Media:
English
Navigation:
English
Please enter your search term
Sign In
Queue
Favorites
Cloud TV
FreeAir.tv Channels
My Library
A-la-carte Subscriptions
History
My Account
My Devices
Earn Cash
Help
International TV
Films
Packages
Video
Audio
Radio
Kids
Please enter value.
Kids
Audio Podcasts
Tri Harder
Education
Entertainment
My podcast where I talk about things that interest me, animals, computers, movies, Vegetarian / Veganism, New Zealand, Famous people and more :)
Early episodes might not show below, go to jaywontdart.blogspot.com to download all episodes of my podcast :)
Richard Pearse, Mister Rogers, NZ Vegan, Theme Parks like Dreamworld and Movie World , South Invercargill, Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Mean Girls, 1980's movies, Nintendo Power Glove, Vegetarian / Vegan ideas, Podcasting, President Richard Nixon, No Agenda, John C Dvorak, The Buzzkill, Adam Curry, Crackpot, Blackbird, SR71 Blackbird Mach 3 plane, 1970's horror films, Deranged, Deliverance, Soylent Green, 911 Conspiracy, Old Kew Hospital Invercargill, Jumbo elephant, Loritz Circus protest, New Zealand Pork Scandal, Factory Farming, NZ Pigs, Metal Gear Solid, Once Were Warriors, Maori, South Auckland, Tunguska Event, Russia, Explosion, Lettuce Ladies, PETA, Nude, Presidential Animals, Barney, George Bush, Richard Nixon, Checkers, Obama, fly swatting, Wilhelm Scream, Sound Effects, Movie production, Agent Orange, Ivon Watkins Dow, Chemical Company, Michael Jackson's death, Edward Scissorhands, Tim Burton, Living Cell Technology, Pig Transplants in New Zealand, Diabetes, Auckland Island Pigs, Michael Jackson's Memorial, Freezing Works, Slaughterhouse, Abattoir, Matthew Shepard, Killed for being Gay, Scary Technology, RFID, Death Rays, Monsanto, GE, GM, Joys of Human Invention, Anti Smacking Bill, Animal Farm, George Orwell, Communism, Eating Dogs, Cat Dissection, Lamb Beheading, Speciesism, Don Gorske, Big Mac Lover, Super Size Me, Chickens, Anti Smacking Bill Fallout, Horse Meat, Michael Laws, Hunting, Anti Hunting, Earthlings, Stand By Me, Contact, American Beauty, Always Blow On The Pie!, New Zealand Pop Culture,
with more episodes coming to you soon from Invercargill New Zealand!
JayWontdart's podcast
A Celebration Of All Things Sinatra
The Frank Truth
The rantings and ravings from Mike and Dave about video game related topics, ranging from the industry, competitive gaming, to the latest titles hitting the shelves. The Boss Battle Podcast is an organic experience in that Mike and Dave do no editing. It is in essence a recording of a live show every week. Topics are listener contributed as well as gathered from articles from print and the web.
Boss Battle Podcast
Get an insider's perspective on the most interesting objects in the collections of the Kansas Museum of History. Each biweekly episode features a different curator talking about a different object, always something featured on our web site. It's the best of our nation's history--not just Kansas, but important events for the whole United States. There's something for everyone, from the Civil War to the Cold War, Abraham Lincoln to Amelia Earhart, tornadoes to travel. You can access the full stories (with images) on the Web at http://www.kshs.org. Just look for the Cool Things link.
Cool Things in the Collection, Kansas Museum of History
Christian Music Digest: An Audio Newsletter is a show that features the latest news in the Christian music industry as well as artist interviews and album reviews. The show will offer you a peek into the lives of the artists you hear on the radio and maybe introduce you to some new artists as well.
Christian Music Digest - News and info on the latest and greatest in Christian music
Donald Conrad of www.did-not-finish.com and Dan Absalonson of www.DanDanTheArtMan.com talk about video games, writing, being husbands with awesome wifes and fathers of many young children, what life is like as dads and lots of other stuff. Donald blogs about finishing his enormous back log of video games and creates graphic novels. Dan writes speculative fiction and self publishes it as audio and eBooks.
Pen Fights Gamepad
Audio Theatre Central is a podcast that explores family friendly audio dramas. We will primarily focus on Lamplighter Theatre, Adventures in Odyssey and Focus on the Family Radio Theatre, but will also introduce and discuss other productions that we feel would be of interest to our listeners.
Audio Theatre Central
If fantasy and reality got together and adopted a Romanian orphan, it would be Sounding Board.
BrokenSea - Sounding Board
Putting a psychedelic spin on the world as we (think we) know it.
Dictionary Psychedelica Podcast
A podcast of Fiction, Stuff, and Nonsense!
The Way of The Buffalo
Bookworm Banquet is a program that aims to Satisfy Your Literary Cravings by offering up book reviews and author interviews on all genres of books with one caveat; the books must be family friendly. Our goal is to offer wholesome reading to our listeners, whether they are fiction or biography, current releases or classics, children’s books or books for older readers, we will review and discuss them all! JD and Nicole are avid readers who love talking about literature and would love for you to join the conversation.
