Racing Goals for 2011

A little bit ago Hubs sent me this IM:

I think your readership is bigger than you think; I just got asked why you don't have any racing goals on your resolution post that I hadn't even read yet.

I responded with this:

Hmmmm.  Tell them that my racing goals/resolutions are lumped in with finding more patience with you.

Hubs:  hahaha
Me:  I got jokes
Hubs:  Its funny cause it's true.

I've been thinking about that thought since he asked and so this is my real answer to that question:

I didn't make any racing resolutions because unlike a lot of people around me, I only enjoy the OCCASIONAL race.  I'm a fair weather racer.  If I'm feeling good, the weather is suppose to be nice, and I'm in no danger of drowning I will sign up and decide if I'm racing ON race day.

I have no desire to run a full marathon, complete an Olympic distance triathlon or be any type of Ironman.  It's not that I don't think I can do it (Oprah ran a marathon for goodness sakes) my lack of motivation comes from this simple statement: I don't get the point.  I'm perfectly satisfied running 3 or 4 or even 6 miles on a good day.  I like doing the 12ish mile Longview Loop on my bike and being done with it.

I suppose if someone told me they would pay me to swim, bike, run everyday and I could take naps and eat whatever I wanted that might be a different story.  The point would be: its my job. And the better I do my job, the better I get paid.  But to just get up at the ass crack of dawn on the weekends to suffer through a race is not really my idea of a great time.  I already get paid to suffer through something else during the week...it's called work.  Why would I want to subject myself to the same misery on my days off?

I know people that run marathons.  After Hubs finished his first marathon he said he didn't feel the clouds part and the 'come to Jesus' moment a lot of people feel when they finish a marathon.  His life wasn't different at all.

Another friend posted this after her first marathon:

"I trained for my first full marathon (26.2 miles) for 6 months and completed it in October 2010. Surprisingly, I left the experience feeling somewhat empty and unfulfilled. I had raised so much money and run so many miles and for what? I know that there are many people out there that I had helped through the money I raised, but I still felt lost.  I had no desire to run anymore. What was the point? Yes, it made me feel good sometimeands, and yes, I had met some amazing people, but the warmth of my bed in the morning sounded so much more appealing."

The point of my racing is this:  Hubs enjoys it and I like spending time with Hubs so I will continue to begrudgingly follow him around while he races.  And I will do a few along the way--if I feel like it.

So, here are my racing goals for 2011:

• Do 1 race a month  (assuming the weather permits--Jillian Carter permits; not race permits.)

• In keeping with our agreement I will continue to buy one new outfit for every race I run although this year we are going to change it from 'racing' outfits to just 'outfits'

• Not push myself so hard I throw up while biking

• Remember my cow bell so I can be an appropriately noisy fan.  (Beth continuously showed me up last season.)

• Volunteer for the Lawrence/Branson half Ironmans and unlike last year, I will show up for both...

• It is likely I will run a 5k in under 30 minutes.  But, if not, I will sleep just fine...

• And I might run the KC Half Marathon (again) just to prove that anyone can run a half marathon if they want to...

Again, I think 2011 is going to be a steller year.  For racing and otherwise!

IronMan Branson 70.3

The weekend was full of nail biting excitement at Hubs big race.  The Branson 70.3 is no joke.  When we first arrived we saw Glenn from KC Multi Sport and I was volunteered to volunteer the morning of the race.  I had to be there at 430…but of course I was at the mercy of Hubs so I didn’t actually make it there til 445.  I was on wrist band detail.  No one in the transition area without a wrist band!  I saw all the pros coming and going with their thousands and thousands of dollars with of gear.  If I had been racing I probably would have backed out considering it was such a high profile race with so many pros.  Thankfully, I was merely wearing an Iron Team t-shirt and working the event instead of walking my lame/awesome bike around.  (Don’t get me wrong.  My bike is awesome.   For me.  Not for Pip Taylor.)  It was a full day of supporting and yelling and encouraging athletes struggling through a race I can’t ever imagine attempting.  They push themselves in a way that some people might consider crazy---but they love it.  And I suppose that’s all that matters.    

         Oh, and I had never seen so much spandex in my life. 

         Hubs did well and I was able to cheer for him at practically every point in the race.  My volunteer duties made it easy for me to camp out in prime locations while waiting for Hubs.  I was able to get places regular spectators couldn’t—like inside transition when he ran up out of the water, the middle of the road directing traffic when he biked by and inside the finishing area to take his picture as he finished. 

