Not posting to my blog seems to have become a habit...a bad habit. But I guess in some ways it is a really good thing. I am busy working, training for Ironman USA, getting another season of CANCER to 5K off and running and planning a wedding. (less than 12 weeks!!!)
My life is FULL and I would yell "tilt" except that I am so honestly THANKFUL to have a life this busy again. I am happy that I can get up and swim for an hour, work an 8 hour day, head back to the gym for a 45 minute run/bike and then come home, eat dinner with Jim, play with the Bengals for a bit and then check email and crawl into bed.
I am living my life and right now Life is Good! I look over at my personal definition of what LiveSTRONG means to me and find that it still applies. That speaks volumes because we all know that every challenge we face, self-imposed or unexpected, forces us to use what resources we have, internally and externally, and find a way to move forward.
And afterall that is always the ultimate goal in life isn't it? To move forward...towards a new life together, towards a faster mararthon, towards the next triathlon, towards remission, towards a college degree, towards a new home, the list is endless and unique to each of us. The Finish Line is not always a physical banner we can touch but there is always a metaphysical "Finish Line" that we are all reaching for as we go through Life.
Life IS Good! LiveSTRONG!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
My Workout Fairy Gently Reminds Me...
That I have a chart on my side bar that is supposed to be tracking my weekly workouts in 2009 so I have finally got that up-to-date through January 12, 2009.
My weeks are Monday thru Sunday and because I am trying to keep track from the beginning of the new year, I will be recording 53 weeks in 2009 - Week One started with December 29th.
My chart, my calendar, my rules...
Thank you for the gentle reminder and for the html code, SnowWhite!
In terms of volume and actual workouts - all is going well right now. The biggest challenge has been finding a schedule that still lets me enjoy some "Non-Triathlon related" things like spending time with friends, reading some good books and getting another season of CANCER to 5K underway for SPRING 2009.
Life is Good! LiveSTRONG!
Monday, January 05, 2009
May the wind be forever at your back Jim Owens
Cyclist Combatting Cancer saw a great loss this weekend. Jim Owens (Jim'sJourney.com) passed away quietly Sunday morning after a 10-year battle with a rare brain cancer. Jim was an amazing guy and I was very lucky to have had the chance to get to know him, meet him in person several times and to call him a team mate. Yesterday's 32 miles on the bike outside, I rode in his honor. Every tailwind that pushed me along made me smile and think of Jim Owens. He is the kind of guy who brought "tailwinds" of encouragement wherever he went and and he touch so many lives.
See you on the other side of the next big climb, Jim. Thanks for every moment you took to encourage me. You will be greatly missed but never forgotten.
LiveSTRONG.
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Happy New Year from Wallace & Grommette
May 2009 be full ofHEALTH, HAPPINESS, JOY
and the occasional good NAP!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Life is GOOD! LiveSTRONG!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
End the Year with a Fast 5K!
Me and my No#1 Running Buddy, Keri!Fairfax, VA - December 31, 2008 @ 4PM
This year (2008), through December, among the Triathlons that I raced, I ran five (5) stand alone 5K events and there was one consistent factor to all these races. It seemed that sub 36:00 was out of my reach. UNTIL LAST NIGHT!!
GW Parkway Classic (May) - 36:17
Capitol Crescent 5K (June) - 38:26
Survivor Harbor Seven 5K (June) - 37:28
Rainforest 5K (June) - 37:02
Crystal City 5K (July) - 37:20
On the last day of December on the hilly George Mason University campus in Fairfax VA, in temps of 35F with wind gust of up to 40mph, I FINALLY broke through the 36:00 minute mark for 5K!
MADD Red Ribbon Run 5K: 35:42
I ran the race with my good friend Keri and while I was secretly hoping for a year end PR, I figured conditions were miserable for a hilly course so I might as well just enjoy and have fun and not worry about it. While I started my Garmin at the race start, I chose to ignore it completely. While it did a great job recording my stats and pace, I didn't let it effect my thoughts during the race. Keri and I ran and simply took it little hill by little hill.
