Again trying to make sure that my blogs do not disappear..

VeloBetty Ride 2/1/2009

You know those films where you are crying as the lame horse crosses the finish line 25 minutes behind all the other horses and everybody gives the horse a standing ovation? Well, I was that horse this weekend. And my cheering crowd was 2000 silver Olympic medalist Mari Holden. This woman is a saint! I made her climb the hills so slowly - she must have been going insane.
A little about my cycling experience… prior to this ride, my bike had been on the “road” only six times. Two of those times were sprint triathlons, another two were newbie rides on the 56 – no cars, one time was a bike clinic in Carlsbad and another was a few twirls around Fiesta Island. Other than that my bike training has consisted of riding in my living room on my trainer, or taking my bike to a Compu-trainer bike class at Coastal Sports and Wellness Medical Center in Sorrento Valley. But I’m a quick learner and can pretty much endure through anything – a 50 mile ride shouldn’t be that bad – right?
The morning started at Fletcher Cove in Solana Beach. It was a foggy freezing cold 45 degrees, but I knew that it would be warming up to 70-75 degrees by the time we got back; so shorts and short sleeves were the outfit of choice and a fleece sweatshirt that would get left behind in the car. VeloBetty is a new coached riding group for women. Lisa Jennings and Mari Holden are the coaches. I was a bit concerned because all the women looked like they knew each other and had been biking for ages. There were two women training for their next Ironman races – notice I am saying next – so they can obviously bike 112 miles. Everybody else seemed to have ridden the Qualcomm Million Dollar Challenge – a 600 mile 7 day bike ride from San Francisco to San Diego. Yep – I was definitely the newbie and the only non-cyclist in the group. But the day was starting out well because Lisa said that we weren’t really doing 50 miles closer to 45. Wahoo!
As we were all getting ready to roll out an elderly gentlemen started flirting with some of the women. He kept saying how much money was tied up in the bikes and asking questions. Lisa put him to work by making him take a picture of the group. I was to find that there would be many photo taking stops along the way. Is this to have photo documentation of how much fun we are having, or how quickly we are falling apart?
We rode out of Fletcher Cove and headed over to Via de La Valle. I ride this road every single day – it is so different on a bike. I was the third girl in the line. This is a problem – I am not used to riding near people. And they all keep pointing out holes and rocks and trash in the path – this requires that you take your hands off the handlebars. I know that it is correct etiquette, but I have a death grip on my handle bars and there is no way that I can signal and ride at the same time – the person behind me is out of luck. Lisa drops back and rides beside me – does she know that she is potentially in a deadly position? I am an erratic cyclist – my bike drifts – and I seem unnaturally drawn to get as close as possible to parked cars. I fear for Lisa and myself. Although I have no feeling in my hands or feet because it is so cold, I am feeling good on my bike. I am able to hang with the group. They aren’t immediately dropping me. Life is good and the sun is beautiful. Our first gentle climb is right before the Polo grounds and it is at this point that I am to find my place in the group, the back of the pack with the clean-up coach. Lisa had that honor on the way out – Mari was the unlucky coach on the way back.
19 or 20 years ago I had ridden a 50 mile bike-a-thon for the OGHS football squad. Michelle Boden and Joe Stehly were with me that day and three other guys that I can’t remember. I have no idea why I thought I could ride 50 miles back then and what my parents were thinking allowing me to ride from OG out Del Dios back Palomar Airport Road finishing at Washington Park in Escondido. I don’t remember much except we stopped at Jack –in-the-Box in Cardiff and that I started hallucinating on Palomar Airport road. The football players dropped Michelle and me at some point on the coast and then Michelle dropped me somewhere on Palomar. I know the support van redirected me when I started to get on the freeway. But I made it that day on a ten speed tween Schwinn, without a helmet, without bike shorts, without a water bottle and I was going to make it today.
Back to reality, the next little climb was onto Del Dios highway as you approach the Village church – steep, but short. I was struggling but still in hanging distance with the group. Turn the corner and the lead pack is waiting for us. I’m not sure what it is, but I don’t remember much about actual scenery on the ride. I think I am so focused on not dying that everything else fades into the background – although I do remember thinking that the shadow trees were pretty – had I started hallucinating already?
From mile 5 to mile 15 it is pretty much a long slow grade with few flat or downhill sections. I got to play with my gears and basically felt like I was spinning, but going nowhere fast. Humbling, but I was still feeling like I wasn’t a complete albatross around the group’s neck. Lisa diverted us for some scary downhill near Hernandez Hideaway. I have come to the conclusion that I like flat roads. I ride my brakes on the downhills and I try to spin to get the lactic acid out of my legs, but end up free spinning and feeling dangerously out of control and shifting into a higher chain ring when I am screaming down a hill on my bike at 30mph is unlikely to happen. My skills are just not that sharp yet. I have one brief shining moment of not being the slowest rider as we crest over Del Dios across Via Rancho Road into Escondido. We have a photo stop and group hug at the mosque. The mosque is located on El Diablo Road. Does anyone else think that they should change the name of the street? I take this opportunity to drink some electrolyte and take a Clif Block. I won’t even look at my Garmin. I don’t want to know how many miles are left.
