CHUGging Along at the Clinton Lake 30 mi Trail Race

Last Saturday I ran the Clinton Lake 30 Mile Trail Race, located in central Illinois near Dewitt. What a rewarding finish it was. This race has a fun, hilly course, great race organization by Chris Migotsky and his devoted support staff, and lots of familiar faces in the race and volunteering. I would definitely recommend it!

Brian and I drove the few hours' drive down after work the night before and stayed in nearby LeRoy with fellow CHUGs Bill and Leslie. After an amusing conversation that night about pacing and numbers, I figured that I could muster 2.5 hour loops, a reasonable 7.5 hour goal. I still was unsure of my abilities on this hilly course -- I have only run a loop at a time here and know that the hills will be a challenge for my untrained legs. This winter has been rough for me to get motivated so I only had a few long runs and averaged about 10-15(!) miles a week. Yeah, not really the best mileage for ultra training! I modified the race plan to just enjoy the day and be ok with anything under the cutoff of 9 hours. I also had been sick with a head cold all week, so I didn't want to put too much pressure on myself.

We got to bed fairly early but it took me a while to get to sleep...I was starting to get nervous! I did finally fall asleep, and then a few hours later, I awoke from a dream that I had signed up for two races in a day. The races were near each other so I could run one and then walk to the start of the other one. Well, it turns out that after I run the first race, I found out that the second race (which was the target race) was an hour's drive away! Even though it was chip-timed I wouldn't be able to start late and still finish within the cutoff time, so I had to miss it. So weird and funny to have those types of pre-race dreams!

We awoke at 5:15 and got ready. After we left our hotel room we found that the hotel had put out breakfast items earlier than expected -- a nice bonus! We hung by there for a little while. I still ended up eating my pop tarts because my stomach was in knots and as much as I love eggs, bacon, and a bunch of other tasty breakfast items on display, I didn't want to take any chances. After breakfast, we drove over to the start. We got there with about 45 minutes to spare, and while I really wanted to chat with all the others we knew were there, I was freezing and ended up hanging out in the car until just before the 7:30 start time.

Leslie and me before the race

We walked over to the start where RD Chris was giving a pre-race talk. I then lined myself up at the back, the race started, and we were off! The nerves faded away and were replaced with an excitement to be on this beautiful trail around Clinton Lake.

I tried to take it easy the first few miles on the trail, stepping aside to let other pass me so that I could just run at my own pace and not feel pressure being in a line of runners. I ended up getting a little scratched up letting a guy pass at one point – I had stepped aside and ended up backing into a thorn bush. I didn't realize it until I got back on the trail and there is a branch stuck in my leg! Ugh! I pulled it off my leg and saw that I had some lovely puncture wounds and scratches. It stung for a while, but then the pain went away and became an afterthought. Trail battle wounds!

Pretty soon I was alone on the trail, quite the difference from running with 30,000 people at Shamrock Shuffle last weekend! I wasn't even sure if there were any runners behind me. I didn't care much about that at this point. I just wanted to settle into a good rhythm and enjoy the day. It was a really nice day, the temps were cool but not freezing, and the trail was pretty dry with the exception of a few muddy spots. I hit the mid-loop aid station, got my bottle filled, grabbed a few peanut M&Ms, and was on my way. I made it a goal to not spend too much time at aid stations – I need to use that time being on the trail making forward progress. I regularly took S-Caps and GU chomps, too. Just past the aid station I caught up to Juli and Val Aistars and was able to run with them for a while – such great people! It made the miles fly by.

After 10 miles, filling my bottle at the aid station

I got back to the start/finish aid station after the first loop, where Brian was volunteering. It was great to see him as always. :-) After getting my bottle filled and a "see ya later" kiss, I was on my way for loop 2. I had completed the first 10 miles in about 2:15. Not bad! I was actually starting to tire already from the uphills, so I was hoping I wouldn't slow down too much. My lack of training was starting to really show as my uphill hike pace was starting to get really pathetic. ;-) The thing about Clinton Lake is that because it's constant up and down, I couldn't really get into a decent stint of running. I start cursing myself for not having done any hill training – we have a treadmill that goes to 15% incline in our basement that I could have used, at the very least! These types of thoughts would come up every so often, but then fade as I look around and appreciate that I'm out there and pushing myself. These trail races are still out of the "comfort-zone" for me being primarily a road runner, but I am realizing that is part of what is great about them! 

