You'll Never Know Until You TRI

My 1st Pregnancy...

2010-01-06T09:56:00.000-08:00

This is the journey of my first pregnancy. Dan & I have been married 6 years and we were excited for an addition to our family. We decided to start trying at the end of the summer of '09. My OBGYN said that on average someone my age would take approximately 6 months to get pregnant. I was just winding down my triathlon season, and Dan was finding fewer warm days to go out on the boat, so we thought it was a good time to start. :)

Week 1: (August 22nd)
Dr.'s officially call week 1 the week of your last period. So, technically, I'm not pregnant...yet.

Week 4: (size of a poppy seed)
So, most women probably are paying attention to when they should be getting their period, possibly anxiously taking a pregnancy test. But, I was told it takes about 6 months to get pregnant, so I wasn't even really thinking it could happen the first month.
Week 5: (size of a sesame seed)
Hmmm....my boobs hurt! I must be starting my period soon...hmmm...when was my last period? Maybe I should check my calendar. hmpf...look at that...I'm 6 days late!!! I must be pregnant!!! Wow, that was fast.
After work, I stopped at the drug store and picked up a pregnancy test, I was so scared someone I knew was going to see me, I wanted to keep it a secret. I at least wanted Dan to be the first to know! I also picked up a 'congrats' card for Dan, because i just knew the test was going to be positive. I got home, took the test, and immediately I got my positive symbol. Holy Crap! I'm Pregnant! My hands were shacking, i was so excited. Now, I was going to have to wait the dreaded time until Dan came home, I was just so anxious for him to get home to tell him the fun news. Luckily, we were meeting a friend for dinner downtown, so I knew he was going to be home soon. I tied the card around Roxy's (our dog) neck, inside it said: I'm going to be a sister. You're going to be a dad. We're having a baby! Congrats!
I hid in the dinning room when I heard him come home. Of course, Roxy greeted Dan at the door, but this time with a large card around her neck. I could hear him asking Roxy what she had, he opened it and i peeked around the corner to see him smiling. He too, was in shock that I was pregnant so quickly (i think he was hoping we'd get to try longer, if ya know what i mean, lol). I went to the Dr a few days later and they confirmed my pregnancy. Wow, this is really happening. Scary...exciting...so many things at once!

Week 8: (Size of a kidney bean)
I thought I was off the hook with morning sickness, but unfortunately it suddenly hit me this week. First of all, it's not just in the morning. It comes when i'm at work, after dinner, it has even woken me up in the middle of the night. I stare at my computer screen at work and feel like i'm going to throw up in my garbage sitting next to me, but luckily I don't. Worse than the morning sickness, is the fatigue. All I think about is sleeping. I daydream about naps when i'm at work and when 3pm comes along i'm ready for bed. I crave the weekends so that I can sleep in and take a nap in the same day, aaahhhhh, heaven.
Dr visit: We got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time, wow it's soooooooo fast! It was such a moving experience. Dan recorded it on his iphone. Such a proud daddy already.
Week 9: (size of a grape)
Ok, this is probably too much information, but being pregnant has caused some severe bloating & gas. Wow, i feel like i already need maternity pants with the elastic band. I won't go into details, but just know that both Dan & I suffered through this period.
Had a stranger rub my belly, and I'm not even showing, weirdo! My friend told him I was pregnant so he thought it was ok to rub my tummy, eeek! Look, I will totally be fine with family & close friends touching my prego belly, but not when I'm not even showing, and not by a stranger (especially some dude).

Week 10: (size of a kumquat: had to google what a kumquat is: small red fruit. I loved the name so we nicknamed the baby Kumquat for several weeks)
I'm still running, but with much less intensity, volume, and distance than normal. It just feels good to stay active. I haven't swam or biked since being pregnant, but i think that was more because I was done with my tri season.
Week 11: (size of a lime)
Dan & I decided to get the screening done in order to determine if the baby has down syndrome or any other genetic disorders. It's an ultrasound and bloodwork. The ultrasound was amazing. I was totally expecting the baby to look like a tadpole but it was so real looking. I was in awe of the little bambino. I got a DVD of the ultrasound (which Dan then spent 8 hours editing it to music, again such a proud daddy. See video below) . The results came back, healthy baby. Hooray!
Since the very beginning of my pregnancy I've been hungry. As soon as I wake up, i need to eat something. Mostly because it helps get rid of the nausea but also because I just always feel famished. One night I ate two large costco bagels with cream cheese & jam. Slight carb overload, but it tasted great! Everything did, but i didn't have any weird cravings, just always hungry.

11 Week Ultrasound

Week 14: (size of a lemon)Second trimester begins! Nausea & fatigue are supposed to subside, they didn't for me right away. Darn! Instead, i have to pee all the time! It's not high volume, just high frequency. Ok, and now when i sneeze, i wet my pants a little (oops, TMI again), but i can't help it!
Now that my energy is back, my nesting has kicked into full gear. I now love cleaning, doing laundry, getting things organized...I can't get enough (but no, i won't come to your house and clean, sorry).

FYI- I've gained about 5 pounds now.

Week 16: (size of an avocado)
Finally, my fatigue and nausea are gone. I have my energy back and I feel normal again. It's just night and day compared to how i used to feel. It's great!
Also.....i can feel the baby! The best way to describe it is faint bubbles or poking. It's in the middle of my tummy a few inches below my bellybutton. It's definitely a new feeling (not gas!).

Unfortunately, I had a mole on my side that was removed and biopsied recently and it's pre-cancerous (dysplastic). I had to have surgery to remove more tissue from the area. I had the same surgery done a year ago on my stomach. It's quite painful for me but it's not harmful to the baby. It's just bad timing, but i guess it's better than waiting and having the risk of it developing into melanoma. This pregnancy has already been a whirlwind! Due to the surgery, i have stopped running. After my recovery, I've been walking & snowshoeing on a regular basis.

Week 20: (length of a banana)
It's ultrasound time again! This time we get to find out the sex of the baby, eek, so fun! We both agreed that we couldn't wait to find out the sex, we are both planners. Plus, i don't want everything yellow & green.
The ultrasound lasted about 40 minutes and surprisingly it was a little uncomfortable from the technician pressing on my belly for so long. Of course, the baby was not cooperating so she kept having to shake my belly to try to make it move. Finally, at the very end she said: It's a.......BOY! Wow, this is all becoming so real and exciting. Dan was there beside me holding my hand the whole time, it brought tears to my eyes and i think i had a permanent smile the whole ultrasound. Such a wonderful experience.
Of course, we told Roxy (our dog) that she was going to have a baby brother. I think she was excited, because she's can still be the princess of the house. :)

FYI - I've gained about 10 pounds, ok maybe closer to 12 if we're being exact.

Week 22: (size of a squash)
Starting to feel some aches and pains. Mainly when I'm sleeping, my hips get very sore! I flip flop all night and just can't get comfortable. However, i can't believe that my chronic low back pain that I've had since high school, hasn't flared up (yet!). Still getting insomnia (1-2 hours awake at a time) some nights. We went to the boat show and got the baby his very first life jacket, Dan can't wait to teach him to wakeboard! I am also showing a lot and the baby kicks are starting to get stronger, especially when I'm sitting down. Such a fun experience!

