#nyc tri

[heidiexplores]

[heidiexplores]

Time

[heidiexplores]

Synchro in the Hudson River

[shapinup]

Triathlon Packing List: All the Essentials Needed on Race Day

You’ve been training for months and the big event is almost here: RACE DAY! If you’re racing in the New Jersey State Triathlon, it’s this Saturday & Sunday and the NYC Tri (my next race) is August 3rd, right around the corner.

A tricky thing about triathlons is all the gear; use this handy list when prepping your race bag. I suggest setting out all of your racing gear at least a week before the race to ensure you’ve got everything and still have time to shop if something is broken or missing. 

Below is my list of race-day must haves. Some things are obvious but for new racers, some items may sound a little foreign. Read on below for more information.

Swim Gear: You’ll want your regular goggles and a spare set just incase the first pair breaks. Anti-fog solution will keep your view clear and PAM is my secret weapon for easily slipping into my wetsuit, plus you can take the rest home for your future dinner! But really, it might look funny on race morning but spraying myself with PAM is one of my race rituals. 

Bike Gear: While you hope it won’t happen, be prepared for a flat tire. Many bike shops sell flat tire kits that include the Co2 cartridges that will make for a quick tube inflation (instead of a hand pump). 

Run Gear: You won’t want to waste time pinning your race number to your tri suit so have it all set up, already pinned to a race belt that you can easily toss on in transition. 

General Items: Here we’ve got basic gear like tri shorts and top (or one piece suit, which I prefer), socks (and an extra pair in case one pair gets wet), a towel (helpful in transition to lay all your gear on), flip flops (for walking around after you’ve left transition pre-race, get a cheap pair you can toss once the race starts), a flashlight (sometimes it’s still dark when you’re setting up your gear on race morning), toilet paper (in case the porter potty situation is less than ideal…which is likely), lots of water and fuel (I like Chomps and Gu), Vaseline (for chaffing) and a really big duffel to carry all of this stuff! 

Now that we’ve run through this list you can see why it’s key to prep your items well before race weekend. Print this list and bring it with you when you go shopping. 

The cost of all of these items adds up quickly and the price of your first triathlon is high, but keep in mind that most of these items can take you through multiple race seasons. Hopefully you’ll love your tri experience and will be signed up for another race shortly after that first medal is put around your neck.

[oh-eff]

Jewelscent Party & Funddrive!

Like candles and soap? How about ones with a hidden ring inside?

Then stop by our Jewelscent Party and Funddrive! My sister and I are hosting an online party to help raise funds for the Race to Stop MS NYC Triathlon Team. Our mom was diagnosed with MS a few years ago, and I will being participating in the NYC Tri with the MS Society in honor of her. 15% of purchases will go directly to the MS Society, and we'll have prizes and giveaways for those who donate directly!

It's all online and you just have to log onto facebook for the event! If you can't log on during the designated time, just let us know and we'll still include you in the raffles and whatnot (but only because you're awesome). Invite any friends and Alpha Xi sisters you'd like! The more the merrier! 

https://www.facebook.com/events/682018765183725/

[shapinup]

Take on the NYC Triathlon!

You've heard me rave about this race and if you're interested in giving it a try, TODAY is the last day to enter your name into the lottery! I put my name in and am hoping to get the chance to compete for the 5th time. This was the first triathlon I ever did and I immediately fell in love with the sport. I'm hoping to do this one, plus a couple of others this summer.

If you're on the fence & have any questions about the race, shoot me an email at [email protected]. And if you do sign up, let me know, I'm always looking for new training buddies!

SIGN UP HERE

[shapinup]

2013 NYC Triathlon: Race Recap

Alright, I'm ready to fill you all in on the details of Sunday's race!

But first, let's start with Saturday-the day before the race everyone racks their bikes at the transition zone and leaves them overnight.

Then I headed home, ate my pasta and went to sleep so I could wake up at 3:30am! By 4:20am I was headed out the door so I could head to the transition zone to get my gear ready.

Once all my gear was ready I had a mile and a half walk up to the swim start.

At the start I had about 30 minutes to calm my nerves, get my wet suit on, and of course braid all my teammates hair.

(and take some pics)

At 6:30am my group was jumping into the Hudson!

For the first time EVER in the NYC Tri I enjoyed the swim portion. I was actually prepared from all my practices/coaching that I was able to get comfortable in the water, keep a calm stroke and get through the mile swim without panicking or getting out of breath. I thought my time would be way faster than in past years...but nope, it was about the same (20:29) but the difference was I felt great and ready to take on the next portion of the race.

Here is a picture of me mid-swim, but seriously, where is everyone else?? The race starts 15 athletes every 20 seconds so it doesn't get too chaotic but it seems odd that I'm really off on my own in this picture.

After emerging from the Hudson I ran about half a mile in my wetsuit to my transition zone, quickly took of my suit, put on all my cycling gear and I was off. My transition was done in 6:04 and then it was off for a 26 mile bike ride.

The ride starts with a somewhat steep hill and then continues to be hilly throughout the entire ride. I felt good on the bike but at times felt like I wasn't pushing hard enough. It's easy for me to get caught in a calm slow ride on the bike so I tried to pick out people ahead of me and pass them to quicken my pace. My ride was done in 1:29:45, my fastest yet by about 6 minutes, a huge win in my book.

And then it was time for the final leg of the race, the RUN. The run was super hot and tiring but at that point you're so close to the end you know you have to push hard and get through it. After coming off the bike it always feels like I'm moving in slow motion and estimated my pace to be around 9 minutes (clearly I am bad at guessing my pace) because I later found out my first 3 miles averaged a 7:42 mile. I ended up running next to another girl and we realized we had the same pace and sort of worked together (mostly silently) to keep each other going. We stayed together for about 3-4 miles then separated somewhere around mile 4. I don't know who she was, but I thank her for keeping my pace strong!

Throughout the run there were TNT coaches giving tips and it was AMAZING to have them there. Mostly they told me I was going to slow and I had more in me and maybe that's what got my pace going to quickly but whatever it was, I felt like I was crawling; my legs felt like they weighed 1,000 pounds each. Because it was so hot I kept throwing water on my head, which eventually dripped down into my shoes causing a sloshy/blistery mess. Note to self: drink the water and keep it out of your shoes.

I was in pain, but I was able to keep a strong pace and overall ran an 8:03 per mile. I felt great when I finished but also couldn't wait to down gallons of water (let me emphasize it again: it was SO HOT OUT).

So overall my race time was 2:47:58, approximately 7 minutes faster than last year (which had been my best race). I am SO happy with my time and feel like I properly trained for the race and really pushed it on race day.

A big shout out to my teammates, my coaches and all my friends & family who came out to cheer me on. I couldn't have done it without all of you!

[shapinup]

Things I Didn't Do on Vacation

Aside from all the fun things I did on vacay, one thing I didn't REALLY do was train for my triathlon- and it's soon (15 days to be exact)! I worked out and everything, but I didn't put in any mileage on the bike (due to the rain) and didn't go on any intense runs. Sure, I played tennis and hit the gym, but it's not the same. So this weekend calls for WORKOUTS. Pending weather, I plan to do a 20ish mile bike ride followed by a 6 mile run plus a conditioning class of some sort.

And when I'm not doing that, you can find me packing up my apartment and moving 4 blocks north. Hopefully you have a more fun weekend ahead than I do!