Pumpkinman Half - My Race Report

For years I have heard what a fantastic race the Pumpkinman Triathlon is in South Berwick, Maine. However, until yesterday, I hadn't been able to race it. I have been missing out!!! This race is on my all time favorites list now.  If you can, add it to your schedule for 2014. I'll talk about a few reasons why as I go along.


After a restless night, I turned the clock around to see what time it was and since it was 2:54, I just got up. Yikes. That might be a record for earliest race morning! I was out the door by 3:20 and surprisingly, I felt fine. ( going to bed at 7:59 helped..)  I can't say I feel that good today! But yesterday, I was up and ready to roll.

I was off to this  race alone again. That's rare for me. My family is almost always there. But when I registered for these two Half Ironmans I've done in the past two weeks,  I didn't really process the fact that our boy's soccer seasons would be in full swing. I just forgot. But since I didn't really race this summer, it was important for me to get out there before I attempted to reach some big goals in Cozumel. Mark and the boys were 100% cool about it, so I kept it all on the agenda.  I was ok heading there by myself. Mary would be there. And, I knew I'd see others I knew. But still.... it wasn't normal for me.I like having my gang around!!!

You know, true friends do not grow on trees. I mean, think about it. True friends are different. You know what I mean.  One of my true friends was there for me yesterday, and for that I feel so incredibly lucky. This buddy of mine got up before 5 a.m. ( way before ) and drove nearly an hour to meet me during the wee hours to help me out. He didn't just show up at the start. He showed up 2 hrs before. Before big triathlons, there's a handful of things to take care of and a lot of gear to shuffle around. Mike helped me with all that. He carried my pump and pumped the tires, fixed a valve that wasn't working and held things I didn't need at the start. He was on the course cheering and taking photos. At the end, he had my husband on the phone so I could yell to him as I ran by. Then, he dropped that phone so he could help me run up this last nasty hill which I was dying. He met me at the finish for that finish line hug after a PR race. Pretty cool huh? That's a friend.  Thanks Mike. :)

Here's my race story--

As I said in my last post, I decided to take a risk & put myself in the elite category for this one. This race allows some Pros and age groupers to mix together. Our wave was the first to go off. I love being the first swimmers in the water! Nothing like space to swim!!

I made a plan to try to swim with my friend and Pro Triathlete, Mike Ciazzo. I have swum with him several times at a Master's group, and I can keep up with him. The men lined up in front and the women were all behind them. I stood Right behind Mike and was ready to go. THREE-TWO-ONE Go go go go go !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well... I dove in, got KICKED in the face, Goggles ripped off and boom, before I even took one stroke I was standing up again fixing my goggles. GREAT start, Ange!!  ugh. So much for that plan. Ok... I was fast to get back at it and let me tell you, for such a small group, it was ROUGH! Ironman starts are worse, but packed age group starts full of women only ( as are the normal conditions for me) are Much easier!!!!  Those men have strong nasty kicks. Thankfully, the group was small and I was keeping up. It was rough and there were kicks and swim-overs but finally I got off to the side and fell into a groove right next to a few guys. We all had white caps so it was tricky at first to determine if they were men or women, but I figured it out by the first buoy. I felt Amazing!!! And, I was having a blast. This was the most fun I've had in a swim in a Long long time. I was a swimmer first. That's where I got this racing bug...starting way way back when I was 8. But surprisingly, I don't usually enjoy the swim leg of races. There are a few reasons...but yesterday was different.

I was excited because I felt myself pull away from some women and also, I was really excited to be ahead of all but 3 or so men. Plus, this was the best part, I was truly stroke for stroke with one of the guys.  It felt like it did back in my swim team years. I swam day after day, two times day, with all my best friends back then. I'd go back and forth down the pool arm for arm with a few of them, and that was fun! It pushed me harder and kept me going. I had that yesterday. And I loved it.  I was in my happy racing place and feeling really grateful that I was given the chance to race with these guys.

I made it around the two loop swim in 26:03. I climbed out of the water just seconds ahead of the pack I'd been with.... giving me the 3rd fastest swim of the day.  A great start....

I'm the one on the left 

Next up with that Hill Climb--- ouch!!! It has it's own special Transition split and there are prizes for the athletes that scale it the fastest. Not me! haha.. I worked at keeping my HR slightly in check, even took a few walking steps, and just tried not to curse out loud. It was hard! I guess this little hill is even used as a ski hill in the winter at this place! No wonder it hurt to run up it after our 1.2 swim!

I was in and out of T1 in decent time. Off to ride.... you know... there's not a lot to say here. I saw those fast men fly away, a few others cruised up behind me and disappeared into the hills a few minutes later, and then... that was it. I was by myself. On the one hand, I was clearly happy the other women weren't catching me. On the other hand, I had to fight Hard to keep that race mode. I was  by myself on the roads. The volunteers directing us on the course were such welcome sights because it reminded me we were racing! Despite this, I pushed hard ! I really did. I felt stronger than I did at Rev3 and my watts were there to show it. I have to say,however, do I ever get bored out there... after about mile 30 or so... I just want OFF. Hmm... gotta work on that. I think I really fade a bit when that happens. The course was nice though. There are a few rough roads but mostly it was fun and fast. The winds were howling yesterday and I was pushed around the road a few times. There was one section that was flat and the wind Must have been at our backs because I was sailing.......... it was a blast. 30-31-33mph... fun fun stuff.

