Pumpkin Push 5K

October 27, 2007

23:03/7:25 pace
1st in AG

My race costume


Past Pumpkin Pushes:
2006
24:05 (Official gun time)
23:12 (my watch) ~7:28 pace
12th in AG (I was exiting the restroom when the gun went off! Argh!)

2005
23:54/7:42 pace (Official gun time)
23:10 (my watch)
3rd in AG

2004
23:10
3rd in AG

This run loops around Seward Park and includes a hill close to 2 miles into the race. It's nearly the same run course as for the Seafair Triathlon and the Furry 5K. I believe the course was changed slightly from 2004 to 2005 (from 2005 onward, the start line was moved up and the distance made up in the uphill portion and loop in the upper park - someone correct me on this if I got that wrong). I found this GPS photo of the race course (lifted it from someone's blog). Anyway, the course is all flat on the big loop, the smaller, inner loop is a steep uphill/downhill.

Many people show up in costume and I finally tried that this year. The photo above is what I ran in. Hot? Sure, but at least the wig/helmet/sword didn't bounce around and cause problems.

So it was nice to see the usual suspects - Ann, Val, Wendy, Gina. All seemed to have consistent races. Another tri buddy, Lisa H. had a great race with a 22:07 time (and an even better race last year, pre-injury, with 20:58 giving her a 6:46 pace). Luckily, we will only be in the same age group for the few races that go by 10-year increments.

In 2006, due to unforeseen delays (I had to re-register due to the race staff losing my race number), my necessary bathroom visit was pushed back way too close to race start time. Sure enough, the gun went off as I was exiting and I started at the back of the pack. I ran hard to see what my watch time would be, though I knew my official/gun time was worthless at that point. The first 1/2 mile was very crowded with the walkers and slowest runners all over the path, which limited my progress but by the time things started to open up, I wanted to make up for lost time as best I could. So looking for the silver lining here, it was kind of fun to run a race where I was reeling in people in front of me and passing them the whole race.


The morning was very pretty with sunshine and a little fog burning off and all the fall colors seeming to be at their peak.

Dawg Dash 2007

2007 Dawg Dash 10K
46:19
1st in AG (50-59)
22nd OA (out of 382)

2006 10K
46:38
6th in AG (40-49)

2005 10K
48:12
6th in AG (40-49)

2004 5K
24:04
3rd in AG (40-49)

The Dawg Dash has been a University of Washington tradition for 22 years, being one of the festivities around homecoming time. The race offers a 5K, 10K and a kid's race. The race starts in Husky Stadium and loops up onto campus (key word: UP) for a scenic run. Running past postcard-worthy Drumheller Fountain is a highlight (especially on the way back DOWN). Some small offshoot from the Husky marching band sets up there and plays some of that rousing marching music to inspire us. Check out the photo of the fountain in 1959 (ok, it's not spewing water for the picture). That's my mom and me when I was 2! I'm a double alumnus of the U-dub (B.S. Psychology '79 and B.S. Nursing '86). Well, enough of that b.s., back to the race report. The course wraps back down again and finishes on the track in the stadium.

My 10K was fine, can’t complain finishing 1st in AG. Although it was only 19 seconds faster than last year (but at least it was faster). It felt hard and I started to get a side ache around the 4th mile. The kind of side ache that causes that involuntary grunting instead of breathing. About that time, a woman passed me. It was someone who I thought I recognized from my earlier reconnaissance missions (someone in my AG who has always beaten me by some small margin and who I ID’ed via race photos in the past). I wanted to beat her so didn’t let her get too far ahead while trying to get a little recovery from that side ache. Fortunately, we were hitting some good downhill sections by then. I think it was my slowing and not her kicking up her pace that had her ahead of me. As I started to feel better, I edged up to just behind her for awhile. Finally, with maybe 2/3 mile to go it was time to push and hope that I could hang onto a little faster pace without her surging ahead of me (or the side ache coming back). I gave a few backwards glances to see if I was threatened as I got close to the stadium, I didn’t see her too close but kicked it in anyway just to be sure. And it was a good thing I did. I forgot to account for the fact that her overall chip time could have been faster than mine if I was very far ahead of her at the start-line. I think this was the case since I only beat her by 7 seconds, time-wise, but I think I was over the finish line with a little more lead than that. That’ll be a lesson to me to remember the chip time and not just try to finish in front of someone. Well, at the time of this writing, the results are still preliminary, so I'll hope for no surprises. Photos should be up in a few days and I'll post if there were any good shots.

