Race Report: A Second Win at the Appalachian Power Smith Mountain Lake Sprint Triathlon

(photo by Sue Snyder)

Subtitle: "At some races all the things go right"

It seems the gods of triathlon have a sense of humor...or would that would be mercy? After the last race with the tow truck, leaking goggles, bike flat, and DNF, things came together at this race and I was able to pull off the overall female win on the day...which feels extra great at age 48. (other win at this race was 2012 with a 1:13:03 that would be hard for me to top)

This was the 18th year of the Appalachian Power Smith Mountain Lake Sprint Triathlon. It's one of those races that if you live around here, you just automatically put it on your race calendar because it's tradition, it's a great venue, it's a season opener for many, and you know so many of your friends will be there. I've raced it since 2010,  just missing last year post-surgery (but I volunteered)! I loved racing alongside my coach and the athletes of One-on-One Endurance and the big crew from the Roanoke Tri Club!

(photo by Bill Huckle)

One-on-One Endurance Athletes at the race:

Kristen, Malin, me, Coach Jim, Tanya, Tim

Pre-race
Leading up to the race I was not in a great mental space. I'd been feeling super stressed out by life for a few weeks and although training was going well, I felt flat and lacked the pre-race "fire." Plus I let that last bad race mess with my head. Coach Jim reminded me that a relaxed mindset and body is fine and that race experience and fitness would take over. And on race day seasoned top masters triathlete Mark Long (pictured at the race below) offered his reassurance that great races can certainly happen even when feeling flat.

For some extra insurance, I tried a bottle of beet juice the day before and morning of the race. Yeah, yeah...nothing new on race day. I know, but it's just veggies. Pro Lauren Goss swears by it and there is research showing its value in endurance sports, but even setting that aside, it was just extremely delicious. I'd just like to point out Lauren won her race - IRONMAN 70.3 St. Croix - this weekend too. Must be something to it!!

Even if the beet juice wasn't going to guarantee a great race, I'd least be color-coordinated with my shoes, helmet, Garmin, and toenails. Through a series of controlled laboratory studies I have concluded that yellow is the fastest color.

Incidentally, after many years racing in Saucony Kinvaras, I've switched to the Salming Speed shoe. It's a minimal drop shoe, lightweight, very responsive, super comfortable, and makes me feel light on my feet.

Roanoke Swim Coach Lynda (her first triathlon!), me, and national champion triathlete
Betsy Henderson basking in the sun before the cold plunge!

Swim

At the Thursday swim practice before the race my swim coach Tom asked me what my plan was for the swim.

Ummm, "hope for the best??? Is that a plan?"

We came up with a slightly better and more concrete plan to focus on swimming straight and sticking to the stroke that works best for me, the stroke I have worked hard to dial in over the last 18 months. Then he sent me off on an aerobic 400y set and told me just to think about my race swim. That mental rehearsal worked.

On race day the water temperature was 62 degrees, but with a wetsuit and two swim caps, the cold didn't bother me. I stuck to the plan, and had a straight and strong swim, and all the while I could hear Coach Tom's reminders in my head - don't catch air with the left hand entry, keep the head low, stay long and strong, and finish the stroke. Thankfully my chosen goggles (Aqua Sphere K180 women's fit) worked just fine and my swim was 12th best out of 92 women.

I came out of the water feeling a little dizzy and stumble-y and slow due to the cold, but had the fastest T1 among the women.

Bike

I love the bike! I passed quite a few people and ended up with the fastest bike split among the women. Best of all - no flat!

(photo by Bill Huckle)

Run
My T2 time ranked 24th. I'm not sure what I was doing in transition for 1:03. I'll blame it on the socks ;-)

Ironwoman, Double-Marathoner, and almost official "Doctor" Karen
made the most of her prior cheerleader experience!

My friend Karen was near the run start with a cowbell. She yelled that I was "third and could probably catch second" so that was a big boost! I briefly wondered if that accounted for the fact that I left in the latter of the two female swim waves. It didn't really matter. I just wanted to run happy and not go so deep "into the well" that I would implode on the run. I wanted to stay a tiny gear backed off from full effort until the end.

