Be Doin' the Y-M-C-A

Coming off my last triathlon in June (Ross Tri Fit Challenge), I was heading into this next Olympic distance race with a newfound respect for triathlon in general. No matter the distance, this sport is challenging…..and it’s exciting. When you’re in endurance events for a long time (i.e. marathons, Ironmans, Half IM’s, etc) I think it can get easy to start saying things like, “well, I'm ONLY doing the half marathon…” or “it’s just an Olympic tri.” Seriously, I’m going to start catching myself more when I say these things. It’s a big deal to be out there. Period. An Olympic triathlon might be shorter than my other races this year, but I'm learning a ton about the sport of triathlon in doing them and quite honestly, it’s helping me become a more seasoned athlete and a more humbled athlete.

The Columbus YMCA Triathlon was on July 20, all centered around Alum Creek, an area with which I'm very familiar. I consistently ride around that area and swim when I’m required to practice open water swims. In the weeks leading up to this race there was a water quality alert on Alum Creek and while I’m not sure if swimming was officially “banned” there was a time in which the water was closed and swimming there just seemed dangerous. People were talking about developing rashes and getting physically sick. So needless to say, my anxious mind was worried about having to swim in the waters of Alum. The Monday before the race, Alum was cleared to be safe for swimming and the triathlon was ON. This didn’t make me feel much better. Part of me wanted the water to be given the “all clear” for more than a few days before I jumped in. Maybe it’s the hypochondriac in me….I just can’t afford to get sick.

Setting up transition

But the race was on and mentally I can admit I was still a bit unfocused leading up into the race and it was all about fear. I was afraid of the swim and as the day got closer, I was nervous about the weather forecast. Big storms predicted. Oh well, suck it up buttercup, right?

Swim start

Into the water!

Transition….#88

The best part of this race was that it was close to home and all centrally located; no point to point racing this time. I showed up at Alum Creek around 6am (race was set to start at 7:30am) and parked literally right by transition. Unloaded my stuff into transition, picked up my timing chip and get ready to rumble. Side note: it’s kind of fun to see sometimes how far I’ve come in triathlons. I had a “newer” athlete approach me in transition and ask me if there was a specified place he had to put his stuff. I taught him that he had to “rack” his bike and transition gear in the spot where his number was marked and that would be his “home base” for the race. Just kind of made me smile that I’ve gotten to a place where I don’t have to ask that question. A long time ago that person WAS me.

Met up with a couple of other JustTri buddies and saw a few other familiar faces as I headed towards the water, wetsuit ready and goggles on. My group was set to be the first group in the water, right at 7:30am. After some brief instructions we were off! I managed to jump right into the waters and took off….a little too fast. As I looked around I began to notice I was somewhat alone, which always provokes me to think “am I going the wrong way????” Turns out I just had gotten a bit ahead of the pack, not the first person by any means but I had gotten a bit ahead, which boosted my confidence. Alum was not super choppy but we did swim with the current in one direction and against the current in another direction. 2 loops and I was out. I think the course might have been a tad long….my Garmin said a bit over 1 mile (Olympic distance is .9) so my swim time wasn’t a PR, but it was done! And honestly the extra time could have been my own piss-poor sighting skills. Out and into transition!

Transitions!!!!! This was my biggest focus on this race…...I wanted to get my transition time cut down….I need to learn to get in and get out! Thankfully I got out in T1 faster than my previous race and I was off on Killer to take on the bike course. Got a few good cheers from folks I knew I it was on!

Off we go on the bike!

The initial part of the bike course was something I’ve done all the time. The middle part was a bit newer and unfamiliar to me and had lots of hills…..and WIND. The wind wasn’t brutal persay, but it wasn’t helpful and seemed to move against me no matter the direction. I managed for the first half of the race to average 20-21 mph, but ended up at the end of the day around 19.7….not bad. As soon as we turned onto the later part of the race, a road I was familiar with, a guy I had been playing back and forth with in terms of leading had a loud POP! His front tire blew and I immediately began looking at the road for anything that might hit me. I asked if he was ok and he brushed me to move on. Spent the next few miles hoping the guy was ok and could get it repaired in time to keep moving.

Coming into T2 was nice...again saw many familiar faces. My goal was to have a faster T2 time again and I did it. Didn’t waste time...put on my race bib, shoes and visor and took off.

Now comes the hardest part. I never run at Alum, so I was completely unfamiliar with the run route. Turns out it was 90% on grass and trail. I’m not a trail runner and never run on grass. I repeat: I AM NOT A TRAIL RUNNER AND NEVER RUN ON GRASS. So about 2-3 miles into the race I started to remember that most of my trail running friends tell me they are slower in their trail races than road races simply due to the fact that trail running is by FAR more technical and requires great awareness of surroundings and footing. So I rationalized that this was why my pace was slowing, but it really was. Really. After one loop, I hit the turn around part and almost dreaded that I was going to have do that loop again, but I headed out and tried to break it up in my head mentally. I would attack the parts that were actually a road surface, and do my best with the rest. My run wasn’t pretty and it was nice to be done.