Ann R. took 3rd in our AG, Gina wasn't far behind and then I hear that the two of them took off for several more miles to round out some distance training. Good for them! It will pay off when the Seattle Marathon comes around in late November. I'm still thinking about that distance run I need to start.

Val R. took 2nd in AG in the 5K race and my friend Lori K. was 5th in the same AG. I'll have to tell you in a future entry about Lori. If it weren't for Lori, I might not be doing these races at all.

Oktober in September & Sub-7

Fremont Oktoberfest 5K
9/23/07

Official time: ??? 22:08 ????

My watch time: 21:38 (~6:58 pace)

I dragged Camille out of her warm bed a couple years ago to "Run with the Elves" at the kid's version of the Jingle Bell Run. She refuses to join me for any more of that early, cold winter morning nonsense! The expression on her face kind of says it all.

After my new and improved run pace at last week's Kirkland Triathlon, I started to believe in the possibility of a sub-7 pace for a 5K. The Fremont Oktoberfest 5K seemed like just the ticket, since it is a fairly flat course and this year, for the first time, a full-5K distance.

I biked a somewhat hilly 38 miles the day before and enjoyed more wine than I am accustomed to that evening, but thought I'd just drop on into this race and see what I might accomplish. Maybe I was a little too excited, because when I heard "5, 4, 3, 2, 1..." and took off running I was abruptly stopped by shouts from the pack behind me informing me that was the Beer Belly Division that had just sent off. DUH! The good news is that no one let me continue, mistaking me for an actual Beer Belly participant, prestigious as that may be.

My beer belly:

From the race web site:
"Beer Belly Division:
Don’t let that Beer Belly stop you from running! Join the elite Beer Belly Division, where you will be treated like Oktoberfest royalty.
If you are asking yourself, “How do I become a member of this highly acclaimed group of runners?” the answer is jump on a scale and see if you are qualified for this prestigious position. Those men who are 200 lbs. plus and women who are 160 lbs. and over are eligible to enter this division. Besides earning the respect and admiration of fellow racers who recognize your achievements, you will be honored with an unfair advantage of starting first, and thus ensuring your possibility of getting to the beer garden finish line before the pack!"

The bad news is that I crossed the timing mat on that false start, which will have started my "clock" via the timing chip, even though I stopped, went back and started with the main group 30 seconds later. Unless the timing company agrees to adjust my time by that 30 second difference (hopefully they'll see the 2 starts that my timing chip will have registered), I will be stuck with an "official" time of 22:08 giving me a pace of 7:08 or so. (Adjusting my time will not be any priority for them since there was a larger than expected turnout and the race started with probably half the pack having no bib number or timing chip. They will have a nightmare sorting that all out!).

According to my watch, my actual time was 21:38, which would have given me a 6:58 pace! So regardless of official results and where I might end up in the placing, I am quite happy to have achieved another PR! Some of the other races I plan to do this fall will not have as flat a course, so I will probably be kissing goodbye the sub-7 pace for awhile. It was nice to know you. Maybe further on down the road, another time?

Anyone want a cat? Two cats? Lil' Orange Feller was making typing at the keyboard quite challenging. He's one of my current foster kitties (I also have the low-maintenance Sassafrass). Do click on and enlarge the photo on the left to warm your cat-lovin' heart (if you have one). I will tell you all about my fostering and former Crazy Cat Lady phase another time. For now, if you know anyone looking for a nice cat or two...

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:

Kirkland Tri '07

9/16/07
1st in AG, 2nd in Masters, 11th OA (missed Top Ten placing by 7 seconds)

Swim: 15:16
T1: 1:44
Bike: 40:51
T2: 1:17
Run: 22:09 (7:23 pace)

Total: 1:21:17

Photo: Does my Camille have a future in OW swimming? She best ditch the wet denim first.

Kirkland will probably be the last tri of the season for me (though I have been known to drop into races at the last minute and Black Diamond is lurking next weekend; knowing that it will definitely be the last of the season, I may get a restless urge to get one more in).

