Crazee 4 Sports

St. Louis Half Marathon

2008-05-20T11:33:00.000-07:00

I recently ran the Go! St. Louis half marathon. It was super fun, as usual! I ran with my training partner Sue (she really has to hold back to run with me, but it's more fun together). It started out really cold in the morning, so I kept my long sleeve Go! performance T on until about mile 11 or 12. The sun finally warmed me up at that point. Sue's parents came down from Iowa to watch her race...well, see her for 5 seconds as we ran by! They took pix and chatted with her for a few seconds. I ran on and she had NO PROBLEM catching up with me. I felt kinda wonky and nauseated at the end, but we sat on a bench and ate and i quickly recovered. It's great that I can recover in a couple hours after a half marathon now. I look back on my first half marathon and remember how I could barely get to the car and could NOT drive! Afterwards, I went out to eat with some friends afterwards to celebrate my accomplishment. My time has not improved. I'm still do the same time as in 2006. So now Sue and I are doing a 6 month training regimen to get my times a little faster. We are doing interval/speedwork one day a week (it's killing me!!!), tempo runs, easy runs and long runs. I really hope the speedwork improves my times...It BETTER! :)

Placed Again!

2008-05-20T11:27:00.000-07:00

The Comtrea 5k was this weekend and I went to defend my title. I was hoping for first in my age group, but due to slacking on training of late, I only got a silver medal. But that was fun too! It's such a nice race. Everyone was so nice, and even thanked me when I handed them Roll on the River reg forms! They have lots of good shwag too! It was a beautiful, sunny, cool morning...perfect for a race!

Half Marathon Training Plan

2007-07-25T12:31:00.000-07:00

Some people have asked me about training plans, so here's a good link. Hal Higdon has been training marathoners and half marathoners probably as long as I've been alive. I think you can cross train on Wed, instead of running. For me running 3x per week is plenty!! I plan to do the St. Louis Half Marathon in April and a full marathon next fall...as long as I stay in one piece! I'm training with my running partner and lifting coach Sue for her marathon in Oct, so maybe i would be able to do a half this fall. We'll see! I'll keep ya "posted"!

South County YMCA Triathlon

2007-07-09T07:21:00.000-07:00

My new nick name should be pantie...noooo, not that kind! Read on.
Yesterday, I did the South County Tri, lovingly called Soco. It was a 1/4 mile swim in a 50m pool, 11 mile bike on mostly flat, with two rollers and one hill, and a 5k that was 1/2 cross country. It was fun. Herb, Jason Kelly and my primary care doc were the only racers I knew. It was all new faces. I think most of these people were first-timers or Soco is the only race they do all year.
I was in the last heat for the swim because I had signed up very late. So I didn't get in the water til 8:30am. (I was already dreading the heat on the run at that point) I was in a lane with two newbies, who still kicked my butt on the swim. They actually walked through the water at the end and I couldn't catch them swimming. WTF!!?? Could it be because I haven't done ANY swim training this whole season? heh heh...that's prolly why! *chagrined* Anyway, i enjoyed the swim as I always do, so relaxing and slow. hahahaha
The bike was good. Oh, i should say that I forgot my watch, so I had no idea how I was doing on time. Also, i screwed up my bike computer, so I was clueless as to how fast I was going. Since I was so far towards the back of the field, I felt like I was the very last person out there. I was assured later that I wasn't. The bike was on a nice quiet road, surrounded by trees. Very nice and relaxing. Hmm, do you notice a theme here? I don't think races aresupposed to be about relaxing! LOL Going up the one hill didn't seem bad at all, but when i got back to T2, I couldn't control my breathing. I was on the verge of hyperventilating. (pantie) I drank up the rest of my Ultima drink in T2.
As I headed out on the run, I grabbed an Expresso Hammer gel (blehhh...so hot out, raspberry would have been better...or maybe it wouldn't) and my water bottle. I knew it was gonna be a scorcher out there, so I thought bringing the water along was imperative. That run was sunny and hilly. I guess the temps were in the upper 80's, but it felt like 100 to me. I still couldn't stop panting as I went out on the run, so I decided to walk to gain control. Breathing calmed til I ran again, then the panting again. ARG! It was a death march. There was fun, tho, too. As the run went off road and into woods and lake areas, there were enthusiastic YMCA volunteers out there screaming their heads off for me! There were about 3 or 4 sets of them. Some were even doing cheers! How fun is that!? It really helped me pick up the pace. (It was also a little bit shady in that section). The run back to the finish was up hill...trudge, trudge, but when I got to the top, I got a surge and sprinted in (where did that come from?)
It was a pretty fun race overall, and I plan to do it again next year...but I think I will recruit more friends to do it with me.
Herb did REALLY well! He finished in 1:11. I finished in 1:32. Pix coming soon.

Wrist help

2007-07-09T07:16:00.000-07:00

I am fortunate in two ways. My new training partner, Sue, is an awesome athlete AND an awesome Occupational Therapist. She is gonna kick my butt in training for the next few months on running (she is training for the Nike Women's Marathon in Oct), biking and lifting. She said, "you are gonna hate me." That was a little scary, I must say, but I am really looking forward to seeing what I can achieve when I really buckle down and train seriously. The second great thing is she is teaching me how to do all the ADL's that I mentioned not being able to do in an earlier post. I am happy to announce that I can now easily open water bottles and turn the gas cap. She is turning me into a leftie...(using my left hand for everything hadn't occurred to me). Turns out my left hand isn't as dumb as I had thought. :)

Roll on the River 5K 2007

2007-07-06T10:40:00.000-07:00

On June 9, 2007, I directed my first 5K! What a wonderful experience that was!! There was a lot of work to do in preparation, but the hard work paid off! It was well organized and ran smoothly. We had almost 300 racers for our inaugural race!! We also had good food and schwag! Everyone loved it. People really liked running in downtown St. Louis. My friends Kate and Kate were invaluable co-organizers...Hugs to them!!! Many thanks to the race committee: Don, Bob, Sue, Tyson, Kerri and Willie for your amazing knowledge and expertise. The pix were taken by Jeff Pomranka of Jeffrey Pomranka Photography
If you want to see pictures of the event click on his link and go to the Sports tab and click on Roll on the River. Thank you, Jeff!

Rec-Plex Spring Triathlon

2007-07-06T07:43:00.000-07:00

On June 17th, I finished the St. Peters Rec-Plex Triathlon...barely. Actually it was fine, cept for the run. I got to the start exhausted. Due to my mother being in and out of the hosp, my training was off, and I was just so tired from being at the hosp so much. So I wasn't expecting much from my performance. I just decided to go slow and make it to the end. The swim was ok. Slower than the fall Rec-Plex tri, by a min or two. I was very relaxed...got past a lot! Bike went ok too, though I felt like i was pushing it more than last fall and thought my time would have improved, but it was the same as last year. Oh well. Got off the bike and was spent. I walked half the run, which i've not done before, but I just didn't have it. But even with all the walking, my overall time was only 2-3 mins slower than last time. hmm. I did have fun on the run with the other CMCers and when i squirted Herb with my bottle. He was so surprised! LOL
It was fun to see all my CMC buddies and congrats to Herb, Bob, Mike G, Diana and everyone who did an awesome job at the race! And Thanks to Ron Chapman for cheering me up, mid-run, and running with me.

First Place, first time!

