Race For Polio

Fabulous Fall Tri, Sept. 12, Ironwood, WI - 30th Time's a Charm!

2009-09-30T10:32:00.003-04:00

I woke up Saturday, September 12, knowing that I was going to do my last triathlon of the year that day. Although I was sad to see the season go, I was happy knowing that I would have completed 15 triathlons that year, and 30 in my lifetime by the end of the day. Tom was up early that morning, too. Coincidently, the Tour da Woods mountain bike race was on the same day. It was his last race of the year, too.

With Ironwood being about three hours away, and the race beginning at 1:00, I headed out about 8:30. Driving across the UP in construction season is never fun. In fact, construction is one of the only things I dislike about living here. Two-lane highways with one lane closures lead to lots of time at a dead stop. I was starting to get concerned that I would be late. I stopped in Wakefield and realized that I had crossed time zones. I was going to be 2.5 hours early, instead of the hour and a half that I had originally planned.

I got to Gogebic Community College as the race organizers were setting up. They weren’t ready to start registration yet, so the race director gave me a quick rundown of the run and bike courses, so I went for a drive to check them out. The run was hilly, and one stretch of it was down a road under construction. That was going to be interesting. I also noticed that there was very little shade.

Just then, I got a call from Tom. His race was over, and it couldn’t have gone any better. He had won by over 2 minutes. This was very impressive, considering that all of the big, local players came out to play. As it turned out, he was a marked man from the start, and was able to hold everyone off. The other cool thing that he told me was that his bike team had swept the podium – 1, 2, 3. Go SISU!

As I drove the bike course, I was realizing that I was going to like it, and if there was any point in the race where I was going to make up some time, it was here. The course went through some residential areas before it hit a smooth, shaded, hilly road that headed out of town. Since the course was an out-and-back, most of the bike would be on that road. I was pumped.

I headed back to the registration area and paid my race fee. I was sad to find out that they didn’t have any more race shirts in my size. The race director said she was going to order some more, and that she would make sure that I got one. I set up my transition area, which was just in a grassy area in front of the college. I found a pole to lean my bike up on, and laid everything out. I got my body marked, and then went to check out the pool area. I would need to do 10 laps. Seemed easy enough, although I was curious to see how I would perform with the swim being last instead of first.

I decided to warm up, so I put on my IPod and headed out for a short run. Then, I came back, and took my bike out for a short spin. Before long, we were lining up at the start line and singing the national anthem. After a pre-course meeting, we were ready to go.

A mass start, 45 us of started to run. It was hot, and there was no place to hide. There were also no water stations on the run. I’m not sure why, but at least one would have been nice. When I entered into T1, I knew that I had a lot of ground to make up. I wasn’t happy with my run performance, and I knew that I was towards the back of the pack. I got onto my bike and thought, “Well, I don’t need my legs after this, so I just need to give er,” and that’s what I did. One by one, I started to pick of each girl in front of me. Since the course was an out-and-back, I was able to easily tell where my competition was. I was feeling really good, when I had the girl in second place in my sights. She kept looking behind her, knowing I was coming up fast. We made the turn back into the residential neighborhoods, and I was right on her tail. She kind of cut me off on the turn, so the first chance I got, I got out of the saddle and pounded the pedals past her. With about a mile left, I started to feel some cramps starting in my calves. I realized that I was going to really have to rely on my upper body strength in the pool. I pulled into T2 right behind the woman in first. I frantically ran into the pool area asking which lane I was supposed to go to, and a volunteer pointed me in the right direction. I started swimming, and was surprised at how tired I was, and how hard each stroke was. My calves still hurt, but by the third lap, they started to feel better, and by lap 8, I was using my legs to kick.

Pool swims are difficult in a race because you never know where your competition is. I finished my 10th lap, and climbed out of the pool, ran back outside and across the finish line. What a rush. After I crossed, I had to ask if I had won.

I went back to my car to get a towel, and saw that Tom had been texting me, wanted to know how I did. I texted him back, “I WON!”

Thinking about it today, I still get emotional. I started calling my friends and family. I called Michelle, and when I told her that I won, she thought I meant that I won my age group. I had to correct her and tell her that I had an overall win.

What a day. Tom wins in the morning, and I win in the afternoon. I’d be lying if I said that his win wasn’t motivation for me. That day was a culmination for both of us. Three years ago, we started pretty much at ground zero, literally worked our tails off, and became champions on the same day.

As it turns out, it was the bike that saved me. The girl who took second out ran me and out swam me, but I had such a big lead over her on the bike that I still won by three minutes.

My Final time was 1:27:09

Run (5K): 32:40
T1 and Bike (12 miles): 41:56
T2 and swim (500 yds): 12:33

Up next: TBD- Maybe the Green Bay Duathlon

Grand Marais Triathlon - September 6: Cadence is a Virtue

2009-09-23T09:58:00.003-04:00

The Grand Marais triathlon will always hold a special place in my heart. I had done it for the first time in 2007. It was only the 5th triathlon that I had ever done. I had just come off of the Curtis Triathlon that year, which was the worst race that I had ever had. I think I had a feeling of redemption after finishing Grand Marais. I had felt like I was back, even though it was the last race of 2007.

This year, I was in serious debate as to whether or not I was going to do it. The Fat Tire Festival was going on in Copper Harbor the same weekend. Tom and a good chunk of my friends were going to be there for the race, and the best party of the year afterwards. Plus, Tom had the potential to finish quite well, maybe win, and I hadn’t been to a mountain bike race where he finished really well yet this year. I knew I would be kicking myself if I missed Grand Marais, and with the weather forecast looking like the best weather, I decided that I couldn’t miss it.

With the race not starting until 1:30 in the afternoon, I was able to sleep in a little bit. I still needed to leave a little early, though. I had to register, and the drive is a little over an hour and a half. I arrived in Grand Marais a few hours before the start of the race. I got registered and setup my transition area. I ran into a few people that I know – Deb Laurie and Julie Johanningmeier, a woman from downstate that I had met at the Curtis Triathlon. I headed down to the beach to check out the water. It was cold, but doable. I decided that a wetsuit was a must, though. After, since I still had some time to kill, I decided to get in a good warm up. I hopped on my bike and went for an easy spin. On my way back, I shifted into my small chain ring, and like the Pleasant Prairie Triathlon, my chain fell off. I fixed it, but realized that I might have to do without my small ring during the race. That could be a problem since the bike course consisted of 350 feet of climbing, and I for sure wanted to use it. I would have to risk it and see how it goes. Once I racked my bike, I put my IPod on my arm and went for an easy run. It felt really good. I came back to transition and started to get ready. I borrowed some Pam spray from Deb and put on my wetsuit. I grabbed my swim cap and goggles, and started my walk down the beach to the start.

The race was to start in waves. The women were to go first. I always feel like the men should go first because generally, they are faster. They’ll either climb over you in the water or zip by on the bike. I got into the water to warm up, but pretty soon we were lining up on the beach. Without a countdown, the gun sounded. Yikes! We were off. The swim is short and shallow. It probably didn’t get over five feet deep. Much to my surprise, though, everyone around me was swimming! I did, though, get hit pretty hard in the face – so hard that it knocked my goggles. I temporarily stopped to fix them and kept going. As I was coming out of the water, I noticed Jennifer Baldwin, who is probably the best swimmer in the UP at triathlons, wasn’t that far ahead of me. In fact, there were only 5 girls ahead of me. I was out of the water, across the beach, and up the stairs to transition before I heard the gun for the men’s race. I knew I had 5 minutes or so before I would get passed.

I quickly changed out of my wetsuit and headed out onto the bike. I heart was beating so fast that it was hard to get down, and in this race, you start with a climb out of Grand Marais. Eventually, I calmed down and fell into my groove. I started in my big chain ring, but it wasn’t long before I knew I needed to down shift. I didn’t and struggled through a big climb. It was there that I got passed by Julie. I realized that trying to climb in my big ring wasn’t going to be an option. On the next hill, I slowly downshifted, and it worked. Whew! After the turn-around, the rest of the way back is mostly downhill, so I was able to go pretty fast for the rest of the way without a ton of effort. I headed into T2 and out on the run.

I looked at my watch. I was out on the run in 53 minutes. I knew that I would beat last year’s time, barring any serious complications or cramps. The run is really flat, but there’s no shade. It was really sunny with no wind. By the time I reached the turn-around, I wanted nothing more than a breeze that I knew wasn’t coming. I grabbed 2 cups of water and kept going. I felt better, and got some shade on that side of the road. At one point, a guy ran up behind me and said “Are you the girl that’s going a bunch of triathlons?” I asked him how he knew and he said, “Word gets around. Deb from the Sports Rack told me.” I told him to check out my website and he passed me. That was a cool moment that gave me some extra motivation. I had a negative split, and felt strong as I crossed the finish line. I was seven minutes faster than last year, and almost 20 minutes faster than the first year I did the Grand Marais Triathlon. Needless to say, it was a good day!

After the race, I headed home to Marquette, quickly showered, and headed up to Copper Harbor for the Fat Tire Fest. I had missed the race (Tom took 5th place, BTW) but didn't want to miss the party!

My final time was: 1:24:22. There was no chip timing, so my spits are based on my watch:

Swim (300 yds) and T1: 7:22
Bike (14 miles) and T2: 46:00
Run (3 miles): 31:00

Up Next: The Fabulous Fall Tri in Ironwood, MI – The last triathlon of the year

Manitowoc/Two Rivers YMCA triathlon - August 23: The coldest swim of the year!

2009-09-09T09:27:00.005-04:00

I have to be honest. On Friday, August 22, when I looked at the weather for Saturday, I had zero desire to drive down to Manitowoc to do another race in what appeared to be less than ideal conditions. 50’s with a chance of rain – why was I doing this? The only thing that kept me going (besides the fact that I had already paid the registration fee) was that Tom was coming with me, and we were going to spend some time with our friends in Green Bay and Kewaunee. Still, with the thought of racing in the cold and rain getting less appealing by the minute, we got packed up and started driving before I had the chance to really change my mind.

We made a few stops along the way – once for dinner, another for some pasties for our friends, and another for race day food. We made it to our friends’ James and Lindsey’s house just in time to see their son open his 1st birthday presents. I didn’t stay up too much after that. I wanted to get a good night’s sleep. Tom stayed up pretty late, but being a trooper, he got up with me in the morning to head down to the race, which was about an hour away.

With the air temperature not quite 60 degrees, we pulled into the Manitowoc/Two Rivers YMCA parking lot. I got my race packet and chip. They didn’t have any small shirts left, so they took my name and address to send me one. That reminds me, though, I still don’t have it. I’ll have to check into it. Anyway, as I was setting up transition, I ran into Tracy, who was one of my tri camp friends. I joked with her that she could win; she ws having a great season, winning an Olympic distance a few weeks back. He had heard rumors of really cold water for the swim, like 55 degrees. Yikes. When we got down to the water, we discovered that it was true, and they had actually shortened the swim by a few hundred yards. She was lucky; she was in wave one and could get the swim over with faster. I was in wave 6. I had a long time to wait.

