Splash'n'Dash May 2013 race report.
May. 21st, 2013 | 06:51 pm
Let's keep this brief. Can I do that? Dunno.
A storm was threatening to hit us, so they announced that if you heard the airhorn any time OTHER than the start of the race (twice, once for each gender), the race was over. Sent the guys off, then Dan said, "Okay, women will start in 1.5 minutes" (instead of the usual 3).
That meant that we were RIGHT behind the guys, and so we ran up on the slower swimmers before we even turned the first buoy. Much more congested than normal. I tried to draft off a few feet, but was mostly on my own, dodging guys. I came into shore right behind Glenda, and just barely out-transitioned her, then she immediately passed me on the run.
Run was warm and humid, but thankfully not sunny, which made a huge difference. Had a cheering section over by the water stop (Betsy, on water duty, Heather and the twins, Kathleen, Jen Ritchie, and who knows who else), then another cheering section at the finish line (Matt, those folks already finished, newly-met Jacque..). I felt like I pushed decently, but my run times were actually even slower than last month. Can I blame the heat? Let's do that. Even though it sorta kinda started to sprinkle during the run. Actual rain woulda been nice.
Actually I think I finally figured out why S&D vexes me so. When I'm racing, I like to feel like my performance shows what I'm capable of. And I never feel like that's the case at S&D. It'd be one thing if it happened sometimes, but it's every time. My run is always so much slower than I know I can run. I think maybe I'm just not a very good FAST trail runner, and that's basically a trail run, with the gravel. (How else can I explain running 4 x 1 mile repeats one week earlier, with the last 3 miles all sub-7s, but being unable to reliably go sub-7 for the 3k at S&D?)
Anyway, it's a fun, social event, if I could just let that whole run vexation go. Which I obviously can't. :)
Results:
Total: 30:24 (hopefully eventually I WILL go sub-30 again this year)
Swim+T1: 13:45 (watch malfunction means I don't have a time for just swim)
Run loops: 5:43 (9:13/M), 5:32 (8:55/M), 5:23 (8:41/M) (paces inaccurate as always)
13/55 women
At least I had some finish line kick at the end.
A storm was threatening to hit us, so they announced that if you heard the airhorn any time OTHER than the start of the race (twice, once for each gender), the race was over. Sent the guys off, then Dan said, "Okay, women will start in 1.5 minutes" (instead of the usual 3).
That meant that we were RIGHT behind the guys, and so we ran up on the slower swimmers before we even turned the first buoy. Much more congested than normal. I tried to draft off a few feet, but was mostly on my own, dodging guys. I came into shore right behind Glenda, and just barely out-transitioned her, then she immediately passed me on the run.
Run was warm and humid, but thankfully not sunny, which made a huge difference. Had a cheering section over by the water stop (Betsy, on water duty, Heather and the twins, Kathleen, Jen Ritchie, and who knows who else), then another cheering section at the finish line (Matt, those folks already finished, newly-met Jacque..). I felt like I pushed decently, but my run times were actually even slower than last month. Can I blame the heat? Let's do that. Even though it sorta kinda started to sprinkle during the run. Actual rain woulda been nice.
Actually I think I finally figured out why S&D vexes me so. When I'm racing, I like to feel like my performance shows what I'm capable of. And I never feel like that's the case at S&D. It'd be one thing if it happened sometimes, but it's every time. My run is always so much slower than I know I can run. I think maybe I'm just not a very good FAST trail runner, and that's basically a trail run, with the gravel. (How else can I explain running 4 x 1 mile repeats one week earlier, with the last 3 miles all sub-7s, but being unable to reliably go sub-7 for the 3k at S&D?)
Anyway, it's a fun, social event, if I could just let that whole run vexation go. Which I obviously can't. :)
Results:
Total: 30:24 (hopefully eventually I WILL go sub-30 again this year)
Swim+T1: 13:45 (watch malfunction means I don't have a time for just swim)
Run loops: 5:43 (9:13/M), 5:32 (8:55/M), 5:23 (8:41/M) (paces inaccurate as always)
13/55 women
At least I had some finish line kick at the end.
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Colin's Hope Got2Swim Quarry Lake 2013 race report.