Week 26: (length of a cucumber)
Oh Canada! We travelled to Vancouver this weekend for the 2010 Olympics! It was such a beautiful (sunny & warm) weekend. My sister got us tickets to a women's playoff hockey game. Being pregnant was such a bonus, we got to the front of so many long lines! We did a lot of walking and enjoying the whole Olympic atmosphere. It was simply, amazing!
Speaking of walking, i've been taking Roxy on a lot of long walks around our hilly neighborhood. Trying to stay in shape and it feels great, I am Roxy's new best friend because of this too. :)

Week 27: (size of a cauliflower)
Busy couple of weeks. This weekend we went to Santa Barbara for a babymoon! It's our last trip before the baby arrives. It was a great trip! We got a super fun bright red Camaro to drive around. We did some wine tasting (well, Dan did). Visited the Firestone winery and got a tour. One of the wineries had cupcake tasting, yum yum! We got a couples massage that was excellent and much needed for us both (Dan has been hard at work re-doing our guest bathroom before he starts on the nursery). Santa Barbara has amazing food! Some of the best meals we've had, i highly recommend people visiting this cute town. Plus, Canada beat USA in Olympic hockey, nice way to end our trip (well, for me, not Dan)!!

Week 29: (size of butternut squash)
My good friend Beth hosted a baby shower for me this weekend. The shower was great! She did such a fabulous job: great food, fun games (but not too many!), and a great group of people. My mom, sister, and even my mother-in law came all the way to attend! It was so fun and the baby got lots of adorable outfits! :)I've been hiking every weekend with my friend Melinda who is also pregnant. We've done some 2 hours hikes on the local mountains, it feels great to stay active!
On a sour note, over the last couple of weeks, i've started getting rib pain on my right side. It's very uncomfortable, especially when sitting (at work, in car, on couch). The baby doesn't have much extra room and he's pressing up into my ribs. So painful!

Week 32: (size of a jicama???)
We started our birthing classes this week and also attended a special breastfeeding class. They have been very helpful already, learning lots! I like our teacher, so that's good. We've got weekly classes for the next 5 weeks. Learning about everything!
I went for an unplanned ultrasound this week because i was having some high stomach pains. I had similar pains at x-mas. I decided i should go to the Dr this time to figure out what was causing the pain. Luckily, it was nothing serious, not really sure what it was. Maybe just gas, maybe a stomach ulcer. But at least the pain is gone. And, we got a new cute picture of the baby!
Rib pain still the same. :(

Week 33: (size of a pineapple: ~5lbs)
The baby got to go to a Muse rock concert, he & I danced all night! It was so fun! I was nervous about going, but my Dr. reassured me that it's perfectly safe for the baby, he's well protected by my belly. :) I thought he would kick a lot more, but he didn't even wake up until the 3rd song.
I realized that I have felt the baby's hiccups. I thought it was a regular kicking, but then realized that the rhythm was so constant and lasted a couple of minutes, so it must be hiccups!
Below is a video Dan made of our nursery. He worked very hard and it looks great!

Baby's Nursery

Week 36: (size of a crenshaw melon)
I've definitely been nesting this week. Doing lots of cleaning, organizing, baking, and more cleaning. I've also had a lot more aches and pains...this time in the groin/pelvic area making it harder to walk & sleep. The baby hasn't dropped yet, but the Dr said my uterus grew a lot this week (meaning the baby & my belly!). I'm trying to schedule lots of things to make the time go by faster, i can't believe it's less than a month to go!

36 Weeks Pregnant

38 Weeks (length of a leek) I have routinely been getting up every night around 3am for about an hour. I have insomnia and just can't sleep. I'm not necessarily uncomfortable in bed, just restless, so I get up and come to the computer (like right now) and try to pass some time before I try to go back to bed. In the last couple of weeks I have had some really strong pelvic pressure and groin muscle pains. I think the baby has either dropped or is just getting bigger! I am happy to finally say that my rib pain is so much better! Hooray! I'd say the baby gets the hiccups about 3 times a day, usually after I have a drink but also in the middle of the night. He's still super active and strong! Everybody has warned me about the last couple of weeks being miserable, but so far it's not that bad. (cross my fingers)

36 weeks again

40 weeks: Due Date May 20th
Well, my due date has come and gone and the little bambino must be warm and comfy cause he is showing no signs of coming out. My Dr says we will induce 12 days after my due date if he doesn't come before. I have heard horror stories of inducing, so i am crossing my fingers he comes before that! I am not feeling terrible physically, just starting to get bored and anxious. Dan and i are such planners that we have had everything ready for the last week. I feel weird driving around with an empty baby car seat. The only thing we don't have ready is his name. We have narrowed it down to 3, but we can't agree on one of them. I guess we'll wait to meet the little bubba before we decide.

May 29th: 9 days late
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary when i went to bed friday night. We went to bed at 11pm, a little later than usual. We had hung out with some friends watching Days of Thunder. :) I woke up at 2am, typical, to pee. I layed back down and a few minutes later I heard & felt a pop! Hhhmm....what is that!!??? I went back to the bathroom and realized I was leaking and it was slightly pink/red. I called the Dr and she confirmed that my water had just broke. She said to try to take a shower or sleep. Sleep!!??? Are you kidding me? Too much adrenaline. I took a shower, only feeling mild cramps at this point, while Dan packed the car. When i was done I was already having contractions that were 4 minutes apart, but mild. I called the hospital and she said we could come to the hospital if we wanted. I knew my sister had her son super quick, so i decided we should go. On the way (20 min drive) my contractions started to get painful and 2 minutes apart! Yikes...hurry Dan! When we arrived i could barely walk and they brought me straight to a room (skipping the oasis room where they monitor you). Gulp, she confirmed my worst nightmare....9cm dilated! Please, please (a few curse words in there perhaps) give me an epidural!!!! I started to panic. Luckily the anesthesiologist was close by and gave me an epidural 15 min later. I wanted to hug her i was so relieved. We waited an hour for the epidural to kick in and then I started pushing. 2 hours later and our little buddy was born: 8:14am. I was exhausted but I really enjoyed the labor overall. I even peaked with a mirror towards the end to watch him come out! Pretty amazing.

Landon Blake Defenbaugh
May 29th, 2010
8:14am
8lbs 4 oz
20 inches

to be continued...

Danskin Sprint Triathlon

2009-08-18T17:50:00.000-07:00

Pre-Race:
I am never doing this race again...or so I said the day before the race at packet pick-up. I got there soon after it started at 10am, thinking I was being proactive. However, this race consists of approximately 5,500 other proactive women who showed up all at the same time! The line was already 3 blocks long, a 2 hour wait! Luckily Dan came with me (brownie points!!!) and I immediately found my teammate and friend, LaVonne. Dan decided to hit Starbucks and Jimmy John's for lunch. We got upgraded in the line, courtesy of one of LaVonne's friends, that saved us at least 30 min. Once we finally got inside, there were still more lines: packets, race #'s, t-shirts, all separate lines. Finally, we were done and Dan had just gotten back from picking up our lunches...hmmm I was hungry. We headed over to the race start and dropped off my bike in the transition area, it's mandatory to drop it off the day before. I was one of the first one's there, so I found a nice spot on the end of a rack.
Then we headed home to relax, i was exhausted already just from packet pick-up! Watched a movie and made some pasta, headed to bed after I got everything layed out for my early morning wake up call at 4:30am! Rushed, got dressed, ate an english muffin w/ PB & a cliff bar. Headed out the door before 5am and got to the race site by 5:30am when it opened. Set up my transition area and noticed that there didn't seem to be many other bikes on my rack. I was racing in the Elite wave, by which I had qualified for last year by winning my age group. Hmmm...where was everyone? 13 of us had registered. Anyways, i went on a warm-up run then a short warm-up swim. I was ready to go! Super nervous and anxious. I didn't want to make a fool of myself in the elite wave.