         Unfortunately, while I was waiting for him in the finishing area the emergency crews called to say Hubs had laid down at mile 10 (on the run) and was asking for me… WHAT?  Talk about panic!  He was fine though.  Just worn completely out and sick to his stomach.  I’m super proud of him---he made it 68 miles and that’s 50 more than I have ever done.  It was a milestone.  And while I think we would have liked to have finished I think he is fine with how it all worked out.   I think he learned a lot about that distance and his limits….

         Oh, and not to take the focus off Hubs’ big day but being a volunteer/spectator is not easy work either.  It’s standing in the heat waiting and nervously checking your watch.  It’s hoping nothing bad happened and keeping your energy up for hours of waiting cheering for all the athletes that go by before the one (or in my case ones) you are supporting go by (and they go by in SECONDS).  Spectators sit in the heat for hours and hours just to cheer for their loved one a total of 10 seconds the entire race.  At the end of the day I was filthy, sore, and stinky.  I have a new found respect for the spectators.  Usually, when I’m racing, I want to punch the people in the face that are telling me to keep going when I feel like I’m about to die but after spending a day being the girl that encouraged the stragglers it’s tough to be mad at them because they just want you to do well too. 

        So, for any spectators/race volunteer that has told me I can do it, I would like to take back my eye roll or annoyed deep sigh.  I’m certain you meant well….or at least I’m hoping you did.

Duathlon or Fusion---Maybe Both

Dear Bill,

         Hi!  I’m a frequent participant in your events.  (I use the term “frequent participant” loosely considering I’ve only shown for ½ the events I’ve registered for thus far this year.  And I’m on the fence about the upcoming race this Sunday.)  While my participation is questionable, one thing is not---your website. You use the same format for all the KLM events and while I’m down with convenience; your websites NEVER work.  They freeze, the buttons don’t work, and my entire internet experience has been shut down more than once. 

         Now, I know what my husband would say, “use Firefox—it’s better.”  But Bill, I don’t wanna use Firefox.  I like Internet Explorer (as do millions of other Americans) and we have a right to a functional website.

          Anyway, the point is this:  I need to know when/where to pick up my race packet and what time to arrive at the race.  (Well, more importantly I need to know what time MY race starts so I can determine whether I even want to participate.)  I have a more enticing Burn and Butt Camp at Fusion Fitness I want to attend and you see Bill, Fusion is something that I truly enjoy and while racing can be fun when done in conjunction with a friend or husband (on the same course) this season of solo racing is not high on my priority list.  So, before I allow Hubs to drag me out of bed, load my bike, force feed me breakfast bars and 5 Hour Energies I want to make sure I can fit the Duathlon in before Fusion.  If not, I’m skipping and headed to Butt Camp.

        Without knowing for sure I can only believe it starts at 830 and at 830; I’ll never make it...especially with Hubs in tow—he’s the slowest person on the planet.  Not at racing; just in life.  (And by slow I mean he has a low sense of urgency.)  And when I’m in a big hurry and he isn’t the scenario goes like this:  foot tap, foot tap, yelling, “YOU ARE THE SLOWEST PERSON ON THE PLANET,” followed by lots of loud sighs and showing up late somewhere---which really isn’t good for our marriage.  The point is:  Can I fit the Duathlon in comfortably and still make it to Butt Camp?    

         So, Bill, in the meantime, one more wife is making her husband do things she could probably do on her own but is making him do it out of principal.  (The principal being I refuse to switch to Firefox because your website never works.) 

         Oh, and FYI Hubs is still mad he didn’t get a t-shirt from Jackson County last year—first come first serve never serves us since we usually show up moments before the starting bell.

I’ll see you at packet pickup.

Jillian

Midwest Mayhem - 2010

So.  Midwest Mayhem.  Two words:  Unbearable Heat.

                I started out strong.  And by strong I mean:  I was able to get my swim cap on without any help from Hubs.  (Laurie was standing there and I felt an overwhelming need to feel competent.)  We had about an hour from the time Hubs started until our heat so we discussed our ‘strategy’ (well, in all honesty Laurie was discussing her strategy and I mostly smiled and nodded):

Laurie:  Ok, now what do you think the best way to do this is?

Me:  What do you mean?

Laurie:  You know, what’s our plan?

Me:  My plan is simply don’t drowned and finish.

Laurie:  Ok, right, well, I think we should start at the front of the pack so we won’t be swimming OVER people…

Me:  (Looking at her)

Laurie:  I don’t like touching people so I think we should just swim in front

Me:  Ok.  You do that.  I’m going to start in the BACK so I don’t get swam OVER!

