Caesar Creek Duathlon - official time

The results are up, and here are my official times, which weren't far off at all from Greg's watch. Same averages apply.

5K Run1:  30:01

T1:  1:52

22K (13.6 miles) Bike:  50:23

T2: 1:48

Run2: 34:30

Total: 1:58:34

And a finish line photo:

Caesar Creek Duathlon - race report

Unofficial results from Greg's stopwatch:

5K Run1:  30:22 --- 9:48 min/mile

T1:  1:49

22K (13.6 miles) Bike:  50:22 ---- 16.22 mph average

T2: 1:46

Run2: 34:27 --- 11:07 min/mile

Overall it was a fun day, but I wish I had done better. The weather was good. The bike course was very hilly. The 5K should have been challenging but doable at a faster pace. It just wasn't my day physically I guess. I still had a great time. I just wish I could feel better about the overall performance. 

Greg took pictures again (thanks!)  And Casey and Jannelle came to watch, which was awesome and made the day very fun! 

Walking to the start. I felt fine. But I never really did feel pumped up and "race ready". 

At the duathlon start line. 

View of the group of the duathletes. Hard to tell how many people did the du...maybe 100?

View of the swim start.

Starting...hopeful and calm.

Coming into transition after the first run. I was so slow. I was hoping mile markers were marked wrong. Not sure why, but I just couldn't go any faster. 

Leaving on the bike...(and wooowooo look at that guy in the background! Vest and no shirt, lol.) I was prepared to start feeling better about myself with a kick-ass bike race. The course womped me though. It was hard to tell how I was doing because my speeds varied so greatly. 35 mph down hills....5 - 10 mph up some of the big climbs. 

Coming into transition after the bike. I got a bad calf cramp in the last mile, which was thankfully downhill so I could just slowly spin and work it out.

Ballet-like dismount. I have no idea why I got off the bike this way, as I have never done it like this and I'm always afraid I am going to fall. I think I saw the person in front of me and just did it without thinking. Which I suppose proves I can in fact dismount properly without falling.

Ouch - clomp - ouch - clomp

Heading out for the final run...my legs weren't moving well at all. It was a shuffle for the first mile.

Uuugggg...almost there...

The finish line. It was a meager push to the end. I was exhausted. That woman behind me - we kept playing leap frog on the bike. Actually I played leap frog with a few ladies out on the bike course. I would always pass on the down hills and then be passed on the up hills. A sign my legs weren't performing well I guess.

So, that's it. Nearly 2 hours. Not my best for sure, but there's always the next race.

A Few More Days...

I'm looking forward to Caesar Creek duathlon Sunday. I'm taking the next few days off, hydrating and trying to eat well. Thankfully these 95+ degree temps are subsiding tomorrow. Otherwise it would make for some nasty race conditions.

Here's a map of the course. Yellow highlights the bike course (which I've made note of so I don't go the wrong way this time) and the orange is the out-and-back 5K run portion. I still need to clean my bike and get my nutrition for the day, just some gels and chews. If temps are close to what they were at the Tri for Joe, I'm hoping for a very similar race performance. The bike course is hillier, so I'm not entirely sure what that will mean for my bike times, or the run after. I'm most concerned with the run–being able to keep those paces again would make me very happy! It's new territory for me.

Tri for Joe Duathlon - race results

I came in 4th out of 4 in my age group ;)

Overall I was 58th out of 89.

Here are the times. Unfortunately (and annoyingly) they didn't break out the transition times. I have no idea why...there were mats. ?!?!  So my first run is right. Then my bike had my T1 time included in it. Then my last run had my T2 time included in it. I can figure out my T2 time because I know my second run time. I'll just add a few more seconds on to T1's time (because coming in from the run to the bike is a little slower for me) and we'll call it official:

Run 1:  26:36  |  65th rank  |   8:35 pace - - - FASTEST 5K I'VE EVER DONE!!!!!
T1: 2:00 (educated guess)
Bike: 38:49  |   48th rank  |   19 mph - - - PR ON THE BIKE!!!!
T2: 1:49
Run 2: 29:24   |   61st rank   |   9:29 pace

TOTAL TIME:
1:38:40

I beat my 2006 first run time...by a LOT! I'm really happy about that! And I went faster on the bike, though it was shorter distance. Last run was slower, but only by 15 seconds per mile. So overall, I'm really happy, looking forward to more races this season and getting faster!!

