4th of July

I got up at 4 a.m. this morning. By 4:30 I had my bike and gear loaded and headed up to Scottsdale for my race. I spilled hot green tea in my lap while I was driving... but lucky for me I was already wearing my tri-shorts so it soaked the spill right up! :)

It was a good race, 500 yard swim, 12 mile bike, and a 2 mile run. I felt good for the entire race, except for the run. But the time I started my run it was getting hotter, and I'd already been working out for an hour. I don't know my results as they were posted yet when I left the race. Based on how my body felt, I'd say I might have a new PR. On verra.

There was a youth category before the adult races started and I enjoyed watching them get through transition. They all did great. One little boy forgot to take off his helmet, so I stood there yelling "Helmet! Helmet!" from the sidelines until he pulled it off and ran back to leave it at his transition spot. Adorable group of young athletes. One girl was fund raising for Prostate Cancer research as she lost her father to cancer a couple of years ago. Here's the link for TeamWinter.

Summer mornings in AZ

It's so hot in the summer that most people start their rides by 5 a.m. I didn't get on the road until 7 a.m. but will still rewarded with temperatures in the mid-90's and no traffic on the streets. Once I got closer to the mountains saw a bit of the city wildlife. A flock of quail ran across the road in front of me, and some other birds were flying from cactus to cactus. What a beautiful morning.

Next up...

The Firecraker Tri on the 4th of July. There are races every weekend all summer long, it makes choosing difficult! I chose this one because it is local and I won't have to spend too much money. I'm currently planning on two races for the fall at the end of the triathlon season, but that's when the weather is the best in AZ.

Bartlett Lake Tri

I haven't written about my tri training in awhile. I did finish the Bartlett Lake Tri (March 21, 2010) but I was incredibly slow. I finished a full hour after the fastest woman in my age group. I was totally unprepared for the hill work on the bike ride and that's where I picked up an extra 45 minutes of time overall. It was about 8 miles, straight up. I was in granny gear the entire ride. Don't get me wrong, the down hill was thrilling. I was going downhill at 30-35 mph, and there were riders passing me.

My grandfather died a couple of days before the race and my heart just wasn't in it. There was nothing inside of me that wanted to compete, but I had committed to this race with a handful of friends and I didn't want to let them down. I'm considering another attempt at this race in 2011, I want to finish with a better time but as of right now, the sights on this course still make me think of my grandfather and how I felt right after his death. It might be cathartic to do it again, I'm not sure.

T-shirts

I found this at the expo for the Lost Dutchman 8k that I ran on Valentine's Day with my girlfriend. Love it, but I wear pants with mine!

Swim Clinic

Today I drove 40 minutes to DC Ranch Village health club to attend a swim clinic hosted by Tri for the Cure. I'm not registered for their race, but heard about the clinic through Triple Sports. Since the clinic was free, I figured it would be worth the drive. And it was! Sean, the swim coach who took the group who considered themselves beginners was great. He talked about body placement in the water to reduce drag, head placement and rotation, playing "catch-up" with your arms, and breathing. It was a really great clinic because after an out of the water explanation of everything, we got in the pool and practiced everything with corrections from the coaches that were there.

The only thing that sucked was the weather today... barely 60 degrees, and we were in an outdoor pool. It actually rained while we were swimming, thick clouds, and no sun at all. I was freezing cold but I'm glad to have had the practice. It wasn't my only rain-training this weekend... we got rained on during our group hill training yesterday in Paradise Valley. It started to rain at the end of the run, we still transitioned and took the bikes out but had to cut it short because none of us had rain gear on. It was just too cold.

One thing I did learn is that I never want to do a tri in a swimming pool. It snakes through the lanes and people get crowded together, not much room to pass, etc. It sucked. I'll take a lake over that any day.

Still training, just not posting...

I'm still training for the tri in March. Mostly cross-training at this point, with boot camp 3 days per week, swimming 2 days per week, and cycling 1 day per week. I haven't been running much at all which will make for an exciting 8k on Sunday! I hope I can finish with a time that I don't have to be ashamed of!

I found a swim clinic for next weekend, the 21st and it's FREE!

A quote that caught my attention

"A lot of people run a race to see who's the fastest. I run to see who has the most guts." -Steve Prefontaine

Found it...

...my new training goal. The Lost Dutchman 8k trail run on Feb.14, 2010. I've planned out a 6 week schedule to get myself across the finish line. Six weeks seems like a long time to prepare for a 5 mile run, but you forget that I'm not a runner. I'm one of those non-jock types that cannot seem to push myself past the burn. But I'm not giving up! This is my next goal. I've worked two days a week into my schedule to allow for swim and bike training so I can keep working towards the next sprint-tri in March.

Mondays = stretching & strength training
Tuesdays = run
Wednesdays = cross-train (bike or swim)
Thursdays = short run & strength training
Fridays = rest
Saturdays = cross-train (bike or swim)
Sundays = long run