The day started out gloomy and this was my forth weekend in a row racing. I tried to take it easy all week and only did one bike ride, which felt tough. I was, of course, excited to be racing. I think I am having some sort of crazy racing kick and I can't stop no matter how bad I feel during the race...=)
Swim started out pretty good, no goggle problems anymore. The lake was super weedy though. Got out of the water in 8:09 for 1/4 mile swim. Everyone said the swim was long, but I guess I'll just by the official distance.
Bike was ok. By the time I got out of water the rain had started. The bike was all in the rain. The bike was tough for me, even though the course wasn't too bad. Some rolling hills but nothing too out of the ordinary. I didn't really have it in my legs just like all the other races. The bike has been the toughest aside from the run. I hope I can bounce back and feel strong again on the bike like I have before. But today I just wanted to do my best and not crash with the rain coming down pretty strong. Total bike time: 37:39 13.5 Bike 21.5MPH.
Run: The run actually felt good. My time is still NOT sub 7min but I am getting closer! The run went smoothly and I felt pretty strong on the run despite a tough bike, for me at least. Total run 23:22 7:05 pace, 3.3 miles.
Summary: 3rd Overall for Females, happy with that. Total time: 1:11.22 (broke course record) Legs feeling it for SHO =)
Compression socks worn for the first time in the race, pretty good.
Next up: Possible double header, but most likely just the YW.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Waseca 1/3 Ironman Race Report
First 'long course' of 2010. I felt pretty good going in but legs did feel a bit tired on the warm-up run.
Swim: 1mile went really well. I got position right away and didn't have to struggle with other swimmers in my way. I really enjoyed the longer distance swim and felt like I got into my rhythm quickly. My breathing and everything was very smooth.
Bike: 34 miles, as soon as I got on the bike within the first 5 miles my legs were ache and felt tired. But I kept on, I'd say from about mile 24 on I was hurting and my MPH dropped significantly. I kept on, but kept thinking wow I really wasn't ready for this yet. My longest ride this season has been 40miles. Finished the bike though, then came probably the hardest run I've ever done in a race.
Run: HOT HOT HOT time one hundred. Right away starting the run I knew this was going to be tough. First off I haven't really run this distance very much and second coming off the bike of 34miles into a 8.9 mile run brick was something I hadn't done yet this season either. In either case the run was one of the toughest I'd done in a race EVER or at least from what I remember. Not really due to the course but the heat. I pucked a little bit on the second lap, and barely finished. Ended up in the medical tent along with Suzie Finger. I'd never felt like I needed to walk in a race on the run before until this race. I finished though and didn't walk at all!
Final summary: 3rd Female overall, 31mil swim, 22.3 mph on bike 1:32, 7:34 pace on run 1:07.50 8.9 mile run. I was happy I was done but felt like I was not ready for the distance but yet I still finished. I'm happy!
Swim: 1mile went really well. I got position right away and didn't have to struggle with other swimmers in my way. I really enjoyed the longer distance swim and felt like I got into my rhythm quickly. My breathing and everything was very smooth.
Bike: 34 miles, as soon as I got on the bike within the first 5 miles my legs were ache and felt tired. But I kept on, I'd say from about mile 24 on I was hurting and my MPH dropped significantly. I kept on, but kept thinking wow I really wasn't ready for this yet. My longest ride this season has been 40miles. Finished the bike though, then came probably the hardest run I've ever done in a race.
Run: HOT HOT HOT time one hundred. Right away starting the run I knew this was going to be tough. First off I haven't really run this distance very much and second coming off the bike of 34miles into a 8.9 mile run brick was something I hadn't done yet this season either. In either case the run was one of the toughest I'd done in a race EVER or at least from what I remember. Not really due to the course but the heat. I pucked a little bit on the second lap, and barely finished. Ended up in the medical tent along with Suzie Finger. I'd never felt like I needed to walk in a race on the run before until this race. I finished though and didn't walk at all!
Final summary: 3rd Female overall, 31mil swim, 22.3 mph on bike 1:32, 7:34 pace on run 1:07.50 8.9 mile run. I was happy I was done but felt like I was not ready for the distance but yet I still finished. I'm happy!
Next up: Lakefront Days Prior Lake sprint (yay!)
Fourth weekend in a row of racing!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Chisago Sprint Race Report
First off, I felt so much better this weekend racing compared to last weekend doing Chaska...It's hard to describe but I just know I felt better even though maybe my run time didn't really show it =(
Race morning was definitely chaos, mostly because we got there super late. The sprint started a half hour later then the half (which I was signed up for but had transferred to 2011) so getting there close to the closing of the transition was really stressful and me not being able to find my wave number to rack my bike added ever MORE stress. Once that was all done, I headed out on a barefoot warm up, first time doing that. Interesting...
