That's right -- 15 days until I leave for the triathlon! Exciting and scary at the same time...Exciting because this is my FIRST triathlon...Scary because it is my FIRST triathlon and the JELLYFISH are still out there!
Thanks to everyone for all your encouragement and support during the past few months -- I have accomplished so much in terms of my fitness goals and confidence levels. Many thanks for helping to boost my confidence in my abilities by continuing to read my blog posts!
And...for those of you who wish to show your support via a donation -- I would greatly appreciate that too! Please click on this link to make a donation for this amazing cause -- to help find a cure!
All the best in all that you endeavor to accomplish...
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Lake Del Valle (Take 2 ) + Half Marathon
Last Saturday was open water swim attempt #4...at the infamous Lake Del Valle. And on Sunday I ran a half marathon in Santa Cruz -- yes, it was a busy weekend!
Open water swim #4
Because my first attempt at Lake Del Valle was disastrous -- I was of course expecting nothing more than that...yeah, so much for positive thinking...but I was going into this open water swim with some good thoughts: I did do well in Aquatic Park and the last couple of weeks I was able to complete my weekly swim workouts as prescribed by the coach -- so there was some light at the end of the tunnel...but that light got quite dim as I stepped into the murky Lake Del Valle for the second time.
I have to say, the water was not as cold as it was the first time...but it was cold nonetheless. Equipped with my swim "booties" the cold water didn't affect me too much as I walked into the lake...it was when I stuck my face in the water that I experienced deja vu -- not being able to breath properly with each stroke, hyperventilating, gulping air, stomach full of air, not being able to burp... wait, isn't this the exact same thing that happened to me last time I was in this stupid lake?!?! One of the coaches kept trying to get me to calm down and take some strokes, and I kept telling him that I wanted to swim but the uncomforatble feeling of a stomach full of air was preventing me from breathing properly. Finally after about 15 mins of struggle-swimming (yes, that's the technical term for my type of swimming, lol!) I was able to let out a loud and long overdue burp...and when I let it out, one of the coaches said "was that you?" -- yes, that was me, and boy did it feel great! As soon as I let that burp out, I started swimming, like nothing was ever wrong. I swam back to shore faster than I swam out and felt as comfortable as I did in Aquatic Park -- amazing what a burp can do to build one's confidence!
So, to rate this swim attempt -- I would call it a partial success. The swim out was a struggle-swim, but the swim back to shore was a success! (Aha moment: it is possible to burp while you're in the water -- just wait for it!) ;-)
Santa Cruz Half Marathon (yes, that's 13.1 miles)
After the swim at Lake Del Valle, Jimmy and I drove to Santa Cruz. It was a beautiful day and the forecast for Sunday, the day of the marathon, was 90 degrees! For triathlon training, I really hadn't concentrated much on running, just because I knew I could run long distances, so I wasn't too worried about the running portion. The longest distance that I've run during triathlon training was just about 5 miles. But because I was cross-training with the swimming and cycling, I wasn't too worried about running a half marathon. One of my running buddies from TNT, Veronica, ran the half marathon with me -- it's great running with her because we're the same pace and it's always nice to run with someone on race day.
The day of the race, it was a beautiful morning, the sun was out -- it was going to be a hot one! And sure enough, by about 9am, it got quite hot -- so hot that at a couple of the aid stations towards the end of the race, I was dumping the water on my head rather than drinking it! And one of the workers the aid station had a garden hose and was hosing runners off as they ran past -- brilliant idea -- it was much needed! During the race, the scenery was beautiful all along West Cliff Drive. We paced ourselves pretty well and finished in the time we expected. It was definitely a great race, one that I will likely do again. 13.1 miles = done!
Open water swim #4
Because my first attempt at Lake Del Valle was disastrous -- I was of course expecting nothing more than that...yeah, so much for positive thinking...but I was going into this open water swim with some good thoughts: I did do well in Aquatic Park and the last couple of weeks I was able to complete my weekly swim workouts as prescribed by the coach -- so there was some light at the end of the tunnel...but that light got quite dim as I stepped into the murky Lake Del Valle for the second time.