This is the second year I have chosen races that will earn me a ranking with Tri Northwest (Kirkland will be my 3rd Tri NW ranked race, with Seafair and Cascade's Edge sprints being the other two). I also try to earn a USAT ranking and so did the required 3 for that (USAT Age Group Nationals, Federal Escape and Heart of the Sound; I did do Danskin, also a USAT ranked race, but I went with the Elite wave there, so did not earn a ranking due to some rule about that). ANYWAY...Kirkland, my 7th and probably last race of '07.

As usual, I checked the online confirmations to see who was signed up in my age group. Since I am usually familiar with the local who's who for women near my AG, I was fairly confident I would place in this race, unless there were some ringers dropping in out of nowhere. Bridgit D. from Portland would be sure to surpass me by many minutes, but since this wasn't a USAT race (where you "age up" into the next division if your birthday puts you there anytime during the current calendar year), she would stay safely in the 45-49 AG and away from me! Sadly for me, she will be 50 next season and will dominate any race she shows up for and I will not enjoy quite the fabulous ride I have this season . Well, I'll have more to say about that another time since I believe my biggest goal is to improve on my own times more than capture as many podium finishes as I can.

It was a fairly routine race morning: arrive during darkness, set up transition, visit with people, jog, stretch and suit up. And then the long wait until my AG send off approximately 45 minutes after the first wave. My wave included all women 45 and older, just after the men, 45 and older. There was one wave behind mine, I believe it was the "Tri-It" wave. I toyed with the idea of going out with the Elite wave just to get out of this late start. I don't think I really belong there for this race since men and women start together, but I since I ended up 11th overall for the women, maybe I could have gotten away with it...? Maybe next year. After you see the photos of my swim exit, maybe you'll urge me to do that.

There was a south wind and the water was choppy and challenging at first (and I believe I swallowed more lake water than I have all season), but after the first turn it improved some and then a lot at the final turn when the wind was at my back. I think just 1 or two women from my wave were ahead of me... The end of the swim came and I was up and out and locked into a cluster of slower people jockeying for a way through.

These are pictures of my swim exit. That would be me on the far right with the orange cap trying to pass. Most people were, well, sort of, um, "recovering" from the swim, whilst I was attempting a speedier experience. The red-shirted dude apparently was too, and it looks like we got to jostling a bit (good thing I grew up with a brother, as I'm no stranger to shoving and elbowing). I yelled COME ON! COME ON! LET'S MOVE IT!" as I negotiated my way past people. Not my best sportsmanlike, role modeling moment, but geez! Really! This is a race! I really am supportive of people of any ability taking this on, but it's hard to shift from my competitive self to my nice, "no, after you, I insist" side in the middle of a race. After bumping around on the swim exit, I believe I could have a future in roller derby or mud wrestling. Actually, racing or not, there's no excuse to be rude. If I was, it was more about beng in a little overly excited and I'll hold a door open for someone this week to make up for it.

On to T1 and more dodging people with a bike in tow and then I'm off for a hilly 12 mile ride. It did feel like hard work and I didn't feel like I was very fast, but my time shows about a 50 second faster split from last year at this race. OK, good! I had really slacked off on my training the previous 3 weeks, so was pleased to see this. On one particularly nasty hill, a petite woman with "55" on her calf (her age) passes me and that was the last time I saw her for awhile. I was puzzled - who had I missed in checking the pre-race confirmations? Would I be able to catch her on the run? Sure, she wasn't in my age group, but you try to do as well as possible and she would knock me down one notch in the Masters results if she stayed ahead of me. Down the big hill near the end and on to T2 and more dodging people....

