Shifts and Celebrations!!!!!!

Utah Half Iron Distance Race Report
1.2 mile swim**, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run

** Swim cut in half due to high winds.

[all photos by Tony Taylor]

It astounds me how circumstances have a way of converging to give us the exact experience that we are supposed to have. This is what happened for me at the Utah Half iron distance race on August 15, 2009.

I've never had so many ups and downs during a race and never have they been so profound. In many ways this is the hardest race I've ever done.

Glenn and I before the start:



Pre Race

Normally Provo, Utah is in the low 90s with a bit of humidity this time of year. So I don't think anyone expected the weather we got. When we got up it was a moderate breeze. By the time the swim start came around, the breeze had grown to ugly, almost squall like conditions, blowing one of the swim markers across the harbor.

The swim start was delayed. Ah yes. The only other time I've experienced a significant race delay: Silverman! For the same reason. Wind and chop. Chop and wind. The water didn't look that bad actually but they could not secure the rampant swim marker. According to Glenn they did not have the right equipment for those conditions. Since the water is usually glass flat and calm this time of year, you can't really blame them.

Everyone seemed to be taking the delay in stride. I passed some of the time talking with a fellow athlete named Klause, who we had met the day before. This was Klaus's first half iron!

Here we are during the delay. Some other awesome gal gave Klause her hoodie to wear because it was actually chilly out.


After about 45 minutes the race director announced that we had a short "window" during which we would only swim one loop of the 1.2 mile course instead of two. The wind and weather were supposed to get worse. He urged anyone who did not want to swim to not swim but said he did not believe in canceling swims. Thank goodness! Yay, we were starting!

Swim

The men went off and five or so minutes later we got the go ahead.

The first few minutes were okay but the water felt strange. The chop was like nothing I had swum in before. Glenn said later that was because we were swimming directly into a stiff headwind -- 20-30 knots. After a few moments of being tossed around in a way that felt foreign to me I panicked.

I bobbed upright and looked around for a boat, a kayak, anything. Nothing was near me. I flagged a kayak and it looked like he was trying to get to me. I wanted OUT of the water NOW. But he either could not get to me or hadn't really seen me so after awhile I gave up and pressed on.

This happened three more times before I reached the turnaround. One time another girl near me asked if I was okay and I told her yes. Each time it happened a few deep breaths helped the situation and I knew I was okay. By now I have the experience to handle this type of thing. I never needed rescuing. I was glad there were no boats near me or I would have left the water.

32 minutes later I was being helped up the slimy boat ramp by some volunteers.

SO, the swim was sucky in a way but I'm glad I have that experience now. I could not have cared less about my time -- in fact I forgot to start my watch before we started. This race was not about time. Well it sort of was but in the end it was not. PERSPECTIVE!

I like this photo from the Zazoosh.com website so I "lifted" it to put here:



Swim: 32:23 for approximately .6 miles
T1

Transition seemed to take forever but I didn't care. This being only my second half iron, I was determined not to miss anything.

Tony captured this great shot of me leaving transition.


T1 time: 04:38

Bike

Ahh the bike. I have such a love/hate relationship with the bike. Ever ride angry? Well I have. On this day, on this course.

I wasn't sure what to expect from 56 miles of FLAT course but I had a very specific plan, straight from Coach: keep cadence at 85-90 at all times and stay in zones 2-3. Follow nutrition plan. Got it. And I did that. The entire ride.

The first 10 miles or so were good. The course was well marked and there was a porta potty at a construction site a few miles out from transition. I reference this because there were no porta potties whatsoever on the bike course itself. I knew the one at the construction site was there from our course preview. Not wanting to disrupt my transition rhythm I waited until I reached it to make a pit stop. It was clean and well stocked. Score!

As I was leaving the porta potty one of the girls who came out of the water after me came by and passed. Since we were riding at about the same pace I followed her, staying an appropriate distance back. A drafter I am NOT. I don't even know how to draft on the bike.

