Tri Adventures

2011

2011-12-08T15:38:00.001-08:00

Ok. It is December 8,2011, and I realize I did not write a single blog this year for 2011. I have many excuses, probably not any reallygood ones, but nothing I can change about it. I still have an almost finished Boston marathon race report; maybe Iwill finish it before the year end, and call it good. I just don’t think mywords adequately portray my feelings and thoughts of my experience there.

My thoughts are now thinking on whether I want to continuemy blog for 2012 with good intentions to actually write, or just give it up? My writing is less than sub- par, but reallywho am I writing for? What do I want towrite about? Shall I keep it geared towards my athleticendeavors, or expand into family, friends, random thoughts, and my datingexperiences (this could be an entire blog by itself)? Really what do I havetime for? Yes, we make time for what welove, so do I love blogging? Notparticularly. I do however love to lookback, see my successes and failures, and where they have taken me in life. A blog being a modern day journal is a goodtool. Perhaps I should get back tousing it.

Underwood 2010

2010-12-31T11:53:00.000-08:00

Training, Training, Training!

2010-07-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

Goodness! It has been forever! I have been busy. I have lots I can talk about, several times in the past months I have had a workout or experience that I wanted to share, but never took the time. So if this blog comes out a jumbled mess I apologize, there is just too much going on in my brain, and I am not good at filtering.

I am so sick of training. I think I am experiencing a bit of a burnout, and I don’t like it one bit. I am trying to improve my biking, but it just feels like I am failing miserably. I could be completely wrong, and just a little discouraged, but it is just how I feel. My workouts seem slow and sluggish; I do them but don’t look forward to them. I have taken an extra day or two for rest, and lightened up a couple of workouts, and I feel a little better, but I dread the long runs and rides every weekend. It could be because I am alone doing them, having some friends to ride with I think would help tremendously. They are around, but schedules or training plans are not syncing. I understand what is happening, I know why, and I am trying to deal with it. I believe I started training hard too earl y for Ogden marathon, then basically when straight into hard training for my Tri’s in August. So I am trying to get by, get my workouts done, and trying to not over analyze or get discouraged. BAM is just four weeks away, and will be here before I know it. I am excited to do a race finally!

Meanwhile, I feel like I am walking on a thin line. My workouts seem hard, more mentally than anything! I don’t feel like I am enjoying them like I should. I dread my long bike rides most of all. Yesterday I just seemed to hit rock bottom. I was supposed to do 65-70 miles and struggled to 58, it was slow and lonely. I got off my bike and just cried, because I was mad I didn’t get the 65 or even 60, but I had no will to keep going. I was trying to fathom how on earth I am going to do my first Half if I can’t even do the bike ride. I know I made some mistakes before and during this ride, and I am hoping that those are the reasons it was so hard, and not that I just suck. I ran 14.25 miles the day before, and didn’t refuel properly after, then went rock climbing in the hot sun for a good 4 hours, tried to hydrate and refuel, but I am sure it wasn’t enough. Ate some pancakes and banana for breakfast, should have had more healthy carbs. On the ride I stopped at mile 23 only refueled with more water and a Hammer gel. Before I could get to next stop I was feeling slow, dizzy, had a headache, remembered I had a Luna bar in my jersey, and ate what I could, it wasn’t sitting well in my stomach. At mile 44 finally found another gas station, and got some Gatorade and salty cashews, I wanted to call someone to come get me, I wanted to be done. I didn’t want to give up, hoped finally getting some nutrition in me would give me some energy to get back. The dizziness eventually faded, but the headache stayed. I made my way back, should have gone a little more west for some miles I needed but it was uphill, and I just had nothing in me so I headed east back home, hoping I would at least get 60 miles in. I slowly made my way back, it seemed I had a head wind no matter what direction I went, and construction was everywhere and made getting back even slower. I was close to my house and realized I would be a little short of even sixty. I tried to think of an easy way to add more miles, but just getting up the last hill was all I could do. 57.75 miles, hit the grass lawn, layed down and cried. I was angry, felt like I failed! I hated my bike! Wondered if I was ever going to get better at riding, get faster, and how I was going to do a Half in just over a month!

I still don’t have the answers. My confidence is knocked down, especially about my ability to complete a Half distance Triathlon. I am completely resting today. NOTHING! No climbing, hiking, and doing my best to eat and refuel properly. I need to really work on my nutrition. I hope this week’s training will go more smoothly, and I will be able to see my improvements. I need a little boost, some encouragement, something to make me feel like all this training is going to show some good results.

Women of Steel Race Report

2010-05-24T15:44:00.000-07:00

Women of Steel Tri May 22, 2010

Nice and short sums it up. The weather not so nice, but it could have been worse.

Swim was cancelled. It was cold and raining. I was prepared to swim, and prepared with gear for colder weather, but I guess the race directors were concerned, and decided to cancel the swim. I think most of the people were happy with this decision, I didn’t hear many complaints. The swim was replaced with a one mile run. The race directors did a good job announcing the change, and explaining the new course, and race start was not delayed. Thumbs up to the race directors for being prepared and organized.

