Mudfest at Blue Lake

June 6, 2010 - Blue Lake Triathlon & Duathlon - Olympic Distance (1500m swim, 40k bike, 10k run); (5k run/40k bike/10k run) -  Fairview, OR

***My First Olympic Distance Triathlon***

What's that big bright thing in the sky? - When my husband and I arrived in Portland on Saturday, June 5th, the sun was shining and it felt like summer, which was very welcome after experiencing one of the coldest, wettest May's on record this year here in the Pacific Northwest. After picking up our race packets at Blue Lake Park, we dropped our bikes off in the transition zone with numbers attached (they would be secured overnight by event staff) and headed over to the swim beach to have a look at the lake.

Blue Lake is beautiful and with the warm, sunny weather it was tempting to get our suits on and jump in for a swim. Families and kids were playing in the water and soaking up the sun. The swim course was already marked by big green and red buoys. There had been a sprint distance triathlon, as well as kids triathlon already that morning. A typical sprint distance triathlon involves a 1/2 mile swim, a 15 mile bike, followed by a five kilometer run (3.1 miles). Distances can vary a bit depending on the course.

Parking for the course was moved to the Chinook Landing about 1.5 miles from the park due to excessive precipitation the week prior, rendering the grassy fields that were to be used for parking a muddy mess. In order to save the grass from being completely ruined, cars needed to be kept off it as much as possible. Shuttle busses were available to deliver us to the transition zone from the parking lot on race morning.

After checking out the lake we headed back towards Portland to check into our hotel. We stayed at the Hotel Benson, a beautiful, historic hotel right on Broadway. Unbeknownst to us, the annual Rose Parade and Starlight Run were scheduled for that evening and would run right past our hotel. Oh, goody. lol. So much for early to bed; might as well enjoy the festive mood surrounding us (shoulder shrug and grin). We should have added that run to our weekend, had we only known sooner; I do love to dress up!

Apparently Portland has more micro-breweries than any other city in the United States; my husband was keen to check them out (okay, I was interested too), so we strolled over to Deschutes Brewery for appetizers and fresh drafts.  After enjoying the great atmosphere there we headed over the Henry's, to enjoy their outdoor patio dining and watch all the costumed people fueling up before the Starlight Run and the Parade. It was the perfect evening for a parade: warm and windless.

We enjoyed the run and some of the parade from our hotel window, which got rolling around 9:30 p.m. We knew though, that we had to rise early the next morning in order to be ready to race at 8:00 a.m. in Fairview, so we closed the shade well before the festivities ended and drifted in and out of sleep to the tune of marching bands and parade revelers, until the police cleared the streets around midnight.

Race morning dawned with the pitter patter of rain on our window. Say what?! Yes, rain. Breakfast was coffee and a Cliff Bar for both of us. We left our hotel at 6:15 a.m. and headed to Blue Lake, having to switch lanes on the freeway as our car was hydroplaning in the puddled ruts. Could it rain any harder? It always does right when you pose that question, doesn't it? We parked at Chinook Landing and joined the line of triathletes waiting in the downpour for the shuttle buses. We were all shaking our heads and laughing at the abrupt change in weather. Yesterday had been so promising!

After arriving at the park, we made our way toward the transition zone, with a quick stop at the restrooms on the way. I was using an umbrella in a mostly futile attempt to stay dry (and warm) until the race start. We half joked that we should have stayed at the hotel, slept in and partook in the special champagne brunch they were hosting in one of their restaurants that morning.

Bodies marked, bikes racked, helmets, shoes, etc. organized for a speedy  transition at our assigned rack locations, we wished each other good luck and Shawn headed off to start his duathlon, while I finished donning my wetsuit and headed down to the lake.  The duathlon and first wave of triathletes began at 8:00 a.m. Waves began in five minute increments according to age, with the elites starting the race off first in a special "elite" wave. My wave began at 8:30, so I had time to start getting a chill in my wetsuit while waiting on the beach.

