Quad Cities Triathlon

I left work early on Friday to head to Davenport for packet pickup and to check out the race course. The race was held at West Lake Park which made for a beautiful venue. The swim and bike were both out and back courses and the bike course was pretty flat with just a couple of small hills. The run course did have some hills and also included 3/4 of a mile of grass and gravel. After picking up my packet I headed to my in-laws house to spend the night. My mother-in-law, Mary, cooked me Rigatoni for dinner with garlic bread, salad, and peas. It was VERY good and provide some good fuel for race day.

View of the swim course

This was waiting on my bedroom door

A 7:00 am start time meant that my alarm was set for 4:00. I arrived at the park a few minutes after 5 and took my time getting ready. I got a parking spot just outside of transition, which is always nice. After getting my transition spot set up, I looked up to see someone that I vaguely recognized. Both of us did a double take before catching that we work together. He is a fellow software developer at Pioneer, but the catch is that he left Johnston several years ago and has been working remotely from his house in Moline. To make it more interesting, out of 400 racers, our transition spots were right next to one another. There is a good possibility that if that wasn't the case we would have never ran into each other. I also realized how strange it is to see someone that you know in a situation that is completely out of context for how you know them. We had a good chat and I found out that this was his first triathlon ever. 

Transition all set up

View of transition shortly before the race started

Even before the sun was above the horizon the temperatures were already in the upper 70's and the humidity was ridiculous. At 6:45 we all gathered on the beach for the pre-race briefing and then lined up according to expected swim finish times. The swim start was 2 people at a time every 3 - 5 seconds. I waited in line for a half hour before it was my turn to go. I felt pretty good throughout the 600 yard swim and was very pleased to see a 2:30/100 yard average as I got out of the water. I headed into T1 feeling pretty good as I mounted my bicycle. This is the first time this season that I finally felt comfortable on the bike. I was able to attack the few hills on the course and take advantage of having the wind at my back. I averaged 17.5 mph on the bike and am extremely happy with that. 

By the time I got off the bike, the temperature was well into the 80's and the heat of the sun was nearly unbearable. I headed out of transition and it became apparent pretty quickly that I wasn't going to be setting a 5k PR today. I took several walk breaks through out the 5k run course (usually going up the hills) and ended with a time of 40:27. I'm not overly proud of that time, even in the heat, but I did what I had to to cross the finish line. 

All finished and ready to head for home

My official time for the race was 1:50:53 and I finished 297/396. My biggest take away from the race is that my open water swimming and bike are finally heading in the right direction. As for the run, I'm not worried at all. Today was just a fluke that will be easily corrected as I pick up some more brick workouts on my training schedule and spend some more time running in the heat. 

Official race splits

The Quad Cities Triathlon was a great experience. I really liked the course as well as the race staff and volunteers. I'm certain that this race will find it's way onto my race schedule in future years. I really liked that the bike course was closed to traffic and I also liked the off road portions of the run course. 

My next race is the Accel Triathlon on July 14 followed by the Des Moines Corporate Games Triathlon on July 15. My plan for the next month is to ramp up my running miles and build in more combo workouts. I'm also going to work on shedding a few pounds prior to those races as well. I'm targeting the Bluff Creek Triathlon in August as my "A" race this year and want to make sure that I am in peak shape by them. 

Pigman Sprint Triathlon

This morning I competed in the Pigman Sprint Triathlon at Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area just north of Cedar Rapids. The race included a 500 meter swim, 25 kilometer bike, and 5 kilometer run which is pretty much the same distance as the Hickory Grove Triathlon 2 weeks ago. I headed for Cedar Rapids after lunch yesterday to make it over to packet pickup and to check out the course. I then headed to my parent's house, about 40 minutes away, for the night.

I was very thankful for the cooler temperatures and low humidity that resulted from the front that moved through yesterday, but the wind certainly ended up being a factor. I arrived at the park about 6:00 am and got a parking spot adjacent to transition. After getting marked and picking up my timing chip, I set up in transition.

Transition area all ready

The field of 395 was larger than most of the races that I have done and included an elite, collegiate, and high school fields in addition to the age groupers. The transition area was quite over 100 yards from the water and was really long and narrow. I was in the 12th, and final, swim wave so my designated area was at the very back of transition. 

Deep into the transition area

Transition closed at 7:10 with a pre-race meeting at 7:15. The first swim wave started at about 7:35 and I didn't start until about 8:10. That resulted in a lot of standing around waiting for the race to start, but it also meant that I didn't have to worry about getting passed by many people because I was one of the last into the water. As the race started the wind was already starting to pick up, but by the time I got into the water it was about 15 mph and had a larger impact on my swim than I expected. I actually felt pretty good during the swim and was extremely surprised at how slow I was going. I had even managed to pass a few people during the swim, which NEVER happens to me. I went from one of my fastest swim times 2 weeks ago to my slowest today. 

