Kinetic 2011 70.3 Race Report

Alternate Title 1 – So…Nutrition IS Important
Alternate Title 2 – Kinetic Curse
Alternate Title 3 – I’d like a do-over please!

Back Story: I did Kinetic in 2009 in prep for Ironman Switzerland and pulled the tendons in my hamstring. If you recall from that race report I dragged my bum leg behind me for 13.1 miles but by golly I finished. This year, the race was my kick in the pants to start training for Arizona, and my opportunity to overcome the Kinetic Curse.

Pre: We were expecting rain so I had all my gear stowed in big Ziploc bags and under a giant garbage bag. I also got Rock Star parking right next to transition so I could put my gear bag away after setting up transition versus lugging it over to Team Z Central. That caused me to linger in transition longer then norm so I didn’t get my secondary breakfast at the tent (pancake or bagel) so the bowl of oatmeal was going to have to hold me (Mistake #1). Got into my wetsuit (otherwise known as sausage stuffing) and was all ready to go. No fear since I didn’t have lofty goals for this race.

Swim 1.2 Miles – 43:18 (includes run to timer): 5m 28s slower than last time here, but not a PW either. “Easy” swim, no contact and relatively straight line. I think the swim to the first buoy caused the slow time because I couldn’t find a rhythm and was just flailing arms. Or it could be that I haven’t been to swim practice in over a month. Whatever.

T1 – 6:40: What the…?? Last time I did this race my T1 time was 3:07! I do remember telling the woman next to me that at this point my swim was only slightly slower then transition time.

Bike 56M – Ride Time 3:28:18:
A PR at this race but it was a different course then last time so it probably doesn’t count. So I’m riding along, drinking my Gatoraid/water every 10 minutes like normal. When I was on the bike an hour I ate my first Hammer Gel. Almost immediately I started having vision problems. It was raining so I wiped my glasses off and noticed that I had tunnel vision and my head was feeling kind of loopy. I stopped and was standing over my bike when I realized I was about to pass out. I just got off the bike and was laying Penny down when I blacked out. No idea how long I was out but came to and immediately panicked. I seriously thought I had a stroke because it was exactly the way my Mother described hers. I kept trying to stand up and kept falling over so I assumed I lost function of my legs. So I did what any normal person would do – I laid on the side of the road crying like a pansy-ass sissy girl, thinking OMG I had a stroke, OMG I had a stroke, OMG I had a stroke.

After a bit of blubbering I was able to stand, I drank some Gatoraid and soon was able to ride again. My plan was to get to the point where you start the second loop and head to the end instead. Instead, by the time I got there I was feeling better so I decided to keep on going (Mistake #2).

Around mile 40 I started feeling nauseous. Around mile 45 I got sick (lesson learned – stop the bike, there’s no place to get sick while riding without getting it on you or your bike). And again some 20 minutes later and THAT is when I knew my day was done.

So What The F Happened: I’m calling this a nutrition FAIL. I had a small bowl of oatmeal around 4:30 AM. I didn’t eat again until almost 9AM and that was after “pre-race nerves”, swimming, and biking for an hour. My blood sugar had to been bottomed out. The episode happened almost immediately after eating gel which is almost all sugar so I think it shocked my system (causing the blackout). All my food on the bike was sugar based so I think the getting sick was a result of too much sugar on an empty stomach and a bit from drinking nuclear lake water.

So my lessons learned are eat sooner on the bike and be prepared (like I have been in the past) with salty food, sweet food, and some miscellaneous food just in case.

Still plenty of time to TRAIN, practice, and get it together before 11/20/11 – IM Arizona – It’s gonna be IM-AZing!

I would like to say Thank You to all of my Team Z family for checking up on me, both Saturday afternoon and on Sunday. If my Mom only knew how much people watch out for and take of each other she wouldn’t worry about me so much!

Positive Attitude…Activate!

1. A dear friend is going through a health scare and I am scared to death of the results. To make matters worse, she’s not here so I feel helpless. I know she is where she needs to be to get the best medical care/attention, but I’d give anything to go to these appointments with her. And in typical “Es Fashion”, I tend to make jokes when talking to her but my heart breaks when I think about what she’s going through and the fact that her support system is hundreds of miles away.

2. The same weekend I found out about her, I found out another friend was in the hospital because his pancreas was essentially giving up. He was in a coma for three weeks and thankfully he’s rallied and is back home now. He has to make a major life change (no alcohol) but I hope he realizes there is more to life than his dear Miller Lite. Right now he swears he will never drink again. I only hope this fear of death sticks with him for the long haul.

3. All this worry and fear about my friends has made me realize that Life is Good! So, if you recall, I want this year to be more c’est la vie, less Type A so here goes! POSITIVE ATTITUDE…ACTIVATE!

4. After a three week hiatus I am back to exercising!!!!! My calf is 90% healed so I am run/walking. I took Penny for a ride on Tuesday, muy happy! And I’m back in the pool (and was told twice in one practice that I have a beautiful stroke).

5. So here’s a picture of our house from March:



And from this past weekend:



Wait, that’s the same picture. But if you were to go there today it would look EXACTLY the same. Word is they will start late April. Right now they have a promotion going on that says houses will be done in six months. Since we signed a contract two months before this promotion I HOPE our house will be done within six months as well!!!! That would give us an end of October move in which means Recovery/Taper period. That would work!!!