The 60 something degree water felt downright tropical when I  got in and swam out to the starting corral with the other gals in the 40-49 age group. After all my worries and preparations for the swim, it ended up being the best part of the race. Swimming in the rain is much more enjoyable than racing your bike through street wide puddles. I felt relaxed most of the swim with the exception of swallowing a bit of water from an unexpected wave in my face and the few times that faster swimmers in the waves behind me bumped into me as they overtook me on their way to the finish. My swim time was 38:38. It's relatively slow, but for me it was a victory. I exited the water running and feeling good, already unzipping my wetsuit and pulling my arms free as I ran through the mud toward my first transition (T1).

Wetsuit off, helmet on, glasses on, then off (better vision without in the downpour!), bike shoes on, bike jersey on, grab bike and run through the muddy, grassy chute to the road. Ding. Bike leg has started. Clip in and go! The bike leg is a mostly flat course with two out and back sections, the second one along the river(?) and airport. There were a couple dicey spots in the park where we had to cut through the muddy grass, making a u-turn back to the transition zone.

Cycling past the airport on the return to the park, a plane took off to my right, heading the opposite direction as me, while a blue heron simultaneously glided across the road right in front of me. At that moment, I felt very glad to be out there, pedaling hard in the inclement weather.

During the bike leg I had a little competition going with a very fit older (68) gentlemen on a tri bike. I caught up with him and passed him about 7 miles into the course, after which we leapfrogged each other at least seven times. If one of us lost concentration or paused to hydrate or fuel up, the other would pounce and pass. It really made it fun and kept the pace going for both of us. Drafting is not allowed in triathlons, so when you pass, you have to do it decisively and the other person may not grab on to your wheel as you would see in races such as the Tour de France. In triathlon, you are on your own and it is essentially a time trial.

Twenty five miles later, as I dismounted and jogged back through the mud with my bike, I realized that my legs felt really good and ready to run. This was partly thanks to my good fueling and hydrating efforts during the bike leg. (Gels at miles 1 and 22, with electrolyte drink steadily along the way.) My T2 (transition two: bike to run) was faster than my T1, but would have been speedier if I had been able to get my helmet off more quickly! My hands were wet, cold and stiff, so stiff that I had a really hard time just squeezing the little chin-strap buckle. I finally got it off and quickly slipped my shoes on in the mud (no socks), grabbed my hat and race belt and headed out of transition to the run portion of the race. The approach to the run leg exit resembled a pig pen, with the mat virtually camouflaged in mud.

As I started off through the park my legs felt good and I picked up my pace. Mud and puddles really don't bother me when I'm running. As others jogged around each puddle, I splashed right through, high stepping it as I went. Two miles in and 4.2 miles to go to the finish, I had a smile on my face. It was hard but I was having a blast out there. I had passed numerous people on the bike leg, but on the run I was overtaking people left and right. I offered up some "good jobs" and some were tossed my way as well.

About 150 yards from the finish line I spotted at gal with the number 40 on her right calf (someone in my age group!). I sped past her, up away from the lake, and down through the finish chute, almost losing my shoe in the mud as I approached. Whew, I did it! Shawn was there, freezing his butt off in the pouring rain, waiting for me. He soon headed off on his bike, back to the van to find something warm to wear. My run time was 46:59.

Shawn did great in the duathlon and I'm hoping to keep improving on my swimming abilities for future triathlons. What a great feeling to have trained and finished successfully. It's all about actively living life. There is just so much out there to experience. Rain or shine, it's all grand.

Ride on folks!

-Michelle

Reflection and Refocusing

Friday, June 4, 2010

Some recent events and discoveries are requiring me to slow down and reflect on many different things on many different levels.  I guess you could say I have been forced to stop and smell the roses.  While I will not be partaking in this weekend's Blue Lake Tri as Michelle and her husband will be (and as my plan and training has worked toward) but I will definitely be cheering them on in spirit!   

I leave you with this...

