Sometimes, you just gotta Tri

I honestly don't know what's gotten into me.

Maybe it's the way it feels to cross a finish line. Maybe it's the adrenaline rush. Maybe it's the food afterward.  I don't know what the deal is, really, but I know one thing for sure: I love trying out new physical activities. (I know, I know ... what the hell, right?)

So I was just as surprised as you that I wanted to complete a triathlon. And I might be even more surprised than you at how much fun I had, and how well I ended up doing. Again, let's be mindful that in my athletic pursuits, I compare myself only to myself. There is no point in trying to compete against a field of seasoned athletes; it's just me and the course. So when I tell how how long it took me, don't be disappointed, okay?

Okay.

By way of background, it's only fair to let you know that the night before the tri, I attended the wedding of a dear friend (to be sure, he's family to me). The ceremony and reception were in Chicago, and it was a late night. (Totally worth it, if only for the joy of watching three precious nieces walk down the aisle hand in hand as flower girls.) Morning came at the ungodly hour of 4 a.m., and Linda and I were on our way to Naperville for the SheROX Sprint Triathlon.

Sadly, we didn't have cameras with us for the race, because we couldn't take them into the water for the swim (duh) and didn't have a secure place to keep them. Alas, a few before and afters will have to do (see below).

As for the race itself, I went into it with a range of feelings, mostly nervous and excited. What to expect? I had no idea. I just knew I was going to do my best, and I was determined not to freak out on the swim.

We arrived at Centennial Beach, where the race began, at about 5:30 a.m. We got our transition area set up (you have to be super organized to ensure easy transitions between swim and bike, and bike and run) and soon it was time to head to the beach to cheer on other competitors. Our wave, however, didn't begin until around 9 a.m. That meant about two hours of hanging out, waiting. (Yawn!)

Pre-race Maggie, in my Marines t-shirt, in honor of Ryan, the groom.

Soon it was time to put on our swim caps (PINK!) and head into the water. I put on my goggles (also PINK!) and said a little prayer. "Dear sweet little baby Jesus, please don't let me drown." And then ... AIRHORN!

We were off. I got in the water and, based on the advice of a fellow swimmer, took to the outside of the lane. BIG MISTAKE. From here, I had a long way to go to get back to the ropes that divided the lanes (and provided me a little security, in case I felt fatigue). And soon, I did begin to feel fatigue. Maybe it was the crowded pool, or the constant waves; I can't say for sure. I do know that a bit of panic set in when I realized I was pretty far out, the bottom was 20 feet down, and I had a long way to go before I could relax. At this point, I was greeted by a white-capped "Swim Buddy", otherwise known as a guardian angel of the pool. Either the race or the pool itself provided these great swimmers as support for the athletes. "Are you okay?" a Buddy asked; I told her I was okay, but struggling. (Mind you, this was the first half of the first length of the pool; there were six, like a big M with an extra turn, total.) She spent the entire rest of my swim time at my side, coaching me along. When she thought I needed a rest, she guided me to the ropes or had me flip onto my back to catch my breath and get my bearings. With her help, I was able to complete the swim; half mile in the water, done. I did not drown! (Thank you, Swim Buddy, whoever you are!)

I was quickly out of the water and headed back to our transition area to pick up my bike. I was able to quickly get on my way, thanks to my multi-sport shorts and tank from Skirt Sports; worked like a dream! (Plus, I may have looked a little cute.) The bike part was the toughest for me. My bike, while a lovely gift from a friend, is not what I need for racing. Or even general riding anymore. The gears slip, so riding can be precarious at best, dangerous at worst. I quickly gave up trying to shift and just stuck in a high gear for pretty much everything ... which worked great on hills and sucked ass on the flats. But that's okay, because I DID IT; 14.2 miles. Boom, done.

Alas, it was time to run. My legs felt like rubber, but we started off strong. Linda agreed to spend the last two legs of the tri with me, as we were in the Buddy wave. (I know she would have come in a lot sooner if she hadn't hung back by me!) It was really rough going at times, and I was having a little trouble catching my breath. Let's face it; until the race, I'd never asked my legs to run after a bike ride. If I had, they might well have told me to get bent! So I kept going, taking liberal walk breaks, and just letting it be okay that I was tired.

The race provided us with cold, wet towels, they added water stops, and there was even a teenage girl outside her house with a garden hose offering to spray people down. (Yes, please!) It was fantastic to feel supported toward the end of a long journey.

And when the finish line was in sight, I had saved enough in the tank to run across it; I haven't felt so happy since February, when I finished the half marathon.

