MVHS High School Reunion Triathlon - Race Post

What is better than reconnecting with great friends from high school...

... in your 40's...

... and trying to kick each other's BUTT in a triathlon...

... with beer (and braging rights) on the line, of course...

... WELCOME to the 2nd Annual MVHS 25th High School Reunion Triathlon Relay Challenge...

... we had (3) relay teams this year...

... and it was all about this...

... the racers...

... and my favorite moment...

... read below... trust me... my sweet husband is a BEAST!

 ... time to let the photos tell the story...

Team "2DudesNG"... come on... we were limited to the number of
characters we could use to name the teams.  Gary... bike leg... had to bail out
a few days before the race, so Gina (sorry Gina... flying in from Atlanta to
do the race and had to get a bike to do the bike and run legs of the race last minute...)
This relay become a two-some... and having SOOOO MUCH FUN!

The swim leg of our (3) teams... getting in the water for the warm up.

Gun went off and (2) of our (3) teams running to the start...

... and (1) of our teams doing a penalty.  FLASHBACK...

 ... after our first tri challenge last year... at lunch a few hours later... we all had so much fun that we decided to do it again this year.  There would be a few new rules.  The selection of the teams and who was doing what leg of the race for each team would be randomly selected.  Needless to say, this made a few of our group members nervous... so an option was added. "Any team that decides to switch the assigned legs of their team... can do so... but with a penalty... 20 burpees for each team member before they start their leg of the race." 

And only (1) of our teams decided to accept the penalty and made the switch.  I don't think any of us really thought about the reality ramifications of such a penalty, but we all agreed anyway.

... back to Mike... the rest of the wave group started with the horn... except Mike.  He started 20 burpees... in the sand... and all of the spectators looked and him and started asking, "What the hell...?" Those of us that were taking photos and videos explained the situation, and the specators thought that was crazy awesome!


... little did any of us care to realize was that Mike is a multi-time Ironman
and Ironman coach... a few burpees weren't going to slow him down...
and he passed and finished before both of our other teams.

... back to Jeff and my favorite moment of the race.  So, Jeff was on Mike's team...
... and had to do the 20 burpees before he started the bike...
...what nobody knew was that Jeff had never done a burpee...
... and that he can't be in the normal push-up position because of his bad wrists...
... so my sweet husband...
... did his 1st ever 20 burpees...
... ON HIS KNUCKLES...
...on the blacktop...
... IN HIS BIKE SHOES (which has a slippery metal plate on the bottom where your
shoe would hit the pavement in the push up position)
... AND HE KILLED IT!!! (I love you, Sweetheart!!!)

... so back to my team...
... Steph finished 3rd in the swim and Greg (Iron Man in training) was 5 minutes behind Jeff at the
start of the bike... and I knew that Julie was at least 4 minutes faster than
me in the run... so I needed Greg to come in first... with a 4 minute lead...

... as I was grabbing the timing chip from Greg... and thinking were were OK...
... Greg said, "RUN...Jeff is right behind me..."
So, Greg caught up to Jeff (Yeah)... but Jeff held tight to Greg (Augh)...

And Gina... who had to jump in to do the bike and run
for her team... gets a transition area escort from her new
husband (4 month old newlyweds...)

The finish of the run was uphill... and I CAN'T TELL YOU how AWESOME
it was to hear my friends cheer for me... I started sprinting and brought it home...
... unfortunatley for my team, 1:45 behind Jeff's team...

   

It was all good at lunch after the race... good food... good friends... and thank you,
Gary, for the main round of drinks!  CAN'T WAIT for next year... new
challenges... and hopefully a 4th team!

Mission Viejo High School Reunion Triathlon - Year 2...

Gary, Me and Jeff... Here... We... Go!

Last year was the Mission Viejo High School 25th Reunion for the class of 1988.  There were a few of us that started catching up as we prepared for the reunion and found out a few interesting things...

