day off

Well, I wasn't quite lounging in a hammock today (although the weather was perfect for it!) and I certainly wasn't by some beautiful body of water (although Town Lake looked pretty wonderful today with the sunlight dancing on its surface)...but I did enjoy my day off. "Off" from just about everything that is part of my regular routine. And I liked it. I'm such a crazy creature of habit that sometimes changes to my usual schedule unnerve me. Not today. Maybe because some of what I did was routine? Maybe because I really needed a break from my routine (so much so that I didn't even miss it!)? Whatever the reason, my body, mind, and spirit are in a better place for having the day I had today.

Started it with yoga - ahhhh...stretch out those muscles from yesterday's long run. Headed to Whole Foods to grab breakfast on my way up to Performance Wellness for a massage with Katie. God bless Katie for tackling my legs time after time. Seriously, she's amazing but I swear she doesn't need to work out as long as I keep coming back to her. Someday maybe my muscles will feel like muscles but that day wasn't today. Last time they felt like rebar; today they felt like bones. I asked her what I was doing wrong and she said, "I think you're just working them really hard." She's right but seriously do they not understand that it would be easier on everyone is they would just loosen up a little?! (Hmmm...perhaps that's a message to their "owner", too...that's a post for another day.) Headed into work after my massage and got a few things done in the office before heading to acupuncture. Praveeta is another godsend in my life. She has seriously helped me stay healthy and in balance for about 7 years now (and she's a fellow triathlete so we always have good conversations about that!). She reminds me of the mind-body-heart connection every time I go in for an appointment and I usually feel better about things when I leave. (Or at least I have some new way to look at things.) I usually get a stellar nap in, too...Praveeta jokes that it's an expensive nap and I say it's worth every penny! Errands after Praveeta and then a dinner deal for work...fun to be with colleagues without the usual hustle and bustle of the school day.
We have a long day of in-service tomorrow and I'm glad to be back in training for it because I'm always better off at in-service if I have already worked out!
So...it seems that my day off served its purpose. Legs are still feeling a bit worn out so I'm going to be really mindful of my workouts this week. I might try to do exactly what the "C plan" outlines instead of one more swim here, one more run there, one more spin just for the heck of it because we have a big weekend ahead of us!

easter

spring...new beginnings...easter...coming out of our cocoons...spring cleaning...a chance to start anew...
All of those thoughts were running through my mind today as the hours passed and I tried to enjoy each one of them. The day started with a rain storm that eventually cleared and left us with bright sunshine - sort of fitting for Easter, actually.
Blythe and I tackled our 16 mile run today without our usual sidekicks because of Easter schedules and the storm. We missed our running buddies but were SO thankful to have one another. Both of us were feeling beat after yesterday's ride (plus the computrainer ride the day before for me), and we agreed early on not to worry so much about our pace but just to focus on constant running and completion. We did finish. We did run the whole way (except for water stops). And we agreed that our legs actually felt better after the first hour than they did initially - good lesson learned! At any rate, our pace was not what mattered...we were terribly consistent and I think from time to time actually enjoyed ourselves. I certainly enjoyed Blythe's company - as always.
Anyway, if you're following my blog regularly, you can see that the theme for my training weekend (and looking back on it, for my whole week of training)..."just get it done." I'm ready to leave that attitude behind in the coming week and am really looking forward to my day tomorrow - yoga, massage, acupuncture...and a little work sprinkled in between. I need a chance to really recharge the batteries physically and mentally so I can come back strong. My "mind over matter" approach to life and training doesn't always serve me well because I become an auto-pilot Energizer bunny that just keeps going and going and going. So, in conjunction with Easter and new beginnings I'm going to rest up tomorrow and come back anew on Tuesday. (And I appreciate the encouragement of those around me more than you know...I really do.)
The rest of the day included phone calls to friends and families...again, I'm seriously lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful people. Making lasagna from scratch (down to homemade pasta sauce)...yummy!!! (And good food for the week ahead!) Time with friends for an Easter gathering...incredible friends who regularly open their home to all of us Austinites without family in town. (I took some cookies...oatmeal & Hershey bar and oatmeal/cranberry/raisin/chocolate chip...all were a hit!) And finally church with the Blakistones and Blythe's friend Meredith.
To top off the day...a cupcake from hey cupcake! that Laura gave me - not necessary but MUCH appreciated (and feeling like it was well-earned this weekend...)!
Here's to the week ahead...looking forward to a new beginning...

