Race Report: Shelbyville Tri #1 Feb 25 2024

 SHELBYVILLE TRI #1

Out alone on the bike

I knew I'd be pulling up the tail on this one.  Running is first and I'm never at the front in my runs.  This tri is done backward so I'd be trailing everyone for the whole race.  Not a fun place to be but the broken knee requires time to heal so I have to listen to my body.  As expected I came in 2nd to last on the run.  Despite that, I had a PR mile time of 14:27 which is a great improvement on my prior run walks since last September so I was cheered by that notification on my Garmin.  

Note to self, I was overdressed on the run and pretty warm by the time I finished.  I had my onesie, a long-sleeved IM finisher shirt, my windbreaker biker jacket, two pairs of gloves, and thermal-lined pants.  However, I was glad I had these on for the ride.  The wind got pretty wicked after the second turn. I also had my shoe covers on my shoes which kept my feet nice and warm.  The gloves gave me issues though, they were slipping around on the hoods so next time I need to actually find my bike gloves.  (ya think?) 

I took the time to stop and reset my Garmin to the bike in transition and I carefully walked to the bike out because those bike shoes are the ones that caused my knee break in the first place.  They are slippery because they lost the gasket on the heel that keeps you from slipping.  (note to self, replace those gaskets...and likely the clips as well, they are quite old).  But I like those bike shoes because they match the bike.  Oh vanity.  

As I set out on the bike the guy who ran in after me exited before me so I was actually the last biker out.  But my trusty steed "Winning Colors" and I were clicking along between 14-23 MPH for the ride.  The hills did slow be briefly and at one point I think I was doing 5.5MPH up one of the short hills, it was pretty steep, but I felt pretty good as I passed rider after rider and slid into transition ahead of four other folks.  

I got my bike racked and bike shoes off and made my way up the hill to the pool.  I had left a lot of energy on the bike leg so I wasn't moving fast up that hill.  I took my time and tried to get my breathe back.  

I arrived at the pool and realized I had to cross the timing pad to get to my gear so my swim time looked incredibly long.  I got everything off, switched my Garmin to swim and got into the pool.  I kept feeling like I had something I needed to remove but "race brain" said "nah, we good."  After two laps, feeling like I was smothering, I realized I still had my gator on.  I got to the end, grabbed it, slid it off, and left it on the side, hoping I would be able to retrieve it later. (I did.) After that and after some guy rammed into me at one end, I swam pretty well.  I was tired though so I figured I was doing 2 min 100s instead of my expected 1:40s.  I decided to just enjoy the swim, push as much as I felt I could, and accept the time I got.  I passed 3 people on the swim.  

I felt pretty good after the race, ate a banana and a pickle, drank a lot of water and when I got home I made a mix of Base greens and Base aminos and drank that before lunch.  Ate a full-sized panera chicken Chinese salad for lunch.  

Total time 1:06:26

Place 1st AG 65-69

Run time 25:34 pace 14:12  Transition 2:18

Bike time 25:48 pace 14 Transition 1:00

Swim time 12:45 pace 55:29

Cancer and remaining an athlete

 

October 2021

On October 13, 2021, I was diagnosed with DCIS HER2+ ER- PR-.  This diagnosis was particularly lucky because the drugs they developed around 2000 changed this diagnosis from a death sentence to one of the most curable and treatable types of cancer.  While luck and cancer are rarely in the same sentence, I want to be clear that I certainly did NOT feel lucky about this diagnosis despite my doctor's optimism.  My tumor was fairly large and I had a spot on my liver.  All of this was rapidly determined, as well as surgery to insert a port all occurred prior to my first infusion on November 16. 

Athlete's Perspective. 

Through all these treatment events, I walked daily about 3-4 miles no matter how badly I felt.  This appears to have helped me to endure and recover better than most according to my doctor.  I also read all blood tests and worked hard to fix my diet to help mitigate the impacts on my body chemistry through nutrition, even when food was not very fun. 