1)  We all were either doing triathlons or one of the parts of a tri (swim, bike, run)...

Us at packet pick up... :-)

2)  We all like a good challenge and smack talk...
3)  After a few cocktails, it was ON!

Last year, the we set up (2) triathlon relay teams for the Carlsbad Triathlon.  We had so much fun that at lunch after the race, we agreed to do it again... and add a third team.

We have spent the last year teasing and trash talking and having a great time getting ready for the race... and tomorrow is the day...

... today was race packet pick up.  Jeff, Gary and I picked up the packets for our teams...

... time for bed... because there are bragging rights and beer on the line in the morning!

SDIT 2014 - WOW!

San Diego International Triathon... one of my longest and one of my favorite races of the year.  As noted in posts below, I was concerned about my preparation for this race.  I'm getting in (5) workouts a week, but work has killed the length of those workouts and I can really feel it in the international distance races.  Even so, my workouts leading up the race were going well and I was feeling strong!

This year, we camped with Mom and Dad at Campland on the Bay (one of our favorite family campgrounds that we have been visiting each year for 20+ years) leading up to the race... and yes, I slept in a tent the night before the race.  I knew I was risking no sleep as some of our neighbors did not follow the quiet time rules, but I went to bed at 8:30PM (had to be up at 3:30AM), had my bottle of water with me, and even bought ear plugs to help with the camping noise (quiet time didn't start until 11PM and the Sea World fireworks went off at 9:50PM, so I knew I would need some help.)  All was well until several of our neighbors decided to have a camp fire... at midnight... about 10 feet from my pillow... and announced they would be staying up until 3AM... I SOOOOO hate confrontation, but could not sit there and get 30 minutes of sleep before the race, so I had a little chat with them... and surprisingly, they closed everything up and it was quiet within 5 minutes.

There is more to our "camp neighbor" story, but that will wait until the end of this post.  For now, it is time to let the photos tell the story... of my race... and the story of a new friend who blew her own race OUT OF THE WATER!

My Sweet Little Bug... before the race.  Last time
she would get near me until I showered after the race...

... and My Sweet Husband... look at that cute smile... after getting up at 5AM...
to support me!  I love you, Sweetheart! :-)

Almost our turn... I'm in the white cap group...

HERE... WE...GO!

...not happy with my time, but I see my Sweet Bug and Husband which of
course makes me smile! :-)  Time for the bike...

... bike done, and it was tough... but the dismount line
is right in front of me!

Swim... done!
Bike... done!
Run... only 6.2 miles to go...
... and I see my Sweet Bug and Husband again...
... and the smile... again!

Mom, Dad and Anna... waiting for me at the finish line.

... long story... see below...

I told you that I knew I was going to struggle with the distance of this race and had to push through mentally to finish the run. I was hurting and worrying too much about where my competitors were.  I started my run mantra... "This is YOUR race.  Do what you do... trust in your training... push through the pain and finish this race." Over and over and over I repeated that in my head and I was doing pretty well. 

At 3.5 miles, Lee (in the yellow shirt) ran up next to me and asked if I had a margarita in my water bottle, because he would really like some. :-) Turns out that Lee works for one of the race sponsors and they had a few relay teams in the race. He is a cyclist, but only one run leg was open so he took it. He had never run before, but figured "he could finish 6.2 miles."  So here he is talking, being funny, and TOTALLY distracting me from my mantra.  I spent the next 5 minutes or so being really upset with him... my breathing was off... my mantra was off... I did not have enough air to breathe, much less carry on a conversation... then he said to me, "You are running a very nice pace.  Since this is my first race and you are the veteran, is it okay if I run with you to the finish?" 

"No problem," I told Lee, and I had to smile to myself.  I was so focused on getting through the pain I was not enjoying the ride... and it looks like God thought that we could help distract each other.  I still couldn't talk very much, but the next 3 miles went by very quickly.  Next thing I knew, we were at the finish and I told him he had to finish strong.  This photo is Lee shouting, "TRACEY!  LET'S GO, TRACEY!"


