No more blank calendar

Having nothing on the race calendar for 2011 was difficult. Problem solved. I'm now signed up for two races and laying everything out for the training. Much better.

First up - my longest running race ever - a 25k. It's called Forget the PR and it's held on trails in Mohican, Ohio on Sunday April 17, 2011. I hear it's hilly. So hilly, that we might be using our hands to help us up a hill - called "Big Ass Hill" on the map the race director made. Ha. Oh, and after I signed up I realized that even though this is called a 25k, which should be 15.5 miles, it's actually 17.11 miles! Should be fun though. I'm running this with several of the Grunt Girls and we're staying in a cabin in Mohican the night before the race.

Here is a beautiful covered bridge that we'll get to run through:

My plan is that this 25k (17.11 miles) should lead me nicely into my first marathon.

I haven't signed up yet, but hopefully later this month I will commit to the Cleveland Marathon on Sunday May 15. :-)

During the summer I will probably do 3 Olympic distance triathons again - Deer Creek, Caesar Creek, and the Greater Cleveland Triathon which leads me to the next race I signed up to do...

The Cedar Point Rev3 HALF (70.3) - again! I want to beat my time from last year and try to get under 6 1/2 hours! This race is Sunday September 11, 2011.

I'm very happy to have a plan!

Monthly update

It's been almost a month since I've written anything here, so I thought I'd write a boring update. Not much new is happening. I haven't had any races, and I'm not signed up for any. Boy, that seems strange...

Since I'm not training for anything specific, I've been back in the weight room about twice a week. Feels good.

Every Saturday I'm taking an Adult Sports Performance Class with some of my fellow Grunt Girls at Akron General. Over the past year or so I thought I was becoming pretty athletic, then I started these workouts. Found out I've got a lot of work to do! I'm sore for about 48 hrs after each class. :)

I've been doing a lot of trail running recently. I'm pretty new to this. The only trail running I had done before this year was about 8 runs with the CVNP Fall Trail series in '08 and '09. Finally bought some real trail shoes this week.

My bike hasn't been outside in quite awhile, but I did spend some time on it on the trainer twice now this month.

Made it to the pool to swim once this month. I was quite surprised that it went really well. Swam about twice as far as I had planned. I guess it can be fun not having a plan to follow sometimes.

Over the next few weeks I plan to up my running mileage even more. (weekly long runs of 9 miles, 11 miles and then 13 miles) I'm going to continue lifting, and going to the Adult Training class. Hopefully I can talk myself into some more pool and bike time.

Someone woke up my legs! (5k race report)

Not sure how it happened, but I've now set a new PR for ALL running distances this year. It's been 5 years of running 5k and further distance races, and suddenly, my body is cooperating. I'm sooooo happy about this. It makes me want to see how much better I can do next year. I'd love for this trend to continue.

Today I ran the Run-A-MUC 5k at Mount Union. My first goal, a PR (under 25:42), but the even bigger goal, to break 25 minutes. Did it!!!! Finished in 24:56. I have been trying to do this since the spring of 2007!

Today's Garmin Stats:
Mile 1 - 7:54
Mile 2 - 8:11
Mile 3 - 8:22
Mile .7 - :28

Average Heart Rate - 181, Max Heart Rate - 187

Yes, the Garmin only shows 3.07 miles. That bums me a little. I know Garmins, can be a little off, so that is my hope. I just wish it was over distance instead of under. I hate to say I got under 25 min, BUT it might have been a bit short. :-( No matter what, I know I ran my fastest ever!

I think I was about the 10th woman overall in the race today. I started out way too fast in the first 1/2 mile, and so I got to see each of the 9 other women pass me in the second half of that mile. :) It was nice to know where I was overall though.

At the awards I found out I placed 2nd in my age group, 30 to 39. ( I have no idea how many of us there were though?!? )

My college roommate from when we were students at Mount Union also ran the 5k today. Here we are headed to the starting line, looking REALLY happy:

She did GREAT today AND she beat her goal for the day by over 2 minutes!

Waiting for the gun:

The start of the race:

Rounding the track for the last 200 meters. I am right under the clock showing my current time:


Finish line:


After the 5k was a kid's race. One lap around the track:

In this picture above you'll see both of my sons (Lane 6 - red shirt/grey pants and grey shirt/blue pants.) My older son loved it (mostly because he finished 3rd.) My little guy was crying for the last 10 yards though. :-( He thought he was in last. Plus, he wanted to finish WITH big brother. I felt so bad that he couldn't just have FUN! :-(
Also in the kid's race were my friend's sons, Lane 5 and Lane 7. :)

Happy son at finish:

Sad son:

Maybe a little speed

The 5k that I'm running on Saturday is going to be my first of the year (and probably last, since it's already October.) With the success I've thankfully had in running this year, I've been hoping for a 5k PR this weekend. (Which means beating my time of 25:42 set in Dayton way back in May of '07.) Okay, secretly, I REALLY want to break 25 minutes. I'd be thrilled with 24:59.

Well, that is until these last few weeks where my cardio workouts have really dropped. (I took 7 days off from swimming, biking AND running after the Akron Half Mary / Rev3 Half!) I did some lifting in there, but NO cardio. After that, I've only been doing mostly 1 hr or less cardio workouts.

Plus, I haven't been watching what I eat. My meals haven't been as healthy as normal, AND I've been doing a lot of snacking / desserts. Which means the number has been going UP on the scale.

So, for the last week I've been accepting the fact that I'm just going to have to run for FUN on Saturday. No pressure.

Then, I went to the Nat today for my last "speed" workout before this race. I was hoping to run a couple a miles at least close to 8 min. miles. While warming up, I even decided 8:30 min. miles would be a good goal for today.

One mile warm up - 10:06

Pit stop, and walk a lap, then -

Mile 2 - 7:40

Walk a few laps, then -

Mile 3 - 7:35

NO WAY!!!! I just ran TWO miles faster than I ever have before!!! Back in March I ran my first ever sub 8 min mile in 7:48 - Blogged about that here: http://kimzepp.blogspot.com/2010/03/748.html

I'm still in a bit of shock. I didn't know I could do this. I have to admit, I had help. There was a guy running almost that exact pace. I was running just a few feet infront of him. Hearing his footsteps behind me really kept me moving. I chatted with him between miles, and he said he'd run again with me on my second attempt. How cool.

What this means, is that now I really have to go for it on Saturday. I really need to give it my all on this 5k. A pace of 8:03 would get me the 24:59 I want. I think I should be able to do it. The miles I ran today were inside (no wind) and on a track (flat.) The course for Saturday isn't too hilly, but could be a bit windy. So far the weather forecast looks decent. Probably around 50 degrees and mostly cloudy.

The pressure is on...

New look

Since I have now completed my first half iron, I decided it was time for a new look on the blog. As you can see, I'm still pretty proud of completing the Half Rev. (That's where all the pics are from.) :-)

I keep thinking about my new goals. I have to set them; that's how I motivate myself.

There are a few goals on my mind, some more realistic than others.

2011

• Complete a marathon - I was thinking Cleveland, but was talked into Cincinnati. However, I might be out of the state the day of the Flying Pig, so now I'm back with Rock and Roll.
• Cut out more of the junk food - This is a MUST!
• Drop 5 - 10 lbs. - See above
• Complete Rev3 Half Cedar Point, FASTER (aim to cut off about 30 minutes)

OR

• Complete Rev3 FULL IRON - all 140.6 (Hmmm, might be dreaming here....)

Next up: Run a MUC 5k, Saturday October 23, 2010.

