Race Report: Portofino Sunset Tri Super Sprint

When most people think of a destination race, they think of a big iron-distance event or a marathon. I wanted something more "destination" than "race", more family fun-centered, and low-key. We found that and more at the Portofino Sunset Tri held at the Portofino Island Resort at Pensacola Beach on Santa Rosa Island. The race series, now in its third year, was founded by and is run by Multisport Performance Institute, a triathlon coaching/services group.

The kids and I packed the new minivan, said goodbye to the hubs who could not come :(, and made the trek from Virginia to Florida for a five day vacation at the resort. I spent the early mornings training (with the local tri group, some solo, and some coached sessions...more in the next blog post) and the days playing with the kids. (And not blogging)

This super-sprint race, one of nine in the series, features a 300 yard swim in the warm and calm Santa Rosa Sound, a 7.5 mile bike ride on the island's only main road, and a 1.5 mile run on a nearly flat asphalt running path. This was my third race in six days, having done the sprint and Olympic in Virginia the prior weekend, and my first time at this super sprint distance. This race confirmed what I have always said, there are no easy triathlons, you just go harder and faster the shorter they are!

We stayed at Portofino Island Resort and so transition was literally within 100 yards of our tower. With a 6:30 pm start time, I ventured down at 5:30 to set up my area, take the bike out for a spin, and take the legs for a run. The Infinity Bicyles folks (race sponsors) kindly lubed up my bike chain and checked over the bike after its long roof-mounted journey. I opted not to take any water on the bike, knowing it would be so short and intense that I'd never take the time to drink.

 transition area photo by Alex Bell

I was one of the early arrivals!

This USAT sanctioned race, capped at 60 entries, is very well organized but also extra welcoming due to its small size. I met several first-timers including a family who also made this a destination race!

Race Director John Murray (also USAT Level 2 Coach and President of Multisport Performance Institute) gave the pre-race talk with a big focus on safety with the open-to-traffic bike course. The wit-infused instructions made it very easy to pay attention. (I think he could deliver the airplane safety talk to a rapt audience!!)

Afterward we made our way to the beach of the Santa Rosa Sound to prepare for the swim start. It was a simple counterclockwise rectangular out-over-in course around the dock. As we waited, we warmed up a little and exchanged the usual pre-race banter and encouragement. There's no fooling my pre-race butterflies - they showed up right on time just as the men set off.

The women started a minute behind the men's wave. This short swim distance (300y) allowed me to swim much more aggressively than I normally do. I realized this is why changing up distances can be a good thing! I came out of the water with another female and realized we were the front-runners! Wow did that feel good. Game ON! It was hard to push on the run to T1 after that all-out swim effort, but I was able to establish a lead and head out on the bike first among the women.

I got to work on the bike trying to keep pressure on the pedals and reel in whoever was ahead of me. That is how I motivate to get the most I can out of myself -- which is really the ultimate goal of any race. The road surface is very smooth, free from potholes, and offers a wide bike lane where needed. I thanked the flag volunteers at the turnarounds for helping us through. It was nice to just open the throttle and not worry about navigation on this straight ride as I enjoyed racing my road bike again (left the tribike at home). I wasn't aware of the winds as I rode, but I was about 4 mph faster headed west than headed east. Overall Garmin had my average moving speed at 21.1 mph.

As I finished the bike leg, I turned into the Portofino Island Resort and back to T2 to quite a bit of cheering. The race had attracted a nice group of spectators! They provided a motivating sendoff on the run as I found my way to the sidewalks to exit the property and head out on the run path. There was a place on the course with about 3' of elevation change and I found myself laughing at that Florida "hill"!

A mile and a half run is such a no-brainer, right? But it can sure hurt and it wasn't long before I was thinking, ugh, where is that darn turnaround? I passed a few people and at the turnaround saw another female racer, Erin, not too far behind and although I wanted to let up I knew I couldn't. About a mile and a quarter in I passed a guy and as I went by, I heard him say, "Oh, man!" and after the race he went on to say he was expecting it was a "dude" coming up behind him so he was even less thrilled to discover it was a "dudette." I would have liked to have known my run pace, but I am about 0 for 5 on successfully using the "Auto Multisport" feature of my Garmin watch.

