Yarping at 17 MPH

You know you're a triathlete when....

This is a fill in the blank the girls on the Weight Watchers board and I often joke about. However tonight I think I probably pushed the envelope on our little game.

It's been a very weird training week for me. Saturday I had a killer, hot 58 mile ride on the Ironman course. Sunday I spent "resting" which consisted of walking, standing, squatting and the like for 18hrs at the race. Monday I rested from that. Tuesday I did my longest run of 10.6 miles early in the morning and it was still 80 outside. Ugh! Wednesday I was going to do a speed swim but I felt kind of weird and off.

Today I have a fairly regular day although since I hadn't bought groceries I have to eat at the office. So I have an egg-white breakfast burrito, a granola bar and some banana in the morning, followed by a garden burger and some fries for lunch. At about 2pm I had a small orange and at 6pm I had a tall light Frappacino.

Suit up and I'm into the lake for 3 laps (just under 2000 yds total). I took in more lake water than I normally do and even though I had a good swim I got out feeling kind of weird. Hopped on my bike for a 30 min transition ride and again felt kind of weird. Nothing specific. About 8 minutes into my ride I accidentally swallow a bug. Okay most people who ride their bikes have done this, I certainly have. No big deal right?

WRONG!

I immediately started dry heaving which I think was triggered by the bug but probably do more to the lake water mixing with what little nutrition I had going on. Now keep in mind that at this point I'm still pedaling. All of the sudden I just yarped.

It wasn't a whole lot but it was enough that I got it on my aero pad and my shoe and of course the ground. $*%&, that sucks! First I have cycling shoes with blood on them from a bike accident and now I have shoes with barf. All I need now is to whiz my way to victory at my next race to complete the trifecta of body fluids.

Of course I had only partially filled my aero bottle and had no additional water so there was no way to wash off the barf. Then I came up with the idea of drinking from my aero bottle and spitting the water on my bike and shoe. It worked like a charm and my aero pad got cleaned off but I ran out of water before I could get all the barf off my shoe.

So all of this is happening and what...oh yeah I'm still pedaling. I rode to the turn-around and then slowly pedaled back to my car where I attempted to finish cleaning my shoe but I think the lovely mix of orange and frappacino is permanent.

I'm taking an extra rest day tomorrow in an effort to get my stomach back on track cause even though I was more amused than disturbed by the yarping I'd prefer it not happen again.

Ironman Bike Course - My Impressions

Wow! My first impression of the Ironman bike course here in Coeur d'Alene is they don't call it an Ironman for nothing. What a beautiful and challenging course.

We started at the transition area and followed the course through downtown where I immediately would have been DQ'd for crossing the center yellow line on a sharp turn. EEEKKKKK!!!!

Note to self #1: Work on cornering

The course follows Coeur d'Alene drive along the lake where you get an absolutely beautiful view of the lake. There wasn't too much wind on the way out which was nice. After a few miles of fast flat riding, we started climbing up toward Higgens Point. I was slower than Susan on the climb but I just spun slowly up the hill and soon we'd reached the turn-around for the first section of the bike. WOO HOO!

Got a headwind heading back into town and had to stop quickly for a bathroom break and to refill water. Holy Mackerel it was hotter than heck and we'd only gone like 15 miles at this point. After passing back through town the course heads out on Highway 95 until Upriver Drive.
Having driven the course yesterday I knew it was time to drop down to my granny gear and start spinning. Up, up, up the road winds. Each time you think it's about to end, it turns a corner and keeps on going up. Did I mention you are climbing this whole time? The amazing thing here is that while you are suffering up this mountainside you are treated to amazing views! Without crashing it was possible to glance around and take in the stunning vista of the pine trees, the lake down below and the sounds and smells up in the forest. When the climb finally reached its apex Susan and I hopped off the bike to chalk Carole's # on the road :) Then you start a very fast, technical descent. I was hanging on for dear life as I rode the brakes all the way down. I think at one point I yelled "this is crazy".

Now we're on a few rollers riding along the river before hitting the bottom of the Riverview climb. We were just under 30 miles so Susan headed back via the river road so you could end at 35. I continued up Riverview Road and this is where my day litterally ground to a halt. As I'm about to start climbing the Riverview hill when I totally lose my chain. WHAT!!!!!!!!! It's a brand new bike I shouldn't be dropping chains. CRAPOLA.