During this second loop I came up on fellow CHUG Jason Walz, who after the first loop was going to hike the rest. He has great uphill hiking fitness so in spite of my running the downhills and flats, we were near each other for several miles. I started to get a little sloppy running the downhills, and at one point I tripped and nearly fell down the hill to the upcoming bridge. Somehow I managed to stay upright but OUCH, what a rough almost-fall!

The trail (picture courtesy of Heidi Carpenter)

I could tell I was slowing down, even walking some of the flats after a big hill where I was still out of breath and had legs feeling like jello. Luckily the miles were still going by pretty well time-wise -- I really liked the mile marker feedback even though not very typical for this type of race. :-) At this point some of the front runners were passing me, every one of them saying encouraging words as they passed. Yep, I love this sport. :-) It great to see Kevin Grabowski, after I saw him I remembered that we met at Rocky Raccoon, and also Matt Condron, who I last saw at the Windburn Six back in January. I reached the last stretch and saw Leslie up ahead and was confused by that since I thought she was far ahead of me. Then, just before getting to the road, Bill snapped a pic of me and then I saw Leslie standing there. Huh? She said she had to drop because her ITBS was flaring up. :-( It was a bummer to hear this, but a smart decision on her part. Hope you heal quickly, Leslie!

I ran around the parking lot to see Brian in his running clothes, all ready to run the last loop with me. Yay! I ended up finishing the second loop around 2:30, definitely slower but still around my goal. Off we went to run the last 10 miles. It was great to have Brian with me and hear his encouraging words. I lead for the first part of the loop, setting a pace that I could handle. At this point my running looked more like shuffling. My quads were starting to really feel the effects of the hilly course, so I started to grunt and swear under my breath going down some of the steeper downhills. We zipped through the mid-loop aid station (had a bite of Brian's pizza slice, yum), and in the last miles passed another runner whose knee was injured so he was walking the rest.

Brian and me, almost finished! (picture courtesy of Janak)
Thanks for running with me, Sweetie!

At this point Brian was running ahead of me a little, trying to gently keep me on pace to gut out the last miles. I really didn't have much left, though, but I kept chugging along the best I could. I was definitely ready to be done! As we passed by the mile 9 marker, I was happy to see that I had a lot of time to spare to come in within my goal. Woo hoo!

Yep, here's one of the many hills on the 10 mile loop course (photo courtesy of Heidi Carpenter)

After tackling the last big hill, reading that lovely "Are you lovin' the hills yet?" sign for the last time, I hopped onto the road, entered the parking lot and circled around to cross the finish line with a big ole smile on my face. Yay! I finished! I got a hand shake and hug from RD Chris, and fellow CHUG Donna Creditor gave me my finisher medal. My time was 7:21 – well within my goal I had set. My second ultra in the bag!

A friendly question "Are you loving the hills yet?" near the end of the loop (photo courtesy of Heidi Carpenter)

Next up on my schedule is the Illinois Marathon on May 1. Totally different race but as a runner who likes both trail and road races, I'm looking forward to it!

Sisterly Pride at the Turkey Trot 5mi

I ran the Turkey Trot 5 mile yesterday, which was held at Harper College in Palatine. The course consisted of 2.5 loops on the circle drive around the campus. My younger sister, Cindy, also signed up for the race. She has been running quite a few 5k races recently, and this was going to be her longest race to date. 

Considering all the long and slow running I've been doing this year, I didn't have too high of expectations. I figured I'd be coming in around 45-50 minutes. The weather wasn't very ideal with upper 30's temps, light rain (at least for the first part of the race), and a blustery wind.


