It's Kate's Turn

"Don't Think, Just Do!"

2011-06-24T17:53:00.000-04:00

This motto is what’s gotten me through the past 3 months of training. It has seen me through miles 56-64 of the 100 mile ride when Bart was setting a blazing pace and it was all I could do to suck wheel. It has helped me survive yet another 100 all out sighting sprint in the pool. It has helped me focus on just the task at hand, be it swim another 25 meters, pedal or run another mile. I am totally doubting my ability to get through IMCdA—I don’t know why. I’ve done the distance twice already and know I can do it. I just haven’t felt as engaged in the training. Single parenting is tough, and doubly so when you have to leave the kids at home to fend for themselves while out on 7-8 hour workouts. They have been such troopers. I am so proud of them, for putting up with Mom and her crazy Ironman aspirations.

I can’t believe race weekend is almost here. And I’ve totally neglected to update the blog on all the to-doings. I can’t say that it’s because I’m overwhelmingly busy, because there is always some down time just before bed, or early mornings after the kids got off to school. So, what the hell have I been doing for the past 3 months? Swimming, biking, and running. Eating alot (although for the month of May it didn’t include lots of sugar), drinking (not on that “recreational sugar” list in May, thank God!), parenting, and trying to stay on top of work and house projects. So here’s the clif notes version of my spring:

TriCamp!

The blog left off after the Shamrock ½ marathon. The following week was Jen’s camp in Arizona. Always an ass-kicker. This time doubly so, given that I had just changed out my bike saddle to an Adamo. Not conducive to riding 2 more times! I think this year it only took me 3 ½ hours to make it to the top of Mt. Lemmon—I am so grateful for Bethany! While I had no issues making it to Windy Point at mile 14, the next 10 miles are always my nemesis. But Bethany seemed fresh as a daisy. Once at the top, we all rendezvous’d at the Cookie Cabin for a quick bite, and started back down after climbing out of Summerhaven. The descent went ok—by the time I got back to Windy Point, you could really feel the hot air blasting up from the valley (temps all weekend were well in the 90s). The bumpy bumpy road back to the house really drove home how sore the crotch was and had me up out of the saddle most of the way. Bethany and I ran our 20 min T run in the blistering heat, jumped in the pool, and called ourselves toast. Dinner that night was at Blanco, which I think I look forward to more than camp itself. AWESOME Mexican food, margaritas with extra salt, and all around yumminess.

The next day was our inaugural swim in the UofA recreational pool outside, in the gorgeous weather. Angelina, Bethany, and I shared a lane, and I took care of the de rigeur under water pictures. We rode again that afternoon, again in blistering heat. I think Bethany and I were lucky in that we had already had a good dose of warm weather riding/running but most of the poor mid western folks were having a hard time. I got my butt handed to me by Bethany on the bike—she worked really hard and rode well, almost 50 miles. I literally was icing my crotch before leaving on the ride in a vain attempt to make it better and so only made it 40. Our ride was sagged by the TriSports store, and at one point the driver asked if I needed some lube (chafing was not the issue!) Another 20 minute T run (hot hot hot hot hot!) and we started making plans for an ice bath back at the house. That night a few campers joined me for dinner at Zona 78 with my friend Tom.

The third day was our morning run at Sabino Canyon. This was the first time I ran the Telephone Line trail. It was gorgeous, not too technical, and such a blast. Sooo much better than years past when I trudged almost 3 miles uphill along the paved road on the canyon floor. What was I thinking?! I was bummed that I didn’t have my camera with me, Bethany was bummed she hadn’t brought her trail shoes. We ended up running about 9 miles—my longest run at camp ever. On tap that afternoon was (to our disbelief!) another ride—back up Lemmon to mile marker 5. I was so unhappy. As Jen passed me on the way up, I was talking to myself, saying “Find your happy place…” over and over. Couldn’t find it—that saddle was so painful. A bunch of us went back to dinner at Blanco that night—we apparently didn’t get our fill the first time!

I had an early morning flight out the next day, so missed the last swim/run. I needed to get back in time to see my husband before he left again for Europe. I think our visit was less than 12 hours (and most of that time I was complaining about that new saddle and my sore crotch!)

Rumpus!

My first race of the season was the Olympic distance race at Lake Anna, 3 weeks after camp. Joe was back and handled kid care, and I headed out early morning with Bart. The weather absolutely sucked. It was blustery, rainy, cold and so so nasty. No one was looking forward to the race, except Caroline L! I should’ve done that swim a couple of times. Cold, choppy water is what we have here in Coeur d’Alene in spades.

It was raining as we all set up our transitions. Everything was wet and cold, which makes putting on a wetsuit for the first time in almost a year very challenging. It must have taken Bart and me a good 15 minutes to get those darn things on, all while trying to stay out of the rain at the back of the car. I was very glad to have rented a full wetsuit from 3Sports, but the only one they had really was a size too small. Talk about stuffing a sausage. Oooof. I couldn’t breathe too well, but it sucked everything in nicely and I looked 10 lbs lighter. As we all stood around waiting for various waves to go off, we shivered and shivered. You expend so much energy shivering, and then when it’s finally your time to go you have no breath left. I couldn’t really find a groove at all and at one point past the first turn bouy I popped up right as Shawn and Rick did. “Hello”s all around, interspersed with a few “this sucks” and “does this swim feel long to you?”s and it was time to put the head back down and keep going. 38 minutes later….

I was so darn happy to get out of the water. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to the bike (had never ridden that course before) and so I had no idea what to expect. The wind seemed to be settling down, thank goodness, so that was a good thing. I rode the first loop conservatively, then knew the bad weather was pretty well done so I could pick up the pace. Lynn passed me looking awesome; I just wish I could’ve kept up with her!

The run was a 2 loop out and back, with a small cut through in the woods after the first loop/finish chute. I tried hard to work the run, watch my fueling/hydration and keep a steady pace. I think it worked (I can’t remember my bike/run splits). The first lap went pretty quickly, minus the part through the woods. We’d had so much rain leading up to the race, that it was complete mud, probably at least 2” deep. Bleh. Ended up with a time of 3:09 and 9^th in my age group, which I’ll totally take!

Kinetic!

One short month later was the Kinetic half, still at Lake Anna, just in a different part of the lake. I had driven up with Maddy, who volunteered for almost the entire race. She was a trooper, having been rudely awakened at 4am to work from pre race until I finished around 2pm. The weather was overcast, but calm, making the swim soo much more manageable. For a good part of the swim, I was beside Jill, but she didn’t recognize me and she looked like she was in her zone. Much less popping up on my part, so I swam a decent 39 minutes.

Again, I had never previewed the bike course, so didn’t know what to expect. Melissa said it was pretty flat, but it felt all like a false flat to me. My watch was off time wise, so what I thought was a decent bike split, was a 3:11. There were just a couple of small hills, and my first time up one of them some other biker rode up behind me, slapped me HARD on the ass and said, “Giddy up that hill!” The surprise was on him though—it was my friend Rick—who thought I was Jill and when he realized it was me, rode right into a ditch and fell over. Ha!

The run course at Kinetic is a bitch. 3 loops (yuck yuck yuck) with a huge hill coming up out of transition that you get to do 3 times. The rest is fairly rolling, with a nice downhill before the finish. My goal here was to, like at Rumpus, keep a steady pace, not walk, and just run. The one saving grace about the run (other than the music blaring from a cabin on the back part of the loop) was being able to see/high five all my friends on the course. I ran my third fastest open ½ marathon time—a 2:14—which I am super proud of. While I was hoping for close to a 6 hour half, I still pr’d by over 20 minutes!!! That night my husband got back from Europe, and I was so glad to have the race behind me to be able to spend Sunday lounging around with him!

Torturefest

Over memorial day weekend, my swim coach organized a training camp for several of us CdA athletes, and others. As a single mom, I wasn’t able to ditch my kids for the whole long weekend (and didn’t really want to either…). I only attended the Saturday long bike/swim session, which was fine since their long run was planned for Sunday and I had run my first 16 miler two days before. #1 son was a dear and took the kids out to the beach house on Friday afternoon, allowing me to hit the hay at 8pm unashamed. Bryan and John met me at my house at some ungodly hour. We loaded up and headed out for a promised 7am “cheeks on seats” start time.

We surprised everyone by showing up on time; they had counted on me to be late (Who, me? Late?! Never…) So we had a few extra minutes to hit the potty, load the bikes, and waste time heading out about 7:30. Coach ProK mapped out a 51 mile loop. The first 10 miles were nice, then we hit the hills. Holy crap. Up two of them I was zigzagging trying desperately to remain upright. The downhill after the second was kind of scary—twisty so you couldn’t see oncoming traffic. Melissa ended up FLYING by me at one point, scaring the beejeezus out of me. The third hill was a grinder, much longer and tougher. At this point I was desperately looking forward to the sag wagon at mile 25. The course after that became much more rolly, which I didn’t expect as similar to CdA, but I’m now very grateful for. Meredith and I got dropped in this section. At about mile 46 was the turn off for the out and back to the house, which she and I decided not to do. I was biking on tired legs (having run 18 miles in the heat just 2 days prior), and was seriously doubting I would want to get back on my bike at the house. So we set off on loop #2.

If I thought those hills sucked on the first loop, they were downright MEAN the second time around. It was all I could do to talk myself into not unclipping, telling myself to zigzag, hold on almost there! After that, the downhills were pretty pleasant. We made it to the turn for the sag wagon—having looked forward to it for the past 10 miles, and it wasn’t there! Luckily Meredith turned the corner where Blake had been parked, and we saw him just up ahead in the shade. Ah, cold Coke and water! We missed the 51 mile refuel stop by not going all the way back to the house, and were running low on fuel. I was so glad to hit the last main drag. Poor Meredith ended up dropping her chain a few times, but kept up pretty well, and we made it back to the start for 93 of hard-fought miles in about 6 hours of ride time. LUNCH!!!

After what seemed like a really short rest, we headed out for our open water swim, in a “lake” that was more like a glorified pond. As we were struggling into our wetsuits (in 90 degree heat…) we saw a big black snake slither away. Good riddance! We also had to avoid standing/walking in lots of goose poop. The water was pretty murky, and not so refreshing. I think the pond was spring fed, however, since there were a few spots where you could feel cooler water down by your feet. After a half hour, or about 1500m, we called it quits. It was Miller Time! (Or in our case, Corona time!)

Drive 2 hrs back to Richmond, drop off John, drop off Bryans car, and it was time to head to the beach (and another 2 hours in the car…). Sunday it was all good, as we lounged on the beach thinking of our friends running long in the hot hot weather. Bliss.

So now you’re all caught up on the major training events prior to CdA. I will cover race week as part of my race report. Please follow the race online at http://ironman.com/coverage/ My bib number is 519. I will be channeling my mantra, "Don't Think, Just Do" all day Sunday. Wish me luck!!!

(Sham)rockin' some PRs!

2011-03-27T12:39:00.001-04:00

Spring, wherefore art thou? It's snowing this morning!

I have raced (and PR'd!) the past two weekends (this weekend is a blissfully light one!): a 5k that doubled as a run test, and the Shamrock 1/2 marathon in Virginia beach. The 5k was a great neighborhood event in Forest Hills that I ran with Sharon, Lynn, Molly and Maddy. It was "canine friendly," so leashed dogs could run with you, and a nice little one hill course winding through the park. The hill was a beast though. My mile splits were roughly a 7:46, 9:15, and 8:30. Sophie was having a ball, and would've won top dog had I been able to run faster. Pictures show all of us in the background:

I've been biking mostly outside with Bethany, and she's kicking my butt. She and Bart, along with the Deals, stayed with me at the beach for the half marathon. Shamrock weekend I was totally overbooked-- Friday night I took Maddy and a friend to her then-prospective high school performance of Guys and Dolls; Saturday was the JDRF gala set up and party; and race was Sunday morning at 7am. Something had to give and it turned out to be the gala. I'm so glad I didn't go--the kids and I drove to the beach around 4 and met Bart and Bethany at the greek place we like for dinner. A little schluk of wine back at the beach house and it was bedtime!

Race morning was early, but for whatever reason I didn't hear my alarm go off. I rolled out of bed at 5:19 and we were due to leave the house at 5:45! Ack. Over coffee in the kitchen Bart and I looked at eachother at 5:40 and had a moment's panic--overnight the winds had picked up considerably and we weren't relishing the thought of battling a headwind for the first half of the race. Down the coffee and jump in the race clothes--weather be damned! I was putting my shoes on and wondered why my "new" shoes felt so roomy....same socks I normally wear. I turned on the light to see I had grabbed the wrong shoes. The ones I brought that had been lying on the floor of my closet weren't the new ones--instead they were over a year old and had absolutely NO liner/insole/orthotic! Over a quick skype with Joe, I was feeling totally screwed. Bethany wasn't feeling quite herself either, so we had a mini pity party but we decided quickly that we couldn't not race, so may as well make the best of it. At that point I was resigned to at least a couple of good sized blisters.

Off we went, speeding toward the Virginia Beach oceanfront. Parking was going to be a bear, but I showed Bart our secret lot next to a 7-11 that no one knew about. We gathered up our stuff, kissed Bart goodbye, and headed up to the race start at a nice jog. WINDY! We dropped off my post-race bag and lined up for a last pee at the portapotties. Found Lynn and Sharon and good-luck-hugs all around. The national anthem was playing while we made our way to the starting corral. Bethany and I had the same time goal in mind, but given how we were feeling back at the house, we knew it was going to be a mile by mile race to overcome and agreed that if either was "feeling it" to go on ahead. After standing around for another 5 minutes, it was time to start!

In discussing the race plan with Jen, we agreed that I would start out conservatively. Build and hold was my mantra. First three miles I'm always afraid of starting out too fast, or not fast enough... Our mile times were good: 9:25, 9:14, and 9:17. Right past mile 3, the course turns west as you head to Fort Story and the trees provided some nice wind break. I felt good. Bethany told me to go on ahead, so I did. I knew several runners around me were aiming for about a 2:00 half, so I decided if I could keep my pace steady, hang with them, I'd probably be ok. The race clock at mile 5 said 47minutes and change, but was from the first gun. I was doing good! I vowed not to look at my watch until mile 10--just keep this pace and I should be fine, and don't walk the water stops. Between mile 7 and 8, the course is right along the beach, and man did it get windy! I found a tall guy running my pace and I tucked in right behind him and let him break the wind. I gu'd every 3 miles, and tried to drink a little water in between. My feet were definitely feeling the rubbing in the shoes but it was nothing horribly unbearable. My splits for miles 4-10 were 8:47, 9:00, 8:50, 8:46, 8:47, 8:55, and 8:56.

Mile 10 is close to the gate leaving the Fort, and I finally looked at my watch. I was right at 1:30:00 so I knew then that I was going to make a sub 2 hour half. I was totally pumped! At this point I knew I could do it even at a 10 min mile pace, but wanted to be under that 2 hour mark by as much as I had left in me. The next mile went pretty quick (8:44), but then the fatigue started to settle in and the legs started to hurt. Mile 12 was a 9:05 and I told myself the faster I ran, the sooner I was done but my legs felt like there was no turnover left. Halfway through mile 12 you turn back onto the boardwalk and hit the wind again. One of the race pics taken at this point isn't very flattering of me; I was in pain! That tall guy from mile 7/8 showed up right beside me and told me to push it in. I asked him to carry me please! Final mile was a 8:54, and the last .2 miles (I started my watch before crossing the start line) was 1:30. My official time was 1:57:59--I did it!!!

Melissa was right behind me, also with a 1:58, and the rest of our peeps came in shortly after that. We all had great times!!! It was time for a beer!

Nikki was a dear and let the kids sleep in and brought them down post race to the beer tent. We made it through 2 beers and decided it was time for pancakes! Oh my legs hurt so bad. Walking up to Pocahontas Pancake House, the wind was blowing and we cheered for the marathoners running by. Bart, Bethany, kids and I headed back to the beach house to let the dogs out and take a well deserved nap. And yes, I did have some pretty gnarly blisters.

This past week I have been in race recovery mode. Running wasn't feeling too great on the calves, but hopefully the massage I had yesterday will help. Time to finish off the Lumber Liquidators project and pack for Arizona!!!

Spring!

2011-03-11T16:19:00.000-05:00

I hope the quality isn't bad--I took these pictures with my cell phone. Spring is popping out! I've been outside riding for the past several weekends, which is such a blessed relief from the boredom of the trainer. Bethany kicked my butt this past Saturday--60 miles with a head- or cross-wind for the second half of the ride. I'm trying a new Adamo saddle, and it's making staying aero much, much easier on the pubic bone. Not pain free in the private region, mind you, but such an improvement overall!

Someone get me off this rollercoaster, please!!!

2011-03-08T10:27:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I feel that there is at once too much and too little to blog about. How, as bloggers, do we balance the need to keep the world abreast of what is going on in our lives while maintaining a semblance of privacy so you don't end up alienating, offending, or exposing ourselves and others to prying eyes? While honesty is a great virtue, there are probably very sensible limits to how much we should reveal about ourselves online. I'm not convinced that these new media (blogging, Facebook, Twitter) really help us develop deeper relationships with our friends. Maybe they do the opposite--they keep us from meaningful discussions with the people with care about on topics such as life, love, and (pardon the poor grammar) where our heads are at.

I have spent the past year living from one month to the next--very unsure about all sorts of things. Now, I never considered myself much of a planner, but there is something very grounding about knowing, in general terms, where your life is headed. Recently I've done quite a bit of thinking about the assumptions I made long ago about my future life. Think about that. When you were younger, did you know instinctively what type of person you were going to marry? What you wanted to do when you grew up? What type of parent you wanted to be? Of course I knew I wanted kids, but never imagined what sweet individuals they would turn out to be. I always knew that I wanted a professional life, that I would have something outside of being "mom" and "wife" that I found interesting and fulfilling--but I'm not sure what I'm doing now qualifies as a "career." And while I've never been a whiz with money, I always figured there would be enough to live comfortably. Life doesn't live up to expectations, but it can also exceed them in wonderful ways! Is that what a mid life crisis is: realizing that dreams are just that; you can bank on some disappointments; and reality can be a bit messy at times?

With no firm ground below me, it is nice to have a training regimen that provides a plan--and that is the main reason I signed up for IMCdA. I know that in 2 weeks I'm running a 1/2 marathon, a few weeks after that will be my first Oly distance race, and so on. I can't say I'm very excited about the culmination of all this training in June (CdA as a race scares the shit out of me), but I look forward to the time ~~suffering~~ training with friends. After the race we're back to free fall: no races scheduled, and more uncertainty.

I am in a rest week, but this week doesn't feel very restful yet. The same number of workouts, just different intensities (can you say run test?) and "shorter" long bricks. I am trying to eat well and dinners are going well, but there are really limited good lunch options close to work. (The lunchtime dilemma should be resolved after I get back from Tucson, and am no longer commuting to Williamsburg for work.) I have been very encouraged that I am improving on my swim, and set a new 100m PR! My Wednesday morning swims have been very drill/technique focused and it has paid off. I haven't been very good at getting the kids or myself in bed by 8:30, and those early morning swims require much earlier bedtimes! I become a grumpy bear with not enough sleep.

Ok, enough with the woe is me/training update post. Let's finish off with something light and mindless! The ABC's of me.

A. Age: 43

B. Bed size: Queen but lately I'm thinking King...

C. Chore you dislike: mopping the kitchen floor. White sheet vinyl is NEVER a good design choice, people.

D. Dogs: Sophie the Vizsla! Before her, it was Trooper the Mutt.

E. Essential start to your day: Coffee, preferably Starbucks House Blend made in a French Press. Light with one tsp of sugar in the raw, please.

F. Favorite color: Yellow--it's happy!

G. Gold or silver: whatever matches the outfit or other jewelry...

H. Height: 5’9” but I slouch horribly.

I. Instruments you play(ed): very briefly the recorder and clarinet.

J. Job title: Interior Designer.

K. Kids: 3 Jim, Maddy, and Joey.

L. Live: Richmond.

M. Mom’s name: Betty!

N. Nicknames: KateO, Honey, Crash, and Boo.

O. Overnight hospital stays: Kids being born, a kidney infection while pregnant with Joey. Does staying overnight while your child is in the hospital count? Done that several times too.

P. Pet peeves: Stupid drivers that, when they miss a turn, don't continue to the next turn and instead STOP in the middle of traffic!

Q. Quote from a movie: "Waiter, there is too much pepper on my paprikash. But I would be proud to part take of your PECAN PIE." (When Harry met Sally)

R. Righty or Lefty: RIGHTY

S. Siblings: My older sister Molly.

T. Time you wake up: usually 7 am during the week, earlier for swimming. On the weekends it depends on whether there is an early workout or not.

U. Underwear: Uh YEAH! Except under workout clothes or pajama bottoms--yuck.

V. Vegetables you don’t like: Okra.

W. What makes you run late: Nothing, I'm just ALWAYS late.

X. X-rays you’ve had: Teeth, Knee (ACL), Chest (pneumonia as a kid)

Y. Yummy food you make: I consider myself a pretty good cook, but I did have to promise #1 son that I'd NEVER make tuna casserole ever again.

Z. Zoo animal favorites: I like most of them except reptiles. Giraffes are my favorite.

So I lied...

2011-01-27T20:41:00.000-05:00

Sue me.

Yes, we're almost a whole month into the new year, and I'm just now getting around to doing something I should've done a while ago. This little thing called life gets in the way.

Early January the husband started the new job. Hooray! Much travelling and time apart. Boo! He was ready for a new adventure though and I was ready to have him busy. While it was nice having the house husband taking care of laundry and cooking, it was a lot of togetherness. I like a few degrees of separation--it gives us more to talk about over dinner. I must say Skype is the bomb. Where was that technology when we lived in Eastern Europe?!
The holidays were good. #1 son got back from Iraq and the in-laws came out from California. Little did they know they were in for a white Christmas! Snow on Christmas Day that stuck around a while, and at the beach no less. Many puzzles were tackled and Monopoly games played. Home on New Years to hang with friends.
A new year means a resolution of sorts. I'm trying (with limited success) to not drink during the week. Goodness knows we did enough drinking over the holidays to last a looooong time. I will, however, make exceptions for book/wine club nights, dinner with Lynn, or a snowy night like last night. Having an open bottle around is not good. Darn you, screw caps! Birthday week (next week!) is also an exception. I'll need plenty of alcohol to survive #43.
I have registered for several races this spring: Shamrock 1/2 mary in March, Rumpass in Bumpass (oly) in April, and Kinetic half in early May. I did run the Frostbite 15k this past weekend. It lived up to its name! At the start it was 15 degrees. Brrr. (I know what you MN folks are thinking, but that is cold for us.) I think I did well, even if a bit slower than last year. My mile splits were fairly even, and I have been doing more trail running for long stuff rather than road running. I need to find a February thing.
I did find a must-do race: Ironman Aix en Provence 70.3 in September! If I'm in the neighborhood, I'll definitely sign up (provided I can keep in some thing resembling race shape post IMCdA). Now, if I could only convince my friends to come too (Lynn? Julia? Kari? ADC?) Maybe I should offer to pay for the wine post race...
I have been fairly good about keeping to the schedule, getting in about 90% of the workouts. Right coach?
I've taken on some big house projects. Family room 70s panelling and fake beams are now gone, cut through to the living room accomplished, drywall and trim are up. I asked Joe for french doors for a birthday present--I've wanted them since we moved into this house almost 12 years ago. Progress pictures are featured on FB.
Kids are good, and I'm liking having another responsible, driving adult in the house to help with kid shuttling given the lack of spouse situation. #1 son has luckily found a job too (a rare thing these days so I know it's just a matter of time before he'll need to have a place of his own. Then I'm screwed.
I can't believe my beautiful daughter is almost 14. There's no way I'm that old.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-08T14:23:00.001-05:00

I know, I know. I was not good about blogging this past month. December was busy with school, snow, family, and holidays! Now here we are, a week into the new year already. Can I say how glad I am 2010 is over? Ugh, what a year. From the video I realize how many good times we had, but the underlying current of uncertainty given Joe's job situation was really really hard. I will blog soon about looking plans for 2011. I promise!

Bear Creek 10mi Trail Race Report

2010-12-11T17:32:00.001-05:00

Last weekend was my first trail run of the season. Not one to build up to anything, I signed up with friends for the Bear Creek 10mi race in Cumberland County. Nothing like going from a max of 7 miles of road running to 10 miles of trails. And not just any trail run, but the full on "over the river(s) and through the woods" single track hilly as all get out trail runs. Luckily I had awesome company! All my friends are race veterans, but this was my first year running it.

Saturday afternoon Tyler and I loaded up our respective pups and swung around south side to pick up Jilly before heading out of town. Deere and Sophie were quick friends and behaved well in the car on the way down. Bear Creek State Park is an easy <1hr drive from Richmond, and has both camping and cabins to stay in. Lynn and Mike had arrived earlier in the day and had mulled wine warming on the stove. YUM! The weather was overcast and chilly--the forecast was for a dusting of snow that evening with clear skies in the morning. Fellow racers Karen, Shawn, and Sharon were staying in the cabin next door and invited us over to share hors d'oeuvres and their crackling fire as it started snowing.