One mile run

They started us in waves of 100 starting with 0-100. I was very cold before starting the race, so it took a little bit to warm up. I also completely forgot my Garmin, so I had to pace myself based on feeling. I ran pretty quickly. I moved through the crowds of ladies that started ahead of me, and before I even knew it I was at transition. I think I could have pushed the run a little faster. 7:36

T1

Again, I need to get quicker here. I took off my running shoes as quickly as I could, and then put on the bike shoes. I really need the faster Tri shoes. It was nice not having to put socks on wet feet. I put on an additional jacket for the bike and was out. 1:30

Bike

The bike was a two loop course. I think I kept a pretty good pace rate the first loop, only had a couple gals pass, and caught a few back up. The second loop, I lost some speed, I think I tend to get comfortable and forget to keep pushing. I know getting my bike computer on will help with this; I unfortunately did not have time before the race. I am getting better, and I am definitely more comfortable in the aero position. My average speed 18mph, my best so far in a race. It still needs to be faster, but I am glad to see some improvement. 42:29

T2

I body was warm enough on my bike, but my feet were cold. I realized they were numb when I dismounted. I wobbled my way to transition. I sat down to put on my running shoes that were already tied. I should try the Yankz again. Put on my visor, and removed both jackets. 1:25

5K Run

Running with cold numb feet is a little awkward. So it took me a little while to shake it out, and get a good smooth pace on the run. I was able to catch up to a few ladies that had passed me on the bike. A few even commented when I passed, with “nice run”.  I love running and having targets to catch. 21:24

Finish

1:14:26, 7th in Age group, 23rd overall

Again this just confirms where I need to improve. I must get more speed on the bike. All six ladies in front of me had faster bike times. Only two had faster run times. Quicker transitions, quicker bike….and I will be right there. Bike intervals here I come.

Ogden Marathon May 15, 2010

2010-05-18T11:54:00.000-07:00

One Minute Seven seconds.....so close! I keep thinking, replaying in my mind what I could have done differently. Five seconds there, another five somewhere else, I ran the best I could that day, I trained hard, I still got a PR, I enjoyed myself, so besides just missing my goal it was a great race.

Friday Night

My sister and I drove up to Ogden, we got stuck in horrible rush hour traffic. How do people commute everyday in that? Finally at about 5:30 we arrived in Ogden, and found the Union Station to pick up my race packet. The expo wasn't too exciting, mostly local vendors, I did listen to Bart Yasso speak for about 15 minutes. He was talking about the Badwater race, that is just plain insanity.   It was starting to get late, and I wanted to get some dinner.   We drove to the Hotel Ben Lomond, checked into our room. I splurged a little bit on the hotel, but it was worth it just for location.   The buses for the race loaded right in front of the hotel, and the finish line was just a block west.   This made pre and post race much easier. After checking out our room, and going through my swag bag, we decided to walk down 25th street to search for dinner.   We decided on Bistro 354 (not sure if the number part is correct). Dinner took a really long time to arrive but it was really good. I had a salad, and then pasta primavera with shrimp.   It was almost 8:30 or so by the time dinner was done, so we just walked back to the hotel, and chilled out for the evening. I went through my stuff layed out my clothes, my food, and my drop bag, check at least 2 more times, and then just relaxed in bed.   Turned out the lights, and tried to sleep.

Pre-race morning

The alarm went off at 4:15.   I woke a few times in the night, but I think I slept pretty good for the night before a race.   Crawled out of bed, and made my way to the bathroom.   Dressed, ate my oatmeal I brought, and a left over apple filo roll from dinner. Went through all my things one more time, and took the elevator down to the lobby.   They had some coffee downstairs, so I had half a cup, and grabbed an orange as well. Went outside, and started to look around to meet Jonathan. It was a little crowded, but managed to spot Jonathan,   The bus loading was fairly organized. On the bus I ate my orange and a banana....realized this was a lot of fruit, worried a little, Jonathan had Imodium, so I took that just in case.

Off the bus, grabbed some GU's, they had tons of them, so that was very convenient.   Then I headed for the port-o's for the first bathroom visit.   Jonathan and I then just relaxed and sat on the U-Haul for the drop bags.   Jonathan was more than pleased when a girl said she would be coming back to take off her clothes. LOL!   20 minutes before start, back in line for the bathroom, them removed my layers, thew my bag in the truck, and lined up at our pace marker.   The last announcement I heard was 4 minutes to start, then the gun suddenly went off.   A countdown or something would have been nice.

The first 13 miles were smooth.   Kept a really good pace and built in a few spare minutes for the second half. I thought I was going to need to make a bathroom stop, but I think that was just nerves and the feeling faded. The course was beautiful, and it was a little warmer than I thought, I could have worn shorts.   At one hour I took, my first endurolyte, and a GU at mile 9.   I downed another GU at 14 I think, but not sure.   Here I saw Trish from the Salt Lake Running club, she was looking out for me, and ran with me for the next two miles. She knew the course well, and prepped me for the hills to come. Thanks Trish! Right after she left me, I started to have a painful side stitch.   It hurt with every step and breath.   I tried to keep it controlled, but had to slow down a bit. At the next water station, I stopped to catch my breath, drink some water, and attempted to find my two endurolytes I needed to take. I had them in the same pocket as my Ipod, and apparently they were crushed, just powder in my pocket.   Crap! Started to run again, the side stitch faded.    Downed another GU just before 19 followed with water. At the next water stop I grabbed some Powerade.   At mile 20 I felt pretty good still, starting to get tired. Jim was running towards me, and he turned around to run with me for a mile. I couldn't really talk, so he just encouraged me. Thanks Jim, it really helped!   Somewhere I had accidentally stopped my watch.   My time and mileage was off by about 5 minutes.   I knew I was close to my needed pace, I think I was still a little ahead at 21 miles.   This is when I started to feel the muscles twitch. I just kept pushing forward, step by step. The last three miles on the paved path sucked.   It seemed to wind around forever.   I got to mile 23 downed half of my last GU, and shuffled my feet along.   This mile seemed the longest. I kept waiting to see mile 24 and it seemed forever.   I wanted to be finished, wanted to see the road and finish line. Mile 24 1/2 the GU seemed to kick in a little or I just knew I was close and tried to pick up my pace. I thought Jonathan might catch up again, and then we could pick up the last mile together.   Two girls ran past me, I so wanted to keep up with them but couldn't.  The last mile my legs were cramping and my form was sloppy. I did my best to keep the legs going, and when I could finally see the finish I picked it up to run in. Passed a person or two the last quarter mile.

