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Well, Fiona’s been growing up fast over the past few weeks as she’s been growing so fast, but yesterday was a milestone. She’s been saying “wa” for yes or yeah for a long time, since she started to talk, really. But yesterday, completely on her own, she started saying “wes” (she hasn’t fully picked up on the y sound). The wa is gone!

Then this morning, she counted to 12. Sheesh, she’s practically in college already.

Spirit of Racine 1/2 IM
2006-07-23
Racine, Wisconsin
United States
http://www.hfpracing.com
75F / 24C
Sunny

Triathlon - 1/2 Ironman
Total Time = 6h 27m 9s
Overall Rank = 1037/1200
Age Group = Athena
Age Group Rank = 8/15

Pre-race routine: On Saturday, we drove from Rockford (after spending the night at my mother in law’s) to Racine (with a stop at the Jelly Belly factory). Dropped off my bike and picked up my race stuff. Got my number #444! Hurrah. Checked into the hotel. Had dinner with some of the Beginner Triathlete folks, which was great. Back to the hotel for an early bed time. Up at 4:30am. Oatmeal and coffee. Bill and I then drove to the race site. Set up transition, pumped up the tires. Heard a big *bang* as we walked to the transition area, some some folks had flats waiting for them I’m sure. After that we started walking over to the swim start. Heard the MC, who is a fellow from Minnesota who MCs almost all the tris back home, so I made a point to go over and say ‘hi’. It was nice to have a familiar voice!

Event warmup: Four endurolytes, an egel, and some water. Got into my wetsuit and did a little swimming. Before I knew it, the first wave was going and it was almost time for me to start!

Swim 00:45:09 | 2112 yards | 2m 08s / 100yards
Age Group: 8/15
Overall: 990/1200
Course: Point to point, with a bit against the waves and into the sun at the start, with the waves towards the shore at the end.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 68F / 20C Current: Low

Comments: The water was so cool and wavey, it reminded me of being a kid swimming in Lake Superior. I had a good swim. My time includes the 2 minutes it took me to run from the swim ‘finish’ to the transition area, but i still finished around my goal, which was 40-45 minutes.

What would you do differently?: I didn’t draft at all, and stayed out too far from the bouys (which i later learned was being cause by the undertow!)

T1 Time: 02:52
Comments: Transition went faster than I expected. I was hoping for under 3 minutes. If I add in the run from the beach, then it was more like 5 minutes! Took 4 more endurolytes with water.

Bike 02:58:56 | 56 miles | 18.78 mile/hr
Age Group: 7/15
Overall: 902/1200
Wind: Some
Course: Very nice, flatish course. Smooth and rough spots.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 85

Comments: Felt great on the bike right away. Got into a good cadence, around 90-95. I didn’t look at my average speed until much later. Almost crashed at one point when I was shifting and had taken my hand off my aero bars (clip ons) and sort of swerved. Luckily I was camped out to the right to make room for all the VERY fast guys on VERY nice tri bikes, so I went into the very loose gravel instead of swerving into someone. I was probably going about 22 mph at the time, but somehow managed to get myself back up on the blacktop. Yikes. At about mile 30 or so, I ended up chatting with another woman for a while. She has three boys, so we talked about kids and racing and what not. After a while, I went ahead, then she caught up, then a few miles later, she went ahead and that was that. Checked my average speed at about mile 40 and it was around 19.9, better than I could have expected. I was feeling GREAT, watching the fast boys whiz boy. And then, my crotch started to hurt. I mean, REALLY hurt. Might have picked up some sand on the swim, because I’ve never had a problem with my saddle or tri suit before…but wow. OUCH! OUCH! OUCH! Every bump for the last 16 miles was painful. I tried to keep my cadence up, but was lifting myself out of the saddle for the bigger bumps and this really cut into my time. I was probably <18 the last 16 minutes of the ride. The last couple miles I sped up because I just wanted to be off my bike. I wasn’t looking forward to the run, but I was very motivated to get off my bike. My nutrition seemed to work though, because overall I felt fine on the bike. Drank the two bottles of efuel I brought with me, plus picked up 2 bottles of water to use with some gels and the efuel concentrate. Didn’t use everything, but used enough. Stopped eating/drinking at about mile 45 so that my tummy would have time to absorb everything and not be sloshy on the run. My goal was to finish the bike in under 3 hours, and I did that despite the sore parts.

What would you do differently?: Maybe use some chamois cream before the race? I use it before every long ride to avoid chaffing, but never use it when I have raced in the past. Probably would have washed away on the swim, but maybe not. Body glide????

