you gotta want it

How fast can you...

2012-01-24T17:28:00.000-06:00

START your workout in the morning??

So I'm usually not a morning person. I like my sleep and lazy mornings. However, I've decided to do early morning workouts most workdays for the following reasons:

Some days I have two workouts... and it is much more manageable to do 1 workout before work, and another one after.
Even if I only have one workout scheduled, I would prefer to only shower ONCE per day.
MOST IMPORTANTLY... the gym is EMPTY!

I work out at the Campus Recreation center, and with the new year/new semester/Spring Break on the horizon, the gym and pool are jam-packed with college students in the afternoon and evenings. There are only FOUR lanes in the pool, so waiting is inevitable; and the strength areas are super busy so there is MORE waiting (and students likely to laugh at me in spandex looking like a hot mess)... no thanks.

So, early AM it is!! It is a GHOST TOWN in there... when I get emails from students dated 1:45AM, I wonder why ;)

YES, early morning workouts are great... it's just a matter of being ready and STARTING THEM!!

Here's how my morning went:

5:15 AM: Alarm goes off. I hit snooze.

5:23 AM: I get up, hem and haw about going to the gym or not.

5:28 AM: turn coffee on, heat up oatmeal (prepared last night)

5:35 AM: grab gym bag (pre-packed last night)

.....it took 20 minutes to leave the house?? I had EVERYTHING ready!!

5:45 AM: Arrive at gym. Dawdle in the locker room... check email on phone... etc....

5:52 AM: Push Off!!

... it took me 7 minutes to start my workout, when I already had my swimsuit on, goggles foggled, and workout written and plastic-bagged? WTH was I doing??

6:49 AM: get out of pool.

6:51 rinse off in shower

6:55 take my time changing...

7:00 start strength training (8:00 AM finish)

... 11 minutes for this "transition" - really? My T1 at IMAZ was < 5 minutes with about a 1/4mi run!

If I love sleep so much, I could have slept for THIRTY more minutes and finished my workouts at 8AM!

My total alarm-->start swim time was 37 minutes. Pathetic, but like any training plan, I have to establish a baseline...

And next time I am going to SMOKE it!! :)

Triathlon season is underway!! REV3 Group Coaching :)

2012-01-16T12:52:00.000-06:00

I love the excitement of January- it seems that all of my triathlon friends have gotten "back on track", established their race schedules and season goals, and are hitting it HARD this month!! For that, thanks for sharing your excitement and journey with me on blogs, facebook, twitter, etc. - it's so motivating!

Of course, I'm excited for the season as well. I'm still not running yet (I'm going to PT to break up scar tissue now...) , but I've been rocking the swim, bike, and strength the last two weeks! My bike workouts have been solid, and I've actually been ENJOYING my time in the pool lately! I'm finding that I'm getting just a little stronger every time I hit the gym, and it's fun to see progress :) Losing holiday weight? Not so much... my husband's family still has two big family "Christmas parties" this month, so one thing at a time... this month my goal is to NAIL my workouts, next month I'll add in a nutrition focus... :)

I'm really looking forward to my 3rd season as a REV3 athlete! I am overwhelmed with all the news and excitement they've thrown my way in JANUARY! Besides FIFTY new (and old) teammates to connect with, we've gotten exciting news about sponsors, races, charity, and events! Check it:

REV3 GROUP COACHING!!

I am over-the-moon excited that over 20 people from my awesome local triathlon club (TRI-SHARKS) are signed up to race REV3 Wisconsin Dells and several others are signed up for Knoxville! Now, here's an opportunity to really get down to business training-wise and share motivation and camaraderie from our local teammates as well as athletes all over the country!

Here's how the program works:

When you sign up for the program, you will receive a REV3 training kit, and $25 off into any REV3 race (they will credit your account if you've already signed up for one!)
You will receive a monthly training program specific to the race you have signed up for (16week for olympic distance, 20wk for half distance, 24wk for full distance).
You'll receive a username and password to access the Group Coaching Forum

Chat with other athletes, REV3 staff (race director and all!) and REV3 pro&amateur athletes
Advanced info such as course updates, course maps, race director tips, coach tips, race weekend schedules.
Webinars and online chats on specific training topics

Local training opportunities, on-course training days, and race weekend meet-ups!

The Cost:

$200 start-up fee (-$25 if you've already signed up for your REV3 race)
$50 monthly fee (the first month is $250, each month thereafter is $50)
If you pay for the whole program up-front instead of paying it month-by-month, you receive a 10% discount... which adds up to about 1 free month!

This is going to be a GREAT program, especially if you have never been "coached" before- As a coached athlete myself, I've found that having a "plan" gives me peace of mind and leaves out the questions "What should I do today? Am I doing too much? Not enough?"

Pricewise, it's also a good deal!! Many triathlon coaches charge $200-$500 per MONTH for individualized coaching- with REV3 group coaching you'll be paying that much for the ENTIRE program, plus the forum access, training kit, and race discount!

Having an individual triathlon coach, though pricey, has it's benefits- every workout is geared toward your individual goals and race schedule- but if it's out of your price range and sounds like a "bit much," REV3 group coaching is an excellent way to go.

For more information or to register, you can contact me, Coach Carole Sharpless, or visit the REV3 coaching website!

Foot Recovery, Anniversary, and Camping!

2012-01-04T15:05:00.000-06:00

First of all, I hope that you all had a great Holiday Season and have lots to look forward to in 2012- I know that I do!

Foot Recovery has been going well- I've been cleared to swim/bike for almost a week, and I've been taking advantage! I got in the pool for the first time yesterday, and I've completed several indoor, and even one outdoor ride!

My ankle is still swollen (cankle), so it's a little difficult to fit into normal (and athletic) shoes. Not a huge problem. Even though my achilles did not have to be detached, it was still "manipulated" in order to make room for the doc to shave off the bone spur, so it is SORE. Thanks to my Computrainer spin-scan function, I can clearly see that I'm favoring my left leg (surgery was on the right) and that my "right" foot pedal stroke is not smooth at all. While I'm completing my workouts, I'm trying hard to fix this so I don't create a permanent imbalance!

I still can't put a whole lot of stress on the achilles, particularly when I "plantar-flex", or point my toe. I have no problem pointing the toe w/o any stress or weight on it, but I can't push-off or stand-up on that toe yet :( Eccentric stress, like walking down stairs, is painful too. My next doctor appt. is next week, where I may be cleared to start some light jogging... At this point I couldn't jog, but we'll see how recovery progresses over the next week!

Anniversary & Camping: Since the weather was SO awesome over the New Year's weekend, Dan and I decided to take our new RV out for it's first FULL maiden voyage! We packed up our stuff, some groceries, my bike, and our dog Winston and headed for Lake of the Ozarks, MO! We had a GREAT time, but had our share of RV nightmares too... here are the highlights:

Cooking was fun and saved us $$, as we usually eat out for every meal on vacation! We brought snacks and supplies for sandwiches, omelettes, chicken/dumplings/vegetables, and adult beverages!

Our second wedding anniversary was on New Year's Eve! With 65 degree weather, we celebrated with:

a big breakfast

a long hike at the State Park in 65 degree weather (achilles did OK)

a trip to the local winery

some shopping for new outfits
and a dinner cruise to ring in the New Year on the Lake!

Could it be anymore perfect??

On New Years day, we slept in, relaxed, and enjoyed a lazy morning.

In the afternoon, I seized the opportunity to get some HILL training on the bike! I had a great time averaging 24-25mph up and down and around the windy hills going OUT on my out-and-back route, but I was greeted with some of the stiffest winds EVER on my way back! I was pushing some serious watts on the flat sections just to average 16mph, my legs BURNED going uphill & into the wind, then I was scared sh*tless going downhill with nasty crosswinds! I am used to putting my head down and hammering on flat IL roads, it looks like I'm going to need to do some WORK on hills this year!

That evening we started our journey back home and stopped in St. Louis for the night. Dan is such a CHAMP driving our 31ft. monster- the crosswinds were not only challenging on the bike, but on the highway as well!

In St. Louis, we stayed an RV park in the middle of the city- not exactly what I would expect for "camping"! It was only a short walk to some major attractions, and we had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe!

Winston loved playing with Mr. Giraffe.

The crazy wind continued through the evening, sometimes waking us up to a (literally) rocking RV... the temperatures also were quite cold with the windchill.

We woke up the next morning to FROZEN pipes!! Yikes!! We were not prepared for below-freezing temps (only made so by the wind). After heating up our bottled water supply in the microwave, we were able to thaw out the pipes and get rolling back home.

Once we back in McLean county, we stopped at a campsite to dump our tanks.. and to our dismay, our grey tank had frozen on the DRIVE up! We had bought 2 space heaters, so we planned on plugging them in letting them do work on the tank...but then our outlets blew out, and we were left with NO electricity to heat up water or use the space heaters- DARNIT!

We took the RV out to Dan's parents house and with the help of his Dad, they used a blow-dryer to thaw the tank and dump it. Crisis averted. We still haven't figured out the outlet thing. We tried resetting it at the power center, and they DO work when we plug the RV in to an external power source... we think we tripped a breaker on the generator, which supplies the RV power to itself when we turn it on.

We've definitely learned our lesson about cold-weather camping...next time we'll have a skirt, heat tape for pipes and the tanks, and foam piping!

So that's it for now! I'm still enjoying time at home with the hubs, but I'll be getting ready for the new school year pretty soon- we have 1 1/2 weeks left!

Finally, I'll be posting soon about some of the exciting REV3 stuff that you may have seen floating around the internet... REV3 will be running across America (3000 mi!) to raise $100,000 for the Ulman Cancer Fund, and you can help! Spread the word, donate, and/or be a relief runner for the 10-person crew along the way!

ALSO, REV3 is starting an internet-based group coaching program!! With a start-up fee, you'll receive a racing kit, $25 off any REV3 race, sponsor discounts, a full training program, and access to the group forum. Each month after that you'll pay a $50 for ongoing coaching and forum access. You'll be able to attend group training sessions, course previews, and training recon's of the courses. More info to come!

I WON a Lazer Helmet!

2011-12-21T12:39:00.000-06:00

my new Helmet!!

Thanks to Tri Dad of Five, Christmas came early for me! Lazer Helmets donated a helmet for a giveaway on his blog, and I was the lucky winner!!

This came at the perfect time- my old aero helmet broke in a minor crash this year, and I've been borrowing one ever since for my races (thanks Steve) !!

I'm SO excited, I've researched aero helmets quite a bit this year, and here's what available for LAZER helmets:

For more in-depth information, check out Tri-Dad's review.

The 2 features that attracted my attentions were:

Head Down Aerodynamics: This is how I tend to ride so I would love a racing helmet that takes this into account when designing aerodynamic features!
Aquavent: Unlike "regular" helmets, aero helmets usually don't have any vents, so when you noggin' starts heating up, there isn't any way to cool off. The Lazer helmets have an actual vent designed to allow you to dump water on your head through the helmet! This is going to be key for me next year, as I will be racing in some HOT conditions!

And of course, some bonus features...

It looks cool.

And, lots of FAST pro's trust Lazer helmets, including:

Julie Dibens...

Courtenay Brown

Happy Holidays everyone!! :)

Foot Recovery part 1!

2011-12-19T14:38:00.000-06:00

Surgery went well!

I was a little nervous before-hand...

I was a little confused/uncomfortable when I woke up...

I was told that I kept asking about eating IHOP before/after they put under anesthesia...There was one on the way to the Surgicenter, so Dan and I were joking about going there...apparently I was serious...I always am when it comes to food...

So here's the beauty herself! The bone spur, which looked like an upward-pointing "hook" has been smoothed out... I don't know much else about it, I'll learn more about it at my follow-up appt. this week.

Surprisingly, I felt fine shortly after I came out of anesthesia. I was shaking a little bit, but I wasn't in pain or nauseous. The "worst" sensation was the nerve block- I would command my ankle/toes to move, but my body didn't respond. Very strange and it kinda freaked me out. I couldn't imagine paralysis. The nerve block wore off overnight, so my right lower leg has been "functional" since Saturday morning.

We were out of the Surgicenter within 45minutes of me waking up, and since I felt fine... Guess where we went??

Looking fresh...

MUCH better- PANCAKES!! :)

I've received so much love and support from friends and family- THANK YOU!!

Check out the awesome recovery basket I got from my in-laws- how thoughtful!!

Dan has been a ROCKSTAR husband (as usual)- he makes sure I am comfortable & fed (no easy task) and that I have means of entertainment at all times :) He also gave me an early Christmas present!

new black dress coat with a HOOD! :) xoxo

On Saturday, since I was feeling fine after the surgery, we were able to attend our friend's annual Holiday party! I'm glad we were able to attend, we had a lot of fun and it would have been a bummer to miss! Too bad you can't see my big bulky black boot that I perfectly paired with a red heel to match my dress :)

I haven't been in much pain at all- I took a painkiller before I went to bed on Friday and Saturday (worried I would wake up in pain), but have not needed them otherwise. It is painful to put weight on it, but it's a non-issue for now since I'm supposed to be resting.

It's very annoying/inconvenient to go to the bathroom/etc... the abilities we take for granted...

I enjoyed my lazy weekend full of movies, naps, TV, facebook, twitter, etc., but now I'm started to go a little stir-crazy, especially with the 40-50 degree weather we've been having in DECEMBER. Seriously?? I just bought Iron War and I'm Here to Win on my ipad, so hopefully that will keep me occupied this week....

OH, and if you haven't seen this... I was DYING with laughter yesterday...

and the Pre-Quel...

ENJOY!!

Foot surgery tomorrow... ouch.

2011-12-15T09:20:00.001-06:00

Big day tomorrow... foot surgery. uggh.

Most of you know that running hasn't been going so great for me the last two years due to injuries. At IM Cozumel last year the marathon was a disaster due to GU issues and plantar fascitis, then this year I thought I was plagued with achilles tendonitis- so I thought.

I tried rest (seriously), icing, physical therapy, medication, shots, etc., all to no avail- the bottom part of my ankle (back of my heel) would NOT STOP hurting! I DNF'ed a 1/2 Iron this year b/c it so bad and I didn't want to do further damage to it. This was NOT OK with me.

NOT my hairy leg- just showing you where it hurt!

Finally my doc looked at an X-Ray and saw this:

not my actual X-Ray either... sorry. Mine is similar though.

What's not normal here? Here's a better comparison:

WHY is this a bad thing?

Yes, my achilles tendon is going OVER the bone spur, causing friction, and a painful bursa. It hurts while doing everyday activities, but it's particularly painful while running. He told me that I wouldn't do any "extra damage", and gave me permission to run on it to train through the final block and race IMAZ. Owies, but I got the job done (you gotta want it.)

What are the causes of this? How did I get it?

Sometimes called a "pump bump"...women who frequently wear high heels that rub against the area may cause the bone the calcify due to the stress placed on it... (Nope. At the MOST, I wear heels 2x/week, if at all)
Tendency to walk on the outside of your heel- the inward rotation causes the bone to grind against the tendon. (Nope)
High arches (YUP!) - the heel bone tilts backward into the tendon
Tight calves/achilles tendon (DING DING DING!!) Lots of pressure on the bone since the tendon is tight and rubbing on it would cause it to calcify. Talk about the important of foam rolling and stretching...jeez.

It's not going to go away... so the doc suggested shaving the extra bone off.

Yikes.

They won't have to detach the achilles tendon to get to it (THANK GOODNESS)- if they did, recovery could take 4-6 months. BAAAD.

My doc told me that I could probably be back on the trainer and in the pool within 2-3 weeks, and back to running within 4-6 weeks. So that means I'll "recover" through the Holidays, start back up around January 1, and be running by the end of that month!

It sucks, but this is definitely the right time of the year to do it. I'm pretending like I'm not nervous at all... everything is going to go perfectly, and I'll be running injury-free next year, right??

A new addition to our driveway...

2011-12-12T08:00:00.000-06:00

Well, sort of! (We have it winterized and stored right now)

Dan and I have wanted to do this for a long time, and after much time, research, and effort, we did!

We bought an RV!

She is a 2008 Coachmen Freedom Express Racing Edition. We found this model a few months ago, and scoured the internet until we found one that we loved and at the right price! Jim from Camping World of Southern Alabama was so wonderful and accommodating, as was the rest of the staff :)

We flew down to Pensacola, FL the day after Thanksgiving, and Jim was nice enough to pick us up from the airport and drive us to Camping World- they had the vehicle all detailed and ready to go.

Rick gave us a very thorough and detailed walk-through- which was much needed because are RV rookies!! We learned what, where, and how everything works... between the two of us hopefully we'll remember everything!

Here's what you've been waiting for: A PHOTO TOUR!

She is a 31ft. Class C Motorhome...pretty big vehicle! The "cockpit" is large and comfy, which is awesome, but we are super excited about the "house" or the coach. Above the cockpit is a queen-size cab bed... tons of space to sleep 2 people comfortably, or for storage.

And YES, our RV has a BAR!! Instead of the standard "dinette" we opted for this sweet set-up! The large couch you see pictured also folds out into a full-sized bed, comfy enough for 2 people as well. The tables and barstools are easily removed and stored behind the couch.

There are 2 "slide-outs" in the living room you see- they are both "out" in the photo. While driving, the kitchen is pushed up all the way to the bar (which folds down), and the couch goes up to about 12-18 inches away from the bar, leaving a little hallway to walk-through.

There is a TV that is set up in the kitchen now, but can be removed and hooked onto brackets in the bedroom or on the outdoor entertainment center! Although not pictured, we have hookups for an entertainment center on the exterior, under an enormous awning. We also have exterior hoses for a "shower"- nice for cleaning people/dogs/stuff off! There's even a spot for an ice chest in the huge storage compartment :)

We have a classy, larger-than-an-airplane bathroom as well! It is located right next to the kitchen near the back of the vehicle.

Across the "hall" from the bathroom is the shower- it's big enough to work for us! :) It is also located sort-of within the bathroom... there is a curtain/door system implemented. The curtain goes around the shower all the way to the bathroom door. The bathroom door flips out and locks, creating a privacy area from the living room. I'll explain it some other time. Regardless, here's the shower and bedroom!

WE ARE SO EXCITED!! What do we plan to do with it??

Um, camp? There are many parks within a short drive that would make for fun weekend trips!
Triathlon races! No need to plan and pay for airfare and hotels far in advance... as long as we can find a campsite nearby, we are good to go! We've priced out several planned races, and even with gas prices nowadays, RV'ing is going to be significantly cheaper.
PLUS, Having our own bathroom and shower for pre- and post-race is going to be a.w.e.s.o.m.e.
AND, post-race party at our place!! awning, shower, TV on the outside, BAR on the inside!
Training weekends! It's going to be a blast to pick up and go and head for the hills (and better weather) whenever we please!
Tailgating- all the features of this RV- the bar, exterior entertainment center, awning, ice chest, etc. really LEND itself to a good time!
We LOVE traveling and visiting family/friends near and far, and RV'ing is going to be a FUN way to do it!!
We get to travel with our dog Winston! :)

We look forward to a ton of new adventures!!!

IMAZ Pre-Race

2011-11-24T08:52:00.000-06:00

You can find my actual race report here: it has been updated with pictures since I first posted it. :) For those of you who like to know how my actual preparation for the race went (especially if you are a newbie or doing the race next year)- you may find this post interesting/helpful! :)

Pre-Race : Only twomeltdowns!

I felt different going into this race. Usually I LOVE being around all thehype- hanging out at the expo, shopping, wearing all my tri-geek stuff, talkingwith other athletes, etc… but this weekend I wanted nothing to do with it- Iwas focused on staying calm and resting up for the big day. I was pretty boring to be aroundactually- I was in good spirits, but all I wanted to do was eat, hydrate, executemy pre-race workouts and prep, and sleep. By SLEEP, I mean, ASLEEP by 8:30PM Friday and Saturdaynight- and most of my pre-race week as well!

