Triathlon #3

I just did my third triathlon this past weekend.   I’m thinking that completing three gives me the right to call myself a triathlete.   

I almost didn’t compete this year.   I started having pain on the top of my foot in early June and then sprained my right ankle in late June.   Add that to the extreme heat and my training was pretty much non-existent.    I swam about five times all summer, I biked three times outside on my bike, and I ran intermittently but never more than 2 miles.   I did hit spin class at least weekly as that didn’t really bother my ankle.   I finally went to an orthopedic guy when my ankle wasn’t improving at the quick pace I expected.   He said I had a cyst growing in a joint on top of my foot that will probably have to be surgically removed at some point but gave me a cortisone shot to get me through the tri (yes, he gave the green light to do the tri; I was half expecting him to tell me it wasn’t a good idea as I could do further damage) and he set me up with physical therapy for my ankle.    Mind you this was all 10 days before the tri.    That’s the background story.

I went into this with a goal to just finish.  Between my aches and pains and lack of training I didn’t want to push it.   I went into it telling myself to take it easy since I didn’t have much training under my belt and my ankle was still bothering me.   I honestly thought it would take me 2-3 hours to finish.    But when Tom asked me what time he should be there, I was torn.  There was always the chance that adrenaline would pull me through.      Anyway……..

The morning of the race was cold!   63 degrees with a high for the day of 66, with the threat of rain all morning.   Mind you this is way better than the 100 degree heat of the summer so it was a good thing.   I woke up at 5:15 a.m. to eat, stretch, tape my ankle, and mainly to try to get myself awake.  I am not a morning person so it is a challenge to get my mind and body working independently (let alone together as a team) before 8 a.m.    I loaded up my gear and arrived at Lake Nokomis at 6:45 a.m.   

All my gear set out and ready to go

For the race you have to arrive early to set up your things, get your chip, and get marked – they put your number everywhere; both hands, both arms, both legs and they put your age and wave on your calves.   They close the transition area at 7:30 and you can’t return again until after the swim to collect your bike.     There is a mandatory meeting on the beach at 7:45 and then you wait……    

The wait was cold.  Given that you have to check your bag and everything by 7:30 it was chilly waiting around in just my tri suit.   I should’ve brought a towel I didn’t care about to just wrap myself in on the beach before the swim and then just leave on the beach.    The race officially started at 8:00 a.m. with the “elite” (i.e. very serious women) hitting the water.   It continued in waves every 3 minutes by age.   I was in wave number 7; hitting the water at 8:18 a.m.   And the race was on…..

SWIM

My swim went okay.  No one tried to swim over me this year, so that was good.   It starts out really crowded though so it takes some time to get in a groove and carve out your own space.    My ankle bothered me a bit but otherwise the swim went pretty well.  Until the end!   I made the mistake of standing up too soon (rather than swimming as far as I could before standing).   I stood and tried to sprint out of the water.   It was like I was anchored down.  Running in rough water on sand is a complete killer.    My quads were burning, my calves cramped, and my heart rate went so high it was very difficult to regain a steady breathing pattern.    Lesson learned.   As you might know by now, I do tend to learn my lessons the hard way.   And I usually have to learn them three times for them to sink in.   But I do learn – eventually…….

 

Transition 1 – this was okay.  I was huffing and puffing and dealing with a major calf cramp but managed to wipe my feet and get my shoes on.    I put my shirt on that had my number on it and it ripped off.  It is hard putting on a shirt while you are dripping wet and it got stuck so when I roughly pulled it down the number got stuck and ripped off.   That set me back a bit as I had to repin it.   When I went to mount my bike, I realized my shoe lace was not tied.   Another minor set back as I had to pull to the side, set my bike down and get my shoe lace tied so it didn’t get caught in my gears.    

BIKE

I had a rough start on the bike.  My legs were burning from the stupid sprint way to early out of the water and I could not catch my breath.   I was wheezing like I had asthma or something.   That lasted for a good half hour and definitely slowed me down.   On top of that I forgot to take off my 5 lb. bike lock and that was weighing me down.    I also had the wrong water bottle.  I was dying of thirst and had a screw cap water bottle.  Try to unscrew that while biking and then taking a sip without spilling.   I will definitely have to change that next year.   I also need to bring Chap Stick; my lips were sore and feeling really chapped, which is more of a distraction than you may think.   It started raining about 20 minutes into the bike.  It was just a mild sprinkle that continued on and off throughout the rest of the race, it didn’t really affect me too much.  I was glad it was a light rain and didn’t amount to much more.   The bike was maybe my toughest leg of the race because I couldn’t get my breathing down and it is hard to bike with your legs burning.     

Transition 2 – I forgot to mention that my right foot fell completely asleep on the bike.  It was kind of scary actually.  I had to take my shoe off and rub it to get feeling back in it before I could run.    I set my bike back on the rack, changed from my helmet to a baseball cap, rubbed my toes and then headed out on my jog.

RUN

My foot was still tingling and my left hip was hurting (from putting to much weight on my left side to baby my right ankle).   So I got off to a slow start on the jog/run too.    I kept telling myself not to push it and hurt myself.    I walked a couple of times and otherwise I tried to keep a slow, steady pace.    That said, I couldn’t help but to sprint across the finish line!    In hindsight, the run goes pretty fast and I think I could have pushed it a little more.

