Decision Made

Man, I hate making decisions. Today I made an extremely difficult decision for myself. I was feeling a lot of pressure about it, and I was up against a deadline, and I just had to do it.

I decided not to return to Team Trakkers/Rev3 in 2012.

I'll probably kick myself for that decision as this may be the best opportunity that ever comes around for me as an athlete, but in my heart I know I made the right decision. Here's why...

I really dislike Twitter. I just don't get it. Facebook I get. You actually know the people on Facebook, they're real-life people, so when you make a statement or respond to somebody, you feel like you're having a conversation with them or actually contributing. Twitter moves much quicker than that. To me, it feels like any status you put out there is interrupting somebody's conversation with somebody else. Maybe I'm just not on it enough. And yet, that's where most of my teammates hang out. And Twitter is the reason I feel like not part of this team anymore. Last year I felt warm and accepted and this year I just feel on the outside. I just don't have the time to keep up with all the social media and I don't want to either. I haven't been on Twitter in months and I don't envision myself logging in again.

And then there's the sponsors. I have been on other sponsored teams where you are basically a billboard for that sponsor. This has not been like that. Our sponsors treat us really well. We get great gear, gadgets, products, and discounts. I really couldn't ask for more. But, I wouldn't define myself as a typical triathlete either. I am not a gearhead. Maybe I spent too many years as a runner before jumping in the triathlon game, but I was pretty set in my ways with what I liked before I switched to tris. I have worn the same running shoes (brand and model) for like 4 or 5 years now. I have found nutrition that works for me. I have been a swimmer all my life and like what I use to remove chlorine from my hair. And although I have sponsors that provide me these things, I'm not using any of it. I like what I like. And I'd like to tell others what I like and why, a la Steve in a Speedo, but I can't. I will never be a pro and will never get to choose my sponsors, but I am willing to spend my own money on good products that work for me and I want to be able to give those products props for being good.

Finally, and the most important reason why I'm not returning, is that after The Big One!!! in a few weeks I have one more race on the schedule in January and then that's it. I don't intend to put together a race schedule for 2012. I'm not sure I'll even do any races at all. Sure, I'm going to keep swimming and biking and running and getting fit, but there WILL NOT be an ironman or even a half ironman on the schedule. I'm even of thinking of switching from the marathon to the half marathon in January. I want to get some of my speed back and just have fun at some of the local races. I will continue to support Rev3 as I believe in Charlie and his company, but I can't travel all over the place to race or volunteer. Financially, it's just not possible. Plus I have a business to run and it's season is the same as racing season.

I have had a great time being part of this team. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I have met amazing people and have been given opportunities that I'm not worthy of. It's time to move on and pursue other interests. Thank you, thank you, thank you to Carole, Charlie, and my teammates for letting me be part of the ride.

Rev3 Knoxville Olympic Triathlon 2011

Last year I raced seven races total. Sunday was my seventh race of the season and my third triathlon. I feel like I've gotten a good jump on the year and have settled into my goals and expectations. I was ready. I was SO ready!

I slept great Saturday night and woke up Sunday hungry--hungry to eat up the course. I had established two goals for myself: PR and place in the top ten of my age group. I was ready to eat those for breakfast. I got to the course early, set up my stuff, and waited around patiently. I would be in the very last wave.





As we headed down to the swim start, I did get a little nervous about the swim, but overall I was excited and ready to tackle the day. I was here last year, had previewed the course again this year, have had GREAT training in the last couple of weeks, I knew exactly what to expect. Finally, my wave was called and we headed down the dock and into the water.

Look how calm I look before this race!

I'm the tiny one about to jump in.

I never know where to line up for a swim start. I know I am a strong enough swimmer that I should position myself nearer the front, but I really don't like the crowds. I am not good at drafting and I don't like to be around other people when I swim. Unfortunately there wasn't a whole lot of time to find the right position as the horn sounded and we were off. And I, of course, was right in the middle of a gazillion bodies. I kinda panicked. I treaded water for a good amount of time and actually said to myself, out loud, "this isn't worth it. I'm gonna swim over to those rocks and quit." But, I didn't. I pulled myself together, found space, put my face in the water, and just swam. And then I started to catch people. A lot of people. People in my wave, people in the wave before me. Before I knew it, the swim was done. I rolled myself onto the dock, started running up the dock, and then error #5 of the weekend happened: I couldn't get my wetsuit off.

See, I'm stuck!!!

I had, stupidly, put my watch on the outside of my wetsuit and the wrist cuff had gotten stuck. Really stuck. So stuck that I screamed at Dave when I saw him near transition, "I'M STUCK!" He and another volunteer pulled and pulled, which really hurt, until my hand popped out. I lost good time and my Garmin had gotten all screwed up in the process. Finally into transition, I had to restart my watch and would just wonder and do a little math for the remainder of the race to figure out how I was doing overall.

