...my magic bean...

Overwhelmed

2012-01-31T11:27:00.000-05:00

Overwhelmed. It's the only word I can currently find to describe how I am feeling. I throw this out there, too, not really knowing who reads this blog anymore. Some folks in my life that I know very well recently revealed they started reading my blog, but I have no idea if they have stuck with it. I don't know if anyone I work with is reading it, and I don't know for sure what people in my present and past read this. But I need to get some stuff out there, and for some reason this space feels like a safe place to do so.

First, an apology for not being around much here lately. By the end of the post, you should have a good idea as to why.

Next - work. I seem to be having a recent string of success in my worklife. I am an executive recruiter, and I've been at the job for almost a year now. Never having a sales job in my life prior to this, the learning curve has been "steep" to say the least. My first 9 months in the job have been painful - emotionally draining, mentally beating, and very hard on the pocketbook. Beyond all of that, it has made me seriously question what I want to be in life and how I see my job or career fitting in to the definition I give myself. I've always grown up wanting to change the world. I've always wanted to do good things for people and make a difference. While I can justify what I do on a daily basis as doing just that, it's not quite what I had imagined myself doing. The truth of the matter though is that there are certain things I'm not willing to give up in order "to change the world" - and that has made me start to feel somewhat bad about myself.

I'm not willing to do an hour + drive or more each way to work. I'm terrified of driving in the snow, and I want to work in my community - not super far away. I want a job I am proud to talk about to my friends. I want to make a decent wage. I currently work for minimum wage as a draw, but truly I work on 100% commission. Any minimum wage payments I receive have to be paid back out of any commissions I make (pretty standard for any sales job). Let's just say the W-2 I received this year looked very similar to the W-2 I received when I was waiting tables at age 14. No joke. I want to be self-sufficient and able to take care of myself just in case, god forbid, I would ever have to be in a position where I did have to take care of myself. Right now, I wouldn't be able to afford rent on an apartment. That scares the living shit out of me.

Luckily I have a wonderful and caring husband who has been totally supportive of me. He has no health issues and is not going to kick me out anytime soon, but still - I'm an only child and have always felt a need to be able to sustain myself for the pure sake of knowing I can take care of my own. And it kills me that I am not in a place to do that.

In an effort to get to that point, I have started to take on additional jobs in hopes of finding what I should really be doing for purpose and for cash. I'm now teaching spinning three times a week at the gym in my town. I also just accepted the position of cycle club coordinator for my other gym in Columbus. That will have me leading group rides twice a week starting in the Spring, and it will provide me a free gym membership rather than having to pay the $70+ that I pay now (and know I truly can't afford). It's also quite possible they will want me to start teaching there at least once a week, too.

On top of all of this, I am training for a half ironman that I can't justify registering for because I feel guilty for the expense. $200+ to register for a race seems like something I have not yet earned. I'm not bringing in my "keep" to the family, so I'm not ready to register. I am still riding my $90 Wal-Mart bike that weighs a bajillion pounds and also can't justify upgrading that. How can I spend $500+ on a bike when I make minimum wage?

Luckily, as I mentioned earlier on, I've started having some success in my job. For the first time in almost a year, I will be bringing home some real paychecks in the next couple of months. I'm excited and terrified. I've gotten over the hump, now I need to keep it going. That, or I need to find something that will just pay me a regular paycheck every month so I can drop the stress of finances. I picked the wrong sport to fall in love with - triathlon is much better suited to those with extra cash floating around. And that is definitely not me.

Therefore, I am overwhelmed today. It may because I am midway through week three of half marathon/half iron training and I'm exhausted. I also know what's coming down the pipeline, and I am nervous about all the work it will require. I wish I could find a position that would get me to where I want to be financially and even more importantly to where I always thought I would be - helping change the world. But as I get older I realize that is more and more unlikely. We find our joy in the things and people that surround us every day. An unseasonably warm day in the Winter. A phone call from a friend. A snuggle from a puppy. A good run with a friend.

Where this is all going, I don't know. I'm struggling to understand what I should be doing and why. I know what I love to do but can't seem to get paid for doing it. I'm trying to find the path, but it is definitely down that "road less traveled." I just hope that eventually I get to the highway - because I'm not sure how much longer I can continue to wander and not start to feel fully lost.

It's an interesting journey filled with new and old friends, though, and I am keeping the faith that everything will work out the way it is supposed to. In the meantime, if I am not around a ton please know I continue to read lots of your blogs on blogger. I think of you all very often and find strength in your struggles and your ability to share them in this space, too. I'll touch base when I can. And good luck to all you fellow wanderers too :-)

Take a sec and watch this

2012-01-13T13:21:00.003-05:00

Not sure if you have seen this one yet or nor, but it's well worth a watch.

Fotoshop by Adobé from Jesse Rosten on Vimeo.

Top Ten Resolutions for Triathletes

2012-01-12T09:03:00.001-05:00

This article tidbit went out on the COTT Listserv this morning, and I thought it was worth sharing. It also made me feel much better about the training plan I just put together. Enjoy!!!

For Inside Triathlon

Top Ten New Years Resolutions for Triathletes

The new year is finally here and it is time to start preparing for the big races. So many triathletes are telling themselves, “This year will be different.” Before you get too hyped up, remember that there are many little steps that contribute to your success on race day. Make plans right now to incorporate the following strategies into your preparation.

Resolution #1: This year I will work hard on technique and efficiency in all three triathlon segments. Genetics plays a huge role in endurance performance, and several years of consistent training bring athletes very close to theirpotential for sustained energy expenditure. Even a mid-packer who already trains hard isn’t going to get that much stronger, but every triathlete can become much, much more efficient. Even professional athletes improve efficiency bymore than 4 percent working specifically on running technique. No amount oftraining would make them four percent stronger. Working on technique in allthree triathlon segments is the number one way to improve for any athlete beyond the beginner phase. Use tools like videos from Total Immersion (TotalImmersion.net) for swimming technique, Optimum Fitness Results (CyclingVideos.com) for cycling technique, and Evolution Running (EvolutionRunning.com) for running technique to perfect the efficiency of your movements. Top coaches will tell you that this is where the real speed is. If you only improve one thing this year, this should be it.

Resolution #2: This year I will swim like an endurance athlete in workouts, not like a sprinter. While a pool swimmer’s races require quick bursts of energy, even a sprint triathlon is an endurance-based, aerobic event. Most triathletes train with masters swim teams, which emphasize short, fast interval training. This may be fun, and it definitely has its place in training for an open water swim, but this type of workout should not be the primary mode of swimtraining. While most athletes at Masters workouts enjoy these sets, the workouts should not be designed solely for entertainment. Include easy swims of 30-plus minutes and reps of 500 meters or more at race intensity on a regular basis. Leave the sprinting to the sprinters this year.

Resolution #3: I will get enough rest between workouts. Self-coached athletes tend to train medium hard all the time, which is very ineffective. Well-rested athletes have better workouts. Pro triathlete Ryan Bolton once told me “The very top guys maintain balance in their lives. They are not the crazy, obsessed type.” Only two or three key workouts per week really improve your speed and endurance. Between these longer or faster workouts, go easy and get well rested for your next key workout.

Resolution #4: I will focus as much on mental preparation as on physical.Working on mental skills is the most neglected aspect of triathlon training. Most athletes work out to make their legs stronger, but many ignore mental strength. Focusing on mental skills is not a sign of a weak mind any more than focusing on long runs is a sign of weak legs. We train, physically or mentally, to make what is already strong even better. Developing mental skills improves an athlete’s ability to focus on the task at hand and get the most out of the body despite the pain. Many athletes think about anything but the effort and the pain of racing at the red line (disassociate). Top athletes stay intensely tuned in (associate) to the pain and effort in order to constantly monitor the body’s condition, pace appropriately, and maintain efficient technique.

Resolution #5: I will consume much more protein this year. Giving the body the right nutrients during training, racing and recovery is critical. Few athletes consume enough protein. Recent research has determined that hard-training athletes need about 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram bodyweight, significantly more than previously thought. Read The Paleo Diet for Athletes for further guidelines.

Resolution #6: I will train more in a wetsuit and in open water this year. Pool swimming is cross training for triathlon swim racing. The dynamics of swimming in a lake or the ocean are quite different from swimming in a pool, enough that they are almost like two different sports (road cycling and mountain biking). Try doing a hard 500 without pushing off the wall and you’ll see what I mean. Practice swimming in open water in your wetsuit as often as possible.

Resolution #7: I will prioritize brick workouts this year. Running a fast 10K or a fast marathon is a different proposition after 40 kilometers or 112 miles of hard cycling. Brick workouts train the legs to transfer from cycling to running quickly and efficiently. Getting these workouts in consistently makes for better race day experiences.

Resolution #8: I will develop and maintain a process orientation instead of a product orientation this year. It is easy for a serious triathlete to get so caught up in race goals and split times that we lose perspective on the process that will most effectively get us there. Getting a lot faster or doing a longer race can be overwhelming. Breaking it down into smaller steps and staying focused on one workout at a time is key.

Resolution #9: This year I will get guidance from a qualified coach. Someone who spent four years studying exercise physiology knows more about how your body willrespond than you do. In addition to deeper knowledge, a coach can be objective about your training and racing, which is impossible for the racer himself. Your bike costs thousands of dollars, isn’t the guidance to help make a stronger engine worth an investment as well? Be careful accepting advice from a fast triathlete. Genetics plays a huge role in race performance. Just because an athlete is fast does not mean that he is knowledgeable. Shaquille O’Neal can’t coach you to be 7’3”

Resolution #10: I will enjoy my training and racing this year!!! Isn’t this really the most important of all? Research consistently shows that athletes perform their best when having fun. We all perform better in hedonic mode verses achievement mode. Even if winning races is more important to you than having fun, science says that having fun will make you faster. Putting a smile on your face may help as much as putting that disk wheel on your bike.

Ken Mierke, author of The Triathlete’s Guide to Run Training and developer of Evolution Running is head coach of Fitness Concepts (www.Fitness-Concepts.com) Joe Friel, author of The Triathlete’s Training Bible, Going Long, and The Paleo Diet for Athletes.

We have a winner!

2012-01-11T10:32:00.002-05:00

In the most epic failure of blog giveaways ever, we have a winner.

Mom in Motion, shoot me an email, and I will be sure you get your reward!

Despite really high viewing rates - anyone care to comment why they didn't enter the giveaway??

Sick, obsessed, crazy. Who me?

2012-01-05T22:15:00.001-05:00

Humor me for a minute. Go to www.vegasport.com. One of the first screens you see has this quote:

For those who believe sick, obsessed and crazy are terms of endearment.

Sound familiar? 4am wake up calls for runs/rides/swims or races? 5 miles is a "short run"? 25 miles on the bike is a low mileage day? Yeah, I know who you are. Because I'm one, too.

I've been a fan of Vega products for a while. Ever since I read Brendan Brazier's Thrive, I have kept his philosophy in my mind as I think of my vegetarian diet during peak training and racing days. I don't find it hard to make sure I get what I need to survive as a veg athlete, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't slightly concerned at the times when I'm training 10+ hours a week, working 40+ hours a week and holding down a rather busy social and family life. My nutrition is important, and I have come to trust Vega when it means fueling myself with 100% plant based foods.

As a Vega blogger, I was presented with the opportunity to try out the new three step line of Vega Sport products: Prepare. Sustain. Recover.

Here's what I found.

Prepare.
The spin classes I attend are 25 minutes from my house. The spin classes I attend start at 6am twice a week. To time it just right between getting up, getting dressed, brushing the grime out of my teeth, and hitting the road, I have to be up no later than 5:07am and on the road by 5:24am. If it snowed the night before, or of there is ice, I need to be on the road no later than 5:15am. Yeah, I have this down to a science. This week and last, I started drinking the Veg Pre-Workout Energizer. In the past, I may have a few sips of water on the drive, a cup of coffee if I planned ahead and set the timer the night before, but most often it was a cup of diet mountain dew or coke zero. Yeah, healthy. I was pleasantly surprised with the Vega Product. I dumped the powder into my water bottle, filled it up with water, gave it a good shake and downed it on my way to the gym. My Performance Cycle class at Lifetime is pretty hardcore, and I walked in feeling awesome. I made it through a killer class a few times at 6am with the Vega running through my veins. It was a great way to start the day. The yerba mate gave me a nice wake up call, and I kept a steady energy through my entire one hour class. I am a serious fan.

Sustain.
So, here's where I haven't really had the chance to put the Vega products fully to the test. I am actually going to hold off on this review until I have a long run/ride/swim in the near future. I haven't had a reason to try gels or bars yet, so I don't want to review them until I really have a great reason to use them.

Recover.
So far, here is where Vega gets the "slow clap treatment into standing ovation." The Protein bar? Holy crap. AMAZING. These things taste awesome. As soon as you open the wrapper - the smell of chocolate just goes BOOM. The consistency of the bar is just fantastic. I had one of these bars the other day after a hard run, and wow. It hit the spot. If I could eat these 4-5 times a day for good purpose, I totally would. Absolutely amazing. I work with a vegan triathlete in my office, and I offered him a piece of one of the bars. His response? "These aren't vegan." My response? "Read the label, buddy." I think he ordered a case as soon as he got back to his desk. FANTASTIC. As for the recovery accelerator, I loved the fruity flavor, but as a non-lover of dairy products, I had a small issue with the milk like flavor of the drink. This may be a huge bonus to others. I have never been a fan of milk - I probably had my last glass of milk around age 8 or 9. But the mix did its trick. After a 6pm interval run on the treadmill that had me doubling over in the locker room, the Vega had me back on track for the 25 minute drive home afterwards. I felt like I really got to enjoy my evening at home rather than acting like a zombie.

My final thoughts

With my first half ironman on the docket this year, I HAVE to start thinking more seriously about my nutrition in training and racing. I am making a commitment to use the Vega line of products because I love the idea of being 100% plant based in my racing and preparation. The powders, bars and gels all had a great flavor that really tasted like food, not chemicals and crap. My body deserves to be treated well, and I love what Vega stands for. I'm going to work hard to try and fold Vega in to a great deal of my racing plan this year. I think it will be a great partnership.

With that being said, what brands have you found that work for you through your training? Why did you settle on a particular brand? Proven success? A friend told you about it? You like the taste? Do you spend a little more to have "your" favorite fueling, or do you go with the most economical option?

Do you want to give Vega a try? If you do, just respond to the question above in a comment, and on Wednesday, January 11, I will pick one lucky winner who will have an entire tub of the Vega Sport Protein Optimizer shipped to your door. That's a great prize - for you and your body. Tell me about your nutrition plan, and maybe we can work on shaking it up.

And for the ladies, since I am doing a review of Vega, here's a lovely pic of Brendan Brazier, vegan athlete and formulator of Vega. You know - cause eye candy is animal friendly too :-)

Prepare. Sustain. Recover.

2012-01-05T11:41:00.001-05:00

How would you like to have this sitting on your counter?

Come back later today to read my review on the new Vega Prepare/Sustain/Recover line of products. With 2012 now well underway, it's not only time to set our race schedules and PR goals, but also time to start thinking about how we will better fuel our performance this coming year.

Review and giveaway coming tonight!

Want to go to Sufferfest 2012?

2012-01-03T10:42:00.001-05:00

Check out my sweet basement setup :-) I managed to snag a nearly brand new Cycle Ops Trainer with front block for $50 from a friend. Yes, that is freaking awesome. My buddy Susan plans to attend Sufferfest with me on a regular basis, so her trainer is set up right next to mine. Once she and her hubs return from their two week jaunt to Ecuador, we will have routine rides in the basement - time to start building up a movie queue!!!!

In the meantime, I set my goals for 2012. Straight, simple, to the point.

1) Complete a half iron distance triathlon. This race will be either Ironman Muncie, Ironman Lawrence or Rev3 CedarPoint. I am leaning more towards Muncie, as it is driveable and it is earlier in the season. Economics will dictate though if and when I can register for this race. Haven't received my W-2 yet, but something tells me I brought more cash in when I was 18 and working retail than I did this year. And no, I am not joking. If I didn't have an employed husband, I'd be on food stamps.

2) Finish a half marathon in 2:15 or faster. I will try to pull this off at the Cap City Half in May!

3) Finish an Olympic Length Tri in 2:45 or faster. I plan to race Oly distance most of this season, so hopefully I can knock this one out of the park by the end of the season.

What are your goals????

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!

Reflection

2011-12-30T12:32:00.003-05:00

Hey-o, bloggy land! How are things out there? I have been a bit off the grid the past few days. I am lucky enough to have the full week off between Christmas and New Year's (unpaid natch), so I have been doing a whole lot of nothing. Wait, I take that back. I have actually been doing a lot of stuff - napping, sleeping in, playing with puppies. I have also been subbing in my spin class, so I taught twice this week rather than my normal one night. Yesterday I even attended a spin class at the gym I pay to attend, taught two hours later at the gym that pays me to attend, then I joined a friend for a DanceJam class last night. Three workouts, one day. Not too bad. I haven't run once over the break, but I am thinking New Year's Day may mean a long run.

As I look back to 2011, I keep trying to draw out some cathartic moment. There have been a lot of things happen - I changed jobs (again) to a commission based sales environment so I could work closer to home and have more flexibility in training time. That has yet to be seen as a smart choice. I PRed all my running and tri distances. I raced my first ever Oly length tri, and I joined a tri team. I lost someone close to me (Betsy), and I made many new friends. I learned to live with less, and I learned to train harder than ever.

I guess what I learned this year is I am capable of far more than I ever thought I was. I had my heart broken, my livelihood questioned, my body pushed to its physical limits. But I walked out from all of it on the other side knowing that I can, and did survive and grow stronger because of it all.

Lord knows that if I stay on this path, only more suffering is yet to come. But I guess that's what it is all about right? We live and we learn. And I am grateful for all of it. When my time comes, I will know that these years have been the ones that taught me more about myself than I ever expected to learn. Hopefully there is a lot more to learn - both the good and bad. Stay tuned, and I will tell you all about it.

Happy New Year, all!

A Merry Christmas Indeed

2011-12-21T16:53:00.001-05:00

Our house was just a bit too quiet. No jingling of tags on the collar. No tip tap of little doggie nails across the hardwoods. Fault us if you will, but we started looking at petfinder.com within a week or so of losing little Betsy. Betsy was a rescue dog and taught us that our hearts and home were big enough for three cats and a dog. She taught us we were great puppy parents, and we felt a big gap in our daily lives not having to care for a pup.

In walks the wonderful Ohio Fuzzy Pawz Shih Tzu Rescue group. We put in an application with them without expressing direct interest in one of the dogs they were trying to re-home. We knew that when the time was right, we would want a shih tzu mix again, and we also knew that as soon as the "bug" hit to get a pup it would hit hard. We wanted to be pre-approved by the group so that when the time came, all we had to do was pick who we wanted.

We filled out the application, provided references, and we scheduled a home visit for Saturday of this past weekend. These ladies knew what they were doing, as not only did we get to meet several wonderful women who work with the rescue, we also got to meet Ruby and Garnet. Ruby and Garnet were 16 week old pups from a litter of three. The mother, Precious, was rescued from a home near Cleveland due to an owner with failing health unable to take care of the dog. Turns out the dog was actually very pregnant. The group took her not expecting mom or pups to make it through.

Thanks to the help of wonderful volunteers, the mom made it through birth, and all three girl puppies survived and thrived. As it turns out, the mom was adopted near here, and the foster mom opted to keep one of the puppies. And then there were two - Ruby and Garnet. What happens next is not surprising. When presented with two puppies, each weighing five pounds a piece, both having the sweetest and kindest dispositions, who also appear to be connected at the hip to one another - we fell in love. With both.

We hadn't been prepared to adopt yet, but as soon as we saw those girls we knew that indeed we were. And we couldn't separate them. Therefore, we are now the parents to two beautiful girls. We changed Garnet's name - she is now Katy. Meet Precious, Ruby, Katy and Diamond. All have been adopted and live within 20 miles of each other - thanks to the wonderful work of these volunteers. We love our two girls, and they are adapting to the home well. I am sure there will be plenty of pics to be shared in the coming weeks. A Merry Christmas indeed :-)

Precious is the Mom -

The puppies are Diamond, Ruby and Garnet (now Katy)

Me and our two girls on adoption day :-)

Back to regularly scheduled programming

2011-12-09T13:43:00.001-05:00

So, anything new?

Things are starting to resemble some state of normalcy now. Things are different - a little sadder, a little less filled with joy. The loss of Betsy broke our hearts, and it will take some time to recover. In the meantime, we have to think of all the wonderful memories and move forward. All of us leave this earth at some point or another - loss is a part of life. But we keep moving until it's our own time to go. And that's what we will do.

I have started to get back into training a bit. I've started making Run Club again on Wednesday night. Our coach always has some fantastic treadmill/interval/strength training workouts for the winter months, and I know that they really helped me increase my speed last year. I'm also in talks to snag my own bike trainer - looks like I will get a chance at both a magnetic trainer AND rollers, so it should be an interesting winter.

I also got an invite today to join a team for The Bourbon Chase, a 200 mile relay through Kentucky's bourbon country. I first heard about this race last year and am thrilled I was asked to join a team this year. The race isn't until late September 2012, but I know it will be a blast.

I'm still teaching spin, and that is going great. The gym I teach at just changed locations, and I taught my first class in the new space last week. I was afraid no one would show, but my four regulars were there like clockwork. My goal in 2012 is to increase my attendance a bit - surely I can have 8 at any given time (our studio only has about 15 bikes I think?)

There may also be a development where I am leading a cycle group in Columbus, but I'll provide details on that once it's finalized. The other cool thing is that teamroll: multisport is in full swing this year. If you are in the central Ohio area and interested in joining a new team that aims to spread the goodwill of the sport, shoot me an email. I'd love to chat with you. I happen to be co-leading the team with a VERY famous blogger, so you know it must be a super cool group.

So, that's about it for now. Trying to move on, and I think we're doing a pretty good job. Thank you all for your good thoughts. They have definitely helped.

