Calling all triathletes!

Have you heard about Trakkers?

Do you often have friends and family hitting the “REFRESH” (F5) button on the results page waiting to see how you performed? I know that my parents and grandparents are often patiently awaiting to hear how I did in my races. Sometimes my friends see the results before I do.

Trakkers is developing this awesome new technology using GPS where an athlete can wear a cute little unit like a watch and information about your race will be displayed on a website REAL TIME. You strap on this little doo-job-er to your race belt, wrist, or arm, hit the start button and do your race. Meanwhile, the Trakker will be relaying location, pace, distance, heart rate, etc to a website that your friends and family can tune into!

Another cool feature…a panic button. If you get into trouble during a race you can press the panic button and your distress call will be relayed to organizers.

Trakkers is still in the development stage (I even get to help out with that process a little bit). They are aiming for a release date closer to the end of 2008. Working with Trakkers thus far has been super fun, they are taking the athletes perspective very seriously! I’ll be updating you more along the way as I get more information.

Race morning was not typical. My body was doing some funky stuff. It was similar to when I had morning sickness. A quick stop by the store to grab a prego test quickly revealed that my body was just off, but not with child. Troy and I have taken the proper precautions not to have any more children so a pregnancy would mean we would need to buy a lotto ticket.

At the race site I started to feel a little better. It was nice to talk to my friends. On my warm-up I felt bloated, like 4 months pregnant. My tummy was like a hard ball. After many “good lucks” from lots of friends I lined up to get ready to go. The minute we started running fast I knew something was strange. My tummy was a mess and it hurt. My legs were ready for a hard day of running though, so they ran. It was extremely hard to gauge my pace because my focus was on my belly. I came through:

Mile 1 = 6:47.

My plan was to go out at 7:15. What do you do when you have wrecked your plan from the get go? I decided to try to calm it down for the next mile.

Mile 2 = 6:53.

I continued to try to cool off.

Mile 3 = 6:58.

I felt calmer but my intestinal pain was constant. I tried all sorts of things to get my mind off it. I got super competitive and went with anyone who came by me. That lead to:

Mile 4 = 6:55.
Mile 5 = 6:42.

I had a really rough mile 6 with a fair amount of pain.

Mile 6 = 7:04.

I came back from that and tried to pull things back together. I told myself that my legs were fine and to just run with them.

Mile 7 = 6:52.
Mile 8 = 6:55.

Then it hit. Extreme pain. Sharp, nasty. There was no way to get around it. My mind started telling me I should stop, at least at a port-o-pottie, and see if I could get it together. I knew if I stopped that was it, my race was over. I though about the fact that I was placed in the top 15 or so and I thought about all the people running that would give anything, including some stomach pain to be in the top of the pack. I kept running.

Mile 9 = 7:06.

I ran by Troy and actually told him I was hurting. I’ve never talked to him during a race. After the race he revealed to me that I looked like I was hurting for the entire race. He knows me well. Mile 10 was a constant wager with myself to keep running, and try not to think about the pain, it was getting much worse.

Mile 10 = 7:15.

I checked my watch and thought to myself…I finally hit the pace I am supposed to start at. I am totally running this race backwards. And then, when I thought things couldn’t get worse they did. Girls started passing me left and right and I started to break down.

Mile 11 = 7:29.
Mile 12 = 7:24.

Ouch. The last mile has the only hill in the race, and I am ashamed to say I CREPT up that hill. There was no Sonja spunk left in me, the positive thoughts had long been dissolved by pain. My legs felt quite fine but every time I tried to pick it up, the tummy would just scream.

Mile 13 = 7:45
Last 0.1 = 42 sec.

I didn’t even have a finish sprint. A lady passed me and I let her go. I watched the clock and could tell I was still going to PR. I didn’t even care. After the finish I held it together for about 5 minutes, barely. Then I started to lose it. I visited the port-a-pottie…that one will never be the same. I was in a big mess and the cramping was getting worse. After watching a good friend come in Troy made the decision to leave. I still had two friends out there and I really pushed him on this decision. I was able to see the last two friends as I headed to the car. Three times on the way to the car I was brought to my knees with pain.

