Feelin' hot hot hot

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Swim

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

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

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

The Bike

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

We're already how far into the new year?

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

The Race Schedule

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nutrition Issues

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

The Job Search

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

Birthdays

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

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

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

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


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

Looking back...looking ahead

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IMLP Race Report part Deux, LOOONG overdue

The Run

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

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

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

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

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


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

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


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


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

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

Up (Seeing, Grinding, and Driving)

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

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

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

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




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

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

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



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

Torturefest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ChesapeakeMan Race Report or Lake Placid Redux (Minus the Hills)

That which doesn't kill (or drown) us....makes us stronger, right?

The drive up to the Eastern Shore on Friday midday was great, and the weather cooperated pretty well with just a few smatterings of rain here and there along the way. Coach Grandison came along to cheer and sherpa. She rode up with me while Patty and Heidi caravanned behind. Crossing the Choptank River bridge into Cambridge, we were elated to see calm water and few clouds. It was quite humid, but we still hoped those conditions would hold out through the morning. We breezed through packet pickup, and drove over to the race start to rack bikes and check out the (altered) swim course. It would be a 2 loop swim in the bay to the left of the boat ramp (for those who know the Eagleman course) instead of the point-to-point originally scheduled from the Hyatt upstream. There we met up with everyone doing the race: for the Aquavelo it was me and my IMFL peeps Sharon, Patty, Shawn, Charlotte and husband Fred; IMWI peeps Heidi, Tammy and husband Brad; and brave TriGirl Molly (giving the distance a try before IMFL signups). For the full ironman distance it was Coach Som and Karen. We decided to meet up post race briefing to get dinner and went off to check in to our various hotels.

I had just last week booked a room online--it seemed it was the last room available in the area so I just took what I could. Granted the reservation was for a smoking room, but I added a note asking to please change us should a non-smoking room become available. Given the crappy weather forecast, I was sure they'd have a cancellation that would work. Hopeful, we pulled into the Days Inn just down the street from the Hyatt. Most everyone else was at the Holiday Inn Express. At the desk, I reiterated our request for a non-smoking room to the manager, several times. No dice on changing rooms. Now, I'm no dummy and I have a brother-in-law that works for Marriott. I know that like airline desk agents, those managers can easily (if they so chose) change reservations to accomodate certain requests, especially if they have open seats/rooms. The manager at that Days Inn was NOT budging--even though he admitted to having a non-smoking room available! His excuse was that absolutely NO changes were allowed with a prepaid reservation, not even if I was willing to pay any difference in rate. Ugh. Defeated, Grandison and I headed upstairs. I was hoping the room wouldn't be bad....

Well, if the stairwell and hall were any indications, we were in for a fun night. Oh man! It smelled like a smoker's convention had parked themselves in the halls for a year. They were so bad, the room was a breath of fresh air in comparison. But after 2 minutes, it was awful too. We opened the window and joked about having to burn a bag of popcorn to make it smell better. All I could think about was how the heck I was supposed to get a good night's sleep breathing in that stench. Grandison was trying bravely to make the best of it, and set about getting ready for dinner. I got on the phone and called the Holiday Inn. They had quite a few cancellations and did have a double, non-smoking room available. YEY! I ran downstairs, berated the poor woman who had replaced the manager at the front desk for not switching us, then drove the car around to just below our open window. Grandison threw our stuff out (it was easier than schlepping it all back downstairs), while I loaded it in the car, and we did a drive-by check in at the Holiday Inn before meeting up back at the Hyatt for the pre-race briefing and dinner. We all were able to get order good prerace meals, then trundled off to pack our race bags, watch a little of the debates, and hit the sack. Grandison ordered up a 5am wake up call, for a 7am race start.

We made it to the race start at 6:30, after having dropped our special needs bags and extra cars at the high school finish. We barely had enough time to grab our timing chips, load our nutrition on the bikes, and suit up before it was time to get in the water. Ooops. Note to self--allow at least an hour so I'm not rushing around...I hadn't made it all the way to the white start bouys before the gun went off. It had started raining just as we got to the race start, and it poured for the first 15 mins of the swim, which was pretty much par for the course the entire day. The first half of every swim (no matter what distance) I always have a hard time calming my nerves and settling into a rhythm. Up to the first turn bouy, it was fairly calm and shallow enough to stand almost the whole way. Once around the bouy, the chop picked up quite a bit. I was sighting poorly (only breathing to one side), and needed to swim about 10 yards back to the pack. As usual, I also couldn't find any feet to hang on. Close to the last turn bouy on the first lap, I got stung by jelly fish on my arm and wrist. Ouch. I caught sight of the clock as I rounded the bouy--1st lap 43 mins and change.

