Race report x2

I have not written in a very long time. Life has been so busy with work,school, life and training. There were times I didn’t know if I was coming or going and what needed to be done next. Thank goodness for my Coach Lesley Kruzel and Tri Equal #equallyinspiring program. I would not have been able to do it all without them.

When we started in March, I was in school full time finishing my degree in Nursing, working full time and being mom, but not in that particular order. Some days I was lacking in one area if not all in all three. There were several really dark days when I was ready to give it all up. I felt like I was not giving my best to anyone or anything. To compensate I started eating and eating. I ended up gaining weight and had some major set backs on my weight loss. Stress can be a real killer at times. One that I am trying to overcome even as I type this.

Lets start to talk about the good things that happened. With the wonderful training plans from Coach Lesley, I was able to push myself and to slow myself down. I learned that I could swim more than 25 yards without stopping. I overcame several mental blocks. I did find out that I can ride in aero on Blessing and not fall off the bike. I do need much more time in the saddle and not feel like I am a very drunk rider. I also learned that slowing down my run does help to push for longer distances.

As I was getting ready for my first race on April 29, 2018, I was also finishing up my last class in Nursing school. So between starting work at 4AM everyday, I was working on my final paper/power point presentation, trying to remember to feed Joshua dinner or to get him to his appointments and homework done. I was also getting in what training that I could. Some days it just did not happen and I felt like I was letting my Coach down. We talked and she reinforced me that I was not and get in what I could when I could.

Tri Try Illinois, April 29, 2018 at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville.

This is a wonderful first race of the year. They have 2 different races the super sprint and the long sprint. This year I pushed myself and signed up for the long sprint. I was ready to increase my distance so I can start getting ready for my future Ironman race.

The distance for this race was a 300 yard pool swim, 20 mile bike and 4 mile run.

I did OK on the swim, but the bike was another story….. HOLY WIND Batman.. we were riding on a county rode that went through the country and had farm land on both sides. The wind would get you in just about any direction. I could not keep in aero due to the wind and the hills were crazy hard. I am still learning my gearing and on one hill I was in the wrong one and it was 10 times harder getting up.

Going out on the bike.

The run was good, I kept at my 30 second run and 30 second walk intervals and a couple of times I had to walk a little longer, but got it done.

I was very proud of my finish. I challenged myself and had fun.

Thank you # owenotter for always running with Aunt Jen

After this race it was the final push for graduation. I had applied for the Master’s Degree program at SIUE, but got word that I did not get in. So, I applied to McKendree Univeristy and had an phone interview on the morning of my graduation. At the end of the interview I had a chance to ask questions. My only question was, when will I hear if I have been accepted to the program. The Director of the program said “let me be the first one to tell you welcome to the program”. I am so excited that on my graduation day, I was accepted to the next stage of my education.

Graduation May 4, 2018

 

Now it is time to push for my A race… The Olympic distance race at St. Louis Triathlon.

My training was once again hit and miss due to weather or just being tired. I tried my hardest to keep it up, but I would have one great day training and was completely exhausted the next two day. I got maybe 2 to 3 swim days in, but most importantly I was able to get in 2 open water swims in before race day.  I had gotten a huge kiss from my wetsuit on the neck and now know that Body Glide is your friend.

As it got closer to race day, the more I was questioning myself IF I could really do this.  I continued to eat everything in sight due to the stress that I put myself under. I wanted to challenge myself, but could I really do it?

May 19, 2018

Packet pick up…. Went over to Earth City, MO to the old Ram’s practice facility that is now owned by Lou Fuze and had been changed over to a soccer facility. It was great to see the complex.

The pre race talk was given by race director Richard Adams (what a funny and wonderful person) MSE Racing. If you can every meet Rich, you will feel like you have known him forever. Just full of smiles and hugs. His love for triathlons shines through in this race. It helps that he is also an athlete.

Left the facility and headed to bike drop off. The one wonderful thing about this race is they offer a secured overnight drop off. One less thing to worry about on race morning.

May 20, 2018

Race morning!

I wanted to get up and moving early. Set my alarm that I would  normally set for a work morning. I still woke up later than I wanted to but got there in plenty of time. What wasn’t so nice was Mother Nature. She decided that she wanted the St. Louis area to have some rain. It rained turning the night and it caused me to have get to sleep as early as I wanted to. Then on the 40 minute drive to the race, it continued to rain off and on.

