Cherry Blossom 10 miler

We went to DC this weekend to do the Cherry Blossom 10 miler. This is the third time I have completed this event. The course has changed every year I have done it - not sure why - but every year it offers a wonderfully scenic course and this year the Cherry Blossoms were beautiful and it was probably the best day this year (mid 50's, sun, not much wind). I was excited to race. I started on time (which is great considering the size of the field - about 15,000). It was a nice start, I have been doing a lot of long, slow distances because I am training for IM so I wasn't sure how I would do racing a 10 miler. I had a race plan to start out easier and then get faster and drink at the aid stations - I didn't wear my hydration belt since there were aid stations every 2 miles and that fit well into my plan. I was skeptical of how I would feel due to how I have been feeling on my long runs but figured with my gels that I brought and the water/gatorade at the aid stations, it would work out to be a pretty good run. I went out and felt great. I got to the first aid station and tried to get to the aid station tables but couldn't because they didn't have enough volunteers that were handing out water or gatorade and the aid station was only on the one side of the street and there were only about 5 tables set up with water and gatorate and there were about 100 people trying to get into the water all at the same time. I figured that it was ok - I didn't need water yet anyway. I kept running and found a really comfortable pace that was faster than I thought I would be doing at that point in the race but felt great. I was getting passed left and right though by people who didn't seem to realize that they had to run 10 miles and weren't pacing themselves - it is no good when you are at 3 miles and huffing and puffing like you are about to die but still pushing. I ended up seeing a lot of these people again later in the race since I know how long a 10 miler actually is. I got to the next aid station - again, no volunteers handing out water - all cups were on the tables, on one side of the street. One of the volunteers was shouting out that there was more water up ahead - there wasn't - I again, ran out of real estate and still didn't have any water or gatorade. I was getting a little concerned by this time because I wasn't sticking to my hydration plan and didn't know how the next aid station would work out. It is funny how you have a race plan and then as soon as something goes wrong you start to get worried about how to get to the finish line or if you can do it. Running is such a mental game. I can handle one thing not going exactly correct but when 2 things go wrong plus I was running faster than I had planned, I started to get worried and became a mental case. Got to the 3rd aid station - shoved down 3 cola flavored powergel caps as soon as I saw the sign for the water station, played frogger to get a cup of water and gatorade and kept going feeling a little better, lost my stride, almost fell, elbowed a few who just didn't understand that you keep moving forward at an aid station, but at least I got a drink. Kept running and felt really good - maintaining a good pace but I felt dehydrated. Got to the last aid station where again, there were no volunteers handing out anything, grabbed a cup off of the table only to find out it was empty. Now, I was doing the math, only 22 minutes left to go. I kept telling myself that I could make it that far without any more water. Again, I was mentally preparing myself and convincing myself that I was ok. I kept going, still having a good pace (fast by my standards as well) but really wanting water (again, it was a nice day out but incredibly dry). I finished with a decent time - faster than I had planned - and was looking for a volunteer to hand me a cup or bottle of water but there weren't any in the finishing area - they kept saying that it was in a tent to the left which I didn't know where they were pointing to. I was walking through the road looking for water to the left with a lot of other runners who were clueless as to where the water was as well. I was really nervous now as I could tell that I was really dehydrated and was a little dizzy, nausious, and was getting cold quickly. I knew I needed water and was starting to loose it. I found my husband who told me that the refreshment tent was about another 1/4 mile away but he had grabbed me a bottle when he had finished (before the masses). This was about 10 minutes after I had finished the race. I did better than expected but was really disappointed by the lack of available water especially in a race that big.

