Redman: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Good

Chad and I both had great days!

Chad set a 15 minute PR in the half iron distance, coming in at 5:11 and breaking his original goal of 5:15! He averaged 21mph on the bike and just over 8 mins per mile! So proud of him!

I also PR'd by 1 hour 11 minutes, coming in at 12:08!! I not only finished before sundown but I also qualified to race at Ultraman!!

The Bad

When I passed the marker for mile 25, I began to cry. By that time I knew I was going to win my age group! I knew it was going to take everything I had to make it to the finish line, just 1.2 miles away. I pulled myself together and kept running for the line. At the finish the announcer called my name as I entered the finish chute. Then he said something remarkable... He said I finished 3rd overall female! I couldn't hold back my physical pain and emotion, I burst into tears! 

I don't remember much after that, just wondering when I could stop running since the chute continued past the finish arch. Finally I reached a person so I stopped. I had the overwhelming urge to sit. So I sat down on the ground where I was. Then the cramping started. I remember looking at the red capet and my orange shoes. I was quickly picked up and half dragged half carried into medical and deposited onto a gurney with my feet in the air. 

The Ugly

Once inside medical they asked me if I knew where I was, what day it was, etc. I was in a lot of pain. They told me they were giving me an IV. I hate needles! I cried a lot. Finally they found a vein and stuck me. Here's me just after they started my second IV bag..

The Excellent 

I'm an optimist, so I like to end on a positive! Here are my final splits as well as picture of my award!!

I'm doing much better now... The IVs helped a lot. I'm still pretty sore though. We had to do a little shopping yesterday before heading out. Unfortunately the idea of walking around was horrifying, so I got a scooter!!

Race Schedule - 12 Months

Hi everyone! I hope y'all have been enjoying this great weather we've been having. Summer is finally here and it's about time to kick up the training. I wanted to take some time and let you know the dates of my upcoming races.  More will be added as the season progresses. I have BOLDED races that will be spectator-friendly. 

• Swim Around Key West; 12.5 miles - June 8, 2013 in Key West, FL
• Captn' Karl's Pedernales; 30K night time trail run - June 22, 2013 in Pedernales Falls, TX
• Redman Iron-Distance - September 21, 2013 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Ironman Cozumel - December 1, 2013 in Cozumel, Quintina Roo, Mexico
• Houston Marathon - January 19, 2014 in Houston, TX
• Rocky 50; 50 mile trail run - February 8, 2014 in Huntsville State Park
• Ironman Texas - May 17, 2014 in The Woodlands, TX 

Kemah Aquathon Race Report

Kemah was my very first triathlon back in 2011. I remember feeling apprehensive about jumping off of a boat into the ocean decked out in neoprene.This year, all I felt was excitement!! 

With all of the swim training have been doing to prepare for Key West, I felt very confident about my swim. My goal was to have the strongest swim possible. Anything else that happened that day was going to be a bonus.

I was bit disappointed when the torrential downpours on Saturday night and Sunday morning forced OnUrMark to cancel the bike portion of the race. However, it was totally understandable. The road conditions would have been terribly unsafe. On the bright side, aquathons (as swim/run events are called) are just up my alley! I rely on my strong swim to get me ahead of the competition, the only questions is can I can hold them off on the run. 

I decided to not wear a wetsuit this year, opting instead for a speed skin. Since the pros couldn't wear wetsuits, I was asked a few times during the boat ride if I was a pro! I ended up meeting a really nice female pro, D'Ann Arthur, who would go on to win the race. Come to find out, she is doing the relay at Key West with her boyfriend. I love the fact that most triathlon pros are really down to earth and genuine. They're just regular folks like you and me!

My swim goal was under 25 minutes. I was a bit concerned about being able to make that time since the ocean was getting increasingly rough as we headed out to the starting position. By the time i got into the water there were 3 foot swells with white caps. Well, I knocked that one out of the park! I came out of the water in 23:40 (1:27 per 100 yd).

Looking back at my times, I spent way too much time in transition doing things like putting on socks, trying to tie my bag to the rack, etc. I was glad to have socks, just need to work on putting them on faster. I was also pleased to have picked off 3 athletes who were struggling with the long 1/2 mile run to the transition area.

I started off very strong on the run portion, holding just faster than a 7:45 per mile pace. As usual, the men started to overtake me almost immediately. It wasn't until almost mile 1.5 before the first female athlete flew past me like I was standing still! I saw several friends out volunteering during the beautiful run, including Fiona & Hans, Steve Tse, and John Tuttle. 

By the end of my first loop, my pace dropped down to about 8:02 per mile. That's when I was passed again by a girl wearing a Rice U kit. I figured at this point I was firmly in 4th place. Traffic on the course had increased dramatically. I figured that t was surrounded by the middle to end of the pack swimmers. Even so, it boosted my spirits as I started picking off more 1st loop runners, even if in the grand scheme of things these passes didn't really matter. I was getting out and passing people generally helps to make one feel better. Even if i was only able to scrape together an 8:13 per mile. 

As I turned off for the last 1/4 mile towards the finish I was able to look across the course and see another girl that I was pretty sure was in my age group. I dug deep and gave it all I had. Unfortunately, about 200 feet from the finish I was passed again.

Crossing the finish line I paused to catch my breath. I saw Chad walking towards me in the finishers shoot, along with Kristine Harper. A few moments later Kassie Harris and Amber Smolick crossed. Chad and Justin were able to take a finisher pic. Apparently I was pretty sunburnt.

Results
Swim 23:40.8 (1:35 per 100 yd) - 7th fastest female swim time of the day!!
T1 7:23
Run 49:44.8 (8:01/mile) - 35th fastest female run time of the day!!
Total 1:20:49.3 - 18th overall female