Britney's Blog

Almost 2 months?

2009-05-29T10:09:00.000-07:00

Has it really been that long since I have blogged. Training has been focused to say the least. HIM training plan is in full swing and finishing up week 4.

I know I did not do a follow up to Spring Fever, guess I was too excited. Here are some pics and results. I placed 3rd in my AG! Was stoked but it was crushed as the timing mats screwed up and I was not recognized until a week later. It's all good, I was happy with my time!

Spring Fever Triathlon - Claremore, OK

2009-04-17T12:31:00.000-07:00

It finally is upon me. The first triathlon I ever did is coming up this Sunday. I am super excited to get to race it. My goal is to PR it by at least 10 minutes. (Hopfully training will pay off!) I find myself so nervous though, that little hint of self doubt creeping in. Why? I am not sure why, maybe because I realize that I have one year of triathlon under my belt and now it is time to stop messing around and start competiting. I desperately want to place in my AG. If not, I will be pretty disappointed. Just worried that I have not trained enough, hard enough. My run is really getting on my nerves too. I know the only way to run faster, is to keep running, but I am not very happy with it right now. I think in tris last year, I raced for fun and now my competitive side has crept up on me and I want to start competiting. (at least in my AG!) I think last year I did not push myself very hard in races b/c I was just having fun and just learning about tris. Now it is go time, time to make it hurt when I race. This will be a test to see how hard I can push my mind and body. I want to hurt so bad on the run I want to throw up at the end. That is what I am shooting for...wish me luck!

Training

2009-04-14T07:32:00.000-07:00

My tri club has been having a points challenge the past few weeks. It has been really fun logging my workouts and adding points, but I didn't realize how much other people train! My Half Ironman (HIM) training starts the first week in May and I am really looking forward to the challenge. I have been training with new training buddies and I am having a great time. Megan is going to shoot for her first HIM this season too, so I have a training buddy all summer which I need her especially for the run! She is an awesome runner and I hope that I can build off her strength and drop my run time tremendously! My running mileage has been up and I am starting to love running again. I cannot wait for the weather to settle in though so I can log some mileage outdoors!

St. Patrick's Day Triathlon Recap

2009-03-31T13:58:00.000-07:00

Well I finally got around to posting a recap. Not too thrilled because this race was pure misery. The only thing I enjoyed was the swim, the rest went to hell! The swim was short, and I learned that I need to keep my head down more in the water, as my butt sinks..lol thanks Kris!

Came out feeling good, and got to T1. My transitions took forever as I attempted to put on a l/s shirt. That is very hard to do when you're soaking wet, and have never done it before in transition! Got off to a good start on the bike considering it was raining and 39 degrees give or take a few degrees. I was half way through loop 1 when my chain came off Vinnie. Had to stop and put chain on with numb hands! Added a good 3-4 minutes to my bike time.

Got to T2 and I could not feel my legs or feet! Check out how red my legs are coming into T2! I could not feel my feet or legs so getting bike shoes off and running shoes on was ridiculous! Slowest T2 ever...which made for a good laugh, which I had no idea how much I needed to laugh. Got off to the run, where it was agonizing. My feet were burning from the cold. Also, to top it off my race belt broke on the run. I have NEVER walked in a race before, but I guess there is a first time for everything. My feet hurt so bad I walked several times. I was so embarrassed and wanted to cry! I finished though, and then followed up with a hot shower at the hotel and a great lunch from Pappositos. All in all would have been a terrific race if not for the awful weather!

First Tri of the Season

2009-02-24T10:49:00.000-08:00

I signed up for my first tri of the season to realize it is only 19 days away. (as I am typing I am getting butterflies in my stomach!) I am so excited for the season to start, but I am nervous that I was not able to train at all in the off-season. I am planning to get a few rides in before the 14th with the hopes that the weather will continue to cooperate. :)

Our first TRI-OKC meeting of the year was last night. Talk about a great meeting. The speakers were so informative and the "runners" segment was awesome. I finally realize to get faster, I have to work harder on my runs and go longer distances. Since I have my swim down from so much practice last year (which is what I was worried about) I am going to focus on my run this year. With that said I am going to the track tonight to get some mileage in. I guess I am going to start with speed work and get some 800 repeats in. I just hope it pays off and I can see a big drop in my 5k times.

