Monday, August 17, 2009
Patriot Camp
This past Saturday I attended Patriot Camp, sponsored by TQT and led by coaches E. and C. A fellow TG and I left for Jamestown at 5:45 a.m. for a full, fantastic, fun day of biking, running and swimming. We split into two groups for the bike ride – Sprinters and Olympians. The Olys rode on Route 5 while Sprinters rode on the adjacent bike trail. The trail was wonderful, and also flat – a pleasant change from the PP hills last week. Someday the trail is supposed to go all the way to Richmond, and it will be a fantastic ride. Then we had a hands-on bike maintenance clinic, where we practiced changing a flat tire. For me, it was my second tire change of the day, as I had blown out a tube while pumping up my tire before we even started the ride. I was using a fancier pump than I’m used to and I didn’t push/pull quickly enough when I should have. Next on the agenda were running techniques and drills, followed by a 3-mile run on the bike trail. Even though I was the last one to finish, I had an excellent time for me, so I was pleased. After lunch we moved across the road to the swim venue. We practiced open water starts, sighting, and techniques for swimming against the current or in some chop. The last session of the day was on race strategy and nutrition. This camp was a wonderful training experience. It was well organized, had great swag, and provided super support for aspiring triathletes.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Progress in Pink
I did the Pink Power sprint triathlon on August 9. This was a new, all-women event, and there were nearly 400 participants – half of them first-timers. The swim was 400 meters in an outdoor pool, the bike was 11+ miles of rolling hills, and the run was 3.1 miles around a small lake, thru the woods, and up more hills. I suppose the race director didn’t want anyone to say the race wasn’t challenging, but, for my part, I would have been just as satisfied with a flatter course. I’d done the run several times before the race, so I knew what the terrain was like, but I hadn’t expected my legs to feel like they were stuck in cement when I got to that segment, so the last mile was tough.
Overall, the race was fun. I rarely do as well as I hope beforehand that I might, but my particular goal for this race had been to finish ahead of at least one of the three competitors in my age group, and I placed second. I also was encouraged when I compared my split times with my performance last October at the Napier Richmond Sprint. I think that course is much easier, despite the one, long uphill climb on the bike segment. At the Pink Power, I had a slightly faster swim, a much faster T1, and a comparable bike and run. So I guess I’m still in the game.
Overall, the race was fun. I rarely do as well as I hope beforehand that I might, but my particular goal for this race had been to finish ahead of at least one of the three competitors in my age group, and I placed second. I also was encouraged when I compared my split times with my performance last October at the Napier Richmond Sprint. I think that course is much easier, despite the one, long uphill climb on the bike segment. At the Pink Power, I had a slightly faster swim, a much faster T1, and a comparable bike and run. So I guess I’m still in the game.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Log Canoe Adventure
Last weekend I skipped training to visit my daughter and her husband on the Maryland Eastern Shore. C&F are avid sailors, and they were participating in a log canoe regatta. A log canoe is a long, thin, sleek boat with sails. (The three sails have names, based on their positions, but since I’m sort of out of my element here, I’ll just call them all sails.) The boats were originally raced by oystermen, and the one C&F crew with was built in 1902. Imagine still riding a bike that old!
Preparing for the log canoe race seemed a lot like preparing for a triathlon. There was gear to gather – boat shoes, gloves, hats, suntan lotion, course maps, bailing buckets, and duct tape. The tape is apparently some sort of talisman – the Silver Heel does not leave the dock without it. The race was set to start at 10 a.m., but we arrived at the launch site by 8:30 a.m. C&F and the other crew members (about a dozen in all) hoisted the two masts into place and adjusted the sails. Each canoe is identified by a number, which never changes because it’s printed on a sail, and the color of the crew’s shirts. The SH folks wore red.
About 9:15 a.m., the canoes were towed to the starting line by the “chase” boats – so named because they follow the canoes on the course and are at the ready to assist when necessary. I rode with F and some other spectators in the chase boat for the SH. C’s assigned spot was the very rear tip of the canoe, jutting out over the water. (She's the tiny spot on the right side of the above photo.) Saturday was very windy, and there were white caps on the river – not ideal conditions for the race. In fact, one team decided they didn’t have enough experienced crew to handle the rough weather and stayed at the dock.
The 10-minute warning sounded. At the 5-minute warning, the six canoes jockeyed for position, wanting to be as close to the starting line as possible without crossing it before the race officially began. Having next to nil knowledge about the course, I couldn’t tell where the canoes were supposed to go or who was ahead. It looked like the SH was leading, but then the other canoes all turned toward an orange buoy. Someone in our chase boat soon figured out the Heel was off course, but race rules forbid communicating such information to the crew in the canoe. We could only watch until they discovered their mistake and re-adjusted their course.