Treatment plan: 

6 rounds of chem every 3 weeks; Tamoxifen, Carboplatin, Herceptin, Perjeta, plus an injection of Neulasta 24 hours after chemo.  

1 month preparation

Mastectomy, right side removal of breast, skin, and lymph nodes.  (this was under discussion for quite a while and I managed to find a surgeon eventually who helped me get surgery that would help me with my quality of life after everything...not all surgeons care about this) 

2-6 week recovery

Radiation 6 weeks, every day plus a possible bonus of 1 week, which I elected to do.  

This amounted to about 9 months of treatments.  

September 2021

On September 25, 2021, I drove to New York and raced the Toughman long-course aqua bike.  This was indeed tough.  You ride down a mountain and slowly drive your way back.  I did this race in hopes of qualifying for world championships.  I came in last in my age group of 10. 

November 2021

On November 17 (Wednesday) 2021, I began my chemo treatments.  The first four weren't too bad.  Well that's relative, I had some nausea and some diarrhea and by the following Tuesday I felt pretty bad, but that was the worst day and I'd recover by the following infusion.  I lost my appetite and my taste was very off due to the carboplatin, everything tasted metallic,  This continued for 9+ months.  I lost 30 lbs during my treatments.  

December 2021

Notified that I had qualified for world championships in Abu Dhabi.  I talked to my friend who had worked there and he said he'd go with me.  I signed up for the shortest race (super sprint) because I had no idea what shape I'd be in by that time.  I figured I could just spectate if I couldn't race.  I had no idea what it would cost me to be on Team USA.  I had to buy a new kit and parade clothes to participate.  I decided to rent a bike.  This ended up being pretty affordable because I was asked to share with another athlete doing a later race and split the costs.  Great bike.  

March 2022

Last infusion.  Chemo is cumulative so with every infusion the side effects worsened and in the end, I had some serious neuropathy in my hands and feet, high levels of fatigue, and wasn't eating well at all.  

Scans showed the cancer was completely gone in my breast and my liver.  

April 2022

Traveled to Chicago for my surgery with an all-female team including a plastic surgeon for reconstruction.  The male surgeon in Louisville told me to find another surgeon because I was asking too many questions indicating to him that I didn't trust him.  The female team in Chicago was awesome, empathic, and very professional.  My incision was sewn by the plastic surgeon and it was so delicately done, I have nearly no scar and it's completely smooth.  They removed one lymph node through the breast incision so I had no incision in my underarm.  Overall I was very happy with how it turned out although I was very unhappy that I had to do this in order to get radiation.  The national protocol is that radiation only is given to mastectomy patients.  If you skip it, they do not do radiation, which to me seems backward, and according to the radiologist he agreed.  He told me that there are studies about the actual effectiveness of mastectomy and some are advocating that we not do it due to the body damage, recovery, and lasting side effects like lymphedema.  I have no lymphedema because they did a test of the removed lymph, which showed no cancer so no further removals were required.  

Athlete's Perspective

I did walk, missing two days due to surgery and painkillers.  I stopped taking painkillers in two days and had no pain at all.  I walked 6 miles with a friend on day 3.  

Drugs tend to stick around even though the large portion will wash out of your body with water and time, there will be small residual amounts that get stuck in your fat or your joints.  Movement and water will help flush these out.  Adding Epsom salt and baking soda baths also helps.  There are some other detoxing products that I used as well to gather up heavy metals from the scan contrast chemicals.  Walking was my go-to activity since I could not swim (infection risk) for this whole time.  I wasn't steady enough to ride I felt.  I was often dizzy or short of breath and my Garmin with my wrist HR monitor would show me when my HR would rise indicating my body was working overtime even when I didn't feel it.  Rest, naps and responding to my body's signals was important.  

May June 2022

Recovery...started Radiation at the end of June.  I tolerated the radiation pretty well.  I didn't really feel a great deal of fatigue.  It was fatigue per the normal for that year.  I managed to avoid any radiation burns by using frankincense and aloe.  