quality time with my Kuota

Some people name their bikes...and their cars...and other vehicles. My family does this but I've never really gotten into it. But I've done such major bonding with my Kuota over the past two days (and ever since IM training began, really) that we certainly know one another on a first name basis!
Friday bonding: computrainer ride of the Coeur D'Alene Ironman course - 4 hours 25 minutes non-stop* on the bike. (*except for when I dropped my chain and had to hop off to fix it...that's some skill right there, folks - dropping a chain while on a trainer?!) I did this to get some feedback about my pedal stroke as well as to get a little idea about the CDA course. Naturally, riding on a computrainer is different from riding on the road; but still, you get a feel for the hills...and there are plenty. Some are typical central Texas-like hills (rollers) and others are a tad steeper. It's nothing T3ers can't handle! But I was no speed demon in spite of all of our long rides on the hills here in Austin. Mo told me to focus on my pedal stroke (I need to make it more of an oval and less of a peanut - that's the image when you see the computer graphic...evidently I have really good pull-up in the back but need to work on my push down/pushing my foot forward in the front) & cadence (aiming for 90-92...mine averaged around 86-87) and not to worry too much about other stuff. I was mindful of my speed but was pushing as hard and fast as I could (this is a tad relative given that I'd raced Galveston the week before and had not had a ton of rest or recovery). And I was mindful that Natalie finished about 9 miles ahead of me and Cindy about 4 miles ahead of me! I have to admit, I had a moment of "oh, no...I'm really not going to be able to make the bike cutoff" as I watched my mph stay in a rather pitiful range. I haven't had that thought in a while. But something about doing the CDA course on the computrainer made me think that I was really in trouble. Nonetheless, I completed the whole loop (56 miles of what we will do in CDA). And I was glad to get off my bike!
Spent a looooong time stretching and then wandered back to the coaches' office area to find Mo for my "debriefing". He immediately asked how it was, how I felt, etc... And then we started going over my stats, pictures of my pedal stroke, etc... But I had to interrupt him before he even talked for a full minute. I realized I wasn't taking anything in because there was a sinking feeling in my stomach (maybe b/c I was hungry, too! I'd gone directly from Barton Springs to the PTC and didn't get to have a great breakfast...but I did all of my nutrition tricks on the bike!). I just had to ask, "Mo, am I going to be able to make the bike cut-off? I mean, given what you've seen today, should I be even more worried than I am? Like, reconsider the race worried?" He quickly replied, "Oh, no...I'm not worried about that. You'll be fine." And then he talked me through the difference between computrainer rides and riding outside and we looked at my Galveston times and even tried to remember my Longhorn times. I was relieved...and could only then take in all of the information that the computrainer has to offer!
Bottom line - well worth the time and money but be prepared to have your legs feel like jelly the next day if you ride! It's not only that it is tougher but on a computrainer, but you are pedaling all the time. No riding the downhills. No standing up out of the saddle when you stop at a stop sign. Nope...there you are and you just have to keep pedaling. Oh, and it drives some people crazy to be on the trainer for that long...not me so much. In this way (mentally), I was built for endurance sports! I just settle in and go...and go...and go...and go...
...and keep going into the next day...
Saturday bonding: 50 miles from 360 out to Parmer and then back. Our CDA group actually did 75 miles but on account of my Friday riding on the computrainer, Mo & Chrissie both advised me to do 40 miles, sort of easy. Since I was riding with Amy I agreed to do 50 miles, sort of easy. There was nothing easy about riding on the wheels of Amy today. My legs were toast. And she was on fire! I was so happy for her...but killing myself to keep up. I did pretty well until the way back and then I just settled into my own little place (and pace) and kept chugging along just behind Nancy and Amy. In my brain, I was right with them. But sort of like my experience on the track on Wednesday trying to keep up with Blythe, no matter how much I willed them, my legs simply wouldn't turn over faster or push harder. Oh, well, my average was decent and I completed the miles. I always feel like I'm cheating myself a little when I just ride/run "junk miles" but in this looooong training schedule of ours, I need to go easy on myself a little and know that some workouts are just going to be like that. I still give it all I have but if completion is the end result then that's okay!
Some take-aways from the rides:
- I'm so glad for some of my buddies who "needed"/were hoping for good, solid rides today b/c they are coming back from injuries or being sick or just having a string of bad rides...so, hooray for Laura, Amy, Jess, Logan, Erin, and others...
- 360/Parmer is much friendlier without the crazy wind that we had this winter!!
- any ride that we return from safely is a blessing...saw one bad accident right after it had happened (prayers for the cyclist and his family) and then a teammate fell and broke her arm...prayers for full and speedy recoveries for both cyclists!
- I'm planning a day off next week...I have 16 miles to run on Sunday and then on Monday I'll go to yoga and my massage and that's it. My body is tired and hasn't really recovered from Galveston (I think mostly b/c I'm tired!). So, I'm taking Monday off except for yoga. Yeah, I can tell this is a good move already! And I'm not going to feel guilty about it! (Right?! Right!!)