The SH tried to make up lost time as she rounded the next buoy. Strategically positioned on long boards placed perpendicular to the sides of the canoe, the crew scrambled from one board/side to the other as they tacked. From the chase boat we saw the canoe nearly capsize several times. Then someone fell overboard, and the canoe went down. The race was over for the SH.
The chase boat anchored close by and we began the long process of gathering the heavy, wet sails into the boat, along with other miscellaneous equipment. Then the canoe was turned right-side-up and bailed out. Once the masts were laid flat along the length of the canoe, the chase boat towed it back to the dock. Some of the crew rode on the SH and some rode in the chase boat. Luckily, only one person was hurt – a sprained knee. We later learned several of the other canoes also had capsized. Everyone spread their sails out to dry and got ready to race again the next day.
The weather was better Sunday, and two shorter races were held. The SH did all right in the first race and was running third in the second race when, again, she capsized. If this regatta had given a “bottoms up” prize, the SH certainly would have won it.
Preparing for the log canoe race seemed a lot like preparing for a triathlon. There was gear to gather – boat shoes, gloves, hats, suntan lotion, course maps, bailing buckets, and duct tape. The tape is apparently some sort of talisman – the Silver Heel does not leave the dock without it. The race was set to start at 10 a.m., but we arrived at the launch site by 8:30 a.m. C&F and the other crew members (about a dozen in all) hoisted the two masts into place and adjusted the sails. Each canoe is identified by a number, which never changes because it’s printed on a sail, and the color of the crew’s shirts. The SH folks wore red.
About 9:15 a.m., the canoes were towed to the starting line by the “chase” boats – so named because they follow the canoes on the course and are at the ready to assist when necessary. I rode with F and some other spectators in the chase boat for the SH. C’s assigned spot was the very rear tip of the canoe, jutting out over the water. (She's the tiny spot on the right side of the above photo.) Saturday was very windy, and there were white caps on the river – not ideal conditions for the race. In fact, one team decided they didn’t have enough experienced crew to handle the rough weather and stayed at the dock.
The 10-minute warning sounded. At the 5-minute warning, the six canoes jockeyed for position, wanting to be as close to the starting line as possible without crossing it before the race officially began. Having next to nil knowledge about the course, I couldn’t tell where the canoes were supposed to go or who was ahead. It looked like the SH was leading, but then the other canoes all turned toward an orange buoy. Someone in our chase boat soon figured out the Heel was off course, but race rules forbid communicating such information to the crew in the canoe. We could only watch until they discovered their mistake and re-adjusted their course.
The SH tried to make up lost time as she rounded the next buoy. Strategically positioned on long boards placed perpendicular to the sides of the canoe, the crew scrambled from one board/side to the other as they tacked. From the chase boat we saw the canoe nearly capsize several times. Then someone fell overboard, and the canoe went down. The race was over for the SH.
The chase boat anchored close by and we began the long process of gathering the heavy, wet sails into the boat, along with other miscellaneous equipment. Then the canoe was turned right-side-up and bailed out. Once the masts were laid flat along the length of the canoe, the chase boat towed it back to the dock. Some of the crew rode on the SH and some rode in the chase boat. Luckily, only one person was hurt – a sprained knee. We later learned several of the other canoes also had capsized. Everyone spread their sails out to dry and got ready to race again the next day.
The weather was better Sunday, and two shorter races were held. The SH did all right in the first race and was running third in the second race when, again, she capsized. If this regatta had given a “bottoms up” prize, the SH certainly would have won it.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Swimming with the Masters
Recently I joined a Masters Swim program at UR. I’ve thought about doing this for years but never did because I didn’t think I could keep up with the other swimmers. The UR program, however, emphasized that all levels of ability were welcome, and I figured maybe my triathlon experience had improved my swimming, so I signed up. The class meets three times a week, but I only attend on Monday evenings and Wednesday mornings. I’m in the “baby lane,” of course, but I usually can keep up with my fellow swimmers there.
In other group swims I’ve done I’ve struggled with the drills. Remarkably, in this class, I can actually do at least some of them. On Monday, we did a drill where we kicked while on our back with our hands together in the air at a 90 degree angle from our body. To my surprise, I didn’t find this as difficult as some of the other, accomplished swimmers did. Today we tossed a small medicine ball back and forth for 30 seconds at a time while remaining vertical in the water and kicking our legs. It was challenging, but my partner and I did it.
The best thing we’ve done so far, though, is diving. At the end of today’s swim, we took our marks on the side of the pool and then dived in as though we were starting a race. It’s been years and years, and a few more years, since I’d done any diving, and I wasn’t sure I’d remember how. I had unpleasant visions of hitting the water with a gigantic plop. However, I sprang off the side, sliced into the water, and glided to the top. Then I did it twice more because it was so much fun.