Moving in slow motion

2011-12-01T14:38:00.001-05:00

Thank you all so much for your kind comments and good thoughts for our loss. It has been a ridiculously hard three days. It seems like Monday night was so far ago, yet only moments away. I put on a pair of jeans this morning and realized once I got to work that I was wearing these on Monday. I found two or three of Betsy's little hairs stuck to my pants. Luckily, I am learning to hold back the waterworks, but my heart broke a little bit more. We had our girl cremated and will get her remains back this week. I think we will keep them in the provided urn until spring. Last year, I had Betsy out on her tie out shortly after all the daffodils bloomed. I watched what I thought was our adorable little girl sitting happily in the grass smelling the flowers. As I observed a bit longer, I realized she wasn't just smelling the flowers. After a quick sniff, she quickly bit the flowers off the plant, spit them on the ground, then moved on to the next one. Le sigh. What a goof. I think I would like to spread her ashes with the daffodils once they reappear in the spring. Or maybe once the snow starts to melt - that way maybe she'll be part of the daffodils. We miss her every minute, but we are grateful that our friends and family have been so wonderfully supportive. We only had our Betsy for one year, two months and twenty days. Amazing that a 13 pound dog can make this kind of impact in that short amount of time. We love you girl, and we always will.

nom nom nom

Heartbreak

2011-11-29T15:23:00.001-05:00

I'm still in somewhat of a state of shock, but I needed a venue toshare our loss and grief. Unexpectedly, our dear girl Miss Betsy passedaway last night. Her health had been wonderful - no signs of any illness,no signs of anything strange ingested. I got home last night around 5:15and we went on a walk. She had some dinner, I had some dinner. Wewatched some TV and played a rousing game of fetch. When I left for darts at6:45pm, she was up on the couch looking at me with her ever beautiful face. I said "Bye puppy! Your Dad will be home in a few! Ilove you!" I received a call from my husband shortly after 8pm whenhe got home. She was gone. He came in the house, and there she wasin her same spot on the couch, but she didn't jump up when he came in. Heran to her and there was no response. I raced home as fast as I could -it was like being in a living nightmare.

We don't havekids. We have pets. Our Betsy brought so much light, joy andhappiness into our hearts and home every day. We have had a stressfulyear, and I know that Betsy is part of the reason we have been able to make itthrough as we have. We are absolutely and totally devastated. Wehad her in our lives for 15 months. Just fifteen months. And she wasonly about three years old. She was taken from us, and the world, toosoon. I know that eventually I will be able to just smile on thememories, but now I am angry and sad and so hurt. My physical body hurtsdue to her loss. We will get through, I know - we have to. But myheart will never be the same.

Miss Betsy, thankyou for being in our lives, even as short as it was. I love you with allmy heart, and I always will. My little puppy dog, I can't wait to see youone day down the road. In my last moments, the thought of being able torejoin you will help ease my own way, I am sure of it.

Hug your pets andfriends and family a little tighter today. Everything can change in amoment.

The last pic of my little girl and I together - the day after Thanksgiving.

Last week

I love you my little pupsy dog. I love you so much.

Turkey Trot Success

2011-11-28T13:18:00.001-05:00

My, how much can change in a year. Last year at the Granville Turkey Trot, I busted my rear in hopes of clocking my first ever sub 30 minute 5K. I reached my goal in 2010 - I crossed the finish line in 28:07 - my first ever sub 30. But damn did I give it everything I had.

This year, I ran the Granville Turkey Trot again. Yet this year, I ran it with friends. We chose to run together and well, trot. We started near the middle of the pack and weaved our way through in a sometimes snake like fashion. We joked, laughed, chatted, and all around had a good time. About a half mile or so from the finish, J pointed out that if we picked up the pace a bit we could still finish sub 30. Really? Just a fun run with friends and we were on track for last year's goal?? Awesome. Three of us picked up the pace (and yes, that last chunk was a tad uncomfortable), but we crossed the finish line in 28:55 - only 42 seconds slower than last year. And that was with the first 2.5 miles at a casual chit chat pace. Freakin awesome.

Unfortunately, it had little effect to knock out the tens of thousands of calories consumed over the next several days, but it was a good start. Now, back to the grind!!!!! (I did attend a "holiday detox yoga" class on Sunday to help move along the process - it's a start!!!!)

J, TJ, J, S and Me

Granville Turkey Trotters!

I am, indeed, thankful.

2011-11-23T11:29:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. There are some things in my life I wish were a bit different at the moment, but I am, indeed, thankful for everything and everyone I have in my life. Our time is too short to focus on what we don't have, and I choose to focus on what I do. Have a wonderful holiday, all. I am thankful for YOU!

Tuesday Toss Up

2011-11-15T10:28:00.001-05:00

Gah. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, right? I think my diet may have become worse in the past week. As I type this, I can actually feel my belly growing and making my pants tighter. WAIT - maybe my pants are just shrinking as I sit here. That could be it, right?

I know this downtime is important mentally and physically, but I know KNOW I need to get back at it ASAP. I feel better in all areas of my life when I'm in a regimented training schedule. Even knowing that deep inside, why is it so hard to get back and up on the wagon?

Anyway - a few random thoughts for this Tuesday.

1) I got an iPhone! yay yay! It's not the super fancy new one, but it sure is a lot freaking cooler than my old crappy Droid Eris. My iPhone is my newest bestest friend.

2) Speaking of friends - this is the start of Year 3 for me in the great state of Ohio. Making friends is tough. In NC, I think it honestly took me about six or seven years to feel really established in my friendships. A lot happened during those times where I went through different phases with different people, but I had three or four very solid friendships and countless other "looser" friendships that I still treasure to this day. Those were friendships that were very hard to leave behind. Fast forward to today, and things have changed a lot. Distance is tough on a bond between anyone - time and space. I've really started feeling the toll of that distance here lately. Because of the fact I make no money (really, NO money), I can't travel to see friends or family. Last year I was able to get in trips to Chicago and DC based on some good cheap travel planning, but this year nothing. I haven't even been home to Texas to visit my own family in almost two years due to the cost involved. It's all starting to take a toll on my relationships and my sanity.

With that being said, it has me in somewhat of a funk.

BUT I am very happy to say that I am in the early stages of some great, rich, and wonderful friendships here in Ohio. There's always that silly little nagging doubt though - "Do they like me? Do they really like me?" Finding friends is somewhat like dating, isn't it?

3) I am hitting my stride teaching my SPINNING classes. I am so glad I got certified to teach. The evenings I teach are probably the most fun I have all week.

4) I wish teaching paid mad cash. It does not. Mizz Duffy had a great post this week about pre-planning the expenses for the 2012 season. I did that exact same thing last year. This year, I am afraid to even think about it. Right now I have huge aspirations and no funds to back it up. Something has to change - and fast. I can't keep going like this. I need a new bike. I need cash for race fees. And to me, these are things I do feel like I NEED, not just "want" - that speaks a lot to me and the passion I feel about the sport. Le sigh - what to do. What to do.

To wrap up, what do you do to keep your long distance friendships alive? Any tips? Tricks?

Offing the Offseason

2011-11-08T13:26:00.001-05:00

Golden Oreos. Beer. Red Wine. Queso. Chips. Pizza.

Let's just say all of the above have been in my diet - a lot - here lately. And my waistline is totally starting to reap the "rewards" of the gluttony. I need to off the off-season ASAP. I haven't decided on a training plan yet for next year's 70.3, but I need to pick one and get on it ASAP. At least a month or two of pre-training to get back to where I was a couple of months ago.

What plan did you use for your first 70.3? And please pass the cheese dip.

Snap back to reality

2011-10-31T14:01:00.001-05:00

Cabin weekend was AMAZING. Great friends, great beer, great food, great beer, great friends. Did I mention the beer? And friends? Overall, the weekend was just what the doctor ordered. I came back to some craziness on Monday - some job things that went bad then good then bad then good again. Monday lived up to its name today - if that makes sense.

I have decided to get back on the regular workout train today too. Due to the large amounts of beer consumed in the Maryland wilderness, I need to gets myself movin again. I started this morning at 7:30am in the pool. I can only do 30 minutes (the pool is open 7:30-8:20 during the week and I have to be at work at 8:50), but I got 1000m in, so that's a start. I'm training again! yay!

And for your viewing pleasure - a pic from Saturday morning at the cabin. SURPRISE! Four inches of snow!!!!!

Versatile? Maybe just "has time on their hands" Blogger

2011-10-28T12:12:00.002-05:00

Thanks to BDD, I got tagged with the "Versatile Blogger Award" - this forces me to share seven deep dark secrets (or random facts, either/or) about myself. So, here goes.

1) I used to dream of being a broadcast journalist. I wanted to go to DePauw University and be the next real-life Murphy Brown. My fave female journalists all had pageant backgrounds in their youth. You see where this is going?

2) I competed in TWO pageants as a young girl. Miss Czech Fest (oh yeah I did - and no, I'm not even Czech) and the Needville Youth Fair. I came in first runner up in the Youth Fair pageant - I was only 3 steps away from Miss Texas, dammit.

My Mom made me a dress very similar in style to this - except I was about eight years old.

3) I wanted to be an astronaut prior to my desire to be a TV personality. Then, I read a book by Sally Ride where she talked in very specific terms about all the medical testing required to become an astronaut. Between the mention of all the shots, blood tests and a colo-rectal exam, I decided that maybe space wasn't for me.

4) My first boyfriend was (and still is) a firefighter - he was a senior when I was a freshman in high school. Scandalous! We dated for almost four years.

5) I helped build Aggie Bonfire two years in a row when I attended Texas A&M as an undergraduate. My senior year (1999), the bonfire collapsed killing 12 students.

Aggie Bonfire 1998 - the last one on record.

6) I have only been without a pet for two years of my life - my first two years in college.

7) The first time I did volunteer work was for a biker rally. My ex and I signed up women for a hot dog eating contest and a wet t-shirt contest. The event was sponsored by the City of College Station.

So, I am supposed to tag 12 bloggers. I choose not to :-) But I will tag D, as I know she will probably do it. Then if she can tag an additional 6, that would be awesome.

Happy weekend, everyone!!!!!

And, boy, do I need it....

2011-10-25T15:30:00.002-05:00

Thankfully this weekend will bring some respite from the same ol', same ol'. We're going to head out of town with some friends for a couple days. They have graciously invited us to stay at a vacation spot of theirs, so we are taking the opportunity with full gusto. I checked the weather to find out how I should pack. I saw this:

See Saturday? ruh - roh. At least it will add to the charming nature of a weekend away in the woods, right? I'm kind of hoping to go out on a bit of a run that day and get speckled in snow flakes :-)

Are you ready for the snow?

Phone Fall Pics

2011-10-21T13:09:00.001-05:00

I've been taking a lot of phone pics here lately. So I thought I would share some here! I haven't been training a ton - still taking it easy until I start to go full on in January (70.3 is the goal this year!!!!) Here's my fall so far, in pics:

I carved a pumpkin.

I met former Secretary of State James Baker in an outfit put together from thrift store clothing. Cashmere sweater from J Crew - $1. Jacquard skirt from Old Navy - 50 cents. Pearls - fake, and several years old. Shoes - Liz Claiborne $15 from TJ Maxx about five years ago.

I think the outfit was somewhere between Laura Bush and Michelle Obama :-)

I canned all the jalapenos from our garden. Nine jars altogether.

I went to a bonfire at a friends house. It was a big, BIG fire. The topper of the pile was our Christmas tree from last year. It was completely engulfed and gone in 15 seconds. I counted.

HAPPY FALL!

Cinco de Mayo 2012

2011-10-20T15:15:00.001-05:00

Believe it or not, with over seven months to go, I already made plans for Cinco de Mayo in 2012. I'll be running the Capital City Half Marathon. I ran this two years ago with my friend Lauren, and I ran it hungover. In the rain. In 2012, I'll save the drinking until after I cross the finish (they have wine!), and here's raising a glass to hoping the rain stays away, too.

Remembering the lyrics....

2011-10-19T12:13:00.003-05:00

I saw this quote on a friend's facebook status today: "A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.”

It made me think of someone very special that I would like to give a shout out to - my friend D. I would like to think I helped D get some of the racing bug she now seems to be heavily infected by. Not only did she run her first ever half marathon earlier this year, she has since completed in three triathlons and her second half marathon just last weekend. In less than six months, she shaved over seven minutes off her half marathon finishing time. It took me FOUR half marathons to finally get below 2:30 - it took her only one practice run before breaking that milestone last weekend.

D, congratulations on all your awesome work - are you sure you don't want to do the Lawrence 70.3 with me in June?????

Thanks for helping me remember the lyrics to my song - your continued hard work is an absolute inspiration. I love ya and am so proud of you!!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DR. MIKE!

2011-10-17T09:12:00.002-05:00

Today is my hubby's birthday!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, DR. MIKE!!!! I love you and you are awesome. To prove how awesome he is, check out this super sweet photo taken of him last week as he escorted Secretary James Baker around campus. How West Wing is that? I love you, dear!!!!!!

Woooooo HOOOOOOOOOO

2011-10-16T10:48:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I raced in the Pink Strides Trail Run here in my little village of Granville, Ohio. It was a blustery fall day, but perfect for a trail run. I did this race last year and loved it. It's a rolling 5K trail at a local park - it's not a flat course. Lots of ups and downs and a couple (with one in particular) long, gradual hills. Friends of mind knew I was going for a PR on this race. Last year I finished third in my age group with a pace just over 10 mins/mile. This year I was really hoping to finish first in my age group with an average pace of less then 9 mins/mile.

Guess what I did? For the first time EVER, my name is at #1 on the age group list. TECHNICALLY, I was third in my age group, as the first place female is my friend Megan. She finished in 25:41. The second in my age finished in 26:13 - but because they came in for the top 5 females overall, they don't get put in the age group category. Late last night (around 10:15pm to be exact), I opened up the race site's page to see this:

I did a dance. I've never seen my name up that high before! First in age group, SEVENTH woman overall (out of 56) and 20th place in the entire race (83 timed runners).

I was able to accomplish this in large part because of my friend J. A seasoned cross country runner, he stayed with me the whole race, encouraging me when I REALLY wanted to walk and slow down. I know that after the one BIG hill, I would have come to a complete stop and had a long long walk if I were not running with him. So, J, THANK YOU so much for coaching me through that run. I didn't break nine minutes/mile on average, but I was well below 9 on the first two miles. Next year, dammit, next year. Hey, maybe I can actually finish in the top five women overall :-)

What, me race?

2011-10-14T09:32:00.002-05:00

I have a race tomorrow. WEEEEE! I have missed racing. That feeling the night before, the excitement of driving to the race site - the free t-shirts and goodie bags. You would think it's been years, but it's actually only been a few weeks since my last race. Too long though :-)

Tomorrow morning I am running the Pink Strides Trail Run here in Granville. I did this race last year and came in third in my age group. That third place finish was based on my pace of 10:02/mile. The winner of my age group had a 9:16 pace. it IS a trail run, so I don't know if I can pull off sub-9s, but we'll see. A friend is going to run with me and try to pace me through to a victory, but who knows what will happen. I haven't been running much here lately, so it will be an interesting experience.

Enjoy your weekends, all!!!!

See Saw

2011-10-12T15:42:00.005-05:00

The past couple of months could be described as a see-saw. Same pieces - up, down. Up, down. Sometimes I feel darn near bi-polar. The highs of getting my certification and teaching have been great. I love teaching my class. I've got a few regulars in class, and I know their names and they know mine. I was actually told last night that I have the "best music of any of the instructors." Yay for me!! (and folks, not everyone loves Gaga)

Yet, on other fronts things are down more than they're up. My commission based sales job has been completely unfruitful. I had some late-early success and nothing since. I've been looking for a way to really start making an income (including busting my rear at said-sales job), but nothing has really panned out. To hit 33+ years old and have no career or no sight of one in the near future is a tough pill to swallow. Thank goodness for my husband's position - he's an amazing professor, and we can live day to day on what he brings home. But if I said that my current job position was anything but soul-crushing, I would be lying. It's the sacrifice that was made in this relocation - he has the PhD, he had the dream to be a professor. That one came true for him, so here we are. And in no way do I lay blame anywhere about my current position. I am so proud of my husband - but I long for the days when I felt fulfilled after my 40 hours in the office.

I see my colleagues around me succeeding every day. I am not. I have good days and bad days. I'm a pretty positive person, but it's hard to stay 100% optimistic when you have become so used to failing. I never thought I would be the person saying that. Until something else pans out, I'll keep peddling along. But I work 40 hours a week for $0 - I keep fighting in large part because I really believe that triathlon has taught me to keep going even when you feel like you can't go any longer. I am doing everything I can and trying to keep a smile on my face at the same time. Thank goodness for good friends, good beer and wine. Otherwise, things probably wouldn't be as good as they are now.

Getting back into the groove

2011-10-06T15:09:00.002-05:00

I am finally getting back up into training after my month of sloth. Woot. As crappy as I started to feel taking most of September off, I am glad I did. I can feel my energy and excitement coming back already. As crazy as it is, I'm already thinking about next year and what I want to accomplish. A 70.3 is def on the docket, and not sure what else. Rev3 Cedar Point seems to be the logical choice, so I am keeping that down as my "must do" race for next year.

One of the things that has helped my energy level come back is that I am helping other people. I am really enjoying teaching my spin class. It is great to look up and see all those faces hanging down staring at the floor. Who know I would get such pleasure out of making people sweat like that? (don't get all dirty on me!) I've also been running with a friend who is doing a C25K program and have organized a ladies' swimming group at the local pool.

It's made me feel more confident about my progress over the past year while also providing an amazing outlet to spread my love for triathlon and training. I once read a quote that said something about "the things we most want in life are accomplished by giving them to others" - and damn if I am not finding that to be very true :-)

My new domain

2011-09-28T15:30:00.003-05:00

Wow. Sitting in FRONT of a spinning class is much different than sitting IN a spinning class. I must say though that I really enjoyed it. We made it through the class - my five students and me. No one left til the end. We only do 40 minute classes, and I went about 43 minutes in total. We had some flats, some jumps, and even a nine minute hill climb. I was asked to sub on Thursday, so I'll be teaching Class #2 in a little over 24 hours. The hard part though isn't putting together what to do, it's what to listen to while doing the activity. Music is SO key. I set my first class up in less than 15 minutes - to add the music: 3.5 hours. I am sure it will become easier as I get used to the program, but it's a time suck at the moment. I don't mind though, as this is a move in the right direction for me. Thank you all so much for the encouraging comments - anytime you're in Granville, let me know. I'll hook you up with a guest pass for my class :-)

My spin room!

The first day of my new life...

2011-09-26T15:12:00.000-05:00

...is tomorrow. I teach my first class here at 6pm.

I am BEYOND nervous.

To hell and back?

2011-09-16T15:24:00.003-05:00

I am registered to race this tomorrow: Hell Run Columbus.

My husband is also registered to run with me. My husband now has a hellacious cold bug. This guy is registered too - you may know him.

The weather got a bit chilly as of today, and it is going to be chilly in the morning. Not sure if I should take care of the hubs or go to hell and back.

I'll let you know on Monday :-) HAPPY WEEKENDS, ALL!

Race Report: Tour de Donut 2011

2011-09-14T12:35:00.002-05:00

Awesome. The short of the long is that if you live in Ohio, you should do this race. Registration will open for 2012 on January 1 next year. Sign up fast - it will sell out next time around.

My friend Sue, Jon and I departed G-ville at the early hour of 5:30am to make the two hour drive out to Arcanum, Ohio. We were greeted by a ridiculously long registration line - but luckily we hear someone yell "Is anyone doing race day registration?" We jumped up and down showing we were, and we got to cut to the front of the line. One of those times where procrastination pays off. We got registered, then off to get our bikes and head up to the start corral.

The race is a 32 mile course on very flat terrain. At mile 12, you hit donut stop #1. For every donut you eat, you get 5 minutes deducted from your finishing time. My secret goal was to kill off a total of 6 donuts in the race. Once I saw the donuts, I realized that would NOT be happening. These were like doubledecker glazed donuts. At stop 1, I only managed 2 - and that was a CHORE. Sue gulped down 3. Amazing. At the start, we had actually run into my spin instructor and a friend of his - at stop 1 they both downed 6 donuts a piece. Amazing.

You then hit the road again - and we went right into a headwind. Of course the donuts also start to turn into lead bricks in your belly, too. At about mile 26, you hit donut stop #2. I only managed one more. And that one nearly came back up. When all was said and done - time adjusted for donuts was about 1:56 for the full 32 miles. This race was just pure fun. Lots of families, tandem bikes, mountain bikes, TT bikes, you name it. Just an all around good time. And here's the photographic proof:

A weekend to celebrate

2011-09-09T13:48:00.005-05:00

First off - HUGE good vibes to everyone racing Rev3 Cedar Point this weekend (specifically Matty-O and Heather!!!). I was hoping to make it out there, but plans have changed. Therefore, I will focusing all my good energy towards the race from G-ville. I cannot wait to hear how it all goes!!!!

Second - I'm getting out of my funk. I decided to start doing things my way - breaking some rules and going against the grain a bit. I think that will work out fine for a while.

Third - I am going to do a "silly" race this weekend. A friend and I are going to do the Tour de Donut Saturday morning. A 30 mile bike race with two pit stops. For every donut you eat at the pitstop, they subtract 5 minutes from your finishing time. Awesome you say? Yes, yes it is.

Fourth - One of my bestest buddies in the world has decided to make a last minute trip up from NC to visit the hubs and me. I haven't seen her in over a year now (gasp), so that first hug tonight is going to be amazing. And I may cry.

My Cookie and me :-)

Fifth - G-ville has it's annual Hotlicks Blues Festival this weekend. Therefore, Saturday after the ride, we will be camping out in the road listening to great music and drinking cold beer.

Sixth - I've decided to move my life in the direction of my passion. Looks like I am going to sign up to get certified to teach spin. Yup. My spin classes changed my life, and I want to do that for others. I've alreday got a teaching gig lined up as soon as I have my certification in hand. First step to the future of my life.