And then, the not so graceful & not so pro-like dismount.  Ah yes.... it was pathetic. I meant to take my feet out of my shoes... I meant to be ready. But, something distracted me and I didn't do it. So I got to the dismount line and fumbled around. I tried to whip my leg over the bike and I got stuck....on the bottles on the back. I nearly fell over. All while my buddy Mike and Kurt watched on. Both of whom were instrumental in teaching me how to do it properly and reinforcing why I should. Ooops... I was not impressed with myself. I growled and laughed at my typical gracefulness and moved on....

Bike split for the day 2:33. I was thrilled. These sub 2:40 rides are really really good for me.

Time to run... enough of this bike gear... I slipped on the shoes, changed glasses, grabbed my gels and watch and headed off. It all comes down to the run....

running out of T2

My shins were super tight.... but my quads were not and my Achilles was fine. (I have something wrong with it.... I don't talk about it but I'm definately having issues. I am always relieved when it feels good. ) I did see another woman ride into Transition as I was running out. Hmm.... ok.... we'll see what happens. She clearly out-rode me because I had a solid lead out of the water.

After about 1/2 mile or so, I noticed a bike riding Right in front of me. Yeah, if I wasn't racing a half ironman I would have noticed it earlier. I was in my own zone, I guess. I wondered why he was so close. Why did he keep looking back at me? Hey...he has a Pumpkinman shirt on.
"Are you my lead biker??"  I yelled out to him, incredulous.
Sure am!! You're the lead woman!
Ha! I knew I was in the lead at that point but I had a bike escort???
"Kat is so awesome!"
Seriously... this doesn't' happen to us 43 year old age-group Moms!! I was tickled. In Kona, there's a lead motorcycle for the man and woman leading the race. At some other big races, they have them as well and sometimes bikes too. But not for me! It was a fun few minutes...

Before that moment was over, I also came to aid station 1. Actually, I knew that was coming a good 1/4-1/2 mile ahead of time. The Berwick Field hockey team was in charge there and they were the BEST!!! They were screaming for me way way before I got there. So much fun.

Well, the next thing I knew, she was there. I heard the steps. Hmm... didn't I say this same thing in my last race report? Oh no, that time I heard the breathing because we were on a trail. Anyway, yeah, she caught me. Ms. Amanda Kourtz is one heckuva speedy runner I must tell you. I knew that heading into the race actually. She out ran me two years ago at the Rev3Oly. Actually, she has since gone Pro. She is a crazy fast athlete!!  I watched her run for a while. I tried to match her cadence as she pulled away a bit. I felt pretty good and while I was making an effort not to run too fast too early in the race, I was also letting the run just happen.

I ran and ran and ran. The turnaround seemed so so far away. The course was filling up with other athletes as this is a two loop run. I was no longer alone and that felt good.
Finally, we approached a small cul-de-sac that was the turn around. I think it was near mile 6. I saw Amanda running out as I ran in. I was pleased she hadn't put too too much time on me. I knew she was running faster, but at least I was hanging on. I was also anxious/ nervous to make the turn to see how close the other women were behind me.

I rounded the circle and realized, Amanda was Gone! She just took Off after that! Amazing.

Before too long, I saw Nicole ( a friend of mine ) and then a few of the other ladies making there way. I had to keep moving because they were right there!!

The problem was, I was entering that dark place. My legs were getting so so tired, I was tired, I felt sick to my stomach, I had horrible side stitch, I was realllllllly realllllllly tired. I didn't want to run anymore. I fought the urge to just Stop, with every ounce of my inner strength. I was having the it's ok, you dont' need to beat them talk in my head. The racing devil was sitting on both shoulders telling me why I didn't need to push so hard. He was telling me it was ok to let it go. It was ok to just walk and say hey, 'you're getting older. You can't always have a good day.' Oh that devil had had lots of sleep the night before and he was Pushing me!!!  I was fading.

I have no idea where I was or what my pace had slipped to but I got to an aid station, walked through it and grabbed a cup of Coke. I made the decision at that point to get my act together and finish what I started. I didn't race 64 miles as hard as I  could to back down with only 6 to go! Seriously?? Nope. Bye bye racing devil... I don't give up that easily.

There was a lot of pain involved. I felt horrible for moments and then I'd have times of feeling like a runner again. I had to dig so deep. I'm experienced and I know what to do out there, but the actual work does not get easier. It hurt. It still hurts today. My muscles were seizing, my stomach was revolting...

