A Most Peculiar Gray

Thoughts from a long ride: Glory Days

2012-02-11T09:36:00.004-05:00

Thoughts from my long ride: It doesn't really matter to me how fast and skinny you were when you were 16 years old. Lots of people are skinny and fast as kids. What matters is what you do with the REST of your life. Holding onto those "Glory Days" traps you in the past. Embrace the now.

Glory Days

Putting my money where my mouth is

2012-02-10T18:46:00.004-05:00

Paid the US Masters swimming renewal, switch clubs.
Paid for the yearly city pool card.
Paid for one month of pool entry.
Arranged to pay the coaching and club fees for a month.

I've been down this road before but this particular club has coached morning and evening meeting times almost every day and more athletes. The last group only met 3 times a week in the morning (for the same price). My swim sucks but I've never actually tried to swim more than once or twice a week. I'm very confident in the water, just not fast. But the time has come. My run times are there, my bike split is there, my swim time is 2-5 minutes slower in a sprint than the top 5-10 girls in my age group. Time to train the swim.

All this is fine and dandy. Scraping together some money to throw at the problem is one thing (cut way back on Crossfit). Getting my butt in the pool at 5:30am Monday is another.

Recipe: Baked Chicken

2012-02-07T14:21:00.001-05:00

Set the oven at 375. While that heats up....

1 whole chicken (this one was 5lb), thawed...
2tbs oregano
2tbs thyme
2tsp garlic
1/2 stick of butter

put the spices and butter in a small dish, microwave until the butter melts
take out anything unwanted inside the chicken (giblets etc)
pour half the mixture over the chicken, making sure to spread butter and spices over the whole surface
pour the rest of the mixture inside the chicken, coating that area as best you can. Make more butter/spice mix if needed.

Place the chicken in a baking pan. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 until it's cooked all the way through. I usuallly go for 20 minutes per pound of whole, thawed chicken. If you like crispy skin, cook uncovered at 450 for the last 20 minutes.

That's it. Very easy. All you need is time.

Recipe: Squash breakfast casserole

2012-02-07T14:17:00.002-05:00

1 large zucchini squash, cut into small pieces
1 large onion, cut into small pieces
6 eggs
1 tsp powdered garlic
1 cup of diced ham (or meat of choice, or skip it for vegetarians)
1 cup of low fat cheddar
olive oil

Pre-heat your oven to 350.
Saute the onion in a little olive oil, at least until the pieces are clear.
Saute the zucchini until tender. Drain to remove any excess water.
Grease a 9x13 pan with olive oil.
Mix the 6 eggs together in a large bowl. Stir in the squash, onions, garlic and ham.
Pour the contents of the bowl into the baking pan.
Sprinkle cheese over the top.
Bake until done. :) My test: stick a knife into the middle of the pan, if the knife blade comes out without any raw egg on it, the casserole is done.

Recipe: Caubbouleh Recipe - Tabbouleh made with diced cauliflower

2012-02-07T14:16:00.001-05:00

First in a series of recipe's I use.

---------------

1/2 a head of cauliflower
1/2 a bunch of parsley
4 green onions
2 lemons
garlic - two pressed cloves but i like lots of garlic
1 tbs olive oil

Juice the lemons. Remove the seeds.

Dice up the cauliflower in your favorite version of the Slap Chop (https://www.slapchop.com). You will need to break the cauliflower into smaller chunks in order to fit. I try to match the size of the bulgar wheat or couscous but it's not a big deal if some of the pieces are larger.

Dice up garlic, onions, and parsely.

Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl. Toss together, let sit in the 'fridge for an hour to mix the flavors.

This made 3-4 servings. It could definitely be doubled.

IMO, any tabbouleh recipe will work. If you already have a favorite recipe, just substitute diced cauliflower for the bulgar wheat or couscous. Feel free to add in mint or tomatoes or chickpeas. The variations are endless.

RR: Chilly Willy Duathlon

2012-02-06T20:47:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty damn happy about my first du, no matter what the story books say.

1:27:30ish
5K - 28:50
T1 - 1:03
10 mile bike - 27:27 (course PR)
T2 - 1:01
5K - 29:00

I should point out that half the 5K course is on sand. My goal was to keep it it in zone 5 the whole time and see where the paces fell. Nailed it. 8th out of 20 in my age group and a course PR for my bike split. This company puts on sprint tris on this course 3 times a year so I know my usual time. The bike split put me 4th in my AG. 21.8mph isn't awesome but it's inspiring. I'm not losing much ground on the bike. With a little more work on the swim and run, an age group award will be mine.

Hindsight tells me I could have run a little faster but that's hindsight. I kept to the prescribed HR Zone 5 as indicated by my last lactate threshold test. Because I'm trying to stay out of my ego and do as I'm told. However, my 5K results indicate that the lactate threshold blood test was very conservative. As in I should not be able to maintain that HR for an entire 5K. Yet I do. What do to? I'm not sure. Today was not a real race, it was a "just see" event. I see plenty of good coming!!!!

The good: coming back off the first 5K with most of the bikes on the rack. The best: coming back off the bike with NO other bikes on the rack. No other bikes on the next 2 racks. My bike is 6 years old. It's not the car, it's the engine.

With an early season opener like this, the tri season can only get better.

Food fun: Cauliflower explosion

2012-02-04T13:00:00.000-05:00

So if you fry thinly sliced tofu until it's crispy, it works very well as a chip. Lightly sprinkled with sea salt as it was cooling. Today we melted some cheese on top and served with salsa. Even Joe like them. Definite nacho potential there.

Dad's garden is almost done with it's annual cauliflower explosion.
So far I have substituted cauliflower in:

In its natural form:
stir fry
general side dish
baked in an egg casserole which gives them a very potato texture

whipped:
mashed potatoes
hummus

Slap-chopped or shredded:
tabbouleh
Rice with various flavorings
quick fry with garlic to use instead of pasta with my meatballs (even low carb pasta triggers my wheat issues)
pizza crust (when combined with egg and cheese)
potato pancakes (meh, also combined with egg and cheese)

There are 4 more heads worth of cauliflower in the fridge. One will go towards hummus for tomorrow's parties. Another for a few more pizza crust trials. I'll leave one for more traditional stir fry or side dish. One I will leave diced for a tabbouleh style side dish or rice next week.

Moments from a long run

2012-02-04T12:19:00.002-05:00

Tiny paw prints pressed into newly minted concrete.
Happy memories of my first doberman
Laughter as I imagine the look on the owner's face when they realized they had to clean concrete off their dog's paws. :)

RR: Disney Marathon 2012

2012-01-11T19:42:00.002-05:00

Well it's done. Another Disney Marathon on the books. Not that I've completed all 19 of them but I've done 3 Disney marathons and just as many halfs on this course. Fun. Crowded. Mostly convenient.

What made Sunday different? Not much. The last time I ran Disney, my time was 6:27ish. Obviously the last 9 years or so have changed my time expectations but it hasn't changed my knowledge of the course.

For those of you who wonder: Disney is not a 26.2 journey of joy accompanied by your favorite Disney characters. I'll bet that less than 6 miles are in actual parks. Most of the course takes you past the sewage plant, parking lots, back roads you didn't know existed, and "behind the scenes" areas that remind you of a loading dock.

On the plus side, it is fun to hang out in the parks when you're done (you pay for that privilege but it's still fun). They do have a theme to all the water spots. There are plenty of opportunities to stop running so you can get a pic with your favorite character.

Why did I go back? I was supposed to train with a friend. She switched to the half. Could I have backed out? Sure. It is not a course to use if you want to test all that you can do because there are 15000 of your closest friends who make it hard to run the perfect race. And Disney does a piss poor job of crowd control once the parks open. But in the end, it is a pretty flat course. I didn't have to pay for extra plane tickets if my family wanted to watch. The weather is something I can train for which gives me a reasonable chance at a personal record, and I get to spend a weekend at Disney. That about sums it up. Oh, and if your support crew also enjoys Disney, it's much more pleasant for them than trying to master the subway in Philadelphia.

The back story....

This year I signed up for a training group. Their goal race was not the Disney marathon but I knew training partners would be important. It's too easy to miss a run when you're running alone so I did it. In the end, this is one of the best things I could have done in terms of getting in the miles. My log shows 200 more miles this year than last. Pretty nice!

My coach provided the program. The local group provided the company. The long run mileage got up to 15-17 fairly quickly but then it held steady. By the time race day rolled around I had completed three 17 milers and two 20 mile runs. When I started marathons back in 1999, I would have worried if those runs were long enough. Linae 2012 knows that is more than enough, especially considering the midweek miles I put in.

And let me have an aside for mid week miles. If all you want to do is finish the marathon, you don't need as many mid week runs. But if you want to avoid major suffering, if you want to get faster, you need to do more. I did. It showed in how quickly I recovered from those long runs and my goal race.

Not every training day went as planned but as I mentioned, this years marathon season had many more miles than years past. I finished my last 20 mile long run alone, on a Friday morning, with a lot of confidence.

Of course, I caught a cold over Christmas. Not what a I wanted but it was taper time. 3-4 extra rest days would not kill me. Since then I've found some research on beta glucans and preventing upper respiratory tract infections in marathoners but it was not soon enough!

I also tried as hard as I could to lose weight before the race. Thanks to the cold, I only managed to start the race 2 lbs lighter than last season. Sigh. But again, what can you do.

Given my long history with diarrhea during races, I decided to be pro active about the race. I know that eating pizza, pasta, bread, pitas, crackers, cookies, etc gives me gastrointestinal distress during long workouts. Why not take it the extra step and try to go gluten free for the week before the race. It can't hurt, right? And in the end it didn't hurt. But it didn't help, either. Avoiding wheat is one thing. Trying to avoid all major sources of gluten, banning beer, running from the smallest pita chip, cracker or bite of cake is quite another. It didn't hurt me, but I still had to stop at the blue box on race day. Next time, I'll just drink the beer.

As race weekend approached I felt nervous and ready. No aches or pains. No coughing from the cold. I had definite doubts that I would reach my 4:15 goal but there was no reason to think I couldn't drop far below my 4:30 PR.

Race morning dawned cool but humid. The National Weather Service said the start temps were 48F...with 100% humidity. This means that all of you who paid $200 for your wicking fabric wasted your money. Welcome to Florida. No evaporation, even in the winter.

My plan was to run the first 3 miles at an easy pace. 11 something the first mile. 10:30 the next 2. Drop to 10 minute miles for 4-10, 9:45 for 11-20, then drop the hammer. I run stronger in the second half of the marathon provided that I don't go out too fast. The only problem was that with all the excitement, my heart rate was not as low as it usually is. And with the crowds/walk breaks, running at a 10:30 pace on the Garmin did not produce anything close to a 10:30 mile. I had to push the pace a bit to stay on track.

Not a crisis except that starting out too fast tends to spike my perceived effort. This would plague me for the rest of the race. At least my nutrition plan worked. I ran with water for the first hour to keep me away from the water stop melee. 3 big gulps of water every 15 minutes. One GU and 2 Lava Salts every 45 minutes. The last 2 GUs were caffeinated.

The extra effort was no problem for the first 10 miles. And it shouldn't be. It's easy to feel like a supergenious for 10 miles. My amazing suppport team was there at the Ticket and Transportation Center (TTC) to take some pics and give me a "Hi 5!". Very cool. You can never underestimate the importance of a good support crew. Three of them had run a hard half marathon the day before. They were sore and tired. But they were there for me. Totally awesome.

And they were there near the Polynesian Hotel at mile 12.5. Just as supportive. They knew that, barring major injury, I would be at the finish line no later than my half marathon pace x2. The only problem was that my intestines had been asking for a porto potty stop since mile 8. BAH! All those stupid dietary restrictions for NOTHING!

To be fair, 3 of my spectators had similar issue which suggests it might have been one of our shared appetizers the day before. Still, that was a lot of effort for no pay back. Next time I'll simply drink the beer and enjoy a few crackers until the day before. It seems to have the same impact without the friend drama.

But you can't hold on to the bad. Yes, my intestines are in the midst of a glorious mutiny. I get it. Time for damage control. I simply ran mile-to-mile, looking for an unoccupied porto potty. The stop would be long enough without waiting in line. At mile 14, the race gods smiled upon me. Sure, it cost me 2 minutes but only 2 minutes. Knowing that any kind of PR was at risk now, the Internal Committee went on the offensive.

I wish I could simply say "shut up legs" but I am not Jens Voigt. I had to fight the urge to give up from the moment I realized the intestines needed to stop, which pisses me off. I could have coasted to a PR at a much slower pace. But I didn't want 4:29. I wanted something more. Even when I made the mistake of trying to save time by drinking while running. Totally spewed water all over young volunteers at that water stop. VERY SORRY!!! So I spent 16 miles fighting the voices that said it was too fast, too hard, you'll never hold it, see your calf is about to cramp, you're dizzy, who in heavens name plays Sweet Caroline at mile 23 in a marathon.....just not fun. At mile 21, the Ipod Shuffle came out. A little Aerosmith, Guns-N-Roses, Taylor Swift....NO! Queen! Yes it was Queen! Just what I needed to reset the mental system.

The rising temps did not help. Yes, I'm a Florida girl but we haven't run in temps like this for several months. No one wants the temps to rise 10 degrees in the last 10K of their marathon. I'm dropping the hammer while the rest of my peers are dropping like flies. To be fair, you can only go so far before the dizzy thing gets you. The Dizzy Devil came hunting for me, too. But I clung tenaciously to the knowledge that I excel in the last half of the marathon if I'm willing to suffer. "Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something". It paid off with a big negative split, mostly in the last 10K.

The course returns to Epcot through the UK pavilion. There was my wonderful support crew. Such cheers. They deserved a big cheer from me. They received drooling incoherency. Undeterred, they booked it to the other side of the World Showcase so they could see me at mile 25.5. as well. More drooling. Did mention that they rock? But they knew there was no energy for niceties. A PR is in the making. Take what you can, give nothing back.

It wasn't the prettiest day, but it was a good day.

4:23:33 officially which is a 7 minute PR over Philly last year (4:30:51) on a much warmer day. That placed me 194/1130 in my age group. Not too shabby. If I take out the porto potty stop, it's a 9 minute PR.

My sore legs carried me to my car where a bottle of sparkling wine awaited me. The Tribe met me at the car. What a great moment!

Given the warm temps, I opted to wash off with a few baby wipes rather than completely change clothes. Beside, with such a money running outfit, who wouldn't want to show it off?

Ever since my marathon beginnings, I consider the back of the pack to be my peeps. I have finished in their shoes and I certainly will not desert them now. Even though I drank much deserved beer, I stayed along the course until the last runner came to the famous Golf Ball. I even ran out to help someone who stopped, bending over, knowing that I would not let them fail less than 0.3 from the finish line.

After that, it was time to enjoy the rest of the day with my Sweet Babboo. He really is an amazingly supportive guy.

RR: Suncoast Triathlon

2011-10-24T19:46:00.000-04:00

Breezy on the bike but a great swim

Overall 1:13:46
Swim 13:33T1 3:55 (400yds across sand to transition)
Bike 30:00
T2 1:32 (trouble slipping shoes on because my feet were not sweaty)
Run 24:48

11th in age group (of 31)

Yes, it's still tri season in Florida. There are a few more on the calendar but Suncoast would be my last tri for 2011. My husband and Iwere supposed to race together but...race morning dawned about 20F cooler than last Saturday. Despite driving all over creation to get him a full wetsuit to wear for the swim, he bailed at the swim warmup.

Actually, he called it when he stuck his toe in the water. Oh well.

As for me, I also thought it was chilly but this is my sport. OK,maybe I haven't been swimming or riding since the new semesterstarted. So? It's go time. I was crabby for certain but all I wantedwas to run well off the bike.

Swim - 660yds - had my usual wetsuit freak out even thought I warmedup. Actually started wheezing so I focused on slow, steady strokes.Stayed out of the crowd. Finished in a fairly good time for me.

Bike - 10 miles - Numb toes made it really hard to get my feet intothe bike shoes. Much to my surprise, the podium pack for my age groupis still within visual range. They must be having a tough day. I keepseeing them. I pass girls in my AG but am passed by only one womanfrom another group. Then it hits me: maybe they aren't having a badday. I'm making the jump to the back of front pack! Continue to huntthe top girls in my AG for the next 30 minutes without going crazy.It's a windy day and my focus is to run well. Finished about 90seconds slower than my last go at this course in August.

Run - 5K - GO! Drank a Red Bull shot that The.Leslie.Holton leftbehind in March. Much faster than trying to down a GU. Headed out neck

and neck with another girl in my AG. She wanted to make a statementand I knew there was sand ahead. She didn't disappear for long. Mymile 1 split was almost unbelievable (7:10) so my goal was to make asmuch time as possible before the course headed to the beach. By theend of mile 2 she was only 30 seconds ahead of me. I pushed hard tocatch her, passed another member of my age group but she kicked it upat the end to maintain the gap. 10th place was so close! Still itwas a very good run. My run split was only 9 seconds away from mystand alone 5K PR. 4-5 minutes faster than my run on this course inAugust. OK, it was much hotter in August but to run that fast off thebike makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. FINALLY!

That's it for triathlon 2011. Overall I'm happy with my progress thisseason. If I can stay injury free over the winter, I'm poised to makethe jump to the next level: triathlon age group contender. For now,it's time to focus on a PR at the Disney marathon. Maybe play with anew swim strategy over the winter to put me ahead for next season.

Crossfit Oktoberfest Smackdown

2011-10-09T07:34:00.003-04:00

WOD#1

15-12-9 for time
-Deadlift 275/165
-Pull up
-KB swing 55/35

My time: 13:30
Extremely excited because this was the WOD I feared. Very possible I wouldn't be able to complete the pullups after 6 weeks away from Crossfit. The combination of deadlifts and pullups ripped my hands open by the end of the second round. Oh well. I finished!