It was incredible. The support and encouragement, and the accomplishment, have definitely given me some perspective as to what I'm capable of. Next year, I'll be stronger. But I promise you, there will be a next year!

My final results:

750 meter swim - 23: 27
Transition - 10:53
14.2 mile bike - 1:12:00
Transition - 5:26
5K run - 46.15
Overall time: 2:38:00

Linda and me.

Me, after; a proud moment!

Me, at home the night of the race. Exhausted, but so damn happy.

My morning after cup of coffee, fit for a triathlete.

Sweetness is Sweet

For the second summer in a row, I ran the Sweetness 5K. The race benefits the Walter and Connie Payton Foundation to battle liver disease, and honors the life of the late Walter Payton. I run as part of the Walter Payton Liver Center team from University of Illinois Chicago, where my friend Shelly works. Not only is it fun to be part of a big team, it's also nice to get a really cool shirt.

This year the weather cooperated a lot better than last; in fact, it was a near-perfect day for a run. But what made this run truly special was sharing it with my nephew Alex. The race happened to fall on the same day as his graduation party, as he'd graduated high school a few weeks earlier. So he and I shared a great morning together before the big celebration.

The usual suspects were there, too - Linda, Pam, Kristin, Megan and Shelly. It was an awesome morning of fun with friends. I had a pretty good run, too, though not my best by a longshot. The immense hill at the end made sure of that! I came in number 274 out of 420 total, in a time of 43:04.6, or a 13:54 minute mile. I'll take it!

Connie Payton told me she loved my pants.

Shoe wheel!

The Saturday morning Strictly Strength crew:

Shelly, Pam, Linda, Me, Kristin and Meg.

The Boy proves he's not too grown up to love his Aunt Maggie.

Ending MS

Last year, Multiple Sclerosis became personal for me. I learned that someon I love, my friend Gretchen, has the disease, so it was instantly important for me to do what I can to join the fight to end it. So I did the MS walk and raised a few dollars, and hopefully some awareness, too.

This year, Gretchen (or G, as I call her) offered even more ways to make a difference, in the form of an ice-skating fundraiser, and a Salsa/Funk fundraiser. I participated in both, plus Walk MS, donating what I could to help further the cause.

And of course, along the way, we snapped a few photos. Here are a few of my favorites.

My friend Kristin, me, and Linda at Skate to End MS.

Kool-Aid and my friend Sandy at Walk MS.

G and Donna, plus Lucy, Ricky and Pauly Walnuts at Walk MS.

JP and me at Dance to End MS.

All of us, dancing to end MS. See? I smile when I work out.

Just a few of my amazing gym friends - Lesley, JP, DT, G and Lisa.

FatAss ... and proud of it.

When given the opportunity to participate in something called the FatAss 5K ... how can you say no? It meant road-tripping it to Springfield and hitting the street in search of corn dogs, beer, ice cream, beer, hot dogs, beer and pig roast. What's not to love?

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 The race is sponsored by the Springfield Rotary Club, and it benefits the town through their various charitable acts. So let me get this straight: I get to run, drink beer and eat junk food ... all in the name of charity? I'm IN!

We had a nice group for this one. Linda, Pam and I, plus Julie and Barb, represented the Saturday Morning Strength Training group. Pam's beau Jim came along, and we met up with my friends Biff and Amanda downstate. The festivities began with packet pickup the night before, after which Linda and I drove to Jacksonville (about 40 minutes away) which would be our home for the night. We stayed with Cindy Carlson Rice, my evil fake stepmother, and it made race weekend even more lovely.

Saturday morning we were up and at 'em, ready to run! This is one I'd like to do every year. It's not a serious race, more an opportunity to chill and enjoy the process.

And the beer.

Partners in Crime - me (in the back) plus Barb, Julie, Pam and Jim

Biff (almost out of frame), Amanda and me. 

Me and Linda.

Biff and Amanda.  

Linda, excited for a corn dog.

 

 The best post-race meal ever ... pig roast!



One Busy Weekend - edited to add tri results.

So a few weeks back - April 21 and 22 - I gave myself a ridiculous weekend. My first triathlon on Saturday, and a 5K on Sunday. Clearly, I have taken leave of my senses.

I'm not even sure what possessed me to do it, but there I was, wearing a bathing suit, in front of actual live people, prepared for a triathlon. 

Okay, it wasn't a real triathlon, but for me, it mattered. A group of us participated in the Lifetime Fitness Indoor Tri at Orland Park, and we had a blast. It's time based, rather than distance, you basically you have an hour of activity. They measure how far you go in the pool in 10 minutes; then (after you change out of your suit) you transition to a spin bike with an odometer on it, and that distance is measured over 30 minutes. Finally, you hit the treadmill for 20 minutes. You're scored against everyone else's distance and that's how you get results.

