Brush Your Shoulders Off...YOU DID IT!

Welp, that's a wrap, folks. You did it! Congratulations! If this was your first triathlon, you have my permission to walk tall for the rest of the week. If this was just another flash in the pan during your season of races, a round of applause equally. That was a tough course! Weird how a place so beautiful can be so unforgiving...

Mike Wollinger and Noelle McKay,
after finishing the afternoon race, in quite the daze.

We had a gorgeous morning for the first race, and come second race the clouds were compassionate by blocking out the worst of the sun's rays.  Overall a total of 89 triathletes registered, making the event a success for Mainstay and Housing Assistance. In first place for the Advanced Triathlon overall was John Henis with a time of 1:45:08. Second place was Karen Masson close behind at 1:49:07, and third place was first-time triathlete, Clayton Sanders, with a time of 1:55:36.  For the Novice Triathlon, the top three were Scott Laffin came in first with a time of 58:23, Ed Lilly came in second at 1:02:41, and Brian Augustine was a cool 5 minutes behind him at 1:07:20. 

Me crossing the finish line!

My experience was strenuous but ultimately so rewarding. 100 meters into the swim I was ready to give up. Everyone was splashing around me, people zipping past me like they were shooting for gold, no shores to be seen, and the vast, open sky above me made me feel exceptionally abandoned. But after flopping around for 50 strokes or so, I made it to the bridge and then it was gravy.  Enclosed in the channel, it became much easier for me to forge ahead to the next buoy, and then the next, and then the next, until I had passed two swimmers from the first wave and left two swimmers from my own wave in my wake. That ego boost was equivalent to a whole box of energy gels. I finished the race in 2:40, winning in the Athena category for the Advanced race. (Athena = women >150lbs. I may have been one of two who had the guts to put their actual weight down on registration. Eh, I'll take it.) 

Volunteers and participants enjoy Terry Foxworth's delicious
bar-b-q and Sierra Nevada's generous donation of beer.

Bikers coming out of the 10K bike course

Rodney Robinson was the (evil?) mastermind behind the bike course. For those of who you were more technical mountain bikers, I heard it was a terrific ride, with all the narrow turns and bits of tree trunk to navigate around. Funny, that wasn't what it felt like from a novice perspective.. Still, many thanks to him for marking the trails and working with the organizations to come up with the best routes.  And to the volunteer lifeguard and kayakers out there on the water with us, your presence was most definitely a beacon of refuge for many panicked swimmers at one point or another - or maybe I'm just speaking for myself. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped set up the day before and who stayed after both races were over to clean up. You were ultimately responsible for alleviating worries of all parties involved, participants, organizers, and spectators alike. We can't thank you enough. 

To everyone who kept up with my blog during these last 7 weeks, I hope there was at least one nugget of advice from here that you took with you to Lake Summit.  It was great getting a chance to meet a few of you out there who were in the same boat as I, being totally new to this experience. I had the fortunate opportunity to be interviewed by someone from the Hendersonville Times who also kept up with my blog. Gotta say, that was icing on the cake. :-) Unfortunately/fortunately Housing Assistance nor Mainstay are organizations who put on triathlons on the regular, so this is it for for that subject. However, we hope you will continue following Housing Assistance's blog that will keep you up to date on all the happenings of our sweet organization. We'll be adding volunteer opportunities, DIY tips on basic home maintenance, and other pertinent information related to housing in Henderson County. Definitely check back every now and then, as we thrive on your attention (seriously, I've been refreshing the stats page of Google Analytics since the moment I started this blog. I crave your attention, people.)

Stefanie Kompathoum of HAC and Mainstay Executive Director,
Tanya Blackford, are soooo happy the race is finally over.

Homestretch!

Just 4 days till the Mountain Medley Triathlon, and I've already had a nightmare about not being prepared enough: losing my goggles, having to do the swim in a 25 m lap pool and being made to share a lane with a large man who kept hitting me in the face with every stroke, needing someone to drive me through the run because I couldn't use my legs anymore... You know, all the usual mishaps that could happen to anyone during a race. Sure.
So if any of you are suffering silently in anticipation for this weekend, or are battling similar worries that my subconscious apparently has, this post is all about how to get yourself prepared, mentally and physically, during these next four days. Also included are more details about the course and tips for how you can prepare for this particular location.