Ah, the run now. Ugh! It started with a moderate hill and I immediately went to a mental chant of "settle in, settle in, settle in". I kept that particular mantra up for quite awhile since I felt like I was not in a settled in space at all, it was more like a frantic struggle to keep going. But the more I run, the more I learn that if it is feeling bad, it's probably for the very good reason that I am working it hard. And so I was: this would be my fastest 5K pace to date at 7:08. Yippee!!! OK, OK, since originally writing that sentence, it seems the timing company re-posted the run paces and I actually ran a 7:23 pace; apparently it wasn't a full 5K distance. So, no Yippee this time. I finally found "55" during the run. I knew she was good, so didn't want to pass her without some reserve in me to hang onto a lead. So I hung back for a minute or so and decided with about a mile to go that I could pick up the pace again and hang onto it or try increasing it if I had to. I don't know if I love or hate that feeling when someone tough is close behind you and you don't know quite what they are capable of. I must have picked up the pace since I finally dropped the man who kept me on his heels for 2.5 miles. Later when I checked results, I saw that "55" was Ginny P. a woman whose name I had noticed placing well in her division going back several years and beating me in earlier races. She's a consistent, tough competitor and one of the few people I had never bothered to look up a race photo for so didn't recognize her (sure, I on-line stalk, do reconnaisance or whatever you want to call it. Doesn't everyone? It's fun and a sign of respect for people you hope to be as good as! I hope others do the same about me.)I hope I can race like her in 5 years! I wish I could bike like her now!

A post-race chill set in on this cloudy, cool September day and fatigue stayed with me the rest of the day despite a nap. No sore muscles, just bone-tiredness.

Another good day at the races and so pleased with my run! I'm ready for some fall road races!

Hey, is that Ann & Gina at my actual "Aging Up" birthday get together last May? Why, yes, it is! I enjoy Ann's blog and was inspired to try it myself. So as I try to follow in her footsteps (actually both their footsteps as they are out there running 10-14 milers recently), I'll throw in photos to make this more interesting (I hope), whether they fit the theme of what I'm writing about or not.

USAT Age Group National Championships '07

USAT Age Group National Championships

June 30, 2007

Olympic Distance (0.9 mile swim/25 mile bike/6.1 mile run)

11th in AG, Qualified for 2007 USAT Age Group Worlds

Swim: 25:31

T1: 1:37

Bike: 1:20:56

T2: 1:10

Run: 49:55

Total: 2:39:07


Hi! Want to hear about the Age Group Nationals? To get to that race you have to place 1st or top 10% in your age group in a USAT sanctioned race (or top 33% in a regional qualifying meet) in the previous year. Then you have to travel to where the annual championship race is being held. Since it was just outside the Portland, OR area this year, this was not a problem once I had qualified in ‘06 (I had qualified in ’05 for the ’06 championship in Kansas City, but the humidity in July was not appealing nor was the fuss to get there).

Road trip…got in to Hillsboro/Forest Grove area on Thursday to rainy, cool weather (oh no, not again!). Drove out to Hagg Lake, hung around to watch the awards ceremony of the Aqualathon that had just finished (or is it Aquathon?), a run/swim/run race. Between rain showers, I got on my bike and rode the 11 mile loop around the lake – a reconnaissance mission to familiarize myself with the course. And I counted 11 hills, 3 of them steep ones (anything that reduces me to under 10 mph is a challenging hill and these were 6-7 mph’ers, and some were long). But what goes up, has to come down and sure enough, those down hills were there, usually with a hairpin turn at the bottom. Unlike in the car when I drove the route, braking on the bike was not necessary. In fact, during the race when the roads were dry (2 days later) and when caution is thrown to the wind, I got my max speeds up to 39.5 mph. Wheeeeeeee!!!

Sandy L. hams it up after qualifing for 2008 Worlds in the Aquathon (or is it Aqualathon?)

Back to the Best Western. Nothing going on there, despite all the people in town for this race, so I headed down the street to McMenamins for a beer and dinner. Interesting old historic hotel with bars, restaurants, odd art and painted doors and plumbing pipes painted with gargoyles and such in a sort of Dead Head/Tolkien kind of way. You had to have been there. It was interesting but I just felt lonely and out of place. Nothing else to do, so I went back to the hotel to bed (don’t you hate going to bed when it’s still light out on a rainy summer evening? Depressing.).

Next day was packet pick up day. For packet pick up, that would be the Fairgrounds in Hillsboro, 10 miles in the opposite direction from the race site of Hagg Lake, which was 15 miles in the other direction from my hotel. With nothing better to do, I arrived at packet pick up 3 hours early. Tick Tock Tick Tock. OK, it paid off – I was up front when the line opened, got my packet quickly (race numbers, color coded swim cap, etc.) and was out the door heading for the race site to rack my bike. I thought this would be an advantageous strategy - remember how it is good to be an early bird and get that good transition spot? So I drive the 25 miles out to the lake. Oh, I’m early AGAIN. Must wait until transition opens. OK, open now…but look. In a big important race like this, there are numbered stickers along the racks; there is to be no choosing a spot. That is just as well. At least I don’t have to make any decisions. The bike goes in place and that’s that. By now I have run into Dave and Francie several times. They came up in their RV from California for this race. They are the ones I run into at every turn and turn out to be good company. Dave pegs me early as a “Type A” since I show up early to everything, but he is the same (early to everything).

