Well here is my first triathlon race report, it’s on my Tumblr but I’ll just copy and paste to save you the clicks Thanks everybody!

Today, after three crazy long hours, I became a triathlete! The weeks leading up to this have been challenge enough for me. With getting a new job and other things that have come up (weddings out of town, etc.) I’ve had a hard time getting in all my training. Another thing that made me nervous this morning was for the last week I have been getting these dizzy spells. I really didn’t want one to happen during the tri because I would probably have to quit if it did. I was nervous the week leading up to today but I decided I would give it my best shot and see how I felt about everything. I was lucky enough to know the rules and have Nikki teach me about transition too.

This morning I woke up a little before 4:30 well rested for once! Usually the night before a race I never get good sleep but today was different. I ate an english muffin, egg, and a banana with milk and some gatorade. I went over my bag again and at 5:30 I headed to the transition area which was only 5 min from my apartment. I got marked up (thanks to Gary for pointing me in the right direction!) and set up my bike and my transition area. I don’t think I have it down to a perfect science but I think I set it up real well.

We headed to the pool and it was fun to see the fast people swim. I could tell it would be crowded but I wasn’t nervous. I knew I could swim the distance and I felt confident. That all changed once I got in the water. I was one of the last people in, which was probably a good thing. I just couldn’t get comfortable in the water and I couldn’t keep my head down. I felt like every time I turned my head I was just taking in water instead of air. So I swam most of it with my head above water. I tried to rest on the pool edges but there were too many people with that idea already. I knew I had the fitness to just keep going so keep going I did. I was frustrated because I knew this wasn’t ideal. I don’t know why I got scared, or even if I got scared. To be honest I’m very confused by it.

I got out of the water dizzy (and therefore worried) and a little nauseous. I walked most of the way to the transition area but got a little jog in. I thought I put on my clothes quickly. It was nice to see my dad and I think I heard Gary cheer for me too. I headed out on the bike still feeling pretty crappy but I decided I would see how I felt a couple miles in. I started to feel better but instead of focusing on my bike ride I kept thinking back to the swim and how much of a disaster it was. I knew that wasn’t the right attitude so I just decided to take things easy and enjoy the ride. Nikki and I talked the night before the race and I decided I wouldn’t wear a watch and just treat the race as “a really long training day.” I ended up having a good time for me on the bike (1:30) and enjoyed the ride. None of the hills bothered me very much. The sorority girls were really great.

I got back to transition without hitting any cars or getting any flats I was actually concerned about both of those things the night before the race. I had a quick transition and started out running. I have no idea what my pace was at certain points but I felt like I started out pretty strong. I wasn’t able to run as long as I usually do, but I knew that going into the day. That’s the main reason I didn’t wear a watch, I didn’t want to think about how fast I could run compared to how fast (or slow depending on how you look at it) I was running. That would frustrate me. I started counting to sixty and doing one minute walk/run. It let me rest often and kept me motivated to keep moving. Throughout the run and the bike I didn’t pass many people but that was OK. I heard Lauren cheer for me near the stadium. Around the 2 mile mark I realized I was actually going to finish and I finally calmed down from the swim and finally felt confident. Too bad it took me that long to get settled.

When I finished I saw a lot of people that cheered for me and even some that knew my name that I didn’t know! Gary and Nikki were there, and they were concerned about my swim but as Nikki pointed out, “You just did a triathlon!” It’s a very accomplished feeling. I feel more proud of this than my half-marathon, because there were so many more things to learn and so many things that had to work out in order for this to happen.

Even though I am moving to Pennsylvania soon I’d like to keep doing at least one race in Kentucky each year because I think the people here are so great and the races are really put together well.

I enjoyed my first triathlon. I really enjoyed all the training that went into it. I don’t know how people train to do longer events. This was time consuming and happened at a crazy time in my life but I’m so proud of what I have done. I finished with a lot of questions. I have a lot of work to do if I want to get better at racing. I don’t have a plan for when I will do my next one, but I do plan to keep working on the swimming and cycling in the meantime.

Thanks to everyone who helped me and gave me advice, especially to Nikki for motivating me and dealing with all my nervousness. I’m just glad I’m finally a triathlete and in the cool club now.