Laurie:  I think you’re underestimating your swimming skills…

                Laurie finished her swim in 10 minutes and a few second.  I took significantly longer (although I don’t know my actual time since they mixed up Hubs’ and I timing chips.)  I’m calculating “significantly longer” on the amount of swimmers still in the water when I exited---ONE. 

                So after the swim I hurried walked over to transition, got my bike, shoes, helmet and headed out for the easy 12 mile bike (I’ve been biking 12 miles fairly easily for a few months now) when the tummy cramps started (flash back to Mexican food.)  Oh my.  I thought I was gonna die.  So, I stopped, sat down on the side of the road (don’t worry, it was totally safe…there was only one other bike behind me) and took a minute or 5 (it’s hard to calculate actual minutes when your stomach felt like mine felt.)  Then, the fart heard round the world. (Hubs would have been proud.) I started to feel better so I hopped back on my bike and focused on catching up with Laurie (she was on my mountain bike so I thought I would be able to catch up to her pretty easily.)  I managed to catch her with a couple miles left and we pretty much finished the bike together (way more fun.) 

                Then it was time to run.  The run was hot and I forgot to get a drink before we left transition so I was whining from the get-go. 

Me:  I’m sooo thirsty.

Laurie:  Yeah, I know, but let’s just run for a little while.

Me:  Laurie, seriously, I need a drink.  I can only focus on getting water

Laurie:  Let’s just focus on running.  And then when we see water we can focus on getting the water.

Me:  You go ahead.  I’ll catch up.

                At about that moment Hubs runs up behind us---with a bottle of water in his hand (have I mentioned how much I LOVE Hubs?)  He generously handed me the water and ran on.  (I’m still walking of course and Laurie decides to run on with Hubs.)  I was perfectly happy walking and sweating and trying to keep myself from getting heat stroke.  After the aid station, (1 water , and 2 Gatorades) I was feeling pretty good so I started running (slowly) my Garmin watch said I was running  16:45 miles…please, I was walking 17:30 so I basically gave it up and walked.  In true Jillian fashion I did manage to get it together to run the final 200 yards (you know, the 200 yards where all the spectators were sitting and yelling) so I didn’t look like a total loser as I crossed the finish line! Yay. 

                I’m not exactly sure how I stacked up to my times last year since they mixed up our timing chips and it looks like Hubs did the Olympic distance in the time it took me to do the Sprint and it looks like I did the Sprint in the time it took Hubs to do the Olympic…so hopefully we will have our times straightened out later today; otherwise, I'm going down in history as the last place finisher at Midwest Mayhem 2010....lame. 

               When I asked Laurie if she had fun she was a little hesitant to say yes and if you read this blog regularly you know I have a bittersweet relationship with triathlons myself......so, we are kind of talking about doing a relay on the next one.  Laurie would swim.  I would bike.  And her husband would run.  Win.  Win.  Win. 

               I will say this though:   With the abbreviated race schedule (we've pared it down a couple times) I'm enjoying the races that we ARE doing more.  Yes, they are hard and put me way outside my comfort zone but with only doing a few it makes it much less overwhelming.  We don’t have any other races until the end of August...so by then, I might have forgotten how badly I hurt today.....

One Year Ago This Weekend

It turns out I have a race on Sunday.  Seriously?  I thought I would have started learning how to swim by now....I’m not any closer to stroking the entire race.  I can stroke for 100 meters, maybe, and then the doggie paddling kicks in. 

           This race (Midwest Mayhem) last year, was my very first triathlon EVER!  It was the very first time I swam in the open water without a life jacket, was scared to death of falling off my big (see leg/knee/hand debacle 2009), and only finished ahead of one other girl.  So, I’m sort of excited to see how I’m stacking up to my results last year.  Obviously, I've improved my doggie paddling skills, my bike is lighter, and well, the run, I’m certain I can get through it. 

           My good buddy Laurie is going to do this race as her first triathlon too.  She’s a great swimmer, she’s borrowing the very same bike I rode last year so and our running is about the same (actually, she runs a little faster than I LIKE to go but I would rather keep up then get left behind.)  So, I’m thinking Laurie will totally kill me in the swim and hopefully I can catch her on the bike and then we can finish together.  It makes it so much more fun when you have someone with you when you cross the finish line!

           Of all the races we have done so far, this one is generating some legitimate excitement for me….and then after this one I’m super excited for the Jackson County Triathlon in August. I thought I did great (for me) at that one (yes, I doggie paddled there too) and I’m really excited to see how I’m measuring up!

           In the meantime, Operation 20lb seems to be working.  I wore a pair of pants today that couldn't be worn comfortably a month ago!  Yay!

