And so it begins...

It's always fun to start the new race season. This season is season #4 of triathlons for me. Unfortunately, I'm going into this season with some injuries and extra lbs so I'm not quite as optimistic about my performance as previous seasons. My first race ended in a DNF and my most recent race this weekend was the slowest time I've ever raced for this course. However, my injuries are mending and I can run again without pain and I haven't had a bike accident yet. So...that's positive.  Let's get into the mini-race reports.

Open Water Swim 3000 meter race - Lake Pleasant, AZ
On April 2, I started out the season with an open water swim race in Arizona.  I've done the AZ Open Water race series once before, swimming an astonishing 4000 meters a year after I learned how to swim. I love doing this race and it's part of the reason that Ben and I do a spring break trip to AZ every year. Normally, the first race of the series is at Tempe Town Lake, but there is something going on with the lake this year so they had to do the first race at Lake Pleasant, which is in the northwest corner of the metro area. It forced Ben and me to stay at a resort up that way which was AMAZING.  Absolutely loved this place, in the middle of the desert.

The race was to begin at 7:30a. We arrived onsite around 6:45 and it was sunny, windy and somewhat cool. Air temperatures were around 55 degrees and the water temperature was...wait for it...61 degrees. I stepped in the water and it felt like ice water...no joke. During the "warm up," I was pretty sure I wouldn't make it to the start. It was so cold and I could barely breathe. Then I see these dudes get in the water, wearing Speedos. Yeah. At this point, I was figured there is not way those guys can swim in Speedos and I will wimp out. No way.

KWI at Lake Pleasant race start

Race started about 15 minutes late as the race directors were waiting for the winds to die down. The gun finally goes off and we're moving. I was so preoccupied with the cold that I forgot to start my watch so I didn't hit it until about 400 meters in. After the first 1000 meter loop, I felt much more confident and was actually thinking I could do this. However, at the turn around, I was starting to lose feeling in my face and fingers and that kind of freaked me out. So I decided to quit after 2000 meters which resulted in a DNF (finished it in about 51 minutes). Disappointing, but it's another thing I can say I can do without fear. Note to self: must invest in a neoprene cap and maybe some neoprene booties.

Next day I did a little 5k and 25 mile amazing bike ride but nothing spectacular to report. I won second in my age group but there were only two of us.

Omaha Duathlon
Last weekend, I participated in the Omaha Duathlon which is a great local race featuring a 2.5 mile run, followed by a 14.5 mile bike on a flat but windy course followed by another go on the 2.5 mile run course. This race has some bad weather karma and after some nasty early morning thunderstorms, the clouds party for some sun and LOTS of wind. And just to make things interesting, about two-thirds of the bike course was "milled" in preparation for new pavement which is a pretty awful surface for a bike course.

I arrived at the course around 7:15 to help my fellow Team Nebraska Triathlon board members set up our info tent. Picked up my packet and started to doubt whether or not I would get to the start. (Do we see a pattern forming here?) I had driven on the milled road as I was coming to the race and it was horrible.  How the hell could I take my beautiful, precious Michonne (my new road bike) on that surface? Several people didn't show up or decided not to race, but after some back and forth, I decided to do it.

Race started and my calf was OK.  Definitely slower than I have done in previous years, but better than I expected. The bike leg was insane. I was going about 22-24 mph on a milled road and there was this moment about 3 miles in where I thought at any moment, this could all go horribly wrong and I'm going to have an epic crash. Made it to the turnaround and I kind of ran out of steam at that point. Wind in my face at 20 mph on a milled road and I kind of gave up. I made it back to the transition and lolly-gagged around contemplating whether or not I wanted to continue. The daughter of one of my neighbors, was waiting for me (she's in 4th grade!) at the transition and ran the entire 2.5 miles with me to the end. I have to say, I probably would have quit if she wasn't there. Although it was my slowest finish ever at this race, I actually felt fine (hamstring and calf) so I thought that was an accomplishment. I need to just build back my running fitness. Michonne handled that ripped up road like a champ.

Michonne - isn't she pretty?

Final times:
run 1 - 00:26:42
T1 - 00:00:42
Bike - 1:02:11
T2 - 00:01:56
run 2 - 00:30:56
Total: 2:02:29

The best part of this race was all of the great TNT folks I saw at the race. Made some new connections and socialized a bit. It was a really fun morning. Next up: Kansas City Triathlon on May 15. Stay Tuned!

