1-Iron DistanceTriathlon, 1-Perfect Day, and 1-Fast Momma!

REDMAN TRIATHLON



Pre-race Hugs!

 1.2 mile swim/ 56 mile bike/ 13.1 mile run

At 4am my alarm went off to the start of a "once in a lifetime day".  My first thoughts were "I don't want to do this".  After all of this training it amazes me the power that mental thoughts can have.  My mental thoughts should know better by now.  I had a nice warm shower and got dressed, fed lil' Abram and then Justin and I  was ready leave the house by 5.  In the car I ate 1/2 of my night- before- made oats, egg, and 1/2 banana. 

When we got there Justin carried my bags and I enjoyed our comforting conversation as we walked on the pathway to transition area.  And oh the beautiful morning.  There was no wind, which is rare for Lake Hefner.  It was low 50s and would reach mid 90s by the races end.


I went to set up my transition area.  This took me a good thiry minutes because my rubber bands kept popping that hold my shoes to my bike.  Get ready, this may be the funniest triathlon thing you've ever heard.  I aired up my front tire and and had to walk around the bike rack to get to my back tire.  The tire pressure read 60psi.  What?  I just aired them up to 120psi yesterday.  I am having a flat.  Do I need to change it?  Do I need to chance it and hope it is a slow leak?  Well I air it up to the recommended level, unhook my pump and then I notice it wasn't my bike.  IT WASN'T EVEN MY BIKE! I quickly got to my bike while looking around in hopes that noone saw me.  I thought "I could get disqualified or penalized for some kind of bike tampering act".  It just so happened the bike that was two bikes down from me was just like mine.  What are the chances?  I guess they were going to leave them at 60psi because the owner had his/her transition set up and I didn't see anyone at the bike before transition closed.  With time to think about this, they had to have had a much better ride with properly inflated tires.  :) Glad I could help out!

Justin and I right before the start. 

As I lined up in the 3rd wave, waiting to walk down to the water, I was overwhelmed with so many people there to support me.  I was also overwhelmed to actually see the 1.2 mile swim distance laid out (my pool laps didn't look that far).  I got to say hello to everyone prior to the race.  The last thing Mom told me before I headed for the water was 'Sue, Shirley, and Norma said good luck'.  My eyes teared up and so did Moms.  Bagpipes begin to play and me and all of the pink caps made our way down to the water.  I will never forget this moment.


THE SWIM 

 



After Swim



I got into the water.  Megan and Emily, my TNT friends were close by so it was a comfort like in training.  The gun went off and I was doing this thing!  Because of the low water the swim course was moved to middle of the lake.  Big orange buoys were out there that we were supposed to ignore.  (The anchors were too long and they blew all over the place.) We were looking for smaller white buoys, which were hard to see when you have an obstacle course of oranges buoys going out to the first turn.  I started out on the right outter edge.  In no time I found my rhythm and enjoyed every minute of it.  It did seem like a long way, but in no time I was making my final turn to head in.  On that last part was the only time I slowed down.  I just couldn't see the buoy and couldn't find a good landmark to spot off of.  Guess what, I found that buoy anyway and started the big run up to T1.  I heard many cheers as well as the announcer saying "Janna Pratt is out of the water". SWIM TIME: 38:40.

THE BIKE 

Bike Start



I was excited to be on the bike and even more excited about how good my legs felt.  They felt pretty fresh the entire 56 miles.  I guess I was so used to my 10 hour training weeks on tired legs.  My last week of training was very light so my legs were rested (a nice change).  I started off easily averaging the upward end of 18 to 22 mph and was careful to make sure I could handle the pace the whole time.  I wanted to stay conservative on the bike pace because I had no idea what to expect the 13 mile run would be like.  I was on track to come in from my bike around the 3 hour mark.  A whopping 30 minutes ahead of expected.  I told you I felt good. 


I am not sure how many times me and three other girls would pass each other back and forth.  I guess some of us were better at uphills and some better at flats.  I got to quickly meet a couple of them.  One in which I got to cheer on during her run.  I wonder if I aired any of your bike tires up?  :)  You can thank me later. 