We flew in on Thursday and I took the day off training- Iwanted to get myself situated. Idid the necessary packet pickup and bike-pickup (used Tri-Bike transport) atExpo and got the heck out of there. I unpacked and got my bike, bags, etc. ready to go. Dan and I went to House of Tricks fordinner- What a cute, romantic, and cozy little restaurant!

I wanted to get a feel for my race pace on the bike coursewith the wind, so Friday and Saturday Dan drove me out to the Beeline so Ididn’t have to deal with all the traffic and cars and other athletesin-town. I felt okay on Fri., butwas still surprisingly a little sluggish- obviously that meant I needed morefood and sleep. :) My mom flew inFriday afternoon, and the three of us joined my coach Jen and her husbandJerome, along with (new) friends Molly, Tracy, Jen, and a few others for lunchat Pita Jungle. Yum!

After more rest and a last-minute CVS run, we had an earlydinner at Monti’s with our friends Tabitha and Carl, along with Scott Neyedli- heis a pro triathlete that they were hosting for the race (who went 8:29 and took 11th!!). The Roman Bread was simply deliciousand perfect for pre-race! Mybrother also flew in Friday night, but I was already asleep, so my amazinghusband went to pick him up from the airport :)

On Saturday I finalized my transition and special needsbags, and headed over to the swim to get a feel for water. Yup- just as I remembered it- cold (61degrees). I didn’t wear a thermalcap or booties or anything and honestly I was fine. Nothing to worry about for the race- I knew my TYR Hurricanewetsuit would keep me warm! I didtear a small hole when I was putting it on- oops! I had remembered to pack wetsuit glue, so it was an easy fixwhen I got back to my hotel later that day.

From there my people were waiting for me to take me back tothe Beeline for one more shake-out ride. This time, I felt FANTASTIC! Right at race watts, I was happy with how I felt and the speed I wasgoing- yay! But then…

MELTDOWN#1. I had planned to meet my crewat the turnaround- they were going to “check out” the casino then pick meup. Yeah, ummm… I was waiting atthe side of road for 15-20 minutes without a cell phone!! Gaaaa…. There was a miscommunicationfor how “long” I would be riding… at least I had time to stretch! Love you guys!

I did a short shake-out run after that…my first one in a week. Pace wasfine, but ankle felt awful… well, at least I knew what to expect forrace day! We headed back to therace site to turn in my transition bags… and discovered I took my special needsinstead- oops. Easy fix- I wouldswitch them in the morning. Another lunch at Monti’s with Dan’s Mom, Dad, and sister Leslie who hadflown in the evening before, then back for more rest before dinner.

MELTDOWN #2- lost garmin charger. Seriously?? Danand I had JUST seen it hours before. We never ended up finding it. I was FREAKING OUT- my race plan was very dependent upon pacing. Luckily, Carl and Tabitha saved the dayand let me borrow theirs- THANK YOU!!!.

We went to their place for a homemade, very plain (yet delicious)pre-race dinner with Scott, his girlfriend Lisa (who just SWAM the EnglishChannel in 10 hrs. in July!), his mom, and our new Australian friends GregFarrell (who ended up 2nd in his AG!!) and his girlfriend Alison. It was a perfect, relaxing evening to calm nerves and getexcited for the race!

RACE MORNING

I woke at 3:45am (15min before my alarm) wide awake. I ate my breakfast, got my gear andnutrition, and was out the door and at the race site by 5:30AM. Again, I was NOT into the hype- Iwanted to focus and stay calm, so I put on my headphones, kept my head down andwent about my business. SwitchTransition and Special Needs Bags, put nutrition on bags and bike, drop offspecial needs bags, wait in looooong line to get air pumped in tires, check tomake to sure brakes aren’t rubbing, put bike in desired gear, get body-marked,go to bathroom (a few times) then get wetsuit on at 6:35. Using Tri-Slide it slipped right on- Ialso used Tri-Slide in my bike shoes and run socks. NO BLISTERS- AT ALL!! I also “foggled” my goggles and sunglasses- worked like a charm- nofogging, even after my goggles got knocked off twice…I handed my dry clothesand gear off to my wonderful mother, and I got in the water about 8-10 minutesbefore the gun went off (had to swim ~100yds to get to start), took myposition, and waited… When the gun went off, I KNEW that I would be done inunder 11 hours…

One Minute Matters- Ironman Arizona Race Report

2011-11-23T10:03:00.001-06:00

I had the most unbelievable, yet bittersweet, race of my life. I'm cutting right to the chase here with the race report- I have a pre-race report all written, I'll post it tomorrow for those of you who are interested. I'll also add pictures/minor corrections in the next few days. Here's how my day went down...

THE SWIM- Where Ialmost quit.

I had my garmin set to beep/vibrate every 20 minutes- Ishould be at 40minutes at the turnaround to know if I was on pace for a1:20. As you all know, I am NOT afast swimmer… but for this race I was “good enough” to be in the main pack mix…which was NOT a good thing- aaaahhhh the washing machine- I was getting bumped and smackedconstantly! I did my best torelax, and I knew I was swimming strong. Believe it or not, I was PAST the turnaround, almost to the first buoywhen the 40min beep went off- YES!!!! I was probably on pace for a1:15-1:17! However, this is whereit started to fall apart- I was REALLY getting pummeled- kicked in the gut,goggles slapped off, I was starting to get panicky, which has never happened ina swim for me. I also madethe mistake of swimming buoy to buoy instead of sighting “far-ahead” andfollowing a more direct path- according to my Garmin I added about .2 milesbecause of this. I would recommendto anyone doing this race that they actually go to the bridge near theturnaround before the race and check out the buoy line…

About halfwayback, it happened- my right calf completely seized and locked up- I screamed inpain. I tried dorsi-flexing myfoot to stretch it out- it would cramp even worse on release. People were swimming over me, mygoggles got slapped off again, I was freaking out. Finally, I left it alone. It was PULSATING very painfully, but I pretended like I wasswimming with a pull buoy and just tried to finish up as best as I could- Iended up with a 1:21 swim, still a 3-minute PR and only about a minute offmy goal time.

T1 – so pissed.

I came out of the water SO pissed- damage had been done tomy calf and I knew that it would be tight the rest of the race. Adapt and move on. It was a long transition run and thechange tent was full and busy. Avolunteer helped me and I got out there as quickly as I could- I’m not atransition specialist, but I did alright. My biggest dilemma was whether to wear arm warmers or not (~58 degreesat bike start) I chose to wear them. A volunteer said he would grab my bike – but grabbedthe wrong one! Oops- but that got fixed quickly and I was on my way. Total time was 5:30-ish.

asi photos

BIKE – the best rideof my life!

Getting out of town I took it easy- there were TONS ofcyclists. I didn’t fret- once itopened up I would get my groove on. I took in my nutrition, made sure all my “junk” were in the right pocketsand tried to stretch out my calves a little bit. For the first 10 miles I chilled. I was ready to roll once we got on the Beeline… butuuuggghhh.. the drafting on the first loop!!! I havehad friends who got penalties for drafting unintentionally, so I made SURE thatwhen the dudes passed me I fell back 4 bike lengths before passing them back. I was getting a little frustrated, butI stayed calm. The only time shizhit the fan during my ride was when I was holding race watts, going up a littlehill when this pack of about 10-15 “athletes”, male and female, overtook andsurrounded me. I sat up, coasted,waiting for them to pass me- they didn’t!! After about 1 minute of this nonsense I firmly told thefinal members of the pack to PASS ME- they obliged, I fell back, then put myhead down and time-trialed past those BoZo’s and left them in the dust. Have a nice race A-Holes.

asi photos

We had a headwind going out on the first loop- I averagedabout 19mph until the turnaround, but boy it was FUN heading back!! Holding 27-30 mph is what I’m talking about!! I hit timingmat around 1:45- holy cow!! Ifigured I would slow up a bit during the next two loops so I didn’t even do themath. I also didn’t see my peopleon the first loop, so I was looking forward to the second go-around!

Heading out on loop 2 I was moving! Watts were good, a tiny tad higher thanplanned, but I constantly re-assessed and was feeling great. I saw my Mom working at the aid stationat mile 5 (of the loop), and my friend Margaret and her fiancé at mile 12 onGilbert Rd. On this section Ichatted a bit with a girl in my AG, Shawna, who was also riding reallystrong! It was her first IM and Iwas giving her tips on how to pee on the bike LOL. She is definitely an athlete to watch out for- there were somedudes trying to draft off of her- it was pretty funny to watch as she smokedthem! At the turnaround I saw MYMAN DAN and my brother Don- they looked like they were having a blast-yay! I kept on truckin and feltsuper- I finished the lap and hit the timing mat with a 1:45 split- again! Holy cow I’m done with 2 loopsalready?? I then did some math-and my breath was taken away for a moment when I realized I was on pace for aFREAKING 5:15 bike split!! Idismissed the thought, but was thinking I would actually get a 5:25- holysmokes!! I’ll reassess at theturnaround.

asi photos

Well, 3^rd lap started and now we had a tailwindgoing out- crazy! I just. Felt.Awesome. I didn’t stop at specialneeds, so I made sure to take extra gels at aid stations so my nutrition planwould stay on target. My calf wasloosening up a LITTLE bit, it wasn’t painfully seizing anymore. I saw my boys at the turnaround, thenhit the headwind- but it really wasn’t that bad. I guess all those LODA rides paid off!! I did some math… assessed my effort andhow I was feeling… looked at my pace… and realized I what I was about toaccomplish… Oh.My. Gosh. I crossedthe timing mat at 5:15:00 and was ECSTATIC.

T2: Am I in the game?

I got through T2 as fast as I could- I knew my bike splitwas hellafast- but was I in the mix?? Time was 2:30-ish

asi photos

RUN- the hardest runof my life.

Going into the race, I knew the run was going to be thebiggest wildcard. I started off ata moderate pace that I had consistently trained at- about a 8:35-8:45mile. It wasn’t easy- my calf wassoo tight, my ankle and my heel hurt- but my brain blocked out that pain, and Ifocused focused focused. Dan wasmy “spotter” the whole run and when he told me around mile 3 that I was runningin THIRD PLACE I was in shock- this shiz was REAL.

asi photos. feeling fresh... not for long!

I stayed calm and continued on at my own pace. I passed 2^nd place aroundmile 5, and was now running in second- I knew there was one girl behind merunning quicker, but I HAD to be smart so I wouldn’t blow up. 2^nd place was a surefirespot to Kona. There MAY be 3spots, as there had been 3 in my AG in the past, but I wasn’t positive.

asi... focused.

asi... still focused.

I can’t say the miles ticked away, because they didn’t. After about 10 miles, my legs weregetting heavy, and my injuries were getting painful. I put my head down and trucked on as hard as I could. Miles 13-14 is when my body startedgiving out on me- I was giving more and more effort, but running slower andslower. I NEVER let up- I took itone mile at a time.

asi... hurting.

I had a systemat aid stations- 2 sponges- I got my face, arms, quads, and hamstrings, tookone water and one perform (miles 1-13) or one coke (14-finish). I took a swig of my liquid shot every 4miles. I was also taking salt tabsconsistently, as I also did on the bike. I never cramped on the run, I just didn’t have the durability from mylimited run training this year. Ithurt very, VERY badly.

asi... love these photos. They sum up the last 13 miles.

asi... I was really pushing through some pain.

This paragraph is heartbreaking to write…I was in 2^ndplace for 20 miles. I never let itget to my head, because I knew I was NOT running at Kona-qualifying pace- if Istayed in second, I would be very lucky. I knew 3^rd place was gaining on me very quickly- I gave everyounce I had to hold a solid pace, but my body couldn’t deliver. Mile after mile she still hadn’t passedme, and I held on tight…Even at mile 25, I knew I wasn’t safe… and sure enough,as I running through the crowds ½ a mile from the finish, it happened. She BLAZED by me and didn’t look back-Dan tried to get me to SPRINT to go with her…I tried with all my heart, but mylegs wouldn’t let me.

I never looked at overall time during the run- I only had mygarmin displaying my “lap time” – an easier way to mentally break it down. My marathon ended up being a 4:01. As I turned the corner to finish line,and I saw the clock say 10:46, I could NOT BELIEVE IT. I had BLOWN my finish timeexpectations out of the water. Forthe moment, I forgot about the pass, and reveled in my finish line glory!! I’m still trying to comprehend that I’mnow a 10:46 athlete- that’s FAST!!!

asi

After I greeted my entire support crew with hugs and kisses,I HAD TO KNOW if I made my pie-in-the-sky goal: A Kona slot. I found the paper posted on the massagetent… and there it was… 2 slots for my AG. My heart sank, it stings to think about it. I missed a Kona slot literally, by oneminute.

THE AFTERMATH

I didn’t get a Kona rolldown- it looks like I’ll have toearn it the old-fashioned way. Isigned up for IM Louisville next year, and without a doubt I’ll be gunning fora Kona slot.

It took 2 ½ days for my stomach to feel OK after the race,and here I am 3 days out and I’m still having a lot of trouble getting up/downand walking… my calves are so damn tight if you just POKE them I’ll scream inpain… especially the one that cramped up in the swim. My ankle/heel is in a lot of pain- I’ll be seeing my docsoon about options to “fix” that ASAP during the off-season. I don’t know HOW I pulled off a 4:01marathon judging by the shape I’m in now!

I’ve done many many triathlon races prior to this- but I’vealways considered myself a participant; sure my goal at almost every race is torace against myself and PR, but I was never too concerned with other athletes’races- this has changed. On SundayI proved to myself that I am a COMPETITOR, and I sure as hell raced like one. A10:46?? That’s a FAST girl’s time… MY TIME. I know that I had the BEST race I possibly could that day- Itruly left it all out there- and it got me on the podium.

I trained like a “participant” for years- hitting theimportant workouts, but skipping workouts that wouldn’t have a “big” effect onmy finishing time- well guess what- ONE MINUTE MATTERS. Those words sting. That is going to be my mantra for nextseason- what is going to get me out of bed, in the pool, on the road, etc…

THANK YOU

My race was very bittersweet- Despite missing a Kona slot, Iblew my finish time goal (10:58) out of the water with a 10:46- OVER A 1-HR PR,and I freaking PODIUMED at major race!! I also PR’ed IN EVERY section of the race, including transitions. I put in the training, the hard work,and the suffering, but I couldn’t have gotten here without some MAJOR help:

My husband: Dan is amazing. Even being overseas for most of theyear, he found ways to motivate and bring out the best in me- he was soooaccommodating during all my taper and pre-race anxiety and crabbiness, and dideverything he possibly could for me to have the best race. He wasn’t even supposed to BE inArizona…having him there truly made my weekend. I LOVE you Dan!! He really needs to look into a career with all this sports statisticianstuff- he’s GOOD at it!! He wasALL over that course giving me times and telling me exactly how fast I had togo to maintain my position, etc… Team Wheatley is going to dominate next year!

My family: My sweet mom, brother, and in-laws allflew out to watch and were the best spectators and support crew I could askfor- they have been so positive and helpful all year- THANK YOU!!

My sponsored team: GO TRAKKERS/REV3!! The passion of these individuals iscontagious, and support I receive from them is unbelievable. REV3 Events are top-notch and I can’twait to compete in several of them (Knoxville, Portland or Maine, and theDells) to prep and tune-up for IMLOU next year!!

My coach: JenHarrison did it again… she turned a participant into a competitor. She also had an amazing race herself atIMAZ and got 3^rd in her AG ( the biggest female field) and turneddown her Kona slot. What a woman…Thank You Jen!!

Bloomington Cycle andFitness: For keeping my bikein top-notch condition! I beat thehell out of that thing, so they have no easy task :) They also worked extensively with me on my bike fit, and itpaid off- I rode comfortably the WHOLE race. I felt strong and powerful without any back/neck/etc. pain!

My local team andtraining partners: TRI-SHARKS!! Mick- Thanks for hosting the weekly time trials- they are trainingweapons! Tamara and Brian- thanksfor making me ride 50 miles straight into headwinds week after week. It wasn’t always fun, but it paid off:) Steve- thanks for RUNNING withme (and Winston) and letting me borrow your helmet!! Chris- thanks for all the advice, gear help, and mentorship-it has definitely helped shape me as an athlete. To all the guys that kicked my ass on the bike (Mark M.,Mike D., Doug, Brad, ROSS, etc…)- THANKS!! I also used the club wheels (Zipp 404 and Disc) which wereAWESOME.

My sponsors:

Kestrel bicyclesfor providing the machine I powered to the 6^th fastest female bikesplit of the day (fastest in AG, AND I beat 4 pro’s)-I LOVE my bike!!

SBR Sports- Keptmy hair and body feeling fresh all year, but more importantly, NO CHAFING withTri-Slide, and NO FOGGING on my goggles (even after being knocked off twice)and sunglasses with Foggle!! Thank you!!

First Endurance:I never had ANY GI issues all day, and I was fueled by EFS, liquid shot, andpre-race capsules. Nutrition canmake or break your race, and I was able to race what I was capable of withoutany GI stress!

TYR: Even in the chilly water, my Hurricanewetsuit kept my body temperature up and just fine! I swam my way to a PR, and its only going to get better :)

Recovery Pump: During my biggest blocks of trainingand hard workouts, I was able to recover very quickly and bounce right backinto training.

Avia: Forproviding some FUN, flashy shoes!!

To all my friends andsupporters: I am amazed and humbled by the support and encouragement Ireceived via email, text, facebook, and twitter!! I can’t believe how many of you took such a portion of yourday to track me- Thank You!!

Putting my Cards on the Table

2011-11-19T08:13:00.001-06:00

I AM HERE… and I AM READY!!

Before Dan left for his deployment, I wanted to find a majorgoal or project to keep myself busy… and naturally, being a triathlete, that“goal” was a RACE.

I chose Ironman Arizona as my target for the followingreasons:

The longer the race, the more competitive I canbe right now. In upcoming years, Iplan to get FASTER at ½ Iron distances- Look out REV3 Knoxville and REV3 Dells2012!!
It’s late in the year so I had all year toprepare for and train for it (and let injuries heal up)
The course suits my strengths – it’s flat andwindy (mirroring Central IL weather!)
The weather for this race (in November)typically hasn’t been too hot either (I don’t do well in heat).
The 3-loop bike and run courses are ideal forracing (breaks the distance down into manageable sections) and spectating (lotsof family coming)!
I’ve done this race before (in 2008) and racedwell, so I know what to expect.

Now, my main goal isn’t just to finish this race. I have FINISHED 8 Iron-distance races,#9 will be a great accomplishment (as ANY Iron-distance finish), but I wantsomething more…

I am going to FIGHT, tooth and nail, to break 11 hours.

Setting such an ambitious goal very early in season, withinjuries, was pretty ballsy.

I will need to take 1 hour off of my best timeto date is 11:52, on the IMAZ course.
The last 2 years I’ve been plagued with feet andankle injuries which have been pretty debilitating.

So here’s my honest training recap of the year:

JEN HARRISON:

I hired Jen Harrison to coach me through this season- shehas an excellent track record of transforming “age group athletes” into Elite,Kona-Qualifying athletes. She hasput up with a lot of my crap this season…

EARLY SEASON:

BIKE: I put a LOT of work into the bike, especially since myfoot was not taking kindly to running. This PAID OFF in big ways- I can “hang” with (I mean, off the wheels of)the “fast guys” in town, and I dominated the weekly time-trials in Bloomington-I even took 3^rd place at a major Time Trial race inChicago-land! I also had the 4^thfastest bike split at REV3 Knoxville- only 5 minutes off the leader.

