More IronGirl Photos

I am already thinking about next summer...

IronGirl 2009

Transition at dawn. I figured out how to pump up my tires in the dark...although I could have waited and done this last.
Lusy, our very relaxed dog, enjoyed IronGirl.

Damon Foreman and Chuck play at the IG post-race party. Damon taught our oldest son how to play guitar and Chuck taught our youngest son.


Bike transition. I have yet to find a pair of shorts that work with my thighs....sigh...I guess I'll just have to upgrade my wardrobe!!


I was so happy I started crying at the finish. Thanks, Tim, for sharing my special day.

Swim = 0.62 miles at 26:19
Bike = 17.5 miles at 1:13:10
Run = 3.4 miles at 36:14

I wanted to do this race for two years, but after the big day I felt speechless. Everything was wonderful. It's a local race and there is a lot of community support leading up to the event, which draws a lot of first-time triathletes. For me, it was my third triathlon, but it was my longest and largest event on a more challenging course. The local triathlon club had an IronGirls program which had an introductory meeting and then workshops throughout the summer. I enjoyed these because I was able to pick up some new tips each time, and it's nice to learn from people, instead of Internet bulletin boards. I especially enjoyed the workshop on transitions, which turned into "transitions and everything you wanted to know about IronGirl." The open water swim at Sandy Point Park was my first and got me thinking about the 1 mile Bay Swim, which is held nearby. I also gleaned a few tips from the Bike 101 workshop, but many other things I already learned on my own intuitively or through trial and error.

The Columbia Triathlon Association and the Howard County Parks host a pre-event bike/swim and it's the one day of the year that they let people swim in the lake. I took the day off and did the entire course. During the swim, I got a water up my nose feeling and a sore neck, which probably came from that panicky feeling of not being able to see where you're going. I made it a point to relax my breathing as much as I could during the race.

I didn't follow a training plan, as I'm somewhat compulsive and sometimes become too involved with a plan. I went to work early and tried to get home early and tried to fit in as many workouts as I could, weather permitting, and I also knew where I wanted to be in terms of mileage. I tried to bike the IronGirl course as much as possible.

The biggest challenge, and one of the hardest things I've done, was making the switch to clipless pedals. Shortly after the Howard Life 75K bike ride, I took my bike and my shoes into my local bike shop and had Shimano SLP pedals put on. I knew I would fall and the first fall I expected. But then I toppled over twice in a week. To top it off, my swim coach's workouts were killing me, as I came back to the team after a layoff of several months. I felt battered, bruised, and disouraged. My co-workers looked at my knees and wondered why I needed clipless pedals. My family watched me fall and thought the pedals were dangerous. In reality, falls with clipless pedals can't always be avoided because the unexpected may happen, and it's not alway possible to unclip in time to prevent a fall. And during each of my falls, that's what happened. But my confidence took a tumble and got weirded out. I felt anxious with my feet clipped in and worried about being able to unclip.

It helped to talk about it with other people. Of course, everyone thinks that their brand of clipless pedal is the absolute easiest to get out of. One person suggested that I ride around Gateway drive and practice clipping in and out whenever I came to a driveway. This was a great suggestion and helped a lot. I'd circle around the loop in an industrial park until I rode 20 miles, and for most of those mile, I'd clip in and out every time I came to a driveway, practicing different ways to clip out. A co-worker who'd done several centuries, told me that she didn't clip in when riding through traffic. Instead, she'd wait until the came to a less congested area and then clip in. This helped me to think about clipless pedals as a tool that I could use as needed, and I didn't feel obliged to clip in at all times, especially when riding on busy streets or sometimes when going up steep hills. After a while, I saw the value in the pedals, especially on the hills. I love passing people on the hills, especially people with expensive bikes and an expensive cleat and shoe setup.

Race Day

The most intimidating thing about the race was the sheer size.

