Monthly Archives: June 2013

Seattle Rock ‘n’ Roll Half-Marathon Race Recap

Surprise! I ran a half marathon on Saturday.

This literally is “proof” I was there. No timing chip= ghost runner!

Early last week, I was hit with the overwhelming desire to do a half that weekend. It just sounded fun—and I knew there was trail half I’d considered earlier this year, so I went to the website to check it out. Alas—the race was sold out, and so I decided to shelve my race desire and hold off until See Jane Run in July. That was the last I thought of doing a half marathon that upcoming weekend.

Then Friday morning came around. A coworker sent out an email to my office’s runner distribution list (yes, it exists) asking if anyone wanted her bib for Saturday’s Rock ‘n’ Roll race. She is/was injured and didn’t want her entry to go to waste—essentially, the bib was up for grabs.

It took me all of five minutes to consider the offer, and after deciding that sacrificing a morning of sleeping in was definitely worth running a free race, I emailed her back and presto…I was running the Seattle Rock ‘n’ Roll half! I had been planning on doing a long run that day anyway, so I figured I might as well get a medal in the process 🙂 Plus, I’d never done a Rock ‘n’ Roll race before, and I wanted to see what all the hype was about—especially if it wasn’t going to cost an arm and a leg to do so.

It was definitely a low-stress race eve and morning. I didn’t do much to prepare ahead of time other than stretching a bit more on Friday night. And, considering that I’d run three days in a row already at that point, I wasn’t expecting much in the way of fast legs. But, that’s the price you pay for an impromptu race, so I went into it without much of a strategy other than to have fun and enjoy the race atmosphere. I also decided to try racing for the first time without headphones, mostly to see how it felt, but also to soak in some of the “rock ‘n’ roll” atmosphere.

Sleepy eyes but excited to run!

BF dropped me off with plenty of time to meander around, find some blogger peeps, and get set in my corral without any stress. Luckily, I didn’t need the porta-potties because they had perhaps the longest lines I have EVER seen at a race. Yikes…happy to have dodged that potentially very stressful situation.

Photo courtesy of Stacie!

I was in corral 6 so it didn’t take too long before we were shuffled to the start line and were sent off. Woo, race time! I wasn’t wearing a timing chip, just my Garmin, and it was kind of fun to feel like a phantom runner. The beginning was crowded, and per usual a lot of weaving happened. It was inevitable, but apparently my pace was more panicked than I thought because once I was able to get past the crowds I was looking at a low 7:00s pace. Holddd up there homegirl, this is supposed to be fun.

Miles 1-3

I dialed in and tried to find my rhythm. To tell you the truth, those first three miles were kind of tough. My breathing was distracting me, and although I run without music a lot of the time, it’s normally at a slower pace, and I think race-day conditions got the better of my heart rate—consequentially increasing my breathing. Also, I was already hot—definitely not my favorite racing conditions. And by not my favorite…I mean absolute least favorite.

But I tried to relax, got excited when I saw the Oiselle/Nuun/runner gals a little after mile 2, and finally found a comfortable pace.

Here’s also where I admit that while I definitely didn’t have a set time goal, I still wanted to use the race as an opportunity for pacing practice. So while shooting for another ~1:40 was tempting, I decided that aiming for just a sub-8:00 average would be both more feasible and more constructive.

Find the up and down hills!

Clearly, I was all over the place, and I really wanted to work on just getting comfortable and cruising.

Miles 4-8

We circled away from downtown at this point and headed on a long stretch of road. I started feeling much better—more relaxed and in control—and started enjoying the atmosphere and the scenery. I thought the whole band element was kind of fun, and even though I was kind of missing my music, it was nice to hear all the various sounds of the race. I got more than one “Go Ducks!” which I realized was due to the Eugene pride I was sporting 🙂

The course veered left during these miles and took us along the water on Lake Washington—easily my favorite part of the run. Lots of people cheering, lots of enthusiasm, just generally a happy running ethos.

You can’t really tell, but I’m happy here!

Miles 9-11

I was definitely feeling the increasing temperatures, but it was encouraging to know that we’d shortly be headed back toward downtown. Not so encouraging, however, was knowing that all the hills on the course were still to come.