(good) friday quotation

For our Good Friday service at school we were asked to think about and submit quotations related to servanthood, sacrifice, mercy, justice, forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation.
Being the rebel that I am, I submitted some words about grace (from one of my favorite authors)...which in my mind is perhaps the ultimate form of many of the themes that were suggested to us.

"...I understood that Auden meant grace in the theological sense, meant it as that force that infuses our lives and keeps letting us off the hook. It is unearned love - that love that goes before, that greets us on the way. It's the help you receive when you have no bright ideas left, when you are empty and desperate and have discovered that your best thinking and your best charm have failed you. Grace is the light or electricity or juice or breeze that takes you from that isolated place and puts you with others who are as startled and embarrassed and eventually grateful as you are to be there." (Anne Lamott, Traveling Mercies - Some Thoughts on Faith)

it's been a long, messy week...

...and it's only Thursday!
But this week has made me have a new appreciation for people who work much harder than I do. For people who have two jobs to support their families or pay the bills or be able to do something they love. For people who never get weekends. For people who go to work early and don't stop until late night. For people who work all day and come home to stress at home.
I don't know how they do it day after day - and have a good attitude and have enough in them to be kind to their friends or spouses or kids or co-workers.
When I look back on my week, part of what made it tough was being gone last weekend and having two evening events. I realize that I'm really spoiled. I work very hard. But I have time to myself. Time to spend exercising and training. Time to spend with family and friends. Time to spend cooking and listening to music and resting and being outdoors and doing other things that I love. I get a weekend each week to fill with whatever I like, even if it involves some necessary work.
When I looked at my sink tonight - I'd been too tired to deal with it last night - I was shocked at how quickly my life at home had gotten so messy. Usually, I'm really good about the kitchen but this week, it got the better of me. Bottles are soaking to rid them of Infinit residue. A bundt cake pan that delivered birthday treats to someone at school needs some attention. Tupperware that held brownies and rice krispy treats for another colleague with a birthday needs a good soaking. And dishes from dinner need to be thrown in the dishwasher. AH! I'm becoming the roommates that used to drive me crazy with their dirty dishes.
And with that realization, I'm off to remedy this problem - a clean kitchen sink for Friday...and a continued respect for those who find themselves fighting to keep a clean sink every day and every week.

traffic cop & shepherdess, college counselor & athlete, daughter/sister & friend?