The progressive dinner continued back at our cabin, where Lynn made an awesome pasta dish accompanied by salad courtesy of Jill. Fully carbed, we played a few hands of what my family calls "Dinosaur," a card game taught to me by Shawn and Karen while at Torturefest in Placid last year. Horror of horrors, we ran out of wine and seriously contemplated schelpping into town for more. But it was after 8 or 9 at night and many of us were trundling off to bed soon. I can't say many of us slept well, poor Tyler had to put up with someone snoring half the night. Must've been Sophie....

The morning dawned early--I was the first up and tried to sneak out quietly with the dogs. We had over a half inch of snow! It was so gorgeous, and cold! You can see the lake through the trees, just as the sun is rising over the tree tops.

Back inside as everyone else got up, we all went about getting bundled up and eating our pre-race breakfasts. Here is our cabin ready to go:

Thank goodness for heated seats! No need to do that 20 minute warm up Jen wanted me to do. We made it to the start with about 10 minutes to spare. With fewer than 150 entries, it's a nice, small field and most everyone knows eachother. Lots of familiar faces! After the race director gave his little talk about blazes to look for and water stops, we walked down the start of the path and....we were off! 15 yards down the trail and we turn into the woods. We let most of the fast folks go ahead which turned out to be everyone except us and 5 other folks! Tyler was in the lead group as he was out for the race win (he finished in a blazing 1:18!)

Up down over stumps and trees through beautiful woods covered in a fresh dusting of snow. It was spectacular! We kept up some fun banter and stories as we wound our way through the wilds of central
Virginia. I think we counted 7 creek crossings on our way out. This year they added a water stop at the 3/7 mile marker. The race registration page describes the course as 5% on gravel trails--I think it was more like 200 yards on gravel trails. The rest was a little biddy path through the woods. We didn't see many other racers until mile 4--they were all on their way back. Did I say it was hilly? Jen had estimated a 2 hr race, including that 20 minute warm up that I didn't do. Ha! We finished almost last in a whopping 2:30 ish. We could've finished a little earlier had we not got lost at the 9.75 mile point, but what's an extra 4/10ths of a mile? I was pretty much toast at mile 9 and was working hard to just keep with the pack for the last mile. Getting left for dead in the woods was not my idea of a good time. Here is the course profile from my Garmin:

Check out the overall elevation gain. Whew!

We made it back to the start (not from the correct direction, however...) Time for breakfast! Back at the cabin, while everyone showered and packed up, I made blueberry buttwheat pancakes (pun intended) with bacon. Sharon made some warm cinnamon apple slices which was the perfect accompaniment! Sated, we cleaned the remaining dishes and headed home. I needed a nap before tackling my Revit homework, but Joe made an awesome dinner that night and I slept well.

Lessons learned:

trail running is hard and taxes your brain as well as your body. You have to pay attention to the trail or risk getting tripped up--there is very little time to admire the view.
friends, good stories, and singing songs are all required!
I would've paid very good money for a hot tub post-race!
trails are a good way of working more than just road running-specific muscles. I couldn't walk the day after, my quads would not let me go down stairs--all those hills trashed them. Ouch.

Sign me up for next year!

Trotting, Tailgating, and Turkey!

2010-12-02T09:43:00.000-05:00

This Thanksgiving marked the fifth year I ran the RRRC Turkey Trot. I love this race--friends to run and party with, a challenging course, and the start is a mile from our house. This year I wasn't expecting much in terms of times. My running is just ramping back up, with 6-7 miles farthest I've run since Vineman in July. As much as I would love to be able to beat my husband in this race, it just looks like it'll never happen. Joe ran a speedy 48 minute 10k, and I set a 40 second pr on the course with a time of just barely over 57 minutes. My mantra was to work the downhills (thinking all the time of my friend Jill), and to survive the uphills. Here is a map of the course, along with elevations:

Joe was a dear and zipped home to pick up Joey and the breakfast casseroles. Sharon brought mimosas, and other friends brought more goodies. No better way to kick off a day of eating than with a little run and a little tailgate!

After that, it was time to pack the pies in the car and head to Williamsburg. Cousins Maggie and Jenny were kind enough to get the turkey going, and we had a great time watching football, catching up, and hanging out. Here I am getting some good snuggle time with Mia and Duncan while reading:

Looking ahead is a 10mi trail run on Dec 5th, perhaps a Christmas light run or 5k, time at the beach with the family and in-laws. I can't wait for #1 son to come home from his deployment to Iraq! He is done with his missions and is packing up. He should be home in time for Christmas--I can't think of a better present.

Hanging out with rock stars

2010-11-14T14:43:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I had the honor and priviledge to hang with these chicks. All ran and PR'd the Richmond Marathon. I like to think I had some little part in their success--cowbell in hand, I cheered them on at miles 7 and 10. I then changed and hurried to meet up with Lynn around mile 20 to pace her last 10k to an incredible 4:23. She and I caught up with a struggling Kelly at mile 21 and talked her into hanging with us for the next few miles. I am so proud of Kelly for sticking it out, and crossing the line with a very respectable time. I am insipired: these ladies have been training and racing all year (one race number per month!) and finished the year in style.

It is time again for me to work on my 2011 goals. There is still so much I need to figure out: prep races, interim goals, what to do after June. Life has been in such limbo, but I'm hoping by Thanksgiving I'll have a good sense of how far out I can plan. In the meantime, I am trying hard to get back into the workout swing. I have the run test behind me, the bike test coming up, and a rest week next week to look forward to. The hard part is just balancing that with the work load I have right now--I'm a juggling fool! I am loving having a close friend on a similar workout plan, and look forward to our once or twice a week sufferfests in the basement. TRX is kicking my butt, but in a good way, just the way Jen would like it.

Back in the Saddle

2010-10-28T23:31:00.000-04:00

Not totin' the ol' 44, but definitely feeling sore. I'm trying hard to jump back into "training" mode. Checking off at least 5 workouts per week (which is better than where I was, belive you me!) It seems that two if not three of these are early early mornings where the alarm goes off around 5:30. Combine that with a full workday of up on my feet all day, moving furniture, and by the time I get home in the evening, I am TOAST. Need to catch a 10 min nap in order to stay awake long enough to eat dinner kind of toast. This work stuff is for the birds! I don't know how my friends who have full time jobs AND families figure out how to stay up late enough to ensure that kids are 1) fed 2) homeworked and dishes/laundry/house stuff is done still train for anything longer than a sprint. Poor Joe takes it as a given that I'll be in bed, lights out, and asleep before at least one of the kids.

Tried the TRX thing this week with Bethany. And just for the record, let's say that what happens in Bethany's basement, stays in Bethany's basement. She and I are contemplating a TRX class in the spring, which at least gives me more time to work up to a "lets not make a fool of ourselves" level of proficiency. I suck so bad, I cannot lift my arms, hug my children, or wash my hair. (Thank goodness for swimming! Of course I kid.) At least we know I still remember how to ride a bike, but don't take me out for more than 35 miles.

This week is also a week where I need to contemplate my 2011 goals. For those of you who are coached by Jen, you know what this means. Essay questions. (Screw IMCdA...maybe my one goal for next year should be to actually do one whole pull up unassisted. Given my current lack of upper body strength, it probably would take most of the year to build up to that.) Last year my goal sheet ended with Vineman and had a whole lotta nothing after that, other than a contemplated fall marathon. For various reasons, I don't know how far past CdA I can plan for this year coming up. It's scary to think so short term, however, given what happened this year training wise after Vineman, rather dangerous insofar as keeping in a modicum of shape post CdA. There are, of course, extenuating circumstances. Like where will we be?! But I think I owe it to myself to plan long term and then if the situation changes, roll with it and see where it takes me.

Hello again!

2010-10-21T18:53:00.000-04:00

Several fine folks had left little messages on Facebook asking when I was going to update my blog, but that was over 2 months ago! Do you really care about a few missing race reports, beach trip happenings, job to do-ings? At this point, there is just too much to catch up on and the thought of bringing the world up to speed on life chez moi is overwhelming. Let's instead just summarize, shall we?

Trip to California this summer was awesome. 3 weeks spent in wine country, doing some training, visiting some wineries, and hanging out with the inlaws is rough, I know. Vineman, however, was no cakewalk. A gorgeous race, a shame the swim was so darn shallow. After the turn around, my hands were scraping bottom for most of the way back to transition. Bumpy, technical bike course. I need to get over my chickensh*t fear of descending. You pass winery after winery, thinking "if only I could stop and taste..." It got pretty darn hot. I stopped half way up Chalk Hill to give some spare salt tabs to a guy whose quads were totally cramping up in a horrible way (he repassed me on the bike, only for me to pass him on the run with his legs locked up again). The run was HOT and HILLY. No personal best, but so glad it was done. Hung out with fun friends post race! Molly = best Vineman sherpa ever.
Beach time! Only one week this year, and interrupted with showhouse to-doings and threatened hurricanes. Ate, drank, lounged, didn't train much but got my butt handed to me on a Fat Frog ride. I have totally fallen off the workout wagon this fall, averaging a whopping 3 workouts a week (if that...) Can you say LAZY ASS?! It has been nice though, to just run when I want, eat what I want, drink what I want and decompress. Job stress is at an all time high in our house, and I needed the break away from that aspect of my life to make room for other concerns.
Richmond Symphony Designer Showhouse. I loved my room, and felt that everything that went in it was absolutely perfect. There was some nail biting at getting the wallpaper in on time, but it all worked itself out. Here are some pics:

I'm back at work for a 6 week stint with Lumber Liquidators. It's challenging coming up with 2 "designed" rooms to be photographed per day, especially in the same two spaces where the walls are never repainted and the windows are not in places they'd be in a real house. Having new "stuff" (furniture, pillows, art and accessories) is nice at the beginning, but it all gets old after having been in one or two shoots. Click here, here, and here for examples of what I did for them back in March.
I did do another triathlon this season, on a whim, in late August. An all-women sprint of 300m pool swim, 14mi bike, 5k run. I didn't do so bad, but not too well either. I was slow on the swim, and I even passed about 5 people in the pool. The bike was great! I just hunkered down and tried to hammer. Passed a slew of folks. The run sucked! When you stop running for 3 weeks, even a lousy 5k is tough and I got passed by many of the girls I had passed on the bike. I think I placed 11th in my age group. On the positive side, I was able to break in the new tri kit. Check it out:

It's fall! Cooler weather, changing leaves, kids back in school, Kate back in school. I'm taking a new computer class to learn new AutoCAD software--LOVE IT! Will make drawings and plans so much easier! We have been to the beach house almost every weekend this month, and were in the ocean just this past Sunday (ocean temps were 65 degrees). As Jen would say, "Lovely!" I have been much better this week about getting back into "training" mode. Or should I say "base building mode" since....
I'm signed up for IM Coeur d'Alene next year! Ack. Back on the crazy train with 30 of my closest friends. I'm looking forward to Jen's TriCamp in AZ yet again this year, with Bethany in tow! Hooray for company on the grind up Lemmon.
#1 Son is still in Iraq, but should be home for Christmas! While we were brewing in hot temps here this summer, he reminded us that 100 was downright chilly where he was. It'll be so nice to have him home.
Kids are good and enjoying their last year of elementary and middle school, respectively. We already had our first high school information session. I can't be old enough to have a high-schooler. Joey is a flag safety (raises and lowers the flag every day), and made Safety of the month and Safety Captain. He was so proud.

I'll try hard to update more regularly, especially as the training gets back into full swing. I hope everyone enjoys their off-season, no matter how long or short!!

Feelin' hot hot hot

2010-06-17T21:42:00.001-04:00

I don't believe I was ever in an "ole ole ole ole!" frame of mind, but at around mile 8 of the Eagleman run course I did break into song for some guy that I kept leapfrogging with. His bib number was 1999. He promised that the party started at the turn around, when we were heading for home. I think it came much later, at the Hyatt pool when the margarita was in hand.

Eagleman weekend started with a party too! Good friend Karen turned 40 and threw a marvelous backyard barbeque. I was a good girl, limiting myself to 2 small glasses of wine alternating with LOTS of water. The next day I rode up to Maryland with Emmie, who was smart and just signed up for the aquavelo (swim and bike...no run!) We made pretty good time, pulling into Cambridge around 1:30 or 2. Packet pick up went well, and we were able to say a quick hello to Jen and Jerome. It was so good to see her and hear her say everything would be fine, that I would be fine. Jen and I had the pre race talk earlier, and I knew my focus needed to be on racing smart, hydrating, and getting in the electrolytes. I think at that point we were all still hoping the 90 degree temps forecasted would not happen, but I was planning for the worst. While I did have ambitious goals, I knew they could be thrown out the window if the weather dictated dialing the effort back.

Emmie and I drove over to the transition/race area to drop off our bikes and get in a quick little swim in the Choptank. Oh was it hot out. We decided against wetsuits, thinking the water would feel good, which it did. There was some chop on the way out to the bouy, but none on the way back. Mission accomplished, so we headed back to Easton to check into our hotel and shower for dinner with Bart and Bethany. Here's Bart's harem post dinner:

We all trudged home and were in bed and asleep by 9:15. Race day would start at 4:45.

Emmie and I slept well, and were up on time. We were a little late getting out of Easton, however, so I was a little stressed that we might not find any parking. It all worked out though, and by 6:15 we were headed to transition. On the walk from the car, there were a few people walking in the other direction who let us know they had made the call that the race would not be wetsuit legal. That was fine with us--I knew it would slow me down a little bit and Emmie had just finished ProK's swim camp without using hers. We got to the race area, got body marked, and all set up quickly, only to have them delay the race start by 15 mins. By this time we found Bethany and tried to talk her down from the ledge. I like the "bring your own TP" idea.

I found Jen in transition too. I looked for Beth, but didn't find her until it was almost time for her wave to go off. She got to start side by side with Jen! I also met a couple of Kim's friends, sporting their Ballou Skies kits. Many Richmond friends were also racing, and I got to see them all before the start.

The Swim

My goal on the swim is always to not dick around and keep my head down. JUST SWIM! I was surprised that this time I didn't have the "wtf am I doing?" thoughts and I was instead concentrating on staying with the pack, kicking strong, and getting to the next bouy. It took what seemed like a long time to get to the first turn bouy, but I resisted the urge to look at my watch. I had already started passing the stragglers in orange caps from the wave in front of me, so I knew if there was a current that I was doing ok. I swam inside the yellow bouys to the second turn since it seemed like a straighter line. By this time, the fast guys in the swim wave behind me had caught up. I tried to catch a good draft and get on some heels, but those guys were too fast and I was getting tired. Man the finish seemed so far away!

By the last bouy, you could stand up, and I did pop up quick to see who else was around me. Still quite a few purple caps (my wave). Dolphin dive, dolphin dive, dolphin dive, and it was time to exit the water. NOW I could look at my watch. What?! 49:57??? You have to be kidding me. Turns out some folks' garmins said the course was long, by almost 500m. If that is the case, I was swimming right at my ususal 1/2IM speed.

Thoughts of PRs quickly were dashed. Ok, time to regroup and get ready to bike. My rack was right at the swim exit and no wetsuit, so T1 went quick: 1:05 faster than last year.

The Bike

I knew I would get passed on the bike considering the two swim waves behind me were the men 16-29, and women 16-29. My three goals for this leg, considering how the swim went, were:

to get off the bike before Jen finished the race
to keep 18mph on my odometer
and to stay on top of nutrition/hydration/electrolytes.

At every water stop, I refilled my profile bottle and dumped the rest over my head. I alternated taking 1 or 2 electrolyte tabs every 10 miles too. I could feel how hot it was and I hoped that would be enough. The wind didn't feel too bad--there were just a few areas where a headwind and slight drop in speed were noticeable which was a plus. On the minus side there was not much tailwind...boo hiss.

Reading back over this, I can't believe that's all I have to say about a ride that took over 3 hours. I thought they had changed up the course somewhat, but it turns out I just didn't remember it all. It seemed to be going pretty well, then at mile 40 I was really ready for more water. The bottle they gave me at the handoff was hot, and only half full. They had apparently picked up a discarded bottle from the side of the road and then handed it to me. Bleh. So that lasted until mile 50, and then there are no more aid stations until transition. I was pretty parched coming into T2. At the timing mat, I wanted to throw my bike to whomever wanted it (I think I told one of the volunteers that I was breaking up with it) but rolled it into transition, sat in the grass to change my shoes, and peed. Total bike time was 3:14. (This may be TMI, but I usually pee about 4 times on the bike during a half iron. This time I didn't pee at all on the bike...) T2 was 1 second off my previous year.

The Run (here's where it gets ugly...)

Heading out of transition, I hit the aid station. Cold, wonderful water! 1 cup went over the head, another on my face. 1 cup of ice went down my bra. I drank the gatorade, and that was blessedly cold too. Shuffle to next aid station (roughly 1 mi down the road). Repeat 13 times.

Oh. My. God. It was so damn hot out there. But my sucky pace really doesn't explain how I think I did pretty well. Let me explain. Yes it was a struggle to just get from aid station to aid station. But I ran in between, at a decent enough pace. That pace just went out the window when I stopped to walk at every aid station to load up on ice, water, and salt tabs, gatorade, and/or gu. I must also add that I did take full advantage of anyone spraying a hose. There was one lady, I think it was the house next door to that party house betwen miles 2 and 3, and the water from her hose was so blessedly cool. I didn't want to leave. Because after soaking yourself at every opportunity, you'd be bone dry just 3 minutes later. Everyone was shuffling along at their own pace, and telling eachother "Good job." I think we all needed to acknowledge to one another that just being out there, still alive, still moving forward, was worthy of praise. And it was.

I overheard someone around mile 11 tell his running partner, "Aren't you glad you're not one of THOSE people?!" pointing to someone just heading out on their run. And while inside I was shouting "Halleluja!" I had to give those folks kudos and prop them up if I could with encouraging words. Here it was, late in the afternoon and it was questionable if they'd be able to get the whole race done in the time allowed if they had to walk the whole run portion. But they still started what they set out to do. I had promised Joe that I would try to first and foremost run a safe race (given my propensity to end up dehydrated in the med tent...) but I still knew I wouldn't DNF even if it was 102 degrees in the shade.

So, overall, nowhere near a PR--with a finish time of 6:45 (13 mins slower than last year). But I learned how to handle extreme heat and come out ok in the end. Onward and upward. Vineman!

I did find Jen, Jerome, and Beth at the awards ceremony just after I finished. It was nice to check in with Jen and know she placed in the top 5 of her AG. Beth killed it! I saw her with just under a mile to go and she was looking so good and strong. I had no idea she spent much of the run puking. I didn't stay long though. They were all sitting in the sun and I was fried. Done. Kaput. It was time for margaritas (with salt!) by the pool (which was rudely cut short by a storm, but offered a rainbow when it was done). And food. And maybe wine too.

Random Musings

2010-06-09T21:06:00.000-04:00

1. We had the MOST gorgeous weather at the beach on Tuesday. Joe and I headed out around 9 for a short run. Although we complained to each other the whole way down how hot it was, something happened after we turned for home. The until-then calm was gone, the wind picked up (hello, headwind), and thus cooled we happily trotted back and jumped in the ocean. The water temperature was in the low 70s and perfect. With the wind there were quite a few waves, but the tide was out and you could stand out there in the water forever diving through 2-3 foot waves. Sophie got to ride a few waves too.

2. We got alot done while at the beach house. The outdoor shower now has new plywood, we have new (NICE!) chaises and hammock for the pool deck, my parent's old Mexican sideboard was delivered and stocked with lots of games and puzzles, and Maddy's room was reorganized with new lamps and TV stand. I also was able to get the drapes hemmed and rehang some window treatments and mirrors. Whew. I will leave the cleaning to others before the renters come in this weekend. Unfortunately we don't have the house to ourselves again until late August. Boo.

3. I am hydrating and trying to keep on top of my nutrition this week because....

4. I have a race this weekend! Ack. Eagleman. Maybe if I go into it like I did Rev3 I'll pr...

5. On Saturday, Melissa and I headed out for a ride. Cheeks were on seats at 7:10 and by 7:12 we were sweaty and hot. Heat acclimation for E-man--Check! I was glad to be done and off the bike by 9am.

6. On Sunday morning, Joe and I ran the Stratford Hills 10k. It would've been an awesome run in say April or November, but that day at the 8am race start it was already hot and HUMID. Here are Sunday's actual temps (Saturday were almost exactly the same.)

Heat acclimation for E-man--Check Check! No pr, but just a run that was a slog fest and one I was happy to be done with. I must say, I love the race pic of me at mile 5. Check out my quad!

7. We are pretty excited to have new neighbors! Welcome Melissa and Greg.

8. News like this is a grim reminder of how others sacrifice for us. Thank you to all our service members and their families!

9. The next two weekends are busy busy busy with races and weddings. Lots to celebrate. Then it's on to California! 3 weeks in wine country, with a little Yosemite and Vineman thrown in. Can't wait to see friends and drink wine. Yippee!

If only....I could descend like Levi

2010-05-23T21:47:00.002-04:00

Levi Leipheimer Descending Pine Flat Road from Roger Bartels on Vimeo.

Rev3 Race Report

2010-05-17T22:28:00.001-04:00

....or how to place in your age group without even trying!

Last weekend didn't go quite like I thought it would. Going into that weekend, I was feeling undertrained, ill-prepared, and a bit down on myself. Life is like that right now (Joe and I are in a place neither one of us could have ever imagined, so we're feeling ill-prepared and down on ourselves), but sometimes you need things to start out wrong to end up right. It's amazing how everything has a way of working out--and this past weekend was a good lesson in how our life will turn around too.

Getting to Knoxville

I had planned on driving down to Tennessee on Friday afternoon, but as I was cleaning my house (can't leave house filthy--don't want to come home to dirt and mess) Joe and I were called by Joey's school for a medical emergency. Four hours in the ER and a CAT scan later, we were back home with Joey who spent the rest of the day sleeping and resting. I scrubbed the bejeezus out of the kitchen floor late that afternoon while debating with myself if I should even race. By early evening, it was clear that Joey was feeling much better. Since the guys were still planning on attending their camp out the following night, we decided that it would be fine for me to go. Maddy care was lined up--she had a crazy busy weekend of volunteer activities--and that evening we had a nice family dinner and watched The Blind Side.

Saturday morning I was up and out of the house by 5:30. I was anxious to get to Knoxville early enough to have time to check in, drive the bike course, hang with Molly, Lynn, and possibly Kari. I had never driven farther south than Lexington on I-81. I don't know quite what I was expecting (other than lots of tractor trailers), but it was a beautiful and scenic drive. Winding through Blacksburg, I thought about my friends signed up for Mountains of Misery in a couple weeks. Such a shame that I can't join them for it (NOT!), since the ride is 2 weeks before Eagleman. Just as I pulled into Knoxville, I got a call from #1 son, home from Iraq. Poor guy was greeted at the door by just the dog--everyone else was gone. He was able to have a nice lunch with Maddy in between her outings and sleepover.

Molly met me in the lobby of the hotel and we schlepped bike and bags upstairs before hitting the expo/athlete check-in. We walked down to find transition and the swim exit. The river looked quite nice, and there were still people in the water. After a quick lunch of barbeque and chatting with Lynn, we headed out for a preview of the bike course. Can you say technical?! Narrow, narrow roads. No shoulders. Winding, blind descents. Some steep climbs. We doubted how they could close the course, given all the homes along the way, and hoped it wouldn't be much of a problem (more on that later). On the way back to the hotel, we laid in some food and post race libations and made plans to join Lynn and her mom for dinner.

Our dinner was ok--the food was decent, but the service was far from it. I think we had the newest, youngest waitress who asked us 3 times what kind of wine we had ordered. Salads came after the dinner, as did the soup. After several pleading looks at passing managers, they got it right--with 2 comped deserts for our troubles. We were back in the hotel and lights out by 9:30. I was surprised how easily I fell asleep, and stayed zonked until the alarm went off at 6.

Race Day

After some iffy attempts at brewing my own water for oatmeal, we found coffee and hot water at the restaurant on our way to transition. I think I need a new transition bag--Molly had hands free with her neat back pack. I ended up spilling some of my oatmeal while trying to juggle the food and my stuff. We got body marked, said hello to this guy who is stalking me (I swear he's at every race I do!).

(What the hell is up with those bags under my eyes?!)

While I was saying good morning to Michael Lovato, dear dear Lynn showed up with a Starbucks latte for me! That is how I like to start Mother's Day. Bless you Lynn.

It was so cold out, I think the air temps were in the 40s. I was a little worried about the water temps given I decided to wear my own john style wetsuit. After setting everything up in transition, we walked barefoot down to the swim start and met up with Lynn's mom and Brian. I was in the last swim wave, so I got to see everyone off, including Tara Costa who was participating in her first tri (and she kicked butt!) Soon it was time for my wave to get in the water. The water felt great! So warm in comparison to the air temps. Time to go!

Swims are always funny things for me. I knew I had a good start, since I lined up at the very front and there were just 2 or 3 people swimming at my speed from my wave. Sighting was ok, even given the sun coming up straight ahead of us. There was a riverboat close to the turn, so I just aimed for that. Not much current either. I still dick around too much on the swim, popping up to look around, wave at kayakers, and check out my surroundings. I made the turn easily (there was no one else there...) and headed back down stream. Sighting got a little harder, since there weren't enough bouys marking the course. But I knew the swim exit was just past the railroad bridge so if I swam straight for one of the piers I'd be ok. I got to the dock in about 24 mins (someone said the course was short) and held on for a second extra. A couple volunteers asked if I needed help getting out, but I told them I needed to pee before exiting. They were a little surprised at that. Peeing done, I hopped out and started the jog up the ramp to T1. Total swim time: 25:42 an oly-distance swim PR of about 2:45 (so I don't think the course was short).

