It's Kate's Turn

Sunday, July 13, 2008

The Blue Ridge Part Deux (of Three)

This weekend, we survived--albeit with a couple of casualties--our second installment in the "Blakey-blake's Terrible Trio" of hills up on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The majority of us were on board for a beautiful but challenging 50 miles to start from mile marker 23--IMWisconsin and Louisville folks rode about 80 miles, while Coach Blake himself rode about 120 (does this tell you anything about the man?!) Early that morning, Lynn met me at our Wintergreen rental condo for some power breakfast--coffee, pancakes, eggs, bacon, and toast--before we loaded up our bikes, and kissed the husband and kids goodbye. The rest of the Oliver family had a great day planned, full of hiking with the Sophie dog, swimming, and golfing.

We started the ride at about 8:30, heading to mile marker 13 and back. That 10 miles went pretty quickly--about an hour, as we are all getting over our fear of bombing down the hill at 40+ mph. Along the way back UP to mile 23, Shawn, Derik, and I stopped for a little action-snaction, wild blackberries! The self-portrait was taken early that morning. I wasn't looking so happy later on...

Following a quick rendezvous at the cars to refuel and pee, it was off again, this time headed south to mile marker 38. Ah, what glorious downhills. There was one stretch that was dead straight and blistering fast. No need to worry about cars, turns, or shady spots hiding pot holes. I think I'm glad my spedometer/odometer is broken--I really didn't want to know how fast I was going. My butt was up off my seat, my head was low over the handle bars, and I just FLEW. I didn't give a second thought to how I would feel headed back up this bugger. But I did think "Thank God half the bike in Placid is downhill...no need to pedal." Ha. Down, down, down we went for 15 miles....uh oh. At the turn around at mile 38, everyone was bemoaning our return trip, and how much it was going to SUCK BALLS.

And it did. For the record, I much prefer not stating the obvious--why remind myself of what pain and torture it is or will be to climb for miles going all of 8mph? I tried to tune everyone around me out, and focus on my pedal strokes, pulling up as much as pushing down, and just turning that crank. I held on to Lynn and Shawn for dear life, knowing if I fell behind I'd only become demoralized with my slowness. Headed back up that straight downhill, just 4-5 miles from our cars was tough. At that point, I'd had it with climbing in the saddle. I had to stand up and grind through it, otherwise I'd quit. I was so glad to finally see mile marker 24--the end was in sight.

All in, the 50 miles took about 4 hours. Many folks said their average speeds were about 12-14mph. A newbie BRP'er, bless her soul, had cleat issues and could not stop on the way back without having to remove a shoe before exiting her bike. We all battle our own demons out there, and I must give kudos to TriGirl40, who admittedly HATES hills and stuck it out and finished all 50 miles. She did not look happy at the end, but as always looked amazingly strong. Back at our cars, we happily met for our picnic on the pavement--a tradition begun on our first Blue Ridge ride last year--to rehash the ride and refuel. The party continued on at Bethany and Bart's, with tons of yummy food and Sandy's great Mai Tais.

Today we packed up our kids and dog, and drove Maddy to camp before driving the 3 hours back to Richmond. Maddy'll be at camp for 3 weeks, having a great time. We'll miss her so! Home now to long runs, laundry, and packing for Placid!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

What the heck am I thinking?!

On July 19th I get on a plane for Burlington, Vermont. July 20th, I'll be volunteering/cheering at Ironman Lake Placid (IMUSA). July 21st, I'll be standing in line to register for next year before driving back to Burlington to fly home. Just for comparison, here are the bike and run elevations for IMFL (in orange) and IMUSA (in red).

So, what the hell am I thinking?! Nothing like signing up for ironman #2 before I've even finished ironman #1. The good news is I'll be in good company: there are about 20 Richmonders--many of them TriGirls and Maramarc folks--heading north to do the same thing so there will be no lack of training partners. Coach Blake has assured me that my weeklong vacation in Europe planned for late June next year will not hurt my chances of finishing, with the caveat that it is the consistent training before the vacation that matters. My husband's take on all this: he's sure I'm crazy, but as long as I sign him up to do the bobsled ride, he's game to go.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

TriGirls Featured on Runner's World

Check us out!

Saturday, July 5, 2008

A Fun Fourth

Independence day: on tap a 45 mile ride and post-ride festivities at Ironman Jeff's house. Fave was on time for our 7am meeting, and after 15 mins of waiting around for Lynn, we decide to head out. A quick check of our phones and I realize....oops, I was due to pick up Lynn at her house. Zip to Lynn's load up bikes, food, bathing suits, etc and we're off. About 20 of us rendezvous at Jeff's house, and gear up for the ride. Pumping up tires, loading water bottles, and spraying on the sunscreen.

