Santa Cruz Triathlon (Sprint Distance) Recap!

I survived! And what an fun experience!

Packet pickup was a breeze and Spokesman Bicycles even offered a free safety inspection of my bike. I had just installed some new wheels on my Specialized Ruby and so I was relieved that someone was there to tighten it and make sure she was alright.

There were plenty of first timers at the sprint distance. I was told it was a rather casual triathlon so I'm not sure if the procedures were quite as official as bigger named races. But everyone was very nice and willing to explain things to first timers.

SWIM

My suspicions about my abysmal swim fitness were correct. I am in the bottom percentiles of swimming speed... after all, I was afraid of the water for most of my adult life. I took a swimming class in 2010 and avoided it as much as possible thereafter. There were 112 finishing times on the results page.... and I clocked the 95th slowest swim, 20th fastest bike, and 18th fastest run of all women.

My form is inefficient. And I desperately need a swim coach. I had done a few pool workouts before the race and two practices in the open water in the SF bay. I never swam the 700yd distance in the ocean but was able to do it once in the pool. I knew I had the endurance for it but I always found the workouts unpleasant and cumbersome.

Overall, however, the swim portion was fun! Although I took a dip and warmup in the waves beforehand, it felt like I was dipping my face in ice water for about 5 minutes but I quickly got used to it.

I ran through the timing chute at 22:01 minutes.

After the swim, there was a quarter mile run/jog to transition where triathletes chose their racks. It was easy to remember where my bike was because it was a small parking lot but it still would have been helpful to have some kind of easy marker. I happened to choose a transition area close to the bike out/bike in, which I found advantageous because I didn't have to run very long with my cleats.

BIKE

The bike ride was a brisk one and very beautiful--my favorite part of the triathlon. I kept wondering if I should have been pushing myself harder but held myself back knowing that there was a 5K afterwards. On Strava, I achieved a good 19.2mph bike ride (not including mount and dismount areas) along a relatively flat route on West Cliff Drive. The most difficult incline was about 1% grade, which felt like nothing compared to our regular 5-7% grades in San Francisco.

Next time, I would try to do more brick workouts with all-out bike efforts (to test my limits). I could easily have exceeded 20mph average. Official split with the mount and dismount was 37:38 on a 12 mile course.


RUN

Finally, the transition from bike to run was relatively easy but I was unsure of myself and dilly dallied for a bit. I paced at 8:13/mile (25:32) which is much slower than my 23:36 (7:35 pace) at the Giant Race two weeks prior. Not too bad off the bike though! Glad I added a handful of brick workouts before the race. Again, I held myself back to make sure I finished but next time, I'd like to leave it all out on the course.

CONCLUSION

Would I do it again?

Yes! Once I become a more efficient swimmer.... For now, it'll be nonprofit races only, just like this one. Maybe Olympic distance at the Santa Cruz Triathlon next year?

Respect the Distance

This Sunday, I'll be tackling my first sprint triathlon, taking me way outside of my comfort zone. I'm nervous. Understandably so. And I'm stressed. I have a million things running through my head:

• I'm an unbelievably slow swimmer. What if I can't complete the swim in time and DNF?
• What if I crash in the bike component and break my clavicle?
• Why do I have to run this without my training partner? :(
• What if my training was insufficient? What if I didn't swim enough or practice the brick enough?
• What if I can't find time to study for my physiology test that's next Wednesday?
• What if I have to call in sick for work one of these days?
• What if I trained to hard this week and don't feel fresh on race day?
• Why can't I just quit?

Is this what 'cold feet' feels like at a wedding?

Seriously though. I've loved every bit of cycling training and running -- but swimming? The trepidation is unmatched. That was the point of this endeavor, though - to take myself out of my comfort zone. To do something that requires time, resources, and a certain level of fitness that not many people are lucky enough to commit to. To learn how to swim. To conquer fears. To manage my time and body well.

Can I say I feel trained enough to do this well? No. I honestly have never been able to say that before race day and there are many disappointing aspects to this training cycle as well. But I know I often surprise myself on race day and this time will be no different.

There's another thing too.

I signed up for a full marathon. On impulse (as usual).

On my 26th birthday, inspired by a friend, I decided I should complete the 26.2 at 26 and signed up for the lottery draw for the Big Sur International Marathon. Of course, fate would have me in the lucky draw and I bit the bullet. I am registered for a marathon with about seven months of training to go.

Source: ESPN

I never thought I could run a marathon. I've never exceeded 30 miles per week in training and not gotten a repetitive stress injury. I've had two knee surgeries and I'm probably on track for arthritis because of that.

But to be fair... there was a point in my life where I thought I could never run more than 5K without feeling discomfort in my knees. Then my cross country coach in college surreptitiously signed me up for a 10K in 2012. Then I started running more 10Ks and doing more crazy things like adventure races. Then I did Bay to Breakers in 2014. Then I signed up for a half freaking marathon in 2016 and finished that in a very respectable time with inconsistent training. Maybe I didn't get the times I wanted but I still finished close to them. I'm not in the pro leagues but I've still posted some respectable times.

So (please please please excuse the language; I can't think of a stronger expression) fuck self doubt. Fuck limitations.

