My Summer

I know, I know. Another two months have gone by and nothing since my Tinman race report. Between training harder than I ever had this late into the season and dealing with a lot of work and personal stuff, this blog (like cooking, hello takeout and restaurants) fell to the wayside.

Ironman Day was awesome, as always. Got up at 5:30? to see the race start. (We live only a block away but wanted a good seat, especially since Dr. Z. can't stand for long periods of time due to his knees and back.) As most of you probably know, we had an unprecedented hellacious thunderstorm during the swim. Like, I don't even know what to say to everyone - we don't GET thunderstorms around here, and never in the MORNING. Truly a freak of weather.

After a brief rest, it was time to head up to do bike escort for lead runners. I was given second place female, and ended up escorting the lovely Kim Schwawenbauer.

And yes, that jersey is HUGE on me. I asked for an XS and got a S.

I won't lie, I was terrified. The last time I escorted was about three or four years ago when I had ZERO skills on the bike. At the end of the second loop at the turnaround on Mirror Lake drive I managed to both nearly take out a cyclist AND blocked my runner (Tim Snow). This time went better, thank GOD, but I still accidentally blocked Kim at the first turnaround at River Rd. (Tried to go through the turn with her - didn't try that anymore.)

Anyway, it was up early again the next day to sign up for 2015. It's definitely scarier the second time because I know what I'm getting myself into.

I captioned this "WHAT DID I JUST DO?!?" on Facebook.

Other than that, it's been a quiet summer. Well, okay, busy as hell but nothing to really TALK about, you know? Dr. Z and I are about to start a block of three race weekends in a row (Mountain bike race for him on Sunday, Big George 70.3 me NEXT Sunday, and a second mountain bike race for Dr. Z. the Sunday after THAT. ACK. And also? There goes catching the football pre-season.)

I really wish I had more to say. Katie's blog has given me tons to think about lately, but nothing I'm ready to vomit up here quite yet. Hell, I'm not even sure I could verbalize it to myself yet.

2014 Tinman 70.3 Race Report

Okay, let's get this show on the road...

Tinman was my first "A" race of the season. After a good training build, a great Time Trial series, and a mediocre first Mini-Tri, I wasn't sure what was going to fall out, but I felt my goal of sub-6:40 time was definitely doable, especially based on my bike and run sessions out on the course.

The couple days before I decided to take the focus away from an actual time goal and concentrate on EXECUTION. That was when I made the call to leave my wristwatch at home, put on the Garmin in T1, and not have the race clock to race against.

A few days before, the forecast changed from overcast and 70 without any wind (PERFECT weather) to sunny and 78, then 80, and then 82. The only good news was that there was still no wind in the forecast.

The night before, Dr. Z and I went to packet pick-up and quickly came back home to do last-minute prep and have our ritual pre-race dinner of gnocchi with bacon and diced tomatoes (idea thanks to Sonja). I wrote some reminders to focus on execution and applied my Skratch tattoos:

Pre-Race:

After one of my worst pre-race sleeps ever (I literally slept better before IMLP), we got up at Ugly O'Clock despite the latish 8:00 start because the porta-potty lines are always legendary and we never have enough time to warm-up. Aside from some queasiness that initially made it hard to get down my pre-race Skratch rice and eggs breakfast, set-up went very smoothly and I got a nice long warm-up all the way out to the first buoy or not. I noticed that the water was the stillest I've ever seen it, felt nice and relaxed in the water, and was optimistic of if not a good swim, at least one that wouldn't put me in the hole too much.

Dr. Z's wave (the sprint) goes off, and then it's time to get back into the water. After what seems like a  super-long wait (mainly because I thought it was five minutes between the waves, but it was ten), the gun goes off and it's go time.