Surfing Folly Beach 2009

This year, we did our beach week at Folly Beach, near Charleston, South Carolina. We've been to beaches all along the east coast, and so far, we think Folly Beach is the best. This is a great little laid back surfing town. Unlike other beaches, all types of beach recreation is allowed, all day long--skimboarding, tossing a football in or out of the water, surfing, body boarding, bocce ball, making sand castles, beach volleyball.

View from the 9th floor of the hotel. Dogs were allowed at the hotel! We saw a lot of families and dogs there. And there was a Lost Dog Cafe where dogs are allowed to eat with their owners outside and water dishes for dogs are at the entrance. The locals say that if a dog is lost, it will tun up at the Lost Dog Cafe because they feed the stray dogs.

We at a lot of good food, including this meal at a restaurant and the end of the fishing pier. I enjoyed the southern cooking and any time I saw fried green tomatoes on the menu, I ordered it, thinking of the movie Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.

My son's goal this summer was to learn how to surf. We got him an (almost) new surf board at Ocean Surf.

Going out to meet the waves.

Getting up....

Tim didn't think Jesse would get up...but he got up on the second or third try! Getting up on a surfboard involves doing a push up.

Waiting for a wave on a calm day...

Riding the wave!

Falling off the board at the end of a wave! Jesse also discovered how to bend down, grab the board, and jump off for a gentler landing.

A favorite skimboarding photo...

My son got himself a new, professional model skimboard. He says it makes a big difference.

Waxing his surfboard in the surf. The wax is waterproof and he carries it in his pocket.

We gave our sunburned skin a brief break and went on a speedboat tour.

Morris Island lighthouse. The lighthouse used to be on land, but the land wasn't protected with any kind of barrier, and eventually it eroded and now the lighthouse is in the sea. It's being restored. I rode my bike on Ashley drive up and down the island (about 5 miles). On one of these rides, I discovered that you can see the lightouse from one end of the island (the map on the web link shows the proximity of the light house from E. Ashley Avenue).

The Cooper River Bridge, which connects Charleston to Mount Pleasant. The bridge was designed to withstand hurricanes and a magnitude 7 earthquake, as there are fault lines around South Carolina. The lights on the cables are also dimmed during sea turtle nesting season.

Charleston harbor...

Manassas Mini Tri 2009

Last year, my husband came along to watch me do this race which was my first tri ever, and this year he came to participate in his first tri ever.

I got him some off-brand tri shorts online at a big discount from REI and suggested that he could just pull on a running shirt for the bike and run. He got himself a bike helmet and I found one of my race belts.

I had breakfast of one packet of oatmeal and a smoothie and a few sips of coffee, loaded the bikes on the car, and rounded up my gear and we were off. There was an early morning fog that settled over everything and it was cooler than expected at about 60 degrees. It was only after the race was over that the sun came out and the day warmed up.

There were a lot more people doing this race than last year, including a lot of kids, many of whom were seeded first in the swim.

Swim
250 yards snake swim in a pool
I looked at my time for last year and seeded myself generously at 7 minutes. I haven't been swimming since February and only recently rejoined the swim team. The coach's workouts, designed to prepare team members for an upcoming ironman and the Bay swim, have been killing me and I've been barely able to keep up which is discouraging. Here in the pool, however, seeding myself generously had a tremendous psychological advantage: I began speeding up and passing people one after another. I came in at 5:02, a few seconds faster than last year. I was pleased, especially with my lack of swimming compared to last spring.


Bike
4 miles
I came in at 18:13...several minutes faster than last year and I was really happy to see this. I recently added clipless pedals to my bike and I've been building my confidence and rebuilding my mileage with the new pedals. I was gratified to pass a few folks.


Run
1.5 miles
Hubby didn't like the course, and I could see why. The entire race occurs on roads, paths, and sidewalks outside the George Mason University Freedom Aquatic Center. I felt like a rat in a maze on the running route, going around the building, turning this way and that, backtracking, and finally heading to the finish line. I followed the runner ahead of me, then passed her. But at the end of the race, she came up from behind and charged toward the finish line along with a few other folks. I held back when I saw a little girl join her mom for the finish. I came in at 14:03--about two minutes slower than last year.

