Monday, July 12, 2010

Race Report - Couples Triathlon

This is the second event I do for the Texas Tri series and one I had not done before. It was a a little bumpy to the start line, but it ended up being a great race.

When I signed up initially I didn’t have a partner, so I was placed in the Individual category. However, about two weeks before the race I received an email from the organizers saying that they would pair up singles that were still looking for a partner and put them in the Mostly Strangers group. I decided to take my chances since they had already warned me that the singles were the last wave to start (not really, I found out later that the relatives were the very last to go in the water). Imagine my surprise when I received an email back saying that I had been paired up with a Jody Kelly. Hmmm, could that be the Jody Kelly I know, the one that is also a TriZoner? The one that has been training with me on Tuesday nights? I didn’t want to embarrass myself by sending a very excited and warm note to a perfect stranger only to figure out later that there were two Jody Kellys around. So, I sent an email out to the Jody I know and, YES!!, it was her. What a crazy little world, we both sign up to be randomly paired up with any other single and we end up being paired up with a teammate. We decided to change our status to Friends and registered under the name “727”; Jody is 72 and I’m 27, get it? I thought it was a pretty cool name.

My Goal for the Race

All I wanted to do was to be able do the run without stopping. I did really good last time in this course for Danskin, but by the time I got to the run I was really tired and had to walk much more than what I would have wanted. So the strategy was to pace myself (aka, slack if needed) in the swim and bike, so that I would have enough energy to do the run without slowing down, not even in the water stations. I was also going to try eating some more calories during the ride, hopefully that would also help with the run goal.

Pre-Race

As I usually do, I left all my stuff packed and ready the night before. The only thing left to do in the morning was fill out the water bottles, and, since this wasn’t one of my A/B races I decided to try out this new and revolutionary concept called: eating breakfast. I usually don’t eat anything, other than the occasional post workout chocolate milk, before nine in the morning; on race days I sometimes do the chocolate milk or some kind of cereal bar but never anything filling or heavy. I decided that a PB&J sandwich could be a good option… some carbs, some protein, and also much more substantial than a glass of milk… if it didn’t work out this time, I could try something else next time.

Well I got ready, M got ready, I ate my sandwich, filled my bottles and off we headed to Decker Lake. I wanted to get out of the house before six in the morning and be at the park by 6:20, but for some reason or another that did not happen. We actually made it to the park at about 6:45.

Once there I decided to pump my tires at the car so I didn’t have to carry the floor pump to transition. I started unscrewing the lock on the valve and I still don’t know what I did wrong but I actually broke the valve and deflated the tire in the process. Great! Now I have to change the tire. Well, at least it didn’t happen during the race, and at least I had M to help me (my fix-a-flat skills are way better than his, but he’s got the strength I lack to take that last part of the tire into the wheel rim). That took us a good ten minutes so I made it to transition at seven, much later that what I would have wanted. I knew I was not going to get a good place to place my bike, but then I was actually surprised to find a spot not too far from the bike out.

I took everything out of the bag and that’s when I realized I left my gloves. Hmm, ok, I guess I’ll do the ride without them. I kept setting up my stuff and discovered I also left my socks. How did I pack this bag yesterday? Oh well, I couldn’t do anything about that, so I was going to have to race without them.

I got out of the transition area to meet up with M and I told him about the gloves and the socks and he reminded me that he had a pair of gloves in my car. I told him it was ok, that I would do without, but he insisted, so we went to the car and I was able to find a spare pair I had left in the car, I think since last season. (Good, because M’s gloves would have been huge for my hands.) Walking back to transition from the parking lot he also offered to give me his socks, he’s so sweet :). Still, I declined; for me running with big bulky socks is far worse than running with no socks at all.

I barely made it back to transition in time to set up the gloves and before I could make it out of there, they were already asking all to step out of the area. Well, at least I was able to set up everything, but it was a close call.

Once out, I left my bag at the TZ tent, then I headed to the swim start where I met up with Jody. We had one of the earlier waves, but we still had time to chat a little before we started.

The Swim

Jody told me she was going to stay towards the back and I decided to join her, after all, there is no point on me pretending I’m one of the fast ones only to have a bunch of people swimming over me later. Well, let’s just say it was rough; even back there there were people kicking me and hitting me and swimming over me. It was a brutal start. I think I had to swim 75-100 meters before I could actually found some space. After that I was able to find my pace and just relax… mostly… once the next wave started passing me it was kicking and hitting again. Seriously, WTF?

I made it out of the water in 23:13, almost a minute slower than Danskin. But I was actually quite happy with the time. I had thought earlier that the Danskin course was short and that there was no way in this world I could have really finished 800m in less than half an hour, but it seems that the swim classes are really paying off.

T1 was uneventful. I spent 2:34 there.

