Triathlon training goals for 2013

My life kinda fell into shambles after Eagleman in June, hence my lack of posts and my lack of miles. My husband and I decided just two weeks before Eagleman that we were going to separate. Not a huge shocker to me, but a life-changing event nonetheless. Two months later I raced Steelman, which I did on Joanna's encouraging so I'd have something to focus on to keep me motivated. I raced, I had a great time, but I really felt pretty down when all was said and done.

But, during this time of flux, I've been reevaluating who I am, who I want to be and what I want out of life. What I've determined is that I'm not going to let a change in my relationships status determine the outcome of my life. So I began plotting out my race schedule.

Every good triathlete has a night of drinking with an equally crazy friend to determine their race schedule for the following year, right? No? Well, that's what I do. Don't judge. Anyway, we started researching Ironman race courses. We wanted a flatter course, but not pancake flat, but shouldn't be major hills, like Lake Placid. We found Ironman Cozumel, and fell in love. But the realist in me knows that with my life influx, maybe an Ironman in 2013 isn't a great idea. However, if I make 2013 a building year, and Ironman in 2014 is a certainty.

Here are my goals:
First, I'm going to run a marathon. Probably a good idea if I'm considering an Ironman, right? This was another decision made during a night of drinking, but this time it was with my cousin, who was up this way from Austin.

She said, "I think you should run the Austin Marathon. It's in February and it's a great time to be in Austin. Plus our condo is 2 miles from the start, right along the race course." While sitting at the bar, I sent a quick email to Joanna asking her if she thought I could be ready for a marathon by February. She said, and I'm paraphrasing, if we start soon, I think you'll be ready.

A few days later, I registered, booked airfare and committed my brain to a marathon. Beginning Oct. 1, Joanna will be helping me train for my very first marathon.

Heaven help me.

Next on the list are a few Olympic distance races for 2013. I'd like to do Red Bank again. It was a beautiful course and I'd like to redeem myself from my terrible showing on the bike. I also want to do Steelman again because it was so much fun. My crazy triathlon friend suggested the Bethany Beach Triathlon, that I'm considering that as well as New Jersey State Triathlon.

As far as another half distance next year... I haven't decided yet. I think it might be a good idea to do one, but I don't know which to do. Eagleman was too hot and really early in the season. Diamondman was fun, but I'm not sure I want to repeat that again. So, I'm open for suggestions. I'm thinking Pocono 70.3, but I'm not 100% sold on it yet.

Steelman Olympic distance race report

The sun coming up over Lake Nockamixon.

Knock-knock. Anyone there? Yes, I have been MIA for the last two months because, I will be totally honest, I have a lot going on in my life right now. Most of it I can't write about, which absolutely effects the stuff I can write about and makes the stuff I can write about far less interesting. At least to me. BUT through it all, I managed to get in one final triathlon this season: Steelman at Nockamixon State Park in Quakertown.

Let me start by saying the two months since doing Eagleman my training has been less than stellar. In fact, I can honestly say I've been in the pool maybe twice and been swimming at the lake twice. That's a grand total of four swim sessions in two months. I've ridden my bike a little more frequently, once a week on most weeks, and I may have logged 15 - 20 miles running. Seriously, I was behaving as if this race wasn't going to happen.

Yes, every picture I have is before sunrise because I got to the part before 5 a.m.!

But as I stood among 2,000 athletes ready to start a race they actually prepared for, I completely questioned my sanity. I tried to remind myself that I did finish a 70.3 two months ago. I can totally do this distance. But the buoys looked so far away. Everyone around me was smiling in anticipation. I was shivering with fear. In fact, I spend the whole weekend fighting off the fear that something terrible was going to happen to me during this race. I was going to a race with no one. I had no support with me. Just me. Alone. I wrote my kids a note in the morning reminding them that I loved them, just in case.

Clearly, I was feeling out of my mind.

See those buoys? Can you see them? Look how far they look?

