6/29 - I jogged 4 minutes & walked 1 minute eleven times. My achilles felt okay during the "run" but later it was tired.
6/30 - Masters was canceled to due extreme chlorine problem, hopefully it will be open again on Thursday. I swam with Cindy and Nancy at the Fremont High School pool. It was set up for long course, it was an interesting swim. Damn, 50 meters is a long way. We made some attempts at 200 IMs and I was doing okay until my foot cramped during fly.
Mermaids = more swimming and running. My achilles was tight during the swim this morning so I decided to walk at TeamMermaid. We started with a swim at Camden pool which is hot and salty. (whatever happened to cool pools? all I'm asking is 80 - 82 degrees) I jumped in at the deep and went all the way to the bottom and pushed off the bottom. Ow! No that hurt my achilles. Duh. We did a 200 warm up and then swim at 85% for 20 minutes. I did something pretty close to 1000 yards. Then it was time for transition from swim to run. Ha, ha! We must have look charming with wet boobs and butts. After the first lap, I stopped to get a rock out of my shoe and Coach H was shocked when I pulled off and put on my shoe without untying the laces. "Well, no wonder your achilles hurts! You need to tighten your laces!" Then she proceeded to tie my shoes for me. I did feel more stable but, dude, those were tight. I guess I need to find the right tension for my feet. Something to work on.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
6/27 - Ride 1:30, easy run :40
I've been looking forward to this workout all week. This was a tough week for me. The time on the bike increased and I had a little trouble figuring how to do the workouts and go to work. But I did it and I'm very proud of myself.
This morning I met up with some of the Mermaids. Gina F., Ashley, and Naama were doing a 3 hour ride and I joined them for half of it. We met up the Campbell Track and headed west on Campbell, which turned into Prospect, and continued on to Saratoga - Sunnyvale Road. Then when we headed for the hills to Highway 9. I was a little worried about the hills on my clickity-clackity bike, but I did okay. I took the hills nice and easy so I didn't have to worry about the random gear changes. I had planned to stop after 50 minutes and head home, but I decided to make a loop instead. I left the Mermaids at Blossom Hill and Los Gatos Blvd. I found my way to the LGCT and headed to Wheel Away to address the clicks-and-clacks.
The guys at Wheel Away were great! They seemed to know what "clickity-clackity" meant and adjusted the cable and gave it a little oil. And, it was as smooth as silk. Thanks Wheel Away Guys!
Oh yeah, and there was no running. The top of my foot was hurting.
This morning I met up with some of the Mermaids. Gina F., Ashley, and Naama were doing a 3 hour ride and I joined them for half of it. We met up the Campbell Track and headed west on Campbell, which turned into Prospect, and continued on to Saratoga - Sunnyvale Road. Then when we headed for the hills to Highway 9. I was a little worried about the hills on my clickity-clackity bike, but I did okay. I took the hills nice and easy so I didn't have to worry about the random gear changes. I had planned to stop after 50 minutes and head home, but I decided to make a loop instead. I left the Mermaids at Blossom Hill and Los Gatos Blvd. I found my way to the LGCT and headed to Wheel Away to address the clicks-and-clacks.
The guys at Wheel Away were great! They seemed to know what "clickity-clackity" meant and adjusted the cable and gave it a little oil. And, it was as smooth as silk. Thanks Wheel Away Guys!
Oh yeah, and there was no running. The top of my foot was hurting.
Friday, June 26, 2009
6/26 - Ride 1:45 (and bonus swim around the wharf)
After yesterday's 2 hours and 20 minutes? No problem. Well, except for my clickidy-clackity gears. I don't know what happened but my easier gears are clicking and clacking and dropping all over the place. Basically, I have about three gears that don't make me nervous. I'll be stopping by the local bike shop tomorrow morning to see what is going on.
Okay, on to the ride with 3 gears. I headed out at 2:00 and it was kinda hot. I decided to ride to the Los Gatos Creek Trail (LGCT), find my way to Highway 9 and ride down it until it was time to turn around. The LGCT had much fewer people on it this afternoon, I didn't have to say, "on your left" a zillion times. Nice. I ran into a group of four boys (12-14?) on their mountain bikes. It was kinda cute. They were all wearing their helmets and having fun going off some jumps and riding together. The only problem was that they got in front of me, went a little too slow, and rode 2 and 3 abreast. I hung back for awhile and took a little break. The we came upon a group of three girls (junior high-ish) on their bikes. Riding with their helmets hanging from the handlebars. Tsk, tsk, tsk. The boys and I passed them. When I passed I heard one of the girls complaining, "how much further?" and another respond, "oh my god, we haven't been riding very long." Again, cute. I wish I was on summer vacation.