Mile ONE Split: 11:16 - It felt like we had gone out fast and the mile race clock said 11:30 - so I asked Keri if she minded a quick 1 minute walk break. She agreed and we briskly walked for a minute to recover from the first mile - that was our only walk break of the race.
Mile TWO Split: 11:37 - "Oh my God, where do these hills keep coming from?" Keri and I just talked and grunted and giggled and got buffetted by the winds as we climbed up and down the hills. We took a brief water stop (maybe 10 seconds) and continue on...
Mile THREE Split: 11:28 - The best quote of the race came in this mile from Keri "That is NOT A HEADWIND, we are just running that much faster!!"
The last .10 of a mile to the finish line was a nice downhill to a gentle blip up to the finish line. As we ran down, I tried hard to "let off the breaks" and just let momentum take me even though I have a fear of falling on my face that usually prevents me from letting go on downhills. It wasn't until Keri saw the finish line clock and said "Holly the clock only says 35:15 - come on let's go!" that I realized how well we were doing and I took in a deep breath and pick up my big flat feet and gave it whatever I had left.
Mile 3.0 to 3.10: 1:21 - According to Garmin we ran that last 1/10 mile at a 8:39 minute mile pace - I didn't even know I could move that fast without a bike! LOL
Besides ending the calandar year with my fastest 5K for this year (2008), I would say the best part of this race was the fact that NOT ONCE did I bitch or moan or complain during the race. Not one negative thought entered my head at any point and other than the walk break at the end of the first mile, which I thought at the time was just smart recovery (and it turns out it was) I never had any desire to walk again. I knew that I could run those last 2.1 miles, regardless of the hills.
I could not have asked for a BETTER RACE to end 2008 nor a better friend to race is with!!
Life is Good! Happy New Year to you all!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
I have Thunder Thighs!
KUDOS to my sister Heather for finding this ad and listing as one of her favorite things or I would have never seen this ad and I LOVE IT!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Can you covet a Cake Topper?
Holly is currently coveting this:
Okay seriously...the cake topper is ADORABLE but when your trying to stick to your wedding budget, a $95.00 Cake Topper seems completely unreasonable and excessive!
Seriously, the cake itself is only going to cost us around $200.00. So this "miniature wedding cake topper, handmade in France" is a no go. The piece is detailed in enamel over bronze with a happy bride and groom riding tandem--plus a small white dog in the bicycle basket.
Now if the basket had two Bengal kittens in the front basket - ALL BETS WOULD BE OFF and the money would be spent cause that is the way I roll but since it does not have two Bengal kittens in the basket, I am on the search for another cake topper!
C'est La Vie! (That's Life!)
This past week Jim and I spent the week in Jackson, Mississippi, celebrating a "Early Christmas" with his family and interviewing and hiring vendors for our upcoming nuptials. There are still a lot of decisions that still need to be made but at least now we have an Officiant, a Caterer, a Baker, a Photographer, a Florist, a Tent Rental Company, AND we have bought and paid for the wedding bands. Of course we could not have gotten all of this stuff done if it were not for all the hard work that our Wedding Planner - Deborah Simmons did before we ever got into town.
Let me tell you - if you are planning a wedding OUT OF TOWN, you really ought to consider adding a Wedding Planner to your overall budget. Deborah has been fantastic so far. Not only has she been able to stick to our budget and find us good vendors but she has some great ideas on little things to add to our wedding that will really make it special (and IN OUR BUDGET!) and she really seems to understand exactly what Jim and I are looking for in terms of the "Wedding" to be refereed to from this day forward as Le Tour du Coeur 2009 (The Tour of the Heart 2009)
We managed to send out almost all the "Save the Dates" (still a few to go out...) and a lovely side effect of that is the nearly finalized guest list. Getting those "Save the Dates" out before the holidays was a personal goal. Does getting them out between the major holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas mean I kind of met my goal? In this case - HECK YEAH!Just before Jim and I left town for the week, I made another big decision. On Friday night, Dec 5th, I put down the money and joined a local TRIATHLON training group called Team Z.
While this is a step away from the one-on-one coaching that I was doing, I believe this will be the right kind of IRONMAN training for me. I have always done better training with other people and while on race day, everybody is on their own. the idea of having fully supported training rides and long runs over the winter, spring and into early summer leading up to Ironman USA, really appeals to me.