Bookworm Banquet - Podcast
Across the dimensions and beyond space comes BrokenSea Audio Productions' incarnation of the intrepid Time Lord, Doctor Who!
Whether you are new to the series or a fan from decades past, you will thrill to the exciting adventures of Mark Kalita as time's champion in this fully dramatised audio series based on the legendary BBC TV show.
Doctor Who
Broadcasting every two weeks on Thursdays, the Image Doctors Rick Walker and Jason Odell discuss photography and imaging technology. This a talk radio show from Nikonians - The Worldwide Home for Nikon Photographers
Nikonians Podcasts :: The Nikonians Image Doctors
Keeping it punk by growing our own.
Victory Home & Garden
the first all Canadian Drum and Bass podcast hosted by Dj Kapulet showcasing the best in Canadian Jungle / Drum and Bass music and Canadian Drum n Bass producers. From Vancouver to Halifax, from Winnipeg to Montreal, Toronto to Edmonton, we will be showcasing original music from this countrys strongest, finest and most promising Dnb talent.
CCDNB - Canadian Content Drum and Bass
The official podcast of Tracksounds.com, The SoundCast is hosted by Christopher Coleman and features reviews and discussions centered around film, TV, and video game soundtracks. Special edition episodes include interviews with composers and other industry professionals.
The SoundCast
NPR (National Public Radio) is an internationally acclaimed producer and distributor of noncommercial news, talk, and entertainment programming. A privately supported, not-for-profit membership organization, NPR serves a growing audience of 27.5 million Americans each week in partnership with more than 860 independently operated, noncommercial public radio stations.
NPR
Quick and Dirty Tips creates and distributes digital content that offers short, actionable advice from friendly and informed authorities that will help you succeed at work and in life.
QuickAndDirtyTips.com
HowStuffWorks explains thousands of topics, from engines to lock-picking to ESP, with video and illustrations so you can learn how everything works.
HowStuffWorks.com
HowStuffWorks - Learn How Everything Works!
Munchcast is a weekly netcast that highlights and celebrates junk food. Enjoy mouthwatering new episodes at www.twit.tv Your guides on this fattening but delicious jaunt are Cammy Blackstone and Leo Laporte.
Cammy Blackstone and Leo Laporte
Contemporary drama in a rural setting from the world's longest running radio soap opera.
BBC Radio 4
Personal Life Media authentic free podcasts and blogs for adults. Get free audio programs and blogs about self-help, dating, relationships, marriage, personal transformation, life-purpose, ecology, anti-aging, spirituality and more by experts for your iPod, iTunes, MP3 player, download or streaming.
Personal Life Media
Self Help Books, Audio, and Online Courses for personal growth and self improvement – Personal Life Media
American Public Media, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, is the largest owner and operator of public radio stations and a premier producer and distributor of public radio programming in the nation. It is also the largest producer and distributor of classical music programming in the United States.
American Public Media
Home | American Public Media
Our mission is simple. We want to promote the use of audio and video educational material for personal and professional development. What does this mean? It means that we want to help you to see how you can turn 'dead time' (time spent commuting, exercising, doing chores, etc.) into 'learning time.'
LearnOutLoud.com
Audio Books, Podcasts, Videos, and Free Downloads to Learn From
PBS and our member stations are America’s largest classroom, the nation’s largest stage for the arts and a trusted window to the world. In addition, PBS's educational media helps prepare children for success in school and opens up the world to them in an age-appropriate way.
We invite you to find out more about America’s largest public media enterprise.
PBS
J.C. Hutchins is an award-winning fiction and nonfiction storyteller, with 15 years of professional writing experience. His two novels – 7th Son: Descent and Personal Effects: Dark Art — were published in 2009 by St. Martin’s Press.
J.C. Hutchins
Arts, culture and city life from WNYC, New York Public Radio, 93.9 FM, 820 AM.
WNYC Culture
The White House is one of the world's most famous buildings. Learn more about its art and architecture, the Presidents and First Ladies who have lived here, and how you can take a tour.
The White House
The White House
Hibernation
Tri Harder
About
Discover in
Share
Playing on
This podcast provides a full cycling workout for the indoor or outdoor enthusiast. The workouts are the same that I teach at my spinning classes, and can be used by both cyclists and fitness enthusiasts for indoor or outdoor cycling.
