Tyler Triathlon Race Report

    The first thing I would like to say about the Tyler Triathlon, which was the host for the Olympic Distance South Mid-West Regional Championships, is that the volunteers, race directors, and everyone there were excellent: it was great to be back in Texas and have a nice reminder about how nice and friendly everyone is! East Texas especially is really enjoyable to me since it reminds me so much of Virginia with the tall trees and pines...and hills! But more on that in a bit.
       First off...March is still pretty cold! Even for Texas! When I signed up for the race in the winter, however, I was still a bit delusional that it might warm up enough. After all, I lived in Texas for 7 years and had collected insects off trees that started to leaf out by the end of the month in eighty-degree temperatures. Surely, this year will be no different and it can warm up enough.
       Nope. The water temps ended up in the low sixties when we got to the course, but the air temperature was only 38 degrees. All of us were huddled in our wetsuits and wearing as much clothing as possible for as long as we could just to stay warm in the air. Getting into the water was a bit warmer...but not much. I honestly was really nervous about getting my face in the water since I have such a bad reaction to cold water, but dunking it a few times just to get used to it helped a lot. Thankfully we didn't have a lot of time between waves starting to just sit there freezing in the water; we got going pretty quickly and that definitely helped warm us up.
       The major problem, though, was that with the water so much warmer than the air temperature we had some serious fog. Fog so thick that we couldn't see the buoys, which were yellow and blended in with the fog that was reflecting the early sun coming up. So...it became a game of hide-and-seek for the buoys as we all had to keep stopping to try to see if we could see a buoy, or at least other swimmers that we [thought] might be able to see a buoy. There was a pack of at least 10 swimmers drafting off of my feet trying to follow me for directions, which was a challenge because I definitely did not see where I was going very well. About half-way [I think] a bunch of us popped our heads up to yell at the kayaks about where the turn buoy was since we couldn't see which one was the turn for us, the Olympic swimmers, versus the Half-Ironman distance continued course because they were the same color...and apparently the second to last buoy that was supposed to direct us to that buoy floated off course. A bunch of us had to then do a major dog leg to the turn buoy the kayaks pointed to, then guestimate which direction was the swim exit since we couldn't see the shore. Thankfully at that point I was able to drop a lot of the swim pack and focus on just making sure I got a straight shot back out of the swim, and only three girls got out ahead of me.
      The water ended up not be that bad...but getting out into the 40 degree air after really hurt. My hands and feet went numb instantly, and it got so bad that I couldn't use my hands to get my wetsuit unzipped and off. Thankfully there were strippers there to help unzip and get my wetsuit off because I literally couldn't feel my hands. Thank you volunteers!
       I grabbed my wetsuit from them, passed one of the girls running towards transition, and then had to fumble my way through transition with numb hands and feet. I saved trying to do a flying mount and dismount from my bike for a day I knew I could feel my feet, and stopped to put on socks and my shoes with numb hands so at least my feet wouldn't freeze (as much). The one perk...I did manage to get on my bike and get going the fastest yet with shoes already on and clipping in!
      Biking ended up not being much better with being that cold, since my feet instantly started to hurt really bad with the socks being wet from lake water, and my hands made shifting and breaking really difficult. Eventually the air temperature warmed up a good deal during the ride, but numbness with my hands had me miss at least one turn because I literally couldn't squeeze hard enough on the breaks. My goal for the bike was to keep it 70-80% effort since it was the hilliest course I've ever biked, and the run afterwards was going to be just as challenging so I didn't want to completely fry my legs before attempting a super-hilly 10K after.
       I did pass at least one other woman on the bike, but the woman who ended up getting first zipped past me about 3/4ths of the way through. Honestly the two things I thought when she flew past me were: "Man, she's a killer biker...but I might be able to reel her in on the run, though" or "If she's not a killer biker, man she's going to fry her legs with that pace on these hills, and I definitely can pass her on the run". I tried to hold onto her for a bit, but after a while I decided if I was going to pass her, it wasn't on the bike and I had better save it for that.
       Well, she ended up being a good enough runner after that strong bike to build a big enough gap on me, which actually encouraging because its good to see how someone can kill a course like that. Next year! Last thing on the bike...again it was supper hilly, which isn't really a problem for me but there was one hill in particular that was brutal for everyone, the Water Tower Hill. You turn right off this really nice road onto this stripped-pavement road that literally looks like a giant half-pipe. The road was in such poor condition that you really couldn't go fast down the preceding hill to get a lot of speed, which meant that climbing up the other side was literally standing on your biggest rings trying to suffer up the thing. I think I could have walked faster, lol.
       The transition to the run went alright...I managed to drop my bike on my leg at the rack and cut up my ankle, and found out my feet were still numb from the cold since I couldn't feel a thing. It was the weirdest sensation...I literally felt like I was running on sponges. For the first four miles I tried to concentrate on my form and cadence because I couldn't feel my feet landing, and a few times I nearly rolled my ankles. It was hard to really get going with speed initially for that reason, but by the last two miles I was able to pick it up a little bit and my feet actually felt "normal" running.
      Overall I still have a lot to learn, and put into practice with only three Olympics under my belt, mainly learning to balance bike efforts and run efforts. Transitions definitely could improve too. But for a race that wasn't an "A" race, that was in March, one of the toughest courses I've done in a while, and I'm not really in shape for, I'm pretty happy with it. Yeah it would have been nice to defend my title, but honestly the Waco win was a bit of a fluke because it was a short-notice reschedule, and not much competition could jump into that race like I could. Going into a race that I knew other top-notch athletes had on their calendar in advance meant I definitely had a challenge, and a lot of them probably made this race an "A" race. Getting second with top-notch women to compete with and being out of shape while doing it is a huge confidence booster. Looking forward to later season races!

