Strathmore Women’s Only Sprint Triathlon, August 15th, 2010
This race was FUN! I can’t describe it any other way! I picked up the ever colourful Leslie Anne McKenzie bright and early and we were off to the races, so to speak!
I was still building to the Kelowna Apple, so like Chaparral this was a training day for me. On top of that I had recently committed to racing Muskoka 70.3 in September so knew I didn’t have the luxury of resting into this one AND I needed a long run! So much training to do, so little time I had to problem solve to come up with a way to do it all! Mission accomplished and the best part was I had a BLAST doing it!
What are you to do when you need a long run AND are racing, all in the same day! In my distorted little world I decided to run loops of the course before the race to total 15k. That would give me a 20k run total for the day, with a really hard final 5k! Plus I could swim and bike hard in the middle!
The race was in heats, and I was in the last heat which left lots of time get my run in. I didn’t know where to go thus the decision to run the course. The best part of this was the volunteers! They laughed “with” me... OK... maybe “at” me, but were cheery and wonderful! On my 3rd time around I warned them I wouldn’t be as happy the next lap. I’d be in race mode! It was SO much fun, and there was NO PROBLEMS with me not knowing the course this week! No way! I knew my way!
The other thing my pre-race run did was it showed me the beauty and heart of a gifted devoted race director. Deana Jabs had the course SO well marked. There were volunteers everywhere I turned, and the best part were the motivation signs placed strategically along the way. Every woman in this race was lucky to be there, myself included!
The race went well! My swim... well, it was my swim. Argh... I must get to work on that! The bike! FUN FUN FUN! I raced at higher watts than I’ve seen in a long time! I was the only athlete with race wheels and an aerohelmet! I looked like a freak!!!! Still, so many women along the way gave words of encouragement! I was SO excited to be on my little white and red Kuota! I felt like I was flying!
The run... well, it was hard, but in such a good way! I paced well which is always important to me, and I ran as hard as legs and lungs could take me! Again, there was oodles of encouragement from the competitors, and the volunteers (more friends by now!) gave a final cheer as I huffed by!
I LOVED this race! I loved the course, the volunteers, the meal, how the draw prizes were given out, and that age group winners received a single rose. The day wasn’t about winning... it was about a race experience! The only downside for the women doing their first race is that their “expectation bar” has now been set very high! They might not come across another race like this for a very long time, unless they race this one again next year!
To finish, having Christina and Leslie-Anne there with smiles and great races made the day even better! On top of that Maureen M. volunteered in her TTL colors! I’m putting this one on my race calendar for sure next year! I hope you do too (If you’re a girl of course.)
Friday, October 8, 2010
Lake Chapparal Olympic Distane, Aug 8th 2010
This was a training race. I went in tired, with a plan to race as hard as I could and see where my legs and lungs would take me. During the race I had a few moments of thinking “racing on tired legs sucks”! Mission accomplished, I was tired!
The wonderful amazing Tanya Solomon and I traveled together for this one. I am very lucky to be able to train with such a talented athlete. The rides are fun and mixed pace when we do manage to train together; the conversation is better. She decided to do this race last minute, and it was fun to have her along!
The morning of the race we had laughs and giggles. I got my Starbucks and we had some great pre-race banter! It was nice to race so close to home.
Swim... not much to say. I wanted to stay on Tanya’s feet. (If at first you don’t succeed, tri tri again! It didn’t work with Sarah in Invermere... maybe I’d have better luck this time around!) I made it on her feet for the first lap. Somehow, on the start of the second lap I lost it! Her feet were gone in the turn of my head to take a breath! I’m still miffed about this!!
Onward and upward. I felt I swam well again, although my time was the same as always. It was after this race that I decided that I’m kind of at a standstill with swimming. It doesn’t seem to matter how much I do or don’t swim. I swim the same time every time. I’m stuck and need to work on that this winter. Still, my swim was OK.
The bike was fun! I really enjoyed the technical hilly course. By the 5th lap I decided I was good to be done with the big hill, but overall I was happy with how I executed. I stayed focused on watts and heart rate, and knew that the fatigue in my legs was a factor for both. Still, I thought I rode well. I was 3rd woman off the bike which was great! I knew that Tanya would be in front, and didn’t know who the other gal was, but I saw her during the bike. As it turns out I made up time on her and had the 2nd fastest women’s bike split of the day.
The run... a frustrating story indeed! It was supposed to be 9k. That’s what the race director advertised on his website. I’m fine with it being short as long as I know. Off I went for my 9k run. My technology failed me on this day as my footpod died. I was running nake! I was disappointed there weren’t any km markers, meaning I had NO idea how far or fast I was running. I don’t like that as most of you know.
I started the first loop and legs felt OK. I quickly got into rhythm and had a positive outlook. Then, I got MAD!
There was a “t” intersection on the course. It was maybe a km or less into the run, and it brought me to a standstill. There was nothing there to indicate which way to go. Not a pylon, a volunteer, a chalk aero, a surveyors flag. I couldn’t tell I was in a race, and was afraid to take a guess. I made a decision to run back towards transition to see if I could get directions. As luck would have it the 4th place woman off the bike was very pleasant and kindly showed me the way. She warned me that I would run along a long row of houses and not feel like I was on a race course at all... but to KEEP GOING! That was the best advice of the day.
When the race was over Trevor (TTL athlete) asked me why I came “back”! He saw me standing by the lake with my arms in the air. I was SO frustrated! I just about quit... but I didn’t; and I’m proud of that. What kept me going was the “What would I say to an athlete in the same situation” self talk? Would I be excited about an athlete quitting a race because of a wrong turn in the road? No... I would not. There are more lessons to be learned by finishing what you start, than by quitting because of dumb luck. If I couldn’t support it in others, I certainly could not support in for myself. So... I kept going!
My good friend Janice McCaffrey was a great cheerleader! She was on her cute little mountain bike, and rode along beside me a few times offering support. Get the “grrrr” Angie! You’re running well. Focus on the sign... just run to the sign! Her timing was perfect because as always, I was suffering!
The run took forever. I didn’t know how long I’d gone or how far I was running, but it felt like I was out there for a very long time! As it turned out the course was almost 11k. I didn’t know that, but I sure felt it!
In the end I finished 4th, and won my age group. The experience of traveling with Tanya, having Janice along to cheer, and Rena, John, Trevor and Steve there made it worthwhile for the day. Seeing Leslie Anne in tears over her AG placing was a beautiful moment in triathlon for me!
Will I do another Multisport race again anytime soon? Probably not. I was disappointed in several basic organizational expectations I have when I sign up for a race. I did talk to one of the race directors about it, and he accepted my feedback with kindness. It is my responsibility to know the course. That rule is a firm one. The fact that there was a volunteer at the infamous “t” intersection on my second lap tells me their lack of marking it was an oversight though, and it was careless.
The post race food was FANTASTIC! I must give kudos to the organizers for that! I will give credit where credit is due!
Oh... how did Tanya know where to go at the “t”? She didn’t! She guessed too! She said she had a 50/50 chance of getting it right, and was happy to make the right choice. Me... I got some extra running in and met a very nice young gal from Vegreville who runs FAST! She raced in Kelowna as well... but more on that next race report!
The wonderful amazing Tanya Solomon and I traveled together for this one. I am very lucky to be able to train with such a talented athlete. The rides are fun and mixed pace when we do manage to train together; the conversation is better. She decided to do this race last minute, and it was fun to have her along!
The morning of the race we had laughs and giggles. I got my Starbucks and we had some great pre-race banter! It was nice to race so close to home.
Swim... not much to say. I wanted to stay on Tanya’s feet. (If at first you don’t succeed, tri tri again! It didn’t work with Sarah in Invermere... maybe I’d have better luck this time around!) I made it on her feet for the first lap. Somehow, on the start of the second lap I lost it! Her feet were gone in the turn of my head to take a breath! I’m still miffed about this!!
Onward and upward. I felt I swam well again, although my time was the same as always. It was after this race that I decided that I’m kind of at a standstill with swimming. It doesn’t seem to matter how much I do or don’t swim. I swim the same time every time. I’m stuck and need to work on that this winter. Still, my swim was OK.
The bike was fun! I really enjoyed the technical hilly course. By the 5th lap I decided I was good to be done with the big hill, but overall I was happy with how I executed. I stayed focused on watts and heart rate, and knew that the fatigue in my legs was a factor for both. Still, I thought I rode well. I was 3rd woman off the bike which was great! I knew that Tanya would be in front, and didn’t know who the other gal was, but I saw her during the bike. As it turns out I made up time on her and had the 2nd fastest women’s bike split of the day.
The run... a frustrating story indeed! It was supposed to be 9k. That’s what the race director advertised on his website. I’m fine with it being short as long as I know. Off I went for my 9k run. My technology failed me on this day as my footpod died. I was running nake! I was disappointed there weren’t any km markers, meaning I had NO idea how far or fast I was running. I don’t like that as most of you know.
I started the first loop and legs felt OK. I quickly got into rhythm and had a positive outlook. Then, I got MAD!
