A few fellow TriGirls used to say they couldn't swim in the same lane as me. They thought I was one of the "fast" girls. Well, tonight proved them wrong. I had a hard time keeping up with them in the famed Lane o' Dread.
I blame the boobs (more drag, you know).
Coach Karen blames me. She pointed out that many of those now-speedy TriGirls had been showing up for master's quite often--a few even took semi-private lessons with her once a week as well--and had improved quite significantly. I on the other hand, really hadn't been in the water on a regular basis since, oh, September which means I haven't been improving. In March the TriGirls get back in the pool with coach Som (finisher of over 20 ironman races) or coach Annie two nights a week, in addition to the master's class. I think I better teach my husband to cook since it looks like I won't be around at dinner time. I'll be trying to earn back a slot in the Lane o' Dread.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Week in Review
All in all, it wasn't a bad week work-out wise. Swimming on Wednesday went really well. Our swim coach Karen (who won Ironman Canada in 2004) put a quick end to my sandbagging by assigning me to a faster lane. I was able to keep up with the other woman in the lane on the swim sets, but she kept lapping me on the 500m and 300m pull sets. Guess I need to build up my upper body strength again... But I'm not doing so hot on keeping up with the running--I only ran once during the week and paid for it this weekend. I didn't make it to the inaugural TriGirl run on Thursday morning (it was 20 degrees out). After yesterday's 9 miler my knee was hurting so bad I could hardly walk down stairs. Today it's much better, and I can walk around with no pain, but I'm wondering if I'm ramping up my milage too fast. I keep thinking about my physical therapist who worked with me after my ACL surgery. When I told her I had signed up for IMFL, she said it would be nice to see me more often!
I did meet my new TriGirl little sister, who was a real trooper on Saturday and spun with us for a good hour and a half, and then ran about 4 miles. Way to go, Kristen! I'm hoping I can help her develop her running (increasing endurance/distance) if she can reciprocate by getting me to those Thurs morning sessions.
I did meet my new TriGirl little sister, who was a real trooper on Saturday and spun with us for a good hour and a half, and then ran about 4 miles. Way to go, Kristen! I'm hoping I can help her develop her running (increasing endurance/distance) if she can reciprocate by getting me to those Thurs morning sessions.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Back in the Swing of Things (and getting my ass kicked)
Saturday was my first long workout since January. The two hour bike wasn't bad. The first 4 miles of the run weren't bad. I was trucking along, with various TriGirls and Maramarc folks for company at intervals along the way. Since it was supposed to be a negative split run, I tried to kick it in for the second half, and ended up totally bonking. I finished the 6 miles in 1:04, with mile 5 taking over 13 minutes. In chatting with coach Mark post run, he helped me realize that the Shamrock half marathon (in 4 weeks) will be a stretch for me, given that I've been sidelined since my surgery on January 16th. But he did help strategize how to approach the rest of my runs so I can at least show up confident that I can complete the distance. First and foremost, I need to build my next two long runs by 2 miles each time, patiently (read SLOWLY) banging out the first few miles to be able to kick it in for those last 2 and finish strong. Secondly, my midweek runs will be very important for building strength and intensity. Half-mile repeats, here I come. With hard work and perseverence, I'm hoping that this will put me in a good position to really race the Monument Ave 10k. I want to beat my 52:30 time from last year!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Vegas, Baby
I confess, I had never been to Vegas before. What a crazy town. People still drinking and gambling at 6am, over the top hotels, latinos handing out flyers advertising cheap prostitutes to anyone and everyone (even us stodgy married folk), expensive shopping for clothes you could only get away with wearing in Vegas, and great food.We ate very well, stayed at a great (and over the top) hotel, and walked walked and walked some more. That should make up for those 5oz of foie gras I ate at Bouchon. All in all, a very memorable, extended disco-mix birthday extravaganza! Now it's time to get back to work. I did make it back to swimming tonight, and while I'm no more bouyant than I was several weeks ago (contrary to popular opinion), it was nice to share a lane with my TriGirl friends and feel healthy again. On Saturday it's back to spinning and running. Ack!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Surprise!