Swim:
Back to the water's edge. Lake Nockamixon is actually a really beautiful lake, but on Sunday I didn't see its beauty, I simply focused on its size. With a water temperature of 80 degrees, it was not a wetsuit legal race, so I wore my skin suit. We had the option to wear wetsuits, but you'd be disqualified for awards. I sort of wish I had chosen to wear mine. I'm not winning any awards, but I wanted to try without it. In hindsight, I should've worn it. When the gun went off, I started swimming. It seemed to take an eternity to get to the first buoy. The next buoy also seemed very far away. I focused on swimming buoy-to-buoy. One after the other I swam passed them. None seemed to come faster than the next. I got out of the water and saw the :40 min mark and although that time was disappointing, I knew I had no business expecting to swim any faster than I did. My official swim time was :40:03

Bike:
I will admit I heard nothing but horror stories about the hills on this ride. I had no expectations other than to ride as hard as I could. That's what I did. The climb out of the park was tough, but not nearly has hard as I thought it was going to be, and the rest of the course pretty much followed that same line of thinking. There were a few pretty good climbs, but nothing that was insanely difficult. During the first climb out of the park, the little packet in my pocket that held my Enduralytes fell to the ground. Fortunately, it fell right in front of a volunteer who ran to it and yelled what's your number, I'll get it back to you. I panicked for a second worried that I'd cramp like crazy without them. But sometimes you just cannot worry about things beyond your control. So, I just let it go and focused on the ride. My ride time was 1:31:22, that's a 17.7 mph average. I am happy with that.

Run:
I started this run waiting for my legs to cramp. Having no Enduralytes to help if they did, I was just waiting... but guess what. They never cramped. This was encouraging. I felt strong the entire run. It was a beautiful paved, shaded course through the park. I really enjoyed the run. Water stops were frequent and stocked with Gatorade, water and ice. I was feeling so good, I really thought I was going to make the 10k in under an hour. I was close, 1:02:43, but not quite. I finished feeling great. I was a little disappointed to not have my kids meet me at the finish like they normally do, but I was happy to see Joanna there at the end.

I finished this race with the time of 3:19:17. This is 15 minutes faster than my previous best Olympic distance time. Seriously, I cannot believe it. I didn't really deserve to PR during a race I wasn't prepared to do, however, I will take it. 

Overall, I thought Steelman was a great race and we were blessed with beautiful weather. As an athlete who is not finishing in the top half, it was nice to see volunteers at all the stations throughout the entire race. I hate when you're running and you come to an aid station that just has cups and coolers because the volunteers left. It's defeating, but this was not the case at all at Steelman.

I'm glad I did this race. I wasn't going to, but Joanna helped make it possible for me. Thank you Joanna. It was a great race to end a tough season. Oh, and as a side note, my packet of Enduralytes were sitting at my transition when I got back to it. How awesome is that?!

Red Bank Triathlon race report

Calm waters in Red Bank Sunday morning.

Sometimes the hardest lessons in triathlon are the ones you learn on race day. Yesterday I had my first race of the season: Red Bank Olympic distance triathlon. Before the race, I felt calm and completely ready. I picked this race because it was three weeks from Eagleman and, I thought, a flat course similar to Eagleman.

Guess what. I was wrong.

Here is the course map provided. Looks innocent enough to me. But clearly I am not well versed in reading course maps. But before we get there, let's start at the beginning.

Race time was 7 a.m., my heat was set to leave at 7:16. Transition was set to close at 6:50. None of that happened on time. My friend Tammy and I showed up at 5:20, parked and set up our transition area. We walked around, looked at the water and around 6:30 did a warm up swim in the bay. Water was cool, but not freezing cold. My confidence was intact.

My transition area all set up and ready to go.

