Mix It Up In the OW

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Dave and I were originally heading to Pickwick Lake with some good friends for a day of boating and fun, but I have ended up having to work a bit this weekend, so going out of town just wasn't going to happen.

I managed to bring some lake-time into my weekend with a short visit to David Barczak's house in Lakeland. David has kindly offered up his home to all triathletes in the area to practice open water swimming. How generous!!! Several years ago, Jen H. repeatedly told me that I needed to practice in the open water. I thought it was a great idea on paper, but I just didn't have a place to practice! Now I have no excuses.

Caroline was my buddy for the day. Yahoo! Caroline is super, speedy runner chick and a great friend. We both really need to work on our OW swims, and there is nothing better than doing it together! I have said this before, but it is worth repeating in my mind. Good female training partners are a gem. Training to me is not racing. It is not about beating up your buddy or proving how great your training is going. It is about doing YOUR specific workout, and using the assistance of your training partner to motivate and encourage you- and offering that same motivation and encouragement back. Caroline is a great example of how to be that type of training partner.

Our goals for the day: help Caroline get a little more endurance in the OW and help her work on sighting + help Damie pick up the pace a little bit without panic and learn to swim into a slight chop

This is just a small part of the lake. Caroline and I just did 200 yard repeats because the boat traffic was a little high due to the holiday weekend. But, I have heard that there is a one mile loop, so I am going to beg David to let me follow his feet on a lake adventure one day.

Finished!!! What did I learn today?

1. The number one thought I had on my mind for the most of the swim? Snakes. Every couple of strokes I thought about snakes. I didn't want to go near the wall or touch the bottom of the lake in case a snake might be there- although I know they aren't (water moccasins will not be at the bottom of a lake- they float on top, but they can swim and bite underwater- just FYI). My mom asked me the other day why I panic in open water...she said, "are you scared of piranha's or something?" No mom, snakes. And in the ocean? Sharks. Snakes and sharks...always on my mind. I really need to develop some happy thoughts when I swim. How about..."turtles and dolphins?"

2. The chop really gets to me and affects my breathing and increases the chance of panic. It took me a while to learn to swim a little more effectively through the choppy parts of the lake. I will definitely need to keep practicing this.

3. Open water swimming requires a different kind of strength. I can't always just glide along like I can in a pool. I need to keep developing my overall strength.

Man, and now the night is almost over! Where does the precious time go? I hope everyone has the day off tomorrow! Enjoy!

Memphis has had some awful weather this spring, but this morning was as gorgeous as it gets. Last year I did a lot of morning riding, but I have not have not done one single group ride in the morning this year. I was so excited when Tim said he would meet me early to get in a few extra easy miles, and then we jumped in the "small chain ring Peddler Friday ride." It is a very easy ride, which sets me up perfectly for a little harder ride on the weekend. It was such a beautiful, crisp morning. I can always count on Tim to put in a few extra miles in the dark, dark morning. Unfortunately, no picture of Tim...he made fun of me last time I brought my camera for a morning ride. I guess guys don't take pictures of "their day." :)
But Rachel was down for a picture or two! It was so great to chat with her all morning long. We used to meet 2-3 x week to ride in the am and then do some post-ride running drills. She is just such an incredible athlete and nice person- it is such a good friend to see first thing in the morning.



And no morning is complete without ball time in the back yard. I mean, Rooney is so pitiful in the morning while he waits for me in the kitchen to come and play. He really has his "routines." I am starting to notice that all of his routines involve me. How did Dave get an exemption?

Happy Morning- Happy Friday!!!!

Eh. I don't really have a post topic today. I have a lot of random thoughts running through my head. To fix that problem, I just poured a glass of wine.

My swim...
I honestly love to swim. I think it is fun, and I feel a huge sense of accomplishment when I swim. As an adult that had to learn to swim more than 25 yards straight without stopping, it feels great to be able to swim 1 mile...2 miles...etc. I don't take it for granted.

