Omaha Women's Triathlon 2012 :: Race Recap

The Omaha Women's Triathlon :: June 3, 2012

This is a sprint distance, women's only triathlon with a 750 meter swim at Lawrence Youngman Lake, a 20 kilometer bike and a 5 kilometer run.

It is one of about 50 USAT sanctioned, women's only races in the United States. This year was the 2nd annual race and I feel honored and proud to be a part of the first two races.

I always get nerves before a race, but there is something calming about being surrounded by a bunch of women with the same goals and fears as me. This race included women of all ages, the oldest being 67 (!) to the youngest at 9 competing as part of a team with her family. There is such great camaraderie at this event. I mean, at how many races do you see complete strangers hugging each other before the gun sounds to start? That's women for you :) That is why I do this race.

OK, so here are the details of my race. First, let me start of by saying that my main competitor? It was me.  Last year, despite it being my first triathlon ever, I felt like I could have done way better. I went into last years race with a goal time of under 2 hours. I finished in 2:02, slap in the face.  So this year I was really determined to finish in under 2 hours.

The Swim
For the swim they had us start in waves, an under 34 group, a 35-44 group and a 45 and older group. The young-ins went first, then my group 3 minutes later. As my group is waiting for our start time, a woman next to me nervously asks me about the swim caps, if I think they will pop off during the swim.  In my experience, over my years of competitive swimming, I have never had a problem with my swim cap popping off. So I tell her confidently, Nah, shouldn't be a problem. Hahaha! Guess whose swim cap popped off 5 minutes into the swim? MINE! I kept yanking on it to try and get it back into place, but between all of my super thick hair and the new-swim-cap-talc it was just not going to stay on. I was hoping this wasn't a sign of things to come in the rest of the race. I stopped for a few seconds, tread water, and tried to get my cap back on. Note to self: Rinse powdery stuff from new swim cap! I should have known this, it's not like I'm a rookie swimmer. So, compared to last year, I finished 4 seconds SLOWER! I'm sure it would have been different if it wasn't for this. Ah well, you live, you learn.

The Bike
After the swim cap debacle, I made my way out of the water, stripped off my wetsuit and other swim gear and got ready for the bike portion of the race. Last year, this leg of the race was my demise.  It was hard. Very hilly and I had no prior bike racing experience. I borrowed a bike from a friend, but it wasn't a road bike. This time I had my own bike, a road bike, and I think it made all the difference in the world.  It was still hard. But I also had much more outdoor training this year.  Mike told me as I was changing in the transition area I looked very "nonchalant" and it looked like I was in no hurry at all.  He said all I was missing on my bike was a bell and tassels! That's me, though, I'm a very nonchalant, stress free person. Like I said, I wasn't really racing against the other women, I was racing against myself. And somehow I knew that the bike portion of this race was going to be better than last year. And it was, I finished a whole 12 minutes faster this time!

The Run
I think I was most nervous about the run this time around. I know my quads will be on fire and the first part of the run is uphill. The best part of the race was seeing my family's faces at the beginning and end of each event. I remember seeing them at the beginning of the run and telling Mike, "I'm tired!" He said, "Nah, you got this!" And hearing my boys saying GO MOMMY GO gave me the fuel to finish off the last 3.1 miles of the race. But, oh so hilly! I seriously didn't think I could get my legs to move after that HILLY 12.5 mile bike ride. But I did, and managed to finish the run about a minute faster than last year.

The Finish Line
It was surreal to see the finish line, it took me a minute or two to realize that I was done. People were handing me water, removing my timing chip, putting on my medal. I wasn't until I was out of the crowd of people at the finish line that I was like, "Oh, I'm done!"

And yes, the first thing I did was pull out my phone and snap a pic! :)

The Results
Swim (0.5 miles) 17:04
T1 1:48
Bike (12.5 miles) 55:29
T2 1:01
Run (3.1 miles) 33:26

Overall Time 1:48:50
Official race results here.

Compared to last year this is a little over a 14 minute difference! I won :)

And then I slept.

My day in a few pictures...

{are you on Instagram? if so, follow me! i'm @jkyamzon :)}

So, this is what was supposed to happen today... run at least a 5K on the track while the two older boys did their tennis lesson.  What really happened today... cuddled with sick baby on the couch for two hours while the boys did their tennis lesson.  Once the poor little guy went down for his nap I ran downstairs on the DREADmill while the big boys make blanket tents upstairs.  At about mile two, I started to get blisters. However, I was determined to get the 5K done so I took of my shoes and ran barefoot the rest of the way. I know not everyday will go as planned. Today was one of them.

Side note: Blisters, huh?! That's nice, since the triathlon is in less than two weeks. I don't foresee myself taking off my shoes during the race, so now I'm considering socks.

Aaaanyway, that was my day.  How was yours? :)

Making the time...

{wall clock, uncommon on etsy}

One question that I get asked often is, "How do you find the time to exercise with three boys?"  That's a good question.  How does any mom find the time to do anything for herself?  What with the piles of laundry, the sink full of dishes, the dusty furniture, the drop-offs, the pick-ups, the meals to be made.  Not to mention the moms who go to work full or part time on top of all that.  

So, how do we find the time?  Let me rephrase that question, how do we MAKE the time?  We make the time to do the things that are important to us.  We make time to prepare healthy meals, to read to our kids, to make morning coffee (important, right?).  On the other hand, the things we need to find time for tend to get put on the back burner (read: laundry, dusting, etc...).  At least this is the way MY mind works.   Yes, cleaning the house is very low on the totem pole for me!

What I'm getting at is, if you are serious about your health and being fit you need to MAKE time.  How.  Here is what I do, the busy mom of three.

1.  Get up early.  I admit, I don't do this often.  I cherish my sleep.  But sometimes you need to leave your comfy bed comfort zone.  On one of the days on the weekend I'll get up at 6:20 and go for a run.  I'm usually done before my brain realizes what I just did.  Once I'm done I feel so accomplished and I can tackle the rest of my day.  Workout done.  When I do it:  When my husband is home and everyone is still asleep.

2.  Make a date with a friend.  No one likes to be stood up.  Make yourself accountable and show up.  Plus, working out with a friend makes it fun and before you know it you're done with your workout and caught up on the latest gossip.  What.  When I do it:  On a weekend or afternoon when my husband is home.  

3.  Make it quick.  A workout does not have to be very long.  All you need is 30 minutes.  Make it count though, a quick workout should have some intensity.  When I do it:  Naptime.

So, that's what I do.  Obviously my husband plays an important role in this.  He is very supportive and I am thankful for that.  When he is away for longer periods of time (military) I will rely heavily on #3.

Tell me, how to you MAKE time to exercise?