(Trying to stay calm before the race)

Swim: 13:26 32nd Overall
So, what the heck, only 5 elite's (1 Pro, 4 Amateur's) showed up for the start. Bummer, there's not many of us, i may never see any of them after the swim. This could really suck! :( The horn sounded, and we were off. I knew the Pro was to my left, and immediately she was behind me (wait, what?), another girl took off in the lead, and I followed. OMG, i'm in 2nd?! I'm not a super strong swimmer, so these girls must be really strong cyclists & runners. I swam my little tail off as fast as I could. I could tell, though, that I was having a very hard time going in a straight line. I kept aiming too far left. Ugh! I got to the first buoy and managed to bang into again, gosh those things are out to get me! Luckily i swallowed only a little bit of water and it went down ok. Kept on going. The wave behind us started 1 min apart and consisted of the young gals: 19& under. One of them went flying by me half way through the swim, and another group of them came out of the water with me.

T1: 1:22
Went pretty smoothly, got out of transition in 3rd, with another elite right beside me.

Bike: 34:44 7th Overall
Starts out really flat, but I just felt pooped from the swim. I was breathing heavy and I felt fatigued. Immediately, the other elite went ahead of me and I couldn't keep her pace. I was very excited to be in the elite wave and not have to worry about all the beginners on the bike course, it can get very scary. People are not used to racing and having other cyclists near them. People swerve, stop suddenly on hills, etc. I had plenty of room and could just worry about myself. I caught the one gal that started in the wave behind me. Even though I was able to catch her, i still didn't feel great on the bike. The Pro passed me, well flew by me actually, so that burst my bubble pretty quickly.
I got to the turn around and knew i was 1 min behind the gal I started with on the bike. I didn't want to lose any more time, or I would have no chance on the run. I tried to stay mentally positive even though I felt slow. I just needed to keep pushing and hope that they weren't as strong on the run.

T2: 1:35
I got to to T2 in 4th, ugh, worst position ever! I made a mess in transition, just throwing my shoes. I needed to hurry. Ran hard right away out of transition, there was no easing my way into this run.

Run: 21:31 8th Overall
I was breathing hard immediately, but my legs felt great! No calf cramps, no heavy legs, no frozen feet. I skipped the first two water stations, I knew I didn't need anything as I had just had my water & nuun on the bike. They would just take up time. The run is very flat (except one steep hill towards the end) and it curves around following the lake. I could see two girls ahead of me, they were in sight! I kept my eye on them and realized that they were definitely going at a slower pace than me. That got my adrenaline pumping, and I picked it up even more. I caught the first girl (who was the strong swimmer) very quickly. The course has an out and back section, in which I saw the Pro, she was still flying! Then, I saw the second place girl right before the turn around. I was definitely going to catch her, i just hoped she didn't have a 2nd gear....nope. OMG...i'm in second! Is this really happening!!??? I started freaking out and couldn't believe it, until I got towards the end and a volunteer radioed..."2nd place finisher approaching". Crap, this is really happening! I finished in total shock. The race director came and congratulated me, but the Pro was long gone, ha! I got my exact goal time, but blew away all expectations on my placing. Of course, not many elites came, but I still beat other racers that I've never beaten before and took 5 minutes off my time from last year. Ended up 2nd overall, in the largest Triathlon in the US, pretty cool I might say.

Climb 4 Cancer - Time Trial

2009-08-04T11:07:00.000-07:00

Pre-race:
This race is a 2 mile cycling time trial up "zoo hill" in Issaquah. It's one of Seattle's steepest and most grueling hills. It's grade of steepness is very similar to Alpe D'Huez in the Tour de France. I've only made it up once before. I had attempted it last year and bonked (couldn't make it up!). I thought this would be a great training race and some of my teammates were doing it as well, so I convinced myself I needed to do it.
The night before was our 6 year wedding anniversary. We went to dinner and I had clam chowder, BBQ chicken & ribs, and wine. YES, it tasted fabulous. NO, not my typical pre-race meal. :)
I went to the race and met up with my teammates. There were only around 100 riders in the time trial, and only a handful of women. We decided to have all the girls go one after another (30 seconds apart).

Race:
Jill had told us to start out conservative and to make it feel 'easy'. That went right out the window, because my HR and breathing was going full speed almost immediately. It's pretty hard to make that steep of a hill feel easy! (not me at least) Since that game plan was unattainable, i just rode at a steady pace and tried to keep a good rhythm. I got to the famous hairpin turn and actually found it to feel ok, I took it nice and wide to avoid the super steep section. I could still see my teammate in front of me, and no one had flown by me yet. Then, came the final few hills, they were the toughest. My breathing just sky rocketed, my quads were burning, and I started to get goose bumps. Jill & Mike were on the 2nd to last hill cheering us on, which was great because it was when I was suffering the most. The first and only person past me right before I got to them. I was not able to keep him in my sights for long, he was flying up those hills. I got to the final hill and by this time on my exhales I started whimpering like a little puppy. It was pretty funny, thinking about it now. I just wanted to stop or have someone push me up that hill! The finish was right at the crest of the hill, hooray, it's over! I jumped off my bike and had to collect myself, I don't think I've ever gasped for air that badly before. Man, i felt like sh$%!
We rode back down the hill and went for a short ride to flush out the lactic acid from our legs.
Felt pretty good after a nap and some food. My legs felt a little heavy the next day on my run, but otherwise felt fine. Great training race both mentally & physically. Phew...exhausted just thinking about this race again.

Time: 16:38

Seafair Torch Light Run - 5 Miles

2009-08-04T10:37:00.000-07:00

Pre-race:
Our day was going to be a long one. We were going to our first Seattle Sounders FC soccer game of the year at noon. We left around 10am to get parking and to the game in time. Dan isn't a big soccer fan, but I grew up playing the sport and loved it. I was very excited when Dan bought me season tickets (for the second half of the season) for my 30th birthday. Ironically, they were playing the Chicago Fire, Dan's hometown. Luckily, i convinced him to cheer for the sounders. We finally found parking in a garage and walked to the game, ugh, it was going to be a hot & muggy day. I wore my bright green, but had to stop at a store to buy my must have team scarf. A little warm for a scarf, but it was essential for cheering. :) It was a very exciting game, even though it ended with a very disappointing 0-0 draw.
Ok, so next we went shopping at my favorite store, H&M. Found some cute tops and headed back to the car to put on my pirate outfit for the evening race. The theme was pirates, but i didn't have much around the house, so sorry my outfit is a little weak. I had never had an evening race before, which was good for the heat, but it was still extremely muggy (very unlike Seattle). I met my friends at the race, there were 5 of us running, and Dan was just watching. He took our free beer tickets and went to the bar! :)

Race:
Our group started towards the front, the race had over 6,000 participants. We started off with a shuffle because of the crowds and two tight turns right in the beginning. Immediately we went up onto the viaduct (upper level highway) and had great views of both the sound & mountains and the city. Already felt the heat, i was dripping sweat right away, yuck. I never knew i sweated this much until this heat wave struck Seattle. I was running with my friend Misty, it was too hard to keep us all together in the crowds. We went through a stincky tunnel and out the other side we found Chad. We got to the turn around and there was a long hill. Both of them were struggling with the heat, so i went ahead. I had told myself to just run comfortably the whole run, since the weekend before I had raced in Chelan. But with 2 miles to go, there were huge crowds on either side of the street gathering for the parade that was to come later that night. Little kids were lined up on both sides of the streets offering high fives. I picked up my pace without even thinking, how could you not with so many people cheering!!! I never saw any mile markers, so I had no idea our pace throughout. I was just doing it for a good training run and some fun. It turned out to be a great build tempo run. I was definitely tired by the end. We found firemen at the finish line, they set up water misters that you could walk through to cool off, they felt great!
Found Dan and we went for some pizza & wine at a cute little Italian place downtown. Yummy, i was hungry! Then walked along the waterfront and watched the beautiful sunset and got an ice cream sundae....gosh now i'm hungry again writing this! :)

