Run for Regis Race Report & Spring Training Update

Prerace with my love

Regis Race Report: 

Last weekend was the the first race of 2016. Steve and I ran the Run for Regis trail half marathon in Peninsula. This was our second time doing the race or "fun run" as they call it. It was not as cold this year with temps in the 20s and there was not much snow on the trails but there were icy sections and the trails were frozen with jagged footprints that kindof hurt to run on.

Prior to the race we had done a warmup and I twisted my right ankle pretty good so I was nervous about it holding up for the 13.1 but fortunately it was not an issue. The course is very hilly and technical in some sections and has several sets of stairs. This made for a slow run for me. I would have liked to have been faster but I was a little extra cautious with some big races approaching including Boston Marathon and I got lost on the second loop and had to stop and talk with the RDs so I lost some time here. It wasn't a huge deal since this was a "fun run" race anyways and really just an ass kicker of a race to get me toughened up for Green Jewel and Boston.

Out on the course

My time of 2:13 was a few minutes faster despite getting lost so I think I could have done a little better without the screw up. I ended up 4th female overall and in my AG. Tough AG! Steve ended up 3rd in the guys field.

After the race we changed into warm, dry clothes headed over to the Winking Lizard in Peninsula with friends for food and beer. I felt okay the rest of the day but was pretty sore Monday and Tuesday so went easy with the running. By Wednesday I was able to get in a double run as well as today so I am back to good now.

Quick Training Update:

Overall my training has been going well. Two weeks ago I was up to 50 miles of running. Last week I ended up at 38 with the race and I will have 50 in again this week. I've been riding my trainer for 45-60 mins 3-4 times a week to keep the bike fitness and I am lifting at least twice a week. I have not been in the pool much yet this year as I had a neck strain for a few weeks and was working with my chiropractor to correct that. I seem to be better so I will likely add the pool back in at least once a week for now. With Green Jewel 50K, Boston Marathon and then Cleveland Marathon I am focusing more effort on running for obvious reasons. I am also doing the Great Western Reserve 70.3 tri in mid June so I will start to add longer bike rides by early March as I plan to use the bike and swim a good deal to aid in my recovery for all my long running races. This is where triathlon really pays off! This will lead into Ironman OH 70.3 in August followed up by some fall marathons and a new challenge I will be posting about next week so stay tuned for details!

GWRT Race Report - Good Start to the 2015 Tri Season

Yesterday I raced the Great Western Reserve Olympic Tri put on by Champ Racing. I will admit that I was nervous going into this race. I am always a little worked up about the first OWS of the season and I was not really sure that I was tri-ready with so much focus on the run this season and not as much focus on the bike. I have been pretty good about my swimming and gotten in as many bike miles as I can around a very run-heavy schedule. I just had to give it my best and see where I am right now.

West Branch State Park was the venue for the race. I really liked this venue. The swim was in a calm and warm inland lake and for the most part the bike roads were good and the run course was a nice setup. In addition to the olympic race, there is a sprint, a half and a half aquabike option so that brought out some good people to race. It was nice to see so many friends and fellow Cleveland Tri Club members at the race. Many of which had a great day at the races!

Steve and I both raced the olympic and we are racing an olympic again this weekend at Challenge Williamsburg (formerly Revolution 3 Williamsburg). I love the course there and it's my first team race of the year so that's pretty exciting. Racing GWRT was a great way to test my fitness before Williamsburg.  I am pleased with how things turned out yesterday and looking forward to giving it another go Sunday!

Prerace: We arrived at West Branch around 6:30am to pick up our packets and setup our transition areas. The olympic was scheduled to go off around 8am. The start was delayed about 30 minutes due to the other waves starting later. This was actually not a bad thing for me because I had time to relax and chat with friends as well as get in a nice warm up swim. The water temperature was 71 and my sleeveless Blueseventy wetsuit was very comfortable.

Swim (1500 meters):

Start of one of the swim waves

The olympic men's wave went off and then olympic women were 5 minutes later. We were the last wave. This again was okay with me. I like a relaxing swim where I am not crowded with people. It was a double loop course and the second loop really felt like it went quick. I looked at my watch leaving the water and I was around 26 minutes and change. Once crossing over the timing mat I was at 27:31 (about a 1:50 pace), which is not bad for me in open water. I am working on my sighting as I have a tendency to get off course.

T1:
I felt wobbly in T1 but got the wetsuit off pretty fast, dried off a bit, put on my gear and got in a Powerbar energy blend gel before heading for the bike mount. My 1:52 was a little slow but I'm just getting back into the swing of things.