We turn left and through a part of Escondido that I do not know. We end up on Harmony Grove Road or Elfin Forest – not sure which, but everybody is uber-excited because it is freshly paved. I am just happy with the lack of traffic. Mari now switches with Lisa to round up the back of the pack. Lisa starts leading a pace line. I decline to join the line – again I am still not that comfortable riding someone’s wheel and don’t want to be responsible for a horrific crash. Besides in triathlon drafting is illegal so I need to learn to slog it on my own. The road surface is nice, but Mari makes the mistake of telling me that there are only two more climbs on the ride – I’m sure in her mind there really were only two more climbs, but any small grade at this point is a climb for me. From miles 15 to mile 20 we have rollers ranging from +3% to -3% grade. It sounds gentle and nice, but if you struggle with changing gears – this is a true test. By now my death grip on the handlebars was making the palms of my hands hurt. I was wearing padded gloves, but I obviously am leaning too much of my body weight on the front of my bike – guess this is why Lisa and Mari keep telling me to bend my elbows and breathe. Being on a bike and being relaxed seems somewhat oxymoronic to me.
At this point all I see are hills. In my mind I keep telling myself that this is like the nine minute interval on the compu-trainer – sadly rarely are there4 minute rest intervals. At mile 25 somewhere in San Elijo village we stop for a restroom, croissant, photo break. I am just happy to get off the bike. I make the mistake of looking at my Garmin – we are only a little more than halfway done? Surely the Garmin GPS has stopped functioning. I sip my electrolyte – hoping for some magical elixir energy and pop another block.
We roll out and at this point I still have faith in Mari and have put my bike back into the big chain ring. Mari is able to ride and talk on her cell phone at the same time. I know that we as women are supposed to be good multi-taskers, but I am still impressed. Mari is not feeling well – could it be because I am making her ride so slowly? She thinks it was the sushi she had the night before – I think she’s just being kind. At this point Lisa leads us to another hill – this is an unexpected hill for Mari and for me I try valiantly to shift gears, but end up locking up my bike. My chain has fallen off the derailleur. I am just so impressed that I managed to unclip from my pedals before falling over that the fact that something is wrong with my bike is secondary. Mari gets her hands dirty and gets my chain back on course. We continue to ride. This section becomes a blur all I know is that after one climb I can see in the far distance the ocean -my salvation. At some point we end up on La Costa Avenue and have actually somewhat caught up with the pack. They again start a pace line that I again decline. I don’t want to mess with their fun. Mari and I miss a light across the 5 on La Costa so we get separated from the group she yells for Lisa, but the wind is gusting and the group rides on. Mari is all alone with the slow newbie. I miss the light as we turn left onto Pacific Coast Highway. This is a chance for me to catch my breath and realize that I need to do a lot more outdoor biking. Once I make it across I tell Mari that she can ride ahead. I know my way home from here. I am not going to get so lucky. It is this point that she broaches my lack of lycra bike shorts. I have a pair of Pearl Izumi shorts that allow me to enter my coffee shop without being arrested for indecent exposure. They have a good bike chamois in them – and no one knows that I am pretending to be a cyclist. Mari is not won over by this fashion argument nor my desire to have liposuction when wearing “real” bike shorts -obviously a woman who has never struggled with her body image. It is at this point that I am seriously scared. Riding through Leucadia there is no bike path – you are in the road with the cars and there are a lot of cars. In Encinitas we turn off the main road and head to Swamis. The group is hanging out on the sidewalk waiting for us. I feel a lump in my throat. I really am the lame horse.
We make it back to Fletcher Cove – 40 miles in 3 hours and 14 minutes. Everyone is so nice and tells me that this was not an easy ride for a beginner. The good news I think I could continue to ride another 16 miles – the bad news, the thought of doing a half marathon – not so appealing. Even driving in my car my legs felt like they should be pedaling.
Next week the great Western Loop Ride – I have a feeling that this one may break me. Even the other riders are scared about this course – I’m going with ignorance is bliss. See you on the road!
Because someday I will improve this is the info from my Garmin friend
Total Time: 3:14:43:01
Average Pace: 4:55/mile
Average Speed: 12.2 mph
Max Speed: 30.3 mph
Total Calories: 1865 (The only number I like)
Ave Heart Rate: 122 bpm (this makes it sound like I wasn’t trying)
Max Heart Rate:160 bpm
Total Ascent: 2461 ft
Total Descent: 2482 ft