In other group swims I’ve done I’ve struggled with the drills. Remarkably, in this class, I can actually do at least some of them. On Monday, we did a drill where we kicked while on our back with our hands together in the air at a 90 degree angle from our body. To my surprise, I didn’t find this as difficult as some of the other, accomplished swimmers did. Today we tossed a small medicine ball back and forth for 30 seconds at a time while remaining vertical in the water and kicking our legs. It was challenging, but my partner and I did it.
The best thing we’ve done so far, though, is diving. At the end of today’s swim, we took our marks on the side of the pool and then dived in as though we were starting a race. It’s been years and years, and a few more years, since I’d done any diving, and I wasn’t sure I’d remember how. I had unpleasant visions of hitting the water with a gigantic plop. However, I sprang off the side, sliced into the water, and glided to the top. Then I did it twice more because it was so much fun.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Hy-Vee Olympic, Take 2
Last November, perhaps after a visit to the Breezy Hills Winery in Minden, Iowa, my sister and I decided to do the Hy-Vee Triathlon again. We named our team “Wash-Dry-Put Away,” our assigned tasks for doing dishes on the farm. All winter and spring, I diligently worked on improving my swimming and JB trained on her bike. JJ, however, was preoccupied with moving to a new house and then she hurt her foot, so she withdrew from the team in April. Not wanting to abandon the race, I decided to take her place as the runner. I kept meaning to concentrate more on that phase of my training, but I never quite succeeded.
Race day arrived, a pleasant summer morning with no rain in the forecast. Thankfully, the oppressive heat of the preceding week was gone, and it was actually chilly as we gathered at 5 a.m. From the beach, the buoy marking the turning point of the 1500 meter course seemed very far away.
My swim wave went off at 6:36 a.m. The water temperature was in the low 80s – too warm for the wet suit I’d carefully packed. Once I got started, I felt more confident than last year. I was disappointed, then, to discover when I finished that my time was three minutes slower than last year (when I’d stopped to rest at almost every buoy, but had worn a wet suit).
As I entered the transition area, I took off my foggy goggles and headed toward the person I thought was JB. I realized my mistake just as I started to hand the timing chip to a surprised stranger.
This year’s bike course had more hills than last year’s, and the first half required riding into the wind. JB, who rides a heavy, hybrid bike, had worried she’d have to walk her bike up the biggest hills. I assured her doing so would be okay, but she wasn’t looking forward to her part of the race. However, after her husband gave her some tips on proper gear-shifting technique, she rode up all the hills and actually enjoyed the second half of the ride.
Then it was my turn again. The run course had more hills this year, too. The 10K course was an “out and back,” and on the return, I ran with a young woman from Chicago. I enjoyed having a companion, as there were not many runners still on the course, and we encouraged each other to finish strong. My time was what I’d realistically predicted.
Our total team time was about 20 minutes slower than last year when JJ was the runner, but both JB and I were just happy to have finished. We had some post-race Blue Bunny ice cream, collected our gear, and departed. Before the race, JB had said she wasn’t doing it again next year, but on the way from Des Moines to her house, she was already reconsidering. Maybe Santa will bring her a new road bike!
Race day arrived, a pleasant summer morning with no rain in the forecast. Thankfully, the oppressive heat of the preceding week was gone, and it was actually chilly as we gathered at 5 a.m. From the beach, the buoy marking the turning point of the 1500 meter course seemed very far away.
My swim wave went off at 6:36 a.m. The water temperature was in the low 80s – too warm for the wet suit I’d carefully packed. Once I got started, I felt more confident than last year. I was disappointed, then, to discover when I finished that my time was three minutes slower than last year (when I’d stopped to rest at almost every buoy, but had worn a wet suit).
As I entered the transition area, I took off my foggy goggles and headed toward the person I thought was JB. I realized my mistake just as I started to hand the timing chip to a surprised stranger.
This year’s bike course had more hills than last year’s, and the first half required riding into the wind. JB, who rides a heavy, hybrid bike, had worried she’d have to walk her bike up the biggest hills. I assured her doing so would be okay, but she wasn’t looking forward to her part of the race. However, after her husband gave her some tips on proper gear-shifting technique, she rode up all the hills and actually enjoyed the second half of the ride.
Then it was my turn again. The run course had more hills this year, too. The 10K course was an “out and back,” and on the return, I ran with a young woman from Chicago. I enjoyed having a companion, as there were not many runners still on the course, and we encouraged each other to finish strong. My time was what I’d realistically predicted.
Our total team time was about 20 minutes slower than last year when JJ was the runner, but both JB and I were just happy to have finished. We had some post-race Blue Bunny ice cream, collected our gear, and departed. Before the race, JB had said she wasn’t doing it again next year, but on the way from Des Moines to her house, she was already reconsidering. Maybe Santa will bring her a new road bike!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Jam-Packed June
So far, this month has been like jumping beans. Last Sunday (which actually was May 31), I did the 8K Run Like A Girl trail run at Pocahontas State Park. My time was 4-5 minutes slower than last year, but except for the third mile, I maintained a decent pace and finished 6/13 in my age group. The top 3 women in the group did the run in 40-45 minutes, while everyone else took at least an hour. I finished the day with a one-mile swim at the JCC.
