Summer racing and the swimming is easy...

It's been a super summer in Northern California... while the rest of the country has painfully baked in heat wave after heat wave, we have been running several degrees below normal.  This makes for some fantastic racing venues and conditions.  Dare I say even a few have been too cold?

When my Tri schedule began, I had no idea I was going to make a quest to Nationals in Burlington, but I caught the sprint racing bug hard this year after my lingering summer cold and I've been enjoying the distance so much, I decided to test my efforts against our country's best.. so it's on to Burlington, VT this coming weekend for USAT Sprint Nationals.. more on that after the break (I mean race.. I've been watching too much reality TV)

So here's a mini recap of my fun summer of racing exploits with a few bumps in the road and a lot of fun

Summer season started with a mini sprint duathlon (Daffodil Duathlon, May 20th) before I had to catch a business trip flight to Washington D.C.   I had a carefully orchestrated time schedule, drive 30 mins to Livermore, CA, compete in a super-sprint duathlon (1 mile run, 7  mile bike, 2 mile run), eat a quick breakfast and drive home to catch a noon flight.  It all worked out except that I actually ended up winning the race outright (go figure, that is very rare in my "seasoned age group") and I couldn't stay for awards.  but it was a great bike tune up and fun way to test the lactate threshold level.

After that, I had two great back-to-back sprint races planned but life had a bit of a curve ball and I caught a rough summer cold.  I did manage to race one of the two, the Reservior sprint triathlon in Morgan Hill on June 4th.  It was a tough challenge to race not at 100% but fun to see fellow triathlete friends and the day turned out beautiful.  I ended up placing 2nd in my age group luckily because they took the top three ladies out of the age groups and two of them were my age.   nice to see four of the top 6 female finishers in the over 40 category!

Following reservior, I had a favorite race, the Mermaid Sprint triathlon in Alameda on June 11th.  This is a race where we ladies get spoiled... a nice flat, fast course -- 500 yd swim, 11 mile bike, 2.5 mile run -- followed by pancakes, jewelry charms for finishers, really cute shirts and nice awards for winners.   I was still fighting the summer cold so I couldn't push hard enough to contend for top three overall (they win massages!) but I managed an age group win with a fast bike to compensate for my not so quick run.   I highly recommend the Mermaid events!

After Mermaid and Reservoir, I faced the first big challenge of the season with Rancho Seco International distance triathlon .. a fun, fast olympic course that was also serving as a special qualifier for USAT nationals... the big challenge ended up being the weather, however as one of the few very hot days showed up and the temperature hit 104 degrees by finish of the race.  

I'm luckily a heat athlete however and felt great on the swim and bike.. I do have to admit the run was tough to manage however.. I had to slow down significantly and take on a lot of water.   the good news is that I ended up winning the age group and getting the invite to nationals.. more on that soon!   I highly recommend racing at Rancho Seco, it's flat, fast and fun...warm lake, nice gentle rolling bike and gentle rolling trail run -- could use a bit more shade but overall really nice venue.. even the cooling towers play a role by giving a nice sighting point on the open water swim.  (and the nuclear plant was never active so the water is pristine!)

So that takes me to mid June.. but I'm running out of steam.. more on June, July, the oops calf pull and August to come... time to swim!

staying ahead of the Mayan Calendar--running and racing in 2012-- Winter Part I

Well, once again, I find I'm woefully behind in my posting on running and racing .. this year, Winter's running has been an electic mix of 5ks, 10k's, half marathons, one duathlon, some missed trail runs due to a slight ankle sprain and a few, oops -- overslept and missed that one. Here's hoping that the spring/summer season is a bit more consistent and planned ...

January started with a single trail run, Crystal Springs 11 miler by Coastal Trails as I was just coming off an amazing 2011 of short distance trail running with Coastal and wanted to try double-digits. It was a beautiful, sunny, cold California morning and the 11 miler with it's 1900 feet of climbing did not disappoint. I wanted 10 minute pace and came in in 9:30 pace so I was quite happy.. we won't talk about the fact that I couldn't go down stairs the next day.. that said.. I highly recommend this race and this venue as an early season trail run... great shaded terrain that doesn't get too muddy.

Next, I jetted off to Cancun for a fun week with my hubby and no running... just snorkling and 12 oz curls.. a great rest and time to reflect on the Mayan way but worth about six pounds and the need to get back to training!

After Cancun, I settled into a routine of training with the Team (working my way towards the Oakland Half Marathon on 3/25) and participating in a couple of fun and favorite races It started with February 5ths favorite "two-fer" of the Santa Cruz Super Bowl Sunday 3k and 10k.. This is a great way to train for a half marathon by running a 3k run at 8 am and then a 10k at 8:30.. running a 10k after an anaerobic 3k is excellent training for those fatigue inducing final miles in a half marathon. Santa Cruz track club puts on a really fun race and once again, Santa Cruz did not disappoint, with spectacular, cool sunny weather and huge surf to entertain the runners on West Cliff drive. Ran into some of my regular running club friends and we had a very fun day... taking a 2nd in the 3k and 3rd in the 10k in my age group was a nice surprise as well. Here's the West Valley Joggers and Striders crew with a nice load of hardware...