On the way home was when we first talked about taking me to the ER. I was crying in pain, and it takes a lot for me to shed tears due to pain. We went home and got me into the bathtub. I felt a little better and then a lot worse. Troy called the nurses line through our insurance. After asking Troy some questions she told us to go to the ER. We headed out.

The next 5 hours entailed a CT scan, a pelvic exam, 2 bags of IV fluids, and a ton of blood and urine tests run. Nothing came up abnormal. The #1 worry was appendicitis, that was ruled out by the CT. By the time I was discharged the intestinal pain had subsided signifigantly. Troy bailed me out and I laid on the couch the rest of the day, totally hailed.

Even today as I write I can tell I am going to need a day to recover. My abs and ribs are super super sore from the clenching that they went through. My legs feel great. I really found out this weekend that my pain tolerance it pretty high. I think most people would have DNFed, but I really used every ounce of energy to push on. This has given me a new idea of how much pain I can withstand, and I think I will be stronger in future races because of it.

So…my new VERY painful 1/2 Marathon PR is: 1:32:54. 16th woman overall, 4th in F25-29.

Mental Monday should still happen this evening…any wagers on the topic?

Tomorrow is the Platte Half Marathon. Think good thoughts for me from 9 until 10:30. I’m ready to go into this race and give it my all. My last half was on June 3rd, so it’s been a little while. Time to shake the cobwebs out of this distance. I am racing this race in a new pair of ultra light trainers by Saucony called the Grid Sinister. They are pink and quite flashy. They aren’t quite a racing shoe, but a super light shoe that will get me through halfs and even marathons.

Preparing for this race has been interesting. I have had a few challenges along the way, but I feel calm and ready for whatever race days throws at me. I have a starting pace I would like to stick to and a goal time, but other than that I am just ready for the experience. Whatever comes my way, I am ready to practice responding rather than reacting.

Off to bed!

Today is for those of you that are racing the Platte River Half on Sunday. Especially those who will be conquering the 1/2 marathon hurdle for the first time. Enjoy.

Your training is done and your time has come. This week you will go to do something in which you have not completed or competed before. Many have jumped this hurdle, most have finished, some have not.

The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.
-John Bingham, running speaker and writer

You have woken up early, when your babies were still asleep to run miles alone. You have had days where you just flew through your runs, and you have had days where every step was a bargain that you made with yourself to get it done. You have seen slow days, and fast days, warm days, and chilly days, hilly days, and flat days. To train for a half marathon is to become a runner, and you are now officially “A RUNNER”.

Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.
- T.S. Eliot

When you step on that starting line Sunday morning you will not only rely on your training, but you will also lean on all of the individuals who have loved and supported you along your journey. We are with you when you race, we can provide strength to you in a week moment. We want you to have fun and do well.

I run because I can. When I get tired, I remember those who can’t run, what they’d give to have this simple gift I take for granted, and I run harder for them. I know they would do the same for me.
- Unknown

As you feel the pains and joys of the race, do not think about what you are going through, but only what you are going to. Before you know it, your experience will be over and you will sit down tired and happy, knowing that you have placed a period at the end of an important sentence. I completed a half marathon.

We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it is not as dreadful as it appeared, discovering we have the strength to stare it down.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

And at the end of the day with your sore legs and swelling pride, you will simply be 13.1 miles ahead of those who chose not to show up that day. Good luck to those of you taking on this distance for the first time. You’re work has been done, it’s time to enjoy the party.

It matches my blog!

Tell me that the new Garmin Forerunner 405 isn’t absolutely awesome looking. Go ahead…try, yea, that’s what I thought, you can’t even say it. The new Forerunner is HOT HOT HOT! The last two versions were a bit more lets say…large…maybe clunky is the word. But we still bought them, and we wore them, and we used them. Why? Because WE LIKE DATA. And there is nothing like knowing your pace and your distance.

We were set free by the Garmin Forerunner. No longer did we need to run routes that we “knew” the distance. Nor did we have to just “Run for Time”. Oh no, we could now step out the front door and just start running, letting our feet and heart take us were they may. And boy have they taken me places.