Swim:

I initially feel pretty damn good and am happy, and then...the goggles fill up. Okay, minor nuisance. I pop up, clear them, get on my way, and...they fill up again. Immediately. On a course that's notoriously short on buoys and hard to sight on in good conditions. Now I'm a slow swimmer and rarely have company, but am now even behind for me. The upshot of this is I don't really have anyone I can use as a guide. After the last turn back to shore, which always has WAAAAY too few buoys, the sun is right in my eyes and I am totally lost. I finally pop up when a safety boat is nearby and say, "I can't see a damn thing. Where the HELL am I?!?" I do finally find someone to follow to shore, but by then I've lost oodles of time. I am SO SO glad I didn't wear my watch and see my time. It would have tanked me mentally for the rest of the race.

Time: 56:34 (2:56/100m) (DISASTROUS)

T1: 

So I BLAST through T1, and put down a smoking time despite literally sitting down to put on socks. (I feel more comfortable biking with socks so for half and full IMs where I need to wear them for the run anyway, I just put them on in T1.) Like, what the heck is everyone else DOING in transition? Making a sandwich?  I seriously don't understand what I do that makes me so much faster than everyone else.

Time: 2:02

Bike:

So I get on the bike and of COURSE my heart rate is sky high. I patiently soft pedal waiting for it to calm down, as according to the plan. I get past the first hill, and then hit my target HR for the majority of the ride. It's already hot out, but no big. I get a bottle one aid station earlier than planned because of the heat...and they're these tiny 6-8 oz. "half-bottles" of water - you know the type. On a HOT DAY. AND THEY DON'T FIT INTO WATER CAGES. Now, the latter wasn't an issue for me - I just dump into my Aerodrink and use the down tube cage for my liquid nutrition, but a lot of people DO put them in their cages. Plus, this now meant that I had to slow down through literally EVERY AID STATION to stay hydrated when I was only planning on one, MAYBE two bottle grabs.

At least it IS a beautiful race course.

Despite that, I'm feeling pretty darn good at the turnaround as I have somewhere around a 16.1/16.2 MPH pace without attacking the hills and I always negative split the course.  (And this is despite having that "the brakes must be rubbing or something" feeling. No, the bike legs did NOT show up for race day.) However, on the way back, I'm getting slower and slower. For no discernible reason. I don't have speed or average speed displayed, but it's easy enough to do the splits mentally to figure out of you're over or under 16 MPH. I just couldn't believe that after my slowest course ride being 16.2 and my fastest one 16.6 (all with tired legs), I was going to come in around 15.8 or 15.9 MPH. SO disappointing.

Time: 3:31:28 (15.9 MPH)

T2: 

I come into T2 very unhappy. I've now had a terrible swim and nowhere near the bike I had trained for.

A little slow for me but I took two extra steps to deal with the heat - putting on a running cap and using my Fuel Belt. But still, my COMBINED transitions were under 4:15. BOOM. I do NOT fuck around in there.

As I run out, I get a peek at the race clock and it says 4:30. Shit.

Heading out on the run.

Time: 2:11

Run:

So I get out on the run and at least my legs feel pretty good. It's HOT though - crazy hot. First mile goes pretty well - even sub-10:00 since they changed the beginning of the course a bit. But halfway through the now second mile which is straight up, I lose the mental battle. I spent a lot of the next couple miles walking. I see ugly splits (before I make the decision later on to purposefully avoid looking at the splits). The only good thing that happens is that I manage to not only take my first 1/2 gel on schedule, I eat some orange wedges at the first aid station. (I ended up subsisting on fruit for the rest of the run.) I also take an Endurolytes tab.

Not feeling good, as evidenced by my horrible running form.

So, I start putting ice down the shirt, down the shorts. The run is through residential streets and a lot of people have set out sprinklers for the runners. Around mile 4 I start running again and mile 5 I really hit my stride. I still have to spend 30 seconds-1 minute at every aid station, drinking, getting ice, dumping cups upon cups all over my head and skin. I literally spent around 7-10 minutes total just keeping the heat under control.



I am passing a lot of people though - it's a walkfest out there. The pain really sets in in the last 5K. I've been nailing my Z3 heart rate as planned (Yay good execution!), but don't quite have the mental fortitude to take it up to Z4 for the last few miles, so just keep it in high Z3. I'm so nailing it next time though.

