Dilloman Debrief

800m Swim: 22min 24s (2.48min/100m)
It was uber-scary, quite frankly, worsened by gastroentestinal problems. Despite trying to calm my nerves during the test swim, the minute the horn sounded off and we started swimming into the lake, my heart was in my mouth! Panic started creeping up, as the water got murkier. During the first 100m, I didn't dare put my head in the water. As my breathing became irregular, I looked around for the kayak in a moment of desperation. It was pretty far from where I was, and I became more unnerved. Then I passed the first buoy and thought, ok, this is silly, I'm here for a race. Stay calm and don't look down! :) With that, I breast-stroked my way through the rest of the swim. I was sorely disappointed with myself for not using freestyle. I tried once or twice but felt my foot cramping up so I gave up on freestyle. As I came out of my swim, my buddy, Santhosh, called out "Good job! 20min!" and I thought to myself, "Ya right! I was sooo slow, I must have done 40min! But ok, he's trying to be encouraging.." (Sorry, Santhosh, you were right!)

Inspite of my disappointment at abandoning freestyle, my pace improved nearly a minute from 3.53min/100m.

20K Bike Ride: 1 hour 7:05 min (11.1 mph)
The bike leg seemed felt pretty tough. I suspect the swim took quite a bit out of me, because I felt tired starting out. It was hard to stay positive, and the ride felt tedious inspite of gorgeous scenery. I dare say boredom creeped up, and I played mind games throughout most of the course. There were rolling hills for the most part, and only one really hard uphill that plateaued (so no downhill to help recovery). I took advantage of downhills (no fear this time!). Only once did my bike wobble because of the speed & wind, but I kept steady. I made all the tight turns. Mentally, I did not engage as well as I did in my first tri. My bike mantras changed frequently, and I didn't draw much strength from them this time.

Sadly, my bike pace dropped from my first tri which was 11.7 mph. On the positive side, I guess it's ok considering it was a much longer swim this time round. Still, I wish I could have done better.

5K run: 42min 31s (13:58min/mile)
When it was time to run, I felt pretty lousy. My tummy had given me a lot of trouble, and then I started getting side stitches. I warmed up after 1.5miles. I "slogged" for the most part, until I realized there was a girl ahead of me (in my age group) who was walking ahead of me. I thought, I haven't trained this hard to be beaten by someone who's walking! Then I pushed harder and started running. I sprinted the last 100m, and had a strong finish.

This is my worst running time yet. :( 13:38min/mile is a far cry from 12:19min/mile in my first tri, considering an increase of only 1mile distance.

Overall, the race was ok. I didn't feel at my best, partly because of a stomachache & fatigue. Another issue was that I kept thinking about what distance I wanted to do in my next race, and whether I should increase the distance in my next tri. Inspite of my efforts to stay focused on the present, I let my mind wander, which did me a great disservice. Lesson learnt, I guess.

Arv couldn't be around for the race, since he was recovering from the bout of pneumonia. My friends, Santhosh & Gau, came all the way out to Pace Bend Park to cheer me on & drive me back. They were SO super! They played Tri-Sherpas for the day, and kept my spirits up. It meant so much to me, particularly since I was nursing an upset tummy on the way to the race and a bad headache on the way back. Thank you, guys!

Steph was also there, cheering her head off for me. :) It felt really good to hear her encouragement through transition (both ways) and near the finish line. You rock, Steph!

Two tris down, and one to go!

Dilloman Done!

Finish time: 2:15:15

My first Sprint distance!

800m Swim: 22min 24s (2.48min/100m)

20K Bike Ride: 1 hour 7:05 min (11.1 mph)

5K run: 42min 31s (13:58min/mile)

An Amazing Brick

After not biking for nearly 2 weeks, I started to get antsy. With the continously gloomy weather over the last few days, I was getting concerned about whether I'd actually be able to put in a bike workout before the race. But just as I started to worry yesterday, the sun came out (story of my life..). It was supposed to be my swim workout day. So I went back and forth mentally about whether I should swim or bike. A friend told me nonchalantly - do both! Aha.. a mid-week brick! How perfect. After some reassurance from Coach Lorrie, I headed out to the Veloway.

It was by far the best ride I've ever had on the Veloway. My legs felt strong, and I noticed that I was able to take corners more smoothly than before. No trepidation about Mr. Veloway Hill either - just sailed over with minimum effort. Instead, I noticed how beautiful the sky was - hues of pink, orange & blue. The weather had cooled down, and the (approaching fall) breeze softly caressed my face. I remembered my numerous rides on the Veloway - fall and all, thrills & spills. This summer has been so special for me because of tri-training. The fear I used to feel while riding felt like a vague memory. I thought about how far I've come from mid-June. From struggling with gears to sailing down the Veloway. I've come to love biking!

