Lake Mills Sprint Tri 2010: 2nd Athena!

Last weekend I was happy to compete in my first sprint tri of the season. Yippee!!!

The Lake Mills Triathlon is a .25-mile swim, 16-mile bike and 3.2-mile run. It's the first of three local sprint triathlons included in the Wisconsin Triathlon Series. The weather was cool (low fifties) and fortunately the rain held.

This was the third time I've done Lake Mills (2005 mom of two, 2008 new mom of three). The bike segment was new, same distance (16 miles) but was a new route due to construction.

Results 2005, 2008, 2010:
2005: Swim: 14:22, T1: 3:16, Bike: 57:31 (15.65), T2: 1:11, Run: 35:17 (11:02/mile)

overall 1:51:35

2008: Swim: 12:18, T1: 2:55, Bike: 54:21 (17.6 ), T2: 1:02, Run: 35:39 (11:08/mile)

overall 1:46:12

2010: Swim: 11:21, T1: 1:45, Bike: 56:02 (17.1), T2: 1:03, Run: 30:48 (9:37/mile)

overall 1:40:57, 2nd place Athena Division! :-)

Race Day Notes & Thoughts:

prerace - : I left my sunglasses in the car. Ken went to get them while I juggled holding my youngest who was having a tantrum while my middle son had to pee. Not ideal pre-race bubble of calm!

prerace + : Someone pointed out a park bathroom with real toilets, so I skipped the super long port-a-potty line and traded up for a real bathroom trip pre-race.

Swim: The water was warm and choppy. The air was colder than the water, so I hung out in the lake after my warm-up. They combined the Clydesdales & Athenas in Wave 9. My mom noticed I picked a fine group of athletes to line up behind. (picture: me in pink goggles) I hit the beach around 10:30, though I didn't cross the timing mat until after 11 minutes. I was hoping to be under 10 minutes, but I had issues swimming straight on the way in... Ken was annoyed watching from shore & took this picture (above) to show how far off I was. That splash all by itself to the left side is me. I started off well, even with crazy arm (picture above), I managed to sight OK in the beginning of the swim.

T1: Great transition spot and I was happy to cut time over my T1s in 2005 and 2008.

Bike: I have zero bike pictures. Ken didn't recognize me each time I came through transition and with three kids along, he was busy. My sister saw me each time. Thanks Sue & family for coming! I heard your voice several times! The bike felt good. I was hoping to average closer to 18 mph, even though it was a new route, so I was a little bummed to get ~17mph.

T2: One second slower!!!

Run: I chased down another Athena during the second half of the run. I didn't know how many other Athenas were ahead of me, but I wanted to pass her. I wasn't sure if she'd have a big kick in the last 1.5 miles and push my pace, so when I passed I tried to give a little, "there's no way you'll pass me back" attitude. I didn't say anything or make any motions, but I imagined speaking those words in a loud voice as I ran by while using rock-solid form.

I did try to stay in the moment during the bike and run. I was thrilled to cut almost five minutes off my run time, especially good since I've focused the least on the run segment itself. Dustin Maher's bootcamp workouts + Jessi Stensland's MovementU both helped me improve, especially glute bridges, partner chariots, step-ups and rapid response. My swim coaches Katie & Nick are amazing. I love Thursday morning Fun Club.

After the race Ken commented on how my body type has changed. He said he was looking for a different shape on the bike and run segments and that's how he missed taking my picture.

See photos above: me with dark short hair & pink hat/top at Lake Mills 2008 and me in blue outfit at Lake Mills 2010. I was very happy to be racing BOTH years!

I was THRILLED to receive my first award. Last year I took third at Devil's Challenge in Athena, but I didn't know it, and left race site not knowing I'd won. This year at Lake Mills I took 2nd in Athena (At this event Athena Division means I weigh 145+ pounds. It's the athlete's choice to register as an Age-grouper or as an Athena).

When I walked up to get my plaque the announcer said, "Look at that smile, she is SO excited to win an award!" And I was! I was surprised how nonchalant or uncomfortable most other award winners were. Actually many of the athletes who won, win all summer long. Amazing athletes!!

But for me it was a good reminder to celebrate!

To smile and be happy, to enjoy this simple sport that brings me joy.

It's funny how something so basic can be the hardest part of my finish-line experience. I'd rather hit "stop" and review the ways I could save time or frown and wonder where I'd place if I registered as an agegrouper. JOY stealers!!!!

Be careful people. Protect your race-day experience! There is value there, no matter what, even with a DNF. (2x for me, another post.)

It reminds me of this clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEGSiX0JA-s

It's tradition in our family to bite the medal post-race. Most triathlons now give tech t's instead of medals, so I bit my award.

Photos by Ken, my hubby. Thanks!

Other tidbits:

- Someone lost their bike seat and rode 4 miles without it! Race support found it on the course.

- Someone crushed a small rabbit with their bike tire... ew.

- I dropped my water bottle by mistake, first time during an event.

Questions for You:

- When is your next race?

- What did you feel like winning an award?

- What's the first thing you think of post-finish?

"I'm Amazing--I Finished a Triathlon!"

I love crossing the finish line! Yesterday, I had another chance to do so. My hubby and I drove to New Glarus for their 2nd annual Alphornman triathlon.

It was small, about 140 people from 6-7 states. No timing chips. No T1 or T2 times (they were added to bike/run). The event served Spotted Cow beer, fresh cheese curds and polka music at the post-finish festival. Yum!