Exit at MIM swim

I am not a strong swimmer. Like most other sports, I can swim at an even pace for a long time. Hello slow twitch fibers! I have never been known for strength or speed, even in soccer. So, I just have not developed a lot of speed in my past few years of swimming. But...it is getting better. It is just a slow, slow process.

From time to time I still have mild panic attacks in the water. Like Sunday at MIM, when I back stroked, tarzan stroked, breast stroked, tread water, etc. My inner voice sounded something like this for the first half mile: "I am withdrawing from my Ironman. I don't want to die. When I finish this swim, I am never racing again. I don't ever want to do another triathlon. This just isn't worth it." I promise you, I said all of those things. That is where I was on Sunday. It doesn't matter that I attend master's class religiously, or that I have had my stroke analyzed by 2 Olympic swimmers (why say I look good, BTW), or that I have been doing triathlons now for 5 years...I still have some tough times in the water.

I have another opportunity to practice open water racing next weekend at a half iron distance race. I am stating my goal right now: I will swim freestyle the entire way with no panic on my back. I'll let you know how it goes.

Here is a good picture of me riding in my flat at Memphis in May last weekend. If you click on the pic, you can probably see the rear flat. I am standing up on my bike, thanks to Jen Harrison, I think. As I was riding in, I remembered (or at least I thought I remembered) that Jen caught a flat several years ago towards the end of a race. I seemed to recall that she stood up to ride in to get the weight off of her rear rim. This actually makes a ton of sense to me as a former equestrian. You always displace your weight to the front of the horse for jumping, racing, well...so many things...but the point is, you get your weight off of their haunches by sitting forward. Once I remembered this, I stood up on my bike for the rest of the ride.

We really do learn things from people by reading blogs!

And, I can't believe I am smiling in the bike picture. Attitude truly is a choice.

Memphis In May Triathlon

I will try to type a short RR in pictures (although I am not known for short race reports).

I had the privilege of hosting pro triathlete Angi Axmann this weekend. I first introduced her to Memphis by stopping on the corner of Lamar and Airways to exchange some bike stuff with Dave. Holla!!!! Welcome to the HOOD!!!! You Memphians KNOW that Orange Mound is not the best place for two little white girls to hang out with their bikes :)

Angi and I went to pick up our packets in Tunica. While she attended the pro meeting, I bought some new K-Swiss Kwicky Blade Light shoes. LOVE THEM! We then went for a little pre-race tune up bike/run. Despite what has felt like and awful week for me, I felt good with our little pre-race jaunt. Maybe it was the great company- Angi definitely had me looking forward to the race.
We ate some dinner at April and Bill Bizot's home that evening (yum yum!!! :))) We enjoyed time with Amy Kloner and BF Danny+ Andrew Starykowicz.

Race morning rolled around- my start 7:30ish...Angi's....11:30ish. What a trooper- she brought a little blanky and pillow in the car to catch some more sleep...after she helped me get set up in transition and took care of me. I loved having my own private pro take care of me :)

When I was done, it was her turn to race!!!! I think Billy was a little too fascinated with Angi's legs because he managed to give her several different race numbers. :) Hee hee!!!!

Angi had a solid day on the MIM course (despite a 1 minute stand-down penalty for not dismounting at the right place, even though she dismounted where the volunteer told her to dismount....). These pro women and wickedly awesome. They are so strong and fast. It was really, really fun to watch them. I mean, they are on a whole other level!

My teammates and I did pretty well ourselves.

• I had my usual "panic, backstroke, I will never race again" swim- at least for the first half mile. Oh, and it was lightening and pouring rain while we were swimming. Oh so safe.