Mom, Dad, Anna and Jeff are screaming and cheering
and ringing their cowbells like CRAZY to help bring
me across the line!  THAT was AWESOME!!!

My cute Fashionista... busy at the finish line.

First and second place... :-)

This is Jackie Bickford.  She is an Athena 40+ triathlete.  I have seen her name on race rosters for the past several years, but had not yet had the chance to meet her... that changed race day.  I met her in the water as we were waiting for our wave to start.  We introduced ourselves and I knew THIS was "Jackie Bickford"... ellusive competitor of mine.  She told me that her 4-year-old grandson had given her his "cheetah" powers for the race.  Little did either of us know how right he was.

One thing that I knew about Jackie's race times was that I was faster than her.  I'm not saying that to be sassy, but in previous races, I usually beat Jackie by atleast 20 minutes... which is why I was so confused when she passed me with a great big smile and a "Come on, let's go" on the bike.  Now, half of the bike course is a loop, and I was on my 2nd loop, so I thought she was still on her first loop... but then I started thinking... she just FLEW by me... no... she couldn't be on her 2nd loop, too... what if she does have cheetah powers...

Flash forward to the finish of the race.  After catching my breath, thanking Lee for being such a great race partner, and celebrating the finish with my family, I went straight to the results board to see if any results had been posted for my category.  None yet... PHEW... although I had finished 10 minutes slower than my goal, maybe I had done alright... then I saw Jackie... looking all cooled down and looking for results... and they posted new results.

Jackie took first place in our category (I took 2nd)... not only did she take 1st place... she beat the time that I was shooting for... AND SHE CUT ALMOST 30 MINUTES OFF OF HER LAST RACE TIME!!!  She TOTALLY killed it!!! :-)  Yes, Jackie KICKED MY BUTT... but she KICKED HER OWN BUTT, TOO!  We have become Facebook friends so we can keep in touch, but I still need to ask her what she did... how she changed her training... because she was AWESOME! :-)

Being an Athena triathlete is a specific group... we all have a story... and a journey to share... and now I have to step it up because you know the competitor in me... ;-)

... oh... and our "camping neighbors"... the afternoon of the race, one of our neighbors approached Jeff and Dad and asked if I really got up at 3:30AM and why?  Jeff and Dad gushed over me... explained that I competed in a triathlon... took 2nd place... on and on.  Turns out the guy owns a gym and was totally impressed by my race... go figure.

Next up... the "2nd Annual 25th High School Reunion Triathlon Relay Challenge"... this weekend... Carlsbad Triathlon... :-) 

I am PROUD of ME!

It's NOT how hard you "tri"... it is pushing past your
limits and making it happen anyway!!!

I am three weeks out from the San Diego International Triathlon...

... 1,000 meter swim, 17.5 mile hilly bike, 6.2 mile run.

And I have been FREAKING OUT about this race.  Since I went back to work, I have not had the time to do the amount of long distance training that I need to do... and with the injuries I had this winter, I spent over 4 months without even running.

SDIT is in 3 weeks...

... and today I did my first full distance brick... on the race course... since the race last year.

I told myself that I am SOOO not ready for this race... this distance... especially because I've been trying to do this brick for the past (6) weeks and something keeps getting in the way.

So today, Jeff and I made it to the race course to see what I could do.

The Ride... Jeff replaced my bike break and gear cable systems and gave me some new handlebar tape that was sooooo needed.  It was GREAT!  I felt strong on the bike, but wondered how the run would go.

The Run... HOLY COW!  I TOTALLY turned myself inside out on the run... it was 80 degrees (even at the bay) and was tough, but I cut 5 minutes off of last years run time!!!  WOO HOOOO!

I think KNOW I'm ready for this race!!!  3 more weeks and HERE... WE... GO!