The Ride

One of the things I wanted was to eat more calories during the bike, so as soon as I found my pace I ate a few Cliff Shots. Before I knew it I was approaching Little Tard. I was mentally ready to walk it if needed… just part of the strategy, saving my legs for the run ;-). At the end I didn’t need to, and, although I was out of air by the time I reached the top, I was able to find a good pace to continue. Towards the end of the course I finished the Cliff Shots and was looking forward to the run.

The time for the bike was 42:50, Danskin was 44:08 so a bit better. I was in and out of T2 in 1:26 and now my real race started.

The Run

I don’t know if it was the breakfast, the extra calories in the bike, the peak performance workouts or all of the above, but going out to the run felt really great. The course wasn’t  as muddy as I thought it would be, last year I had to stop a few times to scrap my muddy shoes, and it was nothing like that this time. Before I knew it I was at the first water station. I normally slow down or walk for a while, but not this time, I was on a mission. On my way downhill I found the second water station and I was still running. No slowing down on this one either because that last uphill was coming and I might need to slow down there. Well soon enough the moment of the truth came and no, no backing out going up either. Up the hill I went and once there I was able to find some more in me to sprint –well not really a sprint, but definitely speed up– to the finish line. I finished at 1:40:52 with 30:47 on the run. Yey!! That is both a PR for the course and the run!! (1:43:09 and 31:45 were the previous.)

Saturday, July 3, 2010

From Brazil to Texas in a Week, With a Short Stop in France

Last Thursday I went to the Peak Performance workout and I’m not really sure why Coach Jen mentioned that I was doing an Ironman. Brazil, right? Yeah baby! Brazil!

Well, at least that was the intention, because when I got home I decided to finally register for it and NOOOOOOO! I found the following message in their website:

The registration for Ironman Brazil 2011 is SOLD OUT !

No!!! When did this happen? How did this happen? Who? What? When? What? What? Sold out? Why? What am I going to do now?

I admit it, I panicked. You know when you have a dream and it get’s crushed in front of you eyes… that’s how I felt.

After I told M so we could share my sad moment, I went to the ironman page. Surely, there has to be some other I can do… right? Well, yes, if you want  to do it in Idaho!  <Notice the sarcasm> (Nothing against Idaho, ok, maybe a little.)

Well, after another moment of panic and sadness I came to my senses and realized that the races in Canary Islands, Nice, and Austria could be good options. I also noticed that the brand new Ironman Texas, on May 21, 2011, had not started accepting applications yet.

Ok, ok, breathe, there are still options. 

I checked out the courses, the prices, the temperature, the price of the plane tickets, the locations, everything, and narrowed it down to two: Nice and Texas. Texas? Yes, Texas.

The Nice option was really a replacement for Brazil. Awesome place to do a race and to visit; and if you are going to travel to do a race might as well go to a great place. Texas was just a different story, it’s practically on my backyard, no traveling involved, and the opportunity to actually practice on the race course. The only thing these two races have in common is that they are both Ironman events.

So, after asking around for advice, considering all the pros and cons, and even flipping a coin I decided for Texas… and then Nice… and back to Texas.

Now, seriously, it took me about a week to decide, but I finally registered for Ironman Woodlands, TX. Now the clock starts ticking; in less than a year I will become (or at least attempt) an Ironman. Let the fun begin.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Race Report – Danskin Triathlon

I didn’t realize it until the morning of the race, but this Danskin Triathlon marks the second anniversary of my triathlon endeavors. Sure, I have been running for about 15 years, and I picked up cycling and swimming during college and grad school, but it wasn’t until I completed the 2008 Danskin Triathlon that I could actually call myself a triathlete. So here’s a special (and long, and unusually sentimental) race report for a race that is very special in my heart.

Pre-Race

First of all, my goals. M asked me last week what were my goals for this race. I wanted to do better than last year on the same course. Last year I did Trek instead of Danskin, but who cares… same tri, different name… Anyway, for Trek I did 1:57:08, and I was hung over and sleep deprived (it was my birthday weekend). So I thought: 30 minutes on the swim, 45 for the ride and 30 for the run, spend five in transition and I should be able to PR with about an hour and fifty minutes.

The morning of the race I woke up at four in order to take a shower, wake up M for him to take his shower, and get everything ready and in the car by five. Everything went according to plan and I was actually able to get all my tri stuff ready before M could get all his camera stuff ready, so I took a minute to check my emails and update my Facebook. As I was changing my status to “Vanessa is doing the Danskin Triathlon today” I remembered that this was the first tri I ever registered for… it was back on 2008 and I had just moved to Austin after completing grad school. And that’s when it hit me, I am a triathlete, and I became one two years ago, doing this very same race at the very same site. Suddenly a different kind of excitement overwhelmed me. “This officially marks two years triing!!”, I added to my status.

