You Snooze - You Lose

Who would have thought that an event would sell out two months in advance!? Well, that's what happened.

When I went online today to check the registration for the Aflac Iron Girl Atlanta Triathlon, it was SOLD OUT! I was so disappointed. I had thought of registering a few times before (and almost did) but I was just waiting a little bit longer until I could make sure that I wasn't going to be injured or some other unpredictable circumstance occured. But, I waited a little too long. The event sold out on the 21st.

I wrote an email to the organizers as a last ditch attempt at gaining access to the triathlon. When they replied, they said they can't really do much but place me on the waiting list which I'm 12th on. There really isn't any way to tell how many people may drop from the race, and of the people that may drop, who knows if they'll notify the organizers. In short, my chances are next to nothing of getting into the Iron Girl.

The good news is is that I have found another sprint length triathlon for the same weekend, it is called the Tri the Parks Triathlon & Duathlon at Indian Springs State Park. This triathlon is actually one event of a series. The series has triathlons, duathlons and one aquathon in different state parks throughout Georgia. I think this triathlon will be really fun because it is more local and it is always great to support local groups.

The Tri the Park triathlon is a 600 meter swim, 12.8 mile bike and 3.1 mile run. These distances are all the same as the Iron Girl, except for the bike. The bike in the Iron Girl is 18 miles, which I would perfer because I think I can do really well on the bike, but I guess beggers can't be choosers. Plus, this is just my first triathlon, I'm sure I'll have many more to look forward to.

H.A.T.T. Syndrome

While working at Vitamin Discount Center I learned of a syndrome that many American’s experience, Tired All The Time Syndrome or T.A.T.T. I have decided that I have a different form of T.A.T.T., H.A.T.T., or Hungry All The Time Syndrome. Since I have increased the amount of exercise I do in a week, I have also needed to increase the amount of calories I consume.

The conundrum comes in that fact that I want to lose a few pounds (not a lot, don’t worry I’m not going to become skin and bones), just so that it will be easier to run and will also be less stress on my joints. With that in mind, I’ll have to watch the amount of food I’m consuming, and more importantly, what I’m consuming more carefully. Which means packing more in my lunches so that I have extra healthy food in case a hunger pain strikes.

A few other notes…

Today was my last swim class and I have to say that I believe I have improved, speed and form-wise. What I expected from the classes was to get a good grasp on the basics of the freestyle stroke and know what I should be working on to improve my swimming over the course of my training, not just the classes. And I got exactly that. I know a list of things that I should be reminding myself as I swim such as, keeping my head down, not looking forward when I breath and to finish my stroke with my left arm. There are plenty of other things to list too, but we’ll just leave it at that for now.

On Tuesday, I went to Atlanta Cycling for the Women’s Group Ride. I’m still destroying the hills and I also got a nice compliment from another rider. She said that I have improved greatly with my bike handling skills in the three times that I have been out. That was really great to hear.

I also learned a valuable lesson on Tuesday: always carry at least one spare tube and CO2 cartridge. I knew this was something that I should get but hadn’t gotten around to it yet. I’ve learned my lesson. On the last quarter mile of the ride I got my first flat tire and didn’t have a tube or CO2 cartridge to fix it with. Luckily, since I wasn’t that far away, I just walked the bike in and another rider stayed with me. I’m planning on purchasing a pouch that will contain a spare tube and a CO2 cartridge. I’ll also change the tire myself this weekend, which will be a great skill to learn in case I get a flat during the triathlon (knock on wood). Since you aren’t allowed to accept outside help during the triathlon, it would be a shame to waste all of my training because I don’t have a spare tube or know how to change it.

The GREAT Urban Race

This past weekend Phil and I competed in the Great Urban Race (GUR). The GUR is part Amazing Race part scavenger hunt. The rules of the game are as follows, each team is given an envelope with twelve clues. You can do the clues in any order you wish and you are allowed to skip one clue, but you are not allowed to skip Detours. If you skip any additional clues (excluding the Detours) you will be penalized 30 minutes. You are not allowed to use any form of private transportation including, but not limited to, cars, taxis, bikes, skateboards, etc. Public transportation and high tech devices (i.e. iPhones, GPS, laptops, etc.) are encouraged.

Phil and I brought our cell phones, a digital camera and a handheld GPS. We also worked with a couple from my work and they had cell phones, a digital camera and a car GPS. The race began at East Andrews Café & Bar at high noon in Buckhead (north of downtown Atlanta). The clues took us to three different areas of Atlanta which were, Buckhead, Midtown (downtown area) and Little Five Points (southeastern Atlanta).

