs now and the lake is very, very low. So sad...I feel bad for the ducks, geese, and other critters that call this place home.) Anyway, back to the run. There is another hill not long after that, and then there is a longer section that has a climb, rewarded by a nice section that is a longer descent. After that you are almost done! And just after I came out from the tunnel under Braddock Road I ran by Jill from Team Z! It was nice to see her out there. I have not done this run in several months. I’d have to look at my data online to see what it actually was, but it was probably back in February. It sure was nice to do that run again! Now off two swim...
I got to swim with my old Master’s team in a 25 meter outdoor pool, Annandale Swim & Tennis. It was nice to be outside! It was a fun workout with some strokes thrown in and some fast 50’s. Our lane messed up on the counting a bit but but I ended up doing about 2700 meters with the final 25 underwater. I even managed to go the entire way underwater... One of the guys actually did two lengths underwater...o.m.g. I will plan to go to a few more of these this summer!
Next up: 7/4 - The kickASTtri – 800 meter pool swim, 12-14 mile bike, 3 mile run
Happy Training!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Sprint Edition - Update 2...
OK, the results of my age group F45-49 for the DC Tri were adjusted again. I've moved down to 7/30 in the age group. The person who is now listed as 3rd has no splits listed at this time, so I have no idea where I stand in each area. Oh well, time to quit worrying about this one!
The pictures from the race have been posted and there are really only two of me - one coming out of the swim - but I'm kind of in the background, and one on the run course - this one is actually kind of cool because the Washington Monument is behind me. But...I probably won't order one. I do have this one of Marlene and I after the finish while we were cheering on the Oly folks.
Fellow Team Z'er Meghan took this:
Thanks, Meghan!
FUN: I got in on order for t-shirts that say HTFU! The shirts are now in and I'm supposed to get mine tomorrow. Yay!
Happy Training!
The pictures from the race have been posted and there are really only two of me - one coming out of the swim - but I'm kind of in the background, and one on the run course - this one is actually kind of cool because the Washington Monument is behind me. But...I probably won't order one. I do have this one of Marlene and I after the finish while we were cheering on the Oly folks.
Fellow Team Z'er Meghan took this:
Thanks, Meghan!
FUN: I got in on order for t-shirts that say HTFU! The shirts are now in and I'm supposed to get mine tomorrow. Yay!
Happy Training!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Sprint edition - update...
I went to the DC Tri website to see if the additional features post-race were active yet - one of them was - and I noticed the results have changed from yesterday. Boo - I am now 6/29 in my age group as opposed to the 5/28 I was yesterday. Oh well, I did get to 'watch' my virtual race, which was cool. Official race pictures have not been posted yet.
This morning swim was cancelled at my regular pool (Providence RECenter) so I went for a morning run instead. It was nice to get out there early for a change! I cannot do any training later today / tonight because I have appointments with the ENT and the nutritionist, and then I have book club - I enjoyed the book!
Tomorrow morning I plan to run / bike so I can go for a swim tomorrow night in the outdoor pool. That will be nice!
Happy Training!
This morning swim was cancelled at my regular pool (Providence RECenter) so I went for a morning run instead. It was nice to get out there early for a change! I cannot do any training later today / tonight because I have appointments with the ENT and the nutritionist, and then I have book club - I enjoyed the book!
Tomorrow morning I plan to run / bike so I can go for a swim tomorrow night in the outdoor pool. That will be nice!
Happy Training!
Monday, June 21, 2010
DC Tri – Sprint edition...
Saturday morning I was up and out the door by 6:40 with my son Patrick to go take a ride on the Metro from Van Dorn (blue line) to the College Park – UMD station (green line)t o walk to the University of Maryland campus track to see where he needed to go for his upcoming track and field camp. It was about an hour train ride and for us a 30 minute walk. When Patrick goes to camp he will likely walk faster. We got home at 11:45AM where I proceeded to change to get my gear needed to (1) attend packet pickup for the inaugural running of the DC Triathlon downtown and (2) get my bike to transition. Other Z people were meeting around Noon and I was hoping to catch up with them. And I did! First I had to ride my bike to the hotel from the Old Convention Center parking lot and leave my bike with the bike valet(!). Cool! About 5 of us were there together and the process went quickly. We even had our photo taken at the end, which is now online with individual racer results. Priscilla and I then walked back to get her bike to then ride to transition. I thought I knew where I was going. It was a good thing Marlene caught up to us, because I would have led us to Haines Point! We got our bikes racked and let some air out of the tires to avoid popping! At this point I caught the shuttle back to the lot to head back home while the other ladies went for a practice swim.