My official time:   3:31:07

I was a little disappointed I didn't get my sub 3:30, but I loved the run. I could probably think of a million things I could have done differently, but I will just be happy with the result I got.   I highly recommend Ogden marathon to anyone.   Its a very well organized and supportive race, with great scenery.

Rage Triathlon April 17, 2010

2010-05-04T23:12:00.000-07:00

This has taken me forever. I have just been really busy, but finally here is my race report.

My goal for this race was to get it done, and try to survive the bike. I knew the bike course was going to be difficult and slow. I had not had many rides outside, and this was a hilly course.   I wanted to just have fun, and use the race as a marker to improve on this summer.

I drove down to Las Vegas, Lake Mead, on Thursday afternoon. I stayed at the Hacienda which was right next to Lake Mead, close to the race start. Your typical Las Vegas hotel, with the stench of cigarettes, and the blinking lights of slot machines. We were on the 14th floor, so we couldn't resist the temptation of throwing paper airplanes out the window. We at least picked up the ones we could find that landed on the ground. Friday morning I went for a planned 3 mile run on a trail I saw from the hotel window. I say planned 3 mile run, because it quickly turned into almost 6. What a cool run. I started on the trail, it bent around to have a view of the lake, and then I see a tunnel, then another, and another, about to turn around , and I see another tunnel. I went through five tunnels, then the sign said, 5th tunnel to Hoover Dam.   I was almost at mile 3 at this point, but I wanted to go a little further to see if I could see the Dam, I ran about another .3 miles and could see the trail winding down, but decided to finally turn around, despite my curiosity and excitement. What a great run, will definitely have to visit it again, and make it to the Hoover Dam, via a running trail. I was planning on joining some fellow Sharks for a swim later that day when they arrived, but they forgot to call me, and I was having fun doing other things. I did visit the Hoover Dam, and we went on the Dam tour. The Dam tour guide didn't seem to like us very much, we kept wondering away from the crown to take pictures. It was nice to just relax and goof off, and the weather was absolutely beautiful, it was nice to finally be in warm weather, with the cold spring we have been having in SLC. Picked up the race packet in Henderson.   I was disappointed they weren't doing body marking there, it said they were, and it would have been one less thing to worry about come race morning. We had a less than mediocre dinner at the hotel buffet, tried to eat was seemed most safe for a pre-race meal, and luckily no bad reactions.   Slept pretty good that night, not too nervous.

Race morning

I woke up at 5:30. Ate some oatmeal, with a little Greek yogurt, and a banana.   My standard breakfast. Now I was nervous, went through my bag at least three times to make sure I had everything.   Finally, left the hotel just before 6:30 to the beach.   I should have arrived sooner. It was hectic, and I didn't pay attention. I threw my bike and gear down where I saw space, and just before walking down to beach, I realized the bike racks were numbered by race number. Thankfully I wasn't too far off, and I quickly moved my things last minute.   I found Sandy, and Cindi and we went down to the beach together.

Swim

Getting in the water was a little hard, it was a little chilly, but really not that bad. Got in the water to allow my body to adjust, got the head wet, and then the gun went off. I started off pretty good, the buoys were really hard to see with the glaring sun, but used the faster swimmers to help in the beginning. This was probably the biggest race I had done, and it was more crowded. I had managed so far, to get by in triathlon without much contact in the swim, well now it was my turn. I kept getting kicked and elbowed, I did my best to keep going, but a couple of times I had to stop to get back my focus. Got into a good rhythm, then started to catch the slower big guys, and found them hard to get around, and they also kept bumping into me or stopping right in front of me. All in all, I made it back to shore, my swim time 30:44, about 4 minutes faster than Bear Lake last August, improvement is good.

T1- Transition went slowly, need to get Tri shoes, that would help, and why did I put on gloves, they were hard to put on, and I probably don't need them for a race. Anyway, 4:44 is way too long.....got to work on that!

Bike

I got on the bike, and started to roll, I felt good most of the time, I tried to push myself as much as I thought I could. I must get a new bike computer. I couldn't get it to work the night before, something I have been struggling with for weeks, so I just took all the bike computer stuff off, knowing it would be more of a frustration seeing it not work. I wore my Garmin, but it was hard to look at it on wrist while riding. I think I could have pushed it more, if I had a working bike computer to tell me my speeds. I made it up the hills, and love the downhills, but I knew I was slow. I did get passed, by four girls, but I caught three of them in the last 5 miles. That made me a little happier. The last hill I as ready to quit, but I turned around and it was downhill to transition! I must work on my hill climbing, and getting stronger on the bike. I knew however this was my weak point, and I did better than I thought. 1:34:07.....crappy one of the slowest in my age group, but I will get better, just wait!