I eventually found my way to Highway 9. First I turned the wrong way from Blossom Hill and then ended up on N. Santa Cruz. I don't recommend N. Santa Cruz too much traffic. I almost took a tumble but thanks to my mad unclipping skills I caught myself. When I finally got to Highway 9 my lack of gears got to be really annoying. I made it to the intersection with Quito and wasn't sure when I would be able to turn around again so I turned back. This time I skipped N. Santa Cruz and tried University Avenue. Much better.
As I was heading home with the clickidy-clackity gears I thought about stopping at the LBS but remembered that I needed to get on the road to Santa Cruz. I went straight home. While I was riding I checked my time 1:30. 1:30! I rode long again? How did that happen? It happened because I forgot that I was supposed to do 1:45. No doy. I must have been thinking about my ride tomorrow. :-}
I had a quick rest and ice my sore foot. (&*@$#%!) Gathered all my stuff and joined the Friday traffic over 17 to Santa Cruz. I met up with Molly and Chris for Molly's inaugural swim around the wharf. Woot! The water was warmer than last time and it was pretty calm. We had a nice swim around the wharf with no sea life joining us and not too much seaweed. Molly had a great swim and beat the time she was expecting.
One more workout until Restday.
Okay, on to the ride with 3 gears. I headed out at 2:00 and it was kinda hot. I decided to ride to the Los Gatos Creek Trail (LGCT), find my way to Highway 9 and ride down it until it was time to turn around. The LGCT had much fewer people on it this afternoon, I didn't have to say, "on your left" a zillion times. Nice. I ran into a group of four boys (12-14?) on their mountain bikes. It was kinda cute. They were all wearing their helmets and having fun going off some jumps and riding together. The only problem was that they got in front of me, went a little too slow, and rode 2 and 3 abreast. I hung back for awhile and took a little break. The we came upon a group of three girls (junior high-ish) on their bikes. Riding with their helmets hanging from the handlebars. Tsk, tsk, tsk. The boys and I passed them. When I passed I heard one of the girls complaining, "how much further?" and another respond, "oh my god, we haven't been riding very long." Again, cute. I wish I was on summer vacation.
I eventually found my way to Highway 9. First I turned the wrong way from Blossom Hill and then ended up on N. Santa Cruz. I don't recommend N. Santa Cruz too much traffic. I almost took a tumble but thanks to my mad unclipping skills I caught myself. When I finally got to Highway 9 my lack of gears got to be really annoying. I made it to the intersection with Quito and wasn't sure when I would be able to turn around again so I turned back. This time I skipped N. Santa Cruz and tried University Avenue. Much better.
As I was heading home with the clickidy-clackity gears I thought about stopping at the LBS but remembered that I needed to get on the road to Santa Cruz. I went straight home. While I was riding I checked my time 1:30. 1:30! I rode long again? How did that happen? It happened because I forgot that I was supposed to do 1:45. No doy. I must have been thinking about my ride tomorrow. :-}
I had a quick rest and ice my sore foot. (&*@$#%!) Gathered all my stuff and joined the Friday traffic over 17 to Santa Cruz. I met up with Molly and Chris for Molly's inaugural swim around the wharf. Woot! The water was warmer than last time and it was pretty calm. We had a nice swim around the wharf with no sea life joining us and not too much seaweed. Molly had a great swim and beat the time she was expecting.
One more workout until Restday.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
6/25 - Ride 2:20 followed by :20 run or walk
But, its Thursday. But, I swam this morning. But, I have to work. But, it's a school night. But, who's gonna cook dinner. But . . . . .
*sigh* Okay, let's try and turn this around or its going to be a miserable 2:20 hours.
#1 - Find a new route. I checked mapmyride for some ideas. Since this was a brick I wanted to start and end at the apartment so that I could change shoes and grab the dog. I wanted to try Foothill Expressway because a lot of cyclists like it and it has a nice big wide shoulder. So, I found a route from my place to Foothill.
#2 - Figure out the best setting for the bike computer. Having it set for time keeps me looking to see how much longer and on a 2:20 ride that would drive me nuts. Setting it for mileage also has me checking it all the time. So, I decided on my average speed.
Headed out at 5:30pm and had to make a quick pit stop at Pam's 'cause I didn't want to disturb the dog. I set the bike computer for average speed and told myself I could check the time when I got to the intersection of Shilling and Homestead. When I got there it had been 45 minutes. Pretty good. I continued on with the goal of turning around at 1:15. I thought I would gain some time on the way back due to elevation and wind. Foothill Expressway is a great road to ride on. Big wide shoulder. Few intersections. Smooth. Great! I turned around at Arastradero at 1:19. I made it all the way to Arastradero?! Oh my god! I was so amazed I had to call Sara.
Then it was time to head back. I was a little tired of being in the saddle but had to get home. It took longer to get back than I thought so I played a little game of counting intersections. It worked and I made it home!
Then it was time for the :20 run or walk. It was a walk. The post long ride top-of-foot-pain was pretty bad. Jemma and I walked for 20 minutes to cool down the legs. Ahhh . . . home at 8:30pm. Good thing it's summer.
