Going Sock less...

So I am a flat footed over pronator, which basically means all the shoes I wear are in the category of MOTION CONTROL, this severely limits my options.  However, I decided that socks were just taking too much transition time and since I'd already bought some tri shoes I figured it was time to go sock less in the running department.  Unfortunately, motion control aren't available in materials that make it easy to run without socks.  This meant I had to take my chances with STABILITY shoes!  The idea scared me and made me bite my nails, but I figured I'll just start out slow and I can return them if I have any problems.  I took the plunge and purchased my first pair of ZOOT Ultra tempo 4.0 shoes...

Aren't they pretty?  I can tell you that the shoes I usually have to buy never manage to be in a color that I like and always look chunky and ugly, but I loved the look of these and prayed that they fit.  I've taken them out on the track and raced them in a triathlon and I've had no blister complaints (although I still use anti-chafe just in case).  They are easy to slide on and my narrow heels don't slip out the back!  The best part about them is that it is getting close to the end of tri season so they are ON SALE!  I did make sure to purchase some super feet insoles for the shoes to give me some added support, but overall I'm very pleased with this purchase.

California International Triathlon race report

Marathoners fear blisters, swimmers fear water filled goggles, what does a cyclist fear?  A FLAT TIRE! Today, was just not my day...I felt surprisingly awesome although I was a little worried when at 5a.m. my legs felt achy.  This is the first year for the California International Triathlon in Pleasanton, CA and although I didn't really know the course I'm fairly familiar with the area between Tri for Real, Tri for Fun, and running around Pleasanton.  Anyway, I went through my normal routine for a race:
1) beans and rice the day before
2) getting plenty of sleep on Friday
3) shaking out the legs with a few short easy workouts
4) putting together my tri bag the night before
5) No breakfast just grab water and go

My boyfriend helped me get my transition area ready, and then I headed out for a warm-up run in my new Zoot shoes (I'll definately be talking about these soon).  Anyway, I waited until about 10 minutes before the Men's start to put my wetsuit on and jump in the lake.

The SWIM: I got a few warm-up strokes in before my start time and I was lucky enough to have the smaller wave of the two.  I sometimes feel real stiff in my wetsuit and I hadn't really been swimming long distances just short endurance swims so I was a little concerned to start.  I headed out feeling pretty good, but I felt like everyone left me in their dust.  Luckily, I think people went out too fast because I finally started passing people.  I made it out and around the first bouy and started feeling fatigue in my arms so I mentally coached myself to get through as best I could.  I got a little off track after the second bouy and I think the swim was a little long, but I finished in 30:44 which is a little disappointing compared to my 28:57 at Wildflower, but it seemed a bit choppier and other peoples times were a bit slower too.  I didn't exactly put the time I should have put in the water anyway.

Transition 1: Wildflower 2:31, Today: 1:27

The BIKE: I headed out feeling real slow and sluggish, but I found a rhythm and pushed it hard.  I felt awesome after a while and felt great as I passed the people who schooled me in the swim.  That is until the DAMN FLAT TIRE!  I swear Pleasanton hates me because I got a flat on the tri for real course.  I thought about a DNF but I was in the middle of nowhere, who was going to pick my butt up?  So I got my act together, changed it, and left pissed off and determined to finish.  This course was probably about equal to wildflower, but had I not flatted I would have shaved quite a bit of time off.  Wildflower: 1:31  Today: 1:30

Transition 2: Wildflower:1:46, Today: 1:28

The RUN: Nick saw me in transition, saw my flat tire, and knew I looked like I was about to cry.  He told me to just kill the run and so that is what I tried to do.  I headed out slow and steady powering up hills that others were walking.  I felt awful until about mile 1 and I started burping even though I'd only had 2 gus during the race and no breakfast ( I have a very touchy stomach).  I just kept going and wouldn't let myself walk.  I finally came to the finish and booked it for the last 100 yards.  Wildflower:54:38, Today: 51:24

My final time: 2:55:53...4 minutes faster than Wildflower, yay!
The bad news: I'm not sure how long my flat took me, but I'm pretty sure 5 minutes or so is a good estimate...I came in 5th in my age group and 2nd, 3rd, and 4th were all around 5 minutes or less from my time.  I'm happy with my performance, but definitely bummed over the final results.  Guess I'll just have to work harder the next time around.