Calm Frog

In mid-May I signed up for Frantic Frog. It's a sprint tri (400m swim, 25K bike, 5K run). I was feeling very hopeful about training and feeling like it would be a good goal race for me.

The race was yesterday....

The last time I logged a swim workout was May 31st. The last time I was on my bike (not the Spin bike) was June 11th. Combine that with being about 25 pounds heavier. You might think it would have been a miserable experience. But I had a GLORIOUS TIME!!!

I had to borrow a tri kit since none of mine fit. The race was wetsuit legal. Ordinarily I wouldn't even consider wearing a wetsuit but I'm going to be doing the swim portion of IM70.3 Augusta next weekend. It's a wetsuit legal, point to point, downstream swim. I have to borrow a wetsuit for that one since mine doesn't fit so I figured I would try out a borrowed one for this swim but instead I wore some "lava pants" I bought for training. They are wetsuit shorts and they are AWESOME!!

Getting ready for this race on Friday was pretty comical. All of my triathlon stuff was spread out all over the place since I haven't done a sprint in 3 (4?) years and haven't done a triathlon since IMChoo in 2015. I couldn't even find my cycling glasses. I almost forgot my goggles. It was like I was doing it for the first time!!

My birthday was Thursday. Usually we celebrate by going to dinner but I decided I really wanted to have a non-food related thing so we went to the Escape Pod Friday night (SO MUCH FUN-I HIGHLY recommend that place!). On the way there a friend of mine sent me a text wishing me well for the race Saturday and she sent this video:

Let me tell you I SOBBED and SOBBED just before we got to the Escape Pod for my birthday celebration! But it was a really good, cleansing sob. It was just what I needed to let go of all the anxiety that was building up as I was getting my stuff ready.

When I signed up for this race I put a link on my FaceBook page. This race registration site (runsignup) has a thing where if someone signs up using your link you get money off your registration. Well a couple of people signed up from my link. One of these friends was going to be doing her first open water swim triathlon! As race day was getting closer I was starting to think maybe I had made a mistake signing up for it. I even contemplated not going. But then my friend asked me if I wanted to ride over with her. She has a vehicle big enough for 2 bikes and gear, and my house was close to being on her way from her house to the race site. I said yes knowing that would mean I couldn't back out.

classic pre-race pose

She showed up at 5:15am and we headed off. I'm sure I was just as nervous as she was but we kept telling each other it was going to be a lot of fun.

My new "race day/workout" hair.

This race used to be run by a local guy and it was a good sized event. That guy announced he was going to be stepping away from directing it so a race management company took it over. They changed transition, the bike course and the run course. They changed post race food. The feel of the race was completely different. Not bad but different. I think that actually helped me a good bit...it was like doing a new race instead of one I'd done a couple of times before.

We got checked in and set up and then I walked through transition a few times. Dwayne showed up to spectate which really helped to calm my nerves. I got to tell SEVERAL first timers to just stay relaxed...which was really me saying that to myself.

An athlete I coach was there to do this race. She has come so far and is really doing well. It felt very weird to know she was going to SMOKE me on the course...sad and happy all at the same time. In the past when I would race I would pick competitors who I knew were right about my ability level (usually a little better) who I would "target" to race. I remember the last time I did this race I was less than a minute away from winning a frog in a box. I was really torn up about how close I was and how little things that happened through the day kept me from being on the podium. I knew there was NO CHANCE of even coming close this year and I had been telling myself leading up to race day to let go of competing completely.

Letting of of picking a person to race doesn't mean letting go of trying to do my best. It's part of who I am. But my goal was to honor my body and to give all I had the ability to give for this race on this day.

white swim cap is me

As we lined up for the swim I was battling nerves and taking my own advice by telling myself to "just relax"...and just like that it was time for me to jump in. As soon as I hit the water I got a nose full of water and a foot cramp! I was able to start swimming and very quickly realized I was swimming way too fast. I took a couple of breaths and then mostly settled in to a nice rhythm. I have a horrible habit of only breathing right when I am nervous/tense so I forced myself to breath left a few times and tried to get into a bilateral breathing pattern but I kept reverting to right-only. At least it gave me something to focus on! It seemed to take forever to get to that first turn buoy. What's funny is that when I look at the times and distances, that first section was the fastest and shortest. When I made the second turn I was headed back. That's when things began to click. Probably about 1/3 of the way on that last stretch I was able to relax and just swim. I found myself wishing it was a longer swim! (I'll get that next weekend at Augusta!)