The second loop was much better. The outgoing part was blessedly calm, and I felt much more confident and relaxed. That lasted until the chop started again, and I started feeling a little queasy. I definitely wanted to keep whatever nutrition I had eaten that morning firmly in my stomach--I knew I needed every calorie. I finally got to that last turn bouy and felt the current from upstream on the last 20 yards to the boat ramp. It would have been a great swim as a point to point--no chop in the face and a following current! As I crossed the timing mats, I was surprised how quick it seemed to be done and I knew I could go the distance in Florida. One discipline down, one to go. Total time (not confirmed) about 1:35.

After waving at Grandison, I grabbed my gear bag and headed for the change tent. Lo and behold, Shawn, Sharon, and Charlotte were in there! After bitching and griping about the jellyfish, and pulling sports bras on wet torsos (I need to just swim in my bike gear!), we were heading out. I had a few issues getting my bike off the rack since I approached it from the wrong side, but managed to keep it upright and run over the timing mats. Off I went, assuming Shawn, Sharon and Charlotte were just up ahead. Heading out of town, I was coasting down the street, easily maintaining 18mph. Wow, I thought, this was going to be a breeze! As I approached the Gun/Bait/Beer store on the right, there was a lady turning left into the lot in front of the store. It wasn't raining just then, and I knew she saw me, as she had just passed a few bikers in front of me. I figured she'd stop and let me pass before completing her turn. NOT. She almost ran me over. I was able to swerve and go behind her, thank goodness. The next guy that passed me saw it, and commented to me that I did a great job avoiding her. I already had consumed one bottle of my drink, and had to pee. Had I been a guy, I would've turned around and peed on her car! Stupid lady.

As we came up on the turn around, about 10 miles in, I was happily cruising along and had seen Karen, Terry, Som, Brad, and Fred. Then I turned around and slowed down. WAAAAY down. My mph hit about 15, and I couldn't figure out what happened. Then I realized...headwind. Damn. I really am slow as molasses. This is going to be a looong ride, all alone. Headed back toward town, I passed the rest of the girls. I thought I had missed a turn since they left the change tent before me. Turns out they had stopped to use the port a potties before heading out on the bike. Me, I just peed 3xs in my wetsuit during the swim, so I was fine!

The first 40 miles went by pretty quickly. People were pretty chatty, and would ride side by side just for a minute or two to say good morning. Inevitably, people that stopped at the aid stations would catch back up, so many games of leap frog were played. It made it more bearable--you had familiar faces/jerseys to keep you company. I worked hard to eat but this time I had a hard time pedalling and chewing food. Bananas were ok (luckily they weren't hot and mushy), but everything I brought just didn't look appetizing. Another reason to get up extra early for ironman: I can eat much more before race start and hopefully front load alot of calories. It was still raining on and off. Then we hit about mile 55, in the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge. Parts of the road were already under about 2-3 inches of water, and high tide was going to hit during my second loop. It was kind of fun pedalling through the water, and the scenery around us was beautiful marsh land.

Close to the high school, about mile 60, there were 2 ladies tailgating by the side of the road. As I approached, they grabbed their cow bells and cheered me as I went by. The emotional boost that gave me was indescribable--wouldn't it be nice to have the entire 112 mile route lined with cheering crowds? Then I got lapped by the guy who ended up winning...he pulled into the bike finish, and I was just getting done with 64 miles. Ugh. Grandison and another Richmond friend spectating, Monica, were working the special needs station at the high school. They held my bike, helped me sort out what I wanted, found water for one of my bottles, and let me pee in the grass (very discreetly)! It felt so damn good to be off that bike, even if just for a few minutes. But inevitably I had to get back on, and finish what I started. Just 48 miles to go--even at my best pace about a 3 hour ride.

Right at mile 70, I hear a familiar voice behind me. It was 3 of my IMFL peeps! Shawn, Sharon, and Patty had just pushed hard from the special needs station to catch me so we could finish the ride together. It was soooo great to have them there--especially since just about then the rain started pelting down but good. Course marshalls be damned, this was a "training ride" for us, and we stayed pretty tightly together. Enough so, that Shawn and Sharon were assessed pentalies for drafting. Ooops. Those miles were the longest, but now much more bearable given the company. This time as we went through the Wildlife Refuge, the water was so deep, my shoe was totally underwater at the bottom of my pedal stroke. We saw a bald eagle drying his (her?) wings in a tree, and many white egrets fishing.

