Beaver Lake Sprint Triathlon 2009

This is the 3rd time I have done the Beaver Lake sprint tri. Mostly it is the bike course that keeps me coming back. It is is essentially downhill on the way out and uphill on the way back with my favorite 2-mile staircase like hill the meat of the course. Other than that I just like the small local atmosphere, the community really seems to come out in support of the race.
Anyway on Friday I was bit worried because my legs still felt tired esp when I walked up stairs. So i did not really know what to expect. I talked with Kainoa and she told me just to go all out and not hold anything back since it is a short race. The main goal was to just go faster than last years 1:30:39.
As usual I like to get to races early just in case and so I have plenty of time for a warm up and to use the porta potties before a huge line forms. So we left the house around 5:30a with a cup of Via + chocolate milk in hand (Kyle had a double).
We got to the park and I got my packet and since we were so early I got my choice of spots on the rock - of course I went on the end. It did not take long to set up my transition since really don't need very much for a sprint.. I was a little worried because it was kind of cold and considered having a vest ready but in the end decided it was just a sprint it would not be long enough to really matter if I was cold or not.. and to be honest if I was going all out I would not be cold even going downhill.

When I got back from my :20 min warm up run my Mom and Jerry has arrived with the HUGE sign and the camera.

I was the 7th wave to start and even though it was 29 and under I think there was only about 25-30 girls. Since it was so small I went ahead and started front and center. As we started I tried my best to stay with the few obvious swimmers but wound up in open water between the swimmers and the rest of the wave. So no draft for me but at least I did not have to fight my way or anything. Just as planned I went full out the entire swim which felt great.
As I came out of the water Kyle yelled at me that I was 5th out of the water - which must be why I'm smiling. I think it is the first time I don't look horrible coming out of the swim :)

I got in and out of T1 as quickly as I could and got on to the bike :) I was kind of shocked to see that my heart rate was well up at 181 bpm already but then remembered that is usually where it is when I race. Anyway I quickly got into drops and was off. Honestly i just focused and stayed after it. When I headed down Duthie Hill Road I was shocked I actually passe a bunch of people. I don't think I have EVER passed anyone on a downhill but I knew there was a flat runout and eveb a sligt uphill before the sharp right turn. It was really nice to know the course so well.
I looked for girls in my age group but never really saw any - it did not help they used skinny sharpies to do the body marking so it was not very easy to see.
I kept after it on the flats on 202 and after the right turn started the climb. I did exactly what I planned. I road strong up the 1st two climbs, kept after it on the flat sections and waited to really go for it till the last climb. I passed a ton of people and had so much fun. As always I LOVE this climb.
There is a couple of miles to get back to T2 after the top of the climb and I felt great and just focused on keeping the cadence and intensity high. I ate one plain gu on the way back and dark a bit more of my gatorade.


I rode hard all the way into T2 and had a good transition though I did take an extra second of two taking my glasses out of my back pocket... Oh well.

As soon as I started the run I was a bit worried my legs felt very heavy but i dug deep especially when Kyle said there were not any girls in front of me. I ran as fast as I could and even though my legs hurt I pushed it as much as I could.
It was kind of funny around mile 1.5 or so a friend of ours passed me for the second time and asked out I gained so much time in transition lol. I tried my best to stay with him but he ran a bit away from me - I did keep him in sight most of the run. I always forget how many hills are on the run. They are all pretty short but they hurt. I managed to keep my pace well under an 8 m/mi pace and as I got closure to half way i started to ratchet it down even more. At this point all I was looking at was my overall time and knew I really wanted to go sub 1:30:00.The last mile I ran fast as I could and totally ignored my screaming legs. I managed to get my heart rate up to 193 bpm lol and even better my pace under a 7 m/mi.

I had so much fun pushing myself so hard but I was so glad to be done.

