Signing for my First Half Ironman

It's Saturday.
I have lots to do but I also am trying to settle on a race schedule for next year.
My Bucket List and Goal Sheet sit staring at me daily.

My next contemplation lies here.....

http://ajourneytotri.blogspot.com/2011/10/first-703.html

Hope you all Have a Wonderful Weekend...

(and I heard many of you are getting snow~~

even before I have had even a snowflake 
up here in the north!:)

the orange shoes don't work

(disclaimer: do not feel the need to read the following post if you aren't into racing 

and thoughts and such. 

This Race Report is more for my own peace of mind.... and for those of you who have 

asked me about how "the last Oly went".

Oh....

and to prove how the color of your shoes has no significant impact on your ability to put out a good race result.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last month was my 2nd Olympic Distance Triathlon for the season.

On the same weekend, I thought I would try out the "free" Aquathlon as well....

the one you could register for if you had already paid the fee for the Tri.

This is me...before the Aquathlon:

Note the nervous smile....

as I had no idea what do do in a race like this.

And while I questioned more seasoned Aquathoners as to the method of this race and tips she could share....her main focus was on my shoes.

My Orange Shoes.

"Oh...looks like you have fast shoes. You'll be fine."

Seriously? The color of your shoes makes you fast or not so fast in an Aquathlon?

Cool. 

Guess I was okay then.

As we lined up at the start line ... I noticed a girl turning to stare at my feet. 

(see picture below)

I only hoped they were scaring her....to slow down.

As I looked around me I happened to notice I was old. 

And short ~ and slow looking~  to these fit females.

What was I thinking standing in this group?

Oh right...I had Orange Shoes.

I'd be okay.

I won't give you all the details of the race,

but my time for the

2.5km Run/ 1km Swim/ 2.5km Run

was:

50:03

I never came in last, but I have to tell you~ 

the Orange Shoes could have worked a heck of a lot faster than they did. 

I cut it too close to being the one crawling slowly across the Finish while everyone 

was already at home eating supper.

~~~~~~~~

Fast Forward to Sunday morning....almost 3 hours before Tri start time.

Nerves.

And not nerves of steel.

More like prairie grass in a hurricane wind.

I don't know whether it was because of the "hugeness" of this event....

...if it was the fact that I was alone in the middle of a sea of unknown faces, 

and bikes~~worth 10 times as much as mine.....

...or if it was because there were television cameras and serious looking 

race officials everywhere I looked, 

as the Elites were there to race later that day.

All I knew was, that from Friday's Aquathlon results, my Orange Shoes could not be counted on.

It would be solely  (no pun intended), up to me.

And that is where I had no faith.

Faith is easy when you have something to believe in...like a tangible Orange Shoe.

But put that tangibility aside and you're left with something you can't see.

I stood at my Transition spot for a ton of time, going over and over my moves I would be making.

It was ridiculous. I had done this many times before.

I analyzed everything~~to where I laid my gels, the alignment of my towel, and the position of the Orange Shoes. 

The ones that couldn't be trusted.

3 hours is a long time to wait. 

And watching the early heats hit the lake 

didn't seem to help.

I have never in all my life been as nervous as I was that morning.

I still don't really know why.

(I do know I seriously have a lot to work on in the area of mind over matter.)

Chanting ...."It's All In My Head" doesn't help either, 

when surrounded by young, fit athletes~~ who seem fearless.

This race was the first one where I felt completely alone.

And I didn't like it.

It was one of those moments when you're surrounded by a ton of people, 

but you are truly by yourself.

In your own head.... battling your own wicked thoughts.

It was the worst Mental Challenge I've had to deal with.

I felt vulnerable, unsure of my abilities, and a disappointment with myself that I couldn't conquer this overwhelming sense of fear.

That's me below, second in, toeing the line.

And wondering if I should turn around and head for home.

Luckily....I HATE quiting. 

And the idea of quitting overrode my feeling of fear.

When the gun went off within seconds of toeing the water line, it was on.

I was still alone, but now I battled the race itself instead of my own thoughts.

And it felt better.

I pushed my fear back and thought I would deal with it later....

(The bike is my favorite part- and I was happy with my time here.

It's also the only leg of the Triathlon where I hardly get passed. 

A good mental boost...

which I need after the swim, as I tend to get passed by numerous others....

(I'm the one rounding the corner)

....and the dreaded run....

where every person on the run route~ I SWEAR~

searches me out just to pass me to say they did.)

I know I need to work on the run over the winter.

It's the biggest weakness I have.

{Besides the Fear weakness}

(As IF the above volunteer needed to remind me with his sign to "SLOW;))

~~~~

My Finish Line pictures are hidden away in the archives.