Basically, I've been wearing a lot of different hats lately. In fact, my fear is that I have not worn any of them terribly well because I've been changing hats so quickly. At any rate, the role that I played on Tuesday as part of my job as a committee member of a planning team for a national college fair held here in Austin is probably the one for which I was both the most and least prepared. When I arrived at the Austin Convention Center on Tuesday morning (semi-fresh from a swim workout and having already checked in at work), I was quickly directed to the Trinity Street side of the building to help Adam, Sarah, and Roy with transportation issues. I had worked with Roy to coordinate high school attendance at the fair so it seemed natural that we'd be helping with this. Frankly, I didn't care where I was as long as I was being put to good use.
Long story short: 3.5 hours and 80+ school buses later I was finally headed back to my office to check in, do some work, and basically regroup before heading back for the evening fair from 6-8:30 p.m. By job as "traffic cop" was hysterical. At any one moment I was trying to swiftly unload a school bus and direct students inside AND hold back another group of students who were wandering around outside the convention center instead of staying where we'd asked them to stay so that there buses could find them easily for the return trip home. The latter part was especially difficult. If you think teenagers don't listen in general, try talking to a bunch of teenagers who don't know you from Adam and who have zero incentive to do anything you ask. Yeah. I actually had one student look at me and say, "Who are you?" and then under his breath to his friend, "We don't have to listen to her." In a way, he was right. I was just some lady with a name tag trying to exert a little bit of crowd control. Next year, I want some crossing guard gear and maybe I'll look a little more official.
We pulled off this incredibly chaotic dance of loading and unloading and only had three students left behind - pretty amazing. One of those students actually brought total purpose to my morning. I saw her wandering a bit aimlessly outside of the convention center and I approached her asking if I could help her find her school. When she told me which group she belonged to I silently registered that those buses had already left but wanted to double check before I said anything out loud. So I suggested that we go for a walk through the crowds to see if she saw her counselor or some friends. At this point, she said she didn't know her counselor and that she really had no friends. My heart broke a little. As we walked on we started talking and I just got this image of her being a little lost sheep at her school. Okay, maybe that's a bit dramatic but her school is large and clearly, no one had missed her when the buses loaded and left. And that made me sad for her. She was much more accepting of her state than I was and seeing as I was a perfect stranger, I thought it better to talk about college and what she liked to do instead of how she had no friends.
We contacted her school and as the times would be, I discovered that I couldn't just bring her back to school on my way back to school. That made me a little sad, too. I mean, I get it. They don't know me, I could be some crazy lady and if anything happened to her they would be responsible. And this whole thought made me laugh 1) because of who I am and 2) because they had already been irresponsible and forgotten her at the convention center! So, this student and I waited for her counselor to arrive in a blue Mustang convertible to pick her up.
I only include that detail because I learned a thing or two about this young woman as we waited that made me understand how she really was on the outside of things with regard to her peer group.
1) she had no idea what her cell phone number was (is there another teenager in the world with a cell phone who doesn't know the number? Probably, but I bet you'd be hard-pressed to find one quickly.)
2) she had no idea what a Mustang looked like (maybe not as surprising as #1 but even this girl who know relatively little about cars could have identified a Mustang back in high school)
3) she really couldn't name a single friend for me (and, as I said before, this broke my heart)...to go through high school without a friend...misery. Made me thankful for all of my friends, high school and otherwise.
There were other funny things, too, but soon enough she was settled in that blue Mustang heading back to school. Goodness, I hope she makes it through all that life holds for her. I know she will. She just might need another shepherdess or two in her life to re-direct her when she's wandered away. So glad that was my role on Tuesday.
Tuesday night I played "hallway monitor" at the college fair and then finally got to go home - way too late for my renewed commitment to getting more sleep. And that has been an ongoing problem this week. And now, it's Wednesday and I'm just tired.
Had a rough time with track practice Wednesday night - not mentally (I actually did okay with the mental part of mile repeats) but physically I just couldn't do it like I wanted/exactly like we were supposed to. I held Blythe (barely!) for the first 1/2 of the workout and then settled in just behind her for miles 4 and 5 and then about 15 seconds behind her for mile 6. That was supposed to be our fastest mile of the night. I was glad to just make it back to where we were holding steady for #2-5. My mind kept telling my legs to turn over faster but they really just couldn't or wouldn't or something. Not a great feeling. Not a great practice. But as Amy and Blythe reminded me, I was out there doing it and that was something. (And then I dashed off to a Grandparents' Reception at school...) Going to take it on the chin, chalk it up to a ho-hum practice for the week after a 1/2 Ironman, and focus on sleep, sleep, sleep...
Speaking of...no early rise for me in the a.m. Already completed my coached swim practice of the week so I'm sleeping in! (Until 6:15 a.m. - luxury!) Thanks to Joe for setting me straight with that. Unlike my little lost sheep/girl, I'm lucky to have friends to re-direct me when I start to wander...
On the work front, things are a tad stressful right now. Combatting some fabulous rumors about our college acceptances this year. I'm so not caught up in the names of schools to which our students were accepted that it drives me batty when people are. I have to work hard to keep my cool when I get thrown a punch or two about this. Such has been the week but we're headed into a long weekend and I'm grateful for that.
And as a friend, sister, daughter...well, late nights for work (twice now) have meant for little phone time to catch up with folks. Looking forward to that this weekend, too.
For now...it's off to bed to recharge the batteries so I can do a better job at all of the roles that I will play. Although I think I can retire from being a traffic cop for at least a little while.