Fave and Lynn, locked and loaded for the ride...

The country road we rode on was perfect, with some rolling hills, beautiful fields, and some crazy dog that runs out at you and threatens to bite your leg or rear tire. (I didn't get a picture of him...I was too busy pedalling like mad to get past him.) Most everyone turned around at the country store, while Lynn, Jeff, Coach Blake, Rick, Carlton and I rode another 3 miles out before turning around. The way back was tough, there was a headwind all the way back. I tried hard to keep in first Blake then Jeff's draft, but ended up getting dropped. I pedalled almost 15 miles back alone. Lynn, who also got dropped, graciously waited for me at the one light before our turn back onto a busy divided highway for the last 1/2 mile back to the ranch.

Back at Jeff's house, it was time to throw on the swim suits, jump in the pool, and crack open a beer. Husband Joe had driven out later that morning to drop the kids off before heading out with 5 other TriGirl s.o.'s (significant others) for 18 holes of golf. Maddy and Joey were happily frolicking in the pool, jumping off the diving board, and going down the slide. They didn't get out of the water until the thunder started at 6:30pm! Jeff and Denise outdid themselves with yummy burgers, dogs, and chicken--we feasted (and drank) the rest of the afternoon away.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

15 Years Ago Today...

Happy anniversary honey! I am one lucky girl.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Tagged by Marit

10 years ago I was....
Was that 1998? Let's see. Maddy was 1, Jim was 13. I just struck out on my own as a designer and was building up a client base. We took Maddy to Italy that summer for 2 weeks while Jim went to Texas to visit his grandparents.

5 years ago I was.....
2003... Joey was 4, Maddy was 6, Jim was 18. That summer Jim graduated from high school and we had a fun week at the beach with Joe's parents. I had just installed my showhouse room up in Maryland, which was featured on the cover of the Washington Post's Home section and later picked up for publication in a book on Brunschwig & Fils.

1 year ago I was.....
I had just finished my first 1/2 iron race, Eagleman, and headed to California with the family for some fun with the in-laws and attempt the Ride to Cure Diabetes in Sonoma. The wine-tasting was fun, the ride was not. The organizers were the same group that put on the Badlands Ultra Marathon, and they chose many of the same roads ridden in the Tour de California. Can you say brutal hills?! Our team coach's garmin recorded several hills w/ a 26% grade, one for over a mile. I had to replace my cleats afterwards since they were trashed from walking my bike up those hills. I only finished 85 of the 100 miles I wanted to ride, and I was on my bike for 9 1/2 hours! The rest of the summer I was taking a business class and working at an internship as part of my MFA requirements. It was a busy summer!

5 things on my to-do list today:
vacuum/dust LR/FR/DR
iron some pants
get my hair done (such a hardship...)
pick up food at farmers market
bike 3 hrs/run 1 hr

5 snacks I enjoy:
Triscuits and goat cheese
cottage cheese and pears
frozen Girl Scout Thin Mints
Salt and Pepper Kettle Chips
Peanut butter, chocolate, and banana smoothies

If I was a billionaire I would:
Fund diabetes research, and give to philanthropic organizations working to end third world issues of malaria, aids, and hunger; buy a house in Italy; travel more.

6 people I would want to have lunch with tomorrow:
Vanessa, Lynn, Heidi, Nelson Mandela, Lance Armstrong, and Natalie Merchant.

5 places I have lived:
Dacca, Bangladesh
Athens, Greece
Warsaw, Poland
Lusaka, Zambia
Beirut, Lebanon

5 jobs I have had:
Bakery girl (even had to wear a black/white maid outfit)
Biographic Analyst at the CIA (now I have to kill you)
Telecommunications Analyst for USAID project in Poland
Sales girl at Calico Corner
Interior Designer

Fave,
Tag, you're it!

Sunday, June 29, 2008

On Blue Ridge Rides, Beaches, and Races

Ok. So I've been AWOL. Hopefully this post will bring everyone up to date.