I just held on. I made the turn where it said:
LEFT for SECOND LOOP or RIGHT For FINISH

YES! FINISH Time!!!!  The support of the crowd was amazing all day. I had fellow athletes and family/ friends of athletes and volunteers all yelling to me "You can get her!" or " Great running ! Second woman!" All that good stuff.... it made me so happy inside. thank you guys. It really does help.

The final 1/2 mile or so was hard! I tried to stay strong up this really steep mountain ( ok, hill) that led us into the Spring Hill area finish. My quads were just on fire. Kurt was pulling out of a road and yelled, "let's go Ange. .. come on come on" and then Mike was just up a bit with the phone and said, "Mark's on the line! Yell to him!" So I said, "Hey Babe!!!! Save me a freeze pop!!" I know, strange, but I was dreaming of freeze pops and we have some here! :) Mike then clicked goodbye to him and ran with me up that sucker. I made a right hand turn...to the finish... except it was the wrong way! I weaved around the parked car and smiled as I finally saw the end.

Oh so worth it. All that pain, all that tough fighting, when you run down the Finisher's chute, you remember why you are out there and why you sign up for more.

The clock had just clicked to 4:39... GET IN there! I wasn't about to miss this chance now...

Yes... I hit the finish breaking 4:40 . A PR at this distance. The run was 1:36 which was better than Rev a few weeks ago. And I walked away with a nice 2nd place overall.

It was a good day.  I had to fight as hard as ever but it's always worth it.

Coming in to the finish 

Beautiful Fall Pumpkinman Finish line
Amazing Race Kat Donatello!!!! Thank you!!! 

2013- The year of taking risks

This is my 8th year racing triathlons. I am not counting the small one I did in college, the super crazy hard race in Camden I did back in.... 1992? I'm not sure when it was. I raced on my mountain bike that I used in College to get around to classes and generally had no clue what I was doing. It was also a Longer than normal Oly if I remember correctly-- not sure of the swim, 28 mi bike up some very hilly terrain ( on Mtn bike in sneakers!) and then a run ...8 miles? I might be making this up. I really don't know! What I do know is I had a buddy holding a towel up around me at T2 so I could Change my clothes!! Seriously. I might have even done that after the swim too.  Hmm...

Anyway.... I had done a few triathlons before what I now think of my official first race back in 2006.

What is my point? Forgive me, I have pre-race brain today. It's a gorgeous Saturday. The weather is perfect. It's sunny, warm but not hot, no humidity... ahh...
However, I am banished to the couch. Trust me. This is not a bad thing! I looked forward to it all week in fact. Oh the thought of getting up late, eating pancakes until I was stuffed, getting back into sweats/ pjs after my pre-race warm up workout and then Laying there all day quite lovely.  It's just that the reality of that is a wee bit different.  You know, it's that busy family with 3 boys thing.  I am at home laying on my backside with life happening around me  and it isn't quite as relaxing as I had envisioned. I'm making it happen though! I just finished my 2nd force yourself to eat lots of white food meal ( meal 1 is so yummy with too many pancakes but by meal 2, ick)  and had the TV on "inspiration station" and learned how to draw a very cute little lady bug.  {There is NOTHING on TV On Saturday afternoon!!} Also, I am a bit confused about why I feel so sleepy. I was in bed by 10:15 and got up at 9:00!! That is unheard of. I blame it on my laziness combined with loads of simple carbs. I'm not feeling super sparky at the moment!

Back to my point-- Risk taking!!
This is my year for that.  I didn't fully intent for it to start that way, but here we are. And that's my M.O. now. Here's why-- after 8 solid years in the sport, it was time to mix it up a bit. Try new races. Take on new competitors. Do my best in harder conditions in far away unknown lands. After all, that's what makes us stronger, right? Hope so...that's what I'm going with.
Let's see... I kicked off 2013 in March in  California! I went to Oceanside early in the season for a 70. 3. Training for that amidst our snowy ski season wasn't easy! But I did it, and I won our age group. Yes!
From there, it was onto a training camp with strangers ( now some new friends!) in Texas.

The biggest challenge to date, Ironman Texas. Brutal day. The environmental conditions were about as far away as those we see in Maine as I could get. Especially in May. I made it through and while I didn't log my fastest Ironman and a few problems were part of the day, I did get 3rd in my age group.  I walked away with my head held high and felt proud of overcoming some very tough  racing.

My summer was rather mellow but now it's revving up ( ha, no pun intended ) again. I had a blast at our local Norway Tri in July and then a 10K race with the Beach2Beacon early August. (those hurt... short stuff hurts!!)

But now, it's 'back to back' Half Ironmans. The Rev3 2 weeks ago was a good race for me. Tomorrow, I hope for a repeat. I'll head to the Pumpkinman Half (ummm... driving out of the yard at 3 a.m.!! ouch! Is that one of my risks? :) ) This one has a twist though.  I'm racing in the Elite division. At Pumpkinman, they allow some of us age groupers into that mix. I'm not a Pro but will be racing against a few of them. I'll also be racing a few fellow age groupers who are Fast and honestly, I'm not sure I've ever raced before.  It will be a tough fight!!!  I've had a rough week... personally and physically. I've had to work to turn my body back into race -ready fighting shape but I'm just about there. A few more hours of this chill-time and I'll be 100% ready to go.