At 7:05, transition was still not closed, bikes were all over the place because the race coordinators did not set up enough racks. People had bikes and equipment all over the place, against gates, in patches of grass, it was chaos. All the athletes lined up around the dock until two people started screaming at us to move back. A megaphone would have done them some good. I don't know what time it was by the time my heat got in the water, but we were guessing that it was after 7:30. Waves were leaving every three minutes.

With some time to kill, my friend Tammy and I take some pre-race pictures.

I have never been a strong swimmer, but over the last six months, Joanna has helped me get stronger and faster in the water. This put me mid-pack when traditionally I would have been bringing up the rear. It was pretty awesome to be swimming with the pack, but about 1000 yards into the swim I got a swift, but good kick to my left eye. It jogged me a bit, but I held it together and finished the swim in 33:58, which is a significant improvement from my last Olympic swim of 46:23.

First lesson: Try not to get beat up while swimming in a pack. Maybe next time I'll swim a little wider to give myself some more space, especially towards the end. 

After the swim, we had to wait in a line to climb a ladder out of the water and run into transition, which I did, grabbed my bike, ran out and mounted my bike. I started the ride feeling great, like super great... for the first mile, until I realized this ride was not as flat as the elevation map may or may not have suggested. At this point I broke down mentally. There's no reason why I shouldn't have been able to climb those hills, I need to work on my climbing confidence.

My legs were heavy and I just kept thinking, "Seriously, this is going to take forever."

And it did. Every person I was ahead of in the swim caught up and passed me like I was standing still. The bike is supposed to be my strong event and yesterday I broke down. One hour and 51 minutes later, I finally made it back to transition for the run feeling defeated, but determined to finish.

Second lesson: Have a second person read the elevation map and maybe find someone who has done the race before you decide to register.

Starting the run I saw my family waiting for me, which lifted my spirits and pushed me along. I felt good running and was focusing on my form until I realized my armpits were burning. My tri top was actually giving me brush burns, so I unzipped the front and pulled my arms out of the sleeves. Yeah, I ran 6.2 miles with my top around my waist... but at least I only have minor abrasions on my armpits.

Third lesson: Best to test all equipment, even clothing, before a race.

About two and a half miles into the run, we head into some woods and this was welcomed as the sun was out in full force. At the same time, my legs start cramping, so I reach into my pocket to get an Enduralyte and I trip over a tree root, cutting up my knee and wrist.

Fourth lesson: maybe on a trail it's not the best time to stop watching the course.

A finishers medal is still cool!

In the end, I have a few scrapes and bruises, a bruised ego and a lot of lessons from which to learn. The good news is that I have three weeks to workout some of those issues and I'm so glad to have learned these lessons before my A race.

Hey, Coach!

Let's meet my coach. I mentioned her in my last post, but here is what you need to know about Joanna Chororowska in order to properly meet her.

Coach Joanna Chodorowska

Joanna Chodorowska is founder and principal nutritionist and triathlon coach at Nutrition inMotion and has been a competitive triathlete for more than 17 years, placing regularly in her age group at races. 

Joanna enjoys training and racing, and now helping others achieve their goals and aspirations in the sport of triathlon. Since no one is the same, she creates personalized nutrition and training plans for each of her clients. Everyone has a different strength and weakness in triathlon, so she develops plans to minimize the weakness and create a new overall strength.

Sports nutrition is key to the success of any athlete. She believes if your nutrition does not complement your training, your results can suffer from symptoms like poor recovery, aching muscles, low energy levels and general malaise. Joanna's nutrition plans help the client use real foods for better recovery and overall performance. She helps clients burn fat, not sugars, while training so they reach their optimal racing weight and body composition.   

To be at your best, you need a solid training plan along with your nutrition plan. Joanna provides these for her clients in a way that they see results without feeling overwhelmed. She provides healthy nutrition and training for everyday living.  

For more information about Joanna Chodorowska and Nutrition in Motion services, please visit www.n-im.net

As you can see, I'm in for the time of my life. I cannot wait to start training with Joanna and I'm even more excited to share our journey with you. 