Yesterday I got up early – after not quite four hours of sleep – at 2:30AM...to get ready to head out to the triathlon, which included Sprint and Olympic distance events. I had signed up for the Sprint race, which was actually a long Sprint in that the run was a 6.7K as opposed to the usual 5K. I was out the door by 3:05AM to drive downtown to again park in the Old Convention Center parking lot where I would take a shuttle to the race start and transition area. I was the 2nd person on my bus, third if you count the bus driver. Soon folks starting filling it up and I was just updating my Facebook status about being ready to race and looking forward to seeing Z peeps...when Sally got on board! We sat together for the ride over. We got there in short order where we got body marked and our chips picked up. After setting up transition we made a port o potty stop then we started running into other Zs: Marlene, Tracey, Priscilla, Maria, Alaina... We saw Holly ready to cheer, too! We also saw Lindsay doing her officiating duties.
The Sprint race was to begin at 5:30 and after all the Sprint waves the Olympic distance would start. At about 5:30 I was walking over to the corrals thinking it strange that the National Anthem had not been sung/played. I guess I figured out things were starting later – they were out securing the bike course. Or something like that. I figured I had plenty of time, so I did something I never thought I’d do...use a port a potty in *gulp* bare feet. Luckily it was very clean inside! I got out into time to hear the National Anthem, too. I made my way back to the corrals where I ran into Kim, a fairly new Z, then talked to Alaina when it was time to get moving! The race officially started at about 6:00 and the moved up the time between waves from 5 minutes to 3 minutes. They were herding swimmers down to the staging area. There was a very exuberant volunteer pumping us up and I was able to get the correct colored swim camp. (Saturday I had noticed I got Royal Blue instead of Navy Blue...). Then it was time to get in the water and get lined up for the start! I think I started at about 6:30 instead of my original 6:15 time.
Swim: 15:40 ([tied]3/28) – The water was kind of bouncy at the start – we were all just bobbing in the water. The water that morning had measured 81.1 degrees so wet suits were not allowed. I thought the water felt great and it was nice to not have to deal with the hassle of the wetsuit. Soon the horn sounded and we were off! I did a pretty good job of swimming straight and sighting. The buoys were huge and marked and the Sprint turn was very clearly marked. I think there was a bit of current because I got a little pushed to the left here, but once I made the turn I was fine. The trip back the other way was again, fairly straight. And before I knew it, it was time to make the turn to the dock and get out and head to transition. Cool!
T1: 3:28 (9/28) – My bike was racked in the last row on the left. I had a long jog down there, once I started not walking. My feet did not like going barefoot! But on the plus side, I was in the row closest to the ‘bike out’!
Bike: 40:39 (5/28) (What?? 5th in age group here?) – We had to cross a street, then a median to get to our road to get to the mount line. I got going easily after that. I really enjoyed the bike. We even went through a tunnel – fun! I think my bike computer showed a max of 27 which for a course without a lot of downhill for me is pretty good. I think I could have pushed a little harder! There were a lot of hairpin turns and one had a little ramp to go up and over the median in the road. It was very nice to be on a course that was completely closed to traffic! I saw a few Z’s on the course, including Marlene looking strong, as well as Z cheer folks! The finish came up so quickly! I love Sprints! Anyway, I am really shocked at my bike ranking – for me that is amazing! I usually do a hair better on the run than the bike.
T2: 1:53 – The trade off for the short distance to bike out was the long distance from bike in to the race! But I did a good job of swapping out shoes and headgear and was off. And I was close to the run out!
Run: 42:46 (12/28) – Well, the run was hot. What can I say? I don’t do well in the heat. But...I was pretty happy with my run time, as I averaged 10:17! The first two miles went pretty well, actually, and I had no trouble coming out of transition. I only walked for the water stops and jogged up (albeit very slowly) Capitol Hill! This course had many U-turns on it, too, so you always got to see people coming and going. Again, more Z sightings and a few shouts of encouragement. I did get to see some Z cheer on the run course, too – love the high 5’s! The killer was running by the finish area when you were just over the half way point. Hmm, that’s a little cruel – haha! But it was good to hear the music and know what was waiting for me. The best part was running back down Capitol Hill and this time in the shade. Ahh, if the entire course had had shade it would have been so nice!
Final: 1:44:25 5/28 in age group(!) – What a nice surprise!
Cheering and Cowbell – After I finished my Sprint race I got a bean and cheese burrito and some water and then ran into Marlene. We decided to walk the course back and see if we could find the Z cheer folks. We found them rather quickly and stopped to hang out to cheer for all the Z folks running in the Olympic distance race as they passed that point. It was fun cheering them on and I got to for the first time ring a cowbell. Thanks, Holly! I cannot wait to get my own! After we cheered we made our way back to transition.
This was a fun race despite the heat of the day and the hassles of the bike drop and the location of the finish line to transition. I was really glad I had signed up for the Sprint and not the Oly. Huge congrats to all the Oly finishers out there in all that heat starting later and longer.
