Pleasant Prairie Olympic Distance Tri

This week was a recovery week for me, so why not do 3 races in 8 days??? Seriously, I decided to sign up for this one the day before to try out some new nutritional products (First Endurance - EFS drink and the Liquid Shot gel) to see if they would help with the stomach issues. I also wanted to try out a different seat on my bike (John Cobb) before making a final decision as to what to purchase (Cobb vs. Adamo).

So, we got up super early (yet again) and headed south in a thunderstorm. I changed up my breakfast routine and drank a 12oz bottle of EFS with 3/4 scoop of pre-race in it on the way there. Luckily the storm went away and we were able to start the race on time.

The announcer commented that there was an abrupt drop-off from the shore going into the swim, but I didn't realize it was THAT abrupt. I ran into the water and foop! fell of the ledge. I went from the first row of swimmers to middle of the pack just like that! Over the course of the swim I managed to catch back up and ended up coming out of the water 3rd.

I ran into T1, found my bike easily, but got stuck in the legs of my wetsuit (a little bit). Finally I grabbed the bike and ran it out of transition (the long way). Oh well. Anyway, I got on to the bike course and rode fairly strong. Around mile 5, a woman went flying past me. (She was the one who went on to eventually win the race). She was really strong. There was no way I could hang with her, so I just stayed on my pace and did my own race. I had an Liquid Shot gel and a swig of EFS drink about 55 minutes into the race. Overall, the roads were good considering the earlier thunderstorms, and the wind wasn't too bad.

I came into T2, switched to running gear and got onto the run course. Right away my stomach started sloshing and I thought, "Oh no...". I ran faster than I thought I would, considering the slosh, for the 1st mile.



I backed it off some for the 2nd mile as the slosh continued and a side stitch started. Matt was cheering around the 2.5 mile mark and yelled at me to breathe. I did and it helped some. I continued to exhale every 6th stride on my left foot, but also threw in a sigh/cough/deep belly breath in occasionally and this seemed to help some. The slosh eventually went away around mile 3 and I continued on with only the side stitch to deal with. I tried to think about my breathing and my running form and this seemed to help too. I managed to run it in without too much of a problem and was happy with my finish.

Swim - 22
Bike - 1:09
Run - 43
2:18
3rd Overall Woman

Super Run = Super Fun

I had watched the Super Run in the past, but this was the first time that I was an actual participant. I was pretty nervous going into the race as this was the first 5K I had done in a couple of years. Also, I still had some lingering stomach pain from the 1/2 IM a few days before. Regardless, I decided to give it a shot. I started near the front of the pack by Matt and Scott Bowe. There were a few other girls up there with me, so I wasn't alone. The run started off quickly and headed down a winding hill. I reached the first mile marker just after reaching the bottom of the hill. I glanced at my watch and was startled to see how fast I'd run; and with no abdominal discomfort/pain. I just hoped I could hold on and not die :) Inevitably, the next 2 miles were slower than the first and a couple of girls passed me. I had some stomach pain and a side stitch, but managed to work through it (although I probably sounded pretty bad--lots of huffing and puffing and grunting). The best part of the race was between miles 2 and 3 when I ran up the big hill with Scott and Jim (see picture above). They really made the hill fun! I ran in the last mile, finished the race, and was pretty happy with my time overall. I am still amazed at how fast 5ks can be and how hard they are! I think I would rather do one as part of a triathlon than stand alone! Great job to all the TriWisconsin and GearGrinder racers, and thanks to John White for organizing a very well-run race!

Highcliff 1/2 Ironman

This was the 3rd time that I competed in the 1/2 IM at Highcliff. It was a great race with a beautiful course as usual. Typically we go up on Friday night and stay over, although this year we decided to drive up to the race that morning. We woke up at 3:30am (ugh!) got packed up and headed out the door by 4am. I had 2 Cliff bars for breakfast at 4am, and then 1/2 a can of Red Bull around 4:30 or 5am. I was really tired on the way up to the race as I had been up late for several nights in a row. I kept dozing off in the car on the way to the race--don't worry, Matt was driving!