6. On Sunday, Dude, J, and I hiked the property. We spent about an hour along the lake shore and didn’t come near the end where it opens up into the “big lake”. It is beautiful, peaceful, and right in my backyard!!! Sooooo excited about moving!

7. As for my townhouse, the kitchen has a new look - I got new countertops, sink, faucet, and drawer/cabinet pulls installed. Final cleaning and de-personalizing is in the works and it will be back on the rental market soon!

8. This week, Dude and I were supposed to start our “diet” – more protein & veggies and fewer (but better) carbs. Unfortunately I’ve been busy. Next week I’ll be out of town thru Wed, then have Face of America ride Fri – Sun. I guess diet starts 18 April. Still trying to drop 10 pounds before IMAZ!

9. Face of America in next weekend. We had a fabulous Happy Hour at Glory Days last Friday – raised $1,100! And if you eat at ANY Glory Days in the month of April, give me the food receipt (not the credit card receipt) and Glory Days will donate 10% of food purchases to Team Steel Wheels! Or you can DONATE HERE!

10. This getting up at 4 AM to make swim practice is tough. I always feel incredible until about noon then nose dive into exhaustion. Any ideas on how to extend the post exercise energy? Since I’m thinking about starting to run 4-days a week, maybe a lunch time run might do the trick.

11. Dude and I are heading to Colorado this weekend. We will be spending the weekend with my BFF and her family. I’m planning a meal for Friday, we are hiking Saturday then joining her family for dinner, and then Sunday Dude and I are on our own. We may go to Boulder to see another friend or may just goof around in Denver.

12. Hmm, if the government shutdown happens I’ll be in Colorado. Can you say darn-it!


13. Don’t forget to check out my cooking blog - Tri To Cook! Oh, and just so you know, I’m a little behind on blogging on that one as well.

Thursday (Friday) Thirteen

1. Weight Goal – Nothing to report. Still the same and I’m considering joining Weight Watchers – in-person. I’ve done the on-line thing and stick with it for about 30 seconds. If I have to check in somewhere so I feel accountable (she said as she finished the slice of cake from an office mates birthday).

2. Exercise Goal – 5 am still sucks. I need to run more. I wonder if I’ll ever do weight training again. Anybody want to buy a Kinetic bike trainer??? Daylight savings is around the corner and Penny is getting antsy (but my seat bones are not)!

3. Red Nose Race #3 Recap – This was supposed to be my 16 mile run. Started running and just below my calf muscle feels like a tight ball and as a result I can’t flex my foot/ankle. I’ve been having this problem for a year and I’ve learned that usually by mile three it works itself out. Well, not today. I only did 10 miles, most at a 5:1 run/walk. Because of the pain in my calf, my form was completely off so it jacked up my hips and lower back as well. I really need to see a Dr about this!

4. T.E.A.M. Steel Wheels – My letters will go out this weekend and am going to resort to bribery. For one week only, if you donate over $50 and live in the local area, I will make you dinner. If you are not from the local area, I will send you baked good (I’m experimenting with scones and biscotti now). We are also going to do at least two Happy Hour fundraisers, hopefully details will be out within the next week.

5. Change to Race Schedule – After looking at the long-term schedule for IM training I will most likely have to remove the Covered Bridges ride and possibly the Great Pumpkin ride from the schedule. I’m down to the marathon, three 70.3’s, and Ironman.

6. Run Faster – Well, I’m putting the run faster on hold until after the marathon (but I have every intention of incorporating it into my training) but I have implemented it into my swimming.

I now swim in the fastest lane at practice. Now, before you start thinking “wow, she’s bad ass” you should know our Team Z West pool is often quite empty. Joining the fast lane started because last week there was only one person in the lane so I joined him. We actually swim at the same pace but Competitive Me just had to “beat him”. Mind you, we were splitting the lane so we weren’t even really swimming together. My only goal was to catch and pass him, regardless of where either of us were in the workout.
So today, we’re all getting in the pool and someone had to go down a lane. He looked at me and said you get the fast lane, you’re faster than me.

I think he was setting me up. New guy leads, first set is a 500 in Zone 2. He TAKES OFF. Competitive Me tries to keep up. We finish the set and I ask (pant) was that your zone 2? Yep. CRAP!!! I ended up doing the entire swim practice in zone 4 except when we were doing a 200 in zone 5. And that’s when I caught him. BOOYA!

7. 20 Mile Run – Done. The good news is the calf issue worked itself out (this time). The better news, aside from the marathon I won’t be running anything over 14 miles until early fall!

8. Ironman Arizona Update – Bike transportation is set-up. If you know anyone in the Northern Virginia area racing, please let them know there is special pricing available through trisportexpress.com. Go to the bottom of the left column and use the Northern VA IM-AZ link! We haven’t nailed down the pick-up/drop-off location yet, but most likely Arlington. The next big planning hurdle is finding a place to stay. Then of course the training (kicks off a week after the marathon)!