What a gorgeous morning it was turning into. It was a little breezier than I would've liked, given I had just put my race wheels back on my bike. (See here why I'm not a fan of race wheels, wind, and hills.) T1 wasn't my fastest ever. I struggled to get the arm warmers on, but knew I'd need them.

As I was crossing the mount line, I heard some one say "Have a great ride, Kate." I looked up and it was Brian, waiting for Lynn. I can't believe I didn't find Lynn on the swim. I can usually recognize her swim stroke from a mile away. Time to hop on the bike and get it done. My goal for this leg was to get up the hills fast, get down the hills however I could, and try to enjoy the back part of the course. Getting out of town sucked--two big climbs right off the bat, then down a street that was under construction. We had less than a normal lane width under a train bridge and with bikes heading out and in it was a bit disconcerting.

All in all, I thought the ride went well, except for the two times I dropped my chain at the top of a climb. I noted to be careful with my gears when gearing up for the downhills, and it didn't happen again. Through the shady parts it was downright COLD, but the sunshine felt oh so good. I was suprised the course was completely open to traffic, and I'm not sure how much warning drivers had that there would be a race happening that morning. I like this series of pictures of me passing these two guys. The ambulance in the last frame was for some poor guy who crashed and had possibly broken his collarbone. Doesn't the guy on the left look a little like the Geico caveman?

On the way back into town, I had to face those two hills we climbed up. I should've pulled up the big girl pants and bombed down, but the wind had picked up quite a bit and I chickened out. I'm sure the cops directing traffic were wondering this one chick barely inched down the hill when everyone else was flying down. Oh well. My next race is blessedly FLAT! Total bike time: 1:39:53, 4 minutes slower than my Columbia bike time.

T2 is always so nice. Throw everything on the rack, sit down, and pee while putting on the shoes. Some lady in the rack next to mine was bemoaning having to pee heading out and I told her to just sit and do it while she put on her shoes. She was surprised, but it saved her from stopping in a nasty portapotty.

I got out on the run, picked what felt like a quick pace/cadence and thought to myself, "Let's see how long you can hold this." Turns out I held it pretty well! I felt good and was passing people (which NEVER happens to me on the run). Just before the first mile, I saw Kari on her way back in. Water and gu at mile 2, and some over the head. The breeze was nice and kept the temperature just perfect. About a 1/2 mile before the turn around, I saw Molly and gave her a high five. I wished I could have caught up to her. I ran the first segment at an 8:51 pace and the second half at an 8:56 pace. Turns out I ran a 55:09 10k!!! Which is an oly-run PR. I was so happy with that.

So overall I came in at 3:07:22. Not the quite time I was thinking I could do, and probably should have done with out the mental crap I was putting myself through before the race, but still a PR. Molly met me at the finish line and we grabbed food, then decided to get our stuff out of transition before we didn't have the energy to do it later. We found Lynn in transition getting ready to head out on her 1/2 marathon, looking strong. Sadly, the volunteers still in transition were a little too busy texting/talking on their cell phones, and Lynn didn't see where the run out was. We got her pointed in the right direction and let her know we'd see her at the finish with her mom and Toby.

While waiting for Lynn and Brian, Molly wandered off and found an ice bath AND mimosa. Then they started the awards ceremony. Molly wasn't around to see that the young chick who was paced by her volunteer boyfriend took third in her AG. So annoying. When they got to my AG I was curious to see how fast these women looked--but then they called my name as having placed THIRD!!! Holy sh*t! Had I known I was going to get called onstage, I would've worn something nicer. I got a nice plaque and a new fuel belt.

Soon afterwards, Lynn and Brian came running home. Lynn's mom had never seen her race before and was beaming with pride. I was bummed that they couldn't stick around for a while--would've been nice to share those Mike's, margaritas, and cupcakes with them. All in all, a good day!

Monday morning I was bummed to find the hotel hot tub closed for cleaning. I got all packed up, said goodbye to Molly, and headed to visit my old TriMoms friends, Matt and Kim. Matt had been the swim coach at UofR, but now coaches the LadyVols. Their new facilities are AMAZING! Also so nice to catch up with them and tell them about how far some of their TriMoms have come--quite a few of us are now Ironmen, something we never imagined while training for our first sprint in 2004!

If the suit fits...

2010-04-29T23:05:00.000-04:00

I am good at purging. Not a month goes by that I am not assessing what I have in my closet and chest of drawers, asking myself if I haven't worn such-and-such in over a year, is it really worth keeping? Usually the answer is no.

The cleaning people have always been very grateful for our hand me downs. They've scored some good stuff--upteen gazillion suits and shirts of Joe's, even a bag of over 50 ties thanks to "business casual" at Joe's new company last year. (It had to be a pretty darn good tie to make the final 20 that stayed on the rack.) They also got lots of things from my side of the closet with labels that read either "Talbots" or "Ann Taylor." Heck, they even got my old shearling coat from Poland. When I think about it, that was a lot of money that walked out the door!

Regardless of whether you're a keeper or purger, I think many of us must have, stashed away somewhere deep in the bowels of our closets, an article of clothing from a past life. One in which we were younger, skinnier. It hides back there, forgotten for the most part, but every now and again we pull it out, pull it on (if we can), and reminisce.

Mine is a red linen suit--my former power suit--from the days when I worked at the CIA. I loved that suit. It made me feel invincible. I'd usually wear it on days that I had important meetings, or when I needed a little boost of confidence. I had a couple of different scarves that I'd wear with it. One was very nautical: red, white, and blue in a sail boat motif; another was black with big red cabbage roses on it; and a third was another floral, but with shots of acid green. The cut is very late '80s: big shoulders, short skirt, long jacket. I like to think I was that chick in the Cake song, with the right allocations, fast and thorough, and sharp as a tack:

I haven't been able to fit in that suit for a looooooong time. I remember trying to put it on after Joey was born and I literally couldn't get the skirt up over my hips. Very depressing. I'd been tempted over the years to relegate it to the give away pile, but I've always held out hope that I could fit in it again.

Today in the shower I was wondering if those last intervals in my 9+ mile fartlek run were so sucky because I was dehydrated. (Yeah, yeah, ELF. Excuses excuses.) I had just recently read Michelle's post about losing over two pounds in sweat--so it is possible. It wasn't that hot out today, but I know I've been really off in the past few weeks about drinking enough water throughout the day. (I have been very good about drinking enough wine, however.)

I don't like scales and only bought one because Kim told me to. So I got on the scale straight out of the shower to see if I weighed less than my usual. For the past 2-3 years my weight, even at the doctor's office, has not varied by more than a couple pounds.

Lo and behold, the scale posted a number I haven't seen since before I was pregnant with Maddy. I thought to myself, "That can't be right." I think I got on and off the scale three times before thinking that the only way to check was to drag out that red suit and try it on. The weight litmus test if you will.

17 years of marriage, 2 more kids, 5 years of triathlon et voila: me in the red suit!

Where the heck is Camp Buehring anyways?

2010-04-29T21:36:00.000-04:00

The past month has been a busy one, and these days I barely have enough energy to look at the computer much less blog or even check facebook. I will summarize:

1. Main family news: #1 Son has deployed. I was able to get down to New Orleans (and drive to Camp Shelby) for Tiger Day, the last day families were allowed to visit their soldiers predeployment. It was a bittersweet day--we had a nice time (just under 5 hours) hanging out, but at 4:45 just before we had to leave the camp, there were lots of tears being shed. I am so very proud of him--soldiers really are a special breed. ADC's facebook post a couple weeks ago said it best, and please let me paraphrase: "A Veteran is someone who at one point in their life wrote a blank check made payable to their country, for an amount up to, and including, their life! That is honor! THANK A SOLDIER!!" Some pics from my visit with him:

2. Other family news: Maddy was in her school play last weekend. The entire cast and crew worked SO HARD, and it showed. The week leading up to the performances, they were in practice every night past 6, dress rehearsal nights past 7, and she was still able to keep up (mostly) with her homework, dance class on 2 nights/week, and volleyball on Sundays. I think she's still recovering, and digging out of the "in over her head" hole. We are very proud of her! Way to go, Quince!

3. I started working on a project for a national flooring company, helping them with the room schemes for their next catalogue. The job is a 40 minute drive from home, and I work from 8 until about 5. Fitting in workouts has been interesting and basically means more early mornings! The job is tough--I am busy the entire time. We shoot at least 2 "rooms" a day, so that means making sure the floors are installed well, placing all the furniture, staging it (Pier 1 is not going to like it when I return all those accessories...), and then helping the photographer decide on the angles, lighting, and if things should be moved around.

....ok so I started the post back in March and I'm just now (late April) publishing it. Life does get in the way.

What's on my mind?

2010-04-12T21:04:00.000-04:00

"Dear Kathryn,

Are you ready? We hope so! The inaugural Olympic and Half Rev races sponsored by REV3 are only four weeks away. You’ve signed up, you’ve trained and you most likely have tapering on your mind. "
Tapering?! Who are they kidding? I'm still training. Or at least thinking about training.

There may be too much to blog about...so, if you want to know what's going on in my life, call me!

10 Things that Make Me Happy

2010-02-05T11:43:00.000-05:00

1. My Handsome Guys:

Joey is our comic relief in this family and oh, do I love him so. He has some great signature dance moves, and will on occassion come and snuggle with me in the morning. That is the BEST way to start the day. Soon he'll be too old for that, so I grab every chance to love on him. He is a nice kid, and tries hard to be responsible about his diabetes.

My husband is my greatest cheerleader and best friend. It's funny how we as girls tend to choose guys very much like our own fathers for husbands (although mine has MUCH more fashion sense than my dad!); my dad would not deny my mother anything. My mom was right when she told me my father was the one that would love her always and regardless of anything--and Joe is the same with me. He can be really goofy at times, especially with the kids, which makes him the best kind of dad--engaged, loving, and thoughtful.

2. My Beautiful Moo

Every day I marvel at what a smart, beautiful girl I have! She is a far better student than I ever was, which I credit to her love of reading. She is an adventurous sort and is usually willing to give new things a try, from food to sports to travel. I am so glad that she has some very close friends--girls that have been in her life since before preschool! I know she will grow up to be a confident and independent woman.

3. My friends--both near and far, old and new

My friends challenge me: to do new things, to push myself, and to reach for things I want. I love that they see things in me that I can't and believe in me when I don't. Without you guys I would've never become an Ironman, much less tried a triathlon in the first place. Peer pressure can be a good thing! (Although that fourth vodka gimlet was not a good idea.)

4. Sophie

Wouldn't it be nice to wake up everyday in the same "Gee, I'm happy to see you!" mood? It has taken a while (4 years) for her to get over the piddle-in-submission greeting, but Sophie is always ready to go for a run or snuggle on the couch. She absolutely LOVES the beach in any kind of weather which makes her my kind of dog! Now, if only I could break her annoying habit of carrying shoes around in her mouth.

5. Cupcakes

Now, I'm sure you thought this was a given, but it's not the cake itself that makes me happy (although I am a total sucker for that coconut/lime flavor YUM!) Cupcakes to me are about making other people happy because shared indulgences are the best, especially with folks from #3.

6. The Beach

Like my dog, I love the beach in any kind of weather. We are so lucky to have our house at the beach and it has become our "happy place." There is no clutter, no demands on our schedule, and no hassles (other than home repair issues.) It is a time to read, do puzzles, lounge on the beach or in the house, go for runs or bike rides if the mood strikes, and generally just hang out.

7. A Clean House

....and preferably one I didn't have to clean myself!

8. A Good Book

I am the type of person that gets easily sucked into a good book. I will ignore everything else, and just read read read. I've been known to stay up waaaay past 3am to finish a book. It doesn't happen very often, which I guess is a good thing, since then the house would be a total wreck and my children would be dirty and starving.

9. Nice Hotels and Flying First Class

I don't do camping. I don't like to be cold, sleep on the ground, or have to use a flashlight to find the bathroom in the middle of the night. I much prefer a bed that is freshly made every morning, down comforters (love the fact that more hotels are going in this direction), and clean towels every day. My husband has spoiled us--we have stayed in some pretty swank places on our travels and been able to cobble together some good itineraries on flights that let us fly in style. The days of tighter budgets will be a sad thing when and if we get to go overseas again.

10. Tulips.

Tulips are my favorite flower, but I especially love parrot tulips that are variegated and have the raggedy edges. Joe knows birthdays are better with tulips!

We're already how far into the new year?

2010-01-14T12:25:00.000-05:00

I was reminded in an email that I haven't updated my blog in a while. I must say that I have become a little lazy, figuring if you really need to know what's going on in my life you can check my Facebook page. But there are quite a few things to flesh out now that we are, indeed, well into a new year.

The Race Schedule

Jen H has her athletes fill out a goals form at the beginning of every year, listing A, B, and C races and other "want to accomplish" types of things. I started filling mine out on New Year's Day, but still haven't finished it. I am in a quandry on the why's and wherefore's of my racing this coming year. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely races I'm signed up for and looking forward to, but once past Vineman in July there is a whole lot of NOTHING looming. Do I want to do another fall marathon? Do I try and squeak an IM-distance race past my hubby and go for Beach2Battleship? Do I sign up for IMMoo or IMFL in 2011? (good reasons to do either, can't imagine doing both. I think Jen would have to line up right behind Joe to throttle me if I did that.)

There is also the whole "sick of being slow" sickness going around. Anyone who did IM distance races last year, with the exception of quite a few of my local training buddies, are swearing off them for at least another year and are focused on SPEED! Frankly it kinda scares me that even with that as a goal, I may still end up woefully slow. All my "benchmark" road races--in which I would seriously try to set a PR--fall on dates that don't mesh with the training schedule. I will be gone for the Monument Ave 10k. Carytown 10k is the weekend after my first big race. Then there's Shamrock. Do I go for that sub 2hr half just 4 days before climbing Mt. Lemmon?! Jen says no. Damn damn damn. Can't win for trying.

Amidst all this race schedule planning, Joe and I need to fit in some other stuff. Going to New Orleans to see Jim before he deploys to Iraq. Vacationing in California and hiking in Yosemite, just before Vineman. As always, none of this racing or traveling is free. Since Joe changed jobs last year, finances are a little tighter, spoiling any plans for new kitchens, major beach house repairs, and a Powertap. We are very lucky--Joe has a good job, we have food on the table and a roof over our head, and we can still afford some luxuries (thank you, Belmont Butchery!) but it's still a joy-kill.

Anyways, back to the race schedule. So far it looks like this:

Next weekend, Frostbite 15k. LOTS of friends running, including Joe, so it should be a good time. I've signed up for this race 3 times, and never run it. This year there's no backing out.
Mar 21st Shamrock 1/2 Marathon (I guess Jen should be glad I'm not doing the Dolphin Challenge--8k on Sat, 1/2 mary on Sun)
Mar 24-28th Tricamp in AZ!!!
May 8th Rev3 Oly Knoxville, TN (still trying to talk Lynn into this, but if not will see Florida tricamp buddies there!)
June 13th Eagleman (this time NO BONKING! More on this later)
July 18th Vineman (with Marit and some new friends!)

Mixed in there will also be a couple of small local triathlons. Still on the want to do list:

a 10k--one that I can go for a sub 50 on. My pr is 52:30 so it's do-able. Now I just have to find a 10k that fits in the schedule...
The Army 10 Miler. I LOVE this race. This year was huge for me--took 10 whole minutes off my best time. I'm 1:31 away from breaking 1:30:00 and I know I can do it. Maybe this year I can talk Joe into running with me!
Patriot 1/2 in September. Last time I did this race I DNF'd. Time to finish some un-finished business.

Nutrition Issues

This has been a perennial entry on my "want to accomplish" list--nailing down my nutrition, on race day and otherwise. I really am sick of bonking on runs in IM and half iron distance races. Plus, if I could move some stuff around, like take away what's on the back of my hips and put it instead into more muscular thighs, it could only help my running. "Lean up" instead of slim down. ELF mentioned something about body composition having the most impact on your running/speed (we won't go into the "consistency in training thing") so we'll see what I can accomplish on this front. I have been much better so far this year about cutting out the weekday-night drinking. 1-2 glasses of wine a night was the norm, so I now try to keep any alcohol intake to Friday/Saturday only. (Although last night was an exception. Nothing like kids vomiting, dogs pooping, and giving blood all in one morning to make one turn to alcohol. I was glad to be able to hold out until 7pm before pouring a large glass.) Poor Joe isn't very happy with me, says it makes him feel like a lush if he's drinking alone.

The Job Search

In the past month, I've started an honest job search. I can't believe it's been 18 months years since I finished the Master's program at VCU! Time flies, especially when training for two IMs and a marathon. It is time to get serious on this front. The kids are in a good place--happy in their respective schools with some, but not too many, after school activities. They are pretty self-sufficient, as long as there is someone around to monitor Joey's eating/blood sugars. While it seems most of the great jobs are in DC and NY, I have found a couple of leads worth pursuing. I even have a job interview this Friday! This would also help the Oliver-household finances, and maybe even pay for a new kitchen... I have put together an online portfolio. You can see it here.

Birthdays

Soon my daughter celebrates her 13th birthday, and just after that I will celebrate turning 29 for the 13th time. I can't believe I will be 42--that's just not possible. I feel like I should be 34ish. Is there someway to just stop aging? Or should I just not celebrate it at all, and let it pass hopefully into obsurity? NAH! Maddy's having some girlfriends down to the beach house, so I figured I could invite some too! Hopefully we'll get a good group and all have a girly-girly weekend!

This week is test week for me. Soon I'll be off to do the dreaded swim test. Ack. Wish me luck. I did pack the new goggles!

Christmas in Pictures

2009-12-28T11:19:00.000-05:00

My apologies to Jen for plagarizing the title to this post...

The week before Christmas break, my dear friend Lynn came over to help decorate cookies the kids give to their teachers. It was a nice evening drinking wine, chatting, and playing with icing.

That Friday evening it started snowing! We had a total of over 11" in our neighborhood, so the kids spent a fun weekend sledding with friends. Joey was quite the entrepreneur with the snow shovel, and cleared many a walk and driveway earning over $50!

The kids and I loaded up the car on Monday and came down to the beach. I had a crazy couple of days trying to get everything ready for Christmas--buying a tree and decorating it, laying in food, and a some last minute shopping. I also was desperately tracking a package that was supposed to get to coach Jen, but was delayed by bad weather. Several of her athletes all went in on this. What a riot!

Joey came in to wake me up about 6:30 Christmas morning. He wasn't too interesting in snuggling with Mom, and instead was ready to start in on the present opening!

Joey's haul

One of two new bike jerseys for Mom--this one from DeLoach Winery

Sophie and her bone!

#1 Son and his Kindle

After opening gifts and playtime, we had a nice brunch--french toast and eggs Jefferson (like eggs benedict but with spinach and crab)--and went for a walk on the beach before it started POURING rain.

The finished 2000 piece puzzle

Maddy in her new "fur" coat

That night we had a quiet dinner and ended up watching the Nutcracker. The following day the rain had stopped so Joe and I went for a run together. That night was my friend Ginny's wedding in Norfolk--a very small, pleasant affair. The Bride looked smashing!

VCU friends Ginny and Caroline

I haven't been so good about getting workouts in these past several weeks. I did get on my bike yesterday and managed to avoid many of the 2-3" deep puddles in the roads, but my toes absolutely froze. This week I hope to make one of the Fat Frog rides, but damn, they start early (7:30am!)

Smacznego! Bon Apetit! Buen Provecho! Ith gu leòir!

2009-12-15T16:16:00.006-05:00

Turns out today is National Cupcake Day! I know how I'm celebrating--thanks to Molly.

Goodness knows after today's 42 mile bike ride, I need some little reward. I got my butt kicked by a bunch of older men, one of whom has over a total of 11,000 RECORDED miles for this year alone. Another guy was wearing bike shorts (no tights) and sandals (no socks--and it was 50 degrees), and riding on flat pedals--like the ones on kids' bikes. Now I totally understand why the first guy could ride me under the table, but SANDALS?! Damn, that's hard core.

Ouch

2009-12-08T20:02:00.003-05:00

I can't easily do anything today except sit. Yesterday was my inaugural "Return to Weight Lifting" day, so I figured a 1/2 hour ab class followed by a 1 hr Body Shape class would do the trick. The ab class wasn't THAT bad, except for the SLOOOOW leg lifts. Then the perky young chick took over for Body Shape and had us do 8gazillion push ups. I'm not sure I like the whole "lifting" to music thing, especially when it's techno-80s mix at 110 beats per minute and you're doing lunges to the beat of the music. Hello! Can you see that my legs are twice as long as yours? From full lunge to knee lift position takes me 3x as long as the instructor. That and that it seems I'm really out of shape. There was one other girl in the class with an Ironman shirt on. I told her I'd much rather spend 6 hours on the bike than an extra 5 minutes in there.

So I survived that class, feeling like my arms were going to fall off, only to have Masters swim that night. Coach John laughed when I told him what I did that morning. Said something about it being "good for me." Sounds like something Jen would say. I led the lane for most of the warm up, and then decided when I saw that the main set was 3x (3x200s) to go to the back of the line. Time to do a little cruisin'. The first set of 3 200s was the hardest, since we got 5 seconds rest in between 100s on the subsequent ones. Who knew that 5 seconds rest could make or break your swim?! Then I actually took back leading the lane, and I did the last two sets of 200 in the same time, so I wasn't slowing down. Yey me! I then came home, ate dinner, watched Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, and collapsed.

This morning I was still ok, and then went for a massage. ow ow ow ow, with a few aaahs here and there. Pecs and hamstring/glutes were horribly painful (surprise surprise), and of course that is where Brooke decided I needed the most work. I'm going to now pop a few more Advil, watch the Biggest Loser finale, and go to bed, provided I can actually lift my butt up out of this chair.

It's December already?!?

2009-11-30T16:22:00.009-05:00

Today I had to go to the mall to exchange some things. Wow. Christmas season is full on. Ack. I was just getting used to the idea that Thanksgiving was here.
I must give a shout out to my friends who all crossed that finish line and became Ironmen at IMFL and IMAZ. They all had awesome races and I had such fun watching all of them come across online. I only wish I could have been there in person! Congratulations Molly, Fave, Jill, Trish, Molly W, Mary, Lynne, Annie, Jackie, Kelly, Lisa, Liz, Sarah! So very proud of all of you! Here's the video of Molly crossing the line:

The weekend before Thanksgiving was my third time back on my bike since July. (How scary is that!) Deanna, Jill, SanDee, and I rode on Saturday. I didn't get the memo about someone dropping the hammer, and toward the end of the 30 mile ride I was sucking wind trying to keep up with their 24mph pace. Ooooph. The following day I ran the Turkey Trot course with some IMFL peeps. The weather was gorgeous and warm, and it was nice to spend a Sunday morning running with friends, even running hills.

We had a very nice Thanksgiving weekend. #1 son Jim was able to come home a day early on Wednesday, so we first celebrated his 25th birthday (am I really that old?!) before getting down to the serious eating on Thursday. We love our now-traditional Turkey Trot followed by a tailgate at my car. Very low key race (even if Joe wanted me to try and beat him), and fun gathering of friends before trundling off for family to-dos. I did not beat Joe (he almost got a PR on the course) but was able to break an hour. SanDee's garmin said that the course had almost 1200 feet in elevation gain. No wonder we needed a nap afterwards! This is of me at mile 5:
We then cooked dinner at my Aunt and Uncle's house in Williamsburg. My aunt is battling uterine cancer and is house bound, so dinner came to her. It was very quiet, just the 5 Olivers and them, but very pleasant. We had great discussions about the future of the middle east, given Jim's impending deployment, and especially Iran (my uncle was stationed there during the fall of the Shah) and we watched football.

Sunday I again went riding with SanDee, her husband Gregg and another friend of theirs. 40 miles and 5 counties! The route we took had a little bit of everything: farmland, barking dogs, friendly dogs, lakes, bridges, hills, tailwind and headwind. The weather again was very cooperative, sunny and gorgeous and about 70 degrees. I was a little over-dressed, but better to be taking layers off than freezing. Post ride we all hit the Hanover Tavern for brunch.

I've had my off season, and now the base training is back on. Which means it's time to get back in the pool. I thought I had it well planned when, 3 Mondays ago I showed up at 7:29 for Masters at the Y. John, the coach on deck, said I had a minute to get it done. I thought he meant to get in and warm up, but no. He meant a minute to do the whole workout. Masters, it seems, starts at 6:30, not 7:30, and has since forever. Ooops. Now that Jen also knows that, my Monday workouts in TP say something like "Masters--AT 6:30PM!!" so I can't show up late anymore. I have now made it on time for the past two weeks, and absolutely got my a$$ kicked this week when John put 600m in of both back and breast stroke drills. I really suck at breast stroke, and don't even ask about butterfly. That is NOT in my repertoire. I think I have forgotten how to swim properly regardless of the stroke I'm doing. My shoulder hurts.

