Iron Girl: Pleasant Prairie Sprint Triathlon (My 1st Tri EVER!)

I started out Saturday morning feeling like CB..
I wanted to go cycle outside and do one last OWS before the Triathlon Sunday, but wasn't feeling it. After hitting SNOOZE a few too many times I got out of bed and rode to Lake Michigan. By then it was too late for a decent cycling trip due to the marathon training groups/crowds, so I tried to cycle hard to the Lake to compensate for it.
It was a beautiful morning and I was slightly more excited to swim after seeing the sunrise.
I went without wetsuit because the water was a "warm" 72 deg, and because I wanted to practice swimming without it since I wasn't going to be using it for the race.
The water was choppy, like crazy chaos choppy with 2-4' waves, and I just wasn't into it, so I swam for 11 minutes and then went home to pack before taking the train to go meet KIM.
My trusty knobby tired, 15 year old Hybrid looking nice on the rack.
Packet pickup was a breeze and I found a decent place to rack my bike. I also tried to ignore the bikes on my rack and look for other distinguishing landmarks so I would be able to find my bike easily during the race the next morning.
Luckily I was in the middle row, about halfway back in front of a large light pole. SCORE! Super easy to remember where my bike was.

"You mean I have to swim from THAT shore to THIS shore??"

We got up early to head over to Pleasant Prairie. I was a bit nervous by this point because I wasn't just running, or going to the pool, but I was now about to swim, bike, and run consecutively and had to ensure I was on point with setting up my transition area + remembering all my essential items for each discipline.

It was overwhelming. I really didn't know what to expect.
Sunrise over the Rec Plex, Pleasant Prairie.
I set up my transition area and went over it 20 times. I envisioned what I would need for each part of the race, and tried to keep it simple. I stuffed my snacks, gloves, sunglasses and chapstick inside my helmet and stuffed my socks inside my shoes so I wouldnt forget anything. My sweet Specialized hybrid ready for its 1st triathlon and 2nd race ever + my transition area.
Once transition was closed we began the LONG walk to the other side of the lake for the swim start. I was getting more and more nervous at this point. I really had no idea what to expect for the swim. And the thought of getting kicked, caught up in the crowd, running out of breath IN THE MIDDLE OF A FREAKING LAKE was super intimidating.

ALL THE BIKES.

I tried to remain as calm as possible because worrying and thinking of "what ifs" is just a big waste of energy and takes up valuable mental space. I thought about why I was participating in this race and how I wanted this day to go.
Completing a triathlon has been a goal of mine for a very long time. I used to watch my daad participate in Tri's back in the day, and was always inspired. I get teary eyed every single time I watch an Ironman on TV. (Half and Full Ironman races are on my bucket list too).

When I got peroneal tendinosis/itis for the 2nd time and decided to give PT a try, I promised myself that I would remain active and try to keep my fitness up as high as possible while rehabbing the cankle. I started cycling a ton, and eventually added in swimming. Soon after I got the brilliant idea to put all this cross training to good use and scratch "complete a triathlon"off of my list. Since I was usually training for a fall marathon, I never felt it was a good idea to compete in a triathlon for risk of possible injury.

So funny that once I was injured, I decided to give Triathlons a try.
3+ months ago I had a decision to make: either be depressed I couldn't train for another marathon in my favorite time of the year to run, or make the best out of a bummer of a situation. I chose the latter. I cycled my ass off most weeks, and forced myself to swim and didn't run for a while to let my cankle heal. This triathlon was going to be a celebration of being patient and smart.  Plus I was really needing to do something competitive even if I wasn't going to "race", since I miss running and the electric atmosphere of a race so much!

My only goal for this race was to have fun.

I have to swim to the other side of this lake?!?! 

I chatted with Kim and Bobbi pre race and  got a little silly waiting around for my wave to start.
Awkward pose a la "Style" bloggers.
15 minutes before my wave I went into the water to warm up a bit. I swam a little and hung out in the water visualizing the swim. I knew the 1/2 mile swim was going to be a huge challenge for me and knew i needed to stay focused and calm for it to be a success.

Having a blast with Kim and Bobbi pre race.

I lined up for the swim on the far right (slower traffic on the right...)but near the front. The horn sounded and a myriad of purple caps ran into the water. I felt ok at first but within a quarter mile I was starting to feel like I was suffocating so I started my hybrid doggie paddle/breast stroke to calm myself. It was in the middle of the lake I had a "come to Jesus meeting." I was starting to panic. I was in the middle of a F*cking lake, couldnt touch bottom, and was fatigued. I wanted out. NOW. But I used my special jedi mind tricks to calm myself, HTFU and carry on.