Tri for Joe Duathlon - race report

This is a difficult race report to write since I still don't know my actual results. I feel like I need numbers to back myself up. But I really think I did well and am completely happy with how I did. So, numbers or not, that is what matters. I'll post the results when I know them.

Greg and I left bright barely light and early at 5:45 to get to Coney Island. Thanks for coming to watch, Greg! And for taking most of the pictures so this blog might be a little more interesting! We pulled in the parking lot and parked, and then it was time to set up.

The entrance and slides as we drove in.

I picked up my race packet and timing chip, pumped up my bike tires, and then started setting up my bike and everything else in the transition area. I laid out my bike shoes, GUs, helmet, towels and had to think for a moment about if everything was in the right order. It's been a couple years since I've done this.

Pumping up the tires.

Setting up in transition.

The mess that is transition.

Greg thought it was funny that my bike just hung on the transition rack and had to snap a photo. The front wheel didn't touch the ground. I am short so my bike is little! I quickly found another bike that was a women's specific Trek hanging the same way, proving I wasn't the only short person there. ;)

We stood around, did the national anthem, then I got in the lineup for the start of the duathlon.

Pre-race.

Here's the group. Not too many people.

1st 5K Run
I settled into a nice pace as we wove our way through the park. It was comfortably hard. My first mile was 8:40 - perfect! I think the turnaround was somewhere around 13 minutes. And I think I checked again at the 2 mile marker, but I don't remember anymore about times. I was running well - very smooth and my legs felt strong. My knees had stopped aching, and any soreness I might have still had from the week wasn't a factor. The course winds through the park, back out into a big parking lot, then back into the park a little bit to the turn-around. Running past the motionless, carnival-like rides is somewhat eerie.

I surprised Greg with my arrival time near the end of the first 5K, but he managed to snap a photo of me anyway.

Transition 1
I'm thinking the T-time was probably pretty slow, but I tried to hurry. I put my shoes and helmet on, sucked on part of a GU, grabbed my bike and jogged out to mount.

Probably ripping open a GU here.

Bike 20K
I quickly got situated on my bike and saw Greg before heading out onto Kellogg Road.

Greg had installed a new battery on my bike computer and had entered in the correct tire information, but it wasn't really clear if it was set up right. So I wasn't sure if my speeds were going to show accurately. When I started out, I looked down and saw 17 - 18 mph so I figured it was wrong. It was right in the beginning, and I just didn't think I was going those speeds yet.

Race photo, not sure where this is.

The bike was pretty uneventful. I was still breathing hard from the run, so it took some time to settle into a comfortable pace. I passed people left and right, and also got passed by some serious people with tri-bikes like I was standing still! :)  There was a big downhill that was fun, though I realized I would have to come back up this hill on the way back. I noticed a big "10 MILE" painted on the road. I looked down at my computer and saw 9.9. What?!?! So this is accurate!! I've been going 18 - 19 mph!!! I was ecstatic. I think I had been maintaining some pretty decent bike speeds, so now I had to keep it up. I pushed those last 2 miles, hoping to make the bike average even better. The slowing down for the two turnarounds and hill could lower it pretty good though. We'll see whenever I know the results.

Transition 2
I hopped off my bike and clomped through the transition area in my bike shoes. I changed shoes, grabbed my hat and started out for the second run.

2nd 5K
My legs had the familiar "what the hell are you doing to me?!" reaction as I started running. I felt like I was going so slow. I was also stiff. After the first mile, which was 9:40, I loosened up. This run was more exciting since all of the triathletes were running too. There were people running everywhere. Watching the efforts of the people on their way back was inspiring and took my mind off my own pain. I love out and back races for that reason!

