Anyone Racin' this weekend??

[Running Mommy]

I'm facing my demons at tempe town lake again... I'm actually going to finish a race there in 07 afterall!!
I'm just doing a little sprint. It's the tri for a cure race. The race for the cure 5k will be going on as well.
The tri is a womens only affair, and I usually don't like to do those. I just think it's unfair to exclude people. I mean how would we feel if it was a "mens only" race. I'm thinkin there would be a lot of pizzed off women there!!
But I needed a race to get the monkey off my back and this was the closest thing I could find...
Anyway, I've never been a part of any of the "for a cure"type races before, so this shall be interesting.
So is anyone else going to be toeing the line this weekend?

[teigyr]

I'm not, and won't until Sept. I can see your feelings about excluding a group of people and that makes sense. I heard a defense of a womens only Tri that it was a good intro and a mixed gender one might be intimidating for a first time racer. I've never done a womens only anything but I have to say I'm a bit happy that my tri is womens only. Now if I ever get to your level (and most people on this site!), maybe I'll think differently

[Running Mommy]

Sigh.... So is it like gods cruel joke or something? Why can't I have a body that actually reflects all of the training that I put in???
I eat such a clean diet, watch my portions, and the scale won't budge.
I was having a bad body image day, and then I went to the race expo to pick up my number. I got this comment from some random stranger- who by the way looked very fit, and probably a traithlete herself- and it through me over the edge!

Stranger: " Are you walking the 5K? " (why do people look at me and assume I'm a newbie??)
Me" No. I'm doing the triathlon"
stranger: " Oh. WOW. Is this your first one?" (here we go)
Me: "No. I actually race Ironman"
stranger: (does a very obvious- though shes trying to hide it- quick up and down of me) "Oh, wow. And you have finished the Ironman? well god bless your soul"
Me: "umm, thanks. Yeah I'm just doing this to keep myself tuned up"...
Stranger: (with that look like she STILL doesn't believe me, and with a sing song tone in her voice) "well good luck tomorrow"...

Uh yeah- WHATEVER!! I think this lady was a part of the race staff, and I know the race staff are pretty much all triathletes themselves.

And FWIW- I have friends in the south, and I know full well that the phrase "well bless your soul" is their way of putting you down without being obvious. As in "god bless your soul it's hard to lose that baby weight"...
So I guess my question is (like I don't know the answer) WHY ARE PEOPLE SUCH ASZES?!
Triathletes come in ALL shapes and sizes! Variety makes the world go round! Sure I would LOVE to have the body of Kate Major or Heather Gollnick, but I have to race with the body that god gave me! SHEESH!!
And for the record, I think I'm looking pretty dang fit right now! So she can go stuff herself!!
Wheeeww.. I feel better now!!

[rocknrollgirl]

Well,
I have a response for her, but will her head actually fit up her...ooppss, gonna be nice. As we say her in Jersey...Beotch....

Anyhoo...I have ONE WEEK TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

tapering for me....

Ok before I sign off. RM, just go kick butt in the race....

[Tri Girl]

Good luck this weekend Denise!!! I know it'll feel good to get out there in the lake again. This time the distance will be so short you'll feel like you just got warmed up when you're all done.

Sorry about the woman being so judgemental. She shouldn't have assumed that you were doing the 5K for ANY reason (and shame on her for judging your book by it's cover). You ARE an Ironman, and damn all the people who think triathletes are rail thin. We "thicker" triathletes are just as capable and worthy of the title as anyone. And like you said- you gotta race in the body God gave you. Well, I wish he gave me 5 more inches in height and 20 less pounds, but you make do with what you have. And you have A LOT of powerful, shake and bakin' muscles (and I'm right there with you, sister).
Next time, look over her and say "are you doing the 5K tomorrow, cuz you look like you'd be a fast walker yourself."

[rocknrollgirl]

Ha!!!!!!!!! Love IT Tri Girl, Love IT!!!

[tangentgirl]

Good luck, Running Mommy! Have fun out there! Superpppffffffttttt to the rude race lady.

I don't quite get the whole women-only race thing either. Maybe I just have never felt intimidated by dudes being in the same race. I've only done a handful of tris, and I'm no FastyMcFasterson, and it seems like everyone's generally supportive. Go fig.