Once the race started, it didn’t seem like I had to wait long. It never does, though. The water was so cold, that I attempted to put my face in, but decided that was a bad idea. There were lots of volunteers in the water. Every one of them asked me how I was. I told them that it was them I was worried about, not me. I was going to be in the water for about 5 minutes, they had to be in for at least a half hour. As I headed out of the water, I felt warm. The air was warmer than the water, even though it was only 60 degrees. I ran up to transition and started to change into my bike. Where was my helmet? Not there! Too much talking during setup and not enough paying attention led me to leave my helmet in my race bag, which was now back at the car. Good thing it wasn’t parked far away and I didn’t have to cross any timing mats, or I would have had to DNF. It did cost me about a minute and a half, though. Out of all of my races, that was by far my biggest screw up. I was so mad when I got out on the bike, but it probably did me some good. I had a pretty decent day on the bike, considering that it was hillier than I expected, and incredibly windy. I did have some nice tail winds on the way back though. I was always reminded that I was in Wisconsin, though. We passed quite a few farms, and smelled them, too.

After a quick T2, I was out on the run. The run course was nice; it was an out-and-back on a paved path along the lake. Tom was riding his bike around while I was running, and he gave me a virtual fist bump near the start. I felt pretty good, and was able to sprint the finish from pretty far out. If felt good to be done!

My final time was: 1:37:42.2
Swim (400 yards) 5:49
T1: 3:15
Bike (16 miles): 55:23
T2: 1:16
Run (5K): 32:01

Up next: The Grand Marais Triathlon!

Pleasant Prairie Olympic Distance Triathlon, August 16 - I Guess I was Due

2009-08-26T12:11:00.004-04:00

This summer, I have been frustrated with the weather. With the expectation of a handful of races, the conditions had been less than ideal – cold and rainy. On Sunday, August 16, I had the opposite problem. I should have been happy that it was 85 degrees, right?

The Pleasant Prairie triathlon is a big event. With participation hitting the 1,500 mark, they really accommodate racers well. There’s an expo all day on Saturday, and racers can check in their bikes as well. There’s security overnight, so there’s no need to worry. They also have off-site parking, but bus participants to the race site. They also give out really good swag.

I left Marquette on Friday after work. I headed down to Green Bay to stay the night with friends, and then drove the rest of the way on Saturday morning. I got to the race site about 2:00 for check-in. I collected my registration information, listened to the race talk, bought some sun glasses, and then headed back to Racine to get my pre-race groceries and some dinner. I actually got to have Noodles and Company. It was near the grocery store, and I swear, it wasn’t there the last time I was in Racine. I headed back to my parent’s house to eat and relax. My Aunt Cindy called me to find out if we could get together while I was in town. She decided to come to my race, and we would go eat afterwards. I headed to bed around 8:00. With the race starting at 6:00, I had to get up at 4:00 the next day to allow for parking and shuttling. I slept pretty well, and when the alarm went off at 4 am, I was ready to go. I got dressed, packed up, and got on the road.

As I got closer to the park, volunteers started directing traffic to the off-site parking area. There were already quite a few people there, so it took a few minutes. After I parked, I grabbed my back pack and hopped on the shuttle bus over to the park. When I got there, it was still pretty dark. I found my transition area and got set up. I wanted to get into the water, but it was still too dark, so they wouldn’t let anyone in the water. I decided to wait in line at the port-a-potty instead. Once the sun came up, they let the lifeguards get to their stations and let the racers into the water to warm up. The water was so warm. They told us it was 76 degrees. I probably didn’t need a wetsuit, but I decided to wear it anyway. After a while, they call us out of the water so the race could start. I wasn’t going to have to wait very long, though. I was in wave four. Pretty soon I was lining up. I tried to get close to the front, but not too far. I’m a good swimmer, but definitely not the fastest. Those girls could be in front.

No too long after my wave went, I realized that I was going to have to swim very aggressively. These girls weren’t holding anything back. We swam in a triangular pattern. By the time I got to the first buoy, I had been kicked, pushed, and swam on top of more than any race this year. By the time I got to the halfway point between the first and second buoy, I was swimming pretty much by myself, but by the time I rounded the third buoy, I met a bottle neck. Based on the colors of the swim caps around me, I was catching some of the people in the wave ahead of me, but also getting passed by girls in the wave behind me. I was glad when I made it back to the beach.

I ran up the beach and into T1. After a quick change, I was out on the bike. I got to test the new sunglasses that I bought the day before. I headed out of the park and onto the highway when I saw the first biker begin his second lap. He was already 12 miles ahead of me. I started up the first hill and decided to shift down into my small chain ring when disaster struck. My chain didn’t catch, and it dropped. I had to pull over to the side of the road and fix it. After what seemed to be forever, but was really only a little over a minute, I was back on my bike. It took me a while to get my momentum back. The first lap on the bike was pretty crowded, but by the time I started the second lap, the course was pretty clear, and I really got into my groove. The course is relatively flat, so I was able to go pretty fast, even with the headwinds. I made my way back into the park and into T2 in a really good time. As I was running my bike into transition, I saw my aunt Cindy cheering for me. I had a spectator! I looked at my watch before I headed out on the run, and realized that my goal of finishing at three hours was possible. I grabbed some water at the run start, and made the turn out onto the first out-and-back section of the run. At that point, disaster was striking for a second time. I could feel a cramp starting in my left quad. Not good. I tried to keep running, but it was getting worse, and worse. I was hoping that I could make it to the first aid station to get some energy drink for the sodium, but I had no such luck. It got so bad that I had to start walking. I HATE that. I walk/ran the rest of the 10K, know that my goal was going out the window. I guess I should have been more prepared for the weather. Even though I was in pain, I was going to finish. Over an hour later, I crossed the finish line. I was glad to be done.

I met up with my Aunt Cindy and we decided to go have lunch. I packed up and rode my bike back to my car, and met her and my cousin Kevin for brunch before I headed back onto the road for the five hour drive.

I had a conversation with someone about racing a while ago. He asked me if I ever had bad days. I told him that I have good days and bad days, but their always fun days. After my first bad race of the year, I can still say that I had fun, even though it was somewhat disappointing. We can’t win all the time, right?

My final time was 3:16:11

Swim (1.5K/1 Mile): 35:13
T1: 3:01
Bike (40K/25 Miles): 1:18:15
T2: 1:48
Run (10 K/6. Miles): 1:17:56

Stay tuned for the Manitowoc/Two Rivers YMCA Triathlon!

Tri-Lakes Triathlon, August 8, Curtis, MI - It wouldn't hurt us to race in Curtis!

2009-08-18T15:22:00.005-04:00

The weekend of August 8 was a big weekend in Marquette. The Ore to shore Mountain Bike Epic race is that weekend, and it was all the buzz for the week leading up to it. I, on the other hand, was gearing up for a different race - the Tri-Lakes triathlon in Curtis, MI. I must have been asked about a gazillion times if I was doing the O2S, and eventually got used to the blank stares that I got from people that I wasn't; I was doing a triathlon instead. The next question I would be asked was, "Is tom doing it? How well do you think he will do? Top 20?" I'll get to that later on.

Anyway, I woke up very early that Saturday morning to make the 1.5 hour drive over to Curtis. It was about 60 degrees before the sun came up, but it wasn't raining. The roads were wet, so it had rained overnight, and the skies certainly told the tale. I had gotten so used to having bad weather on race day, I shrugged it off. It was what it was, like it was every week. By the time I got to Munising, however, I was in a full-out downpour. I began to dread the day, and contemplated turning around. I could just go back and watch every person that I knew finish the Ore to Shore. It seemed like a way out, but I kept going. Maybe the rain would stop when I got to Curtis. No such luck.

Rain, more rain, and wind and cold was the theme of the day. I registered still wondering what I was doing. I had more than an hour to kill, so I sat in my car for a while. No sense in getting wet before the race started. After a while, my friend Katie showed up with her mom and daughter. It was good to see her there. She was the woman to beat; she finished in second last year, and the woman who won wasn't doing the race. I got out of the car to talk to her, and decided to set-up transition. I was going to have to do it eventually. I racked my bike, and noticed the bike rack was starting to fall over. Pretty soon, the whole thing slid on the slippery ground, and bikes started to fall over. It took the efforts of quite a few racers to hold it back up and get everything back in place. Once that drama was over, I decided to check my tire pressure. I aired up my front tire, and pulled the pump valve off of my tire, and proceeded to break the stem on my tire. It quickly deflated. I had a few choice words, but then began the process of changing it. I had to use the only spare I had, and then started asking people if they had a spare spare that I could borrow. Katie gave me her only spare, claiming that she didn't know how to change a tire anyway, so it wouldn't matter. I took it, but promised I wouldn’t beat her in the race.

I put on my wetsuit, and we went down to the water together. By this point it was raining again, and a dense fog had settled over the water. It was so bad, I couldn't see our buoys. I would have to follow the crowd. After we got lined up for the start, shivering, there was an announcement made that they had to delay the start a half hour because the sheriff was at the scene of an accident in Naubinway, and we couldn't start until he had his boat out in the water. There we were, freezing at wet, with no place to go. I was in a wetsuit so I was lucky; those who weren't were in trouble. They had to pull a woman out of the water with hypothermia. After what seemed to be an eternity, we were finally able to go.

The swim was shallow for a long ways, but very rocky at the bottom, which made it difficult to swim or run. When it finally got deep enough, I was able to swim moderately well. I had lost Katie. She has a swimming background, so that wasn’t surprising. I came back to shore and made the 1/8 mile run back to transition. It was still raining. I tried to put on my rain jacket, but it didn’t zip up right away, so I ditched it. I knew it was going to be a cold ride.

The bike ride was pretty uneventful, until I got almost to the turn-around. The bike course is hilly, but they extended it out about a ½ mile, which meant we had to make a very long climb before we could turn around. That hurt. After that, it was pretty much smooth sailing. I made the final turn before going into T2, and I saw Katie in the run. She was leading, and I let her know it.

As I headed out on the run, I felt really good. I passed someone almost right away, which never happens. When I got to the first hill on the very hilly run, I was starting to feel the climb. I got passed by someone. Ugh. I made it to the turn around pretty quickly, and got some water before the trip back. I saw another woman starting to catch me, and she did, on another hill. That was two, and I decided that was going to be it. I grabbed some water at the last aid station, and picked it up. There was a gradual downhill to the finish, which made it a little easier. I heard Katie cheering for me as I approached the finish line. I was happy to be done! I asked her if she won, and she had. I was so excited for her. I finished in 6th place. Not bad, considering that when I did that same race two years earlier, I finished second to last.

My plan was to high-tail it back to Marquette after the race, but I had to stay for the awards ceremony. I was 2nd in my age group!

My final time was 1:37:01.45. There was no chip timing, so I don’t have my splits.

