Top Gun Triathlon: Race Report

Yesterday I was able to compete in the Top Gun Triathlon (.25 mile swim, 10 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run) at beautiful Ft. DeSoto State Park.

Here is a link at the course map:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=202278648348505560002.0004a7932179ede5c3a62&msa=0

I got there kind of early because I always want to position my bike as best as I can on the bike rack.  However, there were two women who were a little earlier than I was.  It worked out fine, and I realized that I have never really traveled to a race by myself.  It was nice because I could do whatever I wanted and was able to check out the swim start and the bathroom, and eat a little something before starting.

I met up with some of my running buddies who were there to support and cheer Tracey (her very first tri!), Claude, and myself.  Check out this sign: (!)

It felt kind of strange to hold a sign for myself so we switched :)

 Now, I got this entry at no charge from a fellow runner who was injured and couldn't compete.  However, she is in the very competitive 40-44 age group.  So it was a little intimidating, to say the least.  The swim was going great, until someone elbowed or kicked me right square in the face.  It stunned me for a minute and then I had to just shake it off and keep swimming (obviously).  Here is a picture that my entry-giver (thanks Michelle!) snapped coming out of the swim.

The bike transition was kind of far, in my opinion from the swim.  So it was kind of a far to run bare foot, but what can you do?  I got on the bike and started out.  I love passing people on the bike, not sure what it is, but it just feels good.  Now, of course, I got passed.  A lot.  There were guys (and some gals) flying by me like I was standing still.  The one thing I loved about this course is that the turns were all on a roundabout so you really didn't have to slow down in order to turn.  I was actually pretty happy with my bike time considering that I don't have clips/pedals and I hadn't been on my bike since last September (!).

The run was hot as all get out!  And, surprisingly, mainly in the sand.  If you haven't tried to run after you got off your bike, it kind of feels like you don't have control of your legs.  When I did my very first triathlon, a guy finishing said, "just put one foot in front of the other".  Initially, I thought, yeah...easy for a guy who is finishing to say!  But I just kept repeating the phrase in my head and focused on finishing.  Here is a picture of the finishing portion (photo credit to Tracey's husband - Paul)

Overall, the race was a blast.  I had a lot of fun, and even though it wasn't a PR, it was a challenge and I'm glad I got to soak in the beautiful scenery at Ft. DeSoto with some amazing people! :)  Here are a link to the results:

http://www.altavistasports.com/results/2011results/topguntriathlon07302011.htm

(I'm number 21 in the 40-44 age group)

Fastinista!!

When I got this past month's Runner's World in the mail, I was pretty excited to see women's fashion as one of the features.  (Honestly, I actually get pretty excited every single time that I see the new Runner's World in the mailbox because it always re-motivates my running.  Just checking out all the inspirational stories, famous athletes/runners, etc... is a "treat"). If you know me, by now you know that I'm a huge nerd - obviously.

Anyway, here is a link to the article: http://www.runnersworld.com/article/1,7120,s6-240-320--14026-0,00.html

The new wave in women's fashion has created women runners called fastinistas or "stunners" ("stunners," for "stylish + runners). (Side note - do NOT google stunners at work.  The results are NSFW!).  I personally think that women and men alike should wear running clothes that make him or her feel good and are comfortable.

The response to this article has been mainly negative.  Here is one:

himantura

NO NO NO. As a women I am sick and tired of being told to embrace my feminine side. Running is not about fashion, it's about just running, or gutting out the 32k training run, or busting your butt at the track doing speedwork, finding some inner peace on the trails, or just enjoying a run. If you are concerned about your appearance, there is something drastically wrong. I get fancy dress and a bit of fun at a race, but I can't stand the high-fashion girly thing. We should not be judging or admiring our female athletes because of what they are wearing. Fashion is fine on cat walks but it should keep of the asphalt. If they choose to wear pigtails, or red dresses or tanks and arm warmers (how is that a fashion statement?) that's fine, it's their choice. But that is not what we should be celebrating about them. I am sick to death of trying to find womens running gear and being faced with wall to wall pink, flowery patterns and 'yoga style' clothing. What is wrong with shorts and a t-shirt.
Paula Radcliffe is my hero - nasal strip, compression socks, womens marathon world record, the lot!

 (you can them if you scroll all the way down to the bottom of the article)

12:03 AM on July 20, 2011

Now, I think the comment above is a little extreme, to say the least.  I have no problem finding clothes that are gray or black whenever I look for clothes at any running store.  I once read an interview done with Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn that was really interesting - here's the quote:

You wear makeup when you ski. Is that part of your routine?