Last night my husband surprised me with a 40th birthday party with my grad school and trigirl friends in attendence. Molly and Vanessa took me out for bday drinks while Joe and sundry friends prepped the house and organized the food. It was a wonderful way to celebrate, and I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful husband and great friends.Thank you all!
I was cleared to go back to spinning this week, and so had to this morning drag myself out of bed at 6:15 to get back on the workout wagon. It was painful at first to get into the groove, but at the end of the class, I was so glad I'd gone. Three weeks with no endorphins had made me a grumpy bear.
I guess turning 40 ain't so bad after all....
Friday, January 25, 2008
Spirit of the Triathlon
Last night, a group of TriGirls and some spouses (pardon me, man-candy) attended a special screening of the movie "The Spirit of the Marathon" that chronicles the journey of 6 athletes in their preparation for the 2006 Chicago Marathon. Two of them were elite, world-ranked runners, the rest ranged from Boston-qualifiers to novices just hoping to finish the distance. It was a very well-made documentary, inspirational in that it showed how marathon is such a unique event--one that is not just reserved for the gifted athlete.
Triathlons are the same way--even those famed Ironman events are open to anyone, from elite to joe-blow athletes, willing to put in the training and attempt the distance. Before I started triathlons in 2004, I assumed those events were for reserved for truly "serious" athletes, people that ate, slept, and breathed their sport. Over the past four years, the races I've participated in have included some rare athletic talent, but I'd say the great majority of racers were people like me, just out there to have fun and do their best.
Before 2004, it never occured to me that I could complete a triathlon or marathon--just signing up was a daunting thought. I considered myself in decent shape--I attended the occasional aerobics or body-shaping class, or spent the odd 30 minutes on an elliptical or stair-master machine. But my dear friend Heidi, herself a triathlete, put it in perspective for me, blatantly stating that my cholesterol level of 203 was not healthy and, oh by the way, my ass was getting fat. (My husband and I now refer to it as my frump-mom period.) Another friend in Richmond had finished a sprint tri the year before, so I latched on to the "if she can do it, so can I" mentality and signed up. Luckily for me, I was able to join a great training group and that summer finished my first sprint. One tri was all it took--I had so much fun during my first race, I couldn't imagine just stopping there.
Some of the things I love the most about my sport are the camaraderie of the transition area pre-race (minus the rare schmuck who takes up more than his fair share of space along the bike rack); the way total strangers greet each-other along the course with a "looking strong," "good job," "way to go;" how may pass the 20-something year old in front of you, only to get passed by the 60-year old behind you; and finally how everyone cheers the loudest for the last person into the finish chute (God knows it may be you one day!)
Triathlons are the same way--even those famed Ironman events are open to anyone, from elite to joe-blow athletes, willing to put in the training and attempt the distance. Before I started triathlons in 2004, I assumed those events were for reserved for truly "serious" athletes, people that ate, slept, and breathed their sport. Over the past four years, the races I've participated in have included some rare athletic talent, but I'd say the great majority of racers were people like me, just out there to have fun and do their best.
Before 2004, it never occured to me that I could complete a triathlon or marathon--just signing up was a daunting thought. I considered myself in decent shape--I attended the occasional aerobics or body-shaping class, or spent the odd 30 minutes on an elliptical or stair-master machine. But my dear friend Heidi, herself a triathlete, put it in perspective for me, blatantly stating that my cholesterol level of 203 was not healthy and, oh by the way, my ass was getting fat. (My husband and I now refer to it as my frump-mom period.) Another friend in Richmond had finished a sprint tri the year before, so I latched on to the "if she can do it, so can I" mentality and signed up. Luckily for me, I was able to join a great training group and that summer finished my first sprint. One tri was all it took--I had so much fun during my first race, I couldn't imagine just stopping there.