Time: 2:31:59
Distance: 30.36 miles
Average: 12 mph
*sigh* Okay, let's try and turn this around or its going to be a miserable 2:20 hours.
#1 - Find a new route. I checked mapmyride for some ideas. Since this was a brick I wanted to start and end at the apartment so that I could change shoes and grab the dog. I wanted to try Foothill Expressway because a lot of cyclists like it and it has a nice big wide shoulder. So, I found a route from my place to Foothill.
#2 - Figure out the best setting for the bike computer. Having it set for time keeps me looking to see how much longer and on a 2:20 ride that would drive me nuts. Setting it for mileage also has me checking it all the time. So, I decided on my average speed.
Headed out at 5:30pm and had to make a quick pit stop at Pam's 'cause I didn't want to disturb the dog. I set the bike computer for average speed and told myself I could check the time when I got to the intersection of Shilling and Homestead. When I got there it had been 45 minutes. Pretty good. I continued on with the goal of turning around at 1:15. I thought I would gain some time on the way back due to elevation and wind. Foothill Expressway is a great road to ride on. Big wide shoulder. Few intersections. Smooth. Great! I turned around at Arastradero at 1:19. I made it all the way to Arastradero?! Oh my god! I was so amazed I had to call Sara.
Then it was time to head back. I was a little tired of being in the saddle but had to get home. It took longer to get back than I thought so I played a little game of counting intersections. It worked and I made it home!
Then it was time for the :20 run or walk. It was a walk. The post long ride top-of-foot-pain was pretty bad. Jemma and I walked for 20 minutes to cool down the legs. Ahhh . . . home at 8:30pm. Good thing it's summer.
Time: 2:31:59
Distance: 30.36 miles
Average: 12 mph
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
6/24 - Ride 1:30 with 7 x 3min push, 3 min recovery
Or, something like that. I really need to learn to manage my time better. And, remember that there is traffic between work and my destination. *sigh* I had WW tonight so, I had to cut my workout by 30 minutes. I parked by Lake Almaden and rode down the Los Alamitos Creek trail and then south on McKean. Is it always windy on McKean? Of, the two times I have ridden on it there has been a nasty headwind going south. It's hard to recover when you are fighting the wind. And, why can you feel a head 100 times more than you can feel a tailwind? The ride on McKean was a little un-nerving this afternoon. There were more cars than Saturday morning and not much shoulder. Most of the drivers gave me plenty of room but one or two felt a little too close. I think I will save it for weekend mornings.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
6/23 - Masters + Mermaids
Masters:
We're not sure what our coach was smoking when he came up with that workout.
Mermaids:
Brick workout. Bike 3 mile loop, quick transition, run 3 minutes out, 3 minutes back x 3. Pretty good day. My calf and achilles started acting up on the last loop and run, so I took it easy. Not much more to report.
- 12 x 25 on the :30, :30, :20
- 10 x 50s kick on :55 (but I pulled)
- 10 x 100 drill (what?)
- 16 x 50 fly (double what?)
- 8 x 100 back (oh, alright)
- 4 x 200 breast (I'm outta here)
- 1 x 400 free
We're not sure what our coach was smoking when he came up with that workout.
Mermaids:
Brick workout. Bike 3 mile loop, quick transition, run 3 minutes out, 3 minutes back x 3. Pretty good day. My calf and achilles started acting up on the last loop and run, so I took it easy. Not much more to report.
6/22 - Run somewhere fun for 35 minutes
Run and fun in the same sentence? Okay, I'll give it a try. I took Jemma for a run in Vasona Park. I've never run there but running near the water sounded nice. And, it was for the most part. The geese were pretty entertaining. Three times there were hundreds of them blocking the trail. One time we divided the group when we came down the trail and there was one goose that couldn't decide which group to go with. It finally sprinted across the trail, very cute. Later, I got to witness a geese stampede. I guess Jemma freaked them out (and they freaked out Jemma) and they created a dust cloud when the ran for the water. I finished my run and headed home with a tired dog.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Riding Twofer
Two, two, two posts in one!
Friday, 6/19 -
I had a "brick" on my calendar. 1:20 ride, followed by a :20 run. I don't know if it was that I was tired from the day before, or cranky, or just plain stubborn, but I really didn't feel like doing it. :::sigh::: I finally got my act together and headed out on the bike. 8 minutes into the ride I knew it was going to be a long ride. "8 minutes? That's it?" It was time for "Let's Make a Deal Cycling Edition." "2 more minutes and you will be a 1/4 of the way through the first half of the ride." I didn't choose the most exciting route, straight down Williams, its a pretty long straight street. "13 minutes? Just keep pedaling." It was kinda windy which isn't that unusual for the evenings in San Jose. "20 minutes! 1/2 way through the first half, 1/4 done." My bike shorts and skirt were drying so I was riding in my running skirt. Maybe not the best choice, I felt a little exposed when the wind blew back my skirt. "30 minutes. Getting closer. You can turn around at DeAnza whether it's 40 minutes or not." And, I forgot my gloves. "36 minutes . . . 4 more minutes . . . 3 more minutes." Oh, look DeAnza. Fine keep riding. "2 more minutes . . . 1 more minute . . ." Then the street ended at exactly 40 minutes. Ahh . . . heading back. Much faster then going out. Turns out that I was going slightly uphill the way out. I ended up getting home 5 minutes faster. My sore achilles tendon was irritated so I decided to skip the run. Stretched, iced and fueled for my big ride on Saturday.