By mile 80 though I could tell that my nutrition was a little off, and I was getting tired. I started in on my Gu's--one for every 10 miles left to go--and that really helped. We picked up speed with the last 8 miles (up to 20ish mph), and the body hurt a lot less. I think that was just knowing that soon I'd be off the damn thing. When we got to the guy who said "2 miles to go" I was ready to be done and cranked it in to the finish, a couple of minutes ahead of Shawn and Sharon. Patty had already pulled away much earlier. My final time: 8:50 (swim+bike). If I can do that in Florida, or even come in at 8:30, I'll be ecstatic. As it was, I was very glad I didn't have to run, and as soon as I saw the massage tables set up in the gym, I was lost. Oh my, that massage felt sooo good. The poor guy got me on the table even before I could shower, and I kept apologizing for the way I smelled.

Everyone finished well. Tammy's husband Brad survived 3 flat tires and an hour and 47 minute wait for the sag wagon, but still came in before the last two bikers. We all got cleaned up as best we could (those high school showers left something to be desired), ate some soup and cookies, and waited for Karen to finish her 2nd lap of the 3 lap run course. Grandison was anxious to get home since while we were away her baby had been running a fever (always the case that when Mom goes away, all heck breaks loose), and I wanted to sleep in my own bed too. We pulled into town about 10:30, said our goodbyes, and made it home. Today I've been tired and loungy all day. I need to eat some more...isn't it all about nutrition?!

I'm very glad to have done the race. I feel much more confident that I can tackle less than ideal swim and weather conditions, and finish the bike with plenty of time to spare. This week I think we jump back into the running part of the equation, and next weekend I get to run one of my favorite races, the Army 10 Miler up in DC. Happy training and, for you Kona folks, happy tapering!

Fall's arrival.....zzzzzzz.

As I headed out this past Thursday morning for a bike ride, the temperature gauge said it was about 55 degrees outside. You could tell fall was on its way. To me there is a certain smell to autumn, a crispness to the air that's hard to define. I was wearing bike shorts and my Ride to Cure Diabetes jersey, and once on the bike, it was downright chilly. It might be time to break down and buy some arm warmers! On my first two solo laps around West Creek, I saw a group of deer grazing close to the edge of the woods.

My friend Rab joined me and we headed out to Goochland for a 40ish mile loop. Since he hadn't ridden out there, I picked a route that would be easy for me to follow, but I forgot how many hills were on that course. Rab sets a pretty good pace, one where I'm always working hard to stay on his tail especially on the hills. I am learning that those long training sessions take a lot out of me, and I feel their effects for days, especially when combined with missed meals or snacks. Most of the roads we were on were pretty empty--up to the main drag back toward West Creek. I think there are several quarries or something along that portion of road, and we got blown around by many many dump trucks whizzing by. I finished up 50 miles by 11am, and as Rab left to go to work, I was eating my lunch and trying to gear up for another 50 by myself.

No sooner had I broken out my peanut butter sandwich, than I was overcome by exhaustion. I was so tired. I decided to sit down in my car, and I just leaned my head back to close my eyes for just a minute and fell fast asleep for over 20 minutes! After I woke up, I gulped down the rest of my lunch, reloaded my water bottles, and got back on the bike. I made it another 10 miles before my body was saying it was done--go home and go back to bed now! So that's what I did.

Friday afternoon Joey went to play with a friend after school and Maddy had dance team try-outs, so I was able to get in the pool for an hour. At the Y, all lanes in the lap pool except one were taken up by older gentlemen swimming really slowly. Surpise! Rab was in the other one, grinding out a speedy 1000m main set. I joined him in his lane and tried to count how many times he lapped me (too many!) while I swam the first half of my steady 2600m. As he was leaving, Rab commented that I'd be a lot faster if I did flip turns. Apparently Mr. Collegiate Swimmer doesn't realize that real triathletes don't do flip turns. After that I was thinking that I am so going to get my ass kicked by Jen at training camp in February.