I get off without tipping over which is a major feat since I need to work on my balance. I struggle for a few minutes before finally getting my chain back on but I can't get the bike to downshift into my climbing gear. You have got to be kidding me. It's 95 degrees outside and I am climbing a 1.5 mile long hill 3 gears above my granny gear. I pedal and pedal and curse the hill, curse the company who made my gears, curse the heat. I pretty much just used my frustration to fuel my climb because about halfway up the hill totally mashing my pedals my quads and back were screaming so I figured I might as well scream too :)

I finally made it to the top and was treated to a wicked descent which was extremely challenging with just me on the road so I can only imagine how tough it is during the race with tons of other cyclists out there. Yikes!

I rode past fields of wildflowers, Buffalo (there were even some baby Buffalo), Cows, Horses before winding my way back to the Centennial Trail. Wow! You actually ride across this river on a bike only bridge which is super cool but even more awesome is that you're actually crossing from Washington back to Idaho.

The bike course heads into a residential neighborhood before approaching the last and final climb on Poleline. Short and steep I can see how that hill would be a bitch at Mile 106 of the bike course. I managed to get my gearing correct and spun up it before descending for the last few miles on Seltice into Coeur d'Alene.

All told it took me 3:33 minutes riding at an effort of about 3 (other than the stupid climb in the wrong gear which was a 5). Total ride was 58 miles at an average speed of 16.3 MPH.
I plan to ride both loops in September because even though I was really pleased with my time for the 1 loop, those hills are going to suck on the second loop.

It's Official - I'm registered for Ironman

WOO HOO!!!! After a blazingly hot weekend in Coeur d'Alene volunteering and checking out the Ironman course, I took the plunge and registered for 2007.

I'm so excited!!!

I'll post more about my weekend tomorrow but for now after several years losing weight and tackling a variety of triathlons I am ready to go for that legendary designation of Ironman.

Can you tell I am psyched for June 24, 2007?

:)

Texas is HOT!

Geesh, I was hot when I got here yesterday but holy mackerel it is hotter than heck here even at 7am.

After my glorious training day Sunday I had a rest day conveniently scheduled to coincide with my travel to Dallas. Then today I had my long run scheduled. This of course meant packing all kinds of things to accomodate this training activity.

Being the planner that I am and anticipating that Texas would be hot I called ahead to discover that the hotel had an indoor running track. Sweet! I wouldn't have to run outside in the sun nor would I have to spend nearly 2 hours on a hamster wheel (aka treadmill for new readers). Well I didn't check hard enough because it turns out the indoor running track was 1/22nd of a mile which meant to do my 9 mile run would require 198 laps. OMG - There was no freakin way I was running 198 laps, I'd pass out from dizziness. Luckily they had an outdoor 1/4 mile jogging path so I decided I'd use that and just start really early to try to avoid the heat.

So I got all my gear prepared which is quite a process when you're away from home. Vaseline for the feet, check. Fresh battery for the MP3 player, check. Gu and Sport Beans, check. Bottles to mix my GU20, check. Fuel Belt, check. And the list goes on and on.

Woke up and had a bagel with some pb & j and then headed out. The sun was barely up but it was already much warmer than I am used to. I hit the gym for 10 min to warm up on the stationary bike and then headed out to the jogging path.

Thankfully it was very overcast and I rarely saw the sun but it was already about 77 at 7:30am when I started my first mile. I kept a good pace for the first 4 miles taking in water and nutrition right on schedule but around the 5.5 mile mark I started having some GI issues and had to make a pit stop. Ugh, the heat was taking it's toll. I took a few more Endurolytes (gel-caps with sodium and electrolytes) and continued on.

The back half of the loop was shaded which was lucky because my mile 7 the skies had cleared and it was sunny. The temp felt to be about the low 80s. I just focused on staying strong and running instead of walking and adjusted my pace a bit to accomodate for the heat/GI stuff.

Finally hit mile 9 and headed for another pit stop. UGH! All told it took me 1:53 min to finish the 9 miles which was just about exactly what I was expecting pace wise.

I headed back to my room where I filled a laundry bag with ice for an ice bath.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH - What sadistic athlete invented the ice bath I'd like to know??? It sucked initially but it felt so good after a while.

Tomorrow is a fun fast swim after I fly back from Dallas and then I'm off to Coeur d'Alene for Ironman weekend - WOO HOO!!!!