WOD#2

On the minute for 15 min (AMRAP thrusters)
-5x burpees over the bar (legs had to be fully extended, no bending knees to just hop over the bar)
-Max reps thrusters 115/75

My score: 7
Only the thrusters were scored. You had to complete the 5 burpees each minute or you were DQ'd. The added "completely extended hips/legs" requirement took out several competitors. Many thanks to my friend, Skittles, who loaned me her gloves for this. Between the tape and gloves, my poor ripped hands survived.

WOD#3

5x RDS for time
-400m sprint
-15x Box jump 24/20
-15x Wall ball 20/10

My time: 23:26.
My 400s were at 2min each time but my ripped hands made the wall balls particularly slow. Still I never stopped which was my goal. And I'm VERY happy to have finished this competition as Rx'd and within official time. 2 other women and 3 other men did not. You may recall in March I was not able to finish the last WOD within the required time. This is a big step up in performance.

Overall, I'm better at this than I thought. Imagine what could have happened if I trained for it! I finished all the WODs second from last. A few DNFs moved me up even further. Definitely a good day.

I am super sore today. Not sure how far my run will take me. Going to start with a walk and go from there. At least 6 is the goal but I'll just have to see.

Meal Planning

2011-09-23T10:06:00.000-04:00

With the Disney Marathon as my goal race for the winter, I've started working on the pre-race meal plan. My intestines are notoriously crabby during long events. I'm training for a new PR. Don't want to waste any precious moments in a blue box.

Wheat makes it even worse so no pasta, wraps, sandwiches in the 2 days before the race. Today I'm trying some corn chips, chicken and black beans for lunch with chicken/rice stir fry for dinner.

So exciting, this life of mine. I'm a little disappointed with my run paces. Even though I had a much more consistent training base over the summer, my long run paces are no faster. Bummer. Not sure what I can do about that. Losing weight would help and the goal is to race 5-10lb lighter than last year. I've changed up my mid week runs so that I can have a real speed work session. Guess the final step is to put the miles in on the road.

Tough Mudder Training

2011-08-21T08:25:00.004-04:00

Last year a few friends from my Crossfit gym did the Warrior Dash race. In costume. It's a fun event but not really challenging for someone like me.

The mud runs have become very popular. There's Marine Corps Primal Challenge series, Savage Race, Iron Mudder, etc. They all offer their version of obstacles, mud and running.

Someone at the gym found the Tough Mudder races. This race seems a little more interesting to me because it is longer. A 12 mile course is not to be take lightly. Almost a half marathon's worth of distance plus some tough challenges along the way. Not something that many people can simply show up and hope to finish.

I plan on doing Tough Mudder if the finances come through. Being a triathlete and endurance athlete first and foremost, there are a couple of road races on the calendar that come first. There's only so much money to spread around for race entries.

Yesterday, a small group of friends who are doing Tough Mudder headed over to The Next Level Training Center in Tampa. Home to Crossfit Tampa, this gym offers free training for Florida Tough Mudder racers every other Saturday. Brilliant marketing strategy. Good way to pull in new athletes to their gym. Only a few of the 30 athletes at the workout already had a crossfit gym affiliation. Most were people who had done a shorter, Warrior Dash style event and were looking to step up to a longer, tougher event. A few had no fitness background at all.

I was curious to see what they would consider vital training for this type of event.

Today's workout:

AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) in 60 min (40 min for the beginner level)
800m run (on grass if you did it as rx'd, many people who bragged about their rounds were running on concrete)
200m weighted Prowler push in the low position (3 person teams alternating who would push)
800m run
400m tire carry (any way you could carry it as long as it was above your waist)
800m run
100 rope undulation (we did the double version at the beginning of the video)
200m lateral skips
Tire thrusters (do a deep squat, thrust/throw the tire over your head as you stand up, walk to where the tire lands, repeat for about 150ft)

For me - 1.5 rounds in 60 mins. Could have made it a little further but there was confusion about whether we were going to stop at 40 min or go for the full 60.

My group fell apart fairly early so I had to team up with another lost soul for the last Prowler push. But I made it. Tried a compression calf sleeve with pretty disastrous results. My calf cramped up during the last 800 and continued to cramp off and on for the next 10 minutes. I'll keep my compression socks for recovery, thanks. However, I did like the design of this particular sleeve because it has slits for ice packs.

What I liked about the training was alternating between heavy pushes or weighted running with normal style running. Also the direction for people to run on the grass whenever possible, even though most people ignored that. To me, that is the big challenge of Tough Mudder. I can train someone to complete 12 miles worth of trail running but stopping/starting over and over again with short periods of intense muscle activity will take it out of you.

Things that make me wonder: no emphasis on training up the running volume during the week. To be fair, the gym didn't offer to give you a free training program, just a valuable opportunity to practice the heavy lifting/running cycle. Not a lot of people have Prowlers or spare tires to throw. On the other hand...my group ran 8 miles in the am before heading over for the training. We are all training for fall marathons and are not giving up those races for Tough Mudder. Plus, it made our day very similar to what will be expected on race day. In very crossfit fashion, the leader of the workout made fun of us. Not a good marketing strategy if he's trying to add endurance athletes to his gym.

RR: Top Gun Triathlon 2011

2011-07-31T16:08:00.002-04:00

1:12:14 for an 11 minute PR on this course. This means a lot because I race this course at least once a year. If I'm going to show measurable improvement, it will be here. 5 minutes out of age group nationals which is...fine. It will come. I moved up 10% in the swim over last year. Maintained my bike speed (21.15mph) on a course the was twice as windy as last year (yes, I know because there is an NDBC bouy in the area that has a searchable database) and ran my fastest run split on that course ever.

I needed this race so badly. It came at a time when my faith in myself started to crumble. When it looked like everything I've worked for was going down the toilet. It may still go down the toilet but I'm not giving up easily.

2010 (previously my best finish time on this course since I started racing here in 2002)
Swim:12:27
T1: 04:38
Bike: 28:20
T2: 02:12
Run: 36:00
Total: 1:23:36

This Year (based on cheepie watch splits because the official timing grouped transition time into the bike and run splits)
Swim: 9:42
T1: 3:13
Bike 28:22
T2: 1:07
Run: 29:50
Total: 1:12:14 (official finish time, 15/55)

My parents came out to watch which is only the third time they've seen me race triathlon in 11 years. Mom's comment was "but last time didn't it take you over 2 hours?" Yep. Last time she saw me race at this venue was Escape from Ft. De Soto 2002. The current was so bad the Coast Guard put out an appeal to local boaters to help lost swimmers. Can you imagine what went through my dad's head that day? He was fishing offshore when he heard the call for help. But they knew better than to try to stop me. :)

Today was not like that. Definitely a victim of head games before the race but when the horn sounded, it was time to focus on the moment. Rather than worry about swimming "fast" I focused on getting a good, firm handful of water on each stroke. Turnover doesn't count if there's no catch. Oh, and I stayed out in the open water. I don't like fighting for space. Finished in a solid time for me. Close to the 1/4 mile swim at Heartland so no complaints. Enjoyed the scream team on the sand.

Ran all the way to transition through the sand. Left the shoes on the pedals this time so all I had to do was throw on glasses/helmet and run to the bike mount line. OK, it was not as easy to slide my feet into the shoes as it was in practice but at some point I need to move from practice to real.

The bike was solid. Much windier than last year but my focus was to hold the effort high. I wanted to feel like I was chasing the front pack in the group ride. Mission accomplished. The downwind sections felt almost like I was riding a rocket. No idea how fast I was going but it was definitely a negative split on the watch. Saw Mom and Dad with another more experience set of tri parents who told my parents where to go, when to be at certain points, etc. They all gave me a big cheer as I screamed by on the downwind. Slid my feet out of pedals before reaching the dismount. Go, go go!

Ran all the way through T2 with a brief pause to throw on the shoes. Hat and number can be applied while in motion.

The run is always challenging on this course. Out on the paved bike path. Back on the not-quite-hard-packed-sand. The goal was to stay focused. Make time on the pavement. No walking on the sand. My neighbor (local tri coach) gave me moral support which was awesome. The last 0.1 is back on the pavement. My goal was to increase turnover because I'm not having stalkers catch me in the last few meters. It worked so well that I almost caught the girl ahead of me (14th beat me by 14 seconds). If only I could have seen her.

Overall it was a good race. I would have preferred 1:10 but the PR speaks for itself. Improvements on all levels with room to grow. Now if I can just hold on.

RR: Heartland Triathlon

2011-06-20T14:16:00.001-04:00

1/4 mile lake swim, 14 mile bike, 5K run.

There were 2 big differences for this race.
#1 I was responsible for no one but myself. This was HUGE. No
friends that I'm coaching, to wandering spectators who don't know
where to go. Just me myself and I. There are plusses and minuses to
this. Probably didn't need to spend so much time festering about my
sub-par training these past few months. Still it was good to play the
mental game, to find a way out of those negative thoughts to focus on
the race at hand.

#2 I raced without a timing device of any kind. The effort was based
on feel. I know my breathing rate when I'm chasing the main pack in
the bike rides. I know the sensation of a hard 10K/5K effort when I
run. The goal was to maintain that effort without any electronic
prompts.

SWIM: 10:02
Good for me in freshwater.

SWIM TO BIKE TRANSITION: 2:50
Very long run uphill in sand to transition.

BIKE: 44:02
Unexpectedly hilly on the back side. Windy but not over the top.
Next year I will be ready. Could have been a little faster but a guy
snot rocketed all over me and a spent a few minutes throwing up while
riding/attempting to wipe it off.

BIKE TO RUN TRANSITION: 0:42
It's a small transition area but that's still smoking. Second fastest
in my AG. Taking my feet out of the shoes at the end of the bike pays
off.

RUN: 26:51
Much better than my last few sprints. Mostly hot on unshaded
concrete. A few small inclines and about 1/2 mile in the grass.

FINISH: 1:24:25
Very pleased with my performance. 5 minutes out of third in AG. My
best placing in age group triathlon racing so far. Definitely
exceeded my training base these past few weeks. For better or for
worse, running "naked" takes a lot of concentration. It's more
mentally challenging in some ways, easier in others. The hardest part
was to push the effort without an external prompt. Too easy to let my
mind (and pace) wander. However, I liked that I couldn't psyche myself
out when my swim or bike were slower than I wanted. I didn't really
know what my times were. The focus was on maintaining my effort at
the moment. It was successful enough that I will try it again at
Morton Plant Mease Tri in a week.

RR: Mad Beach Triathlon 2011

2011-05-23T06:47:00.002-04:00

1/2 mile swim, 15 mile bike, 5K run
One of my favorite local races. I enjoy watching my progress as a
triathlete by looking through the results archives. The 2011 version:
Swim 18:17 for the swim which is over 2 minutes faster than last year.
Still can't believe it, even with the perfect swim conditions. But I
measured the course on google maps. It was 1/2 mile down the beach.
Bike 43:10 20.8mph which is my fastest bike split ever. Very
impressive coming off a strong swim effort. I finally have some bike
shoes that could be loosened up enough to take my feet out before the
dismount. Chose not to practice this technique for the first time on
race day.
Run 28:50 24 seconds faster than last year. Again impressive given
the faster swim and faster bike. The last half of this run is on the
beach. We lucked out because there was some hard packed sand from the
out going tide. Still tougher than running on concrete. Two women in
my age group passed me in the last 1/4 mile. Almost caught one of
them but couldn't make progress when we moved onto the soft sand for
the finish. Apparently they had been stalking me ever since I passed
them on the run. I hear this voice say "there she is, now go get her"
and these two girls fly by. I'm not used to being stalked. Lesson
learned. Will be adding a few sand runs to my schedule.
Nice solid progress. Again, I really feel I should be a lot faster. I
want age group nationals but my time is still a good 7 minutes away
from that. But I have to be honest with myself: consistency has not
been there. The workouts I have made are not quality. The chaos that
is the end of the semester/beginning of a new semester has taken it's
toll. There have been real real reasons to miss workouts but that
doesn't change the fact that no workouts = no progress.
Now that life is settling in for the next 10 weeks, consistency will
go up. Hard work got me here, it will move me forward.

St. Anthony's Triathlon

2011-05-02T07:09:00.001-04:00

Raced with only a HRM, no other pace information. It was a classic
20mph windy morning. So windy that they moved the swim to a slightly
more protected part of the bay where we could run up the beach. Only
1000m swim but I managed to have a PR pace over last year despite
getting kicked hard, having my goggles torn off and swallowing
significant amounts of seawater. LONG run on concrete to transition. A
little over 1/4 mile. The bike split was slower than I wanted but it
was windy as hell. My HR was in the 170s for most of the bike. I
gave it all I had. When the time came for the run, legs were trashed
from a windy bike. My right quad cramped up. I should have been
mentally tough enough run harder but it didn't happen. Even walked a
few steps for the last mile. In the end I'm disappointed I didn't
run faster. I've worked too hard to drop weight and do speed work for
that to happen.

Next race in the 3 weeks.

Total: 2:51:42
Swim 22:30
Bike 1:20:53
Run 1:00:09

Linae

Competition Report: Victory in a DNF, Crossfit Shillelagh Smackdown

2011-03-27T20:15:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I competed in a Crossfit competition as a full fledged
competitor. Last year I competed as a "scaled" athlete. This means
some of the workouts had to be scaled down because I could not
complete them as they were written. In Crossfit terms, doing a workout
"as Rx'd" is a big deal.

This year I competed as Rx'd. And I finished dead last. It's the
proudest dead last ever.

The competition was set up like a weird swim meet. There were only 3
events but there were several waves. We all received points based on
where we finished. Women and men are ranked separately. Much to my
surprise, I was not last after the first two workouts (Crossfit called
them WODs for Workout Of the Day). I was SECOND to last which was
something I was very proud of. I'm an endurance athlete amongst a
bunch of former gymnasts and body builders. Second to last is a great
place to be.

Then time came for the final heat. The workout is named after a girl,
Fran. For the competition, they made it even tougher. 40-20-10
thrusters/pullups. 65lb is the standard thruster weight for women for
Fran (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OhqIGYqELk).
Now I'm 2 workouts in, set a new personal record for my deadlift
(235lb), extremely tired. The judges decided to up the ante on the
workout. Not only would I have to clean the 65lb up from the floor
before starting the thrusters, I would have to start the pullups from
a deadhang because I'm too short to jump up to the bar (normally I get
to jump up from the box). Some days I hate my short genes.
Suddenly I realized: I can't do it. It's not a matter of stepping up
or digging deep. My body is trashed. I can't do this within the 20
minute time limit.

So I start my final heat knowing that I can't finish. Now, I'm not a
soldier in battle. No ones life is on the line. But starting that
workout was one of the hardest things I've done. It's hard to push
yourself to the limit knowing there is no chance of victory. I will
be dead last. I won't even finish officially. Everyone will stop,
stare, and watch. They will know that I'm not as good as the rest.
They will know I can't finish.

But what they didn't know is...well let me show you.

3.2.1...GO!

40, 65lb thrusters felt so heavy, especially when you have to lift the
weight off the floor before you start. And I can only do 4-5 at a
time so it's like adding 8-10 extra lifts. At some point, I actually
made my husband bring me the coke from the cooler because I was
shaking so badly. In my head I told myself: 20 minutes. It's a 5K,
right? Just don't stop. 38..39..40! I headed to the pullup bar.

Each pullup felt like my arms were on fire. After the first few
pullups, everyone stopped, stared, and watched. I'm 2 round behind. It
was obvious that I'm not as good as the rest. They knew I
couldn't finish within the time limit. Sort of like my personal
nightmare. 50 uberfit weightlifters watching me struggle like fish
caught in the low tide.

And so they cheered. Celebrating every pullup I did make. The screams
of "dig deep!" and "two more" were overwhelming. After 40 torturous
pullups, done 2 at a time, it was time to head back for the second
round. There were 2 minutes left on the clock, the owner of the gym
reminded me. Thanks, like I can't read. Back off. I've got 20
thrusters to do. ONE (they scream)-TWO-THREE-4-5-6....and the time
ran out.

You would have thought I just won overall. A standing ovation. They
cheered so long I actually took a bow. Group hugs. It was crazy. As
one of the trainers said "they loved the fight".

In fact, that DNF was the biggest victory ever in terms of the respect
I earned. As much as I tell them what it takes to be a
triathlete/ironman, they couldn't believe it until they saw me fail.

Funny how that works.

As for me, I had a great day. Not even that sore given all the
cleans, kettlebell swings, and pullups. Heck, I'm ready to sign up
for next competition in October.

9 times down, 10 times up.

Crossfit Smackdown

2011-03-26T08:30:00.000-04:00

235lb Deadlift!!! 10lb PR for me!
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Another Thursday group ride

2011-03-24T11:02:00.000-04:00

The group ride is the fastest way to get my bike pace back after a long lazy winter of claiming "it's too cold" to ride.

But I have to be willing to suffer. The first 4-6 weeks are a big ego buster. Spend a lot of time getting dropped, rediscovering my riding skills, learning how to see the break coming.

Eventually everything comes together and BAM I'm back in the game.

Today was that day. Average speed for the working section of the group ride was 19.2mph. That's a big jump over the 16-17 of the past few weeks. The key was that I didn't get dropped to the back of the ride in the first 10 minutes. I tried to grab the wheel of the front pack. Held on for 5 minutes or so but got behind a rider who allowed a gap to open. I tried to pull us back but I can't hold 24mph for very long, yet, and the other riders didn't have it in them. Per usual, they let me spend my energy chasing, then drop me. This is fine. Chasing the front pack is a perfect opportunities to truly push my limits.

My strategy switched to doing a strong time trail, getting back my energy. When the second pack came by, I jumped on their wheel and held on. Even then I stayed at the back. The rubber band effect you experience at the end of the pack was built in interval training.

It's all progress.

Crossfit: Because why stop at a punishing group ride?

2011-03-17T20:41:00.000-04:00

Finished the competitor’s training only 6 minutes slower than my last Fran workout. No complaints.
Have to say this workout had me scared. This is a big build time for triathlon training. Hit big PRs for CF total and showed well at the other competitor WOD (i.e. not last). Rode 2 hours fast this morning. Definitely not bringing my A game to the gym today. Then my trainer asked me if I “had this” and my honest response was: I’m scared. I’m stubborn enough to finish it but who knows if my muscles will fail. In my head I was thinking 40 minutes.

