Getting excited about Pleasant Prairie!

My Oly tri is 7 days away! This time next week, I'll be up in Kenosha, at LaQuinta Inn. probably trying to figure out how to get internet access. :p

Today I thought, "I can start packing my tri bag!" Whoo-hoo! The trick is to pack the bag and keep the cats out of it. Start planning, envisioning, seeing joy and success, not fear or failure. Trace the routes with my finger and see myself strong and happy at each point. Imagine how it feels going into the water, coming out, T1, on the ride, T2, heading out to the run, the tough spots when I want to stop, keeping going, sprinting across the finish line! :D

I'm hoping friends &/or family will come to cheer, but it's possible that they won't. There will be so much energy, though, from the athletes and the crowd, that I know that will lift me up and carry me forward.

I'm really looking forward to going up there Sat, hitting the expo, the race talk, testing out the lake, maybe driving the bike course, setting up my bike in transition. Oh, I love that part. What to do that evening? Unlikely TE access. Maybe a movie, read, try to sleep. I'm like a little kid on Christmas eve. I should just call it Triathlon Eve. :D

I'll be doing similar here, for the Danskin. But mostly I'll be nervous and filled with trepidation.

which I'm wallowing in RIGHT NOW, of course. worry wart.

I love your post, and I'll read it again, because it's inspirational to me the newbie.

oohhhhh... I'm so EXCITED for you!! Nothing like a good race to get the ol tri juices flowing.
I got an email about the Subaru (former reebok) womens tri in san diego today. I think they do one in Chicago as well. I'm defintely going to do it this year. They returned to the old course and I LOVE it!!
Man I just love racing!! I just need to get my butt in the pool more often. I think IM training ruined me on swimming!! I DREAD it now!
I also need to get in touch with the swim coach and pony up the big bucks for some swim training. I think that's my problem. I know I'm wasting my time right now because I'm not getting any faster. I need to work on FORM!!
Oh man I digress... Anyway, yeah WHOO HOO!!! I can't wait to hear about it!!
ciao bella!
denise (take out the *I* and I'm just DENSE) :D

Kenosha, WI? I might see if my parents can get a copy of the Post-Crescent if there's an article in there about your tri...

Kitsune, yeah, she is talking Kenosha, WI. the event is by the RecPlex. They did the danskin there last month as well.


Lise, your enthusiasm is contageous. Makes me excited for my race instead of apprehensive. I can't wait to read your race report.

Oh, yeah! Let's be excited! I know about fear and worry--and I'll have enough of it before this tri--but why not revel in the fun and excitement? I suggest you guys write down the things you're worrying about in your training log, or wherever. Then look at it after the race and write some notes about how you coped with this or that. Next year you may fret about some of the same things, and you'll be glad you wrote down your thoughts/solutions. You may also laugh; some of the things I worried about so much were nothing. How I wish I'd found this board *before* I did three triathlons! Again, a nod of gratitude to Susan Octcenas, who pointed me here when I wrote her asking for help with the bra/trisuit dilemma.

As usual, my main concern right now is clothes. Which bra. Which top. I sunburn so easily, so I'd like to be a bit more covered, but what if it's really hot? My best bra for running (Enell) is not good for swimming. My next best bra is black. If it's hot, I don't want to run in a black bra...:rolleyes: I'll probably take a week's worth of clothes up to Kenosha and decide the night before!

On my first tri, I'd read that you needed a towel in transition. I had no idea what for. So I brought a hand towel. Imagine me trying to set up a transition area on a hand towel! :p This year I got myself a transition-specific towel. It's red with sharks on it! Should be easy to find. I always lay out the gear so precisely, and then act like a Jack Russell terrier in T1 & 2, tearing it up, throwing stuff around...like the championship's on the line!

Oh, you know guys, it's all so fun. How great that we get to do this. Enjoy it!

Here's the website to "my" tri: http://pleasantprairietriathlon.com/index.html

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Originally Posted by Lise

On my first tri, I'd read that you needed a towel in transition. I had no idea what for. So I brought a hand towel. Imagine me trying to set up a transition area on a hand towel! :p

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I did the same thing! :) The girl I traveled to the tri with laughed when I showed her my towel, so we had to go to Wal-Mart to get a real sized one. Too funny- glad I'm not the only one.

Yay about your race next weekend! I'm so excited for you!!! You have to take pictures and post them when you get back. Promise?
Don't think about it too much this week- just relax and have fun!!!

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Originally Posted by Running Mommy

I got an email about the Subaru (former reebok) womens tri in san diego today. I think they do one in Chicago as well. I'm defintely going to do it this year. They returned to the old course and I LOVE it!!