Meet Vinnie!

2009-02-16T12:31:00.000-08:00

Meet Vinnie...yes, it's true, I named my bike. I have to have a serious relationship with this bike, so I figured if he didn't have a name, then the relationship would spiral downhill before it even started. My husband doesn't understand why it has to be a guy bike though! LOL! I named him Vinnie because of the whole Italian thing. Couldn't resist.

I went and rode Vinnie for the first time yesterday afternoon and froze my toosh off. It was great to get out and ride and the cold didn't bother me until I stopped riding. I only took him on a 12 mile loop around Hefner, but it was awesome. I didn't only look fast, I was fast. I even saw Steve Schlegel as I made my way around the loop and I told him I had to break it in!!!

Anyway...here he is...I am super excited about the upcoming season with Vinnie!

Slackerfest

2009-02-12T13:03:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess you could say I have definitely slacked on my blog the last few months, but hey I've been super busy!!! Remodeled a new house the last 5 months and finally moved in. During this time, training went to the way-side. Gained weight from eating out so much too. Been training again for 4 weeks and feel great. Bought a new Cervelo this week too. Things are going...will post more and pics later this week!

Training...

2008-07-07T06:59:00.000-07:00

Training the last few weeks has been simply amazing. I have a new training partner, Teena, who kicks my butt! She makes me want to work hard and it has been a new adventure. My bike split has improved tremendously over the last 2 weeks of riding with her. (and getting my bike fixed! :)

We have been riding Draper, and I love the course. Some hills, mostly rollers, and some flats. It is a really fun ride. I am glad I know the course like the back of my hand considering Draper Du is this weekend. I am looking forward to this race. We put in 28 miles last night and I was not tired what-so-ever. I think I could've ridden 2 more laps around Draper!

Cheers to Teena for being such a great training buddy! She always shows up, not matter what!!!

OCCC Super Sprint

2008-06-15T14:52:00.000-07:00

June 14, 2008 was the O-Triple-C Super Sprint Triathlon. It consisted of a 500 meter swim, 12 mile bike and then a 5k run. I really had not gone into this tri looking for a great result. This week has been nuts with family life. We sold our house in Norman, sold our car, bought a car and put a bid on a new house! Whew! Anyway with that said, I did not get in much training this week. I did get in a 27 mile bike ride with my new training partner Teena.

My swim felt good, I was not tired coming out of the water, but when I checked my watch no wonder I wasn't tired I had swam in 12 minutes! YIKES. I knew that I was going to have to make it up on the bike.

Bike course was flat and fast and relatively no wind. My fastest bike split of my tri career yet. Whoop! Very pleased coming off the bike and out of T2.

Run course was rather warm and on the east side of OCCC I caught headwind. Picked up my pace on lap 2 and finished strong with my best time and new PR of 1:25:37!!! Super happy and placed 4th in my AG (Age Group). Hope to just keep striving for greatness!

Route 66

2008-06-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

Well, I completed my second tri and my first OWS. Let me tell you, it is a lot harder than it seems! I wasn't scared or nervous of the swim. I just could never get into a rhythm. Everytime I would start to, someone would either swim into me or visa versa. I was being cautious with the foot injury as well. Frustrating, but ok. Now I know that I have to get in the front of the pack and just swim. Also, I have to learn to be more aggressive in the open water. The bike course was great. Had previously ridden the course in what I thought was a decent time. Well by the time Saturday rolled around it was normal Oklahoma wind! So aggravating! My foot did good through the swim and 3/4 of the bike. I double bandaided my foot and then used sport tape so that I would not have to deal with bandaids in transition. I did put on socks after the swim so that the bandaid/tape combo wouldn't roll up in my shoes. Like I said it did great until about 3/4 of the bike. My soaking wet sock then started rubbing in my shoe. My foot felt like it was on fire! Got to T2 and put on the running shoes. Let me tell you that felt good! (insert sarcasm) Just about all of the run was in pain. But I pushed through and finished. I cannot tell you how many times I thought about stopping to walk/quit during the run because of the pain of the foot. I just kept going though, it was a drive inside me that would not let me quit. I was dissapointed in my time. Brad kept telling me I did great considering the foot factor/not training for a week and the wind factor...but as a competitor I was bummed. I hope that my upcoming tri (OCCC Super Sprint) will be a redeeming!!! The race was amazing as usual! Lots of thanks to all TriOKC members who made it possible!!!

