Friday, June 25, 2010

Training Through...Lake to Lake Race Report

 

I'm not using this as an excuse, but I do need to preface this report with a disclaimer. Craig asked me last weekend if I was okay with training through Lake to Lake. And since Wisconsin is what I'm focusing on and since Wisconsin is right around the corner and since I don't feel like I'm close to being ready, I said yes. That was before I got my training schedule. *Since the disclaimer is really long, I put it at the end so that this still seems like it's a race report as opposed to a history of my week. Read at your own discretion.

The nice thing about this race was that it was on Saturday, which meant that I could still enjoy part of the weekend. The bad thing about this race is that it's on a Saturday so I felt like my pre-race routine was all thrown off. So after coming off of a full day of work, I had to get up at 3:30a on Saturday morning. Yes. That's really early. I tried to force myself to go to bed early, but when it doesn't get dark until 9:30 it's sort of hard to do. I wouldn't say I slept great, but I did sleep for a bit without the horrible OMG I forgot my bike sort of dreams. I woke up at one point half convinced I had overslept. But I was pretty sure I had set the alarm correctly and was afraid that if I looked at the clock, it would say that I only had 15 more minutes to sleep. In which case I would have not gone back to sleep and have just counted down the minutes. But on the other hand, if I had not set the alarm right, then I might oversleep and miss the race. Of course, it's insanely early, so maybe I'd be okay with that. In the end I talked myself out of checking and the alarm went off as planned however many minutes later. 

When we did this race 2 years ago, we were one of the first to get to the site and had no line to contend with for packet pickup. Except that they didn't have Matt's registration for whatever reason. And we had to wait until Someone Important showed up to clarify everything. Well, Someone Important was really late and by the time he finally got everything squared away, the transition area was pretty full and we had to squeeze our way in. I didn't want to run the risk of dealing with that again, so I was out the door at 3:45. 

Which was way too early.

I got to the race at 4:30. There were all of 2 other people there. At least I got a good parking spot. But packet pickup didn't open until 5 and transition until 5:15. I tried to sleep for a bit, but it wasn't really working. Around 4:50, people were starting to see if the building was open, so I headed over as well. There were no lines and no issues and I was back at the car 10 minutes later. I dawdled for quite some time getting stickers on and what not, so by the time I headed over to transition, all of the front racks were taken. Knowing that I would have a very difficult time finding my bike (since racks were not numbered, not that that helped me last weekend) so I headed towards the middle so that I could get the end of a rack and be able to see my bike as I was running up the aisle. It did mean that I'd have to run more with my bike, but I figured that was still better than running around looking for my bike. I got everything set up and put my running shoes on for a light warmup. It was already getting hot and it's wasn't quite 6 am. It was going to be a hot one. After one last pit stop, I double checked transition, grabbed my wetsuit, and headed down to the beach.

Okay, so here was the problem. If you've read previous race reports, you know that I really struggle to eat in the morning. I had brought a plain bagel with me, thinking I'd have plenty of time to wake up and struggle through it before the race. Well, getting up at 3:30 threw me all out of wack. Or maybe I hadn't eaten enough the night before - I was so tired making dinner that I almost gave up. I don't know. But I started picking at the bagel during the drive, maybe around 4. Only I wasn't really picking at it. I was actually eating it. I had eaten most of it before I had gotten to the race, finishing up the rest of it while applying stickers and dawdling. By 6a, I was starving. I had a gel and figured that would do the trick. It did for a while. About 20 minutes into the ride, I was starving again. And since the first part of the ride is all uphill, I really needed to eat now rather than wait. I had a few Honey Stinger fruit chews and some water. Wasn't doing it. I had some Hammer Perpetuem. Still wasn't doing it. I didn't want to eat too much at once, but I needed something. I finally broke down and had another gel and lots more liquid. All of this caught up with me on the run when I really thought I was going to throw up. *Grossness alert* At one point, something started to come up and somehow I fought it but I had just passed a water stop and now had to wait another mile with this awful taste in my mouth. Lesson learned: eat before a race, but not 2.5 hrs before a race. Find a happier medium.