9. House Update – Since I wrote the Design Center blog, there’s not much to report other then there is a boat load of paperwork involved. Got the call today that all of the permits were filed two weeks ago so anywhere between two to four weeks will be ground-breaking. I kind of want to go out there with a ribbon and big scissors but Dude will think I’m a freak! Can’t wait until they start though because for each delay it’s pushing closing/moving closer and closer to Ironman!

10. Dude loves me – As many of you know I do finance for a living. This means I live/die by spreadsheets. You can figure that I have a slew of spreadsheets built for the building/buying of this house. I was showing Dude my latest addition, where I went room by room of my place and have a list of everything I have. I then have it broken down by whether it goes to storage, gets moved to his place, sell, etc. Then I have where it will go in the new house. He got as far as reading the column headers, looked at me, said “I love you honey, but…” Then just gave me a look that basically said “you crazy”.

He’ll appreciate my organization skills in a couple months.


11. Hair – I got 4 inches cut off!!! It’s now right at shoulder length (shortest it’s been in 3 years) and I LOVE IT!! I wear it curly and it rocks! It also looks quite professional when I straighten it.



12. Vacation or lack thereof – Remember when I said I was going to save money this year? Well, BHP (before house purchase) we were planning on a quick weekend trip to Colorado to visit friends. Well, Dude’s sticking to our save money plan and that trip is no longer on the books. So sad! I need a break!!!

13. New Blog – Did you see that I launched my cooking blog? Tri To Cook! Check it out!!

2010 - Year in Review

Or Better Late Then Never...

2010 will not go down in any record books for me. Truth be told, I'm just glad that it's over. This is also delayed because the year ended with me sick...sick almost consistently from 7 December until YESTERDAY (I did have a 5-day break in there, but still) a MONTH of sinus infections, ear infections, walking pneumonia, and bronchitis. Apparently my immune system went on holiday.

Rather then go month by month, here's a summary:

- I did my first Polar Plunge, and will be repeating it in 2011.
- I ran my first half-marathon, guess you could call that a PR!
- I participated in one Relay (should have been two but more on that in a bit) and did one Oly - did NOT PR in either.
- I did two 70.3's. One in Hell (Florida) and one at a fantastic venue (Musselman - Lake Seneca, New York) that I'll be returning to in 2011. Did NOT PR in either.
- I got robbed in the MicroMussell and will redeem myself in 2011.
- I did not do Marine Corp Marathon (but if you look at my results you'll see that "I" finished in 4:08 - that was actually my ROCKSTAR cousin who came down here with 3 days notice and still finished in 4:08. BTW, she's also skinnier and prettier then me...BIATCH).
- I ran the Marine Corp 10K against Doctor's orders. Did NOT PR.
- I travelled to North Carolina to do an Ironman Relay and ended up attempting the whole dang thing. I got to the halfway point in the marathon and called it a day (and I am STILL kicking myself for not finishing)!!!!

If you remember my Motivation Plan, I was to "give myself" $5 for every workout I did. Well, I "made" $605 - that is sadly 2.32 workouts a week which is almost exactly what IM AZ costs. Convenient!

In total...
I swam 52,365 meters, or 12.4 Iron-Distance swims,
I biked 1,217 miles, or 10.85 Iron-Distance bike rides, and
I ran 445 miles, or 16.97 marathons.

Compared to 2009 (which I quit tracking in Sep 2009):
I swam 100,312 meters, or 23.75 Iron-Distance swims,
I biked 1,518 miles, or 13.53 Iron-Distance bike rides, and
I ran 512 miles, or 19.52 marathons.

Aside from racing/training, I had a blast in Vegas with some great friends, I got promoted at work (which includes my very own parking spot), I got a bad-ass tattoo, I went on a non-race related vacation in Grand Cayman and I'm still head over heels, madly in love with Dude.

All in all, LIFE IS GOOD!

BRING IT 2011 - it's time to KICK AZ!!!!

2011 Race Schedule and goals coming soon!

Beach 2 Battleship 140.6 Race Report

Alternate Title 1 – What happens when a relay turns into an Ironman (screw you WTC, I’m using the term Ironman, it’s easier to type then Iron-Distance or Ultra-Triathlon)
Alternate Title 2 – Hey Rocky, Watch me pull an Ironman out of my hat!
Alternate Title 3 – Seriously, don’t try this!

Package Pick-up/Back Story
Many months ago I signed up to ride the 112 miles in an Iron-distance race. Well, I had a feeling that my swimmer was not going to show since I hadn’t heard from her since June and she never replied to any email that CH or I sent. So I packed my wetsuit, just in case. While at packet pick-up I finally heard from her, and sure enough, she wasn’t going to show.

OK – I’ll swim (I mean, the swim profile says it’s with current, how bad can 2.4 miles be??), bike, and CH will run.

CH and I start texting and I notice signs that she doesn’t want to run. She has been plagued with injuries so after some back and forth I tell her it’s OK if she doesn’t want to come down.

OK – I’ll swim, bike, and call it a day.

I went to the pre-brief and started thinking, I wonder if I could do the whole thing. I called Iron-Jason to see if he thought I could pull an Ironman out of my A$$ and he said go for it, what’s the worst that can happen.

I go back and forth in my brain and decide WTF, I’ll be a ROCKSTAR for trying, and a ROCKSTAR SUPERHERO if I finish.

