Life is better on a bike!

Category: swim (Page 1 of 3)

Swimming

Started my morning off with a swim. The pool most days is empty when I get there, today there were two other women.

Swimming first thing in the morning is a good beginning to the day. I begin easily, swimming back and forth across the pool, focused on nothing other than moving cleanly through the water with as little disturbance as possible. It’s peaceful and relaxing while at the same time aerobically strenuous.

The rhythm of swimming and breathing regularly, bilaterally on every third stroke, makes it a kind of moving meditation.

Swimming doesn’t require me to pay attention completely the way cycling does. With swimming my five senses are involved but I’m allowed to lose myself completely in the motion. With cycling I can lose my self-awareness (e.g., the sense of being one with the bike – not separate), but I can never lose my awareness of my environment – it would be too dangerous.

Not so with swimming and that’s another thing I love about it.

Duckcoolwater

Redman Aquabike Race Report

My first triathlon event of any kind is in the books. Yesterday I completed the Half Aquabike distance of the 2011 Redman Triathlon in Oklahoma City. A 1.2 mile swim in the low, but lovely Lake Hefner and a 56 mile, mostly flat, bike ride. 

The weather was perfect; a light breeze and comfortable temperatures through the morning; it did heat up in the afternoon but I was finished by then.

The weather was very important, particularly the lack of wind, because when the wind blows the water rolls and Susan doesn’t swim as well. On Friday at the practice swim, it was choppy and difficult to navigate plus cold too! I had been relatively calm, but after that practice swim my stress level doubled.

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Consequently, this Aquabiker didn’t sleep much at all Friday night. It was after 1am before I fell asleep and 4:15am when the alarm sounded. I was just too hyped up to sleep regardless of how much relaxation I tried to do.

My husband/coach/everything Mark, knew I was stressed (if he reads this he will LOL, because I don’t make it very difficult at all to know when I am stressed: (quiet and intense) and he quietly supported me, as in made me coffee, loaded my bike and drove me as close as anyone could get to the start which saved a lot of walking and time.

As I walked toward the lit up transition area, I slowly took it all in. Hundreds of volunteers and athletes were quietly going about getting ready for the event or their personal event. Even with close to 1000 people it wasn’t loud – it was too early to be too loud – but there was this nice hum of voices and a buzz of activity.

It was thrilling.

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I already knew where my transition spot was, Rocket was there. I had dropped her off the afternoon before when I was there picking up my packet and attending the athletes meeting.

Speaking of meetings and such, let me tell you there is a lot of preparation to doing something like this, and I am not even referring to the physical part. There is much to learn about triathlons – the lingo, the process, how to train, etc. I had no idea how much it would require of me physically and mentally. It tested me, and that was good.

Anyhow once I got to transition, I set my gear bag down, said hi to the two women on either side of me and set about putting the stuff that I would need for the day out so it would be readily accessible and even visible when I came back from the swim to prepare for the bike. Your transition spot (T-spot) is pretty small and I learned you must not crowd your fellow athletes by having your gear overflow into their T-spot. Lots of etiquette and rules to this triathlon business. So, I made sure that nothing I owned was infringing on anyone else in the neighborhood.

It was an early start, we were up at 4:15 to get there by 5:45.

Next, I played tug-of-war with my wetsuit then proceeded to find my goggles, earplugs and tempo trainer (swim metronome).

Susan checking out her bag of stuff for the day.

Mark parked the car and found me and because of my primo T-spot we could talk while I waited to go to the swim area. Talking to him relaxed me although relaxed is probably too strong a word ha.

Getting ready to head to the start.

I was excited about the bike, but nervous about the swim like many I suppose. I developed a fear of drowning in January after passing out in a hot tub and swimming in open water heightens it.

One cool thing while we were waiting, they announced birthdays and I heard my name called! There were quite a few, since they announced all birthdays around the 24th too.

It was about time to start the fun, once we left the safe confines of transition my nervousness grew. Seeing all the athletes in the various colored caps helped to distract me. Mark was nearby taking lots of pictures to capture the scene.

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Different color swim caps designate which wave you'll start with.
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They had to wait before the first wave could go off because the buoys moved but fairly soon after the theme from Rocky (always inspires me) and Jaws (made me laugh) had played the white caps moved down the carpet towards the water. Then the green, the yellow, pink.

Green group heading down.P1010997

and lastly, ORANGE!  I was orange.

Susan's group getting ready... it was a bit cold early in the morning.
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As the pictures show Lake Hefner is in need of water, but it had rained the day before so things were also very muddy. Once we were at the shoreline it became real muddy and then slippery as we waded out so we could swim. People were slipping and sliding.

