Monday, May 26, 2008

Triple T Day 3!

I woke up at 4:30am not quite knowing what to expect after racing back to back olympic distance triathlons the day before. 5 minutes later I got a phone call from Paulo. After about 30 seconds of solid laughter he said: "you sound like shit!". Yeah, well that pretty much sums it up.

I got moving, called Tony to meet me in the lobby for breakfast and we contemplated the day. This is going to be hard.

After packing the car I gave my parents a hug and told them we'd meet them at the race. Tony and I put our race anthem on repeat and tried to psych ourselves up for this 70 mile undertaking ahead of us

When we got to the race site we were surprised by the COLD! It was 43 degrees when we got here. Yeah, this cold:



The race started a bit late. The competitors filing in were moving about as fast as I was and no one was really chomping at the bit to get back in that lake for the 4th time, especially since it was so freezing. We had plenty of time to get our race 4 photo op:




Watching all the races start was really, really funny. On Friday night everyone was SPRINTING in the lake. There were shouts and screams and laughter and nervous energy. By day 3 people were slowly wading into the lake, walking to the first turn buoy and slowly beginning their nice and easy 1.2 miles in the 57 degree water. So Tony and I decided to mix it up and we threw our arms in the air and yelled the whole way in:




Originally when training we had planned to stick together on the swim. But it became apparent that the races were a bit too chaotic to pull that off. So we just planned to swim our own races and that I would wait on the beach for tony to get out. So after the swim I went over to hang out with my parents for a bit:



Then when Tony came in we stripped off each other's wetsuits (It wasn't very graceful) and headed into T1. (that's my dad and Maddie in the background)



After a slower than optimal transition, we were out on the bike course, for the incredible misadventures of Tony and Jodi on lap 1


The bike started out really well. The course was absolutely beautiful. About 5 miles into the race there was a constant beast of a 2-3 mile climb. It wound back and forth and back and forth and the scenery was breathtaking. I was thankful for the 100th time that I bought a 12/27 rear cassette and was able to spin up the whole hill. All was good until we got to the second group of smaller hills. I proceeded to drop my chain in the middle of hill. It was on a narrow fire road so I had to put the chain back on and ride down the hill and turn around in order to get clipped in. We got passed by dozens of people that we had just worked hard to pass.

Then near the end of the first loop we ended up back in the section of road that we were on in race 2 where there was a ton of construction and gravel patches/bumps everywhere. It was worse on this race because we were going in the opposite direction and traveling fast over the bumps. Tony launched a bottle and didn't notice it. I stopped and turned around to get it (the race was self supported and he had just one bottle for each loop). I didn't have a cage to put it in so it was slow going trying to navigate the hills holding a bottle. My rear brake wasn't working well (whenever I would tap it going downhill my rear wheel would skid and try to come up to meet me. The rim had a seam that the brake was hitting and catching on), so I had to just rely on the front brake. A few minutes later Tony realized what had happened and turned around to meet me. But then not 5 minutes later HE dropped a chain 3/4 of the way up a hill. So again he had to put the chain on, go down the hill and turn around. When we met back up I said- Ok, no more problems!

When we hit the turnaround Tony had to stop at the bathroom and I took the opportunity to eat a bar. One of the girls volunteering at the turnaround recognized me from my blog, so that was neat (Sorry I didn't see you at the end!). A few minutes later we were off for loop 2.

The second loop went off without a hitch. The only scary part was going up the beast of the hill again and hearing the unmistakable sound of air coming out of a tire. I heard it for about 3 seconds and then it stopped. At the top of the hill we both checked our tires. They both felt good so we shrugged and were on our way. Other than taking the descents a little conservatively because of my rear brake issue, we really made good time on the second loop. There were a couple hills that made us really feel the effects of the weekend, but we were both feeling really strong on the long descent into town.

When we entered the park we were both on total adrenaline highs. We were so happy to be done with the bike and to start the last leg of the journey. Here we are coming into the park:



I had told Tony that rather than leave T2 together I would fly through it and hit the bathroom. When I got out I saw Tony heading over to a different portapotty so I had time for a sexy portajohn photo op:



And we were off to tackle the hardest 6.55 mile run course either of us had ever encountered... twice.