mission accomplished

(Warning: this is my first attempt at a "race report"...it might be dreadfully boring so read at your own risk!)

I had several goals going into the Lonestar 1/2 Ironman this past weekend:
- solid swim (first race in a wetsuit! more on that later...)
- successful wetsuit stripping (or at least good practice for CDA!)
- steady bike paying close attention to nutrition!!!
- practice water bottle hand up on the bike
- nutrition, nutrition, nutrition...big practice day for CDA in June
- run the entire run...no walking...not through water stops...not to ease the legs...forward movement at a jog at the very least
- don't bonk at mile 10 of the run
- finish strong...
- ENJOY!

SUNDAY, APRIL 5 I don't think I moved all night the night before...seriously. I woke up in the exact same position that I fell asleep in! Guess I had a good night's sleep! Breakfast in the hotel room and then we were out the door (had to check out of the hotel on our way out)...good-bye Baymont Inn & Suites...hello Moody Gardens, staging area for the triathlon.
Blythe, Laura, and I left the hotel in plenty of time to get a parking place in the lot at Moody Gardens and get body marked and get our stuff laid out. Pre-numbered spots on the bike racks ease the stress of finding a "good" spot on a rack - you just are where you are! I was next to Vegas, just down the row from Michelle and Carrie, and across from Laura - being surrounded by T3 blue made me feel better. Got everything laid out, chatted with the girls around me a little, and then Laura and I decided to wander around and see who else was there. Stopped our meandering along the way to snap photos with other T3ers, chatted with Logan when he was passing through transition, stood in the bathroom line, and eventually collected our gear before they closed transition at 7:45 for us 1/2 Iron folks.