After awhile another girl passed, saying she had gotten lost. Yikes that had to suck! She was riding a faster pace and soon was gone. As the miles went by the gal who passed me at the porta potty increased her lead and I was pretty sure I was riding in last place. This is when things started to turn ugly in my head.

As the course went from Provo out to farm country, the wind increased. Every turn seemed to have a new headwind. No, wait, crosswind! Honestly I didn't mind it too much. It wasn't hot and I have a lot of wind training under my belt. While I was following my race plan closely, once athletes started passing, coming the other way on this out and back course, my mood and mindset went downhill.

I felt self conscious about being last. In fact I felt 100% mortified.

There is nothing wrong with being last!

Sure I believed this intellectually but my emotions told an entirely different story. Apparently, for me, there was something wrong with being last!

Although I had planned to stay in the moment and stay positive, I found myself really just getting angry. Some of the athletes that passed me coming the other way said "good job" and this just pissed me off even more. Who did they think they were, talking down to me like that!

At the same time this awful anger was building up inside of me the sky grew so dark I had to remove my sunglasses. Then the wind picked up again and the stinging rain started. And a few hailstones.

Now, while this weather sucked (to be sure) and I found it incredibly ironic that the ONLY other time I've ridden in rain in my entire life was at Silverman, the weather was incidental to what was going on in my mind. Everyone faces the same weather. Only I had to face the demons that decided to show up to ruin my ride.

I reached the turnaround, in last place and felt like the whole world was taunting me. Tony and Glenn were out there in our Suburban and at one point I put on the brakes intending to pull over and ask them to take me to transition. What made me change my mind and keep going I have no idea. I spent the next few miles regretting that decision and hoping they would stop again or I would get pulled from the course.

The last LAST straw came when I realized a police officer was following me out of farm country. It took a few minutes to figure out: HEY! They always follow the LAST ONE.

I'M LAST.

I SUCK.

WOW.

THIS REALLY F*CKING BLOWS.

My thoughts turned to the run and I decided there was no way I was going to run. I was too angry, too stressed, I was last, it just wasn't going to happen!

And when, for a few brief moments before hitting transition I thought I had gotten lost (I hadn't) I swore I was going to strangle the race director for inadequate signage (it was adequate).

So why would I write all of this negative stuff here on my blog? Because it happened and I'm being honest about it. Because I refuse to sugar coat things. Because this is a really great example of how putting too much pressure on oneself can lead to ugliness in the mind, when objectively I had a great ride (for me) that I would have been proud to log into training peaks had it been a training ride.

Had this been a training ride it would be a great ride for me to build on to get stronger, faster, more confident . . . . Oh wait, I'm still doing it, even now, nearly two weeks later.

Correction: It IS a great ride for me to build on. :-)

For those few hours though, all I could see it as was I am last, I suck, I hate everyone out here, this completely blows.

Bike time: 04:05:08 -- PR at this distance!

T2

So, as you can imagine, I was seething coming into T2. It was completely deserted, so much so that Glenn and Tony walked right in with me and Glenn took my bike and racked it. Without thinking (this is key) I went through the motions of transitioning into my run gear, having absolutely NO intention to run.

I told Glenn that there really was no reason for me to go on.

"Why?" He asked.

I had no answer. Therefore I had to run.

Just f*cking great!

Tony recognized the photo op.



Then some kind words from a fellow Las Vegas triathlete really helped to shift the awful space my head was in. Pierre, from the Las Vegas Tri Club came into transition having just finished (he did a 4:30 or something in that neighborhood). He looked at me and said "hey I recognize you." And he did. From last years Silverman Volunteer dinner where Tony and I sat next to him, his wife and their daughters and talked.

It took only a few seconds for him to figure out my predicament and he said something to the effect of "just keep going, you'll get there."

Great. Here I go, with tons of enthusiasm (NOT).


T2: 03:59

The Run

The moment I picked my feet up and started running everything changed.

Just.That.Fast.

It was astounding really. I don't think I've ever experienced anything quite like it.

Legs felt fresh, body felt loose and ready to run, I fell into a rhythm immediately and felt like I had found my Happy Place.