Accident Prone!

2008-05-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

Yes it is true. If it is going to happen, it is going to happen to me! Yesterday at work, I was being productive and closing files so I could make more room for storage in my area. Our shelves at work are know to be "slippery" and so I was being careful. I was on my last 2 boxes which were 2 shelves over my head. Box 1 was about 15 pounds and got it down fine. Box 2 seemed to be about 30 pounds. Wasn't worried about the weight, just the shelf. Well, I got the box, but the bottom shelf and top shelf fell simultaniously and I could only hold the box and one shelf. The other wooden shelf fell directly on end on the top of my foot! Holy %^@*(_*#@W#@#! And I knew someone heard the crash and whatever came out of my mouth and moments later in popped one of my co-workers and I was like GRAB THE BOX, I HAVE THE OTHER SHELF. When I looked down I knew it was bad as I saw the blood gushing from my throbbing foot. Then came the tears, not because of the pain, I can deal with the pain. No the tears were from the thought of it being broken and I have so many events coming up! As my attorney rushed me to the ER all I could think was great, all this training and here we go again. My foot was swelling and already turning blue. I finally got back in the ER about 1 1/2 hours after arriving. When the x-ray gals came in to x-ray it, the first thing out of their mouths was WOW, that looks broken. I lost it! They felt so bad, but I then explained that I was a triathlete, and how much of a set back this could potentially be. I just kept praying in my head, please don't be broken, please don't be broken. In came the Dr. about 45 minutes later. She said nope, not broken. WHEW! Was I more that relieved! The first question out of my mouth was when can I start running? She laughed and said give it a few days of ice and rest and it should be good to go. They gave me a tetnous (sp?) shot since I hadn't had one since '92, cleaned my injury and sent me on my way. Resting today...considering trying to swim tonight as I can't stand resting! Been icing all day and feels pretty good, just sore! Here are a few pics...

Tornado Alley Duathlon

2008-05-19T11:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I completed my second event in which I was thrilled! The race was on Sunday morning, and I couldn't have hand picked a better day to race. Here in OK, you get what you get, but Sunday morning was beautiful. No wind! It was a F-1 Formula race. (2mi run-10mi bike-2mi run-10mi bike-2mi run) My first run was what I wanted my pace to be and I was happy with bike 1 time. After T2 and on to the second run, I felt good, but my legs felt tired. Pushed through run 2 where I knew I could rest some on bike 2. I was pleased with my bike times considering I haven't been training much on the bike. My third run sucked ass, but that was to be expected as I need to up my run mileage as well. Overall a great day and great race. My goal was to finish under 2:15:00 and my offical time was 2:13:49, so I was happy!

The battle with Addison's

2008-05-08T09:02:00.000-07:00

I have a rare disease called Addison's Disease or in medical terms known as Adrenal Insufficiency. I was diagnosed in November 1996, so I have lived with it for almost 12 years. I know how to control my meds and all, and since beginning training 3 months ago for tris I have felt fine on my normal dosage of Hydrocortisone and Fludrocortisone. Well, Saturday morning I ran in a 5k and did great, felt fine. We had a packed Saturday as usual and we were grocery shopping that evening and I almost passed out in Wal-Mart! I then remembered I forgot to take my meds that morning. I never forget to take them, but just running out the door that morning I forgot. It's not like this is the first time I have forgotten them, I can usually sustain about 1-2 days without meds until I crash and go into Addisonial Crisis in which I will have a 24-48 hour window to live if I don't get my meds. Well I have felt like crap since Saturday. I doubled my meds on Monday and Tuesday to give myself a little boost and still didn't feel good. I also rested and have not worked out since the race on Saturday! It's killing me not working out, but maybe my body needs a rest. I went to my normal GP dr. on Tuesday (couldn't get an appt. with my Endocrinologist) and had him run my levels. Haven't gotten the results back yet, but I am super frustrated. Feeling a little better today, so I am going to ride the Tornado Alley course a couple of times tonight. I hope results come back okay. I probably just need to get into my Endo to see if my meds need to be adjusted with all the training I am doing.

