tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36366969961707618012023-11-16T07:32:16.098-06:00Living The Tri Life!Celebrating 33 years of racing!Living The Tri Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00905201895529626362noreply@blogger.comBlogger181125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3636696996170761801.post-14521275225978363372020-08-05T16:32:00.001-05:002020-08-05T18:04:54.719-05:00Years of Race Memories <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvkXJ8taKAh2DoSvJD0-d0H03HnTsiSrWww4t74tYUvje8s856JIH-LEz4mXm6rF6EnoM1ASKYN1MZ4n2gBVugW24HvDmuGGqRrMDDPN0fIBk1dQ6SPe9UFC31cRggqoUu7sXTXeeGy0K/s2048/awards1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1482" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvkXJ8taKAh2DoSvJD0-d0H03HnTsiSrWww4t74tYUvje8s856JIH-LEz4mXm6rF6EnoM1ASKYN1MZ4n2gBVugW24HvDmuGGqRrMDDPN0fIBk1dQ6SPe9UFC31cRggqoUu7sXTXeeGy0K/s640/awards1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A couple years ago Bill suggested that I use the laundry room shelves for my some of my awards. People used to ask me what I did with all the hardware I won. I only kept the ones that meant a lot to me. I was in there the other day folding clothes and was looking at them. What I remember most from these is not the actual race, but the friends who raced with me in these events. So I'm going to go through them as my way of remembering these people who I met along the way! Thank you friends!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1265" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiooSwczo_TZYQZbTfc4cj0TTD8Zrkp03UuXD40EhGhjiMrLxVUtka5ve0Csxl8JS8N1Wa8OO4756BqX7k-sDgJGuoYKZtKb98SD9kETNohqiE2sbDojfsxI_zWvBd0CKZYXnCHeu2cgdgR/s640/awards2.jpg" style="text-align: left;" width="640" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Tashka Trail in Tuscaloosa, Alabama! Thank you Ed Freeman for encouraging me to do this race. We worked together at Wagner's RunWalk, and I got him interested in triathlons! </div><div><br /></div><div>USAT SMW Hall of Fame! Thank you friends on Team Aquaphor for nominating me for this amazing award. One of my best moments in all the years of racing! I choked up when Matt Brown read the letter that they wrote for my nomination. Steve Ford, Ande Wegner, and the rest of the team. What an amazing ride we had on TA!</div><div><br /></div><div>Sunrise Triathlon Club Athlete of the Year! Thank you Angel Martin, Jason Riffle, Eric Sullivan - I miss you guys! Shreveport was good to me! What an outstanding group of people in this club!</div><div><br /></div><div>Cobb Mobb Top Performer! Big thanks to John Cobb for running this team. What an honor to be invited to race for Cobb Cycling and Johnny Cobb. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijJ6YNsPImlajxyP6yY8ceTwfmyqm7todDm0ZyDJtxbKnPjjSg7UNdXscSjD9JcskmrbyFCnhd-OzR6GBohGigXNWHG6X2L1h-E94numGTpyQsFYw-23NEFmHprY_4-6Vsp6wLMur30118/s2048/awards3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1264" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijJ6YNsPImlajxyP6yY8ceTwfmyqm7todDm0ZyDJtxbKnPjjSg7UNdXscSjD9JcskmrbyFCnhd-OzR6GBohGigXNWHG6X2L1h-E94numGTpyQsFYw-23NEFmHprY_4-6Vsp6wLMur30118/s640/awards3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Ironman 70.3 Austin! First time to place in such a big race. This was an amazing girls trip with Deanna, Lesley, and Judy. My training partners from Hattiesburg. Strong women, and good friends. </div><div><br /></div><div>Turkey Trot from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. We had just moved there and I felt the need to let people know I knew how to run! (heh, heh, heh). When I see this award I think of Ann Besanceney, an amazing woman who would have run away with this award had she raced that morning! Miss you, Ann!!</div><div><br /></div><div>Disco Triathlon in Dallas Texas. Drove back to my home stomping grounds to race for Team Cambridge and see my long time friend and team manager Scott Eder. Surprised myself with this win! I think I surprised Scott, too!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img border="0" data-original-height="1276" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQivUkLQytJgoyOX9pB1yywkK7iQi8kbQ5NSWc0cOyRKJIGlXYCx7E-69yG4xbB2AquXESxcHpzb7vCie9i_z6j4G6HBn5D-6RDrLCA7zyMDMhl4oe8JHiThg9lE2MBuAJclUc1EgnauQ1/s640/awards4.jpg" width="640" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Ignite SwimRun last year! I so wanted to do another one of these with my good friend Casey Lee. We have known and raced with each other for so many years, that teaming up with this amazing women is one of my best race memories in my life! </div><div><br /></div><div>The Power Mile in New Orleans! These awards will always make me think of the team at Varsity Sports! Racing with your co-workers for one of these coveted gorillas is a good, and painful memory. Covid cancelled the race this year, but hopefully it will be on again in 2021! Thank you Nicole, Brett, Kevin, Kyle, Meredith, Bud, and Chris for this memory!</div><div><br /></div><div>Abitaman! This is a very old award, one of the first races that I ever won. My best memory from this race is about a girl that I helped just before the swim start, I don't even know her name. We were all lining up, and I showed her the best line to take to the turn buoy, it was her first race and she was nervous. Years later, (I think it was in Alabama) she came up to me told me the story. She was still racing and beat me that day! Good to help new people!</div><div><br /></div><div>Heatwave Triathlon in Jackson, Mississippi! I raced in Jackson a lot when I lived there. I went back one year and saw some old friends, including Stacy and Roy Martin! What a memory with Stacy from a race when a man came out of the cornfields and flashed her during the race. She came back to the finish freaking out. Her boyfriend at the time Roy, and a bunch of other triathletes from Jackson raced back out onto the course to try and find him. Fortunately for him they didn't - a bunch of guys running down the street in speedos would scare anyone!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img border="0" data-original-height="1381" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-vxLJWeLyIRjZOrEUZDufNyQDvgGwMS_EdUN_5R_9BdacbIn3PMdz13PtVOIMO7QtOsMF-h5PtdP05dl3bbVOrl2DNPgVRWRrVW6v9w0WjTbokF_c41qwegX7cPI9bHf1IzJZmCBtCv4/s640/awards5.jpg" width="640" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Sunfish Triathlon! This race makes me think of Casey Lee again! We have raced this one so many times, and always made sure to get our annual picture together. Love you Casey!! </div><div><br /></div><div>The 25th Bud Light Mardi Gras Marathon in New Orleans! 1990 and my very first marathon. It was a downpour and I remember running through foot deep water along the lakefront. I drove from Baton Rouge, where I was living, to my parents house on the Gulf Coast. They took me to the race and stood under an umbrellas and a bunch of spots along the course to cheer me on, and hand me bites of a Powerbar. I sure miss them. </div><div><br /></div><div>Ironman Florida! My husband Bill, and my mentee Margaret Lloyd! What fun training with a college student who is 36 years younger than me. I never thought I had another Ironman in my knees but after finding Hoka running shoes I thought I'd give it a shot. Bill supported me ever step along the way and was out on the course with Bogey to keep me motivated. Margaret and I built a friendship that I will always cherish! My Mentee and I both took 3rd in our age groups that day!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><img border="0" data-original-height="1256" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPeckNLeungm2xVlaBHstNNrLVAKZDiKRhmhiKAGtwdT56KQnD-2wPHv1dStJdlyg50UwjsrDL4O_Su1FPIrch1gsChN2wzTRF0xz_oDRQBuPSK4_YPBj7Ygz9aP5EGnRFvwFhEp80i3Al/s640/awards6.jpg" width="640" /><br /><div><br /></div><div>Possum Town Triathlon! Racing for the Cobb Mobb and having Bill there provided some great performance pressure at this one! The Mobb was pretty spread out over the country but this was one race where a teammate was there. Thank you Les Carr for representing!!</div><div><br /></div><div>River Cities Tri 2007! I raced this event 22 or 23 times, this was the first time that I won my age group at RCT. Mary Tubb told me that it was "Big" to win here! I miss that girl, we trained together for IM Louisville. Some good cycling memories with her getting ready for that one!</div><div><br /></div><div>Race of Grace! Won overall and had the company of my Hattiesburg girls! We all got up super early and traveled on race morning! Those were some fun days with D, Lesley, and Judy! Some good times in my life. When I did the Rock and Roll Half marathon in New Orleans they drove down and surprised me at the finish line! Beautiful and strong women!</div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love seeing all these people in my memories when I look at these shelves. There are some other things scattered around the house as well that bring more people and places to mind. Definitely some Crawfishman awards and beautiful artwork, makes me think of Mark Salvetti, and Charlie Hoolihan. What a great racing life I've had. What a great group of people I've had the privilege to know. What an incredibly lucky life I've led!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Living The Tri Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00905201895529626362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3636696996170761801.post-71511751412978621982018-12-11T14:36:00.001-06:002018-12-11T14:36:18.130-06:00What a year! 2018 <br />
It’s been over a year since my triathlon retirement as well as my last blog post. I thought I would catch you up on what has been happening.<br />
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We moved from Tuscaloosa to Covington, Louisiana about this time last year. The actual move was quite a fiasco with our household belongings not getting delivered for weeks after we moved into the house we bought. We lived with a couple stadium chairs and a blow-up air mattress. Colonial Movers and Alvarez Moving subcontractors were a nightmare. Buyer beware.<br />
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I started working at <a href="http://www.varsityrunning.com/" target="_blank">Varsity Sports</a> in Mandeville just after the first of the year. Varsity Sports is a running specialty store, so I am right at home selling and fitting running shoes. Fitting in to the staff took a little bit of adjustment but now it feels like family.<br />
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In February we said goodbye to our Golden Retriever, Phoenix. We miss that sweet soul every day. This will be the first Christmas without our boy, and his presence is truly missed. His stocking is hung, and the red birds visit us daily to say hi. We had a cardinal build a nest and hatch an egg in a hanging fern on our front porch in the spring, another sign that Phoenix is still here. Bogey is 10 now and lively as ever! Someday soon we want to get another puppy, hopefully also from Halo Goldens (where Phoenix and Bogey were born.)<br />
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In the spring I started coaching Master’s swim at the <a href="http://thepac.com/" target="_blank">Pelican Athletic Club</a>. The group was very receptive to my practices, which I run more like age group workouts. Lots of intervals and new lingo for many of the swimmers/triathletes to learn. I’ve had a couple Challenge swims, one was a 5,000 yard Saturday workout. And we did a two-day 10,000 yard challenge with 4,000 on Friday and followed up the next day with a 6,000 yard workout! I love how they have embraced the challenges. In December we are having another one – it will be another 5k swim based on the 12 Days of Christmas! I have really enjoyed working with some of the swimmers in the program. They work hard and appreciate the technique corrections and pointers and are good people too. Bonus!<br />
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I’ve done a few races, even though I haven’t been running this year very much. I was pleased with the results!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crescent City Classic 10K</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.ccc10k.com/" target="_blank">Crescent City Classic</a> 10K </span>is one of the oldest races in the country. Originating in 1979, it has been going on for 40 years! It draws over 20,000 people every year. I placed 5th in my age group and averaged 8:08 miles – nothing to complain about there! Top 500 men and women get a commemorative CCC poster, I was running for a poster for sure!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Varsity Sports Mandeville group at The Power Mile!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Power Mile Trophy!!<br /></td></tr>
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<br />Then came <a href="https://www.powermilers.org/the-power-mile.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">The Power Mile</span></a>. This race was entered also at the last minute. I had a bad cold which may have been walking pneumonia for a month and had a total of 22 miles of running in the month prior to the race. “The Power Mile Road Race is the 2018 RRCA Louisiana One Mile State Championship, a chip-timed road race on a USATF certified course in Lakeview, New Orleans.” The award for the Power Mile is one of the most coveted awards in NOLA, this cool metal gorilla that you literally could use to kill someone, that thing is solid. I ran a 7:07, won Grand Masters Female and took one of them home! <br />
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After that was the <span style="font-size: large;">Pelican Athletic Club Masters Swim Meet.</span> I swam 6 events in this quick running morning meet. I remember getting up on the blocks for the 100 free after just have swum the 50 fly. My arms were still shaking, and I knew it wasn’t going to be a great swim. But I had a good time at the meet. I did add time to everything except the 100 back. I’ve changed my stroke after reading some good tips and it resulted in almost a 2 second cut in time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turkey Trot!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun Pom Pom hat instead of a tshirt!<br /></td></tr>
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I did one more race in 2018, another last-minute decision. <a href="https://www.tammanyturkeytrot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">The Tammany Turkey Trot</span></a> here on the North Shore (vs. The South Shore, a.k.a. New Orleans) held its inaugural race this year. There was a 5 mile and a 5k. I chose the 5 mile and again without very many miles under my belt ran a pretty decent race. The course was a little short, but I managed 8:09 miles and placed 2nd in the Masters Female category. Not to shabby for almost 58 years old! The race benefited the Northshore Food Bank and runners were encouraged to bring donations – over 1300 pounds of food was donated! Nice success and a great turnout for a first-time race.<br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've missed this girl! #menteementor</td></tr>
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My Mentee Margaret and Averi came to New Orleans a couple months ago. The three of us did IM Florida together last year. Averi was racing the NOLA 70.3 and they came to see me at Varsity and I went over, and Margaret and I cheered her on in her race! I miss those girls and my Tuscaloosa friends. I’ve met a couple of quality women here and hope to do some more cycling with them next year. I’ve missed being on the bike and hope to get out and ride more next year. <br />
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I’ve been thinking about my race calendar for 2019, and I think I might just have to dust off the tribike and race the <a href="http://crawfishmantri.com/" target="_blank">Crawfishman</a> triathlon! I’ve done a lot of swimming this year, now just need to amp up the run and get on the bike!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheers to 2019!</td></tr>
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Cheers to a decent 2018, and hope for an even better 2019! I am planning on racing on January 1st at the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/events/1397011390594925/" target="_blank">Iceman Dip & Dash</a> at Franco's! It's a 2 mile run, a 110 yard swim across the Tchefuncte River, and a 2 mile run back to Francos... yes I must be crazy! I've wanted to get involved in the <a href="https://otilloswimrun.com/" target="_blank">Swim/Run Otillo</a> endurance events, I guess this will be a way to try it out in a very small scale!<br />
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I got accepted as an ambassador for<a href="http://www.headsweats.com/" target="_blank"> Headsweats</a> (my favorite hats and visors), and I think I will get to represent <a href="https://www.sbrsportsinc.com/" target="_blank">SBRSports, Inc</a> again also!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Girls Ride!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swimmer Girls at the Turkey Trot!</td></tr>
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Living The Tri Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00905201895529626362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3636696996170761801.post-76305919841648300082017-11-16T22:09:00.000-06:002017-11-17T14:38:33.784-06:00Ironman Florida Race Report! Last One Fast One!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sometimes you need a little time to digest just what happened in your race. This race report has been rattling around in my brain for a week or so, and I’d better get it written down before I wait any longer.<br />
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<b>The Short Version</b><br />
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Swim 1:08:32 / T1 6:06 / Bike 5:52:05 / T2 6:07/ Run 4:33:48 – Total time 11:46:38<br />
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<b>The Long Version</b><br />
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I signed up for Ironman Florida with just at 4 months to race day. My “mentee”, Margaret had signed up for it the year before when the Alabama Triathletes were there volunteering at bike special needs. I watched an old DVD while I was on the trainer one day, and it inspired me to do “one more Ironman”.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Mentee, Margaret after a lake swim!</td></tr>
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I wrote out a detailed training program for the 4 months, and pretty much followed it to the letter. Monday was a swim only day, so it was kind of a rest day, but other than that I think I only took 4 or 5 days off completely from any training. But I believe I trained smart. I like having a plan that is consistent week in and week out. Sometimes it makes it difficult to get training partners, because it is rather rigid, but for me it works best knowing that on Tuesdays I have my long run, Wednesdays are a swim, mid-distance ride, and run off the bike if I feel good, etc.<br />
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So here is how my week was laid out:<br />
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Monday: Long Swim (not a continuous long swim) 5000 yards.<br />
Tuesday: Long Run<br />
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Wednesday: Swim, Mid-Distance Ride, Transition Run (only 1-2 miles if I was feeling good)<br />
Thursday: Mid-Distance Run (this started 4 months out at only 4 miles, it was the longest I was running)<br />
Friday: Swim, Short Ride (23 miles), Transition Run<br />
Saturday: Long Ride with the local bike group<br />
Sunday: Recovery Run<br />
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Once the long rides became longer than the typical Saturday Druid City Bike Club rides I switched them to Friday. Up until then I would ride the typical 50 or so with the group and then head out for some more miles. I also wanted to do my long rides on my tri bike by that point, and not on the road bike. So I scoped out the flattest roads I could find, even if that meant multiple (and I mean multiple) loops on the same roads. I parked at a place along the course so I could stop at the car to refuel my hydration. I trained with the same thing that they were serving at the race. This way I didn’t have to worry about bringing my own on race day. I had a plan and stuck to it. One e-Gel at the bottom of the hour, a salt pill at the top of the hour, and the Gatorade Endurance. I also had some mini Payday candy bars that I took when I felt hungry. When the weather was hot I tried to get one bottle of water and one bottle of Gatorade per hour. Once it cooled down some I decreased that amount somewhat.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Refuel after a long ride!!</td></tr>
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I built my midweek long ride from 50 miles, which was the typical group ride distance, to 70. It took 6 weeks of increasing the distance to get it to 70, and then that is what I did every Wednesday following a swim with the Crimson Tide Masters. That swim was typically 3000-4000 yards.<br />
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The swim was the easy part for me. Monday I did a longer swim, in the month of September it was a 5000 yard swim. Not a straight swim, lots of different intervals, varied through the weeks. I don’t believe in the long straight swims, the main set needs to be close to what you will be swimming in the race. So on these days the main set was about 4000.<br />
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Now for the running…I have “bad” knees. I’ve written about them before, two micro-fracture surgeries, one in 2002 following IM Florida, and one in 2008 following IM Louisville. Last December I had one more for a torn meniscus, removal of a loose body, and some debridement. My longest run training week was 31.4 miles, and my longest run was 17. Every Thursday was the mid-week long run which I built to 8-9, typically this would have built to 12-13, but here is one of the areas that I held back. My long run was on Tuesday, trying to keep it from being back to back with the long ride is better for the knees, giving them some time to recover.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The RACE!</b></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We're here!!</td></tr>
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We got to Florida on Wednesday, rented the most amazing house from VBRO, it had a giant Swim Spa Hot Tub, a fenced back yard, and it came with a golf cart, so it had a one car garage! (Perfect for the stinky bike post race).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Got Bill a VIP pass to make the day easier!!</td></tr>
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<br />
Thursday Bill, Margaret, and I went to the Ironman Village to get our race packets, and do a little shopping. The “expo” was a little unimpressive, but we did spend some time in the Normatec Recovery Boots. These were amazing, would love to have had these during the training. The next day was bike and gear check in, all went smooth.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ9a5j-LAztDwgxm0JoarduwZTA22EeTNXz53kwbJrugcM6JwzFF7nz_Fty54iVuEA7JSw7lrh86UAwsZhnX3WB8mPJmwn76_CFkOtTkHyjXinr0i5kLDIKxOT1kzgWttuz7kO9e4gt7Lc/s1600/IM+practice+swim.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1385" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ9a5j-LAztDwgxm0JoarduwZTA22EeTNXz53kwbJrugcM6JwzFF7nz_Fty54iVuEA7JSw7lrh86UAwsZhnX3WB8mPJmwn76_CFkOtTkHyjXinr0i5kLDIKxOT1kzgWttuz7kO9e4gt7Lc/s320/IM+practice+swim.JPG" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre Race Practice Swim!</td></tr>
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Race Morning:<br />
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I had a very uneventful race morning, which was good. Dropped off the special needs bags – nothing special in them. The bike SN had a PayDay, a couple gels (in case I dropped one while riding), a tube, quickfill, and tire irons. Run Special needs had another Payday, a gel flask, and a short sleeve shirt.<br />
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I had my wetsuit, goggles, cap, and a can of <a href="https://www.sbrsportsinc.com/collections/skin-slick" target="_blank">Skin Slick</a> with me, so before I put my wetsuit on I sprayed everywhere that there would be possible chaffing. A guy saw me, and asked if it was lube, and if he could use some. So I sprayed his neck for him – one of the best things about <a href="https://www.sbrsportsinc.com/collections/skin-slick" target="_blank">Skin Slick</a> and <a href="https://www.sbrsportsinc.com/collections/trislide" target="_blank">TRISLIDE</a> (other than the fact that they work amazingly) is that you can share it and not have a stick glide toughing someone other than yourself.<br />
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Warmed up some before swim start, this is important to me because of the wetsuit freak out that I experience. Margaret and I did two ocean swims when we got to Florida, and my new Roka wetsuit with its very flexible upper body felt great.<br />
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<br />
IM Florida is a two loop swim, I lined in about the middle of the first corral of swimmers. The time for this group was actually 1 hour or less, but after talking to my friend Becky who has done a bunch of Ironman races, she reminded me that people lie. There was a very old man in front of me in the corral, absolutely no way he was swimming a sub one hour. After the gun went off I scooted around him because he was walking super slow and I didn’t want to get stuck behind him. I had absolutely no bumping or issues on the swim. I started on the right hand side of the corral and angled in like Becky advised. Only one time did a man cut in front of me (twice) as he was zigging and zagging. I did the roll over his back with a backstroke and kept on my merry way! Came out of the first loop in 32 minutes but had a tough time angling back to the course once I started on the second loop. So my second loop even though I swam straighter was slower than the first. Bill found me in the corral just before the gun went off, he said he had been looking for me for an hour. He asked what time I thought I would swim and I told him 1:10. Total time 1:08:32.<br />
