Friday, August 3, 2018
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Pacific Crest Olympic Triathlon with Before + After Pics
This past Sunday, I completed the Pacific Crest Olympic Triathlon near Bend, Oregon. It marks a major milestone in my journey that started as the smallest seedling of an idea (thanks to Kathy Dapcic) in December and grew into this 4 month epic. I've been crushing limits I had previously imposed on my body's abilities. In the process, my self-awareness has been stretching its limbs towards that area of pure potential and possibility.
I finished the race in 3:23:03. About 20 minutes earlier than what I told my family and friends. With the complicated race logisitcs, this meant no one was waiting for me at the finish. I had anticipated my race would be slower than my Wildflower race due to the longer cycling distance, elevation, and heat. But some of these factors were cancelled out by focused training (1) Sometimes I can't see the forest through the trees but my swim HAS actually improved - I am no longer a rock but a tadpole (2) my biking has gotten a lot faster with a ton of time in the saddle, drills, time trials, and mountain bike racing. I have a wonderful and inspiring coach to thank for this all this growth.
SWIM
You could not ask for a more beautiful morning to swim at Wickiup reservoir. The day was already starting to warm up but this made the mountain lake feel refreshing. Wave starts were 3 minutes apart by co-ed age group. I was worried about starting with men - would I get pulled, punched, or swam over? It turns out that Oregonians are not only friendly drivers, but also friendly swimmers. I focused on my breathing and was committed to sighting the buoys more frequently than in previous races. When I felt comfortable with my breathing, I repeated some drills we had done in practice. I knew something was different when I could still see large packs of swimmers in front of me (usually the lake is pretty empty when I get out of the water). I finished the swim in 37:50 -- more than 8 minutes faster than Wildflower.
BIKE
The 28 mile bike wound its way through national forest service roads back towards Sunriver Resort. It had beautiful views of Mt. Bachelor. There were some good climbs in the first half of the ride followed by some fun downhill sections in the latter half of the bike course. The most difficult part were the exposed flats. The sun was starting to roast us slowly and in the last three miles there was an annoying headwind. My official bike time was 1:36:13.
RUN
My run has improved immensely, but heat did put a damper on my happy feet. I struggled from the get-go with a short climb out of the transition onto a black asphalt path. I felt a cramp coming on in my right lower hamstring for the first two miles. At its worst, I completely focused all my positive energy to that one spot in my leg. As strange as it sounds the cramp went away.
There were trees along the path but the sun was directly overhead and providing very little shade. The run traversed through the Sunriver resort community, so we encountered 2-3 glorious spectators who had dragged long hoses out to the path for some sprinkler action. I encountered many walkers and I wanted to join them, but I just kept telling myself to "embrace the suck" and keep shuffling along. I knew I was getting dehydrated when the lower back cramps started, but I could not stomach the gritty-nasty-ass electrolyte drink they were passing out. I allowed myself to walk through the aid stations to drink water and pour some of it over my head. My saving grace were ice cubes at mile 4. I put some under my cap and down my tri top (I may have sucked on a couple of ice cubes out of my tri top as well). When I passed mile 5, I picked up my run. It felt like I was sprinting though my Garmin later showed me another reality. I passed through the finish flags and went straight under a cold shower they had set up in the finsher chute. My official run time was 1:03:55.
While I sucked down the most glorious Jamba Juice in the finisher's tent, I met a 13 year old who had also completed the tri (his name is Bradley and I think I will end up reading about him in the near distant future). You meet all shapes and sizes out on the course. You can never really tell what someone is capable of just by looking at them. The human spirit is beautifully surprising. I think this idea takes a deeper hold when you can surprise yourself.
WEIGHT UPDATE
I promised a photo update so here are the BEFORE photos with a side by side comparison of shots taken one week prior to Pacific Crest. It's just under a 4 month span.
Minus 13 lbs and counting.
 |
| Stephanie, my constant support, with me at the finish |
I finished the race in 3:23:03. About 20 minutes earlier than what I told my family and friends. With the complicated race logisitcs, this meant no one was waiting for me at the finish. I had anticipated my race would be slower than my Wildflower race due to the longer cycling distance, elevation, and heat. But some of these factors were cancelled out by focused training (1) Sometimes I can't see the forest through the trees but my swim HAS actually improved - I am no longer a rock but a tadpole (2) my biking has gotten a lot faster with a ton of time in the saddle, drills, time trials, and mountain bike racing. I have a wonderful and inspiring coach to thank for this all this growth.
