Race Report!

OK, I think it’s time for my much-belated race report! First of all, I want to again thank everyone who donated to my fundraising, and supported me throughout my training. A special thanks to my parents, and Anne and Steven for traveling to the race and cheering me on.

After spending a couple of days getting ready for the race in St. Petersburg, we woke up around 4 am for the race. We grabbed breakfast and walked down to the start, nervous with anticipation, but excited that the race was finally here. It was fairly windy that morning, and on the walk to the start, we received word that the swim portion of the race had been cancelled due to the weather and that we would only be doing a bike and run.

It could have been worse - a few years ago the Capital of Texas triathlon was entirely cancelled due to bad weather. However, it was still a disappointment, especially to those of us who for months had looked forward to completing our first triathlon. The bike and run were lots of fun - great scenery and nice weather for the most part. The hot temperatures during the run were a little bit of a challenge, since most of our training had been done in cold weather. During the bike, I spent a lot of time trying to focus on enjoying the ride and trying to see the bright side instead of brooding about the fact that at the end of the race, I still wouldn't have met my goal of finishing a triathlon. Part of me felt the months of training were all going to waste. Which I knew wasn't really true, but still. I'd practiced this focusing on enjoying myself during some of my recent workouts, and I think it came in handy. In the race, you can try all sorts of tricks to take your mind off what your body is going through, but this time there was the added challenge of taking your mind off of the disappointment enough to stay motivated. At the beginning of the run, I made it my goal to run the whole way, which I did with the small exception of water stops (after nearly choking and spewing water everywhere at mile 1, I learned that it is not a good idea to try to run and drink at the same time).

The run was really enjoyable - tons of TNT people and lots of "go team"'s and folks cheering each other on, which was really great. Lots of neighbors were out - some with much-appreciated water hoses and stereos, one of which was blaring "Come on Feel the Noize" as I went past. Nothing like some good 80's rock to get the blood flowing. Probably the most entertaining of the spectators was a guy out in his driveway with a stereo riding on a old-school stationary bike - the kind with the big fan and the giant handles that go back and forth. Even still, my mind kept going back to that fact that it wasn't a real triathlon. I told myself, there is no use worrying about this, because there is nothing you can do about it. But then I thought, maybe there is something I could do. So I started to think of how I could fix this, and several ideas were going around in my head. Would they let us go back and do the swim course after the race? Was there a pool nearby where I could swim laps? These thoughts helped keep me going in the last couple of miles. Ironic that the thought of more exercise helped me get through a 10K run. I finished and got my medal, but it didn't feel right. I felt like I hadn't finished the whole race. So, while most of the other finishers were taking advantage of the free massages in the recovery tent, I walked back to the beach. The race buoys had since been removed, but the water had calmed considerably since the morning. I got in along with one of my teammates and swam laps around some other buoys for about 20 minutes. I probably didn't go as far as the race distance, but it was enough. My late professor, Randy Pausch, counseled that brick walls are not there to keep you from reaching your goals, but to determine how badly you really want to reach them. My wall in this race was the cancelled swim, but I found a way around it. I wanted to do a triathlon on Sunday, and I did.

A few pictures are posted below- more can be seen here http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2381336&l=cc5b2cdd16&id=542796634

Race Pictures

Washington DC TNT Team

With my cheering section

Waiting for the start

Bike

Run

Race finish

Exiting the water after our impromptu swim.

Woo hooo!

Partying with my teammates after the race

Almost Go Time!!

Well, I've got a just a few days until the big race!   Apologies for the lack of posts lately.  I've been busy training and fundraising.  My biggest news is that I met my fundraising goal of $4,200!   Wow!  That's a lot of money.  Thanks to everyone who contributed.  Also, it's not too late to make a donation if you still wish to do so (http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/anttry09/kdeason)

My team has been through a lot these past weeks - we had a "practice triathlon" a few weeks back, although we didn't swim because the water was waaaaay too cold.  Instead, we practiced putting our wetsuits on and off (harder than you think!), and then battled huge hills and hurricane-force winds (it felt like it anyway) on the bike.  Several times I felt like I was going to blown over.  

Trying on our new wetsuits in the pre-dawn light (did I mention this practice tri was at 7 am?? Somehow I managed to drag myself out of bed for it)

The next weekend we biked for 2 hours in the pouring rain at Prince William Forest Park in Virginia.  Brrrr.....  Luckily this past Saturday we were rewarded with some nice spring weather and sunshine for our last group workout.     We also had a team "Bon Voyage" picnic, where we got our new Team in Training uniforms (see below, don't we look sharp??)

I am leaving for Florida tomorrow morning, and then have two days to relax and prepare for the race before the big day on  Sunday.   Wish me luck!!!

Beer Pong Party Raises over $1000!

Wow!!!  The Post-Inaugural Beer Pong Ball was a rousing success!    We raised over $1000 for curing blood cancers - way to go!  Thanks to everyone who showed up and contributed.

The beer pong tournament somehow morphed into a flip cup competition during the course of the evening, and I would like to congratulate winner Paul and runner-up Eric.   You guys have obviously spent way too much time at Kick Ball after parties.

For more pictures from the party, click here:  http://dac.smugmug.com/gallery/7183026_hhu4p#P-1-15

Outfitted for a Tri!

So one of the first steps in my training was to start getting all the equipment I'm going to need!   I got new running shoes, bike helmet, bike pumps, several different brands of electrolyte "goo" to try out, a pair of bike shorts and more.  I have found that the bike shorts really make a difference in terms of comfort on the bike.  Not sure why I found that so surprising, but it's true.  I even got a pair of new aerobars for my bike (the things in the picture below that are attached to the handle bars) and managed to install them myself.

The aerobars let you get in a more aerodynamic position on the bike, as shown below.  I find it is also nice to have another arm position on long rides.

However, my favorite new piece of triathlon gear has to be the custom swimsuit my sister got me for Christmas - 

It even has my name on the back!

Welcome to my Training Page!

Well, the rumors are true - I am training for a triathlon! Specifically St. Anthony's Triathlon in St. Petersburg, Florida on April 26, 2009. It is Olympic distance, which means .9 mile swim, 25 mile bike, and 10K run. Gulp, it sounds like a long way, but I am starting training now with my awesome team - the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training. The provide great coaches, a workout schedule, and tons of info (it turns out there is really a lot you need to know to do a triathlon). In addition to training for the race, we are raising money to fund LLS's research. You can contribute to my fundraising efforts at my website here.

I will post updates on my training progress here on this blog, so check back often! You can also subscribe to the right, and you'll get an email whenever I add an update.

Also, any and all of you reading here are invited to come cheer me on at the race - it should be an awesome weekend!

Thanks for reading and don't forget to donate!