Saturday, 6/20 -
3 hour ride. 3 hour ride?! Where? How? Why? I enlisted the help of my friend, C. She planned a route that she was pretty sure would take about 3 hours. 39 miles in 3 hours? Yeah, right. We headed out for Morgan Hill at 8am. With a headwind. blech. "wind is a good training partner." yeah, yeah whatever. We were on a "country" road with rolling hills. Some were easier than others. At the top of a hill by Calero Reservoir I tried to change into a harder gear and the chain wasn't catching. My left foot (the one with the irritated achilles) was flung forward and I had a pain go up the side of my ankle. Eek? We stopped at the parking lot so I could stretch my calf. I was worried but it was fine for the rest of the ride. At 1 hour we had made it all the way to Chesboro Reservoir in Morgan Hill. How did that happen? Then we took a smaller country road through some nice trees and horse ranches. There was a surprise hill, but after a little break I was okay to continue. I had a lot of fun on Hale Avenue, which I remember from my childhood. It was fun to be on a straight flat road without intersections. I was going pretty fast, ~18 mph. Too bad the road surface wasn't smoother. Then it was time for Bailey Hill. Dun, dun, duhhhh. I've heard about this challenging hill. C chose this route because it is similar to the route for the AquaBike on 8/1. I got myself in a good head space and tried to remain calm. I did pretty well. I think it was about a mile long. I stopped three times to catch my breath, but rode up that darn hill. Then we were back on McKean Road and had some fun on the down hills. We ended up back at the cars 30 minutes early. "What the heck?" So, we continued on Camden for 15 minutes out and back. Which included Camden Hill. Oof. Usually, I stop once on Camden Hill, but this time I stopped twice and used Coach H's counting technique to get to the top of the hill, "30 . . . 31 . . . 32 . . . 33 . . . 35 . . . 36. Done!" We headed back to the cars and were back in that headwind. Grrr.
I have tired legs but I'm very pleased. 36.25 miles in 3 hours. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to do 56 miles on August first, but I still need to work on the chafing.
Friday, 6/19 -
I had a "brick" on my calendar. 1:20 ride, followed by a :20 run. I don't know if it was that I was tired from the day before, or cranky, or just plain stubborn, but I really didn't feel like doing it. :::sigh::: I finally got my act together and headed out on the bike. 8 minutes into the ride I knew it was going to be a long ride. "8 minutes? That's it?" It was time for "Let's Make a Deal Cycling Edition." "2 more minutes and you will be a 1/4 of the way through the first half of the ride." I didn't choose the most exciting route, straight down Williams, its a pretty long straight street. "13 minutes? Just keep pedaling." It was kinda windy which isn't that unusual for the evenings in San Jose. "20 minutes! 1/2 way through the first half, 1/4 done." My bike shorts and skirt were drying so I was riding in my running skirt. Maybe not the best choice, I felt a little exposed when the wind blew back my skirt. "30 minutes. Getting closer. You can turn around at DeAnza whether it's 40 minutes or not." And, I forgot my gloves. "36 minutes . . . 4 more minutes . . . 3 more minutes." Oh, look DeAnza. Fine keep riding. "2 more minutes . . . 1 more minute . . ." Then the street ended at exactly 40 minutes. Ahh . . . heading back. Much faster then going out. Turns out that I was going slightly uphill the way out. I ended up getting home 5 minutes faster. My sore achilles tendon was irritated so I decided to skip the run. Stretched, iced and fueled for my big ride on Saturday.
