Dip Dashing Away...

Yesterday was the inaugural Dip and Dash event in Santa Cruz. It was a 750 yard swim at Cowell's Beach followed by a 4 mile run. And, guess what? Yours truly got 2nd Place in my Age Group. Though, truth be told, there were only two people in my age group. But I will TAKE it. Yeah baby!

Anyways, I don't really have a huge race report for this one. But here are some tidbits and random thoughts:

1. Because it was a small race, they didn't order t-shirts. Some people have beef with this. For the most part, I am pretty ambivalent about race t-shirts. The mermaid events have the best t-shirts, with nike 1/2 marathon coming in at 2nd. Realistically, I will probably be selling my race t-shirts at a garage sale for 5 for a quarter. Plus, the race organizers gave away water bottles in the goodie bags. This is way more beneficial to me seeing as I have probably lost 20 water bottles in three years. It has gotten to the point where my husband has a secret stash of water bottles so I can't lose his. For some reason I lose socks, water bottles, and sunglasses.

2. I swam in the ocean without panicking (much). I think my issue is the cold water and trying to breathe. I need to make it a point to spend time in the water 15 minutes before a race to acclimate better. But when I first jumped in my breathing was out of control and I started getting that familiar panicky feeling of "I need to get outta here NOW." But I somehow managed to push through it.

3. For some reason I thought a 4 mile run would be a great opportunity to try running without socks. Um, blister city, population: my feet. My run was brutal because my feet were on fire. DUMB DUMB DUMB.

4. This is going to sound silly, but, during the race we were running on the sidewalk so people were watching us run. I overheard one woman say to another, "There must be some sort of marathon going on." It just really bugs me when people just think a marathon is ANY distance. IT'S NOT. And people, a TRIATHLON involves (a majority of the time) SWIMMING. There are have been quite a few times where I tell people, "I did a triathlon in Santa Cruz." And then they are shocked when I say there was swimming. I don't know why it bugs me, but it does.

5. Post Race Festivities: Bloody Mary's at Ideal Cafe for Brunch and a ride on the Big Dipper. Just awesome.

6. Also, I think more events need to be on Saturdays. It is just kind of a bummer to go back to the real world the next day.

7. On Saturday, I put a race day countdown app on my Facebook page. Is it really 55 days till Big Kahuna? Seriously?

Next on the agenda: Splash and Dash 1 mile swim on Sunday at Uvas. Then in a week, it is a (gulp) Olympic Distance Triathlon.

"This (expletive) is Just Mean."

Oh, Splash and Dash...will you ever get easier?

Thursday was the summer's #2 Splash and Dash, and we actually had REAL summer weather this time. What a concept!

Some interesting stuff happened since the last Splash and Dash in June: I did a tri, we went on vacation, we got a kitten, hubby crashed his motorcycle and had shoulder and hand surgery. Training was going fairly well until that last thing happened. But, life happens and I am so thankful that is all he hurt. Of course, I can't get all indignant and tell him, "You sell that motorcycle NOW" because from time to time I do crazy things like long bike rides, wacky swims, or signing up for events where I don't train. So, yeah I can't get all high and mighty.

I was all set to get to the event on time as the parking can be a little funky. As I was walking to my car from work I got a call from hubby, "Kitten is sick, She has some eye thing. We gotta take her to the vet." Which translates to "you gotta take her to the vet" since he only has one working arm right now. So, I tried not to get annoyed (it has been one of those kinds of weeks where the stress seeps out of my pores) and called the vet to see if they could take me that night. Splash and Dash 2: Revenge of the Splash was looking like it wouldn't happen. Unfortunately, they couldn't take her until Friday morning. My tone with them got all mama bear (cat?) as I said, "But she's a KITTEN. Wil she be ok?" the receptionist said, "Well, is she lethargic?" I looked down at the latest scratches on my arm from when she pounced on me, "Um, no." "Loss of appetite?" Hah! She wolfs down her wet food like it's crack. "She should be fine." So, I got clearance to splash and dash!

