OMG I did an Olympic Triathlon!

Since my trial of Max Performances Title 9 Sprint Triathlon was fairly successful, when it was time to look at the line up this season I wanted something more challenging. I some how decided doing the Massachusetts State Triathlon was just what I need for a new challenge. I finally made it a reality when I registered on February 8th...and it begins!

I trained for 6 months for this (well really maybe 5 months cause I slacked off some). I felt like I was fairly well prepared, but still anxious about it anyway. The few weeks leading up to the triathlon were crazy busy, music festivals, whitewater kayaking, life. So I really wasn't focusing on the triathlon as much as I should have been, but I still knew I would do it and finish!

The morning of the race I was surprisingly enough calm and felt ready. I was lucky enough to have my husband, mom and best friend there to root for me. But even better I had another good friend of mine actually doing the race with me, well she did the aqua-bike portion. but even that is a huge event! I gathered all the my stuff and headed toward the giant arch!

After getting marked with my bib number on my upper arms and hands, as well as having my age written on my right calf it was time to go into the transition area to set up. Oh how I hoped I had remembered everything! It was fairly easy to setup because I was early and not many people were there already. But the best part was that not only was my spot marked on the bike rack with my bib number but it had my name on it too!

Once I figured out how to rack my bike without it falling off I was able to setup the rest of my "space". Which as it turns out was quite a bit because the stickers were not properly spaced out so everyone after me was squished together!

 At about 8:45am there was the opening ceremony, which included the singing of the national anthem, and letting us all know how the waves were going to be heading to the water. I swear just from standing on the beach I got a sunburn. But on the upside it was so hot I couldn't wait for my wave to get to the water!

We were up after the red wave, we all walked across the timing mats and got to our spots in the water. I tried to make sure that I was more towards the outside and the back but some how I ended up outside and up front. My first thought was, 'well this should be interesting'. They did a count down the horn blew and we were off. I think it's funny because the start was exactly as if we were on land the horn blew and we all had to walk past the buoys and then start swimming. It was your typical crossing the start back-up!

I did very well throughout the swim remembering to sight every few strokes to make sure I wasn't too far off course. For the most part I did well keeping my own space. I made the last turn and all of sudden there was this girl who my only guess could be was that she was not trying to sight where she was going because every couple strokes she was hitting me with either her hand or foot. Every time I tried to reposition myself she would be right back where I was. I finally lost her by going slightly off course but I got myself back. The greatest feeling is when the last buoy is within reach. I swam all the way in until my fingers could touch the ground. I stood up and tried to walk onto shore. For the first few seconds walking was the oddest feeling, I felt almost swirly. But I made it up the beach and crossed the timing mats!

As I was walking over to my transition spot I took a look at my garmin and was surprised to see how much faster I swam it then in my training more than a 5 minute difference! I was thrilled!!

Swim time: 39:03

Transition was easier than I thought it would be so I guess I either planned well or I was as stressed about it as the first time. I was able to get everything I needed for the bike portion and headed out

Transition 1: 5:01

The bike was more than I bargained for. It wasn't so bad starting out but by about mile 7 I was feeling it in my legs. The best part was that at every major turn there were volunteers at about mile 8 there was a turn and everyone said to me as I passed, "You're doing great, keep going, you're almost there." At that point I promptly looked down at my Garmin and realized I was only at mile 8. Not only was I not "almost done." but I wasn't even halfway there. That is probably my biggest pet peeve, don't tell people they are almost done unless it is the truth! I will admit I did stop a few times on those lovely hills but I never got off my bike! The course wasn't over the top with hills, honestly it was the fact that there were a lot of flat road. Which meant it was not difficult but constant work. I was at mile 20 and could tell how much the ride had effected me. My pace was much slower, I was tired! Once I hit the entrance to the park I knew I was home free and almost done with the bike!

Then I saw the beloved Dismount sign! I couldn't wait to get off that bike!

