Monday, April 15, 2013

Inaugural Leadman 125


Interesting day yesterday.  I went into this race after a month hiatus from Ironman Cabo.  This was definitely not an A race for me, and I didn’t respect it like I should have.  I needed a break after IM and I took it.  I paid for it in my Leadman race, but it was worth it.  I had wine with friends, ate what I wanted, worked a lot, slept in (past 5am!) during the week, went to dinner with Tyson, took the puppies on hikes and light trail runs.  And boy, I needed that. I got 2 bike rides in, one run race, one 8 mile run, and one masters swim. 

So….. I took my time off, I paid for it at Leadman, and I don’t regret it…..!

Race recap:
I have to start by saying that this was my first local triathlon as a ONE team member, and I LOVE THIS GROUP!  We have the best camaraderie, the best leaders, the best support, the BEST sponsors - what an amazing group! I am so lucky to have found you all.  Thank you.  

SWIM
Okay, so I’ve done some work on my swim.  I did the math, and my 53 minute Leadman swim is equivalent to about a 1:16 IM swim.  Disappointing.  I’ll take that as improvement (1:20 is my best), but I was hoping for something closer to a 1:10 equivalent, and I'd like to eventually see 1:05.  I still have a lot of work to do.  I’ve already been in touch with Frank with my sob story.

BIKE
My goal today was to crush the bike.  Given the short run distance, I figured my legs would be able to suffer through an 8 mile run easily.  Unfortunately, taking a month off from biking didn’t help me (okay, I did go for a 45 minute ride on Monday of the week prior to Leadman, and a small 30 mile round trip into Bartlett a week prior, although not all the way down).  I should have gotten a 50-70 mile ride in between Cabo and Leadman.  My bike time was fine, but I was in rough shape the last lap of the bike, and I should have been able to hold power/HR longer than I did. 

I was disappointed in my bike.  But, when I look at my bike split compared to the field, I have to say that it looks pretty good.  I need to stop for a moment and give credit where it is due.  Here is a look back at my cycling history:  Tyson and I bought bikes in early 2007.  I was out on my first group ride with Erica McClurg who said "you are strong - you should race bikes" and while she doesn't realize it, but she pushed me to give it a try.  In 2009, I signed up for a spring sprint triathlon after some nudging from Kevin Weitzel (former owner of Tribe Multisport). A year later, I hired Nick/Durapulse for some coaching for my first Ironman - Arizona 2010.  

Nick is the reason I'm such a strong cyclist.  He has pushed me from the beginning on the bike.  He pushed my cycling training to a level that I didn't think was possible.  He knows what he's doing, and I know what it takes to train on the bike.  Bike training isn't just riding around and getting in miles, it's pushing your HR to levels you don't think possible.  It's not about time on the bike either, it's about QUALITY time.  This, I know. I have a busy life (full time job, husband and kids, community boards, travel, personal life) and somehow I can fit in quality training.  Thank you, Nick. 

RUN
Okay, back to the race. I had a wimpy run.  I knew I wasn’t going to catch the gals ahead of me and the gals behind me weren’t going to catch me.  I wimped out.  I should have pushed harder, and I knew it when I was out there.  I hovered at a 163-65 HR, where I should have pushed up to 170.  It was SO COOL to see Tyson under the bridge cheering for me as I had a half mile left.  My biggest fan. 

WHAT NOW...
Okay, my rest is over.  I am continuing to work on my swim technique, and getting in quality runs and bikes.  Time to get ready for Deuces in 6 weeks.  I’m considering racing Olympic or Half on Sat and trying Xterra on Sunday, but that means I need to get out on the mountain bike. 

Hmmmm….. let’s see what happens this next month J