Listen to Podcast here or go to itunes and search for Endurance Base Camp

An interview with Brendon McDermott, Ph.D, ATC about:

1. Exertional Heat Stroke
2. Hyponatremia
3. Dehydration and impact on performance
4. Sweat Rates
5. Sodium and electrolyte intake
6. When to drink / hydrate

Brendon is an assistant professor and clinical coordinator in the Entry-Level Graduate Athletic Training Education Program at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He received his PhD from the University of Connecticut studying exercise science with a research focus on thermal physiology, hydration, and exertional heat stroke.

Brendon’s dissertation was titled “Effect of the Mode of Rehydration on Recovery from Exercise Dehydration: Cardiovascular, Hormonal, and Medical Considerations.”

You can find Brendon’s contact information here: University of Tennesse Chattanooga Profile Page

From the first time I heard about this race I was really excited. Mainly because I have not done much on this end of town, hence my excitement for the Legacy Trail.

Race Morning: Wife and Kiddo to bed earlyish and I thought I would be able to do the same but for some reason I did not sleep well. Woke up around 5 to shower, eat, and get heading towards the race. I wanted to get there around 6 to give myself some time to set up. I was really surprised at all the folks who registered for this race and it was really hopping when I arrived a bit before six. Got unloaded, body marked, timing chip, and headed for the racks. Transition racks are a lot like airplanes, people bring way too big of a bag on the airplane and take up way too much space. There were supposed to be 11 bikes on the rack and when I got to the rack there were three bikes way too spread out on one half and then 6 of us on the other. Got folks to move their stuff and things were fine.

I got talking to a bunch of folks and ended up forgetting to do some preventative maintenance where the trisuit rubbs. Oh well, it worked out ok.

Swim: I listed a time of 7 mins but figured if there was room I could swim about 30 -40 seconds faster. I was seeded 51 but when the race official started letting folks reseed themselves I knew the swim was gonna be a cluster. I got in the water and had lots of room for the first hundred or so but from about then on out it I was just drafting a guy that would not let me pass and then it became about three or four people a head of me who were all in a no passing line for about the last 150. Oh well. Got out of the water and headed to T1.

T1: went fast, was a bit cramped between the bikes.

Bike: I was really excited to start the bike portion since I am riding my new road bike. I did the LTH test last weekend and was really impressed with my fitness and the new bike fit. I knew this course would be flat and fast so I was ready. Was a bit nervous about the shoes because I have switched from the LOOK cleats to Zero SPDs but I clicked in fine and hit the bricks.

I was really excited to pass folks. In maysville I came out of the water 11 and ended the bike at 31. This was much different, I got to pass a good amount of people and only got passed once. I stayed in the drops most of the race and stayed in the big papa ring for most of the ride. The bumpy road (can’t remember the name) really took a tole on my nether region but it was short and I just moved around a bit. There was a goodish headwind coming back towards ironworks pike.

Came in off the bike and into T2 strong.

T2: good fast transition, racked the bike, off with the helmet and shoes, on with the runners, grab the hat and belt and off to the races.

Run: I was less than excited to hear we were gonna be on the grass again. This is 3 for 3 for grass runs this year in the tri season. When I ran cross country it was not a problem because you got used to the strides and had ankle strength. now it is more difficult for me. I stayed strong and made it to the road. I decided to go a head and do a run walk but 30 secs every mile. I wish I would not have done this because I felt strong and did not need it but I still decided to stick to my plan. Hit the first mile at 8:15, second at 8:26 (with :30 walking), and mile 1.1 at 8:55 with :30 walking at the two mile mark. Took in some h2o on the course. Some in me and some over me. I felt like I finished the run strong and I felt smooth and strong for the whole race.

Results, I was super excited to see I had moved up in the age group. usually I am right around 50% but this race I was 6/21.

I really wish I would not have walked because I think I could have finished roughly around 4/21 in the ag but I could have moved up about 10 spots in the overall.

I thought the race was great and there are few complaints. I am glad we did not have to run on the main driveway because that would have been too tight, so I understand why we were in the grass. My only complaint is I would have liked for the seeding to have remained the same and avoid all the confusion and folks moving up.

I think this race has great potential in the future. I would like to see a longer bike and run portion since there is the space for it.

Here are my details off my watch, the HFP results for me are a bit wonky.

Swim 7:43 (out of pool)
T1: 1:17 (out of pool)
Bike: 40:43 20.6mph
T2: 45
Run: 25:33 8:15 mph

Listen to the podcast here or go to itunes and search for Endurance Base Camp

In this podcast we talk to Saori Hanaki-Martin about her endurance sport background and then go into her amazing performance at the New Orleans Marathon back in February, 2010.