Swim - 30:20, 2:06/100m pace, 10/25 AG (All the swims were slow this year. I hear the course was a little long.)

T1 - 3:08 (This may have included the time I needed help getting my wetsuit off. I have no idea where the timing mats were.)



I have to admit, I love hills. I love to ride them. I love to run them. I enjoy the challenge. I love passing people. This bike course was made for me. I have worked for the last year on hills and I knew I was ready for a big bike day. I had something to prove. I started out conservatively, but made a conscious decision on the out and back portion of the course, "Meredith, you have got to go." I popped my bike into a big gear, which I never do, and pedaled as hard as I could. I raced up the hills. I pedaled every downhill. I stopped looking at my speed because I didn't want to freak out about it. Just go hard until the bike is over. I started to do a little math in my head. My goal was to go under 1:30 as last year I went 1:33. Soon I was realizing I was going to be in the 1:20s and before I knew it, I was back to transition in 1:22. Holy crap! I just became a legitimate triathlete.

Have you ever seen me smile getting off the bike?

Bike - 1:22:04, 18.13mph, 10th/25 AG (I was 12th AG coming off the bike.)

T2 - 1:15

Finally, I was out on the run, but things didn't seem to be clicking like they normally do. I saw Dave and said, "I may have spent too much on the bike." He told me I was within striking distance of several girls in my age group. I knew what I had to do: RUN! I didn't have the speed of last year, but I was still dropping 8:00s on the course. I was catching all kinds of people and soon found myself having passed 3 or 4 girls in my age group before the turn around. Right before the turn around, however, one very fast chick in my age group passed me. There was no way I could go with her. Turns out, she averaged 6:50s on the run. Yazow!



In the last two miles, I found myself in the land of men. I saw no women in front of me and knew I wasn't going to place any higher in my age group. I had no idea where I had placed, but I was pretty sure it was in the top 10 of the age group. My last mile was the hardest and slowest of the day. Had I known there was one more girl in my age group only 30 seconds in front of me, I probably could have found the strength, but as you can see, I was very much alone:

Looking very fit.

Run - 50:20, 8:06 pace, 7th/25 AG

I finished the race not knowing how I had done. Dave came running up to me and asked me what I thought? How big was my PR? Well, it was a 6+ minute PR. I had PRed on the bike by 11 minutes. I had made my goal and had finished in the top ten of my age group, taking home 8th place.

Total - 2:47:08, 8th/25 AG

This was a big breakthrough race for me. Finally, I feel like a real triathlete. I put together the total package: swim, run, AND bike. This was a real confidence boost for me. I can do this sport. I'm ready for the next challenge that lies ahead...

A Few More Things I Think You Should Know

This weekend I will meet many of my new teammates and will be reintroduced to my teammates from last year. Before all the craziness begins, there are a few things I think you should know...

• I am PAINFULLY shy, which can come across as stand-off-ish. That's not the case at all. I have no idea what to say in social situations and therefore, say nothing at all, which may seem like I don't like you. I'll open up. Just give me a while.
• Growing out my bangs sucks. Please don't make fun of my hair. :)
• Because of my shyness I tend to be a little socially awkward. I don't really look people in the eye; I will talk in incomplete sentences; and most likely I will stick my foot in my mouth at some point. I am going to go ahead and apologize for my awkwardness.
• Yes, I am that tiny. :)
• During the race, I may not exchange pleasantries on the course. That's not to say I'm not cheering you on the inside, I like to race as hard as I can and go for it. There isn't energy to cheer and race. I'll throw you a high five after the race, though.

Well there you have it. I probably just revealed too much about myself, but I wanted to make a good first impression. I'll call this my pre-pression. :) See you all in a few days.

Miscellany for Thursday

Good grief I've been busy. And I really don't have anything interesting to say. My world has been workout, eat, sleep, workout, eat, watch TV, sleep, repeat. Pretty boring. Here's a few little tidbits into my last week:

• Our Team Trakkers gear has started arriving. Last week I got my new TYR Hurricane 5 wetsuit and team kit. I'm digging the new design and since I've been working on my getting my body bangin' the last several months, I don't even mind that it's a tiny little thing.

• I have signed up for two more races this week: a half marathon and a half Ironman. That's all you need to know. :)
• I have been attending the same weight lifting class on and off for the last several years. During that time, it's been the same instructor teaching the class. A few weeks ago she decided not to teach the class any more. For a few weeks we had different instructors and one I really liked who actually teaches the class on a different day. Yesterday her class was AWESOME!!! She did such unique exercises. Today I'm sore, but really happy about it.
• It may be just me, but I am so excited about the royal wedding tomorrow. Of course, I work in the wedding industry and love all things wedding. I will not, however, be getting up at the crack of dawn to watch it. I will be using my DVR and watching it at a more normal hour.
• Today I got an email that the iPhone 4 is being released in white. Gosh darn it! I have waited for over a year for the white one to come out. Dave and I have already decided to wait for the next generation of the iPhone to come out, but with my broken vibrate function and a cracked screen on my phone, I don't know how much longer I'm going to wait.
• I'm in the middle of an epic training week. It seems early in the season to be having such a big week. So....I've got to get out the door to train. Catch ya later!!!