2016, you've proved that I could do the things I didn't think possible. Somehow, despite the doubts, I still challenged myself to push my "limits", So why waste time with self-doubt? Why don't I start living by my own advice? The whole reason I want to do physical therapy is because I "want to help people exceed their perceived and self-imposed limits."

I can't fathom how hard this will be because I've never trained for a marathon before. Again, it's outside of my comfort zone -- I've read just about a million articles and blogs on how to train for a marathon, race recaps, and what it takes to get a certain goal time. If there's a common theme, it's that the marathon is a distance all it's own and it needs to be respected. The last 10K of a marathon is a special place to arrive to and train for. I'll get there. And then I'll get to the finish line. There's no doubt.

Maybe I had reason for self-doubt in the past -- I feared and therefore respected the distances I had to run. 

Well. Respectfully, self-doubt is not a productive form of respect.

I respect the distance. And I react with determination and courage.

I will not be afraid to state my goals because even if I don't reach them, I will have tried my best to get there, given the circumstances, and anything I will accomplish will also be respectable (e.g. I know I can finish and I know it will be under 4 hours).

Check out this elevation profile...

Source: marathonguide.com

BSIM Goal time: 3:35

Oct-Nov focus: running form and base building, injury risk reduction (strength and weight loss)

October Goals:

• Weekly mileage: 18-20
• Long run: 9-10 miles
• Weight: 120 lb

November Goals:

• Weekly mileage: 21-23
• Long run: 13-15 miles
• Weight: 118 lb
• Berkeley Half: 1:46

December Goals:

• Weekly mileage: 23-31
• Weight: 116 lb
• Long run: 16-18 miles

The Giant Race 2016 Recap!

I ran my first 5K race since high school...

Another good training race on my way to finishing the San Francisco Originals Series.

For me, the coolest thing about the Giant Race is that you finish in the Giants stadium (AT&T Park) where you can literally kiss the ground that the Giants have  played on. Pretty special. I mean, I'm not a baseball type of woman but the Giants do hold a special place in my heart because SF was amazing on the night they won the 2014 World Series. It was the same night Marvin and I first kissed. So happy faces to that :).

A few things I could've done better: Mainly, I need to work on maintaining my starting pace which is typically ~7:00/mi. The pace slowly increases to ~7:30/mi until the final quarter mile or so. With a bit more endurance training and intervals, I'm sure I can improve in time for Bridge to Bridge (signed up for 5km). I lost a few seconds weaving between people and running to the very side of the course but overall, I just need to build better endurance at that intensity.

I finished in the top 10 women for the 5K and top 3 in the F25-29 category. Pretty cool even though I know all the fast people are running the 10K and HM instead! Some of these girls are running mad impressive times!! Sheesh.

In other news, I completed my first half century one week before the 5K! It was really difficult for me to focus during the last 5-6 miles due to hunger, fatigue, and desperation. I wanted to get home and EAT and I may have been delirious at one point. Gotta bring more food or buy a few energy gels for these types of things...

Upcoming Events

9/25/2016 | Santa Cruz Sprint Triathlon (700yd, 12mi bike, 3.1mi run)

10/2/2016 | Bridge to Bridge 5km

11/20/2016 | Berkeley Half Marathon

4/30/2017 | Big Sur International Marathon

A Fractured Clavicle

My training partner fractured his clavicle during a training bike ride.

Cycling fast is pretty fun until you find yourself on the shoulder of a road wondering where you are.

This is what happened to my training partner (aka boyfriend aka Marvin) while on a ride this past Labor Day weekend. We had just finished a swim session at Giammona Pool and were doing a fast training ride along Great Highway. Being the speed and intensity addict that I am, I sped ahead to our turnaround point trusting that Marvin would be fine on his own and I would meet him at the turnaround. Unexpectedly, however, I received a phone call when I reached our turnaround point. Knowing that a phone call usually means something bad, I immediately answered with concern "Where are you? Are you alright?!" "I don't know, I just woke up on the ground." In near tears, I sped back to where he was. He was about 2 miles from the turnaround and the memory is hazy and guilt-ridden: all I was thinking was "Andrea, you idiot. Why didn't you wait at an earlier point? I hope he's okay. I really hope he's okay and it's not as bad as it sounds. I'll never leave him behind again." As I approached, I saw paramedics on the scene already with my boyfriend on a gurney and in a collar. In a flurry of emotions and panic, the firemen took pity on me and offered to take our bikes while I joined Marvin in the ambulance to SF General Hospital. Marvin was a champ in all of this. He was more calm than I was and sort of rolled with the punches. I really have a lot to learn from him. Thank God he's alive and it's just a broken collarbone and road rash...

The bone displacement from the fracture is about 2.5cm, which means he'll be getting surgery. It's been bittersweet taking care of my "patient." In one sense, we've grown much closer together with this experience as I was with him when he was in the hospital and as we've been learning how to deal with the injury and how to avoid anything like it in the future. But of course it sucks. I would've thought I'd be the first of us to get hospitalized because he's such a careful and intentional person. Alas, life has it's ironies. A single moment of distraction for him becomes a serious injury while I constantly chase danger and push my limits unscathed. He'll be missing the Santa Cruz sprint triathlon on September 25th but at least he got a 50% refund for it in the form of credits for next year.

Two things:

• ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET
• Tegaderm is amazing for road rash! 

I'll be updating this post with all my followup comments on his injury and surgery.