pammyaggie

pammyaggie @ 2006-08-11T10:03:00

2006-08-11T15:04:24Z

This is my second year for River Cities and I absolutely LOVE this triathlon. I love everything about it...except maybe for how Shreveport/Bossier City smells in the mornings. I think Pam Tobias, put it best one morning when she said it smelled like someone vomited dog food. But I digress...I was saying that I love this triathlon! It's a weekend away with my tri-buddies, (which I think I enjoy more than the race itself), a well organized race, lots of good food, great venue at the park..just overall a fun weekend. So we left Round Rock at 9:30 Friday morning, Genny Pellacani and I in one car, Pam and Shayla were in another. Getting there so early Friday was fabulous. Got the race packets with no wait. The take: big duffel bag with wheels, cool shades, running shorts, 2 shirts, socks, water bottle....oh and a cool beaded bracelet as the entry ticket in to the pre-race dinner. We checked in to the Holiday Inn and had a nice easy evening with dinner at The Outback.

Saturday a bunch of us got up early to volunteer on the bike course at the kids Tri (Ironfish Triathlon). That's a good time. I highly recommend it. We then had the rest of the day to relax and wait for the pre-race dinner. I didn't know what to do with myself! I had been sick the entire week before with the cold from hell and was just itching to ride or run or something...but it was 100 degrees with 99% humidity. I ran my bike gears with Genny around a neighborhood behind the hotel. That was enough for that weather. Trizones folks started coming in to town bit by bit and we all tagged up at the dinner. It was an ok dinner...with a groovy guitar player doing the tunes of the 60's (this year's theme for the tri). Just before going to sleep I asked Pam..."Do you feel like you are doing a tri tomorrow?" Neither of us did. There was no pre-race anxiety, no feeling of anticipation. Maybe after a few years of doing these you just feel that way..like I was going to wake up and have a regular old day with nothing special going on. Hmmmmm...

Sunday, race day: The morning was non-eventful..same ol', same ol' for getting ready to tri. It was 5:00 when we got up and my wave didn't leave til 8:40 (if on time). No point in eating too early..thank goodness. I detest eating first thing in the morning. Got to the race site with Pam and Shayla. My transition spot was primo! Genny P. and I were on the same rack...first one in the row right out of the swim and midway between the in/outs for bike/run. The start was delayed by about 20 minutes...so now 9:00-ish before my wave took off. This translates in to a hot run. Oh well.

Let's talk about the cannon. They shoot off a cannon (VERY LOUD)at not only the beginning of the race, but for every swim wave...every 5 minutes. Geez Louise! Festive? Maybe. Felt sorry for anyone that lived in the area that may have had a dog that freaks at fireworks or thunderstorms. Bet they didn't plan for sedatives that morning. But I digress again...

The swim: Nothing to tell you there. Same thing for me. Don't work at it enough so I just battled through and sang m y "Dory song".."Just keep swimming, just keep swimming..." There was one good thing (or maybe bad) about the cannon fire. I heard it go off while in the water and thought OK...been in the water 5 minutes. The next time it goes off I will hopefully be at least half way through the swim. Next cannon went off (10 minutes in the water)...Oh crap! I had just rounded the first back buoy...NOT 1/2 way yet. Sigh....So I thought the next time the cannon went off would be 15 minutes and I would hopefully be MUCH further along. I looked up and was close to the finish and had never heard a cannon. SURELY 15 minutes had passed! ..and then I remembered..there were only 2 swim starts behind me...so no more cannon fire! Ugh..Heart rate out of the water up around 84%...

Swim time: 21:45
T1:1:58

The Bike: LOVE this bike course! I feel really fast on this course! While in transition I saw Pam up at the mount line. Genny P. was right there getting ready to go. So I take off and I'm trying to get my HR back down from the blasted swim...not happening..but I don't feel to bad so I just start rolling. I was hoping I'd catch up to Pam and keep a Triziner in my sights for motivation. I could see her waaaaaaay up there on the long straights..but just could not catch her. Yeah..right..she was sick.... She was awesome! Anyhow, I was checking out my speed and most of the time was doing 17-24 mph depending on the roller and I felt really good. HR stayed between 78%-82%. I think I could have pushed harder, but kept thinking about the run...and any speed above 18 works for me! I passed Shayla and she said there 3 TZs ahead of me. I finally caught Pam around mile 7 (or so she told me cuz I wasn't paying attention)and told her she was flying! I really thought she and I would play cat and mouse the rest of the way, but didn't see her again. Got to the park..looked at my time..about freaked because I was going to make this course in under an hour and flew to the transition mat as fast as I could!

