Kansas 70.3 Race Report Part 1: Friday and Saturday

Friday the Road Trip to KS…
We left Monument around 1pm on Friday since Tim had to work in the morning. We grabbed lunch at McDonalds - I got a grilled chicken club sandwich and a side salad. Actually remembered to say no mayo! McDonalds chicken sandwiches are  really awful. But since Tim was driving, I let him pick the place for lunch. We then took a nice scenic route to get to I-70 and then headed east. And we drove, and drove and drove. We saw a car with 3 triathletes at a gas station in eastern Colorado - they seemed to be enjoying their trip, taking pictures, etc. I can only assume they were also headed to Kansas. One was wearing compression socks in true triathlete style. Tim commented that they seemed to be taking their time with such a long drive ahead. Ah, no matter, they came flying past us on the highway. So Tim stayed a comfortable distance behind them. Then they slowed down and it looked like their windshield seal was coming out. But also up ahead was a cop with someone pulled over and we wondered if they had a radar detector. A few minutes later they came flying past us again, but shortly after that, a state trooper heading in the opposite direction did a U-turn and pulled them over. Maybe no radar detector. Bummer.

Some views from the road:

We wanted to stop in Salina for dinner, but confusion between the GPS and highway signs for restaurants made us miss the exits, so we drove ahead to Abilene. At this point I was pretty hungry! That chicken sandwich and salad didn't go very far. Found a Subway and their orchard chicken sandwich is actually pretty good. It was almost 11pm by the time we got to the hotel in Lawrence. We got out of the car and it was warm...like really warm! At 11pm! Ahhh! Grabbed all the stuff out of the car and got to bed.

Saturday:
This was the night to get as much sleep as I could. I slept until about 8am or so, but I was getting hungry so I couldn’t really sleep much more. Tim went to get a workout in and I snacked on a clif bar and started planning my day. Expo day! But breakfast first - IHOP. Blueberry pancakes with a side of scrambled eggs for some protein. I could eat pancakes all the time. Next back to the hotel so I could get my stuff around, as athletes had to pick up their race numbers and rack their bikes on Saturday. Got dressed so I could also get a short bike ride in. Arrived at Clinton Lake State Park, hopped on my bike and rode about 6 miles - went to the park entrance and back and oh yeah - I remember those hills! It was pretty hot and humid, highs were in the low 90s. Ran into a few PPTC club members, Rich and Christi. Then I took my bike to the expo area. Left my bike on a rack while I went to get my packet. The process was very efficient this year. Last year I had to wait in line for at least an hour. Today I went right through. The race expo directors took a lesson from the theme parks and dumped you into the iron man.com store. All the m-dot merchandise you can think of.

I caved in and bought a Kansas 70.3 sticker for $1.50. I resisted on the $3 ball point pen though. When I got back to my bike to put my race number on it, I noticed another bike. I wonder how long he was planning to be out on the bike course.

But it seemed he was a Team In Training participant so I chatted with him for a minute and wished him luck. The Gateway chapter (I think that’s who they were) had about 13 people racing in prep for Redman full IM.

Next step was to get my race number on my bike and head down to T1. It’s about a half-mile walk down the road and down the hill. Yeah, that hill that’s going to be tough on lap #2 of the run course. Found my spot, which was actually really close to the bike out so I would be able to navigate most of transition without my bike.

I then did a quick recon of where I’d be coming out of the water and how to find my bike. One less thing to worry about on race morning. Was about to hoof it back up the hill when a volunteer (the race directors wife) was driving in a golf cart and was willing to drive a few of us back up.

Next was to examine T2, find my rack location and how I was going to find it coming in off the bike. About 6 racks past the last tree and the number ending in 1125. Got it.

I headed back up to the expo to look for a yellow sponge for my aero drink bottle. They didn’t have the sponge itself, but they had a bottle that came with the sponge, for probably similar to the spare parts kit, so I got it. Then I got a poster signed by Linsey Corbin at the Zipp wheels tent. She commented on my Hammer Nutrition shorts- as they are a Montana company and she’s from Montana.

It was almost time for the 2pm race meeting so I headed over to the tent where I ran into Jessica. How hot it was - I was dripping with sweat and all I’d done was ride for about 20ish minutes and walk around.

 I’m glad I remembered from last year that it would be hot out and brought three water bottles with me to the expo. I went through them all. Typical race meeting, reviewing the rules, typical questions. And the announcement that the water temperature was 81 degrees, so not wetsuit legal. The water would have to cool down to below 78 degrees to be wetsuit legal. Not very likely considering it’s a large body of water. At the end of the race meeting I sent Joe, a friend of my boss who was racing this weekend as well, a text and it turns out he was standing right behind us. He was doing the swim and bike part of the relay and his sister in-law was running the 13.1 as he strained his hamstring a few weeks ago.

I took Jessica to meet her mom at the edge of the park and then headed back to the hotel. Got cleaned up and then Tim and I headed to Montana Mike’s for our pre-race and pre-spectating meal. Here are the details: Salad, teriyaki chicken, rice, a sweet potato and a roll. Didn’t eat it all - it was plenty of food, but it was a good meal!

After dinner I packed up my race gear, got as much as I could ready and coordinated with Rich to carpool so our spouses could sleep in a little bit and went to bed by 9:30.

In Memory of James Plotnick - Sept 5, 2000 - May 25, 2010

Hi! I am James and I am 9 years old. In August 2004, I was diagnosed with ALL. I finished over 3 years of chemotherapy at Childrens Hospital in Denver and was off therapy for nearly 2 years when I relapsed in August of 2009. I have spent the past 10 months at TCH in an intensive chemotherapy course and am part of a study that I hope will make therapy more successful for patients in the future. I am in 4th grade and have a sister Anna (7) and a brother Luke (6). I love legos and soccer. I hope to cheer and inspire you with hope to cross that finish line this fall.

James was a Team Hero for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Team In Training. Above is what participants get from the Hero to help bring them closer to the cause. In most cases, we are lucky to have the Team Hero at our event or pre-race celebration. James, unfortunately, lost his battle to blood cancer last week and will not be there to cheer us on, but I can tell you without a doubt that his spirit will be with all of us as we train and race.

If you ever see people at races wearing purple, or out on the trails and roads with their Team In Training logos on, you know why they do what they do.  We are fighting for others like James and their families. All you need to do is shout out a "Go Team!" and see us smile.

Please consider a donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society - just click on the 'donate now' button on the left of this blog or follow this link to donate. No donation is too small, and all are 100% tax-deductible. Thank you for your support.

Summer Open Sprint Triathlon Race Report

The race weekend started Saturday morning when I went to Sedalia to do a group ride with Team In Training. That was a windy mess! But we did get to ride with Team Hero Ed Sanford, a survivor of stage IV non-hodgken's lymphoma. He gave an inspiring talk to the group before our adventure into the 30-40+mph winds!

Then I headed up to Littleton to meet Tim at the dealership so he could drop off his car for some maintainance. Jessica (not that Jessica, THAT Jessica) met me up there and all my race gear went into her car and Tim got to take my car back home.

