Monday, August 9, 2010
Where Did She Go?
Don't you hate when you follow a blogger religiously and then she just seems to drop off the face of the planet?
**Hangs her head sheepishly**
I'm so sorry for abandoning you, my wonderful followers. The truth is, I started a new blog and I feared it wouldn't be a success so I never shared it with you. Lo and behold, it does seem to be a success and I miss you, my faithful friends!
I have especially missed you this week as I am coming up on my first wedding anniversary. I find myself coming to this blog often, seeing what I was up to a year ago at this time. Many of you probably remember my last minute antics! Thank you for seeing me through such an absolutely wonderful time in my life.
I am now blogging at The Wannabe Athlete. I posted a little bit about my running and triathlons on this blog, but it didn't really seem to fit. Well, I'm happy to say that I am still running (I even ran NINE miles on Saturday!) and will be doing my next (and longest yet) triathlon in less than a month!
But don't worry - I don't just talk about those things. I still talk about "normal" life and my family. Although those two things in the same sentence might be an oxymoron. Hehe. I kid! I kid!
So please update your Google Readers and follow me at http://wannabeathlete.wordpress.com. It will be nice to see some friendly faces over there!!!
Love,
august15wife
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Madeira Beach Mini Tri Recap
While the distances of this tri weren't that different than my last, the difficulty definitely increased! Total distances: 200 yard swim, 5.4 mile bike, 1.2 mile run. The differences? The swim was in the Gulf of Mexico (as opposed to a pool) and the run was on the beach.
Conclusion? I hate sand. With a passion. But I'll get to that later. Let's start at the beginning, shall we?
I tried to go to bed semi-early, but laid awake too late, panicking because I wasn't sleeping. I woke up at 5am and started getting ready. Immediately I knew that my stomach was not cooperating. Uhoh. Enter: Immodium. Didn't help. Hmm. Just kept getting ready.
Dad and I headed out around 5:45am, on our way to Madeira Beach (about a half hour away). Yep, we had a bathroom stop at a nearby McDonalds. Luckily my stomach calmed down after that. For the most part.
We arrived at the parking lot with plenty of time to get set up. We grabbed our bikes and headed to the transition area. We got body marked and found our bike racks. Once again, I had great positioning! I was in the second rack back from the bike start. Awesome. But...there was no individual marking for each bike meaning it was a free for all as to whose bike went where on our rack. Not cool. But we managed. I recognized a few ladies from my last mini tri and we had a good time chatting. I guess it's true what they say about triathlon being a small, social family!
We all headed down to the beach for the swim. I expected to be running into the water, but that wasn't the case. They actually had us do an "in-water" start which was probably a much better idea since our route was only about 30 yards off-shore. We all lined up by the buoy and then got ready to swim straight down the beach to the other buoy, then turn into shore to run out onto the beach. Everyone crowded near the buoy, but I went deeper, away from the crowd. Best. Decision. Ever. The current was going to pull us in toward the last buoy anyway, so I decided to use it to my advantage rather than fight it. And I am so glad I was not in the mess of women down by the buoy! The buoys were so close to shore that they could stand - and many of them ended up walking through the "swim" portion! Not me. I was deep enough that I swam the whole thing. It was TOUGH! I'm not sure why, but the swim took a LOT out of me. I definitely need to get some more open water swims under my belt before my next tri! But before I knew it, I was heading to shore, on my way to transition! Official swim time: 5:11 - but the timing mat was at the top of the beach so count some running in that too. Don't you love my swim cap? :)
My first transition felt pretty smooth. Having the trisuit helped so much! I poured a water bottle on my feet to wash the sand off and toweled off quickly. I threw on my shoes and socks, put my helmet and sunglasses on, as well as my race belt, and headed out on my bike. My first transition time was 2:39 - a full minute faster than at my last triathlon!
The bike is my favorite portion of the triathlon. I know I'm not a strong swimmer, and I am a REALLY slow runner, so this is the point where I can gain some ground. And I did! I was passing people left and right. My only complaint about the bike portion is that you had to do 3 laps, and each turn was a hairpin turn - not good for time! But I had the fourth fastest time in my age group on the bike - 19:22! My last triathlon (also a 5.4 mile bike ride) took me 21:53! Those new tires really helped!
I rode into the transition area, put my bike up, took off my helmet, put on my visor and took a swig of Gatorade. I guess I spent too long here since my T2 time was 1:20 - ten seconds slower than my last triathlon.
But then, it was all finished. I crossed the finish line, once again a TRIATHLETE. My total time? 42:24. Better than my last tri time, but not good enough to place in my age group. I was 7th out of 10. :(
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Modern Grandmas
In fact, she is so enamored with the idea of being a grandma that she and her best friend Janet have started a website: http://www.moderngrandmas.com/.