Carlsbad Half Marathon

January 25th 2009 – Carlsbad Half Marathon Race Report
Not sure why I am so verbose this evening – nothing exciting happened. Skip to the bottom if all you care about is my finish time…
The alarm went off at 3:15am this morning, the race start time was at 7:30am, why in the world was I up so early? Two reasons – restrooms and parking. I have a serious porta-potty phobia. I’m not fond of public restrooms and a hole with no water is just wrong. The parking issue is that there were over 8000 people registered for the race and only 6000 parking spots at the mall - I can do the math and see a looming problem. My first thing was to jump on Facebook, because I am seriously addicted. I wanted to change my status, but at 3-something in the morning the brain wasn’t quite firing on all cylinders. Fortunately I had laid out my clothes and food the night before. I ate a banana and Clif Bar, drank some water, filled my fuel belt, used the restroom a few times, braided my hair, applied sunscreen and a little lip gloss and I was ready to go. Hauled my foam roller and two tennis balls, road ID, Garmin 305, and hit the road at 5:00am.
The Carlsbad village mall is about twenty minutes from my house. I rolled in with no issues. The marathoners had a start time of 6:00am; so I watched them leave their cars while I kept the heater and radio going in mine. I tried to read, but eventually decided a little cat nap would be the better option. Napped for about twenty minutes and then hopped into the back of my car for some foam roller and tennis ball torture. Don’t know what other people thought I was doing in my car – I’m thinking that maybe the foam roller should only be used in the privacy of one’s home, but I wanted to break up the fascia – especially since I had done 5 miles the day before with my new training group. The tennis balls are for my hips – the foam roller breaks everything else up. I highly recommend both. They hurt, but really do seem to work. I don’t have any IB issues, but think the foam roller was designed specifically for that, but I find it works great on all issues. I’ve only been using it since November and am amazed at how much less it hurts now than it did the first time.
6:45am get out of my car and join the masses. It is cold and blustery. I know that in a little bit I won’t be cold, but in the mean time, I’m miserable. I was supposed to meet some IRONChix at the expo tent. Unfortunately I have never met these people in person – I only know them from online and was unable to locate the group. The expo tent was too near the porta-potties for me; so after one more feeble search I headed over to the starting line.
When I signed up for this race – I was fairly honest in my assessment of my finish time. (I’m middle of the middle pack – so slow) I was in the second to last chute – just in front of the stroller brigade. Think next time I will be less honest…(I am such a goody-goody I just couldn’t jump waves) I was sad because I had wanted to be with the pacers, but this was a wave start so each wave went about a minute behind the previous wave – however the pacers left with the first wave; so by the time I started they were a good 10-15 minutes ahead of my wave. They were pacing official time – I was more concerned with a decent chip time. But it would have been nice to have a pace group because my pace can be a little erratic – it really varies with the song that is currently playing on my IPOD shuffle. My other sadness was that besides not finding the IRONChix – none of my training partners were in my wave – obviously they lied because we were all the same pace training =( It was funny though because from my wave chute – you couldn’t even see the start line and barely hear the announcer – I heard what I believe was the National Anthem, but I can’t be 100% certain. Must have been though because a huge cheer goes up and then we start walking to the next chute to wait and then we wait again, and again, and again. Wahoo! I can see the start line and the announcer is now loud. A few more waves and then finally it is our turn.
Press the start on my Garmin – start the IPOD shuffle, and begin my race of making up stories about the other racers. If I have to cover 13.1 miles with no one to talk to this is what I do. I’ll say a few words every now and again – like – “Feeling those endorphins yet? – Thanks for volunteering. Thought this was supposed to be a flat course. Are we having fun yet?” But these are mainly rhetorical and I am not expecting to get into a deep discussion with anyone. My first stories typically start out with what people are wearing. Catty I know, but fun. Not sure if this is a California thing, but there are many people wearing boas and carrying fairy princess wands by and large women in the 40ish age range. Having never sported this look for a race – I am not sure what the wand provides – maybe it lets you prod people that are slowing you down? I would almost certainly cause injury to myself or those near me if I tried to race with a wand. I decided that these were my Fairy God-Mothers on the course and that each time I passed one I was getting a blessing like Sleeping Beauty got when she was born, beauty wisdom, faster legs, a better VO2 max. I was in search of blessings and looked forward to passing these people on my journey. At mile two I realized that maybe I had started a little too fast as I came across a pacer. True this was a 2:30 time pacer, but still they should have had a gargantuan lead by this time.
