Race Report for USAT Nationals

Nicole Lund

USA Triathlon 2012 National Championship

Total Time: 2:40:45

Swim-34:00.1 TRAN1-2:48

Bike-1:12:32.9            TRAN2-1:41

Run-49:43.2    Penalty: None

Div Place-84

 I know that I'm missing a few race reports and general posts here but this one is ready to go so I'm posting it now :) ....I can catch up, I'm sure I can.

Once we got to Burlington and checked into the hotel I put my disassembled bike together.  It went together really fast, faster than I expected. There were no glitches or anything, it was easy and everything was safe and sound. Loaded it in  the car and headed to packet pick up and the pre-race meeting.  Loved the race swag...running hat, race belt, nice shirt...

 It was worth attending the pre-race meeting for the comedy factor alone. The head referee gave us some great advice on how to effectively chick someone without giving them a chance to re-pass you, earning either of you a drafting penalty. He made sure to inform us that we could mount at mile one if we chose, as long as we were past the mounting line.

After the pre-race meeting, I went out to the parking lot and test rode my bike. It worked like a dream. I thought I'd practice getting in and out of my shoes while there still clipped to the bike, but wasn't very successful so I decided to forget that idea.

We made a quick trip to the store and then headed to transition to drop off my bike. Dropping of my bike in transition went pretty smoothly, there weren't many people there at that point. I kinda hung out for a bit.  I was happy with my spot on the rack...only eight people in from the end of the aisle so my bike was easy to find. As long as I’m mentioning good luck I should say that my number was 797 which is both a palindrome and a prime number. ;)

With my bike safely in transition we decided to go buy some toe nail clippers and water and then head back to the hotel to put on the helmet stickers, and number tattoos and to layout my race kit.

My legs have been kind of sore lately and I was a little bit worried about it, but David was soooo wonderful and gave me an hour long massage to get all the kinks out of my hamstrings, glutes, IT bands, and planter fascia. I set my wake up call for 5:00 am and went to sleep.

Got up the next morning (at 2:00am Spokane time) and arrived at transition just before 6:00 am Vermont time.  I laid out all my stuff. Then checked it, and then checked it again, and again and then I walked away and came back and checked it some more.  I may have arrived a bit too early this time.  J I did get to chat with some of the other 38 year olds though, Most were from the North East.

It was finally late enough that I could put my wetsuit on...only 45 minutes to go. I walked over to watch the 1st wave go off so I'd know what to do. Then I walked back to find the rest of the people with my color of caps. I took a peanut butter gel, which is a new flavor for me and I wasn't sure about it but I did it anyway.  I know, I know nothing new on race day… J

I had already looked at the swim course because it was a really odd pattern. What I didn't notice when I was looking at the race course was how high the waves were.

As my group started moving through the boathouse toward the water, there was a pang of nervousness. It was very windy and I was a little bit cold but the thought that was running through my head was: "at least it's not Boise."  It was a deep water start, so we had to jump off the dock and had five minutes to warm up. I looked at the water and thought...I don't know about this, I thought it was going to be really cold. So I went off to the side and dipped my feet in to see what it was like and I was pleasantly surprised that it was pretty warm and it smelled good and I jumped in and I actually was looking forward to swimming in it.  I did a little bit of warm up swimming and tried to remember everything Coach Scott had tried to teach me.  It seemed like just seconds before it was time for us to move over to the start of the swim area. Before I knew it, we were headed to the first buoy. It didn't seem too bad at first, although some of those women were pretty vicious. Then I hit the big waves. I was starting to get sea sick but I just kept swimming...what else could I do?  I got kicked in the goggles just after the first turn and had to fix them. Once my goggles were fixed I just focused on the next buoy and swam towards it. It was kind of fun, a little like body surfing. After the 2nd turn, I started to have problems because I couldn't see where I was going with the sun in my eyes. I swam pretty far off course and this, combined with the really choppy water was making me quite discouraged. But I made it to the next turn and put the buoy on the correct side of my body and made it around. I had one more turn before it became easy again and I was inside the jetty with no currents pulling me off course. Then up the ramp, smile for David's picture and into T1.