Some of the things I love the most about my sport are the camaraderie of the transition area pre-race (minus the rare schmuck who takes up more than his fair share of space along the bike rack); the way total strangers greet each-other along the course with a "looking strong," "good job," "way to go;" how may pass the 20-something year old in front of you, only to get passed by the 60-year old behind you; and finally how everyone cheers the loudest for the last person into the finish chute (God knows it may be you one day!)
Saturday, January 12, 2008
A Workout of a Different Kind...or Walking in New York
So I missed Thursday and Saturday spinning, but instead I walked (and ate and drank) my way through New York City with grad school friends Molly and Vanessa. My quads are still burning from yesterday--we spent the whole day walking through museums (Cooper Hewitt and MoMA), then some shopping on 5th Ave on the way home, and salsa dancing till 2am in the Village. It's a tough life, I know. This morning, from our balcony overlooking Central Park--see the picture--I watched what looked to be about 30,000 people run through the park in what had to be an organized road race. Had I
known, I would have packed my running shoes. (But honestly, I couldn't imagine running at 8:30 after getting to bed at 3!) It was an awesome early 40th birthday weekend. On to Vegas with the husband!Wednesday, January 9, 2008
"What is your Antarctica?"
The beautiful Susie Q sent out an intriguing post from Kristin Armstrong's blog about Lynne Cox's book, Swimming to Antartica, in which Armstrong asks her readers "What is your Antarctica?" http://milemarkers.runnersworld.com/2007/12/your-antarctica.htmlAs endurance athletes, we encounter pain in many forms, both physical and mental. There is the pain of pushing ourselves during our 1/2 mile repeats, the pain of tight IT bands, the pain of failing to conquer a longer distance race, and the pain of having to drag yourself out of a warm bed at 6 on a Saturday morning to face....more pain. There is also, like Fave's recent post, the happy pain of sore arms after conquering a particularly grueling weight training session, or in Susie's experience, the joyful pain of becoming an Ironman and qualifying for Boston both in the same week!
Maybe our coaches Mark and Ed are on to something (but don't tell them that): how we incorporate pain into our training is what makes us better athletes. Kristin says that in her experience, "resistance to pain is such an inhibitor to actually being in the moment (pain and all) and enduring" through long races such as a marathon. Since 2004 when I started running triathlons, I have struggled to meet my pain threshold and overcome it. I am more likely to back down, walk a bit, skip reps, or just pack it in and go home. As I go through this year, I'll have ample opportunity to meet that threshold--I hope I can cross it and learn to use it to build my strength, both mental and physical. TriGirl Shawn's fortune cookie said it all: "The pain you feel today will pay rewards in the future." We will PERSEVERE.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Back in the Water
Last night was my first night back (not as if I was ever a regular attendee) to Master's swimming at the Y, coached by John Pace. I had not been in the pool for a workout since, like August, and was wondering if I would remember how to swim, much less stay afloat. I plunked myself down in the slow lane and set off on the 300m warm up. What do you know?! I didn't drown, and actually kept a decent enough pace that when it came time to do the main set, John cut the intervals by 10 seconds.
I kept my 100m pace to an even 2:00 throughout the workout, feeling good that I didn't slow down towards the end. I thought I did just fine, so when I was leaving the workout and stopped to chat with John, he called me on the carpet for messing up the intervals. Oops. I guess next time I should wear goggles that don't fog up, in order to better see that clock. I also need to bring along my Tums since swimming laps gives me such bad heartburn, especially in the evening before I've eaten dinner. (Should we put this one down as wierdness #8?)
I kept my 100m pace to an even 2:00 throughout the workout, feeling good that I didn't slow down towards the end. I thought I did just fine, so when I was leaving the workout and stopped to chat with John, he called me on the carpet for messing up the intervals. Oops. I guess next time I should wear goggles that don't fog up, in order to better see that clock. I also need to bring along my Tums since swimming laps gives me such bad heartburn, especially in the evening before I've eaten dinner. (Should we put this one down as wierdness #8?)