T2 Time: 03:24
Comments: Just as I was entering transition, there was Bill, his mom, and the girls! It was SOOOO nice to see them. Once I was in transition, I started to feel like I should be done. Seeing them helped me keep going. Fresh socks, shoes on, 2 more endurolytes. Ran to the fence to give Bill and the girls a kiss each, then headed out.

What would you do differently?: Time wise, I should have moved faster and waved instead of walking over and giving kisses…but I was just trying to finish this one and needed a little lovin’!

Run: 02:37:39 | 13.1 miles | 12m 02s min/mile
Age Group: 8/15
Overall: 15/1200
Performance: Below average
Course: Two out and back loops. Mostly flat.

Comments: Ah, the run. As I exited the transition area, there was Ella. She wanted to run with me…the whole run. We ran a little ways, then had to back track to find Bill so that I could hand off Ella. She and Fiona were both REALLY upset. I stopped for several minutes to hug and kiss them both. I needed that as much as they did. Ella was still crying as I started running again, but I could hear her yell a strained “GO MAMA GO! *sniff sniff*’ Started out with a slow shuffle. Made it to Mile 1 in 13:00…but my pace was probably more like 9:30-10:00 given the time I was with the kids. It didn’t matter to me. At this point I knew I wouldn’t finish in under 6 hours, but I knew I would finish and found an easy run pace that felt good, probably in the 10:00 min mile range based on my time between miles 1 and 3. At about mile 3, the music started. You’d have thought in t2 I ate a bean burrito followed by chugging a 2 liter of Coke. Farts. Burps. LOVELY! I was like a one woman band. Every time I tried to pick up my pace, it got worse. Worried that it might evolve into things much more unpleasant, I pulled way back. I walked the water stops, taking sips of my egel/efuel mix in my fuel belt bottles, and swigs of water. Alternated running and walking. Sometimes I felt good and ran for several miles in a row…followed by 1/2 mile of walking until I was able to get the music under control and felt ready to go again. This was how the rest of the run went. At the end of the second loop, I threw caution to the wind (ba dum bum). I nearly kissed the mile 12 sign, blowing it a kiss instead, and then RAN the rest of the way! At mile 13, Ella ran out from the crowd in her bathing suit and Keens, and ran the last .1 mile with me, crossing the finish line with me, and getting my finisher’s medal for me.

What would you do differently?: I know I could have pushed harder than I did. My legs still had enough juice to run that last mile and even kick at the end. Just like with my first half-marathon, I wasn’t sure what I might need at the end, so I kept things slower than I probably needed to. Add in all the intestinal issues I had this spring, I didn’t want to risk not finishing. So, while I’m glad I slowed down….it was still a bummer for me to meet my swim and bike goals, and fart the run away (ha ha).

Post race: Ella and I found Bill, Sandy, and Fi. Checked out the food line tent and decided to bail for a real meal. Had a recovery drink already mixed up in transition. It was warm, but it was something. I was SO happy to be done, that I just wanted to head out, have a beer and a meal and a NAP. I didn’t even stay around to look at results. Loaded up my stuff, then sipped on the recovery drink as we headed to the car, changed clothes (ah!), loaded the bike, then drove to Noodles and Co. for lunch. Had a beer, and boy did it taste GOOD! After that, we got some ice cream, then headed back to Rockford.

What limited your ability to perform faster: Traveling to races is really tough on me. I had cramping and stomach problems before Danskin, and I think it was the travel. I didn’t have problem before this race, just on the run, but I blame the travel. The long drives, not sleeping in my own bed, eating my own food, etc. puts my body out of sorts. I can take the driving if we are staying with family and I had a kitchen at my disposal to cook what I need to eat. There are HIM in Minnesota now, two actually, so I may look at doing one of those next year…but I think the only races I will travel to in the future will be races where I have family very close to the race and where I don’t have to stay in a hotel. Just like at any race, I look back and know I could have pushed harder in each event, knowing how I felt at the end and how I feel today (hardly sore at all). Since it was my first time, I just wanted to finish and almost didn’t wear my watch at all.

Event comments: This is an awesome event. I can’t imagine having had a different first HIM experience. Even the difficulties on the course were like a right of passage in a way, and therefore - it was perfect. The sunrise that morning, the glorious weather, the at home feeling of swimming in a big lake, corn flowers along the road on the rolling bike course, the hugs and kisses in transition, and the shady spots on the run…I found moment of joy all along the course.

