Not quite sure how the blog gets so far behind...but with all that I have to report, there just isn't enough time in the weeks to write it all down.
First - Yes, I finished my first Cat 1-3 race. Holy balls. The San Clemente Crit is no joke. Right from the gun [after I fumbled clipping in as if I've never done it before - such an amateur looking like an idiot in her first race] the race was all about survival. A short kicker of an uphill, then a sweeping downhill into a crazy right turn where the road is cantered the wrong way, to a LONG, false flat, into the wind, horrible backside. Couple more turns and it was around to the finish line. I had to now attempt to survive 50 minutes. Keep in mind, I'm used to the 30min FLAT Ontario Cat 4 races, and occasional 40min 3-4 race.
Stayed with the group for the first half, and then some clever team work had Patricia and I dropped and with the back pack with the teammates of the girls in the break. Great, now they aren't going to work to bridge it back up. FML. Patricia and I swapped pulls for the rest of the race. I think 2-3 girls ended up dropping out, but we told ourselves we were going to forge on. We got lapped on the final lap [we had 1 more to go] and they actually let us "finish" that next lap. So it was a successful failure.
Lesson learned [although I knew before the race]: You can't just fake your way through a small field in the Pro 1-3 races; especially without teammates [heck, even that wouldn't have helped.] I had survived the summer racing myself into shape. No weekly rides, no recovery rides. All I did in August was race. Every Sunday. I have to admit, it was fun, especially with the mostly good results. Next season there will be much more to learn [and hopefully more training] but I feel like I've finished this season with no regrets. I have gained confidence on my road bike. Confidence in pack riding. Drafting. Sprinting. Bike handling.
P.S. I love our (my) new wheels.
Second - My knee started bothering me after the Goleta Tri at the end of July. I pushed through it and tried to warm up well before racing, but inevitably would be bothered by it through the races. I ignored it for a bit, but this nagging hamstring, knee thing was bothersome. Went to the docs, got an MRI and basically the outside of my quad is overbuilt and is pulling my kneecap out, so it isn't tracking well. The inside of the knee and hamstring are then being pulled/stretched and that constant movement is grinding away. The inside quad is just plain weak. Started PT last week and those exercises make you feel like a weak weak, challenged, incapable person. Seriously, watching your leg fail epically at what seems like the easiest motion is scary. But that's what happens when you only work your body in one motion. So with multiple doc visits, ART, PT, MRI, X-ray, etc, I've been busy using that good 'ole Navy TriCare insurance that I oh so love. Trying to get the knee back on track [literally] before this Panama training starts to ramp up.
Third - Work. You'd think in our third year, we'd have this stuff figured out by now. I'm talking about the San Diego Triathlon Classic that we are the race directors for. So much crazy last minute, endless night work that I don't have time to write about it all. I can't believe that last year we were moving the shop and putting on a race. This year we were still "moving" the shop, trying to get things looking decent for the expo that we had in our parking lot.
Luckily the race went off seemingly well. Good feedback. It's great to be a part of something that so many people appreciate, but it is a very under appreciated job. I won't go into it.
Fourth - Husband. He's been in and out and in and out. His boat [ship] has been in final workup mode, getting certified and prepped for deployment. He has basically been gone for half a month, every month this summer/fall. It's super hard to get into a routine, only to be torn apart again. He got back the morning of the race [and unwillingly got duped into volunteering/take down, hey at least he got some Stone Beer out of it]. It felt like he just got back, and then he was gone again at the end of September and is still out till the end of this week. Then we'll have a month, and then he's gone before Thanksgiving for seven long months.
Anniversary is coming up. Looking forward to our friends Chris + Katrina's wedding on Saturday and our day on Sunday. No big plans; probably just watching the sunset @ Sunset Cliffs where we got married. [and maybe a bike ride, see next item]
Happy [almost] Anniversary Kyle! I love you.
With all my love, Rachel
Fifth - Panama Training: week 1 in the books. And it wasn't easy. With 2 PT sessions, 4 swim lessons, house hunting and a busy work week, there wasn't much time left for training. Somehow I got it all in. 3 rides, 4 runs and 2 "swims" although with a total of 1500yards, I wouldn't exactly count that as acceptable.
Sixth - Moving. SUCKS! Current roommate Chris and I have been looking for a month and a half and we've only put 2 applications in and for places that are okay, but we haven't fell in love with. We are looking for a 2 bedroom in OB; if anyone knows of anything let us know! My .6 mile commute is soon coming to an end.
Random: IM Kona was yesterday. So fun to track everyone. Especially my 71 yr old student, Susan Norman. She made the swim cut off by 13 minutes. Came in on the bike with 7 min to spare. And in the most Susan-esk fashion, passed her remaining competitor with a couple miles left, and finished with 2:30 to spare, at 16:57, becoming an Ironman World Champion. Couldn't be more proud. Saw her on the live video and it was super emotional with hundreds of people cheering her in.
Lastly: SOOOO Looking forward to our little vacation at the end of October. Location hasn't quite been decided. Thoughts about Ohio/Kentucky for his family and climbing, but we can't find any cheap flights. Also on the list is Vegas for climbing, camping, biking and yes a little strip time. We are still discussing other options as well.
Now that I'm back in full on training mode, the updates will hopefully be more frequent. Since my initial purpose was to track my triathlon journey.