SWIM COURSE: 

For the Advanced triathlon-goers, the swim starts at the Camp Mondamin docks and goes for .5 miles under the bridge through the channel, and lets out at the entry spot for the Novice triathlon race.  The Novice swim is a .25 mile-loop around the lake opening near the transition area which comes back around to where you began.  (The pictures for the running courses show the channel and opening where the green marker is labeled.)

BIKE COURSE:

The Advanced bike course is a 10K (6.2 miles) over terrain that will elevate you upwards of 700 ft, all throughout Camp Green Cove's trails.  The .5 miles of this course is an up-hill climb, so heed the experts' advice and take it easy.  That hill won't even cover all of the elevation you will have to climb throughout the course, so don't expend all your energy thinking you will help yourself in the long-run by getting ahead of the pack right away. Perfect way to k-e-e-l over.
The Novice bike course is a 5K (3.23 miles) with a total incline of about 500 feet. This course overlaps with parts of the Advanced course, so both races will be facing a mix of gravel and dirt roads, as well as single and double track stretches.  As it says on the website, there will be bike rentals available in the transition area for those who need a mountain bike for this portion of the tri.

RUNNING COURSE:

5K Run through Camp Green Cove

The runs, outlined in the images, are pretty self-explanatory. The morning Advanced run will be going through Mondamin, and the Novice run in the afternoon will remain in Green Cove. And both runs end on a down-hill, so rejoice in that small miracle! Lord knows you'll be wanting those...

10K Run through Mondamin and Camp Green Cove

HOW TO TRAIN WITH ONLY A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE RACE: 
It will help to know beforehand what the experience will physically feel like come race day.  Speaking as someone who has only recently practiced in open water for the first time, I can strongly recommend you practice in as close to race conditions as possible as much as possible before Saturday. Any anxieties you have now about the race will be greatly reduced when you can sample what the experience will feel like.

This week, your main focus is on preparing your mind; it is not to fit in those missed intense hill-interval workouts that you didn't have time for last week. Keep your body loose by doing plyometrics for a bit every day. Jog an easy 3 miles; do a leisurely swim for a 45 minutes; power through a few hills on the bike and then coast for a few miles. Do enough to keep your body in constant remembrance of what it will be expected to do soon, but there's no need to overwork it. Also, remember to check your equipment!! Make sure bike tires are pumped and seat/handlebar heights are appropriately adjusted. Are your goggles in working condition? Are your shoelaces going to make it till this weekend? Checking and double checking before the race will be one less thing to stress about come Saturday.

***Helpful hint: Here you'll find a suggested packing list and a recommended nutrition regimen for the day before and day of the race.  Take note of what time your race starts, be it in the AM or PM. If AM, take in just enough carbohydrates to replenish your body's energy supply. If PM, go ahead and eat a big breakfast - if you don't, you'll surely hit a wall that will be near impossible to get over once the race is in motion.

The worst thing you could POSSIBLY do during this taper time before the race is freak out. (I know, I need to eat my own words...) Those of us who are doing this for the first time, we need to remember that we trained hard thus far - now all we have to do is race how we trained.  BeginnerTriathlete.com reiterates what I've been saying this last month: "Remind yourself how well prepared you are, do positive self talk everyday leading into race day, and simply draw strength and confidence from your hard work. This mental preparation is as important as the physical preparation!"

A great mental exercise to help your mind accept what your body is about to do in a few days is visualization. Take fifteen minutes before you start your practice, or do it during your post-workout stretching, close your eyes, and imagine the whole day as it will play out:

• Imagine how you're getting to the race. Visually list all the items you will need to have with you.
• Walk yourself through what the initial set-up will be like: arranging your bike and shoes in the transition area, taking in the faces of racers bustling around you. Feel the temperature and energy others are giving off soak into your skin (prepare for a wet day). 
• Feel your heartbeat rise as you envision plunging into the lake alongside 50+ other individuals, who are just as prepared yet just as nerve-wracked as you. Go through the race in your head. Imagine you are calm, making strong and intentional strokes with your arms, your breath is heightened but not spastic, the water is carrying you forward. Take deep breaths during this part of the visualization, so you associate calm breathing with the visuals of chaotic motion. 
• Go through the steps of getting to your bike, being mindful of others around you, and pushing your hardest up that first hill. 
• Imagine you've completed two out of the three legs of the race, and now you're dropping your bike off to complete the last and most taxing portion.  Envision yourself starting and ending strong, with a tall spine and a tall spirit. Think about how you will boost your confidence during the race in case your morale drops low.  Will you have a gel on hand? Is there a mantra you've memorized to replenish your confidence? Is there someone waiting for you at the finish line who you want to finish for? Imagine the finish line, think of everyone who will be cheering around you, think about all the incredible effort you put into your training to get you to where you are. 