Bike: 1:43:34

My second transition was faster probably because it involved mostly taking gear off rather than putting it on. I will say I learned from last year when I forgot to untie my sneakers, so this year I got elastic shoelaces so it was so much smoother. I was all set and ready head out on my run. I was walking over to the run because if you have never tried getting your legs to run after riding a bike for that long takes some adjustment. Just as I got to the run out one of the volunteers asked me if I could go out the swim out instead. I thought that was odd but figured maybe something had changed. I turned around headed towards the swim out until I realized there were no timing mats there. Then I realized why he sent me that way he thought I was done and just leaving the transition area, haha if only! I turned myself right back around and when I got closer I said, "I'm doing the run." He replied, "Oh no I'm so sorry I didn't know cause you were walking." Seriously I highly doubt every single person ran out of the transition area. But thanks for adding time to my transition for our assumptions!

Transition 2: 3:38

I was thrilled to be on my way for the last leg of this race. Except for one minor problem I had apparently been doing a very good job of hydrating because I had to pee in the worst way. Luckily shortly onto the run course there was a port-a-potty, so I made a short pit stop. Then I headed out. My legs still felt like jello but I knew the more I went along I was just going to tireder so for the first mile I did do running intervals. But After that I just couldn't do it, my legs were beyond running. I kept track of pace thought and was still doing well walking. It was at this point I realized I had forgotten to bring any kind of fuel with me to eat...this was going to be fun! by about mile 2 I realized that I was the last person on the course. I actually even asked one of the volunteers on a bike. She said she was waiting to find out. A few minutes later she came back to tell me there were other people that had started the course. Part of me felt like she was saying that just to keep me motivated. But not long after she said they had been picked up and I was the last person on the course. This was very depressing for a while. At this point I decided well I'm last no need to hurry so I will just walk. I guess you could say I kind threw in the towel without actually throwing in the towel. I got to the turn around point and there was a fantastic volunteer who started yelling motivational comments at me when I was more than 8-10 yards away! Boy do I wish there were more people like that. However I will say my mood quickly turned around you see the same volunteer on the bike that had told me I was the last one on the course ended up being like my own personal race companion. She stayed with me for last three miles. We chatted quite a bit, about why I was doing this, how I got into it, about her and what she did. I really can't thank Tina Marie enough! It was quite refreshing. Honestly if my experience for every race was like the last 3 miles of this it would be great. I had a bike liaison, there was one volunteer that was driving in a cart up and down the course. Every few minutes he was stopping to give me a cold wet towel, water, etc! It was fantastic! Talk about feeling special hahahaha. I was so happy when I could finally see the finish line arch, in fact that was the only time in the last 5 miles I felt the urge to run! I ran across that finish line and was thrilled to be done!

They put my medal around my neck and I of course had to have a photo session. I did this triathlon as my First Descents Challenge so I wanted to make sure everyone knew that. I even had a special poster waiting for me at the finish line!

I Swim, Bike and Run so young adult cancer survivors can Surf, Kayak and climb with First Descents!

Run (Well really a walk for me): 1:54:27

When I was done one of the volunteers actually said to me, "now that you're done with your photo shoot you should come over here we have ice baths for your feet." I was thrilled because my feet were killing me and I knew I had blisters. While I was sitting there with my feet in the kid pools of ice and water he also brought me a water bottle.

So I felt bad about being last and I felt bad about everyone having to wait for me. But even though I was last they were all really nice, and took good care of me. I even got to have a burger from the BBQ because they kept them going until I was done. Even though I wasn't happy about being last everyone made me feel just as important as every other racer that crossed the finish line.

I am not sure I would do another Olympic Triathlon or if I do I know I really need to be a lot more serious about it and train harder. Let's just say I am looking forward to doing the Title 9 in September for half the distances!

I want to thank everyone at Max Performance and of course all the fantastic volunteers. You all really do make each and every race a success!

As I mentioned before I did this triathlon for First Descents which is a foundation that is near and dear to my heart. I will say that going to my very first whitewater kayaking camp really helped me realize that there are so many things out there that I thought I couldn't do and it was only because I never tried. Cancer changed my life and I will never be the person I was before but First Descents plays a huge role in helping me embrace the new me and really enjoy life. Please take a look at my other blog posts about first descents...
Stay Calm Under The Water - FD1
FD2 Day 1-3
FD2 Day 4-5
FD2 Day 6-7

I have until the end of August to reach my fundraising goal. Please take a moment to read about my experience and of course about First Descents. Then if you are inspired to please make a donation so I can help another young adult cancer survivor have an adventure of their new lifetime!

April Fools 4 Miler!