Accountable buddy...

One of the first posts that my accountability partner sent to me!
And, sooooooo true!

I... LOVE... TRIATHLON!

I don't know if I have said that enough.  The cross training sport of traithlon has helped me lose 50 pounds, is giving me back my confidence, and has introduced me to an INCREDIBLE group of athletes that are supportive and inspiring... no matter if you are racing against them or not... triathletes are a WONDERFUL group of people. 

My last post was of my training plan for this next week.  As soon as I posted it, I got a message from a fellow triathlete.  She sent me her training plan for the week and we became "accountable buddies."  She even started a Facebook page so we can touch bases and encourage each other each day.  WE... ALL... NEED... ACCOUNTABLE... BUDDIES!  It could be your spouce, a relative, a friend... or ALL OF THE ABOVE!  I think that the more people that are watching for you... supporting you... that you need to be accountable to... the better!  Although most of the triathlon journey is training/diet and mental, the accountability part is what really makes it happen!

Set your goals at the start of every week...

 

... make sure that someone is keeping you on track...

 

... you will rock your own world!!!

Time to be accountable...

I've been struggling with training, work, family... sometimes a lot to handle.  My first coach (Hi, Laura!), taught me that the best way to stick to a training program was to ink it in before the week started.  So here I go...

TRAINING SCHEDULE May 19 – 25^th

 Monday – Expresso Bike/Treadmill Intervals

Tuesday – 30 minute treadmill – train with Chad

Wednesday – Boot camp with Jane

Thursday – off

Friday – 30 minute bike – train with Chad

Saturday – 3,000m swim

 

Sunday – Brick – 15 mile bike, 3 mile run

... time to make this happen!

Spring Sprint Race Report

A week late, but still a good story to tell.  Last year was the first time that I did the Spring Sprint Triathlon.  It is the shortest distance race of my year and I enjoy it because it is such a fast, early season race and because they have divisions for the kids.  It is SOOO COOOL to see the little ones racing.  I happened to be in the transition area this year as the kids were coming into T1 and T2... from the swim and transitioning into the bike and from the bike going to the run.  I was cheering and clapping and giggling to myself as they made all of the same mistakes that we all make in transition... and then some.  One little boy knocked over the entire bike rack... one boy just dropped his bike in the middle of the row, left it and started his run... one little girl started to run with her bike helmet on... that was sooooo cute to watch!

As usual, I'll let the photos tell the tale of my race...

Me, Tammy (one of my race group competitors) and
her husband, Frank.  I've gotten to know Tammy on
Facebook and at several races.  Tammy led us in a special
"pre race" prayer that I know kept us all safe in this race!

I LOVE this shot!  We were the first wave of the day and I'm the one in the middle adjusting my goggles. 
I do have to say, this was my worst swim experience ever!  I've started with big male groups before, but I've never been
kicked or punched (and somewhat intentionally) as much as I was in those short 400 meters!  Let this serve as another  reminder that I need to trust myself to start front and center in the swim.  I finished before most of these guys and had to fight my way up front because I thought they would be faster... ;-)

... about 30 seconds to the finish line.  This was my first race run of the season after
an injuy all off season.  The run was HARD and I had to push with everything I
had to finish strong.  I am still amazed everyday how much of this race is
mental... I believe it is half physical, half mental...

So you saw us before the race, and here is the after shot of me
 and Tammy... and I always say that she has the BEST race
hair EVER! (Mine is in a little mess under my hat!)

Anna playing around while we were waiting for the awards...
... because...

I TOOK 1ST PLACE!  (And beat the under
40 year olds, too!)

I'm now preparing for my hardest race of the year, our high school reunion triathlon relay (and I pulled the run - AUGH), and a century bike ride.  I have some weight, distance training, and confidence issues to address at the moment, but know I can do it.  I'll be sharing more about this over the next few weeks. 