Then on Monday, my essay in the Mindset Triathlon Anthology was published. I was disappointed I wasn’t a top 3 prize winner, but I did enjoy sending my free author’s copies to various friends and family members. However, the process of downloading the digital book was so complicated, I’m not sure anyone but my son the engineer has actually read the essay.
Tuesday morning found me at the UR fitness center for nearly an hour of indoor cycling with KG. Wednesday morning we were back at UR for a Masters swim class. The class, the first one I’d attended, went better than I’d thought it might. Of course, the four of us in the “granny” lane did about half as many laps as everyone else did! Then there was strength training on Wednesday evening at MMF and a TG run on Thursday morning. The highlight of the run was our relay races. I did one quarter-mile in 2:38 and felt like I was really running, instead of my usual slow jog. My time for the half-mile was a respectable 5:28. By Friday, I was ready for a rest day.
On Saturday I decided to forego biking at WC and do a 6-mile run instead. I’m doing the swim and run parts of an Olympic distance tri in Iowa on June 28; one of my sisters will do the bike part. My other sister was supposed to have done the run, but she changed her mind last month. A great believer in “signs,” she thought this meant we shouldn’t do the triathlon, but I said, “not likely.” However, I haven’t trained for the distance nearly as much as I should have, so doing the WC loop seemed like a good idea. Then I came home and cleaned house before going for a short swim at UR.
Later on Saturday my daughter arrived for a week-end visit. In addition to shopping, our main event was baking a nine-layer cake for one of my co-workers who will be 50 on June 8. The cake is a traditional Smith Island (Maryland) recipe, and the layers are quite thin. My co-worker prefers frosting to cake, so this recipe seemed perfect for her.
Now it’s Sunday evening, and another busy week looms ahead. After June 12, I’ll be at a conference or on vacation until July 1, and I have numerous projects to finish before I go.
Then on Monday, my essay in the Mindset Triathlon Anthology was published. I was disappointed I wasn’t a top 3 prize winner, but I did enjoy sending my free author’s copies to various friends and family members. However, the process of downloading the digital book was so complicated, I’m not sure anyone but my son the engineer has actually read the essay.
Tuesday morning found me at the UR fitness center for nearly an hour of indoor cycling with KG. Wednesday morning we were back at UR for a Masters swim class. The class, the first one I’d attended, went better than I’d thought it might. Of course, the four of us in the “granny” lane did about half as many laps as everyone else did! Then there was strength training on Wednesday evening at MMF and a TG run on Thursday morning. The highlight of the run was our relay races. I did one quarter-mile in 2:38 and felt like I was really running, instead of my usual slow jog. My time for the half-mile was a respectable 5:28. By Friday, I was ready for a rest day.
On Saturday I decided to forego biking at WC and do a 6-mile run instead. I’m doing the swim and run parts of an Olympic distance tri in Iowa on June 28; one of my sisters will do the bike part. My other sister was supposed to have done the run, but she changed her mind last month. A great believer in “signs,” she thought this meant we shouldn’t do the triathlon, but I said, “not likely.” However, I haven’t trained for the distance nearly as much as I should have, so doing the WC loop seemed like a good idea. Then I came home and cleaned house before going for a short swim at UR.
Later on Saturday my daughter arrived for a week-end visit. In addition to shopping, our main event was baking a nine-layer cake for one of my co-workers who will be 50 on June 8. The cake is a traditional Smith Island (Maryland) recipe, and the layers are quite thin. My co-worker prefers frosting to cake, so this recipe seemed perfect for her.
Now it’s Sunday evening, and another busy week looms ahead. After June 12, I’ll be at a conference or on vacation until July 1, and I have numerous projects to finish before I go.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Making My Day
The finalists for the Mindset Triathlon essay contest were supposed to be announced on Monday, May 18. All day I waited anxiously for the email announcing I’d made the cut, but it never came. I was still hopeful I might hear something yesterday, but, again, nothing. By this morning, I’d accepted the fact that my essay had been rejected, and I was trying not to dwell on my disappointment. Then, in mid-morning, I received a congratulatory email from Staley at Mindset – yes, indeed, I was a finalist! My name should appear on the Mindset homepage tomorrow, and my essay will appear in a book to be published online June 1. I could even still qualify for a prize, which will be given to the top three. That would be especially exciting, although the prize is an underwater mp3 player, and I’m not sure I’d know what to do with it, if I did happen to win it. But for now, I’m thrilled to be a finalist.
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