Around mile 1.75

I was afraid I was going to overheat, so I dumped water on my head and hat every chance I could. My breathing was maxed out. The last mile was a welcome relief mentally - I was glad I was almost done and hoped to still be able to finish strong. Within the last half mile, I caught up to a guy whose family was teasing him because he had just taken a walk break. After we were past them, he started laughing about it and commenting on things to me. I couldn't talk. I grunted laughs and smiled instead. As we came out onto the last stretch of asphalt outside of the park nearing the finish, he said, "You're not going to let an old fat guy beat you are you?" (neither of which he was.) This was funny because I had already made up my mind that I was going to race him. I breathlessly said, "We'll see."  It was great having him there because my pace got stronger and I really did feel like I could kick it a little in the end. I felt kind of bad not reciprocating his cheerfulness so I said, "I suppose it is a race" between gasps for air. He didn't understand me and I had to repeat it - doh! He laughed and went on to explain how yes, perhaps for some, but he was just trying to finish, thought he was going to drown in the swim, yadda yadda yadda. I was clearly working way harder than him and that's when I left him. :)

Me and Chatty Cathy.

And the final stretch...I think my face says it all.

Post Race
I felt great!! I got my medal and found Greg, who thought I did very well. I do think this is the best duathlon I've ever done. I can't wait to learn the results!!!

Coming Soon...

Tri for Joe race report coming soon...

In general I did well, from what I could tell. :)  My first 5K may have been a 5K PR, which would be awesome. I also think I went pretty well on the bike. The second 5K was 29:24. The results still aren't up on the site yet. I just woke up from a little nap, which felt great!

Pics and report tomorrow, even if I don't know my results :)

Packed

I'm all packed...

Bike shoes, towels for transition, helmet, Gu, water bottle (still in the fridge), license, sunglasses, USAT card, bike pump, post-race clothes, watch, food, camera for Greg, Advil, headband...   it's enough to make you a little stressed that you might forget something! I have to pick up my packet at the race. Bummer but I missed the packet pickup at Fleet Feet because it was 2 weeks ago or something not even remotely close to this race date. Odd.

Anyway, now I'm trying to relax and get some good sleep. It's going to be about 65º and sunny at 7:30, race start, and closer to the mid 70ºs when I finish. Warm! There will be lots of water dumped on the head, I'm sure.

Woohoo!

5K at Idlewild - Race Report

Sunday morning was the 5K down at Idlewild, a very nice park in Kentucky. 7 of us were doing the race together - fun! This was Casey's first 5K, and it was a doosey for a first. Not the best pick, but that just means the next one will be a PR!

Sunday was the hottest it has been so far this year. And even at 10:30 a.m., it was already Sweating Steph temperatures. After an 8 minute warm-up jog, we hovered in the shade as we waited, trying to stay cool. Then we walked down to the start line, all 65 of us. This race was both the smallest and the most difficult 5K I've ever done.

The race director fired the gun and we were off. We followed the park road down a slight grade and back up around a corner. It went a little down and then back up to a turn-around point. Following that same path back, we turned off at a corner where our friends who weren't running were cheering. It was fun to have a cheering section for a 5K! 

The next part of the course followed a paved walking/biking trail. Up and down and up and down and up and down... it didn't stop. I couldn't believe the hills. My first mile was 8:48. I felt good. It was hard, but I thought I could maintain it for the other 2 miles, until this middle hill section. I was slowing down. I couldn't get myself up the hills very well. My breathing increased to a rate that didn't match the rhythm of my feet hitting the ground anymore. It was a little out of control, and I knew I had to slow down. I couldn't wait for the water stop.

The water was ice cold. I drank some and poured the rest on my head. It took my breath away when it hit my chest and back, but it was what I needed. There was a brief section of trail engulfed in a group of trees. Shade! It was over too soon though. I hoped for less hills, but they didn't stop. The entire time I could see Casey out in front of me. I watched the gap between us increase. I gave up on the idea of catching him and running sub 9's, and instead focused on staying OK in the heat and finishing.

Maybe around mile 2.75ish there was a long climb. It went on forever and all I could think about was how I wanted to be done. The sun beat down. I was shuffling, breathing at a ridiculous rate. I probably could have walked faster up this hill. Casey was making his way up the hill, then walked a little bit at the turn which put us back in the parking lot, repeating some of the course we had done earlier. I caught up with him on another hill and then we were running the last agonizing .2 together. Having someone to run with instantly increased my pace and everything fell back into a natural rhythm. The last .1 was slightly uphill, a cruel ending on this already cruel course. We pushed what we could (at least it was all I could push) and crossed the line in 30:06, averaging a 9:43 mile. Ug.