T2

Again slow. Getting those bike shoes off, just takes too much time, and I was dropping everything. Need to calm down, but I wanted to get my run on, its the part I am good at. So, note to self, calm down. 2:32

Run

My favorite part! My legs were a like jello at first, especially on the rocky trail that the run started on. Finally, I got my groove, made my way up the hill passing people left and right. Some guy said to another guy as I passed, "check her out she is hauling", that made me smile. I passed Sandy on the run out, and knew I would catch her, another smile (yet she is 12 years older than me). At turn around my left foot was asleep. I have had this problem a few times prior to race when running hills. It makes getting speed on downhills a little harder, but I managed, and the numbness faded a bit. I passed Sandy, and many other people. I felt good, hot, but good. I wasn't used to the heat. It really wasn't that hot, by any means, but 80 is hot when the warmest weather you have run in previously was maybe 60. Back on the trail, and my foot was still numb, this made managing the rocky uneven ground that much harder. Passed a few more people, had my eyes on the finish line, and splat! I totally tripped! Literally 200 yards from the finish! Thankfully, I was hidden from the crowd at the slight bend and a small tree blocking their view. I got back up, didn't let anyone pass me even with my fall, and made it to the finish. Run 48:59. I can do better, but given the rocky trail, hotter weather, and the fall, I am OK with it.

Total time 3:00:33

Last thoughts

I know exactly where I must focus, I knew before, and I know even more now. This summer primary focus will be about getting stronger on the bike. Despite my weak bike leg, I placed 7th of 14 in age group, and 23rd of 62 women. Not too shabby. If I can cut off that bike time, and get faster on transitions, I know I can do well in my age group, maybe even place. I have a lot of work to do, it is a competitive age group. Focus on Ogden marathon, get it done, then I will work with Coach Rob to improve my bike. I know I can do it. Triathlon for life!

22 miler, longest run this year.

2010-04-09T12:42:00.000-07:00

Saturday, April 3

I was dreading this run. Maybe because my last long run seemed so long already, and slow, so adding 2 more miles seemed dreadful. I was not going to do it alone! Thankfully, Leslie and a new friend Jonathan were doing 22 on Saturday as well. Leslie introduced Jonathan and I on facebook, we are both running Ogden and hoping to be sub 3:30.   The run was starting early at 6am. I haven't done a run that early in a long time, so I was also dreading that as well. Then the weather! It is April at this point, but it was looking more like January. Friday night the winds were howling, and when I went to bed it was blowing snow like crazy.   It was a restless night.

I woke up at 4am. I was somewhat hoping it was a blizzard outside so I could go back to bed. It wasn't snowing at all. This was good, and the run was on.   I ate my oatmeal, with bananas, strawberries, and a little greek yogurt, pulled on my running clothes, grabbed a glass of water, and got back in bed.   This probably isn't the best thing to do, but in the winter I seem to make it a habit.   I got back out of bed a little later than I should have, gathered the rest of my things, and went out the door. I under-estimated the time I would take me to get to the start location so I got there a little late.   Jonathan was a little late too, sorry Leslie!

It was cold and windy, thankfully no snow. I was running in unfamiliar territory, but it was a nice run on the roads, and a paved trail for the first 11 miles. I felt pretty good, and tried to keep up on my nutrition.   Going around the Daybreak lake was nice. It was great having Leslie and Jonathan for company, and we took turns leading.   We made it back to our cars, to resupply our nutrition, I was a little warm, and took off my windbreaker, but quickly put it back on, my windbreaker works great but keeps moisture inside, I should have brought an extra shirt to change into. I will remember this for next time.   We headed back on a canal trail, still feeling pretty good, my left hamstring/hip/bum was a little uncomfortable, but no pain.   We made it to the turn around point, and this is where I started to lose momentum. I don't normally run on trail, this wasn't hilly at all, but some rocky areas, and my ankles, feet were tired and seemed to not be adjusting easily.   Note to self...do more trail running.    My legs and hips were starting to tighten up, and it kept getting harder and harder to keep speed.   My last two miles were really slow. Jonathan and Leslie pulled ahead, and Leslie really got a burst at the end.   She is amazing, she rode her bike for six hours the day before!   We finally made it back to the cars.   We all quickly said goodbye and headed our own directions to get home and recover.

The drive home was miserable, 20 minutes. I was freezing and exhausted. I was grumbling at any car I thought was driving too slow, I just wanted to get home, and they were in my way. It was difficult getting out of the car, and walking up the stairs to my apartment. I wanted to collapse, but I needed food, and a cold water soak. I somehow managed to make a recovery smoothie, shivering like I had hypothermia, then to the bathroom for a cold bath. The hardest part is getting in, but the legs immediately start feeling better. Took a warm shower, and felt much better. My legs felt great no pain, and little tightness in the hams, and hips, but nothing to slow me down.

One more long run left before Ogden, and then I hope I did enough to get my goal time of 3:30. My last couple of longs runs have seemed harder than the first two, hopefully I didn't peak too early, and it is all in my head. It will be great having Jonathan there with the same goal, hopefully we can help each other out.

