18 and life

I peeled myself out of bed at 5:30 this morning to head out for an 18 miler. I had put a lot of planning into my previous long runs. I checked the weather early in the week, mapped out a route, laid my things out the night before, and so on. This week, I hadn't even decided whether I was going to run Saturday or Sunday until Friday night. I didn't plan a route until Saturday. We were at my nephew's birthday party Saturday and didn't get home until 9:30. I was beat (having, inexplicably, woken up at 4:45 the morning) and went right to bed with the girls as soon as we got home.

So when my alarm went off, I was sorely tempted to turn it off and go back to sleep. But somewhere I found the will to get up. I wanted to get out by 6, because it was supposed to be a hot one today. It took me a little longer to get my motor running. I hit the road at 6:20.

I ran essentially the same route as last week, just adding a one mile loop about two-thirds of the way in. The first few miles were tough. I kept asking myself why I was doing this. I was glad I chose the route I did because there are several "outs." I pass back by home at mile 8 and within a mile of home three more times after that. I figured if it just wasn't going well, I would have several opportunities to bail. By about mile 6, I was feeling great. It took me a few more miles to realize that was also the point at which I ran out of water. So a) my pack was light and b) I was well hydrated. It was much hotter today than last week and I think I started out a bit dehydrated. I decided to swing by home to refill my water, go potty and drop off my pack. It was getting too hot to wear the pack. I would also be passing by water three times over the next 10 miles, so I knew I could get by with a hand-held bottle. When I got home, though, I was locked out. I was afraid everyone was still sleeping, so I didn't want to open the garage door. I refilled my water from the hose and continued on my way. (I only found out later that my family not sleeping, but at the park. I should have known better.) Luckily, there was a port-o-potty on my route less than a mile later. The drawback to drinking more fluids is more potty stops.

A little aside: I read in a book a few months ago that if you are hydrating enough, you should have to stop to pee on a run more than 2 hours. Then I read somewhere else that you should really be peeing every 1-1.5 hours if you are drinking enough. Either way, I have not been drinking nearly enough on my long runs.

I had totally forgotten about dropping my pack until I was well on my way into the next part of my run. It was really making me hot(ter) and just generally annoying me. I was running a leg I'd be coming back on, so I started looking for somewhere to stash the pack. Found a stand of tall grass under a bridge, somewhere I'd remember, but was well hidden. OMG, I felt so much better after losing the pack. I was cooler; I was able to run faster; I was able to breathe better. I didn't realize until I took it off that the top of my pack was hitting my rib cage, making me subconsciously take shallower breaths. Carrying one bottle was not nearly as distracting as wearing the pack. I continued on my way with little of interest happening, other than a couple more potty breaks and water refills. Oh, and getting pooped on. As I was running through a particularly wooded area, branches hanging over the path, I felt something land on my shoulder. I reached up to brush it away only to discover it was bird poop! I was pretty grossed out. So grossed out in fact, that, knowing that I was about a mile from my next water stop, I used the last of the water in my bottle to wash the poop off my shoulder. Fortunately, my next stop also had a bathroom, a real bathroom with running water. I ran right in and washed my hands thoroughly, with lots of soap, before filling up my water bottle.

I felt so much better towards the end of this run and afterwards than I did last week, despite running slightly longer and it being considerably warmer and more humid, and despite not feeling very well rested. I think there were several reasons. Drinking more and being well hydrated was certainly a big factor. I drank 5 21oz bottles of fluid (minus what I used to wash the bird poop away) and could have used a little more. I had to ration it a little the last few miles. My last water stop was 5 miles or more from home and I only had one bottle with me. Secondly, I made more stops this time. I had three potty breaks and 2 water stops, each lasting a minute or two. Plus stopping to drop off and pick up my pack, though those were only a few seconds. Last week I only stopped once in 17 miles, to refill my water bottle. I'll have to try harder to line up my water and potty stops so I can be a little more streamlined; five stops was probably excessive. Finally, I went out at a little slower pace and ran a more consistent pace through the run. I still averaged right around 10 minute miles, but I ran the first half about 4-5 minutes slower than I ran it last week. Then I ran the second half a bit faster than last week, probably in part to leaving my pack behind.