SWIM AND RUN: Well… not much to be said here. I wasn’t running very much due toinjuries, and although I was swimming MUCH more than I used to (i.e. 2-3x/weekversus MAYBE 1x/week) I wasn’t completing all the work my coach asked me to do…Irealize that I don’t necessarily HATE swimming, it’s just my weakness, sotherefore I don’t like it.

MID-SEASON:

There was a lot of personal stress in my life… andunfortunately, I didn’t take it out on training. Although I was still getting (some) workouts in, I fell offthe wagon quite a bit. I was alsosecond-guessing and even dismissing my goal of breaking 11 hours at IMAZ- I wasstarting to accept that IMAZ may end up similar to IM Cozumel last year- shittyswim, good bike, walk the marathon. This is where my biggest regret of the season lies- “giving up”.

Then there was the Great Illini Half-Iron tri… my first DNF,EVER. It was not due to fitness- Ibowed out after the first loop of the run because my achilles startingbothering me VERY BADLY, and I didn’t want to risk completely ruining mychances of being able to run at IMAZ… this really discouraged me…

When school first started, I didn’t do a stellar job of timemanagement (wasn’t fitting in ALL the training), and my ankle was KILLINGME. I was actively seeing doctors,physical therapists, athletic trainers, trying all sorts of techniques, etc… tono avail. Again, I was wonderinghow “worth it” it was to get in all my workouts if I wasn’t going to be able toRUN the marathon… I’d be lucky just to get another finish.

THE KICKER:

Things turned around when my doc looked at a recent X-Ray ofmy ankle, and concluded that my pain is caused by a bone spur that the achilles tendonis running right over. I havegotten 2 medical opinions on this, and both docs agree that I am NOT a major risk fora tendon rupture (short-term), and that I CAN TRAIN THROUGH IT thisseason. Wait…. Really??

LATE-SEASON:

And RUN I did. For about 2-3 weeks after this “diagnosis” my body (muscles) had to getused to running again- everything HURT! Tight quads, calves, IT Band, all these muscles were being used indifferent ways that they haven’t been all season- Don at Aches Away helped methrough this with some great sport massages!

Once this initial “adaptation” phase blew over, I had sixGLORIOUS WEEKS OF RUNNING!! Maybeit was another subconscious defense mechanism, but my ankle and foot didn’teven hurt. All the cardiovascularfitness I’ve built up on the bike this year carried over- I was running faster(with easier effort) in training than well…ever. Even the year I qualified for Boston. Even the year I ran a 1:39 ½ Marathon.

This gave me hope- I now had eyes for that 11-Hour mark. I got fired up for swim workouts(gasp!)- I am ENJOYING time in water, and I’m swimming faster than I have in 7years (not saying much, but still). I endured some RIDICULOUSLY cold and windy long, long bike rides.

I NAILED all my workouts and training during the last bigblocks, like my friend Chris Sweet said, I've "left almost no stones unturned"… but will it be enough?? Or will mymid-season slacking come back to haunt me? Or will the endurance training I've done over the last 7 years make up for some of it?

RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW

I feel like the stars are aligning...

Weather looks cool (~70 degrees)- perfect.
My husband is coming to spectate- he wasn’tsupposed to be home until Dec-Jan :)
My mom, brother, good friend, mother-, father-,and sister-in-law are flying out to spectate!
I’ve been happy and relatively stress-free thelast 2 weeks
My race # is 165… my birthday is 6-5
My ankle starting bugging a little again AFTER Ifinished my last big training block… a simple sign that’s its time to rest andlet my body heal up
I’ve been a little sluggish on the bike… thiswill make me HOLD BACK and not over-do it!
My swim has been coming along nicely- I willswim aggressively!My super athlete (and preggo) friend Trisha justFEELS like I am going to have the race of my life… and you don’t mess with apreggo momma’s intuition.
I FEEL READY.

In the spirit of “laying it all on the table,” here are mygoals:

Swim: 1:20

Bike: 5:35

Run: 3:55

Transitions: 0:08

Total Time: 10:58

I am ready to suffer and give it all I got- my late-seasontraining and fitness indicates that these goals are ACHIEVABLE. I also know that I might not achieve mygoals- my early-mid season slacking, along with my lack of running “base” anddurability might catch up with me. Iron-distance races are a long day- anything can happen. Yes I’ll be alittle embarrassed that I shared all this with you if I fail… but it will maketracking me on Sunday a little more exciting right? Also, Michelle aka Rural Girl ALWAYS puts her big seasongoals out there for the world to see (via blog title)… and then ACHIEVES THEM. Send some vibes my way girlfriend!

I can’t wait to finish the final chapter of this story :)

Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?

2011-11-17T20:27:00.001-06:00

Hello all, I’m writing to you from 10,000 ft!

I’m on the plane on the way to my BIG RACE… but let’s save that post for Friday or Saturday, shallwe??

My life has beenAWESOME lately- you know those times when everything seems to be falling intoplace, work is going well, life comes so easily, and you are getting along witheverybody? Stress is LOW, and youare HAPPY? That’s NOW for me!!

One of the majorfactors to my “newfound happiness” is that my HUSBAND is HOME!! Dan is in the Army National Guard, andhe was deployed to Iraq for 10 months. He’s been back in the states for 3-4 weeks, and has been HOME for 2weeks now, and life is just fabulous.

I sort of expectedhim to feel like a “special guest” in our home at first since he’s been gone solong… instead, we fell back into our normal routine, and everything just feelsRIGHT- our home, our family is COMPLETE again.

I felt I like I heldup really well in his absence – I never got depressed or super lonely- I hadwork, training, friends, and family to keep me busy. I worried about him, but I also knew that the danger he facedwas out of my control. Withoutrealizing it, I put up a “defense mechanism” and blocked out how much I missedhim and worried about him… We were so lucky to be able to skype nearly everyday, so I got to SEE him and know that he was OK!!

When he called methat day in late October to tell me that he was back in states and OUT of thewarzone, I smiled and laughed and told him that I was so happy andrelieved. After we hung up thephone, it really hit me- he was SAFE. He was no longer in danger. He was coming home, back to ME, very soon. And then to my surprise I let out all the sadness and worrythat had subconsciously built up over the last year and cried my eyes out in mycar.

Life is good…don’ttake your loved ones for granted. TODAY, make sure you give your special person (or people) and big hugand kiss and TELL THEM that they mean the world to you, and that your life isbetter with them in your life!

Here are somepictures that we took last weekend with my Mom and brother- my friend BeaCorbin is a very talented photographer, and from these sample pictures you cansee that she does a great job capturing the love and bonds our family shares!

Exciting!

2011-11-02T19:41:00.002-06:00

Quick Post with updates, thoughts, etc...

My foot/ankle decided to get better about a month ago. Coincidentally, my motivation skyrocketed.

I NAILED my last (biggest) training cycle. Workouts are now winding down- shorter, faster, and lots of race-pace interval on the swim/bike/run. Cycling on my Kestrel is strong (as it has been all year), I'm making progress on the swim, and running has been going RIDICULOUSLY well. I am SO excited for my race in 3 weeks- My original goal (10:xx) seems reachable... still a stretch since I don't have the "cumulative" miles on my legs, I would NEED a quick bike split, but I can't over-ride it... so we SHALL SEE!!

I've had some GREAT training partners on some TOUGH workouts....I've done several 100-115 miles where we have gone 50 miles out with a tailwind, then had to BATTLE the headwind on the way back. No turns, no stops, no trees, no corn, etc... it's a barren wasteland out here. It's ~~MIND-NUMBING~~ mental toughness training...Thanks Tamara, Brian, and Mark!!

Running- holy sh*t. I'm running faster than I was 3 years ago when I was running WELL- It's going to be a total wildcard on 11-20, I can't wait to see how the run unfolds!! Steve has been keeping me company on my runs (even though he JUST rocked the Chicago Marathon less than a month ago!)- THANKS!!

Swimming- lots of pool time! I'm figuring out how to maintain "momentum"... I've also figured how NOT to ruin my hair by using SBR Sports swimcare (see bullet point below for the importance of this!) :)

I've also been using the new First Endurance Pre-Race capsules during my "race-specific" workouts, and it's been AWESOME! No GI distress that I've had with the powder, and I've been DELIVERING on all the intervals and workouts prescribed by JH. Excellent. I have my nutrition dialed in- I'm using FE Liquid Shot (Vanilla) and EFS (Tart Lemon-Lime and Fruit Punch) for the race. Throughout the year I've been trying to use 2x strength of concentrated EFS so I wouldn't have to use special needs- even with plenty of water intake, it never sit well with my stomach, so I WILL be using Special Needs half-way through the bike to pick up more regular-strength bottles...I know it works and I love how it tastes, so no need to risk it!

My dog is so cool too. He's done 90% of my runs with me this year- he's such a good little runner. Vizslas are MEANT to run- he keeps up on fast runs, and he recently "PR-ed" with his longest distance to date- 15 miles!

I'm doing all the race-prep now... packing lists, final product/gear ordering- PS I NEED A NEW AERO HELMET... mine broke :( travel and time management before and during race week... so exciting!

With race registrations opening up, I'm also getting psyched for next year- there are 15-20+ Tri-Sharks heading up to REV3 Wisconsin Dells next year- yay!! I'll definitely be at REV3 Knoxville again (LOVE the bike course... and the new hills on the run course!), and after working REV3 Anderson this year, that looks like a fun one too...

Best News Ever---- MY HUSBAND IS COMING HOME!!!

After being deployed since January, he is coming home on FRIDAY!!!! My life is awesome. He is the coolest guy ever and I can't wait to be with him all.the.time from now on!!! Enough said! I <3 Dan Wheatley!

Check out these stories about his unit's homecoming!!

http://blogs.pjstar.com/kravetz/2011/11/01/709th-medical-comes-home-from-iraq-on-friday/

http://www.centralillinoisnewscenter.com/news/local/Peoria-Based-Troops-Returning-from-Iraq-133034748.html

http://955glo.com/homecoming-celebration-planned-for-army-national-guard-709th-medical-company/

Sunset Ride and a Great Week!!

2011-10-04T22:04:00.002-05:00

pretty sunset on my ride today!

OK, first of all, I am LOVING all the Kona facebook/pictures/blog updates!! Keep them coming people!! I am so happy for friends that are competing - every competitor over on that island this week have worked their @sses off, made sacrifices, and earned their trip to race in Paradise- way to go and ENJOY!! And please, share your experience with us :)

Secondly, although the week is early, workouts are going great. Swimming is coming along (i.e. I don't hate it) and there is PROGRESS on the bike and run!

big hill in Central IL.

I had my 2nd bike test on my Kestrel this year (I was lucky enough to have some fast boys pushing me-Brian and Mark- THANKS!)...and indeed, I have gained fitness and learned to suffer this year! I increased my threshold by almost 50W over the course of the year and my average HR went up a few beats as well! OUCH, but YAY! Thank YOU JH!!

windmills in the distance...

Special thanks to Brian- I showed up to the ride and my garmin wasn't charged- UUUGGH, especially since I wanted to do my bike test!! He kindly let me use his garmin, and we changed the settings/ synced it up to my equipment and I was good to go- thankyouthankyou!

Brian checking on his bike...

Our t-run afterward went well too- it felt easy, my heart rate was super low and legs felt good, and we were running sub-9's :) Can't wait to dominate my long run this weekend!

My Recovery Pump and First Endurance Ultragen have been helping me recover quick and tackle the next workout recharged...loving it!!

FINALLY, on Thursday I leave to work timing for REV3 Anderson in S. Carolina!! Can't wait to check out the inaugural race at this venue!

As tolerated...

2011-10-02T10:23:00.000-05:00

Wow, so after an amazing run yesterday, I felt compelled to tell you why October is my favorite month (or why fall is my favorite season), but I realize I already did that LAST year!

Ha! Yup, leaves are changing, cooler temps feel great, and I'm definitely enjoying the weather and scenery since I'm more fit! Fall is the Midwest is fantastic! This fall in particular is off to a good start-

I had my long run yesterday, and my friend Steve (who has a hilarious blog btw), who is running Chicago next week, was awesome enough to join me for the first 8 miles of my run. I haven't run WITH anyone in long time, it was so fun to enjoy a beautiful fall run and make conversation! We started off at a clip that I was hoping to maintain as an average for the run (9:30)... but picked it up every mile and the last few we were averaging 8:45's! The best part- it felt easy-moderate. It wasn't HARD! The last few miles I did by myself I was flying, I was hitting paces I haven't seen in 3 years! The best part- it felt great, and effort/heart rate were LOW. I felt like my old runner-self :)

I don't have the thought-processes of my old-runner self though...as I was cruising through the last mile, with my leg turnover working overtime, for a split-second I *seriously* thought about shifting into a bigger gear!! I'm such a weirdo!! "You know you've been cycling a lot when..." HA!

Is anyone surprised by this turn of running events? Has my achilles injury magically healed up?? NO. Actually, it flared up and was rather annoying this week. I saw my foot doc (again) and looked at an x-ray: I have a bone spur on my heel above where the achilles tendon attaches, and the tendon goes RIGHT over it...so they rub, and subsequent irritation and pain occurs... ouch.

The solution is to surgically remove the spur... they wouldn't have to detach the tendon to do it, so recovery would "only" be 3 weeks... but I don't have time for that before my November race. As the doc put it, "You aren't going to do a whole lot of extra damage that we couldn't fix after your race... so if you want, you can train normally and run through it... as tolerated."

Wow. That's not something you hear everyday! I trust this guy though, it is what he does for a living, and he works with several semi-pro and pro sport teams... So that's the plan- for the next 7 weeks I will run through it, and take as many preventative and recovery measures as possible- i.e. continue stretching, icing, strengthening, physical therapy... and make sure that no "new pain" or injuries surface. That is maybe why I had such a fantastic run yesterday- I have a lot of underlying fitness, and I was holding it back on the run for so long b/c I KNOW BETTER than to run through injury pain... but for the next 7 weeks it looks like I will go against this better judgment!

There's not a lot of time left for training, so here are my options:

Not run/continue holding back and not train my muscles for the movement/pounding...maybe the irritation will subside from the rest, but I'll still suck during the race b/c I won't be fit enough for it. Maybe cycling fitness will transfer over, but I don't think it will be enough to reach my goals for the marathon portion.
Run through it...and either I'll be injured (and still suck, compared to above) or maybe I'll have the fitness and pain tolerance to push through the race... then fix the problem this winter lol.

I would NOT recommend this to anyone, especially if you are training for your first endurance event. I realize this is a bad idea, but it's lose-lose situation. There's a likely chance that it can backfire, it's a risk I'm taking and I'll keep you updated. I wish I would have seen a doc/ gotten treatment sooner when this started acting up in late May this year. Please people, take care of injuries as soon as you think you might have one.

Now it's time to get ready to hammer out a brick workout!! Hope you all enjoy this lovely fall weather!

The Pain Train

2011-09-26T23:04:00.000-05:00

In an effort to blog on a consistent basis, here goes my recent training recap!

Swimming: I've been getting in my pool workouts consistently for the last 2-3 weeks- yay!! Of course, as I write this, I bailed on my swim workout today. I WILL get it in tomorrow morning though ;) Nothing notable about progress/speed/etc., except that I am, in fact, swimming (which says something, if you know me...). In fact, I'm about out of Foggle wipes... it would be such a shame to NOT see that black line at bottom of the pool crystal-clear like I've gotten used to... must order more!! :)

Biking: I'm pretty lucky... my body responds well to bike training. I get by on less training than most... I hear of people consistently putting in 150-300(!!) miles per week of cycling to yield fitness and little progress...but on the other hand, when I am in the saddle, I am (no pun intended) working my a$$ off!! Here's a little story about this weekend....

TOOT TOOT!

So on Saturday, I had a LONG ride at RACE pace... I needed some help on this one. I was lucky enough to recruit some some ridiculously fast cyclists (ie ROSS and BRIAN) to let me attempt to sit on their wheels for a few hours. The first 1-1.5 hours were pretty easy/steady, but then they got into their "normal" pace... which put the HURT on me!! I was hanging tough though... After about 1.5 hours of the "hurt", we picked up another fast dude (MIKE) and then it was really GAME ON. for the next 1.5-2 hrs I could barely even look at my Garmin in fear that I would fall off the Pain Train... It got to the point where I was playing mind games...

"OK Laura, HANG ON until the next intersection, and then you can drop off... alright, good job, let's see if you can hang on until the next time they turn..."... etc. etc..

I NEVER got dropped! But boy did that HURT! Ross & Co. sure did drop the Hizzie (one of the funny jokes that they were casually laughing about on this ride while I was trying to maintain lung functioning).

I followed this ride up with a T-Run that wasn't a cake-walk either... I was WRECKED after this whole workout was done.

Good news: Nutrition worked great on the ride. The past few weeks Coach Jen and I have discovered that the nutrition plan that I was using on longer/low-intensity rides doesn't work as well on high-intensity rides ...so I scaled back the kcals this week and had no issues. I finished a bottle of concentrated First Endurance Tart Lemon Lime EFS (i.e. margarita) and 2 Vanilla Liquid Shot flasks- YUM.

My friend Anne was having a Tri-Shark celebratory get-together that night (for all the REV3 Cedar Point, IMWI, etc. finishers!) so I wanted to rest-up and clean-up a little bit before heading over. I had a great idea to "rest" on my couch and close my eyes for "just a minute"...

... and then woke up 2 1/2 hours later still in my workout clothes! GROSS! I felt like I had just gotten hit by a bus!! Luckily I cleaned up quick and celebrated my "victory" with a couple of these:

Nectar of the Gods

and devoured a bread bowl with some delicious dip with a "pack" of triathletes (we were referred to as a pack of hyenas with giselle blood on our faces lol). Good times!

Running: Ah, the battle. I had a "long" run on Sunday, and it went OK. Pace and HR were just fine, even on destroyed legs, but yup, achilles acted up. I focused on recovery the rest of the day...

Monday (today) I saw my athletic trainer (physical therapy) and massage therapist (Don at Aches Away rocks). I upgraded my 30-minute "lower leg only" session to an hour on full lower body so I can try to walk down stairs normally this week... I'm in the thick of long-distance tri training folks...

I also saw my trusty running expert Mitch at Often Running and he helped me pick out a new pair of running shoes that might be a little bit more forgiving on the achilles...we'll see how it goes!

Recovery ain't easy...

2011-09-20T21:29:00.001-05:00

Hey all! Gosh it's hard to write a blog post when a whole summer full of vacations, racing, etc. has passed by! Where to start??

Hmmmm... how about injuries??

Running can be soooo great, but it's also the devil. My last major running accomplishment was the Flying Pig Marathon in May 2009 (3:43).... since then I haven't FELT like a runner!

I slacked/took time off running the rest of 2009 to plan a wedding/start a full-time job/move into a new house... then got back into it WAY too fast in early 2010, and ended up with severe heel pain (plantar fascitis). This ruined my 2010 season (but, I made a lot of improvements the bike!).

Early 2011: Plantar fascitis STILL bugged me. After numerous round of doctor visits, massage, and physical therapy, I finally found that the GRASTON technique worked well...so around June/July/August it started feeling better.

But guess what? As soon as the heel pain subsided, the back of my calcaneus bone (bottom of the heel) started hurting- great. Right where the the achilles tendon attaches...hellooo achilles tendonitis.

Why did this happen? Most likely because I went from being a "heel striker" to a "midfoot" striker... since my calves were weak from not running, and there is a LOT more stress placed on those muscles when the heel isn't absorbing the shock, I'm guessing my achilles tendon got pissed.

My coach Jen and I have worked with it...slowly building up miles, keeping intensity low, backing off when needed... but when I had my first DNF at a half-ironman over labor day weekend (achilles was getting too painful on the run and I would have caused further damage if I continued), that was the last straw. I got ANGRY.