I took two handups at two different water stops.  A handup is when a race volunteer holds up gatorade or water bottle so you can grab it as you are pedaling through the water stop.  This was a first for me.  I wanted to make sure that I didn't drop it so I grabbed it and squeezed it so hard that gatorade shot straight out the top.  I yelled "sorry" to the volunteer.  I was one for one so I used the same method in getting my next water bottle.  It shot straight out of the bottle too!  I thought it was pretty funny.  Two for two!
About 6 miles from the bike finish I heard cheers "Go Janna!" from some of my family.  Of course it gave me a jolt and in no time I was done with the bike portion of the race. 


Bike Finish.  BIKE TIME:  3:02:27



THE RUN 

At the beginning of the run I saw Jackie climbing a pile of rocks to get a good picture of me. :) I felt really good going into the run with my first mile at a 8:54 pace.  I was in reach of that pace for about four miles.  Around mile 3 I started feeling something in my right shoe.  I dealt with it for a little while and then had to quickly pull my shoe off to get it out.  I didn't feel anything in my shoe so I put it back on an started running again.  I felt it again.  Bummer it was a blister and I am sure 10.1 more miles of this would aggrevate it something awful.  Other than that I could run for days.  I saw Justin around mile 4.5 and gave him a positive update (other than the blister).  He than ran to another place he could see me just short of the turnaround at the halfway mark.  I was so happy to see him each time.  At the turnaround everyone was there holding up signs, taking pictures, and cheering me on.

Headed out for my 2nd loop on the run.  See Asher's hand that I am running to?



I got to see many Team in Training participants during the run and several that was in our group:  Taylor, Emily, Megan, Patty, Carl, Lisa, and Nate.   It was nice hearing "Go Team"  when someone recognized the TNT logo on my tri suit top.


The last four miles I had slowed down to about a 10:15 pace as the temperature had reached the mid 90s.  My legs were still strong.  I kind of laughed to myself imagining the conversation I would have with Justin and me telling him that it wasn't that bad.  I had fuel left in the tank.  I think that is a good way to do it on my first half iron.


I ran with guy named David for the last 2.5 miles.  He was finishing his first half too.  He had small words of encouragement that made an impact on the last part of the race.  During that last 2.5 miles there was a guy up ahead of us that would bend over in agony from leg cramps.  We would just about catch up to him and then he would take off again.  With a half of a mile to go I let David power ahead.  I finally caught the guy cramping and said "let's go buddy, not much longer now".  He stood up and trudged behind and asked desperately how much farther.  I said "point 4 to go, just stay with me".  I remember during some of my  hard runs that I could just focus on the shirt in front of me and make it for a while.  "Are you still with me?"  I asked.  "Yeah".  He was still behind me.  Then we made it to all of the tents and I hear the sighing words of relief come from behind me "WE ARE HERE!"  I didn't check again because I knew he was already there.

Coming up the finishers chute, the first person I see held up above the side rail is Asher.  I run to him and take him and run him to the finish.  I hear the announcer say "Janna Pratt finishing her first half ironman.  She would like to give a shout out to Asher and Abram."  Just before we cross, I let Asher down so we could run across the finish together.  Wow, that was amazing!  FINISHING TIME 5:51:08 

RESULTS:


SWIM:  38:40   Pace:  1:46/100 yards


T1:  2:37


BIKE:  3:02:27  Pace:  18.4 mph


T2:  1:30


RUN:  2:05:56  Pace:  9:36 minutes per mile


TOTAL TIME:  5:51:08


Age Group Placing:
9th out of 32


Female Placing:
29th out of 167


Male and Female Finishers:
152 out of 417


Average Finish Time:
6:20:18


In the medical tent getting blister aid. 






Me Bless'ed Blister

 





  




Joleen, Me, and Emily Sporting our Medals

 

 SUPPORT CREW!

 

   

 

 

 



 Many, many thanks!  I would like to thank all of the people that I got to run for that is or has previously fought the battle of cancer:  Shirley, Sue, Norma, Pops, John, Johnny, Kevin, Steve, and many others.  I thought of each of you along the way.  You kept me strong.  The half iron was nothing compared to your battle.  Thank you for truly inspiring me.

And I wouldn't be here without all of the generous donors that helped me to exceed my goal of $2000.00.  The amount raised went to benefit The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  There were many times throughout training that you helped get me through.  Your support was/is a real blessing to me and many others.  Thank you!

