Rio Salado Oly Recap

 The race started half an hour late.  So while it was nice to have extra time to pull up my wetsuit as high as I could, I couldn't help but think that this only meant running when it would be hotter and the sun higher.

Ryan's brother, Gavin and I.

Swim:  32:43 This was two minutes faster than Marquee.  I thought I'd be even fast than that given I didn't have the "I can't breath" swimming due to the wetsuit choking me.  I had Ryan help me really pull that thing up so there wasn't much pressure on the neck.  But this also meant wetsuit camel toe.  TMI?  Let's just call it WCT so people don't get grossed out when we mention such things.  Ha!

It was a decent swim.  I just tried to have a strong, even stroke.

T1:  1:15  No issues, and even remembered to put on my bib!

Bike:  1:18:45  The bike course is so lame compared to Marquee.  Because it's all in Tempe right around the lake, there are three U-turns on each lap, so six U-turns in all.  But somehow I did this faster than Marquee by 9:40!  I don't know how, but I'll take it!  Also, I wore my tri shoes on the bike, despite the numb feet from Marquee.  No numbness this time.  I think it helped that it was a good 10º warmer.

I was super thirsty on the bike though.  I didn't want any extra weight and since I've never drunk more than one bottle on 25 miles, I only brought one bottle to drink.  Maybe because I had a better swim and therefore didn't drink as much yummy Tempe Town Lake water, or the heat, or most likely both, I was thirsty!  Too bad there weren't bike stations like at Marquee.

T:2  1:25  

Run:  53:02  The run was slower than my numb foot run at Marquee by a minute.  I'll chalk that one up to the heat.  The first three aid stations I grabbed water while running through.  But for my second loop, I actually stopped at each aid station.  At the second to the last, I couldn't help but just pee, and I told the water guy to explain why I took four of his water cups to throw water on my crotch.  He was disgusted.  Must not be a runner.  ;)  Also, I wore some of my old Newtons because they were my only ones with elastic laces (I had to wear Newton shoes since I was wearing my Newton kit).  My right arch was definitely feeling the old no-arch support shoes.  I was so glad to be finished!  Oh, and I didn't plan it, but Gwen ran out and took my hand and ran across the finish line with me, it was adorable!

Finish time, 2:47:12, I beat my Marquee time by almost 11 minutes!!  It made me want to do an Oly tri every three weeks if I can pull off that much of an improvement!!  But I'm sure it's just a fluke.

Oh, I did get a bunch of compliments on my kit during the bike and run.  And Ryan liked it too because it was easier to spot me in it.  I'm thinking this'll be what I wear for IMAZ.

And did you hear about St. George IM Saturday?  Crazy winds lead to almost 500 swimmers calling it quits during the swim.  I heard there were 5 foot waves because of the 40 mph wind gusts.  I am praying for perfect weather for IMAZ!

Next Race - One Month

I'm fired up and ready to sign up for another race. 
I decided to sign up for Tempe International OLY.  It is Sunday, May 13th.  There is another race the week before with my favorite race company.  That race, Rio Salado, is on a Saturday and it interferes with me coaching my kids basketball teams.  Unfortunately, that is a deal breaker for me. 
I figure I'll have about a month to train.  I will do better.  I am announcing my goals for the World to hear. 
(1)  Improve my times in all three sports.
(2)  Weigh less. 

Wish me luck!

Kate's Marquee ReCap

OK ladies.  I guess it is my turn.  Here is my race report from yesterday. 

Pre-Race:  I had a great sleep Saturday night, was packed and organized, and woke up right on schedule.  This is a positive for me because I'm usually rushing around or overly tired on race morning.  I picket Annette up at 5:30 and we headed down to the race.  (Annette lives about a mile from me so she is a good car pool buddy.)  We had time to chat, set up, take a rest room break and take in the scene before the race.  We were in the first rack so we thought we'd easily spot Kim.  No luck.  I think we saw every one of our friends BUT Kim in that transition.  We were right on schedule, no rushing and got in line for the swim. 

In line I ran into an old Tri buddy named Debbie.  She did IMAZ 2010 with me but didn't make the bike cut off due to wind.  We got to know each other while training for ironman.  We usually brought up the back of the pack so we would always cheer each other on.  (She is also on our facebook Tri Group.  She runs like a marathon a month!)   It is great to see race buddies again. 