This was the second race I did as part of the Will Run For Beer race series. The 32nd Annual April Fools 4 miler, which I am happy to say benefits The American Red Cross and The Alzheimer’s Association!

Today was a much better day for a road race than the first one with waves crashing over the course. It basically took place at a place called The Winner's Circle (or so I thought). 

It was nice to have a place to be inside while waiting for the race to start especially with bathrooms, mainly because the hour+ ride there is not something I can do wearing my compression pants so I had to change. 

As you entered the building there were lists in alphabetical order with your bib number. Once you got your bib number you headed up stairs to get your actual bib and your choice between a t-shirt or a hat. I opted for a t-shirt mainly because it is actually a tech shirt which I can always use. Then we just waited for it to all begin.

I decided at about 10:50am that it would be a good time to go out and get ready. That was when I discovered the start was not actually on Elm Street but on Old Elm Street which was a little bit of a walk but when you are not expecting that it throws you off a little bit. I actually got to the back of the pack at the Start line just as the start gun went off. I really couldn't have timed it any more perfrectly. And we were off!

It's funny because most of the runners were talking about how the only thing getting them through the four miles was knowing there was free beer at the finish line for them. First off it's not free you paid for it with your race registration, second drinking alcohol directly after running four miles is probably one of the worst things you could for your body. But I just keep to myself and carry. Ironically enough I am doing a Will Run For Beer 5k series and I don't even drink beer! So I have no idea what got me through the race. Maybe it was the fact that I know I need to at some point in the near future be able to "run" 6.2. I put run in quotations because after my experience today I have a feeling after swimming and biking there will be a very real chance I will be walking the 6.2 miles but we will see what happens.

Anyway back to the race. Everything was very clearly marked, the volunteers were amazing (as they usually seem to be for road races). They all made sure we were on the right track. My favorite thing about this race was that at each mile marker they had not just a sign but also a clock and the volunteer standing there would yell out your time to you at each mile. I run using my Garmin watch so I am always right on top of my pace and time but I observed lots of people that do not run with a watch so this was a very nice added extra bonus and I think probably helped motivate people and keep them on track. 

At the beginning of the race I try and pick a target. Which I know sounds very assassin of me but it helps keep me on track. Usually it takes a few time to actually get a real target. Mine ended up being a women who was speed walking the race. I decided after playing leap frog with her for a little bit that I was going to make sure I crossed the finish line before her. Although I have to say I am not sure I feel about my goal of finishing before a speed walker but I will let you know what happened!

When I did the 5k a couple weeks ago I had set a goal for myself to finish in under 40 minutes which I missed by 4 seconds. There was no way I was going to let that happen this time. At about 2.98 I decided I was going to run my hardest/fastest until I reached 3.1 miles. I reached 3.1 with a time of 39:18 so I successfully set a new personal record for a 5k. However I did this directly after having chugged water at the last water stop. My stomach did not appreciate that! This was the one time that I thought I might actually vomit. The feeling came and went for the remainder of the race but I decided I was not going to let that stop me. I was about 0.4 miles away from the finish line and I just decided to give it my all and go for it. I ended up crossing the finish line with a time of 50 minutes and 38 seconds!

Photo by: My mom, she missed the finish pose and got me stopping my watch instead...oh well!

 I was very happy with that considering I had set my goal to finish in under an hour. And yes I did cross the finish line before my speed walker mark but for that last little bit I wasn't sure it was going to happen.

At the finish line there were a few bagels left with peanut butter, some power gels and water. I was very sad to see that all the fruit was gone (bananas and watermelon) as was the pizza, peanut butter crackers and granola bars. I know these things are hard to plan but I feel like this was a very large over sight. 

We walked back over to The Winner's Circle which of course was packed to the gills because everyone wanted their free beer. I on the other hand just wanted the bathroom. I seriously considered the port-a-potty to avoid the building but then decided against it. I heard several people say that there were more participants and supports than they anticipated but I am telling you the amount of people in the building had to of been a Fire Hazard. It took forever to get in and just as long to get out. Whoever designed the doors to open out and block the staircase was not very smart. At any rate we got the bathroom changed and when you come out all you could see was a sea of people and these everywhere...

I know there was mention of trying to setup and outside space for the beer but that didn't happen. I hope for next year it does because that would have really helped the over population problem. 