 Vegetable Frittata:

   I like to make these when I have a ton of vegetables in my fridge that I need to use, or if there are a ton of really awesome locally grown wares at the farmers market that I can't resist trying out. In general there are few rules with these, though if you're vegan you'll probably have to pass because with frittatas you have to use eggs. The eggs provide protein, and the vegetables pack in the minerals and other nutrients. The major source of fat is the olive oil, so its fairly healthy. If you're sensitive with cholesterol you might want to substitute the eggs with Egg Beaters. The leftovers are amazing the next day...the flavors really pop!

The Basics:
- 6 large eggs (preferably fresh), or 8 if you're not adding sour cream and Parmesan
- 1/2 cup low-fat or non-fat sour cream (I usually save a bunch of sour cream that comes from Pepe's meals to go and use those...its not a set-in-stone amount. Sour cream just adds some fluffy-ness to the eggs and some creaminess)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan (again, not set in stone....its to add flavor. Now that I've found I'm more lactose sensitive I usually cut this and the sour cream out in recent versions).
- olive oil (I'm a snob about olive oil...I put it on EVERYTHING, so I prefer a good-grade olive oil that's 100% Italian, Californian, or Spanish).
- 1 small onion, or half of a large onion, chopped (yellow is best, but again you can go with whatever you want to use up)
- 1 small to medium sized garlic clove, minced
- 1 large potato or 2 small potatoes, chopped finely (these are mainly for body in the fritatta...if you're not adding a whole lot of vegetables you might want to add more potato).
- 1 cup mixed chopped vegetables. (This is where you can get creative..see below)
- dash salt and pepper, or for a kick Tony Chacheres Creole Seasoning
- large cast-iron skillet, and frying pan.

1.) Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. With about a tbs of olive oil in the skillet (enough to coat the bottom but not enough to have the frittata swimming in oil), place the skillet in the oven to heat up.

2.) Chop the onions, potatoes, garlic, and other vegetables for the frittata.

3.) In the frying pan heat another tbsp olive oil (medium heat) to keep the potatoes and vegetables from sticking to the pan. Add the onions, potatoes and vegetables to the pan and cook until soft, but not burning them (you just want them cooked through enough that when in the oven the flavors can permeate, because they won't cook all the way in the oven once with the eggs). Add a dash of salt or pepper to taste (or any other spices you'd like to add...paprika, rosemary, oregano...any spices you think would complement the vegetables). Remove from heat when all vegetables, potatoes, and onions are heated through and soft.

4.) In a large mixing bowl mix, crack and beat the eggs until smooth (6 if adding cheese and sour cream, 8 if you're going with just eggs). If you're adding the sour cream and parmesan beat the eggs first, then fold in and beat the cheese and sour cream in until smooth (chucks of cheese and sour cream in the final product are kind of gross). You also can add additional ingredients at this stage that would shrivel if you cooked them directly but add flavor...my favorites are extra arugula, spinach, kale or other salad greens I have to use up.

5.) Add the cooked vegetables to the egg mixture bits at a time, and mix thoroughly. You'll want enough egg mixture to coat and surround the vegetables in the final product (1:1 ratio in volume), so if you cooked too many vegetables compared to eggs, save some of the veggies in a separate container for something else (pasta, etc.). If you're too much above 1.5:1 or higher for veggies to eggs you're fritatta may not stay together in the final product.

6.) When the oven is at 425 degrees, take out the skillet (HOT!), swirl the oil so that it coats the bottom of the pan to prevent the fritatta from sticking, then set it down on you stovetop or other place you can place a hot pan. Pour the egg and vegetable mixture into the skillet, using a spatula to get as much of the mixture as you can into the pan. Make sure the mixture is evenly distributed in the pan by using a spatula to press it evenly around.

7.) Place the skillet back into the oven, and bake for 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees. You want the top of the fritatta to be golden brown, and cooked all the way through. Use a tooth-pick to test the center; if you can insert it and it comes out clean, then its cooked.

8.) Let the frittata cool for 5-10 minutes in the skillet before cutting. I like using a silicone spatula to help remove it from the pan. The fritatta will also "sink" a bit when cooling, but that's normal.

9.) I like to serve the fritatta with crusty bread or slices of citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruit), and pair it with an IPA beer :).

Vegetable mixture suggestions:

• chopped mushrooms and a dash of rosemary gives a bit more protein-filled frittata. The rosemary complements the mushrooms,
• for more of a Spanish influence, use sweet red peppers and add some paprika (1/2 tsp). I've never tried added Spanish olives but I'd love to try
• marinated artichokes give a nice tang; I chop up a small jar to add sometimes.
• Zucchini and yellow squash are really good for this; they provide body and its a good way to use them up if you have a ton in your garden.
• Tomatoes work...but fall apart in the fritatta. I would add slices of them on top when baking for flavor and decor, but its really annoying having them explode when cooking/cutting the fritatta.
• You can add meat to this too...tuna, canned salmon (works really well with rosemary/mushroom/kale), pretty much anything light and can be chopped finely.
• Purple potatoes are fun to add...but turn the fritatta blue. Just a warning!