All of the stigma I had attached to being last while on the bike fell away and I wanted to smile and enjoy myself. So that's what I did! Glenn rode alongside me for a few minutes on his mountain bike and the first loop of the two loop course seemed to fly by.

And, it didn't take long to figure out that there was a handful of folks only a few minutes ahead of me -- since I no longer cared about being last this was a nice BONUS. We high fived and said encouraging words to each other during the multiple out and back trails that made up the two loops.

I loved this run course! Completely flat, partly along the water, nice shaded areas. And thanks to the storm, that by now had blown over and given way to sun, it still was not hot. Which was good because I had forgotten my salt tabs in transition (only nutrition mistake the whole race).

The first 8 miles were great, the next 2 were pretty good, and the last three were hard. Yeah they sucked. I would be lying if I said that I didn't struggle (and cry some) those last three miles. But it wasn't because I was second to last (one guy was behind me now) it was just that "I need to be done now" feeling.

And my pace, I must say, was quite a bit slower than I would have liked. But my run suffered the most in my training leading up to this race. At times my heart wasn't in it, so I got what I put into it and it's fine. Overall, my time here seriously does not reflect what I'm capable of. And that's okay. For now. :-)

I am to this day so grateful to have shifted into a good place in my head again!!!

Run time: 2:58:32

Here I am finishing:



And here I am a few seconds later:


Total time: 07:44:41

If I had to do this race over again I would change nothing.

I was well trained, well prepared, followed my race plan, executed a solid race, and got a PR!!

My attitude on the bike? Of course I'm tempted to say I would change that. But had I not been in that dark angry place (which is not altogether a strange place for me -- I used to spend tons more time there than I do now), I would never have experienced that huge, instantaneous shift into the run. Seriously, I wouldn't trade that.

The willingness to follow through + great support (Glenn, Tony and Pierre) = Awesomeness!!!!!!!

I love this sport. So much.

BAM Race Report!!!!

The Battle at Midway Triathlon
Midway, Utah
June 13, 2009

Olympic Distance:

15oo meter swim
22.8 mile bike
5.97 mile run

I'm back! Back to blogging after a three week (or more) hiatus, and this past weekend I was BACK in Midway for the Battle at Midway Olympic distance triathlon, or BAM!

BAM was even more fun this year than last. Seriously? How is that even possible?? Well for starters it was fun to come BACK to a race that I really loved last year, being a year older, a year smarter and a year FITTER.

It seems like almost nothing about me is the same as last year. Different mindset, different body, and of course I've done Silverman! :-)

So here are the quick and dirty results, followed by more detail:

Quick and Dirty Results + Comparison:

BAM 2009 total time: 3:15:11
BAM 2008 total time: 3:43:16

YEAH.

I love numbers when they look like this!

More Detail

We drove up to Midway on Thursday and it was just as awesome as I remembered. Tony, my 69 year old phenom training buddy, came with us. When we got there, he pitched a tent at T1 near the lake and near the race director's pop up trailer. For the next two days he immersed himself in helping them set up and everything else that A List High Level Volunteers do. On race day, wherever I turned, Tony was there! It was amazing.

On race morning it was very overcast but not that cold. I was pretty damn nervous so it was good to see Mike in transition and talk with him awhile. He seemed a little nervous too but we both went on to have stellar races. When I got in the water for my warm up I was pleasantly surprised. Deer Creek Reservoir was probably in the mid 60s. Warmer than Lake Mead during Rage, but much cooler than Lake Mead is now.

Swim

My keyword for the swim was PUSH. It's time for me to break into the next level. The course was a triangle, very well marked and the water was flat. This year they added a shorter race called BAM Lite. Once around for them, twice for us!

The swim was smooth and uneventful. At times I wondered if I was pushing hard enough which is why I say it's time to push into the next level! Thank goodness Swim Las Vegas has some summer programs going on! I need to be pushed more in the swim. Hell the swim is now my favorite part of the race! My mind still hesitates to wrap completely around that one but it's TRUE!