My focus on this event was the swim. I just need to swim straigher. If I can do that,I think my times will improve. I really focused on my breathing, my stroke, trying to catch other people's drafts, and actually swimming towards the buoy. One of the buoy's was impossible to see as it was right in line with the sun. but, my swim was MUCH better than last. Almost 6 minutes faster to be precise! Though I must say, after the first lap I started panicking a little at the fact that in 3 months I would be doing a 3.6 mile swim. That seems, like, really hard.

The run...well, that wasn't so great. As I headed out on the trail, my calves started cramping big time from the swim. It felt like I had a tennis ball under my skin that was trying to burst out. I was doing ok until the first major hill, and then my energy depleted. My legs were not going as fast as I wanted.Ttowards the end there is a mother of a hill (just seems like a big wall to climb) and this guy passed me shouting, "This sh** is just mean." Amen brother. I did the run 3 minutes slower. Oh well. But, the mermaids were there again in full force, coach Heidi was announcing, and you just can't beat how awesome it is to hear them cheering me on at the finish line. And I am ready for victory at Splash and Dash 3: the Demonic Dash in a month.

That's it for now. Gotta lure a kitten into her carrier and take her to the vet now. Good times.

Mermaid Triathlon - A Race Report, AKA Don't Mess with Pink Bike

eeek...almost two weeks after the Mermaid Alameda Triathlon and now I post? Sheesh! It isn't really fresh in my mind right now, so I will do my best to summarize.

1) Coffee: Or rather, lack thereof. I wanted to be at transition at 6, which meant leaving the house at 5:15. Which meant waking up at 4:45. Which meant too much of a pain to make coffee at that hour. So, I figured drive to Jack n the Box for coffee. Aren't they open 24 hours? Apparently, not all of them. I drove around for about 20 minutes tryng to get a stupid cup of coffee. 7-11 would have made more sense. And no caffeine is not an option.

2) Goal: this wasn't an A race for me, and all I really wanted was to beat last year's time. Last year I was suuuuuper slow because I did it the day after the Sierra Century and my tushie was howling. Last year's Triathlon was the one where my so-called "friend" lapped me on the bike and yelled out, "That's what I am talking about?" Couldn't she see the pain I was in on the bike? But, I am totally over her comment...took a year...But this tri is pretty easy, flat, short distance...so I figured I could rock it. Speaking of

3) Rocks: the swim entry was brutal. The "beach" at Alameda was way rocky, and I was super afraid of slipping on rocks because coordination is not one of my skillz. We had to walk down a ramp to get in the water. Once I gingerly stepped on a couple of rocks and realized at that rate it would take me an hour to get in the water, I decided to sit down, get on my belly and scooch my way into the water. Not very ladylike. I kinda got scraped up and bloody. But I was in the water!

4)Swim: This was one crazy, bouncy swim. The waves were way crazy and my sighting was not great. Swim time was slower than last year's. Oh well.

5)Bike: Wait...before I talk about that, I need to talk to about...

6)Annoying people in transition: Despite the coffee drama, I was able to get my transition stuff ready early and on a relatively empty rack. I went to go check in with my workout group, came back and saw a very bulky mountain bike next to my pristine pink bike that Dennis painstakingly built for me. The beast was practically spooning my precious girl! And then someone else's bags and shoes were in front of my transition gear. I already have space issues, and I could feel myself getting stressed and my neck getting blotchy. And one of the pedals of the mountain bike was pressing against one of my running shoes. Uh, hello? Common courtesy people. I moved my bike a couple inches away from the mountain bike and tried my hardest not to make a snappy comment or give a dirty look. It was probably her first tri, but I didn't feel up to giving a transition area lecture. Seriously, there are a few things I value. Dennis. Friends. Family. Kitties. Pink Bike. Don't mess with pink bike.


7) Bike: so, after the swim (and after the dizziness from said swim eventually wore off...seriously that swim was crazy). I got on the bike. I haven't biked a whole lot this year, so wasn't expecting much, but I felt super fast in the beginning. I was passing people, felt strong, felt like I was going to rock the bike. At the turnaround it all became clear as to why I was going so fast.