July -August 2022

Radiation ends, recovery of 6-8 week recommended, no swimming. 

Herceptin injections continued every 3 weeks until November 9, 2022

September  - October 2022

Liver Scan showed I was still cancer free. 

Athlete's Perspective:

Started swimming.  Boy was I slow.  Did Bike to beat cancer, 18 miles.  Tried to run but HR spikes were a continuing problem so I decided I'd just have to walk at the race.  I continued walking every day and added in biking at Hotworx (Infrared is very helpful for healing and inflammation control), Yoga weekly, and swimming twice a week in my gym pool. (it was only 21 yds so hard to gauge my progress, but I targeted for 14 min on the race swim). 

November 2022

Nov 9, last Herceptin injection.  Side effects last 3 weeks.  Neuropathy is still a real problem on my feet and hands.  All very sensitive and hard to do things with my hands, walking sometimes made it worse. Felt like I had a ball of sand in my shoes under the ball of my feet all the time. 

Athlete's Perspective

The race was on Nov 26 during Thanksgiving.  I signed up for the Thanksgiving buffet and me and my friend prepared for a great 10-day stay in UAE.  We would land in Dubai where he'd show me around, we'd drive to Abu Dhabi,  see the sites, I'd race and we'd return to Dubai for more days of fun there before returning.  

On the day we were to leave, his sister called at 4 AM and notified him that his mother had had a massive stroke and was dying in Cincinnati.  I was at his house in Chicago.  He and his partner threw clothes, the dog, and food in the car, canceled his airline ticket, and left before 6 AM to try to get there for his mother.  They did make it in time for him to say goodbye.  

I had to decide if I was going to go ahead on this trip then.  Departure was 6 PM that night so I cleaned the house, emptied the garbage, watered the plants, and tried to put it in order so they would come home to a clear place.  I talked to my parents who tried to tell me not to go, but my daughter who had been with me through all of this said "YOU'RE GOING RIGHT?"  And yes I went. I have traveled overseas alone extensively and felt I could handle it although I wasn't totally 100% myself all the time.  Chemo brain is real and it had affected my thinking more than once.  

Race week November 23-28

It wasn't an easy trip.  I had made virtually NO PLANS for any sightseeing because I knew my friend would show me the coolest stuff.  I had to figure out what I wanted to do, figure out how to get the rental car, contact the Airbnb person and meet her..it was weird, I picked up the key in a parking lot from her car.  I had a hard time turning off the AC for three days I froze until I finally pushed the right buttons.  The toaster was broken.  It wasn't terrible but it was lonely.  I did manage to join a tour of AbuDhabi and took some awesome photos that I'm turning into artwork now.  

Race day was wonderful.  I picked up my bike and checked into transition.  I decided against training rides or runs knowing I had a limited amount of energy.  I did do a practice swim though, the lure of that beautiful bay was too much.  I found the swim (salt water) to be quite easy and enjoyed it a lot.  Same on race day.  I swam it in less than 14 minutes and was thrilled.  The trek to the transition was at least 1/2 mile and my feet were not very happy. It was hot, gravelly, and difficult to navigate and I took my time even though some locals were shouting "YOU CAN DO IT USA! RUN!"  I laughed and yelled back my feet were very tender. One guy ran with me and encouraged me along the route.  I found the UAE locals very supportive obviously.  

I got on my bike but right out of the chute, I took a turn that took me off the course. I figured it out pretty quick and turned around and as I was entering the course, some volunteers started shouting "LOOK OUT!"  I turned to see what they were shouting about (a guy was coming but he was way back) and I fell into the stanchions.  I got a pretty good bruise on my hip but managed to recover and head out successfully.  The bike ride was okay.  Lots of speed bumps to navigate, and lots of turns, but I wasn't worried about my speed that day.  I got off the bike and headed out to the run and knew with the temps so high, I was going to have to walk.  I was passed by an 80 yo world champion and managed to come in just after she did. I wasn't upset. Tim (Team USA coordinator) caught me as I neared the finish chute, gave me an American Flag and I crossed the line, crying and smiling at the same time.  