Once we were both ready, M and I drove down to Decker Lake; he had already warned me that he had to leave right after I crossed the finish line, so we went in separate cars. After we parked I left him in the extra long spectator’s  line and went to the participant’s  line. I stepped in and there was this lady in front of me; we started talking because we are both Hispanics and just can’t help talking to perfect strangers. She was a little nervous because this was her fist triathlon and she wasn’t sure she would have time to set transition, I assured her that everything would be fine and that she would have a great race. She also told me she was from El Paso; she and two other friends –the Rio Trio –had traveled to Austin for their fist race. How cool… I don’t have friends who go with me and do races, I thought. We were already on the bus and had been talking for a while when we finally asked each other our names. “Rocio”, she said. “Ahhh, like my middle name”, I responded, “Vanessa Rocio”. On the way out of the bus she had to run to the porter-potty, so we wished each other good luck and I didn’t see her after.

I set up my transition area pretty quickly and headed out for a bathroom break. I was already making the line when I realized, crap!, I left my timing chip back in transition… better head back and get it before they close. Well, I went back to transition, got the chip, back to the bathroom line, in-and-out, and now I had to look for M. Because I left my cell phone at home by mistake, I had no way of calling him and asking him where he was, so I walked around to find him… and I walked… and I walked. I was about to give up when finally, like ten minutes past seven, I see him walking in. Turns out the extra long spectator's line had not moved at all until the last athlete was in, oh well. M did some picture taking and then we moved to the swim finish to see the fist women come out of the water. I wasn’t there for too long because I wanted to go to the start line and get ready for my 7:41 wave, but I was there enough time to see Coach Jen get out of the water and fly to transition. “She' looks badass”, I told M, and he laughed, I’m not sure why, because it wasn’t a joke. Well anyway, we quickly went to the start so I could blend in with the other orange headed women.

The Swim

Once my wave was called into the water, I went in and was happy to see familiar TriZone faces acting as swim angels and high-fivers. how cool is that, I thought. My wave started and after the first few meters of complete chaos I found my pace, as always trying to remember all the swimming advice from Coach Jen and Tracy. I felt pretty good on the swim, I even found some good feet to drag from. Well… not that good, because at some point the girl I was dragging from decided to switch to breast stroke and kicked me so hard she almost knocked my chronometer of my wrist. After that I was more aware of the possible kicking, I didn’t want my goggles to be the next target.

I got out of the water and the watch was marking twenty-two minutes and some change. It must be wrong I thought; maybe when that girl kicked me she hit the stop button. I double checked and no, it had not stopped, that was the right time… maybe the course was marked wrong and it wasn’t really 800m. Either way, I’ll happily take it.

I went in and out of transition and the watch was now at almost twenty five minutes. I did quick calculation in my head and decided I should be back by one hour ten to keep with the plan.

The Ride

I actually liked the loop around Decker Lake, even with the hills. Except for that evil one also known as Little Tard. I hate that hill, with passion; I wouldn't hate it so much if it didn’t come immediately after that sharp right turn. You see, I don’t know how to turn, so I basically have to slow down until I almost stop whenever there is a sharp turn. Mr. Little Tard apparently knows this, because it hides there right after the turn so I have to go up the hill with absolutely no momentum. For me it’s a pure muscle hill… and I’m a weak person. Well, I was able to get it done without getting out of my bike (at 3 miles per hour, but who cares), after that it was mostly joyful. I saw some other TriZoners and cheered them. Before I knew it it was time for Big Tard which for me is not as bad as the first one because I can use the speed from the down hill. It was around there where I saw Shayla along with other runners cheering us bikers. How can they do that? I’m here almost dying and they are cheering really loud, my respects to all of them for that.

I finished the ride, went into transition, left the bike, changed the shoes and, yes!, not yet one hour ten. Looks like I’m going to be able to walk the run :)

The Run

I got into the run and it wasn’t yet one hour ten. I did another quick calculation and decided that I had forty-five minutes to finish the three mile run and still PR, that’s fifteen minute miles. I can do that.

I ran the first nine minutes and was walking the next one when this girl comes from behind me and starts saying: “No, no, no. You passed me already, you can’t just start walking, you need to keep running.” I told her that I had a run-walk-run strategy. Once the walking minute was gone I started running again, and, again, I passed her, this time I noticed her number: 1264. I did nine more minutes of running and I was ready to walk when the guy with the trumpet at the corner of Mr. Big Tard started playing Eye of the Tiger. Hmm, I couldn’t be that far from that hill, so I decided to keep running for a little longer because I knew I was going to walk the last uphill. Well, I made it to the bottom of the hill and I started walking; the only thing I could think of was number 1264. I was hoping she didn’t catch me… maybe I should run a little longer while it’s still flat. I did that until I got to the hill. I must have been halfway to the top of the hill when I heard the girl again. “You can’t be walking, we’re almost there. Come on!!” Ok, ok, I’ll run, but only because you are really motivating, and how come you are so energetic anyway?, we’re running uphill! So I ran with her for the rest of the race. We were almost at the finish line when I saw the TriZones cowbelling team. It was so nice and cool to see people that I’ve been training with for the past year or so there cheering me. At the last few meters 1264 sprinted to the finish line and I didn’t; she ended up beating me by a few seconds.

