Backyard Burn 5 Miler

Here's the thing with early spring races, you just never know what the weather is going to be.  The forecast said it would be in the 60's which is perfect weather for me, so when I woke up, I put on some capris pants and a t-shirt, ready to go.... except when I opened the front door, I was met with frigid air.  Grabbed a jacket along with my banana and iced tea and headed out to Wakefield.  Parking was no problem and I grabbed my packet and sat with Joann in her car (with the heat running full blast) until the race start.  We found Jessie, Mindy and Lori in the starting corral just before we set up for the 5.5 mile trail run... yep, they added a *bonus* half mile!

We start out and quickly separate, which I like - don't like holding anyone up and don't like trying to keep up with people that are faster than me.  Soon I find myself at the back of the pack, but not last - I pass one girl who is already walking, get to the first water stop and pass another girl... awesome, I know there are 2 people behind me!  I actually walked a lot less than I thought I would during this race.  Both girls I had passed were right behind me and I didn't want to risk them gaining on me.  I let myself walk a minute or two here and there but I really ran the majority of this trail run.  I even ended up passing another girl just past the halfway mark.  

They said the course was flat, but yeah, not so much.  The last few miles were pretty hilly, but finally I was at the "half mile remaining" marker and knew it was just about over.  The weather did warm up and I actually found myself getting hot.  Getting hungry and glad to be done!  Being slow has it's perks as I had a large cheer squad waiting for me at the end.  My watch said 1:16 for the 5.5 trail miles which isn't awful, and it turns out there were more than just those 3 girls behind me so I was definitely not last.  I'm happy.  Then it was off to Kilroy's for a delicious brunch and home for a quick shower and the rest of the day on the couch.

getting the boot

It was a lovely autumn day, sunny and warm, and I was at my morning soccer team with Fury.  In the first 15 minutes, I'd had a few break-aways and a few shots on goal [to no avail, sadly] when once again, I see the ball coming my way.  I sprint up the field full force and get my foot square on the ball to make another shot against their goal keeper.  Unfortunately, at the exact moment I made contact with the ball, the opposing defender, also coming full force towards me, planted her foot on the ball as well.  BAM!!!  The ball shot straight up into the sky as pain permeated my foot.  Ouch.

I tried to convince myself I wasn't hurt too bad and wanted to burn some extra calories, so I limped my way through another 5 or 10 minutes when I finally pulled myself out of the game.  Sitting on the sideline with the remaining ice from my morning's iced tea, Joann and I determined that I should get some x-rays.  Bleh.  Everyone knows how I feel about hospitals at this point (see Exhibit A).  My leaving the game put our team short players and Joann leaving also would mean we'd be playing down even more (and I just hurt my right foot, so driving myself was out of the question).  With my phone in the jeep, Joann texted Jon and James to hopefully help transport me.  Jon was doing volunteer work at the zoo and wouldn't be able to get out to Fairfax anytime soon and we never heard back from James, but we didn't want to leave our team in the lurch, so I sat through the second half of the game.  This worked out well actually because that freed up more people and Daz was able to follow us with my jeep.  

For once, the wait at urgent care was minimal and I was getting examined fairly quickly.  Initial results showed no sign of fracture, but a severe sprain, and I was not to walk for at least a couple weeks.  I planted myself on the couch for the rest of the weekend.  To make matters worse, this happened 6 days before Jon and I were set to leave for Dominican Republic for Cori and Marcello's wedding.  I will say this, however, about travelling with a boot:

• No waiting in the lines at airport security... anywhere!  
• First to board means first dibs at the overhead bins.
• No rushing to make your connection flight... instead, they will summons the people mover and transport you in a timely manner (even better that your destination flight knows you're en route and will wait for you)
• No standing in lines at customs!  Just like with airport security, they wheel you right through.

Nonetheless, having the boot is annoying.  It makes paradise a little less fun, and it makes an active person antsy to get moving again (though admittedly, there were times that I was grateful for having a decent excuse for sitting on the couch).  Driving was a pain and entirely unsafe.  Formal occasions were difficult, and of course I had several:  Joann's birthday at the oyster riot, holiday parties, Ingrid's birthday, and of course the wedding in the DR.  Yuck, yuck, yuck!

