It seems like these days almost everyone is talking about the Ironman World Championships taking place in Hawaii this Saturday. I was lucky enough to accompany Marty out there in 2005 and it was quite an experience. For those interested, here’s his race report. I always enjoy reading Marty’s race reports and I realize I may be a bit biased, but they’re not full of flowery language and “oh I learned so much about myself out there”, but more “this is what happened” with a mild sarcastic drip. I wrote a novel detailing our entire trip but it doesn’t seem to be on the old website anymore.
I’ve mentioned my dad before on here, and some of you have met him at the races – he’s on the board of directors of USAT and is kind of a big deal. Haha, just kidding, I just felt like getting a Ron Burgundy quote in there. Seriously, he has been around the sport for a looooong time and knows a lot of people, but this is his first time ever out in Hawaii to watch the big show. He left me a message last night saying he just found out that he, along with the mayor of Kona, gets to shoot off the cannon for the start on Saturday! It also pays to be nice to Marty and I because he was able to hook up some of our friends with some VIP passes which gets them all sorts of swag, entrance to pretty much anywhere, free tickets to the banquets, and who knows what else. It’s all about who you know. We accept cash, checks, bribes, and gear :)
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Lake Royale Spectator Report
I'm the proud wifey :)
This morning, Tassie and I cheered Marty on at the Lake Royale sprint triathlon. Truthfully, I cheered and Tassie whined when she saw Marty, apparently wanting to run and bike with him.
So Marty kind of sucked pretty bad at Wilmington and it was totally not indicative of his current fitness. He just had a bad day and really didn't taper which didn't help him at all. I knew he was going to do better at this race - way better, and he proved me right :)
I ended up missing the start because Tassie and I had to move the car to a parking lot that ended up being 2.5 miles away. We jogged back in, and saw Marty heading out on the bike in first place. Then we hung out with Angela and watched the mayhem that ensues when there is a hill immediately out of transition. I know I shouldn't laugh so much but people do the funniest things sometimes. I swear that is always the best place to watch a triathlon if you want some entertainment. We did inform a guy that he was missing his helmet (He touched the top of his head and then had a surprised look on his face after we told him, which made me laugh more).
Marty was still first coming into T2 and I yelled at him as he was running out that he'd better run fast! The run course was hilly (I know since I ran part of it from the car) but Marty stayed tough and ended up winning wire to wire. I'm so proud of my hubby :)
His races were all over the place - yeah I may have beaten him at Wilmington, but I'm sure if I had raced today he would've gotten me by several minutes. The good news is, we should now see a turnaround in the recession.
It was fun to hear some of the athletes later on talking about the race: "Did you see that guy who had that huge lead in the swim?" and "Man, that guy leading the bike was FLYING"
Here are a couple of pics from the race:
Marty coming in off the bike.
And heading out on the run.
First place!
Tassie chillin' before the awards.
Tassie's twin. Actually, that's a labradoodle. His name was Rufus.
This morning, Tassie and I cheered Marty on at the Lake Royale sprint triathlon. Truthfully, I cheered and Tassie whined when she saw Marty, apparently wanting to run and bike with him.
So Marty kind of sucked pretty bad at Wilmington and it was totally not indicative of his current fitness. He just had a bad day and really didn't taper which didn't help him at all. I knew he was going to do better at this race - way better, and he proved me right :)
I ended up missing the start because Tassie and I had to move the car to a parking lot that ended up being 2.5 miles away. We jogged back in, and saw Marty heading out on the bike in first place. Then we hung out with Angela and watched the mayhem that ensues when there is a hill immediately out of transition. I know I shouldn't laugh so much but people do the funniest things sometimes. I swear that is always the best place to watch a triathlon if you want some entertainment. We did inform a guy that he was missing his helmet (He touched the top of his head and then had a surprised look on his face after we told him, which made me laugh more).
Marty was still first coming into T2 and I yelled at him as he was running out that he'd better run fast! The run course was hilly (I know since I ran part of it from the car) but Marty stayed tough and ended up winning wire to wire. I'm so proud of my hubby :)
His races were all over the place - yeah I may have beaten him at Wilmington, but I'm sure if I had raced today he would've gotten me by several minutes. The good news is, we should now see a turnaround in the recession.