Justin, over a 4 month time period you set up the perfect race for me.  From the many early mornings, to the nights away for group trainings, and the Saturday never ending rides, you sacrificed for me.  Throughout race day I was overwhelmed with thankfullness for you.   Knowing what you have done to get me to that day.  On race day you were out there running from one place to another just to get a glimpse of me and to cheer me on.  I can never thank you enough- you have changed my life forever by helping me accompish this goal.  We won this thing together! I love you.

And my two sweet boys, Asher and Abram.  I want you to know that you can accomplish anything that you set your mind to as long as you have God and a determined spirit.  My heart is full of love for you.  I look forward to many fun adventures with you.  I promise to always be active for you and with you.

 



My up close and personal fan club.  Though this blog only has 7 followers, the number of people who came to the Redman to cheer on Janna Pratt were out of this world.  Justin, Asher, Abram, Pops, Teen, Mom, Dad, John, Melody, Jim, Tawana, Mark, Jamie, Kaylee, Emilee, Beau, Jackie, Hayden, Holten, Lindall, Kasey, and Dalton.  WOW, WOW, WOW, you guys were so awesome.  You even had shirts with my name on it!  I commented to Pops after the race that I never thought I would see him with a t-shirt on that had my name on it.  :)  Thank you Jackie for putting together the photo album of my race.  I will treasure it forever.  I know all of you helped with the boys, thank you....they loved every minute of it.  Jim, thanks for getting the boys all ready to go and bringing them to race.  You are quite the race babysitter!  Making signs, giving me high fives, waiting, tracking me down when I was out biking, and your endless cheering.  And even a gigantic banner awaiting me at the house.  Thanks for making it the perfect race for me!

September 21st, Inspiration Dinner

Our Team In Training group got to get together one last time at Hideaway Pizza to celebrate our journey.  I got to bring Justin and the boys to celebrate with me.  Here is a picture from the event.

TNT GROUP















  

Pre Race Thoughts and More

BIKE ADJUSTMENT



Aaron checking my tires

 Today I went in to Schlegel Bicycles to pick up my bike from it's tune up, and get one last adjustment.  Off an on I have thought that there might need to be an adjustment on my Aero Bars (the bars I can rest my elbows on that make me more aerodynamic).  Coach Ryan set up my bike on the trainer and asked several questions regarding bike fit and measured several angles.  Aaron then stepped in and checked angles and we decided to change the stem to a shorter one that way my elbows are at a 90 degree angle.  I think it is much better.  I have a short 45 minute ride tomorrow to check it out.

It turns out that Schlegel Bicycles is a full service bicycle shop.  You know Coach Ryan is a great coach when he will babysit your 8 month old.  Thanks for taking one for the team coach!

Full Service Bike Shop to include help with Abram

AM I READY?
Four days until race.  I am ready, fearless, and not at all nervous.  I keep telling myself that anyway. I am ready.  I am ready.  No, I AM READY!  (yelling in my post) I have put in the training and here we are. 


I have heard Coach Ryan mention how triathletes are by the book and don't miss a training regardless; it is just part of their personality.  Well, Justin can vouch for me, my personality type fits right in.  Whether it's getting up insanely early, pushing the boys on a 9.5 mile training run, or nursing between my bike and run, I have given it all I have.  No regrets.


So many times in my head I question how hard I should push in the bike in order to still be good for the run.  Not having completed a 6.5 hour workout, I am not sure how I am going to feel in the final 13.1 mile run.  They say "Your run is only as good as your bike."  It's hard not to go all out and get a good bike time, but I think I will stay conservative on the bike, so I can hopefully have a solid run. I am done questioning this as well as all of the other what if scenarios that my mind has come up with.  I told you, I AM READY. 


It is amazing how good I feel.  I feel completely in balance, strong, and healthy.  With regular visits to my chiropractor Dr. Jackson, massage therapy, good food, and an exceptional family support crew, I just think that we are about to pull this whole thing off in the best way possible.  I haven't felt this good since I was in massage school getting regular massages and running miles and miles along the coast of Oahu.