I'll close this post out now since I clearly could babble on and on and as I lay here trying to enjoy my boredom.

Next up-- tomorrow's race report and then the plan for my final big risk taking adventure of the year!

ciao!

One of those days

It's not always easy. I'm not always motivated. Today is one of those days.

I have 3 amazing kids. I have a wonderful husband. I have a job I enjoy and I am very lucky to be able to work from my house and be with my kids most of the time. I love to train. I love to race. I feel healthy and strong. I'm lucky for sure and do not mean to whine... 

But... it's not always peaches and cream and I don't always spring out the door with a big smile on my face. 

Today is one of those days. Everything feels hard and I don't think I'm doing a good job at any of it. 

sometimes I want to curl up in a ball, so no one can see me because I'm so small.... to quote one of my favorite kid's books... 

Yup..today's That day for me!!!  However, I will keep trying. I am going to be more patient with my kids when they get home. Or... kid. The one I lost patience with this morning.... again.... seems to be an unfortunate stressful difficult trend lately.  Anyone write that manual for raising boys yet??? HELP! asap.... I'm a fish outta water some days I tell ya.....

And, Before that, I am going to go out on that bike and see what happens... the little power reading might be a little off today... this old body feels like someone took a syringe and sucked out all my good energy.  I need to get through a few tough training sessions in the next 3 hrs to prep for another Half Ironman sunday.  I need these workouts... so I need to snap out of my funk and get out there and do it. 

So here goes! I hope I can  later write that just getting out the door was the hard part. I'm going to try....

REV3 OOB Maine!

 It's been a quiet summer on the racing front for me. I kicked it off early and big with a Half Ironman in California in March then an Ironman in Texas in May. At that point,I  stepped back. Just a bit. I needed a break. I did toe the line at our local sprint, the Norway Tri in July. I had to push myself outside of my skin to win that race.. .sprints hurt when you're used to racing >70 + miles! It's a whole different level & kind of suffer to go that fast.  I also ran the Beach2Beacon 10K a few weeks ago... of course it was a road race not a Tri but it counts for a race!  And that's it... 

This race was  great on the one hand because it's in Maine and starts on a beach! Can't beat that....  

On the other hand, it was  tough for me because it was  the first day of Travel soccer games (2 of my kids in 2 different towns that are far from each other and very far from my race = sad), the weekend of my son's birthday ( just turned  14- eek!), and school is starting tomorrow. We are also still living out of our camp during the weekends which meant I departed our island at 3:50 a.m, on a boat,  in the dark, after navigating my way around the camp in the dark . ( No power there &  gas lamps only do so much at 3:30 a.m. when you're hurrying... ) As a result, the week leading to and the days before this race were  less than mellow and relaxing and I had to juggle all things family/racing to make this one happen.

In the end, we made it work. Cameron, my oldest, even decided to be my Sherpa!! How cool is that. He crawled out of bed way wayyyyyyyyy before his 14 yr old self wanted to and hustled around with me all morning. Also, my incredibly supportive parents {they have been attended nearly all my events since I was 8.. no joke... they are always there and supporting me!!} were on the beach for the start by 6 a.m. too. I was not alone even though my other boys and husband were off on the soccer fields.  

The nerves were there... but I was in control. I had no idea who I would be racing. I also wasn't too sure what to expect out of myself. My run has given me trouble this summer. I have a few things that are 'talking' to me right now... body parts needing a little extra TLC. In the past few weeks, things have come together though so I had faith and was ready to lay it all out there to see what I could do.   

Cameron and I walked to the beach and admired the amazing sunrise. It made me happy to see my teenage boy snapping photos of this.  I crawled ungracefully into my wetsuit (one of my least favorite things about this sport.. ) and made my way to the water for a long warm up. That was my plan anyway. A nice long swim so I'd be ready for the gun. I need a solid 1500+ wu when I train so I had intentions of trying to do that for the race.  

I'm disgusted to say, I'm afraid I've become a bit soft when it comes to the ocean. I am an ocean girl through and through. Growing up on the coast, it's my happy place. I would spend time on the ocean any day of the week if given the chance. That being said, I no longer swim it anymore. I live in the Lakes region and I have a camp on a lake. It's warm. And so now, I am a wimp. 

It was Freezing!!!!!!!!!!  

Seriously, my face Hurt it was so cold. The guy said it was "60" and I wasn't too worried about it but yikes, it was bad. I think I swam for ....  4 minutes? Yeah, good warm up Ange! Ha! I rationalized that I would make myself tight and too cold if I stayed in. It was better for me to get out and just stretch a bit. Right or wrong, that's what I did. 

