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I’m Still Here

September 11, 2008

Been a LONG LONG week.  Last Saturday had the last triathlon of the season.  It took everything inside of me to cross that finish line.  My body is burnt out big time.  Unfortunately, I still have three more races left this year.  A week from Saturday I have Addison Oaks XC race and then the follow weekend, Pando XC race.  After that I get a few weeks off until early November.  Right now, I just need to find the motivation to get on my bike and train for these next races.  The point standings are so close I can’t afford to be burnt out yet.  Ugh!

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Millennium Triathlon

August 9, 2008

Just finished my second triathlon of the year, which also happens to be the second triathlon I’ve ever done.  I’m happy with my results, after all, I did finish.   My rankings, out of 448 finishers:

Swim:  215
Bike: 10 (This is what keeps me in the race)
Run: 246 (This is what takes me out of the race)
Overall: 88th (17 minutes off winner)

10th fastest biker out of 448.  If those roadies only knew a mountain bikers took most of them out.  :)   I did have words with one guy while riding.  Apparently I was ‘drafting’, which is against the rules in road racing (note: it was not mentioned in this events rules).  Apparently you have to maintain 3-5 feet behind or you must pass.  He started barking at me cause I was 2 feet behind.  I gave it right back to him and just told him to race his own race.  I ended up passing him a few minutes later.  I had nobody in front of me so I asked him how that drafting was working for me.  I’ve done two TRI’s now and have to tell you, I’ve never heard so much complaining about everything and anything.  Just shut up and race your race. 

Next Triathlon is in September, so it’s back to mountain bike racing.  Next two weekends are mountain bike races, once I REALLY need to do good in.

Race Catch Up

August 4, 2008

Two weeks ago, I had a Sprint Triathlon on Saturday and a MTB TT race on Sunday. 

As far as the TRI goes, I finished 6th in the beginner class, which I’m pretty happy with since I’ve never done a tri before.  I wasn’t sure how the swim was going to go, so I waited for the masses to take off before I started.  I was surprised when I started passing people.  I did good in the transition area and once I got on the bike I was gone.  I was ranked #1 in my class for bike, however they all passed me on the run.  I can tell you that I’ve felt much much worse crossing the finish line at a MTB race than the Tri.  For some reason, I felt great. 

The next day was the Stoney Creek TT race.  I was mentally strong for this race and I started out strong.  The course was easy with minimal hills, however near the middle of the race, my legs just wouldn’t go anymore.  I ended up finishing 6th, which hurt me in points.  I could have done MUCH better if I pre-rode the course because there were many spots where trail knowledge would help maintain momentum. Trail regulars definitely had the advantage.

This past week I just took as an RR week.  Need some time off.  This coming week, I’ll be back at it.  I also have another TRI this Saturday.  My competitive spirit forced me to sign-up because I want to do better.

Swimming Milestone

March 20, 2008

On Wednesday I hit a swimming milestone: I swam for 1 mile non-stop.  I know for some of you that may not be a big deal, but I just started swimming less than a month ago.  Just a couple of weeks ago, a 1/2 mile seemed like 1000 miles.  My friend who started swimming with me can only do 6-8 laps non-stop (33 laps is a mile). 

What’s helping me is my mental strength and my body’s ability to adapt to extreme conditions.  The first 3 laps are extremely difficult.  My HR spikes and lactic acid builds up in my muscles.  Very similar to the start of a mountain bike race.  Racing has taught me how to work through this stage and find my groove.  My body can adapt to extended periods in Zone 5 and it can deal with the lactic build-up.  At least that’s what I think it is.  I know when my legs start to feel fatigued, I switch to more arms, which gives my legs time to get rid of the lactic build up.  It isn’t until I stop swimming do I realize how high my HR is and how fatigued my legs are.  That’s the same at the end of a MTB race.  You get off your bike and fall to the ground.  :)