All in all this was a good race. The course was a nice flat out and back so you knew what you were in for by the time you reached the second mile. I would definitely do it again but probably stay away from The Winner's Circle post race if there is no outside area for the beer.

Thanks to everyone at WCRC for all your hard work as well as the volunteers. These races couldn't be done without you. I am looking forward to my next race in the series The Beyond The Rainbow 5k next sunday in Newmarket, NH. Even though I heard another runner talking about it being a hilly course. :( 

Still time to register if any of you would like to do it with me!

I'm a Triathlete!

If anyone had asked me last year if I would do a triathlon I would have actually I did laugh out loud and say, "No!" However I was very wrong. What can I say my friend Sara can be very convincing! See she did the Title 9 Women's Sprint Triathlon last year and literally the since the day she did she was saying, "You're doing it next year with me." most of the time I would just roll my eyes at her. But after MONTHS of her persistence I finally agreed to do it. At the same time I decided to use this as my challenge for my Team FD fundraiser. I was hoping I would get to my goal before the triathlon. That began the training process!

We trained for months however neither of had actually registered for the race. I think for me it was because as long as I wasn't registered then I didn't have to actually do it. However I started telling everyone that I was doing it so I think either way it was bound to happen it just wasn't as finalized yet. I finally registered on July 14th. Now mind you this is something that registration opens for in January! Sara wasn't having a great day so she opted to not jinx anything would register tomorrow. Well tomorrow turned into a week later at which point she was kindly told the triathlon was sold out and she was put on the wait list. 

OH MY GOD I AM DOING THIS ALL ALONE! was my first thought I started freaking out slightly a lot. On August 6th we found out that she was in fact not excepted and therefore I really was doing it alone. I had come to terms with that and started to really get myself ready!

Now it is race day! September 9th, 2012 Hopkinton, MA.

Logo belongs to Max Performance

I got into the actual park at about 6:30am however by the time we got to park, get the bike off the car and make sure I have all my bags we were just starting to walk over at 6:50am.

This was the first glimpse I had of any part of the tri as we walked across the dam from the parking lot.

I went through the check in at the transition area getting written all over my arms, hands and legs with sharpie! It was mostly my race number except on my calf where they write your age. Then I went to find a spot in my row to setup my transition area. I have to say I felt pretty prepared for this part, I knew right off the bat that I needed an adapter for the bike rack because since Sara wasn't doing it and I don't have a good bike I borrowed not only her bike but also most of the other gear from her. She told me I would need an adapter. As I was walking a volunteer asked if I needed an adapter I of course said yes and she came with me and got me immediately setup so I was good to go! 

A really cool thing this year was they gave you towel in your race packet that was the perfect size to setup the transition area. I was in the mind frame of minimal. When packing the night before I really thought about what I was actually going to use and that is what I brought. After I had everything setup I went over to the "fence" to talk to all my friends and family before I needed to head out.

I was pretty relaxed, everything was going well...to well. When it was time to get ready for the prerace meeting I discovered that my Garmin was not working. I had no idea what was wrong, it was just frozen so I walked over and handed it to my husband. There was no way I had time to deal with that. Guess I would be timing it with my Sportline watch. I got ready and started to walk out of transition. I didn't get far because I then found my friend Elizabeth who I had only just learned a few days before that she was doing the tri. Then of course we felt we needed to rush out cause we took up time chatting.

Tim the race director gave the prerace talk and then we got into our wave groups (by swim cap color) and started the long painful walk to the boat house where we would get into the water for the start. I say painful because the pavement was hard and bumpy and I wasn't wearing shoes. It was not a good idea to have hurting feet before I even started.

I was completely calm at this point because I knew I could do the swim so I was just chatting with my fellow newbies while the waves started and we waited our turn. As we were waiting Sara came running over to give me my Garmin. She and Lewis had been able to fix it. I was so EXCITED! Now I would have hopefully an accurate time and a map!

Then it was time for all us white caps to get into the water! We only had to wait a minute or two and then...

we were off. The swim seemed to take forever. Every time I looked up to make sure I was going the right way it seemed as though I wasn't passing any buoys. But I kept going, it didn't help that the water was murky cause I got hit and kicked a few times but I finally made it to the end and crossed that first finish mat.