Akron Half Marathon Race Recap - Sept 26, 2010

Saturday morning I ran the Akron Half Marathon. This was my second time running this race, so I had some idea of what the course was like. I lined up with the 9:10 min / mile group and waited for the start. It was a great day for a long run - about 60 degrees and mostly sunny. Well, at the 7 am start it was still a little dark, but the full moon was a great touch. After the gun, we slowly moved forward and eventually crossed the starting line about 4 1/2 minutes after the first runners. It was soooo crowded that I very quickly wished I had lined up closer to the front with faster runners. I didn't want to dodge people, so I pretty much stayed in the middle of a pack for the first mile.

Mile 1 - 9:45

Eventually the crowd thinned a bit and I was able to pick up the pace.

2 - 9:21
3 - 9:17
4 - 9:07
5 - 9:12
6 - 9:10
7 - 9:29

I started to get a little too comfortable around mile 8.

8 - 9:44

Thankfully I overheard another runner (Someone I knew even! - Thanks MN!) telling her brother in law that they should pick up the pace to make up for the uphill at the end of the race. I was happy with my overall pace at that time (9:18), but I quickly realized she was right. I needed to be running faster right then, to make up for how slow I was going to be on mile 12. I sped right up!

9 - 8:55
10 - 9:19
11 - 8:49

Then, we turned onto the towpath and began a steep climb. I was really happy that I had picked up the pace a few miles back.

12 - 9:50

Once we were up the hill, we crossed the bridge back into downtown, and I gave it everything to get to the finish line. I was confident I would beat my goal of 2:03.

Mile 13 - 8:55
Mile .1 - 0:36

FINISH TIME - 2:01:33
Pace - 9:16

Wow. Can't help but be really happy with myself. When I signed up for this race back in January, I knew it would be two weeks after my Rev3 half iron and that I would probably just run it as a "fun run" and jog slowly. I never really thought I'd end up with a half marathon PR nor did I ever think I would get that close to breaking the two hour mark. Now I have a good goal for my next half marathon!

I had fun making the clock in the picture below show my correct finishing time! :-)


Here I am after finishing and getting my medal.


After I cooled down a bit, I changed my clothes, grabbed my bike and some snacks from the van, and rode along the marathon course from the finish line out to about mile 20. It was wonderful to see the marathon runners at that point in the race, especially some of my good friends. They kept moving forward, they stayed together, they finished going 26.2 miles together. :-) They have motivated me to want to run a marathon.



So, my next goal is the whole thing; not just HALF of something, but a real, true, marathon. 26.2 miles on my feet.

I'm pretty sure I'll be going for this in the spring, and it will probably be here in NE Ohio at the Cleveland Marathon. I have a few month to decide for sure.

This year I have set a new PR for every distance that I have ever run in a race, except for the 5k. Well, I'm signed up to run the RUN-A-MUC 5k at my alma mater, Mount Union College (now a University - but we'll ignore that) on October 23. I can't imagine getting my PR on that course, but I'm sure I'll try hard!

Goals for tomorrow's half marathon

Tomorrow is the Akron Marathon and I will be running 13.1 miles, the half marathon. This will be my fourth half mary (well, my fifth if you include the Rev3 half.) My first ever was Akron in '08 - 2:15, then Stomp the Grapes in '08 - 2:30, then Cleveland in '09 - 2:07. (Rev3 was 2:29) Of course, I want to beat my time from when I ran this same race in 2008, but I'd really like a PR! A 2:03 would be really nice. :)

But then again, I've only run 3 times since the half iron two weeks ago - a total of 10 miles. Ha! I should be happy with just finishing tomorrow.

My plan is to try to stay ahead of the pace group for the 4:15 marathon. (Maybe I'll even try to stay with the 4 hr marathon group.) The marathon course is the same up until mile 11. So, I'd only have 2 miles without the pacer.

When I'm done running I plan to ride my bike around the remainder of the marathon course so that I can cheer on others running the whole thing, especially my friend Julia. :-) Go Julia!

Weekly workouts

Sept 16 - Run 3 miles (off the rest of the week!) I was just happy when I could walk both up AND down the stairs again. :-)

Sept 17 - 24

Fri - off

Sat - off

Sun - off

Mon - Run 4.04 miles

Tue - Bike ~15 miles

Wed - Swim 1250 yds

Thur - Run 3 miles

Fri - off

Rev3 Cedar Point 70.3 DONE - Race Report

First of all - I FINISHED! That was my biggest goal for my first ever half iron distance triathlon, and I did it!

Early Saturday morning Matt and I drove up to Cedar Point and checked-in to our hotel, Hotel Breakers. I had hoped to jump in the lake for a practice swim, but it was pretty rough and we had arrived a little later than planned, so we just walked down to the beach and checked out the area.

Pre-race day went pretty much as planned: packet pick-up, bike check-in, pre-race meeting, Grunt Girl photos, CTC photos, pasta dinner with the family, and early to bed. Rev3 did a GREAT job of making our pre-race day simple and calm.

Race Day - Sunday September 12, 2010

I planned to start my day at 5:30 am, but the person in the room above us was up by 4:40 am, so I was too. :-) I was glad I brought my own toaster, and I was able to have tea using the room coffee pot to get hot water.

By 6:15 Matt and I were headed out the door. We walked down the beach to the transition area so that I could get everything set up. At first I was stunned to find that the ladies on each side of me had already set up their gear on BOTH sides of my bike's front tire - leaving me NO room. None. I think I stood there for a few minutes, not sure what to do. Thankfully I spotted a USAT lady who told me I could slide the one set of towels, shoes and such over to make room for my stuff. Phew!

The Full Rev start had been delayed a few minutes, so Matt and I made it back down the beach in time to see the Pros and the age-groupers exit and re-enter the water in the middle of their 2.4 mile swim. I was so happy to see most of the CTC people that were in the full race!

A little after 8 am I pulled on my wetsuit, headed down the beach for some last minute photos with Matt and my parents, and then made my way over to the starting line.

THE SWIM
Right on time, my wave started at 8:40 am. Thankfully, Lake Erie was much calmer than it had been the day before. It was still a little wavy, but not too bad. Personally, I enjoyed the shallow water at the beginning. While some around me were dolphin diving, I just walked, and still kept up with them. Once deep enough to actually swim, it took awhile to get in a rhythm. I really had to make myself calm down. The waves from my left (the north) made me breathe mostly on the right. When I finally reached the first RED buoy (1/2 mile out) I couldn't help but check my watch - I saw 16:xx. Quickly doing the math, I was pleased. I decided I wanted to get to the next red buoy in 8 minutes. That .2 mile stretch was much easier for me. I felt like the waves were pushing me along, and I could breathe on both sides now. So, I get there, check the watch, and see 25:xx. Not bad. I figured if I could get back to shore as quickly as I swam out, I'd be done with the 1.2 miles in 41 minutes (which would beat my goal!) Well, swimming back the waves again had me breathing on only one side - the left now. I was also surprised to feel the water getting colder on the way back. Strange. My feet were pretty numb, but otherwise I was okay. As soon as I could see others around me walking, I did the same. Started pulling my wetsuit off and again checked my watch - 44:02. Hmm, guess I was slow swimming in, but I still beat my goal of 45 minutes. I walked up the beach, accepted a cup of water from a volunteer, and then entered transition.
SWIM TIME: 44:31

T1
Somehow I lucked out with a transition spot at the end near the bike in and out. I walked down there, and I carefully dried off and got rid of ALL the sand on my feet. I even sat down to get some Body Glide on my feet where I had had blisters the week before. With the cool air I decided to go with the arm warmers. They didn't like going on my wet arms, but I'm glad I wore them! (I kept them on until just before returning to transition.)
T1 TIME: 5:42