It was fun to hear some of the athletes later on talking about the race: "Did you see that guy who had that huge lead in the swim?" and "Man, that guy leading the bike was FLYING"
Here are a couple of pics from the race:
Marty coming in off the bike.
And heading out on the run.
First place!
Tassie chillin' before the awards.
Tassie's twin. Actually, that's a labradoodle. His name was Rufus.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
My Lucky Day
Track
Last night, Marty and I hit the track group. Angela and Tim come out now and it's nice to chat with Angela on the warmup and cooldown. We even got a few hi's and smiles from some of the other members which is a big step - this is not the Downtown Orlando Y Runners Club!
I stupidly left my sunglasses hooked to the fence and completely forgot about them until very late that night. Cue stomach drop. No no no! Those were my prescription sunglasses and those things aren't cheap! The track is not close to our house and I wasn't going to drive back there right then. I really hoped either someone from the group saw them or they were just still there - they certainly wouldn't do anyone any good if a random took them thinking they had just scored some new shades.
I got up early and was out the door quick (jeans and a messy bun do not a financial analyst make, but that's what they got today) so I could drive across town to see if by some chance they were still there - I got lucky!! Still hanging on the fence and no worse for the wear. I did get to see some of the local high schoolers - really, a pink mohawk, sandals and knee socks?! What is going on with these kids.
Cross Country
After work I went for a little run to the park near our house. I didn't realize that a cross country race was going on; they didn't have any markings or anything that would clue me in. So I found out when a stream of girls came running right towards me on the trail. Oops. I ran in the bushes to get out of their way and then high tailed it the other direction at my first opportunity.
I made my way to the other end of the field where the paved trail is and thought it was clear to go back in that way. There wasn't anyone on that part until all of the sudden several stragglers came out of another trail in the woods. Crap, I was totally blocked in and these girls were not running fast - I was catching them quickly. This is weird. Then around the bend - and there's now a line of spectators on BOTH sides of the paved trail! I had nowhere to go and I was still passing these poor girls. I'm such a tool! In the middle of a high school cross country race again! Thank god I opted out of taking Tassie with me, that would've been very interesting.
As you can see, I was pretty freaking embarrassed. I took the first turn I could to get out of that mess.
Last night, Marty and I hit the track group. Angela and Tim come out now and it's nice to chat with Angela on the warmup and cooldown. We even got a few hi's and smiles from some of the other members which is a big step - this is not the Downtown Orlando Y Runners Club!
I stupidly left my sunglasses hooked to the fence and completely forgot about them until very late that night. Cue stomach drop. No no no! Those were my prescription sunglasses and those things aren't cheap! The track is not close to our house and I wasn't going to drive back there right then. I really hoped either someone from the group saw them or they were just still there - they certainly wouldn't do anyone any good if a random took them thinking they had just scored some new shades.
I got up early and was out the door quick (jeans and a messy bun do not a financial analyst make, but that's what they got today) so I could drive across town to see if by some chance they were still there - I got lucky!! Still hanging on the fence and no worse for the wear. I did get to see some of the local high schoolers - really, a pink mohawk, sandals and knee socks?! What is going on with these kids.
Cross Country
After work I went for a little run to the park near our house. I didn't realize that a cross country race was going on; they didn't have any markings or anything that would clue me in. So I found out when a stream of girls came running right towards me on the trail. Oops. I ran in the bushes to get out of their way and then high tailed it the other direction at my first opportunity.
I made my way to the other end of the field where the paved trail is and thought it was clear to go back in that way. There wasn't anyone on that part until all of the sudden several stragglers came out of another trail in the woods. Crap, I was totally blocked in and these girls were not running fast - I was catching them quickly. This is weird. Then around the bend - and there's now a line of spectators on BOTH sides of the paved trail! I had nowhere to go and I was still passing these poor girls. I'm such a tool! In the middle of a high school cross country race again! Thank god I opted out of taking Tassie with me, that would've been very interesting.