May. 20th, 2013 | 03:08 pm
Pam was signed up the Colin's Hope Got2Swim Quarry Lake Swim and wanted company, and Jamie said it sounded like it fit in perfectly to end my "do whatever you want 2 weeks", so I signed up. We could either do 1 loop (750m) or 2 loops (1500m), so I signed up for 2. Why not.
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Petco 5k9 Run 2013 race report.
May. 15th, 2013 | 06:48 pm
A 5k for dogs that benefits Austin Pets Alive? Yes, please! Plus it came at a perfect time, one week after our Colorado runs, when we're supposed to start running again, but not taking it very seriously. Plus.. dogs as far as the eye can see!
We managed to refrain from instinctively showing up 2 hours early, and I managed not to have a panic attack when I saw Decker Lake and immediately thought I was going to have to swim (and I didn't bring my goggles! Or my bike!), but even with showing up an hour before the race, after picking up our packets, we had too much time to kill. Too much time for the dogs to get completely wound up and spazz out and generally be little hellions. So we walked them around and met some periphery dogs, and let Hilda pin Angie's puppy to the ground a few times, and let Enzo freak out because little girls are terrifying.
When it came time to line up.. it was a bit chaotic. All those dogs packed together in the start chute, energy high, dogs pestering each other, dogs shying away from each other, people trying to avoid stepping on dogs. Our shepherd randomly laying down repeatedly in the tiny space allotted to her, practically shoving over the stranger in front of us. Needless to say, after all that, we were very happy when the race started, to the tune of Who Let the Dogs Out.
Even though Matt runs twice as fast as I do, we'd agreed to do this run as a family, which meant Matt slowing way down to run with me. I had Hilda and Matt had Enzo, which was just a random assignment, as we'd been swapping back and forth all morning, when one of us would get tired with the way in which our current dog was uniquely annoying (leash-pulling and leaping suddenly in random directions, respectively).
The dogs actually settled in pretty quickly, even with all the distractions, and after a few minutes of trying to find some open space, things cleared up a bit as we got to the top of the big hill. I discovered I was actually pretty damn tired. My legs didn't hurt, but I was breathing hard and my legs felt heavy. Probably a combo of being a week out from a goal race, and it being insanely humid. It meant that Matt had to reign it back in even further to stay back with me. Hilda was pretty happy with my pace, though.
Photo by Tom Marek
Going down one big hill means going back up another, and the dogs were champs, running past lots of folks who were walking up.
It had rained pretty heavily the previous day, and I was glad I had opted to wear my trail shoes. The course was mostly big, chunky mulch and giant lake-like puddles. Just like the first year we did Danskin! We had fun splashing through the puddles enthusiastically, much to the dismay of the folks we passed, who were trying to stay as dry as possible. It's a dog run! Puddles are for dogs!
We skipped the first and last aid station, but we stopped at the second one and let the dogs drink, which they did enthusiastically. Hilda almost never drinks in public (closet drinker), so she was definitely working her little sheps off.
We'd wondered how many people would tell us that Enzo was limping, and that number turned out to be 2. Little dude can run fastfastfast and looks like an amazing gazelle, and he can walk with the best of them, but he doesn't have a trot. When he tries to run people-pace, he does this weird lurch that does, in fact, look like limping. We had to reassure them that our dog was fine, just weird.
The pups did great and were having the best time.... until around mile 2.5. Then they were ready to be done, thanks. So Matt and I spent the last half mile or so playing cheerleaders, telling them they were good dogs, telling them we were almost there, and they gamely stayed with us, and we crossed the finish line all together at 29:41. Not a 5k PR for Hilda, but Enzo's first 5k, so an automatic PR for him!
Photo by Ed Sparks
We hung out for a little while, socializing (which went much better for the dogs after they'd burned off all their energy) and watching the dancing and disc-catching demonstrations (Hilda REALLY wanted those frisbees), and then took the kids back to the car, where they promptly laid straight down (usually if we're in a car, Hilda's head is immediately out the window) and fell asleep by the time we backed out of the parking spot.
Photo by Matt
Overall, a great time was had by all! It was a really well-run event, and I hope they keep it around, because we'd definitely do it again.
