Race Schedule and Results

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Holy Wind

I swear that Mother Nature doesn't like me. There, I've said it. I'm convinced of it. Or maybe it's just the Toyota Challenge Half Ironman. That race is my arch nemesis. Yet...

I keep signing up for it.

I'm a glutton for punishment, what can I say?

Anyway, the race was Sunday. Tom and I, and my mom and dad rented a cabin in the woods (rustic doesn't begin to describe it... no, it wasn't that bad, although Tom and I did relive our college days and slept in bunk beds - separate ones of course, just like college!!!) It meant we were only 5 minutes from the race start. When we checked in on Saturday, they told me that they didn't have start times yet. Lovely... no freaking clue when I have to be down there! This wasn't looking good already!

Sunday morning we woke to rain. It was cold and rainy, the only thing I haven't raced in. I knew that would happen (better that Mother Nature gets this out of her evil system before the Ironman though!). We get to transition around 7:30. Still no clue what time we're starting. I went to a worker and asked them for start times - her answer, "we don't know yet... you'll probably race sometime between 9:15 and 9:30". I love definite answers! We racked our bikes, covered them in a towel, didn't put any of our stuff out and went to the car. Around 8:15, it had stopped raining so we were able to properly set up our transitions. Around 8:45, they announced that they'd be starting the race soon (again, such definite answers). Tom and I decided to get in the water (because it was warmer than the air). Of course when we got out, we froze. I mean straight up shivering. I'm so not ready for fall. Anyway, we still had about 12 waves until we went. We stood around and talked to my mom and dad, tried to keep warm, etc.

The swim - all of the half girls went together. That's the way it always is. There were only 28 of us. The wind had picked up significantly (although it had stopped raining) so the water was fairly choppy. I felt good through the swim. Had someone on my toes the entire time which made me laugh - if they knew they were drafting off someone so slow, they probably wouldn't have picked me right off the bat. Oh well. I finished in 42:12, including the run to transition. I was happy - I think that was a PR for me. T1 was slow as I decided to put on sleeves which I think might have been my smartest move for the day.

The bike - the course is 3 laps. I've biked the single loop a total of 13 times since I've been a triathlete. I know it like the back of my hand. That's a good thing and a bad thing. :) First lap wasn't bad. Second lap gets a little windier and a little tougher. By the third lap, I wasn't having so much fun anymore. The tail wind was lovely, but the headwind just took everything out of my sails. Plus the course is uber boring - cornfields upon cornfields. That's it! I played cat and mouse with this one guy all day. With about 5 miles left, I passed him. He said "go get 'em big girl". Okay, so I know he meant well, but really? That's the only compliment you could give me as I chicked you? I ended up finishing the bike in 3:06:50.

The run - I knew the run would be slow. The bike had zapped me. My goal... run. Just run. Hell, jog, who am I kidding. I don't know what happened to the days of 1:51 half marathons, but I just wasn't having it. During the first lap I stopped to use the port-o-john. I drank the brown water at the water stations. I talked to my mom and dad. I had a lot of time to think about the Ironman. I thought about the fact that there's no way I could double the distance. The next thought was of how I could double the distance and will (you know what Ironman training can do to your thought process...) The next thing I knew, I was finishing! I ran a 2:08 half which was really slow, but finished in 6:01:55. Good enough for 2nd in my age group! :) Can't complain about that! And Tom kicked ass (as always) and took home 1st in his age group so it was a good day for the Kingerys.

Oh, and a funny thing. After the race I was talking to a group of three ladies in pink TEAM MILTF shirts. They did a relay and I saw them throughout the entire day. One of the girls who I saw on the run says to me "did you do the whole race by yourself?". I kind of laughed and said yes. She asked if this was my first. When I told her no, and that I was actually training for my second Ironman, all three girls squealed and proceeded to call me a Goddess. It was so funny and totally canceled out being called a big girl by the douche bag on the bike.

Thank you ladies... you made my day!