We both took water bottles with us because neither of us got more than about 24 ounces of fluid into us on the bike. I scarfed down another bar before the run started and immediately regretted that. About 1 mile into the race my stomach was in knots. I had taken in about 12 ounces of gatorade and decided that I was done with calories until the first loop was over.

Tony and I celebrated each little victory on the run course. High fives for every hill we crested, battle cries as we ran up and down the steep parts, cheers of encouragement to everyone that we passed that we recognized or just looked like they needed it. We had become friendly with a team from Wisconsin and yelled "GO BADGERS!" every time we saw them. And there was also Gerri and Nevada, the female team that was racked next to Tony that were super fun. We loved to see them out there. And our other favorite competitor was the awesome guy with the HUGE white Paris Hilton-esque glasses that Tony high-fived every time we passed by. All in all, for as much as that course hurt, it was just such a blast! You got to see every competitor out there several times. We had the pleasure of being lapped by Joe Bonness at mile 2 and cheered him up a hill. What a fun day!

When we came down for the turnaround we took in some more fluid and saw my parents:



My Dad asked how we were feeling. Tony joked that we were GLIDING!!!



Then we headed back up the hill for the last time. We took it a bit easier on loop 2 but we had made a pact that we were NOT GOING TO BACK DOWN! No walking (except for aid stations). Every mile or so I would ask Tony- "are you going to back down?" NO WAY!

When we hit the turnaround at mile 10 Tony said to me- JT I don't think I can take this hill as fast as we've been going. I told him that whatever he did, just keep jogging. As slow as he needed to, just no walking. At the turnaround aid station I grabbed a banana and told Tony to just get started up the hill, I would catch him. And off he went. About a quarter mile up the hill I caught up with him and he was still trucking. At the top I turned around and he was only about 30 feet behind me. He did it! We had a little celebration at the top, as that hill was the pinacle of the run course and we just had 2.5 miles downhill to the finish. When we got to about the 12.5 mile point we both got hit with a rush of emotion. We hadn't been talking but all of a sudden we both got tears in our eyes. Tony said- I just can't believe we did it! We started to laugh and smiled all the way to the finish line.



And we got our finisher's medals- together!



And of course, the obligatory, we just biked over 100 miles, ran 26.2 and swam 5000 meters in the last 2 days pics:





And the long awaited post-race treats!




And the bonus pic of the levatating bike! My bike was the only one in transition that didn't touch the ground- and it was about 1.5 FEET off the ground!



Notes about the race:

-Absolutely the 4 most fun races I've ever done. We will be back next year without a question!

- Triathletes really are a very supportive and fun group of people

- Neither of us wore a watch or HRM the whole weekend. Completely liberating.

- My parents are the best race Sherpas in the WORLD. They lugged my dog around all weekend, took pics like pro photographers and never once complained. It was so fun to try to spot them every time we came into transition. Once they were even 2 miles down the road! And mad props to them both for all the exercise they got during the races. My dad even ran all 6.55 miles of that brutal run course during one of our races. What a SUPASTAR!

Saturday, May 24, 2008

3 down, 1 to go!

One more down!

One of the most fun days of my life. We just had an absolute blast out there. I have to get to bed, but here are some pics:

Our DeSoto catalogue pics:





Bike Start:



Swim Out:



Run Start:



FINISH!!!



As you can see, we were miserable the whole time...

Won't have time to update tomorrow, but I'll put up the full details on Monday!

2 down!

That was the single hardest course I have ever done! Holy crap!

Pre-race pic:



The swim was cold again. The water is about 58 and the air temp was about 50 this morning. Another time trial start from the beach. Every 3 seconds they let another of us run into the water. It's a great way to start a race! Makes for a very peaceful race course with no bunching of riders. I started about 20 minutes after the first racer. He was well into the bike course before I even got wet! Tony was about 5 minutes in front of me:





The bike course was absolutely brutal. I thought that the Greater Cleveland Triathlon was a tough course. Not any more! This one was just SO HARD. I was in my 39/27 a lot. A real testament to the course was that Tony ran out of gears. That never happens. Not even on my favorite climbing hills (even Sherman!). I tried to just settle in and take it easy. I ditched the HRM and watch for the race and just went by feel. The course was extremely scenic. The only downfall was that the first 5 miles was under construction and there were a ton of these strips of gravel everywhere. There was mass carnage with flat tires everywhere. There were also a couple really squirrelly downhills that you had to take at like 5 mph so as to not end up as permanent graffiti on the sides of cliffs. But the end was a nice fast 5 mile descent. Unfortunately, in 3 hours we get to go back up it...