I went and picked up the run portion of the packet, changed from relay to individual, and bought all kinds of gear and nutrition required for the race.

I got a decent night sleep, at least until 3 A.M, then the nerves kicked in. Alarm went off around 4 A.M., ate something and headed to the start.

Pre:
Got all situated and found the Team Z-er’s that were going to swim. We put on our wetsuits and got on the bus to the start. It seemed like a very long drive for a 2.4 mile swim, then we got to stand in the cold waiting for the start. As we walked to the water (and the nerves were in high gear) I realized not only was I going to attempt an Ironman, I was about to get the crap beat out of me for about 15 minutes with the swim start. AWESOME! They corralled us up and blew an air horn, and the fun begins!

Swim 2.4 Miles – 1:30 in water, official time: 1:32:46 (includes run to timer)
Once again, I had an “easy” Ironman experience. I wasn’t hit, punched, swam over, nothing. I found my space and just tried to get comfortable. At first my goggles were leaking and they were driving me nuts. I finally got them situated and got into a groove. I did stop (way too often) to find the next buoy, but I still managed to stay in the groove. 2.4 miles is a very long way but I was never in pain (surprising since I only swam about 10 times, once being on Tuesday). The current wasn’t as strong as I was hoping and the water was very choppy but I’m pretty darn happy with my time.

T1 – 12:03
My first experience with a changing tent. Got out of my wetsuit and into my bike gear (it’s just as hard to get spandex on in a tent as out in the open). But I did take some time to really dry off, get some lube on, and to make sure I had everything. Grabbed Penny and headed out.

Bike 112M – Bike computer ride time 6:36 - Official Time (includes stops) 6:47:58 -
Mind-numbingly boring! Me no-likey 112 mile loops. Including the volunteers (who were awesome and I thanked whenever I remembered) there were less than 100 people out there cheering. Add the F-ING headwind for the first 80 miles and I was not a happy camper. Hydration was not an issue - I stopped at every porta-potty except at special needs (but stopped 10 minutes up the road at a mini-mart) and at the last stop.
For the first 30 miles I was convinced I would finish the race.
Miles ~31-60 I thought I’ll just stop at the half-way point on the run.
Miles ~61-75 – F-This, I’m stopping after the bike and drinking beer (I got screwed up on my nutrition for a bit and this was my bonking/crying in the porta-potty phase).
Got back on my nutrition track and started doing math, and for the rest of the ride I thought “Wow, at this pace I have plenty of time to finish this race”.

Oh, and notice the PR on the bike?! BOO-YA! (OK, it's 100% due to the lack of hills (mountains) compared to Switzerland).

T2 – 10:42
Absolutely thrilled to get off of Penny and I may have asked bike catcher to “throw that b!tch away”. Got changed, asked the volunteer to talk me out of heading out. She told me I was awesome for even trying so I headed out to the run. Another stop at a porta-potty (stupid hydration) and off I went.

Run 26.2 (or Not)- Time: ~3:00 (obviously not)
I s-l-o-w-l-y jogged out of transition and down the road until I rounded the corner to get on the overpass. I stepped on something that was jabbing into my foot so I took a moment to figure out what it was. Hmm, a nail, good thing I checked! I basically walked any incline and “ran” the rest. I had to stop at every other porta-potty, so maybe I’ll wear a diaper for my next Ironman. The crowd support was great through downtown Wilmington, but aside from that there was barely anyone out cheering. The sun set around mile 7 and it started getting chilly. By now, it felt like I was getting stabbed in my lower back with each step (car accident in the beginning of October) so between the pain, cold, and lack of crowd (oh, and the fact that I was only partially trained for the bike portion) I decided I was calling it a day at the ½ marathon point.

Overall: DNF I circled the cone at the turn around to ensure I did the whole ½ marathon and headed to the side of the finish area to turn in my chip and immediately burst into tears. I’ve only DNF’d one race (and I ended up in the hospital with pneumonia, bronchitis, and strep throat). I stopped and tried to talk myself into finishing at least 10 times before I got to where I could hand someone my chip. I gave my chip to a volunteer and said take this before I hurt myself. Went to the team tent, grabbed a steak and ate it caveman style. I soon realized I was exhausted so I caught a ride with Marie back to the hotel.

The following days
Quite honestly, I’ve been beating myself up. I still had 5 hours until the cut-off – I could have finished. Two days later there was no pain, which in my head means I should have pushed myself and finished.

But I’m putting this behind me and getting back on marathon training this weekend.

Oh, and signing up for Ironman Arizona on Monday – this one I will train for!

Lots going on

and no time to blog.

First - I finally got my promotion. Woo Hoo and double WOOT!!! But now you know why the "no time to blog".

Second - Ironman FL 70.3 is on Sunday (Bib 1681, Wave 15, 7:03 start). Yep, Sunday, as in 3 days and a wake-up. And if you think my training has picked up from the pure laziness since October the answer would be a resounding NO. And the weather...upper 80's and sunny. This is going to be a SUFFER FEST!