Many people have asked me if I have lost weight during training and if I am in the best shape of my life.  So here is the skinny on my skinny:  I had several pounds (8) of baby weight since I just delivered Abram 4 months prior to training.  Immediately, I lost three pounds when training started.  Then week after week of ten and eleven hour trainings, I couldn't believe that I wasn't losing the rest of it, until I began to notice the fat being replaced by solid muscle.  Right now I am up 4.5 pounds from my pre-Abram weight.  And honey it ain't a comin' off.  Thankfully, it is all muscle. (with padding around the edges that make me, me).  After marathon training I had a more slender appearance.  Now, I have a more athletic build.  With that all being said, I am in the best shape of my life.


I am excited to see everyone that will be coming to support me on race day.  I know I will need you, especially when the going gets tough.  We can do it though.  See you soon my family and friends.


I haven't got to blog in a while.............I have been a little busy.  But hey I feel like my mind is a continuous blog if that counts for anything.  So I will try to post a recap of a few highlights.




REDMAN BIKE COURSE


Piedmont tornado, half a mile wide



Twice now, I have had the chance to ride the 43 of the 56 miles of the Redman Bike Course.  The course is mostly rolling hills. 

The course takes us through Piedmont where the recent tornado came plowing through.  It appears most of the damage remains.  Out on Waterloo Rd. the it gets pretty rough and there are potholes big enough to eat you.  Another challenge is the gradual climb filled with strong South winds coming up Council toward the end.    

The first time I rode the course was August 27th.  I went hard chasing after Coach Megan, Steve, and Taylor.  There is no way I could ride at that pace during the half iron distance and function for a 13.1 mile run.  I averaged 17.7 mph and I was pumped and my legs were completely fatigued!

Last weekend, September 17th, we road the same 43 miles and we had stronger winds.  I didn't go as hard and I practiced my race nutrition again.  Starting at Council Road my pace slowed drastically with the winds.  That is were it really gets tough.  Council Road had better watch out on race day! I was still fatigued after, but to a lesser degree than a few weeks ago.


OBS STREAK September 11th, 2011

The Oklahoma Bicycle Society puts this bike tour on every year and it fit in my training perfectly.  I have ridden a couple of times with OBS and they are a great group of people. 

Accompanied by my Team in Training friend Emily, I rode 40 miles starting from Mitch Park in Edmond.   We talked most of the ride so time flew by.  I was a little surprised at all of the hills in the first 15 miles and it took me a little while to get my legs warmed up. 

This was an important training for me because I was practicing my hydration and nutrition,  including getting up extra early to eat 2 hours prior.  It was also a brick workout, so I ran 5 miles following the ride and I got to try out my new Headsweats visor.  I was needing something that would allow my head to stay cool, yet offer some shade.  It was awesome!  Come check it out on race day! 

The run was great and I felt like I could have ran a half marathon if it was race day.   

We enjoyed some Johnnie Carino's pasta afterward and some playground time with Justin, Asher, and Abram. 

OPEN WATER SWIMS
For several weeks now our group has been meeting at Arcadia Lake for our group swims.  This is nice because it is so close to home. 

So how is it? The fact that you can't see anything doesn't bother me.  The problem is, I let my mind wander and I start thinking about snakes biting me and I get a little freaked out.  Sometimes I swim over warm pockets or cold pockets and that scares me into speed swimming. 

Last week Coach Ryan changed our course from swimming around the buoys to swimming to a point or a peninsula.  He said it was quarter of a mile..........you have got to be kidding me.  I would have guessed it was a mile easy by the looks of it.  Race day will be like swimming to that point 5 times. 

Last night we got our wetsuits and got to practice in them.  They help in buoyancy so much I couldn't quiet get my kicking figured out.  Do I kick fast or slow or big or small? Do I even need to kick? I was a little claustrophobic at first, but that subsided.

1.2 miles, here I come!

KNEE SCARE

Icing and reading Dean Karnazes' book called Run

We went out of town for Labor Day weekend.  The day we left I had a 12 mile run and I felt great, during and afterwards.  I was on pace for a sub 2 hour half marathon and was pretty excited about that.  We were in the car for three hours and I got out of the car and my left knee was sore.  I have never heard from the left knee before and I didn't want to.  I went to bed not thinking too much about it.  I got up in the middle of the night and my knee was extremely sore, injured sore, 3 weeks until race and oh no my knee is too sore.  I texted one of my cycling buddies and canceled the planned ride, scaled back my entire week of training and rested (as much as possible with two little ones).  I iced it all day.  The next morning I went for a swim, and when I got out of the water, it was healed.  No soreness, yea! 

