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.

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