Here is my story, from the beginning

I thought it might be best to start off telling you a little about me. First, Hi, I'm Diane Hoffman. By day I am the entertainment editor at The Mercury newspaper in Pottstown. By night I am a mommy to a 4-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl. In between work and family, I am a triathlete... or at least I'd like to think of myself as one.
Which brings me to the reason we're here: triathlon.
In 2007, after giving birth to my son, I weighed close to 200 lbs. Being an unimpressive 5-feet, 5-inches tall, this is a lot of extra weight to carry around.

Me at 200 lbs.

At the time, my husband was just getting into cycling and I thought if I was going to lose this weight, I'll probably have greater success having a partner in exercising. Also, if any of you have a spouse who is a cyclist, you know it can take up A LOT of time, so if I wanted to spend any time with him, my best shot was going to be while on a bike.
With the help of my family and friends, I set out to do what I thought at the time was completely unthinkable: The Multiple Sclerosis Society 150 City to Shore. It's a two day event that starts in Pennsahken, N.J., and ends in Ocean City, N.J., covering 150 miles over two days. My family thought I was crazy, hell, I thought I was crazy, but I did it and it was awesome.
From there, I focused all of my attention to cycling for two years, after which I started to get a little bored. I lost a good portion of the weight I put on, but wanted to get fitter so I could ride stronger. At the same time, a friend did her first triathlon. She encouraged me to do one too.
So I did. I drank the Kool-Aid.
In 2010, I did the Philadelphia Insurance Sprint Triathlon. A half mile swim, a 15 mile bike ride and a 5k. I finished that race in 2:01. I was exhausted, yet so full of endorphins and I couldn't wait to do another.

Me, center, with my two friends at the Philly Tri finish

One month later, I did SheRox Philadelphia, which is essentially the same course as the Philly Tri and I finished in 1:54.

 SheRox 2010

On New Year's Eve 2010,  I listened to friends talk about doing a half iron distance triathlon in 2011. I woke up on Jan. 1, 2011, and it was clear as day. I was doing a half iron.
But before I could take on such a huge race, I had some goals I needed to reach. First, I ran my first half marathon, the Delaware half marathon with my coworker and friend Brandie.

Brandie and I during the Delaware Half Marathon 2011

Next I needed to tackle an Olympic distance triathlon. I don't  know why, but I picked the Black Bear Triathlon, a killer race that I did not finish. It was a mile swim, 26 mile bike ride and a 10k. I just barely made it through the swim. I was the very last person out of the water. Literally. About 3 miles into the bike ride I had an asthma attack and when I reached back to get my inhaler, I found it wasn't there, which caused me to panic and fall off my bike. I couldn't get it back on and had to drop out of the race. It was a race I was just not ready to finish.
Still needing an Olympic distance on my resume before the 70.3, I signed up for the Sunset Challenge Triathlon in New Jersey. I ramped up my training and finished this one in 3:34. Not a great time, but I was proud nonetheless.

Sunset Challenge Olympic distance triathlon 2011

Continuing on my ramped up training program, I found myself completely exhausted. I was so tired that one Monday morning I literally couldn't get out of bed. My husband took the kids to school and I slept until 2 p.m.
I needed help. The big race was getting closer and there I was crashed, unable to get up. Through some of my friends on the social networking site for athletes, dailymile, I knew of a swim coach named Joanna Chodorowska. In complete desperation, I hired Joanna to help me swim.
In just five sessions Joanna improved not only my swim time, but my confidence as well. Along with my swimming, she gave me several pointers, a race day nutrition plan and I was able to get through my first half iron, Delaware Diamondman 70.3.

Delaware Diamondman 70.3 2011

I finished the 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride and 13.1 mile run in 7:17. It's not a great time, but I gave every single thing I had that day, so I am proud of my accomplishment. Today, with Joanna's help, I'm setting out to improve that time in June at Eagleman and I would love to have you along for the journey.