Please send prayers, thoughts, scripture, kind words... whatever comes to your heart.
http://bandssullivan.blogspot.com/2009/09/heaven-bound.html
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Calico 1/2 Slam
So I'm thinking of going for the Calico Racing 1/2 Slam award. I would have to run 4 1/2 marathon distances in 12 consecutive months.
I was going to have the Red Rock Canyon 1/2 marathon be my first. However, if I bump that first one up to the Running From an Angel 1/2, then I can do ed Rock as my second 1/2 and they both will be during the colder months.
I'd then skip Lovell Canyon, as I've heard that hill is brutal. And I'd also skip the Running With the Devil 1/2. That's way too hot to do that distance my first 1/2 marathon season.
So I'd then do the ET 1/2, which is done in such beautiful weather in August out in Rachel, NV. And then end it all with the one it all started with - the Running From an Angel.
It's all just thoughts.... possibilities. I'll ponder on it for a little while.
I was going to have the Red Rock Canyon 1/2 marathon be my first. However, if I bump that first one up to the Running From an Angel 1/2, then I can do ed Rock as my second 1/2 and they both will be during the colder months.
I'd then skip Lovell Canyon, as I've heard that hill is brutal. And I'd also skip the Running With the Devil 1/2. That's way too hot to do that distance my first 1/2 marathon season.
So I'd then do the ET 1/2, which is done in such beautiful weather in August out in Rachel, NV. And then end it all with the one it all started with - the Running From an Angel.
It's all just thoughts.... possibilities. I'll ponder on it for a little while.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Camp Yuba Triathlon report
Yesterday I completed the sprint triathlon @ Yuba State Park in Utah!
1/2 mile swim, 12.4 mile bike, 3.1 mile run
We headed up there Friday night and camped out. It was nice being right there by the race. I didn't know what to do with myself now that I didn't have to drive an hour to get to an event!
Pre-race:
We didn't sleep much. The baby wasn't down with the whole tent/camping scene. And it was much colder than we expected. I told hubby "We need to remember we are now desert people!" I wear a winter coat if it's like 60 degrees here. We forgot sweatshirts and extra blankets.... so it was a bit of a rough night. I also wasn't having the best day ever. All day Friday was just really blah. I was excited for our trip and my upcoming race, but there was just a negative vibe in the air. I debated with myself all day and night if I should even do the tri.
Race morning:
I wake at 5am. I figure there's no point in going back to sleep. Body markings begin at 6am, my sprint starts at 8:15am. I still have to rack my bike if I'm going to do the race. So I go do that and go back to my site. It's FREEZING. I'm really thinking of not doing the tri still. I am just NOT in a good mood. I'm tired. And really, I'm completely 100% not interested in swimming in cold water this morning.
I keep reminding myself of what I have written at the top of my blog. It's kinda my mantra...
"There will be bad days and good days. The bad days will challenge you even more. The bad days will make you dig deeper into your heart and soul to find the reasons why it's so important to keep going!"
I wanted to keep going, but that yucky vibe was just so hard to shake!
8:13am
I'm in the water. I'm here, I'm in and guess what.... It isn't that cold! I would have chickened out for absolutely nothing. My family is with me at a triathlon for the first time. My kids are so excited to watch me and my husband's finally going to get some pictures of me!
SWIM: 24:59
Countdown... 10....5....3,2,1 GO!
I'm not a strong swimmer, but I'm not a weak one either. So I get a start in the middle of the pack and let the faster ones go past as smoothly as possible. I'm in no rush, I just need to get out alive.
The first buoy seems sooooooooooooo far away. I keep reminding myself that I know the distance is the same, I've done 1/2 mile and more (at IronGirl, remember that major screw up?), so I know that even if it seems far, it isn't any further than what I've already done in the past. And at 15 pounds heavier! Sometimes when I want to just stop and tread water, I remind myself that I'm not going to get anywhere doing that! So even if I just froggy on my back, it's better than ever stopping.
Out of the water I go and I hear "Mommy! Mommy!" Omg, that feeling isn't something I ever got to experience before and it completely lit up my heart! I want them at every race from now on, my little cheerleaders. My 4 and 6 year old ran up the side of the coned swim runway along side me.
T1: 01:47
Smooth, took my time, grabbed the wrong glasses, but they did the job. For the first time, I only wore a sports bra and tri shorts under my wetsuit, then threw on my jersey in T1.
BIKE: 46:40
Smooth and easy. I took my time in this leg. I was in such awe of where I was. I had come to do the Camp Yuba tri instead of many that were close to home because I wanted a new scenic experience. I got it. It wasn't like night and day from Vegas. But it's much greener with livestock all over. I realized that when I'm "racing", whether it be myself or the guy I want to pass in front of me, I don't take the time to look around. I'm watching the road and I'm focused. That's great to do when you want to! But this time, I didn't want that. I was riding down a country road in upper Utah that I will most likely never ride on again. This time, I wanted to experience it, not just conquer it.