2007-05-19T09:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was looking at races on the Track Club website to see where we could go to watch a race being timed to get ready for our race on June 9. (Roll on the River 5K) I happened to notice a 5K in Arnold, benefiting Comtrea, so I showed up this morning and registered. And I WON!!! First time I have ever gotten 1st Place in my age group! Woohoo! Very exciting! My time was 28:00 according to the clock, but officially it was 27:something. Don't know why, but hey! I'll take it! It was a perfect morning. Coolish and sunny. The allergens were thick though, so it was hard to breathe. I did remember to use my albuterol puffer, for those of you who worry about that. I also drank that 5 hour energy stuff, and ate a banana. I think i will stick with this strategy from now on!

Wrist Update

2007-05-07T17:10:00.000-07:00

It's almost been a year since my incident. The pain is supposed to be just about gone now. Well, it is for the most part. I can interpret, type, swim, bike, and run without pain. My issues are with ADL's (activities of daily living)...things like opening a water bottle is almost impossible. I usually ask someone to do it for me. Also, screwing the cap back on the gas tank hurts like hell. I don't have very much flexibility, but that doesn't seem to bother me most of the time. I can't lean on my right hand anymore, though. That means I can't do yoga or lift weights without tremendous pain, and I have a very hard time getting out of a pool, if there is no ladder. My wrist is way lumpier than the other one. I have gotten used to it.

Race for Sight 2007

2007-05-07T14:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I have another Race for Sight under my race belt! Remember how I put a positive spin on it last year? Well, actually, it kicked my butt. Not this year! This year I had a strategy...and also a year of triathlon experience!
440yd Swim- 14 mile bike - 5K run.
Pre-Race
I went to Columbia Friday night, and then Saturday morning I went for a very short recovery jog with my niece on the beautiful MKT trail! The foliage and wild life were spectacular! I have never run the day before a race and so I took it extremely easy.
I volunteered at Packet Pick Up on Saturday for 4 long back- and leg-aching hours. Won't do that next year! At 4:30pm, I was supposed to meet Herb to practice the "wall" hill on my bike. I decided to go directly to the "wall" instead of meeting at the race site. I felt my heart pounding, as i stood there with my bike looking at this forbidding hill! I finally got the nerve up to try it. Unfortunately, this hill comes right after a 90 degree right turn, so there is very little momentum to work with. I started on the street before it and put it in "granny gear" (the easiest), and pedaled like crazy! I made it all the way up, panting, but I made it. A lot of other racers were also practicing, and they were all standing up on their bikes. I sat on the seat all the way up, but I didn't know if that was good or bad...all I knew was i didn't have to get off and WALK! Ted Zderic, triathlete extraordinaire was coming down and said, "good idea" and gave me a big smile. That made me feel better. He's a CMCer too. Feeling very relieved that I conquered the wall, I went to dinner. After dinner, I went back to get all my gear ready for the race. I was VERY tired. It had been a big day. Never the less, I tossed and turned all night.
I woke up before my alarm at 4:59, and got up, did my regular pre-race routine and was at the race site by 6am. 6am was the time my buddies had decided to get there. Of course, I was the only one that actually made it on time. No matter. Before I left my car in the parking lot, I turned up the song "Perfect Day" from the Legally Blonde soundtrack. It says, "It's a perfect day, nothing standing in my way...perfect day...nothing can go wrong...I'm in the race, but I've already won, getting there can be half the fun, I won't stop until it's good and done, don't you try to rain on my PER-FECT DAYYYYY!" Psyched up, I got marked, chipped and transition set up by 6:30. I wandered around and socialized til 7:30 when it was time to go to the pool area. I was racked next to a very cool woman from my age group who recently finished chemo for breast cancer. She still beats me bad. hahaha I like her anyway. :)
I warmed up in the pool, which i didn't do last year. It was nice. Swimming makes me feel like I'm flying, so it was really relaxing. Last year I was a bundle of nerves. This year I was cool as a cucumber.
The strategy:
1. Relax in the swim, save energy and focus on form, using the new techniques I have learned recently.
2. Take it easy on the bike to save energy for the wall (which we have to go up twice).
3. Run fast.
4. HAVE FUN!!!

Well, I did all that 'cept run fast. My run times in foot races have gotten so much better, I thought i could pick it up on the last leg of the tri. Didn't happen this time, but I still enjoyed the run more than last year.
Swim
We went into the pool 11 seconds apart. That was a good move on Ultramax's part, cuz last years' swim was a disaster (see May 06 blog). Bob went with the pretty fast folks. Ty went right before me; we were in the 10min/400m group). Herb was about 25 people behind us in the 11:30 group. Swim went great. Relaxed, focused on form, didn't get kicked! Cut 2 mins off last years swim time. Success! Also, I didn't feel worn out or dizzy coming out. Then the loooooooooog run to T1.
Bike
Then out on the bike, reminding myself to take it slow, save energy. I didn't even want to feel my legs at all til the wall. I went very slow, but it seemed much easier than last year's bike leg. The roads in Columbia took a beating this winter, and I actually don't think they were safe enough for a bike race. There were big cracks and holes every where. The wind on the bike leg was killer. I don't know how many miles per hour it was blowing, but it certainly slowed me down, riding into it. My top speed was 23mph. Herb's was 40mph. I have a way's to go to become comfortable at faster speeds. :) I hear that wind, loud, going past my ears and I want to slow down! After 7 miles, went up the "wall", cutting through lots of folks getting off their bikes to walk. A little mental pat on the back for myself. :) The photographer yelled, "You are the only one who is sitting down up the wall!" It is not customary for photographers to give racers feedback, and i didn't appreciate it. Oh well, i made it up, so poo on you, photog! Round again for the second loop, and back to the wall. Grannying up, no problems. Photog yells, "There's my sitter!!!" I'm thinking, "shut up and take pix, Dude!!" ...and back to T2. I still felt good.
Run
The run out was up a grassy hill! Torture! Chatted with a CMCer on the way up to distract myself. The run was hilly, but I kept plugging along. I kept thinking, "my legs are gonna feel normal any time now." They never did. hahaha My niece, Marcie was volunteering at mile 2 and I saw her spot me from far away. She was jumping up and down for me, cheering me on. She said, "You are kicking those hills butts!!" She is so cute! About this time I saw Ty creeping along about a 1/2 mile ahead of me. His feet were blown. I thought, "this may be the only time I catch him in a triathlon, so I'm gonna chase him." He finished 8 seconds ahead of me.
I felt great at the end! Herb and Joy were on the side of the chute and i slapped their hands. I ran full blast in, with lots of energy left! Very happy moment! Lots of CMC friends were there at the end for hugs and high fives, too.
It was great being a part of CMC yesterday! There were about 100 CMCers out there racing (plus volunteering), all supporting each other. What a terrific club!
I shaved off 11 mins from last years result, finishing with a time of 1 hour, 55 mins and 15 seconds. Can't wait for next year!!! :-D

Swim: 12:07
T1: 3:58
Bike 1:06:44
T2: ???
Run 32:23
Herb's and my pix were chosen for the front page of the race pix site, otherwise the pix were only for sale. That's why there aren't any others. Also, the photogs took no pix of the swim or the finish line. Very strange.