The run was again, the hardest run course I've ever done. It went kind of like this:

2.25 miles straight uphill
1 mile downhill
Then turnaround

The 2.25 miles on the way back straight downhill was really tough on the knees. It was a cardio break, but the joints were screaming. Oh joy, we get to do that 3 more times in the next 24 hours...

And the big finish!





We ate a ton of food and now I'm a total zombie. I can't believe I have to do an Oly in less than 3 hours and a half in the morning. Holy moly! But I'm not complaining. I'm having the time of my life here. The competitors are amazing. The top men coming flying down the hill to the finish were cheering us on as we climbed up the hill. And then next 2 races are the team time trials. Team Undermedicated is in da house!

:-)

Bike/Swim/Run
24.8/1500/6.55
in T-2 hours 15 minutes....

Race report (For Khai)

I swam

I was the 337th person in the water, about 1011 seconds after the first man. It was cold. Real cold. And I'm pretty sure it was uphill

I Biked

It was uphill. Then downhill. Then uphill. Then Downhill. My new 12/27 kicked ass. I had a dismount that even Paulo would be proud of.

Run

It was uphill. Then downhill. I ran as fast as I could.

We ate



We drank



We slept

And now we're up for about 71 miles of fun today!

Friday, May 23, 2008

1 Down, 3 to go!

All I'm going to say is...

THAT

WAS

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, May 18, 2008

My New Playlist

I tried to make myself a CD for my car the other day. Something funky happened with the burning and when I listen to the CD it sounds like I am listening to the radio in a town I am driving away from. Every track is more and more crackly until you get to about track 11 when all is lost. Anyway, thought I would share my current favorite mellow music mix:

1. Almost Lover.... Artist: A Fine Frenzy

2. Quiet Town.... Artist: Josh Rouse

3. Le vent nous portera.... By: Noir Desir

4. Summertime.... By: Josh Rouse (Couldn't find the whole song)

5. Relief.... By: Chris Garneau

6. The Way I am.... By: Ingrid Michaelson

7. Breakdown.... By: Jack Johnson

8. Wake Me Up.... By: Norah Jones

9. Thank You.... By: Dido

10. Say Yes.... By: Elliott Smith

11. 1972....By: Josh Rouse Really bad video quality

12. Through the Dark....By K.T. Tunstall

13. I see you, You see me...By: The Magic Numbers

14. Northern Sky....By: Nick Drake

15. What am I to you?....By: Norah Jones

16. Hey Girl...By: OAR

17. New Slang....By: The Shins

18. True Love Waits....By: Radiohead

19. No Name #3....By: Elliott Smith Another bad video quality. Great song though

In other news... Taper is a beautiful thing. T-6 days and counting....

Friday, May 16, 2008

DeSoto Triple T Prologue

Race Info:

Friday, May 23, 5:00 PM
Individual Time Trial #1
250m Swim - 5 mi Bike - 1 mi Run

Saturday, May 24, 7:30 AM
Individual Time Trial #2
1500m Swim - 24.8 mi Bike - 6.55 mi Run

Saturday, May 24, 3:00pm
Team Time Trial (TTT) #1
24.8 mi Bike (Time Trial start, team drafting allowed) - 1500mi Swim - 6.55 mi Run

Sunday, May 25, 7:00am
TTT #2
1.2 mi Swim (Time Trial start, team drafting allowed) - 55.5 mi Bike - 13.1 mi Run

The thought of doing one race on a given weekend is daunting. 4 races in 3 days covering >140 miles in hilly Southern Ohio, well that's just nuts.

Why would anyone want to sign up for such a thing? The obvious answer is because you can. Because it's there. Because it is a challenge that, not unlike your first Ironman, seams almost impossible. But the Triple T is so much more than that. The DeSoto Triple T is not only a huge multi-day party, it is a celebration of what our sport is behind the scenes. Triathlon may be an individual sport on most race days, but every other day of the year for most athletes, this is a team experience.