THE BIKE
I must say again, I REALLY like this bike course. I'm so glad that I was able to ride the whole course 3 times before race day! I knew what to expect and it suited me well. Not too hilly, but enough rolling to keep it interesting. I made myself just take it easy, knowing I had to run a half marathon when I was done. Tons of people passed me, and I only passed a few, but I just stuck to my plan of taking it easy. I didn't want to risk riding too hard and then not being able to finish the run. Before the swim I took one GU (8:20 am), and on the bike I took 3 or 4 GUs (I've now lost count), plus half a PB&J bar, and 2 full gatorade bottles. I broke the top off my one water bottle while trying to open it. Oops. I managed to not lose any of the gatorade though. I was able to dump it all into my aero waterbottle - all while still riding! I was soooo happy that I NEVER got off my bike (or even clipped out) during the whole 56 mile ride! I honestly had FUN on the bike course. It was a beautiful day - the sun came out there were a few little clouds spotting the blue sky. I felt GOOD. No cramps, no pain. I was thinking, "This is just like any other triathlon, just a bit longer." :-) Plus, I beat my goal time by 5 minutes. Oh, what was really cool was that with about 15 miles left, the pros started to pass me. I loved seeing them fly by on their awesome bikes!
BIKE TIME: 3:25:15 Average Speed: 16.3 mph

T2
At first I was scared to start walking as I dismounted my bike; not sure if the legs were going to work. I was fine though. I got all of my gear changed from biking to running, and was off.
T2 TIME: 4:44

THE RUN
I began by walking, while eating a few Sport Jelly Beans and drinking some water and then began a slow jog. Since we drove the run course the night before, I knew the only slight hill was on the road to and from Sandusky. I planned to start out slow, and then later try to pick up the pace a bit. (This worked well for me on the 6.2 mile run at GCT, so I figured that was a good plan.) I took water at every aid station. The first few I walked, but then realized that was using up too much time. Miles one through five: 11:02, 11:14, 11:32, 11:12, 11:17. Right at about mile 5 I saw my brother going the other way. I didn't expect to see him at all, so that was pretty neat. I gave him a big wave and guessed he was near mile 7. I wanted to pick up my pace, but got worried about my heart rate each time I tried. So, I just stuck with my slow even pace. I was so glad I had put my Garmin on for the run. All the time I was looking down to see what my overall average pace was. It was around 11:15 a lot of the time. In my head I kept doing the math, "How slow can I go and still finish this whole race in under 7 hours??" I didn't want to risk not meeting my goal, but I knew I couldn't speed up - just had to stay steady. Miles six through ten: 11:31, 11:30, 12:20?, 11:19, 11:21. I don't know what happened at mile 8? Oh, but around six I had my one aggravation of the day - a guy moving boats around with a huge tractor decided to block the WHOLE road while I was about to run past him. AHH! I was so mad at him; he could see me coming, and did nothing to hurry up. (or wait for me to pass??) I ran way off the road up and around him. Took me a minute to get over that. Ugh! Well, I continued plugging along, singing dumb songs, and taking a couple of GUs. On my last GU (It must have been about 2:30 pm) I told the guy passing me that I had better finish the race within the next hour because I didn't want another one of those for a YEAR. On the road leading back to Cedar Point I was ready to be done. What made me keep moving was my time goal, and the desire to SEE the finish line. Miles eleven, twelve, and thirteen: 11:45, 11:56, and 10:54.
RUN TIME: 2:29:06 11:23 pace

TOTAL 1/2 IRON TIME: 6:49:19
:-)
I beat my goal by 10 minutes. I did it!

Once done, I was scared to stop moving, so I walked for about 15 minutes. Finally sat down, but didn't feel right. After about 30 minutes of that, things seemed to return to normal, and I was able to eat a bit of the post race food. Within an hour Matt and I walked right though Cedar Point to the exit so that I could clean up transition and claim my gear.

I am SUPER happy with how the day went. I met my goals, I had fun, the weather cooperated, I didn't get any cramps or blisters, no knee pain, no stomach pain... It went about the best it could have. My first half iron race was a wonderful experience! I loved everything about it!

I have about 60 more photos posted on Facebook (from race day and the day before the race.) If you'd like to see them, they can be found here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2079621&id=1137415773&l=d7c3a31d62

I will travel 70.3 miles on Sunday...

WOW! The big race day is so close. In less than 48 hours I will begin my 70.3 mile journey. I'm so happy, excited, nervous, overwhelmed...

Two weeks ago I told myself NO JUNK FOOD (at least until after the race - I can't give up desserts forever!) I want to make sure my body is fueled with the best possible food to get me through this seven (or eight) hour long day of racing. Anyhow, I'm happy to say I've done great with not eating the junk food these past two weeks. (That was originally my goal for this whole calendar year, but that didn't work out!) :)

Well, now I'm having trouble eating. This always happens when I get nervous. I've been keeping very close record of my weight, and I'm down 2 lbs just in these last two weeks. This is the least I've weighted since the summer of '05. I'm sure some of that is from no junk (only snacking on healthy food - moslty fruit) but some of this is from the nerves! Yikes. Need to find something yummy to make myself eat today!

Okay, tomorrow at 7 am Matt and I will leave for Cedar Point. I hope to be in Lake Erie for a practice swim by 9 am. After the swim I'll go to athlete check-in and bike check-in. Still not sure what to do for lunch? (I might pack a PB&J.) At 2 pm I'll attend a race meeting and then at 3:30 I'll join the CTC for a club photo. (It's so exciting how many from our triathlon club will be there!)(AND how many ladies from the Grunt Girls will be there, too!!!) Hotel check-in is at 4 pm, but I sure hope to get the room before that. I'm pretty sure I'll be joining my brother and sis-in-law, and her brother, and my parents for dinner at a pizza / Italian restaurant for dinner in Sandusky a few minutes from Cedar Point. Wow. Before or after dinner I'd like to drive around the run course. I meant to do that the last time I was up there, but forgot - oops. Hopefully I'll get to bed by 10 pm and be able to sleep!

Sunday morning I start at 8:40 am.
1.2 Mile Swim Goal - 45 minutes
So hopefully I get through transition and on my bike by 9:35 am.
56 Mile Bike Goal - 3 1/2 hours
I'd like to get through T2 and be running by 1:10 pm.
13.1 Mile Run Goal - 2 1/2 hours
I'd love to then finish by 3:39 pm.
TOTAL RACE FINISH TIME GOAL - 6 hours and 59 minutes

The weater looks good for Sunday in Sandusky, OH: AM clouds, PM sun, only 10% chance of rain, low of 62, high of 73. Once again - I wish I knew about the waves! Lake Erie water temp is around 70 degrees, which is fine, let's just hope for little or no waves! :-)

Oh my!!!

Just 9 more days until the Rev3 HALF IRON

NINE days until my first half iron. I've already checked weather.com twice today. First thing this morning, it sounded perfect: 74 degrees, partly cloudy, and only a 10% chance of rain. Well, it's already changed to a 40% chance of scattered showers. I'm sure the forecast will continue to change every time I check it this week. :-) The BIG question remains: will Lake Erie be as smooth as glass, or filled with waves???

During these last few days of training / taper I have only 2 swims, 2 bikes, and 2 runs left. WOW.

