HITS TRIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIPS PALM SPRINGS - Dec 7, 2014

750M Swim | 12.4 mile Bike | 5k Run
1:20:02 #1/3 (60-64)


The last triathlon of the 2014 season... yes, kind of late.. December 7th in Palm Springs.. I expected warm water and weather.... not so.  The water was actually quite chilly.  Not as cold as last year, I'm sure... but I chose to wear a sleeveless Xterra wetsuit and got cold by the end of the swim.

I went to the race venue on Dec 6th to check in and to check out the course.  The water seemed warm enough, I went in with no wetsuit, but didn't stay long.  But that was after trying out the bike course.. about 2 miles in, I heard the hissing of my back tire losing it's air..... uh..oh... my end of season tires couldn't stand up to the little dessert stickers.. I must have rolled through a patch of them.. both tires had stickers all over them.... oh well... I fixed the back flat and went back to the race venue to the Hypercat booth and bought a set of new tires.... glad they were there and glad the flat happened on Saturday, versus Race Day!

Pre-race was the usual drill, up at 4:30am, lemon water, coffee by 5:00am, oatmeal - banana - hammergel by 5:10am, vitamins with Hammer Whey protein by 5:20 and leave for the venue at 5:35am.  It took less than 20 minutes to drive to Lake Cahuilla from the condo in La Quinta.

Women's Sprint Swim Start

I love the HITS transition areas, each racer has a private bench with names attached.. a nice touch.

I took four Race Caps Supreme with four Endurolytes at 6:00am and sipped on about 12 ounces of Heed within the hour before Race Start.  The transition area was cleared by 6:45am for the 7:00am start.  The sun was just coming up so the first half of the swim was probably going to be a difficult sighting experience.  I wore my clear goggles because they were newer than the dark ones.. I really should have bought new dark goggles.  I didn't have my trusty TYR Race Tech Smoke.. I had  another model, ill-fitting and inferior.

I started in the middle of the pack and was pushed around for the first minute or so of the swim.... I swallowed some water and then realized that I was in very shallow water.. so I stood up and ran.  I could see, much better that way.  I jumped back into swim just before the turn around buoy and booked it back to the finish line.. Sighting was still hard, I ran into some men from the wave that took off three minutes before us.  I was very glad that I had put on two caps, water was cold and I probably should have worn the full Xterra vs the sleeveless....

T1 Hits Palm Springs

After exiting the water and running up towards the transition area, I was pleasantly surprised to see that volunteers were there assisting everyone with getting their wetsuits off... sweet!   I ran on towards my bike, sat down, put on my running shoes, helmet and sunglasses and headed out on the bike.  Because the bike ride was basically flat, I chose to wear my toe clips and running shoes vs cycling shoes.  I was glad I did because of the distance between the mount/dismount lines and my transition spot.

Bike ride was fine, no issues, just big packs of riders to negotiate and a slight wind.. thankfully, no stickers!  I took a couple of sips from my Chocolate Hammer Gel mixed with water flask and a few sips of Heed during the ride.

The run seemed to go by quickly, I felt slow, but no one in my Age Group was near me, so I felt relaxed with my pace.  I saw Karen Chequer-Pfeiffer barreling towards the finish line for her Second woman overall finish.. an awesome athlete also sponsored by Hammer Nutrition!

Last Race of the Season.. done!

Thank you again to Hammer Nutrition for fueling me through yet another triathlon.. it was a great season!  First place AG wins in all but one Triathlon in 2014! Yahoo!

CATALINA TRIATHLON - November 1, 2014

S - 1/2 mile | Bike - 15K | Run - 5K   1:33:06
1/8 (60-64)

Race Morning Rainbow

The rain was heaviest at about 1:00am, I think that the Halloween Party in town was over by then, but suffice it to say, between the parties in Avalon and the storm.... I didn't get very much sleep.  But the Catalina Triathlon usually starts at 9:00am, so it really wasn't too much of a problem.  I got up at 6:00ish, had all of the usual morning, then re-race things.. hot lemon water, coffee, oatmeal w/banana and apple-cinnamon hammergel, Hammer whey protein and all of the vitamins and supplements. I

took my bike down to rack in the Wave 3 Zone, second from the end, in the sand..  Always remember to bring a plastic bag to put on the sand, especially today, since the sand was wet from the rain.