Coming through the first arch. Kept it zoomed out for the scenery.

As a note, I thought I PRed the run (despite the slightly changed course being a bit longer), but that's because I mis-wrote the time. I was slower by only two seconds this year. Despite much worse conditions and a longer run.

Almost there - no idea what the heck my left arm is doing.

Time: 2:17:55 (10:32/mile)

Finish Chute:

So I come down the line, and have NO IDEA what the race clock is, but am SO SO disappointed when I see that forget 6:40, I won't even be breaking 6:50 today.

About to go through the finish line.

 I come through with that "Man that was not a good day" shrug I'm sure every spectator has seen at some point, stop the Garmin, and go down. Collapsed from the heat. The volunteers pick me up, and one of the EMTs sits me in a chair, dumps water all over me, and makes me drink diluted (isotonic) Gatorade.

My speedster friend Rachel checking up on me as I recover, quite unable to move from that chair. (And yes, they moved the chair to the shade shortly after.)

Total Time: 6:50:06 (HIM PR by 16 seconds). 9/11 AG (Ouch!), 48/68 Women, 207/256 (Not counting 14 DNFs.)

Post Race Thoughts:

I'm still processing a lot of what went down on Saturday.  Was I disappointed about my performance? Yes, across all three disciplines. My times were much faster in training. I ripped off a 16.6 MPH 40 mile ride on the course and followed it up with 10 miles on the race course at 9:30 pace six weeks ago. I'm not a great or even good swimmer, but even I was expecting to make it out in 50-52 minutes.

But:

I PRed. In extreme heat. It was by the skin of my teeth, but I am a notorious polar bear who has melted down and DNFed in heat like that.

I executed. Although I cannot explain my slowness on the way back, I nailed my HR plan on the bike. (Okay, I did not spin out the legs in Z2 the last couple miles as planned, but I was pissed about my slowness.) After the disastrous first 5K on the run, I nailed Z3 and walked far less than I ever have in a HIM. I was two seconds slower but it was with 8-ish minutes of aid station stops and a slightly longer course. I ATE while running of the bike for the first time in a race. (Yes, even the IMLP marathon was done on liquids.)

There are two things I now have as chips on my shoulder:

1.) The Swim -  Whether it's lessons, driving to Plattsburgh for Masters, I need to figure it out. I am losing way too much time on the swim. Now, yes, I lost about four minutes to the goggle issue, but if I were middle of the pack, I would have had people to follow while half-blind and it would not have cost me as much time. And yes, said goggles are now in the trash.

2.) Racing in the Heat - Although living in the Adirondacks allows very little opportunities, I will be doing all and any training in the hottest part of the day.

Shopping the SkratchLabs Way

Hey All! I know, another long silence while I've been working and training my butt off. Anyway, I did a big "stock up" shopping trip this morning so I thought I'd show you what it looks like to buy staples for the Skratch way of eating.

Here's what I bought:

As you can see, lots of yummy REAL food.

Some notes and close-ups:

LOTS of pasta and rice, along with tortillas and oatmeal. Grains are the mainstay of the Skratch diet - lots of good fuel for those long training sessions. This time of year when I'm at peak training (13-15 hours a week), I keep it all white and easy to digest - fiber is NOT my friend right now. Obviously, these go WAAAAY down and are replaced by their whole-grain cousins during off-season and on recovery weeks.

I'd been interested in trying out the new Oscar Mayer P3 packs ever since I saw an ad for them in Runner's World last month and my grocery store FINALLY started carrying them. It's not always possible to get in one of Biju and Allen's "Apres" meals in the 15-30 minute post-session time window, especially for pool swims and days like tomorrow where I'm driving 45 minutes each way to  train on the race course. These aren't Skratch per se, but they are REAL recovery food - meat, cheese, and nuts - in the spirit of Skratch.

And of COURSE it wouldn't be a SkratchLabs shopping trip WITHOUT BACON!

Some other notes:

1.) Eggs are ALWAYS a staple. Keep lots in the fridge.

