Race Review- Montana Women's Triathon, OR: I Can Now Say That I Am A TRIATHLETE!

Wow, guys... it's been a long road, but I can now say that I AM A TRIATHLETE!

www.mtwomenstri.com

It felt like I trained for a long time for this race. I mean, I think I signed up back in March or April. Even though I signed up pretty early, I really didn't start training hard until after School/Track ended Memorial Day weekend.

Today, I'm finally going to write about how the race went. It's taken me a while to sort of wrap my head around having done it, hence the delay in getting this post up! Buckle in and grab a cup of coffee, because this is likely to be a lengthy post and with lots of photos!

First of all, let me just acknowledge that I probably wouldn't have done the race at all without the support of my husband, Jeff. I talked about it with him very early on, before signing up, because I was nervous about the potential cost of gear and training adding up. Right from the start, he said that if it was something I'd always wanted to do, then I should probably do it. He was beyond flexible with my training schedule and workouts and never stopped telling me that he was proud of what I was doing. That kind of support and encouragement shows the type of caring spouse that he is! He was there every step of the way and I can't say how much I appreciate it!

Many of you have been following along since the get-go, but just a refresher for those who maybe haven't been--- Montana Women's Triathlon is a women-only race held in Helena, MT. It was a 500 meter swim (in a pool), 12 mile bike, and 3 mile run. The race was held on Sunday, July 17 near downtown Helena.

Jeff and I drove down the afternoon before the race. My parent's planned their summer Montana visit to be here to watch and cheer at my race, so they were with us, too. Packet pick up was from 2-4 p.m. in  Memorial Park. We got there right away and I was one of the first people to pick up my packet. The nice person at the table handed me my swag bag and race bib, directed me to where I could pick up the bike stand I had ordered, and gave me a black band with another number on it...

Cute bright green race bag filled with stickers and other swag, and both my race numbers. 

Ok, question number one: What the heck is this thing?!?!
Hard to tell in the photo, but it's about 1/4 inch thick and about 2.5 inches wide foam band that's sticky on one end. It reminded me of those wristbands you get when you go to events where there's alcohol, to show that you're 21-- only bigger and thicker. I had never seen anything like this in a race before, so I quickly messaged my friend Tammy with my question.

Tammy and her husband Mark live in Helena, but they have a Hi-Line connection. Mark grew up on a farm north of Rudyard, pretty close to where our farm is. They have been fixing up the old farm house and spending weekends there, and have been getting involved in the community here a bit, too. They both did 5K On the Farm last fall. Tammy also attended the Montana Farmers Union Women's Conference this past February. I believe she was on the planning committee for Montana Women's Tri. She had done the race last year, and Mark has also done two Ironmans! From the moment I started sharing I had signed up for this race (not knowing their involvement in it at the time) they were both so, so supportive and helpful! They had both answered many of my questions already, and I knew Tammy would be able to tell me what this crazy band was for!

Tammy told me it was my timing band, and that I'd wear it around my ankle for the race. So, the timing chip was embedded somewhere in that band. Just like in any chip timed race, it would ping whenever I crossed a magic carpet timing strip. Ok- got it!

The night before the race, we had a low-key evening with my parents. We were staying in a VRBO house together and cooked a simple meal of spaghetti and meat sauce with salad. We played cards for a while and went to bed early.

I laid out everything I'd need for the race the night before. The only things not pictured are my bike and bike stand.

 Even though we went to bed early, and I was feeling pretty confident in the race by this point, I still slept poorly. I wasn't nervous for the race- I really felt like I had trained right and trained smart and felt like I was prepared. It was more like I was just excited to get to the race and start. More of an adrenaline feeling than nerves, really. So, the combination of that and sleeping in a new place wasn't great. But, I've raced after poor nights of sleep before and it was fine. Sometimes I think it's more important to have good sleep in the nights leading up to the night before the race, and even just laying in bed is restful.

Anyway. Race day morning I was up and at 'em at 5:30 a.m. I wanted to have plenty of time to eat breakfast, have a cup of coffee, and digest before the race. The transition area opened at 6:30 and the race was supposed to start at 8:00. Jeff drove me over to the race at about 6:30 and helped me unload my gear before heading back to the house. He'd bring my parents over closer to the actual start time of the race.

This is how I set up my transition area:

The nice thing about being one of the first people to the race was that I had lots of space to choose from for where to set up my stuff. I chose a spot right on the end of a row. Easy to find and not boxed in. I got all my stuff laid out the way I thought I wanted it and filled up my water bottle on my bike. During this time, I ran into Tammy and she insisted that I borrow her extra race band for my bib number. She was amazing on race morning! She helped a lot of people get their bearings and also helped with some of the jobs of the race, like marking numbers on people's skin. Always with a smile on her face! I told her and Mark, who was volunteering, that I felt like I was at Triathlon Camp and they were my Den-mother and Den-father! So great.

The race organizers had a little technical difficulty getting people entered into the computer, so we all had to line up in order of our bib numbers, file past the computer and tell them our names, to make sure they had everything correctly. This delayed the start of the race, but it did do a good thing...

Coincidentally, my number 154, was right next to another Oiselle Volee team member, number 153! I almost never meet other Oiselle girls, so it was such a great surprise! She instantly recognized my jersey and said hello. We spent a lot of time chatting before the race, and of course, were lined up next to each other to start the swim, since it went by number. Mary Beth was so nice and great to meet! It was her first time racing in her new singlet, since she just joined this spring. I explained that it's "the magic of the singlet" how when you race in it the first time, you get a PR. She had done some tri's before, so I really appreciated her insight throughout our conversation, too.