Saturday, 6/20 -
3 hour ride. 3 hour ride?! Where? How? Why? I enlisted the help of my friend, C. She planned a route that she was pretty sure would take about 3 hours. 39 miles in 3 hours? Yeah, right. We headed out for Morgan Hill at 8am. With a headwind. blech. "wind is a good training partner." yeah, yeah whatever. We were on a "country" road with rolling hills. Some were easier than others. At the top of a hill by Calero Reservoir I tried to change into a harder gear and the chain wasn't catching. My left foot (the one with the irritated achilles) was flung forward and I had a pain go up the side of my ankle. Eek? We stopped at the parking lot so I could stretch my calf. I was worried but it was fine for the rest of the ride. At 1 hour we had made it all the way to Chesboro Reservoir in Morgan Hill. How did that happen? Then we took a smaller country road through some nice trees and horse ranches. There was a surprise hill, but after a little break I was okay to continue. I had a lot of fun on Hale Avenue, which I remember from my childhood. It was fun to be on a straight flat road without intersections. I was going pretty fast, ~18 mph. Too bad the road surface wasn't smoother. Then it was time for Bailey Hill. Dun, dun, duhhhh. I've heard about this challenging hill. C chose this route because it is similar to the route for the AquaBike on 8/1. I got myself in a good head space and tried to remain calm. I did pretty well. I think it was about a mile long. I stopped three times to catch my breath, but rode up that darn hill. Then we were back on McKean Road and had some fun on the down hills. We ended up back at the cars 30 minutes early. "What the heck?" So, we continued on Camden for 15 minutes out and back. Which included Camden Hill. Oof. Usually, I stop once on Camden Hill, but this time I stopped twice and used Coach H's counting technique to get to the top of the hill, "30 . . . 31 . . . 32 . . . 33 . . . 35 . . . 36. Done!" We headed back to the cars and were back in that headwind. Grrr.
I have tired legs but I'm very pleased. 36.25 miles in 3 hours. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to do 56 miles on August first, but I still need to work on the chafing.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
By Popular Demand: The Tour de Cure
When I was living in LA (well, Pasadena) in 2000, I remember my dad calling and saying, "I'm thinking of getting a bike." Umm . . . okay, dad sure. he started looking but was shocked at the price of bikes. Keep in mind that he hadn't bought a bike since the early 1970s. Last year after I started this whole triathlon thing he was interested in bikes again. Then, when I bought my new bike this spring he was caught up in the bike buying frenzy and got one for himself. Also, this spring he was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes and knew he need to do something for his health.
He recruited Sara, Cabe, and I to ride with him as a team in the American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure. The tour is a ride (not a race) to raise money and awareness about diabetes. At first, Dad was interested in doing the 25K (~12 mile) ride. Sara and I got together and nagged until we signed up for the 50K (~30 mile) ride. We did a few training rides together, including part of the Tour de Cure course two weeks before the ride. I was a nice ride, but there were more hills than expected. Apparently, I need to learn how to read elevations.
Sunday, June 14th was the day of the big ride! Ready or not, the Red Hot Johnsons were ready to roll. We got to the start area with Mom as our SAG wagon. Perfect timing! We had time to pick up our packets, Dad got his "Red Rider" jersey which identified him as a rider with diabetes, make a pit stop, and line up at the start.
I was a little nervous at the start, I could just see a big crash with the start. But we made it through and headed out on our big adventure. The first few miles are a gradual climb and the team did a great job! We even passed some people. :-) Unfortunately, no one brought a camera, so we don't have any shots of our beautiful ride through Palo Alto, Woodside, and some other towns on the Peninsula. We enjoyed the snacks at the rest stop. But I was very sad when I dropped some of my trail mix. Then we were off for the trek to the turn around. I absolutely loved riding on Portola. The road was smooth and I felt comfortable flying up and down the rolling hills. We all just kept pedaling and pedaling. I couldn't believe how good I was feeling even up the hills. There was a group heading the opposite direction, they saw dad's jersey and yelled out, "Go Red Rider!!" (I think we have a new alter ego for dad.)
The last push to the turn-around was long and I was really happy to turn in to the aid station. I got off my bike and took of my left shoe because the top of my foot was hurting. But that's okay, there were cookies! I got a few cookies, a banana, and some trail mix. And, what happened? I dropped my trail mix. :-( Anyway, we had our snacks and then it was time to head back. It was all downhill, from here, right?
Well, almost. We had a good ride back, mostly down hill but a few up hills. As we were hitting stoplights with other riders things got a little backed up, but we all found our own pace. At one of the last lights before the end another rider was getting tired and turned to dad and said, "I'm doing this for you, you know." :-) I told dad, our team captain, to lead us in to the finish. It was so great to have people cheering at the finish and mom was right there to take our picture!
50 K in 3:34 hours. We had a great time and thank everyone who made a donation to American Diabetes Association.
He recruited Sara, Cabe, and I to ride with him as a team in the American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure. The tour is a ride (not a race) to raise money and awareness about diabetes. At first, Dad was interested in doing the 25K (~12 mile) ride. Sara and I got together and nagged until we signed up for the 50K (~30 mile) ride. We did a few training rides together, including part of the Tour de Cure course two weeks before the ride. I was a nice ride, but there were more hills than expected. Apparently, I need to learn how to read elevations.
Sunday, June 14th was the day of the big ride! Ready or not, the Red Hot Johnsons were ready to roll. We got to the start area with Mom as our SAG wagon. Perfect timing! We had time to pick up our packets, Dad got his "Red Rider" jersey which identified him as a rider with diabetes, make a pit stop, and line up at the start.
