I just lost my class for a meeting, so I'm sitting and just taking a breather.
Whew.
Figured I might as well throw a post up to state that I made it...one week down, one good solid week of workouts in for the next race, and so far, so good!
I'm not used to standing, talking a lot, or wearing anything other than flip flops, so me poor widdwle toes are quite blistered. And I have not much of a voice left. But it's been pretty fun, nonetheless.
And it's not 90 degrees, nor am I nine months pregnant and scared out of my wits, so that's always good.
Most of my workouts were done early, or while pushing Bug in his stroller. Let me tell you how NOT fun it is to push a 24 pound Bug in a stroller while trying to do 5K pace pickups. He sure liked it, though! I've got about 9 hours planned for this week, and, barring any major disasters, I should hit that. That, in and of itself, is quite a victory for me.
Tomorrow morning I'm super excited to be able to hit the trails and run with another person that can talk to me! Yahoooooooooo! It's not just me and my Garmin! :) I'll be doing 12 miles with Aimee, my buddy and my Iron-Bro Eric's wife, who is training for the Nike Women's Marathon the same day of C-bus. We're about the same pace and have the same goals, and want to start REALLY early, so it works out perfectly! Then later that day I'll take Bug out for a few more miles to get about 14-15 in. Sunday I've got a ride and some weights, and Monday my last swim outside for a while. I really wish the pools were open in September around here, because it's still CRAZY hot here in September! Oh well.
I've been focusing on good nutrition, and it seems to have paid off! I'm pretty pumped about that. Now, I still eat my ice cream, don't you worry....but I just try to do as much whole grains, fruits and veggies, low-fat dairy and lean meat as I can, and--drum roll please--I've lost 4 more pounds, which puts me below my pre-pregnancy weight! Yahoooooooooooooyippeeeee! So now I'm all about maintaining and toning up what I've got, which is (to me) a good place to be.
Tonight, though, it's all about celebrating...a new year, a good start, and cashing in on a gift card from my brother for my FAVORITE restaurant, which happens to be a Mexican place. I sure hope I don't pay for that tomorrow morning... ;)
Oh, and the little Bug started walking on August 17th. I forgot to mention that. And it's been sooooooooo fun. I like to think he did it so that I could be there for it. Thanks, Bug!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
So, yeah, I did this race and stuff.
No, really!
Remember I said I couldn't end this tri season on a du?
We've got these great little local races around here put on by NCN. Small, cheap, and local. Can't beat 'em. So I decided I'd trade in my race voucher from volunteering last year when I was all pregnant and huge and do the international distance today. Signed up online last week, packed my bag yesterday before my friend's wedding, and was all ready to go.
Until.
I spent the better part of last night and this morning, um, clearing out my system, so to speak. What?!?! I didn't eat anything that I normally don't eat, so it's still a mystery to me. Perhaps it was a little bug or something. It was no fun. So I decided at about 3am this morning that I could either A) bag the race, which totally stinks, and end my season on a du or B) downsize to the sprint, because, hey, then I'm not too far away if I crash and burn, right? It has been hot, hazy, and humid as HADES here lately and I knew that trying an oly in this weather with the amount of bathroom time I was seeing was a recipe for disaster.
So I got to the race and dropped down a level to the sprint. I'm REALLY glad I did that. I'm fairly certain that the oly would have meant lots of port-o-potty time. Mmmmmmmm. Port-0-potties in August.
;)
So, I also got to thinking, that holy crap, I haven't raced a sprint distance tri since 2005. I sorta think they are too hard, which is kind of how I feel about 5Ks. Because you have to go all fast and stuff, you know? I like to zone out at one speed. Plus, there is no room for error. But I thought, what the heck? I might as well step outside the comfort zone and try something different. So I knew this would be an interesting day.
Saw a ton of my CTC buddies there which was awesome! It made it so much easier to face my tummy. I hit the bathroom not one, but two more times before the start. DEAR SWEET ALMIGHTY THERE CANNOT BE ANYTHING LEFT IN MY GUT, I thought. Turns out I must have been right. Whew! Good timing.