Who Knows A Good Therapist?

Dear Girl Who Tried to Drown Me,

I have 6 purple/green/yellow bruises all over my legs.  I’m pretty sure they were caused by the thrashing and struggling we did at the KC Tri.  Sorry to bring this to your attention so late, I originally thought the first two bruises were from falling off my bike at the Spin Ride but now that there’s so many I can only assume they were from all the times you kicked me on Sunday….

Anyway, I just wanted you to know, I might need therapy; please let me know where to send the bill....

Love,

Jillian

Kansas City Triathlon 2010

So, the KC triathlon...... 

The water was freezing  but I started out good!   See?   Me, doggie paddling strong:





Then some girl paniced and tried to rely on me (the world’s greatest doggie paddler) to save her.  That is me underwater:  





Finally, the girl was pulled into the resue boat and since I was crying/barely able to talk I was dragged in the boat as well: 





When the boat finally dropped us off on the shore I was ripped of my timing chip and sent on my way.  Seeing as I had about 3 more hours til Hubs was finished I decided to continue on the bike and run.  Both completed with slightly better than average (for me) times but I wasn’t exactly drained from my attempted drowning swim!  It wasn’t officially counted as a finish but I was proud of myself for continuing.

After I “finished” I spent some time with Ken the coach from MTC and we talked about putting a plan together that would satisfy my immediate triathlon goals aka trying not to totally suck in all three events.  And I waited for Hubs.  He finished strong and I really enjoyed being his cheering section as he crossed the finish line! 



I would say the day was a success.  Hubs did awesome and I’m alive!  Yay!  Now, we are both tired and ready for bed! 

 

If you want a more technically accurate rundown from KC Triathlon….you might want to visit Hubs post from today (although at this point I haven’t read his post or have any idea what it says and I’m not even sure if he has officially posted it yet but I’m sure he will!)

Or, you can check out my garmin data:  Hubs has been pushing this garmin connect thing on me for months and now that I'm actually doing stuff worth keeping track of...it's actually kind of cool!

Scratch That

Scratch that previous post….too much rain made HUBS decide to bail on the freezing cold group workout!  I’ve never been so happy!

Group Workout - Take 2

So, today I’m going to attempt another group workout.  I know, I’m thinking the same thing, “Seriously?  Have I lost my mind?”  I'll know the answer to that question around 615.  This one's with the MTC group that Hubs signed up for because he was planning on doing the Lawrence 70.3....I of course abandoned that idea right away!  It’s biking (on the trainer) so no one will actually see how far behind I fall, followed by running on the track.  Now, I’m certain I will be passed about two million times but at least no one will actually be able to see the distance between me and the rest of the group since we will all be running in a circle.  YAY! 

On a separate and completely unrelated note:  it looks like we’re going to be closing on Hubs house in a couple weeks.   Inspection completed and issues finalized!  We are about to be a whole lot lighter…..

There's No Crying In Bike Riding

Something happened last night on my bike ride with Hubs.  We were riding with the TriKC group; everyone was very nice and polite but I was obviously out of my league.  And, normally, when I’m out of my league I just make jokes and laugh to distract people from focusing on my lack of skills….but last night, none of that worked. 

          Last night, I felt like the annoying little sister to Hubs and his friends.  I could tell he wanted to keep up with everyone but I of course went slow and held everyone up….well, not everyone, but definitely Hubs.  There’s something about going up a super steep hill (barely able to push to pedal down, breathing heavy, and going about 1 mile an hour) while someone is staring at you that makes you feel crappy.  I feel like I’ve made improvements in the running and biking categories but surrounded by a bunch of superstars all I wanted to do was leave.  I wanted to get as far away from everyone (including Hubs) and cry.  I know, can you say, dramatic much? 

         At some point Hubs must have noticed my obvious misery and said:

Actual:   If you don’t want to do anymore races I won’t make you.

Girly Dramatic Translation:  You’re right, you do totally suck at this triathlon stuff aaaaaand if you don't want to do anymore races --I wouldn’t blame you.

        When we got back from the ride we were supposed to run as well but as soon as Hubs noticed I was upset he threw in the towel and said we didn’t have to---which just reinforced my feelings of annoying little sister and I started crying.  I have no idea what was wrong with me.  Hubs, per usual, was amazing--assuring me that I wasn’t annoying and he loved me a  million times more than biking OR running and that he never meant to hurt my feelings (which is one of the things I love about him.)  On the drive home he was doing everything in his power to make me feel better but I just felt wretched the rest of the evening and was so relieved when I finally crawled in bed.

