Back to being me

This week I go back to my regular training that includes swimming, biking, running, strength training, yoga, and stretching.

I couldn't be happier. I put in alot of running miles over the past 5 months. Running is my focus this year, so I should be running more.

But I was running a SICK amount in order to train for the 50k.

Now, I can step back and incorporate swimming and biking into my training schedule.

I started TODAY with a recovery swim of about 700m. There are few things I enjoy as much as an easy swim after a race. Just LOVE.IT.

Tomorrow I'm doing one-leg drills on the bike and an hour of core work.

That leads me to Elephant Rock. Once again, I'm doing this bike tour, and I will be undertrained. Once again, it will probably hurt.

As long as it hurts less than previous years, I'm good. It's 62 miles. One of those distances where I think to myself "Oh just get through it. It's a couple of hours of nice easy climbs....except for that part where it's hard."

COME'ON....GIMME A LITTLE HTFU

It's the easiest bike tour in the state....I think.

If I can't get through this, then I don't deserve to own my SWEET beast.

I guess this is my way of warning you that I'll be writing a "race" report, but this time, it might be quite enjoyable cuz there WILL BE PICTURES!

This year, I'm actually going to TAKE pictures along the route. The section as we ride up towards Pike Peak as the sun rises is just too beautiful for me to keep to myself. So, I will stop along the route to smell the flowers....so to speak.

Besides, I have to do it.

The Sunrise Century is in July. and THAT, my friends, is a DOOZY in the most technical of terms.....climbing to 9000ft....with my limited amount of bike time, scares me.

So Elephant Rock is the "Get your butt in the saddle" ride. After which, I WILL get my butt in the saddle, riding up through Boulder to the Peak to Peak Highway, getting ready for Sunrise.

I'm BACK in the saddle people! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

How I got my ass kicked, Part 2

I did not get my course pr. But, I'm not in the least bit upset about it. We can either say it was my 3rd slowest half marathon or my 4th fastest. Either is ok with me.

I knew it was a long shot, but I figured that I'd put a positive spin on it and hope for the best.

Here is the quick synopsis.

It was a beautiful morning. After a week of snow and rain, this morning was perfect. Two days before the race, I'd stopped loading. This morning, I felt great. I'd slept well, etc.

Race start. I met some really great women who were also running solo (no fan club cheering at the finish).

I should probably explain this....Mike and the boys stopped going to my running races a long time ago. It's different than a tri where they can see me throughout the race. As far as I'm concerned, there's no reason for them to wake up early just to sit around for a couple of hours. But that doesn't mean that they don't take an interest (see previous day's post).

Anyhooo, we all chatted, shivering (it was in the 30's).

The race starts. I'm plodding along at my conservative pace. It takes me awhile to warm up, but I'm doing my thing.

Up to 6 miles, I do exactly what I'm supposed to do. I circle around, ready to make my move. (This is where I was supposed to turn it up).

I hit the gas.

The engine didn't do anything.

I tried turning the key again. I got nothing. At mile 7, I think to myself "Well, I guess NOT doing my long runs was a bad idea. So.....here's how it's going to go: this is probably going to hurt but if you can just hold this new improved SLOWER pace for the remaining 5 miles, we'll call it a day. Sound good?"

Of course it sounds good, I mean, it's an out and back half marathon. What else am I going to do?

So, I'm da-dee-da'ing down the course.

I get to mile 10, and it hits me. Call it an epiphany if you like, but IT hit me like a truck!

I am a great swimmer....seriously....I'm THAT good.

I am a really good cyclist....seriously....I should get the most improved award.

But DAAAAAAAMN I SUCK AT RUNNING.

And that's ok. Well, maybe it wouldn't be ok if I only ran. But I don't.

I'm a triathlete. A triatlete who is always 1st or 2nd out of the water. A triathlete who can hold her own on the bike. A triathlete who get's passed on the run.

And y'know what? I'm ok with that.

With that thought on my mind, I come up to mile 11. I start chuckling to myself.

2 miles left. I'm slogging along.

Then I see the "street"....the one that once I cross, there's only .5 miles left.

My mind says "Let's KICK IT!"

My body keeps plodding.

