Race Season Wrap Up

Wow I need to update my blog more but I just don't have time. Work, family and races fill my days with just enough time to shower, eat, study for my PMP exam, and maybe a little bit of relaxing on top of race training workouts. But when I do have time, writing my blog gets pushed to the bottom, below the cleaning and chores, and shopping for a new couch.

 So lots of things have happened since my last post. I wrapped up this year's triathlon season with the Naylor's Beach sprint triathlon down in Warsaw. It was a lot of fun - I got to wear my first wetsuit! These two lovely ladies helped me get in my suit and swim around before the race. The water was about 72 degrees, and the wetsuit kept the cold away. It also makes you very buoyant so you swim right on top of the water. What I didn't anticipate was that it made me claustrophobic. When our wave took off, I had a hard time getting my breathing under control. I basically took a break every other stroke to keep myself from panicking. It worked. I survived. Made it through the bike too - it was a very flat 15 mile course. Same with the run. Definitely looking forward to next year's tri season!



This past weekend I had yet another race. John and I competed in the Warrior Dash. A 3.5 mile obstacle course race with lots and lots of mud. The 12-foot wall-scaling was honestly the scariest thing I've ever done. I don't do well with heights, or maybe it's heights when I'm not secured and holding on to a rope with my feet on a very small ledge. We had a great time and finished in about 45 minutes. Pretty pleased. Got to eat an enormous turkey leg after the race, just like a Viking!

Let's see, what else... The weather is changing and fall is here. I love this season because of I get to wear boots and of course bake pumpkin-everything. I've already made pumpkin bread and huge pots of chili in the crockpot. Soon I'll make the pumpkin muffins like I do every year for my HR team at work.

So that's all for now, I'll update more when I can... Up next.... TOUGH MUDDER. Gulp.

Race Season Begins... with a sinus infection

It would be just my luck to get sick before a big race... Not just sick, a sinus infection that has lasted for 2 whole weeks. The Saturday before RVA's biggest race, the Monument 10K, I came down with a sore throat. Then I woke up Sunday morning to a full-fledge cold. I figured I'd be okay since I had a week before the race. I'd recover by Monday and be back on the roads on Tuesday for training. But no... It got worse. And worse. And worse. I've never experienced anything like this.

So to my dismay, I never once ran the entire week leading up to the 10K. But I'm stubborn and definitely didn't want to miss out on my 4th year participating in one of the largest 10K races in the US. I stuffed as many tissues as I could in my race shirt, a tube of chap-stick, and hit the road. If things couldn't get any worse, we were nearly a half hour late to our Wave F start time, and as we approached the exit ramp to Belvedere, we came to a complete stop right off the interstate. So we simply hopped out of the car and began to run to the start line - about a mile or so away. After weaving through the joggers, we finally hit mile 2 and came across 2 of my friends. I let John run ahead (since it was clear I was holding him back and my lungs were spasming from the fast pace) and I stayed with my friends, relieved I didn't have to keep up with his competitive speed.

So, did I survive? Yes - thank god I have been a runner long enough that a week off doesn't affect me as much as I thought. I finished in 54:36, not bad for someone with congestion inside their lungs and enough snot to fill the James River (sorry to be graphic). Maybe next year will I break 50" - my PR goal.

So what's next up? My first DUATHLON! Of course it had to land on the weekend right after the 10K, but oh well... I'm still recovering, and on antibiotics, but dammit I'm going to finish this duathlon if it kills me. The 3Sports Duathlon consists of a 2.85 mile run, 18 mile ride, 2.85 run. I did a mini practice run-thru this week (2 mi run, 9 mi ride, 2 mi run), and it nearly killed me, but I figured if I pace myself and focus, I will be fine. I will certainly share the results of my first duathlon next week, but for now I will leave you with a photo of the most amazing job in the world. The man who serves table-side guacamole at Plaza Azteca. This has to be the best guac I've ever had.