1 loop done, 1 to go!

So all in all, it wasn’t my fastest Olympic race...in fact each segment of the swim, bike and run was slower than my previous race. I did however improve in my transition time and was blessed and grateful to be able to race, and additionally have some great crowd support! Thanks so much to all my amazing “athletic supporters!”

Coming into the finish! LOVE this pic!

It was another race, another experience with challenging winds, humidity and trail running, all which keeps me humble. The conditions were the same for us all out there and we tackled them the best we could. Oddly enough, I finished 3rd Female Overall, which to say I was shocked would be an understatement. I don’t expect that to happen much, so I’ll take it, even if it wasn’t a PR time for me personally.

Practice makes progress, right? Sometimes it’s not about perfection, but the little lessons we can learn along the way. And in the meantime, we might run over some rocks and lose our footing for a while, but then someone calls our name as we head to the finish and we find a little bit of that “something extra” and push through to the finish. THAT is an amazing feeling.

So go jump in Alum Creek. I haven’t gotten a rash or webbed feet…...yet…..

Onward to the next Olympic...MingoMan, Aug 17.

Be Doin’ the Y-M-C-A. Be Brave.

Be Visual

I’m really trying hard to work on my mental toughness this year….both in triathlon, running AND in life. I would say hands down that my own inner critic is the most challenging aspect of moving forward in my life, regardless of the direction. I’ve never been someone who had a stellar “can do” attitude with exceptional self esteem and a mindset that believes she’ll never fail. I’ve always been the gal who seems to have more doubts that anything else, and while I know this about myself, changing it continues to be a daily struggle.

In therapy, we learn of a treatment method called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). In CBT, the overall concept is that in life, the events that happen to us or around us aren’t really the cause of our pain or suffering. It’s our INTERPRETATION of the event that can cause us pain and suffering. Thus two people can be looking at the same event and interpreting it in very different ways. One person could be looking at it with a negative/critical mindset and therefore have a very different emotional experience. The other person could be looking at it with a moderate or even positive mindset and have a different emotional experience.

Example: It’s raining outside and I have a bike ride I need to do. Person A says, “this sucks. I hate riding in the rain.” Person A will probably have a shitty ride. Maybe they won’t even finish. Person B says, “well, it’s raining. I’m not a big fan but a little rain never hurt anyone.” Person B might not have a stellar ride, but they’ll land in a much better place emotionally.

I’ve never been a fan of CBT. It always seemed too elementary for me. In my 20’s when a therapist once asked me about doing these kinds of mental exercises I got upset. It all felt so fake. “As if a thought could just be changed! If I could just magically take my negative thoughts and turn them into positives, I would have done that a long time ago and wouldn’t be sitting here in your office miserably depressed.”

Since that time I’ve re-assessed my attitude towards positive thinking and mental challenges. I’m forcing myself this year to surround myself with positive imagery and thoughts that push me to start believing that I CAN do things that I’m fearful I can’t do. I’m trying really hard to focus and surrounds myself with people who believe in me and promote this kind of hope which I crave. I’m heading into workouts trying hard to remember that I’m doing this to have fun and that just because I hurt, it doesn’t mean I’m a failure or that I have no right to be in this sport. When I’m emotionally sad, lonely or depressed, I’m pushing myself to reach out (at least I try) and in doing so try to help my short term memory remember that I’m not unworthy of love and friendship.

Long story short: I'm a visual person. I need to have these reminders in front of me 24/7. So I wanted to share some of the visuals I’ve placed around my house this year…..hopefully this will indeed be a year of building that mental muscle and instead of saying “not me!” I’ll say “Why NOT me?”  Be Visual. Be Brave.

Inspirational magnets on my fridge :)

More inspirational magnets :)

Birthday card I got this year from my pal Ann :)

Awesome quote….painted this with stencils

"Courage" angel and a picture of the swim start and run finish at IM World Championships in Kona

Painting I found at Worthington Farmer's Market…I painted "courage" on there :)

Mirror mantras :)

On my mirror in my bathroom…my IMAZ goals are on here and I see them everyday :)

Butterfly print given to me on my birthday from Deanne :) Metamorphosis=change

"The Difficulty of Being"

Be Olympic: Ross Tri Fit Race Report

So…..I’ve never done an Olympic triathlon. I've done an Ironman, and a couple of half Ironman triathlons, but never an Olympic. Last year, I had intended to sign up for the Giant Eagle Olympic Tri distance and somehow in the signup process I ended up signing up for the Olympic Duathlon distance! Lesson learned: read the fine print. DOH! On the bright side, I was the only one in my age group and thus the ultimate winner in my group! HA!