Even tired and cranky I finished closer to 20.

The smackdown still has me worried but I’m not afraid. The progress I’ve made this year is amazing and I’ll be proud to earn last in the Rx’d category. This time last year I could not do a pullup. Now I can Rx Long Fran. And, who knows. I’m not the strongest girl in the world but 3 workouts/day is something I do every week.

Thursday group ride

2011-03-17T16:40:00.000-04:00

Rode with the group. Got flogged. Got dropped from the main pack at a red light. Decided to chase with a small group because I certainly
don't come to these rides to "cruise". The groupetto let me pull for a few minutes at 24mph, got their second wind and dropped me (again!) about half way through ride. But they couldn't hold it either. So I caught them 15 minutes later.

My reward? They are starting to speak to me. Especially when I thank them for letting me join in and they say "we certainly didn't LET you". HA! In roadie speak I'm sure that's some type of affection.

Progress. I need to get my paces back down to race speed. This is the fastest way to get there.

sent from the field on my blackberry

RR: Armadillo 5K

2011-03-12T21:03:00.000-05:00

I love this race. You can watch my progress as an athlete just by looking at my results from years past. Awesome.

This was the site of my first age group win. It took my by surprise. I didn't feel I was fast enough to win anything so I went home. Missed all the glory.

Well, history repeats itself. Not for first this time, but for third.

Short version: 24:42 for new 5K PR by a 10ish seconds. First mile in 7:37 which just goes to show "it doesn't get easier, you just get faster".

The preliminary results listed me as 5/15. No big deal. I'm getting faster but not that fast yet. Last year the top 3 in my age group finished under 23 minutes so I went home.

EXCEPT that two of the women in my age group won overall. Which means I earned THIRD in my age group but I didn't wait around to get the award because the posted results said I finished out of the money. They did not post updated results before the ceremony so there was no way for me to know. I'm sure the race director will send me the award but it would be nice to be present for once.

In fact, I was 12th woman overall (out of 158). Live and learn. Not too shabby.

I'm just really glad to prove that 24:55 was not a fluke. Sub 25 is my new standard and there are great things in the works. If I let my mind go, my body will follow.

This year I have been running plugged into the Matrix with every electronic toy I can get. Funny thing is, after the first 1/2 mile, I don't "hear" them anymore. I can't tell you any of the songs my Ipod played. When my Garmin said 6:59 pace my reply was "Meh, nice number. Let's see how long it can last". Maybe I did go out too fast. But I don't care. Every mile my body spends at those paces teaches it to go faster. There was a time when 7:30 was "as fast as possible". Now it's mile 1.

Most of the race was spent arguing with my internal committee. They think I can't possibly hold this pace. I'm thinking 7:37 for the first mile is faster than I've run in my life. Go with it. Followed up with a 7:54. Yes, I faded to an 8:02 pace for the last 1.1 miles but there was no one around. I'm not used to this. There were no women to use as a bunny and not many men either. The goal was to cling to life until the finish line.

Which I did.

12th woman overall. Wow.

Crew Report: Florida Doble Iron Triathlon

2011-03-12T21:00:00.000-05:00

I have a lot to add to this report. For now, lets just say:

There is too much. Let me sum up.

#1 Greatness and courage is a competitor whose body is on the edge of
breaking down that can smile and say "this mist is someone else's
rainbow". It's awesome to be fast but if being fast is easy...

#2 Leslie will never give up. She glows positive energy. Pain is not a
limiter. She'll even continue when pain is over the top and she has
"no hope" of finishing within the cutoff.

#3 If you agree to be a Crewathlete, come prepared to be an athlete.
Spent a fair amount of time bonking because I was focused on my
athlete rather than my needs as an athlete. We won't talk about the
chafing.

#4 With the standard "Never Say Never" disclaimer, I must admit: my
path lies elsewhere. These events are fun. I will happily crew or
even crew chief next year. But I have unfinished business right now.
Talk to me again in 3-10 years. Not only am I not ready, my husband
and friends have already said they will not crew for me.

RR: St. Pete Beach Classic 5K

2011-01-15T11:42:00.002-05:00

24:55. HELL YEAH!!!!!

25:22 last weekend. 24:55 this weekend. WOOHOO!!!

And they give awards 5 deep so I even snuck in a 4th place finishers
plaque for my age group. The plaque is cheesy but it's very
meaningful to me. It is a framed drawing of the original race
director and her husband. We lost Wendy to melanoma last year. She
was a huge butt kicker back in 2008 when I was suffering from a hip
flexor injury. I couldn't walk without a limp but she would not let me
wallow in self pity. Instead she made me part of her race staff which
forced me to stay active in the sport. Her husband brought the race
back this year and I couldn't be more proud to get an award (and a new
5K PR by another 26 seconds!) at her race.

RR: Say No To Drugs 5K

2010-12-18T15:42:00.002-05:00

What a great race! With a 1 mile, 5K and 10K option, this is an event that can be enjoyed by your entire family. Plus it ends with a ROCKING pancake breakfast. Not just pancakes but blueberry pancakes. Your choice of berry topping. Plus plentiful coffee (all the fixin's, even half n half) , fresh strawberries (with real whipped cream), bananas, orange juice. This was one of the biggest spreads I've seen. Did I mention the nice long sleeved tech t?

My sister in law says that it's a beautiful course. It briefly passes through some pretty buildings in downtown Clearwater before heading out over the soaring Memorial Causeway. The course turns around not far past the causeway so you enjoy the same scenery on the way back.

That's what I hear because I wasn't there for the scenery. The 5K and I have unfinished business. There were things I wanted, like a PR and some age group hardware for me/Boston Bill Sunglasses. But I really wanted to see if I could bring together my marathon training with other high intensity workouts to run hard.

Success.

The race:

15 minute jog to warm up. A few pick ups to race pace to get the body into the rhythm. Joe thoughtfully replaced my Garmin Forerunner 305 as a Christmas gift. It arrived just in time for me to realize that 5K race pace "feel" is now something around 7:45-8:00 minute miles on flat land. Really.

So I ran with the Garmin, not as a leash but as a "stop slacking" monitor.

The race did not start as planned. I tried to line up at the front but unless I wanted to start a mosh pit, I was blocked out. But I'll leave it at that because if you want to play with the big kids, you have to act like the big kids. Learn the characteristics of your race. Warm up sooner. Line up sooner. There's no crying in baseball. Line up behind the 20ft of surveyor's tape or you'll get screwed at the start as hundreds of runners pour in from the sides. I always wondered why the age group winning times seemed so slow for this race.
Now I know.

As a result, there's nothing to do but sprint/stop/walk/sprint/dodge/duck/dodge for the first mile. The only time I really got pissed off was the guy who pushed past me only to come to a dead stop next to a girl about 10 feet ahead. Which meant I was trapped walking, too. Nice. Very nice. Hope things worked out for you.

Regardless, my body was willing and ready to go. Crazy sprinting whenever possible even if it's across the road through heavy crowds and up a bridge? No problem. Sure, running up the bridge I wanted to puke. The goal was to let the effort go as high as I could take. Make the effort pure. No walking. The pace will be what the pace will be. I didn't bother to look at the Garmin because the numbers meant nothing at that moment. Even when I felt like puking, I asked myself "do you want to stop to puke or do you want an age group award?" Enough said.

On the downhills, I used every bit of hard earned leg strength to run as fast as possible. Some runners can't take the pounding of the downhills but my legs are ready. The twisting pedestrian off ramp at the end of the bridge section was a little cruel. You had the steep downhill but no straightaway to use.

Even then I knew my time was in range for age group awards as long as I didn't back down. The short, steep uphill into downtown took it out of me but after that it was a smooth downhill until the final turn. Burn anything left in the tank. A tall chick in pink passed me. She looked about my age and the Seminole Stampede taught me to assume nothing. I'm not losing an age group award by seconds.ever.again. So I hang with her. Stalking. Knowing the last turn takes us down a steep down hill. Knowing I have the advantage when it comes. I let gravity bring me within striking distance, not wanting to go too soon lest we sprint and then....stupid guy next to her looks back at me. She knows. GAME ON.

I am 150th overall. She is 151st. By one second.

27:03 officially. 26:17 on the Garmin for 3.17 miles which is a PR pace if not an official race PR.

That time was good enough to earn me 3rd in the competitive 35-39 age group. It's always nice to earn hardware when your sponsors are watching. :) I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform for them on race day and I made it happen.

Me proudly advertising my sponsor with fellow Boston Bill Team Member. Also a local radio DJ (didn't know!)

Getting the "prizes".

Official photo op. I should probably know this guy, too. Race Director?

A very good day.

Celebratory post race beer with lunch. Woohoo!

Philadelphia Marathon this weekend!

2010-11-17T22:08:00.000-05:00

It has been a while since I worried about a pre-race report. And this won't be much of one.

Sunday I run the Philadelphia Marathon. My first stand alone marathon since 2003.

Much has changed since then. I toe the line as a different athlete. Despite all the changes, certain things hold true. Maybe that's why my pre-ironman email address was OnlySpirit. I believe the spirit of an athlete lives in all of us. It's so easy to get caught up in finish times and hardware. But the more elite athletes I talk to, certain truths are self evident. Even when you are running for first place, the biggest battles are internal. This quotation sums it up for me.

"It's very hard to understand in the beginning that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants to quit.

Dr. George Sheehan"

You can't control who shows up on race day but you can push yourself to give your best effort.

That's all I ask of myself.

Garmin Forerunner 310XT Giveaway

2010-08-11T07:33:00.000-04:00

And here we have a link to the Garmin 310XT give away over at DC Rainmaker. It serves as an entry into the give away. Anyone out there who could use a free Garmin toy should give it a try. I know I could.

RR: Top Gun Triathlon

2010-08-01T08:26:00.001-04:00

Overall 1:23:36
Swim 12:27
T 14:38
Bike   28:20    (14th of 89 in age group, personal PR on this course)
T1 2:12
Run    36:00

Overall - I'm beyond disappointed in my time but there were a lot of factors that went into this. My leg is on the mend, yeah! But it's only on the mend so I really should not have run the beach 5K the night before. That cost me 5 minutes on the run, easy.

Swim - 12:27 for 440yds? That's slow for even me. It was very sloppy swim but I swim in open water all the time and this was way off my standard 1/2 mile pace. All the swim times are slower this year so something was up for sure. I swam as hard as I could, focused long strokes and keeping my head down. That's all I can do.

T1 - we had to run through a tidal pool that was 3 feet deep at points. Got caught behind a bunch of people walking. Can't blame them because the bottom was mucky, slippery and had some shells. Still lots bunches of time.

Bike - Rocked it. 28:20 for 10 miles. All those roadie rides are paying off. PR for me on this course. Many thanks to Green Cycling Guy. We played tag around the course which pushed us both to our limits. He actually thanked me at the start of the run. Now if I can only learn to mount/dismount faster, my bike computer reading (27:58) will match the race time.

T2 - Oxygen debt. Ran down the wrong isle, couldn't find my row. Just a clusterf$@!. Still managed to beat Green Cycling Guy out of transition.

Run - NOTHING HURT!!! WOOOHOOO!! Tweaking my bike position (up and forward a bit) really made a difference. My runs off the bike have been the most painful but not today. Nothing! I was very excited and Green Cycling Guy encouraged me to chase once again. But when I went to drop the hammer I realized the hammer was rusting on the course of last night's beach 5K (31:33). My reasons for doing that race were complicated. If I had known how good I was going to feel coming off the bike on Saturday, I would have begged off. Still, there's no crying over spilled milk. Just get 'er done and NO WALKING. The heat index was 100ish under cloudless skies, in the dunes so the breeze took a break. Last half of the 5K was on sand (because 5K on sand Friday night was not enough). Every time a walking athlete crossed my path, I would say "no walking, run with me". Seven runners took me up on my offer. Three passed me. That's all I can ask on a tough day.

My still leg feels good today. This makes me happy and gives me hope for the Hammerhead Olympic Tri at the end of August.

Off for a recovery ride.

Slow road to recovery.

2010-07-29T10:08:00.000-04:00

Damn, this recovery stuff takes a long time. And patience. To be fair to my leg had been talking to me for weeks so there was a lot to fix. Even after I stopped working out, rested the leg, the pain would hang on. Finally a friend who is a personal trainer gave me some tough love: if it were a simple groin pull from CrossFit, it would have improved after 2 weeks of rest. Something else keeps those muscles tight. You have to find it. So I caved and visit my chiropractor. The adjustments got me to the point that I walked without limping but the soreness/weakness would always return. Hmmm... Having a few normal days was very important because it gave me the space to consider all the options. What, exactly, was I doing before the pain returned?

Let me take a moment to emphasize the importance of a good training record. Yeah, it might be a little annoying to track those workouts but memory is a funny thing. We remember what we want to remember. If you really want to repeat that 5K PR or dissect that a crash and burn at your last tri, you need an unbiased record. Training logs archive your training volume. They remember the order of your workouts each week. But it's more than that. In my case, it was the little whiny comments I made about my leg. When did they start? And once my leg started to heal, which workouts made it worse?

And the answer shocked me: it's the bike. Not all the running or heavy lifting (although I would feel the most pain during those workouts). Looking through my training logs, this all came to a head after my bike was knocked over during a social ride. I had been riding that configuration for almost a year with no issues. The bike falls over and BANG, the references to groin strain starts. The most painful runs? The runs off the bike during a brick. Tuesday, I could actually feel a waddle in my stride at the start of the run. No pain this time but a waddle was there that had been missing during Sunday's long run.

So now what? Raising the saddle has helped but it's not perfect, as Tuesday showed. It might be professional bike fit time. Not my favorite option, because I'm a cheapskate. We'll see. As for the race on Saturday....normally I would not change the bike configuration before a race but Tuesday showed me that the current config will ruin my run split. I'll move the saddle a tad and go from there.

What you wish for

2010-06-24T15:44:00.000-04:00

WARNING: Extremely self indulgent, self pity filled ramblings follow. But it seems like an important moment for me so I'm writing it down.

--------------------

Back when I started this fitness journey, my friends and I made fun of the fitness freaks who were always limping or sore. Always recovering from or on the verge of some type of injury. Why did they put up with that? Why not just scale it back, have a few more margaritas, and live pain free?

Back then I also believed that 12 minute miles were beyond my grasp, I'd never place in my age group and NEVER be so crazy as to enter an Ironman.

It's my own fault. Aerobics class in a cute outfit has never been my thing. Nor working out on the Nautilus machines in air conditioned comfort. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But it's certainly not my style.

So I set sail on a strange voyage that has brought me here. I did win my age group in a 5K. Twice. Not the Athena division. 30-34 and 35-39 womens age groups. Finished an Ironman. Have the potential to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Funny how things change. I've spent years building a new body, a new relationship with food, and new expectations. Goals have expanded beyond finishing to pushing the limits. But, you can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs. Maybe I do understand those fitness freaks who accept a certain level of discomfort in order to boldly go...

But there is discomfort and there is true injury. True injury SUCKS and I have spent the last year training diligently AND doing CrossFit so I would never have to walk that road again.

Only, I do. And I'm mad about it. Feel betrayed in fact. Lots of time and money, wasted, IMO. Nothing so terrible as the Orange Blossom Half marathon fiasco but it's back. Similar hip muscle issues, other side. Tried to work through it. So much for HTFU....could take months. I have so much planned for this summer. Big dreams. I've worked SO HARD. It's not fair. Not fair.

And so my long journey has brought me to this crossroads. I can quit and leave all this behind me. So many people wonder why I put up with all this work. Why not just scale it back, have a few more margaritas, and live pain free?

Why indeed. Because I took the red pill. There's no stopping me now.

I will miss you, Wendy

2010-06-21T08:57:00.000-04:00

I still can't believe it. Wendy Buckner passed away June 19. Apparently she suffered cardiac arrest after completing the Flowers Sea Swim in Grand Cayman. She was such a great lady who touched so many lives. She was always encouraging me to swim more. Always asking about my pets. Always posting about the latest pair of shoes or slippers she had found. Rest in peace, Wendy.

It's that time of year again!

2010-06-01T13:38:00.003-04:00

ABNT20 KNHC 010507
TWOAT
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
200 AM EDT TUE JUN 1 2010

FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...

TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED IN THE NEXT 48 HOURS.

TODAY MARKS THE FIRST DAY OF THE ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON...WHICH
WILL RUN UNTIL NOVEMBER 30. LONG-TERM AVERAGES FOR THE NUMBER OF
NAMED STORMS...HURRICANES...AND MAJOR HURRICANES ARE 11...6...AND
2...RESPECTIVELY.

THE LIST OF NAMES FOR 2010 IS AS FOLLOWS:

NAME PRONUNCIATION NAME PRONUNCIATION
-------------------------------------------------------------
ALEX LISA LEE- SA
BONNIE MATTHEW
COLIN NICOLE NI COLE-
DANIELLE DAN YELL- OTTO
EARL PAULA
FIONA RICHARD RICH- ERD
GASTON SHARY SHA- REE
HERMINE HER MEEN- TOMAS TO MAS-
IGOR E GOR- VIRGINIE VIR JIN- EE
JULIA WALTER
KARL

THIS PRODUCT...THE TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK...BRIEFLY DESCRIBES
SIGNIFICANT AREAS OF DISTURBED WEATHER AND THEIR POTENTIAL FOR
TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS. THE ISSUANCE
TIMES OF THIS PRODUCT ARE 2 AM...8 AM...2 PM...AND 8 PM EDT. AFTER
THE CHANGE TO STANDARD TIME IN NOVEMBER...THE ISSUANCE TIMES ARE 1
AM...7 AM...1 PM...AND 7 PM EST.