Following weekend -- February 11th and 12th was a basket of running goodness. I had two races literally less than 1.5 miles from my house.. How cool is that? I ran the always fun Campbell Valentine run 5k on Saturday... this home-town race has become a big event in Campbell with over 600 runners of all sizes, ages, and species (yes dogs are allowed) that enjoy a mellow jaunt down the Los Gatos Creek Trail. There is also a 10k run... The morning threatened a shower but it held off until just before the awards ceremony. I snuck in 3rd in my age group, and was happy to wait to get the free Classic Car Wash--always a good prize.

The next day, the Road Runner Sports store on Hamilton Ave in Campbell had a 10k run run for patrons and "go far run club" members... Nothing better than a good race for free with bagels coffee, water and a raffle.. they also give nice swag prizes for first-third place men and women (I was fifth) -yes the competition is healthy for nice swag but what a great way to spend a sunny morning. Once again this was on the Los Gatos creek trail.. always a good place to run, not too steep and no car traffic. Kudos to RRS for organizing such great local events and it's good business too -- yes I bought some new shoes afterwards-yay!

Part II will cover the rest of a relatively sunny February and a wet, wet March leading up to the big Winter Race--Oakland half...

TrI'ing to Find Treasure in the Island

What happened to the month of July? It snuck by me in a flurry of work --end of our sales quarter--family and a bit of training. Somewhere in the month, however, I snuck in a weekend of festivities at one of my favorite San Francisco Bay area locations-- Treasure Island. This is the fourth time I've competed in the Treasure Island triathlon and the third time for the Sprint distance event. The Tri California Treasure Island Sprint Triathlon is on the Sunday morning, July 10th and the Olympic Distance is on the Saturday morning, the 9th. I decided that this year, I would drive over on Saturday morning and tune my legs up by doing the 5k fun run which runs before the Olympic distance triathlon starts and then get inspired by watching the Olympic Distance athletes, pick up my race packet and then rest up for Sunday's Sprint.

Saturday morning dawned overcast and chilly. We've had a lingering low pressure state in Northern California which is leaving us with weather that aligns with the famous phrase "the coldest winter you'll ever spend is a summer in San Francisco." Air temps were in the low 50's with fog and a stiff breeze -- actually perfect running weather! And comparing to the rest of the US which has been sizziling in three digit heat waves, I'll take some cool running.

The fun run was nice... not too crowded with about 100 runners combined doing the 5 and 10k. The 10k was three loops an the 5k two shorter loops so you could see fellow runners a couple of times and encourage them on. While not a competitive race (no awards), I have to admit I got a bit of the competitive spirit in me when I found myself in the position of being the lead female 5k runner. There were definitely a couple of faster ladies out there but they were doing the 10k. The volunteers were cheerful and the great weather pushed me to a decent pace. Actually, it was my first sub 23:00 5k since Mother's day. Felt good to push the legs a bit and here's proof I can still sneak under 23...barely.

Later on, I stayed and watched the early waves of the Olympic triathlon which were the college men and women and younger men. Wow, those young racers are fast and they all seem to have mastered the skill of the shoes on the bike pedal mount. I still clomp along and then clip in as I have a fear of doing a face plant at the mount line.. I know.. old dog.. new trick ..

I also took full advantage of the free massage and the fantastic sale on Treasure Island triathlon clothing and scored a $10.00 sweatshirt and training shirt.. nice!

Sunday morning dawned even earlier, just as foggy and cool as Saturday, and I had no traffic making my way to the race. It's pretty amazing that with no commuter traffic, I can make to to Treasure Island from San Jose in less than an hour and that's not speeding (well at least not much more than 70 mph on highway 280)...It's really not that far even though once you are on the Island with the amazing views of the San Francisco skyline and the East Bay as well as the Bay Bridge, you do feel you've escaped to somewhere special.

I saw lots of my fellow age group competitor friends.. it's really nice when you see the same faces year after year and can catch up and enjoy commraderie. Once again, I saw the amazing youth athletes and the timeless Barbara Robbin, all 75 years young and braving the bay waters without a wetsuit. I decided to try the sprint race in my sleeveless wetsuit to not feel as constricted but I'm afraid I did get a bit too cold and the arms didn't work as well feeling numb..definitely not my best swim... note to self.. no matter how short the swim, if it's in San Francisco Bay, wear the full suit.

I really like the bike course on the TI Sprint race. It's my moment of feeling like I'm a true bike racer. (true bike racers may beg to differ however :-) ) It is technical but not hilly with lots of turns and some tricky road surfaces like a small section of cobblestone. Because you have to focus on how you are riding and be fast yet safe, you don't really think about how hard you're working and the bike course just blows by. I had one of my better rides, 3rd fastest in the ladies field.