Note on Frostbite Series

2007-04-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

If you read my blog a few posts back, I mentioned possibly doing some longer races at the end of the Frostbite. I really hadn't been able to train for long distance, but my so-called friends :) talked me into doing the 12K (9miles) race on Feb 10th. They said, "oh c'mon! Do the race with us!!!" I said, "no, i haven't trained for that." They continued to whine til I agreed. Note the language they used..."with us." There was no "with us". To be honest, Herb ran with me for the first mile or so, then I told him to go on. I wanted to take a bunch of one minute walk breaks, so that I could make it 9 miles! So i went on alone. Took me forever...or it felt like forever. I thought all my "friends" would be at the finish line (at least!) to cheer me in, after cajoling me to do this. NOPE! I crossed the finish line...nobody. I found them chit chatting and hee hawing in the Visitor Center. After i expressed my displeasure with them, and told them what rotten friends they were, they said they WOULD have been at the finish, but Ty thought it would take me a lot longer! HUMPH! After i gave them all 10 lashes with a wet noodle, we all went to breakfast. :)

Long time No Blog!

2007-04-13T12:28:00.000-07:00

Hello friends! Wow, i have really slacked off on the blogging! I've been keeping fit over the off-season with weight training, spinning class and running. I did the Frostbite Series and the Snowball Series and they proved to be true to their names. The coldest one was 9 degrees! brr! I don't think i warmed up for 2 miles and my legs stayed cold the entire time. I ended up with sore quads from that one. (I rarely get sore muscles in my legs) I ended up winning 5th place in the Frostbite Series in my age group. Pretty cool. :)
I had an awesome 5 pupil swim class with swim guru extraordinaire, Hap Gentry! He was able to videotape us under water, and give us individual feedback. I am doing 5 things wrong with my stroke, hahaha, but he said I wasn't too bad! I recommend this class for anyone to improve his or her swimming!
Now it's time for triathlon season to begin! I warmed up for the season by doing the Spring Fling duathlon in Columbia, Mo on March 24th. It was a short, fun race. 1M run, 7M bike, 1M run. (See pic of Brian Topash, Tony Rigdon, and Ted Zderic. They did a 3 man shoot out. It was inspiring to watch these very gifted athletes. Ted won.) I still like triathlon better than duathlon, cuz my legs don't wanna run twice. Regardless, I am signed up to do another duathlon April 21st, in Columbia. Max Trax was my first multisport event last year and I smiled all the way through it. I hope I have even more fun this year. I have made lots of new friends in multisport, so it should be a blast.

Here's the rest of my schedule for this season:
April 21: UltraMax Max Trax Duathlon, Columbia
May 6: Race For Sight Triathlon, Columbia
June 17: St. Peters Spring Rec Plex Triathlon, St. Peters
July 8: South County Triathlon, St. Louis
July 15: Ballwin Triathlon, Ballwin
Aug: Alligator's Creek (if i'm crazee enuf to do that again!), O'Fallon, MO
Sept 16: USAT Club National Championships, Innsbrook
Oct: St. Peters Fall Rec Plex Triathlon, St. Peters

I plan to stay in ONE PIECE all the way through the season this year!!

This Sunday, I am running the Spirit of St. Louis Marathon Relay, 3rd leg. Wish me luck!

Nasty Cold

2007-01-14T17:35:00.000-08:00

Well, I have been benched by a nasty sinus thing for the past week. Worst cold I've had in years! I guess I got run down during the holidays. But I have put down my training schedule on paper, so I'm anxious to get on with it. Resting a few more days, then jumping into lots of training! 6 days a week.

I'm still here!

2007-01-08T12:32:00.000-08:00

Hello! I know I have been very quiet since triathlon season ended. I have been running and lifting weights mostly. I have learned a lot from my trainer at 24 Hr Fitness. I have started doing spinning classes there, and they are pure torture. They BETTER be good for me! :) My bike splits better drop by half! hahaha I am doing the Frostbite Series and the Snowball series, so I have a foot race every weekend. That means I have to get on the road and run at least two other times a week...keeps me motivated to get out there!
Race distances:
12/2 3 mile
12/16 3k
12/17 4 miles
12/30 2 miles
1/7 5 miles
1/13 5k
1/21 3 miles
1/27 4 miles
2/4 4 miles (maybe 10 miles if I can punch up my mileage in time, without getting injured)
2/10 3 miles (maybe 15k...here's hopin!)
I have been attending meetings with the Columbia Multisport Club, which are really fun. I also joined the St. Louis Triathlon Club and hope to start attending meetings soon. Two tri meetings a month! Cool!
Here's to dreaming of warm weather!

Rec Plex Fall Triathlon

2006-10-02T09:36:00.000-07:00

Now is the official end of my first triathlon season. It's been a weird season, with breaking my wrist, and missing some races, but it all came out fine, with me finishing 5 multisport events. Now it's time to plan out my next season and get even buffer over the winter. I joined 24 hour fitness, and dropped my membership at the rec center cuz they over recruited and it's too crowded now. But first let me tell you about the triathlon I did yesterday.
First of all, it was a total blast! I am fitter than ever, so it all felt good (no suffering, yay! Training paid off!!). There were a lot of folks from my tri club Columbia Multisport Club participating, and they are so much fun, and really supportive! All throughout the race, we were waving and woo-hooing to each other. We all had on our club jerseys. :) I also had some other friends participating, so it was a very social race.
I stayed overnight at my parents' house, so in the morning I only had a 9 minute commute to the race site. It was still dark when i got there at 6:30am. I set up my transition area, after finding a spot next to the edge where my family could come talk to me during transition. It was verrrry chilly, so I kept my bike pants and jacket on over my tri outfit for a while. Once my swim time got closer, I was forced to strip down, and my teeth were chattering. I quickly made my way to the rec plex natorium, where the beautiful olympic size swimming pool is. Once again, I wished I lived in St. Peters. Oh well. It was nice and warm in there. I found some tri club members and chatted with them for a while. My friend Herb was also there waiting for his swim time. Our friend Bob had an early swim time. That pic is Herb and me, watching Bob with his really nice smooth swim stroke. At about 7:40, my family showed up in the bleachers, along with the paparazzi (my friend Tyson). I goofed around the pool area, talking to my parents, and friends until I finally leisurely strolled around to the line of triathletes waiting to jump into the pool. By the time I got there, it was almost my turn! A nice lady who had a much later swim time said, "you are 111, you need to be in line now!" Yikes! I almost missed it. But the triathlon gods were shining on me yesterday, and I got in and had a nice relaxing swim. The time was 14 mins 11 secs. I can swim faster, but I really wanted to conserve my energy for things to come. As I swam along, I thought about how nice it felt to swim, and how it's so much easier than biking and running. I could do this all day. hahahaha I got to the end of the swim and tried hopping out the end of the pool. No dice! Not enough strength in the right wrist yet. A volunteer told me to come out the ladder. Duh, everyone had come out the ladder, I just hadn't noticed during all my socializing. LOL Fortunately, my family had left the bleachers to see me at transition, so they didn't see the awkward attempt to flee the pool. I thought i would be freezing coming out into the cool weather, but I was all warmed up, so it was fine. The paparazzi was there to capture my loveliness coming out of the natorium.