Final Thoughts  August 2023

This race kept me going through all my treatments.  I'd visualize myself running the race and away from cancer regularly.  It kept me walking every day because I knew I needed to stay as healthy as I could to be able to race in November.  I'm proud of what I went through and how it turned out.  Today I'm on "cancer watch" for the next years and every twinge is a bit scary but I'm continuing to train and move forward despite that.  I've done 9 races this year, qualified for worlds again next year in Malaga Spain, and feel pretty good.  

My doctor is amazed at my recovery.  I think my fitness level prior to the start of treatment (from triathlon) was a better place to begin than most have.  But my focus on remaining healthy, detoxifying, and moving through treatment helped me to tolerate and recover much faster than most.  

When I lost my hair, after fooling with wigs and scarves and getting annoyed and lots of pitying looks, I decided to embrace my baldness and got a henna tattoo on my head.  Then I got admiring compliments and lots of positive feedback.  I think embracing what is happening and making the best of it helps your mental health as well.  

I also took advantage of all the support UL Health offered in Acupuncture, massage, art and music therapy, a photo session, etc.  I tried to continue to live normally and looked at that year like I would training for an IM or a marathon.  You know it'll be tough at times, but you have a goal to achieve by getting through it.  

My goal was to race in Abu Dhabi.  I did it.  

Women are not "small men" Training and health issues

 One author I follow is Dr. Stacy Sims.  She has been doing research on female athletes for some time now and is active in promoting new ways to train, eat and maintain healthy bodies during athletic pursuits.  I sure wish this information had been known when I was an athlete.  

She wrote "Roar" and conducts research and presents at scientific conferences around the world.  I believe she will, with other researchers like her, help women to achieve more than they have.  

Recognizing and incorporating the menstrual cycle and all variations (using contraceptives) is one very important step she and others have made known.  I see it becoming a part of fitness trackers for women now.  (one problematic issue with this is that such information can be known, tracked and used against women of pregnancy age in areas where abortions are prohibited, so beware).  

Another "new" idea is that women require different nutrition than men.  Here we have a real problem because women are often encouraged by society to remain thin, but not eating enough has created an issue.  Women are more likely to be victims of LEA and REDS (Low Energy availability and Relative Energy Deficiency Syndrome) Remembering that LEA is the exposure, and REDs is the outcome.

Here is the link to her Blog   You can sign up to follow her reports.  If you are a female athlete looking for help to maximize or optimize your outcomes, I strongly suggest you find a female coach who is aware of these issues and can train you appropriately.  

It has been my experience that male coaches tend to overtrain female athletes for a variety of reasons.  Age, biology, and genetics do affect a woman's ability to persist and recover during endurance training.  It's much more evident and important for long-distance races than it is for short-distance if finishing is the goal.  However, if you are seeking to podium on short races, it becomes relevant even for short races.  

If your coach isn't asking you about your cycles, or other female only issues such as breast feeding, pregnancy, mesntrual cycles, peri or menopause, you should wonder if they are actually giving you the best training for you.  So far in my certification training, there has been nothing about these issues in any of the educational programs despite the increasing awareness that these issues are very important to understand and factor in for women's training.  Right now the only way to find a coach who understands and factors in these issues is to ask what they have done to educate themselves about this.  Dr. Sims is one great resource and I recommend her books for both coaches and female athletes.  

Race Report: Tri Louisville July 23, 2023

 

I was originally slated to be a Race Official for this race but they cancelled all officials so I was free from that job.  I thought about just spectating but finally, only 4 days out, decided to do this race.  They had a variety of race options and I finally decided that the heat and humidity would be pretty bad that day and running would be miserable so elected to do the Sprint Aquabike.  The race at Fort DeSoto had quite a few Aquabikers but it turned out that they only had 4 racers in all categories for this race.  I did not know this when I set out.  I had decided I'd do my best but would focus on having fun for this race instead of being fastest.  