Yesterday I had something new happen - a blister while cycling. ?!? I only rode 30 miles. I left my house and rode down into the CVNP and back up and home. I laced up my shoes and headed out to run. Just 25 yds down the road I pulled my shoe off to shake it out because it felt like there was something in it. I continued to do my 1.6 mile run feeling like a small rock was in still in my shoe. Once I was done and pulled my sock off, I found the big blister (but no rock) - where my big toe joins my foot. It's the SAME place I got a blister during the Perfect 10 Miler when my socks were all wet. I have NO IDEA what caused it during my bike ride. ?? Weird.

Swimming today felt weird with the blister. Yuck.

Weekly Workouts - Aug 28 - Sept 3 (Oh - it's Sept 3 today - had my first ever date with my husband 17 years ago on this day! :-) I had just started my freshman year of college.) :-)

Sat - Bike 26.66 miles and Run 2.2 miles
Sun - Run 6.3 miles (while cheering on everyone running the Buckeye 1/2 marathon)
Mon - off
Tue - Bike 20.09 miles
Wed - Swim 2000 yds
Thur - Bike 30.43 miles and Run 1.67 miles
Fri - Swim 1500 yds

Worry, worry, worry

That's me right now. Worried. Worried about pretty much everything that has to do with this race. The dreams have started.

There is so much to think about:

• What to pack for the weekend?
• What will the weather be like on race day?
• How will I keep my gatorade cold?
• Where do I have to be? and at what time?
• Where am I going to eat my pre-race dinner? **That's a BIG question!**
• Am going to be able to sleep the night before the race?
• How long is it going to take me to finish?
• Am I going to be able to walk when I'm done?
• Am I going to be able to walk the next day?

One question was answered today. When will I start? 8:40 am!!!

I like my start time and the way the waves were set up for the half iron.
8:30 - the 30 - 39 yr old men start
8:35 - the young guys and older guys start
8:40 - 18 to 44 yr old women start **That's me!**
8:45 - the oldest men and Clydesdale men
8:50 - 45 and up women, Athena women, and all relays (men and women)

I'm so happy that none of the men start with us. :) At the GCT I was so worried about the guys, that I swam out of my way to avoid everyone.

I can now plan my finish time. I'd like to be done by 3:39 pm. :-)

So, two weeks to race day.

Last Weeks Workouts Aug 21 - 27
Sat - Bike 60.3 miles in 3:26:30
Sun - off (I was too tired to run!)
Mon - Run 4 miles
Tue - Swim 11 min. (I was alone at Headlands and it was wavy, so I cut it short!)
Wed - Run 4 miles
Thur - off (missed my brick because Dylan's bus was over an hour late!) Although I did walk at the ZOO with Tyler for a few hours!
Fri - Swim 2000 yds at the pool and Bike 16.35 miles while BOTH boys were at school

Oh, I bought some new running shoes this week. Walked in them at the zoo on Thurs and did my first run in them today. They are the SAME ones I already had, just the lastest model. They should be just right for race day after a few more runs. :)

Three Weeks until the BIG DAY!!!

I can't believe there's really only three more weeks until my half ironman! WOW! I signed up for this race about 11 months ago, and feel like I've been training for it ever since. My real training started in April, but every workout I did this past winter was with my half iron in mind.

Yesterday I got up at 5 am and drove to Sandusky for another day of on-course training. My goal was to ride harder / faster now that I know I can complete 56 miles at a comfortable pace. I'm happy to say, I met my goal!

I rode 60.3 miles in 3 hours and 26 minutes, which is an average of 17.5 mph. (The last two times I rode this course I only averaged 16.1 and 16.0 mph.) My times and averages do not include a few short stops where we re-grouped a bit and re-filled our water bottles. I actually tried to stop as little as possible this time, so it would be as much like race day as it could be.

I have all of my workouts planned and written down for the next 3 weeks:

SWIM - 3 more open water swims, and 3 more pool swims

BIKE - My longest ride left is about 35 miles. Six more rides total (two of which will be bricks.)

RUN - I have one more long run planned - a half marathon next Sunday, and then just some 5 and 4 milers. (plus the short runs after the two bike rides = bricks)

Weekly Workouts - Aug 14 - 20
Sat - Bike 45 miles
Sun - Run 11.7 miles
Mon - Swim 1600 yds
Tue - Bike 13.27 miles
Wed - Run 3.09 miles
Thur - off (fast trail hike for 1.5 miles)
Fri - Swim 750 yds

2 week training update

July 31 - Aug 6
Sat - off
Sun - Run 11 miles
Mon - off
Tue - Bike on trainer 60 min
Wed - Run 4.01 miles
Thur - Swim 1200 yds and Bike 24 miles
Fri - Run 2 miles and bike 20 minutes

Aug 7 - 13
Sat - off
Sun - GCT Swim .75 miles, Bike 23 miles, Run 10K
Mon - off
Tue - Run 3.21 miles and Swim 32 minutes
Wed - Run 4.2 miles
Thur - Bike 24 miles
Fri - (need to swim later today)

Today is that last day I can swim at my gym until the pool is done being cleaned and it reopens on August 23.
On August 23 the lake where I do most of my open water swimming will close for the season.
Swim training is probably my least favorite of the three events. Not having somewhere close to home to swim will only make it worse.
I've been driving up to Lake Erie once every other week to swim at Mentor Headlands. That has helped some.

Tomorrow I'm excited to be able to go on another group ride with the ladies from HCC. Hopefully it will be at least a 30 mile day.

Sunday, I'm running the Perfect 10 Miler in Lyndhurst. It's a 12 mile day for me, so I think I'll just do a slow 2 mile warm up and then run the race. :-)

Greater Cleveland Triathlon - Aug 8, 2010

Yesterday I completed my third Olympic distance triathlon of the year, the Greater Cleveland Triathlon at Mentor Headlands. The weather was almost perfect - mid 70s and sunny, but there was some wind (which = waves in Lake Erie!)

I woke up at 5 am, arrived at the race site at 6 am, and was in my wetsuit ready to start around 7:15 am.

All 131 of us doing the Olympic distance triathlon walked 3/4 of a mile down the beach to the swim start. First off were the 20 to 29 year olds, and then my group, the 30 - 39 year olds. I was worried about it being all the women AND all the men, so I tried to stay far out to the side of everyone. I'm sure this caused me to swim farther than most people, but it saved me from being kicked, hit, and so on... There were also waves to slow me down, and they did! I arrived at the beach in 31:58 and then walked to transition.

Total swim time - 33:20

T1 - 2:48

Leaving T1:

One of my sons told me I look like a boy in this pic. Great. :(

Out on the bike course my computer stopped working at mile 1.78. I know this, because for all the rest of the 23 miles, all it said was: 1.78. UGH! Sometime later in the day it occurred to me that I must have bumped the on / off button on accident. At least the current MPH were still showing, and I had my time working on my watch. So, I was able to know when to take my GUs and about how long / far I had to go. I felt good on the bike, but I really wished I could have gone faster. Little did I know, something WAS slowing me down. I'll come back to that.

Bike time - 1:26:31 (Avg 16 mph)

T2 - 1:53

While leaving transition to start the run, I saw that I had already been on the course for 2 hrs and 5 minutes. That meant my chances of finishing in under 3 hours were slim to none. (unless I was going to run a 10K PR - uh, no.) So, I figured I would just try to enjoy myself. On the bike I did a good job of staying hydrated (which was my BIG mistake in my last Oly tri.) So, I felt pretty good. A few miles in, I decided to pick up the pace, and I still felt good. It's nice to have a good run to finish the day.