I see the camera man. I try really hard to NOT smile and NOT scare the children. Come on, just ONCE can I get a decent race picture? I try to pretend that I don't see him.....and almost run RIGHT into him.

It can't get any better than taking out the camera man.

I run through the finish with whatever I have left. I cross the finish smiling knowing that although I probably would have liked to, I didn't quit.

But that wasn't the best part of the day.

The best part was the BBQ! Mmmm-mmmm-good. I hung out. Watched the men's and women's marathoners finish, listened to the band and decided to head home.

When I got to the car, I looked at my medal. It's really the World's Ugliest Finisher's medal. But I held it up and knew that when I got home I'd write my finish time on it and place it in the carved wooden box that Mike and the boys got for me over 10 years ago.

That's the irony.

I write my finish times down because I rarely remember them. I don't remember swim times, transition times, run times, etc. But I can tell you what I had to overcome just to be standing at the start line.

Crossing the finish line just makes it that much sweeter.

How I got my ass kicked.

All week, I've been looking forward to Saturday. Then, late last night, Saturday had the potential to become an even BETTER day....when (as much as I love watching Jman play baseball) the baseball tournament was canceled.

I was overjoyed at the thought of sleeping in, hanging out, doing nothing physical....not even thinking of being active.

I'm gonna sit right here in my reading chair and read my book and drink iced tea and do NOTHING.

Yesterday I went to packet pick up.

Saturday is the limbo day. The day of nothing.

Quite satisfied that I was going to be able to veg out, I fell into a deep sleep last night...almost dreamless, except for the one where I got my course pr.

As far as dreams go, I usually dream about not making the start or getting lost in transition, or various race dreams that seem to undo all the good that training has done.

So, I'll take a pr dream. BUT THAT was going to be the last bit of thinking about the race (that I was going to do) until Sunday at the butt crack of dawn when I have to get up.

Saturday morning, arrives.....ahhhhhh.....I awake around 10am; I make coffee, have a wonderful breakfast. No one else is up, so I begin my reading.

Around 11, the rest of the house wakes up. I continue reading as Jman, Googs, and Mr. Tea start making breakfast. I don't think there is a better aroma than the smell of fresh coffee and breakfast cooking.

Ah......

My ears begin to focus in on the conversation.

I hear "strategy"....."water".....and I realize that the conversation had turned to ME.

That's when I look up to see three pairs of eyes staring at me.

Mr. Tea: So, what's your race day strategy. We really need to talk about this.

Me: I....er....uh....

Jman: where are the water stations? How much gu are you bringing?

Googs: Do you know how you're running this race?

Me: I....um....really just want the bbq at the end. I miss it every year.

Mr. Tea: You really need to have your strategy worked out. tomorrow is the race.

Me: yea, well....I haven't really decided if I want to carry my water bottle or not.

JMan: That's something you need to decided. You can't wait until the last minute. How far apart are the stations?

Me: Two miles. But I remember something weird about them last year, like they weren't where they were supposed to be...??

Jman: You need to carry your water bottle. You don't want to be in the situation where you need water and the station is mismarked. Or what if you need an extra gu? Every 3 miles means that you might run out of gas at mile 12. You don't want to run out of gas at mile 12.

Mr. Tea: Ok, that's decided. You're carrying water.

Googs: What's the route like? How are you going to run it. Didn't you go out too hard last year?

Me: yea, I did. It's pretty flat as far as denver goes. But it's 6.5 up and 6.5 down. Last year, I went out too hard with the incline. I should be more conservative this year and be patient. This way on the down, I can really kick it.

Googs: Yea. You definitely want to be conservative. This isn't a 5k.

Mr. Tea: Ok, what else? You're carrying water, gu every 3 miles, go out conservatively.

Me: And I'm getting bbq at the end.

Mr. Tea: And bbq at the end. Now don't you feel better about the race? Now you have a plan.

Me: Yea....


With that, I am now set to enjoy the rest of my day, knowing that everyone feels good about the race and the plan "we" have set.

Really what it comes down to is.....getting to the foodline as fast as possible.

Here we go

Part 1 is here.

I have a half marathon on Sunday. It's my first of 3, and my goal is to have a course PR.

My speed workouts have been excellent.

My distance runs, not.so.much.

I'm excited. I love running half marathons.