Let’s see now what? Oh yes, a stop at the hotel for a shower then back to the Fairgrounds for the pasta dinner I paid for. I thought it would be fun and social. But maybe since I was one of the earliest people arriving for that too, no one else had really shown up yet (except Dave and Francie and a couple other old geezers). Speaking of old geezers, since this was an “AGE Group” Nationals meet, it did seem to draw lots of “mature” racers. And actually, I should be more respectful since there were many men and women in their 70’s to race this Olympic distance and looking pretty damn good doing it. Sure, lots of them were pretty weather-beaten and leathery looking from years of outdoor athletics, but they were lean and strong and pretty fast and moving forward and having fun. A 60 year old woman beat my overall time. Many of the 60-something geezers, I mean men, I chatted with have numerous Ironman races behind them and lots of experience with these National events, so it was interesting to get a glimpse into this world. I suppose the older racers have more time and money than a lot of the younger ones. If you are interested in looking over results and the general size of the various age groups, here’s a link: Overall by Gender Age Group Results

Anyway, race morning came. Who can sleep anyway, so I just get up early, like 4:30 and head out that 15 miles to the lake. Again, I’m one of the earliest birds (but look! It’s Dave and Francie’s RV already there, so I park next to them). I set up my transition area and go back to the car for a snooze under my blanket (yes, the same blanket I had at Cascade’s Edge). Despite the 2 previous days being rainy and cool, this a.m. is dawning clear and bright and the sun is quickly warming the air. A perfect day for a race!

After my nap, I do my usual routine of checking transition area, checking all the in/out points (“swim in”, “bike out”, “mount/dismount area”, bike in”, “run out”, “finish”). I check for landmarks from various angles (with 1500 bikes racked and 25 rows x 3 columes of racks, you want to be able to find your own transtion spot without hesitation when blood flow to the brain is reduced). Easy enough if you just pay attention and think ahead. But Dave is one rack away from me and brings an 8 foot tall smiley-flower face thing to every race, so I figure I’ll site off of that goofy thing and I did.

Did my jog, got the wetsuit on and headed for the water. The sun was just over the hill, in a straight line to where our out-and-back swim was. The buoys were invisible when you got to water level with the sun glare, but it was easy enough to site off of something up on the hillside. No problems. Everyone had to fret about it, but I figure it was pre-race jitters - you have to worry about something.

The swim went well (0.9 miles), my T1 felt fine (and I later discovered it was THE fastest T1 in my age group, so you might just think of me as the “2007 T1 Age Group National Champion”. I came into T1 and there was Bridget D. sitting (SITTING!) during her transition (but who knows, she might have had glass in her foot or something, but sitting is a no-no for a serious T1 and Bridget is the one who won my Age Group, beating me by 17 minutes). I was in and out of T1 and she was still sitting. But within 2 minutes she blasted past me on the bike ride and the natural order of things was restored.

Check her out, the“2007 T1 Age Group National Champion”.

The bike ride was very pretty and the air smelled good (sweet and piney, I heard some reports of deer and coyote too). I worked hard on the bike. I got passed by some of my AG, but also passed a few (along with lots of older AG’ers). The hills were hard and slow, crawling-slow, but it slowed everyone down so it didn’t feel like I was falling behind. Well, except on the second lap of the lake. Since they sent the oldest age groups out first, then paused 30 minutes after my group (females 50-54) before sending out the 30-34 male hotshots, we had a nice first loop with sparse bike traffic. By the second loop, however, those young bucks (and does) were streaming out of the transition area like angry hornets (and they sounded that way too, with those disk wheels that hum), and joining us on the road. I continued to pass people whilst getting passed myself. And the young fast ones can blast up those hills quite impressively. There was a hill near the end of each loop that was lined with spectators who cheered everyone on. It’s amazing how that really buoys you up and the hill doesn’t seem nearly so hard.