I have (knock on wood) not had any injuries or weird aches and pains running these long distances. But I have had issues with blisters. I don't know if it's a matter of building up my calluses or what. It happened first on my 15 mile run and again in the same places on my 17 miler last weekend. Today I tried some Body Glide on my feet. It seemed to help a little. I still got some small blisters under my calluses on my right foot. But I got one big one where I don't have a callus and have never had a blister. I may try sock liners and see if that helps. It's not super painful when I'm running, but it is noticeable.

Glad to have this run over with. Now I've got a recovery week, triathlon week, and one more down week before the big push leading up to the marathon where I'll do 2, maybe 3 more long runs before tapering to the big day. Also excited that this was my last long run before my running buddy returns, so hopefully this was my last long run alone!

The extra mile

I set out this morning on a 16 mile run, per my training plan. It was a gorgeous day. I purposely decided a few days ago that I would run on Sunday rather than Saturday because the forecast looked so much better. And it was. The temp was a cool 67 when I headed out at 7 a.m.

I got to use my new hydration pack for the first time. I had one bottle of water and one bottle of sports drink, 3 energy gels in one pouch and my cell phone in the other. The pack took some getting used to. First, with two 21 oz bottles of fluid, it was heavy. Second, I started out with it around my hips. It was bouncing around a lot and kept riding up. After a couple miles, I gave up and just cinched it up tighter and wore it around my waist. It actually felt much better. There was no bounce. The weight was distributed better so it felt lighter. I can't say I loved running with it. But it was sure handy to have my water with me. I passed by my house 8 miles into the run, planning to stop and get more water or leave the pack behind, if necessary. I almost dropped it off, but the option of taking a drink whenever I needed it outweighed the minimal discomfort of wearing the pack. Even carrying 42 oz. of fluids with me, I still stopped to refill my water bottle at a water fountain near mile 11.

All in all, it was an awesome run. I started with an 8 mile loop that was hillier than the routes I usually run. It felt great. And I averaged just under 9:30 per mile, a bit faster than my usual long run pace. Then I headed out to my fall-back route, the figure 8 around Staring Lake and Purgatory Creek. I had found a 16-mile route online; that's where the first half of my run came from. The second half started by heading over to and around Staring Lake, but then finished with the last 4 miles or so along busy roads on exposed (meaning no shade) trails. I thought my standard route was about 8.5 miles, so I decided to run that instead since, except for the last mile, it was all on trails through park land--more scenic and more shade. I didn't think an extra half-mile would be a big deal. I wasn't even positive the route would be more than 8. I realized about 4 or 5 miles in to the second half that it was going to be close to 9, making my total mileage 17. I felt really good right up to about mile 15. While I had been having fun and enjoying the beautiful day, I realized I was slowing down a bit and running with my head down. The last mile and a half was in the sun and the day was getting warmer. I was starting to feel a little nauseous. Once I got a half mile or so from home, I perked up a little and finished strong. I averaged about 10 minute miles the second half.

I had a weird experience when I finally stopped. My muscles were so used to running that my legs kept trying to run. As I lifted my foot, my quads would contract, snapping my foot forward. It was very surreal. I really had to use my brain to overrule my muscles and walk (semi)normally. I'd never had anything like that happen before.

Next up on my training plan: an 18 miler next weekend. After 17 yesterday, it doesn't sound so scary. Just hope my quads are ready.

Gratitude

I need to take a moment to give a big shout out to my husband and parenting partner. Thank you, Al, for all you do to make it possible for me to pursue my passions.

Al spends several hours alone with the girls on weekend mornings while I go out on long runs and bike rides. On race days he gets up with them, sometimes (way) earlier than he would like, and gets them dressed, fed and to the race site to cheer me on. He fields countless inquiries like "Where's Mommy?" and "When's Mommy going to be home?" He does it all without complaint. He encourages me every step of the way. He tells me afterward how proud he is.

I want him to know that I appreciate it. I don't take him for granted. I know how fortunate I am.

Thanks, Al!

The Race

I have so many things I want to write and remember about the race. So I'm going to just go stream of consciousness. I will try to go chronologically. But it's going to be long. Consider yourself forewarned.

At home:

I had set my alarm for 5:15, planning to leave by 6. (Start time was 7:30 with a pre-race meeting at 7:15.) I wasn't sure how far away I was going to have to park or how long it would take me to get set up. Izzy woke up around 3 a.m. She went back to sleep almost immediately, but I was not so fortunate. I finally started to doze off when a thunderstorm came through around 4. Sometime shortly before 5 I finally gave it up. I got up and started the coffee brewing. Had my breakfast, filled my water bottles and left around 6 as planned.

Pre-race:

I arrived at the race site plenty early and was able to park right there. Listened to my favorite pre-race song while getting my bike all set. Headed over to the transition area to stake out my space. I spent a lot of time checking out other people's set ups and trying to figure out how to layout my belongings. I had meant to brush up on this strategy stuff, but couldn't find my book. Space was really tight, complicating things. Over the next 45 minutes I made several changes. Once I got my bike racked, I went over to get my chip and get marked. From there I headed over to the beach to survey things. To call the place we were swimming a lake is being very generous. Though, I'm not sure anyone was calling it a lake. 500 yards looks very long when you're used to swimming in a pool. Headed back to transition taking the path we'd be taking up from the swim to make sure I would recognize my station and to mentally rehearse what I'd do when I got there to see if my set up was going to work. Spent the rest of pre-race going potty a couple times and exchanging stories with the women around me. Best story: A woman I met on the beach who was celebrating her 40th birthday today by doing her first triathlon after 10 years and 3 babies.

Swim (1/3 mile):

The other triathlons I've done were wave starts. You're assigned to a wave (usually by age group) and everyone in your wave starts at the same time with a few seconds between waves. It is chaotic and can be very overwhelming. This time they still started us by wave, but had one racer enter at a time, 3 seconds apart. A much more controlled start. I got into the water feeling pretty confident. But after maybe 100 yards, my moment of panic set in. I had not done any open water swimming and was really struggling to find my groove. I was on the verge of hyperventilating and wondering what I was thinking signing up for this race and how was I ever going to finish the swim much less the whole race. The first buoy was so far away! Somehow I pulled it together and started doing the breaststroke. In doing so, I realized well over half the other swimmers were doing the same. I found my groove and started gaining on some of the swimmers around me. I alternated between the crawl and the breaststroke, usually switching to the crawl when I started kicking swimmers behind me or when I needed to pass someone. Once I made the first turn, I knew I was going to finish the swim. A positive from the swim: this was the first tri I have done where the swim was counterclockwise, very good news for a left-side breather like me. I was very relieved to pass the last buoy and not too long after see the swimmers ahead of me stand up. Then it was my turn and my legs were very shaky.

Swim time: 12:21

T1:

Pretty quick and uneventful transition. Since this was my first time riding my tri bike in a race, it was my first time switching to bike shoes in a race. Thought it would be okay to leave my shoes unfastened and deal with them on the bike. Not the best plan.