So this week I am going to drop in on several week-day Team Z workouts and see which ones work best with my week day schedule. I may still find myself training alone during the week but the support on the weekends and at local races throughout this coming 2009 Season will be worth it!
There is more that has happened in the last 2 weeks...Much more but I am going to have to save it for later in the week. I'm gearing up to get back to regularly blogging. I have a feeling it will keep me SANE over the next 12 months...or at least it will provide me with a safe place to be CRAZY...(Much closer to the truth!!)
Life is Good! More later this week!
LiveSTRONG!
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
FUTILE!!!!
RANT ON!
I AM A GROWN WOMAN
YOU TOOK PICTURES OF MY BODY
YOU EVALUATED THEM, YOU HAVE RESULTS
GIVE ME THE DAMN RESULTS!
Don't give me this "You have to get the results from your Dr." crap....Last time I checked, you had the letters "MD" after you name Mr. Radiologist. That makes you a Dr. too...and if you read my films that makes you a Dr. evaluating MY BODY so therefore I think I have the right to know the results IMMEDIATELY! Especially if you are going to make me sit around while you read them....
RANT OFF!
(By the way, as far as "I" know without official confirmation from my Dr., everything is probably fine or else "they would have called you yesterday" according to the Nurse who sounded annoyed to even have to be pulling my medical records out of the pile next to the fax that nobody had bothered to look at yet....)
ARRGGGG!!!!!!
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
RR: Back Yard Burn Race #2 of 4
Keri, looking good and forging the way...
Holly, looking good and having fun!
Race #1 was a NO_SHOW for me because my newest Nephew insisted on making an appearance 1-week ahead of schedule. It was a DNS (Did Not Start) that I was very willing to have. I would not have missed his arrival for any race!
Race #2 - Sunday November 2 - 5.5 miles - Hemlock Overlook - Clifton, VA
Time: 1:26.17
Pace 15:45 per mile - power hiking only - no running
I have been having some on/off issues with my left achilles this fall. It seems no more serious than some tendentious but Coach Bob and I are trying to back off the volumes and intensity of my runs lately to see if I can get this issues under control before the big Ironman training volumes come into play. I was pretty bummed that "running the race" was not an-option and while I had some very good, sane advice from fellow runners to look at the big picture and possibly skip this race, I was pretty sure that my achilles was doing well enough for me to power hike the event.
My friend Keri, who recently finished her first off-road Half Marathon, was my race partner for the day. Keri, who also signed up for the 4-race series, had an excellent time in Race #1, exceeding her expectations and decided to hang-back with me for this race. Knowing that at any point mid-race, I could stop, if necessary without being stranded 2.5 miles out from the finish, made the decision to start an easy one.
The course was set up as three trail loops that returned each time to the finish/start area. The woods and trails were simply stunning! The Fall foliage, the warm 50% temperatures and no wind made for the perfect race day. The loops themselves were fun and very challenging with 3 steep, long climbs, several rock scrambles, a few water crossings and lots of technical trail full of roots, rocks and fallen trees to step, leap or straddle. (depending on your pace)
There was a mix of everything you could imagine, open fields gently sloping down hill, narrow paths winding along a lazy river, steep rocky downhills that had me VERY THANKFUL that I had trail shoes on and long stair-stepping climbs that looked "almost done" until you reach the top and the trail veered off to the right and UP just a little more. Keri and I had a great time, we set a quick pace and eventually caught up to and passed about 3 people on the course. As we got close to the finish, we were lapped by the top 10 men and top 5 women racing the 10-mile distance race (two times around the course). It was stunning to watch these men and women fly through these woods, seemingly on that edge between control and being a victim of gravity.
It took plenty of self-discipline not to break into a run in the moments when the path widened or cleared a little but I kept "July 26, 2009" in the back of my head and reminded myself that a brisk hike was still getting my heart-rate up and working my core and legs without risking injury. I had a great time and found the "off-road" running folks to be friendly and laid back and a fun group to hang with on an early November morning.
Life is Good! Even when you have to back off the pace...