A STEEP ascent lead us up into the I-90 tunnel, which is never my favorite in Seattle races, but there was a band inside which made it a little more tolerable. We were nearing the 10 mile mark when I felt a tap on my shoulder, and it was a guy who goes to my lifting class who said he “recognized the back of my head.” Kind of fun.

He passed me pretty quick, and it gave me a bit of a jolt to keep treking toward the finish. I loved exiting the tunnel and eventually flying down the I-90 ramp back toward downtown. I recognized the same place I picked up Nicole last year when she was running the full, and it felt really good to actually be running the race this year.

It was very noticeably still getting hotter, and running on the highway gave no relief from the sun. Still, I tried to start some mental math and garner some energy for a solid kick at the end.

Miles 12-13

Alas, no kick was had. Not sure if it was the heat, the hills (of which the end had way too many), or the fact that I was running on very un-tapered legs, but I was toasted. However, I was still excited for the finish line and did what I could to get there with a smile. The crowds at this point had also thickened and provided a lot of encouragement.

The finish line chute was definitely exciting, and despite feeling hot and tired, I was really happy crossing at the end. Two weekends in a row of finish lines, I feel lucky.

As for time, my Garmin showed a 1:43 and change for 13.2 miles. I’m not sure if the tunnel threw off my distance calculation or if the course was long, but it doesn’t really matter.

I was a little sad I wasn’t closer to 1:40 for a bit, but then I knocked myself off my high horse and decided to be satisfied with the run. A 7:50 average on tired legs and a dehydrated/not carb-loaded stomach isn’t anything to complain about for an impromptu race.

Ultimately, I had a great time at Rock ‘n’ Roll. It was a beautiful day with a ton of fun people and a fat ole medal to boot.

I feel really grateful for both the opportunity to have run this race (for free!) and also for the physical ability to do a half on a whim. It’s definitely not lost on me that I was injured a year ago and could only run about 3 miles at a time. A lot can change, and I only hope the healthy legs will continue!

The Fall Goal

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Without really meaning to, I somehow came up with a fall racing schedule that I instantly fell hard for—as in, head-over-heels obsessed with.

I commiserated to all of you about how I felt goal-less, restless, and lost after Eugene. I think the post-marathon blues hit a bit harder than expected. Okay, a lot harder—and I can admit it now.

I’m finally coming to terms with the fact that while I was really excited to have accomplished a big bucket list goal, it was actually really hard to wave goodbye to that goal and look out into the great beyond. Qualifying for Boston had been my baby for so long, and I think I had this idea in my head that once I’d done it, all the running happiness would be mine forever and ever. That’s exaggerated—but you get the point.

But I didn’t feel like that, and it wasn’t just because I had a hard, less-than-perfect race. Yes, Eugene wasn’t as satisfying as I might have hoped, but I’m realizing now that it had less to do with the race itself and more to do with my lack of direction afterward.

I know I should have let my unrelenting goal-setting brain kick back and take a break, but that’s not really how I work. Even when I’m between training cycles and running less frequently, I still like to know that a new possibility is out there, waiting for me to take it on. Without a defined goal, I was left with a very jumbled mess of potential ideas, and consequentially a very blank drawing board.

I went back and forth on running a fall marathon, on committing to triathlons, on working solely on speed, on jacking up strength training (no pun intended). Around and around it went, until all I had was more confusion, too many “potential” race options, and not enough enthusiasm to even make a decision. In retrospect, this is one of the reasons my blogging went down so much after Eugene (okay…one of the reasons). I felt like I had no idea what I was doing, so what was the point of lamenting those frustrations to others?

So I kind of gave up. Not because I no longer wanted a goal, but because I decided a “roll with it” approach was going to be more tolerable than orchestrating a race schedule that I wasn’t totally psyched about. Sure, I had races lined up, but none that had a sparkly “goal race” asterisk attached to them.

But now, approximately 48 hours after a light-bulb went off, all that’s changed. I think the light-bulb may have actually broken with how much intensity the idea came to me.

FYI, this is a very long-winded explanation for my decision making process. Sorry…there was just a lot of build up.