Tag, I'm It
This post has absolutely nothing to do with Ironman training, but Fave tagged me to reveal seven weird things about myself. So, here they are:
- I too sort my M&Ms and Skittles by color before eating them, preferably in pairs.
- I always end up shirtless at indoor cycling. I understand from Lynn that this is becoming a topic of conversation at Maramarc, but hey, I get hot and sweaty and I don't like feeling like my skin can't breathe.
- I've always wished I could be 5'5"-6" tall. It's a chore finding trousers long enough, or men tall enough (I've only dated one man who was over 6' tall). Luckily my husband doesn't mind when I wear heels, but if we're having our picture taken, I still kick off my shoes and squat down a little bit so I don't appear to be too much of an Amazon looming over him.
- I hate big purses, and I can't understand what the hell women carry around in them. All you need is a wallet, Cell phone, keys, Carmex, a pen, and a jump drive which are the only contents of my purse. That said, I am breaking my own cardinal rule since my current purse is a
BIG zebra print thing that is quite empty--I bought it hoping it would be big enough to carry my laptop. - When I cook chili, I will either make vegetarian black bean chili or texas-style, all-meat chili. I can't stand the hamburger and kidney bean variety and I refuse to make it. Blame my mother for that one.
- I have been known to wear a hair scrotum (aka a snood), so named by the 6' man I dated. I've now owned that particular snood for almost 20 years and I can't bring myself to get rid of it, even though my husband hates it and wants to burn it.
- I am a bit fanatical about the way the dishwasher gets loaded. Blame my grandmother for that one.
Who is next? Susie Q?
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Resolutions
For the almost 15 years we've been together, my husband has always been the one to take time in the new year to set goals for himself personally and professionally, and review his accomplishment toward of the previous year's objectives (or lack thereof) in a very systematic way. I have never been so disciplined, but instead stuck to what until now have seemed pretty generic "life goals," such as "this year I want to get pregnant" (1996 and 1999), "this year I want to go back to school" (2006), or "this year I want to finish Eagleman" (2007). On the whole, I guess my resolutions were achieved without what seemed like an inordinate amount of work on my part: I guess you could call me fertile-Myrtle on the pregnancy front; I was pretty confident that I could get into grad school again; and training for Eagleman in good company and with good coaches made it possible for me to finish.
Now it's 2008 and I do have two major goals looming on the horizon for this year (thus the blog for one of them). However, I feel there are several important aspects of my life that could use some improvement. I hope that by declaring those goals here I will not lose sight of what's important in my pursuit of either my MFA or an M-dot tatoo. To it, they are:
Happy New Year!
Now it's 2008 and I do have two major goals looming on the horizon for this year (thus the blog for one of them). However, I feel there are several important aspects of my life that could use some improvement. I hope that by declaring those goals here I will not lose sight of what's important in my pursuit of either my MFA or an M-dot tatoo. To it, they are:
- To be a good friend, head cheerleader, and active listener to my husband, children, fellow grad students, and TriGirls. There is more of me I can give to them, despite the every day issues (school work, grocery shopping, etc) that can take over my life.
- Over the past year I have lost touch with or become distant from friends that don't fall into the "grad student" and "TriGirl" categories. Many of these women have seen me through some hard times and I miss them. I feel that I could lose their friendship entirely. I haven't figured out how to fix this yet, but it is something that bears working on.
- I have always been one to skate through school and still manage decent grades. The first half of this past semester was a bit of a wake up call on that front. This spring, I have the opportunity to push myself academically. Maintaining a light race schedule is only the first step, much harder will be to become more disciplined with my time in the studio.
- And finally, to apply myself more to my athletic training. Like the beautiful Susie Q, I need to take joy in what my body can accomplish, but also ask what more I can do. I need to face those workouts without whining and without complaint (which will take some of the fun out of it!), but with a serious sense of purpose and a "what can I learn from this?" attitude. Anything less and I may not earn that tatoo.
Happy New Year!