It was during this leg that I noticed how many triathletes don't use tri-manners. Why break the rules? I was in the zone, finding my gears and getting a rhythm going. When I tried to pass this guy, he would speed up. The rule is that when the front tire of the racer behind you passes your back tire, you have been overtaken and need to allow yourself to be passed. Not speed up and leave the passing rider out in the middle to mess up traffic of other racers coming up from either passing direction. Well this guy was too prideful and didn't let me pass him any of the 3 times I tried.
I caught a glimpse of my kids and hubby at our campsite that was right along the road of the bike portion. I waved high and the kids jumped all around excited to see me!
T2: 00:53
Easy... helmet off, headband on. Grab the Garmin & run.
RUN: 39:54
The run leg was half road, half dirt. I strongly dislike running on dirt. Uneven dirt is even worse, and this was majorly uneven ground. It was a back road used for cattle trucks and farmers. Again, in this leg people were also not using their tri-manners. None of it was enough to mess up my flow. Just something I noticed. I always find it interesting how different athletes can be from one place to another. There was sufficient water. It had a beautiful view of the lake for most of the run. The temps weren't high, so that made the last leg so enjoyable. There was a beautiful cool breeze the entire race and it was just enough to keep you cooled down but never cold. And I didn't once get too hot.
I put the Garmin on so that I could pace myself for this last leg. I think I tend to push myself too hard in the run for fear of having taken too long everywhere else. So I try to make up for that in sprinting the run. That usually ends up not working well for me. So I brought Garmin along and set it for an 11min/mile 5k. My running speed was the same I do normally which was interesting. I did have to walk a lot more than I wanted to though. My goal was to only walk for a minute or less at every mile. That didn't happen, so I quickly changed my goal to having the run under 40 minutes. I achieved that goal.
FINISH:
My kids and hubby were at the finish line cheering me in. It was the most amazing feeling! Having your kids there is such a motivator. It really makes you push harder because you know how thrilled it will make them to see you do good. I can make a difference in their life by doing something fun and good for myself. I'll take that piece of pie any day!
I placed:
149th overall Sprint
49th overall Female
9th in my female age group (there were 13 that finished, 7 that DNF)
I was 28 minutes behind the 1st place finisher of Female 25-29.
21 minutes from the 3rd place finisher of Female 25-29.
Just for fun - Comparison:
RAGE
.46 Mile Swim, 12.4 Mile Bike, 3.1 Mile Run
Swim 26:43, Bike 1:21:42, Run 44:55
Total: 2:40:04
IRONGIRL
.75 Mile Swim - 10 Mile Bike - 3.1 Mile Run
Swim 27:08, Bike 44:52, Run 42:37
Total: 2:01:19
YUBA
1/2 Mile Swim, 12.4 Mile Bike, 3.1 Mile Run
Swim 24:59, Bike 46:40, Run 39:54.962
Total: 1:54:16
1/2 mile swim, 12.4 mile bike, 3.1 mile run
We headed up there Friday night and camped out. It was nice being right there by the race. I didn't know what to do with myself now that I didn't have to drive an hour to get to an event!
Pre-race:
We didn't sleep much. The baby wasn't down with the whole tent/camping scene. And it was much colder than we expected. I told hubby "We need to remember we are now desert people!" I wear a winter coat if it's like 60 degrees here. We forgot sweatshirts and extra blankets.... so it was a bit of a rough night. I also wasn't having the best day ever. All day Friday was just really blah. I was excited for our trip and my upcoming race, but there was just a negative vibe in the air. I debated with myself all day and night if I should even do the tri.
Race morning:
I wake at 5am. I figure there's no point in going back to sleep. Body markings begin at 6am, my sprint starts at 8:15am. I still have to rack my bike if I'm going to do the race. So I go do that and go back to my site. It's FREEZING. I'm really thinking of not doing the tri still. I am just NOT in a good mood. I'm tired. And really, I'm completely 100% not interested in swimming in cold water this morning.
I keep reminding myself of what I have written at the top of my blog. It's kinda my mantra...
"There will be bad days and good days. The bad days will challenge you even more. The bad days will make you dig deeper into your heart and soul to find the reasons why it's so important to keep going!"
I wanted to keep going, but that yucky vibe was just so hard to shake!
8:13am
I'm in the water. I'm here, I'm in and guess what.... It isn't that cold! I would have chickened out for absolutely nothing. My family is with me at a triathlon for the first time. My kids are so excited to watch me and my husband's finally going to get some pictures of me!
SWIM: 24:59
Countdown... 10....5....3,2,1 GO!
I'm not a strong swimmer, but I'm not a weak one either. So I get a start in the middle of the pack and let the faster ones go past as smoothly as possible. I'm in no rush, I just need to get out alive.
The first buoy seems sooooooooooooo far away. I keep reminding myself that I know the distance is the same, I've done 1/2 mile and more (at IronGirl, remember that major screw up?), so I know that even if it seems far, it isn't any further than what I've already done in the past. And at 15 pounds heavier! Sometimes when I want to just stop and tread water, I remind myself that I'm not going to get anywhere doing that! So even if I just froggy on my back, it's better than ever stopping.