Kyle my super sherpa and I


Kyle, my Mom and I

Final Results
1/4 mi Swim 0:07:32
T1 1:34
13.8 mi Bike 0:44:37
T2 0:54
4.3 mi Run 0:33:01
Overall 1:27:38


We hung out and chatted with everyone, grabbed some water, food and once they had results up I went and looked at the results. I was so excited because I thought I had finished 3rd in my age group. So we decided to hang out for the awards. My Mom used the time to take more pictures.

It took a while but eventually they did awards. They did the overall awards first - the overall female was in my age group so when they got to my age group I was shocked that they called my name for 1st pace. I could not believe it I have never really won anything so I was so excited for 3rd but 1st.. Really!!!!


To say the least I am very happy with my race. I executed my race plan, pulled off a 3 min PR and they gave me 1st in my Age group as well. I would defiantly say it was a good day. Not to mention a perfect confidence builder going into the next couple of months of marathon training. I will defiantly be pulling on this memory in training to get me out the door and make teh most of my training and listen to Kainoa. The rest of the day I could not stop smiling and even had a hard time taking my post race nap because I was just so excited lol

I have to say thank you to Kyle for waking up so early to support me and cheer me on through out the race. It was very motivating here him cheering and telling me where I was in my age group and having him there made it even better to do so well.

Also Thank you to my Mom and Jerry for being at the race cheering and taking so many photos. It really means so much know you were there supporting me.
I feel very lucky :D

Seafair Sprint Triathlon 2009

On July 19 a huge group of the Pauole Sport team came out and did the Seafair Sprint Triathlon. So of course Kyle and I did it as well. The weird thing was is as it got closure I really was not that excited about dealing with the logistics and racing such a short race.. But once we got there on race morning with so many people we knew I had such a great time.
The racked the bikes by bib number which must have been based on when you registered because Kyle and I were right next to each other. At least I knew who to blame if all my stuff was tossed everywhere lol

I only brought 1 pair of run shoes and since they close T1 I had to get my :15 warm up run in before they shut it down even though I started almost a full :30 after the start. The warm up went well as always and then I got in my wetsuit and headed to the lake to watch the elite wave start, then Kyle and finally get in the lake myself. It was chilly and I could not help shaking uncontrollably while waiting to get going.

Finally my wave got started. For some reason most of the pack seemed to swim way left and round but I just went straight so I did not really get much of a draft :/ but at least I did not swim extra. I did however forget to kick lol and about half way I had to remind myself this was a short race and I should pick up the intensity a bit and actually kick a little more.

I came out of the water and headed into T1 and got the wetsuit of fairly fast and got the helmet on with no issues and was out on the bike. Not to bad for only my second transition this year... and first with a wetsuit..

The course is pretty much flat compared to all the rides I have done this year and since flats are not my strength I was not really expecting much. But I managed to pass a ton of people and more importantly only got passed by a few of the relay cyclists who were all decked out in cycling kit. I made sure to try and drink at least half my bottle of gatorade and had a gel half way so that I would not have to eat or drink anything on the run.

In no time I was heading back to transition and out onto the run. It was kind of weird I felt really dizzy on the 1st mile of the run which has never happened to me before. It also felt kind of hard and I did not get why until my garmin told me it was mile 1 and I had run it in 7:40.. hmm yeah no wonder it felt hard. I managed to find a good rhythm and not really slow to much till the hill.. Stupid hill more like it. I'm glad I ran the course a couple days before and found out about it because it was steep. I tried not to completely redline it but of course I kept at it.. But once I reached the top I picked it up as much as I could on the way down and did my best to maintain that momentum and effort all the way to the finish. The last half mile I ran in 3:20 which is a 6:40 m/mi pace :) and my heart rate appropriately reached 190 bpm.


Final times
1/2-mile Swim 0:16:03
t1 1:49
12-mile Bike 0:38:05
t2 1:27
3.1-mile (5k) Run 0:24:46

Overall 1:22:10
Age group 16/124

In all I am pretty happy with how the race went and how I finished in my age group and such. Not to bad for not doing much speed work lol.