We got to the race around 5:45am. We put our bikes together and found out that my rear tire was rubbing. We switched rear tires and put Matt's on my bike, but it was actually worse. I ended up just riding the tire with the rub. As a result of all the mishaps with the tire, we didn't get a chance to warm up and were rushed with packet pick-up and transition set-up. We ran down to the race start and got there within a couple of minutes of the start.

The water was pretty choppy from the wind and the swim was pretty wavy. I had trouble sighting buoys and felt a little sea sick at times. I did a lot more breaststroke strokes than usual, just trying to get my bearings. I wanted to make sure that I didn't swim off course (like at Lake Mills). Finally, I rounded the last buoy and swam into shore. Wetsuit strippers were provided at the race this year and I decided to take advantage of it since I generally have trouble getting my suit off. The strippers were great. They helped me and I ran into transition. A spectator shouted to the girl right infront of me that she was the 2nd woman out of the water; so I knew I was in contention...

I got out of T1 and onto the bike ahead of her. I was conservative riding up the hill and onto the bike course. I had some muscle tightness in my deltoids the first 10 miles, likely related to the new bike and positioning, but it subsided after that and I was fine. I really liked the new bike set up (Planet X Exocet). My legs felt much stronger and powerful, and less tired while biking. I had borrowed an Adamo bike seat from Dave Orlowski, and really liked it. Dave had also lent me a Lazer aero helmet to try and that was pretty awesome too. Overall, I had a good bike split, but found that I had difficulty focusing on biking. I had to consciously remind myself several times to focus on what I was doing. I tried to time myself between each 5 mile marker to measure for consistency and found that I ranged anywhere between 12-13 minutes all the way up to 17-18 minutes. I waited for the faster woman bikers to catch me on the course, but no one did; until the last 3-5 miles. That was when the first girl caught me, other than Jackie Arendt, who was miles ahead of me by now. I kept her in sight all the way to T2. She exited before me, but I caught her going up the hill on the run. We ran together for a while (which was kind of nice--I liked the company) and traded positions on and off. I was having a bad stomach day and could tell from the first mile on the run that it was going to be a tough one.

Throughout the run I battled sloshy stomach, side stitch, and the infamous Adrienne abdominal pain (intense cramping-almost like a charlie horse-1.5 inches to the right of my belly button). I was able to keep the stomach issues somewhat in check by using breathing strategies and briefly walking through a couple of aid stations. I started to feel better around mile 6 and picked up the pace a little bit. By mile 7.5 or 8 the side stitch and pain were back again; and worse. I had to stop and walk for about 300 yards. Renne Groff Richards passed me and encouraged me to run with her, but I couldn't. I started to run again, but at a very slow pace. The stomach pain and side stitch never went away and Sue Pierson passed me around mile 10. It was frustrating because the rest of my body didn't feel tired. Finally, I shuffled through the last few miles and then ran down the hill and into the finish line.

Overall, I was happy with my race as I had improved my time from previous years (even with accounting for the short swim). I am still baffled by my abdominal pain and need to do some more reading on it. I think the gluten-casein free diet has helped, but there is definitely more to it than that.

Keep doin' it:
- Adamo seat
- Lazer aero helmet
- Positive mental attitude

Things to Ponder:
- More Saltstick tablets on bike and run
- 1 salt tab per mile on run
- 2 salt tabs for breakfast
- Powermeter to keep effort/pace even
- Trade out Red Bull for First Endurance EFS Pre Race
- 21 mm tubular tire doesn't rub; also use long set screw tabs

Lake Mills Sprint Triathlon

Lake Mills Sprint Triathlon
June 2010

The morning was beautiful and great for racing. There was a slight wind, but no rain and a decent temperature. Matt and I arrived to the race somewhat later than I would have liked and I felt rushed. I completed a 15 minute warm-up on the bike, but did not get a chance to run. I had to hurry to set up my transition area and get into my wetsuit. I didn't get much of a chance to look around transition to get an idea of where I was located, run/bike in/out, etc.