My run times based on the mile markers and my watch:
1- 10:16
2- 10:09
3- 10:37
4- 9:31
5- 9:45
6- 9:18
.2- 1:59

Run time - 61:38 (9:57 pace)

TOTAL RACE TIME - 3:06:09

About to finish:


After the race I returned to transition to claim my bike and other belongings. BUT, the bike didn't want to "roll" along side me. Actually, it barely wanted to MOVE. Hmm, turns out part of the back brake was rubbing against the wheel!!! I have no idea when that happened. ?? Pre race? During the race? Guess my bike needs to visit the bike shop!

Post race photo with Grunt Girls:

Race Day Stats:
Females 30 - 39: #6 out of 10
Overall: #94 out of 131

Kathleen Nietert Run for Hope, 7 1/2 miler Race Report

On Sunday I ran in a 7 1/2 mile hilly race in Aurora. I signed up for this race as a way to help me get in one of my long runs. Sunday was set to be an 11 mile running day. So, my plan was to arrive early, run 3 miles, do the race and then cool down with another 1/2 mile. I'm quite happy to say I almost stuck to my plan perfectly!

I arrived at the race site, Sunny Lake Park, around 7 am, got checked-in for the race and took off on my warm-up run. The lake has a 1.7 mile path around it, which was perfect for the first part of my run. It was also a beautiful day for running - partly sunny and mid 70s. After circling the lake one time, I realized I didn't have enough time to do the full 3 miles I had planned (or I'd be late for the race.) So, I stopped at 2.7 miles, pinned on my race #, made a stop at the "Aris" port-o-pot (my friend's brother's company :-) ), and then got to the starting line with about 5 minutes to spare.

It's not a "huge" race; there were maybe 50 to 75 people lined up for the 7 1/2 miler. (There was also a 5k that started a few minutes earlier.) The official results have not been posted, so I don't know the exact numbers.

The started said, "Go!" and we were off. The run was a rectangle, clockwise on the roads around the park / lake, and then we re-entered the park to run the last mile and half around the lake. I knew it was going to be hilly, but wasn't familiar with the course at all. We started on an uphill, but it wasn't too bad. Most of the race was either up or down; not much flat at all, but I think I did pretty well. I let myself run hard on the downhills, and I passed several people that way. I tried to stay strong on the uphills (short fast strides with my arms pumping) and that seemed to work.

On my long runs for the past few weeks I've been keeping about a 10:45 to 11 min per mile pace. I thought I'd be around a 10 min pace today, but surprised myself with a little better than that. Here were my splits on my garmin:

Mile
1 - 9:22
2 - 9:26
3 - 9:43
4 - 9:46
5 - 9:15
6 - 9:20
7 - 9:20
.5 - 3:38

The last half mile was fun. Back in the park, was the only close to flat part of the race. I like to finish a race as hard as I can, and I really did that at this race! When I saw the 7 mile sign, I took off. I tried to get the two men around me to join in, but they just said, "Go!" to me. :-)

Final time: 1:09:53
Pace: 9:19

Awards were given out to the top two runners in each 10 year age group. I didn't get one, so I know I wasn't in the top two for 30 - 39 yr old females, but that's okay, I'm quite happy with how I did.

After the awards I did my last .8 miles so I could get all 11 miles in for the day. That was a VERY slow .8 miles.

The day's totals:
2.7 miles - 28:46
7.5miles - 1:09
.8 miles - 10:36
Equals 11 miles in 1 hour and 49 minutes


This coming Sunday is the Greater Cleveland Triathlon at Mentor Headlands and I'll be doing the Olympic Triathlon. So far, the weather looks like it will be great - 80 degrees and mostly sunny.

Magazine and Recovery Week

July 24 - 30 *recovery week*

Sat - Bike 30.2 miles (all alone - from home, north to Hudson, down in the CVNP, and back up and home) - Spent the evening in Pittsburgh for a very nice (and very warm) wedding.

Sun - Run 10.07 miles (a warm afternoon run on the towpath)

Mon - off / rest (I should have gone swimming, but it's been very lonely at the lake by my house.)

Tue - Bike 13.6 miles and Swim 30 min (indoor mid-day trainer bike ride) (nice evening swim in Lake Erie at Mentor Headlands)

Wed - Run 3.6 miles (very slow early morning run in my neighborhood)

Thur - Bike 16.07 miles and Run 2.03 miles (great brick with the Grunt Girls in the CVNP)

Fri - off (spent all day with my husband and sons at Put in Bay)

I'm really not sure what I'm going to do today. I should probably be swimming or biking right now, but motivation is low. The plan for tonight is to take the boys to the Akron Aeros baseball game. Hopefully it doesn't rain!

Tomorrow morning I'm going to run the Kathleen Nietert Run for Hope. It's a hilly 7 1/2 mile run through Aurora and Mantua. Again, hopefully it doesn't rain! I plan to go early and run a 3 mile warm-up. Plus, I'll do a 1/2 mile cool down, so I can get in 11 miles for the day. :)

Some exciting news from this week is that I was in a magazine! (Ohio Sports and Fitness - www.ohiosportsandfitness.com ) I recently joined a Women's Only Racing Team called the Grunt Girls. I have had a wonderful time getting to know many of the other ladies and training with them. Here is our new website: www.gruntgirlracing.com
Across the top of the web site is the photo that was in the magazine.

Plus one of the girls was on the cover and another was on the Table of Contents page. :-)



The photo shoot for this magazine was on a warm evening in early July. We all met at an old abandoned building in Cleveland. Minus the heat, it was pretty neat.

7 (exciting) weeks until the Rev3 Half

I realized I'm a little behind on my workout updates. So, below is a recap for the last 3 weeks.

Tomorrow I'm headed to Pitt, PA for a wedding, so I plan to get up early to get in my long bike ride for the week. (hopefully I have time for at least 30 miles) I wish I could join the ladies at HCC for the ride, but I'd be too late getting to PA. Guess I have to ride alone.

After we get home on Sunday, I'll aim for a 10 mile run. I hope to go down to the towpath for this, just like I did this past Sunday. It was so nice being mostly in the shade, because it was soooo HOT!

It's hard to believe there's only 7 more weeks until the Rev3 Cedar Point 1/2. Although, I wish it were next weekend. I actually feel ready to do it. I know my continued training for these next few weeks will make race day that much better, but I'm confident I could finish it, even if it were tomorrow. :-)

I have a training run / race planned for next weekend (Aug 1) in Auroa; it's a 7 1/2 mile race, but with my warm-up and cool down, I hope to make it an 11 mile running day.

The week after that (Aug 8) is my last Olympic distance triathlon of the year, the Greater Cleveland Triathlon!

Another week later (Aug 15) is the Perfect 10 Miler in Lyndhurst. I ran that one a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it.

Then, each of the next two weekends will bring my last two BIG training days. WOW. :-) On Aug 21 I'll head back to Cedar Point for some more on-course training for the Rev3, and on Aug 29 I'm running a half marathon. ** - which has changed from my original plans. ** I was going to drive down to Columbus for the Spirt of Columbus half mary, but just found out this week there's a half mary only 10 miles from my house, the Buckeye Half!! So, I'm going to do it instead. That way I avoid the drive down, sleeping in a different bed, and the long drive home!