Swim:  The swim always makes me nervous.  I had a horrible swim with Annette the week before.  I'm glad I went with her b/c I was able to get in some deep water.  I was pretty calm.  I don't know why.  I guess at that point I knew it would be what it would be.  It seemed to take FOREVER!  I kept swimming and swimming with no panics.  Good progress. 

My super secret goal was to get out of the water in less than an hour.  Guess what my time was?  58 minutes.  Good I met my GOAL but SAD my GOAL was so ridiculous!   

T1:  I'm usually pretty decent at transition.  No major problems except that I put my helmet on before my shirt.  It worked out ok though. T1 time was 2:48.  I'll take it.  Could cut time off by learning Annette's fancy shoe trick but I'm scared I'd fall! 

Bike:  I always fee pretty comfortable on my bike.  I don't have my aerobars on yet so I had to stay in my drops.  I was slower than I wanted to be.  I averaged a 15.2 with transition.  I wanted to be around 16.  I can do better than this.  I was able to catch Annette on this leg and caught glimpses of Kristin and Kim.  This was the only time I saw Kim the whole day.  One more thing, I had new bike sunglasses on and I loved them.  My eyes normally tear during the ride.  The new glasses protected them more. 

My super secret bike goal was 1:30.  I finished at 1:38.  I can do better. 

T2:  This transition was slower than I would have wanted it to be but I was chatting with a guy who had just finished.  He is captain of the ASU tri team and said he could help me with my swim.  TOO CUTE!  Unfortunately, I was too focused on getting out of there to get his number.  I might have to track him down.  T2 time was 2:27. 

Run:  My legs felt pretty good during the run.  I think it helped I stayed in my drops.  I was able to catch my friend Debbie during this leg.  We chatted and then she told me to go on b/c I was faster than her.  I trotted on by.  Within a couple minutes she was next to me again.  She said, "Kate, you were much faster than me 2 years ago!  What happened?"  UGH!  I laughed and said, "Debbie, maybe you are much FASTER!"  I then had to admit, that I did nothing all last year.  She was right.  I was much faster in 2010.  (A sincere thank you to Debbie for making me admit what I already knew.)  Debbie and I ran together for a while but I had to make a port-o-pottie break.  This is a good sign for me b/c I knew I was hydrating properly.  I usually don't do well in that department.  I ended up walking and running in 6:1s and eventually down to 3:1s and 2:1s.  I slowed down quite a bit at the end and finished 4 minutes behind Debbie.

Run time was 1:18.  This wasn't great.  I didn't know what to expect here b/c I didn't know how tired I would be after the bike. It isn't has fast as I would like but I'm happy I finished. 

Total Race Time:  4:00:37. 

Post Race:  I felt the best I ever felt after the race.  I think because I properly hydrated.  Annette and I packed up our goodies and headed home.  We decided this race was the perfect wake up call before starting Ironman training.  Great timing. 

The Race:  I'm really happy with the race organizers.  They changed up the usual transition, the run course and the bike course.  It was good.  We were able to ride more of the Ironman course.  Best race t-shirt in a long time.   

Pros: 
-  I have been losing weight.  This helps.  I am actually around the weight I was when I raced Ironman 2010.  I'm hoping to drop another 10 before I start hard core training.
-  My bike is better than the last bike. 
-  I am decent at transition.
-  I can fight my nerves on race day.

Cons:
-  I still have a lot of weight to lose.
-  I need my aerobars put back on.
-  I need to check my bike fit.  It feels off.
-  I MUST get more swim lessons and coaching. 

After the race I took my bike to the bike shop, bought some aerobars, some sassy red tape and scheduled a fit.  I'm excited to start Ironman training.  I know I said it before but I really enjoy racing.  I'm so glad I have friends to race with!  Thanks for the support!

PS - My Polar watch must have got moisture in it during the swim.  I could hardly see it the rest of the race.  I need Kim's watch. 

Note To Annette

Dear Annette -

I am writing you a love note.  Why?  Because I want you to know how PROUD I am of you for: (1) signing up for your first OLY; (2)  attempting your first 10k as part of an OLY; (3)  fighting through your cramp; (4)  FINISHING your first OLY and 10k; (5) sticking to your weight loss plan; and (6) maintaining a positive attitude.  YOU ARE AWESOME!  Keep up the good work. 

                                                              The Biggest IronMom