My photos are online already, and I’m writing this up a little late, but backdating somewhat to keep the journal more intact, date-wise. It’s a long post, so click the link to read it all.

The short version: it was a fantastic trip, perfect weather, excellent fishing, great food and a great time hanging out with my dad and brothers.

(more…)

today we were talking about the upcoming danskin race, and ella said she wanted to do a race too. i said we could do another fun run and she said ‘NO, i want to do a TRIATHLON! TODAY!’ yow! okay!

we set up the race in the backyard and we all had a blast. ella was grinning the whole time (’cept on the bike - she’s been on the trail-a-bike so much lately that she hasn’t been riding her own bike as much). fiona…well, fiona was just VERY SERIOUS about the whole thing. she’s 2 1/2, but she knew exactly what to do. she’s only been to one of my races this year, but she remembered! amazing. anyway, we all had a grand time.

i especially love the one of the girls before the race starts (so serious!), fi leaping out of the pool, ella airborn on the run, and the girls with their awards. so cute.

well, while bill was off touring alaska and fishing with his dad and brothers, the girls and i had our own fun! here is a little log of the things we did….

day 1 - Friday - really, this was just our first night. bill just left for the airport around 3pm. ella had her first ballet/dance recital at 2pm. she had a bout of stage fright, but after some tears and a talk, she was able to jump back in to dance with the other girls and finished with a smile. after bill left, we read some books and did some cleaning. after much discussion about what to do for dinner, we ended up having left overs. ella really wanted to go out to eat at hoa bien and get some cream cheese wontons, but it was a struggle getting everyone moving. so, left overs, and then before bed we popped popcorn and watched ‘the cat returns’. it took fi a while to get to sleep, but once she was asleep, ella and read some out of her new king arthur book. after a thunderstorm story on her back, we all were asleep. i tossed and turned a bit until bill called at about midnight our time. once i knew he was safe on the ground, i slept great.

day 2 - Saturday - this morning when fiona woke up, i told her that her papa had called in the middle of the night to say that he had arrived safety in alaska. she said ‘no daddy on a plane, daddy in the house RIGHT NOW!’ that was the only real sadness expressed. they are used to daddy heading off to work in the morning, so i’m betting that dinner and bedtime are going to be the times they miss him most. rainy day today, although is peeking out now. got up and the girls asked to watch tv. they watched clifford the big red dog and the big big world while i made breakfast. after breakfast, the went back to the basement to play with play-do and do some painting while i did some more laundry. after cleaning up that mess, we headed upstairs to do origami, play with trains, and bake some chocolate cupcakes. now ella is playing with her leapster, and fi is playing with trains (as usual). i tried to get them out to do something today - go see the old cars at the fair grounds, go listen to music at the coffee shop (they had live music last night, and again this afternoon), take the lightrail and bus to the minnesota zoo. ella just wants to be at home. after a whole week of ballet camp, i can’t blame her. we’ll probably just have a quiet day today.

day 3 - Sunday - rain storms all night last night. ella had an accident at 1am, so we were all pretty tired when we got up. we went over to the coffee shop for pastries, coffee for me, and hot cocoa for the girls. after we got back, the girls watched thomas and friends while i washed everything from the bed. bill called and the girls got to talk to him. slowly the sun emerged. i had picked up a paper at the coffee shop and it said that the afternoon would be ‘gorgeous’, so i decided we were going to the beach. the girls were excited to do that. i looked online for directions to some of the lakes just north of st. paul (owasso, josephine, or johanna), and discovered something interesting - a public water park over in battle creek. that area of st. paul is up on the bluffs on the other side of downtown from us. by car, it was about a 12 mile drive. by bike, i figured it might be a bit farther. still, i was feeling adventurous, and the girls loved the idea of visiting a place with water slides. we loaded up our stuff (the mesh backpack i got as schwag at the buffalo triathlon made a PERFECT swim gear bag) in the burley and off we went. i took a longer way there, looping along the river. that added about 9 miles to the journey there, so it was about 21 miles total by the time we got there. we played in the water and went on the slides, stopped for a lunch break of hot dogs and lemonaid, and the played some more. after a while, fiona’s lips and cheeks started to turn purple, and ella started to complain anytime another kid splashed her…so it was time to head home. they both fell asleep on the way home, but woke up in time to stop at the grand old creamery for ice cream. the ride home was only 11 miles, so if we wanted to get there faster next time, we could. we bought a pass so that we can go back again. it was a great day for a new adventure!