PRIOR TO 2009...THE SPECIAL TROPICAL DISTURBANCE STATEMENT COULD BE
ISSUED AT ANY TIME TO DESCRIBE SIGNIFICANT DISTURBANCES IN BETWEEN
ISSUANCES OF THE TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK. THE SPECIAL TROPICAL
DISTURBANCE STATEMENT HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED AND WILL NO LONGER BE
ISSUED. INSTEAD...A SPECIAL TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK WILL BE
ISSUED TO PROVIDE UPDATES...AS NECESSARY...IN BETWEEN THE REGULARLY
SCHEDULED ISSUANCES OF THE TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK. SPECIAL
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOKS WILL BE ISSUED UNDER THE SAME WMO AND
AWIPS HEADERS AS THE REGULAR TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOKS.

A STANDARD PACKAGE OF PRODUCTS...CONSISTING OF THE TROPICAL CYCLONE
PUBLIC ADVISORY...THE FORECAST/ADVISORY...THE CYCLONE DISCUSSION...
AND A WIND SPEED PROBABILITY PRODUCT...IS ISSUED EVERY SIX HOURS
FOR ALL ONGOING TROPICAL CYCLONES. IN ADDITION...A SPECIAL
ADVISORY PACKAGE MAY BE ISSUED AT ANY TIME TO ADVISE OF SIGNIFICANT
UNEXPECTED CHANGES OR TO MODIFY WATCHES OR WARNINGS.

THE TROPICAL CYCLONE UPDATE IS A BRIEF STATEMENT TO INFORM OF
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN A TROPICAL CYCLONE OR TO POST OR CANCEL
WATCHES OR WARNINGS. IT IS USED IN LIEU OF OR TO PRECEDE THE
ISSUANCE OF A SPECIAL ADVISORY PACKAGE. TROPICAL CYCLONE
UPDATES...WHICH CAN BE ISSUED AT ANY TIME...CAN BE FOUND UNDER WMO
HEADER WTNT61-65 KNHC...AND UNDER AWIPS HEADER MIATCUAT1-5.

ALL NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER TEXT AND GRAPHICAL PRODUCTS ARE
AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV

$$
FORECASTER BRENNAN

RR: Mad Beach Triathlon 2010

2010-05-24T07:26:00.002-04:00

Mad Beach Tri. 1/2 mile swim, 15 mile bike, 5K

The swim: We started on the beach, swam about 20 yards to the first buoy, then heading along the shore. I felt really strong. Put my head down and swam. Yes, I did swim to the outside to avoid the melee but everything felt good. Except my split was 4 minutes slower than last year. Only 20 minutes into the day and my big goal of going 1:30 was already down the tubes.

T1. Grab the bike and go. Many thanks to Christy for loaning me some socks before the race. Don't know what happened to the pair I had picked out. Obviously they did not want to race that day.

The bike: A bit of a slow start as I weaved my way through the crowded early sections. Overall the bike was solid. Joe fixed part of the Cat Eye so at least I had a vague idea of my speed. This is a good thing because the first half of the course is slightly uphill and it's easy to slow down. Almost rode right into an orange cone but saw it just in time to skim the edge. My parents live on the bike course so they came out to cheer. Always good to see them. Nothing else too big to report. Passed a bunch of the faster swimmers. Played cat and mouse with a few women in my age group. The dismount line was pretty crowded and cost me some time but that's just part of the game. Can't complain because my bike split was almost the exactly the same as last year.

T2: Really flying here. No one messed with my stuff like last year.

The Run: The second half of the race is on the sand so I knew it would be important to bank some time before the turn around. I really wanted to break 30 minutes for this 5K. Hit the turn around in 13:45! Passed a few women in my age group which is not something that happens during my runs. :) It was a long 1.55 back along the sand but I held firm to my #1 rule: no walking. As the runners around me caved in to the heat and sand, my legs kept on running. It paid off with a 29:14 split for the run. This is 4 minutes faster than last year even though my bike speed/effort was the same. Nice progress.

Overall: Very strong race and I'm happy with my effort and performance. I achieved Goals 1&2 which were to set a new course record for me and finally break 30 minutes for this 5K.

As for my big goal of going 1:30...the swim is holding me back. One more item for the "Crap I already know" file. I'm putting time and money into swim training but it's just not coming along to my satisfaction. 3-4 minutes slower than last year. To make me feel a little better, a friend who won the male 35-39 said even he was 2 minutes slower than last year. So the course was not exactly the same between years. OK, I feel one tiny notch better. Doesn't change the fact that I will never win age group hardware with such a crappy swim time.

But it's GO TIME! I have the whole summer free and the husband is on board with working out and clean living. Age group nationals isn't in the cards for this year but with some dedicated effort, it will be there next year.

Comparison:
2009
1:37:20 34 of 55
Swim 16:52 (25th in age group)
T1 1:51
Bike 43:32 (11th)
T2 1:47
Run 33:19 (44th)

2010
Overall 1:35:50 23 of 73
Swim 20:24 (47th)
T1 1:30
Bike 43:36 (15th)
T2 1:07
Run 29:14 (27th)

Want it?

2010-05-20T12:39:00.000-04:00

And so I find myself in the middle of triathlon season thinking...I can't.

So many training goals that must be balanced with life responsibilities. Job hunting. Housekeeping (not my forte). All the money drains like pool memberships. Race fees. New Shoes. Coaching. Crossfit. Some days it's overwhelming.

I can't.

But what does that mean, exactly?
- I bit off more than I can chew
or
- I could make it happen if I really wanted it.

In other words: if you want it, you'll find a way. Otherwise, you make an excuse.

Today, I don't feel so sure but...Do or do not. There is no try.

Here's to eliminating the excuses!

RR: Florida International Triathlon

2010-05-16T09:37:00.000-04:00

Short Version:
Age group 6 of 9
Total time-3:03:11
Swim (no wetsuit) 38:25
T1 (long run) 2:59
Bike (26 miles) 1:21:45
T2 1:31
Run: 58:33

Great race. Well run with great goodie bag schwag. A little dicey on the open roads for the second lap of the bike which cost me a minute or so but such is life. PR by a few seconds. Beat my bike and run paces from St. A's on a pretty windy day. Even my swim time was good because FIT was not wetsuit legal. My favorite: 58:33 for a 10K after a 26 mile bike? Hell yeah!

Long version with details to remember:

This race sprinkled age groups through out the racks. I was the only girl in my section. The guys next to me were space hogs. They insisted on setting up next to me instead of alternating sides. Probably two pillowcases worth of space each. WTF, I can set up my transition on a dish towel for heavens sake.

The weather forecast had promised light winds on race day but Madame Pele had other ideas. Standing on the beach, the locals muttered about how rough the water looked. And it was. Big swell past the sand bar. Substantial current that would be in our face for half the swim. 80F water means no wetsuits. Suck it up buttercup.

Swim: There were only a few dozen in the "Women under 40" wave. I made it around the first 2 zigs and headed around for the zag, a half mile swim into the wind/wave/current cocktail. The pack seemed to have trouble following the course in the swell so I took off on my own. If they want to swim to Cuba, that's fine but I'm heading for that big red bouy. At first I felt nervous about swimming alone but I finally stopped fighting the water. When the wave lifted me up for a peek at the course, I would site. Otherwise, I simply put my head down and swam. Focused on body rotation and keeping my hands at 10 and 2. The water became crowded as we headed back to the beach. It really irritates me when people swim over me only to stand up right in front of me but it's not illegal.

T1: 2:59. No, I was not making cookies. There is a lot of soft sugar sand in Siesta Key. We run through 300yds of it on our way to transition.

Bike: Long run to the bike mount line. Like 45 seconds worth. I still don't have a bike computer and the Garmin 305 literally came apart last week so it was another "race by feel" day. We started into the wind which made the start of the bike tough. My right quad just burned for the first 35 minutes. It was mad, mad, mad and would not get with the program. My focus was to pedal hard for a count of 4, recover to a count of 8, repeat. Eventually I found a steady rhythm. This is not a very big race so there was a fair amount of alone time. Not many other competitors to chase. Made it difficult to ride hard because I like having bunnies to chase. The wind was steady and the course runs mostly north-south so I took advantage of any and all tail wind sections.

The roads are open for this race. The locals are friendly and the cops did a good job of keeping the major intersections open. However, as more and more locals got on the roads, things got dicey. My last trip through their restaurant district found me caught behind 2 big SUVs. They were too scared to pass one of the sprint tri athletes on a big beach cruiser, however, they were blocking the lane. The only way around them was to cross the double yellow into possible oncoming traffic The guy next to me chose to risk the DQ. I chose to wait. In the end, it was maybe a minute lost. Frustrating, yet, but nothing anyone could do. I did catch Line Crossing Guy only to have him attempt a flying dismount. We were down to one narrow lane and the guy is smack in the middle swerving left and right, won't get out of the way even though I said "I'm right behind you". Another few seconds lost and a lesson learned: if passing someone near the end will give you a clear dismount area, do it. This is a two loop course and my loop times were almost identical 40:44 vs 40:55.

T2: 1:31. This took a long time because SPACE HOG BOYS DESTROYED MY TRANSITION AREA. Their wetsuit on top of my towel, where my shoes should have been. My shoes were scattered. My hat kicked to the other side of the rack. Oooooooo, I was crabby!

Run: We weave our way out to the road using a trail of hard packed sand. My angry brain had trouble with the turns but they had volunteers everywhere. I ran to the beat of my two breath rhythm. Stayed in that zone for the first 3 miles the see what's left. This worked out well at St. Anthony's and it worked even better here. Started out with a 9:49, dropped down to the 9:30s for the middle miles. At mile 4 it was time to suffer. No need to finish to finish comfortably. A PR, even by a few seconds, would be worth it. The last mile was particularly tough but I thought about a different crazy tri friend each minute, especially the ones that have overcome big injures to race. At the mile 6 marker it was so close to a PR time that thinking took up valuable energy. Just run with whatever was left in the tank.

Course notes:
- If you are a swimmer who needs lots of bouys to feel comfortable, this is not your race.
- Bikers and runners share the same sidewalk and bike lane next to an open road. Sure, runners are supposed to stay on the sidewalk but there is not enough room. This could be come a problem if the race gets much bigger.

Nutrition summary
Breakfast - a banana and cheese stick and the weakest coffee made in hotel room
Pre-race - a few lava salts but nothing because, unlike St. As, there wasn't a long wait for my wave to start
Bike - bag of GU chomps (~180 calories), not bad but I prefer to use sports drink, 4 lava salts
Run - hammergel taken at first water stop, Took a glass of water at 3 points, no water after the 1/2 way mark.

Wednesday Morning Group Ride

2010-05-05T12:57:00.000-04:00

No one told me Wednesday was the designated psycho day for the morning rides. Ouch. I'm beyond tired right now.

Progress was made even if it didn't look or feel like progress. Today progress was desperately clinging to the wheel of the guy in the Credit Agricole kit, praying he didn't ride any faster because I'm about to explode. He obviously sensed this and responded by "letting" me pull for a while. Roadies are sick bastards. ;) Made it about a minute on the front before it was all over. But it was a good ride. Over coffee (because our roadies always end the ride at the coffee shop) they invited me to the 22-24mph ride on Tues and Thurs. I told them I didn't think I could keep up. They responded "what do you think you were riding today?" Well, my Garmin 305 literally came apart during the ride. Apparently we were riding faster than I thought.

Rides like this will bring back my bike speed in no time.

RR: St. Anthony's Triathlon

2010-04-26T08:55:00.002-04:00

For a long time I swore I'd never race St. Anthony's. It's an expensive, crowded race known for hot weather and a rough swim. Why pay to race the routes I train on every week. Then someone offered me a free entry. Hmm....I took it.

Because St. A's is a regional championship race, the top 1/3 of each age group qualify for Age Group Nationals. Had I known how much my running would come along this winter, I might have paid closer attention to my bike and swim which would have given me at least the chance of a bat in hell to qualify.

No matter what, this year is my year of stepping up. I want to start playing with the big kids. To that end, I accepted a small sponsorship from the local sunglass company, Boston Bill . They give me free sunglasses and comped race entries, I race in their schwag whenever possible. Given that they get free entries to races like Steelhead, as well as local stuff like St. Anthony's and local tris/5Ks, this adds up pretty quickly.

But I'm writing about the race. Or the important stuff I want to remember:

This was the first race where I ran without a bike computer, heart rate monitor, or Garmin 305. I simply pushed myself to maintain a certain breathing rate and accepted whatever pace that gave me. Missed my sub 3 hour goal by only 3.5 minutes on a crappy weather day. I consider it a great success. Talking to a few of the locally famous age groupers, they said they don't use the pace guides either. Definitely going to do this again.

Yes, the swim was bad on the way back in. The first 1/3 of the course ran us along the pier which broke the surf and kept the wind down. The long leg was down wind and with the tide but the swell was big. It was an endless cycle of getting sucked back into the wave and spit forward. You could only site if you were on top of the wave. Sure, I tried to swim but the waves set the pace. The final turn took you back into these waves at an angle and against the tide. Add in the waves reflecting off the seawall back onto the swim course and it feels like you're in a blender. A few times I simply held my breath and tucked up as the wave crashed down. Never felt scared, just beat up. Swim nutrition: glass of milk for breakfast with coffee. One hammer gel, 2 lava salts, and 12 oz of water about 30 minutes before my wave start.

Got stuck in my wetsuit during T1. 1 minute lost. Must.shorten.the.legs.

The bike gave us the chance to really experience the breeze. 20+mph steady south winds which for St. A's means mostly headwind or crosswind. Simply took off out of transition until I hit my "fast bike" breathing rate and held steady. Any time the gusts slowed me down I would count to 10, then spin up for 5 seconds to see if I could eek out a little more speed. Played hop scotch with a few girls in my age group. My fastest time ever on this course was 1:14ish when I served as the biker on a relay team so I'm pretty damn happy with 1:20:?? on a windy day after a vigorous swim. Bike nutrition: 30 oz of my ironman training mix. Probably about 300 calories. Plus 3 lava salts.

Great T2 transition. Realized that I forgot to put out a gel but rather than waste time digging it out, I headed out onto the course.

The run started very well with an 8:3something for the first mile. The plan was simple: keep the same effort and don't walk except for water stops. No water stops after mile 3 because they aren't going to do any good. I had no problem maintaining that effort but my pace faded. My quads cramped going down a pathetic excuse for a bridge around mile 2. There was no kick. I gagged down a few sips of gatorade in an attempt to revive myself. BLEAH! WTF was I thinking. Wasted more precious time getting water to wash that down then got caught behind some people at the water stop. Tried for a pace revival after mile 5 and was rewarded with 1:00:32 for the 10K. Not too shabby but not sub60 I wanted.

Post race thoughts:
Overall, I'm happy with my performance. It's a PR at the olympic distance. Racing without the gadgets was a success. Plan to do it for all my tri's this year.

If I want to compete, I have to train a lot more. Half marathons and 15ks gave me the fitness to finish safely but not competitively. I simply ran out of gas on the 10K which played with my head. It's not that coach didn't try to give me workouts. I just didn't to them this winter. I ran and did CrossFit. CrossFit sure makes me look like a triathlete and gets me compliments. Unfortunately, it doesn't actually make me a faster biker or swimmer. Biking and swimming does that. Shocking.

There's 10 minutes between me and age group nationals, 7 of those minutes are in the swim. If I want to get those podium spots, I have to attack my limiter. I've known this for a while but now that my bike and run times are coming down, my swim times look pathetic.

Short term goal: Olympic distance tri May 15th. Between now and then my goal is to ride with the faster group ride at least once a week and get in the pool. See what happens. Long term goal: Boston Bill is willing to sponsor my entry to St. A's next year so I'm going for a spot at Age Group Nationals.

Revelations

2010-04-09T21:18:00.002-04:00

Never thought there would be a time when I'd look at a 15K and think "1:3O would be a bad day".

It has happened.

It may not last but I'm going to Savor.every.moment.

RR: Seminole Stampede 5K

2010-04-03T10:02:00.000-04:00

After so many tries this winter, so many nights of eating the right thing, tapering, mental preparation and warm ups....no matter how much I plan, it never worked. I decided "f#@% it". The 5K is the only workout I made this week. I ate pizza, drank wine, and stayed up late. Barely woke up in time to make coffee. Got to the park with little time to spare so my warmup was a 5 minute dash to/from the car to drop off my packet. Even grabbed my ipod to distract me during the race. If I could have worn something new, I would have just for spite.

While it was warm and humid this morning, the course was flat and wind free. It's a very small race but surprisingly competitive. They had no one to sing the national anthem and asked for volunteers. When it was clear no one else would step forward, I asked if they would sing with me. Everyone agreed so I stepped up to the race director and got things going. IMO, it's a lot more fun to have a group of athletes singing together than listen to some local high school singer.

And we were off! After about 1/2 mile it became obvious that the effort was very real. No song on the Ipod would distract me so I switched to the "desperately hang onto the runner in front of me" strategy. One woman kept looking back at me. Turns out she was the chick who beat me for 3rd place by 2 seconds. Note to self for future races, that chick looking back at you is probably competition in your age group. Run her down. It's a lot easier in triathlon when our age is written on our calf.

When we passed the mile 3 marker it was clear that sub 26 would require something amazing. I'd have to run as faster than I thought possible. Pull out all the arm pumping fast turn over left in the tank. And I eeked by at 25:52 by my garmin which is substantially faster than 26:18 from February. The last 0.1 passed in 45 seconds! Damn that's fast for me but I think I could have run faster in the middle miles if I had tried to push to the front of my group instead of hanging back. Lessons learned.

Squiggy Dash Countown

2010-03-10T12:29:00.000-05:00

My first adventure race will be Sunday.

Gotta admit that I'm nervous. It's very disconcerting to go from a knowledgeable, experienced racer to a complete newbie. I know I'm asking stupid questions. This drives me crazy. But it doesn't change the fact that I don't know the answer to my questions. Will my rental kayak come with a paddle? What gear can a borrow? What gear do I really need? What should I wear? Given that I'm racing solo, how am I going to carry all this required gear?

