What I Learned from Triathlon #2

Another race, another post on all the things I learned from it. It never ceases to amaze me how many things I figure out during a race versus training. I went into this race with the goal to make it a learning experience and that is exactly what it was.

1. Wear sunglasses even if it is raining
I knew that the weather for this race wasn't going to be nice. I woke up to overcast skies with a 50% of rain. I contemplated not bringing my biking glasses since it wasn't going to be sunny but then remembered I had interchangeable lenses for them. I can't even count how many people I saw on the bike struggling to see because of the rain in their eyes. Luckily for me my clear lenses kept the rain out without making it too dark outside.

2. Put running shoes upside down so they don't get filled with water and soggy if it is raining
Since it was raining for the majority of this race most of these points will be related to the weather and rain. During the bike leg of the race was when it was raining the heaviest. I noticed that my bike shoes were filling up with rain & getting heavy. I thought about how nice it would be to put on dry running shoes until I remembered those were getting even more wet than my bike shoes.

3. Know how to fix common problems that may occur on your bike
While climbing up a big hill on the bike, I shifted too low and ended up popping off my chain. I tried fixing it but couldn't figure it out and ended up walking my bike for almost ten minutes before my dad came to my rescue and fixed the chain for me. Had my dad not found me I probably wouldn't have finished the race. This is an easy thing to fix but there are many other things that a lot of people don't know how to do regarding their bikes.

4. Be prepared for aid stations to run out of water
The aid station on the run was hit twice by those doing the sprint tri and four times by those doing the Olympic. Even though the race was pretty small the station was out of water by the time I was hitting it for the second time. Luckily I really wasn't that thirsty and knew the finish line wasn't too far away but had I been doing the Olympic distance I would have been pretty dehydrated.

5. Biking & running with no sense of how fast you are going can be a glorious thing
I normally don't ride with a bike computer, although I do use the MapMyRide app on my phone and review the details afterwards. I hardly ever run without my Garmin though. At Sunday's race I decided not to run with my Garmin for some reason. At first I was annoyed that I didn't know how fast I was running or how far I had run, but I ended up running almost 90 seconds faster per mile than I thought I was. Had I seen that pace on my watch I probably would have slowed down so I didn't burn out. Good thing I didn't have my watch.

6. Running out socks will save you time in T2 but will you give you nasty blisters
Since the run was only 3 miles I decided not to run with socks. I definitely saved time in T2 but my feet were covered in blisters not long into the run. I do credit some of them to my shoes being wet from the rain. Most of the blisters weren't too bad but I got two, one on each pinky toe, that were so bad I could barely walk the next day.

7. Arrive to transition early if there aren't assigned spots for bikes
I knew this was a small race so I didn't think it would be a big deal to arrive later than normal. The only problem was that everybody spread out making less room to rack bikes. I walked around for a few minutes before asking someone to move over who was taking up enough space for three bikes.

8. Always bring more fluid then you plan on using
I know pretty well how much I drink while on the bike but due to a very long weekend I went into the race already dehydrated. I was incredibly thirsty the whole time and almost ran out of water after only the first lap on the bike. It is better to be overprepared than underprepared.

9. The bike is not as important as the person riding it
Even though I ride a hybrid bike I still was able to hang with some of the guys. I often get caught up in needing the fanciest bike because I think it will make me ride faster. Yes a tri bike will be faster than a hybrid bike but it doesn't mean that I can't still ride fast. It is the training that matters, not the equipment.

10. Whenever possible practice on the race course in advance
I knew that this bike course was really hilly and that my climbing skills were to a minimum. Instead of panicking (actually there was a fair amount of panicking) I drove the 25 minutes to the race site to practice the hills that I would be riding on race day. Come race day I knew every inch of the course and knew what to be careful and when to really push it. I also ran on some of the trails and knew I could handle the uneven terrain.

What I Learned From My First Triathlon

After all big races I like to document what I learned from my training and race experience so I can make progress in the future.  The General Smallwood International Triathlon was one of the hardest days of my life and even though I didn't meet my goals due to the heat, it was a great learning experience.

1. Safety always comes first.
With record setting temps all weekend and a heat index of 112 on Saturday it was hardly a good idea to be out doing strenuous activity. Around 50 people didn't finish the race because of the heat and three people were even taken to the hospital. Nine people in the state of Maryland died due to heat related illness. Yes, I would have loved to race my heart out on Saturday. No, it was not a smart idea when my body is nowhere near acclimated to that kind of heat. There will always be other races.