The bike leg came to a close, T2 came and went and I was off for the run (4 hills each way on that). Did I mention that the bike had 22 hills? The run did not feel fast at all, though I was able to relax and pick up speed on those downhills. The uphills must have been hard for everyone since I managed to pass many women near my age. I reeled in a bunch of old ladies and some in my AG (Nancy A., a local who is a strong runner, reeled me in very early in the run and went on to beat me by over 3 minutes). Well, I was feeling pretty good with how I seemed to be doing, despite the difficulty of those hills (oh, and some sciatic pain and a thigh pain that made me a little cautious lest I pull something). I was nearing the finish where there were a few turns at the end so you couldn’t really see too far up ahead of you. Too late I saw another woman who looked to be about my age. I was closing in on her but much too late saw that she was indeed in my age group. Had the race been just 25 yards longer I could have taken her, but “could’ve/would’ve” didn’t happen and she beat me by 3 seconds. That’s the thing about racing – I’m sure I “could’ve” made up 3 seconds somewhere in the race to finish in front of her, but without knowing ahead of time how close it would be, I didn’t. I can’t/don’t go all out for the whole race. Focus lags, fatigue sets you back or there are stretches where you don’t have the immediate motivation to push like I would have if I had foreseen the close finish. Well, this put me in my place (remember my 3 second advantage to take 3rd at Cascade’s Edge?), since this 3 seconds was the difference between 10th and 11th place. 10th place was a podium finish here at Nationals with the top ten (in each AG) getting on stage, getting the commerative beer stein, photos taken and an automatic slot in next years AG Nationals. 3 SECONDS! ARGGH! The good news is that 11th place is much better than I expected to do (based on last years times and comparing my USAT ranking with others). I also had some better splits compared to an Olympic race I did at Black Diamond last Sept. (and this was much hillier) so I count that as progress and improvement.

Hanging around after the race is always fun and with people from all over the country, there was no shortage of people to talk to and compare race details with. I had already checked out of my motel that a.m. (not having had the foresight to think I might want a nap and shower even though I planned to return to Seattle that night). But, back to the fairgrounds one last time and I found a public shower there. And once again, I had about 2 hours to kill before the awards ceremony (they posted no results right after the race, you had to come to the awards ceremony at 5 p.m. to find out how you did). I saw some familiar faces from the NW racing scene there and hung out awhile. Finally, it was time so I hit the road back to Seattle. Despite running the downhills rather hard, I had no problems with sore legs the next day or two. That’s progress too.
If this link is still good, it will take you to a site where you can see a 2.5 minute video sample that will give you a flavor of race day, which is very cool.

Just scroll down on the page to find the video screen: http://www.endurancefilms.com/Home/ProductnbspDetails/tabid/914/ProductID/83/Default.aspx
Here are a few more photos and some results (my age group) from the race:
Swim T1 Bike T2 Run Total Time
1 Bridget Dawson 50 Portland OR 24:46 2:32 1:11:46 1:18 42:37 2:22:57
2 Nancy Smith 51 New Britain PA 23:42 2:57 1:11:45 1:16 45:07 2:24:46
3 Donna Smyers 50 Adamant VT 26:19 1:54 1:09:26 1:25 48:16 2:27:18
4 Kimberlee Rouse 52 San Diego CA 28:14 3:19 1:12:32 1:34 43:18 2:28:54
5 Ann Seifert 50 Helena MT 24:11 2:11 1:14:30 1:14 47:24 2:29:28
6 Claire Mccarty 51 Malibu CA 24:02 2:23 1:17:42 1:33 47:28 2:33:06
7 Susan Griffin Kaklik 52 Castle Rock CO 23:19 1:48 1:18:55 1:27 48:01 2:33:29
8 Terry Latham 52 Albuquerque NM 22:28 2:10 1:17:41 1:33 51:06 2:34:58
9 Nancy Abraham 51 Steilacoom WA 25:28 2:21 1:20:47 1:18 45:59 2:35:51
10 Deborah Cipriano 50 FranklinLks NJ 22:16 2:01 1:16:46 1:31 56:31 2:39:04
11 Karen Buttram 50 Seattle WA 25:31 1:37 1:20:56 1:10 49:55 2:39:07