 It was great to hit the cobblestone sidewalk of Portofino and know I was almost to the finish line. After I crossed over, I was handed an ice-cold towel by Jeff Boulton who finished just ahead of me. I finished fifth overall, first female, in 37:51 (results here). The winning male, Alex Hernandez (pictured at the top with me) finished in 31:30 at just 15 years of age!! Oh, and I almost forgot to mention this is a t-shirt and award-free event which I think is great. We are all there racing for the fulfillment of the experience!

After I grabbed a water, I found a spot to cheer on the rest of the competitors as Coach John announced the name of each approaching athlete. I enjoyed the post-race vibe under the setting sun and the chance to chat with other athletes. One of the newly minted triathletes remarked that she had underestimated this race and I think perhaps in some ways I had too. But I now believe this distance race is invaluable for learning to put out a higher level of effort, for putting the pressure on quick transitions, and for gaining more race experience without the wear and tear of longer races. Having it at a resort has the added benefit of exposing more people to the fun of the sport too.

The day after the race, a little boy at the resort asked "hey were you in that race yesterday?" Yeah, yeah I was. Maybe the seed has been planted and he will one day do a triathlon too. Maybe he'll start with the Portofino Sunset Tri.

We hope to return next year and do it again! We had a BLAST!!!

Race Reports: Colonial Beach Sprint & International

Last weekend I made the five hour drive to Colonial Beach Virginia to race in the sprint and international races put on by Set Up Events for the Virginia Triathlon Series. Last year I did the International only here and I loved it!! This weekend was good practice for the double I'll do next month at Nationals and a great excuse to spend some extra time in this quaint sleepy town!

Colonial Beach, on the Potomac River midway between Richmond and DC (green dropped pin below), seems to feature golf carts and boats as the two primary modes of transportation. There are no chain hotels, just cute motels and BandBs. I ate well this weekend with great seafood (and more) at the very friendly Denson's Grocery and Lighthouse Thai and French.

The area had some rain on Friday and late Saturday, but both race mornings were sunny, warm, and humid. A 6:50 am race start seemed kind of early until I experienced just how quickly the day heated up.

I went into this race with some concern about how my quad (I know, ho-hum, I keep bringing that up, get over it already you are thinking) would hold up so my confidence got a lift to see that it's turned a corner and I managed both races just fine. My run is not where I'd like it to be -- I'm off what I did last year and even the year before -- but negotiating the "body detours" (as Coach Eric Neilsen calls them) is part of the game of triathlon. And fortunately it's not a running race, it's a triathlon, so all combined I was pleased to finish on the Master's podium both days - third in Saturday's sprint and first in Sunday's International. These are my results (full results are here: sprint, international).

Sprint - 3rd Master's

Swim (750m) - 17:27 (30th/132 women; would have been 39/181 men)
T1 - 1:32 (14th/132)
Bike (20k) - 37:15 (6th/132; 17/181 men)
T2 - 1:22 (26th/132)
Run (5k) - 22:08 (11th/132; 30/181 men)
Total - 1:19:42 (8th/132 women, 20th/181 men)

International - 1st Master's

Swim (1500m) - 36:53 (31th/84 women; would have been 65/189 men)
T1 - 1:42 (19th/84)
Bike (40k) - 1:05:40 (4th/84; 35/189 men)
T2 - 1:31 (26th/84)
Run (10k) - 47:38 (21st/84; 38/189 men)
Total - 2:33:22 (10th/84 women, 39th/189 men)

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with Endurance Films Racing Teammate Bill VanCise who topped his age group!

Swim 

I really enjoy the swim in the Potomac! It's always kind of interesting with the tides and currents-- they pretty much dictate whether the swim course will go clockwise or counterclockwise. Technically this swim is in Maryland, so we swim in MD and bike and run in VA!

I heard some grumbling about the current and chop but to me that is what makes open water swims fun and challenging! It helps to be in a later swim wave and learn from the earlier swimmers. On Saturday we watched the first group of men all get swept wide left heading to the first turn buoy which allowed the rest of us to anticipate and correct for that. The water temp was a perfect 83 degrees and I wore my swim skin, which was fine except I had trouble with my zipper both days. On Sunday it got stuck about 5" down so I just forced myself out of whatever neck opening I had made. I didn't know who, if anyone, I could have asked for help but I asked a race ref later who said it's not "outside assistance" if you get help from a race staff person or volunteer. You just can't ask some random unaffiliated bystander.