Yesterday I got up early – after not quite four hours of sleep – at 2:30AM...to get ready to head out to the triathlon, which included Sprint and Olympic distance events. I had signed up for the Sprint race, which was actually a long Sprint in that the run was a 6.7K as opposed to the usual 5K. I was out the door by 3:05AM to drive downtown to again park in the Old Convention Center parking lot where I would take a shuttle to the race start and transition area. I was the 2nd person on my bus, third if you count the bus driver. Soon folks starting filling it up and I was just updating my Facebook status about being ready to race and looking forward to seeing Z peeps...when Sally got on board! We sat together for the ride over. We got there in short order where we got body marked and our chips picked up. After setting up transition we made a port o potty stop then we started running into other Zs: Marlene, Tracey, Priscilla, Maria, Alaina... We saw Holly ready to cheer, too! We also saw Lindsay doing her officiating duties.
The Sprint race was to begin at 5:30 and after all the Sprint waves the Olympic distance would start. At about 5:30 I was walking over to the corrals thinking it strange that the National Anthem had not been sung/played. I guess I figured out things were starting later – they were out securing the bike course. Or something like that. I figured I had plenty of time, so I did something I never thought I’d do...use a port a potty in *gulp* bare feet. Luckily it was very clean inside! I got out into time to hear the National Anthem, too. I made my way back to the corrals where I ran into Kim, a fairly new Z, then talked to Alaina when it was time to get moving! The race officially started at about 6:00 and the moved up the time between waves from 5 minutes to 3 minutes. They were herding swimmers down to the staging area. There was a very exuberant volunteer pumping us up and I was able to get the correct colored swim camp. (Saturday I had noticed I got Royal Blue instead of Navy Blue...). Then it was time to get in the water and get lined up for the start! I think I started at about 6:30 instead of my original 6:15 time.
Swim: 15:40 ([tied]3/28) – The water was kind of bouncy at the start – we were all just bobbing in the water. The water that morning had measured 81.1 degrees so wet suits were not allowed. I thought the water felt great and it was nice to not have to deal with the hassle of the wetsuit. Soon the horn sounded and we were off! I did a pretty good job of swimming straight and sighting. The buoys were huge and marked and the Sprint turn was very clearly marked. I think there was a bit of current because I got a little pushed to the left here, but once I made the turn I was fine. The trip back the other way was again, fairly straight. And before I knew it, it was time to make the turn to the dock and get out and head to transition. Cool!
T1: 3:28 (9/28) – My bike was racked in the last row on the left. I had a long jog down there, once I started not walking. My feet did not like going barefoot! But on the plus side, I was in the row closest to the ‘bike out’!
Bike: 40:39 (5/28) (What?? 5th in age group here?) – We had to cross a street, then a median to get to our road to get to the mount line. I got going easily after that. I really enjoyed the bike. We even went through a tunnel – fun! I think my bike computer showed a max of 27 which for a course without a lot of downhill for me is pretty good. I think I could have pushed a little harder! There were a lot of hairpin turns and one had a little ramp to go up and over the median in the road. It was very nice to be on a course that was completely closed to traffic! I saw a few Z’s on the course, including Marlene looking strong, as well as Z cheer folks! The finish came up so quickly! I love Sprints! Anyway, I am really shocked at my bike ranking – for me that is amazing! I usually do a hair better on the run than the bike.
T2: 1:53 – The trade off for the short distance to bike out was the long distance from bike in to the race! But I did a good job of swapping out shoes and headgear and was off. And I was close to the run out!
Run: 42:46 (12/28) – Well, the run was hot. What can I say? I don’t do well in the heat. But...I was pretty happy with my run time, as I averaged 10:17! The first two miles went pretty well, actually, and I had no trouble coming out of transition. I only walked for the water stops and jogged up (albeit very slowly) Capitol Hill! This course had many U-turns on it, too, so you always got to see people coming and going. Again, more Z sightings and a few shouts of encouragement. I did get to see some Z cheer on the run course, too – love the high 5’s! The killer was running by the finish area when you were just over the half way point. Hmm, that’s a little cruel – haha! But it was good to hear the music and know what was waiting for me. The best part was running back down Capitol Hill and this time in the shade. Ahh, if the entire course had had shade it would have been so nice!
Final: 1:44:25 5/28 in age group(!) – What a nice surprise!
Cheering and Cowbell – After I finished my Sprint race I got a bean and cheese burrito and some water and then ran into Marlene. We decided to walk the course back and see if we could find the Z cheer folks. We found them rather quickly and stopped to hang out to cheer for all the Z folks running in the Olympic distance race as they passed that point. It was fun cheering them on and I got to for the first time ring a cowbell. Thanks, Holly! I cannot wait to get my own! After we cheered we made our way back to transition.
This was a fun race despite the heat of the day and the hassles of the bike drop and the location of the finish line to transition. I was really glad I had signed up for the Sprint and not the Oly. Huge congrats to all the Oly finishers out there in all that heat starting later and longer.
The finisher's medals were pretty cool, too!