I may be biased, but this is a great website. Please share it with your mother or grandma - or just follow it yourself! :)
And do you think this might be a subtle hint that she is ready for my husband and I to have kids? Haha.
I'm a Biking Queen
This is Jenna from Eat Live Run. She is raffling off this bike this week and raising money for cancer research at the same time. This bike sells for almost $5000! Feel free to enter the raffle, but only if you'll be giving the bike if you win. :) All the details are here.
The sunrise is BEAUTIFUL this morning. Have a great day everyone!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Looking the Part
After work, I met my friend Taylor at the pool for a swim. I did 1200 yeard - in my new tri suit! I wanted to see how it felt to swim in it. You know what they say - never wear something for the first time on race day!
When I got home, I threw on my running shoes and headed out for a quick 1.5 mile run - mostly to make sure my tri suit didn't...uh...rub me the wrong way if you know what I'm saying. :)
I'm happy to report that the tri suit is wonderfully comfy in every way.
My only fear about the tri suit? Looking too much like a triathlete. I want to wear a sign that says, "I'm a beginner - my sister got this suit at Goodwill for $7!" I just have a feeling people will be feeling really good about themselves for passing this girl all decked out in her triathlon gear - not having any idea that passing me really isn't any great feat. I guess the joke is on them. :)
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Birthday Present!
I have been drooling over these tri suits for quite a while. My sister found this exact same tri suit for me - AT GOODWILL! No joke! The right size for just $7!!!! Can you believe it???
I'm so excited to wear this at my triathlon next weekend! WHOOHOOO!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Imma Be
I can't wait to clip it to my shirt the next time I work out to jam to some tunes! My husband and I have been sharing an iPod for a while that I can't add music to...and we don't always have the same taste in music. So I'm looking for some great workout songs for my new iPod!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Triathlon Training
Monday: 1600 yard swim
Tuesday: Rest (not planned - but sometimes it just happens that way!)
Wednesday: 2 mile run
Thursday: 1200 yard swim/1.2 mile run (my first "brick" workout!)
Friday: 15 mile bike ride
Saturday: Rest (well planned)
Sunday: 3 mile run
My 3 mile run today was TOUGH! I didn't start running until 7:10pm to try to let it cool off a little, but I should have waited longer. I passed a sign on my run that said 89 degrees. YIKES!
I ran the 3 miles in about 36 minutes - my typical 12:00/mile pace. I'd love to get this down, but today's focus was all about finishing. The heat was unbearable! I've been so spoiled by the beautiful weather lately. Unfortunately, there is a lot more of this humid/hot Florida weather to come this summer! My swimming days will feel like such a blessing. :)
Thursday, April 29, 2010
I AM A TRIATHLETE!
That's right. I got 3rd place in my age group! And no, there were not just 3 people in my age group. :) I got 3rd out of 9 women age 24-29! I have NEVER been so proud of myself.
The triathlon was the MOST fun I have ever had doing an athletic event. I was terrified the night before, running around like a crazy woman, stressing about every little thing. I woke up at 4:50am (ten minutes before my alarm) and was READY to go! I ate some toast, almond butter and banana (my favorite pre-race breakfast) and then...got really sick to my stomach. Uhoh. Nerves maybe? But my sisters and my friend Katie were picking me up at 5:30am so I gathered myself and was ready to go when they got there. After fighting to add my bike to the already full bike rack, we headed downtown.
One of the best things about this race? Being local. We took the back roads to the starting line and were able to park RIGHT by the race start. SWEET. We grabbed our bikes and our bags and headed to the transition area. First we were body marked. I felt soooo cool at this point. I actually LOOKED like a triathlete! We headed into transition and were thrilled with our placement. I was on the end of a rack and we were all toward the bike start end of transition. This meant a much longer time running after the swim, but I didn't mind! We got all our gear set up and then headed to the pool. (Yes, the picture is from after the race - sorry!)
The breakdown for this mini tri was:
200 yard pool swim
5.4 mile bike ride
1 mile run
And it was PERFECT. We all lined up on the pool deck and my nerves were racing through my veins. They started each swimmer about 10 seconds apart and I was 65th in the pool. As soon as people started jumping in, I felt better. I was afraid I would be the worst swimmer out there. Not even close. I saw every stroke known to man - even a few I think were created right there in the pool! I jumped in and quickly started passing people. Then I quickly got passed by my friends Katie and KellyAnn. They have been swimmers all their life. And it showed. We swam "serpentine" - up one lane, under the rope, back the next lane. I tried to keep count, but thought I still had two laps to go when I saw the stairs! SWEET! I got out of the pool and ran toward transition.
Transition went really well. I decided to forego a shirt, so I just threw on my workout capris (with my race number already pinned to them), put shoes and socks on, grabbed my helmet and headed out of transition. I got on my bike too early though and had to get off and walk/run it to the "start bike" line. Whoops. Once I was out on the bike course, I felt GREAT. I had only ridden one time in training (yikes) but I think all the spin classes really helped! I started flying by people on my little mountain bike. I really gained some ground on the bike and enjoyed most of it - except the awful head wind we had to deal with for most of the ride!
