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June 28, 2008
Swimming, Biking, Running and More
Well it's been a very fun-filled day here in Pittsburgh, PA. At least for the Shutts is has been!
Things started off early this morning as O and I packed up the car and headed to Moraine State Park for my very first open water swim race. As in just a swim, no bike/run after. It was kind of a novel idea.
I didn't know what to expect so I wanted to get there very early. Which we did. Maybe a little too early. But I did get to survey the scene and once they got the buoys in the water I got my wetsuit on and into the water I went for my warmup!
At first I was a little worried because the only people showing up at the race appeared to all be "real" swimmers and oh...maybe about 12 years old. Did I some how get confused and sign up for a junior mile swim? This was looking more and more like a possibility but then...relief! I started to see some of my triathlete friends - first Matt and then Kim and then Chad and Jen. Whew! Of course they were all swimming the 2 mile and I was swimming the mile, but at least I wasn't the only one wearing a wetsuit!
Before I knew it I was lining up for the start of the race. It was a simple out and back course - 2 buoys for the mile and 4 for the 2 mile. On the start line I was feeling very tall. As in most of my competitors were under the age of 15. But there were a handful of adults. Apparently most of the triathletes were swimming the longer event.
We started on the shore and went running into the water! My only goal was to swim hard. I think the more practice I get in open water, in my wetsuit and just swimming hard will help me. I'm slowly learning how hard I can go for that 1500 meter to 1.2 mile distance and starting to realize that I can go harder than I usually do. Be aggressive I thought.
Problem was, I had an 8 year old boy, about half my size, in my way. Those little squirts are really great swimmers but boy are they bad at sighting! :) (which means a lot coming from me, the queen of poor sighting!)
I finally got around him and into some open water and just swam as hard as I could. I felt great on the way out - long, strong strokes. And I even got to the turn around buoy faster than I thought I would (usually straight swims like that are my nemesis because it feels like it takes FOREVER to get to the turnaround). I got around the buoy and hit some serious chop. YIKES! It certainly wasn't as bad as swimming in the ocean but chop it was. But I actually had quite a good attitude about it and welcomed the opportunity to get some practice in rougher water.
It was about this point that I found some feet to draft off of. There really weren't too many people in the race so drafting wasn't an option. But all of a sudden - feet! I decided my next plan would be to practice some drafting. And then I noticed that my potential draftee was...oh...about 12 years old and again, half my size.
So I ask - it is okay for me, a 29 year old with a wetsuit on, to draft off of a 12 year old 80 pounder with no wetsuit? Something about the whole situation seemed very morally wrong. :)
Luckily she made the choice for me because she also appeared to be a very poor sighter. We were headed off to the left so I decided to just swim my own line. And that's how I swam in.
Overall I'm really pleased with it. I honestly don't even know my time (I left before they announced any of the results) or place but those are both sort of arbitrary. I wanted a chance to experience another open water swim and that's what I got. It was probably the best job I've done of swimming hard the whole way and sighting but then again I didn't have the worry of biking/running hard when I got out of the water! Either way, it was fun and I'm really glad I went!
Next on the agenda was my bike/run brick. My friend Kim was going to ride with me but she was doing the 2 mile swim which started AFTER I was done with my mile swim so I actually got started on my ride while she was out in the water. I got a good hour in before I headed back to the cars to meet up with Kim who was ready and waiting to go! Good timing!
Of course within the first 5 minutes of our ride Kim's bike was misbehaving and she dropped her chain twice. Bad juju.
We rode back to the cars and miraculously WE ACTUALLY FIXED HER BIKE. This day will go down in history as the day Kim and Beth (the most mechanically challenged gals in the world) actually fixed a bike. I had the tool. Kim knew what to do with it. And in the end her bike shifted properly. We rode away very pleased with ourselves. :)
The ride went well. As I expected the area was very hilly. No HUGE mountains but either up or down, no flat. We rode another 2:30 together until I had a total of 3:30 and then Kim took off to finish her ride while I got ready for my T run.
In the mean time while I was riding and doing my thing O was off riding and running and swimming too! I expect him to write his own report on his blog. But when it was time for me to run, he still joined me. We did 30 minutes, changed clothes, sucked down some serious water (it was probably only in the low 80s but boy was it humid and boy was I thirsty!) and then headed out for a (late) lunch at Panera.
And now we are home. I've iced, showered, stretched, poured hydrogen pyroxide all over my open wounds (wasn't the cleanest lake water I've ever seen), rolled, unpacked, eaten, and now we are watching the track Olympic Trials on tv. I got teary eyed watching Amy Yoder Begley fight her way onto the team. Dreams come true. Doesn't get much better than that.
Posted by beth at June 28, 2008 7:50 PM
Comments
I am with you, watching all these athletes reach the Olympics is totally a tear jerker! AMAZING! GREAT swim, no shame, I draft the 11 year olds and high schoolers all the time out here, they are so speedy, the most embarrassing was the time I drafted an 8 yr old and tried to out run her up the beach! I AM A DORK!
And way to fix a bike... I wish you had photos, was there chain grease all over your faces!?
Posted by: breewee at June 29, 2008 1:13 AM
Hee hee hee - those little kids really CAN swim. No shame in drafting whatsoever. I can just see Bree outsprinting one up the beach. He he - sighting issues or not - WAY TO GO!!! GREAT job on your swim!!! :)
And bike mechanic to boot! WOW - anything dealing with shifting and "clicking" noises is scary. What I do in situations like that? Avoidance. :)
Posted by: marit c-l at June 29, 2008 7:25 AM
Yesterday was so fun. I can't believe we actually fixed a BIKE!!! A new level has been reached, a new piece of information has been learned, a new challenge overcome (let's hope the next ones are too much harder through or I will probably not be able to fix it and keep riding!). Well, my legs don't feel bad for the 4.5 hr ride & run yesterday.. it's off to get started so I can eat a big breakfast when I get back. Have fun in the eat seats today!! That's awesome!!
Posted by: Kim at June 29, 2008 7:28 AM
Nice swim/ride/run you two! It was hilarious how us Triathletes were the only ones in wetsuits. And Beth I have you beat. I think I drafted off of a little 8 year old girl. No shame what so ever!
Posted by: Chad at June 30, 2008 2:40 PM