Down to the bay...
A sea of T3 blue with wetsuits dangling over our arms made our way down to the water. It was really nice to have the company. I don't really get nervous before races (in fact, I'm often too calm...like I "forget" that I'm racing...hmmm...I need to think about this because it might have contributed to my slower swim this time?), but it sure was nice to be surrounded by friends - cracking their usual jokes, everyone trying to lighten the mood a little. We watched the guys head out to their swim start. I was in the third to last wave so we had a while until we started.
Eventually all of us red capped folks headed to the pier. I was in a wave with Katy, Vegas, Michelle, Carrie, Dionn, Alisa, Laurie, Marie, Rhonda, Maggie, and Anna so we all "walked the plank" together - well, that's what it felt like. It was a little daunting (and I'm okay with the swim!) but Logan was on the pier announcing the start and that was helpful to see a friendly face before we headed down the "gang plank" and then down the ladders into the water. Cool rush! Okay, it felt cold! So I just started swimming to get warmed up. Made my way toward the buoy that marked the start, made sure that my goggles were tight enough and not foggy, and tried to get a good position. I know to be toward the front. I wanted to try to hang on to Katy's heels but I was worried that was a little too ambitious, so I settled for the front of the pack but not the lead. A woman next to me was amazed that salt water + a wetsuit = great buoyancy. I smiled and said, "Yes...it should be fun" but really I was thinking, "I'm not really in the mood to chat right now." But I was polite. Anyway, I turned out to be in an okay spot. Still had to maneuver around some folks but eventually fell into a rhythm. I was feeling good - not super fast but solid and focusing on my pull. (I've been having arm issues with my swim and I think that the wetsuit only makes it worse.) The waves were not too bad...until the jet skis revved their engines and shoved water in our faces...and before too long I was passing up guys from the wave in front of us. I always love that! After not too long I was in the home stretch and eventually my feet could touch ground...cut my big toe on the way out but just kept going. Looked at my watch...clever, it had stopped after 2 minutes. Man that was a fast swim! No big deal...meant that I couldn't obsess over my time and since I wasn't in this race for that, it actually didn't bother me once I got over the initial annoyance. (Yeah...small victory to not be caught up with my time...I always tell myself I'm not going to be and I often get caught up with it anyway.)

Out of the water and headed to T1...
Easily saw the wetsuit strippers...I was ready and quickly dropped to the ground, shot my feet up in the air, and in one amazing pull the wetsuit was off. I must have been sitting there in awe for a second because a spectator said, "go!" Right...T1 and my bike were waiting...I was still amazed at how cool the wetsuit stripping was. I'd have plenty of time to think about that on the bike so I got moving. Made sure to run under the "showers" to get at least some of the salt water rinsed off. Felt about like a garden hose with REALLY low pressure spraying you from the other side of the lawn but I wasn't going to stand under it and primp...so I headed to my bike.
I was on my bike pretty quickly after putting on my helmet, sunglasses, socks and shoes...no need to rinse feet this time since we were running through a parking lot. Nice. I hate grimy feet in my shoes so at every other tri where we've had to run through dirt or sand to transition I always end up having to rinse off my feet. I know, it's silly but blisters from sand are worse!

Open road ahead...
The bike started off on one road leading out of Moody Gardens but we quickly turned onto the seawall road and that was our main drag for the next 56 miles. Straight, straight, straight. Flat, flat, flat. A little bit of wind but nothing like we've been riding in. Sun was up but not bearing down on us quite yet. No excuse for bad nutrition, water, form, or anything else. I settled in for a long ride... Felt a little twinge in my left inner thigh pretty early on but just kept going. It was a nuisance and wasn't comfortable but certainly not worth stopping for. Focused on nutrition, cadence, and my form and staying in aero. The course was pretty boring so there was a lot of time to think about different things.
About 30-40 minutes into it some fellow T3ers came up behind me and passed me...we joked that we were out for a T3 training ride there was so much blue going on. It was fun! Saw some other T3ers flying by on the other side...it was awesome and encouraging. Not too much to say about the bike except for that I accomplished a few things: corrected a dropped chain without dismounting/stopping but used my gears instead (woo-hoo!); successfully took a water bottle hand up, filled my aero bottle, and tossed the empty bottle into the "target area"; consumed all of my allotted water and nutrition on the bike; and hung in there through whatever was going on with my leg. Averaged 17.7 mph which isn't bad for me. I was hoping to go around 18 or a little faster since it was so flat but it turned out we pretty much had some wind in our faces each way (on an out-and-back!) so staying steady and not draining my legs for the run was fine.
Edged out one other woman in my age group as we headed into Moody Gardens (that was sort of fun!) and then hit the dismount line... In the back of my mind I was worried about Dionn and Laura since I had expected them to pass me...