I have been having some on/off issues with my left achilles this fall. It seems no more serious than some tendentious but Coach Bob and I are trying to back off the volumes and intensity of my runs lately to see if I can get this issues under control before the big Ironman training volumes come into play. I was pretty bummed that "running the race" was not an-option and while I had some very good, sane advice from fellow runners to look at the big picture and possibly skip this race, I was pretty sure that my achilles was doing well enough for me to power hike the event.
My friend Keri, who recently finished her first off-road Half Marathon, was my race partner for the day. Keri, who also signed up for the 4-race series, had an excellent time in Race #1, exceeding her expectations and decided to hang-back with me for this race. Knowing that at any point mid-race, I could stop, if necessary without being stranded 2.5 miles out from the finish, made the decision to start an easy one.
The course was set up as three trail loops that returned each time to the finish/start area. The woods and trails were simply stunning! The Fall foliage, the warm 50% temperatures and no wind made for the perfect race day. The loops themselves were fun and very challenging with 3 steep, long climbs, several rock scrambles, a few water crossings and lots of technical trail full of roots, rocks and fallen trees to step, leap or straddle. (depending on your pace)
There was a mix of everything you could imagine, open fields gently sloping down hill, narrow paths winding along a lazy river, steep rocky downhills that had me VERY THANKFUL that I had trail shoes on and long stair-stepping climbs that looked "almost done" until you reach the top and the trail veered off to the right and UP just a little more. Keri and I had a great time, we set a quick pace and eventually caught up to and passed about 3 people on the course. As we got close to the finish, we were lapped by the top 10 men and top 5 women racing the 10-mile distance race (two times around the course). It was stunning to watch these men and women fly through these woods, seemingly on that edge between control and being a victim of gravity.
It took plenty of self-discipline not to break into a run in the moments when the path widened or cleared a little but I kept "July 26, 2009" in the back of my head and reminded myself that a brisk hike was still getting my heart-rate up and working my core and legs without risking injury. I had a great time and found the "off-road" running folks to be friendly and laid back and a fun group to hang with on an early November morning.
Life is Good! Even when you have to back off the pace...
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Do you civic duty...
if your registered, Get out there and VOTE today!
and if you choose not to vote, then don't expect ME
to listen to you complain for the next 4 years...
Are we clear on that point?
OK, Good! Have a Nice Day!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Raise a PINT....
JIM:
Here's to a long life and a merry one.
A quick death and an easy one.
A pretty girl and an honest one.
A cold pint-- and another one!
May you live to be 100 years, with one extra year to repent!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
I LOVE YOU!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Something to make us smile...
I found this in my IN BOX today from my Mom...I'm easy to pick out since I am the only one in the picture who would be under the age of 15 or so...
I'm guessing this is somewhere between 1978 & 1980 based on the "Holly Hobby" dress and my Dad's perm... (I loved me some Holly Hobby stuff - we had the same name, after all!)
I would estimate my age to be between 8-10 years old.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Welcome Kain!
On Wednesday afternoon, October 15th , we welcomed my newest nephew Kain Ezekiel T. into this world. Both Mommy, Baby, Big Brother Rowen and Daddy are doing well and I am enjoying the week playing pirates, blocks and occasionally watching Noggin (Nick Jr. TV) with my newphew Rowen.
Heather and Holly in the delivery room...I was a very lucky Aunt to be able to share this moment with Heather and Rich and they honored me by letting me cut the umbilicle cord.
Heather and Holly in the delivery room...I was a very lucky Aunt to be able to share this moment with Heather and Rich and they honored me by letting me cut the umbilicle cord.
Kain, just a few minutes old and on the warming table...
"Are you my mommy?"
"Aunt Holly holding her new nephew for the first time?"
Introducing Kain Ezekiel, 8 pounds 2 ounces, 20.5 inches
Rowen and Aunt Cathy play tent in the soft and colorful blankies that Carlene hand-made especially for Rowen and Kain!
Rowen and Aunt Holly are having a pirate battle in their Mr. Potato-Head Hats!
"Arg, Maities!! Shiver me timbers and walk the plank!"
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Monday, October 06, 2008
I'm not FEELING it...