Right there at the finish line I found M. As always, he had his camera ready for a finisher’s pic. After I got my water and my medal I walked around to meet him. I looked at the watch 1:43:09!!! I’m was excited, that’s a huge improvement. I told him about 1264 and how she carried me through the last leg of the race. He asked me if I passed her at the end. No, I confessed; to be perfectly honest, I couldn’t, I was dead tired already, but even if I could, I think she deserved to finish first, after all, if it wasn’t for her I would have probably be walking the hill still ;)

Post-Race

I usually leave soon after I finish, but since I had my own car this time I decided to stay for a while and join the cowbelling team. I did some cheering to cool down (I didn’t know but it is a great way to cool down after a race) and then went to the TZ tent to mingle with the rest of the team. At some point while I was there I saw Coach Gina and she asked me about my race and what was my favorite part. The swim, hands down; I still thought the course was not 800m, but I’ll take my 22 minutes all the same, I told her. Also while at the tent I put my name on the massage list.

I was ready to leave already, but I was waiting for my massage turn when they called for the group pictures. How nice, team pictures, this means I’m part of the team :). I did some more cheering and then my turn was up for the massage. Once I was done with the massage I was really ready to leave, and I noticed most people had done so already; everyone but the TriZones team. They were still cheering for every woman who approached the finish line. I decided to stay after all, and it was one of the best, and most humbling experiences I’ve had. And so I cheered with the team, my team, until the last woman crossed the finish line. After everyone was done and I was finally saying my goodbyes I approached Coach Gina again, I had changed my mind, this, cheering as a team until the last participant had crossed the finish line, was my favorite part of the race.

What an amazing group of people is the TriZones family. I thought about Rocio as I went through the rest of my post-race day; how cool it was that she and her friends traveled together so they could do their first race together. Well, I do have friends who go with me, cheer me, encourage me and challenge me while I do races: I have M and I have the TriZones team.

Statistics

And, since this race marks the two year anniversary of becoming a triathlete, here are some statistics to show my progress over these two years:

  Danskin ‘08 Trek ‘09 Danskin ‘10
Overall Time 2:07:02 1:57:08 1:43:09
Overall Rank 1383/2453 201/433 355/1573
Age Group Rank 164/289 33/48 49/131
Swim 34:41 29:58 22:21
T1 5:32 4:17 2:26
Bike 50:16 48:18 44:08
T2 3:36 3:09 1:18
Run 32:55 31:25 32:54

Final Remarks

These two years of racing have been awesome. I’ve pushed myself to do things I never thought I could do. I’ve finished races that go from the super sprint to the half-Ironman distance and I’m getting ready to attempt the full distance.

I would have not been able to make this if it was not with the support of a lot of people that have helped me along the way. My parents, specially my dad, who taught me the joy of running and racing. M, who wakes up early for every race and is my number one fan. My friends, who leave nice wish-you-luck messages in my Facebook wall every time I have a race. The TriZones team and their coaches, who have taught me how to train and have encouraged me to do better countless Tuesday nights and have cheered me and cowbelled for me along the course of last year. And also perfect strangers like Rocio and number 1264, whose real name is Gabrielle Groom, who have shared with me the joys and pains of being a triathlete. To all of you, thank you!

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Race Report – Skesee Greets Women’s Tri

My first event on the Texas Tri Series was today at the Texas Ski Ranch in New Braunfels. Here’s the report:

Pre-Race Weekend

Usually for pre-race I only count the time it takes me to go from waking up the morning of the race to the start line. For this tri, however, I’m going to expand that to the whole weekend.

I left Austin with M and his brother Gerard on Friday night. We got a weekend place in New Braunfels because I know that, as much as M loves me, he was not waking up at 4am in the morning just to take pictures of me. It turned out to work great because Gerard hadn’t been in that part of Texas yet, so we took him with us for some touristic action. Once we got there and checked out the place it was bed time.