13.1 miles of going as hard as I can.

I wish I could say that I am ready to knock that PR out of the park.

I.feel.ready.

I feel strong.

I feel fast.

But am I?

Block out the discomfort.

Keep moving forward.

Don't doubt myself.

Stick to my plan.

Focus on the person in front of me.

Pick them off one at a time.

Until I can't go any faster.

Then, hold that speed.

Running a half marathon is easy, right?

Go as fast as you can for 13.1 miles....

piece o' cake.

Product Review: Recover03

I haven't done a product review in several years. I decided to do one on the new Gatorade Recover 03 for a couple of reasons.

I have tried every product under the sun and have not found a recovery drink that does not upset my stomach. I've always thought it was funny that I can eat/drink anything on the run but as soon as I stop, I bloat up so much that I can almost float off into the sky.

In fact, I have checked content of those pre-mixed drinks, powders, every chocolate milk out there, slimfast, ensure...you name it-I've tried it...and I have been unable to figure out what is causing this problem.

That means I am always in the market for something new.

We all know that the first 30 minutes after a workout are critical to replacing nutrients.

I've seen the commercials for the Gatorade 1-2-3 products. Heck, if it works for Peyton Manning it should work for me, right?

I went up to the store. All Gatorade products were on sale....I mean really on sale. So, I thought "What the heck? I'll try it".

I checked the content of the Gatorade 01. It's basically a GU in juice form. I didn't bother even buying it because I am very happy with my AccelGel. I don't have any issues with consistency.

As for Gatorade 02: Well, it's Gatorade. You either love it or hate.

Basically, I'm saying do what you will with Gatorade 01 & 02.

However, the Gatorade 03 Recover drink might be something for you to try if you have any of the problems that I've had.

Let me give you the nutritional content first:
Calories: 130 for the 16.9 oz bottle.
Fat: 0
Sodium: 250mg
Potassium: 95mg
Carbs: 14g
Sugars: 12g
Protein: 16 (whey protein)

My first thought was that for an endurance workout, the carbohydrates were a little low. But, if it works, I can have a banana with it.

The first flavor that I tried was Mixed Berry. Now, honestly, I'm not a *berry* person. So, the first swig was a little overwhelming. However, I drank the bottle down in a few minutes. I noticed that I didn't have that bloating feeling. (It normals strikes immediately).

I took the drink after a 7 mile tempo run. It wasn't an extreme distance by any stretch of the imagination, but it was a tough workout.

For me, the experiment was a success. After having the drink, I didn't feel drained or as though I lacked any energy. Once I got home, I followed the drink with a banana to make up for the lack of carbohydrates.

Overall, I was impressed. I am going to use Gatorade Recover 03 again. Even though the Mixed berry was just "ok", not having stomach issues makes it well worth it for me. Next I'll try the lemon-lime.

To balance out my positive review, my son played basketball and had the lemon lime as his post-workout drink. He wasn't all that crazy about it and is going to stick with his drink. Then again, he didn't have the problems his crazy mom has.

Take my review and do with it what you will.

I'm sold and will be buying Gatorade Recover 03 again.

The 5 year plan

It's hard to believe, but I'm in my 3rd year of my 5 year training cycle.

What 5 year plan? You ask.

In 2008, I put alot of thought into how I wanted future races to look. I took a hard look at my strengths and weaknesses.

At that time, I didn't know if I would do another Ironman race, but I knew that 70.3's were something that I enjoyed.

So, my 5 year plan was goal focused and not race focused. This would allow me to do some different things while also working toward my yearly goals.

In 2008, I worked on my swim muscular endurance, or going hard for a long distance.

In 2009, I worked on my bike endurance & climbing.

This year, I am focused on my running speed/endurance at the half marathon distance. That means, no tri's for me this year.

During the past three years, these goals have (obviously) not been worked on exclusively but having a primary goal for a year gave me the ability to focus more on my limiters, than I have in the past.

In 2011, as long as I don't change my mind, I am going to do Ironman Boulder. It's a 70.3 in August and give me the opportunity to race in better weather than I have in previous years. Quite honestly, I am tired of doing half-irons in terrible weather ranging from record cold water and air temps, getting pelted by hail, & fighting 35mph winds.