Hill Repeats

2010-04-06T13:11:00.000-07:00

March 31st

Hill repeats, or Avenue Hills, whatever you want to call it. This is one of my favorite workouts. It is hard, but fun, and I always feel great after. The regular route is about 6 miles, but I needed to stretch in out a little to get eight total, so I just added a longer warm up, which was good because it was snowing outside, so I needed the extra time to get my body warm anyway.

The Avenues is a nice area in SLC just east of the State Capital, and situated on the benches of the Wasatch Mountains. The streets basically form a grid. As you head north on the streets, they get steeper, as well as gradual elevation increase as you head east. On this run I zig zag my way up to 11th Ave, pushing on the hills, and recovering on the flater East/West streets. The traffic isn't very heavy on most streets, so it very easy to navigate without stops.

I started on E Street and South Temple. Ran up to 2nd Ave and continued to O Street, then turned North on P street for the first hill push. The hills get steeper as you go. So when you are most tired you hit the steepest hills. It seems like they get longer too, but I think that is just me being tired. :) Zigzig along the streets to 11th ave, which has nice bike lane to run in and curves down to the capital with traffic in one lane in one direction and a reserved lane for pedestrians and cyclists. A little scenery to recover from the hills, and to get ready for stage 2. After dropping down into Memory Grove, via stairs/path across from capital, then back up some stairs on 4th ave. (Side note: This is where I grossed out a nicely dressed lady with umbrella with my snot rockets.) :) Zigzagged my way back up to 11th ave. This way seems even steeper. Did I mention is was snowing the entire time?

It was a good run. Company would have been nice, it seems you push even harder when you have someone racing up the hill with you. I tried my best trying to simulate that alone, sometimes racing with the traffic. I enjoyed the funny looks I got from the drivers as I smiled at them running hard up the hill in the snow.

http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/us/ut/salt%20lake%20city/250127058281653482

Above is a link to the route I did. I invite anyone to come do it with me anytime. Great hill training!

Cycling....I just plain suck.

2010-03-25T13:36:00.000-07:00

I am three weeks away from my first Tri of the year. I am excited, and nervous.   I know I can get through the swim. It will be weird to be in open water again, but I am looking forward to that a little.   The run no problem. The bike.....well, I just suck, plain and simple. I am not worried that I won't be able to complete it, I just know I will be slow. The course is hilly from what I understand, and I just don't have the speed on the hills. I suck at climbing, add any wind and I suck even more!

I hoped that getting a trainer and riding that all winter I would be better off this spring.   So far I am not feeling it. Finally some warm days have come along, and I have been able to get on the road. It is so much nicer, but I don't feel any faster or better than last year. I know I am just getting started. I have only been riding for a year now, but some improvement would be nice. I am sure I have a better base, and maybe it just means by the end of the season the improvement will really show. I hate it, but I will be doing more climbing, and more speed intervals, and whatever else Coach Rob decides to throw at me.   After my first tri, RAGE, and after my marathon in May, its focus time on doing my best at BAM and Bear Lake. Where I can improve the most....the bike.   I think if I really crank up my bike, I can do really well in age group triathlon.   I love it and will do it no matter what, but if I can be a little competitive even better. :)

So I will do the best I can at Rage. I have a couple more weeks to try and build up some speed. I just plan on doing the best I can do, and accept that I have a lot of work ahead of me.    So I will try not to count how many people pass me up on the bike, but look forward to maybe catching a few on the run.

My daughter pointing out my sweat. She had to get the camera.

Finally!

2010-03-19T09:35:00.000-07:00

It is finally warm enough, to ride without freezing, and to run in shorts. It will not last, but there will be more. Daylight savings just started or ended (not sure which) so more daylight after work is wonderful. I love the longer days, more time for riding, biking, swimming, climbing, hiking, enjoying the outdoors in general. If only I didn’t have to work.

It has been a while since my last post. I have been continuing my training, and I am starting to get nervous about my first triathlon coming up in about 4 weeks. I have been riding the trainer all winter, but I am not sure how much that is going to help my overall speed on the bike. I really stink on the bike. I suck on climbing, but I hope my training has at least built a good foundation. I have been able to get out a few times to ride the roads, and I love it. So nice to finally be off of the trainer, how much I have improved or will improve is still to be determined. Yesterday I met with a friend and we did 33 miles. It was a good ride, lots of climbing in the beginning, and it felt easier than last year. I hope that is a good sign. My stupid bike computer will not work. I get it all rigged inside, seems to work, the sensor seems to be catching, but as soon I really start riding it doesn’t seem to pick up the signal. I am ready to give up and buy a new computer or buy the bike mount for my Garmin. Maybe, there is someone who can fix my problem? I would rather not spend more money if I don’t have too, but if I do, any recommendations? Those of you that use the Garmin bike mount do you like it, or would a regular bike computer be better? Maybe the four people who read my blog will have an answer. 