Both of us looking at different cameras, but still so fun to see another Oiselle girl! 

The transition area was all full by 8:00 a.m. Again, I can't overstate how fun the vibe was and how friendly and encouraging all the women were. There was a great number of us who were there for our first triathlon and the returners were beyond helpful. It was just the best, most positive environment.

Transition area, all full, but with a pretty excellent sign!

Due to the computer issue I mentioned earlier, the start of the race ended up getting pushed back to about 8:45. We did the National Anthem at 8:30, then it was time to line up and get ready for the swim. I also had a last-minute Honey Stinger waffle at this time.

We were lined up by bib number, which was basically in reverse age order. The first heat in the pool was Elites, then it went oldest to youngest. As we were lining up and getting organized, I noticed that Jeff had disappeared. My parents were there, but he was gone... I didn't think much of it. Just thought he had gone to Starbucks or something and that he'd be back. 

All of a sudden, I looked over to the side and saw Jeff walking toward me with my nephew Brandon! Then I saw Tom and Carol and Katie and Josh behind him! My family had organized a surprise-- they were all there to cheer me on! To have everyone there, my parents, and Jeff, and his (our) family, was the best surprise. My heart was definitely full!! Also, Katie and Brandon made signs:

This photo was taken after the race. Love it!

My only regret from the entire race day was that I thought later it would have been great to have a big group photo with the entire Adam and Bangs family cheering squad! 

As the swim line inched closer to the pool, I tried to do some stretching and warming up. I noticed that at first when we got in line, the girls around me were really chatty and excited but as we neared the pool, people quieted down. Nerves, adrenaline, focus were kicking in. One of the best things about the swim line, though, was that we could cheer on others as they exited the pool and made their way to transition. Again, such a positive environment! I gave a lot of high fives to people as they ran from pool to bike. 

My mom snapped this photo while I was waiting in line for the swim.
You can see the race band on my ankle. 

All of a sudden, I was the next person in line. Again, I didn't feel nervous- but I definitely felt focused and ready. My training had gotten me to this point. A woman exited the pool in the far lane, right by the wall, and before I had time to think, it was Go Time. I ran toward my lane, high fived the woman who had exited the pool, and to the sound of my family cheering me on, I entered the pool and began my swim. 

Right away, I realized that my lane was a disadvantage. It was on the end of the pool and was extra, extra wide. They had it set up that way so that people who were less comfortable swimming could select a lane by the wall so they could rest if they needed to. The extra space itself was not the problem exactly, but the issue was that I was far away from the line and the T along the bottom of the pool. So, it was really difficult to swim in a straight line and also very hard to judge my distance from the wall to do a flip turn. I decided to try to swim right next to the line, but still on my "half" of the lane, so I could see where I was going. This helped, but the problem was that the person I was sharing my lane with was swimming right on top  of the line, and was I think doing backstroke. Plus, my goggles started fogging up about two laps into the swim, so I couldn't see very well, either. All of this meant that we kept running into each other. I think we hit each other three times. Even when I was on the line, I missed the wall completely on two flip turns, which is like putting on the breaks. You just come to a complete stop. 

Even so, I exited the pool relatively quickly and feeling good. The race volunteers who were counting my laps told me that I was "really fast," but who knows what that means, really. I hurried over to my bike and started my transition. I felt like I was hurrying, but I also knew that I hadn't practiced transition much and that I was probably losing time. It seemed like it took forever to get my shoes tied. I wished in my mind for a bungee lace system instead. Next time. Finally, I was off on my bike! 

I don't have any photos from this part of the race. I do have a Strava map to give an idea of the course:

 As you can see, it was an out and back course. There were relatively few twists and turns, thankfully, and it was mostly on roads. There were two little loops toward the beginning that were on bike path and were a little more narrow.

When I left the transition on my bike, I was passed right away by someone I knew was in my age group. She had an actual road bike, while I was racing on my mountain bike which I had equipped with skinnier tires. I got stuck in behind a few people who were going slower than I wanted to go in one of the areas where I didn't think we were supposed to pass, so I lost a little time there, but as soon as I could, i passed them. Then about a third of the way into the course, I got passed by someone else in my age group. I was pretty sure at this point I was in fourth place for my age group. But I didn't care too much, really. After all, my goal was to finish and to smile. Anything beyond that would be a bonus.

The ride was actually pretty fun. Each time someone passed me or I passed someone else, people said "Good Job," or cheered one another on. So many good vibes out there! I looked for Mark, who was volunteering on the bike course, but never saw him. I never saw Tammy again, either, although I knew she was ahead of me because she started her swim like 20 minutes before I did. I didn't think much of it and knew I'd see them after the race.

The whole first half of the bike was a net downhill, so that meant the turnaround was coming back uphill. Nevertheless, it was mostly pretty gentle uphill- nothing too strenuous. I stayed in the top gear range of my bike the whole time and really pedaled hard on the bike course. I really wanted to feel like I hadn't given anything up out there, and knew I was at a slight disadvantage with my bike not being as fast as others.