Arcadia Lake Triathlon

Edmond Park beach at Arcadia Lake





August 14, 2011-  Around 100 triathletes were participating in the Arcadia Lake sprint distance triathlon.  It was a 500 meter swim, and 12 mile hilly bike, and a hilly 5k.  I wasn't sure how difficult it would be to race on legs that just pedaled 54 hard miles the day before.  

The swim:  The gun went off and I eased into my swim, careful not to push to hard in the beginning.  It wasn't but a couple of minutes and I got kicked in the gog (my word meaning one side of my goggles :).  My goggles were still on, I wasn't hurt, and I remained calmed while bumping and being bumped for about another minute or so until all of the people could get spread out a little better.  I kept the swim nice and easy, not wanting to get all worked up and out of breath....yet.  After finishing the swim, I had a long uphill beach run.  Again, I ran up slowly not wanting to elevate my heart rate too much.  I was in and out of transition in 44 seconds and off on my bike.




Sweet Cheers from Asher before my run!



The bike:  I had 12 hilly miles to cover on tired legs.  Most of my pushing came from just guts I think, because my legs felt like they weren't participating.  Hahaha.  Compared the the Route 66 Triathlon at the very beginning of my training, things were looking different.  I was passing many people instead of them passing me.  I managed to average a solid pace of 17.5mph and finished that portion of the race in 41 minutes and 11 seconds.  Now don't get your hopes up.  I'm not fast compared to the fast people.  Some people are out there going 30 plus mph.  The female overall winner clocked 31 mph.  But hey, for me, I'm fast!  That is all that matters.  Off of the bike and into transition and was off to run in 40 seconds. 

 

2nd place swim buoy prize!

 
The run:  Right off of the bat I am running fast and breathing hard.  I figured since I only had 3.1 miles to go that I would be alright.  I see my fellow Team in Training friend, Emily at the beginning of the run.  I wondered if I would ever catch her, but she was holding a fast pace too.  The run course looped around in the park and I was a little thrown off on how much farther I had to go...........I knew I couldn't take much more of this pace.  I passed quite a few men which was a bit out of the ordinary for me.  One of them looked at me for what seemed like a long time while I was passing, and I recognized that he was probably thinking "What is coming up behind me breathing so hard?"  I finished 19 seconds behind my friend Emily who took first in her 26-29 age group.  Yea Emily!  My run time was 24:32 a 7:54/mile pace.  I couldn't believe it!  I had never ran that fast in my life.  

  

 The results:  I won 2nd in my age group and was the 7th female out of 37.  My finishing time was 1:18:34.  Split times: Swim 11:29 T1 :44  Bike  41:11  T2  :40  Run  24:32















 Emily and I leaping for joy!  I know, I look scary.  Check out Emily's cool shadow.  My Camera Man:  Justin!









 

Spin Your Wheels

The Cause: All funds from Spin Your Wheels directly benefit the pediatric patients at The Children’s Center. The Children’s Center is a hospital that provides medical and nursing care, rehabilitative and respiratory therapies, and education to children with complex medical and physical disabilities.  Another great cause!

August 13, 2011- I was ready to spin my wheels for 54 miles with over 1300 other cyclists.  My training plan was to have fun and keep a steady pace throughout while practicing my race hydration and nutrition.  With temperatures in the 70s and little wind off we go at 7am.  Wow, today is beautiful!  Thank you God for this awesome weather and hundreds of other cyclists to enjoy it with.  In the first two or three miles I caught up to Jill, our TNT and LLS campaign director.  We talked the whole way and before I knew it, we were at mile 27 (the turnaround point).  I loaded up on cold water and snacks and was ready to head back.  I averaged 17.1 mph and finished in 3 hours and 6 minutes!  Yeah, I told you my bike was fast!  It was an exciting day for me and I was thankful to see the improvement in my cycling and strength. 

Afterwards we were welcomed, with hot off of the grill steak tips, Subway sandwiches, and Jamba Juice smoothies.  Yumm!