BUT.  This injury is temporary, despite my orthopedic surgeon threatening surgery if it does not heal soon, and I am looking forward to spring races and even my first triathlon in two years, this June in Williamsburg.  Guess I should be hitting the pool or the bike trainer, huh?!

Slam the Dam

I was so nervous about this event.  2.4 miles.  This is what I consider the "marathon" of swimming.  It's the iron distance to the sport in the same way that 26.2 miles is the marathon of running and 112 miles is the century (plus) for cycling.  This was double the distance I've ever swam, my arm has been injured for weeks, and even worse, there were no walk breaks, no coasting down a hill.  This was keep pulling and keep kicking... or sink.  The water temperature was in the 80's and my desire to carry on all my luggage meant no wetsuit (aka security blanket) for me, another scary factor surrounding this event.

There was some uncertainty about who was going to this race.  Deb wasn't sure she could swing the trip and Jon already told me he was out since he's got 2 other trips the same month.  How the heck was I going to do this all alone???  James was going to Vegas with me but didn't offer to accompany me to the event, and Ed wasn't even flying in until Saturday.  This might have been the most stressful part, not having race company or a sherpa.  Racing alone is lonely, not having anyone to talk to before the race or greet you with a smile at the finish, I wasn't looking forward to it.  Luckily Deb *did* find a way to make it happen and arrived in Vegas around 10:30 Friday evening just in time for a quick bite to eat and few hours sleep before our 5:00 wake up call.

For once it wasn't difficult for me to wake up considering I didn't sleep at all.  Contacts in, new tri-top on, shorts, Mamma's Fools jersey and I was ready to go!  After a brief encounter with casino security (there was some kind of attack in our hotel and they were worried I was the victim) and an attempt to get into the wrong car in the parking lot, I was finally off to pick up Deb.  The drive to Lake Mead was uneventful and the lake was beautiful with the sun coming up over the mountain, definitely an instance of the calm before the storm.  Deb and I sat in the car until it was time for the pre-race briefing and before I knew it, the horn was sounding beginning the start of this uncertain swim.

I waded in and let most other people move past me before diving in and setting out.  A few early collisions with another girl, but it wasn't long before I separated myself from the group and settled into a rhythem. As I slowly made my way buoy after buoy, I did some calculations, counting the buoys (20 total), knowing I was 1/4 done... 3/5th done... 7/20th done... I saw Deb not too far behind as well as a couple other people.  We were not last!  Just passed the halfway point I started getting really hungry (pizza!!) and my fingers started hurting.  I had to stop to adjust my goggles a few times, but was otherwise really comfortable in my swim ensemble.   There was one girl just ahead of me that I kept in my sights and saw her make the final turn (and then she slammed right into my bad arm - ouch) so I knew I was close to the home stretch.  Only 5 more buoys to go and then the swim to shore.  I picked up the pace as I was just so ready to be finished.  stroke, stroke, kick, kick... I knew my prediction of 2 hours was optimistic (based upon my 1.2mi wetsuit time), and indeed heard the start of the next race just before my final turn around that last buoy but I no longer cared about time and just wanted to be finished already.  The water was clear and it was getting shallower... finally it was time to stand up and walk out of the lake.  I DID IT!!!! 2:10:50*.  I'll take it.

I felt dizzy and water logged as I made my way out of the water to collect my medal, and was surprised to see Deb standing there.  It turned out she got really cold and called it a day after 1.2 miles.  It was nice to have her there at the finish.  We collected some food but didn't spend too much time hanging out.  After a quick detour to Hoover Dam we returned the rental car and grabbed a cab back to the strip.  James had been out exploring casinos and made his way back to meet me in the room and Ed's plane just landed so he was checking in.  Shower and lunch and then a couple of fun days hanging out in Vegas, losing money on stupid football bets.  We ate the Bellagio buffet, saw the Penn & Teller show, went on a ride at the top of the Stratosphere and explored an off-strip restaurant and casino.  All in all a good weekend, my arm hurts a lot, but I am so pleased with myself for completing this swim!

*Official race results post my time at 1:59:55, however this seems impossible considering a) my own watch wouldn't be *that* far off and b) the 1.2 mile event started at the 2 hour mark (schedule-wise) and this was before I passed the final buoy.