Next was the trip up to Boulder for packet pick-up and a couple unsuccessful attempts to find a Chick-fil-A. We got our race packets, had lunch at Whole Foods, and then drove the few miles up to the hotel in Longmont.  Chilled for a bit and got our stuff around, then met some other peeps racing for dinner at Oskar Blues Brewery. I'd love to go back for a non-prerace meal! Went conservative, but I couldn't resist getting some hush puppies! Plently of southern foods on the menu! Yum! We did all share this order of fried pickles (a first for me).

Back to hotel, final race prep, and then bed. But not before Jessica had to knock on the door for the room next to us, as their TV was just a litle bit way too loud!

Ok now for the race:

Summer Open Sprint Triathlon by Without Limits Productions

0.5mile swim/12.4mi bike/5k run

1:21:12, 11/29 age group

Sun was shining and winds had died waaaaay down from the day before. Water temp ~61 degrees. I was trying my new Xterra Vector Pro X2 sleeveless wetsuit. Maybe a little chilly for sleeveless, but I wanted to get a good swim in before Kansas to make sure I didn't have any issues. Turns out it was fantastic! Love the new wetsuit! Port-o-potties were the flushable kind! Note: don't use the provided toilet seat cleaner on your hands - there is hand sanitizer on the other side...

Swim: 16:52

I am not a fast swimmer - I have some flexibility/range of motion I'm still working on (slowly), but this was my best swim I've had in a sprint triathlon. I'd never gone under 18 minutes. Part of it might have been the sleeveless wetsuit, as my arms didn't get fatigued like they normally do. Plus I was able to draft a little, which rarely happens. But typical swim for me, I run into the person who can swim faster but doesn't have the endurance when they stop to breast stroke! Frustrating! Despite being "slow" and in pretty chilly water, this was the best feeling swim I can remember.

T1: 1:33

Except for it taking a few extra seconds to get the wetsuit off my ankles, this went smoothly. I had my shoes on my pedals, so after putting on my helmet and sunglasses, I just needed to grab my bike and run.

Bike: 12.4ish miles, 36:35, 20.3mph

GPS data

The road out of the reservoir was bumpy, which made getting my feet in my shoes a little more challenging. Once I had them on it was time to ride! The course was 3 laps and very flat for Colorado! Near the middle of the first lap I hit a bump and the yellow spongy thing in my aerodrink popped out (not uncommon for that to happen, but it sucks when it does). Technically I should have stopped to pick it up, but I was cruising. And of course I then got splashed at every bump and crack with the Lemon-Lime HEED in my aerodrink (the sponge helps prevent that...when they stay in place). Not fun, but I couldn't let it affect my riding, though I probably took some of the bumps a little slower after than. The speed bumps (the wide kind) were a little annoying as well. But it truely was a pretty fast course. On my second lap I passed a woman who had crashed - she was being attended to by medical personnel, but I'm not sure how she crashed. On my third lap I saw someone else's yellow sponge near mine...at least I wasn't the only one! Heading back into the reservoir there was another single bike crash, this time a guy, being attended to. I don't think I've seen two crashes in a short race like this before. But the course was closed to traffic and we had a whole lane, so I'm not sure what happened. Back on the bumpy road back into the res, I was able to get my feet out of my shoes and dismount before the line. Always a plus!

T2 - 1:36

Once I dismounted, it was a short jaunt into transition. At this point I realized my feet were a bit numb. They were feeling thick and heavy. I put on my socks & shoes, grabbed the race belt, hat and gel and went on my way....after I rinsed some of the HEED off me.

Run: 5k, 24:39, 7:57 pace

GPS data

Run course was an out and back on a hard-packed dirt road (or maybe it was paved at one point). A little bumpy and it had a gradual hill up to mile 1, then downhill until the turn-around, then of course back up the hill and the last mile was downhill. Loved seeing the snow-capped mountains in the distance after the turn-around! This run felt great - except for my lungs being about maxed out, my legs felt strong and I was able to negative split the miles.

Nicely organized race. I'd do it again for sure. Had a great weekend hanging out with TNT folks and Jessica, a Pikes Peak Tri Club member. Most of TNT folks are those doing the Harvest Moon in September. They got in a little practice race before they take a couple weeks off of structured training. Great seeing all the Purple out there! Found some other PPTC members before and after the race - a couple even made it to the podium. All-in-all, a great race and a fantastic weekend!

Here's Jessica with her game face on:

Falcon Groundspeed Race Report

May 1, 2010 - Falcon Groundspeed Sprint Triathlon

The day started about the same as any other- got up around 5:30, which can be considered sleeping in a little. I actually slept well, only waking a up couple times so I was feeling rested. I looked out the window and saw clear skies- recent weather had been hit or miss (it snowed on us heading to packet pick-up yesterdaty afternoon) so I was hoping the clouds would stay away for a few more hours. Temps were probably in the upper 20s or low 30s.
Quick shower to wake up a bit and then pre-race breakfast. The trusty peanut-butter, banana and honey sandwich. I was thinking about oatmeal, but decided on the sandwich instead. I had most of my gear around last night so all I had to do was throw my bags and bike in my car and at about 6:40 I headed to the Air Force Academy. Fortunately, I live less than 4 miles from the entrance gate, and probably about 5or so miles to the race start. It's a small race so there was no traffic with which to contend. Saw all the frost on the ground....
Arrived at the parking lot and worked my way to transition. Found my number almost at the very end of the racks. So I was close to the bike-out. Which meant a longer way to run out of the swim to get to the bike. I grabbed all sorts of clothes and set up my transition area. This was not going to be the fastest transition day. Not at all.  Martha and Michele from Team In Training were there to support me, and I ran into a few others I know - Cory, who is designing my new NEO Endurance Sports & Fitness website (to be premiered next week), Brian McCarrie of http://pikespeaksports.us/, Laurie D, a former TNT member, and several other PPTC folks.

Here are some views from the transition area:

The race started at 8am so at about 7:40 I stripped off my long pants and hoodie, put on my flip-flops (over my socks...very fashionable) and grabbed my goggles and swim cap, small towel and another long sleeved shirt and went inside the gym. Now it was a waiting game. I found I could stash my towel, shirt, flip-flops in the locker room near the swim exit. I chatted with some people. For some it was their first tri, others more experienced but never have ridden the Air Force Academy.

My start time was estimated at 9:05. At about 15minutes prior to that, they wanted us to line up to pick up our timing chips. So at 8:40 I took a gel thinking I would be starting soon. Well, I didn't get in the water until almost 9:30. Oh well. Here's the race:

Swim: everyone got an individual start time, with their chips being activated by a palm pilot device. So when I was up, I got into the lane, and told the volunteer I was ready and she said go. 16 laps of the pool. Cadet volunteers were lap counters, and I'm thankful since I stopped counting after 4. It always takes me a while to warm-up and today was no different, but I didn't feel like I was struggling at the beginning, which sometimes I do. Now I could have slipped into the diving area for a short warm-up, but settled on some arm swings. Lap, lap, lap,lap....and finally I see the yellow board which meant I just had to swim to the other side and get out of the pool. Now that was the challenge! The start was on a "bridge" that split the big pool into two 25yd pools. But it was about 18" out of the water (at least) and in the deep end. So it was really hard to climb out of the water. I had to pull with my upper body and then try to get my leg over onto the bridge. Not graceful to say the least. But I was done with the swim! And Martha, Michele, and Sarah were in the stands to cheer for me. I trotted over to the locker room, and decided to go to the bathroom since being cold on a bike and having to pee didn't sound appealing. Trotted all the way to the other side of the locker room and then back. Quickly dried off as much as I could with a small towel, and put my long sleeved shirt on. Flip-flops went on as well and then I headed out of the locker room, up the stairs and then out the door into the cold. But, as I said earlier, the sun was shining! Cold, but sunny!