TNT members at the club tent

Race schedule changes and other news...

I made a couple of adjustments to my race schedule this season based on travel, training schedule, etc. New schedule outlined below. With my change in race plans, 70.3 training week 1 is this Monday, 2/29!  Twenty weeks to Racine!  On March 8, I learn whether or not I made the lottery for the New York City Marathon.  Fingers crossed for the lottery entry or I'll likely run the race in support of Meb Keflezighi's charity, "Run for Meb"...which means I'll be hitting up all of you to contribute :-)

AZ Open Water Race (Lake Pleasant, AZ) - 3000m- Saturday, April 2
Sydney's Run 10K (+3 miles) (Peoria, AZ) - Sunday, April 3
Omaha Duathlon - Sunday, April 24
Lincoln Half Marathon - Sunday, May 1
Kansas City Triathlon - Sunday, May 15
Bolder Boulder 10K - Monday, May 30
USAT Athena/Clydesdale National Championships (Grand Rapids, MI)- Sunday, June 12
Ironman 70.3 Racine (Wisconsin) - Sunday, July 17
Omaha Corporate Cup - Sunday, September 11
Omaha Half Marathon (+ 6 miles) - Sunday, September 18
New York City Marathon - Sunday, November 6

Lake Pleasant, AZ

In other news, my hamstring is finally getting back to normal and although slow, I've been running more frequently WITHOUT PAIN! It's a beautiful thing. Also, I was just elected to the board of Team Nebraska Triathlon and will have the privilege of serving as the membership director this year. Really looking forward to contributing to the team and rocking some corncob arm warmers!  Stay tuned!



Back in the Saddle: 2016 Race Schedule

My 2016 race schedule has been three months in the making.  Triathlon racing is so well-suited to the OCD, data-obsessed, uber-planner like myself so even during the off-season, I can begin thinking about my next "ON-season."  But this season is as much about 2017 as it is about 2016.  The goal for 2016, my fourth triathlon season, is to set a solid foundation for 2017:  the year of my first full Ironman distance race.  I have Ironman Louisville in my sights for October 2017. Main goals for the year:

1. Increase my long distance average speed on the bike to a minimum of 16 mph
How I will accomplish this:  I need to spend more time on the trainer during the winter with a focus on interval training. I will also increase the number of long rides I do during my primary training. I also need to brave the roads and find more routes with hills, rather than my usual Keystone Trail route.

2.  Improve my run times on all events
How I will accomplish this:  I need to stay consistent with my running.  Running is my least favorite discipline of the three.  I tend to give up more easily on the run and cut runs short.  Strength training also needs to remain a solid part of my plan. I spent a good amount of time this fall working on strength training to rehab my hamstring strain. I need to continue to do at least two quality strength training sessions a week and supplement with regular visits to the chiropractor and massage therapist. I also need to incorporate more brick workouts to help myself more easily aclimate to the triathlon run. And oh yeah, I just need to run more.

3. Feel good about a marathon finish
How I will accomplish this: I've run two marathons in the past.  The first was Detroit in 2005.  Chicago was 2010.  In the first case, I was not sufficiently prepared and I ended up walking the last 6 miles.  In the case of Chicago, the temperature was unseasonably warm and it was already 80 degrees by the time I arrived at mile 16.  Although I felt I put in the training work, I was suffering by mile 20....and ended up walking the last 6 miles.

Because of these two races, I have a pretty negative feeling about the  marathon distance.  Ben is planning to run New York City Marathon in 2016 and I would love to be there with him.  He will get a guaranteed entry because he's so fast.  I'm hoping to lottery in but if not, I will probably run for a charity. NYC seems like a race that will be an incredible course with lots of support and I will need every ounce of encouragement to make this a successful race. I'd like to complete one marathon where I feel I am properly trained, healthy and mentally tough enough to give a good performance.  For me, this would mean anything near or around 5 hrs and 15 minutes. In order to do this, I need to achieve goal 2. I'd like to go into 2017 Ironman training season knowing I can get through that marathon successfully.