Bike time: 58:16 (18.9 mph)
T2: 1:26

The Run: The run is hot..but well supported! There is lots of cold water, even ICE water at one stop!..which I poured down my shirt..and when it traveled down my pants that was quite a thrill! There are cold wet soaked towels and a misty thing. They do everything to keep you cool. Gotta like that. Anyhow..when I left on the run, Stacy H. was in my sights, but about 75-100 yards ahead of me. I tried to catch her thinking it would be fun to run with someone..but just couldn't. I keep getting these nagging side aches on runs..and think it's all the gatorade I'm drinking on the bike. Something to work on. So I'm looking at my watch because I just want to make my 5K in under a 10 minute mile. I was doing good for the first 2 miles, but in mile 3 the nagging little side ache became a rip-roaring, can't breathe, bent me over side stitch from hell. Oh crap. So I slow down, raise the arms, stop, bend over, breathe out really hard..all that stuff and just carry forward. I hit the .1 to go mark and look at my watch and think...dang it! I need to get in in less than 3 minutes. So I just start sprinting (probably looked more like a half run/half trot/half gimp)...and gave it all I had. I think the people lined up at the finish must have thought I was doing this the entire race..cuz I got more "atta-girls" than ever.ha ha...

Run time: 28:51 (9:19)

Overall: 1:52:14

Things I learned:
1)Going without socks worked well til the running shoes got soaked on the run from all the cooling water. Got a blister right at the end.
2)I have got to start doing something other than gatorade for electrolytes and drink more water on the bike
3)I need to swim more (duh)
4)Tapering really does work! I did nothing the entire week before the race thanks to the cold other than a light swim and a light run and I had a very satisfying race and felt great!
5)Pam Tobias does triathlons REALLY good when she is "sick"
6)Shayla drives REALLY fast...but safe!
7) Get there Friday in case your bike falls off the car. I think the sighs of relief for our tri-sister, Denise, could be heard across Louisiana! Great bike shop there getting you all fixed up!
8)Shreveport smells really bad in the mornings

Best quote came from m y 6 yr. old on Sunday night when I told him I was in 35th place in my age group.."Mom! Thirty-fifth! That's lameo!" Good thing I didn't tell him I was 741 overall!

Thanks to all of my tri-sisters for such a fabulous time in Louisiana! I haven't laughed so much in a long, long time. 'Til next year!

Danskin 2006

2006-06-17T22:52:21Z

Race Report? I think I've only ever written 2...but after listening to all of the stories from TDT'ers the other night at the post race party I realized that memories of past races were rushing back to me..none of which are written down. Maybe I should start writing things down so when I'm old and gray and have no memory left I can have something that proves I really DID do "THAT"! So here goes nothin'...and I'm kinda long winded..sorry.

Pre-Race Days: I can remember last year being so anxious about my Danskin race and how unprepared I was...and worried so much about beating my 2004 time that I ALMOST messed up the having fun part! Not this year..or ever again. I have learned to surrender to motherhood when necessary, use whatever time is available to me to train as best I can....and whatever happens, to just relax and have fun. If it works out that I can train harder and get better...BONUS! After all...the woman who has the most fun wins the race! I could at least make the top 10 in that category for sure! :-) I also had a dear friend from Fort Worth staying with me (Crystal) doing her very first triathlon and wanted to have fun with her. No room for stress or anxiety. She might have enough of that for both of us. (But she didn't. She was fabulous!)

Wellllll...Sometime after midnight Friday (early Sat. morning) I wake up with the nasty little gastro-intestinal bug that plagued my child earlier in the week. Yeah..I wanted to be relaxed about my race performance...but the thought of my race performance being "not at all" was NOT making me one bit pleased(insert choice expletives here)! I sat in the bathroom contemplating...do I miss the Sat. morning Team Danskin breakfast (which is such a cool event!) and early bike check-in so I can try to sleep more?..or do I suck it up and go? I am TOTALLY spoiled to the early bike check-in AND I just did NOT want to face the expo/packet pick up, trek over to bike check-in in 100 degree heat later..so pulled it together, toilet paper in hand..praying to make it to the race site uneventfully. Only one trip to the porta-potty needed...kept food to a minimum...and it all went rather ok. As the morning went on I was dog tired, but less nauseated (I was feeling more relieved). I did end up eating a plain pasta dinner and slept HARD Sat. night. I probably slept better than anyone! I woke Sunday at 4 am...laid there for a moment to just feel how I was...and decided I was good to go. Phew! (though now my Friday night clear pee was no longer clear...hmmmm).