Friday evening Joe and I had a fun dinner date with 5 other couples to celebrate my dear friend Lynn's birthday. At the restaurant, I tried to be good considering my 20 mile long run workout on tap for Saturday morning by limiting my wine intake to 2 glasses. Yet after dinner, we decided that the party needed to keep going, so most came back to chez Oliver for more wine and games of pool. We called it a night at 2am. Needless to say, I was not up in time to make our 6am start at Maramarc. After a pretty lazy day of recovery and cotillion shopping with Maddy, Lynn joined me this morning for all 20 miles of my run. It was another blessedly cool morning, but when we finished at 1pm it was close to 80 degrees. Brunch at Boychick's deli never tasted so good!

Tonight I'm going to bed at 8pm.

Sunshine and Happiness...

....and a sore crotch!

Another long training weekend down! Yey! Saturday a group of us TriGirl/Maramarc folks did the Heart of Virginia century ride. To date that is the farthest I've ever ridden a bike. It wasn't the most hours I spent on the bike; that was last year's Ride to Cure Diabetes in Sonoma, a death march bike if there ever was one of brutal (some over 26% grades) hills. Total time on the bike then was 9.5 hours, yesterday we came in just under 7 hours. I am stoked about how we did--since it was a pretty hilly course and we stopped for two flat tires, one of which was mine. After our 80 miler two weeks ago, I still had doubts about my cycling, but slowly I'm gaining confidence and am ALMOST looking forward to the next one.



Before the ride....



During the ride....and post-ride ice cream sitting in the A/C. BLISS!


I kept up with my nutrition leading up to Saturday and during the ride, and it really helped! (Duh!) With the weather so warm, I made sure to drink almost everything in my water bottles too. This weekend was back to hot and humid weather, with yesterday topping 93 degrees, and today supposed to hit 97. We stopped at mile 60 for the provided lunch--sandwiches, grapes, and chips. I'm going to have to figure out how to eat that much during ironman, since I'm not sure how I would've done eating just clif blocks, sport beans, and gu's all day. Ideally I'd love to bring cash and hit a McDonald's drive thru, but I hear you can get DQ'd for that during the race! I have several more century rides, including ChesapeakeMan AquaVelo in two weeks, to figure that out.

Joe had taken the kids to the beach Friday evening to give me the weekend to get the workouts done with no guilt. After we talked Saturday afternoon I missed them and wanted a day to play at the beach with the kids, so I quickly showered, grabbed some food, and threw Sophie in the car and drove down yesterday evening. Surprise! We had a good family game and movie night evening and then this morning I got in that 9 mile run before 9am. It was already pretty blistering hot, but I made good time (1:20!) and can now enjoy a day catching up on my magazines/catalogues while lounging on the beach!

I hope everyone has a fun, restful Sunday! Many hearty congratulations our Iroman Wisconsin finishers Aimee, Blake, and Dr. Rick. This was Aimee's first IM, and she did amazingly well. We're so proud of you guys!

I need some rrrreeeeeee eeeeeeeest...

So, I'm not Lily von Schtupp, but I can so sympathize with her right now. Like many other blogger friends, I am hitting a point where I just don't seem to recover enough from our long weekend workouts to feel like I'm making any progress on my mid-week ones. On Tuesday I was dropped on the bike and couldn't for the life of me catch back up to the pack. My swim yesterday felt like all I was doing was inventing a new way of drowning, creatively. And then today's long ride/short run sucked, it was so hot out there. This may be TMI for some, but usually on our long bikes, I work hard to stay hydrated and end up having to go to the bathroom (or the woods...) quite a bit. Today I only went once during a 3.5 hour ride, and I had taken in 3 bottles of Endura and one of water. I guess there's some relief in knowing that I will not be hitting the start line in Florida after having biked 80/run 13 just a few days before, but right now I'm having a hard time seeing the forest for the trees.

Tomorrow is a day off, thank goodness. I have PT and then I'm driving up to Northern Virginia to visit my parents' grave (tomorrow would have been my mother's 73rd birthday). I'm packing bottles to take with me so I'll have plenty to drink all day--Saturday we bike 1 hr and run 18.

Getting Caught Up (part 1)

The past week has been surprisingly busy, with the exception of Sunday that was spent lounging pool-side. I'll rewind to last week, and see if I can remember what I was doing...