First up, our first Blue Ridge Parkway ride.
Many TriGirls, and some others, are signed up for a little 1/2 iron race in New Hampshire called "Timberman" this August. I believe the beautiful Susie Q is to blame for getting us all to sign up by saying something about being up there visiting family, thinking of doing it, and "who's in?" Apparently, not many TriGirls can pass that up. Add TriGirls sitting around a computer drinking wine and talking about races, and inevitably it'll turn into a frenzy of registering for at lease one race, right Deanna? New Hampshire is hilly, which in Coach Blake's world equals yummy.

In addition to our oh so fun Tuesday night hill rides with Coach Blake, he had lined up for us a series of three rides on Virginia's Blue Ridge Parkway. Ride #1 was June 21st (two Saturdays ago). On tap for us Timberman and IMFL folks, a 45 mile ride and running afterwards. The subsequent rides will all increase in milage. In chorus now can I hear you say, "YUMMY!"

This is a map and elevation profile of our milage. We park at mile 13, ride down to mile 0, back up to mile 23, then home to mile 13. (OK, I just did the math, and that's actually 46 miles.) If you go by the mapmyride elevations, we climbed over 2000 feet. Ironman Jeff drove an SUV full of girls and bikes (and some wine and beer) that day--I had been slated to drive, but I grabbed the opportunity to be a passenger instead. In addition to the two of us, there was Melissa, Deanna, and Lynn. As a group, there were 23 of us on the ride. The weather was absolutely perfect. Overcast and quite cool in the morning, which turned into blue skies and warm in the afternoon. Post ride, we feasted on hummus, pita chips, and beer before heading down the mountain for some great BBQ! The day in pics:

Beach week!
That Saturday while I was punishing my legs on the BRP, husband Joe packed up the kids and beach toys and headed to the new beach house in Sandbridge, just south of Virginia Beach. Sophie and I joined them on Sunday. It was a great week, doing a whole lotta nothing. Maybe I shouldn't say nothing, because over the course of the week I did install the new window treatments in the living room and dining room, get all the new furniture installed in the living room (and the nasty, frat-house looking sectional OUT), swam a bit, started and finished Pillars of the Earth, hung out with my sister and the kids, and went for a 2 hr bike ride.

What I didn't do was run. I know I'll pay for it this week, but it was hot. Like almost 100 by 10am hot. Which is ok when your A/C works, but the new A/C system we had to install two weeks ago still needed tweaking. Friday was spent dealing with the A/C man and finding more things to spend money on. Here are beach pics:

So that brings us to today, and the RACE!
When we pulled back into town yesterday, I noticed lots of people going over to the local tri shop, which is just up the street from me and remembered that today was the "I Love the Tavern" Sprint Tri. I realized that many of my usual training buddies had either done their long brick yesterday, or were racing this morning, leaving me high and dry to get a long brick workout done all by myself in sweltering temperatures. Not a fun prospect. Luckily they still had walk-up registrations available, so I signed up! On tap at 7am this morning, a 750m open water swim, 19 mile bike, and 5k trail run. Other than a crappy swim in 85 degree water, I think the race went really well. I passed more people on the bike than passed me (which I think is a first!), and was able to push pretty well on the run despite the rising temps. I finished in 1:51. I don't know what my splits were, but will post them when they're available. There was a good showing of TriGirl pink on the course, and I felt good about getting back into the swing of "race season." This was my first tri of the year! Can you believe that IMFL is just 4 months away???!!! Ack.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Dads, Grads, and Races

This past weekend was a good one: the kids finished school on Friday; I placed third in my age group in the 1 mile open water swim race on Saturday, and then had a good brick workout Sunday morning; and Joe got to throw out the first pitch at the Richmond Braves baseball game on Father's Day. As soon as I get pics from the swim, I'll post those. The rest of the weekend in pictures:

Maddy's 5th grade graduation/honors assembly.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Inspirational Women

This past weekend, two brave TriGirls finished the Chesapeake Bay 4.4 Mile Swim. My dear friend Heidi had finished the 4.4 mile swim a few years ago, and I remember from her experience that it was a very difficult, lonely, and potentially dangerous undertaking.

Deanna was one of the 9 girls that had finished IMFL just last November, and I watched her all last year work diligently on her training. She worked especially hard on her swimming, which I think she felt was her weakest discipline, and that work continued this year to great success.
Jonah has in my opinion always been a strong swimmer, but with two young children at home dedicating the time to this type of training is a big sacrifice. She was always there both for master's practices and TriGirl swims, plugging away in the "grind it out" lane.

I am honored to train and race with these women--who tackle such tough races with incredible grace and courage. Congratulations!

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Whew!