Monday, September 28, 2009

zip lining

I will write a post on the race yesterday when I have a chance (it went well...). First, I want to share some pictures from zip lining. We went for a 3 hour zip line adventure near Hocking Hills this past Friday. My mom had bought my dad a gift card for his birthday last year and we decided to come crash the party! It was a blast!!! We went on 10 "zips", 4 bridges and then were supposed to repel at the end, but all did a leap of faith and just jumped off the platform, putting our lives in the hands of our trusty guides. It was so fun! I definitely recommend it to anyone who has some free time and $70 sitting around!
Tom and I all harnessed and ready to go:
My cutie-patootie husband:
Tom and I mid bridge:
My mom and dad mid bridge:
One of our guides took my camera and went down one of the lines with the camera on video. This is a great birdseye view of what we saw all day:

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Something ain't right...

So last week when I smashed my finger in the door at Macy's (shopping injuries... I tell ya!) I knew it hurt like a beotch. Immediately swelled, was bleeding, I almost passed out. You know... typical of smashing your finger in the door. I knew it wasn't broken 'cause I could bend it... kind of. It looks like something that should be attached to the staypuff marshmallow man, not dainty little me (ha, I'm kidding... really). Here I am a week later and it looks like a freaking sausage. Look at that thing... it's not right I tell ya! I finally called the doctor today because it's not getting any smaller. They can't get me in until next week. I have a feeling that it's infected or something. I've been cleaning the tiny cut, today started soaking it in Epsom salt. I've iced it. Some thing's just not right!

Hopefully they don't have to amputate it! :)

We spent the day at the county fair today. I love small town fairs. We have a huge horse race every year called the Little Brown Jug and we just scored tickets in a box for the running of it tomorrow. Today we walked the barns (all the local kids raise and show their animals), we wandered through the food vendors wondering who the hell would eat that crap (I mean, they can fry just about anything these days - we splurged by splitting a soft pretzel), then enjoyed the people watching (oh wow... it was a sight which included all the people eating all the fried goodness!). Ahhh... small farming town. I love it!
Training is moving right along. I'm slightly petrified that we have 6 weeks left, although quietly confident that I'll at least finish if nothing else. I guess I shouldn't jinx myself. Did back to back 10 milers the last two days and my legs felt great. I am definitely showing signed of Ironman training though - slower runs and lots of sleep, but I feel good. Hope that Sunday is a good race day for us both! I think it's supposed to rain which figures... that's the only condition I haven't raced in. Maybe it'll scare my competitors off! :)
One last thing... today is my dog's 9th birthday. He's super spoiled and yes, we celebrate his birthday. And tomorrow is Tom's 34th birthday! :) He keeps telling me that he feels old. Old??? You haven't even peaked yet my dear! HIs mom's card cracked me up though - it said: "Happiness is like peeing your pants. Everyone can see it, but only you can feel its warmth." I'll keep that in mind on Sunday! Happy birthday to my two favorite boys!

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Super behind

And too tired to really catch up... :( I'll try -

My trip to West Palm Beach was awesome... except for smashing my finger in the door (shopping injuries are a bitch!) and falling during my run which caused me to have two bloody knees, a bloody chin, a bloody hand and a middle finger that looks like it should be on the stay puff marshmallow man (well the finger is actually from the door smashing, but you get the point). :) Luck was not on my side at the beginning of last week and I swore that someone was doing voodoo on me. Poor Rhiannon probably thought that I was the biggest klutz in the entire world! I'm slowly getting back into things and my walking is getting better. I look like I'm 90 years old - my knees are killing me! :) I'm such a wuss.

Training is going... did a 102 mile ride yesterday alone and felt great. It was one of those days that if boredom didn't take over, I probably could have kept biking. Just me and the road. :) I was happy. We were supposed to run 17 today, but with these knees all cut up, it's tough. Not to mention my body was screaming for sleep - 9.5+ hours last night, a 2+ hour nap during the day today and right now I'm fighting to keep my eyes open.