I was quite thankful yesterday to get a ride afterwards to my car from Marlene. She made my day! I had planned to bike with my pump in my swim backpack after the race, but the zipper was not staying closed. Argh! Poor planning on my part! Needless to say, I was going to have to walk it. Marlene happened to see what was going on and offered me a ride. We did have to walk to her car first, but it was close in comparison! Thanks again, Marlene! I already have a plan for the next time I need to bike with a backpack and pump...
Next up: The always fun and laid back July 4th kickASTtri:
Next up: The always fun and laid back July 4th kickASTtri:
- 800 meter pool swim
- 13-ish mile bike through Annandale/North Springfield
- 3 mile run
Happy Training!
Happy Training!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
1754 point 9...
What is 1754.9? It’s a LOT of miles for one weekend, that’s what! Thursday afternoon (June 10) I met my Z-mates Carol and Pam for a crazy road trip to Madison, Wisconsin to preview the Ironman Wisconsin aka IM Moo bike and run courses. We got loaded up and off in no time. Traffic out of the DC area was not too bad actually, considering it was rush hour! We drove to Breezewood, Pennsylvania for a pit stop and dinner at the infamous Gateway Restaurant where I had a grilled chicken sandwich.
Then we drove to just East of Pittsburgh to New Stanton to find a place to stay for the night. We dragged part of our luggage then our bikes into the room to stay for the night with us.
In the morning after a very short continental breakfast we stopped at the gas station for Diet Coke....and forgot to fill up. So, we stopped a short time later for gas where we saw Tracey and Mike on their way to Madison, too! Turns out they stayed in New Stanton as well, but at a different hotel. Anyway, I forget how many pit stops we made during the rest of the trip up to Madison... But I remember I had a taco salad for lunch... I also remember the traffic around Chicago! Holy. Cow. When I was a kid my dad always used to say “Chicken in the car, car can’t go, that’s how you spell ‘Chicago’.” I never quite got it back then... But for real, the car would not go...That back up was worse than getting out of the DC area, that’s for sure. Shortly after getting out of the worst of it we saw a caravan of Iwan (minus Melody) and Jason (with Melody). We kept up with them for a bit but decided we did not want to go quite that fast. Not too far from our final exit we saw another carload of possible Z-ers, too...at the time we did not know who was in the car but figured it was others because (1) it had 3 bikes on the back, and (2) it had Virginia license plates.
Once we got off the exit to our hotel we promptly drove right by it! We had to turn around before we finally pulled into the Sheraton, where most of the team was staying. As we pulled up we saw the same car that had just passed us and now we knew who was inside: Sue, Rohini, and...I forget. Carol ran in to registration and once she came back out we went straight to downtown Madison to meet the others for dinner. OK, I was really hating driving in downtown Madison with the one way streets (usually not a problem) but there were dead ends and such, too. After about three loops (sounds like a race) around the SAME block we finally parked and hurried to dinner. The group was upstairs and it was pretty full, so we started another section. Before too long another 10-ish (or more) peeps showed up. Dinner was fun but we left early so we could get some goodies at the store. You know, Diet Coke (most important), water, bagels, and peanut butter. Finally back at the hotel we had to again unload all luggage and the bikes. Once up in the room we realized we did NOT have a refrigerator. Really? Even the Comfort Inn in New Stanton had a fridge! We decided $10 x 2 nights was worth it for cold Diet Coke. Oh, and cold water. I prepped my two bottles of Heed for the next morning and Carol prepped her Infinit and it was pretty much bedtime.
Saturday morning: Up at 6:00AM to meet in the parking lot before 7:00AM for a quick brief before heading to the ride start, at the start of the loop on the bike course. Carol had a flat! Oh no! Rich to the rescue! We were still putting the bikes on the car when Coach and the others left...and we really did not know where to go. Luckily, one other car was lagging so we were able to catch up with them and follow along to the meeting site. Time to get ready to ride! But would you believe...I had forgotten my bottles of Heed and Carol was missing a shoe! It was not her day it would seem. But again, Rich to the rescue! He had an extra pair of shoes, with the correct cleat, and even though it was too big, Carol was able to ride. I was only doing one loop and Carol and Pam were doing two. The loop was a lot of fun and this was to be my longest ride in months! We did finally see our first Wisconsin cows, too. There were a couple of hills that we were ‘warned’ about. One was a half mile climb and the other was short and steep. Nothing we have not tackled before. There were some fun rollers, too. I spent most of the ride with Carol and Maggie. Total bike miles: 40.6 After my loop I loaned my shoe to Carol so she did not have to wear a boat. Off she went for the second loop. At this time I was starving and went into the restaurant (The Draft House) to change and have lunch with the other one-loopers and then the fast two-loopers. We kind of took over one section of the place. The Draft House had chocolate milk – thanks for sharing, Tracey! And I had a(nother) yummy taco salad and some fries...
After all riders made it in, it was decided that we would meet at the transition area at Monona Terrace at 6:15PM for another briefing before splitting up for dinner. Back to the hotel to clean up first. I took Pam, Carol, Linda, and Donna along and we snagged a decent parking space. I must say, I am not signed up for IM Moo...but after riding the bike course and checking out the venue in the heart of Madison...I kind of wish I was. It is so cool! I am excited to hear about everyone’s experience after the race in September and if the team ever does this event again would likely consider it, or do it on my own.