My overall time was 37:17, a few minutes faster than last year, which made me pleased. I came in 4th in my age group out of 15.

Immediately afterwards, I asked him if he liked it. He said, "NO!"

In the car an hour later, he asked me about the various distances for triathlon.

The next day when the results were in he said, "Let's do this again next year." He says he's thinking about a sprint.

SUCCESS!!

The Complete Dummies Guide to Changing a Flat Bike Tire

All too often many instructional books or videos omit important information because the author or creator has mastered the skill and done the task countless times and forgets to include the truly obvious things that confound newbies.

This is the way it is for me with changing a bike tire.

I was venturing out into the world today on my first longer ride with clipless pedals when I felt my tire go over something and then felt that ominous bumpy feeling. And once again, looking down, I confirmed my suspicions: My tire was flat.

Unlike that ride last year when I had no cue as to how to remove my rear tire, I am now an advanced newbie! I removed my rear wheel (hint: You should put the bike in the lowest gear and loosen the rear brakes first).

Then I whip out my tire levers, spare bike tire, and CO2 cartridge. I was in a residential neighborhood and a guy mowing his lawn stops by and asks if I'm far from home and if I know what I'm doing. I reply that I'm not far from home and I try to act like I know what I'm doing. I even think I remember what to do from watching YouTube videos.

I remember that one must insert the tire levers into the tire bead. (Hint: First let ALL AIR OUT of the tire. Then, go around the rim and push the bead with your thumbs, making it easier to remove.)

But in the process, I break both tire leavers and get frustrated. I call my husband, but we're not having a good day, so I decide that I'll get my own self home. I prepare myself for a long walk and a slow ride....but then I remember the CO2 cartridge and put it into the tire. This gives me enough air to get halfway home. Then, I proceed to do a slow ride home.

* * *

After watching more YouTube videos and analyzing the situation I realize what went wrong. Most videos and other instructions neglect to show a close up picture of HOW TO INSERT THE TIRE LEVER!!!! Start near a spoke. The curved part of the lever hooks under the tire bead. The little hook at the bottom hooks around the spoke. Did I mention that all air must be out of the tire before you start??!!!

Below are some good YouTube videos on how to fix a flat tire:





Here are step-by-step instructions from eHow.


Glad this occurred on a ride around the neighborhood, rather than a long out-and-back ride. Now, I'm truly ready to venture out into the world. After all that, did I mention that I did fine with clipless pedals? :)

Clipless Pedals

You click your right foot in
and twist it right out
You click your left foot in
and twist it right out
You click booth feet in and turn them all around
That's what it's all about!

Right after the Howard Life TriColumbia 75K ride, I decided the time was right for clipless pedals. One Friday afternoon, I walked into the bike store with my bike and shoes and announced that I was going clipless.

I researched various pedal systems online and took note of what others use. In the end, I chose a Shimano SPD double-sided pedal system because I liked the idea of recessed cleats that I could walk in when I got off the bike. In a sense, I made the choice of pedal systems a while back when I got mountain bike shoes.

The store installed them for free and then mounted my bike on the trainer so I could try them out. Everyone standing nearby in the store had a story about falling off, which really inspired confidence, and they suggested that I practice in a parking lot. The store staff person told me that the hardest part was to know where the cleat was without looking down. It would be easiest to get my foot out of the pedal at the bottom of the cycle, he said, although I could exit at any point. I had a hard time detaching my foot from the cleat, and the staff person loosened the tension. After that it was much easier.

After a few tries in the store, I headed to the parking lot of a nearby elementary school. I clicked both feet in. "This is great!" I thought. And then when I couldn't get the second foot out, I fell, coming down hard on the bar of the bike and skinning my elbow.

