Seafair Triathlon

Yes, it was over ONE week ago and here is the report. This is a local sprint tri that goes along with many other Seafair festivities, including a torchlight run, the Blue Angels, hydro planes, parade, etc. It is a month of FUN and a little bit of craziness in Seattle.

This race pulled out every triathlete known to man in the Seattle area (and all those big wigs!). It usually does, but this year even some new names (those young peeps are getting faster) showed up to play.

I did the Fat Salmon swim the day prior but too wanted to do this race because the sprints are just plain fun and "everybody" was doing it :) And I needed a good solid all out HARD effort type of workout.

All the elites (men and women) went off together. Which I hate because I get beaten up by men off the start, every year I try my best to avoid this by lining up to my girl friends, but this year I didn't do a good job of that. I got splattered from the start. Swam neck and neck with a guy to my left and a girl (Jacquelyn Foley) to my right (whom I swam with growing up on club and then at the same college)....the ENTIRE time. Of course the girl gave me a little room to move, to breath, to swim, but too my left.. YIKES... no room for anything just my little path to swim. I travel to Boise, I travel to St Croix...I have the top amateur times, but here, in my own Seattle backyard I arise THIRD out of the water, only a few seconds slower from last year, so I can't even blame it on the swim the day prior!

( I stopped swimming way to early. I like running that much... I wanted to do it in the water too)

The bike, was the bike. Got passed by a few men and the world famous Rhae Shaw within 4 miles of riding! I still need to learn bike handling skills because as I braked for the turn around I fish tailed it and nearly took out the 15 year old elite (who happens to be my mom's coaches son-did you get that?). He laughed at me as I ran over the cone after I swerved all over the road. oops! Did I mention he placed 7th overall and YES is only 15 years old!!! Oh, and I attempted to dismount my bike 15 yards to early...oops, KNOW YOUR RACE COURSE. I took for granted that I had been doing this course for over 5 years and turned my brain off :)

Then the run...oh, my most FAVORITE part of triathlon. Mark started one minute behind the elites and I was just waiting for him to run me down. We guessed this would be the first race of many more that he would start beating my times (We can thank his coach for that). And, yep, with 1 mile to go, and the start of the 3 min climb the second place girl (great friend Christina Feliz) and Mark come running by me. Yes, my boyfriend was pushing the pace of the girl to pass me...thanks! In all seriousness, she would have passed anyhow, she is an amazing athlete.(Mark...before he passed me)

So with a 1 min PR from last year, and still dropping 2 places from last year. I ended up 3rd. Mark was second in his division with an 8 min PR over last year and a 3 min win on me.

(third place, same place a I was out of the water, the race could have just ended there :))

Over 15 TNM athletes and a day of gorgeous sunshine. It was a blast and I will continue to do this race, over and over and over.

Fat Salmon (literally)

Today was the 10th annual Fat Salmon event. It is a point to point event along the shore of Lake Washington. This race consist of a 3.2 or 1.2 mile swim with both wetsuit and non wet suit categories. It sells out each year so this year I jumped at the opportunity to do it.

We lucked out with some amazingly gorgeous weather and fairly smooth water. Not really knowing what to expect because these swim events always pull in "real swimmers". You know the type that still swim 4 hours a day, 6 days a week, not to mention all the dryland training etc. I knew my only way to even come close to placing was to draft...yep, draft.

I started in the front, immediately a pack of 4 were G.O.N.E. Wow! There were a few others by me, but we were spread out across 20-25 yds, so I swam and swam and then noticed some "leaches" on my feet, thinking there were only one or two that kept scrapping at my feet I continued to swim, over the swells, sighting, etc. It started to get somewhat annoying that none of these fine swimmers felt like "sharing the lead". I check my watch at 37 minutes. Knowing the winner (female) was at 1:16 last year I knew I had a bit of swimming left to do. I decided to see who was all on my feet, little did I know I was carrying a minimum of 10 other swimmers. So I continued on, only for a few more minutes, then I STOPPED. Literally stopped. All these little heads popped up and then kept swimming....aghh I caught onto some feet and life was golden until the last mile. This is where you catch onto the 1.2 mile racers (they are sent off when after the first pack goes by, or shortly after). Immediately my drafting buddies split I followed the one that picked up his speed, he got on the milers feet, I could barely hang on, with half a mile to go I had one person swimming side by side with me, a male without a wetsuit (I would have frozen to death in these Lake Washington waters had I gone sans wetsuit). So we swam together until he decided to sprint with me into the finish, he won, I didn't care.

I ended up swimming a 1:12.55 which was the top time for the day. But those swimmer girls were right on my heals with second place at a 1:13.30. Phew that was a long swim! It was fun to practice drafting again and it sure made minutes 45-60ish a little more enjoyable :) Thanks guys!

Oh yeah and the prize. That humongo fish which I have no idea what to do with. Mark is grossed out by the eyes still being in it and he hates fish, me...well, I can't cook! Mark was hoping I got the second place prize of salmon jerky, third place was a can of salmon (yuck!).

The race directors did an amazing job and thanks Blue Seventy and splish for all the speedy gear that helped out today! Along with Inewmed and Discovery Wellness center for keeping me healthy-you guys put up with so much from me! You are all truly the best.

Tomorrow is another fun event, the Seafair sprint triathlon that brings out a ton of local speed demons. Time to eat a hefty dinner and get to bed for the early wake up call.

da' booty

Since some little aches and pains are arriving, and I did what every bike fitter hates and moved my bike seat I decided to get in with a P.T. and have my bike fit re-evaluated.