2. It is okay to walk.
Along those same lines, it is perfectly okay to walk when you need to. I was embarrassed when I first started walking because I thought it meant I was a quitter. Then I looked around and saw that nearly every athlete in sight was also walking. I absolutely hated walking but given the circumstances it was the right thing to do and I am no longer embarrassed by it. I'm just proud that I finished.


3. Don't be intimidated by all the people with fancy gear.
When my dad and I first pulled into the parking lot all I saw were athletes with really nice tri bikes. I instantly felt inadequate, like I didn't belong there. Not only do I not have a tri bike, but I don't even have a road bike;I have a hybrid. I am saving up to get a nicer bike but besides the bikes the majority of the people there had fancy, expensive gear. As the day went on I realized that I am as much of an athlete as everyone else despite my lack of a couple thousand dollar bike.

So many nice bikes!

4. Make a small rip in nutrition so it is easier to open while riding.
My hands were wet from the swim and then sweaty from the heat, which made ripping open my honey stinger waffles nearly impossible. I tried using my teeth but had no luck. Note: this only works for more solid nutrition options. Don't do this with a gel or you will have a sticky mess everywhere.


5. Start at the beginning of the swim pack.
I tried to start middle to front of the pack but ended up having to pass a lot of people. I am a strong swimmer and need to take advantage of my swimming background. This is the one place in a triathlon where I am one of the fastest. Time to own it.

6. Wear a tri top or a bike jersey without a sports bra built in.
I swam in a two-piece training bikini top and then put on my bike jersey during transition. The problem was that since I was wet the shirt rolled up and took forever to put on. The built-in sports bra only made things worse. I ordered a tri top a few days ago so hopefully I can just swim in my tri top and shorts and not worry about clothes during transition.


7. I suck at transitions.
Speaking of transitions, mine are awful. Like slowest ever. I set my transition up well but there are still things I can do to cut down on my times, like putting my hair into a ponytail before the swim, wearing a tri top, skipping socks, and speed laces.

8. Bricks are an absolute must in triathlon training.
I only did a handful of bricks during training and had I not been forced to walk a lot of the run due to the heat I probably would have struggled on the run regardless. Running with fresh legs and running after biking are two completely different things. Practice accordingly.


9. Always expect more hills.
I thought the bike and run courses were supposed to be flat. Nope. There were quite a few hills during the beginning of the bike and the run was mostly hills. I can handle hills on the run but the hills on the bike really took a lot out of my legs. Hills are no joke and need to be practiced if I ever want to get better.


10. Put sunscreen even in the places you don't expect to need it.
I sprayed my chest, arms, and legs with sunscreen before the swim and that was it. During the run when I felt like I was baking out in the sun I wanted to take my jersey off and just run in my bathing suit but I hadn't sprayed my stomach or back. I am the type of person who burns extremely easily so that was not an option. A quick two minute spray would have probably helped keep me cool on the run.

A Day of Firsts

Today I completed my first brick of my triathlon training cycle and it was glorious. It was a day off first for me and I loved every one of them. I started the workout off 45 minutes on the trainer. I kept the resistance light since I wasn't sure how my legs would feel on the run. During the ride I drank sips of nuun every couple minutes since I hadn't had much to drink all day.

Between the ride and the run I had my first energy gel. I few weeks ago I bought a bunch of different types of gels and chews to try during training but I hadn't tried any until today. I ended up having a Clif Shot Gel, I think the Razz flavor. It was an interesting taste and consistency but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I chased my gel with the rest of my nuun.

I then set out for a four mile run. When I first started running I forgot that I had just been biking and was frustrated with how tired and heavy my legs felt. But then I remembered I had just biked for 45 minutes and my legs weren't supposed to feel fresh. I worked hard to keep the pace easy at the beginning of the run since the first mile is all downhill.

I was surprised with how much better my legs felt as I kept running. I was also surprised with my pace compared to how I felt; I was able to keep the run at a 10:00 average pace. The last mile was pretty tough but not the worst I have endured. Overall I was pleased with the entire workout, especially the run.

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	39:51.2	4.00	9:57
1	9:53.7	1.00	9:53
2	10:06.2	1.00	10:06
3	9:27.9	1.00	9:27
4	10:22.0	1.00	10:21
5	:01.3	0.00	10:07

I am not sure how I liked the energy gel but since it was only my first time I am going to keep trying different brands and flavors. I was, however, happy that my stomach didn't reject the gel. It went down easily and I never really felt out of energy during the run.