Team Trakkers 2011

Want to be something extraordinary? Then apply to be part of Team Trakkers for 2011. We are a group of multisport athletes of every shape, size, and ability who love to train, race, chat, and have fun. We're looking for a some new people to join our team in 2011. If you think you've got what it takes to be part of the "Green Machine", then click here and fill out the application. Good luck!

EAS Distance Classic 20 Miler 2010

I didn't want to end my year with disappointments in Louisville and Cedar Point. So I decided to use all my training and put it towards some running events. It's very rare that I have a weekend without a photo booth event, but this weekend I didn't and luckily there was a very long race in town: the EAS Distance Classic 20 Miler. Sure I hadn't done a long run since Louisville. Sure I hadn't done a long run before Louisville since the start of August. But, I was prepared to do a full iron distance race last weekend so certainly I had the conditioning for this.

I really had no expectations for this race. I knew it would be lonely out there as it was all inside Three Creeks Metro Park, so I decided to run with my iPod and treat the race as training to gauge if I wanted to sign up for the marathon next month. Luckily when I got to the race site this morning I ran into several people I've run with in the past. I felt right at home. My friend Patty, who've I've run with for this 20 mile race before and the Columbus Marathon, lined up with me and we decided to keep the pace around 9:00 or under.


I was a little concerned when we hit the first mile at 8:41. That was faster than I wanted to be going that early in the race but to my surprise, we held almost that pace for nearly the whole race. We soon realized there were two other women, Molly (who is the sister of a mutual friend) and Shawna, in our group and the four of us ran together from the start of the race until mile 15.


That's when I started to feel the effects of having absolutely zero training at the pace I was trying to run. Seriously y'all, I've been training for a 9:00-9:30 for Ironman. I had absolutely no right to think I was going to be able to sustain an 8:45 for this race. At mile 15 I noticed Molly and Shawna slipping away. Patty continued with me and we hit mile 16 at 8:42. Still on pace. At mile 17 I walked through the water stop, as did Patty, but when she started moving again it was quicker than me.


I only walked one more time in the race, but at this point I was pacing over a 9:00. I was all alone. I restarted my iPod and just tried to put one foot in front of the other until I got to the finish line. I finished in 2:56:16, which funny enough, netted me a 3rd place age group finish. Three years ago I ran in this race in almost exactly the same time and it got me 7th in my age group. I love me a small race! :)


Will I run the marathon next month? Probably. Will I be able to qualify for Boston again? I don't know. But, there's still some good training left to be done and a fantastic pace group to run with. Hopefully, I can, but I will be happy to end the season with any success. And finishing itself, is a success.

Foto Friday

I found the official pictures from the triathlon last weekend. And some of them are not so pretty. But, I'm putting them out there anyway because why not? Enjoy! (I "borrowed" these and they were thumbnails so the quality is not so good.)

This look says, "woah, I did awesome on my swim so I better run hard because I have a great time going."

Looking good starting off on the bike.

This looks says, "damn, those downhills are SCARY!!!"

Obviously, I am not working hard enough on the bike. :)

Chuck and I. He's looking happy to finished. I look like I'm gonna hurl.

Finished! Looks like I won the mirror ball trophy from "Dancing with the Stars!"

Track Me LIVE!!!

Tomorrow I'll be racing in the Rev3 Olympic Triathlon in Knoxville, TN. I've been through the hoopla today, swam in the river, drove the bike course, and got the bike checked in. I'm as ready as I'm going to be.

My race starts at 8:15am EST and you can track me LIVE on the Trakkers website. Follow this link, click on Rev3 Knoxville Olympic, highlight me (and my teammates) and then hit go. The tracking device will not be worn in the water, but will be available in real time once I am on the bike. I will not be wearing my heart rate monitor so you won't be able to get that data.

See you (online) tomorrow morning!

Foto Friday

Here's a pictorial of my bike ride yesterday...

First of all, rocking the new Trakkers team bike jersey. My first bike jersey. Crap! Guess that means I'm no longer "just" a runner.


After a warm up and two of four intervals, I decided to meet the pavement personally as I tried to turn my bike around. I suck at turning around. Dave wasn't there to pick me up or laugh with (at) me. I hide to ride back with my bloody knee.