Though it was a far cry from my goals, I suppose it really isn't fair to judge myself too hard from this race outcome. This course didn't have a couple hills. It was only hills. I am still very curious how I will do this Saturday at the duathlon (Tri for Joe). I'm pretty nervous. I want to do well. I want to feel strong. Tonight I missed the group ride after work because I was still at work. So tomorrow will be my last ride before Saturday. I will have to make it a good one. 

Columbus Marathon - the experience

Sunday October 18th, I finished my first marathon! Yay!!!!

Time was 4:57:41 and I met all of my goals.

1. Finished.

2. Finished running across the line, thanks to a lovely downhill finish approach! :)

3. Finished under 5 hours.

It was an awesome experience and very, very fun. I hope this isn't too long and boring of a report. There is way too much to try and capture. This is chock full of photos (26 even!) so hopefully that helps make it more interesting. I can thank Erin Powell for the wonderful documentation of the race day! And Greg was able to snap some of me as well.

FRIDAY

As Greg and I pulled onto 71 North to head to Columbus, it hit me. I started laughing my butt off and said, well I guess there's no turning back now- I'm going to run a marathon this weekend! It suddenly seemed so insane to me. Other people run marathons, not me. My friend Sarah flew up from Florida to run the marathon also, and we picked her up from the airport late Friday night. We chatted until 2 a.m. - it was nice to catch up.

SATURDAY - marathon eve

Saturday I woke up at 8, wide awake. I tried to go back to sleep, but couldn't. We all got up and headed out for breakfast around 10. We soon discovered that not much of downtown is open on the weekend. After visiting some places we wanted to eat at only to find them closed, we ended up heading toward the Convention Center where the race expo was, hoping to pass some food along the way. We did find a Max & Erma's in a hotel that was open and had some hot soft pretzels with our lunch.

The expo was pretty dinky so we breezed through that pretty easily. We picked up our packets and shirts and posters, then walked the cold, windy route back to the hotel, which was only about a half mile away. Sarah got the best hotel location EVER. Here are the port-o-johns, just yards from our hotel.

Knowing we just were supposed to rest, we holed up in our hotel suite and watched college football games. I was soooo tired. I didn't want to nap, though I could have, but I was hoping this fatigue would help me sleep well that night.

At 5:15 we had dinner reservations at Due Amici with my friend Jennifer who was in town. I had a mushroom stuffed ravioli in a pesto sauce that was delicious. They also had great bread with olive oil. And lots of water, of course.

After dinner we walked back to the hotel and chilled out some more. I began to get stuff ready for the next day. I wrote my name huge on the top of my shirt. Friends who have done marathons before advised me to do this and it was great advice! I felt like a rock star out there when people were yelling my name. I got all my gels together. Stretched. I was so tired. So I went to bed at 9, read for about an hour and finally fell asleep around 10.

SUNDAY - marathon morning

At 4:30 I woke up with a very, very painful headache, while in the middle of a dream that we had overslept for the race. My neck/back hurt from the bed and pillow change, leading to the headache. I jumped out of bed and popped some Advil and then laid back down. Originally I was going to get up at 5:30, but figured I should stay in bed until the Advil worked and my headache was gone. It worked and I got up at 6.

First I ate my two little containers of applesauce. I munched on a half of a mini-bagel. Then I splashed water in my face and woke up a bit more. I ate some Sport Beans (yum) 30 minutes before the race start time.

Here I am furiously tying my shoes. I only tied my shoes once the entire day. Usually I have a weird thing of untying and retying them compulsively before a race.

At 7:20 we walked downstairs, met Jennifer (who would be teaming with Greg all day going around to see us) and went to the start line.

Ready to go!!!!!

THE RACE (Photos courtesy of Erin Powell and Greg)

The entire race experience was the coolest thing I've ever done. I was super nervous and somewhat in denial about actually running 26.2 miles. But I knew I could do it.

The morning was cold. Probably about 38º. But dry!

We're somewhere in there.

It took us about 15 minutes to cross the start line. Here's the aftermath of discarded clothing after all the runners were gone.

Sarah and I started out running together. Once she warmed up, she went ahead. I wasn't sure what my pace was - it ended up being a little slow in the start. But I just kept running how I felt, figuring I'd settle in after a couple of miles.