Finish – it felt good to finish and even better to know that it wasn’t 10:18 yet.   This meant I finished in less than two hours.   I was happy about that.   I was also happy to see Tom and Rocky at the finish line even though I finished earlier than expected.   I got my medal, caught my breath for a bit and then sat down and had some snacks.   It was a good ending.     

Trying to catch my breathe after crossing the finish line

Spotting my Fans

My cheerleader and Running Trainer

Stretching and Chilling after the Race

Proud of my Metal

Results:

Swim (500 yards) - 11:07

Transition 1 – 4:17

Bike (15.5 miles) – 59:52

Transition 2 – 2:31

Run (3.1 miles) – 31:48

Last Year (2011) Results:

Swim (500 yards) - 11:37

Transition 1 – 4:16

Bike (15.5 miles) – 54:34

Transition 2 – 2:55

Run (3.1 miles) – 30:40

I beat my swim by 30 seconds, added five minutes to my bike (no surprise there), and added 1 minute/8 seconds to my run.   I can’t believe it only took me five minutes longer to complete than last year.    I think the adrenaline and inspiration of all the other ladies helped move me along.  

Next year I will beat 1 hour, 44 minutes.   

Cheers!

Penelope, The Triathlete

Grandpa Frohardt Remembered

Me & my Grandpa Frohardt, April 2012

My grandfather recently passed away unexpectedly.   Granted, he was 88 but it was still a shock.  I always thought he’d be around into his 90s.  And I wanted that for him; I wanted him to have a few more good years.    I am fortunate to have been able to spend time with him (visiting as often as I could and calling him regularly.)  I know most people don’t get to know their grandparents that well or have them taken away from them much too soon.   I am grateful for the relationship we had and that I got to know him as an adult.  I was asked to speak at the funeral and thought I would share that here……..

I’m Penelope, the oldest granddaughter and there are a couple things you should know about my Grandpa Frohardt.

The first thing that pops into my head is PROUD.   Grandpa was a very proud man and he was extremely proud of his family.   He would always mention how lucky he was and how not all families make an effort to get together with each other or get along so great.   He truly took great pride in his family and would light up when talking about them. 

Now this doesn’t mean that he didn’t embellish a little bit.  For example he would introduce his pharmacist granddaughter as a doctor and he credited his grandson Daniel with creating the Internet.    When I had lunch with him a few weeks ago he introduced me as a famous writer from Minneapolis with a husband that owns a big computer company.   Neither of which are quite true but it is always good to dream and play along.    My favorite example of his “pride” is when the family all went out to dinner at a local steak house and Grandpa pulled the hostess aside and said “you’re going to see a lot of really good looking folks in here tonight – that’s my family.” 

He was also known for his one-liners, for example – “I try to improve a little everyday, but it's hard to improve on perfection,” and “I’m already working on my second million – I gave up on my first.” 

Grandpa was such a sweet and caring man.  He liked to make sure everything and everyone was taken care of.    This truly shined when he cared for grandma after her stroke.   He was always by her side and catered to all of her needs, including taking on the domestic duties such as the cooking – which was interesting to say the least.    It was sweet to see him take on that role and embrace it with a smile on his face.  Even if he did mix mushroom soup with salsa for a dinner treat.     

He was a polite man and had the best manners.  He would always stand when a woman entered a room and would never walk in front of them.    Even later when he wasn’t supposed to, he couldn’t resist the urge to spring up to greet you.    He was the ultimate gentleman.

He also had a voracious appetite.   I remember him saying that he had room in his big toe for that second piece of pie.   I will definitely say that appetite is one thing I inherited from him, combine that with the sweet tooth I got from grandma and all I can say is that it is a good thing I work out.  

He was quite the charmer.  Always full of compliments, he regularly greeted the ladies in his life with “hi beautiful” or “hey good lookin.”

He had the best laugh and sense of humor.   A couple months ago when I was visiting, he and I were cracking up for about 5 minutes.   For the life of me, I can’t remember what had us in uncontrollable belly laughs – with tears.   I guess the reason doesn’t really matter, it was a great memory to see him laughing so hard and to be laughing along with him.    Robin described him as a joyful man and I couldn’t agree more.   He really appreciated the simple pleasures in life and found joy in everything, especially his family. 

And how can we forget his ability to chat with anyone about anything – for hours!  This was evidenced in the many times we would lose him in the grocery store or just out and about.  He’d wonder off and chat with complete strangers about any topic.  

He was also quite the story teller.  I remember him starting his sentences with “say, did I tell you about this one time…..”    He usually pulled his glass down a bit to make direct eye contact while telling it.   It was an endearing quality.   

I will miss his laugh, his stories, his hugs, his two different colored eyes, and him just being him.

Grandpa will be remembered fondly by our family and his characteristics live on in many of us.   Our memories, guidance, and experiences have shaped us into the individuals and family that we are.    And I have to say that I think the grandkids turned out pretty well - if I do say so myself.   Seriously, I am so proud, lucky, and grateful to be part of the Frohardt family; grandpa and grandma really laid a great foundation and if even in their passing they are our pillars.  They will be missed terribly but remembered regularly.

Great Memories On the Farm: Grandpa, me, and my sister - Chelley