After the award ceremony, I headed back to Marquette to the finish of the Ore to Shore. I talked to Tom on the way. He finished 30th overall, which was good enough for 2nd in his age group. Not bad, considering that there were over 500 people in his race. All of my friends who did the race had great days. It was a very cool day.

Up next: Pleasant Prairie Olympic Distance!

The Copperman - August 1 - Copper Harbor, MI: Better Known as the Monsoon Man

2009-08-12T14:06:00.003-04:00

For some reason, even though I've done longer distance races, the Copperman always makes me nervous. Maybe its because it's the biggest local race of the year, or maybe its miles 1.5 - 2.5 on the run. Either way, for the fist time this year, I was really nervous.

Tom and I got to Copper Harbor about 7:00 Friday night. We went over to Fort Wilkins Park to pick up my registration materials, and had a look at the lake. The 1/2 mile swim didn't look too bad, and the water felt okay. We then headed over to Fanny Hooe Campground and set up our tent. After, we walked over the the Mariner Restaurant for dinner. We walked around Copper Harbor after dinner, and then decided to head back to camp. I wanted to at least try to get a good-night's sleep, but that isn't always easy in a tent.

The people at the camp next to us were very loud, and their dog barked all night. At about 4:00 am, I awoke to rain drops on the tent. Great. It was windy. GREAT! I tried to sleep for the next couple hours not to much avail. When the alarm went off, We actually laid around for a half-an-hour before we got up. It was still raining, but not as bad as it had been. We packed up and headed over to the park to get setup. I got a good spot for transition. I was right next to the run out, on a corner. I chatted with a few people, waited in line at the port-a-potty, and then went over to the swim start. The men went out, then the women, and them teams. I lined up towards the front of the pack, the not the very front. After a short wait, we were out.

This is a true swim. There's no running. As I approached the first buoy, I saw the anchor in the water. Then I followed the rope to the buoy. The buoy had drifted quite far! At the second buoy, it was the same story. I wasn't too concerned that the swim was longer. I could handle it, and I felt Strong. I was able to free-style the whole way. As I came out of the water, I noticed that the swim had taken just over 20 minutes, which was the same as the year before. The swim must have been longer!

I headed into T1 and noticed that the sun had come out. I was going to wear Tom's SISU jacket, but decided not to as the weather seemed to be improving. SEEMED to be. The bike course at this race is challenging. There are a lot of hills that aren't steep, but long and gradual. It is a beautiful course, though, taking riders along Lake Superior. I settled in quite easily, and was pushing a decent pace. About five or six miles to the end, I noticed a very large black cloud coming from the southwest. It didn't look good. All of a sudden, the winds picked up and I was biking in a torrential downpour. I have never been caught in rain like that. It was so bad, I wouldn't see anything, and it didn't feel good. Rain hurts when it hits you at 25 miles an hour. I'm sure it slowed me down a bit, but I don't know for sure because I couldn't see my garmin. I was miserable. I told myself at more than one point that I was going to quit when I got into transition. This wasn't fun. AT ALL. I rode like that for the last four miles or so. As I made the turn back into the park, I slowed way down. I didn't want to power-slide, which Tom told me later that many people had done. As I dismounted, I looked a a volunteer and said, "I think this is the craziest thing that I have ever done!" She laughed. I ran though transition in standing water. I couldn't help but laugh. That seemed to lighten my mood, and my doubts from before were gone.

I racked my bike and realized that all of my running gear was under water. I tried to dump the water out of my shoes and put them on. I grabbed some water at the first aid station, and then I was off on the run. I saw tom at the first intersection. By that point, it had stopped raining. We start off on a trail, though, so there were big puddles everywhere. The run then moves out onto 41, and then at the end of 41, it follows a gravel road up a long, gradual hill that lasts about a mile. Its was nice on the way back, though; all down hill. When I got back onto 41, Tom rode his bike up to me. We chatted for a second, and then he went to the finish. I got back onto the trail, and before I knew it, I was making the turn to the finish line. I was finished, and the sun was out. For a second.

My final time was 2:34:05.3

Swim (1/2 mile): 20:46.7
T1: 1:36.5
Bike (23 miles): 1:15:53.6
T2: 1:22.0
Run (5 miles): 54:26.5

Up next: the Tri-Lakes Triathlon in Curtis, MI on August 8!

Castle Rock Triathlon, Adams, WI - July, 25. The Weekend I discovered why Tom and I could never have a dog.

2009-08-04T12:48:00.004-04:00

Couples that are involved in endurance sports race a lot, often on the same weekends. Tom and I often find ourselves seperated on weekends with him off racing somewhere while I'm off racing somewhere else. This weekend, we had an opportunity to actually be together on a weekend. I was racing at Castle Rock Lake, and he was doing the 24 Hours of 9 Mile race in Wausau. We were only going to be an hour and a half a part. We were going to make it work.

We left Thursday afternoon, since we both took Friday off. He picked me up at work and we dumped a car at Danny and Heidi Hill's house. We then headed off to Rhinelander for the night. We stayed at Tom's grandparent's cottage, knowing that Tom's mom, sister and neices were coming down the next day. It was nice to be able to relax on Thursday night because the rest of the weekend was going to be go, go, go. We slept in on Friday and met Tom's family at his Grandma's house. We went out for lunch, and then we hopped in the car again and headed for Wausau. An hour and a half later, we arrived at Tom's race site. Quite a few of our friends were there, and since it was a 24 hour race, everyone was camping. We had our own little Yooper commune. We unloaded all of Tom's supplies, and then I continued the drive down to Necedah. I had originally planned to stop at my friend Wendy's house, but I just ran out of time. Sorry Wendy. I was really hoping to spend some time with you and Morgan!

I got down to my parents house about 6:00, just in time for dinner. My parents had prepared a meal that met all of my pre-race requirements, so I was happy. After dinner my dad and I headed over to my race course to pick up my race packet. There was no need to drive the course this year. I knew it pretty well, having done it twice before. We then headed back to the house, to find my Grandma sitting with my mom. I hadn't seen my grandma for a year, so it was a nice visit. Before long, I was headed off to bed.

When I woke up the next morning, the weather seemed to be perfect. I was stoked. I wanted to have a good race, and I had a goal of averaging 20 mph on the bike. It seemed possible at that point. We drove over to the race, which is on the other side of the lake from my parent's house. The conditions were dramiatically different. High winds, and white caps. Nice.

I found my bike rack and set up transition. My parents found a place to watch the race. I put on my wetsuit and decided to test the water. It didn't seem too bad, but you could see the apprehension on a lot of the athlete's faces. One guy asked me for advice. I told him to breathe to the opposite sides the waves were coming from, and to remember that big waves come in threes. Before long, they were calling athletes on to the beach to start the race. I was in wave 9, so I got to watch a lot of the swim. They called my wave, and I was ready to go. This swim is shallow for the first half, and deep on the second half. Once I started, I tried to swim right away. Most people were walking or running, so that made it difficult. After we made the turn at the first bupy, the water got deep and everyone had to swim. I was able to get into a groove the best that I could. After I made the last turn, I swam until it was too shallow and then ran up the beach into T1. The crazy white cap swim was over.

I got onto my bike and got into my big gear right away. I was on a mission. I had a tail wind at the beginning, so I took advantage of it. It was awesome. By the first turn, the "On your left's" were flowing. By the second turn, we were facing a cross wind, and by the 3rd turn, we hit a head wind. I tried to not let it slow me down too much, but it was there for the rest of the bike split. Still, I felt good. It was the best I have felt on the bike all year.

I pulled into T2 and saw my parents cheering for me. My dad asked me how I felt. "I feel great!" I said as I ran by. A quick change and I was out on the run. The difficulty of this run always scares me, but I was determined to do better than last year. For some reason, though, my stomach was really quesy and I started dry heaving. This was new; it had never happened before. I grabbed some water at the next aid station, took it easy for a bit, and then kept running. I was fine before too long. By the time I hit the trail section of the run, I was my old self again, and I finished strong. I came back into the park and my dad gave me a high five as I was approaching the finish line. Another year of Castle Rock was in the books!

My final time was 1:38:34
Swim (1/4 mile): 8:28
T1: 2:03
Bike (17 miles): 52:37 (19.25 mph)
T2: 1:24
Run (5K): 34:04

After the race, I headed back up to Wausau to be with my friends doing the 24 hour bike race. Tom's team took 3rd overall. Without a few issues, they would have won. You can read more about that at http://sisucycles.blogspot.com/. Also, the WSG girls won the 12 hour women's division. Way to go!

Up next: The Copperman, or as I have dubbed it, the Monsoon Man!

Teal Lake Triathlon, July 18 - Green Bay All Over Again?

2009-07-30T18:25:00.005-04:00

It was the middle of July. By then, warm weather is expected, right? So why did I wake up the morning of the Teal Lake Triatlon thinking it was October? 50 degrees. Threatening rain. Winds. Had I gone back in time to the Green Bay triathlon? Nope; I was defintley in Marquette, and I could only hope that as I headed west to Negaunee the temperature would rise. No luck. It was what it was.

I got to Teal Lake about 8 am; an hour before the race. I was pleased to see bike racks, as last year there weren't. I was surprised, though, that there were no buoys in the water. I hoped that the swim hadn't been cancelled. I wanted to do a triathlon. I paid for a triathlon. Bring on the swim. I found an empty rack and started to set-up. Just then, I saw my friend Michelle and her cousin, Amy. They were both doing the race as well. I don't think either of them were looking forward to doing a tri in this weather. Nonetheless, they set up as I did. I also saw my friend Amy Michaels. She was doing the tri as a team with two friends. She, of course, was doing the bike split.

I gathered my chip and bib, and headed back to transition to put on my wetsuit. I then headed down to the lake to get in the water. I saw a few other people I knew; my friend Christina, and super-stud trigeek Judd Johnston. I had heard a lot of stories about Judd. He raced with Tom's dad back in the day. I knew he would do well. I came out of the water for a second to be greeted by Tom. He had rode his bike from Marquette. He had gotten a flat and hit some major headwind, but still got there before the race started.

I lined up in the water, next to Judd. He gave me a quick fist bump and wished me good luck. I heard Michelle yell, "You're our hero, Marie! You better kick butt today!" I told you that I would do my best. Pretty soon, the gun went off, and the mass start had begun. Even in the masses, I made it to the first buoy pretty quickly. I think the swim had been shortened, because before I knew it, I was rounding the second buoy. Before I knew it, I was wading out of the water and into T1.

As I peeled of my wetsuit, the cold hit. Yikes. I put on my long sleeved shirt as fast as I could, put on my bike shoes and helmet, and exited T1 on to the bike course. The bike spilt is pretty short at this race. Its only 20K, but its a hard 20k, with lots of hills and bad roads. My only goal was to be faster than last year. Only about a mile and a half in, I got passed by Christina. No surprise, as she would have the fastest bike spilt of the race. As to made the first out-and-back turn on Kivela Road, I started to count the women ahead of me as they were coming in the opposite direction. I was in 7th place at that point. As I made the turn to come back, I got passed by Amy Michels. She was only doing the bike, so that didn't bother me either. She thought I was in 3rd, but I knew I wasn't. Just before I made the turn up North Road, I saw Michelle. We shouted encouragement at each other as we passed. I knew I would see her again on the way back to the lake. The rest of the bike went pretty well, and I felt good. I down shifted and took my feet out of my shoes before I headed into T2.