It all started with a little triathlon last Saturday. I had such a great time at this race, and it left me hungry for more. Admittedly, when it comes to triathlons, I’m more interested in the distances that have an “iron” in their name. But it was too soon for that. There is a chance that I could do the 70.3 distance this fall, but I feel like it would be a little half-assed. I’m not experienced enough on the bike or in the sport itself to have a real go at it, and it’s not really my style to commit to a serious distance without a decent training cushion to go off of.

But I still wanted more from the tri. I wanted to become a “bike rider” and get more acquainted with my beautiful baby bike. And I want to open the option for a half-Ironman next year. That requires more practice, more training, and less marathoning.

Which all ultimately brought up the idea of the Black Diamond Olympic Tri in September. Arielle first mentioned this race to me last year, and it seems like this year there’s a lot of blogger interest. It was also far enough away to get in some actual tri-specific training in—and far enough after my second ultra-relay to allow for some recovery time.

So yes, I was on board for Black Diamond. But it still wasn’t clicking. It felt like a means to an end; a stepping stone, if you will, toward what would be an actual goal race next year. Therefore, I still felt as if I was winging it in terms of training and racing, and I was okay with it. Black Diamond would follow a lot of summer running, and eventually I’d figure out some more fall/winter plans.

But then, THEN…an idea came to me. I shouldn’t take credit actually, in fact—credit goes to a Twitter conversation between Lauren and Larira two nights ago. I spotted them talking about the Bellingham Bay Half-Marathon this fall, and I had to chime in since it was my own first half-marathon almost three years ago. I started thinking then about how much fun I had at the race, how nice the course was, etc.

Somehow, then, after remembering how much I loved that race and how much I wanted to run it too—it all came to me: I want to run a goal half-marathon this fall.

And not just any goal. No—that’s the fun part. This goal would be hard, elusive almost, and perhaps the most intimidating training I’d ever have to take on.

And I was hooked. This is exactly what I wanted to commit the rest of the summer toward, and it seemed silly I hadn’t thought of it sooner. I have never done goal-specific half-marathon training, in fact—I’ve never actually done intentional half marathon training, and I figured why not start after already running 6? 🙂

I considered a few options for races, but Bellingham just felt right. It’s close by, it’s cheap, and it’s a PR-ready course. I considered a few other options, but after navigating a few scheduling plans, this was clearly the best option. The best part was that I could still do the Olympic tri as it’s a full two weeks before Bellingham, leaving enough time for recovery while still gaining the tri experience.

So basically, I’m obsessed. For a number of reasons, but mainly:

1) I’m sticking to my no fall marathon plan

I really wanted to try and commit to saving myself for Boston next year (assuming I’ll get in), but I could feel that commitment slipping away when I felt completely goal-less. It would be easy for me to just plan another 26.2 training schedule, but that wasn’t ultimately what I wanted. This plan totally fits the bill for maintaining distance but without going all out marathon.

2) Speed!

I have been wanting to focus on speed forever now but never fully could because marathon training + excessive speed work is kind of a recipe for disaster. At least for me. With a goal for a half instead of a full, I’ll be able to really narrow in on speed workouts, which will be very new to me in some respects. I can’t wait.

3) Forced cross-training

By keeping the Olympic distance tri on the schedule, it will not only force me to spend more time on my bike and in the pool, but also off the roads. Cross-training, IMO, has a direct correlation to decreased injury risk. Double wins all around.

4) Tempering the sadness of no fall marathon

Despite my aforementioned goal of not doing a fall 26.2, I knew that when the time came and everyone was after their respective marathon goals and running 20 milers, I would be seething with jealousy. Having a distance goal of my own will (mostly) help offset that little green monster and keep me focused on the Boston end-game.

5) Lots of work to do

No sugar coating…this goal is a big stretch for me. It is going to require more discipline and probable more puke-inducing workouts than I’ve ever done. And while that probably sounds awful to some, it’s exactly what I need right now. Feel free to remind me of this at my 4:30 am alarms 😉

6) It doesn’t feel possible (yet) <— Biggest reason of all

Here’s the honest truth about training to BQ in Eugene: I was nearly 100% sure I could do it. The required pace was something I was already comfortable with, and without the injury when I ran Chicago, I’m almost certain I could have done it there. Of course, I wanted to work hard and I wanted to secure my confidence, but I never really had a doubt that unless disaster struck—I could do it.