There was a “t” intersection on the course. It was maybe a km or less into the run, and it brought me to a standstill. There was nothing there to indicate which way to go. Not a pylon, a volunteer, a chalk aero, a surveyors flag. I couldn’t tell I was in a race, and was afraid to take a guess. I made a decision to run back towards transition to see if I could get directions. As luck would have it the 4th place woman off the bike was very pleasant and kindly showed me the way. She warned me that I would run along a long row of houses and not feel like I was on a race course at all... but to KEEP GOING! That was the best advice of the day.
When the race was over Trevor (TTL athlete) asked me why I came “back”! He saw me standing by the lake with my arms in the air. I was SO frustrated! I just about quit... but I didn’t; and I’m proud of that. What kept me going was the “What would I say to an athlete in the same situation” self talk? Would I be excited about an athlete quitting a race because of a wrong turn in the road? No... I would not. There are more lessons to be learned by finishing what you start, than by quitting because of dumb luck. If I couldn’t support it in others, I certainly could not support in for myself. So... I kept going!
My good friend Janice McCaffrey was a great cheerleader! She was on her cute little mountain bike, and rode along beside me a few times offering support. Get the “grrrr” Angie! You’re running well. Focus on the sign... just run to the sign! Her timing was perfect because as always, I was suffering!
The run took forever. I didn’t know how long I’d gone or how far I was running, but it felt like I was out there for a very long time! As it turned out the course was almost 11k. I didn’t know that, but I sure felt it!
In the end I finished 4th, and won my age group. The experience of traveling with Tanya, having Janice along to cheer, and Rena, John, Trevor and Steve there made it worthwhile for the day. Seeing Leslie Anne in tears over her AG placing was a beautiful moment in triathlon for me!
Will I do another Multisport race again anytime soon? Probably not. I was disappointed in several basic organizational expectations I have when I sign up for a race. I did talk to one of the race directors about it, and he accepted my feedback with kindness. It is my responsibility to know the course. That rule is a firm one. The fact that there was a volunteer at the infamous “t” intersection on my second lap tells me their lack of marking it was an oversight though, and it was careless.
The post race food was FANTASTIC! I must give kudos to the organizers for that! I will give credit where credit is due!
Oh... how did Tanya know where to go at the “t”? She didn’t! She guessed too! She said she had a 50/50 chance of getting it right, and was happy to make the right choice. Me... I got some extra running in and met a very nice young gal from Vegreville who runs FAST! She raced in Kelowna as well... but more on that next race report!
Angie’s Long Overdue Heart of the Rockies Race Report
I am a tardy race report writer! As of this moment, I have gone to the start line 5 times since I last sat down to write my tales from the trenches of triathlon. (I must be in a mood to “alliterate”!) It there’s a bonus to my procrastination, it is that each report has to be short; something I’m not all that good at but will do my best to accomplish this time round. Here is the first one.
Heart of the Rockies Olympic Distance, July 11th, 2010
This race was important to me. As you may know, my last race at Great White North Half Ironman was what I define a terrible day. I don’t need to relive it her, but it certainly moulded my goals for this race.
What did I want out of this one? Simple.... I wanted to race happy. I wanted to “enjoy” the process, and finish with a smile.
The few days before the race were filled with fun! Rena, Sarah and I had a great time dancing with a few glasses of wine on Friday night in Panorama. Saturday was filled with pre-race workouts with Sebastian, Jeff, Rena, Sara, Trevor, and Alanna.
Race morning I had a bit of chaos. First of all, I talked to way to many people and fell behind on getting ready. Secondly, the battery in my powertap died. I so badly wanted the data from this race to compare to last year. I had a brief moment of panic, the Sarah saved the day with a brand new battery in her HR strap! YAH SARAH!!!!
I got my wetsuit on with minutes to spare... literally! No warm up and the gun was off.
I hoped to stay on Sarah’s feet for at least a few minutes of the swim. “Dream Big Arnold” comes to mind here! NOT A HOPE! She was gone like a flash and I was left to fend for myself. I enjoyed the swim, felt I swam technically well, and was happy with my time.
The bike was fun! I had a ball on the rough road and hills. Last year when I did this race I was grumpy. I hadn’t recovered from GWN I don’t think, and the whole ride and run I made excuses for why I didn’t need to do this race. I was committed to not letting those thoughts override my attitude on this day. I actually thought I rode SO well! I was SURE my watts would be higher than one year earlier. They weren’t... oddly, they were exactly the same although paced differently. Last year I started HARD, and lost watts on the way home. This year I started and finished very close to the same. I didn’t improve my watts, but executed better. YAH ME!
The run was AWESOME! This course is a hilly hard 10k. You climb straight for 6k, get a bit of a break, climb again, then do a hard downhill run to Invermere. Knowing the course this year made it a lot better. Last year I walked a few times and wallowed in my misery. This year I forged on, smiled when it hurt, and hammered downhill! Unfortunately I got passed on the last k and lost 2nd place woman overall. The gal was FLYING! I didn’t mind at all though. I had race a GREAT HAPPY RACE! Process goal accomplished. Third place this year felt SO much better than first place last year. I did a little celebration at the finish line, and joyfully received my beer mug for winning my age group. Our team ROCKED the day as well which made it that much more special. BONUS... I won a free pair of runners from the draw prizes! DOES IT GET ANY BETTER!
I forgot to mention that I PR’d my 10k off the bike. 46:24 was my fastest to date on a tough course. This took me to an OD best time and made the day that much better. Maybe... just maybe... I’m a runner now
I highly recommend this race be added to your calendar next year if you can make it happen. I’ll be back! It was a GREAT race and an even better weekend.
I am a tardy race report writer! As of this moment, I have gone to the start line 5 times since I last sat down to write my tales from the trenches of triathlon. (I must be in a mood to “alliterate”!) It there’s a bonus to my procrastination, it is that each report has to be short; something I’m not all that good at but will do my best to accomplish this time round. Here is the first one.
Heart of the Rockies Olympic Distance, July 11th, 2010
This race was important to me. As you may know, my last race at Great White North Half Ironman was what I define a terrible day. I don’t need to relive it her, but it certainly moulded my goals for this race.
What did I want out of this one? Simple.... I wanted to race happy. I wanted to “enjoy” the process, and finish with a smile.
The few days before the race were filled with fun! Rena, Sarah and I had a great time dancing with a few glasses of wine on Friday night in Panorama. Saturday was filled with pre-race workouts with Sebastian, Jeff, Rena, Sara, Trevor, and Alanna.
Race morning I had a bit of chaos. First of all, I talked to way to many people and fell behind on getting ready. Secondly, the battery in my powertap died. I so badly wanted the data from this race to compare to last year. I had a brief moment of panic, the Sarah saved the day with a brand new battery in her HR strap! YAH SARAH!!!!
I got my wetsuit on with minutes to spare... literally! No warm up and the gun was off.
I hoped to stay on Sarah’s feet for at least a few minutes of the swim. “Dream Big Arnold” comes to mind here! NOT A HOPE! She was gone like a flash and I was left to fend for myself. I enjoyed the swim, felt I swam technically well, and was happy with my time.
The bike was fun! I had a ball on the rough road and hills. Last year when I did this race I was grumpy. I hadn’t recovered from GWN I don’t think, and the whole ride and run I made excuses for why I didn’t need to do this race. I was committed to not letting those thoughts override my attitude on this day. I actually thought I rode SO well! I was SURE my watts would be higher than one year earlier. They weren’t... oddly, they were exactly the same although paced differently. Last year I started HARD, and lost watts on the way home. This year I started and finished very close to the same. I didn’t improve my watts, but executed better. YAH ME!
The run was AWESOME! This course is a hilly hard 10k. You climb straight for 6k, get a bit of a break, climb again, then do a hard downhill run to Invermere. Knowing the course this year made it a lot better. Last year I walked a few times and wallowed in my misery. This year I forged on, smiled when it hurt, and hammered downhill! Unfortunately I got passed on the last k and lost 2nd place woman overall. The gal was FLYING! I didn’t mind at all though. I had race a GREAT HAPPY RACE! Process goal accomplished. Third place this year felt SO much better than first place last year. I did a little celebration at the finish line, and joyfully received my beer mug for winning my age group. Our team ROCKED the day as well which made it that much more special. BONUS... I won a free pair of runners from the draw prizes! DOES IT GET ANY BETTER!
I forgot to mention that I PR’d my 10k off the bike. 46:24 was my fastest to date on a tough course. This took me to an OD best time and made the day that much better. Maybe... just maybe... I’m a runner now
I highly recommend this race be added to your calendar next year if you can make it happen. I’ll be back! It was a GREAT race and an even better weekend.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Running with Socks, GWN Race Story 2010
I think most of you know my story. My new nickname “Angie Running in Socks” speaks loads as do the 2 big black marks on my feet. I suppose I should think of them as “badges of a hard day”... maybe I will soon.
The weekend leading up to race day was nothing short of amazing. I loved being in GWN with our team. AT the carb load on Friday I was a very proud coach! Not only for my athletes, but for Richelle and Sarah as well. They are a huge part of the success of this team. Pre-race workouts on Saturday were SO much fun even though the wind was on the edge of tornado force! When a rack with Sarah’s bike blew over and nearly clipped her, it hit me just how hard the wind was blowing. I thought that if it’s that way tomorrow “we” athletes from the South will do better than others because we are very familiar with strong wind! Luckily we didn’t need to draw on that experience as race day had perfect conditions.
