Running up the score/padding stats

When I was in soccer in High school, we were top three in the state. Those were good times.
I was looking over my yearbook at some of the scores we had against the weaker teams. I am sad to say they were within one or two goals of double digits, and a few were over that mark. I don't know why we did it, other than we could, and passing around the other team does get a bit boring after a while. Yes, we did move people around and get the subs a lot more experience.
Looking back to those days from my more mature age and greater experiences in life gives me moment to reflect.
Why do i feel the need to do this? Well, I coach the local high school girls soccer team now. We are the bottom. The "Clover Park" of my high school days. We practice hard and work to improve the skills of the players, but they are no match for girls who play competitive soccer year round. So I am now on the other side of the 10-nil score. It is HARD. It is hard to keep going when you know EVERY game the victories are to keep them from scoring for longer than 25 min. or to string 4 passes together, or to just be first to the ball. We have to look at the game differently than the other coaches. We can't look at the scoreboard for our victories. We pass that along to the girls, they need to know what they are doing is still an improvement.
Here's to looking to next year in 4A.

The Utah Half Ironman report

Sunday, August 17, 2008

half Ironman report

Ok, folks, here it is, and I know why it took so long to start writing about it. I believe myself to be an exceptional athlete. Strong, powerful, graceful? (no) quick, fast. And triathlon really has nothing to do with those gifts. I am slow in triathlon.
So, Yes, I did finish the Utah half Ironman. It was hard. I wanted to quit many times, and probably would have if it weren't for friends along the way. For some reason, in my mind, it is really no big deal that i did it. It didn't give me any sense of accomplishment, or grand 'ah ha' moment, and i couldn't understand why (cuz i really was expecting one or both of those moments). So I have been pondering. I figured it out on Friday, and ran it past Dwain. He disagrees with me, so I will run it past you.
See, I have been training really long and hard for this 'race'. I would wake up early and get in time on a run or bike, then have a workout scheduled for the evening, usually a swim. There were lots of "2-a days". about 4 hours a day working out. and I did the workouts, almost all of them. I missed quite a few swim workouts, because they are the hardest to schedule and that is my best event of the 3.
Now here is where you will want to pay attention. I know that even though I did what I did, y'all could do it too, and do so much better than me. Yes, you could. I know most of you don't want to, and that is fine. But IF you decided, "Hey, Anita did it. I want to do one, too." then you could, and you would be great. I am certain if you spent the time training and working with a group of fun people to prepare for your race, you would do better than I did.
Do you know I haven't even checked my times, yet?
OK, I am back. I just checked my times.
Here they are.

Place

Number

Name

Home Town

Class

Swim

min/100yd

T1

Bike

mph

T2

Run

min/mi

Total Time

Back

Penalties

224

Anita NORRIS

Athena

00:57:41.100

00:05:27.8

00:04:58.100

03:27:43.100

16.2

00:07:36.900

03:30:29.400

00:16:04.1

08:00:51.7

+00:00:00.000

They said the swim was long. GPS isn't what it used to be. so we swam 200 yds longer than the 1.2 miles. and that is an exceedingly slow time for me /100 yds. I did stand up a couple times to adjust equipment. (yes the lake was that low in the harbor.) I was so anxious/nervous/terrified of this race distance that I had to just enjoy the morning, and think about the swim only during the swim, and the bike only during the bike. that helped, but still i knew there was a run. See, even now i can't just look at one aspect of the race. I enjoyed the swim. It was a beautiful morning. I watched the sun come up over the mountains and it was really stunning. We had 2 laps to do, and I was enjoying it. I even had enough gas in the tank at the end of the swim to push hard to the buoy to get out passing some men in the process. (they started 5 minutes ahead of the women)
Transition. I took my time. i don't know why. I wanted to make sure I had enough fuel for the bike ride. I loaded up my shirt pocket, and away I went. But I left my odwalla bar there. that was my actual food for the bike, and I put it down to pick something else up and left it there. The bad part of that was I need food in my stomach to take the gel packs, otherwise I get crampy in the tummy, and need to find a bathroom. I did the gel pack anyway, and it turned out to be ok. I don't know why, I don't care why, it was good to not have to find a bathroom on the course. My goal for the bike was to ride the 56 miles in less than 3:30. I did it. It is a nice ride. Flat and fast, not for me of course, I am not fast for 56 miles, but I am consistent and I do finish. The ride took us out to West Mountain, past pastures and hayfields and cows. It is a nice morning ride. I had to think about that, and not the run. With about 15 miles to go, I started to feel my leg cramp. It wasn't bad, just the beginning stages telling me I needed more electrolytes. With 8 miles to go my coach rode up to me. I told her my dilemma and she promptly handed me electrolytes. She is great. She was being bike support for her athletes who were doing this event. She rode with me for about 5 of the 8 miles and kept me going, not allowing me to slow down. I told her I was hungry, and NEEDED food, she said she would take care of it at transition. She is just a little bit sneaky about motivation.
Let me elaborate. About 3 weeks before this race I had a 3.5 hour bike ride for a workout. It nearly wiped the floor with me. i was exhausted. I couldn't imagine trying to run after being on a bike that long. I called Keena and talked with her. I was so emotional and tense until we agreed that I would just do the swim and bike and work on the run for next year. Or since the run had parts to it, I could just do one part, and then hand them my timing chip and be done.
So I am chowing down in transition on any fruit I can get, and I see my friend Sherry come in and go. I commented to Keena that we were supposed to walk together and eat skittles. I guess that got her attention that I was still standing there eating and drinking, and she kicked me in the butt and told me to get out of transition and onto the course. So I did. I took my cold water and some pretzels, and WALKED. It took 3 miles of walking before I could sustain a jog.
Then I didn't want to go any farther, but there was Keena as i was coming back past transition and she got more food and water and electrolytes for me and persuaded me to keep going. that motivation lasted to the next aid station when i heard my Jill-friend call my name. She was willing to walk with me. so I kept going.
Then we saw Sherry. She was jogging toward us, coming back from the mile out and mile back. I was only a quarter mile out, but turned around and walked with her. So I missed about a mile and a half of the 13.1 miles. (yes I told the race director)
Jill headed to the finish line when i still had 6 miles to go. Erica joined sherry and I and we walked on. Erica is training for a marathon and she was great company as that 6 miles didn't seem like too long, until I started on the path. 3 miles out and 3 miles back. We walked, we talked and we even jogged every now and then. Sherry took off about a mile and a half into the 3 miles out. So it was Erica and me. She cheered on those who were coming back, telling them they were awesome and to keep going. She is amazing. After the turnaround at the 3 miles out point, Keena came up on her bike and challenged us to get my butt moving to finish before the time ran out. Run 3 and walk 1 I think is what she said. But we jogged 6 then I sat in the river. Then we did it again. Jogged 6 and sat in the river for 30 seconds. It felt sooooo good.
we jogged and walked, with more jogging than I thought was possible. Erica and Jill and Keena get all the credit for getting me to the finish line. Thank you.
I made it there almost a full minute after the 8 hour cutoff time.
Sad, but true. they still gave me the medal for finishing, and I will PROUDLY display it somewhere knowing that you can do it, too.

Testing, One, Two, Three!

there are so many great things I have seen on other blogs, I want to try them here.