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
Light at the end of the tunnel
So, some of you might think I've been super lazy since my last post. I go and add a list of all my workouts, then bag on doing any of them for a whole seven days. Well, I've got some good excuses...which I need to take advantage of since this summer and fall there will be no excuses, good or otherwise. I handed in my end-of-semester thesis project on Tuesday and last night took my AutoCAD exam. Today I went to yoga, then hung my daughter's new drapes which I consider a stair master workout--up and down, up and down on a step ladder. I will be at spinning tomorrow morning (I promise!) for those yummy 1/2 mile repeats and such, after which it's time to buckle down and study for my last exam in Lighting Design on Monday. Also due that day are construction documents, and I'm done for the semester. Whew!
Christmas week we will be in Munich and Salzburg. I do plan on packing my running shoes--I'm hoping there are some good running trails through the Englischer Garten. Our return on the 1st will mean I have only 305 days left before IMFL....
Merry Christmas!
Christmas week we will be in Munich and Salzburg. I do plan on packing my running shoes--I'm hoping there are some good running trails through the Englischer Garten. Our return on the 1st will mean I have only 305 days left before IMFL....
Merry Christmas!
Monday, December 3, 2007
Looking Ahead
Now that indoor cycling (7am on Saturday mornings....ouch!) and weight training (M/W 6am) have begun, it's time to start preparations and planning for the coming year. That means actually dragging my sorry ass out of bed to get to said early morning workouts--I did miss weight training this morning, but only because the hubby is away on business and it's up to me to get the kids to school on time, clothed, fed, and lunch boxed. I'm putting off the Mon/Weds Masters swims at the Y until January, since school is in serious crunch mode right now. For running, we have the fun TriGirl sponsored Christmas light tour on tap, but then nothing organized outside of training until the Frostbite 15k some time in mid January. (Last year I ended up sleeping in through that one too...can you spot a trend?) So far I've registered for or am planning to do the following races:
Somewhere in there will be the Maymont 1/2 marathon and possibly the olympic distance Patriot race in Williamsburg in September. At first glance it doesn't look like much, and there is a loooong break between the May races and Timberman (Greece, here I come!), but I'm sure there will be more races thrown into the mix as they open up for registration and I won't be lazing around. I've added another list to the blog, listing my workouts, which is an idea taken from several other Iron(wo)men TG's in an effort to keep me honest and compel me to attend more of those early morning sessions.
- Frostbite 15k
- Monument Ave 10k (I hope this is the year I break 50mins--2:30 faster than last year)
- Smith Mountain Lake Sprint (I had such a good time last year, I'll squeeze training for it into the thesis madness)
- Columbia (I may not be able to do this one since it is scheduled for the day after both my and my son's commencements--knock on wood that we both graduate)
- Timberman 70.3 in August (with 13 other TGs in beautiful New Hampshire)
- Ironman Florida in November
Somewhere in there will be the Maymont 1/2 marathon and possibly the olympic distance Patriot race in Williamsburg in September. At first glance it doesn't look like much, and there is a loooong break between the May races and Timberman (Greece, here I come!), but I'm sure there will be more races thrown into the mix as they open up for registration and I won't be lazing around. I've added another list to the blog, listing my workouts, which is an idea taken from several other Iron(wo)men TG's in an effort to keep me honest and compel me to attend more of those early morning sessions.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Trotting with Turkeys and TriGirls
This is the view of the lake at the University of Richmond before yesterday's Turkey Trot, the Richmond Roa
drunner's annual 10k on Thanksgiving morning. It is a challenging run, with lots of hills and some trail cut-throughs that can turn ankles. Yet when all is said and done, you really feel like you've earned your pumpkin pie--and then some! The weather as you can see was perfect: it was cool in the morning, but warmed up to the mid 70s by midday.