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Running to the change tent on the asphalt was tough. I stepped on a rock or something and the ball of my foot behind the great toe got bruised. In the change tent no one was there to help me so I just was going to stand up and get ready, so I dumped my bag by a trash can. Then changed my mind and sat in a chair a few feet from my pile. A volunteer then came over and shouted “WHOSE STUFF IS THIS??” I said it was mine, and she got onto me saying it couldn’t be in the aisle (it wasn’t) and that the aisles needed to be kept clear. I said “Thank You For Reprimanding Me!” She then apologized and said she thought one of her people did it… yeah right, there was no one helping me remember? I finished getting ready, and carried my shoes with me until I got to my bike. (No bike shoes allowed to be attached to your bike.) Transition time 6:06.<br />
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Onto the bike ride!! Started out and felt great! My right piriformis had been bothering me in the few weeks leading up to the race, and I felt it twinge, but then just backed off and it went away. In all of my training rides I followed the exact same protocol. Easy ride for the first 2 hours, and then increase and build speed. In training this meant in the 17+ mph, but this was a race so I held it closer to 18. I don’t wear a heart rate monitor but I could tell that I was riding easy. Within the first 5 miles a woman in my age group went by me, DRAFTING. Uuuuuuggggghhhhhhh!! Just after she passed me, I could still see her up ahead, a marshal came by and waved to me! I waved back and said “old lady in the white jersey drafting”. They zoomed up and rode next to her for a long time, maybe a mile or so. I didn’t see her at the first penalty tent, so I don’t think she got dinged. And who knows if she continued to cheat later on in the ride. Why why why….<br />
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I was totally planning on stopping to use the bathroom, went by mile 20, 30, 40… I guess I just wasn’t paying attention at the aid stations because toward the beginning of the bike I never saw the port-a-potties. Margaret and I had talked about peeing on the bike and I wasn’t planning on it, but did it anyway… ewww gross. I just rinsed after wards with water. They say in Ironman if you don’t have to go at least 2 times during the bike then you’re going to be in trouble on the run. Well, not to worry, I think I went about 5 times. Guess I was well hydrated…<br />
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Bill, Margaret and I talked about bike times before the race and I didn’t think a sub 6 hour ride was possible, but I was happy to see that I made it with 8 or so minutes to spare!! Yay!! Right before I got off the bike I had an average of 19.1, that made me unbelievably happy. I was hoping for an 18.5. Bike time 5:52:05.<br />
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I could have easily kept riding. In the three other Ironman races I did, I couldn’t wait to get off the bike. I’ve actually described it as dislodging the bike from your body. But on this day it felt like I could have ridden another 40-50 miles! Nothing hurt, I was really comfortable. This goes to show you just how much a good bike fit is worth. I got mine from <a href="https://cobbcycling.com/" target="_blank">John Cobb</a> years ago on this bike and it was the best investment ever! I ride a <a href="https://cobbcycling.com/collections/triathlon/products/2018-v-flow" target="_blank">Cobb V-Flow</a> saddle, and have for years, I am biased but I honestly think that Cobb makes the best saddles out there!<br />
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T2 was also uneventful, I kind of wish the nice volunteer didn’t help me. It almost felt like it slowed me down, she knelt there holding things out for me, but in a really strange order. I sprayed my feet all over with <a href="https://www.sbrsportsinc.com/collections/trislide" target="_blank">TRISLIDE</a> - bottom of the feet, heels, between the toes. I had also sprayed them the day before and put my socks on, then took them off to put in the transition bag. This way there was a light coating inside the socks. I did this before every one of my long runs and never had one problem with hot spots or blisters. Proved again in the marathon!! T2 6:07.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our numbers both added up to 19 - Prime Number!</td></tr>
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I had dorked my watch coming out of the swim so when I was running out of transition I stopped it and switched to run mode. But like an idiot, started it as I ran out of the changing tent. Then I stopped at the port-o-potties while still in transition and my watch kept running. What an idiot.<br />
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Saw Bill as I ran out and stopped to give him a kiss and a sweaty hug! As soon as I started running I realized that the bruise on my foot was going to give me some problems, it was hurting bad! And I had put some different insoles in my Hoka Bondi running shoes because I had been having some plantar fasciitis problems, and while this worked well on fresh feet, it did not when my feet were slightly swollen from the bike. My little pinky toe on my right foot (the same one as the bruise) felt buzzy and numb. I tried not to think about my feet and after a while (like 10 miles) I stopped thinking about them.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bill brought Bogey out on the run course!<br />
He got lots of pets!</td></tr>
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Becky and I not only talked about the swim start but a lot about the run too. She said if you want to have a good Ironman run you’ve got to keep moving. So I only walked enough to get two cups of water or Gatorade down at each aid station. I had my e-Gel flask and mostly used water. By this point the sweet Gatorade starts to get cloyingly sick tasting. The water cups were paper and made the water taste bad, so I finally started getting a cup of ice and a cup of water and pouring the water into the ice, that way it was colder and didn’t taste as bad.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lap 1 Feeling Great!</td></tr>
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I had my watch set to alert every three miles to remind me to take a gel, and I was taking one salt pill per hour. Before the race I talked with some of my friends at work and felt that I would be okay in the marathon as long as I didn’t cramp. Well, around mile 18 or so I felt the twinges of a cramp in my upper left leg. Not so bad as it shut me down, but bad enough that I knew if I stepped wrong it would seize.<br />
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Just before the turn around in the State Park there was a tent for <a href="https://www.baseperformance.com/" target="_blank">Base Performance</a>. Margaret uses Base salts and gave me a little vial once, I tried it but didn’t like it so I gave it back to her. On lap one of the run (Florida is a two lap out and back course), I took one of the vials and had a few licks but then ditched it at an aid station because the salt was irritating my tongue. But on the second time I went by the tent, just after my leg cramp I stopped for a second to try and massage my leg. One of the guys, who I later learned was Matt Miller, came sprinting over to me. “Are you cramping?” “Yes” “Have you taken any salt?” “Yes I just did.” “A salt pill, that will take like an hour to work. Here take 6 licks of this, and drink this down and I promise you won’t cramp for the rest of your race.” I looked at the little bottle of light pink liquid, couldn’t read the label, and thought for a minute that this might really mess up my stomach. Then I thought... what have I got to lose, I have to do something. So I took the 6 licks and drank the little magic bottle of liquid. And guess what… no more cramp. It was like magic, and I am now a believer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyK_XI-AirSIYwp0Zkf2IL5v1Ae6FMWM_TILVybys6TDWB50cgd46iwKakFCCsviUC6IMHDBm9Lh0BIWyF10zxp6fmIfnjgymJ2g-c9_zj-jfLAHxNaN-dSJNP0ehB-IUW0KHtogviprq/s1600/54_m-100795348-DIGITAL_HIGHRES-1999_062587-13197714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1066" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyK_XI-AirSIYwp0Zkf2IL5v1Ae6FMWM_TILVybys6TDWB50cgd46iwKakFCCsviUC6IMHDBm9Lh0BIWyF10zxp6fmIfnjgymJ2g-c9_zj-jfLAHxNaN-dSJNP0ehB-IUW0KHtogviprq/s400/54_m-100795348-DIGITAL_HIGHRES-1999_062587-13197714.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lap 2 after the Base Salts!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Without a watch running constantly from the beginning of the race I had to keep switching mine to look at clock time. I thought we started at 6:40 am, so I kept doing the math in my head of where I was and my predicted finish time. By this point in time you can calculate it, but then a mile later you’ve forgotten what you were thinking and have to do the math all over again. If I’m running 10 minute miles it will take me an hour to run 6 miles, but it’s really 11 minute miles at this point so I need to add 6 more minutes…so it will take me 66 minutes at this pace to run 6 miles. Then another mile goes by and you do the math all over again. And all of a sudden I realized that I was going to break 12 hours if I could hold on. At mile 24, the guys were out there with the glow sticks, also known as “THE STICK OF SHAME”. My friend Laura named these, that if you were out on the course after dark you had to carry the stick of shame. It’s also a tradition to toss it to a kid before you finish, so it’s not in your finish picture. Well the guy offered me the glow stick and I remember saying “I don’t need one, I’m about to FINISH!<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0G-eXfOzyJIDbUKmPrzqVCs5CiUsMC3r6-7hzJ3_2R892Exw-lwB2ezNF7aWOGyV_yalWeH6JOSpvMqmcrF9rAs4yKFvp7rgdAO2pCucA6YUrMB6cDIUk_JtM3GsBngIonYfqjkMTbH73/s1600/83_m-100795348-DIGITAL_HIGHRES-1999_119519-13197743+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0G-eXfOzyJIDbUKmPrzqVCs5CiUsMC3r6-7hzJ3_2R892Exw-lwB2ezNF7aWOGyV_yalWeH6JOSpvMqmcrF9rAs4yKFvp7rgdAO2pCucA6YUrMB6cDIUk_JtM3GsBngIonYfqjkMTbH73/s320/83_m-100795348-DIGITAL_HIGHRES-1999_119519-13197743+%25283%2529.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
Running down the finish shoot, and knowing I broke 12 hours was pretty emotional. I honestly did not think I had that in me. My “best” race scenario was to finish in 12:30. I did it in 11:46:38. After I crossed the finish I turned and looked back at the clock, and started crying. My marathon time was 4:33:48, just 10 minutes slower than in my very first Ironman when I was 31, 25 years ago this year. Bill was right there at the sideline and called out to me. It was so great to have him there and see what I worked so hard for these last few months. I was dedicated, I trained hard, I raced smart, I stuck to my plan. A 13 minute PR from my very first Ironman! It all fell into place for the best race of my life.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmoTXgHdH0_x_f1iVIWcKUAQrWdtiQ794nS-0QVZJOyY9oz82RgyQtx2pgUPfhvHB23tCWiEYqSmgxNFripQQr9zSjn9kYYUnSAYNCdKdPyUpUQ2LimjW-FWZbIMoQ9FhNMXbGvK8HPMLx/s1600/IM+podium.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmoTXgHdH0_x_f1iVIWcKUAQrWdtiQ794nS-0QVZJOyY9oz82RgyQtx2pgUPfhvHB23tCWiEYqSmgxNFripQQr9zSjn9kYYUnSAYNCdKdPyUpUQ2LimjW-FWZbIMoQ9FhNMXbGvK8HPMLx/s320/IM+podium.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
My retirement race, what a way to go out.<br />
<br />
I placed 3rd in my age group at an IRONMAN.<br />
<br />
I still can’t believe it.<br />
<br />
I was hoping, hoping, hoping to be in the top 5.<br />
.<br />
But I got 3rd, me it may as well have been 1st.<br />
<br />
I have lived the Tri Life for 33 years.<br />
<br />
The best sport in the world!<br />
<br />
Thank you for coming along on my journey.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibUgjAp3UDyWYGGFO-gnVd1J76PvMh1jvBw7GwnUGWmc83lGiU_etzsKpYL3lSTZ96MjUgdmAyMFYEX5Sc7lgpBsUSIVwJ7IWOiI-UbOqRYLxvU3xkAhT_ny2X2YApjdVfgkBa8bm2IXbJ/s1600/IM+kit+blue.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibUgjAp3UDyWYGGFO-gnVd1J76PvMh1jvBw7GwnUGWmc83lGiU_etzsKpYL3lSTZ96MjUgdmAyMFYEX5Sc7lgpBsUSIVwJ7IWOiI-UbOqRYLxvU3xkAhT_ny2X2YApjdVfgkBa8bm2IXbJ/s400/IM+kit+blue.JPEG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNq2p767Pj7s1SwpNHzgdNV5WE5D_8BuTZRluQYKlI830s9cD_CiGEUZuaLNDehbydWK4VQK3j-TrMlDtolw_pnkJNaL-0VpA9jprSmamj3uH6Lrf-TlWpneJgccK_I7JcN75-TbNYFpj/s1600/IM+3rd+mentee.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNq2p767Pj7s1SwpNHzgdNV5WE5D_8BuTZRluQYKlI830s9cD_CiGEUZuaLNDehbydWK4VQK3j-TrMlDtolw_pnkJNaL-0VpA9jprSmamj3uH6Lrf-TlWpneJgccK_I7JcN75-TbNYFpj/s400/IM+3rd+mentee.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Margaret and I both placed 3rd in our Age Groups!!!<br />
Her first Ironman!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRyDJ6BWKxRjLvjHSUkUDnRcE7YvVlsR8_NShneKWl_8WtIuR_xlqKDkP4xaWHX1XEsAckMWXcdWzSv6Pe3ThDs6UgcF_2mXbFk7UNEhquHzvBAz8P8KhM1qO0VQsrVm9Fju3X3zgmRIK3/s1600/IM+deer2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRyDJ6BWKxRjLvjHSUkUDnRcE7YvVlsR8_NShneKWl_8WtIuR_xlqKDkP4xaWHX1XEsAckMWXcdWzSv6Pe3ThDs6UgcF_2mXbFk7UNEhquHzvBAz8P8KhM1qO0VQsrVm9Fju3X3zgmRIK3/s400/IM+deer2.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some super cute deer we saw on our <br />
easy ride a couple days before the race!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD4PuEbhEPoxz8dndJ7j9iaT6gypH8k7SvnYq6SHMdw4l7O3Quy5zhvbq_R3cDbZHIHuDjQnKKHyGWanDGZGw0LJpna64WASbU5nQzeGoALFLeWMb7IzjJPnjgoDR1QNoQYKGHovLfd6Mp/s1600/IM+anything.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD4PuEbhEPoxz8dndJ7j9iaT6gypH8k7SvnYq6SHMdw4l7O3Quy5zhvbq_R3cDbZHIHuDjQnKKHyGWanDGZGw0LJpna64WASbU5nQzeGoALFLeWMb7IzjJPnjgoDR1QNoQYKGHovLfd6Mp/s400/IM+anything.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!</td></tr>
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Living The Tri Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00905201895529626362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3636696996170761801.post-59414755837110309732017-10-26T07:02:00.002-05:002017-10-26T07:08:19.017-05:00My Ironman Support! <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbXVnawTL2-q4ooxLmGiOyvJ9sXs1btFpkkeYYaHE89maNnLzjG3_7Sxe9PekyB3Rm51wXHLWR5n2fTJ0aYSfNKDkfc2VZgEvzlM2jPeiYlDFlgmkUovjvDUkKfUUP-qAxoJP0FnjYx3v/s1600/Bill+Louisville.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="604" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbXVnawTL2-q4ooxLmGiOyvJ9sXs1btFpkkeYYaHE89maNnLzjG3_7Sxe9PekyB3Rm51wXHLWR5n2fTJ0aYSfNKDkfc2VZgEvzlM2jPeiYlDFlgmkUovjvDUkKfUUP-qAxoJP0FnjYx3v/s400/Bill+Louisville.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This goes into the category “Above And Beyond”!<br />
<br />
My Ironman is almost here, and I want to share a story about my husband that happened at IM Louisville in 2007.<br />
<br />
Ironman Louisville has a perfect spectator viewing point on the bike course at La Grange. There is a highway that spectators can take to get there without having to be on the bike course, and the bike route goes by the town two times, so there are a couple opportunities to see your loved ones.<br />
<br />
I searched the crowd both times and was able to spot Bill! We waved, and yelled, he cheered me on! It was such a good feeling to see him during the race!<br />
<br />
After I went by for the second time he got back in the car to head back to transition to see me start the run. As I left transition, I was looking and listening for him, but didn’t see him. I figured that I must have just not seen him in the crowd.<br />
<br />
On the second loop of the run I found him and ran over to give and get a hug!<br />
<br />
At the finish line he was there and we were able to get a picture together, he had brought my recovery drink in a plastic bag filled with ice so it would be cold. I hadn’t asked him to do this, warm is okay, but he knew it would be better cold, so he carried around a leaking bag of ice so it would taste better.<br />
<br />
Got changed and we got in the car to head back to the hotel. Not until this point did he mention anything, he said “Notice anything different about the car?” The car we had rented smelled like Spencer’s Gifts, apparently they had sprayed a ton of air freshener in it to mask the smoke smell. The smell was gone. Then I looked around and noticed it was a different car.<br />
<br />
After Bill had left La Grange and was driving through a neighborhood a car came across an intersection and hit him. It spun the car around, and Bill hit his head on the driver’s side window. The rental was wrecked bad enough that it could not be driven. The police came, and an ambulance came.<br />
<br />
The ambulance driver told him that he needed to go to the hospital because he had a slight concussion. Bill told him “I can’t go to the hospital; I HAVE to get back to transition!!”<br />
<br />
He had to call a taxi to take him back to the airport, rent another car, and book it back to the transition area. This is why I didn’t see him after the bike.<br />
<br />
He never said a word until I was finished and safe in the car.<br />
<br />
He also got my bike, and bags and took them back to the hotel in the time that I was running.<br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>With a concussion</i>.</span></b><br />
<br />
Watching an Ironman is tough, it is super tiring. Your feet and legs hurt from running all over the place to cheer for your athlete. But you feel like you can’t complain because the person you are watching just did an Ironman.<br />
<br />
Bill never uttered a peep. He even went back out after we got to the hotel to get me a milkshake and something to eat.<br />
<br />
Let’s pray that nothing like this happens at Ironman Florida!<br />
<br />
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So here is to my super amazing husband, Bill! Thank you for supporting me through this crazy life of triathlon! You are the <b>BEST</b>!<br />
<br />
I just bought him a VIP pass for the day... shhh it's a secret surprise!!<br />
<br />
p.s. The house we rented for Ironman comes with a golf cart, so getting around should be a lot easier!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEZWe0ZwwAZqEu4UnSzfaom2lWc8vOi4efgAdIcYHgGFlvE1gjmplQjeBJJQGjTQw191X2_dB9NevnB1TD1t9lHzmFi5rSkCl-PIILIY_-6WobPK0RFwb2YX5qyx1zYQBRs4RIK6vPkDqf/s1600/Bill+Napa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="604" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEZWe0ZwwAZqEu4UnSzfaom2lWc8vOi4efgAdIcYHgGFlvE1gjmplQjeBJJQGjTQw191X2_dB9NevnB1TD1t9lHzmFi5rSkCl-PIILIY_-6WobPK0RFwb2YX5qyx1zYQBRs4RIK6vPkDqf/s400/Bill+Napa.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Napa at our nieces wedding! </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhWjhyS-l1S_fWuM4R1bZIyScnrQNNRWijGeXr0pBXlroC2jW_D1FtLi2GosoRqjPoxudFp5uAvzb8btSqwEsRH8zio9RFgWG_hCDJyKtlfrKRVb-aWDZPy2B_1ZsmUqcSBknaFKiSufCE/s1600/Bill+NOLA2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="475" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhWjhyS-l1S_fWuM4R1bZIyScnrQNNRWijGeXr0pBXlroC2jW_D1FtLi2GosoRqjPoxudFp5uAvzb8btSqwEsRH8zio9RFgWG_hCDJyKtlfrKRVb-aWDZPy2B_1ZsmUqcSBknaFKiSufCE/s400/Bill+NOLA2.jpg" width="315" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This picture is appropriate since we are moving to south Louisiana!!<br />
This was the year that the Saints won the Superbowl!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLubsIDJ2TSAKcPbwYKeypRnkYc63qKLa7DL5Uiiy6MU3UaWsRFXeY1hnoHMveOppjKZbtSEGWzpGzZg5wEoHAAQzWVFqE0oMhFB7ThNTerhbc3uifSGuUkANYXDgbsDsAv7bgh8VMuWKz/s1600/Bill+Take+The+Lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLubsIDJ2TSAKcPbwYKeypRnkYc63qKLa7DL5Uiiy6MU3UaWsRFXeY1hnoHMveOppjKZbtSEGWzpGzZg5wEoHAAQzWVFqE0oMhFB7ThNTerhbc3uifSGuUkANYXDgbsDsAv7bgh8VMuWKz/s400/Bill+Take+The+Lake.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bill kayaked for me at the 4 mile Take The Lake swim!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonKgsCWs6x64kQ6YgmbcGOssabxoFFgqJqrfCzAAmg65g2liQtvce4r7ggVlZ3PVSyr8a-Dd7-Dvl11L3EYtVV-97nN___Z4hj0NGHa_4cEpr2Bi0hPEx3u-lm1rOlwDoUoif4A-uCTRR/s1600/Bill+Rock+n+Roll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="911" data-original-width="960" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonKgsCWs6x64kQ6YgmbcGOssabxoFFgqJqrfCzAAmg65g2liQtvce4r7ggVlZ3PVSyr8a-Dd7-Dvl11L3EYtVV-97nN___Z4hj0NGHa_4cEpr2Bi0hPEx3u-lm1rOlwDoUoif4A-uCTRR/s400/Bill+Rock+n+Roll.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rock n' Roll Half Marathon! With no training Bill ran just over a 2:00 Half!</td></tr>
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<br />Living The Tri Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00905201895529626362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3636696996170761801.post-65833936205975083172017-09-25T12:40:00.000-05:002017-09-25T12:43:59.379-05:00The Ironman Training Paradigm Shift<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrmGel1DewGUwTZSPKe8h4TIBZQviaAdlsDY11oxY_iqjUPHTCq_D7LwWf9rf7T05gm5alYbl3pbXs-kXVcRWlgTDhvlrGLJB1idyzN-fMVPOcWBGj48VzZ0v393yWJIuYQsdAbUTbbYnO/s1600/paradigm+shift.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="698" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrmGel1DewGUwTZSPKe8h4TIBZQviaAdlsDY11oxY_iqjUPHTCq_D7LwWf9rf7T05gm5alYbl3pbXs-kXVcRWlgTDhvlrGLJB1idyzN-fMVPOcWBGj48VzZ0v393yWJIuYQsdAbUTbbYnO/s400/paradigm+shift.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I am a sprint distance triathlete. The last Olympic distance race I did was 3 years ago. The last half Ironman I did was 5 years ago. Since then my “long run” is typically 5 miles. I’ve been protecting/preserving my knees. I had zero plans of ever attempting another Ironman.<br />
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Never say never, right?<br />
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All of a sudden my 5 mile Sunday Recovery Run has become my short run. It feels effortless, done in a flash. The Paradigm Shift.<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (Since the 1960s, the concept of a paradigm shift has also been used in numerous non-scientific contexts to describe a profound change in a fundamental model or perception of events, even though Kuhn himself restricted the use of the term to the physical sciences. – Wikipedia).</span><br />
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Fifty miles on the bike was the traditional Saturday long ride. Now it feels short.<br />
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Don’t you just love the Ironman Paradigm Shift? I do!<br />
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I can already tell that I’m going to have those post Ironman blues.<br />
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I am truly enjoying my training and the consistency. My husband told me that he is proud of me!<br />
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Living The Tri Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00905201895529626362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3636696996170761801.post-13227357273822449652017-09-14T07:47:00.001-05:002017-09-14T07:47:36.692-05:00The Anatomy of a 100 Mile Bike Ride!This was posted by a friend of mine! Just too good not to share!! Enjoy!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcZsPFwiqnIUvPxcCJpp7FGcvn0WWPuPgnBvOoZT31w6pD_yWR9I7hlxD5UsNRAjGgfhHq1cZx_ImEehBGgO1P19qHKOHgCw6Lx8Pg8gFvnLLorykcREu4JSheVuoOfgFsBFLHTqSP77iQ/s1600/century_ride_sticker_oval.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="669" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcZsPFwiqnIUvPxcCJpp7FGcvn0WWPuPgnBvOoZT31w6pD_yWR9I7hlxD5UsNRAjGgfhHq1cZx_ImEehBGgO1P19qHKOHgCw6Lx8Pg8gFvnLLorykcREu4JSheVuoOfgFsBFLHTqSP77iQ/s400/century_ride_sticker_oval.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">The anatomy of a 100 mile bike ride</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">by Jason Riffle</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Mile 1: lets get this over with</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Mile 20: this might not be too bad</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Mile 50: half way!!!</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Mile 60: man that was only 10 miles?</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Mile 80: you think my garmin is working correctly with all these trees?</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Mile 85: if I see one more hill!</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Mile 90: wtf you mean that was only 5 miles?!?</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Mile 95: I really don't give a shit about the last five miles</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Mile 96: fml</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Mile 97: FML</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Mile 98: FMLMF!!!!</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Mile 99: @$&&@)&$;$&&(;$&);$&)</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Mile 100: that shit wasn't that bad....could of gone harder</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>Living The Tri Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00905201895529626362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3636696996170761801.post-39848710254674259102017-09-03T11:04:00.000-05:002017-09-03T11:09:11.512-05:00Ironman Training - 10 Weeks Down - 9 To Go!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgTKMWq25vYGIQbdxzcNiMvnEc9qe3gMWvERz9z1g1Eo8fn-gC0Y0vhmYovqNoIEfAcS7VH2kKJjBCTCmlDLiFSsxj_kBLaw4lJIkk4I5YMMzs789nardnE1eOwUJKFq8sCA7eI7D0lnp/s1600/MDot+Brave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="597" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgTKMWq25vYGIQbdxzcNiMvnEc9qe3gMWvERz9z1g1Eo8fn-gC0Y0vhmYovqNoIEfAcS7VH2kKJjBCTCmlDLiFSsxj_kBLaw4lJIkk4I5YMMzs789nardnE1eOwUJKFq8sCA7eI7D0lnp/s320/MDot+Brave.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Just finished week 10 in my Ironman training. If you read my prior blog post, you know that I entered the game late. Up until last week it has been a constant mileage build for the bike and run. I am old school and instead of writing up my plan in a spreadsheet, I like to have it on paper. I wrote it using a combination of several plans, including Paula Newby-Fraser’s, Paul Huddle and Roch Frey, and Joe Friel and Gordo Byrn.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifpWLrfWrVrgaizqari45V6LLfl24STNDwymByAjThw1lxAYDABoyDTvcQEIOji-Ejj_Fas_znqaFzfaMS_RHLmTehNTF6ngLy_FO3D1UGm7j11SJxBNhrpti9M8LKwsFPwaZUGBKtjYGb/s1600/Training+Plan2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifpWLrfWrVrgaizqari45V6LLfl24STNDwymByAjThw1lxAYDABoyDTvcQEIOji-Ejj_Fas_znqaFzfaMS_RHLmTehNTF6ngLy_FO3D1UGm7j11SJxBNhrpti9M8LKwsFPwaZUGBKtjYGb/s400/Training+Plan2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Because I started rather late in my training for IM Florida I didn’t schedule a Recovery Week until this past week. True to form, at the beginning of the recovery week I still felt really tired. Ah, but by yesterday not only was my motivation back, but also the spring in my legs.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTr9ABGP_FBAtzRXhvf6x6UlgT48d4h0qMuBHC7uo9OOB05Afi8ebBg4hiAeF39NHY_Pqtp21Zri0xpOa0peC1pUxOTrzWvMBQDN-waikaEpXx5kE70JC9MSYEDxfzGptEy59jkhxgrt5z/s1600/Birkenstocks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTr9ABGP_FBAtzRXhvf6x6UlgT48d4h0qMuBHC7uo9OOB05Afi8ebBg4hiAeF39NHY_Pqtp21Zri0xpOa0peC1pUxOTrzWvMBQDN-waikaEpXx5kE70JC9MSYEDxfzGptEy59jkhxgrt5z/s320/Birkenstocks.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Birks for when I'm not training!</td></tr>
