Triathlon
**Learn more about Ramblin Rose events here**
Sometimes I feel like a fraud.
Here I am writing this blog that’s supposed to be about fitness: training for triathlons and races. But in reality, there hasn’t been much of that.
I’m not where I thought I’d be at this point: 16 months into motherhood. I’d assumed after an active pregnancy and jumping back into things easily that I’d be back at my normal fitness level by now.
I’m not. And I’ve been ok with that. But now I’m ready.
I started out strong, easing back into running {after a long, drawn out break due to pre-pregnancy injury} just weeks after having a baby. But then it went downhill. Not a steep downhill; a slow and not-so-steady slight downward incline.
My baby didn’t sleep. Like REALLY did.not.sleep. I became an absolute robotic zombie. I went into survival mode. Most of the time survival mode did not include physical activity that went beyond the athletic feats it took to coerce the babe into slumber. I had no interest in the effort it took to go to the gym or picking my feet up faster than a walk.
Then I got stuck in a rut. I adapted to the routine of not really doing much or always taking care of everything else first. I remember a friend telling me once that she gave up long distance running after having a baby because she no longer had interest in going out on 2 hour long training runs. At the time I didn’t understand. Now I do.
Even when babies exhaust you and frustrate you and plain wear you out, you still want to be there for as many moments as possible. It’s hard to tear yourself away even if you know taking care of yourself is good for everyone in the long run.
So I’m in need of a little push. Something concrete on the calendar that I can’t brush aside. And I’ve found just that. Two little somethings, actually.
I’ll be doing not 1, but 2 triathlons this summer/fall. A couple months back I won a giveaway from Caitlin and immediately registered for the Winston-Salem Ramblin’ Rose Sprint Tri. Now I’m excited to announce that I’m a Ramblin’ Rose Blog Ambassador! Which means they’re graciously covering my registration to the Ramblin’ Rose Tri in Charlotte.
Ramblin’ Rose organizes a great series of women-only events that “inspire & empower families”. Though I have no qualms competing against men, I love the camaraderie of women’s-only events. The Ramblin’ Rose tris are specifically designed for beginners- they’re super sprints of 250m swim, 9 mile bike, and 2 mile runs {“ish”- each race is a little different}. The perfect intro {or re-intro} to the sport of triathlon.
I’m so excited {if not somewhat terrified} to have these two events on my calendar. I can’t wait to start training. This is perfect timing to go along with the What’s Beautiful campaign I’m participating in. Anybody want to do one with me?! *Nudge nudge*
I might need you all to remind me that I need to train though…deal?
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Race
Official race photos are notoriously bad. Like really bad.
But the Rugged Maniac official race photos were not only rugged, they were awesome- so fun to go back and look at what all the other racers were doing and what the course looked like.
Here’s a few of the proofs from the photography company, AltaSky. {Who did a fantastic job- the pictures rock.}
Ready, set, mud!
It’s tire time.
Oh, just a little cargo net in the way…
The jumping may have been worse than the climbing.
Yes, that’s barbed wire.
Do you like my blonde highlights mud-lights?
After crawling hands & knees through the first barbed wire pit, apparently I decided to crouch my way through this one.
Balance beaming. {As you can tell, it wasn’t exactly a race.}
This guy was just freaking awesome rugged.
Water’s a little deep…
Do you see how high I’m looking up? Long climb up to the slide.
Almost mudslide time…
How you can you not love this picture?
Here goes nothing!
{No slide pictures of us. Boooo.}
Speaking of deep water…
The bottom of the mudslide was at least 4 or 5 feet deep…we watched people just disappear at the bottom before we slid down.
Yup, I’d say it was rugged alright.
Do you ever buy race photos? Even if they’re awful?
Training
All day yesterday I grappled with my decision to officially register for the Columbia Triathlon in May.
I honestly couldn’t tell you what I was going to do until I went to sleep late last night. {I’ve always been a good procrastinator.}
I was encouraged by your positive comments…
…and even took a poll.
But ultimately, I was the one that had to make the decision.
And I decided…
Not to do it.
Not my favorite decision. But in the end it came down to being smart and realistic, and realizing there’d be other opportunities.
Why I Decided Not to Race
- In the past 10 months, I’ve only been running for 3 weeks. A 45 minute 5K laden with obstacles and delays was the farthest I’ve run since last June.
- The race is in 5 weeks. {6.2 miles for the run}
- The run I hurt my knee on was 6 miles. I’d run two half marathons leading up to that 6 mile run- I was well-trained, and still got hurt.
- I knew I couldn’t ask people for money and not fulfill my obligation to complete the race.
- Knowing that, I might not have made the wisest decisions for my body come race day. {I.e: drop out on the run.}
- I don’t have a bike yet
- I already have a full race calendar, with tris in June and August, and a bike ride in July. I don’t want to blow a whole season on one race, no matter how much that’s the one I really want to do.
and ultimately,
- If it were any of you asking me for the same advice, I’d tell you not to do it.
- I’m keeping mom and the husband happy.