I went out on the run. The hard, hilly, run went up the same road as the bike. I knew I would struggle, and before I knew it, I was getting passed. As discouraging as it was, I kept going. I was expecting Michelle to pass me at any point because she has always passed me on the run. I ran with her ghost behind me the entire time. About a half-mile after the turn around point, I did see her coming in the opposite direction. She said, "I'm not going to catch you!" I wanted to take her word for it, but I couldn't. I started to run faster, looking over my shoulder all the way. As I approached the finish line, I looked at the clock. I was eight minutes faster than last year, and was happy. A few minutes later, Michelle crossed the finish line.

My final time was 1:22.31.3

Swim (250 yards): 04:34.40

T1: 01:41.35

Bike (20k): 42:38.65

T2: 00:57.10

Run (5k): 32:39.80

The interesting thing about this race, though, is that I was winning my age group going into the run, but lost it significantly during the run :(

Up next: Castle Rock Lake, July 25!

Pewaukee Lake Triathlon: Back to Back Part II Part II - July 12

2009-07-21T16:37:00.003-04:00

After the Lake Michigan triathlon, I went back to my parent’s house to clean up, eat, and take a short nap. I then packed up my stuff and headed up to Pewaukee to compete in the Pewaukee Lake triathlon the next morning. I told the Calder’s I would be there around dinner time, which left me plenty of drive time, and time to pick up my race packet. I got to registration about 45 minutes before registration closed. They ran out of adult race bags, so they gave me a kids one. I still got an adult shirt, though J. I checked over my transition area. It seemed pretty straight forward. I headed back to my car and noticed that there was a bike shop right next to the transition area. I decided to get my bike checked out because I had a bad tube in my front tire, and my left aero bar pad was a little loose. Both things I could probably fix myself, but I figured that I might as well not take any chance and pay a professional to do it. I walked out of the shop with my bike in tip-top shape, and witnessed one of the scariest things I have ever seen. A triathlete was pulling out of the registration parking lot, with his bike racked on top of his car. His bike caught a the bike-out banner that was hanging over the parking lot. He kept driving forward, and the banner ripped his bike right off the top of his car. As it was happening, I was yelling at him to stop, but I guess he didn’t hear me. It looked like minimal damage, and he was still going to be able to race the next day. Whew. The poles holding up the banner, though, were toast.

I got in my car and punched the Calder’s address into the Garmin. I discovered that their house was about 4 blocks away. Perfect! I didn’t have to worry about parking the next day. When I arrived I was greeted by the family’s dog, Moe, a very playful chocolate lab. The Calder’s were great, just like the elder Calder’s that I stayed with in Appleton. They fed me dinner, and were very interested in my races and Race for Polio. I gave Moe the Frisbee that I had received with my kids’ goodie bag. She proceeded to chew it to pieces, and before long, there were little pieces of green plastic all over the house. I felt bad, but they told me not to worry about it. Before long, I had decided to call it a night because the race started at 6:30. I wanted to be there by 5:30, which meant that I had to be up by 4:30.

After a night of restlessness, I awoke before the alarm. I got ready, and headed out. With my back pack on my back, I hopped on my bike and rode it the four blocks to the race start. This was perfect. Not only did I not have to worry about parking, but I could get a short warm-up. I got to transition, got body-marked and chipped, and then realized that I forgot my water bottle. No worries, though. I rode back to the house and got it, and still got back in plenty of time to complete my pre-race rituals. I visited with the other racers around me, waited in line at the port-a-potty, then put on my wetsuit and headed down to the beach. The water was really warm. In fact, it felt better to be in the water than out. I was in wave 21, so I had plenty of time to swim before my wave. Although, once the race started, my wave seemed to be called quickly. Before I knew it, I was headed into the weedy water of Pewaukee Lake. I’m pretty confident with my swim, but today was difficult. It was hard to get around people and easily maneuver in the water. The swim was only a quarter-mile though, so I wasn’t in the water very long.

I crossed the road and headed in to T1 for a quick change and then I was out on the bike. I loved this bike course. The roads were great, there weren’t a lot of turns, and there was definitely more climbs than I was expecting. My legs were feeling every one, too! The course was a loop around Pewaukee Lake, so there was a lot of great scenery. I enjoyed it so much, that I was sad when it was over. I dismounted, and headed into T2, and then out again on the run.

I was warned by some Pewaukee Lake veterans about the run. Apparently, it was very hilly, with one big hill. They were right. I struggled right out of the gate. It was hard, and I welcomed the downhill stretch to the park where the finish was.

Back to Back Part II Part II was in the books.

My final time was 1:40:05.3
Swim (1/4 mile): 9:40.4
T1: 1:58
Bike (15.2 miles): 52:58.1
T2: 1:32.7
Run (5K): 33:55.8

Up next: The Teal Lake Triathlon!

Lake Michigan Triathlon, Kenosha, WI - July 11 - Back-to-Back Part II, Part I

2009-07-15T11:26:00.001-04:00

Every year, I try to get down to the Racine area to do a triathlon. I usually pick the Danskin tri, but they moved it to the end of September this year. It was a total bummer. Who wants to do a tri in late September in the Midwest? Not me. I decided to find an alternative. I had done quite a few Midwest Sports Events races, and they were hosting a race in Pewaukee on July 12. I hadn’t done that race before, and I heard it was fun, so I registered. After I did the back-to-back weekend, and wanted to do another one. I found a race in Kenosha on July 11. Great! The race in Kenosha was about 10 minutes from my parent’s house, and the Calder’s has enlisted their son’s family in Pewaukee to put me up for the race on Sunday. The weekend was set. I was stoked.

I took a half-day of vacation on Friday to make the trip down to Racine. I have to admit, I’m getting really used to traveling, and it’s not really bothering me anymore. I got to Racine a little before 4:00 CST. My parents had already left for the weekend, but I could tell that I hadn’t missed them by much. I called my dad, and they were right down the road, so they came home to see me. After the visit with my parents, I left for Kenosha to go get my race materials. After, I decided to head down to the water. The swim was in Lake Michigan, so I knew it was going to be cold, but I wanted to know how cold. When I got to the beach and saw the buoys, the swim appeared much longer than ½ mile. I talked with some other triathletes on the beach, and they concurred. Oh well. That really wasn’t a big deal to me. I’ve done races with swims twice that long. It just wasn’t what I was expecting, but then I knew. While I was talking to the other triathletes, I also learned a few other things about the course that I wasn’t happy about. The bike course, which consisted of 3, five-mile loops, was extremely rough in a few spots, which huge potholes and unswept corners. The run followed a lot of the same course, so I decided to drive it to get a good feel for it. It was ROUGH. I knew that my times would be slower, and for good part of it, I wouldn’t be able to stay aero.

Before I headed back to my parent’s, I did my typical pre-race grocery shopping. I picked up some oatmeal on-the-go bars, some bananas, and some Powerade Zero. I then checked the Garmin to see if there were any Noodles and Company Restaurants near by. No luck, so I settled for soup and sandwich from Panera. I went back to watch the Tour de France, and then headed to bed.

When I got to the race the morning, I tried to find a good spot to rack my bike. Normally, the racks are numbered according to bib. This wasn’t the case; it was first come, first served. I found a spot somewhat it in the middle, set up transition, got body marked, got my bike checked, put on my wetsuit and headed to the beach to test the water. It had thunder stormed the night before, so I figured that the water would be colder. My assumption was correct. I quickly figured out that this would be my coldest swim to date this year, even colder than the Portage Canal. It was what it was at that point. Pretty soon, they were lining up the Olympic Distance swimmers, and they were off. Within a few minutes, the Sprinters were lining up, and then we were off.

I usually don’t notice the water temperature while I’m in a swim, but I did that morning. I was COLD. It took me a while to get in my groove, but eventually I did, and by the time I hit the turn-around, I was good to go. When I came out of the water, I started to peel off my wetsuit as I began to make the long run through the beach sand up the T1. After a quick change, I was out on the bike. I made the first turn out of the park, and hit the bad road. Because of the rain the night before, there was a huge puddle in the road. No one wanted to go through it, so everyone was slamming on their brakes to try to maneuver around it. That was just the beginning. We eventually made a turn out on the a better road, turned around, road down a bike path (which made it almost impossible to pass) made a turn down to the transition area, and headed back out on the same route for two more loops. I learned later that the girl who won the sprint race crashed pretty hard around the water hazard. She still ended up winning by about 5 minutes. She earned her tough that day.

At the end of the third loop, I headed into T2. I racked my bike, took off my helmet, changed my shoes, and started out on the run. There was also a 5K, 10K and Half-marathon going on at the same time, so there were a lot of runners out on the course. The run was a straight-forward out-and-back, and was pretty uneventful, but I struggled with it. Towards the end, I must have looked like it, because a girl ran up next to me to give me encouragement, and got me to run with her to the end. We ran the last half-mile together, and crossed the finish line almost together. I wish I would have gotten her name. She has no idea how much her little push helped me in the end.

After a long wait, the results were finally posted. Preliminary results showed that I was 4th in my age group. But, after closer inspection, I saw that the girl who won, road rash and all, was also in my age group. If they pulled the overall winners out of the age groups, I could have a podium finish. I decided to stick around to find out. As it turned out, the 3rd place girl was also in my age group. I ended up 2nd in my age group! I had my first podium finish of the year.

My final time was 1:57:06
Swim (3/4 mile): 26:25
T1: 3:00
Bike (15 miles): 50:11 (18 mph)
T2: 1:13
Run (5k): 36:18

Up next: Back-to-Back Part II, Part II: Pewaukee Triathlon, July 12

Just Tri It Off-Road Triathlon - June 27 - What's a Mountain Bike Race without a Little Mud?

2009-07-15T10:31:00.002-04:00

The morning of Friday, June 26, I was still debating if I wanted to do the Superior Bike Fest 35 mile Road Race. The distance definitely wasn’t the problem. It was the lack of riding my road bike (I had been riding my triathlon bike since April) and my inexperience with pack riding that was making me waffle. If I wasn’t going to race, I had to have a back-up plan. I had to find a race to replace it for the Race For Polio, but I needed to be back for the awards ceremonies for the Superior Bike Fest. I promised my friend Jill that I would help her, and I knew she was counting on me. I knew that the next morning was the Off-Road triathlon in Manitowish Waters, WI. I had done it the year before and had a ton of fun. I had previously decided against doing it this year because I had done it with my friend Michelle, but her cousin was getting married that day, and she couldn’t convince him to change the date. Could I shoot down to Wisconsin Friday night after Tom’s race, do the triathlon, and get back to Marquette in time for Saturday’s award ceremony at 4? It seemed possible, and I was darned-sure going to try. I had arranged to stay at Michelle’s mom, Marlene’s house Friday night. She lives less than a half hour from the race. So, Friday night I watched Tom race in the Cat 4 Criterium, and at 9:30 p.m., I began the 2.5 hour drive. My plan was to race Saturday morning and be back in Marquette for the awards ceremony Saturday afternoon.