Saturday morning we woke up late, after all there are no dirty dishes and no laundry waiting for you when you are “on vacation”. At around 10:30 we decided to go to Naegelin’s Bakery for breakfast and that’s when the series of unrecommended pre-race events started. You see, we were expecting a bakery, yes, but also a place where we could have a nice hearty breakfast. Well, we did get plenty of pastries (which, by the way, were very good) but no real breakfast. So after stuffing our faces with sweets, we still needed something heavy on our stomachs, so we went on a quest for a good sandwich place. And, we found it at Olives Italian Market; half an hour later we had stuffed our faces once again, this time with Italian ham and cheese sandwich and pasta salad. Not bad, pero como decía mi abuela “no es lo mucho es lo seguido…” (like my grandma used to say “it’s not how much, but how often”).

Anyway, we continued on with our day and decided we would take Gerard to the Gruene District for some old fashion fun. We got to Gruene and our first stop was, of course, the winery.  After a few cups of wine and some cheese and crackers we walked around the historic district, but before we left we made sure we had some ice cream at the general store. What next? M and Gerard are beer fans, so the next logical place was the brewery. We headed back to downtown New Braunfels to the Faust Hotel for a round of good Texan beer, oh, and popcorn, and did I mention it was not three o’clock yet? So again, not how much, but how often…

Finally, for dinner (because we have not been eating and drinking enough) we went to Huisache Grill and may I say de-li-cious. Bratwurst and jalapeño sausages, fried brie with raspberry chipotle sauce, sausage gumbo, penne pasta grill with shrimps (oh yeah, this is supposed to be my carb dinner, because I haven’t had enough during the day), and to top it off crème brulee.  

We went back to our place after dinner and I was tired from all the going around and stuffed with all we ate and drank during the day. All in all, a great day for going around the New Braunfels area, but not the way I would spend my pre-race day. I went to sleep early but maybe too early, because I woke up around eleven at night and couldn’t go back to sleep until past one in the morning.

Finally got back to sleep, but not for long because the alarm was set for five. I was surprised that I was very energized from the moment I got up. I took a quick shower and made sure everyone was awake and getting ready. I thought about eating something for breakfast, but I was still full from the day before, so I just got one of those Nature Valley bars for later on. We got everything and everyone in the car and headed for the Ski Ranch, we also picked some coffee and breakfast tacos for the guys on the way. When we got to the Ski Ranch the main parking was full, so we went to the backup lot.

I quickly made my way to the transition area and found the Trizones rack. It took me a while to get the area ready; by the end of last season I already had a system for my setup, but I’m out of practice. Once done I headed to the porter-potties and the line was huge. I think I was there a good 15-20 minutes. At some point while in the line I remembered that Nature Valley bar and thought I shouldn’t go into the race with an “empty” stomach so I decided to eat it. I made it out of the line with just enough time to make it to the start line.

The Race

I had the first wave for the swim. I don’t think I’ve ever had the first wave for the swim, so this was a different experience from my other races. The swim was short and I really, really tried to remember all of Coach Jen and Coach Tracy’s mantras… “remember a high elbow”, “I want to see your armpit”, “you can be a pontoon boat or you can be a yacht…you want to be the yacht”. I don’t think I did such a good job, because M commented after I finished the race that I looked like I was doing a lot of work and going nowhere. Now, where have I heard that before? Oh, yeah, I recall Coach Tracy saying the exact same thing at the swim practices. Anyway, I made it out of the water in 9:37. Not stellar, but oh well, feeling good. T1 was ok, spent two and a half minutes getting my bike. I was surprised to see so many bikes still racked, which made me feel kind of good.

The ride was really nice. I loved going out on the country, the hills were not at all bad, and, for the most part, the roads were nice and smooth. I thought I was doing great progress and I was actually passing people, another unusual occurrence. The ride was almost over when I was surprised to see M out there in the course taking pictures. I finished feeling strong and was amazed, no, astonished that I was the first bike in the rack. That has never happened before; usually I need to look for any space I can find because everyone has already racked and I no longer have a spot. Really?! Was I doing that good on the bike? Well, the whole minute and a half that I spent on T2 was enough time to realize that no, you silly, you are not the first to rack back because you are so fast, it’s because you were on the first wave and there are no other Trizoners in your wave. (Official time was 39:58 and 16.5mph, in case you are interested, not as good as I was feeling, but I’ll take it.) Anyway, I was still feeling good when I went out to the run course.

Running was uneventful. This is actually my favorite discipline, so I always feel good on the run. When I left T2 my watch was reading fifty-three minutes and some change, by the time I got to the first mile marker it was at an hour and almost two minutes. I was hoping for ten minute miles, but this was even better. On the way back I saw a few Trizoners and cheered them (secretly hoping that none of them would catch me before the finish line). Finished the second mile strong, it was very muddy right there at the end, but I was really happy to stop my watch at 1:11:24. M and Gerard were waiting for me at the finish line for some more picture taking.