The Ross Trifit Challenge is a point to point triathlon and this year I signed up for the challenge distance, which is an Olympic triathlon. Beginning in Antrim Lake and ending with a dynamic finish in the beloved OSU “shoe,” this was a race I was looking forward to doing.  With all the usual nerves and such I picked up my packet early in the week during an athlete briefing and studied all the athlete notes about getting my bike racked, and parking in the wee early hours of Sunday morning down by the shoe.  

Saturday afternoon was bike drop off and it’s always a tad scary to leave Killer for the night. Ultimately I’m glad for bike drop off since it’s one less thing the next morning. I racked Killer and checked out the long distance we’d be running from the deck at Antrim up to the transition area where Killer would be waiting. Thank goodness for Sue Bell who offered to loan me her swim booties!

Saturday afternoon I had a wedding to attend and I ended up eating later than I usually do on the night before a race, but it was such a gift to see my dear friends marry and I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else. Would have been nice to stay longer but I got home at a reasonable time and got my gear ready for the next morning. It would be an early one!

3:30am comes WAY too early. WAY. TO. EARLY. Somehow I got up and got myself down to the shoe where I found parking (I had been nervous about this earlier….don’t park much down by the shoe). Parked my car and put my stuff for T2 inside the stadium in my spot. I have NEVER been in the OSU stadium, let alone seen a football game there in all the 8 years I’ve lived in Columbus. It was super cool to be there. The transition area was literally ON THE FIELD. Yep, pretty neato!

Next came the shuttle bus trip to take us up to Antrim. Quick trip and within minutes we were there. I checked in on Killer (she was still there, phew!) and got my stuff all set up for transition. Picked up the timing chip and started to haul on the wetsuit. Temps in Antrim were about 74 degrees….wetsuit legal. Swimming in Antrim is prohibited throughout the year so I was curious what swimming in this event would be like. Sources had told me the water is pretty clear.

I lined up for the swim start in Corral B. Found some other tri peeps and met up with my friend Michelle who had brought a sweet little hot air balloon we intended to sent off in the air in memory of Jeff Glaze, who’s 5k race was being held that day and we couldn’t attend. Pretty cool. Thanks Michelle.

The challenge swim course was 2 loops and we were let in 4 at a time. The water was warm which I loved! The first loop was great and by the time I made the second loop the sprint folks were entering the water and it got a bit more congested. I finished just a hair over my goal time of 30 min and was out and running up to T1. Again, VERY thankful for the swim booties!

We had to pack up all our T1 stuff in a bag before leaving the area….it always adds time but since they carry our swim stuff down to the finish it’s necessary. T1 time wasn’t as short as I had hoped but soon I was on my way on the bike.  The bike course was pretty easy I thought...a few mild hills initially but nothing crazy ridiculous. I love flying down High Street! I felt super crazy fast on this bike course which shocks me. I was averaging over 20 mph which again, shocked me. Out on the second loop for the challenge distance and then down High Street again and I made my way towards T2. My bike was sub 1:10 which felt great to me! We had to dismount and then take our cleats off to walk our bikes down to T2. Somehow in the mess of dismounting, my jelly legs tripped me up and I fell over and scraped my knee and hand. Not fun and kind of got a little bloody which stalled me in T2. I was frustrated but actually more worried about Killer than me! HA!

Just Tri cheer zone!

Smiling finish selfie :)

Just Tri = Awesome!!!

Out on the run course and for the challenge tri it meant 2 loops. The Central Ohio Triathlon Club was out there at 2 different water stops and it was SOOOO great to have people cheering my name and pushing me along! The run course went around the stadium and through campus, around back to the stadium and past my Just Tri teammates (awesome cheer station y’all) and then around for the second loop. Getting a tad slower on the second loop didn’t make me happy but I kept gutting it out and was proud of myself for not walking. I pushed myself toward the finish and done! Everyone who crossed the finish had their image on the jumbotron….again, pretty cool. I was glad my fellow Just Tri supporter Laraine caught me running towards the finish line….she takes the best pictures!

Heading into the finish!

Best finish picture ever!

So my finish ended up around being around 2:40 which I was MORE than pleased with considering it was my first “official” Olympic triathlon. I was thinking and hoping for a sub 3 hour race and thankfully it happened. Even better than that, I placed 2nd in my age group which was icing on the cake.  I’m super grateful for everyone who came out and cheered us on….I’m super lucky to be connected to such a great athletic community. Those kinds of moments where we get up super early on the weekend to cheer on each other is what makes this community work….seriously. Special thanks to David Garrity for the post race beer and conversation. AWESOME.

Me and Christy "Awesome Sauce" Feamster

I’m proud of myself in this race mostly for my attitude, which as many of you know, is tough for me. I end up psyching myself up and getting super negative which ruins races and really sucks the joy out of this sport. I found myself cheering others on during the bike AND the run. I slapped the asses of my Just Tri teammates and acted silly during the cheer zone sections.  I remember seeing so many “newbies” in this race and I really love cheering them on. I tried hard to both push myself and have fun in this race and it went well. So Ross Tri Challenge is in the books….for me, and so many others. Onward. Be Olympic. Be Brave.