About Me

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Austin, Texas, United States
I'll make you laugh, or break my neck trying. This is usually accomplished with daily bouts of swimming, biking and running. A former "chub-a-holic," I got fit and healthy the good old fashioned way and went from a mid-pack athlete to top age group runner and triathlete. I'm a Writer and USAT Level 1 Certified Triathlon Coach. I guess that makes me part Tina Fey and part Jillian Michaels. Visit my coaching site at www.fomotraining.com

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Which One of You Ladies has the Invisible Airplane??

A Typical 35-39 Year Old Female Triathlete


I've found the fountain of youth and apparently it's somewhere in the Female 35-39 age group! I don't know what these bitches are eating and drinking, but apparently it's working because they are unstoppable!

Y'all--it was the race of a lifetime for me that resulted in an almost 7:00min+ PR from last year...in a Sprint Distance Race!  You know how hard it is to find 7 extra minutes in a short course race? Pretty freaking hard, especially when you recall last year's effort as one of your strongest ever. I even reviewed my times last night from 2007 and thought, "Damn, that was pretty solid. If I can just match that this year, I'll be happy." 

Here's how it played out in a quick recap:

1000m Swim
2007: 21:31 (2:09/100 pace)
2008: 18:15 (1:50/100 pace)!!! I'm no longer last out of the water!!

T1:
2007: 1:36
2008: 1:27

23 mile Bike 
2007: 1:12:36 (19.0 mph avg)
2008: 1:10:16 (19.6 mph avg)

T2:
2007: 1:03
2008: :46

4.4 mile Run
2007: 32:08 (7:18 pace)
2008: 31:30 (7:10 pace)

TOTAL
2007: 2:08:55  (good enough for 2nd in my 30-34 age group last year)
2008: 2:02:15  (good enough for 5th in my 35-39 age group this year and 11th overall female!)

Cardio-wise I felt freaking awesome! Of course, I was huffing and puffing on some of the hills, but I was still passing people. I'm a little concerned about my legs as they are the things that seem to fatigue quickly on the bike when I'm pushing the heavy gears and the big chain ring. I've got to seek some explanation on why my large leg muscles (IT, quads and hamstrings) seem to fill up with lactic acid pretty quickly and render themselves useless. Am I not stretching enough? (who does?) Am I not recovering enough with enough protein? Am I not getting enough rest? (don't answer that...)  

That being said, I'm so freaking happy with my results this year even though I've clearly entered the Wonder Woman Age Group. Of the Top 10 overall females, 4 of them were in my new age group! You know what that means? Yours truly was 11th overall and 5th amongst the badasses.

Ladies in the 35-39 Age Group:  Don't you have somewhere else to be?? Don't you have to attend your kid's soccer games? Church? Bunko?  ANYTHING?? Do you ALL have to be out here on race day smokin' the field and making this youngin' in your age group suffer? Give me a couple of years ladies. I promise to provide you with a little more competitive action so that you don't get complacent.  Until then, I will idolize you.

Love, 

The newbie 35-39 year old

19 comments:

IronWaddler said...

WooHoo!!! Great PR and by 7 freakin minutes- amazing.

Trihardist said...

So true. Triathletes are strange in that they get more and more competitive. My theory is that the 35+ crowd has more time and money to invest in the sport.

But it's apparently making you more competitive, too! Way to go!

Anonymous said...

so proud of your times. j

greyhound said...

I'm getting faster too, but everyone else is getting faster faster than I am.

a.maria said...

oh honey... i'm in town now. you will never EVER be last out of the water with me around! ;)

awesome race. congrats on a hella PR!!

triguyjt said...

Just say the word, and I will take out some of those "badasses"..LOL

Wow!! to lop off that much time is great... YOu are such a Beast!!!

Your tranny times are super fast too....

Great Job...

Patricio said...

I think it's the same for males... and this is my last 30 - 34.... D'oh!

Hey, great times.. well done!

PC

Unknown said...

Great Job! For the newbie here, how exactly do you do a 46 second transition... I'm totally impressed!

ShirleyPerly said...

Awesome job all around!!

I don't know if it's true but I've heard that women with kids often do much better in races because they're now pushing kids in strollers adding resistance to their running workouts and also with the limited time they have to train, they are doing more quality workouts. Either way, I'm just hoping some of them start slowing down in their 50's.

Jane said...

Wow! You're freakin' fast! Please tell me working out with T3 will make me that fast too. I think you should race in a wonderwoman costume. (hey, it's not that much more skimpy than what we wear anyway)

Amytrigirl (aka Amybee) said...

Congrats on the PR! Great results!

I'm in an "more mature" age bracket than you and I can't figure out where all those speedy middle aged women come from.

(Atlhough I have to admit from the back of the pack: sometimes I feel like WonderWoman too -- just a really slow WonderWoman!)

Viv said...

The rock stars in that age group amazes me....including you! I wonder what the hell happens to people of that age, but I hope it happens to me when I wake in on my birthday this year. Superb efforts out there. You improved in every possible area to shave a jaw dropping 7 minutes off a sprint, WOW! Congratuflipination!

Michelle said...

Awesome, awesome race!

I'm in that 35-39 age group and those broads ARE nasty! So, I hear you.

BTW, by the look of Wonder Woman's thighs, I don't think she could push a big gear even if she tried!

Garry said...

Fantasic race and an impressive new PR. I hear you about the older guys and gals. Almost makes you look forward to getting older!

Erin said...

great job! (good swim this morning, too! :))

tracie said...

woohoo! way to go carrie! :)

Dionn said...

It was nice to meet you at T3 and I guess I'll have to be following your heels all around the age group!!

AWESOME RACE!!

Stef0115 said...

LOL!!! Great race and PR, congratulations!!

Nice note to the ladies -- you have put them on notice!!!

Tammy said...

Damn, you're quite the little runner. And now you are in my age group. I'll have to hate you until next year when I AG-up. :)