I get to the site and get things out of the van and it starts to rain again. It continued to rain off and on for the next 2 hours. Everything continue to get wet and not much could be done.

We then get the word that the race will be delayed due to the weather. We were getting lighting and thunder. We were to start the first wave at 0645 and that was pushed to 0700. Then Rich came over the loud speaker to say that the race will NOT be cancelled but we will be pushing the start time back to 0715 if needed. IF it had to be done then the Olympic distance bike would be cut down to only one loop due to safety and time constraints. I know that he had a very hard decision to make.

0715 the red caps are in the water

0719 the yellow caps are in the water

0723 the pink caps are in the water….. Oh! Sh$& that is me… off I go. It is a beach start and I had to wade self into the lake and start swimming.

1..2..3.. breathe…. 1..2..3…breathe….. I continue trying to keep that going through my head as I took off swimming.. try to stay somewhere on course. What is that the first orange bouy… OK, I can do this.. my arms are getting heavy… stop look up to see where I was at… I am not even close to the orange triangle bouy (the sprint turn). Just keep swimming.

Trying to channel Dory…. just keep swimming… you can do this…. I hate open water swim… How can you ever do an Ironman if you can’t handle an small open water swim.

Look it is a yellow bouy… keep going you are getting closer to the turn around.

Am I there yet?? Sh*&^… not yet.. keep going. I would get hit by swimmers passing me in different color caps, but I kept going and continue to tell myself…. Your race your pace.

LOOK it is the YELLOW triangle and time to turn and go back to the exit.

Only 2 more bouys to go…….

I finished the swim in 46:11.   I had estimated 60 minutes.

Transition one   5:55

I had to put on socks for my cycling shoes. Off I went to get on to the bike. From where I was to bike exit is a very long walk/run as you had to leave the transition and could not mount until you were on the road.  Time to ride the one loop course.

It went really well, I kept getting a side stitch on my right side at times. I tried to stay in aero as much as I could. Shoulders would get very tired.

Bike finish in 49:51 for 12 miles

Transition 2 4:47

On to the RUN…..

Coach had me running a 30:30 intervals for the run. I was able to keep that going though out the whole run. I had to keep a count in my head to make sure I kept a good pace.

For my 30 seconds of run I would count to 80 – 85. That would be how many single foot strikes that I could do in 30 seconds. I continued to do this for the whole run.

It was great to see fellow team mates from Metro Tri Club that would yell out  encouragements for me to keep going. I would not have made it near the end without it.

I ended up finishing the 10 K in 1:27:58

Total time…. 3:14:39:07

All in all it was a great first time Olympic race for me. I was able to get it done and there were many times that I questioned myself if I wanted to continue training to reach my goal of becoming an Ironman. More of that at a later date.

If you made it this far, you deserve a medal of your own.

 

Thank you all for your love and support in my crazy life and journey.

Time to get to work

I have had a big awaking during the past few weeks. I allowed my weight to creep up to 170 lbs. This was my original goal weight when I set out on my weight loss journey. I had gotten all the way down to 143-148. Then something switched in my head after hearing concerns from trusted friends that I needed to gain some weight. That little talk flipped the switch in my head saying that I don’t need to watch what I eat because I need to gain some weight.

I fell back into old habits and started eating peanut M&Ms like they were going out of style. I was stress eating due to work, family and school. My training has suffered because of it. I have not wanted to do any training for the last few weeks.

I know that has to stop and will stop come March 1, 2018 when I start training with my #equallyinspiring Coach Lesley.

I help with the weight loss, I started the 5 Day Pouch Test.

 

I have done an OK job so far, but need to really step up the game.  I need to do this for me. I am also going to be seeing a therapist to help with the switch or as I call it the hamster on the wheel that is running in my head.

I am not close enough to go to support group meetings in Nashville, TN where I had surgery. The closest support groups in the St. Louis area are all over an hour away and meet either right at rush hour or too late at night.

I know that I can do this and I will get it done. I have to!

This has been a busy and exciting week

This past week has been a very busy one. Trying to get my school work done, from trying to figure out a Fishbone diagram and a PICK chart for my nursing class to having a DXA scan, RMR and VO2 test at school.