Sorry folks, for the lack of blog posts. These days with regards to blogging, I am just "not feeling it..."
It's not because I don't have much going on so perhaps it is that there is SO MUCH going on and something had to give. I have been busy and that has required some serious focus on using my time wisely. As a result, Blogging has fallen by the wayside.
Before I go, I want to take a moment to acknowledge a great loss in my family recently. My Uncle Mark died unexpectedly just two weeks ago and Jim and I traveled north this weekend to support my extended family and attend the funeral.
I leave you with these things to think about...
"The most difficult thing of all - yet the most essential - is to love life, even when you suffer, because life is all"
- Leo Tolstoy
"I know for certain that we never lose the people we love, even to death. They continue to participate in every act, thought and decision we make. Their love leaves an indelible imprint in our memories. We find comfort in knowing that our lives have been enriched by having shared their love."
-Leo Buscaglia
and of course, even in the midst of hard times, I still believe deep in my my heart and in my head that ...
Life is Good so I will continue to LiveSTRONG!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
My darling Nephew turns 2-years old today!
Happy Birthday Rowen!
Eat a cupcake for me too!
We love you and miss you!
Love,
Aunt Holly, Uncle Jim
and those crazy cats (Wallace and Grommette)
Love,
Aunt Holly, Uncle Jim
and those crazy cats (Wallace and Grommette)
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
RR: SAVAGEMAN International TRIATHLON
Savageman Triathlon - Deep Creek, MD
Sept 21, 2008
International Distance - 1.5k SWIM - 23 mile BIKE - 10K RUN
OVERALL TIME: 4:23:16
Placing: Athena Division - 4 of 4
Executive Summary: Cold Water, Hills, Hills, Hills - Finisher Medal - I am an International SAVAGE Baby!! LMAO!
Long Version:
This race meant a lot to me for all sorts of reasons. It was my first olympic/International distance TRI since May 2007, it is the beginnings of my year of training for IRONMAN USA in July 2009 and the end of my very short (2 races) 2008 TRI Race season and most importantly, this race raises money to support awareness and prevention of MELANOMA, a subject that hits very close to home for me as a MELANOMA SURVIVOR myself.
When I signed up for the race in January 2008, I had grand ideas of fundraising $3000.00, a grand for every year I have survived Melanoma. Needless to say "Life" got in the way and when Jim and I drove to Deep Creek, I arrived having raised $500.00. I was happy to hear during the mandatory race meeting that every dollar donated would go straight to the Melanoma Foundation. A special THANKS to all those who were able to make a DONATION!
PRE-RACE: Race morning dawned early, 5:30 am, and even though I was not due to race until 9AM, Jim and I agreed that getting to transition early would be a good idea. Within 10 minutes of leaving the SilverTree Inn we were parked in the lot closest to the finish line and transition. I headed down to transition to do a final check of my bike (left over night ) and to set up my area. 15 minutes later I was back in car, enjoying a bagel and peanutbutter and listening to the radio with Jim. We left the car about 7:30 or so to walk toward the Finish Line/Swim Start to watch the Half Ironman distance athletes start there day. They had a 20 minute delay due to FOG but by 8:20 the first waves were under way.
SWIM: 47:41 - 1.5K (0.9 miles)
My swim wave started on time at 9:07. It was an "in-water" start and MAN WAS IT COLD! 68 degrees and even with my sleeveless wetsuit, I was having a hard time adjusting to the cold. It took about 300 yards and a whole lot of "self cheerleading" to finally relax and find a regular rhythm. In spite of my 300 yards of "putzing around" I came out of the water at 45:00 on my watch, which is when I told Jim to expect me. I have no idea where the extra 2 minutes on the chip time comes from (Jim's watch also said 45:00 from the start gun for my split.)
T1: 6:04
Transition included about a 400 yard run up a very steep sidewalk, 12 sets of stairs and all the way down the length of the transition area and then to my bike, which was racked almost exactly in the middle of transition on an end. I took some extra time to put on a long sleeve, summer-weight jersey, to keep the early down-hill chill from getting the better of me. After passing the "Bike Mount" line, I wasted about a minute trying to fix my race belt, which had come undone. So much for trying to save time now for T2 later by putting on my race belt! HA!