Dinner was pizza by the slice at Ian’s! I just had one cheese and one with chicken and pineapple. Carol got macaroni and cheese and I can’t remember what Pam and Linda got. Donna must have had other dinner plans. After pizza we found ice cream at the Chocolate Shoppe! It was heavenly – Linda and I had vanilla cherry but we tried Pam’s and Carol’s. Carol had cake batter and I think Pam’s – which was some kind of vanilla with fudge – was the best. Next time... And after a short walk back to the car it was time to head back to the hotel. I needed sleep!
Sunday morning: Up again at 6:00AM to meet at Monona Terrace for a 7:00AM run. Coach Ed handed out cue sheets. I was glad I took one, even though I was only going to run for an hour, maybe less. I headed out with the ladies and we ended up getting lost with Mike and Rich. Rich’s wife, Janet, called him on the cell to lead them to the right place but at this time I decided was a good place to just make my way back to the car. I felt a little confused with the landmarks so was glad I had the stupid cue sheet to get me back where I needed to be. Total run miles: 3.99 After my run I grabbed my Starbucks card so I could get a hot latte. It was delicious! I talked to some nice people outside about the race and about our team. I then met up with Tracey for a few minutes before heading back to the car to wait / catch up with Pam and Carol. We had no time to hang around as we had to get on the road – I had to work the next day and it was a 850-ish mile ride home!
Back at the hotel we cleaned up ASAP and got things loaded up and we were off! This time we managed to find our way to the highway with no problem. After driving for a short time I realized we should get gas and we stopped at the first place that came along. While at the gas station I bough a Mega Millions ticket! It was a smart choice to stop as we were right next to a wine and cheese shop and we could finally get some cheese to take home to our loved ones!
In the morning after a very short continental breakfast we stopped at the gas station for Diet Coke....and forgot to fill up. So, we stopped a short time later for gas where we saw Tracey and Mike on their way to Madison, too! Turns out they stayed in New Stanton as well, but at a different hotel. Anyway, I forget how many pit stops we made during the rest of the trip up to Madison... But I remember I had a taco salad for lunch... I also remember the traffic around Chicago! Holy. Cow. When I was a kid my dad always used to say “Chicken in the car, car can’t go, that’s how you spell ‘Chicago’.” I never quite got it back then... But for real, the car would not go...That back up was worse than getting out of the DC area, that’s for sure. Shortly after getting out of the worst of it we saw a caravan of Iwan (minus Melody) and Jason (with Melody). We kept up with them for a bit but decided we did not want to go quite that fast. Not too far from our final exit we saw another carload of possible Z-ers, too...at the time we did not know who was in the car but figured it was others because (1) it had 3 bikes on the back, and (2) it had Virginia license plates.
Once we got off the exit to our hotel we promptly drove right by it! We had to turn around before we finally pulled into the Sheraton, where most of the team was staying. As we pulled up we saw the same car that had just passed us and now we knew who was inside: Sue, Rohini, and...I forget. Carol ran in to registration and once she came back out we went straight to downtown Madison to meet the others for dinner. OK, I was really hating driving in downtown Madison with the one way streets (usually not a problem) but there were dead ends and such, too. After about three loops (sounds like a race) around the SAME block we finally parked and hurried to dinner. The group was upstairs and it was pretty full, so we started another section. Before too long another 10-ish (or more) peeps showed up. Dinner was fun but we left early so we could get some goodies at the store. You know, Diet Coke (most important), water, bagels, and peanut butter. Finally back at the hotel we had to again unload all luggage and the bikes. Once up in the room we realized we did NOT have a refrigerator. Really? Even the Comfort Inn in New Stanton had a fridge! We decided $10 x 2 nights was worth it for cold Diet Coke. Oh, and cold water. I prepped my two bottles of Heed for the next morning and Carol prepped her Infinit and it was pretty much bedtime.
Saturday morning: Up at 6:00AM to meet in the parking lot before 7:00AM for a quick brief before heading to the ride start, at the start of the loop on the bike course. Carol had a flat! Oh no! Rich to the rescue! We were still putting the bikes on the car when Coach and the others left...and we really did not know where to go. Luckily, one other car was lagging so we were able to catch up with them and follow along to the meeting site. Time to get ready to ride! But would you believe...I had forgotten my bottles of Heed and Carol was missing a shoe! It was not her day it would seem. But again, Rich to the rescue! He had an extra pair of shoes, with the correct cleat, and even though it was too big, Carol was able to ride. I was only doing one loop and Carol and Pam were doing two. The loop was a lot of fun and this was to be my longest ride in months! We did finally see our first Wisconsin cows, too. There were a couple of hills that we were ‘warned’ about. One was a half mile climb and the other was short and steep. Nothing we have not tackled before. There were some fun rollers, too. I spent most of the ride with Carol and Maggie. Total bike miles: 40.6 After my loop I loaned my shoe to Carol so she did not have to wear a boat. Off she went for the second loop. At this time I was starving and went into the restaurant (The Draft House) to change and have lunch with the other one-loopers and then the fast two-loopers. We kind of took over one section of the place. The Draft House had chocolate milk – thanks for sharing, Tracey! And I had a(nother) yummy taco salad and some fries...
