The Danskin Report '07

August 19, 2007
9th in Elite Division, 11th OA

Swim 10:32
T1 1:56
Bike: 35:21
T2: 1:36
Run: 22:34 (7:16 pace)
Total: 1:12:00

Photo: A future Elite wave? (Camille & friends)

This was my 4th Danskin, 5th triathlon of this season and 21st triathlon since 2004 when I first became infected with the triathlon virus. For the first time, I entered as an “Elite”, having qualified by placing in my age group last year. I knew I’d be giving up a probable age group (AG) placing or win by doing this and not earn a USAT ranking for this race (one seasonal goal being to get my required 3 USAT sanctioned races done so as to earn a yearly ranking). I got busy with my homework and looked over past years’ race results and Googled every woman entered as an Elite. When I found results for someone in a race I had not done, I could compared their swim, bike or run splits with other people in that race who were known to me that I had raced against. So I came up with some ideas on where I might place in this group. Best case/worst case guesses. I was pretty confident I would not be last among the 17 or so signed up and I knew there were definitely 8 who would beat me by many minutes, up to 14 minutes or so. Plus a few more who would be close, maybe within a minute or two. So now that it’s over, I’m happy to report that not only are my powers of prediction pretty good, but that I did meet several goals and achieved pretty close to a “best case” outcome.

First I’ll tell you about the race. It rained. There was a head wind on part of the bike leg. At least it wasn’t cold though. The Elites are the first wave of a race, which was a huge plus to doing this. The Danskin is notoriously crowded, making the swim course a challenge of threading your way through lots of obstacles (other swimmers, floaters, side-strokers and whatnot) and the bike is a bit risky what with all the passing and 3 abreast knots of riders to negotiate.

The gun went off and I had a nice strong swim. I’ve been a little frustrated with some swims this season not feeling all that sharp, but this was better. I don’t know that my time reflects it since a couple other people I compare myself to still out-swum me, but it felt like I worked hard. Bonus that in the last 100 yards of the swim I managed to overtake a group of about 4 swimmers who had been ahead of me earlier in the swim. There is Mary M in the photo, the swim coordinator cheering me on and wearing her trademark "Get Out There" jacket (or "Get Over It" as some of us joke).

Out of the water and back to the bike racks for transition 1, I fumbled a bit and didn’t have a very slick T1, which is usually something I’m good at. My pal Darcy says she was right there, in my face, yelling at me. Never saw or heard her.

Now for the bike leg, a 12 mile ride. I worked it hard and though I expected this to be the place that I would be overtaken several times by stronger riders, it only happened twice. It’s difficult to compare this year’s bike time to last year’s. Even though it’s the same course, the weather conditions and headwinds vary. But I did have a clear course this year and no other riders to deal with, so I expected a faster time. Alas! It was only 2 seconds faster this year. My mph average was 21. The fastest woman on the bike, Jill F., a local who is 43, averaged a sizzling 25.3 mph (followed by 24.4 for the out-of-town pro who dropped in to win the race). I mention Jill’s age since one of the things I am proud of is having a good race and going with the Elites at age 50. All the other Elites except Jill and me were mid-20 to 30-somethings. Young pups. Do I get a handicap? An age-grading adjustment? Afraid not.

On to T2, then out the chute for the 5K run. The run is so mental for me. It’s about hanging onto a pace despite the temptation to fade into a more comfortable zone. I usually find some little mantra to repeat in my head to keep me focused at the same time distracting me from discomfort and negative thoughts like “I’m tired. My legs don’t feel good. When is this over? Are we there yet? Just one small rest?” I love the mile markers so I can tell how I’m doing. First mile: 7:14. Yes! Now the challenge was to hang onto that. In past seasons, my first mile would be decent but I’d slump by the 3rd. Second mile: 7:16. Great. The third mile in this race has the hill. Not a long hill, not a terribly steep hill. But a hill that can throw off your pace, make you breathless and nauseated and dizzy. So I run the damn hill. “Hhh—ayy!” I grunt. That translates to “Hi Scott, how you doing? Are you enjoying that nice latte’ on this rainy Sunday morning?” A friend from swimming saw me and had called out a hello to me as I was shuffling over the crest of the hill. Well, now for the downhill home stretch, about the last ½ mile. I always imagine and visualize just going fast here, flying, zooming, sweeping down like an eagle. I mean, how hard can a downhill finish be? Well, it’s hard if you are trying to go fast and already tired. I love the finish line part. It’s what you look forward to but it’s over so fast. Was it two people who passed me on the run and one that I passed? (I expected to be overtaken more than that).
Here's my typical bendover finish.