I was supposed to do a run off the bike after I returned, but I realized half way through the bike that Dave had the key to the car and his bike ride was 10 minutes longer than mine--a whopping 5 minutes less than my run. This is how unhappy I was that (a) Dave had the key and (b) that I had crashed my bike...


Alas, there would be no trying out my new racing shoes, the Saucony Fastwitch. Like my fancy laces I put in them? Of course, the racing shoes will continue to be named "The Green Dragons."

>
Big bike ride on the agenda this weekend. See you on the trails!

I Love the UPS Man!

The UPS man brought me goodies this week. First it started with some EFS Liquid Shot from First Endurance. I used it on my ride today and I will be reviewing it next week.



Then yesterday I got some awesome stuff from another one of my sponsors, Tri-Swim. I got some shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, Foggle, and Tri-Slide. I'm looking forward to trying this stuff out next week after a swim.



And next week, there will be the best package of all. Tune in tomorrow for that story...

Team Trakkers News

Every day I get a flurry of emails about the team that I'm on, Team Trakkers. As the season quickly gets under way, the sponsors are gearing up and things are falling into place. I'm both super excited and completely nerve-wracked to be on this team. I'm also super excited and completely nervous to be taking on the challenge of triathlon this year. Anyway, back on topic, here's a nice article about the team and it's members and sponsors. And here's another article about one of our sponsors, First Endurance. I have just ordered my first stuff from First Endurance, the EFS Liquid Shot. I'm going to give it a try on my bike ride this weekend and will write a review about it next week.

Team Trakkers Mascot

I think my dog, Sloopy, would make the perfect mascot for Team Trakkers.

Surprise at my Doorstep

There was a nice surprise waiting at my doorstep today. I kinda joked that it was my team uniform and lo and behold, it kinda was. Inside the package was 3 new visors and a hat from Trakkers.

2010 Athletic Goals

I'm finding it difficult to set goals for next year. I'm just not sure what to expect since I've never fully concentrated on triathlon. But, I do have some thoughts and goals based on what I've done in the past and what I think I'm realistically capable of doing. Here are my thoughts:

• Complete a half iron in under 6 hours. I've done 2 in the past, one in 6:10 and one in 6:09. Both of those I only done the minimum biking to be able to complete the distance. This should be an obtainable goal, however, I'm doing a pretty hilly half this summer so we'll see.
• And speaking of biking, I'd really like to be able to go under 3 hours in that half ironman.
• For the ironman, I think I am capable of finishing between 12 and 13 hours. I know this may be lofty for a first time, but I base this on current capabilities. I should be able to swim under 1:30 and run around 4 hours. The big question mark is biking. I'd like to aim for 7 hours or better.
• Qualify for the Halfmax Nationals.
• Be a good representative for Team Trakkers.

Nothing is set in stone regarding these goals. Who knows how I'm actually going to be able to perform. I've never done the training and I've never taken any of my triathlon races seriously. But, I am looking forward to the challenge and finding out what I'm capable of. 2010 is going to be a great year!

Come Race With Me (and get a discount)!

Hey friends! Here's your chance to get into the Rev3 triathlon races and get a discount in the process. There are three races scheduled for summer 2010. First it's Knoxville on May 8th and 9th. I will be doing the Olympic distance tri in Knoxville. Then it's the Quassy race on June 5th and 6th in Middlebury, Connecticut.. Finally it's the Cedar Point race on September 12. Dave will be doing the full iron-distance race at Cedar Point, so I will be there too!

And when you go to sign up, please use the discount code Trakkers119 to receive a $10 discount. There is a contest going on for all Team Trakkers members. I need as many people to sign up using my code as possible. So, tell you friends and family about my blog and get them to sign up too. The prize is big and I'd really like to win.

See you in Knoxville in May!

Exciting News for 2010

I got some great news last week. I found out that I got sponsored for 2010 by Trakkers. Trakkers is such a cool device. It is a GPS worn during races and workouts that allows your family and friends to track you. It uses a map interface that can be zoomed into the street level and can even allow your family and friends to tell what side of the street you're on. Although the device does not give feedback to your during your event, you can download the performance information afterward and see how good or bad you did. Although the Trakkers GPS is not currently available for the general public, it has been successfully tested in many races and should be available soon.

Not only is Trakkers a cool device, the sponsorship is a fantastic opportunity. Trakkers has paired with Rev3, a series of races that aims to offer a fun, first class racing experience. As a sponsored athlete I get the opportunity to race in a Rev3 race and be part of all the team events at the race. I'm hoping to do the olympic distance race in Knoxville and Dave is planning on doing the full iron-distance race at Cedar Point.

There are several other sponsors that I will discuss in the future. They're great companies and I'm excited to try out their products.

Thanks Trakkers for choosing me. I look forward to being part of the team in 2010.