Race morning went tickety boo. I changed my breakfast and went away from my standard bagel with a fried egg, cheese and tomato, and switched to my new favourite breaky of oatmeal with a half an apple and raisons, a wee bit of brown sugar and skim milk. On the bike I realized that I forgot my heaping tablespoon of almond butter! I had a brief moment of panic that I was racing without any protein The panic quickly dissipated as I realized it wasn’t really hurting me and if it was, there wasn’t much to do about it by that point anyway! The lesson to take from this little blooper was that I need to not be quite so casual about race morning. I’ve race... a lot, over the years. I find that lately I have a hard time being keyed up doing normal pre-race tasks. The last few races I’ve forgot simple little things that I believe help me work towards success. Do I think that missing almond butter was a key factor in the creation of a challenging day? No... but it was careless.
In the morning I think a lot of us felt like rock stars! Team TriLife supporters were in full force taking photos, candid and posed. Lots of hugs and have a good day. I took off for a few minutes by myself for a run in my keens... no extra running shoes! I also had my wetsuit on up to my hips. I looked like a bit of a freak, but it worked to warm me up and get my brain in race gear.
I stood on the beach with Tanya Salomon. She ended up being second overall woman for the day!!! We chatted briefly and then the gun went sooner than I expected. A quick dive in and I tried to stay on her feet. I thought I was swimming SO fast!!! I felt SO good in the water! If anything, I was a bit warm, but the goop and mud didn’t bother me, and I was very lucky to have very little contact. I found feet, fought to stay with them on and off throughout the swim, and felt I executed well. The hardest part was the run around the buoy to the second lap! Running through knee deep quick sand takes your breath away! I didn’t get my splits at the half way point because my watch was under my wetsuit. I’m pretty sure I slowed down the second lap, but that’s OK. It was still a good swim. Time 32:39. I’m consistant!
Bike: I had a really quick transition and was on my way! I was excited to ride and felt the conditions were ripe for fast times. At the mount line my aerobar pad fell off. There was nothing I could do so I got on and rode up the hill. This turned out to be a major distraction throughout the ride. My forearm was on metal and screws. At times I was grumpy about it, but then I would will away the anger and tell myself “control what you can, let go what you can’t”. I contemplated stopping for help, but honestly didn’t think that bike support would have anything to fix it. I rode in aero mostly, but I couldn’t quite rest comfortably on that arm. Still, my bike time was fantastic. It exceeded what I ever believed was possible. Nothing to complain about there. I did an analysis of my watts from the last 5 races at this distance I’ve done. It’s below in a chart.
• Oceanside March 2009,
o Average watts 165
o Normalized power 175
o Ride time without transitions 2:47:25
o Course... hilly and windy
• Great White North 2009,
o Average watts 181
o Normalized power 184
o Ride time without transitions 2:36:54 with transitions.
(2:34 “ish” without)
o Course... flat, tail wind out, head wind back.
• Sooke Sept 2009,
o Average watts 177
o Normalized power 190
o 2:43:19 for 86km not including transitions
o Course... VERY hilly! HARD!
• Clearwater Nov 2009,
o Average watts 184
o Normalized power 188
o 2:17:35
o Course... FLAT AND FAST!
• Great White North 2010,
o Average watts 172
o Normalized power 176
o Ride time without transitions 2:33:28 with transitions.
(2:30:30 “ish” without)
o Course... flat, slight head wind out, tail wind home.
As you can see over the year last year my bike fitness grew. Oceanside was done on indoor training. Average watts is set on my powertap head to only count watts when I’m pedalling. If I’m descending and not moving my pedals, the zero is not averaged into the watts. Normalized power is a way to compare one ride to another regardless of terrain or wind. It’s calculates your effort to create a wattage that you would have had WITH that effort on a totally flat course. As you can see Sooke the highest. That is because of the hills! It was a tough one. I knew that even though this ride was my fastest at GWN, it was not my best effort in the “Angie compared to Angie” mode of comparison. I could not have rode any harder. It was my best effort for the day. Nutrition went well; I consumed a bottle of infinit per hour. (Mind you, I wore a fair amount of infinit because the top of my aerobottle came off! I HATE it when my fingers stick together! At every aid station I would grab water and try to release the goo... it didn’t work, but I kept trying!)
One other interesting analysis... in 2010 I had the 65th fastest bike split. In 2009 I had the 96th fastest bike split. That is a really interesting comparison that surprises me. It makes the lower watts in 2010 a bit off. Hmmmm.... now I’m thinking.
The BEST thing about my ride was my dismount! For the first time in my racing career I did a gliding dismount It was SO fun and fast!!!!! THANKS to the TTL Tent Dwellers for all their cheers at the end of the bike. I loved seeing the orange and purple jackets on the course as well! It very much brings you back to focus when you hear cheers from teammates and friends!
T2 went well. Nothing much to talk about. I got in, and got out.
Run: This is where my challenges began. Let me prefix this by saying that if one of our team had a run like I did, I would discuss the following points with this athlete. I believe these points, and if nothing else, this has been a very good learning experience that what I say does make sense and I need to apply it to myself.
1. You learn more from a hard race than a race that goes well. Next time you toe the start line you will have a reference for how much you can hurt, and how much you want to not give in to the demons that make you slow down. This was a learning race... the harder the race, the more epic the learning.
2. You toughed out a very tough day. A lot of people would have quit, and you didn’t. You are an amazing athlete committed to your trade of racing at the edge of your abilities. Some days are diamond, and some are coal. You pulled out a pretty amazing finish of a really hard day.
OK... so that is what I would say, and actually, typing it out helps.
Stats first... I always hit my interval button at km markers. It’s part of my post race analysis. Below is what is on my watch from the run. I’m showing you this mostly because it’s how I analyze my race.
• Km 1 4:42
• Km 2 4:25
• Km 3 4:46
• Km 4 4:59 (walked to drink out of plastic cup)
• Km 5 4:40
• Km 6 4:48
• Km 7 4:53
• Km 8 5:19 (bathroom break #1)
• Km 9 4:36 (making up for bathroom break)
• Km 10 4:46
• Km 11 4:36
• Km 12 4:51
• Km 13 4:54
• Km 14 4:56
• Km 15 4:54
• Km 16 and 17 10:00 (bathroom break #2 in here I think)
• Km 18 5:06 (foot pain pretty bad)
• Km 19 4:48
• Km 20 – 21.1 9:56 (took off both shoes and ran with my socks)
What happened...
When I started the run I knew that I felt tuckered. Last year GWN was my zen race! I started to run and had to tell myself to slow down! I had a hard time keeping my pace back in a reasonable range. I felt SO good. This year it felt like a grunt from the start. Still, I was running well according to the km markers. Stay focused Angie. This is your job today. Get it done.
Early in the run my left lower leg went numb. It was like running on a stump... almost felt like I was dragging it along. I wasn’t, but that’s what it felt like. I did frequent “body scans” and would assure myself that as long as it doesn’t hurt, you can run through it. Pain is one thing, a numb limb is another. Keep running. The km’s were clicking off at a pretty good rate. I was surprising myself based on how my legs felt. All good.
Then... grrrr.... this NEVER has happened to me in a Half Ironman IN MY LIFE!!!! My bowel started to gurgle and brew. The pressure was mounting. I didn’t have gut issues, I just had to go! WHAT THE ....???? Into the bushes at about 8k. I’m not sure who could see me, and to be honest, I didn’t care a whole bunch. When I gotta go, I gotta go NOW! I don’t have much wiggle room. Thankfully there was a treed area for me to step into at my “moment of need”! Back to the run, I caught the fellows I was running with and continued on. My leg / foot were still numb but that’s OK. I knew that Sarah was working hard behind me, and I was motivated to stay in front. I timed her at the turn around. She had gained about :20 on me. That’s OK. I took :30 for the bathroom break. I can hold this. I had to walk thru a few aid stations to get water. Those darn plastic cups. I think you all know what I’m talking about. Sarah was the hand on my back pushing me. This was hard.
My bowel struck again! NO!!!!!! This can’t be happening! This one was quick! In and out of the trees. SORRY to residents of Stony Plain. Back on the run. Come on Angie... keep going.
At about 16k my leg lost the “stump-ness” and a pretty incredible pain went into my foot. I’ve race through a lot of “foot pain” having had a mortons neuroma removed. This felt worse, but my memory might have faded. I tried to walk and wiggle my foot to see if it would let go. It didn’t. I’d run, walk, run, walk. Sarah was right there. At this point it was hers. She blew by me like I was standing still!!! She was breathing harder than I’d ever heard her breathe, and I knew she was having THE RACE OF HER LIFE!!!!! As a competitor, it was a place lost. As a friend first, coach second, it was an amazing demonstration of what you an athlete can do with not only amazing fitness, but amazing determination and resolve to dig deep and ask your mind to allow the “push” when it’s SO hard! I was proud of her! I still am.