4. Race a sub 7-hour Half Ironman
How I will accomplish this: This will be ambitious but totally do-able at Steelhead, especially if conditions are as good as they were this past summer. The key is shaving a small percentage of time off of each event and the transitions.  Last year's finish was Swim - 47:58, T1 - 5:50, bike - 3:40:11, T2 - 8:31, Run - 2:45:31.  I know I can get at least 4 minutes off the swim time. If I can get my average bike speed up to 16 mph, I'd be good for a 3:30:00 on the bike.  Which means the majority of the time has to be made up on the run.  This means shaving off only 15 minutes from my run, which sucked this past year, so that seems do-able. A run time of 2:25:00 would be ideal, but that may be pushing it, especially considering the hills on the run course. I'd like to leave myself some wiggle room on the transitions so I'd budget 15 minutes total for the two.  This is an ambitious goal but I would feel very good going into 2017 if I could achieve this.

2016 RACE SCHEDULE
The race schedule will include some races I've enjoyed in the past and some new courses. The Omaha Duathlon is always a fun tune-up race and the Lincoln Half forces me to run early in the season. Kansas City and the Athena Championships will be new for me this year.  I've not done a triathlon this early in the season before so again, this will force me to get serious by February.  Ben and I absolutely love running Bolder Boulder.  We try to do it every year and make it a beer drinking/training weekend. I've also not raced the Omaha Half Marathon so I will use this race as my 20 miler training run for NYC, with a plan of running another 6 miles after I finish the official half race.

Omaha Duathlon - Sunday, April 24
Lincoln Half Marathon - Sunday, May 1
Kansas City Triathlon - Sunday, May 15
Bolder Boulder 10K - Monday, May 30
USAT Athena/Clydesdale National Championships - Sunday, June 12
Lifetime Tri Minneapolis - Saturday, July 9
Ironman 70.3 Steelhead - Sunday, August 14
Omaha Corporate Cup - Sunday, September 11
Omaha Half Marathon (+ 6 miles) - Sunday, September 18
New York City Marathon - Sunday, November 6

Let's hope for a healthy and productive 2016 race season. Stay tuned!

Off season, Injuries and Crowie's Ball

Ah the off season...
It's been 2 and a half months since my Ironman 70.3 finish at Steelhead but it feels like years ago.  My MBA classes started back up, Ben and I did a road trip through northern MI and WI and a lot of cool things have been happening at work as we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Holland Center.  With all this activity, you'd think I'd be more than pre-occupied.  However, my free time often wanders to researching races for 2016 and planning trips around those races.  The tri tan lines have faded, a little weight gain has set in and yep, I have a slight case of the off-season blues.

The Injury...
I had been struggling with my right hamstring pretty much all summer, but I muscled through to be able to finish my A race.  Immediately after, I decided I'd take 2 weeks off from running to let things come back to normal.  Things didn't come back to normal, though. It felt like it got worse.  Sitting for long periods of time was really uncomfortable and I switched to a standing desk at work to see if that would help.  Running was nearly impossible.  My right leg would begin to drag after about 15 minutes because it hurt so bad to drive me knees forward.  At the end of August, I saw a PT who diagnosed me with hamstring tendonosis. 

Hamstring tendonosis is an advanced tendonitis in the high part of the hamstring (near the insertion point at the glute).  Essentially, the hamstring muscle fibers begin to break down due to weakness (from lack of strength training - I never train my legs) and not being able to heal (overuse in training). After obsessively researching it on the internet, I learned that this particular injury takes a long time to heal....as long as 3-6 months.  The PT gave me a rehab exercise regimen that he said "will require a lot of patience and consistency."  That does not sound like my idea of fun.

The Recovery
The regimen requires me to do 12 sets of 12 hamstring curls 5 days a week for 12 weeks.  In my case, the issue is exacerbated by the way my pelvis is tilted so I have to do a prep exercise to re-set my pelvis alignment before I start do the strengthening exercises. In addition, I have added upper body training at least twice a week and supplemental lower body (quads and glutes) twice week.  My cardio has really only been swimming which is not nearly as consistent as it should be.  I am finishing up week 8 of 12 and just within the past week or so have I noticed an actual improvement.  Last week the PT suggested I try to run a little bit and see how things are progressing.  I've only done about 2 miles at a time and so far, so good.  It's still a nagging pain but not 100% debilitating like it was 8 weeks ago.I have also started doing spin and indoor riding again.  I have been super consistent with my rehab exercises so hopefully I can fix this. I'm also seeing a chiropractor once a week to re-set my alignment and massage about every 10 days to 2 weeks. It's taking forever, but I'm feeling optimistic.