We managed to refrain from instinctively showing up 2 hours early, and I managed not to have a panic attack when I saw Decker Lake and immediately thought I was going to have to swim (and I didn't bring my goggles! Or my bike!), but even with showing up an hour before the race, after picking up our packets, we had too much time to kill. Too much time for the dogs to get completely wound up and spazz out and generally be little hellions. So we walked them around and met some periphery dogs, and let Hilda pin Angie's puppy to the ground a few times, and let Enzo freak out because little girls are terrifying.
When it came time to line up.. it was a bit chaotic. All those dogs packed together in the start chute, energy high, dogs pestering each other, dogs shying away from each other, people trying to avoid stepping on dogs. Our shepherd randomly laying down repeatedly in the tiny space allotted to her, practically shoving over the stranger in front of us. Needless to say, after all that, we were very happy when the race started, to the tune of Who Let the Dogs Out.
Even though Matt runs twice as fast as I do, we'd agreed to do this run as a family, which meant Matt slowing way down to run with me. I had Hilda and Matt had Enzo, which was just a random assignment, as we'd been swapping back and forth all morning, when one of us would get tired with the way in which our current dog was uniquely annoying (leash-pulling and leaping suddenly in random directions, respectively).
The dogs actually settled in pretty quickly, even with all the distractions, and after a few minutes of trying to find some open space, things cleared up a bit as we got to the top of the big hill. I discovered I was actually pretty damn tired. My legs didn't hurt, but I was breathing hard and my legs felt heavy. Probably a combo of being a week out from a goal race, and it being insanely humid. It meant that Matt had to reign it back in even further to stay back with me. Hilda was pretty happy with my pace, though.
Photo by Tom Marek
Going down one big hill means going back up another, and the dogs were champs, running past lots of folks who were walking up.
It had rained pretty heavily the previous day, and I was glad I had opted to wear my trail shoes. The course was mostly big, chunky mulch and giant lake-like puddles. Just like the first year we did Danskin! We had fun splashing through the puddles enthusiastically, much to the dismay of the folks we passed, who were trying to stay as dry as possible. It's a dog run! Puddles are for dogs!
We skipped the first and last aid station, but we stopped at the second one and let the dogs drink, which they did enthusiastically. Hilda almost never drinks in public (closet drinker), so she was definitely working her little sheps off.
We'd wondered how many people would tell us that Enzo was limping, and that number turned out to be 2. Little dude can run fastfastfast and looks like an amazing gazelle, and he can walk with the best of them, but he doesn't have a trot. When he tries to run people-pace, he does this weird lurch that does, in fact, look like limping. We had to reassure them that our dog was fine, just weird.
The pups did great and were having the best time.... until around mile 2.5. Then they were ready to be done, thanks. So Matt and I spent the last half mile or so playing cheerleaders, telling them they were good dogs, telling them we were almost there, and they gamely stayed with us, and we crossed the finish line all together at 29:41. Not a 5k PR for Hilda, but Enzo's first 5k, so an automatic PR for him!
Photo by Ed Sparks
We hung out for a little while, socializing (which went much better for the dogs after they'd burned off all their energy) and watching the dancing and disc-catching demonstrations (Hilda REALLY wanted those frisbees), and then took the kids back to the car, where they promptly laid straight down (usually if we're in a car, Hilda's head is immediately out the window) and fell asleep by the time we backed out of the parking spot.
Photo by Matt
Overall, a great time was had by all! It was a really well-run event, and I hope they keep it around, because we'd definitely do it again.
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Collegiate Peaks 25 mile trail race 2013 race report.
May. 7th, 2013 | 10:31 am
When Matt decided to run the Collegiate Peaks 50 miler this year to help prepare him to run in high altitudes for the Leadville 100 in August, I thought, "Oh! I want to run there! I bet it's beautiful!" After having done two 50k runs this year already, I even thought maybe I'd do the 50 miler. It would only be my second 50 miler, but what an incredible place to do it.
Then I came to my senses and remembered that (a) that one 50 miler was HARD, (b) that one 50 miler was at a MUCH lower elevation, (c) the only running at high elevation I've done was when we were up in Twin Lakes for Leadville 2010, and I kinda wanted to die, and that was less than 5 miles. And I looked at the elevation profile.