After another visit with my foot doc, here's what I've been doing the last few weeks:

A 6-day steroid pack to reduce the inflammation
PT using the ion patch 2x/week
GRASTON 2-3x/week
Massage 1-2x/week (when I'm not bruised up from graston)
Icing 2x/day
Ibuprofin
wearing stupid compression socks/sleeves
Stretching constantly, and foam-rolling/golf-ball rolling if I'm not banged up from graston.

A bit about Graston...

Ouch. Bruising is common...does it HAVE to hurt/bruise? No. However, I let them "dig in" as much as I can tolerate...

From their website, the Graston technique can be described as a "form of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization that enables clinicians to effectively break down scar tissue and fascial restrictions. The technique utilizes specially designed stainless steel instruments to specifically detect and effectively treat areas exhibiting soft tissue fibrosis or chronic inflammation."

Yup, it's like a deep-tissue massage... with a set of "tools"...they pretty much "scrape away" all the junk that builds up around inflammation and any muscle or tissue damage. From personal experience, I can tell you that the pain and bruising isn't SO bad when it's on connective tissues that don't get a lot of blood flow, but it can be brutal on/around muscles...to learn more, click here.

The "schedule" is exhausting. It's time-consuming. That stupid achilles doesn't stand a chance though- I am ATTACKING it! Recovery ain't easy...

I love to RACE my bicycle!

2011-04-16T12:50:00.002-05:00

As I finished up my weekly Tuesday Night Time Trial (TNTT) with a ONE MINUTE PR (over a 12.43 mile course- this is HUGE), and earning myself 5th place overall (dudes included) out of 43 riders, someone asked me how I liked my Kestrel 4000 time trial bike. Before I could even answer, Mike Miner replied "She went from fast to SICK FAST as soon as she got that bike!"

windy cornfields. photo: Rob Shannon

It's only April, and I feel the strongest I have ever been on a bike. Not only do I have a speedy, stiff frame that can keep me charging through a headwind and stay upright (and aero!) against a sick crosswind... but I have also busted my @ss on the computrainer all winter- big intervals, high cadence intervals, max intervals, and everything in-between! My coach Jen Harrison is a tough cookie! I'm super happy with my cycling progress- I've got the gear, the training, and nutrition working flawlessly this year:

Tuesday Night Time Trials- Mar. 28th (32:54, 22.67 mph, 3rd OA out of 6 riders)

The Tri-Shark Triathlon Club (or I should say MICK HANNAH) hosts weekly time trials for cyclists and triathletes to test their fitness and earn bragging rights. It's a GREAT way to get a speed/power workout and test different racing strategies. The first time out there were only 6 riders to "test" out the course and timing strategy (which went perfectly btw), and I was lucky enough to be invited. I went out not knowing what to expect, since it was my second outdoor ride of the year- despite some rough winds (as usual in the Midwest) I rode HARD and was happy with my time. Not a PR, but definitely strong! I was beat by two INSANELY strong riders, and I beat three that normally would have kicked my butt!! I have definitely been learning how to SUFFER on the bike. My HR stayed consistent the whole ride, and was about 5 bpm higher than it was averaging at my fittest last year.

Tuesday Night Time Trials - Apr 4 (34:07, 21.86 mph, 5th OA/28)

The second round- yowza. Winds were WICKED. I KNEW my time would be slower. It was a mind game to battle the headwinds and stay upright (but relaxed!) on the crosswind section. A lot of people get VERY discouraged by the wind- it's hard, and it HOWLS. Here's the thing though: IT'S ALWAYS WINDY IN CENTRAL IL!! It's time to accept it and learn to love it. It makes us STRONGER- like a cyclist in Colorado climbing up a mountain, we can challenge ourselves by pushing a big gear in a 25mph headwind on a country road heading to nowhere...for as long as we want. Like a cyclist in CO screaming down a mountain at 40mph, once we turn around, we can get pushed back to town with a glorious tailwind! While CO cyclists may have better bike handling skills, I think that we might build up a tad more mental toughness, since the howling headwind doesn't allow for much chit-chat with your workout partners...you are in your own head during the sufferfest!

TNTT course. photo: Rob Shannon

I digress...back to the TNTT. The course is FLAT by any standards, but there are some tricky "bumps"- do I gear down and spin or just muscle over it? Stand or sit? After 3 years of riding this course I am still experimenting. My HR was about the same as last time, and again, I finished feeling strong. Disappointed that my time was slower, but it was a tough day! I was pleased again with my overall ranking! Ha and I forgot my bike jersey...so I was running a long-sleeve running shirt that was flailing all over the place- it probably cancelled out the aerodynamic effect of my helmet! I still haven't put the race wheels on my bike yet either...

John Fraser Time Trial 10-mile April 10 (25:23, 23.6 mph, 3rd female OA)

I was excited to try a cycling race with competition other than my training partners! Registration and warm-up went well, and I was so excited to SKYPE with DAN before the race! It definitely put a smile on my face!! but again, BOY WAS IT WINDY! Like the TNTT, participants lined up and were sent off in 30-sec. intervals. They offered to hold my bike for me so I could start clipped in, but I screwed that up- I veered off to the side when he let go and they yelled at me to "Get out of the saddle!" Oops. No advantage there.

I started off strong, with a tailwind- I peeked at the Garmin and saw that I was going 31 mph on a flat road- WOWEE! There were two turnaround on the course - I practiced them the day before and during my warmup because I was so nervous I wouldn't be able to make it that tight! LOL. The tailwind was glorious, but the crosswinds were CRAZY!! Like I mentioned before, I didn't really have a problem, my Kestrel handles them well for me- although I was clearly riding "sideways," the winds were sustained without significant "gusts" so as long as I got in a groove I wouldn't get blown over. On the way back - MY GOODNESS. That same windy stretch I was going 31mph on , I was now RACING AND PASSING people at 16mph. Hilarious.

Me on the finishing stretch- CROSSWIND

I was nervous about this race, because in order to do it right, I needed to GO HARD. Like, pukey hard. I was sure suffering out there, but I wasn't getting my HR up to where my goal was. Maybe I don't have the guts to do it yet. Maybe it was more of mashfest. Who knows.

HR 190 bpm = smiling for camera?

Out of 190 participants that finished the race, I was 96th. Out of the 33 women, I was 3rd! Jen took 2nd, and we both took home a small paycheck- sweet! I've never "won" money before! It was really cool that my mom, dad, and the dogs came out to watch too- it was great sharing this new "race experience" with them! I was actually even able to skype with Dan on my drive home to recap the race- I have the app on my iphone, it worked out GREAT!!

Tuesday Night Time Trials April 12 (31:17, 23.85mph, 6th OA/43)

Two days after the JFTT, the weather was looking great for a TT in Central IL. 60's and moderate wind (not CRAZY wind)... it was promising to be a fast night. Although my legs were still fatigued from TWO DAYS EARLIER, I went for it. Still no race wheels though :)

I didn't get out on the first stretch as quick as I normally would- I think I might have psyched myself out on how fatigued I thought I was. On the first turn heading onto Ropp road, I had to slow and wait for a car to pass, and Sam Lewis, who started 30 seconds after me, caught me and passed me on the turn. Now I had someone to RACE! It was fun, going back and forth with him the whole time.

Sam, Ross, and I on the final stretch. photo: Rob Shannon

HR was LOW, nowhere NEAR where I wanted to be, and legs were burning the whole time- definitely fatigued. However, a few quick checks on the garmin and I realized that this could be a PR night for me! I really stayed strong and rode as hard as I could the whole time, and I ended up edging Sam out at the finish ( but he started 30 seconds after me, so he still beat me- pays off to go out hard in such a short race!) and Ross Monks also finished RIGHT after I did- so he didn't "catch me" either, but he started MINUTES after I did- CRAZY! This guy has gone sub-30 minutes for a 12.43 mile course TWICE this year (only 3 TNTT's so far)

HA it looks like I'm beating Ross. LOL photo: Rob Shannon

I looked at my time, and realized I beat my all-time fastest TNTT by OVER A MINUTE. SWEEEET!! I also placed really well, getting beat by some ridiculously fast guys and suprising myself by beating some other REALLY fast guys. Anyways, two strong time trials and two hard runs this week have left my quads shredded!

Nutrition

I've figured out a nutrition plan that works best for me for these short and hard races:

3-4 hrs prior: High-carb meal with some complex carbs/fat/protein to keep me full. Examples include: oatmeal with bananas and walnuts or toast with banana and peanut butter. For the JFTT I also had scrambled eggs and turkey bacon since I ate 4.5 hours before the race.

1-2 hrs prior: I sip on a sports drink to keep blood glucose levels up for FAST energy during the race. I drink First Endurance (FE) lemon-lime or fruit punch EFS, OR I found my new favorite- FE Vanilla Liquid Shot mixed with water! I will definitely be using this simple concoction for racing!

30min prior: 1 scoop of FE Pre-Race mixed in a 5 oz. flask with Vanilla Liquid Shot and Water. I don't feel "jacked," but during 30 min. races I am GAME ON the whole time, and never lose focus.

Post-Race: I gotta have my FE Cappuccino Ultragen! So delicious, and the perfect blend of carbs and protein to replenish my glycogen stores and allow my muscles to recover from the smashfest.

I'm so happy with the progress I've made so far this year, and I owe a lot of THANK YOU'S-

My husband for encouraging me and being so supportive; Trakkers and REV3 for giving me some WONDERFUL opportunities to continue to race and promote great businesses in the sport; KESTREL bicycle for making such a FAST frame and for supporting Team Trakkers; JEN HARRISON my coach for understanding HOW to make me fast- she plans the RIGHT workouts at the RIGHT times!; First Endurance for making the best quality sports nutrition products to keep me on top of my game; and Bloomington Cycle and Fitness for helping me with all my bike-related questions and issues and providing with some great training opportunities!

True Life: 400 lbs. to Ironman

2011-04-04T08:33:00.002-05:00

I've been wanting to share this post for awhile:

I know my friend Mike Bernico as a "tough-as-nails" triathlete who lives a well-rounded lifestyle and is training for his first iron-distance triathlon this year. He's been in the sport for a little while now, and he is definitely ready to KILL this race in September!

However, Mike was not always a lean mean machine- In 2007 he was over 400 lbs. and realized he needed to make some changes. He made the decision to turn his life around and STUCK TO IT. Look at him now:

How did he do it?? First, you need to read his story (with pictures):

My Road to Ironman: My Story

Now here is the GOOD STUFF:

My Road to Ironman: My Weight Loss Tips

He gives it to his readers straight-up. He takes a no-excuses attitude. When Dan and I were reading what he wrote about "Personal Responsibility" our jaws dropped and all we could say was "bad-@SS."

His main advice includes:

Small Gradual Changes
Taking Personal Responsibility
Set Realistic Goals
Eat Good Stuff
Log your Food
Eat Enough Food
Exercise with a Purpose

So head on over to his blog; it might save the life of you or someone you care about.

Liquid Shot: Instant Energy w/o the gel!

2011-04-01T09:55:00.000-06:00

In my last post, I discussed the limited stores of carbohydrates our bodies' have and how quickly we use up these stores during exercise; therefore we need quality nutrition to replace them before/during/after exercise in order to maintain our intensity and spare protein metabolism.

In my EFS sport drink review, I mentioned that this product is a great for hydration, especially with it's unmatched electrolyte content. It provides 96 kcals of carboydrate per scoop- they recommend that you put 1.5 scoops into a regular 18 oz. water bottle, so you will get ~135 kcals per bottle. However, if you are burning carbs at a rate of 600-1000+ kcals per hour, it may be very difficult to stomach 4+ bottles of fluid every hour to get the calories you need!

This is where Liquid Shot comes in. I started using this product in 2009, before First Endurance was a sponsor for Team Trakkers, so THIS is why I am stoked to represent this company:

Liquid Shot comes in a 5 oz. flask that you can easily carry or store in a jersey pocket. Each "swig" you take from this flask contains ~100-150 kcals; the whole flask contains 400 kcals from carbs (3-4 swigs). That's a LOT of fast energy without all the water bulk of a sports drink! The Liquid Shot is far better than the competing "gels" on the market, because it DOES NOT contain any gelling agents- it truly is a LIQUID shot, and it goes down much easier than a goopy gel does.

It also contains 1500 mg of electrolytes (like EFS sports drink) and 1000 mg of amino acids (helps muscle recovery), so many people actually dilute this product with water and use it as an alternative to a Sports Drink! This is what professional triathlete Michael Lovato does for his races- Check out his Kona 2010 Nutrition Report. Personally, I use a combination of both EFS and Liquid Shot for my training and racing.

It comes in 2 flavors: Vanilla and Berry. I love love love the Vanilla flavor- it is lightly sweet and not fruity like everything else I consume on race day. The berry flavor is OK, not my favorite, but again, only because it DOES have a fruitier taste. It seems like most of my Trakkers teammates prefer the berry flavor.

The 5 oz. flask is washable and reusable- awesome. You can buy just one or a tray of six. First Endurance also sell Liquid Shot in a 32 oz. refillable container, which is what I buy, then refill my old flasks. On the FE website, they were giving away one flask of the Berry Liquid shot with every order; not sure if that has changed for April or not.

Remember that now is the time to practice your race-day nutrition; use your training to find out what works for you and what doesn't, and to customize YOUR plan. After all your hard work, you don't want nutrition to ruin your race!

For more help and advice on sport nutrition, you need to check out the First Endurance Community- it contains numerous nutrition reports from age group and professional athletes, research-driven information and plans for caffeine, salt, gluten etc. and a whole lot more.

Happy TRAINING (and for us Midwesterner's, it looks like 50's this weekend! woo hoo!)

Sports drink LOVE- First Endurance EFS

2011-03-27T15:47:00.000-06:00

Lots going on for me this past month! But before I tell you how much I miss my husband, how goofy my vizsla is, or enlighten you with my athletic struggles/accomplishments later this week, I want to give you a HEADS UP on some awesome tri products and deals to get you started this season!!

Let's start with nutrition- Consider this:

"Fully loaded", guys store about ~2000kcal of carbohydrates ladies store ~1500kcal
At a moderate pace, we burn ~300-800 carb kcals/hour
At an intense pace, we burn ~600-1000 carb kcals/hour
During a single long ride or run of 3 hours+, most of us would completely deplete our carbohydrate stores if we did not refuel during the workout.
OR, if we did not refuel our bodies after daily workouts, we will eventually deplete our carbohydrate stores and START out workouts NEAR EMPTY!
Once your carbohydrate stores are depleted, your body turns to protein in your muscles as an emergency fuel source- yikes.

THEREFORE, it's CRITICAL to fuel our bodies with carbohydrates before/during/after workouts, and make sure we are putting QUALITY nutrition products in our bodies.

I am fortunate enough to be on a team sponsored by First Endurance, my favorite sport nutrition company. I had been using their products prior to learning of our sponsorship- now I'm proud to be an ambassador!

The first nutrition product I recommend you invest in is a sports drink that not only can help with replenishing your carbohydrate stores, but can also maintain hydration and electrolyte balance.

First Endurance's EFS Sport Drink is definitely worth a try. It comes in a variety of flavors (grape, orange, fruit punch, tart lemon lime) - my FAVORITE is tart lemon-lime because I think it tastes like a margarita! I also use fruit punch. Most of my Trakkers teammates like the grape flavor, but I'm not a fan of grape-flavored stuff in general. It's been awhile since I tried the orange, so I don't have a comment on that.

Clinical research has shown that sports drink can be most quickly absorbed at a solution of 6-8% carbohydrate, which is exactly how EFS is formulated. It provides a mix of simple and complex carbohydrates, so you can be confident that it will be absorbed and metabolized rapidly, save a little bit for later, and minimize GI stress.

It also has the highest electrolyte content of ANY sports drink on the market- this is very good for people who find that although their muscles are well-trained, they are still cramping, especially in heat or heavy sweating. I myself am a VERY salty sweater, and after using EFS for a full season, I NEVER had to take a single "salt tablet" to prevent cramping, where in previous years I had gone through 2 $30 bottles of that stuff !

It contains 2000mg of amino acids (building blocks of protein), so that will help prevent muscle breakdown and aid in recovery. Also, this stuff is CLEAR!! Meaning, it WON'T STAIN your water bottles!! SWEET!

SO, head on over to the First Endurance website (they send you a little free "something" with every order, it changes every month- this month it is a berry liquid shot) or All3sports.com (use the code GOTRAKKERS for 15% off) and give EFS a try!

Onward!

2011-03-01T07:00:00.001-06:00

2011 Tri Season is ON!

At the end of January I was frustrated because I had trouble balancing my life and finding motivation to get my workouts in. This month, I only missed 3. Woo hoo!

Does anyone else's bathroom look like this??

It has NOT been easy- all the same stressors are still there, but I'm making progress! One strategy that has helped me is asking myself, "When I go to bed tonight, will I be happier and feel more accomplished if I:

A. Responded to Emails
B. Did Laundry
C. something else that is boring but productive
D. nailed my workouts.

D!!! D!!!

I haven't been the perfect athlete either- I completed most of my workouts, but due to bad time management/nutrition/recovery strategies, I've had to "rearrange" many workouts- but they were put in place for a purpose!! This has to stop!

For example:

On a run that was supposed to be "easy", like Zone 1 easy, my heart rate was ALL over the place... probably shouldn't have drank 2 Diet Mt. Dew's within 2 hours of starting the workout.
On Valentine's Day I ate 9 chocolate-covered strawberries before I planned to go "swim"...my stomach rebelled and I did NOT get to the pool.
I've had to rearrange workouts due to sleeping in/working too late/etc. to now make planned "easy days" now harder days.
I haven't been sleeping as much
On Saturday I went HARD at an Indoor Tri, then did a tough TRX class right afterward...I had a protein shake, then the only liquid I consumed the rest of the night was WINE I was WRECKED the next day and missed 2 key weekend workouts.

GOALS FOR MARCH: Get the workouts done, HOW they are supposed to, and WHEN they are supposed to- like I said before, Jen puts workouts in a specific order, and I shouldn't be messing with that. In order to accomplish, I need to further refine my time management skills, and start paying closer attention to my nutrition and recovery- these workouts are not easy!

I have LOTS of help!

GETTING THE WORKOUTS DONE:

I got my new AVIA running shoes - I am running in the Avi-Quest, their most cushiony and supportive shoe. I'm STILL dealing with plantar fascitis (getting Graston 2x/week), so I need all the help I can get right now! My runs are short and easy right now, and the Avi-Quest has been a great shoe for the ride! I will definitely continue to use these shoes for longer runs, and once my foot is ready, I will look into a lighter (but still somewhat supportive) shoe for some of my middle-distance and quicker runs - I have my eyes on the Avi-Quest Lite next!

I have been cranking out some KILLER workouts on my Kestrel 4000- I dropped 15 minutes off my 112 bike split on this bike last year, and I'm gearing up to drop another 15 this year! This bike is SMOOTH and FAST!

As tough as it is for me mentally to get to the pool, I always look forward to my "spa" experience with SBR Sports- their shampoo/conditioner/bodywash/lotion are designed to get the chlorine OUT, and have a light, citrus scent. Foggles works GREAT, and I'll definitely be using Tri-Slide to get my new TYR wetsuit on once open water swimming starts in May!

NUTRITION AND RECOVERY

One of my orders from last year!

Now that the intensity and volume of workouts are increasing, proper nutrition is really important to keep me fueled up and allow me to recover quickly- so I can do it all over again the next day! I'll be getting my next batch of my favorite recovery drink- First Endurance Cappuccino Ultragen. Absolutely delicious and it works- it contains a perfect 3:1 Carbs:Protein ratio, so you can refuel the energy that burned from your workout, and give your muscles the fuel that the need to rebuild.