Susan is here too starting her swim. (Hint look in the middle of the picture)

Once it was deep enough I started to swim. It took me a good while to relax into the swim. There were lots of bodies around so I took care, probably too much care, to avoid running into anyone. I also did too much early sighting, having a very difficult time spotting the turn buoys. Normally Redman is a straight out and back for the 1.2 milers (double for 2.4 milers), but due to the very low water levels the swim had to be moved to the middle part of the lake, thus the triangle formation. Being in the last wave, there was a lot of congestion. It seemed people were swimming everywhere so it was hard to use them for guidance (navigation).

I sighted frequently but I still got off course. If I had a GPS of my swim it would look like a bunch of zigzags. I did much better on my sighting at Tallchief.

Due to my not-so-great right shoulder, I tend to veer to the right (pulling harder with the left arm), combine that with a poorly marked course, low light and bad sighting – you have my swim. Even with all that though, my time wasn’t bad – 52:12 for 1.2 miles.

I always feel so much relief when I near the end of any open water swim that I walk out of the water like I am either a. drugged, b. demented or c. ecstatic or I guess d. all of the above. A woman right in front of us slipped in the mud and fell backwards (2nd pic) – it was hard to get out of the water because of the deep mud.

The end of Susan's 1.2 miles... she is very happy.
Very happy to be getting out of the water.

With another open water swim event under my belt, I think I will have more confidence for the next one.

Next, it was through the slippery, sinking mud, up the “beach” and into wetsuit stripper row. Yep, you lie down and someone pulls your wetsuit off in one quick move that takes .9 seconds.

Oh, yes, we do have clothes under out wetsuits I don’t want to give anyone the wrong idea. Typically under the wetsuit you wear whatever you are going to bike in, in my case a tri top and tri shorts.

Trotting over to transition area for the next round... 56 miles on her bike.

I was still so elated from surviving the swim (and in good time) that I forgot I was supposed to get through T-1 (transition 1/swim to bike) quickly. I talked to Mark, had a little gel, smiled a lot and took my sweet time just savoring the fact that this part of the Aquabike I could do well.. and I was looking forward to it.

One quick adjustment and Rocket and I were ready to roll. Fortunately I remembered the rule of walking or running your bike past the mount line, so once I was past the line I hopped on my bike and took off.

Rocket looks ready to go! (That's the bikes name)
Getting on at the start line.

After a couple of minutes I checked my speed and my heart rate, my heart rate was too high (141) for so early so I had to back off a bit. Once we left the lake road and we had a coned off lane to ride in and police officers were at every intersection until we got past Memorial Rd. and volunteers controlled traffic at minor side streets and drives. It was awesome getting to ride without stopping and barely having to slow. The bike course was a fast one, a few rolling hills and except for a few well marked rough or potholed sections, a very nice course. The weather was incredible, mid to high 70’s and light winds which just added to the joy.

As is my practice, I kept my heart rate in Zones 2 and 3 until mile 26 where we turned around and headed for home. Once I headed back I stayed in Zones 3-4 and pushed it. I passed many of the people who had passed me and limited my stops to 1 quick one. Once we turned south we picked up a little headwind but it wasn’t much. Plus with the aero bars the wind had less impact. The only thing that hurt was the part of me in contact with the saddle. I had no issues with cramping; my main fuel, Hammer Perpetuem provided the nutrients I needed and I supplemented with Hammer Gels and Endurolytes. I was very happy with the way it all worked. At the Vendor Expo on Friday I bought a bento box bag for the top tube that was the perfect size. Because Rocket’s top tube is short other bags have interfered when I would climb out of the saddle. This one was the perfect size and allowed me to take on gels and Endurolytes on the fly.

Need to mention the volunteers, they were everything you needed for support on the course. Stopped for a bathroom break, they held my bike. Needed gels, they handed out new ones and took the empty packets. Water bottle low? They refilled it. They were awesome! I could definitely get used to this kind of support.

More riders.. you can see some going the other way as they've already made it to the turnaround point.
Susan coming by me on Waterloo road... she was happy to see me... and I was happy to see her moving along so well.
Susan on Covell.

 

The bike ride much of the time felt almost effortless. I felt strong and in control. The miles disappeared easily and as I rode I reminded myself to enjoy the ride. I had so many emotions as I rode along. Everything I felt was heightened. I was also emotional before the swim (obviously afterwards too) and really my emotions had been near the surface for days. Tears came easily. Happy tears.

I made the decision to not stop again to reload with gel/water. I had picked up 2 gels and water at the aid station just past the turnaround (around mile 30). I finished my Perpetuem about 14 miles from the finish, but still had a gel. I also had Perpetuem solids and Endurolytes so I pushed on.