At T1, I changed quickly for the bike. My daughter "A White Stripe" said, "aren't you going to put on something warmer?" I guess it was still chilly, but my adrenaline was going! I didn't even notice. The sun was shining warmly, and I headed out on the bike. :)

This bike course is 20 miles of (almost) pure flatness! It's so awesome! I had practiced on it a few weeks ago with Herb and company, and had gone pretty fast that day. Yesterday, I decided to sacrifice some speed for ensurance of hydration. I drank water and Ultima throughout much of the bike leg. I went between 16 and 20mph. And my cadence was between 85 and 100. I know this because two of my wonderful friends pitched in for a bike computer for my birthday! Thanks, Guys!!

It was really gorgeous weather by the middle of the bike leg and I just kept smiling and riding and waving to my tri club people! My legs felt great, and I thought the run should be a piece of cake. Ha! I got back to the bike dismount where my family was cheering. I hopped off and HELLO, legs!! Wow, my legs were really fatigued.

I got back into T2 and did some ballet. No, not really, the pic is of me putting my helmet back on my new bullhorns. That reminds me. Recently, I went to Maplewood bike shop to have Stewart (bike fitter extraordinaire) adjust my aerobars. He and I decided bullhorns would be best for my wrist, and he put new shifters on the ends of my aerobars. I can't tell you how much easier shifting is now! Thanks, Stew!

The first 2 miles of the run I felt like my body forgot how to run. My feet were asleep from the bike, and my right shin was on fire.

As long as I ignored my shin, tho, I had fun. I saw lots of people I knew out there, so every few mins were words of encouragement and comraderie. After the two mile mark, my feet were awake, and my shin pain died down, then it was pure fun! I just ran along smiling and thanking the gods for a great day and a great race. The paparazzi was then zipping around the course on bike, taking lots of pix of everything...then reporting to my parents what I was doing. My mom was grateful for the play by play. By the 4th mile, I was really feeling strong and hitting my stride. I came in with a burst of energy. "A white stripe" ran across the finish line with me! That was great!!! I got hugs from all my friends and family. Terrific end to the season!

Here I am crossing the line with my daughter. She says she wants to do triathlon some day. She has started with running.

Bob and Herb had great races too! Congrats, guys and best of luck in Vegas!

One more pic of Kirkwood

2006-08-20T18:02:00.000-07:00

Alligator's Creek Triathlon

2006-08-20T17:25:00.000-07:00

My third triathlon is now under my belt! I was very nervous cuz I knew it was a tough course, but I did it!!! I drove the bike and run course yesterday, so I knew how hilly it was out in O'Fallon, MO!
I got to the race site before 6:30am and the parking lot was full. I had to park on the street. No biggie. By the time I got my bike to the transition area, it was full too! I squeezed in on an already full bike rack. I set up my TA, then went to get marked. The triathlon was already underway. It was a serpentine swim, and people were really swimming hard! This was a different group than Kirkwood! These folks were serious! I didn't let it get to me. I had decided to take it easy and relax in the pool as always to save my energy. I did it in 7mins 4 secs, and I had put down 7mins for my projected time. Almost perfect! (300yd)
When I got back to the TA, (a bit of a run) I felt disoriented. But I did my stuff, and went out on the bike. About 3 miles out, I realized I had forgotten to put on my race belt and number!!! I worried about it for a few miles, then I figured that I wouldn't have an official time, so I slowed down and tried to rest. The bike leg was super hilly, but not bad hills. Very doable. I stopped and ate a Espresso Hammer Gel about halfway through, and drank some water. AFter being off sugar for two weeks, that gel tasted scrumptious!! hahaha
It was an 18 mile bike, and it took me 1 hr and 25 mins. Very slow, but I don't care. It was HILLY!! I will be trying to build my cycling legs in the very near future. During the hard times on the bike, I kept repeating to myself, "if it wasn't hard, everyone would do it." It was a nice course though cuz there were police at all the bigger intersections and volunteers at ALL of them. I smiled for the last 3 miles of the bike. :)
When I got back to the TA, there were a couple of people from my tri club lounging around at their TA's. They had been finished for quite a while...they are fast! They both won their age groups. I remembered my race number this time, but forgot my fuel belt and water. OY! I thought I would need it because I have been getting cottonmouth on all my runs lately. But fortunately, I felt fine. I did go ahead and drink some water at the water stations. The run course was REALLY hilly too, but I chatted with people and co-miserated about the hills, so it was fun. I run on hills around home all the time, I kept telling myself. It took me 34 mins to go 5k. Oh well...it was the end of a hillly triathlon. No shame here!
I had no wrist pain at all the whole time so EVERYONE CAN STOP WORRYING ABOUT MY WRIST. The only discomfort I had was my left arm and shoulder on the bike cuz I think my aero bars are uneven...oh and my backside and leg muscles felt pretty fatigued towards the end. But it was an enjoyable race. I'm glad I did it. I hope I can find a tri to do in September, though I don't know of any right now.
No pix of this one. I had no fans and I don't think there was a pro photog anywhere.
I did get an official time and splits. I have already told you my splits. Overall time: 2 hrs 6mins.

Tour de Kirkwood Triathlon pix

2006-08-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

Tour de Kirkwood Triathlon

2006-08-06T19:40:00.000-07:00

It went great! I had a blast! And i stayed in one piece!!!
I had been concerned that there weren't enuf rules, but it turned out to be nicely organized and orderly. No official timing tho. From the info I have, it looks like it took me about an hour and a half.
The first heat started at 7:35am. I was in the third heat, and the race director let me and my friends share a swim lane. That made a huge difference! I was so relaxed! I expended very little energy, so I had more juice for the bike and run legs. The swim leg took me 11 mins to do 450 yds. I was able to get myself out of the pool with one arm too! The swim felt like a nice relaxing practice swim...mmm!
My transition felt quicker cuz i cut out the bike gloves, camelback, and list. But my friend tells me it still took me 2.5 mins! Oh well. hahahaha
I got on my bike and was fine. No pain in the wrist at all. There were lots of rolling hills, so I was gearing ALLL the time. The streets weren't blocked off, so I was lucky to get thru the first two big intersections with green lights. Got stuck at one red light on a very busy street for what felt like 3 minutes! That was frustrating. I took one wrong turn on the bike course but figured out my mistake almost immediately. I was just happy to finish the bike leg with some energy left and nothing broken! 10.6 miles in 45 mins.
Transition two felt fast, but probably wasn't. I saw my family at the 'run out' and they gave me even more energy to run out fast. As I got out on the run course, the first mile was pretty much uphill. I was thinking, "it doesn't feel like running the mountains helped!" But the second half was mostly downhill...yay! I met a nice person and chatted to make the run go by faster. It is always fun to run with someone. Anyway, the finish line was at the bottom of a hill too, so I sprinted in, very strong! My family was "impressed". It was great to have them there. About 30 mins to do 2.3 miles. Slow but I'm still building back my speed. I was running a 9:45 pace before I got injured.
My friends in the race also did well and had a great time. Thanks for all the positive thoughts (you know who you are!)
Pictures coming soon.

Pic from my vacation

2006-08-05T09:57:00.000-07:00

Don't worry! I stayed active and didn't gain any weight! yay! Colorado is beautiful...and cool...and no humidity! woohooo!

Triathlon tomorrow

2006-08-05T09:43:00.000-07:00

I did my first real bike ride today in preparation for the Tour de Kirkwood triathlon tomorrow. It went fine. No real pain to speak of. I clipped in and out without incident. My legs are tired from not cycling for a long time, but I wanted to try it and see if I was capable of doing the bike course. (whether my wrist could take it or not)
A group of us rode the actual bike course, which is a 10.6 mile loop. I did it. It was fine. whew!