You can read her race report here: Saori’s New Orleans Race Report

You can see her Garmin race file here: Saori’s Garmin Connect Data

Listen to the podcast here or go to itunes store and search for Endurance Base Camp.

This podcast is a recap and race report of my attempt to run a sub 3 hour marathon at the New Orleans Rock-n-Roll Marathon. I discuss how things felt when the feeling of doing great quickly turned to not-so-great. There is a lot of discussion about my heart rates, paces and nutrition.

You can find my Garmin 305 files at Training Peaks here: http://tpks.ws/6Cdd

[note]: Jessica originally posted this report on her tumblr blog, you can go here to find it. [end note]

Well, I will finally write down my thoughts regarding the Lexington Half before I forget it all. Forgetting it is not that likely though.

I have been training for this half since mid December. On every run I have visualized running the Lexington Half and finishing well. I was so excited for this race! I woke up at 6 and met up with my brother a half hour later. I ate a bagel and a banana for breakfast so I thought that was good for a race breakfast. My brother and I headed over to Fasig Tipton… and met a huge line of traffic. I work downtown so I’m used to traffic but it really worked up my anxiety. This was my first big race, I had only done one 5k before this. I started freaking out a little bit. So I called Nikki and she gave me a pep talk. She told me to be conservative in the beginning and to not worry about getting there.

The race time was delayed due to the traffic but that was a good thing for us. When Chris and I lined up to start I saw Brad, he trains with Gary and Nikki too. I gave Chris some Luna Moon gummies and even though they are for women Chris was glad I thought of him when I bought stuff for the race. The gun went off and we were running!

I hit my first mile at the 12 min mark almost to the second. This was a good pace for me in the beginning and I planned to keep it up for the first five miles or so. I was amazed at how I was able to keep my pace, sometimes I think I fluctuate too much. I hit mile 2 at 24 min and it kept going. Chris stayed with me the entire time. We saw Gary while going up Newtown Pike, it was exciting to hear someone call my name! Once we entered the horse park the view got to be so pretty and the rain didn’t bother me so much. I really started to enjoy the run. We saw the first people passing us on their way back to Fasig Tipton and I cheered for them! It was so cool to see someone running so fast! I started telling Chris, “We’ll see Nikki soon, we will!” I didn’t know how fast she would be going or even her goal for the race but I knew I would see her before the course split in the middle of the park. I saw her and yelled at her. I was happy I spotted her, she looked great running and I had confidence in what I was doing once I saw her.

Around the 6 mile mark there were porta potties set up and Chris said he had to go and that he would catch up. Once I got a little past the halfway mark and close to the 7 mile marker I knew he would not. I teared up a little because I was tired and I didn’t want to run alone. I didn’t bring an ipod or anything so this was my longest run on my own without music. There were nice people running near me but I didn’t feel like talking. I just focused on my pace.

I hit the 9 mile mark around 1:45. I thought to myself, “45 minutes to run 4 miles, I can do that!” My confidence soared. I ran really well out of the horse park, one of the spectators yelled, “you look great!” Running down Iron Works was steady for me, not too bad. I saw Gary there again I think, he told me I was looking good and I knew I could complete the race at my goal of 2:30. I turned the corner and headed back down Newtown.

At the 12 mile mark I started to get really tired. The rain was stinging me and my body just wanted to walk. So I walked an extra minute. I was so bummed I couldn’t just keep going at my run 8 walk 2 plan but I needed the time to mentally prepare myself. I started to tell myself it would be OK if I didn’t get under 2:30 and I could feel myself slowing down. Then, I stopped walking and started running. I figured I had worked really hard to do this and I had to try. If I didn’t get under 2:30 at least I got my time running hard towards the finish. So I got to Fasig Tipton and ran hard. I don’t think I passed many people, so I might not have been going that fast but I was giving it all I could. I covered my watch and just ran. Once I crossed the finish line I felt so great and I looked down at my watch. It said 2:29. “What?” I couldn’t believe I had done it! I knew I could but actually standing there looking at my watch while my tag was being cut and actually looking at my medal was an incredible experience. I didn’t cry though because I was really dizzy haha.

I wanted to sit down but I promised my brother that whichever one of us finishes first will be there waiting for the other. So I stretched near the finish line. A couple minutes later I saw him, really running hard! I yelled and I was so proud of him too. I don’t know how he has been training for the event but he certainly did some hard work to finish so well. We got some food but I could only take one bite of everything and we drove home.