I also ordered my next batch of Pre-Race- some POWERFUL stuff to get you REVVED up for workouts, and increases your focus - you stay in the ZONE for those tough interval or time trial workouts. Careful though - there is such thing as "too much of a good think". Start off small and increase dosage to recommendations or to your tolerance!

I still have a stockpile of my favorite sport drinks - EFS Tart Lemon Lime and EFS Fruit Punch, as well as the Vanilla Liquid Shot. The sport drinks contain more sodium/electrolytes than ANY on the market, so it's ideal for salty sweaters like me during the summer. The Liquid shot is AWESOME- I have been recommending this product to so many people, because it is not your typical "gel" - it does not contain any gelling agents, so it truly is a "liquid shot" with a nice, subtle flavor and contains all the calories and MORE electrolytes than other "gels".

Aaaah recovery! I am ~~anxiously~~ patiently waiting for my Recovery Pump! I will definitely post more about this once I have it in my little hands!

BUY A CUP OF COFFEE FOR A SOLDIER!

2011-02-15T08:00:00.001-06:00

First of all, I want to THANK ALL OF YOU who have been showering Dan and I with support, prayers, and well-wishes: We are touched and truly appreciate all of you.

GOOD NEWS: Here is something that YOU CAN DO!! :)

Dan was really excited about a GREAT program offered by Green Beans Coffee - A "Cup of Joe for a Joe" !

Go the website (linked above) and you have TWO GREAT OPTIONS:

"Cup of Joe for a Joe" - For every $2 that you donate, a different soldier around the world will receive a "gift certificate" via email that they can use at their Green Beans Coffee Shop! Dan signed up last week, and he has already received one from a wonderful person - he received a personalized message and was able to write her a Thank You note, and geez, I WANTED to write her one too!! :) Click on the link get more information and to listen to an interview about this program!
"Coffee Cards" - For a $20 minimum donation, you can send a coffee card to a specific soldier. You specify their email and nearest Green Beans coffee location and they will receive an email notification to go pick up their coffee card!! EMAIL ME and I will tell you how to specify it for Dan and he will distribute gift cards to the men and women in his unit (and keep some for himself)! :)

It's like a real coffee shop, with a full coffee, espresso, tea, and smoothie menu, along with treats, snacks, and coffee mugs/accessories, so they WON'T get sick of receiving these gifts!

You can also support this company by buying their coffee (and accessories/apparel) - I definitely will be ordering some beans- Dan and I can share the same cup of coffee ;)

This is such an awesome way to say THANK YOU and show your appreciation for soldiers around the world-

Thanks for reading ;)

How many goodbye's...

2011-02-12T08:00:00.003-06:00

How many times did I have to say goodbye to my husband before his deployment? Four times.

1) The first goodbye was Tuesday January 4th. That morning he left our house (and our baby- the dog!) for the last time. Since then, every night I've been home, I've slept in our bed alone- I'll have to do this until he comes back. This was also the day of his unit's official "deployment ceremony". Several of Dan's family members and friends, including my mom, were there for the ceremony, and it was their goodbye to him for the year.

2) The second goodbye was Wednesday January 5th. We stayed the night at the hotel the ceremony was held out, and very early in the morning his unit loaded up onto buses and shipped out to Ft. Lewis for mobilization training. Dan's immediate family- his mom, dad, two sisters, and two brothers in law, stayed the night too, and this was their last goodbye to him. As the soldiers filed onto the buses, it broke my heart and reality crept in to see not only my inlaw's, but other families so sad to say goodbye to their brave men and women. Although I knew that I was going to see him in 2 1/2 weeks, I feel like this goodbye hit me the hardest. It was when reality sank in- we knew that he would be deploying over a year ago, but IT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING now. I had a hard time being productive at work for the rest of week, and you know how my workouts went for the rest of the month from my previous post.

3) the third one was our final face-to-face goodbye... I was fortunate enough to be able to spend his 5-day pass with him, so I flew out to Washington ! He had the BEST idea- to get a cozy cabin near Mt. Rainier and enjoy the beautiful mountain and scenery- I was DEFINITELY down with that!

The first night there I stayed with him on post, and before we left the next day he spoiled me and bought a Canon EOS Rebel T1i DSLR camera! I didn't (and still don't) have a clue how to use it, but I did get to play with it and took some pretty cool pictures by accident! (PS I did sign up for some photography classes so I WILL know how to use it soon!)

One of our favorite couples, Mike and Alison, ALSO got a cabin near Mt. Rainier for the weekend, so we got to hang out and have some fun with them too! Alison and I have become closer- we were on the same flights to and and from Seattle and shared a rental car- its SO AWESOME to be able to confide and talk to someone who is going through the same thing that I am!

no cell phone reception- they drove to our cabin and left a message!

We hung out at their cabin that night- card games, dinner, hot tub, and DUGAN the owner's cute dog!

The next day we drove to Seattle to watch the Bears/Packers with other soldiers in their platoon, and visited a few bars along the way LOL...

The rest of the weekend was spent in our cabin and on the mountain!

We woke up in the morning to have coffee in our private hot tub, and we had some visitors...

then we picked up Mike and Alison to rent sleds and drive up the mountain...

LOTS of photo ops along the way up and down!

At "Paradise" ( the highest point on the mountain that we could drive up to) AKA NARNIA!!!

Mike and Alison- so cute!

TOO MUCH FUN!!! Was this place real??

Dan!

They are so fun!

Bumper sleds!

After such an awesome day, it was really sad to realize that this was our last night together...

The final morning we enjoyed our surroundings then had to head off to SeaTac...

x
I had so much fun with Dan, and this definitely helped me remember that it all WILL be OK- we love each other SO much, and we have SO much fun together, we just have to look forward to his R&R later this year and when he finally comes HOME! Absence sure does make the heart grow fonder (as I currently am waiting patiently for his skype call...).

I held myself together the entire drive over, when he carried my bag (and his bag) to the check-in counter for me, when we kissed goobye... but literally, the SECOND he turned around I freaking lost it and started bawling. Alison and I had a BIG glass of wine and 2 double-shot mixed drinks at the airport before our flight... needless to say I was PASSED OUT the entire 4-hour flight home!

4) And yes, the last goodbye. I started this blog a few days/week ago when he was actually LEAVING the country...I took this one pretty hard too. Now it wasn't just a matter of me not seeing him, but it was a matter of his SAFETY. That was a crapload of flying in not-so-safe zones and I was NOT happy. Luckily, his travel coincided with 2 snow days from work, so I was able to be in the comfort of my own home for all of this...Dan was so awesome and called me at every checkpoint so I knew he was OK.

Right now he is learning his routine and how it all works over there, so communication hasn't been ideal... I'm lucky for 5-10 minutes a day via internet. There is also a HUGE time difference, so we are working on that as well.

I'm getting into my routine too- now that he is at his final destination, I feel a little more "calm" - there isn't any more anticipation or "next step" - No more goodbyes, now it's time to settle down and let the long countdown begin.

Buck up Buttercup

2011-01-31T08:00:00.001-06:00

I hope that all of you reading are sore and gushing with pride from all the hard work that you have put into your fitness goals so far this year- the turn of 2011 was just what you needed to get your bum into gear and get to WORK- whether it's losing weight, getting healthy, or striving for an athletic goal.

This month has been a failure for me- the "opposite" effect of a New Years resolution. My body has been in "slug-mode" for so long, and perhaps the daunting task ahead scared me off; I have a very important athletic goal this year: A time goal, a personal best, at my "A" race in November this year. I want this goal SO BAD, I've dreamed of it for so long. I have also decided that once I achieve this goal, it will be time to turn my attention to a different plan I have for life... so I've really put the pressure on this year.

I put all the ducks in a row- I have access to all the fitness equipment I need (AWESOME new Kestrel bike, computrainer at home, treadmill at work, several swimming pools in town), I have a TEAM to motivate me and GREAT sponsors (see left side of blog!) to help me along the way, and I'm even working with an AMAZING coach who can GET me to where I want to go.

All I have to do is put one foot in front of the other, and GET the training done. simple as that. But I'm racking my brain and soul as to WHY I can't get it done.

I've searched my soul: Is this really what I want? If it seems like such a chore, why am I doing it?...good question. You know what, it IS what I want. If I do NOT accomplish this goal, I will regret not doing the work for it for the rest of my life. I also am reminded of some great workouts, races, travel, and PEOPLE (aka my husband and friends) that triathlon has brought into my life, and I know that I'm just going through a phase right now.

As weird as this sounds, I feel like sometimes I skip workouts because they are selfish, and that I need to be spending that time doing other things that are "more productive", like work. I need to get out of this mindset, and take my workouts just as seriously as my day-job: I will be more energized, happy, and productive! Also, my workouts and my goal isn't just for me, it's for the people that love and support me, and who the next "life plan" might affect :)

I have read some great blogs recently on women who, like me, are struggling to balance it all- but they are TOUGH, FAST women who GET IT DONE. Check out these AWESOME posts by super mom/athlete/coach Jen Harrison (my coach!), another TOUGH athlete/coach/new mom Elizabeth Waterstraat, and my Trakkers teammate Megan Killian. I know that everyone has a tough schedule, whether it be work, activities, kids, etc.- I am having a hard time adjusting to mine (I'm still a newbie at this "real-world" thing)

I am very lucky to have a great job and work with some awesome people - I teach classes (3 anatomy labs, 1 family health and wellness, 1 contemporary health issues) part-time at a university in exercise-health related fields (how cool is that?). I also work part time in the exercise physiology lab-DREAM JOB! Every semester I've worked there the lab has gotten busier with clients coming in for fitness testing (bodpod, resting and exercise metabolism, sensewear armband analysis, VO2max) AND with students doing their internships under my supervision AND students/faculty doing some really cool research! I LOVE working in the lab, and I hope that it can eventually become "full-time". It's a busy but fun schedule!

Needless to say, it's hard to fit in workouts, especially when I'm on-the-go all day either teaching or with clients so by the time I get caught up with emails, phone calls, reports, lesson-planning, grading, it's 7-8PM. And it's REAALLY hard for me to work out after 8PM. Even harder to get up at 5AM.

On top of that, my husband just deployed (1-year tour) and there are a few other major issues going on with loved ones, and I am very emotionally drained. Add on the stresses of daily living - my house, my dog, bills, etc. ....and you have one tired, stressed-out girl.

Buck up buttercup. THIS is the real rodeo- get some skills and HANG ON! I will LEARN how to play this game, or die trying ;)

January, I learned what I was dealing with. I tested the ride out, and I got thrown off, again and again. Many times I didn't even get on (excuses). But February, I know what's coming. I KNOW the tired, drained, unmotivated, so-easy-to-bring-in-an-excuse feeling, and I will FIGHT it. I don't expect to "win" this month, but hopefully I'll learn a few tips and tricks to stay in the saddle.

EVERYONE has good, legitimate excuses to not put in the work (miss workouts) to reach their goal. Even me. But please, don't tell me that it's "OK"... it will NOT be okay if I miss my goal by :02 because I didn't put the WORK in. In my race, no one will care about or "give me a break" due my work schedule, my personal life, my house...so I need to GET IT DONE.

My next move:
-Time Management: Only work until 5:45PM. This works out well, since "doggie day-care" closes at 6PM. I may have to be more strict with client scheduling to do this, I may have to work more weekend hours, but it will be worth it! After that, straight to workout by 7PM- NO BREAK, otherwise I'm done. Any additional work that HAS to be done can be completed later at night.
-Get. my. butt. out. of. bed. Life is better after a cup of coffee anyway. Don't think, just do. caffeine and workout.
-Prioritizing at work: What HAS to be done vs. What could be be done tomorrow. I try to do everything at once, all in a day. I will delegate responsibilities when I can (I am lucky enough to work with an amazing graduate assistant!!)
- Get as much lesson-planning done on the weekends as I can, as least the next week's worth.
- I will "dedicate" each workout to a special person in my life...then my workouts REALLY won't seem selfish~ I can't let my people down :) Let me know what kind of workout you want me to dedicate to YOU this month!

What tips do you have for fitting workouts in, and getting the motivation to do so, on a busy schedule?

I'm in for a wild ride :)

1-Year Anniversary Trip: Washington DC

2011-01-29T05:00:00.002-06:00

Thursday 12/30

Last stop! Another long bus ride later (thank YOU Virgin Mobile Hotspot), and we landed at our final destination, Washington DC. We stayed at a Marriott, and it was across the street from the "Spy Museum" - COOL! Upon arrival, the staff greeted us and offered a free upgraded room (Jacuzzi suite) because it was our ANNIVERSARY! A+ customer service! As we got settled in, there was a knock at the door- they delivered a bottle of red WINE of course!! :)

Dan has a thing for attempting to eat at as many different Hard Rock Cafe's as possible, so that was our choice for dinner on Thursday. We met another young couple - the guy was attending law school at Georgetown, and they were engaged to be married within a year! It was fun talking to them about wedding planning, etc. :)

Friday 12/31 ***ANNIVERSARY DAY! ***

FIRST STOP: CAPITOL HILL

Definitely worth the trip- we did the traditional tour. A tad bit disappointed- Dan had called Senator Dick Durbin's office and them reserve us a spot- which is what he was told to do when he called and asked about the tours. This was not necessary at all. However, if someone from the Senator's office actually GAVE us the tour, we would have been able to go up in the dome, walk outside and get an amazing view of our nation's capitol. FYI...

We also made a quick stop at the Library of Congress, weren't too impressed, so we moved on.

Second stop: The Pentagon

Way cool. They didn't want you to take pictures from the outside. Super topsecret. We didn't go inside- it was "off-season" so nobody was able to give us tours (Dan had already seen it once or twice when he went to DC for Army NG stuff). Luckily, we were able to visit another 9/11 Memorial site at the Pentagon.

Breathtaking. Every little detail of the site contained so much meaning, memory, and symbolism.

Lunch: California Pizza Kitchen. Best. Salad. Ever.

Next Stop: Arlington Cemetary

Stunning. Endless rows of white graves. The whole place is massive- they had directions, arrows, trolley rides, just HUGE. It also winds up a huge hill- too bad there is a sign for "no jogging", it would be a GREAT place for hill repeats :)

We made it to the "top" to see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. In case you don't know what that it is, check it out. In summary, one unidentified or "unknown" soldier was buried from World I, World II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War mean to represent ALL of the unknown soldiers. There is one large tombstone or "sarcophagus" directly above the World War I soldier, while the other 3 are buried in crypts right next to it. Crazy Fact: In 1998, the body of the Vietnam Soldier was exhumed and IDENTIFIED. They did not replace the body, so now the symbolic tomb lies empty with a face-up penny in it!

What's REALLY cool, is that there is a special group of army soldiers soldiers called "sentinels", who guard the unknown soldiers 24/7. YES, 24 HOURS A DAY. There has been someone guarding the unknown solders every single second since July 1, 1937. Different shifts has haven been implemented since the 1920's, but since 1937, the sentinel's work a "fireman's shift" and rotate the guard every 30minutes -2 hours, depending on the season and time of day.

During cemetary hours, they are in dress uniform, very formal, and have a very strict system. They have been trained in every detail, from the shine on their shoes the length of their pants, the expression on their faces, the 21 steps that they take on the mat, the 21-second pauses, their wet gloves...every SINGLE detail is important, and they have undergone very rigorous training to "make the cut". At the end of their shift, there is a "changing of the guard", a formal ceremony worth seeing.

After we saw this, we got a special opportunity to actually MEET the sentinels and see their living quarters (while they are on shift)!! It definitely helped that Dan is in the military and deploying soon...this was definitely a highlight of our trip. We learned a LOT about their training, the strict rules and dress code that they adhere to, etc... these guys are HARDCORE! No more pics or info about this out of respect :)

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped and saw:

I can't wait wait to come back to DC and spend at LEAST 2-3 full days there- there is so much MORE to do and see! Finally it was time to get ready for my BIG surprise: Dan booked us a special trip on a dinner/dance cruise down the Potomac for our anniversary/NYE!!! I love LoVe LOVE my husband!

We had a PERFECT evening- so romantic and FUN! The all-inclusive food and drink package was GREAT, the DJ's were awesome, The boat was beautiful, the staff was a lot of fun, we had a blast chatting, drinking, and dancing with our couples, but best of all we had so much fun all dressed up and spending time with each other! My husband always looks GOOD, but I was reminded of just how SEXY he is! :)

It was a perfect way to ring in 2011 and celebrate our first anniversary. I'm looking at our wedding album next to our picture from the dinner cruise, and I can't WAIT for our next anniversary together, and I'm REALLY excited to look at photos from our first 5, 10, 30, 50 year anniversaries!

I hope and hope and pray that we will be able to be with each other on our second anniversary... but I guess maybe not being together would be memorable in itself...

1-Year Anniversary Trip: Atlantic City

2011-01-20T05:00:00.001-06:00

Wednesday 12/29

The morning after we galavanted around NYC, we got up early again to train-ride it to Atlantic City. We got there in the afternoon and for lunch decided to go to the Caesar's Casino buffet, since the restaurant at hotel (Trump Plaza) was closed!

After lunch, we moseyed over to the casino and we saw some fuss going on- we found out that Caesar's was calling 3 names on the hour of people who used their Player's Card at the Casino, and they got the chance to spin a big wheel for a chance to earn big cash prizes! GET THIS: We watch this guy go up, and he was being so bland and "I don't care about this blah blah blah", and guess what? He spins "VAULT", so now he gets to go in the money vault!

In the clear, enclosed little room, it is decorated like a "bank vault" and there are shelves with several stacks of gold bars. The objective of this game was to grab and carry out as MANY bars as you can in 10 seconds- each gold bar has a sticker with a dollar value on the bottom, and you WIN all the money on the gold bars that you are able to hold and carry out-if you drop it, it DOESN'T COUNT.

So she asks him "WOW!!! What are you going to do with all the money you are going to win?!?!" In the most apathetic, bored voice he replies "uuuuuh....don't know."

So the timer goes OFF, and everybody is cheering and counting down, "10-9-8..." and this guy just strolls in, picks a few bars up, drops even more, then apathetically walks out of the vault . He made us SO mad because he was sooo apathetic and bored with this "game" that could potentially win him 10,000+ !!

So she starts looking at the stickers at the bottom of bars- "$25! $25! $25! $50! $25!"...these stickers were red and green. Then, she saw turned the last one over, and it was an opaque, shimmery color...she consulted the girl announcing. They consulted the security guard guy. Then they announce, "HE JUST WON $10,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Oh.My.Gosh. This guy? Really?

He acted all "whatever' at first. Then, once he realized this was for real based on everybody's faces and people asking for his identification, etc. he got this stupid grin on his face and was all-of-the-sudden a really happy and cheery guy.

UUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Needless to say, Dan and I planned on going there for lunch, and we ended up staying there, and PLAYING there, until 8PM, hoping they would call our names so we could get a chance to spin the wheel!! Excellent marketing strategy....until some random dude wins $10,000 in front of our faces. But we lost a little money (the Sex and City slot Machine game is soooooo FUN though!!! I LIVE for Bonus games! All That Glitters is another fun slot machine with bonus games woo hoo!!) - spent way too much money on drinks (REALLY strong martinis for me) - had a great dinner at the Rainforest Cafe - checked out the Boardwalk - and slept sooo good after another fun-filled day together! :)

I didn't take any pictures today- wonder why?

We didn't stay for long though, the next afternoon we had ANOTHER train to catch - to Washington DC!

1-Year Anniversary Trip: NYC

2011-01-15T11:55:00.002-06:00

The last month has been busy busy....Christmas Break was only 3 weeks long (TWO for faculty/staff) which was a bummer - I would really like an extra week to catch my breath!

Right after Christmas, Dan and I went on a trip for our first anniversary together :) We decided to head Northeast (in December? I still question that decision). Our first planned destination was NYC...but in case you don't remember, it got SLAMMED with snow.