I had no concept of pacing so my splits were kinda all over the place, but I did better than expected with a finish time of 45:30. My splits were 8:57, 8:58, 9:28 (yikes), 9:28 (double yikes), and then 8:38 (redemption!). I forgot how uncomfortable the 5mi/8k/10k distance is -- it's short enough that I have to run pretty fast but it's for nearly a whole dang hour. Whew! I had some "ugh, dang, I'm suffering!" moments there...

  
Cindy had a great race and came in under an hour in spite of enduring the blustery conditions and a lingering chest cold. I'm so proud of her!! It was definitely a great way to start off Thanksgiving Day. :-)

My first 50k!

It's been three weeks since I ran the North Face Endurance Challenge 50k in Wisconsin, but it definitely was an experience to write about -- better late than never! This year has definitely been a different year for me in terms of my training. Training for the TransRockies Run pushed my weekly mileage higher than it has ever been. I really feel that it made me a stronger runner, both physically and mentally. Until this year I wasn't really interested in running farther than the marathon distance. I felt like I needed to be faster at the marathon before I ran farther than that. My marathon PR is 4:17, and my wish is to run sub-4:00 someday! 

But...I have started to really fall in love with trail running and the laid-back nature of trail races. After a couple years of crewing and pacing Brian at trail ultras (Miwok was so amazing!) and becoming more involved with the newly-formed Chicago Ultrarunners Group (CHUG) this year, I had a change of heart. While I was planning my post-TransRockies race schedule, I decided to run the North Face Endurance Challenge 50k. It was held two weeks after the Chicago Marathon, which I ended up running at a relatively easy pace in preparation for the 50k. The marathon was a fun experience, and now I was looking forward to an equally fun but totally different experience at North Face.

Brian and I drove up to Wisconsin the day before, picked up race stuff, and then met up with fellow CHUGs at a nearby Italian restaurant that served some killer giant soaked-in-butter garlic bread. Yum! It was great to chat with everyone and it helped calm my building nerves a little bit. Afterwards, we headed off to the hotel with Paige (who was running the 50 mile) and Geof to start getting stuff ready for the next morning.

After a pretty decent night of sleep, we got up around 6am to get ready for the 8am start. By then Paige and Geof had already left as the 50 mile race started at 6am. It was lightly raining and the temps were in the 30's. Brrr! Luckily the rain did stop while on our way to the race start. We got there around 7am and milled around for a while as other CHUGs showed up -- Deanna was also running the 50k. Several others were there to cheer us on -- Karen, Torey, Jim, Ian. I was freezing and really nervous, but also ready to get going!

Me and my awesome cheerleader

A few minutes before the start I turned on my GPS watch which immediately turned back off due to low battery. It must have been on in my bag or something because I had fully charged it the day before. Oops! I put my sports watch back on so that I had a little bit of an idea of elapsed time. This was going to be quite the change from knowing every mile split like I do in road marathons. It's probably good I didn't have it anyway so I didn't run as a "slave to the watch" and instead just run based on how I feel and enjoy the day. My goal was to come in within the 8 hour time cutoff and avoid coming in last. :-) I didn't really have a concept of what I could do, so I didn't want to put too much pressure on myself -- it was my first 50k after all! Crossing the finish line was the main goal.

It was almost time to start and I made the decision to wear my jacket because I was still freezing. I figured that if I didn't want it, I could tie it around my waist and then drop it off with Brian at the first aid station at 6.6 miles. I lined up at the back of the pack and then it was time to go!

Time to run 50k!

The first part of the course is about a mile on roads leading to the path. My legs felt good and I took it easy as we entered the trail. Ahhh, the trees were at varying stages of fall colors, so beautiful, and I was glad to be out there. This part of the trail was fairly flat, with some rolling hills here and there. To my surprise, Brian and the rest of the CHUGs were cheering just before mile 2. I was already getting warm with my jacket (as I kinda expected), so I took it off and gave it to Brian.