I had my new Garmin watch with the multisport function all primed but when I pushed the button just as I jumped in, it did not start.  Somehow I had hit the button that locks the garmin unintentionally so that was a big fail.  I did have my little Fenix set up and it did a find job keeping track of my time.  I also had my old 910XT on the bike as a bike computer and I had my data for riding just fine.  Next time I'll know to check my garmin with more time before I hop in the water.  

I got out of the water in about 19 mins.  It was 850 meters so I wasn't unhappy with that time.  I would have liked to do a bit better because there's a current in the channel between Towhead Island and the shore but I had to dodge a few beginners and work around some slower folks at the exit.  The trip to transition was pretty long and I had to walk most of it although I might've been able to do some running, the ground was pretty rough and my feet are more sensitive than they used to be so I was walking carefully to my bike.  

So transition was pretty long, but I took my time and got myself set up.  

I had decided I'd push myself on the bike more since I didn't need to save anything for a run.  I had a grand time on the bike.  There wasn't much in the way of winds or hills, some false flats, but there were lots of turns.  This bike course for the sprint was two laps with about 3 180 turns along the way.  That required that I slow for the turn and then pick up speed each time.  I was surprised that I was able to get a pretty strong avg speed regardless.  

I didn't even check my finish position.  I knew I had finished in about 1:02 or slightly less but wasn't too worried about a podium position.  I was surprised to learn I had finished second and figured it was of a field of 65-69 year olds.  They did not give out age group podium awards for the aquabike and once I checked the results I realized why.  Here's the whole field of people racing the sprint aquabike.  

I had a great time.  The weather was great and my decision to skip the run was a good one I think.  I might've done the Olympic aquabike but really I had a good quick race and was happy with the outcome and during the event.  I recovered pretty quickly, but by Tuesday I needed a long nap before my swim training with the masters at 6:30 PM.  

Race Report: Fort De Soto Triathlon....Sprint Aquabike

 

I signed up for this race as most likely the last tri I'll do in FL while I'm down here.  I can't find anything close in the next 3 weeks, not even a 5K, but I'll keep looking.  I've had a great time here doing two triathlons, one on each coast in the last 3 weeks.  

 I've done this Fort De Soto tri in the past.  About 6 years ago, I did the Olympic Tri and came in first..and last.  LOL.  It's a small race, but they give out AG awards, so most people get a place in the older age groups.  

The swim is a beach entry and a swim parallel to the beach and out with a very long run to transition. I loved the swim.  Swimming in salt water is so much easier, and there were few waves.  I passed many people on my way to the finish, both in my own wave and the wave ahead of us.  400 yds isn't a lot of time to pass folks.  We had a time trial entry, so the first 100 yds were relatively crowd-free, but I rapidly caught up to the beginners doing breaststroke and struggling and on to others swimming well but slowly.  The transition run is through sand and across a pebbly tarmac that my feet won't hold up to these days.  My foot neuropathy makes my feet very sensitive, so I had to leave flip-flops at the swim exit and pick them up on my way across the sand.  I took a bit long on the transition. The bike is a long flat loop inside the park which is closed to traffic during the race, so it's very safe.  There are some headwinds to deal with that slowed me to 14.5-15 MPH a couple of times, but I was spinning well at 16-19 mph through much of the race.  I passed a lot of people on the bike as well, only a few passed me.  That's unusual.  I was happy with how I rode; wished I could keep the power going on the headwinds but I'm still coming back from the last two years I think.  I still get a bit dizzy when I lift weights if I don't keep it slow and rest well between sets.  I rode 12 miles on Thursday, and I felt good afterward, but still was pretty tired that night.  Recovery takes longer than it used to.  Total race time 51 minutes.  Swim 8:50 by my Garmin but they had 9:25 for me. 5:36 transition  36:18 bike.  Total 

I was happy I had signed up for the Aquabike and not the Triathlon, though.  I did not have to run after I racked my bike.  I changed into flip-flops, put on my hat and walked to the finish line.  I got some water and race food, some free sunglasses, and a coozy and finally meandered over to the race results, where I was listed as 1st place!  I was very pleased about this.  