Training

2008-04-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

Training this last week was incredible. I didn't slow at all after Spring Fever. Felt great and decided it is time to work harder to improve my times. Swimming was good, now really practicing on the things to make my stroke perfect. Working on stretching out my hand/hand placement in the water. Also, not lifting my head out so much when breathing, leaving it down closer to my shoulder. I also decided to up my running mileage. I know this is where I need to improve the most. My shins are sore from shin splints, but I iced every night after running and they are a little sore still, but I know they just need to get adjusted to the mileage I am putting on them. Thursday Christy, my new training buddy, and I did a brick workout at Overholser. I was stoked with my bike time. I dropped 6 min. from when we did a TT the week prior! She really pushes me on the bike, and I push her on the run, so training together is great! I am super excited about training harder. My goal is to get my run time down tremendously. My husband, Brad, knows I can run 7 min. mile pace, but just getting back down there will take me until the end of summer. I am pursuing that time immensely now. I haven't run with a coach in years, and not sure if I need to invest in one. Going to work on it myself through the summer and then I will go from there. This week is jammed packed of training. Same routine, different week. My body feels great, so going to push as long and as hard as it will sustain.

Spring Fever Triathlon, Claremore, OK-April 20, 2008

2008-04-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

Well, as most of you know this was my first tri. What a fun time I had and this was definitely a great reward for training!
Time: 1:19:23
50th Women
9th Division

Pre-Race: Arrived in Claremore on Saturday. Rode about 5mi. of the bike course and realized it was more hilly than I had initially expected. Thought I better tack on 8-10 min. to my time due to that. Walked the run course after dinner so I would know where I was going. Morning of the race I had nerves, but they didn't really set in until I was the fifth one in line for the swim start.

Swim: Start was super funky and I got a terrible start. Finally got in my rhythm about the fifth/sixth lap and as a guy was passing another guy in the lane next to me, he almost hit me head on. Had to basically come to a stop to avoid collision, which pissed me off...kept going and didn't get back into rhythm until about lap eight or nine. Came out of the water feeling great, but disappointed in my time. Almost a minute off! Argh! T1 took forever to get to!

Bike: Got off to a slow start with the first monster hill from hell, but again, got on pace about mile 4 or so. Heading out of town was a great ride. Coming back in caught some head wind which wasn't fun, but thanks to TT training on Tuesday, I was definitely prepared! Came in faster than I had expected from what I rode on Sat. so I was pleased with that.

Run: After leaving T2 (which I need to improve my time on) checked my watch and was right on pace. Legs felt good, not tired. Climbing the first small incline though my right calf started cramping bad. Thought maybe I should stop and stretch it out, but just didn't want to waste time. Slowed a bit to see if it would release. It didn't...cramped the entire run. But I made it to the finish line and I was happy.

Overall I had a wonderful time and I am hooked. Can't wait til my next event! Will be working on Bricks the next few weeks to work out those cramps! I still haven't figured out yet how people can eat pizza and drink beer after a race...just looking at it made me want to throw up...all I wanted was some water/gatorade! So glad I can say I AM A TRIATHLETE!

Ready or Not

2008-04-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

Here I go! My first Tri is a week away from Sunday and I feel very excited and prepared. Funny that I still have nerves though! I did the Redbud Classic ride last Saturday and despite the fact that I couldn't feel my finger or toes (due to the cold) the whole way, it didn't stop me. It was a nice ride (wish my time would have been faster, but hey, I was out there to have fun after all.)

I am running the OU Health Science Center 5k tomorrow morning because I want to beat my time from last year. Also thinking of it as a little extra before the race next weekend.