I did run 2 1/2 - 3 hours two weeks ago - the run was fine but it was unseasonal HOT and HUMID. My body tends to shut down in those conditions (like I said, SUFFER FEST). Then on Sunday I rode 40 plus miles. The first 25 miles my eyes were swollen shut from the pollen. I took a Benadryl at the rest stop and was in a coma for the final 15. Literally, I put my elbows on my aero pads and closed my eyes whenever the road was straight. Just a little dangerous!

This past weekend Penny was in the shop. Instead of running I went on a hike with Dude. If you want to know the truth, I was kind of hoping that I would get injured so I wouldn't have to race this Sunday. No such luck - still healthy, still racing.

Racing, now that's a funny word.

I will compete. I will do my best. But I have no goals except -
Don't stop swimming, pedaling, or putting one foot in front of the other for 70.3 miles!

Rumpass in the Bumpass Oly Race Report = Brain Fart

First tri of the season and I found that I have forgotten more about triathlons in the past 7 months then I care to admit!


Pre: Team Z Rulz! It was fun to see the nervous newbies, catch up with the veterans, and found a new love for a pancake with Nutella as a pre-race snack. Thanks Lindsay! Couple brain fart moments – I couldn’t remember where/how to attach the bike number, didn’t bring scissors/tape, and forgot sunscreen (I paid for this later).

Swim 1,500 M – 34:42 Over 1 minute faster then Nation’s Tri – probably had more to do with swimming a straight line then anything else. This was by far the choppiest water I’ve ever swum in and got flipped on my back a few times. Brain fart moment – I had taken my goggles off for pictures and started to swim out to the start line with my goggles on top of my head. DOH!

T1 – 2:34 Almost a minute faster then Nation’s. It was a long way from my bike to the mount line and running in bike shoes bites!

Bike 40K – 1:26 Five minutes slower then Nation’s. Had fun on the ride and considering this was only my second time on Penny since October. Per the usual, I need to work on hills…and have a talk with Mother Nature about winds on race day. Brain fart moment - I forgot to check what gear I would need to be in coming out of transition. Bottom of a hill, big gear = FAIL! Then I couldn’t clip in. Rookie mistakes!

T2 - 2:24 One minute faster then Nation’s. First race since Kinetic (May last year) that my knee was not hurting! WOOT! Brain fart moment – I forgot to put my speed laces on my new shoes and this was the first time I had to tie my shoes in a very long time. I did take the extra minute to put my devil horns on though.

Run 10K – 1:14 Twelve (yep, twelve) minutes slower then Nation’s. I’ve been having a problem running lately. For the first 2-3 miles, I have no motion in my right ankle so I flat-foot plod along…very, very, very slowly. About the time I’m ready to call it a day the motion returns and I can run again. So, I’d say my first 3 miles were at a run/walk pace of 13+ minute miles. Eventually, I may have gotten to an 11 minute pace, but I did walk the hills and the portion through the woods where roots were bigger then what I could lift my legs at this point. No final sprint – I was DONE!

Overall 3:20 – 14 minutes slower then Nation’s. Not real happy with the results but considering the sheer lack of training it is better then I deserved! Also, due to lack of base strength, this was the first time I left everything on the course. Like I said, no final sprint because I just couldn’t. I took off my shoes to get in the lake for an ice bath and found that the front of my right ankle down to the arch was grossly swollen and it hurt to walk. I should probably get that looked at but FL ½ Ironman in less then a month.

Rumpus in the Bumpass = great way to start the tri-season!

Stay tuned for the Rumpus in the Bumpass Sprint Relay Race Report.

Food (x13)

I’m focusing on food because I went to swim practice this morning (2,500 meters in 60 minutes) so after morning swim practice, as typical
I.
AM.
STARVING.

1. I don’t like crust on toast but I love pizza crust and I eat the crust on my sandwiches first.

2. If I ever invite you over for a meal, just come over. I’m 97% positive you will enjoy the food (100% sure you’ll enjoy the company).

3. But you should know I taste with the same spoon I’m stirring with.

4. If something falls on the floor I throw it away – no 5-second rule in my kitchen.

5. I don’t like tomatoes in/on my burgers or sandwiches. I do like the slices next to my food with a little salt on them.

6. Despite my aversion to tomatoes in my food, I do like tomato sauce and salsa.

7. I prefer my sandwiches cut diagonally.

8. It annoys me when people put salt/pepper on their food without tasting it first.

9. I don’t like green bell peppers but I like red, orange, and yellow ones.

10. Further proof that I was switched at birth - I do not like spicy food! Yep, I’m a disgrace to the Mexi-Rican community! Knowing that there’s an Italian girl out there that hates pasta and lives for spicy Mexican food makes me feel a little better when ordering everything “as mild as possible”!

11. I now make my tuna fish with tzatziki sauce (2 Tbs = 30 calories) instead of reduced fat, light mayo (2 Tbs = 98 calories) or regular Mayo (1 Tbs = 114 calories). So not only is it better for me, it adds a little zing that is mmm, mmm, good.

12. I try not to order guacamole when out in public. Only because I have to stop myself from licking the bowl like I do at home (only when I’m alone or at least out of eyesight of others).

13. I'm also not very good at sharing said guacamole. See that picture, yep, that would just be for me!!!

All this talk makes me HUNGRY!