The Swim:
The waves weren't so much age groups rather than age buckets. They squeezed a whole lot of people into 6 waves. I was in the first wave (nice and early at 6:30), with all the other 35-39 (men and women) and the elites (men and women), and possibly some others thrown into the mix. It's a beach start and I don't remember how I worked it two years ago, but I couldn't figure out where I wanted to be. Starting with the elites, I certainly wasn't going to be front and center. And not knowing where the elites ended and the age groupers began, I ended up hanging back a bit. So I was stuck in the chaos up until the first buoy. I found someone to draft off of, but they were a little too slow so I kept running into their feet. Unfortunately my wetsuit was really rubbing against the back of my neck and it was starting to get painful. So I stayed with my draftee so I wouldn't have to turn my head so much. Heading back to shore, my swimcap felt like it was coming off. I reached up and sure enough, half of my head was exposed. So I kept trying to pull it forward, thinking I didn't have much farther to go, but clearly it was bothering me. I slowed down even more (as though that would keep it on). It was also really hard to figure out where we were supposed to get out of the water until we were pretty close to sure, so for a while, I really wasn't sure where I was going and decided to leave all my trust in the swimmers ahead of me. The problem with this particular swim course is that it's about 1/4 mile from transition, so it's a really long run up the beach, across the field, and then into transition. So not only are you going suddenly from horizontal to vertical, you now have to run 1/4 mile in a rubber suit. But so does everyone else...

T1:
 I didn't have any issues finding my bike this time (I would have felt really stupid if I had). I've been practicing my sockless rides and this was going to be the inaugural race. I figured it would save me so much time because I wouldn't have to dry my feet and try to put socks on wet feet. However, my feet were covered in grass and I felt like I had to get most of that off before putting shoes on or something was going to start poking me. I think I saved a total of 5 seconds. Maybe a little more because the transition area is on grass, which is awesome, because you can actually run on it in bike shoes and not really have to worry about wiping out. The thing is that you exit down a short little hill and then onto the parking lot to mount - so you can't be going too fast or wipeout is inevitable.

The Bike:
I remember the bike course being awful for the first half. It took me a while to get into a rhythm. But I was hoping for something different this time. Things seemed to start of better. The first few miles are some ups and downs and I seemed to be handling them okay. But once out of town, there's a long gradual climb until you get to the two big hills. This is where I died. I just couldn't find a good pace and was being passed right and left (well, left and more left). This was also where I got really hungry. My legs ached and I really didn't feel like I had it in me. My "training through" had caught up with me. I was really hoping that I'd be able to pull through and get at least the same or faster bike split during this race. I really wanted something to show that I was improving (my 1 second PR from last weekend wasn't quite what I was looking for). But I felt like I was starting giving up, and I just couldn't get my legs to move. I kept reminding myself that I was tired and that I had a really long week, but it just seemed like an excuse. And so I plodded on with this argument in my head. Once I got to the big climbs, I did feel better and was able to pick up my cadence and eventually my pace. I remember passing people on the climb two years ago and put that image into my head. I don't remember if I actually made it happen again, but I did get passed towards the top of the final climb, but I was sort of expecting it. The rest of the ride was much better - maybe because it's mostly downhill. But even the rollers felt pretty good. I wouldn't say I felt strong, but stronger than I had started. There would be no PR today - it was just a matter of hanging on. Once past the rollers, the rest of the ride is fast and the testosterone kicks in and the guys go flying past. It's a little weird on the final stretch because they close the entire lefthand side of the road. So do I ride on the right, which is actually the middle of the road, or stick to the curb. It wasn't quite as much of a dilemma as before, but it does make you think. Someone had crashed on the turn into this road and we had to swing wide around them. It's sort of unsettling to see someone sprawled out on the ground with paramedics on their way. It's also not a good picture to have in your mind. So I backed off a bit and let the testosterone through and started mentally getting ready for the run.