And there is a lot of gear. Adventure racing is just as gear intensive as triathlon. Once again I'm relying on the kindness of friends to get me through this first race. Riding my mom's old mountain bike. the same bike that took me through my first triathlon. Borrowed cheapo hydration pack. Borrowed bike multitool and extra bike bag. Might have to use ZipLoc bags for my map case. Ah!

On the bright side, I shouldn't run out of fitness. This is only a 3 hour race. On the other hand, this is not a triathlon on well marked roads with volunteers at every turn handing out water. It's me, the supplies and a map in a fairly large wilderness area.

For all of my pre-race jitters, it is fun to feel the excitement of the unknown again.

Adventure racing, Crossfit, and 5Ks, OH MY!

2010-03-09T19:18:00.003-05:00

Hmmmm....too much to think about,
So, what would the adventure racers eat for a 2-3 hour race? I'm thinking of being lazy and fueling the day like a half marathon. 100-200 calories in the form of gels, maybe carbo pro/cytomax mix. Plus my usual hourly electrolyte/water mix.

Thoughts?

Crossfit/5Ks
Yes these go together. Today was one of the CrossFit workouts that keeps members away from the gym. 8x400m run with 90 sec rest. Crossfit will give you a great 20 minute workout but if that's all you do...8x400 seems very tough. Knowing that I have a full weekend of racing coming up, I wanted to start slow and build. 400s are a good way to see what could be in store for this weekend.

Per my usual routine, I warmed up with 10 minutes of running followed by 15 minutes of my strength warm up. Finished up with an easy "400m" to test the distance on my Garmin. Their "400m" course is barely 1/4 mile. Got it. Wanted to hit the first 400 in 2:15 and drop from there.

1@440yd - 1:57 very easy, no problems
2- 1:55 - sure it's easy but lets see what happens in the next few laps
3,4,5- 1:54, 1:52, 1:50, still feels solid. How badly can I crash in the last few laps?
6,7,8- 1:49, 1:46, 1:46 These laps tell you if you went out too fast. Apparently not. 26:20ish is my 5K PR? Really? Hmmmm.....

And for all the crap I get at Crossfit about not being truly fit because I do more than just Crossfit, I think I made my point. The closest woman on the board averaged over 2:45 per 1/4 mile. Very few of our girls can beat it.

Fwd: Thank you for entering the 2009 Squiggy Dash - 2 to 3 Hour Adventure Race

2010-03-03T11:21:00.000-05:00

The next step. Bringing all my fitness together in one race. Pretty exciting.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Squiggy Entry Form <squiggy@wecefar.com>

March 03, 2010 11:10am [EST]

Skippy Goes Wild has submitted an entry to to the 2009 Squiggy Dash -
2 to 3 Hour Adventure (ironlinae@gmail.com)

Team's Entered Division: Solo Female

They are racing the Squiggy Dash - 2 to 3 Hour Adventure

Joe's First Running Race

2010-03-02T15:12:00.001-05:00

Joe_Jack_Marathon_relay
Originally uploaded by Linae

Doing it in style as only he can, Joe ran is first running race as part of a marathon relay team dressed as Capt. Jack Sparrow. Here is his post race photo. He's done a few low key triathlons but this was his introduction into LARGE races. He earned 2 kisses and several photo ops. Well done!

Flickr

2010-03-02T15:10:00.001-05:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

RR: Gasparilla Half Marathon

2010-03-02T11:39:00.001-05:00

Short version: 2:04:57 which improves my PR by 8:41. Not the 1:59 I wanted but who can complain about that level of improvement in a few months, especially on a chaotic day.

Brew a pot of coffee version:

Race morning was almost a disaster. We got a late start from the house which stressed me out. I tried to calm down because Saturday, we needed only 20 minutes to drive to the race start. Even with the late departure we should arrive 45 minutes before the race. Or not. Traffic was backed up from downtown onto the interstate. My "easy warmup" was a 10 minute dash to the starting line. 5 minutes to spare. They were playing the National Anthem as I exited the porto potties. We tried in vain to move towards the front of the pack.

The Race:

There is nothing more frustrating than being caught far back in the pack on a crowded course. When we reached a narrow overpass, people started to WALK!!!

Mile 1 was 40 seconds slower than planned Mile 2 was 20 seconds off. As was mile 3. There was open space. Sprint to get around this pack. Immediately slam on the breaks as everyone crowds around the next turn. The crowd was so thick I missed several mile markers. Forget about most of the water stops. They were randomly placed in the middle of every other mile. No way to get over to them.

So I had a good sulk for about a mile. Fester, fester, fester, rot, rot, rot. Yes, the Garmin pushed me to stay under 10 minute miles but it cannot part the runners. 1:59 will have to wait for another day. The remaining question was: do I mail it in or do I race?

For all the talk about speed and potential donations if I broke 2 hours, the point of the race was to run as fast as I could. To see if I could push the pace over a long distance without backing down. Racing is a skill that must be practiced. Maybe the first 4 miles were doomed but there was still a lot to learn in the last 9.1 miles.

Around mile 6, the course moved out onto the wide and beautiful Bayshore Blvd. Finally some space! I can find a steady pace! No time to wonder if I can hold the pace for 9 miles. Ask only if I can hold it for one more mile. With room to run and a 3 mile straight path, surely I could make up some time. Nope. 9:26ish miles. Disappointing. It felt like I was running much faster. As always, the internal committee took the opportunity to remind me that I was failing so why bother.

Fortunately, mile 10 appeared. 5K was left on the course. Time check. 30 minutes won't cut it. Gonna have to be about 29 minutes if I want 2:05 (my initial goal). Ouch. The only thing I really remember about the last 5K is this guy with a thick accent yelling at his girlfriend. "Run faster, don't slow down, push through the pain. You want to cry? You want to go home? Well the only way home is that way." I was willing to trip the man in order to silence the piercing tirade. Eventually the yelling stopped. Maybe she threw him in the bay. The negative comments were was replaced by my gasping breath. Pure effort. My right hamstring started to quiver. This has to be a joke. Since when does my hamstring cramp? You.will.not.cramp.now. There's no time. Rounded the corner for the last 1/4 mile, thinking I'd be happy with 2:05:59. Happy until I glanced at my Garmin. Forget it. If I can find a little more speed from somewhere...2:04:57! 3 happy seconds!

Hindsight 20/20 Evaluation:

The weather was perfect. Cool but not cold. Manageable winds. My nutrition went well in the sense that I never ran out of energy, however, missing half the water stops will bite you in the butt. I cramped pretty badly after finishing the race and most of the way back to the car. Thank goodness I had set up a little recovery center in the back of the Element. Didn't have any problems with GI distress.

Pace: I did everything I wanted to do except break 2 hours. The Garmin was my enabler for the early miles where all the dodging made it hard for me to get a feel for my pace. During the mid-sections I used it like stopwatch. The nice part about the Garmin is that you get a lot more data than just time. Several runners commented that the course was long (13.4+) so I checked my data. Similar figure. Looking at the splits, most of extra mileage came during the straight sections so it's not a matter of dodging runners or missing the tangents. Doesn't really matter for the record books but, in the armchair quarterback version of the day it does explain why the mile splits disappointed me. Give me a less crowded race where I don't waste energy in the first 3 miles, 1:59 is there.

For future races:

Distracted. would be a good word for this race. All the pre-race confidence disappeared during the week, leaving me with one thought as I cheered the 15K finishers: what the hell happened to 2 hour girl? How can all the gusto disappear so quickly? Carrying the positive energy into race day is one of my challenges as an athlete.

It was very hard to hold the positive vibe with all the bustle of race weekend: packet pick up, sponsorship activities, transporting runners, orienteering class, getting everything together Joe's first running event, and general duties that go along with hosting a house full of guests. It was a fun weekend with friends but it definitely brought home the point that for big races, I need to limit my responsibilities to me, myself, and I.

Ready to race

2010-02-24T11:47:00.001-05:00

The Gasparilla half marathon starts at 6am on Sunday.

I want 2:00. Today's 1/2 mile repeats tell me it's possible. My
recent 5K times agree. So does my coach. Most importantly: so do I.
Rather than wonder if I can, I have this weird sensation of knowing
it's there inside me. Maybe Sunday will be the day it makes an
appearance, maybe not. I can't control the wind or know exactly how
my body will respond to all that intensity. But I'm going for it. I'd
rather blow up and finish in 2:10 than start out safely and get 2:05.