So to start the swim I was almost late getting there...Man this just keeps getting worse and worse...Well it did get worse fist 100yrds into the swim got my goggle yanked off my head someone accidentally hit me in the head...NOT FUN! Finished the swim though, but my tempo and everything was all thrown off.
Bike was tough I had a 10K the day before and I could definitely still feel my legs. That burning sensation was there for sure. Luckily there were two other guys which helped me along the way and I just tried to stay as close to them as possible.
The run, I actually felt good, tired but good...I thought my time for the run would have been faster, but I was wrong. I was a bit disappointed but I was really happy that I felt so much better and stronger compared to last weekend. Also I did a hard 10K the day before so it was a good ending all in all.
Summary: Glad I did the sprint, 1st AG, 8th overall, need to work on the RUN!
Swim time: 8:30 with goggle off
Bike time: 57 something, 29.9 average (fastest bike I've ever averaged in a race)
Run time: 22:48, boo 7:18 pace had a faster 10K split the day before 7:13 pace..
Next up Waseca, will be a challenge with the longer distance, but again key is to pace myself and stay strong!
Race morning was definitely chaos, mostly because we got there super late. The sprint started a half hour later then the half (which I was signed up for but had transferred to 2011) so getting there close to the closing of the transition was really stressful and me not being able to find my wave number to rack my bike added ever MORE stress. Once that was all done, I headed out on a barefoot warm up, first time doing that. Interesting...
So to start the swim I was almost late getting there...Man this just keeps getting worse and worse...Well it did get worse fist 100yrds into the swim got my goggle yanked off my head someone accidentally hit me in the head...NOT FUN! Finished the swim though, but my tempo and everything was all thrown off.
Bike was tough I had a 10K the day before and I could definitely still feel my legs. That burning sensation was there for sure. Luckily there were two other guys which helped me along the way and I just tried to stay as close to them as possible.
The run, I actually felt good, tired but good...I thought my time for the run would have been faster, but I was wrong. I was a bit disappointed but I was really happy that I felt so much better and stronger compared to last weekend. Also I did a hard 10K the day before so it was a good ending all in all.
Summary: Glad I did the sprint, 1st AG, 8th overall, need to work on the RUN!
Swim time: 8:30 with goggle off
Bike time: 57 something, 29.9 average (fastest bike I've ever averaged in a race)
Run time: 22:48, boo 7:18 pace had a faster 10K split the day before 7:13 pace..
Next up Waseca, will be a challenge with the longer distance, but again key is to pace myself and stay strong!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
First Tri of 2010 Chaska Sprint
First triathlon of the season! I felt like this was my first triathlon ever...I didn't even think I'd be racing this season due to my recently diagnosed Epstein Barr Virus, which was really what was causing my extreme fatigue and tiredness...
My race report: Swim went really well for me but I was feeling out of breath most of the time and all the kicking sort of wore my legs out, nevertheless I was out the water and on to my bike. The bike was rough. One of the major symptoms I've had with the EP virus is soreness and tiredness with my legs and this bike course was definitely tough with all the hills. My computer was also not working because I forgotten to switch it back to the correct position when cleaning my bike a few days before, so I had no idea how fast or slow I was going. I would say the bike was one of the toughest courses I've done. I think the other tough bike course which compares would have to be the YWCA in Baker in 2009. In either case I was just trying to stay strong and just be happy I was even out there racing. I was happy to be done with the bike and then came the run!!! Oh man, the first mile straight up hill really killed me. As Jerry M stated "Lydia looks a bit worried coming off the bike and going into the run". Very true, well more so shocked. Think this race was my 5th brick of the season so I definitely wasn't used to that feeling. Finished the run though, so happy I was done.
In summary, Swim: 1/3 mile 9 min something (very good for me), bike 16 miles 45 something 21.1 pace, and 5K 22 something 7:08 pace, overall 1:19.40. I was wheezing the whole time and really could never gather myself or my breathing, and was extremely sore after, but I loved the feeling of racing again. I don't think I'm totally over the virus yet but I'm getting there I hope. I decided to race Chisago sprint. I was signed up for the half but there is no way my body is ready for a half, so I decided it would be good to just keep racing and slowly shock my body into shape. =) Just hope the virus does not relapse. All in all, I really enjoyed being out there and really glad I did the race. Chaska was one of the toughest sprint courses I've done. First Elite race too, 4th place overall woman, even though I really wasn't too worried about place or anything, it was cool to be in the first ever Elite race!