July 3 - 9
Sat - Bike 55.13 miles (Rev3 course)
Sun - off
Mon - Run 5 miles
Tue - Swim ~1200 yds
Wed - Bike 15.12 miles
Thur - Swim 1600 yds and Bike 9.52 miles and Run 2.09 miles
Fri - Run 2 miles

July 10 - 16
Sat - off
Sun - OLY Tri - Swim 1500M, Bike 40K, Run 10K
Mon - off
Tue - Run 5 miles and Swim ~1000 yds
Wed - off - back injury
Thur - off - back pain
Fri - Bike 9.43 miles and Run 1 mile

July 17 - 23
Sat - Rev3 Training - Swim ~1000 yds, Bike 58 miles, and Run 2.22 miles
Sun - Run 9 miles
Mon - Swim 1650 yds
Tue - off
Wed - Track Run 4.5 miles
Thur - Bike 22.4 miles
Fri - Run 3.25 miles and Swim ~1200 yds

Caesar Creek Olympic Triathlon - Race Report - July 11, 2010

Yesterday was a great day for a triathlon in southern Ohio; it was almost perfect (minus the sun/heat on the run.)
HFP has already posted the results. Here's my stats:

1500 meter swim (plus the run up to T1) - 29:13
T1 - 2:18
40K bike - 1:22:18 - Avg of 18.1 mph
T2 - 1:26
10K Run - 64:22 - 10:21 pace

Prerace:


The lake water was almost like glass and 73 degrees. It was a great swim for me, except on the second lap someone didn't just hit my foot - they seemed to grab it. Scared me for a second, but after I caught my breath, I pushed forward.

Exiting the swim:


T1 was uneventful:


Bike start:


The bike course was rolling hills with several recently paved roads. The one thing that could have helped me is if my bike computer would have worked! When the race was over I was able to see that the sensor had shifted (probably on the car ride.)

Entering T2:


In T2 I realized that I had about 65 minutes to run my 10K in order to finish in under 3 hours. WOW. I thought, "I could really do this!" I've run a 10K in 55:16 before, so even at an easier pace, I figured it was going to happen.

I had 3 levels of goals for the day. I wanted to beat my time from last month at Deer Creek (3 hrs 14 min.) It would be really nice to beat my time from last year at Portage Lakes (3 hrs 8 min.) Then there was the "ultimate goal" of finishing in under 3 hours.

Running:


So, I took off onto the run. From doing this race as a sprint 3 years ago, I knew the course was a mostly rock covered path and mostly in the sun. I took a sip of water and dumped some over my head every time it was offered. I was really having trouble keeping up a decent pace. I saw several people taking walking breaks, and really wanted to do the same, but knowing I was so close to my goal kept me at least doing a jog / shuffle. After the first 5k I saw that I had about 34 minutes left to make my goal. Knowing that I had to run the same 5k course again, I wasn't so sure I was going to make it at that point. I was really dragging my feet and experiencing a side cramp.

After the race, when I saw how little I actually drank on the bike course, and when I saw how much weight I lost during the whole race, I realized I must have been too dehydrated. I think that was a big factor in my poor run.

About to finish:


Anyhow, when I looked at my watch and saw that I had 2 minutes left to finish, I somehow picked up the pace. I really pushed it hard, and I made my goal, with only a few seconds to spare.

TOTAL RACE TIME - 2:59:38

Finish line:


This coming Saturday is another training day on the Rev3 course at Cedar Point. We should be able to get in a swim, ride the bike course, and do some running. :-)

In 4 weeks I'll do my 3rd and final Olympic distance triathlon for the year, the Greater Cleveland Triathlon at Mentor Headlands.

Stow Firecracker 4 Mile Race - July 5, 2010

Since the 4th of July fell on a Sunday, this year's 4 mile Firecracker Run was on the the 5th. It was a HOT day, even at an early 7:30 am start time. I was planning to take it easy and not push it in the heat.

Well, it's a race. When they said "Go!," I took off. I had run an easy one mile warm up, and was ready to push it.

Mile 1 is slightly uphill most of the way - 8:34
Mile 2 is slightly downhill most of the way - 8:12

Then we turn around and run back the way we came.

Mile 3 (uphill) - 9:06
Mile 4 (downhill) - 7:52

Final Time - 33:45 - New 4 mile PR.

I didn't stay around for awards knowing there's a lot of really fast people at this race. (Two years ago I was 8th in my age group with a time of 34:13.)

Then I found out yesterday I placed 1st in my age group out of 22 other 35-39 yr old females! (That's what I get for turning 35 this year.) :-)

The mile one (and mile three) markers are only about 100 yds from my house. So, Matt got a picture of me running by at mile one. I'm in the purple tank top in the middle.



Sunday I will be racing my second Olympic Distance triathlon of year. It's going to be at Caesar Creek State Park (Southwest of Columbus.) I hope to at least beat my time from Deer Creek last month, which was 3:14:26. So far, the weather looks to be good!

Awesome bike ride on the REV3 course

It was a super day with my husband. :-)

After dropping our children off at my parent's house, we drove to Cedar Point. Well, we drove to a little park a few minutes away from CP so we'd have restrooms to use and no parking fee. Osborn Park. This worked out really well!

After getting our drinks / food ready, we headed on to the REV3 1/2 iron bike course. We started on Rt 6 (skiping the beginning part of Cedar Pt Road) and followed the entire course. Thrown in there was one tiny detour to see the home of Thomas Edison's birthplace in Milan, OH. :)





Once we were back to where we started, we decided to finish the course by riding all the way down Cedar Point Rd to the main parking lot and then back down it to the town park where we left our van.

Total miles for the day: 55.13
Yahoo!!
3 hours, 24 minutes and 42 seconds! (about 3 hrs and 45 minutes WITH stops)
16.1 mph average (not including stops to check the map)

Oh, there was one other short detour - to use a bathroom in a cute little town's one gas station.





I wonder if there will be port a pots around the race route on race day???

As for the course, it was a bit windy, but I know that's to be expected when the land is so flat and filled with farms. :-) There were a few rollers, but I only had to shift out of my big chain ring once. So, it can't be too bad! There were a lot of bumps on a tiny road that curves around a school and a few on Cedar Point Road, but nothing too bad. One road I loved, but of course it only lasted about a mile - Berlin Rd. Smooth and downhill.

I feel sooo much better about this race now that I've been on the bike course. My confidence is way up! I know I can do it. I just wish Matt could follow me on race day like he did today. :-)

As for this past week, it was mostly a recovery week starting on Sunday. With the nice cool weather, I went a little farther than planned, but I kept the pace way down.

June 26 - July 2
Sat - Bike 44 miles
Sun - Bike 10.2 miles and Run 2.08 miles
Mon - Swim 29:40
Tue - Run 5.05 miles
Wed - Run 2.85 miles
Thur - Bike 18.1 miles and Run 4.7 miles
Fri - Swim 16:00 (alone and bored - didn't stay long)

11 weeks to REV3 - Weekly update

Weekly Workouts - June 19 to 25

Sat - off (sick and day before race)
Sun - Bike 25 miles (12.5 race and 12.5 second loop with Matt)
Mon - Swim 2000 yds
Tue - Run 9 miles
Wed - Bike 15.63 miles
Thur - Bike 24 miles and Run 2.5 miles
Fri - off

Just 11 more weeks until the REV3 70.3. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with my training. I missed a swim this week because of baseball, but now that the season is over, I'll easily be able to fit in two open water swims every week. I'm hoping to make it up to Lake Erie for a 3rd swim at least every other week, starting this week!
I'm about right on target with both my biking and my running. Today I went on my longest ride ever - 44 miles. Plus, it was hilly! Within the next week I'll be up to 50 mile bike rides. :-)
In two weeks I'm doing another Olympic distance triathlon. This one is at Caesar Creek, and it's another HFP race.