BIKE: 2:02:08 - 23 miles
Let's just say that after having done the International distance version of the SAVAGEMAN bike course, I have NO INTEREST in tackling the HALF IRONMAN distance bike course for this race, ever! LOL There were only 3 climbs of any significance in the short course and I'll admit that I had to get off my bike and walk the steepest grade (nearly 20% at the top). I was highly amused by the VIAGRA signs on the hardest climb but completely shell shocked when I realized that the first 9 miles of the course took me an hour to complete. I even shook my garmin (like that would help) to make sure it was actually working, I was so shocked at the fact that an hour had gone by. I would like the race organizers' to know that at one point during a climb, I thought to myself "This course is DEFINITELY just as NASTY AS MELANOMA" and I have some very personal experience in that department with the scars to back up my words - SAVAGEMAN is appropro to more than just the "general location of the race." The remainder of the course was "rolling hills" and so I was able to harness some power (while still trying to "save something for the run") and cover the last 14 miles over the next 62 minutes. Since my hope was to come in around 2:00 hours knowing this was a difficult course, I was satisfied with my efforts and ready to get off the bike and onto the run course.
T2: 2:55:52
Seriously, don't ask me how it could take me nearly 3 minutes to take off a helmet, bike gloves and switch shoes - it's shocking to me too!
RUN: 1:24:30
I had two goals for this race. The first was to place top three in my ATHENA division and the second was the run the entire RUN course with only breaks at the water stops. Goal #1 slipped away in that first hour on the bike. The 3 women ahead of me all had previous races with sub-60 minute 10K times so the only place I could gain on them right now would have been the bike - so I stopped thinking about placing and simply put all my focus on the RUN. I was on track with my RUN, stopping only at water stops (every mile) to take water or some HEED (YUCK! I am such a GATORADE/POWER-AID girl...) and the first 4 miles went by with a steady 12:00-12:30 pace. My breathing was under control, my legs were moving along and I was enjoying watching the ELITE Half Distance triathletes do their thing. All the front runners were super friendly and very encouraging. Then we hit the CLIMB TO THE FIRE TOWER - which we had already been told we didn't have to do all of this year - and all I have to say to that is THANK YOU for CHANGING THE COURSE! LOL Mile 5 consisted of climbing this steep narrow fire road with rocks and skree and gullies.
As I started up it, one of the male Elite athlete's passed me and he said "That's it girl - keep it up - NO WALKING, NO WALKING" and away he went. I focused on him and did my best not to walk until I found myself gasping for breath and realized that if I didn't start doing some walking, I was going to sit down by the side of the road and not move at all. Putting ego aside that moment and just taking the climb one stride at a time, I finally found myself at the top and an aid station where I grabbed a wonderful, warm cup of COCA COLA, gulped it down and then settled in for the RIDE back down the fire road. WHEEEE!!!! It was like a barely controlled slide all the way back down the fire road, skipping over gullies, watching my footing constantly and trying to just "go with the rock flow." Very quickly I was at the bottom and in less than 2 minutes passing the 5 mile marker. Only 1 mile left to my SAVAGE day and I was feeling tired and a little hungry. My stomach growled to remind me that Cliff Shots and GU were not quite enough for a 4-plus hour effort (I was thinking closer to 3:45 when I planned my nutrition for the race) and I asked my body just to hold on for another 13 minutes. I spend the last mile (mostly uphill) just watching the runners on the other side of the road run downhill and imagined that every bike that passed me was pulling me one step closer to the finish line. Soon enough I was taking that lovely right hand turn that took me to the sweet, sweet downhill and the finish line. I was very surprised to be handed a finisher's medal at the finish line. That was an unexpected bonus!
It was a beautiful day, it was a SAVAGE race and I was completely satisfied with my race efforts - I had nothing left to give and I had no regrets at all - That is how every RACE should end.
POST-RACE: I was thrilled to get the chance to enjoy some ice cream, watch so many people finish the HALF SAVAGEMAN (My hats off to all of you!! You definitely EARNED IT!) and finally meet Tara Norton, last years SAVAGEMAN 1st place winner, a Pro-Triathlete and fellow TRI-DRS list member and 2nd-place Woman this year (due to some controversial swim-course issues amongst the first wave). Tara was wonderfully nice and kind and I'll be cheering for her in Kona at the Championships this year.