Musings on an Awesome Training Day

After a very relaxing day with Preston yesterday, today brought a full training day. Our local triathlon club was hosting a timed open water swim at Hagg Lake and I was planning on swimming then doing a 2+ hr bike ride.

We couldn't do all of these events and races without the awesome volunteers so I decided today would be a good day to give back some of my time and volunteer at the event today.

I woke up at 6am, ate some pb & j and gathered up my gear to head for Hagg Lake which is about 25 minutes from my house so I headed out into the cold morning. I met up with some other volunteers at the lake and helped with registration for about an hour before I headed to get into my wetsuit.

Outside of races it is really hard to find an accurately measured open water swim course so it is awesome that the Gecko's (my local tri-club) put this event on. There was a 1/2 mile option as well as the 1.2 and 2.4 mile options. There were actually several people signed up to do the 1.2 and 2.4, holy mackerel!

In preparation for my 1/2 Ironman next month I was swimming the 1.2 mile course. I got suited up and into the water and it was cool but not icy which was a nice surprise. Everyone got lined up for the mass start and the horn sounded. I focused on keeping my stroke smooth and tried to glide as much as I could. Since all the buoys were orange I had some trouble sighting the next buoy which sucked cause I ended up meandering more than I would have liked. By the end of the swim my arms were getting a little bit tired but I feel certain with some more effort this winter I'll be ready for the 2.4 mile Ironman swim next summer. I absolutely love the wetsuit now. It's crazy how stressed I was before getting it about how well it would fit and would my stroke change as a result but I am seriously digging how comfortable I am in it :)

I got out of the water in 44.03 which was a great improvement over the 58 minute swim I did in my last 1/2 Ironman. As soon as I got out of the water I felt good and relaxed which was cool. I stood around and chatted with several people I knew including my coach who was swimming the 2.4. I grabbed a couple Oreos from the BBQ since I wouldn't be eating a burger before heading up to my hop on my bike.

Hagg Lake is widely considered a very challenging bike ride with lots of rollers and a few very long climbs. You have to climb several of the hills before hitting the highway and after a few long rollers I got to enjoy the backside of the longest climb. WOO HOO!!!! It is such a rush to fly down a huge hill like that. My top speed was 42.5 MPH, yikes!!!!!! I had to get out of the aerobars to tap the brakes because I was going so fast.

It was a beautiful day with a little bit of wind in each direction but my legs were feeling good and I pressed on trying to focus on taking on lots of fluids and I practiced eating Clif Shot Blocks while in the aerobars.

At the 35 mile mark I headed back towards the lake and up and down the long hills. At one point as I was cruising along through the forest I just had this awesome moment where I was like "I am soooooo happy and thankful that I am able to participate in a sport that lets me do cool things like swim in a clear cool lake and bike through this beautiful forest" WOO HOO!!!

I ended up with 44.5 miles for the day and my legs felt awesome.

I'm headed to Dallas tomorrow for a meeting and then it's off to Ironman Coeur d'Alene for the weekend where I'll be swimming and biking 1/2 the course, volunteering at the race, cheering on my very good friend Carole and what else ???????????

SIGNING MYSELF UP FOR 2007 - WOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's right people, this Speed Leopard is taking the plunge and laying down $450 of my hard earned dollars for the privilege of punishing my body for 140.6 miles next June.

Stay Tuned, the road to Ironman begins a week from tomorrow :)

Blue Lake Olympic Triathlon

June 11, 2006
Troutdale, OR
.93m Swim, 25m Bike, 6.2m Run

Prior to deciding that I needed a "change" I was slated to have spent this last week in Europe. Oh my goodness am I happy I didn't go. I've had a very calm week. I've continued to try to map out what's next for me professionally. I had several great workouts in the past 7 days and I felt ready to go out and have fun. Of course being me I couldn't just leave it at that. So I started overanalyzing things which is just part of who I am. I figured out there were 3 other women in the Athena division with me meaning I'd only have to beat 1 to get an award. Sweet! By Wednesday though there were 6 total which meant I'd have to beat 3 people. Then I started looking at the times from last year and the year before. Hmmmmmmmmmmm there were a lot of fast people. In fact the slowest per minute mile pace in the last 2 races was like 13 minutes. I started to doubt myself.

Then I remembered that this was just a training day for me. On the advice of my coach I'd been riding and running at Blue Lake for the past 4 weekends. Last week I did a 50m bike followed up with a 5m run. I just had to trust my training.