We first did a clue in Buckhead and then took a minute to figure out some of the other clues. After that, we jumped on the subway to go to Little Five Points. We found the first clue in this area relatively easily, but then when we went to complete the next clue, we couldn’t find it! It was suppose to be in Freedom Park, but we ran from one end of the park to the other (about 1.25 miles and thirty minutes) and never found it. We decided that we had to move on and skip that clue.

We next got back on the subway to complete the tasks in Midtown. These all went very fast and had no problems with any of them.

Finally, we headed back up to Buckhead on the subway to complete a few more tasks. The clues that directed us to an exact destination were easy, but we still had a Detour that we had to complete: find either a glass Coca-Cola bottle or a peach pit. We decided that the peach pit would be easier, but after we had gone to two grocery stores we found out that it wasn’t going to be so easy.

We decided to check another grocery store and in the process, took a wrong turn. By this time it was about 4:30 PM and the course closed at 5 PM. We were feeling defeated and wondered if we should just cut our losses and pack it up. But as a last ditch effort we called the grocery store to see if they had any peaches – they did! We ran as fast as we could to the grocery store and got there at about 4:45 PM. I ran in and purchased the peaches and we quickly removed the pit. It was about a mile back to the finish and I was determined to make it, but I was tired, hungry and somewhat dehydrated, but we managed to cross the finish line at 4:55 PM! Overall we finished 157th out of 240 teams, but in the end, it was more about the experience than where we finished, plus, we had a blast!

We were so tired, I couldn’t believe it, I knew I had probably run something like six miles, but when we got home, Phil calculated how much we ran and it came to a little over 10 miles! No wonder I was so beat!

After the finish of the race we were given some interesting information. First, the first place team actually skipped the two clues in Little Five Points and took a 30-minute penalty (wish we would have done that.) Second, the first place team came in 30 minutes after what the race officials had expected, which means that the course was actually longer than they had intended. And third, I guess one of the top teams that finished was a pair of girls that ran the ENTIRE thing. They didn’t step foot on a bus, train, or anything! I couldn’t believe it, good for them.

To see more pictures of the race and the clues, visit my facebook album by clicking here.

Updates on Races & Swimming

Races
Earlier this week, I signed up for the Race for the Cure that will be held May 9th. I’m really excited to do this event, not only because I want to see what my time will be, but also because I have really wanted to do a Race for the Cure for a few years now, but it has just never worked out. I know several people (family and friends) that have survived or who are currently battling breast cancer. It is an important cause to me and if you would like to support me in this race, please visit my Race for the Cure page and donate. So far I have raised $75 and only need a few more donations to reach my goal. Thank you to all those that have already donated.

Phil and I will be participating in a different kind of race this weekend, the Great Urban Race. The Great Urban Race is part Amazing Race, part scavenger hunt. We signed up for it a few months ago as Team PandA (Phil and Abby, P and A – get it?). From what I’ve heard from other people it’s a blast! I’m planning on just having fun during the race, but the top 25 teams do qualify for the championships in New Orleans. I’ll have to try to keep my competitive nature in check.

Second Swim Lesson
Yesterday I had my second swim lesson and I already feel as though I’m improving. I was still extremely tired while I was swimming, but I was more comfortable breathing (as we did several drills to improve this). I am also starting to feel faster after I did a kicking drill.

At the end of each lesson my instructor is timing me as I do several laps, to track my improvement, and my time went down! Maybe hope isn’t lost after all – just kidding.

Before my next lesson on Monday, my instructor wants me to swim 10-15 laps. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to do that this weekend as I’m planning on going to spin class tonight and running tomorrow. He also said that I should be swimming 3-4 times a week, which is nearly impossible for me to do every week.

On that note, this has been my first week training with all three disciplines and it has been kind of crazy (and the week isn’t even over yet!) It isn’t so much my body being tired from exercising, but more the lack of time I now have to do the other things I did before, such as cooking dinner or going to the grocery store. I’m hoping that I will soon be able to develop a routine so that I don’t feel so stretched for time.

First Swim

Today I had my first swim lesson at Georgia Tech’s Campus Recreation Center. The lesson really didn’t get off on the right foot, because I had issues at my apartment and with parking on campus that made me about 10 minutes late.

After getting changed, I found my instructor, Josh, and began my swim lessons. I was nervous about the swim lessons because I wasn’t sure if the instructor would have the kind of information that I would need, but Josh had a ton of knowledge. He was very considerate of my specific training goals and quickly came up with detailed drills to improve my swimming ability.

The swim class was definitely more difficult than I expected. I think there were two reasons it was so hard. One, I was so frazzled and nervous from my mishaps before the session that I wasn’t able to focus very well, and I was also very tense. Secondly, I haven’t laps in a very long time, plus, I don’t think I was ever good at it.

After my first few laps, I was so tired. I couldn’t believe it. I thought that I had built up my cardiovascular strength pretty well, but I guess it wasn’t enough for swimming.