Sigh of relief....made it off the bike safely...now to the run! (I can't believe a 1/2 marathon ahead of me is a relief!)
Soon saw Laura in transition with me and I knew her back must have been hurting her. But she's tough and she threw on her running shoes and was soon on my heels on the run course. I felt good from the beginning but I had to pee like crazy so I ducked in a port-a-pottie and immediately felt better...guess I was getting enough water on the bike! I tried to remember when I had started the run as I was hoping to have a solid 1/2 marathon but I forgot what the time was so I decided not to worry about it. I ran my run goals through my head, heard Chrissie's voice advising us that we wanted to run at least the first 16 miles of the Ironman run, and re-dedicated myself to running this entire race + not bonking at mile 10. I think this means I was a tad cautious but I'm okay with that. Quickly saw other T3ers...and really confused Laura when I showed up behind her! (Thank you, small bladder that I've been blessed with.) Thought I would try to catch her but she was on fire and I just couldn't risk blowing up at mile 10 again. So I settled into a nice pace and felt good. My leg was bothering me a little but not in such a way that compromised my running. I cruised through the first lap and was headed onto my second when it struck me that the sun was getting hot and that the wind was picking up. Oh, well, nothing to do about it but to keep running. Saw T3 folks all over the place and that was very cool. Each time my body thought about slowing down I would see a teammate and pick up the pace. Folks were looking really strong overall, although by the end you could tell that the sun and the wind were taking their toll. By the last couple of laps, the wind was gusting upwards of 30mph and you could tell! It was like running into a cement wall...we felt like we were going nowhere or like we were being blown across the course from a cross wind! Sometimes it was refreshing; other times it was frustrating. But I kept my head in the game and kept myself occupied by looking for my next teammate to cheer on (and to receive encouragement from!) and by paying attention when to take another gel or Thermolyte. I could feel myself slowing down a bit by the third lap and told myself that was okay as long as I didn't stop, walk, or bonk...and I didn't! I stayed steady albeit a tad slower and then tried to pick it up on the last loop. Well, at least I did that on the last mile!
All along the way teammates were telling me that I looked strong. Sometimes we tell one another that in hopes that it will translate into truth and make us strong. Sometimes it's because we really do look strong. Well, I think that maybe it was the latter for me this race. I felt good. Truth: your legs just hurt when you're doing this stuff. But there's a difference between feeling pain but also feeling strong and feeling pain and also feeling like your legs have nothing left in them. I didn't go to that second place this race! Wow! What a difference...I thought I was holding about 10 min. miles and I was okay with that. In previous races of this distance, I'd held 11 min. miles so I was good with anything under...even if this was a flat course!
By mile 12 I was ready to finish it off...I knew I had another little incline ahead of me and then the stretch by the water and then the final road home. As I rounded the corner to the finish line I felt awesome...yes, it's always good to see the finish line but for the first time in a race of this distance I actually had some spunk left in me.