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The week concluded with a 50 mile bike followed by a 2 mile transition run. The ride was with my local bike club, and it was hilly and challenging, but I was able to crank out two 8:30 miles off bike. The day before I swam 4500 yards, rode 23, and ran 2 off the bike, and was only able to manage 8:45’s. And then today I just had a 4-5 mile easy recovery run, the weather is cooler and I averaged 8:39! Which is my typical end of the run pace at this distance (pre-Ironman training).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdKKoLKrrfxp4fptrePwfTsf0638VPNdGT-9dy_zmTmDH7XZG1SFEIgX7hz293iUebpHXu5QHW-83dFh9361lX64nwTCDBXuILcoQW-MxYnJAF6hOSPHYbsES5l1cF-FDkjPI-P_O00bCo/s1600/Fun+Socks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdKKoLKrrfxp4fptrePwfTsf0638VPNdGT-9dy_zmTmDH7XZG1SFEIgX7hz293iUebpHXu5QHW-83dFh9361lX64nwTCDBXuILcoQW-MxYnJAF6hOSPHYbsES5l1cF-FDkjPI-P_O00bCo/s320/Fun+Socks.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fun Socks that match my <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/cobbmobb/" target="_blank">Cobb Mobb</a></b> Kit!</span></td></tr>
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Nine weeks left before the race! I have three more Base Weeks, followed by another Recovery Week. Then two Hard Weeks, and then the Taper begins. Some people taper for two weeks, I’m using a three week taper, going 75% volume for week 1, 50% for week 2, and Race Week will be at about 25% volume.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMf1WCUuCAnAZ7L_TwDoUUbtKmC29GfRKUWHv4YFA5RaEIE-oJyuy-sGJzZbSeJhIcNDKdvfnJyMIyN6JWYBseCPeAhK-a4SrUJ6ys7aUZcBeHxcYOsmmfQKzBEeGlUBZIN23ZiwRKya_/s1600/Cobb+Kit+new.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="533" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMf1WCUuCAnAZ7L_TwDoUUbtKmC29GfRKUWHv4YFA5RaEIE-oJyuy-sGJzZbSeJhIcNDKdvfnJyMIyN6JWYBseCPeAhK-a4SrUJ6ys7aUZcBeHxcYOsmmfQKzBEeGlUBZIN23ZiwRKya_/s320/Cobb+Kit+new.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">My <b><a href="http://www.cobbcycling.com/" target="_blank">Cobb Saddle</a></b> is saving my butt on the long rides!</span></td></tr>
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My nutrition plan is also going well, and last night I put it all down on paper, planning calories, CHO, and electrolytes for the bike and run.<br />
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So far so good! I’ve crested the hill and am rolling down the other side toward Race Day!!<br />
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<a href="https://sbrsportsinc.com/collections/trislide" target="_blank">TRISLIDE</a> is saving my feet on the long runs!</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">PLAN YOUR RACE – RACE YOUR PLAN!!!</span></b></div>
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Living The Tri Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00905201895529626362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3636696996170761801.post-74554648968844731972017-06-23T10:48:00.000-05:002017-06-23T10:48:25.315-05:00The Ironman Journey <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0puNHHO7zbNNO40Nxy-T1x1dPvFXBrWlxv4oQ-omiW64y-QJGIh1qWNAcF_A0hN3_4dXbE9XZ-cFrQvhRDTKYJ119kCiVby4cjLLW1Cy7rMOkRk-YtPLPif-xB_Q46Kkoc9uKfAD6iu-/s1600/SBR+Tags.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1550" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0puNHHO7zbNNO40Nxy-T1x1dPvFXBrWlxv4oQ-omiW64y-QJGIh1qWNAcF_A0hN3_4dXbE9XZ-cFrQvhRDTKYJ119kCiVby4cjLLW1Cy7rMOkRk-YtPLPif-xB_Q46Kkoc9uKfAD6iu-/s400/SBR+Tags.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I was on the trainer last Tuesday, and popped in a video that I got at the Ironman store when I went to watch and cheer my friend and teammate Becky when she raced in Florida. It was the 2010 Ironman. I don’t know what it was about that video but all of a sudden I got sentimental...and started thinking.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVsn8skGihCxwzQ2Hln9jCxoFLU4CUA6XIs2EX5S_HE1OgJN1eTritBzEMRrdK9_WA1inGKftoZ8WTO4mQwuQSsHMBq5BhR6hpXNyZkDTVi7sx9c3Y0D-Nl9xopqrcbxft4KcA-4mAxKlG/s1600/becky.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVsn8skGihCxwzQ2Hln9jCxoFLU4CUA6XIs2EX5S_HE1OgJN1eTritBzEMRrdK9_WA1inGKftoZ8WTO4mQwuQSsHMBq5BhR6hpXNyZkDTVi7sx9c3Y0D-Nl9xopqrcbxft4KcA-4mAxKlG/s320/becky.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just after Becky finished IM Florida 2012!</td></tr>
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Twenty-five years ago I did my first Ironman distance triathlon. I went to Canada with no expectations, and just hoped to finish. A month or so before the race I adjusted my goal to not wanting to be out there for 16 hours. There were no Garmins, no fancy wheels, no elaborate nutrition plans. Early that year I raced the Frost Yer Fanny Duathlon in Austin, and Paula Newby Fraser gave a little talk about training for the different distances. I took a bunch of notes and came away with her “Key Workout Training Program”. I used this to train for Canada. I had been working as an Operations Manager for the Gap, and going to school studying Massage Therapy and hadn’t been doing much training. Races were really mostly winging it and having fun with friends. I had 10 weeks before the race and wrote out my training plan based on Paula’s key workout program. Her theory was that if you were training year in year out doing the 3 key workouts a week, one for each discipline, then you could get ready for an Ironman in 6 weeks. My longest bike up to that point was 40 miles, and my longest run was about six.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodmhltGdAe8m_ulrf-rhWNo7lnCumc5QzTkJkKhs0Bxhj60QwFD_rzerro3e-EvQOY3uyHWoTLpY0dPIczQThIgdopoo8yG_dDkPx29Gfslq3rBne3vTQZBRGcHJrLQVl6uh39_0J9Vn7/s1600/Key+Workout.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1228" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodmhltGdAe8m_ulrf-rhWNo7lnCumc5QzTkJkKhs0Bxhj60QwFD_rzerro3e-EvQOY3uyHWoTLpY0dPIczQThIgdopoo8yG_dDkPx29Gfslq3rBne3vTQZBRGcHJrLQVl6uh39_0J9Vn7/s320/Key+Workout.JPG" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paula's Key Workout Program</td></tr>
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<br />As I started the run at Ironman Canada, a Texas TriFed official that I knew (this was before it was changed to USA Triathlon) was heading out onto the run at the same time. He said, “you know Ginger, if we move right along we can break 12 hours.” I remember looking at my watch thinking, “WHAT?” I had 4:23 minutes to run the marathon. As I ran along, not really paying attention to the times that the volunteers were calling out, I saw a girl with a long ponytail running up ahead of me. I kept my eye on her, and watched as I narrowed the gap. At the halfway point I came up next to her, and went by. She picked it up and passed me. I thought I do not want to play leapfrog for another 13 miles, so I struck up a conversation with her. She was Tricia Cadden from San Diego and worked for Scott Tinley (he had a clothing company back then). We ran along together and talked about breaking 12 hours. We were clocking out 10 minute miles on the nose, and got to mile 20 and saw that we had one hour left to make it under 12:00. Well, at a 10 minute mile pace that would get us to the finish line at 12:02; I said we needed to pick it up a little. Two miles later we hadn’t made up any time and now had 40 minutes for the last 4.2 miles, which now I know mean a 9:30 mile pace. Tricia had to make a port-a-potty stop and I stopped for a minute debating on waiting for her. I told her I was going on, and she said “GO!” I remember as I got close hearing the announcer’s voice saying, “Athletes, if you can hear my voice you can break 12 hours!” It felt like I went into a full blown sprint, trying to run fast as my calves were both cramping, hitting the finish line with 4 seconds to spare! I had never expected anything like that.<br />
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It would be 10 years before I would sign up for another Ironman. Laura, and Kara, some friends of mine that I trained with in Dallas were doing IM New Zealand, and I was doing a lot of their long rides with them. Another friend, Darcy had signed up for IM Florida, and I decided to give it another try. This race ended in fiasco. Three weeks before the race I went out for my last long run, and as I started felt some pretty serious pain in my knee. I had noticed some pain during some of the rides but nothing like this. I finished the run, and I knew there was trouble. My Mom begged me not to do the race, she told me she would give me the money from the entry fee and hotel. I did the race anyway, like any typical hard headed triathlete. I remember walking and running the marathon. I would walk because I was worried about doing more damage to my knee, and then it would catch and I’d almost fall down. Then I would run a little. Repeat. And a month later had my first knee surgery, micro-fracture…this is where they cut off the flapping articular cartilage on the end of my femur and punch holes in the end of the bone hoping that the holes will ooze and bleed and fill the space with scar cartilage.<br />
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I recovered from that surgery to race again, but stuck to short distances. Five years went by and a bunch of my friends were doing the 2007 Ironman Louisville. It was the inaugural race, sure why not! The easiest way to train for Ironman (in my opinion) is when there are several people that you know doing the same race. Those long bike rides are awfully lonely if you have to do them alone. I don’t mind the solo long runs, but cycling is a different story. It was 15 years since my first Ironman. I was really happy with the outcome of this one, 15 years older and only 50 minutes slower than my first IM. My friend Mary saw me on the first loop of the run, and I remember her saying to me it didn’t even look like I was doing an Ironman (on the second loop she said I fit right in.) I finished in 12:50:55, 7th in my age group, best finish ever. But this race took its toll on my other knee. So in 2008 I was back having another micro-fracture surgery on the “good” knee.<br />
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Jump forward another 10 years to 2017. It’s been 25 years since that first Ironman. I swore I’d never do another one, my rational and reasoning being that the run training would probably take me out of the sport for good.<br />
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But who is rational? I gave it some thought and talked to my husband. What better way to exit this sport that I love? I’m not saying that I will stop racing. I will only know after seeing what my poor little knees feel like after this race. It may be time to stop, and I can't think of a better way. One of the things that prompted me on which race to choose is that my Tri-Mentee Margaret is racing at Florida. This will be her first Ironman, and my last. Fitting. Passing it on to the new guard. I can't wait to see her on the run course and cheer each other on!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEZIArvsxkY_P-KJrld3W5kUuxyQC9LRvyObsZ5CtJZqhftnPbbmZSmFvPVZgCRb1J5YSTajx_S9xE-4ahwASZJ_LSB4hVEhEbgEdDhWXtRsiyLFanXLRd6vFvR0rURZKHHns50NS78_Cz/s1600/Cap+Dreams+Marge+Me+post+race.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1283" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEZIArvsxkY_P-KJrld3W5kUuxyQC9LRvyObsZ5CtJZqhftnPbbmZSmFvPVZgCRb1J5YSTajx_S9xE-4ahwASZJ_LSB4hVEhEbgEdDhWXtRsiyLFanXLRd6vFvR0rURZKHHns50NS78_Cz/s320/Cap+Dreams+Marge+Me+post+race.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Tri-Mentee Margaret Lloyd!</td></tr>
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So I’m in for Ironman Florida in November. I could call it a redemption race, but I don’t think I will. I have no idea what I will be capable of at 56 years old, but I know I will enjoy this journey.<br />
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I hope you will come along for the ride!<br />
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See you at the races…<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuMCqm7X8pb6q8zIS60CFf5VceumLLoBZtWF3wSz9f3sofUeSfAdh5XD7iDunWwRkxMnNkV0vhqfG5T7OLMXRWQMpmrraaVAZfHb2i0gk5NshWe8lBwDC0U8PqbzZpDaW7Zpv6pycpq7uM/s1600/Darcy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1523" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuMCqm7X8pb6q8zIS60CFf5VceumLLoBZtWF3wSz9f3sofUeSfAdh5XD7iDunWwRkxMnNkV0vhqfG5T7OLMXRWQMpmrraaVAZfHb2i0gk5NshWe8lBwDC0U8PqbzZpDaW7Zpv6pycpq7uM/s320/Darcy.jpg" width="317" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">IM Florida 2002 with Darcy!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">IM Lou 2007 with Mary Tubb!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBleuOjMfoenonluE6Oy3c2EzmiosMaGpS9rFHp1knk6LLV2RUoGiYof9B-Kptr5exbmU30Di1OUysMcRmRCgI-tn6pcSp4bMqsB8iLgSK6N34CT9p4NDj365uJswT4gd6w4fFQzf1rlEl/s1600/I+016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="954" data-original-width="1085" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBleuOjMfoenonluE6Oy3c2EzmiosMaGpS9rFHp1knk6LLV2RUoGiYof9B-Kptr5exbmU30Di1OUysMcRmRCgI-tn6pcSp4bMqsB8iLgSK6N34CT9p4NDj365uJswT4gd6w4fFQzf1rlEl/s320/I+016.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">IM Lou with the best husband ever!</td></tr>
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Living The Tri Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00905201895529626362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3636696996170761801.post-25377114522656754062017-06-06T11:59:00.000-05:002017-06-07T09:38:59.651-05:00USMS Open Water National Championships<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCyIXP-v4E3kgeb5qUSdhAELbagQQWcUMuLLS6TTV1rTag6rQMHNG5BLAE5uByHzfY5zbm0FyefdhvUl1Su0NyW13f7Dn446KBUvqah9awhSJ_4Fh6OfxXA0L8DSwKOJfkiDSiTjgLpZ95/s1600/2017-06-06+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="751" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCyIXP-v4E3kgeb5qUSdhAELbagQQWcUMuLLS6TTV1rTag6rQMHNG5BLAE5uByHzfY5zbm0FyefdhvUl1Su0NyW13f7Dn446KBUvqah9awhSJ_4Fh6OfxXA0L8DSwKOJfkiDSiTjgLpZ95/s320/2017-06-06+%25281%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Earlier in the year when I was planning my race calendar I came across this open water swim in Chattanooga. This year it was the USMS Open Water National Championships. There was a 1 mile fun swim on Friday, a 2.4 mile on Saturday, and the Ultra 9 mile swim on Sunday. You could do the trifecta or choose any of the above. Since 2.4 is the Ironman distance swim I thought it would be fun. I set my goal to go sub 60 minutes. At Ironman Louisville in 2007 I swam 1:05 – that was with a partial up river swim and the majority down river, so I felt that if I could break an hour I would be happy. Little did I know that the river was moving at a force of 46K current on race day! I finished the swim in 38:40 – a sub one minute per 100 yard average! HAAHAHA!! Only in my wildest dreams could I ever swim just one 100 in that time!<br />
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The swim is held in the Tennessee river, pretty close to the same swim that is used for the Ironman that takes place there, except on the north shore of the river. The swimmers are taken upriver on a riverboat then we jump off and swim over to a 100-foot-long floating dock. The gun goes off one minute after the last swimmer is in the water.<br />
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Bill, Phoenix, Bogey, and I left for Chattanooga on Friday, hit the race venue for packet pick up, and then took the boys for a walk across Coolidge Park to check out the river. We saw some people on paddleboards going upstream and thought it didn’t look like they were having any issues, so that the current must not be very strong.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet Phoenix almost 14 years old!</td></tr>
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I was a little anxious the next morning, not because of the swim or the distance but because of all the logistics and timing for the event. There was a detailed timeline on the website outlining when to check in, when to board the boat, etc. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hurry up and wait!</td></tr>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>2.4 Mile</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Saturday, June 3 at 8:30 a.m.</b></span><br />
<b style="font-size: x-small;">6:45 a.m. – 7:30 a.m.</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Swimmer check-in (packet pick up, athlete marking) at Outdoor Chattanooga.</b></span><br />
<b style="font-size: x-small;">6:45 a.m. – 7:30 a.m.</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Pilot check-in at Outdoor Chattanooga. Kayakers who have their own boats will need to drop them off at GPS boat dock prior to the 7:30. Staff will be at the boat dock to watch your boats.</b></span><br />
<b style="font-size: x-small;">7:00 a.m. – 7:20 a.m.</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>A warm up area will be available for athletes along the North Shore from the finish under the Market Street bridge to the Blue Rhino Kayak Steps and back.</b></span><br />
<b style="font-size: x-small;">7:20 a.m. – 7:50 a.m.</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Swimmers board Southern Belle Riverboat under Market Street bridge, next to finish line. There are multiple restrooms on the boat.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>7:30 a.m.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Pre-Race Safety Briefing for Officials and Pilots at Outdoor Chattanooga – mandatory for officials, timers, boat support (motorized and non-motorized), and safety personnel.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>7:40 a.m. (or immediately following the pre-race meeting)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Pilots will board one of two microbuses and be taken to either GPS boat dock or a private residence. Kayakers who have their own boats will need to drop them off at GPS boat dock prior to the 7:30 a.m. meeting. Staff will be at the boat dock to watch your boats.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>7:50 a.m. or 8:00 a.m.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Pilots enter the water from the GPS boat dock (7:50 a.m.) and the boat dock from a private residence (8:00 a.m.).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>7:55 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Boat ride from Market Street bridge to race start. During the boat ride to the start, we will check swimmers off the master roster and hold a safety briefing. Swimmers should leave bags on the boat, and they will be unloaded at race finish. There are restrooms on the boat.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>8:30 a.m.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>RACE START CHAMPIONSHIP HEAT 1</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>8:35 a.m.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>RACE START CHAMPIONSHIP HEAT 2</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>9:20 a.m.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>First finishers expected at finish line. A warm down area will be available along the North Shore from the finish under the Market Street bridge to the Blue Rhino Kayak steps and back.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>9:30 a.m.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Lunch available for swimmers and pilots at Outdoor Chattanooga.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>11:30 a.m. or 15 minutes after the last finisher</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Awards ceremony at Outdoor Chattanooga.</b></span><br />
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From the looks of this it seems like someone was VERY organized. But that is about as far as that went. The race didn't start until 9:30.<br />
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At 7:30 the boat still hadn’t left the other side of the river and Bill headed up to the walking bridge over the river so he could get some photographs of the boat as it headed out. It turns out he could have stayed with me for almost another hour. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5KgQxGIS0tCWRmKypaHZGLa6t6D49zXLO1IttICEl8WWWUhstfsmUOTSmgIVvy8iZjnz-r3s8qFcGxFUuT6TStT_HYIOD1oqyQnuZdr2MIfKMUOtLCzoUk45a4y0r-qlJPyKIG10cDyph/s1600/ows+panoramic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5KgQxGIS0tCWRmKypaHZGLa6t6D49zXLO1IttICEl8WWWUhstfsmUOTSmgIVvy8iZjnz-r3s8qFcGxFUuT6TStT_HYIOD1oqyQnuZdr2MIfKMUOtLCzoUk45a4y0r-qlJPyKIG10cDyph/s400/ows+panoramic.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bill's view from the bridge!</td></tr>
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I’m not sure where the breakdown in communication happened. Before the start the riverboat was anchored downriver a little ways and on the opposite shore. The boat didn’t even start making its way over to us until after 8:00 am. It took them 3-4 tries to get the “gangplank” over to the boat launch ramp so we could board. I don’t know if it was because of the current, or operator error.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDGcRAsrLYEWrmN7FovlAezCQautJxZitQhlpfGAWbAMZwRQaMfiCGw9syFZgtOOraWQq6NGFGzpOs2jg3Ja35pFT0aWEKjk5mgASX-XZcTL7UNfDmCk5GvN8HZoKK4BUlQvk49w6lQ92/s1600/IMG_1183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDGcRAsrLYEWrmN7FovlAezCQautJxZitQhlpfGAWbAMZwRQaMfiCGw9syFZgtOOraWQq6NGFGzpOs2jg3Ja35pFT0aWEKjk5mgASX-XZcTL7UNfDmCk5GvN8HZoKK4BUlQvk49w6lQ92/s400/IMG_1183.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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I met an interesting man as we were waiting for the boat. Jonathan Ezer was one of the original people invited to do the very first Ironman in Hawaii. Back when it was just some guys seeing if they could do the course distances of the Waikiki Rough Water Swim, the ride around the island, and the Honolulu marathon. He lived in Hawaii at the time and was the race director for the Waikiki Rough Water Swim. He didn’t do it that year because the winds changed and the jellies came out in abundance, and he was allergic to the stings. They held off the race one day hoping that the winds would change, but they didn’t so he wasn’t able to do the race.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRxYpKttL5DJILhKfBlhnwvg2aWFiUp0lxRizusTcFdtTSLlh3_c8IHh40M7uAIPJYt8GrYzPetJUhI-2dHSM6WOtXza3gRcF-8Kuwk-0thXZm-Ive9r1kwkyp1nPNBGF6B7lNfD2Re2Qk/s1600/IMG_1200+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRxYpKttL5DJILhKfBlhnwvg2aWFiUp0lxRizusTcFdtTSLlh3_c8IHh40M7uAIPJYt8GrYzPetJUhI-2dHSM6WOtXza3gRcF-8Kuwk-0thXZm-Ive9r1kwkyp1nPNBGF6B7lNfD2Re2Qk/s320/IMG_1200+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waving at Bill on the bridge. (the guy in white is Ezra)</td></tr>
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On the boat I handed out a few samples of <a href="https://sbrsportsinc.com/collections/foggies" target="_blank">Foggies</a> to the people around me, and one of them was from Jackson, Mississippi. I found out the he knew most of my triathlete friends from there, too! Small world stuff.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXRx92s5bv_UUCMBm0T5al5jQ2WYtV7ruA5cob_7hKB4ow8buFi15Zz5mwDRAXfmN9_Bjr7zcgwfKAbupHkHc8RwNCR7HpqWm37xAvmL7KlPiduT5TErTEBUkgr8fx2rb-N8gXeXCOkdXA/s1600/IMG_1189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXRx92s5bv_UUCMBm0T5al5jQ2WYtV7ruA5cob_7hKB4ow8buFi15Zz5mwDRAXfmN9_Bjr7zcgwfKAbupHkHc8RwNCR7HpqWm37xAvmL7KlPiduT5TErTEBUkgr8fx2rb-N8gXeXCOkdXA/s400/IMG_1189.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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We all finally got on the boat and headed upriver. Once we got to the starting point another lengthy maneuvering began. The pilot turned the boat around too close to the start buoys, and too far out into the river. The current, which we thought didn’t look that intense was apparently very strong. I heard the race director below us tell him he needed to get closer to the floating dock, or move more upstream so we could swim down river to the dock. After some back and forth it finally got close enough and we jumped off one at time and swam diagonally to the dock. We were allowed to either just hang on to it until the start or climb up onto it. I dove in and started swimming at the angle to intercept the corner of the dock on the up river side. I was in a good line, but as I got closer I could feel the current pulling me down stream, so I angled hard to change course. Held on and felt my legs pulled hard downriver. This was going to be ONE FAST SWIM!<br />
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I watched as three ladies were trying to swim to the dock, the hadn’t angled in soon enough and were almost to the start buoys but swimming upstream and not making any progress. One of them had to finally be rescued by a kayak and brought over to the dock. People had to drag her up out of the water. It was like Ironman Louisville when I watched people warming up, they looked like they were swimming in an endless pool. Going nowhere.<br />
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We had been instructed to keep the orange buoys on our left and stay between them and the shore. The race started and I found clear water almost immediately. I did get scratched on my shoulder once, and hit in the leg one time too, but other than that there was hardly anyone around me. That’s because the majority of the swimmers were on the opposite side of the buoys, toward the middle of the river where the current was stronger. Okay…I have to say it. I hate cheaters. It wasn’t difficult to stay inside the buoys, there wasn’t anything pulling you to the middle of the river. These people knew what they were doing. Bill said he saw the kayakers trying to get them to move back inside. And this was at the end of the swim where he could finally see us finishing. UGH…… A USMS National Championship.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCq7JB9XltJs39-6aIsjz4ty1GPObqZajoNw-dvVtCeczCbDJ2rXijF6g4tANlIpYbgZxnp-e_BkzfQ8VsbqBFfUds_D_H6_FZmGjBRRID1hjdebCPtbSw4qaI0L5rRzlPIKdv-MerUFyB/s1600/ows+bridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCq7JB9XltJs39-6aIsjz4ty1GPObqZajoNw-dvVtCeczCbDJ2rXijF6g4tANlIpYbgZxnp-e_BkzfQ8VsbqBFfUds_D_H6_FZmGjBRRID1hjdebCPtbSw4qaI0L5rRzlPIKdv-MerUFyB/s400/ows+bridge.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buoys on your left!</td></tr>