It was an Okay race, but I wasn't proud of myself.  

My time was reasonable, an exact double of a Sprint I had done earlier in the season....

so I didn't get slower.

But I wasn't happy with my attitude before and while I raced.

I conquered the race itself, but I never conquered my mind.

The fear is still there....

and I'm a bit worried as to if it will still be there the next time I toe the line for a Triathlon.

I need to battle it...and I didn't at this one.

That was more discouraging to me than a slower time.

I wish the battle over my mind was as easy as 

wearing Orange Shoes that made you go faster.....

~~~~~~~~~~

Until next Triathlon season....

the last Tri-Report is now finished:D

~~~~~~~~~~

On a side note:

The neat part about this Triathlon, (which didn't help nerves any), 

was that at the end of my stint, I was able to watch the Elites Race....

which included Edmonton's Paula Findlay....

...and Simon Whitfield himself!

( I watched him set up transition and noticed he took almost as much pain in aligning things as I did. 

Almost;D)

 Elite Female~ Paula: 2nd place (2:05:35)

Elite Male~ Simon: 1st (1:54:12)

{Orange Shoe category~ Me:(3:05:20)}

~~~~

Triathlon~the places it takes me

(taken on a rest stop during one of my long training rides)

~~~

I once read a comment on Triathlons and why people do them. It went something like this:

"From the outside, you don't understand it.

From the inside- you can't explain it."

And I really can't explain why I love this sport of Triathlon like I do.

No- I am not good at it, I may be average on a good day.

No- I don't get paid, I pay!

Yes- it can be hard and painful.

Yes- I am tired after I do a run and swim all by 7:30 on a Monday morning.

And on race day~ I don't particularly like getting kicked, hit, and swam over.

Race day also puts my stomach in knots.

So what's so great about this sport?

Why do triathlon people put themselves through this...and for what?

I can't explain it.

Except that at the end of a workout I feel better about the world than when I started.

I like having goals to work towards.

I like trying to get better.

I like the battle I conquer in my head every time I go one more mile.

And~~~ I think the best part is~ 

it's the places it takes me.

On my bike I see things I don't get to see from my front porch, {and catch dragonflies in my helmet}.

I see for miles and miles with no roof above my head.

(open road on an early morning cycle)

On a run I watch sunrises and sunsets, {and cross paths with animals normally hiding from people during the day}.

And when I do Hill Runs...I get to see the sun come up over and over again.

(early morning runs)

My open water swims have allowed me to see the beach from a different angle, {and to experience all different temperatures of water,  sizes of waves, and come face to face with seaweed.}

(my swimming pool)

Races take me to different towns and cities.

I meet people there who also don't understand why it is they do what they do either.

And that part makes me feel a little less crazy:)

And all the while- {if I bring my cell phone}- I get photo opportunities I would miss otherwise;)

~~~

I think we all have our Get-Away thing.

It may not be Triathlons. But it's something.

And often  people don't get why you do what you do.

But deep down you know.....

It's because of the places it takes you.

Race Report

The Olympic Triathlon

 1.5km Swim / 40km Bike / 10km Run 

~~~

It seems as though I can be full of a lot of hot air here on this blog.

It WAS all in my head. 

It was.