I racked my bike, put on my shoes, grabbed my helmet, did up the chin strap and adjusted it and luckily noticed that my earring flipped out of my ear while I was doing that. Rather than put it back in, I stuck it in my extra pair of socks and headed out on the course. 

I passed a lot of people right at the beginning and realized at the top of the first hill that my heart rate might have been a little bit high because I felt like I was going to throw up. I made an effort to ease back a little bit and took in some nutrition via my water bottle and I felt a lot better. The course was rolling hills and I continued to pass quite a few people, I didn't see a lot of women in my age group though. 

I was passed twice by women who were age 50-54 and after dropping back 3 bike lengths I passed them again on the next hill. I saw those two women near T2, we came into transition about the same time.

T2 was smooth and easy, shoes and hat was all I needed so I was off running.  I wore my pure flows that are almost worn out and didn't feel any pain in my legs so I was really glad (thank you David). While I was out there I was thinking this was my big race of the season, so no easy running. I tried to stay near my threshold the whole time. This was pretty easy near the beginning since we started out with a hundred yard hill.  The rest of the course was fairly flat and on beautiful paved trails. The last mile was quite downhill and while I was sad to be passed by two girls in my age group I felt like I raced it out as hard as I could have.

I ran into the finish chute thinking "Oh no, it's almost over." At the same time, I was hurting and was glad I'd be able to stop soon. Once across, I collected my medal and water and went to find David.

The post race food was delicious (and better yet had gluten and dairy-free options). It was easy and quick to get my results. And while 84th in my age group would generally not be all that great, 84th out of the best in the country in my age group isn't too bad.  My bike split was 1:12:32 which is about 20.6 mph and my run pace was an 8:01 min mile avg.  I’m happy with those splits. 

I loved the experience of racing at nationals.  It was amazing to be out there with so many strong, fast people.  The race was well organized and went off smoothly from my vantage point as an athlete.  I’m not sure where nationals will be next year (they said at the USAT annual meeting that there are 7 cities in the running to host) but I would recommend it to anyone who qualifies and is not certain if they want to go.

  Only two more sleeps until christmas and its been super fun thus far at our house.  I'm really excited to have rediscovered my love of sewing.  I designed, drafted, and sewed an apron for my mother in law (she doesn't read blogs so this won't be a spoiler).  I love it so much I'm going  to make one for myself too.  Bonnie (my MIL) is much taller than my model and since she's not 16 like my model, a bit wider too.  I'm hoping that means the bib will fit her without the little gap at the neck.  I think this design is both flattering and practical (nice big pockets and plenty of coverage) so I'll probably use it again.
   Katie didn't actually wear the apron while baking (just posed for me) but she did make most of the gingerbread for our annual houses.  That means enough fronts, backs, sides, roofs and accessories for seven houses!  That's a lot of cookies.  It took three days.  The results were really fun though.  We used the Wilton Gingerbread House Mold to make them (easier than making templates and rolling and rolling...but you can only bake 1/3 of a house at a time). 
   Everyone in the family got to make a house (except Miles, who  wanted to share with Katie and since her friend Vittoria was over she got to make one too).  Coconut "snow" and gummy trees, santas, wreaths and snowmen complimented our mini m&m "lights."   
   All that sugar (I ate some of the candy-not the cookies, I haven't tried to make gluten free gingerbread yet) made me crave a green smootie.  So for breakfast this morning I did a christmas one with Kale, bananas and oranges layered with strawberries, bananas and oranges.  So yummy and pretty too.  Happy Holidays!