I started the race in the elite wave. I was very focused on getting out fast and swimming straight with the rest of the group as I had made some mistakes with this in the past at this race and had gotten beat up in the swim. I made it to the first and 2nd buoy ok without getting whacked too badly. The problem started after the 2nd buoy as we had to turn back into shore. The small orange cone on the beach was impossible to see. I stopped twice to tread water and try to catch my bearings as to where to head on the shoreline. I noticed that the swimmers had split into two groups; one was further to my right, the other slightly to my left. The lifeguard shouted, "Go straight!" and I followed the group slighty to my left. As I came up to the shore line, I noticed swimmers standing. I was very confused. The swimmers yelled, "Go that way!" and pointed to my right. I looked over and noticed that the water exit was about 100m to my right! Frustrated, I swam hard over to the correct swim exit and ran out of the water and into transition. I was flustered and somewhat clumsy in my transition, but eventually I got out on to the bike course. I rode strong, trying to keep a positive attitude about the race.

The bike course was mostly flat with a few rollers. The wind was there, but not overly strong. I was able to stay in the aero position for most of the ride. Early on I had several men and 1 woman pass me on the bike. She was flying and I never saw her again. In the last 3-5 miles, another woman passed me on the bike. I kept her within sight and was able to pass her back in the last 1/2 mile on the way into transition. We basically ran into transition together. Again, my transition was slow. I missed my spot by a few racks and had to back track to rack my bike. I then SAT DOWN to put on my running shoes and ran out of transition heading the wrong way! Matt yelled to me to turn around. I did and eventually got out on to the run course.

As a result of my blunders in T2 the girl who I had come into transition with was now slightly ahead of me on the run. I caught her easily and found a good rhythm while running. I never ended up putting my race belt around my waist and decided to just carry it in my hand instead. I had also decided to forgo putting on a hat in transition (mostly because I had camped out there for much too long already that day!). I glanced at my watch at the first mile marker and was pleased with my time (6:14), but a little wary of what might lie ahead of me as this was a fast split for me. I decided to hold my pace anyway and just see what happened. At mile 2 my split was 12:04. Again I was surprised, but tried to hold the pace. I had a slight side stitch the last mile, but was able to continue with a good pace. I came into the finish line and was very pleased with my run split as it was a 5K PR for me.

Overall I had fun at the race. I had several friends come over from Milwaukee to cheer me on (thanks for coming Tina and Paul!!!!!) and it was nice to see others from both Gear Grinder and Tri Wisconsin out there on the race course. There were definitely many costly mistakes made that day and a lot that I can learn from my performance going into my next race.


Keepers:
1. Cutting the arms/legs further on my wetsuit really helped me get it off better.
2. Nike lunar racers without socks worked well for the 5K.
3. Don't be afraid to run strong and push the pace.
4. Continue to have fun no matter what happens during the race.
5. Continue to cheer people on and stay positive.

Mistakes to learn from:
1. Get to the race earlier to have more time to warm up, check out the race course, mentally go through transition area and designate landmarks for where rack and swim finish are located. The swimming error probably cost me 1:30 and my transitions should each be 20-30 seconds faster. These errors cost me 2nd place.
2. Try elastic quick laces in shoes.
3. Stand up in T2 when putting on shoes rather than sitting down.
4. Work on getting transitions faster for sprint distances.
5. Keep working on the bike; this is still a relative weakness as compared to running and swimming.

Running in the rain

Last night my super awesome friend, Tina, showed up to do a training run with me. It was sunny for most of the afternoon, but just before we started our run it started to rain. The rain was fairly light and as we started running I said to her, "It'll probably blow over". Twenty minutes later we were in the midst of a downpour with lightening and thunder all around us. We completed the run, but were both soaking wet. It was a ton of fun. Only later did I find out that they were telling people to take cover the entire time we were out running! I guess you never know what the weather is going to be like on race day, and we definitely got a chance to train in the rain...