Thursday I rode out in West Creek alone--accomplishing a 30 mile ride in about 1:45. I was able to take advantage of Joey's morning playdate to get the work out at 11am instead of waiting until 5:30 when I had scheduled a babysitter. I'm not particularly fond of riding alone, since I never feel like I push myself hard enough and my average speed drops to like 12mph. Not this time, though! I managed to keep my speed to between 17 and 18mph for each 10 mile loop at West Creek. By the time I got home at 1pm, it was about 98 degrees out and miserably hot. Joey and I hit the pool, which was surprisingly refreshing. Too often when we've had back to back to back days in the high 90s the pool starts feeling like bath water or even a hot tub. Yuck. That evening, I noticed my supposedly "good" knee was quite swollen, especially the area right behind the knee. I've been trying to ignore some twingy things--feeling a little instability in that knee, swelling, and sometimes not being able to completely straighten the leg. I haven't had any pain in that knee, but it's just annoying. Squatting and kneeling are tough. Plugging those symptoms into a google search is never a good thing--I kept coming up with dire diagnoses like a torn PCL. Considering the workout on tap for the weekend (70 miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway) I was anxious to figure it all out.

Friday morning I called over to Dr. Cutter's office to see if they could get me in for him to look at the knee. By 10am I had seen him and an MRI scheduled in an hour--luckily he said the knee felt stable, meaning no ligament damage, but the swelling could be from a torn meniscus. Joey was a champ for sitting through first the doctor's appointment, then waiting while I had the MRI. He was entertained with his new Star Wars lego set that the grandparents had sent for his birthday. I spent the afternoon close to the phone, doing really fun stuff like mopping the kitchen. I finally heard from Dr. Cutter at 4. I have a Baker's cyst, also called a popliteal cyst. It is caused by knee joint fluid protruding to the back of the knee (popliteal area of the knee). The knee joint fluid is compressed by the body weight between the bones of the knee joint, and becomes trapped and separates from the joint to form a fluid-filled sac--thus the bulge behind my knee. Dr. Cutter said surgery was not necessary, and just prescribed over the counter anti-inflammatories and ice. If it gets any worse, they can drain it with a needle or give me a cortisone shot. He suggested that riding hills may not be good since that's harder on the knees. No BRP for me, which given the ride that those who went had may not have been such a bad thing! (For details, read Fave's blog.)

With hill riding out of the question, I was able to join three of my fellow IMFL trainees Shawn, Sharon, and Patti, along with IMWI trainee Heidi, and TriGirl Jill for 75 miles of East End fun. Shawn and Sharon like to start early. Rendezvous time was scheduled for 6am at a boat landing about 15 miles south of the airport. I got up at 4:30 to pack the car and load the cooler with drinks and food, including a few post-workout Coronas. After a quick stop to pick up Jill, we zipped down the Chippenham Parkway and only took one wrong turn before finding the boat landing and pulled in at 5:55. Other than the Bass Master guys, we were the only TriGirls there. HELLO?! Kate Oliver early for something? Notify the papers, the armageddon is at hand.

Shawn and Sharon soon showed up, putting to rest my fears that Jill and I would be riding around blind for hours, waiting for that magical "70" to show up on my odometer. Just as we were ready to pull out, Patty and Heidi pull up. Those girls got ready lickety-split! In less than 5 minutes, they were locked and loaded, ready to ride. Our route took us through some great riding areas--Richmond Battlefield Park, Charles City, and beautiful back country roads. We all paced well together and after the 50 mile mark didn't have to brow beat Patti into staying single file anymore! RR, you missed our local (dead) fauna: in addition to the 4 opossum, we saw 1 rabbit, 1 skunk, and 1 fawn. I worked hard to stay aero as long as possible, and managed to keep on top of my nutrition. Our new joke is now not how far you've ridden, but how many blow jobs it was. Saturday's ride was a 3 blow jobber. (I am not convinced that Gu's are the way to go--I have a real hard time swallowing!) I still need to work on getting in the electrolytes. Our 40 minute T-run at noon sucked--it was really hot and I just died out there. Shawn, who took in her electrolytes at our last stop on the bike, was the picture of stick-to-it-ness, and Jill--well, she's a special case. She's now our resident over-achiever. When we were all done, we formed our little circle of happiness in the shade and popped those beers. Those Coronas never tasted so good!

While I was out riding all over the middle peninsula, Joe and Joey drove west to pick up Maddy from camp. Three weeks was a long time without my Moo. She had such a good time, and came home full of stories about having swum half a mile, dancing with boys (!), and singing new camp songs. On the way back from camp, Joe took them to the Mitchie Tavern for lunch, which is my kids' absolute favorite place to eat. Think "colonial" fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and canned green beans all served up on pewter plates by costumed waitresses. A visit to Charlottesville is never complete without eating there. That night, we were all exhausted, and I was in bed and OUT by 9pm, barely beating the kids to sleep. The family is now all joking that come September, the kids will be putting me to bed before 8. Now wouldn't that be bliss?