Suggestions?
If anyone has had any experience with high hamstring strains, sprains or tendonosis, I'd love to hear suggestions or rehab/treatment that worked for you. 

"Crowie's Balls"
One other suggestion the PT has made was to increase core strength so I've been incorporating core strength training in between each of my hamstring curl sets.  When I do both abs and hamstring, it takes almost 30 minutes.  Because planks and crunches get boring, I started researching some alternatives and came across this gem.  The amazing triathlete superstar Craig "Crowie" Alexander has this fantastic series of core exercises that I have been using.  He affectionately refers to some of these exercises as "crowie's balls."  Behold...Crowie's Balls below...

Race Report for Ironman 70.3 Steelhead: A Perfect Day

Approximately three years ago, I watched my husband complete Ironman Wisconsin.  I had always been enamored with the Ironman.  I'd watched the race on television and read a book or two on people who have tackled the monster of endurance races.  Ben did an incredible job, finishing in less than 10 hours.  Watching this race was really the moment I decided I wanted to become a triathlete.  I couldn't swim one lap in the pool, I didn't own a bike and I wasn't a very good runner.  I had completed a number of running races but at the end of the two marathons that I completed, I didn't really feel good about them.  I felt like I just "got through it."  Today was the longest endurance event I have ever experienced and it was by far one of the most amazing feelings I've had in a race.  With that said, on to the race report...



My Finisher Medal

Pre-race:
FRIDAY - I left Omaha on Friday morning at 6:45am.  It was a LONG drive.  I arrived at the race site at 6:02p and they had just closed athlete check-in.  Grrr.  Headed to the hotel, checked in, found a Qdoba and settled in for the night.  I really like to stick with food that I know pre-race and Qdoba, Chipotle and Panera are basically my favorites.
SATURDAY - Headed out to the Ironman Village around 9:30.  After check-in, my plan was to attend the athlete meeting and then get a quick swim in Lake Michigan.  It looks really intimidating at first but it was a lovely swim.  The forecast predicted pretty outstanding race conditions.

Swim finish chute
 

I met with parents-in-law around 6p to show them the race start and have dinner.  It was really nice to have them around for the race and to know someone would be there in case the day did not go as planned (translation:  in case I ended up in the medical tent).  We had a nice dinner and I was in bed by 9:30p. 

RACE MORNING:
I didn't sleep very well, waking up at 2:30a and tossing and turning until I had to get out of bed at 4:30a.  Gulped down some Gatorade, coffee and oatmeal and I was at the race site around 5:30a.  Set up my transition and connected with my in-laws.  Ran into Paul, a Team Nebraska Triathlon member, and we had a nice chat.  We both commented on how AWESOME the race conditions were compared to what we're used to in the Plains states tris.  Susan, Richard and I walked down to the swim start and I got in the water for about 10 minutes of warm-up.  My shoulder had been bothering me a bit since my bike accident so I was a little nervous about that.  My plan was to just swim the hell out of this race with the thought that I won't need my shoulder again for a while :-)

SWIM:
My wave went off at 7:12a and it was right on schedule.  There were A LOT of woman in this wave as it included age groups 40-44 and 25-29.  I've never been in a wave with so many people and it was a bit rough to start.  I was super calm and started swimming right away.  The conditions were outstanding.  Water temp was 72.8 degrees, winds were calm and there was really no chop at all.  The water was crystal clear and lovely.  I must admit that it's a little disconcerting to look out and see a sea of nothing but water ahead of you but I stayed surprisingly calm.  When I got to the alleged half way point, I was at 25ish minutes and I was like, huh? I started cranking a little faster and made the final turn around 35 minutes. The course was busy pretty much the entire swim.  I was blowing past some folks, though.  My swim coach Jim has been working with me on picking up cadence for these instances where you need to get out of a clump of people.  Definitely paid off today.  On the beach and although it wasn't my best, I was happy with the result.  My GPS read 1.57 miles so I would say I did pretty damn well.    SWIM SPLIT:  47:58

TRANSITION 1:  I took my time here.  Didn't run through the sand for fear of turning my ankle.  Made my way down the long aisle to my bike and was out of there pretty quickly.  T1:  5:50