I feel more confident when I wear it, and I think that comes across in my skiing. If you look good, you feel good

Here's a link to the article: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/real-plans/celebrity/lindsey-vonn-interview/?page=3

Bottom line, she is so right, if you look good, you feel good!  Wear makeup, wear skirts, wear dresses, or wear t-shirts and shorts.  Here's to feeling and looking good, ladies!

Going Long

This week was long run #2 for the Space Coast Marathon.  And last week was kind of, oh I don't know...TERRIBLE!  So I wasn't particularly looking forward to this week's long run.  Nonetheless, I got up at 4:50 am to meet up with Rhonda at Longleaf.  I was really just hoping that I could at least manage to get the 9 miles in and not have to stop a ton or walk at all.

To my pleasant surprise it was AWESOME!  I'm not really sure if it was starting earlier or perhaps the fact that I didn't do an adventure race the night before(...).  Melanie(#1) joined up with us and we started out at Longleaf and headed down Starkey Boulevard towards Starkey Park.  There were quite a few people starting at Longleaf, mainly because Starkey doesn't open until 6:30 and it's darn hot by then.  So we started off in the "middle" trying to keep a 9:30 pace for the 9 miles. 

We ran in to Starkey Park and took a short bathroom and water break and met up with other Striders and various others running and biking in the park.  By the time we started up again, we had less than 4 miles to go - which was an awesome feeling.  I tried to convince Rhonda and Melanie that since we finished running so early perhaps we could work on our abs until everyone got job.  Well, they  both promptly ignored that and avoided eye contact until everyone else was finished.  Melanie even ran an extra mile and a half just to get out of some ab workouts...geeze ;)  The final pace for our Long Run was 9:29 - right on!

Also, when people run together there are so many different things to talk about.  Honestly, that is one of my favorite things about running.  I feel like you can really get to know someone when you are pounding the pavement for an hour or so.  So we got to talking about running clothes and then on to running underwear - naturally.  My buddy, Melanie, asked me if I wore wicking underwear....and I kind of looked at her like she was a little crazy, because I've never even heard of the stuff.  Anyway, she swears by Jockey's wicking underwear (3 for $24 - HOLLA!), so I went ahead and bought myself some online to try out.  Will keep y'all posted...I'm sure you're DYING with anticipation.

Here's a link to women's wicking underwear on Jockey's website: http://www.jockey.com/products/Jockey-staycool-Bikini-3-pack And, honestly the more I thought about it the more sense it made.  Most guys wear different underwear to workout or run in, so why shouldn't women?

Size 6 - Thintervention update

Around Memorial Day I was sitting in my bathing suit, looking at my body and thinking that I needed to make some serious changes in my life.  As a former chunky girl (highest weight of 180 lbs), I was able to run, bike, and swim the majority of my weight off.  However, there is about 15 extra pounds that I believe I've been carrying around way too long. 

So since Memorial Day, I've given up Diet Coke (still miss it some days), have been trying to eat more fruits and vegetables (and less processed foods), and have been cross-training more and cutting back on some of my running days.  Now, honestly I LOVE to run - LOVE it!  But, my body is so used to logging miles, that mixing up my routine was necessary! 

Technically, since Memorial Day - I am down at least 5 pounds.  I haven't had a chance to weigh myself recently because of the whole move thing, and I want to use the same exact scale every time I weigh in.  But, I have had a few people tell me that my face looks a bit thinner and I honestly feel better carrying around at least five pounds less.

So I went shopping with my sister on Friday to try to find a new dress.  For those of you who do not know, my sister is like a built-in personal stylist.  She has amazing taste in clothes, shoes, and accessories.  She is the perfect person to shop with because she also picks out things that I would never even THINK about trying on and make me try them on.  And they also look fabulous!  If she wasn't such a good nurse, I would say that she missed her calling in life. 

Anyway, we are looking at various stores in Citrus park mall.  (My nephew picked out a dress for me, but it was a size 4 - bless his heart!).  We finally stroll in to The Limited.  I love, love, love The Limited and their classic style.  Sometimes the prices scare the heck out of me, but their sales are amazing.  So, my sister and I pile up some dresses in my usual size 8 and head to the dressing rooms.