This goal? Not so much. In the name of full disclosure, let’s get real with numbers here:

I would like to run a 1:35:xx half this fall.

That would require dropping nearly 15 seconds off my current half-marathon PR pace. And here’s the biggest kicker: I’m still convinced my current half-marathon PR was a fluke. Yes I’m proud of it and I’m happy it happened, but I still, to this day, have a hard time believing it wasn’t a lot of luck.

Which makes shaving 3 minutes off that time even scarier.

So no, I’m not totally sure if I can do it. Do I believe with the right training it’s possible? Of course—which is why I can’t wait to dive into the horrifying place of having a very big reach goal.

This whole agenda, tri and all, feels like the perfect formula for all the things I was hoping to take on this fall season, and I can’t wait to get started.

In fact I did start, yesterday, with a 5-mile tempo at my previous half-marathon PR pace. It wasn’t the easiest, but it happened—7:30s on the dot. And it’s a start.

Time to get uncomfortable folks, I can’t wait.

Dilettante Women’s Sprint Triathlon Race Report

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After over a year of talking about it, buying a bike and then never riding it, and pretending to come up with a training “plan,” I finally said screw it, signed up, and on a whim participated in my first* triathlon.

So many things to remember!

Sometimes, instead of planning and planning and getting every detail just right, you just have to put your reservations and excuses aside and just go for it. This is how I approached this triathlon…in a, “You never know until you try” kind of way.

Survey says? A+ experience!

I totally loved this race. I have many thoughts on triathlons overall and the things I did right and the things I did wrong (i.e. barely ever riding a bike beforehand), but that’s all for a later post.

For now, my race report!

Pre-race

After staying out too late on Friday followed by a restless sleep, I woke up both groggy, dehydrated, and out of whack. I realized I had no idea what I was doing, and I could feel my mind turning in on itself and try to resist the unknown. Alas, the show had to go on, and I stuffed my bike and all my gear into my tiny car and headed to the race.

My “I have no idea what I’m doing” fears didn’t subside upon arriving at the race. I felt so out of my element. There were ladies everywhere with awesome bike racks and buckets full of their gear (is this a thing?) and generally everyone seemed to know what they were doing. I felt like a lost puppy. Why can’t I just use a bib and my running shoes???

I racked my bike at one of the few spots left and laid out my transition area, basically just copying the veterans around me.

Ahhhhhh what am I doing???

Finding Lindsay, Becky, and other new friends helped get me excited for the actual race, and I cannot stress enough how helpful it was to be doing this race with other first-timers. After a little time of waiting around watching the Olympic distance start, it was our turn!

Ready to swim! With Lindsay and Becky.

Swim

I was so, so thankful that the wave start to this event meant that there would far fewer ladies starting at once than I’d anticipated. The only part of the swim that I was especially nervous for was getting clobbered at the start, but luckily not much of that happened.

Once we were off and separated a bit, I found a good rhythm and felt much more in control than I expected. I spotted every ten strokes or so, and for the most part I stayed right on track with the buoy. My breathing was a little heavy, but I attributed this mainly to adrenaline and tried to stay calm.

After rounding the final turn and coming into the beach, I started to get really excited. 1/3 of the disciplines done! There also weren’t a ton of gals around me, and I thought I’d done pretty well time-wise.

My first transition went smoothly, albeit a little slow. It’s amazing how fast some people go through transition! Mine was a little under two minutes I think, and I just did the best I could.

Bike

So many things to say about the bike. Both good and bad. Of all the legs, I was probably most intimidated about the bike primarily for two reasons:

1) I literally just learned how to clip in. I’d ridden clipped in all of three times before this race, and while I knew it was a little risky to go for it on race day, I knew I’d be much happier in them than not. And after last weekend’s encouraging ride, I felt confident enough. However, the fear was definitely still there.

2) I suck at riding a bike. I never, ever ride my bike. I don’t even really go to spin that often anymore. Since I bought my beautiful new road bike (Daisy) this past spring, I’ve ridden her approximately three times. Two of those times were in the last week. I know, I know..but marathon training trumped bike riding.