Presque Isle Time Trial

Presque Isle State Park in Erie, Pennsylvania was the site of this morning's 12.5 mile bike time trial. The weather was beautiful - sunny, not too windy, and about 70 degrees. Of the about 130 riders, I was #98 and Matt was #99. The riders began every 15 seconds, which put my start time at 7:54 and Matt's at 7:54:15.
I started out pretty fast, because I didn't want to let Matt catch me too quickly. (Ahead of time he said it would only take him one mile to catch me.) Well, I hit 24.5 MPH and realized that was too fast on this totally flat course. Matt passed me right after the 1 mile marker. :-)
I only rode this course one other time, and it took me 42 min and 27 sec - 17.6 avg mph. (That was back in April of 2008.) Today I finished in 37:57, which was an average of 19.8 MPH! My fastest bike average before today was 19.0 mph and that was during the triathlon at Fairport Harbor last year. :)
The next time I ride this course at Presque Isle, my goal will have to be to maintain an average of 20 mph!
After the race Matt and I rode the course again, but together this time. :) So, it was a nice 25 mile day.

Weekly Workouts for June 12 - 18
Sat - Bike 26.25 miles
Sun - off
Mon - Run 5.81 miles and Swim 1340 yds
Tue - Bike 50 min (on trainer)
Wed - Run 8 miles
Thur - off (sick)
Fri - off (sick)

Do to my cold, I missed a lot of workouts this past week, but thankfully I made it through this morning's race and I'm feeling much better this evening.

Weekly Workout Update - June 11, 2010

June 5 - 11
Sat - off
Sun - Swim 1500M, Bike 40K, Run 10K - 3 hrs 14 min
Mon - off
Tue - Run 5.12 miles
Wed - Swim 2000 yds (pool)
Thur - Bike 11 miles then Run 2 miles
Fri - Lift and Swim 1,760 yds (lake)

Overall it was a good week. I took an extra day off after the triathlon on Sunday, but I'm glad, since I was pretty tired on Monday. A couple of times a week I'm getting up early and doing a workout outside (run or bike) before Matt leaves for work. I like that better than running inside at the Nat or riding on my bike trainer, but I have to do that for some workouts in order to fit everything in while the boys are home. :)

I've starting swimming at Munroe Falls MetroPark on Mon / Fri evenings and that's so much better than laps at the pool! Tonight's swim was one of the best I've ever had in a lake. I felt so much more relaxed than usual. What a great feeling.

Deer Creek Olympic Triathlon Race Report - June 6, 2010

On Sunday I was in my second ever Olympic distance triathlon. Saturday night I drove a couple of hours south to Columbus and stayed the night at my cousin's house, so I would only have about an hour to drive Sunday morning before the race. Once in the van and driving on Sunday, I heard that there was a Tornado Warning. The sky was dark and it was very windy. Not the best race conditions.

I arrived at Deer Creek State Park at 6:30 AM, checked in, and set up my gear in transition.


So far, so good.

It was still very windy and looked like it could rain, so put my shoes and towels in bags. I knew my transitions would take longer this way, but I didn't want to be putting on wet socks and shoes.



A few minutes after getting everything in bags, it started to rain. And RAIN, and RAIN. Plus there was a good deal of lighting and it was still VERY windy. An announcement was made that the start would be delayed for 30 minutes. So, the start would now be 8:30. My wave was supposed to start at 8:21, so now I'd be beginning around 8:51. I hid out in my van during this time, wondering how my gear was holding up over in the transition area.

Around 8:20 the rain suddenly slowed down, and everyone made their way back over to transition. My gear was good in the bags! :-) It looked like another round of rain was coming, but amazingly, it never did. We were just left to deal with the WIND.



The race started in waves, with everyone in the sprint race going first. I began with ALL of the ladies doing the Olympic distance. There was only one wave of men behind us. We started on the beach and ran into the water. The swim was two loops, totaling 1500 meters. (1640 yds - I usually track my swimming distance in yards.)I have NEVER been swimming in waves before. I've been planning on going up to Lake Erie more this year for practice, but haven't yet. Well, I got my share of waves on Sunday! It's just a small lake, but the wind was soooo stong! I knew I was slow, but I kept swimming along and did my best.

SWIM TIME (with the run to transition) 33:30

This was my first time racing with a full length, long sleeve wetsuit. Thankfully, it came off without a problem!

T1 2:43

The bike course was mostly flat, with only 2 or 3 spots where I had to shift to go uphill. But, the WIND didn't go away! I was being blown all around! For the few minutes that it was behind me, I had fun going 21 to 22 MPH on a flat to slight uphill area. :-) We also did two laps of the bike course for a total of 40K. (about 25 miles) I averaged 16.1 MPH on my bike computer.

BIKE TIME 1:33:32

T2 1:46

The run was an out and back 10K and completely flat. Again, the wind was a factor. I was actually laughing as I was being blown back. After the turn around, it was fun running with the wind at my back. I'm also very happy that I felt strong on the run. Not like last year where I couldn't catch my breath on the run in my Oly tri. I ran a 10:07 per mile pace.

RUN TIME 62:54

TOTAL RACE TIME 3:14:26

At first I wasn't happy with my time. I wanted to beat my time from last year - 3:08:xx. But the more I studied my results, the more pleased I became.

* My T1 time was almost a whole minute FASTER (even with the new longer wetsuit.)
* My bike average was .2 MPH faster, AND this was a longer bike course by 3K, AND it was SUPER WINDY!
* My T2 time was 30 seconds faster, and I had to tie my shoes because I didn't put on my other laces yet.
* My run time was almost 6 minutes faster!!! - a whole minute per mile faster.

So, the only place where I was slower, was the swim, and I'm okay with that, because those waves were crazy! :-)

Oh, because of the storm, I didn't think sunscreen was needed. Big Oops.




Next race: a 12.7 mile Time Trial at Presque Isle with Matt on Father's Day.

Tomorrow's Race and Weekly Update

Just a few days ago I signed up to do the Olympic Distance triathlon at Deer Creek State park tomorrow. This will be only my second Olympic triathlon ever!!! Last year I did one at the end of the season, and finished in 3 hr 8 min and 33 sec. Of course I want to beat that time tomorrow, but I'd REALLY like to finish under 3 hours - 2:59:59 would be fine with me. :) I don't know much about the course, so I'll just have to go with the flow. I've tried out my new wetsuit twice now - this past Monday and last night. I really like it! I just hope I'm not too warm while swimming and I hope I don't get stuck in it when I try to pull it off. The forecast is calling for rain, so there's something else I'll have to deal with. (I don't like to bike on wet roads.) Tonight I'll be driving to Columbus to stay the night at my cousin's house, and then early tomorrow I'll drive the rest of the way to Deer Creek. We used to go there for boating / vacations as a kid - I hope my race will be just as fun!

Weekly Workouts for May 29 - June 4

Sat - Bike 34.5 miles
Sun - Run 8.15 miles
Mon - Bike 29 miles and Swim 550 yds (first time in wetsuit)
Tue - off
Wed - Run 4.1 miles
Thur - Bike 60 minutes (inside on trainer)
Fri - Run 3.13 miles and Swim 1050 yds

May 22 - 28
Sat - Run 3.24 miles (last minute decision to run at 8:30 after the boys went to bed)
Sun - Bike 35.76 miles (alone and mostly on the bike path)
Mon - off (tried to swim, but childcare was FULL)
Tue - Run 6.41 miles (all before Matt left for work) :-)
Wed - Bike 5.8 miles (with Tyler in tow)
Thur - Bike 16.5 miles then Run 2 miles (another nice evening with the Grunt Girls)
Fri - Swim 2000 yds

I'm still behind on the swimming, but glad I got in some laps today. Thankfully, the Munroe Falls MetroPark lake opens for the year tomorrow!!! Looking forward to some Monday night swims there with the Cleveland Tri Club. I also can't wait to try out my new wetsuit!!! My TriGlide arrived in the mail today, so I hope it helps the wetsuit go on and off. :)

Workout update

May 15 - 21
Sat - Bike 30.66 miles (with ladies from HCC)
Sun - Run 6.2 miles (Cleveland 10K)
Mon - off
Tue - off
Wed - Bike 20 miles
Thur - Bike 11.88 miles and Run 3 miles (with Grunt Girls)
Fri - off

Missed my swimming this past week. Tyler had pink eye, so he couldn't go to the childcare. So far this week, the swimming doesn't look good either. I waited just over 30 minutes today for a spot to open in the childcare before giving up and leaving. It was really busy because lots of preschools are done for the year (just like Tyler's school.)