T1: The gals were waiting at my bike when I got there to cheer me on at T1. I told them not to take notes, as this would not be an ideal transition. I decided to pull the capris over my tri shorts as it didn't seem cold enough for my heavy-duty pants. Pulled on my Girls Heart Rockets Illuminite Jacket (awesome, versatile jacket!), a skull cap, my sunglasses, my helmet (which I had to mess with since it was too tight and when I loosened it, I pulled the mechanism apart. But - didn't stress, just got it done. Then socks and then my shoes (wanted as much insulation between me and the cold ground) and went to the bike out. 

Bike: it was a bit of a climb out of the Field House area to the main road, but once you were on Northgate, it was a screaming downhil. Then you hit Stadium Drive, which is a gradual downhill. At one point there is a speed sign (to keep motor vehicles within the speed limit) at it had me around 24mph. Not bad for little effort. All was well and good until you make the turn on to Pine Dr...no more big chain ring. Now it's just time to hammer as much as possible up the hill and save a little something for the run. Climb, climb, climb. Pass a few people, get passed by a few people, but make it to the top! At the hospital there is a turn, a little relief with a downhill, and then a couple more hills to climb. Pass the visitor center then cruise down back to the Field House. Unfortunately a headwind appeared on that descent so it wasn't as much fun as it could have been. Then back to the field house. Feet pulled out of the shoes with plenty of time to spare and then T2.

T2: Some guy who had passed me had racked his bike in my spot and left a big bag there (so I borrowed someone elses spot. Don't like to do this but there was plenty of room along that rack since we were near the end. It was warm enough I pulled off my capris and took off the jacked. Put on my hat, grabbed a gel just in case, took the race belt and off I went. Oh, and I put on my running shoes, which I didn't have quick tie laces so I actually had to tie them. NOT recommended for speedy transitions!

Run: The run in a tri, especially a sprint, is the hardest part. And especially on a hilly course at 7200 feet! Ran out of the transition, down a short hill and then UP a very steep hill. It was so steep that I power walked it to save some energy. Then we cruised downhill and I passed a few people. A good downhill stretch for some speed. I kept this one woman in my sights, as we came out of T2 together. Not sure if I could catch her, but I wasn't going to let her get too far ahead. Most of the course is on dirt trail. And we had to gain back all the elevation we lost, but for some reason it didn't look like we were going uphill in that last mile or so, but the legs and lungs could tell. The run finished on the track with about a lap and a half so I kicked it in gear as best I could. About run over a guy standing in the lane on my first lap. I made sure he knew I was there. To spectators: if a family member or friend is racing and you want a photo of them at the finish, please don't stand ON the race course! stay off to the side, please! Thanks!!! Then I crossed the finish line, got my medal and hung around for the awards ceremony.

While waiting for the awards race I got my massage (though it's the first massage I shivered through!), went back to put my bike in the car and get some warmer clothes on, and then back to the track for a post-race hot dog. The awards ceremony was quick and to the point. I appreciate the USAFA Tri Team and Race Director acknowledging the Pikes Peak Tri Club for helping them out (we loaned them some bike racks, as they had more participants than expected). I also want to thank them for letting us put a flyer regarding our upcoming membership social (May 20th, Southside Johnny's 6-8pm) in the race packets. And, I was glad to hang around since I took 3rd place in my age group!

Very quickly after the ceremony, Cory filmed me giving some race tips that will get published on my blog and on PikesPeakSports.us next week. I'm excited to be doing a weekly and tips article for the website. Stay tuned for an exciting re-launch of NEO Endurance Sports & Fitness!

Collegiate Nationals Race Report

Today I have a guest blogger - Kelley Hess. A runner (marathoner!) and cyclist, she recently decided to take on the world of triathlon and competed in the graduate student division USAT Collegiate Nationals. She's also one of the Girls Heart Rockets founding members.  Below is her race report....an Olympic medalist is not the only one who is impressed!

2010 Triathlon Collegiate Nationals - A Race Report

This weekend was epic--in the sense that the weather gods really did not seem to want us racing. My car (with Kelly Egan and Steve Smith) arrived in Lubbock, TX on Thurs afternoon. As soon as we hit the city limit sign it started pouring rain, and it didn't let up for...what felt like days. By Friday morning, our team of 17 racers were all safely in Lubbock--minus one bike. Chase Kettler's bike flew off the roof rack of his car at some point during the 20 hour drive south and did not survive--the fork was destroyed, one of the wheels may have taco'ed...I never saw it, but it did not sound good.
Friday afternoon we headed to the course at Buffalo Springs Lake for a preview. It was still a torrential downpour. There were tons of other teams at the course--some people were crazy enough to be on their bikes, several others were out running, but the majority of people were swimming. We huddled under the back of my car to pull on wetsuits before jumping into the 55 degree lake. We swam out into a head wind and choppy waves. This was my first time swimming in a wetsuit, and my second open water swim ever. Allow me to emphasize that I am NOT a swimmer. It took me the majority of the swim to settle down and feel like I could breathe without sucking in water or hyperventilating. That really is not to much of an exaggeration. I always knew the swim would be the toughest part, perhaps mentally more than physically.
We survived the swim preview--minus one car. Bill Martin's car would not start and had to be towed. I ferried bikes back to the hotel with Steve and Andrew Bossler. On the way back the second time, we drove the bike course. Aside from the 20-30 mph wind, and the fact that two parts of the course were under flowing water, it looked "alright". Only a video can do the status of the bike course on Friday justice: (http://vimeo.com/10994742/). Pictures from the course preview adventure courtesy of Kelly Egan: http://runningblonde.com/2010/04/16/usat-collegiate-nationals-were-in-lubbock/. Her full race report (and more pictures!) can be found here: (http://runningblonde.com/2010/04/21/usat-collegiate-nationals-race-report/).
Friday night was a free pasta dinner and team meeting. It also finally decided stopped pouring rain and just drizzle.