2.) Very few veggies here aside from a small box of greens and importantly, BEETS. Not only is fiber not my friend this time of year, once again, I prefer to buy my veggies throughout the week as needed so that they're nice and fresh.

Hope this is helpful!

Sponsor Announcement

Hey All,

As I posted yesterday, a whole bunch of things happened over the off-season. However, I purposefully left one item out which I wanted to announce separately.

So as you know, I applied to Team Betty and unfortunately didn't make the cut, which I wrote about here: http://www.javert.com/2013/09/bettybettybetty.html . I was devastated, but shortly after they released their final list for Team 2014, another favorite company of mine, Skratch Labs, announced that they were looking for "Taste Agents." I was SO excited, I actually used the TEAM form to apply before they even started looking for INDIVIDUALS. LOL. Can you say PYSCHED?

So after months of waiting and figuring that like Betty Designs, they weren't looking for a back-of-the-packer like me, I received an e-mail in my inbox. Subject line: "Skratch Labs Taste Agent Invitation." I may or may not have jumped up and down and ran around the house like a rabid squirrel on meth.

Now, I've written about Skratch before: http://www.javert.com/2013/02/the-feed-zone-aka-allen-and-biju-need.html. (For the record, they STILL haven't responded to my marriage proposal.) And although the blog is from last year, I actually started eating from the Feed Zone for Ironman training in 2012. (In fact, my copy is so old it mentions "Secret Drink Mix" instead of Skratch. Yes, I've been a fan of the company BEFORE THEY EVEN EXISTED.)

So why am I big fan of their food? Not only does it make me go zoom, it TASTES GREAT. I mean, LOOK AT THIS:

And this:

And this:

Literally couldn't stop to take a picture before I finished most of it.

Since then, I've also started using their drink mixes with much success. And by success, I mean yumminess without the rotgut I get from other sports drinks:

So with that, I'm proud to display this SkratchLabs Taste Agent badge:

So get out there, go to http://www.skratchlabs.com and order yourself up some Skratch love. Tell 'em I sent you.

What I Did During My Off-Season

Wow...umm...yeah. So, it's, APRIL. Four months, no blogging. No big, right? Y'all still love me, I'm sure.

Anyway, I had a wonderful off-season. Went to Florida for a week just as winter arrived:

Ordered a bunch of Smash (and Betty) to get psyched for 2014:

And...BOUGHT A NEW BIKE! Yes went down to see Ian at Fitwerx in Vermont, and it turns out that good ol' Roo was the completely wrong geometry. In order to get her in a frame size small enough that I could stand over her with my stumpy, Hobbit-y legs, I was all cramped up in the cockpit. What I needed was basically a low-rider and the only way I could get it was a custom. 

Meet the new ride, no name yet but she's a custom Seven Axiom. Why no deep aero tubes? I'm so slow and lightweight it was more important to get rid of wind shear from the side. Why titanium instead of carbon? Mainly because they couldn't make carbon in the crazy measurements I needed.

Isn't she a beaut? And yes, Smashfest Queen's Carbon Flyer just happens to match the silver and pink tones perfectly. Not that I brought that particular kit to pick her up for that very reason or anything. Ahem.

ALSO ALSO, I FINALLY got my Ironman tattoo. Check it out. Longest I've ever sat for ink - 3.5 hours. The first two were okay, but the last hour and a half was ROUGH. First time I ever cried during a body mod. It took forever to heal because of the size, but I LOVE it.

(It's only on one leg, just two views so you can see the entire thing.)

So yeah, really busy here and now I'm getting into the thick of Ironman training. Hopefully I can get into a cadence (as they say in the business world...*shudder*) with regular blogging. In the meantime, hopefully all my pictures at least somewhat made up for it.

2013 Turkey Trot Race Report

...well THAT didn't go according to plan.

Got up my usual time and had my usual pre-5K nutrition - 2 cups of the black stuff and a piece of fruit, in this case an apple. I like to keep the stomach pretty empty for the short churn and burns.

Started sipping on my Lemons and Limes Skratch - would have LOVED to take their new hot Apple and Cinnamon out for a spin in light of the single-digit weather, but NOTHING new on race day. Ever. Sad.