We Are a Part of the Earth

...the earth's swift rivers, the silent footsteps of spring, the sparkling ripples on the surface of the ponds, the bright colors of the birds.  We are a part of the earth and it is a part of us. - Chief Seattle (c. 1790-1866)

We Belong to Each Other

We may wonder whom can I love and serve?  Where is the face of God to whom I can pray?  The answer is simple.  That naked one.  That lonely one.  That unwanted one is my brother and my sister.  If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.  -Mother Teresa (1910-1997)

More Adventures in Open Water Swimming

There I was, back at the lake again. It was cloudy and cold, but calm. The water was glass. I had a friend with me who was a very competent swimmer. She left it up to me as to where and how far we would swim. I decided on a couple warmup loops close to shore before heading across the lake. It was a quarter mile swim across and I felt strong and relaxed this time, if not especially speedy.

After arriving at our destination, we chose another point to swim to further up the lake, adding another quarter mile. I arrived at our second resting spot feeling good and so with encouragement from my buddy, we decided to swim the full half mile straight back to the swim beach where we had originally started.

The trickiest part of this portion was sighting. The beach was a long way off and at one point I looked up and realized I was swimming in a circle! Yikes. Redirect. This was followed by a bit more zigzagging by both of us until we reached the shore. I'm not sure how much we added on to the distance by swimming slalom, but I finished feeling strong and picked up the pace for the final 100 meters.

I DID IT!!! I swam a whole mile in the lake. Our last half mile took us twenty minutes,well, really me, because my friend kept getting ahead of me and then swimming back. If I can keep up that pace for the swim portion of my upcoming triathlon I will be out of the water in a reasonable forty minutes, with my legs still fully rested, as I have given up using my kick at all. I can do the whole swim without kicking at all due to all the balance drills I have been practicing using the Total Immersion drill series. In the end, that is what has brought me to the place where I can comfortably swim a full mile without tiring. If I keep it up, I know I will eventually get faster. An added benefit is that my legs will be fully ready to cycle and run, which are my strong suits.

I'm actually starting to look forward to this Olympic Distance Triathlon. Who would have thought? Probably everybody I know except me. LOL.


Michelle's Swim Training for Olympic Distance Tri:
Week 1: Wed.- TI Drills; 10x100 w/ 8 rest breaths; Thurs. - same as Wednesday
Week 2: No swimming (family vacation)
Week 3: Wed. - TI Drills; 10x100 w/ 6  breaths; Thurs. - same as Wednesday but took more rests at wall
Week 4: Wed. - TI Drills, 12x100 w/ 6-8 breaths; Thurs. - same as Wed.
Week 5: Wed. - TI Drills, 12x100 w/ 6 breaths
Week 6: Tues. - Drills, 12x100 (6 breaths); Thurs. - TI Drills, Swim w/ fists, pull buoy, 12x100 w/ 6 recovery breaths and half with no kick
Week 7: Tues.- 800 yds.
Week 8: Tues.- Lake swim 800 yds.
Week 9: Tues.-Lake swim 650 yds.; Thurs.- Lake swim 800 yds; Sat.-Lake Swim 800 yds.
Week 10: Mon.-(pool) 1500 straight w/ pull buoy; Wed.-(pool) 800 yds.; Thurs.- Lake Swim 1750 yds.
Race Week: !!!!!??????

A Sneak Peak at the Tour de Kitsap 2010 route(s)

My original plan was to participate in the Munchen Haus bike ride over in Leavenworth, however circumstances were such that I was home in Kitsap County on the morning of the ride.  Despite being home, I was still mentally prepared to do a century ride that day, and so decided to check out the Tour de Kitsap route, which is coming up July 25th. I've ridden most of the sections before, except for the loop out to Scenic Beach and around Kitsap Lake. It's a gorgeous, hilly ride in every direction.

I started out from home and hopped on the route in reverse at the junction of Totten and Widme roads out near Suquamish. From there I had mostly cloudy skies through Suquamish, Indianola, and Kingston. As I approached Port Gamble, though, the skies cleared to mostly blue and I took the opportunity to sit and have an apple, a blueberry muffin and a Red Bull while watching the bustle of people at the farmers market.

"What a great day for a bike ride," one lady exclaimed to me, as I sat. I smiled and replied, "we'll see what it looks like by the time I'm done." I was 26 miles into my ride and had many more miles, and hours of riding left before reaching my brother-in-law's house in Tracyton, where I would meet my family for dinner and catch a ride home.