Other than saddle pain I felt great. After the turnaround I started to pay attention to how many people I was passing and how few were passing me. As I neared coming into Oklahoma City I was impressed that only two guys had passed me. It became a game to see if I could hold it to two.

I had another emotional moment when the course took us behind the cemetery where both my mother and father are buried. My mother died at age 50 and my father passed away at age 56, both younger than I now am at 57. In fact I am emotional remembering how I felt as I pressed on, knowing they would be proud and cheering me on, their memories propelling me towards the finish.

Once on the Lake Hefner dam road I was cruising along when I heard that unmistakable sound – someone was coming up from behind me and moving fast. I was about to get passed for the third time. It was okay though, he looked to be younger than my daughter so I let it go.

Winking smile

Now I was maybe a mile away from finishing something I had been training for for months and I was about to complete it! Up ahead I could see a young and fit female who was cruising along when I passed her I have to admit I felt a certain pride knowing even at my age I can still compete.

I felt good about my ride, on the bike my average speed was 16.5mph for 56 miles. Once I crossed the timing mat my 2011 Redman Half Aquabike was officially over. I racked my bike, changed into tennis shoes and headed for the finish.

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Here's the finish line.

 

Mark headed to the finish too for a few last pictures. In total he took 146 pictures! So you may think there are a lot here to get through, but really I let you off easy.

And here's Susan coming to the finish line... all smiles! A great day!!

My official times:

Overall: 4:30:40

Swim:    52:12

Transition: 10:53

Bike:      3:27:37

I finished 2nd in my age group (only 3 total), 33/76 total Half Aquabike competitors (all ages, males and females).

Redman was more than I expected and everything I could have hoped for. A great way to spend a birthday.

All done with medal and t-shirt in hand!

Redman 2011

My Redman experience exceeded my expectations. Until I have more time to tell the story I’ll give you the data and a few pictures of the day.

I completed the Half Aquabike in 4:30:40, swim/52:12, transition 10:53 (I couldn’t stop talking to my husband) and bike 3:27:37.

1.2 mile swim + 56 mile bike ride = Fun.

*All photos by the one and only, Mark Lash.

Redman Triathlon This Saturday

Hard to believe, but it is almost here! Due to a family emergency I haven’t been able to train at all since last Wednesday (most importantly, things are looking good on that front).

I hope to get a short ride in tomorrow and maybe a swim. It’s funny but six days of doing nothing (other than a mile or so walk several days) has made me tired, stiff and achy in my joints and back. Basically it has me feeling my age – 56 – until Saturday that is.

That’s right, I’m spending my birthday swimming 1.2 miles and racing my bike 56 miles – sounds like fun to me!

Hope all my training and fitness prior to last Wednesday will carry me through. It would be a great birthday present to do well!

Gift with a bow

Tallchief Open Water Challenge

As many of you regulars know I am training to compete in my first ever triathlon (biathlon actually, Aquabike: swimming and biking) event on my birthday September 24 in Oklahoma City, Redman Triathlon.

Also evident to those same regulars is my apprehension (to put it mildly) about the 1.2 mile open water swim in Lake Hefner.

I am a swimmer-come-lately; having just started swimming laps in June when I started training for Redman Aquabike. Since then I have done the 1.2 mile distance in the pool a few times and have had three open water practice swims; but I have never swam in an actual race.

Tallchief

That changed yesterday with the 2011 Tallchief Open Water Challenge. I only learned of the Tallchief event last week but was immediately interested as it seemed like the perfect event for a beginner: less than 100 participants and swim only, no bike or run to complete. Plus it was in a pretty setting. I may be a beginner but I do appreciate clear, natural lakes in scenic settings. Lake Tallchief was all that.

Tallchief Lake

People in kayaks to keep swimmers safe

What I wanted most from this event was confidence. If this first competitive open water swim went well I knew I would relax about the Redman swim and if it didn’t I knew my stress level would grow. Consequently I thought I should play it safe with the 1/2 mile swim option. On the other hand, even if I did the 1/2 mile swim successfully it still would’t tell me if I could swim a mile in a lake with other swimmers in competition. Without drowning. Less joking here than you might think.

I felt I had to roll the dice and sign up for the mile and I did last Wednesday.

I had a practice open water swim on Thursday in Lake Arcadia which went well, a pool swim on Friday to work on technique, and a short bike ride to test out my new aero-bars (another blog, another time). I was as prepared as I could be.

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Everything was ready to go when we (the photographer and I) went to bed Saturday night so when the alarm went off at 4:45am all we had to do was get dressed and go. At that hour it was best to keep it simple. This was another good practice for Redman, getting up early, eating and getting in that competition mindset. I was surprisingly calm as we headed to Tulsa.

We arrived right on schedule and quickly got me checked in, including my race number on my arms.

