As 2015 draws to a close, I thought I’d write a quick recap of the races I’ve done throughout the year, especially two firsts: my first Olympic-distance triathlon and first 50km trail race.
Q1: Surf City Half (February 1st); Blood, Sweat & Beers – Half + 5km (February 28th); Los Angeles Marathon (March 15th)
I wasn’t quite healthy going into the first race of 2015 as I had pulled a muscle (or overstretched my Achilles tendon?) in my lower right leg after one of my training runs. I literally had a few weeks worth of no running until my sis Annelle’s birfday race: Surf City half marathon in Huntington Beach, CA. I remember feeling great the first few miles and was surprised at how my leg held up. But then fail at mile 10, after which I painfully hobbled to the finish line. At least, my sis got in under her goal time of 3 hours! LOL. It wasn’t a PR but it was her first half in a long time and she was glad she didn’t take longer than 3 hours.
After that, I rested some more until my next race which was a back-to-back trail run in Boulder City. My sis Minel suggested that I should just skip the race, but the thought of wasting that money (I missed the window for a good refund) and the fact that I’d miss out on a Pilsner glass (lol I know… priorities!) meant that I ended up running it anyway. The trail half marathon wasn’t too bad… until the sun and heat set in and I was miserable. I rested for a few hours until it was time for the evening race. This was the first night time trail run I’d ever done and was also the first time I wore my headlamp and used my handheld flashlight. Thankfully, I did not trip or fall but did take my time running in pitch darkness.
The LA Marathon experience was OK — the first 21 miles were slightly better than the year before, but after the heat set in, I began to fade. No matter how much motivation my friend Cristina (who ran with me from mile 18 onwards) could give me, I could not get my body to move faster. In hindsight, I had not been good about taking my nutrition (got tired of the gels) and again, didn’t do much heat training so the temps greatly affected my performance. Lesson learned I suppose!
Q2: RAGE Olympic Triathlon (April 18th)
I had been training well leading up to my first Olympic triathlon. I joined Swim Las Vegas and was in the “BEST” program — it was a kind of masters swim class (but only freestyle) and an open water swim clinic. I performed OK seeing as I did not do much bike or run training (I really focused on the swim for this one). My result in this race is still my PR (despite doing 2 more Oly tri events in 2015).
Q3: Anaheim Hills Firecracker Run – 5k (July 4th), Las Vegas Olympic Triathlon (September 19th)
July was a slow month (only 4 training hours!) but for the Fourth of July 5km that my family and I ran. The start line was so convenient — just 3 miles away from my sister’s home and yet we still drove. lol. No PR for my 5km but I was surprised I ran it under 9 min/mile average. Leading up to Las Vegas Olympic Tri, I knew I had been slacking with training for my bike and run. I was fine with the swim portion until I saw my results on race day (It was rather pathetic considering I had been improving at the pool, but somehow failing in the open water). Still, it was a learning experience and a realization that I don’t sight in the open water that well, yet. Oh, this was my first race on my newly built bike: Bumblebee!
Q4: Pumpkinman Triathlon (October 24th), Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Half (November 15th), Trails of Glory – 30km (November 21st), Las Vegas Backcountry – 50km (December 5th)
I did OK at Pumpkinman Tri — I knew I would not PR due to the tough course, but I did come in under my projected finish time. With all triathlon events out of the way, I was able to go back and focus on my running. Las Vegas half was a great late-season benchmark of how I felt and my results surprised me again: I was within two minutes of my half PR and I didn’t even try to race it. RnR was used as a (fun) training run leading up to my first ultra.
That being said, I used the same strategy for Trails of Glory. Although I faded way too early in that 30km trail race, it reminded me that I was still not taking my nutrition at regular intervals. Of course, this poor performance didn’t help with my confidence level and anxiety was ramping up with a mere fortnight away from my first ultra marathon.
Which leads me to my final race of the year; the Las Vegas Backcountry Trail Race, and the first time I felt confident all 31 miles of the run! You can read the full race report here.
What’s not included in that report, however, was how I ended up getting a sore throat (i.e., no voice!) and then a cold two weeks after the race! I knew it would happen though as my recovery week was NOT ideal: I was catching up on work (i.e., back to sleeping late and not enough sleep) and I wasn’t eating right: I overindulged on fast food. I mean, when else can I enjoy a KFC $5 fill-up or a Carl’s Jr. Burger?! Still, I’ll try to balance the fast food with some homecooked meals and veggies next time. 🙂
I leave you now with all the bling of 2015. Yes, I included the card I got from reaching the Kraft Mountain summit, and my (very first) soccer medals lol.
Here’s to another adventure-filled year! 2016 is when I tackle my longest triathlon distance yet: 1.2mi swim, bike 56 miles, and run 13.1 miles; goal time: 8 hours (e.g., the time limit! lol.)