Seventh - Wednesday was our Betsy-versary. One year with our little fuzzball. So full of life and love - she has added so much fun to our world. We love you, Betsy!!!!!

Eighth - I am helping a friend get ready for her first half marathon. We're doing Couch to 5K into Hal Higdon's Intro Half plan. We're taking it very slow and steady - 17-20 weeks with no actual race on the calendar yet. Today she did a 2 mile run. I am SO proud of her.

I guess I am learning to do what you are passionate about - the rest will follow. Thanks for listening - and kick some ass this weekend, racers!!!!!

We're all full of awesome.

2011-09-08T13:32:00.002-05:00

Surely you have seen this floating around in the interwebs, but just in case you haven't:

Waking up full of awesome.

Just what I needed to read today.

The downward spiral

2011-09-07T13:36:00.000-05:00

I have some confessions to make. No way to be soft about it, so I'll just jump right in.

1) I have become rather lethargic. I've gone from working out 6 days a week 8-10 hours per week to 2-3 total workouts for less than half the time I used to.

2) I am indulging in cocktails after work nearly every night. Often times 2-3 cocktails. A glass of wine. Pinnacle Whipped Vodka. Blueberry vodka and cranberry juice cocktail. Every oktoberfest beer I can find.

3) The 30 day shred challenge? Ummmm, not going well AT ALL. I did day one, day two, then done. I am SO sorry to those who signed up for it. I feel pretty lousy for not sticking with it. It's a long story, but I had a tiff with a good friend about it, said screw it, and I haven't touched the DVD since Day 2.

4) Work is killing me. I keep trying and keep having no success.

Don't worry, I am working to change this - all of it. I just wanted to say HEY I'M STILL HERE.

In other more important news, good vibes going out to BDD and his family - they are working through a lot right now, and I am sending lots of good vibes his way.

To everyone racing Rev3 this weekend, I am so proud of all of you. You have put in amazing work, and I cannot wait to read your race reports. What a great great weekend ahead.

Jillian Challenge

2011-09-01T15:56:00.001-05:00

It's not too late to join! 30 days in September = a 30 day Jillian challenge. Ms Mae has signed on! Woo hoo!!!!! Ms Mae, did you do Day 1 today??

I got up at 5:45am and did Week 1, Day 1 of Ripped in 30. Not too bad - I've done this one before, and it's pretty reasonable. I should be rockin it come the end of week 1.

Come on folks, join up with us!!!!!! PUHlllllleeeeeeeeeeeze.

30 Day Challenge - YOU IN?

2011-08-31T14:34:00.000-05:00

Well, that didn't take long did it? I have a new challenge. September has 30 days. The Jillian 30 day shred takes - you guessed it! 30 days! Along with at least one friend, starting tomorrow we are doing the 30 day shred! 30 minutes a day for 30 days straight - NO days off. None. Pick your poison:

Last time I did a 30 day Jillian set, I did the "30 Day Shred" - this time I'm going Ripped in 30. Is it silly? Maybe. But the workouts are good, and they work. I have some very embarasing pictures on my cell phone of my "after" pics from 30 days. It gets me back into the weight training mode, and I SO need that. Here goes - anyone else want to do it??? If you'll do the challenge with us, leave a comment. Maybe we can do prizes for everyone who completes it. Prizes!!! Wouldn't that be FUN????

As a side note, I'll still be running, biking and possibly swimming, but I will start every day with Jillian :-)

What's my label?

2011-08-31T13:14:00.001-05:00

In the past couple of weeks, I have struggled a bit with my identity. Sure, I know my name and who I am, but without triathlon officially in my life at the moment, I honestly feel a bit lost. I had no idea how wrapped up in "the label" I had become.

I was chatting with a friend on Facebook this afternoon. He lives in Cape Town, South Africa, and I hadn't talked to him in almost three years. He asked how I was and what I was up to. I mentioned I had moved to Ohio a few years ago and that for fun I raced tris. His response? "Yeah, I know! It's all over facebook!" Oops - am I one of "those people"? I guess so.

I did get convinced to sign up for the Emerald City Quarter Marathon. I ran this race last year and finished in in 1:03:50 - a 9:50 pace for the race (6.55 miles). This year, I'm shooting for sub one hour. That's actually a tall order due to the fact I haven't run much at all in the past few weeks. I had a great run this past Sunday - only four miles - but it felt great to get out there and push it. The problem is, I haven't run more than five miles since the Giant Eagle Tri a few weeks ago. Luckily, the Ohio weather has started to cool off already, and those runs at 9am are almost on the chilly side. While I am not ready for fall at all, not facing heat exhaustion for a fast run is a great thing.

I am running the race as the member of a team, too, which should be fun. My amazing run club buddy Koritha has started a branch of Black Girls Run in Columbus. She has increasingly been getting a bigger turnout at the group runs, and she managed to convince a few ladies to sign up for this race. Koritha herself is getting ready for her first ever half in Chicago in a few weeks. When I mentioned I may do this race, she asked me to join their team. So despite obvious differences, I will be the solo white lady on the Columbus Black Girls Run team. Yay! The race has free bloody marys afterwards. Rock on.

That's about it here for now. Just kind of doing my thing - a kickboxing class here and there, some Zumba, some runs, and even a few bike rides. Just kind of doing whatever. Which I guess is fine for now. I'm just kind of wondering what I'll decide to do next.

PS - I've read several recaps of the nuun Hood to Coast experience - dammit I am sorry I missed out on that. nuun people - please reach out to your alternates next year. PLEASE!

What I Hate About the Mall

2011-08-29T12:49:00.002-05:00

Now that I am somewhat off the super training wagon, I have a bit more free time. So where did I go? The mall of course. I haven't spent much time at the mall in recent months for a variety of reasons. Yesterday's afternoon jaunt around Easton Town Center was a vivid reminder of all the things I despise about the mall. Here's a brief list based on events yesterday.

1) What is the deal with two 300lb+ women feeling the need to stop in the narrowest of walkways to have a long chat with each other while devouring a cheese covered pretzel with literally hundreds of people trying to squeeze around either side of them? I don't think they actually noticed that anyone else was there.

2) Why is that young man walking around grabbing his crotch (and not letting go) while wearing pants that are obviously 4 sizes too big?

3) If you're 12 years old, do you really need to be buying thongs at Victoria's Secret? REALLY?

4) If you're 45 years old, do you really need to be buying clothes at "Forever 21"??

5) $45 for a T-shirt? A T-SHIRT? I get a "free" t-shirt at every race I compete in for only about $5-10 more.

IMKY

2011-08-26T13:22:00.003-05:00

Good luck to everyone racing Ironman Louisville this weekend!! I know several COTT members are racing, and my awesome spin/cycle instructor Mike is competing, too. I'll be sending awesome vibes to you all!!

Also, good vibes are going out to the nuun HTC bloggers. As you probably recall, I tried to secure a spot on the team and managed to get selected as an alternate. They obviously don't need my running talents, as I never heard from nuun again after the team announcement came out. Le sigh. Anyway, best of luck to the ladies, and I hope the experience is awesome for you. On the other hand, I am beyond bummed that I never heard from nuun - I was excited about being part of the process in some way. Oh wells.

Have great weekends, all - I plan on running Sunday, so here's hoping I stick to that plan :-)

RUNNING SURVEY

2011-08-25T10:30:00.005-05:00

This message came through on the local tri team listserv this morning. Due to the readership of this blog, I thought I may be able to help spread the net a bit wider. Click the link below to participate and feel free to pass on the link yourself. Thanks so much!!!!

Janet Buckworth (PhD, FACSM, Health and Exercise Science, The Ohio State University) is doing a survey of runners 18 and older who finished a half-marathon or longer within the past 2 years. Please check it out and pass it on!

https://redcap.osumc.edu/surveys/index.php?hash=e369853df766fa44e1ed0ff613f563bd

Where have I been? The couch.

2011-08-24T12:55:00.002-05:00

That pretty much sums up every day since the YWCA Women's Triathlon. I decided to take some time off. The only race I have left for 2011 is the Hell Run - and that's purely for fun, not competition. So, I decided to take a break from the 6 day a week training regimen I've kept for the past year. I actually got a happy anniversary email from my gym for my one year membership. That means I have literally been busting my ass nonstop for one whole year.

It's paid off tremendously as evidenced by the massive PRs I've had and the many pounds I have dropped. While all the hard work gave me lots of results, I think I was ready for a bit of a break. I'd love to race a couple more times this year, but honestly I'm broke. I am still making $0 in my commission based sales job, so my husband is now referring to it as my 9-5 "hobby." (in all fairness, he is very supportive of me - the job has just become a bit of a joke) Race fees are just too pricey right now, so I'll be sitting on the couch rather than racing.

I did make it out for one 18 mile ride with BDD the day before his awesome performance at the Great Buckeye Challenge, but that's been about it up until today. After yesterday's earthquake (which I did feel here in Ohio - super weird), the weather has been absolutely beautiful. I got home early for lunch today and felt "moved" to go for a run. Because I had the extra time and the urge, I changed and got my gear on before I talked myself out of the pursuit.

Within ten minutes of getting home, I was changed, strapped on the Garmin and took off. Literally, I took off. Like a bullet. The Garmin had me down at a sub 8 minute pace for a good chunk of the first two miles. That undid me though and the last mile of my standard 3 mile loop was more of a walk/jog/walk. But i think I needed to get out there and just GO. To feel it and burn off the cobwebs. It was a lovely lunchtime run. I hope it helps me get back on the horse after my almost two week hiatus.

I am going to double it up a bit today as I promised a friend I would hit a Zumba class with her tonight. Egads. I've never done a class like that before, so I'm a tad nervous. The room is always packed, and I normally like having my own space in a group workout environment. We'll see how it goes - I figured it would be fun to just get out and try a few random things. So, here we go. From here on out, it has to be fitness for fitness sake - rather than for triathlon. I haven't been on the "fitness" wagon for a long time. I hope I can stay on the ride for a while.

Pics! YWCA Women's Triathlon 2011

2011-08-18T14:36:00.001-05:00

I'll just let the pics tell the story :-) Enjoy!

Race Report: YWCA Women's Triathlon, Minneapolis, MN

2011-08-16T11:42:00.004-05:00

First - this race was amazing no matter what for the reason that I got to race it with three of my best friends in the world. They were AMAZING. Each lady made it through with a smile on her face, and I think a couple of them may even do another one or two down the road. We had a great time, and thanks to the amazing management of the race - I am guessing that the other 967 ladies racing had a great day too.

Here's the report:

Packet pickup: We picked up our packets on Saturday afternoon to ensure we could also make the last planned course talk for the day. We walked up with no problem at all and picked up our packets right away. There was some confusion about my refund for the USAT fee. I thought I got a refund, but evidently not. Oh well. The organizers also up sized everyone's shirts because they were women's fit. Most women's fit sizes run a bit small, so evidently they thought it would be fine to just automatically give everyone the size larger. When I originally registered, I figured that because it was an all women's race, they shirts would be small and put myself down for a medium (as I would normally get a small). So, when I got my bag - it had a large shirt - two sizes larger than I actually needed. I went back to switch it out, and it was like the Spanish Inquisition about the exchange. I finally convinced them to switch it, but it wasn't the easiest process. Turns out this was the worst thing that happened with the entire race - not too shabby.

We attended the course preview meeting, and that was extremely helpful. They gave us tips on a few spots where the road may be rough, where the one main hill was located, and what to beware of while out on the road. I'm glad we went, but I think all of the info may have freaked out some of the ladies in the room. In fact, I think some may have had their brains fried, as there were definitely lots of panicked faces and some very strange questions. More than half the folks who race this event are newbies, so it's to be expected - hence why a course preview is a great addition to the programming.

Race morning: We parked a couple blocks from the race site and headed over to set up our transition area. Everything went VERY smoothly. The final stats said 971 ladies raced on Sunday. The logistics were managed wonderfully. We found our racks quickly and were set up in no time. Grabbed our chips, got marked, then we just soaked up the amazing energy. For ladies who have never done an all women's race, I highly suggest doing one at some point. The camaraderie is wonderful - there's so much excitement and friendship around. It's just truly a wonderful feeling - a bit different to when you have boys in the mix. Hey, I love races with dudes too - this is just a different genre I think!

Pre race: There were 17 waves for the swim start. The pre race meeting at 7:40 started right on time and gave a full recap of the rules, any course updates, and they discussed how the staging of the swim would go. By 8am, the first wave was in the water- the interior of the 500m swim course was open to warm up, so I headed out and did a quick swim. I actually got to wear my wetsuit, too! The water temp was at 72 or something? I had trained in my wetsuit plenty but never had a chance to race with it - I was super excited to put it to work. As I wandered up to shore, my buddies Darrah and Laura pointed to the sky - our unicorn mascot balloon in transition had decided to join his brethren in the sky and float away. Goodbye, little unicorn!!! Alas, $9 maybe not so well spent :p The waves were set off every 3 minutes - the hour we had to wait went by very quickly. The last five waves were the buddy waves - you got to start with your friends! Very cool. Before we knew it, we were staged and up to the start.

The swim: I normally hang back and let the group go out in front of me, but because I had my wetsuit and our wave wasn't too huge (maybe 30 ladies?), I decided to go ahead and run out a bit and see where I landed. We had red swim caps, the wave in front of us had green, and the wave before had light blue (the last wave had bright pink). I knew that would give me a gauge on where I was. As we got into the water I ran out then did a couple dolphin dives. I realized that no one was in front of me and only one person beside me - so I just decided to hit the gas and go. For the first time EVER, I was in front of my wave on a swim start. I just started hauling. Thanks to the wetsuit, I barely had to kick - and when I did I practiced my hip kicking rather than my crappy knee kicking - made a HUGE difference. As I made it up to the first right turn, I realized that I was amongst all green caps and only saw one other red cap. SWEET. I kep plowing ahead and started seeing blue caps! Holy crap - I am kicking this swim's ass. Around the last buoy and just kept pushing - it felt amazing. Well, until I saw a dead fish floating about 6 inches from my hand. EWWWW. That actually got me to speed up. When all was said and done, I think I got myself a swim PR.

500m Swim: 9:54, 140/971 overall, 34/167 age group 30-34 (I am amazed at this!!!!)

T1: 3:00 (must have stopped for a pedi or something!)

Bike: DAMN IT. The bike is freaking killin me!!!! So, I had put on the bike bag I have from my hybrid in case I wanted to put tools in it. I decided the night before to ditch the bag and had started to take it off but got distracted and never finished taking it off. Yeah, can you see where this is going? I head out on the bike, and about 4 miles in I hear a woman yelling, "Lady on the gold bike! Your bag is touching your wheel!!" WHAT????? Shit. I can't manage to just pull the thing off while I'm riding, so I stop and fasten the damn thing on as fast as I can. Then I take back off - within a couple of minutes I can see the shadow of the bag and it is dangling AGAIN! GRRRRRR! So I have to stop again and fasten the damn thing down. I know I lost a couple minutes or more due to the loss in speed, stop and time to get back up to speed. Other than that, not much else to report on the bike. I just cruised as I could - very pretty closed course. Only one "hill" but several rollers along the way. My time should have been faster, but oh well. Only so much you can do with a 30 pound $150 road bike.

15.5 mile Bike time: 54:03, 398/971 overall, 70/164 age group (17.2mph avg)

T2: 2:09

Run: Dropped the bike off, and I was out pretty quickly. The run was nice and shaded around the lake - very flat. As always, I started off a bit too fast and wasn't able to maintain it. When I hit just past the mile 1 marker, I saw D coming past on the bike, so we gave each other a big wave! She looked great. I just kept running along - just got slower and slower as the distance went on. The spectators and volunteers were fantastic. Along the run I saw women of all shapes, sizes, colors, ages - some were walking, some were limping, some were jogging and a select few were running. My goal was to just NOT STOP. As I came into the finishers shoot, lots of people yelled "Go Michelle!" (yay names on bibs!) It was a great feeling. The race lets friends and family finish with you, and as I was coming in for the last 50m or so, I got cut off by a couple kids. I started to hang back to make sure they could get a good photo, but then a woman flew around my left side. I decided to follow suit and shot off myself. Sorry lady and your kids!! No worries though - you could tell the kids were super pumped, and the mom was amazed at what she had just completed. I have no problem losing 10 seconds to witness that.

5K Run time: 28:43, 278/971 overall, 56/164 age group (9:15 pace)

Final Time: 1:37:47, 282/971 overall, 57/164 age group

Overall, I am beyond pleased with my swim, bummed about my bike and just okay with my run. But it was a wonderfully run race, and I highly recommend it for any first timer or a veteran looking for a logistically flawless race in a beautiful setting. This also taught me that with a wetsuit, my swim is rock awesome. At least at 500 meters! ha! It also taught me that with some serious bike work and a more consistent pace with my run, I could actually start working my way up the age group rankings. I'm bummed I have no more races this year (too broke to register for anything else), but I'm looking forward to what I may be able to do in the years to come. I have come a long way in the past 12 months. I'm pretty rpoud of the fact I have been able to shave off so much time in the past year. It's been seriously amazing.

Post - race: Once I was done, I waited by the finish line for my friends to come in. Not too long after I finished, I saw D come through the chute with a huge smile on her face. Shortly after her, our friend Becky crossed the finish. And soon enough we saw Laura coming through with her bright pink and orange running skirt!!! And she was smiling. YAY! We had all done it. They had all completed their first tri, and I was so amazingly proud! And yes, I teared up a few times :-)

If you missed it, here's the article that was in the Star Tribune the day of the race. It was a great little piece about how we all met and what got us to race day. Overall, just an amazing, amazing day. Thank you YWCA of Minneapolis for a day we will never ever forget. I love you, ladies!

Pics coming soon, too :-)

My Friday - it's ladies' race weekend!

2011-08-10T15:04:00.004-05:00

After an awesome volleyball party tonight (which hopefully will be a striking, in person redux version of a great scene in Top Gun), I will pack my bags. Tomorrow morning, I am heading out for Minneapolis via Chicago for the YWCA Women's Triathlon. It is going to be a beautiful weekend with some lovely ladies.

As I have mentioned before, this will be the first tri for three of my best friends. We're starting in the BuddyWave (group 17 of 18), so we all get to run out into the lake together! It is going to be an adventure for sure.

Sending everyone great training and race vibes for the weekend. Many pics and stories coming about our ladies' adventure next week!

PS - Check out the Minneapolis Star on Sunday - there just may be an article about four ladies from four states competing in a triathlon together (fame is imminent, fo' sho')

Rules violations

2011-08-08T12:46:00.002-05:00

I am off to Minneapolis, Minnesota this week to race in the YWCA Women's Triathlon. Almost 2000 women racing around the beautiful Lake Nokomis area in what looks like beautiful weather. I'm also racing with three of my best friends - and it's going to be their first triathlons! Awesome! With that being said, a first triathlon can be a bit scary. All the rules, the gear, the rules, etc. The participant guide sent out by the YWCA is pretty complete and straightforward. It gives a very basic intro to how the race will be set up, gives info about drop offs, wave start times, pre race and post race timing, etc. But there's always a lot of unanswered questions when it comes to the nitty gritty of rules. I don't consider myself an expert at all, but I've done enough races now that I think I know most of the rules. That's been put into question here lately though. I've seen at least two blogs and a thread on beginner triathlete that is questioning something I was sure I knew the answer to:

Is it legal to walk through portions of the swim in a triathlon?

One would guess that YES, if you can touch, you can walk, right? Seems like many do not believe this is the case or that it's fair. In fact, one dude on BT went out of his way to argue that walking during any part of the swim is blatant cheating.

If this is the case, I have cheated in almost every race I have ever done. It seems that if the water is shallow enough and on the course, you can walk it if you want. It's going to tire your legs and possibly slow you down a bit - but you can walk. From what I can tell, this is totally and purely legal. It's different if you wander up on shore and go through super shallow water, but if buoys are out marking the course, you are within the buoy and you can touch - more power to you, right?

What do you think about walking during the swim?

Post Race Blues

2011-08-04T12:48:00.004-05:00

I admit it - my mood has taken a serious nose dive since Sunday. I went from a super high high to a super low low. Work stinks at the moment, my mood is crap, and I am so sleepy all the time. I have a trip and a race to look forward to next weekend with three of my bestest friends in the world, but I think I am suffering from post-race depression. le sigh. And thanks to everyone for your kudos about the race - it truly was wonderful. To show how much I loved it, check out that smile coming into T2!!! I think I had just spotted my husband and friends when this shot was taken. This is my first ever good bike pic :-)

Three blissful years

2011-08-02T08:56:00.002-05:00

It's been a great ride so far, my dear. On 08-02-08 we said our vows, and I am so glad to have you as my partner in life. Your sense of humor, your caring demeanor, and your support have shaped me into the woman I am today. I am so grateful to have you in my life!!! Happy third wedding anniversary, Dr. Mike! I love you!

Race Report: Giant Eagle Triathlon (Olympic Distance)

2011-08-01T11:39:00.005-05:00

Where do I even begin? I guess at the beginning.

Friday night I got home after work, and when I pulled into the driveway, this was in my garage:

I knew my pro must have arrived :-) Thanks to having the world's bestest husband, Mike picked up Zana (our pro homestay) at the airport Friday afternoon. They had succesfully unpacked her bike and reassembled it. It was not, unfortunately, an anniversary present for me. Oh well. Zana and I made our introductions, and I knew we would get along swimmingly. Friday evening was relaxing. We ran into C-bus to check on a friend's cat I was watching, then Mike, Zana and I went out to dinner in Granville. We had a lovely dinner and even sampled several beers at our local brew pub - my type of triathlete.

We were all pretty tired from long weeks, so we went to sleep relatively early and woke up rather late :-) We each got about 11 hours sleep, so we were raring to take on the day once we got moving. Shortly after noon, we headed out to Alum Creek to get our race packets, check in our bikes, and Zana wanted to do a quick bike/run/swim combo. Awesome.