Man, it is amazing what a week of a little rest will do. I decided to take a rest week on my running mileage, before making a final push for Ogden Marathon in May. I realized I needed it after running 11 miles, and then the next morning I ran 6 so I could go ski that afternoon. The six miles were hard, my legs were heavy, muscles tight, and they did not want to turnover at my regular speed. It felt more like the last six miles of a marathon. That day my legs were so tight all day. I so need to get a foam roller and really should do some yoga. These are some must do’s, that I keep putting off. I allowed myself to recover the following day, and on Saturday, I ran six miles at a good pace, then ran another six slow with my sister. The legs felt much better, and I could tell they appreciated the rest. Sunday I was going to do a 6-8 mile run, but I decided to rest another day. This was a little hard to do, and I had to keep justifying the rest in my head. Well, on Monday the rest was certainly justified. I went to the track for some speed work. I warmed up two miles, and decided to do 4 800’s with 2 min rest, and then 6 400’s. I tend to go out too fast, so I kept this in mind and tried to control myself on the first 800. My time 3:13. My next three, 3:09, 3:10, and 3:07. I was very pleased with this. There was a group of people doing 400’s. I did the first two on my own, while they were finishing up one and resting. First 400, 90 seconds, one minute rest, 2nd 400, 89 secs. I couldn’t believe that. Rest one minute, started with group for the next 2 400’s. 85sec, 86sec. Two more 86sec, and 86sec. I really was surprised to run 400m in less than 90sec, conclusion rest works!

I talk about my races and training a lot, but not so much about my great kids. They are wonderful, and are the most important subjects of my life. I need to thank them more often for being understanding and supportive in my training efforts. They don’t complain when I am ten minutes late picking them up, or when I am gone most of a morning doing a long run. My daughter lets me use her Ipod, since mine broke, and they all have to deal with my stinky sweat while on the trainer or when I pick them up after a workout. Their friends probably don’t know what I look like without running tights and beanie on my head. So thanks kids!

I love triathlon and running my kids love:

Theater

Dance
will add pic soon

Legos
will add pic soon

Winter Series Final Race 15K

2010-03-03T15:23:00.000-08:00

15K, 9.3 miles, the longest and last of the 30K series.   The weatherman predicted dreary weather, but thankfully the weather man was wrong. I woke up to beautiful blue skies, and white snowcapped mountains. I ate a good breakfast; oatmeal with bananas, a boiled egg, glass of OJ, and of course some water to hydrate. I started to drive to the event, the nice weather was getting me excited. It was just beautiful outside, and warm (it was probably in the 40's). I realized half way there that I forgot my watch, oh well! I was a little worried, but figured I will be able to pace myself pretty well, and this will be my test.

I arrived at Saltair, and of course had to go to the bathroom.   Met with Trish, and we went back outside to warm up two miles. Perfect weather, I had a short sleeve shirt and a light jacket on. There was a slight head wind going out, but nothing bad. Finished the 2 miles and needed another bathroom stop, what is up with me and the bathroom, especially before races!   I had just enough time to make my pit stop, strip off my jacket, and get to the start. My plan, since I had no watch, was to just listen to my breathing and keep my friends Karla and Alaina in sight. They are a little faster than me, but I knew if I could pace myself just behind them I would have a good race. I felt great. It was so pretty to be running on the empty road, and looking east to the pretty white topped mountains, and then turning around to see the west mountains, and the vastness of the Great Salt Lake.  The fun part about an out and back run, is you can see everyone on the course. You see the people ahead of you as they are coming back, amazed at how fast they can run, and then cheer on and encourage the people behind you as you pass them. You see your friends, and it is always nice to here your name called out, or just a "good job."   It was so warm, I am very glad I decided to shed my jacket, I could see many people who looked overheated or struggling to remove layers while running. I kept a good pace for the first half of the race, I didn't go out too fast this time. I had some people in sight and loved that I was keeping speed and they were slowing down. I was able to pass up a few of them and picked up some speed for the last couple of miles. I finished feeling satisfied that I ran a good race, no complaints.

I couldn't stick around for the raffle or awards, I had to hurry back for my son's first indoor soccer game. I got another two miles of cool down, and had a little time to chat with a few friends, get a cup of coffee and banana, and took off to continue my busy day.

My official time was 1:07:50.   That is a pace of 7:18 per mile. I can't complain about that.

The Winter Series finishers medal. You get this if you did all three races. Its pretty, and I love the smell of burned wood.

All in all the series is a great way to stay motivated and keep training in the winter months. It is cheap, fun, and very well organized. I look forward to doing in next year.

Winter Series 10K Race Report

2010-02-14T17:21:00.000-08:00

Winter Series Race 2 10K
Saturday, February 13

Well, I completed the second little race of the year. The morning was a little dreary, not very cold thankfully, but windy. After getting my race number, I promptly went outside with Tee and Karla for a warm up 2 miles. We noticed right away we would have a head wind coming back after the turn around in the race. It was a little cold, but with the wind behind you it was pretty warm. It was cloudy and lightly sprinkling. It wasn't the best weather, but compared to last year's10K in the white out, it was much better.

Before heading to the race, I woke up a little late and ate a whole wheat bagel with non-fat cream cheese, about 1 1/2 hrs before race time. I was a little worried I may regret this, but I needed something in me. I just wasn't very excited about this race. I don't know if it was just the weather, but I just felt a little sluggish. After the warm I felt pretty good, and my bagel didn't seem to be bugging me.