[Running Mommy]

Next time, look over her and say "are you doing the 5K tomorrow, cuz you look like you'd be a fast walker yourself."[/QUOTE]

HA!! Now that's pretty funny tri girl!!

Yep, we gotta race with the body that god gaves us. And dang it if I don't think us thick chicks deserve extra points for hurdling our mass over the line. I mean it must be easier for the light weights out there...

And tangent, no. I'm not intimidated by the men folk either. I guess maybe I just have thick skin or something? Even the really fast guys don't get to me..

[Wahine]

Good luck Denise on your 5 k walk ....

Just kidding!!

I think I've voiced my opinion before but I'll repeat it here. I'm no Fastie McFasterton (love that BTW) either, but I've been blessed with athleticism. I go out and suffer for 12 hours at IM. You suffer just as much if not more and for longer time. IMHO, that makes you all the more Iron than I am. I have so much respect for people that get out and do these races with "the bodies that god gave 'em, as you ladies put it." It would have been great to come up with some retort off the top of your head like "well, I've put in 500 or so hours training and 1000s of miles on the bike getting ready for Ironman, I think I can finsh here."

Have fun racing!!

[tprevost]

Have a GREAT race tomorrow Denise!!! Go kick some booty!!!

[beetle]

good luck tomorrow. I'm doing my first (in 4 years) tomorrow. Unfortunately it's just short (300/10/3km) but hopefully that will leave me wanting to come back for more. It's the end of the season so not much else around. I know what you mean about people making assumptions based on looks, I know people think the same things about me - I like to see the look on their faces though when I (or usually my husband) mentions what I've done

Happy race!!!!

[rocknrollgirl]

In rereading this thread this morning, I feel like I need to apologize. I came on a bit strong. In my defense, this type of treatment of people is a personal sore spot for me, which naturally you all know nothing about, so I come off sounding like the beotch myself. I hate, hate, hate when people act that way. I will save my rants and stories for another day.....

Denise...I hope you kick butt today


well off to the lake to swim....

[Running Mommy]

Thats ok RNR girl... Your tapering!! It makes us ALL kinda nuts!!
But fwiw I didn't notice any harshness...

Ok girlies, I'm off to the races..

[Running Mommy]

It was a fun morning. The lake water felt good. But the swim was HECTIC!! I was beat to hell!! My Ironman swims have had less contact than this one! I just couldn't get into a rhythm because I kept getting taken out from the sides. Lost of back strokers, breaststrokers (gotta hate that kick to the ribs! ), UGH! I was glad to be done with it!
My bike ROCKED! I averaged 17.6 mph!! I saw George Gage a local tri coach who was nearly killed (he really should have been dead if you knew what happened to him) running slowly alongside the run course. He has a hop in his step for sure, but he was out there running. That motivated the heck out of me!! This was a guy who before that fateful day last November was a perenial Ironman Kona qualifier/finisher, and now he can barely run. But he WAS out there giving it a go!! MAN! I peddled faster after seeing him that;s for sure!
But then I got on the run and melted. I ran 90% of it, just VERY SLOWLY as I melted in what had to be 90+ degree Phoenix heat!! And for those of you not familiar with the sun here, it seems much more intense than elsewhere. I don't know why? But the desert sun just frys my noggin this time of year!!
But I finished running and it was overall a great time.
Here are some pics if you would like to see how I spent my saturday:

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailsh...25/t_=49810225

Ride safe!
hugs, love bugs, and flutterbys
Denise

[Tri Girl]

AWESOME bike avg!- WOW! Great pics, too!!!! You're looking REALLY fantastic!!!! What do you mean you have some "overflow?" I see no overflow there- you're all tucked in neatly! (oops that was from the other thread).
I'm so proud of you. I really like the pic of you getting ready to jump in the water. You're suspended in mid-air. Very coo! wow- lots of pink caps- scary! Funny how you got beat up way more in this race than in the IM- and there looked like A LOT less racers. Those wacky women!

Thanks for the race report- and great job (again!). I don't know how you do that AZ heat- my Yuma days of toleration are LOOOOONG since gone. Can't recall what 120 even felt like- since I die when it's 100 now.

YEAH DENISE!!!!!