This weekend we're racing again and I'm super excited. The Toyota Challenge 1/2 IM is a race that we do annually. Two years ago it was 95 degrees and I finished in like 6:50. Last year we got hit with a hurricane (yup... in Ohio) and I finished in 6:55. I'm hoping that this year will be a little nicer to me. I'd love to go sub 6 again this year, but we'll see. We're renting a cabin though at the state park with my mom and dad which will be a ton of fun. And we're going zip lining on Friday with them in Southern Ohio! :) Should be a nice treat for Tom's birthday which is this Thursday.

Hope to get caught up with every one's blogs this week. I feel like I'm so out of the loop! :)

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

And so it begins

I know I've been in Ironman training since, well, November 3rd of last year, but maybe I was in denial. My workouts were more of "what feels good today" kind of days. I sometimes based my workouts on what I had eaten earlier ("Oh, I ate 4 cookies, I better run a little longer"). You get the picture.

Now it's on for real. No "what do I feel like doing today" workouts. The Ironman is only 52 days away. There's no playing around now.

This weekend I went out for 70 by myself. Biking alone is so boring. I take that back - the first 35 or 40 miles isn't bad. There's enough running through this little head of mine that I can keep occupied, but then I run out of things to think about. I literally try to think of things and can't come up with anything. It's sad. :) Anyway, so Tom was away and I thought that I better get my 70 in alone since I'll be riding in the Ironman alone anyway. I waited until it warmed up enough to not need long sleeves (it's been chilly here) and probably started out around 10:30. It was nice - OSU was playing their first home game and I literally think that everyone who lived or drove on my first 35 mile loop was either at the game or already on their butts watching the pregame. The roads were empty, the winds were calm, the sun was out. It was awesome! I stopped home at 35 miles, filled my bottles with more Gatorade, called my mother-in-law to tell her I was on my way to her side of town and to meet me. I hoped back on and met her around mile 42. She decided to ride 18 with me for a speed workout (which I always think is funny - she's a good athlete and feels like she can get her speed workout in during the last 20 of my long ride). Anyway, my IT starts killing me, same old story. I struggle through the last 8 miles alone and make it back home. Glad it's over, but happy to check it off my weekend plans.

Sunday Tom comes home and we're supposed to run 12 miles. That doesn't happen. I'm just sayin'...

Monday we decide to run 14 as punishment for not getting in the 12 we were supposed to do on Sunday. (Actually, it wasn't punishment, but more along the lines of we both are starting to freak that we're a little behind and have run three 13.1 mile runs in the last month and maybe need to up the distance so that next week's 17 doesn't bite us in the behind). I gained one thing from the run - the realization that I'm slow. :) Slow and steady does the trick right? I just couldn't find my groove. When I was training for the Flying Pig in May, I easily ran 8:30's all the time - usually faster on shorter runs. Monday I couldn't get under 9:10 and by the end, ended up with 9:30 average. I'm not too surprised, but still a little disappointed.

We ran 7 last night. I felt like I was flying. Once my legs realized that I wasn't kidding and they really did need to keep moving, I just felt fluid. I love that feeling. I still only managed 9:11's, but after 14 the day before, I'll take it. And I didn't feel like shit - that's the true sign that I'm fine with the pace!

This weekend we're running long and riding long, possibly in Hocking Hills. My main concern is that I'm not geared for the ride... I'm a flatlander as my cousin has called me. We'll see. Guess it'll make Florida seem downhill the whole time! HA!

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Other randoms -
  • My really good friends Tracy and Jim are racing this weekend in Australia for the US team at the Olympic tri worlds. They are absolutely amazing and awe inspiring. I couldn't be more proud to know them, and to have them representing our country this weekend! GO USA!!!
  • I leave in 5 days for West Palm Beach with my bestie, Rhiannon. I'm so super excited. Things have been, ahem, stressful around the Kingery house lately and I'm glad to just get away for a few days. We have some fun things planned - shopping, a couples massage (how freaking funny is that???), beach time, I'm sure some bottles of wine, etc. Should be a good get away!
  • Tom is thinking of doing the Las Vegas marathon in early December with his mom. Yeah, exactly a month after the Ironman. Oh, and she'll use it to qualify for Boston. He asked if I would be interested. I think he was serious, but I couldn't tell. HA! At least I'll get a fun vacation out of it if he decides to go through with it. I'll be happy to do the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving. If I'm running by then, that's good enough progress for me!
  • My event, High Heels and High Hopes is October 1st. The last I heard, we had 220+ people coming. And I wonder why I'm stressed. It's so good to give back, but wowzers, just a huge amount of work. And I'm not even doing most of it!!! :)

