Skirt Chaser & Lost Dutchman Race Reports

Woot!  My first races of 2013; BRING IT ON!  First up, Skirt Chaser at Tempe Town Lake.  The race is a 5K run where the women start at 2pm and the guys follow 3 minutes later to try and catch the ladies.  I signed up on race day because I dropped the ball and missed online registration.  The line wasn't too bad, a little crowded, but it was moving quickly.  The goodie bag was a nice perk for only a $35 registration fee.  The goods came in a reusable drawstring bag and included a fun Skirt Chaser pint glass, a new PowerBar Performance Energy Blend, and a couple race brochures/coupons. 

Loving the glass, so cute!

It was an unusually warm February afternoon.  I would say it was hovering around 80 degrees.  I wasn't overly thrilled about this because I am not a warm weather racer.  My body runs hot, so I definitely favor cooler racing temps.  I hit the porta potty and headed to the start.  I had planned on warming up, but I ran out of time.  That was a big FAIL on my part.  Note to self, sprint races require warmup.  I usually wear Nike Tempo Shorts for all running races, but busted out the Nike running skirt for the occasion.  My only complaint about this skirt is that there wasn't a key pocket, so I had to put my car key in my sports bra and hope it didn't fall out.  Good thing there's plenty of room in there.  :) 

The race started pretty much on time, plus or minus a minute.  The race starts out by going North on the Mill Ave bridge and then circles down underneath the bridge.  We had to climb ourselves back up the hill on the other side of the bridge while heading to the turnaround on Curry Rd.  This was definitely not a flat course, there were some nice hills thrown in over the 3.1 miles.  I took the first mile out a bit fast and paid for that on the remaining two miles.  I was thrilled to see the finish line and was definitely in the hurt box.  I was 'caught' by the first six guys, but the top girls weren't; way to go ladies!  I ended up 12th overall woman and 3rd in 30-34 with a 21:19.  This isn't a PR for me, but I'm happy with it.

This guy helps me go fast.

The post race setup was awesome and packed with racers as well as spectators.  The Chadwicks were rocking the stage and there were tons of vendor booths.  I picked up some Pop Chips, water, Gatorade, and PowerBar goodies.  I came away with more loot at this race than I do at some triathlons, which have a much higher price tag.  The best perk was of course the free beer from Four Peaks and the wine from Barefoot.  I think Red Rock Company/Lifetime Fitness did a great job with this event and it's definitely very popular with the community. 

I love free goodies!

My friend Brandon and I at the finish with our Four Peaks beer!

The following morning I headed out to the 10K run at the Lost Dutchman Races.  The race offered packet pickup and registration at Road Runner Sports Tempe on Friday, so I took advantage. $45 for the 10K, which I didn't think was too bad.  The goodie bag wasn't anything special with mostly brochures/coupons.  The Biofreeze packets were my favorite items.

The shirts were nice; it's not very often that you get a long sleeve technical t-shirt.

Sweet long sleeve.  

The race is out in a rural area of the valley, but parking was really simple with a quick 1/2 mile walk to the start area.  There was an easy bag drop and plenty of porta potties.  The race started right on time and we were off.  I tried to hold back a little at the beginning and not blow it out in the first mile like at yesterday's 5K.  I really just tried to hold a steady and hard pace, which was pretty successful.  I finished in 45 and change. I luckily ended up first overall; a lucky day to likely never occur again, so I happily accept. 

With my friend Karleen, who won the 1/2 marathon.

The post race spread was awesome.  There was such an awesome spread with yogurt and granola, bagels, bananas, oranges, mini breakfast burritos, bags of chips, and various cookies.  I decided to wait around for the awards, which ended up being a bit of a mistake.  It took quite awhile to get to the 10K awards.  While they mentioned the overall award winners, there was no overall presentation.  Instead they had an overall presentation for the top finishers from Apache Junction.  I collected my age group award and hit the road; pretty anti-climatic.  It's not like the swimmer girl gets to win a running race often.

My winner's and finisher's medal, left to right, respectively.

Fun with the props, post race.

How often can you win a race and get engaged all in the same day?!  Probably never, ever again.  

My friend Julie and I!  She ripped up the 8K trail run.

Karleen and I rubbing Kelly's belly for luck. Such a star, still killing the races.

Love me some Pro Compression.