By the half way point or a little later, I regained composure and was able to get into a nice rhythm of 10 strokes, 5-10 breaths while doggie paddling. I started passing purple caps, and some folks from the wave in front of me, and the wave that started 10 minutes ahead of me! CRAZY.

It was ridiculously encouraging to start hearing the cheering of the spectators- which signaled I was starting to get close to being done. I turned around and saw the shore I had come from was getting further away. When I finally touched bottom with my hands I stood up to walk out of the water and head into T1. When first stepped onto the sand I started crying.

I had just accomplished something that 8 weeks ago scared the shit out of me.

1/2 mile Swim: 18:57
-32/112 AG
-333/1049 OA
The whole run to transition I was full of emotion- elation that I just completed the swim!

Transition 1 went as well as I expected. I took my cycling gloves and tried to brush the sand off of my feet with them before putting on my shoes/socks. I stuffed my snacks into my pockets. Put my helmet and sunglasses on, and put some body glide on my legs/tailbone and bike seat (just in case my leg would chafe again).  I grabbed my bike and ran to the transition exit.

T1: 2:28
-37/112 AG
-328/1049 OA
The bike also went as expected. I tried to keep my distance and ride 4 lengths behind the person in front of me if I wasnt passing them. It was a little strange to be passing people, and being passed at the same time. The course was full of rolling hills but nothing too crazy. There was also some wind, but I dont think it impeded me at all. Around mile 3 I realized I had left my cycling gloves in transition.. Oh well.

At mile 4 I ate my chia squeeze pouch. Around mile 8 I ate a fruit bar. I drank half of my bottle of Osmo. I was pushing hard because I had very low expectations for the run due to the cankle and wanted to give a good effort and wreck my legs.

Before the race I had anticipated I would hold a 15-16 mph pace for the 12 mile ride.*

12 Mile Bike: 42:22, 17mph*
-55/112 AG
-472/1049 OA

*Later on I was shocked to see I averaged 17mph. I thought 16mph would have been a stretch on my knobby tire hybrid. Kim and I were speaking later on about this and her Garmin read 11 miles. My cyclometer which was spot on at mile 5 had registered 10.95 miles. So averaging 15.5 for 11 miles sounds a lot more plausible than 17mph. I know in years past people have questioned the distance of the bike course in this race. Clearly it was short of the advertised 12+ miles. But I don't care all that much... 
I dismounted my bike and ran it straight to my transition spot. took off my helmet and threw on my race belt and ran out of T2.  This was super easy especially since I didn't have to change shoes.

T2: 55 seconds
-3/112 AG
-21/1049 OA
I started running and my legs felt like jello. My original plan was to walk/run the 5K. After a few minutes I looked at my timex (yup, going old school here since my Garmin is useless on the bike/swim) and saw 3:00. I debated starting to walk, but I was feeling good and my ankle was feeling fabulous. So I continued running not having any idea what pace I was going, but kept it relatively easy.

Photos by Bobbi

The course went around the lake and had a small out and back portion on gravel. I took water at the aid station and also on the way back. It's probably the first time in a while I've actually taken water during a 5k. But I was SOOOOO thirsty and hot. The first mile was 7:45! I forget what the subsequent miles were but I was constantly reminding myself to keep it easy and not over do it. 

I was fully prepared to stop and walk if my ankle started escalating. Miraculously it felt normal. Like pre injury normal. At mile 1, I realized if I kept around an 8:00 pace I could potentially break 1:30 so I kept chugging along.   For the 5k it seemed like 97% of the participants were walking which was mind boggling to me. And that was awesome because I must have passed 200+ people during those 3 miles many of them being the 30-34 age groupers! Yep, the competitive side of me started coming out... lol.

I LOVE this photo that Steven took (Kim's Husband). 

I kicked it in to the finish and saw Bobbi, Steven and Kim spectating, and felt like I was gonna hurl, luckily I didn't. I received a medal, turned down chocolate milk, took a water and headed back to where they were spectating.

5k run: 25:08 
-5/112 AG 
-53/1049 OA

Kim and I post race, She KILLED it on the bike portion of her relay!!

I felt super foggy once I finished.  I was actually more excited that I had completed the 1/2 mile swim than the entire race because I knew that the bike/run would be a piece of cake and that the swim would give me the biggest challenge. (It didn't disappoint!)  Completing a triathlon has been on my radar for years- and to finally accomplish that goal felt so satisfying. At the same time the competitive side of me was all "but if I learn how to swim much better, had a road bike, and could actually run..."  Eh, I'll save that for when I am 100% healthy and for when I buy a road bike. Im not overly enthusiastic on signing up for another triathlon right now.
Some things I would improve on should I ever TRI again...