Just a quick update--about a dozen of us started yesterday's bike at about 6:30am in an effort to beat the heat. TriGirl Sharon put together a nice 30 mile loop, out on country roads with some welcome shady spots. I still had to work hard to keep up with Karen and Shelley, on their first bike ride post IMBrazil, and stay in their draft. Off the bike, many were leaving to run in shadier spots (if running at all). I dropped my cooler, plugged in the ipod, and took off. Having the fuel belt really helped--I had frozen the bottles filled w/Endura, and 10 minutes into the run they were drinkable. The schedule called for 8 miles, but running our regular loop of that distance would have included two really big, no-shade hills. Instead I opted to do the 6 mille loop and shady "nub," for a total of 7 1/4 miles. With two stops at the cooler to refuel and cool off, the run took me 1:15. Not blazing by any stretch, but I was just glad to have done almost all of the workout before the heat really settled in. Our record breaking high temp yesterday in Richmond--over 100!

MANY CONGRATULATIONS to Jen Harrison who placed in the top 10 of her age group at ITU worlds in Vancouver!!!

Friday, June 6, 2008

Heat Advisories

Joy of joys. At 6am tomorrow it will be in the mid 70s, with almost 90% humidity. By 9am, it's supposed to feel like 90 degrees, with almost 70% humidity. I went out and bought a fuel belt last night, and the little bottles are full of Endura and currently sitting in the freezer. I'm sure by the time we start the run, they'll be liquid again. I've got the cooler, clif shot blocks, and extra water ready to go. I'm hoping IronKateMonster is right and training in this crap makes us stronger (as long as it doesn't kill us)! Best wishes to those racing this weekend--at Eagleman and Vancouver, and especially to TriGirl40 and TriMom Jonah swimming the Chesapeake Bay 4.4 miler on Sunday! I wish you all cool(er) temps, gentle breezes, and a following current!

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Brick by Brick

...is how you get to Ironman. This weekend was my first weekend (long) brick workout since last October, when I biked 50 and ran 10 with TriGirl Lynn in her last pre-IMFL workout. I am not counting the indoor cycling/run workouts of early this year, why, I don't know. Outside workouts count differently in my mind; they're just different than riding inside and running outside. Maybe just I didn't have my trainer tight enough. But I digress...
I had done a track workout (again, my first in a long time) on Friday since I can't seem to get my lazy ass out of bed before 7am on Thursdays. So those TriGirl morning speed workouts at the Vita course aren't happening yet. I guess I should shout out to some of my fellow IMFL trainees and TriGirls, to arrange some carpool situation, or something, to really motivate me to get me out of bed. OK, I'm still digressing here....
So Saturday morning rolls around, my legs are tired, I'm tired since it's cheeks on seats at 7am or I ride/run alone. I was a good girl Friday night and came home from dinner with my grad school friends early, so I did get enough sleep and I've been eating copious amounts of food for two weeks now. But I just can't seem to keep up with my fellow Florida girls. A dropped chain at mile 23 didn't help. By mile 25 of 30, coach Blake catches up with me. "Keep your cadence at 90," he says. "But then I spin like mad and go nowhere," says I. "Easy work over sustained time," he counsels me. "But what good is that if I'm riding ALONE, miles behind my friends?" I ask. Coach Blake is good--he seems to know almost every TriGirl's A race, and what races she's done so far, and pretty much the right thing to say to get her to do what she needs to do. Have I told you that he's finished Ironman Lake Placid, the toughest IM course in North America? He has been where I doubt I could ever go--but he is able to instill a quiet calm and confidence in me that makes me think that maybe, just maybe, I could. "They've already done a half iron and a century ride this year, where your attention was rightly focused on graduating. Of course they're in better shape. But you WILL get there. Patience," is the gist of what he then said to me. So I put the damn bike into an easier gear, upped my cadence, and tried hard to spin my way back into the pack. Luckily I finished the ride just a couple of minutes behind my friends. Then it was time to run.
Have I said that summer has arrived in Richmond? That the temps the past couple of days have been in the high 80s, with some thick humidity, even at 9am? The run was going to be HOT, and we were supposed to do it in a negative split.
I've come to rely on dropping a cooler w/ water, ice, and sports drinks at about the halfway point in our 6 mile run loop out at West Creek (where we usually do our Saturday workouts). I'm so glad I planned ahead this weekend too. I've had water bottles and coolers stolen/taken on those long brick workouts--so I've labeled my litte red cooler for "TRIGIRLS ONLY--DO NOT REMOVE." Thank god for that red cooler. 2.5 and 5 miles into the run, the only thing that keeps me going is knowing I can pour cold water on my neck and stuff my bra with ice. Last summer it was a life saver, and Saturday was no different. As we look ahead to August, I'll be packing two coolers, so on 10-12 mile runs we can have a "water stop" at every 4 miles or so. We finished the run in a little over an hour, which included two water stops, and for me a sit in the grass (Love those quick-dry skorts!)
The good news from this week:

I've pretty much made it back to full training mode, including several bike/run workouts, without any knee issues. PT said that they will discharge me next week if I'm still pain free. I guess that means no more massages from Kent...but also no more dragging a 90lb sled down a corridor. I'll have to pick up strength training again at Maramarc instead, but I'll be in good company.
I need to keep up w/ yoga and my foam roller to keep those IT band issues at bay.
Time also to focus on getting in the pool at least 2-3 times per week to swim (lounging at our pool working on a tan apparently doesn't count. Damn.)
Our fearless Brazil folks are back stateside! Time to celebrate!

Finally, I'd like to congratulate all the TriGirls who finished their first triathlon, the Shady Grove Sprint this weekend! I wasn't able to be there to cheer them on (sleepovers and golfing husbands), but from what I hear all had a good time and raced well. To my blogger friend Marit, kudos to you too for your first post-injury ow swim. I hope it went well. And best wishes to Jen as she heads off this week to kick some butt at the ITU Worlds in Vancouver--you will rock!

Monday, May 26, 2008

Ironmen, yet again!

Many hearty congratulations to my Maramarc and TriGirl friends who completed Ironman Brazil this weekend! They endured a brutal swim, with some strong currents, and hillier than advertised run--and at least two of them PR'd. My very good friend, and usual training buddy, Lynn broke her first IM record by a hour and 40 minutes.

I am in awe of these people who trained all winter, riding mostly indoors on trainers. Their dedication, tenacity, and ability are such an inspiration to me, especially Karen, Shelley, Susie, and Lynn who had finished IMFL just 6 months earlier. I am so proud to train with them, and call them friends.

YOU GUYS ROCK! Love and many hugs,

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.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Graduation Weekend!

I am well and truly done. Graduated. It was a great weekend, despite all the stress and fun of the previous week. My in-laws came in Thursday night from California, and #1 son Jim was able to fly in from New Orleans, since he was back (relatively healthy) from Thailand. My uncle and aunt also came up from Williamsburg for the day on Saturday to represent the Cunningham side of the family! The only person missing was my sister...next time, Molly. There were 8 of 16 grad students that walked including me, so we were fairly well represented. How many people can say they processed to the Uulating Mummies? It is the School of the Arts, folks. This is the first time I've had my name called and walked across the stage (missed H.S. and undergrad graduations, and 1st master's at Georgetown was just a stand-up-you've graduated-sit-down affair) and I'm so glad I finally was able to hear my name called. Sorry for the fuzzy picture, but that was taken by Joey.

Later that evening, we all went to Can Can for dinner. Lots of wine, great company, and a chocolate peanut butter bomb for dessert. Joe was a dear and took the kids and his parents home, allowing me to continue the party for a couple more hours with fellow grad students Molly and Vanessa, and TriGirl Lynn. I was yet again sidelined for minor medical reasons over the weekend so I was unable to run the 10k planned on Sunday with my husband and father in law. This week I jump back into training, along with getting a few quiet days with my dog at our new beach house--(re)decorating, hanging drapes, and moving furniture.

Thank you all for your warm thoughts and support for Joey. He has bounced back from the seizure and was able to enjoy his time with the grandparents. I am so over medical problems and emergencies. Let's all pray that from here on out, our 2008 season is a healthy one! Congratulations to all those bloggers and friends who ran races over the weekend--come July I will be out there with you in body not just spirit--and best of luck to my TriGirl and Maramarc friends leaving this week for Ironman Brazil. You will rock!

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

My Man

Last night my youngest son Joey had a hypoglycemic seizure--his second. He was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes almost three years ago (June 10th) and has been on an insulin pump for the past two years. He is the most amazing kid--he can change out his insulin pod all by himself and is usually pretty good about giving himself his insulin "bolus" after eating. The first time he had a seizure, we were overseas--having taken the kids to Germany and Austria for Christmas and New Years. That was so scary, to be in a foreign country and not know the emergency procedures for something we'd never experienced. Luckily between Joe's German and the doctor's English, we made out ok. The hospital in Salzburg was great--the nurses took really good care of him and were very attentive. Our local hospital here was ok, but it felt like we had to really pipe up and make ourselves known when we needed something for Joey. I spent 7 hours in the ER with Joey, trying to sleep next to him in 1/2 hour shifts since they were keeping a close watch on his blood sugars. We are home now, and Joey is doing fine. He has been sleeping most of the morning, which is a common side effect after suffering a seizure.