When I got to Marlene’s house, it was 11:00pm Central Time. She was still up waiting for me. She showed me to my room, set my alarm clock, and sent me to bed. I had to get up at 6:00 am to make it to registration, so I was ready for some sleep. I slept well, but I was still up before my alarm. Not uncommon. I got dressed and headed upstairs to find that Marlene had cooked me some oatmeal with fresh blueberries. How awesome was that? I ate, thanked her, gave her a hug, and headed over to the race.

I arrived early. I got registered, set up my transition area, and headed down to the beach for a swim. The water was really warm, but I still decided to wear my wetsuit. As usual, I talked with quite a few other triathletes, exchanging race experiences. As I stood on the beach eating a banana, more spectators started to appear on the beach. It was close to the start of the race. They were going to release us in waves based on age. My wave was one of the last to go. The wait didn’t seem long though, and pretty soon I was lining up with the 30-49 year-old women. Our pack was small, so I easily got up to the front.

GO!!! This is a short swim, but it is a swim. There’s barely and running before you have to take the first stroke. I found it to be pretty easy because the pack was small. I got into my grove, and when I looked up to sight for the first time, there was no one in front of me. I basked in the glory for a few seconds, and then got back to it. I made the last turn and realized that I was going to be the first girl in my wave out of the water. That was a first. Way cool.

I made the long run up the path to the transition area. As I was changing, I noticed that it was starting to rain. That was okay. I would rather be on my mountain bike than my road bike. Besides, what’s a mountain bike ride without a little mud? I threw on my CamelBak and mounted my mountain bike. This was going to be interesting. I had only been on my mountain bike a handful of times this year, and I had never raced it. Since there were only a few hills, I was able to stay in my big ring most of the time. I also found it much easier to pass people this year. By the time I was heading into T2, I was covered in mud, and had only been passed by one girl, right at the end. I had kept the rubber on the ground and felt strong. I was happy.

I headed T2 for another quick change, and grabbed a cup of Gatorade before I entered the run trail. Last year, I bonked hard at this point, and cramped up. This year, once I found my breathing, I was good to go, and I ran the whole thing, with no cramps. I did, however get passed by quite a few people, as running still isn’t my strong suit. As I crossed the finish line, I looked at my watch. I new that I had blew last years time out of the water. I didn’t know by how much, until I saw the results a little while later. I was 3 minutes faster in the swim, 5 minutes faster on the bike, and 5 minutes faster on the run. I was also 12th overall and 5th in my age group.

My final time was 1:08:55
Swim (300 yds): 5:36.4 (3rd fastest of the day!)
T1: 1:25.2
Bike (10k, 6.2 miles): 30:08.8 (12.3 mph, 4th fastest of the day!)
T2: 1:03.2
Run (5k, 3.1 miles): 30:42.0

But, the story doesn’t end there. I headed back to Marquette and made in back in time for the Road Race State Championship awards. I had missed Tom’s finish, but his team did really well. Sunday, I went to the Mountain bike race, and was able to watch Tom. He did really well there, too. He was 6th overall and the fastest Yooper on a mountain bike for 2 weeks in a row!

Congratulations to all of the local racers this weekend!

Stay tuned for the Second Back-to-Back Weekend - Kenosha and Pewaukee!

Back to Back Part II; The 10-S Triathlon, Hancock, MI, June 21

2009-06-29T14:26:00.004-04:00

As I drove up to the Keweenaw on Saturday, I talked to Tom quite a bit on the phone. My plan was to go to L’Anse, but he convinced me to keep driving and head up to Houghton for Bridgefest. A bunch of people we knew were up there, after finishing the Chain Drive Mountain bike race. I’m glad I did; I was able to register for Sunday’s race, instead of having to head up even earlier on Sunday. After socializing and a few pieces of pizza at the Ambassador, we headed back to L’Anse. I was pretty tied, so I went to bed shortly after we got back. The good news was that the race on Sunday wasn’t until 11 am, so I didn’t have to get up really early. I could sleep until about 8:30 am, and that I did.

This race was unlike the other races that I have done, simply because I had an audience. Tom and his parents were there, along with some others we knew that did the Chain Drive. The 10-S Triathlon is a small race, participant-wise, so we got there only about an hour before the start. That gave me plenty of time to set up transition and get my body marking. I was even able to get a swim in before the start of the race. I had decided to wear a wetsuit, of course. Last year, the water was almost unbearably cold. Swimming with my face in the water was out of the question. This year, the water was quite a bit warmer. Granted it was cold, it was the Portage Canal after all. I struck up a conversation with another woman who was doing the race, and a few of the racers from last year. We all agreed that we were much happier this year about the water temperature.

At 11:00 the gun sounded, and we were off in a mass-start. I was able to get to the front of the pack, so I easily found my space to swim. With the exception of sighting a few times, I definitely found my groove early on. I felt really good. Before I knew it, I was exiting the water. I wasn’t able to get out of the water very fast because the bottom was really rocky and slippery. Once I was on solid ground, I ran to my transition area. From what I could tell, I was the second woman out of the water! I quickly stripped out of my wetsuit and changed into my biking gear.

The bike portion of this race is by far my favorite bike rise of all of the races that I do. Rolly hills, smooth roads with only one turn, and beautiful scenery make it a great course. I was looking forward to it. I was hoping to pull the same pace as the day before, but my legs were hurting from the effort. In fact, I got passed by a few girls, which, at the time, was really disappointing. I figured that I wasn’t even close to yesterday’s pace. A few times on the course, I saw Tom and his dad. Just like last year, they were following me around. At one point, in the midst of agony, Tom pulled up next to me and decided to get some video.

“You’re probably going to hate me for this, but it’s really cool!”
“I HATE you right now!”
“Okay, we’re out.”

By the time I got to the end of the bike, my legs were shot, and I felt like I was going to puke. I came to the end, hopped of my bike and into transition, and was out on the run after about 30 seconds. On the first hill out of the campground, my legs started to cramp. Ugh. I walked to the top of the hill and started running again. That was followed by a much-needed downhill. Ahh…relief, even if it was short lived. The toughest part of the run was about to begin. After a turn off the highway, we went straight up a 7% grade that lasted about a mile. It was TOUGH. I got passed by a few men, but I expected that. At the top of the climb, I grabbed 2 cups of water before starting the long, gradual decent back to the campground. I hit my stride, and felt pretty good, until the last climb up the hill before the turn into the campground. I saw Tom and his dad again. Apparently Tom tried to tell me that there was a girl coming up behind me, about to catch me, but I didn’t hear him until it was too late. She passed me on the final stretch into the campground, and ended up beating me by 7 seconds!

I checked my results, but all they had were the final times, not the splits. I was still almost 13 minutes faster than last year. I found out the next what my splits were, after they were posted online. My swim was 4 minutes faster than last year, my bike was 4 minutes faster than last year (I did average 19 mph, it just hurt much worse than the day before) and my run was 5 minutes faster than last year.

Final Time: 1:41:30
Swim (500m): 9:43
Bike & T1 (17 miles): 55:22

Run & T2 (5k): 36:25

After the race, I rested in the shade along the river, and ate a banana, contemplating the weekend. I had just completed two triathlons in one weekend. How cool was that? I was pretty wiped, but it had been worth it. I enjoyed doing 2 races back to back so much that I’m thinking about adding a race to my schedule and doing it again in a few weeks. We’ll see!

Next up: Just Tri It: Off Road Triathlon, Manitowish Waters, WI…and the Superior Bike Fest!

Back-to-Back Part I: High Cliff Triathlon, Appleton, WI, June 20

2009-06-24T11:06:00.006-04:00

People often tell me that they don’t know how I do it. To me, it’s simple. I have a passion for triathlon. I’m still not that great at it, but I truly enjoy doing it. It’s easy to do something when you’re passionate about it. Doing two triathlons in one weekend was an amazing experience for me. If I had the opportunity to do it again, I would.

My first race the weekend was the High Cliff triathlon near Appleton, WI on Saturday. Since it was on Saturday, I took a half-day of vacation on Friday to head down. I stayed with the Calder’s again, so I decided to stop at Da Yoopers Tourist Trap to buy them a gift – a clock made of hematite and jasper. When I left, I looked up High Cliff Park in the Garmin and started to drive. I ended up getting there pretty early, so I was able to get a swim in after I picked up my race packet. The water was a little choppy, but I still swam the entire swim course. I could tell that the swim was going to be a piece of cake because the water never went over my head. After, I drove the bike course. With the exception of the climb out of the park, it appeared to be pretty flat. I was unable to check out the run course because it was mostly on trail. I would have to leave that for Saturday.

I left the park and headed over to Dick and Christine’s. When I got there, we immediately hopped in the car and went to dinner. They took me to the Red Ox Supper Club, a place they frequent of Friday nights. I had some really great fish. When we got back, we watched some PBS. There was a very interesting program on about the women’s liberation movement in Liberia. I went to bed when it was over. I had planned on getting up at 5:00 am.

I slept well, and when the alarm went off, I felt very well rested. I got ready pretty quickly and headed to the park. When I got there, there didn’t seem to be a lot of people there, which was surprising. I got rock-star parking, anyway. As I was unloading my car, I struck up a conversation with the guy parked next to me. I asked him if he got his chip yet. “No,” he said. “We can’t get them until 5:30.” I looked at my watch and realized that I was on Eastern Time. I thought it was 6:00! OMG! I could have slept another hour! That explained why there weren’t many people there yet. Oh, well. I had some time to kill. It ended up being a blessing in disguise. Because I was there so early, I was able to attend a yoga class they had at 5:45, and I didn’t have to rush to do anything. It was very relaxing. I may start getting to races really early from now on, now that I’ve seen the benefit.

As I was setting up my transition area, in my very relaxed state, I ran into some of my friends from Tri camp. Lee, who I bonded with quite a bit at camp, was only one rack over. I was happy to see that she had a new Specialized bike. She bought it based on my recommendation. I’m glad I ran into her because she provided me with the extra motivation later on in the race. I also made friends with a girl named Ann, who was in my wave, and was racked a few spots down from me. She was new to triathlon, so I helped her with a few things. She thanked me for taking her under her wing. It must have helped because she ended up beating me by quite a bit. Anyway, as it turned out, she and her husband did the WORS mountain bike races, and she also worked at one of the Nuclear plants in Kewaunee, where Tom worked when we lived in Green Bay. Small world. We were in wave 21, so we had quite a long time to chat, but before I knew it, they were calling wave 21 for staging. Two and a half hours went by really fast!