• The rain continued on the bike, with hail and more lightening. I just destroyed the bike course to the best of my ability and let the elements take care of those who weren't ready to face the challenge. Until I flatted at mile 20. Well, you have to have your first race flat sometime. After talking to a few guys, we decided I may be able to ride it in easy since I was on a tubular (after all, I did not want to DNF in the pouring rain). Every girl I passed just passed me right back, but honestly, I was still a happy little racer. As long as I did not have to DNF and call it a day, I was happy. By sitting up, slowing down, and taking some extra caution, I made it to T2. (tire is busted, but hopefully the wheel is okay). Oh, and the irony of it all- the last part of the course was the TAILWIND and I didn't get to enjoy it!! Agghhh!!!!! I love irony! :)
  

• Run: the course was 6.7-6.8 miles....not 6.2- I didn't know the difference, though, because I didn't have a garmin. I did the whole "start very slowly mile 1-2, pick it up 3-4, give whatever is left 5-6." I will never know what my run pace was, but it appears I may have run in the 43s for a 10k, which would be a really good day for me. As always- the joy of running for me is running pain free. I still have a lot of work to do, but my running is getting healthier and healthier by the month.
  

Angi finally had to leave. Boooo!!!! We had a blast. Let me tell you- life as a pro does not seem to always be easy. The travel can be tough!!!! Angi was such a trooper through all of it, though, and honestly- if she is coming to your town for a race, you should definitely invite her to your home to stay. She is so easy going and awesome!!!!! I could not have asked for a better weekend or a better race buddy.

Thank you for coming to visit! Come back!!!!!!!

I just wanted to send a shout out to my awesome husband who led his men's league in goals this year. This is really fun for him as he has spent his whole life as a stopper/sweeper on the defensive end of the field, but as an adult he has had the opportunity to use his speed, skill, and wicked shooting ability in a more offensive position. I mean, let's face it-we aren't getting any younger, and the years and opportunities are moving on with time.

While it is never the goal as soccer player to elevate yourself over others in such an individualistic way (after all, it is a team sport- what is best for the team always trumps individual desires), it is a lot of fun to have a moment of accomplishment. Dave has had a ton of ups and downs with injuries as well, and he also has had some melancholy (as have I) playing in Memphis. We very much miss our New Orleans teams. So, congrats, Dave, on a nice season.

Goals Leaders:

Position	Name	Team	Goals
1	ROBERTS, DAVID	Usfc	8
2	SIHVONEN, MATT	Bandits Fc	7
3	MUSASHE, ANDREW	Strangers	6
4	KHULSAN, SAKHIY	Usfc	5
4	VOGEL, MICHAEL	Memphis United Fc	5

AHEM...AHEM

But, and I just had to throw this out to Dave tonight. There was this one season...back in 2003-2004...prior to my knee injury where I actually accumulated more points in co-ed than Dave. I'm just sayin'....

Now, Dave said he "must not have played much that season." That sounds like a lame excuse to me, and I am going to file this one away for our kids to see one day :)

1	Leigh Johnson MANY LIXX	32	16	79
2	Chad Parker REN	24	20	68
3	Brian Landry BALLISTIC	24	6	54
4	Damie Turpin MANY LIXX	20	9	49
5	Jarred Larrouse LAGUNA	18	12	48
6	Matt Parker REN	17	12	46
7	Dave Roberts MANY LIXX	14	12	40
8	Louie Smothermon BALLISTIC	16	7	3

Usually I am an open book about my training. I don't post a lot of it on my blog or on facebook, because honestly I don't think anyone cares that I did xx miles or xx pace for a workout. But, if anyone were to ask me what I have been doing, I would be happy to share my workout- results- etc. There really are no secrets. I am just an amateur age grouper that loves this sport and wants to set goals and achieve them. I work hard. I work consistently. I trust the plan and follow the plan.

My easy days are easy- my hard days are hard. I try to do a good job of putting on blinders and refrain from comparing my workouts or progress with other athletes. When I get in over my head with a group, I do not feel shame in dropping back or out to do my own thing. I train to reach my goals, not to impress my fellow triathlete. I also believe that training for a sprint is very different than training for an ironman, so I don't freak out when my friends are training a little faster than I can handle right now.

But lately, I am just starting to feel like maybe I shouldn't be so open with everyone about my training. Why? Because triathletes can be the biggest bunch of critics!!!! If I have one more non-ironman distance triathlete try to tell me that I am not training correctly I might puke. In the past 2 weeks, I have heard more criticism about the hard work I am putting in to my training than I have ever cared to hear. Since when did everyone become a coach? And for those critics that are coaches- you aren't coaching me for a reason. And I want to pull my hair out when sprint/oly distance athletes start preaching to me about how they think I am training "too much" for my race. AHHHH!!!! I am doing and Ironman!!! There is a lot of distance involved. HELLLOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! I am a little touchy and defensive these days as I have just heard so much crap from people. Non-researched, non-practiced based crap.