Saturday morning was an early breakfast around 6:10 am before heading to the course. At some point on the drive out to the course, the rain stopped completely. We were able to rack our bikes and set up our transition areas on relatively dry pavement. The idea of a transition area is to be minimalist: bike, helmet, cycling shoes, running shoes. Optional are socks, sunglasses, any other clothing, extra food, etc. I included sunglasses and socks and cycling gloves. A couple packets of race gels were already taped to my bike frame for easy access.
While we were getting ready, the race director announced over the loud speaker that due to the cold weather conditions, the swim would be shortened from 1500 meters to 750! I was standing with Jess Yurchich, and I jumped up and down so much in celebration that I broke one of the straps on my new USA Triathlon race bag. Doh! Haha--oh well, it was worth it. I will be honest: this decision by USAT may have significantly helped my final result.
It was cold, overcast, and windy, so I waited until ~8:40 to put on my wetsuit. I was in the fourth start wave, so my race would begin around 9:15. In the seeded waves, there were ~90 people. They started with an air horn every 5 minutes, and they alternated men and women, so I was in the second wave of women. The start is pretty crazy to watch--a stampede of people down the beach into the water, running/wading out until it was deep enough to swim or until there was enough room between you and the person in front of you to do a stroke. I started on the outside so I wouldn't have to wrestle too many people. I was not looking forward to the full contact swimming, but I held my own. The visibility in the water might have been six inches, but it seemed like less. It was a brown field of view unless you were breathing--or sighting the big yellow buoys that marked the course ahead. I (surprisingly!) was not the last person out of the water in my wave, although there were only a handful of people behind me--I managed better than I expected. We learned after the race that 10 people had been pulled out of the water for hypothermia! 9:08 for what ended up being something closer to a 500 meter swim, and 164th woman out of the water.
Getting out of the water was the second happiest moment of my race. There were volunteers to literally grab you under the arm and pull you up, and undo the velcro on the wetsuit. I unzipped on the run to the transition area, worked the suit off my shoulders, stopped when it was around my waist, pulled it the rest of the way off, then ran/sprinted to the spot where my bike was racked. The goal is to do everything that you can in motion so the transition takes as little time as possible. It is made more difficult because going from horizontal in the water to vertical and running is incredibly disorienting--like spinning around in a chair then trying to walk in a straight line...but worse. At my spot, I made the executive decision to wear socks on the bike because my feet were already freezing. I also kept my swim cap on under the helmet for a little extra warmth. I put on the helmet, sunglasses, grabbed the gloves and headed for the mount line. About 100 meters into the bike, I dropped one of the gloves and had to go back and get it. I may have lost ~30 seconds, but it is a bigger time penalty if you abandon any equipment. I didn't even end up using the gloves. 2:36 for T1.

The bike ride was great! Much of it was into a huge head/crosswind, but it I was infinitely more confident in my abilities here than in the water, and I passed people like mad...nearly my entire wave, and people from the first women's wave. The course was an out and back, and I saw (and heard) a couple fellow Badgers on both sections. My only reservation is that I really feel like I could have done this portion faster, but I had no computer on my bike and I was unsure of how to pace myself with the run coming up. 1:15:41 for a little more than 40K bike. 19.9 mph according to the results, good enough for 7th female time on the bike, and 2nd in the female grad student division. Regardless...such a slow pace!

Getting off the bike I managed a flying dismount! (Get your feet out of the shoes and on top of the pedals, swing one leg over the bike and step off while still moving.) I re-racked the bike, slipped on my running shoes and took off. I had only eaten one energy gel on the ride, while I had planned to do two. I left transition hoping that was not a mistake. 1:32 for T2.

Before the race, I would have considered the run my best event, but IT SUCKED! Maybe it was the cold weather, a lingering cold from a week and a half ago, or my body was sufficiently shocked that it was forced to do the third sport of the day, but I have never had the sensation of not being able to breathe while running before. My chest felt restricted (like a corsage?) and I could not take a full breath to safe my life. I unzipped the tri suit a little, and it helped...at least mentally, but I never felt comfortable on the run. And, left over from the bike ride, my feet were blocks of ice until ~2.5 miles in, when they started to regain feeling and began tingling. At any rate, the whole run I wondered HOW THE HELL COULD ANYONE THINK THIS IS FUN?!? Because of the conditions, the course was changed from a 10K out and back, to two loops of a 5K course. There was a head wind at times here too. I tried to duck behind a big guy who was running about my pace, or a little faster. It worked well, and he paced me back to the finish line for half a mile (I beat him in the end. ;) ) 45:33 for a 6.66 mile course according to Kelly's Garmin (what was supposed to be 10K), 22nd fastest female time. Despite feeling miserable, 6:50 min/mile pace.

2:13:34 for the race: 13th overall female (of 327), 3rd in the graduate student division (of 55). The overall winner did it in 2:03:10!

Full results can be found here: http://www.pigmantri.com/jmsracing/results10/usatcollegiate10.html

That evening we went to the awards ceremony. Bill Martin won the alumni division in the sprint triathlon race (500 m swim, 17.6 mile bike, 5K run, but they cut the swim out completely because of the weather). For my third place finish, I was called up to the podium and won some free stuff. But the best part was Kelly Egan calling out "It was her first triathlon!!" from the crowd, which the announcer, 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Susan Williams, echoed, surprised, "And apparently it was her first triathlon", to which the crowd cheered louder.
So, it is definitely a good thing that I am already signed up for the Wisconsin Ironman in September and paid the ridiculous $585 entry fee, because I do not know if I could have convinced myself on Saturday afternoon to punish my body like that again. The next day, I am still tired, albeit not exhausted, and really sore. Sitting in the car for 20 hours cannot help. Meanwhile, my stupid, competitive self is wondering what I can do better/faster for the inevitable "next time"...also, no thanks to a certain guy who pointed out that finishing within the top 5 and within 8% of first place would've qualified me for an USAT Elite License. I finished 10% back. Sheesh. I AM crazy.

Kelley (aka KHess aka Hesser)
follow Kelley on twitter (@KHesser)

Successful 3rd Annual Casino Royale Fundraiser for LLS!

Every year my husband and I put together a Texas Hold 'Em Tournament and Silent Auction to help my Team In Training triathlon team raise money for towards their fundraising goals. It also gives my fundraising a little boost as well. This year was year #3 and took place in our new house. Since we had a little more room, we invited a few more people. The Team did a great job acquiring silent auction items and we had over 60 people playing poker. In the end we raised over $6100 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! This gives each Team member about $600 towards their fundraising goal! Below are some pictures from the evening that my dad took. Please consider clicking the link on the left and making your own contribution to LLS - it is worth it!

Platte River Half Marathon Race Report

April 11, 2010 - My first stand-alone half marathon since January of 2007. I was on the tail end of a tough three week build phase with a lot of bike intensity. Can't say that the running was a piece of cake, either. So my legs were beat and I was pretty tired. But...off I went to tackle the Platte River Half Marathon!

Got up at 5:20am, which is actually a little later than my normal 4:45am wake-up time when I get in my workouts before work, so it was like sleeping in. Almost - except it didn't feel that way.

Morning routine went smoothly, except that I didn't really have a race plan for fuel. I brought some gels, endurolytes, and filled my fuel belt with Powerade Endurance. I usually use HEED but I didn't have a chance to pick any up.  I made myself a delicious peanut butter, banana, and honey sandwich and headed up to Littleton. Always a beautiful drive around sunrise.

Only got a little lost up there but found the parking lot at the depot right across the street from packet pick-up and the starting line. Ran inside and got my packet then hit the port-o-potties. There were about 50 of 'em it seemed. Plenty! and they were clean! But apparently not like the Punk Rock Tri Guy's (aka @PunkRockRunner) experience at his half marathon that same morning. Sorry Ron!

It was 7:40, the sun was shining, and I had 1:20 until race start....time for me to figure out my fueling plan. If you know me, this is very unlike me. I usually know my plan weeks in advance! Sitting in my car I decided to go with the fuel belt with the powerade endurance. It'd worked in training and that way I knew I would consume enough electrolytes....provided I drank all 18oz I was carrying.