Despite these two fears, I was still excited about the bike. It was a beautiful day, and since I wasn’t doing the race very competitively, I just wanted to have fun.

I got clipped in right away and never had any issues with them (huzzah!), and I felt strong and smooth right off the bat. It was pretty exhilarating to be doing something that I’d thought about for so long but had never pulled the trigger.

I quickly realized, though, that while I may have been a biking newb…most of the women in the race were not. I started getting passed fairly soon into the ride, and continued to hear “On your left” throughout the course. It was humbling, I’ll admit, and although eventually I was able to maintain a good clip and keep up with everyone…it became very obvious just how much the bike can probably make or break a race in this sport.

One of the people who passed me was Lindsay, and holy ish that girl can RIDE. I probably had a two minute lead on her after the swim and not only did she pass me on the bike, it took two miles for me to catch up to her on the run. Inspiring!

As I’m sure you can imagine, I was giddy upon getting to the second transition. Knowing that the run was all that lay between me and the finish line was so encouraging, and I was ready to make up some ground. My transition was really fast also, and although my timing chip malfunctioned and didn’t log my bike, T2, or run time (FAIL), I knew I had a great turnaround.

The beginning of the run, right after T2. Thanks Jesse for your photography!

The beginning of the run, right after T2. Thanks Lindsay’s BF for your photography!

Run

So that whole thing about how your legs feel weird after riding a bike? So true. Although I had been warned and anticipated it, thanks to my lack of any “brick” workouts and never practicing a transition run, the jello leg feeling was alarming.

I felt like I was moving so slowly and I couldn’t imagine how I would be able to shake off the feeling in time to make up ground for my slower bike. I was sure I was around a 9 minute mile (slow for me) so when I looked at my Garmin and saw a 6:40 pace looking back at me, I was shocked. I guess my legs knew what they were doing better than my brain. Runner intuition!

So I went with it. This was only a 5k, and although it followed the two other disciplines, I intended to capitalize on my running strength.

I started passing people almost right away. I knew about 12 ladies had passed me during the bike, so I thought it would be fun to try and see how many I could reel back in. And yes, I realize how horrific my habitual competitiveness is coming across right now. I can’t help it.

I definitely slowed down a little (a sub 7 pace is probably beyond my capabilities right now), but I kept up as best I could and eventually fell into a rhythm. I felt tired, but my legs were starting to feel more and more normal. Eventually, the only pain I was feeling was residual fatigue from the rest of the race and the tight lungs from running faster than normal.

Passing people was also encouraging, and it was so fun to both root on other people and have others cheer for me as well. Everyone was SO friendly and enthusiastic the entire time, and no offense to my runner brethren…triathletes are hands down so much nicer during races.

Anyway, after the mile 2 marker, I started getting really excited to finish. I felt strong, and I was really pleased that I was able to keep up a ~7 minute pace on the tail end of the race. Actually, I was really happy to see those paces in general, as I’ve been doubting my speed recently.

When I made the turn into the parking lot before finishing the final loop, a guy shouted, “You’re all alone! Finish strong!” so it was nice to know I didn’t need to worry about anyone creeping up behind me in the end.

Almost done…

I had a huge smile as I rounded the final corner and headed to the finish line, and the announcer definitely noticed as she called out my name in conjunction with a, “She’s got a huge finisher smile on her face!” Cue: more nervous smiling from embarrassment. But it didn’t matter; I crossed the finish line feeling great and totally inspired by the experience. It was one of those finish line crossings that remind you why your train and why you race.

After receiving my medal and meeting up with all the other ladies doing the race, I found out that I’d finished 3rd in my age group on top of everything! The prize was a box of chocolates, which while not exactly something to mount on the wall…it was still exciting.

Age groups awards and free Luna bars!

Like I said earlier, my chip malfunctioned so all I have is my ranking and final time:

Final time: 1:25 Overall: 21 Age Group: 3

This race was a perfect first* triathlon experience, and I’m excited to expand the possibilities of what my sporting future could hold.

Triathletes!