Swim, Dude, Work - Thursday 13

1. I made swim practice this morning

2. Only because I had to drop off an armoire to Tom and I’m not going to make the Team run this weekend

3. Practice was great – tiring at first but fine by the end – even with all those Zone-4 sets and the one Zone-5 set!

4. I think I could build back to my speed again if I was disciplined enough to go twice a week

5. I did enjoy my 7-11 coffee this morning. You’d think that would be enough incentive to go twice a week!

6. I feel sorry for the swim coaches. They must get tired of telling me that I cross my arms too far across my head on the catch (especially when I’m tired).

7. Dude took the day off and took me to lunch today.

8. To Bertucci’s! Mmm, thin crust pizza!

9. Even with a lunch break I will have 12 hours in today. That brings me up to 46 and I have another 11 – 12 hours day tomorrow.

10. Did I mention my promotion is almost in the bag?!

11. And one of the women that would eventually fall in my organization told me straight up that she “will NOT work for me”. She said that…to my face.

12. I thought “don’t let the door hit you in the A$$ on your way out”!

13. I wish I had the COJONES to say it! To HER face!

2010 - Bring It!

Here it is – the much anticipated race schedule (subject to change whenever I feel like it)

Jan 16 – DC Road Runner Club’s JFK 5K – no goal. OK, I want to break 30 minutes (shut up speed demons!). A couple years ago – before Ironman training - I did a 5K in 23 minutes. My, my, my how times change!

Feb – Nothing yet – possibly the GW Birthday Classic

Mar 21 – Virginia Beach Half Marathon – Hopefully my runner cousin will be joining me on this trip (she’ll do the full marathon). Goal = 2:20

Apr 17-18 – Rumpass in the Bumpass Triathlon Weekend – This year I’m thinking of racing both the Olympic and the Sprint. If not both, race the Oly and relay the sprint (bike leg). Goals: Olympic under 3:10/Sprint under 1:20

May 16 – Ironman FL 70.3 – this is going to be fun. Family and high school friends are going to be lined up to cheer me on (and possibly provide a beer stop on the run). Goal = 6:40

Jun – Nothing – recovery and rebuild for…

Jul 9-11 – Musselman – Team Z event. I’m thinking all three events:
Friday - micro-Mussel (100 yd/.6 m tricycle or bigwheel/.2 m) - Goal – HAVE FUN!
Saturday - mini-Mussel (750m/16.1 mile/3.2 mile) - Goal – HAVE FUN!
Sunday - Musselman Half Iron(1.2 mile/56 mile/13.1 mile). Goal – HAVE FUN!

Aug – Nothing – Recovery and begin Marine Corp Marathon training in the dreaded heat wave that IS Northern Virginia!

Sep – MCM Training

Oct 31 – Marine Corp Marathon – deferred from 2009 – this is a race I have always wanted to do. At the very least it will be inspirational! Goal: 4:59:59

Nov 13 – Beach To Battleship Iron Distance RELAY – I’m looking for someone willing to run a marathon because I want to try the swim and bike. This is a potential Iron-Distance race in my future. Goal – HAVE FUN!

Dec - Nothing but relaxation!

Year in Review (Thursday 13)

January – Ran my first 20 mile. Also had a wonderful trip to Colorado with Dude (pic) to do some skiing and snowshoeing.




February – First marathon and Jason and I ran every step (pic). We did miss the 5-hour goal by 3 minutes but c'est la vie. Most important though, there was a new addition to my family. Penny arrived on 7 Feb at just over 18 pounds (pic).

March – Big training month and finally back to riding outdoors (pic). Unfortunately the weather never agreed so the riding was miserable (you can't tell in the pic but it was cold). I also started getting a sport massages every other week and bought a bunch of gear during March!

April – Race season has begun - Cherry Blossom 10 miler (pic) and Rumpass in the Bumpass (still the best named triathlon) – had a blast on the Olympic relay, serious fail with the sprint. This was not the best training month in terms of performance but I got it done.

May – First 70.3…and I got injured (pic). YIKES! Took some down time, then eased back into training. In other news – I planned and arranged our post Ironman vacation to Lake Como, Italy.

June – Second 70.3 and it was Awesome! (Sang in a high pitched voice) (pic). Then came the final long days of training and the expected angst leading up to race day. That angst turned into an odd calm as THE day got closer.


July – I AM AN IRONMAN!
Oh, and I had a fabulous vacation to Lake Como (pic).




August - Basked in the glow of being an IRONMAN. Also did some local exploring and found some incredible places. Due to those finds, I cooked a lot this month (pic). Dude and I also went to Pennsylvania for a Metric Century and I even managed to get some marathon training in.

September – Two firsts this month – my first Olympic distance tri (other two I participated in either cut the swim or turned into Duo) and my first 10K run. Decided not to do Marine Corp marathon. Highlight of the month was going home and hangin' with my highschool friends (pic).



October – PID set in…BAD! Barely trained, hell, I barely exercised. I also cut out a lot of socializing. I injured my jaw and I think I spent most of the month in pain and depressed.

November – PID still there - Depression sucks!! Managing to do some exercising on my own and a little bit of socializing. On the positive side, Dude and I have decided to buy a house together – but it will be awhile until we are living in sin - must sell two places before buying one.