That's me in the middle with my hands on my hips-- not sure what I was laughing about

Time to line up. Our start was at 6:40 a.m. An early one! I think my group was the 4th wave, but honestly, I can't remember right now.  I know that 2 groups of men were ahead of me. The 50+ and the 40-45.  The rest of the women were starting behind me. That's all I knew.  

As I ran in the water, I heard yells from a few friends. Thanks guys! I'm not sure who it was.. I know my buddy Mike MacDonald was there.  And I might have heard my coach, Doug Welling. Regardless, hearing the GO ANGELA was surely a nice  push as I dove in and started the long day. 

Two dolphin dives over the small waves and it was time to swim. I felt really good! The typical ache I get in my arms with my wetsuit on wasn't there. I felt myself pull away from my group with the exception of one girl. Hmm.. who is this?  Let's see what happens... 

I pushed pretty hard but after the first buoy, cut back on the kick and just worked my upper body. I caught guys ahead of me and wiggled my way through. The water was no way near as cold as it was close to the beach. Strange but I was happy. I did swallow a few giant mouthfuls but otherwise,it was smooth sailing.  The sun was in our eyes but the buoys were easy to see. Just a nice uneventful swim. I lost track of that one other purple cap so I figured I had a decent lead. Time would tell!! 

I swam right up to the shore when I got to the beach. Men all around me were running and running in So far!? It's so much faster and easier to swim all the way up until your hands scrape the sand.... little tip there.  Don't stand up in knee deep water and try to run in! 

{swim time 30:xx. A few min slow for me and slower than I thought it felt.  People said it was long .. times were off by ~3-4 minutes apparently, but who knows! it's an ocean swim so measuring a true 1.2 miles is tough. }

Ok, I was up. The tide was out and the beach was lined on both sides with supporters. I saw my Mom, Dad and Cam yell and I waved and tried to smile. I made the last minute decision to yank the wetsuit off at the road instead of running to T2 with it on.  

It's a Long run.. about 3/4 mi and it's on a hard sidewalk. I found myself running on my tiptoes and worrying about my calves seizing up....it was awkward. 

While I made my way ( sort of slow running at this point ) that girl passed me! Ahh! She WAS still there. She was still in her wetsuit so that's how she caught but still, no real gap between us. Ok, game on. 

Wait, she stopped!? She was a RELAY swimmer! ha.. alrighty back to my own fight for a while!  Good!

______

As I ran out of T1, I saw my friend Bob Turner heading in from the swim. We yelled to each other and I was happy I had been able to catch him in the swim. However, it was a matter of time...he's a machine on the bike!

Sure enough, just a few minutes into the ride, he came upon me.  We exchanged a few words and off he went. I Did keep him in my sights for a while, and then, he was gone. Hmm. Maybe he was just around the next corner. Maybe not. :) 

I rode pretty hard and felt pretty good. I was with the guys. That was ok for the most part. I went back and forth with a few. It's hard when you're evenly matched with someone. There was one person I would out-ride on all the 'flats' and he would overtake me on the hills. We went back and forth all day.  You have to be very aware not to ride illegally when this is the case. Staying more than 4 bike lengths apart can be hard when it's not a quick pass of someone slower than you. 

The ride was a bit hillier than I expected. The hills aren't steep at all, but you are climbing up long grades quite a bit. However, good speed was easily reached and I felt it was a fair & fun ride. 

Ok, I have to ask. Am I the only one who can't touch a gel without wearing 1/2 of it? It's like eating pancakes with syrup. No matter how careful I am, the fork is sticky.  Same with gels. I opened one around mile 30. I was stuffing the little top into my shirt so I wouldn't litter but meanwhile the gel is ooozing out of the other part. Now, it's on my hands. Then my bars. Then I wipe my face and now my face is totally stick. I rub my leg trying to get the wetness from my shorts to wash them but they're dry. Now my leg is sticky. I was a mess and it drove me crazy. Is it just me? Probably. 

I just lost focus for a few minutes while I dealt with that. I never saw another woman. I tried to keep the race mode ON even though there were miles and miles when I was alone. this is not training this is not training I was repeating as I was riding down a quiet neighborhood road. Finally, I was back with some men and the race feel crept back up.  That can be hard. I work hard and push myself alone all the time when training but racing is a different game. It takes a certain level of focus to keep that race-push up when you're by yourself.  

The thing I love about the 70.3 race distance is that the bike is ending just as you are getting sick of riding. I was ready to get off and run... let's move on and get this thing started! It all comes down to the run after all.... 

{bike 2:31-- fast time for me! However... the course is short. I think it measures @ 54.4 or so miles... doing the math, it was still nearly a PR for me at that distance so I'll take it. (well, except for Clearwater but that's an unusually fast course..I don't count it.) }

Running out of T2, I felt good! I was so happy to be on the run. I heard lots of cheers and saw my family! It's a fun start to a long run! Surprisingly, I hadn't even seen Mary all day!!! She was there racing the Oly but our a.m. starts were far apart so she likely arrived from her nearby summer place a lot later than I had. 