I am also trying to figure out how to get in the strength training. I see everyone is enjoying that! I might take Michelle's challenge to heart and see if I can build up to more than 1 pull up (frankly, I don't even think I can do one...that should be fun.)

This coming year I want to nail down my nutrition, both for racing and in general. Joe is in the midst of reading Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food (we've both read The Omnivore's Dilemma) and so he's asking questions about how we can change where/how we get our meat. We are shopping at Whole Paycheck much more and trying to cut down the processed foods that come into the house. It is a challenge with kids--what do you send for snacks other than fruit or pita chips? Joey in particular likes things that are full of unpronounceable stuff, especially the premade frozen waffles, the kind that are chock full of HFCS.

We are looking forward to a quiet Christmas, post party of course. We'll head up to Northern Virginia to see my neice and nephew in the Nutcracker the weekend of the 19th, and then drive to the beach. It'll be our first Christmas holiday actually there for present opening and whatnot. We'll be bringing bikes and games and running gear, and there are always lots of house projects to keep us busy. Sophie will have a great time chasing the birds!

For the soon-to-be Ironmen!

2009-11-20T18:39:00.002-05:00

With lots of love from me...I wish I was there.

We came, we cheered, we may have danced the chicken dance...

2009-11-14T14:56:00.004-05:00

Congratulations to all the 8k, 1/2 Marathon, and Marathon finishers! I'm sorry the day wasn't sunny, but luckily it was cool and a little breezy. I was able to round up a couple of accomplices to cheer on the runners a la Steve in a Speedo.

I like to think we had better moves, but we taped our segment during a busy point, and ended up high-fiving more than dancing. I downloaded a bunch of fun songs (sorry the sound quality is so bad), but gave my girls instructions to watch Beyonce's "Single Ladies" video so they'd know the moves. Here's our version:

A huge thank you to Vanessa and Jennifer! It was so much fun!

Races and Race Reports

2009-10-30T10:54:00.017-04:00

What could be better than swimming, biking and running through some of this country's most gorgeous wine country? Why, eating and drinking your way through wine country with great friends too! Time to plan your summer vacation with a little 70.3 thrown in for good measure. Sign ups for Vineman open this Sunday at midnight (is that 11pm or 1am with the time change???)

Jen C and I have been scheming and this is what we've come up with:

We have a couple of ideas on houses to rent in the area, all that would accomodate 6-10, and all have a pool.

Jen has her professional chef friends lined up to prepare an awesome post race meal, complete with wine pairings!

We were also thinking of organizing a little barrel tasting too (can you say carb load???)

Thank you Molly for offering to be our sherpa and cheerleader extraordinaire! She's done this race twice so she knows how this whole point to point thing works. Yey Molly!

Race day is July 18th. I figure we'd need the house from Friday, July 16th to Monday the 19th. Let me know if you're in and I'll get working on it. Ideally I'd like to keep that cost down to about $100/night per person. If we have fewer than 6 we MIGHT be able to just horn in at my in-laws house which is just 20 mins from the race start, and 5 mins from the race finish, but I have to clear that with them. The chef's meal would run about $75 (that includes wine!) Who's in???

On a less fun note, I guess I need to talk/blog about the Marine Corps Marathon. For all my chatting about getting faster, I didn't deliver. I posted a disappointing 4:55, 4 mins off my current best time. It was a beautiful day for the run. You couldn't ask for better weather--sunny skies, breezy, and about 60 degrees. I was able to make it to the race start in plenty of time, and seeded myself in the 4:30 to 5:00 time corral. I looked all around for my high school friend's husband and he found me just after the gun. I was so glad to have someone to run with! Thank you Tony for the company. The first few miles went by really quickly, with the first hill up Lee Hwy and then down Spout Run. 30,000 is a lot of running company, and it was very crowded (yet only 21,000 finish). There was a lot of people dodging and maneuvering.

Running up Canal Road was beautiful and shady. We made it up the second hill to the reservoir fine and I took in my first gu at the 7 mile point. The downhill back into Georgetown was steep! I knew we'd fly down it, but kept in mind that such steep hills make for owie legs later on (thank you IMLP for that lesson). Lots of crowd support all the way down M Street, and then another downhill and around to the Kennedy Center. This part of the run is familiar since it follows roughly the same path as the Army 10 Miler. Joe was hoping to be at the Lincoln Memorial around mile 11, but didn't make it. There were TONS of spectators around there, which really helped, and I doubt I could've found him in the crowd anyways.

Then came the flat flat flat portion of the race out to Hains Point and back. Nice views along the Potomac and more shade. Aaah. Around the corner, beep beep over the 1/2 way timing mat. At this point I was hanging in there with the 4:30 pace group and doing ok but then I lost Tony at a water stop. And between here and mile 16, the wheels came off the bus. Maybe I should blame that Russian dude that started running with me and chatting up a storm (see pic below and can you believe his name was Boris?). He had been a professional volleyball player in Russia, moved to the US and took up beach volleyball, and now was getting into IM training. He seemed nice enough, but just kept talking my ear off. I wasn't sorry to lose him at a water stop. I knew these miles coming up (18-20) would be the toughest since you loop out to the Capitol and back along the Mall and didn't want to talk about how he should train for Ironman Nice.

At mile 18 I checked my phone and sure enough Joe had texted that he and the kids were waiting for me at mile 22. Not close enough! I found Tony again, poor guy was massaging out cramps just before the Capitol turn around. I asked if he wanted me to stick around and he said to keep going! I finally made it to the 14th Street Bridge and knew if I could make it to Joe, I'd be ok. That bridge is long. It's the last 2 miles of the A10M course, so I know the feeling well of running running running (along a freeway, no less) feeling like you'll never get to the Pentagon. The guy dressed as the Grim Reaper had it somewhat right: he was holding up a huge sign that said "THE END IS NEAR" which 22 miles in is technically correct, but it still feels impossibly far. I was so glad getting off that ramp into Pentagon City, and then saw Joey looking out for me! Yey.

I hit my goal time of 4:30 at the 24 mile point. For a few moments I did consider just stopping at that point. I had just seen my family (for the first time during the race) and the car and hotel were just behind me. Ahead lay 2.2 more miles of pain and frustration. Luckily the handsome young Marine with a bullhorn started talking to ME ("Hey, Ironwoman, get your ass moving! Just 2 more miles!" was about what he was saying) and motivated me to finish it up. I did find Tony again (he must've passed me as I was in the Cosi bathroom at the turn around at mile 23), and he used the phone to call his wife to let her know his expected finish time. He urged me to run it in if I could, so I took off, cranked up the ipod and tried to ignore my legs.

Coming up the final hill to the Iwo Jima memorial was bittersweet. Tons of spectators, lots of young marines, all cheering you up the hill (it's a steep one!). You can't let them down and not RUN up it. Ow ow ow. And whew, the finish line. The medals they give you are impressive--big hunks of metal of the globe, anchor, and eagle. I immediately called first Joe to say "come get me!" and Jen to weep into the phone, and tell her I finished...but.

I have been training for long distance racing for over a year and a half--I started training for IMFL in May of '08. That's a long time to be devoted to distance training, with no emphasis on speed. In talking with Jen H, we agree that my goal time is in me, somewhere. I need this coming year to see if I can translate my improved shorter distance PRs (Shamrock and the Army10Miler) into more consistent speed. Until then, I need to keep ahead of Joe. He's thrown down a challenge that he'll beat me in the Turkey Trot this year. I'll give him a run for his money!

Conquering the Red Baron?

2009-10-19T16:35:00.002-04:00

In January I blogged about a rare run with my husband (read it again here). Back then I wasn't able to keep up with his pace--which is usually right around an 8 minute mile. My husband has the gift of natural speed. Here's a guy whose dad--who started running when he was 45--has run over 20 marathons, including Boston. Joe ran his first (and possibly his last...) marathon the year he turned 40. He found a training plan online and ran it almost to the letter, cranking out a 4:05 marathon. This was before I started the ironman journey and now I keep wondering how he'd do with a little coaching, some track workouts, and a better nutrition plan... Running with Joe was a lesson in humility about how slow I was, and that day in January I was left cursing him with raised fist, much like Snoopy at the Red Baron.

Yesterday we ran together, my regular 4.5 mi loop. Sophie pulled me along as usual, but where I'd normally reign her back with a strict "NO PULL!" I was keeping up with her just fine. And I was also keeping up with Joe. He might have slowed down a bit since his marathon training year since he hasn't been running as regularly, but he's still pretty quick. And yesterday was the culmination of the biggest running milage week for me EVER--almost 40 miles of pounding the pavement. And I did that loop in about 40 minutes and could've kept going!

I'm liking this new running pace. I'm sure at some point I'll still get my ass kicked by Lynnie, since she's getting better and stronger every day. But you know what? I'm thinking this 4:30 marathon thing is in my reach. Now all I need is a trio of farm animals to boogie with at mile 20!

Morning Run with Sophie

2009-10-17T13:25:00.002-04:00

This video is a little wobbly, so I apologize in advance. Hopefully you won't get too woozy watching it.

Fall Madness

2009-10-13T08:18:00.010-04:00

Here we are already half way through October, with the end of the year in sight. I have one more "A" race this year, and it's now just two weeks away! This week is my last big running week before the Marine Corps Marathon on the 25th, time to start believing! In TP, Jen has instructed me to start "thinking PR!" So that is what I will do.

The Army 10 Miler on October 4th was fun, even though I ran it with no one to find me at the finish line. I can't believe I pr'd, and by 10 minutes!! I was hoping for anything less than a 1:35, and I came in at 1:31:48. If only I hadn't stopped so long a the water stop at Mile 2...

That was a beautiful morning for a race--at the start it was about 60 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. I had a fun evening the night before with my friend Heidi, shopping for wedding jewelry and then dinner at a Thai restaurant. Pre race I had my normal breakfast and coffee, and ate my clif bar just before walking to the start. I was early (unlike the Rock n' Roll half that started at 7am, not 7:30...ooops), and I hung out in my corral and watched the paratroopers drop out of the plane. Some guy behind me noticed my tattoo and asked which Ironman I had done. He then just wouldn't stop talking! I was glad for the start of the race so I could move away from him and hopefully lose him in the 30,000 people running. He found me at mile 2 while I was trying to down a gu. Ack!

I hit mile 5 and took stock--I was just at 45 minutes, and half way through the race. I realized I could, if I just maintained my pace, come in close to 1:30 so that became my focus. Don't slow down...steady... I didn't walk through any more water stops. At mile 7 I passed this kid, and commented to another woman that we couldn't let an 8 year old kick our ass. The kid piped up that he was 10! At the turn onto the 14th street bridge at mile 8, I took in my last gu, downed some water, and bucked up for the last 2 miles which are the worst! Running on a freeway, with no shade, and tormenting signs saying "Pentagon 1/2 mile" when you feel like you've run an extra 12 miles. I had been hitting my watch at every mile marker and at mile 9 it felt like I had no gas left, but I got it done in 8:50! Bonus! I sprinted in and just knew I nailed that run. Whew!

This weekend was more travel, down to Naples FL for my dear friend Heidi's wedding. Some pictures:
The Bridesmaids

The Bride and Maid of Honor--little ows on wedding morning

The Bride and her attendants

Post Wedding Fun

Live Sand Dollars!

Many congratulations to my friends who finished Kona--I am in awe! I am so so so happy for my friends Fave and IronGreg who got engaged this weekend. I also send lots of love out to dear Julia this week.

Eating Vegetables (it's good for you!)

2009-09-28T21:13:00.010-04:00

Poor Jen, I called her last night and started complaining. About being alone at my races without my family, about how slow I'm feeling. She must've said something to ELF, because I was later instructed on Facebook to pull on the big girl panties and EAT MY VEGETABLES. And they're right. It's time to HTFU, realize that I signed up for these races ostensibly for a reason (like maybe because they'd be fun? or maybe I could set a new PRs?) Neither Jen nor ELF can do that for me, and neither can my family. And while it would be nice to have a familiar face meet me at mile 20 and say "Let's get you to the finish line sooner rather than later," I shouldn't rely on that. Just like in an IM, it should be ME that gets me to the finish line. That little voice in me in Placid was really annoying, telling me how much better I'd feel if I slowed down, how easier it was to walk than run. It almost had me convinced I didn't even need to finish, but I knew better on that score (Jen and my husband would've killed me!) I don't think I've tuned it out yet either.

I have a hard time with that voice. It is the voice of self-doubt. It can be very persuasive. It is the voice that says the hurt will stop when you do. It can easily wipe out months of hard work and progress with just a little whisper of "what if..." or "you don't need to do this..." or "ouch this hurts." I think this is where people who grow up athletic have it a little better in that they learned to tune out that voice back in high school or college. How do you reprogram that voice when you're just finding that athlete inside yourself at age 41? Ha, Jen, there's a question for your blog!

On the way to dinner I was doing some math. I was trying to remember my pace for the 2007 Monument Avenue 10k which I ran in just over 52 minutes, a 2 minute PR. I wasn't running that race with a specific time goal, but I was running with a friend. She had pulled away from me at the 3 mile mark, and I remember how I push push pushed to find her again and cross the line with her. Where was the voice then? Who knows. But I wanted one thing, and that was to not be beat to the line by much. My fitness has only improved since then, so I have no excuses but damn I still feel slow! Someday I want to run a sub 50 min 10k. Right now though, my 800m repeats that have me dying by the end are not far off that 8 1/2 min/mile pace from 2007. Is IM training really THAT damaging to your speed?!

While at dinner, Joey asked how much I'd pay him to eat his vegetables. I told him he better get used to being hungry, because I won't bribe him to eat. I guess I better figure out what I'm craving, and how badly I want it. No one is going to eat those veggies for me, and even if I have to choke them down, they're good for me.

Tuesday Mishmash

2009-09-22T15:22:00.008-04:00

This past Friday was LONG RUN Friday. 3 hours. All alone. Yuck. Maybe I should back up and let you know what I did Thursday. Thursday was "run hills with Lynnie and Jilly" day. We ran Riverside Drive on the south side of town, up and down, up and down. At 6:30am (or a little later because if you know me you know I'm always late). Bleh. Oh, and we're running at Lynn's new pace, which is pretty fast, especially on hills at o'dark thirty when I still haven't had my morning coffee. I kept reminding myself as I looked for those two girls waaaay ahead of me that I chose to do this over running 1:15 by myself. Here's the route:

So Thursday's run was hard. Then I get to top it with another tough 3 hr run with 30 minute intervals building from easy to zone 4. As I was putting on my running togs, Sophie starts bouncing up and down, "oh boy oh boy oh boy we're gonna go for a run!" I felt so bad that she wasn't going to be able to come with, but dragging a half dead Viszla after 10 miles wouldn't be fun. So home she stayed. I loaded up the fuel belt with gu and water, mapped out my run, and headed out. It was a beautiful day, thank goodness. Not too hot. The first 4 miles were good, and even included MORE hills as I ran up to Grove Avenue from the UofR/CCV cut through on Tapoan and Iris. I took in the first gu at Starbucks, refilled the water bottles, and was waiting for the light to turn when I ran into a friend. He's training for the Tour de Tucson that is our local JDRF office's fundraiser this year--lucky guy just got a new road bike, all carbon with better gearing. He's amazed at what a difference it made! So chat chat chat, gotta run...and off I go down Grove. I was cruising along and just ahead along the curb of the road was a turtle. Can't leave the turtle there to wander into traffic, so I ran holding him for a block or two looking for a good place to put him out of harms way. Someone's walled garden was just the place, but I think the roofers working there all thought I was nuts for saving a turtle.

I hit the 195 overpass and it was time to put it in high gear. Time for that zone 4 area. ooof. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to run this part on sidewalks that are buckled and wobbly. Oh well. Bounding over curbs and whatnot helped keep the hr elevated. I picked the route since it's familiar territory, and has ample water and potty stops along the way. It took me exactly 1:25 to get all the way down to the VCU campus. Time to refill the water bottles, so I wandered up to my old MFA program stomping grounds and found Rob! Poor guy, I left sweaty bottom prints on his chair and sweaty elbow prints on his desk. But it was nice to see him and catch up briefly before heading back out.

The way home wasn't half as fun. It was getting late (it was about 12:30 when I turned for home) and was quite warm. I was drinking as fast as I could refill those bottles, and taking in my gu every 3 miles. I did run into Sophie's trainer and was able to put the bugaboo in his ear about her staying at Vizsla heaven (he owns 2 viszlas) while we're in Florida. Trudge trudge trudge on home. The guy at Starbucks looked at me and said "You again? How far are you running?" The downhills back by CCV hurt, but not as much as the last hill up to our street. Home at 2pm, in the ice bath by 2:10. Then it was time for a nap. Then packing for the beach. Whew. Here's the map of my route:

We had a great weekend at the beach. Saturday was cool and overcast and since (HOORAY!) I didn't have a run to do, we took our bikes down to the Back Bay Wildlife Refuge to bike to False Cape State Park. I loved biking with the family. I think this is the first time we've ever all been on bikes as a family (the four person ones with the canopy on the boardwalk don't count). The kids are totally ready for new bikes though, and could probably use ones with gearing. Once at the park, we went out to the beach and had some impromptu races. The ride back wasn't nearly as much fun due to a headwind (welcome to my life), but the kids were troopers and handled it well. Next time we'll try biking all the way to the North Carolina border, which is about 5 miles further down from the Park.

Of course the day we have to pack up and leave was gorgeous. The guys went to hit some golf balls and Maddy and I goofed off. I did get my run in, with Sophie. We have a regular ~5mi loop where we run down on the road and back along the beach. She must have run an additional 3-4 miles just running ahead to chase birds then coming back to me. Tired dog = happy dog! We stopped in Williamsburg on the way home to visit with my uncle. My aunt is still in the hospital, but will be coming home soon we hope. I still need one of those pink "Cancer Sucks" splish suits.

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Looking back...looking ahead

2009-09-08T18:39:00.015-04:00

It's hard to believe my triathlon season ended over a month ago. Here it is almost fall and in my most recent coversation with Jen we agreed that I don't need to swim any more this year. I know, some of you are crying me a river, but I'm not sure that I'm all that happy about it. I think I'm a decent swimmer, so time in the pool is ok, especially with my friends training for IMFL. I have also only been on my bike twice since Placid! Two weeks ago I rode with Fave, Lynn, Jill, and Emmie who absolutely kicked my ass on a 56 mile ride. Maybe I should get on my bike more so I don't forget how to ride. Here we are at the start of the ride, hoping the thunderstorms and crazy rain we drove through to the start wouldn't dog us for the next 3 hours:

Whatever, I'm not training for anything requiring a swimsuit or bike. I am, however, supposed to be marathon training...

Yeah, I've got this little 26.2 mile run hanging over my head in late October. The Marine Corps Marathon. And I think the friend I had talked into running it with me is going to bag on me. Something about new babies and jobs...blah blah blah. (Yeah, Bob, I'm calling you out on my blog...) The problem is my running has been off since Placid. Did you read my previous post?! Just the thought of trying to slog through another marathon is freaking me out. I did run the Rock'n'Roll half marathon this past weekend at the beach, somewhat successfully. I was worried that since it was hot and humid I might bonk again. Luckily that didn't happen, but I didn't set any speed records either. Cue up the Marit quote about "slow, strong, steady" being the key for Ironman training. You don't see speed in there. I have this little voice in my head saying I should try hard and run a 4:30 (which would be a 20 minute PR for me!), so that's what Jen is going to have me doing--speed work. Fun times.

What went right last weekend? I paid attention to the two things I didn't get right in Placid: water and electrolytes. I took a salt tab every 2 miles, and a gu and water every 3 miles. I drank most of a gatorade just before starting too. I had been training in the nasty hot humid weather of the beach in August for the past 2 weeks (minus a couple of days while Tropical Storm Danny blew around). I had been out running at o'stupid o'clock--usually around 9:30 or 10 am. Those runs really sucked since it was generally around 90 degrees out. I couldn't make it more than 5 miles. Yuck. I must say, I'm pretty excited about this weekend's half--it was really affirming to know that I could 1) handle the heat and run smart and 2) run a consistent pace with minimal walking other than to down some etabs or water. Hooray for conquering a couple of little Placid demons. Here's a picture of me close to the finish line. Don't I look happy?!
Today's little 4 1/2 mile recovery run went well. I started out a little sluggish, but was able to pick up the pace in the middle and finish strong. I was very glad that it was in the low 70s and raining! Bring on the fall weather--isn't that why we like fall marathons?

While the rest of 2009 is pretty much planned, I've already started thinking about next year. Since it will be a year to develop speed, that means no Ironman Canada for me and that makes me a little sad. Instead it will be another year of early season triathlons and fall...I don't know what yet. Maybe road races, maybe just biking. So things I'm considering are:

Rev3 Olympic in Knoxville, TN May 9th
Columbia Olympic in Maryland on May 23rd (need to sign up soon)
Eagleman 1/2 Iron in Maryland on June 13th (signed up!)
Vineman 1/2 Iron in Sonoma, CA on July 18th. (sign ups are November 1st!!!)

I am also hoping to make it back for training with Jen in Tucson next spring (Sshhh...Joe doesn't know about that one yet.) I know I can make it to the top of Mt Lemmon, just give me a 1/2 hour head start!

IMLP Race Report part Deux, LOOONG overdue

2009-08-31T15:52:00.005-04:00

The Run

I haven’t wanted to write this part of the race report. Can we just say my race ended in T2, with me having what was (for me) a kick ass bike?! Quite a few friends have said they were following along online and kept thinking to themselves that I wasn’t going to make it…yeah, the run was that bad. Better yet, instead of calling it a “run,” let’s call a spade a spade—it was a roughly 20 mile walk, with a little 10k action to start it off.

Ok, so T2 went pretty well, and I got out the door just behind Cyndi and Deanna. Both were walking (Cyndi very quickly…) so I caught up to them before the ski jumps. I chatted with both of them along the way, Cyndi so upbeat and positive even though she must have been in such pain from the torn labrum. Deanna had her toe broken during the swim, but she was out there getting it done. I was feeling good at this point so I trucked on down the hills. I remember feeling pretty hungry, and at the first aid station surveying their offerings. I chose 3 orange slices which tasted good, and some water. It became pretty apparent at this point that it was not the “upper 70” degrees forecast. The cold sponges were hot sellers—people shoving them down tops and squeezing them over their heads. They did feel great!

I ran my regular pace (about 10 min miles) for the first 4 miles, then things started slowing down. I kept wishing someone would flip the OFF switch for the sun, but it was still pretty high in the sky and I knew it wouldn’t set until well into my second lap. Damn. Mile 3 or 4 I took in a gu and some water, thinking I’d keep this up for the duration of the run. They didn’t taste too good. I thought it might be those orange slices I had, and tried to shake off the nausea. My plan was to run the first 13-18 miles, so I kept on truckin’. Close to the turn around, I passed coach Mark, and that’s when it hit me how rough so many of us out there felt. The aid stations seemed like more than a mile apart—and I think there were only two of them on the lonely, dark stretch out River Road (the Hawaii and Christmas themes). Oh, and I think there was the one close to the message board sponsored by Ford. Anyways, I digress…

At the turn around, I saw Lynn and Bethany trucking along behind me—both looking GREAT!—but I had hit a wall. What previously felt manageable became almost insurmountable. The heat felt oppressive, and my mind hit that ironman spacey place. I didn’t feel this way until about mile 15 of the IMFL run. I started trying to just run between aid stations, and that lasted another mile. So I teamed up with some guy named Matt who was walking a brisk pace. We chatted along until Matt felt good enough to run again. I tried to pick it up and hang with him, but it was a no-go until just past the ski jumps. Another mile of perking along, then I hit that hill back into town. Augh.

I walked up that after trying a quick potty stop (that didn’t help), and just at the top I found Bryan and Karen. A quick stop to tell her my woes—at this point I could barely take in anything. For the last 3 miles I had been nibbling on some pretzels and ice chips, but nothing felt like it would stay down if I gulped anything. Karen reminded me that with just over another lap to go, I needed calories. So I bucked up and took in another gu—very slowly. Then I made it to special needs and Joe and Joey. Joe could tell I was looking pretty rough but was very encouraging. I grabbed my long sleeve shirt of the bag, but had forgotten to pack any salt tabs. Does this woman look happy to you?

The turn around up there was so far back, but I snagged a few more kisses from my guys and headed back out of town. If my first loop was ugly, this one got even uglier. At various points I tried everything the aid stations had to offer. The Gatorade (orange flavor, YUCK) was a no-go, the chicken broth was ok in little sips, and the ice chips were good. Everything else did not appeal. I can’t remember taking in any more gus, and it took so much mental energy just to keep making forward progress, that contemplating nutrition was going to overwhelm me. Cyndi caught me and we tried hard to figure out how much more time we would be out there. She was pretty appalled at my ironman math—I couldn’t keep up with her speed walking and my mind had checked out hours ago. Just after the turn around, Lynn and Bethany caught me and we had a moment in the dark, all peeing along the side of the road. Classy! They also tried to convince me to hang with them and pick up my speed, but I couldn’t do it so off they went.