8) Wind. Yeah, not so fast coming back. But it was super awesome to see mermaid buddies out there on the bike.

9) Honestly, I am totally blanking on the run. Oh well.

10) Post race was fun. We all hung out, got the 15 minute free massages. The ladies on Team Mermaid are such an amazing group of women, all bonded together by the wonderful coaches, Heidi and Kelly. Also, quite a few people on our team placed, which made me feel like I placed. Well, not really. But super awesome when we all cheered for them!

11) Vacation: That night hubby and I took off for a week long trip to Cozumel. It was a great trip, and the tri was a cool way to get in vacay mode.


So, for fun, here are the comparisons from 2010 and 2011:

Swim
2010 11:16
2011 11:45

Bike
2010: 51:50
2011: 44:11 (4th fastest in age group!)

Run
2010: 28:30
2011: 27:01

Overall Time
2010: 1:37:29
2011: 1:28:38

Almost 9 minutes faster this year! Not too shabby.

Splash and Dash #1--- a recap!

Last night was the first Splash and Dash of the year which means one thing: it's getting close to summer time.

Except it's June 3 and I wore tights today. Tights!

Spring did not happen this year. And yesterday's race was a cold beast.

I did this race last year. It is held the first Thursday of June, July, and August at Stevens Creek Reservoir. The race starts at 6pm, is a .9 mile swim and 5k trail run. I met up with my mermaid pals at the race, and set up the worlds most disorganized transition. I pulled my wetsuit out and remembered, "Oh yeah, I forgot to rinse this off after Monday's Ocean swim" (more on that later). We got into the reservoir ( a little chilly) and waited for the race start. And then we were off.

The swim was two loops, and was a little choppy. I chose the race to try out my brand new goggles, as I had massive goggle issues on Monday's swim (again, more on that later). The Aquasphere goggles were amazing, I had never had such great sighting, though I still swam crooked. However, I didn't quite have them on right and every once in awhile water would get in.

I finished the swim and got to transition, took wetsuit off, put on a cotton shirt over my tri-shirt and headed out to the run. Yes, I said "cotton." Uh, durrrr...not a smart choice. My shirt was soaked the whole run.

The run was hard, but I felt strong. The swim was difficult too, but I felt strong. I felt my potential--that if I keep doing the workouts my coach tells me and don't have junk training days, maybe I could be race ready.

The great thing about these races is you really do get to race yourself. I can use the June race as a benchmark for the remaining races and see if I improved. Plus, it ends with pizza!

So, onto Monday's swim. I met up with some friends for an ocean swim in Santa Cruz. It was super cold in the water. When we got in, we all shrieked and put off putting our heads in until the last minute. It felt like needles were stabbing the non-wetsuit covered portions of my body. My goggles were thrashed. I think the coating came off and they got majorly fogged. I felt paralyzed and blind. My friend Diane kept asking me if I was ok. I was not ok. I could feel the panicky, hard to breathe sensation that I experience last March and told her I was heading back. I swam back, tried to control my breathing, tried not to freak out, and --most of all--tried not to get super irritated. What is up with this? I swam EVERY single day in Maui last month and was as happy as could be (seriously, my hubby nicknamed me labrador because of my eagerness to jump into the ocean). But the cold ocean here was become something to fear. I have never had this issue before.

So, the answer to this issue? Swim more. Swim more in my wetsuit and in the open water. And maybe sign up for a crazy swim as a goal to get into the water more?

Hmmmm...perhaps. I do have a swim in mind. Stay tuned. It isn't official until I register.

Soggy Sock: A Morgan Hill Sprint Triathlon Recap

New rule: Any triathlon in the rain does not count. It is to merely be looked at as a long and annoying workout. However, said rule can be revoked if, by a miracle, one manages to PR during a rainy triathlon.

I, however, did not PR at Sunday's Morgan Hill Tri.