I have to say, the water was not as cold as it was the first time...but it was cold nonetheless. Equipped with my swim "booties" the cold water didn't affect me too much as I walked into the lake...it was when I stuck my face in the water that I experienced deja vu -- not being able to breath properly with each stroke, hyperventilating, gulping air, stomach full of air, not being able to burp... wait, isn't this the exact same thing that happened to me last time I was in this stupid lake?!?! One of the coaches kept trying to get me to calm down and take some strokes, and I kept telling him that I wanted to swim but the uncomforatble feeling of a stomach full of air was preventing me from breathing properly. Finally after about 15 mins of struggle-swimming (yes, that's the technical term for my type of swimming, lol!) I was able to let out a loud and long overdue burp...and when I let it out, one of the coaches said "was that you?" -- yes, that was me, and boy did it feel great! As soon as I let that burp out, I started swimming, like nothing was ever wrong. I swam back to shore faster than I swam out and felt as comfortable as I did in Aquatic Park -- amazing what a burp can do to build one's confidence!
So, to rate this swim attempt -- I would call it a partial success. The swim out was a struggle-swim, but the swim back to shore was a success! (Aha moment: it is possible to burp while you're in the water -- just wait for it!) ;-)
Santa Cruz Half Marathon (yes, that's 13.1 miles)
After the swim at Lake Del Valle, Jimmy and I drove to Santa Cruz. It was a beautiful day and the forecast for Sunday, the day of the marathon, was 90 degrees! For triathlon training, I really hadn't concentrated much on running, just because I knew I could run long distances, so I wasn't too worried about the running portion. The longest distance that I've run during triathlon training was just about 5 miles. But because I was cross-training with the swimming and cycling, I wasn't too worried about running a half marathon. One of my running buddies from TNT, Veronica, ran the half marathon with me -- it's great running with her because we're the same pace and it's always nice to run with someone on race day.
The day of the race, it was a beautiful morning, the sun was out -- it was going to be a hot one! And sure enough, by about 9am, it got quite hot -- so hot that at a couple of the aid stations towards the end of the race, I was dumping the water on my head rather than drinking it! And one of the workers the aid station had a garden hose and was hosing runners off as they ran past -- brilliant idea -- it was much needed! During the race, the scenery was beautiful all along West Cliff Drive. We paced ourselves pretty well and finished in the time we expected. It was definitely a great race, one that I will likely do again. 13.1 miles = done!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
3rd time's a charm!
Yesterday was our 3rd open water swim training -- it was at Aquatic Park in San Francisco, yes, the cold SF Bay/Pacific Ocean. Aquatic Park is home to the Dolphin Swim Club of San Francisco (aka, the crazy swimmers that swim in the frigid waters of the San Francisco Bay...year round!) and according to their website the water temperature in Aquatic Park vary from about 50 F in January to about 61 F in September. If you've read my other open water swim posts, you know just how much I just love swimming in cold water -- NOT! So this 3rd attempt at open water swimming was definitely going to be a challenge...When I got to Aquatic Park at 7:30am, it was actually sunny and not as cold as I had expected, that is, if you were standing in the sun, otherwise, it was quite cold in the shade -- but having lived in the city for several years, there was good indication that it was going to be a beautiful day: the sun was out, and the skies were clear so that you could actually see the GG and Bay bridges. When I met up with team, a few of my teammates were staring at the water where we were about swim -- this was our first "ocean" open water swim this season -- so, many of us weren't quite sure what to expect. After we got into our wetsuits, our coach told us to swim for about 45 mins or 3 laps from buoy to buoy (3 laps? yeah, sure, I'll be lucky to get from buoy to buoy!) He also told us that if you're one that takes in a lot of water when you swim (that would be me) to expect and be prepared to take in the salty water...but the salt in the water would also give you more buoyancy (buoyancy is a good thing in my book, it means you won't drown!) So armed with that knowledge, we all walked onto to the beach and took off into the deep blue of the Pacific...