That's my race report - and I am sticking to it! I will be back next year but it will be as a RELAY TEAM with my soon-to-be husband, Jim. We decided we would relay the SAVAGEMAN Half Ironman Distance. I will SWIM, Jim will BIKE (and tackle the infamous WALL) and then I'll do the RUN.
TEAM SHOEMAKER in 2009!
Life is Good! Live STRONG!
Sept 21, 2008
International Distance - 1.5k SWIM - 23 mile BIKE - 10K RUN
OVERALL TIME: 4:23:16
Placing: Athena Division - 4 of 4
Executive Summary: Cold Water, Hills, Hills, Hills - Finisher Medal - I am an International SAVAGE Baby!! LMAO!
Long Version:
This race meant a lot to me for all sorts of reasons. It was my first olympic/International distance TRI since May 2007, it is the beginnings of my year of training for IRONMAN USA in July 2009 and the end of my very short (2 races) 2008 TRI Race season and most importantly, this race raises money to support awareness and prevention of MELANOMA, a subject that hits very close to home for me as a MELANOMA SURVIVOR myself.
When I signed up for the race in January 2008, I had grand ideas of fundraising $3000.00, a grand for every year I have survived Melanoma. Needless to say "Life" got in the way and when Jim and I drove to Deep Creek, I arrived having raised $500.00. I was happy to hear during the mandatory race meeting that every dollar donated would go straight to the Melanoma Foundation. A special THANKS to all those who were able to make a DONATION!
PRE-RACE: Race morning dawned early, 5:30 am, and even though I was not due to race until 9AM, Jim and I agreed that getting to transition early would be a good idea. Within 10 minutes of leaving the SilverTree Inn we were parked in the lot closest to the finish line and transition. I headed down to transition to do a final check of my bike (left over night ) and to set up my area. 15 minutes later I was back in car, enjoying a bagel and peanutbutter and listening to the radio with Jim. We left the car about 7:30 or so to walk toward the Finish Line/Swim Start to watch the Half Ironman distance athletes start there day. They had a 20 minute delay due to FOG but by 8:20 the first waves were under way.
SWIM: 47:41 - 1.5K (0.9 miles)
My swim wave started on time at 9:07. It was an "in-water" start and MAN WAS IT COLD! 68 degrees and even with my sleeveless wetsuit, I was having a hard time adjusting to the cold. It took about 300 yards and a whole lot of "self cheerleading" to finally relax and find a regular rhythm. In spite of my 300 yards of "putzing around" I came out of the water at 45:00 on my watch, which is when I told Jim to expect me. I have no idea where the extra 2 minutes on the chip time comes from (Jim's watch also said 45:00 from the start gun for my split.)
T1: 6:04
Transition included about a 400 yard run up a very steep sidewalk, 12 sets of stairs and all the way down the length of the transition area and then to my bike, which was racked almost exactly in the middle of transition on an end. I took some extra time to put on a long sleeve, summer-weight jersey, to keep the early down-hill chill from getting the better of me. After passing the "Bike Mount" line, I wasted about a minute trying to fix my race belt, which had come undone. So much for trying to save time now for T2 later by putting on my race belt! HA!
BIKE: 2:02:08 - 23 miles
Let's just say that after having done the International distance version of the SAVAGEMAN bike course, I have NO INTEREST in tackling the HALF IRONMAN distance bike course for this race, ever! LOL There were only 3 climbs of any significance in the short course and I'll admit that I had to get off my bike and walk the steepest grade (nearly 20% at the top). I was highly amused by the VIAGRA signs on the hardest climb but completely shell shocked when I realized that the first 9 miles of the course took me an hour to complete. I even shook my garmin (like that would help) to make sure it was actually working, I was so shocked at the fact that an hour had gone by. I would like the race organizers' to know that at one point during a climb, I thought to myself "This course is DEFINITELY just as NASTY AS MELANOMA" and I have some very personal experience in that department with the scars to back up my words - SAVAGEMAN is appropro to more than just the "general location of the race." The remainder of the course was "rolling hills" and so I was able to harness some power (while still trying to "save something for the run") and cover the last 14 miles over the next 62 minutes. Since my hope was to come in around 2:00 hours knowing this was a difficult course, I was satisfied with my efforts and ready to get off the bike and onto the run course.
