SWIM - BIKE - RUN

I just completed my last triathlon of the season and boy did it test me both mentally and physically. Some races you feel great and others make you question your sanity. I had the latter. Typically I don't start struggling with exhaustion and negative thoughts until well into the race (pretty close to the finish line). This time, however, it began early on ... with the swim! You see that triangle thing way out yonder? Well that's a buoy.

You have to swim around those, with a bunch of other people, kicking and punching. And if you're lucky there will be waves or chop and you'll have trouble seeing them. And if you are really lucky it will be raining. Must have been my lucky day! I had e) all of the above.

The calm before the storm. Literally.

I generally like river swims. They are usually pretty calm, but this time was different. Before the gun went off, the clouds started rolling in and with them came wind and rain. It was the choppiest, hardest swim I've ever done. I felt like no matter how hard I swam I wasn't getting any closer to shore.

When you can't see and almost end up swimming into rocks.

#embarrassing #amateur

After being totally exhausted from swimming nearly a mile in turbulent water, rain coming down, and knowing I still had to bike 25 miles and run 6 miles, I thought about calling it a day. But then I reasoned with myself, "just make it to the bike, pedal for a mile, see how you feel".

On to the bike I went.

#staypositive

About two miles into the bike ride the rain stopped. I took that as a positive sign and kept pedaling along. I knew my overall time was going to be a lot slower because of how long the swim took so I decided to test my fitness and go all out on the bike. For me, the bike is the hardest of the three (swim, bike, run) disciplines. It's my ultimate weakness. But I've been devoting a lot more time to improving my turnover and essentially my speed. Apparently it's paying off, I knocked 4 minutes off my previous best time :) :) :)

Heading out to the run course. Very scenic. 

Lovely view of the port-o-potties.

The run is always my favorite part of the race. Not this time. I was in P-A-I-N! All the ferocious pedaling I did completely killed my legs. For the first time I wondered how I was going to get through 6 miles. I wanted to stop soooo bad. I had to start playing mental games in order to keep going..."just make it to the next mile", "drink some water and you'll feel better", "you are stronger than you realize", and so on. At mile 4 I told myself "2 more miles isn't so bad." I also knew how crappy I would feel after the race if I gave up. The regret I would feel just wasn't worth it.

In pain and looking for the finish line.

I did it! I finished!

#nevergiveup

Although my overall time was nowhere near my goal, I somehow managed to have the fastest run split (for females) and placed second in my age group. As many times as I contemplated walking, stopping, dropping out, I am so happy I didn't! The thing is...you may feel like you are going in slow motion, like you are not going to make it, but every little step forward is a victory both mentally and physically. If you can just find ways to stay positive, believe, and push forward you might surprise yourself.

It's been awhile....

I recently applied for an athletic sponsorship with a shoe/apparel brand that I happen to race in religiously. One of the questions in the application asked if you have a blog and to provide a link. I clicked yes, provided a link then felt a little embarrassed because I haven't updated this darn thing since June 2014!! My whole reason for starting this blog was to track my progress (http://why-i-run.blogspot.com/2013/07/new-adventure.html). So here I am. Back at again.

I have done A LOT of races since June last year. A bunch of 5ks, a couple of half marathons, a full marathon, and a summer filled with triathlons. If you know me, I'm sure you know that my most memorable race was the Newport News One City Marathon.I know, it's ridiculous that I'm writing a recap 6 months later. For my own sake, just so I can have some memories in writing, here it is.

Marathon Finish

Elated. Exhausted. Shocked.

After doing my first and only marathon back in 2007 (read about it here: Article) I swore I would never run that distance again...ever again. It completely destroyed me. The last time I puked that much was when I got dysentery in Egypt at the age of 10 and I thought I was going to die..for real. But I always joked that if I ever started running sub-1:30 half marathons (as if that would actually happen) I'd give it another try. Folks, never doubt yourself. For years I struggled to finish most 13.1 milers. Then I discovered triathlons, started swimming and biking religiously, gradually increased my mileage and BAM, I won the Virginia Running Festival Half Marathon in an hour and 28 minutes in November 2014.

I had heard about the One City Marathon through Flat-Out Events (they put on a lot of major road races in Hampton Roads) and always enjoy their events. I was also familiar with the marathon course since it pretty much takes place in my backyard. Side note: If you are interested in doing your first marathon this is the one for you. Almost pancake flat (a few rollers), plenty of fluids, easy to spot mile markers which were surprisingly exact, amazing pacers, and a fun finish line celebration that included wine (my favorite)! If you are someone that needs a mass of people cheering you on the whole way a la Boston, New York, Chicago, you won't get it here. But there were tons of locals, high school teams, bands, and a scenic route to keep you engaged. Plus it's a Boston Qualifier.

Cheer Squad

Thank you Daniel and Nicole #TeamColonialRoadRunners

Back to the race .... I had a nearly perfect build up. I was able to get in several 20-mile runs #crucial. I also stayed injury free and PR'd over several distances leading up to the race (8K - 31:06; 5K - 18:26). And then 2 weeks before the freakin race I got sick! A bad head cold (I think from leaving the pool without a hat #stupidsika). I had to go several days with NO RUNNING. I was upset, frustrated, you name it. When you dedicate months to something it's a huge sacrifice. It's not Armageddon, but it feels that way at the time. I thought about switching to the 8K or dropping out entirely. Then I had a couple of email exchanges with Rick Platt (President of my running club colonialroadrunners.org), who told me it was probably a blessing in disguise. That my body probably needed some down time and I would feel fresh and ready to run come race day. He was right :)

Race Morning

Race Day... to say I was nervous as hell is an understatement. My mind flooded with thoughts of "will I finish", "at what point will the pain set in", "what if I have an amazing race", "what if I place in the top 3", "what if I start puking nonstop like the last time", "what if I need to pee" and so on... My number one race plan was to go out conservative and negative split the course (run the second half faster than the first). This is very hard to do because it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of the first few miles when you feel amazing and the pain hasn't set in. You literally have to reel yourself in and be patient. But you have to do it if you want to finish strong!!

The first few miles I saw a couple of women down the road but decided to back off, run my own race, and follow the plan. I took in fluids at every stop, alternating between water and gatorade (which I practiced leading up to the race). At the 5-mile mark I thought to myself "I should have done the 8K. I'd be done by now, sipping wine, laughing with friends. Instead I have 21 effing miles to run. Kill me now." Luckily that thought didn't last long and before I knew it I was at the half way point, caught the 3:15 pace group and was the lead woman. By mile 16 I started to feel slightly uncomfortable. By mile 20 I felt straight up uncomfortable but I had trained and prepared myself to run strong over the last 10K. The last 2 miles were hard.

Last Mile

Time: 3:11:16 (First Half: 1:37; Second Half: 1:34)
Place: First Female
Prize: $500 :)

What got me through the race....20-mile runs, drinking water and gatorade every 2 miles, taking gu at mile 8, 16, and 22, having awesome support along the course, and having the wonderful people in my life waiting at the finish line.

Now I realize I didn't run some crazy fast time. I have friends that have qualified and/or are close to qualifying for the Olympic Marathon Trials. But this was an amazing experience for me and I wanted to share it with anyone that is considering doing their first marathon, had a horrible past marathon experience, or wondered what it's like to completely shock yourself by running almost 50 minutes faster and crossing the finish line first (for females).

Did I convince you???
;-)