The race got started, we had the wind behind us for the first, 3.1 miles. I went out fast, I saw my speed I was keeping, and in the back of my head I knew I needed to slow down, I did a little,but was still hanging around a 6:45 min pace. Now my average for the 5K was 6:48.....so it was certainly fast. I felt really good though so I didn't slow down. Annoyingly, at about mile 2.5 I noticed my shoelace was untied. I pulled over to the side of the road, and retied it double knotting, like I should have in the first place. Starting back up seemed hard. At the turn around I felt pretty good, but this didn't last long. I quickly got an uncomfortable side stitch, I think it was that bagel sitting in my tummy. I kept pushing but, I had to slow down my pace. I slowed down to 7:30 pace for at least a mile if not a little more. I was a little disappointed when, Doug passed me a little before mile 5. I tried to stay on his tail, but the nagging side stitch and the hellish head wind seemed to be working against me. I did pick up my pace a little more for the last mile, and a little more the half mile, and the side stitch faded a bit. I crossed the finish line at 44:40. I figure about 10 secs for tying the shoe, so it would have been about the same time I got last summer at my last 10K. That was a mostly downhill race, however, so maybe my speed is a little better. I wanted to be under 44mins, but you can't always get what you want. Next time maybe go a little slower for the first three. I am not sure, but I think those three miles were just as fast as my 5k. Just like you learn at speed work, go out too fast on those first ones, you die later. That is exactly what happened.

Despite being a little dissappointed with my time, I did get second place in my age group. I hope my miles I have been putting in, and my training with longer runs, will be beneficial for me in the 15K in two weeks.

Good News

2010-02-11T14:54:00.000-08:00

This week has been a week of good news.   My training has been going good, I have stuck to my schedule, and happy with my results. I officially signed up for RAGE olympic triathlon, and look forward to the 2nd race of the Winter Series on Saturday.

The good news started yesterday with my work's company meeting. After going over finished and on going projects and numbers from the last six months, we were all handed red envelopes with a congrats from our leader, CEO.   Profit Sharing, thank you! Not only was this a surprise, but the amount was even more of a surprise!   Thankyou, I am thankful I have such a great job, and an employer who believes in taking care of their employees even when the economy totally sucks.   So I immediately booked the hotel for the family vacation to San Diego in July. No hesitation anymore.

Today, I received even more good news. A couple of weeks back I signed up to volunteer for Ironman St. George.   I have some friends participating, and having an Ironman so close I wanted to be involved (someday particpate). I signed up for positions on the finish line, but thought it not likely to happen. Well, I was wrong. I will be working the finish line handing out finisher's medals, Tshirts, and blankets, between 7pm-midnight, right at the time most of my normal everyday triathlete friends will be finishing. I am so excited just to be there, and to be able to see friends finish is even better. I know I better pack a lot of Kleenex.

It has been a good few days, hopefully things keep rolling that way.   Stay tuned for the 10K race report this weekend.

Winter Series 5k Race Report

2010-02-01T15:11:00.000-08:00

This is a fun casual race, that brings some fast runners. It is hosted by the Salt Lake Track Club, which in my opinion is the best running club in the area, and membership is practically nothing. This will be my second year participating in this series.

The race takes place out at Saltair. For those not familiar with the area, this is a building located on the salt flats of the Great Salt Lake. The run is just an out and back on the frontage road that follows I-80.

Saltair Pavillion (minus the green and add a little snow)

Since it is winter here, and the races are short, the start time is a reasonable time of 10am. Plenty of time to wake up, eat a good breakfast, take my time getting ready, and make the approximately 20 minute drive. The sun was shining, and the temp was 25 degrees at 9am. Not bad. Perfect weather for a race.

I arrived at location at about 9:15. Walked inside the pavillion to pick up my race packet, and right away see familiar faces. This is a benefit of a small race put on by your local track club buddies. I head towards the table for packet pick up and notice a nice size line, but thankfully, Olaf spots me, yells "Underwood" is here, gets my packet and hands it to me, along with a big hug. Now I just feel special. Jim comes around and gives me a hug as well. Hopefully, the people in line didn't mind. Join the club, and you'll get the same treatment next year. I see a few more familiar faces and say hello. I take my packet back to my car, and head to the road for warm up. A nice brisk wind heading out, but not too cold. I ran about a mile out and back and ran back in the building for a trip to the bathroom. Another great reason to do this race indoor bathrooms, no port-o-potties! Back outside, shed a layer of clothing for the race, and got another five minutes of warming up.

Warm up on the way out.

Warm up on the return.

The race started right on time. I am not sure on the total amount of people but I would say maybe close to 300. Gun goes off, and I realize I should have gotten a little closer to the front. I am stuck behind a couple of slow people, and I nearly trip over a dude that does stumple. I get around and try to get in my groove. About half mile down the road I look at my pace, it was a little slow, so I picked it up. Just before the turn around I pass the people ahead of me, not too many, but amazed at how fast they can run. The run back was warmer with the wind on the back, but overall I felt pretty good, even with the slight cough and cold. Finally could see the finish line, and picked it up for the finish. My official time was 21:05. I did have a goal of under 21, so I missed it by six seconds, but it is still a PR. That averages at 6:48 per mile.

Probably about .5 mile from finish.

After I finished, I cheered on fellow runners, and then took a cool down jog back up the course about 2 miles. Here is a pic of Gretchen, Georgi, and I cooling down.

Looking back, I could have picked up the first mile a little bit, and I will definately get further up front for the 10K in two weeks. Overall, I am pleased with my perfomance. I place 4th in my age group (it was the fastest age group, and was 8th female overall.

Looking forward to the 10K on Feb. 13.