But then this: 

I love that my friend Jodi ( Bob Turner's wife- the uber fast bike I mentioned before ) , caught the two of us in one shot! Moments before this, we saw each other and waved "YAY!!! GO!!!" And all those other girly things two BFFs do when they pass each other in races. :) 

This picture makes us happy.  And we laughed... she was so relieved to be heading to the finish line and I was jealous! I had 13.1 to go and she had .1 to go... 

Time to put the head down and RUN!!!  

A few more waves and smiles in town and off I went. The legs responded and those nagging body parts stayed quiet. My effort felt easy but my pace was pretty quick. Good start...just the way I want it. I did some self-talk  and kept it real. I was 1 mile in with 12.1 to go.. keep things in check.  THe first 3 miles are mostly uphill. Long gradual climbing that allows you to keep moving along at a nice clip but have to focus a bit. At mile 3, the course turns onto a dirt/ rocky trail. At first, I loved it. It felt cool and easy on the legs and a nice change. 

However, we had 6 miles of this. Eventually, the trail opened up to full sun and those rocks, well they HURT me. A lot. 

Through mile 6 or so, I was cruising along feeling strong and in control. I hadn't seen any other women yet. I was Happily surprised by my brother and 2 nephews standing on the side of the road cheering too!! That was a great treat! Thanks Jeff!!!  People watching and at the aid stations were telling me I was in first. It was an out and back route and even the guys coming the other way were cheering me on as 1st at that point. That is a great feeling. 

As I got closer to the turn around, I was getting tired. My feet were hurting. I have had a neuroma forEver. It's nagging. Sometimes it's there, sometimes it's not. But that day, it was there. It's my chronic foot 'thing' and I just deal with it. However, when it's a bad day, it's very distracting. It feels like a big hard ball of fire in my foot. If I squeeze my foot it helps a bit and if I take my shoe off, it's fine.  I couldn't do that. I had 7 miles of racing to go! The big rocks on the trail were like bullets I had to dodge with every step. Landing on them caused Very intense pain that was really messing with me. I was limping and trying really really hard to block it out. 

I made the turn. Moment of truth. Who is there and how much time do I have on this field? I wasn't in the final wave of women either, so, if someone was within 4 minutes, she was ahead. Alright...what am I up against? 

There she was. I had a brief flashback from Ironman Lake Placid 2011 when I turned and saw now Pro, Kim Schwabenbauer running towards me. This girl was young and quick. Her legs were turning over with zip and spark. She was running at me the same way Kim was that day... 

Oh oh...

A guy went by me. I had a choice....

Succumb to the fact that she was going to out- run me Or

Fight back. 

Are you kidding? 

I fight. I latched on to the guy who passed me. I knew I might blow up in 3 miles but how would I know if I didn't try. I ran with all my heart and just pushed. I was really tired. There's no other word for it. My legs were killing me. My foot was a ball of fire. But I was determined to hang on. Do not give up! That's the easy way to go. Fight back and make her work harder for it.  I'm not giving this away...  I watched the pace on my garmin drop from upper 7s to low 7s and better. After a few minutes the guy said, "Hey Angela... where are you from? "  

really? Idle chit chat? I was trying to breath Mr.! :) 

and yet, I answered him and asked him the same question back.  He was from Detroit! Long way to travel. He talked about how beautiful it was here. {I was laughing in my head... I was fighting for my race here and he was admiring the beautiful coastal marsh.} 

Then he said, "You're crushing it! Keep running fast!"  

Thanks! Yes! Let's GO!! 

I also thought about my friend and former coach, Jen Harrison. That woman is as tough as nails. She fights harder than anyone I know. I thought to myself, "Run Faster Run Harder like Jen!"  She inspires me. thanks Jen :) 

An aid station appeared.. it was time. Coke. I grabbed it and stopped for just a SHORT quick stop to get it in... and I lost my guy. Thanks for the pull though! Wish I'd caught your name!!! 

Well....a bit later.. not sure where we were.. around mi 8? I heard steps and breathing right behind me.. and knew it was a woman. I had been racing with men all day, I could hear the difference. 

She came up next to me ( damn ) and I said, "Great Run!!! Congrats!" and she said, with a certain tone I hadn't heard before but understood, "Oh you Too! You are amazing! Wow!" 

And at that point I realized.  I just experienced my first, wow you're doing this even though you're "old" comment. 

I had a big dark 43 on my calf and she had a big 28. Yup. I was 15 yrs older. I have a kid who is Nearly 15. She was shocked that this old lady almost beat her. hmm... not sure what to think about that one. Is that where I am now? Am I that lady? 

Off she went. I kept fighting and praying I would get Off that trail! Finally.. .mile 10 and we were back on smooth roads. phew. 

I made the turn and started the run back to town... ready to be done.  

I didn't have time to mess around. There was another woman back there too. I saw her when I made that 6+ mile turn. Just because young girl #1 flew by me didnt' mean me I was going to give up! Hellno. 

I pushed hard to the finish and nailed the run after all.  {run 1:36-- I think! need to check that again..}  

It was a good day!!! 