After finishing I headed to the fruits, massage, and other amenities for the participants. Went back to the Trizones tent and spent some time there cheering for some of the other team members. On the way out I stopped to see the official time: 1:11:22. Not bad, not bad… but the best part, running pace 8:51!!! I cannot remember a time after college when I was able to race anything under a nine minute mile (nine thirty, to be honest). Wow! this feels great for me, remember that running is my favorite sport… now if I could only use some of that motivation in the swim, that’s the next challenge.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

I'm back

I know, I know… I’ve been MIA from the blog for almost two months now. But make no mistake, that does not mean that I haven’t been busy and training –well, sort of—for the past eight weeks. Since I have not written anything in a while, this one is going to be a long one, but bear with me while I try to summarize the past weeks in a few paragraphs.

So let’s see, my last post was shortly after I tripped over the printer cable and broke my big toe which got me limping for about two weeks. I did some spinning to try to maintain cardio level, but before I knew it I was traveling to Puerto Rico to finalize the details of the wedding. Naïve me thought that just because I was going to the “Island of Enchantment” I would have a pleasant and relaxing time. Nothing was further from the truth.

The few weeks that I spent in Puerto Rico leading to the wedding were intense. I usually woke up early enough so that I could run some errands in the Puerto Rican morning but would still be on time to start my day on Texas time and work for the rest of the day. The evenings and night were filled with more errands and more planning. Eating habits became nonexistent as I delighted myself with some deep fried tostones or alcapurrias whenever I could.

It didn’t take long to realize that I had to start running and exercising again. This realization came to me not because of my hopes to be ready for triathlon season, but because of my fear of not being able to fit into the wedding dress that I had bought almost a year in advance. So I did start the exercise routine again. I joined a local spinning club and took classes 2-3 times a week and also build up to running 5 miles without any toe pains a few times a week.

Before I knew it the big day had come. After all the planning and all the stress, the day of the wedding was actually perfect. It might have been because we were determined to enjoy it at all cost, or maybe we were just biased because it was our wedding, but M and I had a blast and hopefully so did all of our guests. We had the opportunity to share such a special occasion with our families and closest friends. We ate a lot, drank a lot, and danced a lot. All in all, an awesome afternoon, next to the most incredible person I could imagine spending the rest of my life with. And yes, I did fit into my dress, yey!!

After the wedding weekend M and I flew to beautiful Jamaica to enjoy our honeymoon. We stayed at the Sandals Montego Bay. Beach, food and drinks were all inclusive and we took advantage of all three. After the hectic time getting ready for the wedding it was so nice and relaxing to be able to do absolutely nothing for a week. I guess I could have taken the week completely off, but I decided to at least try to run in the mornings, so I could have an excuse to eat more ;-).

Sadly, we couldn’t stay in Jamaica forever; we had to come back to our reality and at least on my part that reality involves training –really training. So I emailed Coach Tracy from the Trizones Training group and asked her if I could join their ongoing spring training. “Sure,” she said, “and by the way, we are doing core training and swim drills tonight.” Great! Just my luck, the two things I had completely ignored since past October. (Please note the sarcasm.) Well, it didn’t go terribly bad; I survived the core session and on the swimming, well, I’m still slow as molasses, but that is nothing new, at least I still remember how to swim. The good thing about going to the training session was that I had a chance to speak with Coach Jen about my plans for the Ironman. I told her that I was shooting for Ironman Brazil (did I said that on the blog already? I don’t remember). She assured me that I had plenty of time and that I should focus on getting ready for the Longhorn triathlon next October. From there on –according to her –it should be really easy to build up to the full distance.

So there it is, the last two months condensed in seven hundred words. From here on the fun starts, the first triathlon I’m doing for the Texas Tri Series is the Skeese Greets Women’s Triathlon which takes place two weeks from now. After that, it just keeps building up to the grad finale with the Longhorn 70.3. And with that, the only thing I can say is: let the fun begin!

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Black and Blue

Last Friday I was working on my improvised home office when I tripped over one of the computer cables. I cried some, I yelled some, and I cursed some, and by the time I was done with all that I realized that something went seriously wrong when I fell. I couldn’t move my big toe and it was getting bigger and darker by the minute. So, after a good thirty minutes of trying to convince myself that it was just another bad fall and another bruise for my collection of clumsy incidents I came to the realization that I had broken my toe. So much for the long run and the ride I had planned for the weekend…

Anyway, it’s been almost a week now and I’m still limping a little bit when I walk. Running is out of the picture for now, but at least I can do some spinning to keep up with the exercise.

M took some pictures of my big ugly toe. I’ll be posting them soon.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

To Do’s

Ok, so I’ve already started riding –a little bit – but there are a few things I need to do, buy, and pay in order to have everything set up. And since I'll be using this as my training diary I’ll post it here and update it accordingly.