Linae
--
~~~---~~~---~~~---~~~
Village Idiot
writing from beautiful Florida
http://linae.blogspot.com/

RR: Trever Miller's Mob 5K

2010-02-09T14:23:00.000-05:00

This was a last minute race with friends who came into town. Very small (barely 100 athletes), no frills, no timing chips but they promised beer at the post race party. So we were in! I knew I was going to attempt a PR at the Suncoast 5K the next weekend and wanted to see what to expect.

In my head, I should have been able to hold middle to low 8s for a 5K. Not so much. Ended up with 26:50 on their clock (26:42 on my Garmin 305). I had a friend offer to pace me. He did a great job but my legs were not there. We got caught behind slower runners at the start which forced us to do a lot of winding around and 7-something paces to get into the open. By that time I was toast. I'm sure partying/dancing to a ska band in a bar the night before did not help, but my legs weren't there. Even heard some wheezing.

Still a great experience. We had fun at the post race party but it was a bit windy and cool so we headed home. Only later did I find out that 26:50 was good enough for first place in my age group. LOL! And I wasn't the only woman, there were 7-8 of us.

Still, I'm disappointed in my time. Yes, I won my age group which not so many years ago was beyond my wildest dreams. I'm being a brat.

But I *know* I can do better. I want 25:5something. Now I just need to figure out the pacing thing. Next weekend will be my next attempt. And yes, a PR would mean more to me than an age group award. I didn't start this whole athletic thing to win. That's not what drives me. The age group awards are proof of how far I've come. But I want that PR.

A little mud on the tires

2010-02-04T11:56:00.003-05:00

Today was my "first" ride on my borrowed mountain bike. I say "first" because this is actually the same bike I used in my first triathlon back in 2000. But mom has upgraded her ride since then and I want to try adventure racing so it seemed like a great way to recycle an old hardtail.
I stayed within a few miles of home riding every dirt alley I could find. WHAT FUN! Need to find one of these for my husband so we can hit the trails over in the next county.

Running Naked

2010-01-28T22:27:00.000-05:00

No, I haven't gone crazy now that Florida's Standard Winter has returned. Nor am I going to rant about the benefits of barefoot running (although I do enjoy it once a week).

The last few weeks, my Garmin Forerunner 305 has been deployed to another location. Specifically, my brother asked to borrow it so he could compare his HR between different activities and running. And he wanted to know how far he was running, trikking, etc.

I didn't even hesitate because I trained for years with just a watch, followed by a simple HRM. It took a couple of years before I went the GPS route because obsessing about data is just not my thing. I'm more of a "run by feel" girl. The only reason I bought a Garmin was that my Polar HRM died. Much to my shock, it cost the same amount to get an HRM with a lap function as it did to buy a Forerunner with HUNDREDS of options. My technoweenie side won out.

To make a short story long. I bought a Garmin but I didn't really think it would change anything. Been using it for the last year or so.

For the last 2 weeks, I've gone back to running with only my Timex Ironman 50 Lap watch. What a difference! I love running naked. Free of oppressive data. It never occurred to me how obsessed I had become (yeah, I'm a triathlete, we get obsessed easily). How much information affected my attitude. I get so wrapped up in a number that I lose faith in my ability. And I lost touch with the ebb and flow of fast running. The mental aspect of maintaining the effort through the screaming lungs and burning legs. I was a better 5K runner when I was a slower runner because I could conquer the internal committee. Now the internal committee demands constant data.

The Forerunner will be coming home this weekend. There are a couple of pace-based runs on the list. And I will continue to use it. There are times when it's good to have all that information. But there must be balance! From now on I will take one run a week and run naked.

Quote of the day

2010-01-06T19:05:00.000-05:00

"If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito". -- African proverb.

Found that from a friend on Facebook.

And so we have another day of workouts. Today it was the second day in a row of 40F "highs" here in central Florida. While I would happily run in these temps, I don't have any cool/cold weather cycling gear. So no biking. And there is no way I'm running across a windy pool deck in these temps. So it's running or CrossFit.

Today's CrossFit workout made me nervous. Barbara is an unrelenting body strength exercise that will make you suffer. Pullups, pushups, sits ups and squats. Didn't think I would even finish but I survived thanks to some scaling (knee push ups, back band pull ups). It was a big confidence booster which led me to....

Sign up for the gym Smackdown in March. You know my love/hate relationship with CrossFit. Love the benefits. Hate the "If you're not first you're last" mentality. Had one of the trainers tell me they would never enter an event unless they could WIN. Okay? Guess I should never get out of bed, then.

Finally they offered a one day event for the masses. Not a competition with another gym. Not a region championships. Sure, there will be winners but it's mostly a chance for all of us to see where we are. So I signed up. Race dates on the calendar totally motivate me. The Smackdown will be my CrossFit race. If I'm still not convinced by March 20, it's time to move on.

Training Tuesday

2010-01-05T20:10:00.000-05:00

One of the big differences between IMFL 2007 and B2B 2009 was my lack of record keeping. It was kinda like my second marathon in that I experienced a "been there, done that" attitude. Not that the ironman didn't scare me but the training regimen was very familiar. I didn't write down most of my training experiences which was a mistake. Even if no one wants to read my drivel, there is a lot of information in these types of posts. My 2007 posts were very valuable to me in 2009. Too bad I didn't realize that until 2010, right? ANYWAY, I will strive keep better records in 2010.

Nothing too exciting today. Met one of my friends for a run in the 35F wind chill temps this morning. We don't mind the temps but we live in Florida. Normally we only need one or two long sleeved t's, one pair of gloves, and a light pair of tights. Two weeks of this is getting a little crazy. I don't have any more cold weather clothing and any weather appropriate technical fabrics are extremely pricey. Now if you want to ride for 7 hours in full sun with a 120 heat index, I'm your girl. Got several tank tops, electrolyte tablets, and types of sunscreen.

30 minute run with Molly followed by CrossFit later in the day. PR'd on the 5K row which was great. Also added to my blister-and-callouses collection by moving to the green band for pullups and giving the rope a few climb attempts. Rope climb FAIL! Much like a true pullup, it will come with time.

Crossfit musings

2010-01-05T06:31:00.000-05:00

"And to think I could be in a Power Pump class right now." - spoken by yours truly as I stare down the bar for yet another snatch.

But I've never been very good at the standard gym scene. Off for another day of running and CrossFit.

Off to a good start

2010-01-04T18:54:00.000-05:00

A new triathlete couple visited over the New Year's weekend and it was wonderful to have active-minded people in the house. When you ask "want to run long on Sunday?" no one looks at you like you set a forest fire. The more the merrier!

And so 2010 is off to a strong start. One of my goals since October has been to transition from being an "online" athlete to a "real life" athlete with an online presence. For many years my training partners have been on the internet. They helped me reached my major athletic goals as well as creat new crazy goals. I've met great people. But at this point in my athletic development, hopefully going from mid-pack to Boston, I need real people. Online athletic forums don't meet you at the Snell Isle bridge in the cold wind on a Sunday morning. They never stand next to you in the weight room cheering "you GOT this lift go!" Many forums are "hot headed" with people spewing venom instead of using their brain. I don't have time for negative energy. In order to qualify for the Boston marathon before I'm 40, I need the encouragement of fellow athletes on the roads with me. Armchair quarterbacks are a waste of my time.

To accomplish this goal, I've severely restricted my online forum participation. So far so good. I've had time to blog (more subtle than online forums), do more prep for the classes I teach, look for more jobs, and join group workouts several times a week. After much encouragement, I've started helping a few friends plan their racing season. If this small scale experiment succeeds, I'll pursue coaching certification through USAT or RRCA this year. It's been a wild ride so far. Not sure I'm cut out to be a coach but I've learned a lot.

ONWARD!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T08:14:00.000-05:00

Welcome to 2010. A new decade. I have to say I'm not a big fan of New Year's resolutions anymore. Mostly because I have a problem getting all excited about something new only to fizzle out as the year goes on. As exciting as the new idea may be, there are weeks and weeks of daily effort that make those visions a reality.

Still, the new year is a natural time to think about the events of 2009 and look forward to 2010. 2009 was the best of times and the worst of times. Unemployment sucked and my sweet baboo and I survived some tough financial times. But the year ended on a high note. Along the way I found a job that I love, even if it's only part time. Underemployed is 100% better than unemployed. And I threw off the last shadows of 2008 by, once again, forging my body into an ironman-race shape. It's hard to remember that at this time last year, I was unable to run, unable to walk distances without a limp due to a hip flexor injury. 2009 was a year of transformation.

Today starts with a simple focus: carry the momentum of 2009 into 2010. Take the vision of life in my head and make it a reality. It's journey, rather than a specific destination, that involves balance and contentment mixed with the spice of life.

Happy New Year to all of you!

Ouch, my ass

2009-12-02T10:53:00.001-05:00

Crossfit called for 400m of walking lunges. Didn't seem too bad until
I tried to do it, making sure my back knee hit the ground every time.
My ass and quads hate me. Better earn some buns of steel for this
one. It's great being back at Crossfit but it would have been nice if
I could have skipped the DOMS. I'm not as sore as my first day at
Crossfit but there is some definite muscle soreness.

Since I don't have any big endurance races coming up, I'm giving 100%.
My results were good doing it 2-3 times a week so it will be cool to
see what happens with 5 times a week. On top of the normal workout of
the day, I have a goal to do 50 situps, back extensions and pullups
each session. I break them down into a circuit of 10 reps for each
activity. My goal is to do an unassisted pullup sometime next year.
It will take a while but I'm determined. Losing 10 lbs will only
help.

Good Tuesday

2009-12-01T21:24:00.000-05:00

Enjoyed a fun morning running with Hank and Dwight in St. Pete. OK, we don't have an official name but we run barefoot (if you want to) and do some drills to practice proper form. Basically, a bunch of runners get together, run, drill, and tell stories. Kinda like fishing without the fish part. Lots of stories and adventure. :)

Lot's of "professor" work in the middle.

Then a great workout at the Dammit Gym (Crossfit) in St. Pete.

Feels like I'm home. Just want to do science full time and I'd be a happy girl.

RR: Safety Harbor Autumn Fest 5K

2009-11-28T23:34:00.001-05:00

Or, you could call this post Simple Pleasures.

I eeked out out a new PR (maybe 10 seconds) along with a top 50 woman placement with complementary cheesy plastic beer stein award and free beer. TOTALLY AWESOME.

Like most of my PRs, the race was unplanned. Relaxed. Had a really hard spin class in the morning so I didn't expect much from the run this evening. I prefer to race/train mornings before life gets in the way. But fortunately my wonderful brother and his beautiful bride suggested we run this 5K after Thanksgiving. It was at night but the Oldsmar Taphouse sponsored the race so there would be good beer. Well....free beer, I'm in.

Nothing too big pre race. I ate a big breakfast and had a decent lunch at 2pm. No wheat, mostly chili and fish dip. No plans to PR, just wanted to enjoy the evening with my peeps. Most of my friends needed a little run savvy. We spent some time putting the bibs on the front of the shirt. I also tried to convince them to move back in the crowd because we were close to the front and these would be the fast kids.

But they didn't move. So when the air gun sounded, I did.

The crowd started at 8 minute miles. Even without a warm up it felt normal, strong. And so I decided to hang on for dear life. There were a few disappointed men who wheezed as I cruised by. A few middle school boys who thought they could hang on. And definitely a lot of women who thought it would be fun to play cat and mouse. But in the end, I could surge the pace and hold it. They dropped back.

It was hard. Too hard. But rather than focus on the pain, I used my normal strategy which is to focus on the next 30 seconds with an eye on the next mile. No more, no less. Just hold on.

And beyond my wildest dreams, the beer stein was mine. They don't do age group awards. The top 50 women overall receive the world's cheeziest plastic beer stein. That means I was a Top 50 overall woman finisher!!! Sure, it wasn't the most competitive 5K in the world but remember that my first half marathon all those years ago was in the 3:20-3:30 range. Events like today were beyond my wildest dreams. Please remember that the next time you meet a slower runner. Please remember that I walked those miles in her moccasins. Which is what made today's race such a simple pleasure.

P.S. I love it when a "plan" comes together. It drives me CRAZY when people want a blow by blow list for my PR races. First off, PRs are like Scarlett O'Hara. Finicky on a good day. The best plan in the world goes to hell. Better to go in well trained for a bunch of races and see which day falls your way. The plan is not the race day script but rather the months of training before race day. Onward to Gasparilla.

--------------------
Other stuff to remember
Ultra flat course, even for Florida
Garmin said the course was accurate (within the error of the GPS)
Did not look at Garmin after the first mile. Didn't plan on a PR, the goal was to get back some of my mental toughness: focus on pushing the pace hard without saying "I can't!" and walking.
Evening race
Cool temps, ~51F, little wind
Wore shorts and a short sleeved shirt with IMFL hat

RR: Women's Half Marathon

2009-11-23T07:48:00.002-05:00

Even St. Petersburg had enjoyed morning lows in the 60s and low humidity the last few weeks. But not on race day. 70F with about 90% humidity. Definitely not PR weather.

This was the first year for this event. Very well run overall. My suggestions for next year:
- create real corrals before the start. The small self-seeding pace signs were woefully inadequate. You had 4000 runners but just a few pace signs that stopped at 10 minute miles. Everyone else was a walker. Um, plenty of people run slower than 10 minute miles. Forcing someone who runs a 2:20 half marathon to line up with walkers caused a lot of problems on the course.
- add more water stops, make them longer and give us more water. It's OK to have water stops every 2 miles but expect that all 4000 of us will be stopping for water. And we will want more than one cup with 3 oz of water in it. Especially on a warm day. For $100 entry fee, I expect reasonably easy access to a full glass of water. Instead, I usually had to stop and go back to get water.

My race plan had been to start at 10:20 miles, drop down to 9:50s for 2-4, then see if I could go a little lower for 5-10. At mile 10, run the last 5K as fast as possible.

The first 3 miles were tough because there wasn't an organized seeding system at the starting line. The course was very very crowded. 5-6 people next to each other, completely blocking the lane. It's not about speed, it's about race courtesy. Stay to the right unless passing, move off the course to tie shoes and never stop in the center of the lane to stretch out your legs. So, instead of settling into a pace, the first 3 miles were spent playing dodgeball with the less experienced runners. Nothing tragic but it took a lot more effort than I had planned.

The Garmin 305 came in handy. With all the stops and starts I simply tried to keep my pace between 9:30 and 9:50 when I wasn't dodging people. No matter how hard I ran (average HR for the race was 177), the mile splits always told me that my pace was over 10 minute miles. Very frustrating but it was a warm day and I simply had to be tough and run as hard as I could. That gets tougher and tougher as the day goes on. I ran with out an ipod and without company so it's pretty lonely when the pace starts to hurt. Around mile 10 I really wanted to walk. And slow down. And get some water. Running through the Tampa Bay Rays stadium was very fun and the air conditioning gave me a mental reset. My PR was on the line. I could
A - take the "just walk a little bit" crack and come up with a million reasons why I didn't PR (it's hot, my right hip tightened up, not enough water) OR
B - I could suck it up and run as hard as possible.

I chose B. Which hurt. About half way to the finish line my right calf started to cramp but I wasn't having it. We crested the tiny tiny hill and I took off. Managed to see one set of friends along the finishers chute but there wasn't a lot of air to spare. My reward was 2:13:39 on a course that was 13.48 miles according to my Garmin Forerunner 305. Finished in the top 30% of my age group so I'm very happy with that.

Definitely a good race. A little more experience and cooler temps will help. Next big race: Gasparilla Half Marathon in February

Other things to note for posterity:

NO GI DISTRESS DURING THE RACE
- yes, read it again. I did not visit one blue box during the race.
Never had the urge.
- had to visit the bathroom a few times before the race but nothing during the race. I'm very happy. I ate taco salad for lunch, dinner at a Mexican place (ate only corn tortillas with beef and bean filling).

Race nutrition
- breakfast: egg casserole (eggs, veggies, and cheese only, ~100 calories), coffee with cream
- during the race: half of a caffeinated hammergel every 2 miles.
- 6 oz of water at every water stop (also 2 miles apart),
- only 3 Lava Salts before the race.

Cramping
- should have brought a few extra lava salts, took 3 before the race but obviously I needed more on a warmer day like that.

Achilles Tendon
- no problems during the race but it was sore afterward
- right hip flexors were sore starting around mile 10, they feel fine today
- my friend Lisa is a sports therapist and was in town for the race.
She says tight hamstrings and calves are the source of the achilles problems.

My last half marathon PR was set at the Florida Half Marathon in
December of 2007 not long after Ironman Florida. That was 2:15:02.

Beach to Battleship Posterity Post: Nutrition

2009-11-15T15:34:00.000-05:00

This is a self serving blog entry. Even though my achilles tendon did not allow me to finish Beach to Battleship 140.6, the rest of the race was very successful. So I want to record what I did, what I ate, etc, so that I know what worked when I return to ironman racing, probably in 2011 or 2012. For posterity, I weighed 140-142 on race day (didn't bring a scale to know the exact number).

Pre-race food
Thursday: Did not worry about what I ate. We were driving most of the day.
Breakfast: Eggo waffles for breakfast
Lunch: Burger King (Whopper Jr value meal, cheapest they offered)
Dinner: Hot chicken wings and beer

Friday (day before the race):
Breakfast: Plain bagel with cheddar cheese, coffee with cream
Lunch: Cheddar cheese soup, mixed greens salad, and a glass of locally brewed beer
Dinner: Eggplant Parmesan and wine
Yes, I ate out for both lunch and dinner. Did not want to do this but there was no way around it given that we were stuck in a small hotel room with no microwave or fridge. However, I made every attempt to avoid wheat. I was stuck eating a bagel for breakfast but otherwise avoided bread with lunch or dinner. The garlic bread with dinner smelled SO GOOD. However, I've learned that wheat will haunt me during a big workout so I stood my ground. As for hydration, I made no attempt to hydrate or take extra electrolytes. Just drank my normal amount of water/coffee/wine during the day.

Saturday (race morning):
Breakfast: One package of instant maple&brown sugar oatmeal, one boiled egg, 24 oz of coffee with half-n-half
16 oz of water on the bus to the starting line

Race Nutrition
Swim: Nothing, forgot to bring a hammergel along, oh well.

Bike: Nothing for the first 20 minutes to let my stomach settle. I do this for all my 70.3 and 140.6 races.
Started taking in food and electrolytes at 30 minutes
Hours 1-4:
5 Lava Salt capsules each hour (3 at the top and 2 at bottom of the hour)
Drink fluids every 10 minutes, alternate a big swig of Linae's Own Sports Drink+2 swigs water with 3-4 swigs of water. When I drank only water, I took a bite of homemade Flour Free Oatmeal Cookies. This worked out to ~200 calories per hour between the the sports drink and oatmeal cookies.
Hours 5-7:
Drink 3-4 sips of water every 10 minutes. Slurp1/3 of a hammergel with 25mg caffeine. Tropical flavor. Again, about 200 calories per hour but no solid food to get my stomach ready to run.

Run: 3 sips of water and 3 sips of coke at each aid station (about 1 mile apart). Walked the water stops. I had planned on taking hammergel but they didn't have the flavor I wanted so I used the coke instead. My pace was about 11-11.5 minutes per mile. Worked great. Again 5 Lava Salt capsules each hour.

Analysis:
My nutrition plan earns a B+. Switching to a sports drink without protein has eliminated 85% of my GI distress. No gassiness or nausea on the bike like I had at IMFL in 2007. I did have some stomach cramps on the run but it turned out to be just gas, not diarrhea, so I was able to run through it. Plenty of energy on both the bike and the run. No problems with finger swelling or cramps so I believe my electrolyte replacement was well balanced for race day conditions.

Recipes:
Linae's Own Sports Drink
Mix in a 24 oz bottle with water:
4 scoops of CarboPro
1 tsp of unsugared Kool-Aid mix, lemonade flavor
1 tsp of sugar

Flour-Free Oatmeal Cookies (recipe found on Cooks.com)

"FLOUR - FREE OATMEAL COOKIES"
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted 1 1/2 c. oatmeal 1/2 c. sugar 1/4 c. light or dark brown sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 1 egg Mix all ingredients. Chill if batter is too wet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until just lightly browned all over. I prefer to overcook the cookies so that they are crisp. They hold up better on the bike that way.

Beach to Battleship DNF

2009-11-12T11:30:00.000-05:00

By now many of you have noticed I don't have a finish time for the Beach 2 Battleship 140.6 race.

I chose to pull myself at the turnaround for the marathon. At that point I had been walking for 2 miles with pain, limping up the bridges. It was pretty clear that slogging out another 13.1 miles could do long term damage. To say I'm disappointed would be an understatement.

Up until that point it had been an epic day. PRs all around. 1:07 Swim, 7:05ish for the bike in spite of a diabolical headwind for the last 40 miles, The first 6.5 miles of the marathon rocked. Passed it in 1:15 with energy to spare. I was easily sliding into 10:20 pace but made a point to hold back so I could maintain for the rest of the marathon. But the aching in my achilles tendon that had started on the bike had never gone away and its voice grew louder and louder until it would not be denied. Walk intervals didn't help. Walking only didn't help. Lots of time to think. And my decision was crystal clear.

So I chose to stop and fight another day. I have big plans for next year and 3 months of rehab would not fit in my plan for world domination. It was the right choice but it still makes me cry.