Feedback
Most Popular
Newer Episodes
Older Episodes
Most Popular
Most Recent
Most Viewed
Asia \ Saint Kitts and Nevis
Europe \ Spain
Discover By Location \ North America \ United States \ Texas \ Wichita Falls
Discover By Location \ North America \ United States \ Kansas \ Wichita
Discover By Location \ North America \ United States \ Georgia \ Brunswick
Discover By Location \ North America \ United States \ Florida \ Lakeland-Winter Haven
Discover By Location \ North America \ Mexico \ Sonora \ Agua Prieta
Discover By Location \ North America \ Mexico \ Guerrero \ Iguala-Taxco
Discover By Location \ North America \ Canada \ Ontario \ Windsor
Discover By Location \ North America \ Canada \ British Columbia \ Terrace
Discover By Location \ Europe \ Radio in Romania \ Bucuresti
Discover By Location \ Europe \ Czech Republic \ Plzen
Discover By Location \ Asia \ Brunei Darussalam
Talk \ Specialty Talk \ Health, Home & Life \ Life \ Motivational
Talk \ Specialty Talk \ Health, Home & Life \ Life \ Advice
Talk \ Specialty Talk \ Health, Home & Life \ Home \ Home Improvement
Talk \ Public / National \ Books-Conversation \ Book Reviews
Talk \ News \ Weather
Talk \ Business \ Money
Audio Books \ Sports and Hobbies \ Cooking and Wine
Audio Books \ Self Development \ Goals
Music \ Electronic \ Speed Electronic
Premium Learning \ Natural Health & Healing \ Yoga
Premium Learning \ Audio, Sound & Music Production \ Recording Techniques
Premium Learning \ Film Television & Video \ Lighting Techniques
Premium Learning \ Boating \ Heavy Weather
Premium Learning \ Boating \ Boat Maintenance
Premium Learning \ Maintenance \ Painting
Russian Films \ Holidays \ Victory Day
Discover By Location \ Europe \ United Kingdom \ Swindon
Sports \ Horse Racing \ Japanese Horse Races
Sports \ Outdoors \ Cycling
Sports \ Basketball \ WNBA \ Eastern Conference \ Atlanta Dream
RSS feed
Direct link
Playing on all devices
Does the weather suck where you are? Yeah, me too. Today it's cloudy and rainy, wet and cold with no sun and a biting wind. It's not too cold for running, really. But it's too gloomy to do anything enjoyable, or to enjoy anything. Unless you're really determined. Which I'm not.
I'm grumpy.
I bet you're feeling the same way. The weather sucks, and it's going to continue to suck for the next several weeks, if not a few more months.
It's hard to train when you're grumpy and the weather sucks. It's hard to remember that everyone else--all your competitors and colleagues--are going through the exact same thing. We've all been spending way too much time on the trainer/treadmill. We've all had to bundle up and slow down to the point that it's almost not worth going outside at all. And we're all starting to get so grumpy that we don't even want to do it.
We need some sun.
Unfortunately, I don't have the power to bring you the sun. What I can give you, though, is a little bit of exposure to the stars.
Watch these videos and remember the awesomeness that is triathlon. Remember what it feels like to cross the finish line. Remember that you are a part of all of it.
And remember that the long, boring, grump-inducing hours inside will be worth it come summer.
Geelong 70.3 (2010)
GPI Triathlon (2009)
GPI Triathlon 2009 from Leonardo Felippi on Vimeo.
Des Moines Hy-Vee Triathlon (2009)
Hibernation
Beginners' articles, for the most part, come in one of two flavors (no, not chocolate and vanilla): either they tell you the same information as every other beginners' article, or they try to share new tips, most of which don't really apply to beginners. Now neither one is necessarily bad, mind you. In fact, the former is highly useful, and the latter can be useful (eventually).
The problem, I think, is that the people with the information--those of us who have been there, those of us who have done that, those of us who have learned all the things beginners need to know--have forgotten what it's like to be the greenhorn. You remember how in middle school, you just knew that your teachers (and parents and lunch ladies and principles and every other person over the age of 20) had no idea what you were going through? Well, same thing. You get to a certain point in your training, and you forget the kinds of struggles that newbies have. You forget that sense of dread and fear on race day, the confusion of the transition area, the fear that everyone else knows what to do except you.
Point is, those of us who have been there and done that are only so helpful. Sure, we try to answer your questions on blogs and message boards, at pools and in cycling classes. But in the end, you have to be able to bring this information together for yourself. You have to be able to synthesize.
Example? This article offers great tips for beginners. Sign up for a race, get a bike, have someone watch your stroke. Check. Those are all good things. But the article doesn't really break down for you how you're supposed to go from (hypothetically) the Couch to 5k plan you just completed to getting through your first triathlon.
This article isn't going to solve that problem for you, either. Why? Because there's plenty of information out there that already does that. The tips I want to give you are how to start building a mental picture of what it'll take to get you to the finish line your first time around. And here they are:
Read voraciously. Seriously. There are so many websites. There are so many books. There are so many blogs. If all else fails, pull up Google and do a search for what you want to know (i.e. "Do people ever die in the swim?"). Read articles. Check out books and magazines from the library. Borrow books from friends. Ask for recommendations. Follow triathletes on Twitter. Just start putting information into your brain.
Talk to everyone. Okay, probably not everyone has a bunch of athlete friends around. I know some of you are preparing for your first race in isolation. But you have this big, wide, online, global community at your fingertips. Take advantage of it. Ask questions on message boards. Ask questions on Twitter. Ask questions on blogs. You may have noticed that triathletes are a pretty evangelistic bunch. We want you to be part of our sport. So ...
Beginners' Guide: Synthesis
Pasta in the style of the devil. Yum!