T2:
The dismount was fine, though a little slippery. But I struggled trying to push my bike up the short little hill into transition. Tiredness had clearly set in. I had put my bag at the front of the rack facing outwards so I'd know where to stop on the run back. I knocked one of my water bottles off while racking my bike and had to pick it up. I know I should have left it, but it was all of 5 seconds. I did have to take a little extra time as well to put on socks - I'm not sure I'm ready to try running sockless anytime soon. And then off again.

The Run:
The run starts off cutting across the field and down a steep hill out of the park, with the steep hill sort of catapulting you out of the park and onto the road. It's an out and back course, which is great because you get to see and cheer on the winners. And it's no so great in that you can see everyone that is ahead of you, but that really doesn't matter for me as there is always someone ahead of me. I don't really love the course. The options are to run on the road, which is banked, or to run on the sidewalk, and deal with all of the ups and downs of people's driveways. The last little bit by the turnaround is the only level surface, but a good deal of it is totally exposed. But it's only 6 miles, right? Things started off well - better than last week with no cramping. But I was really full at this point. Big surprise considering all I had eaten. I saw Adam around mile 2 and he was heading home. Suddenly 4 miles felt like a lot. I made it to the turnaround without any issue, but heading back, I started to feel like I was going to throw up. If you're reading from the beginning, you already know what happens so I won't go into it again. But it wasn't pleasant. I just took it one step at a time and soon I was back in the park, approaching the world's cruelest finish line. Recap from two years ago: as I was entering the park, a volunteer directing us was cheering everyone on and said "only 1/2 mile left". And I thought "yeah, right". She doesn't how far a 1/2 mile is. Besides, we're back in the park, close to the beach, so it's what, maybe 1/4 mile. Time to start kicking it. Well, she was right. Every bend I went around, there was always a person still in front of me. I could hear the finish line, just couldn't see it. At one point, we ran along this waterway and I looked across it and saw people still running, but the other way. Needless to say I was dying - when would it end. And then, shortly before the actual finish line, they put a timing pad and then have someone standing there yelling at you not to stop because it's not the finish. And then you finally hit the finish line gasping for air. End of recap. Well, even know what the finish is like didn't make it any less cruel this time around. And this time, the announcer and spectators were trying to get races to sprint finish. If they were anywhere near someone else, they'd be goaded on to try and beat each other. I picked up the pace a little on the final turn, but didn't really have it in me to go much harder. It's one thing to almost throw up somewhere out on the course. It's entirely different to do it right at the finish line. So I let the older guy that I had been tailing go flying past me at about a million miles per hour and gave him the "win". And then I saw the clock turn over from 2:59 to 3:00. Aaggghhh! If only I had known sooner, I would have tried to find something.


swim: 30:19
t1: 1:33
bike: 1:35:31 (18.8 mph)
t2: 1:19
run: 51:49 (8:21 pace)
total: 3:00:34