View of the swim course

Once out of the water it was obvious that the winds were picking up even more. Because of the difference in start time between the swim waves, several of the elite and collegiate racers were already on the run course when I got on the bike, which was another strange feeling. Under the conditions, I actually rode pretty well even though I only averaged 16.9 mph. By the end of the bike the wind was gusting between 25 - 30 mph and I can recall one spot on the course when a gust of wind knocked my speed from 18 mph down to 8.5 almost instantly. I did manage to pass between 50 and 75 people while on the bike, which helped me feel a little better because it meant that everyone was struggling with the wind a bit. 

The last mile of the bike course was shared with the out and back run course which was another interesting experience. In addition, the road in the park was open to traffic and their were fishermen and campers coming and going occasionally. This meant that in addition to battling the wind, I had to weave in and out of runners and vehicles. I don't often say this, but I was actually thankful to be off the bike and out on the run course. 

I had certainly used a lot of my legs up on the bike, but was still feeling good as I started the run. I didn't push hard at all for the first mile but picked up the pace after that. The wind and cool temperatures were actually an asset on the run and the remaining 2 miles went by very quickly. As I turned the corner into the last .2 miles, a woman just a few years older than me got up along side me and said she was excited to finally catch me as she had been chasing me ever since I blew by her on the bike. We both had a good chuckle as we crossed the finish line. 

Post race spaghetti provided by Zio Johno's...yum!

Even though my times for the race were not the best, I am very proud of how I raced today. I did leave a little time on the course, especially in the run where I should have pushed the pace earlier. It seems strange to say, but over the past few years, I haven't really had a lot of opportunities to run the 5k distance and I tend to forget just how short it is. That is one of the major adjustments that I plan to make going into my next race. The other big change that I am hoping to make is getting out on the bike more, which should be easier now that school, and related activities, are done for the year. 

Another triathlon in the books

Overall, I really liked the Pigman Sprint and will certainly consider adding it to my schedule again in the future. With the exception of the short stretch shared between the run and bike, I really enjoyed all 3 parts of the course. The lake water was the clearest that I have swam in and the volunteers and event staff were very friendly. 

I have less than 2 weeks until the Quad Cities Triathlon. I plan to do some race specific training between now and then and hope to show some improvement over my last 2 races. Thanks for reading!

Official results. I finished 275 out of 395 racers

National Runner's Month Challenge

Last month I participated in a Runner's Month Challenge hosted by the health and fitness center at Pioneer. The challenge was simple, use a GPS device to track all miles run during the month of May. As a company, we had a goal of running 4,000 miles. We didn't quite hit that goal but 41 runners did manage to log 3,163 miles.

From a personal standpoint, I logged 103.12 miles for the month which was good enough for the 9th most among all employees participating in the challenge. I really got excited about the challenge and even surprised myself a little. In the past 5 years of running, this is the 3rd most miles that I have ever logged in a month and only the 5th time that I have crossed the 100 mile threshold.

The challenge may be over, but my summer is just heating up. Over the next 2 months I have 4 triathlons and a road race that I will be competing in. For one of those triathlons as well as the 10k road race, I will be representing Pioneer in the Des Moines Corporate Games and looking to help contribute to defending the championship that was earned last year. 

Hickory Grove Triathlon Recap

Leading up to race day I didn't quite know what to expect. Up until Saturday evening, the weather forecast was calling for thunderstorms overnight Saturday through the afternoon on Sunday. Luckily, there was no rain in sight as I headed out on the 45 minute drive to Hickory Grove Park this morning. The conditions at race time were fairly good with temperatures in the 50's an overcast sky with winds out of the NNE from 10 - 15 mph (okay, so lighter winds would have been nice).

I was lucky enough to have my friends Megan and Dan along for the morning which gave the day some added excitement. I opted to not pick up my packet on Saturday so we arrived plenty early, shortly after 6:00, and were among the first people there. As I was picking up my packet, I realized that I had forgotten my race belt at home, luckily they had some safety pins available at the table so I grabbed a few. After getting transition set up, we wandered around a bit to check out the beach, as well as the start of the bike and run courses before heading back to the truck to warm up a little. Time seemed to pass really slowly for awhile (I guess that happens when you arrive 2 hours early) but finally race time came.