Out of the water I go and I hear "Mommy! Mommy!" Omg, that feeling isn't something I ever got to experience before and it completely lit up my heart! I want them at every race from now on, my little cheerleaders. My 4 and 6 year old ran up the side of the coned swim runway along side me.
T1: 01:47
Smooth, took my time, grabbed the wrong glasses, but they did the job. For the first time, I only wore a sports bra and tri shorts under my wetsuit, then threw on my jersey in T1.
BIKE: 46:40
Smooth and easy. I took my time in this leg. I was in such awe of where I was. I had come to do the Camp Yuba tri instead of many that were close to home because I wanted a new scenic experience. I got it. It wasn't like night and day from Vegas. But it's much greener with livestock all over. I realized that when I'm "racing", whether it be myself or the guy I want to pass in front of me, I don't take the time to look around. I'm watching the road and I'm focused. That's great to do when you want to! But this time, I didn't want that. I was riding down a country road in upper Utah that I will most likely never ride on again. This time, I wanted to experience it, not just conquer it.
It was during this leg that I noticed how many triathletes don't use tri-manners. Why break the rules? I was in the zone, finding my gears and getting a rhythm going. When I tried to pass this guy, he would speed up. The rule is that when the front tire of the racer behind you passes your back tire, you have been overtaken and need to allow yourself to be passed. Not speed up and leave the passing rider out in the middle to mess up traffic of other racers coming up from either passing direction. Well this guy was too prideful and didn't let me pass him any of the 3 times I tried.
I caught a glimpse of my kids and hubby at our campsite that was right along the road of the bike portion. I waved high and the kids jumped all around excited to see me!
T2: 00:53
Easy... helmet off, headband on. Grab the Garmin & run.
RUN: 39:54
The run leg was half road, half dirt. I strongly dislike running on dirt. Uneven dirt is even worse, and this was majorly uneven ground. It was a back road used for cattle trucks and farmers. Again, in this leg people were also not using their tri-manners. None of it was enough to mess up my flow. Just something I noticed. I always find it interesting how different athletes can be from one place to another. There was sufficient water. It had a beautiful view of the lake for most of the run. The temps weren't high, so that made the last leg so enjoyable. There was a beautiful cool breeze the entire race and it was just enough to keep you cooled down but never cold. And I didn't once get too hot.
I put the Garmin on so that I could pace myself for this last leg. I think I tend to push myself too hard in the run for fear of having taken too long everywhere else. So I try to make up for that in sprinting the run. That usually ends up not working well for me. So I brought Garmin along and set it for an 11min/mile 5k. My running speed was the same I do normally which was interesting. I did have to walk a lot more than I wanted to though. My goal was to only walk for a minute or less at every mile. That didn't happen, so I quickly changed my goal to having the run under 40 minutes. I achieved that goal.
FINISH:
My kids and hubby were at the finish line cheering me in. It was the most amazing feeling! Having your kids there is such a motivator. It really makes you push harder because you know how thrilled it will make them to see you do good. I can make a difference in their life by doing something fun and good for myself. I'll take that piece of pie any day!
I placed:
149th overall Sprint
49th overall Female
9th in my female age group (there were 13 that finished, 7 that DNF)
I was 28 minutes behind the 1st place finisher of Female 25-29.
21 minutes from the 3rd place finisher of Female 25-29.
Just for fun - Comparison:
RAGE
.46 Mile Swim, 12.4 Mile Bike, 3.1 Mile Run
Swim 26:43, Bike 1:21:42, Run 44:55
Total: 2:40:04
IRONGIRL
.75 Mile Swim - 10 Mile Bike - 3.1 Mile Run
Swim 27:08, Bike 44:52, Run 42:37
Total: 2:01:19
YUBA
1/2 Mile Swim, 12.4 Mile Bike, 3.1 Mile Run
Swim 24:59, Bike 46:40, Run 39:54.962
Total: 1:54:16
Monday, September 7, 2009
Great Article... and a big move
Running Barefoot...
On a personal note - we're finally starting to settle in since our move. We sold our house and moved into a beautiful new one. It's everything I imagined and more! God brought everything together in such great timing and at the right price. Someone pinch me... this can't be real. God's gifts to us come in small and large packages... this one came in a large package but changed so many tiny details of our life to make us all so much happier.
We took off of school for the last few days and I haven't worked out in a week! Tomorrow we try to start our routine again... TRY being the operative word. I want to avoid it so badly, but I know we won't make progress taking that route! And I miss it all so much.
Have a great week!
On a personal note - we're finally starting to settle in since our move. We sold our house and moved into a beautiful new one. It's everything I imagined and more! God brought everything together in such great timing and at the right price. Someone pinch me... this can't be real. God's gifts to us come in small and large packages... this one came in a large package but changed so many tiny details of our life to make us all so much happier.
We took off of school for the last few days and I haven't worked out in a week! Tomorrow we try to start our routine again... TRY being the operative word. I want to avoid it so badly, but I know we won't make progress taking that route! And I miss it all so much.
Have a great week!
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