Besides the fact that we discovered I have different leg lengths, that my calf pain was coming from knee bursitits, I found out that I have barely been using my gluteus maximus. The muscle that by definition is one of the largest and strongest in the body, and I have been letting it just hang out. Just sit on the bike seat and go for a free ride, miles and miles and miles (5,300 miles-not counting all the times the computer wouldn't work). All these aches and pains and it is all because the backside has been sleeping.
So my booty had an awaking today and it was told "no more chillin, you must work to see all these great places this bike takes us". It only has to race on the 12 miles this weekend so it better be listening.
Bike seat moved back up, wedges inserted in all cycling shoes, and lighting my booty on fire and pain be gone. GENIUS!

Ring.

Still no camera, that is on the list for today:)
My legs are back. I think they were hiding under my bike seat post. I lowered it a couple cm and bam, no leg pain, a new leg arrived. Going to try a little run on it today. Couldn't be happier.

I was happy to come home to a little blue box too. Yes a ring...no not an engagement. I wore the same ring for over 9 years, took it off before the race in Boise. Because the water was cold I had remembered it sliding around. Laced it up to my shoes, put it in my green "morning" clothes bag and turned it in.


Post race...no shoes and no ring in bag. Went to the lost shoes sections....shoes there yes, ring tied on so tightly it would take a genius to untie...MISSING.

Good boyfriend went to Tiffany's and replaced my ring. Thanks Bo! Naked finger ain't naked no more!

Legs...

Week two of 100% all workouts complete (well that is assuming I get in the ride and run tomorrow). I am on a roll. Sort of....everyone states "they lost their legs, someone return them", or "the legs just disappeared", etc. Wondering if someone ever really gives them a new pair, because there is never much talk about how they "got them back". Did a stork deliver them, did they just grow a new pair, because everyone keeps training.

So here is my experiment. I only need ONE leg, just ONE. Maybe now we can see if since no one has recieved two, maybe we are all just asking for too much.

I've had a bad hammy, since last year, no running before either ironman. It is effecting me again. I really don't want any more cortisone. So I am going to go to sleep tonight. But my "bad" leg under my pillow and pray for the new one to arrive tomorrow.

I'll keep you posted! (PS. I don't mind if it comes with bruises and scars etc. Just a working one!)

Lets see...

I am behind...behind, behind, behind on this post.

There was Boise, then there was Ironman CDA (spectating only), then the 1st annual Rock N Roll Marathon in Seattle (I worked the expo for Gracies Gear, volunteered at aid station #4), transition clinic for the LUNA chix Seattle tri team. Then there was training, bee stings and work and blah, blah, blah.

Boise: check...already posted
Iroman CDA. FUN (to spectate at least). Had two TNM athletes racing. One completed his first ironman EVER and the other PR'd by over an hour. Congrats to Matt Wilson and Justin Bell. Stayed at Beth's sisters place one night and fell in love with Daphne the dog! Then at her mom's another night. The sweetest woman ever! She made us so much food and was so kind to us. Fresh fruit in the morning always makes me happy.

(justin bell running down finish shoot)

(matt wilson at special needs drop off)

RNR expo. 25,000 race entrants. And I got the honor of working for Lauren (owner) of Gracies Gear. Super fun product (did I mention I left my photo downloader thing in CDA, so will have no photos until I can find time to go get another.). You can check out her link in the sponsors page. Super bad timing for the RNR expo because there was a Mariner game where parking quadruples for the day, not that the normal $10 rate is cheap, but seriously.

RNR race day: 4:30am on sight at water station #4. What an organized event (minus the hour late the water trucks were). And so much fun to be out supporting so many runners. Plus I got to see all 20+ TNM athletes running! I have never been on the other side of it (well working a water station that is). I leaned over to pick up some cups and a runner threw their cup at my head. Water everywhere! Thanks, I hope I have never done that to a volunteer, but if I have I can say "lesson learned".(lisa and bri post RNR half)

(our water station volunteers)

Luna Chix: Transition Clinic 101. My favorite clinic to teach (shoot, just remember I owe them a hand out-that's up next). Gorgeous day and a great group of new triathletes came out to learn everythign and I mean EVERYTHING they could want to know about transitions. And all their donations go to the Breast Cancer Fund so it is an added bonus to volunteer time to help out such a great cause.
Training: It's been slim. Tough to balance it in. But this week I can report 100% all workouts complete. Actually that would be 110% because I went on a ride that was slated to be 80 miles and ended up to be 92. I sure felt it today, and for days I have been dealing with this horrendous bee sting that is harder than a rock on my leg. I have been doing the baking soda remedy and Mark laughs and me every time because I mix a huge batch of it and he says I only need a dime size, I don't agree, not when the poison is spreading to the size of a pancake at IHOP. Also, a huge bonk on the Lake Stevens 70.3 course. Guess its gotta happen sometime :(
The weather has been gorgeous here in Seattle, and no complaints, but it makes this home so hot we have relocated our bed to the living room floor (it is coolest there at night). Reminds me of building a fort or wanting to sleep in a tent in the back yard when growing up. This happens about 5 nights a year and it has begun.

Up this week: Headed to Canada (got the extended drivers license now) to train the Ironman course. Not for me, for Mark and fellow TNM athletes. Looking forward to training time!