T1 time: 1:04

Bike (16 miles):

Not having done any bricks in my training, I had forgotten how hard it is to switch from one sport to the next. The swim had left me really winded. Then I hopped on my bike for a big uphill climb. I had another moment of wondering if I'd be able to finish. But I kept going and it got easier. Eventually I reached the top of the hill and was able to catch my breath. Biking with my tri bike made the bike portion a whole new experience. On my old bike, I never had to deal with passing people or being in the thick of things, getting caught in a knot of bikers. I was glad I had gone out on my ride at my parents' earlier in the week. It made me a lot more confident on my bike. It got my body and muscles used to being in aero position so I wasn't nearly as physically uncomfortable has I had been on my training ride. It was also the same kinds of roads and same kind of scenery, which helped put me at ease. In hind sight, I could have ridden harder and shaved a little off my time. I need some practice biking down hill, getting more comfortable and confident at high speeds. I tended to back off a bit on the downhills. There was another woman rider who kept trading places with me. I'd pass her going uphill; she'd pass me going downhill. One of my favorite moments of the bike, though, came probably a little less than halfway through the ride. We were going down a small hill. My pedals were spinning pretty freely, so I started to coast. Then I noticed everyone in front of me still pedaling away. I thought, "Hmm, what would happen if I pedaled faster?" It took a few revolutions, but eventually I hit some resistance and started flying! As I ride my tri bike more, I'm becoming less intimidated by it and more enamored with it. All in all, the bike was my favorite part of the race. Fortunately, since it comprised 60% it.

Bike time: 54:xx

T2:

I botched this transition. I had thought through T1 a little, but didn't really think through T2. I had everything laid out perfectly, but I think that was accidental. When I came in with my bike, I was all set up to just push my bike under the rack and lift the seat up onto the rack. My running shoes were lined up for that scenario. But when I came in, I went around the rack and backed my bike in. It wouldn't have been a problem if I had had more room, but the bikes on either side of me were already back. I had to reach across my bike and try to lift it up. It was really a stretch. And then my running shoes were on the other side of the rack, so I had to run back around to get them. It probably only cost me a few seconds, but was frustrating nonetheless.

T2 time: 1:02

Run (3.1 miles):

The switch from biking to running is always tough. You've been making your legs do one thing for almost an hour (or more) then ask them to do something else. They feel like lead, if you can feel them at all. Putting one foot in front of the other is an effort. Mentally there's a big switch, too, as you go from zipping along on your bike to moving considerably slower on your feet. This particular run was brutal because the first mile was all uphill, a fairly steep hill. I felt like I was shuffling along, barely moving. But my marathon training left me in great shape for the run. Heading up the hill, I felt about like I felt at mile 12 of my 15 mile run. Plus three miles is nothing when you've been regularly running 10, 12 or more. I knew I could do it. I chugged along up the hill, breathing a small sigh of relief when I got to the top. The whole run felt so slow. I was envisioning a time well over 30 minutes. When I came around the corner to head down the hill for the last 3/4 mile, I was ready to pack it in and coast the rest of the way. But I found some inspiration in thoughts of a special friend and finished strong.

Run time: 28:xx

TOTAL TIME: 1:37:xx

I had a dilemma a few days before the race when I realized my running shoes were shot. I kept trying but failing to find time to go to a running store. I finally ordered new shoes online, but didn't get them until two days before the race, late in the day. I wasn't completely comfortable with running a race in shoes I had never run in. But I weighed the pros and cons and decided to chance it. Neither situation was ideal, but my old shoes were in bad shape before my 15 mile run. It became clear on my next run that running in those shoes after biking was going to be painful. I broke the new shoes in around the house over the next two days. I would have gone out for a quick run Friday, but it POURED rain all day. Overall, I think it was the right decision. My heels were slipping a little in the new shoes, but that could have been from not wearing socks and/or not having my lock laces tight enough at the top. I ended up with an open blister on my left heel, but I didn't notice it until Madeline asked me why the back of my shoe was red.

I thought this was a really well run and fun race. There were a lot of newbies and several women like me coming back after a child bearing hiatus. Personally, it was a great reintroduction to the sport. I felt awesome and was on high all day after the race. I learned I need to do some open water swims, get some more time on my bike and practice my transitions. I'm really excited to be back at it and can't wait for the YWCA race in August. Still holding on to my dream of doing an Ironman before I'm 40!

