How much is your brain worth?

This morning I helped out at the Trifest for MS training series and one of the coaches asked the question...How much is your brain worth?  It was a great question and one that many people new to sport probably haven't thought about.  The point that he was discussing was the importance of a good helmet and the fact that a helmet is a mandatory safety element in any triathlon.

After the training session was over, I headed out for my long run.  I somehow managed to cover a route that included many sections of the urban multi-use trail in our city.  I was so frustrated to see so many cyclists out there on all types of bikes (road, mountain, and cruisers) that weren't wearing helmets.  Apparently, they think their brain is worth nothing.

Helmet use is probably one of my biggest pet peeves.  It kills me to see parents out riding with their children and the children have on helmets but the parents don't.  Any fall from a bike is the potential for an injury and why wouldn't you protect your brain?  It's the most amazing super-computer on the planet and we are all so lucky to have one of our very own.

Here's an infographic with some more information on bicycle helmet use and statistics.  Please remember to wear your helmet and encourage safe riding to your friends and family.


As for me...I've been shopping for a new helmet this season.  I haven't quite found the combination of perfect fit and color yet but I know that I'll find a great one soon.  I'm just looking to expand my helmet collection with a new one but remember that if you have had a fall or accident you should consider replacing your helmet.  Always check the inside for any cracks in the foam or missing pads that would impact the fit.  Make sure you have a good fit and that includes tightening the chin straps...a loose helmet is likely to fall off in a fall and not offer you any protection.

Wear your helmet and enjoy your ride!!!

Infographic source: Christensen & Hymas, LLC

Neosho Sprint Triathlon Race Recap

A few weeks ago I was updating my race calendar and was on the USA Triathlon website where I saw a sprint triathlon available in my area on March 30th.  I decided to sign up for the race to test out my fitness and whether my foot was healed.

The race was called the Neosho Sprint Triathlon and was a fundraiser for their local animal shelter.  The race was held at the Neosho YMCA located near the Crowder College campus.  It included a 300 yard indoor pool swim, 13 mile bike, and 5K run.  I drove the 30 minutes to Neosho on Friday night to complete packet pick up.  I got a course map at the pickup table and decided to drive the bike course before leaving.  I checked the roads and noticed that they were a little rough in spots.

Race morning dawned and it wasn't pretty.  Pretty much the entire area was in the path of rainstorms and the temps were chilly at just 54 degrees (perfect running temps but not so much for the bike.)  The rain was just a drizzle as I left my house but the closer I got to the race site the more the rain picked up.  There was even lightening off in the distance...not a good sign.  I got out my umbrella and headed to the athlete check in to get body marked.  The volunteers were all huddled under the set up tents trying to stay dry as best they could.

After body marking, I returned to the car to get all my gear for transition set up.  I had a shocking discovery...in my haste to leave the house I had forgotten my tire pump.  Luckily another racer nearby had one and let me borrow.  Way to save the day!  After pumping up the tires, I headed into transition and made a rack selection.  I had packed some trash bags and used those to cover my running shoes and socks to try and keep them dry.  I also covered my entire tri bag with a big trash bag so that it would stay dry.

Set up didn't take long so I headed inside to check out the pool.  The pool was a six lane, 25 yard pool.  We would be swimming in a snake formation and then exiting through the play area of the pool via a handicap ramp.  There was a door near the ramp that led outdoors for the run into transition.

The race director provided an update that due to lightening the pool was closed and warm up would be delayed.  This was going to push back the start time by at least 30 minutes.  The race would be further delayed another 30 minutes to allow a strong storm cell to pass by.  I hung around with some athletes from the Springfield area and chatted to pass the time.  About 10 minutes before the new start time, I hopped in the water and did an easy 100 yards for a warmup.  Then I got in the lineup for the swim start.

The swim was a self-seeded time trial start.  I normally can hit 1:30 per 100 yds in my workouts so I decided to seed myself in the 4:30 - 5:00 group.  There weren't very many racers ahead of me...I think maybe 7 or so.  The timing group provided instruction to each racer for the start.  They were giving about 15-20 seconds between each racer which was great for my pace because it meant there was about 1 length between each swimmer.  I finished the swim strong and felt like I pushed my pace throughout.

I eased myself out of the pool and began to move towards transition.  I took it easy because the floor was wet and once outside the ground was wet and muddy.  Once I got to my spot, I picked up my helmet to put on and the water just poured out of it.  I put on my sunglasses and they quickly fogged up so I discarded them.  Next was the tri shoes and a lightweight running jacket.  I struggled getting the jacket on my wet arms but I knew that it would be beneficial on the bike.

I ran out of transition and hit the line to get on the bike.  Not only was this my first ride outdoors since August, it was also raining.  I hate to ride in the rain so I took my time to get clipped in and get started.  I took the first turn nice and easy to gauge the slipperiness of the roads.  My entire time on the bike I was focused on riding within my heart rate and taking things safe with the rain and wet roads.  I knew the roads were sketchy from my preview and the rain made it worse.  There were so many potholes and cracks in the road hidden by the puddles and standing water.  I just took my time and did my best to avoid the bad spots. I won't lie...I said a few choice words on a couple spots of the course.  The course was two loops so I felt better on the second loop since I knew where some of the roughest spots on the course were at.