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There is one of the Reebok now Subarus in Seattle in about a month, and I thought about doing it after next week's sprint, but I have no idea what their series is like. It sounds like they put on decent events... hmmm.... :) My only other goal is to do a marathon (I've done half, but not full) this year, but that's later in the year (goal is Seattle marathon, November 27th).

Aside: I have this fear of small local events... I enjoy them but I always feel so slow.

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Originally Posted by Running Mommy

denise (take out the *I* and I'm just DENSE) :D

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I laughed out loud on that one. :p

Good luck to everyone for next weekend!!

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Originally Posted by colby

Aside: I have this fear of small local events... I enjoy them but I always feel so slow.

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Are you faster when you're out of town? :p Maybe that will work for me in Kenosha! :rolleyes:

Pictures--I don't know if any friends or family are coming--if they do, I'll hand them the camera. If not, maybe we'll get some of the professional shots....oh please let me look skinnier and less demented than usual! ;)

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Originally Posted by Lise

Are you faster when you're out of town? :p Maybe that will work for me in Kenosha! :rolleyes:

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I don't think so, but I'll take whatever I can get! :D

Lise - reading your posts about this motivates me more in training for my first tri. Your excitement IS contagious!

With the uncertaintly about whether or not we're moving and all the other stuff going on it's been tough to get out there and run and all. Once I know if we'll be here a while longer or if we're moving to BR, I will sign up for my first tri. Then - the real training begins!

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Originally Posted by colby

There is one of the Reebok now Subarus in Seattle in about a month, and I thought about doing it after next week's sprint, but I have no idea what their series is like. It sounds like they put on decent events... hmmm.... :) ...

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Hi Colby,

I've done the Reebok/Subaru event in Naperville IL twice, and both times it's been fun, welcoming, and professionally organized. The other participants are very nice (and I doubt that it's just a midwestern thing :) ). I would recommend it to you, even though I don't know the particulars of the Seattle race.

LynneK

Hi all,

I have a question for Lise and any others of you who are doing Pleassant Prairie next weekend. It's a week before the Accenture Chicago triathlon, so you're probably not doing both (unless you're in WAY better shape than I am!). What made you decide to do Pleasant Prairie instead of Chicago? Size, location, something else?

I decided to do Chicago instead of Pleasant Prairie mostly because it's the closest event to my house, but I am also curious (and a little intimidated) to participate in such a large event.

Lynne

Yeah Colby- The series is VERY well run!! When I did it a few years ago they handed out cold towels at the finish line!! Do you have any idea how good a cold towel felt??!! Ahhhh.... HEAVEN!! :)

Hey, Lynne,

I have done the Lake Zurich Triathlon (LZT) for the past three years. This year it was cancelled for road construction, which is what pushed me to do Pleasant Prairie (PP) instead. Accenture is huge. I love to go down to the expo, and to cheer at the race, but as a participant (which I've never been), it looks uncomfortably huge, to me. Comparison points:

Expo: Accenture has a great one. LZT: nothin'

Swim: Accenture--huge amt of people trying to swim in potential cold water of Monroe harbor. LZT--clean, warm lake, start and end on small sandy beaches.

Numbers: Accenture--largest in the world. LZT--about 1,000 people

Transition area: See above.

Run to transition area: Accenture--long, on cement. LZT--not so long, on sand/grass/cement.

Bike: A--LSD. Fun, yet hot if it's a hot day. LZT--rolling, beautiful country side.

Run: A--cool run around the museums, down LSD and back. LZT--run through the neighborhood and up around Lake Zurich.

Finish line: A--Phenomenal, exciting, emotional, triumphant. LZT--small town America, friendly, individual attention if you need it.

The main things that have kept me from Accenture are the not great swim, long distance to the transition, and the packedness of the transition area. I'd say anticipate a very narrow transition space, and create a way to remember where you are so you can find your stuff in T1 & 2. Just set your mind to deal with the swim and the run up to transition. And then: Have a great time!

A friend had done PP before, and recommended it highly. I might've done it before if it weren't just a week after LZT. Do look into LZT next year. It is such a nice, friendly tri. So far it's only Olympic distance, but they've been talking about adding a sprint.

I just got back from my nephew's 7th bday party. My Mom and sister both say they're coming to cheer for me next weekend! My sister will bring a camera, so we'll get some shots from the end, at least.

I gave my nephew two 3# dumbells and a small exercise ball. He and my niece love to bounce around and play on the ball when they're here, and one day my nephew discovered my free weights. He really got into them! I hoped his folks wouldn't mind--they were surprised and amused. He pulled the first dumbell out of the bag, smiled, looked at me, and said, "I bet this is from you!"

I am so happy that they will know me as their fun, athletic aunt, instead of their depressed, fat aunt with the mean partner. :D They may hear stories of the bad old days, but that's not how they'll think of me.