day 4 - Monday - in the morning we headed to the coffee shop to meet up with sara, seamus, and ian, who are moving to north carolina. seamus and ella are old friends, and ian and fi are also close in age. the whole family will miss them. after that, we had another water day today. my old high school friend, emily, came over and we biked up to como pool. we played for a little over an hour, then biked over to andy’s garage for lunch. we made it just in time, as a summer thunderstorm rolled through while we were having our late lunch. biked home after that and had a bath and a quiet evening.

day 5 - Tuesday - woke up early and headed out for a 10k run with the girls in the double jogger. it has been a while since i pushed both of them - quite a workout! after we got home, aunt molly arrive to pick up ella for a class she and laurel are taking this week at the science museum. bea stayed with me and fiona, and they played wonderfully together. after ella got home at lunch, we played outside for a bit, then came in. ella and i played with her leapster together, while fiona was quietly playing downstairs with her trains…or so we thought! in reality she was causing mayhem downstairs. she took the olives and the eggs out of the fridge and proceeded to make a ’soup’ in the living room. she also took down a box of bandaids and stuck bandaids all over herself and the kitchen. i went down to check on her and discovered the bandain mess. while we were all working together to clean up that mess (ella was VERY helpful!), i head greta eating something in the living room…and that’s when i discovered the ’soup’ which was all over the coffee table, floor, and even under the couch. by the time i got that cleaned up, i was not in the best of moods. so, we hunkered down and watched a couple movies and had a very lazy evening. fiona fell asleep (thank goodness), ella watched the movies, and i managed to get a little nap in too.

day 6 - Wednesday - laundry and cleaning day this morning. we did some cleaning this weekend, but after an afternoon in the house yesterday, there is lots to do. after we get some cleaning, laundry, and dishes done (its amazing how little there is to wash with just three of us in the house!), we are going to go do something fun with the day - maybe bike to a lake, or to choo-choo bob’s, or something.

day 7 - Thursday - Molly came by and picked up Ella to bring her and Laurel to the second part of the flowers class at the Science Museum. Bea stayed with me and Fi, and the girls had a grand time romping about in the yard. We had a pizza lunch with Aunt Molly and the cousins. Then the girls and I headed out for the grand adventure to pick up my race packet in Bloomington. We took the 21 bus to the light rail to the Mall of America, then took a smaller suburban bus down to Penn Cycle. All was going well, but the bus driver of the small bus drove like a maniac, and Ella was thrown from her seat when he took a sharp, fast turn. She ended up with a goose egg on her head, and two bruises on her leg. We got to the bike shop and picked up the packet, then I treated the girls to twist cones at McDonalds for being such good troupers. Then we caught the bus back to the Mall (same driver, but he was a bit calmer with his driving this time). At the mall we picked up a few things, then raced to catch the train, then the bus home. Once home, the girls popped in the burley and we headed over to pick up our farm produce. What a day! We were all ready for a quiet night and an early bedtime!

day 8 - Friday - In the morning we ran a few errands, picking up some fruit and other things at the co-op, and getting a present for Summer for her party, then came home and played in the backyard. Grandma Kathy arrived in the afternoon, and we all went to bed pretty early.

day 9 - Saturday - Race day, so I was up at 3am. I signed up for this race before the dates were picked for Bill’s trip. I could have skipped it, but my mom was kind enough to come down and watch the girls, and I had team mates who were kind enough to offer me a ride. Anyway, the alarm was set for 3:45am, but I was so worried that I wouldn’t wake up on time that I tossed and turned all night. Woke up at 3:00am and couldn’t get back to sleep. Got up, made some breakfast, ride arrived at 4:15. They like to be at races EARLY - a new concept for me. Sure enough, we were some of the first folks into the transition area when it opened. It was worth waking up earlier than normal to have such a relaxing time once we got to the race. Good parking spot, awesome transition spot, first one to use one of the port-a-pots (extra proud of that one). Had a good race and placed 2nd Athena (last year i was 3rd athena). Hung around for the awards ceremony. Got a cool mug and a free month membership at the YWCA. Everyone on the tri team placed in their age group. It was really strange not having Bill and the girls there for this race, but between the team mates and other friends who were there, I felt like I had a community there. Because the race started late because of rain and lightening, and then sticking around for the awards ceremony, I didn’t get home until about 1:00 or 1:30. Getting gome late, plus seeing my mom off, and getting changed and resting for a bit, meant that ended up almost missing Summer’s birthday party! Luckily, we got there at the tail end and the kids had a wonderful time playing. We biked home, and about 15 minutes later, Bill was home!