Halfway through the course my stomach growled which displeased me. The stomach/mind connection is sometimes not optimal for me but I was able to push it out of my mind and keep going.

I got out of the water feeling really GOOD and Glenn snapped this photo:



Swim time: 37:47 (total freaking 1500 meter PR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
2008 Swim time: 42:48 (oh yeah how far I have come!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Last year at this time I was fantasizing about getting my 1500 meter swim time down from the 40s into the 30s. Now that I'm there I'm dreaming about the high 20s for this distance. I KNOW I can do it! It is simply a matter of commitment, dedication, work and time.

T1

The difference in time here from last year is so vast that it's almost ridiculous.

I discovered at Rage that sitting down to put my shoes on really speeds things up for me. Thus, Tony, who seemed to be all over T1 and T2, snapped this flattering shot:


Glenn snapped a shot of me leaving T2:


T1 time: 2:42
2008 T1 time: 4:46

SEE! It's funny/ridiculous! There's room to take more time off here as well.

Bike

Ah THE BIKE! My word for the bike was HAMMER and I intended to ride like I'd never ridden before in a race. I was nervous about this but determined to just freaking go for it!!!

The BAM bike course is flat but I forgot that the first few miles, while flat, are on a gentle incline so it's kind of a false flat. I did not even want to warm up I wanted to just GET TO IT. For the first time ever my computer was set to MPH so I could monitor how I was doing. Typically I don't do that cause it messes with my head. NOT THIS TIME!

Because my stomach had growled during the swim (a huge red flag) I started sucking down my nutrition right away. The day before the race I questioned whether my three bottles would be overkill because this was going to be my fastest Oly bike time EVER.

Fortunately I did NOT make what would have been a very stupid, unbelievably moronic mistake of trying to change the nutrition plan that has worked for me for OVER A YEAR, at the last minute. NO! I stuck to it! And because I stuck to it, everything went great! The only difference was the bottles were not empty when I reached T2 because I wasn't out there very long. LOL!!!!

I pushed harder on the bike than I ever have before and it actually felt like I was racing! I picked several people off and toward the end was leapfrogging with this girl until I just turned up the heat and ditched her. That course is really conducive to fast bike times and I got my fastest there for sure!

The flip side is that I feel like I could have done more. BUT it seems like I just need to improve step by step and honestly since my times show I'm improving by leaps and bounds I am happy with it!! AND I love my bike. I fantasize about "arriving" in the middle of the pack someday and, like anything else it will take upleveling which requires work, dedication and more work! Can I do this while still keeping it fun? ABSOLUTELY!

Bike time: 1:23:06
2008 Bike time: 1:38:55

T2:

This was pretty speedy as well though I lost a bit of time from last year. Tony was there to take another flattering shot:



T2: 2:14
2008 T2: 1:55

Run

Ah the run. I had grand ideas about pushing hard through here as well and, well, let's just say there is a lot more room to push! I forgot how freaking hard this run course is and during the first mile figured I must have been delusional when I told Mike how much I loved this run course.

Well, I DO love the run course. But after pushing myself on the bike it felt much MUCH harder than I remembered. My body felt totally different. Many more things hurt than usual. I could feel the bike ride in my quads, hammys, upper and lower back and torso. All completely normal muscle pains but wow, I'm not used to that. So I walked. And walked again. And walked again.

Those uphills just KILLED me. As did the downhills. So I was a bit disappointed with my run. But then after some reflection decided I'm not at all disappointed!

I have broken through to another level and readily admit that I do want to leave the back of the pack behind. I know I have the physical capability. My body has changed radically in the past two years with all the training. Sometimes I look at photos of myself and I pull my new clothes size off the rack and I cannot believe the transformation.

Having spent many many years being much too thin I truly believe my body is just now finding it's ideal weight and size. My weight is at a number now that I never in a million years thought I would weigh and I wear a size that I never thought would be on my body. And I look the best that I ever have. I've heard this from others, and believe it.