I hated passing the Olympic oval, hearing people being announced, and knowing that I had to find that turn around somewhere about a mile away. But Heidi, Joe and Joey found me, urged me on, and said they’d meet me at the finish line. Coming into the finish felt very different from Florida. I was happy to be done, but realized that I was darn lucky to have done so. My marathon time was a whopping 6:34, so much slower than IMFL (5:48), and a whopping 15 minute/mile pace. My total Placid time was an hour slower than Florida, mostly due to the run.

Karen was at the finish line and after a quick hug, directed my volunteer to take me to the med tent. I passed some TriGirl/Maramarc folks at the athelete food area and gave them a quick wave. Joe was able to finagle his way in to find me, and after I had a couple of iv’s, he helped me do a quick change into some dry clothes and helped me home.

I’ve thought a lot about this race, and what I did right and where I went horribly wrong. While I am very happy to have done the race, and have it behind me, I am disappointed in my time. I know I could have done a better job (but won’t sign up for next year to prove it!) In two races now, I’ve had issues with my run in hot and humid weather after what was, in both cases, a strong bike portion. Jen and I have talked it over somewhat, and there may be a nutritional piece of the puzzle that I haven’t yet figured out. I have promised my husband and family that I will take at least a year off from full ironman distance races, so I think they are all heaving a big sigh of relief about that. I have plans for next year, but will write a separate blog post for that…

Thank you, my friends, for the support and encouragement! I carried you all with me on ironman day and knew you’d be waiting for each update as I crossed the timing mats. Hugs.

IMLP Race Report Part 1

2009-08-10T12:54:00.007-04:00

Be warned...it's a long one!

What started out as excitement and calm a couple of days before the race, turned into a full blown panic on Saturday. I think it was the finality of getting the transition bags packed—looking at everything I still had to organize and think through totally overwhelmed me. On top of that, I had promised Joey I’d make pancakes that morning, and I did, but it made me late getting out the door to go pick up Joe who was flying into Plattsburg around 10am. In the car on the way to get him I tried calling Jen, and a few other people, but spotty cell coverage and windy roads don’t make ideal “chat on the phone” and drive conditions. I was fighting off tears for a good portion of the drive anyways, thinking I was surely mad for even thinking I could ever tackle this course. It was good to find Joe and have him close. He’s learned by now what to say (no saying “you can still back out now,” just keep it upbeat and positive and repeat “you’ll do fine” over and over again). Luckily he had plans to hang out with Joey, allowing me some time to maybe put my feet up and relax. Joey was so glad to have someone other than me to hang out with! Four days with just Mom and her triathlon friends for company is tough on a 10 year old.

Our house, Karibou, had invited the rest of the TriGirl/Maramarc team over for pizza around lunch in lieu of a prerace dinner. It was nice to have staggered friends in and out, chatting about who had yet to turn in their stuff and rack their bikes. Lynn and I were finally ready around 2pm and headed down to the Oval. I tried quickly to get a lay of the land—and figure out where we run in/out of transition. Our bags were on numbered racks; it was nice that they were up off the ground. I had double bagged most of what I needed kept dry, since the weather was calling for thunderstorms that night and on race day.

By 3:30, I was trying desperately to relax and put my feet up. Holly had lent me a book, which I hoped would take my mind off the race, so I read for a little while. I was able to chat with Marit; she really helped calm me down, and had me go over my whole race plan. We did talk a little about the uncontrollable things, like weather and my plan for the down hills. Thank you so much, Marit! Someday I hope I can do a race with Marit close by to cheer me on! I knew there would be plenty of people there to cheer, including folks like Danielle who I had not met, and my good friend Heidi. She pulled into town around 4, having ridden up with the male contingent of the Richmond cheer squad—Ryon, Bryan, and another of their friends. By 5:30 it was time to start dinner: broiled salmon, brown rice, and roast green beans (and a little schluk of wine). Afterwards, we all made up our bottles of nutrition for the morning and hit the sack.

I was surprised how well I slept. No horrible stress dreams, no waking up every hour in anticipation of the alarm clock. I didn’t even hear the rain, which according to Holly was a pretty steady downpour. All the racers were up by 4:30. I quickly got dressed, and tiptoed in to give my Jofus man some kisses. He’d sleep through the morning and I wouldn’t see him again until much later. Heidi got up with me and since I didn’t have much of an appetite, we headed down to the transition area. Special needs turned in, body marked, and bike ready by 5:30! As I was headed back to the house, we ran into Cyndi. She and I trucked back down to body marking for our “pre-IM ceremony.” Before IMFL in 2007, I wrote “YES YOU CAN” on her arm; she did the same for me last year. This year, as we were both racing we took turns writing “YES WE CAN!” on each other. It was getting late—I needed to go EAT and take care of the morning constitutional. By this point it was pushing 6am…ack!

Too soon it was time to head to the swim start. Joe walked down with me, holding my hand. I got a little choked up thinking about my day ahead. There’s always that uncertainty just before a long race, a feeling like you won’t come out the other end quite the same. I tried hard not to think about NOT finishing, and focused instead on savoring my last few minutes holding onto my husband. I afraid that I had waited too long to get to the start, and that I wouldn’t be able to find any of my friends/teammates. 140.6 is a long way to go, and it’s nice to at least start the journey with some familiar faces nearby. Luckily I found some of them lined up for pictures! Whew. Kisses and hugs goodbye to the sherpas, and Lynn and I held hands as we walked over the timing mats. Just at the IM arch leading into the water, Sherpa Sharon (and IMFL peep) was there directing the athletes into the water, wishing everyone a great day/race. High fives and hugs and it was time to get wet.

Off go the pros, and the woman leading the national anthem gets some of the words wrong. The weather was overcast and drizzly, and as we waited for the cannon to go off, we took turns checking goggles and warming up a bit. I couldn’t see any familiar bodies in the crowd, but I knew they were there. At this point, much like at IMFL, I had the feeling like, yes, this is right. I’m ready and can do this. BOOM goes the cannon and I look at my friends and we head out!

The Swim

Just as Cyndi and I round the dock to swim under the flags, some lady starts FREAKING out. She passed me by on her way to Cyndi, who was trying to calm her down. The dock wasn’t more than 10 feet away, but this woman was in a total panic and grabbed onto Cyndi for dear life. We shouted to the lifeguard on the dock that the woman needed help, and it seemed like an eternity before they threw in the floaty to her. By this time, the diver popped up from below us, and he was able to wrestle the woman off Cyndi. Cyndi and I looked at each other, and Cyndi said if that was the worst thing to happen during the swim, at least it was over with! Time to start swimming.

The crowd was still pretty thick, but I was able to keep Cyndi in my sights on my left. The whole first half of the first loop was crazy—I wasn’t pummeled at all, but had a couple of close encounters where I went to breathe to one side and there would be a face immediately in front of mine. I didn’t feel I was swimming as much as being carried along by the crowd. At the first turn buoy I glanced at my watch: 23 minutes and change. The way back in was a little better and seemed to go much faster. As I came out of the water over the timing mats, I was still keeping up with Cyndi, and I was glad for a familiar face as we headed out for loop 2.

The second loop always feels so much better—people find their rhythm, there’s much more space, and you can focus on things like lengthening your stroke. Every time I breathed to my right, I could see the sun trying to peek through the clouds. I started singing “Here Comes the Sun” to myself, hoping it would stay out long enough to dry up the road down into Keene. At one point I saw a familiar stroke to my left. It was Lynn, and we said hello! As I rounded the buoys again, I was feeling good. Time to stop dicking around and swim. I thought for sure I had negative split the thing (I did by 1 minute) and I came out very close to my IMFL time (one minute faster). Total swim: 1:24:44.

Gotta love wetsuit strippers. They need them at every 70.3 race. Otherwise I end up sitting in T1, pulling and tugging and stepping on the wetsuit trying to get it off. Off with the wetsuit, and it was time to huff it to the transition area. It was lovely to see familiar faces along the way, especially Joe and Heidi. A quick run through the racks to grab my bag, and then I was in the tent. Talk about crowded! I found a seat close to Cyndi, she was lucky to have a volunteer helping her, and plopped down. Just then a volunteer came to help me (Halleluja!), and she was able to dump out my bag and get me organized. First things first, I had to read the note Maddy had written to me (I had one for each transition!). I thought of my Moo, and so wished she could be there. I think I showed the note to Cyndi… I dried off the feet and the volunteer helped put on my shoes, sprayed me with sunscreen (thank goodness!), and helped with the arm warmers. Time to roll. Run out of the tent, grab the bike from another volunteer and get to the mount line. T1: 9:53, just a minute faster from IMFL, but it included a longer run from the swim to the tent.

The Bike

I tried not to be apprehensive about the bike start. From the mount line, there are a couple of SHARP turns combined with STEEP hills, and on wet pavement in the midst of other racers doing the same thing it could be very dicey. I took my time, and stayed as far to the right as possible. I was pretty surprised that Joe and Heidi were able to make it over to the bike start, but they were there yelling for me! I also saw Fave and the other rock-star wives on the way out of town. I love racing with lots of friends.

I made it down the hill past the ski jumps, and settled in for the first climb of the day. I tried to focus on getting in calories while spin spin spinning up the hill. It didn’t feel like I was pushing it, but I was passing more people than passed me (that would change soon enough!) Cyndi caught up to me and we chatted a bit. She stayed with me down the first two small downhill sections, bless her soul, looking back to make sure I was good. Then Amy passed by. That poor woman had rented race wheels only to get a flat before the first aid station.

Pretty soon I was at the start of the Keene descent. The sun had come out and dried up the pavement, and I knew this first part was where I needed to let it go and relax. Free speed. The repaved road and no wind were wonderful! I passed the photographer and smiled—this was almost FUN. Then I hit the steep windy part. Cyndi took off, and I was on my own. Guys and girls were FLYING by me, so I again stayed as far to the right as possible to give them room to pass. I loved the fact that the whole lane was ours, no cars to contend with! I kept my speed to what felt comfortable for me, and when I hit the last little turn into Keene I almost wept for joy. I DID IT! I only needed to make it down that damn hill one more time, and I knew I could do it again. Turning onto 9N to Jay, I was feeling great. There was a little tail wind and I just got down into aero and cranked away. I was surprised to catch Shawn, who was still enjoying the rush of her bomb down the hill. She said “Have a good ride” as I passed, and I wished her the same!

From here through the hill toward Wilmington, I took in my carbo pro and water, trying to keep sipping every several minutes. By the time I hit the hill, it was getting pretty warm, and I took off the arm warmers. I reloaded my profile bottle with water at the turn to Haselton and looked forward to crossing the first timing mats at the turn around. BEEEEEEP is like a heavenly chorus. I thought of all my friends following along online, knowing they’d be waiting to “see” me hit another milestone. I loved that out and back for the chance to yell a quick hello to my friends and teammates! The next 20 miles were the tough ones: just enough flat sections to give you hope of covering the distance in a decent clip, but relentless hills that make you just groan in despair when you see that 8mph on your speedometer yet again.

I didn’t want to look at my watch until I finished the first loop. I didn’t want to know how slow I was going. I felt strong enough that I was certain I’d make the bike cut offs, but I didn’t want to know how close I would cut it. On the hills up toward Whiteface Mtn, some racer’s family had set up a tent on the left hand side of the road in front of their hotel. I figured it must be close to lunch because they were grilling what smelled like burgers. Damn, that’s not nice. Wouldn’t you know, their racer had pulled over and had lunch with them. He was just shoving the rest of his lunch in his mouth as he crossed the yellow lines to get back onto the course right in front of me. Uh, where are the course marshalls when you need them?! I so wanted to yell if they had enough burgers to feed all of us racers. Instead I just made it my mission to pass the guy and keep him behind me.

I can’t express how good it felt to finally see the painted cherries on the shoulder. I was almost back into town! While the Three Bears tend to get top billing as the worst of the hills in this race, I thought the hills leading up to the ski resort were much worse. It could just be that the crowd of people cheering helped propel me up those hills. I was almost to the top when I heard my name being shouted from behind me. It was Danielle and her daughter Lelia!!! Oh how I wanted to turn around and properly introduce myself (and maybe just SIT for a while). But then I was at the turn, looking forward to getting UP the bastard and then seeing my family. Then, more wonderful sherpas! Bryan was there clicking pictures—we high fived, for some much needed love, as I made it to the top. At that point my watch said 5:30 (total elapsed time from when the cannon went off). Quick math…it was 12:30pm and I was good!

Riding around the lake was so nice—sherpas galore! As I approached the special needs area I assessed my nutrition. One carbo pro bottle down, one to go. Swap those around so the full one is closer at hand. Water, ok. Grab more at the next aid station. Gu’s: three down, at least 4 still available. No need to stop! I just cruised through. Joe and Joey were there, I think I blew them a kiss. Heidi was down a ways at the TriZ tent. And the crowds through town were heaven—everyone yelling “go go go” and “great job.”

It was a little sad to leave them behind, but I was still feeling really good. I knew that would change as the hills wore me down, so I was anxious to get as far as I could before having it catch up to me. On the down hills, I worked harder to let it go and pick up more speed. I thought a lot of what Karen might say if she was riding next to me on those sections. On the flats I thought about how hard I had worked at Eagleman, and that day in Tucson when I had to stay on Jen’s wheel. On the hills I sang the “push and pull” mantra and thought of my climb up Mt Lemmon and Marit. Before long, I was again at the top of the long descent and it was time to go. After the race I checked my speedometer—top speed was 39.5mph and I think that was through the section of down hills along the lakes. The wind had picked up some, so I talked to myself a bit about how it was just a little breeze cooling me down, not monster gusts trying to knock me off my bike.

As I approached the last windy section, there were guys in the road yelling at racers to “STAY LEFT!” Up ahead some guy had crashed. He was on a stretcher and looked really banged up. Talk about sobering you right up! Ok then. I slowed down quite a bit, taking the last hills at a 20mph pace. I want to make it down in one piece. (After the race, I learned that he had crashed—more like flown right over his handle bars—going about 50mph right in front of Shelley. She and Cyndi both stopped to help him. Shelley is an ICU nurse and helped make sure his injuries weren’t life threatening.) I cried as I hit Keene. I was only 70 miles into the bike, but felt that my race was mostly won. Since May I had battled mentally with these hills, but I had done it and they were now behind me. Everything after this was gravy. I had a tail wind through Jay and Upper Jay and cranked along the next 10 miles going about 22mph.

It was about mid way through the flats through Jay that I really noticed the heat. I realized I needed to keep drinking more water since I aim to drink a full profile bottle an hour and had only refilled the bottle twice at this point. I started using whatever was left from the aid station bottle to pour over my head. I didn’t feel like I needed to pee until well into the second bike loop, but on that loop I went four times. I knew I’d need to drink at least 6 bottles of water—but I always forget that my bike times are over 7 hours. I hoped the electrolyte powder I added to my carbo pro bottles was enough, together with the added salt in the gu I took in. Two words: not enough. Not enough water, not enough electrolytes.

The out and back to Haselton wasn’t as much fun the second time. A girl I had been leapfrogging with all day finally passed me for good. She was a good sport and said, “Come on, Kate!” (she heard someone call my name up Papa Bear) “We’ve got a tail wind here. Catch me.” I just couldn’t. I tried to keep a positive attitude at this point, not letting the thought of the hills back into town get me down. I kept my pace on the uphills the same, getting up out of the saddle to make it up Mama and Papa Bears and the Bastard. Turns out my second loop was about 8 minutes slower than the first, which I had heard was a reasonable expectation even among the pros. Pulling into town was sheer bliss, even seeing so many guys hitting the turn around on their first loop of the run (and knowing I was that far behind them!) I was so glad to be off the bike, and practically threw it at the volunteer once across the timing mat. I am very proud of my bike split—it was a tough tough course, and I finished 112 miles in 7:38:44. My IMFL time was 7:13, so to be just 25 minutes slower on a much harder course I think was a testament to my general improvement in bike fitness. I also had moved up in rank in my age group: after the swim I was 84th out of 112. After the bike I was in 77th place. (That would change on the run!)

T2 wasn’t nearly as crowed as after the swim, but there was Cyndi! Deanna was heading out just as I walked in. I had a volunteer that tried to steer me to the porta johns, but I was having none of it. I just sat in the grass in the tent and peed! She was a little taken aback, but I think at the end of the day, nothing fazes those volunteers. She dumped out my bag, and again the first thing I did was read the note from my Maddy Moo. This time I remembered to put the note into a baggie with my Tylenol so I could take it with me. A quick change of shorts, shoes and socks and I was out the door. T2 time: 6:43, over 7 minutes faster than Florida!

Lake Placid!

2009-07-25T06:30:00.012-04:00

Tuesday afternoon, Joey and I started our journey north. The car was all packed up with race gear, suitcases, bikes, and a portable DVD player and movies. I was a little worried that since we weren't leaving town until 4pm that we would hit serious traffic around Baltimore. Luckily, the worst of the traffic cleared up and we flew up 95, making it into Lansdale, PA (outside Philly) in under 5 hours. We stayed with the Kraynaks, whom we had not seen in almost 3 years. It was nice to catch up with them and their growing family! Joey was able to get some good running around/play time with the boys on Wednesday morning. While it was very tempting to stick around and play all day, I was anxious to hit the road! Joey was such a trooper in the car, considering day 2 of the drive took over 6 hours. He only asked ONCE if we were there yet, and that was just a short 45 minutes outside of Placid.

I was releived to see that the worst portion of the descent into Keene had been repaved, and tried to point out landmarks to Joey as we pulled into town. I don't think he quite believed me when I told him that people on skis actually launch themselves off the jumps! We were both very happy to be done with the car ride, and were greeted at the house by Dr. Rick, Amy, and Lynn.

The house we are staying in was built in 1917 and recently completely remodeled. Joe and I have a bedroom with a sleeping porch just off it--Joey has slept out there several nights already. Every detail in the house is so well thought-out and executed. It is GORGEOUS!

Wednesday evening, a group of us met up for our first jog around the lake. It felt good to stretch the legs--Lynn kept up with the speed demons while I took my "leisurely 45 min run" workout to heart. While Joey explored the house's toys, the rest of us hit the grocery store and tried to buy them out of bananas. Soon after a good dinner of spaghetti/salad/bread, it was time to hit the sack.

Thursday morning, I was up with the smell of coffee (can I just say how wonderful it is to wake up to a full pot of freshly brewed coffee?!) and soon headed out with the Ricks for an early morning swim. The lake temperature is pretty nice--a refreshing 70 degrees--so it's warm enough that your hands and feet don't freeze, but cool enough that you don't work up a sweat. Just after we started our loop of the course, Karen, Shawn, and Shelley started their swim. Blake took this cool picture from the dock:

Later that morning, Karen, Shawn, Amy and I headed out on our bikes. We took the route out of town along the bike course--down those short, steep hills with sharp turns from transition. If I survive that, I'm doing pretty well! I had missed my chance to do the Keene descent with Bethany and Deanna since I swam early. Instead, the rest of us rode out the run route, then climbed the Cherries and Bears and Bastard back into town. By the time we were done and all cleaned up, it was time to hit the town for some lunch and a little souvenir shopping. Joey was all about the shopping, except when it was time to hit the expo and athlete check in. Apparently triathlon and Ironman stuff is not cool, but he did score a new hat that says "Support Crew" on the back.

That evening, Amy made a great dinner of steak and mashed potatoes, and after a quick visit with the folks from Mountain Ash, it was time for sleep! Friday morning was a little more of the same: morning swim, followed by a quick run around the lake. It was sunny and warmer, so Joey and I packed a picnic lunch and headed to the lake. It wasn't quite the relaxing interlude I was expecting--they were hosting the kid's fun run at the same time and it was packed with Ironman families. Maybe I'm biased, but in comparison to my pretty well-behaved kids, there are some real brats out there. (Little kids that just whine/cry at what they can't have or do, kids that kick and throw sand, kids that swim around growling saying they're an "ocean monstow".) So we ended up coming back to the house, and I had a much more pleasant nap on the sleeping porch!

Today it's time to pick up the husband at the airport, ride the descent into Keene (coach Karen insists I must do this), and then check in my transition bags and bike. I make dinner tonight--broiled salmon, brown rice, green beans. My friend Heidi will also get here around dinner!!! Yey!

With less than 18 days to go...

2009-07-09T10:20:00.003-04:00

This showed up in my email last night. I got all queasy reading through it. Can I really get through the first loop of the bike course by 1:30? The second by 5:30? The math in my head just isn't adding up to me making any of the cut offs. I better swim damn fast.

Thank you all for your encouraging words (yes, D, even yours helped!) I will show up for race day and give it the ol' college try. I think my mantra will be "Forward Progress." If I keep moving, I'm getting closer to the 140.6 mile marker. All I can do is give it my best, knowing that it will be a long day.

In the training I've been doing since getting home from Europe, I've been working hard on truly finding my groove on the downhills and I think I'm much improved over where I was just after Torturefest. My bike computer has said my maximum speed on my Blue Ridge ride last weekend was 35mph so I have gained speed somewhere. When not physically exhausted by jet lag, my climbing is good--I spin spin spin up the hills and have silly conversations with Marit in my head. (She tells me to "Push and Pull" and I ask her where the cupcakes and beer are.)

Now I'm off to ride my bike...paying the penance for not having biked enough in Europe!

A very overdue race report

2009-07-04T08:38:00.005-04:00

Eagleman 2009...was supposed to be alot of things--a chance to set a killer pr, a chance to hang with Jen C and party, a chance to prove my new bike fitness. Well, I guess a 2 minute pr is still a pr, but not the 20-30 mins that I had hoped. And hanging with the Mashburns and RTC folks was good, but I missed hanging out for martini happy hour post race at the hotel with Jen. As for the bike fitness, I still suck at riding in a headwind.

This man probably thinks I'm stalking him: (me and Michael Lovato just before the pro start)

A quick picture with Jen H just before her start:

Swim: They changed the swim course since the boat ramp is under construction. But that was fine, since I only remember how stinky with boat fumes the chute was two years ago. Yuck. We started in the protected cove where ChesapeakeMan swim was. Yey! No current/chop and a great sight line. Then a turn, swim past the boat ramp, and a right turn back to shore where we started the race in 2007. My goal was to put my head down and swim--not dick around and chat with kayakers or other swimmers. For the first 1/2 mile, there was this chick in my AG who could not for the life of her swim straight. Someone should tell her coach and make her do lots of sighting drills. She swam zigzagging right in front of me, and kept cutting me off. Just think how much faster she'd be if she was swimming in a straight line. By the final turn, the fast men in the swim wave behind were passing us. Passing is a kind way to say they were basically swimming right over whoever was in their way. I guess if I was actually trying for a Kona slot I'd have to swim like that too. The water got more choppy at this point, but I kept my head down and made for the finish. My 2007 swim time was 42:21 mins. This year I swam it in 38:35 mins!

Again my goal in transitions was no dicking around. Get in get out. Shaved almost a minute off my time, even despite all the mud we had to run through. (4:21 in '07, 3:44 in '09)

The bike. I felt great. I had a good nutrition plan, and felt really strong. I made it through 40 miles of the bike in about 2:30, cruising along keeping a 19mph pace. I figured 16 miles, no problemo! Then the head wind. Shit. Whenever I caught up with anyone, or anyone passed me, we bitched about the wind. 2007 bike time 3:24:15, 2009 time 3:17:52. I did meet my goal to get in off the bike before Jen H finished her run. I passed her at about the 10 mile mark looking good.

T2, took time off from 2007. (4:11 in '07, 3:41 in '09) At this point I was down about 11:30 from my '07 time. I was hoping I could do at least as well on the run.

Run: The night before the race we had some loud thunderstorms go through, and the day of the race was overcast and quite cool. The sun came out on the run, and with a vengeance. I didn't feel like I needed to take in any salt on the bike since it wasn't hot--oops. I should've known that on a run with no shade like at Eagleman, any sun could really heat things up. I started out good--feeling like I had a steady, sustainable pace. At the first mile, Jen passed me on her way in. That girl was in the zone! She almost caught up with Jerome who was just a few hundred yards ahead. By the turn around at mile 7, things just started to hurt. I had been thinking that after IM training, a half would be a walk in the park. No. It all hurts. I had been running through all the water stops until this point, but then I had to walk them and find some salt. By the 10 mile point, I needed to be done and had to really push myself to not walk. That 11 minute cushion I had out of T2 was gone and my goal was just to get the darn thing done.

That finish line was bittersweet. Glad to have it done, time to go to Europe. Sad that it wasn't the race I thought I could do. Many times on that run I was questioning why I was signed up for something even more stupid. I could just go and spectate IMUSA and have a great time and not kill myself. There are lots of questions like this swirling around in my head. Maybe that's a blog post to come...

Up (Seeing, Grinding, and Driving)

2009-06-09T08:51:00.015-04:00

For this past Friday's "Family Game and Movie Night" I took the kids to see "Up." Our new favorite joke is to yell "Squirrel!" when we want to distract someone. I might also seriously contemplate putting the kids in a "cone of shame" for punishment when they don't clean up their mess in the basement... After the kids went to bed, I stayed up chatting with Marit. Saturday was an early morning with another ride in the Blue Ridge on tap. Since my downhills are like her ocean swims--very fear inducing, but a necessary evil--it was nice to commisserate with her. We talked alot about our respective upcoming IMs, training, and vacations. I hope Marit someday considers coaching--for someone so young (just a few years older than my son) she knows just the right things to say that motivate, inspire, and make people believe that "YES, they can!" She lives that attitude and it really comes across. Thank you, Marit!