Bestie Visit & Snowbowl

My bestie and her hubby rolled into town from SoCal to visit me check out the Waste Management Open. He works in the golf industry and was truly interested in the game being played.  Sharie and I were more interested in making a fashion statement.  Oh and a statement I made in my Pro Compression socks.  The WAMO is one of Phoenix's biggest events of the year and provides some of the best people watching out there.  I was a solo tour guide because Eric was busy bringing home the bacon.

There's golf being played here?! 

 Sharie and Albert love how all the restaurants Scottsdale has to offer.  I try and take them to new places each time they visit.  This time we hit up The Cider Mill for a casual lunch.  Their sandwiches are so awesome and they also have a homemade soda bar.  Diet orange cream soda?!  Yes, please.

  Friday evening we ventured out to Grazie for wood-fired pizza and wine.

We hit up 5th & Wine for an after dinner cocktail.  I found out Sharie had never drank a bloody mary.  Who are you?!  The very nice bartender gave her a little mini one to try; thank goodness we cleared that up.  To top the night off, we hit up Yogurtland.  No evening out is complete without it.  When did I get so old?!

My personal shopper.  Clearly I couldn't have picked this out myself.

Saturday we ate breakfast at one of Eric and my favorite places, Dottie's True Blue Cafe.  Sharie and I polished off some amazing peach sparkling something-or-other mimosas.  So good, I can't remember the details.

Get some!  You will not be disappointed.

Then, it was off to the open.  I tried to explain what they might see, but I don't think they were quite prepared for the sh*t show that unfolded.  Watching drunk people make a spectacle of themselves in public is quite possibly one of life's most fun adventures.  It's not like I've ever been in their shoes. No, never.

Awesome to see ASU Alum Phil Mickelson win!

We played there until the late afternoon and then hit up Four Peaks for some local brew.  I can't believe I've never taken them here before; blasphemy.  We did a little shopping at the Scottsdale Quarter.

Pics are always required when purchasing Lulu.

We were pretty tired from being in the sun all day, so we decided to make our own version of Postino's yummy bruschetta at home.  We sent our assistant to gather the goods a la Paris style.

The sun was barely up the following morning and they were out the door.  :(  Until next time...

Eric and I decided to spend Valentine's Day skiing at Snowbowl in Flagstaff.  We left early morning and hit up a big breakfast at The Good Egg. I skied for many years as a kid and teenager, but it had been a good twenty years since I had been on the white stuff.  We stopped in Flag to rent my goods at Ski Haus.  Awesome and fast service; we were in and out in ten minutes.  Not to mention, $25 for all day rental; sounds like a good deal to me. 

Eric and I had attended the Warren Miller film in Scottsdale and as a result had free lift tickets; awesome deal!  My ski adventure started off slowly and Eric was very patient.  It eventually started coming back to me and I eased off the bunny slope and onto the main mountain.

We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day.

It was a perfect day for skiing; the sun was shining and it was like being on a private mountain.  We finished off the day with a beer at the lodge.

Apres beer!

Since it was Valentine's Day and we were pretending to be romantic we hit up dinner at a Diners, Drive-ins & Dives restaurant, Salsa Brava.  I helped myself to a margarita and some tacos while my chaffeur drank water in order to drive us home safely.  That's love.

Nothing quite captures my heart like Mexican food.

January Recap

I was able to slowly ween out of the boot around mid December and start walking on my own two feet. I was shocked at how weak my foot was from having been in the boot for 6-8 weeks.  I spent about a week to a week and a half going on walks before attempting to run.  I was SCARED to run.  I finally gave it a go and ran a mile.  It was exhilarating and nerve racking all at the same time.  I slowly built up mileage over the next few weeks.  I had a few crazy person freakouts because I was convinced my foot was fractured again.  Sometimes it was sore, would crack or pop, and had tenderness on the top of my foot.  I finally went to the doctor one last time because I had to see for myself the fracture was gone.  Control freak much?! He was a good sport and did another ultrasound showing me no fracture.  I felt the weight of the world off my shoulders.  The smile on my face must've been so huge because the next words out of his mouth were, 'Do NOT run a marathon tomorrow.'  :)  Ultimately, the thought of being back in that boot scared me enough to continue on my slow buildup.