So my point is that my body has more strength in it and more speed than my mind is allowing it to put out. I say this with full acceptance of where I am now, and I absolutely love seeing numbers that show how far I've come. It is this attitude, along with my awesome coach, that will get me to where I want to be. And for now that is mid pack. Totally. I can do it without comparing myself specifically to others, without obsessing over things I can't control, and while loving my body! And running my business! And having FUN!

Glenn took this photo about 300 meters from the finish. I'm surprised I'm smiling here because I was so DONE! In fact right before this was taken I had let loose a string of words containing the letters f, c, k, and u, though not in that specific order.



Tony was one of the volunteers holding the tape as I crossed the line. He got this awesome photo:

And this one:


Run time: 1:09:23
2008 Run time: 1:14:53

A run PR!!! Even though this run course was a bit shy of a full 10k, I'll take it!!!!!

I'm so glad I took a chance a year and a half ago and signed up for the 2008 BAM. At that time I was a DNS at the 2007 Silverman, had just hired a new coach (or was about to) and felt like I was really scraping the bottom of the barrel of any athletic ability or confidence. WHY was I even doing this?

In 2008 I got a huge PR at BAM and did that again this year! NOW I have two half irons on the horizon for August and November.

AND I'm sure I'll go back to BAM next year.

I.CAN'T.WAIT!

Breaking Through . . . RAGE Race Report!

Season Opener, RAGE Olympic Distance Triathlon
Swim: 1500 meters
Bike: 25 miles
Run: 6.2 miles

Hot Damn!

I was gunning for a huge PR and got one! 46 minutes off of last year's time!

Last years' time: 4:46:xx

This years' time: 4:00:02

Now, I really wanted to break four hours on this course. But, seriously, who am I to quibble over 3 seconds. Can we say "close enough"?

YES.

I can.

I think those three seconds are a sign of more work to be done and more awesome breakthroughs to come! Not later, but now . . . in the present . . . in the 2009 season.

I could not have asked for a better, more satisfying season opener. I feel blessed.

So with that, here is the lowdown of what unfolded out there:

Pre-Race:

I was quite nervous when I got up. So nervous in fact that my stomach did not want breakfast. No problem. I took my oatmeal with blueberries, added a bit of plain yogurt, pureed it in the blender and washed it down with cold water. Worked like a charm, as did all of my race nutrition. NICE!

My friend Leslie offered to sherpa for me. Since Glenn was racing too (sailing) I took her up on that offer. Leslie is a new triathlete, training for her first triathlon, Iron Girl, on May 9 here at Lake Las Vegas. She has been training quite a bit with Tony and me. Having her there made things so much nicer!

The Swim:

Something did not quite click during the swim. My warm up felt sluggish but I was loving the cool/cold water temps! There was a bit of a breeze but not too bad. I lined up in the middle of the swim wave (all Olympic women and relays) and swam pretty solidly. Until I made the rookie mistake of swimming off course. Damn! I realized it quickly and corrected. I tried to turn up the heat on the last half but was really wanting out of the water.

The swim felt long.

In reality, I think the course was right on and something was a little off with me. No problem.

Swim time: 41:54
Last year's swim time (including T1) 56:xx

T1:

For the first time ever, I got out of the water and jogged up transition to my bike. Usually I just walk. This time I had energy!

T1 time: 3:46. The fastest T1 time in the history of Stef!
Last year's T1 time: added to the swim so don't know.

The Bike

Here is where I gained the most momentum and confidence in myself. ON THE BIKE.

It's no secret I haven't liked the bike since Silverman. Even though there's nothing wrong with my bike I've had trouble trusting my equipment again after all those flats (even though I haven't flatted since).

But thanks to training with Tony and really applying myself, especially on the KEY bike workouts, I'd seen enough gains on the bike in the past couple of months to know, even with wind, I could handle this course in under two hours. I had never done that before, but the data was there. All I had to do was do it.

Getting up the steep hill out of transition is never fun. And there was wind. NOT like at Silverman but there was enough of a breeze to be noticeable and to annoy me immediately.