I had met a woman pre-race who apparently sought me out. She was the only other person in my race in my age group.  I didn't know this at the time.    She chatted with me a bit, said she was from Sarasota and that she hadn't been training much.  She told me she had tried to check my race results on Athlinks to see how competitive I was.  HMMM.  She was frustrated because I had made my results private....I do the same thing in real competitive races where I want to qualify for something, but I hadn't even thought about it for this race.  This race is not a qualifier; in fact, it had very few race officials, if any.  A lot of drafting and blocking on the ride was happening.  Anyway, she told me she was "VERY COMPETITIVE" and tried to get me to predict my times for her.  I told her I had no idea I was a cancer survivor and that I was here to enjoy the race.  She started her swim after me, and I never saw her again until after the race.  

We were all standing around chatting and waiting for the awards ceremony, and she sidled up to me.  She told me that there was a "glitch" in the timing, and she had gone to the official's desk and had them use her Garmin time for her race results.  When they announced the awards, she was in first place, and I had been moved to second.  

I briefly thought about objecting to this outcome, but then I thought, I don't really care.  If she needs to be first and she had to manipulate her way to that, then fine.  Alternatively, those results could be accurate...I have no idea.  Why create drama on a lovely day? There is no damage to me, I still did my race and enjoyed the day, met some friends, made some new ones, and enjoyed being outside that morning.  Aside from a flurry of mosquito bites while I waited to check in...I had a blast.  I loved the swim, I loved the ride, and got two medals...what could be better?  I went down to the beach and did another quick swim for recovery. Plus, I'm 1:30 hours from the beach on either coast, so anytime I get to be in salt water, I take the opportunity!  

I had driven over from Winter Haven that morning, started at 4 AM, and arrived at 5:30AM, and I had to get back because I'd left Scooter behind.  I got home at about 11:30 AM,  I stopped for a breakfast sandwich because I was starving.  I had thought I would get home for a meal, but I got too hungry and figured I needed the nutrition for recovery.  

I walked with Scooter for a few miles that afternoon and rested for the remainder of the day.  

Me, Linda and Susan post race

Game On! Ponte Vedra Triathlon Sunday May 21, 2023

 Ponte Vedra Triathlon 

I called my cousins in Jacksonville, FL, and asked if they were open to my visiting them and doing this triathlon Sunday morning.  I suggested I arrive either Friday or Saturday, and they said Saturday would be more convenient with their schedule.  So I packed up Scooter, and we headed to Jacksonville with an arrival planned for 3:30 PM.  They live about 15 minutes north of Ponte Vedra, so driving to the race would be very quick and easy.  

I went through Micklers Landing, thinking that packet pick-up was there because the race website had a link that said directions on the packet pick-up page.  However, this set of directions did not send me to packet pickup but to the race site itself.  It turned out the packet pick up was 9 miles north at a Trek shop.  That wasn't a big deal because it was on the way to my cousins' house so I stopped and got my bib, stickers, and t-shirt.  I had to use my own swim cap because they did not have non-latex caps.  I was supposed to have a red cap but had left that one back in Winter Haven.  As it turned out, I had also left a critical piece of tri gear there as well, but more on that later.  

I arrived at 3:10 at my cousins' house and had a great visit with them and pizza for dinner with a salad.  They have a wonderful home with a boat dock on the water, so it's always a pleasant place to visit.  

The next morning I got up at 5 AM, got my coffee and some oatmeal, and after chatting with my cousins, who decided to get up with me and feeding Scooter, I headed out.  I told them I should be back between 10 and 11 AM.  