Time: 40:14 8:06/mile
20th in AG, 113th Overall

Chelanman Olympic Triathlon

2009-07-21T08:58:00.000-07:00

Pre-Race:
I signed up for this race because I wanted to do another Olympic distance. I really enjoyed my first one last year. I chose this race because other teammates had suggested it. Dan and I have a boat so we thought we could do a long weekend of tri racing & boating. My parents were joining us for the weekend as well.
I was getting nervous the week before the race because of the heat. It was predicted to be 99 the day before the race and 97 day of race, and sunny. I hate the heat, but one good thing is that it's a dry heat. I ran in college in humidity, and just never got used to it (and yes, people there love running in the humidity - well some).
I was excited for the swim because it had a rope 6 feet under water that you could just follow instead of needing to spot. (this came back to haunt me later)
I slept in my parents camper the night before the race and left Roxy and Dan in the tent. I needed the air conditioning because it was so hot that night. I slept ok, but woke up really early quite cold, too much air conditioning. Heard many neighbors leaving for the race. Got up around 5:15am got ready, ate an english muffin w/ PB & a cliff bar. Drank Gatorade (this didn't sit well in my stomach, I think i'll try something different next time to drink)
Got to the race site, set up my transition area, saw a few teammates, and went on a 10 min warm up run on the course. Geeze...it's already hot out! Stretched, and put on my wetsuit.

Swim: 28:36
The swim was my very first mass start. All women in the Olympic tri started together. I decided at the last second to just start with the shortest distance to the first buoy. I had lots of people on both sides of me. We started and I was surprised that I wasn't getting knocked around. I found the rope and kept it to the right of me about 6 feet since I was breathing on the right side only. Everything was smooth until we made the turn around. We caught the slow people from the 1/2 ironman and I was constantly having to go around people. At one point i was weaving around people, not paying attention to the rope. All of a sudden I rammed right into a large buoy. I lifted my head up and inhaled a TONE of water. It burned going down, i must have been taking in a deep breath (but all i got was water). I immediately coughed it back up and continued to choke and cough. I noticed a lifeguard coming my way and pointing at me. Ugh...i must have looked like I was about to drown. Not good. I finally got my breath back and continued. I had a horrible feeling in my stomach and kept gagging for a bit. I unfortunately still had quite a ways to go. I just wanted to get out of the water! Towards the end of the swim, you go really close to shore (about 3 feet deep water). I could see my family along shore waving at me. FINALLY...the swim was over. I couldn't have been happier.

T1: 1:32
Felt like I still had half the lake in my stomach. Did not feel good, went slow to try to recover. Everything went smoothly otherwise.

Bike: 1:14.06 19.4mph
Nutrition: 1 water bottle, 1 water + nuun tablet, 1 Gu. I didn't take anything until almost the turnaround because my stomach couldn't handle anything.
My low back almost immediately started burning, it was sore! Mentally at this point, i just wasn't doing well, I felt slow and miserable. At the turn around I saw my teammate Amy right behind me. She passed me and I decided I needed to pick up my pace and try to keep her in my sights. My stomach started to feel better, so i started drinking finally. I would pass Amy on the downhills and she would pass me on the uphills. We chatted a bit and it definitely kept my mind off things. There was also a second woman that was with us as well, she was very friendly too. I've never chatted so much in a race before. I was approaching the end, so I decided I needed to take my Gu. I think most of it dribbled down my hand, so I had to lick it up. Very messy.

T2: 51 seconds
Felt quick, grabbed my salt tablet that I didn't eat on the bike and my second Gu.

Run: 45:49 7:23/mile
Steep hill out of transition, then a gradual downhill to the first water station. I was already looking forward to the water station. It was hot on the run. I decided I should take my salt tablet right away. I walked all the water stations in order to drink enough water (without choking on it). Kids had water soakers at the water stations too, that felt great! I started out quicker than I usually do. I must have bumped my watch during T2 because it had stopped, so i had no idea my pace. I went by how i felt, which is probably a good thing for running in the heat. It was painful, but at the same time I felt pretty strong. I passed several women on the way out (out and back course), including two gals from my age group. There were a couple of people with their garden hoses, spraying us, thanked them all! I was so happy to see the turnaround! On the way back I was running with the woman from the bike and a guy. We definitely pushed each other. With about 2 miles to go, all of a sudden my quads started twitching, then cramping a bit. It freaked me out, i've never cramped before. I was getting worried. I also started getting goose bumps. I immediately took my Gu. My mouth became sticky and dry, since I didn't have water yet. But i'm glad i did it, because within a couple of minutes my legs felt better, phew! I got to the last water station and gulped down some water. We had one last long/steep climb to the finish. I passed the other woman and caught the guy and we pushed up the hill. I heard Roxy barking (probably at another dog, but I think she was cheering me on). Saw Amy's 3 daughters right before the finish line ready to give high-five's. They're so cute!!! Hooray, i finished!

Post Race:
Felt awful, stomach was upset and I was exhausted. Got lots to drink and eat once my stomach calmed down. Then, actually felt pretty good after the race for the rest of the day. Until dinner time, I got sooooooo sleepy. I was pooped and needed to go to bed!

Time: 2:30.55
3rd in Age Group
11th Overall

Very pleased with the results! My time was an 8 minute PR. The course was easier but not the conditions!

Issaquah Sprint Triathlon

2009-05-31T21:22:00.000-07:00

Pre-Race:
I was excited to start the tri season and see how I was doing compared to last year. I've been biking and running more than last year, but my swim training has been seldom. Luckily this course has a very short swim (400m), so I was hoping my training would actually benefit me. I did not get up early because I wasn't feeling so great the night before, killer headache! I slept as late as I could, 5:30am. Ate half a bagel w/ peanut butter and a cliff bar. Got to the race site by 6:15am and felt like I was the last person to arrive and set up transition. But that's ok, didn't have a terrible spot on the rack. It was a beautiful morning, already close to 60 degrees and sunny! The water was over 65, so I was very happy. Last year was quite frigid. I met up with my teammates, but had to quickly get in a short warm up run. I put on my wetsuit and was able to swim for a few minutes before my wave started.

Swim: 6:07
I lined up in the front line, in the middle. As soon as we started I got clobbered by people in every direction. I stopped to see what was going on and got a huge mouthful of water. I started coughing and then put my head down and went. I swam over someone and got clobbered some more. It was not fun at all. Luckily after the first buoy I went to the inside and tried to stay away from all the traffic. Felt much better. Since this was a short race, I just went as hard as I could from the gun. I breathed every other stroke (right side) to avoid the sun in my eyes and to keep all the other swimmers in my sights. I started to fatigue by the last turn, but I knew I was almost there. My time last year was 7:44 (huge improvement, not sure how close the distances were from year to year).

T1: 1:41
No problems. Felt pretty quick.