The following morning, we got Lynn, bike, and stuff loaded in the car and headed out by 6am. I ate all my various breakfasts, so I was well fueled for the bike ride. I was determined to work at those downhills, to not ride the brakes as much, and to just "let it go." We met up with our fellow crazy-IMPLers at the Reeds Gap exit off the Blue Ridge Parkway, just up the road from the Wintergreen resort. The weather was still cool, and quite foggy, but with the promise of blue skies and 80 degrees to come. Among this group, I am the least-strongest biker, and my current dislike of downhills contributed to my slowness. Yet something was working for me that day. I was cranking on the uphills, just relatively comfortably spinning in my lowest gear (if grinding away at 3,5, and 8 mile uphills can be comfortable), and then talking my way down going the other way. I feel like I've gotten my nutrition nailed--the combination of a heavy carbo-pro sippy bottle and gu--which takes so much guess work out of the ride. And I don't have to chew!

Most of the morning I didn't have much company, since the majority of the first 14 miles is downhill. I was the last to get to the turn around, but was able to keep up with Lynn and Shawn on the way back--managing to catch up to them on an uphill after a potty break. The next 10 miles were more grinding uphill. At one point Ed went screaming by in the other direction, probably pushing way over 50mph. Those next 10 miles back to our cars was another chance to try and let the bike have it's lead and pick up my average mph for the day. Another quick stop at the cars and it was time to head back to mile marker 0. That descent went much better than the first time, the sun had come out, there was some breeze so I was mentally talking myself through that, and trying to keep up with Lynn and Shawn (to no avail). After tinkling in the bushes at the major intersection, it was time for the last uphill grind of the day.

So, miles 1-3 weren't so bad. Then comes a little reprieve around the visitor's center where you can catch a little downhill. I gave the 4 foot long black snake in the road a wide berth. Miles 4-5 are nice and shady. Then Mile 6 hits you. Crap 8 more to go. Grind grind grind. Where is mile 7? 8? By mile marker 9 I am grumbling to myself (since I'm all alone)...this really sucks...Placid isn't this hard...can I go downhill now? I won't complain, I promise... Finally you get to mile marker 9, but then it's ALL uphill with no rest until mile 11. Just please, Lord, get me to mile 11. From mile 11 to 14 you don't have to pedal at all. Just coast, catch a nice breeze, and hold on till the end. I did manage to snap a few pictures on the way--of myself, of the deer at mile 8, and the view. Very nice, now get me off this damn bike. Where's my cupcake and beer?

I did it. I was very proud of how hard I worked on the uphills. But I was toast. Lynn and Shawn came in just a few minutes behind me and headed out for their transition run. We had an impromptu picnic by the cars, congratulated fellow IMLPers Tyler and Greg on their impressive 100 miler (who were headed UP to the top of Wintergreen, OUCH!), and cheered on Mark, Karen, and Rick as they tackled the 644 hill up to Reeds Gap (a NASTY 15% grade). Karen, Shawn, Lynn and I had a most satisfying lunch at the bbq/sandwich place in the valley before heading home.

The weekend wasn't over yet. Sunday, Joe joined me for a rare run sans ipod! It actually felt pretty good to run, and we made it out early enough to beat the worst of the heat. A quick packing of the car with overnight bags and dog, and we were off on our drive up to Gettysburg. Joe got a bugaboo about taking the kids up there. Maddy had learned about the Civil War in her Social Studies class, and they were all done with their benchmark testing at school, so it seemed like a good time to go. We hit some weekend traffic, and ended up pulling into our hotel close to 5pm. We left Sophie to get acquainted with the down comforters on our beds, and headed into town to explore and find dinner. The tavern we ate in is the oldest building in town, which was fun, and the kids enjoyed the miliary collectibles shop. We headed back to the hotel for a quick dip in the pool before bed.

The next day started with a great diner breakfast, the new museum, gift shop and cyclorama. Then we started our walking/driving tour of the battlefields and monuments. I should've looked up family names from Michigan to see if there were any listed among the dead. I'm pretty sure my father's family came to the US after the Civil War.

Soon it was time to head home, and begin the taper! Kids are out of school this friday, I have Eagleman on Sunday, and we leave for Europe on Monday. It will be a busy week.

Torturefest

2009-05-29T09:06:00.017-04:00

I've been having a hard time figuring out what to say about Torturefest, our training camp up in Lake Placid. It was a good experience--getting to know the course, and the hills. It was a bad experience--my total freak out on a descent in bad weather has robbed me of my confidence. What do those two things total when combined? No idea. So let's just recap the weekend here and see what happens.

Lynn and I drove up with Bart and Bethany, overnighting in Scranton PA. I don't think I've ever seen fog as thick, and driving through the hills/mountains of central PA at midnight was scary. The following morning was much better weather wise, and we made it into Placid close to 2pm. The first order of business was a bike ride! I think we were all happy to stretch our legs and preview the run course. Down down down out of town, past the ski jumps, and a left onto River Road to follow the river. I was thinking it wasn't so bad...up to the part where we had to climb those hills back into town. Coach Karen made sure we got to know those hills very well while we were there!

Our first dinner in town was good--and we got to help Bethany celebrate her birthday with yummy carrot cake. That was a pretty early night since we had a monster bike the following day. 2 loops of the bike course, minus the out and back section on Haselton Road. Karen let me try Carbo Pro for the first time, so I mixed up two heavy bottles (one for each loop) with about 900 calories per bottle. I planned on supplementing that with a couple of Gu's too. Kim was our SAG wagon sherpa extraordinaire and met us at multiple points along the way to refill bottles, collect and disperse clothing, and take pictures. We all loaded up our bottles and bikes, and headed out of town. There were quite a few other groups out, training and doing the same thing, and some were nicer than others. The hills just out of town didn't seem too horrible on the first loop, and soon we hit the big 9 mile descent into Keene.

Last year the Ironman website touted the bike course as having "impeccably smooth roads." Maybe this past winter was a bad one, because those first downhills were BUMPY. Here you are, screaming down the hill at over 30mph on unfamiliar roads, trying to dodge both traffic and bumps. I just kept singing "la la la la la" to myself as I alternated squeezing my breaks. There are some pretty steep sections, where it seemed that no amount of braking really slowed me down, and then comes the really curvy 2 miles just before Keene. Traffic on the opposite side has two lanes, but we were sharing one with trucks and cars. Whew. I made it down, and rendezvous'ed with the rest of the gang at the van. Not the most fun I've had on a downhill, but manageable. The next 10 miles made it all worthwhile though--rolling along at a good clip through Jay and Upper Jay with beautiful river views, smooth roads, and wide shoulders. Then came the bitch hill--a 3 mile climb up and over into Wilmington. Very much like Mt Lemmon--just put it in your easy gear and spin spin spin. The road here is narrow, with one lane in each direction, but traffic wasn't bad and drivers seemed used to bikers and gave us a wide berth.

After Wilmington, you turn uphill again to head back into Placid. The course rolls, with some small chainring climbs mixed in with some flatter sections where you can pick up your speed a little more. Twice we went past some waterfalls, and then caught up with a section of river. Right about then it started to rain. Yuck. All along the river there were fly fishermen, looking at us like we were weirdos for being out there. I kind of liked this part of the course--there were beautiful views, cool forests, and challenging climbs. Then came the Cherries, which lead to the Three Bears, just before coming back into Placid. They weren't all THAT bad, but then I was expecting a little break to cruise into town. Not. Another hill, harder it seemed than Papa Bear. Ouch. We pulled into our makeshift rest stop behind the van just alongside Mirror Lake, where the special needs bags will be, and it starts pouring rain and the winds picked up. Karen and Bethany pulled out for loop #2 first. Lynn, Shawn, Deanna and I put another layer back on and waited a little while for the weather to let up. I think we were all thinking how FUN this next part would be....

Through town, down the hill, and then back up it wasn't bad. We passed a group on the uphill climb that seemed to be poking along and then came the descent. I was in the lead, and started the bomb. With the rain and wind, I stayed pretty far out into the road, and got screamed at by Shawn as she passed me. I couldn't stay any farther to the right, since seeing the road for all the rain was hard, and the wind was really blowing me to the left. Just past the two lakes I was able to move over, but then trucks were going past and the wind started gusting. At some point, it seemed that I couldn't slow down at all, and I was having a hard time controlling my bike. I was fighting wind gusts, and my front tire seemed to be jumping all over the place. I almost crashed, and kept thinking that I didn't want to end up splattered all over the road. I was finally able to come to a complete stop, just 3 miles outside Keene. I was shaking and so scared, and wasn't sure if I wanted to finish the second loop. Lynn had been behind me the whole time, thank God, and stopped to and just hugged me, telling me I was safe. After a few minutes, she talked me into trying to make it the rest of the way (we didn't have any cell phone coverage) but I didn't make it far before giving up and wanting the SAG wagon. Lynn took off to find Kim in Keene and not a minute after she left it started to pour rain again. At that point though, Deanna and Scott pulled up in their car. Having only done one loop of the course, they were headed down for coffee in Keene and to act as another SAG. We passed Lynn on that curvy part, and quickly stopped to ask if she wanted a ride. Unlike me, she had worn her big girl pants, and was determined to make it all the way down.

Once at the van in Keene, we all agreed that was the scariest damn thing we'd ever experienced on a bike. I don't know if I was actually cold or coming down from the adrenaline, but I was still shaky. At this point, I knew I needed to get back on the bike and finish the loop. My confidence was totally shot and I doubted that I had any strength to deal with anything resembling a downhill. I thought alot about my friends from the Florida and Tucson camps, and what they would advise me to do. "HTFU and get back on the bike," is what they'd say. So I did. I didn't like it, and it took me all of the rest of the ride to feel any semblance of control. In the end, I'm glad I did. Death before DNF. When it was over, we did a 20 minute T run down the hill into town and back. Ouch.

That afternoon, many lucky housemates had massages. I think I took a nap. Then we ate a great steak dinner, played some cards, and ATE CUPCAKES! Yum. We all then fell into bed before 10pm. On tap the following day: a 16 mile run. Around the lake, down the hill, and out the run course to the turn around and back. The first 5 miles were tough, and I just felt slow, tired, and sluggish. (Could've been the almost 90 mile ride we did the day before...) Then we caught our groove, aided by Kim at strategic stops with water and gu. The run course is just as beautiful as the bike, winding along a river with the sound of babbling brook for company. Before I knew it, we were back at the ski jumps getting ready to climb the two hills back into town. Lynn is always good about pushing at the end, finishing strong. She ran all the way up with Bethany and me struggling behind until we reached the lake. Finally we were done! We stripped off our shoes and socks and waded into the water. Cold has never felt so good. Walkers, bikers, and runners went past yelling that we were crazy. But man, did that feel good. Another dinner out at the Mirror Lake Inn, in which many bottles of wine were consumed, and early bedtime.

Our third day there was another bike day. This time just one loop of the entire course. The weather was cold, but good--no rain and not much wind. I was still pretty nervous, and Karen took off with me 10 minutes ahead of the rest of the group to help talk me down the hill. All the way there I was going through mental negotiations with myself, telling myself that I had done Mt Lemmon and quite a few Blue Ridge rides, this shouldn't be any different. Karen stayed at my side pretty much the whole way, counseling me to "let it go," or "pedal through this part." We had a headwind, which really helped slow me down, but I still rode the brakes quite a bit and at the last steep, curvy part into Keene, slowed myself to about 17-18mph. Embarrassingly slow. Don't do this during IM or you'll miss the bike cut off slow. But I made it down the hill, without a major freak out or peeing my pants. Everything after that was gravy--I could relax knowing the hard part was over. On the downside of the hill into Wilmington, I used my new "free speed" mantra, interspersed with some "let it go's" and "breathe." Karen and I hit the turnoff to Haselton and I knew I was home free.

The rest of the ride went well. Karen left me to ride with Deanna, so I finished the last 12 miles through Wilmington and back up into Placid by myself. I was glad for it--the time alone with my own head was good, and I felt strong going up the Three Bears. At this point I was trying to visualize what it would be like on race day, for both the first and second loops. How will it feel with people at the top of that hill, knowing I am either heading back out for another loop, or coming in to start the run. I think either way it'll be good--being that much closer to finishing, knowing I can catch sight of my family, and hopefully be that much closer to becoming an ironman again. Yet one more T run off the bike, down and back up the damned hill in town and it was time for a massage!

I helped Bethany make dinner that evening, and then we piled in the cars to go swim. We were all butt tired and just a little whiney. We tried to figure out how to bag the swim, but the pool was reserved, and Karen had stuck around that evening to coach us. Very reluctantly we all got in the pool (which felt cold) and started our warm up set. The pool didn't have their lane lines up, making for some pretty choppy water. After about 800 yds, Karen had us all circle swim around the pool, first clock wise and then counter clock wise. Queasy. A final 500 yds and we all threw in the towel. Pop goes the timer, we are DONE.

The next morning was yet another run, this time just 45 minutes. Again we went down the hill through town, and turned around just shy of the horse show area. Bethany and Deanna started complaining that I had picked up the pace, but I knew this was it for workouts for the weekend, and I wanted to be finished for good. I don't know where I found it, but I had the strength to run up the hills, past the oval circle, and all the way back to the house. Man, it felt good to be done! On tap for the afternoon was shopping, lunch, some packing, and dinner. I was ready to head home and see the family, and have at least one or two days off completely. Lynn had flown to a conference a few days earlier, so Deanna joined Bart and Bethany and me for the ride home. We took a different route home, stopping for lunch in Bucks County, PA. We hit some traffic around Baltimore, but otherwise had a pretty good run back.

I had been scheduled that weekend to do a hilly olympic distance race in Columbia, MD. I am so glad I opted instead for the torture of Placid. Getting to ride the course, even in the bad weather, is good prep for whatever race day holds in store for us. I pray, of course, that it is not raining and blustery on July 26th. I have been working to regain my confidence on the downhills, and every ride out into Goochland that we do, I try to "let it go" just a little more each time. This weekend and next we're back in the Blue Ridge. Practice makes perfect right? And when all else fails, I try to remember "free speed" is what will get me to that finish line.

Tagged by Molly

2009-05-19T21:53:00.003-04:00

Ok, here goes another round:

8 Things I Am Looking Forward To:
1. Sleeping in my own bed.
2. Eagleman, to see Jen H. and hopefully crush my 2007 time.
3. The day after Eagleman, when we fly to London.
4. Spending 2 weeks in Europe with my family, eating, drinking, wandering the countryside on a bike or running.
5. Did I mention the drinking?
6. July 27th...the day after IMUSA. I'll be standing in line for my finisher's gear.
7. August 23rd...we head to the beach for 2 weeks.
8. Did I mention the French and Spanish wine...

8 Things I Did Yesterday:
1. Rode 56 miles.
2. Worked hard to regain my confidence on the bike. Made it down that monster downhill into Keene without crying or peeing my pants. Rode the last 12 miles of the course alone.
3. Took some pictures of the beautiful waterfalls along the back of the bike course. Peed in the woods.
4. Ran down that damned hill into town, and back up it for a 20 minute transition run.
5. Had a well-deserved hour long massage.
6. Ate a great dinner of salmon, roasted green beans, brown rice, and salad.
7. Swam 1500 yds and didn't drown (I was tired). Took fun pictures of my friends in the pool.
8. Drank some wine and ate pretzels with nutella with my friends.

8 Things I Would Like To Do:
1. Run another 10k with my daughter this year.
2. Break 4:30 in a marathon.
3. Take my kids to see the world: safari in Africa, visit the Taj Majal, snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef, see the Parthenon...the list is endless.
4. Find a part time design job that challenges me and keeps me mentally engaged.
5. Vineman 2010 with so many of my friends, to include a little bit of winetasting in Sonoma with them!
6. Wave a magic wand and make Joey's diabetes go away.
7. See my children grown up, happy, and doing what they love.
8. Take my grandchildren on fun trips to the beach and Disney world.

8 Shows I watch:
1. Biggest Loser
2. American Idol
3. Entourage
4. The Colbert Report
5-8... We don't watch more than that regularly...

Cap2Cap Century Ride

2009-05-13T08:35:00.016-04:00

This past weekend TriGirls Deanna, Bethany, Jill and I rode the Cap2Cap 100 miler--my first century ride of the season, and Bethany and Jill's first ever. Going into the weekend, my goal was to focus on nutrition and maintaining a steady pace. Previous long rides have proven tough--I inevitably start out too fast and have shorted myself on calories. By the end I am dying, and transition runs afterward have really suffered.

I should've done more prep work the night before to give myself more time to focus on breakfast. As it was, I was a little late getting out of the house that morning (surprise surprise), but collected Jill and we headed downtown to the ride start. At check in, we ran into my painter/drywaller Tim (who I had talked into signing up). The morning went quickly as we loaded up our food and waterbottles, and applied sunscreen. The on site bike guys got my tires all pumped up and soon it was time to go.

Many fellow triathletes were not riding that morning, instead they were racing the Kinetic Half Iron race up in Lake Anna. IronGreg, Tyler, and Bart (all signed up for Placid), ProKaren, and a few others were riding Cap2Cap, but I didn't think I'd be able to hang on their wheels. They're crazy fast! The start was quite crowded, and the first 5-6 miles of the bike Jill and I lost Bethany and Deanna. We were toodling along at a good clip though, and figured we might catch them at a food stop. At 8am it was already pretty steamy--I tried not to think about how hot it was going to be.

The first food/water stop came early--at mile 9 or 10. We were good on everything, so just sailed past. The early part of the course was familiar and pleasant; most of it we had used for our 70 and 80 mile routes last year and wound through the Richmond Battlefields park. At one point riding along Route 5, we saw a fox darting through the woods! We made it to mile 27 in about an hour and a half and there found Bethany and Deanna. They had tried valiantly to hang on to Karen's wheel but wisely decided to go their own pace. By this point it was already pretty sweltering, so we loaded up on water, salt tabs, and bananas, took potty breaks, and headed back out.

There was another stop before the halfway point, and we used it to fill our water bottles since they had icewater. Nothing beats a quick squirt of really cold water on the face when it's 90 degrees. We were working hard, keeping a pretty good pace and looking forward to mile 50 at Chickahominy State Park, just outside Williamsburg. The riders who had started from there for shorter rides were starting to filter back in for lunch. Their food looked so good, but we were relegated to a smaller tent with not-so-interesting bananas, granola bars, and gatorade. Grabbing water bottles from a cooler of ice was great and I was sorely tempted to just climb in it myself. Whew.

Heading out of Chickahominy, we ended up following a good portion of the Patriot Half Iron course. "I peed in those woods...", "I remember this hill...." were familiar refrains. Too soon we lost all the glorious shade, and were riding along fields in the blazing sun. Deanna, looking strong, took a big lead on Patriot Sangria, while I was just trying hard to keep up with Bethany. Jill and Tim were doing great. Mile 75 at the Courthouse was a welcome potty, ice water, and sit-in-the-shade spot. Those last 25 miles are always the worst, not just physically but mentally. Somehow we missed the turn just outside the rest stop area and ended up taking the wrong way home. Luckily however the mileage was the same, and the route had much more shade than the official course. Tim ended up taking the pull for the last 10 miles into Rockett's landing. We pulled in, snapped a quick "Thank God we survived that" picture, and headed to the beer tent.

Century #1 for the season in the bank. Bethany and Jill did great on their very first century ride, and that will serve them well as they both prepare for their first IMs later this year. Deanna and I were scheduled to do a short transition run, but it was so darn hot we put it off for the following day. I'm glad I did. It was Mother's Day, the weather was gorgeous, and I got to run the last 2 miles with my daughter. A great end to a great weekend!

When the husband's away....

2009-05-03T21:51:00.006-04:00

my workouts go to hell in a handbasket. Now that Joe is home more, I am enjoying the guilt-free "gotta go work out now, honey" evenings. This past week and two weeks ago were great--not a single workout missed! Whoo hoo! Last week, not so much. Joe took a much needed break to hike the mountains of Peru, and as a result I got about 70% of my training in. Maybe it's just the increase in volume (Saturdays are now 70+ miles on the bike with at least 6 miles pounding the pavement) that totally wears me out by midweek. But combine that with the pleasures of single parenting and its associated little league practices and games, play dates, dance carpools, and having to figure out dinner every night and all I want to do is fall asleep at 4pm. Luckily, I am not alone. My friends Kellye and Jennifer also blog about the challenges of motherhood and training--it's nice to read another perspective and know I have company in my angst. Giving myself over to others that need me (mainly Joe and the kids), is important but also helps me appreciate my workout time as my own.

While the time away from training weighs heavily on me (to the point that I am sometimes afraid to confess my missed workouts), I need to be able to step away from a workout or two and let the rest of my life reclaim me. It gives me a chance to rest, recover, and heal. It seems to me that many of the people I care about are in the process of healing--from injury and surgery, lost jobs and loves. Those are things that ice baths, compression socks, and chocolate milk can't easily fix. Time will work its magic, I'm sure.

The Countdown has Begun

2009-04-16T15:52:00.007-04:00

This is the ticker on the TriGirl ironman Weekend Workout description. Now imagine me, running around in circles screaming like a chicken without a head. I knew it had to happen sooner or later--that sickening revelation that "HOLY CRAP I'M DOING AN IRONMAN....SOON!!!" And not just any IM, but the (from what I've heard) hardest course in North America.

So far, my workouts have been very manageable--averaging a total of about 11 hrs each week. That is going to change, especially with the advent of outdoor bike riding three days a week instead of our current one. From here on out, I get to look forward to 5+ hour bricks on Saturdays and long bike rides on Thursdays. Thank goodness Fridays are family game and movie night, because getting up at 6am for Marco Diablo's yumminess after staying up too late is no fun. But that also blows Saturday nights too since I am then too tired to do anything except sit on the couch and veg.

I'm trying to compartmentalize and not freak out too much. To that end, I've been focusing on the positive aspects of all this training we'll be doing. Among them are:

Time with my peeps. In the saddle, in the pool, on the run. Lots and lots of time...
Great legs. Hills, hills, and more hills = a great pair of legs (right?!)
Some fun weekends (of hills...) up on the Blue Ridge Parkway and in Lake Placid. I promise I won't drink 4 vodka gimlets this time.
A chance to race (and party post race) with Jen C. and Jen H. at Eagleman the weekend before I leave for Europe.
And finally, some new and exotic training locales--the Blue Ridge, Provence during lavender season, and southern Spain (I know I know...shoot me now.)

Hopefully all that will add up to being ready by July 26th. I know I can do the distance, albeit a relatively flat, head-windy version of the distance. If nothing else, I am looking forward to those two monster downhill bombs where I really don't have to pedal at all....

Let's get started.

Maddy's 10k Race Report

2009-04-11T12:15:00.003-04:00

It was like pulling teeth to get her to write it, but here it is:

"I was a little afraid at the beginning. We saw the professionals take off first, and we got to see some guys in funny costumes, like Indiana Jones and a Roman warrior. Before long, we passed the first monument, JEB Stuart. By then I had the blood flowing and I was having fun.

I'm pretty sure I went the first two miles without stopping (she did) but I was ready for a water break. I didn't really care how much I was complaining (not that much). On the first stop, my legs were starting to get pretty tired, but Mom kept encouraging me to keep going. It's more fun running with a partner.

The rest of the race we kept running even tough I wanted a break. We saw some neighbors cheering at the turn around and Sophie's vizsla friends at mile 4 1/2. I was so happy when we were back at JEB Stuart. Once we could see the finish line, I just started sprinting--I wanted that race to be over! I finished in 1:10:05, and Dad took me to a big breakfast at Denny's. In May I would like to do a 5k, another 10k, and an 8k."

I am so very proud of her!

Cheers to new PRs

2009-03-22T15:57:00.009-04:00

Four new PRs set by trigirls!

Today was the Shamrock 1/2 Marathon that I ran in my friend Fave's stead. I was a little worried about the race (and had weird "showing up for the race naked" dreams last night) considering that I wasn't feeling too great after yesterday's 3 hour spin class. I had called Jen almost in tears, griping about this that and the other--nothing specifically that I could put my finger on--and didn't know at the time if I could race today. But this morning, the diabetes gods took pity on me and we felt comfortable leaving Joey at 6am without the fear of any hypoglycemic episodes. I felt pretty good this morning, despite the strange dreams, and Joe and I made it to the start line with 5 mins to spare before the Star Spangled Banner. Time to run!

I have never run this course, but if anyone wants to PR, this is the course to do it on. FLAT!!! After all those damn hills in Tucson, it was sheer bliss. The first 6 miles lead north out of the resort area of Virginia Beach, winding west through the pine forest to the far side of Fort Story. The weather was quite cool (about 37 degrees at the 7am start), and everyone's breath hovered like fog above their heads. It warmed up just enough to shed one layer of clothes and at the light houses in the Fort you turn into the direct sun and head back to the hotels. Joe ran the entire way with me and was nice enough to wait for me at mile 8 while I took care of some unfinished business at the porta potties. At mile 10 he said I had a good chance of running a 2:05 (neither of us had a watch on though), so I cranked up my tunes to drown out the pain and tried to turn my legs over just that much faster. Miles 11 and 12 were tough but Marit had given me some good mantras on which to concentrate. Et voila, a new half marathon PR by 10 minutes! 2:07:34! Next time I've got to figure out how to eliminate that bathroom break that cost me about 3 mins...