A big thanks goes to Becky and Lindsay for helping to push me to do the race and to Dawn for coming all the way down to cheer! Big congrats also to Julie, Kerrie, and all the other great ladies I met who dominated the race! And a final HUGE thanks to Nicole for loaning me her wet suit!

So, when’s the next? 🙂

*Technically speaking, this wasn’t my first tri. Back in high school, I did a sprint tri both individually and as a relay. But, both times were very causal with hardly any care at all for pace, transitions, or any kinds of technicality. I didn’t even exercise regularly at that point in time, so I don’t really count them in my current racing resume.

50-Mile Weekend

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Happy Monday!

I hope everyone had a great weekend full of whatever-it-is you like to do.

We had a lovely time here in Seattle. While the weather was a little indecisive at times (sunny? cloudy? sunny? cloudy?), it was warm which meant I spent as much time as I could enjoying the vitamin D.

This weekend I managed to combine my current ultra-relay training and “triathlon training”* into an unplanned hefty number of miles and enjoyment.

*Quotation marks added since I’m not actually really training for this race, I just happened to practice tri-related things for the first time on Sunday.

I’m happy to report though that it all felt great! It seems as if my legs have finally shaken all the post-marathon cobwebs, and I’m feeling 100% normal again. Thank goodness for that. My speed still feels a little slow, but that’s not necessarily the focus for the time being.

Anyway, the deets:

Saturday AM: 16 miles

Watchless, sunny, happy running. Good stuff. So much salt on my face.

Saturday PM: 4 miles

My original plan for the day was 14 AM and 5 PM, but since I felt great in the morning I decided to switch it up a little. And really…doing 19 miles seemed silly. I like round, even numbers.

The best part was that the PM miles felt great! Much better than a couple of weeks ago. I’m thinking these occasional two-a-days are going to be clutch in terms of relay prep.

Sunday AM: Dilettante Sprint Tri bike course (~14 miles) with Lindsay and Becky!

Open water swim around the lake

This was HUGE in terms of comfort for next weekend’s tri. Not that I was necessarily nervous, but getting a firsthand feel for both the bike (my biggest trepidation) and the swim was really helpful. Also (please judge away) this was my first time going on a real bike ride on my new bike. So yea, I would say that was a good idea to do before race day 🙂

But I forgot my bike shoes!!! After totally psyching myself up to practice a clipped-in ride with my shoes and my bike, I failed to bring the separate bag my shoes were in. And, as I discovered, it is hard to ride with flimsy flat pedals in your regular shoes! I found myself concentrating on my feet way more so than I would have otherwise.

The course consists of 2, 6.8 mile loops around the lake, and overall I’d say it’s pretty moderate. Excited to ride it again next Saturday!

We also tested out the Becky-proclaimed “brown water” (she’s totally right about that), and swam a little out and back. Open water swimming is definitely a little alarming at first, but after settling my breathing I felt fine. The wet suit really helps with buoyancy too (Thanks Nicole 🙂 )

The morning was totally great overall, and I’m SO thankful to have had a little experience on the course (and on the bike and in the water) before I “race” it next week.

The only glitch though was my lack of clip-in practice, which leads to my spontaneous Sunday afternoon decision…

Sunday PM: 15 miles, around Alki and back, CLIPPED IN

I was so excited about this! I kind of just kept going and going and enjoyed the feeling of really riding. I rode my standard long run route and, no surprise, it goes by A LOT quicker on the bike 🙂

The best part was that I felt completely natural with the clip-ins. It was really weird actually…when I first started, it was like I instinctively knew what to do no problem. As if I was picking up an old habit again. Which doesn’t seem right, because I only learned to ride clipped-in last weekend.

And by learned, what I mean is…I fell on my butt a few times and at the end of the day managed to somewhat mount and dismount without toppling sideways.

But yesterday? No problems! I felt like I’d been doing it for years.

Maybe this is only a hurdle for me and everyone else thinks clipped-in riding is NBD, but either way…it was yet another confidence boost.

My little bike was oh-so-happy to feel wanted yesterday.