I recently had a most wonderful swim workout. So I'm feeling pretty good about the swim. And while I was in Colorado, I did some run workouts, so I am not worrying about the run. Hopefully, running up and down mountains in thin air will have prepared me enuf for the run leg.

So the triathlon is 450yd swim, 10.6 mile bike and 2.3 mile run. Wish me luck!!

Reality Bites!

2006-07-18T14:14:00.000-07:00

Saturday night, I tried to ride my bike. Unfortunately, I could only pull the brake half way back. This is bad becuz the right hand does the back brake. So I can't just use the left or I'll flip over the front of the bike. I also couldn't budge the gear shifter. Ugh! So I brought my bike inside, and will use the indoor trainer to build my muscles back up. I only have a few weeks til Tour de Kirkwood triathlon on Aug 6.

Physical Therapy begins

2006-07-06T19:52:00.000-07:00

I had my first PT appt today. They basically told me to leave the cast off unless I'm doing heavy/strenuous activity "like mopping the floor". Mopping the floor? You gotta be kidding me! Anyway, I have tons of exercises and stretches that I am supposed to do "continuously." She pulled on my hand to make a space between the bones and moved the bones around. I actually feel more flexible already.
I went to the rec plex to lift, and I have lost a LOT of strength in ALL my muscles! Sucks!! My plan is to Run 3x/wk, Lift 3x/wk, and swim 3x/wk, til I can get back on my bike soon. In the meantime, I will watch the TDF and dream of cycling. :)
Note to my lil bro:
If you are reading this, welcome to my blog! I think after you read the whole thing...c'mon it's not that long, you will want to start training for triathlon. You can do it, I'm sure.

update on a white stripe

2006-07-03T19:41:00.000-07:00

After a semester of gym class, the girl is in much better shape. Now she is being religious about eating healthily. She is an inspiration to me! Since I have been "off" for a while, she hasn't been able to go to the rec plex, but now she has her driver's license, so nothing can stop her. I'm very proud of her!

Good News from the doctor

2006-07-03T19:06:00.000-07:00

I went for my second surgery follow-up today. Two weeks since I got my removable cast. He said I should be swimming and running by now. Bike will be ok in a few more weeks. So you know what that means! Setting up a new training plan, and getting back into shape. My left arm has gotten stronger, with all the work it's doing, and my right arm looks like Olive Oil's. I'm afraid I will be swimming in circles. hahaha So getting back into the gym is a must. Not quite sure how to lift with this cast tho. Stationary bike will have to do till I can cycle again.
I've done a couple pace runs, and they were ok, but I definitely need to train hard to get back in shape for the October Rec Plex triathlon in St. Peters (500m, 21mile, 5mile). Doc said I could do a tri in Sept, but I don't see any I really like or that are not already closed. Physical therapy starts on Thursday...my first experience with that! I'll let you know how it goes.
I bought new Shimano pedals/cleats, so I will not get stuck again!

Post-run joy!

2006-06-21T19:33:00.000-07:00

Post-run joy!
Originally uploaded by kkrocks.

me after running for the first time with my cast

I'm baaaaaaaaaacccccckkkkkkkk!!!!!

2006-06-21T19:17:00.000-07:00

Today I ran a 5k pace run!!! It was the first time I've done anything active since my bike crash, and the first time I've run since May 25th! The temp was in the 90's and it was humid. I felt out of shape, very hot, and thirsty, but so thrilled to be getting back into training!!! My body was saying, "Yayyy!" tho tomorrow morning will probably be saying, "booooo!" hahahaha I don't care, I'M BACK!!!
Oh, if you are wondering, my arm felt fine while running and feels fine now, a few hours later. I had acupuncture today and it really helped!

Freedom!

2006-06-19T13:45:00.000-07:00

Today, I got my big heavy splint off, and replaced it with a much smaller, lighter removable cast. So nice to be able to bend and straighten my arm!! Small to some...major for me. :)
Wrist still hurts, so I can't start swimming...even with a kick board(darn! ;)), but I will still try the stationary bike and running soon. I will start physical therapy in about two weeks, if all goes to plan. Arm/incision look gnarly, so I am enjoying grossing out squeamish male co-workers!! heehee Just need to make sure they aren't sitting at my desk when they see it. Spanky almost lost his cookies on my desk today. lol

Update on the wrist

2006-06-12T20:12:00.000-07:00

Well, surgery went well. I'm all put back together with a plate and 5 screws. They will stay in permanently. My fingers are less swollen and less green...yeah they were pretty bruised.
Will get my splint off on Monday 6/19, and will get a removable cast.
I went back to work last thursday, and everyone was very supportive.
I'm bumming that I can't train, but just trying to stay positive while I wait for myself to heal.
Will start doing kicking drills with a kick board next week, and will also try the stationary bike. Can't wait to run again, but it must wait.

Surgery is tomorrow

2006-06-04T18:32:00.000-07:00

Well, tomorrow I get put back together after a week of limbo. Surgery is in the late afternoon, and I can't eat or drink anything AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. arrrg!
They said I could choke down pain pills as long as I didn't drink water. Nice of them, huh? I'll probably forego the pills, if I can stand it.
Here are a couple of pix of what I look like with the splint. It must be made of lead it is soooo heavy! Arm is itchy in there, but I'm learning to ignore it. In the one pic, I'm pouting about not being able to train right now.

splint 6/4/06

2006-06-04T18:27:00.000-07:00

splint 6/4/06
Originally uploaded by kkrocks.

Don"t know if u can see, but my fingers are swollen and discolored. eww. not attractive!

broken wrist

2006-06-04T18:25:00.000-07:00

broken wrist
Originally uploaded by kkrocks.

Race for Sight swim

2006-06-01T17:52:00.000-07:00

RFSkayswim3
Originally uploaded by kkrocks.

Big breath! haha

Race for Sight bike leg

2006-06-01T17:50:00.000-07:00

RFSkaybike
Originally uploaded by kkrocks.

Walking up "the wall"

Race for Sight finish

2006-06-01T17:49:00.000-07:00

RFSkayfinish2
Originally uploaded by kkrocks.

Never so happy to see a finishline!

Disaster Strikes!!!

2006-06-01T17:39:00.000-07:00

Bad news! Triathlon training came to a sudden (though temporary) halt last Sunday when I fell off my lovely Trek 1000 onto my right wrist. I was doing a long training ride in Forest Park. I knew my cleats were getting harder to clip in and out lately. I came up to a busy intersection, and couldn't get them out in time. I plopped over sideways, and landed very awkwardly on the side of my wrist. Several very nice cyclists/runners/inline skaters stopped to help. They called 911 and helped me with my bike and belongings. They were so nice! It was about 95 degrees out, so they put cold water on my head. That felt good. When the ambulance came, the EMT asked me a million questions. I just wanted them to shut up and fill me with painkillers. Anyway, i fainted on the way into the ambulance. That got their attention. Turned out my blood pressure was 70/40 or some low numbers. So they set me up with saline IV and nasal oxygen. They suggested cutting off my bike glove, and if you have bike gloves, you know how expensive they are. So I gritted my teeth and the two EMTs and i worked that glove off. It is scuffed up, but i can still wear it. haha! They brought me to the hospital...St. Mary's...where again the people were very nice. Had xrays taken immediately and it was clear that my radius bone was shattered into numerous pieces, and the cute little bump on the ulna bone had broken off. The radius had moved to the middle of my wrist too. This was terrible news. The orthopod came in later to say that I needed surgery, and then he straightened out my Z-shaped wrist as best he could considering the damage. So I'm wrapped in a splint from my hand to past my elbow, and on tylenol 3, and biding my time til surgery on Monday 6/5...8 days after the accident.
I hope the recovery is quick, cuz i really need to get back to training. I know I can't do the Rec Plex triathlon in June, but really hoping to still be able to do Ballwin in July. So please send healing vibes my way. Thanks.