It was about 11 degrees at the start. Luckily the forecasted wind wasn't there. I tried to warm up beforehand but it was tough in those temps - literally hard to stay warm enough to stay loose.

Trying to warm up. BRRR.

Ready to go. At least I'm trying to convince myself I am.

They started us in the middle of the road, which hadn't been salted, so I spent the first 100 meters slipping around tryig to go straight up. I crossed the street several times (having to hop a snowbank each time) trying to find a good sidewalk - definitely lost a lot of time and energy the first .15 miles or so.

Trying to get up to speed after the brutal start.

Finally got into a groove for a half mile, then we had another climb that's usually nothing, but it was completely iced over. After the first mile the sidewalk cleared and flattened back out, but I think I used up a LOT of energy that first mile. I kept looking at the pace on my Garmin and thinking "NOT GOOD ENOUGH!"

Right before the last climb. In the background is the IMLP start. Fancy a swim?

Had ANOTHER short climb that ALWAYS hurts because it's at mile 2.5, and THAT was snowed out too and required jumping a snowbank to cross the road. At least the course ENDS with a nice steep downhill.

How I felt about my finish.

Slowest 5K in a while, but it was the conditions, not my fitness.

Finished with a Whole30-compliant Thanksgiving Feast:

Time:  24:29
13 out of  117 women (no age groups).
34 out of 198 overall.

ISWF Day 0 - Shopping Thoughts

Well I got my kitchen back today at 2:00. And there was much rejoicing. I still have to reconnect the water line for the refrigerator and the water and drain lines for the dishwasher, but otherwise its done and the floor actually looks BETTER than when it was first installed. (This guy did a better job than the original company.) So yay!

Still, most of the day there was much pounding and continuance of NOISE, so it was hard to do the prep work. I did sign up for the daily e-mails. (Hey, I've spent $15 far more frivolously than that.)

The first instructions were some basic prep work that included:

• Print out all the website info
• Plan a week of meals
• Plan emergency quick to make e-mails
• Clean out the pantry and fridge
• Go shopping

Unfortunately with no access to my kitchen and distracting noise for half the day, I wasn't able to get it all done but I did make some headway.

I printed out the info and did plan meals and a shopping list through Friday afternoon just to get me through.

 And after work it was time to shop.

Okay, here are my thoughts after my first Whole30 shopping trip:

1. Over $70 for two days worth of stuff? The HELL?
2. Mostly the meat. There was not great selection that was Whole30 compliant. There's locally-sourced, happy-pigs-and-cows meats at the health food store, but it's about $15 a pound. To feed myself and my boyfriend three meals with protein a day? Undoable. I think I may have to compromise (at least for now) by going mass-produced but hormone-and-antibiotic free. I've had a lot of BIG expenses lately, so maybe I'll revisit when I'm not so poor.
3. Was VERY happy to find organic ghee, coconut oil, and olives at the "normal" store I like. Fats acquired!
4. Bought avocados for the first time. I think I need to film myself eating one tomorrow. :-D
5. Not organic, but it's about DAMN TIME someone came out with "pre-husked" pomegranate. EXCITE.
6. And the rotisserie chicken is just "regular" chicken but is for tonight. I'll STILL use the leftovers during Whole30 though.

Back tomorrow with Day 1 report AND a race report from what will literally my coldest race ever if the forecast holds.

Oh the Noise, Noise Noise

Day T-1 and Counting.

I knew today was going to be a clusterf--k with the flooring contractors here, but MY GOD. SO loud. (Well, just as loud as you'd expect tearing out and putting in hardwood floors to be. Definitely did NOT help the headaches I've been having.

I had a late breakfast of steel-cut oats and a large apple. Man - all carbs definitely leaves me hungry yet bloaty right after. (I figured I might as well use the oatmeal up AND it's admittedly very easy to cook.)

Soon after, the contractors arrived, and first thing they did was pull out the appliances. No stove, no dishwasher, and the fridge is plugged in in the dining room for now.

