i RAN!

So I have this little "thing" with my leg where I suspect chronic microtears. I've tried so very many different things I can't keep track, the last being BarryP's 1:2:3 plan and I had really high hopes. I have been VERY conservative in my mileage, sticking to 5% increases and looking longterm (November) not shortterm. And I really thought it was working. Until my sprint tri last (a couple) Sundays ago - coming off the bike I knew it was going to be a problem but it was up So High (in comparison to other times) I was hoping I could just power through it. This, quite frankly, is how I usually get into trouble. I figure I can just THIS TIME (because I've conveniently forgotten all the Other Times I've done it) I'll abuse it and THEN I'll take care of it. Didn't work this time either. So I finished the triathlon barely able to walk (but HEY, I finished) and 1 min out of 1st place in my AG (yeah, that still rubs me raw cause it was MINE damnit :)) and thus it was worth it. Or so I let myself believe.

The last 2 weeks have been rather joyless as I am getting more and more resigned to the fate of Injured Runner Syndrome but I've continued to push the leg on the bike and after a hard ride yesterday I had no twinges, no pain, no discomfort and as such decided to run after the bike. Just a short run to check things out. Normally, when I get this injury running it takes a good 2 weeks off running and then a couple weeks easing into the run (4 min at a time) to be able to do it but yesterday I had no problems at all. So I'm hopeful there.

Secondly, I might have found a PT down here but unfortunately I have to go to the clinic (about 45 min away) just to make the appointment (for another day). I can't afford to take that much time out of my workday just to make an appointment so I'm going to ask an acquaintance to do so. And when/if I go to the PT I'll have a bit more hope that some day I won't have that constant threat of injury over my running head.

On the bike front the kilometers have been low (160-200) but I'm still way ahead of the training schedule there so I'm not worried about that. I did have a weird day yesterday in that I just wasn't into the ride mentally so I decided to work it really hard. I averaged a 136 hr but my time was pretty much the same as usual (with a mid 120s hr) but at least I powered into the workout and didn't let up the intensity. We normally work the outbound side (tailwind) and slack the inbound. Yesterday the wind was pretty much nonexistant and I really worked both out and back. Pretty happy about that. Swim feels pretty strong - rough water (beginning to realize that is the norm) and my stroke feels strong.

Still not sure what my next triatlon will be, there are a couple sprints coming up soon (3-Abr and 17-Abr) but I might just save my pesos for the HIM. Except now I'm looking at 3 different ones so I guess I should just decide already. Oh and the offroad (about sprint length but takes the elites 3.5 hours to finish) in May. Hmmm.

Ok, race report

I was really surprised by a LOT of things. This is my first triathlon in 25 years or so and my 2nd ever so I was really pretty much a tri virgin. I was up (without alarm) at 4:15 as the drive back home from package pickup took an hour. I wasn't sure how long it would take us to get there and knew we'd have to park out away from the site and walk in so we left at 5:00 am. Had 2 pancakes (thanks sweetie!) and cawfee for breaky. Had just about pulled up to the parking when I realized I'd forgotten my goggles. I've tried OWS without goggles before and it is pretty much impossible so I was begging in the parking area. No-one had any to spare. I rode my bike to transition and begged there and some Very Prepared (#76) individual had brought a spare pair and seriously saved my life. It turned out that he was in the next bike rack from me - almost neighbors and it was easy to drop the goggles off out of the water.

Looking back I realize now they racked us according to age and I could have taken that opportunity to check out my competition (4). I think there were only 38 women total and 148 that started. Not a bad showing for our area and a first race and super easy to get a 1st, 2nd or 3rd with the deepest category (femenil) with 8 and most with 4. So super easy to place in your AG. I setup transition as best I could (taking example from those around me) and then Pike and I headed out to the beach. I'd already scoped out the funky swim the day before so I just tried to warm up a bit and then waited. Finally we were off and I was glad I'd gotten in to warm up as when I'd gotten in to warm up the cold of the water had taken my breath away. At the last minute (literally) they put all the womens in the same wave (I was at the very back as we were supposed to have our own wave (the green hats) and I scrambled to get the goggles to fit and we were off. I just kept trying to keep swimmers in sight as the visibility was absolutley ZERO. I don't know what they have up there at Tres Rios but is isn't the clear water we have here in PaaMul. At any rate I was swimming hard - over the breakers through the chop, to the bouy and then running over the sandbar to the laguna to go up river. EVERYONE was bitching about the river afterwards. I'd swum up through the yellows, greens, blues and blacks and was battling all the black caps in the river along with manglar roots (at one point I had to stop swimming and just pull myself out of them) and at one point almost lost my goggles - had them smacked off my head and I had to retrieve them. I thought we were relatively close to the finish of the swim so I didn't bother to put them back on but at a body jam (where you literally could not move) I put them back on. Coming out of the swim one of my steps went round and round - perfect finish to that swim. Oh, and did I mention we were going AGAINST the current? Can't wait to do it again. :) I was working HARD on the swim though and was breathing every stroke - it's a sprint, right?

Transition was a fracaso. I need to practice that. Sand everywhere, lots of bikes still on racks (I was 3 minutes slower than the fastest female) and it looks like I was 5th female out of the water (out of 38 total). That is surprising to me as I felt completely underprepared for swimming. It was at this point that I really missed a water bottle but the fresh water of the river was nice to "clean up" with.