age: 10/64
female: 72/317
overall: 282/715

*Disclaimer
When I got my schedule, I almost cried. Monday off. Tuesday 25 mile ride, 13.5 mile run. Wed 4 mile run, 3200 meter swim. Thursday 18 mile ride, 7 mile run. Friday off. Saturday race. What?!? Um, I wasn't exactly sure how all of that was going to happen. But somehow it did. Most of it. It works out better for me (and the dogs) if I take Tuesdays off, so I decided to swap Monday and Tuesday. But of course, Monday was the day after the Sprint, so it was the ideal rest day. I decided that it was only a sprint, so I'd be fine. So Monday I rode at lunch and it was actually a really good ride. I felt really solid, and actually started to think that I could get through this week. I was going to run after work but around 3:00 or so, I started getting stomach pains. I think I had bad salad dressing. Anyhow, they were getting worse throughout the afternoon and all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball. Running under such conditions really didn't seem like a good idea. It probably wasn't even possible being that I was struggling just to walk. So I set the alarm for 4a Tuesday morning. I woke up and still felt sick. But Tuesday was supposed to be really hot in the afternoon (90s) so the odds of me going after work would be slim. I felt exhausted, and I needed to get this run in, so I decided to take a Wellness Day and called in sick. I slept for another few hours and then headed out for my run around 8:30. It was 75 degrees. It quickly heated up and it was high 80s when I finished. It didn't quite go according to plan. I had to stop a few times and run through some sprinklers as well as stop to walk for a bit. At one point, I figured I'd just stop and then try and get in a few more miles later in the day. But I decided that it would be better to just get it over all at once and so I plodded on. Overall I finished faster than I was expecting, so I was pretty happy with the results. I wasted the rest of the day buying new running shoes, running errands, and other general nothingness. It was a much needed day away from work, even though I did have to put in a few hours from home. Wednesday's 4 mile run went fine. I was surprised how okay my legs felt. Of course, I had been living in compression socks since Sunday's race (and would continue to do so for the rest of the week). The combination of compression socks, my massage stick, arnica, and some cooling metholy creme seemed to help tremendously (and there was an ice bath thrown in there after the long run). I was pretty dead for Wednesday's swim and just tried to hold on, which I can't really say I did. It was a good effort though. Thursday was another long run, but at a very easy pace, which was good considering I went out in the heat of the day at lunchtime. I ran with 2 people from work, which was probably a good thing as I may not have done the whole thing without them. It was getting damn hot out there, but fortunately Boulder Creek was right there and I stopped twice to dunk my hat (which felt SO GOOD!). The run ended up being roughly the same pace as my long run, which was decent considering it was much warmer out and I was way more tired. I also rode to and from work, not quite getting in my 18 miles, but pretty close. I was going to go longer, but figured Thursday night was my important night of sleep and figured it would be better to get home and rest instead. Friday was the long awaited for day off. It would have been great had I not had to work. But I guess I have to to support this lifestyle. Anyhow, I made it through the week and was just hoping for the best on Saturday.
*End Disclaimer

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Lines...A 5430 Sprint Race Report

I've raced the sprint 5 times. During the first 4 races I never waited more than 10 minutes to get my packet. But this one, I spent more time in lines than I did actually racing.

~1 hour to get checked off a list
~35 minutes to sign waivers and get the important stuff
~5 minutes for food
~20 minutes to get back into transition to get my stuff
~10 minutes to get out of transition with my stuff
plus the typical wait time to get out of the Res

But that's the pre-race report (see earlier posting)...

Leading up to the race, I was surprisingly chill about the whole thing. I guess it is a sprint. But I was totally organized hours before I went to bed. And I slept really well, waking only because Mobi required some attention (he had to be re-covered). I woke up before my alarm and was out of house right on schedule. I tried to get down a plain bagel, but it wasn't working out so well for me. I made it to the Res and parked without much waiting at all. My biggest concern was my foot. It's been bothering me for about the last 6 weeks, and is now being called sesmoiditis. Fortunately it doesn't bother me when I run, but the week before it was killing me when I walked. I was dreading walking around barefoot, which hurts the most. Due to poor planning or not paying attention, I ended up doing a lot more walking around barefoot before the race than I would have liked. My foot was incredibly tender as I was lining up for the swim start.

The Swim:
Fortunately the water was a little on the colder side and I think that helped numb my foot (it's been interesting that swimming is the one activity that I do feel the pain. Running and riding it's fine). Anyhow, it didn't bother me for the rest of the race. Phew. I started on the front line of the swim (first time), but to the outside. People were actually backing away from the line so when the gun went off, there wasn't really anyone coming up from behind and I had a straight shot. Unfortunately, it's a clockwise course and I breathe to my left, so I believe I swam a little wide. The swim was otherwise uneventful and before I knew it (it was a short swim afterall) I was back on the beach. I had managed to forget all about my foot and didn't really mind the run up to transition - but I was grateful for the carpeting they had laid out.