8:15 I hit the port-o-pottie again. Guess I was hydrated. Found some TNT folks to kill some time with. 8:40am - hit the potty one more time, drop my sweats off at the gear drop, consume a pre-race gel and a couple endurolytes and I'm at the starting line.

Now I'm shooting for 8:15 pace so I get in between the 8:00min and 9:00min pace signs. Didn't have too many pre-race jitters (I was tired!) but I was going to run the race. I was pretty sure I had it in my legs so I would do my best to hang in there. And at 9:00am off we went.

My mile splits were surprisingly consistent (I won't bore you with them).

I think it was around mile 3 I saw @gosonja cheering! Finally we'd get to meet! Her green Trakkers jersey was easy to spot. Pretty sure @michelleford6p was there with her too! Miles 5-7 were slightly tough. My hip flexors tightened up a bit. Miles 8-10 I stayed with this one woman and then she ended up dropping back, but she was a nice rabbit for a while. The last 5k my legs were hurting but I kept at it. The mile 12 Team In Training aid station was awesome. They had signs about a half-mile ahead leading up to it so I knew there would be some great cheering! Thanks TEAM! Then I headed over the bridge (ay-yai-yai - my hip flexors)! Passed a few people though! Coming down the home stretch I was near my 1:48 goal time and there was @gosonja and @michelleford6p again! Woot! A little kick (just a little - don't have much) and I was at the finish line. Too bad I only have a little kick as some of the people I passed on the bridge were able to sprint past me. Nicole = slow twitch!

Official gun time: 1:48:42

Official chip time: 1:48:29 (PR by about 7:30!)

For all the data geeks like me, here's the GPS data.

Overall race commentary: Race was great - got there 80 minutes before race start and had a parking spot near packet pick-up, the starting line and the port-o-potties! Race course was slightly downhill along a concrete path, though there was some dirt you could run on next to the path. The platte river isn't the prettiest of sights, but hey, I won't complain. Aid stations about every 2-3 miles so I was glad I had my own fluid. Finish line food provided by Buckhorn Exchange, Wahoo's Fish Tacos, Sunflower Market, and someone else I skipped. Plenty there for all. Skipped the beer tent but hit the massage tent that was about 20 yards past the finish line. They even got the nice sunny weather we were hoping for! Just enough of a breeze to keep me cool

Another bonus - Got to meet Christi, someone I met on PikesPeakSports.us and a new member of the Pikes Peak Tri Club! She got a good PR as well! We rode back on the train together back to downtown Littleton then headed back to the Springs.

So I may be tired and sore now, but it was a fantastic day and a fantastic race!

Cycling for a Cure

It's year #5 with Team In Training! Hard to believe I've been involved with this great program since 2006! Last year I ran a marathon, this year I'm going to participate in the Moab Century Tour. Yep, I'm going to ride 100 miles....in one day (September 18, 2010)...in Moab, Utah.

But in order to do this I need your help! I've committed to raising $2500 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Your 100% tax-deductible contribution will help patients of blood cancers and their families with support groups, monetary assistance with treatment related costs (e.g. gas money to travel for treatment), as well as fund research in labs that are searching for cures to blood cancers. More information can be found at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society website.

A donation of just $100 can significantly impact a family dealing with this disease. Please visit this secure website to make a tax-deductuble contribution of any amount you can afford: http://pages.teamintraining.org/rm/moabtour10/ndrummer

And what is fundraising without any incentives? If you contribute $50 or more, I will put your name or a name of your choice on my bike jersey. If you contribute $100 or more, the name goes on my bike. $250 or more will get something I haven't thought of yet (feel free to send me ideas!).

St. Pat's 5k Race Report

The day started with a TNT workout at Monument Valley Park. I always choose this location for the St. Pat's 5k race day so I can get the Team on a nice endurance run and not be too far from the race start! They did about an hour, I did about 25 minutes to warm up and then walked over to Acacia Park, but not without admiring the view of the Peak. Not to mention the clear skies- perfect race day weather!

Then I got to the park...it was a happening place!

The blue globe is actually a fountain - Uncle Wilber to be specific. Lots of green shirts hanging around!

After finding the port-o-potty I mosied over to the start line. Even though I'm not the fastest, I still like to get close to the front, expecially in a race with no start mat (gun time only, though it was chip timed).

10am sharp the gun went off. The start is a gradual downhill so everyone goes too fast. I can't say that I don't somewhat follow the crowd. But I checked my GPS to try to maintain a sensible pace. After a half-mile or so, the course turns north and that means uphill, even if ever so gradual. The legs know. They know. My legs felt pretty good considering I'm at the tail end of a 3 week build phase (cycling focus).

But my lungs hurt. Oh did they hurt. My average heart rate for the race was 178. It was 185 at the finish. It's always these fast races when I question why I do this. I mean, I can run 3 miles no problem. But why try to run it as fast as I can?  I suppose I like to see if I can go a little faster and I always feel good after crossing a finish line (sometimes it's "phew - glad that's over!" and other times it's a little more celebratory.) Today was celebratory.

On tired legs I got my 5k PR of 23:32.7. My goal was to beat last year's time of 23:53 and I did. And I ever so slightly beat the 23:34 PR I set a couple years ago on a flat course at sea level (or slightly below) in New Orleans. So a very successful morning!

At the finish line I ran into my friend Shannon and since I got a pic of us together from the last race I ran, I needed another.

Got a post race massage and then started thinking about refueling as I had a 3+hr bike ride to do in the afternoon!

Bananas and Chocolate

I haven't posted anything relating to bananas in a while (though I still have one almost every day.) A banana and a tablespoon of peanut butter is my recent pre-workout staple.  It's also the valentine's day leftovers heading into easter candy season, which means a lot of chocolate lying around. So in the spirit of bananas and chocolate, enjoy some chocolate banana cream pie!

Back in the swing of TNT

The Summer Team In Training season has begun (even though it's February, below freezing and we got an inch or two of snow last night)! Today was our first group workout on the bike. Weather didn't permit us to ride outside, so we met up at Bicycle Village and had a spin class. It was a nice way for me to check bike fit and answer questions about cycling while they "rode away."



Many thanks to Steve Vaughan who led the class. We actually had some of the Bicycle Village regular spinners and the spring TNT team show up. We packed the room for sure!

After the workout was over, I did a Traithlon Gear Clinic for the new athletes. BV supports the triathlete (they are also a sponsor of the Pikes Peak Tri Club) so I could walk around the store and show them everything they need to have, what is good to have, and what is not necessary but "cool" to have.

Thanks to BV for letting us use your space, and thanks to the great summer TNT Triathletes! GO TEAM!

Delicious Dinner with New Spice

I'm always looking for quick and easy healthy dinners to make. I bought some ground turkey yesterday and was trying to think of a way to cook it as I drove home, I pondered ways to cook it, utlizing a new spice that I haven't really ever cooked with - turmeric. Here's what I came up with (and it was pretty darn good).

Ingredients:
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large clove garlic
1 large white sweet potato, grated
1lb ground turkey
Romano cheese, grated
turmeric
salt
pepper
olive oil

Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a large pan, add the garlic.
Then add the onion, celery, red pepper, and sweet potato.
Toss in salt & pepper to taste. Stir until the onions are clear, the potato soft and the peppers cooked but still crisp. 
In another pan, brown the ground turkey with the turmeric and salt/pepper to taste.
When the turkey is cooked through and the veggie/potato mixture done, combine into a oven safe dish.
Top with the grated romano cheese and put in a 350 degree oven until the cheese is melted.
Enjoy!