I remember the race in approximate chunks, so here it goes:

Miles 1 - 5: We ran through some really cool neighborhoods with awesome houses. I felt great, and just kept chugging along. The miles were ticking by pretty fast. I was very aware of my feet and legs. My legs were numb due to the cold. My left foot's shoe didn't feel like it was tight enough....

Then I saw Erin and Roman!

They were on the left side of the street so I veered over to run closer to that side. Erin snapped 5 million pictures and both of them were cheering and yelling at me. It was awesome.

Miles 5 - 13: After heading back towards downtown, I saw Jennifer and Greg around mile 8 maybe? They were on the left side and cheering. Greg made an awesome sign. He gave me my sunglasses which I had forgot in the hotel room and I gave him my long sleeve shirt I wore in the beginning to stay warm. I had all intensions of just ditching it on the side of the road, but for some reason couldn't part with it forever.

There is frost on my hat! And that lady in pink is totally checking out my butt.

Then I think we ran through German Village, where I saw Roman and Erin again! I'm in a sea of half-marathoners (blue on the bottom of their bibs), who were soon going to be done.

It was fun to watch for Erin and Roman, as I didn't know where they would pop up, so it was kind of a game for me to keep myself occupied. It definitely made the time go by faster. They again screamed at me and it was so cool to see them.

After running through German Village, we were back on High Street. I wasn't looking forward to this, after looking at the race map, because it was just a long 5 mile stretch downtown. Turns out it was one of my favorite parts of the course. Before the half marathoners split off to finish their races, I saw Erin and Roman...again!

This time they jogged with me and Erin sprinted ahead to take some pictures.

I was complaining about the hill. Not really a hill, more of an incline. Columbus doesn't have hills.

Right at the State House, where we all started, I saw Jennifer and Greg again. They yelled "You look great! Almost there!" which was our ongoing joke for the weekend. I wanted to flip them off, but there were kids around and my big red gloves don't hide.

In truth some people were almost there- the half marathoners. I thought I'd be mad at seeing them be able to finish already, but I wasn't. I was happy to keep moving along. After they turned off, the course greatly opened up. I was practically by myself. We continued on High Street and then turned into fraternity row and back into another neighborhood.

Miles 13 - 17, OSU Area: There weren't many people out along fraternity row, but what can you expect early on a Sunday morning from college kids, right? The street was very rough and I had to watch the ground so I didn't stumble. And then around mile 15...I saw Erin and Roman! Yay!!! Erin shouted at me that I had sped up, which I knew, but didn't know how much. I was feeling soooo good. At this point I was just waiting for things to start declining.

At some point we were running on campus. This was by far the worst part of the race. No one was out except one group that was giving out Gummy Bears, which I took gladly! Candy to suck on gave me something to do. I was beginning to lose a little steam. I was getting warm so the hat came off and arm warmers got pushed down. Apparently Roman and Erin were trying to see me in this area, but the course map was wrong, so they missed me.

Miles 17 - 20: After the OSU area, the course wound its way into another beautiful neighborhood. Most people in this area were chatting on corners with their coffees. It was very pretty, the trees were gorgeous and the sky was as blue as it can be. When I passed mile marker 18, I thought: this is it. Uncharted territory. What is going to happen now? I watched a woman drop her gloves, stop, and then eeever so slowly reach down to pick them up. Those gloves would have been gone if I had dropped them - no way was I stopping to bend over for anything at this point.

When I passed mile 20, a weird, bubbling, emotional cry came up out of me. 20 miles! I'm going to do this! I had two pace bands on- one for a 4:45 finish and one for a 5:00 finish. I was trying to stay in between them. At the beginning of the race I was closer to the 5:00 finish, but since I had sped up, I gained some padding with every mile that I would allow me to finish under 5 for sure. As I ticked away the miles, I began playing the math games, realizing that even if something bad happened and I had to walk a mile, I could finish under 5. So this realization made me pretty happy. Plus until mile 18 I was pretty certain I had been running a strong pace faster than any of my long runs, which made me feel like I had accomplished something there even if the rest of the race fell apart. Everything was beginning to hurt, but I still had my breathing under control for the most part. My legs hurt, my knees hurt a little. My feet hurt a little, but not too bad. My neck hurt - I stretched that the most. But I just kept telling myself over and over that it was just pain and would go away later. More good advice from experienced marathoners :)

Miles 20 - 26.2: I hadn't seen Erin and Roman since somewhere around 15. It had been awhile and I was really getting tired, mentally and physically. I wondered if I would see them at all before the finish because maybe they just needed to head back that way. But then, at mile 22 (and the picture to prove it) they were there!