I think my fueling overall was ok. I ate a fruit bar brand: "that's it" and a chia squeeze 45 minutes pre swim. I ate another "That's it" bar and another chia squeeze pouch on the bike. I also drank half my Osmo during the bike portion. I realize now I should have drank a lot more, because I felt pretty depleted and dry like a toast for the run. I also should have taken some salt tabs because I got a raging headache a few hours later that took entirely too long to go away after taking 2 aleve.  I should have known better than to not take salt if I was working out in the heat. I will remember for next time...
While we were waiting to get let back into transition (they don't let you in until all the bikes have returned) the final lady arrived on the bike. The crowd erupted into applause and encouraging cheers for this lady as she got ready to start the run. When she left for the run everyone started cheering again for her. It made me tear up seeing the camaraderie for our fellow triathlete. I later saw on the IG Pleasant Prairie facebook page that she had finished- it was her first triathlon.

What I found really interesting about this race was that it was full of all body types, all fitness levels, all ages-  everyone going for the same goal. People you wouldn't expect to be fast (solely based on appearance) were kicking major ass and flying by more "fit" looking people. It was incredible and humbling. Everyone was so encouraging to each other-  I lost track of how many high 5's I gave out on the 5k during the out and back portions.

I really feel like I couldn't have picked a better first triathlon to participate in.
This weekend I'll remember forever. I got to spend time with good friends and got to challenge and show myself that I can do anything, even things that scare the shit out of me!

Another OWS, CB's unexpected vet visit and Beer Camp. OH MY!

Another fabulous week in the books...
It didn't start out all festive and merry however.

I worked out a little over half of what I've normally been doing. I just felt fatigued and kind of sick by the middle of the week.

Those days when it's 90 degrees out and the next morning and it's 59, really throws me off.

CB was cute. As always. He's so stinkin precious.
He played dress up as Yoda when Fido to Go came around.

Wednesday I was feeling icky but was happy to go meet Kim and her husband for dinner. Definitely pulled me out of my funk for like 2 hours,..

Got home and played with CB for a bit. Around 10:30 we were getting ready for bed and I noticed the area around his right eye was swollen.

I freaked the eff out. Googling symptoms at 11pm is never a good idea. Ever. I put a cold compress on his eye and stayed up with him until midnight. Other than the swelling, he seemed fine.

The next morning I was able to get a vet appointment and left work early (also because I had the chills/fever) and walked CB to the vet. Clearly he was miserable on our walk. I had given him some Benadryl once I was able to get some from the store and it seemed to help reduce the swelling over 2 hours.

The vet called me around 4:30 and said she didn't see much swelling and that I did the right thing by giving him the Benadryl. No definitive cause could be determined.

We walked home and he laid like that for 5+ minutes, staring at the wall. High on Benadryl??

Saturday morning I did my 2nd OWS. It was gorgeous and calm and the water seemed really cold.

I warmed up for 8 minutes and then forced myself to swim a half mile. Holy shit. Swimming a half mile is really really far. I felt like crap, with the 63 degree water not aiding my headache and just wanted to go home. So after my half mile I peeled out of my wetsuit and cycled home.

After I got home I went for a run with the CB dog. We walked 3:00/ ran 2:00 and I felt ok. He was pissed not to run more.

I'm debating on whether or not to get a second script for PT since my first will run out in a few weeks. I've made a ton of progress with the ankle and hip strength, but there is still lingering pain- which caused a change in diagnosis to "tendinosis." (Osis because there's pain but no swelling) a quick google search yielded enough info to make me understand that this is a no joke chronic issue and could take up to 6 months to heal.

I am not sure if I should continue with PT until the discomfort is nearly gone or if I should try to be on my own for a bit and take things easy with my return to running and being diligent with all my PT exercises. I could always return to PT.

For a birthday surprise, I took L to "The Aviary" which is one of the best cocktail bars in the world.

It's described as a 4 star restaurant for drinks (although the small bites of food we ordered were also amazing). The time and care put into these creations is just mind blowing.

It's a place that appeals to all of your senses- the visual of a beautiful drink, the smell, the texture, the presentation. The cocktails were so delicious.

Sunday we went to Sierra Nevada's Beer Camp across America tour.

It was held at Navy Pier (aka the tourist trap Shit Show) but turned out to be a cool venue at the very end of the pier.

We got tasting glasses and sampled many new to us beers from breweries in the Midwest and beyond:
(new to me) Beers I tried:
•Urban Chestnut-"Zwickel"
•Nevin- "Summer sesh"
•Mobcraft- "Bat Shit Sour"
•3 Sheeps- "Really Cool Waterslides
•Pipeworks- "Simcoe IPA"
•Blue Nose- "Archer Ave"
•Figure 8- "Ro Shampo"
•Argus- "Strawberry Brogurt"
•Big Dawg- "SOB Ale"
We had a great time. And drank many many delicious beers.

