Sweating to a New Beat (and a Corn Maze)

Not but a few minutes ago did I finally publish my Chicago Triathlon race report. "Pam, wasn't that months ago?" Yeah yeah yeah.

I brushed off that race and have moved onto new things this off-season. Since my fifth triathlon season has wrapped up I've gotten involved with two new-ish and awesome hobbies, both coincidentally from Groupon: group running and hot yoga. Back in May I purchased a one-year membership the Chicago Area Runners Association (CARA - the largest running organization in the area) and in August I purchased a one-month unlimited membership to CorePower Yoga. I've taken my passion for fitness to a whole new level.

I'd like to take a moment and interrupt this portion of the blog to bring you this week's seasonal race: The Corn Maze 5k! It was so corny!!!! I jogged with a good friend Lori and we took our time and I actually documented it the whole way from my phone. Here we are!





Okay, back to business.

Group training isn't new to me but there weren't any organized running clubs or groups near home that were convenient. So, I decided that I was going to make my own fun. I emailed CARA and asked if there was anything in my immediate area. They responded and said there wasn't anything official or organized but if I wanted to host a weekly fun run they'd allow me to do so. They'd promote it and somewhat co-manage it. Shortly after I received another friendly email saying that there was another young woman in my town who also asked the same thing who also wanted to join a weekly fun run. It was great timing actually! We met up before the first fun run and actually have quite a lot in common. I was happy to have a new friend and listen to her marathon experiences while I spilled the beans on triathlons. We began our first weekly fun run not far from home and with some great weather. There were about 8 women total and we ran about 3 miles. It's truly amazing the people you meet when running brings you together. Since then I've twisted my ankle a few times, pushed my pace a bit and conquered a few longer distances (4 miles is "longer" for me). I'm not sure how much longer we'll be able to meet since it's stupid dark by 6-6:30pm but at least we all got out there and have supported each other.

There's a pace that I've had to maintain when running in a group and I've really enjoyed it. Before I know it I'm maintaining a pace that I couldn't do by myself and I'm proud of what I've accomplished. I don't run often anymore but the minimum once per week with the CARA ladies keeps me going.

On October 1 I turned in my Groupon for the one-month unlimited class at CorePower Yoga. Prior to that I took advantage of a free week and wasn't so sure how I was going to feel about hot yoga. (Here's a hint: it was hard, sweaty and challenging.) I've always enjoyed yoga just haven't found the right studio to join. Since then I've been totally hooked. The classes I attend are minimum 100 degrees with 40% humidity. (Here's another hint: I'm sweating when I'm lying on the mat.) Since joining and attending 3-5 classes per week I don't know if I could do anything BUT hot yoga. If I'm not dripping wet when I leave then the class wasn't a success. I can tell that I've worked hard and I've accomplished so much. With hot yoga comes added strength and flexibility and I can see this during my strength workouts in the evenings. My 6am yoga classes energize me and I actually look forward to getting up at 5:20am. Combine that with strength training some evenings I'm slowly losing inches and adding strength.

Bottom line, since the triathlon season has wrapped up I've kept myself ever so busy trying new things and exploring strengths I didn't know I had. I'm very happy I've come across these things even though the monthly membership to the yoga studio will probably cost me a small fortune.

And with my final note I will temporarily transition from my regular motto to...

Namaste.

Learning from the Unexpected

I have been avoiding an update from the Chicago Triathlon. It's been nearly two months since it happened, and I think I'm going to let this one go. I don't have much to report on that I'm proud of, not that I didn't try hard, but the unexpected circumstances really drove my attitude into the ground and destroyed any chance I had of doing well (mentally).