drunner's annual 10k on Thanksgiving morning. It is a challenging run, with lots of hills and some trail cut-throughs that can turn ankles. Yet when all is said and done, you really feel like you've earned your pumpkin pie--and then some! The weather as you can see was perfect: it was cool in the morning, but warmed up to the mid 70s by midday.The race is getting quite large--this year they capped registration at 1,000 runners which included almost a dozen TriGirls, a couple Maramarc guys, various friends, and my husband and son. Of course, there are always a few runners who show up in turkey costumes and it's always a matter of pride to be able to beat the them! I ran the almost the whole race with my son, but on the last hill he got a bad stitch. My husband ran a good race and would've finished before me, but he was kind enough to stop and run in with #1 son for the last 3/10 mile. I didn't PR, but was happy to finish just over an hour. Post race, the TriGirls gathered at my car, which has now been dubbed the TRIgirl Booze Wagon, and enjoyed post-race glogg, mimosas, and Wild Turkey.
It is such a joy to share a small part of the holiday with my fellow TriGirls. I am so blessed to have them in my life--through our shared blood, sweat, and tears they have become my sorority sisters, women who will be my friends for many years to come. The support they have given me over the past 4 years has seen me through some hard times. Thank you girls, for everything!
Friday, November 16, 2007
My Bigger Bowl
Back in July, Blogger IM Training posted the following:
"In a world that believed in the limitations of man, Roger Bannister dared to imagine. He imagined that he could run a sub-4 minute mile, a feat that was far beyond the collective imagination of the time. Yet once he stretched beyond these mindless limitations and broke the 4-minute barrier, the floodgates of imagination were let loose. Just as suddenly, many others dared to imagine within the expanded Bannister walls. And just as quickly, dozens of others ran faster than a 4 minute mile.
As triathletes, it is up to us to challenge ourselves and stretch the limits of our minds. As we do, so our bodies will follow.In a funny way we are like goldfish – we will always expand to the size of our bowl. No matter how big the challenge set before us, we will find a way to succeed.
Think you can’t do an Ironman?I think you are wrong.Buy a bigger bowl.Dare to dream. Dare to peek outside the confines of your imagination. Stretch out your arm and put your hand through the fire. Grab hold of the other side and pull yourself through.
I promise, you won’t get burned."
At that point, I had just DNF'd in my second 1/2 Iron race--succumbing to heat and the "I'm not having any fun" blues. I told my husband to shoot me if I ever signed up for a full iron race. The following few days were tough: I hated myself for wimping out. I could have finished that race, and I should have finished it. Talk about leaving a bad taste in your mouth. My thesis professor told me, "Well, now that you know how if feels, you'll never do that again," and I hope he's right.
I am waking up every morning thinking, "Holy crap, what am I doing?" That bigger fishbowl just cost me $450, but I'm going to try my best to grow into it.
"In a world that believed in the limitations of man, Roger Bannister dared to imagine. He imagined that he could run a sub-4 minute mile, a feat that was far beyond the collective imagination of the time. Yet once he stretched beyond these mindless limitations and broke the 4-minute barrier, the floodgates of imagination were let loose. Just as suddenly, many others dared to imagine within the expanded Bannister walls. And just as quickly, dozens of others ran faster than a 4 minute mile.
As triathletes, it is up to us to challenge ourselves and stretch the limits of our minds. As we do, so our bodies will follow.In a funny way we are like goldfish – we will always expand to the size of our bowl. No matter how big the challenge set before us, we will find a way to succeed.
Think you can’t do an Ironman?I think you are wrong.Buy a bigger bowl.Dare to dream. Dare to peek outside the confines of your imagination. Stretch out your arm and put your hand through the fire. Grab hold of the other side and pull yourself through.
I promise, you won’t get burned."
At that point, I had just DNF'd in my second 1/2 Iron race--succumbing to heat and the "I'm not having any fun" blues. I told my husband to shoot me if I ever signed up for a full iron race. The following few days were tough: I hated myself for wimping out. I could have finished that race, and I should have finished it. Talk about leaving a bad taste in your mouth. My thesis professor told me, "Well, now that you know how if feels, you'll never do that again," and I hope he's right.