I finished up in 4:45 and 2nd overall female. I won my age group by about 35 minutes too so that made me smile.  

I really do love racing. Now, time to heal these aching muscles and get ready to do it again in 12 days!!! Pumpkinman Half up next!!!  

When I was a kid, summer was a huge endless block of time. I didn't think of it in terms of actual days or months. It was just "summer." School got out and we started playing. I'm sure there was more structure than I remember. I'm sure my Mom had swim meets to keep track of and packing to do to get us to Y camp. But in my mind, it was just unstructured fun. I have very fond memories of those years. We lived in a neighborhood with a dead-end road and bunches of friends to play with.  We'd "ride bikes" and build forts, we'd play kickball in the street after dinner and we'd have sleepovers all the time. I miss those days. I guess that's what being a kid is all about. Carefree living. In my head, I still want to be that kid. I want to play and have fun without thinking about work that needs to be done, who has what practice at what time and where, packing bags and doing laundry. I don't want to stare at the month of July on the calendar and think about the month of August and the short few weeks left before school starts. Yesterday, at a track meet we attended on our precious vacation ( insert sad face here...) , I was talking to another Mom about the frustration of our school district starting school before Labor day. Late August is still prime summertime in my eyes. The weather is better than June and there is still prime summer-fun to be had.  She told me that they have never sent their kids back to school until after labor day...even though it officially started on the calendar. Ha!! Love that. I'm not the only one out there hanging on to the good ole' days of just enjoying the short relaxed season that summer used to be.

Alright... enough on that.

What's been up?? Well... on the 4th of July I had the pleasure of running a 10K with my oldest son, Cameron. It was his first 10K. I was a proud proud Mamma.  This boy has recently developed into quite a runner. But 10K was far for him. He hadn't trained a lot because of a summer camp and other things.... so it was far. It was also very very hot and humid. However, he dug deep and did his very best and finished in 48:xx and an age group win! Not too shabby for his first go around at this hard distance!!! I had a blast.

Later that weekend, after spending two fun days out on the ocean on some ski friend's boat, I was home getting ready for bed. I walked across the living room floor and was Attacked by an evil pen. Yes, you heard me. A pen. I have this nice old pen that was engraved with my maiden name ( Angela Small ) for a HS graduation gift.  It's broken. It was on the floor. I have no idea why. Anyway, I stepped on the tip and it stabbed the arch of my foot. It hurt More than I can describe and it bled more than that. I nearly passed out from the pain of it. In the middle of the night, I woke in agony and drove my husband nuts moaning about the pain for at least an hour. In the morning, I was surprised when I put my foot on the floor and truly could Not walk. I couldn't bend the foot at the ankle, I couldn't move my toes, it was red and it was swollen. Not good. Antibiotics, a tetnus shot, and a few days later, it was somewhat better. I was patient. I couldn't run. Or bike. Or swim. Grr.....And then...
thanks to my healthy body ready to heal fast--- I ran an easy 20 min on Friday and decided I was ok and ready to go.  Just in time for a race.... the next day. :)

The Norway Tri was the 13th. It's always a fun day with a Triathlon right at home. I do not live in an area bursting with others addicted to this swimbikerun thing. This race was started a few years ago ( 7?) and it's been great. It draws beginners as well as strong competitors. This year, a few of my great friends even came to race!!!
I had to work my tail off for it, but I snagged the win that day. There's nothing quite like a sprint to keep you honest out there. After chatting too long in transition, I missed a chance for a warm up. So when the gun fires and you start swimming at 115% effort, it's a Shock to the ole' body!!!

By buoy #1 I was beyond my threshold. I took the next few minutes to settle down and try to catch up with my friend Steve's feet. I couldn't quite get there but I kept his arms in sight. I poured it on to finish up the swim and hit the long T run. After fumbling with my shoes as I tried to mount the bike on the Uphill start, I finally got rockin' and had a decent ride. Anne and Mary were hot on my tail so I kept my head down and pushed harder. I just crossed my fingers for the run. A week off doesn't usually leave me feeling too fresh or fast!!
T2 was pathetic. The speed laces were too tight so I fought with my shoes too long. I stepped on the heels and swore a few times. Finally, feet were in. But, out of the corner of my eye I could see Anne putting her bike on the rack. ( My friend Anne Wilkinson... fast fast and tough women ready to catch me! :)) I headed off and started the battle.
ooohhh.... nausea. I was Sure I was going to have to pull over to be sick. Yup. Gross. I know. I really never feel that way. But I was certain. It was over. My stomach was Not happy. Hmm...
Just keep running. Focus. You have no time to falter.