Bike (26 miles):
I liked the bike course. It was mainly flat with a couple sections of rollers. It was a straight forward course so not too technical. The best part I think was riding along the dam. It felt like flying through that section and I got to see Steve and some friends here. My goal for the bike was to average between 19-20mph. I knew that my bike fitness was not as good yet as it was during some of last year's races where I was close to averaging 21 for this distance. I felt pretty strong on the first 13 mile loop and through the first half of the second loop but started to labor toward the end of the ride and had some pesky low back pain as well. I haven't spent too much time in the aero bars yet this season so I am sure that I will build up my tolerance to this again. My new Lazer aero helmet worked great. It was light and comfortable and well ventilated. My bike time ended up at 1:20:16 (19.4 mph average) so for where I am right now this was decent. I will be switching my focus to the bike in early July after I recover from the Charlevoix Marathon.

T2: 
Again I felt a little slow here with a 1:23 but as the season goes on hopefully I will be quicker with my transitions. The one thing that annoyed me in T2 is that my GPS signal for my run watch did not come on right away so I just had to start the run without it.

Run (6.2 Miles): 
The run was pretty straight forward and flat. Leaving the park was hot but most of the olympic run was shaded, which was nice on a hot day like yesterday. It was an out and back, 2 loop 5K course with 2 aid stations on each loop. It was nice to see so many friends on the course and I got to see Steve a couple of times as well, which was a nice boost of motivation. I ended up running a negative split for the second loop, which allowed me to move up at least a handful of spots in the race. I ended up running a 46:08 10K (7:41 average).  I was glad to have my run working for me with all the miles I have been logging training for my marathon June 27.

Post race with my hubby

Finish & Post Race:
It was nice to have Steve cheering as I finished. I am happy with my time of 2:37:12. It was good enough to win my age group and place 6th female. In looking at the results the swim is really what killed me for this race along with not having my bike legs at 100% yet. I am okay with that. I will get stronger as I change my focus to multisport! Steve had a solid race too and placed 3rd in his AG. We stuck around to hang out with friends and eat. Champ does a great job with the post-race food especially the pizza! Mmm! Many of our friends set PRs and placed so it was a good day at the races!

Closing Thoughts:
I liked this race and will plan to do it again - possibly the half too. Champ did a nice job with the course, volunteers, food, and I loved the race shirt! Today is a recovery day and then I get back into a hard week of training followed by the Challenge Williamsburg olympic tri this Sunday!

Cool shirt & my AG medal

Third Time is the Charm They Say - Training Update

After not hitting my BQ goal in Cleveland due to weather I was disappointed. I sometimes have a hard time letting things go. Although I knew I would be sacrificing the beginning of my triathlon season I made the decision to run a third marathon this season in Charlevoix, Michigan later this month. It's a small, beach town race that is said to be one of the most beautiful races in the U.S. Needless to say I am excited to give it another go. Plus, I'll qualify for Marathon Maniacs  too, which is fun!

I am still planning to participate in the multisport races on my schedule as well - I just cannot train for these specifically. Last week for example I ran 53 miles, rode my bike for 75 miles, got in one 2000 meter swim along with some yoga and pilates work for strength. In a normal multisport focus training week I would have had another swim, 15-20 miles less running and about 50-75 more on the bike.

Last Sunday was the Twinsburg Duathlon. It was kindof a rainy, crappy morning to race but I was up for it. The first run went okay as I had not really intended to push the pace given my tired legs so according to my watch, the first 2 mile run was around a 7:29 pace. My goal was to run between a 7:15-7:30 for both runs and average 19-20mph on the bike. Entering transition I saw my hubby. He had a flat and said he was out so just to go ahead. I ran over to my bike but felt bad that he was out of the race so I went to go find him to just ride the course with him and finish for fun. After 5+ minutes of trying unsuccessfully to find him and then hearing that he changed his wheel and jumped back into race, I was bummed. I felt like I had lost too much time to be competitive and I had some extra run miles I needed to make up so I made use of the time to get in 7 more miles at a slower pace around 9. Later that afternoon I hopped on my cross bike for an hour to get in my needed bike miles for the week. I guess it all worked out okay in the end although I am bummed that I didn't get to race my bike.

I do get to do that this weekend at the Great Western Reserve Olympic Tri at West Branch! This week is another 50+ mile run week along with 70+ on the bike, 5300 meters of swimming and some strength work. This may not be optimal triathlon training but I am excited to take on my first tri of the season, tired legs and all! My husband and several friends are racing so it will be fun to see everyone! Hope that water is not too cold!

The following week I have my last build week for the marathon with about the same mileage as this week. Steve and I head South to Williamsburg, Virginia next weekend for a little vacation and to race Challenge Williamsburg. We will be racing the olympic again as we did two years back (last year we raced the half and loved it). I am super excited to see my Challenge teammates and staff!

The following week will be a taper week with no races (thank god).

Then we head to Charlevoix for another long weekend vacation with a race. I will race the full marathon and hubby is racing the half marathon. Hopefully I can get the BQ done and move on this season to the half iron and full iron triathlon build phase! I will not have any long races on my schedule until later in August now so I am looking forward to the change of focus.