For a "I have no idea what I'm doing" kind of dinner, it turned out really well. Tim enjoyed it too! (these things can be hit or miss...though he would have liked it to have been more cheesy.) But there is only just enough leftover for one of us...

I'm baaaaack! First race of 2010!

A little over three months ago I ran the Denver Marathon. That marked the end of my 2009 race season and I took some time off to recuperate and recover, and get an overuse injury (never, ever move households during your peak volume weeks when training for a marathon!). About 7-8 weeks ago I began to ease back into training and decided to test my progress at a local 4 mile race.
It was race #2 in the Winter Series put on by the Pikes Peak Road Runners. Start time was 10am on a moderately mild day, though the wind was picking up. The course started at the El Pomar Youth Sports Complex on the south side of Colorado Springs and just picked up the local trail for an out and back. Out was north, slightly uphill and into the wind. Back was the opposite.

I actually got a good night's sleep last night - in bed before 10:30 and up around 7:00am. There were only some small remnants of last week's cold so I felt pretty good! showered then ate a peanut butter/nutella/banana sandwich with a big glass of water. By the time I was dressed and ready, it was time to leave the house. Got to the race site with plenty of time to register and get in a 2+ mile warm-up along the course. Before the race I saw Sam, a fellow Pikes Peak Tri Club member, and TNT participant. Then I saw my dentist. He did recognize me after I turned my head upside-down. :-) I ran into a friend of mine, Jessica (another PPTCer) at the starting line. She'd kicked some butt in the 1st race of the series, so I knew she'd be some good competition.

Off we went and when we were hitting a 7:45 or so pace, I thought that would be good enough for me. I would be happy with an 8:00min/mile pace. So she snuck ahead and I just tried not to get too far behind.

Mile 1 - Getting warmed up here and trying not to go out too fast. Jessica zips past.
Mile 2 - This one was slower - more uphill maybe, tried to tuck in behind some people to stay out of the wind
Mile 3 - downhill and go! I'm feeling it for real now. what am I doing out here? just hold on!

Mile 4 - Garmin locked up so couldn't check my pace. maybe that's a good thing. Just RUN!!! Heard  my friend Shannon yell for me, but didn't see her. And then my dentist passed me...

Hit the finish line in 31:33, so that was fantastic- better than my 8:00min/mile pace that I thought would be a great time for me, so woohoo!  I think that qualifies as a hummin' moment for sure! (Check out Megan Killian's blog for a chance to win some free LARABARS! she's @megankillian) And not only that, I was wearing my brand-spankin'-new Punk Rock Racing hat from Ron. (thanks again @punkrockrunner).

Saw Jessica at the finish line - she beat me by a minute exactly. Great race for her! Then it was time for hot chocolate and donuts! I hung around for Shannon who did the 8-mile version of the race. The wind was picking up so I was glad to see her cross the finish line!

A great race day for me! 4 miles at a sub-8 pace - I'll be smiling and a hummin' all weekend for sure!

Inactivity, Cereal Withdrawal and Metabolic Efficiency

My last post was my Denver marathon race report over 3 weeks ago. Since then I've been doing almost nothing. Some of that is by choice (rest/recovery from the race), some not so much (darn flu!). All this inactivity is really OK, as I'm in my "off season" or transition period. Not training, just some exercising and giving the mind and body a break from 9 months of solid structured training. Yes, I'll lose some fitness, but the recovery time is worth it. I know my overall fitness foundation is much improved over last year so I'm hoping to make some good gains this year.

The one thing to watch out for when in the recovery/transition period is eating too much. Throughout the training year I was training for long distance events (half-ironman triathlons, a marathon) which require increased carbohydrate intake and increased caloric intake over a sedentary lifestyle (I have a desk job). I trained at least 10-15 hours a week and could easily burn 1500-2000 calories during my weekend long run or brick. If I ate like that when I'm not doing anything, I'm sure I'd put on quite a bit of weight, and the last thing I want to do is have to work off several pounds when the training starts back up again. So what am I doing?

Well, I'm not on a diet. I'm indulging in some things that I stay away from during the training season - beer, chocolate, ice cream. My birthday was in October so I ate a lot of cake. mmmm. cake. Then there was the halloween candy...but really everything in moderation (except the cake - sorry! a weakness!)

I am monitoring my meals and making sure the majority of them are healthy with fruits, veggies and lean means. Today's breakfast was a homemade smoothie. Lunch was white chicken chili (leftovers from last night - I've posted the recipe below) with some cantalope.

Now I'm going to talk about metabolic efficiency. A few weeks back I took a webinar from Bob Seebohar, one of triathlon's premiere nutrition experts, on metabolic efficiency. In summary, as an endurance athlete I want my body to be efficient burning fat so when I'm racing I don't need to eat as much. This saves time in a race and also reduces the chance of GI distress. And to be honest, I've got plenty of fat on my frame to burn through. A nice summary of the webinar was posted by Matt McNamara.

Anyway, now is the time when I've got less going on in my day so I can work on structuring my meals and getting a healthy foundation, especially revolving around fruits, veggies and lean meats. Now let me state very clearly here - I am a carbo-holic. My mom used to call me starch mouth. I was the one who would eat all the dinner rolls at a restaurant before the meal. I love cereal. I could eat cereal for every meal. But during my off season these are extra carbs that right now I don't need. I needed help - some intervention. So I asked Bob what a good metabolic efficient breakfast would look like. And he responded on his blog with some recipes.

Breakfast for me will be the hardest to wean myself off of cereal and oatmeal, as I've been eating it almost everyday since I can remember. But I'm happy to announce that today is day #9 that I haven't had cereal or oatmeal for breakfast. (or lunch or dinner.) Yay me! I've been using his recipies (or slight modifications - the yogurt one transforms in a blender w/frozen berries to a delicious smoothie. As my training will pick up again in the next few weeks, I will now have a metabolically efficient meal foundation to get my body ready to be efficient for race season! And I'm really looking foward to Bob's book on metabolic efficiency that is coming out soon and there is word of a possible cookbook, too!

As a side note, to help with my dinner planning, I'm trying out a website called http://www.dinnerbeat.com/. I'm hoping it will help save time on the weekends when I shop and plan for the week. I've got plenty going on so knowing ahead of time what's for dinner will be great. And if I make extra, it leaves good leftovers for lunches.

Here's the recipe for the white chicken chili I made:
~5 chicken breasts
2 cans northern beans or navy beans (white beans)
1 can Garbonzo beans
2 4oz of diced green chilis
cumin (1-2 T)
chili powder (1-2 T)
salt (1-2 t)
pepper (1-2 t)
oregano (1-2 T)

spray crockpot w/non-stick spray
layer the chicken breasts on the bottom on the crockpot
empty the cans of beans and green chilis into the crockpot
add the spices (season to your liking - I didn't measure exactly)
stir the beans and spices leaving the chicken on the bottom.
Cook on low 8-10 hours.
When you get home from work you have a delicious protein and fiber rich meal. I'm sure you can throw in some veggies as well to modify the chili.