The run at this little sprint is tough!! You head out through trails that are easy to run on and then hit the road for a short stretch. Then you climb up a steep hill and into more trails. But these trails are uneven and grassy and very hilly! And, this day, very very wet and muddy.  I knew Anne was right behind me so I just kept moving the feet forward. Up up up and over the mud around the corner, up some more, jump! It wasn't your typical run. And, it's more than 5K. I'm not sure how much.
I was gasping for air and racing with all I had.  No self pity... no excuses. It's so easy to find 1000 reasons why you need to slow down during times like that. It Hurts after all!! It hurt a lot that day too.  But I decided I wanted it. I really did.  Around mile 2 or so (no idea where I was ) I felt things in my shoes that were not supposed to be there. Blisters. The fast running in wet shoes with no socks was haunting me. I knew it was bad...
Still... Go faster! I wanted the win.

As is the case with sprints, before things get too ugly, it's over. I crossed the line, smiled at my 1st place, and ripped the shoes off.   Four giant blisters I'm still dealing with, two weeks later. Oh well...they'll heal. :)

And that's that!!

Tomorrow I head to Lake Placid to cheer on our TriMoxie athletes, my brother, and a bunch of other friends.  I am excited for them and to watch.

But just last night it struck me. This one might be hard to watch. The last time I was in Lake Placid, I had the race of my life. I nailed that race.  I think of that day often as I train and as I prepare for more racing.  I'm sure the emotions are going to overwhelm me. I'm preparing for that... .

TriMoxie Training Camp 2103

Last week, seven TriMoxie athletes gathered in Paris, Maine for a small training camp.  While our small group traveled quietly on the hilly back roads of Maine instead of on athlete & vehicle crowded race courses, this group made a lot of noise. Each and every one of these athletes came ready to work.  When we were done, I closed the door to the house we rented and smiled. I knew I had a tough group, but these people all impressed me more than I could have imagined.

What did we do at camp?

We gathered as athletes, we talked things over and we trained. We bonded and developed new relationships.  As coach, I saw things from people that can't be seen through email or training peak's logs. I saw heart and soul and determination. I saw grit and toughness. I saw that these folks have what it takes. Whatever their goals, they will achieve. I believe it. And I hope they walked away believing it too.

Since then....

A surprise came in the mail for me the other day

I  just got back from a Field day with my 11 year old.  I have about 15-20 minutes before I head off to pick all the kids up from school. I decided to write a Quick post rather than try to jump into full -on work since I don't have too much time. I had a few specific photos in mind of things we've been doing lately, but I can't find them! So I just clicked and grabbed a few oldies but goodies.  Just for fun... no stories. 

Texas was 3 weeks ago. It seems like less than that. That day is still fresh in my mind.  I have moved on though. Am I disappointed in that day? Yes. Am I proud of that day? Yes. How can I be both??? 

I am.  It was a hard hard day, and I fought with all I had. I stayed on my feet ( barely...I admit to faltering and grabbing tables for support a few times) , I kept running, and I earned myself an award.  Could I have run faster? Yes... but not in air they said was 110 degrees with the heat index.  I started the run feeling good and running pretty fast. The other day I was talking to Mark about that. I moaned that maybe I shouldn't have Purposely slowed down on mile 2 because I was afraid of the heat. Maybe I should have held that pace as long as I could, no matter what. He quipped, "OH yea... and have a seizure? go into shock?"  Umm.. no.. of course not.....! , I would havebeen ok... I know my limit. And yet,  I really wasn't well after those 26.2 miles. I mean, 140.6 miles.   For whatever reason, my body didn't like that heat that day.  I had to do what I did... I had to slow down.  There was no choice.  And for knowing that, I am proud of myself.  

Was I fully ready and able to ride 10-15 min faster than I did? Yes. But hey, mistakes happen and I had mechanical issues. It happens. I will never ever start a race with loose bolts again. You can be sure of that. 

I was at the pool this morning.  I was about to push off the wall when the lady next to me said, "So.. how did  you do? "

The same group swims at my Y each morning. They ask questions about my races and what it's all about. I had talked about the Ironman in Texas. They've been around to hear about other races in the past too. 

I Smiled and said, "Pretty well. I ended up third." 

She said, "ohhh.. well first would have been better. Oh well." 

Seriously??? Did she Just say that to me???

I was stunned. And hurt. And, almost lost my cool. 

Instead, I replied, "Well....it was over 100 degrees, I did the best I could. And the woman who did win was from Panama.  So..."

I'm not sure if she said anything else. 

People don't really know what it's like out there. But even so, whether you're a kid or an adult, if you go out and do your best, and you don't win, it's OK!  Even if you've won before.  Damn.... so now if I'm not first in a race, it's not a success and I should hang my head? 

Uh uh... I am NOT going to teach my kids that nor am I going to torture myself with that pressure.  So... since 5/18 I have held some disappointment because I know I was capable of going faster. But I wasn't capable of going faster that day in those conditions, for a few reasons.  

I've made the choice instead to hold Strong the reasons I decided, while in the thick of it that day, fully aware of what I was going through, to be Proud. And I'm sticking to it. 

I've rested long and hard. I've taken a break. I've eased back into it. 

I've soul searched. And I've made a new plan.  

I'm not even close to being done.  

Like I said, I just felt like posting a few pics that make me happy.