Susan's Swim Number

We were both impressed with the beauty of the area, Camp Tallchief is a Girl Scout camp on the John Zink ranch. The weather was perfect, sunny, cool and calm.

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We hiked about 1/4 mile down to Lake Tallchief, the water was smooth. There were only 67 swimmers registered so there wouldn’t be the mass of bodies thrashing around that Redman will have.

I relaxed even more. I got my wetsuit on and took a short practice swim just to acclimate to the water and practice sighting the buoys.

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Warming Up"I have to swim way out there!"P1010950Lot's of swimmers warming up

I had read repeatedly that one of the biggest fear producers for beginners was when they first saw how far away the turn around buoy was – 1/2 mile in this case. I knew it would look so far away that it would look undoable and it did. Worse than I expected.

1/2 mile to furthest buoy by trees... then back!

tc signInstead of focusing on how far I told myself you’ve done the distance you can do this – and I avoided looking at the turnaround buoy which was easy because I really couldn’t see it from the shore. I busied myself getting my swim cap and goggles on.

Right about then the race director gave final instructions and then called for a moment of silence in remembrance of the victims of 9/11. Next, the National Anthem, but they couldn’t get the boom box to play it. After several minutes of fiddling with the boom box and a growing restlessness of the swimmers, some brave swimmer started singing …Oh say can you see… and others quickly joined in. I’m not a patriotic sort, but it was really cool and moving the way we were all singing with no music – acapella. 

Now it was time for the 1 and 2 milers to head into the water for the start. I had just found my spot (in the back and off to the side) when the gun sounded. As planned I waited to swim until things cleared out.

P1010960And They're Off

One thing I quickly noticed was people were not swimming anywhere close to the most direct route to the buoys and indeed that route was open so I took the opening and started swimming.

P1010964Occasionally I would brush another swimmer or vice versa but for the most part I swam unscathed. Sighting was next to impossible because of the glare of the sun but I could tell I was swimming where I should be because of the location of other swimmers and the kayakers.

I focused on keeping my head low, reaching as far as I could on the stroke and rolling up to get air and not lifting my head. I stayed with my bilateral breathing every 3 strokes which I taught myself in late June. Other than the occasional thought of how am I going to swim that far things were working pretty well.

After what seemed like forever, but must have been about 20 minutes I came to the turn around buoy. The Race is OnI was overjoyed to see that big orange triangle in the water. I shouted my race number to the two people in the canoe, hoped I said it intelligibly so they got the right number and checked me off the list!

Just the thought of heading home was a big relief and it immediately relaxed me. I was proceeding along swimmingly – ha – when all of a sudden someone slammed into me. I looked up to see this guy I had noticed earlier who had been off course to my right, and was now overcorrecting and doing the backstroke to boot so he couldn’t see who was ahead of him. By his demeanor I gathered he didn’t care. After a 3 or 4 more incidences of being grabbed, bumped and generally accosted, I sat up to let him get ahead. Once it seemed safe I started swimming again. As I breathed to my right I could see he was getting off course again and heading into the path of the 2 milers. Better them then me I thought, but gradually his pace was slowing and I was catching up.

I swam easily trying to preserve my energy, but despite that easy pace my right shoulder was starting to hurt just a little. One of my biggest fears is that someone will hit me or I’ll hit them and jar my fragile right shoulder with its partially torn rotator cuff. I was determined to stay away from the floundering backstroking blockhead so I tried to swim a faster pace which further tired my arms. Seemed like the lesser of two evils though so I continued.

Because of all this my line to the finish was not as direct as it had been to the first buoy thus I swam more distance than I should have. Again, the lesser of two evils. The latter part of the swim I focused on my stroke and as the finish became visible my excitement grew. I could see Mark on the shore looking for me. As I got closer he spotted me, we waved and I finished and stood up to walk the last few steps to the finish.

Susan at the FinishGetting Out of Water

All Done... 1 Mile in 44:09 minutes!This picture tells the story of how I was feeling. All I was thinking and feeling was, I DID IT!!! I think I may have said it out loud to myself as I walked up the finish. I was that astounded and elated. Mark was almost as excited as I was and told me that I had finished faster than I had expected. I hadn’t even thought to look at my watch, I pushed stop and the time read: 44:14 (my official time was 44:09). I was overjoyed! I not only swam a mile but I swam it fast. It wasn’t a great time by swim standards but it was a respectable time and a very good time for a first swim race.

We stayed for burgers and the awards presentation. I finished in bottom half but not at the bottom and the truth is it didn’t matter where I finished, just that I finished. It was a well organized event, sponsored by the Tulsa Masters Swim Club and Denise Smart, Event Director. I highly recommend it and hope to do it again next year.

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