My legs started hurting way sooner than they normally do, in the upper hamstrings, rather than in the quads where they normally do. My crotch area was bothering me for nearly the whole first half and I just did not feel comfortable at all!

I found myself wondering what is wrong with me??? Is this because I'm working harder than normal or am I just too tired? Maybe I don't have it today . . . . is it the shorts? NO! I've trained in them several times and rode Silverman in them. It has to be me . . . . .

Reaching the five mile marker clinched my foul mood. Already I was behind my two hour goal, the wind was in my face and I was starting to wonder why I even do this. My legs still hurt. But, what could I do but just keep the burn going? After all it wasn't too much longer to the turnaround.

The struggle continued for a few more miles grinding up the hills. Then a familiar car passed and pulled over. It was Tony (my 69 year old phenom training buddy)! He had come to find me! I was SO GLAD TO SEE HIM. The old me would have whined and complained about how uncomfortable I was. Thank God I'm not that girl anymore.

The dialogue was brief and went something like this:

Tony (grinning from ear to ear): Hey Stef!! I found you! How's it going??

Stef: Well I'm struggling a bit, but things are OK!

Tony: That's great! You look great!!

And guess what. That brief conversation produced a total shift in energy and Wow! Got to the turnaround a bit after that and had the relief of a downhill and a tailwind. I was Back Baby!!

I could make it under two hours if I pushed it and the funny thing was I already "knew" that I would. I took control, shifted in the saddle, spun down the hills (no brakes man) and powered up the tough up hills. The last uphill was the hardest by far. But once I got up there, I rode like a bat out of hell to get back down to transition.

And this is where something else shifted. I finally felt what it's like to race on the bike. For the first time ever I didn't think about going "too fast," I was thinking that I needed to really push to make my time goal. I found the right gear (gearing is too often still hit or miss with me) and powered down, passing a couple of people on the way.

I finally felt trust in my bike. And in myself. In a way that was not there before.

Bike time: 1:57:29
Last year's bike time (lumped in with T2): 2:12:xx

T2

I sat down for the first time ever in T2 and discovered that makes it a lot easier to switch shoes. I also took two salt tabs and chugged some water before leaving and still produced my quickest T2 time ever.

T2 time: 2:39

The Run

One of the BEST parts about Rage this year was getting to meet some fellow Bloggers in person for the first time. I had the awesome privilege of spending time with RBR and her LA Run Buddy on Friday when we drove the bike course, had lunch, and went to packet pickup.

Then at packet pick up I got to meet Mike, his wife Anne, and their five adorable kids. So cute!!! Then of course there are the local boys Izaac and Johnny Tri and the awesome sherpa/athlete/spectator Kelly and Amanda and Isabelle!

Mike and I were the only ones of this group with enough sense to do the Olympic rather than the half iron (LOL)!

So when, within my first mile of the run, I saw Mike coming in on his last mile, I was like AWESOME!!!! This run is starting out great!!!!!

And the run did go great. It was tough but not quite as tough as I thought it would be after the bike. In fact I could have pushed a bit more. And I think that's what those three seconds are telling me:

You have it in you to push more. You can do it! Go for it!!

I'm very happy with how I handled this run! Last year the wheels completely fell off and I survived it. This year I was in charge. There is a nasty hill that starts at about mile 1.5 and it's a least a mile long. I knew this would be tough but I kept running. Very slowly but, like at Silverman, I was determined to not let myself walk.

On the way back down I felt like I was floating. Tried to keep good form and NOT put on the brakes. Made up a lot of time on that downhill!

The last mile and a half I got to see Izaac and Johnny Tri as they were starting their half iron runs. Those guys are too awesome for words. JT PR'd big time on the course from last year and Izaac had a strong strong race here, just two weeks after Oceanside! I'm so glad and lucky and fortunate to have such great friends.

Meanwhile I was starting to feel like I was running in slow motion through quicksand. My body wanted to be DONE!!!

Just keep at it!!! Ugh!! No really just keep at it!!! You have this!!!