I was a little nervous at the start, I could just see a big crash with the start. But we made it through and headed out on our big adventure. The first few miles are a gradual climb and the team did a great job! We even passed some people. :-) Unfortunately, no one brought a camera, so we don't have any shots of our beautiful ride through Palo Alto, Woodside, and some other towns on the Peninsula. We enjoyed the snacks at the rest stop. But I was very sad when I dropped some of my trail mix. Then we were off for the trek to the turn around. I absolutely loved riding on Portola. The road was smooth and I felt comfortable flying up and down the rolling hills. We all just kept pedaling and pedaling. I couldn't believe how good I was feeling even up the hills. There was a group heading the opposite direction, they saw dad's jersey and yelled out, "Go Red Rider!!" (I think we have a new alter ego for dad.)
The last push to the turn-around was long and I was really happy to turn in to the aid station. I got off my bike and took of my left shoe because the top of my foot was hurting. But that's okay, there were cookies! I got a few cookies, a banana, and some trail mix. And, what happened? I dropped my trail mix. :-( Anyway, we had our snacks and then it was time to head back. It was all downhill, from here, right?
Well, almost. We had a good ride back, mostly down hill but a few up hills. As we were hitting stoplights with other riders things got a little backed up, but we all found our own pace. At one of the last lights before the end another rider was getting tired and turned to dad and said, "I'm doing this for you, you know." :-) I told dad, our team captain, to lead us in to the finish. It was so great to have people cheering at the finish and mom was right there to take our picture!
50 K in 3:34 hours. We had a great time and thank everyone who made a donation to American Diabetes Association.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
2009 Mermaid Tri Fremont Race Report
Sorry, never got around to posting a race plan last night. Oh well.
Goals:
1. Finish the swim in less than 7 minutes.
2. Have fun on the bike.
3. Run the whole run.
4. Finish around 1:30.
Got to the race super early and got a nice spot on the end of the bike rack. Had about 2 hours until my wave started so plenty of time to hang out with friends and take a pic or two. Luckily, Super-Spectathlete Molly was there to document the day. (Thanks Molly!)
Sara, me, and Heather
After watching Julia, Lauren, and Riley run in the Mini-Mermaid Run (1.5 miles for girls 6-12) it was time to get in the water.
Finally, it was time to go!
(I'm somewhere in the front.)
Wow. The 30 - 39 year olds are fast! I stuck with the group for quite awhile, past the first buoy. When I dove into the water I hit the water kinda hard and ended up with a goggle full of water. I tried swim with the water in my goggle but finally gave up, took a break, and empty the water. I calmed down and hit my pace about halfway through the swim. Then it was over and I ran for the timing mat which was nice and close to the shore. :-)
I had a pretty quick transition since I didn't wear a wetsuit. I put on my socks and shoes, grabbed the bike and headed out. It was a really nice bike course closed to traffic, mostly flat, with one no passing zone on a bridge over the BART tracks. I turned on my bike computer so I could see my average time. I wasn't sure what to expect and was very happy when I saw that I was averaging a little over 15 mph. I had a really good time on the bike. It was fun going fast and passing people for a change. I had some time to think about why I do this tri stuff and the best answer I could come up with is: I enjoy the sense of accomplishment and people clapping for me.
So fast, Molly couldn't focus.
Next up, the run. My favorite part! Not. I walked out of transition to get my legs and started running when I hit the timing mat. I decided not to wear my watch which turned out to be a good thing. I knew the route from last year and just kept running. And, running. And running.
As I got closer to the finish, I started thinking about the finish which is on the sand and then up a small hill. Oof. I was pretty tired. I hit the sand and got up on my toes and kept running. it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Lauren and Julia joined me for the finish and I yelled for Riley to come, too.
And, the power finish!!
I am so happy with my race! I pushed hard and had a good time. Molly guessed that I met my goal of around 1:30. Yes!
Sara and I at the finish
And, my sad, lonely transition. It cracked me up so I took a pic.
And, the results! (with last year's time)
Swim: 7:07 (9:44) Missed my goal by 7 seconds. drat.
Bike: 36.33 (50:19) Had a great time and felt strong and fast.
Run: 40:47 (43:35) Ran the whole way!
Total time: 1:32:09 (1:53:23) Finished around 1:30.
Had a great day with great friends and family! Thanks to everyone I raced with and who came out to watch me huff, puff, and sweat.
Goals:
1. Finish the swim in less than 7 minutes.
2. Have fun on the bike.
3. Run the whole run.
4. Finish around 1:30.
Got to the race super early and got a nice spot on the end of the bike rack. Had about 2 hours until my wave started so plenty of time to hang out with friends and take a pic or two. Luckily, Super-Spectathlete Molly was there to document the day. (Thanks Molly!)
Sara, me, and Heather
After watching Julia, Lauren, and Riley run in the Mini-Mermaid Run (1.5 miles for girls 6-12) it was time to get in the water.
Finally, it was time to go!
(I'm somewhere in the front.)