•Dark Horse- "Barracuda Blue"
•Sierra Nevada-"There and back"
•Country Boy- "Knotty Pine"
•5 Rabbit- "Guava Paletas"
•Alpha- "Cantaloupe Sour"
•Destihl- "Mango IPA"
•Cigar City- "Jai Alai"
•Sierra Nevada/Cigar City- "Yonderbock"
•Sierra Nevada/New Glarus- "Electric Ray"

It was a fabulous end to the week and a great way to kick off L's birthday week.

The live music was also fun. We danced and had a great time before meeting up with some friends for dinner.

And to think this was only day 2 of L's fantastic birthday bash week....

Can't wait for all the fun events we have planned this week- including going to the Shedd aquarium, and the main event..... Lollapalooza!

I'm going to need a vacation from all of this.


-Xaar

Spectating RnR Chicago and My 1st OWS EVER!!

109+ miles cycled/swam/ellipticalled/ran 

Low point of the week:
Running Tuesday morning and the Cankle getting pissy again.

Consequently, the PT told me not to run the rest of the week which was fine considering the time and money I'm putting Into Cankle rehabilitation and wanting a successful long term outcome. It was amazing how crunchy my ankle was when the PT performed Graston on it later Tuesday. The unfortunate part is that while the tendon is seemingly ok, the sheath around it is being ridiculously stubborn and asides from my PT exercises, and icing at home- time is the only thing that will heal it.

Highlights of the week:

Going to the Green City Market Chef BBQ again.
We've gone the past few years and have enjoyed it immensely. Basically many of the best restaurants in Chicago set up tents and create small plates of food.

Think of it as a much classier version of the Taste of Chicago. Or the "TRUE" taste of Chicago.

We got to have small plates from Cookies and Carnitas, Spiaggia, Honey Butter Chicken, Rick Bayless, The Chopping Block, Pecking Order, Sable, and many others...
I had a stout beer float, a cherry bourbon Popsicle, tequila berry punch and many other delicious drinks. I should have realized that alternating beer and cocktails without drinking water would end in disaster, but at the time it was perfect. Friday was rough.

Another highlight:
Saturday I completed my first open water swim (OWS) ever!!
I got to the beach around 6am and stuffed myself into my wetsuit. Somehow I zipped it up all by myself!! Success! The water was a very cool 60ish degrees but with the wetsuit I felt comfortable. It took me a ridiculous amount of time to be able to breathe. I swam for a while and took breaks to stop to catch my breath.
The water was smooth as glass which was good, but I still felt a little bit of anxiety. I'm really happy I went out to do this before the triathlon in 3 weeks. I would have freaked the eff out at the TRI. I felt like I was suffocating with the wetsuit on- for the TRI I don't plan on wearing it because the water will be warmer and it will take me longer to get out of the damn thing than the swim itself. Ha.

I survived my first OWS and didn't get attacked by lampreys!

I plan to go out a few times a week to continue to get more comfortable in the open water.

Later on Saturday I ordered some food from my favorite Japanese restaurant. CB wanted my bacon wrapped tomatoes! Stinker!

We watched a rebroadcast of the Ironman Asia Pacific championship, Melbourne and I got all choked up and and had the thoughts of how I must do this one day. (Like I've had for years and years) Patience. Also, I must learn how to swim much much better and get a road bike and overcome the cankle..sigh.

Another highlight of the week: was spectating the Rock n Roll Chicago half with Vicky and CB. I've ran this race the past 3 years, and while it stung a little to not participate, I was excited to cheer on my friends.
Andy Wacker around mile 5.5, far in the lead and eventual winner.

Then we saw Shalane Flanagan fly by!

I also got to see Ken, Pete and Kimberlie having a blast on the course. They all look fab for this being around mile 13!!

Vicky, myself, CB and Joe. Fleet feet cheer & racing teammates.

We migrated over to the finish and watched Shalane zoom past us again to take 1st woman and 5th overall.

We also saw Adriana Nelson (15th woman at Boston Marathon 2014, 1st woman US Half Marathon Championships 2013) pacing her husband to a strong finish!

I've lost track of all the races I've spectated/played photog at this year. But I hope that supporting my friends in their adventures is building up my good karma bank so that when I eventually return to running I'll be injury free for a long long time. ;)

Honestly, I just enjoy being around the race atmosphere and seeing people striving for something better and achieving their goals. It's so freaking inspiring!
Another fab week in the books.