Teva Mountain Games Mud Run

June 4th I headed up to Vail, Colorado for the Teva Mountain Games!  Perfect place for anyone who loves competing in or watching outdoor sports:  kayaking, mountain bike racing, rock climbing, running (half marathon went up Vail pass), even fishing, and events for your dog!  It's also at an elevation of 8150 ft!

So doing a race there was an experience!  Because of the strain in my calf all I signed up for was the 2 mile Mud Run, short and sweet, you made three loops along an course with a decent hill and ~10 yard mud pit to run through.  The majority of the people doing the mud run do it to get dirty!! - so only a few women were actually competing in it.  The announcer was kind enough to point out who the defending champ was before the race so I decided to just let her (Jax Swartz) pace the race and not run harder than I had to - in case my calf started to hurt.
 

Completing the first loop stride for stride with defending "Mud Queen" , Jax Swartz.

Racing at 8150 feet was nothing like sea level, though it was a comfortable 6:15 pace, my lungs were burning from the thin air.  But it was really fun!  The mud didn't slow either of us down and I managed to pull away on the last hill.  

Some pics following the race, To clean off we were sprayed with a fire hose, brrr!

 I went on the complete the course in about 12:30.  Edging out Jax and capturing the 2011 Teva Games "Mud Queen" title.  Check out her website as she is using running to raise money for cancer research and awareness. 

Disappointing Bolder Boulder Scratch

Sadly, the reality of training as hard and often as I do now, is that injuries happen.  Thursday May 26, I was in Boulder, CO out on a run gearing up for the 33rd annual Memorial Day Bolder Boulder 10k when I got a sharp and sudden pain in my calf. 

On Friday - I tried Acupuncture for the first time with Eric Meleney at Jade Mountain Health, what an experience!  I don't like needles, so that it didn't hurt and actually helped relieve some of the tightness and pain was a pleasant surprise.  Next, I saw Physical Therapist, Bob Cranny (Altitude Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine), who works with triathlons' top athletes, including Chrissie Wellington, 3 time Ironman World Champion. What felt like a bad cramp turned out to be a small strain to the muscle and aggravation of an existing injury that never healed.  His diagnosis requires about 10 days off from running and I had to drop out of the Bolder Boulder.  Oh well, I'll get it next year!  For now, I'll focus on my weaknesses - the swim and the bike.

PT Bob Cranny working on my strained calf - ouch!

But I did go walk the Bolder Boulder Course - and got to see the race in a way I never do when I'm up front racing it.  Walking the course I got to see the bands, the festivities, the kegs, the slip-n-slides, Popsicles, Doritos, marshmellows all over the road (it was sticky for nearly a half mile), the costumes, all the characters, and the cups!  SO many water cups!

Stopping to hula-hoop along the Bolder Boulder course with some costumed runners

Just a few water cups

Athleta IronGirl Atlanta - Age Group Win!

Sunday May 15th was my first triathlon of the season!  The Athleta IronGirl in Atlanta.   This was a 600m swim, followed by 19 mile bike, and 5k run.  It was a cool and cloudy morning but I felt great.  This was a big women-only race (1005 finishers) with 9 start waves, I was in the 8th wave to start - 35 minutes after the first group. 

At the starting line - Wave 8, 25-29 AG

Entering the water, only about a third of the women were in wetsuits, water temp was about 68 degrees.

There were 111 women in my wave and I lined up right in the front.  It was a great swim for me - fourth out of the water with a time of 10:10.  This was my first time racing in a wetsuit and I worried I would have trouble transitioning quickly, but right out of the water I was unzipped and peeling it off my arms as I ran up the hill.  In transition, I passed the three girls in front of me and took off on the bike in first place.  


There was a strong cross wind for most of the ride on a rolling hills course.  I held my lead on the bike for the first 10 miles until I was overtaken by Rebecca Rush, we passed each other back and forth a few times til she eventually pulled away with about 4 miles to go - I remember thinking "COME ON LEGS!!" and "we'll see what she's got in the run."  My time for the 19 miles was 1:00:36, slower than I wanted but an improvement on last year.  My quads were on fire when I rolled into transition and I hoped I had something left for the run.

Navigating through the crowd into transition

Rack bike.  Helmet off.  Shoes on.  Race number. GO.

 Run:  My favorite part of a triathlon, trying to run with legs that feel like jello after an hour on the bike.  I couldn't really feel my legs for the first mile and didn't bother to check my split.  This course was an out-and-back:  The first mile was a gradual uphill, then a flat second mile, and cruise it in downhill the last mile.  After just passing the mile mark I saw Rebecca ahead of me and knew I would catch her.  By the turn around I had already pulled away by a good 45 seconds - she was a great sport saying "nice pace" as I passed her going the opposite direction.  (Rebecca finished 3rd, right behind me, at last years Acworth Womens triathlon.  She beat me by 5 minutes at last years IronGirl event).

My run time was 18:48, which earned me the fastest run split in the entire field of 1005, and made up enough time to capture first place in my age group.  Overall my time was 1:33:20, good enough for a top 10 finish overall, in 7th place.   You can see the official results here.

Awards 25-29 AG, 1st - 3rd  (Laura, Rebecca, Katie)

 

 

The best part of this race was doing it with my dear friend and swimming partner Karen, who became a mom last year and is still out there competing.  She had a great race!  Karen - You are an inspiration to me!

Laura and Karen (one tough Iron Mommy!!)