Here's how I do cooking:At store: "Hmm, whole-wheat pasta sounds good. Also mushrooms. Ooh, look! Mini Naked juices! Cheap mini Naked juices! Score!"At home: "Okay, water on to boil . . . I'm craving some garlic. Five cloves should about do it. Lots of olive oil, low heat . . . Now what else will go with garlic? Might as well use those mushrooms. Rough chop . . . And that would be really good with some tomatoes, too . . . Let's see what's in the fridge. Leftover chipotle peppers? Perfect! It'll be a spicy one . . . Fine chop on those . . . Ooh, sweet yellow bell peppers! That'll be great! Now all those into the mix . . . Hmm, maybe sun-dried tomatoes instead of fresh . . . Whoa, too spicy! What about some tomato paste . . . Yes, that's better; a little sweeter. And oregano! Oregano will go great with these flavors!"
And that's how I come up with new recipes.
Be aware that this one takes a little while. Figure about 30 minutes on prep time.
2 oz whole-wheat pasta (I used thin spaghetti)Boiling water (reserve some of the water the pasta cooked in for the sauce) Extra virgin olive oil Fresh garlic (I used 6 cloves) Fresh mushrooms (must be fresh, and I used 3 large ones)Fresh sweet bell pepper (yellow, orange, or red, as green won't be sweat enough. I'm sure roasted red peppers would be good, too. I used about a quarter of a pepper.)2 small chipotle peppers (reserve some of the sauce from Sun-dried tomatoes (I used a handful of grape tomatoes that I dehydrated myself)Tomato pasteOreganoKleenex (trust me)
Start by boiling water with a generous amount of olive oil and salt over high heat. After it comes to a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook for 6-8 minutes. While the water is boiling and the pasta is cooking, prep your veggies and other stuff. Roughly chop the garlic, mushrooms, and sweet pepper. Finely chop the sun-dried tomatoes and chipotle peppers. Start a saute pan over low heat with a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil (if you say E.V.O.O. I'm gonna punch you in the face) and the roughly chopped garlic. Keep the heat low, and let it simmer for about 10 minutes (until the garlic starts to soften; this makes the garlic soft and mild and delicious and also flavors the oil). By this time, the pasta should be done. Reserve 1-2 cups of the water from the pasta, then strain the pasta and run cool water over it to make sure the cooking process stops. Set the pasta aside.
Recipe File: Jamie's Pasta al Diablo
Ah, back into the racing of swim, bike, run in sequence. How I've missed it. Now if we could just move it outside . . .
This triathlon, like so many of the indoor races, broke competitors into small groups (8 people per heat). 500 m in a 5-lane pool, 6 miles on a stationary (not spinning) bike, 2 miles on an indoor track. I was in the 3rd heat, seeded at an 8:30 500m, with a bunch of guys. Out of 8 competitors in the heat, I was the only female. I shared a lane with Lonnie, who was right behind me at the Derby Rock 'n' Route Tri.
Neither one of us was much fun as a lane-mate, I think. I was definitely encroaching in his space. He stayed right in front of me for the first 200 m or so. Then I pulled up even with him, but never quite passed him. I swam my own pace as much as possible, and breathed bi-laterally to avoid the splashing from him and the guy in the next lane over (the lane ropes at the Central Y are yellow string with bits of blue foam noodle). I stuck with flip turns for the first couple hundred, then switched to open turns, because I was having trouble coming off the wall straight. In the last 100 m or so, Lonnie surged, and I let him. I picked up my pace just enough to stay on his hip, and tucked in a little closer to him. He pulled me home, and I beat him to the wall. Didn't bother with shoes or a towel; just took my cap and goggles off and ran (delicately) up the stairs.
Can I just say now that stairs are the worst part of indoor triathlons? You almost never encounter stairs at real races (UCSB and CSULB are two exceptions that I've seen)! I guess we'll just say it's practice for hills, which is something you don't have to deal with at all indoors.
The bikes were Cybex stationary bikes, standard-issue cardio equipment. These bikes are not at all attuned to the fine needs of triathletes' bodies. We are used to being crouched over and uncomfortable and aerodynamic. You could put Grandma on one of these bikes for physical therapy. It's way different than a spinning bike, even. The strategy with this kind of equipment in an indoor race is to push as hard as you can. A fast cadence will not be as effective as high resistance. So (if you're planning to do an indoor race on bikes like these) just turn up the resistance and push the pedals.
Of course, the disadvantage to that kind of biking is that your legs fill with lactate and feel like lead as soon as you get off the bike. Add to that the fact that you probably have to run upstairs to get to the indoor track, and you have a recipe for pain.
I could barely walk, let alone run, by the time I finished my six miles of Cybex hell bike leg. So I sort of clomped up the stairs and onto the track. My strategy for the run was to go easy for the first 14 laps (1 mile), then gradually build speed through the second half. I started relatively conservatively, but at a strong pace. The guys in my heat were mostly so much faster than me on the run that chasing them down wasn't even an option; the most I could do was try to minimize the number of times that I got lapped. I think Lonnie lapped me at least 5 times (of cour...
Race Report: Central Y Indoor Tri
This is us at the opera. This is not what we look like running.