About 45 minutes later, the transition area was back in view. I dismounted my bike and ran it to my spot. This transition was horrible for me. I knocked down someone else's bike by accident, and my own bike fell over twice and a race volunteer had to help me out. I lost a lot of time in what was supposed to be a very quick transition. All I really had to do was drop my bike off, switch my helmet for my hat, and snap on my race belt. Should have taken less than a minute, but it took quite a bit more. My clumsiness and inexperience definitely cost me some time, but again, I was here to smile and to finish the race. I looked over at Jeff and said, "Is it my first time or what?!" and then took off on the run.

Here's an image of the route. We sort of ran a little lap around the park/transition area to start off the run.

My mom snapped this image of me about 300 meters or so into the run-

 At this point, I was still feeling pretty good. I was experiencing the normal bike to run leg feelings- it almost feels like your legs aren't even there. It's an odd sensation. But overall, I still felt pretty good and adrenaline was still hanging on. My first mile was an 8:04. 

Then I totally hit the wall. The last two miles were a struggle for me, definitely. My second mile was an 8:40. What really helped was seeing others on the course, and again, all the cheers and high fives people gave one another while running. Several people told me that I "looked strong" on the run. I certainly didn't feel strong at that point, but it still felt good to hear it! I passed a lot of people on the run. I felt really validated for all the speed work I'd done in my training. I passed one of the people in my age group who had passed me on the bike, so I now felt like I may be in third place again in my age group. I also saw Mary Beth flying fierce in her singlet and gave her a big high five. On the run, I also saw Molly, the 84 year old woman competing in the race, and the wheelchair racer. All of this really helped give me the mental boost I needed to not let my pace go completely. My last mile was 8:29. 

The woman in blue is named Molly. She is 84 years old and regarded as the Queen of Montana Triathlons. Incredible. 

Finally the park was in view and I tried to give everything I had left in the tank in the last few hundred meters before finally finishing. All my family was there to cheer me to the finish. Such a great feeling. I remember turning around to look back at the finish arch I had just run through, and then it hit me what I had done and I got pretty choked up. Jeff was there and we walked into some shade together. I was still catching my breath from the run and also my body was trying to cry, so it looked like I was dry heaving and my chest was tight, but in actuality I was overcome with emotion. I had just completed my first triathlon, with most of my closest family members there to support me and cheer me on. 

After the race, I talked to my family quite a bit and thanked everyone for being there. Then, we took my transition area down and I checked my results on the computer they had set up. It looked like I had actually taken third place in my age group, so I changed clothes and stuck around for the awards. They had food for race participants and volunteers- pizza, melon, oranges, water, and desserts. I didn't feel hungry, but I made myself eat anyway while waiting for awards. 

You can see full race results on the Competitive Timing website. I couldn't be happier with my results. I was 3 out of 7 in my age group and 21 out of 78 overall participants. My total time was 1:26.09-- way under what my goal of 1:45 was. My overall splits are as follows:

Swim: 11:32.56, 2:19 per 100 meters

T1: 3:11.97

Bike: 44:21.24, 16.2 mph

T2: 1:52.39

Run: 25:11.03, 8:24 pace

I do feel like I left time on the table in the swim, with running into the other women so many times and my turns being pretty poor. Plus, there was a bit of a walk from where the timing mat was to where the actual entrance into my lane was, so that accounts for a bit more time. Whatever. Also, obviously, my transitions were really slow. I can definitely improve there, but I don't feel bad about it at all, either. I really didn't practice transitions and I went into the race knowing I'd be OK with having slow transitions and just being there for the experience and learning. I felt like the bike and the run, both, were where I left nothing on the table. 

Compared to others, the swim and run were my strongest legs. I was 15 out of 78 on swim and 14 out of 78 on run. The bike I was 27. My transitions killed me- T1 was 56 of 78, and T2 was 53 of 78. Turns out I was only about two minutes behind the second place person in my age group, so maybe with faster transitions I could have snuck up to second. I was six minutes behind first place in my age group, but I had a faster swim and run than she did. Evidence that a faster bike makes a big difference, too. Oh well. Live and learn. 

The truth is, I had a good training plan and I stuck with it. I trained my ass off to prepare for this race, and I thought it paid off on race day. Yes, my goal was to finish and to smile, and I definitely did that, but I wanted to know that I had worked hard and given it everything I had, too. There were moments in the run that I considered walking, but I didn't. I hadn't come this far to walk in the last two miles. I thought of my family, and all the support I'd had, and everything crazy that has happened this year, and I ran. 

The first thing people have asked me after completing this is, "was it hard?" Damn right it was hard, but I worked for it, and I think I earned the result that I got. The best result was ultimately being there and completing it with my husband and family by my side. No better feeling than that. 

I saw this little image on my Facebook in the week after the race and it perfectly sums up my thoughts. If you want something, work for it. Don't wait around for someone else to make an easy path for you. Maybe it's a race, or maybe it's something bigger like a job or a relationship. You have the power to make your dreams a reality. No one can do it but you.

Awards were really cool- they were necklaces in the shape of Montana with MTWomen's Tri 2016 etched into them. 

I was really happy I finished fast enough to win an award. It was surprise, but I also felt like I had earned it. 

One of the most inspiring aspects of this race was the wide age range, in addition to the positivity of all involved. I was blown away by Molly and LizAnn, and it was so, so cool to hear them talk about their experiences competing in triathlons.

Molly, in green, accepts her medal. She was first place in the 80-85 age group, at age 84. #lifegoals

Molly, a finisher at age 84, and Liz Ann, a finisher in a wheelchair. Amazing. 