It is surprising to me how much I am getting into this whole cycling gig.  The bike tours are quite enjoyable and I can see Justin and I getting to ride in many of these in the future.  The atmosphere, the people, the exercise, oh and don't forget the food!

Later that day the muscles in my legs could tell that I went every bit of 17mph for every bit of 54 miles.  Any other day, it wouldn't matter.  What was I thinking when I signed up for the Arcadia Lake sprint distance triathlon the day after?  Tis' the season I guess.

Biking to Okarche!

Saturday August 6th, 2011 six people from our Team in Training group met at Lake Hefner at 8am.  It was already hot, but I was up for whatever the day would bring.  I had asked earlier in the week how many miles we would be riding and 40 was the response.


We started off at an easy pace and stayed together.  Once we got onto the highway, it was whatever speed we could muster.  Megan and Taylor were up ahead of me (figures) and I lost sight of them (also figures) at about mile 16.  At mile 20 I couldn't see them in front of me and I couldn't see anyone behind me.  Did I miss Okarche? Then my Garmin (fancy running and biking GPS watch) read 21 miles.  I have for sure missed Okarche, I thought.  I crossed the big grassy median and headed back.  Then I saw Robin.  Yea! She assured me that we were headed the right direction.  When we got to Okarche we had ridden 29.4 miles.  Unless my math is wrong...29.4 miles times 2 equals more than 40.  This ride was turning out to be a little longer than I expected.  We refueled at a local convenience store and regrouped.


It was very hot by this point and we had a long way to travel to get home.  I stuck with Taylor and it really pushed me to keep up with him, especially in the 105 degree temperatures.  All in all we had 4 or 5 flats, but managed to have enough tire repair "stuff" between the six of us to manage.  With a few variables, it took 3 hours and 55 minutes to finish 58.8 miles.  I caught my 56 mile point (my race distance) at 3 hours and 45 minutes.  I think I can shave some time off of this during the race, but at least it is something to go by.


Well, I am writing this on August 11, 2011 with only a month and half left before the RedMan.  It is hard to imagine a 6 to 7 hour race when my longest training is 4 hours.  I guess just knowing I am doing the training and working hard I should be alright.


Stay tuned for posts about this coming weekend.......... a 54 mile bike on Saturday and a sprint triathlon on Sunday.


Fundraising goal:  I am just under a hundred dollars away from my goal and I am excited about the progress.  Check out my progress or donate online at:  http://pages.teamintraining.org/ntxok/retriokc11/jprattlp2h

Tri OKC Splash and Dash

A local triathlon club, Tri OKC, puts on informal events known as splash and dashes at Lake Arcadia. It is a great way to get some open water swim time with a group.  Another great thing is Tri OKC have people out in kayaks called spotters and they keep an eye on everyone just in case you get tired and need a rest or need some help.  I went on July 28th, 2011 to try it out.  The course is set up to where you can swim 500 meters and run 2 miles, but you can swim, bike, or run all that you want.  I swam 1260 meters (about 29 minutes) and ran 15 minutes.  It is easy to swim crooked in open water, so I had to spot the buoys often.  For some reason I wasn't kicking much and I had to remind myself constantly of the correct technique.  It is easy for the old habits to creep in when you get out of the pool and into open water. 

I met some nice people during and afterwards.   They provided tons of snacks, hydration, and hot dogs afterwards.  I look forward to the next one!

FLAT out tough!

Bike Clinic

Last Saturday, July 31st, our TNT group met for a quick, one hour training ride and a bike maintenance clinic.  Steve Schlegel, owner of Schlegel Bicycles (also the place where I purchased my hot ride), hosted the ride and bike clinic.  He walked us through how to change a flat, how to lube your bike chain, and some quick tips on hydration and nutrition for the half ironman. 

Come Monday, I felt that since I knew how to change a flat, I should go ahead and purchase what I needed just in case I had a flat. 

Online, I had found out about a group ride starting in Edmond and it said it was for all experience levels and two regroup points.  When I had only had my bike for about a month, I call the "leader of the pack", only to be nicely told don't come and that I would be left in the dust, but it would make me better.  With this information I held off..... until now.  I knew I would need another rider to go with me that would be willing to stay back with me when I was left behind.  I don't bike alone on the open road.  One of my TNT training partners, Alisia was ready and willing to go. 