SUNDAY 12/26

While driving up to Chicago, we learn that our flight with American Airlines for Monday afternoon flight to NYC ended up getting cancelled. Once we got to my parents' house, Dan, my Mom, and I spent 1.5 hrs + online searching for other options to get to NYC. After being on hold for an hour (can't blame them), a very cheery AA employee helped us reschedule a flight...to Harrisburg Pennsylvania. Dan found train tickets that would take us NYC, so we were set. we would be 20 hours behind schedule, but oh well.

That night my Mom was awesome enough to give us an anniversary present of a night in the hotel where we had our wedding reception! It was the first time I had been in there since we got married, so it was awesome to bring back memories. Mom, Dan and I, my brother Don, and maid of honor Adrienne and I had a great time drinking and laughing at the hotel bar and in the room. My mom left a bottle of champagne for us to share once everybody left! Thanks!

Monday 12/27

We got to enjoy the cozy hotel room and breakfast for the morning, since our flight to PA wasn't until 8PM or so that evening. We didn't check out of the hotel until 2PM, then we spent time with my family, then headed on our trip!

Here we come!

The flight was uneventful- I bought Dan an IPad for Christmas and we also have a Wifi hotspot so that helped with airport waiting! We finally got to our hotel really late- midnight? and we had to get up and catch a really early train (7AM). One awful thing about the whole trip is that I was the sickest that I have been in years...not a "stay in bed all day" sick, but a "my throat hurts so bad but I can't stop coughing!" sick. I managed to keep it under control for the most part, but I didn't sleep well- however, with lots to see and do it wasn't missed much!.

Tuesday 12/28

Early train ride to NYC ~ 2.5-3 hrs

I usually do NOT play video games...but I got addicted to Sims3 for iphone. Excellent for long boring travel and waiting :)

It was INTERESTING to see NYC this time of year...SLOSHY SLOSHY!

When we left the train station to get a cab, it was freezing outside (duh), and there was probably a 1-hr wait to get a cab. Dan suggested that we walk the ~1 mi. I wasn't thrilled, but it was definitely the best option. By the time we got back to our hotel, our pants and shoes were soaked!! I should really find some cute rubber boots!

We stayed at the Crown Plaza, which was so beautiful and modern! It also has a health club in it with a lap pool- it's short but it would be great if you had swims on the schedule! I was still in off-season, so I did not take advantage of it :)

We relaxed for a little bit then went out to explore. First stop, Times Square:

We had a perfect lunch at this cafe with a create your own salad with endless toppings (helloooo sundried tomatoes, roasted red peppers and artichokes!) Then got a move-on to my site of choice: Central Park!

So cool that such a beautiful park is in the middle of a city

Snow snow snow! The paths weren't paved- they were just packed-down snow. People everywhere were sledding and building snowmen

Even though it was cold, it was a beautiful sunny afternoon, and there was so much fun and happiness around us!

We went to the Central Park Zoo- totally worth the trip! Snow Monkeys, Polar Bears, a nice break from the cold in the Amazon Jungle, and of course, Sea Lions! They were practically going over the ledge to try and see us!

Snow in the subway

After Central Park we had a frustrating time trying to get a cab- GEEZ!! Even within a sea of yellow, We could not get a cab for the life of us. So we booked it to the subway so we could go see the 9-11 memorial

Now walking around NYC at night, we were able to see the awesome skylines at night. We saw the Construction site for the new WTC, and visited the Tribute WTC. It had several stunning exhibits, included a large photographic timeline of events that occurred that day. I feel like a trip to NYC isn't complete without visiting that. There were also memorials honoring police and fireman on the streets surrounding the WTC- very powerful.

The New WTC looks stunning- there will be 5 new skyscrapers, an 8-acre park surrounding the two foundations of the original towers, and there will be 30-ft waterfalls cascading into the foundations, with the names of the 3000 victims surrounding them. It scheduled to be completed and open on September 11 THIS YEAR- wow.

This aspect of the trip was great for us, because as many of you know, Dan is deploying to Iraq with his Army National Guard unit. He has always wanted to go and have his opportunity to serve, but seeing this really opened MY eyes to the awesome and selfless acts my husband, and the rest of the US military will do for us!

Another subway ride back (which btw, EACH PERSON has to have their own pass, you can't share a pass, even if there is enough money on it...grrr) and we enjoyed a few drinks and appetizers at the classy bar in our hotel- very romantic :)

There was a Hawkeye game on TV, so we went to a recommended bar/lounge- it was so fun, but I was sooo sleepy from a not a lot of sleep, being sick, and very fun/eventful day! When we got back to the hotel, we packed up and cozied up in the big comfortable bed- the next morning we had another early train to catch to Atlantic City!

Pick your battles

2010-12-15T05:00:00.001-06:00

You can say I have an ~~obsessive~~ driven trait that is a big part of my personality- meaning when I decide to commit or put my mind to something, all chips are in and I become tunnel-visioned in order to accomplish a goal, perfect a project, whatever my objective is. I consider this to be a positive attribute - With hard work and focus, I have qualified for the Boston Marathon, trained for and completed 8x Iron-distance tri's, successfully completed my Master's degree and defended my thesis, and beat my brother in bowling this evening (142 over 141 suckas)!

However, this same personality quirk has caused me a lot of unnecessary stress and wasted tears.

This is a POINTLESS story but some might find it somewhat amusing, so if you are looking for something exciting or athletic related, stop reading now :)

This year as our first Holiday Season as a married couple, Dan and I were so excited to mail out our first Christmas/Holiday cards and show off our little family (i.e. Dan, me, and the dog). We had lots of beautiful pictures to choose from, thanks to Bea Corbin who did a fabulous job with Wheatley family photo's! I also discovered Picnik, and was able to add a cute festive border and a fun message to my card.

Choosing the PERFECT photo = 30 minutes.

Playing around on Picnik (just on the card) = 60 minutes

Wow, that seemed simple. Now, how to print these photos? We don't have a printer, so I researched different places to print these photos, what sizes, what type of paper, etc. One of the common sizes was 4x8, which I thought was silly because it was so long, we just wanted something small and simple. We went with the cheapest option - Walgreens, 100 4x6 photos for $15. Done. I make it sound simple, but I reeaaally wanted to make sure we got the most bang for our buck

Researching and Printing the "cards" = 60 minutes plus 30 minutes roundtrip to pick them up.

We have plenty of envelopes at home, so that shouldn't be an issue. YEAH RIGHT.

I feel that 4x6in pictures are pretty standard. But did you know that the two common envelope sizes are 3 5/8 x 6 1/2 and 4 1/8 x 9 1/2?? Seriously?? The smaller one wouldn't fit the picture, and the larger one was obnoxiously long (NOW I KNOW WHY I should have picked a 4x8!!)

No big deal, I'll run over to Office Depot, find some envelopes that will nicely fit, and print off some Holiday return address labels while I'm there.

First I go to their print center to do the labels. they had a fun computer program where I spent some time picking a cute design with polar bears, a cute font, and well I just loved it. Then I found out I was supposed to ORDER them, they couldn't print them in the store!! Uggh. I wanted them NOW. Oh yeah guess what? The envelopes? The only ones that weren't obnoxious were heavy duty and ridiculously expensive.

Office Depot with driving = 60 minutes

Dan had called Kinko's, and they told him that they could print address labels there. So I drove over, and they had a cute station as well. I spent more time looking through their templates, and picked a cute one with penguins. FAIL. I was supposed to order those too. They LIED. No luck with envelopes. So I went home, defeated.

Kinkos, drive home = 45 minutes

My awesome husband had already found 4x6 envelopes (green...) and ordered them, so cards were put off until Monday. I should have ordered labels and ended it there. But oh no. Last weekend I wasted about 2 hours making ADDRESS LABELS.

I wanted these certain penguin and dog images I found on the internet, but I did not want the white background (so they would fit into the background, overlap, etc.), and I couldn't figure out how to "cut" the image from the background using picnik, various internet photo-editing sites, or my mac iphoto. Turns out I needed adobe photoshop for the "lasso" and "magic wand" tool. Downloaded the free trial, then played around to create the perfect address label - what to write, the text, moving images, putting into an Avery template in Word...finally, DONE!

Time wasted = 2 hrs.

Last step was to take my flash drive with the word doc on it to Office Depot, where they can pull the file up, and print them onto labels using their laser printer. So I go there yesterday, and they are BUSY with shipping packages. I pick out the labels that fit the template I used, and they had CLEAR labels - how cool! When someone was finally able to help me, they tell me that their laser printer is not made for EXACT borders like the labels...I said f*$^ it just do it anyway- driven personality was defeated.

Done done done. As I'm leaving, I say DAMN... I forgot the envelopes are GREEN!! That totally ruins my winter/blue/white theme I spent so hard creating on the return address labels. I LOSE.

So anyways, here's what I created:

and after all that time and effort, here is how it looks on a green envelope (*sigh*):

Well, I guess I can breathe a sigh of relief that besides addressing, stamping, and mailing that this is OVER! A lesson taught to me to PICK MY BATTLES!!

Oh, and by the way, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! :)

Ironman Cozumel Race Recap

2010-12-05T10:02:00.002-06:00

Usually I wake up on race morning with foul thoughts. I am so nervous, so unhappy, particularly since I'm usually dreading the swim and the COLDness that goes along with it. In Cozumel though, the cold factor was OUT and I wasn't very nervous! :)

We woke up at 4, had breakfast in the lobby at the Palace (an amazing, customized spread - they had asked us what we wanted earlier in the week. They had food ready at 3:30AM!), and took a taxi to the race start to get there by 5:50AM.

We dropped off our special needs bags (I don't use a bike special needs, just the run)

We were conveniently racked next to each other, so we filled up bottles and tires, went to the bathroom, and were ready to go!

Swim start was AWESOME!! There is a dolphin sanctuary (as you saw before), and there were about 10 trainers with 2 dolphins each, and the dolphins were doing all kinds of tricks for the spectators and the athletes walking along the docks to the swim start! I was not nervous at all because I was so entertained!!

Can you see us?

wow!!

SWIM: 1:28 (eek)

Water was crystal clear! A little rough at the start as usual, but not too bad. My nose didn't burn - I put vaseline in my nose- (thanks for the tip AJ). Don't know if that helped it or not, but it was worth it! No issues not swimming with a wetsuit. The saltwater made me feel so buoyant it seriously wasn't a problem at all.

We headed north for about 1000-1200m (guessing based on my time), then at the first set of turn buoys on the rectangle course were ROUGH! it was major cluster*$%&. Then we started on the looong stretch south. This was a disaster for me. MAJOR PROBLEM: The men in race had bright orange swim caps, the SAME color as the buoys. The buoys were already pretty scarce, but I didn't know that, because I kept "sighting" and ending up in the middle of the ocean by myself. DANGIT. And my goggles kept filling up with saltwater. Sometimes I swam through some "little pricklies". I felt like I was swimming better than I had at any Iron race and not getting anywhere.

PS I LOVE my new Garmin - I had set to vibrate every 10 minutes in the swim so I knew how long I had been in the water. Thank you wonderful husband!

FINALLY the last set of turn buoys came about. As I was rounded them, someone grabbed my ankles - it was Dan! He is usually 10 minutes ahead of me in the swim, so he must have had a rough swim (ends up he was chafing, pulled his top off, and was swimming with a parachute lol). We did the final stretch north back the pier and it felt like it took forever. Near the pier there was an underwater statue and it freaked me out!!

He came out of the water about 30 seconds behind me, and I wouldn't see him again until the run. Transition went well, slower than I thought (7+ minutes and I didn't even change! jeez!) then headed out for the bike I've been waiting for all year!

BIKE: 5:45 (yay! 2nd fastest in age group)

First of all, the Palace Cozumel was an AWESOME spot to spectate - at the "hot corner" on the bike course, and Dan's parents told us that they set up chairs, umbrellas, and brought drinks out to hotel guests that were spectating!! The Palace is the one with the umbrellas on the left.

Heading out on the bike I had several objectives: 1) Keep a steady, moderate-hard effort. I know what that FEELS like, since I've done a lot of training on my own, no #'s at all, AND I have quantified it on a few occasions; HR 160-170. Don't hold back TOO much since my run was going to SUCK anyway b/c of my lack of training due to plantar this year. At least I could be proud of SOMETHING. 2) If conditions allowed, I was really hoping to see a 20mph average (5:36). But my B goal was to go 5:45 :). I did some AWESOME bike training this summer, but I sputtered out after REV3 Cedar Point - all my training partners were done for the season, and I was unmotivated with my bum foot. Silly me. I wasn't really sure what I was capable of at this point.

My HR monitor was not working for the first 5 miles. Frustrating, but I was fine. I was in my small gear and averaging 20 mph. Sweet. 10 miles in I switched to my big gear and never looked back. HR also started working- excellent. Tummy felt sloshy, so I sipped on the NUUN water in my aerodrink for 1 hr.

Nutrition: On my bike, I had an aerodrink that I would refill with water at every aid station, my gels and First Endurance (FE) Liquid Shot (with a little bit of FE Pre-Race in it for caffeine), and 2 bottle of of concentrated FE EFS, also with a little Pre-Race in it. I sipped on the EFS and water and finish 1/2 bottle of each every 45 minutes, along with gel or swing of Liquid shot. It worked great on the bike!! I had practiced this routine several times this year WITH THE EXCEPTION of the "concentrated" EFS - on regular rides I would use a standard concentration and just get a new bottle in the middle of the ride. I figured it would be the same if I diluted it with water from my aerodrink.

I LOVE the EFS because it has A LOT more electrolytes than other sport drinks, and "tart lemon-lime" flavor tastes like a margarita. I am a SALTY sweater, and I have NOT taken a salt tab or had a related cramp all year!! :) And the Vanilla Liquid Shot goes down so smooth and is soo delicious :)

Back to bike. The course was straightforward. From Chankanaab, we headed south for about 5 miles (VERY mild crosswind, sheltered) until we turned and headed East (HEADWIND) for ~10 miles, then turned and headed north for ~10 miles along a BEAUTIFUL coast (moderate crosswind, nothing awful)- ocean crashing on a gorgeous beack, sometimes the water would splash you a little bit, then a ~10 tailwind back east to town.

I took it easy the first lap, maybe a little too easy, and only averaged 18.xx mph. Second lap I was ready to go. My "game" was to count girls in my age group. From what I could see (without compression socks) it was 10. I averaged 20.xx mph 3rd lap the wind picked up significantly and it was getting to be a long ride, but I was still determined. I needed something to keep me motivated/occupied.

end of 1st loop

end of 2nd loop

My head was a little heatbox with my aerohelmet and no vents and my sunglasses were bothering me. I hate sunglasses in the first place (I only wear them to prevent eye cancer or whatever), I'd rather deal with the glare, so once I passed Chankanaab park I allowed myself to take off the sunglasses. Then, I played a game called "Pass 20 people". With how BAD I suck at the swim, I really don't get passed a lot on the bike (except for being lapped by pros and TOP age group men). Once I accomplished this, I could reward myself by getting out of aero and stretching on my bullhorns, or taking an extra sip of nutrition, or whatever. One stipulation, despite how many people I was passing, I could NOT let myself go slower than 17.5 on the headwind section. I successfully completed the "P2P" game 3 times :). 3rd loop I averaged 19.xx, and was happy to end up with a 5:45! 5:36 was a LITTLE ambitious given my fitness this year :)

RUN: 6:26 (oh my.)

T2 was slow. again (5:xx), and I was out. I hadn't figured out the "Auto Multisport" on my Garmin yet, so I stopped, reseted, changed mode, then started the watch after each sport lol. I did all this while walking out of transition. I opted for the compression sleeves that Dan bought my last Christmas since m calves have been super tight from my short runs, and arm-coolers since I wilter in the heat. Not like it would matter today.

The run course was also 3 loops- roughly 4.5 miles out and back heading north. The run course, like the bike course, was completely flat. It even had some shade from from the trees lining the street. Great course!

I felt pretty good for the first 1.5 miles - jogging at a 9:30-10 min/mi pace, foot/hamstring not hurting- excellent. Then I tripped over a speedbump and gashed my hand. It is still oozing a week later. That shook me up and I cried for the 1st time that day. Interesting note: At the run aid stations, if you wanted water, you didn't get cups- you got these jiggly little plastic "packs" of water that you had to bite open with your teeth. Kinda cool. I was disappointed though because I though they were freeze pops at first.

Then at mile 2, is when disaster struck. I thought it was just gas, but I was wrong. For the next 9 miles, I made forward progress from potty to potty. I was miserable. I don't know what I did wrong. Maybe I used a little too much pre-race. Maybe the concentrated EFS/water combo didn't work like I thought it would. Maybe it was water from the aid stations. Maybe it was saltwater from the ocean. I have NEVER had these issues before, so I was dumbfounded.

On the 2nd loop (mile 9) is when my untrained legs started to hurt. **You CANNOT have a happy Ironman marathon with a "long run" of 4 miles**. My jogging pace slowed from 10:30 min/mi to 12 min/mi to 13:30 min/mi...Is that even POSSIBLE?? Potty issues were at bay, so I made a deal to walk for 2 minutes after jogging 2 miles. MY legs and butt felt "bruised" -they were tender to touch, and when I would start jogging, the bouncing would be painful. It is a DUMB idea to try to run that far with THAT MUCH undertraining and fitness. Well, mile 13 potty issues hit again -bad. This is the 2nd time I cried.

When I left the porta-potty at that point Dan was there! He had a rougher time than I did on the bike, and stopped to help another lady change her flat, so he was 1 run loop behind me. This was seriously the best thing that could have happened. After an initial LONG walk break catching up on the day, we set my Garmin to beep every 2 minutes so we could alternate walking/jogging.

THOUGHTS on compression sleeves and arm coolers. My initial thoughts on these items are that they are "gimmicks" and look stupid. Yeah sure, compress my calves and improve blood flow. Really? I don't know, but at Triple T this year I didn't have calf issues, and I didn't have calf problems here either, even though my calves felt tight all week! Arm coolers- how can wearing MORE clothing improve your heat tolerance? I was told to keep them wet by pouring water at them at each aid station- it worked. I guess I'm sold- probably only for racing though.

At the turnaround in town

It was SO wonderful to do the last 1/2 of the marathon with Dan- it made the death march as enjoyable as it could be! My foot starting bothering me a little the last 5 miles, then one more potty stop (with crying) on the 3rd loop, and I was so so happy to come back into town - EVERYONE was out. The crowds were INCREDIBLE!! They were yelling all sorts of Mexican encouragement- "SI SU PUEDE!!". Adults had their cervezas, children were playing and had noisemakers, I LOVED it.

FINISH: 13:52

Well, I finished, but I was sad that Dan had to go do his last loop by himself - he ended up picking it up A LOT without me :) I was very proud of myself to finish my 8th Ironman, but very disappointed with my "grand finale" of a marathon. Part of the pride of finishing an Ironman is pushing through the pain and seeing what you are capable of- I've been very happy with some IM marathon times of 4:08, 4:12, and several others in the 4:20-4:50 range where I had to dig deep to keep a steady pace. These are time times I truly take PRIDE in. I did NOT get to suffer like that this race. There was no "pain cave" on the run. I gave up, let myself off the hook. Which sucks, but I'm okay with it. If I had kept jogging, what's the best I could have done with 13-14 min/mi? a 5:45 marathon which would be me closer to 13 hrs? Been there, done that. No PR's or age group placing would come of it, just a more miserable experience and maybe more injury. I'll take my 5:45 bike split and be happy with that.

Anyways, I was happy that Lew was able to greet me and help me get my stuff and head back to the hotel (which was only a block away). I was debating whether or not to go to medical for the after-effects of my potty problems...I just wanted to lay down. Back at the hotel, I tried to take a shower....oh my it was awful. I was crying IN the shower, because the water hurt, I couldn't help anything....oy. I got through it, layed down on the bed (on my stomach) and decided to rest for a little before going back to to watch Dan finish.