Next up Chisago sprint, day before 10K BSC run at Nakomis.
My race report: Swim went really well for me but I was feeling out of breath most of the time and all the kicking sort of wore my legs out, nevertheless I was out the water and on to my bike. The bike was rough. One of the major symptoms I've had with the EP virus is soreness and tiredness with my legs and this bike course was definitely tough with all the hills. My computer was also not working because I forgotten to switch it back to the correct position when cleaning my bike a few days before, so I had no idea how fast or slow I was going. I would say the bike was one of the toughest courses I've done. I think the other tough bike course which compares would have to be the YWCA in Baker in 2009. In either case I was just trying to stay strong and just be happy I was even out there racing. I was happy to be done with the bike and then came the run!!! Oh man, the first mile straight up hill really killed me. As Jerry M stated "Lydia looks a bit worried coming off the bike and going into the run". Very true, well more so shocked. Think this race was my 5th brick of the season so I definitely wasn't used to that feeling. Finished the run though, so happy I was done.
In summary, Swim: 1/3 mile 9 min something (very good for me), bike 16 miles 45 something 21.1 pace, and 5K 22 something 7:08 pace, overall 1:19.40. I was wheezing the whole time and really could never gather myself or my breathing, and was extremely sore after, but I loved the feeling of racing again. I don't think I'm totally over the virus yet but I'm getting there I hope. I decided to race Chisago sprint. I was signed up for the half but there is no way my body is ready for a half, so I decided it would be good to just keep racing and slowly shock my body into shape. =) Just hope the virus does not relapse. All in all, I really enjoyed being out there and really glad I did the race. Chaska was one of the toughest sprint courses I've done. First Elite race too, 4th place overall woman, even though I really wasn't too worried about place or anything, it was cool to be in the first ever Elite race!
Next up Chisago sprint, day before 10K BSC run at Nakomis.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Kidney Surgery, training hiccops, and more...
I haven't posted in a while...it's about time...Kidney surgery, what?! Yep the decision was made to remove my non functioning or I should say little functioning left kidney...I was worried but the surgery went well, and then came the recovery and the aftermath, which hasn't been so promising...
One thing good thing that came out of all this was that my blood pressure came down right away after removing the kidney which is the reason I decided to take the kidney out in the first place, along with a lot of docs advice that this was the best option for the long run when it came to my blood pressure. The negative: well since the surgery I've had a lot of fatigue when working out and training. This has especially hit me hard in running, some in biking and some in swimming. I can really tell my speed has slowed down and I can't go as hard or as long with out some chronic fatigue. At first I thought this was a nutritional issue but then quickly determined that this might be due to my recovery. I had a follow up with my kidney doc and he said he would check to see if my adrenal glands were taken out or maybe damaged during the removal of the kidney. If they were this could explain the fatigue and chronic soreness I've been feeling. The doc also suggested possible anemia or some type of eletrolyte imbalances. The blood tests await...
My other thought was maybe I'm just tired, since I never really did take any time off again this winter (I always say I will, but for some reason this is extremely hard for me to do). I'll see what the tests say and then maybe it would be a good idea to take a week off running, biking and swimming. This might be my last trial to see how I feel.
My feeling now are a bit worried for the season, since I feel pretty weak. I'm tyring to keep positive and at least be happy I am able to be out there, but that's just not my attitude when it comes to racing so it's really tough to keep positive. I really wish this would all blow over soon, as of now I'm very nervous for the season. This might be a year I'm just out there, we'll see if I can handle that.
One thing good thing that came out of all this was that my blood pressure came down right away after removing the kidney which is the reason I decided to take the kidney out in the first place, along with a lot of docs advice that this was the best option for the long run when it came to my blood pressure. The negative: well since the surgery I've had a lot of fatigue when working out and training. This has especially hit me hard in running, some in biking and some in swimming. I can really tell my speed has slowed down and I can't go as hard or as long with out some chronic fatigue. At first I thought this was a nutritional issue but then quickly determined that this might be due to my recovery. I had a follow up with my kidney doc and he said he would check to see if my adrenal glands were taken out or maybe damaged during the removal of the kidney. If they were this could explain the fatigue and chronic soreness I've been feeling. The doc also suggested possible anemia or some type of eletrolyte imbalances. The blood tests await...
My other thought was maybe I'm just tired, since I never really did take any time off again this winter (I always say I will, but for some reason this is extremely hard for me to do). I'll see what the tests say and then maybe it would be a good idea to take a week off running, biking and swimming. This might be my last trial to see how I feel.
