1/2 Marathon (May 5th) -
Katie and I ran the Binghamton Bridge Run 1/2 Marathon a couple weeks ago and I still cant believe I did it! If you know me and running it will make sense.... Last summer I was so excited to run 12 minute miles during Iron Girl and fast forward to May this year and I ran 13.1 miles in just under 12 minute miles. So cool and a LOT of hard work.
Race morning Katie and I left at 4:30 and headed to Binghamton. When we got to packet pick up at 6:00AM my sister called me and said that they had hit something in the road and had gotten a hole in their gas tank. We picked up my Dad and Jenna's packets and then went back to pick them and my Mom up in Whitney Point. We got back to the race site at 7:00 and with the race start at 7:30 headed to the bathroom. The line was LONG!!!!! I waited a while but couldnt get in there before the race started. So I started my race having to pee REALLY REALLY bad. My Dad ran with me for a while and all I could do was focus on getting to mile 3.5 where the first portapotties were. When I got there I had to wait in a short line and by the time I got done and back on the course I was near the end. I worked REALLY hard for quite a while to catch people. At mile 10 I caught Katie who was having some challenges with her foot. I came in just under 2:40 and only a couple minutes before Katie finished. I felt GREAT!
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Shopping trip with Helene -
Katie and I raced our first two years of sprint triathlons without wetsuits, but with the choice to do a longer race this year, we needed to bite the bullet and purchase the rubber suits for training and racing. Helene found a huge sale at local store and scheduled Katie and I to meet her there so she could help us shop.
The first one I tried on went on fairly easily and fit like a glove (literally - a full body glove that is). I tried a second on but my shoulders werent broad enough. I put down a deposit and a few days later picked it up! Then, on Friday morning we swam in Oneida Lake!
I love the wetsuit and in spite of water temps in the 50's and air temps in the upper 40's it didnt feel bad at all with the wetsuit on. The problem was... I have an open water issue and its BACK... sigh.. as soon as I put my face in the water to start swimming, I felt overwhelming panic. It persisted for the first 300 yards or so before I got ahold of myself and finally relaxed enough to swim a few laps between buoys... I thought Helene was going to kill me! No sympathy which is what I need when I am in that place... Its all in my head. I know I can swim it, and even if I didnt swim - with the wetsuit all I could do is float!
I got past it and later that morning I rode a training ride with Helene, a few fellow athletes and the guys from a local bike shop. It was an awesome ride! Helene didnt talk to me at all, which means I was doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing! A gorgeous morning for a bike and a successful bike to end my morning after a challenging swim.
2nd Course Ride at Musselman -
Today we rode the 56 mile race course again. I was a little nervous because I wanted to have a good ride and last time I rode the course I had a few moments where I was mad at Helene when she practiced her tough coaching on me! On our drive out to the course it sprinkled rain and the wind picked up. We headed out and I found myself in the front part of the middle for a while, trying to focus on cadence and not killing myself during the first part of the ride. It was really windy and one of my fellow athletes and I found each other near the front of the pack and helped each other pull. We pretty much did most of the ride together... a few times I lost her or she lost me, but it helped to have her there. I couldnt believe how far ahead we got and by the time we got to the last section of road, I was leading and still feeling GREAT! The run afterwards was a challenge and I came in near the end because I am slower but I still managed to average 12 min miles during the 3 miles we did after the ride. Around the 2 mile mark I started to feel in the groove with the run and ran nice and steady. All in all it was a great confidence boosting ride! We all went to the local diner for lunch and now that I am home, on my couch, clean and in comfortable clothes I am getting really tired! :)
So, that is it my friends... my updates. In the future I am going to work on my open water swims and continue moving forward with my bike skills and maintaining my mileage running.
Goggles On!
Wow, talk about lots of updates! Congrats on the half and the second course bike ride--both are huge accomplishments and will definitely pay off on race day. Which wetsuit did you end up getting?
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