There were girls as young as 12 and 13 competing in this race, along with women in their 70s and 80s. There were several teams comprised of three generations of women of the same family. So amazing and awe-inspiring. I just couldn't get enough of the positive vibes.

This race was the PERFECT race for a first time triathlon. It couldn't have been any better than it was. I'm beyond happy with my results and I feel really proud of my accomplishment. I learned that I am stronger than I knew was possible, I felt the love from my family, and I felt fierce and proud to be a woman. I would definitely do this race again, or would consider a different race. I definitely caught the triathlon bug! 

Post- race photo with finisher t-shirt and medal/necklace. 

What's next? I actually feel like I have more to say about the race (amazing, after this saga of a post, I know!) so there may be one or two more Tri Tuesday posts on the blog. Stay tuned for that!

Tri Tuesday- MTWomen's Tri is THIS SUNDAY! EEP!

Hey, hey, everyone! MTWomen's Tri is almost here- it's THIS SUNDAY!

That's right, race week is upon us! I'm in the middle of my taper, which is about a two-week taper. This week, I'm not hitting anything too hard and keeping my brick workouts pretty minimal. I'm also focusing on short distances but working on speed, especially for my run. I've been doing a ton of speed-builder interval and tempo workouts lately specifically to work on cutting time in my 5K run and it's been going well, so I'm hopeful that it will pay off! 

Now is the time to reassess my goals for the race. My number one goal has always been, and continues to be: To finish and to smile! I feel very confident in nailing that one!

Of course, I've thought about time goals, too. I've cut a lot of time off my 500 swim, so I think I can complete that in around ten minutes. I think it will take me about 45-50 minutes to bike 12 miles on the road (on my mountain bike). My 5K PR is 25:00 (unofficial) but after swimming and biking, I'm aiming for about 27:00 and would be really happy with anything close to that. So, as far as actual physical activity goes, I think it will take me between 80 and 95 minutes to complete the triathlon. 

But then there are the transitions. I've practiced transitions only very minimally, so that's likely to kick me in the arse on race day. My biggest time deterrent will likely be that I seem to have to go to the bathroom a lot! ha! I guess that means I must be on-track with my hydration. :) Other than that, I expect my swim to bike transition to take the most time-- putting on shoes and socks, and helmet... etc. I think the bike to run transition will be pretty quick. Just take off the helmet and replace it with a hat and go. We'll see. 

All in all, I'm really looking forward to race day. I've actually moved past the nervous feeling, for the most part, and I'm confident that I'll do well. I'm not in it to win it, but just to do it for me. I've had a lot of things going on in my life in the first half of 2016, and one of the main reasons in deciding to do this was simply to do it for myself. I'll be channeling a lot of emotions into this race and I know the accomplishment will feel good. Then, it'll be on to the beer tent! :)

I'll be back next week with the full recap! Wish me luck!

Tri Tuesday- Only 2 Weeks Until MTWomensTri!

Wow, you guys... the race is coming up FAST!

www.mtwomenstri.com

I missed last week's Tri Tuesday post (and failed to do any other posts, besides!) but I'm here today with an update on my training. I've been sticking pretty close to my training plan, which included its toughest week of training last week and the week before. Now, I'm already beginning my taper as I lead up to Race Day on July 17! 

Brick workouts continue to be the most physically demanding. Yesterday, I had a really great confidence-boosting bike/run combo, however. Jeff had asked me to ride my bike over to our other farm yard to pick up a vehicle we had over there and drive it back home. Excited about the prospect of a not-often-used training route, I planned my brick to workout so that it would end at that yard. I biked ten miles of net uphill, trying to work my legs really hard, actually, so that I'd get the feeling of what it might be like on race day. Then, I stashed my bike by the side of the road and ran the last 2.5 miles to the yard to collect the vehicle. 

Again, I tried to push it pretty hard on the run. Typically, I ease up a bit on the run portion of a brick workout, but I wanted to see what my legs had in them. I was pleasantly surprised when I checked my Strava when I finished up and saw that my pace was very close to my normal 5K pace. I had expected it to be much slower. I am really happy with how I felt throughout the whole workout and how it seemed like my legs knew what to do and were flying on the run. 

The best part of this brick workout? Running by this patriotic barn on the 4th of July! 

I came back later, after retrieving the pickup and loading up my bike, for some photos...

Swimming workouts continue to go well, too. I've been working on increasing my yardage, and also on decreasing my 500 swim time. The first timed 500 I swam earlier this summer was 11:40 or so. Now, I'm down to 10:15. So, I've cut a lot of time, and I'm really happy with my progress there. I'd really like to be under 10 minutes on race day, but we'll see. I don't really know what to expect because the pool itself is completely different from any pool I've swam in before. All the same, the time estimate I entered for myself was 12 minutes, so I feel pretty confident I can be under that on race day. 

As far as gear goes, I'm pretty close to set. At a recent Bangs family reunion, one of Jeff's family members (who bikes A LOT) suggested I look into getting some skinnier tires for my mountain bike for race day. Great idea, and waaaaaay cheaper than buying a road bike or tri bike. Also, I had asked around and posted on Facebook looking for a road bike I could borrow and had no luck. So, the narrow tires mounted on my current bike might be the way to go. I could shave a little time off, anyway. I know my bike is a good bike, but it's not made for competitive road racing, and I think at this point the bike will be my weakest leg of the race because of this. So anyway, I should be able to take my bike in to the local bike shop in Havre and get this done later this week. Exciting!