The 70.3 is hard enough, and I've done 3 of them in horrible conditions. (Yea, remember my HM race reports? Screaming at the sky. I'm sorry for the RD, but I just can't go back. There are too many choices...yea, I know it's in my backyard but that only gets you so much).

But IM Boulder? Did I mention that I can ride the route every weekend?

August is a very nice (albeit hot) month in Colorado. Hot I can handle. Boulder will be almost perfect timing when my training volumes begin to increase Spring snowstorms will be over and fall will be a few weeks away.

Also, I get to take part in the dip n dashes throughout the summer as prep for the race.

Let's review:
1.) Weather
2.) Location
3.) Date
4.) Training races

What's not to love?

Unless of course, I change my mind.

That will be year 4.

Year 5 of my plan (unless I change my mind) means...sigh....another Ironman. Sigh as in I think it's time not as in Everyone's doing it so I have to....

Year 5: 2012....One son in college, one almost done with high school.
That level of responsibility really changes things.

Unless you've been there, it's hard to explain the sacrifice Ironman training takes. Getting up at 3am to do a 4000m swim and 3 hour bike before baseball/basketball/football games, it almost put me over the edge last time. (Not to mention having to go to work). And that was just sacrifice on my side....Mike and the boy's (during Iron weekends) spent the entire weekends only really seeing me for dinner on Saturday & Sunday nights. On non-iron weekends (ie regular training), I was just tired all the time.

Again, it's a timing issue. My 5 year plan peaking with an Ironman race. It wasn't intended, but everything just kinda fell into place.

Those always seem to be the best kinds of plans.

My race of Choice is currently Redman; however Vineman is the close 2nd. A July race versus a September race.

****
Unless, I change my mind.

The butt of jokes

For years, I was the one who was always the butt of the jokes in the family.

I was the one who brought my own meals to barbeques and holidays, turned down cakes and pies and ice cream and chips and candy and cookies at family events. I come from one of thoe traditional Irish catholic families....so there were ALOT of family events....mostly because there were ALOT of family members. Just in June, we have over 8 birthdays. Just in JUNE. Of course, everyone has to have their own party.

Being the OLDEST of all the first cousins didn't really help matters.

I was the first to leave parties to get up for those silly races.

I brought my own food.

I didn't get drunk with them.

I was the perfect target. The ultimate Goody Two Shoes.

But I took it all in stride. It was all in good fun.

One year, I mentioned that for my birthday I'd like for everyone to do a 5k with me.




You could hear a pin drop.

Before my grandparents died, the Family was on a constant mission to fatten me up.

Over the years, the Family has grown and grown and grown. My 30 first cousins have now an average of 5 kids each. (Them Greeks got nothin' on us). So, the Family has split up into smaller more manageable groupings for birthdays and holidays.

About a week ago, we had a psuedo Family reunion. It was impromptu but every was able to make it. Now, I hadn't seen many of my first cousins for quite a few years. (Barring funerals....but I don't count that because everyone looks like crap at funerals).

Here at the reunion....everyone was having a good time, laughing, drinking, eating, dancing, all the normal stuff.

Then, I mistakenly took one of my first cousins (one of the youngest ones) for her MOTHER. My Aunt.

That's when I started looking around. I realized that everyone looked so old. SO much older than they are.

My *thing* has always been that I don't mind looking my age. I'm 42 and a half. :) I just didn't want to look OLDER than I am.

But looking at everyone that day, I realized how much YOUNGER than everyone I looked.

Younger than the youngest. The cousins close to my age? They looked at least 20 years older.

I don't know if I actually look younger than my age or if they look so much older than their's.

I just know that sometimes being the butt of jokes is a good thing.

If you're reading this, and you know someone like me: *THAT* person...the one always getting up early on Sundays to train for some silly race or the one always watching what they eat or the one people always guess to be younger than they are.....

that can be you too.

Just ask if you can go watch the race.

Ask them what they are training for.

Ask them what they eat.

Then, make the decision to change one thing for that month. Get up in the morning and walk for 20 minutes. Don't run, don't try to go fast....just walk.

But do it every single day.

Commit to it.

Commit for yourself, your family, your friends.

Before you know, you'll be the butt of all the jokes in your family.