Once at the race site, we checked in super quickly, and we got our bikes ready for a ride. Unfortunately one of Zana's tires sprung a leak, and one of my tubes busted :-\ Therefore, we ended up spending a fair amount of time at the roll bike tent - which is fine with me - they are my team sponsor! Once our bikes were good to go, we headed out on a short ride. We just tooled around a bit, then we came back to the beach. By the time we got back, it was already 3, and I had promised roll I would work at the bike tent from 3-5. I bid Zana farewell for the afternoon so she could get a swim in, as well as do the Pro meet and greet and her required meeting for the race.

I had a great time working at the tent - I got to chat with all sorts of racers - newbies, pros, veterans - the energy was amazing. It got me SUPER pumped up for the next day.

Around 5ish, we finally had to bail out from the festival, so I bid adeiu to my roll friends and we had to make a stop over at Tri Tech to get something for Zana. I'd never been to Tri Tech before, and honestly I'm not sure if I would go back. We were in there for only a few minutes, but talk about an intimidating store :-\ The folks were nice, but not overly friendly. There was a woman working there that was great, but the two dudes didn't leave the best impression. Because I'm a member of COTT, I inquired if there was a team discount. The guy's response was a resounding no. When Zana asked if the did pro discounts, the guy responded "your discount is when you win prize money. We don't sponsor any professional triathletes." Wow - asshole much? I dunno - just had a weird feeling in there. Anyway, I just thought it was worth mentioning.

That night my husband made us an amazing risotto - roasted corn, mushrooms and swiss chard. SO good and carby. We all called it an early night - that alarm clock would come early.

RACE DAY

3:30am - RING!!!!!!! TIME TO GET UP!!!!!! Wow. That got here way too fast. A quick shower, a bagel, some coffee, and we were out the door. We dropped off our T2 bags, picked up a BDD and headed over to the race site.

First stop - porta potty. Luckily the coffee kicked in, and we were good to go. Once that was done, BDD helped me pump up my tires, and I got all my T1 stuff ready to go. As we prepared, the announcer came on to say that not only were wetsuits not allowed for prizes, but they were also banned because the water temp was a steamy 85 degrees. WOW. See, I have never swum in Alum Creek without a wetsuit. Awesome. Oh well - do what you have to do, right???? The cool thing about T1 was that right next to me was a friend of mine from spin class. I had no idea she was racing, and we were right next to each other in transition. She and I ended up chatting in the water up to start time. The butterflies were in full effect, so it was great to have someone to chat with!!!

We got started right on time, but the organizers changed the set up from one big lap for the Olympic length racers to two loops of the sprint length course. I was kind of dreading this, as I didn't know if I was prepared to face two loops. Anyway, we watched the pros all go out and complete their laps to make sure they had clear water the whole time. I chatted with my buddy through the starts, then all of a sudden I hear "Olympic women 35 and under, you're up!" EEEEE! That's me. I ran up there, and within 30 seconds we were off. I let everyone else take off, then I settled in behind them.

SWIM - 1500m

You know what? It wasn't half bad. I actually kind of liked the fact that the water was warm. It kept my muscles loose, and I was comfortable. I swam more than I walked or pushed off the bottom, so that's great for me. There's actually not a ton to report here. I kept cool, calm and collected, and just swam swam swam.

Time: 31:09, 5 out of 6 in age group

BIKE - 40K

This bike course was great. I really enjoyed this. My goal was just to push it as hard as I could. If I saw my speed drop below 18, I gunned it up again. I could give a turn by turn, but honestly the quick summary is I enjoyed nearly every part of the ride. The big success of the ride is that I used my water bottle not just once but THREE times. I actually grabbed and used my bottle while riding. Folks, that's a big deal for me.

The worst part of the ride was near the end - we were less than a mile from T2 and I saw a woman in front of me oversteer and completely lose control of her bike. She went sideways, the bike went flying, and she skid at least 6 feet across a sidewalk. It was one of the most horrible things I have ever seen. Luckily there were volunteers close by who reacted immediately. But it was so horrible to see - I almost had a spontaneous burst of tears. Within 30 seconds, a car that had seen it happen started to turn off in what I guess was an effort to help - problem was she turned her car RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. I saw her window was partly down and yelled at the top of my lungs "PLEASE DON'T TURN!!!!!" Luckily she saw/heard me and stopped. My heart was going a million miles an hour. Luckily I pulled into T2 within a couple minutes of that and saw not only my hubby but my friends Erich and Susan too. It warmed my heart so much to see them.

I handed off my bike to the volunteers, ran in and grabbed my T2 bag then parked it on a chair to put on my running shoes. Due to the setup, my husband was able to run over to chat with me - he was so proud, and it just elevated my spirits so much to see him. He got me in the head space I needed to be in, and I took off. Time to run!

Time: 1:25:35, 5 out of 6 in age group (17.4 mph/avg - almost hit my 18mph goal!)

RUN - 10K

One word sums this up - HOTTTT. For the Oly, we did two loops of a 5K course. A lot of the course was unshaded, and geeeez it was baking us. It was actually a lovely 5K course - I enjoyed the route, but I felt like I could turn into a puddle at any moment. I managed to run the entire first loop (taking into account that I did walk through each water station - as I do in any race), but when I hit the festival area again - i did ask Mike, Susan or Erich to shoot me. I was super hott and going around another time did not sound like a good idea AT ALL. But I kept it up. The first water station was manned by COTT, and I knew a couple people handing out water - it was great to see their smiling faces and get their encouragement.

The second lap was not as "stellar" as the first one. I was keeping a sub 10 minute mile pace on loop one, but I just couldn't hold it for loop 2. I walked here and there, shuffled, and ran sometimes too. I just kept telling myself - "keep moving and you will be there sooner" FINALLY I as back in downtown - I could hear the spectators getting louder, and I saw the turn off for the finish. I gave it all I had at the end and was thrilled to be done. I did it. I ran my first Oly!!!!!!!

Time: 1:05:49, 6 out of 6 in age group

OVERALL TIME: 3:04:38

6 out of 6 in age group

At the finish!!!!

Honestly, I am positively thrilled about how I did. I really wanted to get sub-3, and I was damn close for my first race. I pushed it as much as I could with my training and the heat. I gave it all I could, and I had a wonderful time. I'm glad it took me 3 hours and change because I honestly loved every second of it. It was totally wonderful.

HUGE kudos to HFP Racing. They did an amazing job with a logistically difficult race - I have no idea how they pulled it off. I was really nervous about how this would all work, but they did it and did it very well. A point to point is a super cool way to race, and I would totally do this one again. HFP - THANK YOU!!! you did a great job. I honestly had an amazing race experience.

Huge thanks also goes to roll, my team sponsor. Not only have you kept my bike in top top shape, you've provided me new friends and taken me to a new level in my racing. I look forward to a long relationship with you guys - Stuart, you rock!!!!

To everyone who gave me encouraging messages on the blog, or facebook, in person, over email, or just sent me a good thought - thank you so much. It got me through the rough parts this race.

Lastly, if you ever get asked to do a homestay for a pro - do it. I feel I've made a new friend, and I wish Zana the best of luck in her pro career - I can't wait to see what she'll do. She's a great lady with amazing skill - you are welcome to stay with us anytime, dear!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Zana and I before her departure - it was super hot, so ignore our sweatiness :-)

RACE WEEKEND

2011-07-29T13:12:00.002-05:00

My tummy is full of butterflies. Giant, huge, fluttery butterflies. My first Olympic length race is this SUNDAY. I know I'm ready for the bike and run - the swim is what has me nervous. I know I'll get through it, but I am also guessing I very well may kiss the ground when I come out of the water.

As part of the Giant Eagle MultiSport Festival, I am actually hosting one of the pro triathletes at my home for the weekend. As we speak, the hubs is on his way to the airport to pick her up. Once I have her okay, I'll post pics and name and all that good stuff. But I am super excited to meet her, and I look forward to getting to know her a bit over the weekend.

On Saturday, I will be working in the race expo at the roll: bike booth from 3-5pm, so come say HELLO if you're in the area. In the meantime, I need to read the participant guide book, as this race is a point to point that starts at a local swim spot and ends in downtown Columbus. For the first time ever, I'll have bags to check, a bike to drop off the morning before, etc. Lots of logistics for this one.

With that being said, thanks to everyone for all your support this year. This will most likely be my biggest race of the season, so in reality this is what I have trained for all year long. I have some goals - but overall I just want to finish feeling good. Race report next week - and THANK YOU for everything you have said and done to help me get here today. Really and truly!!!!!

So much to read, so little time

2011-07-27T15:39:00.002-05:00

hey, all! I am back from vacay and have a LOT of blog reading to do. I will catch up, I promise! BUT - I think I'm going to do a blog roll purge here pretty soon. I noticed today that there are blogs I really look forward to reading, blogs I half ass read, and blogs that I almost completely skip over.

Tracy did a great post today about problems with some blogs, and I am feelin her vibe. I struggle to not comment on the incessant pictures of every meal eaten, the daily weigh-ins which often make women feel very mad about themselves, or ridiculously detailed posts about technical gadgets which I will never be able to afford. I either skip over the posts or toil emotionally about responding or not responding to posts that drive me bonkers.

My time is valuable, and I need to be a bit more careful in where my procrastinating takes me. I need to be more diligent in my work and my training, and I'm starting to realize that the massive blog roll I've accumulated may sometimes be a bit more toxic than helpful. We'll see if I actually manage to pull off this purge. It's like my damn facebook friends list - I seem to find a way to rationalize every person I have on there even though I know damn well that my real true life friends are about 30% of my list.

Anyway, a vacay recap will be coming soon - with some pics, and some stories of cool runs. But first I have to get back to work - and read a few blogs :p

FIVE DAYS TIL MY FIRST OLYMPIC LENGTH RACE! AAAAAHHHHHH!

VACATION

2011-07-20T12:19:00.004-05:00

SWEEEEEEEEET. Vacation could not get here at a better time. In fact, the hubs and I haven't had a purely "fun" vacation in quite sometime. I'm hitting a bit of a training slump (which I think a very astute reader pointed out may be due to the crap hott weather we're having), so a change of scenery and that refreshing feeling that comes from seeing old friends should help pump me back up.

Tomorrow morning, the husband and I are off to Toronto! We spent a few days in city a couple years ago (as detailed in this post), and I am looking forward to returning. Before we hit the 'Ronto though, we'll be spending a night in Niagara Falls (the Canada side) gambling the night away at the casinos. In reality, we'll probably "gamble a half hour away" and just end up finding fun places to get drinks :p I would also LOVE to finally do the Maid of the Mist, but not sure if we will venture out to do that or not. I am also kind of hoping I can get up early on Friday morning and do a run in the park near the falls. Now that should be some sweet scenery on a run, right??

Friday we will head off to Toronto to see our good friends S & M. Ha ha. S&M. Hadn't thought about that before. We'll be hanging with them for the weekend then heading back the direction of home on Monday. Right now we're planning on a stop somewhere near Lake Huron, but we've made no reservations or real set plans. We're going to be "spontaneous" and see what we can figure out when we get out there. We'll head back home on Tuesday.

The worst part about this whole trip will be leaving the puppy dog behind. We've never left her before, and we're already getting a bit weepy about that. So silly. But we have a wonderful house/pet sitter who I am sure will spoil our fur kids royally. Yes, it will all be fine.

In a more tri related note, I volunteered at the Greenswell Triathlon on Sunday in Columbus. i passed out water in transition - which was actually kind of fun. I've never seen what the front of a race looks like! ha! With that being said, some observations:

1) I am amazed at how many people sit down on the ground in transition. I'd never though about it before. But the truth is, I usually am quite wobbly trying to get my shoes on, etc, so maybe I should try it sometime? i dunno.

2) Do people not know that headphones are against regulation in a USAT sanctioned race? SO many people grabbed ipods for the run. You aren't supposed to be able to do that!!! What the hell??

3) The swim is an equalizer. People who often finish the swim at the very front of the pack often don't look like the most fit people in the race - the people at the back of the pack very often look like some of the more fit people there. The middle of the pack includes people of every shape, size, color and age. I was just amazed at how the whole thing went order wise.

4) I also realized that when I am in the water and feel like I have been there forever, it truly is forever. It seemed like it took so long for the first folks to come out of the water on the start. Glad to realize it just isn't me feeling like that! ha!

5) Triathletes are such neat and clean people. At a running race, any area near a trash can looks like a total slob has been by - cups are anywhere except in the trash can. At this race, people actually turned around to pick their cup up if it fell on the ground when they tossed it towards the trash can. It was lovely!

Okay folks, i need to get through my work day. And off to vacation.

P.S. It's also T-minus 11 days to my first Olympic length race!!! EEEEEEEEEEK!

P.P.S. It is making me super sad to see all the Team Nuun "Hood to Coast" ladies post about all their awesome plans. Close, but no cigar for me. le sigh. As fate would have it though, one team will be wearing skirts for the race. Goodness forbid someone have to drop out, I am sure the karmic gods will put me on THAT team :-) (in which case I will sport the skirt - HTC far outweighs by feelings on skirts and running!)

Lessons from an Olympian

2011-07-19T14:35:00.005-05:00

As I mentioned the other day, I had the amazing opportunity to spend nearly half a day training with a former Olympian. How this was not an event that charged $500 for participating, I have no idea; the event was in fact FREE. What I can tell you is that I learned SO much last Saturday. Here's how it went down.

HFP Racing is the organizer for a the Giant Eagle Multisport Festival coming up July 30-31 in downtown Columbus. Leading up to the event, HFP and roll: have sponsored a few tri clinics. This past Saturday was the final of those clinics and was hosted by Victor Plata and Daniel Smith. Victor was a member of the US Olympic team in 2004 for Triathlon. Daniel is one of Ohio's premier triathlon coaches.

I could summarize each and everything we did, but I think the most impactful way to share Saturday's experience is to give you the two big points I took away.

Victor taught us that to be successful in triathlon, you must have The Three P's:

Passion - Persistence - Patience

You always have to remember why you love the sport - when you get caught up in training, missed PRs, injuries, setbacks, etc - think back to why you started. Revisit that passion to get your charge again! As for persistence, you'll be successful if you stick with it. It's not something you can half ass. But you also have to be patient. You aren't going to be the best triathlete you can be the first time you step out on the course - or the second - or the third. Be patient. With passion and persistence, you will succeed. The three P's will be something that stick with me for a very long time.

The next big lesson I learned was about positive self talk. Victor had a mantra that worked well for him:

"I'm strong, I'm fast, I'm built to last."

He had us repeat this mantra numerous times - even on the beach at full volume!!! After speaking with a coworker of mine after the event, he reiterated to me that during his marathon training he did the same thing. He had a few select phrases he constantly repeated in his mind - "I trained for this. I am ready. I will meet my goals."

While it seems silly, it works. I tested it out yesterday. In swim class, I had yet to swim over 200m at one time without stopping. I decided to try and swim 500 m without stopping in the pool yesterday. The whole time I repeated my version of Victor's mantra - stolen a bit from Sir Mix a Lot - "I'm long, I'm strong, I'm about to get the friction on." Yes, that is what I told myself. It helped me relax, smile, and reassured my inner demons that I am indeed extending my stroke (long), I have prepared (strong), and I am breaking the water to easy my way through (gettin my friction on). As silly as it may be - I got through that 500, took a 2 minute break and swam ANOTHER 500. Positive self talk works, my friends.

The quick summary of the day went something like this: met at the store, Victor told us about his journey in triathlon; we biked to Alum Creek's beach in the most urban ride and illegal bike group I have ever been in (we broke many traffic laws), we worked on transitions (helmet on, helmet off), we worked on swim starts, dolphining, buoy turns, and VO2 max workouts/interval training. What was supposed to be three hours turned into more like 5 hours - absolutely awesome.

I am so grateful to HFP and roll: for putting on this clinic - meeting Victor and Dan was just awesome. They were SO friendly and SO helpful. This was an experience that I will remember for a very long time.

The group! I'm on the top row, second lady from the right :-)

And the winner is.......

2011-07-18T09:44:00.001-05:00

The winner of "It Must Have Been Something I Ate...." is (drumroll please)

Out of 28 entries, #6 was randomly selected. And that was Ms. Mae!!!!!!!!

Ms. Mae, email me at africandreams@gmail.com with your address, and I will send you your book. Thanks, all, for your entries!!!!

TRI CLINIC

2011-07-15T15:13:00.001-05:00

This is what I am doing tomorrow:

Roll Bike Store of Polaris will host the 3rd Giant Eagle Multisport Festival Clinic onSaturday, July 16th from 9:00am to 12:00pm. The clinic will be hosted by Olympian Victor Plata and Daniel Smith. Plata competed at the second Olympic triathlon at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He placed twenty-seventh with a total time of 1:57:09.09. Plata was the alternate for the U.S. Olympic Team in 2000. In 2005 Plata was ranked as high as 4th in the ITU World Rankings for triathlon. Daniel Smith is a top Ohio triathlon coach and has recently served as the swim coach for the Warrior Games in Colorado Springs.

This clinic will feature a bike ride from Roll Polaris to Alum Creek State Park, followed by a swim and transition clinic at the site of the Giant Eagle Triathlon transition #1.

Here is the clinic timeline:

9:00-9:30am Meet and Greet with Victor Plata and Daniel Smith at Roll of Polaris (outside Roll)
9:30am Bike Ride from Roll Polaris to Alum Creek State Park
9:45am Swim Session including talk/demonstration, short swim and evaluation
10:15am Snack
10:30am Victor Plata presentation on Triathlon
11:15am Point to Point transition tips and Q & A
11:40am Light Run at Alum Creek State Park
11:55am Wrap-up and Bike ride back to Roll of Polaris

What to bring:
-Swim wear
-Bike and helmet
-Running shoes
-Light snack
-Water or Fluid Replacement
*HFP will transport your gear back and forth between Roll and Alum Creek State Park. Please consolidate items to 1 bag.

I'm a little nervous :-\ Report to follow!!! And I will draw for the giveaway tomorrow too!!!!!!

Don't forget about the giveaway!!!

2011-07-14T12:14:00.001-05:00

My first ever giveaway ends tomorrow. Honestly, I will do the drawing out of whoever's names have Friday's date on them when I wake up Saturday morning. The post is HERE.

And thank you all so much for your amazing words on yesterday's post. I'm already feeling better about the whole thing, albeit still a bit nervous (okay, scared shitless) to go back out with the group. But I'm going to do it. Promise. You are all amazing. Really and truly.

What the hell am I doing?

2011-07-13T12:16:00.004-05:00

That's an old pic of my bike - my SPD pedals are on it now, as are my 23mm tires.

And yes, the reflectors are still there, too :p

The bike - friend or foe? I'm not quite sure.

I had an eye opening experience last night. I'm still digesting it and trying to work through the experience. Maybe you can help me out.

Last night I met my gym's Cycle Club for a ride. It was an absurdly hot day for central Ohio - in the mid 90s at 6pm with fairly high humidity. I chugged my last Zico prior to the ride due to what I knew would be a hott one. For some reason I had in my head we were doing 25 miles. Come to find out we were doing more like 30+, and the slow people who were there the couple of weeks before were nowhere to be seen - well, except me.

Our group has a no drop policy. They won't leave you out on the road to die. And I am beyond grateful to our cycling coordinator (who happens to be my spin instructor) who made sure that this was the case. He dropped back a couple of times to keep me company and provide me a draft. For this, I am forever grateful - absolutely and truly. He was encouraging, supportive and more than you could ask for in a group leader.

Anyway, we started out, and I couldn't keep up within the first mile. I finally managed to catch up about three miles in but soon fell way back behind within the next couple of miles. Thanks to the snazzy new bike computer I have installed, I noticed that even as I was chug chug chugging along trying to not get left in the dust, my speed rarely dropped below 18mph. In fact, it was in the 20s a fair amount of time. It would drop down to 14 or so on hills, but then back up to the 18+ range pretty quickly. (and yes, it's calibrated right - i got the same mileage at the end as everyone else in my group)

In all honesty, I felt like a total and absolute loser for a good chunk of the ride. I know that by no means am I fast - at running, swimming and obviously biking. But holy hell- to be that far behind and struggle to not lose them was absolutely humbling and at times kind of humiliating. And the crazy thing is, that was absolutely the fastest I have ever ridden my bike - ever.

I looked down at one point and the computer said we had only gone 11 miles. ONLY ELEVEN MILES? I had to hold back the tears. At one point I actually considered just turning off and heading back to my car. But I didn't - I pulled up my big girl britches and kept going.

After about an hour in, I started feeling a lot more comfortable with the pace - I was finally able to hold pretty steady with the group the last half of the ride - again maintaining speeds I had no idea I was capable of holding. And by saying "with the group" I mean - I could actually read the text on their jerseys because they were just close enough to not be specks in the distance. But it was, by far, one of the toughest experiences I have had to date in training.

In the last stretch we ended up having a scary run in with a truck that evidently thought it would be funny to plow head on towards a group of cyclists at 60+ mph. Luckily we all managed to break, steer, cuss and navigate our way out of a tragedy. How none of us ran into each other, toppled over into the ditch or ended up under that damn truck, I have no idea. But I am extremely grateful that I'm here typing a whiny post about being slow on the bike rather than talking about a bike tragedy.

It was really the last thing I needed to happen at the end of that damn ride. In hindsight, I'm proud of myself for sticking with it. I rode faster and harder than I ever have before - I put myself way out of my comfort zone and now have a vivid reminder about much work I still have to do. But the whole thing had a down side, too. Now I have this little nagging question floating in my head: WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING?

I'm not a fast runner. I'm a slow swimmer. I'm not a talented cyclist. Why am I paying money to register for races and spending 6-7 days a week training for something that I will probably never be all that good at? Or will I be good at it? Yes, I'm showing improvement. But I'll never be (as they say) "a contender." It's all stupid I know - I'm doing it because it makes me feel strong and gives me purpose and goals. I know this - I truly do. I haven't been bitten by the doubt bug recently, and this current sting is aching pretty badly. I really got my ass handed to me last night, and it got me questioning a lot about what I'm doing and evaluating where I really want to go.

