Checking In

“Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.”

–Lyndon Johnson

Copyright © 2013 Andres Hernandez Studio Inc. 

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    I had a bit of a mental and physical breakdown at the end of July.  I was in the middle of a race, just watching people pass me by, with absolutely no motivation to make it to the finish line.  I was in a daze; uninspired, just logging through the course, tired and completely miserable.  Although I made it to the finish line, I felt defeated.  

    I had a good cry on the phone with my mom after the race (yes, I'll admit it). I performed so poorly in the race that I was embarrassed for myself.  I wasn't embarrassed because of my terrible splits. Rather, I was embarrassed that I had lost my competitive edge.  I had lost that fire under my butt that I had so much earlier in the year. I had lost my competitive spirit and my ability to really 'race.'

    So, instead of pushing through and upping my training following week, I decided to take a week completely off to really think about things.  Did I really want to keep training through November?  Did I really want to race again this season?  

    After a few days of just relaxing after work (aka being a 'normal' person), I was able to think more clearly about what was happening to me.  It's not that I was sick of training, like I had first thought.  I was just sick of the WAY I was training. I wasn't tired...I was stagnant.  I was so used to training by myself that I had forgotten what it was like to train with other people.  

    I firmly believe that to bike fast, you have to practice biking fast.  I also believe that to run fast, you have to practice running fast.  And, to race well in competition, you have to race in practice.  However, forcing yourself to bike and run fast in practice is nearly impossible unless you have others to push you.  And, practicing racing is totally impossible unless you have your competition there beside you.

   It was for those reasons that I found new groups to bike and run with.  I have since been biking almost every weekend with Florida Pro Cycle and running at least once a week with iRun Company. Since I made the change, my training has been revolutionized.  I feel faster.  I feel happier.  And I'm pretty excited to see what I can do next weekend at Escape to Miami.

So, stay tuned...

GEAR REVIEW: Sporti Double Cross Workout Bikini

    I am always on the lookout for a solid workout bikini that I can use for my weekend aquabike workouts (where I bike to/from swim practice).  So, when SwimOutlet.com offered to send me a Sporti Bikini to try out, I immediately jumped at the chance.  It has been a few weeks since I first received and tried the bikini.  But, I wanted to really test it before I sat down and gave it a review.  So, here it goes...

The Item:
Sporti Double Cross Workout Bikini Top and Sporti Classic Workout Swim Bottom

The Claim:
A solid product without the high price tag

My Initial Reaction:  
    I ordered size small in both the top and bottom.  Upon first receiving the bikini, I noticed that the top looked a bit small and the bottoms looked a bit big.  The top, although slightly smaller cut than most people might prefer, was actually a perfect fit for my preference. I don't like too much extra material on top to create too much drag in the water.   The bottoms, however, seem to be cut a bit more generously than the top.  I personally like my bottoms to be cut a bit smaller for both tan-line and drag purposes.  So, in retrospect I probably would have ordered a size down.  However, if you're not into having as much butt-cheek showing, these bottoms are cut very true-to-size.

My Opinion Now:
    I have swam in this bikini several times and have biked in the top (as a sports bra) twice.  And, I have to say, this is a quality product that withstand just as much as a more expensive brand.  The pool where I train tends to have a VERY high chlorine concentration that usually results in a see-through lycra suit after only a few wears.  However, this suit has held up nicely over two weeks of swim practices both maintaining its shape and original color.  Oh, and I obviously have to mention the compliments I received on how cute the straps of this suit are!

rocking the suit at the beach

    As for the fit, the suit top fits snugly and the double-strap doesn't create any discomfort in the least. I'm normally very finicky with my attire but surprisingly, I rarely ever readjusted the straps.  The bottoms, although a bit bigger than I prefer, still doesn't create any drag due to the thick drawstring in the waist.  I actually think that I prefer the thick drawstring of these Sporti bottoms to the thin (or no) drawstring bottoms of other brands.
    Additionally, I would like to mention that I think this top could be a great alternative to a sports bra during those super-sweaty summer months.   After two, 50-plus mile bike rides, I never had any chafing or comfort problems.  However, just be careful how small you order this top if you plan on running it!

The Price Tag:
A STEAL at $12.95 for the Top and $15.95 for the Bottoms on the SwimOutlet.com website

Race Report: IRONMAN TEXAS

    Yes, I know it has been a few weeks since the race. But, I was pretty busy catching up on work and moving to a new apartment after coming home from Texas. So, I just didn’t get a chance to sit down and write my race report until now. Sorry.

    First off, let me say that both the venue and the race itself were AWESOME. The Woodlands is probably one of the best locations for a Triathlon that I could possibly imagine. Just North of Houston, the Woodlands is a very picturesque, very wealthy, neighborhood that is free from heavy traffic and nuisance. The town clearly takes a lot of pride in maintaining its landscape which made it a beautiful, relaxed course.

Thursday: 

Chilling out showing off my sexy ride

    My Boyfriend and I arrived in Houston early on Thursday morning, picked up our rental car, and headed up to the Woodlands to go and pick up my race packet (of course we had to stop for slushes as Sonic first). When we got up to the race site, we were able to find parking quite easy and took a relaxed stroll around the expo and down towards transition. Later we had some lunch before I set up my bike to be dropped off at Tribike Race Wheels for some bike pimpage. Tribike was nice enough to let me keep my bike there overnight so that I didn’t have to worry about lugging it back to the hotel. That made life super easy. Thanks Tribike!

Friday: 

At swim start for the practice swim

    I woke up at 7am in order to head down to swim start for the 1.5hrs of designated practice swim time. They had about a mile of the swim course mapped out for swimmers to get in and to get a feel for the water. .

    The practice swim was run very smoothly and was a great opportunity to get in and stretch out. Repping my Swim Fort Lauderdale cap, I swam my first practice lap with my heavily tinted goggles. Although it felt nice to get in the water with it being at the perfect temp of 75.7 degrees, I was still having some chest pains.

    NOTE: About 3 weeks prior to Texas, I fell off a curb at the St. Anthony’s Triathlon and had severe chest pains and some breathing difficulties ever since. I had gone to the doctor a few days before leaving for Texas and had some x-rays taken just to make sure nothing was broken. The doctor told me if there were any fractures, they were too small to see. They said I should be fine to compete and gave me an inhaler just in case I had any more breathing problems.

    However, even with the chest pains, I decided to swim an extra lap with slightly less tinted goggles to see which would be better for race day. I wound up going with the less-tinted because I was worried about seeing the buoys so early in the morning.

    After the practice swim we went back to Sonic for some breakfast (yes, I have a giant fixation on sonic) before hearing to transition to rack my bike and gear. Up until this point, it hadn’t really hit me that I was about to do another full Ironman. But once I got all my gear in transition, I was ready.

    We just relaxed in bed the rest of the night and shut off the lights nice and early. I got a solid night’s sleep and felt refreshed and ready to race in the morning.

RACEDAY:

Pre-Race: 

Craig, practicing his cheering

     We got to transition right about the time it opened. I was worried that we would have a hard time finding parking. However, it wasn’t a problem in the slightest. In fact, all my pre-race prep was pretty easy. I got my gear set up in transition and had a bike tech help to pump up my wheels (wasn’t quite sure how to pump these Zipps with valve extenders) with plenty of time to make the long walk over to swim start.

    Once at swim start, I immediately got in the looooooong bathroom lines and then headed straight towards the water. Because this was a mass start, I had to make sure that I was in front of the pack. So, I kissed my boyfriend goodbye, said I’d see him tonight, and got in the water about 20 minutes before the gun. I wound up treading water right next to the only other people I knew who was competing. It was nice to wish them good luck since I didn’t think I’d ever see them amongst the masses.

The Swim: 

Swim Split: 1:05.38

    I started sprinting the moment the gun went off. However, there were so many large men around me that I just got clobbered. As a stronger swimmer, I knew that I had to somehow make it out of this sea of people before the first turn buoy. But, this was easier said than done. Because there was so many people, I was just sucked right into the draft making it pretty hard to accelerate out of the pack. I managed to break away a bit by the time I reached that first turn buoy. But, there was just too many large men swimming on top of me making it hard to find a solid pace and a consistent breathing pattern. It was then that I made the decision to swing out far right of the guide buoys to give myself a bit of space. Once I was off to the side, I was finally able to extend my arms and breathe regularly. I know that I sacrificed some time and energy by intentionally swimming a bit out of the way. But, it made the swim far more enjoyable and less painful considering my chest issues (my chest problems made it very difficult and painful to breathe to one side). So, it was worth it.

T1: 

T1 Split: 4.59

    I ran out of the water and into the chute where our bike gear bags were located. I saw my boyfriend waving frantically and screaming my name which made me pretty excited. The set up of transition was very well organized. I never had a doubt of where to go and was out of T1 in a respectable amount of time.

The Bike: 

Bike Split: 6:07.15

Right after hopping on my saddle, I felt a little bit ‘off.’ For some reason, I felt like my body was more scrunched up than usual…my knees felt a bit too close to my chest when I pedaled. During the first few miles, I tried to convince myself that I was just a bit out of it from the swim. I tried to convince myself that it was all in my head and that I was going crazy. But then I looked down between my legs at the bike number that I had stuck to my seat post. It was all scrunched up. I kept biking and looked back a few minutes later to see that the number was now only half visible. OMG, I thought….MY SEAT POST IS FALLLING! Being the ‘excellent’ bike mechanic that I am, I obviously failed to tighten the seat post screw enough. Thus, little by little my seat post was getting shorter and shorter (I KNEW I WASN’T CRAZY!!!).

    I came across the first aid station at about mile 15. I pulled off to the side near the porta pottys and asked a volunteer if there was a bike tech nearby. They pointed to a red tent towards the start of the aid station. So, I ran with my bike to the tent and told him my problem. It was a good thing that I has stopped. By the time I reached that tent, my seat post had slid all the way down to the point where I couldn’t even see the marked numbers anymore (several inches). We tinkered with the bike for a few minutes and made sure it was fixed before I ran back to the road and hopped back on to continue my ride. I wasn’t very upset about the incident and the time lost though. I was just glad I was able to get it fixed and figured that now I know to check the screw for next time. You live, you learn.

    The rest of the bike went great. I was holding a MUCH better pace than my last Ironman and really enjoyed the course. The rolling hills and wooded scenery were almost soothing. I didn’t even mind when I hit some windy patches around mile 70. I just felt so relaxed. In retrospect, I think I could have biked a bit harder (I also kind of knew it at the time). But, the sun was already beaming down on us with full force and the temps were already climbing upwards of 90 degrees. Since I knew I was going to have a VERY ROUGH run ahead of me, I didn’t want to push myself too hard. I was already going to take an hour minimum off of my previous Ironman bike split. So, I just tried to keep consistent and to enjoy the ride. And enjoy it, I did. The bike course was one of the best I have ever biked and had fantastic support with aid stations every 10 miles or so. I almost can’t wait to go back to Texas again just so I can re-ride this bike course.

T2: 

T2 Split: 6.09

    I ran into some problems here which were completely unanticipated. After I dismounted my bike, a volunteer offered to take my helmet and shoes for me as well. Not knowing this would be a problem, and happy to get those damn bike shoes off my feet, I gladly unstrapped my shoes and handed them over. I started to run over to the asphalt area where our run bags were sitting. The second I stepped on the asphalt, the bottoms of my feel started to BURN. What nobody realized was that the sun had been beaming down on the blank asphalt for hours already which made it EXTREMELY hot. Had I known this, I would’ve held onto my shoes a bit longer.

    When I got into the changing tent, I took a quick glance at the bottoms of my feet. They were bright red and burning. But, I quickly slapped on my shoes and headed out onto the run course, catching a glimpse of my cheering boyfriend as I left.

The Run: 

Run Split: 5:34.45

    It wasn’t an optimal situation to have my feet already blistered an sore at the start of the 26.2mi run. But, I tried to suck it up figuring that my feet would’ve been blistered and sore by the end anyways. The run was a 3-loop run course that started by taking us out onto the neighboring streets towards swim start before veering off into a small neighborhood and then finally taking us back towards the heart of the woodlands with all the restaurants and bars where all our family would be located.

    By the time I hit the run course, the temperature was nearing 100 degrees with not a single strip of shade throughout the entire course. Thus, this run was BRUTAL. I immediately started out at a very very slow pace. But, I tried not to bee to concerned with it given the intense heat and the fact that I saw so many athletes (and volunteers and spectators) getting sick and seeking medical help along the course. Given the heat, I immediately made the decision to stop and walk all the aid stations so that I could be sure to hydrate enough to at least be able to finish. Yes, my run split was pretty miserable. But, given the conditions, I don’t think anybody had an amazing run that day.

    The run course itself was probably one of the best possible courses for spectators. There were groups of spectators scattered along the neighboring roads which was nice. And, once you made the turn back towards the restaurant and bar area, you were completely surrounded on either side by spectators who provided A LOT of much needed mental support. What was also pretty great was that my boyfriend was holed up on the porch area of a bar on the finish line side of the channel. This meant that he could see me (and scream for me) when I passed him on both the opposite side, and his side, of the channel. I really looked forward to passing this point every loop. One, because I needed the motivation. And two, because I was glad he had something to do for the billion hours I was out racing.

The Finish: 

A 2x Ironman

    At the start of the race, I had hoped to get as close to finishing in 12 hours as possible. But, once I hit that run course, I knew that goal was shot. So, in calculating it out in my head, I thought that there was a good shot I could at least make it to the finish line in under 13 hours. That would be my new goal.

    As I got closer and closer to the “finish this way” sign, I knew that I would be cutting it VERY close to my goal. I had accidentally paused my Garmin at some point during the bike so I wasn’t entirely sure what the race clock was at. But, I knew I couldn’t stop if I wanted to have a shot as squeaking in under 13.

   FINALLY, I saw the finish line sign. There wasn’t anybody else around me. The chute to the finish line first took you past the line to a sharp turn around before heading back to finish. I caught a glimpse of the clock as I passed the line towards the turn around…12:58. So I muscled up all the strength I had left and booked it around that corner and back to the finish line to just make it in under my 13 hour goal.

    I’m a little sad that I never got the chance to see my boyfriend after finishing but I wasn’t feeling all too great. Right after I finished I told the volunteers that I needed to go to the med tent. I was so dehydrated that I could barely stand. They immediately brought over a wheel chair and wheeled me over to the med tent where I spent the next hour with an IV in my arm. Although this slightly ruined by post-race celebration, it did make me feel MUCH better.

     After I was released I met up with my boyfriend and called my parents. Although my boyfriend had actually missed me finishing (because the finish line area was so mobbed) my parents had watched me finish on the Ironman online streaming. I chatted for a few minutes and snapped a single pic at the finish line, elated to have finally finished. Then we headed back to the hotel (with a pit stop for chicken nuggets and a slush at Sonic, of course) thrilled to have been done with this very long, but pretty awesome, day. Will I be ever going back to the Woodlands for a round 2? Definitely!

Overall Time: 12:58.46
Place: 19 in AG

I'm Not a Superhero...2 weeks until Ironman TX

ready to roll at St. Anthony's

    My second full Ironman distance race is now just under 2 weeks away (May 18) and I’m pretty excited for it. Well, I might actually be more excited for the much-needed vacation from work as opposed to the actual race itself. Either way, though, I just can’t wait to pack my bags and head out to Texas.

   I’ve hit some major stumbling blocks in the past few weeks that do make me a bit nervous for this race. I felt really fantastic during my early season training and heading into Ironman San Juan. And then, I got injured. The hamstring injury was pretty painful and really set me back for quite some time. I think that I allowed it to sufficiently heal just by training when I felt good and backing off if I felt the slightest bit of pain. But, by training this way, I feel that I might have really set myself back in terms of Ironman preparation. I just couldn’t reach and maintain the amount of volume that I had intended. But, I tried to do the best that I could.

    Additionally, I really injured my ribs last weekend at St.

other side-effects of my rib-cracking trip at St. Anthony's

Anthony’s Triathlon when I tripped off the edge of a sidewalk. The pain has gotten A TINY bit better in the last week. But, I still feel quite some restriction on my breathing. All I can really do at this point is to pull back and hope that it gets better. There is nothing I can really do to fix injured ribs. And if it doesn’t get better, than I’m going to swim, bike, and run through it as much as I can. This obviously isn’t the optimal situation, but I don’t have much of a choice.

    On top of all these injuries, work has really picked up in the last few weeks. I’ve had to wake up even earlier for court hearings. And, I’ve been getting home even later from Court. As a result, I just haven’t had the energy or time during the week to focus as much on training. And come the weekend, I’m pretty overly exhausted. I constantly see the updates that many of my competitors post online…their updates on their mid-day week workouts and back-to-back long training sessions on the weekends. And it’s frustrating to know that they’re out improving while I’m sitting in court reading their twitter updates between hearings. But, I really don’t know how they do it. I’m not sure whether these people have real jobs. And, I’m not sure whether these people have a non-triathlete boyfriend who sits at home bored on weekends waiting for them to get back from their longs rides. But I really highly doubt they have either. I just don’t see any possible way that they could. Either way though, it’s so mentally difficult to watch so many of my competitors getting better while I do not. But I guess that is just something I have to deal with if I wish to have any sort of a life outside of triathlon.

Trying to relax from a long week while simultaneously training

  I know this all sounds quite terrible…that I seem to have so much doubt in myself leading into my ‘A’ Race. But, I don’t really think this is really actual doubt… I have no doubt that I’m going to finish this race. I have no doubt that I’m going to finish this race with a big PR. But, I also have no doubt that I’m going to finish knowing that I’m physically capable of more. Because, of course I’m capable of more! If I didn’t have to work, then I could train harder. If I didn’t have a boyfriend and a dog, then I could train more. But, I do have these things. And I’m glad that I have them. So, I’m going to do the best that I can, for what I am capable of right now and will try not to worry as much about all the jobless people about there who may or may not beat me. I trained the best that I could with the time and energy that I have. I might be an Ironman, but I’m not a superhero…so the best that I can, will just have to be good enough. For now.

FAU Wellness Sprint Triathlon

In light of the sadness and horror surrounding the Boston Marathon, I will not be posting a race report for last Sunday's FAU Wellness Sprint Triathlon.  Instead, I am just posting the attached....one pic from my 2nd Place AG at the race, and one pic from my last time back in Beantown. 

Godspeed Boston...I miss you!

(LACK OF) RACE REPORT: Ironman 70.3 San Juan

Arrival in San Juan

    I can’t even begin to convey how overly-excited I was for this race having spent mucho hours of training listening to reggaeton and getting fired up for a great season-opener. Everything went fine in the days leading up to the race.

    My boyfriend and I flew into San Juan early Friday morning using my Ruster Sports Hen House for the very first time. I was a bit nervous as this was the first time I ever had to take apart and re-build my bike. But, that part went pretty well. My bike made it down to San Juan in one piece (without any nasty oversized/overweight fees I might add) and I was able to assemble it relatively quickly and easily.

    When we arrived in San Juan Friday Morning we were able to check our bags at the host hotel for a nominal fee (the angry lady at MY hotel told us that our only option was to leave our bags behind a chair in the unlocked lobby. Ugh, no thanks!). Then we wandered around a bit walking some of the race course, checking out transition, and grabbing a coco frio snack to enjoy while sitting on the edge of a rock overlooking the ocean. Later, after checking into our hotel, we went for a quick swim in the ocean before heading into Old San Juan for dinner at Senor Frogs. The day, in all, was pretty peaceful and nice.

Racking my bike in transition (and in a giant red ant pile)

    Saturday was relatively relaxed as well. I built my bike first thing in the morning before heading over to the beach for another warm-up swim. After lunch I took out my bike for a quick (VERY QUICK) ride just to make sure that bike was put together properly. However, riding on the street in Old San Juan was so horribly frightening that I opted to spare my life and instead pay the mechanic 20 bux to check my bike for me. It was well worth the money. We later headed up to rack my bike in transition before heading out to a nice dinner at Mortons. Then, it was early to bed for out 4:45am wake-up call on Sunday Morning.

Race morning was no different than any other. I was slightly nervous and very excited. My swim wave was the first to go off after the pros and I knew that, being a swimmer, this was my chance to really pull ahead from the start. I had my race plan all figured out. I was going to go out hard and really push myself all the way through the run. I was ready…or so I thought.

The Swim: 

Coming into the swim finish

    The swim went very well. I managed to PR for the 1.2mi swim by over 2 minutes and was the 3rd woman in my Age Group out of the water. I felt fast and energized.

T-1: 

    The run from Swim Exit to Transition was VERY long. I tried not to waste my time pulling off my cap and goggles while running and instead waited until I got to my spot in transition. My transition wasn't fast but wasn't slow. 

The Bike: 

    The first 15(ish) miles of the bike went great. I was averaging around 20-21mph rather comfortably and felt like I could keep up the speed with ease. However, mile after mile, I slowly started to feel a slight pinch in my right thigh. It was sort of a mixture between the feeling of a pinched nerve and a general thigh cramp. I drank some water and ate a package of Chomps. I tried to push through it, telling myself that the cramps would work themselves out.

    However, right after I hit the first turn-around, I got a headwind and the pinching feeling started to increase. I debated continuing to push through it versus stopping for a quick minute to give it a quick stretch. I decided that I might be able to continue stronger if I could just stretch it out. I pulled over to the side of the road, unclipped, and bent forward to stretch the back of my leg. It felt good. But, when I stood up, I felt a very sharp, intense pain shoot up the back of my thigh and into my groin. I could barely stand.

    A few nearby medics came over to assist me while I watched half my competition breeze by me. I told the medics that I thought I was just cramping and wanted to continue. So, they wrote down my information as I hopped back on my bike and tried to continue. I could barely apply enough downward force to clip back into my pedal. But nevertheless, I was CONVINCED it was just a cramp. So, I continued on…for about another 16 miles.

    Between that moment and when I finally decided to pull out of the race, I went through a horrible inner struggle and cried both in pain and in shame most of the way. A few miles from where I finally pulled over, I lost my two seat-mounted water bottle cages. Not only was I cramping (or worse), but now I didn't even have any water to hydrate myself. I knew that was it. Today wasn't going to be my day. So feeling ashamed, and in tears, I pulled over to the side of the road, unclipped, laid down my bike, and waited for assistance.

    It was only a few minutes before I had a team of medics surrounding me. They applied ice packs and gave me an IV as I sat in the dirt by the side of the road. The ambulance arrived a few minutes later where I was put on a stretcher and driven back towards transition to the med tent. Much of the next few hours were a sad blur. I was crying because I felt so weak…like I had given up when I might have been able to continue. It did not matter how bad the pain was, or how swollen my muscle felt, I was ashamed of myself.

    I was also scared for my boyfriend who was tracking me via his iPhone waiting at transition. I knew he would see that my bike splits stopped registering and would be so worried that I had crashed, or worse. Being in a place where not many people spoke English, it was hard for me to find out whether or not he (as my emergency contact) had been notified. Apparently he hadn't been. But, I was eventually able to get hold of a cell phone in the med tent (somehow remembered his cell number) and he was able to find me, exhausted and scared.

Race Aftermath:

Hobbling around the Fort in Old San Juan sightseeing

    I'm still pretty disappointed.  But, after still waking up to a very swollen thigh three days after the race, I know that I made the right decision to pull out.  It was definitely not an easy decision to make. I wanted to continue more than anything.  But, after stopping that first time, I knew that my dreams of a medal and Vegas had slipped away.  My only options were to continue on to MAYBE finish the race (poorly) and further injuring myself OR to pull out now, recover, and to look forward to the next race. And yes, I'm really really looking forward to the next race...

Reflecting

RACE REPORT: 2013 Fort Lauderdale USMS Masters Challenge

    Last weekend I had a 3-day SCY swim meet at my home pool at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Complex (Swimming Hall of Fame) in Fort Lauderdale, FL. I signed up for every freestyle event (minus the 50) and the 400 and 200 IMs. Although it sounds like A LOT of swimming, spread out over 3 days, it was not actually that difficult of a schedule. HOWEVER, little did I know the temperature would drop Thursday night and remain in the 50s with a strong wind and little-to-no sun (brrrrrr) over the weekend. Now, 50 degrees might not sound all too terrible to you northern folk. But, standing around on a pool deck, soaked, getting slammed by the wind coming right off the ocean, while trying to stay loose and warm for competition, is NOT the most pleasant of racing conditions. Nevertheless, it was a somewhat successful event overall as I was able to post some quality times regardless of the weather, my tri training exhaustion, and my cruddy flip turns.

Friday Night:

1000 Freestyle: 12:32.24 (note: I wound up beating this time in my 1000 split from my 1650 on Sunday Morning)

Saturday:

400 IM: 5:25.93 (not to shabby for never really swimming stroke)

100 Freestyle: 1:01.04

500 Freestyle: 6:01.68

Sunday:

1650 Freestyle (aka “The Mile”): 20:33.96 (I was pretty pleased both with my overall time and my individual 100 splits. For the most part, I consistently paced the race holding between 1:14-1:60 per 100 and was able to beat my Friday Night 1000 Free time by about 4 seconds. This says great things are to come in my upcoming Distance triathlon events!)

200 IM: 2:34.16

200 Freestyle: 2:14.97 (By this time I was pretty spent from the weekend. Not the best 200 time in the world. But, I got to take a super hot shower afterwards…so who really cares)

GEAR REVIEW: Swim Spray

    There comes a time in ever swimmer's life when you just don't feel comfortable wreaking of chlorine anymore. I admit that I haven't always cared that I smell like chemicals. As a life-long competitive swimmer, I got very comfortable with my chlorine stench. While still in school, I remember that the smell used to keep me awake during boring lectures...one sniff of my arm and I was alert. And in College, I always figured that smelling like chlorine was better than what most kids smelled like in 8am lectures. But, I'm not in college anymore. And frankly, I'm sick of being able to smell myself after leaving a room, of suffocating my colleagues at firm meetings, and of experiencing a burning in my eyes as the chlorine smell emanates from my skin all day long.

So, I got referred to a product that is supposed to cure all these problems....Swim Spray.

The Item: 

    Swim Spray

The Claim:

    "SwimSpray immediately neutralizes chlorine. If you don't want to use shampoo or soap with SwimSpray, simply rinse off in the shower, spray SwimSpray on your hair and skin, and then rinse off the SwimSpray with water. That will eliminate the chlorine and you won't smell like chlorine." - From Swimspray.com

My Initial Reaction: 

    The first time I brought it to the pool I tried to use it after I got out of the shower.  Turns out, had I actually read the directions (aka Swim Spray's ONLY direction), I would've realized that you're supposed to use it IN the shower before you shampoo and soap. Oops. 

   So, the next day I went swimming, I actually followed the directions and used the Swim Spray while in the shower.  Then I changed and headed off to work as usual.  I admit, I was originally doubtful as to whether or not this stuff would actually work.  However, after trying it out  and sitting through meetings all day, I was convinced...Swim Spray ACTUALLY WORKS!

    For the first time my office didn't smell like chlorine after I had already left it.  For the first time, none of my colleagues commented on whether or not they could tell that I had been swimming that morning.  And, for the first time, when I went to do my afternoon bike trainer workout, I didn't sweat out the chlorine that had been trapped in my pores all day.

My Opinion Now:

   I'm glad to have found a product that actually does what it says.  My only gripe, however, is that I find that I have to use a lot of sprays in order to cover my body.  This means that each bottle might not last as long.  However, considering the fact that I also like to splurge on expensive shampoos and $30 bottles of leave-in conditioners from Sephora, I think that paying the price for a product that actually works...is definitely worth it. 

Price Tag: 

$12.95 for a 4oz bottle from SwimSpray.com OR SwimOutlet.com

New Year, New Plan

    After ending my 2013 racing season on a bit of a high note, I was extra excited to get a jump on my training for 2013. I didn’t have much of an offseason. It was only a month-or-so in total. However, I thoroughly enjoyed some time away from my more focused training. I swam to have fun with my teammates. I biked to enjoy just getting outside during some cooler Florida weather. And, I didn’t run once...I never even picked up my sneakers from my shoe stand.

    However, come Christmas, it was time to take what I learned from 2012 and figure out how I was going to approach 2013. I had some good races at the tail-end of last season. But, there were also some major problems in my performances that desperately need to be fixed. So, I thought about how I trained, tried to be realistic about my analysis of my training, and came up with two resolutions for the new year:

1. I would seek training workout guidance from an outside source 
2. I would keep up on my running throughout the season

    In regards to Resolution #1, I can honestly say that I put in as much time and effort last season as I could probably handle. However, as seen in my performance results, this was not good enough. Yes I’m limited on the amount of time I can train since I do have a full-time job. But, I don’t think that I can really improve my performance any more without some coached help. Up until now, I’ve been exclusively trained by myself in all three sports.

    After years of swimming, I think that I have a pretty good understanding of how to generally shape workouts. However, having never been a runner or cyclist, I’m pretty limited on how to include variety or specified training. So, I decided that I needed outside help.

    The first step was in joining a Master’s Swim Team. Although I didn’t need the help creating or completing the workouts, I decided that I needed the “push” in pacing that can only be had by swimming with others. At recent workouts my 100 LCM pace times have steadily decreased to slightly –above my college pace times. There is NO WAY I could’ve been able to do this by training solo.

    My next step was to look for some coaching guidance online or in the area. However, I’m very financially limited and just can’t afford another large monthly expense. So, I applied to win a free year of coaching from a well-known coach online. Although I wound up being a finalist, I didn’t actually win the prize. So, I did some research, asked around a bit, and wound up purchasing a Training Plan book on my tablet. I’ve heard pretty good things about these training plans. So, after reading through much of the book, I picked a specific Ironman Training Plan and intend to stick with it as much as possible. So far, I’m doing pretty well with keeping up with the plan’s demands.

    I know that a standard plan is not as good as personal coaching. I also know that there is a possibility that the plan might not even work for me at all. But, since I felt so stagnant in my training, I think it’s worth a shot. And presently, I’m feeling pretty strong and not yet over-trained. Here is to hoping the plan is a success!

    In regards to Resolution #2, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that I really missed the boat last year in my run training. Prior to getting my job in May, I was doing pretty well with keeping up my mileage. But, as the mileage was supposed to increase, I got lazier with my running. I planned most of my running workouts for the mornings. However, I slept through half of these workouts since running doesn’t motivate me out of bed the same way swimming does. So, this year is going to be different. Now that I’ve joined my USMS Team, I am able to have better morning pool access. Thus, all my swimming workouts will now be done in the morning and my running workouts will be done at night.

    Hopefully this will allow me to keep up on the run training a bit better. Additionally, now that I have an actual training plan which requires that I run certain workout an “X” number of times per week, I feel a bit more obligated to keep it up. Essentially, I’m more than willing to admit that if it were up to me, I’d never go running. Last year it WAS 100% up to me. So, I really never went running. But, this year it’s not entirely up to me. And hopefully that will be enough to keep me motivated. So far, I’m doing extremely well with it.