When I got out of the water Dwayne was there taking pictures. I instantly starting thinking about the bike and all the nerves I had just finally let go of on the swim came rushing back.

*huh, I was "jogging" back to T1!

Before the swim Dwayne asked me about my lava pants. They are hard to get on just like a wetsuit so he was asking if I was going to be able to get them off easily. I told him they are VERY easy to peel off. Well...as I was walking (yes, walking, not running(*) into transition, I realized the tie was stuck. I wasn't knotted but it just wouldn't come lose. I had a mini panic because there was no way I could pull them down. As I came into transition Dwayne was there and I told him it was his fault it was stuck because he had asked me about it! I took a nice deep breath and relaxed and it untied!! I started telling myself "I love this, I love this, I love this"....I got my shoes and helmet on, grabbed my bike, walked out of transition and got on my bike.

For the first few minutes on the bike I wondered why I was there but then I reminded myself--I LOVE triathlon!! And then I saw my friend on the side of the road. I asked if she was okay. When she said she didn't know I stopped to help. She had dropped a chain. I got it back on for her, made sure she was back on and going and then I headed out. I guess if I was a REALLY good friend I would have stayed with her, but I didn't. I had planned on making a video of the whole bike portion of the race. I had my GoPro attached to my bike and had planned on turning it on when I was in T1. I forgot until about 2 miles in. The bike was fairly uneventful. I got passed early on by several people and I passed a few people. I went slow at times and fast at times. (My fast times were riding down hill with a tailwind, but whatever!) Coming back into the park I saw a guy who was running with his bike. I asked if he was okay and he said he had popped a tire! He had to run about 3/4 of a mile with his bike in socked feet! In the final stretch of the bike I found myself wishing I could ride longer. My legs were tired and I had concerns about the run, but I really wanted to spend more time on the bike.

Coming up to the dismount line I started reminding myself how to clip out and telling myself which way to lean so I didn't fall over! When I got off the bike my pelvic area was ON FIRE!!! I felt like I could barely walk and all of the nerves I had let go of on the bike came rushing back as I starting thinking about the run.

Side note....back in 2014 when I was doing the Grand Slam, during/after Dizzy 50 I started having on-again/off-again pain in my pubic area. I can't fully describe it except that it HURTS. It doesn't seem to be muscular. My daughter researched and thinks it might be pudendal neuralgia which really seems to fit. I went to the doctor last week about it (before she looked it up) because it was flaring back up. He referred me to a spinal doctor but I haven't gone yet. The pain mercifully went away leading up to the race but when I got off the bike it was the worst I've ever experienced. And yet, I was happy. I was about to get to go "run" and I only had one more thing to do to finish my triathlon!!

I had one of the longest transitions I've ever had (okay...maybe not, it was 1:50...I'm thinking I've taken longer than that before...). I couldn't find my speed laces so I actually had to TIE my shoes!! GASP! When I got them on and grabbed up my race belt and turned to run out of transition I COULD not run. It hurt so bad to just walk I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to finish.

And then I remembered my own words...JUST RELAX. Breathe. Walk. When I got outside of transition I stopped and tried to stretch. But stretching never seems to help at all (increasing the chance it's that nerve). So I just starting walking (VERY SLOWLY). I told myself I certainly wasn't going to quit, so I needed to MOVE toward the finish. After about 3 minutes I tried to jog but that made it hurt worse so I walked some more. The more I walked the less it hurt so I was able to finally start jogging a little bit. My heart rate and breathing never really got too far out of hand (especially for a race) but my pelvic area and my legs were my limiters. That made me INCREDIBLY happy!! I saw a lot of people I know and got to tell a ton of people "GREAT JOB"!! My athlete was running VERY strong and looking exceptionally good!

There was a guy who had passed me in the final mile of the bike who I played leap frog with on the run. (Not literal leap frog, but he'd pass me and then I'd pass him.) He was a fun guy. He was high-fiving people and cracking jokes. Super nice guy. When we finally made it to the turn around we both cheered!! On the way back I saw my friend and was so relieved to find out she didn't have any more bike troubles. I told her I knew she was going to catch me and pass me but I wasn't going to make it easy for her! (I can't not compete...) The nice guy was ahead of me and I was losing ground to him.