I do plan to go back out with the group. I'll give it a few more times and see if it works for me. I know I need to get out there and just keep pedaling. After experiences like that one, it's a bit tough though.

What do you do when you get hit with doubt? And why the hell do we do this thing they call triathlon?

Topless men and coconut milk

2011-07-12T09:02:00.003-05:00

It's hotttt outside. It's humid and sticky and hot. Which means that for all of us working outdoors, we're probably shedding as much clothing as we can, right?

Which brings me to a question.

Here's the deal - I went on a run Sunday with my Run Club. By the time we were done with our 7 miles, the temps were well into the high 80s and the humidity was in the 80%+ range. There was an air quality alert in effect for the day, too. It had turned to a scorcher. We were all sweating like a "lady of the night" in church.

Anyway, after the run a few of us stood around chatting about upcoming races, etc. In mid sentence, one of the guys I was talking to unzips and takes his shirt off, standing there topless for the rest of the conversation. I workout with triathletes 5-6 days a week - it's not that it's a bad thing to see these dudes with their tops off - that's not really the issue at hand. I just started thinking, "Would I take my shirt off mid sentence while standing talking in a group of three people?" As a woman, it's somewhat different. But it's those subtle differences that make me go hmmmm sometimes.

No, this pic was not taken at Run Club - but close enough to the actual experience :p

Yes, it was crazy hott out, and I assume this dude was going to change shirts when he got to his car. He was sweltering in the heat and was ready to get the damn shirt off. But mid sentence was just like "umm, okay, bye bye shirt, hello sweaty topless guy!" Is there some sort of norm when it comes to men and when it is okay or not okay to go topless? Or when to dispatch sweaty clothing? In reality, I am more curious than anything - I wasn't offended at all. It just got me thinking that maybe it's a boy/girl difference in behavior. Although I am super tempted to take my top off mid sentence at the next work out (leaving the sports bra on of course). Would that be weird?? ha ha!

In other news, after dealing with what I believe to be some sort of heat exhaustion after said run on Sunday morning, I've started looking into some alternative hydration options. My go to drink has always been nuun, but I've been out here lately and have yet to make it to the running store to get more. I decided to try the Zico coconut water, as I have heard some great things about its benefits.

The jury is out on this one. I don't drink milk, and the consistency of the Zico reminded me a lot of what I remember milk tasting like. As for the flavor, I am going to let my friend D sum up my thoughts on its flavor. She tried it for the first time the other day, too, and this is how she described it:

"It's like it wanted to be sweet, but it wasn't really. But it also wasn't really salty either. And sort of had a flavor but sort of didn't. I don't know. It was sort of in between a lot of things but not quite anything. Does that make sense?"

Yes, D, it makes total sense.

In summary, the questions for today:

1) What are the rules on toplessness and disrobing post super hott workouts? Should I attempt to go topless mid conversation after my next run?

2) Coconut water - discuss.

Happy training, everyone!!!

Must have been something I ate.... and my first giveaway

2011-07-09T12:58:00.006-05:00

This is my first ever giveaway. Yep. It sure is.

I’ve mentioned Brendan Brazier’s Thrive book/diet a couple times on the blog. I have yet to fully delve into the Thrive diet as a lifestyle, but it has changed the way I think about food and has helped me learn (and enact) a lot about the veggie athlete's diet. Brendan is an amazing athlete and does so on a fully vegan diet. He’s also created a line of products called Vega. I’ve used the Vega powder in shakes and smoothies, and I must admit I’m a fan. These powders are so chock full of nutritious goodness, one feels healthy just by sniffing the package. As a veggie athlete myself, I have to be mindful of what I am and am not eating to ensure I stay healthy and energetic. Brendan's work has been extremely helpful to me in this past year - I've not only dropped nearly 20 pounds in the past 12 months, but I've also shaved more than two minutes off my average mile run time, and my most recent sprint triathlon gave me a 22 minute PR from last year's performance. I know that some of this is definitely working.

That’s why I was thrilled to be asked to review the latest book by the distributor’s of Brendan’s Thrive. Peggy Kotsopoulos has a new book, “Must Have Been Something I Ate.” This power packed volume walks you through how foods can (and do) change the way you look and feel. It makes total sense to me. The day the book showed up at my doorstep, I had just crammed a handful of Ruffles into my mouth, slathering half of them in French onion dip. I followed that up by eating two Chips Ahoy – in a span of about 6 minutes. Fast forward 15 minutes later, and I was pretty sad about what had just happened. My belly felt full and bloaty, and I actually felt greasy from the damn chips.

As I walk over to open the mail, there lies a small box and inside is Peggy’s book. It couldn’t have been more perfect timing. I took a seat and jumped right in. I've been a vegetarian for close to seven years now, but I know I could eat healthier a good chunk of the time. Plus, with my active lifestyle, I know that nutrition isn't just something that will make me feel better, but I need to get better about eating in a way that will keep my energy level high while fueling my body for training and racing.

The principles of the book are what struck me the most – while I love the specifics that are provided (what foods cause certain feelings, give us complete proteins or Omega-3s, etc), the four basic principles that Peggy lays out have continued to resonate with me. It’s pretty straightforward:

1) Don’t look at healthy eating as “cutting a bunch of stuff out.” Look at it as “adding a bunch of new stuff in.”

2) Nourish your spirit.

3) Practice mindful eating (i.e. see my ruffles/chips ahoy episode above)

4) Reach for real food.

Simple, right? But sometimes oh so hard.

Peggy gives you all the specifics about how foods affect our body function – making us tired or alert, chipper or on edge, feelin’ sexy or downright dumpy. And it’s like talking to one of your best girlfriends through the whole read. I’ll let you navigate all the specifics on what foods do what – you can tell Peggy put a massive amount of time into packing in as much nutritional info for you as possible (she’s a registered holistic nutritionist). It’s a dense read, but damn if it isn’t 100% up front about what foods you can turn to for some seriously healthy and happy eating.

Isn't it pretty? I made this! This is the Chocolate Mousse recipe from the book.
It's healthy and super tasty.

The last chunk of the book provides some recipes for you to try out Peggy’s potions and elixirs of goodness. I gave a few a shot – the chocolate mousse (see above - made with pumpkin! Shhhh!) and the apple oatmeal anti muffin muffin tops (which I think I messed up somehow – they didn’t hold together super awesome at the end). The mousse won over a 3 year old who deemed it "yummy", and I even snuck into the fridge a couple of times just to have a couple guilt free spoonfuls. It's pretty pumpkin heavy, so I look forward to impressing folks with this in the fall. Unfortunately, I think I screwed up the muffins somehow. Maybe one of you guys can make them and tell me what I did wrong!!!!

The muffin tops pre-baking. They looked exactly the same after. hmmmm.

Any of this sound interesting to you? If it does, you can learn more about the book (and Vega in general) here, and you can even try to snag a free copy of the book yourself!!! Just comment here on the blog, and next Friday, July 16, I’ll pick a winner to receive a copy of Peggy’s book! Simple as that.

Wait, I do ask one thing – let me know why you are interested. I’ll warn you now – all the recipes are vegan. And healthy. And you may have to step out of your comfort zone. Why do you want to try this now? I really want to know!!!!! Huge thanks to the folks at Sequel Naturals for allowing me a peek at the book and the opportunity to give one away. I love what you guys do, so it’s an honor to spread the word.

Thanks, all, and now back to our regularly scheduled programming………

A good race photo? What?

2011-07-06T10:01:00.003-05:00

I adore this photo :-)

I checked online this morning and found out that there was actually a decent race photo of me posted from the JCC tri! Holy cow. I love this photo. I think I may buy a copy and blow it up to an 11x17 and keep it nearby, always, for inspiration. I just love it!!!!!

And I had to post this photo, too - must show off my "Will Run for Beer" BondiBand.

Thank you all so much for the kudos on the race. It was so much fun, and it really lit a fire under me to keep working hard. I love this sport so much, and I am so grateful for the support system you all provide. Thank you thank you!!!!!

Race Report: JCC Independence Triathlon 2011

2011-07-05T12:18:00.004-05:00

Revenge is mine. Oh yes, yes it is. But now I have an ax to bury for next year.

Here's the report.

Pre-race

One of the great things about this race is that it takes place about 35 minutes from the house. Awesome. I was able to wake up at a fairly reasonable hour, take a quick shower and change into my tri gear. I packed all my goodies for the race the night before, so all I had to do was grab my bag and my sleepy husband as I headed out the door.

Managed to get to the race site shortly after 7am and was checked in and marked within about 5 minutes. I was finally able to introduce my husband to BDD, too! (Now he knows who I spend my early Saturday mornings with on a regular basis!) Got my transition area all set up, and I was good to go. We still had about 40 minutes til start time, so I opted to head over to the pool and swim a few laps. Oddly enough, no one had this idea yet, so I got the whole pool to myself. I did a few laps in the extremely warm pool. As soon as I got out, I think about twenty people jumped in. Such a trend starter I am :p

The swim

Last year I seeded myself way too far back on the swim start. The swim is a short 300m serpentine swim in a pool. This year I opted to just get in line early and get it over with. This was an excellent strategy. I seeded myself in the 7-7:30 minute estimated time, and it was pretty much right on. I got passed by two speedy dudes who started right after me, but once they made it past, the next person was at least a half a length or more behind me. That works for me. Swim went fine - I probably could have pushed it a bit more, but I still don't know my pacing very well in the water. I know I didn't have to walk at all like last year, and I only took a couple short breaks at the wall before pushing off. All in all, I am very happy with the swim. My swim time includes a rather long jaunt to T1, as well as my t1 time.

Time: 10:39 (4 out of 7 in my age group)

The bike

This is course with a few ups and downs. There's a couple decent hills, some false flats and a few rollers. I knew this going in and I was ready. Lemme tell you, I gave it all I had on the course. Left nothing behind. And it was fabulous. There actually isn't a ton to report on it. I went all out and it felt wonderful. I rode in the big ring most of the second half of the course, and I wish I would have started out in the big ring. I was blowing up hills without much issue at all. It felt fantastic. I have got to start riding in the big ring more often than not and just upping my cadence. It felt great to be breezing past folks. Woo hoo.

Time: 41:23 (3 out of 7 in my group - and only 20 seconds behind the 1st and 2nd place ladies in my group)

The run

Last year I absolutely and positively bonked on the run. I was doing a walk/shuffle/run/hold back muffled cries type of run. This year was much improved. While it was not the stellar performance I had at Tri for Joe, I did well enough. Last year this 5K took me over 38 minutes. This year, I shaved off a great chunk of time. I am now seriously kicking myself for taking about a 20 second walk break on a gradual hill at one chunk of the course. I managed to justify it to myself at the time, but after seeing my overall final time, I want to kick my own ass.

Time: 30:12

OVERALL TIME: 1:23:17

Finished 4th out of 7 in the age group.

Here's the kicker: I WAS SIX SECONDS FROM THIRD PLACE IN MY AGE GROUP.

Six. Freaking. Seconds.

That is the ax I have to bury now. MUST cut transition times and NO WALK BREAKS unless death is imminent. Six seconds from third place, eight minutes from first place.

And oh yeah - I knocked 22 minutes off my time from last year. TWENTY-TWO MINUTES!!! (XXII for those who prefer Roman numerals!!!!!)

Overall, I am thrilled with how the race went down. I got my revenge from last year, and I learned some important lessons. I had a wonderful time and rode a high all day from the feeling I had afterwards. Next up, my first Olympic length race - July 31. ::gulp::

And HUGE thanks to my hubby for coming out to cheer me on - he cheered for me all through the run, hustled over to T1 and high fived me on my way out to the bike. When I came in from my run, he was there cheering me on. Thank you so much for your awesome support, sweetie! It means the world to me.

Amazing? Probably not, but thanks!

2011-07-01T10:23:00.006-05:00

I was rewarded the Amazing Blogger Award from Big Daddy Diesel. I am now required to answer some very personal questions then make other bloggers do the same. Awesome.

My favorite cartoon character is…I have no idea. I don't think I have a fave cartoon character. A care bear maybe? I don't know. I'm 33. I don't connect to cartoons anymore.

My favorite thing to photograph is…the pets. I have way too many photos of Miss Betsy, Allie, Buddy and Scout

My favorite thing to cook is… pasta sauce! I am trying to stay in the habit of not buying jarred sauce and making my own instead. I just use canned tomatoes, then cut up lots of random veggies to add in and puree together. The sauce has come out differently every time - I love experimenting with different flavors to see what will happen in the end!

My favorite way to exercise is…meet friends and workout together. I used to be such a solo trainer, but now I have a RunClub, biking buddies, swim friends, etc. My workouts have become social experiences, and I love it!

My favorite movie is…Road House. If this movie is on, I have to watch it. Patrick Swayze as a bouncer with Jeff Healy as the in-bar music. Yes, please.
My favorite article of clothing is… My Saucony Kinvaras :-)

My favorite flower is…ones that are alive and in soil. Cut flowers make me sad - they are on their way to total death.

My favorite breakfast is…my hubby's omelettes. Yummo.

Now I am supposed to tag people and make them feel obligated to do this, too!!! So here you go :-)

Mizz Duffy, TAG.

D, TAG.

Tracy, TAG.

JCC Tri means REVENGE

2011-06-29T13:21:00.003-05:00

Guess who is racing this weekend?

Thanks to some bitching and moaning by the masses, the super awesome HFP Racing lowered the fee for the JCC Independence Triathlon to $50. I had actually contemplated registering on Monday, but with the online fees, etc, the total was coming close to $80. That, I just could not afford. I CAN do $50. That means I'm in, and revenge is coming.

Last year, the JCC tri was my first ever sprint length triathlon. I had done one super sprint length in the women's only series prior, but that was it. You can read my race report HERE. While my swim went well, I had some bike malfunctions, and I totally bonked on the run. My final time was over 1:44. This year I am gunning for sub 1:30.

I also love the fact that in last year's race report I mentioned that I wanted to race this in a year and not be Athena - done :-) Love it!

In other news, I went out last night and met Lifetime's Cycle Club for a group ride around Hoover. Unfortunately none of us had a computer on us, so we have no idea how far we went. We rode for about 2.5 hours and got in some great hills and fast flats. Overall, lovely experience. Because my handing is getting more stable, I actually don't mind the group ride thing as much as I thought I would. WOOT!

What plans do YOU have for the Independence Weekend???

PS - Did anyone see that next month's Runner's World cover is a lady in a running skirt?

TRI-birthday!!

2011-06-28T12:55:00.005-05:00

Before I ramble on about my birthday, I have to give a huge shout out to my Aunt and Mom (pictured above) who did the Flora, Indiana Hog Jog a couple weeks ago! They walked it out, and I am so proud of them!

Next, thanks so much for the birthday wishes. It was a wonderful birthday weekend parlayed into a wonderful birthday-day, and I am a lucky girl. My birthday extravaganza was also extremely tri heavy - which is awesome. Here's your breakdown:

Friday afternoon - An awesome freaking box of tri gear arrives on my doorstep from my awesome buddy Lauren. I could not believe what was in there - it was a plethora of tri goodness! Chamois glide, new TYR goggles, bike socks that said "I heart Tri":

a necklace (that happened to have half iron distances on the back - I think that was a hint) - just so freaking sweet.

And on top of that, she gave me a gift certificate to one of my favorite tri sites, teamestrogen.com, to pick out some items on my own. I snagged a new pair of Zoot tri shorts and some race flip flops. Lauren, you are way too sweet to me - THANK YOU SO MUCH, DEARY!

Friday night - Swim at Alum Creek with BDD. Let's just say that we had one huge private pool that evening. Thanks to some crap weather earlier in the afternoon, there was nary a soul at the beach that evening. It was just BDD, the fishes and me out in the water for the swim. We knocked out a nice distance then parted ways til the morning. My husband was scheduled to fly in from Florida that evening, and I was super pumped to go get him at the airport.

Saturday morning - 3:45am - FINALLY get home after numerous plane delays, lost luggage, and picking the hubs up at the airport. Poor guy was exhausted, and so was I. I also had a ride scheduled for 7am. Awesome.

Later (or earlier?) Saturday morning - 7am - Due to a missed alarm clock (AHEM), we started out a bit late. It was actually really chilly at the start of the ride with little to no sun. Yuck. Thankfully the sun decided to show up, and it turned into a positively gorgeous day to be out riding. That day, I clocked my first ever 50+ mile ride (53 to be exact). Rock on.

Saturday afternoon/evening - Hubs wants me to open my birthday present - so I did! A bike computer!!!!! SWEEEEEEEEEET. Will install this week - rock on. Sleep

Sunday - Tubing down the Mohican River, and absolutely no training at all (unless you count the "how many beers can you drink while on a river for four hours challenge").

Monday - Yet another awesome box arrives, this time from my Mom. Inside was this AWESOME shirt from Trix. I saw this shirt several months ago and posted on facebook. My Mommy remembered and got it for me. I absolutely LOVE it!!!!!!!!!! She also got me a super awesome towel with my name embroidered on it - guess what that's supposed to be? My new transition towel!!!!! It's in the wash now, but as soon as it is out, I will post a pic. Just so very very cool. THANK YOU, MOMMA!!!!!!!

If my 33rd year of life is starting out like this, I can only imagine how much more fun I'm going to have!!! Thank you all so much for the birthday wishes and sweet sweet tri gear!!!!!!

What does a 33 year old sound like?

2011-06-27T15:17:00.001-05:00

You will have to wait until later this week to find out. Because I am sure that my whole life will now feel dramatically different. Today, I turn 33. I'll tell you all about this weekend's training once today is over - with a brand new, more mature worldview. In the meantime, that's me you will see walking down the street in a tiara.

The Running Skirt

2011-06-24T10:14:00.005-05:00

So, after my running skirt comment, it solicited some responses. I know a lot of women love running skirts. In fact, one friend even pointed out this article to me yesterday:

Girls track team turns to skirts to improve results

The article makes total sense to me. If the skirts are being used to help the girls feel more modest, and hence more comfortable with themselves, I think that is fantastic. What I thought was horrible is that with adults around at a meet that boys were allowed to get away with the comments they made, but that's a whole other can of beans.

Anyway, after reading the article I thought hard about why I have such a distaste for the idea of a running skirt. Many women have told me how comfortable they are, they come in a myriad of colors and designs, and just how fun they are to wear.

Then it finally hit me why I don't want to wear a skirt when I'm running.

When I wear a skirt, I feel pretty and cute.

When I am running, I am neither pretty or cute.

On a run, I don't want to feel pressured to look pretty or cute.

The other day I was out on a run in 90+ degree heat with my Run Club. My buddy Ali and I were running with each other when I looked back, leaned over and spit. Within about 30 seconds, she did the same. Then, I blew my nose using the bottom of my sweaty running shirt. My running isn't pretty. It's filled with weird sounds - cracking and wheezing, lots of random bodily fluids, and it isn't very graceful to watch. I like the fact that it's okay, too - because I'm running.

It's okay for me to look like crap out on the road in my Kinvaras - to be covered in sweat and blowing snot rockets. I don't want to do it in a skirt! I run so I can wear short skirts when I don't look like crap - when I actually do feel pretty and cute.

In a way, I guess I have the opposite reaction to the skirts that the track team in the story had. I feel that a skirt puts me on display in an environment where I would really just rather do my thing. At my age, unless you are a pro, you're probably not wearing the "bun hugger" running shorts described in the track story anyway. The skirt isn't worn for modesty - in fact, I would feel much more self conscious in a short skirt running than I would in my trusty umbros.

I read a story posted on another blog (which I was trying to locate, but can't seem to find now!) that made a comment about "running skirts being flattering to all body types." Really? You been to a race recently? (Sorry, here's where the catty in me comes out.) I had the unfortunate experience of running behind a young lady last year wearing a running skirt. Her body type was not meant for the skirt. Myself, and everyone behind her, had a full view of everything she was trying to cover up. The shorts stitched into the skirt were stretched to their absolute max, making them near translucent. The skirt rested on the top of her bum rather than covering it.

I felt horrible for her - did anyone in her life not have the guts to tell her that the skirt was anything but a horrible fashion choice? It wasn't flattering for her in any sense. Is this the way all ladies look in the skirts? Absolutely not - but it was not a flattering impression of skirt culture.

And I feel horrible for saying that. BUT, if she wasn't wearing a skirt, I never even would have noticed her running in front of me. SEE???

I would love to hear why you love running skirts. Or why you, like me, don't love them.

The skirt seems to be here to stay for a while - I see them more and more at each running race I do. In full disclosure - I've never even tried on a running skirt. Part of the reason is that I'm afraid I would like them.

Let the discussion begin - to skirt or not to skirt?

PS - If convinced enough, I may even go try one on :p

An introduction

2011-06-23T13:35:00.003-05:00

Thanks to the excitement surrounding team nuun, I had a flurry of new activity to the blog yesterday. I gained several new followers, and to all of you I say welcome and hello. Since my blog has changed greatly since its inception, I thought this called for an introduction of sorts. So here we go.

I'm Michelle. I live in Ohio. I grew up in Texas, became an adult in North Carolina, and now I'm exploring my thirties in a small college town outside Columbus. My husband is an academic. I'm a vegetarian. We have no kiddos yet, but we do have three cats and a dog. That's the basics.

Me, my pup Betsy and one of the kitties - Buddy

As for the fitness stuff - it's a new "thing" for me. I only started running back in 2004 when I was invited to join a team for the Susan Komen Race for the Cure. You can read more about that in my entry for the nuun HTC team. My foray into triathlon only started last year. I did one race - a women's only super sprint tri - and I was hooked. I felt like death at the end of the race, but it lit something in me. From that moment on, I have spent a great deal of time becoming mentally and physically prepared for the demands of triathlon.

Indy Mini Marathon 2011

I've lost over 30 pounds in the past two years - most of it in the past year thanks to my tri training. I went from an Athena racer to age group this year. Honestly, I'm not very fast, and I'm not very good at triathlon. My performance is still inconsistent - I'm figuring out nutrition and pacing and gear and strategy. It's a work in progress. But I absolutely love every minute of it. This blog is my place to talk about all those different parts. Sometimes people listen, sometimes they don't - but this is my community of support.