On the course you see many people that are running for causes. Team in Training with the Leukemia and Lymphoma society was representing well, but we also had a water station that was manned by the JM group. There had to be over 50 people at this water station. If it had been JD – I would have guessed Juvenile Diabetes, but JM left me a bit puzzled. I kept trying to find someone that was racing that had JM on their shirt so I could figure out what this organization was trying to cure. Obviously if you know someone with JM you know what it means, but this organization didn’t seem to want to clue in the rest of us. I was starting to get mad – I don’t like not knowing – should have had my phone so I could look it up on the internet. But I won’t keep you in suspense it stands for Juvenile Myositis. (Probably why they don’t put it on their shirts because then I would just want to know what Myositis is. I copied this from their website. “Juvenile Dermatomyositis and Juvenile Polymyositis are the most common forms of JM (Juvenile Myositis) - a rare autoimmune disease that affects approximately 5,000 children in the United States. JM attacks children of all ages, causing a variety of debilitating symptoms including:
• Muscle weakness and pain
• Severe fatigue
• Rashes
• Swallowing and digestive difficulties
• Lung and heart problems
• Vasculitic ulcers
• Calcinosis
Some children may experience a remission, while others will battle JM their entire life, and complications from this disease can prove fatal. Medication can help to alleviate the symptoms of JM, but there is no known cure.” For a disease that affects only 5000 kids in the US they had an amazingly large group of runners and volunteers. I hope they raised lots of money.
Mile four I got to see the lead male marathoner heading to the finish line. The elite athlete is amazing. They have no body fat and they don’t look like they are exerting themselves at all and they are in mile 20 running slightly under a 6min/mile pace. I loved watching the elites run by. I know they are human, but they almost seem alien. They just seem so genetically different – closer to gazelles and birds than my genetic make-up.
I used to think that brides maid dresses were bad, but there is a new form of bridal torture out there – make your bridal party run a half marathon with you. Those are true friends. Of course the soon to be husband wasn’t out there with them or at least not by his fiancée’s side. I decided that the friendships would last, but not the marriage. By mile five two men with jog strollers flew by me. I decided they were domestic partners that had adopted the two children. The shorter man resented the children since he was not actually holding on to the stroller and would just push it, let it go and then catch up to it. His partner couldn’t see this brutal form of stroller abuse blissfully unaware of the seething turmoil that his partner kept hidden. Another doomed relationship.
By now my IPOD was playing inspirational music. It made me appreciate that I could be out racing – that I live in San Diego right next to this amazing body of water, God really is good. I plan to go to church this evening and thank him. My stories became much more tame and uplifting, but why bore you with those =)
The turn-around came quickly which was a nice surprise. I planned to take two clif block shots and some electrolyte at the half-way point. I just purchased this fuel belt and I was able to retrieve the Clif shots, but could not release my bottles. It was like they were super-glued to the belt. I fought it for a little bit, but gave up and decided that I would get some at the next water station. I was a little worried because although the temperature was moderate and it wasn’t that sunny – it was humid. We have had much needed rain the past two days, but it makes it a little muggy and I am used to sweat evaporating not just staying wet and getting wetter and felt that maybe I was sweating more than normal. My face felt salty. The next 4 water stations only had water – not till the final 2 miles did I find electrolyte replacement. By mile 10 my left calf started cramping something I have never experienced during a race. It was painful, but not enough to make me want to stop. And wow- up ahead I can see the 2:20 time pacer – if I just keep pushing I can hang with them for the rest of the way – it’s only another 3.1 miles.
At this point my fairy Godmother’s have “Will run for Pinot Noir on the back of their shirts or a good Cabernet.” My fairy Godmothers are a bunch of drunks! There is this other woman that has “Run Like a Mother”. Should I add the expletive? Or should I be ashamed that she is in front of me – me being a non-Mom. At this point I am angry because my shuffle has decided that angry break-up songs are the music that I need to motivate me. Have I mentioned that my shuffle is psychic and knows what I need to hear? Not sure how Steve Jobs creates these fabulous psychic gizmos, but hope he is back to work soon. I finally pass the 2:20 pace leader – yippee and am now trying to catch the Marines that are carrying the US and Marine Corp Flags with them. The crowd loves them – and I am in need of crowd support. So I push to get on their coat tails; so I can soak in the excess love that follows these two fine specimens of manhood. I’m not sure if it is the flags or the fact that they have both removed their shirts. The view is good.
The last stretch of this race is not pretty. There are ambulances picking up people. People just having issues or giving up on achieving a PR or qualifying for Boston – broken sad people. Besides my calf I feel good. I want the race done, but think I could go a few more miles if necessary. I think that means I didn’t leave it all on the race course. I’m okay with that. I’m competitive within my limits and know that my paycheck doesn’t depend on my performance. I do this to push myself and see how my body responds. Also I am a person that needs a reason to workout – to not embarrass myself at races is a good reason. Cross the finish line – wahoo!!!! Eva from Coastal Medical Wellness gives me a high-five. Is it bad that I know the medical personnel? I get my nice new shiny medal and then the cow herd shuffle begins. It is worse than trying to get through customs at JFK. People with dogs, strollers, kids on scooters, and racers all trying to exit. I am short and everybody else seemed to loom over me…. I just wanted away from all the sweaty people and into nice open air. Took about 5 minutes but made it. Life is good.
According to my Garmin 2:13:38.44 and a total of 1424 calories burned. I’m off to church then am going to gorge on chips and salsa! See you on the course.