Bike: 40:21 22.3mph
Right at the start of the bike course there is a narrow path that you can't pass. Of course everybody complains about it, but you always feel like you're the only person stuck behind the person on their mountain bike out for a morning stroll. Ugh, it's frustrating, but there's nothing you can do about it. I switched to an easy gear to keep my legs spinning, hoping to warm them up. I got out onto the course and immediately was passed by two speedy girls. Ugh, not a good start. I tried to keep the slower one in sight, but that didn't last long. My quads felt very stiff (possibly from a previous bike workout, not quite recovered). Jill, my JFT2 team leader, passed me soon thereafter. I tried to keep her in my sight as well, which I did until the hill, bye bye Jill! She flew up the hill, and left me in her dust. :) I felt like I was doing well, but I just couldn't give it that extra oomph. My legs wouldn't respond to anything. I was worried for the run too, and for the first time I wasn't looking forward to getting off the bike to run.

T2: :53 sec
Had to squeeze through some slower people in the transition area, but otherwise I had a pretty good transition. I had issues getting my race belt clipped, but at least I could do that while running out of transition, so it didn't slow me down.

Run: 20:42 6:54 min/mile
Last year, I remember my calves cramped and I had to stop to stretch them. This year, no issue at all! I started out slowly just to make sure I got my breath back from the bike ride and to warm up my legs and feet. My feet were a little numb from the bike, but again, I don't think it slowed me down either. The course has very uneven footing, so it's hard to get a good rhythm. I was passed by a girl in my age group before the first mile. Ugh, what is going on, this must not be my day. I didn't even react to it, didn't try to pick up my pace. By the water station, half way, I decided I needed to speed it up. Even if it feels like everyone is passing me, I still need to push myself and not worry about them. So, I did, and I was able to finish strong. I stopped my watch and was surprised to see that my time was under 1hour, 10 min. OMG! Did I really do that??? Last year my time was 1:16. I know that the bike was about 1 mile shorter, but this year, they made the run a tiny bit longer.

Post race:
They posted the results pretty quickly and I confirmed my time, hooray! I was definitely disappointed with finishing 6th in my Age Group, only because last year I was much slower but finished 4th. Later that night I saw the full results posted. I had gotten 11th overall!!! I have never done that well in a triathlon. I was extremely excited. I soon realized that my AG was stacked. My time would have won both the AG below and above me. The overall winner and third place finisher were both in my AG as well. I felt much better about my race. I don't know how exactly i pulled off a good swim time, but my bike and run were definitely from training longer, harder, and more often than last year. Last year at this time, I had to have surgery, so I am very happy that I will be able to keep training hard for my next race.

Overall:
1:09.44
6th in Age Group
11th Overall

Mt. Rainier Duathlon

2009-04-26T20:24:00.000-07:00

Pre-Race:
I decided to do this race as a good training workout. I need more hard workouts, since most of my training is on my own and race season is approaching fast (or maybe it just began). The race was located in Enumclaw and I signed up for the 'short' course: 1.6 mile run, 14 mile bike, 3.8 mile run. The day before the race I was out at the tulip festival all day walking around, then shopping at the outlets, and a pre-race dinner at 9:30pm at Jimmy John's. Not exactly a very good race strategy, but like I said the goal of this race was to get a good workout.
Got to the race site less than an hour before start time. We had a detour along the way and it just took longer than I thought it would to drive. I got my race packet, set up my transition area and did a quick warm up before heading to the start line. It was a pretty small race, so everyone started together (all ages, both sexes).

Run - 1.6 Miles - 10:40 min - 6:40/mile
I had never done a duathlon (run before the bike) so I was a little apprehensive on this run. I didn't want to go out too fast and have my legs tired for the bike. I knew the bike course was tough (i'll get to that later). I held a comfortable pace and it went by very quickly. I was the leading the women right from the gun.

T1 - 44 sec
This was uneventful....but check out T2. :)

Bike - 14 Miles - 50:36 - 17.1 mph
I knew from my teammates that this was a hard bike course. I kept hearing about this 3 mile hill climb. I was dreading it, so I paced myself the first 7 miles (flat). It was a very nice scenic ride, through the farm fields. Saw a pretty sweet long haired bull. Thought about how Roxy would try to act all tough around it and bark at him (hey, whatever takes my mind off the pain). I didn't feel any fatigue from the first run, it actually felt like a good warm up to the bike. I finally approached the dreaded hill. I looked at my odometer so that I could count down until the top. It was long, steep at times, and long again. I saw a race photographer half way up, and thought that was cruel. Although, he was playing music from his car nice and loud so we could listen (again, whatever takes my mind off the pain is helpful). Finally made it to the top! Glad that is over, my back was starting to ache!!! Now I knew a huge downhill was left and then a few miles back to transition. I cruised down the hill and was happy that still no women passed me. Phew! I was starting to get excited, I have never won a multi-sport event, only my age group. I just hoped I wouldn't bonk on the run.

T2 - 35 sec
Now this was my fastest transition ever...and after I left transition, I knew why. I heard Jill yelling "helmet!!!" and soon realized I was running with my helmet on! Oops. Glad nobody got a picture of that. :)

Run - 3.8 Miles - 26:01 min - 6:51/mile
I finally got off the bike with no calf cramps. This is very common for me in a triathlon, but today, I was lucky! Phew, it's usually very painful and sometimes I have to stop and stretch. So, off I went onto the course for the second run. Still no women in sight. A male runner passed me right out of transition, so i tucked in behind him to see what kind of pace he was going to run. It seemed good, so I pulled up beside him. We ran together the first half of the run, we picked off two other runners. I was feeling good but I could tell he was laboring. As we headed back to the finish, I picked up speed and dropped him immediately. There was only one small hill towards the finish. Got to the top and charged home.

Overall, I felt great in this race. I definitely need to work on my bike some more, especially the hills and false flats (slight incline). Had a great time after the race hanging out with my team, JFT2. Would definitely want to do this race again!

Overall - 1:28.39
1st Female Overall

Seattle St. Patrick's Day Dash

2009-03-15T22:32:00.000-07:00

Pre-race:
My co-worker, Misty, informed me of this race and we decided to do it together, along with some of her friends through Team in Training. We wanted to have a little fun with it and dressed up in green. We had matching cute knee high socks, green of course, with shamrocks inside the Irish flag. I woke up to see it snowing outside, probably an inch on the ground already. We got to Seattle and it was still snowing, I guess it's better than rain. I met up with everyone before the start and we all reluctantly took our waterproof/warm clothing off in order to show off our outfits. :)

Race: We all started at the back of the first wave. Unfortunately, this put us right in the heaviest amount of traffic. I split from the rest of the group dodging around walkers and groups of runners. The first mile was very crowded, constantly weaving in and out of people. Then, it finally opened up and I could get into a comfortable rhythm. There were no mile markers, and the race was a weird distance (3.75 miles). We had one long up hill, then turned around to head back to the finish. Misty and Chelese saw me after the turn around, but all I saw was a sea of green. I heard them yell my name so I just waved back at everyone in their direction. I felt like I was going at a good pace, and felt strong. Or maybe that was just the long downhill. :) "My" time was 27:01. Averaging just over 7 min miles. Not bad for probably going 9 min the first mile.

Post Race:
Quickly changed in the car into some dry clothes, best feeling ever to get wet clothes off! Met everyone at Buckley's Pub for breakfast and beer. We had a fun table that was right up front by the window. Had a great time, with great people, even with the cold wet rain & snow.

Issaquah Rotary Run 10km

2008-10-07T11:31:00.000-07:00

Pre-race:
I decided to do this race because I've never raced a stand alone 10km! I did my first 10km 2 weeks ago at the Tri nationals. I wanted to see what I could do without swimming or biking before a 10km. My team, JFT2, was also racing. The course was close to my house as well.
I had a goal of going under 45 minutes. I had run 47 min in my triathlon. But ever since then, i haven't done any training. Just casual running, 3x/week.
I got to the race and it was perfect conditions. Cool (but not cold), cloudy, no wind. I also heard that the course was very flat (very unlike nationals). I felt good on my warm-up, went for about a 15 min jog with some sprints. Stretched, then hit the port-a-pottie. Unfortunately, my pit stop seperated me from my teammates. I couldn't find them at the start. The gun went off and we were on our way.