Preparing for the pre-race meeting

Finishing up the swim, I am the bottom left in the group
of 4 swimmers in the middle of the picture

Out of the water and heading up the hill to T1

The water temperature was 72 so the course was deemed wet suit legal so I got to use my wet suit for the first time. I had only worn it once before just to try it out for a quick swim at Big Creek yesterday morning so I still wasn't sure what struggles it might provide. The swim was 500 meters (plus a run up the hill into transition) and I was in the first swim wave. I never really got comfortable during the swim, but ended up with my 2nd best swim ever with a 2:08/100 yrd pace. After heading up the hill and into T1 I was pleasantly surprised at how easily I was able to get my wet suit off. One thing that I was worried about with the suit is the amount of extra effort and time that it would take in T1 but it didn't cause much of an issue at all. 

Putting socks and shoes on in T1

The bike course was 15.5 miles and include 3 loops. It was pretty flat for the most part but the North wind sure did affect me each time I headed into it. In addition, the wind picked up throughout the race so each lap took a little bit more effort. I certainly didn't ride great but since it is only my 4th time on my bike this year I think that will improve going forward. I ended up with a 17.6 mph average which is certainly one of my slowest bike splits. 

Heading out on the bike course

I'm going so fast that I'm just a blur :)

Since I forgot my race belt, it took a little extra time in T2 to pin my run bib onto my tri suit (I was also not thrilled about having to use pins on my brand new tri suit). As is always the case, I got passed a lot on the run course, but I did run pretty well and finished with a run split of 32:56. 

Heading out onto the run course

Finishing strong

My official time was 1:41:46. Overall, it was a great race to start the season and my friend's Megan and Dan said they had a good time too. I now have a benchmark for the rest of the year and from here plan to adjust my training accordingly. My biggest take away was that I need to get outside on the bike more. The late spring and busy family schedule over the past couple of weeks have really cut into my bike training time. The good news there is that I know my bike fitness and speed should return quickly as I put in more miles outside.

I have 2 weeks until my next race which is the Pigman Sprint Triathlon at Pleasant Creek State Park just north of Cedar Rapids. I'm looking forward to it!

Official splits

Strong showing to start the year

(Guest Post!) New Title: Triathlete

All ready to race

The first thing that you have to understand about me is that I am competitive.  So, as I have watched my husband complete many triathlons (Including a 70.3!) it has been in the back of my mind that I should be able to tackle one too.  This however, seemed an impossible task as I have an extreme aversion to swimming in open water. The idea of swallowing water that a fish pooped in a few seconds before does not appeal to me and neither does being swam over and kicked by a bunch of adrenaline filled triathletes.  Around December, the heavens opened and I learned that there existed a triathlon with a pool swim and an outdoor run and bike. With much encouragement from Patrick and a training program in place, I committed to the Tri by Knight Sprint Triathlon at Wartburg College in Waverly.

Since Patrick has great experience and has done a lot of reading about the best training plans, I asked him to create a program to help me get ready.  Since I spent 2017 running my half of 2017 miles, it was quite a challenge for me to get used to training in the pool and on the bike. Some days I needed to be pulled out of bed by my loving coach in order to keep going but the advice and encouragement were invaluable.

Early morning swim session

I did my swim training at the Urbandale Public Swimming Pool in the mornings twice a week before the girls woke up.  One day there were very few people at the pool so I attempted flip turns for the first time since junior high...epic fail.  So, I just trained at feeling comfortable swimming and getting a little bit faster. The weather this spring was not ideal for training with all of the snow and cold temperatures so I had very few opportunities to ride my bike outside.  I have had my mountain bike for 100 years and it has ridden in many Ride the Rivers but never in a speedy fashion. Patrick offered for me to try his bike but I was too afraid that my foot would get stuck in the toe cages and crash that I couldn’t use it.  So….mountain bike with a granny seat it was! In February I knew that my next task was to acquire something to wear during the race. This part of racing a triathlon was actually one of the most terrifying parts. I have many body image issues that putting on a skin tight suit exasperated to infinity and beyond.    Thankfully, the very first one that I tried on fit well and was on sale! When I purchased it I was still not sure that I would be able to actually wear it on race day.

Packet pickup

On Friday, we picked Abigail up from school and dropped Bridget and Hunter off at Mike and Melissa Timmer’s house for the night.  It is so nice to have trusted family to help because even though she cried at the thought of missing my race, everyone was happier with Bridget happily playing with cousins instead of making the trek to Waverly.  Packet pickup made the whole process very real and exciting as the race got closer. Patrick drove me around the bike route pointing out areas of concern and giving me tons of helpful tips along the way. Then we picked up some dinner and headed back to Dan and Shirley’s house in Evansdale to attempt some sleep before the race.  I was up a lot of the night but did not feel too tired as the race did not start until 9 so we did not have too early of a wake up call.