 If this picture of me (trying to unzip) could talk it's possible you might hear cursing

Bike

The bike courses for both races take us on nice smooth fast roads that are largely flat but have a few small hills to keep it interesting. Saturday's course is a loop and somehow I found myself at a busy T intersection with a stationary flag volunteer who didn't "volunteer" much information or at least not soon enough. I ended up making a right instead of a left. I did a quick U turn and corrected, and though it was a time loss, it gave me a jolt of adrenaline that propelled me forward. Sunday's course was an out and back so fortunately there were no navigational issues there!

The race officials did a good job of monitoring the course and quite a number of drafting penalties were handed down. I made extra sure not to be in the drafting zone and to pass decisively. Garmin had me at 22.6 mph Saturday and 21.3 mph on Sunday.

Sunday's International race was my one and only go at that distance before Nationals, so I wanted it to go well. I consciously (and probably subconsciously even more) held back a bit on Saturday.

 a block or two from the dismount line, one foot out!

Run

Saturday's 5K run was alright averaging 7:07 a mile. I went out too fast. Of course, I can't tell you how fast, because I messed up the "multisport" mode on the Garmin. I pushed "lap" one too many times. I think I am going back to my old way of using the Garmin Edge on the bike and the 910XT on the run and forget any technology on the swim. To be honest, I don't think it's all that useful on an open water swim and the maps are always way off.

Sunday's 10K had me scared. For the last six weeks, trouble has started like clockwork 4 miles in. I had only one training run where I was able to get a solid hour run in, but the quad suffered the next day. I've had ART (Active Release Technique) work four times in the last 2 weeks or so and I really think that work with Dr. Steve Dowell has gotten me through this injury...and in the knick of time. Coach Jim's instructions to me were "patience and persistence" and given the heat and humidity I just kept throttling back and working patiently. At the turnaround I was told "first masters" and knew I had a decent lead on the others.

This race offered a lot of aid stations on the run with icy cold wet towels too. What a treat, especially with dried Potomac salt on our faces!

At an intersection about 3/4 of a mile from the end, I asked the flagger if there were any women behind me and he said maybe 20, 30 seconds. That would be tough for anyone to make up. So I kept churning away with an ear out for approaching competitors, but I they never came.

It was a sweet finish!! Aren't they all though?

Aftermath

Here are a few other pics from the race.

 John Langford, Race Director, giving some pointers to a Set Up Staffer. He runs the Maryland Triathlon Series but came in to direct this race too. Hats off to race directors.
That is just a ginormous job.

Triathlons have a cast of characters! I couldn't resist a photo with the stars-and-stripes clad 70-year-old Karl from DC! I should have gotten the pic of his butt, it was even better.

Brad (3rd AG) is a new One-on-One athlete! It was great to meet him in person at the race.
He said he had a rough run in the heat but he toughed it out.

This was the bike mechanic's rig. Nice setup!

Betsy Henderson, one of my biggest triathlon "idols" shows she can accept
her top age group award standing on one foot!

Edie is graduating and moving to Pittsburgh so this may have been our last VTS race together for a while. We were celebrating our "double" glasses for doing both races (she was 2nd in the sprint, 3rd in the International) so I had to send her off with a kiss, lol! Edie, you will do great things, my friend! Your kind heart, giving spirit, and work ethic will take you far.

Last but not least, thank you Coach Jim :-) for knowing just what to say to put me in the right mindset. Thank you Robert for the weekend pass even though work is burying you. Thank you Oma for feeding the family. Thank you mom and dad for loving me. Thank you Solar Connexion for the race support! Thank you Colonial Beach for hosting this race for 29 years, I'll see you next year!

That was fun. Now let's get back to work....the realllllly big races are right around the corner.

Up next: Portofino Sunset Tri Super Sprint race this Thursday in Pensacola hanging out with Team MPI!!!!

Tomorrow the mobile transition unit sets sail for Florida!!!

Double-header weekend ahead

I'm packed and ready for a five-hour drive to Colonial Beach Virginia to race in the Sprint on Saturday and Olympic on Sunday. That "selfie" pic was from a training ride this week in my original trisuit that I wore from my second race up until I was selected for the Endurance Films Racing Team. With the old van gone, I'm clinging to all things nostalgic! That's a sure sign of getting old, lol!