Proper Race Recovery

I am still on a runner's high from Saturday's half marathon and I have been itching to get outside for a run all week. But I know that is not a smart idea just yet. I pushed myself hard on Saturday and my body could definitely feel it on Sunday. The last thing I want is to get injured because I jumped back into running too quickly. Even though I am no longer sore I know that my body needs more time to recover. Because I do not do well unless I outline my plan for things, I put together a recovery plan to get me ready for my next training cycle healthy and happy.

1. At least five days of no running. Even though I want to run, there is really no need for me to run just yet. After my first half marathon I only took three days off and as a result dealt with IT Band pain for almost two months. Originally I was planning to take an entire week off from running but since I am home for spring break I can run on the trail here which is both flat and soft.

2. Indulge a little, but eat a healthy diet. I definitely ate whatever I wanted Saturday through Monday. I was constantly hungry and just wanted junk food. Since this week requires no training I think it okay to indulge a little more than normal. But at the same time, eating healthy foods will help my body recover better because it is being fueled properly. This week is all about balance and moderation.

3. Active recovery. Since my legs weren't too sore I started taking 2-3 mile walks on Monday. It feels really nice to loosen up the legs without any impact or requiring any effort from them. I am also planning on hitting the recumbent bike that is at my house for some easy biking. I really love using the recumbent bike and I know my legs will appreciate being able to do something this week.

4. Stretch and foam roll often. I have kind of become obsessed with my foam roller lately. I love the hurts so good feeling and my body feels amazing afterwards. The only thing that is still tight is my hips and I know that some quality TLC with the foam roller will take care of that. I have also been looking up some different stretches online to make sure that my body is being fully stretched. The biggest thing for me is to make sure that I don't get injured.

5. Ice. It may not be as helpful now but icing really helps my legs recover from tough runs, especially my knees. My muscles aren't really sore anymore but my knees always appreciate a nice ice session. My hips and IT Bands could always benefit from some ice too.

6. Sleep, sleep, sleep. Since this is my spring break I don't have to get up early and can sleep in as late as I want. I am taking full advantage of this and catching up on all of the sleep that I lost due to studying. I don't know the science behind it but sleeping really helps the body recover also, so win win situation.

7. Hydrate. This goes along with eating well. Staying hydrated helps the body do its job by fueling it. A dehydrated body is more tired and unable to do all of the things that it needs to to recover from a tough race. Additionally, it is important to rehydrate after sweating out so much fluid during the race.

This Is the Beginning of A Great Month

I can't begin to explain how beautiful of a day today was. I am seriously loving of all this sunshine and warm weather we have been having lately. Today also means that February is officially over! February is my least favorite month so I'm really glad that today marks the first day of March.

I kicked March off with a 5 mile run. I was hoping to get in more than five miles but I didn't feel too great so I stopped at five. This was a really tough run for me but I am really glad I finished it. Runs like these make the good runs so much sweeter.

After I wrote about struggling during my run on Monday you would think that I would have learned my lesson about properly fueling before going for a run. I had a presentation this morning that had me super nervous and not hungry in the slightest for breakfast. And then I forgot my water bottle at my apartment. So no food and no water, off to a great start.

I made plans with some friends to go out to dinner so I knew I needed to get my run in right after class. I quickly grabbed some yogurt with granola, which I think was the cause of the stomach cramp I had for the majority of the run. I brought some nuun with me but I added too much water so it was pretty diluted.

When I bring hydration with me on runs I try to have a few sips every mile or so, since that is what it will be like on race day. Since I hadn't had anything to drink all day I decided to have a sip every half mile instead, which may have also contributed to the stomach cramp.

I haven't run since Monday so I know my legs were not tired from running, but they felt like bricks. I just felt slow in general and was counting down the minutes until I was done running. I ended up taking a few breaks to stretch and give myself a little break. I hate taking breaks during runs but these were much needed breaks that enabled me to finish the run.

I am going to do my long run this weekend since I am going home. My legs will really appreciate running on the soft surfaces of the running trail near my house. Hopefully this run will go much better than my other runs this week.

Running Is Always a Learning Experience

I wish I was reporting that I had a great run today and that it made me fall in love with running even more, but that wasn't the case. I woke up this morning really tired after a weekend jam packed with studying and homework. The sun was shining and there were no clouds in sight though, which instantly energized me.

After class I grabbed a sandwich and got to work on some more studying before my run. I was so excited by how warm the weather was because I didn't get to enjoy last week's warm weather since I was sick. I think my sandwich was a little too much for me before my run but I'll address that in a minute.

From the minute I left my apartment I was smiling ear to ear. It was such a beautiful day and there was nothing else I wanted to be doing at that moment (wanted being the key word- I should have been studying). But after a few minutes I knew this wasn't going to be the glorious run I was hoping it would be. My legs felt tired and heavy, and were barely moving. I just figured they would loosen up as I ran.