After all riders made it in, it was decided that we would meet at the transition area at Monona Terrace at 6:15PM for another briefing before splitting up for dinner. Back to the hotel to clean up first. I took Pam, Carol, Linda, and Donna along and we snagged a decent parking space. I must say, I am not signed up for IM Moo...but after riding the bike course and checking out the venue in the heart of Madison...I kind of wish I was. It is so cool! I am excited to hear about everyone’s experience after the race in September and if the team ever does this event again would likely consider it, or do it on my own.
Dinner was pizza by the slice at Ian’s! I just had one cheese and one with chicken and pineapple. Carol got macaroni and cheese and I can’t remember what Pam and Linda got. Donna must have had other dinner plans. After pizza we found ice cream at the Chocolate Shoppe! It was heavenly – Linda and I had vanilla cherry but we tried Pam’s and Carol’s. Carol had cake batter and I think Pam’s – which was some kind of vanilla with fudge – was the best. Next time... And after a short walk back to the car it was time to head back to the hotel. I needed sleep!
Sunday morning: Up again at 6:00AM to meet at Monona Terrace for a 7:00AM run. Coach Ed handed out cue sheets. I was glad I took one, even though I was only going to run for an hour, maybe less. I headed out with the ladies and we ended up getting lost with Mike and Rich. Rich’s wife, Janet, called him on the cell to lead them to the right place but at this time I decided was a good place to just make my way back to the car. I felt a little confused with the landmarks so was glad I had the stupid cue sheet to get me back where I needed to be. Total run miles: 3.99 After my run I grabbed my Starbucks card so I could get a hot latte. It was delicious! I talked to some nice people outside about the race and about our team. I then met up with Tracey for a few minutes before heading back to the car to wait / catch up with Pam and Carol. We had no time to hang around as we had to get on the road – I had to work the next day and it was a 850-ish mile ride home!
Back at the hotel we cleaned up ASAP and got things loaded up and we were off! This time we managed to find our way to the highway with no problem. After driving for a short time I realized we should get gas and we stopped at the first place that came along. While at the gas station I bough a Mega Millions ticket! It was a smart choice to stop as we were right next to a wine and cheese shop and we could finally get some cheese to take home to our loved ones!
Once on the road back home I do not know exactly how many pit stops we made for gas, bathrooms, and food, but all in all it was not bad. I remember updating Facebook at some of the stops, so we had Indiana, Ohio, and Breezewood along the way. There were others... Going around the Chicago area was again s-l-o-w, but nothing like Friday! I finally rolled into my parking space at home at 2:30AM and got to bed at 3:00AM.
On Monday, the 6:00AM alarm came too way too early, but it was a fun trip and I would do it again in a heartbeat!
Next up: DC Tri - Sprint - June 20th!
PS - I did NOT win the lottery...
Happy Training!!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Race Report: Zooma 10K – Annapolis
I was really looking forward to this race for a few reasons: it was only a 10K; it was staged at the Naval Stadium in Annapolis, which is fairly close; and after the race I was having lunch with good friends in Annapolis!
Saturday I finally went on a run (as I did not quite manage Friday after work). I ran 3.5 easy miles at about 8AM. I think I actually slept in till 7AM. Anyway, it felt pretty good to use my legs after being ‘off’ them running wise for a week and a half. After the run I cleaned up and prepared to go do a bit of furniture moving from the townhouse to the house. It feels nice to slowly get stuff settled there. Saturday afternoon I lounged around reading and catching up on a bit of TV on the DVR. We had a nice easy orange chicken with rice dinner that was prepared out of a mix in a box. It was quite good and I will definitely make it again!
Sunday morning I got up at 4:30 planning to leave for 5:15. I am not sure what happened but it was 5:00 before I knew it and I ended up leaving at 5:25.Oh well. It was early Sunday morning and there was very little traffic. The race start was 7:00 – good think I double checked because I had thought it was 7:30! I had an uneventful drive to Annapolis with thg only back up being at the exit for the Naval Stadium. I was parked by about 6:30 and basically ready to go. I wanted to use the port-o-potties but the lines were way too long. I figured I could last 6.2 miles.