After the race the team all got together for a team photo... check out all the orange. It was so much fun racing and seeing so many people from the team out there.

Beaver Lake Sprint Triathlon 2008

Last Saturday (Aug 16, 2008) Kyle and I did the Beaver lake Sprint Triathlon. It is a good local race with a short .25 mi warm swim, hilly 138 mi bike course (perfect for me), and a rolling 4.3 mi run. Last time I did it in 2006 - as my 2nd triathlon ever.

We got there faster than we expected - probably because there is not much traffic at 6:30 am. It is a small event so no lines to get body marker or anything. The racks were organized by bib # which seemed to be based on when you registered because Kyle and I were 181 and 182. After getting body marked and all that we set up our stuff, went to the bathroom, went for a 10 min warm up run, talked to a few people we knew, did final prep and got into our wetsuits.
I found my Mom & Jerry as we wondered out to the lake. Kyle got in for a warm up swim but since my wave started almost 20 min after his I decided not to. Kyle was the 2nd wave and he was in and out pretty quick - I think he came out of the water 6th in his wave which is great.
I had to wait a little longer before I finally got in the water. As usual my wave was women 29 and under. I seeded myself as usual somewhat up front but off to the right side. Once we started my usual pace and gradually speed up so that the last half I was going pretty hard. It seemed like I was some where in the middle of the pack.
Once out of the water I ran and managed to get through transition pretty quickly even with the wetsuit - good to see it is getting easier/faster as I do it more often. Then I was off on the bike.
My goal for the bike was to get after it right from the beginning and push myself the entire way no matter what. The first half was relatively flat and easy so I just tried to push it and keep the cadence up. I did not brake going down the big hill - which is huge for me. A the course turned on to the flat highway for a mile or two I increased my cadence and got ready to climb. Once I turned right on to the first part of the climb I ate a gel to make sure I did not waste everything on the first baby climb. Then I started picking up the pace so by the end I was completely in zone 4 -5. It was hard but in a very good way. I was able to continue to push it over the crest of the final climb. I felt good and let me self go back to a good strong zone 3 intensity level. After the climb there is really only about 4-5 miles with a few little rollers but all super easy to the transition area - I kept my focus and just spun the rest of the way back. It was somewhere with in the last mile of the bike that I saw a girl is my age group pass me but I assumed there were a lot more girls in front of me so I did not really pick it up or anything.
T2 was good - mid change I decided to run no socks mostly because I did not want to waste time putting them on for a 4 mile run. The first little bit my legs felt a little tight - esp my left calf - no idea where that came from usually it is my right that gets tight. I caught my mom and Jerry off guard they were surprised to see me running already.
It took at least a mile for me to really feel warmed up. Since the goal for the whole race was to go hard and see what happens I started finding people in front on me to chaise and then pass - I think only 1 was in my age group. I was averaging around an 8 m/mi pace. I started feeling pretty good and even though my garmin says mile 3-4 was the most hilly part it turned out to be my fastest mile. It had gotten a little warmer out but I never felt the need for any water from the aid stations. With in the last quarter mile I was passed by another girl in my age group. I started to pick up the pace some more but I did not really start to kick till the last block or two. I surprised both Kyle and my mom at how soon I came in to the finish. It felt weird crossing the finish line - just felt like wow that is it.. Guess that is what happens when all you do is long course for a year or two.

Final times :
Overall 1:30:39 | Swim 0:09:10 | T1 1:50 | Bike 0:44:15 | T2 1:06 | Run 0:34:17
5th in my Age Group!!

4th beat me by 23 seconds - ouch.


In the end some of the lessons learned is I can go fast when I want to and I can go even faster if I push the intensity a little more. Sprints are very short there is nothing to save energy for. Don't assume I'm not at the front of my age group - keep chasing.

Afterwards Kyle and I milled around a bit and caught up with a bunch of people we have not seen in a while - even a family from our ski racing days was there.

And last but not least Thanks to the best cheering squad out there - who got up early and came armed with signs and everything.