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	42:15.9	4.21	10:02
1	9:52.8	1.00	9:53
2	10:30.8	1.00	10:30
3	9:34.9	1.00	9:34
4	10:10.2	1.00	10:10
5	2:07.3	0.21	10:17

Not so much. The more I ran the worse I felt. I started feeling dizzy and my stomach was becoming heavy. I ended up taking a few walking breaks and my splits are all over the place but I still ended up running 4.21 miles. Then I walked the rest of the way back to my apartment.

It may not have been the run that I envisioned but it was still a decent run and in the end I am stronger because of it. I try to learn as much as I can from each run, and the main thing that I learned from this run is that I need to start paying a lot more attention to my nutrition. I had half of a bowl of oatmeal this morning around 8:30, a veggie sandwich at 3:00, a few sips of water throughout the day, and left for my run at 4:15.

She is hydrating properly. I need to do that.

I did plan on getting lunch at noon during my break but I had forgot my ID which has my meal swipes on it. Still though, I need to do a better job of fueling my body to do what I am asking of it. And more importantly, I need to drink more. I brought a 32 oz. water bottle to school with me and I hardly drank any of it. I did bring about 1/3 of a gatorade with me on my run (thank god!) but I think that also played a role in the heavy feeling in my stomach.

I have been doing a pretty good job of maintaining a dairy free diet, but I think I can do better. With all of my schoolwork piling up, I stopped paying attention to what I was eating and would just end up grabbing whatever was most convenient.

My Decision to Go Dairy Free

One of my February goals is to eat a dairy free diet. I have been thinking about going dairy free for a while but now seemed like the perfect time. I am working on a post about my plan for going dairy free but that will be coming later, hopefully this week.

In order to fully understand why I am cutting dairy out of my diet I need to let you in on my history with dairy. When I was a baby dairy made my stomach really sick. Growing up I couldn't eat any dairy products until I was around 4 or 5. I was told that I just grew out of my dairy allergy and could start eating dairy.

After then I never had any problems with dairy until a couple years ago. While I was in high school I developed this annoying cough after I ate. After a long time of casually thinking about what I was eating I came to the conclusion that dairy was the culprit.

Recently, though, I was having some stomach issues. I have been struggling with eating before running (that is a whole other post) and I again think the culprit is dairy. The weird thing is that my stomach feels heavy but that is it. Problem is, my stomach feels so heavy that I can't really accomplish much.

At this point, I am struggling with properly fueling my body. Lately I have been feeling sluggish and I think it is directly related to what I am eating. I think it is important for me to figure this out so I can start feeling my best.

Besides my stomach issues, eating a dairy free diet is healthy for the body in many other ways. I am going to address the nutrition issues in a later post, but I will say that I am doing this the healthy way. I am going to be close attention to my diet in general to make sure that I am getting all the nutrients that I need.

My Dairy Free Plan

As excited as I am about eating dairy free for the month of February, I am also pretty scared. There is a reason why I have never cut out dairy before: I love dairy! If I am going to do this successfully I need to construct some guidelines.

1. Only cut out major dairy products. I recently learned that most foods have some type of dairy in them, even in tiny amounts. As for right now I don't think I need to go that extreme. So that means no milk, cheese, ice cream, and other main dairy products. I have already switched to drinking almond milk so the biggest thing is going to be cutting out cheese.

2. Don't stress about finding dairy free options while eating out. Being a vegetarian already makes it more difficult for my boyfriend and I to find places to eat out at so restricting myself 100% of the time is just not realistic. I do want to try to select options with minimal amounts of dairy but I understand that dairy free options at restaurants can be hard to come across (i.e. if we are ordering Dominoes, how am we supposed to order a dairy free pizza).

3. Keep a food log. This is also a February goal and it goes hand in hand with going dairy free. I found a great free food log online that helps you keep track of not only what you eat but how you feel after eating. I want to be able to look back and see how eating dairy affects me. I will report back at the end of the month with my results!

4. Find a good dairy free cookbook. Since I have been trying to cook more for myself I am really interested in finding new recipes that are both dairy free and delicious. While many of the recipes that I currently make can be done dairy free, I also want to try new things and get a new experience.

5. Ensure I'm eating enough nutrients that are commonly found in dairy products. The overall goal of this experiment is to improve my overall health. But I also need to make sure that I am not missing any important nutrients by not eating dairy. The primary way I plan on doing this is through eating wholesome foods. I am also going to restart taking a calcium pill since calcium is primarily found in dairy.