This was a tough tough race for me. Which is strange, because this is my 4th year in a row doing it. I was very cocky before the swim, thinking that all my open water swimming in Maui a couple weeks ago would give me an advantage. But alas, no. I have not gotten the hang of swimming in a wetsuit and regulating my breathing. Plus my goggles are a piece of *&#@ and were fogged the entire time. At one point in the swim I thought it was strange that I was swimming alone. So I stopped, took my goggles off and saw I was swimming pretty much right next to the island and everyone was wayyyyy far away. I got out of the water and it was pouring! Once I got to transition I saw everything was soaked. I put one soggy sock on and just started laughing at the absurdity of it and said aloud: "Are you kidding me?" The people in my transition were not as amused.

The bike was hard for a couple of reasons. I haven't biked outside all that much. Also, biking in the rain is nerve racking. I was super cold as well. Fortunately I was wearing my Seattle to Portland Ride biking jacket to keep my top part dry. I wore it the rest of the triathlon and would look down at the logo on the arm sleeve and think to myself, "Ok, so this race may not be going so well, but I was able to ride 200 miles in one day. Don't give up Jill."

The run was hard, but I ran the first 2 1/2 miles with my friend Diane. We chatted abd ate stale Jelly Bellies. That was nice.

I had forgotten how HARD triathlons are. Isn't that strange? When I was driving home I was thinking about why it was so hard. Then it dawned on me--the last full triathlon I did was the first weekend of June of LAST year. All the other events I did were either relays or Splash and Dashes. Last summer I was in full on Seattle to Portland mind frame, so it was kind of all about the bike.

It was great coming into the finish and having all my workout buddies cheering me on. That felt nice. And the burritos at the finish were AMAZING.

So all in all, a pretty good workout (NOT RACE) yesterday. But, um, Weather--- you need to get your act together ASAP. No more of these soggy sock races again, k?

Lessons Learned

So...for the first time in almost 3 years I actually had...drumroll please...a GREAT race!

Three years ago was when I had a fire lit under me and was hooked on races. I did the mermaid half marathon and had a PR, had a blast at the Uvas and Silicon Valley Triathlons. That was probably the peak of my self discipline in training.

Though I have done some pretty rock and roll things (Alcatraz swim, Big Kahuna Half Iron, Seattle to Portland bike ride), those events all felt pretty difficult. Deep down I had a feeling if I had dedicated more time to training, I could have performed better.

All the other races I did were fun, but I didn't necessarily train, or partake in ideal pre-race behavior (hello Vegas half marathon!).

So, I did the Mermaid 10k last Saturday and though it was far from a PR, it was still a great race. and I actually learned a lot about myself in training, preparation, and mental focus.

I was supposed to do the 5k, but changed to the 10k as my afternoon plans fell through. Because I wasn't mentally prepped for a 10k, I didn't put pressure on myself on a specific time. But, I also knew I wanted to be ready on race day so i got plenty of sleep, hydrated, and ate well.

When the race started I still wasn't sure what I was doing pace-wise, but I just ran. And I ran fairly fast (for me) at the beginning of the race. I usually am conservative in the beginning with speed, but something clicked. And honestly, the first 3 miles felt FANTASTIC. I was running fast enough that I couldn't carry a conversation, but also at a pace that felt like I could run forever at. It was way weird.

I wasn't wearing a watch, but all the track workouts with me workput groups were for training our inner clock and being more aware of what certain paces feel like. I had a secret time in my head that I would be thrilled with, but I think I need to put more time in to break an hour for a 10k.

I think what helped me with this race was the spontaneity of the distance, and not putting pressure on myself to PR. And, learning lessons from other races that all the stuff you do the days leading before the race matter as well.

This Sunday is Uvas tri. At this point, I really do not have an idea of how I will do. I have only done a brick workout once in my training, BUT I did a ton of open water swimming when I was in Hawaii a couple weeks ago. This will be one interesting race.

If Goldilocks were a triathlete....

The Mermaid East Bay run is this Saturday in Fremont. I originally signed up for the half marathon. But then I switched to the 5k because I was hosting a bridal shower in the afternoon. But then I found out this week we need to postpone the shower so I switched to 10k.

So, I am officially goldilocks. Let's hope this one is juuuuuust right.

I don't have a huge plan for it, and am not going to even think the phrase PR. I have the Uvas tri next week and that is more of an "A" race.