When we got home we knew it all…where we had gone, how far, how fast, how many calories. It was all there. Yet we just got to run, to let loose.

I was very lucky to have trained with a Garmin Forerunner 201 this past year, and I have loved it. It’s especially awesome to get back on the computer and review past runs and rides from months back. However, during the Beaver Creek Snowshoe Race #2 my Gamin suffered an injury. It got torn from it’s wrist strap during one of my many falls. Ever since I have been forced to train with it in my pocket (or sportsbra) b/c it’s doesn’t have a strap any more, nor does it have the pins to hold a replacement strap on. So needless to say when I saw this new one on the market, I started drooling green. The only problem…

Suggested Retail Price: $318.74

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All Photos taken by my dad! Thanks DAD!
Me around mile 7

Troy and Annie after Troy took a bike ride on the Steamboat mountain

Me getting my award for first in my age group

Laura at the finish looking awesome

My back end at mile 7

Annie looking like Yoda

My finish sprint (check out the time clock)

Me watching myself get passed at mile 12

Mom and I on Independence Pass today

Ahhh, another Half Marathon done! Every time I finish a half marathon I swear it’s my last, then I find myself signing up for another one! My parents flew into town on Thursday and we headed up to Steamboat on Friday. Laura had reserved us these awesome condos at the Torian Plum, so we were right on the mountain and since she scored the top floor for us we had this awesome view! It was great to watch the sun set from the balcony.

Saturday the husbands went mountain biking and the rest of us tinkered around town. I really enjoyed hanging with my parents, and it was great to know that Troy was out having an epic all day adventure on his bike.

Sunday came and Laura and I met at 6am to head to the bus. They bus you out to the start line since both the marathon and the 1/2 marathon are one way. I downed some orange juice and yummy bread from Sopp and Truscut. It was a chilly morning and Laura and I were not looking forward to parting with our jackets. Soon enough, the gun was off and we warmed up. I positioned myself at the front of the line and I went out hard. Probably too hard…okay definitely too hard. But I felt so good. It was cool in the shade and so beautiful out so I went for it. It worked for about the first 7 miles. After I saw my parents at mile 7, I was the 4th woman in the race, and I was starting to not feel too hot. So I slowed down a bit, struggled with some hills and some hydration. I saw that my mom had written my name in chalk on the road and that perked me up. Apparently she did it 3 times, but I only say one of the signs. I was out of it! I got passed at mile 9. I tried for about a mile to say with her, but no dice. At about mile 10 I started to feel more in the game and picked it up. But I didn’t have tons left and I mile 12 I got passed again. Check out the AWESOME picture of this happening! So I was the 6th woman at this point. As we ran down the finish stretch the crowd was great. My support crew drove down the road with my dad hanging out the sun roof taking pictures. At the very finish the guy behind me started yelling at me to go-go-go-faster-faster-faster. I sprinted AS HARD AS I COULD. I can’t even describe it. And then it was over. I stopped my watch and looked down. WOW, at least a 5 minute personal record! And 6th woman! I was overjoyed that my body fought that hard for me. It wasn’t easy and I learned some lessons but I am really proud of what I did.

After assessing my blisters (not pretty) and recovering a bit we all headed back down the race course to watch Laura finish. She looked great. SOOOO HAPPY! It was awesome to see her groovin’ along. I haven’t seen her running since a winter snowshoe race and I was just digging her form and her grace and ease! It was awesome. Great job Laura!!

Okay, here are the details:
Final Time: 1:33:15
6th overall woman
1st in 25-29 female age group
42nd overall finisher (of 967)

Mile 1: 6:39
Mile 2: 6:54
Mile 3: 6:42
Mile 4: 6:24
Mile 5: 6:56
Mile 6: 7:07
Mile 7: 7:02
Mile 8: 7:35
Mile 9: 7:53
Mile 10: 7:28
Mile 11: 6:52
Mile 12: 7:28
Mile 13: 7:36
Last Little Bit: 0:30

Start of the race, I am directly beneath the yellow pedestrian sign, in a lime green top and blue shorts.