I passed a guy at some point and he told me he was going to try to stay with me as we jogged along. We came to a little down hill so I told him, "I'm going to stretch out my legs a little on this downhill -controlled fall and then I'm going to walk at that turn up ahead". He said okay and stayed right with me. We walked a bit and then jogged a bit. And then I said "Okay, we are going to run to the aide station and then we can walk again for a bit"...and it hit me...I didn't know this person. He's not my athlete. I'm not coaching him!! I apologized profusely and told him I just can't help myself! He laughed and said it was more than fine that it gave him goals. So we ran, then we walked and then we caught the other guy. I told him he should join us. We started running again and passed a guy walking so I told him to join the band of brothers, which he did!!

at the finish

When I got to about mile 2.5 I finally hit a good zone. There was an Ironman up ahead of me (he had a tattoo) who was running my speed and I just disconnected from everything except the back of his head. It was GLORIOUS!! I found myself wishing I could just keep running all day long. I felt myself speeding up but I just couldn't hold on. I realized we had lost fun guy and walking guy, but the other guy was still there. I told him "I'm going to walk to the next little sign and then I'm going to start running again..." He asked me if we were going to run at the NEXT sign, or the one after that...I said "I think the one AFTER the next one!" It was fun, we were in this together. We were going to finish strong together. I told him I usually have a good finish link kick but I didn't know if I could bring it out or not. I said if he wanted to beat me across the finish line he needed to leave me early. He told me where he was going to start running harder and I told him I was going to chase him.

my run/finish line buddy

I never caught him but he didn't leave me either so I was THRILLED!!! When I crossed I knew I had given all I had to give while honoring where I am right now. That is SUCH A GREAT FEELING!! I was very sad it was over, and relieved it was finished.

My finish line friend came up and gave me a big hug. I found out his name is Kendall and we got a picture together.

It turned out my athlete won second in her age group but I missed the award ceremony when she got her frog :(.

My pelvic area feels better today so that's REALLY VERY GOOD. I'll be going to the spine doctor next week. I'm not sore anywhere and I feel exceptionally good today!!





I think the video was right...HERE COMES THE COMEBACK!!!!

Thanks for stopping and sticking around!!!

So Close and Yet So Far

I signed up for Frantic Frog on the last day of registration.  I had intended to do it all year but frankly my swim just hasn't come up to where I'd like to to be yet so I put off adding this race to my calendar until a few days before.  I've only ever been able to do this race one time, in 2011.  In 2012 I was doing Atomic Man and in 2013 I was just a couple of weeks away from Ironman Lake Tahoe (hard to believe it's been a YEAR!).  But this is one of my favorite events.

I planned to get to the start early.  Since I had two athletes doing this race I wanted to make sure I was set up and ready to talk with them about their plan for the morning.  I just love local races.  I am blessed to be involved in a thriving triathlon community full of people I call friends.  And...I pretty much always meet someone new at races.  Saturday was no exception, turns out the gal I followed all the way from my street is friends with my best friend!  One of the joys of living in a (somewhat) small(ish) town is that you can almost always find a connection with people.

This was also my third race of the season as a member of the Bicycle Cove racing team!  We are fortunate in this area to have a few good local bike shops (shocking since Alabama is THE worst cycling friendly state...), but Bicycle Cove checks all the boxes for me.  I love the owners and everyone who works there, they sell great products (Cervelo and, my favorite, Trek bikes), they have excellent mechanics who get jobs done fast (they have a 48 hour service guarantee), and they are two miles from my house!)


Anyway...I got set up for the race, talked with friends, and went to get warmed up.

My shoulder really hasn't gotten back to "normal" yet.  I can't say that I know exactly why, but it was hurt for 15ish months before the surgery and from what I understand it takes a good year to get over surgery.  It has continued to get better so I'm not going to complain...but it was NOT feeling as good as it has lately race morning.  I swam, I stretched, I moved and I prayed.

And then it was time to start the race.