Just past the 19k mark I was walking. I was on a hill, and JoZ was on her way down. That darn JoZ yelled at me and told me to get running! After she apologized, but she was just what I needed. I’d seen Richelle, Ally, and Jeff and John, Cindy on the course. All I could say to them was “rough day”. They told me to stay strong, I felt like I was crumbling. For some reason when JoZ told me to pick it up, a light switch went off. At that moment, I took off my shoe, and the relief was instant. I tried to run with one shoe for a few steps, but that was a BAD idea, so the other shoe came off. Once I started running in socks (thus the name) my legs came back, the pain was gone, and I found the determination to finish strong that I had lacked the last several km’s. Sarah was in site, and I was pushing with everything I had to make gains. I carried my shoes for maybe 800m, and I dropped on right before an aid station. I threw the other one at the volunteers and asked them to please save them for me. (Amazingly I got my shoes back from a wonderful volunteer within minutes of finishing! THANK YOU!)
As I turned the corner and saw the TTL tent, and heard the cheers, my emotions started to build. I was going to finish what I would call the run from hell. I heard Annie say “where are your shoes” and I think I had a wee bit of a smile... inside... at that moment! Thank you Annie! I crossed the finish line, I think I hugged Sarah, and I started to cry. I’m still emotional typing this right now.
I kept thinking “it shouldn’t be that hard”. The pain in my feet and ankles hit me as soon as I stopped, and emotionally I was done. I ended up with medical for a few minutes which was OK. I’m still emotional as I type this.
I expected my run time to be much slower than it was. I was shocked to see I was only :15 slower than last year. When I was running I must have ran pretty fast... my suunto graph tells the tale well... run / walk/run / walk in the last 5k.
This feels a bit like Clearwater did. If I had finished in 4:48 with a 1:42:?? run AND I’d raced well, I would have been thrilled! At my age, PR’s are hard to come by! I’ve been at this game for quite a few years now, and to be honest, a PR is a gift. I am so attached to execution though that a fast finish time has very little meaning to me if I don’t race well. On this day I can say that my issues were not necessarily execution issues. I think I paced well, nutrition went well, my mental state was down and that is a negative that I can control, but apart from that, the aerobar pad, bathroom breaks and feet issues were pretty much bad luck. I can’t fix that. I did learn though about what I can push myself through although I hope not to go there again anytime soon!
I talked to Chad a few days after the race and was telling him my tale. He put me in my place in about 2 seconds. He said “at least you can race”. How true is that? At least I can race. That is a perspective that I needed to hear, and Chad and John are both examples of athletes overcoming incredible obstacles to get back to a start line. How much would Terry have loved to be at this race.
Perspective is everything. This was a rough day at “my” office, but there are better days ahead. I am so blessed to have triathlon in my life, mostly because of the people, and also because I get to challenge myself on a daily basis with training. The races are the proverbial icing on the cake. A tough race is not a season ruined, and yes, my finishing time was really solid.
I think that’s all I can tell you. Thanks for reading. Angie
The weekend leading up to race day was nothing short of amazing. I loved being in GWN with our team. AT the carb load on Friday I was a very proud coach! Not only for my athletes, but for Richelle and Sarah as well. They are a huge part of the success of this team. Pre-race workouts on Saturday were SO much fun even though the wind was on the edge of tornado force! When a rack with Sarah’s bike blew over and nearly clipped her, it hit me just how hard the wind was blowing. I thought that if it’s that way tomorrow “we” athletes from the South will do better than others because we are very familiar with strong wind! Luckily we didn’t need to draw on that experience as race day had perfect conditions.
Race morning went tickety boo. I changed my breakfast and went away from my standard bagel with a fried egg, cheese and tomato, and switched to my new favourite breaky of oatmeal with a half an apple and raisons, a wee bit of brown sugar and skim milk. On the bike I realized that I forgot my heaping tablespoon of almond butter! I had a brief moment of panic that I was racing without any protein The panic quickly dissipated as I realized it wasn’t really hurting me and if it was, there wasn’t much to do about it by that point anyway! The lesson to take from this little blooper was that I need to not be quite so casual about race morning. I’ve race... a lot, over the years. I find that lately I have a hard time being keyed up doing normal pre-race tasks. The last few races I’ve forgot simple little things that I believe help me work towards success. Do I think that missing almond butter was a key factor in the creation of a challenging day? No... but it was careless.
In the morning I think a lot of us felt like rock stars! Team TriLife supporters were in full force taking photos, candid and posed. Lots of hugs and have a good day. I took off for a few minutes by myself for a run in my keens... no extra running shoes! I also had my wetsuit on up to my hips. I looked like a bit of a freak, but it worked to warm me up and get my brain in race gear.
I stood on the beach with Tanya Salomon. She ended up being second overall woman for the day!!! We chatted briefly and then the gun went sooner than I expected. A quick dive in and I tried to stay on her feet. I thought I was swimming SO fast!!! I felt SO good in the water! If anything, I was a bit warm, but the goop and mud didn’t bother me, and I was very lucky to have very little contact. I found feet, fought to stay with them on and off throughout the swim, and felt I executed well. The hardest part was the run around the buoy to the second lap! Running through knee deep quick sand takes your breath away! I didn’t get my splits at the half way point because my watch was under my wetsuit. I’m pretty sure I slowed down the second lap, but that’s OK. It was still a good swim. Time 32:39. I’m consistant!
Bike: I had a really quick transition and was on my way! I was excited to ride and felt the conditions were ripe for fast times. At the mount line my aerobar pad fell off. There was nothing I could do so I got on and rode up the hill. This turned out to be a major distraction throughout the ride. My forearm was on metal and screws. At times I was grumpy about it, but then I would will away the anger and tell myself “control what you can, let go what you can’t”. I contemplated stopping for help, but honestly didn’t think that bike support would have anything to fix it. I rode in aero mostly, but I couldn’t quite rest comfortably on that arm. Still, my bike time was fantastic. It exceeded what I ever believed was possible. Nothing to complain about there. I did an analysis of my watts from the last 5 races at this distance I’ve done. It’s below in a chart.
• Oceanside March 2009,
o Average watts 165
o Normalized power 175
o Ride time without transitions 2:47:25
o Course... hilly and windy
• Great White North 2009,
o Average watts 181
o Normalized power 184
o Ride time without transitions 2:36:54 with transitions.
(2:34 “ish” without)
o Course... flat, tail wind out, head wind back.
• Sooke Sept 2009,
o Average watts 177
o Normalized power 190
o 2:43:19 for 86km not including transitions
o Course... VERY hilly! HARD!
• Clearwater Nov 2009,
o Average watts 184
o Normalized power 188
o 2:17:35
o Course... FLAT AND FAST!
• Great White North 2010,
o Average watts 172
o Normalized power 176
o Ride time without transitions 2:33:28 with transitions.
(2:30:30 “ish” without)
o Course... flat, slight head wind out, tail wind home.
As you can see over the year last year my bike fitness grew. Oceanside was done on indoor training. Average watts is set on my powertap head to only count watts when I’m pedalling. If I’m descending and not moving my pedals, the zero is not averaged into the watts. Normalized power is a way to compare one ride to another regardless of terrain or wind. It’s calculates your effort to create a wattage that you would have had WITH that effort on a totally flat course. As you can see Sooke the highest. That is because of the hills! It was a tough one. I knew that even though this ride was my fastest at GWN, it was not my best effort in the “Angie compared to Angie” mode of comparison. I could not have rode any harder. It was my best effort for the day. Nutrition went well; I consumed a bottle of infinit per hour. (Mind you, I wore a fair amount of infinit because the top of my aerobottle came off! I HATE it when my fingers stick together! At every aid station I would grab water and try to release the goo... it didn’t work, but I kept trying!)
One other interesting analysis... in 2010 I had the 65th fastest bike split. In 2009 I had the 96th fastest bike split. That is a really interesting comparison that surprises me. It makes the lower watts in 2010 a bit off. Hmmmm.... now I’m thinking.
The BEST thing about my ride was my dismount! For the first time in my racing career I did a gliding dismount It was SO fun and fast!!!!! THANKS to the TTL Tent Dwellers for all their cheers at the end of the bike. I loved seeing the orange and purple jackets on the course as well! It very much brings you back to focus when you hear cheers from teammates and friends!
T2 went well. Nothing much to talk about. I got in, and got out.
Run: This is where my challenges began. Let me prefix this by saying that if one of our team had a run like I did, I would discuss the following points with this athlete. I believe these points, and if nothing else, this has been a very good learning experience that what I say does make sense and I need to apply it to myself.
1. You learn more from a hard race than a race that goes well. Next time you toe the start line you will have a reference for how much you can hurt, and how much you want to not give in to the demons that make you slow down. This was a learning race... the harder the race, the more epic the learning.
2. You toughed out a very tough day. A lot of people would have quit, and you didn’t. You are an amazing athlete committed to your trade of racing at the edge of your abilities. Some days are diamond, and some are coal. You pulled out a pretty amazing finish of a really hard day.
OK... so that is what I would say, and actually, typing it out helps.