Most athletes will confirm that coming back from injury is a rocky road.  To say I felt sluggish is an understatement.  I had worked so hard on my run last year, it was hard to believe I would ever get back there.  However, as we all know putting your head down and plugging away eventually gets results.  Slowly I watched the heart rate go down and the pace speed up.  Towards the end of January life felt like it was returning to normal chaos.  And, there's nothing I love more than organized chaos.

Eric and I spent New Year's with our friends, Brandon and Kristen.  We grilled up an amazing feast and had a nice low key evening ringing in 2013.

Happy New Year! 

Mid month we celebrated my 34th birthday, yikes.  One more year in this crazy 30-34 age group before I have to step up my game even more for the crazy fast 35-39ers.  We celebrated with dinner at Fuego Bistro, which is amazing.  We first tried this place during Restaurant Week last year and liked it so much we went back.  The deal during restaurant week was amazing; give it a shot during the next one.

Happy Birthday to me!

He LOVES taking pictures. 

My monthly birthday group also celebrated January with a new and fun event; curling!  We took a lesson at the Ice Den and the guys teaching us were serious about the action.  I think it's safe to say no curling experts were hatched from this experiment.  Fun on the ice was finished up with celebratory bundt cakes by the fire.

A fun evening of wine and curling.

A real curling professional. I kid.

Candice and I paying very close attention to the lessons. 

We checked out a new restaurant in our hood, Pig & Pickle.  I thought the food was good, but the prices were a little high.  We tried to hit up the happy hour, but at only $1 off, there weren't any amazing deals to be had.  I had a fantastic drink, the Salty Dog, which I highly recommend.  Let's be honest, I'll drink anything draped with salt on the rim.  Eric loves his dessert, so this doughnut covered in chocolate, carmel, and ice cream was necessary.  At least there were four of us to share it. 

A calorie free night, of course.

IMAZ Race Report

While I was trying to throw myself a pity party, life continued moving forward.  While I had decided not to attempt running, I had tossed around the idea of doing the swim and bike at Ironman Arizona.  I had gotten good news from Trek that they would be replacing my frame.  However, there was no chance it would be done in time for IMAZ.  At this point, I was okay with not racing at all, but my friend Jay had a different idea.  He offered me his bike to race with and I took it.  It was an incredibly nice gesture and very much appreciated.

Jay's steed.
 

Justine & I checking our bikes in!

There were a lot of events around town leading up to IMAZ.  Triple Sports had a great event featuring Linsey Corbin.  She did a meet and greet along with a Q&A session, which was awesome.  Linsey is one of my sports heroes; I'm a huge fan.  She's an amazing competitor, exceptionally nice, and approachable. We found out later that Linsey did this panel even while she wasn't feeling well, oh and went on to WIN IMAZ!

Justine, Ms. Corbin, & I!

Tribe hosted an awesome event as well featuring an amazing raffle benefiting the Not One More Foundation and lots of professional triathletes.  I got to chat with my other sports hero; Meredith Kessler. She's a fearless competitor, sweet, and incredibly gracious.  I also got to chat with the 'baby pros', Kim Schwabenbauer, Jessica Smith, and Beth Shutt.  Check out their interview with Andres from Beyond Aero.  They all have fun and inspiring stories about climbing the age group ranks and going pro.  I swear I'm not a stalker.  :)  How often do you get to hang out in the same arena as the professional athletes in your sport?!  I love that about triathlon.

Justine, Meredith, and yours truly.

I think it was easier for me to start the race and quit than it would have been to not start at all.  The swim was pretty uneventful.  It was a ridiculously crazy start with a lot of jockeying for position.  Once I got out the the washing machine action, it was pretty smooth sailing.  I don't look around much, so I have no idea how long the chaos lasted.  I just put my head down and look forward to clear water.  I swam a 57 something and I was pretty happy with that.  It's slower than my previous two IM times, but that's okay.  I didn't want to risk any damage to the foot, so I walked from the swim exit to transition.  I'm pretty sure it was the world's slowest transition time on record as well as the most embarrassing.  I'm pretty sure people thought I was already tapped out for the day; on a good note they were offering lots of encouragement to keep moving forward.  Oy vey.