Yikes.  Takeout for dinner tonight. THIS is why I'm waiting until Thursday to start.

It Starts with Food, BITCHES.

T - 2 and counting.

Okay, I picked up "It Starts with Food" a couple months ago in my continuing quest to figure out nutrition and good diet. (And I mean "diet" in the medical sense, not in the "losing weight" sense." I don't even remember where I first heard about it. I read it and it made sense to me but I was loathe to make a drastic change during the race season. (Okay, especially if said change required giving up cookies, pizza, and beer.)

Then tri goddess Sonja started a Whole 30 challenge on her new food blog. TWO WEEKS before IMAZ. The fallout? Girl won the race AND set a new amateur record. By seventeen minutes. Ummm, okay, now I can't even use training as an excuse. (And it's the off-season now anyway.)

So...let's see - no heavy training or serious races AND even if I did I'd probably do even better?

I had a nice long chat with Sonja on her blog last night (which...thanks Son!) and she's convinced me to go for it, especially since, as she put it, we're carbon copies in how we process food.

I'm a little scared of putting myself out there because I have a ridiculous fear of failure, but as the saying goes, 'Perfection is the enemy of good." ("Le mieux c'est l'enemi du bien.") Also, I have had insomnia, headaches, and body aches the past few weeks and they're just getting worse, not better, and I'm hoping cleaning up my diet will help.

So why am I not starting until Thursday? Because my damaged kitchen floors are being replaced tomorrow and Wednesday and I don't know how much (if any) access I'll have to it. I'm going to use this time to start prepping and planning.

So, one last yummy sammich for lunch:

(and yes, cookies.)

Tomorrow the kitchen floor gets pulled up and I may or may not have a fridge and stove. I'm going to use that day to put together a menu plan and shopping list.

Wednesday will be cleaning out the pantry and refrigerator and shopping. Thursday (yes, Thanksgiving), we begin.

Onwards, no fear!

Quick Update

Augh...I have just taken on more responsibilities at work, leaving this poor blog in the dust. I have SO many things to share - three Betty reviews (hint: all great grades), a fall foliage bike tour picture-fest, and once Sunday is over, a race report (the Green Mountain Half Marathon in South Hero, VT. Come on up, say Hi, and see my Epic Finish Face in PERSON. NOT to be missed, trust me.)

So, please be patient with me and stay tuned for some GREAT stuff!

Betty Review: Shipping/Packaging

So this is my first in a series of reviews of the awesome line of Betty products. I figured I'd start out with that oh-so-important first impression: shipping and packaging.

Shipping: Okay, I wasn't too impressed with this. First of all, for the amount I ordered I would have expected free shipping. (My total was $172.97. When I buy Betty, I BUY BETTY.) I still had to pay $9.99 for standard shipping despite my large total.

Secondly, it was sent USPS. There's no one right company to ship with, as I have heard plenty of complaints about various services depending on where you live, but it would have been nice to be able to select UPS, which is the most reliable shipping carrier in Lake Placid. Not only is the local USPS office less than quick with mail, the USPS tracking service is notoriously bad at updating. Grade: C

Packaging: This is where Kristen friggin' outdid herself. A handwritten personalized note from Kristen herself mentioning the specific items I ordered and a bunch of awesome Betty stickers were included with my items. Nice touches that really shows the pride the company takes in each order. Grade: A+

So although the shipping was a bit iffy, the actual package and handling was AMAZING.

Tune in next week for my review of their Sporty Headband. (http://www.bettydesigns.com/collections/featured-products/products/sporty-headband).

IMLP 2015

Sorry for the delay - it was a CRAZY weekend, which will be a blog entry unto itself. However, a quick word about my decision on doing IMLP again in 2015.

Training for and racing my first Ironman (IMLP 2012) was a life-changing experience. It taught me that I was stronger than I thought and able to do things I thought were impossible. (And I don't just mean the training sessions - balancing 20 hours a week of training while my job was going haywire was a balancing act of such epic proportions I literally used what I learned to give a presentation on time management to my organization.)