Here ya go! I don't need no stinkin' jacket! ;-)

Then it was time to run among the beautiful pine trees in the Scuppernong trails. At lot of this part was pretty flat and runnable, and I took it easy and just went with the flow. The trail is wide so I just ran my own pace, not dictated by those ahead or behind me. 

At the first aid station at mile 6.6, I waved hi to Brian, Torey, and Jim again, spent just a few seconds at the aid station, and off I went again. My goal was to avoid spending too much time at the aid stations. I had most of what I needed with me anyway.

At the first aid station, mile 6.6

The miles went by pretty well, I was walking up the hills which were more plentiful in this section, and I was taking it easy. I saw Brian again approaching the next aid station at mile 11.1, he is a great cheerleader. :-)

Past the aid station was a really nice winding single-track trail, some ups and downs here, and I was loving it! Being towards the back of the pack, there wasn't anyone around me, but I didn't mind. It was quite the change from two weeks earlier being in the thick of the crowds at the Chicago Marathon. Then came the prairie section of the course, which was exposed to the brisk wind but luckily offset by the sun that finally decided to come out. I tried to run as much as possible during this part as it was pretty flat. Another reason to keep it up was that I could hear several gun shots and saw a few hunters hunting in this area. I didn't want to be a potential target. At least I wasn't wearing my deer costume, hehe. ;-) Actually, I found out later that they were bird hunting. This was also where some of the trail was pretty wet from recent rains. I was hoping to keep my feet dry as I was able to skirt by some flooded parts of the trail, but my efforts turned out to be futile as there was a larger marsh-like area I couldn't avoid. Ahhh, nice cold water submersion. Luckily after a few minutes my feet warmed up again and any concern about it was gone.

Approaching Wilton aid station, mile 16.4

Ever the loyal spectator, Brian was at the next aid station (16.4). I was over halfway there! I still felt great and a smile was still planted on my face. I didn't know how fast or slow I was going but at this point I knew I would be finishing well within 8 hours. After some more prairie running the course went back into the woods for more horse trails. I think I was slowing down a little and might have had a little low point physically, but knew it would pass. I didn't want to let it affect me otherwise. Then I saw Brian along the course -- he had walked towards me from the aid station, and then we ran together for about a mile or so.

We approached the aid station at mile 21.9, I made a pit stop, and got my hydration pack filled. This was the longest break at the aid station, a couple of minutes. My legs were definitely feeling the mileage but I was still enjoying myself out there. I was past my "low" and ready to take on the last 10 miles. Piece 'o cake! :-) After I left the aid station I had passed the Vibram girl, said hi, nice job, and went on my way until I came upon a junction and wasn't sure where to go. I waited for Vibram girl just so that we could figure it out together. The course was really well marked so I was a little surprised that this part wasn't. Luckily we picked the correct route -- not that it matter as a little bit later we saw that both trails lead back into the main trail. Ah well! 

I saw more people on this part of the trail as some of the 50 milers were starting to pass me. It was fun to give and receive encouragement from them. Then I heard fellow CHUG Tony yell my name, who was doing the 50 mile. It was great to see him doing so well! Then we both saw Brian who was parked at a road the trail crossed. After snapping a picture, Tony ran ahead and I got another kiss from Brian. Those kisses provide a pretty good energy boost during races! :-)

Yep, still smiling with about 8 miles to go

I continued on and had a nice conversation with another runner, Jody, from Kansas. It was her first 50k as well. She was starting to slow a little (or maybe I was speeding up), so we parted ways after saying good luck to each other. In spite of some decent hilly sections, I was doing pretty well and saw from my watch unless something  crazy happened I would be finishing under 7 hours.

Runnin' to the hug! (mile 27.2)

Pretty soon I spotted the last aid station and ran down the hill to see Brian's open arms (run to the hug!). Mile 27.2! Longest run ever! Feeling great, less than 4 miles to go! I passed through the aid station quickly and was on my way again to the finish. After a couple miles I knew I was on the trail that we started out on, on the way back to the finish. I passed by a couple of people and then once we got back onto the road I picked it up even more. My legs, though tired, still felt strong. I took the final turn into the park area, saw the finish line, took a couple of turns and then arms outstretched, crossed that finish line in 6:39!A new milestone, I am an ultramarathoner! 