Now, when I dropped from double-digit size 10 to the 8, I wanted to shout it from the rooftop.  So, when I came out in the first dress, my sister says, "That dress is too big".  I just kind of looked at her and thought about what she had just said to me.  She calls the sales woman over to go get a size 6.  I thought what the heck?  I will try on a 6, and low and behold the sucker fit! 

The cynical fatty inside me said that it was probably just a bigger cut of dress, but then I tried on another 6, and that dress fit too!  Holy smokes!  A small victory!  Here is a picture of the dress I ended up with:

Also comes in this emerald/teal green:

Almost ended up with this one:



Anyway, that was probably the most exciting shopping adventure I've been on in a while! :)

Manic Monday

I realized this morning that this is the very first Monday that I have worked in the entire month of July.  Rough life...really.  I've always kind of wondered why people take Fridays off when Mondays are ALWAYS worse.  Anyway, had my whole family over for our VERY first dinner party last night.  Well pretty well except that we did not realize that we only have seating for 4 (note to self).

Still recovering from the awesome 80s themed pub crawl this past weekend.  Here are two of my favorite pictures:

I'm still sporting my bright green Saucony's because they are not only comfortable but also VERY appropriate. 

Had an awesome swim (another 1,100 yarder) after work today at the Trinity YMCA.  I think my favorite thing about swimming is how quiet it is when you are under the water.  It's almost like mediation time.  But, I have been giving some serious thought to doing a triathlon for my upcoming 30th birthday.  There is Crystal River #3 (http://drcsports.com/RACES/crs3.shtml) and the Sand Key Tri (http://trainracerepeat.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=135&Itemid=162) coming up very soon…..

Week in Review

Monday, July 11^th – swim at the Carrollwood YMCA (1,100 yards).  This was my first swim at my new Y (*tear*) and it was kind of interesting because their pool is deep in the middle, but shallow on the ends and there were a TON of kids everywhere.  Turns out, there is actually a nicer, newer pool affiliated with the same YMCA, just around the corner. So I will definitely be checking out that pool very soon.

Tuesday, July 12^th – late afternoon run down Starkey Boulevard.  Landed up being just shy of 5.5 miles, but it was SO hot!

Wednesday, July 13^th – Exercise on demand. If you haven’t tried this out and you have Brighthouse or Verizon, it’s AWESOME! http://www.exercisetv.tv/on-demand)

Thursday, July 14^th – race to the weekend with the Suncoast Striders and Rhonda (who finally returned from Wisconsin - shans cheese curds!).  Another 5 miler, still hot out at 5 am, but I have to say that morning runs are my favorite.

Friday, July 15^th – Picnic Island Adventure Race #3.  3.6(ish) miles.  Complete results here: http://www.coolrunning.com/results/11/fl/Jul15_Picnic_set3.shtml

Saturday, July 16^th – 8 miler with Rhonda down Longleaf.

Sunday, July 17^th – REST! Ahhh J

Ran a total of 21(ish) miles, not too shabby for the first week of marathon (ahhh!) training.

Long(er) Run

So today I embarked on the very first long run for the Space Coast Marathon (http://www.spacecoastmarathon.com/) in November.  (Side note - not sure if I'm going to do the full or the half yet, going to see how the training goes).  Anyway, I met up with Rhonda round 6 am (because I was late) and we started from Longleaf into Starkey Park.


Starkey Park is beautiful!  If you haven't been there before, here is a link to the trails available. 

And, the Longleaf trail now hooks right up to the Starkey bike trail.  You can also access the Suncoast Parkway via Starkey Park.  I've seen just about every animal on runs out there, snakes, armadillos, lots of deer, possums, and random others.  Bottom line, is that it's a beautiful and relaxing place to run, walk, or ride.


The one thing about running in Florida in the summertime - you HAVE to start early.  In fact, next week will probably be starting around 5:30 (if I can make it on time - haha) so that we have more time in before the brutal sun comes up. 


Starting off, things were great.  I was a little sore from the Friday night race - I did what Ben always tells me to do - "suck it up, buttercup" and kept going.  We decided to run out four miles and back another four and then drive into the park for the famous Strider's social hour.


All in all, the running was good.  Kept it way under 10:00 minute miles (which is the goal) and got to chat with some of my long-lost running buddies at social hour.  Especially now that the run is done and in the books, I'm still feeling my runner's high.