Abigail watching me setup transition

Breakfast on the sidewalk

Inked

When we arrived back in Waverly, it was time to get marked with my number, set up my transition space and eat some breakfast.  Because Patrick has the transition system down to a science, it was very easy for me to set up my supplies. I ran through all of the things that I had to remember to do during each transition in my head 50 times so that I would not forget any of the details.  We walked into the W to check out the pool and I had not thought about the lane lines being down during the race because where I trained they were never in the pool. I was a little bit glad at that point that I was not doing flip turns because pushing off at an angle was already going to be a strange without that added challenge.

The pre-race meeting was scheduled to start at 8:50 so I headed into the pool area.  We were asked to line up according to our estimated 300 m swim time. Luckily, I was standing by two very chatty athletes so I did not think about being nervous while I was waiting.  One of them gave me some pointers because she had done the race last year and learned a thing or two. One of the race directors then made some announcements and reminded everyone of several important rules. I was thankful again for Patrick because he had already gone over these with me so there were no surprises….I do not like surprises at the last minute.   In the pool, if you wanted to pass someone the method was to tap them on the foot and they should slow to let you go by them. If everyone lined up the correct order, this should not have been a problem but as you can guess, people did not accurately choose their spot in line.

There was someone standing at the start of the race telling the next swimmer when it was time to go.  When it was my turn I got a great start and kept spacing between the people around me until around lap 3. The water felt very strange because of the number of swimmers in the water. Someone in the lane next to me was passing and ran into me head on so I got slowed down. Since I had slowed, the person behind me wanted to pass so I paused for her to go by me before I finished the swim portion of the race in 7 minutes.  Overall, I was happy with my swim and understand that things happen in a race and that is just a normal part of a competition like this one.

Swim done, time for more fun

Running out of the pool, I headed for transition number one.  I felt very strong and ready to tackle the my toughest portion of the race.  My biggest fans cheered for me as I dried off to get on my socks, shoes and helmet.  Having watched Patrick during his races proved EXTREMELY helpful because I knew what a good transition looked like and how to get in and out in a hurry.  As usual, technology and I did not get along so I struggled to get Patrick’s Edge to turn on but I eventually prevailed after a ⅓ of a mile and got on my way.  The bike route was a 15 mile loop on good roads and lots of volunteers and police spread out along the way. I completed the first 5 miles under 20 minutes which was a triumph and very energizing.

While I was riding, Abigail finally lost her other front tooth, again eating banana bread!

I was passed consistently by other bikers who had started the swim after I did and they were all very encouraging.  Patrick has always said that one of the things that attracts him to the sport is the comradery between athletes. The hills near the end of the course zapped my energy and I slowed up but kept my legs moving.  In an hour I was done with the bike course and headed in to switch my helmet for a visor.

Finishing up an exhausting ride

One of the strangest feelings is jumping off a bike and attempting to go for a run.  My toes had fallen asleep and the muscles in my legs had just done the same circular motion for an hour and now I was asking them to carry me 3.1 miles…..they do not love this idea so it takes a little bit to get them stretched out.  At this point in the race the temperature was warmer than I had trained by far and that made it difficult for me to get any speed going. The run was a loop around campus that was completed 3 times, each time passing the finish line in the stadium.  Passing the finish line is always a little bit discouraging but Patrick and Abigail were also right there keeping me going. On loop 3 I really wanted to pick up speed but I did not have anything extra left to give. I completed the run in about 32 hot and sweaty minutes.

Headed out on the run

Finishing up lap 1

Last lap

At this point, I realized that I had been wearing my tri suit for the whole race and nothing catastrophic happened when people looked at me.  I had put it out of my mind...not that I didn’t notice it in the these awesome pictures Patrick snapped of me, but it was a start. It was interesting running with people on all different laps and who started the race at different times.  You don’t know if they are ahead of or behind you so if you are attempting to complete against them, no such luck. My goal was to complete the race and I definitely did that with flying colors.

Crossing the finish line

Done!!!

If anyone has been thinking about tackling a new goal, go for it.  I was not sure that I could actually swim, bike and run in a triathlon but the process is just as important as the event itself.  Having a coach to push and help you along the way is key. Patrick has offered before to help others train for a goal that they have in mind and he is serious.  I can give you a personal recommendation! I could not have accomplished this feat without his support and two little girls cheering me on. It is important to me to show my daughters that they can work toward a goal, improve themselves and be proud of their accomplishments.

I have a new title: Triathlete.

Snickers shake reward for a job well done

Best coach ever

Patrick took a nice picture of my back because I asked
him to even though he thought it was silly,
but I kinda like this attempt!

Hard earned race shirt