At this point, I'm starting to get pretty excited about the race. I'm actually feeling less nervous now than I did a few weeks ago, and I think that's because I've felt strong during and after tough workouts, and it's building my confidence for race day. 

Tri Tuesday~ FOUR WEEKS until MTWomensTri!

You guys... it's only ONE MONTH until my Triathlon!!! I'm already getting excited and NERVOUS! But, I continue have solid training and to stick to my plan, and that is definitely building confidence. Read on!

www.Mtwomenstri.com

Training
As far as training goes, I have been really good about sticking to my training plan. I've been doing one swim per week and one brick of bike/run, in addition to just running and just biking. I've definitely noticed myself feeling pretty tired in general, and I'm attributing that to just the overall load of training. With a few races in the mix over the past few weeks, including a 10K and a 5K, that has caused me to make a few adaptations as well, and probably contributed to the overall feeling of fatigue. I don't think what I'm doing compares apples to apples with half marathon or full marathon training, but I imagine the feeling of tiredness/fatigue is similar to what you'd get if you were training for a big race like that.

The bike/run workouts continue to be a the most challenging, yet the biggest confidence booster toward my overall training. I've got some doozies left yet in my schedule, so I know I'll be prepared well on race day.

My toughest workout so far was a brick where I did a twelve mile ride followed by a two mile run. The ride was very challenging. Remember that I do all my rides on gravel roads on a mountain bike. The route I had planned included a one mile section that I thought had a trail, but turns out, it did not. So even though it was only one mile, powering through clumpy grass was very tiring. The route also had a lot of hills and loose rocks, and on that day it was pretty windy. Normally, I do 12 miles on flat road in just under an hour, but this took me almost an hour and a half! I was exhausted for the start of my two mile run, which felt like about six miles! ha! I was very thankful for my hydration and fuel during this workout, which you can read more about later!

Gear
Last time I wrote a Tri Tuesday post, I had given myself an assignment to buy a 5-gallon bucket, and a bike helmet. Well, I did both! Hooray! I will be using the bucket in my transition area, as suggested on the Montana Women's Triathlon website. It was inexpensive at about $5 from the local farm and feed supply store. Way cheaper than a fancy triathlon bag. And, when I'm not doing a triathlon, I can use it on the farm! lol

I also bought a bike helmet. I didn't get the cheapest one that Scheels had to offer, but not the most expensive one, either. I felt a little out of my element trying to pick one out. I really wasn't sure how they were supposed to fit, and felt like I was in between sizes. I went with the larger size of the women's specific helmet and was able to tighten it up to fit my noggin. It's comfortable overall, and when I ride, I forget that I'm wearing it, so that's good. The only thing I don't like is that I have to adjust where I sit my ponytail to be able to fit with the helmet. Annoying, but only a minor inconvenience.

Fuel and Hydration
Something I've been aiming toward working on for weeks, and finally got to in the past week or two. I had a scary moment and learned the hard way after Governor's Cup that I'm not superhuman and need to be smart about fueling and hydration. I barely had anything after that race, and became extremely dehydrated later in the day, to the point where I had vertigo and nausea, and even threw up several times, on the way home from Helena. Stupid, and probably could have been avoided.

Since then, I've been much more deliberate about staying hydrated and fueling for long workouts, and even shorter runs. What I've been using and really liking is Nuun and Honey Stinger products. I also read a great tip on a Dietition/Runner blog that I follow, Fannetastic Food, about a natural fuel source for running. She likes to use dates or figs rolled in sea salt for a pick me up on long training runs. I like dried apricots better, so I am experimenting with that. So far, I've been very happy with these products, and I've been able to score some very good sales and discounts on ordering both Nuun and Honey Stinger.




On that tough 12 mile bike ride/brick workout I mentioned, I made sure to plan out my hydration and fuel so that I'd stay strong through the workout. My strategy was 5-6 swallows of Nuun (tropical flavor!) as I get on the bike, then drink every four miles. Fuel strategy was have a snack at six miles and then at twelve as I transitioned to run. I ate salted apricot pieces and one or two Honey Stinger gummies. I felt like it did make a difference in my energy level, and I noticed after I finished the workout that I didn't feel as dead as I thought I might.

New-to-me Swimming Pool and Clothing Choices
I also had my first pool/bike combo workout last week. For this one, I tried out the Chester swimming pool, an outdoor pool. Chester is a little closer to my house than Havre and I thought it would just work better to bike in this town than around Havre. I was really impressed with their pool- it's pretty new and just overall better than I expected for a small town pool. Plus, I had lap swim all to myself, which was kind of nice!

For the bike portion of the workout, I just left from the pool and went for about forty minutes. I didn't rush through my "transition," just wanted to see what it was like for the first time through without any added stress of trying to be fast.

The biggest test for this whole workout was actually my clothing choices. For the first time in my life, I swam in shorts and a sports bra. My tri shorts, which I've written about before, were excellent. I also wore my Oiselle Runway Sports Bra, which also performed very well in the water. Both pieces dried out quickly on the bike ride, and by the time I was done, there wasn't a drop of moisture left. Perfect. You can see in the picture that I also threw on a tank top for the ride- Oiselle O Snap top. So soft. Loved it. :) I was really, really happy with the way everything worked out-- this whole ensemble will likely be my raceday combo.

Budget
I have done a bit more spending over the past two weeks. The helmet was $40, the bucket was $5, and I spent about $40 total on Honey Stinger and Nuun (but bought enough to last for well beyond the triathlon!). My total has now reached about $435. It's adding up, even with offsetting some of the purchases with sales of old workout clothes. Time to sell more stuff!