For today, I'm thrilled I was able to keep it together for this race, and that my wonderful husband continues to support my early morning training and even earlier morning races!

Spring Sprint Eve...

I've packed breakfast for Anna and Jeff and their chairs along with my
race pack... have to take care of my personal "photog team!" ;-)

... as Anna calls the day before any special event, the "[event] eve," tonight is the Spring Sprint Eve!  The shortest race of the year for me, but a good one!  Anna asked me today, "So tomorrow is your easiest race of the year because it is the shortest?"  I explained that it is the shortest, but that means I have to go faster than normal... my long distance pace is a bit slower than a sprint, so this race is GO, GO, GO... no time for rest or to breathe! 

Good news is that we didn't see an jellies in the water today... we had to swim with them last year.  And a fun new thing for this year is our name on our number/bib.  Time for me to get to bed... up at 3AM because I am the first wave start and with the elites again tomorrow (really... elites and clydesdales/athenas going together... OK...)  HERE...WE...GO!

2014 Desert International Tri - Winds, Friends, and a Chicken Bone...

This was a race weekend for the books... quite the adventure!  For the 3rd year, I raced the Desert International... but this year, due to a hamstring injury that kept me from running for the past 4 months, I signed up for the Aquabike.  It was the full 3/4 mile swim and 24 mile bike, but no running!  And, for the first time, we decided to camp at the race site instead of spending the weekend in a nice, warm, safe, clean hotel...

Camping sounded like a GREAT idea!  I would get to sleep in a bit on race morning since I didn't have to worry about parking, it was a 5 minute walk from the campsite to transition, and we could spend a few days enjoying the beauty of Lake Cahullia and the surrounding mountains.  And Mom and Dad were bringing their trailer down to camp with us, so it would be a fun family weekend.

It was about 10 days before we were to head out to the desert that Mom saw the first weather report that said there was a storm coming for race weekend.  I told her not to worry because the only weather we had to deal with in the past during race weekend was the incredible heat for early March, but to make Mom feel better, I started checking the weather reports regularly... and soon found that this was coming...

Mom and Dad decided to head out to set up camp a day early when the weather was supposed to be calm.  We headed out Friday morning.  With the van loaded down with all of our gear, bikes up on the roof, and just enough space for Jeff, Anna, me and our dog, Abby, we were lucky that our entie drive was not "Storm-aggeddon," just half of it.  We passed accident after accident, police cars and ambulances, and were so grateful when we pulled into La Quinta and the weather was clear and beautiful.  That didn't last long.  We pulled up to the campsite and found Mom and Dad fighting to hold onto the shade awning on the trailer that was trying to fly away.  A strong wind had just started and little did we know that was the start of 2 days of 70 mile per hour winds.  Booths at the race site had to be held down by dozens of people while product was quickly thrown into the backs of trucks.  A good number of registration boxes flew toward the lake. Tents were seen tumbling down the road.  On top of that, the rain that first night... WOW!  Can I just say "THANK YOU" Mom and Dad!!!  They had us all (and the dog), stay with them in the trailer.  It was a tight few days, but we talked and watched movies and had a wonderful adventure in the nice, warm, dry, lovely trailer! :-)

On Saturday, we got up early to watch the Sprint distance race.  The morning was clear and no wind - perfect race conditions.  We met up with some friends that were racing/supporting their teammates from OC Trail Tales.  I had yet to watch a triathlon and it was sooooo much fun... giggling to myself watching the wayward swimmers taking a 90 degree turn ("hey... where are you going?")... standing at the bike mount/dismount and cringing at the crashes/near crashes (people really need to PRACTICE before they try to take their feet out of their shoes like the pros to dismount!)... and standing at the finish watching the determination, pain, and accomplishment on the racers faces as they get to the end of their race!  I was so inspired that I COULDN'T WAIT to get to my own start line.  But that would have to wait for another wind filled afternoon and evening... then race day!  Time to let the photos tell the rest of the story...