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Girl's night

I'm super excited for some time with my girlfriends tonight - not all of them, but some of them! :) I've been needing this time. A little shopping. A little Mexican food. Maybe a margarita or two. Sounds like the perfect night to me.

It's always so quiet when Tom's gone. I get a craptastic amount of stuff done during the day which is good, but at night, when I finally settle down for dinner and relaxation, it gets kind of lonely. I wonder if I would ever make it alone. Not that I have any plans to not be married to my wonderful husband for eternity, but without him, I'd be amazingly lost. And bored. :)

Training's going well. I'm beat - shocker right? I mean, IMFL is only 9 weeks, 1 day, 19 hours, 40 minutes and come change away (who'd counting though). I guess I should be exhausted.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

I know...

It's been yet another week without an update. And it's already September. I'm busy, what can I say.
This past weekend we were in Chicago for the Chicago Triathlon. Team Type 1 was racing so Tom and I made the trek in on Friday. Although the trip should have taken us 5.5 hours, we got there a little more than 8 hours after leaving. I'm usually good with directions and well, I missed a crucial turn. I was so freaking pissed. We had tickets to see Tony Bennett with some of Tom's teammates and I had such a horrible day that we canceled. I felt bad, but I was in no mood to socialize (and poor Tom - I blamed him when it was clearly my fault - such a wife move!). We grabbed some dinner and just got settled in. Saturday, we met up with everyone, walked through the expo, got all the team checked in, and had a great dinner at Club Lucky. It was up and out early on Sunday - Transition closed at 5:45, but the first of Team Type 1 wasn't racing until nearly 8. I think most of the guys checked their gear and went back to bed. Tom, of course was in the first group of his teammates racing so we quickly ran back to the hotel, changed and ate and went back to the swim. It was a gorgeous day (albeit cool and windy) and the team did awesome! Congrats Tom, Matt, Bradford, Bobby, Ryan, Laura and Kevin. You all did amazing and I'm so glad that I finally got to meet all of you!!!
This is before the swim start of Tom and Matt's wave:
Matt had a cake made for the after race BBQ!
And I have to tell you, I've never met a more amazingly well meshed group of people. These guys and girls come from all over, but they all get along so well. I know that they have common interested - triathlon, diabetes, helping others - but more than that, they are all the most relaxed, easy going people. They were tons of fun to hang out with, I laughed a lot and I hope that I can get to more races next year (although I'll have to admit, sherpa duty for 7 people wasn't easy and I would much rather have been racing - such a true competitor!)

We got home last night and Tom had a flight this morning at 7am. He'll be in Orlando for the next 6 days which leaves me to pick up the pieces of us being gone for a few days, as well as training alone. This is the last week before Hell Week 1 of training. Luckily I have a trip to West Palm lingering in the near future!!!

Quick shout out to a few blogger friends who did amazing Sunday at IMKY
  1. Ryan is kick ass. That's all I can say. He finished in 9:38, 2nd fastest amateur bike split, 9th amateur overall and 28th finisher overall. Earned his spot in Kona and totally deserves it! Great job Ryan!!!
  2. Judi is an IRONMAN!!! In her first (although I'm sure not last) IM, she did amazing! Finishing in 14:21 with a huge smile on her face! I am so proud of you Judi!!!
  3. Amanda is unbelievable and I'm in awe of her abilities. She recently qualified for Worlds in Australia and rocked a 48 minute PR with a finish time of 11:22.

Great job to everyone who raced this past weekend!