{Hey, they’re the ones that’d have to listen to me complain about my hurting knee and not being able to run. Kind of like they have for the past 10 months…}
I don’t think it’s a coincidence my inbox was full of race registration announcements this morning. I’m tired of sitting on the sidelines, and I’m going to do whatever I can to make sure I don’t have to anymore. It felt fantastic to write that race recap this weekend, and I want to write more!
So, while I won’t be doing the Olympic tri next month, I’m still in training mode- just for a shorter race 4 weeks later. Shorter + more time to train can only = good things. Right?
Training
Yes, road bikes are all they’re cracked up to be. Unfortunately I had to return my loaned bike yesterday… but not before I had a chance to take it for a spin. Luckily the weather cooperated and it was the perfect day for bike riding.
The verdict? The road bike was significantly more uncomfortable than my hybrid; it was also significantly more fun to ride. Faster, smoother, more reactive- this is why people ride bikes for 100s of miles.
But for now it’s back to the hybrid. Time to focus on running!
When I found out I had a spot in an Olympic-distance tri this May, I wasn’t running at all. I knew jumping back into things too quickly, especially with the motivation of a race hanging in there, could spell disaster for my knee. I decided a 5K at the beginning of April would be my test-run.
If I survived that 5K, I could do the tri. If not, the tri was out.
Well the beginning of April popped up out of nowhere. One day it was dreary, rainy, and frosty; the next it was sunny and all kinds of April. The 5K is Saturday.
I won’t tell you that right now I can only run a mile…
Luckily there’ll be some distractions along the course; a chance to give my knee a quick break. And while my knee’s resting, the rest of my body will be doing the work:
You know, just your typical 5K on a motocross track: crawling through tunnels, climbing 7 ft walls, hopping barricades, forging through a jungle of giant swinging truck tires, crawling through the mud, scaling a cargo net, leaping across floating barrels. Yeah, you know.
I’m excited. I was really hoping to jump over a fire pit, but I guess a mudslide will do. 
Have you ever done an adventure race or mud run? Any hints on making it through unscathed?
Sports Nutrition
You know you’re supposed to hydrate when you exercise. You know you’re supposed to drink more when it’s hot out. But do you really know how to hydrate?
I grossly underestimated the power of the summer heat earlier this year at the North Face Challenge. I sipped on my water bottle all morning, but I failed to account for one big thing: the race didn’t start until mid-afternoon- when it’s really hot.
Unfortunately I realized my mistake only after I was 3 miles into the middle of the woods- dizzy, confused, and nauseas. I won’t go into explicit detail (but if you really want to know I did get a bit graphic in my race recap.) It wasn’t pretty.
With a 24 hour bike race around the corner in the peak of August heat, it’s time for me to make sure I don’t repeat that same mistake.
So now, the 6 simple rules of hydration I always knew but never quite followed until now:
How to Hydrate in the Heat
1. Start early. Don’t wait until the morning of the race to start drinking. You can only absorb so much so fast- you don’t want all that hydration going straight to the toilet. Worst case- start the day before. Your best bet- begin hydrating a few days before your event.
2. Replace sweat loss. To stay hydrated, you need to replace any fluid you lose. If you sweat a lot, you better bet you need to be drinking a lot! A good rule of thumb: weigh yourself before & after a workout. The amount of weight you lost is the amount you need to drink. (For every pound lost, drink 16 oz of fluid.) Don’t want to weigh yourself? Check your urine– it should be pale yellow, not dark & concentrated.
<— “3” is the magic hydration number.
If your pee is darker, drink up!
(Chart developed by L. Armstrong, PhD)
3. Don’t rely on thirst. Our bodies are usually pretty good at telling us what we need, but unfortunately they’re a little slow on the uptake when it comes to thirst. You only feel thirsty after you’ve started to become dehydrated. Plus, your thirst is quenched before you’ve gotten all the fluid you need. So drink even if you’re not thirsty!
4. Drink at regular intervals. Water can turn to sweat in as little as 10 minutes. Drinking regularly throughout your workout or event is the best way to stay hydrated. Having small amounts of fluid frequently also helps to prevent that unpleasant sloshing feeling in your stomach.
5. Make it good & easy. The easier water or other fluid is to access, the more likely you are to drink it. Figure out what works for you- carrying a water bottle, using a Camel Bak, etc. Making it taste good helps you drink more too; so does having the fluid cold.
6. Choose fluids wisely. Water is fine for short events, but if you’re exercising for more than an hour, you probably want to try a sports drink or other fluid with electrolytes. What to look for: a drink that’s 6-8% carbohydrate & has at least sodium & potassium in it. [Most beverages marketed as ‘”sports drinks” meet these requirement; this isn’t the time to choose the low sugar option!]
Read this post to learn more about hydration.
As an added bonus, leave your best tip for staying hydrated & be entered to win a BPA-free insulated stainless steel water bottle from Thermos! They’re celebrating the launch of their Cold Matters series and one of you lucky SoS readers gets to win!
For extra entries, share the hydration love and tweet this post! (You know you like free stuff ;))
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or
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Let me know how you’ve entered with separate comments on the hydration post!!!! Ends Sunday 8/29!!
Have you ever gotten dehydrated during a race? What about in training?
