Race Report: Traverse Lite

Sometimes I forget that I just pretend to be a mountain biker.

Ok, that's not really true. I've been mountain biking for about 4 years now, but it still scares me sometimes. I love climbing and could do that all day, but when it comes to descending I get very timid.

So the reason I signed up for the Traverse Lite mountain bike race was because I heard it had a lot of climbing, which it did, but it also ended with a long, rocky, descent.

The race started at Black Star Canyon, went up to Pike's Peak, then onto Main Divide, then down Motorway. I am happy to say I finished. And the best part was Skyler and Desmond greeting me at the finish line.

Race Report: OC Chili Trail Run Series 2012

Last year's OC Chili series was a little bittersweet for me. I learned that I loved trail running, but I had to abandon my third place overall finish for the health of my baby. I found out I was pregnant just two weeks before the third race (of the three race series) and couldn't allow a high heart rate during the race. I finished with 4th place and a few tears.

This year I was just excited to be back racing again. The first race of this series was my first official race of any kind post-baby. The races took place in February, March, and April. I didn't expect to be super fast right off the bat, but of course I wanted to do well. I finished the first race with a smile on my face. I was back!

1st race - 42:34

2nd race - 41:23

3rd race - 37:00 (this was a road race)

Results here

My times from last year were 42, 40, and 44. I ended up with a 5th place overall finish (out of 53 women who raced the whole series). I was pretty happy with that. Carrie was my nemesis and I fought to keep up with her. But she is too fast running up those hills and pushed me to run faster. I'm proud of her 3rd place overall finish!

I'm still addicted to trail running, but I don't get to do it as much as I would like. Unfortunately Desmond's stroller isn't so easy to push up and down dirt hills. But that doesn't stop me from racing trail runs. I'm just the person who doesn't train. Ha!

Race Report: Xterra Renegade Off-Road Triathlon 2012

I bet you'd never guess that I was itching to race after having Desmond. Being able to train without a huge belly hanging off me was glorious and I was ready to test my abilities. 

My first triathlon post-baby was March 31, 2012. It was the Xterra off-road triathlon in San Dimas. I had raced this one two years prior, so I had a benchmark. I know it was just four months since Desmond arrived, but to someone as competitive as me, I was ready to be normal again. And of course it didn't help that Carrie was racing too. We may be friends, but we both like to go fast too.

The swim felt wonderful. It wasn't as short as it was the first year and was probably close to the advertised distance (1/2 mile). I swam a 15:49 (2010 - 9:48, you can see a huge difference). As I came out of the water, I spotted Carrie running behind me. She is a strong cyclist, so I knew I needed to keep in front of her or I was done. T1 2:23, my dang wetsuit just doesn't like coming off (that was it's last race).

I had pre-rode the course on two separate occasions, so I knew it pretty well. If you can pre-ride the course, it is definitely worth it. I knew where to anticipate hills and gear changes. The bike course is two loops (15 miles total). I rode a 48:40 and 49:17 for 1:37:57 total (2010 - 49:02, 47:55, 1:36:57 total). Oh and did I mention it was raining? Cold and rainy are my favorite race conditions! T2 1:18, not bad!

I ditched my bike and hurried out on the run. Carrie is a super strong trail runner and she had already beat me in several trail run races, so I knew I was at a disadvantage. I pushed hard on the run (about 3.5 miles), despite the many hills and finished in 34:12 (2010 - 33:11). I was just racing to keep ahead of Carrie. If she wouldn't have been there, I might not have ran so fast. Total race time: 2:31:41 (2010-2:23:02). Results here. 

I was so happy with my time, but even more happy to have Skyler and Desmond cheering me on.

Carrie and I got 2nd and 3rd in our age groups. Team Sparkle mamas rock!

This is just the start of my races for this year. I have a few more to catch up on. Oh and did I mention I'm doing a little race called Ironman. Yup! November 18 is the big day. Actually, it's exactly four months from today. Yeah!

Cutest Ewww Face

Desmond is a real person! He's starting to pick his likes and dislikes. On the yes list: sweet potato, avocado (loves them!), apples, bananas, zucchini, green beans, peas. No: squash, carrots (by themselves), and cottage cheese (as seen above). Desmond is getting more fun and cute every day. I love his little personality!

Fast Mamas

They aren't jogging strollers. We run with running strollers.

Happy Birthday to my Honey

Life wouldn't be worth living without my sweetie. Today is his birthday and he has to work a long day, as well as all weekend. But I am so thankful that I have such a wonderful husband who works hard so I can stay at home with our little baby boy. Happy birthday Skyler!

(Yay for bad bike shorts tan lines and a hairy chest)

The Nursey

My favorite room in our house is Desmond's room. Everything about it is perfect! Skyler and I started planning his room when we found out we were having a baby. Desmond waited until just hours after we finished to make his arrival. I'm serious. A few hours before my water broke Skyler returned from a quick trip down to San Diego to pick up the last piece of furniture.

Ceiling fan: Home Depot. Dresser: Ikea. Bookshelves: built by Skyler. Print: Surfrider Foundation campaign.

Crib: Target. Paint: Behr (painted by me and Sky).

Rocking chair: West Elm. Drapes: fabric from Ikea, sewn by me and my mom. Molding: applied by Sky.

Vision Quest 2012

7 hours 33 minutes 39 seconds. That's the amount of the time it took Skyler to ride 56 miles with 11,000 feet of elevation on his mountain bike. Quite amazing!

This was Desmond's first mountain bike race. We woke up early to meet up with Skyler a little over two hours into the race. It was cold and early, but Desmond was excited to see his dad fly by on his bike. We handed off full water bottles and took his bike light.

We didn't miss him crossing the finish line this time (that happened last year). So proud of another great race!

4/7/12

Happy 4th of July 2012!

Every 4th of July our church hosts a local 5k. We raced it three years ago and we both did well. Last year we raced again. I was four months pregnant (and looked like this) so I took it easy and Skyler had a mid-race pitstop when Pumpkin decided she had to poop now.

 It's been seven months since Desmond was born and I was ready to race normal again, no excuses allowed. I had a great race day and my hard work paid off. I finished with a time of 20:05, 2nd woman overall, and 1st in my age group. Skyler finished in 19:05, 4th overall, and 1st in his age group too.

Pumpkin was first place dog. She ran with Skyler, no mishaps this time.

I've been working hard at my training lately. I read that some women become faster runners after they have babies. I wanted this to be true and I think it's coming to pass. But I do have to mention that I'm training a bit different this year. I've started incorporating strength training into my routine. Hit the Mark Fitness has helped me improve my training and racing.

Hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday! I feel so fortunate to live in a country with so many freedoms.

I've been so bad at keeping up with my blogging lately, so it's a huge surprise for me to blog something that happened today. I'm still working on blogging about my other races and events from this year. I'll get there eventually.