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Back to the swim. The water felt amazing! The temperature was perfect! I had no idea how fast or slow I was swimming. There were some electrical wires overhead at about the half way point, and when I saw them I knew we were moving fast. I glanced at my watch and saw that my sub one hour would not be a problem!<br />
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We were supposed to touch a pad above the finish line and hold our hand on it for 3 seconds at the end, so they could get a picture of our number. The pads were WAY above the surface of the water. I kicked really hard and was able to “High Five” the pad, but that was about it. I heard a guy shout “what is your number?” and I called it out to him. I wanted to get in a little warm down but with the swift current only did a little and then got out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim8sR4BkGFxWOwnQOriYKESVuSMwwnC-QDRZlUHaStxfHtgsi61WS0K9dbW2mSge0KgU502k-xNZRuGPRQMgGd0o7g42noHxRSHuzae82Gi4CNPHAiGYhfIVm1B-Q_mdvIhAdpgmX-Vgjn/s1600/Timing+pads+ows.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim8sR4BkGFxWOwnQOriYKESVuSMwwnC-QDRZlUHaStxfHtgsi61WS0K9dbW2mSge0KgU502k-xNZRuGPRQMgGd0o7g42noHxRSHuzae82Gi4CNPHAiGYhfIVm1B-Q_mdvIhAdpgmX-Vgjn/s400/Timing+pads+ows.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See how high those touch pads are!</td></tr>
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We had a bag drop on the boat and they were going to bring the bags to the swim exit. We apparently beat the bags back. Finally, one truck arrived, but no bag for me. It was on the next truck which arrived almost an hour after I finished. It was crazy! When the first truck arrived full of bags, everyone crowded around it looking for their bags. Some snagged theirs, others started trying to dig in the giant pile. I started grabbing bags and laying them out on the sidewalk, my bag didn't show until the 2nd truck.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvK6MxU58UqcCkUUR-ZioMJF_YospH2G3TKMR18JHtzajEZ4RGvl3z15gYPAdwnPUnA09cEDA8jKV1CnXV15UiKuYzLoumbzFfWpaq5dtR6G7kUQ82QI0gXR0yMEIPiNrt1HakMtsVfErY/s1600/ows+result.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvK6MxU58UqcCkUUR-ZioMJF_YospH2G3TKMR18JHtzajEZ4RGvl3z15gYPAdwnPUnA09cEDA8jKV1CnXV15UiKuYzLoumbzFfWpaq5dtR6G7kUQ82QI0gXR0yMEIPiNrt1HakMtsVfErY/s320/ows+result.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We asked about the timing for awards, and were told 15 minutes, so decided to wait around. Time went on and nothing, and then finally they started awards. They were all messed up, so they said it would be another 30 minutes. Apparently the timer grouped both the Championship wave, and the non-championship wave. (On the table where the timers were, there was a opened box of <a href="https://sbrsportsinc.com/collections/triswim" target="_blank">TRISWIM</a> bodywash/lotion samples. We got a sample of the shampoo in our swag but not the bodywash…apparently someone didn’t include them during bag stuffing. Hmmm…. <a href="https://www.sbrsportsinc.com/" target="_blank">SBR Sports Inc.</a> is a sponsor of the race. Not good on the race organization part.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKR1FLfnwtKZ9z6Wx0mGctliLMxTW_ulZKCJqfyjvaBBMxUwQ1uUL3y_-QYUvGSeWYd07zktZ_B53e5OYQRMX2rxNaxxKFnlCC_P_6CMygvUMB4fbq1FpEv5InQAGu8EtQrNff5TpUPl60/s1600/ows+samples.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKR1FLfnwtKZ9z6Wx0mGctliLMxTW_ulZKCJqfyjvaBBMxUwQ1uUL3y_-QYUvGSeWYd07zktZ_B53e5OYQRMX2rxNaxxKFnlCC_P_6CMygvUMB4fbq1FpEv5InQAGu8EtQrNff5TpUPl60/s400/ows+samples.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I prepped a bunch of packets of <a href="https://www.sbrsportsinc.com/" target="_blank">TRISWIM and Foggies</a> to hand out pre race!</td></tr>
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We had plans to go sightseeing so we left and headed to the hotel to take care of the babies and get on with our day!! Did the tourist thing and went to see Ruby Falls, Lookout Mountain, and ride the Incline railway! When Bill was 6 years old, their family took their first big vacation there and we wanted to see the change! I never saw Ruby Falls, we were on the extremely commercial (and annoying) tour and saw that it was going to take forever… and I started thinking about claustrophobia. We had to stop and wait a lot, and with the low ceilings I almost had a freak out. A group headed out passed coming from the opposite direction so we hopped on and blazed out of there. Yikes!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVu10iwP65mDhzWIrUay41muAWxRuFpLZWQXLxwAQwF0tRREkYuJk-zcSkMULKajEc_PsG4RedFFN96ggnNXOfQikCm-v5Q2kTHpblbrNYm9FDXT2JbtbdQIUQgvsmfRanG-wMfSIlumWt/s1600/Bill+and+Me+chatt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVu10iwP65mDhzWIrUay41muAWxRuFpLZWQXLxwAQwF0tRREkYuJk-zcSkMULKajEc_PsG4RedFFN96ggnNXOfQikCm-v5Q2kTHpblbrNYm9FDXT2JbtbdQIUQgvsmfRanG-wMfSIlumWt/s320/Bill+and+Me+chatt.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Chattanooga was really fun! Would I do the event again if it was held here? Probably not. I actually wanted the swim to take longer, and wanted to see my time for the distance.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrme3G6ES55evbvIhv2X2ohaOl7vDu-l8XA7Qns-xdUl6U2VGR_1bGauC4wdtOcu6orN9b_ahEM6sA8efdyholFqGsUfY8soOz4AQymbVc9hKOuZHrEp3n-FvhicwDAaMtaMTCsH7qMYn5/s1600/IMG_1173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrme3G6ES55evbvIhv2X2ohaOl7vDu-l8XA7Qns-xdUl6U2VGR_1bGauC4wdtOcu6orN9b_ahEM6sA8efdyholFqGsUfY8soOz4AQymbVc9hKOuZHrEp3n-FvhicwDAaMtaMTCsH7qMYn5/s400/IMG_1173.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course I must pose by the turtle!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEH9ddtZv30nIi_NEsU70T46IBPzPkTpg-CAWEaFZunvUtlYClrm6ZNRVprDcfla75SzTdPZejU3zPdYUTBaoClYo2ngW3ZQX0RCoQ3EaH4jN6DZ0FcQRcC7HvKFtBwM7c2WtFkKSuo7py/s1600/IMG_1179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEH9ddtZv30nIi_NEsU70T46IBPzPkTpg-CAWEaFZunvUtlYClrm6ZNRVprDcfla75SzTdPZejU3zPdYUTBaoClYo2ngW3ZQX0RCoQ3EaH4jN6DZ0FcQRcC7HvKFtBwM7c2WtFkKSuo7py/s400/IMG_1179.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His tail indicates the speed of the current!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9kKwA6F_A1jjcuXm0tZXcgCLADC8E76uCHS8DtTFxmrnraanZSstn32wHmaNqgBScdiyWKn2glswcinmaOePjE4GnExqcmX879AGaIXuaGlMY9jLRzK9OPPVxqyr3iPxFBP8oWbjc129U/s1600/IMG_1201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1277" data-original-width="1600" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9kKwA6F_A1jjcuXm0tZXcgCLADC8E76uCHS8DtTFxmrnraanZSstn32wHmaNqgBScdiyWKn2glswcinmaOePjE4GnExqcmX879AGaIXuaGlMY9jLRzK9OPPVxqyr3iPxFBP8oWbjc129U/s400/IMG_1201.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Always smile at your husband!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-YW1EIHCBMSs9rEpdobAKgVE1GDJ2NAE33vAnICgDgh6EpSko1QsrW86fiNkDdR9iuTaOqMmyzIa8i8mKm5n6R2KS8345C7ClNfgFkssyOzK2BaWxR9ASV9KBZH2tBA8EhdqcA_cX5O1/s1600/IMG_1216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-YW1EIHCBMSs9rEpdobAKgVE1GDJ2NAE33vAnICgDgh6EpSko1QsrW86fiNkDdR9iuTaOqMmyzIa8i8mKm5n6R2KS8345C7ClNfgFkssyOzK2BaWxR9ASV9KBZH2tBA8EhdqcA_cX5O1/s400/IMG_1216.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHqZ1U53qbe4yBkGNPSNiJgQu7wQSjWjpVCarAeW-yvMllnj1WLy7UBrnxB9LV70xe2Hsy5-ejuF1wFWeXMrHD67gVJZiVbFvZl5ZOhNirSDoQkGVnXR90BwaxQCogIjdiWpxVg4BUrqn/s1600/IMG_1220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHqZ1U53qbe4yBkGNPSNiJgQu7wQSjWjpVCarAeW-yvMllnj1WLy7UBrnxB9LV70xe2Hsy5-ejuF1wFWeXMrHD67gVJZiVbFvZl5ZOhNirSDoQkGVnXR90BwaxQCogIjdiWpxVg4BUrqn/s400/IMG_1220.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHyneZI8uBVbzSuzliMkA_iRJtcAw3TkAwdSUfitR8RLweSBNUQVFB811UE9iN-nNx49KSxAH_9BHbi1CuG3lKx1r6NIMLfknsbwYXKYH2BXwg8ntJIxUssU7E_5iU7ZjcZRbbzUxGLNf5/s1600/IMG_1174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHyneZI8uBVbzSuzliMkA_iRJtcAw3TkAwdSUfitR8RLweSBNUQVFB811UE9iN-nNx49KSxAH_9BHbi1CuG3lKx1r6NIMLfknsbwYXKYH2BXwg8ntJIxUssU7E_5iU7ZjcZRbbzUxGLNf5/s400/IMG_1174.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Met Facebook friend Kelly Randall! A fellow <a href="http://www.cobbcycling.com/" target="_blank">COBB CYCLING</a> fan!!!<br />
We've got to get her on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cobbmobb/" target="_blank">THE COBB MOBB</a> next year!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwJeRSflHA4nV7QNu66mMcvssByc2n6-7Bh1lIYJd3zdXyJ9YknP0OeAYd_scCZnejPqUrGhmfpw5Z1wRVr9Efoeesi3rFM-WxFn3c0UckIt5S7qyLzPeCnpLxu7mCsYsCCP8yRP5tJFbR/s1600/IMG_1224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwJeRSflHA4nV7QNu66mMcvssByc2n6-7Bh1lIYJd3zdXyJ9YknP0OeAYd_scCZnejPqUrGhmfpw5Z1wRVr9Efoeesi3rFM-WxFn3c0UckIt5S7qyLzPeCnpLxu7mCsYsCCP8yRP5tJFbR/s400/IMG_1224.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The End</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Living The Tri Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00905201895529626362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3636696996170761801.post-65975661262541511422017-04-17T15:59:00.000-05:002017-04-17T15:59:14.991-05:00Swim Challenge Complete!! VENI, VIDI, VICI!!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5HfW4F2bcONAemWj5u6z5F5-zPMLOgxPqaW4cmO2-ig3Zwpe3NpxhuUcft6lRdCCLgv5T_OEYohSqtkURspoHMpyJZ6GhzxOHibAwdp86vdDFJOFXyEfAmxcidiG9mGSVL32KhZDXMt9/s1600/Swim+Challenge+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5HfW4F2bcONAemWj5u6z5F5-zPMLOgxPqaW4cmO2-ig3Zwpe3NpxhuUcft6lRdCCLgv5T_OEYohSqtkURspoHMpyJZ6GhzxOHibAwdp86vdDFJOFXyEfAmxcidiG9mGSVL32KhZDXMt9/s400/Swim+Challenge+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">33,000 YARDS DONE and DONE!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Last week I took on <a href="http://tri-dogmom.blogspot.com/2017/04/bat-cap-challenge.html" target="_blank">“The Bat Cap Challenge”</a>! A Swim Challenge Week of some mega yardage; more distance than I’ve ever swam before in a week. Why you ask? Oh, I don’t know…who doesn’t like a challenge? We’re triathletes after all, we LOVE challenges! 33,000 yards is double that of any other week I've ever swam! By the end of the week I was certainly tired, but very happy and felt really good!<br />
<br />
I don’t know very many other people who would agree to do something like this with me. It seems like one of those things that people would say, “Heck yeah, I’ll do it with you!” but then find excuses and no show. Margaret enthusiastically agreed, and was there for all six days of the challenge, even if it took me picking her up on the way to the pool! I was thankful she hung in there! Margaret is a sophomore at the University of Alabama, and a member of the triathlon team, but she swam age group swimming growing up, coaches little kids in summer league, and understands swimming! More than once I was so appreciative that she understood swim workout lingo. To someone who doesn’t do a lot of typical sets it can look like hieroglyphics!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUGJ_hTMsFsaSuYhYIoURNwmcWxbtcdJXXdkQK1gAl19rpVNlhTKqlMYKBkIq9TYgatJGm5d31UA6iF925BaI_CFkJtjBMIzG0TJtRK65qQwQpTEK_if_Ay3oa-gjRHF4x9Y0qx7IBoe-z/s1600/Swim+Challenge+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUGJ_hTMsFsaSuYhYIoURNwmcWxbtcdJXXdkQK1gAl19rpVNlhTKqlMYKBkIq9TYgatJGm5d31UA6iF925BaI_CFkJtjBMIzG0TJtRK65qQwQpTEK_if_Ay3oa-gjRHF4x9Y0qx7IBoe-z/s400/Swim+Challenge+3.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Posing, but not POSERS! We did the yards!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><a href="http://livingtrilife.blogspot.com/2017/04/swim-challenge-week-and-triswim-to.html" target="_blank">I posted our daily workouts on the last post I made so if you want to see them you can find them here. </a><br />
<br />
Just a brief recap of the yardage:<br />
<br />
Day 1: 5000 (we did 5100)<br />
I felt great this day, and the main set of fast 200’s and 500’s was Margaret’s favorite of the week. I came home and ran 4.4 miles and had a good pace! Pretty happy!<br />
<br />
Day 2: 5100 (we did 5100)<br />
6 x 100 at Max effort in the main set took its toll. I rode 23 miles after, even though I wanted to go home and take a nap. That afternoon I felt like dirt! How was I going to do 4 more big swims? Took some Recover-Ease, and the next morning was back to new!!<br />
<br />
Day 3: 4500 (we did 5000)<br />
I don’t remember much about this day, we hit all the intervals and even shortened the interval on the pulling. This was supposed to be a shorter day, because tomorrow was the big day. No running or cycling after this day.<br />
<br />
Day 4: 6400 (we did 6800)<br />
Why you ask on the biggest day of the week would we add 400 yards? Margaret pointed out that if we did 6800 we would be at 21,000 for the week. Of course being over-achievers, we did it. Our main set today was 10x400 on a 6:30 interval. The goal was to hold pace. In other words, try and hit the same time for all 10. I thought about it the night before and decided I needed to hit 5:40-5:45 on all of them. I put on my Tempo Trainer, and concentrated on keeping my stroke long. I went 5:44 on #1 and #10. 5:40 on #2,3,4,7. And 5:41-5:43 on the rest. I was incredibly happy! Great day! Came home and did a ton of housework and felt fine!<br />
<br />
Day 5: 4000 (we did 6000)<br />
Again here we go into the Over Achievers Club! Good main set today (this was one of the workouts that I took from Krista’s challenge week). This day included something that we did a COSST called a Locomotor. 25/25, 50/50, 75/75, 100/100, 75/75, 50/50, 25/25 – it’s a continuous swim going fast/easy, we wore fins. Makes an 800 go by very quickly and keeps you thinking! Ran 3 miles when I got home, and again was trashed that afternoon. Only one more day!<br />
<br />
Day 6: 5000 (we did 5000)<br />
The pool doesn’t open until 7:30 on Saturday, so we got a later start than usual. We were planning on riding at 9:30 with the Alabama Triathlon Team so we needed to get done. Rode another 23 miles after, and I felt like I was bonking at the end of the ride. I don’t eat breakfast before we swim at 6:00, and if I run or ride after that an energy bar usually does the trick. I think the reason I felt bad this day was because of the later than usual swim start time. I should have had more to eat on the way to the ride. Lesson learned.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-FlSNGHigLqOA-8sBv_etWwEJJNOEKqVdjCEfukRRIcdYLRYVXhUijaQoZGzh4iynNXaJ7YbShvAYJvsfZpFFNUz13uMUqlMAbEv32LDMxtMxRvA6ykCaFv6RIfupT1Cuhwuovo57n9d/s1600/Swim+Challenge+Margaret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-FlSNGHigLqOA-8sBv_etWwEJJNOEKqVdjCEfukRRIcdYLRYVXhUijaQoZGzh4iynNXaJ7YbShvAYJvsfZpFFNUz13uMUqlMAbEv32LDMxtMxRvA6ykCaFv6RIfupT1Cuhwuovo57n9d/s320/Swim+Challenge+Margaret.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still smiling after 6800 yards! TRISWIM to the rescue!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
We asked someone to take some pictures of us when we finished to commemorate our Challenge, unfortunately she seemed afraid to get too close to the water and the pictures are a little blurry. Margaret is officially a <a href="https://www.sbrsportsinc.com/collections/triswim" target="_blank">TRISWIM</a> fan now! We would be smelling like a bottle of Clorox had it not been for the shampoo, conditioner, bodywash, and lotion!! Use the discount code: "AMBFRND17" for a 10% discount code at <a href="http://www.sbrsportsinc.com/" target="_blank">SBR Sports, Inc</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn19ig1S9y6LzNKKWoQU5jOEFGU7PPq1d4fzKYtmhcpOd_M3AbSLEXAiOeCEEix_hIlwCq59MN6gGLfUAqImDigqc7bUaMA4NPRgqfoq26N-c9lldRlqmnsNMCiBL_y9BpqUAxYxRVyeV_/s1600/Swim+Challenge+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn19ig1S9y6LzNKKWoQU5jOEFGU7PPq1d4fzKYtmhcpOd_M3AbSLEXAiOeCEEix_hIlwCq59MN6gGLfUAqImDigqc7bUaMA4NPRgqfoq26N-c9lldRlqmnsNMCiBL_y9BpqUAxYxRVyeV_/s400/Swim+Challenge+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgvgJ2WXKP-4HmWnoLgV6danZD545yYzVDNqS-aeKItub3xIWndVlNVgHWddJO4mOvM_7ZZ9UIu1yXF5kUE94D7ly94qh88R9PKDPtyJ6HHAqB2Jtf7D1rn4x0i4h32h2nwNFD3bppN_vK/s1600/UA+TRI+Ride.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgvgJ2WXKP-4HmWnoLgV6danZD545yYzVDNqS-aeKItub3xIWndVlNVgHWddJO4mOvM_7ZZ9UIu1yXF5kUE94D7ly94qh88R9PKDPtyJ6HHAqB2Jtf7D1rn4x0i4h32h2nwNFD3bppN_vK/s400/UA+TRI+Ride.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UA Triathletes are powered by Honey Stinger, too! #stingorbestung #HShive</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The girl in the front, in the red helmet is Jessica, the president of the UA Tri Club! She qualified for KONA at IM Florida last year!! Warren, the owner of <a href="http://velocityprocycle.com/" target="_blank">VELO City Pro Cycle</a> and I have offered to give her a bike fit to help her positioning on the bike! Also known as a <a href="http://www.cobbcycling.com/" target="_blank">Cobb Cycling</a> BIKE FIT!!<br />
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<br />Living The Tri Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00905201895529626362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3636696996170761801.post-1335201150812241702017-04-09T10:53:00.000-05:002017-04-12T09:59:45.893-05:00Swim Challenge Week and TRISWIM to the Rescue!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ90fa_gRO4DdwC7u90IpYwR6Jl0ClwOyF0YYm6OXb-fO8rdEjacjtR6-ZrCyKINt5YPGnjL4B_qHqXJIi49vGweNa5MGp6OZhxZusTTEdCKaHVY0LNDwmkw-SNWtkH8pDRT_1Ewngb1P6/s1600/BCS+Cap.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ90fa_gRO4DdwC7u90IpYwR6Jl0ClwOyF0YYm6OXb-fO8rdEjacjtR6-ZrCyKINt5YPGnjL4B_qHqXJIi49vGweNa5MGp6OZhxZusTTEdCKaHVY0LNDwmkw-SNWtkH8pDRT_1Ewngb1P6/s400/BCS+Cap.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bat Cap! Team BSC!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I have some friends who do a big swim block challenge week - also known as The Bat Cap Challenge! <a href="http://mamasimmons.blogspot.com/2011/11/let-swim-challenge-begin.html" target="_blank">Michelle</a> has done big yardage, 45-50K over 8 days. <a href="http://tri-dogmom.blogspot.com/2017/04/bat-cap-challenge.html" target="_blank">Krista</a> just finished one of over 30K in 7 days (I think she finished off day 8 with an added 51x100 Birthday Swim for a friend of hers). I know these girls from the Recovery e21 race team that we were all on several years ago.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-cGbjsdJ4yXLmiXsmmEpn2_eii34QB4gfdzI3qnYplhNw6zOmHyOrhrPcTV1c8qBOB_RyS1YoAGfI5Kt2G3Y7JKCH9V_QZTHDIcUwGtGEpGNE56OSo1QQeRNqYCXcOU1mrqPtFOWZKR_/s1600/Crawfishman+2011+091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-cGbjsdJ4yXLmiXsmmEpn2_eii34QB4gfdzI3qnYplhNw6zOmHyOrhrPcTV1c8qBOB_RyS1YoAGfI5Kt2G3Y7JKCH9V_QZTHDIcUwGtGEpGNE56OSo1QQeRNqYCXcOU1mrqPtFOWZKR_/s320/Crawfishman+2011+091.JPG" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team Recovery e21 at the Crawfishman Triathlon!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The pool where I swim is closed on Sundays so I’m going to go for the 30K in 6 days. (Maybe sneak in an open water swim on Day 7). I’ve recruited Margaret, a friend of mine who is on the Alabama Triathlon Team. And a couple other girls, Averi, and Jessica (also Alabama Triathletes) who may make it for all or some of the challenge!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNC8zxXS6xCkMjVd0m5_rDQdUGcEhT2gzH-gHnnfKouHZUq1Kqwn0ei9CwedgG8jCIuyPYso-eJ3GxDkUS-KgqXDbgd_9Sk6u2Qu10uBA5FgYgeZTyk7P00Cx1ll_RiO2Omd-O0Btlb41A/s1600/Tri-It-On+Triathlon+238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNC8zxXS6xCkMjVd0m5_rDQdUGcEhT2gzH-gHnnfKouHZUq1Kqwn0ei9CwedgG8jCIuyPYso-eJ3GxDkUS-KgqXDbgd_9Sk6u2Qu10uBA5FgYgeZTyk7P00Cx1ll_RiO2Omd-O0Btlb41A/s400/Tri-It-On+Triathlon+238.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Margaret and Me at Tri It On triathlon several years ago!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
Some of the workouts I got from Krista’s challenge week, some from Tower 26 Be Race Ready Podcasts, and some of my own.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfOHCBkmgkijvCQRfS1V9nm3ZiGT3zagq6NnVqjHcHJCuPW2aBvnN5m01rR9GKU_J467-PjhifuC-_2ME9RXMgigH96THM7CnKrWhVfg-tEJRXYVoUGlYfx1G_YTFj9v7tovDWQafrNzM/s1600/Challenge+swim+SBR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfOHCBkmgkijvCQRfS1V9nm3ZiGT3zagq6NnVqjHcHJCuPW2aBvnN5m01rR9GKU_J467-PjhifuC-_2ME9RXMgigH96THM7CnKrWhVfg-tEJRXYVoUGlYfx1G_YTFj9v7tovDWQafrNzM/s400/Challenge+swim+SBR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Please feel free to join us!!<br />
<br />
Here are the workouts!<br />
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<br />
<b>6 DAY SWIM CHALLENGE </b><br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Day 1: 5000</b><br />
1000 w/u negative split<br />
10x50 @1:00 25 fast/25 ez<br />
<br />
Main: <br />
2x (200 @3:00 FAST<br />
300 @5:30 cruise<br />
500 @7:45 FAST<br />
300 @5:30 cruise)<br />
200 @3:00 FAST<br />
<br />
500 PBB ez c/d (Paddles, Buoy, Band)<br />
100 ez kick<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Day 2: 5100</b><br />
700 ez<br />
8x100 @ Progressive by 2, :20 rest (fins) 50 kick/50 swim<br />
70%, 75%, 80%, 85%<br />
<br />
Pre Main:<br />
5x100 @75% with :10 rest<br />
5x75 @80% with :15 rest<br />
5x50 @85% with :15 rest<br />
5x25 @90% with :20 rest<br />
<br />
150ez<br />
<br />
Main:<br />
6 x (1x100 Max Effort :15 rest<br />
1x200 @65% Recover with :45 rest)<br />
<br />
100 ez<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Day 3: 4500</b><br />
400 ez<br />
300 25 kick/75 swim<br />
4x75 @1:20 desc 1-4<br />
<br />
Main:<br />
4x150 @2:40 (paddles 2:30)<br />
6X100 @1:50<br />
3x150 @2:40<br />
5x100 @1:45<br />
2x150 @2:40<br />
4x100 @1:40<br />
1x150 @2:40<br />
3x100 @1:35<br />
<br />
<br />
200 cd<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Day 4: 6400</b><br />
1000 wu<br />
8x50 kick fins @Progressive<br />
8x50 swim fins ez/fast by 25<br />
200 ez<br />
<br />
10x400 @6:30 Hold Pace<br />
<br />
2x200 ez<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Day 5: 4000</b><br />
1000 ez 75 free/ 25 non-free<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
<br />
Main:<br />
2x ( 3x100 @1:40 FAST<br />
300 @5:00 ez<br />
2x150 @2:30 – 50 FAST / 100 ez)<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>*round 2 PPB<br />
<br />
1000 Locomotor straight swim<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>25/25, 50/50, 75/75, 100/100, 75/75, 50/50, 25/25 (FAST/EZ)<br />
<br />
200 ez<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Day 6: 5000</b><br />
500 ez<br />
6X100 Kick @Progressive with :20 rest (Snorkel, Fins, Board)<br />
1x400 Swim @70% (Snorkel, Fins)<br />
<br />
Main:<br />
5x (200 @3:30 <3:05<br />
100 @1:50 <1:26<br />
1500<br />
500 paddles, buoy, band<br />
500 paddles, buoy<br />
500 paddles<br />
<br />
3x100 (50 kick / 50 swim)<br />
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200 ez<br />
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Thank goodness that I was accepted to be an Ambassador for <a href="https://www.sbrsportsinc.com/" target="_blank">SBR Sports</a>! The makers of a really amazing line of products, including <a href="https://www.sbrsportsinc.com/collections/triswim" target="_blank">TRISWIM</a>. The shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion were developed with swimmers in mind, they remove chlorine/salt water from your hair and skin. Not only does TRISWIM have more ingredients to remove Chlorine/Salt water than the competitors, it rebuilds with mega vitamins, chamomile, watercress, and Keratin. If you're a swimmer you really need to use this!<br />
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SBR Sports, Inc. also makes <a href="https://www.sbrsportsinc.com/collections/foggies" target="_blank">FOGGIES</a>, <a href="https://www.sbrsportsinc.com/collections/trislide" target="_blank">TRISLIDE</a>, <a href="https://www.sbrsportsinc.com/collections/skin-slick" target="_blank">SKIN SLICK</a>, <a href="https://www.sbrsportsinc.com/collections/dive-slide" target="_blank">DIVE SLIDE</a>, and <a href="https://www.sbrsportsinc.com/collections/dermasport" target="_blank">DERMASPORT</a>. Click on each product and it will take you to a link so you can read more about each one! I have a discount code to share with you for 10% off! Use the code: "<b>AMBFRND17</b>" on the<a href="http://www.sbrsportsinc.com/" target="_blank"> www.sbrsportsinc.com</a> site!!<br />
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I did my first open water swim last weekend with the Alabama Triathletes, and brought them all samples of FOGGIES, and SKIN SLICK. Gave them a little OWS coaching before we all headed out at Lake Tuscaloosa for an awesome swim!! They're all racing the month at USAT Collegiate Nationals which is being held here in Tuscaloosa! I'm volunteering for the race, working Transition so I can see the circus!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alabama Triathlon Team</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roll Tri Roll!</td></tr>
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Living The Tri Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00905201895529626362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3636696996170761801.post-51358100927429155292017-03-12T17:46:00.000-05:002017-03-12T17:46:09.093-05:00Are You "Saddle Sore"?<br />
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Unless you are one of a very select (and small) group of cyclists you have experienced issues when it comes to finding the right combination of a bike saddle, and cycling shorts. Those issues can include chaffing, numbness, and the dreaded saddle sores.<br />
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When I first started riding and training for triathlons some 32 years ago things were very different. The cut out, or relief channel in a bike saddle wasn’t around. It was unbelievably uncomfortable down there on a bike. The first saddle that made it a little better had somewhat of a groove down the center. Then I found one with a cut out, it was a Profile saddle and it was soft and squishy, but there was a hard plastic piece around the cut out to help it hold its shape. That thing felt like it was slicing into you. I pulled out the plastic piece and it was a little better. Then the saddle sores started, at the place where your body and leg come together.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That plastic piece was mean!</td></tr>