In the past three years, we've done our share of fundraising for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, through their Walk for a Cure and Ride for a Cure. This year I'll be raising money through the Janus Charity Challenge, so I guess this is a good point to start the fundraising in earnest. To donate, please visit my fundraising page, and thank you!

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Komen Race Report (My name's not Paula...)

Happy Mother's Day! My beautiful kids made me breakfast (eggs benedict!), and my husband brought me coffee in bed. We've done cards and they bought me some nice beach house gifts, and all I have to do between now and our dinner reservation at 6 is to go for a bike ride with TriGirl Fave. I'd say it's shaping up to be a good day!

Maddy did great at the 5k yesterday! She and Joe ran together, but started pretty far back in the pack of over 9,000 runners and walkers. Since they seeded themselves so far back, they had to weave through lots of foot traffic, and ended up finishing in a little over 45 minutes. Maddy came across the finish line with a big smile on her face and seemed to have had a good time. Maddy agreed that Dad let her walk more than I would have, but she still enjoyed the whole day from putting on a race number through to having a medal placed around her neck! Joey said that next year he wants to run it too, so we'll make it a family affair. A coworker of Joe's took a picture of us at the finish line--I'll post it when I get a copy.

My race report is short. I didn't pr today, but did for the first two miles: 16 minutes. The last mile of the 5k would've been much better had I not had tummy issues. Mile 3 was 12 minutes, but that included a much needed potty stop. So, on to bigger things: next weekend is the Carytown 10k that I'll be running with my husband and father in law the day after graduation.

I blame my poor last mile on my lack of sleep. Friday night I was having stress dreams. I was nervous about saturday's run, but come on, it was just 3 miles and I don't have school work looming over my head.... As it turns out right after we got home from the 5k I got a call from an Air Force woman, whose first words were "We don't want you to worry but your son is ok..." BAD word choice, but I guess it's better than "Please sit down Mrs. Oliver, we have something to tell you." Cue the twighlight zone music. #1 Son Jim (who's 23 yrs old) is in Thailand for his annual two week National Guard duty, doing joint training w/ the thai army. Turns out he had to have an emergency appendectomy yesterday! With the time difference, I think that explains my stress dreams. Luckily Jim was able to get through to us right after the Air Force chick called. He was pretty groggy, but said the thai hospital was quite nice, and all the nurses and doctors were taking really good care of him. In a way it's a good thing this happened when it did--had he been at home in New Orleans, I'm not sure he would've gone to the doctor when he was puking and having abdominal pain. Heck, I don't think the kid even has health insurance, but since he was on active duty when it happened, the Army will pick up the tab! They'lll keep him in the hospital for 2-3 days and then decide whether or not he can serve out the rest of the tour at a desk job or be sent home. I hope to be able to get through to him tonight, which will be tomorrow morning in Thailand, and get an update on his condition.

Ah, kids.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Back in the Saddle

Yesterday I got on my bike for the first time in over a month, and rode outside for an hour in gorgeous weather. It was about 75 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, and breezy. Since April I've had my bike fit tweaked--Jim Miller, the PT who does most of the TriGirl bike fits, raised my seat by what felt like 5" (I think it was closer to 3cm). I have to unclip and almost jump off the seat to get my feet on the ground. Have you ever seen bikers stopped at an intersection, one shoe unclipped, but still w/ butt on seat, waiting to push off? Well, that won't be me. I forsee a couple of falls at a dead stop in my future. Did the revised fit help my power? Hard to tell...I think the bike portion is my weakest discipline and I always wish I had more mass in my thighs. I know I'm going to catch hell for that, but it's true. Jim said I have longer than average femurs, so my power on the bike will need to come from more than just my quads. My first ride outdoors always makes me think "what the hell am I doing?! I don't need to do xyz race..." I felt slow, like I was riding a tricycle, but I wasn't. Isn't it a law in triathlon that swanky equipment makes you fast? (I know the answer to that one!) Average pace: about 17 mph. Ideal pace: about 19 mph. Jen, consider this a goal.