Open your eyes. Take a deep breath. Smile, why don'tcha?  You gotta be excited for this! Get ready for the adrenaline to blast off when you eventually hear those gut-wrenching words, "On your mark...get set.....GO!!"

Reasons to Tri

Last Friday a friend and I stood outside the REI in Asheville for three hours dressed in full triathlon-garb, trying to reign people with our attractive spandex and knee-high socks.  It worked...sort of. One volunteer and a handful of "Yeah, I'll check that out".  At least we looked good, though!...right?

With the triathlon only 9 days away, here at the Housing Assistance and Mainstay, our efforts to get people to register have doubled.  As have our stress levels. Yesterday we had another grueling meeting tackling all sides of logistics (who knew there were so many facets to consider when organizing a triathlon?)  But as we sort through all the necessary kinks to make this event run as smoothly as possible and all loose ends are tied, we sometimes forget our own bottom line: raising money so we may continue serving our community efficiently.  I want to take a breather from the training tips and turn the spotlight on the organizations that are making all this happen. We get so caught up in the physical preparation (which is, don't misunderstand me, extremely necessary) that we forget about who is really benefiting from our participation.

The Housing Assistance Corporation (HAC) is a private, non-profit organization committed to providing safe and affordable housing for persons of limited income, serving those living in Henderson County and surrounding areas. Their programs include Self-Help housing, a sweat-equity building scheme where neighbors help each other build their own home; a home-repair program for people who may be physically or financially unable to maintain the condition of their homes; a credit counseling program to ease people into home-ownership; as well as developing beautiful multi-family complexes for low-income individuals. The development of Oak Haven, a low-income senior living community, was just completed this month. One resident says of the apartments, "They're more like mainstream apartments than traditional handicap places." "I don't feel like I'm being put into an ugly, utilitarian place. These are beautiful." The grand opening will be held at Oak Haven Apartments on Old Spartanburg Hghw September 21 - open to the public!

In Henderson County, based on projected in come and population growth, an estimated 482 units of affordable rental housing and 138 units of single family housing will be needed each year for the next ten years.  However, current development plans project annual construction of only 30 units of affordable rental units and 20 units of single family housing[1]. Therefore it is imperative that a region deeply rooted in agriculture and rural neighborhoods has access to the affordable housing accommodations that HAC provides.  

This triathlon is HAC's biggest fundraising event of the year. This year will also be the organization's 25th anniversary.  Help them ring in their silver anniversary by showing your support.  Because they "believe every human being deserves the opportunity to live in a decent home."

Mainstay is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and is best known to the public for its shelter for battered women and their children. One of the largest in Western North Carolina, their facility has twenty-three beds and six cribs. While the shelter is, without a doubt, a critical part of the agency's programming, Mainstay is more than a shelter as they offer a variety of services to the community. Programs include a 24-hour response telephone line and 34 bed emergency shelter, individual counseling for adult victims and their children, case management, court advocacy and support groups.  These groups emphasize anger management skills and encourage individuals to take responsibility for their actions. Outreach services are available to the community through their Family Services Center.

In 2011, 120 shelter beds were offered to women, 92 beds to children; the average length of time spent at the shelter was 34 nights; 200 individuals participated in the Family Violence class.

Mainstay is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A broad range of services, provided by a small paid staff and over 100 dedicated volunteers, are available to the individuals and families that we serve. Mainstay continues to rely on the generosity of the community for donations of money, time, and goods for our shelter, store, and other programs.

 Over time, Mainstay has evolved from a strictly crisis-driven agency to one striving to develop longer-term services addressing community needs such as low-income housing and the unavailability of medical, mental health and substance abuse resources, especially for the uninsured. An additional concern is the risk to children who are homeless due to domestic violence or poverty.

This is Mainstay's 7th triathlon that they are hosting. By supporting the triathlon you are also helping to sustain the persistent and efficient care Mainstay provides to the whole community of Hendersonville, NC. 

So this next week, as you are preparing your minid for what is promised to be a fulfilling and fun event, keep these two organizations in your thoughts as well. If completing the race isn't enough for yourself, then do it for the Housing Assistance Corp and Mainstay! 

[1] Asheville Regional Housing Consortium Housing Needs Assessment and Market Study, November 2009.