This race is a time trial start.  People are supposed to line up in number order and are sent into the

water two at a time every few seconds.  The two at a time thing happened, the number order didn't even come close!  The only reason that might matter is that getting in the water too far back becomes an issue because the faster swimmer has to swim around people who are doing the breast stroke, swimming on their back, or just treading water trying to calm nerves.  ***Please hear me say there is NOTHING wrong with any of that--I've done it ALL in races--but when I want to do my best, when I get in the water matters a good deal.  Saturday I opted against doing what a lot of people were doing-pushing up to the front of the line-and just waited patiently in the line.  I had seen all the gals in my age group I consider the fast ones show up and reasoned with myself that, especially in combination with how my shoulder was feeling, I didn't really have a  chance to earn a coveted frog trophy (a "frog in a box") so there was no point in getting worked up about start position.  Turns out it was more than fine.  I passed a few people and had a few people pass me but the swim was really wonderful.

SWIM TIME: 8:58 7th out of 24 (for comparison 2011 time was 10:40, 9/23)

Transition is constructed so that you have to run the length of a chip seal pavement parking lot to get to bike out (no matter where you rack your bike).  I ended up walking the last 10 feet or so because my feet are so tender!  I still had the 2nd fastest T1 time in my age group (1:38).  (2011 was 2:05 but still 2nd place)

In the three races I've done this year I have started with my shoes on my bike.  I still don't have the "flying" part of the mount down but I have gotten better at putting my shoes on so I think it's worth it to start that way.   I came out of transition with two gals who are very fast and I stayed with them...for about 3 miles.  I really think I gave all I had to give on the bike without just completely blowing up.  I love this course.  There are a few small inclines, but no hills and there are a couple of longer slightly downhill sections.  I passed a few people and a few people passed me.

((A little note about the picture...Coming back into the park I should have stayed in aero, but the bike route is next to the run course and I was sitting up a bit looking and cheering for friends...I temporarily forgot I was in a RACE!!))

BIKE TIME: 44:09 3rd out of 24 (2011 time was 47:48 5/23)

Coming off the bike I knew I'd be back on that chip seal pavement again and I almost didn't do the "flying dismount"...but I decided to not let fear stop me.  It wasn't pretty and it wasn't comfortable, but I was off the bike and running to my spot lickety-split.   Now...when I got there things got a little complicated.  First of all I tried to rack my bike on the wrong rack (((I knew it was going to be a problem when I saw that someone had almost the same transition mat as mine in the rack basically in front of mine...and I was right!))).  Then I had a hard time lifting my bike to get it on the rack.  Then I could hardly get my shoes on my feet!  I felt like I was all thumbs!  T2 times are a little funny because some people don't wear bike shoes so their transition time is fast (even though their bike and/or run times aren't very fast).  Total time was 1:02 (5/24).  (2011 was :58, tied for 2nd/23)

When I started running I felt HORRIBLE.  It seemed like I was moving in slow motion.  Now, I "always" tell my athletes that you can not trust how you feel because you just came off a fast moving bike....your body will feel like it's moving slow.  I say trust your watch.  Well...I didn't even look at my watch.  I decided it didn't matter how I felt...I was going to keep running and giving it all I had.  Looking at my Garmin data, I peaked at a 7:00 pace (!!) and settled in to a 9:00 pace...I haven't run that well all year.  No wonder I was struggling.  When I saw the first aide station I made a decision to walk and get some water.  That water really probably cost me a frog in a box...but I can still taste it's refreshing goodness!!  Looking at my data it was about a :38 second dip in my pace and when I started running again I was at about a 9:40ish pace.

The run course is on a path that winds through the wood and has some very short little bumps along the way.  On one of them I took another little break from the race and walked about :40.  I told myself I just needed to catch my breath.  It worked because I hit it hard after that.  I had a friend who got in the water after me who I know is a very fast runner.  I knew she would catch me at some point but my plan was to hold her off as long as I could then I wanted to hold on to her to the finish.  When she passed me I just didn't have it in me to stay with her.  I tried, but it wasn't there...so I just kept running until I crossed the finish.

RUN TIME:  29:39 (11/24). (2011 was 28:44...clearly I'm not running nearly as strong this year but I'm happy with it nonetheless.


After the race I was feeling really good overall about the race.  I was saying it was a great way to finish the season and that I felt like I had given what I had to give to it.