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<br />Years of dealing with saddle sores... Vaseline, Chammois Butt’r, Aquaphor… I tried a lot of different things. Still I had saddle sores. I had friends who said they would use their fingernails to basically pop them…yikes! My solution was using the sterile lancets that you could get in the diabetic supplies in the drug store, and open them up. It was painful, and gross. I would use Stridex or Clearasil wipes to clean the skin before and after, and then put Neosporin on them, and hope they would heal.<br />
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Ironman training was the worst, because it wasn’t like you could lay off riding and give them time to heal. We used moleskin or bandaids to try and protect the skin. We would wear tri shorts and bike shorts on top of them, so that the friction was in between the two, kind of like those double layer blister free socks that used to be on the market. And it never failed that I would start the race with a saddle sore (or two) …112 miles of pain, no fun.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA2p7kVT4r37qM2P2fTeXDJ2EBFWmm1I0fkKFTYs-7LL8cvZAqfyJoBfuywhnACDwIwrq92swQJdclwUF2OYSQT_X6DpsiTCZ8elXb6DGRIpvoErFUunuMKRyDpguYvnjMKVQaPqsFlsPx/s1600/vflow-store-black.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA2p7kVT4r37qM2P2fTeXDJ2EBFWmm1I0fkKFTYs-7LL8cvZAqfyJoBfuywhnACDwIwrq92swQJdclwUF2OYSQT_X6DpsiTCZ8elXb6DGRIpvoErFUunuMKRyDpguYvnjMKVQaPqsFlsPx/s320/vflow-store-black.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Comfort=Speed</td></tr>
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I’ve posted before that I’ve ridden a <a href="http://www.cobbcycling.com/" target="_blank">Cobb saddle</a> for a long time, back from when they were still being handmade, and progressing to what would become the original <a href="http://www.cobbcycling.com/product/v-flow/" target="_blank">V-Flow</a>. And still I had issues with saddle sores. It wasn’t until last year when I bit the bullet and started exclusively riding in my Cobb Mobb team tri shorts for all of my rides that the problem went away. I would use them for short rides, but was nervous about riding long in them. Then I went for a 50+ mile ride and they didn't let me down!<br />
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It was the shorts! Now, I have tried lots of different shorts over the years, too. I definitely found that the zigzag stitching created a problem. Even around the back of the “chamois”, it would rub on my skin and create sores. I tried shorts that had the chamois had 4-way stretch, laser cut edges, no stitching, and still had problems. The thick padding and/or the rough stitching was the culprit!<br />
<b><a href="http://www.cobbcycling.com/womens-shorts-why-cobb-shorts/" target="_blank"><br /></a></b>
<b><a href="http://www.cobbcycling.com/womens-shorts-why-cobb-shorts/" target="_blank">Women's Shorts: Why Cobb Shorts?</a></b><br />
<b>“There are a number of problems that come about when riding in a thick padded cycling short.</b><br />
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<b>One: they bunch up into the relief channel, or general crotch area, of the saddle. This brings pressure (and maybe even pain) back to the area where the crotch relief was supposed to be. Two: they bunch up on the sides of your legs and in the creases where the leg meets the crotch. This can cause inner leg chafing and saddle sores due to the increase in friction in that area. Three: thick pads hold in sweat and reduce airflow to the crotch area, causing hot spots and can lead to some unwanted bacteria. I don’t have to tell you why all those things are unfavorable! Thin, triathlon chamois improve the airflow to the crotch, they don’t hold in sweat, and they don’t bunch up in unwanted areas.” </b><br />
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So what is the difference between Cobb shorts? What makes them special? First they are 10 panel shorts, so there is no seam down the middle of the shorts in the crotch, and are sewn with 4 needle stitching. The benefit of this is a very flat and smooth seam. Second, the shape of the thin pad is not your typical hourglass, the sides are actually down your leg a bit, not right at the point where your leg meets your body. And third, “the panels are aligned so that they pull outward away from the crotch to align in the gap in the upper thigh area (where the crotch meets the leg). This way, the shorts do not wad up in that gap area.”<br />
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BINGO, that had been my problem, all that fabric would bunch up and rub and crease and cause the saddle sores. My 31-year saddle sore problem had finally been solved! (The other benefit, was no more greasy shorts from the products! Bonus!!)<br />
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Now many of you have just started riding and racing, I’m sure that is why I see so many questions about saddles, and discomfort. And luckily for you there are so many advancements in products, and research that you don’t have to go through years of discomfort.<br />
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Oh, if you want to give the Cobb shorts a try there are a couple of really good deals on the website right now. There is a super cute women’s set of shorts and tank – It says “Look Like A Beauty Train Like A Beast”! And there is also just the shorts that you can purchase separately, both are on sale! Oh and for you guys, the same thing applies to you! And there are men’s shorts as well! Cheers!<br />
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<a href="http://www.cobbcycling.com/product/womens-tankshortcomboset/" target="_blank">Beauty Beast Combo</a></div>
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This is my friend Rachel, if you call Cobb to discuss your female comfort issues, you get to speak to a woman. So much nicer to have her to talk to than talking about your "girl pain" with a guy....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQP4fWLapWiir0cpBiOkkK1f5XvuO1X1eQlbwh8x4o05Piajtpr4taON6IuJNwegl6yvw0jI3QL0Zc8BOvEPTfI_MArJgJ9BuqPnNFNr2IVlSZrKHTqjXZCD8BJTdy05FtwuWqXAJSYKI4/s1600/cobb-trishorts-b-2-womens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQP4fWLapWiir0cpBiOkkK1f5XvuO1X1eQlbwh8x4o05Piajtpr4taON6IuJNwegl6yvw0jI3QL0Zc8BOvEPTfI_MArJgJ9BuqPnNFNr2IVlSZrKHTqjXZCD8BJTdy05FtwuWqXAJSYKI4/s320/cobb-trishorts-b-2-womens.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.cobbcycling.com/product/womens-cycling-shorts/" target="_blank">Women's Cycling Shorts</a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0gvb6mIbb7s2-0cyMJMUkNzU0R270klDkrFvDxt1rY_LuEUiQQhj72KkPABQh6kCD5dfxjxqcZBjWDWYEDZT4GxaBYIpzsoOskhVHLufnXU2L_oYn-__YvGaCRw1cFhZFlNkMNmHVydVa/s1600/cobb-trishorts-black-mens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0gvb6mIbb7s2-0cyMJMUkNzU0R270klDkrFvDxt1rY_LuEUiQQhj72KkPABQh6kCD5dfxjxqcZBjWDWYEDZT4GxaBYIpzsoOskhVHLufnXU2L_oYn-__YvGaCRw1cFhZFlNkMNmHVydVa/s320/cobb-trishorts-black-mens.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.cobbcycling.com/product/mens-cycling-shorts/" target="_blank">Men's Cycling Shorts</a></div>
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I was going to continue on in the post about saddles, but I think I’ll do that in a separate entry. Don't forget to check back!!<br />
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If you feel like doing a little reading there are many great articles on <b>Comfort Issues</b> on the Cobb Cycling website:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.cobbcycling.com/comfort-issues/womens-comfort-issues/" target="_blank">Women's Comfort Issues </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.cobbcycling.com/comfort-issues/mens-comfort-issues/" target="_blank">Men's Comfort Issues</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.cobbcycling.com/comfort-issues/product-solutions/" target="_blank">Cobb Cycling Solutions</a></span></div>
Living The Tri Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00905201895529626362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3636696996170761801.post-85428960736725279662017-02-28T12:28:00.003-06:002017-02-28T12:28:50.081-06:00This is My "Why" - Coach Cori MooreI just read something that really struck a chord. I could not have said it better and I want to share Cori's words with you. Please share these thoughts, and keep them in close when self doubts start creeping into your mind!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwsBTRnfWYgAdzhPVTqwmnHXTIZxL9nE_mLDOrhCeMQBSC8ntywG37Lg7tfVuNWqV0-bNsv-xY9bRYB0qUx3BBV9k8Cbxou77AysmP04ks2VWdoF4wq_1S-dYuYzUvB19bIKc10T3zL4G/s1600/Cori+Moore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwsBTRnfWYgAdzhPVTqwmnHXTIZxL9nE_mLDOrhCeMQBSC8ntywG37Lg7tfVuNWqV0-bNsv-xY9bRYB0qUx3BBV9k8Cbxou77AysmP04ks2VWdoF4wq_1S-dYuYzUvB19bIKc10T3zL4G/s1600/Cori+Moore.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">"So, I'm just thinking out loud here (literally a monologue). My passion in life is empowering others, especially women, because we're hard on ourselves and each other, we *want* to reach our goals, and yet, we're often the ones in our own way. And we aren't always each other’s champions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've chosen to address this issue via endurance sports, coaching, creating women specific events. Here are my thoughts though...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Women often avoid getting into sports because of other women. The comparison. The I’m not good enoughs’, I don't know enoughs'... and whether we admit it or not, many of us are scared to look stupid - in front of other women.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've experienced this and still do quite frequently. So how do you inspire women to get out of their comfort zones and into the zones they 'feel' they are the most judged?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I want to change that atmosphere. I know, and so many others know, just how much growth can happen mentally and emotionally, when you accomplish something physically. It crosses over... that confidence and that motivation. It's contagious. The self-discipline, the hard work, the habits of pushing yourself in training transfers to other areas in your life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is my '<b>why</b>'."</span><br />
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<a href="mailto:cori@itri365.com" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Cori Moore</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">iTRI365 Coach & Owner</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">www.iTRI365.com</span><br />
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<b>"Be Each Other's Champions!" You are good enough!</b></div>
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Living The Tri Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00905201895529626362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3636696996170761801.post-29651418477101488922017-02-21T16:20:00.000-06:002017-02-21T16:20:15.961-06:00Women For Tri - Blog Roll<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDU_QOwlcHoatRdvfLbhQPY0ePqRdHUISh6lQgG4-0YLizdlRBfbcFlpc8myIgAlfr8BLdUs-VXiiwd1EpACT5ChgHZHDk-zueFLRwVhGeaRjD0j32DRBtN4a1rskZYlLWwQ1p5gdbbyUi/s1600/Women+For+Tri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDU_QOwlcHoatRdvfLbhQPY0ePqRdHUISh6lQgG4-0YLizdlRBfbcFlpc8myIgAlfr8BLdUs-VXiiwd1EpACT5ChgHZHDk-zueFLRwVhGeaRjD0j32DRBtN4a1rskZYlLWwQ1p5gdbbyUi/s320/Women+For+Tri.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I belong to the Women For Tri Facebook forum, it is a closed group, and a place to discuss all things women, training & triathlon. "Women For Tri’s mission is simple: Identify & diminish primary barriers to entry, mobilize triathlon advocates to encourage & engage female athletes across all distances & represent all athletic abilities."<br />
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There is a file on the page that contains a big list of blogs from some of the members. I thought I would share the list! (I included all the blogs that have a post from 2016 and forward). You may find some good bits of information, or just follow along on someone’s triathlon journey!<br />
Hope you enjoy! Lose yourself in Blogland!!<br />
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<a href="http://jessandersontri.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Impossible Is Nothing</a><br />
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<a href="http://pattychanganker.com/category/facing-forty-upside-down/" target="_blank">Facing Forty Upside Down</a><br />
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<a href="http://swimbikemom.com/" target="_blank">Swim Bike Mom</a><br />
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<a href="http://ironamy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Be Brave</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.9010nutrition.com/blog/" target="_blank">90/10 Nutrition Blog</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.marathonsandmotivation.com/" target="_blank">Marathons & Motivation</a><br />
<a href="http://www.accidentallyrunningmama.com/" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.accidentallyrunningmama.com/" target="_blank">The Accidentally Running Mama</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.nutrition-in-motion.net/blog" target="_blank">Nutrition In Motion</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.swimbikerunroar.com/" target="_blank">Swim Bike Run Roar</a><br />
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<a href="http://swimbikerunbri.com/" target="_blank">Swim Bike Run Bri</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.amydixonusa.com/" target="_blank">Amy Dixon Blind Triathlete and Sommelier</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.halfnutshalfironman.com/" target="_blank">Half Nuts Half Ironman</a><br />
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<a href="http://beatingdownmyinnerfatkid.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Beating Down My Inner Fat Kid</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.yogapeach.com/" target="_blank">Yoga Peach</a><br />
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<a href="http://eiswuerfelimschuh.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Eiswuerfel Im Schuh</a><br />
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<a href="http://thetrigirlchronicles.com/" target="_blank">Swim. Bike. Run. The TriGirl Chronicles</a><br />
<a href="http://angiesexcellentadventure.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://angiesexcellentadventure.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Angie’s Excellent Adventures</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.fourseasonfit.com/" target="_blank">Four Season Fit</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.theultralifeproject.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Ultra-Life Project</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.cajunmile.com/" target="_blank">Cajun Mile</a><br />
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<a href="http://fearlessnutritionllc.com/" target="_blank">Fearless Nutrition</a><br />
<a href="http://chaslansadventures.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://chaslansadventures.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Chaslan's Adventures - A triathlete's tale</a><br />
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<a href="http://untpawgal2002.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Triathlete 4 Life</a><br />
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<a href="http://orangevisor.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Orange Visor</a><br />
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<a href="https://nutritionwelldonewithasideoffitness.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Nutrition, With a Side of Fitness</a><br />
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<a href="http://newxheights.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Log Blog</a><br />
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<a href="http://morethanjustdessert.com/" target="_blank">More Than Just Dessert</a><br />
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<a href="http://irongirl101.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Irongirl 101</a><br />
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<a href="http://triinspiredlife.com/" target="_blank">Tri Inspired Life</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.fatgirltri-ing.com/" target="_blank">Fat Girl Tri-ing</a><br />
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<a href="https://thehungryathlete.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Hungry Athlete</a><br />
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<a href="http://frenchfryrunner.com/" target="_blank">French Fry Runner</a><br />
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A<a href="http://promisetodad.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"> Promise To Dad</a><br />
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<a href="https://onesweatyturtle.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Inspired Endurance</a><br />
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<a href="http://nosaladextragluten.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">No Salad, Extra Gluten Please</a><br />
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<a href="http://runningfrommyexcuses.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Running From My Excuses</a><br />
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<a href="https://trimama43doesimtx.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">TRIMAMA43DOESIMTX</a><br />
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<a href="http://kokoroux.com/" target="_blank">Call Me Koko</a><br />
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<a href="http://runninghappilyeverafter.com/" target="_blank">Running Happily Ever After</a><br />
<a href="http://emilystrijourney.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://emilystrijourney.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">EmilysTriJourney</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.justkeeptri-ing.com/" target="_blank">Just keep Tri-ing</a><br />
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<a href="http://fromtrippintotriathlons.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">From Trippin’ To Triathlons</a><br />
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<a href="http://lisaserrano23.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">StrongerBetterFasterMore</a><br />
<a href="http://pbjandwipes1.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://pbjandwipes1.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">PBJ and Wipes</a><br />
<a href="http://www.runningalife.com/" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.runningalife.com/" target="_blank">Running A Life</a><br />
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<a href="http://fatgirltoironman.co.uk/" target="_blank">Fat Girl To Ironman</a><br />
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<a href="http://notafastrunner.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Not A Fast Runner</a><br />
<a href="http://nytrigal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://nytrigal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Still Tri-ing After All These Years</a><br />
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<a href="http://amandabolger.com/" target="_blank">AmandaBolger.com Dream Believe Achieve!</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.thebruisedbanana.com/" target="_blank">The Bruised Banana</a><br />
<a href="http://yearofalison.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://yearofalison.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">Year of Alison</a><br />
<a href="http://www.tundrasusie.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.tundrasusie.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Just Another Day in the Sub Artic…</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.theturtletriathlete.net/" target="_blank">The Turtle Triathlete</a><br />
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<br />Living The Tri Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00905201895529626362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3636696996170761801.post-33383682805994467252017-01-12T07:59:00.002-06:002017-01-12T07:59:46.470-06:00End of The Year - Beginning of The Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84Ofu1rtYmcvi81v_oqaon7F2LppZHMaWdyZU1hiNDHi2CN7nO58G4P0kZXPN0TNW-hu36ZBZnU1NOk-pv-PNulpql-uSm2b5VpkuWqcaPbk86Sy5w5f24OvWWi7PCLYwDaKzDHLmpE4g/s1600/Happy+New+Year.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84Ofu1rtYmcvi81v_oqaon7F2LppZHMaWdyZU1hiNDHi2CN7nO58G4P0kZXPN0TNW-hu36ZBZnU1NOk-pv-PNulpql-uSm2b5VpkuWqcaPbk86Sy5w5f24OvWWi7PCLYwDaKzDHLmpE4g/s320/Happy+New+Year.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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How was your 2016? I’ve read a lot of people claiming “good riddance” to the end of last year. Glass half empty people? Of course in every year there will be the good, the bad, and the ugly. Let’s try to concentrate on the good.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>2016</b></span><br />
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I found a fantastic Podcast called “<a href="http://tower26.com/podcasts-2/" target="_blank">Tower 26 - Be Race Ready</a>”. Gerry Rodriguez has been a swim coach for many years, and coaches a triathlon masters in California. These <a href="http://tower26radio.libsyn.com/" target="_blank">podcasts</a> are amazing! I listened to them while I was running and then came home and wrote down the “workout of the day” that he outlined. If you’re a triathlete, whether or not you swim with a master’s swim program, do yourself a favor and check it out. A mass of valuable information!<br />
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Here is one of my favorite workouts from the Podcasts. I named it the” Foundational Swim” because he outlined it in that particular Phase of the year – here is the main set of the swim, it doesn’t include the warm up, drills, cool down, etc.<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
EZ ½ IM EZ Fast</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
100 100 100 100</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
100 200 100 100 </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
100 300 100 100</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
100 400 100 100 </div>
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The intervals you want to use for this base from your typical 100. For instance, for me I swim my 100’s on 1:30, this give me anywhere from 5-10 seconds of rest (bringing my 100 in on the 1:20-1:25). The EZ 100s would be your 100 interval plus 20 seconds. Using these numbers, the EZ send offs would be 1:50, and the ½ IM pace and the Fast on 1:30. On round two the ½ IM pace increased to 200 – 3:00. Round three 300 @4:30 etc. If you’re training for an Ironman as the season progresses you could build this to 600. Making the entire main set 3,900.<br />
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Okay… next thing that I discovered this past year. This one is very uncomplicated. Blue Dawn dish washing liquid for your hair. WHAT???? Wash my hair in Dawn? Yep… about every 3-4 months I wash my hair in Dawn. It deep cleans your hair, takes out all of the built up product and leaves your hair silky smooth. Of course use your favorite deep conditioner after you wash, leave it on for about 5 minutes. (word of caution for color treated hair – it will lighten your hair).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnjxNTRHD9WXf8jx9ucWV0PXbknTs-UiHD64DWak5eVIMTWtffWFhRmXkamnnKU_0EwEXpvkEPVVXsQRIoFdyOHgxWVELc0jBM6_k_H4YDZM71Dw_MAEc9gVlv1mQ-m9LqtH_xGzso4x_m/s1600/triswim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnjxNTRHD9WXf8jx9ucWV0PXbknTs-UiHD64DWak5eVIMTWtffWFhRmXkamnnKU_0EwEXpvkEPVVXsQRIoFdyOHgxWVELc0jBM6_k_H4YDZM71Dw_MAEc9gVlv1mQ-m9LqtH_xGzso4x_m/s200/triswim.jpg" width="163" /></a>Speaking of hair, another discovery was <a href="https://www.sbrsportsinc.com/collections/triswim" target="_blank">TRISWIM</a> shampoo and conditioner. I got some in a race packet and at also at the Masters Coaching Swim Certification that I did a couple months ago. THIS STUFF ROCKS!! If you haven’t tried it you’re missing out. If you’re a Masters Swimmer you get a discount code when you renew or sign up for USMS for the SBR products, which include the TRISWIM shampoo, conditioner, body wash, TRISLIDE, and FOGGIES.<br />
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I get a rash on my neck sometimes from the chlorine levels in the pool, and this seems to really help! It detoxifies, hydrates, and nourishes the skin! "Chlorine Out... Nutrients In!"<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7SvD5Q7hE0fP04JDjUf5P_YQhJfBLqG7D9vMBdVWKHRxrmV1hkD5cGbFhbuyjtukizDluAEFAH5I3EovB8va_XDHzuVj0UA9bimTcEpQUP9rlMcP_Z2mVFtMowW21t6g54g-eVD5HgfBS/s1600/USMSLogoWhiteWaveWhiteText-375x71.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="60" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7SvD5Q7hE0fP04JDjUf5P_YQhJfBLqG7D9vMBdVWKHRxrmV1hkD5cGbFhbuyjtukizDluAEFAH5I3EovB8va_XDHzuVj0UA9bimTcEpQUP9rlMcP_Z2mVFtMowW21t6g54g-eVD5HgfBS/s320/USMSLogoWhiteWaveWhiteText-375x71.png" width="320" /></a><br />