The beautiful view from our camp.

That guy is GOOD!  He is running on water! ;-)

Superstar and San Diego Triathlete, Bill.  He STARTED racing
in triathlons in his 60's... he is a TOTAL inspiration and a great guy!

Watching the Sprint finish line... even Abby
enjoyed herself!

The camp on race morning... this road is part of the 2 loop run course.

Pure beauty.  You can see one of the swim markers in the middle of the lake.

Dad and me just before the start (isn't he sooooo cute!?)  ;-)

So... I started with the age group 40-44 men... and I was a bit nervous about
getting run over at the start of the swim so I started back just a bit,
but I shouldn't have been...
only 17 out of 56 of them were faster than me in the swim... ;-)
That is me in the front on the left... watch out boys, this mama
came to swim!

My wave start.

So happy... I cut a minute off my swim...

Start of the bike and feeling GREAT!
Time for the chicken bone story... 3 miles before the finish of the bike, I started
hearing a "thump, thump, thump" and figured I had a flat.  This part of the course
was a narrow one lane road without a shoulder, so I had to wait to pull over. 
I checked both tires... solid... so I started riding.  As soon as I got back on, the thump started again. 
I had to wait about a mile until I could pull over again and when I stopped,
 I found a 4 inch CHICKEN BONE, piercing through my rear tire.  (WHAT!?) 
I pulled it out, figuring that would pierce the inner tube, but surprisingly it was fine.
A police officer was standing at the intersection and asked me what I was holding. 
I told him it a chicken bone went through my tire and he said, "Welcome to the desert!" 

Friend and Superman, Matt.  Hit by a car while
riding several months ago... only 2 weeks of training
for an International Distance Triathlon... smile on his
face and he KILLED IT!  Woooo Hoooo!  Way to go, Matt!

Here I come... hill down to the dismount line.  Thank goodness
because this is a accident prone race... several ambulances out
on the course with riders again this year.  I was an inch away
from being in a huge crash myself this year. 

 

Friend and Carlsbad Tri Relay Challenge
teammate, Greg, finishing strong!  GO GREG!!!

Abby LOVING being at the race, not stuck in the trailer.  Our
cute little puppy girl!!! :-)

First year for the Aquabike race and not very many
participants, but I did take 1st in my category!

Perfect photo for Aquabike...

 My sweet husband and cute little bug on the only afternoon that was calm
so we could go out and enjoy.  Anna doing the "gold medal bite" on my medal.

...racing back to camp... :-)

Dad, Jeff and Abby enjoying outdoor time at camp.

Our cute bug, her bike in the background, getting ready for family "Uno"
time... what a GREAT weekend!

Crazy, CRAZY month...

Nothing new about the craziness in our life... just about 10 times crazier.  Things are calming a bit and it is time for me to catch up.  In the past month, my doctor gave me the go ahead to start running, which I've been doing slowly.  I'm doing 3 mile runs now and am at or a bit faster than race pace.  Still struggling with pain, so my confidence is not high, but getting stronger. Training for the Desert International (aquathon... they offered an international distance swim and bike without the run, so I registered for that since I haven't been able to run for 4 months), and that training is going well.

208.6

204.6




At the start of the year, I started taking a supplement that was to help my knees, but it shot my weight up to 213 pounds... sooooo, for the past month, I've been bouncing between 208 and 213... even with the 5 times a week race training and eating right... WHAT!?  So, I stopped the supplement and FINALLY, the past two weeks things are going in the right direction! 

 

Today Anna cheered for me... "Yeah, Mom!  You are almost back to One-derland!"  She MADE MY DAY!  :-)  I'm just happy that with two weeks to go until the first race of the season, I'm going to fit into my wetsuit... and with so many family and friends planing to be there, I'm growing more confident by the day that I'm going to be ready to ROCK this race! :-)