(photo by Bill Huckle)

Just after the turnaround I passed a young girl on an uphill and knew there was no one else close, in front or behind, so I just maintained, looked for flow, and enjoyed. After I crossed the finish line, I found out from my friend Kristen who was doing timing, that I had finished first among the women. (average run pace was 7:02...playtime is over...I really need to get that back down under 7 for a 5K.)

After the race it was time to catch up with friends!

Donna and I were roomies at ITU Worlds in New Zealand.
(I like the sign behind us. YEAH! Women!)

with Mike Morris in his hard-earned-
50-triathlons-in-50-states shirt and
frequent podium-er John Gregory who won M65-69

Receiving my award from Mike Morris, who I first met in 2011 on the run course
at this very race and who convinced me to go to my first nationals and worlds.

(photo by Sue Snyder)

Given that this is the Appalachian Power Smith Mountain Lake Sprint Tri, it was pretty cool to win in my Solar Connexion tri-suit, among the Roanoke Tri Club crew whose kits are partially sponsored by and logo-ed with Solar Connexion. It was a whole "electric power" theme! [Contrary to what some might think, the electric utility and solar contractors are not in opposition; the solar/electric utility relationship is quite symbiotic. In most cases, grid-tied solar with the electric utility serving as storage is far "greener" than going off-grid and relying on batteries that have much embodied energy in their manufacturing.]

Solar Connexion logo on the side of the trisuits (Scott Moir)

Thanks to Solar Connexion for the sponsorship and to Bryan Walsh for coming to the race to watch us in action!

Before wrapping up this race report, I'd just like to note that SO many accomplishments at races are never acknowledged by physical awards. I had several friends shed open water swim demons at this race, my coach marked his return to racing a year after a bad bike crash, several others were coming back from illness and injury, and there were quite a few first-timers! It takes a lot for any of us to get out there and race, even under the best of circumstances. Add a few challenges in and it's an even greater accomplishment.

So congratulations to all who had a successful race day and crossed that finish line on a spectacular May morning at Smith Mountain Lake!

Next event: Wilderness Road Ride on May 23.
Next race: Off the Rails Sprint Tri on May 30th!
Hope to see you there!

Life on wheels

I've gone four days now without a tow truck in my life! Things are good! After the pre-race mini-van breakdown, I was without my "portable transition unit" for a week. One PCM module and one Wireless Ignition Node later, I thought I was back in business.

Two days later, the battery light came on. I tried to limp back to the dealership, but the wheels stopped turning and I had a "DNF". AAA to the rescue...again. (I am a BIG fan of AAA...get the Plus version though with further towing options) Now I have a new alternator, which was maybe the source of the problems to begin with, and I hope I am good to go for a while now!

deja vous

The rest of my wheeled escapades have been going well. The miracle of miracles - the lawnmower worked first time out, and none of the wheels fell off (yes, we've had that issue). Despite having two teenage lawnmower operators in the house, I opted to mow for the "zen" of it, even though I still believe grass is stupid for many environmental reasons.

The bike "wheels" are great, with a new rear tube and tire from the race flat, and spring cycling is the BEST. I had an impromptu ride with my friend Eric who was in town for the day and I explored some new-to-me routes with my still race sticker-ed helmet. Doh!

The sights and scenes on our back roads of SW Virginia just can't be beat!

In terms of my personal mental "wheels" -- well they are always on the verge of coming off! LOL!

It's never easy to fit the training into the parental working life. Last week was nearly 13 hours of training across 11 sessions - factor in all the before and after, preparing, getting to and from, and it was probably close to 20 hours. 

Yesterday was unusual with three workouts - a morning swim, a mid-day hour long negative split run, and an evening trip to the gym. I asked Coach Jim if that was deserving of a gold star. And I got one!!

In all the hustle and distraction of life, I realized last night I had not yet signed up for my next race that is in 8 days! Oops! So now I am signed up for my May & June races. 

