Mermaid Santa Cruz Tri 2009 - Report

I went in to this triathlon feeling a little unprepared. I didn't train the past two weeks like I thought I "should" have. Heck, I hadn't been on my bike in almost two weeks. But I was going to give it my all. (Both of my personal photographers were out of town, so fewer pics than usual.)

I was up at 4:50 and quite surprised when Sara showed up early at 5am. But that was fine we were on the road at 5:30, over The Hill and in transition at 6:15. It was very dark but luckily Sara had grabbed some headlamps from the camping gear.


Setting my transition. In the dark.


Heading down 150 stairs (that we have to come back up after the swim).

Swim: I think I like the starts at ocean swims better than lake and river. More people are intimidated by the waves, but not me! They sent us off right as a set was coming in and I dove under a wave to begin my swim. :-) I swam and swam and swam. About 2/3 of the way through a jet ski came by and created a big wake. Lame. There were no waves as I was coming in, I waited for my hands to touch the sand and then popped up and ran for the mat.
Time: 11:25.8 (2008: 11:40.4)

THE STAIRS: 150 stairs done. Not fun, but done.

Bike: Made up all the nasty, gross hills and even passed people going up The Hill of Doom. Felt good on the bike and flew down my favorite part of Sumner. The course is a little trip down memory lane as I ride past friends houses from my childhood. When I made it up the last nasty hill I saw that my time was at 48 minutes and booked it to the dismount line.
Time: 51.37.5 (2008: 1:10:22.9)

T2: The only reason I mention this is I was faster this year then I was last year. What's funny about this is I didn't have to change my shoes last year. What was I doing?
Time: 3:02.9 (2008: 3:16.8)

Run: Well, its running. I was trying to keep a steady pace under a 14 minute mile, it came and went, I walked for 30 secs here and there. (Turns out that I averaged a 13:46 pace.) My legs were toast from bike. But I power walked up the long hill and at the top busted into a fast pace and booked it to the finish. Yay! I was done.
Time: 34:24.0 (2008: 36:18.5)


Heather caught my strong finish. (It looks like I am running for a change.)

Total time: 1:49:07.1 (2008: 2:05:58.9) It's amazing what a year of training and a new bike will do, huh?


Some triumphant Mermaids!

It was great and I felt like I finished strong and the tank was 99.9% empty. Very pleased with the whole day. They've started doing raffles at the Mermaid events. The prizes vary from water bottles, t-shirts, massages, and wetsuits. And I won a wetsuit!!! So stoked!

Labor Day Weekend

While many people were celebrating Labor Day with BBQs, trips to the beach, general merriment, I decided to be active everyday of the three day weekend. And, not just a little active, but I did some significant stuff.

Saturday: Epic Swim
On Saturday morning, bright and early, I headed to Santa Cruz with a bunch of friends to join Molly on her 1.5 hour open water swim. The plan was to swim around the wharf. Twice. Swimming around the wharf isn't my favorite thing in the whole world. The water is salty and filled with bacteria. There are sea lions that bark and come to close. The water can be cold with spots of colder. But Molly is training for an ironman, so if she needs swimmers I'm there. Especially, if we get to go out to breakfast afterwards.

I took control of Molly's rad waterproof camera:

Most of the group at the end of the wharf, 1/4 of the way done.


Molly coming in to the 1/2 way point.


I really had fun with the camera.


Swimming buddies

Molly's new Garmin produced this image:

Good sighting!

Sunday: Climb a Mountain
Two of my swimming buddies (A and N) who also ride wanted to conquer Old La Honda Road. Really? 3.35 miles, 1290 feet, 3-18% grade, with an average of 7.3%? Really? Are you sure? I decided to give it a try. I figure I can make it up almost an incline if I can stop. So, we headed out. "A" reminded me to keep my heart rate down and just keep pedaling. I completed the first mile and then took a break. "A" hung back with me for the first mile and "N" came back to find us and took over babysitting duty for mile 2. Mile 2 was the hardest part and I didn't make it the full 2nd mile before stopping. We eventually found "A" and finished the last mile together. Oof. There was a lot of swearing and giving my friends a hard time. But we made it to the top!


At the top getting ready to go back down.

Going up killed my legs but going down killed my hands! OOOW! Heading back the car we had a great descent before a big hill so I used gravity to my advantage and flew down the hill. (later when I looked my max speed was 33.5 mph.) It was funny and scary at the same time. Thanks to " A" and "N" for getting me up the mountain! I really think we need some "Wave Swimming Cycling Team." ;-)

Monday: Family Fun Ride
Mom, Dad, Sara, and I met in Monterey for a fun ride on the Monterey Bay Coast Recreation Trail. (or, something like that.) It was a little dicey riding the rec trail through the touristy areas of Cannery Row and Fisherman's Wharf. Once we got past the crowds it was a nice ride. Beautiful weather, good conversation, and a nice spin for my legs.


Practicing my photography while riding skills.


Mad rear photography skillz.


The Triumphant Red Hot Johnsons.

Happy Labor Day!!

Why do you want to lose weight?

This was the question posed at WW last night. We were supposed to write down why we want to lose weight to remind us why were are counting points, moving more, and drinking lots of water. Other people had things on their list like:

• reduce my blood pressure or cholesterol medication
• get a knee or hip replacement
• prevent cancer/heart disease
• play with my kids/grandkids

My list:

• look better in clothes
• buy cuter bras
• wear jeans with a belt
  
• feel more attractive and confident
• be more active

My WW buddy looked at my list and said, "be more active? are you kidding? you are more active than most skinny people!" Hmm . . . that is kinda true. What do I really mean? Okay, how about:

• feel more comfortable while active
• swim/bike/run faster
• be able to ride up hills more easily

Other than the "more active" part of the list my list seems a little vain. I guess I'm lucky that I don't have to take medication or have any weight related medical conditions. Yet. So, I will add:

• to prevent potential weight related medical conditions

Next up, we'll see how this list helps my "weight loss journey."