My spirits were immediately lifted and I slowly chugged down the street towards them. Erin ran with me a little and called Greg. She said I had to say something. I said I couldn't! She said just yell then. So I yelled into the phone when we heard Greg. After their visit I was much more energized once again. The course was making a lot of turns. There was a big downhill at one part, which I thought would be nice...but my legs screamed at me! It was a little scary and definitely not a good thing at that point in the race. Now I understand what people mean about Boston and how the downhills can be just as bad or worse than the uphills in a marathon.

At mile 24, my mind was all over the place. 2 more miles... no wait 4 more miles... wait (check pace band, check watch) oh no I slowed down a lot! No wait, (get out fingers) 24...25...26... YES two more miles!!! Holy crap there's only 2 more!!! 2 is a very small number!!! During the whole race I never thought about how many miles were left. But at 24 I did. I wanted to speed up so bad, but my knees were weak, probably because my legs were so tired, and I didn't want to risk having them get all tweaky and painful. Slow and steady, I trudged along.

Somewhere along here there was a slight incline and people handed out individually wrapped buckeye candies when you got to the top, after running under big OSU colored balloon arches. Yum for later.

At the last water stop, I took my water and then stopped and bent over. I just needed to stretch my back. A guy next to me asked if I was OK and I told him yes, just needed to stretch. He said "we're almost there!" And I said "yep." This was the only conversation I had with another runner that entire 5 hours. The volunteer that gave me water looked right into my face and told me there is only .5 miles to go. I didn't know whether or not to believe him, as people like to shout out all kinds of interpretations about how many more miles they think you have. But after another run along a beautiful street with cool houses, the course turned and BAM! Back on Front street.

This is the home stretch!

Oh wow. So many people and many of them were cheering and yelling my name as I passed. I immediately picked up the pace and a huge goofy grin spread across my face. I was going to finish the marathon!!!! I didn't feel anything anymore. I just looked ahead. And then I saw Greg, Jennifer and Sarah (yay she finished too!) along the side, cheering. I rounded the last corner and saw that it was downhill (sweetness!) and ran as fast as I could without falling over. Erin and Roman were on the side, but I don't think I saw them. I had tunnel vision. I crossed the line and looked at my watch - 4:57:40. Yay!!!!!!!!

Cool balloons...

Closer....

Closer.......

Crossing the line. 4:57:40 was the official time...the clock here shows how much of a delay there was to crossing the start line!

And now I was done.

I got my medal, my mylar blanket, and my free beanie hat. I then continued along the food corral, looking at my options. Mmmm donuts... no ew. That sounds awful right now. Bagel? My throat seemed to tighten. I found the biggest half of a banana and ate that. Then I suddenly thought about what I had just accomplished and got a little blubbery again. I just ran a marathon and it was awesome!! Then I was exiting the food area...cruel of them to put 5 or 6 steps coming out of the food area into the celebration area. I made it up them and then walked back towards the Starbucks we were all meeting at.

Greg and Jennifer, awesome cheering/support crew, outside of Starbucks. It was a long, cold day for spectators!!

I saw Greg and Sarah, then Jennifer and Pete, then eventually Erin and Roman found us too. It was all over and amazing. Sarah and I began gushing about different spots on the course and different experiences. There is just so much that happens along the way, I haven't even covered half of it here. So many people, so many thoughts and emotions, so much dialogue with yourself that you never have in other situations.

Finishers! Sarah finished in 4:37!!

Me and the best race-supporting hubby ever.

This was by far the coolest thing I've ever done. I am pleasantly surprised by how good I felt for the duration. The weather and flat course definitely had something to do with that. It was a perfect day.

Afterwords, we walked back to the hotel, showered, and checked out. Then we went to a restaurant down the way called Barley's for grub and beers!

Erin and Roman: the coolest marathoner-chasing friends EVER!!!!

My medal.

So now it is over and done. I had so much fun. It was an amazing experience: from the training, to the race weekend, to finishing the race – I've never done anything like it and look forward to doing another one!