Respect for the Marathon Beast - Denver Marathon 2009 Race Report

Sunday, Oct 18th I experienced my very first marathon. I've run one half-marathon and a couple others as part of half-iron distance races, but this would be my first attempt at the full 26.2. I was part of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training (TNT) team, so there was tons of support. Our Colorado Springs team was extra motivated, because one of our teammate's daughter was at the very end of her struggle with leukemia on race day. I was also running for my aunt, Amy, who has recently been diagnosed with a form of lymphoma.

Here's my recap of race weekend...
Saturday, after a really good night's sleep, I got all my things around for the weekend. I'd be staying the night in Denver so I had to make sure I had everything I needed for the race. My husband wanted my help to move some furniture around, but I let him do most of the heavy work. We were getting some new furniture delivered that afternoon so we had to make room. I was ready to go but he wanted to get rid of some boxes. He was apparently cutting them extra fast - hurrying for me - and accidentally sliced his leg through his jeans. OW!! I quickly became medic. Thank goodness it wasn't very deep or very bloody. It only took some peroxide and a few bandaids and he was good to go. That was it for the box cutting so I loaded up the car, said goodbye to him and Juno, and headed north.

I-25 is actually pretty scenic between the Springs and Denver, especially when the day provides sun, blue skies, and snow-capped peaks. The traffic flowed nicely and I was at the race expo in under an hour. First I must explain two things about me and city parking.... 1) I can't parallel park 2) I didn't have any quarters for the meters. But I found a meter I could pull straight into and it even had 17 minutes on it! I tossed in a nickel and the time increased by a few minutes so I put in a few more - enough to get about a half-hour of time. That should be plenty for me to get my packet and find a more long-term place to park. I quickly found the expo, got my race packet and the TNT tent. Anisa was there, a Denver resident, and she directed me to the underground parking garage at the Pavillion, just a couple blocks away that was close to our luncheon site as well. Found the garage, found a spot to park, and found the exit. Then I had to find my way back to the convention center. Walked in circles a few times around the construction until I ran into TNT mentor Kelly. She pointed me to the next block where I could head over. Phew. Walked back to the convention center and walked around a little bit. I even got some free salami! I will save that for after the race! Then Jaci and her husband showed up - Jaci's daughter is the one fighting leukemia. We didn't expect her to be there, but Kalila told them to come so they did. She was obviously very distraught so I walked her through packet pick-up and back to the team meeting location. They were certainly surrounded by a wonderful support team.

The team headed over as a group, all 60+ of us the three blocks to Maggiano's for our Inspiration Lunchoen. It was very inspiring, to say the least. First we get the red carpet treatment as we enter the restaurant, with TNT coaches, staff, and volunteers cheering extremely loudly as we walk in. Then we watch a slideshow of the reason we are running - pictures of all the people the team knows who have fought or are still fighting blood cancers. I was sitting at a table with Jaci and Brian, and you could see them wait in anticipation every time Kalila's picture would be about to come up. I can't imagine what they were feeling.

Then we celebrate the Team's fundraising accomplishments (over $119,000 for the LLS!) and eat our pasta lunch. I had the spaghetti with meatballs, and one did roll off the table and onto the floor (but not out the door). We heard from "Mascot Dave," a Team Hero who is dealing with leukemia. He's currently in remission after several different experimental treatments. He highlighted how important there is money going to research and he's still alive over 7 years after being diagnosed, when 5 years was more typical for his type of leukemia. A great character and we certainly appreciate the appreciation he showed us. While dessert was being served, we had a presentation from a guest speaker, Dave McGillivray, the marathon Race Director. Wow. I didn't know much about him prior to today, but he recapped his story and all he has done to raise money for causes or just give something positive to people in need. It seems that he truly enjoys giving back to others and pushing his own personal limits. "There are no mistakes, only lessons." This luncheon put us all in the right mindset for tomorrow's big race! After a few last-minute tips from the coaches, we took some group photos and headed on our way.

So my next challenge was to find how to get back into the garage to park my car. More circles around the construction and wandering into random stairwells and I finally found the entrance and then my car. Now I had to put my ticket in the machine so I would tell me how much I owed. Surprisingly, it was the voice of Stephen Hawking (how cool is that?!) telling me I owed $7 for parking. Next challenge - exit the parking garage and find the hotel, which is about 2 blocks away. I'll keep this part short, but it took me about 20 minutes to find the entrance to the hotel.

Valet parking only due to construction so I gave up my keys and went to check in. Got to the room and roomie Lauren was already there chilling out. Dumped out all my stuff and started to get things around for the morning. Around 6pm I was starting to get a little hungry and decided it was time for my pre-race dinner. I wasn't super hungry and didn't want to eat too much so I set off in search of a sandwich. A block or so away from the hotel I ran into Sam, a TNT triathlete who got injured but begged her doctor to let her walk the half (her original intention earlier this year was to run the full). Great that she was able to be out there! I then found the Hard Rock Cafe. I thought this was where I should eat, surely they will have a chicken sandwich. And surely they did! I sat at the bar since I was going solo. The bartender dude appreciated that I only was drinking water (though a beer sounded really good!) as I was racing. He had recently done the Georgetown to Idaho Springs half marathon. A grilled chicken sandwich, a couple glasses of water and a few french fries later (carbs and salt!) I was off to the gift shop. It is "Rocktober" at the HRC. to honor Melissa Etheridge's breast cancer awareness campaign they were selling these cool pink guitar pins. As I know several people who have dealt with breast cancer, I had to get one. 100% of net proceeds go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

I walk the couple blocks back to the hotel and it is time to make all the plans - pack non-race stuff, organize race stuff, breakfast, etc. And what kind of fancy hotel (the Sheraton) does not have microwaves or refridgerators in the rooms??? At least there was a coffee maker for some hot water for my oatmeal. Roomie wasn't showering before the race (I like the warm water to help wake up the muscles) so we were good there. Watched the end of the South Carolina v. Alabama game and turned out the light. Not much later I was asleep - didn't even need the ipod to help relax me. Slept beautifully until about 3am - then I had to go to the bathroom but didn't want to get up so I just dozed until the alarm went off at 4:40am.

RACE DAY!!!
The morning went smoothly. Got ready. Decided not to wear the new pin as it was going to jingle so I put it on my bag. Went down to the lobby to check out, gave the concierge my bags and met up with the TNT crew. Jaci and Brian showed up but they didn't stay long. They got a call that Kalila was not doing well at all and might not make it until noon. So after a lot of hugs from the team, they headed out. A friend of Kalila's ran the half for Jaci in Kalila's honor. The troops were gathered and before heading to the race start we had a "Mission Moment" from a young leukemia survior, probably not much older than Kalila and was diagnosed a year or so ago. I think Jaci and Brian were still around for that so I can't begin to imagine how they were feeling with a young survior speaking and thanking us for saving her life while their daughter was in her final hours. An extremely emotional start to the race morning, but it certainly put a lot of things into perspective.