Bike was uphill to the carretera and then 3 laps on the carretera and then back down and 250 m before and after running with the bike. I HAMMERED the bike. At first I let a couple guys pass me but then I latched onto the wheel of one guy and then traded him for a faster guy on the 2nd loop and the 1st guy and I held his wheel until the last half of the 3rd loop. I honestly thought I'd have to let go of the guy's wheel - my HR was mid to high 150s the whole time, I was working hard and starting to loose it on the last half of the last loop. I held on though and on the 2nd bike run (250 m) realized my leg and I had a problem. I was pretty sure I was still 1st in my AG (and I was) and just wanted to try and hang on for the win. The leg got worse and worse and when I was passed I just couldn't limp fast enough to keep up (and eventually, as with my plan) to pass her and she ended up finishing a minute ahead of me. Our (old) age group beat the entire 40-45 AG and much of the previous. We were 17 and 18 out of 38 so we beat half the field (all younger than us). Can't complain about that.

During the bike I wasn't sure I'd want to do this again, but now I can't wait to do another. Just have to figure out the leg issues. I also need to remember to bring goggles and a waterbottle. Oh and start my watch. Well, maybe WEAR a watch! :)

Sad and happy

I killed the swim, I killed the bike but me lastime on the run. Coming off the bike I could feel my calf in a knot and I was surprised it lasted the entire 5K. Lost to 1st place in my categoria just before the finish (12 seconds?) as I was heavily limping and unable to push any harder.

Results

It is so quaint...

A lot of people, when they first move here, will remark in the "quaintness" of Mexico, how things are just done Differently and isn't that cute and all. After a few years here we started using "isn't that quaint" to mean "aren't we fucked". So I paid my moneys and I got my reciept and I knew that today was supposed to be package pickup for the triatlon tomorrow. Except the receipt says nothing except pesos paid and the web site is just an advertisement. But I'm used to this in the land of quaintness so I started googling and finally on a site completely unrelated to the triatlon, I found TONS of info. Package pickup is today from 2pm to 5pm (which means I'll get there around 5) and body marking is today (we can't do it OURSELVES?) and while drafting is allowed, no MIXED drafting is allowed. HUH? So no females with males. If I'm going to draft it is going to have to be off another female. Hmmm...

So I've been doing recovery this week and while it was Really Hard at first to dial the intensity meter down, by today I started thinking I'll never remember how to hammer or go hard again. And while I got 3 swims in last week I was totally unable to do any hypoxic sets (3.5.7) unlike before. So I'm starting to have grave doubts as to tomorrow's race. I was really thinking I could actually race it (funny as it will be my FIRST tri, full of myself, yes I am) and now I'm thinking maybe I'm living in the land of quaintness.

At any rate I'll find out early tomorrow or freeze to death trying. We got hit with a norte yesterday and it was FREEZING this am for the bike. I can't imagine being WET and doing the bike. If I don't die of frozeness tomorrow it will be from exploding swelled head or from the quaintness.

Didja know the 20km bike has THREE LOOPS? And the 5km run has TWO? Now THAT is quaint. :) I'm not sure but I think that either we will swim from the sea up a laguna and river or will be running a fair amount from the swim to the bike. SO quaint.

Double oh, I was down 2 kg last week but the legs were dead so I increased my food intake and plopped on another kilo. Sigh. Was hoping for less rolls of fat tomorrow. Now I totally need to rethink my wardrobe choices for jiggle AND frozeness. Sigh.

Coming out of the closet

So I finally came out to my husband and it did not go well at all. He found the entire idea completely laughable and pooh-poohed the idea I would attempt it. This was coming off a week of doubt and discouragement as I compared current speed and ability with November. Well, even June. I talked to him a couple days later (on our 90km ride) and he confessed that he was so flabbergasted at the idea and knew HE wouldn't be able to do it, he couldn't imagine anyone doing it. Even though MANY do. But he totally does support me. I did know it all along because the man has a mouth/brain with absolutely NO filter whatsoever. Normally I don't let stuff like that get to me because he is really very Homeresque in his talk, but it had been a tough week for me mentally. Physically I'm great. Runs are increasing at 5% weekly, bike has been over 200km/wk for the past 3 weeks and we're just going to ignore the swim portion. The sea has been wicked rough, then the sea lice came to visit (baby jellies which sure do sound cute but give you a 2-week rash) and that put a stop to most swimming. This week I was supposed to concentrate on swimming but the baby jellies came to town so next week, PROMISE must be a swim day every day before I forget how it works.

Next weekend I lose my trivirginity with my first tri in 25+ years, and as such, I'm reinstating tri-virginity and calling it my 1st triatlon. It is a sprint and I have no idea what I'll be doing but I will be having fun (unless I'm battling sea lice or puking). Pike is going to come with me and I'm going to make this a recovery week. Except I really can't imagine DECREASING workouts when I've been on a mission to INCREASE since November. "They" say it is a good thing though, but it sure will be weird. Another reason to push the swim next week. :) I'll run as usual and just decrease the bike (though that might kill me). Jamie and I did a new long ride - down to Tulum and back - some 90km and it only took 3.5 hours (ouch, yes we were on couches for the ride and took 3 stops (pee, pee and store for Poweraid). We have a lot of work to do there. So now we have short (40km), medium (60km - our old "long" ride) and long (90km) rides. I was humbled at the end of the 90km ride to realize I'd only done 1/2 the ironman length. yikes. Very scary. Almost as scary as the snake in the picture. Yes, that is from our Tulum ride and I have more respect for the jungle (looks out the back window at said jungle). Today I saw a dead coral snake but this road kill was so impressive that it took us a bit and then I told Jamie we HAD to turn around and go look at it. It was amazing in a very weird way.

February totals:
Swim 17.5M +
Bike 770km
Run almost 8 hours.

Last pic is Xel-Ha ruins along the medium (60km) ride.