BIKE:
Have I mentioned that race conditions were near perfect?  Overcast all day, hardly any wind.  Temps in the low to mid 70s.  This bike course is FAST.  I wasn't event killing myself, trying to make sure I was functional for the run, and I rode my fastest miles-per-hour average ever for this distance.  Actually, it may be the best EVER ever.  I swear this course felt like it was all downhill.  There were two little hills but nothing like I've experienced in other races.  One new thing for me was the bottle toss/bottle pick up.  I was terrified I would crash.  I lost two bottles during the course of the bike but I was able to maintain my nutrition schedule really well.  Excellent bike split overall.  BIKE SPLIT:  3:40:11

TRANSITION 2:  A lot slower.  By this point, I REALLY needed to use the bathroom.  No point in going into the nasty details, but I was in there for a little bit.  Still, no real stomach distress.  T2:  8:31

RUN: 
Although I had a good bike, I was glad to be off of that damn thing.  the run kicks off with a nice little uphill which many people were walking (including myself).  I struggled through mile 6 and then actually picked up the pace a bit for about 3 miles.  Coca Cola - WOW.  This is like a miracle drug at this point.  Other than the coke, I stuck to my normal Powerbar energy blends, which is essentially pureed fruit  - kind of like baby food.  I had absolutely no gastro distress or dehydration.  I drank every stop and was fine.  The last 2 miles were rough but funny enough, I ran this bad boy slightly faster than I ran my disastrous Lincoln Half Marathon.  RUN SPLIT:  2:45:31

FINAL RACE TIME:  7:28:01

I cannot describe the joy I felt to cross the finish line.  I could never have imagined that I would be able to do this.  I'm by no means fast or competitive, but what I have personally accomplished with this training was really pretty incredible for me.  This is the first race plan that I actually stuck with the entire 20 weeks.  Even through a nasty bike accident.  One thing I realized is how I am no where near ready to finish an Ironman but I also said the same thing about the half Iron 3 years ago.  We'll see what the future brings.  For now,  I look forward to rocking my M dot and I even want to do this again.  Thanks to all of you who have supported me this year and I'll come back to the blog when my new season starts in January.  Until then!

Race Finish



Race Report: Lifetime Tri Minneapolis - It was a good day...

Swim Start at Dawn

 Ah, Minneapolis!  How I love your awesome bike lanes and running trails, your better-than-Omaha shopping, your awesome indie rock public radio station, your super nice people and your surprising cultural diversity.  It's a wonderland, this place called Minneapolis and it was a delight to make my way here this weekend for the Lifetime Tri Minneapolis. A little out of my way just to do a race, you may say.  Yes, true, but I won a free entry seven months ago so I thought I'd give it go.  I had a really good time here and I will definitely want to do this race again.  So on with the race report:




PRE-RACE:
Left Omaha around 7:30a on Friday to drive out here.  Ben wasn't able to make it because of school so I had to drive up here by myself.  I don't enjoy driving, but I loaded up with some good podcasts and music and did A-OK.  Thank you, Terry Gross and Marc Maron.

When I arrived in Minneapolis, I drove right to the race site so I could pick up my packet and hang out for the athlete meeting.  The race allowed for early bike check-in so I wanted to dump the bike, attend the meeting and then drive the bike course.  They told me at check-in that you could only transport your gear in a clear transition bag.  Wasn't thrilled about that (I have a system), but fine. Drove the bike course after the meeting and I was pleased to see it was fairly flat.  A few little rolls but nothing crazy.

The swag is pretty good for this race.  The t-shirt is underwhelming but wow, you get so much stuff in the swag bags (yes, 2 bags).  I estimate they probably gave away nearly $75 in products. 

Massive Swag

RACE DAY:

 

Alarm went off at 4:25a.  I had been up until 11:30p the night before watching "Gone Girl."  I was not planning to stay up that late, but it sucked me in.  Needless to say, it was rough waking up.  Ate some oatmeal and coffee.  Out the door at 5a and arrived at the race site within 10 minutes.  Surprisingly, there was a lot of street parking available and transition was not busy.  Note to self:  arrive early for all races going forward. 

 

I set up my transition area chilled out by the swim start.  It was really calm and quite lovely at dawn.  Race officials announced that the water temperature was 76.1 degrees - wetsuit legal, so I headed back to transition to get my wetsuit.  I did a quick warm-up swim and felt good.  I was ready.