Some things need to be done ASAP (A), some can wait until after the wedding (W) and some are very low priority (L) and I can do them whenever.

To Do
1. (A) Fill out the registration for the Texas Tri Series
2. (A) Find my swimsuit – It’s in one of those boxes in the closet, problem is which one.
3. (A) Start swimming you lazy lazy…
4. (A) Fix the battery in my heart rate monitor
5. (A) Pick up my old bike from Maria’s and ship it to PR.

To Buy
1. (A) One or two Nuun sticks
2. (W) New (blue-ish) shoes – the ones I have got a little banged up when I fell last time and it’s not easy to release the lock, plus, they don’t go with my bike and helmet. Will need new ones before the Rookie –got to start checking bonktown.com
3. (W) Gel stuff box
4. (W) Nuun in box
5. (W) Sports beans box
6. (W) Monkey wipes box
7. (L) A trainer – probably on sale during the summer months
8. (L) New cleats
9. (L) New running shoes

To Pay
1. (A) USAT membership
2. (A) Rookie Tri
3. (A-W) Trizone’s dues
4. (W) other events in the series

Monday, February 22, 2010

New bike rack. Yey!!!

I had been debating over the idea of buying a new bike rack for a while now. On one hand I didn’t want to spend a lot of money right now, especially with all the wedding expenses adding up fast. On the other one, it was becoming evident that if M and I were going to be riding together often we needed a better way of carrying both bikes; we’ve been dealing with taking the front wheels off and stacking the bikes into the back of my hatchback, but it’s just tedious.

So, after last week’s ride I decided it was time to do it and I got myself a Saris Bones that holds three bikes. I considered getting the two bike rack, but the difference was only $30 and I know the extra spot will come in handy when we go riding with our friend Oliver or with anyone else who wants to joint the fun.

We went out for a quickie ride yesterday to test it out. Check it out.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Amazing Jody

Last season I joined a local training group called Tri Zones. It was an attempt to have a more structured training and also to meet some other triathletes in the area. Every Tuesday evening we met for the day’s workout and some socializing before and after practice. All in all, it was a great experience for a number of reasons, one of them being that it was there where I met Jody.

Jody is not your typical triathlete (if there is such a thing). She doesn’t care about riding the fastest bike or being the first out of the water. She doesn’t talk about even splits, or negative splits, or any kind of splits. She is not concerned about whether or not she will PR at the next event or if she will place in the top 10, or 5, or 3 –although, she usually does. She just likes triathlon. I mean, she really enjoys it, probably more that most competitors out there. She’s always happy to be in practice and she comes out with the funniest stories when she participates at events. She is also over seventy years old. Needless to say, she has become an inspiration and a very good motivator. I can only wish that when I’m her age I will be as active, and training with her makes me think twice before complaining about one more lap or one more hill.

A few weeks back I received news from Tri Zones that Jody and her granddaughter, Shannon, were one of the teams selected to participate in the Amazing Race 16. I was so excited! I’ve watched the Race before and I always think to myself: “I would love to be able to do that one day”, and now I actually know someone who did. So tonight, as the Amazing Race 16 premiers, I will sit in front of the screen and cheer for Jody and Shannon. They might go all the way and win a million dollars or they might get eliminated in the first round (hopefully not). Either way, Jody, it is a privilege and an honor to have you as a training mate, and I didn’t need an Amazing Race to know that you are AMAZING.

First Ride of the Year

Good weather has finally made its way to Austin and that means it’s nice to go cycling again. This morning M and I woke up “early” to load the bikes in my car and head out to the Avery Ranch area for our fist ride of the year: a 20 miler out in the hill country. We had to spend some time finding all our gear and fitting both bikes in the trunk of my rack-less car, but we managed to do it rather efficiently.

We got there a few minutes before 10 am and met with a group that is training for the MS 150. The ride was very pleasant; we went out on some of the farm roads, saw some greenery and some cattle, and for the most part we were able to just relax and enjoy the ride. It was also great to have M riding with me as we challenged each other playing catch-up every few miles. (He beat me to the finish line, but that won’t happen again ;)). And, since I usually go out by myself it was a very nice change to have other people to chat with on the way. The temperature was still a bit chilly for my taste, but I prefer that to the hundred and something degrees that it will be in the summer.

All in all, it was a great way to get back on the saddle. May this be the first of many many rides this year.


Here's the map.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Ready to Roll

Last time I rode my bike was late October last year during the cycling leg of the Longhorn triathlon. Without going into the details of that day, I’m just going to say that I fell (badly) injuring my arm and busting my bike in the process. The shifter ended up all crooked, the tape was messed up and it also got some scratches. Well, I hadn’t had the time or the need to take the bike to the shop, so I just ignored it in the garage since.