2010 American Triple T

For the 3rd year in a row we went to Ohio to do the American Triple T, which is 4 races in 3 days. Friday night is a super sprint (250 m swim, 5 mile bike, 1 mile run), Saturday is 2 olympic distance races (1 in the AM and 1 in the PM), and Sunday is a 1/2 ironman. This year I teamed up with Joel Aziere to race in the coed team division. Going into the race Joel was a bit unsure of himself as he had surgery on both legs less than 1 year ago. Despite that he decided to give it a whirl and I was there to support him.

Friday--Race #1:
After a 9 hour drive (mostly through rain), we rolled into Shawnee State Park near Portsmouth, OH. We had pleanty of time to check into our cabin, get our race registration packets, and get to the starting line. I decided to forego a wetsuit for this first race as the swim is pretty short. Luckily by the start of the race the pavement was fairly dry, so I wasn't too worried about spinning out on the bike. Overall, the race went well, but the grass was very soggy making the run a bit treacherous. Regardless, I finished faster than in previous years and was happy with my race.



Saturday--Race #2:
This race was an olympic distance (1500 m swim, 25 mile bike, 6.2 mile run). I had brought a total of 3 pairs of running shoes (mostly due to indecision about which shoes to wear on my part), and it was good that I did as my shoes were very soggy and muddgy from the previous night's race. I decided to run in my older pair of running shoes because of the mud. The one thing I forgot was that these shoes did not have quick tie laces in them. Also, they ended up moving the run course up to the road anyway. Overall, I had a good race performance as compared to previous years; even with having to tie both shoes durng T2.

Saturday--Race #3:
This was the 2nd olympic distance for the day, but with a different order (bike, swim, run). This is always my favorite race, because it favors the swimmer. It had stormed heavily over night on Friday and into the early hours of Saturday morning causing the water temperature to drop to 58 degrees. Therefore, I decided that a wetsuit would be a good idea. Putting on a wetsuit after biking and in a hurry is never an easy thing to do, but for me I think getting the darn thing off is equally as hard (see end summary comments). The race strategy that Joel and I decided to use for this race worked well. Joel went ahead on the bike with the plan that I would catch up to him on the swim and that we would then run together. Joel had run well up to this point, but his legs were starting to give him some problems. Despite this, he was able to finish the race, but not without difficulty. This race went pretty well for me too, other than I stupidly sighted off the wrong buoy once and had to correct my swim line, which probably cost me a minute or two.

Sunday--Race #4:
This was the last race of the weekend, the 1/2 ironman. Joel's legs were not doing great by this point in time and we were pretty sure that we were going to have to walk most of the run. Our strategy was that we were both going to swim a good effort and then that Joel was going to catch me (and pass me if possible) on the bike. He would get a headstart on the run and I would catch up to him; or we would start the run together depending upon how things went. My swim went well, except I had to weed through a lot of traffic. Had trouble getting my darn wetsuit off AGAIN and a volunteer kindly helped me pull my foot out of the last leg at the very end. I hit the bike and biked a solid first loop. I still hadn't seen Joel by the time I came into the transition area for the aid station/turn around. I thought this was kind of weird--especially since I dropped my water bottle on the course once and had to go pick it up--but I kept going. I was pushing the bike harder than I probably would have if I was sure that I was going to actually run the run. Although, the whole time I was thinking...what happens if something happens to Joel and I have to run the run? Would I actually be able to run at a decent pace with how I am biking? I kept the pace up and ignored the nagging voice in my head that kept asking this question. I ended up even-pacing both loops on the bike and came into T2 still without seeing any sign of Joel....and there he was...with a bag of ice on his leg and limping towards me. He had felt something pop in his calf as he was just heading out for the 2nd loop on the bike. He turned around and came back. He was told to stop racing by the medical staff. Yikes! I wasn't quite sure what to do. I decided to head out onto the run course and asked Joel to check and see if my race would still count if I finished it. Part of me wanted to stop, but the other part of me wanted to finish and really race. As I came in to the turn around on the run, Joel yelled, "Your time DOES count!" I kept going even though I was very tired. The run was very challenging with lots of hills, and I could feel my feet and my quads getting beat up. I smiled to myself because I knew this meant I was really pushing my limits. I looked forward to being sore the next day. Finally I made it up (and down) the last hill and onto the pavement. The finish line was in sight. I tried to focus on form and pick up the pace. I came into the finish line and was very happy with my ability to run as well as I had even with working the bike a bit harder than I would have if I had planned to run.