Until...

This frog was earned by one of the athletes I coach!

Someone had looked at preliminary results and told me they thought I had earned a FROG!!!  When I looked I realized they were wrong...the results that were posted showed I had lost third place by EIGHT SECONDS!!!  The girl who was showing in third place is a sweetheart and I love her to death.  When I told her she won 3rd by 8 seconds she said "oh I hate that for the other person....I would rather come in 10th than to lose by 8 seconds!!"  I laughed and said "I KNOW...I came in 4th!!"  It's funny how coming that close to the Frog in a box made me view the day's efforts with a different filter.  Instead of feeling pleased with my tri-season ender, I was asking if that water break was REALLY worth not getting that frog (and I was answering with a resounding NO).

I had to leave before awards were all passed out so I didn't get to revel in my friend's victory.  However...when I pulled up the results to write this post, I saw that I really didn't come in 4th....I came in 5th and my friend came in 4th (she lost by :43 so not nearly as hard to swallow as :08....)  I really don't understand were that person's results were when I looked the first time but nonetheless, I have to say losing the frog in the box by :51 seconds makes me really happy about my day again.

And...I'll be the first one to say it...that's just WRONG.  My satisfaction of my effort shouldn't be determined by a number on a list, or by a comparison with someone else's efforts for the day.  However...what it does tell me is that I never know how close I am to the podium.  I know that little water stop didn't help me run faster...in fact I'm confident I lost more time by taking it than I would have if I had just embraced the pain and pushed on.  I think if I knew somehow from the start that I would win a frog if I gained :51 along the course I would have been able to overlook the twinges in my shoulder, the sting on my tender feet, the burn in my quads, and the dryness of my throat.

As it is, I AM happy with my day.  1:25:25 (5/24)  (2011 1:30:14 9/23).  I won't get a frog next year because I'll be tapering for IMChoo or IMChatt (not entirely sure what they are calling it...).  Some people can race that close to IM, but I'm not one of them.

Until next time...
:D

Frantic Frog

((I am working on a retraction to my last post, but it's going to take a little longer to finish, so for now I want to write my race recap for the tri I had the pleasure of competing in last week.))

I had planned on racing the Frantic Frog sprint tri all season long.  Unexpected car issues, among other things, stretched our budget so thin this month I decided I needed to volunteer for this race instead of registering.  A sweet friend of mine, who signed up early and ended up not being able to race, talked to the director who let me take her spot!!  The day before however, my husband got so sick I thought I was going to have to take him to the ER.  All day Friday I was thinking there was no way I was going to be able go.  Miraculously Saturday morning he woke up feeling MUCH better so I grabbed all my stuff and headed to Scottsboro.

I think the fact I didn't believe I was actually going to race helped me be unusually calm.  I got there in plenty of time to set up my transition area, get my bib and timing chip and chat with friends.  Once again, I elected NOT to warm up which I think was NOT a mistake this time.  It was a little chilly outside and, as I found out when it was my turn to jump in, the water was even colder!!  I don't think "warming up" wouldn't have helped me swim any faster this time.

Obviously not me...

SWIM

I realized how far I've come when I didn't immediately hyperventilate as I plunged into the cold water!!  I was able to pass several people and felt good until I made the turn around.  Because I had witnessed so many swimmers veering off course, I was paranoid about doing the same thing.  I have not perfected the art of siting (watching where I'm headed) as I swim, consequently I had to stop and breast stroke to look around every so often which SEVERELY impacted my rhythm.  I came in 9/23 in my age group with a time of 10:40.  I'm very happy with that especially considering I hadn't been in the water more than 20 minutes since Rocket Man.    One thing I definitely need to get better at is swimming with other people around me.  It completely freaks me out when I touch someone or vice versa!!  I have to get over that if I ever hope to compete in a larger race. (Watch any video of an IronMan swim and you'll understand why!)

T1

I ran the whole way from the swim to my bike.  That's saying something since I had to run across a rough parking lot.  I have fairly tender feet, but I honestly didn't even think about it I was so focused on getting to my bike.  I had the second fastest T1 time in my age group (2:05).   

Lance's stolen bike...