Pre-Race

Spent the day alternating between total fun and relaxation and total frustration. Can I just tell you that I went to 5 stores looking for the Jelly Belly Sport Beans. I am totally hooked on these new Jelly Beans that have electrolytes in them but everyone was either out or had discontinued them. Ack! I didn't need to spend my whole afternoon looking for these things but I have been training with them and I had run completely out last week.

On the fun and relaxation front, Preston and I had met up with our friends for breakfast where we had yummy sweet potato pancakes. Then later in the evening we went to a party at my coach's house which was great fun because there were a lot of other triathletes there and it's always fun to talk shop :)

In honor of my first Olympic Triathlon (Chicago, 2004) I stuck to my routine and had cheese ravioli and watched Seabiscuit. I'd already gotten everything prepped for the next day and I finally settled into bed around 10:30pm after a pep-talk from Preston about how the only thing I needed to worry about at the race was where I would stop to pee. After many variations on that theme (including how I should whiz my way to victory) I fell asleep.

Race Day
I woke up 5 min before the alarm clock went off feeling refreshed and ready to go. The air was cool but the sky was clear and the forecast was for sun. I got dressed, mixed my bottles, ate my PB&J bagel and Preston and I headed out for the 25mile drive to the race site.

One really cool thing about today was that my two best friends were coming out to cheer me on. It would be like 2 worlds colliding as they had never met before but I was super excited for them to finally meet and that they were coming out to watch me race.

I got body-marked with #38 which coincidentally was also my race # at Hawthorne Farms. I got the end position on my rack which was awesome. Once I had everything laid out, I milled around, people watched, used the facilities and just soaked up the scene :) Before I knew it 7:30 had rolled around and it was time to suit up. Let me tell you if you don't already know how freaking difficult it is to pour a 200lb person into a skin-tight neoprene wetsuit. It's like an Olympic event just getting it on. I bodyglided myself up and probably blinded many of my fellow racers with my white stomach. Yep, that's right I was going for the shorts and sports bra ensemble under the wetsuit today.

Here's the explanation on this logic (since I know there are many new triathletes that visit my blog). For my first triathlon I wore cycling shorts with a swimsuit over the top as there weren't any triathlon suits that fit me at the time. After my first year I started wearing a XXL 1pc DeSoto triathlon suit which was awesome and I now have an XL one. But when you're doing a longer distance like a 1/2 Ironman for example it SUCKS to have to take all your different belts (race belt, fuel belt etc) off in order to use the facilities. So in anticipation of my upcoming 1/2 Ironman I decided to switch to the 2 pc race attire so I'd have easier access.

Swim
I was in wave 4 which consisted of relays, Clydesdales, Athenas and men aged 20-29. The buoys seemed pretty far away but I knew that my only goal was to come out of the water feeling completely fresh for the bike. I seeded myself at the back appreciative of the warmer water temp. It was crisp but definitely comfortable. The buzzer blew and we were off. I have been working on a rhythm for my swim stroke the last few weeks which I decided to use today. 4 strokes, breathe, 2 strokes, breathe. I hit the first buoy dead on which is shocking since I tend to drift when open water swimming :( The rest of the course was a straight long line to the final buoy and then into the shore. I felt smooth and strong as I glided past each buoy and I only got run over once by a dude doing the backstroke. Before I knew it I was sighting on the finish arch and wading through the seaweed towards the timing mats.

I knew I'd had a good swim because I felt great coming out of the water but a glance at my watch almost stopped me dead in my tracks. 26.05!!!!!!!!! Holy mackeral.

.93 miles
Official Swim Time: 26.05
100 yd Pace: 1.35

T1 - 4.32
The run from the swim was pretty long and once in transition I struggled a bit getting out of the wetsuit as I was trying to avoid ripping my timing chip off. Shoes, helmet and tanktop on and I was jog/walking my bike to the bike start.

Bike
I have to give huge props to Coach David here because he has had me riding on the Blue Lake course these past 4 weeks. I felt like the team with home court advantage. I was comfortable with every inch of this bike course. I started conservatively knowing that the wind on Marine Drive can be a bitch. But the wind never came. I pedaled on towards the Portland Airport past houses and streets I'd ridden by so many times before. Past the Red airport parking lot where my car has spent many a day as I jetted off on yet another business trip. I pondered how awesome it was that I could just be out here with 400 of my closest friends on a beautiful day like today. The mountain was out (for non-Portlanders that means Mt. Hood was totally visible) and the river was calm.