Hydration

As my runs get longer, figuring out how to stay hydrated is a bigger and bigger issue. You need a lot of water, fuel and electrolyte replacement when you're running upwards of 2 hours. I had been running this "figure 8" whose crossing point is about a mile from home. So I would run out carrying a water bottle or two, stash them just off the trail in a place where I would be running by once or twice. However, that's about an 8 mile run if I do each loop of the "8" once, 13 if I do each loop twice. I start to get bored at that point. It's also all paved trail and I prefer to do at least some of my long runs on gravel/crushed rock to save some wear and tear on my joints. And, one time this spring, someone found my apparently-poorly-hidden water bottle and picked it up. I suppose they thought they were being a good Samaritan picking up trash. I was irritated that they used no powers of deduction to realize it was a full, cold water bottle wedged between two trees, a couple feet off the trail. It had obviously (to me anyway) been placed deliberately. That was a cool day in May, I was running 9-10 miles and I had hidden one other smaller bottle. I could get by without the purloined water bottle. On a 15 miler in July or an 18 miler in August, a missing water bottle would be a much bigger inconvenience.

Last weekend I mapped out my route, a loop that cut diagonally through Eden Prairie, mostly on the Lower Regional Trail (LRT) which is crushed rock. I was starting near the middle of the loop. I decided to drive around and drop water/sports drink at spots near the ends of the loop, mile 5 and mile 10. That worked fine. The bottles were there when I got there, well spaced. But there were still some issues with the plan. First, it took me 40 minutes to drive all over EP dropping water. I was already going to be running 2.5+ hours and the day was only getting hotter. Second, I was stuck carrying empty water bottles. I ended up leaving the first one about half-way through the run because it was annoying and I didn't want to end up carrying two after I picked up the second. Then I had to go back for the empty later in the day. Third, between miles 5 and 10 I could have used more water than what I had. Finally, I didn't want to repeat my 40 minute drive picking up empty water bottles, so I carried the second bottle with me on my last 5 miles. I ran a lot slower those 5 miles. I'm sure there were many reasons for my slow down, but carrying that water bottle was certainly one of them. I clearly needed a new hydration plan.

I had been researching hydration belts (something you wear around your waist to carry water bottles) for several weeks. I tried everything REI had to offer in a couple different trips. I even have one I got years ago that holds one small bottle and is designed more for walking/hiking. I'm really picky about anything I'm going to wear for hours while running. It has to be comfortable. Because women have hips, these belts tend to ride up and end up around one's rib cage after awhile. Some have one big bottle in the back, but those tend to bounce. A lot of people like the kind with 2-4 small bottles around the belt, but I couldn't figure out how to position all those bottles so I wasn't hitting them with my arms. I kept coming back to the one pictured below, the GoLite HydroSpeed Women's Pack, consistently reviewed as being among the best hydration belts for women (because it's one of the few actually designed for women and not just the same as the men's version, but with pink trim.) It adjusts in 5 different places to keep it from bouncing and minimize riding up. It also holds two 21 oz bottles making the highest capacity hydration belt I found. One could spend a ridiculous amount of money on running/triathlon gear. I try to weigh my purchases carefully and only buy things that will really improve my training experience. After my run last weekend, I broke down and ordered the HydroSpeed. It came yesterday and I could feel how much better it fit than anything else I had tried as soon as I put it on. I haven't tried it with full water bottles, yet, but I could feel how each adjustment point made it more secure. I'm excited to try it out, but I'm not planning to run anymore before the triathlon Saturday. I'll keep you posted...

Jitters

I'm starting to get nervous about the triathlon on Saturday! I took my bike out for a 15 mile ride Tuesday. It went really well. I rode out by my parents' where I knew there wouldn't be much traffic and where I was familiar with cycling the roads. I feel a lot more confident on my tri bike now. I realized, too, how FAST that bike is. But it really works my quads more than my other bike. Three days later I'm still feeling it. I'm not sore, but my quads feel really tired. I don't think they had recovered from my long run last weekend. I went for a short run Wednesday and my legs felt like lead. Good practice for the tri, I guess. I'm going to spend some time tonight getting my gear together and planning my transition strategy.