More to come...

C'ville Oly Race Report

The weekend brick was shortened since many of us IMFL girls were racing the Charlottesville Olympic distance tri today. So Saturday morning bright and early, I met up with Fave for a 12 mi bike and, for me, an 8 mile run. Since Timberman is her last race, Fave had to run 10. Other girls not doing C'ville biked 24 and ran 16. Oooph.

Fave and I made it through the bike, and met up with Lynn to do the first 8 miles together. Man, I love running with these girls. We chatted, laughed, and ran. The time always seems to go so much faster, and goodness knows that misery loves company. Lynn has become such a strong athlete--with two ironman races under her belt in less than a year, she has developed such stamina. This week seemed a managable amount of training for me until Saturday afternoon, when I went to lie down for just a few minutes and ended up sleeping for 2 hours. I got up just in time to shower and get dressed for a dinner date with Lynn, her husband Derek, and a another couple at Havana 57. I did manage to limit myself to ONE, yes ONE, mojito. Today's early (4:30am) wake up call meant that it was a good thing we skipped out on wine/cigars on Lynn's deck in favor of bed at 10pm.

I picked up Grandison a little after 5am, and we headed west. It seemed as the sun came up that it might be overcast, which I think is the best kind of race weather. Most of the 2007 IMFL girls had done this race last year, and loved the course. Charlottesville is nestled up against the Blue Ridge, so picture lots of rolling hills, and horse farms. Emphasis on the ROLLING. The lake was warm (about 82) so no wetsuits, but they sent us off in nicely-sized swim waves--not too much chance to get knocked around jockeying for position. I felt very good about the swim, and was able to quickly settle into a rhythm. Sighting wasn't bad, and I came out of the water about 6th in the swim wave of women 40+. Swim time: 33:08.


Right from the start on the bike, I was passed by Patty. I couldn't catch her to save my life. (And she ended up placing first in her age group!) The hills came one right after another, and there seemed to be more grind-it-out-in-your-lowest-gear gradual climbs than bomb-it-downhill runs. Bummer. I'm starting to really enjoy getting in a tuck and flying. Anything to help that average mph! I still have a lot of work to do on getting enough food in me on the bike. Even ClifShots start sticking in my throat after an hour, so I'll have to work on that this coming weekend. Total time on the bike: 1:31.


The run sucked. It was entirely on trails, very hilly trails, and I was getting tired. You couldn't look up and enjoy running through the woods for fear of tripping over a rock or exposed root. I know, in the picture I'm smiling, but inside I'm not. There is something very humbling about being passed by a 75 year old man (whose swim wave took off just 3 mins before ours). By the second loop of the course, I did manage to catch up with him again, and we played leap frog the rest of the way in. I was so afraid this man was going to trip (which he did once) and break a hip or something. My sucky run time: 1:16. Yuck.


The way home went quick--aided by the iced coffee and wrap sandwiches Grandison and I found just outside UVa. It was nice to have time one on one with my TriGirl coach, and chat about everything. We beat the thunderstorms home, but only by a couple of hours. This afternoon was lazy: reading in bed, napping a little, and then fixing dinner. Looking ahead to this weekend, I know I'll need all the extra rest I can get. Our third and final Blue Ridge ride is this coming Saturday, 70 miles of hills and FUN!