I went back to the apartment to hang out for almost an hour before the race started.  The race started on time.. 9:08am, all men and women over 50 started together.  It was chaotic.....  I started out to the left of the pier, in line of sight to the turn buoys.  At the first turn buoy, a woman knocked my goggles right off my face - should have put them on under my cap.  It wasn't a disaster though, I managed to grab them and get them back on, no contact lense troubles, I kept going.  I hugged the pier on the return and came out First Greem ca woman (1st woman over 50).  I sat down on the steps, took off my wetsuit and went over the timing mat..  I had trouble getting the wetsuit off of my feet, so I lost a little time there.

The run over to my bike was quick, I grabbed my towel, shoes and socks and sat on the concrete bench to put them on.  Grabbed the helmet, bike, glasses and a Hammerbar and ran out to the bike mounting zone.  The road was still wet, so I took it easy on the downhills and went as fast as I could on the ascents.  Using the toe clips and running shoes made the climbing harder, but I think I saved time in the long run.

Helen Briglio passed me on the last (third) loop of the bike section.  We weren't far from the top of the hill, but I couldn't catch her and just began to settle into my own pace, my own race.

As it turned out, I wasn't far behind Helen, and came into transition right after her.. Because I didn't have to change shoes, I was able to get out on the run before her.  Helen is a much faster runner than I, so I fully expected to be passed, sooner than later.  But.. I kept running as fast as I could, walked a little bit on one of the hills, but kept running and running.. when I turned down Crescent Ave and saw the finish line, I thought.. she's got to be right behind me... keep running, keep running... then boom!  I finished victoriously!  Helen was just 30 seconds behind, and #3 (60-64) came in 5 minutes later.. Narrow margins!

Swim exit - water was about 69 degrees, so comfortable!

SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL TRIATHLON - Sept 28, 2014

S - 1.5k around the Pier | B - 40k | R - 10K  2:56:00
#1/6 (60-64)

The familiar feeling of Santa Cruz in late September is one I've grown to love over the the many years of participating in this triathlon.  It was called the Sentinel for many years, the transition area used to be in the parking lot across the street from The Dream Inn... those days are gone.  Though the finish line is still in roughly the same spot in front the the same hotel.  I stayed in one of the hotels close to Depot Park the night before the race.  Got to bed by about 9:30pm and got up at 5:00am, did the usual routine:  Warm water + lemon, coffee, oatmeal w/banana and Hammer gel, Hammer whey protein and all of the vitamins and supplements by about 5:50am.  I took my bike over to Depot Park by 6:00am and got into the transition without waiting in a long line because I was already body-marked.....  always a good idea to carry a big Sharpie and ask a friend, in cases like this.  I racked close to the Bike Out and then went back to the hotel.

By this time is was a little after 6:30am,  I got horizontal again for a while, drank some water and just hung out for the next hour inside the warm hotel room.  I went to set up the rest of my things in the transition area, got my swimming things and walked down to the beach at about 7:45am.  My wave was scheduled to go off at 8:15am.. it was on time.  I took 4 Race Caps Supreme and 4 Endurolytes at about 7:15am and started sipping on Heed around that time.  I drank most of it, but left my water bottle in the staging area before the race.

Swim Strategy -- Start on the left and try to make a bee line to the first buoy... well, that would have been easier if I had been able to see it the entire time.....   I made a fairly straight shot to it though.  I could see the other buoys better, rounded the end of the pier and headed to the swim finish on the beach.. The water felt wonderful, not too cold.. even though I did get a little chilled by the end of the swim.. maybe two caps would have been a better idea.  After hitting the beach, I ran up to the ramp, took off my wetsuit at the curb and ran to Depot Park.

In transition, I got my bike and gear and headed out to the course.. I felt a little dizzy and sick for the first 10 or 15 minutes of the ride.. but thankfully, the bad feeling went away.  The ride felt speedy, no issues mechanical or otherwise!  I ate all of my Hammer Gel/Water mix, had one bite of a Hammer Bar and drank a little Heed.

The run was  a meditation, again... I had Kenesio tape on my left knee to help with stability.  It was a slow and steady almost 10 minutes per mile pace.... not so fast, but fast enough to pull off an age group win!

 Thank you Hammer once again for fueling me in this sport I Love!

MALIBU NAUTICA TRIATHLON - September 14, 2014

S -1/2 mile | B-18 mile | R - 4 mile
2:04:02  #1/7 F(60-64)

SANTA BARBARA LONG COURSE TRIATHLON - August 23, 2014

S - 1 mile | B - 34 mile | R - 10 mile  4:22:32 

#1/4 F (60-64)

Women 45+ waiting for race to begin

Post Race.. #1 and #2 Wm 60-64 -- whew!