After my 25min bike ride, I drove back and swam for 30min in my apt pool. The water was somewhat murky (!!) and instead of being turned off, I thought, oh nice, a lake simulation! I practiced sighting. An adorable dog eyed me from the corner of the pool, but lost interest after my 10th lap. "She's not going to stop," he must have figured, and settled into a snooze.

It was a truly special brick.. it helped me remember all the reasons I tri..

What's up, Doc?

Arv's fever finally let up. His temp is back to normal for the first time in 10 days, though he's pretty exhausted and still coughing. Over the last few doc visits, we discovered he had a viral fever, and then developed a secondary infection, which was pneumonia. I was relieved on Friday when the doc finally diagnosed what was wrong, and then prescribed the right medication for it. The doc seemed a little too cheerful and nonchalant about the whole thing. He announced to me with a big smile on Friday that Arv was contagious. Whiskey tango foxtrot. I felt like telling him, listen Doc, I don't have time for an infection, I have a tri to do next week!

With my hubby down & out, I haven't had much time to work out. My attention has been on Arv 100%. I discussed the situation with my coach, and she said I'll probably end up doing much better at the Dillo because I've had so much rest, but I still needed to stay active. She said, fitness-wise, I was fine.

I managed to squeeze a 30min run on Friday before the doc's visit. It felt greeeat! Those of you who know my area will know how (in)famous the Spyglass hills are. I ran through every one of them (for the first time, I might add), and felt strong.

Yesterday, I managed a 840m swim workout in my 15-yard apt complex pool (yes, holy cat, 56 laps..). I felt awesome. Hopefully I will get in a bike workout this evening or tommorrow.

Doin' The Dillo

Just signed up for the Dilloman! You read my mind, Cha.. :)

Sep 9 - 800m swim, 20K bike ride, 5K run, at Pace Bend Park.

So, the swim is more than TWICE the distance in my first TRI, and in Lake Travis! My triathlete boss said it's a fun race, really scenic, rolling hills (and the bike route is fairly hilly, but apparently not as bad as Decker). My coaches are really supportive too.

Yaay! My tri-fatigue is SO over. After missing the race yesterday, something got into me. Gee, I think I realize how much I actually enjoy doing this stuff! :)

Tri-ing circumstances

So, Skeese' Greets Triathlon didn't happen. Arv's been running a high fever for nearly 3 days now, and I didn't have the heart to leave him alone this morning for the race. He was still running a 100 degree fever at 5am this morning. Going for the triathlon would mean I'd be away for 7 hours straight, without any possibility of him being able to contact me. With Arv being sick, and the recent loss of my grandfather, I was not focused on the race. There are some things more important than racing - like your loved ones.

What was touching was how supportive my friends were. Santhosh & Gau offered to keep an eye on Arv so I could go for the race, and Char offered to come with me to New Braunfels to cheer me on, so I wouldn't have to drive alone. That was really sweet! It made me realize how lucky Arv & I have been to make good friends in Austin.

In the end, I thought it was more important to be with Arv, and even if I went for the race, my mind would not be there. Besides, there are always going to be races to do.

That said I've set my sights on scouting for a new Sprint Distance Tri to do this summer. I still intend to achieve my goal of 3 TRIs in 3 months, inspite of the unexpected change of course.

Random Thoughts on Training Fatigue

An avid reader of my blog complained that my last entry had "no drama". So, isn't that a good thing, I thought to myself incredulously.

It also struck me that perhaps it's because I'm starting to feel drained.. a kind of "blah" feeling.. a "what-is-this-for?" feeling.. a "have-I-got-my-priorities-right" feeling... It seems like my training dictates my life right now, not just my schedule. In fact, I've re-arranged my work schedule so that I can get enough rest, do regular house chores etc. I'm quite a social creature and love having people over. But with my lack of time & energy, my social life has slowed down. I haven't had time to read, prepare for Chinmaya Yuva Kendra classes, meditate, do yoga.. do all of the things that are important to me.

For what? So I can swim, bike, run 10min faster than I did before...?

I guess not. My best friend, Megs, theorized that the reason I put myself through this is because I have certain vasanas that needed to be expressed. Probably true. The desire to do a TRI was certainly latent, and has suddenly found expression in the most surprising way.

I guess the point is to see what I can really do. To test my assumptions of myself. To see if my mind can go beyond accepted perceptions of myself and be challenged to consider new perspectives of what I can do, and who I am. For that, I'll swim-bike-run, do whatever it takes. To TRI, to unearth the real me.