Race:
I took the first mile at a very controlled pace. I went by the first mile in about 7:10. I passed a couple of teammates and saw Jess Pollak about 20 sec in front of me. I thought I should try to catch up to her and run with her (easy to say). BUT, I just couldn't catch her. Everytime I thought I was going faster, I would close the gap, but then she would widen it again. Oh well, I just kept her in sight and that helped.
I just felt terrible from mile 2-4. I didn't want to race, I wanted to walk actually. Not really sure why. I had a side cramp, but that wasn't it. I just 'didn't have it'. I felt tired and mentally not responding. I haven't felt like that in any of my tri's. I definitely feel tired, but not this negative. I finally started to feel a little better around mile 4, probably because I could sense that I was getting close to finishing. I picked up my cadence (but still couldn't catch Jess) and told myself to suck it up and go! The last two miles we merged with the 5km racers and it got quite crowded on the course. Hard to get around people, strollers, dogs! I caught up to another woman that passed me when I had been suffering, so that helped. I stayed with her and we finished strong.

Overall time: 45:30 (5th in AG)

Post Race:
I believe I didn't feel well during this race because of my lack of any speed training in the last couple of weeks. I really think it makes a huge difference when I'm not used to the fast pace and breathing hard. I've been running, don't get me wrong, but I haven't done anything that would be race simulation. So, even though my time was not what I had hoped and I really felt crappy running, I am still OK with how it went. Something to beat next year!
After the race we went to Panera with the team. yum yum. Dan and I then went to Salmon Days for the first time. We watched the salmon swim up stream to the hatchery. It was so cool to watch. They're HUGE!

US Age Group Nationals

2008-09-26T19:01:00.000-07:00

Pre-race:

I decided to do this race for the experience and challenge. I had no high expectations for multiple reasons: this would be my first Olympic distance, had taken 7 weeks off for surgery, and this is a very competitive race. But this didn't mean that I didn't have goals. My goals were hard to set because of the reasons above, but this was them: under 30 min swim, 1:30 min bike, and 50 min run; aka break 2hrs 50min.

Day Before Race:
The race was near Portland, OR at Henry Hagg Lake State Park. My parents were meeting Dan and I there. It was going to be the first triathlon they would see me race. I was very excited to have them there. Both my parents are very athletic; my mom is a marathon runner and my dad is a competitive road cyclist (and ex-triathlete). They are definitely very supportive and encouraging so it was great to have them there.
I had to register and drop off my bike at the transition area. Right away I saw an Olympian, Sarah Haskins. I had Dan take our picture together and talked to her a little bit, but I was nervous to talk to her and forgot to ask her about the Olympics or wish her luck in her race, oh well. (sorry picture is a little dark)
We got really cool stuff in our registration bag. Two t-shirts, racing belt, hat, stickers. I dropped off my bike in transition then went for a quick run to loosen my legs from the long drive. We then drove the bike course, very hilly! I was warned by my JFT2 teammates that this was a hilly bike & run course, they didn't lie. It was a very scenic course though. Rolling hills in the woods. Very pretty. We went to our hotel, about 40 minutes away and then grabbed some Italian food at a restaurant down the street. Great food and our hotel was new and very nice.

Race Day:
I woke up at 5am and got ready. I was feeling pretty good and ready to get this race over, I was nervous because of how comeptitive this race was going to be, I just didn't want to get last in my age group. :) Got my transition area ready, and had to do a very short run. They kicked us out of transition early and realized I should have had an alternate pair of running shoes. Oh well, I decided each leg of the race I was going to start off slow and pace myself, so that could work as my warm up. Did a quick warm up in the water right before the start. made sure my goggles felt good. I was ready as I was gonna be at this point.

Swim: 27:47 (43rd in AG)
There were about 50 girls in my age group, we all started together on the dock. Slipped into the water and then the gun went off. I let the group get out in front of me. I knew I was going to be one of the slowest swimmers so I didn't want to risk my goggles getting kicked off. I tucked behind another girl and started to draft off of her. I hadn't been able to do this much in other races, so it felt good, I could definitely tell that it conserved my energy. The swim went by much faster than I thought it was going to go. My time wasn't stellar, but I did better than my goal and I wasn't out of the water last (but close!).

T1: 2:36
Super steep hill (first of many) right out of the water up to transition. Took it steady, didn't want my HR to skyrocket. I passed a girl in transition and everything went pretty smooth.

Bike: 1:20.29 (40th in AG)
The bike course was 2 loops around the lake. I wanted to make sure I did the first loop controlled and with enough energy left to go hard on the second lap. I wish I had my split times. The first loop I felt good, there were about 4 other girls that I kept going back and forth with. Near the end, I finally kept in front of them for a while. Unfortunately, right before the end of the first loop I was going up the steepest hill and realized I was in my big chain ring and wasn't going to make it up. I quickly switched to the small chain ring and immediately I dropped my chain. I had to stop and struggled to get it back on. Of course, now I had to start from a stand still on this very steep hill. I just kept thinking 'this is the best of the worst that could go wrong'. I passed my family after the first loop and trudged along trying to catch back up to my group. I saw them on the short turn around and that put hope back into me. I really worked the hills, not thinking about the run yet to come. I finally caught a couple of the girls from my pack right before the end of the bike. Phew!

T2: 57 sec
Again, I saw the same girl in transition as T1. I passed her again. I started running and was hoping I took enough nutrition on the bike to get me through this tough run course.

Run: 47:05 (30th in AG)
Of course, right out of transition there's a steep hill. I took it slow, to keep my breathing in check. I saw my dad and then my mom & Dan. I even managed a smile for their camera's. I had to, I made it this far and was feeling pretty good. Well, except that my legs felt like blocks and my feet were numb for the first mile. The darn girl from transitions passed me right away, ugh. Oh well, I promised myself I was going to hold back the first couple of miles. I got some gatorade and water at the first aid station, had to walk to get it down. Up, down, up down. These hills were insane! I checked my watch and realized I was doing pretty decent and that I should definitely beat all my goals, it made me relax and feel good. I picked up my pace as the run went. I saw a lot of my teammates on the course as well, so that was a nice distraction from all the pain. I passed the transition girl right after the turn around. I passed some more girls in my AG towards the end, so that was a relief as well. I wasn't going to be last!!! Hooray! :) I had 1 mile to go and I gave it all I had. I saw the finish in sight and the red carpet finish. I was so overwhelmed at the finish. It was a better experience than I even imagined. I'm so happy with my race!! It was a great way to finish the season!!!

Overall Time: 2:38.52 (38th in AG)

We stuck around after the race to watch the elite women race. Wow, very impressive! Here's a picture of Sarah Haskins (2nd). Also a picture of my teammates Rachel and Scott from JFT2.

Subaru Women's Sprint Tri

2008-09-08T14:39:00.000-07:00

Pre-race:
The night before the race we had a JFT2 team party! I was very excited to see my fellow teammates (and meet some as well). It was a potluck, so I was a little nervous about my pre-race dinner. I was bummed I had to shy away from the beer, wine, desserts, and lots of other yummy looking things, especially the peanut butter chocolate rice krispy treats! :(
We had also gone to the Huskies football game earlier that day and by the end of the day, I was definitely fatigued, my legs were tired. So, I was getting a little nervous.