Training Update 5/16/06

2006-05-16T15:44:00.000-07:00

Well, the new coach didn't work out. It was too expensive, so I went ahead and bought a training plan from Training Peaks written by Gale Bernhardt. It's a 6 week crash plan for Olympic distance triathlon. The St. Peters Tri isn't quite Olympic distance, but almost. It is quite a jump up in intensity, but I'm doing well so far. I have lost 7 lbs since the duathlon, purely by cutting out sweets and training harder.
Yesterday, I joined a group ride on an asphalt trail. It was fun. We went 13 miles, and I was given pointers about gearing that I desparately needed! Hoping my bike leg will be nice and fast this time. Right after the ride, we ran 2 miles. Better pump that up to 5 soon!!!
Today I swam 1450 meters. It felt great...really love to swim. :)
Still WAITING for pictures of the Race for Sight.

Mountain Biking Adventure

2006-05-14T17:25:00.000-07:00

It's strange to be my age and discovering so many new things! Today I went mountain biking for the first time!! I had a blast! I went with my friend who is a skilled mt biker to the Lost Valley biking/hiking trail in St. Charles County. I have always thought that mountain biking sure looked like a lot of fun, but wasn't sure if I would be able to do it. Well, it is a TON of fun, and a great workout to boot! (I had an hour bike workout on my training plan for today, but the trail took us a lot longer.) I hopped off the bike several times to run it up steep rocky hills...so I got a little running in too today! My friend rode up all the hills without even breaking a sweat. We found some guys riding the trail who had done it many times, so they were able to guide us in the right direction. We did take one wrong turn onto a closed part of the trail that was really kicking my butt...that was before we met the other guys. Going down hills was the best! What an adrenaline rush! I highly recommend mountain biking for a fun kind of exercise!

RFS Results

2006-05-10T14:58:00.000-07:00

I finally saw my results on the Race for Sight webpage. It's pretty much what I expected. I finished with a time of 2 hours and 6 minutes.
Swim: 14 mins...see those crowds really made me slow!
T1: 3 mins...gotta work on those!
Bike: 1 hr and 14 mins...that felt like 14 hrs and 1 min!
T2: 2ish mins...needs practice!
Run: 31 mins...that's a pretty typical time for me to run a 5k. My pace was only somewhat slower than usual at 10:xx, and that is surprising cuz I felt like I was going a turtle pace of 13:xx+ !
But generally, for my first triathlon, I'm fine with my numbers. It was a good learning experience, and mucho inspiration for the next one!
Still waiting for pix.

Race for Sight!!!

2006-05-08T07:38:00.000-07:00

Hey! I did it! I finished my first triathlon! It sure wasn't easy, but I decided to go out there and 'get er done'!
I don't have any blog-worthy pix yet, but they will be coming soon.
The night before, I stayed in a terrible hotel, with no heat (it was a chilly night) so they brought me a space heater. I fell asleep at 11pm only to wake up at 3am *boing!* I was supposed to get up at 5am so I just lay there for about an hour...not really feeling nervous, just wide awake. I fell back to sleep after 4, so when the alarm went off at 5, I was really groggy. But I got up cooked cream of wheat, made coffee, and got ready to leave the hotel around 6am. It was chilly in the morning, so I wore my jacket and fleece pants over my tri outfit. I taped the bottom of my pant legs with adhesive tape (it was all i had!) to keep the pants from getting stuck in my gears. hahaha very attractive.
I rode my bike to the race site with my huge pink duffel bag on my back. That was fun. hahaha I hooked up with my friends, got my body marked, set up my transition area, and left for the pool, only to have it pointed out to me that my sunglasses were on my head...can't swim like that! So I sprinted back to the transition and deposited my shades, and ran back to the pool. I stuck my toesies in, and it was so warm. I was ecstatic, cuz I had been really scared that it was going to be freezing.

All 600 racers met in the Mizzou Aquatic Center for a pre-race mtg at 7:45am. We understood about every fourth word of what the race director, Mark Livesay was saying, cuz he was talking into a mic and it was echoing all over the inside of the pool area. We all kept asking each other what? what? It was funny. All I got out of it was that the bike leg was gonna be very challenging and dangerous and "technical." I'm not even sure what "technical" is, and I was damn sure I wasn't gonna be technical enuf! I was sitting in front of the 11 minute sign, cuz I was figuring the swim would take me about that long. I met some very nice women from Columbia, who were also doing their first triathlon. We chatted like best friends through the whole wait time, before we hopped in the pool. It was fun!

The Swim (440m)
We hopped into the pool at 5 second intervals. So I got in sometime around 9am, and it felt super cold...what happened? I tried to put it out of my mind and just do my swim. I had to pass the person in front of me right away, then I got into a clump of three. And that's how the swim went, i'd take a few nice strokes and bump into a crowd...and these were not good swimmers! They were breast stroking and side stroking and dog paddling! I was really concerned about getting kicked in the face, so I had to keep my head out of the water a lot! That is the opposite of how I swim. At one point, a man kicked me in the abdomen. Since there are no results for the race yet, I don't know what my swim time turned out to be. The few times I broke away from the crowd to get a few good strokes in before getting waylayed by a bunch. The laps were 50 meters, and I have been practicing in a 25 m pool, so that made it a bit harder...but wasn't too bad since I have done 100's, 200's, 300's, 400's and 500's without stopping in practice. I hopped out of the pool and was on to transition one (T1)

T1
It was a really long run from the pool to the transition area. I felt good enough to run it, but some people walked. I was panting pretty hard, trying to grab all the O2 I could. When I got to my spot, I tried toweling off a bit but it was useless. It was still chilly (but mercifully SUNNY) so I struggled into my windproof jacket, put on bike shoes, camelback, helmet and shades and headed out the 'bike out'.

The Bike *ominous music*
As I started the bike leg, I felt like I had used up all my energy on the swim. Felt out of energy, and I didn't know how I could possibly put another 20 miles behind me. There was a very long gradual up hill and I went up painfully slowly. Everyone passed me. I got very sick of hearing, "on your left". I only passed one person the whole bike leg. I was really disappointed cuz I had passed lots of people in the duathlon bike leg. After the long hill, were a few rolling hills and nice long down hill before the hill called, "The Wall". It was aptly named. It went straight up. We had been warned about this hill, and I had already decided to walk up it, cuz I was so beat. After the wall, you go back to the beginning and do the whole thing again. The second lap, I actually felt better and had a little bit of a second wind. Legs were noodles by the time I finished the 15 miles and got back to T2.