Winner of the dorkiest finish line picture EVER... :-)

I received my medal, and then my hug and kiss from Brian, then more hugs from the CHUGs who were cheering everyone in. What a great experience! I love this sport.

After getting some warm clothes on, we cheered on the rest of the CHUG runners. I ate some post-race food and then after that more food was eaten with Geof, Paige, and Tony in town. Then it was time for Brian and me to head home, stopping for DQ on the way (yum!), and then finally, home. A wonderful day, my first 50k finish, sharing it with Brian and the rest of the amazing group of CHUGs. This is the life! :-)

View my 50k photos

I Heart the Chicago Marathon...#8 = Great!

It's been over two weeks since I ran the Chicago Marathon, and I was hoping to write about it before my first 50k at the North Face Endurance Challenge. Oops! Well, that has come and gone (race report is coming soon), and now I figured I'd better write about it before leaving with Brian and the rest of the CHUGS for Javelina Jundred this weekend! For the marathon, I didn't have a PR expectation as it was going to be more of a training run for the 50k, but gosh darn it, I was going to have fun running it. Also, after the TransRockies Run in August, running Chicago this year was going to be somewhat anticlimactic. In reality, it wasn't at all! This would be my 8th time running Chicago (12th marathon overall), and I still love this race, big crowds and all. 

The day before the marathon I started to get a little nervous. Marathons, even training ones, are a pretty big deal to me. I still wanted to do well and have a good run. Perhaps I was feeling some anxiety left from the horrible experience that was Chicago Heatathon 2007, I'm not sure. Anyway, my night of sleep was fitful because of nerves, so when the alarm went off at 4:45am, I was ready to get up and get going. Unfortunately while I was getting ready I started to have stomach issues and nausea so I took some Pepto hoping it would help settle my stomach. This was definitely not normal for me, but I tried to be laid-back about it and hope for the best.

Brian and I left at around 5:15am to go downtown. Brian needed to be at the 4k mark by 6:30am, so we allowed ourselves plenty of time. We got to our usual parking garage and after some good luck kisses we headed off in different directions -- Brian to his course marshal post (he had to hold a 4k marker for the elites as they ran through) and myself toward the start area. With plenty of time before the start and the fact that was barely 30 degrees, I took cover at a local hotel lobby on the way. There was a large group from France in the lobby, it is neat to see all these runners from all over the world that would take a tour of our great city.

After a while I got antsy so I decided to head over to the start. Luckily my stomach was feeling better but I was still a little worried about how whether I would have to make pit stops during the race. I found the 10:00 pace corral area (was hoping to run somewhere in between 10 and 11 minutes per mile) and got in position around 7:00. My toes were freezing and numb and I was regretting the decision not to wear any "throwaway" pants to cover my freezing legs. Ah well, it didn't matter as we got closer to the start because more and more people started coming in and soon we crowded in enough that I was actually pretty warm for the last minutes before the start. I shed my fleece pullover, listened to the national anthem, and then the race started. Not that we moved or anything. :-)


I finally crossed the start line about 15 minutes later and sent a text to Brian letting him know so that he could estimate when I would be passing through at different points of the course. We headed up Columbus and you could feel the excitement in the chilly air. My toes were still numb but I knew they would be fine after a mile or two. We ran under Randolph with the usual woo hoo's that make me smile. As we approached the river I actually spotted Ian and yelled hi to him as I was passing. I was glad to see him and was hoping I would see others I knew along the course. It's so crowded and bustling, though, so you don't expect to. A short while later I also saw another CHUG, Greg, who was one of the many course marshal volunteers that Ian recruited.

