Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Silicon Valley International Triathlon

Last Sunday was my first triathlon of the season. It should of been my second but April's tri became a duathlon after the water quality test of Almaden Lake Park failed. The SVIT swim was also supposed to be held at Almaden Lake but the race organizers were informed early that the water would not pass inspection so they changed the swim to Uvas reservoir which made it a point to point race. I have to give a lot of credit to USAProductions for making this race run so efficiently despite the change in venue.

Dave also signed up for this race. We had both raced here last year and we were looking forward to racing in our 'backyard'. We both set some goals for ourselves. We wanted to push a little harder and we wanted to see where we are fitness wise. Since it was a point to point race, we had to drop off our bikes at T1 and then drop off a bag of T2 run stuff on Saturday afternoon so race morning we just had to take a bus from the finish at Almaden Lake Park over to the race start at Uvas. It was kind of nice knowing we had packed everything we needed so race morning we just had to get up, eat and drive 10 min for the bus :)

We got to the race start about an hour and a half before our waves went off. We set up our T1, walked around to check out the water, went to the bathroom before the lines were too long and then just hung out. The announcer mentioned that the water temp was 71 degrees (20 degrees warmer then the air temp!) which made me really happy.

The Swim:
My goal for the swim was to stay relaxed, keep my stroke even and consistent and not get worked up if there was a lot of contact. The comfortable water temp helped a lot to stay relaxed. My wave wasn't very big (they combined 50 and up so there were only 24 racers) and the start line was wide so it was a really comfortable start. I tried to draft a little bit but most of the time I just swam and swam and swam. My sighting was pretty good for a change and I think I swam a pretty straight line from buoy to buoy.
2011: 42:16
2012:39:08

T1:
We had to bag everything in T1 before we left on the bike so our bag could be transported to the finish so I really thought ahead about how to minimize my time and get out of there. I brought my tri bag and just tied the plastic T1 bag (with my # on it) they gave us to it so I would have more room to stuff my wetsuit in. I think getting my rolled up socks on took the longest. I haven't tried to go sockless yet. Maybe I'll try that during training to see how it feels.
2011:3:16
2012:2:22

The Bike:
The change in the bike course made it a little bit more challenging. It had several smaller hills compared to one big hill from last years course. Hills are not my strong point. Overall it was a good ride. I still need a lot of work on the bike. Stronger legs would help a lot!
2011:1:29:30
2012:1:36:56

T2:
We had dropped our T2 bags under the rack with our numbers. By the time I got there, my bag was in the same place but the rack was full of bikes. I had to do a little back and forth but it wasn't too bad.
2011:2:52
2012:2:11

The Run:
My run has been stronger this year but it always seems in a race, by the time I get to running, I start pooping out. The first half of the run I was staying under 10:00 min miles but the second half I started slowing down. I took a couple of walk breaks and argued with myself ;) Even though I've been a runner longer then I've been a swimmer/cyclist, I still find running my hardest sport.
2011:1:02:54
2012:1:02:15

Finish time:
2011:
3:20:48
Age Group 9/11
Gender 139/193
Overall 468/550

2012:
3:22:52
Age Group 6/10
Gender 110/157
Overall 385/468



A couple of minutes slower than last year but I think if the bike was on the same course I might of been a little faster there. Who knows really? I was really happy with this race. I moved up in my age group and I was productive the rest of the day instead of taking an afternoon nap :) No pictures from this race since I kept my phone locked in the car so I will have to include a cute picture of my favorite dog!


Monday, June 4, 2012

France

We just returned from a two week vacation in France. Our youngest daughter, Laura, studied in Paris this last semester and we decided to visit her and bring her home!

We took our workout stuff with us and managed to get one swim and a few runs in. We walked for miles each day and ate wonderful French food. It wasn't quite an equal amount of calories burned for the amount ingested but it was all worth it.

Here are some pictures from the trip with as few words as I can manage :)


This is looking onto the Place de Clichy from Laura's apartment.

Notre Dame

The Lock Bridge. It was only rainy our first day and our last day.

Le Arc de Triomphe
Montmarte

Laura, Dave and I on top of the steps leading to Montmartre.

I love you in many, many languages.

We went to a fondue restaurant that served wine in baby bottles.

Lunch in Giverny.

Monet's Gardens in Giverny.

The flowers were absolutely beautiful!

Monet's Garden

Laura was trying to teach Dave how to sit on a bench and relax like the French do :)

Versailles

Inside Versailles

We are so cultured.

Looking down into the gardens of Versailles.

Lunch at Versailles.

It is art!

We went to a restaurant where they only asked you how you wanted your steak cooked. Simple menu of steak and fries and it was incredibly good.

One of our favorite desserts. Little cream puff shells filled with ice cream and covered in chocolate.

Chateau Fountainbleau.

Cool door knocker.

Breakfast in old Lyon.

Yes, a pastry shop!

Looking over the river in Lyon.

Notre Dame in Lyon. I think there is a Notre Dame in every city.

Old ruins dating to 13BC.

Lunch in old Lyon.

The French countryside.

Bad girls.

Les Baux de Provance. A hilltop village you have to walk up. No cars!

Ruins of the old castle in Les Baux.

Neat walkway.

Street in Avignon.

Another favorite dessert. I think we liked them all!

Le Pont d'Avignon. There is a French song about dancing on this bridge.

The Pope's Palace.

Crypt of a couple that obviously liked their dog.

Beautiful old, old carved door.

Fountain in Aix en Provence.


My cousins Beatrice, Helene and Brunella.

We climbed up the Sainte Victoire mountain to reach the cross on the top.

Part of our climb.

We had to follow trail signs. See the red dots?

We made it to the monastery.

Some other hiker left a box of wine, glasses and cheese. So french!

Standing on the cross. We made it!

The views were amazing.

The wind was blowing like crazy and I could hardly look at them standing so close to the edge.

Another meal, another feast. In Aix.

Every meal had to include good french wine.

Great salmon!

My partner in crime.

Oh look, it's another dessert.

Road trip from Aix to Paris has to include some reading time. 

We stopped in this cute village for lunch.

Back in Paris for dinner.

Another great meal.

More great desserts.

Laura's roundabout at the Place de Clichy.

The street door to Laura's apartment.

Laura's apartments tiny elevator we used to haul the luggage up to the 4th floor.

The Seine on our last day. 

Lunch in a park :)

Laura has become her father and loves her some maps!

The Pantheon. We climbed up to the upper dome.

View from the top. The church was in the movie, Midnight in Paris.

Our Paris girl.

I'm not a big fan of heights but this was worth it.

Venders along the Seine.

Laura's living room.

Her kitchen.

Sad face because we're on our way home.

First American meal request? In n Out!

We had a great trip with lots of adventures and good memories. Now, back to our regularly scheduled training.