Swim exit

I was somewhat apprehensive about the bike; only because I wasn't sure how the foot would feel after 112 miles.  Luckily, I had no foot pain during or after; however, the bike didn't necessarily go as planned.  I was really hoping for a blazing fast bike time; it's not like I had any reason to hold back.  When I first got out on the Beeline on the first lap, there was an odd noise coming from the bike.  I stopped once trying to figure out what the noise was to no avail.  On the second lap, fellow competitors were asking me where the noise was coming from; oh boy!  I finally waited for sag support and he wasn't quite sure of the issue either, but sprayed some stuff on the chain and off I went.  At this point, I really was only concerned that I was doing damage to Jay's bike.  At the beginning of the third lap I decided to stop once and for all at the Landis Cyclery tent.  While they messed with my wheel, I contemplated throwing in the towel because clearly this wasn't mean to be.  Before I could spend too much time thinking about quitting, the bike was ready.  Off I went for the third and final lap with not a single bike issue.

Agitated by my luck, but most appreciative of the Landis guys!

While it wasn't the result I was looking for there were so many positives to take away from IMAZ. I got to do two fun parts of IMAZ, I got to toe the line with my little sister for her first IM, I had bike issues for the first time on a day that there would be no finish line anyway, and I didn't let my fractured foot take away my excitement to race another day.  It was a fantastic day to be at the finish line with my sister, my family, and friends.   

The Griswold's at IMAZ.

Cracks In The Plan

Training for Ironman Arizona had been going very well.  I was definitely growing tired of the long training hours, but that was to be expected.  It was four weeks before the big race and I doing a fifteen mile long run with two speedy friends of mine, Christy and Erin.  We decided to run from Scottsdale to Tempe Town Lake and check out a local triathlon happening that day.  Around mile ten, we were running over the Curry hill, and I felt an awful pain on the top of my foot.  We stopped for a few minutes and I tried to work it out a bit, having no idea what it was.  We continued on and completed the run.  When I got home, I could hardly step on my foot.  No matter which way I looked at it, this didn't appear to be good.  I iced, taped, put compression socks on, and elevated it.  I didn't know what else to do.

Making the best of a crappy situation.

Tuesday I got into the doctor, but the x-ray didn't show anything.  He referred me to do a podiatrist.  It got, what seemed like progressively better from Sunday-Thursday, when I was able to get into Brandon, my awesome PT, at Endurance Rehab.  Because it seemed to be improving, I was optimistic; Brandon, not so much.  His advice was simple, go to the podiatrist.  The following Monday I went to the podiatrist and he decided to do an ultrasound.  Pretty quickly, he found a stress fracture on the second metatarsal.  While trying to hold back the tears, I asked if I could run a marathon in what was now less than three weeks away.  He laughed.  He proceeded to tell me I might be able to run a portion of it, but I would most likely break it all the way through.  I would be looking at six months to a year of being injured.

 Around the same time, I had taken my bike in to Tribe to get some TLC and new cables before the big day.  I wanted this done a couple weeks before the race in case anything odd surfaced.   I got a phone call on the Monday after the stress fracture occurred.  I don't remember much of the conversation, but the main point was that there were cracks in my frame and the bike was not ride-able anymore. Wait, what?!

My poor Trek. 

In a matter of two days, I had a crack in my foot and a crack in my bike.

Everyone had an opinion and they gave it to me.  You can still finish, you can walk.  Truth was, I didn't want to walk and I didn't want to just finish.  It was a lot to mentally digest and I didn't make any decisions right away.  In the end I decided that the long term effects of running the marathon weren't worth it.  Today, it's easy to look back and know I made the right decision.  It's a long road back from a fractured foot.  Longer than anyone is honest about.  If I had a dollar for every person who said I would be good as new in six weeks, I'd be a millionaire.  Maybe I'm a slow healer, but six weeks later, it still hurt to walk without the boot.

I strongly believe that things happen for a reason, even when they aren't the way we had hoped.  I had a lot of time on my hands to dwell on why I thought this happened.  I've always tried to do too many things at once and I don't like missing out on things.  Instead of spending more time resting and recovering from all the training I was doing, I was trying to keep up with my social life.  I hardly ever said no to something.  I thought I could do it all, I wanted to do it all.  I continued to burn the candle at each end until something gave; unfortunately, in the form of a fractured bone in my foot.  My boyfriend tried to encourage me to sleep more, take naps, stay home and rest, etc.  Yeah, yeah, I knew what I needed.  Apparently I also liked to learn things the hard way.  Let's hope I'm past the need for such wild adventures in the future. 

Out for a cruise with the boot.