Swim 1/4 mile (Garmin says 1/3 mile): 13:34

Then it was on to my first transition!

There is one thing I learned about the transition from the water to bike is that when setting up your area you should untie your sneakers. That is one thing that really slowed me up. I decided to wear my tie died LIVESTRONG shirt because let's face it without their cancer transitions program and LIVESTRONG at the Y program I would have never gotten to where I am today! I had to sport my support!! 

I was pretty well prepared for everything else thanks to Sara's advice and newbie night! I double checked that I had everything and got out to do the bike...which was my biggest fear. I felt more prepared thanks to the AKP foundation but I was still very nervous!

Transition 1: 4:36

I walked my bike out of the transition area to where we needed to mount our bike and then I was off. I will admit the start even though it was on a hill was not as difficult as I had thought. I was hopefully that was the case for the rest of the course as well.

I had the misfortune mistake of not doing the course before this. Although Sara and I did go drive the course so I would know a little and then I looked at it online with the topography chart so I knew the hardest hill was within the first two miles so as long as I could make it past mile 2 I would be ok. I'm not gonna lie I had to stop twice within those two miles but I did not get off my bike! I made it and continued on. I remembered to refuel at mile 5 so that way I wasn't totally exhausted for the run. There were however quite a few more hills after that and in total I ended up stopping 3 more times in the remaining 8 miles. Once we made it back into the park it was all up hill until right before it ended. As we were riding there were people who were running out for the 5k course. After the 6th person or maybe the 20th (who really knows) told me I was almost there and it was the last hill I decided they were all liars! The hills seemed to never end until that final left turn and then it was downhill. I had made it all the way through!!! Halleluiah!! I could not have been happier to see that dismount sign.

Utter relief on my face right there!

Bike 10 miles: 51:34

I knew I was home free at this point. Make no mistake I still had work to do but I only had 3.1 miles between me and that finish line!

Transition two was a lot easier and quicker. Put the bike back, take my helmet and camel pack off, grab my visor and go!

Transition 2: 1:27

I knew I needed some time for my legs to adjust from riding to running so I had already planned to walk the first five minutes. Well the start was also uphill and who wants to run uphill? Certainly not me! However I walked for longer than 5 minutes because my legs were in pain. They felt as though with one false move I would be having one of those monster muscle spasms! I got to about .75 of the first mile and decided to give a running interval a shot. It wasn't so bad. I continued to to run 30 seconds walk 1:30 intervals, unless it was down hill then the run was a little longer. I made sure to drink Gatorade at the first water stop and I also ate a small balance bar right before  the 1.1 mile mark so that I didn't loose any energy. By almost mile 2 I was feeling good again. But come on with only a little over a mile left who wouldn't feel good?. As I started my run back across the dam I knew I was almost there. I could see the beach and then I checked the time, wow I might actually make it before my goal of 2:10:00.

There were many people who were already done and leaving so I had lots of last minute encouragement as they passed. Then I got across the beach and was met by the first wave of my cheering section; my mom and her friend Roni. I ran from that point on until I crossed the finish line where Sara, her mom Janet, Lewis, my friend Meaghan and her husband Chris were all waiting for and cheering me on.

I DID IT, I AM A TRIATHLETE!! 

Run 5k: 45:38

I was so excited to have crossed that finish line and get my medal! I couldn't believe I had done it! I was greeted by everyone with congratulatory hugs and great jobs. I am pretty sure at some point I started crying but there is no evidence of that! 

 You gotta love their signs too! Sara's was three in one mainly reminding me that I wasn't done yet, until I was actually almost done, HA.

Then my friend Elizabeth found me so of course we had to take a picture together as triathletes with our medals.

After all was done I went over to check my official time and rank. 

I had to take a picture of my posted time with my watch because my official time was exactly (down to the second) the same as my Garmin time which had NEVER happened before, it is always off by seconds or minutes.

Final time: 1:56:47

I am so excited that I was able to complete the triathlon 13:13 faster than my goal! 

There are so many people and organizations that I need to thank I am not even sure where to start. I guess first would be Sara for her constant confidence in me and for pushing me to even do this. Then would be my husband for his constant love and supporting all my training and aspirations! My mom of course for her belief in me and her support. And many other family and friends who were always behind me 100%.