Link to Adirondack Daily Enterprise writeup.

My next race is the Bolder Boulder in Boulder, CO on Memorial Day.  We'll see how these legs and lungs work at the high altitude and uphill course!

My Season Opener and First Multisport Win!

This past weekend I competed in the 15th semi-annual Emory Aquathlon!  This event consisted of a 550yd pool swim and 5k trail run through Lullwater Park in Atlanta, GA.  
The swim was a time trial start, with a competitor beginning every 15 seconds.   I started about mid-pack - you then snake through the lanes, up one lane, back the next for the entire length of the pool.   It was interesting to say the least, as a lot of slower swimmers started ahead of me, and several faster swimmers starting behind me.

Competitors lining up around the pool for the Aquathlon Start.

By midway through the swim it was a bunched up mess with many of us reaching the wall at the same time and struggling to pass one another.  I was out of the water in about 8 minutes with a quick and solid transition.   It was a wet and cold day and had rained the night before so the trail was a muddy and fun mess!  Reminded me of how much I miss running cross country!  Even in the mud I managed to run down the women in front of me for a first place finish, and was the only woman to complete the course in under 30 minutes.

Aquathlon finish.

Awards

The best part of this race was doing it with some of my good friends here in Atlanta who were competing in their first multisport event ever!!   Congratulations to Ivana and Adrianne!  and much thanks to Konrad for being our cheering crew and snapping some pics!

Ivana, me, Adrianne

So, the question is... Do I go to Colorado in three weeks to compete in the Aquathlon National Championships and try to qualify for another event in Beijing??

Quick Update!

Sorry it's been so long since I've updated the blog.  My comprehensive exam proved to take up most of my time and energy, and now I'm finishing up the semester and final exams.  The exam was very challenging but I passed and am no longer a PhD student, but PhD candidate!  Thanks to everyone for all your support while undergoing this academic hazing!!  I managed to keep up my training throughout and even won a 5k the day after handing in my written section.  Stay tuned for a new update.

A very exhausted First place at the Run before your Crawl 5k.

Cross-Training and My Natural Transition to Triathlons

I am a runner first.   I've been running since I was 15.  But after the years of pounding on my legs I found myself plagued with injuries.  In college I ran in all three seasons:  Cross-Country, Indoor, and Outdoor Track.  We were constantly running through tendinitis and other aches and pains.

Me as a Ragin' Cajun!  Lap 1 of the 2002 Louisiana Classics, 800m run, 1st place.

 And as soon as the spring season was over it was time to start summer training to be ready for the fall.  My junior year I developed IT Band Syndrome in my right knee - resulting in my red-shirting an entire year.  I couldn't run at all.  To stay in shape without putting stress on my knee, I started swimming.  After finally recovering and another two great years of college running, I tore my left hip flexor at the Texas Relays my senior year while anchoring the Distance Medley Relay. 

Pre-race on the Louisiana-Lafayette Track

 
It was a season ending (and college career ending) injury that led me back to swimming.  As a post-collegiate athlete on the Blazing Bayou Racing Team, I developed a stress fracture in my left foot and had to wear a boot for 6 weeks.  Obviously - no running, and it was back to the pool. 

Thanksgiving 2007, in the boot for my stress fracture

At this point I knew running all the time was not possible anymore.  I started swimming more and it was great way to get in a workout and take the stress of pounding on pavement off my legs.  Cycling was an obvious next step.  Thanks to my friend Karen C. who suggested triathlons might be a fun alternative to all the running we were doing.  It started with spin classes, to buying my own road bike, and falling in love with cycling. 

So, if you're a runner and find yourself getting injured more often than you like...  you may want to get in a spin class here and there, or get out on your bike.  Or hit up the pool - great way to get a tan in the summer too, but you'll have some funny tan lines.  :)   And I run much less now than when in college, but my times,  MUCH faster. 

Atlanta Publix Half Marathon

This Sunday, March 20, I raced in the Atlanta Publix Half Marathon. The course takes runners through many parts of the wonderful city of Atlanta - starting at Centennial Olympic Park, we run through Georgia State University Campus (where I am currently a PhD student), The Martin Luther King National Historical Site, Inman Park, Little Five Points, the Carter Center, the Virginia Highlands, Piedmont Park, Georgia Tech Campus (my Masters degree alma mater), and back to downtown and the Olympic Park. 

View on the course around Mile 2.5

The long and short of this race:  I ran a Personal Best by over 10 minutes, crossing the finish line in 1:34:50, which is about 7:15 pace per mile.  I placed 12th in my age group of 1107, and 42 overall out of 6163 women.   This sounds pretty good but was over 5 minutes slower than my goal time for the day.  Based on previous races and my training, I should have gone under 1:30 easily.  Unfortunately I just ran out of gas after the first 9 miles and just SURVIVED the last 4!!  My legs were like rocks!!  It didn't help that at mile 9 we began a mile and half climb (see race profile below).  Maybe I went out too fast, maybe I should have eaten more or drank more Gatorade on the course, I'm not sure - but it was a learning experience and I'll do better next time! 

Race Profile

I was lucky enough to share this experience with a bunch of my friends here in Atlanta who all did great!!!

All the fine finishers and support crew!  (Annie, Jeff, Alex, Jill, Robin, Ruth, Mike, Laura (me), Virginia, Ivana, Shaan -"Shaannie", Shannon, Amelia, Konrad)  There were many Personal Records among this crowd!  Congrats to everyone!!