Race Report: Got the Nerve?

“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get back up.”  -Vince Lombardi

The Got the Nerve? Triathlon was this past weekend in the scenic town of Mt. Gretna at the Mt. Gretna Lake.  The race is put on by the IM ABLE Foundation which helps people both able bodied and disabled realize their full potential as an athlete and to push beyond your limits.  They show people of all abilities the potential to lead an active lifestyle.  I was amazed at the different walks of life that come out to support this Foundation and usually, give triathlon a try for the first time!  While the race goes on, there is also a "Tour de Gretna" where people can participate in an outdoor cycling event for 3 hours.  Their mission is to show people that no matter what your circumstances are - you are still able to get up and move!!  Their mascot is even a 3-legged dog!  The money that is raised helps to build hand-cycles or adaptive equipment so people can still get outside and be active.  I am happy to support such a cause and know that I can help other people who are less fortunate who still want to be active, healthy people.  Please check out their website to see all the good they do:  http://www.getupandmove.org/home.php

As for the race report...here we go!

Good:

The weather couldn't have been more perfect.  A cool but comfortable 55 degrees on our way to the race site with the lake temp around 65 come race time (the lake is drained for the winter then spring filled a week before race day).  This felt nice compared to the 58 degrees last year.  There wasn't a cloud in the sky, but we had plenty of shade along the course.  The swim went by unusually fast for being a tad longer than advertised.  The bike went as expected although I found my legs to be a tad tired - need to practice swim to transition 1 a bit more...swimming/running out of the water then sprinting up a hill to transition left me a bit winded!  I am very pleased with the way my new bike handled the climbs, downhills, and flats.  The run was great on the shaded rail to trail path and I felt strong coming into the finish.  I love this race b/c it is very spectator friendly, so there was a lot of cheering along the course, which helped towards the end!  I saw a handful of friendly faces before, during, and after the race, which makes it that much more fun :)  I finished 11 minutes faster than my time from last year, so I am happy with the gains I made.  I believe I finished 4th in my age group and 19th out of 166 females with a 1:33:09.  Joe finished 1st in his age group and 21st overall for his first time racing this course with a 1:18:change!!  He's such a champ it makes me sick :)

Bad:

The only complaint I have about this race is the rail to trail section of the run course.  Parts of the trail can cause you to lose your footing on larger rocks or soft brush if you're not paying attention.  It is somewhat narrow, so you really have to choose your passing wisely so you don't get in the way of runners coming the other direction.  Transition is kind of bumpy, rocky, dirt filled - so running the bike in and out wasn't the easiest either.

Ugly:

Nothing really ugly about this one.  I wish it didn't take so long to get my legs under me after the bike - I think around mile 2 they came around to finish strong.

I would put this on my race calendar every year.  It is a great first timer race too with a lot of support and a great, manageable course.  So, if anyone is contemplating giving triathlon a try, come on up and give it a shot! :)

Now on to Week 11 of training.  We'll be heading to Cambridge, MD this weekend to preview the Ironman Eagleman 70.3 bike and run course which is coming up in 3 short weeks.  It looks like things are turning serious...

Cheers!

Chandra

Race Report: Turkey Hill Country Classic

Who doesn't love free Turkey Hill ice cream??  Well, you'd be nuts if you didn't.  This past weekend Joe and I raced our first 5K in well over a year.  This was a last minute decision mostly b/c we heard it was a fun race, cheap @ $12, and was a fairly local race for us.  And they give out free ice cream afterwards :)  So, here is my race report for the Turkey Hill Country Classic 5K:

The Good:
The race was only a half hour drive south towards Millersville so we didn't have to wake up ungodly early to head to the race.  There was plenty of parking, since we arrived early enough to pick up our packets and warm up a little bit.  The nice thing about local races (small town type of local races) is you can usually park close by with little hassle, have easy access to the bathroom port-a-pots, and not get run over if you start close to the front of the pack.  The race was extremely inexpensive and there was a really nice post-race gathering with fun moonbounce areas for kids and free Turkey Hill ice cream, drinks, and food.  It was a beautiful day for an old fashioned foot race!!  We had no timing chips, so starting towards the front was somewhat necessary if you wanted to have an accurate time.  The good part about my race was having a 5K PR (26:15) on somewhat of a challenging course with no shade and heat/humidity taking it's toll.  AND Joe placed 1st in his age group with a time of 19:41!  We were able to stick around for the awards ceremony, get some sun, and see the start of the bike race going on after the 5 and 10K races.

The Bad:
Well, even though the sun was shining, it was pretty humid and I wasn't feeling 100% from our 10 mile run on Thursday.  Although, I haven't been feeling 100% even on my off days lately...hm.  The course was advertised as flat and fast (unlike the 10K), so the two "hills" were a little unexpected.  I probably started out too fast and found myself having to slow my pace down even on the downhills.  I didn't enjoy being passed by little kids maintaining an all out sprint...wth?  The last mile was a steady downhill, which was nice, but I couldn't find my kick - or I kicked too early and petered out.

The Ugly:
I started out too fast for my little legs and ended up having to slow down even when I was trying to push harder.  I wanted to break 26 minutes and thought I would, but time ticked away as I saw the finish line over a mile away and kicked too soon.  There were a ton of kids, which I didn't mind, but they all started at the front at an all out sprint and were walking by the first uphill.  I guess this is where racing experience and etiquette can be appreciated.


We're coming up on week 9 of recovery and I've been feeling overly exhausted lately.  So, I'm going to take it REALLY easy this week and try to work on some stretching/yoga/icing/recovering this week.  I also have some fun stuff to look forward to throughout the week (stay tuned!!) so it's hard not to be excited :)  Although I can't attend this week, this is the first week of the Gretna Gut Wrencher training series with our tri club.

The past two weeks have been more of the same, although, we have moved into the "Aerobic Phase" of our training from weeks 7-12.  We starting to get into some longer stuff and some more intense stuff.  Last weekend was a mentally tough two days of long workouts.  We were so busy out in Philly and had to fit in our long ride and run both days.  I had a hard time on Sunday (29th) getting motivated and became overwhelmed with everything that needed to be done around the house.  So, training is beginning to take it's toll in different ways.  And after this phase, we'll be in our Ironman Specific training phase from weeks 13-18...it will come so quickly, I know.  I can't imagine doing it right now...even a Half!  I need to figure out wth is going on with me being tired constantly and get my shit together...race day will be here before I know it!

Thanks for reading!
Chandra :)