When I originally approached Ironman, it was with the "One and done" bucket list mindset. Even when I first finished, I was thinking in terms of half-Ironmans as my longest distance. While I enjoyed working on getting my speed back this season though, I found I missed the long, patient hours of Ironman training. In a sick way, I even missed how Ironman training by necessity takes over your life. (And the automatic weight loss while eating everything in sight doesn't hurt either. *G*)

I made the right decision spending 2013 and 2014 at the shorter distances, mainly working on my ride - my making the bike cutoff at IMLP by less than four minutes shows I was BARELY ready as a cyclist - but after taking a whopping 27 minutes off my Tinman bike split from two years ago with a mechanical AND downpour this year, I think after one more season my bike will be where I need it to approach IMLP again, this time with more than a "Let's pray to make that bike cutoff" approach.

So, in other words, IMLP 2015?

BETTYBETTYBETTY

As you may have noticed, I have completely changed both the design and title of my blog. Let me explain.

This summer, my friend Rachel showed up at one of the Mini-Tris wearing the baddest, awesomist tri suit I had ever seen - pink and black with skulls and butterflies. I asked her wear she got it, and she told me Betty Designs, a company that makes totally AMAZING S/B/R and surf clothes.

Shortly after, they launched their annual "Are You a Betty" campaign for their 2014 team.

I responded THAT DAY with a resounding "Heck YES I'm a Betty" e-mail. I probably should have taken more time to work on my pitch, but was SO EXCITED about the opportunity that I just couldn't wait.

Well, after a couple months of going nuts waiting, they released their 2014 team roster yesterday:

I checked over and over, and unfortunately I was not there. Boo!

However...

That made me realize just HOW BADLY I want to be a Betty and represent this amazing company. So, after consoling myself by ordering a whole bunch of new Betty swag, I decided on a plan of action, because I want IN for 2015.

Why 2015 aside from it being the next opportunity? Because, and here's my second Big Announcement: I'm going for it again and doing Ironman Lake Placid a second time in 2015. In awesome Betty gear whether I make the roster or not. (An entry on this tomorrow.)

So, first of all, both this blog and my Twitter handle (now IWannaBeABetty) have been changed to reflect my determination to be an ambassador for Betty Designs.

Secondly, and most importantly, I am also going to use the next 365 days to "Live Betty" to best of my ability - be it while working, playing, or training. I will also be doing weekly reviews of Betty gear, from water bottles to hats to triathlon tops and everything in between.

So here's to 365 Days of Betty, and many more, hopefully.

Also - Betty? I hope you don't mind that I borrowed your logo for my background and the images for this entry.  It's all from a place of love and admiration and not from a place of copyright and trademark infringement. I promise.

2013 Lake George Olympic Race Report

Here it is, the race report for the last triathlon of the year - how did we get to Labor Day weekend so quickly? Summer is sweet but very short around here, especially this year with the unusually rainy and cold spring/early summer.

So: Friday after work, Dr. Z. and I drive down to the fine resort town of Lake George. Registration and bike check-in (a nice perk) go without a hitch and before we know it we're sitting at a nice microbrewery enjoying some fine beer and cheeseburgers.

We check in at our hotel and my stomach starts hurting. Like, REALLY hurting. Not queasiness from race day nerves but burning-on-fire severe heartburn. Dr. Z. offers up some Pepto, but it doesn't help and I am up ALL NIGHT in agony (but not enough to think that I needed medical care.)

So 5:00 comes and I get up (already awake anyway). Stomach is STILL killing me and I'm not sure what to do - I've never gotten sick before a race before and here I am two hours before the gun unable to even sip enough water to take my morning medications. Dr. Z. convinces me to get my stuff together since we're here anyway and I have two hours to feel better.

Even at the race site, we're now down to one hour and I'm wondering how I'm going to manage to set up transition, forget RACE. I get my chip, get marked, transition in place, and it's time to wetsuit up. I still feel queasy (though not QUITE as bad) and have not had so much as a sip of water since dinner the night before.