Running with the Big Dogs

On Sunday, to make up for some missed workouts during the week--not out of laziness, mind you! I was moving lots of furniture at the beach house--I joined a couple of Richmond Tri Club members for an open water swim and @35mi bike, my longest this season. When I called Craig Saturday night to let him know I was coming to the workout, he said there would be 6 or 7 others there. Only 3 guys showed up, and all of them were in their taper for Eagleman 1/2 iron. Uh oh. Here are 3 really fit guys, all in shape for their A race, and lil' ol' me--just starting to ramp up my Florida training. So far this year the longest ride I've done is 22 miles.
The open water swim was fine. The river was quite pleasant. The current was pretty swift, so we swam upstream for 12 minutes, and down for 8. I felt good in that I was a better (read faster) swimmer than two of these guys. The third I think swam in college, so he blew us all out of the water, swimming half way to Charlottesville in 12 mins. The bike ride was great, but challenging. Lots of rolling hills, and I had to work really hard to maintain a steady 18 mi/hr pace. By mile 30 I was pretty much done, but still 9 miles from the car. The guys were good sports and kept me in their sights the whole time to make sure I hung on. I tell you, there's nothing like drafting off a 6'5" tall dude on a long downhill! I must've hit almost 40mph...
When we got back to the cars, we did a quick 15 minute run through the woods and trails along the river. At that point, I let the guys go on, and I turned around to go home. I was hungry and desperately in need of a nap.
This workout was a good test of my new nutrition plan, which seemed to keep me fueled for most of the workout. The previous week, 1 1/2 miles into a 4 mile brick run (that 22 mile bike), I bonked on a run and tripped and skinned up my knee. After I made it back to the car (yes, Jen, I did RUN back to the car, albeit slowly) I called the nutritionist/dietician that has worked with other TriGirls. She had me keep a food log for the week, which started and ended with the same items day in and day out: coffee in the morning, and red wine at night. After asking about my current workout schedule, she informed me I wasn't eating enough by far and luckily I don't have to cut out any caffeine (only the coffee, we don't drink sodas) or wine! She said that eating right will help in a number of ways: with energy for the workouts, to help recover from said workouts, and also to help build more muscle--good news for these skinny thighs). The new meal plan has been tough to follow, mainly because I'm not used to eating constantly throughout the day, as opposed to my previous habit of small bfast, decent lunch, big dinner. I must say itI have a follow up appointment in three weeks, which is also after my yearly annual check up with my GYN, who'll check my cholesterol and iron levels. We will continue to tweak my plan as the training ramps up.
Jen also sent me the following article, which talks about the importance of carbs in a training diet, http://ironman.com/training/nutrition/jennifer-hutchinson-focuses-on-the-importance-of-carbohydrate-energy, which has proven very timely and informative.

Putting my money where my mouth is

As some of you know, for my thesis project I'm designing a restaurant centered around the principles of sustainable agriculture. That is to say, food that is organically and sustainably raised and produced, and local to extend 150 miles from Richmond. Some might say that organic and sustainable are the same, but after reading Michael Pollan's book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, he makes a very valid point that there is a significant difference in not just scale, but also footprint, of how the food is raised. If it's true that on average our food travels about 1,300 miles from farm (or factory) to our plate, that distance comes with considerable unseen "costs" that in days of increasinglyt scarce oil, may become unbearable in years to come.

Much of my research started with looking at the slow food movement, and chefs who work to promote "slow" foods and production in their restaurants. Chief among these chefs here in the US is Alice Waters. She has founded a non-profit organization that is looking to promote more healthy eating in public schools in a novel way: by teaching children to grow the food and prepare it, you instill in them an appreciation for their work, and a greater appreciation of the value of digging in the dirt. Several schools in the Berkeley area have implemented this type of program, with the food grown on former playgrounds being incorporated into daily menus.

Other reading on the topic of eating seasonally and locally included Barbara Kingsolver's book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally by Alisa Smith and J.B. Mackinnon. Those two books prompted me to question the quality of the food I was finding in my local Ukrops, Fresh Market, and Kroger supermarkets. Asparagus, blueberries, and grapes available throughout the year, but at what cost? Is it cheaper to buy those grapes knowing they may have been grown with DDT, when you factor in the possible health issues of consuming those pesticides? What about how much it cost to get them here, and what the farm worker was paid to harvest them? These are hard questions, and while my bleeding liberal heart told me to abandon all trips Ukrops, the realistic side of me knew that I couldn't at this point commit myself to eating that way immediately. So I've done the next best thing. I've bought a share of a CSA.

CSA's are wonderful things: you purchase at the beginning of the season a share of a farmer's produce, and I had the option--which I took--of including free-range eggs, chicken, flowers, and goat cheese. (In my book it's worth it for the goat cheese alone!) I found a cooperative of about 3 farms from two neighboring counties, and one outside Charlottesville that delivers on a weekly basis to a local market here in town. While it seemed steep to write a check out in advance for all that food, I know it will be worth it in the long run. I may have to come up with creative ways to get my kids to eat things like beets, but my daughter's budding interest in the culinary arts should give us some good times in the kitchen and improve my nutrition during peak training months. To find a CSA near you, check out LocalHarvest. Bon Appetit.