I mentioned getting my <a href="http://www.usms.org/" target="_blank">USMS</a> <a href="http://www.usms.org/content/coachcert" target="_blank">Masters Coaching Certification</a>! Coaching adults vs. kids – one of pieces of advice that they gave us in the clinic… “Masters swimmers get up in the middle of the night to come and swim, make sure that every day you make a connection with each and every swimmer. It may be a correction in technique, or a simple recognition of a good job, and a Good Morning”. The quickest way to lose adult swimmers is for them to think no one cares that they are there.” Hey… we all need an “at a boy” (or girl). The thing I like the absolute least about a swim coach is when they write a workout on the board and say nothing else during the entire workout. I’m probably on the opposite extreme of this, my swimmers would probably tell me to leave them alone! So whenever the Masters Coach no shows at our practice I get my chance to write the workout! I really miss coaching!! Oh… the other bonus of getting certified is that the folks at TRISWIM reached out to me (as a coach) and asked if I wanted samples for the team!!! Heck yeah! So I was able to get some product for my friends!! BONUS!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_5JqxSFnalHIQAzvPnLSVJ8qfsoKPUAwiahv7YY-zFBWu22NumFTtGOk40LjcNhKHgJpV_s0G5eHEybXoT2lVgmzAHl1IW2-bY_YvQpjMSESmRmRgm0R5t5zGp_VVje57sO6lHigUZ4m/s1600/Zoggs+Podium.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_5JqxSFnalHIQAzvPnLSVJ8qfsoKPUAwiahv7YY-zFBWu22NumFTtGOk40LjcNhKHgJpV_s0G5eHEybXoT2lVgmzAHl1IW2-bY_YvQpjMSESmRmRgm0R5t5zGp_VVje57sO6lHigUZ4m/s200/Zoggs+Podium.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.zoggsusa.com/" target="_blank">ZOGGS Goggles</a> would be on the list of favorite things. I bought two pair, the <a href="https://www.zoggsusa.com/collections/soft-frames/products/athena?variant=6180215937" target="_blank">Athena</a> and the <a href="https://www.zoggsusa.com/collections/adjustable/products/podium?variant=1191535745" target="_blank">Podium</a>. The <a href="https://www.zoggsusa.com/collections/soft-frames/products/athena?variant=6180215937" target="_blank">Athena</a> is a soft frame, one-piece goggle (meaning the nose piece isn’t adjustable). I didn’t care for these so much, I have a small nose bridge and haven’t had the best of luck with getting a good seal with goggles that don’t come with various nose pieces. I gave them a good try, but they’re living in my swim bag as emergency goggles. But then I tried the <a href="https://www.zoggsusa.com/collections/adjustable/products/podium?variant=1191535745" target="_blank">Podium</a> goggles!!! They come with 3 nose pieces so you can get the perfect nosebridge width.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-qdcZ8c5f_XpCtgvDE3jExp1KdA1r-9_KZlwANTAIPByR4QfJu8zxVvfqurf6yVHCXDuafUUiOVpqrlY3GpzjHgXjtn7v5LSlbTaJe5tfQ6AmeMA_6LgX81dVfW1Y5ERYkxpHWjbjvqT/s1600/Zoggs+Poduim+Nosepiece.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-qdcZ8c5f_XpCtgvDE3jExp1KdA1r-9_KZlwANTAIPByR4QfJu8zxVvfqurf6yVHCXDuafUUiOVpqrlY3GpzjHgXjtn7v5LSlbTaJe5tfQ6AmeMA_6LgX81dVfW1Y5ERYkxpHWjbjvqT/s200/Zoggs+Poduim+Nosepiece.png" width="200" /></a>These are AWESOME!!! The lenses are super clear (as is with all the Zoggs products – it’s one of the things they’re known for), but the best part is that the nose piece. The ends that snap into the lens are round like a ball, so they swivel almost 180 degrees which means they really contour to the shape of your face. I just love them!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>2017</b></span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLH-Kh8ngUXnwHR4gl2BkdSy6DXggko3za9fIENd36SPLu2ESqcdH7ZFqx5hCLltsQISinGyCt1XHQekl2JwHFLNj8thhEtg6zeOlIRltxl06WzQH_MP4LphSoBdsJvydcARQWZckYCHA/s1600/Zoggs+logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLH-Kh8ngUXnwHR4gl2BkdSy6DXggko3za9fIENd36SPLu2ESqcdH7ZFqx5hCLltsQISinGyCt1XHQekl2JwHFLNj8thhEtg6zeOlIRltxl06WzQH_MP4LphSoBdsJvydcARQWZckYCHA/s200/Zoggs+logo.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2017 ZOGGS Ambassador!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So when I saw that <a href="https://www.zoggsusa.com/" target="_blank">ZoggsUSA</a> opened applications for Ambassadors I took a chance and sent it in! And got selected! Sweet!! We haven’t received our Ambassador package yet and they haven’t told us what is expected of us but I am excited to be involved in something related to swim! Ironically, their office is located in Northridge, California. I looked up the address…it is about a mile and a half from our old house in California! We actually used to ride our bikes as kids over to the little strip center where the office is! Go figure!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP6SytGzgsqbLTliebn_7EEWQopHayuwzfb0eX_MQY9JYgql7DPEAHfyATKiIYl3nFWez9i7-Qo6TEe76xQNFwtgdVJrL8e0skRSEEOLCRzAYnNJ3AYq7qht5hnLCwLGyR7yklTELKUY24/s1600/cobb+mobb+2017.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP6SytGzgsqbLTliebn_7EEWQopHayuwzfb0eX_MQY9JYgql7DPEAHfyATKiIYl3nFWez9i7-Qo6TEe76xQNFwtgdVJrL8e0skRSEEOLCRzAYnNJ3AYq7qht5hnLCwLGyR7yklTELKUY24/s200/cobb+mobb+2017.png" width="200" /></a>More good news – I’m back for year 4 with <a href="http://cobbmobb.com/" target="_blank">The COBB MOBB</a>!! Most people in the triathlon world have heard of John Cobb and <a href="http://www.cobbcycling.com/" target="_blank">Cobb Cycling</a>. If you’ve followed my blog you’ve seen me post photos at racing in the kit. I refer to him as the GURU of bike aerodynamics! I had the honor of being named The 2016 Cobb Mobb Top Female Performer last year, and I am very excited to be welcomed back for another year with this great team! I got my friend, Jenn to apply and she was selected, too! But… she is moving to Wisconsin this month…. (insert extremely sad face here). So my training partner is gone, this is definitely not good news. I was really looking forward to us representing the Cobb Mobb and representing at the local races.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7TrgdetrAcPdve6MmBtEv5PjnzFLQ1TCJHIIvuszFXjddqlve2UmENDIcKYdL56uw06EDGpANfiBQEBIdy3En5rfXQN7h_0AXWQ5u56BjANMqvhYDOXXQDjxaUZdtGAyOSjUHsE-kwGe0/s1600/Cobb+Mobb+top+performer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7TrgdetrAcPdve6MmBtEv5PjnzFLQ1TCJHIIvuszFXjddqlve2UmENDIcKYdL56uw06EDGpANfiBQEBIdy3En5rfXQN7h_0AXWQ5u56BjANMqvhYDOXXQDjxaUZdtGAyOSjUHsE-kwGe0/s320/Cobb+Mobb+top+performer.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I’ve ridden on a Cobb saddle from way back in the day when I bought my Javelin bike from him in 1999. Back then he was taking an existing saddle and custom cutting the wings off the back of it, so the hamstrings would not come in contact with the saddle at the back of the pedal stroke. The result was a narrow saddle and you can see it in the original V-Flow. I read people’s questions in tri forums and Facebook pages talking about the width of their sit bones and how they need a wider saddle. In actuality, when you’re in the aero position, your sit bones are not in contact with the saddle – you are rotated forward and you don’t need a wide saddle. In fact, on every pedal revolution if your hamstring at the glute insertion is coming in contact with the saddle it can inflame and irritate the sciatic nerve. Saddle comfort is very individualized, at Cobb Cycling they have a number of different saddles, experts to help you find the best one for you, and a 60 day comfort guarantee.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj40mg2BSvo4qQOStnSYlGpObVHAS6vujguIzg6bfH-enhwQ6VfiecqVO51UkpVkmg9IhthSlw8oHHqB4xqWrTVIYbj1LoUp2woDvlft3PwDcpofZqmkqHLFcE73em5yZdwhiBl4Z2G-zrx/s1600/vflow-store-black.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj40mg2BSvo4qQOStnSYlGpObVHAS6vujguIzg6bfH-enhwQ6VfiecqVO51UkpVkmg9IhthSlw8oHHqB4xqWrTVIYbj1LoUp2woDvlft3PwDcpofZqmkqHLFcE73em5yZdwhiBl4Z2G-zrx/s200/vflow-store-black.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">V-Flow</td></tr>
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This past year I finally took the advice and ditched my usual cycling shorts and rode only in my Cobb tri shorts. I’ve suffered with saddle sores for the entire time I’ve been riding, were talking 31 years! Voila, no more saddle sores for me! The bunching of the thick material on regular shorts was the culprit in my case. Cobb Saddle + Cobb Shorts = Pain free riding! If you’re having issues with comfort on your bike you should do yourself a favor and reach out to Cobb Cycling. And if you’re a female they even employ a Women’s Expert so you don’t have to discuss our specific issues with a guy. (903) 253-8555 - ask for Rachel! Check out the <a href="http://www.cobbcycling.com/" target="_blank">website</a> for contact information as well as a lot of great articles about fit and comfort that may help you!<br />
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I was also picked to represent <a href="https://www.herevolution.com/" target="_blank">HERevolution</a> for 2017. This company has a great backstory. I think Darcy, the owner and founder of HERev says it best:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivhkkpKBhRWzqySruZFV-1ytwmLfqUO_3al5Se_9W4U4a1tcXH-CpAzj28tfsyDuIJN07S3pG8Iyax6cmlVGDpToqdLNue427XCNUACp00LkUkXDgJDQ5U7_nXzhA_r9Xijmjr8F-sGp-U/s1600/HERevolution.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivhkkpKBhRWzqySruZFV-1ytwmLfqUO_3al5Se_9W4U4a1tcXH-CpAzj28tfsyDuIJN07S3pG8Iyax6cmlVGDpToqdLNue427XCNUACp00LkUkXDgJDQ5U7_nXzhA_r9Xijmjr8F-sGp-U/s320/HERevolution.jpg" width="320" /></a><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>“Today, HERevolution is solely online offering exclusive HERevolution Apparel. Our focus is to offer you bold, bright designs, maintaining high quality, supporting American made and sizing, while embracing eco friendly choices. Our fabulous partner, <a href="https://www.zocagear.com/" target="_blank">Zoca Gear</a>, employs and manufactures here in San Diego, California, uses eco-friendly water base ink, and adheres to true American sizing. This is very important to us at HERevolution. I believe the slight extra cost is worth supporting these ideas.</b></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is a routine we strive to implement. Every garment is shipped to you in the original packaging from our manufacturer. We use minimal recyclable packaging.</b></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>HERevolution celebrates women in sport and every goose bump, tear of joy and adrenaline rush we experience from both our own accomplishments and others. We have a sport that every woman can participate in and it is our heart and soul that brings us together to find camaraderie, friendship, growth and empowerment.</b></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>We embrace women sharing the love of our sport, on and off the course. Supporting others' endeavors makes them feel good which makes us feel good. Believe me when I say you will feel “the Love” when you wear HERevolution Gear. So, represent well, and share the love."</b></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>#RevItUp Ladies</b></span></i></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLHj_r-8GST1xhC4PDxQNB9GqUas6HgM80Z0q4GfBSWgoAVDFRnx9elDyFyP2uI3cx4Q72TVwGLs8ewzAqESekhoF4oPrCTLWJ6xc-Saqzl2ZBm2bL9QN-FVvVH-n2A7AyaFhdOhBn_RTq/s1600/Major+Tom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLHj_r-8GST1xhC4PDxQNB9GqUas6HgM80Z0q4GfBSWgoAVDFRnx9elDyFyP2uI3cx4Q72TVwGLs8ewzAqESekhoF4oPrCTLWJ6xc-Saqzl2ZBm2bL9QN-FVvVH-n2A7AyaFhdOhBn_RTq/s200/Major+Tom.jpg" width="166" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Major Tom</td></tr>
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And last, but not least for 2016… another knee surgery. #groan. In November I sat cross legged painting our deck and the floor of our screened porch. I actually remember thinking that I hadn’t been able to sit like that in a long time. Tiny bit of history – micro-fracture knee surgeries on both knees, the left in 2002, and the right in 2008. I don’t know if I did something to my left knee by sitting like that or not, but the day or so later I felt it buckle, and then swell up. Long story short, the doc found a loose body in my knee, a torn meniscus, and a lot of junk in there from all the years of running and racing. On December 30th I had arthroscopic surgery to debride, do a partial removal of the meniscus, and remove Waldo from my knee. It will be two weeks tomorrow, and I am happy to report that the recovery from this surgery (compared to the micro-fractures) has been a breeze! Hope to be in the pool, and on the bike in the next few days. Running in another week or so! Gotta get ready for the season!!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So cheers to 2017! Hope to see you at the races!!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipWLQfzZSEaQKiUfUN23kXGgyaulmV-zXJITDpKMOVkyXK9GxV9ABL_wOOGaV-9gI2J0eEFnhxqv8sBF1RYxEWdRTSoh90wEE7ta0lKXfxmWL889C4IPLPjIKu-B86QBuxBAaF92_EYmeB/s1600/Jenn+Chap3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipWLQfzZSEaQKiUfUN23kXGgyaulmV-zXJITDpKMOVkyXK9GxV9ABL_wOOGaV-9gI2J0eEFnhxqv8sBF1RYxEWdRTSoh90wEE7ta0lKXfxmWL889C4IPLPjIKu-B86QBuxBAaF92_EYmeB/s320/Jenn+Chap3.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bye Jenn! :(</td></tr>
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<br />Living The Tri Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00905201895529626362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3636696996170761801.post-68021233579725930922016-11-15T16:44:00.001-06:002016-11-15T16:44:11.520-06:00COBB MOBB 2017<br />
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<li><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Want to be a part of an awesome team? </span></b></li>
<li><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Registration is open for the 2017 Cobb Mobb! </span></b></li>
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"We are thrilled to announce the 2017 Cobb Mobb Team registration is now open!!! We have HUGE plans next year and looking for passionate people that love triathlon and want to keep the fun in the sport! We encourage all levels to apply, looking for cheer and race support, and open Internationally! Spread the word!"</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAmtGQ53ePKOytSbJSw9zaiQkBiKd9CQSQJ6K-FPs0cBDUbQcZrXZ5Dj9d9KRJFcBGTZL-kXyXeBFE4DBv376Y4aRXpZqDt47x8gSOIaJOEScPlSB8HEUIRskr1zvJuRoE78-pVHsgy9eL/s640/Cobb+Mobb+Registration.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.cobbcycling.com/cobb-mobb-registration/" target="_blank">Registration Link</a><br /><br /><br />#thecobbmobb #cobbcycling #comfortequalsspeed #swimbikerun #triathlon #ironman</span></td></tr>
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<br />Living The Tri Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00905201895529626362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3636696996170761801.post-86237205804089391442016-11-10T15:51:00.002-06:002016-11-10T15:51:34.168-06:00It's The Off Season... Or Is It?I follow a couple of Facebook pages and have been reading a lot of people mentioning the lack of motivation to train now that the season is over. Another common question I see is people asking what others do during the off season.<br />
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So the question arises, is there really an off season for triathletes? I would call it more of a time to re-energize. Take a couple weeks off completely after your last race and do nothing. I lasted only one week being out of the pool, and then went back. Two weeks off running. And in all honesty I still haven't been back on the bike, but I was having some knee pain on the bike at the end of the season and I wanted to give it a little more time so I would be able to tell if it was an over use, or an actual injury. <br />
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The off season for swimming is an excellent time to work on your technique. The people who don't swim at all during this time of year are really doing a disservice to themselves. Stay in touch with the water, even if you're only going to get to the pool twice a week. Swim fitness goes quickly for most people, so don't forgo this part of your training. Remember, when you're doing swim drills, please don't do them on an interval! When you swim a drill and put a time constraint on yourself you rush, and with drills you want to do them <u>slowly!</u> If you do swim by yourself and need to see some good balance, and technique drills check out the <a href="http://app.triswimcoach.com/" target="_blank">Tri Swim Coach App</a>.<br />
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Cycling through winter can be tough, the cold temperatures make it difficult to get out the door, and that is even in the South. Most people resign themselves to the trainer in winter. If you are lucky enough to be able to get out with friends and ride don't turn it into any kind of a training race. Learn to enjoy just riding, and being able to catch up with your buddies! Then after the first of the year start incorporating some harder work into your cycling. Here is a great little App for <a href="http://www.whattowearcycling.com/" target="_blank">What To Wear Cycling</a>.<br />
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Many people run a marathon or half marathon during the winter. The best time to run long is when temperatures are nice and mild. I had a friend once say that the best time to run a marathon is the first of December, or end of November. Train through the fall, run your marathon, then relax for the month of December. Enjoy the holiday parties not having to worry about leaving the party early because you've got a long run the next morning. After New Years (and your New Year's Eve celebration) get back out there and start running again. Hey.. what better day than an easy run on New Years Day to start the year off right!<br />
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Give your body and spirit a chance to heal with some easy training. Don't stress out if you gain a couple pounds over the winter (a couple....).<br />
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The people I've known that don't do this, they're the one's who stay strict and rigid all year long don't seem to last very long in the sport. It's just too hard on yourself (and your family) to be like that year in and year out. Give yourself a little mental, and physical break and it will make you start to look forward to those hard training sessions for the next season!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggs5IKAytJinhqd_yR0aNDTLQHUSlHBRh4lCx2U0cyOsJFMqTPMWE-1Y5duzxG5iQKS-ZhwQHTZbw1bq53gveNLcM7SmOWI44rlYY-fMGvc0Twy4WSMOo7GGa-mCJSjoLmPfbC-4B7V9hw/s1600/Fall+Boys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggs5IKAytJinhqd_yR0aNDTLQHUSlHBRh4lCx2U0cyOsJFMqTPMWE-1Y5duzxG5iQKS-ZhwQHTZbw1bq53gveNLcM7SmOWI44rlYY-fMGvc0Twy4WSMOo7GGa-mCJSjoLmPfbC-4B7V9hw/s320/Fall+Boys.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Cheers to all, and enjoy the season!!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />P.S. Registration for the <b><a href="http://www.cobbcycling.com/cobb-mobb-registration/" target="_blank">2017 Cobb Mobb</a> </b>is open!! Do you ride a Cobb saddle? What are you waiting for??</span> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>#ComfortEqualsSpeed</b></span><br /><br />
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<br />Living The Tri Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00905201895529626362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3636696996170761801.post-24271257341333940412016-10-27T11:46:00.000-05:002016-10-27T11:46:14.408-05:00Tri The Gulf and Possum Town Triathlons!<div class="MsoNormal">
Two final race reports!</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Tri The Gulf! Dauphin Island Triathlon!</span><br />
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I finished up my 2016 race season with a great new race at Dauphin Island, Alabama called <a href="http://www.trithegulf.com/" target="_blank">Tri The Gulf</a>. I enjoy first time races; they did a nice job with this one. A couple little things that could use improvement, but overall I would highly recommend this race. Of course it helps that Dauphin Island is our favorite vacation beach. We rent a beach house here every year in the summer. It’s a family friendly, pet friendly, laid back beach. We even made the trip here after we moved to North Carolina for our annual beach vacation. If you’re looking for bars, and restaurants, and amusement parks then DI is not for you. There is one little store called Ship ‘N Shore, they have a little grocery section and a big hardware store in the back.<br />
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Bill wasn’t able to make the trip so I stayed the night before with one of my friends from Jr High! Lisa and I were Gautier Jr High cheerleaders together and we’ve kept in touch. She and her husband live in Mobile. We had a great visit, it was like we see each other every week. Love friends like that; when you don’t see them for years and pick up exactly where you left off!<br />
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Got to the race early (as usual) and they parked those of us that arrived early at the far back of the lot. I overheard some people around me talking about how why is it that the early arrivals get parked the farthest away? I wondered the same thing, get there early… relegated to the farthest parking place.<br />
It was a little windier on race morning than the day before at packet pick up. Wind was out of the south east at about 10, made the thought of going up and over the DI bridge a little scary. But that was one of the best parts of the race, the chance to ride over the bridge twice for the out and back.<br />
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When my husband and I vacation on the island and drive that bridge at night, it feels like you’re going over the edge at the top, so I had really looked forward to cycling on it! It did not disappoint!<br />
Racks were numbered by range, and numbering was the “Line Up as You Sign Up”, meaning if you were the first person to register, you were #1. I signed up pretty early and was #15, great rack position by the bike in and out. Just before transition closed I watched at a guy with a number in the 200’s came and put his bike on the rack……really?? Thought about letting an official know, but it’s his problem not mine, if he feels good about himself with “not doing the right thing” then I’m not going to be the one to rat him out.<br />
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We had a little bit of a wait before the swim start; they had to make sure that the traffic control on the bridge was set. They closed vehicle traffic to one lane, and had a police escort for the cars, taking turns going and coming on to the island. Really well planned!! They started us in time trial for the swim, but instead of going one at a time, we went by twos (brilliant idea!). Cut the swim start for the last competitor by half the wait time. Cajun Timing does a very professional job. They announced that the swim was wetsuit legal, saying it was 77; I decided to go without mine and just wore the speed suit. I’m glad I did, the water temperature was perfect for swimming hard. I must have passed everyone except one woman (#8 – she wore a full sleeve wetsuit and came out second). Had a good swim! 1:24/100 yard average, but this included some pretty shallow water where you needed to do several dolphin dives in and out.<br />
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Had a really good T1, 32.2 seconds which included fumbling with the speed suit on my ankles, it was a pretty good run up the beach and on the boardwalk they had built, so I was a little shaky taking off the suit. I noticed only one other set of wet footprints and that was how I knew I came out of the water second! Had the fastest T1 of the day!! Felt pretty good on the bike, and on the flats was averaging 22-23 mph. Could see the woman ahead of me, she was powering away. That’s okay, I overheard her saying something in the swim line up about bike racing, and she was really tall and strong. Ended up with a 20.5 average on the bike, happy with that with those two big climbs.<br />
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Just before the end of the bike course two or three guys passed me, one was Joey Lee. His wife Casey and I are friends, we cheered each other on as he went flying by. I saw Casey on the bridge too, and we yelled for each other! I love seeing friends at races, and I am so glad that they were there! The ride over the bridge wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be, nothing worse than some of the hills that I ride in Tuscaloosa. The wind was a little scary, a gust got me and I had to take one hand off the aero bars for a bit on the downhill.<br />
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Back through the neighborhood and into transition. Off onto the run, the first mile was straight down the Dauphin Island Golf Course fairway, it took some navigating to avoid the soft sand, but it wasn’t bad. Then up to the bike path that runs along the main road on the island. I was in familiar territory, because I run this path daily when we are on vacation! A new race but being familiar with the run course was great!<br />
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I’ve gotten into a bad habit in my racing this year, it started with Sunfish. When my heart rate gets high, I walk 10 or so steps. I did it twice in the race...this came back to haunt me. Really need to break this bad habit. When I came to the second aid station on the run there was a little boy holding out a cup of water, and behind him a little girl, I tried to get it from the girl and she had pulled it back just before I reached for it thinking I was taking the first cup. I heard her mom yell “Girl Power – Thank You!” and then the little girl “I’M SORRY!!”, she was so cute!! I finished the run with an 8:04 mile average.<br />
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Awesome post race food and drink! They had jambalaya, and shrimp and grits, beer, sodas, and sports drinks! We got a finisher’s mug, and a medal that doubles as a bottle opener – great swag! The pool was open for us, so Casey and I went and cooled off in the water! Awards were held quickly, no waiting around for hours (more kudos to Cajun Timing!) and Lisa Ann McCall (RD) for doing a great job. The awards were some very nice handmade pottery just for the race!<br />
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I finished 4th Overall Female – AND MISSED 3RD BY 1.5 SECONDS! Remember when I said it would come back to haunt me? The girl that placed 3rd has beat me every time this year, darn it! NO MORE WALKING!<br />
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Along with the awards they gave special awards for the fastest male and female swim, bike, and run. AND my friends Casey and Joey Lee both won the swim prime!! Very cool!! I had the 3rd fastest female swim, 8th fastest overall swim!! Some people I know seem to always talk about what went wrong in their race, make some excuses for one thing or another. I like to find the great part of my race and dwell on that!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Casey and Joey Lee - Fastest Swim of the day!</td></tr>