Swim practice the last 2 weeks has been awesome. My times are improving drastically and I am having a blast.
Tuesday night I swam a 600m in 9:54 and then a 500m in 7:45. 8 weeks ago Dave (coach) thought I would do a 500m in 10 minutes.
I swam a 400m last night (timed by Dave) and it was right on my mark where he thinks I should be. 8:02...he said I can do it faster, but I was really relaxed and not even outta breath after finishing. This is how I want to be when I come out of the water and heading into T1.
I know that I can do it faster, but being relaxed is the key here...still have to bike and run.

I am going to head to Claremore on Saturday so I can ride the bike course, then jog/walk the run course. I like being familiar with the course. When I race, I race mostly against the course and myself. I know that my competition is lurking out there with me, but the course is more of an enemy than they are. This is how I prepare for every race...pre-race course examination. I hope I am not the only one who does this!

Example:
The 5k I have tomorrow is a great course, but hilly! (Oh I hate hills!!!) I ran it 4 times last year to be prepared. I haven't had time to run it this year because I have been training for my tris. I was going to run it at lunch today, but I forgot about that my boss's birthday was today (thank God for calendar reminders!) and also my husband convinced me otherwise. He told me I was ready...I didn't need to run it, I knew it (the course) and could smoke my time from last year. Also he said just rest! I feel like if I don't get it in I am missing something? My brain is saying go run it, go run it, go run it! (but didn't pack my damn running shoes, and running in 3" heels is not an option. :) Maybe after work I will drive it, just to let the course know I am here and ready to take it on.

I feel like courses are such a battle...not only physically, but mentally. Challenging me to take them on...waiting for me to step foot, trying to stop me, but at this point I feel like a train at full speed...nothing will stop me!

And so the season begins...

2008-04-03T13:23:00.000-07:00

Well my official season begins on Saturday, April 5th with the Redbud Classic bike ride. I will be cycling the 33 mile course and I am very excited! The nerves are setting in though, and it is only Thursday! I am going to take it easy though and just have fun! (even though I am ULTRA competitive at heart!) Then only 2 more weekends until my first triathlon! Yippee! Okay gotta run...nerves make me have to pee! :)

I'm a blogger!!!

2008-03-26T10:13:00.000-07:00

So, here it goes...my first blog.

I am dedicating this blog to my life in the great world of triathlons! As a newbie, I am super excited and can't wait for my first tri (sprint). April 20th cannot come any faster.

I have been training for 7 weeks now, and feel confident, but hopefully not too confident. :) I have a wonderful swim coach who has molded me into a great swimmer. I did a timed 100 meters on Monday and was swimming them in 1:40...which for only swimming for 7 weeks is awesome, well at least in my eyes! I could not even swim that fast with fins on 3 weeks prior.

I belong to a tri club in Oklahoma City, TriOKC. What an amazing group of athletes. Found out last night that one of our events is going to become a national qualifier in 2009. (RedMan)
I haven't even completed my first tri and I am already hooked in the little world. I have scheduled quite a few events this year:

Redbud Classic-Oklahoma City, OK- April 5, 2008 (33mi. ride)

Tornado Alley Duathlon-Edmond, OK- May 17, 2008 (2mi./10mi./2mi./10mi./2mi.)

Spring Fever Tri-Claremore, OK- April 20, 2008 (400m/12mi./2mi.) Thought this would be a good starter for the first of the year.

El Reno Route 66 Sprint-El Reno, OK- May 31, 2008 (500m OW/12mi./3k)

Danskin Women's Tri-Austin, TX- June 8, 2008 (750m OW/12mi./3k)

OCCC Super Sprint-Oklahoma City, OK- June 14, 2008 (500m/12mi./3k)

Du Draper Twice-Oklahoma City, OK- July 13, 2007 (3k/15mi./3k)

Lighthouse Tri-Oklahoma City, OK- August 3, 2008 (500m/13mi./3k)

Redman Triathlon-Oklahoma City, OK-September 20, 2008 (HIM-1.2mi./56mi./13.1mi.)
This will be my finish up tri, the big one!

Fall Classic Duathlon-Oklahoma City, OK- October 19, 2008 (2mi./14mi./2mi.)

WHEW! What a busy, but exciting year this will be!!!