T1:
I ran past my rack. I sort of figured it would happen since every time I tried to find my rack, I ended up passing it. So much for quick transitions.

The Bike:
My fastest bike time on this course was set the very first year I did the race (2005) and on my old "tri" bike when I didn't really know what I was doing. Every year I don't even come close to beating it, despite a much nicer (lighter) bike and having a slightly better idea of what I'm doing. That being said, I've been trying to work on my cycling and feel like slowly, very slowly, I'm starting to improve. If there was ever a year to PR on the bike, it would be this year. I came out of the Res feeling pretty good and just started passing people. This is a big deal because I'm usually the one that gets passed and passed and passed. But I guess that's the one nice thing about having all of the guys starting first (and starting towards the end) - there weren't that many people behind me to pass me. But despite this, it felt different this time. I actually felt like I was riding well and passing a lot. I just hoped that I could keep it up. I thought I was going to get penalized on the first hill off of 36. It was right after the downhill stretch where everyone is flying, but then they get to the hill and sort of stop. Someone had just passed me, so I had to drop back, but then we were coming up on a few people that were a lot slower so both of us had to pass. I was starting to catch up with the person that had just passed me and turned to look behind me to make sure I wasn't about to cut someone else off. The ref was right there on the motorcycle, so I pulled back in - I wasn't about to throw myself in front of a motorcycle. But they didn't ride by, so I looked again and they were still there just watching. At this point I felt like I had to pass because I was getting way too close to the people in front of me. Since they weren't really moving, I pulled out. And because I thought they were watching me, I felt like I had to fly by everyone to make it look like I was trying to pass and had valid reason to. Fortunately it was towards the top of the hill so I didn't have to kill  myself for too long. I was able to power on the rest of the ride and felt pretty good coming back into the Res. If I didn't PR, I had to be pretty close.

T2:
I'm not sure why I didn't notice it on the way out on the bike - maybe because I was still catching my breath and orientation from going from horizontal to vertical. I got new cleats this past week since mine were WELL beyond their prime. And like a seasoned triathlete, I didn't bother trying them out before the race. When I got off the bike, I felt like I was running on reverse heels - they were so high and clunky. I had to slow down for fear of wiping out. Maybe it's time to start practicing leaving my shoes in my pedals. I swapped shoes, grabbed my hat, and was off.

The Run:
I drank a little too much on the ride and immediately had cramps on the run. They were severe enough that I couldn't run hard. So I plodded through the first mile until they eventually subsided. I was able to pick up the pace at this point and just tried to focus on getting faster over the last 2 miles. I'd like to this that I got faster each mile, but I can't say for sure. I certainly felt better each mile, and maybe that's more important. I finished strong despite being 3 minutes slower than my goal time.

swim: 14:06
t1: 2:01
bike: 51:01 (20.2 mph)
t2: 1:20
run: 25:22 (8:11 min/mile)
total: 1:33:48

age: 15/97
female: 79/553
overall: 395/1277

I did PR on the bike by 1 second. I'm still trying to figure that one out. I went from 20.1 to 20.2 but that only yielded a second faster. But oh well, I'll take it. And considering I was coming off of working 12 days straight, I'd say that overall, it was a pretty good race.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

What? Another Line? A Pre-race Report


I have never stood in so many lines for anything in my life. Here's a recap of packet pickup - an event in itself.