Austin's off-the-bottom-of-the-chart elevation edited in red for clarity.
25 miles it is!
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Then I came to my senses and remembered that (a) that one 50 miler was HARD, (b) that one 50 miler was at a MUCH lower elevation, (c) the only running at high elevation I've done was when we were up in Twin Lakes for Leadville 2010, and I kinda wanted to die, and that was less than 5 miles. And I looked at the elevation profile.
Austin's off-the-bottom-of-the-chart elevation edited in red for clarity.
25 miles it is!
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The Loop 30k trail run 2013 race report.
Apr. 27th, 2013 | 06:46 pm
Last long weekend before we begin tapering for Collegiate Peaks, why not do a supported long trail run? Plus, Laura wanted to do the 10k and didn't want to go out there alone. Plus, it felt like forever since I'd done a Rogue trail race (though the internet claims that perhaps it has only been since 2011).
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Splash'n'Dash April 2013 race report.
Apr. 16th, 2013 | 05:59 am
Well, these have started back up again. Grumble.
The water was purported to be around 64. Then someone said it was more like 68. I had no idea, but I knew I wasn't going to bother with a wetsuit or a speedsuit for S&D, even though many people were. I did, however, wait until the last minute to get in the water, and opted to spend my pre-event time, not doing a few warmup run laps, like I should have, but standing there staring at the water resentfully, and chatting/complaining.
As it got to be time, I headed down to the water, and it wasn't bad when I waded in. It got a little chillier as I got deeper, but I kept myself warm treading water 3 rows back from the front, and then it was time to go. Once I started swimming, the water actually felt great, and I was glad to be suitless.
The swim was fine. My first open water swim since Kerrville last year, but no problems. A few times I found that I had kinda checked out and my effort had fallen off, but then I'd just pick it back up. Overall, an uninspired and uninspiring swim, but no complaints. And as a bonus, Matt was out there water running to baby his turned ankle, and I actually heard him cheer for me as I swam by!
As I got out of the water, I looked at my watch and saw 13:50something. Decent, not great, for my first open water swim of the season.
Walked slowly and gingerly up to my stuff (I should have put it further down the hill), took forever to get into my shoes, then ran up the hill to start my run.
Run was also pretty uneventful. I started out nice and easy to get warmed up a bit. But then the girl I'd followed out of the swim was kind of an awkward speed compared to me, and I didn't want to sit there just on her heels the whole time, so I sped up a bit to pass her, and tried to maintain that pace so she wouldn't immediately have the same awkward situation.
At the start/finish line, Kristen was there with her camera, which meant I had to attempt to smile each time I came through. The pictures show mixed results (and show those accursed 5lbs I can't seem to lose, since this is the first time I've worn my (uncovered) tri costume this year (I wore it with a long-sleeved shirt over at ERDu)). As I rounded the first bend on my 2nd loop, I heard cheering for me.. from the water. Matt again! Ha.
On my 3rd loop, I wanted to make it my fastest. I dedicated that 3rd loop to Boston.. the folks that died, the folks that were injured.. I ran for those who couldn't, and so it was somewhat emotional, but inspiring. It helped that people cheered for me from the patio of Roaring Fork! (I saw Lynn and maybe heard Julia?)
As I approached the bridge the final time, I heard someone just behind me. I figured it was a female who was pacing off me and then going to outkick me at the end, but I wasn't going to look, because then I'd probably faceplant. I almost called out, "Are you male or female?!", but just then they passed me, and it was Shawn B. I figured I'd try to hang behind him to the finish line, but man, he took off, and I couldn't stay near him. So I just tried to stay as close as I could and use his energy, and let that pull me to the finish line.
I had kinda hoped to come in NEAR 30, if not below, but I think I overestimated my current fitness. I feel like I've been swimming, but 1-2 times a week isn't going to put me in Ironman shape like I was last year, so yeah, a 12:50something is slower than my times last year.
My run, which I HAVE been doing, was 5:35, 5:25, 5:11, which is pretty typical for me at S&D.
The good news is, since the first S&D of the year is pretty lightly attended, I was 7th woman!