It was a fun too for the post race party on the beach with fellow racers Jill, Sharon, Bethany, Bart, sherpa Lynn, and long lost high school friend Bob, wife Katie, and sister Lynn. Beer and Irish stew were consumed, then it was time to high tail it home to spell the kids and nap. Someone please tell me I have a rest day tomorrow...

Tucson!

2009-03-16T16:34:00.023-04:00

The Confessions/Adventures of a Member of the Pink Sock Brigade (thanks, Kari!)

the pink sock brigade at Sabino Canyon

I just went back and reread my post from the Florida camp. Did that camp really kick my ass? No, that was just a friendly butt slap for the true ass kicking that happened in Tucson!

I arrived into Tucson on Wednesday evening and cabbed out to the hotel, getting to the "meet and greet" just in time to grab a little dinner and meet most of the other campers. Too soon it was time to put the bike together before hitting the hay in anticipation of the Mt Lemmon climb in the morning. Roomie Julia was a dear for not complaining too much about my recently-acquired snoring habit. After a quick breakfast of oatmeal, bananas, bagels, and peanut butter we mounted up and headed out of town. We rode an easy 13 miles to the base of the mountain, where we stripped down (it was warming up) and loaded up (time to eat).

Spencer and John climbing Lemmon!

Mt Lemmon boasts a 7000+ foot elevation gain over 28 miles. That's if you go all the way up to the top. I only made it to mile 14, for a total of about 4000 feet of climbing. That 14 miles took me 2 hours. I can't say how long it took everyone else because I was the token slow poke. (I figured the other athletes were fast, but not like ALL "World AG Champion" Renne fast. Duh...stupid me.) The climb started well, and I averaged about 8mph for the first 6 miles. Jerome rode the first few miles with me, encouraging me to "find my tempo." Then he took off, and it got a little depressing. My speed kept decreasing--to a low at one point of a whopping 5.5mph! I felt good though, and was able to keep my cadence at a decent clip in my lowest gear for pretty much the entire time. Mantras helped me focus on the task at hand and not get too discouraged. My favorites were "push and pull," "follow follow follow follow follow the thick white line (sung to the tune of Yellow Brick Road from the Wizard of Oz)," and of course "just keep pedalling just keep pedalling just keep pedalling pedalling pedalling." Coach Spencer was a dear to keep me company for most of the second 7 miles. The last 1.5 miles before Windy Point at mile marker 14 were by far the hardest--with an elevation gain of 1500 feet. Ouch. I was able to make it up the entire way without standing out of the saddle, which I guess is good?

It was interesting to see how the vegetation changed on the way up. What started out as desert, with cactus and scrub, becomes pine forest at about 4-5000 feet. The views were incredible with a few whispy clouds overhead and warm, glorious sunshine. I had taken off arm and leg warmers at the bottom of the mountain, but Spencer wisely cautioned me to dress back up around mile 10. Up at Windy Point, the temperature was noticably COLD and I was glad for the extra gear I had packed for the ride down--wind breaker, ear cover, and full gloves. I didn't debate long about continuing up the mountain. It would've taken me at the very least another hour to make it the last 10-12 miles, and the altitude headache I was developing would've only gotten worse. Fellow camper John and I started the bomb down the mountain. No 40+ mph for me since the roads were unfamiliar and the turns less gradual than those on the Blue Ridge. The total time down was under 20 minutes! We had a nice lunch at a coffee shop while we waited for the rest of group, but the 13 miles back to the hotel were still tough--especially that last climb home. We had that afternoon off and were able to relax by the pool, after dips in first the hot tub and then the cold tub. That Corona was, in my opinion, well earned, and the mexican food and margarita at dinner were excellent!

Julia and me, sporting our signature pre-swim look: hotel robes and compression socks.

Friday was swim/run day. Ah, to swim outside. Glorious. I shared a lane with John, his wife Allie, and Ben. Ben is an amazing athlete so I was stoked to be able to keep up with him in at least one discipline. We banged out 2600 yards and then had fun racing/sprinting 25's as if it was an open water start. I think Mary kicked everyone's butt in the pool!

Jen and I hamming it up underwater

After a stop at Starbucks for fuel and a quick change at the hotel, Jen and I started our run together up the Sabino Canyon road while the others hit the trails, but she quickly left me behind as it wound gradually uphill. I'm convinced that everything in Tucson is uphill. I thought I had been doing ok with running hills on tired legs here at home. Apparently not. I managed to run for an hour, then met back up with Kelley, Julia, Jen, and Kari for a "cool down" walk for another 20 mins. Our wildlife sightings involved bunnies, quail, and nesting birds but Marit's group got to see a very large snake! We got back to the hotel and blissfully jumped in the cold pool. Molly, a friend from the Florida camp, had driven down to Tucson for the evening. It was great to see her and introduce her to the AZ campers. We all went to a casual sushi place for dinner. Molly had to leave too early--I was sorry she couldn't stay for the rest of the weekend!

Molly and I catching up over Mojitos

On tap for friday was another bike ride. John and I rode with Jen, but picked up a few extra girls for an "easy" warm up. Not 4 miles out, I lost my first water bottle. We followed the same course out to the base of Mt Lemmon, but then turned just before the start of the climb. Traffic was still light, and I was working hard to stay on anyone's wheel. Jerome and Spencer followed with the faster groups, and I wished I could be the one to jump on their train. At the designated turn around, we picked Renne and John back up for the ride home, after a detour to the convenience store for more fluids. Wouldn't you know, I lost another FULL bottle just after that. At this point, Jen was pulling me along at a 21mph pace and I didn't dare get dropped. The whole group rode reconvened at some point for about 5-6 miles, and the pace picked up. Ack! I could've used the calories in those two dropped bottles. I made the mistake of asking Jen if we could stop for a gu. Nope. Luckily she turned around to look for Renne and the great group of girls that pulled my sorry ass home took mercy on me and slowed enough for me to take in my nutrition. I thought the hill up to the hotel hurt after the Lemmon climb...it was harder on Saturday!

The girls that pulled this sorry ass home: Jenny, Julia, and Kelley

A quick t run off the bike--down and back up that damn hill. By the time I hit the turn into the hotel, I was done. Pool, cold tub, lunch, hot tub and a quick swim stroke session were all that were left to do before dinner. I think Jen had prepped Spencer on what to say about my swimming since his first comment was how much better I'd be in the water if I swam more than once a week.... And I never thought having a "nice stroke" could sound like a criticism. I need to work on grabbing the water more aggressively.

Our last dinner was bitter sweet. Lots of joking about the torture, pain, and fun of our workouts together. But I couldn't help thinking "I'm going to miss this!" As much as I missed my family (that includes you, Lynn!), Joe's reports about dreary weather and going back to riding on a trainer made me want to stay in sunny Tucson. I always feel so much stronger after riding outside--hopefully it'll be just a couple more weeks and we'll be outside. Hopefully the gains I've made in my training will stick around (and pounds I've lost will stay away!)

Sunday morning was rushed with packing and group picture taking. I used my solo run to take in and enjoy the scenery of Sabino Canyon--this time I brought my ipod which helped me tune out thoughts of how tired I was of running uphill. Too soon it was time to say goodbye (Marit almost made me cry), and drive to the airport. The three K's (Kelley, Kari, and I) shared a crazy ride to the airport, and bade farewell. I read the entire Sunday NYT while waiting, and was able to sleep sleep sleep on both flights home.

A friend here in Richmond asked what I learned from the Florida camp, and while I didn't have any new "we've been doing xyz all wrong!" type of lessons to impart from either my Florida or Tucson experiences, I have gained a new appreciation for our sport and fellow athletes. To the person, each camper and coach was encouraging, supportive, sharing, and genuinely very NICE. Even though I was not as fast as most everyone else, I was never made to feel like I didn't belong. I am reminded of those master card commercials:

Tri Camp fees: $1300
Bike shipping: $ 600
Hotels: $1000
Getting your ass kicked while making new friends:

Priceless!

My new favorite thing...

2009-03-05T10:21:00.005-05:00

...is running! I am having a hard time believing it too, but even in crappy weather, or when I'm tired, I can still find the joy in it. I surprise myself because until this year, the run was the worst of three disciplines for me, a necessary evil. Some of my angst with running is probably due to the fact that I was plagued by injuries last year (ITB syndrome, Baker's cyst) and poor running form! But since Ironman Florida, something has clicked. Even during the hardest parts of that Ironman run, it didn't suck nearly as much as I thought it would! (And man, did I think it was going to suck!)

Don't get me wrong, I'm not all of a sudden running 6 minute miles (FAR from it) or banging out 30+ miles a week. I leave that to rr. My speed is what it is right now, which is a very consistent 10 minute/mile pace. My tempo on long runs is perfect for me--I can pick it up to get across streets quickly, and I have just enough gas in the tank to sprint out the last 1/2 mile. My form has improved dramatically from 2004, when I first started running tris. I used to run rather haunched over and remember very specifically at mile 22 of my first marathon how much my abs hurt. (I know that my core strength has improved significantly since then.) I now can run my half mile repeats in about 3:46, and my timed mile (which usually for coach Marco Diablo came after repeats or a long run) were just over 8 minutes. I'm fine with that. I know when we start our tempo workouts later this month I'll be pushing my pace and heartrate.

My normal running route takes me down towards the James River, through a very quiet neighborhood where I can let Sophie off the lead to traipse through the woods. While I run that same road at least once a week, the scenery never gets boring. Earlier this week when there was still snow on the ground, you noticed what lay farther back in the woods--woods that are hidden most of the summer by lush greenery. During peak foliage time, it is quite magical too, raining leaves and glittering gold and red. My 6 and 8 mile routes take me along that part twice, with the way home a one mile climb back up the hill. I have started leaving the ipod at home more, and nothing beats running in the rain, listening to the water hit the leaves, pavement, and brim of my visor. There are days when I'm tired and need the music to motivate me (like today), and sometimes it's nice to find a catchy tune that pushes me up the hills or through the last painful mile. Today's song was

what i like about you
you keep me warm at night
never wanna let you go
you know you make me feel alright
keep on whispering in my ear
tell me all the things that i wanna hear
cuz its true thats what i like about you
thats what i like about you

I am looking forward to the second half of this year, when I start training earnestly for a fall marathon. Nothing like a morning run in the crisp fall air, with leaves cascading around you and crunching underfoot. Bliss.

On an unrelated note, I want to bitch about something....people who chat chat chat away during spin sessions or who obviously don't have enough tension on their trainers. Hello?! It's a workout. If you're still chatting through the intervals, your trainer needs to be tightened up. I can barely put 3 words together and am gasping for air. Social hour comes during the warm up or afterwards, not during the "hardest gear! stand!" part of the session. Hardest gear to me means it better be damn hard to maintain even 60rpm standing. I'm talking sweat dripping down, being focused on form to pull and push HARD. Still doing 80rpms in your hardest gear does not do you any favors once you get outside. And seriously, isn't that the point of coming to the workout? Thanks for listening, I'll step off my soap box now.

Cold, not too cold, and colds

2009-02-26T11:52:00.007-05:00

My daughter Maddy has jumped into training for the Monument Ave 10k (March 28th) this week. She had been going to the 10k training sessions at school on Weds and Fri mornings, which include some strength training and other exercises but little actual "running." Before Monday she had run a total of 5 miles in her training so far. Tuesday morning, she and I ran together, getting out the door at 6:45--which for me is a miracle--into very cold temps (it was below 20). Maddy agreed to try our 3 mile loop from last year's Komen 5k, which winds down to UofR and around the lake, and back. She ran pretty much the whole way in 36 minutes! This morning, she ran again with Joe and did the same loop in about as much time and has even said she'd like to try out for the track team. The best part was, while dropping her at school, she said, "Thanks Mom. I had a good time running with you." I love running with my Moo!

Yesterday I headed out for a 3 hour bike ride with Jen. It was great weather, sunny and not too cold with a high projected of 54 degrees. We hit the roads south of the airport, and tootled along enjoying the sun, minimal traffic, and company. The only issue was the flowing rivers of snot. Here are the pics: of us before the ride, and of my jacket after the ride. Eeeewwww.

Said rivers of snot are now a full blown head cold. Joey has been sniffly of late too, but considering the fun illnesses (read: pukies) several friends have dealt with so far this winter, I think we've done well to have avoided getting sick until now. I am hoping I can skip the part where the cold turns into a sinus infection. With Tucson tri camp just two weeks away I am going to throw everything at it but the kitchen sink (Emergen-C, Muscinex, Zicam, vitamins, soup, sleep...) to preclude that. Any suggestions?

A Run in the Rain

2009-02-19T08:45:00.002-05:00

Me, in the water

2009-02-09T14:23:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday to me!

2009-02-09T08:59:00.014-05:00

Turning 41 isn't so bad, especially with an extended disco-mix week of celebrations. Monday, lunch with my peeps Fave and Lynn. Tuesday, lots of sweet messages from friends on Facebook then dinner with my family at my favorite restaurant, Edo's Squid. Wednesday, the dinner of champions (cupcakes and beer) post spinning at Maramarc. Thursday, off to TriCamp to meet new friends, and get my butt whomped by Heather Gollnick, Elizabeth Waterstraat, and Jennifer Harrison.

Day 1 started early: a 4am wake up call to make a 6am flight. Loooong story short, a stupid Delta ticket agent made me miss that early flight, and so I ended up getting into Sarasota two hours later than planned. Heather's wonderful husband Todd found me and my bike at the airport and shuttled me back to the hotel. Just as I was checking in, fellow blogger Jennifer and her friend Holly pulled in. Yey! I had no huge problems putting my bike back together (but a big thanks to the guys at Village Bikes for double checking its road-worthiness), grabbed some lunch, and it was time to meet everyone. We had an amazing mix of women, all very accomplished and dedicated athletes. That evening over dinner, we talked about nutrition and mental fitness--it was interesting to hear how pros like Heather and Elizabeth focus during races. Lots to learn!

Day 2 of camp started early with a quick 3 mile run followed by a gait analysis at Fit2Run. I had never had my gait videotaped. First, they put me in a neutral shoe and taped me for a couple of minutes on the treadmill. Ugly. High arches = pronation! Then we looked at my gait in my own shoes. Better, but still not pretty. That's probably why I kept having ITB issues last year. Finally, they put new orthotic liners in my shoe and popped me back on the treadmill. What a difference! After lunch it was time to hop on our bikes for a 27 mile loop. Trainer riding makes me feel like I should be in great shape for outdoor riding. Apparently not. We worked on pace line riding and Heather and Elizabeth were dears for pulling my sorry ass. Lesson learned: I need to start working to keep up more with faster riders otherwise I'll be stuck at my 15mph pace.

After a well-deserved lunch (and 1/2 hour nap for me!) it was time to hop in the pool. I think the coaches could tell we were a little tired from the ride, and I'm not sure anyone did the entire workout on the board, but I used the time to work on my flip turns. I must say I was surprised that after about 6 or 7 of them, I stopped having issues of water up my nose which is why I hate them. I didn't get to a point where they were flawless by any stretch, most times I didn't judge the distance to the wall well enough and had nothing to push off from. I'm planning to have it all down by March though! Todd and Monica also video taped our swimming. I haven't looked at the video yet, but Jen commented that I need to work on "attacking" the water and being more aggressive with my pull. I forsee alot of pulling only workouts in my future. We did have some fun goofing off in the water--oh to have an 80 degree outdoor pool for swimming year round!

Time flies when you're having fun. Day 3 dawned too early (thanks Jennifer for the wake up call!) and after a quick breakfast it was off to a state park for some trail running. Heather is such a rock star, she started even earlier than the rest of us and banged out a 5k race (in which she won her age group) before meeting up with us and running some more. Pace buddy Molly and I had a pleasant 4 mi run together. Soon it was off to the beach for some fun in the 56 degree water. All the snow birds on the beach were looking at us like we were crazy for donning our "rubber suits" and getting in the water. There were a couple other wackos in the water, one old lady in a bikini got in up to her shoulders! My hands and feet were ok after the first few minutes, but putting my face in was hard since it took my breath away. We did two loops around the bouy and called the workout done!

I'm starting to think I'm lazy, but I'm not used to 3 workouts a day or biking after running. After lunch it was time to head out for our 54 mile bike. Time to HTFU and push it. The first loop was paceline riding, with Heather encouraging, pulling, and pushing me to keep up with the fast chicks for the second half of the loop. I lost them at a light 4 miles from the bike shop but was able to hook up with Melissa and Molly and we cruised on into the bike shop. The second lap loomed, and my legs aready were fried. Molly was gutting it out too so she and I rode together and worked hard to keep a good 17-18mph pace while trading off the lead. That post-ride hot tub and beer never felt/tasted so good!

Our last day in Florida included a long run (8 miles) on very tired legs and strength training. I had to do a quick shower and change before leaving at noon to catch my flights home and was sorry I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to everyone. Husband, kids and dog were so glad to see me. I learned some things about myself this weekend. Balance is important to me--I might not be the fastest out there, but that's ok. I can work harder and not blow up. Now it's back to reality and it'll be a tough week. Bring it--I'm strong.

Bike for Sale

2009-01-29T09:13:00.006-05:00

Now that I have my new bike, it is time to find a new owner for the Kestrel. Here are the specifics:

2006 Kestrel AirFoil Pro Carbon TT/Triathlon bike

50cm Frame

Purchased in Jan '07 and ridden until Oct '08

Shimano Ultegra Components

Bontranger Select 650 wheels

FSA Carbon 53/36 Crank (172.5mm shaft)

Profile T2 aerobars

Never crashed (unlike my new bike...)

Asking $1800 obo

I also have an FSA carbon compact crank and will post that on craigslist. If you're interested in the bike or crank, shoot me an email.

Running with the Husband

2009-01-26T13:08:00.004-05:00

Yesterday Joe and I headed out for a very rare run together. I was looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time. Dreading it because of Saturday's extended disco-mix run (Shawn swore it was an 8 mi loop...not!), but happy to be doing something athletic outdoors with my husband even in the 32 degree cold. Secretly I was hoping I could kick his ass on the run. He is a faster runner than me so I was hoping his sporadic training would give me an advantage, which it did for like the first 3 miles. Then we hit the hills. Mr. Fresh-as-a-Daisy then hit his stride... Sophie of course put us both to shame, literally pulling me at a good clip until we got to the part of my route where I can let her off the lead.

Joe wore the ipod shuffle. He missed the sound the ice in the lake made after Sophie chased the geese into the water (it sounded like ice in a glass or a chandelier). I missed a little friendly banter--I'm used to running AND chatting! We made it past the hills and around UofR lake once before I was toast. The last little hill off-road/track section that leads home was too much for me and I let him go on ahead. I felt like shaking my fist at him a la Snoopy after the Red Baron, "I'll get you some day!"

A lesson in courage

2009-01-19T21:40:00.003-05:00

We all remember middle school, don't we? The name of the game was conformity--don't stand out or make yourself different in any way shape or form. Because if you do, you'll get laughed at...and that is a fate worse than death.

Now, for Maddy, the beginning of middle school has also meant the start of cotillion. Cotillion is where kids go to learn social graces and dancing. Girls wear white gloves and the boys wear ties. It seems to me a very southern thing. Luckily they engineer the dancing so that there is no being "asked" to dance. You are paired with whomever you promenade in with--girls on one side, boys the other. Older kids act as helpers and fill in partner gaps. There is never the embarrassment of being left sitting against the wall.

Not being a native Richmonder, I didn't understand the importance of cotillion and its associated rituals when we went through this process with Jim. Among these: that cotillion carpools are best established while the kids are still in utero; that you need a posse of friends to go cruise the mall with afterwards; and finally, that even when you dress kids up in nice clothes and white gloves, the boys will still act like they're too cool and the girls will be giggly. We moved to Richmond too late to get Jim into a fun carpool, so he missed out on all that.

Maddy's cotillion carpool is made up of 5 girls who have been her good friends since preschool. They don't all go to the same school now, but have managed to stay close. My first experience driving the carpool was enlightening; on our way to dinner afterward, the girls all talked about which boys have sweaty palms, can't lead, or lead well. (The boys who do know the dances and lead rank high on their list of desirable partners!) Each dance has a theme, so in early November the girls wore "patriotic colors" to coincide with the election, and in December they have a Holly Ball which they attend with their dad or Mom (or in Maddy's case with Jim. This past weekend was "Disco Fever."

When Maddy got home from school on Friday, we started working on her "disco" outfit, and I must say we came up with something worthy of Studio 54. Black slinky pants, a silver lame camisole topped with a black bolero sweater, and dangly earrings. But the piece de resistence was the afro wig Maddy insisted on wearing (it had been part of Joe's halloween costume). To be safe, I put her hair in a bun so if she decided not to wear the wig the whole night, she'd still look good.

That girl worked the outfit!!! She wore the wig for the whole evening, and received quite a few compliments to boot! I didn't think she'd have the guts to see the outfit through for the whole evening. I told her if she could have fun with it and laugh at herself for doing it, all the better. And she did. I never would've had the balls to do that in 6th grade. I'm so proud of her.

So, put yourself out there! Don't be afraid. You might surprise yourself.

Third?!

2009-01-11T10:54:00.004-05:00

So, this woman, Lokelani McMichael, won third hottest female triathlete of 2008. Damn. I wanna look like that...
But I do think I have her beat on having a hotter bike!

Mele Kalikimaka and Happy New Year!

2008-12-28T12:51:00.007-05:00

Christmas was quiet in the Oliver house. We drove down to the beach house on Christmas Day, with a quick detour to my aunt and uncle’s in Williamsburg just in time for my cousin Marc’s wonderful turkey dinner! Once at the beach, Joe promptly dug into a puzzle, Maddy into her new book, and Joey into his legos and Nick ‘toons. I was able to get some good runs in while there—one 8 miler, and three 5 milers. I’ve decided that running on the beach at low tide is the absolute best. I love looking out at the waves, catching some dolphin sightings, and finding some shells. On my run with Lynn, I found a sand dollar! Sophie was in her element, running along the water’s edge, chasing gulls and sand pipers, and making friends with everyone. Such bliss.

The beach trip started out blessedly warm, with Sunday reaching the mid 70s. But then it got cold—down to the low 20s on New Year’s Eve, with a ferocious wind. Our house was mostly built in 1960 and so is not really intended to be inhabited during the winter, but it does have a fireplace which helps cozy it up, even if all the warm air leaks out the windows.

We are home now, and I’ve jumped back into training with our first true “in season” training session on Saturday morning. A fun hour and a half of one-leg drills on the trainers followed by a 5 mile run and 2 half mile repeats. My ass and hamstrings still hurt, but it is all very necessary. I think I ate the majority of the Christmas cookies we baked, along with my fair share of pumpkin bread and pie. Several pairs of pants won’t fit, and I seemed to have developed a muffin top. Scary.

It IS time to begin training in earnest, and to that end I’ve been trying to put together my list of goals for the season and see how to arrange my schedule so that I’m home at least four evenings a week. So first, to the goals.

Obviously looming large is my A race: Ironman Lake Placid in late July. I would like to do as well, if not better, there than I did in Florida. I know some little things I can do to shave some time (like no dicking around in transition…) but will need to work hard to develop my bike and run skills considering the course differences. I am currently signed up for just two triathlons leading up to Placid: Columbia in mid May in Maryland, and Eagleman on the Eastern Shore in June. I may throw a road race or two in there, and will definitely run the Monument Avenue 10k with Maddy in late March. I fully expect to have my ass handed to me during the two tri camps I’m signed up for in February and March, but think they will give me some good ways to improve and get added input on my training from some very accomplished coaches as the heavy training really sets in.

I am also planning to run a fall marathon and I want to finish in under 4:30 (my current PR is 4:51). Between my first and second marathons, I was able to take 25 minutes off my time, much of that thanks to having learned about fueling myself for longer distances. The fact that race day was 50 degrees and overcast instead of 80 degrees and humid helped too! By this fall I will have two Ironman races under my belt, leaving me plenty of base fitness and strength on which to build my speed. I am leaning heavily towards signing up for the Marine Corps Marathon in DC in late October, but I am still drawn to the Richmond Marathon. It is a familiar course, and I would not lack for training partners on the same schedule since there are plenty of TriGirls now training for Ironman Florida.

Scheduling all the training will be tough, but I need to find a good schedule that gives me time at home most evenings a week so I can be around for the kids. I’m not sure Joe realizes that even if I am gone in the evening, I still manage the after-school hours of homework, playdates, dance carpools, and dinner-making. That’s a lot to fit in the 4-5 hours I have between when Joey gets home and when I’d be off for indoor cycling or swimming. I know the TriGirl schedule is still in flux, but currently my two training nights are Tuesday and Thursday strength training/cycling. I may have to throw a Monday night Master’s class in there. I’m not sure how disciplined I can be to swim three mornings a week at the butt crack of dawn. As it is, it is damn hard getting up at 6 for Saturday training. Inevitably, Joe complains about missing out on morning cuddles, even on weekdays. Sometimes I feel that I can’t win for trying. That still leaves daylight hours for running and swimming, especially since I’m not working right now, so I’ll try to use those to better advantage.

