WE DID IT!!!!

Well...we did it...its over..
It is somewhat surreal.
You prepare and train for so long and then all of a sudden its here...and then its over.

It was a long day.

The alarm went off at 4am and we were it the car by 5am...and it was already 75 degrees outside!

We got to the transition area and set up everything.
Then hopped on the bus to the start. The swim began at the St. Joes boat house.

Lauren and I cheered on Ryan as he went off in the 7.05 heat.
Then our time came...and the nerves and adreneline were here.
We went off in the 7.20 heat...
the swim took us 24.08...we could have went a little faster, but we didnt want to go all out.

The bike was good...the first hill was a killer...it was a nice 13 mile loop, that we went through twice...shady, and hilly, both up and down.

The run...was BRUTAL...the first few mile for me were not bad...shady and a little decline...the middle 2 1/2 miles were tough for me...on a road with no shade and it was 90 degrees out...i started to walk through the hydration stations and drinking as much as i could...and pouring as much water on me as possible...soaking my suit and my shoes, anything to stay cool.

When I saw the finish line, i sprinted as hard as i could...IT WAS AWESOME!!!

I am tired, exhausted, sore, i have blisters...it hurt...i cursed the race the whole time i was running...BUT...

I LOVED IT!!!!

I cannot wait to do it again.

At this point, Lauren and I are going to plan on doing one or two more before the season is over. The swim across the sound is August 13th...maybe we will do the New Haven 1/2 marathon in September...

Next year all four of us, Lauren, Ryan, Danielle and myself, are planning on doing the Liberty to Liberty race. This is from NYC to Philly...finishing on the steps of the art muesem. It is a 1.3 mile swim, 90 mile bike and 6 mile run...WHOA!!!

Ok...well i am off to bed...need some R&R...I am sure more will come to me and i will write more later...

Lauren, Ryan and Danielle...nice job this weekend...you guys Rock!!

Sarah

the jitters

so...everytime i think of the tri now, i get the jitters...butterflies in my stomach feeling.

I am really excited, yet VERY nervous...i know i can do it...but can i do it?!?!?

Just read through the race packet...some good info...i recommend reading it throuh a few times.


how is everyone doing??


Sarah

it was a cold one...

well hello there!

Yesterday was my first day back...the doctor would have liked me to rest an entire week, but I told him 5 days...for those of you unaware, i have tendonitis in my hip. I afraid to say that it doesn't feel so hot right now, and my back hurts a little too...so there will be much rest after the Tri.

Yesterday Lauren and I did the first annual "Cottage sprint" tri...we tied for first place!

It started off with about a mile swim. I did not want to get in the water...its a bit chilly..about 60 degrees. BUT lauren ran right in, so of course i could not let her go by herself and i followed her lead. Since the water was so cold, it really shocked me. We did an easy swim about 200 yards off shore, so warm up. After I warmed up i decided that i would stay in the water. For those of you who have not swam in cold water before, when you get in, your body reacts to the cold water in a weird way. For me, i get extremely out of breath and very winded. Its so cold that you cant catch your breath from chivering so much. Its weird and scary. Your body hates you.

SO..we started swimming and warming up and once we warmed up it was great.

We then went for a 11 mile bike and then a 4 mile run.

It was good...did i forget to mention that we were both in our NEW Tri suits...and that they are matching!?!?!?!

WE WERE HOT!!!

thats it for now...gonna try for a late run tomorrow...

12 days to go...WOOHOO..

Sarah

The Final Two Weeks

Starting to get worried, I didn't have the best week this week.... ran 16 miles total and swam 3000 yards. Sarah was resting her hip and i was preoccupied with Bar study stuff. We're going to go for a bike/run combo tonight which should make the week end on a high note at least.

Our trial run last saturday was ok. I wish it hadn't been so hot and that we had felt better on the run. I am confident that both of us will finish. However, it it turns out to be really hot on the run we will be up for a real challenge to keep going and not give up.

Our tri-suits came in this week and they are sooooo hot! I ran in mine on friday and then took it for a swim.

That's all for now, back to outlining for me.
Lauren

i hurt...

ok guys...need some advice...from anyone...

I have been running more than I ever have before...
Thursday...8 miles
Saturday...26 mile bike...6 mile run
Monday...4 mile run
Tuesday...3000 meters swimming...4 mile trail run

I AM IN PAIN!!
The back of my right upper thigh...where it meets the butt!

It hurts to walk...I am living on Advil and Motrin...it hurts to sleep on my back...

Any idea what it could be???

I am really contemplating calling the doc....i am gonna take tonight off from running...maybe!

sarah

Trial Run

well....lauren and i did a trial run on saturday...

26-mile bike and then a 6-mile run.

It was tough, but we did it...it was also about 80 degrees out by the time we finished.
We ran into a few bumps, but better now than later.

We started the bike at 11.50 and finished about 2. We rode from Milford to West Haven back to the other side of Milford and home. Then we did our usual 6-mile loop. We did that in 70 minutes, with some walking.

It was good.
We drank gatorade and water.
Ate one GU pack and then had 2 gluclose tablets, one after the bike and one during the run.
They rock...they save us. You can buy a pack of them at CVS for $2.00.

The run was tough, but we were OK...NO PAIN NO GAIN.
We walked a bit, probably 3/4 of a mile in all.

not much more to share....I am sure Lauren may post some highlites from Saturday as well :)

Sarah

back into it...

hey there!

Well, I am back into the swing of things.
Went running on Saturday and Sunday last week.

On Tuesday Lauren and I did a 6-mile run and then an 8-mile bike. We would have liked to reverse the order, but my bike was stuck in Jeff's garage! It felt good. Although my hip hurts a little but...i look like an old lady when i walk. Could be the heels that i wear everyday. I have come to the conclusion that I will not wear heels at all the week previous to the BIG EVENT! And there will be no drinking...of alcohol...either.

lauren and i are hoping to get a trial run of the bike and run in this weekend. should be interesting.

thats it for now...

CAIO!!

transitions

Yo Dawgs--
Sarah mentioned transitions in her last post....yeaaaaaaaaah, I'd definitely recommend doing at least one "transition" trial b/f the actual race. It's easy to do--you can set up your spot in the front yard or in your garage, at your car--really wherever you want. It's a great way to just make sure you've thought of everything you'll need......like those quick-tie laces for your running shoes! I didn't have those in my first race this year and it sucked major time. And the whole outfit thing--you guys won't be wearing wetsuits, right? Hopefully you have or have rigged a good "outfit" for all three legs. Oh yeah, and don't forget the race belt...no need to deal with safety pins. I don't know how much you guys plan on eating during the bike, but the "Bento Box" is awesome for storing your bars/gels/pb&j sandwiches on the bike--easy access and you don't have to tape all that stuff to your bike. You can order the bento boxes at the back of "Triathlete Magazine". That's all I can think of for now...you guys are so close to race day, I'm so excited for you! Butts shall be kicked (other peoples', not yours) and you'll have a blast:) Happy training...