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Originally Posted by LynneK

Hi all,

I have a question for Lise and any others of you who are doing Pleassant Prairie next weekend. It's a week before the Accenture Chicago triathlon, so you're probably not doing both (unless you're in WAY better shape than I am!). What made you decide to do Pleasant Prairie instead of Chicago? Size, location, something else?

I decided to do Chicago instead of Pleasant Prairie mostly because it's the closest event to my house, but I am also curious (and a little intimidated) to participate in such a large event.

Lynne

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I am doing Accenture as well. It just seems like one of those things you have to do once. I too am a little intimidated. Who am I kidding - I am a lot imtimidated. It is my first Oly, and I only did my first sprint last month.

Good luck to you.

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Originally Posted by Brina

I am doing Accenture as well. It just seems like one of those things you have to do once. I too am a little intimidated. Who am I kidding - I am a lot imtimidated. It is my first Oly, and I only did my first sprint last month.

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I must say, despite my well-reasoned arguements above, I think about doing Accenture every year, just to be a part of something so big and exciting. :D I'm glad for you guys! I will be out of town that weekend, or I'd be down there cheering for you. As I think about next year, Steelhead 1/2 IM is 1st weekend of August, LZT is 2nd weekend, PP 3rd, Accenture 4th... what's a tri girl to do?

Brina, how are you doing with the training?

The forecast for next weekend at PP is highs in the low 80s, partly cloudy. Sounds ideal! (Snoopy dance of joy! I hate trying to run when it's hot, sunny, humid!) :D

Sounds very exciting!

I am sure you will do a great job!

And the weather sounds like it will be perfect.

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Originally Posted by Lise

The forecast for next weekend at PP is highs in the low 80s, partly cloudy. Sounds ideal! (Snoopy dance of joy! I hate trying to run when it's hot, sunny, humid!) :D

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Great weather! Looks like ours will be nearly the same!

My favorites are mid-60s to mid-70s and cloudy to overcast (drizzly/rainy makes me nervous on the bike, but doesn't bug me swimming or running), but we never get that here in the summer ;) I'll definitely settle for upper 70s-low 80s and even partly cloudy. We get a lot of "no clouds in the sky" days and it drives me nuts.

The Ironman they did near here in June (IMCdA) was HOT - mid to upper 90s, sunny, the first really hot weekend of the summer. Amazing people, I would have fallen apart around noon to 2pm when the hottest part of the day started to settle in ;)

Good luck during your taper week! (You are tapering right??)
Don't worry about forgetting anything - the expo has everything you would ever want and more.

Just don't forget to set a few alarms to wake up the morning of...

Good luck at Pleasent Prarie! I live near there and will definitely be cheering you all on!!!!! Also, my HB did it as his first tri last year and loved it! Good luck to you!!!! I'm sure you will do great!!!!

And also thank you for the towel recomendation as I will be doing my first tri on September 9th in Lake Geneva and now I can pretend to look like I know what I'm doing!!!

Roshelle from Milwaukee

Thanks, guys! Taper week starts...tomorrow...:rolleyes: ...cuz I wanted to do a long ride today. Just got back from 30 miles (to me, this is a long ride), riding as fast as I could most of the time. I did stop at 15 miles to stretch and call a friend. Right at 6200 S. on the lakefront path, there's a beautiful old Park District facility that's been lovingly restored. I rode around it today, and discovered an inner courtyard with a dancing waters fountain! So COOL! I saw on the far edge and watched the play of water, beyond which I could gaze through the ivy-covered columns at the lake beyond. It was like being at an Italian villa on the sea. I am so lucky.

As I rode past 4700-6200 south, I remembered being a student at the University of Chicago '78-82. NEVER did I dream I'd be riding past there as a triathlete. Nor that I'd run a 1/2 marathon there (last Oct and this Oct, too). Makes me wonder what amazing and unexpected things I'll be doing when I'm 70. :D

But yes, now I will taper. I don't train that hard anyways :o . Probably a run midweek, play volleyball on Thurs. Definitely ride to work on Wed--the parking's impossible around the clinic. Take the bike in for a tune-up on Friday, and then up to PP on Sat!

As for waking up the morning of...falling asleep the night before is the real problem! I'll set a few alarms any way, but in general I don't sleep well at all from the excitement the whole week before a tri. I'm a goof.

Roshelle--you'll have to let me know what you think of Lake Geneva. You're going to look like such a pro with your right-sized towel and everything! :cool:

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Originally Posted by Lise

And now for the cheering section...

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What, you can't hear me?

Go, Lisa! Go, Lisa!

I hear you, SK, I hear you! And I'll be hearing all of you cheering for me every stroke, pedal, and step of the way! :D L.