So the gun went off, and I'm not even sure how far this was supposed to be but I think it was a 1/4 mile swim, so we're looking at roughly 400 meters. I forgot what a beach start is like, and it showed. I tried some dolphin dives and got nowhere. I arrived at the first buoy in a complete bottleneck. Poop sandwich. I then was swimming next to someone doing breastroke. I was like, "Okay, no. I'm not staying here." So I tried to turn on the jets, but it didn't seem to work too well. Total time including the run up the hill to T1 was a (for me) VERY disappointing 9:43 (I think). Looking at the results it seemed that the times for most people were pretty slow, so I'm thinking it had to be more than 400 meters. Let's hope, at least!
T1 was uneventful. Got on my bike and took off.
And then realized something was rotten in the state of Denmark.
Why, oh why, was I pushing 300 watts and going 15 miles an hour?!?!?!?!!?? I knew there was a little headwind, but I rode along the lake all summer so I'm used to it and NEVER saw anything like that.
Oh no. I know what happened.
The $%$&%(@ tire is rubbing against the rim. Damn horizontal dropouts that are so tempermental. Arg. I had this problem earlier this week but thought I solved it.
There comes a moment when you realize you should have thought about this earlier, and curse your stupidity. Then, you have a few thoughts go in your head:
"It's not that bad...I can just ride it this way."
But when I couldn't go more than 13 mph up a TINY hill, I knew I needed to stop.
"Damn. There goes your race."
"You know, self, sprints are too fast to make this up."
And then a few other things went through my head that I will refrain from typing, so to keep things PG around here.
Stop #1. Tried to fix it. Got on. Didn't fix it.
Sigh.
Stop #2. Tried again. Watched people whiz by me again. Got on. Still didn't fix it.
#%#$$*@.
Stop #3 This is it, I thought. We don't fix it this time, we're just a' gonna ride it as is and call it a training day.
I fixed it! Hoooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy!
Whizzed by quite a few people at this point like they were standing still. :) But as in a 5K, you screw up a little, and there just isn't much time to make it up. I figured at least I might be able to have a decent run.
Got into T2 and still managed about a 19.3 average, despite three stops. I'll take that.
And since I still, yes STILL do not have Yankz on my shoes, spent about 47 minutes TYING MY SHOES LIKE A FOOL IN T2. Note to self: if you are going to do short course stuff, please act like a short course athlete and do a little preparation. Oh well. I was just happy my stomach was still okay, but I was afraid to have anything but water.
Took off on the run and passed a few people instantly. Then got passed by a tiny little thing in my age group who I flew by towards the end of my ride. I remember thinking, "Hmmm, she looks like a runner. Wish I had a few more minutes on her." Oh well. Turns out she was a runner, and she took OFF. She eventually won my age group. Competitive Sara curses having to stop 3 times on the bike because I might have had a shot with a few more minutes on her. Arg!
Got passed by another girl in my age group and let her go, as it was early and I wanted to hopefully pick it up. But it was hot, and I felt a little weak. I saw her about a half mile later, stretching on the side of the road. My goal became to hold her off, and I did. She eventually finished a little bit behind me for 3rd in age group.
Somehow I managed to eek out a 25 minute 5K...hey, not bad! I finished the whole shebang in 1:22 and change. Good enough for 2nd in my age group! I'll take that fo' SHO'!
I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO proud of my girl JenC...that chick flew by me on the bike and had a solid bike (as usual) and then pretty much PR'd her 5K to win her age group! Jen, I tried to catch ya but you were smokin'! GREAT JOB! It was so good to see her do so well, and pretty much everyone in CTC finished strong or even took home some hardware.
So, you know what? Short course stuff is pretty fun. I'm very very glad I did the sprint and not the oly today. I think I could get used to it!
And I guess that's pretty much a wrap on my tri season this year!