So, overall, good weather (that is an understatement - fabulous/amazing weather), I did better than I had planned, but the race organization with regards to hydration sucked!!! Every other year, I have dodged/ducked/dove well enough to get what I needed at the aid stations but this time I didn't have enough space to negotiate to get what I needed, there were no volunteers handing out water at several of the stations, and then they didn't have water at the finish (which was a very long area). You would think that after the water issue at the Chicago Marathon a couple of years ago (running out of water on an incredibly hot day), all races would have a better plan to make sure that all runners have the opportunity to get the water/gatorade that they need to maintain hydration especially when they tell everyone that they should stay hydrated and put in their brochure that they have plenty of aid stations. You can't blame the volunteers either. You blame the organizers of the race for not having enough volunteers at the water stops to work. It was so bad to have this problem. If you have issues with a race, it should never be with the water because that could be a potentially deadly situation. Look at the Boilermaker - several tables spaced out with tons of volunteers at each station and most of them are on both sides of the street. They should be the model for Cherry Blossom. I was really disappointed with that aspect and because of that I didn't have as good of a time as I should have. Plus, I would beg the race organizers to just keep the course the same next year. It is beautiful - stop changing it!!!!

Time for the race: 1 hour 44 min 11 sec - my second fastest time in the 3 years I have done this race BUT it is a PR on this course as I have never run this course before since they keep changing the course!!!

March Stats

Here are the stats for March... More to come... 16 1/2 weeks to go...

Run:
Total Time: 11 hours 59 min
Total Mileage: 63.1 miles

Bike:
Total Time: 16 hours 39 min
Total Mileage: 212.8 miles

Swim:
Total Time 7 hours 54 min
Total Mileage: 11.4 miles

Total Hours: 39 hour 33 min (including yoga time)
Total Mileage: 287.3 miles

WOW!!!

Guilderland Indoor Triathlon

Today was not my usual workout. Usually I am telling my body to slow down, keep form, and just spin. Today I was telling my body to go faster - go faster - go faster. Today included 15 minutes of swimming, 15 min of biking, and 15 min of running in a pool, spin bike, and treadmill. I felt great. 45 minutes of working out is easy for me and feels short especially when you are only doing 15 minutes of each thing. I was fast for me and was very happy with my distances. My legs are sore though from going fast combined with my long run yesterday. I wasn't overly dizzy today until I got on the treadmill but I didn't care at that point. I just wanted to go fast. Joe came in 3rd place overall. He did really well!

This week will be tough though. No off days until Saturday when we are in DC. Two workouts on all days except Wednesday and Friday (Wednesday is a long run day and Friday I only have time for a 45 min run before leaving for DC.) Plus, grades are due this week - this could be a difficult, stressful week.

My Long Runs

I love to run long distances. I truely enjoy running for 2 hours most of the time. Training for Ironman has been difficult for me in that respect which is very unusual. I have been stuck at one and a half hours for 4 weeks. The first time I did that time, it didn't feel good but it didn't feel bad either. I did that distance again the next week and felt great (Runnin' of the Green day - I raced for 38 min and still felt great). The next time I did it, it felt like I was trying to kill myself. I did that distance again two weeks ago and it sucked. Last week was my easy week so instead of a long run, I got to do a swim/bike/run workout on my long run day. This week I had scheduled an hour and forty-five minutes. I haven't been feeling great this week and actually took 3 days off in a row (shocking) this week because of my headache/dizziness/viral infection that most of my students and the faculty at school have but I felt good enough today to attempt the distance. Plus, we go to Washington DC next weekend to run the Cherry Blossom 10 miler so I needed to get in the distance. I started ok. It was beautiful out (a little warmer than I am used to but still ok). Today was my first run in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, it was so nice out. There were tons of people outside at Washington Park and lots of college kids out playing football and volleyball and enjoying the sun. There was the woman and her 4 kids who were trying to cross the rode in the park and when they had the opportunity, the mom said go and all of the kids (probably all 4 between the ages of 3 and 7) sprinted across the road and went into the large field and just kept running like it was their first day outside after a really long winter (maybe it was, we are in Upstate NY). It was so funny to watch their little legs sprinting and the littest one was just trying to keep up but wasn't giving up. It was funny! It was a fantastic day for a run. About an hour in, I started getting my headache again. Then I got dizzy especially when I would turn my head to look for cars. The movement of the cars around me was making me dizzy. I really wanted the mileage though (only someone training for an Ironman would continue running when feeling like this because I have come to truely believe that we are a different breed and are completely crazy) so I kept running and made a deal with myself - If I finished the run, I could go to Starbucks and get a frapaccino (usually completely off my diet). I finished the run (Yippie!). Tried to stop feeling dizzy before I got into the car to drive to Starbucks. Found my new favorite drink at Starbucks - the Caramel Frapaccino!!! It was enough of a sugar/caffeine rush that I felt a little better within the next 20 minutes.