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I loved this race! I would have to say it was my favorite of the year! The venue, the race course, and OH.. the spectators!! The people that live there had tshirts on that said “LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE!” They were out in force all along the course, cheering and taking pictures. On the bike in, I saw a woman taking pictures on her phone, and when I ran in she said “Got you that time!” I waved and smiled, and it gave me a little added boost for the last section of the run!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Award and Swag!<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Possum Town Tri – Columbus, </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">Mississippi</span><br />
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<a href="http://possumtowntriathlon.com/" target="_blank">Possum Tow</a>n was another great race for me this season. I will be adding it to my schedule for next year, too! Columbus is within race morning driving distance, so no overnight hotel stay! Save money, race more! Bill was able to go with me to this one! When I was warming up on the run I found a little path that led to a nice little dock surrounded by lily pads. It was secluded and peaceful back there, so I told him about it so he could check it out while I was racing, next year bring a fishing pole!<br />
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This was another “Line Up as you Sign Up” race, so I was up toward the front. I tend to sign up early for races, it not only keeps me motivated in my training but also allows me to save money before the price goes up. The savings usually pays for an additional race per season! The water was a little murky, but it had been raining in the days leading up to the race so it had the water stirred up. 4th fastest female swim on this day!<br />
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The bike course was flat and fast! Averaged 21.3 mph, I think that is the best for the year for me. One tiny section that was rough, but overall a really fun course.<br />
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The run was also flat!! We lucked out with an overcast morning on race day, if the sun had been out this could be a pretty steamy run! No shade, but since it was an out and back with one little dog leg it was a great course to see your friends and competitors! I was the first female across the line and got a lot of cheers from the crowd, and was even interviewed by the local paper. I didn’t think my placing would hold and I was right, I ended up 2nd overall female. The same woman who beat me at Dauphin Island was over 5 MINUTES ahead of me!<br />
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All three top females were over 50 at the race! After we stood on the podium for our picture I reached over and shook hands and congratulated the other women. Now… this is an observation that I’ve noticed, you rarely see anyone acknowledging or congratulation anyone else anymore. I think this is sad, and telling of the times. Another thing that I can’t control others, but I can absolutely try and lead by example, who knows maybe it will spread. I always say that “We’re not putting food on the table” with our racing, these small races are fun and while we are competitive and want to do our best we should be good ambassadors for the sport. If you’ve read this far down in this blog post, I challenge you to cheer on your fellow competitors and show your sportsmanship at the end of the race!<br />
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Possum Town had a good post race party, beautiful awards, great swag, and a good course! It will be on my schedule!<br />
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Oh.. post race note. One of other local Tuscaloosa triathletes also did the race, he typically has been doing only Ironman and half Ironman races. He made a great comment about not realizing what he has been missing by doing smaller local sprint races, seeing everyone out there racing and doing their best was inspiring for him, and he said he will be adding some “non-branded” races to his schedule!<br />
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Lesson today: Be gracious. Be a good ambassador. Be friendly.<br />
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The off season has begun! Time to work on swim technique, and lay the base for 2017!<br />
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See you at the races!<br />
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<br />Living The Tri Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00905201895529626362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3636696996170761801.post-16502667978099481582016-08-23T15:48:00.002-05:002016-08-23T15:48:32.693-05:00Emily Post Race (a.k.a. Podium Etiquette)Last weekend at my race, I noticed something... something that I used to do but haven't in a long time.<br />
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If you're up on the podium do acknowledge the other athletes up there with you?? I don't know what made me all of a sudden do this, but after the awards were presented, I reached over and shook hands and congratulated the other women. It was contagious because after I did it, most of them all did the same with everyone else.<br />
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I remember always doing this in North Carolina. I can remember doing it at a lot of races in the past, but not this year. Maybe it encourages it if a race has actual podium blocks?<br />
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I would like to start this initiative. If you make it to the podium, commend the other athletes, shake their hands and congratulate them. See if it starts encouraging other people to do the same. Who is in?<br />
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_________________________________________________________________________________<br />
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It's so hard to keep moving and racing in new places. Wandering around alone after the race, not knowing anyone. Trying to meet a few new people. A guy at my last race spoke to me after and told me that he followed my blog! He even knew my name! That was really nice!<br />
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<br />Living The Tri Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00905201895529626362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3636696996170761801.post-19093076435075086602016-08-11T17:40:00.001-05:002016-08-11T17:40:55.043-05:00River Cities Triathlon and the USAT Hall of Fame!<br />
I’ve been thinking back all the places I’ve lived and raced, and tried to think of which was best for swimming, cycling, and running. We moved from Dallas in 2008 where I had lived since 1990, so I’d raced primarily in that area. Since then we have lived in Fayetteville, NC; Sunset Beach, NC; Hattiesburg, MS; Shreveport, LA; and now Tuscaloosa, AL. I've listed my favorite places, based on several factors. Consistency, safety, challenge, variety.<br />
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<b>Best Swimming </b><br />
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Hattiesburg, MS - <a href="http://www.gocentenary.com/athletics/directory/2679/kyle-joplin/" target="_blank">Kyle Joplin</a> (now Assistant Coach at Centenary College), pushed us harder than I ever thought I could swim. The challenging workouts designed for triathletes, but conducted like an Age Group practice made me swim faster than I ever had before. No other Masters Program that I had ever or since swam has been that intense, I loved it.<br />
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<b>Best Cycling</b><br />
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Sunset Beach, NC – The Ocean Isle Beach Cyclists were the most consistent group. Every Wednesday, and Saturday we had a regular ride. This works out for me, because I like my training scheduled and consistent. I named our group “The Usual Suspects”.<br />
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Hattiesburg, MS – For riding solo, Hattiesburg was my favorite. The Long Leaf Trace is there, 42 miles of blacktop with no vehicle traffic (a few crossovers). Albeit a little monotonous, it was a safe place to ride by yourself and not have to worry. And the bonus is I could ride the 7 miles over from my house, so I didn’t have to drive anywhere to ride.<br />
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Shreveport, LA – Absolutely the hardest training rides. These were rides with the other triathletes, 70 miles, consistent tough pace, everyone on their aerobars taking pulls. Riding with these people made me the fastest I had ever been. Smooth, no drama, tough training.<br />
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<b>Best Running</b><br />
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Sunset Beach, NC – This area of the country is filled with golf courses. We lived on one and I could run the cart path, or leave our subdivision and easily run over to another one and run all the roads there. On the other side was a deserted, overgrown golf course, and I could run on what used to be all the fairways. The beaches on the East Coast are flat with hard packed sand, so for a change of scenery I could run on the beach.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">RIVER CITIES TRIATHLON </span></b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>THESE COLORS DON'T RUN!!</b></td></tr>
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I was back in Shreveport this past weekend for the <a href="http://www.sportspectrumusa.com/news/river-cities-triathlon3/" target="_blank">River Cities Triathlon</a>. If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you’ll know that this is one of my all-time favorite races. This weekend was the 21st time that I’ve done this race.<br />
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I drove over from Tuscaloosa on Friday, so I could volunteer for the <a href="http://www.sportspectrumusa.com/ironfish-triathlon/" target="_blank">IronFish Kids Triathlon</a> on Saturday morning. I’ve helped at the race for the past couple years and I’ll tell you what, if you’ve never helped out at a kid’s triathlon then you’re missing out! I wanted to be there because several of the kids that I used to coach in swimming would be racing. This year I was going to be in the swim, it was really amazing watching the run from the beach that these little guys do for the start. They look like pros! After the last kids were out of the water, I headed up and helped out in the transition area. <a href="http://sportspectrumusa.com/" target="_blank">Sportspectrum</a> does a great booklet that comes in each packet with all the instructions for the parents, it never fails to amaze me at how many don’t bother to read it, and go through it with their kids. There were kids with no race numbers…. kids with no wristbands…. kids that didn’t do all of the bike course. But even with all the fiasco they all had a great time! I know I did!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Evangeline and Harrisen! Two of my favorite kiddos!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oscar's first Triathlon! One of my former swimmers!</td></tr>
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Saturday night I got together with some of the people that I rode with in Shreveport, the very ones that I mentioned above, and my good friend, Hallie - we coached together at COSST. Two of my friends from Dallas came and joined us! We went to one of my favorite places, Superior Grill – it was great to catch up with these folks! The only bad part was that I couldn't have one of their awesome frozen margaritas since I was racing the next morning.<br />
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Race morning – this year the race started at 7:30, instead of the typical 8:00, so the park gates opened at 5:15. The race fills to capacity with 1200 people so they have to have enough time to get everyone in the park. And It’s a pretty good walk from where you park to transition, so it’s good that the gates open that early. I was racing in the Invitational Wave which went off first. Now, I have to admit that the only reason that I race in this wave instead of with my age group wave is because the 55+ women go off dead last. That means almost 1200 people in the water ahead of you, and of course later in the morning so the air temperature is higher. It was a beautiful morning, we had rain the evening before so the temperature wasn't quite as bad as it had been in the preceding days, it was still really humid though. We also lucked out with a slight cloud cover which kept the sun from killing us. Shreveport had been making the national news with their projected heat index of 115, I think it hit 111 on Saturday, and Sunday.<br />
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I had a good swim. At just about the half way point I was able to get on a guy’s feet and draft for a bit. But then you know what happens… it feels too slow… should I go around… should I stay here and save energy? So I tested it a couple times and moved to the side a bit to see and I found I was moving up on him, so just before the second turn buoy I went around. I tried to bridge up to a swimmer about 15 yards ahead but wasn’t able to. I came out of the water 2nd female, and ended up with the 4th fastest women’s swim.<br />
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The bike…oh the bike. I rode so badly, that I thought I had a flat. My legs didn’t have any snap. Every time I have a long drive before a race they feel like this, so it wasn’t unexpected. Even giving myself the extra day, and spinning in the hotel room for 20 minutes didn’t seem to help. And also adding to my bike frustration was seeing the drafting. I know I shouldn’t let it get into my head, and it’s not even like I was in the same league as her, but seeing a woman drafting with a couple men just made me mad. Play fair or GO HOME. Period.<br />
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I suspected that I wasn’t going to have the best run after I saw what my legs felt like for the bike, so I was pretty much resigned to that. I’ll tell you what, I was running much faster at the beginning of the season, it’s the heat. I wonder if it affects you more as you age? I need to go do some research and see if this may be true. I would sure like it to be… then I’d have an excuse for my run. Frankly, I think I need an attitude adjustment and stop feeling sorry for myself about getting older.<br />
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I finished 15/346 women, and 123/933 total. 2nd Grandmasters.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finishers Medal</td></tr>
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THE BEST PART of the race was being around so many people that I know! Hearing all the cheering, high fiving friends on the run course, visiting with lots of people after the race. So far for most of this season, I’ve been standing around by myself after a race, trying to make some new friends. I got to see Cobb Mobb teammates, Sunrise Tri Club Teammates, friends from Dallas, and swimmers I coached. It was a great post race day!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Casey Lee - 5th Overall Female, Angel Martin - 3rd Overall Female!!</td></tr>
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And the pinnacle of the post race festivities was getting the USA Triathlon Hall of Fame award. I mentioned in a previous post that friends had nominated me and I was supposed to get it at one of the Regional Championship races. It was supposed to be Sugarman Triathlon, in October, but the race was cancelled. At the last minute the HOF Committee sent the award to River Cities for presentation. I got choked up as Matt Brown, the Race Director read the Nomination Letter that was submitted by my former Team Aquaphor teammates. Having this happen in Shreveport was icing on the cake. It is a humbling honor to be nominated for something like this by your peers, and receiving it here made it even better.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HOF Award<br />
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I wonder if I should stop now, and let this be the highlight of all the years of racing…… NAH!<br />
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OH.... and the FAMOUS RIVER CITIES RACE PACKET!! Once again Sportspectrum and Matt Brown did not disappoint! Embroidered backpack, Tasc Bamboo T-Shirt, Fleece Jacket, and a really cool Hat. Sportspectrum also sent out a coupon for another free t-shirt with any $25 purchase at the store, so I got one of those, too!!<br />
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Two more races this season, <a href="http://possumtowntriathlon.com/" target="_blank">Possum Town</a> in Columbus, MS, and then <a href="http://trithegulf.com/" target="_blank">Tri The Gulf</a>, in Dauphin Island, AL. I'm really excited about this one, inaugural year, at the beach where we vacation! Beach time, yah!!!</div>
Living The Tri Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00905201895529626362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3636696996170761801.post-24968994724508930792016-07-24T14:05:00.000-05:002016-07-24T14:05:12.896-05:00July RacingKnow the course, know the transition area.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sunfish Triathlon – Meridian, Mississippi. </span><br />
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I haven’t raced Sunfish since we lived in Hattiesburg, and since we are now only 90 minutes away I was excited that I would be able to come back to this event. I’ve been on the track once a week for a month or so and was looking forward to seeing if there was any improvement in my run. The short answer is: “Not On This Day”.<br />
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The swim for Sunfish is supposed to be “Line up as you sign up”, at least that is how it’s been in the past. I know for certain that this isn’t true, because I talked with my friend Barbara just before the race and she was way up in the front and told me she had signed up that week. I was back quite a way, and had to swim around a lot of people. Fortunately, I didn’t have too much of an issue with this. I did, however have an issue getting out of the water… there was a pretty good step up from the water to the grass (pretty good if you’re a short girl, like me). They had put a piece of black rubber, plastic… not exactly sure what it was, and when I tried to climb out of the water I slipped on it and face planted. Nice. While I didn’t feel any issues from the fall during the race, later in the week I wondered why in the world my right shoulder was hurting so much, then realized it was from the fall. I instinctively put out my arm and the shoulder (which I have some problems) got stretched pretty good, when I reached out to catch my fall.<br />
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I don’t remember this bike course being so hard! And my bike was creaking and squeaking the entire ride. I sounded like a family of mice had invaded my bottom bracket. The road was really rough too, and it was super humid. (What a crybaby!) My hands felt like they were slipping off the bull horns on corners. Came in from the bike and turned down the wrong isle. What is wrong with me today? I looked at the row from the swim exit, but didn’t pay attention to where the row was from Bike In. Another fumble.<br />
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Off onto the run and I immediately knew that this wasn’t going to be my day. I pretty much felt like crap. I came up on a fellow Cobb Mobber on the dam, and he wasn’t looking too good. He said he felt bad, too. When I saw him stop for the second time, I told him I thought he should turn back. I think it was the heat. I pretty much resigned myself to plodding along, and although I hate to admit it, pretty much gave up on the run. Even walked a couple times. Ended up finishing 9th overall female, and won Grandmasters. It sounds silly to be disappointed in a finish like this, but when you know that you can do so much better than it is somewhat of a letdown.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cobb Mobb!<br />Clay Emge (1st Overall at IM Boulder), Les Carr, Sean Kwiatek, and Me</td></tr>
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Now for the good things about the race! First - I had 3 Cobb Mobb teammates there! We all racked our bikes together, and it was great to have people I knew to hang around with after the race!! Second – the shirts for the race were really nice, North Face dri fit! And we got a visor, and a Tervis tumbler. Nice job Sunfish!! Third – the post-race food and drink were fantastic! I didn’t eat anything but there they did a really good job! And Fourth – the awards were awesome!!<br />
Would I go back? Absolutely! Nice job Sunfish!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My friend Casey Lee, 4th Overall Female!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barbara Kerby from the Coast, 2nd Overall Female!</td></tr>
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If I can't be fast, at least I have very fast friends!!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Capital of Dreams – Montgomery, Alabama.</span><br />
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This was another Team Magic event. They do a pretty good job.<br />
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The swim for this race was something different and fun! We boarded the Harriot II riverboat and it took us upstream for the swim start. We got to swim downstream with a current, however on race day there wasn’t much of one. The swim for the sprint was only 400, and there was an Olympic distance race being held that day too. I wish the race was like the YMCA Tri in Wilmington, where you have a 1500 meter swim, and then a sprint distance bike, and run. We jumped off the boat in order like lemmings, it was pretty funny. It was a really long run up from the swim finish to the transition area and along the way I dropped my swim cap. Now Team Magic gives you a set of stickers for your helmet, bike, bag, and swim cap… and like the dutiful rule follower that I am put them on my cap. Well….. I got a 2:00 penalty for “Abandonment of Equipment”. REALLY? I do have to say this is a crappy (I wanted to use a different word for what I thought about this) penalty. I’ve been at this for a long, long time and have NEVER seen this. <i>So, a word of advice to anyone doing one of these races. Leave the cap numbers off. </i>I saw lots of people on the boat with no numbers on their caps. Apparently it’s not an issue to not have it on there in the first place.<br />
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The transition area for Cap Dreams is under cover in the old Train Station. It is a long transition, and the surface is painful and rocky, like chip seal. They had some indoor outdoor carpet but it only went about half way to the mount line. Being under cover was awesome! Shade!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Transition was under here!</td></tr>
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The bike course for this race is FAST! So fun to have a flat race! I was holding 22-23 mph, I felt like I was flying! AND THEN….. not knowing the course, I followed two athletes ahead of me and took a wrong turn just before the end of the race. We went up a steep hill, before we figured out we were going the wrong direction. I looked up the time added to my bike split for the off course section and it added 2:12 to my time. Grrrrr. Without this mishap I would have had the 16th fastest bike with men and women included! Yah!<br />
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The run is pretty much uphill for half the race and then downhill for the rest. Much better than the alternate! We climbed up to the Capital building, looped around it and back down, finishing through a tunnel and over to a really nice lawn.<br />
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Results showed that I was the 5th overall female, and won Grandmasters. But then when they were calling out awards they said I was 2nd Grandmasters female – this is when I discovered the penalty. If I hadn’t gone off course on the bike I would have been 4th. Rats! My friend Jen beat me again. Man, that girl is fast! Someone thought she was my daughter.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do we look alike?</td></tr>
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So on this day I’m going to go with “Performance over Placing”. I know I had a good race, swam well, rode really well, and ran pretty well. When I told someone about all the mishaps of the day, they commented "Well, it's all for fun anyway." (i.e. it doesn't matter). Yes that is true, to an extent. But when I go out to race I'm going out to test myself, not just on how fast I can go, but getting everything right. That means smooth transitions, following the rules, knowing the course, in general being the best triathlon ambassador that I can be. So these mistakes of going the wrong way on the course or in transition are not "okay" with me. Maybe I do take this sport a little too seriously. But my husband is being awesome and letting me do this without having to work, so come race day, even though I am just an age grouper, it is my job and I want to do it right. I'm 55 years old and racing against girls that could be my children (or almost grandchildren for that matter), I want to see how I can stack up against them.<br />
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Good finish line food and drink, Mugshots burgers – I didn’t have any food though I did have a beer. (there is a Smashburger on the way home and I was dying for a SmashChicken sandwich). Tervis Tumbler and a pick off the table for awards (I grabbed another pair of those Stuffit things that go in your shoes.) The shirt was ok, drifit but nothing super impressive for the logo. Looks a lot like the one from Buster Britton Tri. Would I do this race again? Yes, and I think I would do the Olympic distance next year, so I could enjoy the longer swim and bike course.<br />
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While we were picking up our race packets I saw this in downtown Montgomery. Very cool bike friendly city!! A bike stand, tools, and a bike pump for public use! Awesome!<br />
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Next up is RIVER CITIES! Going back to Shreveport for one of my favorite races! Get to see friends! <br />
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Living The Tri Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00905201895529626362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3636696996170761801.post-5771837869821004792016-06-24T15:29:00.002-05:002016-06-24T18:19:51.099-05:00On Being 55The other day I noticed how much longer it takes me to recover from <b>everything</b>. I know it's a factor of getting older. While I'm training I don't feel any older than I did 20 years ago, but if I train hard I can feel the fatigue for days.<br />