I love my Dad. He is the epitome of the phrase, "Slow and steady wins the race." He's one of my biggest fans, and one of my most constant companions. He started cycling a year or two before I did; he's run for as long as I can remember (off and on . . . okay, more off than on). When I was young, he always tried to get me to go out running with him. On several occasions, he signed me up for local 2-mile races . . . which I may or may not have wanted to do (but mostly the latter).
As of yesterday, he's still trying to get me to run.
Because I overslept yesterday morning and missed the wonderful companionship of the Derby Sunday morning 10-miler group. And so I told myself I would go running on my own. But it didn't take much convincing for me to avoid the 15 MPH northern winds and stay in my bed reading a book instead. I took the dog out for a run (all of 15 minutes in the cold and breezy). Then I spent the afternoon watching basketball.
Let me make it very clear: I did not want to run yesterday.
But I made the mistake of asking my dad if he planned to run. His response? "Sure! I'm ready whenever you are!"
So we went out to do a little 2 miles. I made the additional mistake of telling him I planned to do a 2-mile warm-up, followed by 14 minutes at tempo. After we finished our little 2-mile out-and-back (with me grumping all the way about how my legs hurt and I didn't want to run and my body didn't feel like it wanted to do this), he said, "I'll take your coat in if you want to keep running." Whine . . . sigh. I walked back and forth, debating whether or not I wanted to go ahead with the tempo run, and finally told myself, "It's only 7 minutes out and 7 minutes back; it would be silly not to do it." So I sighed again and said, "Alright, I'll do it. If it hurts too bad, I can always turn around and come back after a few minutes."
What does my dad do? He runs with me. "You can just run on ahead, and I'll turn back whenever you turn back." Of course, once we got started, I had to finish it. So I ran my full warm up, and my full tempo run, and another 10 minutes of cool down, as well.
And I wouldn't have done any of it without my dad.
Runner's High: Dad
First off, don't worry; it's perfectly normal to freak out in the swim on your first tri. For that matter, it's perfectly normal to freak out in the swim at your second tri. I have clients and athletes who are 3-4 years into their triathlon journey, and they still sort of freak out. So don't worry; that's normal.
One of the women I taught to swim this spring just did her first race (Emporia) on Sunday. And the swim did not go quite as well as she may have hoped or planned. First off, that time trial start can be a really crappy situation for the newer swimmers because they have a poor sense of how to pace themselves. So people who should be at the back of the line seed themselves too high, and people who belong more to the middle seed themselves to the back. Bottom line, my poor friend had to pass a guy who should have seeded himself waaaaay slower than he did. So she had to pass him after less than 50 m (of a 400 m swim, mind you). Passing--even passing someone way slower than you--is hard work, and after that, she had trouble recovering her breath and regaining her rhythm. From there, she was strictly in survival mode.
My first triathlon wasn't so bad. I did a lot of backstroking and sidestroking, but overall I managed to maintain a pretty good rhythm. My second tri? Not so much. It was Pumpkinman, and it was in Lake Mead, and it was frickin' cold. I was wearing a wetsuit (borrowed, natch) for the first time. I'd never swam in a wetsuit before. I had a minor panic attack right there when the gun went off. I couldn't put my face in the water; I couldn't breathe when I did. My body absolutely rejected the notion of normal freestyle breathing. So I did the elementary backstroke for the whole swim. Longest 750 m of my life.
So it's a normal thing. But what do you do about it? How do you move past that place of panic and into a place of calm?
First off, chill out. There's absolutely nothing wrong with getting pumped for a big event, but if you're new to racing and have trouble with the swim, you'll probably be better served by listening to Sounds of Meditation than the theme song from Rocky. That initial shot of adrenaline might give you the kick start you need at a bike or run race, but in a triathlon swim, it's going to freak you out. So try to get calm and Zen instead of pumped up before the swim start. There will be time to get pumped or highly focused after you've mastered the swim start.
Second, practice. This is especially important if you're going to be doing a mass start and an open water swim. If you'll be racing with a wetsuit, practice with a wetsuit. The first time you put it on, you'll be surprised at how constricting it feels, and you don't want to be starting a race feeling constricted. Not unless you enjoy hanging on to the sides of paddle boats or kayaks, anyway. If you'll be swimming in the ocean, you damn well better practice in the ocean. Nothing's going to freak you out worse than swimming through a patch of seaweed for the first time. If you're going to be starting from a beach, practice running into the water; figure out before hand how long you want to wait until you start swimming. And if there will be a mass start (if you're swimming in a lake or ocean, there will be), practice with some fr...
Beginners' Guide: First Race
Well, this race report is almost two weeks overdue. I've been . . . otherwise occupied, and not at all interested in blogging about a race at which I didn't even perform to my potential. But the weather was nice, and there were lots of happy people, so the race wasn't a total bust. A good day, but not a great race.
Morning began late for me, because I'd been out late the night before. But I hadn't been drinking, so at least my race prep was better than for this race. I rode to Sedgwick County Park with my parents. My dad was running the 10k, and my mom was going to try her hand at the 2 mile run (NOT the 2 mile walk!). Weather was perfect: mid 50s with a light wind (this being Kansas, anything under 20 MPH is light) and plenty of sunshine. I shucked my warm ups and headed out for about a mile of warming up.