T2
I ripped off my jacket, went to take my helmet off, and my sunglasses came off too, but only part way, cuz they were stuck in my hair. I grabbed them and yanked them off and took out a few of my few precious hairs with them. Changed shoes, threw on my visor and ran on very wobbly legs to the 'run out'.

Run
Ok, I've run tons of 5k's, some 10k's and two half marathons. I thought this 3mile run was gonna be pretty doable. Well, it felt like the last 3 miles of the St. Louis Half Marathon. It was pure will power that kept me running. We ran into downtown Columbia and passed my hotel, which even tho it was lousy looked pretty good for a nap about this point. But I kept going. Some formula racers passed by me. These are elite/pro triathletes who do the entire race twice, so they were finishing their second time, as I was finishing my first. They had so much energy and such perfect muscular bodies that I was inspired to run faster each time I saw one. The woman who came in first in the formula group, said "good job" and "keep going" as she passed me. Wow. She was so nice to a newbie. I saw Ty as I was closing in on the finish line. He was saying, "Come on! Come on!!!" I snapped, "I'm Coming!!!" but I pushed myself to pick up my pace anyway. He ran a little of the way with me, then bugged off the course, so he wouldn't be in my finish pic. hahaha I was never happier to be done with a race. hahaha In retrospect, I'm glad he was there to kick my butt a little so I wasn't doing a turtle pace into the finish. Thanks, Ty!

The Bottom Line
I realize now I would have enjoyed the race much more if I had trained harder. I was following a Training Plan that was for one's first triathlon, but it was too easy on me. I resolved during the race to get in much better shape, get faster and stronger, so the next few triathlons will be much more enjoyable, and maybe then I can say, "On your Left"!
So I'm headed for the St. Peters Rec Plex Tri in June, (500/21/5mile) and I have a positive attitude about getting back to training my butt off...literally!!! I have a new coach to help me get ready and she is an awesome athlete.
Congratulations to Tyson, Jennifer, Herb and Todd for running terrific races!! Great Job! You all inspire me!

me on the bike

2006-05-01T13:10:00.000-07:00

me on the bike
Originally uploaded by kkrocks.

Here is a picture taken by the photographer at MaxTrax. I wasn't as uncomfortable as I look. hahaha Oh! And after getting ribbed for the "Versace" sunglasses (they are Ray-Bans and Rx!) I got some Oakleys, so I can look the part of a real athlete from now on.

Six days til Race For Sight

2006-05-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

Well, it's taper week. So I'm taking a couple of rest days, and doing light workouts this week. I was klutzy over the weekend, when I walked into the metal frame of my bed and bruised one of my toes. It's not broken, so I think it will be ok by Sunday. I don't run til Thursday, so I will test out my toe then. Today, I'm resting. Tomorrow is a swim workout. Wednesday, bike, Thurs, run, Friday swim, Saturday rest. I'll be travelling Saturday, and there is a gear swap at my hotel on Saturday that should be cool...and maybe I can score some inexpensive used gear! As I have said before, this sport is not for the faint of wallet. ;)
Race starts early on Sunday. However, we get in the water one at a time starting with the fastest swimmers. That means I will be well towards the back of a 500+ person line. I'm hoping all those people warm up the pool, cuz it's a cold one. heh heh.
I haven't practiced my transitions yet. I will do that tonight. :)

MaxTrax Duathlon

2006-04-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it! I got through my first multisport event! And i didn't do too shabby! I finished a respectable 4th in my age group, at a time of 1:07. I met new people and had a lot of fun. It was easier than I expected...guess my training is paying off. Helps to have a really sweet bike too, to make the hills a breeze. The weather was beautiful and warm. Even tho I had practiced the transitions, I moved through them rather slowly, which added about 5 mins to my race time. I will definitely be practicing them over and over, and timing myself, to get them streamlined and fast. The pix below tell the rest of the story. I'm very happy to have finally gotten started with my triathlon season! It's two weeks til the Race for Sight Triathlon, and I'm sticking with my training plan, though I will be doing several 5k runs instead of the shorter runs on the plan...so that I am comfortable on the run leg. Also, after the RFS is over, I will be bumping up my runs (2 or 3 times/week) to 5 miles in preparation for the St. Peters Rec Plex Tri in June.

preparing nite b4

2006-04-24T20:14:00.000-07:00

preparing nite b4
Originally uploaded by kkrocks.

transition practice2

2006-04-24T20:13:00.002-07:00

transition practice2
Originally uploaded by kkrocks.

waiting for bodymarking1

2006-04-24T20:13:00.001-07:00

waiting for bodymarking1
Originally uploaded by kkrocks.

bike out

2006-04-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

bike out
Originally uploaded by kkrocks.

end of run2

2006-04-24T20:12:00.000-07:00

end of run2
Originally uploaded by kkrocks.

finishline

2006-04-24T20:11:00.000-07:00

finishline
Originally uploaded by kkrocks.

Bike News

2006-04-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

I'm very happy to report that I had my clipless pedals adjusted at my friendly bike shop Maplewood Cycling. Now I can easily clip in and out. This is a huge load off my mind. I had been having no luck getting my bike shoes to clip in at all. If they were forced in, I couldn't get them undone, and we all know what happens when you can't get your feet out...falling over sideways! Now my bike feels purrrrrfecct!

Another great thing is that I got a bike trainer, so I can train inside my house, thereby avoiding cold weather, and saving gas, not having to drive to the rec center.

While at Maplewood, I picked up some triathlon duds (not dudes), so I feel pretty much ready for the duathlon next week.

What Tri looks like

2006-04-14T20:32:00.000-07:00

Race for Sight sign
Originally uploaded by kkrocks.

This is the Ultramax sign. They put on the Race for Sight, May 7, 2006, Columbia, Missouri. I can't wait to actually be a part of that race!!!

What Tri looks like

2006-04-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

Transition Area
Originally uploaded by kkrocks.

Here is the Transition, where we leave our bikes, running shoes, helmet, and all the other stuff we need for the race. After the swim, we run in here, change into our bike shoes, put on our helmet and run the bike out to the bike mount.
After the bike leg, we run the bike back in, put it on the rack and change for the run leg.

What Tri looks like

2006-04-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

Triathletes in line
Originally uploaded by kkrocks.

Here is how we start. In a really looonggg line of people, hopping into the pool at 10 second intervals. Then we swim a length, pop under the lane divider and back the other way, til we have swum the whole pool.

swim training1

2006-04-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

swim training1
Originally uploaded by kkrocks.

Here I am doing a race simulation at my local rec center. Everyone there is very supportive of me, and helped me get through the simulation unimpeded. I finished it in roughly one and a half hours. Form looks pretty good here. I'm down to two swim workouts a week now. One speed work, and the other, doing the full 400yds at race pace.