As I recuperated from the fall, I naturally did some Internet searching on the subject and asked for some helpful tips. Here are my favorites:

* Practice on the trainer. Click in. Click out. Do it 100 times. Or, put your bike in front of the TV and clip in and out while watching TV for the evening. Build that mind-foot connection so that you can clip out when you think of it. Like twisting a doorknob before opening the door. Hint: I find that it helps to press down a bit and then rotate your foot out.

* Practice in a large, flat parking lot. Clip in only one foot at at time and practice alternating your feet. Then practice clipping in and out with both feet. You do not always have to be clipped into the pedals.

Some favorite web sites:
* Mountain Bike Clipless Tips from Cool Biking Zone

* Learn How to Ride Clipless Pedals from Cycling Shoes Online

Some helpful YouTube videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmwHqcFlOI4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqrmhIDulU0

Today, I practiced in the morning on the trainer, and then rode around in a nice big flat parking lot. I tried one foot, then the other. Then both. I didn't fall once. And I'm crossing my fingers.

Postscripts

On the weekdays, I once again alternate running with cycling and each session, I make it a goal to clip in and out 100 times, alternating feet, going fast and slow, and pushing big gears and small. All this while watching Fuel TV which gives me an interesting perspective into the youth counterculture of extreme sports.

On Memorial Day weekend, I drove my bike to an industrial/office area which features a lot of large parking lots. I started out in the parking lot, practicing with my pedals. Then I drove around the 2-mile loop a number of times and then practiced with some stoplights. Another successful ride. I can't wait to go on longer rides again.

A New Kind of Pain at the Pump: Credit Card Fraud

I am by nature a very routine person.

Today, I left for work. As soon as I got in the car, I remembered that I was down to a quarter tank and needed to fill my tank up. So I made the trip over to my favorite gas station at the local village center. I've been going to this gas station for years because it's easy to get into--not like the other gas station closer to my house where you need to squeeze past parked trucks and perform some complicated driving maneuvers to get into an open space at the pump. At my favorite station, I drove right up to the same pump I always go to and then swiped my credit card into the machine.

And that's how I became a victim of credit card fraud.

As I was driving to work, my husband received an automated phone call from the bank saying that my credit card account had been flagged for fraudulent purchases. He sent me an e-mail asking me to go online and check my account, saying that there was a problem with it. When I went online, I had trouble getting into the account to check it, so I wrote down the number and called the bank.

I was asked if I made any Internet purchases that morning, and I said no. I was asked if I'd used the card, and I was prompted to recalled the gas purchase on the way to work. I was told that several small purchases were made on the card to test it, and then Internet purchases were made. The fraud was detected and the card was shut down within an hour of the purchase. I'll receive paperwork to erase the fraudulent purchases, and I hope it will not be too much of a hassle to rectify this.

I couldn't believe that the gas station had stolen my credit card information. I've been going to this gas station for years, and I plan to take this up with the gas station manager tomorrow.

Card Skimming
Out of curiosity, I did a search on Google and found out that what happened to me is part of a growing problem. The majority of credit card fraud occurs at gas stations (61.6%) and drug stores (14.3%), according to a Google summary of a Science Direct pay-per-view article.

At gas stations, thieves can install small skimming devices at the gas pump that are hard to detect which steal credit card and debit card data, According to an article in USA Today. The skimmed credit card data is then used to create duplicate credit cards that are used at the victim's expense. The theives will "test" the card with several small charges, and if the account holder doesn't shut off the card, much larger purchases are made, according to David Loshin's blog. Banks and credit card companies use algorithms to flag cards with suspicious purchases and card activity.

Some police departments are trying to place sticker seals on the pumps that gas station employees check daily...that's if the gas station employees aren't the cause of the problem. Other gas stations now require customers to enter their ZIP code, according to a story in The Boston Globe, because a thief is not likely to know the ZIP code for the card. This may be an especially effective deterrent in suburban locations where there are several ZIP codes in close proximity. I recall being asked to enter my ZIP code at another local gas station, but not this one.