We've done many triathlons, but this would be our first with an outdoor pool swim. Ken was coming off a year of iron-distance training. I was coming with a few weeks of prep phase training. It was an incredible morning and we were excited to discover the course. Actually, I don't like going in blind, for any distance event, but I'm working on that.

I wanted to connect well in the swim, keep my cadence over 80 on the bike and use my new "light" running form on the run-walk-run. My target time was 1:50, not a PR, but what I thought might work given the hills and my fitness. Ken was secretly hoping to be Top 10.

We arrived about an hour pre-race (great parking), checked in and set-up our gear. I wore my SUGOI Velocity tri tank and tri shorts (Big thanks to SUGOI & Outside PR & Sportsmarketing. I call it my Elastigirl suit from The Incredibles.) Ken swam in his Zoot tri shorts.

The swim went well. I was in the 2nd wave of swimmers and we had 4 swimmers in my lane. I lost count of my lengths, but they had a volunteer helping us know how many we had left. Once done, I threw myself out of the deep end and jogged across the marked route to the transition area. Swimming in tri tank/shorts made T1 quicker. It was so fun to be racing again.

The bike was good. It was windy and hilly. But the road quality was excellent and I saw fewer than five non-race support vehicles the entire time. For me the climbs were challenging, legs burning, crazy breathing, doing my best. Ken stayed aero his entire bike except five minutes.

My run-walk-run was OK. I think my second half was faster, so I was pleased with that. I smiled crossing the finish and was grateful for the opportunity to race again. Ken was in the last swim wave, so I waited to see him come in on the bike and start the run. Then I packed up our gear while enjoying the gorgeous Wisconsin morning.

As I waited, I struggled with my finish time (1:51:45). I'm an IM triathlete, I should be faster right? I'm getting my USAT Level 1 Coaching Certification, I should be faster? I have a tattoo, I should obviously be fast. While I'm being somewhat silly here, I do have these nonsense discussions with myself post-race. I want to be faster. I'm just not there yet. Some things I can't force. (I had PF for 6 months last year.) For me it's a mix of strength, confidence, aerobic capacity and mental skills, all coming together.

Ken finished strong with a 2nd place agegroup and 11th place overall. He missed Top 10 by 1:47. He immediately thought of one place that ate time. We moved on, overall very happy with the race and being able to be there together.

We walked over to the food tent and enjoyed our post-race meal: hotdogs, fruit, chocolate, beer & cheese! It was great. As we ate, a lady doing her first triathlon approached the finish line area. As she ran down the street she called out, "I am amazing!!! I'm finishing my first triathlon!!!"

I immediately teared up, the way I do when watching the Olympics. At the same moment I was both happy for and envious of this woman. She knows she's amazing and she was able to shout it out as she became a triathlete.

Question for you:
Have you had a finish-line moment like this? As an athlete or as a spectator?

p.s. If you missed Steve in a Speedo?! Gross!'s post on his SUGOI Velocity tri suit, check it out here. WARNING-this post gets somewhat intimate!

p.s.s. The New Glarus Brewery was amazing! We stopped after the event. I don't think Ken liked this sample, the Dancing Man maybe.

photos: by me/us.

What the Finish Feels Like

My Wonder of the World: The Feel of Crossing the Finish Line
Author Becky Ramsey's site Wonders Never Cease features a new wonder of the world each day. I am new to her blog and I adore it already.

The Feel of Crossing the Finish Line
Triathlon is for you. Yes you. Triathlon is a great sport for people of all ages and abilities.

Our son did his first youth triathlon at age 5. We didn't force him to do it. He did great—especially once my husband and I got out of his way! We were so proud of him. He was pretty nervous before the race, and he did it anyways.

Triathlon offers something for anyone, any age. Truitt’s race included a 50-yard swim (kickboards allowed), 1-mile bike and .4-mile run. We didn’t force him to do it, though we did encourage him to try it. Parents were allowed to help the youngest athletes in the transition area.

Truitt didn’t need much help. He found his bike in the rack, sprung up onto it and took off. He was going so fast when he passed me that I missed getting his picture. I think I got part of his wheel in the frame. His mile biking was so fast we were curious to see what would happen on his run segment. Truitt ran the whole time and finished the entire race in 19 minutes and 19 seconds.

The above picture is of him crossing his first finish line. What do you think he is feeling? What do you think the finish line feels like?

It's not too late to find out. On the other end of the age spectrum, our former next-door neighbor Mary Stroebe continues to make news, break records and serve as an amazing role model. Mary shows us it’s never too late to try something new.

Mary got started in triathlon at age 75. She’s completed over 12 races since. And, at age 89 Mary went head-to-head with TV host Kelly Ripa in a timed triathlon in New York City. She was also honored with a Relly Award from Regis and Kelly. Well done, Mary!

It’s so encouraging to see friends and family, young and old, falling in love with a sport like triathlon. Triathlon intrigues people—even adult on-set athletes. You don’t have to dig out your old swimsuit, pump up your bike tires or strap on your heartrate monitor to be captivated by triathlon as a sport. You can see yourself doing it.

I hope you'll find encouragement here to say yes to triathlon. Please tell me how your first race goes.

Some resources to get you started:
Things I Wish I Knew as New Triathlete
45+ Excuses Why Not and Why You Can
Your First Triathlon
What I Love About Triathlon
Why Triathlon?
Where Does Fear Come From?
10 Tips for First-time Triathletes
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/
Training Tips for Beginner Triathletes
10 Most Common Multisport Mistakes
Newbie Forum

And visit me in active.com's triathlon community, I'm a volunteer moderator!