A look at my training

2010-01-29T09:02:00.000-08:00

Training Summary

Sunday Jan 17, ran 15 miles @ 8:00 pace
Monday rest day
Tuesday Jan 19 Swim 2400 yds
                         1 hr on bike trainer
Wed Jan 20, hill run 6 miles
Thurs Jan 21 lunch run 7 miles @ 7:30 pace
                    1 hr on bike trainer
Friday Jan 22 Swim 1800 yds
Saturday Jan 23 1 hr 15 min on bike trainer
Sunday Jan 24 16 mile run @ 8:05 pace
Monday Jan 25 1 hr 15 on Bike Trainer
Tuesday Jan 26 8 miles @ 7:30 pace
Wed      Jan 27   2000 yd swim
                          6 mile hill run
Thurs     Jan 28   feeling a little sick, choose to rest

My plans for the remaining days of the week

Today, lunch run 3 mile teaser for 5K
           possibly later today swim workout 2000yd min
Tomorrow 5K Winter Series race
                  2 hours on bike trainer, maybe even venture outside
                 if weather permits
Sunday Jan 31 10 mile tempo run at 7:40 pace
                        if feeling good 1 hr on bike trainer, or make up
                        swim if I don't tonight

My goal is to get four runs, 3 rides and 2 swims in each week. I did pretty good last week, but it will be hard to make it this week. Running is priority as I am training for a marathon, but I really need to start pushing on the bike. I am not sure if my trainer rides are doing what they need to. Hopefully some warmer days will start to come, and I can venture outside. I also feel like I need to increase my yardage on swim workouts, but usally find my time limited. I felt like I was doing really well this week, but now feeling a bit under the weather, I am trying to find a balance with workouts. I missed a bike workout last night, and I feel like I need to make it up, but I want to perform at the 5K race, so maybe just call it good, and be sure to get in some longer rides next week? I tend to feel guilty when I miss a workout, I usually will make it up, but it will be hard to do this weekend.

Why?

2010-01-20T14:53:00.000-08:00

Run

Why do I do it? People ask, and I respond, “I love it!” The following response seems to be, more often than not, you are crazy. Maybe I am. Is that bad? One friend said running is my drug. Perhaps! It is the healthiest drug I know of. I often refer to my runs as therapy. They always improve the day, make me feel better, elevate my mood, I could go on and on about the benefits. I don’t know many people who look forward to “therapy” like I do.

Racing

When on the bus for Top of Utah Marathon, one person commented, “All these people paid money to run, crazy.” He, being one of them. Why do we enter races? Is it to win; for most no! I hate when people ask me if I won a race, not because I didn’t, but because that is not my purpose. For me, it’s to say I did it, to improve myself, to see others do something I also love. Does that mean that I am not competitive? No, as I improve I always have higher expectations of placement, but my biggest competition is with myself. The satisfaction of crossing that finish line, pushing yourself to the limit, is hard to describe. The camaraderie at the finish line is humbling, the high fives, hugs, tears, joy, exhaustion, and disappointment, no matter what the feeling, there is always someone there that understands. You are never alone.

Triathlon

A new challenge, three events in one, and who doesn’t get emotional watching an Ironman on T.V. I wanted that feeling to be more than just watching, I wanted to experience it. I haven’t done that Ironman or even a half, but I am a triathlete. One year ago I couldn’t say that. I never swam except for leisure, and I didn’t even own a bike. I wanted to be able to tell myself I at least tried it. I didn’t know how much I would like it. It is purely the challenge, and the people. They just want to help you succeed and love the sport like they do. I respect the Ironman finishers more than ever, but I also know someday I will be one. The cross training has improved my running, so that is a nice benefit. I still don’t love swimming, but slowly getting better at it, cycling is fun, but hard, especially those hills. I dread them as they approach, but smile when I reach the crest. On race day you are blown away by the amazing athlete with the beautiful bike, and cheer for the person finishing last, they finished!

So, when I post a run time, my pace, how many miles, or laps I swam, I am not bragging, I am simply sharing my joy. I am proud, and I love it. What better way to stay healthy, and to enjoy nature, the city, the outdoors, another benefit that I haven’t mentioned. It brings a smile to my face, something that was missing for a long time, and I promised myself not to lose ever again.

2010 New Year, Big Plans

2010-01-18T13:03:00.000-08:00

18 days into the new year. Training is going pretty well. I decided to dedicate this blog to training and race reporting. I am excited for the events to come, a few already decided, and a few more to still add. This is what I have so far:

Salt Lake Track Club 30K Winter Series
Jan 30, Feb 13, Feb 27
http://www.active.com/running/salt-lake-city-ut/32nd-annual-30k-winter-series-2010

RAGE Triathlon

April 17 (this is still a maybe)

http://bbsctri.com/rage/

Ogden Marathon
May 15
http://www.ogdenmarathon.com/

Women of Steel Triathlon
May 22
http://www.triutah.com/

BAM Triathlon

August 7

http://www.bamtriathlon.com/

RED ROCK RELAY
September 10-11
http://www.redrockrelay.com/

Besides race reporting, I hope to keep a better record of my training, so i can look back and see where I can improve. I really love running and triathlon and I am in it for life. This will be my journal of my experiences, thoughts, feelings, and whatever else that may happen. Follow me if you want, and hopefully my writing skills will improve too. ;)