Spirit of St. Louis Marathon

2006-04-11T15:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm 2 weeks out from the MaxTrax duathlon, and trying not to think about it. I hope it will be ok. I did a race simulation for it, and ran out of time, and had to stop before the second run leg. I'm 4 weeks away from the Race for Sight. Starting to get nervous!
But the reason for this post is to talk about the St. Louis Marathon/half-marathon that I didn't do this past weekend. I had decided several weeks ago to focus on triathlon training and not do the half marathon, that I was already signed up for. I did it last year, as my first half marathon and it was a blast. But I wasn't having time to do the long runs I needed to, to get ready for it this year, so I decided to wuss out.
But I went to watch. That was a mistake. I really wanted to be out there bad!!!! For one thing, the temperature was FREEEEEZING! I would have been much warmer, if not more comfy, had I been running. It was cool to see a race from the spectator's perspective for a change tho. I was able to catch a glimpse of things i wouldn't have seen in the pack. I saw the winners of the full and half go by; I saw the barefoot runner, and even a couple of zebras! I brought my bike down and rode around on the course, trying unsuccessfully to track down my friend Tyson, who was running in the half. It was fun, but freezing riding! Note to self: Buy a windproof warm jacket for cycling!!!
It was cool to see the slow people struggling up hill the last 3 miles, and remembering so clearly doing that last year. In so much pain, and walkers were going faster than me. I was "running". But having so much fun! And then remembering my family being at the finish line, even my lil bro who was in town...really surprised me. It's an awesome race, and I really hope that I can do it next year.
But this is triathlon season. Time to stop reminiscing and get back to training! I did some speed work in the pool this morning. Good workout! Feeling great with the swimming. Didn't think I'd ever be a swimmer! haha Tomorrow is a 60 min bike workout. Thursday, I run strides...hee hee...I love strides. And Friday I swim the whole 400yds for time. Saturday is a run, and Sunday is Easter and I'm resting relaxing and hanging out with family. Yay!

Oh! the best thing happened! My daughter "awhitestripe" (see comments) has decided to take up running! I'm so excited to have her along on my fun ride! I hope she falls in love with sports like i did!!!

Flat 5 race, St. Charles, MO

2006-04-05T08:39:00.000-07:00

Kay_flat5
Originally uploaded by kkrocks.

I like this pic because I look so happy...even tho my eyes are closed. hahaha This pic expresses how I feel after a race: relaxed, content, strong. This was a 5 mile race, one of my favorite distances.

Mum's the word

2006-03-31T13:39:00.000-08:00

By the way, if you know my Dad, don't tell him I'm considering a lake swim. When i told him I was training for triathlon, he said, "I don't want you to drown." He is comforted by the fact that my triathlons are in pools. So shhhhhhh!!!! ;)

To do or not to do? That is the question

2006-03-31T13:29:00.000-08:00

I am considering signing up for an all-women sprint distance triathlon in the Kansas City area in August. The only thing I'm worried about is that the swim is in a LAKE! Yes, I know I said I really love swimming...and i do...in a 3' pool!!! Other than that, it's a pretty short distance and I could visit my Kansas City area friends at the same time. But the Lake thing really freaks me out. It's a 500 yd swim...piece of cake in a pool. Please give me your opinion about lake swimming!
Here's the link to the triathlon. Rose Brooks Triathlon for Women

5 weeks til the Race

2006-03-31T12:56:00.000-08:00

Training has been going well. This has been a light week. The training builds in a four week cycle, starting easy (low intensity) and ending hard (high intensity) . This should put a taper the week before the race, which is perfect. My rec center pool has been closed all week for it's 6 month cleaning, etc., and I'm in withdrawal. I love the swimming! I will do the MaxTrax duathlon on April 22nd, so I am going to do a race simulation this weekend.

Warm up Running Program by Amby Burfoot

2006-03-30T10:06:00.000-08:00

Week 1: Run 2 min, walk 4 min. Complete 5 cycles
Week 2: Run 3 min, walk 3 min. Complete 5 cycles
Week 3: Run 5 min, walk 2.5 min. Complete 4 cycles
Week 4: Run 7 min, walk 3 min. Complete 3 cycles
Week 5: Run 8 min, walk 2 min. Complete 3 cycles
Week 6: Run 9 min, walk 2 min. Complete 2 cycles, then run 8 mins
Week 7: Run 9 min, walk 1 min. Complete 3 cycles
Week 8: Run 13 min, walk 2 min. Complete 2 cycles
Week 9: Run 14 min, walk 1 min. complete 2 cycles
Note: After completing week9, if you feel tired, repeat this week of training before moving on to week 10.
Week 10: Run 30 min!!!

Getting Started

2006-03-29T15:14:00.000-08:00

Everyone asks me how I got started in doing all this crazy stuff. As I mention in my profile, it started when I got two new very energetic dogs. They needed walking...and so did i, apparantly. I noticed how my whole body tingled from a brisk walk. I really felt alive! My chow-mix really wanted to run. So we ran, then stopped to sniff a tuft of grass, then we ran, then stopped to sniff a mailbox...and on it went. Til I decided I didn't want to stop. It was at this time that my good buddy Tyson (a life long athlete) gave me a book called The Complete Book of Running by Amby Burfoot. I couldn't put it down! It had an ease-into-running plan in it. It started with running for a minute and walking for several and doing that cycle for 30 mins. Eventually, in 10 weeks, one runs non-stop for 30 mins! Pretty cool and EASY! Eight weeks after starting that plan Tyson said, "You need to sign up for a race!" I freaked out. A race! Meeee??? No Way!!! I'll come in last or I won't be able to finish!!! He was confident I could do it (though he hadn't seen me run or anything!), so I faced my fear and ran/walked the Holly Hills Jack-o-Lantern Jog. I DIDN'T come in last! I was probably 20th from last. But it was eye opening for me! I could actually cross the finish line! What an awesome feeling that was! I was also shocked that really great athletes were red-faced and sweaty at the end! I thought it would be sooo easy for them. That was cool! I've done tons of foot races since then, and they have all been great fun! One of the most fun was the Spirit of St. Louis Half Marathon which I did 8 months after starting to run. I've done two half marathons, so far. If I can do this, so can anyone!

7 weeks til the Race

2006-03-20T14:49:00.000-08:00

There are 7 weeks til the Race for Sight, my first triathlon. I have been training for this particular triathlon, using a training plan from Training Peaks. It was written by Joe Friel, who is, in my book, the God of triathlon. I had the pleasure of attending his clinic in January, hosted by Ultramax.

This week I will be (this is a typical week):
Monday: Swim (A.M.) and Strength (P.M.) I learned to do flip-turns today!
Tuesday: Brick workout
Wednesday: Swim (A.M.) and Bike (P.M.)
Thursday: Run Strides
Friday: Rest Day
Saturday: Run a rolling course
Sunday: Bike

Note: a brick workout is a combo bike then run

Crazee for Sports!!!

2006-03-19T19:47:00.000-08:00

The reason I call this site Crazee4sports is because soooo many people have told me I'm nuts for doing all the training and sports that I do. It's actually the most sane thing I have ever done. I feel the most at peace during and especially after a good workout...or even a lousy one!
I have so much fun doing race events and this year is my first season to do triathlon. I am signed up for three:
4/22 MaxTrax Duathlon (Run 1.5mile, Bike 7.5mile, Run 1.5mile) in Columbia, MO
5/7 MLERF Race for Sight (Swim 400yds, Bike 14miles, Run 2.75miles)
6/18 St. Peters Rec Plex Tri-Spring (Swim 500yds, Bike 21miles, Run 5miles)
There are two more that I will sign up for when registration opens:
7/16 Ballwin Tri (Swim 300yds, Bike 9miles, Run 3.2miles
10/1 St. Peters Rec Plex Tri-fall (Swim 500yds, Bike 21miles, Run 5miles)
Check back later to see my training schedule, and race stories. Also, training pics, etc.