I arrived at the race site.  There were 200-300 competitors in this race.  The transition area was small, and I did a tour noting bike in and out and run in and out and walking the swim in and out.  Susan Haag had posted about this race, and I might have missed it had she not made that post.  I had checked out tri-find  but this race hadn't come up, probably because of the filter I put on it for my search.  Anyway, I was able to sign up on Friday afternoon.  

I parked and started collecting my gear.  Normally I leave my helmet and bike shoes in the car.  But after Clermont, my bike shoes had gotten muddy and I had removed them to clean them and not replaced them in the car, and I did not realize this until I started collecting my gear from the car to head to transition.  Oh Well.  I knew I could ride with my tennis shoes but likely I'd be somewhat slower on the ride because of this.  I shrugged, filled up my tires with air, collected everything else and headed to transition.  I got my body marked and asked where the chips were.  This group puts your chip on your bike spot so you collect your chip with the number on it at your marked bike slot.  That was pretty nice.  I set up my transition and started doing reconnaissance of the area.  I hung out and saw Susan as she arrived. We took a couple of photos and she introduced me to several of her friends that she'd raced with over the years.  Several of them were men over 70.  

I was in the Over 60 wave with these guys, so we stood about and chatted for nearly an hour as we waited for the Olympic race (only 88 competitors) to begin.  Our waves began at 7:40, and I think we didn't actually get in until 7:50 because it was a two by two entry.  

The swim entry was, ahem, interesting.  The waves were crashing pretty hard for about 50 feet so you had to forge through that to get to smooth water for the swim.  One particular wave during my entry was about 10 feet tall and pounded me so long that I wondered if I'd get through it.  DAMN! I said after that one.  Then I was through and able to start my swim.  I started easy, and it felt pretty good.  I love swimming in salt water.  It was too warm for wetsuit legal, so no one had a wetsuit.  Fine by me!  

I really enjoyed the swim.  I passed quite a few folks.  Got kicked in the face by a breaststroker...sort of pulled up short on that one, then managed to get around her and continue.  I was pretty happy with my time when I got out, something like 13 minutes which I felt was reasonable with the long walk dodging waves on the entry.  I had left my flip-flops at the edge of the sand again because the asphalt was rough, and this neuropathy makes my feet very tender.  I was glad I had them.  I got my tennis shoes on, my helmet and headed out.  

The bike course is an out-and-back, 12.5 miles ride.  It's on an open course with some crossovers, but it's on the A1A, so the traffic is mostly beach traffic, and early on, this is fairly light.  I had one time when a pedestrian was crossing in front of me, and I hollered, and he let me pass.  I was doing 22 MPH at that point, so didn't want to lose my speed.  My ride was 45 minutes, not my best, but still not terrible for me.  I was doing 15-16 Mph through most of the ride.  There were several long slow hills on the ride, but they were nice to ride back down.  There was some shade.  I passed a few folks and had a few pass me.  But remember, the Olympic folks went out first, so it wasn't clear who was doing what race, and passing someone wasn't terribly meaningful.  

The old folks wave was last, so I figured I'd end up on the course completely alone, but it didn't work out that way.  With all the Olympic competitors, the bike and run course had a lot of folks on them, so I was middle of the pack a lot.  

Since I rode in my tennis shoes, my bike-to-run transition was very short.  I racked my bike, grabbed my hat, race belt, and water bottle, and headed out.  That was nice.  I had to walk nearly the whole first mile.  I was a bit frustrated by this, but with my HR at 156-188 just walking, I was unable to do anything else.  Finally after mile one and some Gatorade diluted with water, my HR started to slow to the 144 range.  I managed to run a bit on mile 2.  Not a lot but more.  By mile 3, I was running even more and did a negative split.  Mile 1 was like 16 minutes.  Mile 2 was 15, and mile 3 was 14.  I managed a nice run up the finisher chute and got my medal.  I was pretty pleased with my finish.  