SWIM
You could not ask for a more beautiful morning to swim at Wickiup reservoir. The day was already starting to warm up but this made the mountain lake feel refreshing. Wave starts were 3 minutes apart by co-ed age group. I was worried about starting with men - would I get pulled, punched, or swam over? It turns out that Oregonians are not only friendly drivers, but also friendly swimmers. I focused on my breathing and was committed to sighting the buoys more frequently than in previous races. When I felt comfortable with my breathing, I repeated some drills we had done in practice. I knew something was different when I could still see large packs of swimmers in front of me (usually the lake is pretty empty when I get out of the water). I finished the swim in 37:50 -- more than 8 minutes faster than Wildflower.
BIKE
The 28 mile bike wound its way through national forest service roads back towards Sunriver Resort. It had beautiful views of Mt. Bachelor. There were some good climbs in the first half of the ride followed by some fun downhill sections in the latter half of the bike course. The most difficult part were the exposed flats. The sun was starting to roast us slowly and in the last three miles there was an annoying headwind. My official bike time was 1:36:13.
RUN
My run has improved immensely, but heat did put a damper on my happy feet
There were trees along the path but the sun was directly overhead and providing very little shade. The run traversed through the Sunriver resort community, so we encountered 2-3 glorious spectators who had dragged long hoses out to the path for some sprinkler action. I encountered many walkers and I wanted to join them, but I just kept telling myself to "embrace the suck" and keep shuffling along. I knew I was getting dehydrated when the lower back cramps started, but I could not stomach the gritty-nasty-ass electrolyte drink they were passing out. I allowed myself to walk through the aid stations to drink water and pour some of it over my head. My saving grace were ice cubes at mile 4. I put some under my cap and down my tri top (I may have sucked on a couple of ice cubes out of my tri top as well). When I passed mile 5, I picked up my run. It felt like I was sprinting though my Garmin later showed me another reality. I passed through the finish flags and went straight under a cold shower they had set up in the finsher chute. My official run time was 1:03:55.
While I sucked down the most glorious Jamba Juice in the finisher's tent, I met a 13 year old who had also completed the tri (his name is Bradley and I think I will end up reading about him in the near distant future). You meet all shapes and sizes out on the course. You can never really tell what someone is capable of just by looking at them. The human spirit is beautifully surprising. I think this idea takes a deeper hold when you can surprise yourself.
WEIGHT UPDATE
I promised a photo update so here are the BEFORE photos with a side by side comparison of shots taken one week prior to Pacific Crest. It's just under a 4 month span.
Minus 13 lbs and counting.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Wildflower
Although it seems I have procrastinated writing this post, what really happened is this: I wrote up a detailed blog about my Wildflower experience. I reviewed my week of camping in mostly solitude for the week prior to the race. I built up the anticipation and emotionally hooked you by relaying the struggles of the long course athletes. I recounted my harrowing experience in the swim, my bike comeback, and my enduring run. Then, as I was wrapping up all my thoughts, I swiped some combination of keys that wiped out the entire page...except a singular letter "f" at the top of the screen. How appropriate. "Well, f- this and f- that," was my response and shut down my pc.
Wildflower lived up to all the hype. It was a very challenging course and on our race day in particular we also had to battle the wind, but I was prepared to "embrace the suck." All the brick workouts, long bike rides, hill repeats, paid off. And in the end I was extremely proud of myself, not just for surviving the swim, but for finishing STRONG.