At the start, we all sign into the TNT tent. I drop my stuff at the tent instead of using the gear check. I take off my jacket and long pants, and put on the thin clear plastic poncho that Coach Mitch gave us. It works - and you're not wearing a garbage bag! Race number and cool attire completely visible. I work my way to the porta-potties and a lady with a camera says "strike a pose" so I give her a big smile. Takes about 15 mintues to get through the line and then I head over to the start. Crowded! It's about 6:45 now and I'm trying to loosen up and stay warm. Body heat from the corral was nice and the temp was about 50. It was going to hit the low 80's which was fine for me! Better than the 18 degrees I ran in last weekend! I found my way between the 3:50 and 4:00 pace groups. My original plan was to try and BQ with a 3:40, but with the strain in my hammy/calf the last few weeks, I opted that maybe a 4:00 would be more realistic. If could run a 2 hr half off a 56 mile bike I could do a 4 hr 26.2 without a swim or bike. But really, what do I know - this is my 1st marathon! Some chit-chat with the people around me and then it was time. It took about a minute to get to the start (chip-timed race) so I pressed start on my Garmin as I crossed the mat and I had officially started my first marathon.

Start slow. Take it easy. Get your legs warmed up nice and slow. I was taking in the vibe of running with so many people on the streets of Denver at sunrise. Beautiful feeling. I was taking it easy the first mile - my Garmin had me at 10:30 or so pace. first 3 miles were good - legs got warmed up and I was plenty comfy in my singlet and arm warmers. By mile 3 the 4:00 pace group was near me and the leader said "3 miles, right on pace." My Garmin had me at 2.7miles. OK - so don't believe the garmin today. Around this time Jon came running - he was shooting for a 2 hr or less half so for him hanging with the 4:00 group would be good. It seemed like Mr. 4hr balloons was running a tad fast so I let them get a little ahead. Then I started feeling good and picked up my pace. Craig caught up to me - he was hoping to do the half in about 1:50. I ran with him for a little bit - he was still wearing his plastic poncho after at least 4 miles! We wound around the streets of downtown Denver. Around 5.5 miles was the TNT cheer/aid station. Crazy people in purple and cowboy hats cheering and screaming. I remember pumping my arms - woohoo and yeehaw! Now we were at City Park. The sun was high enough it was blinding heading east. Sunglasses came off my hat and onto my eyes. At mile 6 there was the first relay exchange. Tons of people were in line waiting for their team members to show up. Mile 7 was a gu station where you could grab one if you wanted and they told us water was just around the corner. Well, more like a mile around the corner. I had my own gel in a flask, endurolytes and electrolyte drink (HEED). Nutrition and hydration plan actually worked pretty well - I took gel from my flask about every 30 minutes, and every other 30 I took two endurolytes. No stomach issues! Anyway, around mile 9 or so I heard my name and Becky (another former TNTer) was there and took my picture. She was cheering on Jon, who was probably just a few minutes ahead of me. At this point I had already pulled ahead of the 4 hr balloon man. Soon there was a TNT coach who was monitoring us on the course. He said I looked really relaxed. I felt good, even though my legs were feeling it some. I just kept going - through Cheesman park. I didn't realize I was in a park, but I did remember seeing the sign for it. Oh well. After the park we were close to the half-way point. I remember looking at my time at mile 12 and seeing 1:48. Still on track for a sub-4 race so I felt good. Just keep up this pace and I'll be golden.

After the half marathoners turn off to go to the finish, us full folks hit a long (relatively speaking) out-and-back stretch on 7th Ave. Jordan from Girls Heart Rockets found me and hoped in to run a little. At this point I was glad to have some company though I wasn't super chatty. East bound was slightly uphill and I could really tell. Another TNT coach ran with us for a couple blocks and then headed back down to find the next person in purple. I couldn't wait to get to the turn around on this part for the recovery on the slight downhill. Oh so wrong. At this point my legs were pretty sore so there was no recovery on a downhill, only pain. I remember looking at the miles and couldn't wait for the miles left to be in the single digits. Got some water at the aid station and got nailed by a cup thrown by a shirtless guy with a long ponytail down his back. I think he had 6 or 7 rubber bands in his hair. At least the cup was empty and he did apologize (I think). Jordan pulled off around mile 15 and the 4hr balloon man found me again. Just stick with him - let him do the work and just keep the legs going. That worked for a little while. Then the pain registered even more. Everything hurt - well everything except the knee pain that put me into PT all last week! Hang on and keep the legs moving. I knew why I was out there - didn't question that. I knew I would finish. I just didn't know how long it would take me to get to the finish line....

Mile 17 the TNT coach who saw me at mile 9 or 10 was back. He said I looked a little sore. I agreed. He got me to shake out my arms, relax and breathe. Really breathing wasn't an issue. At this time I was going slow enough that my cardiovascular system wasn't taxed at all. I had no trouble breathing. I had trouble moving my legs. But I was tensing up in the shoulders too, so it was good to remember to shake the arms out a bit. Mile 18. I think I just saw Mr. 4 hr balloons go by me but without his balloons...huh? Guess he had to make a pit stop. Just 8 more miles. My IT band tightness was manifesting itself in my knees. Joy. Been there, done that, don't want that again. Just keep moving. Mile 20...OK, only a 10k to go. really - just a 10k! That's still an hour...

Shuffle, shuffle, walk at an aid station. Shuffle again. Didn't even bother checking my pace on the Garmin. I hear there is a wall at mile 20. Nope, no wall, just an extremely viscous medium to sludge my way through. I didn't want to walk (other than aid stations) but I did. I admit it. I started to see more people going by me. Even though I was going pretty slow by now and was hurting (see the race photo grimace) I was moving. The cops were managing the traffic at the intersections and the runners were very polite and thanking the cops. I usually do that too, but today it was all I could do to just smile or give a thumbs up. 5 more miles. Mr. water cup throwing guy passes me. 4 more miles. 4:15 pace group goes by at some point - just hang with them...or not. 3 more miles. 2 more miles. Another TNT coach on the course - better get to running again! He asked how I was but didn't buy the "OK" I managed to squeak out. But I convinced him I was fine other than the pain (with which I am sure he was familiar). He gave me a brief run down on the last 1.5 miles of the course, said I looked good and let me go on my way. Mile 25 marker. I was almost there. walk, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle. OK maybe a little more walking. Jordan was near the finish yelling for me. Woohoo! There was no final kick for me, but I will finish with my head up high! The TNT group was there - in their purple and big yellow foam cowboy hats. Awesome. Then the finish line. And there was Tim with the camera. He made it!!! Now, don't trip on the timing mats! Didn't - good. Got my medal my water, got a big hug from Tim and it was done! I had finished my first marathon in 4:26.

We walked to the TNT tent and Tim helped me down the steps in the park to get there. Now I understand. Tim headed out and I stayed at the TNT tent to eat, drink and congratulate all the other TNT finishers. Really, besides the pain in my legs, I felt great! Made it back to the hotel to get my bags, change into some not so sweaty clothes and got home. (hooray for cruise control!)

This was by far the most pain I have ever intentionally inflicted upon myself. But was it worth it? Yeah. Would I do it again? Yeah. (got to figure the pacing stuff out for sure!) Pressure is gone, right now who cares about a BQ - finishing was fine, just fine. I knew it was going to be painful and hard, but I really did underestimate the power of the beast. I definitely have a new found respect for the marathon beast.

And unfortunately later that night, Jaci and Brian lost Kalila to leukemia....

Here's a link to some of my photos from the weekend:

denver marathon 2009

Click here to see the professional race photos and the grimace.