Soon after I signed up for my first Ironman, I met my team in the pool. My behind the scenes triathlon team consisted of, among others, 2 Ironman veterans. Less than 6 months after we first met, my team was giving up every weekend to organize 100+ mile training rides so that I would never have to ride alone. They hit the pool with me 3 days per week and when the time came, they had a great going away party for me. They pushed me harder than I ever would/could have pushed myself. They were with me every step of the 140.6 miles last June.

This year, the tables were turned. One of my teammates has big plans to take Ironman Lake Placid by storm. One day, while doing a kick set in the pool and planning out his pre-Ironman racing season, Tony had a crazy idea: "Hey, why don't the two of us do the Triple T?" And that is how Team Undermedicated was born.

How do you train for a team event?

You work YOUR weaknesses, you work your PARTNER'S strengths. Every time Tony and I are on a bike ride together I struggle to keep up. Every time we run together, he struggles to keep up. We push each other every day. On average we do at least 6 of our training sessions per week together. Rain or shine, indoors or out. There were countless indoor trainer rides through the winter. Long runs in the snow. Three mornings per week in the pool (now 4). We traveled to Virginia together to do an early season Half Ironman, and then backed it up with a 10-mile running race the next weekend. The result of pushing each other? I am riding 1 mph faster this year, and he is running 1 mph faster. We both had personal records in the swim, bike and run portions of the Kinetic Half Ironman. And we are ready to push each other through 140+ miles in 3 days. Together.

And in 7 days we will load up the car with 2 bikes, 2 people, 1 dog, more gear than anyone could ever use, food, maps, and a whole lot of nervous energy...

Monday, May 12, 2008

I'm an aero-head



I broke down. I used my Performance points and a 20% off coupon to buy a new toy. Now I just have to fix my race wheels and I'll officially be an aero weenie. Doing 2 flat 1/2 IM races this summer, and possibly one very flat 1/2 this fall, the toys will get a good workout.

Pics of the helmet in all its tri-dorkiness to come...

What is the one tri-indulgence that you have been lusting after?

Saturday, May 10, 2008

The future...

I'm 29 years old and have been in school my whole life. Despite this, whenever anyone asked what I want to do with the rest of my life, I drew a blank. I used to make a game of it at family gatherings. Having gotten so sick of the endless stream of people asking what my future plans were, I started telling everyone a different thing. In one night I wanted to be a Dermatologist, General Surgeon, Anesthesiologist, Infectious Disease specialist, and Proctologist (my personal favorite). Well, finally I have an answer I can stick with.



I am going to be a Radiologist. You have no idea how much of a relief it is to say that.

Once I finally made my decision I was able to plan my last year of medical school. I am starting by knocking out some of the really hard rotations this summer. Then things get fun. I'm doing a 3-month focus on sports injuries. After spending 4 weeks in the Emergency Department at Cleveland's Level 1 Trauma Center I'm doing a 2-week elective on Orthopedic Trauma, then 2 weeks of Sports Medicine. Then...



I'm going to KONA, BABY!!!!!

Heading off to the big Island in October to be a race doc for the Ironman World Championships. I can't even begin to describe how excited I am about this!

Then when I get back I'll spend 4 weeks learning Musculoskeletal Radiology and working on a research project focused on better imaging techniques for sports injuries. Talk about a dream 3 months!

In the more near future...

The Desoto Triple T is in less than 2 weeks! This is just baffling to me. How on earth did the time go so fast? Tony and I have been doing a lot of training together. Today we hit the pool for 3400 yards and then had a really solid 55 miles of hills where I practiced drafting off of him and he practiced going slow enough so that I can keep up. He is just spectacular on the hills. Lake Placid is going to be the perfect course for him.

We will be heading down on Friday morning, and the 3 day, 4 race journey begins at 5pm. My parents will also be heading down to watch the madness. It will be great to have them there. Someone will have to claim my body when I fall over dead from exhaustion on Sunday afternoon at the finish line. I sure hope that I have enough energy left in my body to throw back some beer first.

The crazy training for this race has really kicked my butt. I have been sound asleep by 8:15 every day this week. Last week's 19 hours of training left me as a pile of beaten woman. Seems about right for the week before taper. Ah, taper, how I love thee!