I kept thinking "Keep pushing - after this, all you have to do is run ONE mile!" I got to transition with a big grin on my face. I had no idea how I was doing time-wise, but I felt great! I racked my bike, took off my helmet, threw on a baseball cap, and headed out on my run. Oh and I took a nice swig of Gatorade too - I needed it! I started running and...felt like I was running in quicksand. Holy crap. I'm a slow runner anyway, but I felt like I had lead in my shoes! I just kept pushing through. I couldn't stop smiling. I felt so proud of myself! I was sure I was running a 15 minute mile, but I didnt care. I just kept going. And then...I was rounding the last curve. My dad was there cheering me on as he had been at every point during the race. Those cheers mean SOOOO much to me! And then there it was - the FINISH LINE! I raced toward it (in my mind I was flying - in reality, it was a slow jog - haha). I finished with a HUGE smile. The announcer even commented about my smile. I couldn't believe it. I AM A TRIATHLETE!
I ran around for the next half hour, cheering on my friends and sisters and everyone did a GREAT job. My friend KellyAnn finished first in our age division - no suprise there!
Friends...
Sisters!
Here is my overall time/split time:
Overall time: 42:31! (I was hoping for under 45 minutes - I crushed my goal!)
Swim: 5:05 (better than I thought it would be)
T1: 3:39 (need to improve on this!)
Bike: 21:53 (averaged 14.8 mph - not bad!)
Run: 10:46 (actually REALLY good for me - especially since it was so hard!)
If anyone is thinking about doing a triathlon, I would HIGHLY recommend doing a mini tri like this one. I've already signed up for my next one - May 22! I'll give you the details of that one soon, but it will be a step up in difficulty from this one. And I can't wait!!
Anyone else out there thinking about doing a triathlon?
Saturday, April 3, 2010
ESF 5K Recap!
6:25am: Woke up, five minutes before my alarm. Love when that happens. Crawled out of bed and started getting tried. Tried not to wake my hubby. Didn't work. Dressed in "race day" tank and shorts. Checked the weather. BRR! Debated wearing running pants. Really glad later that the shorts won. Made some breakfast - whole wheat toast, almond butter, banana. YUM.
7:00am: Left the house. Drove to Tampa. Sunrise was BEAUTIFUL. Tried to get a few pictures by hanging my head out the window. Hubby was more worried about the camera than my head. Typical.
7:15am: Hubby's advice all morning has been "sprint the whole thing." Hubby establishes his goal for me - 30 minutes. Tells me if I run the 5K in under 30 minutes, we can have a baby. He plays dirty. His motivating cheer the rest of the day? "RUN FOR THE BABY!" Crazy boy.
7:30am: Arrive at the race course. Say hi to friend Dom who is volunteering at the event. Love her! Check in, get race number. Try to warm up. Tummy is nervous. No bueno. Try to ignore it. Begin focusing on the blister on my foot. Hubby tells me to ignore that too. Can we just start already?
8:07am: Pass a sign that says "2 miles". Huh? I've only been running for 7 minutes. Could I have just run the fastest mile of my life? No way. I keep running.
Friday, April 2, 2010
I Am Running a 5K in the Morning!
I'll be running in the Epilepsy Services Foundation's "Hare Racing Experience" tomorrow morning. My goal? Run the whole thing! I'd love to run fast, but I'm trying not to set unrealistic expectations. I'll let you know how I do!
Wish me luck!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
I Ran THREE Miles This Morning...
Just had to report back to you! I'm going for 3.2 tomorrow morning!
Monday, March 29, 2010
I Ran Two Miles...
And it only took me about 21 minutes!
Who knows - maybe I could be a runner after all! :)
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Hellooooo from Venice!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Blisters are Sexy
I couldn't resist a run after work today. I figure if I have the urge, I need to follow it! I had one blister from my two miles this morning, but I covered it with a few band-aids and hoped for the best.
The weather outside was BEAUTIFUL. I tried to push a little harder than this morning, so I ran 2.7 miles in 30 minutes!
My blister hurt as soon as I headed out the door, but after about a mile I could feel it growing, and it found a friend on the other foot! The two blisters hurt really bad, but I pushed through. When I got home and took off my socks, I found these beauties:
But I am excited about running 4.7 miles in one day! Happy face!
Oh and an update on my hubby! He's out on the race route, and has run over 12 miles already today! He'll have another 6 mile leg tomorrow morning. (He traded his short 3 miler for someone else's 6 miler. Crazy!)
I got this lovely photo of him right before he started his second 6 mile leg. Sexxxyyyy.
I'm so proud of him!