I'm pretty pleased again with my cycling. Yesterday I went on another "longest bike ride ever," AND I did it all by myself. I went over 35 miles in about 2 hr 20 min, averaging over 15 MPH. :-) I rode up to the bike path by Silver Springs Park and then followed the path through Stow, Hudson, and Macedonia to Alexander Rd and then turned back.

Workouts and Cleveland 10K

I have not had much to write about since my last blog. April didn't go so well when it comes to 1/2 Ironman training. (On the family side, April was great with our vacation to Disney!) However, vacations mean lots of planning, packing, and worrying about flying, which didn't leave a lot of time or energy for training.

For the month of April I biked 3 times, ran 6 times, lifted weights 5 times, and swam 1 time (if you can call laps in the FL pool with the boys swimming.) Ha!

Thankfully, I think I'm back on track for May.

May 1 - 7
Sat - Run 3.18 miles
Sun - Swim 1500 yds and Lift
Mon - Bike 21.08 miles
Tue - Run 4.1 miles
Wed - Bike 23.7 miles
Thur - Run 6.11 miles
Fri - off

May 8 - 14
Sat - Swim 1700 yds
Sun - off
Mon - Swim 2000 yds and Bike 6.8 miles
Tue - Run 3.5 miles
Wed - Bike 27 miles
Thur - off
Fri - Run 4.2 miles

This past Saturday, May 15, I went on my longest bike ride EVER - 30.66 miles. I heard about a ladies cycyling group that's just starting up. It's every other Saturday, starting at the HCC church in Hudson at 8 am. I'm not very good at trying new thing all on my own, but I got ready and went, not knowing what to expect! Well, there were 6 of us and I was told we'd be going about 30 miles and we were headed down into the valley for some hills. Oh my. I've never ridden up a hill from down in the valley - ever. Plus, I've never hit 30 miles in one ride. Plus, I have a 10K race to run the next day (but I know this is part of my big training plan for September.) So, we're off!
I really enjoyed riding with these ladies! I found out a few have children around the same ages as my boys even. :)
We went almost 10 miles, when 3 ladies turned back to get a total of 20 miles in for the day. I stayed with the other 2 ladies to complete the planned ride of 30 miles. We went down into and back out of the Cuyahoga Valley Nat. Park 3 times! If you're familiar with the park, I rode up Northampton Rd (straight up!) and up Bath Rd, and up Truxell Rd. Wow! Quite proud of myself.

Then, this past Sunday, May 16, I ran the 10K in Cleveland (part of the Cleveland Marathon weekend.) I've only run one stand alone 10K before and it was in Cleveland two years ago. My time then was 57:59. I was hoping to beat that time, but I didn't know what to expect after my bike ride the day before.
I got to the race plenty early, the weather was great, and my legs felt much better than I expected. I started out a bit faster than I planned, but after a few miles I decided that since I was still feeling good, I would try to continue my pace - and I did! :-)
Mile Splits
1 - 8:33
2 - 8:55
3 - 9:00
4 - 8:57
5 - 8:54
6 - 9:04
.2 - 1:50
Official Time - 55:17
Pace - 8:48
Another PR for the year. :-)

7:48

I did something today that I didn't know if I'd ever be able to do. I ran one mile in under 8 minutes. It was 7:48 to be exact. Yippie!! :-)
With the yucky weather today I went to the Nat to do my 4 mile run on the indoor track. During mile two I decided I should try to go for a fast final mile. During mile 3 I didn't think it was going to work out - I was feeling sluggish. But mile 4 started and I took off. The track at the Nat is 8 laps = 1 mile. Easy math - stay around 1 min per lap and then go as fast as possible for the last lap. It worked! WOW.
Mile 1 - 10:20 warm up
Mile 2 - 9:48
Mile 3 - 9:32
Mile 4 - 7:48 :-)

St Malachi 5 Mile Race Report

Today's weather wasn't quite as nice as last weekend, but still good for March in Ohio! Low 40s and rain. My first goal for today was to beat my time from last year, which I knew would be easy. Last winter I had some knee problems, which left me swimming all the time, but not running very much. So, last year my 5 mile time was only 48:00. I also wanted to run under 9 minute miles, finishing under 45 minutes (which would beat my former 5 mile PR of 45:19 set in Painesville in July of '07.) I'm very happy to say that I crushed my goal time.



Total Time - 43:13
Average Pace - 8:39

Mile Splits
1 - 8:14
2 - 8:37
3 - 8:54
4 - 8:48
5 - 8:38

Avg Heart Rate - 177

Shamrock Run 15K Race Report

What a great March day for running! Yesterday it was 40 degrees and sunny for the noon start of the Shamrock Run. We began and finished at Woodridge HS in Cuyahoga Falls. The first few miles took us down, down, down, into the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and then of course we came back up out of the park. There was a 5k in addition to the 15k, so there were hundreds of runners. Minus the blister I noticed on my left arch around mile 5, I was very pleased with how the day went.

Total Time - 1:29:05
Average Pace - 9:30

Mile Splits
1 - 8:36
2 - 8:54
3 - 8:50
4 - 9:20
5 - 11:21 big uphill
6 - 10:01
7 - 10:00
8 - 9:42
9 - 9:39
.32 - 2:39

Avg Heart Rate - 173

This is the first time I got to wear my Garmin for a real road race. I loved seeing the graph of information that I downloaded after the race. I am able to compare the elevation, to my pace and my heart rate.

Race season officially begins in March

I'm still seeing the chiropractor one to two times a week, but compared to the day I hurt it while shoveling, it's MUCH better. So, my big focus for the last 2 1/2 weeks has been running. I've had a little knee pain after running, but nothing ice won't cure.

My long runs have gone according to my plans, so tonight I signed myself to run the Shamrock 15K next Sunday, March 7, which starts at Woodridge HS in Cuyahoga Falls at 12:00 noon. I've been told by a few people now that it is a very hill course (which makes sense since we'll be headed down in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.)

I have NOT been training on hills at all this winter, so that will be my biggest challenge. I've never run a 15K, but of course I have run some 10 milers and some 1/2 marathons. The milage should be fine. I'm now keeping a close eye on the weather. Being a noon start time should help. It currently looks like it should be in the upper 30s. I'm not looking to set a PR (although as long as I finish, I will set one; cool.) I'd just like this to be a good training run with lots of other runners. :-)

Six day after this race is the St. Malachi 5 Miler in Cleveland. I am looking for a good time that day! I was just happy to finish last year, since I had taken a good deal of time off from running with knee pain. This year I'd really like to improve my time!

Weekly Workouts for Feb. 22 - 28

Mon - Bike 50 min

Tue - Run 7 miles

Wed - off

Thu - Bike 1 hr 15 min
Fri - Run 3 miles

Sat - Bike 1 hr 47 min and Swim 1300 yds

Sun - Run 8.12 miles