My next session is on Wednesday. I’m going to go directly from work to swim, so I hopefully won’t be late.

My First Group Ride

Yesterday I finally went on my first group ride! I was so nervous going to the bike shop, my hands were shaking. I think I was nervous that I was going to get hit by a car or I was going to just die half way through and someone was going to have to stay with me. Neither of those things happened; thank God (especially the former.)

Since the ride was a beginner, no drop pace, there were two people that were “leading” the ride. One would be in the front of the group and the other would be in the back, to stay with any stragglers. I decided that I would follow the guy that said he was going to be with the stragglers. I figured that I can start with the slower folks and if I could, move up in the pack.

As the ride started, I got more comfortable with the gears, especially on the hills. Before I knew it, I was cruising by other riders on the up-hills. As I would pass, they would say stuff like, “Whoo! Look at you go!” or “Man, you take these hills like they’re nothing!” I’m not exactly sure why I’m so fast on the up-hills. One theory is that maybe I have conditioned myself so well with spin classes, that the actual biking is easier. Another theory is that compared to mountain biking up-hill, road biking ain’t nothing. Or maybe it was a combination of the two. Anyways, somewhere along the ride, five of us got separated from the larger group because we were in the front. This was fine, because the other people in the group knew where they were going.

When we got back to the shop, everyone’s cars were still there. I was surprise; we were the first one’s back!

I really enjoyed the ride, it was exhilarating and fun. I’m excited for my next one.

Update on my swim classes: I finally signed up for swim lessons on Wednesday and my first lesson is on Monday. I can’t wait!

Some Frustrations

Yesterday was a somewhat frustrating and disappointing day. I was hoping to go on my first group ride out of Atlanta Cycling, but my plans were thwarted by the unseasonably chilly weather. Yesterdays high, I believe, was in the mid 40’s with snow flurries (yes, I said snow flurries). I was hopeful though and brought all of the cold weather gear I could think of for the group ride. Unfortunately, when I got to Atlanta Cycling, they informed me that the group ride was canceled due to cold weather.

Since I couldn’t go on the group ride, I decided to go for a run instead. I have to say, it was cold, but not THAT cold. Once I got going it wasn’t half bad. Plus, it was actually the WARMEST part of the day. Some people may say that these cyclists are fair weather cyclists, but I wouldn’t (cough, cough, cough).

I’m determined to get out on the road this week. Atlanta Cycling organizes another group ride for beginners on Thursday. The forecast says that it will be mostly sunny and in the low 70’s. Let’s hope they can’t find anything wrong with that.

Another frustration for me yesterday was my swim classes. I signed up for the swim classes on April 1st. It has now been a week and I still haven’t heard anything back as to day and time. I really want to start theses classes because I am waiting to start my swim training until I start these classes. I just keep feeling the days ticking away. I emailed my contact yesterday; hopefully she will get back to me soon.

On a positive note, I have been reading the Triathlete’s Training Bible by Joe Friel. This book contains just about anything and everything you could think of for a triathlon. I found invaluable information on weight training, stretching, workouts and general tips overall on training and preparation for a triathlon.

While reading, I have found reassurance in my training schedule (once I get swimming). I have decided to do a 2-2-2. Two days cycling, two days running and two days swimming with one rest day. The book says that this is a good program for a novice. But when I get 3-4 weeks out from the triathlon, I will step up my program to also include brick workouts (workouts that include two or more disciplines.)

Wet & Wild Running and Other Updates

The results were finally posted for the ING/Publix Run Wild 5K that was held on March 28th. I finished 9th out of 41 people in my age group with a chip time of 29:40. I'm pretty pleased with these results, but would like to get my time down to a 9 min. mile before my next 5k on May 9th.

If you couldn't tell from the picture, it was really, REALLY wet. But the rain was actually very helpful because it kept me cool throughout the run. The biggest challenge was avoiding the puddles. I also found, that overall, I did pretty well on the hills. I passed most of the people around me on the uphills and was able to catch my breath on the downhills.

In other news. I rode my new bike over to Georgia Tech's Campus Recreation Center and signed up for swim lessons yesterday. It was my first time actually riding my road bike on the road and I have to say, it was kind of scary. I'm not use to the bumpiness and how much faster it is. I think after I get a few more rides in, I'll feel comfortable on the bike.

On a funny note, I had my first semi-bust with clipless peddles. When I had gotten back to the apartment I was unclipping, but I almost always unclip my left foot first and balance on the same foot. For some reason, I decided to unclip my right foot, but my body still went for my left and then BOOM. Well...not really BOOM, but I went down. I emerged mostly unscathed, with the exception of a small scrape on the back of my right leg.