BIKE

I had planned before hand to do my best to PUSH the whole time.  My hope was to blow up on the run because I pushed so hard on the bike rather than telling myself I needed to save my legs.  I also decided to suck down a Gu as soon as I got going.  It wasn't hot out so I had to remind myself to drink, which was not easy.  Although I passed quite a few people, many others passed me.  There was one girl (who pretty much stayed in front of me the first eight miles) who rode on the left THE WHOLE TIME.  She obviously didn't know the rules.  It caused a couple of riders to CROSS THE CENTER LINE to pass her!!  I never could get up enough chutzpa to tell her she needed to get over....nor did I have the speed to stay in front of her (I passed her once and yelled "ON YOUR LEFT" trying to get my point across...she passed me right back as soon as I moved right!).

I tried to stay focused ONLY on ME and the one person directly in front of me, whomever that was at any given point in time (my "target").  Every time my watch beeped to let me know another mile had passed I would glance down to see my speed, but other than that I just peddled as hard and fast as I could trying to think of nothing else.  When I would see a hill I would tell myself, "you've done this before, you know what this feels like and you can do it."  I could hear Coach Eric's voice in my head, "We love hills!!  They make us strong!"

I ended up coming in 5th (for that leg of the race) with a time of 47:48 (average speed of 18.7--my fastest average speed in a tri to date!!!).  I'm VERY happy with this time.

T2

I had set up my stuff close to the bike out/in area so I wouldn't have far to run in my bike shoes.  Perfect choice!  I tied with another girl for the second fastest time in our age group - 58 seconds (which was the 9th fastest time of all 128 women!).
 

Yes! That's ME!!

RUN

My goal was to run the whole time and push as hard as I could.  I knew this course had some steep but very short "hills" and some terrain changes (asphalt, grass, dirt); my goal was to keep plugging away.  I did run the whole time (except a couple of steps when I took a sip of water because my mouth felt like cotton half way through and I didn't want to be thinking about that for another 12 minutes or so).  I can say I didn't PUSH the whole time, although I didn't feel like I could run any harder.  I talked WAY more than I would have been able to if I was pushing as hard as I could.

I'm not exactly sure when it happened, but I was passed by a 50-something year old man*.  I decided I would just hang on to him.  Toward the end, one of my Tri 201 buddies was standing on the course cheering.  He asked me if I was hurting yet and I realized I wasn't.  I was tired, but I wasn't hurting.  He asked me if I wanted him to run with me, an offer I quickly declined because I knew he would kick my tailend!!  But as my "target" (the 50-something year old man) and I neared the finish I decided I wasn't going to let him cross first so I kicked what little sprint I had left and finished the run in 28:44 (9:17 pace, 10/23).  I'm happy with that run time because my official 5K PR time is 27:37...and that's without the swim and bike "warm up".

(((Taking just a second to talk to myself...I need to remember I will be much happier if I PUSH the whole time.  Not everyone is out there to race, I get that...but I LOVE that aspect of it and truly do want to see what I can do if I give it all I have.  I AM doing much better and am NOT being too hard on myself.  I just know I gave up what I wanted MOST for what I thought I wanted in the moment. I felt tired so I talked to people, I cheered other runners, I chatted with the volunteers, I had a nice, comfortable run that felt GREAT---ALL VERY GOOD THINGS, don't get me wrong here.  BUT, that was the ONLY chance I had to do THAT RACE....and I have no doubt I could have done better if I could have kept that in mind.)))  ...even with all that said, I'm happy with my performance!!

My final time was 1:30:14, putting me in 9th out of 23 in my age group.  In order to make the podium I would have had to shave off five minutes and 12 seconds.  I think that's completely doable and winning a frog will certainly be my goal for next year!!



I had a genuinely good time at this race.  I felt good pretty much the whole time...maybe a little too good on the run, but that's okay.  I loved seeing so many friends out there, cheering for them and being cheered by them.  The course was fantastic.  I even won a tri bike fit from Blevins Bicycle Company.  I don't have a tri bike yet, but I can go get my newly acquired tri bars and seat post put on and fitted!!  (Thanks again!!!!!)  Next year though, I'm earning a FROG (the coolest trophies ever!)!!!


*In case you're wondering--in most tris they write your age on your calf--that way you know if the person is in your age group or not--LOVE THAT!!