Anyway, I finished 9th in the Elite wave (though I should have been 10th; Teresa N. had a flat tire, otherwise she would have placed Top 3 most likely). Overall, I was 11th, with 2 Age Groupers bumping me down a couple notches. Despite a fumbled T1 and not improving on the bike, my average run pace of 7:16 is my best ever, whether triathlon or just a 5K, and I am happy about that!

Although I enjoyed a wide open race course (except for the swim start), I could see the congestion as I came back on the bike, encountered a very hectic transition area at T2 and viewed the packed swim course when I ran past that. I heard of many crashes on the bike. The rain, slick roads and closer wave send-offs than usual (thanks to the City of Seattle wanting to get this race over sooner and re-open roads due to construction issues in the area), made for a crazy-crowded race. But the general euphoria of race day seemed to predominate despite those challenges. I enjoyed my energetic euphoric haze for several hours, shared congratulations, happy hugs and race debriefing with my racing friends Ann, Gina, Val, Hillary, Sandy, Darcy and others. Then brunched at Leschi with my good pal Darcy, went home to laundry, dealing with wet race gear and a warm shower. I was all ready for a well-deserved nap (I had been up since 4 a.m.), when I saw that race results were already posted online. Ach! Pouring over all that must be the 5th leg of a triathlon (the 4th leg is nutrition, isn't it?). Here is Darcy and her family post-race. Darcy had a fine race, finishing 8th in her very competitive AG and coming off of injuries from last season. Darcy - we'll get that bib number OUT of your gear bag before T2 next time, OK?

The Danskin Report '06

August 20, 2006
2nd in AG, 19th OA

Swim: 13:45

T1: 2:03

Bike: 35:23

T2: 1:09

Run: 23:39 (7:37 pace)

Total: 1:16:01

Sunrise on Race Day

It was another fine race with perfect weather. I was up at 4 a.m. and driving in to the Mount Baker neighborhood by 5:15 to score a parking spot near race venue (the early bird gets the parking as they block the streets to outside traffic a little later).

Because this is my 3rd year at the Danskin, my 14th triathlon and I volunteer coach with Mary M’s triathlon training business, I’ve gotten to know a lot of people, so the morning was busy enough with chatting, scoping out the transition area for all the start/finish areas for each leg of the race, visiting the Porta Potty multiple times, having a warm up jog and finally getting into my wetsuit for the start.

Abuzz with excited anticipation and anchored by the focus and mental readiness of “Things I Know” to give me confidence (I have a list of mantras and positive statements that I go over and over), I finally was front and center at the start of my wave ready for the gun to go off. The race takes on a life of it’s own from there and you just go for the ride, hang on and endure the sensations of discomfort as you work hard through it.

The swim felt steady and strong as I threaded my way through literally hundreds of slower swimmers from the waves that had gone out before me. When you swim hard, do you make underwater animal noises like “Arrrruugh! Uuhhhhgph! Rrrrruuuaa!” as you exhale? I do. To get an idea of just how thick the water is with swimmers, check out the “photo gallery” here: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/281975_triathlon21.html

I charged out of the water snorting and huffing. My dad once saw me come out of the swim and said I looked like a “raging bull”, which I assume was a compliment. And Mary M, the swim coordinator for the Danskin, tapped me on the back and said something encouraging (or so she says, I never heard or saw her) and she also says I just about ran her over.

On to T1 (transition 1) to rip off wetsuit, grab bike and gear and go for a nice 12 mile ride on the I-90 express lanes. Hard work! I couldn’t have gone any harder and managed to improve my time over last year, though my pace of 21 mph pales compared to some of those Elites above me and to Hillary, the woman who would take first in our AG.

In to T2 (you guessed it, transition 2) to re-rack bike, change shoes and dash out for a 5K run. Could I have pushed a little harder here? Maybe? I improved my pace over last year, which was a big goal of mine (I went from 8:11 to 7:37 per mile average). But what about that triathlon I did 3 weeks ago with a 10K run in it – my pace was 7:25 there. That pace would have made this race a tie or very close to it. Ah, Monday morning quarterbacking!. Actually, Hillary saw us pass each other around the 2 mile mark (going opposite directions; she started in the wave 4 minutes behind me) and was sure I was ahead of her, time-wise, at that point. Which is possible since the last mile of the race has a hill that slays me. Hillary is an outstanding runner, who does ½ marathons at a 7:15 pace, so it was probably that final mile where she overtook me and brought it on home. I’m able to speed up near the end, but barely. A better runner will really make that last mile count and she did! Hillary & me - >

I finished, pleased with my 1:16:01 time, about 1:30 better than last year. If you look at the splits, you’ll see that my swim time this year is slower that last year. The good news is that the course was shorter last year and average times this year were around 1:30 slower (according to Mary M.), so my swim was actually ok, a little better than last year.

