look what came in the mail today!

Apparently I placed third in my age division for the Red Rock triathlon!

I checked my results and saw I was in fourth, and didn't bother waiting around after that. Luckily the top finisher in our age division was in the Overall top three and so she was pulled for the age division category, so I got bumped up to third.

How nice of them to mail me my award!

Kate's Race Report - Nathan's Triathlon - Sprint division

Kate and Annette after the race.

Today was race day!  The Ironmoms were tackling Nathan's triathlon.  I was originally slated to do the Olympic distance with Kim but I knew I wasn't ready.  The diet made me pretty weak so I thought I would die.  Plus, I knew the swim would be brutal for me since I haven't had a bit of swim time and I wouldn't be able to wear a wetsuit.  So I switched to the Sprint distance.  The sprint was 750 m swim, 12 mile bike and 3.1 mile run.  I felt pretty comfortable with the distances. 

My day didn't go as planned.  First, I only had 2 hours of sleep the night before.  I attended the NABA-AZ dinner and might of had a couple too many glasses of wine.  Not the plan.  The plan was to stay at the dinner for a short while and then go home and get a good night of sleep.  Instead I partied like a rock star until the weee hours of the morning. 

I set the alarm for 4:30.  I thought this would give me time to get ready and get to Annette's house house for pick up.  I guess the alarm didn't go off and I woke up to Annette's phone call at 5:20!  UGH.  I manged to get there in a couple minutes but I wasn't on my A game.  Not only did I oversleep, I forgot my earplugs, my swim cap, and my timing chip!  Plus I realized I had a mild hangover! 

Even with all the morning chaos, I managed to finish the race.  It was just ok.  The high point for me was the run. I wasn't fast but I felt pretty strong. I usually feel strongest on my bike but I wasn't feeling it today.  The low point was my swim, as usual.  I didn't panic but I was still slow.  A positive note about the swim was that I did a much better job sighting in the water. The race was not my finest moment and not a total disaster.  I looked at the results and finished 3 minutes faster than in 2009.  That is good considering I was not on my A game.  Plus, I finished under 2:00 hours!  That is awesome for me. 

I'm looking forward to get the training going again.  Lots of potential to have some great races.  I'm also very proud of all of us Ironmoms.  We are doing it!

Nathan's Tempe Tri

It was a warm day for a tri, but that didn't stop the Ironmoms!! I finished the Olympic distance and felt pretty good. My swim was alright, my bike was great (I averaged over 16 mph!!), the run, however, could have been better. It was in the low 90's by the time I crossed the finish line and I definitely felt the heat on the run. There was a great bit of time (for approximately a mile) during the run when the sun was behind a cloud. Otherwise, it was hot, hot, hot. We also had a freak rainstorm (very light rain) during the ride, which was very odd. All in all, it was good to get out on a race course again.

After I was done, I had to ask myself if I was ready to double that for Soma's 1/2 iron distance in October. I am not quite there yet (and definitely not ready to quadruple it for the Ironman), but I know that I can keep working the bike and the run and I will feel a lot better.

Annette and Kate ran the sprint--it sounds like they had a good day too, but I'll let them report. :)

Kate's Weightloss Update

For all of September I've been a dieting machine.  I've been doing a pretty extreme diet and it has been working.  I've lost 10.8 pounds in 2 weeks and 2 days.  I weigh now about what I weighed when I finished Ironman in November.  I feel good having the weight off again but I know this diet is making me weak.  I have been working out, but I do not have the energy I should. 

I know some do not agree with my extreme dieting but I do have a plan.  Here is my thinking.  I want to lose as much weight as I can before I start working towards Ironman 2012.  That gives me a months before my training really gets moving again.   So my September is crazy but I promise I will start being smarter at the end of the month.  The thought of having less weight to carry around excites me!

Red Rock Triathlon

Bike and run slightly slower than last year, but close enough.

I'm getting excited for all the upcoming events, such as...

Nike Women's Marathon

Ragnar Las Vegas

Volunteering for IRONMAN AZ!!

We're just over a year away!

Nice Group Ride

We had a nice group ride today.  We ended up riding 22.5 miles.  It was short but nice. I think the best part about it was the weather finally broke.  It was absolutely beautiful out.  Here is a photo of me, Annette and Kim taking a break at the end of Pecos Road.  Feels great to be out there.

Splash n Dash! Want to Swim?

Hey ladies - Here is the link for the first splash and dash.  Annette sent it to me today.  This will be a great practice round for Nathan's triathlon.  Anyone in?

http://4peaksracing.com/event.php?id=187

My Friend Debb - IMOO 2011

I want to tell you about my friend Debb.  I met Debb on-line about 2 years ago.  She is amazing and a real inspiration.  Debb and I trained together last year for our Ironman races on the beginner triathlete website.  Debb started her training at 302 pounds and has lost 100 pounds on this Ironman journey. 

Last year she competed in Ironman Wisconsin 2010.  The Ironman community referrs to this race as IMOO.  The IMOO course is pretty intense and has lots of hills.  Our Ironman Arizona or IMAZ race is a favorite because it the course is pretty flat.

Although Debb was properly trained, she missed the last run cut off by a minute.  They wouldn't let her go on.  She had to give them her chip and she was carted to the finish line.  She was at Mile 19 of the RUN!  Yep, 133 miles into her 140 mile journey.  Just 7 miles short!  Instead of feeling blue she got up the next morning and signed up to do the race again.  She has worked her tail off this year and is ready to tackle it again. 

Debb competes this Sunday in IMOO 2011.  I am so nervous and excited for her.  I'll be glued to my computer "watching" her times through out the day.   Send her some good vibes this weekend!!  She said no matter what happens this weekend she is going to keep going.  She might even tackle IMAZ with us in 2012.

Thanks to my friend, Mary, at FitThisGirl.com for sharing this on her Facebook page!

Cooler Weather=A Little Running and a Little Hiking

I have to admit that I really don't like working out when it's this hot. So, over Labor Day weekend, the family and I took a trip to Northern AZ to cool off. With the significant drop in temperature, I had no excuses not to get up and go. I took a run along a beautiful trail and we did lots of hiking.

Now, it's back to reality (and the heat). It's really time to buckle down and get in gear for the Olympic coming up in just a couple of weeks (yikes) and the 1/2 Iron coming up in just about 6 weeks. I need to commit to getting in at least one long run, one long swim, and one long ride EVERY week. There's no time left for slacking!!

I'm moving again!

Yep.  I'm moving again.  On vacation I went on an hour long ride and a four mile run.  Feeling good!  I have 20 days until an Olympic distance triathlon.  Kim and I are going to KILL it!  (positive thinking)  My biggest concern is that I know the water tempature will not be wetsuit legal.  This is one of the only races that is not wetsuit legal around here.  The wetsuit is my safety net in the water.  When I wear it I just float.  Without it, I sink . . . or I think I will sink.  Should be interesting.  Go Ironmoms!