Wow. The 30 - 39 year olds are fast! I stuck with the group for quite awhile, past the first buoy. When I dove into the water I hit the water kinda hard and ended up with a goggle full of water. I tried swim with the water in my goggle but finally gave up, took a break, and empty the water. I calmed down and hit my pace about halfway through the swim. Then it was over and I ran for the timing mat which was nice and close to the shore. :-)
I had a pretty quick transition since I didn't wear a wetsuit. I put on my socks and shoes, grabbed the bike and headed out. It was a really nice bike course closed to traffic, mostly flat, with one no passing zone on a bridge over the BART tracks. I turned on my bike computer so I could see my average time. I wasn't sure what to expect and was very happy when I saw that I was averaging a little over 15 mph. I had a really good time on the bike. It was fun going fast and passing people for a change. I had some time to think about why I do this tri stuff and the best answer I could come up with is: I enjoy the sense of accomplishment and people clapping for me.
So fast, Molly couldn't focus.
Next up, the run. My favorite part! Not. I walked out of transition to get my legs and started running when I hit the timing mat. I decided not to wear my watch which turned out to be a good thing. I knew the route from last year and just kept running. And, running. And running.
As I got closer to the finish, I started thinking about the finish which is on the sand and then up a small hill. Oof. I was pretty tired. I hit the sand and got up on my toes and kept running. it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Lauren and Julia joined me for the finish and I yelled for Riley to come, too.
And, the power finish!!
I am so happy with my race! I pushed hard and had a good time. Molly guessed that I met my goal of around 1:30. Yes!
Sara and I at the finish
And, my sad, lonely transition. It cracked me up so I took a pic.
And, the results! (with last year's time)
Swim: 7:07 (9:44) Missed my goal by 7 seconds. drat.
Bike: 36.33 (50:19) Had a great time and felt strong and fast.
Run: 40:47 (43:35) Ran the whole way!
Total time: 1:32:09 (1:53:23) Finished around 1:30.
Had a great day with great friends and family! Thanks to everyone I raced with and who came out to watch me huff, puff, and sweat.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Looking back at June 2008
Last June was my first triathlon, the Mermaid Sprint Tri in Fremont. At that time I had never done an open water swim, had a used hybrid bike I bought off craigslist, and didn't run. I had a few friends who had been bitten by the tri bug and thought I find out what it was all about. I went back and looked at some posts on a forum I'm a part of:
6/9/2008 - 10 mile bike & 2 mile brick on Sunday. I guess I'm ready for Saturday. I was hot, tired, sweaty, had moments of "what was I thinking" combined with moments of "you can totally do this."
6/13/2008 - A brisk walk to wake my body up for tomorrow. (And, Jemma needed a walk.) The rest of day? Eat small healthy meals, drink lots & lots of water, pick up my packet, put bike in my car, get all my stuff together and packed (and check it obsessively) and go to bed and try to sleep.
In response Molly posted, "Tomorrow you become a triathlete - welcome to the crackhouse!" Little did I know . . .
2008 Race Report
Swim: I started near the front, but got trapped by some swimmers that should have gone later. But I worked my way around them. The swim was nice, I may have to rethink my position on open water swims. I saw Chris when I came out of the water. My family said I was about the 5th in on the swim for the For Fun group.
Bike: My transition was fine, got all dressed, drank some gatorade, and got on my bike. I hit a tiny wall on the second lap but persevered. I really need to strengthen my legs. I heard "On your left" a bazillon times. I did manage to pass 5 people!
Walk: My legs were like cooked spaghetti noodles when I got off my bike. I racked my bike, took off my helmet, drank some water, put on my hat and off I went. The walk was the least fun. The course seemed soooooooo long in front of me. And, it was a little disheartening having so many people pass me because they were running and I was walking. The best part of the run/walk was the end. It finished on the beach by the lake and I was struggling walking in the sand. About 50 yds from the finish a women came up behind me and said, "c'mon you're running to the end with me. On your toes! Let's go!" So, I ran to the finish! I stopped and thanked her, I hope she knows what it meant to me.
-----------------------
So, that was last year's race. Tomorrow I revisit the start of my triathlon addiction. Race plan later tonight.
6/9/2008 - 10 mile bike & 2 mile brick on Sunday. I guess I'm ready for Saturday. I was hot, tired, sweaty, had moments of "what was I thinking" combined with moments of "you can totally do this."
6/13/2008 - A brisk walk to wake my body up for tomorrow. (And, Jemma needed a walk.) The rest of day? Eat small healthy meals, drink lots & lots of water, pick up my packet, put bike in my car, get all my stuff together and packed (and check it obsessively) and go to bed and try to sleep.
In response Molly posted, "Tomorrow you become a triathlete - welcome to the crackhouse!" Little did I know . . .
2008 Race Report
Swim: I started near the front, but got trapped by some swimmers that should have gone later. But I worked my way around them. The swim was nice, I may have to rethink my position on open water swims. I saw Chris when I came out of the water. My family said I was about the 5th in on the swim for the For Fun group.