The temperature was nice, but possibly due to Hurricane Irene the water in the harbor was insanely choppy and incredibly hard to manage. People were giving up just as the swim began and it was hard to keep my head in the game. The water was so choppy that the water was all stirred up so even with the minimal visibility under water it was all lost with the water conditions. I couldn't see the swimmers ahead of me, and in turn kept getting kicked in the ribs. Normally I could avoid this if I could see the swimmers, but alas, it happened. I tried to play this game where I wouldn't allow negative thoughts into my head, but it wasn't happening. I checked my time when I excited the water, it was a few minutes slower than I had hoped. I was so exhausted from the swim that the long transition distance seemed like an eternity.

The conditions on the bike weren't any better. I felt like I was going to get knocked off my bike from the gusts on Lake Shore Drive. I don't train in these conditions so I was scared. I knew going northbound the wind is always harder than southbound, but good grief...

Long story short, here's the three disciplines:

• Swim
• Bike
• Run

After going back and looking at my posts from DailyMile it seems like the run helped my time but it still wasn't what I hoped for.

Since it has been nearly two months I'm going to officially let this one go. I'm in a better place about it and there's no sense hashing it out online. This post has been in draft mode since the race and I'm putting it to bed.

I've learned over the past five seasons that to a degree there is a lot I can't control. Not every race is going to be good. I put each season and all my races up on a pedestal and expect to have a total blast at all of them. I cram in so much and expect so much. Hey, four out of five races isn't bad and it was a big season for me. I'm proud that they're all sprint distance races but I'm not any less proud than longer distance racers. If I'm smiling and feeling good that's all I care about.

I'm 95% sure I'm going to spectate the Chicago Triathlon next year and maybe try another race sometime in September. But who knows... there's always that email in December or January luring me back in with their $10 off discount (by the way, the race registration fee is more than the Chicago Marathon, so even with my USAT discount it's nearly $160). Another reason to chalk it up and let others enjoy the course.

I'm No Ironman, But I Still Tri.

Unsupervised Shopping Part 1

Just writing the title makes me giddy! As much as an inconvenience the Chicago Triathlon is, the Multisport Expo is the best. All 8000+ athletes must visit the expo to pick up their packet, and this provides another opportunity for some unsupervised shopping. Fortunate for me, I get to pick up even more goodies and end of season gotta have deals, more Spinervals DVDs, another pair of triathlon shorts I have to have. This is unfortunate for my pocket book, but hey! I've got all year to make money and only one opportunity a year to be amongst friends and vendors who've seen me at my best and worst. I have a belief that if I were to actually sign up and train for an Ironman I would bring our country out of a recession.

Here's what happens when you have a multisport expo and the average summer temps were in the 70s: very cool Lake Michigan temps and the need to try on neoprene swim caps too small because they're sold out. As you can tell, it's sucking the life out of me because I have a big melon. Please note, I'm wearing a fleece sweatshirt IN AUGUST. This was 2009. Brr! But the point is, we had fun at the expo.

Because there are 8000+ athletes visiting the multisport expo, there's limited space to try on the must have, most awesome clothes of all time (for this instant because in another few weeks said item will be replaced with a new must have, most awesome item of all time). This leaves me dressing down to my birthday suit to try on clothes with nothing but a nylon tent standing between me and all others. (It's especially fun when I try on a top and my shirts start flying over my head and all you can see is my head popped up over the tent. I think I've found a new genre for the adult film industry. "Triathletes Gone Wild.")




Bottom line, here's what I can't wait to do this Saturday:

• Pick up my bib (#1168! Track me by downloading the athlete tracking app)
• Participate in another round of #unsupervisedshopping (love you, Kevin!). Shopping list includes: Spinervals DVDs (for a less boring off-season training on my bike trainer), badass running socks, and the ever exciting must have, most awesome item of all time
• Be amongst other dedicated and passionate endurance athletes
• Plan my fall racing calendar
• Food and drink samples! (Think there'll be Twix bars there?)

I better get some rest, it's going to be a busy expo! (Oh yeah, I'm racing on Sunday, right? Until then...

I'm No Ironman, But I Still Tri

I Got Banged... Bangs Lake

Got your attention, no? Good gosh, folks. This is about triathlons.