But....it took a lot of effort in the legs, arms, and lungs department too....

~~~~

Sunday morning was beautiful.

And the lake was calm...a good thing.

It was full of weeds which they supposedly "mowed" before our race, but I still ended up with a few covering my cap and goggles as I swam. I just kept thinking about groceries I needed when I got back home.

Really. That's what I thought of.

Oh....

and I also had to watch out for the (rather large) guy who didn't know how to sight while swimming. 

He zigzagged back and forth in front of me....swimming over top of me and hitting and kicking to find his way to the turnaround buoy. 

For some reason I couldn't shake him. 

He crossed me at least 6 times over a 500m distance.

Other than that- I really did enjoy the swim.

(Swim Time: 36:41)

Transition went okay.

I did have to sit down to take off that ridiculous wet suit.

It was either that or fall on top of the guy's bike next to me.

I'm sure that thing was worth more than my vehicle. 

And no- I'm not jealous;)

It was a 3 Loop bike course.....a bit disheartening every time you rode past the volunteer yelling:

"Lap here" or "Finish here"....and I knew I still had to turn right for 2 more laps.

But bike seems to be the easiest leg of the race for me, so I  didn't mind the pedal by canola fields with the mountains off in the distance....3 times in a row.

(Really...I wasn't sightseeing on the bike.

But it sure was a darn pretty ride:)

(Bike Time: 1:10:31)

Last and my least favorite,

was the run.

It wasn't bad to swim 2 laps of the lake course.

And even the 3 loops on the bike was manageable.

But I now know how a hamster feels running on a wheel.

FOUR laps of a running loop was not a good thing for my mental state after all I had already done.

Each time we did a loop on the run we had to actually run BY the Finish Line. 

(Note the signs behind me.

I didn't like them until the 4th lap.)

3 TIMES I ran by that finish...listening to names being called out by the announcer. 

Names of people who had already run the 4 loops.

It was quite the mental challenge (for me).

So... being

the "optimistic blogger/runner/pretender" I had to yell out at every other person I saw on the run...

"It's All In Our Heads!!!"

(pffft!)

I don't think any one believed me.

At that point- I didn't believe it myself.

And neither did my legs or lungs.

But yes. 

I did eventually get to the 4th round.

~Run Time: 1:02~

(not happy with that time at all...but I wasn't going to do it over;)

It's funny....

I'm glad that race has come and gone. 

But I'm left sitting here wondering what I do now.

It seems all those hours of training

for 2 hours and 49 minutes of race time was quite an ordeal.

I can't quit thinking....

*Maybe I should use up all that training for a few more races.

*It wasn't all that bad.

*The run could eventually be my friend.

*I felt actually pretty good after I caught my breath.

*I think I could do a few more over the next month or so.

Then again, 

maybe it's just all in my head...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(A HUGE thanks to all of you who encouraged me and believed I could do this thing. I actually thought of you as I ran and didn't want to quit because I didn't want to do a blog post on quitting;)

And another thank you to all the other Blogger/Triathletes out there who are such an inspiration for me. 

You HIM and IM people are Amazing to go those distances!!!)

Triathlon Weekend- (and the longest post I've ever written)

Sitting down to catch my breath....and going try to get caught  up on here tonight.....

So....first Triathlon of the season has come and gone!

Saturday.....my youngest participated in the Kids Of Steel Triathlon....and did an awesome job!

He came in 11th place out of 36 kids...and has hardly trained.

(I have to brag- right?;)

   Age Group: M8-9        #465 Ben R                  

Swim Time(200m): 3:18   Bike Time(5km): 18:38  Run Time(1km)6:14   

Total Time: 28:09.2

Super Proud of you Buddy!

~~~

The next day my alarm went off at 4am- but I was already up.

I'm not a sleeper~inner....especially on race days.

It was grey, rainy, windy, and looked a dismal day for racing.

Regardless of the weather....it was on.

My oldest and I ate a quick breakfast, loaded the bikes and gear into the truck,

and took off at the scheduled time of 5am.

Within mere minutes I could hear a strange sound coming from the back of the truck.

"Sounds like a flat"....my 16 year old calmly stated.

Calm wasn't my reaction.

I have never had a flat tire in all my days of driving.

21 years to be exact.

So of course all driver's education and training has long since dissipated.

Changing a tire, or even what to do when you're already miles from home ...isn't even 

on my driver-common-sense radar.

I whipped a U-Turn in the middle of the (dead at 5am) highway and drove 100km/hr (normal speed limit) back home.

Needless to say, (NOW I know...)  that wasn't the right thing to do. 

I guess your tire rim can be damaged driving with a flat.

Who knew?

(Kind of like not knowing lily pads grew flowers......

Pffft;)

Try stuffing two race bikes in the back of a mini-van.

When you're in panic mode.

And your bike is the most important of all things you own.

And you don't want it even scratched let alone bent up.

It was like a puzzle....and a puzzle that I wasn't up to at that particular moment.