December – Typical in that there were a lot of parties (pic), socializing, eating and not a lot of exercising. Developed my New Plan. Had a massive snowstorm on my birthday weekend. Celebrated Christmas with Dude and his family. And am planning a quiet evening to bring in the New Year.



Plans for 2010 are in the works. Continuing with “The Plan”, increase training with Team Z, a couple races, selling/buying a house, try to squeeze a vacation in, work on 101 in 1001, and enjoying the happiness I’ve found with Dude.

I wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year!

Bring it 2010!

13

1. Middle of the week holidays RULE! Happy Veteran's Day yesterday to all those who are serving/have served.

2. Work is busy so exercising, sleeping, and quality time has gone to the wayside.

3. But because I had to be at work by 0730 I decided to go to swim practice this morning. Yep, you heard me right, swim practice...at 0530. And today is the day the coach decided to video tape me and critique my stroke. Um, hello, this was my first day back after a four month break. I'm more concerned with survival then stroke technique. (But I did notice the increased speed once I corrected to what use to be natural)

4. I forgot the side effects of morning swim - goggle wrinkles for half the day, starving ALL DAY LONG, and the joy of a neon red left eye. Oh, and I am exhausted!

5. I seem to have hurt my right knee by sitting on my ass for 8-hours. A couple weeks ago when we went to Williamsburg I spent Sunday working on my laptop in front of the TV. Something about the way I had my leg, I pulled the tendons behind my knee. But, after months of PT for IMS I apparently learned something. I am doing the same exercises, taking the same OTC pills, and doing the same icing of the leg and it seems to be healing.

6. Oh, I forgot to mention my temporary wading pool. I got a call from my neighbor at around 0700 on Monday morning saying there was water leaking from my garage door. Hmmmmmmmm..... My water heater faucet completely broke off and by the time I got home my single car garage had about four inches of water built up. So, 8 hours and $900 later I am the proud owner of a new water heater (thanks Lowe's) and a clean/organized garage (thanks Dude).

7. Lesson learned from #6 - Give your neighbors your contact information! If I hadn't done that (just this summer) I wouldn't have known about the leak for a good 12 hours. Imagine the damage (and the water bill)!!!

8. Looks like everyone from Team Z had a great race in FL (and Holly is now an Ironman after her Beach 2 Battleship (B2B) race). It was fun tracking them on-line and there were some fast times - I still think if I do another Ironman sanctioned Full Ironman it will be FL (or Arizona).

9. Thanksgiving menu is ALMOST finalized. So far we are having 7 people over, possibly 9.

10. Men Who Stare at Goats = GOOD (and not just because they show George Clooney's naked arse). Where the Wild Things Are = BAD (and not because it's a kids movie - it was just depressing and seemed to reinforce bad behavior)

11. I made an incredible Rachel Ray recipe of Pasta with Pumpkin & Sausage (Cook 101 #23) on Friday night. By incredible I mean 4/4 FRC's. The only changes I made from the link are used spicy Italian turkey sausage instead of sweet Italian, used light cream instead of heavy cream. I served this on its own and it was quite filling. And did I mention incredible?


12. I met with a realtor about my townhouse. It seems I was overestimating the market. It looks like I can break even once all the fees are paid. I'm now seriously considering is renting it out. I can definitely cover my mortgage and I know having a rental is a great tax benefit.

13. I can't believe 2009 is almost over. Where'd it go?

Mooseman 70.3 Race Report

Updated with pictures.
Note 1 – You will learn nothing from this race report but it's filled with exclamation points! (See)
Note 2 – I’ve mentioned before, I cuss a lot during races. Truth be told, I cuss a lot. Where you see F-xxx I actually said the real word…probably very loud.

When I signed up for this race my goal was to “…perfect my plans and to beat my Kinetic time.” But then I got injured. My new goals were to go easy until it hurt, bow out and drink margaritas. OK, that’s what I was told to do. Truth be told, I went in with the same goals as Kinetic: ultra-stretchy goal was 6:30, real goal 7:00, and worst case 8:00:01 (after cut-off).

Friday: Drove, and drove, and drove. 15 F-ing hours - in the rain! Dude and I stopped talking after 12 hours (we’re over “it” now (whatever "it" was, neither of us remember). But I did love the texts that I was getting from my housemates. F-ers!

Saturday: Went and watched part of the Oly then headed out to do a brick. All went well, no pain. We went to grab a beer and appetizers and at some point Jason asked me if I had thoughts about next year. I said I’m never doing F-ing Ironman again. I wasn’t having fun anymore! I use to love training/racing and it just sucked now and I may never race again, etc., etc., etc. Then they all laughed at me. F-ers!

Dude and I went to drive the course (apparently 15 hours in the car the day before wasn’t enough) and that’s when I really started getting worried. It is a F-ing Hilly Course. I haven’t rode hills since Kinetic. How the F was I suppose to finish this race. I was in a panic. Back to the house, dinner, bed time and I actually cried myself to sleep worrying about the race and ultimately Ironman.

Race Day: Woke up early had a bagel and PB and headed to the course. Set up transition, hung out, then headed for the water to “warm up”. At my wave start they started playing my favorite running songs “Stronger” by Kanye West. "That, that, that, that that don't kill me can only make me stronger".