The support has been overwhelming even though I know many would have made a different choice. Leaving the course at mile 127.5 was not an easy decision nor was it the first thing that popped in my head. Believe me, I thought about all the scorn that could come my way. I abandoned the race with the same despair that you would abandon a beloved sailboat that sank in a sudden storm. I have come so far. It was such an epic day! But there is too much at stake to mess up my achilles tendon to satisfy my ego.

Not excited.

2009-11-03T20:53:00.001-05:00

The Beach to Battleship full ironman is waiting for me on Saturday. And I could not be less excited. If one more person dares me to race their training partner or asks me how fast I will finish, I will scream. When you're an ironman fledgling like me, time predictions seems so arrogant. In a perfect world I'd be hoping for 13:something but that never happened. Quite the opposite. So much has gone wrong along the way. My jeans are falling off but I've been sick most of my taper. Have a sore throat and cough today, in fact. Either Gatens is right and I'm apathetic because of hidden confidence or....I'm f$cked.

But I do know that my body can go 140.6 if I'm healthy. Maybe not as fast as I'd hoped but my head is in the right place. And most of this race is mental. You have to believe that if you rode 120 miles on lemonade and oatmeal cookies you can make it to the run. And having earned the ironman title means I have nothing to prove on race day. Nothing to lose by pushing hard at the end of the run. Nothing to lose by calling it a day if old injuries seek vengeance. I won't know until I get there, assuming I get there.

It's just such a long day. It will be cold for this Florida girl in a short sleeved wetsuit. And I know it will hurt because it's a freaking ironman. Plus the unknowable crisis that awaits. I can't teach 2 classes without a crisis. Who knows what will happen on race day? The key is to make it out of the swim, then have a fun ride through North Carolina coastline, then see the sites through downtown Wilmington. Right? I hope.

Taper: the list making phase

2009-10-23T09:01:00.000-04:00

The Taper Cold is on it's way out so I've moved into the next taper phase which is List Making. Don't want to forget anything so I have started making exhaustive lists of every small item I could possible need over the entire Ironman weekend.

Might take a break from list making to get in an easy bike ride before lunch. Gotta test out the lungs.

Taper cold

2009-10-21T21:04:00.000-04:00

Posting this for posterity: Yep. I caught a cold during my Beach to Battleship taper. Probably from one of the students on the weekend field trip. Nothing like 14 total hours in a small van to transmit germs. And it's been pretty harsh. Low grade fever with bad sore throat that has morphed into a stuffy nose, mild sore throat and mild ear ache. But my doctor's receptionist doesn't think I'm sick enough for an office visit because the office is packed with swine flu (H1N1) and normal flu patients. Bleah.

Hopefully, my immune system will kick it to the curb by the end of the week.

The Relentless Rides Again!

2009-10-16T06:48:00.000-04:00

My bike is back from the mechanic's shop. After 3 years of service as my only training/race bike, several parts had simply worn out. To celebrate her return from dry dock, she and I shared a steady 4 hour ride on Thursday. The ride is about 35% nicer. It accelerates a little faster, holds speed longer if you coast, and all the gears work which makes climbing bridges much easier. The only thing left it to replace the aerobar arm pad. Yeah!

A comparison

2009-10-15T19:11:00.001-04:00

The memory of Ironman Florida feels like this:

Kill Bill

Looking forward to Beach to Battleship feels like this:

Pirates of the Caribbean

Taper Time!

2009-10-14T11:38:00.000-04:00

Yes, I have reached the time in Ironman training where you begin The Taper. A few normal friends (i.e. not crazed endurance athletes) who follow me on Facebook have asked me "what is a taper?" In fact, one of them asked me that when I ran into her on my 2.5 hour run today.

So, I told her the taper is when you start backing off your training to get your body ready for the big day. She smirked "Backing off? And you're running how far today?"

OK, OK. Good point. Tapering is not like taking a 3 week vacation from workouts until race day. The idea is to back off the amount of time you workout but keep the intensity. Imagine the edge of a knife. You want to reach the sharpest edge right before your race. With three weeks left to go, an average athlete like me can't gain much more fitness that will help me on race day. But I can hurt my race.

As you back off your workouts, the body starts to repair all the dings and dents you've created during training. You still have a few hard workouts every week but they are shorter. For example 2 hours running instead of 3. Only a 4 hour ride instead of 7. It gets shorter and shorter as race day approaches. It's not uncommon for athletes to get sick during the taper so I'm trying to avoid sick people.

The other thing that happens is what I call Taper Madness. I've spent the last 6 months convincing myself that 4 hours isn't really a long bike ride and following that with a 2 hour run in Sunday is normal. As my physical focus starts to relax, my brain has way way too much time to think. About everything. Life. The universe. How fast I could go on race day. Everything that could go wrong on race day. Which chicken you choose becomes a HUGE decision.

Basically, the nervous energy builds and builds. It will be needed on race day but it's hard to accomodate this new mental roommate.

For Ironman Florida in 2007, the taper madness was tempered by the fact that I still had to finish my PhD manuscript. All that energy had a place to go. Not so much this time. It will be a fun ride to race day. To my husband: I love you, honey. :)

So that my friends is my opinion of the taper. Feel free to add your best stories.

Last big Beach to Battleship workout

2009-10-11T14:51:00.000-04:00

Bike 121.4 miles, run 5.4. That was my interpretation of the scheduled ride 7 hours/run 1 hour. Got off the bike in 7:44 feeling rather spry but an hour of running in the Florida afternoon will kill any spring in your step. Still, managed to run 5.4 miles in an hour.

Passed mile 112 in 7:09 knowing that time would give me a bike PR on race day yet my HR spent its day on the edge of zone 1/zone 2. Good stuff.

After inhaling half of a pizza, I was completely tired. In bed by 8:30. But it was a good day.

And I'm sending positive vibes out to Holly because I know she has a 120 ride this weekend as well. She was part of my inspiration to ride 120. Technically, I only had to ride 7 hours which at my 15.7 pace would only have been about 107 miles.

But there were no riding routes that would give me 107. Or 110 for that matter. And I knew my brain needed a 112 mile ride to feel ready for race day. It was a very low tech day. We ran out of Carbo Pro and hammergel (thanks to the Saturn's new starter) so 6 hours of my nutrition came from homemade oatmeal cookies and plain old koolaid.

The run did suck (because I ran out of salt, too) but my only goal was to run 15 minutes and "just see". The "just see" strategy seems to work best for me.

B2B Long run

2009-10-04T12:06:00.002-04:00

Today was my longest long run before the Beach to Battleship full ironman race. My running volume has been lower this time around so I was anxious to see how it would go. I ran 80 minutes on Monday, wanting to make up Sunday's 2:12 run but my coach and reason prevailed, knowing that 3 hours waited for me at the end of the week. Today's run was also the longest run I've attempted since the disastrous Orange Blossom Half Marathon in Nov 2008. There have been big runs on the schedule but I always backed off. Only once did I have a good reason.

Fear or no fear, the ironman does not offer extensions for "triathletes who need to get over their bad races". Time to cowboy up and get out there. Mentally, I needed to finish feeling strong more than I needed to run fast. My goal was to keep the pace very comfortable. Thanks to Mr. Garmin Taskmaster 305, it was easy to keep my HR in zone 2. Much to my surprise, that led to an 11-11:20 pace. When I let my mind go, the pace would drop down to 10:30 with my HR moving up to zone 3. The ironman is a long, long day. It will be a 26 mile run that day, not 8. Focus, keep it easy. Stay out of my ego. Focus, keep it easy. The route was an awesome SHADED loop through multimillion dollar houses. The home owners make sure there are no parks or water fountains out there so normally, I can only make one loop before running out to find water. But not on Sundays. On Sunday, a couple who are members of the Mad Dogs tri club put out cold water and Gatorade for runners until 9am. Imagine 8.5 miles under the oaks next to spectacular landscaping and views of the bay. Did I mention SHADE! Really nice.

Much to my surprise, I felt better and better as the run progressed. It took more focus to keep the pace slow. In fact, my HR was higher trying to "hold back" than when I let my mind go. So I made a promise to myself: if you still feel like a supergenious at 2:30, run the last 30 minutes like a 5K.

Ready. Set. Go. 10:06/mile for the last segment. Bam! Fast AND strong. The best of both worlds. 11:08 average for the entire 3 hours. Faster than any of my IMFL 2007 long runs (~11:30). Yes, Ye Olde calves and right flexor/aductors are tired but it's a good tired. I've just got to keep the faith a little bit longer.

Lonely

2009-09-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

One of my Beach to Battleship peeps is dropping back to the half IM. It's the right choice for her but it still leaves me feeling lonely today.

And then Joe took the car that has all my swim bag in it. Doh. There has to be a spare pair of goggles/swimsuit around here somewhere.

Make up run

2009-09-29T07:29:00.000-04:00

Ran 80 minutes yesterday to make up for the run I missed Sunday. My coach wanted me to skip it altogether because this week is run intensive and adding an extra 2.25 hours on top of the 3 hours scheduled for Sunday is a little over the top. She's so logical and stuff. So we settled on 80 minutes. I get the mental boost of having another semi-long run on the books but the total time doesn't jump too much.

Other than the big run on Sunday, the rest of the week is a recovery week. Working hard at getting my weight back down to IMFL levels for race day. Only 6 lbs to go.

Long run fail

2009-09-27T09:56:00.000-04:00

Just too tired. I got out of bed at 545. I really tried for about 30 minutes but I couldn't hold a running pace. Too tired. So I walked back home and fell asleep almost immediately No big. Tomorrow will be a fine day to run. Rather a strong 2 hour run one day late than a 2 hour walk.

This reminds me why long runs were scheduled for Wednesdays last time I did the IM thing. Might move them back there.

Long Brick Win!

2009-09-26T17:46:00.001-04:00

And it wasn't even a good day. Today called for a 6 hr ride with a 40 minute run. I'm always slower when I have to ride "in town" due to cars, stop lights, etc. But today there was a steady headwind on the way out. And I took a detour that took me over the big bridge loop, twice. And I tried to tweak my nutrition based on the latest article coach sent out. #1) "eat" fewer calories and #2) make them liquid or gel calories.

What I learned, boys and girls, is that I need more than 150 calories an hour and GU doesn't work for me on the bike at all. Made me nauseous just like it did on the multi brick. It wasn't the multi brick. It was the GU. But I didn't have the $$ to buy all new Hammergel for this ride. The new brand of salt tabs surely did not help. I had to make due with Salt Stick because the shop that used to carry my beloved Lava Salts closed.

Needless to say, spent most of the ride feeling like utter crap. When one of the salt tabs got caught in my throat, I almost puked. I was so slow I ran out of everything but salt tablets and water. Finished the last 45 minutes on fumes. To the point that I arrived at the house (6:33 for 100 miles) fully prepared to skip the run. Because I felt really nauseous.

And so I arrived at the house in the wicked mood with some very logical reasons to stop. But my inner triathlete told me to just calm down and take 10 minutes to find something that didn't make me sick. You've got 17 hours on race day. 30 minutes in T2 will not kill you. Open the 'fridge. Boiled egg? Ew. Cheese? Bleah. Chocolate chips? Yes? Would you like seltzer with that? And so I talked myself into 12 oz of seltzer water and a tasty handful of chocolate chips. 10 minutes later a walk seemed very reasonable. After all, I'm really just angry that the bike went poorly. Sure, I'm still nauseous but it's not like I'm cramping and don't recognize my dog. I don't feel so bad that I would be willing to DNF on race day.

Heck, maybe I'll even run down to the corner, just to see how badly my stomach will protest....and it wasn't worse than walking. So I ran. Down to the corner. Then the 1/4 mile up hill to the intersection. Then a little more, a little more, a little faster. By the end of the run I hit 8:30/mile. Faster than I've run in a long time. 10:38 average for the whole 40 minutes.

And to think I was ready to throw in the towel. Just goes to show that a few minutes of refocusing and resting can make a big difference.

Huge mental victory today.

Long brick weekend

2009-09-26T07:59:00.000-04:00

Heading out for a 6 hour ride in z1-z2 followed by a 40 minute run. Should be hot as hell by the time I start running.

2.25 hour run tomorrow!

Quote of the day

2009-09-25T23:00:00.000-04:00

It's not that you get so tired...all you want to do is sit down and eat a bag of doritos....because chips are tasty. It's that you stand up and finish the race. - Dr. Iron TriFeist

Today's Long Brick

2009-09-18T23:53:00.003-04:00

Swim 1 hour in open saltwater, bike 4 hrs, run 1.25 hrs.

Rocked it. Stuff went wrong but I fixed it. Seasick and swallowed salt water on the swim? Got it. Even that raccoon with distemper or the deer flies on the bike? Or the wind? No problem.. Nice touch with the blazing sun but I can finish the last mile on the sand, just for emphasis.

Madame Pele, you can hurt me, you can humble me. But.I.Will.Finish.

Patriot Day for my U.S. Readers

2009-09-10T13:55:00.000-04:00

Don't forget that tomorrow is Patriot Day. Please fly your American flags. Remember those who died that day and those who have served selflessly to protect us.

------------

Public Law 107-89
107th Congress

                            Joint Resolution


 
  Amending title 36, United States Code, to designate September 11 as 
         Patriot Day. <> 

Whereas on September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four civilian 
    aircraft, crashing two of them into the towers of the World Trade 
    Center in New York City, and a third into the Pentagon outside 
    Washington, D.C.;

Whereas the fourth hijacked aircraft crashed in southwestern 
    Pennsylvania after passengers tried to take control of the aircraft 
    in order to prevent the hijackers from crashing the aircraft into an 
    important symbol of democracy and freedom;

Whereas these attacks were by far the deadliest terrorist attacks ever 
    launched against the United States, killing thousands of innocent 
    people; and

Whereas in the aftermath of the attacks the people of the United States 
    stood united in providing support for those in need: Now, therefore, 
    be it

    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF SEPTEMBER 11 AS PATRIOT DAY.

    Chapter 1 of title 36, United States Code, is amended by adding at 
the end the following new section:

``Sec. 144. Patriot Day

    ``(a) Designation.--September 11 is Patriot Day.
    ``(b) Proclamation.--The President is requested to issue each year a 
proclamation calling on--
            ``(1) State and local governments and the people of the 
        United States to observe Patriot Day with appropriate programs 
        and activities;
            ``(2) all departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of 
        the United States and interested organizations and individuals 
        to display the flag of the United States at halfstaff on Patriot 
        Day in honor of the individuals who lost their lives as a result 
        of the terrorist attacks against the United States that occurred 
        on September 11, 2001; and
            ``(3) the people of the United States to observe a moment of 
        silence on Patriot Day in honor of the individuals who lost 
        their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks against the 
        United States that occurred on September 11, 2001.''.

[[Page 115 STAT. 877]]

SEC. 2. CONFORMING AMENDMENT.

    The table of contents for chapter 1 of title 36, United States Code, 
is amended by adding at the end the following new item:

``144. Patriot Day.''.

    Approved December 18, 2001.

Settling into the ironman groove

2009-09-04T13:18:00.001-04:00

Let's hope I stay here for the next 9 weeks.

Swam 2.5 miles today in 1:50. Not my fastest swim but the workout had a fair amount of drills and kicking. At the end of the workout (3350) I realized I missed the part that says "ironman athletes do 4 sets". Oops. After finishing that extra set, the lap total was 3950. Well, if I'm going to swim 3950 why not just make it an even half mile? So did. Not a decision many people would have made but that's the ironman groove.

Tough multi-brick workout tomorrow. I'll head back to Ft. De Soto for a lovely ride 2 hours, run 45 minutes, repeat.

Encore Run

2009-08-30T10:46:00.002-04:00

The alarm lied this morning. It sure feels like 4am, not 6:30. But the Ironman does not forgive. It does not care how far you rode yesterday. Race day, I'll have to do this all in one day. It does not care about rides you've cut short because you stayed out late or swims you missed because the water was cold..

Get out of bed, lazy butt. You're the super genius who decided to ride 100 miles yesterday instead of 4.5 hours like the schedule said. Decided to walk the first 5 minutes to give my legs a chance to wake up. As a value added warm up, I got to wash egg off our car. The only car on the block to get egged. Nice. Then it was time to slog out 2 hours on the road. Pace was no object. The goal was to put 2 hours of running on tired legs. Run 5, walk 30 seconds, repeat for 2 hours. Not glamorous and there wasn't a lot to see along the water this morning. One dolphin. That's it.

But I made it. Only 10.25 miles but that pace would give me a 30 minute marathon PR at Beach to Battleship. Not too shabby.

Spontaneous century

2009-08-30T10:34:00.000-04:00

Last night I told my coach:

"Might do something crazy on the ride tomorrow. Or not if it's windy.
Just so you know."

And as my ever supportive coach she says:

>Ok :>) (I have a feeling I know what it will be, but will remain silent).

Am I that predictable?

100 miles on the bike 5:58:45 (roll time for solo ride, no drafting, I had to stop at the car twice for water and to text/Twitter Joe to tell him all was well)

The most amazing parts of the day:
Faster than any of my centuries during IMFL training in 2007
No chafing of my girlie parts. (almost unbelievable)
No GI distress or gas. Maybe my nutrition plan will work this time.
And I don't _need_ a nap.

WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO! I'm not saying that there were no tough
times but overall, a good training ride.

Crosstraining

2009-08-28T20:06:00.004-04:00

So I had a moment today....at Crossfit. My regular readers are shocked I'm sure. :)

Between a 1 week taper for the star-crossed Publix Tri and starting a new job this week (adjunct faculty thankyouverymuch) I have, GASP, not been to Crossfit it 2 weeks. Not that I don't ever do 100 burpies on my own but I don't need a gym for that.

So today I was talking with a regular who said it was good to see me back. We started the usual chit chat and I mentioned it had been hard to fit in Crossfit between the new job and ironman training.

There was a pause. A pause that gave me pause. Then the question that caught me unguarded.

"Which is harder, Crossfit or Ironman training"

Without thinking I replied "Ironman training."

This person was dumbfounded. "Really? It's harder?"

Yes, Ironman training makes Crossfit look like a day in the park. As physically challenging as Crossfit workouts may be, most of them last 15-20 minutes. That's it. No matter how hard it is, you'll be done in 20 minutes. Compare that with a 15 mile run or 80 mile ride or 2 mile swim. When the joy of the workout is gone and suddenly it's you, the sun, and about 2 more hours on the road, alone, with no company, wondering why the hell you got out of bed for this.

Or, you can workout for 20 minutes. 60 minutes, tops, if they make you run a 10K. Doesn't really compare, does it?

Standard Disclaimer:

Crossfit is not the devil or I wouldn't pay a bunch to attend each month. Parts of it I adore. It's short. And even with the misogynistic "the fat girl is slow" attitude, I have finally found a strength workout that fits me personality. And I look super cute in my jeans. And my swim is so much more comfortable now that I have some upper body strength. I love that aspect of it.

But if you want to be an ironman, you must train like an ironman. 20-30 minutes a day, 5 days a week isn't going to cut it no matter how cute those jeans are.

RR: Publix Family Fitness Tri (take 2)

2009-08-26T10:31:00.002-04:00

Warning: this is long and self serving. Way too long for a sprint triathlon. It's written more as a training record than entertainment. You already know the basics (1:23, 3rd placed Athena) so you continue on at your own risk.

The time has come to stop sulking. The Publix Family Fun Triathlon did not turn out the way I planned. Given that this race is put on by the largest grocery store chain in the state and this is the third year for this event, there were way way too many "oops". Maybe if I had gone overboard to make sure I had planned for every little possibility my race would have ended 4 minutes faster but I didn't want to appear paranoid. I paid for my vanity.

The biggest change for this race was my pre-race nutrition. We all know GI distress haunts me. I decided to eat very few starches in the 2 days before the race and stick to my normal menu of lean protein, veggies, and beans (mostly chickpeas or black beans) for food. This part worked well. I did not have to stand in line for the porto potties at all.

The bike rack almost fell when I added my bike. I grabbed the top bar just in time. Another athlete grabbed the fallen end piece. Somehow we saved the rack from total collapse. Should have guessed that this could be a problem later but it was SUPER dark. At this point I realize there is only one running shoe in my make-shift transition bag. This led to a half panicked walk back to the car. Woohoo! A matching running shoe! Back in transition, my goggle strap fell off. Normally no big deal but since it was pitch dark unless you were 50ft from the lone set of lights, it took a while to fix. My planned pre-race Hammergel tasted really old, almost grainy. Ew! Threw that out. But I did remember to take some Lava Salts.

Fortunately, my warm up went very well. The water temp was perfect. The waves were negligible. Almost no current whether you swam north or south along the shore. The course was as long as you could fit on that stretch of beach so there was every reason to believe it was the full 600yds. Without any of "my athletes" in the race, I was able to spend my time getting ready mentally. I don't think about anything too deep but rather allowed my mind to drift over happy visions of the course with several breaks to make new friends in the swim corral.

The race started very abruptly. A bad PA system meant the crowd had to shout down to the athletes when the wave started. My advice? Invest in a cheap air horn. Seems to work at all the other races.

The Swim:

Much to my dismay, the Athena wave was lumped in with all the first timers. There were lots of them. Men and women. So when the swim started, sure enough, a huge line of 6ft guys waded into the water up to their necks making it impossible to get by. One day I'll believe that I'm a faster swimmer and get in front of these guys but not just yet. The swim was amazing. I felt very strong. My arms never tired. My stroke never floundered, and with the crowd, heart rate never became an issue. Usually my HR freaks out and I look more like a duck taking a bath than a swimmer. Not so today. If I could have found clear water, I would have plowed through like a real swimmer. This was probably my best swim to date. I even used all my open water entry/exit skills. Out of the water in 10:47-ish. Only there were no timing mats closeby. This company decided to put the mat all the way up the beach, over the boardwalk, directly next to the transition. Whatever. The official time is closer to 11:57.