Stay tuned for next week's Tri Tuesday post! I'm in the midst of my biggest two weeks of training. :)

Weekly Review June 5-18

I missed last week's Weekly Review post, so you get two weeks for the price of one this week! Lucky You! Read on to find out what's been going on in the world of fitness, farm, and life!

After a short interval run with the dogs. 

Fitness
I continue to progress in my triathlon training and i'm having a lot of fun with it, while also working through some tough workouts. Jeff and I also did Governor's Cup in Helena (Race Review HERE!) and Dawson's Run 5K in Joplin (Race Review is forthcoming). June is a good month for fitness around here because it's not as busy as other summer months are in terms of farming, and the weather is nice. Here's the breakdown of the past two weeks:

From a pasture hike. Harvey likes to make sure you can always see how handsome he is!

June 5-11
Sunday- Rest/yard work
Monday- Brick workout: 6 mile ride, 3.2 mile run
Tuesday- 3 mile easy treadmill run
Wednesday- 1500 yards of swimming (40 minutes)
Thursday- 2.3 mile interval run, 30 min yoga
Friday- complete rest.
Saturday- Governor's Cup 10K Race!

June 12-18
Sunday- complete rest. I was tired after Governor's Cup!!!
Monday- 4 mile easy run
Tuesday- Brick workout: 12 mile bike, 2 mile run. VERY windy, and hilly!
Wednesday- 2 mile pasture hike, 45 minutes of yoga
Thursday- 4.1 mile treadmill run interval/speedbuilder workout, 1 mile walk
Friday- Brick: 1400 yards swimming, followed by 40 minutes (8.5 miles) on the bike
Saturday- Dawson's Run 5K Race!

Year to Date:
Running: 277.85
Walking/Hiking: 72.2 miles 
Yoga: 1100 min 
CC-Ski: 500 min / 14.1 miles *Done for the season
Alpine Ski: 3 days *Done for the season
Mountain bike: 95.7
Swimming: 4100 yards

Farm
The biggest news on the farm the past two weeks has been the purchase and arrival of our new tractor, which you can READ ABOUT HERE. We also continue to work on spraying. All of our crop has been sprayed for weeds, and now we are chipping away at spraying the chem fallow. Chem fallow is unplanted fields of conventional farmground where weeds are controlled by spray. We call it summer fallow if the unplanted fields are weed-controlled mechanically, using a plow. Sometimes we use this method even on our conventional fields. This will be the only method of weed control we use on our organic fields.

I saw this on my Facebook. I'm not sure the source... It's pretty accurate about describing our farm this time of year!
Seeding, then spraying, then swathing and baling hay, then...harvest! 

With the new tractor, we are preparing to break the remaining ground on our organic fields. I'm working up to a new post explaining the organic land in greater detail, so that will be along sometime in the next few weeks. I helped Jeff and Tom hook up the plow and get it ready to go.

I helped attach the chisel points to the plow, then Jeff came along behind and tightened the bolts.

Also, all of our cows are out at pasture in their respective breeding groups. The grass is hardening off a bit, which is actually ideal because it's higher protein. The pastures look great and our calf crop looks really strong, too.

This is why we call it the Big Sky State.

Life
I am enjoying a break from school/work this summer and have been busy keeping our garden watered and yard maintained. I'm getting more comfortable with the riding lawn mower all the time. Our garden is coming along nicely. Right now, we are enjoying a bumper crop of radishes. The spinach and asparagus have phased out. Our lettuces will be really bursting forth soon, and I expect we'll have peas within a few weeks.

Jeff and I celebrated our Anniversary on Saturday- five years! We started the day with Dawson's Run and the Joplin Car Show/Art in the Park event, then we went back to Helena where we took in a Helena Brewers baseball game. Montana has a small "bus league" of professional baseball in the summer and we love going to games in Great Falls when we can. The Great Falls team was out of town, so we decided to drive to Helena to catch a game and celebrate our anniversary. The next day, we went for a hike in the mountains on the way home. It was a really great weekend and a nice way to celebrate our life together in Montana. Cheers to 5 years!

Jeff and I started our Anniversary celebration on Saturday with a 5K race in Joplin!
(We didn't win; all finishers received medals!)

Tri Tuesday! Six Weeks Until MTWomensTri!

It's Tri Tuesday! I have lots of great stuff packed into this post, including an update on my training and some brief reviews of clothing!

www.mtwomenstri.com

On the training plan for this week was: 3 Runs, 1 Bike, 1 Swim, and one Brick Workout. 

What I did was: All of it! Yay! 

After a long bike ride. Still smiling!

I did my first really tough Tri Brick workout this week. Sure, I had done a mini brick a few weeks ago, but this one was the first workout that really felt like work. The workout was actually suggested by Jeff, since he had a vehicle stashed up at one of our far away farm fields that needed to be retrieved. (When farming and fitness collide...right?) So, we biked up close to where it was (10.5 miles) and then ran from where we parked our bikes the rest of the way to the pickup, for 2.5 miles of running. It ended up being 45 minutes on the bike and 23 minutes of running. I had on my training plan to do 40 minutes on the bike and 20 minutes of running, so this ended up working perfectly with my schedule, sort of by accident. The ride was net-uphill and did feel challenging at times. We maintained a pretty fast clip for mountain bike. I was on my top gear range for most of the ride.