Sunday Morning Parking Lot....started at the intersection of 290 and Decker at 5:25 am! Geez! I felt terrible because I told Crystal that if we got to the Expo Center at 5:30 we would have plenty of time in transition! YIKES! We got to transition at 6:35! I only felt a little less anxious because I saw Katy W. and Genny P. behind me at the bus line...not that I wanted them to be late either...but it's just a comforting thought to know you aren't the only one! ...along with hundreds of others! Anyhow, thanks to Dena and her magic marker (body marking for me), being next to a lot of great ladies that know how to set up well (no space issues), and bike tires were good, it all went smoothly and I was out of transition and ready to go at 6:50.

So given that the annoying little man kept urging people to leave transition and saying the race couldn't start til everyone was out...it looked like Pam Tobias and I had plenty of time for porta potty standing. Learned 2 new things. Number 1: You cannot hear a SINGLE thing going on down by the water when you are up at the porta potty line. Number 2: The race WILL start when people are still in transition! We heard no National Anthem. We heard not a single voice from the microphone...not a single count down! Pam and I cruised down to the water's edge after porta potty stop #2 thinking we had plenty of time...and folks were cheering for the first swimmers coming out of the water! DOH! I was wave #11. I think Pam was wave #9 or something..and we heard they were about to do wave #6. Bye Pam!! Run away! Darn! I hate being alone at the swim start...I mean...it's nice having someone with me that I actually know. Luckily I then ran in to fellow TDT-ers and long time friends Jeanne, Marisa, Sylvia, Lesli, Kim...(and Debra there to cheer for us all). My bestest friend, Lisa, with video camera in hand just happened to find me then too among the thousands. Amazing..and comforting.

The Swim: So why is it that this was like my...14th (?) triathlon and I was still standing there with a racing heart, nauseated, anxious, nervous about getting in the water?!? Happens every time. Just don't get that. Then I heard "Pam!" I look around...I hear "Pam!"..I look around...and I hear "Pam! Up here!"..and it's Amy the Swim Angel! That really helped calm my nerves! :-) Thanks for being there, Amy and Laura! Sally Edwards started the swim mantra. "I am a Fantastic Swimmer!" ..and I actually started to believe that this swim might be a breeze. Shah... shoulda thought again. I can't complain too much about my performance though in the one sport I spend barely 30 minutes a week on in training. I'm just not a fan of swimming and need to kick myself in the rear to do more. There ain't no one to blame but me, myself and I (though I'd like to believe my rough swim can be attributed to my illin' in the past 48 hours!) It was just hard. My arms hurt..had no energy...felt more nauseated than ever...yuck. I was conveniently swimming the exact same speed as a back stroker and breast stroker and couldn't seem to get away from either one of them! I finally just hung back for a few seconds and let 'em go on the back stretch. My only good thought was "Huh..I am actually catching up to a few of the cap color in front of me."..even though a bazillion of the greens starting 4 minutes behind me were "passing on the left!"..and on the right...and on top of me...sigh....just can't wait to get out of this freakin' lake! ...and then what the heck is it with the timing mat being 15 seconds away from standing up out of the water...ok..so that was just me and my dizziness....
Time: 22:04

T1: I normally LOVE to see how fast I can go in transitions! Coach Tracy, Queen of Transitions, has taught me well and I'm totally convinced they are such a waste of precious time! BUT! This was NOT my day to push transitions. I came out of that water so nauseated that I was worried about tossing that Clif Bar I had an hour or so ago...so walked/ran the hill. It was nice to see Dr. Chris of Performance Wellness in transition and he gave me a shout out..both times! Cool. So made my way out on the bike in an ok time...2:51 Man...wish I were brave enough to do the shoes already in the clips thing...(squawk like a chicken here).