I, proudly, tied for last place. I am not the least bit embarrassed by that. In my 10-minute swim I reached 13.5 lengths of the pool; that's 337.5 meters. In 30 minutes on the bike I went 10.6 miles, and in 20 minutes on a treadmill I ran 1.43 miles. I consider that a success. (Stay tuned for more tri adventures; I'm doing SheRox in Naperville on June 10.)

 That's me, Meg and Linda, ready for the pool. I felt like a badass because I had marker on my arm.


Then Sunday brought the Healthy 5K in Hinsdale. Running a hilly course the day after the tri was a tactical error, but it was so worth it to be out running with my girlfriends. I finished in 41:44.2, an average 13:28 minute mile - still very slow by most people's standards, but for me, that was pretty good. Plus, we had breakfast afterward.

Shelly, Meg, Pam, Linda, Me, and Kristin - ready to run!



All in all, it was a great weekend. And the fact that it gave me the confidence to register for a triathlon? Yeah, that's pretty effing cool. Here's hoping I don't make a complete fool of myself, but even if I do ... well ... that's not a horrible thing.

Cranky at that dumb guy

So yesterday was Monday. Usually, Monday means spin class, which it did last night. But it also meant a little pool time. With the Indoor Tri coming up on Saturday, I wanted to get another workout or two done in the pool, so I packed my suit and headed to the Bloomingdale branch of the club. Because spin is at 6:30, that meant I could get an hour or so in the pool, and practice the transition from pool to bike. (The tri allows you 10 minutes to make the transition.)

When I got to the lap pool, all the lanes were full. But there was one middle-aged dude running in the lane (which is not recommended in the lap pool). So I went over to the lane to ask if he'd be willing to share. "Sir," I said. He would not look at me; he ignored me, turned around and ran to the other end.

It should be noted that many times, swimmers have to share lanes. Linda, Megan and I share all the time. You get used to it. The lanes really are wide enough. (Except that time Linda kicked me.)

So on his next run past, I approached again. "Sir," I said, "would you mind terribly if I swam in half of that lane?"

"That's fine, I guess," he said. "If you think you can fit."

Yes, that happened. Middle-aged dude called me fat. It wasn't so much what he said, but how he said it.

Ordinarily, something like that would send me into some sort of chocolate eating frenzy. But no, I just wanted to swim. So I let it go, I waited for a lane, and I swam. (Incidentally, I also got the transition from pool to bike done in just under 10 minutes. Including a potty stop.)

As for middle-aged dude, my fondest wish for him is that he someday finds himself in need of a lane to run in, and has someone graciously offer half of theirs. It would be nice if he'd learn how to treat people.

This one, we run for Mom

April 14 dawned a little cloudy, but we would not be deterred. Not even when I got lost. Not even when it looked like rain. No, today my sister Kathie and our nephew Alex headed to Wrigley Field for a 5K - the Race to Wrigley.

See, today is the eighth anniversary of Mom's death. Mom was a lot of things, but one thing everyone knew about her was that she loved the Cubs. So it seemed like the perfect way to honor her.

We started off right on the corner of Clark & Addison, and ran through Lakeview/Wrigleyville. I approached the race a bit differently than usual - sans technology. Running unplugged is different, and kinda awesome. It felt good to just run for the sake of running, tune in to the neighborhood and let go. I had my old-school iPod with me, but nothing to track my pace, or monitor my time, or even view my heartrate. Mostly, I just listened to the world around me. Just me, and the run.

So it came as a bit of a surprised when I neared the finish line at less than 45 minutes. I figured we started about three minutes after gun time, so my time should be roughly 42 minutes - a pretty solid run for someone as slow as me. Turns out, it was my best race to date. I finished in 40 minutes and 44 seconds, or at a 13:09/minute mile. I was number 3289 out of 3530 total, and 96 out of 112 in my age group. I am improving!

After the run, we walked down to Nuts on Clark to get (you guessed it!) nuts, and popcorn. On the way back to the car, we walked past this place, and we decided to stay for breakfast. Can I just say, the menu is amazing. Alex and I split the breakfast sliders and chilaquiles; amazing!

It was a near perfect day. Still a little cloudy, but for us, it was ideal. Having the opportunity to run under the famous Wrigley Field marquee, to remember Mom, was incredible. If she were alive today, she would have been on the sidelines, ringing a cowbell, hollering for us as we crossed the finish line.

I miss her every day, but I'm grateful for the memories, and the deep love o baseball she gave us all.