As I jogged around the park, I couldn't help but appreciate the beauty of the day. I actually just stood and stared at one of the lakes for a while. It really couldn't have been a more perfect atmosphere for what we were doing.
This year's race featured "chip timing," but really it was just a chip finish. I have no idea where the start line was, or how far I ran before I crossed it. I estimated, and my finish time is based on that (the official finish time doesn't take the slightly delayed start into account). I went out hard; my intention was to set a pace of 5:20/km. My dream was to run sub-50:00, which would require a 5:00/km pace.
I did well for the first few kilometers, but my body was sending me early warning signs; the pace was not sustainable. After 3 or 4 kilometers, I was starting to be passed back by some of the people I had run by earlier. One of my cycling buddies caught me at around the 6k mark, but couldn't sustain my pace through the dirt section (most of kilometer 6 is run on an unpaved road in the park). I didn't exactly drop her, though; she stayed just about 20 yards behind me for the rest of the race, apparently. Kilometer 6 was also measured long; my split for that one was 6 something, while my 7k split was under 5.
I started trying to accelerate at 8k, then picked it up a little more at 9k. I was passing a few people, at that point. But I had run myself into a dangerous situation, from a competitive vantage point, because I wasn't with any significant group. There was a group of ladies just a little bit too far ahead to catch with a 500m surge, and no one close enough behind me to pose any threat. By that point, I was just sort of cruising to the finish in an (official) time of 54:12, an average pace of 8:43. The time on my watch was 53:44. But, like I said before, I 100% guessed as to the location of the start line. Last year's time was 54:07, so I'm in a comparable place this year. Which I'm not necessarily happy about. I mean, I was happy with last year's time; sub-9:00 pace for a 10k? Alright! But this year, I want to be better. And I wasn't, at least not significantly.
Thing is, I feel like I'm in better run shape. I've been running better. I ran a 2:02 1/2 marathon in January; that's excruciatingly close to that 2-hour mark! I'm stronger and faster than I was a year ago, and I have the numbers to prove it. I think there were two main elements that held me back at the Sun Run.
The first is that my legs were dead. I had done a track workout the week before (a recovery week, mind you) in my Vibrams. It felt goo...
Race Report: Easter Sun Run '10
Thanks to my Photographer for putting together this video and taking all these pictures. I'm really lucky to have such a wonderful and talented . . . Photographer.
Podium.
That's what you need to know, straight off. 2nd place, female overall. Podium, baby.
This has been my first time making it that far up the ranks, and it was my primary goal for this race. Go for it, go all out, and get into the top 3 overall. And I did it.
Still, I'm not quite content. The race was smaller this year than it has been previously. I don't feel like the field was as competitive, especially on the women's side. A lot of familiar faces were missing, including a few friendly rivals. And (as always) I know that I could still go faster. So there's still room to improve.
Pre-raceA certain special Photographer came with me to this race, and it was wonderful to have some company on the ride up, and some support as I readied myself for competition. Also interesting was seeing triathlon in a new way, as I introduced someone new (a tri virgin, if you will) to the wonders of multisport. It makes everything more fascinating; lets you see it through new eyes.
Registration and body-marking were straight-forward. There was only a slight breeze, but it was chilly (not as chilly as last year), and the sky was grey. The main thing that struck me--and I could not get over this--was how few faces I knew, and how the familiar faces were conspicuously absent. It was kind of sad, really. Still, there were a few that I recognized, and I got to chat with some of the folks I've met casually at other races, or in previous years. Also? Got to introduce The Photographer.
Warm up was 15 minutes on the bike--very chilly!--followed by a mile on the track. And several bathroom stops. My stomach was roiling with nerves. Between the bike, run, and bathroom, I ran out of time for a swim warm-up. I went to stand in the snake between numbers 46 and 49 (48 was a no-show) and waited for my turn to come.
Swim: 400m in 7:36 (1:53/100m, 7:35 in '09)I always feel very restrained in a triathlon swim. I'm definitely not giving my all. Just trying to stay within the pack, within a good effort zone, maximizing every stroke, and trying to set myself up for a strong bike/run. Should I be working harder? I don't know . . .
Didn't get passed. Didn't pass anyone else. Felt strong and fluid throughout. And time is almost exactly what it was last year. Probably have some room to improve on this leg.
T1: 32 sec (52 in '09)Estimated about 32 seconds, based on the discrepancy between my official bike time and the ti...
Race Report: Emporia Spring Migration '10
Tomorrow's forecast:
"Mostly sunny. Highs around 64. Southeast winds 5 to 10 MPH."
Sweet.
Pre Race: Emporia Spring Migration 2010
From (you guessed it) The Photographer :-D
IMKS 70.3 Video!
Okay, so this race wasn't all I hoped it would be. I didn't reach my goals. I didn't have a great race, or even a good race. But I'm over it now, and I finally feel ready to break it down. Let's try to figure out where I went wrong.