Tri for Joe 2011

I don't do giveaways to gain followers, and I pretty much only review products that I use or tried on my own accord. Mine is a low key, low tech blog about the trials and tribulations of an age group triathlete trying to find her way.

Through this journey, many people have inspired me and helped me. Many of them post comments here on a regular basis. I am thankful to each and every one of them. I follow a long list of blogs and comment when I have something useful to say - not just to say "OMG. ME TOO! You are so awesome! FIRST POST! LOL". I've stalked a few blogs for years and never said a word. I've dropped blogs off my blogroll when the author shows 25 pictures of themselves in various running outfits and full make up when they go out to run a marathon. True story.

I could not fathom wearing a running skirt ::shiver:: (although I have friends who swear by them!)

Most times, I'm a positive lady, but this space provides me to share my insecurities and my fears about this new love of mine, triathlon. The blog started off as a way for me to share my adventures when I spent a summer at Oxford for a writing program - my, how things have changed.

So, again, welcome. I'm thankful you have taken a few minutes to read about my experiences, and I look forward to finding a few new blogs to stalk along the way!!

Alternatively........

2011-06-22T12:19:00.003-05:00

SO - it looks like I have been selected as one of five alternates for nuun's Hood to Coast 2011 Relay Team! YAY!

After seeing some of the other applications out floating around on the interwebs, I was floored. The creativity put into some of those was just amazing. There were lots of silly ones, several touching ones, and some that even made you go "huh?" But it was very cool to see so many ladies going out on a limb to try and secure a place on the team.

To see the full list of selected ladies (including my own name in lights), check out the nuun blog HERE.

In my role as alternate, I will step in (Miss America first runner up style) shall one of the other ladies not be able to fulfill her role. A lot can change between now and August, so who knows what will happen.

As you may have or have not noticed, I'm not a huge plugger of products here on the site. The reason I got excited about nuun was because it is a product I use on a constant basis. I love it and recommend it to people all the time. I don't do giveaways for every product that emails me (and I have received a few) because I just won't do it unless I really believe in what they're doing. In this case, I am happy to plug nuun all they want!

Thanks to everyone for your support, and send good vibes that maybe I still have a chance to run!!!

The taste of defeat

2011-06-21T15:57:00.003-05:00

The taste of defeat resembles that familiar taste in my mouth after swimming out at Alum Creek.

That's because THIS DAMN SWIM THING CONTINUES TO ELUDE ME.

Yes, I have some basic mechanics now. My endurance is still suffering - my stroke is still suffering - and after each OWS, I am starting to suffer a bit more. I feel like I have plateaued on the swim and I am getting no better at all.

I know I have to remember that I ran for YEARS and never got any faster. But damned if I didn't think that swimming would get easier/better faster. I have to stick with it, but it sure is tough each and every time.

I went out and met COTT for Monday night's swim at the lake. Due to craptacular traffic, I missed the 6pm start and got in the water more like 6:15 or so. I stayed "in the shallow end" since I was quite a ways behind the group as a whole. The way out was fine. I mean, I had to stop every couple hundred meters or so, but I made it through. I was feeling okay enough to decide and go out to the "swim lane" farther out on the way back. BIG MISTAKE.

There were waves. The current was moving crazy fast. It felt like swimming in place, and breathing to the side gave me this weird motion sickness feeling as the ripples of the water rushed by. As I would look up to spot, water would just crash over my face. Lord knows how many quarts of lake water I drank. Here's hoping I don't have an internal parasite now. I had to maneuver my way back to the shallow end, and I ended up walking a good chunk of the way back. I deemed it "aqua jogging" to make myself feel better - but the truth is, it wasn't swimming.

I left feeling defeated. I'm seriously nervous about being able to complete the full 1500m of the July 31 Giant Eagle Tri without being the last one out of the water. Would that be the worst? Not necessarily, but I want to do a bit better than "just finishing" for this race. But my first Olympic distance is looking like it is going to be a much bigger challenge than I imagined.

I WILL KEEP GOING. I promise I will. I just needed to bitch. Thanks for listenin'...

The "Week of Pain" Continues....

2011-06-20T10:55:00.004-05:00

Ok, so the "week of pain" has actually turned out to not be so painful. But I'm keeping the name because it sounds kind of awesome.

Friday night storms derailed the run or bike plans I had, so I opted to eat an entire frozen pizza instead (cooked, of course). Not the same after effect as the run, methinks. But it was very fun. Saturday meant a very early wake-up (5:30am), as I was meeting BDD for an early morning swim/run. Thankfully the weather cooperated for us, and we were greeted with an absolutely beautiful morning. There was no one else in Alum Creek Lake when we arrived, so we got the whole thing to ourselves. I'm still working on making it from one end of the swimming beach to the other. Damn, that's a long way. And to think that we have to swim down AND back for the July 31 Giant Eagle triathlon? ugh. I can do it, right? (::gulp::)

After the swim, it was time for a ride. This was my first ride out on the 23mm tires, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The ride was definitely faster - and bumpier. Not riding on "couches" as one friend put it, definitely changed the feel. But I'll take it due to the increased speed. We made a loop from the Alum Creek lot, and as we were cruising back in, I thought "Wow! That ride went fast - these tires are making a HUGE difference." Turns out we missed a turn somewhere - and rather than repeating our former incident of going to far out on a route - we went too short. Eleven miles. Eleven. Bah humbug. To make sure we got in some additional mileage, we acted like little kids and explored the side roads of Alum Creek State Park. We saw lots of little bunnies, some chipmunks, and many potholes. Our exploration (plus two laps around the Alum Creek parking lot) got us to 17 miles. Not the world's longest ride, but hey - it was a Saturday morning mini brick!

We parted ways and said "see you later" as were attending the HFP Racing/ roll triathlon clinic at Easton. The guest speaker was Tracy DiSabato-Aust, a local professional. She gave a talk on transition setup and managing training with life responsibilities. Turned out to be a very nice talk overall. It made me feel completely gear deficient - seeing a sponsored athlete with top of the line gear from head to toe makes one kind of feel like a tri-hobo.

Post clinic, I hung out with a friend for a bit before heading home.

This is where the "week of pain" really began. I got home around 4pm - after being out almost 11 hours. I sat down on the couch and said "What do I do now?" I missed my hubby. Even though I spend a lot of time out training, he's always there when I get back. i didn't have anyone to tell about my day, and it honestly made me a bit sad. And lonely. I indulged rather than mope and had a huge slice of Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookie pie from Westerville's Just Pies. And I watched Reality Bites. Great way to spend an evening, right?

Sunday morning was run club. Due in some part to the previous evening's indulgences (did I mention I also had a half bottle of merlot? And a Negro Modelo?), the run was kind of horrid. We ran Sharon Woods, which is only about a 3.8 mile loop. I averaged just shy of a ten minute mile, but I was struggling. I even had to take a nice little walk break along the way. ouch. Not very good.

Afterwards, I headed over to Alum Creek to get in a swim. I had the opportunity to swim with my run and spin coach at around 2:30pm, but it was only about 11am at the time and I was hottt. Getting into a cool lake just sounded too awesome to pass up. So, I headed over to the lake where there were a few other swimmers, and lots of folks on the beach for Fathers Day. Evidently lots of people were out on boats for fathers day, too, as the water was choppy!! I stayed close to shore - no deeper than being able to stand up shall I panic or get too tired. The cold water felt great, but I struggled through the length down the beach.

I now realize that Alum Creek's beach is where you go to see every local triathlete. I ended up running into a couple guys from COTT I met at the previous week's swim. Chatted with them a bit and headed home. A nap was in order after that.

The hubs is in Florida til Friday, so I am going to try and keep a rather intense schedule while he is gone. Cause I found out that the "week of pain" isn't coming so much from the training but not having someone to share it with.

Come home soon, sweetie. I love you!

PS: In NON painful news, a huge congrats goes out to my good friend Becky who ran her first ever half marathon this past weekend in Minnesota. Beyond the awesomeness that automatically comes with completing a half, she gets extra cool points because the temps and conditions at the start were so crappy that signs were posted warning runners of hypothermia. At a race in JUNE. You can read all about it here. Congrats, Becky! So proud of you!!!!!

New shoes

2011-06-16T13:13:00.002-05:00

Happy *almost* Friday, everyone! For some reason, this week is feeling extremely long to me. I am not quite sure why that is. I do know I am looking forward to the weekend VERY much, hence that may be part of the reason why Friday at 5:01pm just won't get here soon enough.

Why am I so pumped for the weekend? Well.....yesterday, The Murph (my bike is Murphy - I call it 'The Murph'...my husband thinks it's a veiled RoboCop reference, but it actually refers to Murphy Brown, my childhood hero), got NEW SHOES. The stock tires on my bike were 28mm heavily treaded tires. While this has worked okay starting out, I've now got my SPD pedals on full time, and I would like to start picking up the speed a bit on my rides. Enter the brand new 23mm Continental Ultra Gatorskin tires. These bad boys are supposed to be great for training and racing - and they are supported with Kevlar, making them as close to indestructible as you can possibly get for a bike tire. I absolutely cannot wait to get them out on the road. Let's just say that I will be doing that A LOT this weekend!!

It looks like I also have a run and one or two OWSs planned for the weekend as well. The husband is going to be in Florida for a few days, so this gives me prime opportunity to do lots and lots of training without feeling bad that I'm leaving him at home. I will feel bad for Miss Betsy, the world's cutest puppy, though. I plan to watch many a Netflix movie with her though - I promise.

I know I have mentioned a couple times that I have started using my SPD pedals. This transition has actually been a bit anticlimactic. I thought it would be this huge ordeal to overcome, but in reality it hasn't been at all. Yes, stopping and starting is still a bit scary. But I've allowed myself to fall a couple times and still have the bruises to prove it. I survived all the falls and am assuming I will survive most of the ones that will happen in the future, too. The whole process seems much less scary now - and I am very happy with this.

Was your transition to clipless pedals pretty seamless, too?

PS - The entry deadline for the nuun HTC relay team was yesterday. Now, we wait. The team will be announced on June 22. Please send some good vibes my way! And if you aren't already, go "Like" nuun on Facebook and if you feel so inclined you can say something nice in my favor on their page. No pressure - really. Just if you want to :-)

First OWS in a Wetsuit!

2011-06-14T09:43:00.003-05:00

I survived my first Alum Creek swim in a wetsuit - thanks, COTT!

The wetsuit has been hanging on the Iron Gym in our bedroom for a whole five days. It was killing me that I hadn't taken it out in the water yet. I tried, unsuccessfully, to get a few folks out on Sunday afternoon. It's like herding cats to try and wrangle the schedules of active adults. I think we're on for later this week, but I was still dying to get suited up and try out the new skin.

My Run Club coach directed me to COTT who has regularly scheduled Monday evening swims out at Alum Creek. Technically, I am not a member of COTT - it's a Columbus based group, and I hesitated ever joining because I wasn't sure if I would really be able to make the workouts, etc. I emailed a couple folks from the team, and they emailed me back almost immediately welcoming me to come out for that night's swim. So, I did!

I am so glad I did. The group was very friendly, and they seemed honored I would have my first wetsuit swim with the group. ha! I actually managed to get the suit on pretty quickly (with the aid of Pam no-stick spray and a plastic bag over my feet), and we headed out to the water. It was amazing - the difference between wetsuit and non-wetsuit is very distinct. I tend to have a hard time keeping my hips and legs up in the water - and it slows me down a lot. The wetsuit did it for me. It was like swimming with a pull buoy. Amazing.

I need to do a good chunk of work on my upper body strength and my stroke. I lost the group pretty early on - there were some super strong swimmers with ridiculously long strokes. There also happened to be another swim group in the water, and I accidentally thought it was MY group, so I turned around at the wrong place. oops. But I was still out in the water for over an hour, and it was fantastic. I have to get used to the OWS feel - no pushing off the walls - you just GO. It's going to take practice, but I'll get there. Sighting is going to take some work, too.

Overall, I am in LOVE with my wetsuit. It fits perfectly, and it makes me feel so much more confident in the water. Having that bad boy on has almost fully removed the "panic" effect of getting out into the water. Hopefully that will hold on race days, too!

(nearly) Summer Weekends Rock

2011-06-13T11:02:00.003-05:00

Oh how I love awesome weather. Saturday morning we did have a brief interlude of thunderstorms which derailed BDD's and my planned ride, so I woke up to a text from BDD saying "no go". Which means I slept in til 10am. I'm not going to complain too much. By 10:30 the sun was out in full force. Of course. Instead, I ran some errands then met two friends to go to the Granville Art Affair and Wine Festival. I deemed it "Rose Day" and tried everything bubbly I possibly could. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Post wine fest, we went up to Denison's campus to see the Bluecoats give their inaugural performance for the summer. Very "modern" compared to my days in marching band, but they did an amazing job.

During the performance, my buddy S got a text from a local bike mentor asking if we'd like to head out for a ride that evening. We agreed that some hydration was necessary due to our afternoon's previous activities but we jumped at the chance to get out and ride on a lovely evening.

We all met at 7pm for what was to be a leisurely 20 mile ride. We took the TJ Evans path out past Alexandria then got onto the roads. You know, Ohio is beautiful. With the sun starting to set, a golden hue was cast on everything. It was positively beautiful.

The "flat" ride was a great deal hillier near the end than I'm normally used to. Let's just say the last 3 miles or so were a bit tough for me. The elevation chart is below - and looking at it, it seems fairly tame. But I had some "issues." I made it up each and every hill, but egads. I MUST start doing more hill work. And Granville has plenty of hills....so I have NO excuse. We got in over 25 miles by the time all was said and done.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/37285958"&amp;amp;amp;gt;Susan/Adele Route - 25 miles&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/?location=Granville, OH"&amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Runs in Granville, OH&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Sunday was Run Club - a hot 4 miles out at Blendon Woods on the trails and roads. Hubs and I even topped off the afternoon and hiked the Lobdell Disc Golf Course with the pup. Great way to spend an afternoon.

I did not manage to wrangle up a group for an OWS this weekend - BUT it looks like I have two on tap for this week: one on Thursday, one on Saturday. Awesome. I am SO looking forward to trying out my wetsuit!!!

And a huge THANKS goes out to my awesome buddy D who volunteered at the Ironman 70.3 in Lawrence this weekend. She thoroughly enjoyed her experience, and if I don't race it next year I just may go out and volunteer with her!!!!

Like a dolphin, doin' flips an s%&*

2011-06-10T10:21:00.003-05:00

Guess who got a wetsuit? me me me. Who says you can't be thrifty and do triathlon? I got an AMAZING deal. $60. That's it. And this thing is in PERFECT shape. I nearly busted a blood vessel in my head trying to get the thing on, but it *seems* to fit perfectly (need to get it on in the water to verify). I can't imagine an item of clothing fitting any tighter than this, and I am in the size range specified by the manufacturer. Legs are super tight, crotch is tight, neck is super super snug. I hope to take it out on a test swim this weekend. I am SO super pumped.

Speaking of the weekend, it should be a nice one. I made the tough decision to not go back out to Indiana this weekend. My mom is still there with my Aunt, but I have to work all day today and have to be at work Monday morning. Which means 8+ hours of driving to stay less than 24 hours with the family. It just doesn't make sense (especially with gas at $4+/gallon). I will be sending them lots of love though.

Instead, BDD and I are sticking with our Saturday morning ritual and hitting the roads for a ride on Saturday morning. Once that is done, I'm going to rest at home a bit before checking out the Granville Art Affair. Beer, wine, art, and some girlfriends. Works for me. Did I mention beer and wine?

Sunday is Run Club in the morning, and it's at one of favorite metro parks in Columbus - Blendon Woods. I haven't been trail running in a while, so this will be a nice change of pace. I may follow up the Run with a swim somewhere. I'm going to reach out to both my run coach and my spin instructor to see if someone would be open for an OWS.

The poor hubs is working student orientation all weekend, so he'll be MIA most of the time. Which is a bummer. But I am very skilled at filling my weekends almost instantly. See the above for proof of that!!!

Lots of good race vibes going out to everyone this weekend - seems like nearly everyone has something going on!!!!! I look forward to hearing how much you all kicked ass over the weekend.

As a last mention, my buddy D is volunteering at the Lawrence, KS 70.3 this weekend. She just may get to hand Chrissie Wellington a cup of water. I am SO jealous!!!

With that being said, go forth this weekend and TRI...

YOU should apply too!!!

2011-06-09T15:00:00.004-05:00

First of all, thank you all so much for the super sweet comments on yesterday's post. I so appreciate hearing that my actions have helped others - it keeps me honest and keeps me moving forward when I just want to quit. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! I love you guys!

And I thought this was obvious in yesterday's post, but if you want to run HTC with Team Nuun, you should put an entry out there, too! Go! Go do it!!!!!

Pass the Baton - I want to run HTC with Team Nuun!!!!

2011-06-08T14:51:00.009-05:00

Nuun is putting together an ALL BLOGGER, ALL FEMALE team for this year's Hood to Coast relay. Twelve women. 200 miles. Two days. SIGN ME UP. My entry for the contest is below. I'd like you to be part of my entry, too, so please comment on how the blogging community has helped you achieve your goals. Guys, I know this is a bit heavy on the "girl power," but without my dude support system, I wouldn't have accomplished as much as I have today. Without futher ado - my entry to be considered for the 2011 Nuun team.

To whom it may concern:

I would like to be considered for the Nuun Female Blogger Hood to Coast Team for 2011. When I heard about the opportunity to apply, my first reaction was to think “Geez, that sounds way too scary.” Then I realized that that very same thought is what got me started running, what got me into triathlon, and what keeps me out on the road/trails every day. Scaring myself tends to be the way I keep a smile on my face and a skip in my step…

I started running in 2004. I was recruited to run on a Susan Komen Race for the Cure team by the realtor I bought my house from – Lista Yarbrough. Lista and I became friends through the home buying process, and I was consistently in awe of her upbeat demeanor and unfaltering positive world view. The idea of running three whole miles seemed near impossible at the time. The day I closed on my first home was Lista’s last day of chemo. Only five years older than me, Lista was fighting breast cancer and winning. You never would have known she was in for the fight of her life – she always looked full of energy and talked about every day with promise and a sparkle in her eye. I was positively in awe of her. My fear of a 5K was nothing compared to what she was dealing with on a daily basis.

Lista (#50, pink bib) at the 2004 Komen race with several teammates.

I trained for and ran my first 5K that year thanks to Lista’s encouragement. It was truly an amazing feeling to look a fear right in the face and conquer it. I would love to say that from that moment on I kept running and never looked back. It wasn’t like that at all actually. My marriage fell apart shortly after, and I found myself a bit lost. I took refuge in being a wild and crazy gal not focused too much on health.

Thanks to a wonderful woman, Lauren, that I met through my graduate school program, I was re-introduced to running. Lauren is one of the people who finds refuge in running. It is her therapy, her soul-cleanser – her way to make the world a calm place. If she couldn't run, it ruined her day. She encouraged me to get back out there. And I did. But I was slow, and I was self conscious. I didn't actually run WITH Lauren for a couple of years. Again, I was just plain scared.

Lauren’s consistent encouragement reminded me of the power of women’s friendship for all things in life – exercise, wellness, relationships - you name it. She was there with me in my first half marathon, my second half marathon, and as my Maid of Honor when I married my wonderful husband. We don’t live in the same state now, but our bond of friendship will never be broken. We’re “Sole Sisters” and I will be forever grateful for what our friendship has done for me in all areas of my life. She gave me the courage to open up my heart and face the opportunities presented by friendship and sisterhood.

(L to R) Lauren, Meredith and me at the NC Half Marathon 2009 (our first half!)

Lista, who first inspired me to start running, lost her fight with breast cancer in January 2008. Every time a run gets “too hard,” I think of Lista and her fight. I think of how she inspired people and what she had to endure the five years of her treatment, and I am grateful for her being a part of my life.

It is in the spirit of women’s friendship and conquering those occasional fears in life that fuel my desire to take part in this amazing team endeavor. The blogging community has been positively integral in keeping me going with my training in running and triathlon as my life has changed and taken me across the country to face new challenges.

I met Becky, Darrah and Laura online almost ten years ago. They are three of the best friends I've ever had, and this August we'll all race a triathlon together!

I consistently work to conquer my fears of open water swims, runs in 100 degree temps, SPD pedals, lake monsters, etc. Having Nuun in my water bottle ensures I maintain full confidence about my hydration needs so I can fully concentrate on my performance and busting through obstacles as they appear. My training bag always contains a container of Nuun (strawberry lemonade, please!) – it’s a must have for me!

Darrah and I at the 2011 Kansas Half Marathon - Darrah's first!
(and check out the Strawberry Lemonade Nuun in my fuel belt!!!)

To be able to share an experience like HTC with women from all across the country would be a huge honor. The power of women’s friendship (online via a blog or in person) enables us to overcome so many fears and obstacles every day, and I would love to do this race in tribute to the women who have encouraged me in every step I’ve taken. We’re supposed to do something every day that scares the crap out of us, right? I think HTC will work just fine to accomplish that for a couple of days…….

Who has encouraged you in your journey?

DFLIMAG - Kokomo Sprint Triathlon Race Report

2011-06-06T14:42:00.006-05:00

Well, this weekend proved to be a race weekend! Yep! Even with the sadness that came upon my family this week, I happened to find out there was a triathlon going on that Saturday morning only about 40 minutes from my family's home. In an effort to provide an outlet and distraction, I threw out the option to go to the race. No one was opposed, and my Mom even decided to join me. Yay!

Therefore, Saturday morning I was up shortly before 6am to get ready, and my Mom and I jumped in the car and headed out to Kokomo, Indiana for the Kokomo Sprint Triathlon. While I enjoyed the race, it gave me my lowest race stats ever. For the very first time, I came in DFLIMAG (dead f&*%ing last in my age group).