 The last year that I competed in the Santa Barbara Long Course was 2008.  I had finished it in 3:55:51 that year.. but I was still training for marathons at that time... not so now.... so I knew that the run would be a challenge.  It was.. I had hoped for 9 minute miles.. but just couldn't pull it off. So my finish time of 4:22:32 wasn't bad.. just now what I had expected.   My swim was fast enough to be #5 out of our wave of Women 45+. and bike ride time was respectable.. my biggest concern was staying upright on the roads which were wet from the fog drip.  The run.... well, it was a struggle but I muscled through and finished strong!

SANTA CRUZ TRI - August 10, 2014

The first wave of the Santa Cruz Tri -- the young ones get ready to race!

Well,  sometime you have to know when to fold the cards and not start the race.  I injured my intercostal muscle on Saturday morning during a huli while out on an Outrigger Canoe.  We were allegedly one of the support vessels for a Waterworld Swim event -- The Bridge to Bridge Swim.  We didn't hear that the swim start was about a half hour later than scheduled.. so we went out to cross the Bay too early.  We ended up hulling before the swim race even began.. I pulled a muscle during the huli and even though I went to Santa Cruz for the triathlon, set up my bike, etc.. I decided an hour and a half before our race start to not race.. I was in too much pain.  It was a good thing, I went for a very short swim after the racers were out of the water..  each stroke was pretty darned excruciating.  I think this will just take time to heal......

Some photos of the Bridge to Bridge swim support before the huli and of the First Wave starting the Santa Cruz Tri.

After crossing the Bay.. waiting for swimmers...... before our huli

Post huli, found the swimmers and other support boats

Intrepid crew.. back from across the great water, post huli and glad to be back on our side of the Bay!

ROUND THE ROCK HE'E NALU OUTRIGGER RACE - August 2, 2014

An exciting race with a turn buoy just outside the Golden Gate Bridge.....

Our Crew Heading out to starting line

Post Race -- 2 hours later

DONNER LAKE SPRINT TRIATHLON - July 25th, 2014

Sprint - 1:01 -- #2/4 (60-64)

Deb and I #1 and #2 (60-64)

TAHOE CHALLENGE OUTRIGGER RACES - July 19, 2014

Tamalpais Senior Master Women -- 2/2  - last boat to the finish : (
Over 2 hours to cover 11.6 miles

DIP and DASH SANTA CRUZ - July 13, 2014

1500 M Swim | 4 Mile run 55:25
#5/9 F overall | #21/30 overall

Deb Melnikoff 1st overall in Sprint Race, Me - 5th overall in Long Course -- not bad for slightly older athletes....

Post race Awards

Pre Race - foggy Santa Cruz morning

Swim exit -- #2 woman out of the water.

Pre Race - the wetsuits on!

ALAMEDA SPRINT REGATTA #3 JUNE 28th 2014

OUTRIGGER RACES - OC6 - Sea Plane Basin, Alameda June 28th, 2014
Open Women 2000 Meter - 13:32:03  #6/7
Master Women 500 Meter - 3:20 #7/8
Open Women 1000 Meter - 7:34 #7/8
Open Women 500 Meter - 3:23 #5/6
At least we weren't the very last.....  : (

Beautiful venue for Sprint Races.. here are the OC1's getting ready to race

KULA 'ANELA OC6 Angel Island Races June 15, 2014

Some photos of the beautiful San Francisco Bay, June 15, 2014.. Kula 'Anela Race around Angel Island with Tamalpais Outrigger Canoe Club

Tamalpais Outrigger Open Women Team Heather rounding Alaya Cove, Angel Island

MONTE RIO VINEMAN June 8, 2014

Olympic Distance in the Russian River 1500M Swim | 40K Bike | 10k Run 2:53:03 #1/6 F60-64 

Pre swim... gotta get the wetsuit on before the hike to the swim start..

Exiting the water.. very shallow in places.....

Trying to get the wetsuit off before the long run up to transition

Nice prizes, running shoes and a bottle of Rodney Strong Cabernet!

Race over..

MONTEREY HOE WA'A  OC6 Distance Race - May 24th 2014
#3 Masters Women 1:55:30

Our fearless canoe

Masters Women Crew Pre Race

MORGAN HILL SPRINT TRIATHLON - May 18, 2014

moved to OYSTER POINT MARINA So SF because of drought.

3/4 Mi S | 16 Mi B | 5 Mi R    2:12:23
1/1 F 60-64
19/88 F overall
101/249 overall

Post swim slog through mud and silt

The dog jumps in to finish with her human, I'm right behind them...very amusing.

On the podium.. no other women in my age group......again.....