T2: 2:55:52
Seriously, don't ask me how it could take me nearly 3 minutes to take off a helmet, bike gloves and switch shoes - it's shocking to me too!
RUN: 1:24:30
I had two goals for this race. The first was to place top three in my ATHENA division and the second was the run the entire RUN course with only breaks at the water stops. Goal #1 slipped away in that first hour on the bike. The 3 women ahead of me all had previous races with sub-60 minute 10K times so the only place I could gain on them right now would have been the bike - so I stopped thinking about placing and simply put all my focus on the RUN. I was on track with my RUN, stopping only at water stops (every mile) to take water or some HEED (YUCK! I am such a GATORADE/POWER-AID girl...) and the first 4 miles went by with a steady 12:00-12:30 pace. My breathing was under control, my legs were moving along and I was enjoying watching the ELITE Half Distance triathletes do their thing. All the front runners were super friendly and very encouraging. Then we hit the CLIMB TO THE FIRE TOWER - which we had already been told we didn't have to do all of this year - and all I have to say to that is THANK YOU for CHANGING THE COURSE! LOL Mile 5 consisted of climbing this steep narrow fire road with rocks and skree and gullies.
As I started up it, one of the male Elite athlete's passed me and he said "That's it girl - keep it up - NO WALKING, NO WALKING" and away he went. I focused on him and did my best not to walk until I found myself gasping for breath and realized that if I didn't start doing some walking, I was going to sit down by the side of the road and not move at all. Putting ego aside that moment and just taking the climb one stride at a time, I finally found myself at the top and an aid station where I grabbed a wonderful, warm cup of COCA COLA, gulped it down and then settled in for the RIDE back down the fire road. WHEEEE!!!! It was like a barely controlled slide all the way back down the fire road, skipping over gullies, watching my footing constantly and trying to just "go with the rock flow." Very quickly I was at the bottom and in less than 2 minutes passing the 5 mile marker. Only 1 mile left to my SAVAGE day and I was feeling tired and a little hungry. My stomach growled to remind me that Cliff Shots and GU were not quite enough for a 4-plus hour effort (I was thinking closer to 3:45 when I planned my nutrition for the race) and I asked my body just to hold on for another 13 minutes. I spend the last mile (mostly uphill) just watching the runners on the other side of the road run downhill and imagined that every bike that passed me was pulling me one step closer to the finish line. Soon enough I was taking that lovely right hand turn that took me to the sweet, sweet downhill and the finish line. I was very surprised to be handed a finisher's medal at the finish line. That was an unexpected bonus!
It was a beautiful day, it was a SAVAGE race and I was completely satisfied with my race efforts - I had nothing left to give and I had no regrets at all - That is how every RACE should end.
POST-RACE: I was thrilled to get the chance to enjoy some ice cream, watch so many people finish the HALF SAVAGEMAN (My hats off to all of you!! You definitely EARNED IT!) and finally meet Tara Norton, last years SAVAGEMAN 1st place winner, a Pro-Triathlete and fellow TRI-DRS list member and 2nd-place Woman this year (due to some controversial swim-course issues amongst the first wave). Tara was wonderfully nice and kind and I'll be cheering for her in Kona at the Championships this year.
That's my race report - and I am sticking to it! I will be back next year but it will be as a RELAY TEAM with my soon-to-be husband, Jim. We decided we would relay the SAVAGEMAN Half Ironman Distance. I will SWIM, Jim will BIKE (and tackle the infamous WALL) and then I'll do the RUN.
TEAM SHOEMAKER in 2009!
Life is Good! Live STRONG!
THANK YOU!
First and foremost, THANK YOU! With your help, $500,00 was raised for the Joanna M. Nicholay Melanoma Foundation!
I didn't finish in the top 3 but I had a great day, no regrets!
Race Report to follow....Life is Good!
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