One of the foods I've been training with are these Panda rasberry sticks. They taste great and each one has about 100c. Since today was largely practice for my 1/2 Ironman I packed the sticks. Unfortunately the Pandas never really softened and it was like trying to chew a shoe so I promptly went to plan B which consisted of GU and Sport Beans. I passed and was passed. I tried to avoid unintentionally drafting. I repeated my race mantra "Be Consistently Fast" as I pedaled towards the turn-around. Once I reached it I turned on the jets. I still had no wind but now I was on the back stretch. I had 9 miles to get home and I made the most of them. My legs felt great. I was loose, having a blast and much of the return trip I was averaging 22MPH. Nice! I rounded the final corner and dismounted.

I had just finished the best bike ride I've ever had in a race. I could not believe my watch was showing just over an hour and forty five minutes had passed. You couldn't have slapped the grin off my face as I ran towards transition :)

25.51 miles
1:18.09
19mph Average on my computer
18.7mph Official Average

T2 - 3.00
Racked my bike and proceeded to put socks, shoes, race belt, fuel belt and hat on. I was ready to run.

Run
This is always the toughest part of the race for me. After knee surgery last summer I was frustrated and discouraged in my efforts to regain some of my running speed. In January I was working my tail off to walk a 15 minute mile. Then I hooked up with Coach David and after weeks of interval training I was running 13 minute miles for 30 minutes at a stretch. I'm now doing my long runs at about a 12:30 pace so I was hoping to do something in that range today.

I did my first mile in 11.20 and my legs were feeling good. It was starting to warm up and in spite of the shaded path we were running on I could see others were suffering the effects of the heat. I immediately took 2 Endurolytes in a hope to ward off cramping. I had a lot of confidence as I ran along because again I was totally familiar with this terrain. I had run this course in training and I recognized familiar landmarks as I ticked off the miles. I did Mile 2 in 11.59 and Mile 3 in 12.01.

By the time I hit the 5k turnaround I was pretty warm but still feeling great. I was also starting to pass people. WOO HOO!!! I was passing people on the run. Lots of people were starting to walk as the day began to take its toll. People were pouring water over their heads trying to cool off. No problems for me as I had specifically been doing my long runs on the warmest sunny days when possible in an effort to prepare myself for the July heat I would face at my 1/2 Ironman in New York. I just kept on running. I used my Fuel Belt for water and GU20 between aid stations and ate some Sport Beans before I finished mile 4 in 12.17. I could sense that I was getting close as I was turned from the path back into the park. Mile 5 took 12.34 and before I knew it I was winding my way along the lake past the Mile 6 marker where I was obviously starting to pick up the pace as I clocked an 11.40 and I knew I had just a short run to the finish line.

Ran past my friends and up a short hill (who the heck puts a finish line at the top of a hill $*%&) and there it was. The finish line. I sprinted across and looked at my watch in disbelief.

6.2 miles
1:14.46

Going into the race I had 3 goals:

1. Beat my Chicago Olympic time of 3:57
2. Have fun and stay in Zone 2
3. Break 3:30

My final time was 3:06.33 which was of course a new PR - WOOOO HOOOO!!!!!!!!!

I had taken more than 50 minutes off of my Chicago time. I was stunned. It was the perfect day. My legs felt great, I was a little sunburned but I was surrounded by lots of great friends (I even ran into a few old friends who I hadn't seen in quite some time) and I had erased any doubt that I had about my fitness going into my 1/2 Ironman.

I finished 5/6 in the Athena division where the women this year were smoking fast but I did achieve my goal of not finishing last in either the race or my division.

After the race Preston and I went to breakfast with our friends to celebrate the great day.

Post Race
As I finish this report I am still honestly in shock over my time. To cut 50 minutes at this distance is amazing. My confidence in my fitness is renewed and I know with absolute certainty that I am ready for my 1/2 Ironman next month.

It was a great way to spend a Sunday and I am so thankful that I get to participate in this sport. 2 years ago I had doubts that I could even finish this distance and today I'm plotting out how I will cut those 6+ minutes so I can break the 3 hour mark.

It was a perfect day :)

T-Shirt Sizing Comes Full Circle

I can't recall if I've recounted this story so if you've read this before, bear with me.

3 years ago as I prepared for my very first triathlon I entered a relay. I wasn't sure I could do the whole race but I really wanted an up close and personal view of an event and I wanted to do the swim and bike portion for real (my first sprint triathlon was 3 weeks later).