But two weeks ago something wonderful happened. It was mid January but the weather here in Austin felt like early spring: high sixties to mid seventies, beautiful sunshine, nice breeze. A sign from above –I thought – that it was time to take my bike out of its misery and finally find the time to take it to the shop. And so I did. I drove down to Jack and Adam’s with both my bike and M’s (who apparently has never heard of such thing as chain degreaser) and got the bikes a tune up. On top of that, since my tape had to be replaced I chose to change the color to blue, to match with the frame and the helmet. (Note to self: now I need new shoes to match.) Two days later, I went back to pick up the bikes and while I’m there I remember that I want one of those aerodrink bottles (the ones that say “I'm such a badass and I ride for so long that I need this huge ass water bottle”), so before I checkout Jack installs the thing on my aerobars. Sweet! I swear if people see the bike racked up they would think it belongs to some serious athlete… then they would see me and they’d be disappointed.

Anyway, it’s now cycling time, right? I mean, the bike is ready for the season and the weather is perfect, right? Not! Well, not only have we not had a single “warm” day since, I also have been struggling with a stubborn cold that won’t go away. So, the bike: ready to roll… me: not so much. I guess I’ll have to wait a few more weeks to get back in the saddle. In the meantime I’ll just keep running.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Short and Long Term Goals

It’s that time of the year when I start thinking about the events I want to participate for the season. I usually choose a particular event that I want to finish in top shape and then select events that I think will help me in my training and also keep me entertained for the rest of the season.

Last year I set a goal to finish the Longhorn triathlon, my first half-ironman. On that occasion I participated in two Olympic distance triathlons (the Capital of Texas and the Austin triathlons) in order to tune-up and get my mind and body ready for the long, long 70.3 miles. I did a few other shorter distance events that I used as brick and transition training.

This time around the situation is a bit different. As I’m getting ready to compete in the Ironman distance I’ve decided to make this not a one season deal, but a two year commitment. Which for me means that not only do I have to pick some tune-up races but I also need to pay more attention to the just-for-fun ones, for these are the ones that will really keep me going.

So, I’ve decided that for the season here in Austin I will register to complete the Texas Tri Series. It consists of five events that go from a novice (300m/12mi/2mi) to the half-ironman (1.2mi/56mi/13.1mi) distance and a finisher’s party at the end (yey!). Some of these events I have already participated in, others are completely new for me. I think this will be the perfect way to spend the year and also to keep me excited and energized as I go through training.

For the tune-up races I will be doing two or three half-ironman or longer events. The first will be the Longhorn which is part of the TTS. Some others that I’m considering as good practice are: 1) The Contender (Vacia Talega, Puerto Rico), this half-iron distance should be a lot of fun for me especially because it is in Puerto Rico and I could recruit my parents and old friends for moral support along the course and also because it would be my first with the swim portion in the ocean; 2) The Lonestar (Galveston Island, TX), this one is “close” to home and the early Spring date would help me keep focus during Winter; and finally 3) El Gran Tríalo de Joyuda (Juyuda, Puerto Rico), this was the first triathlon that I ever witnessed live and is the one that inspired me to start swimming and cycling.

So there you have it, some short and long term event goals. The next thing in order is deciding where the big race will be. The candidates are: Ironman Australia, Ironman Brazil, Ford Ironman Arizona and Ford Ironman Cozumel. I have two strong favorites, but the final choice is still to be made.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

And so it begins

Every once in a while my fiancé, M, writes in one of his blogs. He writes about his hobbies, his job, his family and friends, sometimes he even writes about nothing in particular. A while back he suggested that I should write a blog myself. “About what?” I replied; unlike a lot of people these days, who feel that they need to broadcast to the world every detail of their lives, I don’t consider my life interesting enough that anyone would want to read about it.

The subject was not spoken of again until a few days ago. As a Christmas present I paid for M to take a class on documentary photography and after going through the first part of the class –second part is next weekend-- he started talking about how he was going to practice what he had learned. It wasn’t really a big surprise when he announced me that he would be taking pictures of me and my triathlon training. I've been doing triathlons for a while now and usually he goes with me, keeps me company before my wave starts and then carries me back home once I'm done, taking some nice pictures in all the time in between those two. Also, for some time now I’ve been talking about how I want to complete an Ironman event and M, being the great fiancé that he is, has agreed to take me anywhere I choose in the world so that I can participate in one. Well, we talked about it some more and I thought it could be cool if we document this journey both with his pictures and with my words.

Which brings me here. As part of this blog I will share my experiences as I train to become an Iron(wo)man. It will be a long ride and it will probably be the case that few will find it interesting, amusing, helpful, or ________ (insert here any other reason you can think for reading a blog). However, I’m sure it will be fun and rewarding, plus, I’m going to have some really good pictures to go with it ;)