I was super happy to make the final turn after the second loop and return to transition.  Let the running fun begin.  I had stored my running shoes in a plastic bag and thankfully they were still super dry.  I ran into troubles trying to get my socks on since my feet were so wet and cold from being on the bike.  I finally got them on and headed out on the run.  I took it slow and talked to myself about running steady.  My foot felt a little stiff but once I got warmed up the stiffness went away.  There were volunteers at all the turns and they were great.  I smiled and cheered on all the runners that were on the return trip of the out and back course and soon I was at the turn around myself.  I really wanted to walk during the return but I fought through it and kept running.  I found a little steam left and managed a very strong finish.

You can tell by the puddles just how rainy it was during the race. 

I was super cold at the finish and very thankful that the YMCA was allowing racers to use the locker room facilities.  I cleaned up my transition area and returned my gear to the car and then took a nice hot shower and put on dry clothes.  Shockingly by the time I got outside the sun was out and shining in full force.  How unfair! They had a great spread of post-race food including hot pizza.  It was great! The awards ceremony was fun since there were so many first time triathletes competing and many had done really well.

My time was 1:26:34 which was good enough for second place in my age group.  I was racing in a new age group with this race.  That's right... I aged up to the 35-39 year old age group this year.  Oh the joys of triathlon and having to race a year older for pretty much the entire triathlon season.

I'm on the right rocking my Tough Chik Gear Love Hoodie. 

This is the earliest start to my triathlon season and it felt good to get back out there.  I have a lot of races planned this year and it was good to see where my fitness is at already.

Ready or Not...It's Race Time!

Recently I won a race registration for the race of my choosing.  I have spent the past few days mulling over races and soliciting ideas from friends and family on what race to add to my calendar with the prize. 

Tonight I spent time on some race calendars for the surrounding areas.  I used the Event calendar on the USATriathlon website to view by state and discovered a Sprint Triathlon happening next weekend just 40 miles away.

The weather forecast is a little iffy for an outdoor race....would you believe it snowed in Arkansas today! The weather is calling for morning temps in the 40's and highs in the 50's.  So, it will be a cold race but the swim is indoors so that will improve conditions.  It's just a 300 yd snake swim and my swim has been doing really well lately. 

I haven't ridden my bike outdoors since last Fall.  I have put some time in on the trainer but not as much as I always want to do in the winter.  I've got one week to build up my bike fitness for the 13.5 mile race distance.  It looks like it will be a two loop bike course which should be fun. 

My run has been hit and miss over the last 2 weeks as I have been coming back from an injury in January.  Every so often my foot is still tender and reminds me to be patient in my recovery.  I did 8 miles this weekend so I'm not worried about the distance.  I just haven't run off the bike since July! 

Ready or not Triathlon 2013...Here I Come!

Reverse Tri Saturday

Yesterday I got a little bit over-zealous for the great summer weather and went ahead and got in a run, bike, and swim.  My day started with the Elm Tree Wildcat Rumble 5K race.  Race report to follow in the next few days.  It was a hot and humid race and I was happy with my performance given the conditions.

I had made arrangements in advance with my friend Kyla to do a bike ride after the race.  We were getting our bikes situated when some of the guys that we ride with rode up.  They had started earlier and were completing the first leg of their ride.  They waited a few minutes for us to finish and then we all headed out together.  We were only going out 10 miles for a 20 mile ride and the guys were going another 8-10 miles past our turn-around point so that they were getting more mileage.  Some of them were doing 65 miles...kind of made our 20 seem puny but we had just raced a 5k!

Unfortunately at one point in the ride Kyla and I got exhaust bombed:( A pickup truck revved his engine as he passed us and blew out a huge mess of exhaust as he passed.  It was disgusting and awful.  We just tucked our heads down until it was safe to breathe again.  That awful moment was quickly forgotten as we spotted lots of reptile life on our ride.  We saw 4 turtles (2 alive, 2 dead and 2 of them were giant turtles.) We also spotted a large lizard just lounging on the shoulder.  We also saw nearly 150 motorcycles riding out on the country highway we were on.  There must have been an organized ride going on for Memorial Day.

After the ride, I headed to farmers market to pick up some veggies.  I rushed home to shower and then headed to my haircut.  While sitting in the chair at the salon I got super warm and got the inkling that I might have messed up with the sunscreen again.  Yep, another unfortunate burn.  I got my arms covered with sunscreen but forgot the racerback area of my shoulders and back.  I was going to change shirts into one that had more shoulder coverage but changed my mind at the last minute.  Big oops!

From there, I headed to lunch and an errand and then went to the pool.  The outdoor pool was open Friday-Sunday for a kids swim meet.  Lucky for me and Kyla, our friend Brent is on the swim team board and he let us in to swim at the end of the meet.  It's been a long time since I swam long course but the water and sunshine felt awesome. 

At the end of it all, I was worn out...Completely exhausted and famished.  I downed some Nuun and got to work on eating and getting rehydrated.  I was in bed early and slept well!