Race Day:
I woke up in the morning and ate a new breakfast. Honey nut cheerios with a banana cut up. I just didn't feel like my usual peanut butter on toast and a cliff bar. I had a bad feeling this was going to be a mistake. But did it anyways.
We got to the site a little later than I planned. I was one of the last people to put my bike on the race and got a poor spot, mainly because the rack was too low that my bike didn't fit! So weird! Never had that happen before. I couldn't tuck it under the rack, I had to rest the back of my seat on the rack, hoping it wouldn't fall off. I did a very short run warm-up (less than 10 min) along the course before I had to get back because they were kicking everyone out of transition.

Swim: 15:16
I went down to the beach with Tracy, fellow teammate. We were talking when I realized that my wave was already lined up and ready to go. I jumped in line, at the back and got anxious because I didn't want to get stuck at the back of the pack right from the gun. Luckily, we had to jump off the dock and into the water and tread water for the start, so I just waited till everyone else jumped in, scooted up the dock and jumped in at the front of the pack. As soon as I jumped in, I heard the official say GO! So, off I went and I even had the lead for a good 15 seconds, woo hoo. I was able to count the girls go by me, luckily it was only about 6 girls. I tried to stick with one of the girls, on her feet as long as possible, but she wasn't going in a very straight line. I started out fast, so I definitely started to fatigue, it seemed like forever before I was done.

T1: 3:36
The swim exit was far from the transition area, plus they made everyone run to the back of the transition area through a chute so that those who had their bike racked at the back didn't have a disadvantage. I had no problems, felt fine at this point....but not for long.

Bike: 39:34
The bike was pretty much two loops. I had driven it the day before. It was hillier than all my other races. I must have gone out on the bike alone because right away I had a motorcycle police escort. woo hoo! I felt special. :) He even came in handy when there was a flock of geese crossing the street, he used his sirens to scare them away. Then I got passed and my escort was gone. Then got passed again, and again. Ugh! Not enough bike training. My stomach did NOT feel well. I went up a hill and immediately threw up a little. Yuck. Then a few minutes later it happened again. Not sure if it was dinner the night before or breakfast, but something was making my tummy feel awful!! I just felt bad and slow. Luckily the few girls that passed me, I was able to hang on for a while. But I didn't pass anybody, and I knew I wasn't leading because of the swim. I was so excited when I was getting close to being done with the bike, but was worried about my stomach for the run. I knew that the run course was brutal with more hills.

T2: 1:38
Very smooth and pretty quick. Had to run through the chute in the transition again, then was off. I had one girl leave right in front of me.

Run: 30:31
I knew this course was 2 loops, very hilly and 4 miles (instead of the usual 3 miles). I was glad that it was 2 loops, so I could see how bad the hills were going to be, also Dan would finally get to see part of my run other than just the finish chute. I was off and immediately had to go up a big hill. Once I got to the top there was a steep descent. I could see 3 girls in front of me. One was definitely fading fast, another was going about my speed, and a third was somewhere in the middle. I had no problem catching one of the girls, she was the fastest biker. I paced myself though, not wanting to over do it with all the hills. I just kept saying "this is good training for nationals" (also a very hilly course). I completed the first loop and was able to pass all the girls in sight. I had nobody else in front of me. I was disappointed because I thought that the other girls must be so far in front of me that there's no way to catch them even with a great run. I figured I was around 4th. I saw Dan and complained to him how hilly it was. :)
I felt great at this point, no stomach problems, was in a good rhythm. I had no idea how fast I was going because there were no mile markers. Ugh! I was getting close to the finish and I had a volunteer on the bike notice me and she escorted me to the finish. It was starting to get confusing because some people were on their first loop while others were on their second. I really picked it up and felt like I pushed really hard on the run. I finished with the announcers saying my name, never had that before, super cool!

Total: 1:30:34
1st in Age Group
7th Overall

Post Race:
I was able to watch my teammate, Tracy finish. We all hung around for the awards in the freezing cold! Bbbrrrr... I had no idea that I had won my AG. I must have passed people in transition without knowing it.
I felt good about this race mainly because it was a good warm-up for nationals. I feel ready for the run but not the bike.
Very happy with first place in my AG! But also with 7th overall.

Danskin Tri 2008

2008-08-20T15:41:00.000-07:00

Storm before the storm:

Woke up at 4am by thunder and lightning! The day before I was complaining that it was soooo stincking hot and how the sun was just blazing down on me. Now, it's raining and I have a bad feeling that the race will be delayed or even canceled. eek! I couldn't fall back asleep but i stayed in bed and just tried to relax. I got up about 5:20am and got ready real quick. I had everything ready. Just ate toast w/ PB and a cliff bar. It managed to go down pretty easily. I just can't stand eating that early in the morning (not a morning person!).

Got to the race around 6:15am, I didn't start until 7:40am. I didn't see any JFT'ers so I just went and got my transition area set up and then headed out on a warm up run along the run course. I got to a park and did some stretching, watching the sun come up. Yup, the storm was all gone and you could see the sun a little behind some clouds. It was VERY relaxing and calming. I headed back to my transition area and found my friend Marcy who had her bike next to mine. We chatted and then I put my wet suit on and headed to the start. She started in the wave behind me, same age group. Still no sight of other teammates, must be starting at totally different times than me, but then again, people in caps and wet suits all look the same. ;)

Swim: 14:48
I squeezed my way to the front line and got a good start. After the first buoy we already caught the wave in front of us and it was mad caos! There were people lined 4 across all doing the breast stroke. It was so hard to maneuvre, there were just way too many people. I really couldn't get any rhythm going. But I only saw a few people in my wave ahead of me. Time wasn't too bad, but not great. I hadn't done much swim training (the least of all 3 events) due to my surgery in June), so I was ok with how I did.

T1: 3:21
I got out of the water and dropped my goggles right away, oops. Then I grabbed water from the aid station, not really sure why I did that, didn't need it so I dumped it on my head. That probably looked stupid since I was soaking wet already. :)
I started running to my bike and my calf cramped on me (this usually doesn't happen until I start the run) so I tripped a little bit. Felt stupid again! Otherwise my transition was ok, had to sit down again to take off my wet suit. But I never felt dizzy this time, which was impressive since the water was very wavy, a boat must have gone by recently.

Bike: 34:29
This went great except for on the way back when you get off the bridge there's a sharp, narrow, steep downhill. I got there and noticed there was a line of people (off their bikes) waiting to get through. I had to stop as well and get off my bike. I started my stop watch. We slowly walked down the hill, I tried to stay patient (that was really hard) so I cheered on the ladies going up the hill. We finally got to the bottom of the hill and were able to mount our bikes and start again. I checked my stop watch...it said 2 minutes...very frustrating! So, at least I know my bike time should have been more around 32 minutes. Made me feel better since I heard that the bike was only 10.2 miles instead of 12 miles.

T2: 1:21
Uneventful. I even thought my calves felt great when I was running out of transition. I saw one other bike on the rack, so I knew at least one girl was in front of me. Not sure how fast the girls in my age group from the other waves were doing.

Run: 23:22
As soon as I left transition, my calves started to tighten up. Not sure how to get this problem to go away, it's extremely painful! I had to stop and stretch them really quick, it's worth the stop. Started up again slowly to make sure they wouldn't cramp again. Lots of walkers you have to go around, but it's much easier and safer than on the bike. I got to the water station of my teammates, JFT. It was great! I heard Jill yelling at me. :) BTW - I heard several times throughout the race: GO JFT! That was a nice feeling! Right before the turn around I saw a girl in front of me that had her number turned to the back of her and I noticed that it was a number that was very similar to mine, so I knew it had to be the girl with the bike on the rack in T2 that I saw. Luckily I passed her and she didn't make any attempt to go with me. I also saw Rachel on the run and heard Char cheer me on going the opposite direction. I love our uniforms, it's so easy to spot each other. I felt really strong on the run (except at the top of the big hill, felt a little queezy).