When the gun sounded, everyone started running. Like usual, I ran until the water hit the small of my back. I started to swim, but couldn’t find my groove because everyone was still running. That’s the problem with the shallow swims; they really aren’t well suited for good swimmers. I ended up running most of it. I ran out of the water and headed up to T1. I changed into my bike gear quickly and headed out on the bike. Ann and I came out together, but once we started up the hill, I never saw her again. I kept my bike in a low gear as I climbed the hill. I know I would be able to pedal harder on the flat stretches. My plan worked. Once the half-ironman and sprint bike courses split, I was never passed by a woman. I was able to pass quite a few people, which always feels good. I was feeling pretty good for the entire bike ride. Right about mile 21, I was coming up to another woman. “On your left!” I shouted. AS I pulled up next to her, I realized that it was Lee. “Hey, Lee!” I said. “Keep it up, Marie! You’re doing great!” She shouted at me as I went by.

I came into T2, still feeling pretty good, knowing that I had a good bike split. I changed into my running gear and grabbed some Gatorade from the aid station coming out of T2. The first part of the run was on wet grass. Yuck. After the grassy section, we headed up the same hill that we climbed at the beginning of the bike. That was brutal. About half-way up, Lee ran passed me, giving encouragement. At the top, we cut off into the woods on to a trail, and immediately went up a steep hill. The rest of the run was a mix of grass and trail, until we made our way back down the hill that we ran up at the beginning. I saw Lee again. She was walking back up the hill. I’m guessing she was looking for her husband, who was also doing the race but hadn’t finished yet. “Just give it a little kick, and you’re there!” she said. That’s all I needed to hear. I found all that I had left, and started to sprint to the finish. Soon after, I was crossing the finish line.

My final time was 1:55:03.4
Swim(1/4 mile): 06:49
T1: 01:38.5
Bike (22 miles): 01:09:32
T2: 01:28
Run (5K): 35:35.7

After some food, drink and socializing, I checked my results before I went back to the transition area. I packed up my car and headed back to Dick and Christine’s. When I got there, they told me to get cleaned up and then we would go have lunch. When I was ready to go, Dick gave me another donation to Race For Polio. Thanks!! He also told me that he had arranged for me to stay with his son’s family in Pewaukee for the Pewaukee triathlon. His son is also a Rotarian. I really owe the Calder’s a debt of gratitude.

After lunch, I got on the road and headed up to the Keweenaw Peninsula to do it all over again.

Stay tuned for Back to Back Pat II: The 10-S Triathlon in Hancock, MI!

Elkhart Lake Triathlon - June 13: Evolution

2009-06-22T13:38:00.008-04:00

My boyfriend's Dad, a former trigeek, once told me that becoming a good triathlete is an evolution. As much as I would like to be, I can't become an Ironman over night. So, after 16 sprint distance triathlons, I took the next step in the evolution process and completed an Olympic distance triathlon.

I was lucky enough, again, to have a travel companion, as my good friend Michelle decided to compete in the sprint distance race. We decided to make it an overnight camping trip because the hotels in the area were pretty expensive, and we had camped before the Devil's Challenge Triathlon in Baraboo.

We rolled in the Osthoff Resort on Friday night to pick up or race materials, and then we joined a course talk already in progress. We got an overview of the course, and were lectured about drafting rules. We then went to the beach to see the swim start and the transition area. My swim was an out-and-back with the turn-around point about 750 meters out. The transition area was pretty far from the beach, so I knew my T1 time was going to be long. After, we headed into the race expo and Michelle tried on some tri shorts. They didn't work. It was too bad, because she had negotiated a good price for them before she tried them on.

It was starting to get dark, but we wanted to drive the bike course. In the course talk, they said that the bike course was very hilly and challenging, and we wanted to see what we were in for. While out on the course, we determined that the perception of "hilly" is different in Wisconsin than in Michigan. With the exception of a few climbs and one steep climb on my course, it seemed pretty tame to us.

By the time we got to the campground, it was dark. Have you ever tried to set up a tent in the dark? It makes for an interesting experience. On our first attempt, we had the poles in the wrong corners. After we paused for some perfused giggling, we assembled the tent correctly, inflated the air mattress and decided to call it a night. As it turned out, neither of us slept well. I'm not sure if it was the rain, the nerves or the noise, but we were both awake at about 3:30 am, having to go to the bathroom. By the time the alarm went off, the rain had stopped. Michelle made us some breakfast and we headed to the resort.

When we got there, we stopped by the bike check to get some air in our tires and some minor adjustments for Michelle's bike. The mechanic took quite a liking to my bike. Not surprising; it seems to draw attention where ever I go, and apparently he had sold one in his shop the week before.

After setting out transition, waiting in line at port-a-potty row, and putting on our wetsuits, we headed down to the beach. the Sprinters were to go out first, so I gave Michelle a hug, wished her good luck, and went to my staging area. I was going to be there for at least an hour.

At that moment, I witness one of the most inspirational moments that I've ever had in triathlon. They had someone sing the national anthem by megaphone, but no one could hear here over the chattering of 800 athletes on the beach. Almost instantaneously, everyone realized what was going on, and the crowd went silent. Within a few seconds, everyone on the beach started singing along.

After a long wait, they finally called my wave. Our start was a time-trial start. They sent two racers out every five seconds. I had never experienced a start like that. It seemed pretty anti-climatic. I started to swim as soon as I felt the water hit the small of my back. It took me a few minutes to catch my breath, but once I did, I fell into a groove. Every time I came up to sight though, I seemed to be a little off-course. I'm guessing that I probably swam an extra couple 100 meters. When I made the turn around, I felt pretty good, and I'm almost positive that I had a negative split before I came back to the beach. I was pretty exhausted, and was getting come encouragement as I was coming out of the water. I looked at someone and and "One down, two to go!" That was met with a round of applause.

I started to run to transition as a peeled down my wetsuit. It felt like to took forever. I got to my transition area and changed as quickly as I could and headed out on the bike. I was playing leap frog with another girl for a while, but she eventually went out in front. I wasn't worried about it because I knew that once my legs warmed up I would feel better, and I didn't want to waste all of my energy within the first few miles. About 13 miles in, I came upon the biggest climb of the day. It was the only time in the race I came out of the saddle, and it wasn't so bad. The rest of the bike was pretty uneventful, and at mile 27 with one mile left to go, I finally caught and passed the girl who passed me in the beginning. My strategy paid off. :)

I came off the bike feeling pretty good, and I was ready for the 10k run that was ahead of me. I changed my shoes, peeled of a shirt layer, put on a visor (the sun was out by then) and headed out of transition. I sucked down a GU had chased in with some water as I began the run. Two down, one to go!

The run started out pretty flat, but by the time I hit the first turn, the hills were one after another. It was up and down for the next three miles. By then, though, my legs felt warmed up. I made another turn and met another very large hill that we were warned about. I slowly got to the top, and a volunteer said, "Its all down hill from here!" He was right. The last mile and a half was great. As I started a decent, there was one very small incline coming up. An older gentleman came up next to me and said, "I thought there weren't anymore hills! That's a hill!" I laughed and said that it was no big deal. Once we were over it, I really felt good and decided to kick it up. I looked at him and said, "Its down hill. Let's go!" I went, but he didn't come with me. I didn't see him again. As I came into the finish, I saw Michelle standing on the side of the road. I waved to her. "It IS you!" she said, and took some pictures. I was all smiles because of what I was about to accomplish. As I crossed the finish line, I realized that I had the strongest finish that I had ever had. I man shook my hand and said, "Welcome back!"

I was so happy, I didn't care about my time or how I placed. I had so much fun, and and told Michelle that I would so that distance again in a heartbeat.

As I was checking out of transition, a volunteer stopped me to ask me about my bike. Funny.

We went back to the campground so I could shower. Michelle finished long before I did, so she had already been back to the campground and packed everything up. We then had a picnic lunch with the food she had brought. Honestly, I don't know what I would have done if she wasn't there!

What a day. For the rest of the weekend, I was on cloud nine, and I still get excited when I think about it. There's no greater feeling in the world than accomplishing a goal that you have worked hard for.

My Final time: 3:31:01

Swim (1 mile): 35:25

T1: 4:21

Bike (28 miles): 1:39:49

T2: 2:57

Run (6.2 miles): 1:08:32

Up Next: Back to Back - High Cliff and 10-S: Two triathlons in one weekend!

Green Bay Triathlon - June 7: Earning Tough

2009-06-17T10:34:00.004-04:00

Last year, after the Devil's Challenge triathlon in Baraboo, WI, I said that I would never do another triathlon when the conditions were as bad as they were that day. I ate my words on Sunday, June 7 at the Green Bay Triathlon. It was 48 degrees, threatening rain, and winds were blowing at about 25 mph. Still, my friend Deanna and I wiggled into our wetsuits and lined up on the beach, trying to convince each other that it wouldn't be so bad.

The day before, we had arrived in Green Bay. Thanks to WLUC TV-6 and Rob Jamros, we had a free hotel room. We checked in and went to the race site to pick up our race stuff. It was raining and cold, but we were still going to try to get into the water. No luck; the beach was closed. We found out that there was going to be a race talk that afternoon, so we decided to drive the course, eat and comeback. I was a

veteran to this course, but it was Deanna's first time on the GB course, so we wanted her to be prepared. The course was really flat, so Deanna felt good about it. After, we had lunch at Noodles & Company, a place I always have lunch at before a race, if there's one near the city where I'm racing. We then went back the park for the course talk. Afterwards, we did some grocery shopping for race-day food, hit the mall and then went to dinner at Los Banditos. We had a great Mexican meal and margaritas. I normally don't have any alcohol before a race, but this time I made an exception.

After dinner, we went back to the hotel to get our stuff ready for the morning, trying to convince ourselves that it would stop raining and the winds predicted for the morning wouldn't be that bad. HA!

When we work up Sunday morning and looked outside, we were glad to see that it has stopped raining, but there was overcast, and it looked cold and really windy. Not ideal, for sure, but we sucked it up and headed out. We got to the park, set up our transition areas, are some breakfast, got our bikes checked, pick up our chips for timing, and got our body marking. We then put on our wetsuits and paused for a photo-opp before heading down to the beach. We got into the lake for a little warm up. The water didn't feel too bad; it was warmer than the air.At about 6:55, someone sang the national anthem, and at 7:00, the first wave went out. Deanna was in wave 2 with the long course, and I was in wave 5 with the short course. I gave her a hug, wished her good luck, and off she went at 7:04.

As I was waiting for my turn, I ran into some people from my tri camp, and like the duathlon a month back, we had a mini-reunion as we stood there shivering in our wetsuits. Then they called my wave. I was up next!

The gun sounded, and into the water I ran. In the Green Bay Tri swim, you run at least half of it because the water so so shallow. I decided to swim when I felt the water hit the small of my back. Right away I knew I was in trouble because I couldn't find my rhythm and catch my breath. I was kind of expecting that; the first open water swim of the year is always the hardest. Oh well. I swam the best I could and within a few minutes, I was out of the water.