Other than not capturing 1st in age again, I met all my goals: improve the bike to at least 21 mph (just barely made that), get my run to under 8 min pace (slam dunk), bring my overall placing up (did it: from 24 to 21, however, I don’t think I ought to compare myself to relay teams, so let’s just call that 19th overall). I have a few “friendly rivals” out there that out swam me and/or out-biked me, but since it’s the overall time that counts in this race, I’ll be satisfied.

Another comparison: There were 24 women who went out in the Elite division. My time puts me at 13th in their group. I could have gone as an Elite this year, but wanted one more shot at an Age Group placing and to obtain a ranking for USAT this year (going Elite, you don’t get an age-group ranking). Next year I will go Elite (assuming I’ve trained something along the lines of this year), which makes me nervous already, a year away! But the great thing about going Elite (which you can choose it if you’ve been an age-group placer), is you are THE FIRST wave. No crowded swim course of slower people to wind through, no constant passing of other bikers. That can be a significant advantage.

After the race, comes the real endurance event of hanging around for a few hours, first in a haze of euphoria and camaraderie as you visit and congratulate all your friends, snack, get pictures taken, and in general strut like a rock star in your little lycra tri outfit feeling proud and happy (oh, and in my case, pick up my diamond necklace since my race number was one of the several that were randomly drawn for this prize; I would rather have a new bike trainer, but, ok, diamonds I guess). Later, the fatigue sets in, some of your friends have gone home but you stick it out to hear the top 3 winners in each age group announced and take a look at the preliminary results.

The race glow continues awhile - days, weeks, months, as debriefing of family and friends must occur, several trips to the computer to check for race results and analysis of same must be done, waiting for the race photos to get posted, seeing your workout pals and trying to be humble and gracious as they ask you about it and congratulate you – all of this is good and extends the experience.

Anyway, that’s the report. If you want to browse some more, here’s the link: http://results.timberlinetiming.com/results/index.cfm

Race day pals Ann, Ann, (me), Gina, Val - >

(Val went out with the Elites this race! She has always dominated her age group in her races. A couple years older than me, I got some vicarious satisfaction out of her representing some of more mature athletes alongside the younger elites.)

The Danskin Report '05

8/21/05
1st in AG/24th OA

Swim: 12:27

T1 2:15

Bike: 36:02

T2: 1:10

Run: 25:22 (8:11 pace)

Total: 1:17:16

This is the race in which I wanted to place 1st in age. I had other goals around an improved run pace, bike pace, feeling stronger and more confident in general - things within my power to improve on based on better training over the prior year. The thing I never have control over is just who shows up on race day and what training, goals and natural abilities they bring to their race. So I didn't put too much into my idea of "success" depending on a 1st place or even placing at all. There were other ways to measure success.

Having said that, I thought 1st was within the realm of possibility. With hard work, with some luck...who knows? I had been reluctant to say that out loud though. Wouldn't that be too bold and cocky? Who does she think she is? And if I didn't achieve a 1st, then wouldn't that just be kind of pathetic and embarrassing? To hell with that! I believe there is power in saying something out loud and so I put aside my doubts and false modesty about it. One day at the lake with friends, I answered their question about how I wanted to do with first "I want to do my best..." then, "I want to improve over last year...", then "I hope I can be in the top 3 this year..." and finally I laughed and said "I WANT TO BE FIRST IN MY AGE GROUP!" So there. Why is that so hard? Is it a female thing? A generational thing? Because I've never done much competitively prior to this? Who knows?

It wasn't until an hour or more after my finish that the top 3 finishers in each age group were announced over the P.A. system. Darcy was with me and we froze as we listened. They announced one woman's name as the 3rd place finisher (ok, not me - my heart rate picked up), they announced another name for 2nd place (not me - ACH! So am I first or did I not make the top 3 at all????). Then they announced... my name!! That was a happy moment, but it was all the more special because my good friend was there and it was her bursting into tears about it, that got me going. I'm so glad I had a pal to share that moment with. I'll never forget what it felt like to have a loyal friend share the thrill with me. OK, so that sounds super corny and all, but I'm a lone coyote in so many ways, that I appreciate the moments that solidify a friendship all the more. Darcy had a happy day as well, making into the top 10 (9th) of her AG.

Here is what I wrote to a friend in '05 right after that race:

I’m feeling less giddy now and the temporary insanity seems to have passed (the bursting into 5-second tearful episodes every few hours throughout the day). Maybe it’s because the next race is in 2 days. Or maybe it’s the road trip/camping trip thing I plan to do with Camille next week that will severely interfere with training. Anyway, so here I am, very happy to have met and even exceeded my goal again! As I study the other racers’ times, it makes me nervous to see the many ways people are very close or even gaining on me during a race. Well, this was my lucky day and it will take continued hard work and some luck to do a repeat performance of this. In any event, these events are all fun and offer different challenges each race.