Week 5 - July 4-9

The final tally. For reference again, the goals were 2 miles swimming, 112 miles biking and 26.2 miles running.

Week of June 4-9

Swim: 0.75 mile
Bike: 19.5 miles
Run: 18 miles

Total:
Swim: 3.25 miles
Bike: 112.8 miles
Run: 69.5 miles

Whew

Today I finished the biking for the Lazyman. I never got a decent sized ride in this week, so I did a lot of fitting in a ride here and there. And somehow ended up 1.2 miles short of 112. So, around 3 p.m., when it was about 90 degrees out, the girls asked to go for a bike ride. (As an aside, I love that the girls have gotten to really enjoy being out in the trailer. It was not always that way. It makes fitting workouts in so much easier.) We went for two laps around the "Darnel Loop" which is about 1 mile per lap. If my calculations are correct, I finished with 112.8 bike miles.

Tomorrow I've got a 15 mile run on tap. I have spent a ridiculous amount of time preparing, as much or more than I would for a race. I found a route (on the USATF website--good website for finding runs and tracking your own), planned my water drops, got all my water bottles and nutrition together, got the coffee maker ready, set out my breakfast, made ice so I can take an ice bath when I get home, got out my running gear...and discovered I hadn't done all the laundry from last weekend yet and had no clean sports bras or running socks. So...I threw in a load on "speed cycle" and am hoping it finishes up soon so I can toss it in the dryer and get to bed. I'm setting an alarm to get up early and get out there before it gets too hot.

I might be crazy

I just registered for another triathlon. Roughly the same distances as the one coming up in August. Except this one is in 10 days! I was perusing a very comprehensive race calendar for Minnesota looking for some kind of race in July when I spotted this sprint tri in Chaska, a neighboring community. Then I talked to a friend who had done it a few times and said it was a good one. That sealed it.

I really wanted the YWCA Triathlon to be my first triathlon post-kids, but doing the Lazyman got me itching to race. I know I can do it, but I'm a little nervous nonetheless. Until I started doing the Lazyman, I wasn't really in a triathlon frame of mind. I'm especially nervous about the bike. I haven't been out on my triathlon bike yet this year and I've never ridden it in a race. I am not very confident on it. But I'm going to get it out tomorrow, maybe get it tuned up before next Saturday, finish up my Lazyman miles on it. And I'll have to get out some of my books and articles and brush up on transitions and strategy and etiquette.

Exciting!

Week 4 - June 27 - July 3

Whew. What a week. Recovering from camping, packing for our North Shore trip, three off days, two five hour drives, three nights on the shores of Lake Superior (with 4 people in a king-sized bed), five cousins under the age of 6, 30 miles covered on the Gitchi-Gami State Trail, and more steps (the stairs kind as well as the pedometer kind) than I can count. A lot of fun, but man am I exhausted.

I love the North Shore of Lake Superior. I hadn't been in almost 3 years and I really missed it. It was wonderful to get out Saturday and Sunday mornings for a 10-mile run and a 20-mile bike. That combined with two short but steep afternoon hikes with Izzy on my back, meant sore, tired quads and a welcome rest day today. It also meant two pieces of Betty's Pie.

And I am well within reach of my Lazyman goals. Here are the tallies for the week:

Swim: 0.75 miles
Bike: 28.5 miles
Run: 13.5 miles

Totals, miles completed/percentage remaining:

Swim: 2.5/complete!
Bike: 93.3/16.7%
Run: 51.5/complete!

Just 18.7 bike miles to go by the end of this week. I was hoping to make it to cycle class at the Y this week, so I could knock out 12 miles. However, I have conflicts both days. Also, that class kicks my butt when I'm fresh. I'm not sure my legs would be in any shape for spinning tomorrow. I'll have to break it into 2-3 shorter rides. I have a 15 mile run this coming weekend, so I need to finish my biking well enough in advance to have a recovery day before the run.