Some Catching Up

This week has been so crazy! I had my first quiz, and of course it was in my Russian class so that made it a million times harder than a regular quiz, I have been preparing for two more tests this weekend (online class), and have been trying to get some solid training in on top of all the homework and classes I have to go to.

I went out for a run on Wednesday but was rather unsuccessful because my knee was bothering me on the hills and I didn't want to push it. It kind of feels like it is going to dislocate when I go up the stairs or uphill so I am trying to keep that under control and avoid hills like crazy.

I am going home this weekend so I am going to knock out my long run and hopefully a short tempo run on the nice, flat trail near my house. I really miss running there, actually.

With my knee bothering me I have been unable to go to any of the runs put on by the running club but I am hoping that next week everything will be feeling better and I will be able to go out with them a few times.

I am looking forward to being able to swim some more next week even though the temperatures are still supposed to be on the cool side. The outdoor pool is heated so I am going to take advantage of that for as long as I can.

I got an email from the Baltimore Running Festival reminding me that my first half marathon is now less than 30 days away. I have been working so hard toward achieving this goal and I am getting more excited than ever. I really think once I get back into a running groove that I will get even more excited.

I am trying to really pay attention to my nutrition too now that I am back at school. I don't want a repeat of last year where I gained 10 pounds because of the all you can eat dining hall. I am trying to make healthy choices at every meal and only eat junk food in moderation. I have been doing well so far but it is only a few weeks into the semester.

I will be reporting back sometime this weekend with how my long run went so be on the lookout!

Reexamining My Half Marathon Training Plan

On October 15 at 9:00 in the morning I will start my first half marathon, the Baltimore Half Marathon. I first started training for this race 8 weeks ago, which means that I am around halfway through training. When I started training I really didn't have any goals for myself other than to just finish the race. I have never raced anything longer than a 5K so I really didn't know what to expect for a half marathon. And even though I had a training plan written out I wasn't even sure if I was training properly since I was only running three times a week and pretty inconsistently. Then a few weeks ago I started running four times a week. I was really loving the higher mileage and was feeling stronger. However, I want to re-examine my training and my goals, or lack thereof, now that I am halfway through training. There are certain aspects of training that I need to change in order to reach my new goals for this first half marathon.

Nutrition. In the past, when I was a competitive swimmer, I ate very healthy. I became a vegetarian in order to keep my nutrition under control, and I cut out nearly all sweets and unhealthy foods. Then when I had surgery and had to quit swimming I started gaining weight, partly from not being able to swim or exercise, and partly because I was eating more unhealthy foods. My nutritional habits have especially gone out the window this summer and I really want to get back on track with them. For awhile I was eating hardly any vegetables despite being a vegetarian. All I was eating was carbs and sugary, fatty foods and I gained weight and just didn't feel great. Lately I have been working on developing better nutrition habits because I know how much it will help my training. I want to be eating at least one serving of fruit or vegetables at each meal, be drinking at least eight glasses of water a day, getting at least eight hours of sleep every night, and limiting the amount of junk food eaten, etc. Not only will eating healthier help fuel my body better, but hopefully I will lose some of this unwanted weight that I gained over the past few years.

Running Consistently. I have been running four times a week for a few weeks now and I have been really enjoying it. I feel faster and stronger, and look forward to going on these runs. Next weekend is my first triathlon so I don't want to make any major changes over the next two weeks but I want to start running five times a week. I want each run I do to have a purpose and be helping me train for my half marathon. I will do a post in a few days about my new running schedule, but I want to start incorporating different types of runs into my schedule. I also want to work on heart rate training. When I first started running my heart rate was always really high but lately it has been coming down some. I want to make sure that I am not pushing myself too hard but yet hard enough.

Cross Training. I have been doing a fair amount of cross training in the forms of biking and swimming since I am doing my first triathlon next weekend. However, I have not been too consistent with my cross training because I find the swimming boring and the biking lonely. I used to swim 10 times a week and never have a problem with being bored but that was because I was on a team and was practicing with my best friends. The school I am going to this fall (University of Maryland Baltimore County) has a beautiful long course outdoor heated pool that I plan on taking full advantage of. Plus, I am the vice president of the very new club swim team! I am hoping that being able to swim on a team again will help me regain my motivation and make swimming fun again. Additionally, I am looking into what trails are in the Baltimore area to go biking on. It probably is not the safest for me to go biking alone in a new city that has one of the country's highest crime rates so I am also looking into buying a bike trainer.


Please vote for me, Shannon Mulcahy, to become a member of the Refuel With Chocolate Milk team! I would really appreciate your support!