At 285lbs I was pretty still pretty self-conscious about my weight and the fact that I was even attempting this kind of event. I showed up to pick up my packet containing my timing chip and race numbers and get my t-shirt.

The t-shirt. An outward symbol to anyone that saw me wearing it that I had done a triathlon. I desperately wanted that t-shirt. So it was a crushing blow to get to packet pick-up and be told they didn't have any t-shirts that were size XXL. :( I couldn't fit into an XL and they hadn't offered an XXL when I registered online. I mentioned this to the race director and she told me "she didn't know any triathletes that needed a size XXL"

WHAT???????????

I followed that comment with a "well you're looking at one" retort and they attempted to get an XXL t-shirt "from a volunteer".

I finished that relay, went on to finish my first triathlon and many others since. But I have not forgotten that comment. I have thick skin but for some people that might have ended their triathlon experience. That one negative comment.

Fast forward 3 years and Sunday I'm doing my 2nd Olympic distance race in preparation for my 2nd Half-Ironman. I picked up my packet and wouldn't you know I got a size large t-shirt.

WOOO HOOO!!!!! Size Large!

Triathletes come in all shapes and sizes and while I have a long memory I was pleased to see that size XXL t-shirts are now being offered :)

Catalyst for Change

I continue to be thrilled with the response to the recent article about my weight loss and triathloning in the local paper last month. I've got emails from old friends, acquaintances and people who are struggling in their own fitness or weight journeys. Thank you for your feedback and sharing your stories, keep them coming :)

Change can be daunting. Often we toil away trying to get something, anything done. To achieve a goal, finish a task, meet a requirement or just stay the course. But if you always do what you always did you'll always get what you've always got.

Taking this to heart has kept me exercising and eating healthy (some days are better than others). It's given me the courage to believe that I could do anything (even an Ironman). Most recently I decided to take a step back in the interest of change.

For many following my adventures you're well aware of the crazy, some might say ridiculous work and travel schedule I've kept this year. As you might imagine when you work 60+ hours week in and week out, jet off to places near and far, the stress and go, go, go mentality has taken its toll on my family life and my weight/training goals.

In spite of this I was comfortable in my job and so I sucked it up and hoped it would get better. It didn't and after returning from yet another trip I decided it was time for change. I would move to a different department at my company or I would find a new company. It was cathartic to go to my office and completely empty my cubicle. After 4 years I had accumulated 7 bags worth of books, pictures, my race numbers, finisher medals, gym clothes and coffee mugs.

I met with my manager and took the leap of faith. I didn't have another job lined up but my health, happiness and marriage were more important. Right now it's a waiting game, apparently no one is particularly pleased that I want to leave the department but they are trying to move me into a different role rather than have me leave the company. Stay tuned for the end result.

In the meantime I am happy and feeling at peace with my decision to make a change. My announcement seems to be spurring some good things which will benefit the rest of my team so I'm happy about that, even though I will be sad to leave such a great group of people wherever I end up.

What doesn't kill you...

they say makes you stronger. Mental toughness is definitely something that can be a struggle. For me it usually is brought on by adverse conditions. Cold, rain, wind etc. Now I'm sure many of you are laughing at this cause you're like "HELLO, you live in Oregon where it rains all the time".

Wednesday I had to do a 90 minute run and of course it was raining and after the hotel treadmill I decided I was not running inside if I could help it. Unfortunately I forgot my rain jacket which sucked but I gathered my mental toughness and set out. 7 miles later I was soaked but feeling very tough and definitely like rain on the run wouldn't slow me down come race day.

It was still raining on Thursday which would again put me to the test because Thursday is my open water swim and transition bike day. Yikes! I struggled into my wetsuit after looking at the misty water and tried to steel myself for the cold water. WOO BOY! I was not prepared for it. It was ice cold even in the wetsuit. BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did manage to swim 2 laps of the pond and then after chatting with some other triathletes I transitioned to my bike. Running in the rain is fine, even swimming in the rain is doable but I hate riding my bike in the rain. The roads are slippery, you have less stoping distance, you get all kind of road spray, ick!

Needless to say I got out and started riding and I ended up finding this cool paved trail which wound through this nature reserve. It was very peaceful, almost completely flat and I saw so many wild rabbits and birds. It was awesome! I came back covered in spray and muck, soaked to the bone but I was really happy I faced the rain :)