At the count of when I started my wildflower post:
WEEK 11Total weight Loss to Date = 10.5 lbs
Swim ~ 18 miles
Bike over 600 miles
Run ~150 miles
---------
It's now been over 4 months since I started training for the triathlon(s). Pacific Crest in Bend, Oregon is just a little over a week away and I will be posting a photo progress report before my race.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Tri Training Photo Update
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| 2 weeks |
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| 8 weeks |
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| 2 weeks |
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| 8 weeks |
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| 2 weeks |
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| 8 weeks |
I'm as ready as I can be with the exception of some concern still over the open water swim. But in the end I know I won't drown. I've worked pretty dang hard in two months so my homework is not to "cram" over the next 11 days. My next post will be from an RV @ Lake San Antonio.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Icebreaker
Total Weight Loss 6.0 lbs
Week 6
Run - 13.41 miles
Bike - 57.01 miles
Swim - 4655 meters
In 2000 I competed in my only other triathlon (shown above). It was the Nike Women's Sprint triathlon. There is a reason why it has taken me 13 years to do another one. I panicked in the cold water and barely finished the swim. Back then, my half mile wrestling match with the Sacramento River took me just about 30 minutes to finish. I felt demoralized. It occurred so long ago but that panic was on the surface, ready to spring again. This time, I was racing in the Icebreaker Sprint Triathlon at Folsom Lake. I thought I was prepared. I had been taking swimming lessons to improve my [lack of] technique, working my ass off in the pool, and even went out into the lake a couple of times before the event. But in the first minute of the swim I felt every bit of "mental toughness" drain out of me. The cold water felt icier than my warm up, my chest felt constricted in my suit, and I felt a sense of doom looking out into the choppy water at the first buoy. The pack of orange swim caps grew further away, and all those rescue kayaks were with the pack. The thought crossed my mind, "I'm going to drown out here." I eventually did see others treading in the water and I didn't feel so alone. I tried to float on my back for a while to pull it together and regain my breathing but felt even more heaviness on my chest, so I just tried to tread and do some form of doggy paddle (so much for those swim lessons). I kept telling myself, once you make it to the first buoy it will be easier. Eventually I did make it there, and then I focused on the second buoy rounding back to shore. I think I pieced together some strokes on this last leg back.
Depending on how you look at it, much could be said about my swim time. I was a good 8-10 minutes behind my wave. There is debris that floats in the water faster than my swim. On the other hand, I shaved 4 minutes off my 2000 time
After my dramatic swim performance, I slugged up that long trek up the beach to the transition area. I knew I could make up some time on the bike but was a little freaked out by my breathing. I sounded asthmatic. Eventually the wheezing would stop but lasted the first 6 miles of the bike. And I felt severely bloated. Perhaps I swallowed too much of Folsom Lake? Based on my official race times and my Garmin watch, I took 7 minutes transitioning from swim to bike. This included pedaling back to the transition to retrieve my fuel I had forgotten. The lesson here is to tape my snacks to my bike. I hammered away 13 miles in 45 minutes. The 4 mile run took 41:40. This is slower than my average pace but considering it was a hilly trail run, I was happy with the result.
| Division | Swim | Swim | Bike | Bike | Run | Run | Finish |
| Rank | Rank | Rank | Time |
| 35-39 | 0:25:14 | 173 | 0:51:43 | 118 | 0:41:18 | 139 | 1:58:15 |
I have less than a month to get my swim together. It seems overwhelming, but I know what to focus on - working on my panic issues and practicing in the open water. Also I am highly motivated. Shaving 7-8 minutes of panic off my swim really changes the type of race I compete in. I've always been of the mindset, "I hope I finish..." Now I want to just put it all out there and finish fierce.
I learned something new today. Being comfortable does not always equal happiness. This really resonates with me as in life we spend so much energy avoiding discomfort. Maybe that is why I'm willing to try this whole triathlon swim thing again (or any other exhausting endeavor I put myself through). Momentary discomfort is an opportunity.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Eating My Way Out of Progress
Total Weight Loss 5.0 lbs (+.5 lb gain)
Week 3
Run - 17.7 miles
Bike - 105.18 miles
Swim - 5175 meters
Week 4 (Oahu)
Run - 15.38 miles
Bike - 7 miles
Swim - 5000 meters
Surf - yes please!
Week 5 (recovery week)
Run - 12.2 miles
Bike - 47.9 miles
Swim - 2738 meters
I am proud of myself for trying to keep up the program while I was in Hawaii for 6 days. Didn't have access to much of a bike, outside of the ill fitting gym machinery, so tried to rely on water sports to keep up the activity level. In week 5 I felt under the weather and practiced some self care to avoid a bigger fallout. But outside of these excuses (which these all are), the weight loss is not representative of my reduced activity, but rather, my wayward appetite.
There MAY have been some larger portions at the occasional breakfast buffet or two. I may have slipped in some salty and fatty local island favorites. And coming home I've let myself slip into my routine of NFL linebacker portion during meals. When I see all the data uploaded to Garmin on mileage, hours hitting the pavement or the pool, the thousands of calories burned, I come face to face with the ugly truth, that I simply eat my way out of progress.
And c'mon...I really do want more of the good stuff, not just the good tasting stuff. This last week I went on a run where I felt like I was skipping on clouds. That lightness has eluded me for so long. Each week as I clip into my bike and slog away at the miles I feel stronger and faster. I am certain it is just a preview of what's to come as I unveil my inner athlete. It's time to really let her shine through.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Losing an Inch, but still Swimming
I've just officially wrapped up week 2 of my tri training program.