During the first few miles I just went with the flow of runners. It was pretty crowded and I didn't feel the need to weave through the crowd. Before the 4k mark I texted Brian to ask which side he was on but didn't get a response so I looked on both sides of the street to find him but unfortunately missed him in this spot. Oops! I passed by the 5k mark in 33:54 (10:54mpm pace), an easy pace I was hoping to improve upon further in the race. I headed up north through Lincoln Park, enjoying the crowds and bands along the way. I picked up the pace a little, but it was still comfortable. The sun was out and I was really enjoying the race. After passing the 10k mark, a guy yells out, "only 20 miles to go!" which those around us laughed at, shaking our heads. Gotta love those comments. ;-)

Then we headed through Lakeview, one of my favorite spots in the course with its vibrant and spirited spectators and volunteers . I knew one of my co-workers, Jim, would be at the mile 8 water station, so as I approached, I randomly picked the left side to look for him. Shockingly I spotted him and ran over to grab the cup of water he was offering, and yelled "Hey Jim!" He was stunned I was able to find him, "Kelly, go Kelly!" he yelled and I waved goodbye and ran ahead through the rest of the aid station. Now we were heading downtown again. I hear a fellow runner say "this is one of my favorite parts of the race, look at the view!" and I look ahead and see the high-rise buildings and I agree. I work downtown every day and many times I take for granted how cool looking it really is. :-) 

At about mile 11, I sent Brian a text letting him know I was on my way. It was right around here where two years earlier I started hyperventilating and suffered a mini-breakdown over how the heat was really affecting me. Not this year! I was still feeling good and chugging along just fine. Past mile 12 I saw Brian, he snapped a couple pictures -- always a boost to see someone you love cheering for you along the course. :-) I slowed down a little west of Union Station because the crowds were thick and spilling out into the street. It was a fun section, lots of spectators as we passed the halfway point (2:17:50, 10:31mpm pace). I was pretty happy with that split, and that if things continued to go well, I would finish well under 5 hours. That was what I was hoping for!

The miles continued to fly by, passing by the United Center, then coming back eastward with Sears, er, Willis Tower, in the background. Brian was at mile 16.5 on Halsted, it was great to see him again as I ran by.  


I still was feeling good with less than 10 miles to go. I ran through the Little Italy neighborhood and then Pilsen, which was lively with mariachi music blaring and enthusiastic spectators. My splits were pretty even, my legs felt great, and I was really enjoying the day. I could tell some around me were slowing down in this later part of the race.

Now we were approaching another favorite part of the course -- Chinatown. Crowds were in the streets again so my pace slowed a little from crowding, but I was having fun and I didn't mind. Every year I've run Chicago I always get the chills turning right onto Wentworth and under the Chinatown Gate. The excitement is like an electrical charge in the air, such a great feeling! I got a surge of energy and then as the crowds thinned out along the Dan Ryan, I felt more energy. This part of the race is probably the most desolate. It's strange to go from such a high through Chinatown to this. I didn't affect my pace, though. I kept chugging along, passing people regularly as we approached 33rd street and Sox Park.

By now I'm starting to speed up as there are only 3 miles left and I'm feeling great. I think about my upcoming 50k and how I could definitely run longer than 3 miles left based on how I felt that moment. The course brings us through the IIT campus and free beer, which I almost took but decided to pass on as I was on a mission now. :-) My mile splits are closer to 10:00 and I can't believe I'm almost done!

I'm getting really excited as I turn northbound onto Michigan. The final stretch, just 2.5 miles to go now. Even after getting "gator-splashed" by a guy who dropped his half-full cup of Gatorade on the ground in front of me, I still had a smile plastered on my face. (Ok, maybe I did a little eye roll at his lack of awareness of those around him. ;-)) At about mile 24 I saw Tina and Tom from the St. Charles CARA marathon training group that I had run with in the past. It was great to see them! They had both run great races at the Lakefront Marathon so they were out to cheer for the others in the program. I saw the "1 mile to go" sign and felt a rush of excitement. I did the math and knew I wouldn't be able to get under 4:30, but for sure would make it under 4:35. Not too shabby!