I'm hoping for some smooth cruising for a bit now - with all my wheels! 

Belews Lake International - DNF Race Report

Thanks to a nice rock slicing the side of my tire and tube, my race ended at mile 18 of the 27 mile Belews Lake International bike course. I experienced my first DNF (did not finish).

Let's back up though, shall we? To when the real fun of race day began....

I left home at 5:15 pm Friday after dropping youngest off at soccer practice, intent on making the 2-1/2 hour drive to the cheapie motel near the race site, rather than drive it Saturday morning. I had planned on a relaxing evening and good night's sleep.

That wasn't meant to be.

About 75 minutes from home, the van dashboard went insane with warning lights, so I promptly pulled off road, thinking OH $HIT, now what. The van wouldn't start, it seemed to think it was in reverse, and would not shift. The front wheels were locked up. I called AAA, and not too long after the towtruck arrived and they dragged the van on to the flatbed. With the front wheels not turning...literally DRAGGED. I couldn't watch. We stopped on the way to buy dish soap to help the van slide back off the flatbed.

We took the van to the dealership about 30 min back the way I came. There I witnessed an amazing display of car unloading and extraction of the tow truck from an impossibly tight situation.

They very graciously gave me a ride to the airport to rent a car. I went back to load my equipment into the new car, and went back on my way, arriving at the questionable motel at 11:15 pm. I slept fitfully, but awoke for the race, still optimistic that a good day could be had!

The venue was gorgeous, the morning was crisp but warm, and I was calm. It was a time trial start, with us heading out two-by-two. I got a few strokes in and the goggles I chose to use started to leak (see last post, I broke up with my goggles). The goggles that worked ok in the pool, did not work well in the open water, and I spent parts of my swim with one eye closed, stopping to empty goggles, and wondering what if a contact fell out. I did not swim good lines, it was just not a great swim. Still, I kept calm and told myself that racing is as much about minimizing the impact of the crap that happens. I hoped to make up time on the bike.

Swim was not good - many of the bikes around me are GONE!

The bike started off pretty really well - it was a two loop course and I made it a goal to pass 25 people. The Duran Duran song "Hungry Like the Wolf" popped in my head for some reason and I felt like a predator picking off my prey! I was picking up some speed on the second loop.

Around mile 18, I was making a pass with another cyclist ahead of me, and did not see a big patch of mud and sizeable rock in the middle of the lane. I hit the rock, heard a very loud noise, nearly lost control of the bike, and turned around and asked if something flew off my bike. Then I realized I'd had a flat. It sliced the side of the tire and tube so my bike ride was done. I sat down in the grass along the road and asked the passing cyclists to alert someone at the next intersection to come and get me. It felt like a long time to wait but I got a ride back to the start.

I really wanted to punt the run but was encouraged to do it anyway. "You'll thank me later" I heard. I cleared it with the race director and headed off. It was hard. My heart was heavy, and so were my legs. It was a hillier course than I expected and I was deflated, but I did it. So at least it was a decent training day.

My takeaways from this race:

Find new dependable goggles. I need a new goggle solution pronto. I emailed Aqua Sphere to tell them their new goggle redesign on the Lady Kaimen is a big fail and why (whoever reads it will probably not care), but in the meantime I've ordered four new various pairs to try. Whatever I go with, they should know I will be loyal!

Carry a flat kit on Internationals. I've never carried a flat kit on sprints and international distance races figuring if I flatted I'd lose so much time that it wasn't worth it. But now I know that it would have been nice to have legitimately finished the whole thing, no matter what the time. Although, in this case, I needed a new rear tire, not just a tube, so I was probably screwed anyway.

Remain attentive to the road! The road conditions were amazingly smooth and clean. I hardly saw any debris, and on the second pass around I may have let my attention lapse, assuming the road was clear. But even if that were true on the first lap, it can change on the second. Be careful when passing behind someone because you can't see the road ahead!

Bad races happen. I didn't quite know what to feel, it was definitely different and weird and lacked the typical post-race satisfaction. But I am very thankful that I didn't go down and that the bike and I are both OK. 