I see a picture where I’m just standing still so I can hit the button on my damn watch for my splits. I better not waste that kind of time in the future! ; )

I am very happy to have accomplished this!

The Danskin Report '04

Danskin Sprint
August 15, 2004

4th in AG (45-49), 53 OA (of 3442)
Swim: 20:16
T: 1:57
Bike: 37:05
T2: 1:37
Run: 27:31 (pace 8:52)
Total: 1:29:28

Living in Seattle, it's hard not to have heard of "The Danskin", or know some woman who has done it. For years, as I vaguely became aware of triathlons, I thought I might someday do one. After all,

1. I could swim. I was on swim team in high school (Federal Way High School, Class of '75) and had done some swimming for fitness on and off over the years.

2. I could run. In the 1980's, I experimented with jogging, did a few 5Ks and even made it through a marathon when in my 20's (with a very unspectacular time of around 4:20). I wasn't fast, but I could get through it.

3. I could bike. Recreational cycling I did occasionally, sometimes hauling gear in my panniers to camp under the stars on San Juan Island trips. In 1991, I did the STP 2 day ride (Seattle to Portland, about 200 miles total) and averaged 16 mph for each 100-mile day.

String these activities all together and maybe I could claim having done an Iron distance tri (um, with each event separated by a "transition" of several years)? Just kidding.

I enjoyed a generally active lifestyle and hiked, backpacked, did aerobics classes, played some softball and volleyball, took the stairs instead of the elevator, raked instead of using the blower, carried the baby on my back instead of pushing a stroller.... Oh, there's that baby now! Camille is on the right, she must have been about 3 years old. She didn't become a triathlon orphan until later, when she was 8.

After a couple of years of overhearing chatter at the gym from a younger group of moms, my interest finally piqued. If they can do it, so can I, I thought. They were strong and energetic in aerobics classes, but I was at least as fit as they were. A little competitiveness stirred in me. Not only would I sign up for the Danskin, I wanted to have a better finishing time than these gals.

In March of '04, I reacquainted myself with swimming and running and maybe got a workout or two in each week, while continuing aerobics classes. By April, the old bike was tuned and on the road again. To further prepare, I picked the brains of anyone who I met who had done a triathlon and was introduced to a whole new world. A suggestion I picked up in the locker room after a lap swim was to go to Mary Meyer's swim clinics. So I did. I had been a decent swimmer, but never had heard any of the technique tips I picked up at that first clinic. Ideas like swimming horizontally, rotation, catching the water, not crossing the midline had never occurred to me, but made perfect sense. I still work on these technique points (when fatigue sets in or focus lags, it's easy to slip into old bad habits). From the clinic, I went to an Intro to Triathlon presentation and got tons of useful info for a first timer. I haven't stopped recommending that to people since. Once I started training in earnest, I lost interest in running to the T.V. every time Derek Jeter, the object of my schoolgirl crush, came up to bat. One must make sacrifices for their sport.


At first I didn't tell anyone that I had registered for the race, thinking that if it seemed too daunting a task, I could quietly slip out the back door on this thing and no one would ever have to know. But pretty soon people knew and what came from my mouth was a lot of "I just want to finish". As a month or two of training went by, I saw that "just finishing" was aiming much too low, and I continued to upgrade my goals as I learned more about my abilities. By July, I felt I could try my first race as a warm-up experience so did Seafair. Placing 3rd, forced me to reconsider my goals yet again for the Danskin. I went from "just finish" or "place in the upper 50% of my AG" to aiming for top 10% of my age group. By a week before the Danskin, I was bold enough to say "Top 10 of my Age Group" - that's what I want (not just top ten percent, which would have been about 30 women).


I like to share that thought process because I think it is so typical to underestimate our potential or be unrealistic about goals. I came into this endeavor as athletically better-than-average but untrained, a middle-aged mom, with maybe a few athletic skills and experiences in my bag of tricks. I was sure everyone else came from competitive backgrounds, college-level training and had all sorts of other intimidating athletic resumes'. Aim low and cling to fear, and you will sabotage yourself.

Though this wasn't my first tri, it was "The One" that this season was about. The race was challenging and fun, and all the happy talk I'd heard about Danskin appeared to be true - how supportive everyone is, what a "feel good" experience it is and all that. The race was great and I was so happy to have placed 4th in my AG!

Well, I was in great shape and excited, not burned out, so I figured, why stop now? I went on to do a couple more races in the next few weeks and will have something to say about those experiences another time (Lake Sammamish sprint and The Reebok sprint). I think he misses me: