Birchwood Lakes Sprint Triathlon - Race Recap

This past weekend, I completed my first triathlon.

My lucky number is 8! This was a good omen.

I had so much fun, and it made me feel like all of the early mornings, long bike rides, and tough swims over the last several months were worth it.

I signed up for this triathlon as a test run for the NYC Tri in 2 weeks. I read it was a small, low-key race, which I figured would be a perfect way for me to practice transitioning and open water swimming.

I headed home Friday morning, and decided at the last minute to leave my road bike in Brooklyn. Trying to get my bike on the subway, through Penn Station, and home to NJ seemed like a lot of work. I chanced that I would be able to rent a road bike at home, like I did in Vermont. But unfortunately, I had no such luck.

I drove to a bike shop that rented road bikes, only to find out that they had none available. And neither did another place. They were all already rented, and I remembered that there were several triathlons happening in the area this weekend. Uh oh.

I quickly came to the conclusion that I would have to use one of my family's mountain bikes for the race. I was really bummed and nervous about it. I've been training on a road bike, and they're LOADS faster than mountain bikes. But I had no other choice, and pouted much of Friday evening about it.

My amazing parents agreed to come to the race with me, and we drove down bright and early on Saturday morning. I munched on my english muffin with PB and banana, chatted with my parents, and became super nervous as we got closer to the race.

My race-day nerves were somewhat diminished when we got to there, only to find that it was RIDICULOUSLY low-key. 

The "start" line

I checked in to the race, and putzed around on the beach where the swim started. The atmosphere was so relaxed that there were babies and dogs playing on the beach. It was so cute.

Next, I set up my transition area.

I became a little intimidated at this point, because I was about 1 of 5 people with a mountain bike. I was really wishing I had gone through the hassle of bringing my Raleigh home.

A huge upside to a small race is having access to warm-up in the water before the start. I threw my wetsuit on and went for a little swim out to the first buoy.

The water was a great temperature, and I was happy to get the chance to swim off my nerves a bit. I chatted with my parents for a few more minutes, and then the race began.

The swim was a half mile out and back, with about 8 buoys lining the water. I started out in the middle-back of the pack. Because there were so few racers, I didn't encounter any kicking or punching from other swimmers. I got into my stroke, and started to race.

After a few minutes, I started to feel pretty tired. The lake water felt really thick. It took a lot of effort for me to go a short distance, and I became a little nervous. But I put the thought out of my mind, and told myself to get to the end of the buoys.

At the turnaround, I just kept swimming and told myself I was halfway there. I also started counting down buoys - 5 left, 4 left, 3 left... and then it was finally over.

Me coming out of the water!
I'm second from the left... I think.

I felt REALLY tired at the end of the swim, more tired than I though I would feel. But I made my way to transition, got on my bike, and went.

The bike was a 13-mile out and back. The course was pretty flat, but it felt like everyone was passing me on their fancy road bikes. I pushed myself really hard to try to go as fast as I could, but it wasn't easy.

I just kept telling myself what my parents had said before the race - this is a test run. Don't worry about how long it takes you, just enjoy it. So at about the halfway mark, I got into a groove and stopped worrying about other racers passing me.

Starting the bike race... with a mountain bike.

I made it back to the transition, and saw the majority of the bikes already back in the racks... which meant I was probably in the back of the pack. But I knew my body was ready for my strongest leg, the run.

My legs felt tired after getting off the bike, but after a minute or so I was ready to race.  I didn't know how fast my body would be able to go, so I took the first half mile at an easy pace, but picked it up a bit for the last half... and clocked in my first mile at 8:22.

I started to feel really good, and was finally passing other people for once. I could feel the temperature rising, but just tried to enjoy the last two miles of my FIRST triathlon.

That's me! I swear!

I finished the second mile in 8:15, and was surprised at how fast my legs were going. I had a huge smile on my face, and focused my attention in the last mile on passing one more person. I turned around the final bend and let my legs go, clocking in the last mile at 7:35.

And just like that, I finished my first triathlon!!!

I was so happy that I did it, and that my parents were there to share this experience with me. They were the best cheer squad a gal could ask for.

Shortly after the end of the race, the beer-b-que started, and we enjoyed some well-deserved beers and burgers.

Papa! And keg beer.

I attempted to stretch, because I could feel that my hips were thrown off by the bike-to-run transition. Aside from feeling hot and a little dehydrated, I felt pretty good.

I saw on the website that they would give out overall awards and age group awards after the race. I had a dream last week that I won an award, so I secretly wanted to see if I had some small chance of winning in my age group. 

They announced overall female and male winners, and then worked their way up to the winners in the Female 20-29 bracket. I crossed my fingers when they announced 3rd place... and my name wasn't called. I knew it was silly to hope for, but thought I might have a chance. 

Then I heard the announcer say, "and in 2nd place, from Brooklyn, New York..." My parents and I started yelling, realizing that I had won 2nd place in my age group!!!

The cutest parents anywhere.

I was over the moon, so surprised that I had done well enough to get 2nd place. My parents told me not to sell myself short, that I worked hard for this day, and that I deserved it. That's why they are the absolute best.

And the splits for my second place finish were...

Swim: 15:31
Transition 1: 2:28
Bike: 48:40
Transition 2: 0:55
Run: 24:14
Overall: 1:31:48

Once we got home, I was ready for an afternoon of rest. I took a shower, got into comfy clothes, and turned on a movie. I had the best snuggle buddy to enjoy the afternoon with...

Morgan, the most adorable cat.

Two days later, I am still overjoyed by how fantastic this experience was. I feel really good about the NYC Tri in just TWO WEEKS. But this race, as my first tri ever, will always have a really special place in my heart.

Week 17 – NYC Triathlon Training

2 and a half weeks ‘til race day! Eep!

Here’s how this past week has shaped up:

Monday: 1 Hour Swim at Group Training

Tuesday: 5.7 Miles of Running

Wednesday: 1 Hour Bike

Thursday: 2.7 Miles of Running

I feel pretty good overall today about where my training is at. Could be because I got some solid outdoorsy training in Vermont last week…

I DID IT.

My dad has a tradition of bike riding “the notch” when we’re up in Vermont. It’s essentially a 3-mile STEEP uphill that I did last year, and swore to myself and anyone who would listen that I would never do again. It was one of the hardest endurance workouts I had done to date.  But since I discovered a new love for biking in the past few months, I thought I would give it another chance.

My dad is one tough cookie.

This year’s trip was loads better. I rented a fancy road bike, and I REALLY enjoyed the change in scenery. My typical bike rides are either inside a hot gym or circling around Prospect Park again and again and again. There was just no comparing this ride to anything else.

I rode with my cousins and dad, and then my cousin Pat and I did an hour run once we got to the other side of the notch (the dreaded BRick of the week). I was nervous about the run because of my IT band, especially since my physical therapist told me to take it easy. I respectfully ignored his advice because I was more concerned about getting this key workout in before the triathlon.

The first 4 miles I felt GREAT. My cousin Pat is one of my absolute favorite running buddies. He makes the time fly by with good stories and advice. But by mile 5, I could feel my IT band beginning to throb again. We took some walk breaks, and then with only a few minutes left til the end, I told him I needed to walk the rest of the way.

I wondered whether I had pushed it too much, but I did some good stretching right after and felt okay. PLUS, I did some really healthy post-BRick fueling.

My awesome family!

My time in Vermont was so needed. I got lots of fresh air, quality time with my family, and even managed to squeeze in a few photo shoots.

Crazy face with Molly.

Wacky face with Molly and Pat.

Smiles with the cutest kid ever.

Separate photoshoot with my cute sis!

I got home on Sunday with a killer case of the blues, and a full-blown head cold. I immediately laid down on my couch, and watched a DVRed version of Big with Tom Hanks. That movie is not as good as I remember. It’s actually kind of bad. When did that happen?

After Big put me to sleep for a few minutes, I woke up went into an unpacking/cleaning frenzy in my apartment. Cleaning somehow energized me, and I decided to go for a short 2-mile shake-out run to see how my IT band was feeling…. And miraculously, it felt just fine.

I went for a run again on Tuesday morning… and still felt fine. And again this morning… no issues. I don’t want to celebrate yet, but I’m feeling pretty good.

Plus, I have this crazy thing to look forward to this weekend:

This is perhaps one of the tiniest races I’ve ever participated in. There were about 140 people who participated last year, and it’s projected to be about 200 this year. When I emailed the race director, asking whether there would be a “general” note sent out about parking, start times, etc, he wrote back: “Maybe, good idea. All the info is on the website.” He was also quoted in a local newspaper article about the triathlon saying that the race would be canceled only if there was “snow or zombies.” I gotta meet this guy.

I’m feeling oddly confident about the swim, good about the bike, and so-so about the run. I know it’s going to be low key, and there’s a beer-b-que following the race, so the odds of having a good race are pretty high. Check back next week for a race recap for my first triathlon! Eep!

Philadelphia Marathon Race Recap

Last Sunday, I ran my second marathon.

Keith and I headed down on Friday afternoon to check out Philadelphia and the expo. We got the requisite cheesesteaks, and I picked up my bib and t-shirt at the Philadelphia Convention Center.

The expo was a runner nerd’s dream – lots of arm sleeves and tech tees for sale. The Convention Center was right near the Liberty Bell, so we took a stroll and did a bit of sightseeing.

Sneaking a pic with our first prez.

A man we did not know.  

On Saturday, we hung out with my family and had an awesome carb-loading dinner, courtesy of Mama Wyman. After some amazing chicken parm and cookies, Keith and I headed to the Aloft Hotel by the Philadelphia Airport. We settled in for the night, and I tried my hardest to go to bed early (with absolutely no luck). And what seemed like 20 minutes later, my alarm went off at 4:30AM.

Keith offered to drive me to the start, along with my cousins Pat and Sean, who were also running the race. We did some porta-pottying, and before we knew it, we hopped in the corrals and started to run.

Pat and Sean!
Notice my beautiful Wal-mart throwaway hoodie.

Sean and Pat were looking to finish in under 4 hours, so I decided to start with them and see how I felt. For the first 7 miles, I felt really good, and was able to hang with them. My legs felt strong and I just took in the sights and sounds of the race.

Bros being bros.

We started the race around a 9:40/9:30 pace, and then the boys sped up closer to a 9:00 pace, which felt a little fast for me.  Deep down I was hoping I might break 4:00 hours, I knew by mile 7 that this wasn’t the race to do it in. I didn’t want to kill myself and not enjoy this race, so I dialed it back, and let my cousins go ahead.

At about mile 8, I noticed a little bit of pain on the outside of my right knee. It was really foreign to me – I haven’t had pain in that spot since last winter, and didn’t experience pain in any of my recent long runs. I tried to shrug it off.

Around mile 10, I heard some house music in the distance. There were some amazing spectators lined up on the side of the course, dressed up in costume, just dancing along to the music.

A unicorn! And some neon guy!

By mile 12, the pain in the outside of my knee was getting worse. I tried saying a mantra to myself with each step: “Go…away…” It didn’t really seem to be working, but I kept trying anyway.

At mile 13, we split from the half-marathoners, which was not as terrible as I thought it would be. I felt kind of awesome for being a full-marathoner, and the psychological part of having to run another 13 miles didn’t really bother me. Plus I saw Keith right after the split, which was a huge boost.

After a quick hug and kiss, he told me my parents were waiting for me at mile 17. I ran off, and put on my iPod. The pain in my knee was spreading up to my quads and hip, and by the 14^th mile, I was in a lot of pain. I had a short pity session for myself, wondering how I was going to run another 12 miles with my right leg the way it was feeling. I decided to text my family mid-run, asking if they could have Motrin ready for me when I saw them. I somehow got through the next three miles, which was a huge, painful blur.

At the 17 marker, I took out my earbuds and looked for my family. All of a sudden, I heard loud screaming – “KAAATE!!!” Everyone - runners and spectators alike, turned their heads to see who was yelling. It was my amazing family.

Teary-eyed at mile 17.

I started to cry, seeing my mom, dad and sister screaming and jumping for me. It couldn’t have come at a better moment, because I was so down on myself, and my right leg felt useless. They handed me some Motrin, I gave them hugs, and kept going.

Slowly but surely, the pain disappeared from my leg. Miles 17-20 felt really hard, but I had a feeling that I would start to feel better. Also, as a side note on the race, I wasn’t a huge fan of the out-and-back course. During Miles 13-20, you run out to a suburb in Philly called Manayunk, and on the opposite side of the course, you get to watch faster (and presumably more trained) runners already on their way to the finish line. It seemed like the final turnaround point would never come.

Random shot of me at mile 13...

About 200 yards from the final point of the race, I saw my two cousins come up behind me. I was SO HAPPY to see them. I was really confused why they were there, and realized that I had just passed them. They were the running angels I needed at that point, and seeing them made all of the pain vanish from my leg.

By mile 21, I was running a few feet in front of them, and they waved me to keep going on without them. Shortly after, I saw my family for the last time, and I felt like I was running a completely different race.

My amazing sister.

Papa Wyman.

I realized at this point, that I would be in pain no matter what, and I might as well finish strong. I started to dedicate songs on my playlist in the last few miles to my favorite people in the world. During Melissa Ethridge’s “I’m the only one,” I pictured Kelly and me belting out the words together as kids, and silently thanked her for all of her amazing cheer-leading during the race. “Uptown Girl” reminded me of car rides with my parents, and I thought of all the support and love they give me when I need it most. During the Black Keys’ “Lonely Boy,” I thought of Keith and his unending words of kindness when I’m super stressed or nervous about running (and life).

I ripped out my headphones at mile 25, and I wanted to remember and enjoy the last mile of my race. The spectators lining the course became more crowded, and I heard perfect strangers cheering me on, whether they were calling me a runner, by my name, or by the animal print I was wearing.

My last fan was close to mile 26, where Keith was ready with a Gatorade in case I needed it. I gave him a quick hug, and ran off towards the finish.

Feeling groovy.

Judging by the pace bracelet I got at the expo, I knew by the last few miles that I could make it in under 4:15. I was feeling really strong the last few miles, and I wondered if I could even get in under 4:10. I knew it would be close, but I wanted to give it my all. I hit mile 26 at a 9:09 pace, which was the fastest pace I saw since Mile 12. I broke off at a sprint with .2 miles left, and I wanted to give the spectators what they came to see – nutjob marathoners giving it their all when they had nothing left to give.

And after a roller coaster of a race, I finally crossed that finish line in 4:09:38.

I was beaming, so happy that I finished well. One of my favorite things about this race was the post-finish treats – I became cold really quickly, and they had hot, salty chicken broth ready for the finishers. They also had a short line for the post-race massages, which I gladly waited in to have a brave girl work out the kinks in my legs. 

One happy, sweaty family!

My Keith!

I met up with my family, and gabbed about the race. Then Kelly, Keith and I went to a restaurant called The Pub that my friend Meggie recommended. It was a crazy German beer hall-type place, that made us all feel like we were in the Twilight Zone. We clearly got burgers and beer.

The Pub's beautiful decorations.

Ralph the Reindeer - Keith's win from the claw
machine at the Pub.
Still out for debate whether he's a reindeer or a moose.

Final thoughts on the Philly Marathon - It was an awesome race. Doing a really big race was a nice change from last year, because I was always surrounded by other runners and endearing spectators (fan fave was a guy dressed up as a sumo wrestler, holding a sign that said "If you stop running, I will eat you.") The course itself was pretty flat, except for a few hills in the beginning of the race that I didn't really notice. As I said earlier, I didn't love the out-and-back setup. The first 13 miles were really scenic and fun, but the last 13 added on a psychological element of seeing people much faster than you about to finish. 

I am really happy with my time - I tried not to think about it too much during training, since my knee injury in the summer definitely set me back a bit. But when it comes down to it, I set a PR by 23 minutes and I couldn't be more proud of that. I have my whole life to beat that dreaded 4:00 mark.

Lastly, I felt so blessed to have been surrounded by my family for this marathon. They were the ones that kept me going when I wanted to give up.  I'll be the first to admit that standing in the cold for four hours on a Sunday morning is the opposite of fun, yet the fact that they were so enthusiastic and had so many good things to say about the race made me so happy. What an amazing day.

Tomatoes and Real Life

Disclaimer: I am not going to talk about running in this post outside of this paragraph. I am taking this week off from running to give my body a break, and I am thinking happy, healthy thoughts. So on to real life things!

Last weekend (I know it’s almost already a new weekend, but it was a good weekend and I have lots of fun photos of it so just go with it), I went home for my cousin’s wedding reception. As I was packing and getting ready to hit the road Friday evening, I noticed something that made me jump for joy.

You are so little and green and cute.

My tomato plant is actually growing tomatoes!!!!

I’ve begun to think I am cursed with a “black” thumb. Keith gave me an aloe plant for Christmas, which died within about two weeks. And my dad gave me a flower plot, which almost grew, but never produced any flowers.

So when I got a tomato plant earlier this summer, I made it my mission to turn my black thumb green. I urge them every day to grow faster so I can eat them.

We headed to beautiful New Jersey, and enjoyed all the amenities that going home brings.

Grass! Trees! Clean air!

Yummy Treats!

Saturday was spent going to J.Crew to get my fill on outlet store prices, followed by a lobster lunch that I did not partake in. I just can’t handle eating something that was crawling in my parents sink a moment before. So I ate a hot dog instead.

Papa Wyman is too cute.

As we were getting ready for the wedding reception, I was trying to convince myself that I could in fact make it look like I had just been to the hair salon. But after one beer and many bobby pins, camera-ready I was not.

I brought in my personal hair wiz, Kelly, to see if she could do what I was picturing in my head. In about 30 seconds, she put a gorgeous braid in my hair and tied it back into a bun. I went from hot mess to bunhead in an instant.

Hair Stylist Extraordinaire.

The wedding reception was at Triumph Brewery in New Hope, PA – perfect for a bunch of Irish folks like us. We drank yummy beers, caught up with some cousins, and threw in a couple dance moves when the mood was right. There also may or may not have been a Taco Bell pit stop on the way home…

I woke up on Sunday morning to the smell of bacon cooking. Since I won’t be home on my actual birthday, we had a mini early celebration. Birthday brunches are a serious business in the Wyman house, so I requested my favorite selection of mimosas, bacon, pancakes, and omelets.

Note the birthday tablecloth!

It was a relaxing break from the city heat, and I got plenty of face time with my awesome fam.

This evening, I’m off to my beloved Boston for the weekend! I will probably still have the same big smile on my face when I get home Sunday night.

Good Food, Good (and bad) TV

Today’s Workout: 5 miles, easy

Health Check: I feel awesome! But I need to add more veggies, and subtract greasy food from this week’s diet.

I headed home to the lovely state of New Jersey on Thursday evening. I had been looking forward to going home - the summertime, while kind to my social calendar, is unkind to my wallet. A few home cooked meals and some uninterrupted sleep was just what I needed.

My mom made an amazing meal Thursday night – pork chops and Spanish rice. It must have caused a food coma, since I began watching a movie with my family and fell asleep… at 9:45. Perfection (we were also watching Dante’s Peak, which I loved as a kid. But 13-year-old Kate did not, as it turns out, have Oscar-winning film taste).

Whatever. I still love this movie.

I skipped my run on Friday per Dr. Ngo’s orders, and was happy to take the day off. My knee was feeling loads better, and I’m not one to turn down time on the couch with my fam.

On Saturday morning, my dad and I hit the pavement to find unwavering humidity in the air. Papa Wyman was my amazing pit crew, as he biked next to me and handed me my water bottle at every mile. I took several walk breaks to minimize some of the impact on my knee, but overall felt great. I was scheduled to do 9 miles, and ran the first 7 with my dad, so the first hour or so flew by. I was solo on the last two miles, which seemed to drag on with intense heat. Anyone else ready for fall?

I started out intentionally slow, and picked up the pace in the middle. It started to get really hot by the end, so I slowed down a bit. I tried to speed up during mile 9, and even though I felt like I was going at an 8:00 pace, the heat fooled me once again.

I got the royal treatment after my hot run – I was allowed to stretch in my parents’ living room in the cool AC in my sweaty, sweaty clothes, almost immediately washed and dried aforementioned sweaty, sweaty clothes, and found an English muffin breakfast sandwich waiting for me right after my amazing shower. This is why I love doing my long runs at home.

They are too cute!

How is it possible I made it this far without once mentioning the Olympics? I’m not quite sure, but I'm about to change that.

I'm placing all my bets on you, Gabs.

MVP of the Opening Ceremony in pink

I watched the majority of the Opening Ceremony, and realized that I really need to work on my world geography (not quite sure about that pastoral/bedtime bit, but I do love that Kenneth Branagh was an MC of sorts). I also caught a fair amount of swimming, gymnastics, archery, table tennis, volleyball, and fencing. Gymanstics still remains the fave, and fencing is really boring. I don’t know how it works, and I can never tell who stabbed who first.

After Keith and I spent much of the afternoon watching the Olympics on Sunday, we headed over to a new cute diner in Williamsburg called Blue Collar. People have been drawing comparisons to In-N-Out Burger, which Keith and I tried in California, and I can understand why. It’s a no-frills counter-service restaurant, that has about 10 menu items, but everything is delicious and cheap. The cheeseburger was so good that I didn’t even need to eat it with ketchup (perhaps the second time that has ever happened in my life).

Mmmm...

To walk off our burgers, we decided to head over to the ferry dock in Greenpoint where you can catch a good look at the East River and Manhattan. We were lucky to see a storm that was brewing over the city, and obviously did some instagraming.

It was a good little weekend, and now I have my third week of marathon training to look forward to. It’s a “step-back” week, so nothing crazy to write home about – but I will be doing my first official “hill” training this week (and considering I’ve been running the flatlands of Greenpoint recently, it should make things interesting).

Here’s to a week of Olympic watching, and making dents in my couch. You're more than welcome to join me.