The biggest challenge, I'm finding, with brick workouts is starting the run. Man, do your legs feel weird after biking! My lungs were fine, but it just felt really weird moving my legs in running motion. It sort of feels like your legs aren't even there. I'm moving, but my legs feel like they're not there. It's just an odd sensation. This lasted for about the first mile, then I wouldn't say that my legs felt fresh, but they felt more... normal. The run was also net uphill. The whole thing ended at the highest point of any land that we farm. The view was amazing. You'll have to take my word for it, though, because I didn't bring my phone... because my shorts didn't have any pockets and I couldn't hold it in my hand while I was biking. Jeff had his, so I screen-shot his Strava entries so you'd get another idea of what we did... I was pretty tired after finishing that workout, but I also felt very strong, just in terms of completing it and knowing I can do something hard like that. I'm actually really looking forward to more brick workouts. I guess I'm a glutton for pain!

The bottom map is the bike portion and the top map is the run. 

I also had my first SWIM of my training cycle this week, too! Man, I forgot how much I really love swimming. It went really well. I was a little sore the next day, but surprisingly not that bad at all. Not like I anticipated I would be. Even if I haven't hit the pool in about eight years, I guess my other fitness pursuits have kept me in decent shape that the first pool workout didn't feel like such a shock. Now, I'm feeling even more excited for the next time I get to swim!

For my first swim, I decided to take it a little easy and just see how it felt. So, nothing longer than 100 yards at a time. I did 1200 yards total and alternated between swim, pull, kick, and stroke for each 100. I also tried some flip turns. They were a little rusty, but not bad. Next time, I'll do my warmup, and then start building up toward being able to swim 500 yards with no breaks, and I need to be diligent and commit to flip turns every time.

Quick review of the Oiselle Long Flyte Shorts that I purchased. From the first moment I put these on, I was in love. They are SUPER comfortable, seamless, long but not too long. I tried them out right away on that Brick workout I did with Jeff. The bike is the real test of these shorts. I wanted to see if they were long enough that they would protect my legs from rubbing against my bike seat, and if they'd stay in place and not ride up. They passed both tests! And, they continued to stay in place while I ran, too. They are super light weight, and they definitely wick effectively. They are also seamless, so very comfortable. The only, only thing they are missing is a pocket. No pockets of any kind, probably because they are seamless. Otherwise, these are the shorts of my dreams for running and bike training. They are also pretty inexpensive at $36 full price. I'm now eyeing the other colors... I know I'll wear these puppies out this summer! In case anyone is thinking about ordering a pair, I ordered a Medium, just for your reference, and they are perfect for me. I typically wear a 6 or 8 in Oiselle shorts, depending on the style.

Image source: www.oiselle.com.
I have the black version of these Long Flyte Shorts, but isn't that Podium Blue pretty, too?! 

Also, a few more words about the Coeur Tri Shorts that I also purchased recently. I wrote about these briefly in my last Tri Tuesday post, as I had tried them out on a run. I have now used them on an extended bike ride and on a brick workout as well, and the continue to be amazing. They are very comfortable. I never notice the padded chamois in the crotch area when I run, and it provides extra cushion on my bike. I feel fast and strong when I wear them. They are very grippy at the hem due to a silicone grip. These do have three small pockets at back waist, too. Between these and the Long Flyte Shorts, I've got my bike short needs covered. These will be my go-to for race day. These are more compressive than the Flyte shorts, and definitely more expensive at about $86. (I bought mine with a PayPal credit I had from selling some other gear.)

Post-workout stretching in my Coeur Sports Lakota Tri Shorts!

This week, the workout plan is pretty much the same: 3 runs, 1 bike, 1 swim and a Brick workout. I am racing a 10K this Saturday at Governor's Cup, so some of my distances will be a slight cut back this week as I try to do a mini taper and keep my legs fresh for my race.

Gear I still need: 5-gallon bucket, bike helmet....and perhaps find someone willing to loan a me a road bike?!?

Still haven't done any fueling and hydration testing yet. Need to get prepared and get on that.

On the spending money front, I did buy a 12-punch pass for the swimming pool in Havre for $35.00.  So, my total is now up to around $350.

That's all for this week! See you next week with another Tri Tuesday post! Can't believe it's only about six weeks away!!! :)

Tri Tuesday! 7 Weeks Until MTWomensTri!

Ok you guys... Track and school are done for the year, so now it's time to get down to business! Only about seven weeks until race day!

www.mtwomenstri.com

Last week was a good one in terms of training and sticking to the plan.

Plan was: 3 Runs, 1 Bike, Optional Swim, Optional Brick workout.

What I did was- Five runs, totaling 18.5 miles, and one bike ride of nine miles! Nailed it! I'm feeling pretty good, too!

Last week I also wanted to start using some of my new gear, especially my Tri shorts. THESE are the shorts I purchased. It was too cold for shorts on my bike ride last week, but I did wear them for a 3-mile run on the treadmill. They were really great! Felt like any other tight short, only the hem was super grippy, which meant they didn't ride up at. all. I wondered if the chamois panel (padding for bike riding) in the crotch would bother me while running and I'm happy to report that I didn't even notice it.

I also ordered a pair of seamless tight shorts from Oiselle because I had a coupon- the Long Flyte shorts. I've been wanting something just like this for biking and running for a long, long time. I'll write more about them next week. Spoiler Alert: I LOVE THESE SHORTS!