Yesterday I had one of those total "shut-down" days where the body just said "enough." I had the warning signs of throat/cough/sinus that if I didn't just back off I was headed for trouble. So I hung out in my PJs, took several naps, ate good healthy food, canned the short workouts, and never left the house. I feel good this morning so I must have turned it around in time. This time. But I know this is yet another indication that I need more rest in general and need to take better care.

I had some improved runs this week so although my quad is not perfect, it's definitely better and I should be able to make it through both runs.

I'm pretty excited to drive the new(er) van we just got to the race. The bike fits nicely inside and I took it out for its first go as a "mobile transition unit" this week. I'm most excited that I can listen to podcasts now through the stereo instead of illegally driving with my iPod and earbuds like I used to do. I do miss all the interesting quirks of the old van though - the spastic door locking actuator, the separate keys for ignition/door, the dim headlights, the radio display you couldn't actually see, the wiggly hatchback latch, the doors you had to slam, the wipers that would fly off, the oil leak, the multi-pack of replacement hubcaps required, hanging out with the mechanics on a regular basis.... Ah, good times!

I transferred my ID tag to the new key. I hesitate to use the word "key" but whatever. This is my tip of the day -- get the tiny cat ID tags inscribed with your phone number and attach it to your key. If you ever lose it on a run or bike (as I have) it can be easily returned (as it has been).

As I was writing I found this photo from earlier in the week -- it's of an egg baked in an avocado half. (The other had been eaten already.) I subscribe to tri pro Lauren Goss' newsletter and I decided to try this recipe she had included. I didn't have the sun dried tomatoes it calls for, but even so, the combo of the egg and avocado with a little salt and pepper was incredibly good. I baked them in the toaster oven for 25 minutes at 350. This one was actually my son's, he gave it two thumbs up too. Afterward we ate handfuls of blueberries we had picked the evening before.

That's my random report! Have a great weekend, everyone!

Life accelerates sometimes - busy but happy!

That was a picture from our local fireworks - I love the smiley face ones - and below was our "viewing platform." Suffice it to say, the kids are having a fun and relaxing summer. I do love this time of year!

It's been a nice but busy Fourth of July long weekend. I saw a friend as I was finishing up my run on Saturday and in the course of our brief exchange she commented that "the universe is accelerating" to which I said, "my life is accelerating." Do you ever feel like that?

Triathletes tend to keep life pretty filled up leaving little room for extra things. Last week threw a number of little extras my way that were just enough to accelerate my pace of life - a family member in the hospital, a car that was towed and deemed not-fix-worthy, car shopping/buying, lots of rain, decisions about a broken riding mower, computer repair, appointments with a chiropractor/ART practitioner and acupuncturist for the quad, Fourth of July, a husband bogged down and away to deal with a high-stakes project, outings with the kids, and a big week of training. So pretty much just "life"! But hey, no complaints here!!

In the midst of it all was a week of 13+ hours of swim+Erg-bike-run-gym with a lot of high-intensity stuff, with some accommodations for the quad on the run. One of those workouts was a progressive intensity bike-run-bike-run-bike-run-bike-run (four rounds) done on the bike trainer and treadmill. The idea was to keep the each run short and stop shy of that fatigue point I've been hitting with the quad. Another was an open water swim and progressive intensity bike ride with my coach and two other athletes that definitely pushed me! And I finally made my way through an hour run on Saturday that was an improvement over the past few weeks. I still have a ways to go.

Using the Vasa Ergometer last week while Grant played Wii.

The Active Release Technique work with Dr. Steve Dowell seems to be helping and I've only been to see him twice so far. The idea behind this therapy is to use manipulation to break up adhesions and scarring in soft tissue; in my case we are working to get the muscle freed up and sliding within the fascia again. It fits with my perception of what has been going on in which the quad feels like a balloon inflating within a box. When it reaches maximum volume the additional pressure is just converted to pain and fatigue. I think it's gotten stuck within the fascia, the outer wrapping of the muscle. ART has made this leg feel much "freer" -- in some ways more so than the "good" leg -- and on my run Saturday I didn't get that same build up of pressure. The last few miles were still not easy, but in a different way, so next weekend's racing will be what it will be. I'm still excited for it and will just have to take whatever the body gives me.