 

 

SWIM:

The swim start was a time trial start which is awesome.  I really prefer this over the wave start.  Ran into the water and start swimming.  And I kept swimming.  It was an awesome swim.  No fear, smooth sailing.  I flew past a bunch of people and started catching folks in earlier waves.  Crossed the swim mat and was like, "yeah, that was good."  SWIM SPLIT:  00:33:50

 

T1:  Could have been quicker but it was fine.  The transition area was HUGE.  T1 SPLIT:  4:52

Transition area

 

 

BIKE:  Bike course is awesome.  Relatively flat, scenic, even a bit shaded.  I was averaging 15.7 mph until about mile 17 and I had a slight chain malfunction.  That cost me a few minutes. Happened again around mile 22, but so it goes.  I rode strong and had fun.  BIKE SPLIT:  1:41:06

 





T2:  I had been thinking about the porta pottie since around mile 12.  I was able to go right before the swim but the urge returned.  Killed a little time in the porta pottie so this transition kind of sucked.  T2 SPLIT:  7:05

RUN:    The run was meh.  I wasn't struggling but I wan'ts pushing either.  I need to get a little more serious about the run because there was really no excuse for me to take it easy.  The course was not hilly and the temps were not bad.  It was a little overcast and didn't feel too warm.  I heard some athletes commenting on the heat and humidity and I was like, "um, yeah.  This is nothing.  Race in Kansas and then let's talk."  In any case, not my best run.  RUN SPLIT:  1:11:30

Even with the bike chain issue, slow T2 and sucky run, I still managed an olympic distance PR by about 2 minutes.  Can't hate on that.  OVERALL FINISH:  3:38:22

So that's all she wrote.  This is a great race.  Really nice course, well managed, fun.  I highly recommend and may have to do it again next year.  This was my last race until the big dance on Aug 9:  Ironman Steelhead 70.3.  Four weeks out so it's getting real.  Stay tuned!


Beach at swim start

Legendary Race Report: The Chop, The Wind, The Heat...

Today marked the official start of my third triathlon racing season with the Legend Triathlon in Lawrence, KS.  Before I get into the nitty gritty of this race report, let me first give some background on this race.

A Brief History
For a good number of years, Ironman hosted a 70.3 in this location:  Clinton State Park in Lawrence, KS.  Ben has done the Ironman Kansas 70.3 twice and I volunteered at the swim start both times.  There have been some amazing athletes who have raced the course including Ironman champion Chrissy Wellington and Craig "Crowie" Alexander most recently in 2013.  I had the honor of handing him a swim cap and telling him he couldn't warm up in the lake that year.  In 2014, World Triathlon Corporation added a race to their 5150 series on this same course.  I raced the 5150 last year and had a very good race, which qualified me for the non defunct Hyvee Championship.  In 2015, WTC announced that it would discontinue Kansas 70.3, and their 5150 Series basically got the ax as well in this same year. 

And so was born the Legend Free State Triathlon.  Managed by the same race company(Silverback) that managed 5150 and 70.3, Legend boasted a number of different course options including a Sprint, Olympic (almost identical to the 5150 course), a 70.3 half iron distance and a weird 100 mile distance that included a 2 mile swim, 80 mile bike and 18 mile run.   Great incentives for early registration (I got a free sweatshirt and a $75 race entry) and lots of course options resulted in really strong races entries.  Someone told me there were approximately 1100 athletes racing today.

And now, to the race report...
After my not-so-great Lincoln Half Marathon, I really wanted to focus on pre-hydration and sodium intake.  As always, I get such amazing advice from friend and pro triathlete Alyssa Godesky and she had given me some tips for making sure I had enough sodium and hydration before I even got on the course. I have been working on that for about a month and have had some good practice runs including a really strong Bolder Boulder race and training weekend.  I felt pretty confident going into this weekend. 

Pre-race
Ben and I arrived in Lawrence around 3p on Saturday.  It was pretty hot but this is not unusual.  I checked in and took it easy the rest of the day.  Ben and I did our traditional dinner at Free State Brewery and I was well-hydrated.  I had been drinking a lot of water and sports drinks for several days prior and I felt pretty good.  In bed by 9:45p.  Fairly restless night which is typical for me the night before a race.