The swim: The swim was actually something I was quite proud of!! The swim took place in a quarry behind the church where the tri was hosted. The depths ranged from 4 feet around the edge to 30 feet plus in the middle. I was nervous about this but knew I had to start getting some OWS experience. The swim went in three waves - first was men aged 35 and younger (green caps), then men 35 or over (white caps), and last was women of all ages (red caps). We saw the first two waves start off, then it was our turn. This race seemed to be much heavier on the dudes - unlike what I've seen in Ohio races. Still, when the air horn went off, I hung back a few second to let the fast people get out in front of me. It was only a 500m swim, but it sure did look like a long way from shore. I did my crappy swim/sidestroke/doggy paddle for the first leg out. On the back stretch, I actually drafted behind someone. On the final stretch in, the lady I was drafting behind started to slow down quite a bit, so I passed her and went on around. I even passed a few green and white caps!! I swam the full final stretch in with freestyle - I kept going til my knuckles hit the ground. I was actually really proud of myself on the swim. No panic, and I really SWAM.

Time: 13:25, 91/124 total racers, 4/5 in my age group

The Bike: Who knew that freaking Kokomo, IN was so damn hilly. The whole course was rollers with a couple fairly serious hills. I mapped the route out, but that elevation chart sure didn't come out looking the way that course felt on my legs. It kind of kicked my butt. BUT - the cool thing was...(ready for this??)...I was CLIPPED IN the whole bike ride!!!! I had switched my pedals to my SPD style ones on Thursday evening, so I forced myself to race with them. No problems at all. I managed an average speed of 15.16mph for the 10.5 mile course. That was really freaking slow (109/124 total racers), but I was NOT prepped for that level of course. Just a bit more challenging than I was used to.

The bike route that kicked my rear.

Time: 41:33, 109/124 total racers, 4/5 in my age group

Run: Total and absolute bonk. Between being dehydrated (with the drive to Indy and not having access to much fluid the evening before), and my legs being ground up on the ride - my "run" was a joke. I barely held it together. It was embarrassing actually. I walked more than I ran. But I finished it. Just horrible overall. This was a kick in the ass that I better watch my nutrition and pre-race night activities. Cause my ass got seriously kicked.

Time: 37:78 (egads), 5/5 in age group

Final Time: 1:35:47, 5/5 in age group, 113/124 total racers

Final notes: When I showed up at the race, I was amazed at the level of racers there. The bike porn was well worth the price of admission. Nearly half the people there seemed to be touting their Ironman race shirts and hats from previous endeavors. I was a bit out my league at this Kokomo race, lemme tell you. BUT - I managed to get some OWS confidence AND I can now officially say I ride with my SPD pedals!!! Therefore, yay for those two things!!!

I also saw something I have never seen before EVER in a race - a poor guy's bike crapped out on him around mile 6 or 7 of the race. I have no idea what had happened, as I wasn't around when the event that caused him to get off his bike actually occurred. I saw him around mile 7 jogging next to his bike. On my way out of the run, I saw him coming into transition, and I saw him after my turnaround. This guy ran his bike the 3 miles back to transition in bare feet, then put on his running shoes and finished the race. HOLY CRAP. I saw him after and said that was one of the craziest things I have ever seen. Absolutely amazing. What a heart.

Overall, glad I did the race, and it gave me a serious wake up call that I HAVE to stay on my game - I have a long, LONG way to go to consistent racing.

Why I do Triathlon

2011-06-03T09:02:00.002-05:00

I couldn't have said it any better myself. Read THIS.

Thanks for all the good vibes, everyone. My family greatly appreciates it.

A sad day

2011-06-02T15:26:00.002-05:00

Got some sad news yesterday. My Uncle Dean passed away after a long fight with several ailments. He'd battled through and won many health fights in his life, but this latest round was just too much. I didn't get to spend a ton of time with Uncle Dean in my life - my family and I lived in Texas while my Mom's side of the family was in Indiana. We saw my Uncle and his family once every few years, and he was always so very nice when we visited. He loved old cars, and his garage always had a beauty in it. He was a master at taking the old and giving it new life.

I'll be heading off to Indiana tomorrow to spend time with my Mom and her side of the family. I'm taking the bike with me and plan to try and get out when I can. A ride or run is always good to clear the mind when other things are at play.

Therefore, I'm signing off for a few days, but to everyone racing - enjoy your weekends and kick some butt. I look forward to race reports next week!!!!

Tri for Joe Race Report...and an announcement!

2011-05-31T09:20:00.004-05:00

Before anything else, I have to say, "WHAT AN AWESOME WEEKEND." All of it. I have missed sun and racing and sitting outside and cold beers in koozies while you sweat your ass off. I have missed it all SO much, and this weekend delivered ALL of it. Just absolutely wonderful and awesome - I hope your weekend was just as great. Anyway - the race report!

TRI FOR JOE

Cincinnati, Ohio

May 28, 2011 - 7am start time

The trip: I normally wouldn't include a blurb about the trip to the race site, but this one is just too good to pass up. Because of the race location, it was an early start. I was up at 2:30am to ensure I could get my self woken up and behind the wheel to pick up BDD at 3:15am. I managed to pull this off, and BDD and I were on the road by 3:30am. We had a lovely drive into Cincy (and even got to make a quick trip across the Kentucky border!), and we were at the race site a little after 5:30am. Sweet. We got checked in and set up pretty quickly. With some time to kill, BDD took me over to the pool to walk through the route with me. I put my feet in the water, and the temps actually didn't feel too bad. Slightly on the chilly side, but manageable.

The swim: The race got started right on time. HFP has their crap together, and everything went really smoothly. We were seeded based on our estimated swim finish time. When I got in line and found myself in the midst of the full Ohio State Triathlon Team, I realized I may have overestimated by abilities. They started us in waves of two people at a time every 3 seconds. It actually worked really well spacing wise. It's my turn to go on in, and I get out there and well....kind of panic. In total I did about 20 freestyle strokes the whole swim. The swim course is super windy through a pool of varying depths. I was worried about running into people, people running into me, getting kicked, making the correct turns, etc. I sucked at the swim. No doubt

about it. I side stroked, breast stroked, doggie paddled and walked my way through the 700m. I was thrilled to get back on dry land. I now know I still have a LONG way to go on the swim. In the end, it took me a ridiculously long 17:07 to get through 700m and 1st transition :-\

(17:07 - 11/12 in age group)

The bike: Dry land. I can do these sports! I haul into T1, ready to get going. Strap on the helmet, the bondi band, the sunglasses and grab the bike. Let's do this. Jumped on at the mount line and thoroughly enjoyed the full bike. While not fully flat, the course is pretty manageable. I pushed it somewhat on the bike but wanted to make sure I had some leg energy left for the run. Not a ton to report here - I did some passing and got passed. I HAVE to put my SPD pedals on. There is just no reason for me not to do so. It would give me an additional 2-3mph, and that will make a difference for me. I hope to put them on this week. (gulp)

(11 miles - 40:40 - 5/12 in age group)

The run: Here's where it gets good. I get into T2, jog my bike to the rack, ditch the helmet and GO. T2 must have been quick. I couldn't have been in there longer than 30 seconds. Done and done. The run course goes through the Coney Island park and is dead flat. My legs were a bit jello like in the beginning, but I pushed through that pretty quickly. I was feeling great on the run. I passed several people, and that pushed me forward. At the turnaround point, I grabbed some water and forced down half a Gu. The consistency of those things is tough for me. Half a packet was all I could manage, but it must have done the job. My legs still felt great, and I continued to push it. By this time, the 5K run for the event had started, so there were families of all types out on the course now. Seeing the kids all excited pushed me even more, so I picked it

up for the last half mile. I crossed the finish line feeling great, but mainly because I knew I gave that run all I had in me.

I didn't wear a Garmin or watch, so I had no idea what my time was. When I finally saw it posted on Sunday afternoon, I was thrilled. That 5K is now my 5K PR.

(3.1 miles, 27:17 - 4/12 in age group - 8:34 pace)

In the end, I accomplished both my goals - I finished in the top half of my age group - 5th out of 12 - and I finished in less than an hour and a half - 1:25:07.

I am now officially in love with this race and cannot wait to race again. I CAN DO THIS! Holy

crap - all this work is paying off.

After the race, BDD and I packed up and hauled back to Columbus. We had a tri clinic to attend at roll for the Giant Eagle Multisport Triathlon. Why, you ask, would you rush back for a clinic after a race? Well, we did because BDD and I are both on....(here's the big announcement part).....the brand spanking new teamroll: multisport!!!!! It was the first clinic, so we wanted to make sure we made an appearance as teamroll members.

I am thrilled to be a part of teamroll, and I look forward to an awesome year of racing. This is a brand new team for roll, and I am just so excited to be given the opportunity to take part. Huge thanks to BDD for getting this rolling. Literally.

After the clinic, I dropped BDD off at home and headed home myself. It was time to start my home Memorial Day projects. I'll detail those later. This is enough for now. Thanks to all of you guys for the good vibes and encouragement. It helped so much, and I am so grateful!!!!!!

A first time for everything

2011-05-26T12:13:00.004-05:00

I just realized that Saturday's race will be my first ever age group race. All three triathlons I have done prior, I have done as an Athena. This weekend is my first ever in the 30-34 age group! Woot woot!

Still on the mend health wise. Energy level is coming back, head still feels like it is crammed with cotton balls.

Boo.

But YAY for racing on Saturday!!!

UPDATE: Weather profile is looking good for Saturday, too! WOOT!

YWCA Women's Triathlon - August 14, 2011

2011-05-25T13:32:00.003-05:00

First off - thanks to everyone for the get well wishes. I took half a day off yesterday to drink fluids, take naps, and watch "Labyrinth" with the creepy/sexy David Bowie to aid in my healing process. The day of rest helped, and today I am back at work. I am going to continue to take it very easy - let's just say Saturday's race will be my first workout after a very very tapered week.

In other news, I wanted to let everyone know that the registration price for the YWCA of Minneapolis's Women's Tri goes up on June 1. I'm racing this with three of my bestest friends in the whole world. My buddy Becky lives in the Minneapolis area, and she will be serving as hostess to my little group as we prepare to race together. This race has some amazing

leadership, a beautiful course, and the perq of being an all women's race. If you are looking for an excellent destination race this summer, consider this one.

I am also partial to it because the race newsletter chose to focus on my buddies and I for this month's newsletter!!!! WE'RE FAMOUS! But really, we're all hoping that this little blub will encourage some additional groups of ladies to get out there and TRI!!!!!!

Someone's running.....

2011-05-24T10:23:00.002-05:00

Someone's running - and it isn't me. Well, it's part of me, but not the part that SHOULD be running.

It's my nose. The scratchy throat started the Monday afternoon - this morning, my nose is full on running, I'm going between warm and cold, and the snot is turning fluorescent green.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

I cannot be sick. Saturday I am RACING, dammit. I must get better. Looks like a half day at work may be in store today.

Healing vibes needed, please!!!!

First Race in 6 days!!!!!

2011-05-23T12:05:00.003-05:00

Tri for Joe is coming up in only 6 days! (or 5, depending on how you count days - the race is Saturday). I am super excited for this one - but I'm hoping the weather will allow me to keep my excitement up. After an absolutely beautiful weekend, the rain came back in full force this morning. And this is what the forecast looks like for the rest of the week (the pic only shows through Friday - that same forecast goes all the way through to next Monday. Awesome.

(Sidenote: Yes, I am bitching about our crap weather, but my heart goes out to all the folks affected by the storms this weekend. So scary how that can happen so fast. My heart goes out to all of the folks who had one of their worst weekends ever, I am sure.)

Luckily, we could not have had more beautiful weather this weekend though. Saturday I met BDD and my friend Paul for a beautiful ride. We did the 27 mile loop BDD had planned for last weekend, sans the detour. The sun was in the sky and beautiful, the breeze perfect. We pushed it a bit more this time out - I'm getting more comfortable with the bike, so I didn't feel the need to just stroll along. Overall just a wonderful outing. We did the route in less than 2 hours, so that meant there was still plenty of the day to enjoy.

I headed home and decided to stay outside as long as possible. I cleaned out the inside of my car, then I hand washed the outside. Then I waxed the outside. Then I Rain-X'ed the windows! Just beautiful.

Sunday the weather was very pretty too, but the temps started to rise a bit. I met Run Club for a 5 mile run and just about died in the middle. Between the beers I had the night before and the heat of the morning, I struggled. I got it done, but not without a couple walk breaks. Egads, I have to get conditioned to this warmer weather!!!!

Training is going well, but I have to keep up the momentum. It always seems like after 3 weeks of hardcore training, I get burned out. Mondays have turned into my rest days, which actually works pretty well. I just have to get that gusto back on Tuesday mornings!!!

Anyway, Tri for Joe is at 7am on Saturday - very excited. I have heard the swim is a bit crazy - a good chunk of the pool is less than 4 feet deep, and the water is packed with people. No PRs on the horizon, but it should be a good time.

That's it here! I hope you all had awesome training weekends! (or race weekends!)

WEEKEND!

2011-05-20T14:58:00.002-05:00

YAY! It is FRIDAY! And there is SUN outside. It evidently won't last for long though. We have been knee deep in rain this spring - in fact, I believe we went 20 some odd days where it rained each day. Craziness. It's mid May and we haven't seen much of the sun. I know it's wearing on me and many many other people. Luckily, today the sun is shining bright and is supposed to tomorrow as well. THANK GOODNESS.

Even though he got me lost last week, it was enjoyable enough to make for a repeat performance. BDD and I head out for another ride tomorrow morning. I'm making some adjustments to my bike this evening, and it should make the ride a tad more comfy tomorrow. The one bad thing is that I have yet to purchase a pair of real cycling shorts. I have two pairs of tri shorts, and that's what I have to use for my bike outings. This is what I'll be wearing in races, so it's probably good I get used to them. But still - it would be nice to be a tad comfy on these longer training rides.

Alas, cycling clothes are pricey, and I just can't spring for new duds at the moment. I have ONE sleeveless cycling jersey I got at a clothing swap four years ago. At the time, I didn't even own a bike. Glad I took it. I have one tank top thing that has a pocket in the back, so that could possibly serve as a top as well. I may try that out tomorrow if it's warm enough. Silly me, though, I started looking online for jerseys. When I have some cash, I am going to spend it here. PRIMAL WEAR. WOW. The women's jerseys are positively beautiful.

In other news, I've kept up a steady workout week. Monday I let my legs rest after the 50+ miles on the bike. Tuesday I hit spin in the morning but bailed from swim that evening. Wednesday was run club track repeats - ran everything from a 7:10 pace for a 3/4 mile sprint up to a 11:00 cooldown. Works for me. It was a break in the rain and we were outdoors. I'll take it. Thursday was spin in the AM, swim in the PM. Today was a 40 minute walk with the puppy :-) I'm saving my legs for tomorrow's ride. Sunday is run club from the gym, and I may get there a tad early (or stay late) to get in a mini swim.

That's about it here. A huge GOOD LUCK to those racing Ironman Texas this weekend. Should be great to read all the race reports this next week!!! Happy racing, all!!

(Oh, and only a week until my first tri of the season - TRI FOR JOE!)

Why the hell not?

2011-05-17T13:49:00.001-05:00

Guess what I'm thinking about?

Here's my thinking. I'm paying $4+/gallon of gas to get to and from the gym each day. Since it's 20 miles each way, I'm spending some serious cash at the moment to train. Shouldn't I use this training for the most extreme distance I can? I already do two to three swims per week of 1.25 miles in length each (and complete them in less than an hour each). I've run four half marathons. I just recently proved to myself that I can bike for 50 miles without too much problem. Therefore, I really just need to put them altogether. Guess what I'm thinking of signing up for later this summer?

Adventures in Biking

2011-05-16T10:57:00.004-05:00

Sunday was a great day. Why, you ask? For a couple reasons:

1) I got to meet (and ride with) BDD. Super awesome - I am so glad to make his acquaintance in real life, and I look forward to many more rides with him. A great guy and surely will be a great bike mentor.

2) I found out I am capable of riding a bike more than 50 miles! 50 miles wasn't on the schedule for Sunday - not even close. Let me elaborate:

For our first ride, BDD and I met out at Hoover Dam in Westerville (not the one in Nevada) at 7am. BDD had mapped out a great 27 mile loop - one that was pretty flat with a couple roller sections and one big hill. Once we got all geared up, we headed out. BDD let me control the pace since it was my first ever ride out on my new bike. We kept it at a pretty low pace so I could get used to my bike - shifting, the height of the seat, stopping, starting, etc. We never really pushed it much - which was fine by me. We got to chat and enjoy the scenery.

Speaking of scenery, at one point we were suddenly surrounded by chicken farms. I said, "Wow, man, we are really out here." To which BDD replied, "Ummm yeah, so none of this looks familiar." HA! We decided to turn around and back track - that's when we met the winds and drizzles. I found it pretty funny - now BDD and I have a great story of our first ride together.

We got back on track and kept on the plan of our original route. I was given the option of backing out of the big hill near the end of the route, but I said nope. It was planned, we're doing it. As we approached said hill, I think I said something to the tune of "Oh Holy Jesus." But, I spun away and made it up the hill - no need to jump off the bike or walk. I made it up! We stopped at the top of the hill and my legs were jello. Pure mush. But after the hill, we only had about 2 miles before getting back to the cars. I knew that wouldn't be a problem.

We finally make it back to the cars, and BDD's Garmin said we had done 39 miles! That was the farthest I have ever ridden a bike - most definitely. I looked at the clock and the time said 10:30am! Holy cow! We had been out there for nearly 3 hours!!! The trouble was I was supposed to meet my spin instructor and his wife at 10:30. Like now. I sent a text and told them I was on my way.

I throw my bike in the back of the car and speed off to meet them at Starbucks. I apologize for an explain my tardiness, we get geared up again and take off. We did about 12 miles, some of it even on the same course I had ridden earlier in the morning - kind of hilarious. That ride lasted about 50 minutes, and before I knew it we were back at the cars.

I realized my legs are ready for some hardcore rides. I spent a decent chunk of both rides kind of coasting it along. The big gear feels pretty comfy to me, and to be honest, I don't really know what that means. But I know I could have gone much MUCH faster on both rides, but I just need to shake off the newbie nerves. I'll get out there a bit more often to make sure I can really haul ass on race days.

Therefore, I put in over 50 miles in one day yesterday. I had no idea I was capable. And I felt great. My legs were a tad sore this morning, but nothing major. If anything, my arms were a tad sore. I need to scootch my seat up about an inch and move my handlebars up a tad, too. With those adjustments, I think it will take the strain off my upper body. The first upgrade to the bike will be some narrower tires, too. Right now I am at a 700x28 - can I put 700x23 tires on the same wheels I have now? Or will I have to get new wheels altogether?

Anyway - some pics that I thought you may enjoy:

The route BDD and I took Sunday. Notice the main loop? Yeah, that was the original ride.

That little arm sticking up on the right was our detour. Love it :-)

My one super cool injury - my foot slipped off my pedal at one point and in an attempt to get it back on, I caught the pedal and it took a nice couple chunks out of my leg. Awesome. I wore it as a badge of honor most of the morning. I was kind of bummed when I took a shower and the cool blood drippies got washed off.

I'm really looking forward to my next biking adventures!!!!

MY SWEET NEW RIDE

2011-05-13T12:17:00.004-05:00

Damn you, blogger. Like many others, I posted yesterday and lost the post. It wasn't riveting, so oh well. The cool post is this one - so I'll just re-do it. MEET MY BIKE :-)

Yesterday, I even bought THESE, my first ever clipless pedals for $10 on Craigslist. Craigslist, what would I do without you? You can be a broke triathlete's best friend.

Please send good biking vibes this weekend - I'm going to need them!!! Sunday will be "bike extravaganza" day. I've got a 27 mile 7am ride scheduled with a famous blogger, followed by a trail run with run club, followed by an "Intro to road biking" session with my spin instructor and his wife. Evidently she's a newbie to road biking, too, so we can learn together.

Here's hoping I don't have pictures of scrapes and bruises to share on Monday morning. Happy weekend, all!!!!

My Girl.

2011-05-12T12:34:00.000-05:00

She's yet to be named, but I am sure that shouldn't be too far down the road (literally and figuratively). Any suggestions??

Bike Idiot

2011-05-12T10:41:00.000-05:00

Here's a couple fun tidbits I would like to share.

1) I didn't learn to ride a bike until I was 11. Maybe even 12. I don't really remember. I've always had a little bit of an inherent fear of riding a bike. It has held over until now.

2) Until about 12 hours ago, I thought that when you were on the saddle of the bike, your feet were supposed to comfortably touch the ground. Yeah. Hence knee pain and bikes being "too small". It was because I had no idea that I was supposed to mount and dismount from a bike.

Are you kidding me? My feet are only supposed to touch when I straddle the frame? How on earth did I miss this? When did you all figure this shizz out? What the hell? I nearly killed myself on my newly fitted road bike last night. I was all like "OMG. Why is the seat so high? She measured me and everything. I do not understand this. I was at Roll. I totally trust them." Then the hubs let me know, ummmm, you have to get up on the seat when you get going. I HAD NO IDEA.

3) I finally get to meet a super famous guy on Sunday. BDD and I are off for a bike ride at o' dark thirty Sunday morning. I'm kind of pumped for the ride. And I guess I'm pretty pumped to meet BDD too. :-)

4) Some exciting news on the horizon soon. As soon as I get the thumbs up to share, there's a big announcement coming!

Please send me good bike vibes over the course of the next 5-6 days. I'm probably going to fall a few times. And if I get my hands on some cheapy pedals, I may even start to go clipless. I will need additional good vibes then.

I promise a pic of the new ride is coming soon!!!!!!!

New swim distance!