Waiting for the awards (I had figured out I might podium) I chatted with Crown and his wife Corey from Kenya.  He was a duathlon-er who had just tried doing this race on a whim.  He's interested in training for a triathlon and I offered my coaching services to him.  He has my number if he wants to follow up.  

The whole race was nearly 2 hours, 1:59 but even so I felt like I had accomplished a lot.  

Medals earned April 15-May 22, 2023

It turned out that I was one of 2 competitors in my age group so I also picked up a 2nd place podium slot.  I commented to the 1st place finisher that "we outlived them all!" and we had a good laugh.  

Next race is probably the Fort De Soto triathlon in June.  I think that may be all the racing I do down here this summer. 

GIRLZ on Fire Race Report Saturday, May 13, 2023

 Girlz on Fire

A few years ago, I signed up for this race while I was here in FL at my house, but I signed up on Saturday afternoon, and the race had actually already been done at that time!  I sent a note to the director asking if there was anything we could do, like a refund or something, and she suggested they give me credit for a future race.  Then the pandemic happened.  Then cancer happened.  

So 4 years later, I sent a note to the race director asking if they still had a record of this offer, and she responded with an offer of a 50% discount for this year's race.  I decided that was very generous given the time that had passed, and I signed up for the sprint.  

This is a women-only triathlon and has 200-300 competitors.  It's a nice race with a swim in Lake Minneola, a ride around the lake, and a run through the Clermont trail area.  The transition is small and easily navigable, and the water is usually pretty warm.  (I've done races in Clermont at this location in the past so I was very familiar with the course and the location.)  

On race day, I got up at 5 AM and drove the hour 10 minutes to the course, checked in, got my chip, shirt, bib, and stickers, got body marked, and put my things into transition.  There was a large contingent of women over 65 there from The Villages.  They have a triathlon group and do this race every year.  We chatted while we waited for the race to begin.  The start was uneventful, but I left a pair of flip-flops at the beach's edge because we had to run across very rough asphalt.  The 400 yd swim was a very nice U shape from right to left with a long beach and asphalt run to transition after.  I think I finished in about 10 minutes or less, and one of the ladies I had chatted with came out with me.  I was, as usual, one of the first ones out of the water.  

I took my time getting ready for the bike and several minutes later was on the course.  This bike ride is only 8 miles, so it is shorter than the standard sprint distance.  It is partially shaded on the ride, and since it's fairly early, there is little traffic on the course, but it is open for most of the ride.  There are short steep hills at the end of the ride, so it's good to be prepared for this last push.  The final ride into transition is downhill, so that's a nice way to prepare for the run.  

This time of year, it's getting hot and humid quite early.  Temps are about 80+, and 80% humidity is normal.  That day was no different.  I am still dealing with HR spikes on runs, so I had to do quite a bit of walking.  I aimed for 14 min pace for the walk when I could.  That keeps my HR up about 155 or more; running short distances at that temp spikes my HR up to 188.  (Normal Max HR for someone my age is about 150).  I was happy to finish and enjoyed the race very much.  

I chatted with a woman who was a Base member and a vendor at the expo afterward.  She sells skirts and headbands with a sort of Hawaiian theme.  I liked them but decided against spending money at that point.  I got some race food.  

As races go, the buffet for this race is tremendous.  They had sandwich roll-ups (3 varieties), chips (6 varieties), fruit (grapes, strawberries, bananas), pastries, yogurt and sodas, and mimosas with champagne.  We all received medals and a tiara at the finish line.  

I didn't podium, there were some pretty fast ladies there (runners), and my bike shoes needed to be clipped in completely, so I wasn't getting a full spin cycle on the bike.  I wasn't too worried.  Just doing the race was fun and good for my psyche.  

I recommend this race to anyone in the Clermont area. 

 If you want to rent my house, you need to be 55+ and do a background check, but it's available most summers and within an hour or so drive of several triathlon sites.  Clermont, Fort DeSoto, and Vero Beach triathlons are all within driving distance without a hotel if you get up between 4-5 AM.