At 6pm it had to be every bit of 110 degrees.  I watched in the parking lot as a bunch of fit, hard bodied cyclists got out of there vehicles.  Uh oh, this is going to be a fast ride I thought.  Next I see Steve then Megan.  Megan is one of my triathlon coaches.  She was a navy seals rescue swimmer and is an excellent triathlete.  I asked Megan how long we could keep up.  She said "I have a hard time keeping up with this group." Enough said.

Alisia and I had planned on doing a shorter version of their route and just follow as long as we could.  Nice guy Larry introduced himself in the first couple of miles of the ride and told us the route so we wouldn't get lost and reminded us that this was a "drop ride".  Meaning that they don't wait on you.  He said there used to be a couple of regroup points but they won't be regrouping today (pull over and wait until everyone is caught up). 

Early on we went over some railroad tracks.  I had stuffed a little water bottle in my top bar pouch just in case I needed a little extra.  The water crowded my cell phone and GU, so when I hit the tracks, my cell phone shot out.  I thought, we'll never catch up.  I pulled over and put my bike in the grass and ran to get my phone (running in bike shoes is not the easiest thing).  By the time I get back on my bike, I see Alisia up ahead waiting on me, but no one else.  Boo hoo, huh?  I guess if you are going to do a half ironman you just got to be flat out tough.  Then what am I doing, I am more flat out crazy! 

So we raced hard to catch up, elevating my heart rate quite a bit.  Guess what, Larry had told them I had lost something and all twenty of them pulled over and waited.  Yea, we get a second chance at this.  Already winded from catching up, here we go again.  Averaging 18.6 miles per hour with hills and all, we managed to stay with them for 10.5 miles and then got caught behind a stop light.  My heart rate was in the 160s during that time and I was happy to have stayed with them that long. 

Alisia and I reached the halfway point and headed back to the starting point together.  Not only was it flat out tough, it was FLAT out tough.  Yep you guessed it...I had a flat.  While narrating aloud (this helps me) I used my spare tube, tire levers, a CO2 cartridge and changed the flat. Yea! It even worked afterwards!

Well, it was about a 20 mile ride averaging over 15 miles per hour.   It was great training and I am better because of it.  The next morning I woke up to go train, but the heat had given me a headache, so I listened to my body (a valuable skill that I learned how to do in massage school) and I stayed in bed for a couple more hours.  I would be ready to go the following day.

Norman Conquest-Conquer the Hills and the Heat

Participation funds from the race provides children with developmental disabilities scholorships to attend Camp Clap Hans, put on by the J.D. Macarty hospital.  Great cause!


43 MILE BIKE
July 16th, 2011-  They were not kidding when they said conquer the hills and the heat.  The 43 mile bike tour in Norman started at 7:30am.   I was concerned about all the hills that every one was talking about, especially 46 miles of them  (I thought it was going to be 46 miles, but my Garmin said 43).  Most people talk about the heat while cycling, but that doesn't seem to bother me much, now in running, that is a different story.  My temperature guage is best suited for running in Hawaii.  Feeling the ocean breaze, smelling the fresh fragrant air, running through the botanical gardens, playing chase with the tide as it comes in, being saranaded by the birds.  Sorry, I got lost in my other life momentarely.  My longest ride so far was 30 miles.  I was ready for a personal distance record.


Right off of the bat I almost squeezed someone into the curb as I was trying to turn and wave to Daddy, Asher, and Abram. " Focus, Janna, focus", that is what I had to tell myself as I pedaled slowly with hundreds of other cyclists.  We took up the entire road for as far as you could see, it  was exilirating.  It was no time and someone had a small crash in the bulk of everyone, then another slipped on some water over the road.  At this time the road was rough, too rough for me I thought.  The crowd had thinned slightly, then I hear the sirens of the EMS come roaring by me.   We were only a few miles into the ride, when one guy didn't make the corner and went down. I am glad I didn't see it happen.  As I past him, I looked back,  to find a guy in his middle ages, setting up, cuts on his knee, road rash on his arm, blood coming down his cheek.  But what I remember most is his face, he had a lost expession that words cannot describe. (Sorry, family to scare you with the story, it scared me too!)  Immediatly a sick feeling came over me and my internal dialog started.  Should I be doing this?  These roads are rough, I don't like this.  I wanted to just turn off and do the 10 mile short course.  Two nice ladies, Kathy and Dawn broke my internal turmoil when they approached me about my Chesapeake jersey, though off and on throughout the ride the man's face would come back to me and I would pray for him. 