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I'm pretty sure that I will never beat any of my times, or paces again. I may come close, or even equal them, but the PR days are pretty much gone. </div>
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People will tell you that you're only as old as you feel. I don't feel 55, but some days I know I am.</div>
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At my last race, my friend Jen asked me how long I thought I would continue racing. Good question. </div>
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Living The Tri Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00905201895529626362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3636696996170761801.post-51747347024133907942016-06-21T16:31:00.000-05:002016-06-21T16:31:51.222-05:00Two Races and Some Good News!Two more races done! Both were <a href="http://www.team-magic.com/" target="_blank">Team Magic</a> events - <a href="http://www.team-magic.com/events/60" target="_blank">Mountain Lakes Triathlon</a> and <a href="http://www.team-magic.com/events/61" target="_blank">Buster Britton Triathlon</a>. Team Magic is a race production company based in Alabama, I've done one of their races a few times, the Brett Robinson on the coast. I have to say, they do a very nice job when it comes to races, and race organization. There is always excellent instruction given before the race starts, the bike racks are identified with fun different things to help you find your transition (wish I had a picture to show you). The race course, and transition maps online are very helpful, they offer tri-tats or body marking (and even have a bucket of water and paper towels available on race morning if you're picking up your packet on race day), a well marked course with mile markers, and the post race area is really great! There is a giant tent so you can escape the heat, rolling computer results, posted age group results, and the little thing that you can print out your own individual result. Good post race food, and drinks, and very nice awards. Things ran very smoothly at both of the events of theirs that I've done so far.<br />
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<a href="http://www.team-magic.com/events/60" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Mountain Lakes Triathlon</span></a> - Guntersville, AL. What a contrast to the other <a href="http://livingtrilife.blogspot.com/2016/05/lake-guntersville-tri.html" target="_blank">race</a> I did at this lake a couple weeks before. This one was pretty flat and fast. I had a good swim, averaged 22.6 on the bike (by my Garmin), and 8:00 miles on the run - last mile was a 7:30. First place in the female Masters category (Team Magic does not offer Grand Masters 50+). Team Magic also seems to do very cool and useful awards - we got a big beach towel and a $50 gift certificate to Cahaba Cycles in Birmingham! I would definitely put this race on the calendar again for next year!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oldest one on the poduim.<br /> "The Cobb Mobb strikes fear in the youngsters!" - John Cobb</td></tr>
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One of the fun things about this race happened in transition when I was setting up my bike. I met a former Team Aquaphor teammate, Keith Marshall! He recognized me and told me who he was! How fun is that! We had to pose for the obligatory photo, including the sample tube of Aquaphor! What a great team that was!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keith Marshall, Team Aquaphor!</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.team-magic.com/events/61" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Buster Britton Memorial Triathlon</span></a> - Pelham, AL. Ow, ow, ow! This was one tough triathlon! Thank goodness it was short - the swim was kind of warm and long - good for me, the bike course was so hard! I was only able to average 19.3 on the bike, and that got me the 5th fastest female bike split! It was super hilly (by my comparison of races anyway). The run course was advertised as, "The run course is a one-loop course with a mix of paved roads and smooth trails." When I read that I was thinking eh, probably 50/50... uh nope, more like 95% trail. I always find it funny when you're racing on trails and you're going as hard as you can, look down at your watch and see 10:00 pace. I ended up 9th overall female and won my age group. I don't know that I would do this race again, it is definitely one that would be easier if you knew the course beforehand, but yowza it hurt... bad!<span style="background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
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This race was my first in Alabama where I got to race with a friend! I met Jen Chapman through a swimmer that I met at the pool. She moved to Tuscaloosa about a year and a half ago, but hadn't been racing any triathlons, because she hadn't met anyone to train with (sound familiar?). Well we've become good friends, and training partners, and push each other in practice. This was her first race back in awhile, and she killed it! She came in 19 seconds ahead of me and won her age group! I'm glad to have finally met another triathlete in Tuscaloosa!<br />
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Jen has also convinced me to join her weekly track workouts - I've been the last 3 weeks now - I haven't done any track work since Hattiesburg, and I'm looking forward to my next race at Sunfish in Meridian, MS to see what improvements I'm making! Running, is just like swimming or cycling - if you want to get faster you've got to do interval work. Here is the group's motto: "Pain is necessary - because you don't go fast when you go slow!"<br />
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Buster Britton awards was a Tervis Tumbler with the race logo (love these cups, they're all I drink out of in the summer!) and a goody bag filled with all kinds of other useful things! Water bottle, bike tube, CO2 cartridge, tire patches, bar tape, and more! Yah! Or there are some sunglasses too, but they're so BIG that I can't wear them. Anyone have a large face/head want some sunglasses?<br />
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*One other good thing has happened in the last few weeks. I got this email from the USATSMW Region:<br />
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Some of my former Aquaphor teammates nominated me for this (without my knowledge - thank you Steve, Andé, and Barry!) and I got the surprise email telling me that I'm going to be in the USAT SouthMidWest Hall of Fame! Talk about a humbling experience, to be nominated by your peers for something like this is overwhelming. I love this sport so much, and am so proud to be recognized. I had to choose one of the Regional Championship events to attend, and they are arranging a member of the HOF Council to be there to present me with the award. I'm going to race the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Sugarman-Triathlon-129970480374800/" target="_blank">Sugarman Triathlon</a> on October 2nd in Youngsville, LA, this year it's the Louisiana State Championship, I've actually always wanted to do this race in south Louisiana, hope to see you there!!!</div>
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<br />Living The Tri Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00905201895529626362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3636696996170761801.post-15323018319908099362016-05-13T15:50:00.002-05:002016-05-13T15:50:11.544-05:00Lake Guntersville TriWhen I write a race report I try to include some pointer that may help someone out there at their next race. Most of the time I hide them in the body copy. Maybe there will be one stuck in this post somewhere. Right now I can't think of anything to share.<br />
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This is my race report for the Lake Guntersville Tri that I did last Saturday. There were some really good things about this race, and unfortunately some unorganized things as well.<br />
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I think that the longer I race, and the pickier I become. There are some amazing races out there, races that run like clockwork. River Cities, Crawfishman, Indian Creek, Disco, the Ironhead Race Productions, and the SetUp Events to name a few. What makes a great race compared to a good or average race? Venue? Absolutely plays a part, a big part at that. Having a beautiful site and race course is really important, it is part of what will convince me to return to a race year after year. But more so than that is the race organization. Nothing will keep me away from a beautiful venue for a second year quicker than poor race organization. The poor race director at Guntersville said that a group of his volunteers didn't show up on race morning. 20 volunteers no showed - nice.<br />
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We have moved a lot over the past few years, and every season it's kind of like starting a new school where no one knows you. Now there is good and bad with this, yeah... no one knows who you are so there isn't any performance pressure, but then you also have to go to races where you don't know anyone. Wander around alone. Bill had to work so he couldn't make the trip with me for my first race of the season, it was the day before Mother's Day and the store had a big day.<br />
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I drove up late afternoon before to Guntersville, went straight to my hotel - a Microtel - the smallest hotel rooms... I was going to say in the world, but I guess that there are smaller ones, like in Japan where you can reserve a drawer. It's a good thing Bill didn't go with me because there wouldn't have been room for him and my bags.<br />
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Couldn't get my race packet because for some weird reason packet pick up for this race on Friday was only from 11-1. Really?? Who does that? Why even bother?<br />
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Got up early and drove out to the address listed on the website for the race. It took me to a lodge way up above the lake. I had no idea how to get down to the water. Luckily as I was turning around in the parking lot I saw a truck with bikes on the back and followed it. Followed it for 2 seconds, then the road was turning back and forth and I just drove along hoping I was going the right way, the truck no longer to be seen.<br />
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AND then the low tire light came on... so now my blood pressure was going up. I could just see myself on this twisting turning road with a flat. Luckily I made it to the beach area and parked, decided I would worry about the tire after the race. Whew!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2016 Cobb Mobb !!</td></tr>
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Did all the typical race prep. No numbers for helmets or bike frames, just a running bib - so that was easy. Bikes racks were first come, first serve, so I got my bike set up by the "Bike Out". And of course with 30 minutes before the start of the race here comes some dude...squeezes his bike in on the same rack, even though there are tons of other open places. Ugh.. so irritating. (this happens to be irritation #1 of the day). Ran, swam, checked my transition again and then proceeded to wait for the race start.<br />
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There were a lot of events going on at the same time at this race. An Olympic distance tri, a Sprint tri, an Aquabike, an Aquathhon, and a Duathon. Makes me wonder why the t-shirts and the awards all said "Olympic Triathlon"...... maybe they planned all the other events after the artwork had been done??? I really like the shirts and awards, but I didn't do an Olympic Triathlon.<br />
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The swim for the Olympic was two loops of a 750m course. On the second loop they would come back by the start. So they set off the waves of the Olympic race first, and then got the first wave of the Sprint in the water and low and behold.... swimmers coming through on their second loop had to swim through the people treading water waiting for their start. "Look out, swimmers coming through". (irritation #2). My wave was last and so even more people were trying to make their way through. It was INSANE, a cluster. I had a pretty non eventful swim, a minor wetsuit freak out, stopped and unzipped it about 5 inches or so. I'm not really sure how this could have been made simpler with less congestion - I guess they didn't want to put buoys farther out for the 1.5K?<br />
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I checked the participant list before the race and saw that one girl put 1:05 for her predicted finish time. I put down a 1:30. As we were waiting for the swim start, I was pretty sure I saw her lined up by me in the water. Didn't see her again after that - she beat me by over 2 minutes on the swim! Yiy!<br />
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Out of the water into transition and out onto the bike course. Pretty tough bike course, and of course there is the guy who has to play leapfrog on the bike when you pass him because he doesn't like being passed by a girl. On the way to the turnaround I caught this guy on every hill, only to have him pass me back. One time he even came around me then stood up and coasted, I guess it took so much out of him that he needed to rest. At the turnaround for the sprint course he kept going - thank you! But speaking of the turn around... it was marked in red spray paint on the road. I almost missed it, as did the two guys behind me who all said the same thing. How about a cone? A sign? A volunteer?<br />
Made the turn and headed back toward transition, another leapfrog guy to deal with on the way back.<br />
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Back into transition and onto the run. I think I drank too much on the bike, my stomach was full and it made it uncomfortable to run. Skipped the first aid station. The run was out and back and hilly! All I kept thinking was what Bill told me when I was with him while he was playing golf - "downhill to the water". I saw the women's leader on the run course, there was another woman ahead of me but I kept thinking she was a relay, she was running pretty easy and waved both hands at me as we crossed paths and shouted some encouragement. I was thinking I was 2nd, but you can never be sure.<br />
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The run finished into the transition area. Really?? Wow, I can't remember when the last time I did a race that allowed participants into the transition area until the last cyclist was out on the run. I felt bad for the people I saw going out on the run after I finished. So many of them had no idea where "run out" was. I helped send people in the right direction. At the post race someone even said to me, "weren't you working in the transition area after you raced?" There was no announcer at the finish, no one to take your timing strap off (there was a bucket over to the side), no water. I guess this is where the missed volunteers were supposed to be. Mike Gerrity (my friend Denise's dad) was in charge of transition, he was the ONLY one there. He was body marking in the morning (no body markers showed up), directing at the mount/dismount line, directing racers... doing everything! His wife who also raced was working packet pick up before the race started (no volunteers). If Mike hadn't been there I don't know what the RD would have done.<br />
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Okay so here is my race pointer of the post - PLEASE acquaint yourself with the in's and out's of the transition area! Walk through it before the race starts.<b> "SWIM IN", "BIKE OUT", "BIKE IN", "RUN OUT", "FINISH". </b>And make a mental note of where the <b>Mount/Dismount</b> line is! I saw way too many people looking really frustrated as they ran out the wrong direction.<br />
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So all that rant was the not so good part of the race.. now for some good stuff!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiafGFmkqrodw6elo3SAiQr81PAkcQ9nLixAGLojA90YBRH8kEIE_c4Q4EO3raSaU25YGoBOUHKLM5sTDuAKwMFCqnHu5Jd36ItlFaqpxISNDFtiIFoyF-5UG5dSo4vAjkMN__XXmW_Cp0V/s1600/Guntersville+Award.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiafGFmkqrodw6elo3SAiQr81PAkcQ9nLixAGLojA90YBRH8kEIE_c4Q4EO3raSaU25YGoBOUHKLM5sTDuAKwMFCqnHu5Jd36ItlFaqpxISNDFtiIFoyF-5UG5dSo4vAjkMN__XXmW_Cp0V/s320/Guntersville+Award.jpg" width="320" /></a>The Post Race was AWESOME! Perfect weather helped, but there was cold beer, and good beer! Corona, Blue Moon, Dos Equis... food, sodas, and live music! It made waiting for the awards a little better. But the timing got all messed up somehow and awards took FOREVER. I don't want to go on about it anymore. I finally found out that I was 2nd overall female. They were calling out names so fast because they knew people were frustrated from waiting. The race started at 8:00 am. I finally got in the car to come home at about 2:30. That was a long day. Still some work to do.<br />
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Swim 1:30/100 yds<br />
T1 :43<br />
Bike 20.4 avg.<br />
T2 :34<br />
Run 8:00 avg<br />
2nd Overall Female / 8th Overall M&W<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4p5H5mudoTSc_Ytx9wUUzenXhhyphenhyphenCPPODFmYLAExYAYFTpt2sIgzWt7wb0Sp8eeeyAaL_5-Qs9JhQpIgqb12UFffFaLT2-I_zDHQK_Hn4i1AQ33XxDVIqLCFRXYJbUG7XBBB0DmDE8L2L/s1600/2016-05-09+%25285%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4p5H5mudoTSc_Ytx9wUUzenXhhyphenhyphenCPPODFmYLAExYAYFTpt2sIgzWt7wb0Sp8eeeyAaL_5-Qs9JhQpIgqb12UFffFaLT2-I_zDHQK_Hn4i1AQ33XxDVIqLCFRXYJbUG7XBBB0DmDE8L2L/s320/2016-05-09+%25285%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The guy in blue did this cool art piece during the race!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFYz5e7Vqgdcd59fH8NZ09vRrAgoB3UeyOIE-zzRDCXzcPpjcx1A68gm0u_t8BgWSEneqRvJkDaAlLObnz_2G7C7awKSkPXv8FD1PRw5pp2MKuUXV6Jq5WXfawZvmR-HIo3hlkA8uH59RA/s1600/Guntersville+Peanut.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFYz5e7Vqgdcd59fH8NZ09vRrAgoB3UeyOIE-zzRDCXzcPpjcx1A68gm0u_t8BgWSEneqRvJkDaAlLObnz_2G7C7awKSkPXv8FD1PRw5pp2MKuUXV6Jq5WXfawZvmR-HIo3hlkA8uH59RA/s320/Guntersville+Peanut.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute little dog named Peanut that I met.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr31c6uqZPzbx-o2Ln0BI21_vKocHg2p-FlWw7hWpWf2vM5bca-cwcDyW7jyEAaEONh2wycDkzA1TZcthRdBfx4oVgCHY0Y3XIWyJSphVBFqx_-vFJlf7FSjvig68Ah702662ZOIhgB0BF/s1600/Gunterville+Phoenix+Boat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr31c6uqZPzbx-o2Ln0BI21_vKocHg2p-FlWw7hWpWf2vM5bca-cwcDyW7jyEAaEONh2wycDkzA1TZcthRdBfx4oVgCHY0Y3XIWyJSphVBFqx_-vFJlf7FSjvig68Ah702662ZOIhgB0BF/s320/Gunterville+Phoenix+Boat.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Took this because it had Phoenix's name! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheers! See you at the next race!</td></tr>
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*Oh.. I didn't have a flat tire, just needed some air. Pulled my trusty little compressor out of the trunk and topped off all 4 tires. Voila, no more check tire light!</div>
Living The Tri Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00905201895529626362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3636696996170761801.post-38641387520275285682016-04-14T19:41:00.001-05:002016-04-14T19:41:41.467-05:00Bama Triathlon - Relay Time!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicm4-9ESkat3l015NcDMe8wLAs7WHUTriEeJXcEwb27Wwyox_W4agU2jUy2JPOKzmwEWJB3eDlMKy6VPbMeNRbksGLl_uOhTQUvayNMARqemYnhlQm46-DmZKGd3xyZFFQnHY5ZCbjc9L9/s1600/Bama+Tri.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicm4-9ESkat3l015NcDMe8wLAs7WHUTriEeJXcEwb27Wwyox_W4agU2jUy2JPOKzmwEWJB3eDlMKy6VPbMeNRbksGLl_uOhTQUvayNMARqemYnhlQm46-DmZKGd3xyZFFQnHY5ZCbjc9L9/s200/Bama+Tri.png" width="194" /></a></div>
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It's early season for triathlon. I have a lot of friends who are already racing this season. My first race is still 3 weeks away. But last weekend I decided to compete in the inaugural <a href="http://bamatriathlon.com/" target="_blank">Bama </a><a href="http://bamatriathlon.com/" target="_blank">Tri</a>...in a relay!!<div>
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A few months ago I talked to a couple of the good people that I've met since moving to Tuscaloosa, asked them if there is ever a triathlon that is close by if they would be interested in doing a relay with me! Charlie Wolbach rides with the <a href="http://www.druidcity.org/" target="_blank">Druid City Bike Club</a> - he is a great cyclist. He has pulled me back up to the group on many rides when I've been dropped off the back. I have to work to stay on his wheel when he is riding hard. I thought he would be perfect for the relay.</div>
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Ann Besanceney and I worked together at <a href="http://wagnersrunwalk.com/" target="_blank">Wagner's RunWalk</a>. Ann is an amazing runner - an All American from Michigan State in Steeplechase. When Ann runs, think gazelle! She is also the first friend that I made in Tuscaloosa, she has a good heart, a kind heart.</div>
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This is a super sprint race, actually I would consider it a runner's race. Short 400 yard swim, 11 mile bike, and the run ended up being 3.6 miles. It's a pool swim.... ahem, if you've ever read any of my other posts about pool swim triathlons you'll know that I'm really not a fan. Sunday, we were really lucky that the timer sent us off at way more than the 10 seconds that was advertised. She let the person get to the end of the lane (25 yards) before she sent the next person off. If not the swim would have been a hot mess. </div>
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On the registration they asked us to submit a 100 meter swim time. Initially, the race was going to be held in the 50 meter pool, but a swim meet was scheduled for the same weekend, bad race planning. Typically people submit a very "optimistic" swim time. I used a swim calculator conversion since I swim in a short course yard pool. Entered a 1:27 per 100 meter time. Now, I can swim one 100 meter freestyle way faster than that, but I was basing it on what I believed I would hold for the entire 400. Obviously I was one of the only ones who did this. Long story short, I was about the 15-16th person in line and had the 5th fastest swim split. The guy in front of me, Blake caught and passed the person in front of him, and I caught her about 10 yards from the swim finish. My friend Margaret caught two people who were seeded in front of her. She had the 3rd fastest overall swim! What did I tell you, hot mess!</div>
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<b>My recommendation for next year for the race director - have people submit a 400 yard (or meter) time. </b></div>
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T1 - Usually when there are relays they have them rack together. There are going to be two other people in transition, and having the relays somewhere so that we're not in the other athletes way is a good idea. There was a tiny rack, that would hold 4 bikes, and I asked the RD if that is where he wanted us to rack, but he said just to rack the bike anywhere. </div>
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<b>My recommendation for next year - if the racks are not assigned, still have the relays rack together out of the way of the other athletes, so they don't get in the way.</b></div>
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Before the race started we were given a piece of velcro to stick to our disposable neoprene ankle chip. It wouldn't stick. So I stapled one end of the velcro to the end of the neoprene, you could still get it off but the whole thing came apart when we tried to take it off to put on Charlie's ankle. We ended up just stuffing it in his back jersey pocket. I saw Dani (a friend doing another relay) running to her team carrying her timing strap, I think it had come off completely in the water - they duct taped it from then on. There has to be a better way for the timing chips for the relays.</div>
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There is a fast triathlete in Tuscaloosa named Wilson. When I told Wilson that I was doing a relay, he said "I won't catch you on the swim, but I'll just have to catch Charlie on the bike". Of course we couldn't let that happen! And Charlie delivered! Wilson out split him, but never caught him! Oh... and Charlie was on his road bike, not a time trial bike. He had a fantastic ride! </div>
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<b>My recommendation about the bike course - Move the Mount/Dismount line to the road as opposed to the edge of the parking lot so the athletes can see it. We saw one girl <a href="http://mountainbike.about.com/od/mountainbikeglossary/g/Endo_Definition.htm" target="_blank">endo</a> on her bike as she came in to T2 because she didn't see the line. A MOUNT/ DISMOUNT sign would be a good idea, and more volunteers on the bike course, too. Charlie missed a turn because no one was directing people at a corner.</b></div>
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We handed Ann the timing chip, and she headed out onto the run course. I was excited to see her run, so I'd told her I was going to try and head out onto the course to cheer her on to the finish. I saw her coming down Hackberry, the last long stretch before the turn to the finish. She was flying! I cut across a big parking lot diagonal to see her finish (think Pythagorean Theorem) and had to sprint as hard as I could and barely made it to see her go by! Man that woman can run!</div>
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We had a great day! Both Charlie and Ann were amazing! Would I do another relay? With friends like that, you bet! </div>
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Oh... and yes, we beat Wilson. </div>
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Next up for me, Lake Guntersville Tri! See you at the races!!</div>
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Living The Tri Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00905201895529626362noreply@blogger.com0