I’m already thinking of other events I can run. I think it helps my training if I have a date and event in mind. However, the Lexington Half will always be my first half and I probably won’t ever get the same feeling of accomplishment as I did here today. For the last 3 months I have told people I was going to do this and they looked impressed while on the inside I was nervous and not 100% confident. Running that last mile even though everything in me just wanted to take it easy is one of the best things I have ever done for myself.

I want to thank Gary and Nikki Ditsch (especially Nikki) for encouraging me to be a runner and for giving me the training tools I needed. If you want to know more about what they do click here. I think that the people organizing the Lexington Half did a great job, you should run it next year!

Image Courtesy of Peter v Cook

I blame the Kentucky men’s basketball team for my not running a 1:39 at the half marathon. So UK played West Virginia in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament the night before the half and LOST! Well, apparently this upset me so much that I didn’t fall asleep until 2am. That’s just not enough sleep when the wake up call is at 5am.

So I got up race morning and it had rained, but it was not raining as we drove to the start. It began raining slightly as we headed to the start, but nothing too bad. I love running local races with all my buddies. At the start, I lined up with Beth, Eric, Neeley, Elissa, Jill K, Jill H, Alan, and Mary. I had planned on starting the race with Beth, Eric, Jill K, Jill H, Neeley, and Elissa. We decided we’d start together and see how we felt. Beth had told me she would run the race with me at my pace. I don’t think I could have better friends. So around mile 3, the group around me was Beth, Eric, and Neeley. Then the skies opened up. We turned out of Fasig-Tipton to head out to the Kentucky Horse Park in a strong downpour and heavy winds. My pace team lined up in V formation with me in the apex. Spoiled little ducky? Yes! The heavy rain did not last long, but it continued to rain the rest of the race. We were holding around 7:33 pace to the horse park. I really wasn’t sure if I could hold that pace for the whole race. We decided to walk 30 seconds through every aid station which worked out well since they were about every other mile. I think we totaled 5 walks through the whole race.

As we got to the horse park I found myself only able to talk on the downhill and not feeling so great on the uphill. Nothing was too steep, but the park had some pretty good rollers. I was surprised how quickly we got there, did the loop and got out. I was thrilled to see Kristin and Kathryn cheering at the park. As we left the park I was still feeling pretty good, and I was definitely enjoying the company. I am considering hiring the Atnips for all of my race pacing. Around 10-11 I started to feel it. I watched Beth and Neeley float up the hills as I felt like I could barely drag up them. Only 2 miles to go, but I was falling off pace. I was just hoping I wouldn’t fall off too much. The straight road back in seemed like a long slight incline and the wind was again in my face. This didn’t make much sense to me because it seemed to be in my face on the way out. I tried to hang on to Beth and Neeley’s heels, but I was fading. I just kept concentrating on my form and keeping it together. One mile to go, and I was hurting, but it didn’t seem to take longer than any of the other miles as we entered Fasig-Tipton. Beth slowed down a bit to finish with me as Neeley kicked it in. She looked strong! I was so grateful for Beth’s encouraging words as I gave it my all towards the finish line. The finish was great! There were a lot of spectators and it honestly sounded like hundreds of people were yelling “Go Nikki!”. Maybe it was just one loud person, but it was great! I crossed the line happy and spent. I caught my breath and looked at my watch. 1:40:06. A new PR by over 3 minutes. I was hoping for 1:39, but I am pretty darn happy with 1:40.

Thank you to everyone who helped me get there!!! Especially thanks to all the volunteers for helping out in such horrible weather, and everyone who toughed it out to cheer for the runners. Congrats to all the runners! Everyone mentioned earlier had great great races. It was a wonderful race, and I highly recommend it to anyone local or not. Come run the Lexington Half Marathon!

Here is another race report that I got after our team went to New Orleans to do the Mardi Gras Rock-N-Roll Marathon and Half Marathon.  Here’s Elissa’s break down:
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Listen to the podcast here , or go to itunes and search the itunes store for Endurance Base Camp

Show #10

We discuss the benefits of using a run walk strategy while doing your run training, along with using it when you race.  The topics of:  why run walk is a stigma, who should run walk and what exactly a run/walk strategy is are also discussed.

You can find the blog post we put up as a follow up to our run/walk clinic at John’s Run/Walk Shop by going here:

The Run Walk to Better Training and Racing Discussion

Interview:  I have an interview with Jill Kearns about her background in running, her training leading up to her Boston Qualifying run at Chicago in 2008, and how she used run/walk in her own training program and progress.