Line 1: The Big Black X
I got a call from Adam around 10:30a telling me I should get to the Res soon because the lines were already insane and there were only 2 people checking people in. So I got up from the couch and decided to go. Only I couldn't find my USAT card, which I just recently renewed. I know I put it in a good place, but that's my problem with my superb organizational system - it's such a good place that I can never find it. And usually when I do find it, I suddenly remember why I thought it was in such a good place the first time. I had no problem finding last years card - both the card and that keychain thing they give you as well. Maybe it's a hint that I should actually put it on my keychain. So after going through everything imaginable, I decided I just needed to print out a temporary card. I always have problems logging into the site - for some reason it just never recognizes my username and password and I have to find some backdoor approach. Well, I couldn't get in and I couldn't find the backdoor until I realized I was on some US Tennis site. After spending way too much time on this (I also had to hook up the printer), I finally had my temporary card. I got to the Res and the end of the line started at the finish line, then wrapped around the fencing, around the audience area of the stage, along a row of expo booths, and then around the corner. Thankfully I had sunscreen with me - I put it on immediately. Exactly what you want to do the day before a race: stand around in the hot sun. We were moving very slowly. As we got closer, we realized there was a second line. But for something else. We weren't allowed into the second line without first getting to the end of Line 1. It probably took an hour to get to the front of the line where a guy asked me my name, looked at my IDs, checked my name off of a list, asked where Adam was (since his name was right before mine), and then put a big X on my hand and told me to go to the other line. Seriously?

Line 2a: Waivers
Line 2 at least looked a lot shorter when we first discovered it. However, by the time we got in it, it had grown. By a lot. Everyone was complaining. The guy behind me had his two kids with him. The younger one was maybe 3. He did great. Right up until we were about to enter the tent (the end is near) and then just lost it. I really couldn't blame him. As I entered the tent, I was asked for my number. How the hell was I supposed to know that? I just got a X on my hand. Well, apparently we were supposed to look that up prior to entering the tent, only no one was communicating this. I found my number (1017) and got to the table. I gave them my number, showed them my ID again, and they gave me 2 pieces of paper. The first one was mostly pre-filled in and I was told to make sure it was accurate and to fill in the missing pieces. The second had my name and number printed on it, but was otherwise a standard waiver that had to be signed. I can guarantee you that almost everyone in the lines would have foregone the pre-filled forms and would have been happy to fill out all pieces of information, while standing in line, thereby reducing the number of stations for which we had to stand in line.

Line 2b: Filing
Papers were signed and delivered to the next station. Apparently at one point, you were not permitted to move to the next station until after they filed your papers (hence the pre-numbers???). Fortunately they realized that we'd still be standing in line well beyond the end of the race if they kept that up.

Line 2c: I must be a moron
The next stage was the big one. This was where I got what I had been waiting for all along - bib, stickers, swimcap. I was first asked for my ID. Really? It would have been nice if they had at least warned you to keep your ID out and available. I kept putting my back in my wallet and then my wallet back in the bottom of my bag. And then had to dig around for it later. I turned to the woman next to me, who was also very close to a meltdown, and sighed that we had to show our IDs. Again. She turned to her volunteer and asked if she needed her ID. When she said yes, she just threw her ID at her. She was done. Anyhow, after confirming that once I again I was me, I was handed a bag and swimcap and I started to turn to leave. I was stopped. I was told that I must listen to this woman who would go over instructions quickly. Before she started, she held up a piece of paper and said that if I forgot anything she said, I could refer to this piece of paper that had the SAME EXACT INFORMATION that she was about to go over. Do I really need to listen to you if 1) I've done this before and 2) I can read it for myself in the comfort of my own home where I'm out of the heat and off of my feet? The answer was yes. And she was anything but quick. You have two bibs, one for the bike and one for the run. Do you have a race belt? Oh you do, well, then you'll have an extra bib. Okay now, this number is going to go on your helmet. And this number is going to blah, blah, blah. Got it. Can I go now? Finally I was excused to...

Line 2d: I paid for what?
All this money. All this time in line. And I get a crappy cotton t-shirt.