I just have to say I'm very grateful for the Calm Persons of this world....

~~~

After all that chaos, we ended up at the transition set up only 15 minutes later than scheduled, and we found perfect spots on the rack for our bikes.

(I DO have to say that some people on race day can be quite.....what's the word? 

Oh yes.

Rude.)

I was just setting my bike into position, when a guy from a local Tri club threw a small purple hand towel right under my wheel, along with a bag containing a half rotten banana.

He was tyring to save MY SPOT for a friend.

Really people?

I got up before 4am, dealt with a flat, was drenched from pouring rain, only to be bumped out of a spot by a purple towel and a bagged banana?

Nu-uh.

I left my bike where it was, thinking I may have a confrontation on my hands in a bit....but fortunately keeping your mouth shut and leaving your bike hanging in its spot is the best method. 

He moved his "gear" about 45 minutes later.

I guess his friend found his own spot.....

Transition set up, chips on ankles, body markings done....

now we waited for our Swim Heats.

My son was in Heat 7- being that he was in the Junior Division.

I was in Heat 51.

He was finished his entire race before I even started mine.

Almost 3 hours of wait time beside the pool.

3 hours to wonder just why I decided to do this in the first place.

(Have I ever mentioned I'm a worrier? 

And that I think far too much?)

Making a long story a bit shorter now....

the race went well, and aside from 30km/hr winds on the bike, it went quite smoothly.

Oh.

Except for the part when I ran my bike back into transition area to begin my run, and I (still don't know how)....flipped over my handlebars in some sort of semi-sommersalt position.

All I can remember is hearing the GASP from the spectators as I slowly (ever notice how falls tend to happen in slow-mo?)

dropped to the pavement.

(Currently my elbow is swollen, gashed, bruised,

and I only have a few 3inch bruises on my leg.

I'm fine!

{Guess it's about time I quit typing and get on with race pics.}

My joke before it all was that I was out to beat my 16 year old son....

We were only 2 minutes apart in final time.

And he doesn't even train.

I on the other hand... have been getting up at 4am to fit enough miles on to my training schedule.

~it figures~

Division: M-JR        #986 Adam R                 

Swim (750m): 17:20    Bike (20km):49:34   Run(5km): 27:15 

Total Time: 1:34:08.3

~~

 

#283 Dawn R         

Swim (750m):14:44   Bike (20km):49:12   Run(5km): 28:27 

Total Time:  1:32:21.8

Place Overall:27/108    Placed in Age Division:8/36
~~~

Thanks Ad!

I had an awesome day with you....even though we didn't race "together".

And although I feel wiped that I train 6 days a week at 4am, 

and you just "have it without even trying"...

I'm SUPER proud of you.

(and a bit envious:)

But remember...I still beat you by 2 minutes;)

Maybe next year?

:)

~~~~

Next up: 

my Olympic~distance Triathlon

in less than 3 weeks.

Here's to more 4 in the morning training sessions....

I DiD IT!!!!!

Remember this? From ....my bucket list?

Well guess what?! 
I DID it!!!!!!
I actually hit enter and am officially signed up for a real live Olympic Distance Triathlon.
It's not the one in the mountains....but it's close, and the same distance!






I can't really believe I did it....
but for some reason I felt fearless tonight:)

Let the training begin!

~~~~

I'm Gonna Do It....i think

My finger is hovering over the send key.

Well, it was right before I started this post, 

and it will be just as soon as I'm done....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This here is PART of
My Bucket List ~
(attainable List that is.
I have 2 Bucket Lists.
The other is my, "In my Dreams Bucket List....a whole other post!

********* Run a Half Marathon


********* Complete an Olympic Distance Triathlon

(sprint Triathlon)

********* Get my Motorbike License

(image here)

******(after license-a Road Trip to the Mountains on my Harley)


****** Hike the West Coast Trail

(A Yoho Hike)

(....and so the list continues. I have several pages.)
******************************************************


My finger is hovering over the send key in regards to that Olympic Distance Triathlon.
The one I want to start with is in these mountains.

My most favorite place on earth.

A 1500m swim in a mountain Lake.
A 40km bike over mountain roads.
A 10km run through mountain pathways.....


Oh I want to do it!
I so very much do!!


So why does my finger hover here?


Ever wonder just what it is that holds us back from doing the things we WANT to do and know we are capable of?
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bucket List Additions:


Rid myself of insecurities.
Stop worrying about what MIGHT happen.
Focus on the positive What If's.
Live life and remember that it won't end if something I think should happen- doesn't.


My Olympic Distance Triathlon is sounding easier to accomplish......
Will let you know when my finger pushes S-E-N-D on this registration form.
(sigh)