Straight ahead...
As I came down the stretch all I saw was Adam leaning into the finish shoot to cheer me on and announce my name correctly (thanks to Logan, Blythe, Laura, and anyone else who might have been standing near to help him...it's actually always fun for me to see how my last name is pronounced but since Logan was helping with the announcing I joked with him that maybe this time it would be pronounced correctly...yeah!). I was quickly met by grins from teammates congratulating me and asking how I was and if I was happy with my race.
How was I? GREAT! (Glad to be done but great!) I had run the whole 1/2 marathon; I had not bonked at mile 10 - or anywhere else; I felt strong (and tired). And I had no clue what my time was. And that was sort of cool.
I really had not set a time goal for this race. In my "short term" triathlon goals I wanted to go sub-6 hours in a 1/2 Ironman, but I wasn't sure this was the right time (although the course certainly suggested it might be the right race) since we're knee deep in IM training and this was really like a training day. Everyone thought I'd gone sub-6 and I was secretly pretty sure I'd gone like 6:05...and I was okay with that given how well everything else had gone. Got water, recovery stuff, checked in with some teammates who were in the med tent, and started hearing about everyone's races. It had been a great day for T3...PRs all over the place...we were a bunch of big grins. Watched a few others finish; talked to Mo, Suzanne, and Logan; and then Laura and I hooked up with the Blakistones and Ruebels and made a plan to go get some food on our way home.
Gathering your stuff back up and loading it into the car after a triathlon is always sort of a chore. You're tired...achy...hungry...and you have to deal with gear. Yuck. I was also freezing given the combination of sweat and the cool ocean breeze. Speaking of sweat...my tri shorts, face, and legs were covered with salt. Not like the usual marks that our sweat makes (small lines). Nope, I could have been a salt lick for someone or I could have rubbed the salt off my shorts and put it into a salt shaker for someone! Gross!
Anyway, soon enough Laura and I were in her car and headed down the highway (following Joe and Blythe and Yvonne and Matt) toward Houston and food. Quick change in the McAllister's bathroom and I was finally warm and felt a little refreshed. I should say that my shoulders and back were HOT since I had managed to get a stellar sun burn...I was not alone. And my calves were toasty because I was wearing my compression socks. I have seriously good friends in T3 in that they admitted to knowing me even though I had on running shorts and compression socks and fuzzy crocs. NOT a good look...but one that I needed to sport to help the legs recover.
We ate...rehashed the race...and bemoaned the fact that we had a 3.5 hour drive ahead of us! Eventually we hit the road again, Laura and I talked to a few people and mostly to one another, and listened to music and the time actually passed quickly. Laura is a great road trip companion! Yeah, Laura, I loved traveling with you!
I thought about my race goals and felt pretty darn satisfied with all of them! Not thrilled with my swim (seriously, I've been faster without a wetsuit so I need to figure that out!); I wanted to be faster with the bike but I'll take what I did; and I am really excited about my run (it's cool when the thing you've devoted the most time to is where you end up the strongest). Did well with my nutrition although I have a list of things to ask Meredith.
And I left some things for next time...Gran's friend Knox always said that when she traveled to someplace she left some things to see on her next trip. So these are the things I will "re-visit" on my next race:
- faster swim (see note above about wetsuits...others are SO much faster with them...sort of like paddles! Need to get some feedback from coaches.)
- stronger bike...not sure if this is realistic but I think maybe next year my off-season focus will be the bike...focusing on the run sure paid off this year so there's hope for my cycling!
- eventually negative split the run...and not be quite so cautious next time. I think I could have gone faster but I was so worried about bonking that I held back a little. Next time I'll know that I potentially have enough in me to push a little.
All in all, an amazing race...I was one happy camper...and that was even before I knew what my time was. Discovered that on the way home...5:59:25. I was seriously shocked. (And with 9:48 min miles on the 1/2 marathon...that made me really happy!) Still making me giggle even today...it's like I didn't want to rush into breaking that 6-hour mark!

So...there it is. My first race report. Don't worry, you won't have to read another race report until post-Ironman (June)! I'd like to tell you this post is over but I'd be remiss if I didn't thank some folks...all of my T3 teammates, my training buddies (especially my running buddies - Blythe, Liz, Amy, Laura, and Jim), our coaches (Suzanne and Mo who rocked the course on Sunday! Charles who cheered us on and on and on! Logan who was helping announce the race but took time to check up on the T3ers, too! And Chrissie who checked in from Austin! Seriously, T3ers...we are lucky, lucky, lucky to have such incredibly devoted and talented coaches), everyone who was out there cheering, and my family and friends who checked in with me to see how I'd done. People often say that triathlon is an individual sport and on one hand, it is...you ARE out there doing it by yourself physically but emotionally it is a different deal. It is a HUGE group effort and we had an amazing group out there at Galveston on Sunday. Many of whom are going to CDA...what a blast that is going to be!!! I'm excited, a little more confident, and also glad to have more training ahead of me. Racing Galveston reminded me that I love training, not racing...good thing since we do far more training than racing! But it also reminded me that I have fallen in love with triathlons and everything that they embody...pushing ourselves, surprising ourselves, encouraging one another, appreciating what our minds and bodies and spirits can do when we treat them right and train them right...and on that note: a renewed commitment to more sleep must begin this week.