Not all my goals for this year are race-related. I need to get serious about finding work. It has been great having the time at home, but I noticed since the end of school I really miss the adult interaction and stimulation of having projects that don’t involve laundry, cooking, or cleaning. I would like to find something part time or project-based, and I think in this current economic climate, that is all I’ll be lucky to find. I am very grateful that Joe’s job allows me the luxury of staying home full time, but since I was 18 I have always had some kind of job outside the home. My mental well-being depends on it!

Most friends are currently on Facebook, which has been a great way to keep in touch with some friends who I don’t see very often at all, some that I haven’t seen in YEARS, and some that I haven’t even met face to face. I love being able to check in, even if just briefly. I’m grateful for this utility that lets me keep them just a little closer. In dealing now with my aunt’s cancer, it is more apparent that you never know what life will throw your way. Your friends, along with your family, are what make your life full. I hope to never take that for granted.

Here’s to a wonderful 2009!

More Pictures...

2008-12-18T22:04:00.007-05:00

Ok so here are the missing pics from the last post.
The cleavage shot (or at least one of them...)

The tattoo close up:

TriGirl Pink had a link on her blog to all the cute Splish suits she's designed. I am not really looking forward to getting back in the pool, knowing what is awaiting me at tri camp in February. But to give myself some incentive to get back in the water no matter what, I bought my first Splish suits. Here they are (still unworn...)

Falling off the face of the earth

2008-12-15T20:09:00.009-05:00

A girl could get used to this. The off season, which began the day after IMFL, is full on. I am eating poorly (cocktail party food for 3 nights in a row this weekend), missing more than just the occassional work out, and not blogging. (Blame Facebook for the last one...) I know it won't last long, and to prove I haven't totally fallen off the face of the earth, here is a photo journal of what I've been up to since Florida:

Seeing Jason Mraz Getting a tattoo
Fixing the hole in my kitchen ceiling and taking out walls (now I have holes in the floor!)
Enjoying the kids (my beautiful Maddy Moo turns 12 soon!)
Partying with TriGirls

So Thankful

2008-11-28T09:40:00.007-05:00

I am thankful for:

My family. #1 Son Jim came in yesterday, so I had my whole family together for the first time since...January? I can't remember. (Jim just reminded me he was home in May for my graduation.) But we had a great meal, and even my aunt and uncle came from Williamsburg.

My training buddies. Where would I be without the TriGirls? They are my extended family. After yesterday's Turkey Trot, Ironman Sharon was commenting how running a race without your training buddies is hard. I know I never could have trained for an Ironman alone. Thank you girls for being such good friends and for carrying me across that finish line.

Our comfortable life. My husband works hard (he even went up to Northern Virginia last night to work the midnight madness/black Friday sale at one of his stores) to provide us a nice home, good food, vacations, and some little luxuries (like good wine). The coming year will be tough, but it means so much that he has a job he loves and is good at.

Good health. I am grateful for my family's health and healthy habits. Even when Joey ends up in the ER, I am reminded that there are families out there dealing with more severe health issues than us. While diabetes is no cake walk, it is manageable. Now, if we can get Jim back into running... (Last night in our post-turkey delirium Jim and I were watching TV and commented at the commercials for video games for toddlers that "GET THEM MOVING" kinda like a wii set up for the under 4 crowd. Ack. If you want to get the kids moving, turn off the TV and make them play outside.)

My coaches. They believe in me and push me. Along with my training partners, they made it possible for me to cross that finish line and have become trusted friends in the process.

My online friends. I haven't met many of them, but feel like we have known eachother a long time. These women make me laugh, cry, and be inspired. Even though the great majority of them are more accomplished athletes, they celebrate my successes with me and motivate me to give my all to our sport.

I hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving weekend.

Wishing I was in Arizona...

2008-11-23T11:45:00.001-05:00

Go Heidi, Tammy, CJ, Brad and Som! YES YOU CAN!

"Kate Oliver, you just finished an Ironman. What are you doing to do next?"

2008-11-20T09:50:00.011-05:00

I went to Disney World!

And Sea World...

Errata

2008-11-19T18:07:00.005-05:00

I am long overdue posting a few corrections to my race report, and giving proper credit where credit is due. Apparently I was a little out of it during the race and subsequently couldn't remember who helped me change in T2. It was my sherpa extraordinaire, Lynn. On race day, Lynn was everywhere I needed her to be. Pre-race, she was up with me before dawn and saw me off on the swim. During the race, she was in transition and dropped other athletes (sorry, girls) to help me. She was also the one who post race, while I'm getting IV'd in the med tent, collected my bike and bags and oh so diplomatically instructed neophyte sherpas sister Molly and Poland-Lynn to bring the car around so I wouldn't have to hike 3 miles post IM back to the condo. There is no comparison of the job I did as her sherpa last year when she did IMFL and what she did for me. Granted we were both new at the whole ironman race thing, but now she has set the bar quite high. I'm a little worried, our next ironman we are both racing and our husbands may take off to go golfing instead of spectate...so I think we've tagged Fave to be our sherpa extraordinaire for Placid! Many grateful thank you hugs, Lynn! I really couldn't have done it without you.

Correction #2--that group of people at mile 1 in the interesting costumes....I think one or two of you were still out when I was finishing, but I wasn't very coherent at the time. On behalf of many racers, thank you for the comic relief and support.

Now, switching topics:
Many hearty congratulations to all the TriGirls and friends who finished the various distance runs this past weekend. Jill and Mindy and Jeff--I am so proud of your accomplishment, your first marathon! Many of you set PRs in less than ideal conditions (it was almost 80 degrees and humid). Way to go! I'm sorry I wasn't able to cheer/spectate those that ran the 8k and half marathon but I hope you heard me ringing that cowbell. I was very proud to run Lynn in for the last 7 miles and set a new marathon PR (outside IM). By mile 23 it got quite blustery and I tried hard to be a wind break to help her out. At one point I had considered running the whole marathon with her, but am very glad I didn't! Jen, you were right. 7 miles was my limit for a first long run post IM. (Here is Jill, showing how smart we TriGirls are.)

I'm starting to feel a little post partum (IM) depression coming on. Part of it may be just the fact that I'm so behind on sleep after spending 8 hours in the ER with Joey. This time it wasn't an hypoglycemic seizure, it was HYPERglycemia (high blood sugar). All afternoon he was well above the 500s in his blood sugar readings. He's home today and feeling ok, but still running high (luckily not over 500 high). I'm hoping it may be just a growth spurt or his body trying to battle some bug. His next endocrinologist visit is in a couple weeks, so we'll tweak his background insulin rates then. He is such an amazing boy--he sat stone still while the nurse stuck him, took 6 vials of blood, and hooked up the IV. He is so brave and didn't cry at all. I can't say I'd do the same.

The Run (part 3)

2008-11-11T13:09:00.007-05:00

I felt pretty good headed out on the run (don't I look happy to be off the bike?!) My plan was to run the first half, then take it mile by mile with the goal of always making forward progress regardless of speed. As we started out, Kate G was having some foot issues and urged me to go ahead. I was surprised that my legs didn’t feel like total lead (yet) and settled into a comfortable pace. Mile 1 brought Shawn and Sharon’s Super Sherpas sitting in lawn chairs drinking beer. They offered me one but I passed, thinking I might partake when I saw them again at mile 14. In retrospect, maybe I should have had the beer cuz nothing much else was going down. Also at Mile 1 was this crazy group of people in costumes, the most interesting being a bikini top, tanga bottom, and itty bitty skirt thing. She was running beside the guys and letting them slap her bottom. I was hoping they’d all still be out there by the time I hit mile 25 (they weren’t).

Around mile 2 I hit my first “patch of grass” stop. Some guy ran by, asked if I was ok, and seemed a little taken aback when I told him what I was doing. My explanation of not wanting to be customer #1597 for the fun that was a porta potty then made total sense to him. At this point my stomach was already iffy enough as it was. I didn’t want to tempt fate by possibly walking into a really ripe port-a-john and losing my nutrition.

By mile 3 I had found a running partner, Joanne. She was on her second loop, in her second Ironman, and cruising along for a finish time of about 12 hours—and PR’ing by about an hour. We chatted away, and the miles went by quickly. Before I knew it we were in the state park. Sharon and Shawn ran by—plugging along and looking strong. We high-fived and “good job”ed. It was good also seeing Patty (tearing up the course!), Som and Fred along the way. At the turn around, my running partner was itching to get home at a little faster pace so we parted company. I took in a gu and some water and looked forward to the next 6 miles. On the way back in I caught Kate G, who wasn’t far behind me, and Charlotte who was plugging away diligently and sooo positive!

Joe and the kids were waiting for me at mile 9 and ended up leapfrogging along the course for miles 9-22. They cheered like mad and gave me lots of encouragement. I think the other runners also appreciated having them along that back part of the course. It does get pretty lonely out there. I was able to maintain my pace for the whole first half marathon—I think I did it in about 2:35 or 2:40, just 20 minutes off my half marathon PR pace! At the halfway point I collected my long sleeve shirt and took in another gu. Seeing all the TriGirl sherpas was great, but mentally it was tough looking forward to those miles in the state park. At this point the sun was setting, and miles 19-25 were going to be DARK. It was right after I ran into Karen, who had just walked a ways with Shawn, that I started to really feel the miles but I was able to run until mile 15.

I walked miles 15-20, and each mile kept feeling longer and more painful than the last. It was around then that my nutrition fell apart. I had been feeling nauseous since early on in the bike and every time I tried to take in some liquids my stomach let me know it was on strike. So, I just stopped forcing things down and settled for little sips here and there of chicken broth or coke. Sharon passed me at about mile 18 on her way in—she was still running and looking strong. She said “we’re going to be Ironmen tonight!” which was just the right thing to say! She finished in an amazing 14:14! Shawn and I met up between miles 19 and 20 and we pledged to keep trying to run at least a portion of every mile. Fellow racers were getting fewer and farther between and just as I was leaving the state park, some guy narrowly missed running into a deer crossing the road.

I hit mile 20 and resolved to run as much as possible all the way back. The mantra became “just 6.2 miles left to go…”, “just 5.2 miles left to go….” It hurt like hell, but it worked. I think that’s when I became a space cadet—Joe said when they saw me at mile 22 my eyes weren’t quite right and I was looking rough. He wanted to run with me a ways, but I sent them to the finish line. That was where I needed them to be, and what would propel me forward along the course. My sister and friend Lynn from Poland then took over the leapfrogging/cheerleading. By mile 24 even Molly was concerned and wanted to walk with me a ways, but then I was almost home and wanted them all there at the finish line. There was a small pack of us racers keeping each other company and motivating each other to run a bit. I found another fellow racer who was jogging/walking along at my same pace and we tried to chat a bit as we went.

At this point my mind had totally checked out and I was having a hard time regulating my body temperature. I had to really focus on moving forward and putting one foot in front of another, otherwise I would just stop. I knew I could do it and knew I could finish, but it took every ounce of mental and physical energy to maintain any forward motion. My running/walking partner and I hit mile 25 and I had to run. I had to finish, sooner rather than later. I started getting choked up as I passed the club Vega, or whatever it’s called. But that turned into sheer joy as I hit the finish chute after spending 14 hours and 51 minutes to travel over 140 miles. I heard Mike Reilly call my name and say “You are an Ironman!”

The Florida Course is Flat….NOT! (RR part 2)

2008-11-09T20:08:00.005-05:00

I had not previewed the bike course. Instead I went grocery shopping—which had to get done, otherwise my nutrition plan would’ve gone straight out the window. I heard brief snippets from Charlotte and Fred about bumpy sections, but never got the chance to talk to Shawn and Sharon about their impressions. I’m sure they would’ve said the same thing. Like Timberman (where I also didn’t drive the course), I didn’t want to have the suffering to look forward to. Keeping it a surprise would keep it interesting, I thought. I don’t think I’ll make that mistake again.

Kate G and I headed out of T1 pretty much together. For the first 10 miles, I was trying to settle in, calm my stomach which was just starting to get queasy, and talk myself into eating and drinking. I was able to down most of a smoothie just before leaving the transition tent and knew that would keep me fueled for most of the first hour since goodness knows the Clif bar wasn’t tasting good. I was feeling pretty good up to the turn onto Rt. 20—my speed was around 17 and I was passing more people than passed me.

That all changed after the turn. The headwind hit and slowed me way down. Then the rollers started. Then I got passed by everyone and their dog—and they were all in big pace lines. (Isn’t that illegal???) I thought several times about trying to hop on the back, but was afraid I’d get nailed with a penalty. So I stuck it out by myself. Kate G and I played leapfrog a bit. I tried to conserve time by not stopping for potty breaks (we all know what that means…), and considering how many times I need to go whenever I’m on the bike, that probably saved me about 15-20 minutes in my bike split!

As Rt 20 and the headwind dragged on, and time ticked away, I got more and more discouraged. I know the low point of every IM is supposed to hit between miles 70 and 80, but I was seriously questioning whether or not I’d finish the race before I even got to the special needs stop at mile 50. The brightest point of the bike was seeing some TriGirl zip by in a white rental car honking like mad. Damn, that looked like Heidi, who was supposed to be back in Richmond training for IMAZ. Sure enough it was! She came all the way out to watch and cheer us on—and she was the pretty much the only reason I kept going at certain points. Thank you so much Heidi. I wish I could do the same for your big race!

Anyways, back to the hell that was Rt. 20. I was so hoping I could catch up with Sharon and Shawn—figuring they’d be stopping for potty breaks and uncrustables at special needs. Never did happen. Kate G and I did get caught up again at special needs and making the turn onto 231 felt blessed relief: finally a tail wind! Cranking along at 21 mph was bliss, and I started thinking if it kept up we’d negative split the bike (at this point I think we’d been on the bike for over 3 hrs already). Whoo hooo! We did stop at mile 56 to refill water bottles (why they wouldn’t have water at special needs is beyond me…) and pee in the grass.

I knew too soon we’d be turning to go west again, naively thinking that since there was a headwind east bound, there’d be a tail wind west bound. NOT. This was where it got bumpy. At one point I had to put my bike in the small chain ring to be able to turn the crank at a decent enough pace. At the little (10 mile?) turn around, I did see Shawn and Sharon—looking strong and almost like they were enjoying the ride. Bump bump bump for almost 30 miles. At this point I knew I wasn’t quite keeping up with the nutrition plan: I was taking in all my fluids but was lagging on the solids. Every so often I had to eat one of my ginger chews to keep the nausea at bay. At mile 80 I started in with the gu—one for every 10 miles which seemed like an eternity.

Finally the pavement became decent again, but at this point I realized how far back in the pack I was. When you only see like 4 people strung out for a mile in front of you, you are going S-L-O-W. The game now became “get me home and off this friggin’ bike!” I was never so glad as to see the bridge that we came over at mile 10—but those last 10 miles in were still tough. I started getting very emotional as I passed more and more spectators. I was so anxious to see friendly, happy faces and hear people say “Good job.” Even though many, many spectathaletes said “good job,” every time I heard it I thought how lucky I was to have made it that far, and yes, dammit, I am doing a good job. Just doing the race is something most people (and at one time I myself) would never consider doing.

So, all told, my bike split was 7:13. Not quite the 6:30 that I expected and had told Joe to plan on. Pulling into transition I saw my sister and Joe and the kids yelling like mad. See how I'm smiling in that picture--I'm unclipped, ready to jump off. I think handing off the bike was one of the sweetest feelings of the race. (Yes, take that damn bike, I don’t want to see it again for a while!) Added to which, Cyndi, Derek, and Grandison were all there waiting for me. Hugs all around, “how’re you feeling?”, “good job”, and help in the changing tent. What could be better?! Kate G pulled in just a short while after me, and I waited in the tent to start the run with her. I was a little apprehensive about the run earlier in the week, but at this point I was looking forward to it. A chance to socialize and visit with other racers, and have more support in terms of seeing friends and sherpas along the way. Bring it on and let’s get this thing done!

The Race (part 1)

2008-11-07T08:21:00.008-05:00

My first half iron race was Eagleman in 2007, which I raced with many of the girls training for IMFL that year. Joe and the kids had stayed home that weekend, so I wasn’t able to see him before the race start. I remember feeling that the 70.3 miles we were traveling that day loomed pretty large—seeming to be an almost insurmountable distance. I was very scared and nervous that I wouldn’t be able to finish. I called him (and woke him up) just before we were due to get in the water and cried. I think he was a little annoyed that I had woken him up, but he was able to say “you’ve done the training, you’ll be fine.” I didn’t believe him.

Standing just outside the starting corral for Ironman Florida, I wasn’t quite as scared. This time I knew I could make it through the swim, bike, and at least half of the run thanks to our experience at Chesapeakeman and our weekend at the Eastern Shore. The rest of the run would be a matter of just making forward progress. Being able to hug Joe and hear him say he was proud of me was the best send off. I did miss seeing my sister before the start, but asked Joe to have her say three Hail Mary’s for me. (I’m not about to buck a trend. Every family trip—over 40 years of Cunningham travels—has started with those prayers and every trip has concluded safely.)

Shawn, Sharon, Patty and I walked over the timing mats and into the starting corral together. It was at this moment that the race became very real to me—I held hands with Shawn as we walked in, and we both had tears in our eyes. I had trained with these women, through tropical storms, hot and cold, and just about everything in between for the past 5 months. I could never have been ready for the race without their support and company along the way. They are my sisters in blood, sweat, and tears and I will treasure their friendship for a long time.

Once in the corral, we stood at the back. I remember looking at all those people in front of me thinking soon we’ll all be in the water TOGETHER. Ack. I can’t remember what caught my attention after hearing the national anthem, but I turned around and at the fence were our TriGirls! Jill looked more excited than I felt, but her good luck hugs and those from the rest of the crew helped me know that they would be there cheering their hearts out along the way. Just then the gun went off! I wasn’t even paying attention and was really caught off guard. But that was a good thing—having too much time to agonize over it would’ve sucked. We had planned to try to remain towards the back of the pack, but momentum seemed to carry us forward into the water. As soon as it was up to my waist it was time to start swimming. It was right around this point that I lost Shawn and Sharon.

The first loop of the swim course wasn’t as bad as I imagined. While very crowded, I wasn’t being swum over or pushed down. Every time I took a breath, though, there was someone right in my face. It surpising at first to be looking straight into someone else’s face while we were both breathing and not pull up to stop, but I needed to delineate and defend my personal space. I kept my recovery pretty wide. Going around the turns was crazy. Everyone got condensed into a small area, and with the sun coming up it was a little hard to see the next turn bouy. Luckily this was the shortest swim segment, so I knew it wouldn’t stay like that for long. I did think about Placid and how it will be similar and different (same crowd, no chop). Coming down the stretch to the timing mats I felt some help from the current and was able to find some more space.

I was hoping to see some familiar faces in the crowd at the beach as we went over the timing mats. I know I looked at the clock, but didn’t register how fast or slow I was going. I grabbed some water to rinse out the salt water, and headed back out. Some guy and I chatted a bit, but too soon it was time to swim again. Like Chesapeakeman, my swim felt like it lasted just as long as any open water triathlon swim, regardless of distance, but unlike my other races, I was able to find my rhythm much sooner. Going around the turns the second time was a little easier since the crowd was more dispersed, and it seemed that last stretch went really quickly. I hit the beach knowing I had a better swim than at Chesapeakeman, and went in search of Karen and Shelley to get stripped! Total swim time 1:25:31, ten minutes faster than C’man which was 1:34:50.

What a crazy place the wetsuit stripping area is! Sand, wetsuits, and wet bodies flying in every direction. In addition to having my wetsuit ripped off me, the last big scab from my bike accident on my ankle got pulled off. Ouch. Up the beach I ran, hoping I’d find my peeps in transition. In the tent (and naked!) were Shawn and Sharon, changing so quickly that I didn’t have time to run out with them. I think Patty was there too, and she zoomed out of there pretty fast too. My coach Grandison helped me change. I think next time I won’t bother with the bike jersey and will swim in my tri shorts and top—it was tough just getting shoes and socks and arm warmers on! Kate G and I hit the bike together, which I was very grateful for. So many familiar faces in the transition area (Cyndi, Derek, Trish, Jill, and Jackie) sent me off feeling good.

The Race Countdown (post mortem)

2008-11-06T13:53:00.011-05:00

Friday passed in a blur. I remember spending most of the day floating around, feeling like it wasn’t quite happening to me—that I was maybe there to watch my friends race. At one point around lunch, I ran into Michael Lovato at the expo. He and Simon Lessing had stayed in our hotel up at Timberman, and I had chatted them up a bit, thinking they were pretty hot (at the time I didn’t know they were major stud pro triathletes and in Michael’s case, married to another hot pro triathlete, Amanda Lovato). Michael was very nice, remembered me from Vermont, and wished me lots of luck. I also had met Bree Wee on Thursday night at the pasta dinner. She’s such a sweet woman and an amazing athlete—she ended up taking 4th woman overall and qualifying for Kona. Way to go, Bree!

Friday afternoon came quickly. I was able to talk to Marit and Jen about the race and my strategy. Jen’s best advice was not to write the end of the race before it even got started. I had a certain goal in mind for time, but she was able to remind me to take each minute as it came and be in the moment. That advice saw me through so many points in the race! Before I knew it, I was almost late to pack my bags and rack my bike, but got them done by 3. That evening I had dinner at the condo with my sister and two Lynn sherpas who had all arrived that day. While we were doing that, Joe took the kids trick or treating at the mall. It was not quite the regular Halloween experience they have at home, but they still had a good time and scored some good candy. Soon after they got home at 9pm, I went to bed.

Surprisingly, I slept pretty well. Not too much of the half-awake, I-know-what’s-coming-and-can’t-relax sleep before other races. I woke up around 1, but was able to fall back to sleep until just before the alarm went off at 4. It was nice to be the first one up and have a little quiet time to myself. I made coffee and started trying to eat my breakfast. At that point I knew the nerves were starting to kick in—it was all I could do to choke down my usual yogurt and granola. TriGirl Lynn got up and helped me pack up my last things, and then we headed down to meet up with Charlotte and Fred to ride to the race start.

Walking toward transition with crowd of other athletes, volunteers, and families, I was glad I brought my ipod. Being able to tune that out and listen to my usual music really helped calm me down and put me in the right frame of mind. I found TriGirl volunteers to body-mark me—big hugs all around! Once in transition, I was very glad to have gotten there very close to 5. I wasn’t rushed at all and was able to get tires pumped, nutrition loaded, and more breakfast eaten before finding Patty and the other TriGirls. Then it was time to stuff the sausage. I had decided to wear Cyndi’s full wetsuit instead of my own john-style one. I liked the added buoyancy and protection (from jellyfish) that it gave me.

By 6:15 I was starting to panic that Joe wouldn’t make it down to the beach in time to see me off. We did find Cyndi and Derek—Cyndi was an important part of my pre-race morning. She brought her trusty sharpie to write “Yes, You Can!” on my arm like I had done for her last year. Having her there, telling me I would indeed become an ironman that day was so special. Then it was time to hit the beach. I frantically called my sister since Joe wasn’t answering his cell phone, and she woke up the other Lynn and kids back at the condo. Joe was headed to the beach—and he found me! Good thing too, since it was time to head into the starting corral.

The View from the Other Side

2008-10-30T17:40:00.008-04:00

A year ago I came to Florida to volunteer and sherpa for my friends. It was such an amazing experience! Here it is, a year later and all of a sudden, it's my turn. All day Shawn was saying she was having a hard time grasping the thought that it's her turn, not Karen's. I am too, although sitting in registration, having the band put on my arm gave me more than a moment's panic. Am I really ready???

Shawn, Karen, Som, Steve and I were on the same flights down from Richmond. All the travel plans went well and I was able to catch a ride into Panama City with Steve and Som. I was a little bummed about not getting to hang in Pensacola with Marit, but she will be coming to PCB tomorrow and staying till Sunday. Last night I had dinner with fellow IMFL peeps Shawn and Sharon, and their sherpas extrordinaire. This morning we all met for our inaugural dip in the Gulf. It was pretty darn cold out, and my feet froze while I was putting on my wetsuit. The water, however, was much warmer! It was also calm--not much chop, no strong currents, and no big jellyfish. I'm glad that I did the whole loop, to know how far it is between bouys, and what to sight on, and where it gets deep. I was sad to get out of the water. It was far warmer in the water than out! We then headed back to Shawn and Karen's place for breakfast and quick showers before going back to hit registration. We all found where we'll be racking our bikes (I'm right behind all the pros!), and then lined up. Then after a little shopping, a little checking in with the Community Fund and Janus folks, and lunch Fred, Charlotte, Sharon, Shawn and I biked the run course. That turn around in the state park is going to seem so far away on the 2nd loop. This afternoon, while some peeps went out to drive the bike course, KateG and I hit the grocery store. I am now lounging in the condo, watching the sunset with a Corona in hand, and I'm contemplating dinner. My husband and kids come in later this evening, and I can't wait to go shell hunting with my Maddy Moo. Tomorrow we rack bikes and turn in our bags, maybe do a little swim, then rest and hydrate! I wish you all could be here with me!

The Doctor's Office

2008-10-27T10:17:00.003-04:00

This is what Joey was doing while I was snoozing in the waiting room at the doctor's office (make sure your volume is turned on). Goofy kid.

Posititve Thinking

2008-10-26T14:28:00.003-04:00

My Halloween Pumpkin