As you can see, I was pretty freaking embarrassed. I took the first turn I could to get out of that mess.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Blah Blah Blog
The Gaal’s enjoyed a nice weekend at home – finally! Training has taken a backseat to everything in my life right now…ahh the off season. I don’t feel the need for a big break (I only did sprints since June, which is I think a big part of it), so I just kind of slept in and did whatever I wanted. This included nothing, an easy 30min run, more nothing, a short bike with a friend tapering for Kona and a lot more nothing.
We had some houseguests for the Duke Half and went out to dinner with them on Saturday night. Tassie got all sorts of loving from them, too, including the requisite foot massages she so dearly loves. Marty and I made our way out to the course on Sunday to watch the athletes come in off the bike and start the tough half marathon run. I once again had no feelings of ever wanting to do that race – more power to you all who do :) That afternoon we grilled out with some friends before we met another friend out for some celebratory beers (he raced that morning). Dang, we are popular.
Throughout the fall I plan on doing some of the local road races but the big event will be the Disney half marathon in January. I’m going to try and train specifically for it and actually race my first half marathon. We’ll see how it goes. Marty’s spectating since that race has an astronomical price tag associated with it, and we didn’t think it would be wise to spend $260 for both of us to do a half marathon. Even worse for our Aussie friends who are also running, because of the exchange rate.
We had some houseguests for the Duke Half and went out to dinner with them on Saturday night. Tassie got all sorts of loving from them, too, including the requisite foot massages she so dearly loves. Marty and I made our way out to the course on Sunday to watch the athletes come in off the bike and start the tough half marathon run. I once again had no feelings of ever wanting to do that race – more power to you all who do :) That afternoon we grilled out with some friends before we met another friend out for some celebratory beers (he raced that morning). Dang, we are popular.
Throughout the fall I plan on doing some of the local road races but the big event will be the Disney half marathon in January. I’m going to try and train specifically for it and actually race my first half marathon. We’ll see how it goes. Marty’s spectating since that race has an astronomical price tag associated with it, and we didn’t think it would be wise to spend $260 for both of us to do a half marathon. Even worse for our Aussie friends who are also running, because of the exchange rate.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Just to push the last one down
I don't have too much interesting to say, but figured I needed to push that last post down a bit so people weren't scared when they saw that picture. I'm glad a lot of you got a laugh out of it; I sure did!
Yesterday after work I went for an easy jog. It had started raining in the afternoon but by the time I started, it was just a light drizzle. It must've been the calm before the storm because the skies absolutely opened up and I got DUMPED on. I seriously don't think it could've rained any harder. I stupidly decided to run on the trails in Bond Park near my house thinking that the rain wouldn't be hitting me so hard, but I didn't think that the trails would be such a mess. It was more like running through a river.
On my way home, we always pass this house where the people sit on their front porch and smoke. We always wave and they wave back, all of us probably thinking interesting thoughts about the other I'm sure. I can't imagine what they thought yesterday as I came plodding by like a drowned rat. They did ask where my other half was - it's like we're all almost friends ;)
I slept in Monday and Wednesday for masters. I never feel guilty about it right when I start the off season. But I do like swimming so I'll get back into it very soon. It's the waking up so early that I don't like so much, but whaddya gonna do?
Yesterday after work I went for an easy jog. It had started raining in the afternoon but by the time I started, it was just a light drizzle. It must've been the calm before the storm because the skies absolutely opened up and I got DUMPED on. I seriously don't think it could've rained any harder. I stupidly decided to run on the trails in Bond Park near my house thinking that the rain wouldn't be hitting me so hard, but I didn't think that the trails would be such a mess. It was more like running through a river.
On my way home, we always pass this house where the people sit on their front porch and smoke. We always wave and they wave back, all of us probably thinking interesting thoughts about the other I'm sure. I can't imagine what they thought yesterday as I came plodding by like a drowned rat. They did ask where my other half was - it's like we're all almost friends ;)
I slept in Monday and Wednesday for masters. I never feel guilty about it right when I start the off season. But I do like swimming so I'll get back into it very soon. It's the waking up so early that I don't like so much, but whaddya gonna do?