This race had a half marathon and a 10K option. I had originally thought about doing the half, but figured the 10K would be good coming off of the Columbia triathlon. I’m glad I took the shorter option. It was 75 degrees at 5:00AM! Yikes!! The start had both groups combined and we went off right at 7AM just outside the stadium in the parking lot. We took a tour of the parking lot before heading out onto the street where things for me at least quickly heated up. Not a big surprise, given the above mentioned temperature! I really liked this run though. It was hot and sunny at times but there were a few spots of breeze. We went down a cool street that reminded me of Old Town Alexandria with little shops on either side. We did go over a couple of bridges. One was quite flat and one was hard. The breeze above the water was quite nice! After the final bridge, the 10K folks split from the half marathon folks. At this point I a little more than a mile to go!
It had been so long since I’d run a standalone 10k (I ran two in 2000 and I think that is it) that I had no idea of a time goal, especially since this year I’m coming back after some time off last fall. I though 1:02 would be good and give me 10 minute miles, 1:00 would be great, and anything under would have been fantastic. Well, according to Mr. Garmin, I ran 6.3 miles in 1:02:38 at a 9:57 pace. According to the timing chip (which was a funky little thing) I ran 6.2 in 1:02:30 at 10:04. Given the heat and humidity of the day I’ll take it! Overall I was 31 out of 129 women in my age group and 357 out of 1443 of all women. Funny, this was the “Zooma Women’s Annapolis” but there were actually a few men entered! But...the first overall finishers in both the 10K and the half marathon were women...and not men! So out of all participants I was 394 out of 1536.
But it was truly hot out. I saw several women on the side of the road with emergency personnel. I was so happy to only be doing a 10K! I am quite happy to report that I ran the entire race and did not stop until the finish line! I carried two flasks of heed in my fuel belt and drank about 2 ounces at every mile marker, including mile 6. And at the finish I quickly downed a bottle of water after finally getting to the port-o-potty. Then I had a banana and an orange. I also got more water and a snack box and had an apple, and some carrot sticks.
After this I checked out the vendors and found the cutest green (of course) girly t-shirt at the Zooma booth. I walked back to my car for some $$ and headed back for the shirt. Then I went back to the party area (where the snack boxes were being handed out) where I had more water while chilling on the grass inside the stadium under the scoreboard listening to a local band. They were quite good playing a nice mix of 70’s music, current music, and music of their own. Around 10:00 I got up to start preparing for the next part of my day.
After yet another potty stop (this time in the 'real' bathrooms there) I headed to my car where I had a cold Diet Coke waiting. I checked in with Jeff then headed out. My iPhone really is the best – especially when using the GPS feature. I needed to get to the Ledo’s pizza but also wanted to treat myself to a latte and looked for a Starbucks. I must have driven right past it but before I could turn around I spotted a Dunkin’ Donuts...their lattes are not as good but they do have lemon filled donuts. Once I arrived I went to the rest room to first change so I wouldn’t look so grungy arriving at my friend’s house. Then I actually ordered an ice coffee instead of a hot latte. The lemon donut was the best I’d had from a DD in a very long time.
Next stop: Ledo’s! I got there about 10 minutes before they opened so I checked in with my son who had camped out the night before prior to heading to the WMZQ-fest. He said they’d had a great night and were looking forward to a great day. After I got the pizza I was at my friends by about 11:40. We were waiting for her daughter and her kids and I think we finally sat down for lunch at 12:30. I was starved! I got to visit till about 4:00, and wait out a wicked thunderstorm in the process. It was a nice afternoon! I was home by 5:00 and ready to eat again. After dinner I caught up on yet more stuff on the DVR.
Next up: DC Tri – Sprint on June 20! That weekend, the team is traveling to Bath County, 3.5 hours away. But I, along with some other Zs, opted to stay local, even though we have to (1) drop my bike off the day before, and (2) I will likely have to get up at 3:00 AM for a 5:30 AM race start! The first wave of the Sprint is actually scheduled to go off at 5:30 AM. Yikes!! The first wave of the Olympic distance starts after the last wave of the Sprint.
Happy Training!
Saturday I finally went on a run (as I did not quite manage Friday after work). I ran 3.5 easy miles at about 8AM. I think I actually slept in till 7AM. Anyway, it felt pretty good to use my legs after being ‘off’ them running wise for a week and a half. After the run I cleaned up and prepared to go do a bit of furniture moving from the townhouse to the house. It feels nice to slowly get stuff settled there. Saturday afternoon I lounged around reading and catching up on a bit of TV on the DVR. We had a nice easy orange chicken with rice dinner that was prepared out of a mix in a box. It was quite good and I will definitely make it again!
Sunday morning I got up at 4:30 planning to leave for 5:15. I am not sure what happened but it was 5:00 before I knew it and I ended up leaving at 5:25.Oh well. It was early Sunday morning and there was very little traffic. The race start was 7:00 – good think I double checked because I had thought it was 7:30! I had an uneventful drive to Annapolis with thg only back up being at the exit for the Naval Stadium. I was parked by about 6:30 and basically ready to go. I wanted to use the port-o-potties but the lines were way too long. I figured I could last 6.2 miles.