My feeling now are a bit worried for the season, since I feel pretty weak. I'm tyring to keep positive and at least be happy I am able to be out there, but that's just not my attitude when it comes to racing so it's really tough to keep positive. I really wish this would all blow over soon, as of now I'm very nervous for the season. This might be a year I'm just out there, we'll see if I can handle that.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Duluth Trailfest Weekend (September 25-27th)
What a fun yet extremely challenging weekend of racing on some of the prettiest trails in Duluth!
Friday: 5K Chest Bowl (start time 5pm)
This race I actually felt the strongest in...that is until I saw the hill which was the toughest hill I've ever had to run up. I actually couldn't even run up the hill, I was more on all fours climbing up! The rest of the trail run was tough but that hill/ski jump really did it. I thought the 5K was definitely a challenge, little did I know Saturday was going to prove to be even MORE challenging.
Saturday: 15K Lake Superior Trail Run (start time 11am)
I had no idea what this run would be all about, but once I got to the first part of the actual run on the trail I definitely knew this was not going to be an easy trail run. Wet rocks, sand, trees, were only a small part of this challenging trail. The up and down hills mixed with the terrain really added to the challenge, along with the 'puke hill' which was the caliber of the Chester Bowl hill, except much much longer and about 3/4 into the 15K, which made it even more difficult. One part of the race at the end we had to go up the stairs, I was so exhausted I couldn't even get up the stairs normally and had to be hunched over while trying to make it to the top. Aside from the challenge though, the trail was very beautiful!!! I ran with four others in a single file line, and we took turns leading. I actually whipped out at one point and one of the guys helped me up and waited to make sure I was okay. At the end, we all ran in together! This felt like more of very challenging run with your friends rather then a race, but the challenge wasn't so much how fast you were going, but instead how technical this course was. Going 10min miles on this trail was difficult both for the legs and HR was definitely up there.
Sunday: Park Point Beach Run 5K (start time 9:30am)
By this day, my legs were pretty beat up both from the wipe out I had and the pure fatigue of trail running. I would try to log about 4-5miles before each race and a 1-2mile cool down after each one, just to get miles in for the marathon. At least this race wasn't so technical and running on rocks was not an issue. Although sand running is just as difficult, which was about 30% of this run. The other part was on a more 'normal' trail that we're used to in the cities. The sand was also very difficult to run, and I'm not sure if it was because this was the third day in a row racing, or the sand, this was a HARD 5K. We ran right along the beach and to the right was Lake Superior. The site was absolutely gorgeous, and after the run we all jumped into the ice cold lake. Soooo cold, but very good for the aching muscles.
I ended up 1st woman the first race, 2nd Saturday, and 2nd on Sunday. I won the overall three day challenge (didn't really expect that) but this was a smaller race and first year, so I'm sure next year some of the really good people will be there to dominate! I'll take it though, it was fun to win overall, I got a hand made-pottery bowl, along with Salomon trail shoes, and lots of gels, bananas, Gatorade, and HEED! Those trail shoes will definitely come handy, since I really am liking the trail running!
This race weekend challenge was AWESOME, and a bit more challending then I had anticipated but defiently worth it. I'm so there next year!
Friday: 5K Chest Bowl (start time 5pm)
This race I actually felt the strongest in...that is until I saw the hill which was the toughest hill I've ever had to run up. I actually couldn't even run up the hill, I was more on all fours climbing up! The rest of the trail run was tough but that hill/ski jump really did it. I thought the 5K was definitely a challenge, little did I know Saturday was going to prove to be even MORE challenging.
Saturday: 15K Lake Superior Trail Run (start time 11am)
I had no idea what this run would be all about, but once I got to the first part of the actual run on the trail I definitely knew this was not going to be an easy trail run. Wet rocks, sand, trees, were only a small part of this challenging trail. The up and down hills mixed with the terrain really added to the challenge, along with the 'puke hill' which was the caliber of the Chester Bowl hill, except much much longer and about 3/4 into the 15K, which made it even more difficult. One part of the race at the end we had to go up the stairs, I was so exhausted I couldn't even get up the stairs normally and had to be hunched over while trying to make it to the top. Aside from the challenge though, the trail was very beautiful!!! I ran with four others in a single file line, and we took turns leading. I actually whipped out at one point and one of the guys helped me up and waited to make sure I was okay. At the end, we all ran in together! This felt like more of very challenging run with your friends rather then a race, but the challenge wasn't so much how fast you were going, but instead how technical this course was. Going 10min miles on this trail was difficult both for the legs and HR was definitely up there.