Owl Hat

I"m still doing fun crafty stuff (and really enjoying it).  Yesterday I finished this owl hat that also seems to double as a koala.  Its pretty cute either way.  In the background of the hat picture you can probably also see some house shaped ornaments.  Those are a direct result of my latest obsession: Pinterest.  My friend Liz pinned the inspiration from http://retro-mama.blogspot.com/2011/10/home-for-holidays.html and I had to make them.  Next time I will go to the quilting store to get fabrics that I love because my intention was to make 12 of them and I'm bored after three since they don't quite have the look I envisioned.  No worries though, there are plenty more inspirational ideas where that one came from!  Seriously.  Hours and hours worth of just finding ideas.  I had to set a time limit for myself.  For every hour I spend on there I have to actually make one project.  Its a win win that way. :) 

PS.  I made up the hat pattern as I went along but there are some great video tutorials on You Tube that could get you started if you wanted to do something simillar.

Its Beginning to look...well you know

My first christmas craft of this year is altered house blocks.  I used scrap lumber which I marked with a t-square then trimmed using a chop saw (fast but not safe for the angles, a jig saw would have been better).  I then sanded the pieces with a belt sander because I wanted square (not rounded) corners.  I used PVA glue to attach patterned paper to all sides and trimmed the paper with an emery board (this also seals the edges).  As I did this I smoothed the paper with a bone folder to get out any bubbles and bumps.  Once I had the paper on I decorated the blocks with vintage family photos (my granmother-in-law and her sisters) and letters that I cut out with my cricut (second time I've used it in three years :P ).  Buttons, ribbons, and mica flakes finished them off.  I hope to post a few more things that I've been working on soon but for now thanks for stopping by, if you were inspired to try a project like this I hope that you will link it up in the comments.

Trying New Things

One of my favorite things about belonging to Team Blaze Spokane is that there are so many opportunities to mentor and be mentored. Our club is full of knowledgeable and inspirational people who are excited to help others succeed. One such person is Angie Fesser. Several times this year she has invited me to try cyclocross (correctly guessing that I would love it). When I told her I had no mountain or cyclocross bike she lent me her own bike. When I admitted that I was really unsure about my ability to stay tire-side-down on a course with no pavement she arranged a midweek ride out at seven mile to help me get comfortable with some basic off road skills. On a side note: All the things that I read about in Bicycling Magazine turned out to work in real life. Shifting your weight to gain traction, shifting gears ahead of time on a hill, and most of all if you stare at the giant rock in your path (instead of a line around it) you will ride right into it(sorry Phil).

So with that much encouragement I had to show up Sunday morning and try it out. David and I drove up to Walter's Fruit Ranch in Greenbluff. After signing up and buying my one day licence (which I was supposed to return afterwards but forgot) I geared up in my Team Blaze jersey (lent to me by Angie since I only have a tri top and that was not going to work weather wise). I met up with Angie, Janelle and Phil who passed along encouragement and tips before we got out there and rode most of one loop to see the course. Thank you Phil for suggesting we come early enough to do that, it really made a difference.

I was shivering at the start but couldn't tell if it was the biting wind or nerves. Probably some combination of the two. Once the officials blew the whistle for our wave I was fine but somewhat disappointed to find myself in very last place (definitely need to work on the start). Since I knew we would be out there for half an hour I tried not to worry about it and just rode. It was so fun! Scary but fun. I did have a couple of mishaps on corners where my back tire slid out, but for the most part I did okay bike-handling wise. I could have been a little more aggressive about passing people (going around on the narrow track worried me so I stayed behind even though I could have gone faster, especially uphill). The last lap was hard because the high level of effort maintained for that long made my brain not as able to coordinated the more technical stuff with my body. I did pass all of my teammates but not the other woman who was doing her first ever solo race (she was an avid mountain biker and had done the 24hr race). It was really great to hear a bunch of our friends out there cheering too. Rob and Lisa and Jenny and Jessica all came just to watch and cheer, how great is that?

I loved it! I finished up coated with dirt but wearing a giant smile (which meant I had dirt in my teeth). I may have a new obsession (its probably good that the season winds down with one more race in CDA this weekend-I don't really have time for another hobby at the moment). Combined with the Fall Folk Festival (at which I learned some basics of belly dancing) it was a really great weekend!

