The Road to Augusta
A review of 2015
2015 began with a 5K run at North Gwinnett HS in March. Our neighbour’s daughter was running a fundraising campaign for the Color Run and fencerwife, the kids and I signed up – they all did the 1 mile fun run. The race ended up being just short of 3.1 miles but I felt strong throughout. It was a good start and good prep for the upcoming triathlon season.
Mid-April I did another 5K, this time the Peach Jam 5K in Cumming. It was mostly flat on the Cumming Greenway. I took off too fast for the first mile and paid for it after the turnaround. I did record a PR of 35:01mins, my previous fastest time being 40 mins+.
My first triathlon of the season was in April in Gainesville. I had decided to do the sprint instead of the super sprint (I had only ever done a super duper sprint) and was very nervous about the bike and run distances. I enjoyed the pool swim and then had some struggles on the bike. It was five loops with a very challenging set of hills. By the time I was complete with that my legs were tired but I slogged through the 5K and finished. Take-away: Practice hills on the bike.
In May I did a super sprint with some friends. It was in the North GA mountains and again a very hilly bike route. This time I was better prepared and was stronger on the hills – even passing some people. On the run section the volunteers directed me to the finish line instead of the second half loop and once I realized that I had the organizer time me and add on the extra minutes! Even with that confusion I finished first in my AG out of 4 women!! This result qualified me for the organizing company’s end of season championship in October.
At the end of May I did the Tour de Cure bike ride with my company’s team. I decided to do the 28 mile route given that it was 1) not so hilly and 2) right around the max I thought I could handle. The weather was amazing and I had a great time. I finished in around 2:30. Take-away: Need to increase speed on the bike.
In June I did 2 super sprints and one sprint. The first super sprint (Retro) had insane hills for the run leg – all steep up and downhill. The second super sprint (Mid-summer) I had a very strong bike leg and finished 2nd overall women’s masters. Take-away from these 2: Work on running on hills. The sprint (Allatoona) was my first open water swim triathlon. I had a few issues sighting on the swim, the bike was hilly and finished with a brutal series of hills and the run was exhausting!! I had to walk a few parts of the run as my legs were struggling. I managed to pull it together to sprint to the finish line. Take-away: Definitely need more run training.
4th of July saw my first time running the Peachtree Road race and also my first 10K. To be honest, I didn’t follow a specific running plan and hit the wall at around 4-5 miles. Thankfully some upbeat music at the NS building got my legs moving again. The weather was good for me – it rained almost the entire race. I finished in 1:18:06 and I was very pleased with that time. Take-away: More run training.
The children had been asking to do some triathlons with me all summer, so in August they finally had the chance to participate. Unfortunately thebigyin broke his heel and was unable to take part. The first one we all did was in East Cobb. I did the sprint while stuckinthemiddle and littlebit did the 5 and under. I struggled very badly on the bike leg – realized later that my tires didn’t have the right pressure, so I wore my legs out! The run was long and hot and I’m happy to say I kept going and finished. The children had fun as well and really loved their finisher medals. Take away: check tires!! The second August tri was the anniversary of the first one I did in 2014 – the Kid Fit super sprint. stuckinthemiddle and littlebit also participated. Since this was a super duper sprint, I decided to ride clipless. The bike leg went very well, although it was a learning curve being clipped in. I enjoyed the short run too. Take away: practice more clipless.
In September I took on another open water swim sprint in Evans, GA at the Hot Dam Sprint. The swim was in Clarks Hill Lake in some fairly choppy water. I still had some sighting issues but was not fazed by the waves over the 750m course. I found out later that several women had to be pulled out of the lake. The bike leg went very well (I rode clipped in again) and for the first time I felt strong on the run. I finished 3rd in my AG (out of three!!). Take away: OWS sighting needs to improve. At the end of September, on the same day as HIM Augusta, I tackled the Lake Lanier sprint. It was a chilly and drizzly day but thankfully the rain held off. The swim wait was long…I think I was one of the last 3 groups to go. Sighting was a little better this time and I felt strong on the bike despite some challenging hills. The run was the best part of the day however, as I PR’d the 5K run!!
At the beginning of October I decided to start running with the Big Peach Sunday group. October 4 was my first run (6 miles) and I maintained an 11:46 min/mile pace. October 10 marked the last tri of the season – the Five Star NTP championship. The weather was awful – rainy and windy – but it went ahead as planned. As a result I think the turnout was poor – only 5 women total. The pool swim was OK and then I had the most challenging bike ride to date – pouring rain and wind! I had never road cycled in those conditions and was a little worried about being clipped in on slick roads. However, I managed to hold my own – even averaging 14.5 mph over the course. The run was short (2 miles) but hilly. I knew the other women who had cycled behind me were runners so I did my best to keep ahead of them – and actually finished second overall woman! Take away: More running!!
I had been talking to my friend Stacy about signing up for HIM Augusta in 2016. She strongly recommended that I do a half marathon before sign up day on December 1. I had already signed up for the Hot Chocolate 15K in January and the Publix Georgia Half Marathon in March, so I started looking around for one before December 1 and settled on the Atlanta Thanksgiving Half Marathon. I found an 8 week half marathon plan online and decided to follow that as my training plan.
On Halloween weekend, thebigyin and I did the Halloween 5K in Cumming. We had done this same 5K in 2014, with him narrowly finishing ahead of me. I told him before the race that I was going to try to run as fast as I could. I ran a really good race but unfortunately the heavy rain the day before had facilitated moving the finish line so my overall distance was right on 3 miles instead of 3.1. Even with that, my time of 30:16 and pace of 10:05 min/mile were awesome! I circled back to finish again with thebigyin and then we headed off to get donuts…imagine my surprise when I discovered later I had come second in my age group!! This was the first time I had placed in a running race ever!!!
While running with Big Peach on Sunday mornings, I happened upon another running group – Moms Run This Town (MRTT) – and began running with them instead. I did the majority of my half marathon run training with them and really started to feel like I was improving my speed and stamina.
The morning of the Thanksgiving Half Marathon was very cold. fencerwife and the kids saw me off to the pace group (2:30 pace) and went back to the van to wait for the children’s races. I introduced myself to the pace group and they assured me I would be able to complete the race. Finally it was time to start and we slowly made our way to the start line as each corral took off. I think every race in Atlanta is hilly and this one was no exception. My legs felt good at the start but I stuck with the pace group as they guided us through their run/walk intervals. By the time we passed the 10 mile marker, I could feel fatigue creeping into my legs but I continued to grind it out and stayed with the group. After the penultimate hill, the pace group cut us loose and it was amazing to hear the announcer in the distance as I ran towards the finish line. I crossed the line in almost exactly 2:30 (2:30:31)! fencerwife and the children were right there to see me finish as well which was very special. Once I got my medal and stopped running, my legs were extremely wobbly. I had obviously given my all in this race!
While this was my last race of the season, I went straight into training for the Hot Chocolate 15K.
On December 1 – the day registration opened – I took the plunge and signed up for HIM Augusta 2016!!!
Swim Bike Run - Tri Mum 