So there it is: nearly 50 miles in running and biking this weekend! Did I mention I also took a two hour nap between rides yesterday? 🙂

I love that I finally feel capable of someday being a real biker. I’ve always loved the idea of it, but I’ve held back since all the logistics seemed so technical and beyond my expertise. But practice makes perfect, and little by little I think that I’m actually getting the hang of it.

Alright, rambling over. I’m sorry I suck so bad at having visual proof of my life, and hopefully it doesn’t make my posts too boring. I think I included enough smiley faces in this post that there’s at least a little color.

Will get better at that.

Tell me about your weekend!

Tri-ing it out and other upcoming races

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Hey, Hello, Hi out there!

My head all week:

“ROBYN, write a blog post! You like blogging, just write something! ANYTHING! Post one picture and gif, SOMETHING!”

My reactions:

…no.

Yada, yada, yada…lots of work, lots of life, and lots of “I’d rather watch reruns of Grey’s than look at a computer screen for another second.” It happens.

But wouldn’t you know it, I do have some news to share. Exciting news! News which has slightly dented my previously mentioned lack of direction in the running/racing world.

In just one week, I have gone from being registered for zero races to being registered for three. Three! Exciting stuff. And the best part is that two out of those three are within the next month or so.

So with that said, let’s take a look at what’s coming up:

Dilettante Women’s Sprint Triathlon

You guys, I did it.

Finally.

After over a year of circling around the triathlon ~~pool~~ lake, I finally decided to get over my fears and jump in head first.

And I mean that quite seriously. I’ve done very little specific training, I know close to nothing about transitions, and don’t even get me start on the clip-in pedals (Read: biggest fear OF ALL.)

Essentially, if you consider how much I mentally and physically prepare for running races (a lot) and take the opposite of that…that’s basically how I’m approaching this first sprint tri.

And I kind of love it! It’s a short enough race that I can kind of get away with this method, and it totally takes any pressure off. I honestly have NO idea as to what a “good” sprint tri time is, and this whole endeavor is more to get a taste of the sport in general. I’m excited.

The best part is that some local friends are doing it too, and they had the brilliant idea to do some open water swimming and biking on the course beforehand. (And they’re letting me tag along 🙂 ) So this Sunday, exactly one week from race day, I’ll be starting my triathlon training.

So smart.

But in all seriousness, I’ve been in the pool and on the bike recently enough to where I’m sure that short of complete catastrophe, I should be fine.

And I actually have a feeling I’m going to enjoy it more than my wallet is prepared for…

See Jane Run Half-Marathon

You guys! I won something! RoseRunner hosted an awesome giveaway on her blog a few weeks ago: she gave away three spots in the See Jane Run race series. I was psyched to see something that I actually wanted in a giveaway, and somehow I ended up snagging one of the spots!

Side note: If you don’t already, check out her blog. Girl is stupid fast, smart, and isn’t afraid to call out the bullshit in the “healthy living” blogging world. One of my favorites in my reader.

This race is in mid-July, so it will potentially be warm, but otherwise I’m looking forward to it. I’ve flirted with the idea of making it a goal half race, but currently it’s scary to do one mile at my would-be goal half marathon pace, let alone run 13.1 miles at it. We’ll see.

Seattle Half-Marathon

Okay, so this race is eons away, but that doesn’t mean it’s not fun to have on the calendar! I absolutely loved this race when I did it for the first time last year, and at that time I promised myself to run it again. And with a coupon code in hand and a lingering price increase deadline, I decided to go for it.

There is also potential that should I not get into Boston for 2014, I may decide to do the full instead. Essentially, I’d like to keep the option of a fall full open for now…and this one is late enough that I could still do some solid training after knowing for sure about Boston.

But in the meantime, I’m still hoping for/planning on being in Bean town next April, in which case this will just be another fun, cold, post-Thanksgiving coma half-marathon.

Hooray races! Sorry paycheck, you were fun while you lasted.

I am really psyched to have some things on the calendar in additional to the crazy ultra-relay extravaganza I’ve gotten myself into.

Lots more to share, but for now I’m interested in what races YOU have planned for the upcoming couple of months. It seems like people either go crazy with racing during the summer or avoid it altogether.

So…what races are you signed up for?

Also, how do you “do” a sprint triathlon? 🙂

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