Now to finish off my trail running season, then transition (ha) back into real tri training again. And hopefully shed those 5 pounds someday.
The water was purported to be around 64. Then someone said it was more like 68. I had no idea, but I knew I wasn't going to bother with a wetsuit or a speedsuit for S&D, even though many people were. I did, however, wait until the last minute to get in the water, and opted to spend my pre-event time, not doing a few warmup run laps, like I should have, but standing there staring at the water resentfully, and chatting/complaining.
As it got to be time, I headed down to the water, and it wasn't bad when I waded in. It got a little chillier as I got deeper, but I kept myself warm treading water 3 rows back from the front, and then it was time to go. Once I started swimming, the water actually felt great, and I was glad to be suitless.
The swim was fine. My first open water swim since Kerrville last year, but no problems. A few times I found that I had kinda checked out and my effort had fallen off, but then I'd just pick it back up. Overall, an uninspired and uninspiring swim, but no complaints. And as a bonus, Matt was out there water running to baby his turned ankle, and I actually heard him cheer for me as I swam by!
As I got out of the water, I looked at my watch and saw 13:50something. Decent, not great, for my first open water swim of the season.
Walked slowly and gingerly up to my stuff (I should have put it further down the hill), took forever to get into my shoes, then ran up the hill to start my run.
Run was also pretty uneventful. I started out nice and easy to get warmed up a bit. But then the girl I'd followed out of the swim was kind of an awkward speed compared to me, and I didn't want to sit there just on her heels the whole time, so I sped up a bit to pass her, and tried to maintain that pace so she wouldn't immediately have the same awkward situation.
At the start/finish line, Kristen was there with her camera, which meant I had to attempt to smile each time I came through. The pictures show mixed results (and show those accursed 5lbs I can't seem to lose, since this is the first time I've worn my (uncovered) tri costume this year (I wore it with a long-sleeved shirt over at ERDu)). As I rounded the first bend on my 2nd loop, I heard cheering for me.. from the water. Matt again! Ha.
On my 3rd loop, I wanted to make it my fastest. I dedicated that 3rd loop to Boston.. the folks that died, the folks that were injured.. I ran for those who couldn't, and so it was somewhat emotional, but inspiring. It helped that people cheered for me from the patio of Roaring Fork! (I saw Lynn and maybe heard Julia?)
As I approached the bridge the final time, I heard someone just behind me. I figured it was a female who was pacing off me and then going to outkick me at the end, but I wasn't going to look, because then I'd probably faceplant. I almost called out, "Are you male or female?!", but just then they passed me, and it was Shawn B. I figured I'd try to hang behind him to the finish line, but man, he took off, and I couldn't stay near him. So I just tried to stay as close as I could and use his energy, and let that pull me to the finish line.
I had kinda hoped to come in NEAR 30, if not below, but I think I overestimated my current fitness. I feel like I've been swimming, but 1-2 times a week isn't going to put me in Ironman shape like I was last year, so yeah, a 12:50something is slower than my times last year.
My run, which I HAVE been doing, was 5:35, 5:25, 5:11, which is pretty typical for me at S&D.
The good news is, since the first S&D of the year is pretty lightly attended, I was 7th woman!
Now to finish off my trail running season, then transition (ha) back into real tri training again. And hopefully shed those 5 pounds someday.
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Adventures in Eating.
Mar. 16th, 2013 | 05:19 pm
A few weeks before Nueces, Matt said he wanted to be vegetarian for a few weeks. He was hoping to shed a few unwanted pounds, and hoped that ditching meat might help. I'm always on board for random adventures, so I was in!
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Nueces 50k trail run 2013 race report.
Mar. 4th, 2013 | 10:19 am
As we drove home from Matt's DNF at Bandera, he was already trying to figure out what races were coming up soon, where he could use all that training for hopefully a better result. The winner ended up being the Nueces 50 miler in early March, out in Rocksprings, TX. We knew exactly nothing about this race. Matt consulted Coach Jamie, who said it wasn't very technical, and there were a few hills, but nothing like Bandera. And, as always, since I was going to be out there anyway, I figured I might as we well run. And after MY non-stellar race at Bandera, I figured I'd try out another 50k (my third).
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