So I should have started this ages ago, but you know what they say about mice and men and me and being ahead of the game...
So as some of you (all two of my followers) know I am signed up for a few races this summer. The first is a repeat performance of last year in the Boilermaker. What is the Boilermaker other than a whiskey with a beer chaser? Well, let me tell you...it is a 15k run in the lovely town of Utica, New York. What's lovely about Utica? Well...they do have an awesome Cambodian restaurant and the race does end at the Matt Brewery, which is home to Saranac Beer and yes there is free beer for all the racers...and pretty much all the fans and the rest of Utica, but hey if you come out to cheer on the racers and are kind enough to pass out ice, or freezee pop things, or ring a cow bell or hand out shots of vodka to make that hill on the golf course more manageable, by all mean you deserve a beer too. Last year was my inaugural race and I made a stunning PR (personal record) of a mere two hours nine minutes and 41 seconds. Blazing fast for me and oh a 15k is 9.3 miles for you metrically challenged out there. You know what? I wasn't last and I totally passed people. Oh yeah!
So this year I signed myself up to do it again. I guess I will do just about anything for free beer.
I am about 7 weeks out from the race and am on track with my training. My long runs are up to one hour 30 minutes so in 6 weeks I should be ready for the race. I feel stronger in my training and I wish I were a little further along in my distance (longest run has been about 6 miles) I know I will be ready. Will I be faster? Probably not, but hey not too many people can say they have run a 15k.
Of course if you come to cheer me on, please pace yourself you will be waiting on me for a while and please make sure there is beer left for me when I get there! Oh and did I mention instead of giving out the usual race t-shirt you can a pint glass for running the Boilermaker...if I keep this up maybe I will collect myself a six pack of glasses. :)
My other race I am registered for is the Iron Girl. It is a sprint distance triathlon which is held about 10 miles from the house. The distances are as follows: 600 yard swim, 30k bike (18ish miles), and a 5k run (3.1 miles).
I started swimming in October when I was in the 'thinking about signing up' stage...the just in case I do place. I am glad I did. Growing up we had a pond. Now you might think that having a pond and having several friends with ponds I would have taken swimming lessons...you know because we had a pond, but nope. I learned by the just get out there and do it method which works more or less and since I am still here I must have done something right. Fast forward to October 2011 when I enroll in a Level 1 tri swim clinic, an adult intermediate swim lesson and a level 2 tri swim clinic just for shits and giggles. Before going into these classes I am not sure I had ever swam the 25 yard length of the pool without some form of flotation device...why??? Because I had never had a reason to - now I did. Guess what? I am a pretty good swimmer. I believe I owe it all Dara Torres and Michael Phelps and what I learned from watching them swim. Of course my butterfly leaves a lot to be desired, but I will give it a go ever once in a while and swimming 1000-1500 in one of my lessons is now easily doable. Who woulda thunk it? I have a wetsuit (thanks Kecia!!!) in case I need it, of course it terrifies me and hangs in the closet like a noose waiting to strangle the life out of me - that is if I can actually get it on (note to self, buy stock in body glide).
Next is the biking. Enter Lola. She is my showgirl...
Lola is a Specialized Dolce Sport in white and berry and she is smokin' hot and super fast. I am learning that going from my hybrid to Lola is like going from a A1 Abrams Tank to a Ferrari. She is a beast. I love her. I still can't figure out how to get to my water bottle without falling over, but I will get there. I have had a few firsts with her...and learned a few very valuable lessons.
Lesson 1 - do not DO NOT try to clip in (when you have only clipped in once before) on a hill and this is a big friggin' hill called SBJ (Sweet Baby Jesus). Gravity is not IS NOT a theory and wen forward momentum stops you will inevitably fall to the side where your foot is still attached to the pedal.
Lesson2 - chain catchers do not always catch chains and getting one back that is under the chain catcher requires at least 4 other cyclists to stop and help with your 'mechanical' - 3 will actually dismount and one french guy will supervise while the woman with the fresh mani curses and gets all greasy.
Lesson 3 - bike pants/shorts are black for this reason...chain grease.
There will be more lesson I am sure, but this is a good starting point.
Some firsts:
- crossing tracks (while staying upright no less)
- using the drop handle bars
- using all my gears successfully
- spelling derailleur correctly and knowing what it is and does
Then there is the running which I think I have successfully covered above.
Oh and today I did my first real brick. It was a short brick, but it was a brick. I took Lola out for about 9 miles and then did a base run immediately following the ride. One interesting thing was my run was faster and significantly so without meaning to be...did my normal loop which usually takes about 16 to 16 minutes 30 seconds in 15 exactly and it would have been faster if Sydney the wonder Corgi hadn't needed a potty break that required cleaning up.
So today was a good training day for me.
Happy Tuesday all.