This week's goals:
Goal Numero Uno:  FOLLOW THE PLAN! The plan for this week includes a non-optional brick workout, and a non-optional swim workout. Yep. The word "optional" is no longer in the training plan from here on out. Time to hit the pool. I've got plans to go when I'm in Havre on Wednesday. Can't wait!

Goal Dos: Fuel. Again, begin experimenting with fuel and hydration. I'm not even really sure where to start. I have tried a few different gels and gus in the past and did not like them in the slightest, largely for the texture. I couldn't get the image of swallowing glue or boogers out of my head and it would make me gag. I'd really like something that resembles real food. I've heard about salted dates or apricots being good fuel, and honey, so I might try those out. Also, I am a fan of NUUN hydration. Probably should stock up! :) If anyone has any favorite fuels or hydration products for running or triathlon, please let me know!

Goal Tres: Bike Helmet. So, I do still need a little bit of gear. I need a bike helmet. I know, I know... I should already have one. But I don't. I can't compete in the Triathlon without one, so it's time to get that nailed down and start practicing with it.

At the time of writing this, I've already done my brick workout for this week! Stay tune for next week's Tri Tuesday post to read about it and everything else in my Tri training endeavors! :)

Tri Tuesday! 8 Weeks Until MTWomensTri!

Here's my weekly update on my Triathlon Training-- Tri Tuesday!

Ok, well, I had a post almost ready to go last week but then didn't get around to posting it. So this week I'm combining with last week's post. I'm now about 8 weeks from my Triathlon!

Let's just say I didn't hit my training plan this week (actually now the week before last). Like, not even close.

Here's what the plan was:
3 runs, 1 bike, optional brick, swim if possible.

What I did was... 2 runs, totaling 5.4 miles. This was possibly my lowest mileage week of running this year. And I don't feel bad about it. Honestly, I have been working my tail off doing a lot of other things and it felt good not to pressure myself to get workouts in.

Also, it was really rainy and muddy and wet last week, and since we don't live anywhere near pavement, biking and running outside was not an option most days. I do have a treadmill, which I used for one of my runs, but I don't have an indoor bike option of any kind.

Last week, May 15-21 I had the same training goals of 3 Runs, 1 Bike, Optional Swim, Optional Brick. What I actually did was: 3 runs totaling 10.15 miles, and no swimming or biking. Roads were again muddy, so no bike for that reason. I had actually planned on swimming on Friday, but the fresh stitches in my face nixed that idea. Read more about that in my PREVIOUS POST. So, I'm still at square zero for biking and swimming. At least my running picked up a bit this past week. :)

I also had a goal of researching the hours of the Havre swimming pool, which I did. Their lap swim hours are 6-8 a.m., noon-1pm. and 5:30 -7pm most week days, and 11a.m. to 1p.m. on Saturdays.  Remember that for me, the pool is a little over an hour drive away. It will be much easier for me to make it to the pool during those hours once track season is done, and the pool in Chester (about 40 min drive) should open in June. I had hoped to try to get to the pool last week, but due to rain, one of our track meets was rescheduled for Friday, which is when I was going to go. So, there went that. Maybe this week will be the week for my first swim! I am definitely getting anxious to get in the water!

I also continued to research gear for training and racing, specifically what to wear. I ordered a sports bra that was recommended to me by someone else who does tris- the Oiselle Runway Bra.

Images from www.titlenine.com

It's an older style, and still listed full price on the Oiselle website, but I found it on a pretty good sale on TitleNine. I plan to wear it with a pair of tri shorts for the swim portion of my race, and then throw a tank top on over the top for the bike/run portions. I tried it out on a run and mowing the lawn (we have a bumpy, clumpy lawn and I used a riding mower-sports bra is a MUST!) over the weekend. I found it to be more supportive than I expected and I also liked that it had more coverage than my Verrazano Bras from Oiselle are. I think the mesh will be great for Tri because it will dry quickly.

One other thing that I did after reading a lot of advice from people who are primarily runners who have began to dabble in the triathlon world, was order a pair of Tri shorts. I decided on the brand Coeur after receiving several very positive recommendations, and ordered some from SwimOutlet. They came in the mail yesterday. Have a look:

Top depicts the backside of the shorts, and bottom is the front. 

Detail of the feather print, which I absolutely couldn't resist!
I think these will go really nice with my Oiselle jersey, which i'm planning to throw on after the swim portion of my race.

The shorts actually have a little padding in the crotch area so it should make the bike more comfortable. I've never owned a pair of bike or Tri shorts before, so I feel like I'm stepping up in the world. All the advice and reviews I've read said this brand is really good, performs well, is comfortable, and dries quickly. I'm anxious to put these to the test!

Here's a brief update on the money front. I suppose I did spend about $30 on the new sports bra, but I know I'll use that for much more than just tri training. I did sell a tank top that I didn't love as much as I thought I would, for $15, on the Oiselle Gear Swap page. I have a few more items I plan to sell soon, to help recoup costs of purchasing clothing and gear. So, net total, I've spent about $315 on Tri-related expenses.

Update after also purchasing the Tri shorts. They were a little pricey at about $80, but I covered the cost entirely with a PayPal credit that I had from selling other items. So, my net total that I've spent is still about $315.

Simple goals for this week:

1) Get back to the training plan! 3 runs, 1 bike, optional brick, optional swim again this week.

2) Research fueling options for pre-race and mid-race, and begin trying them out. I want lots of practice with this before race day! Anyone have any products or foods they really like?!

See you next week!