The next race is in three weeks. At least I will feel like I've dusted off the cobwebs. This was a pretty big wake-up call. I expect I will be far sharper!

And Belews Lake...I will be back next year to seek my revenge! Thanks to the Jones Racing Company for a very VERY well run race. That was my first time at one of their events and I was extremely impressed with the organization of it, the communication, and the staffing. Truly a great job!

I broke up with my goggles.

 pictured with swim mentor Laura 

and the Swedish goggles that are new in the mix.

Water is NOT normally murky, a motor went out overnight.

Dear Goggles,

After a five year relationship, built on trust, comfort, and water-tight dependability, the time has come for me to move on.

No, it's NOT me. It's YOU.

You've changed. I see the small differences. I see how suddenly this year you decided to "improve" - strap holders are different, you don't fit the same. Maybe it was to shave some costs. Maybe you didn't think I'd notice.

BUT I DID.

You're a little leaky now. But a little is too much. The goggle marks are worse. The strap loosens. The gaskets have changed. I'm just not comfortable with you now. The trust we built over the years is gone.

I haven't replaced you yet. I'm still kind of grieving and I'm not in any hurry to commit. Maybe I won't. Maybe I'll have a "training" goggle and a "racing" goggle, different tints...maybe get all crazy and go mirrored!

But yes, it's true. I am sort of seeing a Swedish pair. It was a setup. Speedy Ironman Laura from swim group was like "hey I'm ordering Swedish goggles, want some?" and I was like "sure whatever" and a week later there they were (top photo). I figured if the time together was bad I'd find some excuse and duck out of them after the warmup laps, but things went better than I expected. We are still together, but it's casual, and not like I'm ready to race with them. I'll just see where it goes.

Meanwhile, I'm still open to others.

Triathlete seeking swim goggle partner. Must be trustworthy, comfortable, dependable, like to race and go fast, and above all, prevent leaks. Minimal goggle eyes a plus. 

P.S. I'm not naming names of my goggles, because we did have five good years together. Lots of wonderful times and adventures. And probably for plenty of other people, it's still a wonderful match even with the manufacturing and design changes. Just not for me. Sniff. sniff..... 

Race Week! The week I wonder if I know what I am doing?!

It's officially race week for my 41st triathlon (if you want to get technical...40...one was an Aquathlon). You'd think I'd have the hang of this thing by now and be like YAWN...another day at the office! But no, it's more like do I really know how to do this? Do I know how to work hard? Will I remember how to swim? And get on my bike? And make my feet go fast??!

Weather report is projecting low of 63, high of 78, maybe some rain, but I'll take that over 40's and 50s'!!

I feel good about how winter training has gone. I've been consistent and motivated, but then last week suddenly I did not feel great. I was super tired (like uncontrollable napping tired) especially early in the week and I even skipped a swim for extra sleep. I HATE when my energy is low. With nothing specific really "wrong", I opted to dial back my workouts a bit and focus on sleep hoping things would pass. It seems they have. I went on a major spring house cleaning/purging binge Saturday and Sunday which is a sure sign of extra energy.

Good thing I bounced back because I had my first double-brick (bike-run-bike-run) of the year on Sunday, moved by request to the warmer Easter Sunday in the hopes of a tri suit dress rehearsal. Spring has been slow to arrive around here. I was still cycling in a headband, thermal jersey, and long tights on Saturday (pic at top). Sunday started in the 30's but got to the high 50's by the time I headed out around noon so I was good.

Roo had gotten a thorough tune-up and cleaning (thanks East Coasters and Solar Connexion).

The workout took up most of my arm.

All went according to plan with the exception of the unscheduled rest stop courtesy of Norfolk Southern. Fortunately, it was just 10 minutes into the aerobic part of my first ride.

Lots of time for taking photos...but only one backdrop!

I love trains though - the sounds and vibrations and just watching them move along. Some day I want to take a long train trip out west. 

I'm looking forward to a lower volume training week and a new-to-me race with my friend and lane-mate Janet and her daughter Kate. 

Have a great week!