From Port Gamble, I headed along the highway past the Hood Canal Bridge and turned off toward Memorial State Park, riding through Lofall and the surrounding communities, heading towards Finn Hill in Poulsbo and then on to Clear Creek road, which leads all the way into Silverdale. From there, the route jumps over to Old Frontier, which led me to Newberry Hill and out to Seabeck Highway.

It was on Old Frontier that the torrential downpour began. I kept hoping it would abate, as I was determined to make it out to the Seabeck Highway loop, as well as Kitsap Lake....the portions of Kitsap I had yet to explore on bike.

Newberry Hill is actually at the very start of the Tour de Kitsap ride, which begins in Silverdale, and is a very long hill, with a roller in the middle. I put it in an easy gear and kept a steady pace and didn't have much of a struggle with it at all. At the junction with Seabeck Highway the course goes right  and I enjoyed the looooooong downhill that loops around toward Scenic Beach State Park. In fact, it was such a long hill that pedaling was a waste and as it was raining buckets on me the whole way down, I got quite cold and stiff  and looked forward to pedalling again by the end of it.

Along the canal I stopped at a little store near Lone Rock that was closed, but had a covered patio with a picnic table, to get out of the rain and respond to the ringing of my cell phone. It was my husband, offering to come rescue me from the downpour. I declined. I could see a large patch of blue sky heading my way over the canal and had a good feeling. I would be riding in the sun again soon, I just knew it.

Or maybe not. The rain continued and I began to get quite hungry. Shorty after turning off onto Holly Road I came upon a Texaco/Food Mart with a sheltered store front. Inside, the clerk eyed me with much concern and encouraged me to stand by the food warmer. I laughed and ordered a burrito. Yum, chomp, and I was on my way again.

I decided to skip the Kitsap Lake portion of the ride and turned left onto Seabeck Highway from Holly Road, heading back to Newberry Hill-where the sun did come back out to greet me! Despite the reemergence of the sun, my hands were wet and cold and I was having difficulty shifting from my small chain ring in front to the big ring, so I spent the last several miles spinning at a slightly higher cadence than I would have normally chosen. Such is the dangers of riding in the wind and rain, but it was all worth the effort.

Newberry Hill led me down to Old Town Silverdale, where I turned and headed along the bay, up Bucklin Hill to Tracyton Road, arriving finally at my brother-in-law's place and the promise of dinner and a hot shower. My husband was kind enough to bring me some dry clothes to change into.

What a gorgeous ride, even in the rain.
72.6 miles, 5 hours 12 minutes of cycling

Tour de Kitsap  - July 25, 2010 offers 32, 46.8, 71, and 100 mile routes with aid stations and support. It is part of Silverdale's annual Whaling Days Festival.

Me vs. The Water

Pool Time
I refuse to be conquered by the water. I will swim confidently. Damn it. That was my mentality when I arrived at the pool the day after my lake fiasco last week. I was thinking about the pool the way a fighter might consider his or her opponent in the ring. I was mentally shaking my fist at the lap lanes as I walked out of the locker room. That's it, I'm doing this. No more warm ups, Total Immersion drills, counting strokes, taking yoga breaths at the wall......nope, just get in and swim, and don't stop. Okay, stop eventually, but not before 45 minutes was up at least. Guess what? It happened.

Okay, I confess, I cheated a bit. I used a pull buoy for the whole swim. (Which is just more proof of how intimidated I am by swimming.) My kick is such that it is hindering me more than helping me anyway, so I used arms only for 30 straight minutes, at which point cramps I had been fighting in my toes, feet and finally calves got the best of me and I decided it was time to get out. I was thrilled though, that I didn't feel tired or out of breath the entire swim, so I dubbed it a success and made a mental note to arrive at the pool hydrated next time.