The testing at school was a new experience to me and I am still trying to figure out the numbers and what they really mean to my athletic status and what I need to do to improve.

 

My VO2 was 28.5 and for my age of 48 was right in between fair and good. Will need to work on it, also if we had done the other slower test we may have gotten different results. That is partly my fault that I didn’t tell them that my average mile run is between 12 and 14 minutes.

It was a fun 2 hours and learning about what I can do. The VO2 test didn’t last very long as the speed went up fast and I couldn’t handle it at 6mph on the treadmill.

Should have done the other slower build test. Will do that the next time. This was the first time ever doing this type of testing. I was very lucky that I am a student and was able to get the test package at half price.

On January 27, 2018 I heard the news that I had been waiting for…..

 

I am so excited to be working with Coach Lesley Kruzel and I can’t wait to get started.

EATING

I have been having issues in this area. It will always be an issue for me no matter what size I am. I have to get it under control.

Trying to find a weight loss support group in my area is very hard. The closest ones are in St. Louis and over an hour away.  I will get through this and be better for it.

I will be writing more about my training and life in general. Going to make it a weekly project and put it on my calendar to remind myself to do it. I am finishing up my BSN and will be graduating on May 4, 2018. Hoping to hear if I have gotten into the MSN program the first week on March for the fall. Then I will have the whole summer off for training, local races and spending time with my son and friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tri Equal

I had the wonderful opportunity in 2015 to be apart of the first group of women athletes to be selected. I got hurt and had to back away from the training and the coaching that I was getting from Krista LaPan.   I then had my weight loss surgery in July 2015.  I have been slowly working my way back in to training and did really well in 2016.

Fast forward to December 2017 and my wonderful friend Jordan Blanco posted about the opening for applications for the new season with Tri Equal. With Jordan’s encouragement, I put in my application once again. Not really thinking that I would be picked.  But guess what…… I GOT PICKED!!!!

I continue my support each day that I wear my @RoadID with my tag #5Q.

This is 2018 and we as women still don’t have equality in so many things. This has to change and I hope that it does in my life time.

 

Good bye 2017… Hello 2018

As we get ready to ring in a New Year, there are many things that I have to thankful for in the past year.

1. My wonderful family both blood and chosen. They have been my rock in so many ways.
2. My wonderful friends that I have met and reconnected with over the past year.
3. Taking a trip of a lifetime in April to the Grand Canyon and Whitewater Rafting down the Colorado River and then hiking out the Bright Angel Trail.
4. Maintaining my weight loss for the past year, give and take 10 lbs.
5. Seeing my son adjust to his mother’s crazy ideals and moving away from what he knew and his friends to a bigger school.
6. Doing my one and only Tri in August and then doing my first ever half marathon in a little over 3 hours.
7. Working towards my degree in Nursing and hoping to move towards my Masters degree.
8. So many more things.

 

Goals for 2018

1. To maintain my weight better and to find my groove in cooking healthy meals for both of us to eat.
2. Focus on my last 2 classes for my BSN.
3. Start back training in a fun and healthy manner.
4. Have fun this summer with races and spending time with my son and friends.
5. Going to focus on swimming and riding this winter.
6. Learn to be in aero on the bike and once weather is better getting out and riding in aero.
7. More open water swims

 

These are just a few short goals that I want to work towards for 2018.

I am off to a good start.. slow but made my goal of 30 minutes. Need to work on speed and endurance.

 

Have a wonderful and safe New Year!

Jen

It has been a crazy month

I have been non-stop since my last post.  It feels like it has been over a month since I wrote, but in truth it has only been a few weeks.

I celebrated my 48th birthday on the 3rd, then had to write my final paper for my Nursing Research class that was due on the 13th (got it done before then and turned in), now trying to get things ready for Christmas.

Joshua and I are heading down to Florida to spend Christmas with my Dad and brother. This will be the first time back to Florida since we moved to Illinois in 2014. I have worked by butt off getting my PTO time saved up to be able to take 6 days off.

Now on to training and eating.   I HAVE BEEN BAD!!!!!!

My training has taken a huge back seat to life and so has my eating.  My weight had gotten back up to 165 and I just felt like crap. First of all, I have been so upset with myself that I allow myself to slip back into old unhealthy eating habits when I get stressed. Will have to work on finding better ways when school starts back up in January.