Sunday: Park Point Beach Run 5K (start time 9:30am)
By this day, my legs were pretty beat up both from the wipe out I had and the pure fatigue of trail running. I would try to log about 4-5miles before each race and a 1-2mile cool down after each one, just to get miles in for the marathon. At least this race wasn't so technical and running on rocks was not an issue. Although sand running is just as difficult, which was about 30% of this run. The other part was on a more 'normal' trail that we're used to in the cities. The sand was also very difficult to run, and I'm not sure if it was because this was the third day in a row racing, or the sand, this was a HARD 5K. We ran right along the beach and to the right was Lake Superior. The site was absolutely gorgeous, and after the run we all jumped into the ice cold lake. Soooo cold, but very good for the aching muscles.
I ended up 1st woman the first race, 2nd Saturday, and 2nd on Sunday. I won the overall three day challenge (didn't really expect that) but this was a smaller race and first year, so I'm sure next year some of the really good people will be there to dominate! I'll take it though, it was fun to win overall, I got a hand made-pottery bowl, along with Salomon trail shoes, and lots of gels, bananas, Gatorade, and HEED! Those trail shoes will definitely come handy, since I really am liking the trail running!
This race weekend challenge was AWESOME, and a bit more challending then I had anticipated but defiently worth it. I'm so there next year!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
St.Coix Valley Olympic Race Report
Today I was challenged both physically and mentally, unfortunately I didn't come out on top or at least how I wanted to come out...I knew I was tired coming into this, being my 10th race of the season, and my workouts the week leading up to the race should have been a warning. I still decided to sign up for this race to simply challenge and push myself further and gain more experience with the Olympic/longer distance. I was actually hoping to do another Half Ironman after doing Chisago at the end of July but didn't find any races in this distance in the cities area.
The swim went fairly well, I felt pretty good throughout the whole thing, and managed to get a 30:01 which was about a minute faster then St.Paul, which was the same distance.
The bike was where it all fell apart for me. As I like to say...I didn't have any legs left, even going straight/no hills, I was having difficulty keeping a 20mph pace, which normally would have been easy. Not today though. I did make it through, but I knew that my legs were done. The burning feeling in my legs was definitely that fatigue I was hoping to avoid in this race, but I wasn't able to fight through it today like I was able to in some of my earlier season races. After knowing that this was just NOT going to be my race, I just tried to keep positive and do my best (which was very difficult to do). After coming into the transition off a very tiring bike, I was in at 1:13.28, 20.3mph average. Knowing that this was my time, I knew I had overdone it...
The run was not as bad as the bike, and I really did try to have fun out there while trying to clear the lactic acid out of my legs after the bike. My run was once again not the best. After coming off a 6:34 pace for the St.Paul 10K, I ended up coming at a 7:04 pace, 43:44 time. My overall time was a 2:29.42 (6th overall woman, 3rd age group), which was about 10 minutes off my time from last week for an Olympic distance.
With that said, I will remember coming into transition and hearing Jerry O'Neil, the announcer saying, how uncomfortable I looked going out into the run. He was absolutely right, today's race was fun but very painful!
Key take away: good test on how one race could go so well while another race could go not so well. Once the body has had enough, there is really nothing you can do but fight, fight, fight through fatigue =) *OR 'just rest and not do as many races/training next season =)
The swim went fairly well, I felt pretty good throughout the whole thing, and managed to get a 30:01 which was about a minute faster then St.Paul, which was the same distance.
The bike was where it all fell apart for me. As I like to say...I didn't have any legs left, even going straight/no hills, I was having difficulty keeping a 20mph pace, which normally would have been easy. Not today though. I did make it through, but I knew that my legs were done. The burning feeling in my legs was definitely that fatigue I was hoping to avoid in this race, but I wasn't able to fight through it today like I was able to in some of my earlier season races. After knowing that this was just NOT going to be my race, I just tried to keep positive and do my best (which was very difficult to do). After coming into the transition off a very tiring bike, I was in at 1:13.28, 20.3mph average. Knowing that this was my time, I knew I had overdone it...
The run was not as bad as the bike, and I really did try to have fun out there while trying to clear the lactic acid out of my legs after the bike. My run was once again not the best. After coming off a 6:34 pace for the St.Paul 10K, I ended up coming at a 7:04 pace, 43:44 time. My overall time was a 2:29.42 (6th overall woman, 3rd age group), which was about 10 minutes off my time from last week for an Olympic distance.
With that said, I will remember coming into transition and hearing Jerry O'Neil, the announcer saying, how uncomfortable I looked going out into the run. He was absolutely right, today's race was fun but very painful!
Key take away: good test on how one race could go so well while another race could go not so well. Once the body has had enough, there is really nothing you can do but fight, fight, fight through fatigue =) *OR 'just rest and not do as many races/training next season =)
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