         It’s no secret my love/hate relationship with triathlon-ing (yeah, I know that’s not an actual word) has been a little bittersweet.  While I love how awesome I feel AFTER a good workout I don’t normally enjoy the triathlon workouts themselves—especially if I’m doing it alone (or with a group of superstars).  Last summer Hubs and I were both new and happy to finish and our workouts were pretty in line but now that he’s progressing so much faster than I am I’m not quite sure where that leaves me….

        Get it?  Leaves me?  As in the back of the back of pack?  (yeah, I’m clever )

My First Duathlon

Today I did my first ever duathlon.  It was suppose to be the first triathlon of the season but it was so cold and rainy they changed it to a duathlon.  Yay—I was thrilled!  The thought of crawling into that freezing cold water to doggie paddle for 400 meter sounded like the most miserable morning of my life so I was happy to run the extra 2 miles required by the impromptu duathlon…. It was a 2 mile run (instead of swimming), followed by an 11.5 mile bike, and finally a 3 mile run.  I did ok.  I got through it and based on the stringent training plan—barely any workouts coupled with Corner Café cinnamon rolls and blue berry muffins slathered in butter (Thank. You. Hubs.) I’d say placing 60 out of 70 women was pretty darn good.  I’m totally satisfied with my results.   Hubs placed 102 out of 152 so he was happy as well.







As of now, I’m sitting on the couch---sore.  Everyone please keep your fingers crossed that I’ll be able to move tomorrow.

Mother's Day Weekend

This weekend was super fun!  Hubs came back from his long, long, long, long, long, long, trip to San Fran!  I can't believe how much I missed him.  It was sooo lonely without him to torment all week.  On Saturday we went out to Heritage Park and rode our bikes on Sunday's triathlon path.  It hard to believe triathlon season is starting all ready.  I feel confident...except for the doggie paddling swim.  But in all honesty, 500 meters doesn't seem nearly as long as it did last year.  I tried out my clips for the very first time and it turned out fine.  They take a little getting used to but no scratches or bruises so far!  Then we went to the bike store, Mochi-Yo, crate/barrel, flower nursery, and grocery store.  We topped the day off with sushi and good friends.  Hubs and Cory watched the UFC fights.  Lisa and I played DJ Hero (what else?)

Sunday we got up and cooked Mother's Day breakfast for Mom, Dad, Juls, and Bret!  I'm not sure what it is about cooking meals at my house, it never goes as smoothly as when we cook the same meals at mom and dad’s....we made the biggest grease mess I've ever seen but everything turned out pretty delicious!  Then we went for a family bike ride; we went out 2.5 miles however, I think mom would have been happy going out 2 because she was pretty pooped when we got back.  I love it when the whole family does things together... 

The worlds best brother-in-law isn't pictured below but that in no way, shape, or form means we don't love him...someone had to take the picture :) 

 

Afterward bike riding we headed over to Mom/Dad's for Mother's Day steaks.  And we followed that dinner up with Brats at Hubs' parents.  I ate every meal as though it was my last and my tummy sure hurt last night!

Keep Your Fingers Crossed

I'm officially done with the semester!  I locked down 2 A's, a B, and I'm still waiting for one more class to come in.  This last class is the one I'm worried about: I enrolled late and had some attendance issues--I'm did B-ish coursework so we're (we as in me and the rest of the world) basically hoping for mercy on the attendance part. So, everyone keep your fingers crossed....

The new job is going pretty good.  It's been a longtime since I actually liked my job and I think I'm gonna like it here.  Everyone is super nice, super excited about what they do, and all the sales people seem happy.  Usually, by the third day the other reps have pulled me aside one by one and secretly whispered about who to trust and who not to trust, and who to stay away from---usually all stories conflict and in the end you realize the people to stay away from are the people that pulled you aside in the first place.  But, everyone seems to get along and no one has said anything...so this is a good sign! 

Tonight, I'm picking up my bike.  It's been at the Bike Stop since Saturday; they changed out the cages for my new clips and did a new season service on it.  (I have no idea what needs to be serviced on a bike but hey, it's always a good idea to keep your equipment up and running!)  The inaugural outing (with clips) will begin right after dinner, so please send good wishes to my elbows, knees, hands, shins, and head, you know, in case I fall off!  But don't worry too much, I'll be in my sisters neighborhood, and she's a nurse---she's board certified and watches Grey's Anatomy so I’m pretty sure she’ll be able to handle any and all possible injuries....Get me a crash cart STAT!

(Get it...crash cart?  You know as in crashing your bike?  Hahhhhaaa!  I crack myself up!