This race had a half marathon and a 10K option. I had originally thought about doing the half, but figured the 10K would be good coming off of the Columbia triathlon. I’m glad I took the shorter option. It was 75 degrees at 5:00AM! Yikes!! The start had both groups combined and we went off right at 7AM just outside the stadium in the parking lot. We took a tour of the parking lot before heading out onto the street where things for me at least quickly heated up. Not a big surprise, given the above mentioned temperature! I really liked this run though. It was hot and sunny at times but there were a few spots of breeze. We went down a cool street that reminded me of Old Town Alexandria with little shops on either side. We did go over a couple of bridges. One was quite flat and one was hard. The breeze above the water was quite nice! After the final bridge, the 10K folks split from the half marathon folks. At this point I a little more than a mile to go!
It had been so long since I’d run a standalone 10k (I ran two in 2000 and I think that is it) that I had no idea of a time goal, especially since this year I’m coming back after some time off last fall. I though 1:02 would be good and give me 10 minute miles, 1:00 would be great, and anything under would have been fantastic. Well, according to Mr. Garmin, I ran 6.3 miles in 1:02:38 at a 9:57 pace. According to the timing chip (which was a funky little thing) I ran 6.2 in 1:02:30 at 10:04. Given the heat and humidity of the day I’ll take it! Overall I was 31 out of 129 women in my age group and 357 out of 1443 of all women. Funny, this was the “Zooma Women’s Annapolis” but there were actually a few men entered! But...the first overall finishers in both the 10K and the half marathon were women...and not men! So out of all participants I was 394 out of 1536.
But it was truly hot out. I saw several women on the side of the road with emergency personnel. I was so happy to only be doing a 10K! I am quite happy to report that I ran the entire race and did not stop until the finish line! I carried two flasks of heed in my fuel belt and drank about 2 ounces at every mile marker, including mile 6. And at the finish I quickly downed a bottle of water after finally getting to the port-o-potty. Then I had a banana and an orange. I also got more water and a snack box and had an apple, and some carrot sticks.
After this I checked out the vendors and found the cutest green (of course) girly t-shirt at the Zooma booth. I walked back to my car for some $$ and headed back for the shirt. Then I went back to the party area (where the snack boxes were being handed out) where I had more water while chilling on the grass inside the stadium under the scoreboard listening to a local band. They were quite good playing a nice mix of 70’s music, current music, and music of their own. Around 10:00 I got up to start preparing for the next part of my day.
After yet another potty stop (this time in the 'real' bathrooms there) I headed to my car where I had a cold Diet Coke waiting. I checked in with Jeff then headed out. My iPhone really is the best – especially when using the GPS feature. I needed to get to the Ledo’s pizza but also wanted to treat myself to a latte and looked for a Starbucks. I must have driven right past it but before I could turn around I spotted a Dunkin’ Donuts...their lattes are not as good but they do have lemon filled donuts. Once I arrived I went to the rest room to first change so I wouldn’t look so grungy arriving at my friend’s house. Then I actually ordered an ice coffee instead of a hot latte. The lemon donut was the best I’d had from a DD in a very long time.
Next stop: Ledo’s! I got there about 10 minutes before they opened so I checked in with my son who had camped out the night before prior to heading to the WMZQ-fest. He said they’d had a great night and were looking forward to a great day. After I got the pizza I was at my friends by about 11:40. We were waiting for her daughter and her kids and I think we finally sat down for lunch at 12:30. I was starved! I got to visit till about 4:00, and wait out a wicked thunderstorm in the process. It was a nice afternoon! I was home by 5:00 and ready to eat again. After dinner I caught up on yet more stuff on the DVR.
Next up: DC Tri – Sprint on June 20! That weekend, the team is traveling to Bath County, 3.5 hours away. But I, along with some other Zs, opted to stay local, even though we have to (1) drop my bike off the day before, and (2) I will likely have to get up at 3:00 AM for a 5:30 AM race start! The first wave of the Sprint is actually scheduled to go off at 5:30 AM. Yikes!! The first wave of the Olympic distance starts after the last wave of the Sprint.
Happy Training!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Zoom...a
Sunday, June 6 is the Zooma Annapolis 10k! I'm pretty excited for this race, even though I have not ran in a a week a 2 days now. Hopefully I will run tonight after work. :) The race is a little hilly but hopefully on very fresh legs(!) this should not be anything I an't handle. Especially after the run leg of the Columbia Triathlon from May 23!
Here is the course map and run profile for Zooma:
And here is the course map and run profile from Columbia:
After the race I'm meeting good friends I have not seen in a while for a yummy lunch of Ledo's Pizza! That is where we used to be able to meet at quite frequently, before our lives got busier and busier. We are eating at home though (I'm getting carry-out) so it should be a nice relaxing afternoon.
TGIF and Happy Training!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Cool Contest
DC Rainmaker has a very cool giveaway going till 11:59PM Eastern Time on June 9, 2010.
Click here to get in on it!
Happy Training!
Click here to get in on it!
Happy Training!
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