Lake Time
Fast forward to the following Tuesday, back a the lake. I didn't want to use that same old shorty wetsuit  that I had been so miserable in last week, and I didn't have time on short notice to pick up a rental. But I really needed to get back in the lake, so, in an apparent attempt to sabotage myself, I decided to us my husband's old surfing wetsuit (he's six foot two, I"m five five and a half). If nothing else I provided everybody with some comic relief.

This time I stayed closer to shore and did loops around the pilings. I didn't feel too streamlined, but I did feel buoyant, which boosted my confidence. Still, it was COLD and I was ready to get out after about 650 yards. 

Pool Time
Wednesday morning I went back to the pool and resolved myself to swim 1500 straight with no pull buoy and no rest breaks. I did a short warm-up then started off, counting wall tags to make sure I swam the whole distance. Lo and behold, I DID IT! I got into a good rhythm with my breathing and just kept going, taking one short break to swish my goggles in the water since they were fogging up. On my last wall tag I looked at my watch: 37 minutes! That's a respectable time, I thought, a capable time. I even had the energy to speed up for the last 100 yards. I got out of the pool thinking: bring on the half iron man!

Now, to see if I could feel this good in the cold, open water of the lake in May.

Lake Time
Thursday morning, back at the lake. I had a new wetsuit this time. A full suit, but sleeveless and it fit me. Perhaps my subconscious is trying to tell me something though, because just as I arrived at the lake I realized I had forgotten my cap and goggles! Crap. Elisa saved the day by producing some kid goggles out of her son's swim bag. The cap I could do without.

I felt better this time and I liked the sleeveless wetsuit. My arms had easy, full range of motion. Still, it was cold. Brr. The wind and a few raindrops were present, and also a few rays of sun. I managed about 700 yards of good freestyle and headed in to shore feeling more confident than the last time, but knowing that the more times I get in the lake before the Blue Lake Triathlon on June 6th, the better.

I'm heading back out tomorrow to tackle the lake yet again. Wetsuit, check. Goggles, check. Swim cap, check. Booties, check. Gloves, check. This time I'm going to try to stay warm and swim a full mile.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Rhody Run 12K - Port Townsend, WA

Sunday - May 16, 2010 - Michelle! Are you still up for Rhody Run??? 

I already knew the answer.  She wasn't the only one.  We were joined by eight other ladies that also ran the Viking Fest 5 miler over the weekend that headed north to Port Townsend, WA to run in the ever popular Rhody Run.  Okay - so I didn't actually run in the 5 miler, but I did cheer all my friends to the finish line.  I took one for the team - the family team and ran with my two oldest boys in the 1 mile 'fun run' instead - wouldn't trade that for anything!

The Rhody Run is a 12k (7.46 mile) run/walk that starts and finishes at Fort Worden State Park in the quaint town of Port Townsend which is located about 40 miles north of the Hood Canal Bridge on the Olympic Peninsula.  The race is held annually on the third Sunday of May in conjunction with the local Rhododendron Festival.  Over 2,400 individuals attended the event this year.  (I hear it's because of the shirts - but I think it's because of the beer.)

2,400 people.  That is a lot of people.  People parking, people picking up race packets, people in line for the bathroom, more people in line for the bathroom, people waiting for the starting gun, people walking and people running.  I wasn't really prepared for the number of people. 

There were five of us ladies riding together and after picking up our race packets we head straight to the looonnggg line at the restrooms and actually made it to the starting line about 5 minutes prior to the gun.  We found signs for pace approximation (which were completely obsolete) and were able to find a few more of the ladies we knew would be running.  Michelle headed toward the front of the pack to get her run on as best she could. 

The start of the race was slow.  There were a lot of people (did I mention that?) and they were all at varying speeds.  The ones that were troublesome were the walking variety.  Walkers are welcomed on this course and they start mixed right in with the runners.  It was a bit of an obstacle course getting around all the folks walking 3 and 4 abreast with strollers and backpacks - but after the first mile, the field was leveled out. 

The run takes you out of the park and onto surface streets through rural Port Townsend.  There are hills and flats and everything in between.  Neighbors are supportive with entertainment, extra water stations and the occasional sprinkler to provide a little added cooling.  The biggest surprise was the champagne station at mile 6.  As far as 12k courses, I have been told, this is one of the more demanding ones.  (Why of course!  The Oly Peninsula rocks!)