I have gone back to just drinking my protein drinks and water. I have slipped up twice and had my mortal enemy of peanut M&Ms. I just have to refocus and remember why I did this in the first place.

I have been trying to find a support group that isn’t over an hour away.  I will keep looking.

Back to the training…. Joshua has swimming lessons every Thursday night and there just happens to be a Masters Swim Class at the same time. So, we both get to swim on Thursday nights. Plus he does so much better when I am not watching. I am so proud of him and how far he has come in his swimming.

Now on to bigger news…….

 

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They have opened up applications for their “Equally Inspiring Athlete” for women to be coached for three months for free. They continue to want to increase the number of women in the sport. I was very lucky in 2015 that I applied and was accepted. Sadly it didn’t last long as I got injured and couldn’t continue. This was right before my weight loss surgery.  So, I was encouraged to apply again and I did.

 

My view on why we need 50 women at Kona

Over the last several months there has been the “Thing” going on in the wonderful world of Triathlons, but mostly in the world of Ironman racing. I found recently that things are not all as they appear to be when it comes to equality in our sport. Yes, I am saying OUR sport. I am new to the sport but I am part of this group of wonderful athletes.
I will never make it to Kona for the world championships, even though I have been told never say never. I am a single, 45 year old, over weight mom trying to make a better life for not only myself but for my son. I know what it feels like to be excluded, to not be treated as an equal and multiple other issues that a person has to deal with growing up the fat girl. But I am not here to talk about me. I am here to talk about why I think it is important to have 50 professional women on the starting line at the World Championships in Kona.
In today’s world we are slowly changing the way we look at not only ourselves but those around us. There continues to be a very large stigma about what a girl can and can’t do. History over the years have shown us otherwise. We, as women can do anything that we set our minds to, from being a professional athlete to a stay at home mom. We do not deserve to be ridiculed about our decisions that we make about how we live our lives. The women who are active professional triathletes are just as or more important today than any other time in history. They are showing us that you can be a girl and do so many different things with your life. They are being the role models that I wished I had growing up. I may have been more active growing up if I had a Jodie Swallow, Beth Gerdes, DeDe Gtiesbauer, Mirinda Carfrae, Chrissie Wellington, Meredith Kessler, Mary Beth Ellis, Rachael Joyce, Sara Gross, Hilary Biscay and Caroline Steffen to name a few to look up to and try to be. We even now have newer role models that are showing girls that at any shape and size can do our sport: Meredith Atwood, Leslie Battle, Krista Henderson and Leah Gilbert.
This all leads up to WHY it is so important to fight this fight now. We are setting an example to girls everywhere that we will not sit and let an injustice pass us by. There are many that will say that the girls can never complete like the boys. Well of course we can’t we are completely different. BUT we are just as good as or better than the boys. This should be celebrated and not shunned. WTC and its Ironman brand have the opportunity to do just that, celebrate women.
They started a group called Women for Tri. Many wonderful, experienced, strong women were invited to be on the first board. The goal of the board is to find a way to grow the sport and have more women participate. This is the growth that they are wanting, but will not happen until they open up the spaces and make qualifying points just as equal. We have women and men of all shapes, sizes and athletic ability join our sport; hey look at me, but we have to make it equal for all. It will take time but it can happen. Just need to take that first bite out of the elephant, the bite for 50 women to Kona.

For more information on this subject go to: http://www.triequal.com

Welcome to From 300 to Iron

I would like to welcome each and everyone to my new blog.

I have just started my training and wanted to keep an account of where I have been and where I am going on the roller coaster ride call Triathlon.

On April 26, 2015 I completed in my first Super Sprint Tri in Edwardsville, IL at SIUE. I was very proud of myself and the results that I got.

Age group 45*49 This was a super sprint: Swim 150 yards, Bike 10 miles and Run 2 miles

10th in age group and 126th overall
Swim: 6:57.45 86:53/M
T1:4:25.80
Bike: 1:16:07.00
Run: 41:37.30 20:49/M
Total time: 2:09:07.55

I am very impressed with myself especially with the Bike. I dropped my chain twice and had to walk up 2 hills. Of course I had the most fun coming down the hills. I kept wanting to squeal WEEEEEE! Just needed to have streamers to my handlebars. Happy with the run, which I walked also.

I can’t wait to do it again.