I take the right turn onto Roosevelt and the marathon's only "hill" on the course (an overpass above the south shore trains), and then left onto Columbus and the finish line. Instead of sprinting to the finish, I pulled out my phone to take a quick finish line shot and then ran in, taking in the glory of a marathon finish. :-)


What an awesome, fun race! I crossed the finish line in 4:33:24, which, while not a PR, was definitely one of the most enjoyable marathon experiences I've had. It was my third fastest time -- can't complain about that! Oh, and it was a 2-minute negative split, too. Woo hoo! 

What made it even more special was that Brian was also volunteering at the finish and gave me my finisher's medal and a congratulatory kiss. :-) An excellent way to cap off a great marathon finish, that's for sure!


My Marathon Splits (RunningAhead Log)

Tri-ing to be Pleasant in Pleasant Prairie

I did the Danskin Triathlon in Pleasant Prairie, WI, a couple of weeks ago. I decided to do this race because my sister, Cindy, signed up, and also because I thought it would be a good way to help curb a post-TransRockies slump. I thought by having a different type of goal, adding in swimming and cycling, would be a good idea to help me recover from the run. Well, as the weeks passed by, the slump was in full force and while I was running a little, I just didn't feel like getting to a spin class (my main form of bike training) and blew off swimming, too. So, aside from doing recovery (slow) runs, I had just one swim and one spin class under my belt for preparation. Niiiiiiiice.

Needless to say, I had very low expectations for this race, and instead of being excited about it, I was downright crabby about it -- like having that full-on dread, annoyance, and the feelings of a kid stomping his feet on the ground screaming "I don't wanna!!!" The only good thing was that Cindy was doing well in her training and I was looking forward to seeing her cross the finish line. I'm so proud of her getting back into running, post-baby, and reaching all sorts of new milestones.

On Saturday, we went to packet pickup, racked our bikes so we wouldn't have to worry about them in the morning, and then grabbed a bite to eat before heading back to Cindy's to spend the night. That night turned out to be a rough one because of noisy neighbors and the fact that I was pretty nervous about my lack of preparation. When the alarm went off at 4:15am, my crabby mood had not changed at all. Ugh.

We left Cindy and Mike's as a convoy to make the 40min drive to the race. We had to take a couple of detours because of blocked-off roads, but we finally made it to the parking area where they were shuttling everyone to the start area over a mile away. Cindy and I got on a shuttle and we left Brian, Cindy's husband, Mike, and their three kids there to take a later shuttle as time was getting a little tight. Cindy and I got our stuff set up in transition and then we headed over to the start to meet up with our cheerleaders.

The elite race started at 7:00am. My wave was scheduled for 7:37, and Cindy's was 7:43. The time flew by and pretty soon I was zipping up my wetsuit, putting on my swimcap and goggles, and walking over to line up with my wave, near the back. Alright, let's get this sucker done! I spotted Brian just outside the start area, waved and smiled, and tried to psych myself up a little bit. :-) After some encouraging words from the announcer, off we went!

Waving to Brian before the start

Swim - 800m, 17:32

The water was not nearly as cold as I remember it being a few weeks back. Still, I had to do a bit of breaststroke until I could get my breathing under control. Ugh, breathing! The wetsuit, which I haven't worn since 2004, fits just fine but I am not used to the compression feeling. I try to calm down and just move forward, towards the single tree at the swim finish that I use as a visual guide. I start going into freestyle, and I can only manage a handful of strokes before I lift my head fully above the water to swim the "freestyle with head above water" way of swimming (ick, bad freestyle). Oh well, whatever works. I alternate between decent freestyle and bad freestyle, making sure I stay ahead of the noodle swimmers. Yes, being a feel-good type of triathlon, there are "swim angels" and floaty noodles that racers can use to help with the swim. Luckily, in spite of my total lack of training, I didn't need these aids. :-) Finally, I get to the swim finish, run out onto the sand, hit my watch split and am seriously stunned that I swam under 20min. I thought it would be a lot slower!