Halloween 2011

So first the cards: Yes it is passed halloween and they aren't relevant anymore but I like them so I'm posting them. stamps are from the greeting Farm and everything else is years old since I'm using up my stash and not buying anything until it can fit.

I made costumes as always and mostly enjoyed it. I frankensteined a bunch of patterns together and even drafted some parts from scratch and managed to get a reasonable facsimilie of a Beaux Batons student (from Harry Potter 4) and a pretty good fairy. Miles got to be a ninja which he loved and still plans to have a his future career. Not sure how I feel about my child wanting to be a secret assasin but we're hopeful that a position will open up with the city of Spokane ;). Max's zombie clown scared the pants off several people and Luke was his usual quirky self when he said "Mom I want to make things easy for you; I'll just be super me."

It was a pretty fun weekend, Lucy's "blue girl" :P won the best costume at one party and on Halloween night they all got more candy than they could possibly consume in any reasonable amout of time.

we are into November now (happy anniversary to my Mom and stepdad today-28 years I think). The holidays are fast approaching and 2012 is right around the corner. I looking towards the races that I want to complete and goals realated to them but enjoying a little time off of the heavy stuff.

Troika Half Ironman Race Report

When I finished Boise 70.3 in 2010 at 6:02:25 I made a goal for 2011 to do a half Ironman in under 6 hours. My other 2011 goal was to go under 4 hours for a marathon but I broke my tailbone 6 weeks before my planned race (Windermere) and was just glad to still be able to finish it. So my goal for Troika was pretty important to me.

My last Troika swim in 2009 was around 42 minutes. My Boise swim was also 42 minutes. My swim at this year's troika was 53:34. Not only was the course long but the turn buoy came unmoored and floated out as I was approaching it!!!??? It was very weird and frustrating to look up at the bright orange globe that I’d been sighting off for a couple hundred yards and have it suddenly disappear as I reached it. It was being towed back in by a kayak!

T1 went quite smoothly and it was reassuring to see several Team Blazers get out of the water at the same time as me. I did drop my chain as I was mounting my bike however and I may have said a naughty word in front of some spectators, not a very good reflection on my team colors.

The bike was great. I had prepared a bottle of concentrated Heed and marked out levels so that I knew how much I needed to take in per hour on the bike. With water in my aero bottle that I refilled at the aid stations and one gel that I took about 30 minutes in, it was just about perfect for the 56 miles of a half Ironman distance race. Except that the bike turned out to be 60 miles. I still liked it. My average at Boise was 18.54mph and this year it was 20.33mph so definitely some improvement.

The run was hard but steady. I put ice in my hat and jersey from the first aid station because I knew how hot it was going to get. Each little cup of coldness seemed to give me a tiny burst of energy. It was encouraging to see everyone out there cheering and to have coach Scott come up and give me a mental push. Kind words make a huge difference at that point. I tried to pick it up as I ran into the park but I kept looking down at my watch and seeing that even though it felt faster my pace was still holding about the same. One girl in my age group had passed me at the beginning of the run and I could see her walking up ahead at the place where the trail splits before CI Shenanigans. I passed her and kept thinking she was going to run me down again but mostly I could see I was so close to my time goal...if I could just go a little bit faster...I turned onto the bridge and could hear the cheering and the announcer saying my name and then I saw the clock said 6:05:17 In my head I'm thinking “minus3minutes for the women's start =6:02.” :( David was there at the finish line and the caught me. The first thing I said was "I didn't make it" and started crying. He and Tristin and everyone from Team Blaze were so nice and kept saying lovely things and reminding me about the longer course. I felt better quickly, I really appreciated feeling part of the team and everyone being so supportive. Thanks Team Blaze! When I felt like I could go over and check my times (I still had to know if I had made my secondary goal of beating David's bike time ;) ). I saw that I was second in my age group. That definitely boosted my spirits!

I have two more Triathlons this season: Priest Lake at the end of August and Titanium Man one week later. Both are Olympic distance so a harder effort over a shorter time. I can’t wait! J

Thank you Suzanne Smail and Donna Melville for the photos.