My favorite part?!  Passing Audrey and Debbie Jo on the downhill of mile 5.  At least the legs are able to go fast once in a while.  (I must mention here - my lead over the two I passed only lasted for a couple minutes - as soon as we were back on flat land my lungs caught up with the tree trunks and I was humbled back to where my ability has brought me).  My finish 1:10:56 (9:31 pace) which I'll take! 

Michelle finished in the top two of her age group at some lightening speed rate around 56:26.  Way to go!

I am still stumped - can anyone answer?  This is the Rhody Run...

...WHERE ARE ALL THE RHODY'S??

(Photos courtesy of Naomi Nichols.  Thanks Gnome!)

Tara, Nom & Donna looking great before the race!

Katie and I with happy man in the background.

Race start

A quiet road in the woods.

The finish!

CHEERS!  It looks like a good time was had by all.

back l-r:  Debbie Jo, Andy, Michelle, Patty, Audrey, Nom, Tara, Katie

 front l-r:  Elisa, Donna

Viking Fest 2010

Saturday, May 15, 2010 - Sunny skies greeted us the morning of the Viking Fest Road Race here in Poulsbo, WA. Our family has been participating in our respective home town fun runs for many years now and this year was no different. Our younger two children were all set to run the 1 mile, one with a buddy, the other on her own. Their grandma was waiting for them with the camera poised at the finish line down on Front Street. We saw many friends, neighbors, schoolmates and team-mates lining up along with us at the start lines.

Elisa was out on the 1 mile course with her two older boys, along with many other families, while my husband and I opted to run the 5 mile course. I have mentioned before that I have been rehabilitating from an injury for the past year, so this was a good test to see if my body could handle the intensity required of a road race. I've been mainly sticking to swimming pools, bike rides, dirt trails and low key social runs for quite some time now, happily I might add, but I did relish the idea of really gunning for a best effort in a foot race.

Warming up prior to the race start near Lion's Park I felt pretty springy and that seemed like a good sign. Unfortunately, I had to pee, but the port-o-potty lines were too long and the race start was too near, so I just had to wait until after the race - darn it! Oh, well, I didn't have to got that bad.

Once the horn sounded, we were off and fast. It is a downhill start and a mostly flat course along the beautiful shores of Liberty Bay, with a nice steep downhill before you round the bend and head straight down Front Street to the finish in front of the famed Sluy's Bakery (think Poulsbo Bread).

I tried to stay comfortable for the first couple miles, and soon found that I was passing people steadily. I looked for the ponytails, they were the ones I was competing with after all (although I did get tricked by a few long haired men!). According to a couple helpful gentleman that I passed, I was the 6th place woman, so "go get 'em!" they said. I tried. I did catch a couple gals, but then was caught myself by a young lady with a lot of gas left in her tank on the straightaway to the finish. I didn't have my usual kick, but felt very happy to see my time - 35:13 on the clock as I hit the finish line. I was feeling a bit queasy, but just the right amount to know I'd given it all I could without making a mess for the poor volunteers to clean up.

Later, Sam and Max (Elisa's boys) competed in the kids dashes and we cheered them on. I checked the results board and found that I had won my age division (Women 40-49), yahoo! What a great morning. We headed home for a quick lunch and then back down to town for the parade. Our oldest daughter was playing saxophone in the Poulsbo Middle School marching band. Go Panthers! I love being part of the annual local festivals and Viking Fest is an especially good one.

"Are you still up for the Rhody Run tomorrow?" Elisa asked me, as she headed home with her family after the race. "Yep."  See you in a.m.

Rainey tearing down the home stretch. 6:59

Shawn - he was disappointed in his time 34:09 (slow for him)

Michelle (me!) 35:13

Susan (my sister), Sloan, me, my Mom

Sam (left), smiles to the finish of the kids' dash

Max (orange shorts) sprints down Front Street while Elisa (orange shirt) cheers

Kids Dash

Mikhaela - Poulsbo Middle School Band