Finish:

1:17.24
1st in Age Group
28th Overall

I was so excited to get first in my age group!! :)
I am glad to be back after my surgery, it's definitely sooner than I originally thought.

Surgery

2008-06-04T19:43:00.000-07:00

4 hours after surgery:

I went in today to have surgery to remove tissue that had come back abnormal (pre-cancerous) on a skin biopsy on my stomach. I had a mole removed that looked 'suspicious' to the Dr, and thankfully I did because it eventually could have turned into Melanoma.
I have never had surgery before, the closest thing was having my wisdom teeth removed when I was in high school. This time I was not put 'under'. It was all local anesthetics, which to me is worse. I get squeamish with blood. I don't mind needles, it's the actual cutting me open part that just creeps me out!
I went in at noon and didn't end up leaving til 3pm. It was a lot of waiting around though. I hate waiting around, it just makes you more nervous and gives you time to psych yourself out! I don't know how long the actual procedure took (in my mind it felt like an hour) but it was somewhere around 15 minutes. The Dr numbed me up pretty good and then I went to the operating room. I started getting really hot and nervous. The nurse realized this and immediately starting talking to me to try to get my attention off of what was about to happen. She offered me an eye mask, but I declined and just closed my eyes. The adrenaline started to kick in from the anesthetic and my arm muscles started twitching and shaking a little. The DR arrived and out came the scissors, oops, forgot to close my eyes in time. The worst part of the procedure was when he was tying the internal stitches, it felt like he had his whole hand in my stomach. There was lots of tugging and pulling, it felt so weird even though there was no pain. It grossed me out and I started to think awful thoughts and I started to tense up. There was a couple of times I could feel a sharp pain and he had to give me more anesthetic (gag). I could here scissors (gag again) and I was starting to think I wasn't going to get through it. Luckily he was on to the external stitches and we were almost done. 5 internal stitches, and 5 external stitches total. The nurse was still talking to me about my job to try to distract me, which was very helpful.
As soon as the Dr was done, my body relaxed and i took a deep breath. But now my leg muscles started to shake a little. It was a weird feeling. The nurse was cleaning up and putting on my bandages. I felt a little woozy, but I was so happy that it was over. They gave me my final instructions and they walked me out to the waiting room where Dan came running over to get the door and make sure I was OK. I actually felt fine at this point. No pain, but my muscles in my legs and arms felt more worn out from the anxiety and adrenaline from the surgery than from my triathlon a few days earlier!!!
Now, I'm laying on the couch, still no pain, hoping the anesthetic never wears off. :) I just hope I am able to sleep tonight.
I got a beautiful bouquet of flowers & balloons from my work to cheer me up! :)

Issaquah Triathlon

2008-06-02T08:31:00.000-07:00

I was very anxious going into this triathlon for many reasons. I have only ever done the Seafair (July) and the Danskin (august) triathlons, so starting this early in the season was very new to me. My advantage was that I started my training way earlier than ever before and I had also joined JFT2 in the winter.
I knew that this was going to be my first and last triathlon before I had to have surgery this Wednesday. I had a skin biopsy last month that came back abnormal, pre-cancerous, so I have to go back and get more tissue removed to make sure they get all the abnormal cells. I am so thankful that they caught it early before it could develop into Melanoma!! For the triathlon, I just wanted everything to go well, so that all my training wasn't completely wasted. I still hope to get back into things towards the mid/end of the season.

Race Day:
I woke up at 4am, an hour before my alarm. I couldn't fall back asleep, although I felt exhausted. I layed there until 5am and got up and showered to try to wake myself up. I had gotten everything ready the night before. I wore lots of layers because I knew it was going to be cold even though it was sunny.
I ate half a power bar, and a piece of toast with peanut butter. I don't like to eat that early in the morning and being nervous made it even harder. I pretty much gagged every time I took a bite, but I knew I needed something in my stomach. I washed it down with some Gatorade.
Got to the race site just before 6am. Set up my transition area and headed over to the beach to check out the start. The swim looked short, which was sounding good to me. Saw some waterskiiers and I knew that Dan was probably jealous he couldn't bring our boat. I went for a 10 minute warm up run, did some stretching and then had to get the wet suit on. I took Jill's advice and used Pam for the first time on my wrists and ankles to help take it off in T1. Headed out to the beach and jumped in the water and had to get out because the first wave of elite's were starting the race. oh well. I was ready!

Swim: 7:44 (14th AG)
I should have started at the front of my group buy I just kind of stood in the middle of the pack. The race started and I couldn't even dive in the water, too many people around me, so I started running in the water. Once I was past the first buoy, there was much more room. I thought I was doing pretty well, especially since in the last month I had only gone swimming about 3 times because of my health issues. But luckily it was only a 1/4 mile swim, phew! I felt fine, probably could have even gone harder, but I was breathing hard, so I guess I did OK. The night before I had seen a 5 foot dead sturgeon in the water that scared the crap out of me! I hate fish, and have a fear of swimming in open water. Dan thinks it's because I've watched too many scary movies, I think I agree!

T1: 1:40
Found my bike fine, wetsuit came off ok, but I had to sit down and put my shoes on. My sunglasses fogged up so I had to wipe them off real quick. Not the smoothest transition, but it was ok. Had a hard time clipping into my pedals, but what else is new.

Bike: 44:54 (6th AG)
I only wore my bathing suit top (tankini) and some spandex shorts, so I was nervous to see how cold I would get. Got held up in the beginning by some slow riders and we couldn't pass. Did a lot of passing throughout the race, it was pretty crowded. I would probably prefer to go out in the elite group next year, just to avoid the masses. I had one girl pass me but I was able to keep her in my sight throughout the ride. I'm a scardy cat of downhills, but I went for it in the race and pedaled hard on all the downhills. My legs were a little cold and my muscles were pretty tight, I especially noticed it on the uphills. The bike went by fast even though it's 3 miles longer than my triathlons from last year. My dismount off the bike was not so good. I slammed on the brakes and forgot to take my feet out of the pedals. Luckily one of them came out quickly but I struggled with the second one.

T2: 1:07
Much smoother than T1. No problems, had to sit down again to switch shoes: there's gotta be a faster way, not sure why I feel like I need to sit (other than being freaking tired).

Run: 21:18 (7th AG)
My feet were completely numb from the bike. It felt so weird! Although it felt weird, it wasn't really a problem. My problem was my calf muscles, they immediately cramped up and I had to stop to stretch them real quick. I continued on at a very slow pace for the first half mile, and they slowly started to feel better. I picked it up and felt like I was in a groove. I was passing people, including the girl who passed me on the bike. I felt strong. I wasn't passed by any girls. Once we hit the water station and the pavement, I could feel the downhill, so I used it to pick up my momentum even more. The last half mile I tried to pick it up again, but this time my stomach started to feel nauseous. Luckily the finish was close, and I kicked it in.

1:16.46 - 4th AG - 26th Female - 146th Overall

Felt very satisfied with this race, I didn't think I was capable of getting 4th in my age group. I am very pleased! :) The best part of the race was being able to enjoy it with my new team, JFT2. Everyone is so positive and fun to be around. It's nice to have the support.