Overall:
4178 out of 7148
Women:
2057 out of 4284
F 35-39:
358 out of 710
Age/Grade:
50.15% Place: 4141
Finish:
2:13:31 Pace: 10:12
Tag Time:
2:13:31
Gun Time:
2:26:58

Winter Blues

The sun is shining and I'm at home watching football. I know that 70.3 HIM is arriving quickly and yet I feel unmotivated. I managed to get a run and 2 bike rides in with traveling to Portland and am now pondering a swim. Which would be the first swim in 2-3 months? The thought of putting a bathing suit on is enough to unmotivate me... Sadly the diet and workouts have slipped over the holidays leaving me a sad lumpy sack.
Today I started logging in my food journal again and am going to start ignoring the Garmin GPS that says I've burned a gazillion calories and using that as an excuse to eat two avocados! I also purchased some FRS chews and hope that they will give me the extra-energy boost that I can't seem to find within. I'm once again a road-warrior, but know that the hotel has a pool and treadmill; so I should be able to log a little fitness. Need to get lean and strong and excited to workout. I joined WC RoadRunners yesterday and am excited to checkout their track workouts. Am hoping to gain some speed this season.
Workout Goals this week
Sunday 1500m swim - Hill walk workout
Monday 30min swim - 30 min treadmill
Tuesday 45min swim - 45 min treadmill
Wednesday - rest day/ travel day
Thursday 55min Computrainer - 1.5hr bootcamp weights
Friday 1hr walk
Saturday Group Run - Ride 56 - 1 hr swim

Ambitious, but doable - keep a food journal all week and stay within my calorie limits! I think that this week is going to be my turn-around week. The sun is out and life really is good. I'm banishing my winter blues/bloat. Have fun everybody - see you at the finish line!

So much to be thankful for...