Elevation chart of the hills.  My elevation gain was 1388 feet!

After the roads smoothed, I was calm, the crowds were thin, and yes there were hills, many hills.  Going up one of the hills I was actually going 5.5 mph.  I am not sure how I could go that slow and not fall over.  I kept waiting for my legs to get fatigued from the miles of hills, but they just kept pedalling. The cool thing was my cadence was higher then last weeks duathlon, yet I my output was the same.  This was very encouraging, I was getting better and stronger, yeah!


When I was descending some of the hills, I felt like I had a motor on my bike.  THIRTY MILES PER HOUR, that's right, I was going that fast.  I thought:  When I was a kid, my big brother John fixed his go-cart up with a new seat, bright red paint, new handle grips, and a fine tune up.  Do you know what he did?  He gave it to me for Christmas with a big bow on it!  I will never forget that day.  It is one of the most special gifts anyone had ever given me.  It wasn't just the fact that it was the coolest go-cart ever, and the pastures were now mine to roam. John and Dad had secretly put a lot of time into it, and it is something that John had passed on to me that he had truly enjoyed.  Ok so let's tie this all together.  My go-cart would go 30 mile/hour.  Believe me, I never went that fast, that was too fast.  So here I am out here on a bicycle going 30......craaaazzzzzy! After one of the big descents I was going 28 after the road had flattened out.  About 25 to 30 cyclists in a group came flying by me like I was setting still.  Wow, how are they going that fast? I felt like I was riding a bicycle on a nascar track.  And no, I am not into nascar. 


It took me 2:57 to complete the conquest taking my time.  I averaged 14.5 mph.  


6 MILE RUN
Unfortunately, for me the race had just begun.  I do mean that.  The race is in the run.  I have always heard that, and I am a believer.  It was 11:00am by now and 103 degrees with a heat index of 125 degrees.  It was a perfect(or not so perfect) opportunity to get in a solid run after a long bike.  Remember, in a little over two months I will have to swim for about 45 minutes, bike for about 3:45, and then run a half marathon.  I headed out with my fuel belt and strong legs.  I was pacing at about 9:43 or so and was happy to be feeling good.  I kept hydrating along the way.  At about 3 miles out I stopped at a 7 Eleven to go to the bathroom and then refill my bottles.  FYI:  7 Eleven does not have cold water in their bathrooms.  I doused my head and face with water trying to lower my body temperature.  You would think I was taking a shower in there, with all of the water on the floor that I cleaned up afterwards.  Out the door and I am feeling refreshed with the hot 7 Eleven water and the small break I just had.  Refreshed until about mile 4.5 and here we go again.  I am already out of water from drinking it and splashing it on me.  I am hot, it is HOT! So in I go to a nice cool Jack In The Box.  I refill my bottles at their COLD fountain and off I go.  As soon as I take off I pour ice cold water all over me.  That did the trick.  I kept hydrating and pouring water on me enough to complete my 6 miles.  I finished in 59:50, a 9:58 pace!  I told Justin that I could have ran a half marathon if it was cold.  He said "you mean if it was cooler?"  I said "No, if it was cold."  I felt strong, it was just too hot.  I am very thankful for the excellent training day.  I am getting there.

Kudos to the race setup (with exception to the rough roads in the beginning).  The volunteers were very friendly and the race was well organized.  I enjoyed cold ice water, gatorade, a couple of cookies, and oranges at the nice shaded rest stops provided.  After the ride and run, my buddy Asher and I went in to get a great lunch to go.  The only thing that appealed to me because of all of the exertion, were the gigantic bratwurst hot dogs (I guess I was needing the salt), whole grain rolls, and chocolate chip cookies, and pickles.  I loaded up two of everything to share with Justin.  Oh, and I won a drawing for a girft basket frome Canes Chicken Fingers too!