Welcome to corporate racing. I'm bringing a chair for the Peak.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Something Good in Between Rain Drops

I have never seen so much rain!!! My backyard is a sponge. You sink into about an inch of water stepping into the grass. Needless to say Mobi won't go anywhere near it and his been walking along the edges of the yard (Mobi really needs to have his own post one day). I had to work all weekend, which kind of sucked, but I have to say that I couldn't have picked a better weekend to be stuck at work. If I hadn't been working, I probably would have been sitting on my ass, watching the World Cup, and eating my way through the weekend. So maybe it was a good thing - we really did get through a lot.

I tried to squeeze my workouts in between working a full day and the rain. I figured that I might have a shot of getting out a little early on Sunday, so I saved my brick for then. Which meant that I headed over to the pool around 5:30 pm for a Saturday night swim. I know, lame. There were a few other people there, but after about 15 minutes, I was alone and in the rain. I left work with a headache and wasn't expecting to make it through my swim. But there was something about being in the pool by myself on such a dreary day that made me want to swim. Besides, what else was I going to do being that I have such an exciting social life (Matt and I ended up watching a movie, which is probably what we would have done had I not had to work). My headache went away and I had a really good swim.

Sunday was much of the same. Work. Rain. Rain. More rain. Work. And so on...I didn't get to leave as early as I thought and ended up getting home around 4:30 or so. Technically my workout should have been something like a 2.5 hr ride and then an hour run. Technically the timing of that would have worked out. But I move a little slower through "transitions" when I'm at home. It took me a while to get set up on the trainer - I never thought I'd be on the trainer in June! I got stuck in the storm on Thursday (really bad idea!) and had to clean my bike off before it came back into the house. I had to get a movie set up, get water, get food, etc. So I didn't start riding until around 5. The movie ended after 90 minutes. I decided to call it good and try and get in part of my run. With two races around the corner, the brick seemed more important than a long ride. Surprisingly it was still raining. And it was 6:30. Anyone in their right mind would have been jumping at the opportunity to go out for a run. You can sense my lack of motivation here, but you probably can't blame me, especially if you were in town this weekend and lived through The Weekend of Sogginess. I dragged myself out the door. I realized once I was outside that I had forgotten my iPod, but I had a feeling if I went back inside to get it, I wouldn't be coming back outside, especially having felt the conditions. I also had to keep my Garmin under my sleeve because I was worried about that water (I've had to send a Garmin back before because of water getting in under the glass). My sleeve was kind of tight and it would be difficult to keep checking the time. So I decided, well, I have no music, I might as well have no watch either. I decided to try and do the run in what I thought was a mid-Z3 pace and would see how well I did when I finished. I took off and by the time I got to the end of the block (about 6 houses), I realized that I felt pretty good (possibly due to being cooped up all weekend at work). I settled into what I felt was my desired pace and just ran. Even the hills didn't seem that bad. 5.2 miles later I was back. And soaking wet. When I finally checked my watch I saw that I was right where I thought I was, averaging 149 bpm, and just slightly slower than my BB pace (more proof that I had a crappy BB). I sort of surprised myself with this and it turned the weekend around. Though I didn't get to do much over the weekend, I still managed to end it on a really strong note. I'm actually starting to feel prepared for racing the next two weekends (note that I said starting to feel prepared...not there just yet).

Sunday, June 6, 2010

I Think It's A Carrot

Okay, I'm not really sure what it is, but it's sprouting up roughly from where I planted carrots. Of course, it could be a weed. I'll let you know in a few weeks.

But the garden is coming along. Everything is officially planted and the sprinkler system is all hooked up. I still think I have a few more weeks of adjusting the sprinklers and times to make sure everything is getting enough water, but so far, so good. And if I must say, my tomatoes are looking a lot better than my neighbors.

I have my first pepper, which was not planted from seed...











And my first green beans poking through, which were planted from seed...These guys are really determined. Four of them worked their way up through the dirt yesterday while I was out riding.