I underestimated him- he booked it on the last loop and missed him finish. :( But Lew was there to take pics for me :) Once we rounded him up, we got the rest of the stuff and hung out to watch the final finishers. Seriously, the crowds here are AWESOME!! The final 1/2 mile was still LINED with people cheering their hearts out all the way up until midnight. AMAZING!

There you have it folks. Although it was a disappointing end to my season, I am so happy just to HAVE a triathlon season :) My plan is HEAL UP, recharge, and take next season by storm... a LOT of exciting races...coming soon :)

Ironman Cozumel - Here we go...

2010-11-27T20:51:00.000-06:00

The next time I see daylight, it will be race day. The time I see it after that, I will have completed my 8th Ironman.

I just finished my last REAL meal of food. Besides oatmeal in the morning, the next time I eat real food, I will have completed my 8th Ironman.

Bottles are filled, bags are packed, the next time I put my running shoes on I will be starting a 26.2 mile ~~death march~~ run.

We went to the swim start this morning in Chankanaab park and it was incredible. I actually LIKE swimming when you have a view like this! There are also dolphins and other sea animals on your way to the start...

The saltwater is still an issue, but I feel like it's gotten a little bit better. There are also tiny tiny invisible jellyfish in the water, and occasionally I felt little pricklies on my skin. Nothing to worry about.

I had a GREAT massage today

We relaxed by the pool

We turned our bikes and bags in. The swim and T1 are few miles south of T2 and the finish in downtown San Miguel, so you either have to ride or take a taxi.

more taxis than people on the island

Craziness! T1 is sprawled out, there seem to be bikes around every turn! I definitely had to do a "walk-through" to figure out just WHERE we exit the swim, WHERE we get our bags, HOW to get to my bike, and finally how to FIND the exit! Pretty cool though!

Really long line for body-marking. Weird.

Got back, watched the sun set, and took a relaxing shower.

After custom-ordering my dinner (salmon, brown rice, grilled veggies, bread, and some italian salad with mushrooms and sundried tomatoes that sounded good off their menu) I am ready.

The race starts at 7AM CST tomorrow morning and the weather looks fantastic (70 at the start, high of 79, 9mph winds) - track us live at http://www.ironman.com Dan is #2216, and I am #2217 ! We have never been racked next to each other before! :)

KESTREL 4000 - Andy P

KESTREL 4000 - Dede G

KESTREL 4000 - Michael L

KESTREL 4000 - ME!! :)

Thank you all SO much for your support- I'll check in with you all after the race :)

Ironman Cozumel - Can't get enough

2010-11-27T13:17:00.000-06:00

I'm sitting here the day before the race, and it's settling in that the race is HERE. Yes, I'm really going to go the distance for the 8th time tomorrow. I have one more day to relax and let my body rest up as much as I can before attempting to "Conquer this Island"

Here's a peek at some of the shwag from the race:

Whew, let's forget about some of the race nervousness (I'll get back to it soon) and talk about some of the VACATION highlights from yesterday:

Tis the season...

Palace Resorts provided us free transportation to go see another one of their resorts, Palace Aventura. This consisted of the 1 mile taxi ride to the ferry, the ferry ride over to Playa del Carmen, then the 15 minute taxi ride to Aventura. We stopped at the Playacar Palace Resort in Playa del Carmen again, and I snapped more pics of the really cool decor:

The Aventura Palace resort is AMAZING - Dan and I stayed there about 4 years ago with my family, and we were very excited that his parents would be able to see it. Like all Palace Resorts, it is all-inclusive, but this one has a section for adults-only (no screaming kids at the pool), has beautiful sprawling grounds, and has a "hydrotherapy" spa with a routine for guests to use as they please.

I've been lucky enough to stay at SIX different Palace Resorts, since my parents bought a Vacation package with them, and yesterday Dan's parents did the same! So exciting - hopefully this means that Dan and I have many Mexican vacations ahead of us with our families :)

I was able to do a 2 mile run at the resort to shake out my legs and see how my body is feeling: It's feeling pretty good! Calves are still tight, and I feel like they are going to be my limiter for the race. They are just NOT TRAINED from not running for so long. We'll see just how hard I can push them tomorrow without hurting myself :) I have a massage in a few hours, hopefully that will help work them out so I can start fresh in the morning.

After nearly missing the ferry from Playa del Carmen (we had tickets for the wrong ferry company- oops! ) we got back at 6PM (when the Athlete Welcome Dinner started), took a taxi back to the hotel, rushed to change, hurried across the street to where the expo was...OOPS it wasn't there! Should have checked the schedule! We found out it was at Carlos N Charlies, a few blocks away. When we got there it was 6:40PM, but luckily they started on "Mexican time" and people were just starting to get in line for the food! :)

Ferry ride back to Cozumel... live entertainment on the Ferry!

Nice dinner, very motivating as usual. They showed a video last year, and the downtown area that we ride and run through as part of the loops on the course looks SO FUN! People were EVERYWHERE and having a great time!

When we got back we saw our friends from Bloomington, Dave and Joe, and they looked relaxed and ready to race! They are also having a great time and enjoying their stay here - they even made friends with the Chef and ordered their pre-race dinner for tonight! How awesome!

seriously, I LOVE the staff here: Look what was left on our bed after room service came through yesterday:

They are so nice to us! Oh yeah, and after we talked to Dave and Joe, I had another taste for banana ice cream. So we went outside and I asked a different server for my dessert craving, but he didn't know what I was talking about, but then ALEJANDRO, the same guy from the night before, swooped in from behind us and said "No worries, I got it!" My hero!! I am pretty sure I'm known as the ice cream girl now.

OH, and one last thing to show you: My mom emailed me this photo of our sweet little dog:

He looks SO PISSED! Here's what I replied to my mom- " I have NEVER laughed this hard - tears are streaming down my face! Lew thinks I'm drunk and I haven't drank anything!!"

From what I hear it's about 19 degrees at home, and our dog HATES the cold, AND being left alone for any period of time... Oh Winston.

I will write one last update for you tonight- it will be up before 9:30PM CST, and I plan to give you some last thoughts and info on how to track us!

Ironman Cozumel - Warming up

2010-11-26T07:59:00.000-06:00

It's getting close!!

enormous map

Yesterday after my early morning blogging, I caught up with Dan and his parents for breakfast then headed RIGHT ACROSS the street to catch the IMCOZ merchandise tent when it opened. Dan and I were lucky enough to get a peek at some early Christmas presents from Gale and Lew :)

When we got back I went for another short swim with my other pair of goggles. This time, leaking wasn't so much the issue, but fogging was - and of course I had forgotten to pack my SBR sports Foggles - DARN! Ugggh I will try Lew's goggles today, and if that doesn't work, I will try to buy some new ones at the expo :( The nose issue wasn't as bad as yesterday, but still irritating. I really don't want to try a nose plug b/c I breathe out through my nose underwater (it might be a good idea though), but I may try the vaseline trick - thanks Cara and AJ for the suggestions!!

Swimming with the dolphins was about a block from our hotel, so we headed over in the afternoon. We were supposed to arrive at noon, and the event would start at 12:20....we ended up WAITING until after 1pm. I was a little frustrated (we wanted to ride an easy loop of the bike course before it got dark) but let it go because we are on VACATION and we are going to get to see dolphins! :)

I don't have pictures to show you, since they didn't allow cameras when you were in the dolphin area and they had Kodak photographers taking your picture costing $29 US a pop - no thanks. but here are some I took before.

It was pretty fun though! Everyone in our group got to hug, kiss, dance, pet, and belly-ride with the dolphin. At the end, all the dolphins did a fun little jump show for us!

Although it was fun and entertaining, the dolphin cove seemed very very tiny compared to the endless ocean that the dolphins could be playing in, and the trainers even told us that it was their job to keep the dolphins happy in captivity because they are prone to depression. Really sad and I don't know I feel about that.

After a quick lunch at the hotel, Dan, Lew, and I went back across the street to the convention center with our bikes to pump our tires up and register (opened at 12 while we were at the dolphin cove). Registration went pretty smoothly- it was different than other races because we had to show our passports and they photo-copied them! We also got some pretty sweet jackets, and I really like the hand-bottle!

Cool artwork at the Expo

Dan forgot to pack his helmet, and Lew needed a new one, so they picked one at the expo that Lew would use after Dan raced with it this week. Finally after that we took off (around 4PM).

No more than 5 minutes into our ride I got a flat on my back tire. Awesome. The tube was pinched because I wasn't very careful while pumping it up from a completely deflated state. Although I am completely comfortable changing a flat tire with my wheels, I got frustrated and flustered because Dan was telling me what to do (trying to be helpful but I didn't want to hear it- I wanted to get the damn thing done myself), and there were people watching me. Just getting the stupid back wheel on took me forever, which usually is not even an issue. After TEN MINUTES (embarrassing), we finally got on our way.

View of bike course- southern tip about to head East

But guess what? The roads are AWESOME here. At least the 10 miles of it that we saw on the west side of the island. We didn't get to the windy part, but from what I understand the roads are nice throughout. My legs felt like CRAP for the first 10 minutes of the ride - heavy, working too hard for the effort I was putting out, like the thousands of riding miles I've put on my legs this year didn't mean anything. But after about 10 minutes, I opened up and felt GREAT!! I wanted to do 30-40 minutes at Ironman pace, so we split up for a bit. My goal pace felt EASY going out and back (so it wasn't because of a tailwind), so I am definitely EXCITED for the bike. It's going to be FUN! The question is whether or not I change into bike shorts or not. I am definitely comfortable in them, and I'm nervous that because I haven't been riding as often as I should that my "seat" won't be happy with Tri-shorts... I'll decide after short test ride on Saturday.

Thanks for making us feel at home! And the Turkey loves my Kestrel and First Endurance!

Got showered and ready and headed 1 mile to "downtown" to eat at "The World's Smallest Hard Rock"... we had been here before when we stayed in Cancun with my parents and visited the island one day, and yup, it's still tiny!

Gale has the Hard-Rock All-Access card...gotta show it off!

love...and margaritas.

We enjoyed another margarita, and after dinner walked around the shops a little bit and headed back to the hotel. I had SUCH a taste for that delicious banana ice cream, but couldn't find it ANYWHERE...so I asked my new friend Alejandro if he could find some for me...and he did!! MADE MY NIGHT!! I devoured it with a side of the delicious resort coffee and went to sleep in yummy bliss :)

Lucha libre!

The island is SO excited and accommodating!

Today we are going to Aventura Spa Palace on the mainland for the day then going to the Ironman dinner tonight- should be fun!!

I love all the comments and support - Thanks everyone!

Ironman Cozumel - Just getting started!

2010-11-25T08:33:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you are all enjoying the holiday with some great food and great family!

The view doesn't suck.

Although I'm bummed that my immediate family couldn't make the trip out to Mexico with us for race week, I'm very lucky to be here with my husband and his parents - our short time here so far has been fantastic!

Yesterday morning started off with a GREAT breakfast and tales from Ironman last year - our waitor Manuel told us that the RUN is BIG party on the streets for the locals - "even though we don't know you, we still yell VERY LOUDLY for you!" He also told us that the participant that the crowd cheered the LOUDEST for was a man with a prosthetic leg - he said many people had never seen that before, and were awed by the fact they he completed the race! In the photo below, we were laughing because he told us the final finisher, who completed the race in 16:57:xx, had 5 or so children DRAGGING him along the course so he could finish!

We also made some massage appointments and planned some excursions so we don't miss a thing while we are here. We are going to swim with the dolphins today, can't wait to tell you about that!

After that we headed back to our room to put our bikes back together... oh boy. Our bike case had definitely been rummaged through...but not very gently. 2 locks had been broken off and one side of the case had a long crack in it...and they covered it up with electrical tape *sigh*. Thankfully, nothing was broken or missing inside.

Next was H20 time- Gale and Lew went to the resort's water aerobics class, while Dan and I checked out the little snorkeling cove by our resort. I tested out my new Garmin watch and got a 20-minute swim in, while Dan took some pictures :)

I'm out there

The water is SO CLEAR!! I definitely want to invest in an underwater camera or case - any suggestions??

I need your HELP- while my eyes adjust to the little bit of saltwater in my goggles after a few minutes, the inside of my nose gets REALLY irritated and doesn't get better...help??? any suggestions/advice?

Pool time!! No pictures, but I did participate in a salsa-dancing class on deck :)

Dan and his Dad- Lew!

First mojito of many I'm sure

servers were handing out banana ice cream in a chocolate shell- yummm

At sunset, Dan and I went for a run on the course- it's really going to be fun run on the main street with all the shops, bars, and people! My hamstring was a little sore after the run, my foot was a wee bit sore during the run, and my calves were tight throughout- darn. Race day will be interesting, since the most I've run since August are two 4-mile runs.

After a FANTASTIC sushi dinner, we headed out to the Mexican Fiesta where they had a margarita bar and an auction for various prizes... it was so funny, whoever "won" the auction with fake money had to go up with the resort staff and dance with them- Kick and BACK, Kick and BACK, GO...AROUND, now, get LOW!!

Dan- Jalapeno, Gale- Coconut, Me-Melon

HIt the pillow hard at bedtime, but I was up at 5:30 this morning ready to start another day in this beautiful tropical place :)

Ironman Cozumel - We're here!!

2010-11-24T08:41:00.000-06:00

While many of you reading this may be cozied up inside at work or at home on Thanksgiving break, I'm sitting on the (man-made) beach at the Cozumel Palace sipping on some delicious mexican coffee, enjoying an almond pastry, and watching the waves crash.

This is known as "prep" for Ironman Cozumel, which is this Sunday. Not a bad way to escape the beginning of a LONG winter ahead in the Midwest!

Getting here we had our ups and downs. First of all, Dan and I were able to buy a DOUBLE airline bike case from a friend for a VERY good price- SWEET! Considering how much we travel for races (and the crazy prices to travel with your bike), we were definitely ecstatic!

Secondly, I was SO EXCITED to use the Tri-Shark Club wheels - a Zipp 404 front and Zipp 808 back with a powertap for the race. On Monday, I took them out of their bag and wanted to learn how to set up them up and try them out before I took them to Coz- good thing I did. I was not aware of the valve extenders that are necessary to pump the tires on those wheels, and I would have NO IDEA how to change a flat if needed. Strike 1. Strike 2 occurred when I tried to sync up the wireless powermeter to no avail. Emails to some tech-savvy friends and few calls to Saris guys and still no luck. I made the game time decision to forego the race wheels and pack my training wheels :(

When Dan's parents and I arrived at the airport yesterday morning (Thanks Mom for driving us!), the first thing that Dan and I were NOT looking forward to was paying for our 2 suitcases and our bike case. *Sigh*. FORTUNATELY, we had a VERY friendly US Airways service rep at 4:30AM, and (with a little help from his military status) checked all bags for FREE!! GREAT way to start off the morning!

The flights to Cancun went off without a hitch (except for the REALLY drunk guys sitting behind us lol). One VERY exciting thing happened though: I got an early Christmas present from Dan!! It was wrapped up and everything, and he got me a brand NEW Garmin 310XT!! I had JUST bought a used 305 from a friend since Winston chewed up my old one, so I was ECSTATIC to get this fancy schmancy new watch to use for Ironman Cozumel. Now HE gets the 305 :) YAY!

Funny story: I set the watch to "autolap" in the "Other sport" setting (i.e. swimming) every .25 miles. They Dan and I decided to check out the stats for our plane - to see how high we were (40.000 ft) and how fast we were going (545 mph)- Cool! But when I pushed "START" to track it on a graph, the watch starting beeping and vibrating like CRAZY because it was alerting us every .25 miles! AAH! I couldn't get it stop because while it was alerting it wouldn't let me change settings, so I finally turned the device off. We traveled 5.55 miles during the time...so you can imagine how obnoxious the watch was LOL!!

While retrieving our luggage in Cancun, we found out our bikes somehow ended up on a flight to Charlotte, and were arriving in Cancun on a different flight an hour later. We couldn't leave and come back into the airport, so we waited... not fun. But we got it. With at least one broken latch. :( At least it was free.

The Palace Resorts arranged a van to pick us up and drive us to Playa del Carmen, provided tickets for the ferry to Cozumel, and another taxi drove us to the Cozumel Palace, which was very convenient and gave us one less thing to worry about.

After the 45 minute drive to Playa del Carmen from the airport, we stopped at the Playa del Carmen Palace to relax while we waited for the next ferry which was to leave in an hour (there are ferries that leave every hour). We had some tasy food and checked out the resort. It had a very nice beach, and very cool modern decor! One nice thing with the Palace resorts is that they are all-inclusive, and with your wristband, you can visit ANY resort and take advantage of their food and facilities.

The Palace guys were nice enough to transport our luggage to the ferry: CHECK IT OUT!!

There were quite a few athletes arriving today: Several bike cases were on our plane (even though ours wasn't lol) and there were a lot on the ferry! Ferry ride was also about 45 minutes.

FINALLY we arrived at the Cozumel Palace after another SHORT (5min) taxi ride from the ferry dock. Wonderful customer service, a very nice room, and after some room service (smoked salmon with capers and onions yummm) and champagne, we passed out around 9:30PM :)

Tip for smartphone users: If you going to be charged extra for using your phone in Mexico, try this:

Turn Airplane mode "ON" in Settings
If you are in an area that has free WIFI (ie your resort), turn WIFI "ON" and connect You can use all the apps that require internet access on your phone- ie facebook, etc.
Download a "free text and pictures" app- they assign you a "phone number" and now you can text and send pictures to any US Cell phone for no charge. I think some might even let you call! this is how I'm staying in touch with my family.

I look forward to sharing the rest of my week with you! Let me know that you are reading by commenting or "Following" me :)

My favorite vegetable

2010-11-15T21:32:00.000-06:00

Spaghetti Squash!

Why you should try it:

1) It's a vegetable. It's healthy!

Livestrong.com states that:

"According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient database, 1 cup of cooked spaghetti squash provides 42 calories, 0.4 gram of fat, 1 g of protein, 10 g of carbohydrate (4 g as sugar) and 2.2 g of fiber."

"Spaghetti squash has a high water content and is not as dense in vitamins and minerals as other winter squash, such as acorn or butternut, but does provide 3 percent of the Daily Value for calcium, 5 percent of the DV for Vitamin A, 9 percent of the DV for Vitamin C and 8 percent of the DV for dietary fiber."

Note how LOW in calories it is relative to the nutrition that you get out of it!

2) It is so EASY and FUN to cook!

Really, this is the kicker for me. Here's my 35-minute dinner preparation experience:

Step 1: CUT the Squash in half. I used a big knife. Maybe i could have boiled it a little bit to make it softer?
Step 2: Boil squash for 20 minutes. I graded papers while waiting.
Step 3: Remove seeds (like a pumpkin). I used kitchen scissors. I microwaved some frozen vegetables while I was doing this.
Step 4: Get the "spaghetti"! Using a fork, slide it up/down/around the tender inside of the squash, and the strings come right off. SO FUN. Kids would love it.

3) It's so versatile and delicious!

Spaghetti squash is often used as a "substitute" for pasta (either completely or mixed in with it), and it's also delicious sauteed or cooked on its own:

Not my dinner, but one spaghetti squash dish I found on a simple google search.

Again, at Livestrong.com they directly compare the 2 dishes:

Pasta Comparison
"One cup of cooked enriched spaghetti yields 221 calories, 1.3 g of fat, 43 g of carbohydrate and 2.5 g of fiber. Pasta does provide more B vitamins. If you have diabetes or are watching your weight and carbohydrates, you can save 179 calories and 33 g of carbohydrate by eating a cup of spaghetti squash instead of a cup of pasta."