Swim: 38:53
One minute slower then Kinetic. I blame it on this being one of my crookedest swims in a long time, I couldn’t find any clear spots and in the final 500 meters or so, someone grabbed my right calf and my whole leg cramped up. I tried to kick to get rid of the cramp and my left leg cramped. Not a good feeling even for someone who doesn’t kick during the swim. Out of the water, out of the wetsuit (never thought I’d utter these words “strippers rock”!), and into transition.

T1: 4:23
Stripped down and got in my cycling outfit then helped the lady next to me get into her tri top. I use to be speedy in transitions, now my goal in 5 minutes or less.

Bike: 3:33:38
AWESOME
F-ING
RIDE!
Yes the course is hilly, and I have no idea how/what I did, but I had a great ride(by my standards)! Stayed in Zone 2 except when I passed the Team Z cheering sections, then it shot up to Zone 4. I did drop my chain…3 F-ing times…and sailors would have blushed had they heard me. All in all, I felt great, ate/drank every 15 minutes as planned (going to change this to drink every 10 min, eat every 20), and had a max speed of 38.3. At some point in the last loop I realized I was going to be close to the 3:30 time and I was ecstatic! Needless to say, I came into transition with the biggest smile on my face! Dare I say it…I, yes I, had fun on the bike!

T2: 4:29
Again, full change from bike shorts to compression shorts. This was the first tri that I put on the calf sleeves so that took a bit of time. I also had to put on my tiara but I don’t think that took more then a second!


Run: 2:25:34
And I’m off! Ran out of transition, up past the roar of cheers from the Team Z crowd. Coach Ed yells at me “are you ok?” I yell back, “I’m not OK, I’m F-ing AWESOME”!

Then my shins seized up. I walked for 2 minutes and started running again. Ahh, much better. Ran for 10 minutes and implemented the 2 minute walk break. During this I decided I felt GREAT. F-it, I’m running the rest of this race!
And I did!
Including the hills!
And I negative split!
And I never felt a niggling of pain in my tendon!
Awesome! (Sang in a high pitched voice)

Finish: 6:46:57
I came down the hill, across the beach (SUCKED), stopped and hugged “Boobs”, and entered the chute. I saw Dude taking pictures, gave a thumbs up, and just Could. Not. Stop. Smiling. Got past the announcer, turned around, and moonwalked over the finish line. Not quite the striptease that Mary did but I did my best.

Dude found me, gave me a big hug and I told him I’m having fun again! Then proceeded to smile for the next 7 hours.

THIS WAS EXACTLY THE RACE I NEEDED!!!!! For the first time, I’m excited and looking forward to Ironman!

Final Kinetic Thoughts and Happy News

I had to add a pic of Jason & I after our 1st Half Iron Distance race.

Thoughts from the race:
How is that possible that transition was at the top of the hill after the swim but the bottom of the hill for the bike/run?

I got kicked in the goggles for the first time. It didn't hurt, just startling.

Volunteers ROCK! Always with encouraging words and cheers. Love them! On that note - Racers, remember to thank the volunteers for their time!

Horses, traffic, and cyclists do not mix!

I actually like the multi loops in the run. With each one, I just told myself, "Just do this one and see how you feel". It kept me going.

Somehow the race photographer got a picture of me smiling while I was running - I didn't think that ever happened during this race.

I really do cuss A LOT during races.

I'm glad my mom and sister were there, I just wish I wasn't injured!

Team Z ROCKS! Seeing/cheering for all of the green jerseys is a lot of fun and motivating. Note to those of you without team gear - GET SOME! It always feels good to hear "Go Z".

Notice the race belt holding the ice in place!

HAPPY NEWS:
I moved up a lane at swimming today. Tuesday, Ed pointed out something in my stroke and I implemented the change today. What a difference in power! I love it when something just clicks!! I'm now in lane 7 - woo hoo!

Following the Black Line

I’m not fast by any means but I do enjoy the swim. When I concentrate on my technique during practice my thoughts are:

Superman – Eyes on the black line - Right elbow bent, cup hand, pull back with fingertips not crossing mid body (like I’m climbing a rope) - Extend back - Graze Hip - High Elbow – Reach forward

Left elbow bent, cup hand, pull back with fingertips not crossing mid body - Extend back - Graze Hip - High Elbow – Reach forward

Right elbow bent, cup hand, pull back with fingertips not crossing mid body - Extend back - Graze Hip - High Elbow – Exhale - Breathe Right - Reach forward - Eyes on the black line …

Had to redo math & update numbers. And repeat 5.1 times alternating breathing side. Turn around and repeat 6.1 times. Repeat this for however many lengths needed for the practice.

With the black line guiding me I swim. It’s repetitive and boring, yet rhythmic, comforting, and strangely relaxing.

Race time is different. Each race starts with panic - technique flies out the window, breathing is overrated, I’m in protective mode from getting hit by others, and I’m fighting for position - it’s pure adrenaline pumped nerves. Then suddenly a deep calm falls over me. My thinking is not as detailed as in practice but I repeat “stroke, stroke, stroke, breathe, stroke, stroke, stroke, breathe, sight” over and over again.

Without the black line guiding me I swim - it’s repetitive and boring, yet rhythmic, comforting, and strangely relaxing.