My sassy pre-race face, which is really my "Forcing a grin because my stomach has me about to puke" face

The Swim:

My wave about to go off.

I started off REAL easy since I wasn't feeling well. I was in a "let's just SURVIVE this for now" mindset. I had a MUCH better start than two years ago, where I lost the pack right at the beginning after inhaling a bunch of water, but still ended up way off the back as usual. This also meant NO feet to follow. There was an interesting cross-currant that made it hard to stay straight, but I was pretty happy with my lines.



I had trouble sighting after the last buoy since it was so dark and overcast, but found feet for the last few hundred meters that helped me get back to shore. I was SHOCKED when I looked at my watch and saw 37 minutes. THREE minutes faster than two years ago!

Staring at my watch in shock as I come out of the water.

T1

I was so elated I actually RAN the long run to transition, passing several people. Wetsuit came off like a dream, shoes slid on, and I was out of there. FASTEST IN MY AGE GROUP AND SIXTH FASTEST OVERALL FOR WOMEN. Yep, even when I step down to the Oly distance, my transitions are SWEET.

Bike

So I get on the bike, elated over being out of the swim and transition so quickly, and this time I'm mentally prepared for the long climb at the start.

Big grin heading out. And yes, a huge hank of wet hair OVER my sunglasses and my inhaler is sticking out of my top. Sexy and I know it.

The first thing I do is put a couple chews down the hatch now that I'm finally hungry. I realize that I'm already in the hole and the rest of the race will be staving off The Bonk, but I simply couldn't get any calories in earlier. I get to work, keeping it comfortably hard so I can really run people down.  Unfortunately, I have nothing for the climbs - I'm a small rider and was still getting passed on the uphills and passing on the flats and descents. I actually do great on the flat section, averaging around 19-21 MPH and passing people like crazy. Too bad the OTHER 22 miles were hills.  *G* I do something I usually wouldn't do and slow at the aid station for a fresh bottle of water since 1.) it's humid as my crotch and 2.) I started the race dehydrated. First time I'm able to do a moving hand-up! Yay! Bike handling achievement UNLOCKED.

I don't have the searing split/time improvement I had at Tinman, but take three minutes off my previous time, coming in at a coach-predicted 1:30.

My ass and I coming into T2. You're welcome.

T2

My running shoes fold a little, making me only the THIRD-fastest one in my AG, but otherwise smooth transition. I do grab my cap (a mistake, but I'm self-conscious about my helmet hair), stuff my Garmin down my top, and boogie.

Run

Heading out on the run and putting on the Garmin

Ouch. Like the bike, it starts with an uphill. Unlike the bike, I was unprepared. The run course was way hillier than I remembered. Also, I was really starting to get that woozy feeling you get when you're really close to bonking and hitting the wall. Unfortunately, the extra bouncing I was getting from running made the tummy unhappy again so I was unable to put anything other than water and Gatorade down the hatch. I just stubbornly told myself I did the damn IMLP marathon on fluids only and I could do it again. (And ignored the fact that at IMLP I had eaten a buffet on the bike to prepare.) In the kerfuffle of illness I had forgotten to put on my HR Strap, but the pace numbers were unkind. I was expecting 8:45-9:00 pace and 9:18 was where it was.

Preparing to toss my cap to Dr. Z. Also a great example of my "PLEASE KILL ME NOW" hurt face.

I tossed my cap to Dr. Z. and started throwing water on my head, but it didn't help much since it was a humid heat with still air and overcast. The minute the water warmed up, it ceased helping since there was no evaporation.

Steep downhill on the last mile = WORST RUNNING FORM EVER.

So, my run was a definite disappointment, but while I can't do anything about the weather or getting sick, I need to get serious about hitting hills before I do this race again.

Heading to the finish line in the Park.

I crossed the line in 3:08 - a TEN MINUTE improvement from two years ago. On an empty and upset stomach on a muggy, sticky day. DAMN. Still not even MOP, but I came in about 50 places further up overall than last time. I do feel the need to go back because I know with better training (and with luck better weather an no illness) I can do better. I have a fire in my belly now, in a good way.