2011-05-10T10:11:00.003-05:00

Yesterday between 5:15 and 6:15pm, I swam 2000 meters. That is the farthest I have ever swam. I made up my own workout and I stuck to it. It looked something like this:

200m warm up

4x100s (30 secs rest in between)

4x50s (sprint/easy, 15 secs recovery)

200 kick

200 pull

4x50s drill (catchup/drag thumbs alternate, 15 secs recovery)

100 kick

200 pull

100 cooldown

1800 total

I got to the cooldown and was still feeling REALLY good. I wasn't gasping for air, I was keeping pretty much with one breath every four strokes. I asked myself, "M, you think you could do a 200 cooldown?" I replied "How about we make it a 300 cooldown and round off the workout at 2000m?" SO I DID.

It felt amazing. The water felt great on my post-half marathon legs, and I finally am getting my breathing down.

Becoming a mermaid may not be a pipe dream, folks. WOOT.

First Tri: REGISTERED

2011-05-09T13:08:00.003-05:00

Just registered for my first tri of the season. Tri for Joe. May 28. Coney Island, Cincinnati, OH. Tri season is a GO!!!!!

Didn't get the goal, but did get a PR - Indy Mini-Marathon Race Report

2011-05-08T15:30:00.003-05:00

First, a bit of background. This race was supposed to be with my buddy L. Due to injury and a couple other hiccups, she wasn't able to attend. I understood, but I was sad - and I totally could have used her peppiness to get me through the last three miles. I ran the race solo - and while I got a PR, I am kind of upset with my mental performance through the last part of the race.

I took Friday off work and drove out to Indy. I love IRL racing, so I hit up the Speedway's race museum before checking into the hotel. Fantastic.

After that, dropped the car at valet and wandered out to the expo for packet pickup. WOW. I have never done a race this huge, and I have definitely never been to an expo this big. While it was cool to see so much running stuff in one place, it was a bit too jam packed for my tastes. I wandered around for about a half hour. I got three bondi bands and a race t-shirt.

SO - my hotel was literally on the same streets as the starting corrals. Which was amazing. I opened the windows that morning to look out and see the street blocked off and thousands of

people flooding into the streets. Very cool. I woke up shortly after 6 for a 7:30am start - when I only had to walk one block to my corral, why get up earlier?? I laid my outfit out the night before - I decided to go for all black. Slimming, right? PunkRockTriGuy will appreciate my apparel, I'm sure. (BTW, folks loved the shirt!! You can get your own HERE)

Shortly before 7, I wandered down to find my corral. For such a huge event, there seemed to be ZERO confusion. Each corral was obviously marked, volunteers where everywhere and super helpful. People were just super friendly and ready to go. I am amazed at how smooth the whole thing seemed to be going.

I got to corral O and wandered on in. Because it had taken me approximately 3 minutes to get there, I was one of the first people in my corral. I wandered up to the front of the corral and settled in. Within 15 minutes the corral was full - 20 minutes later and the dividers were down and we were all scrunching up. At 7:33am, the starting gun went off. It only took 14 minutes to get to the start. Awesome.

Off we go - and in comes the side cramp. Within the first half mile, the damn side cramp showed up. You have to be kidding me. I spent the first three miles just trying to knock that out. Somehow I managed to get ride of it, and I was keeping a pace of less than 10 minutes a mile. The weather was pretty great for a run - the humidity made the air a bit heavy, but there were gray skies so the sun didn't blare down. That was a plus - especially as we got to the speedway. This was a huge deal for me - a large part of why I signed up for the race in the first place. I loved the speedway part of the run - over 2 miles around one oval. Amazing.

I was so excited to cross the brickyard - I planned to stop and kiss the bricks. So, it was a bit surprising when we got to the point where they started to guide us off the track....I had run over the brickyard and had completely missed it. I was so "in the zone" or so "out of it" that I completely and totally missed it. Dammit.

By Mile 10, I was hurting. I kept saying "It's only a 5K" but it wasn't helping. By Mile 11, I was trying to give myself every pep talk I could. Mile 12 started my demise. I was walking longer through water stations. The thought of eating one of my last 2 chomp blocks nearly made me want to puke. I was barely holding it together. I would run for 5 minutes, walk for a minute. When I hit the last mile, I looked at my Garmin and knew that a 2:15 was out of the question. I was feeling defeated.

I even walked some when I only had a half mile to go. Then a lady in her 50s/60s wanders up to me and says "Hey Punk Rock Girl! I've been following you the whole way - you have to keep going!!!" Thank goodness for that woman. I was feeling so down and out at that moment in time. So I picked up my feet and ran that last quarter mile in, feeling like crap. I finished in 2:18:35. D and I finished the Lawrence Half in about 2:28. That's a PR of 10+ minutes. Which I AM thrilled about, I really just wanted a sub 2:15. Guess that means I just have to keep running these damn thing until I get it, right?

Overall though, fantastic race - I will totally do this one again. Loved every single thing about it!! And thanks so much to all the folks who texted, posted on facebook or just sent good vibes. It helped so much! Thank you thank you!!!!

This now means that "running season" is officially over for me. It's all about tri from here til September!!! WOO HOO!!!!!!!

Cheapest race bike ever?

2011-05-03T12:11:00.004-05:00

Can you successfully get through a triathlon season riding a $150 Target road bike? I'm about to find out.

Thanks to what can definitely be labeled one of the worst dentist visits EVER last week, I found out I will have to have a whole bunch of super fun dental work done in the next 2-3 months. Dental work is not cheap. In fact, it costs several thousand dollars. So do Cervelo bikes. Guess which one gets the money? If you guessed dentist, you are correct!!!

Therefore, I am embarking upon an experiment. I'm still rather new to triathlon, and my bike skills are shaky to say the least. I already knew I wasn't ready for a tri bike, but I was hoping to go in with a used higher end road bike. With last week's money sucking dental discoveries, I bit the bullet and purchased a brand new bike off amazon (which I originally found on target.com), that's a tad heavy, and a whole lot cheap.

This weekend, a GMC Denali Road Bike will be delivered to my house. While I am running the Indy Mini-Marathon, my husband will attempt to put this bike together for me. When I return on Saturday, I will hopefully get to take it out for a spin. And this will be my bike for this tri season. It's gold. It has some Shimano stuff. It has great reviews on Amazon.

The GMC Denali Road Bike

We're going to find out if I can have a successful race season on a $150 Target bike, folks. Let the fun begin!

In other news, I am racing my fourth half marathon this weekend - the Indy Mini Marathon!!! I am SO excited for this race. My goal is 2:14:59 or less time wise. I have no idea if I can do it, but I am going to try. If you are super bored and want live updates on my progress Saturday, go sign up to receive alerts about my progress - you can get a time update from four points along the course to see if I am actually close to achieving my goal. You have to sign up by Friday though if you want the updates. Click here and fill out the bottom part of the form on the page. Search for Michelle Newman Brady - that's me :-) (and if any of you actually do follow me, thanks - that is super sweet - but in no way am I actually expecting anyone beyond my husband to actually do this!!!)

In tri news, I have some exciting stuff coming up. I'll keep you posted on a big announcement once everything is in place.

Also, I have a giveaway coming up soon! I've never done one before, so I am a bit pumped about that.

Thanks for reading - we're about to start having some real fun pretty soon!!!!!

Have the fit, now just need a bike (and money tree)

2011-04-28T14:47:00.002-05:00

I had a fantastic experience at roll: on Lane Avenue last night. At the suggestion of Big Daddy Diesel, I walked in around 5:45 for a fitting appointment with Chris. He was great. He listened to what I was looking for (entry level road bike, want to be able to race it on the weekends but still use it as a commuter bike during the week), and he put me in the super cool Star Trek scanning device which takes all your measurements.

He suggested the Giant Dash line for me - it's the frame and build of a road bike but with "hybrid" handles. For racing, just clip some aero bars on, drop the stem a bit and you are good to go. Otherwise, it's a fantastic bike to use for commuting to work and just goofing off on trails. He let me take it on a test drive, and it felt really comfortable to a newbie like me. It felt less aggressive, but I was guaranteed that I could really get up to speed on it.

Problem is - even the "cheap" model of the Dash is just under $700. While that is technically "cheap" for a road bike, my budget is even smaller. I have yet to collect a paycheck from my 100% commission based job, and I don't fell right in arguing a case to drop more than $400 on a bike when in all respects I am contributing nothing to the financial well being of my family. It's the right and responsible thing to do.

But did I mention that roll: has a 12 month financing same as cash program??? Ugh. But we have had ZERO credit card debt for a few years now, and I would like to keep it that way. I just don't know.

The plan is to continue looking on craigslist for a while, and my little village is having a massive community garage sale this Saturday. Who knows what I may find when all the wealthy folks around here clean out their garages? I may have a Cervelo P3 that I snagged for $50 by Saturday brunch (a girl can dream, right???).

I now know what size I need to look for, so I feel confident in moving forward. I won't be bikeless for much longer, I just know it.

Tonight is my last master's swim class. I am glad and sad about that the same time. Now I have to force myself to hit the pool 2-3 times a week. I can do it. Yes, I can do it.

My brush with fame

2011-04-27T09:04:00.002-05:00

As I mentioned in a post the other day, I was hoping to see Dean Karnazes as he made his way through Granville for his "Run Across America." I didn't get to see Dean, but I posted on his facebook page that I did indeed read his whole book from cover to cover the day I thought he was going to be in town. And he responded to my post. I danced in the living room. Dean rocks. He is sorry he missed me. Le sigh. Thank you for responding, Dean - it made my day!

Moving On....

2011-04-26T13:36:00.004-05:00

Thanks, all, for indulging me yesterday. I don't get low that often anymore (thanks, regular exercise!), but when it happens it sucks. So I appreciate you indulging my pity party. Today, the party is over. Snap out of it, little camper! (That was directed at me - not you, BTW.)

Whenever I get down about stuff, I have my pity party then take an evaluation of what I can actually do to change my circumstances. A person can stand there and whine and bitch, or they can take appropriate action and make a change. Yesterday I did the former for a good chunk of the day - today is the latter.

I booked a bike fitting. Tomorrow after work I will be heading to roll: in Columbus to finally find out what size I need in a bike. I can't afford a roll: bike at the moment, but some day I hope to. I figure this will be a big learning experience, and I am looking forward to it. I also made an appointment for the dog to get her hair cut. She has all sorts of knots and looks like an Ewok. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow where I will finally disclose the ailments that have been bugging me and make sure I am healthy. I have a dentist appointment scheduled for Thursday morning. I am going to knock stuff off my to-do list. I already feel better.

Yesterday the weather broke long enough for me to get out and pull off a three mile run in my sweet new Zoot running shoes. The run started off fine, but the heat and humidity started to bear down really quickly. Less than two miles in I had to WALK. What??? My body isn't acclimated to "summer humid" running yet, and it kicked my rear yesterday. At least I got 3 some odd miles in before I melted to a puddle on the sidewalk.

Today is my last week of masters swim. I only paid for two months, and that ends on Thursday. While I am kind of excited, I am also kind of bummed. Getting over to the pool is a tough draw for me - I have to talk myself into it each and every time. Not having the accountability of a class may hurt me. The good thing is that I should be able to start using the pool at the nearby University, but that means getting up in the AM and hauling myself over there. May I have strength.

That's it for me at the moment - and Indy is less than a week and a half away. I got my registration card, and I am in Corral O - hopefully I start before the sun starts blaring down!!!!

Weekend of Inspiration?

2011-04-25T10:32:00.002-05:00

Friday afternoon I got an email from the library that several books I had requested from community libraries had finally come in. When I left the library on Friday evening, I had four books in hand. I already have a stack at home I am trying to work through. So, I made this weekend a weekend of inspiration.

Dean Karnazes is doing his "Run Across America", and he was supposedly coming through my little piece of the world on either Friday or Saturday. I couldn't find details anywhere, so I never got to see Dean run through town. But starting on Friday evening after work, I read "Ultra Marathon Man." I was done by Saturday morning. A fun and quick read. After that book, I started then finished "The Long Run." While I am guessing I would completely balk at the man's politics, I thoroughly enjoyed the inspirational story of Matt Long. Also a great read. Sunday afternoon, my gym offered "Spin and a Movie" and showed "Race Across the Sky." So for an hour and 30 minutes, ten folks and myself spun away on the bikes while watching a documentary about a race that appears to be pure hell. Nice way to spend the afternoon.

Then I got home. A weekend that was supposed to inspire me to go harder than ever ended up doing the opposite. I now feel small, completely insignificant and lonelier than ever. Way to go for inspirational weekend, right?

I've been in Ohio now for almost two years, but it's been really tough to make substantial friendships. We're older and have more responsibility now. We have lots of people we would love to hang out with, yet it seems like schedules never match so we all end up in the perpetual cycle of not seeing each other. In NC, I had a core group of people I could call at the drop of a hat, and we would meet. Of course, we were mostly in grad school and had flexible schedules. That isn't the case now. Some have families, we all have jobs and home responsibilities. It's just tough.

I had to sell the road bike, so I am again bikeless. My budget is slim to none, and I have no idea if I will even be able to find anything decent to ride for the season. Which means the year of busting my ass may completely go to waste. I may be overdramatic about that, but that is exactly what it feels like right now. I haven't signed up for one tri beyond the Minneapolis one, and I won't until I know I could actually even race.

I'm just stuck in pity party mode. The grey weather and rain are not helping. The entire month of April seems to have been this haze of clouds, rain and grey. I could do with some sun.

That's enough pity party for now. Happy Monday.

The Marshall Law

2011-04-22T10:53:00.002-05:00

I work in sales. And I am relatively new at sales. It is really REALLY hard. The good days are great, but the bad days can feel REALLY bad. Today feels like one of those bad days. Marshall Ulrich has a new book out, and I have seen this "Ten Commandments of Ultra Running" on several blogs. I actually printed this out and put it on my desk. Beyond running, it sure as hell applies to sales, too. Enjoy.

The Marshall Law

1) Expect a journey and a battle.

2) Focus on the present and set intermediate goals.

3) Don't dwell on the negative.

4) Transcend the physical.

5) Accept your fate.

6) Have confidence that you will succeed.

7) Know that there will be an end.

8) Suffering is okay.

9) Be kind to yourself.

10) Quitting is not an option.

Race Pic

2011-04-21T12:25:00.003-05:00

They finally posted some Race Pics from the CBus 10 miler. I am willing to share ONE of them. This photo is miraculous because it shows both feet off the ground at the same time. I have never seen that in one of my race photos. My face makes it look like I may be somewhat constipated, but it was actually the final .25 mile stretch of the 10 mile race - and it was uphill. Enjoy :-)

The first timer's report

2011-04-19T10:39:00.007-05:00

I was going to write a long post about the race, but first I thought I would share the perspective of my friend D who I ran the race with on Sunday. It was D's first ever half, and I am SO glad I was able to travel out to Kansas and run with her. She did such an awesome job of writing a race report herself, I figured I would share her account. (You can also read it first hand HERE.) My editorial is at the end.........

Well, my first half marathon is done! I have to say that physically it met my expectations in that I managed to accurately predict the general time it would start sucking and becoming more painful and less fun. I don’t think I was quite prepared for the mental aspect of it, however. Preparing yourself for the physical pain/discomfort doesn’t necessarily prepare you for the brain melt that comes along for the ride. Things got pretty dicey around Mile 11, and I know I wouldn’t have survived had M not been there. Honest to God. But more about that below…

Our day began at 5:30am after a good night’s sleep and a hearty spaghetti dinner at home the night before. I showered, because I'm one of those weird people that HAVE to shower every morning or else I don't feel normal. M and I had a bit of breakfast and coffee and started getting dressed for the race. M had secured matching shirts for us to wear and they were awesome. Perfect color, fit, feel, size, everything! We double-checked our packs, grabbed our chilled water bottles and head out the door about 6:40 or so. Luckily, the event site is a mere 5 minute drive from my house--yay for in-town races--and we sat in traffic for only 5 minutes before we got in to park. It was a fairly chilly morning (upper 40s at that point) so we walked around a bit trying to stay warm, hit the potty and chatted with a couple of my other running buddies a bit until it got close to gun time. All morning we debated whether or not to take our jackets on the run. We knew we’d need to lose them eventually, but it was so chilly at the start we weren’t sure how quickly we’d get to the ditch point. Luckily, as the sun started peeking out over the trees, it started warming up pretty quickly and we knew we’d be fine without them. We ditched our jackets a few minutes before the start and headed toward the pack. There were supposedly about 1,100 people running--that's all three races combined (5k, 10k, half), with somewhere around 700 running the half. We situated ourselves a little behind the 2:30 pacer, since that was our unofficial goal time. They started the race right on time, I think, and that was it! We were on our way!!

The beginning of the race was full of the usual optimism, joviality, and silliness that you feel when your race adrenaline is pumping, nothing hurts and you have all the confidence in the world. We spent the first 3 miles entertaining ourselves with "Half Marathon Bingo," and listing all the different categories we’d put on our bingo cards (getting smoked by a pregnant lady, getting smoked by a little kid, getting smoked by an old dude, guy in super short shorts with a boner, over-zealous runner throwing water on himself at an aid station, barefoot runner, etc.). We kept a pretty steady pace for those first 3 miles or so, according to M’s Garmin, and kept the 2:30 pacer close. About mile 3 or so, I was feeling a little rubbing on my arches so I had to pull over to adjust my sock a bit. Hit the road again and felt alright (or at least managed to ignore any foot pain for the next 3-4 miles.

We finally hit the halfway point, which was simultaneously encouraging and DIScouraging, if that's even possible. On one hand, I was all "YAY! We're halfway done!" and the other hand I was "WTF? We're only halfway done???" The 2:30 pace group was way ahead of us at this point, so that was discouraging and my feet hurt royally so I was getting pretty bummed. But M was very encouraging and kept me going when I felt like I couldn't continue. I was getting pretty quiet and surly at this point—our bingo game had lost its appeal and I found it hard to think about anything other than simply putting one foot in front of the other—so there wasn't a lot of talking. We popped some energy chews around mile 8 and that helped a bit. When we FINALLY reached the 10 mile sign, I realized I was officially running longer than I ever had before! Hurrah! I tried not to focus on the fact that I STILL had to run a 5k before I was finished and instead take it one step at a time.

At this point my legs and feet were dying and resisting every step and I was mentally beaten to a pulp. It didn’t help that the last 3 miles of the course was a portion we'd already done (with a few decent inclines thrown in, of course) which made it even MORE tedious. Oh and the 2:30 pacers were LONG gone, so I knew we probably weren't going to come close to our goal time, and M had stopped giving me Garmin updates, so I thought that definitely was the case, which made me even MORE bummed. Anyway, my legs were tired so we did take a couple of walk breaks those last 3 miles. Just about the time I thought I couldn’t possibly run any more, we hit the last mile marker and I could hear the finish line, so that kept me going. There were a few times before that I was pretty close to bursting into tears because I just wanted it OVER WITH—it was definitely mind over matter at that point. We turned into the stadium and had only 3/4 of the track left to run before the finish line. I managed to get a burst of speed (adrenaline for the win!) and we finished strong, hand in hand, as they read our names over the loud speaker! YAY!!!! It's FINALLY OVER, and what a glorious feeling. My first half marathon complete!

M stopped her Garmin at 13.1 miles, which was before the official finish line (we probably cut some distance off the course by switching running the inside of the road vs the outside and running the tangents), and it gave us a 2:28 time, which shocked me. The official finish time was 2:31:58 (okay, essentially 2:32), so quite a difference. But I'm going with the Garmin and taking the 2:28 time, which means we hit our goal! (Or close enough, right?)

My other running buddies were waiting at the finish line for us so we chatted with them a bit, got our medals (hooray for race bling!), grabbed some snacks (cold milk FTW!), and I finally took off my shoes because my feet were killing me. Yeah, turns out I had 2.5 inch blisters on the arches of both feet, which would explain why those last 3 miles sucked so much. We hung out just a bit longer, got our official time print outs and headed (hobbled) home.

Overall, and not having any other half marathon experience to compare it to, I’d say the day was a success. Yes, it was not without pain and discomfort (serious discomfort), but there was not one single moment when I regretted running that race. Even that brutal last 5k, when the pain was the greatest and my mental fortitude was its lowest, I STILL knew I’d do it again someday. Over the roar of the pain receptors firing away and warning beeps sounding their alarms in my brain, I could still hear that little voice saying “Oh, come on. You know you’re going to do this again in a few months, right?” And I know for a fact I couldn’t have pushed through without M by my side. She was the perfect running partner—encouraging at the right times, tough at the right times, quiet at the right times. Without her there I would’ve walked longer and more often and I don’t know that I would’ve had the guts to pull myself through those last few miles. Even though she didn’t necessarily say anything that spurred me along, just having her here made me want to push MYSELF. I can’t thank her enough for being willing to fly down here and run with me!

So yeah, I might already be thinking about when my next half will be. I’d like to see if I can get to the point where I don’t hate those last three miles. I think I would’ve done okay THIS race had it not been for those blisters, so you’d better believe my next race investment will be better socks.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a 13.1 sticker I need to affix to my car.

D did an awesome job with the recap. Some extra thoughts from me:

I was so excited to be there for one of my best friend's first half marathon's. I am so proud of her - she did amazingly better than me in my first half. My attitude was significantly more horrible around miles 8-13, and I know I had to walk a whole hell of a lot more. Only great things to come from this runner, I know!
Lawrence, Kansas rocks. If I ever decide to do a Half-Ironman (hint, hint), this is where I will do it.
This race was really well put together. check in was a breeze the day before, and there was a lot of communication prior to the race. No questions about what happened when or where. We started right on time, and it was fantastic.
The cons of the race were some confusion around which side of the street to run on at different parts of the race - there were weird switching patterns going on a few times. Also, we had to repeat a 3 mile segment of the course - we ran it at the beginning and again at the end. That made it mentally tough to fight through the hills you knew were coming. (It also added on some distance for us, as my Garmin hit 13.1 well before the actual finish.)
I have never felt this good at this distance. We paced the race really nicely, and not going out of the gate too fast really helped (surprise surprise). I feel pretty confident about Indy now.
Races get me pumped up. Sometimes training is a lonely endeavor. It really lit my fire again to get out there and run.
Running with good friends is unparalleled.
I love my girlfriends more than words can say.

Now, back to real life. Tonight - swim class!!!!!