Pre-race
By far the best part of the weekend. The Photographer and I headed up to Lawrence Friday night, set up camp, and settled in for an awesome time. Dinner was baked potatoes and chicken rubbed with herbs and pan-grilled over an open flame (provided by yours truly's awesome wilderness survival skills). Temperature was just right--not too hot, not too cold.
Saturday was too hot. Biggest mistake I made was taking my T-shirt off, without considering the fact that I didn't have sunblock on my shoulders, stomach, or back. I got a little crispy. Activities included registration and check-in, an athlete meeting (at which we learned that the water was too warm for wetsuits--yay!), swimming in the lake (temperature was just right), and bike check-in/body marking (which is pointless the day before; my numbers always rub off). Saturday night, my teammate and her family joined us at the campsite, and we finished the evening with yoga, cous cous, grilled bell peppers, and Italian sausage.
Sunday morning dawned cooler--downright, cold, relative to the day before. First thing I did was put on my warm ups. I went through the process of lubing, dressing, sunblocking, and dropping everything I needed off in transition. Race seemed a little less well-organized this year than last year; getting through the maul of people trying to enter T1 was downright dangerous. I've never before cut it so close with my pre-race prep, in terms of getting everything done before transition closed. I borrowed a guy's bike pump right at the last minute to check my tire pressure (good thing, too).
I really had to go to the bathroom, but of course there weren't enough johns to go around. So I stood in line for 20 minutes until I decided that I couldn't wait any longer, at which point I figured I would go after the swim, and started stuffing myself into my wetsuit. Oh yeah! Did I mention that water temperature the day of the race was 77.5* F? So wetsuit legal. I seriously debated whether or not to wear mine, but decided in the end to take the advantage of buoyancy and lower drag, at the risk of overheating. The swim waves started a good 10 minutes late with the pros. I was in wave 8, and was rushing down at the last minute (again, because I'd hoped to get into the potty before I had to swim). I had a random stranger zip me into my wetsuit. I returned the favor. Then it was into the water.
Swim: 1.2 miles, 41:16 (2:08/100 m; last year 39:34)
I think the wetsuit was a mistake. Despite the supposed advantages of swimming in a wetsuit, I would much prefer swimming without one, given the choice. I find the suit constricting for my arms and shoulders. I suppose I should invest in a sleeveless suit, if that's the case. But that takes money, and money is something that I would prefer to spend on race entry fees, right now. At any rate, I had issues with the wetsuit. The first was that it was chafing the sunburn I got all around my mid-section the day before. I had an itchy, burny patch on either side of my low back that started to hurt about a third of the way in.
I didn't have any of the problems I had last year. My goggles didn't fog over. I had no trouble sighting. I didn't get caught by the next swim waves an...
Race Report: IM 70.3 KS 2010
I don't want to talk about it.
Post-race: IM KS 70.3 2010
I had fun!!!!!
That was the main goal, and mission accomplished. I felt so blah after the Lawrence half, where I didn't meet my goals, and at Emporia, where I totally did, that I was afraid I might be done with triathlon for an extended period. Like a year or two. But this race may have changed my mind. At any rate, I didn't take myself too seriously. Actually, I probably should have taken myself slightly more seriously, as we'll soon see.
Pre-race
Well . . . I probably should have looked at the web site a little more frequently. I woke up at 5:20 Sunday morning (after hitting the snooze button 3 or 4 times), and realized that I was supposed to pick up my packet in El Dorado on Saturday; there was no day-of packet pick up. Whoops #1. The Photographer met me at my house (erm, my parents' house) to ride over to El Dorado together. I'm sure I was a trial to ride with. I was tight and nervous the whole time, worried that I wouldn't get to race because I hadn't picked up my packet on time. She kept telling me to relax and not worry; it would be fine, either way.
I also wasn't quite sure where I was going. I hadn't been to El Dorado Lake for about 18 years. Actually, I'm not sure I'd ever been to El Dorado Lake. Sure, I know where it is (roughly), because you drive over it on I-35 on the way to Kansas City. So I used my magic phone (Blackberry) to go to the race web site and find directions. Whoops #2.
While on the race web site, I noticed that the sprint race started at 8:00. Not 8:30, which is what I'd thought, what I'd planned for. That meant that the olympic race started at 7:00. Not 7:30. So not only had I not picked up my race packet the day before, I had timed the drive so that I would arrive approximately 10 minutes before the race actually started. Um, annoying, much? Whoops #3.
In short, the pre-race ritual was highly stressful. Which turned out to be completely silly. Because I walked up to the body marking table, they asked me my name, gave me my packet, and wrote my numbers on me. No questions asked. No comments or reprimands. No wheedling or pleading. So. Frickin'. Cool.
From there, everything went smoothly. I deliberately brought my road bike--not my tri bike!--so that I wouldn't take myself so seriously. Consequentially, I had my SPD cyclocross shoes instead of my tri shoes. Which meant that I (like a n00b) would have to actually sit my butt down on the ground, pull my shoes on, run out of transition in my shoes, and then clip in. Like a plebeian. And I was stoked about it.