Later that afternoon, Maddy and I went for another run. She averaged a 12 minute mile pace--3 miles in 34 minutes and that included just two short walks. Joe brought home our race packets today--one of the sponsors of the race is our local Ukrops grocery store chain. Instead of plastic race bags, they gave us pink reusable grocery bags. How smart is that?! I think Maddy's ready, bring on the Komen 5k!

Thursday, May 1, 2008

I'm Done!

This is me, just after my thesis defense yesterday, celebrating with a little bubbly in the studio.
The festivities continued at Vanessa's, where we sat on her porch and drank more bubbly. Joe, bearing roses, and the kids met me there and took me out to a nice dinner. This will be the weekend of celebrating--Friday night chez Oliver with the graduate class and professors, and Saturday in North Carolina cheering the 30 TriGirls kicking butt at the White Lake Half Iron race. Accomplishments this year: MFA, check. Still to come: IMFL.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Girls on the Run

My best friend Heidi volunteers for a great organization called Girls on the Run, which promotes healthy habits and builds self-esteem for pre-teen girls through running. Heidi has seen some girls conquer their self-doubt, weight issues, and bad eating habits through their coached running sessions. She helps a group of about 20 girls between the ages of 9 and 12 up in Northern Virginia, some of whom have never truly exercised in their life outside of PE class if even then. Last year their big race was a 5k, run on a COLD (below 20 with the windchill) February day.

Joe and I are trying to help Maddy find some kind of athletic endeavor that she enjoys--two years ago we tried swim team and softball to no avail, and she's been dancing ballet for over 3 years too but not really enjoying it. So now we're trying running. Today after getting home from school, Maddy asked if we could go for a mile run since she's signed up to run the Komen 5k with us in two weeks. (I know, we're a little late getting started on her training...) She and I suited up, and headed out with Sophie in tow. I guess I should say Sophie headed out with us in tow, that dog loves to run! The first 3/4 mile went so well, I changed our route to my regular 3 mile loop.

Maddy did great! We only walked 3 times, and she made it around the University of Richmond lake--a total of 7/10ths of a mile--without stopping in about 9 minutes. The 3 mile route includes some small hills, and is not the easiest for a purely beginning runner, but she almost ran the entire thing! I'm so proud of her. We talked about the 5k, and how she can walk through the water stops to catch her breath and drink some water or gatorade. She was glad to know she's not expected to run each and every step, and I'm glad she's realized she could cover the distance already. I asked if she would help me during IMFL, by running a bit with me to take my mind off things, and she promised she would. Now if I could only get her to stop being afraid of her bike, I'd have a new TriGirl for Grandison to coach!

Sunday, April 27, 2008

And now the exhaustion sets in

Tonight I made it back to Sunday evening TriGirl swim, and during our set of 10 x 100s I was feeling sluggish and very, very tired. I almost demoted myself to the slower lane, but stuck it out, knowing that it wasn't a high-milage (meter-age?) workout. We totalled just 1600 meters, but it felt like I had been swimming, or treading water, or drowning for weeks. I think it's the past few weeks catching up with me.

After my last post, I took a much needed breather and headed up to Northern VA to see friends and meet my friend's possible in-laws. Yet while the bulk of my project was finished, there still was so much to do: trying to print my boards was tedious and with every test print, something that needed fixing popped up. My thesis instructor asked me to tweak my watercolors, which I did on a couple of them, then I ran out of steam. Tuesday was my day to tackle my model, and for some stupid reason I decided to rebuild it from scratch--I was in the studio that night until 4:30 in the morning. Wednesday and Thursday were days devoted to printing my final boards, putting everything up at the gallery, and helping my classmates with their stuff (making models, redoing boards, hanging stuff, etc). I had hoped to take Friday as a day to pamper myself before the openning show with a pedicure or massage, but that didn't happen. I was able to start the partying a bit on Thursday since my training buddies were headed out for drinks. I met them at 3 Monkeys and promptly ordered two mojitos! Classmate Ginny met me there. See below. I guess I had martini's on the brain, thus the neon over my head.

Below is a picture at the gallery opening with husband Joe, and another with fellow TriGirl Maryjo:

Later that night, dancing till 2am (in 3" heels with NO knee issues, surprise surprise) with fellow grad students Veronica, Molly, and Vanessa. Don't ask about that guy on the right in the shot w/ Vanessa.
Tomorrow I will start working on my thesis book, which ideally I'd like to have finished by Wednesday when I defend. It isn't due until May 8th, but it would be nice to have this whole MFA thing ALL truly wrapped up this week. Lots of people have asked, "What next?" After catching up on sleep, putting my house back in working order, and maybe getting that massage, it's training, baby!