Keepers:
1. wear wetsuit on race #3 to prevent cramping/freezing to death
2. like the lunar series by Nike (lunar racers and lunar glides)
3. tubular tire and CO2 cartridge in 1/2 cut H20 bottle in rear cage worked well with pitstop taped to top tube for all races. In longer races where I need to carry 2 bottles with liquid or gels, will have to adapt this...but worked well this weekend.
4. 5 gels on bike during 1/2 IM worked well. Also drank almost 2 bottles of water during the bike and had no stomach issues on the run (e.g., sloshing, puking, etc. like in past). I also took in water, Heed, and Coke on the run without problems.
5. liked the dry max socks--less blisters than in previous year and smaller too!
6. Continue to bike at a pace harder than I think I can, because I can still get off and run a good race.
7. Continue to have fun no matter what happens during the race.
8. Continue to cheer people on and stay positive.

You did WHAT???? Are you a newbie???
1. make sure all running shoes have quick ties on them--duh.
2. figure out how to get that stupid wetsuit off quicker--I have already cut the arms and legs and use tons of body glide and zoot suit spray. Any other ideas anyone??
3. make sure to sight buoys a little better.
4. don't drop your water bottle on the course

Add to throw in a story about my history at TTT: Back in 2008 a couple of friends convinced me to do this crazy race in OH called the American Triple T, which is composed of 4 races in 3 days (Day 1: super sprint, Day 2: Olympic distance in the morning and then again in the afternoon, Day 3: 1/2 Ironman). I had only done about 2 triathlons before this, both sprint distances, but was reassured by these friends that I could make the distance. I completed the first race, the super sprint, without difficulty and impressed myself after completing the first Olympic distance the morning of the 2nd day. As I was standing in the very cold water after the 2nd race, a fellow racer asked me what the longest distance was that I had completed in triathlon. I looked at him and said, "The Olympic...this morning". I thought he was going to fall over :).

The 2nd Olympic distance and the 1/2 Ironman the next day were both team races; meaning that you do the race with your teammate and that you are allowed to draft. The Olympic Saturday afternoon was hard, but relatively uneventful. The real challenge was the next day. The 1/2 Ironman was the hardest thing I had ever done up to that point in time. I was very tentative on the bike; never riding in the aero position and very tired upon coming into T2. We headed out for the run and somewhere during the 13.1 mile run course I bonked badly. (I had only eaten 2 or 3 gels on the bike. I had no idea how to eat during a race or how much to eat.) I lost track of where I was in the race and became disoriented. My partner looked at me when I said that I needed to walk and said, "How bad is it?" I replied, "I think I need medical." She then looked at me and when we hit the next aid station made me drink some fluid and take about 9 salt tablets! I started to feel better and she kept encouraging me on saying, "Come on! You're better than all these other girls!" We ended up finishing the race and doing well. I had accomplished my longest triathlon distance ever that weekend (3 different times) and celebrated by puking up just about everything that I tried to consume for several hours post-race (including a delicious home-made cherry torte--rats!!!!). I divorced my friends for several days after the race, but it must not have been too bad since I returned to race the American Triple T again in 2009 and 2010...

Adrienne Amman - Lane 4

The water is rough, the wind is strong, and the sky is dark. I'm in, are you?