Stats first... I always hit my interval button at km markers. It’s part of my post race analysis. Below is what is on my watch from the run. I’m showing you this mostly because it’s how I analyze my race.
• Km 1 4:42
• Km 2 4:25
• Km 3 4:46
• Km 4 4:59 (walked to drink out of plastic cup)
• Km 5 4:40
• Km 6 4:48
• Km 7 4:53
• Km 8 5:19 (bathroom break #1)
• Km 9 4:36 (making up for bathroom break)
• Km 10 4:46
• Km 11 4:36
• Km 12 4:51
• Km 13 4:54
• Km 14 4:56
• Km 15 4:54
• Km 16 and 17 10:00 (bathroom break #2 in here I think)
• Km 18 5:06 (foot pain pretty bad)
• Km 19 4:48
• Km 20 – 21.1 9:56 (took off both shoes and ran with my socks)
What happened...
When I started the run I knew that I felt tuckered. Last year GWN was my zen race! I started to run and had to tell myself to slow down! I had a hard time keeping my pace back in a reasonable range. I felt SO good. This year it felt like a grunt from the start. Still, I was running well according to the km markers. Stay focused Angie. This is your job today. Get it done.
Early in the run my left lower leg went numb. It was like running on a stump... almost felt like I was dragging it along. I wasn’t, but that’s what it felt like. I did frequent “body scans” and would assure myself that as long as it doesn’t hurt, you can run through it. Pain is one thing, a numb limb is another. Keep running. The km’s were clicking off at a pretty good rate. I was surprising myself based on how my legs felt. All good.
Then... grrrr.... this NEVER has happened to me in a Half Ironman IN MY LIFE!!!! My bowel started to gurgle and brew. The pressure was mounting. I didn’t have gut issues, I just had to go! WHAT THE ....???? Into the bushes at about 8k. I’m not sure who could see me, and to be honest, I didn’t care a whole bunch. When I gotta go, I gotta go NOW! I don’t have much wiggle room. Thankfully there was a treed area for me to step into at my “moment of need”! Back to the run, I caught the fellows I was running with and continued on. My leg / foot were still numb but that’s OK. I knew that Sarah was working hard behind me, and I was motivated to stay in front. I timed her at the turn around. She had gained about :20 on me. That’s OK. I took :30 for the bathroom break. I can hold this. I had to walk thru a few aid stations to get water. Those darn plastic cups. I think you all know what I’m talking about. Sarah was the hand on my back pushing me. This was hard.
My bowel struck again! NO!!!!!! This can’t be happening! This one was quick! In and out of the trees. SORRY to residents of Stony Plain. Back on the run. Come on Angie... keep going.
At about 16k my leg lost the “stump-ness” and a pretty incredible pain went into my foot. I’ve race through a lot of “foot pain” having had a mortons neuroma removed. This felt worse, but my memory might have faded. I tried to walk and wiggle my foot to see if it would let go. It didn’t. I’d run, walk, run, walk. Sarah was right there. At this point it was hers. She blew by me like I was standing still!!! She was breathing harder than I’d ever heard her breathe, and I knew she was having THE RACE OF HER LIFE!!!!! As a competitor, it was a place lost. As a friend first, coach second, it was an amazing demonstration of what you an athlete can do with not only amazing fitness, but amazing determination and resolve to dig deep and ask your mind to allow the “push” when it’s SO hard! I was proud of her! I still am.
Just past the 19k mark I was walking. I was on a hill, and JoZ was on her way down. That darn JoZ yelled at me and told me to get running! After she apologized, but she was just what I needed. I’d seen Richelle, Ally, and Jeff and John, Cindy on the course. All I could say to them was “rough day”. They told me to stay strong, I felt like I was crumbling. For some reason when JoZ told me to pick it up, a light switch went off. At that moment, I took off my shoe, and the relief was instant. I tried to run with one shoe for a few steps, but that was a BAD idea, so the other shoe came off. Once I started running in socks (thus the name) my legs came back, the pain was gone, and I found the determination to finish strong that I had lacked the last several km’s. Sarah was in site, and I was pushing with everything I had to make gains. I carried my shoes for maybe 800m, and I dropped on right before an aid station. I threw the other one at the volunteers and asked them to please save them for me. (Amazingly I got my shoes back from a wonderful volunteer within minutes of finishing! THANK YOU!)
As I turned the corner and saw the TTL tent, and heard the cheers, my emotions started to build. I was going to finish what I would call the run from hell. I heard Annie say “where are your shoes” and I think I had a wee bit of a smile... inside... at that moment! Thank you Annie! I crossed the finish line, I think I hugged Sarah, and I started to cry. I’m still emotional typing this right now.
I kept thinking “it shouldn’t be that hard”. The pain in my feet and ankles hit me as soon as I stopped, and emotionally I was done. I ended up with medical for a few minutes which was OK. I’m still emotional as I type this.
I expected my run time to be much slower than it was. I was shocked to see I was only :15 slower than last year. When I was running I must have ran pretty fast... my suunto graph tells the tale well... run / walk/run / walk in the last 5k.
This feels a bit like Clearwater did. If I had finished in 4:48 with a 1:42:?? run AND I’d raced well, I would have been thrilled! At my age, PR’s are hard to come by! I’ve been at this game for quite a few years now, and to be honest, a PR is a gift. I am so attached to execution though that a fast finish time has very little meaning to me if I don’t race well. On this day I can say that my issues were not necessarily execution issues. I think I paced well, nutrition went well, my mental state was down and that is a negative that I can control, but apart from that, the aerobar pad, bathroom breaks and feet issues were pretty much bad luck. I can’t fix that. I did learn though about what I can push myself through although I hope not to go there again anytime soon!
I talked to Chad a few days after the race and was telling him my tale. He put me in my place in about 2 seconds. He said “at least you can race”. How true is that? At least I can race. That is a perspective that I needed to hear, and Chad and John are both examples of athletes overcoming incredible obstacles to get back to a start line. How much would Terry have loved to be at this race.
Perspective is everything. This was a rough day at “my” office, but there are better days ahead. I am so blessed to have triathlon in my life, mostly because of the people, and also because I get to challenge myself on a daily basis with training. The races are the proverbial icing on the cake. A tough race is not a season ruined, and yes, my finishing time was really solid.
I think that’s all I can tell you. Thanks for reading. Angie
Monday, June 21, 2010
Open water swimming and other random racing thoughts.
Hey TTL... I’ve been a bit out of the loop this weekend! I raced on a k100 team on Saturday and it was tons of fun! (Well, apart from running 14k up a hill in the mountains it was a good time! I had leg 4 and I regret not looking at the elevation before I went! I might have taken a rest day leading into it because those hills hurt! Still... the experience was a good one and the Adrenalin Rush Women’s Team did great finishing 2nd for the day.)
I’ve been reading all the race updates, and will get around to responding and putting together the team update in the next few days! Thank you for letting me know how your race went. (If you haven’t yet, please do.)
I wanted to address what seems to be a common theme in the updates though, because it can really mess with your head
Open water swims are a dangerous place to evaluate progress. There are a few reasons for this.
1. You can never be sure if race directors have accurately measured the course. The only place for a true swim test is in a controlled environment which is the pool. If times are improving in the pool, you are a better swimmer regardless of open water swim performance.
2. The line you take can drastically affect your swim time in open water. A few extra meters here, a few extra there... all add on to make you slower. In the pool if you do a timed 1000, it’s a true 1000 meaning you swim 40 lengths as fast as you can. In open water, it can easily be more OR less for that matter depending on how accurate the course is.
3. Drafting... this is a funky one. If you get on “good” feet, you can swim faster with less energy. The goal is to find a swimmer who is pushing you, but you can work within a reasonable effort level to hold on. If you get on feet that are too fast, you could swim harder than your ability dictates you should, and there will be a pay off maybe on the bike, but for sure on the run. If you get behind feet that are too slow, you can very easily settle into a pace that is below what you should be swimming. This make RPE challenging to manage, and in the lake the only indicator we have of pace is RPE.
A few other things... if you are swimming hard, don’t feel guilty going to single side breathing. When you run fast, your breathing rate increases. When you cycle fast, your breathing rate increases. Why should the pool be any different? If you are swimming fast, your breathing rate will increase and you might need to single side breathe. In a long course tri like Ironman, maintaining the ability to bilateral breathe can be a good tool to prevent you from swimming too hard. In an OD, if you are “racing” it, you should need to breathe frequently.
Another thought on racing... “If” you “race” the bike, there most likely will be a trade off on the run. The goal is to bring your bike / run split down as a team. For example, at Wasa, Kelvin biked 1 min slower than last year, but he ran 3 minutes faster than last year which gave him a net gain of 2 min. So, comparing course to course 2009 to 2010, he improved even though his bike split was 1 min slower! That is a fair comparison barring weather issues that can affect pace like heat or wind. (Cold too I guess.)
On that note, I often tell people that you have 2 Olympic Distance Best Times! 1) Wasa 2) Every other race! Wasa is a super fast course. That’s why people love it. If you better your Wasa time on a different course, CONGRATS! That is a big pr! Resist the urge though to expect to see a comparable time to your Wasa PR on a slower course.