T1:
Debi and I had discussed rearranging my transition a little and I was completely excited how quickly T1 passed. Even taking a moment to watch one of the racks completely collapse, I was ready to run to the bike start in less than 1 minute. But wait, if you were racked on the right side of the transition, you had to run all the way back to the swim finish timing mat, then back to the bike start down the left side. It was not marked this way before the race, was not described in the non-existent race instructions, and doesn't appear to be a safety thing (none of the other tris set up this traffic pattern). When your bike is 50ft from the bike start, this is heart breaking. The only thing left to do was shout a very bad word brought to you by the letter F. 2:30ish instead of 1:20.

The bike:
Very crowded course. Lots of newbies to pass. At one point there were 3 of us trying to pass about 30 feet of new, unsure riders who weren't aware of the rules. The first guy says "on your left". No response. After 3 tries, I lost my temper and yelled "people on your LEFT ALREADY. MOVE OVER". The blocking issues continued until I had moved through most of my wave. The wind was pretty strong that day with only one short section of true tailwind. But I had taped my trusty Forerunner 305 to the handlebars so at least I could tell myself "you're not going fast enough". About 5 miles into the bike I realized there was no more water in the aerobottle. Almost crashed trying to shake it around to get more water. Crap. The bike is my best event. I'm not going to make up time on the run. I can't slow down. Played tag with a cute 33 year old guy as a way to pass the time. I'm always more motivated when I have a bunny to chase. In the end, I finished 30 seconds shy of 20mph but given the crowded conditions (and the guy who _attempted_ the flying dismount in front of me), I'll take it.

Ride time for 10.5 miles: 32 minutes. The official time combines T1 and T2 into the bike time.

T2:
Tough to get the bike on the rack with the aerobottle but even with the newly migrated sock addition, outta there in 1:30. Lost a little time looking for water coming out of transition. Not to beat a dead horse but the other summer tris out here have water as you start the run because it's so hot.

The Run:
And, as I have previously mentioned, there was no water until after mile 1. My HR was through the roof and I could not find a groove. I tried to say "just don't walk" but no matter how slow I ran, it wasn't slow enough. Ended up walking 30 seconds or so of each mile. Mile 1: Got passed by cute bike boy. He touch my shoulder and said "tag, you're it" for the last time. Bye-bye cute bike boy. I had nothing in the tank to push the pace. Near the end of mile one they awarded me one cup of water. Not even half full. Damn it. The runners on the way back were taking water from the only water station as well so they just did not have enough water for everyone. It's now been 30 minutes since my last sip of water on a hot, shadeless August day. At the turn around I realized it couldn't get much worse so I might as well try to take the Gu I forgot on the bike. It was kinda nasty but mentally comforting. Mile 2: I saw an old crappy water fountain off the course and ran over for a quick drink. Warm and metallic. Ew! Saw two friends who were doing their first tri. They were heading out on mile 1 so I did my best to look perky and encouraging even though my mental battleship was taking on water. So I looked around for a runner suffering like me and made conversation. It helped a lot, forcing me to focus on their race and not my headache. One was a marathoner who was in deep suffering so we joked about the weird aspects of triathlon. When I explained the "vanity sprint" at the finish line, he started to laugh. We jogged in together making the last 1.1 miles the fastest of the day.

The finish was rather uneventful. 1:23-ish on my watch. They finally gave me a whole bottle of water and I headed out to find a friend who was cheering near the final turn. My ears were pounding just talking to him so I escaped to one of the beach showers to cool off. After about 10 minutes in the shade (and a few more doses of the shower), I felt normal. I did not have an official finish time in the race results which required a trip to the timing company. Well I'll be a monkey's uncle. I had pulled off 3rd in the 39&under Athena group.

Then it was time to see my friends finish their first tri. Always so very awesome to see. She finished 15 minutes ahead of her husband. Way to go! Apparently my reputation proceeds me because the newly minted triathletes wanted to head back to car for a toast! When I race solo, I rarely bring champagne but my friend remembered so we kept the tradition alive! The new duo are hooked and we made plans to meet back at Ft De Soto in October for another tri produced by a better company.

With a little more work, this will be my last Athena race for a while. I wanted first but, oh well. If I had packed extra water for transition, brought a light to make sure no water had spilled out of my aerobotttle, if, if if....no time for ifs. If I'm meant to earn more hard ware it will come from the 35-39 age group. Still don't know how my bike became scratched but since I did not see my rack fall, I have no proof of anything. It's a good story, anyway.

Things I would change:
Maybe a small flashlight
Put a sports drink in my bike bottle
Bring extra water in bottles, at least one extra for the run
Bring extra gels in case one is bad
Buy a new transition bag (or find my original bag)

And now it's time to start the next phase of my life. Well, it's already underway. This week started my new job as science faculty at a small local college. It's just an adjunct position for now but with a little luck it could be more. My time is now taken up with teaching and Beach to Battleship training.

RR: Publix Family Fun Weekend Ft. Desoto 2009

2009-08-23T21:45:00.005-04:00

Before I rant, let me say that one family who had done this particular race before said it is usually a wonderful event.

And I will say that I had a tough run so I was not in the best mood after the race. Which is why I waited to write this report.

I have several complaints. Pre-race, they never asked for ID. Never asked for my USAT card. Never asked for anyone to pay the one day fee. I saw them allow a woman to pick up packets for 3 other athletes who were not present. This may be fine for running races but not in triathlon. They did not have enough qualified staff around. Everything seemed to fall on 3 overworked volunteers who did the best they could.

The traffic pattern in transition was ridiculous. It doesn't matter than you are 30 feet from the bike exit. Run your bike 200 feet to the end, then run back? Really? Even though the other triathlons that are staged from this same parking lot let you use the closest exit?

The racks in transition where unstable. I watched them fall, with bikes on them, more than once. In fact, my rack fell when I put my bike on it but I was able to hold up the bar and re-set it into the groove.

Transition security was a joke. Family members were all over the place before the race and no one watched athletes after the race to make sure they left with their own bike.

They did not have nearly enough water for the conditions. No water available in transition after the swim or the before the run. So much so that the sole water stop on the run was rationing water. When I asked for water, my glass had less than 3 oz and they wouldn't give me another glass. Just to be fair, I don't care if you have water or if you don't but TELL ME. Don't spend a bajillion dollars to advertise the race as a family friendly first timer weekend and don't provide water.

And I say all this first because, other than the water issue, I had a fab swim and a great bike time. It all fell apart because of the water issue. I could have easily brought water with me but I didn't want to look like a paranoid freak. Now I know better.

Third placed Athena in what will, hopefully, be my last Athena race in a long time.

Gotcha

2009-08-23T21:45:00.001-04:00

My dad told me this afternoon, at my favorite pub.........

He said I promised not to do another ironman. That one would be
enough. He said "promise" the same way most people would ask "please
don't". In a way that even Joe could not say it. I am a daddy's
girl.....

But then it wouldn't be me, would it.

And now for something completely different

2009-08-21T20:12:00.002-04:00

Publix Family Fun Weekend Triathlon

Leeroy Jenkins!!!

It's a sprint. Sometimes it's best not to think too much.

Vaguely good news can't scare this monkey off my back

2009-08-20T09:33:00.005-04:00

This morning, I couldn't stand it any longer. Will my 2 piece De Soto wetsuit fit for Beach to Battleship. Yes, we need to buy a long sleeved top for the chilly water in November but what about the bottom half? If I need a larger size, it will be a huge pre-race expense. Money we may not have.

Happily, after 10 minutes of jumping, squeezing, and breath holding.....the bib john fits. Just barely.

YEAH! All the hard work is paying off. Ironman training, eating more healthy food, adding in some serious strength training....but it's not enough.

There is still a monkey on my back.

I have to be honest. I'm not feeling very ready for an ironman and I've only got 2 months of real training left. My swim will be fine provided I start hitting the long workouts instead of cutting them short but my bike and run are so short compared to 2007s schedule. During the dreaded night shift back in May-June, I missed or shortened several workouts. Didn't lose any weight. And I'm slower, really not pushing hard at the speed intervals. I know my focus needs to be on what I can do between now and taper time, not the past. But poor choices still pick away at my confidence.

I'm not worried about finishing, it just won't be the race I wanted it to be. I just wanted to be a training genius this time around!!!!! Superwoman! Was that too much to ask? :)

There are 2 months left before the taper begins and every.day.counts.

Back at the pool

2009-08-05T13:44:00.003-04:00

Today was my first day back at the 7am swim in....a while. The pool isn't open to the public until 9am. They make you pay extra for 7am and even more for 5:30am masters swim. Given that I'm still unemployed, that extra money has been very hard to come by.

But this month I lucked out. And, as much as my motivation for swimming wanes, it was good to be home. Swimming laps as the sun rises over Tampa Bay is a wonderful place to be. Today called for 1900 yards. 700 warm up, 1000yds of timed swim, then 200 cool down. The 1000 only took 21:06 which makes me pretty happy.

And the membership paid for itself. The thunderstorms rolled in around 9am and it's _still_ raining at 2pm.

p.s. thanks for all the comments over my CrossFit rant. The strength I've earned is startling. It makes me much leaner, much faster in the pool and motivates me more than any strength program I've tried. Gotta take the good with the bad.

July in review

2009-08-04T18:59:00.004-04:00

So, those of you who follow my ironman training on this blog will notice that there haven't been any workout entries for a while. Part of it is facebook. And part of it is, I'm logging my workouts in 3-4 different places which makes the Buckeye Outdoors site a low priority. Overall, July has been a good month. I'm not nearly as strong as I was going into IMFL but I should finish B2B. There's no way to catch up. I'm under trained for a 14 hour finish. Just have to take it for what it is.

For July my totals are:

Swim: 7527.87 yd
Bike: 441.96 miles
Run: 44.04 mi

For a total of 42 hours. My running is coming along quite nicely. It's a slow but steady comeback filled with strength training. I don't want to go back down the injury road. And yes, I know there is a swim at B2B. I'm working on my motivation. We were able to buy a pool card this month which means I can get into the pool at 7am before the thunderstorms and swim meets.

You can add an extra 8 hours of CrossFit training for a total of 52 hours. It's not sport specific so I don't include it in my training totals, however, it is a significant dedication of time. And it's paying off in terms of increased core strength, no recurring hip problems, and fitting back into my size 10 jeans.

On the other hand....

there are only 2 things I despise about CrossFit: #1) extra laundry. I already workout over 8 times a week, 4 more sports bras are a big deal. #2) the idea that only CrossFit is real fitness. They are the fittest people on the planet. If you can't clean&jerk 135lbs 8 times in one minute, you're not really fit. Guess those 12 other hours of workouts I do each week don't count.

And these are serious issues. The CrossFit workout of the day is not scheduled in advance. You only know the workout that morning. Ladies, you know what I'm saying. A bra for, say, pull-ups can be much less supportive than running 5x400m with box jumps in between. It drives me crazy having to wash workout clothes 3 times a week.

As for the elitist thing, it pisses me off but it goes back to the day I started. They look at me and see a fat housewife. Ironman means nothing to them if I don't fit into size 6 jeans. They are wrong.

Melting!

2009-07-29T10:07:00.001-04:00

The heat index was 86F when I started my long run today. 96F when I finished. Went out too fast and ran the "no shade" route. It's a pretty route along the water front but...there is no shade.

6.3 miles in 1:15. Not my fastest day. Bleah.

Obviously I need to start these runs before sunrise.

Training continues

2009-07-14T14:53:00.002-04:00

Life stops for no one. And if Carol's sudden passing taught me anything, it was to realize what is important in life. My ironman goals are very important to me. Not as important as, say, my marriage, but one of the things I enjoy most in life is being active. Being outside. Pushing my limits. So why wait?

This morning's schedule called for a 90 minute ride. There was very little wind this morning so I really nailed the ride. Eight minutes faster than last week.

This afternoon I tried doing a CrossFit workout at home. The full workout was 100 burpies (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5QCYQAKlyI) with a push-up + 1 pull up. We don't have a pull up bar at home but I gave 100 burpies my best shot. It wasn't pretty. Stubbed my toe. Had to use knee-down push ups. But I made it. Workouts are more fun at the gym and hopefully I'll make it to the gym tomorrow.

This life is more than just a read thru

2009-07-13T20:02:00.002-04:00

Lost a distant friend today. A fellow parrothead with whom I spent a few memorable nights. :) Carol, I will miss you even if we just reunited on Facebook.

Nothing will bring Carol back. But it reminds me to hug the people who matter, every day. To enjoy the little moments. That life is not a dress rehearsal. Make life count.

More rides like this please.

2009-07-11T13:52:00.003-04:00

In exchange for last week's crappy long ride, the training gods rewarded me with a strong ride where my nutrition went so well, near the end of the ride I thought "why not just make it an even 60 miles?" 60.25 in 3:45 which included 3 round trips over the only big bridge in south Pinellas. 100 feet tall and almost 1/2 mile climb. Oooooooo!

Apparently, red kool-aid with a little sugar and Carbo Pro works for me. Take a few Lava Salts for electrolytes and I'm golden. It would be great if this formula works as the rides get longer.

Just to give myself a few more details for posterity...started around 8am to give me an easy 30 minute warm up before joining the St. Pete Bike Club for their group ride. I chose the 20 mph group because....there was no slower group. However, I tend to be really lazy when I ride alone so I figured if I rode with the club, even just part of the way, they would push me to ride at my physical ability rather than what my internal committee thinks I should ride. And it worked. Even took a few turns pulling the group before they headed back north. It was a great ride.

112 miles on the bike this week!

Day 3 of the CrossFit Experiment

2009-07-08T15:59:00.002-04:00

I finished my first CrossFit Workout of the Day (WOD) "as prescribed". No alterations. Today's workout was either run 10K (yawn, been there done that) or "choose your torture". So, I chose the workout named "Kelly" which relied on running/lower body strength. DOMS has been my constant companion since Tuesday. My poor shoulders needed a break and, to be honest, I knew there was a good chance I could finish the whole thing. I wanted to remind the boys at CrossFit that I'm not your average fat housewife no matter what they think they see.

"Kelly" is 5 repeats of:
400m run
30 box jumps (box is as tall as my knees)
30 wall ball with 10 lb ball

"Wall ball" is a sick combo of a squat combined with a 10lb ball toss as you stand up. Then you catch the ball and repeat. You know it's tough when you use the 400m run to "cool down". Took me 48 minutes to do all 5 reps.

This came after the 90 minute ironman training ride this AM. I'm tired. Don't know how fast I'll be swimming at the beach this afternoon.

And I've asked myself why I'm posting so much about CrossFit while making my actual IM training a side note. CrossFit has made working out a little more fun, even if it hands me my ass most days. And it seems like a path to the "next level" that I've been seeking. After 3 days, it's too soon to say if I'll stick with it but it's been fun so far.

Crossfit Experiment

2009-07-06T16:25:00.000-04:00

So I finally headed over to the local CrossFit studio to check out the latest fitness rage (http://www.crossfit.com).

Like many of the other CrossFit centers, it's owned by 2 ex-military types which, based on my martial arts experience, gives me the hee-bee-jee-bees. One broken collarbone is enough for this lifetime, thankyouverymuch. I did not expect to like it at all. But my coach loves it and they offer the first week for free so why not? They claim that they can scale the workouts to any level. They included a few pictures of normal looking people on their website. Today was the day.

And my opinion is: definitely challenging but fun. Don't get me wrong. The bias is there. The trainer tried to hide the "another chubby housewife" look. But he asked me to do the same things he asked my husband to do and I hit the mark. The only modification was that I do full pushups instead of dips. Even then, I could pull off 5 real push ups. He was surprised. We took our baseline test. Joe is faster at pushups and sit ups so he beat me by 40 seconds but we both qualified for the full "workout of the day" tomorrow.

I definitely like this type of strength training over the nautilus approach or the power pump classes. Not for everyone but more my style. We'll see how I feel on Saturday.

It's 7:15 Am

2009-07-06T07:16:00.002-04:00

And if I want to be a 2-time ironman, I need to get my butt on the bike, not read blogs/email/facebook.

Train well!

Schedule: 1 hour easy ride (am), 1 hour swim (lunch)

Long ride.

2009-07-05T18:06:00.001-04:00

My ride was a huge mental victory. My evil internal committee almost had me convinced to sit around like a loser but I beat them back. My ride nutrition was a complete disaster. Not enough calories which made me very cranky. Something in my drink mix made me feel sick. I'm thinking it was the sucralose in the Nuun tablets and lemonade packets I used to flavor the water. Carbo Pro seems to work pretty well in terms of getting me the calories I need. But I need a little something for flavor. Heed tasted weird. Cytomax was too strong. Obviously Nuun is out for long stuff. Tried Accelerade, Perpetuem and Infinit in 2005 with little success. Gotta figure that out soon.

Another warning about lighting

2009-07-05T09:19:00.002-04:00

For those out there who think I need to HTFU about lightning, here you go

Holiday bolt kills 1; 27 hurt.

"Witnesses said there was some cloud buildup in the area, but it wasn't enough to alarm anyone, Judd said.

Meteorologist Josh Linker of Bay News 9 verified there was no rain near the lightning strike. Linker said there was a storm well south of the strike that the lightning came from.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has said lightning causes more deaths in Florida than all other weather hazards combined, including hurricanes and tornadoes, and that Florida has more lightning casualties than any other state."

Train safely, my friends.

Appalachian Trail 2009

2009-06-30T08:18:00.004-04:00

This year's hike was a success. I really enjoyed getting back in the mountains. It was also great to help two people enjoy their first hike ever: my 8 year old nephew and my husband. Both claim they enjoyed the experience and will hike again.

We never did see the governor of South Carolina. ;)

Some of my favorite moments:

The sweet smell of a cool breeze as we walked.
Seeing the stars above me as I slept in my hammock.
Knowing that I could give all the other hikers a run for their money, even the 20 year old guys. It wasn't really a competition but it's nice to know.

There are a few stories we can tell. A large, angry rattlesnake gave us some trouble on our second day. He was sitting 3 inches from the trail and he was not moving. In fact, he was coiled up and rattling. So, we listened to the wisdom of an old Chinese proverb and....headed out into the woods so we could simply walk around him. That day was challenging in more ways that one. It was the longest, hilliest day but it was only the second day which meant our packs were full. Add in an extra sleeping bag from my nephew and my pack suddenly weighed 40 lbs.

After that, it was smooth sailing. The other major hills were scheduled for the end of the week when we had eaten most of our food (i.e. lighter packs). Beautiful days. Cool nights. Only 30 minutes of rain. Good times.

Well, there were mice in our packs almost every night but that's just part of hiking. The mice seemed to prefer my peanut butter pretzels. At least the little vermin had good taste.

I, too, would love to hike next summer. Maybe hike 40 miles in 4 days and take a few days to ride my bike. A bigger physical challenge. Plus, the roads up there are awesome for riding. We'll see.

For now it's time to get back on track with my Beach to Battleship training!

Appalachian Trail Prep

2009-06-18T15:59:00.001-04:00

Tri content: my sleep schedule is getting back to normal and I actually ran this morning. 6.6 miles in 1:16. This is what happens when I wait until 9am to run and start out too fast. A good "mental toughness" session, I guess.

The last 2 days have been spent frantically buying supplies for the trail and getting stuff shipped in overnight delivery because the only camping store in town was out of several key items. Items they promised me 2 weeks ago that they would have. Oh well. This business does a lot to support local tris but they leave me no choice. REI gets the money. Today, I'm packing most of the food into ziploc bags. I know what I would pack for myself but....I'm also packing for 2 men and an 8 year old boy who loves red Kool-Aid and oatmeal cream pies. Definitely interesting. And heavier than I would like. Oh well, it will be an adventure either way.

Shawn was nice enough to help us field test a few of our meals last night. She didn't die so they must be good enough. And all 6 days of food can be cooked in nothing but hot water from our Primus camp stove. YEAH!

Working in a port

2009-06-15T15:10:00.004-04:00

So, working as a marine observer usually means you disembark from glamorous ports across country. And these lovely tropical locales are surrounded by businesses that cater to the port workers. There are a lot of bars open early for those of us working overnight and other adult establishments. Haven't thought about doing shots at 6am even though many of the guys on the barge make it a priority. But this one made me go hmmm.....

Adult Bookstore
with private rooms

Refusing to let my mind wander too far. I'll bet there are not too many Pulitzer Prize winning author's in that store. Don't worry, there are lots of other choices for those who don't want to read.