Bike: My transition was fine, got all dressed, drank some gatorade, and got on my bike. I hit a tiny wall on the second lap but persevered. I really need to strengthen my legs. I heard "On your left" a bazillon times. I did manage to pass 5 people!
Walk: My legs were like cooked spaghetti noodles when I got off my bike. I racked my bike, took off my helmet, drank some water, put on my hat and off I went. The walk was the least fun. The course seemed soooooooo long in front of me. And, it was a little disheartening having so many people pass me because they were running and I was walking. The best part of the run/walk was the end. It finished on the beach by the lake and I was struggling walking in the sand. About 50 yds from the finish a women came up behind me and said, "c'mon you're running to the end with me. On your toes! Let's go!" So, I ran to the finish! I stopped and thanked her, I hope she knows what it meant to me.
-----------------------
So, that was last year's race. Tomorrow I revisit the start of my triathlon addiction. Race plan later tonight.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Lazy blogger . . .
Everyday I think, oh, I'm so blogging about that. But I never seemed to get to it last week. Another busy week full of training, work, and a wedding. Now that I'm trying to, I can barely remember last week. So, I will just go with the end of the week.
Friday - I went back to the bike shop to adjust my fit. My hands and elbows were killing me after an adjustment on Wednesday. The plan was to fit the bike and then meet friends for a swim around the Santa Cruz wharf. The bike shop was running behind schedule so I missed the swim. *shrug* I went to the folks for dinner. We did a little review for a friends' wedding that I was officiating and dad was photographing.
Saturday - The pool was closed for repairs, again. The joke at the pool is that the city was complaining that the old deck only lasted 20 years. Too bad they can't get the new deck to last 20 days. Har, har, har. I had a bike ride on my schedule and headed out early so I could get ready for the big event that evening. The wedding was very nice and I got many compliments on the ceremony. I was delighted when I cracked up the bride with my choice of readings, "The History of Love." :-)
Sunday - After a very late night at the wedding I dragged myself out of bed to try swimming around the wharf again. I went over the hill with Molly, Nigel, and Steve to meet Chris. We didn't dwaddle too long and ventured into the water. The freezing cold water! Brrrrr . . . I really wished I had sleeves. We eventually made it around the wharf and didn't go to the hospital with e coli. Pics courtesy of Molly and her killer waterproof camera. Then there was a really long nap.
Monday - Happy Furlough Day! And, last brick before the Mermaid Tri on Sunday. I had a good ride from home to the Los Gatos Creek Trail and into Vasona Park. While I was riding I was thinking about how last year my longest ride was about half of what I'm doing these days. I got home, grabbed Jemma and headed out for the run. After much mental debate I decided to run the full 30 minutes. No breaks at 10 minutes or 15 minutes. Straight through to 30 minutes. And, I did it! I kept busy really cleaning the kitchen, paying the bills, and doing laundry.
This week I have a few good workouts on my schedule and then some good rest days. I'm looking forward to the tri on Sunday. Lots of friends will be there! I will have to make a lot of recovery cookies to hand out. :-)
Friday - I went back to the bike shop to adjust my fit. My hands and elbows were killing me after an adjustment on Wednesday. The plan was to fit the bike and then meet friends for a swim around the Santa Cruz wharf. The bike shop was running behind schedule so I missed the swim. *shrug* I went to the folks for dinner. We did a little review for a friends' wedding that I was officiating and dad was photographing.
Saturday - The pool was closed for repairs, again. The joke at the pool is that the city was complaining that the old deck only lasted 20 years. Too bad they can't get the new deck to last 20 days. Har, har, har. I had a bike ride on my schedule and headed out early so I could get ready for the big event that evening. The wedding was very nice and I got many compliments on the ceremony. I was delighted when I cracked up the bride with my choice of readings, "The History of Love." :-)
Sunday - After a very late night at the wedding I dragged myself out of bed to try swimming around the wharf again. I went over the hill with Molly, Nigel, and Steve to meet Chris. We didn't dwaddle too long and ventured into the water. The freezing cold water! Brrrrr . . . I really wished I had sleeves. We eventually made it around the wharf and didn't go to the hospital with e coli. Pics courtesy of Molly and her killer waterproof camera. Then there was a really long nap.
Monday - Happy Furlough Day! And, last brick before the Mermaid Tri on Sunday. I had a good ride from home to the Los Gatos Creek Trail and into Vasona Park. While I was riding I was thinking about how last year my longest ride was about half of what I'm doing these days. I got home, grabbed Jemma and headed out for the run. After much mental debate I decided to run the full 30 minutes. No breaks at 10 minutes or 15 minutes. Straight through to 30 minutes. And, I did it! I kept busy really cleaning the kitchen, paying the bills, and doing laundry.
This week I have a few good workouts on my schedule and then some good rest days. I'm looking forward to the tri on Sunday. Lots of friends will be there! I will have to make a lot of recovery cookies to hand out. :-)
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