My final thought is this... “RACING HURTS!!! I’ve had a few discussions with athletes lately who expected their OD race to feel easy since they are training for Ironman! Well, if you did your OD race at your IM pace, it would be easy. You’re going short and relatively slow. Not much reason to visit the hurt locker if that is how you choose to tackle race day.
If, however, you want to see what you’re worth on a given day, and you push your boundaries for speed, you will hurt! Going fast is hard! Taking your HR up high creates discomfort. Learning to cope with that discomfort is a big part of racing successfully. In a long course tri like Ironman, the discomfort comes because you are going for a really long time! If you go “hard” on an Ironman day, it can lead to a long walk at the end, or even a DNF.
In a shorter triathlon, the discomfort comes because your mind doesn’t really like how fast you are asking your body to move! (Not to mention the physiological demands of going above threshold! That creates a great deal of discomfort!) There is a saying... “He /She who hurts the most... wins!” It is somewhat true. If you have 2 athletes with similar fitness, similar v02’s, similar training regimes, the one with the highest pain tolerance and mental fortitude to push through the pain of racing the hardest will likely be the victor on any given day. Your mind is key part of racing.
As you read this, you might think that I’ve lost my mind and want to remind me that we do this for fun! I agree... we train and race for fun, and that’s a great reason to healthy, and fit, and well! It’s our social outlet and our “grow old looking great” plan all wrapped into one! If you like to race in your comfort zone, that is 110% OK! If you like to race so you can push your boundaries and challenge yourself to be faster... test your mettle so to speak, then that’s OK too! We need to understand what drives us to the start line, and what defines success at the finish line. It is different for EVERY athlete! We should support, respect and encourage athletes at all levels, understanding that their journey is “their own”.
I’ll wrap this up by congratulating everyone on their races and their commitment to training this year. It has been a challenging one because of weather, but the sun seems to be holding up now, and training mojo is creeping back!
Thanks Team Tri Life! You are the most wonderful group of athletes EVER! Thanks for reading. Angie
I’ve been reading all the race updates, and will get around to responding and putting together the team update in the next few days! Thank you for letting me know how your race went. (If you haven’t yet, please do.)
I wanted to address what seems to be a common theme in the updates though, because it can really mess with your head
Open water swims are a dangerous place to evaluate progress. There are a few reasons for this.
1. You can never be sure if race directors have accurately measured the course. The only place for a true swim test is in a controlled environment which is the pool. If times are improving in the pool, you are a better swimmer regardless of open water swim performance.
2. The line you take can drastically affect your swim time in open water. A few extra meters here, a few extra there... all add on to make you slower. In the pool if you do a timed 1000, it’s a true 1000 meaning you swim 40 lengths as fast as you can. In open water, it can easily be more OR less for that matter depending on how accurate the course is.
3. Drafting... this is a funky one. If you get on “good” feet, you can swim faster with less energy. The goal is to find a swimmer who is pushing you, but you can work within a reasonable effort level to hold on. If you get on feet that are too fast, you could swim harder than your ability dictates you should, and there will be a pay off maybe on the bike, but for sure on the run. If you get behind feet that are too slow, you can very easily settle into a pace that is below what you should be swimming. This make RPE challenging to manage, and in the lake the only indicator we have of pace is RPE.
A few other things... if you are swimming hard, don’t feel guilty going to single side breathing. When you run fast, your breathing rate increases. When you cycle fast, your breathing rate increases. Why should the pool be any different? If you are swimming fast, your breathing rate will increase and you might need to single side breathe. In a long course tri like Ironman, maintaining the ability to bilateral breathe can be a good tool to prevent you from swimming too hard. In an OD, if you are “racing” it, you should need to breathe frequently.
Another thought on racing... “If” you “race” the bike, there most likely will be a trade off on the run. The goal is to bring your bike / run split down as a team. For example, at Wasa, Kelvin biked 1 min slower than last year, but he ran 3 minutes faster than last year which gave him a net gain of 2 min. So, comparing course to course 2009 to 2010, he improved even though his bike split was 1 min slower! That is a fair comparison barring weather issues that can affect pace like heat or wind. (Cold too I guess.)
On that note, I often tell people that you have 2 Olympic Distance Best Times! 1) Wasa 2) Every other race! Wasa is a super fast course. That’s why people love it. If you better your Wasa time on a different course, CONGRATS! That is a big pr! Resist the urge though to expect to see a comparable time to your Wasa PR on a slower course.
My final thought is this... “RACING HURTS!!! I’ve had a few discussions with athletes lately who expected their OD race to feel easy since they are training for Ironman! Well, if you did your OD race at your IM pace, it would be easy. You’re going short and relatively slow. Not much reason to visit the hurt locker if that is how you choose to tackle race day.
If, however, you want to see what you’re worth on a given day, and you push your boundaries for speed, you will hurt! Going fast is hard! Taking your HR up high creates discomfort. Learning to cope with that discomfort is a big part of racing successfully. In a long course tri like Ironman, the discomfort comes because you are going for a really long time! If you go “hard” on an Ironman day, it can lead to a long walk at the end, or even a DNF.
In a shorter triathlon, the discomfort comes because your mind doesn’t really like how fast you are asking your body to move! (Not to mention the physiological demands of going above threshold! That creates a great deal of discomfort!) There is a saying... “He /She who hurts the most... wins!” It is somewhat true. If you have 2 athletes with similar fitness, similar v02’s, similar training regimes, the one with the highest pain tolerance and mental fortitude to push through the pain of racing the hardest will likely be the victor on any given day. Your mind is key part of racing.
As you read this, you might think that I’ve lost my mind and want to remind me that we do this for fun! I agree... we train and race for fun, and that’s a great reason to healthy, and fit, and well! It’s our social outlet and our “grow old looking great” plan all wrapped into one! If you like to race in your comfort zone, that is 110% OK! If you like to race so you can push your boundaries and challenge yourself to be faster... test your mettle so to speak, then that’s OK too! We need to understand what drives us to the start line, and what defines success at the finish line. It is different for EVERY athlete! We should support, respect and encourage athletes at all levels, understanding that their journey is “their own”.
I’ll wrap this up by congratulating everyone on their races and their commitment to training this year. It has been a challenging one because of weather, but the sun seems to be holding up now, and training mojo is creeping back!
Thanks Team Tri Life! You are the most wonderful group of athletes EVER! Thanks for reading. Angie
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Waterloo Marathon Race Report
CONGRATS to all Team Tri Life Athletes who raced the Police Half this weekend! Also to Trevor who did his first ever 70.3 in Texas! Lots of best times! A few challenges, and some wonderful lessons learned about execution. We have such an amazing team:) Below is my marathon story along with some other gibberish. Read if you're at all inclined.
Well, I got it done! I am not sure if I looked worse at the finish line, or the next day when I was attempting to walk, wishing that I had a wheel chair! It was hard. Plain and simply put... it was hard. Below is a list of lessons learned, the good, bad, and oh ya... a bit of ugly! The part I didn't include in my little race report was a HUGE thank you to Jill who let me crash at her house for 2 nights! All you can eat sushi, circus school (yes... I jumped off a platform 30ft in the air and swung on a trapeze. I will NEVER do it again... but did it once! I guess I should say that the other women in the group, all a bit older than me and perhaps not as active, did it 2 or 3 times AND hung upside down! I was the weakest in the group by far! It didn't matter though... I jumped!). On Sunday night I got to hang out with the most adorable toddler named Kate! She let me read her a book on animals, and I got to watch a bundle of energy run and dance and sing! (Oh... her parents Craig and Tonya were great too!) On Monday I had an incredible professional development day with Craig Taylor who is coach of the Ontario Regional Triathlon Training Center. Swim workout from 7 - 9, hot tub and core, bike technical session with 3 athletes, lunch and chatting (learning), coffee and more chatting (learning) then an endurance ride with intervals for 2 athletes while we tailed in the car (more learning). An OUTSTANDING day! I got to the plane exhausted but so thrilled with the weekend. New friend, learned a ton, and a story with Kate!
Below are my lessons learned at the Waterloo Marathon...
Well, I got it done! I am not sure if I looked worse at the finish line, or the next day when I was attempting to walk, wishing that I had a wheel chair! It was hard. Plain and simply put... it was hard. Below is a list of lessons learned, the good, bad, and oh ya... a bit of ugly! The part I didn't include in my little race report was a HUGE thank you to Jill who let me crash at her house for 2 nights! All you can eat sushi, circus school (yes... I jumped off a platform 30ft in the air and swung on a trapeze. I will NEVER do it again... but did it once! I guess I should say that the other women in the group, all a bit older than me and perhaps not as active, did it 2 or 3 times AND hung upside down! I was the weakest in the group by far! It didn't matter though... I jumped!). On Sunday night I got to hang out with the most adorable toddler named Kate! She let me read her a book on animals, and I got to watch a bundle of energy run and dance and sing! (Oh... her parents Craig and Tonya were great too!) On Monday I had an incredible professional development day with Craig Taylor who is coach of the Ontario Regional Triathlon Training Center. Swim workout from 7 - 9, hot tub and core, bike technical session with 3 athletes, lunch and chatting (learning), coffee and more chatting (learning) then an endurance ride with intervals for 2 athletes while we tailed in the car (more learning). An OUTSTANDING day! I got to the plane exhausted but so thrilled with the weekend. New friend, learned a ton, and a story with Kate!