Total Weight Loss = 3.5 lbs
Oompa Loompa Rating = bulges can be hidden ok under clothes (excluding meals)
Week 2 training stats:
Bike = 57.4 miles
Run = 12.7 miles
Swim = 3700 meters
Walking the Dog = 10 miles
Apparently I have to start tracking my height. In my annual screening through my employer I seem to have lost an inch. You could imaging my surprise at this news. "Are you SURE?" I asked the screener. "Yes," she replied. "I think there is something wrong... Can you measure it again?" I asked and then added, "Maybe I should turn around and face the other way." She let me go through the motions and she peered over the bar. "Yup, it's the same," she concluded. I hope I don't lose any more real estate in the vertical space throughout this process. My only hypothesis is that I was wearing a pair of Doc Marten's the last time my height was checked, like in the 90's.
This last week was a real struggle in the swim department. I am getting some personal instruction on the side in the "Total Immersion" method. It's essentially learning swimming for the first time. I make small improvements in my swim lesson only to be swallowed up in my group swim training on Wednesday nights. From my humble position in lane 1, I get caught up in the competitive group sentiment and revert back to some flailing arms + kick combo as I try to keep up with the drills. I have finished the last two group swims utterly exhausted and slightly dejected.
But not to fear, I haven't given up hope. During my most recent swim at the gym, I pushed through our weekly homework of drills at my own pace. Lap after lap, some better than others, I tried to focus on just one thing in my technique. Shortly after I started, I was joined by two seniors meandering through the pool at their own pace. I would frequently pass them as they made their way across the water in various jogging and arm punching motions. Occasionally they would get out and sit in the spa, or talk across the pool to each other as I swam my laps between them. A little over an hour later, after finishing my drills, I took off my goggles and made my way up the steps. My pool companions asked me if I was training for something. "I'm training for my first triathlon, but I'm a real terrible swimmer." they quickly clicked their tongues and responded, "You looked fine out there," and "such great endurance," followed by a "your stroke looked nice and smooth!" I felt grateful for the kindless of strangers and realized I need to stop reinforcing that sentiment of being a terrible swimmer. I want to be a Good swimmer. The kind that gets across a mile in a triathlon and still has plenty left over to kick ass in the bike and run.
Total Weight Loss = 3.5 lbs
Oompa Loompa Rating = bulges can be hidden ok under clothes (excluding meals)
Week 2 training stats:
Bike = 57.4 miles
Run = 12.7 miles
Swim = 3700 meters
Walking the Dog = 10 miles
Apparently I have to start tracking my height. In my annual screening through my employer I seem to have lost an inch. You could imaging my surprise at this news. "Are you SURE?" I asked the screener. "Yes," she replied. "I think there is something wrong... Can you measure it again?" I asked and then added, "Maybe I should turn around and face the other way." She let me go through the motions and she peered over the bar. "Yup, it's the same," she concluded. I hope I don't lose any more real estate in the vertical space throughout this process. My only hypothesis is that I was wearing a pair of Doc Marten's the last time my height was checked, like in the 90's.
This last week was a real struggle in the swim department. I am getting some personal instruction on the side in the "Total Immersion" method. It's essentially learning swimming for the first time. I make small improvements in my swim lesson only to be swallowed up in my group swim training on Wednesday nights. From my humble position in lane 1, I get caught up in the competitive group sentiment and revert back to some flailing arms + kick combo as I try to keep up with the drills. I have finished the last two group swims utterly exhausted and slightly dejected.
But not to fear, I haven't given up hope. During my most recent swim at the gym, I pushed through our weekly homework of drills at my own pace. Lap after lap, some better than others, I tried to focus on just one thing in my technique. Shortly after I started, I was joined by two seniors meandering through the pool at their own pace. I would frequently pass them as they made their way across the water in various jogging and arm punching motions. Occasionally they would get out and sit in the spa, or talk across the pool to each other as I swam my laps between them. A little over an hour later, after finishing my drills, I took off my goggles and made my way up the steps. My pool companions asked me if I was training for something. "I'm training for my first triathlon, but I'm a real terrible swimmer." they quickly clicked their tongues and responded, "You looked fine out there," and "such great endurance," followed by a "your stroke looked nice and smooth!" I felt grateful for the kindless of strangers and realized I need to stop reinforcing that sentiment of being a terrible swimmer. I want to be a Good swimmer. The kind that gets across a mile in a triathlon and still has plenty left over to kick ass in the bike and run.
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