Race Morning
Up without an alarm at 4:30a, slapped on some sunscreen, braided my hair and made myself some oatmeal.  We were on the road at 5:07a.  I usually do coffee pre-race, but I've been using an energy drink that's really great (XS - an Amway produc,t strangely enough) which goes down easy and sits well with me.  We got to the race site at 5:30 and it was jammed.  Parking took a while and then you have to walk literally 1.5 miles to the transition and swim start.  I got there with 5 minutes to set up my crap before they closed transition.  No worries, though - I have a system and it was fine.  I had 40 minutes until my wave started so I had time to lube up (ASIDE:  for non-triathletes, using body glide lubrication on shins/arms helps to get the wetsuit off easily and around wrists/neck/ankles to avoid nasty chaffing), have a wee (pee) and even do a little loosen-up swim.  I noticed the chop but it didn't concern me.

Swim
Gun went off for my wave and the water was incredibly choppy.  This was my ninth triathlon and I've done countless open water swims including a 4000 meter swim in Tempe and I never experienced anything like this.  I seriously thought I was going to drown.  It was a total panic/freakout and I really had a difficult time recovering.  About ten minutes in, I couldn't see the people in my wave any longer because they were so far ahead of me.  I breaststroked (which I don't really know how to do) to a kayak.  I got my breath under control and thought, "Ok, just a little hiccup.  I can do this." Started out again to the next bouy.  Within 2 minutes I was panicked and unable to properly do my breathing without getting slapped in the face with a wave.  I just kind of hung out for a minute considering what I was going to do.  A boat came over and asked if I was OK.  "Do you want us to pull you out?" they said.  I couldn't believe this.  "No, I got it."  Swam to the next kayak.  Break.  Breathe.  Chill.  This went on like this for 40 minutes until I got to the half way point.  As a point of reference, I swam the entire 1500 meter course, this exact same course, in the 5150 race last year in 36:05.

By the time, I got to the turnaround, I was able to properly freestyle without taking in gulps of waves.  The second half of the race took me about 19 minutes.

swim time:  1:00:31

T1
At this point, I am seriously just happy to be out of the water.  The swim is typically my favorite event but today was all about survival.  I took my sweet ass time in transition, thanking the gods for getting me to dry land.
T1 time:  4:00

Bike
Uneventful and slightly slower than my 5150 time last year.  It was a lot windier than last year but I felt like I enjoyed the bike more.  I solidly stuck to my hydration and nutrition plan and felt pretty good getting off the bike.  Alyssa told me once that I should ride "like I don't have to run after."  I did not really do that today but I was kind of just getting through at this point.
bike time:  1:50:46, 13.2 mph average (CRAP)

T2
After ingesting half of the Clinton Lake on the swim, I had to PEE.  Took my sweet time again and used the Porta John.  NO toilet paper?  NO problem - I have grit.
T2 time:  5:01

Run
Although it was about 8 minutes slower than last year's 5150, I felt pretty good.  At this point, I wasn't really busting my butt because I kind of felt like the race was shot, but my legs were really fresh and it was HOT OUT THERE.  90 degrees when I finished.  Very little shade on the course, but I stuck to my hydration and nutrition plan and felt fine.  Note to self:  do this again.  As I was hitting the 6 mile point, I thought, "Yeah, if I had to do another 6, I could do it."  This made me feel so happy. 
run time:  1:15:52

Official race finish:  4:16:07
Takeaways:

• Things happen.  I'm really proud of myself that I kept going.  Me, 2 years ago, would have turned back at the first kayak.  Now that I've had this experience, I feel like I could better manage a similar experience in the future.  I pray that Steelhead 70.3 swim in Lake Michigan is not as choppy.
• Hydration/nutrition planned worked.  This may be the first race where I didn't want to just quit when I got off the bike.  I really felt decent and I have to think it was partially due to sticking to the plan.
• Overall, these are probably the most brutal race conditions that I have experienced in a triathlon.  It was also my slowest time of any of my Olympic races, including my very first one. 
• BUT...I really can't believe I didn't quit.  I am gaining some mental toughness and grit.  and I felt so happy with myself for that.  It also gave me confidence that I can do this 70.3.  I have a lot of work to do in the next 9 weeks, but I know it is achievable.

Next up:  Lifetime Tri Minneapolis - 7/11. I won a free entry so I'm there.  Stay tuned!