Below are my lessons learned at the Waterloo Marathon...
Execution...
Part of my race plan was to wear my ipod. It was strangely important to me. On the way to the race I realized the battery was half dead. I got a bit panicky (ridiculous I’m sure) and found a volunteer and asked her if she could charge it. It was not a good move. I didn’t see her again. At the start line I was more upset than I should have been, but I had no choice... I had to run without music. So, I started running, thought for a few minutes about how much I was going to hate this, then decided to pull my head out of me ass and just run. It was a minor distraction.
I was cold to start. My hands were freezing. The wind and rain was significant. I thought a lot about what Janice McCaffrey calls those things... distractions that try to throw you off your game. Don’t let them.
At the start line, people took off fast like they always do. I had pace on my watch and calmly said to myself, “let them go”. They’ll come back to you. I used pace on my watch, AND I hit my interval timer at every km marker to see if I was on track. I figured out my watch was reading a few seconds fast / km. That was OK. I knew where I needed to be.
I ended up running with a chiropractor from Waterloo. His Garmin was going “beep” about every 2 seconds! I was missing my ipod bad at this point, but there was nothing I could do about it. In the end, he was my running partner and we did this race together. He was a big part of my success that day.
Jeff, the chiro, wanted to talk. I would give short answers, one word answers, but when he asked a question that needed an explanation I told him “no talking”. He was really good about it. Talking takes energy. In the early parts of the race it feels OK to talk, but that energy should be conserved for later in the race. Trust me... there was no talking in the last 10k. We were surviving.
The wind was there. Plain and simple. There was nothing I could do about it, so I did the best I could to manage the situation. On one long stretch into the wind, I tucked in behind a tall guy who was pacing a buddy to a 3:30. (They didn’t do it.) On this stretch he was bang on km after km and I was with him step for step. That was running smart. I didn’t let the wind get to me because I figured we’d get tail wind to make up for it, and if we could hold 5 or just under min k’s at this point, we were doing great. (It was maybe from 14 – 19km)
We had a tail wind for about 4 – 5k on a gravel road. I thought I’d pick it up with the wind at my back. We did a bit (Jeff and me) but not as much as I expected. I had to really pay attention to how I was feeling. I didn’t have HR at this point, and knew that pushing too hard would have big consequences later on.
When we got back on the pavement the hills were rolling, and every time we came to one I’d say to Jeff... “conserve energy up the hill”. “Make up time going down”. We did that. We ran all hills, but certainly didn’t try to win a hero cookie by getting to the top the fastest! Energy management was now the theme. Legs were getting really tired!
At 32k I was all about positive self talk. Only 10k to go. We can do this. Jeff... we are AWESOME! We continued to click off the 5 min k’s. We were doing the job we needed to do.
At 35k K said to him.... “you are thru the wall, how does it feel”. Jeff said “amazing! I’ve never come thru the wall and felt this good before”! Then the really really bad wind hit.
Environment Canada said 40k an hour gusting to 60k an hour winds. That’s what we had, straight in our face with NOTHING to break it. I had taught Jeff how to work together to break wind earlier in the course. We had a lot of k’s of cross and headwind. It was survival. (At least the rain had stopped by now!) At this point we took pulls at the front, but only about a minute or less at a time. We were getting close to the finish, and Jeff needed a 3:30 to qualify. Come hell or high water we were not going to lose that. This was a HUGE mental struggle. I thought of John Bosma, and the challenges he had to face in upcoming months after his bike crash. He gave me a lot of inspiration at this point. I also thought a lot about how upset I was at Clearwater when my mind gave in to the pain and I walked. I was so disappointed in myself. I did not want to get to the finish line knowing I’d given time away because I wasn’t mentally committed to doing the job I set out to do. So, Jeff and I chugged along and got through it. (You can see on the graph when pace drops. That was the wind.)
We turned a corner to get a much needed break from the crazy wind, and what was right in front of us? A mountain! At least, that’s what it looked like! Again... save energy Jeff. Run it easy but run it.
We got to the top of the hill, I was ahead and he gradually caught me again. At the 40k mark I was hurting SO bad. I didn’t expect it to be this painful... it actually surprised me how much it hurt. The last aid station came and went... no fuel now, we are too close. I felt like I was running sideways. I didn’t look at pace, I didn’t look at time, I didn’t look at HR. I just f#$king ran! It’s all I could do. I was counting down minutes. At 40k I had 12 min to hurt. At 41k I had under 6 min to hurt. I can do this. Come on Angie. Keep your legs moving. You want this... you said a 3:30 was a given. RUN!
I came around the corner, and Jill, who I had stayed with for the past 2 nights was there cheering me to the finish. She had a hood on, and I was a bit delirious and was not sure who she was for a minute. I figured it out. No smiles or waves of recognition at this point. Just f$#king run. Jeff had a bit in the tank and ran ahead. His time was 5 seconds better than mine... but it didn’t matter! WE DID IT! He qualified for Boston, and I got that “given 3:30”! Never again in my life will I say anything is a given. I raced this well, I executed well, I got the time, but the pain I felt was epic. Nothing “given” about this race.
A few things about how I raced...
I didn’t look at my total time during the race except at 10k. I had a bet with Susan from Vancouver (Jill’s sister) that I would be at 50 min at 10k! She thought I’d start to fast. I was at 49:25. We haven’t decided who won the bet yet. I had a plan to run 5 min k/s or JUST under. I did that right from the start. It took patience to watch ALL those runners leave me. (Well, there was only 167 in the race, but it looked like everyone of them was in front of me for the opening km’s.!) I executed this by taking one km at a time. I didn’t even do much math. Often I’ll look at my time at a km marker and calculate a finish time based on my pace. I didn’t do that here. I knew, when I hit my interval timer, that it needed to read 4:55 to 5:00. It did, for most km’s. We lost into the wind, but we’d been steady enough to that point that we had a bit of time in the bank.
At 21k, Jeff told me we were at 1:44. That meant we were on track. I looked on my watch after the race, and we hit 21k at 1:44:12. That is about 1:44:50 for 21.1k, or close. I finished in3:29:40, so it was almost a bang on equal split. Considering the strongest wind and the hills in the second half, I don’t think I could have paced this better.
Pacing and patience is EVERYTHING in a marathon! A BIG lesson I knew... but proved the importance of at this race!
The pace charts had me with a much faster finish. The pace charts apparently hadn’t talked to my legs. They didn’t have it in them to match any pace chart predictions on this day. I could not have gone 1 second faster. I did walk at 3 aid stations for about 5 seconds to make sure I got liquid in. That was it. I don’t think that was a bad choice though. I needed the fluid.
Only read this next statement if you want to... it’s a bit gross! I was running in full on rain. I had to pee, and didn’t see any point in stopping at a porta potty. I peed on the run. The rain was hard and it didn’t really matter at this point if my shoes got more wet! I’m glad I decided to do that... if I hadn’t I would not have broken 3:30J My shoes have since been washed!
My HR was lower on this race than it is when I did 70.3. At Clearwater, I raced at 162bpm for the bike and run. That was my average for over 4 hours. In the marathon, my HR was 5 – 7 beats lower which surprised me. I thought it would be the same. It wasn’t and it’s a good thing I didn’t push it up there. I would have been done if I’d ran over 160. I think a longer run focused training block could possibly get me to a point where I could carry a higher HR in a marathon. Maybe not though... I guess I’ll see if I do another one!
This race was funny. I expected a 5 min km to feel good at the start. I expect to feel like I had to slow down Nelly! I’d have to force pace back, not fight to hold a 5 min k. On this day, a 5 min k felt hard almost from the start. I had lots of “don’t feel good” moments, which I didn’t expect. At the 21k mark I was 10 min slower than my stand alone half time. That should have felt good... but it didn’t. It was something about the day that made it hard, and I’m not sure I’ll every know what that was.
In the end though, I worked through the mental demons of not feeling good. I worked through the weather challenges of wind, cold, and rain, and I worked through a beeping garmin and a sore ankle. The “distractions” were there to throw me off my game, and somehow I didn’t let them.
Sorry this is so long. Writing it has been a good exercise for me in that I actually feel better about my race now that I’ve written down how the day went. I was having a hard time understanding why I wasn’t over the moon excited! I’m not jumping for joy... mostly because my legs hurt too much, but I’m feeling a bit more at peace with the accomplishment.
Thanks for reading if you made it this long.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
How fast is fast?
Here is another blog. It's been a LONG time since I've posted. I felt this note might be worthy of a big of energy to type out.
I am just home from the Masters Indoor Track and Field World Championships in Kamloops. I raced the half marathon and had a pretty good day. I set a best time by :25 for the distance, and at my age I'll take anything I can get! As an added bonus I got the bronze medal in my age group, which was more a factor of the fast gals not showing up than of me running fast! I'm a big girl, and can readily admit that my "fast" is not the same as "fast" for these road runner super speedy women who grace such events with their presence!