All I did for my dinner was mix the frozen veggies to the squash, added some Teriyaki sauce, and voila. Stir-fry.

before the teriyaki sauce.

I should have added some protein to my meal- chicken, beef, fish, anything would have been fantastic. I was just lazy.

Might be a great idea for Thanksgiving!

If you have any "secret subsititute" food suggestions, let me know!

REV3 Cedar Point

2010-11-13T10:13:00.001-06:00

Oh my gosh, so long overdue. But I think it's worth it to get my thoughts out there, especially as you may be planning your 2011 season. In light of the IM Access program, some people have been seeking alternative races...Check out REV3! I have now done three REV3 Events, and it keeps getting better. I've done Quassy (Middlebury, CT) with the insane hills (loved it!), Knoxville (beautiful course, rolling hills), and now Cedar Point! Next year they've added COSTA RICA and South Carolina, and there may be more to come! Stay tuned!

REV3 Cedar Point Full Aquabike!
Pre-Race

CLOSE parking in Amusement parking lot
Awesome "hooks" for your transition bags
NO long lines for bike support or port-a-potties
Felt calm and ready!

Swim

Swim was relatively CALM and the temperature was perfect...really happy about that because the waves the day before were BRUTAL
First loop went OK @ 44 minutes...slow, but what I expected since my swim training was pretty nonexistent! Water felt great!
2nd loop was a little rough...2.4 miles is a long way to go when you don't swim much. I also had some trouble siting the buoys, and the water got a little choppier.
Swim Time: 1:35:11

Embarrassing... I know. I did a full change into cycling gear.

Bike

PUMPED to ride
The course felt like home - lots of wind, mostly flat with a some little rollers.
All I had was a watch and heart rate monitor, since Winston had chewed up my Garmin. No speed. After the first 10 miles, I wanted to keep my HR above 160.
Road quality getting out of town was so-so, nothing too scary, then the country roads were AMAZING!
Not too crowded, but enough people were around for company and some competition
Saw Trakkers teammies ROCKIN the full and half courses!
Felt strong first 40 miles
Miles 45-60 my legs felt good, but my head was NOT. I was tired and NOT in the game. I suspected that it had to do with Nutrition - I had eaten breakfast 2 hours before the swim, then not taken in any calories until 1 hour AFTER the swim... even on a NON-exercise day that is long time to go without eating! My original plan was to get some Liquid Shot right when I got on the bike... but forgot. I felt fine at mile 20 and 40 ("Shot" times) so I didn't worry about it - definitely caught up to me!
During that "low", I alternated between a little bit of liquid shot and my solid food snacks every 15 minutes and by mile 60 I was back in the game.
Nutrition was solid, except for forgetting the Liquid shot after the swim. finished 1/2 bottle of First Endurance EFS Lemon Lime and 1/2 bottle with 2 NUUN tablets every hour, and took a swig from First Endurance Liquid Shot every 45 minutes. I had Vanilla Liquid Shot (my FAVORITE- so delicious) and the new Berry (it was good, but I prefer Vanilla). From training I've also learned that I get hungry between miles 50-70, so I also take along a small serving of combos and beef jerky on long rides :)
I'm really glad I trained in the wind, as it seemed like most people were crawling during the headwind portions of the course!
The last 10 miles back to town were BRUTAL for me- so close, yet so far. All headwind and not many people around. I had to dig DEEP for this one!
My plan was to get my HR above 170 for this part, since this was the end of my race- no running afterward. Which I pretty much accomplished.
The last 3-5 miles on that road along the coast was very pretty, but the hardest part for me. Brutal wind, HR above 180, and the road wasn't great. I was doing everything I could to keep myself together. Head down and hammering. But then I hit a little pothole and I felt like my brain got jolted. I started CRYING. I've been known to cry during high-intensity workouts and races (5K's, intervals, etc.) and this race was no exception. I'm so WEIRD!!
FINALLY, the road curved and there was the parking lot for the amusement park- YEEESSS!!!
Bike Split: 5:48:49 PR for 112 miles!
Despite the wind and not having a speedometer, my speed and effort was pretty consistent throughout the ride!
Pretty happy with that!

Finish

The finish for the half and full racers was AMAZING- in the amusement park, big crowds, awesome announcer, and your picture on the JUMBOTRON...SOO Cool!
Unfortunately, my "Aquabike" race was sort of anticlimatic... When I rolled into T2, I was happy to be done. The awesome volunteers were with me right away, which was great, but they didn't realize I was just doing the Aquabike- I wasn't going to run. They thought I was quitting! "Just give it a couple miles!" "You can do it, you look so strong!" LoL....awww thanks for the encouragement anyway!
Annnndddd that was it. Great workout!!

Final Thoughts:

I am a big fan of the full aquabike. I wish that there were more around - it would be a GREAT workout leading up to an Ironman! Nothing like a 112 mile TT to get you stronger on the bike.
Lots of intense and focused physical efforts, but very little pounding. Makes for some fast and effective recovery. I PR'ed at my local weekly 20K Time Trial the week after!!
I LOVED the REV3 race and the atmosphere. All the big-race benefits (state of the art timing, GREAT swag, great course) with a small-race feel!

Most of my Trakkers teammies have race reports from Cedar Point as well as Knoxville and Quassy - check out their blogs too!

REV3 Cedar Point! DISCO PARTY!

2010-09-29T21:18:00.000-05:00

Friday had been a long day, so I was looking forward to Saturday being a day to get my race plan/stuff together and relax!

mmmmmm thank YOU awesome volunteer!

Saturday morning, after sleeping in a little and getting some breakfast, I headed off the the swim start to get a feel for the CHOPPY-LOOKING WATER that I would be tackling on Sunday. I was up for the challenge though. My team (TRAKKERS) was also at the start letting participants try out TRI-SLIDE, a great product by one of our sponsors, SBR Sports! It's an aerosol lubricant that helps you get in and out of your wetsuit in a cinch, and it also helps prevent chafing (i.e. wetsuit hickies!)

On to getting my gear bags and bike ready... I was SO EXCITED to finally see my new KESTREL 4000 race-ready!! I took a test ride to see how she would hold up in the crosswinds... I initially had put a HED3 Tri-Spoke on the front. NOPE! The disc felt fine, but my ride was very "twitchy" with the Tri-Spoke. Putting the Mavec wheel back on solved the problem!

I LOVE the bucket racks!!

I also tested out the NEW Trakkers device - you can see how small it is here, but you can't see how lightweight it is! During the bike portion of the Aqua-bike, I kept it in a jersey pocket and forgot it was there!

My bike was racked next to my teamie Megan Killian!!

Aaaaaahhh isn't she pretty!!

After dinner with some friends on the Evo-Tri team, we headed back to Hotel Breakers.... So Chris and I were walking down the hallway to go to our respective rooms, and we passed this "activity room", which had been empty Friday and Saturday. NOT NOW! There were lights flashing, disco music playing, and LINUS from Peanuts was doin' his thang out in the middle of dance floor... by himself! there were 2 hotel employees off to the side...texting/playing on their phones, not paying attention to him!

Look what we saw after dinner!!

We decided that we must join this party! Chris w told one of his roomies JP about the festivities (Kati was about zonked out - she had to get up EARLY to get the timing rolling for the race!!) and the fun BEGAN!

I figured the employees could get paid for SOMETHING, so I asked them to take pictures with my camera!

We were glad to see that a little family joined the party!

The Mom was a FREAK! She was pumpin' it out and working it like CRAZY! (As was Linus!)

See the Momma doing the "Charlie Brown"??

After about 20 minutes of Cha-Cha slide, Brickhouse and some other fabulous songs, we called it a night! Way to taper!! :) Hope this dance is on NEXT YEAR!!

I cried at the gym today

2010-09-16T21:58:00.001-05:00

...only a little. I was so frustrated.

My foot has been feeling a little better- still sore, but not painful during daily living activities. I even wore cute shoes to work today! flats, no heels yet.

I thought maybe it was time to try to jog again...I was wrong :(

After 20min on the elliptical (I HATE the elliptical, it's so "gym-rat"-ish), I had a goal for a 30min walk/jog workout on the indoor track- 1min jog, 2min walk.

3 cycles in I felt the familiar pull on the arch and sharp pain in my heel. I teared up, hobbled along, and cut the workout at 20min. Fml

So I headed to the pool for 20min of aqua-jogging. Maybe the 2nd time I've tried this in my life. In one pool, a swim team was practicing, in the other, swim lessons were occupying every lane except 2, where little kids were jumping off the diving board, old ladies were floating on noodles... Uggghhh.

So I put on the belt and went back and forth back and forth on the deep end. It didn't feel like a great workout- I couldn't get my heart rate up, I felt like I was just flailing around (a trend in the water for me...)

Was there REALLY a time when I qualified for the Boston Marathon? Ran a 1:39 half marathon? Consistently ran 30-40 miles a week? Felt light, quick, and pain-free? Sweated out some FAST tempo runs while jamming out to my tunes?

Was that me??? Seems like a distant memory...

one day Winston...

More Rev3CP coming soon!

REV3 Cedar Point! pt. 1

2010-09-14T23:28:00.001-05:00

Great venue, great event!

What a FUN race weekend! I was so excited to head over to Sandusky, Ohio to compete in my first ever AQUABIKE...you SWIM, then BIKE...then you are DONE! This was a PERFECT way for me to get my "race on", despite not being able to run due to plantar fascitis. I competed in the "Full" Aquabike. I swam 2.4 miles, biked 112 miles, then headed to the post-race party :)

part of swim-bike transition...not too shabby

Fortunately, my friend Chris Sweet's team EvoTri was hosting their team race at REV3 (he was competing in the HalfRev) so we made the 6 hr. drive on Friday from Bloomington together. The ride went pretty smooth - no significant traffic, no significant scenery...flat roads and cornfields. He has about 7500 songs on his ipod, so we certainly had the tunes for a roadtrip!

We headed straight to the race site to pick up our packets- no lines, very easy! There was PLENTY of nearby parking (i.e. right next to the expo and transition area) in the Cedar Point amusement park lot. Got our packets, talked to Chris's teammate Stu, who was doing some announcing and live coverage for the REV3 series, then headed over to my Team Trakkers booth to listen to Robert Kunz answer our questions about First Endurance nutrition. Robert REALLY knows his stuff about sports nutrition and can explain the DETAILS of the metabolism and physiology behind FE products. Not like I needed any convincing, but he DID explain how First Endurance:

EFS and Liquid Shot products use a blend of simple and complex carbohydrates to allow for optimal absorption during exercise
EFS and Liquid shot contain a blend of electrolytes lost in sweat, not JUST sodium. They also contain potassium, chloride, magnesium, and calcium...these minerals are ALL important during the neuromuscular process of muscle contraction: one serving of EFS contains a 1000+mg blend of these electrolytes!
Pre-Race contains specific ingredients (Nitric Oxide) that improves cardiac output (pumps more blood to the muscles per heartbeat). It also dilates blood vessels to allow more oxygen-rich to get to the muscles! It also contains a blend of stimulants that will keep athletes physically and mentally focused and ready to race!
Optygen HP reduces the build-up of cortisol, a hormone that your body releases in response to stress (in this case, exercise). The greater stress (i.e. volume, intensity), the more cortisol is release. It prepares the body for "fight or flight" response (increases glucose in the bloodstream, stores fat, reduces inflammation), which is great during exercise, but during hard training blocks, a build-up of cortisol is NOT good, since it KILLS your body's ability to recover. Your immune system is weakened (how many of you get colds or coughs after races or hard workouts??), and if you don't replenish your glycogen stores properly, cortisol will also start pulling amino acids from your muscles to use as fuel. With Optygen HP, you will be able to recover MUCH faster after hard workouts during that tough training block!

He also gave us samples of the NEW Berry flavor for the Liquid Shot. I'll tell you what I thought of it later! For more information and details about their products, visit the FE website! It is so detailed and interactive!

Checking out the swim start!

pretty beach!

Friday evening I went to dinner at the Thirsty Pony with Chris, Stu, and fellow Tri-Shark Ross Monks, who was participating in the FULLREV!

mmmmm had some sort of grilled veggie and chicken melt!

Then I was able to catch up with my Trakkers teammate Kati D., who kind enough to let me share a room with her! She was working the REV3 Timing- she is GOOD at what she does! :)

The BEST part of Friday night? EXCLUSIVE ACCESS for REV3 participants to the PARK!! No lines! Our dinner ran a little late, so we didn't end up getting to the park until 8:30... in 30 minutes, we rode 3 rides!!

you can't see the straightaway, but you get shot out at 120mph..then up and over!!

coming soon....Part 2 Saturday pre-race (DANCE PARTY) and Part 3 (RACE DAY!)

Tour De TAP!

2010-09-08T23:03:00.000-05:00

So Monday was the THIRD ANNUAL Tour de Tap...

Ladies in the front: Emily, Laura(me), Carolyn
Boys in the Back: Mick, Joe, Julian, Geno, Bruce

This is a favorite time-honored tradition among Bloomington-Normal cyclists! The ride starts in town, and from there we ride from one ~~po-dunk~~ small-town bar to the next! I have NO idea why, but it gets harder and harder to stay upright after each stop! :)

awesome sign...

ESPECIALLY with the 25-30mph winds this year!! Luckily, I had NO problem staying upright and aero in the crosswinds on my new Kestrel - stable as can be!

There she is!!

I was kicking some serious booty and working hard to keep superstar Emily in my sight (she JUST won the Great Illini Half-Iron 2 days before!). It ended up feeling like a 6-10 mile time trial between each "stop". Great ride, ended up with about 50mi by the end of the day!

1st stop: Cooksville!

2nd stop: Merna Tap!

check out Geno's annual Miles of Smiles 100 ride next year!

Irish beer...Mick's happy place

before the greasy bar food...

3rd Stop: Towanda

Yes, we are on Route 66...Get your KICKS!

Company was GREAT on the ride, but we sure missed the crowd from last year...SO many people are racing this weekend at Ironman Wisconsin and REV3 Cedar Point and just aren't as hardcore as us :P !

I'm SO looking forward to my AQUABIKE race at REV3 and the riding the rollercoasters with my Trakkers Teammates!

Hope you are outside enjoying beautiful weather being active with great friends! Until next time!

My favorite time of year

2010-09-05T21:40:00.004-05:00

...is almost here! Not quite yet, but it will start on September 22nd @ 11:09PM ET according to USA.gov

FALL is my favorite season for several reasons:

1. Temps are cooler! I don't fare well in the heat, so 50-70 F is perfect for biking and running! Plus I have lots of cute capris, arm warmers, and hats that I like to wear :) I can't wait to show off some of the fall/winter Saucony gear I bought on sale this summer!

2. The foliage is beautiful. I LOVE running on Constitution Trail in the fall- its like you are going through a tunnel of swirling colors - when the leaves fall off and twirl around you, it gets really trippy :)

"My" trail during the fall - leaves haven't blown off the pavement - beautiful!

3. Workouts are so enjoyable. After training all spring and summer long, athletes are in the best shape they are all year. Workouts seem so fast and effortless when cooler temps arrive, and PR's tend to drop like flies!
4. RACE SEASON! It seems like EVERYONE in the midwest has their BIG race during September/October, in particular, Ironman Wisconsin and the Chicago Marathon. If I'm not competing in one event or another, I'm almost always there spectating, as these events tend to be a "reunion" of sorts for my midwestern family, friends, and training partners!

One thing that is making me SAD about fall though...I'm not running :(

A few months ago, my right heel starting hurting while I was running...I thought maybe it was "bruised" from some downhill running I was doing at River to River and Triple T, so I trained on. However, it persisted, and got worse and worse. It started hurting when I was walking. It started to hurt when I got up in the morning and was walking around the house. Did some research, talked to some people with similar symptoms, then finally saw a foot doc - yup, plantar fascitis. I thought that only happened when the actual "arch" of your foot hurt, but that's not the case. The connective tissue "attaches" to the heel, so when it is stressed, it pulls on the heel, thus creating pain. YUCK.

I cut back my mileage, I reduced the intensity and pounding. I took days, a week at a time off to no avail. I iced, stretched, took ibuprofin. Still pain. The doctor gave me super-strength anti-inflammatory drugs, and 2 cortisone shots in my foot. Didn't help. The pain was still "bearable" so I continued to run, a few miles at a time, at a depressingly slow pace. Well, one day, I felt a "snap". It hurt like hell, and I did a 20-minute ~~hobble~~ walk of shame back home. The doctor put me in a boot the next day. The last time I ran was Tuesday August 10th.

NOTE: Do NOT run or stress injured muscles/connective tissues when you are on super-strength anti-inflammatories . They reduce inflammation (duh) around the injured site, thus leaving the site unprotected, and more susceptible to further tear or injury. I learned this the hard way.

A week later, I was helping my brother move in, and I was not wearing the boot so I could help carry stuff up and down stairs. Sure enough, I almost stepped on a puppy(!), and jumped onto my toe to avoid the disaster - OOOUUUCHHH!! Another "SNAP", which brought me to the floor in tears. I couldn't put ANY pressure on it for 2 days. However, an MRI showed there was no real tear, which is good news (?) but I can't explain the "snap" feeling or pain, but it was bad.

my hubby and our baby!

...and my brother who's going to live in our extra bedroom
while he's in grad school! My Boys!

It's been getting more bearable- I'm not in the boot, but I am ALWAYS wearing supportive shoes (i.e. my Saucony Hurricanes) and custom orthotics, even in the house. It totally limits my "cute" wardrobe at work, until I can wear fall boots (ANOTHER REASON I LOVE FALL!!).
Not running hasn't been terrible, as I have been able to spend some quality time with my NEW triathlon friend, my BRAND SPANKIN' NEW KESTREL 4000TT!! She's a beauty, and she's FAST!! the following pictures are not of my actual bike, but will put some up soon...

my chick bad, my chick hood...

***listen to this song while reading the following paragraphs!!***

She's ALL carbon, light as a feather, and she's outfitted with SRAM RED R2C (return to center shifters). They were really stiff at first, like HARD to shift, but they've loosened up (or my forearms got stronger) and I LOVE how quick and smooth they are!

my chick do stuff that your chick wish she could...

I also have a MASSIVE 54/42 crankset...I immediately dropped almost 2 minutes from my 20K time trial effort! daaaaaammmnnn....

my chick bad, badder than your's...

I was previously on 650c wheels, but now I'm riding 700's - it takes a little more effort to "get rolling" and accelerate, but once I'm going, I feel like I'm just enjoying the ride!

I also feel a lot more stiff and stable on this frame - I am usually such a BABY when it comes to crosswinds, sharp turns, and downhill riding - its amazing what a difference I am feeling!
One thing I am sad about - I don't have gears to climb with. The bike came with gears intended for flat, time-trial riding (54/42 crankset, 11-23 cassette)... so I wasn't able to bring her to IMOO (training) or Dairyland Dare . So I'm definitely in the market for a SRAM compact crank and (10 speed) xx-27 cassette...if anyone wants to trade goods (I have brand new Fizik carbon Arione Tri2 saddle and an FSA 90mm carbon stem) let me know! :)

Carbon Fizik Arione Tri2 Saddle

FSA 90mm carbon stem

I haven't been swimming much (what else is new) but I am SO psyched for REV3 Cedar Point, which is a week from TODAY!! I'll be doing the FULL Aquabike (the KESTREL is coming with me!) I can't wait to see my Trakkers teammates, and our manager Carole's Trakkers GREEN cast! Poor girl got in a mountain biking accident a few days before her birthday, send some love her way!

Her swagga don't stop, her body won't quit

Whew! It feels good to blog again, hopefully I'll keep it up! I love this weather and riding my bike!

But on weekends like this, 65 degrees with a breeze, I stare enviously from my porch at the b*tches running effortlessly and happily on the trail around MY LAKE across the street. not cool.