I have to send a huge thank you LIVESTRONG! Their program Cancer Transitions: Moving Beyond Treatment was what started it all. I learned everything I needed to know to start a healthy me and deal with everything that came after having cancer the "new normal". I was then able to continue that with their LIVESTRONG at the Y program! I support LIVESTRONG 100% and would be happy to help any way I can with any cancer survivor find LIVESTRONG programs near them.

In conjunction to LIVESTRONG I want to thank everyone at the Greendale YMCA who ran my LIVESTRONG at the Y program. You are phenomenal and gave / continue to give me great support. Special thanks to Jenn and Walter for everything during the program and beyond. And Walter for taking the time to check over my inept mountain bike and getting me new tires. Even though I ended up not using it in the race it helped me to train, so I truly appreciate it!

I would like to thank First Descents. I only just learned about this amazing organization this summer but the week I spent white water kayaking changed my out look on life. I realized there was so much I thought I couldn't do and it was because I never tried. I wish every young adult cancer survivor could experience this! I would also like to give a quick Thank you to Brad Reiss and his family for being my largest donor for my team FD fundraising. Your support is phenomenal! I would have sported some Team FD gear as well but I don't have any yet. But when I do you better believe I will be showing it off!

I would also like to thank the AKP foundation. I was able to go on a biking retreat with them in mid august and although it was challenging it also showed me that I had made lots of progress in my cycling abilities. It gave me renewed confidence that I would be able to bike the triathlon after having spent that weekend in Vermont! I have also been approved for a grant to help with a new bike. I am so excited and just goes to show that the future will hold even more unexpected. Thank you again for everything!

and of course I need to thank Max performance, the race directors and volunteers were all absolutely amazing! Everyone was overly helpful, everything was organized to the T. All the course were laid out with volunteers at every turn as well as police to help with high traffic areas. I felt safe the whole time and knew that there was relatively no chance I was going to get lost, miss a turn or veer off course at any point it was phenomenal! So a special thanks to all those involved!

Now who wants to do it with me next year? :)

Everyone Tri's, Try it you'll like it! Week 1

So since I am planning on doing a triathlon exactly a month from today when I saw this as I was going to swim I had to sign up for it.

I also talked my friend Sara into doing it with me because we were supposed to be doing the triathlon together too (that's whole other story). So I went and signed both of us up.

Sara was away the first day of class so I originally wasn't going to go, but then I decided that since I was only busy for half the class that I would go for the second half.

I got there just as everyone was getting ready to get in the water. The teacher Jill put me and another guy in the first lane because we were the only two who hadn't taken the class before and she wanted to watch us swim. I was ok with this because I already knew I was going to be the slowest out of everyone there but hey at least I was there and trying to change my life. So we swam, she taught us a couple of new strokes, catch up stroke, glorified doggy paddle (but actually more difficult). She had a few pointers for me but for the most part had more the say to the guy I was sharing with. At the time I thought to myself well I am either completely hopeless so she is not even wasting her time trying to correct me (you can see the kind of mood I was in when I arrived to class) or I wasn't as bad a swimmer as I think I am. At this moment I am going to go with the second thought, I am trying to be more positive. When all was said and done we swam 1500 meters. Now mind you for the triathlon I am doing I only need to swim 450 meters but hey at least I know I can swim more than that.

The end of the class we got out of the water and did stretching. While we were stretching Jill started telling us about what we were going to be doing during the next class. That we were going to work on water transitions REPEATEDLY to wear what we are going to wear for the triathlon as well as sneakers we didn't mind getting wet.

My first thought was, "Oh no what have I gotten myself into?" then I quickly changed my mind frame. First of all I have absolutely no idea what I am wearing for the triathlon. I am hoping that I will be able to raise enough money to get a first descents tri suit for TeamFD but if not I will have to have a plan B. And then I was thinking about the repeated transitions. I am not entirely sure what that is supposed to accomplish. When I do the triathlon once I am out of the water that is it there is in and out but we will see what the next week holds. 

I have to say I left the class feeling very overwhelmed and I hadn't even done the spin part of the class. I am afraid this is going to be a long four weeks. But hopefully I will get  a lot out of it.

Stay tuned for week 2 for another exciting adventure!