Well, most of us took off...I slowly walked into the water...when it got to about chest deep, I stopped. It was cold. I was looking around for any of the coaches to make sure someone was going to stay with me -- I had a coach with me at every open water swim, you know, just in case I totally freaked out and needed to be rescued, drug onto shore and resuscitated...just in case....So as everyone took off, I just stood there in the water trying to acclimate to the cold water…after about 5 mins, one of the coaches handed me a snorkel and told me to use the snorkel to breath. But that was unsuccessful. The snorkel actually made it more difficult to breathe because now I had to learn how to breathe using the snorkel – and I already had issues breathing without it – not helpful. So I gave up the snorkel idea, onto Plan B. The coach then told me to just dunk my head a few times in the water and just blow out bubbles (again, back to the basics). After doing that a few times, I started to feel a bit more comfortable or maybe it was the numbness starting to set in? After about 10 mins of “blowing bubbles” in the water, my face and my hands started to get numb – I couldn’t feel them, but most of all, I couldn’t feel the “cold” water anymore – this was actually the best thing that could have happened. The fact that the cold water wasn’t bothering me anymore allowed me to concentrate on other things…like trying to swim! So I took a few strokes and was actually able to breathe properly without gulping in air as I had done in my previous open water swims. As unbelievable as it may sound, (dare I say) I was actually getting pretty comfortable in the ocean! The coach then told me to try to take 12 strokes – so I did. Easy peasy. Then, 14 strokes. Piece of cake. Then, 16 strokes. Even better, how about 22 strokes! I then went from 22 strokes to 28, then from 28 to 33, then 33 to 38 strokes. After about 3 sets of 38 strokes, I had made it to one end – and boy, was I exhausted! Now I just had to swim back...but that wasn't too bad. Even though I was exhausted, I was still able to stay calm and with the help of my coach, make it back to the other end without too many issues. Although the “forces” no longer against me, there was a new issue – swimming efficiently. I definitely have a lot of work to do when it comes to swimming efficiently – but I'll worry about that later...the fact that I swam in the ocean, could breath properly, didn't have a bloated stomach that made me want to burp with every stroke, and was able to keep both contacts in my eyes -- I would say that this swim attempt was a success!
It was a good day =)
--------------------------------------------------------
Danette's Open Water Swim tally:
* Swim attempt #1 = failed...miserably...
* Swim attempt #2 = getting there...
* Swim attempt #3 = success...finally! =) Woohoo!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
What do you mean there's jellyfish in the water??!?!
When you see this sign -- that means get the hell out of the water or risk being stung by a jelly fish! (or it could also mean, beware of the life size jellyfish -- but in either case, it's not a good sign!)
So I received the following email this afternoon from one of the Team in Training managers:
Honolulu TNT Triathletes!
I was just informed of a situation with the Honolulu Triathlon and would like to make you aware. Honolulu city officials informed us that Box Jelly Fish are currently arriving on shore 24 hours ahead of their normal arrival dates after a full moon. As a result, the jelly fish are due to arrive on May 17, the day of the triathlon. Because safety is the primary concern of the race director, the swim portion only of the triathlon may be rescheduled to Saturday, May 16, if conditions do not change. It will still be an official, time recorded swim. On Sunday, the triathlon would be changed to a duathlon.
Here is the latest information from the Honolulu Triathlon website:
Based on credible information from professional and reliable sources, there is a strong possibility of a large infestation of jellyfish disrupting the swim portion of this event on race day, Sunday May 17th. If the status of the jellyfish does not change we will offer a Duathlon for the following events: Olympic - 5k run, 40k bike, 10k run. Sprint - 3k run, 20k bike. We will also offer the swim portion the day before, Saturday May 16th. This will be FREE to those who register for the Triathlon. This website will be updated to reflect the change. We will closely monitor the situation and provide updates. Click here for more information.
No matter what, there will be a race and TNT will participate. While it may or may not be the race you originally thought you would do, ask any of our honorees and they will tell you that life is full of uncertainties, challenges, and unexpected events. But you persevere and make each challenge your own triumph. If the swim portion of the event changes, yes, you may be disappointed. But think of your honorees and what they may do in the face of any sudden changes or disappointments. I will keep you updated with the most current information, as I receive it.
GO TEAM!
As soon as I read this email, the following thoughts went racing through my head:
- Jellyfish?!?!?! In the water where I'm supposed to swim?!?!?!
- Wait, I may not have to SWIM?!?!? My prayers have been answered!
- I can do a duathlon!
- Wait, is this an April fool's joke?!?!
One could take this to be a blessing in disguise...Jellyfish = no swim...Can you guess what I'll be praying for? :-)
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