Just got back from an 8 mile run around Mission Bay. I am always amazed at how beautiful San Diego truly is - the beaches, the people, the active lifestyle, the sunshine, Sea World, the boats, it was just one of those mornings. I spent a quiet Thanksgiving having dinner with my parents. I am so grateful that they so fully embrace the fact that I am vegan. I felt bad for Dad since I am sure he would have preferred turkey, but Mom put on a truly amazing spread of fruits and vegetables. Dad filled my car up with leftovers - I think they worry that I don't eat - or maybe he just didn't want mom to continue the meat-free theme =) My sister is in Cancun and should be coming home today. I haven't talked to her in over a week - seems like forever. Hope they had a great time.

I managed to avoid the malls yesterday, but can feel the days counting down towards Christmas; so think that I will brave the wilds of at least Cedros Avenue this afternoon in search of my sister's B-day gift which is on Tuesday and my mom's B-day which is on Sunday.

During my run my left leg kept falling asleep - this is a new development which I can't say is completely unwanted, but have a feeling that it is not a good sign.... Hope everyone is having an amazing Thanksgiving weekend. There is so much to be thankful for....

Asthma or not Asthma?

I am beginning to think that maybe the air sucking sound I make when running isn't so much because I am THAT out of shape, but maybe a mild case of exercise induced asthma. It got bad this Saturday on my ten mile run - it was foggy and cold and I still sound like I inhale packs of cigarettes a day. I went for a fun run with Movin' Shoes tonight and had hoped to do an easy 4 mile, but had to turn around at three. It was cold and I just couldn't get my breathing under control. Good news I now have enough reflectors and lights so I should be easy to see on the road as I keel over - the nice thing is Sue turned around with me; so I wasn't all alone in the dark. Although the sense of guilt for cutting someone else's run short didn't make me feel good... I'm hoping maybe this is just the tail end of the cold I picked up in Mexico... Otherwise think I will ask my doctor at my annual in January.

I also have no shame - I am gleefully posting my weight at Magg's an off-season no weight gain competition. Thanks to Sarah and Maggs for letting me join even though they have no idea who I am. Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

USWTS Triathlon Experience

This is my last official triathlon for this year - a year with a whopping two, but as a newbie I think it is good. I was looking forward to this race to see if I have improved and also because it supports ovarian cancer research. One of my best friends from college lost her mom to ovarian cancer; so this is a cause dear to my heart. Besides I had heard that this was a newbie friendly race since it is an all women's course.

I got to the race super-early and setup my spot. I had an end spot again which makes me happy and calm. Met a few women who were racing for the first time and it was fun to talk to them - one even flew out from New York just for this race. My swim heat was a weird age break down it was 32-36 year olds....but I was competing in the 35-39 year old age group - made for a little confusion on the racks. The race took place at the South Shores Boat Ramp in Mission Bay. The walk to the water had me very concerned since it felt like I was walking on glass. I have tender feet and the rocks and whatever else was on the ground made for slow going. This is the first race ever that I have done that had a water start. The waves were going every 3 minutes apart. The waves were about 75 women in a group. I ended up middle of the middle for the start and then they said go and it was a roller-derby start. I was under the impression that women were civilized. Not at this race - there was elbowing, pushing, kicking - it was a free-for-all. Not sure if this just got my competitive spirit revved or if I just wanted to get away from everybody, but I knew I was having a good swim when I started passing swim caps from the previous two wave starts. Came out of the water and felt great. Feet must have been numb because I didn't notice running across the shards of glass =)

Transition was pathetic - over 3 and half minutes(3:37), but got out onto the bike course. I have been having a lot of discomfort on my bike seat and this race did not start out well as far as the feel went. I kept my bike in the big chain the entire race - I think that might have been a mistake, but I am experimenting. I just missed a crash by a few seconds. There were water bottles and bike parts flying and people making erratic moves throughout the bike ride. There were a couple of tight turns but I managed to stay in my lane not cause any wrecks and not fall off my bike. It was my first time riding Fiesta Island and I enjoyed that. I kept thinking on the bike how lucky I am to live in San Diego. But overall I just wanted the bike to end. I kept standing a sitting on the bike, but could not get happy.

Next transition from bike to run was better 1:22. Legs felt tired, bit besides for a brief walk through a water station ran the course. The best part was at the end somebody tried to pass me and I was able to hold her off and finish ahead of her. I was able to kick it up quite a few notches - think I could probably push myself a little harder on the run portion.

It was a fun race and I am glad that I felt well enough to go lift weights and then salsa dance after the race. I'm still a long way from being ready for my half-ironman in April, but am happy with my progress.