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
If you can't laugh at yourself...
I found this gem of a picture from the Lake Norman triathlon. Oh my.
It seems that it would never be advisable to have your picture taken with your goggles on.
It seems that it would never be advisable to have your picture taken with your goggles on.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Wilmington YMCA Triathlon Race Report
Results
Wilmington was going to be the last race of the season for me and I was determined to make it a good one. We got there Friday evening, in time to pick up our packets and have dinner at the condo we rented with one of Marty's athletes and our dog Tassie. I won't reveal what we ate since most of you would recoil in horror at our pre-race dinner (but it was just a sprint and we were running out of options and time by that point).
I was dissatisfied with my performance at Lake Norman and also with my race here last year. I strung together some good solid weeks of training and felt pretty strong coming into the race, but also knew after glancing at the participant list that it would be competitive -- YAY!!!
I rode my bike to transition, set up my junk and chatted with people on my rack. Rode the trolley to the swim start (it's a point to point swim) - we got to wear our wetsuits! Although, upon going in the water I was pretty surprised, and even got a bit warm during the swim. Marty and I misheard the current warnings and lined up on the wrong end of the start line (the current was moving pretty strong pushing us to the right for the early waves) but I still had a great swim for myself. I went super, super hard at the beginning and was able to draft off of people I'm typically nowhere near. Of course, they did drop me about half way through and I had a moment of panic when I realized, "Wow, I'm REALLY tired!" but was able to compose myself and still got out of the water in a great position. I actually beat Kate Martin (last year's winner) out who I've never beat in the water. And upon running to my bike, Chris was still there. Kate is a transition specialist and was off ahead of me on the bike (and I'm not even that slow with my wetsuit or anything - she just blew by so fast). I passed her after the causeway, she re-passed me soon after, and then I passed her back quickly for the last time and stayed ahead the rest of the ride. But she was in the back of my mind and it really forced me to go fast! No sleeping this time on the bike! I knew that the bike was going to be important and I pushed a lot harder than I normally do, not even worrying about what my run may feel like because of it. Last year, my bike was pretty crappy, and I ended up biking almost 2 min faster this year. Very happy about that.
I am a little slower in T2 since I put on socks, but once again Kate was a lightening bolt and I swear I barely saw her rack her bike before she was off. Leaving T2, I was in 4th place - Kate was just ahead of me, Chris was in 2nd and Brianne Godwin was in 1st (she crushed us all on the swim).
At the beginning of the out and back early on in the run, I passed Kate and Chris pretty much at the same time. After the turn around I passed the other BG and was now in the lead just before the mile. I felt pretty good - I was definitely working it but thought I could hold the pace and felt like if anyone came up from behind I would be able to put up a good fight. Kate had told me before the race that she had been running a lot so I wasn't going to discount her that fast.
I also caught Marty around the 2 mile mark, but was unable to make any snarky remark because I was too tired at that point and didn't have any extra breath -- just kidding! I would never do anything like that to my love :)
He did tell me that I was clear, which was nice to know. I didn't let up for one second but instead of worrying about what was going on behind me (because I was not going to look back) I could concentrate on my form and cadence.
I rounded the final corner and smiled as the announcer Tom called my name as the first female. This was my first win this year in the NCTS and definitely hard fought! It was a lot of fun to put it all out there and come out with the win.
After the race I was talking to Chris, who I had known was in a car accident a couple of weeks ago. I asked her if she was okay (I have not beaten Chris in a long time and she is now racing pro) -- this is what a class act she is: she said, "You know, I wish I could say that the accident is the reason why I didn't do good today, but I can't. I just didn't feel all that good!" So many people would have used any excuse for having a sub par race, but she was like, nope, just didn't have it. It sounds like she has had some pretty big training weeks so hopefully with a little rest this week she'll be ready to go for Best of the US next weekend.
So all in all, I'm really happy with my last race. I was able to dig deep AND feel good in all 3 sports; something that doesn't happy too often. It's always nice when the hard work pays off.