Run time: 1:14:16
Last year's run time: 1:38:xx

The Aftermath

Leslie was at the finish line waiting for me. YAY Leslie!!

Another really really cool thing about the finish line is that the announcer commented on my CAF tri suit.

As I was coming to the line he said something like: Another great way to race is for a cause. Here's Stefanie Frank from Boulder City for the Challenged Athletes Foundation.

I'm totally paraphrasing but that was the general gist. I love my CAF tri suit so much!!! It represents the one and only time I have fund raised for a cause that I believe in deeply. And I love that the suit has Operation Rebound all over it.

I got a ton of "good jobs" from folks on the course (more than is usual for me) and I wondered if the suit had something to do with it. It really makes a difference racing in a suit you love. I wore it at Silverman too but because it was so cold and windy/rainy that day it was mostly covered up so I consider this race to be it's unveiling.

I also got support from some great folks in a gray pickup out on the bike course. This was during the final push to the last nasty uphill. THANKS GUYS (if you're reading this). I am not sure who was in there but they called my name, gave several short honks of support and made me smile!

There were also a couple of folks who recognized me and called me by name out on the run course and in transition. Honestly, I felt like a rock star this entire race because of these people, along with Tony (my good luck charm), Mike, Izaac, Kelly, JT, RBR and LA Run Buddy

And because I was Breaking Through!

So even though I did wonder for a few down moments on the bike course why I do this, hell the answer is obvious! The people! The challenge! The confidence! The energy! The breakthroughs! The people!!!!!!!!!

Oh hell yeah!

Congratulations to everyone who did this tough, tough race!!!

WOO HOO!!!!

Welcome to the 2009 Season!

Race Report -- Nellis AFB Turkey Trot 5k

This morning Tony and I showed up to run the Nellis AFB's Turkey Trot 5k*.

This was my first run of any kind since Silverman so I planned to make it a "fun run." It was fun all right!

I ran a 30:45 which was good enough for 3rd place** in the 40+ age group which meant I won a 15 pound frozen turkey!!!!!!!!

AND I might add 9:53 minute miles!

Being that I was expecting to run between 11 and 12 minute miles for this event I was THRILLED! Perhaps I am really a 10 minute mile girl now?

Or could it be the nice cool weather combined with the nice FLAT course out at Nellis? Whatever it is, I'LL TAKE IT.

It was a small field of runners competing and I started out at a pace I was sure was too fast. Would have been tempted to check my watch at mile marker 1 but I left my watch at home! On purpose. I have been diligent about my recovery and following Coach's instructions to do very little.

When the pace started to feel a bit too fast I just let my mind wander back to Silverman and figured the pace would be what it would be. Worked like a charm!

I wanted to feel good during this run and I did. I did not push hard except for the last few hundred meters when Tony came back to pace me (he finished in 25:xx) and I turned up the heat to finish strong. I was quite surprised to see 30:45 on the clock as I was honestly expecting to see a time somewhere between 33 and 36 minutes.

This tells me that 1) my recovery from Silverman is going well, 2) I really enjoy running (most of the time), 3) the course at Nellis is a good course for me! It was out at Nellis where I set my blistering (for me) 5k PR time of 28:32 back in September.

I am still mostly on recovery and not doing much in the way of exercise but yesterday I went on an 8.25 mile hike out at Lake Mead -- the first part had lots of steep hills. I was feeling it after let me tell ya! Planning on another hike this coming weekend (about 6-7 miles), then back to some semblance of structured workouts starting next week.

Honestly I'm not at all anxious to get back on my bike and I don't miss swimming. LOL!

Hope everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving week!


*I'm not sure why they had it on a Monday except that most of the runners probably live/work on base so after the race they shower up and just go to to work. Since Tony's and my schedules are flexible we can run over there do the race, have some coffee and then return home.

** I'm pretty sure I was 3rd out of 3. I was not expecting them to award turkeys to the top three winners. When I saw the table full of turkeys I immediately wondered how many were in my AG and thought maybe . . . . . . YES! I got one!