Sunday, October 6, 2013

A newbie goes to a National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) event

This weekend I went to my first NASCAR event at the Kansas Speedway, and have to confess that I didn't know anything about the sport. In a Forbes article Steve Odland says "If you haven’t experienced a NASCAR race, you owe it to yourself to see one.  Once you do, you’ll be hooked."

My friend Jan and I spent pretty much all day at the Kansas Speedway watching the KS Lottery 300. On the way over they played the Talladega Nights movie (Will Farrell) on the shuttle, which was hilarious. We were in a nice suite and also went down to the infield for the fan experience behind pit row. It was so loud! From time to time I needed my noise reduction earmuffs. The race started before 3pm and was 200 laps! I thought I'd never get through them, but I was wrong. It was really cool.

We saw a lot of dramatic wipeouts (sometimes people would swipe the walls or clip each other) and some drama between Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski towards the end of the race when there were only a few laps left - http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/videos/2013/10/5/nationwide-series-kansas-kyle-busch-brad-keselowski-tangle.html & http://www.sportingnews.com/nascar/story/2013-10-05/brad-keselowski-kyle-busch-feud-wreck-exchange-comments-nationwide-series-nascar-crash-sprint-cup-chase

It is amazing to see the speeds these guys and gals are driving with the precision, technique, and concentration that is required to be able to do that for HOURS! Practice laps were 177-184 mph. It's an adrenaline rush seeing that speed. Can you imagine driving that fast? And on a track with the curves?

The people watching was fascinating...I saw a lot of camouflage, college, and NASCAR clothing. Although I'm not into hunting, I am slight obsessed with camo (I have camo workout headbands, a Snuggie blanket, pants, and now a really cute Kansas Speedway hat with pink embroidery on it). There were a lot of flags in the parking lot - the American flag and college and NASCAR flags. NASCAR fans are some of the most loyal fans in the world, and no wonder they are interested. It's a really high-powered sport.

So after an exciting day at the track, I'm fascinated about learning more. Starting with going back to the beginning and reading about the history..."NASCAR was founded by William France, Sr., on February 21, 1948 with the help of several other drivers of the time. The points system was written on a bar room napkin."

And trying to learn more about the industry and the crazy amounts of money it generates...http://www.forbes.com/sites/steveodland/2012/02/27/nascars-back/. The average team is worth $143 million generating $100 in revenues? Wow. The industry attracts $3 billion in sponsorship money...twice the amount of the NFL. Wow. That is hardcore.

It's fascinating to think about the level of precision, technology, and skill that are also required by their support teams. It is amazing to see how fast the pit crews service the vehicles during pit stops. Not only do they have to do it fast, they have to do it for safety and optimum performance. There are some cars that we saw make pit stop after pit stop because something wasn't right! It's also interesting how they have to time the pit stops strategically...like during yellow flag caution laps when the safety crews are cleaning up debris from the track. That way they can catch up again. There is so much more to it than meets the eye...drafting, geometry, design, fueling, etc. Many variables go into optimum performance.

When they have yellow flag caution laps, all of the lead work that the top drivers did to get there has to be done all over again as they get queued up again. It's interesting to see all the jockeying and maneuvering. There is a lot more to it than meets the eye, like driving and racing etiquette (some concepts here http://simnascar.wordpress.com/help/driving-etiquette/). One gal in our group mentioned that the drivers had surrounded Kyle Busch after the crash to control and "punish" him after the Keselowski wreck because he was in 2nd/3rd overall at the time, and I hadn't noticed that.

I didn't know that most NASCAR teams are based in North Carolina and many of the drivers live there. The HQ is in Daytona. We got a program at the race and there are so many drivers...I don't have them all memorized yet ;)

I have friends and family that are NASCAR fans, and am happy to learn more about it. I think it's important to embrace new experiences and learn about different things!


Tuesday, January 1, 2013

2013

Training plans tend to log miles OR duration, and I've always wondered which was best and which to do. So this year I started keeping track of BOTH mileage and duration in a simple spreadsheet that adds the day rows and weekly columns. My coworkers know best that I LOVE spreadsheets. I've now managed to totally geek out and combine my love for Excel with my love for triathlon :) 

In 2012, I logged my second highest mileage total since keeping track starting in 2009. Even after taking 3 1/2 months 'off' after Louisville to do strength training and minimal cardio. The remaining 8 1/2 months totaled 277 hours of training and 2,560 miles of swim/bike/run.

In 2013 my goal is to go back to my roots and have more life balance doing shorter events. That is what I'm built for, and I miss feeling that burn and having that different kind of challenge. Will start off with two 5Ks in January and February to see how slow I am. I will geek out using some of my favorite tools like:

McMillan Pace calculator ~ http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/index.php/calcUsage/calculate
Triathlon Pace calculator ~ http://www.tricalc3.com/?x=3
Runnersworld ~ http://www.runnersworld.com/tools

If you are looking to get started on your fitness, check out sites like runnersworld.com, active.com, or beginnertriathlete.com for training plans, advice, and to search for local races. There are also countless run, bike, swim, and triathlon clubs in KC that you can join to meet up with active people with a spectrum of goals and a variety of paces. If your company does Corporate Challenge, sign up for some events!

We all start somewhere. In 2000, I did my first triathlon via Kansas City Corporate Challenge. I had no swimming background or experience, and did about every stroke imaginable (except Butterfly, lol) to get through that 500 meters. Halfway through, it felt surreal and I stopped and looked around in disbelief that I was out there in the lake. A friend shouted from the shore "Keep swimming Amy!". And I did. 

After years of getting coaching and working on my technique, I went on to swim several distance events including 2.4 mile swims in 2010 and 2012 at Ironman Louisville. Going back even farther to cross country, I had never run more than a mile in my life. Ran a marathon during Ironman and another in 2011.

Don't ever put any self-perceived limits on yourself (let alone let others do that to you). You can do whatever you choose to do if you put your mind to it and work hard. And once you break through, don't forget where you started or the journey. 

If you don't like running, maybe you like group classes or biking. Maybe you like shorter events and not longer. You can try whatever you want to and see what is best for you. Do whatever it is that you want to and enjoy doing, and remember we don't all have to be the same.