I ran along the beach, peeling off my wetsuit and into T1. BRRR! I put on a long-sleeved dry shirt, my helmet, shoes and number belt, and headed out. The first 5 miles of the bike were great because I was being pushed by a tail wind. Just after the 5 mile mark, the long and short courses split. I made a turn was hit promptly hit by a wall of wind. The fun was about to begin! I pedaled as hard as I could for the rest of the bike, hoping that I would have legs left for the run.

I entered T2, took off my helmet and put on my running shoes. It was then that I realized that I couldn't feel my feet. They had gone dumb on the cold bike ride. I stomped around for a couple of seconds, and left the transition area onto the run course. I grabbed a cup of Gatorade on the run out, and was on my way. To my surprise, my legs felt really good. Those cement blocks that always appear after the bike and at the start of the run weren't there. I took advantage of it. I ran as fast as I could for as long as I could, and before I knew it, I was crossing the finish line.

After I finished, I went back to the transition area to get my gear packed up, and just then Deanna was coming off the bike into T2. YAY! I took some pictures before she headed out on the run. At that point, I knew I had about an hour before she came back in, so I brought my stuff to the car and went back to the finish line. I checked the results and waited for her to come in. As she entered to park, she left me so inspired. She looked really strong, and I snapped a few pictures of her crossing the finish line.

On the way home, we stopped for lunch and reflected on the day. We decided that we had earned at least a little tough that morning.

My final time was 1:41:13
Swim (400 yds): 6:41.6
T1: 2:04.5
Bike (16.5 miles): 59:41.8
T2: 1:10.8
Run (3.2 miles): 31:34.5

I was just second off my time from last year, but with the winds, everyone's time was slower. Last year I was in 108th place, this year I was in 47th. Improvement? I think so!

Next up: Elkhart Lake Olympic Distance Triathlon!

Twin Peaks Trail Run May 31: Silly Trigeek! Single Track is for Mountain Bikes!

2009-06-05T12:39:00.001-04:00

A wise woman once said, “The more you get out of you comfort zone, the bigger your comfort zone gets.” The Twin Peaks trail run on the Marquette South Trails made me realize just that.

I can honestly say that this was, by far, the hardest 5K that I have ever done. Up until this race, I hadn’t done much trail running. In fact, I hadn’t done any this year. I should have known better. Imagine riding on a road bike all summer and neglecting your mountain bike, then waking up one morning and deciding to do a technical mountain bike ride without training. The same concept follows for running.

I met my friend Michelle at the race about a half hour before the start. We had planned to run together, but figured that the other would have to go ahead and the other would be left behind. Michelle likes trail running, and had run on them quite a bit, but not at long distances. I was just the opposite; no trail running, but a ton of mileage.

We did a roll-out on a semi paved trail, then took a turn onto dirt, and headed up a long climb. At that point we were still on a wide trail. About ½ mile in, I lost Michelle. She went ahead. At the top of the climb, we made a sharp turn onto single track, where I was met with severe Achilles pain. I struggled for quite a while after that. I even had to walk a bit.

I started the second loop, which followed the same long climb at the start of the first loop. At the top of that climb, about 2 miles in, I was finally warmed up. I turned onto the gorge-ous loop, which is a stretch of beautiful single track that follows the Carp River. The was a man running behind me up to that point, but I hit my stride and never heard or saw him again until we talked after the race.

I approached the finish line and took off my top layer, revealing my Polio top for photo opps. Both Tom and Michelle were there taking pictures.

I was so glad to be finished! During the run I had thought that I would never do a trail run race again, but now that it over…maybe!

Next up – The 2009 triathlon debut: The Green Bay Triathlon June 7!

TV 6 Makes me an UPSider

2009-06-03T17:13:00.002-04:00

A TV 6 crew came out ot my house last Thursday to interview me and get some footage of my training!
http://www.uppermichiganssource.com/news/video.aspx?id=306217

Duluth Classic Time Trial - Learning the True Definition of SISU

2009-06-03T16:26:00.002-04:00

I know…I’ve neglected the blog for a while. To be honest, I have struggled with how I was going to write about this race. Coming to grips with the fact that I came in last place has been difficult, and it has been challenging not to be so hard on myself. That being said, Its been a week and a half since the race, and after tons of encouragement from friends, I have decided to shove my ego aside and focus on the positives.

The Duluth Classic is a four-day staged race; the first stage being a time trial. This year, they allowed participants to sign up for the time trial only. The time-trial, however, set the stage for the rest of the weekend. For those who actually did the time trial on a time trial bike, they had an immediate jump-start on the rest of the field.

It race was unlike any race I had ever done before. The only times I have raced on my bike was after I swam or ran before and ran after. I had never crossed a finish line on a bike.

The women were up first. They sent us out in 30 second increments; Cat 4 women, Open women, and then the Time Trial only. The start was really neat; almost reminiscent of the Tour de France. I came up to the line, and a volunteer held my bike up so I could get clipped in and in position. Then, there was an electronic countdown. Beep, beep, beep…BEEP! The volunteer pushed me off and I was on my way, with the SISU boys cheering me on.

As I started on the course, I realized that it wasn’t flat, like I thought it would be. I knew early on that I was going to be doing a lot more climbing that I was expecting. I was the second-to-last girl to go, so it wasn’t long before I started to get passed by the really fast guys on time trial bikes. I was okay with that. A few miles later, I made the turn on to the final stretch, right into a head wind. Yikes. I was going to have to work a little harder. At that point, I started to get passed by quite a few time trial bikes.

When I saw the sign for the last 1,000 meters, I pushed into a higher gear and started pedaling harder. Before I knew it, I was hearing someone yell, “Finishing! Finishing!” The finish line was a small white line on the road next to a tent. I almost missed it!

I looked at my watch to see how long it had taken me, and I figured that it was about 50 minutes or so. I was happy with that, until…

I got a call from Tom the next morning with the final results. It took me 52 minutes with an 18.4mph pace. I was also in last place. Ouch. I made it a point to everyone that my time trial was not to be a topic of conversation for the rest of the weekend.

The rest of the weekend was great. The SISU boys made quite an impression in Duluth. They had quite a few podium finishes, and heard quite a few compliments on their bikes and kits. I got to watch Tom finish stage two in the front pack. There was a sprint finish and he took second place!

With the time trial now behind me, I had a lot of time to reflect. While I was completely humbled by the experience, I do know now that my pace was good…for a triathlon bike split. I have to take into consideration that I was racing against cyclists, not triathletes. For everyone else, once the bike ride is over, that’s all she wrote. For me, I get off the bike and run. I wonder how many of those girls I would have caught if we all strapped on our running shoes and went for a 5K? I’m guessing a few. :)

Stay tuned for the Twin Peaks Trail Run Report!

Cellcom Green Bay Half-Marathon: May 17: Rotary and Running

2009-05-18T15:34:00.004-04:00

What a whirlwind weekend! Friday morning, Tom and I left for Green Bay. I was attending a Rotary District Convention and Tom was headed to Baraboo for his first bike race with team SISU Cycles.

I checked into my hotel and ran to the convention just in time for lunch. This was the beginning of a two-day Rotary extravaganza. Rotary conferences are always great learning opportunities. There is so much that goes on above the local level. I had a great time at the convention. I got to catch up with the Calder’s (the couple I stayed with for the Paper Discovery Duathlon). I also had to do a few push-ups. I promised the group that I would do a push-up for every $5 that was donated to Race For Polio. In fact, I had to do 10 push-ups on stage in front of everyone! My chest muscles are still a little sore.

The conference ended for me Saturday night because Sunday morning was the Cellcom Green Bay Half-Marathon – The third race in the Race for Polio!

10,000 people turned out at Lambeau field in the early AM, along with a dozen UPS trucks holding gear bags, and port-a-potty lines a mile long. I was smart; I didn’t drive over and try to find parking. I took the shuttle (school bus) over from my hotel to the race.

The 5k runners started their race right at 7:00am. Next it was time for the half and full marathon start. Of course, I had to go to the bathroom, but I ran out of time. I had to get out of line and line up. I was somewhere between 10 and 11 minute mile pace start lines. The National Anthem was played and just moments later, I heard the starting gun. It took quite a while for the pack to start moving as far back as I was. I actually didn’t cross the start line until almost four minutes after the race started.

I weaved through mobs of people for the first few miles. I came upon the first aid station, and saw that there were not lines at the port-a-potties. I decided to take advantage of it. I’m glad I did because there were lines at the rest of them along the way. I took off after that, trying to make up some time. I think I went a little too fast, though. I had a pretty wicked side cramp by mile three, which slowed me down to a walk. I was hoping that it wouldn’t be the tone of the day because I was feeling really good up to that point. Just ahead, I saw Tom with his two SISU Cycles buddies – Glen and Tyler. I saw Tom start to take a picture, and I motioned for him not to. After all, I was walking at that point. But seeing them there motivated me to start running again. The cramp went away and I never stopped running after that. I saw Tom again about a mile later. I was feeling great again, so I let him take pictures, then.

I continued on; just me and my Ipod. Running like that allows me to go into a zone and really reflect. Along the way, I passed an aid station staffed by UW-Green Bay alumni. That made me realize that nine years ago – exactly – I graduated from college. I thought back to that time and my lifestyle. I never would have imagined that in nine years I would be running a half-marathon. In fact, I would have laughed at the thought. I thought about how far I had come and how much my life had changed. Wow. I found myself starting to get emotional and had to re-focus.

I am still in awe of the amount of support out on the course. Not only were there aid stations at every few miles, but plenty of homeowners along the course had set-up their own stations; some playing music and some holding signs showing their support. Somewhere around mile eight, There was a teen rock band playing in a driveway. Keep in mind that it was about 8:30 or so. I wonder what the neighbors thought. Around that same time, I decided to peel a layer. Even with my headphones in, I heard someone yell “Take it off! Take it ALL off!” I looked over and saw three guys sitting on a lawn. I smiled, and gave them a thumbs up.

The miles continued, and before I know it, I was at mile 10. At that point, I only had another 5k to go. Easy peasy, or so I thought. It turned about to be the most difficult 3 miles of the race. My whole lower body was hurting. I crossed Oneida Street and heard, “Marie!” I looked over and saw Tom standing on the corner. I was so zoned out that I ran right by him. A short while later, I reached the half-marathon/full-marathon spilt. I was so glad to be turning west toward the finish and not east!

With Lambeau Field in my sights again, I knew I was almost there. We ran through the players’ tunnel and around the field. There was one section of the stands open for spectators and supporters. I exited through the tunnel and made the final turn towards the finish line. As I ran along the rows of people a the finish, I realized that I had started to cry. I headed toward the finish line and heard my friend Danny Hill cheering for me. I looked up at the clock, and crossed the finish line. I had made it. My final time was 2:24:37.

I walked up to a group of volunteers. One of them said, “Congratulations!” and put a finisher’s medal around me neck. That was really cool!

Here are some things I’ve learned:

I like cappuccino Gu.
I should buy some cheap clothes that I can ditch on the course if there is going to be a temperature change during the race.
I can pee in less than 15 seconds.