I didn't warm up; I didn't listen to my pre-game music. I stood around and talked with my friends and The Photographer. 10 minutes before my race started, I realized that I hadn't lubed my running shoes (I was still going without socks; after all, I do have some pride). Not only that, the packet of Body Glide I had brought for that purpose was still sitting in my running shoe. Where I'd put it. So I wouldn't forget to lube my shoes. I checked the time. 10 'til. Well, one more thing to make sure that I don't take myself too seriously in transition!
I did swim about 100 yards out and back before the swim start. So. You know. Kind of a warm up.
Swim: 500 m, 13:52 (2:07/100)
Well, the swim course was (I was told) measured long. But who cares? I had fun! The men did a beach start for the swim, but apparently that's too tough for the girlie girls; we started knee deep in water. And they didn't specify how far out into the water we could go before the start, so I suppose I should have kept walking out into the water. Maybe then it would have been closer to 500 m.
I got a pretty decent start, going out fast in the first 50, then settling in. I felt strong and confident, if not necessarily fast. The lake was small an...
Race Report: El Dorado Triathlon
I can't sleep.
I have a half ironman in less than 5 days.
I don't really have the mental capacity to write a full blog post, but I have to write something.
I'm not nervous, or anything. Just can't sleep. It's like I can feel individual synapses firing in my brain when I lay still enough. Gah.
I'm so ready for this race. Should have started training about a month later than I did. I feel like I've had six weeks of tapering. My base building was done eons ago. I know I have the fitness to get through the race. And maybe all the sharpening has put me in position to go faster than ever. What do we think? Definitely sub-6:00. Maybe a 2:05 1/2 marathon? How about I really go for it and shoot for a 1/2 marathon PR? No, I don't think that's realistic. But sub-6:00? Hell yeah.
Okay. I'm going to go try to sleep again.
Pre-Race: IMKS 70.3 2010
PR! PR! PR!
So . . . this race report is over 2 weeks late. If I were pregnant, and the baby were 2 weeks late, I would be pissed. It's a good thing my blog is not my baby. Because if it were, it would have died from neglect this month.
Anyway. Back into the race report.
The River Run is THE race in Wichita. Actually, it's arguably the largest race in Kansas (the big Kansas City races are on the MO side, natch). There were around 2200 signed up for the 10k, and another 3200 who finished the 2 mile race. More people than that signed up, but that's how many finished. The River Run has had up to 10,000 participants in past years. In other words, around here it's a big deal.
That's me and The Photographer. And Craig. From cycling class.
I rode my bike to the race, all on the bike paths. It was a little chilly, and my hands and feet were frozen by the time I reached downtown Wichita. The Photographer was there, and I found her right away. What took me much longer was finding my dad. I was later than I'd expected to be, and he'd already put his phone away. I found him at our arranged meeting point, and we walked way far away to where he'd parked so I could stow my bike and spare gear in his car. We jogged back to the start line (a good mile), and I decided that I HAD to find a toilet. So I went to stand in a remarkably short port-a-pottie line (great organization from the River Festival folks), and came back out right as they were announcing "90 seconds to the start!" I hustled to the mass of humanity waiting to run, and pressed as far forward as I dared, trying to seed myself for the mass start. This would turn out to be my big mistake for the day.
When the cannon blasted, everyone sort of jumped forward, like they were going to be able to run or something. I walked. No sense in making the 10k one step longer than it has to be! The start line was hard to miss at this race, and so I was able to start my watch right where it should start. The pack was moving slowly, though. I couldn't open up any kind of speed, except in bursts. I really seeded myself too far back; I should have pressed forward closer to the front. I spent a good mile running, walking, and sprinting, trying to get around the slower runners and up to my own speed. Running through the narrow streets of Old Town was the worst. I hopped up onto a raised planter and ran along that for a while, trying to pass people from above. The course cleared out sufficiently after the Old Town section, and I was able to move myself up through the ranks a little.
In spite of the sluggish start, I hit the 2-mile split in 17:01!
After finally working my speed up to a good (for me) pace, I checked my heart rate and settled in at about 163 BPM. I've realized that the best way for me to pace my races is probably ...
Race Report: River Run '10
I just had what may have been the best swim of my life. Okay, well that might be an exaggeration, but it was a good one, at any rate. Hey! You wanna try it? Here:
100 SKIPS (swim, kick, IM, pull, swim; can be shortened to SKP)
8 x 25 drill (I did one-arm, fist swim, and quick catch)
8 x 75 w/ :45 rest (I went on 2:00)
200 kick w/ fins
8 x 50 w/ :30 rest (I went on 1:15)
200 kick w/ fins
8 x 25 hypoxic (don't breathe until you're touching the wall)
100 choice (not free) to cool down
Fun, huh?
Note: 100 SKIPS is short-hand for 100 swim, 100 kick, 100 IM, 100 pull, 100 swim. It's my standard warm-up. A shorter warm-up is 100 swim, 100 kick, 100 pull. But then I don't get to practice my fly ;-)
Lactate Swim
Previous
1
2
3
4
5
Next
Total 80
Show More
Viaway Ads
please wait...