Yay ! So here are ALL the splits. I told you my transition times rocked ! I’ve also updated my race report.
Run 1: 7:54
T1: 0:45
Bike: 32:03
T2: 0:54
Run 2: 20:27
1 mile run – 10 mile bike – 2.5 mile run
Total Time: 1:02:03
Run 1: 7:54
T1: 0:45
Bike: 32:03
T2: 0:54
Run 2: 20:27
Overall Place: 65
Gender Place: 6
Category Place: 1
Today’s weather was perfect for racing. The morning was cool, almost chilly. I felt good. I did a long run on Friday, but took the day off yesterday, so my legs were fresh. I realized last night that I haven’t been on my bike in four weeks, which is a long time. All the traveling, being sick and catching up on sleep hasn’t been good for my bike training. This freaked me out a little, but then I remembered today’s race is the last multi-sport race of the season, which means biking will be taking the back seat anyway while I focus on running. Overall, I enjoyed the race. My runs were strong, even and faster than ever. I didn’t feel even the slightest bit of pain or discomfort. My transitions were fast too. though you won’t be able to tell since the timing system failed today and transition times weren’t recorded individually. The first run time includes T1 and the second run time includes T2. I didn’t time my transitions, but I can honestly tell you They were right up there with the faster times. Today’s major hiccup occurred during the bike leg, costing me some serious time. Even so, I surprisingly came in first in my age group.
UPDATE (10.20.08): Transition times were recovered.
The first run was only a mile, which meant going all out. I was able to warm up this time, which made a big difference. I didn’t feel like I was going to die. I think my time was about seven minutes which is good enough for me. Transition was fast. The guy next to me this time was very nice. Sometimes karma works faster than we might expect it to. When I got to transition, he was already there. I changed my shoes, put on my helmet and took off. He was still there, so either he was very slow or I rocked the transition.
The bike leg was embarrassing. I pride myself in knowing a lot about bikes. I’m not one of those bike geeks that can’t talk about anything else, but I do know how to tell when there’s something wrong with my bike, if a part looks or sounds bad and I can fix some of it myself. Also, I always make sure to test my bike or at least look it over before heading off to a race. Imagine my surprise when I got on my bike this morning and heard a bizarre “whoosh whoosh” noise. I was perplexed. I’d never heard anything like it before. I slowed down, sped up. Still there. Finally, I made the dreadful decision to stop and check things out. I checked everything and lost a lot of time, but couldn’t find anything wrong. I figured I’d just get back on and test my luck. It was very windy this morning, which made it hard to tell exactly where the noise was coming from. At one point, we turned and got out of the wind for a while. I coasted. Silence. This narrowed the possibilities down a bit. Then I started pedaling again and that’s when it finally dawned on me. I was wearing my race belt since I was doing the duathlon and my race number was making that “whoosh whoosh” noise against my shorts. Big “DOH !” moment for Liz. At this point, I had already lost quite a bit of time and gaining it back was going to be impossible, but I had to try my best, so I kicked up the gear and cadence and whooshed all the way back to transition.
The second run was good. After another fast transition, I took off running, hoping for the best. My last few training runs have been great, but you never know how things are going to go down in a race. Fortunately, since my last race, I’ve been trying out different running styles, especially during my longer runs. I’ve worked on my posture and balance and I think that’s helped me out a lot, obviously ! I felt strong throughout the entire run, even at the end when I kicked it up a bit. I ran through the finish line eager to keep running, which means I could have probably gone a bit harder, but it’s better to keep it on the safe side.
Although I wish the bike “misunderstanding” hadn’t happened, all I can say now is that I handled it like a good cyclist (you should always stop and check your bike if you hear something funky) and I learned a valuable lesson which will come in handy in future events. Plus, I had a great time.
Friday – 40 min run
Saturday – rest
Sunday – 1 hr, 10 min run
Monday – rest
Tuesday – 55 min spin class
Wednesday – 45 min run
Thursday – rest
We’re enjoying a nice dinner outside now that the weather has started to cool off a bit in South Florida. We’re having some of the sunflower pate I made yesterday with avocado and carrots and trying to make the most of it since Geoff leaves again for Dubai tomorrow. 
Geoff’s been traveling a lot lately which means spending most of my evenings alone. I don’t even have a TV, so I’ve been catching up on my reading. Today, I received The Girls by Lori Lasens in the mail. It’s a fictional memoir of two conjoined twins told by both sisters’ alternating viewpoints. The book has received a lot of praise. I’m looking forward to reading it.
I made this last night. It was yummy !
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp nana shoyu
2 tbsp raw tahini
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
Mexican seasoning and cayenne pepper (optional, to taste)
1. Soak sunflower seeds for an hour. Drain. Rinse.
2. Combine all ingredients and place in a food processor. Process until the mixture is a chunky paste.
I was still feeling very out of it this weekend (sore gums and head) and was craving comfort food, so Geoff made my favorite Mac & “Cheese” recipe. It hit the spot.
8 oz macaroni pasta
2 tbsp non-hydrogenated margarine (like Earth Balance)
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup plain soy/rice milk
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper (to taste)
4 oz vegan cheese, shredded (like Follow Your Heart or Teese)
turmeric (optional, for color, if cheddar style “cheese” is not available)
Topping:
1 tbsp non-hydrogenated margarine
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook macaroni according to package instructions.
3. In a saucepan, melt margarine over medium heat. Add flour and stir to remove lumps.
4. Pour in soy/rice milk and cook until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Add cheese and turmeric (if using). Stir until melted. Add macaroni and stir. Transfer to casserole dish.
6. To make topping, melt margarine in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top macaroni with the bread crumbs.
7. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy !
Friday – rest
Saturday – rest
Sunday – 55 min run
Monday – rest
Tuesday – 45 min spin class
Wednesday – 45 min run
Thursday – rest
Having soup on days I get my braces adjusted is becoming tradition. Tonight Geoff made Jen’s Split Pea Chowder with yellow split peas instead of green. It was delicious, quite honestly one of the best soups I’ve ever had and just what I needed.
