They say to surround yourself with people of like mind and interests. I have such a group of friends. They are my Desert Tri Girls (soon to be Desert Tri Girls and Boys). This amazing group of women keep each other accountable and motivated.
There are often times I find myself feeling guilty for not joining in a group ride or run but then someone always says..."don't worry about it" and they are right. That isn't what our group is about. They are not there to pressure you or make you feel guilty. They all realize we all have other priorities in life, mostly families and jobs.This is why we say TRI - Train, Race and Inspire.
Yesterday we did a group Sprint Tri with our friend, Kristen Lodge. Kristen is a two time Ironman and is currently closing in on her third. Kristen was able to organize the event and plan the bike route while another friend, Kristy planned the run. We all met at the pool for the final 50 meter lap day of the year. There were only 5 of us doing the "Mock Tri" but it was almost more rewarding than that of an organized event that is open to the public.
The best part for me was that I had not planned on attending. I had a cake to do for an event and I didn't think I had time. Last minute on Friday night I decided I had time and that I was going to do it. So I did.
I prepped Friday night and had everything ready for my 4am wake up. Then I hit snooze until 4:30...so typical of me but I managed to get up, eat a quick half sandwich with almond butter and honey, fill my water bottles, down some GU and load up the bike and head out.
The swim, I thought would be easy but I quickly realized I hadn't been swimming the 50 meter lengths for a while and was struggling with my air intake each lap. It was dark when we started and my goggles are mirrored so it made for a bit of gloomy swim. I finally pulled out of the water around 21:25. My past swims have been closer to 18 min. Goal: 16-17 min.
There are often times I find myself feeling guilty for not joining in a group ride or run but then someone always says..."don't worry about it" and they are right. That isn't what our group is about. They are not there to pressure you or make you feel guilty. They all realize we all have other priorities in life, mostly families and jobs.This is why we say TRI - Train, Race and Inspire.
Yesterday we did a group Sprint Tri with our friend, Kristen Lodge. Kristen is a two time Ironman and is currently closing in on her third. Kristen was able to organize the event and plan the bike route while another friend, Kristy planned the run. We all met at the pool for the final 50 meter lap day of the year. There were only 5 of us doing the "Mock Tri" but it was almost more rewarding than that of an organized event that is open to the public.
The best part for me was that I had not planned on attending. I had a cake to do for an event and I didn't think I had time. Last minute on Friday night I decided I had time and that I was going to do it. So I did.
I prepped Friday night and had everything ready for my 4am wake up. Then I hit snooze until 4:30...so typical of me but I managed to get up, eat a quick half sandwich with almond butter and honey, fill my water bottles, down some GU and load up the bike and head out.
The swim, I thought would be easy but I quickly realized I hadn't been swimming the 50 meter lengths for a while and was struggling with my air intake each lap. It was dark when we started and my goggles are mirrored so it made for a bit of gloomy swim. I finally pulled out of the water around 21:25. My past swims have been closer to 18 min. Goal: 16-17 min.
Off to transition. This was a bit wonky because we didn't have an official transition area. Some of us prepped at the pool, some of us at our cars. I did a little bit of both and pulled a transition time of 3:75, not bad but I could have been faster. I think getting some Tri shoes would be a good start. I even considered a chamois cloth type of towel for quick and easy drying. I love my Tri suit!
The bike felt really good. It was certainly more challenging than the flatter roads around the University. This one had some elevation changes that tired me out a bit, overall I was pretty happy with the bike.I ate a Hammer Perpetuem tablet to help keep the legs in check. I normally do this on longer rides but I didn't feel like slugging down another Gu packet. I caught myself getting lazy in the saddle at times and when I would "come to" I felt stronger and faster. My pace was better than I had expected on some of the route. I was very thankful for only one short climb in the route. I know I need to do some core and leg workouts to help in this area. I managed a 47:32 time on the bike. Goal: get that down to 40 min.
Second Transition wasn't bad at all. I made it more complicated by carrying my phone to track my times. I need to work on riding/running without it. Maybe one day when I can afford a nice Garmen I will finally ween myself off my phone. I also took the time to put my bike in my car so that probably won't happen at an organized event. I managed a 2 min transition. Again, very pleased with that time and I know that will fluctuate in other events as it usually takes more time to get in the transition area and then get tagged going out. This was just to my car the from my car so the transitions will be shorter.
The bike felt really good. It was certainly more challenging than the flatter roads around the University. This one had some elevation changes that tired me out a bit, overall I was pretty happy with the bike.I ate a Hammer Perpetuem tablet to help keep the legs in check. I normally do this on longer rides but I didn't feel like slugging down another Gu packet. I caught myself getting lazy in the saddle at times and when I would "come to" I felt stronger and faster. My pace was better than I had expected on some of the route. I was very thankful for only one short climb in the route. I know I need to do some core and leg workouts to help in this area. I managed a 47:32 time on the bike. Goal: get that down to 40 min.
Second Transition wasn't bad at all. I made it more complicated by carrying my phone to track my times. I need to work on riding/running without it. Maybe one day when I can afford a nice Garmen I will finally ween myself off my phone. I also took the time to put my bike in my car so that probably won't happen at an organized event. I managed a 2 min transition. Again, very pleased with that time and I know that will fluctuate in other events as it usually takes more time to get in the transition area and then get tagged going out. This was just to my car the from my car so the transitions will be shorter.
Last leg...the run. I have to say I was very pleased with my run. This was the first run from the bike where I wasn't having shin pain for the first 1.5 miles. My legs felt great the entire way.
Now this wasn't a race but it was nice to finally meet up with someone else. I didn't see anyone on the bike and I had Kristy in my sights on the run. Again it wasn't a race but I thought I will catch up and then we can run together. I started to narrow in on her then she would take off running again from her walk breaks and I found myself with more road between us. I was taking some walk breaks my self for the first mile but then after that my legs felt so good that I just kept the motion going. I finally got a chance to run along side of her for a bit but felt I was running at good pace so I wanted to keep that momentum going. I should have pushed her a little more on the run so we could have finished together. I love running with her, she is one of the most loving and positive people I have ever met. She was my 2012 Tucson Half Marathon running buddy.
I clocked in at 36.02 min. (11:38 per mile) Again the run felt so good I was OK with the time but I am setting a goal time for the next 5K run I do. Goal 11:15 min a mile.
When I came in I had smiling cheering faces to greet me. I love my Desert Tri Girls and my friends with like minds.
We need to do that again....
Now this wasn't a race but it was nice to finally meet up with someone else. I didn't see anyone on the bike and I had Kristy in my sights on the run. Again it wasn't a race but I thought I will catch up and then we can run together. I started to narrow in on her then she would take off running again from her walk breaks and I found myself with more road between us. I was taking some walk breaks my self for the first mile but then after that my legs felt so good that I just kept the motion going. I finally got a chance to run along side of her for a bit but felt I was running at good pace so I wanted to keep that momentum going. I should have pushed her a little more on the run so we could have finished together. I love running with her, she is one of the most loving and positive people I have ever met. She was my 2012 Tucson Half Marathon running buddy.
I clocked in at 36.02 min. (11:38 per mile) Again the run felt so good I was OK with the time but I am setting a goal time for the next 5K run I do. Goal 11:15 min a mile.
When I came in I had smiling cheering faces to greet me. I love my Desert Tri Girls and my friends with like minds.
We need to do that again....
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