Now, it's off to Orlando for my friend Kelly's bachelorette party.  We are doing an 80s pub crawl, check out a picture of me and Amanda  from last year's event:

Have a great Saturday! :)

Picnic Island #3 Race Report

Tonight marked the third and final race in the Picnic Island series hosted by Jim Harnett and the Tampa Racing Authority (http://www.tamparaces.com/).  Where is Picnic Island, you ask?

Basically, you go ALL the way down Westshore Boulevard into an industrial park, and boom! There you are.



Now, I have ALWAYS really wanted to try one of these races, and signed up on a whim for the #2 race in June and had a blasty-blast!  Let me tell you something, these people are completely insane  - but, they sure do know how to have a good time.  Here's a look at the race course:

Those squiggly lines, yeah, that's where you run up and down and up and down and up and down the SAME hill.  It's brutal!

But, one of the draws is the race organizers give custom prizes to the Top 60 female and male finishers, and I don't really NEED any of the stuff they give out, but it sure is cool to get one.  Last month, I was #46 and got a canteen (seen pictured below with my fast friend, Cami Piche, who also won the overall master's title)

Tonight, the prize was a custom pint glass.  And there is certainly no need for more glasses in this house, but hey - who doesn't need something to drink out of?  However, even before the race started I wasn't really feeling it.  Ever feel that way? Just not really looking forward to a run?  Anyway, I said a little prayer on the starting line and basically gave up any hope of winning any sort of award and was REALLY looking forward to just finishing.

BUT! When I crossed the finish line - there was a nice, young man (In all WISCONSIN gear - Jamie Basak!) who handed me a cup!  Unbelievable!  I said, "really?!" And he replied with "Yes, really - you got the last one".  Wow! Some things are just meant to be.

Here I am with my friend Vera are her matching cup, shirt, and shorts :)  (Oh, and don't worry about Ben's banana in the corner of the picture!)  Also, got a chance to meet Rae Ann Darling Reed who runs the Runner Girl blog/brand and Manatee High School track team.  She has an awesome blog: (http://runnergirl.com/blog/) and mission:

"To improve the health, fitness, and well-being of girls and women by providing expert advice, merchandise, and online services to female athletes of all ages". - LOVE it!

It was a great way to kick of the weekend, hope y'all get out there and enjoy it!

Reason #1 that I love running SO much

Because I ran right into my future husband

Benjamin and I first met at the Gasparilla street parade (http://www.gasparillapiratefest.com) February of 2009.  And if you haven't been to this crazy Tampa pirate celebration, you must experience it at least once.  Ben was wearing a "Draft Day Dash" race t-shirt and we started talking up about running and that particular race. (Obviously I HAD to tell him that I was one of the top 100 females and medaled - Duh!). 


So after talking for a little bit and exchanging telephone numbers we set up a first date for Friday, February 13th 2009 (scary!) at Tampa's finest Irish bar, Four Green Fields (http://fourgreenfields.com/tampa).  (Also, 4GF has an AWESOME running club on Tuesday nights - http://www.fourgreenfields.com/run/runningclub.htm). 


Long story short, the Friday the 13th date didn't freak us out and we had two years of the most amazing adventures.  My honey is an architect who worked and lived in South Tampa and I was living and working in New Port Richey.  Over two year, Ben ALWAYS told me that he would never (ever) consider marrying someone until he at least lived with them first. 


So this year, I didn't think anything of it when Ben told me that he was going to run the Gasparilla Half Marathon, and I was signed up for the Gasparilla 15K the day before.  I really wanted to be there to cheer him and other friends on anyway.  As I got ready in the AM Ben told me exactly what spots he would be frequenting so I can easily see him.  He also deliberately showed me his bright red Richard's Run for Life shirt that he would (allegedly) be wearing.


The race started and everyone was off (including Joan Benoit Samuelson and Bill Rodgers!) and when I arrived at the first location Ben and my family was not where they said they would be.  Just a little bit down Bayshore I spotted everyone and waved and kept on trucking.  Soon after the turnaround, the race started getting really hot and my wheels fell off...


I was really, really looking forward to seeing everyone and was secretly hoping that someone would have some cold water.  Well as I approached Howard and Bayshore (which is the spot where Ben and I first met) I didn't see Ben's red shirt, but I did see a HUGE sign that said Laura Kelly, STOP, Look Here! (see below)...

It was truly the biggest surprise of my life and the best race ever!

Want the whole photo story done by the very talented Rebecca Dodson? Visit: http://rebeccadodsonphotography.com/blog/a-gasparilla-proposal/