I am waking up every morning thinking, "Holy crap, what am I doing?" That bigger fishbowl just cost me $450, but I'm going to try my best to grow into it.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
The Day after a Marathon...
Posted by Grandison, but oh so true!
http://www.realbuzz.com/en-gb/Your_pictures_and_videos/index?pageID=3174&ht_do=view&id=130
http://www.realbuzz.com/en-gb/Your_pictures_and_videos/index?pageID=3174&ht_do=view&id=130
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Ironman Florida
Wow. What an amazing experience. Now I totally get it.
Those TriGirls did such a fantastic job--all 9 of my friends finished, some in under 14 hours which I think is incredible for a first time Ironman.
I volunteered in body marking, so it was an early morning for me too--up at 4am, and we didn't get home until after 1am. Man was I tired, and I hadn't even biked or run. I did, however, do umpteen squats. In the morning at body-marking, I was positioned in the 43-44 year old men's section, which wasn't such a hardship! What legs those guys have, and thank goodness most of them shaved.
I also worked from 1-5:30 pm in the women's changing tent, helping all the age-groupers get ready for their marathon. The job entailed becoming many things: head cheerleader, medical screener, coach, friend, and general sherpa. "What do you need?" or "How can I help?" were always my first questions to each woman. All were very grateful for my help, which I felt so good about. I also got to take care of all 10 TriGirls and gave them all big hugs on their way out the door. Carmen made it in with 10 minutes to spare before the bike cut-off. She seemed ready to throw in the towel, but I hustled her out of there before she could think twice about quitting. I did tell several women, who weren't looking forward to the run, that it would hurt more in the long run to quit than to see it through. They all agreed!
I was glad for that unique view (as a non-ironman) to see what it's like for them as they face a whole marathon after just having biked 112 miles. Seeing every last one of those women get out on the run course, whether they finished it or not, helped me realize that if they could do it, so could I. So, of course I signed up for next year! I'm not sure my husband is totally ecstatic about the idea, but I think he's become resigned to it. Whenever I talked to him over the weekend, I would gush on an on about how amazing it was to watch. I'll finish up school, and put off serious job searches until the following year to give me flexibility and time to train.
Now, on to the marathon. I think I should be able to punch out a short little marathon, after what those girls showed me what they could do! Ha!
Those TriGirls did such a fantastic job--all 9 of my friends finished, some in under 14 hours which I think is incredible for a first time Ironman.
I volunteered in body marking, so it was an early morning for me too--up at 4am, and we didn't get home until after 1am. Man was I tired, and I hadn't even biked or run. I did, however, do umpteen squats. In the morning at body-marking, I was positioned in the 43-44 year old men's section, which wasn't such a hardship! What legs those guys have, and thank goodness most of them shaved.
I also worked from 1-5:30 pm in the women's changing tent, helping all the age-groupers get ready for their marathon. The job entailed becoming many things: head cheerleader, medical screener, coach, friend, and general sherpa. "What do you need?" or "How can I help?" were always my first questions to each woman. All were very grateful for my help, which I felt so good about. I also got to take care of all 10 TriGirls and gave them all big hugs on their way out the door. Carmen made it in with 10 minutes to spare before the bike cut-off. She seemed ready to throw in the towel, but I hustled her out of there before she could think twice about quitting. I did tell several women, who weren't looking forward to the run, that it would hurt more in the long run to quit than to see it through. They all agreed!
I was glad for that unique view (as a non-ironman) to see what it's like for them as they face a whole marathon after just having biked 112 miles. Seeing every last one of those women get out on the run course, whether they finished it or not, helped me realize that if they could do it, so could I. So, of course I signed up for next year! I'm not sure my husband is totally ecstatic about the idea, but I think he's become resigned to it. Whenever I talked to him over the weekend, I would gush on an on about how amazing it was to watch. I'll finish up school, and put off serious job searches until the following year to give me flexibility and time to train.
Now, on to the marathon. I think I should be able to punch out a short little marathon, after what those girls showed me what they could do! Ha!
And they're off!