(I need to clarify, that if I had not got the bronze medal I would have been thrilled with my race! I paced well, negative split, had nothing at the finish line, and got a PR. Not much bad about that day at the office. As I said, the medal was a bonus.)
My title for this post is "How Fast is Fast?" I remember having this discussion with a brilliant coach from Ontario. He coaches the Junior Elites in his province and is highly respected across the country. One of the things he told me in a random conversation about coaching was that to coach these kids, I need to understand what "fast" is.
I'm still learning this when it comes to these speedy young athletes, but after my experience at the Games in Kamloops, I've found myself reflecting on how we all define "fast" differently. Not only that, but our definition of "fast" is a floating scale that changes with experience.
In my little triathlon community, I'm thought to be a "fast" runner. In this little pod of the world I do OK. I'm happy with where I'm at and am pleased with the improvements. Leave my little "pod" though, and the reality is that my running ability is not at all in the big leagues. Am I OK with this... YOU BET I AM!
The gal who won the race has a PB for Half Mary's of 1:18. She ran a 1:23 and not only won the race, but also won my age group. On the podium she graciously invited me up to the top step to join her. She kissed my cheeks, and I learned that I have a lot to learn about "podium etiquette"! Not to worry, I don't think I'll need it again anytime soon! (Side note: She ran a 1:23, and even though she spoke no English, and I don't speak Spanish, it was quite evident that she was not at all pleased with her results. She appeared to not meet her definition of "fast" on this day. Can you imagine, being disappointed with a 1:23 and a World Championship at the age of 40!)
The gal who was second in my AG was from Great Britain! Lovely woman.. I talked to her at the start line. I encouraged her to "go get the silver" as I was pretty sure that a few of our faster competitors weren't at the start line. Success... she ran 1:28 for second place! My 1:34, which I was THRILLED with, was solidly in 3rd place! Not really in the league of the other gals, but it absolutely met my definition of "fast". I was successful on the day.
Now I have to tell you about some of the other athletes. The woman's 50 -54 age category was CRAZY! Two women over 50 ran under 1:28!!!!! The bronze went to a woman from Venezuela who ran 1:31:12! Now THAT is FAST!
What about the men! Well, the amazing Don King is now the Masters World Track and Field Half Marathon Champion! He ran a BLAZING 1:13, just 2 seconds off his PR! That is... um... er... FAST! He's a really nice guy too and from Calgary. An added bonus!
What about the old guys!
The winner of the men's 60-65 age group was from Whales. Ken and I warmed up with him before the race. A humble bloke... nice... hoping for a good day! He ran a blistering 1:27:13! Guess what... THAT IS FAST! He also went on that afternoon to race with his countrymen in the 4 x 200m relay! We were all hobbling around on sore legs, wishing our bodies not to cramp and sent us squealing to the floor in public! This "older" gentlemen was on the track within 3 hours of his spectacular Gold Medal Finish!
But wait, it gets better!
Women 70-74 Winner from Poland, 1:59:34!
Womens 75-79 Winner from Germany, 2:28:43
Women's 80+ Winner from Germany, 2:40:38!
Men 65-69, Winner from Spain, 1:28:05
Men 70-74, Winner from Germany 1:33:37
81 year old Grant Mule from Canada... 2:31:01! Was he FAST! You bet your ASS he was!!!!!!
You look at these times. By our personal standards, some are fast, some are not. When you put them into the context of the age of the person who achieved these times, they are all UNBELIEVABLE!!!! I think it proves my theory about the "floating fast scale" I talk about above. As we get faster, out scale probably drops time. As we get older, logically it should increase at some point. (I don't pretend that will be an easy pill to follow to get slower! It is what it is. Those "middle aged PR's" are showing up at a race near me soon! Hopefully I'm ready for it.)
Watching the "seniors" hit the track for the relays was humbling, motivating, and darn it... entertaining! Seeing a man who is 91 BOOK it around that track was awe inspiring! Not one of them looked their age, and if they did, they certainly didn't act it! (Video of the 80+ 4 x 200m Men's Relay below.)
To end this long post, I would suggest that you take pride in your definition of "fast". Hold true to what works for "you" as an athlete, always recognizing there is somebody out there who is faster than you AND there is always somebody slower than you! What a GREAT sport!
(I think I need to follow this post up with a process goal post! Coming soon... promise:)
Thanks for reading. To play the video below hit the "play" button! The screen pops up when you do.
I am just home from the Masters Indoor Track and Field World Championships in Kamloops. I raced the half marathon and had a pretty good day. I set a best time by :25 for the distance, and at my age I'll take anything I can get! As an added bonus I got the bronze medal in my age group, which was more a factor of the fast gals not showing up than of me running fast! I'm a big girl, and can readily admit that my "fast" is not the same as "fast" for these road runner super speedy women who grace such events with their presence!
(I need to clarify, that if I had not got the bronze medal I would have been thrilled with my race! I paced well, negative split, had nothing at the finish line, and got a PR. Not much bad about that day at the office. As I said, the medal was a bonus.)
My title for this post is "How Fast is Fast?" I remember having this discussion with a brilliant coach from Ontario. He coaches the Junior Elites in his province and is highly respected across the country. One of the things he told me in a random conversation about coaching was that to coach these kids, I need to understand what "fast" is.
I'm still learning this when it comes to these speedy young athletes, but after my experience at the Games in Kamloops, I've found myself reflecting on how we all define "fast" differently. Not only that, but our definition of "fast" is a floating scale that changes with experience.
In my little triathlon community, I'm thought to be a "fast" runner. In this little pod of the world I do OK. I'm happy with where I'm at and am pleased with the improvements. Leave my little "pod" though, and the reality is that my running ability is not at all in the big leagues. Am I OK with this... YOU BET I AM!
The gal who won the race has a PB for Half Mary's of 1:18. She ran a 1:23 and not only won the race, but also won my age group. On the podium she graciously invited me up to the top step to join her. She kissed my cheeks, and I learned that I have a lot to learn about "podium etiquette"! Not to worry, I don't think I'll need it again anytime soon! (Side note: She ran a 1:23, and even though she spoke no English, and I don't speak Spanish, it was quite evident that she was not at all pleased with her results. She appeared to not meet her definition of "fast" on this day. Can you imagine, being disappointed with a 1:23 and a World Championship at the age of 40!)
The gal who was second in my AG was from Great Britain! Lovely woman.. I talked to her at the start line. I encouraged her to "go get the silver" as I was pretty sure that a few of our faster competitors weren't at the start line. Success... she ran 1:28 for second place! My 1:34, which I was THRILLED with, was solidly in 3rd place! Not really in the league of the other gals, but it absolutely met my definition of "fast". I was successful on the day.
Now I have to tell you about some of the other athletes. The woman's 50 -54 age category was CRAZY! Two women over 50 ran under 1:28!!!!! The bronze went to a woman from Venezuela who ran 1:31:12! Now THAT is FAST!
What about the men! Well, the amazing Don King is now the Masters World Track and Field Half Marathon Champion! He ran a BLAZING 1:13, just 2 seconds off his PR! That is... um... er... FAST! He's a really nice guy too and from Calgary. An added bonus!
What about the old guys!
The winner of the men's 60-65 age group was from Whales. Ken and I warmed up with him before the race. A humble bloke... nice... hoping for a good day! He ran a blistering 1:27:13! Guess what... THAT IS FAST! He also went on that afternoon to race with his countrymen in the 4 x 200m relay! We were all hobbling around on sore legs, wishing our bodies not to cramp and sent us squealing to the floor in public! This "older" gentlemen was on the track within 3 hours of his spectacular Gold Medal Finish!
But wait, it gets better!
Women 70-74 Winner from Poland, 1:59:34!
Womens 75-79 Winner from Germany, 2:28:43
Women's 80+ Winner from Germany, 2:40:38!
Men 65-69, Winner from Spain, 1:28:05
Men 70-74, Winner from Germany 1:33:37
81 year old Grant Mule from Canada... 2:31:01! Was he FAST! You bet your ASS he was!!!!!!
You look at these times. By our personal standards, some are fast, some are not. When you put them into the context of the age of the person who achieved these times, they are all UNBELIEVABLE!!!! I think it proves my theory about the "floating fast scale" I talk about above. As we get faster, out scale probably drops time. As we get older, logically it should increase at some point. (I don't pretend that will be an easy pill to follow to get slower! It is what it is. Those "middle aged PR's" are showing up at a race near me soon! Hopefully I'm ready for it.)
Watching the "seniors" hit the track for the relays was humbling, motivating, and darn it... entertaining! Seeing a man who is 91 BOOK it around that track was awe inspiring! Not one of them looked their age, and if they did, they certainly didn't act it! (Video of the 80+ 4 x 200m Men's Relay below.)
To end this long post, I would suggest that you take pride in your definition of "fast". Hold true to what works for "you" as an athlete, always recognizing there is somebody out there who is faster than you AND there is always somebody slower than you! What a GREAT sport!
(I think I need to follow this post up with a process goal post! Coming soon... promise:)
Thanks for reading. To play the video below hit the "play" button! The screen pops up when you do.
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