L to R: Ellen, Lisa, Me

I started the racing weekend off at the Fleet Feet Elvis is Alive 5k and that was a hoot! Great weather, awesome company, and fantastic outfits. I convinced Ellen to run with me, and recruited Lisa to join us! She was a total badass and paced us the whole time. Ellen said, "I'd love to beat 35 minutes!" Much to our surprise, we finished at 33:42. Thank you, Lisa. Just what I needed. That's a recent PR for me. Whoa.


Friday night I slept quite a bit, clocking about 9-10 hours. I hopped over to Running Away Multisport to pick up my packet. Packet pickup was super; RAM Racing has the best swag bags. The sprint race swag included: triathlon bag, towel, water bottle, hat, drawstring bag and an American Apparel zip up. (Again, I am still undecided: do I race for the achievement or for the swag?)

Coach Anne (right) and Me

I didn't get as much sleep Saturday night as I had planned, but I was mentally prepared and ready for a new course. The alarm went off at 3:50am, I was on the road by 4:15am, and at the race site just before 5:00am. I was very pleased with the transition area set up, and was fortunate to have decent space to set up my transition area. I love women only races; the attitude is much happier. (Take a hint, boys.) I was a few spots over from Coach Anne and kept running into familiar faces. (I love race morning!) I ran to the water to check the temperature and decided to ditch the wetsuit.* I caught the shuttle bus to the swim start. Funny enough, the water temperature was warmer than the outside air temperature. It was quite bizarre feeling cool after getting wet in a triathlon situation. (Although this race could have been a bit more pleasant with the wetsuit because of all the friggin seaweed. Ick Factor: 10)

My wave was first. Yahoo! The sun provided a nice blinding sensation and I couldn't find the buoys (of which there weren't enough). Every time I felt that I was back on course I really wasn't. The ridiculous seaweed at the end really threw me off and in turn got me very worked up. This was somewhat of a domino effect after that leading up to the bike. My first transition was a total tea party. 4 minutes. This included a pretty decent run from the swim. But still, I was molasses.

The bike course was to be expected, rolling hills and open roads. I was happy because most athletes hadn't started their bike yet so it was just the other women and me.

T2 was a bit speedier and included a pre-run right calf stretch in hopes of achieving a strong run. Well, Plan A worked!

The run course was also hilly, what the heck? This is ILLINOIS. Last I checked Illinois is in the Midwest and should be flat. I went out there with the mentality of trying to be strong and push through, just like I did at the 5k a few days prior.** Not only did I ditch my wetsuit but I left my music behind too. I saw a lot of my friends out on the run course, and found some kind words from my friend Kara too. She said I looked strong and fast, and that was all the music I needed to hear. It was true; I had my fastest 5k during a triathlon in recent years. I finished strong, hydrated and relatively pain free to my friends Katherine and Coach Anne cheering me on.*** Another proud moment for our group of athletes is Coach Anne's victory as the winner of the inaugural She Bangs Sprint Triathlon.

All in all, it was a fantastic day and the weather mostly cooperated. The sun was a nice and warming, and the post-race food of pancakes and French toast were yummy. It's over 24 hours since finishing and I'm still living off the high (or is it the soreness?) giving me the excitement to carry me through my last and final triathlon of the season.

 I am also happy to share that this was my 15th outdoor triathlon. I'd say 15 is a good number to get Bang(s Lake)ed.


I'm No Ironman, But I Still Tri.


When I got home I realized I had brought a part of race back with me. Here's the conversation:

• Me: I have reached a new milestone in my #triathlon racing: seaweed in my bra. @RAMRACING#winning
• RAMRacing: @prnewman haha milestone? Hope that means you enjoyed yourself :)

* Any race that doesn't require a wetsuit is a big win in my book.
** My goal in life is to one day vomit post-run, but I don't actually want to get to that point. Vomit is gross.
*** I probably should get faster so I can cheer them on, yes?