And most importantly

I am a runner

Looking back on it now, the whole thing seems surreal. I still can’t believe what I have accomplished. I ran 13 miles at a pace I was running 5k’s last year! Maybe next year I’ll so the full marathon.

Up next – Duluth Classic Bike Race – Time Trial!

Running to the Rescue: The Great Lakes Recovery Center 5K Run

2009-05-11T14:06:00.004-04:00

In the grand scheme of things, running a 5K really isn't that big of a deal for me, if the conditions are good. This, however, was not the case on Saturday, May 9. 36 degree temperatures, light snowfall and highwinds can make for a miserable race. But that didn't stop the Great Lakes Recovery Centers from hosting their annual 5K/2mile run/walk fundraiser, and it certainly did not stop over 50 community members to participate.

This was no easy 5K, either. You see, the course went around Presque Isle Park in Marquette, MI. Presque Isle is a peninsula in Marquette that juts out into Lake Superior. While the scenery is beautiful, the road includes many hills, including one 5% grade.

Making the first turn up around the park was the hardest. This, in true Marie fashion, is where I got passed by quite a few people. But, it was the only placed I was passed. The tough uphill is followed by a long, slow decent to the tip of the peninsula. On that decent, I was met my some Ace Hardware bikers coming in the opposite direction. They must have been warming up for a ride they were goin on later. I made another turn after the long downhill, and was finally met by a headwind that I had expected to feel much earlier on. It was so hard that I would feel the mist from the waves hitting the rocks along the shoreline. The good news was that the course was flat for the rest of the way.

I started the last out-and-back section, and was able to see the women's winner cross the finish line in 23 minutes. I had at least 3/4 mile to go. I wanted to finish uner 30 minutes, so I tried to pick up the pace a little bit, but my achilles was killing me. I ended up finishing the race in 30:54. Not too far off from where I wanted to be.

After the race, they had a small awards ceremony and a raffle. I won a picture frame.

Next up: The Green Bay Half-Marathon on May 17!

The Race is on! Paper Discovery Duathlon, May 3

2009-05-05T12:47:00.008-04:00

May 3, 2009

The Paper Discovery Duathlon marked the start of the Race for Polio!

I arrived at Riverside Park in Neenah, WI at about noon on Saturday, May 2. They had a kids' race earlier that day, so the transition area had already been set up, and the park was riddled with orange cones; a sign that the 2 mile run, 19.5 mile bike, 2 mile run course was being set up.

Since I was already pre-registered, I picked up my race materials, t-shirt, and racer bag. Midwest Sports Events always has good swag. This time it was a moisture wicking t-shirt and a nylon, drawstring bag. With a low registration fee, this was a great deal! After registration, I grabbed the bike course map and hopped into my car. The 19.5 mile course consisted of a few turns, good roads, and only one hill - the Highway 41 overpass. This was a good course for my first race of the year. After that, I grabbed some lunch and did some shopping at the local sports shops. I was able to pick up a new water bottle that fits in between my aerobars. No reaching down for a bottle during the race. Nice!

Soon after, I drove over to my host family's house. Thanks to John Weting, I was able to stay with fellow Rotarian Dick Calder and his wife Christine. Since I am racing so much out of the area, I am attempting to find Rotarians and their families who are willing to put me up for the night. Hotel costs are often more than race registration costs. I got to Dick and Christine's house to find dinner waiting for me. It was a great, healthy meal. I don't eat that well at home! Not only did they accept me into their home having never met me before, they gave me a bed to sleep in and fed me well too! I wasn't expecting these luxury accommodations, but I welcomed them as they welcomed me. I learned a lot about Rotary and Polio history. Saturday night, they also presented me with a donation to my cause. They also invited me to stay with them when I return to Appleton for the High Cliff Half-Ironman. What more could I ask for?

I went to bed pretty early; I set my alarm for 5:30 am. In typical, pre-race fashion, I woke up about once an hour after 2:30 am. So, when 5:30 rolled around, I was pretty much already awake. I got up, got dressed, and headed upstairs for my typical race day breakfast - oatmeal, a banana, and Powerade Zero. I then grabbed my triathlon backpack and headed out the door.

I arrived at Riverside park at about 6:30 am. I was early, so parking wasn't an issue. I looked at my car thermometer before I got out of the car ; 45 degrees. I decided to wear a few extra layers that I could peel off during the race. I headed over to the transition area and proceeded to set up. I then went over to chip timing and body marking. I ate another banana and made the first of three bathroom stops. On my way back to transition, I ran into a few people from Triathlon Camp back in February. It was a nice reunion! At 7:45 they closed the transition area. I made sure I had everything I needed to start the race. Running shoes - check. Race belt and number bib - check. Visor - check. I was all set and did a pre-race warm up run. The race started at 8:00 am, but I was in wave seven, so I had plenty of time.

At 8:10 am, they called called wave seven for staging. At 8:12, the buzzer sounded for my wave start. Here we go! I took off on the run at a good clip, and I felt good. I decided to keep the pace I was at for as long as I could, and at the first mile, I still felt good. I started to hear my friend Michelle's voice in my head. "Marie, I'm catching you!" It made me pick up the pace a little. Before I knew it, I was rounding the last corner back into the park. I hit T1 running, changed my shoes, put on my helmet, grabbed my bike, and off I went.

Exiting the park, I hit a head wind, dead on. I was glad I was on my new tri bike; that thing cuts wind like crazy. I still felt pretty good, and was able to pass quite a few people. That always builds confidence. Crossing the highway, I started to see riders coming from the opposite direction. Once racer missed a turn. “#$%!” He exclaimed. He was able to turn around without losing much time. The rest of the bike ride was pretty uneventful. I made sure to drink a lot of water, and then about a half mile before the end of the race, I switched into a smaller gear, hoping my legs would thank me when it was time to run again. As I turned back to the park, I passed a young girl who couldn't have been more than 12 years old. Good for her. As I passed her. She became quite impressed with my bike, and let me know it. I wiggled my feet out of my shoes and dismounted, entering T2. This is where the fun begins. My legs turned into concrete blocks, and they always do in the bike/run transition. I got to my transition area, changed my shoes and head wear, and peeled of a shirt layer. I could finally show off my polio race kit!

I headed out of the park to repeat the run. Those concrete blocks were still there. I had to stop and stretch my Achilles tendons, and the kept on going. This run was going to hurt, A LOT. I was met on the course by a lot of encouragement from other racers and spectators. I think that's what carried me through the last mile, and the concrete blocks finally came off. I made the turn back into the park with the finish line in sight. I saw one of my Tri Camp friends on the sidelines, cheering me on. With the finish line just a few hundred yards away, I decided to sprint the finish. I heard the announced call my name as I crossed the finish line, and I was done!

My final time was 1:48:43.5
Run #1 - 0:18:44.9
T1 - 0:01:23.9
Bike - 1:05:54.6
T2 - 0:01:28.3
Run #2 - 0:21:11.6

My goal time was 1:40, but this being my first race, with blowing any other run race time out of the water, I can't complain.

After the race, I grabbed some food (something else Midwest Sports Events is great with), packed up my stuff, visited with Mindy, my finish line Tri Camp friend, who was sporting a tree camo fleece vest that I loved, and headed out, with Riverside Park and my first race behind me.

I headed back to Dick and Christine's. I walked in the door and was promptly told to go get cleaned up and lunch would be waiting for me when I was done. How nice! That grilled cheese sandwich tasted really good! I chatted with them for a few more minutes, and then decided to head out, looking forward to staying at the Calder home again in June!

All in all, it had been a really great weekend. I had a decent race, and got to spend some time with some really great people. I think the Paper Discovery Duathlon will be added to my race arsenal for next year.

One down, 20 to go! Next up: The Great Lakes Recovery Centers 5k run on May 9!

Race For Polio Race Schedule

2009-05-04T15:32:00.002-04:00

Here is my tentative Race Schedule:

05/03/09 - Paper Discovery Duathlon, Appleton, WI
05/09/09 - G L R C 5K Run, Marquette, MI
05/17/09 - Green Bay Half Marathon, Green Bay, WI
05/22/09 - Duluth Classic Time Trial, Duluth, MN
05/30/09 - NTN Trail Run, Marquette, MI
06/07/09 - Green Bay Triathlon, Green Bay, WI
06/14/09 - Elkhart Lake Triathlon, Elkhart Lake, WI
06/20/09 - High Cliff Half Ironman, Appleton, WI
06/21/09 - 10-S Triathlon, Hancock, MI
06/27/09 - Superior Bike Fest, Marquette, MI
07/12/09 - Pewaukee Triathlon, Pewaukee, WI
07/18/09 - Teal Lake Triathlon, Negaunee, MI
07/25/09 - Castle Rock Lake Triathlon, Adams, WI
08/01/09 - Copperman Triathlon, Copper Harbor, MI
08/09/09 - Tri-Lakes Triathlon, Curtis, MI
08/16/09 - Pleasant Prairie Triathlon, Kenosha, WI
08/30/09 - Breakwater Half-Ironman, Petoskey, MI
09/06/09 - Grand Marais Triathlon, Grand Marais, MI
09/27/09 - Iron Girl Duathlon, Bloomington, MN
10/04/09 - Green Bay Duathlon, Green Bay, WI
10/10/09 - Whistlestop Marathon, Ashland, WI

Race For Polio - Support Rotarian Marie Peasley

2009-05-04T12:34:00.000-04:00

I have been a triathlete and a member of the Marquette West Rotary Club in Marquette, MI for the past three years. Both serve as my biggest passions in life. I have never really thought that they could be related, until now.

I recently attended Rotary PETS (President-Elect Training Seminar) for my district (6220). I realized that while my club was very much involved in supporting my local community, we weren't actively involved in supporting Rotary's #1 mission: Polio Eradication. While at the conference, I learned of Rotary's efforts to eradicate Polio. I didn't realize how close we actually were. With the help of the Bill Gates Foundation, who donated $355 million to our cause, we hope to meet our goal by 2013.

I also found out that our District Convention was going to he beld the weekend of May 16th in Green Bay, WI. Coincidentially, I was planning on running the Green Bay half-marathon that same weekend. The marketer in me thought that it might be a good opportunity to raise Polio awareness, and possibly raise money for the Rotary Foundation Polio Plus campaign. I thought about it for a while and decided to take it a step futher. Why not dedicate my entire 2009 race season to raising awareness for Polio eradication?

As of right now, I have 21 races on my schedule between early May and early October. All of my races will be held in Wisconsin or the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. They consist of two duathlons, a half-marathon, and nine triathlons. At least one of those triathlons will be a half-ironman.

I have set my fundraising goal at $5,800. I have selected that amount because my club presidential goal is to raise $5,800 in the 09-10 year.

To learn more about Polio and Rotary's Polio eradication efforts, click on one of the following links:
You Tube videos
Rotary Foundation - Polio Plus

Thanks for reading. I'm planning on posting training stories and Polio facts every week. I hope that I have inspired you as much as I have been inspired to further this cause. Please consider making a donation by visiting http://www.raceforpolio.com.