Saturday, April 19, 2008

The end is in sight!

Just a few minutes ago, I finished up my presentation boards, meaning all I have left to do this week is to tackle my model. That will still be a few days' work, but I feel I can breathe a little easier. Tomorrow will be a break, and tonight I'll go to bed at about 9pm (last night I was in the studio till 3:30am.) Maybe I'll even try to go for a run... Yey!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Four down, two to go...

TriGirl40 wanted to see some of my designs, so I figured since I have no training news to report (other than a 3 mi run today w/ no pain afterwards--making progress on that PT!) I'd post the watercolors I've finished to date for my thesis project presentation due April 25th. They still have some finessing, I just started working w/ this medium a couple of weeks ago...

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Sigh...of Relief

Yesterday's MRI showed a much thicker than normal ITB, and no meniscal issues. Yey! So, now let the healing begin. Yoga, PT, biking, swimming--all these are ok. Running, no. But maybe I can convince Kent and Michelle to let me "run" on the elliptical, even if it is boring as all get out.

Speaking of running, my friend Sarah ran today's Monument Ave 10k in my stead, and posted a new PR for me! My goal was to beat last years time, which she did by a whole minute, and I didn't even have to break a sweat. Thank you Sarah, and I'm so glad you had fun.

The remainder of the weekend will be spent hammering out my thesis project floor plan, and getting my Sketch-up model in good shape so next week I can start my renderings. I'll need to have 6-10 good drawings to include on my presentation boards, which go to the printer by the 16th or 17th at the very latest. I'll have a bit of a respite tonight: date night with Joe. The venue tonight is a black tie fundraiser to raise money for MMD (myotonic muscular dsytrophy) research. One of Joey's best friends and classmates lives with MMD, and like Joey's diabetes, it is an everyday, all day disease.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Not a pretty picture

This is my IT band. Nice, huh?

Are you a Tigger or an Eeyore?

My husband told me about this lecture last night, and today I watched the condensed version Randy Pausch gave on Oprah. It's long (11 mins), but very worthwhile.
http://www2.oprah.com/videochannel/videochannel_player.jhtml?video=1178&category=31
I hope to live my life as a T-I-double G-er!

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

The view from the sidelines

I've spent a lot of my life watching from the sidelines. In middle school, I was always one of the last girls asked to dance, and that was only because in the Mexican version of cotillion everyone (even the unpopular kids) had to dance. (For those that don't know, my family was living in Mexico at the time.) I've watched most sports from the bleachers and was usually picked last for a team in PE, never mind the fact that I didn't want to play much since I was deathly afraid of any sport requiring a ball. It wasn't until much later in life that I discovered that sports can be fun, and I can play/do some of them decently. I didn't start running until 2004, and I still have a hate/love relationship with it. (Read on.) But there's no denying that the view from the sidelines is never as good as it is from the floor or field.

Fast forward from middle school to this week. I have been diligent in my phyiscal therapy for IT band issues, putting up with various forms of torture that Kent and Michelle dispense with great enthusiasm. Among these: ice baths, foam rollers, the stick of pain (see photo),

Kent's thumbs, various rubber bands, monster walking, and "saddling up" to drag 90lbs on a sled sidestepping down a long hallway. I figured I was doing well, and I had followed their orders not to run for a while. I was a little nervous on the no running front, considering this weekend is the Monument Ave 10k. Last year I PR'd, with a 52:36. At the beginning of this year I was confident I could shave time off that--and was aiming to beat 50mins. So I decided on a trial run. Miles 1-3 felt great. Mile 4 and 4.5 not so good. Then I had to get to school. The four flights of stairs down from the parking garage were downright agony. Uh oh.

This morning I 'fessed up. Kent and Michelle scolded me. Dr. Cutter scolded me, then checked me out. My good knee had more swelling than the bad one, which was clicking in a certain place. He has since ordered an MRI, to make sure it's nothing worse. So now I wait. Luckily I'll have my answer on Friday--do I have worse meniscal issues, or just severe ITB issues? In the meantime, I'll try to be good company for Cyndi and Marit, two serious triathletes who are dealing with their own injury demons, and go cheer on the other TriGirls running this Saturday.

I found a great quote from Jon Kabat-Zinn, who wrote Wherever You Go, There You Are. "No one can listen to your body for you....To grow and heal, you have to take responsibility for listening to it yourself." Hear hear!