Saturday evening the kids and I were the last three at the pool and we had a really nice time having it all to ourselves. Spencer tried valiantly to teach me the butterfly stroke which provided the lifeguard and my kids with many laughs. Then I challenged both kids to a race of 50 free, expecting to crush them both. Spencer, the 13-year-old, did a few summers of swim team but frankly he is not a kid who hurries to do anything, including race. Well, to my enormous surprise, it was a tie, and I had given it everything I had! I was so proud of him!! My message is, parents, get your kids swimming early, and on a swim team even if just for a few years. Their future triathlon selves with thank you!

This week is not looking like it will be any slower or less hectic, but things seem to work out. And next week the kids and I head to Pensacola Beach where I will spend a little time with the good folks at Multisport Performance Institute and a lot of time just goofing off with Spencer and Grant at Portofino Island Resort. More on that to come!

Have a great start to your week!

State of things at the year's half-way point

I celebrated my half-year point with a 50-miler on the Blue Ridge Parkway yesterday. I can't believe it was June 30 and I spent 3/4 of the ride wearing arm sleeves in the mid-morning chill. It's been a strange spring and summer.

Garmin had this ride at 5000+ feet of elevation gain and it's always a bit humbling out there. There are times I am positively just slogging and it does not seem all that steep. But the BRP always rewards effort with amazing vistas, backdrops, and of course - descents!

Stats, year-to-date:

Swim = 118,000 yards in water, 79,000 yards on the Vasa Ergometer; 45 hours in water, 31 hours on Ergometer.
Bike = 1440 miles, 82 hours
Run =  556 miles, 75 hours
Strength Train = ~50 hours
Total Training Time = 283 hours (10.9 hours/week)

Racing:

I started the year off with PRs at the Blacksburg Classic 10-miler (1:12:42) and at the Boston Marathon (3:33:53).  I was definitely on a roll at least those first four months. Then I switched back to triathlons where I have finished third (Smith Mountain Lake), third (Salem Sprint Tri) and fourth (Bath County Sprint Tri).

Unfortunately, I would have to say that while I have been swimming better, my bike and especially my run have been rather lackluster so far this year. My run at Bath County was one of my slowest 5Ks in years and there is a reason behind it.

Body:

Since Boston I have been having trouble with my left quad and starting in early June it has been a real impediment to my running. This month I have not been able to run more than 4 miles or so without stopping to give the quad a quick break before continuing. Add in hills or speed work and that is even shorter. I'm not experiencing pain in the acute sense, but more of a building fatigue to the point that it is just "done." It's like a balloon inflating within an enclosed space and when it's full, it's full. After a quick break it resets (deflates) almost back to normal but then each resulting span of running is successively shorter and shorter. It's pretty disheartening for a person who loves the freedom of running. Right now there is nothing free about it as I spend every step and every thought of my run trying to tweak position or outsmart myself to see if I can't find a workaround.

I have no pain in the course of the day, only on the run. It's not even much of an issue on the bike. I'm taking my own advice and stretching, rolling, and strengthening several times per day. I'm consulting with various bodywork folks to see what ART and acupuncture might do. It might even be stemming from a hip or glute issue or some kind of biomechanical inefficiency that has just overstressed that quad.

This is just one of those "body detours" as Coach Eric Neilsen called it. I'll work through it but it may require some race schedule adjustments to be sure I'm in the best shape possible for Nationals and Worlds.

It's all part of the ups and downs of the sport and being an athlete and I'm looking at this as just a puzzle to solve.

Despite the quad issue, I feel good otherwise. I had some bloodwork done a few weeks ago just to see where things stood (it had been two years) and it's always nice to get the report and see everything within range and trending better, especially as compared to my pre-triathlon self.

Family:

This is our first summer not doing swim team and I have to say I'm glad to have one less thing on the schedule for the summer. We are still at the pool pretty often and Spencer has done some lap swimming with me. I am trying to find ways to keep the kids moving. I got Spencer his first road bike a few weeks ago and he's been out on it a few times. On Saturday the kids and I headed out on the Huckleberry Trail. They biked to the end and back with an ice-cream stop at the mid-point. I did an out and back run. It was nice to give them some freedom and independence yet we were all out there together.

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So that is the 'state of the union'! A little quad problem-solving, keeping up the training, managing as a working mom, and just enjoying the ability to get out in these beautiful southwest Virginia mountains on a regular basis!