Tomorrow - Guilderland YMCA Indoor Triathlon. Next weekend, Cherry Blossom 10 miler in Washington DC! I hope I can shake the headache/dizzy/viral infection within the next two days to make sure I don't feel aweful when I workout this week. I really need a good quality week since the last two have sucked. I will think positive thoughts about this week and it will be good!!!

BTW - I will be sending out an e-mail about this too. If you know you are going to Ironman to watch Joe and me compete, let me know if you are staying at the camp or somewhere else and if you want a t-shirt. My mom wants our Ironspectators to have t-shirts to show support, so I will need to know who wants one and what size as well.

My love/ hate relationship with my ......... BIKE

Let me preface this with, even though I have been a triathlete for the past 6 years, I am a runner!!! I have been running for a much longer time than I have been swimming, biking, and running. Swimming I am proficient at. Running is my outlet - my place to release stress, anger, enjoy the scenery, and struggle through with a great feeling after I have completed it. I love to run. BIKING though, UGH!!! I try sooooooo hard. I can have great rides and then they take a nasty turn halfway through and I get passed by someone who is not trying while I am dieing. Today is a good example. I have been working my butt off (literally - see below) on the trainer all winter - not the same as riding outside due to hills, slanted roads, potholes, hills, and weather. It was a beautiful day so I decided to go for a bike ride since I did a long run yesterday. I started and felt good. I hit a turn about 12 miles in and then the wind hit me. I lost my form, I was struggling with cadence, I was struggling with hills (which I haven't been on very much since I have been on the trainer). My toes were cold or numb - not sure which. Then my mind goes to a place where I hate being on the bike and I want to get off. So, today I loved being outside and then I hated being on the bike. Plus, I feel like when I ride in Schenectady I must have a sign on my back that says "I want you to try to hit me so that I can get practice in avoiding your monstrous car!!!" because SUV's seem to think I don't belong on the road. Well, sorry to burst their bubble but I DO BELONG ON THE ROAD SO GIVE ME MY 3 FT!!!!! I wish I lived in a more biker friendly area. I had a good end to my ride though. I stopped thinking negatively and started thinking of the positives: 1. This is the earliest I have ever been out on the road during a season, 2. I did 31 miles today - March 15 - on an easy ride - which is great for my training, 3. I didn't feel extremely tired the entire time although hills were challenging, it was ok, and 4. I know I started to fast and can learn from my mistake - slow down!!! The Lake Placid Ironman course will be unforgiving if I start out too fast and I know it. Learn that now and survive Ironman.

On a side note..... All of this biking, swimming, and running is allowing me to gain some weight (YIPPIE! NOT!!!) but my butt is now an extension of my upper thighs or maybe it is an extension of my lower back - I am not sure. Anyway, I don't have a butt anymore. No one told me that that would happen. Noone told me that I would gain weight even though I am always hungry and don't feel like I am bigger. I looked back at pictures from Tinman last year and I had no butt in my finishing shots there too. Did it never come back after Tinman, I am pretty sure it did as I was able to keep up my pants without the necesesity for use of a belt for the first half of the school year but now, not able to. Where did it go?? It is missing!!! So, if anyone has my rear end, let me know as I miss it and want it back if only for the fact that I want to stop pulling my pants up all of the time and I don't look as good in clothes without it! If your solution is to buy new clothes, that won't work because my thighs are now even bigger than they were due to (again) swimming, biking, and running - so smaller sizes won't fit my thighs even though they fit my rear end and my waist. What a fantastic dilemma!!!