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Originally Posted by Lise

On my first tri, I'd read that you needed a towel in transition. I had no idea what for. So I brought a hand towel. Imagine me trying to set up a transition area on a hand towel!

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OK, now I'm really confused. At the practice swim for my tri last Friday, the race director showed how to lay everything out, and he had a normal towel folded into quarters, so it was about the size of a hand towel or even smaller. It looked like everything fit on there. And he said to bring a hand towel to use to dry off with after the swim. He also said there wasn't much room between the bikes, so I can't imagine that a normal bath towel would fit. Will it?

What kind of towel am I supposed to bring??? Aack!!! One more thing to worry about that I thought I had figured out!

Oh, and Lise and KnottedYet, good luck to you this weekend! I'll be thinking of you.

Janice

I'm impressed that everything fit on a folded up towel. I'm sure I could learn to do that, if the space required it. You can count on the space under your bike--the amount of space on either side depends on the number of bikes/rack. I suggest you bring a full-sized towel, and fold it up if you need to. Definitely bring a hand towel to dry off with. It's also good to have a water bottle only for squirting the grass or sand off your feet.

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As for waking up the morning of...falling asleep the night before is the real problem! I'll set a few alarms any way, but in general I don't sleep well at all from the excitement the whole week before a tri. I'm a goof.

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I hear ya on that!

Except, I think I stay awake because I'm so nervous... not excited.

Knowing I have to compete makes me sick to my tummy. But, I compete so I will stay motivated to workout! HA!

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I am so happy that they will know me as their fun, athletic aunt, instead of their depressed, fat aunt with the mean partner. They may hear stories of the bad old days, but that's not how they'll think of me.

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That rocks! Sounds like you are setting a wonderful example for them!

I hope to be the cool Aunt too someday!

Lise,

You are going to do awesome at PP. the weather sounds perfect. My biggest fear is that the weather for Accenture is going to be hot and humid like it was the day of my 10K.

training for me is going well. My long runs are about 7 - 7.5 miles and my tuesday morning interval workouts are really paying off. I am definitely getting faster.

Are you doing the banco popular 1/2 marathon on Oct 1? I have heard good things about that race. I considered it for this year, but instead i am going to do on in November in San Diego. It accomplishes two things - one, I run the half, and two, I get a weekend away from my always wonderful but often trying kidlets.

Thanks, KSH and Brina!

Yeah, the weather looks just about perfect. If it could be steadily 72 degrees from 6AM until noon, well, that would be actually perfect! :p

So glad to hear your training is going well, Brina. I did a 7 mile run last weekend, and it really helps, psychologically. I *am* doing the Banco Popular 1/2 this Oct. 1. Sorry to hear we won't be running it together. It sounds great to do one in San Diego. Have you ever run out there? Do you know what the course is like?

It was so funny last year--I did the 1/2, and then 2 weeks later ran the marathon. The first time I ran 13 miles, I thought I was going to croak. Two weeks later, when I hit the halfway point of the marathon, I was fine! It's so mental. Maybe I'll tell myself I'm really doing a 1/2IM next weekend, and then I'll be pleasantly surprised when the distances are so short! :cool:

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Originally Posted by Lise

Maybe I'll tell myself I'm really doing a 1/2IM next weekend, and then I'll be pleasantly surprised when the distances are so short! :cool:

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Good idea! So true, as all athletic/endurance events are mental for sure (and I'm "mental" anyway, so it gels with me).

Are you excited for the weekend? PERFECT weather!!! I'm glad your family is coming so you'll get some pictures and a fully stocked cheering section!!!

Have a great time out there, and *details, details, details* when you get home!

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Thanks! I'm half way through my longest work day--a clinic, 5 hours off, a 12 hour call shift. Once this is behind me, I have only one more short clinic day on Friday, and I'm all about the tri!

I've decided to treat this tri as "play" as much as possible. I'm not going to win anything, and I'm not there to impress anybody! Being part of these boards since last November has made the whole thing a lot more fun. So I plan to have fun, enjoy the people and the scenery. I always go out as hard as I can--that's part of the fun for me. But this time I'm committed to doing it without any shame or fear. :D I promise lots of details!

All together now, girls!

Go, Lisa! Go, Lisa!

Ok, who else has a race or event this weekend? It could get mighty loud around here.

Thanks, SK! Right now it's: PACK, LISE! PACK! :rolleyes:

I know that KnottedYet and Colby are doing Danskin in Seattle on Sunday.

Next weekend, we'll all be cheering for Brina and LynneK doing Accenture, and btchance doing her reverse tri in Alabama.

I have a feeling it's going to be pretty loud around here on Sunday morning! :D :D :D