Reality set in on the run. I realized I ran a little too energetically in Saturday's 5k and had a bit of dead leg syndrome... it was time to dig deep and remind myself that people do Ironman distance with full marathons after 100+ mile bike rides so a tired leg 5k is really quite manageable. I definitely wasn't as fast as the day before but felt steady, holding about an 8 min/mile pace. The finish line was a fine sight to see however!

I stayed around for awards as the Tri California folks with the energetic Julie Moss do such a nice job on recognizing everyone and keeping it moving along briskly but with ample acknowledgement. I didn't defend last year's win but came in 2nd and was happy with my effort.

Once again, I went searching for treasure on the island and found it in the form of a Sprint Triathlon.. what a great event!

Brazen racing around the Bay Area

I've been busy, busy, busy and as a result, a slacker on blogging about my running races and triathlons... well, time to "cowboy up" and share a bit about these events because the Northern California bay area is full of racing gems.

Part of me wants to keep these as secrets as they are so much fun with small crowds and without the fear of selling out weeks before the event but they are just too much fun to keep all to myself. I'll start my 2011 experiences with a little bit of brazen fun. This is, what I believe, the second year for race organizers Brazen Racing. I'll start with the fact that I love the name. These races are not for the faint of heart. While some are a bit more mild on creek trails and bike paths, most have more than a bit of hills (how about 1000 feet of climbing in a 5k!), a lot of mud if the rains come (which 2011 has already had more than it's fair share), some obstacles and whatever the weather has in it's bag. But, did I say, gorgeous views, spectacular courses, great T-shirts and medals, and all you can eat goodies (like ice cream sandwiches and pumpkin pie) at the end.

These are races where I can gain weight after competing :-)

The Brazen team increased their calendar this year so my hopes of doing all the races in the series quickly went away when I saw the sheer volume. That said, I've done six this year and am signed up for this Saturday's Bad Bass 5k at Lake Chabot -- with the best logo I've seen in a long time.

The first race this year was Jan 2nd at the Brazen New Years. I did the 10k at lake Chabot with the big, steep hill at mile 3. It had been raining for three weeks straight and let's just say I slipped and slid my way through the race. My husband's comment afterwards "did you run through a horse barn"? Not my best race, couldn't place in my age group due to my poor mud form.

In February, I did the Bay Breeze, a.k.a the "Bay Freeze" which was a mild course on a bike path along the bay in San Leandro. The views were beautiful but it was hard to concentrate on the view when being pelted by driving rain and hail in 40 degree weather. I ran it sick (never a good idea) and muddled my way through a 25 minute 5k but I can say the hot coffee never felt better and the T-shirt designs were awesome.

March brought the Western Pacific 5k out at Quarry Lakes in Fremont. Another mild course from Brazen -- relatively flat dirt trails around the quarry lakes. Great food afterwards. Didn't have my best day of running (not sure why) but enjoyed the full race and still snuck an age group win given that the field was spread over a 5k, 10k, 1/2 and full marathon.. .lot's of choices... Next year, I'll take on the 10k as I like this course

The last two Brazen races I've done have been fantastic. I've felt stronger as a runner and they have been great courses. The first was the Wildcat Canyon and this was an amazing, gorgous, brutal course. 1000 feet of climbing in a 5k. You went up, up, up, then steep down, then more up, down, u-turn and do it all again. But the reward was amazing sweeping views across the East Bay to San Fransisco, and then, ice cream! Almost got the overall women's win but a much younger and speedy runner who I almost caught on the last up hill had some very fast downhill speed and my knees were not up to task...

Lastly was the Hellyer 5k. Again, another atypical flat course for Brazen but a very pretty venue down the Coyote Creek trail in South San Jose. Saw a lot of run club friends at this one and really enjoyed the race. Won the age group but did get beat by some fit 50+ runners.. always something to respect ! Once again, finish was greated by ice cream, fruit and lots of great snacks.

Missed the June races -- Sanborn Park and Nitro trail -- due to triathlons but I'm really looking forward to Bad Bass.

Go Brazen! http://www.brazenracing.com/

Boston or bust

It's been a bit since I've blogged since I've been too busy training, trying to deal with injuries, doing yoga, trigger point, graston, stretchin and anything to get my body to cooperate with long distance running.

I'm Boston bound for the Boston Marathon on April 19th but my body wants to revolt when I run anything longer than two hours... oh the joy. First it was the left knee, then the right knee and hamstring and now the left hip... I have been stretching, enduring painful trigger point work, bruising up, icing and everything and I think I may just be able to shuffle through the 26 miles but it will be a test... It's March 21st and my longest run has been 16 miles. I'm going to try an 18 miler next weekend, thumbs or toes crossed!

I also did a 5k today to see if I still had any speed. It was a hilly roller coaster of a race in Benicia, CA. Pretty course and my hip didn't hurt too bad. Perhaps it means I'm on the recovery road?

Boston or bust, I'll keep you posted.