The Bike: Took a mile or so, but started feeling much better and was cruising well. I love the bike. :-) I've been riding much more than anything else the past weeks and felt semi-confident, but still a little worried about this course. It's a hard course. When I ride, I don't really push it. I like to cruise easy and can go forever..but speed and hills...just don't really "train" for that so much. Wasn't sure what to expect out of myself on this one. I was pleasantly surprised and watched my speed range from 15-20 mph....til Little Mr.Tard of course and pretty much all of 973! I detest that road. It's just a booger...the first mile of it being a constant incline..zone 4...granny gear...ugh. See? No strength there. At one point on that first part of 973 a girl fell over right in front of me! Yikes...swerved to barely miss her and HOPE I didn't get a finger or something. I looked back and the nice guys in the red shirts that were everywhere were helping her. The rest of the bike was uneventful. I heard that a lot of people were throwing up on Big Mr. Tard. SO glad I didn't see any of that..or I woulda been too! I think that's one reason I missed every single sign (like 10 of them!) that some very nice friends put out on the bike course with my name on them(as well as Crystal's and Jean Marie's...friends from out of town)! I really don't take in the scenery when I'm in race mode...not that I'm proud of that. I wish I did look around and catch the sights more sometimes..unless someone is throwing up...don't mind missing that. But I do look for people to cheer with on the course! I saw a BUNCH of runners from TDT and Trizones as I was going up the hill and then on Hogeye Rd. I think Pam (running)said something like.."Come on! Catch up.."?? Ha ha. Bike was overall very good.
Time: 41:06

T2: Man...wish I were brave enough to do the shoes already in the clips thing...again...but still ok on time: 1:20

The Run: I love the parts of the run when you see the bikers! Saw Julie Hardy, Catherine Lee, ...and a bunch of others but can't remember who all..and we wahooed and yelled for each other. That's fun. Heck..I yelled out on the entire run course for pretty much anyone I saw...if they were really kicking it in (Whoo-hoo..you go Girl!) or if they were struggling a little (You're doing great! Almost done!). It helps me forget about my own pain too :-0. And the ONLY thing I like about the out and back along the power lines is seeing folks in the other direction...Annette was there...Diana H....Maria..and others I can't remember now! That is a rough out and back in the sun and it always helps to see folks to cheer on and be cheered back. The added water stops were glorious!(I think they were added..there at the top of the power lines and the one with the music?..or I was too delirious in past years to remember them?)Anyhow, I ran the entire run..'cept the water stops....and I actually stopped...drank a cup, poured a cup on my head, drank a cup. I cannot run while drinking from those little cups! At one point I stopped at the pavilion water stop...hat down low, looking at the ground, no oxygen.. got a cup and heard.."Pam, you're supposed to be running." I looked up and it was Scott White...fellow Trizoner and husband of Katy (AWOL),and all around nice guy that helps out so much. Of course..I was ready to throw the water AT him at that point. I had a BAD side stitch too. He should know better than to smart off to a woman in pain. So I started thinking about "the hill" there at the bottom of the dam..and there it was...just keep running, just keep running....wow...so glad I'm old and my wave leaves early...it's already hot! (HA! One of the few times ladies are ever happier to be older!)Got to the pavement and the crowd always gives me energy! I sprinted in....well...it FELT like I was sprinting...and was done! WAHOO!
Time: 29:35

Overall Time: 1:36:58

Post race: Had a blast of a day with everyone at the TDT tent and watching everyone come in throughout the morning. It's just a fabulous, uplifting day that I cherish every year now. OK...one thing I don't cherish so much...but will make the trade off...T3! My friend, Lisa, hung with me all day in the heat (she's a PEACH!)...but she got to ride the bus back (and she carried my bike pump)! I purposely made sure I could handle my gear so I could ride my bike back to the car with back pack...so Pam and I headed out...and then this...this....MAN...made us get off the road! Pam took off in the grass...and I rode a little ways..but again...squawk like a chicken....I was too worried about going down..or hitting some child.. and started walking. Bye Pam! Ride Away! I was able to get on my bike once we hit the rode in to the Expo Center....and that was still awesome cuz I was parked way out toward Decker Ln. I was truly worried I would feel like crappola post race thanks to the GI stuff...but was amazingly good..just tired! Couldn't have asked for a better day!

Thanks to my family for their support and tolerance as I train. Thanks to all of the awesome coaches for their knowledge, advice and help. Thanks to all you cool chicks, my friends, that make this sport fun! Thanks to all of you new triathletes in TDT too! This is typically the first race of the season for me. You inspire me to no end and remind me of why I started doing this sport in 2003....it's empowering, uplifting and such a fabulous self-confidence booster. You really make Danskin special for me.