T1 - 4:28
Now thankfully done with the swim, I ran to the aisle I thought my bike was in...only to be off by one aisle. Doh! Luckily I only lost a few seconds as I scrambled to get to my bike. Off with the swim gear, put on the socks, shoes, shirt, adjust my ponytail...SNAP!...goes my hair band. (Too bad I didn't have a twist tie like this gal, LOL!) Oops! Hmm, ok, I frantically twist my hair and stuff it haphazardly in my helmet. I then grabbed my bike and ran to the bike start. 

Bike - 20k (12.4mi), 48:48 - 13.5mph
I haven't ridden my bike since my last triathlon back in June 2007. A couple of days before the race I dug the bike out of the basement, filled the tires (luckily the tires remained at correct pressure), and replaced the battery in the bike computer. I knew that I would be slower and more cautious on the bike, so I just went based on feel and trying to aim for a certain range of speed using feedback from the computer. I was also fumbling with my helmet at times because of the way I stuffed my hair into it. The bike course was different from the last time I rode it, but mostly nice smooth roads. There were some inclines here and there but not too bad. I felt like I was going a pretty decent pace and passing pretty frequently. Little did I know that I would later find out that I should have re-calibrated the bike computer as it was off a bit and gave me a faster reading. I ended up finishing about 5 minutes slower than back in 2003, which was a bit slower than I expected. In spite of this, I was starting to enjoy myself a bit more and was definitely looking forward to starting the run.

Almost finished with the bike

T2 - 2:19
I dismounted and ran back to my stuff in transition -- this time going down the correct aisle of bikes. :-) I put on my hat (stuffed my hair inside), replaced my bike shoes for running shoes and then was off to the run start -- a quicker transition this time around.

Run - 5k (3.1mi), 28:00 - 9:02mpm pace
I felt a little stiff-legged starting the run but really happy to be doing my favorite part of a triathlon. :-) I passed by Brian (thanks for being an awesome cheerleader, sweetie!) along the path and gradually the stiffness lessened. Though I was passing people pretty regularly, I still felt like I was going pretty slow. As I passed by Mile 1, I was surprised to find my first split to be 9:12. Wow! I was expecting something over 10, so I was really happy to see that split. As I am going along, I notice that there are many women walking now, and I'm having a great time "blazing" past them. I get to the turnaround to go back toward the finish, approach Mile 2 in 9:16. Nice, steady pace. The lake is pretty and there is a nice breeze off of it which feels great. Just one more mile to go, and time is really flying by. I guess it would considering my last race was 6 days for a total of 30 hours. ;-) I pass by a older woman who is looking strong, and notice the number "73" on her leg, which was her age. Wow! I want to be as fit as she looked when I'm that age!

The final stretch, yay!

My legs feel great and I start to quicken my pace a bit more. Now it's time for the final stretch, the spectators are cheering for us triathletes along the path. I have forgotten about the crappy mood I was in prior to the race. I hear my name being called over the loudspeaker and sprint to the finish, the race is in the bag, finish time of 1:41:08 (last 1.1mi was 9:35), which was good for 536 of 1711 overall! Not too shabby for this back-of-the-packer. :-) I check later on and find that this year's time is only a minute and a half slower than back in 2003 when I actually trained for it. Not too bad! Having a great run and a decent swim definitely made up for a slower bike portion.

A very loyal spectator/cheerleader, my niece, Megan :-)

Once I walked out of the finish area, I met back up with Brian and my sister's husband and kids to wait for Cindy along the path. We cheered for her as she passed by onto the finish, coming in at just over two hours. It was great to see her finish strong! Afterwards, we got our stuff from transition and made our way back to the parking area, and then went out for a celebratory lunch. All in all it turned out to be a great day. I'm very proud of Cindy for doing so well, congrats to you little sis!! She Swims, She Bikes, She Runs, She ROX! :-)

Me and my lil sis, Cindy -- so proud of you, girlie!