Troy and Annie waiting at mile 2

Good form at Mile 7

Cruisin’ at Mile 9

Mile 2

Check out the leg muscles at Mile 9

Another at Mile 9

Rounding the turn and seeing the finish

Me with the cheering squad in the picture at Mile 9 (minus Roger the photographer)

I had to do a 12 mile long run this week so at the last minute I decided to enter the Horsetooth Half Marathon. Boy am I glad I did! Despite the short notice, Chris, and my mom and dad in laws (Marla and Roger) and Troy (with Annie) all came to watch. The course is really hilly for the first half of it. In fact the first two miles were up some pretty steep hills. Luckily the cheering clan was at the top of the first hill…after 2 miles!

There were two more huge hills over the next 4.5 miles, and they were massive. It made it hard to get into a rhythm, but also made the race more exciting and less of a “slog” (is that a word?…you get my drift). They closed the road that we were running on so I didn’t see my cheering squad again until a little after mile 7. It was so nice to see them and smile! I was done with the hills and my brain was telling me it was time to pick up the pace for the last 5 miles, but I didn’t really feel like it. So I kept a comfortable pace, reminding myself that this was supposed to be my long training run.

In the last 3 miles I saw the hip-hip-hooray squad again, and I got passed by 5…yes count them, 5 women. They were all looking good and the path was flat, so why not pass the girl in the green top! I reminded myself about the training run mantra, and that I was feeling good, so just keep it steady.

The finish was wonderful. You heard the crowd, I saw my cheering crew, I turned a corner and there it was. There were lots of people cheering and it felt so good to know that I was about to be done.

When you cross the line they hand you a 22 ounce glass bottle of Fat Tire beer. I couldn’t even “think” beer, but it was cool to the touch, so I put it against my cheek. I looked around for my cheering squad and the first thing I laid eyes on was the massage tables, so I bee-lined over to them. My crew found me at the massage table getting my post race rub down. I was pretty sore the rest of today, and even today I am tight and sore.

But it was a really fun race, and Roger got some terrific pictures of me running. It’s so nice to have to good running shots, it helps me to see the physical progress I have made these past 6 months!

Here are my stats on the race:
Official Time: 1:40:46
6th in 20-29 age group (see a trend?)
17th overall woman
96th overall in the race
Total race participants…they say around 1000

Mile split times:
Mile 1&2 combined (all uphill): 17:01
Mile 3 (all downhill): 6:56
Mile 4: 7:28
Mile 5: 7:04
Mile 6: 7:04
Mile 7: 7:53
Mile 8: 7:25
Mile 9: 7:28
Mile 10: 7:41
Mile 11: 7:52
Mile 12: 8:02
Mile 13: 7:54
Last 0.1: 0:44

Me at mile 7.5

The Cheering Crew minus Troy who is taking the photos

Me kicking it into the finish

Lindsay and I

Sublime, Truly Sublime! Today was the most perfect day to run a 1/2 marathon. Sunny, perfect Temps, clear blue sky, raging Platte river on your side, and a WONDERFUL cheering section!

The race went grand, much better than expected. I was planning on running 8 minute pace, and it was just too nice out. My body wanted to go faster! So, 7:30’s it was. Here are the mile splits:
Mile 1 - 7:11
Mile 2 - 7:27
Mile 3 - 7:23
Mile 4 - 7:18
Mile 5 - 7:30
Mile 6 - 7:27
Mile 7 - 7:31
Mile 8 - 7:34
Mile 9 - 7:35
Mile 10 - 7:43
Mile 11 - 7:34
Mile 12 - 7:41
Mile 13 - 7:44
0.1 finish - 0:42

Official Finish Time: 1:38:34
Overall Woman: 25th of 412
Age Group (25-29): 7th
Overall in Race: 118 of 822

Lindsay also did phenomenal, beating her goal of 2 hours by 1.5 minutes. She looked great at the finish, like she hadn’t even been running!

Troy, Chris, and Lindsay’s husband Doug were out there on the bikes cheering for us…AND toting the babies along with them. We are so blessed to have such wonderful husbands and friends who support us in our endeavors. We love them!!!

Wonderful experience, I am a lucky woman.