After much contemplation I decided to do the Chicago Marathon in October. It is almost hard to believe that I have never done it. The marathon has never been my thing. Too much running for this big girl. But as I get older and my kids are getting older it seems to haunt me. Marathon training is almost easy compared to triathlon training. BUT when I say easy I do not mean to slam any runners. I mean logistically as a parent it is easy. I don't have to get on my bike for hours or drive to a pool to swim for an hour. Running is simple. Shoes, watch, and you! Out the door in nature running against time. It's almost poetic in nature. This past 2 weeks I have embarked on my marathon training in full force. I totally dropped the pool (very easy for me to do!) and only am biking easy on the weekends mostly with the kids in tow. I ran a total of 50 miles last week. That is a lot for me! This week I am aiming for 55. My legs are feeling it. They are screaming at me to stop running and jump in a pool. This body was NOT cut out for distance running. I know serious distance runners can run 100 miles a week in preparation for a marathon. The difference is they weigh half as much as me. I have to slowly figure out what is my max before I get hurt. And then take the miles I do have and make them quality! I decided to have my run partner Janeth help me conquer my goal of sub 3:00. She has a ton of experience in this. She has been whipping my big butt 2 times a week with hard runs. BUT I am loving it. I love that my afternoons are free to play with Noah and I LOVE that I am not passing out at 8pm b/c of training. I know come late fall I will miss my bike and the pool. But that is the point. I want yearn for it again. I want the fire to come back so that each workout is a personal test. To be the best professional triathlete (with 2 kids, ha ha) that I can be. I need to refocus and find out what my goals are for next season. But until then I will be running my heart out and having fun doing it. Because as I have discovered if you aren't having fun, why do it.
This coming Saturday I am doing a 10k called the Dekalb Cornfest 10k! Only in Illinois do you get a race called a cornfest! And boy will I have fun. I really want to break 38 in the 10k. For some reason this triathete can run faster in a triathlon than an open road race, hmmm.
The weekend after the marathon some really good friends of mine are putting on a flat and fast 5k here in Naperville called The Newthing 5k. Please come support them and this race. It is at the yellow box church. If you live in Naperville you know where that is. I will be there cheering on everyone! www.newthing.org/5k
On Sunday both Bill and I raced in the Naperville Sprint Triathlon. This was the first time I have done this race. It is basically the same course as the womens triathlon in June but a shorter swim. This was the first race for Bill in about 2 years! And I think even longer since we have actually done a triathlon together. Probably since Noah arrived 4.5 years ago! The swim was a time trial start which I am NOT fond of. How can you race if you don't have everyone with you. All you can do is go as hard as possible. And hope it was hard enough. They let us line up according to what we thought our times were. Apparently some swimmer were over zealous b/c I got stuck behind a bunch of swimmers that got in too early. It made for an interesting swim. The bike was a little windy and very crowded on the second loop. I always feel bad shouting at beginners to move over. They must think I am either crazy or mean. I always try to apologize as I pass after shouting, "on the left!". Onto the run...it was HOT! I don't mean sort of hot I might need a drink but hot I need to jump in a freezer to stop from boiling. On the last long stretch of road on the run we ran into the sun with no shade. I think that might of been the first time this year that I have felt that hot. Thank goodness it was only a 5k run. I had so much fun waiting for Bill and hanging with the kids. My Dad met us there and pushed them around in the double jogger. I had it all ready with snacks, juice, diapers, and blankets. Once he saw the diapers he told me he was NOT changing a diaper. Molly could wait until I crossed the finish line. He said he might even stand at transition while I am heading out on the run to yell at me that she had pooped so hurry up. Gotta love the grandpas. Thanks for your help Dad! I ended up winning and Bill had a great race for not even riding his bike this year.
I was happy with my race overall. I still felt a little sluggish from Steelhead last weekend but overall was having fun so pushing through slug is easy when you are smiling!
Enjoy the video my running partner and friend Janeth made!
Friday my Dad and I headed to St. Joe Michigan for the Steelhead 70.3 Triathlon. We got there in a little over 2 hours. Perfect! I love races that are close to home. I wish all of them were this easy to get to. We headed straight to the race sight so I could check it out and bike a little. The beach was beautiful. It really was a nice area to have a triathlon! I actually rested for this race so I was a little nervous if it was going to work or not. I went to bed Friday night without taking Ambien b/c I had run out and not gotten a refill. HUGE mistake. I didn't fall asleep until midnight! I don't know how anyone goes to sleep before races without it. It was just one of those nights that everything bothered me including the air conditioner. My alarm went off at 4am (3am Chicago time!). I was really relaxed and excited to get the show on the road already. I got to the transition area early and set up my stuff. It was too dark to bike so I skipped the warmup. Not sure yet if that was a mistake. I think that might have been the first race in a few years that I didn't do my typical warmup. It was a 1.2 mile walk down the beach and sand to the swim start. The water was perfect! Great temperature, wavy, and pretty! I felt good on the swim. Since I can't seem to shake the bad experience I had at New Orleans 70.3 I really was focusing on more of a relaxed pace so I could finish without having tummy problems. Plus I came into this race WAY undertrained! I have not ridden my bike over 50 miles since April or run over 12 since April. I think I ran 12 miles 3 weeks ago but really only 10 miles are my long runs. NEVER will do that again. I got out of the water with a few other girls at the same time. It was a fun experience swimming in a pack like that. I probably stayed too relaxed on the swim and should have been more aggressive. As the race progressed this seemed to be the theme on the bike too, need to be more aggressive! Anyway, onto the bike. Nutrition was number one concern on the bike even more so than speed or effort. Looking back now I know that I totally slacked. I need to start racing with power and/or HR so I know how hard to push myself. Amy Kloner went by me and I yelled at her good job, she didn't even respond b/c she was working so hard. That was the first sign I should have picked it up. I was way to focused on staying controlled and not overdoing it. Sometimes to race well you need to toe the line with overdoing it, that is the only way you will ever know if you did your best. I started the run at a 6:30 mile with a hill climb. Yikes! I slowed way the heck down worried I wouldn't be able to finish 13 miles of this. After stopping at the port o potty to pee at mile 1.5 I was off to my steady 7-7:30 pace. I finished the race definitely tired but knowing that I should have pushed the bike harder. It was mostly a lack of endurance training. The positive was that I had NO stomach problems and I think I have nailed that issue! YEAH!!!! That was a success for me. I Loved the course and race. I will do it again. I might even drag Bill to race it next year. UP next, Naperville Sprint Triathlon. Bill and I are doing it next weekend! I have never done this race so I am excited. Plus it is a hometown race. I really enjoy all the people and friends that are there.