Yesterday I ran the Richmond Marathon, my second. Last year I ran with several trigirl friends, and we all did well to hang together until about mile 13. At which point, I bonked. Granted it was 80 degrees out, and I wasn't keeping up with my nutrition or hydration. When my husband met me at mile 20, I was so ready to quit. He talked me through the next two miles, walking most of the way and then I got serious. "Just 4 more miles till I see my kids...just 3 more miles till I see my kids..." The mantra worked, and I finished in 5:16. My friends, most with at least one other marathon under their belts, had finished before me.
This year, the weather was blessedly colder--the high was 48 degrees--and somewhat breezy, but overall good for running. This year was spent training for two 1/2 iron distance races, and going into my taper for the marathon, I felt much stronger. I missed my long taper run last weekend, having been up on Saturday from 4am till 1am watching my friends finish their first Ironman in Florida, and Sunday travelling home. Then this past week, I got sick. Head cold/sinus infection. Yuck.
Friday I talked to my coach, Grandison, about if I should bag the marathon, switch to the 8k race, or just show up and take it mile by mile. I didn't want to miss my last big race of the year, and hell, I had put in all the training. She advised me to show up and take it mile by mile. Which I did. I started out running the first 5-6 miles with Maria, a running buddy of one of my friends from grad school, keeping a steady 10:15 pace. She took off down the hill at mile 7, and I hung back, in an attempt to conserve my legs. After a quick potty stop at mile 9.5, it was back on the road. At mile 13 my friend Mindy and her mom were waiting to cheer me on, and give me hugs. Mile 15 takes runners across the Lee Bridge, and the wind had picked up considerably. I found a big guy to draft behind--he thought I was nuts running literally on his heels, but it helped keep me warm and broke the wind. At mile 17, some TriGirls were waiting--it was so good to see them. TriGirl 40 gave me some love, and that saw me through to mile 22, where my husband was waiting to run me in. What a welcome sight--thank you honey!
This year, the weather was blessedly colder--the high was 48 degrees--and somewhat breezy, but overall good for running. This year was spent training for two 1/2 iron distance races, and going into my taper for the marathon, I felt much stronger. I missed my long taper run last weekend, having been up on Saturday from 4am till 1am watching my friends finish their first Ironman in Florida, and Sunday travelling home. Then this past week, I got sick. Head cold/sinus infection. Yuck.
Friday I talked to my coach, Grandison, about if I should bag the marathon, switch to the 8k race, or just show up and take it mile by mile. I didn't want to miss my last big race of the year, and hell, I had put in all the training. She advised me to show up and take it mile by mile. Which I did. I started out running the first 5-6 miles with Maria, a running buddy of one of my friends from grad school, keeping a steady 10:15 pace. She took off down the hill at mile 7, and I hung back, in an attempt to conserve my legs. After a quick potty stop at mile 9.5, it was back on the road. At mile 13 my friend Mindy and her mom were waiting to cheer me on, and give me hugs. Mile 15 takes runners across the Lee Bridge, and the wind had picked up considerably. I found a big guy to draft behind--he thought I was nuts running literally on his heels, but it helped keep me warm and broke the wind. At mile 17, some TriGirls were waiting--it was so good to see them. TriGirl 40 gave me some love, and that saw me through to mile 22, where my husband was waiting to run me in. What a welcome sight--thank you honey!
I had made it much farther without walking than last year, and I was on track to finish close to my goal of 4:45. I passed two more TriGirl cheerleaders, and hit mile 23. At that point, I cranked up my ipod, found some good tunes, and dug in for the last 5k. I passed Maria at mile 25 and kicked it in for the last mile. Thank god for Avril Lavigne ("hey, you, I don't like your girlfriend..."); the song set a great pace and I sprinted in that last mile finishing in 4:51--25 minutes better than last year.
My splits:
13.1 miles--2:25
20 miles--3:44
26.2 miles--4:51:12
My splits:
13.1 miles--2:25
20 miles--3:44
26.2 miles--4:51:12
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)