We met some of the Wilmington locals out that night - fun times! And this morning we did an open water swim clinic at Wrightsville Beach and in the intracoastal. Now it's time to unpack and do some laundry.
Wilmington was going to be the last race of the season for me and I was determined to make it a good one. We got there Friday evening, in time to pick up our packets and have dinner at the condo we rented with one of Marty's athletes and our dog Tassie. I won't reveal what we ate since most of you would recoil in horror at our pre-race dinner (but it was just a sprint and we were running out of options and time by that point).
I was dissatisfied with my performance at Lake Norman and also with my race here last year. I strung together some good solid weeks of training and felt pretty strong coming into the race, but also knew after glancing at the participant list that it would be competitive -- YAY!!!
I rode my bike to transition, set up my junk and chatted with people on my rack. Rode the trolley to the swim start (it's a point to point swim) - we got to wear our wetsuits! Although, upon going in the water I was pretty surprised, and even got a bit warm during the swim. Marty and I misheard the current warnings and lined up on the wrong end of the start line (the current was moving pretty strong pushing us to the right for the early waves) but I still had a great swim for myself. I went super, super hard at the beginning and was able to draft off of people I'm typically nowhere near. Of course, they did drop me about half way through and I had a moment of panic when I realized, "Wow, I'm REALLY tired!" but was able to compose myself and still got out of the water in a great position. I actually beat Kate Martin (last year's winner) out who I've never beat in the water. And upon running to my bike, Chris was still there. Kate is a transition specialist and was off ahead of me on the bike (and I'm not even that slow with my wetsuit or anything - she just blew by so fast). I passed her after the causeway, she re-passed me soon after, and then I passed her back quickly for the last time and stayed ahead the rest of the ride. But she was in the back of my mind and it really forced me to go fast! No sleeping this time on the bike! I knew that the bike was going to be important and I pushed a lot harder than I normally do, not even worrying about what my run may feel like because of it. Last year, my bike was pretty crappy, and I ended up biking almost 2 min faster this year. Very happy about that.
I am a little slower in T2 since I put on socks, but once again Kate was a lightening bolt and I swear I barely saw her rack her bike before she was off. Leaving T2, I was in 4th place - Kate was just ahead of me, Chris was in 2nd and Brianne Godwin was in 1st (she crushed us all on the swim).
At the beginning of the out and back early on in the run, I passed Kate and Chris pretty much at the same time. After the turn around I passed the other BG and was now in the lead just before the mile. I felt pretty good - I was definitely working it but thought I could hold the pace and felt like if anyone came up from behind I would be able to put up a good fight. Kate had told me before the race that she had been running a lot so I wasn't going to discount her that fast.
I also caught Marty around the 2 mile mark, but was unable to make any snarky remark because I was too tired at that point and didn't have any extra breath -- just kidding! I would never do anything like that to my love :)
He did tell me that I was clear, which was nice to know. I didn't let up for one second but instead of worrying about what was going on behind me (because I was not going to look back) I could concentrate on my form and cadence.
I rounded the final corner and smiled as the announcer Tom called my name as the first female. This was my first win this year in the NCTS and definitely hard fought! It was a lot of fun to put it all out there and come out with the win.
After the race I was talking to Chris, who I had known was in a car accident a couple of weeks ago. I asked her if she was okay (I have not beaten Chris in a long time and she is now racing pro) -- this is what a class act she is: she said, "You know, I wish I could say that the accident is the reason why I didn't do good today, but I can't. I just didn't feel all that good!" So many people would have used any excuse for having a sub par race, but she was like, nope, just didn't have it. It sounds like she has had some pretty big training weeks so hopefully with a little rest this week she'll be ready to go for Best of the US next weekend.
So all in all, I'm really happy with my last race. I was able to dig deep AND feel good in all 3 sports; something that doesn't happy too often. It's always nice when the hard work pays off.
We met some of the Wilmington locals out that night - fun times! And this morning we did an open water swim clinic at Wrightsville Beach and in the intracoastal. Now it's time to unpack and do some laundry.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)