And for the record, training is going well. I feel great. I am building my endurance and my ability to cover the distance I am going to need to cover in my races. My musculoskeletal system is showing good signs of strengthening, and I am recovering well. Most importantly, I am enjoying it!!! So, feel free to ask what I did today, yesterday or tomorrow for workouts. Just remember that your training needs to represent your goals and mine needs to represent mine. Don't be so quick to judge my training.

Next up is Memphis In May next weekend. I am going to do the Olympic distance only this year. I have put in a lot of miles the past two weeks, so I am not expecting to feel fresh, but I am hoping to get some good work in and have a fun weekend. I am mostly looking forward to hosting pro triathlete Angi Axmann- I have a feeling it is going to be a good time :) We have already started our freak out about snakes in the lake. :)

A Cyclist's Nightmare

I was finally hit by a car on my bike. Every cyclists' nightmare, right? This actually happened a few weeks ago, but I am just now feeling like posting about it.

I was hit from behind- and I can only imagine it feels a bit like what a shark attack might feel like. One minute you are just moving along, and then the next minute something hits you that really hurts and you just didn't see it coming.

So, I obviously have all of my vital organs working as I am typing away on the computer. On the whole, everything is fine. I obviously had some injuries...but organs and all of the main life structures are okay. I think I lost another one of my 9 lives, which leaves me now with only 5.

The crazy thing is- the road was WIDE OPEN. No hills...no curves...no other cars or obstacles. The guy just "didn't see me" and then said "he thought he hit a mailbox." It was also a hit and run. So, he struck me from behind...and then left me in the middle of the road screaming for him to stop and help. I can only be thankful that I was had not suffered any immediate, life threatening injuries because I would have been a goner. And wouldn't you know, the guy just got a ticket, even though a hit and run is a criminal offense. I guess he needed to actually kill me to get booked.

I shed a lot of tears for a couple of days after the accident. Not only did it really hurt, but it was really scary. Of course I have a Road ID coming to me in the mail, and it is painfully obvious that I need to get life insurance if I plan on continuing to do this sport because motorists do not care if I make it home to my husband and family.

I guess I could try to "be more careful," but since I was not the one that hit somebody, I guess all I can do is keep riding and trying to stay as alert as possible. And if that doesn't work, I am going to start mountain biking.

This sport is good.
One of my favorite things about triathlon is the camaraderie and friendship. I recently met a new friend, Morgan, at a small race in Missouri. I absolutely love getting out of town, racing different terrain, and meeting new people. We met in transition- became instant friends-hung out after the race. That is how life should be all of the time.

Morgan grabbed 1st and I grabbed 2nd for the day. The race had the coolest chain ring trophy for the fastest female bike split, so I was completely stoked when they called my name as the winner. When splits were posted the next day, Morgan and I realized that she had beaten me on the bike by 13 seconds and was the actual "bike preme" winner. We had a good laugh, and I am going to box up that cool trophy and ship it her way. Good times, good times.

So, good race. I still can't swim, but I still love to swim so that is positive. As usual, my Achilles heel in the race as far as "racing" goes.

No bike computer- went completely by feel, which I LOVE. Hard is hard and too hard is too hard- don't need anything to tell me what that feels like. I am not riding hard at all in training, so I am never really sure what I will be able to do in a race, but everything is feeling good.

The run had some typical "Damie" characteristics...like squatting down and peeing in front of a church because I couldn't hold it anymore. Otherwise, I visualized Emma Moffatt and Emma Snowsill while running and just tried to get it done like an ITU girl. I thought it was a good effort for having logged 0000 days of speedwork since January.

Next post I will tell my big story of the past weekend, and why I am ordering a Road ID right this second. Oh, and life insurance. I am going to make sure I take care of that tomorrow as well.

:)