What a freakin' blast. :)
Now, onto my marathon goals. Time to up the runs big time. I'm feeling good and I know I've got some speed in me, but do I have 26.2 miles of enough speed? That is the million dollar question.
I also head back tomorrow, so it will be a challenge to fit this in with the first few weeks of school. Here goes!
Remember I said I couldn't end this tri season on a du?
We've got these great little local races around here put on by NCN. Small, cheap, and local. Can't beat 'em. So I decided I'd trade in my race voucher from volunteering last year when I was all pregnant and huge and do the international distance today. Signed up online last week, packed my bag yesterday before my friend's wedding, and was all ready to go.
Until.
I spent the better part of last night and this morning, um, clearing out my system, so to speak. What?!?! I didn't eat anything that I normally don't eat, so it's still a mystery to me. Perhaps it was a little bug or something. It was no fun. So I decided at about 3am this morning that I could either A) bag the race, which totally stinks, and end my season on a du or B) downsize to the sprint, because, hey, then I'm not too far away if I crash and burn, right? It has been hot, hazy, and humid as HADES here lately and I knew that trying an oly in this weather with the amount of bathroom time I was seeing was a recipe for disaster.
So I got to the race and dropped down a level to the sprint. I'm REALLY glad I did that. I'm fairly certain that the oly would have meant lots of port-o-potty time. Mmmmmmmm. Port-0-potties in August.
;)
So, I also got to thinking, that holy crap, I haven't raced a sprint distance tri since 2005. I sorta think they are too hard, which is kind of how I feel about 5Ks. Because you have to go all fast and stuff, you know? I like to zone out at one speed. Plus, there is no room for error. But I thought, what the heck? I might as well step outside the comfort zone and try something different. So I knew this would be an interesting day.
Saw a ton of my CTC buddies there which was awesome! It made it so much easier to face my tummy. I hit the bathroom not one, but two more times before the start. DEAR SWEET ALMIGHTY THERE CANNOT BE ANYTHING LEFT IN MY GUT, I thought. Turns out I must have been right. Whew! Good timing.
So the gun went off, and I'm not even sure how far this was supposed to be but I think it was a 1/4 mile swim, so we're looking at roughly 400 meters. I forgot what a beach start is like, and it showed. I tried some dolphin dives and got nowhere. I arrived at the first buoy in a complete bottleneck. Poop sandwich. I then was swimming next to someone doing breastroke. I was like, "Okay, no. I'm not staying here." So I tried to turn on the jets, but it didn't seem to work too well. Total time including the run up the hill to T1 was a (for me) VERY disappointing 9:43 (I think). Looking at the results it seemed that the times for most people were pretty slow, so I'm thinking it had to be more than 400 meters. Let's hope, at least!
T1 was uneventful. Got on my bike and took off.
And then realized something was rotten in the state of Denmark.
Why, oh why, was I pushing 300 watts and going 15 miles an hour?!?!?!?!!?? I knew there was a little headwind, but I rode along the lake all summer so I'm used to it and NEVER saw anything like that.
Oh no. I know what happened.
The $%$&%(@ tire is rubbing against the rim. Damn horizontal dropouts that are so tempermental. Arg. I had this problem earlier this week but thought I solved it.
There comes a moment when you realize you should have thought about this earlier, and curse your stupidity. Then, you have a few thoughts go in your head:
"It's not that bad...I can just ride it this way."
But when I couldn't go more than 13 mph up a TINY hill, I knew I needed to stop.
"Damn. There goes your race."
"You know, self, sprints are too fast to make this up."
And then a few other things went through my head that I will refrain from typing, so to keep things PG around here.
Stop #1. Tried to fix it. Got on. Didn't fix it.
Sigh.
Stop #2. Tried again. Watched people whiz by me again. Got on. Still didn't fix it.
#%#$$*@.
Stop #3 This is it, I thought. We don't fix it this time, we're just a' gonna ride it as is and call it a training day.
I fixed it! Hoooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy!
Whizzed by quite a few people at this point like they were standing still. :) But as in a 5K, you screw up a little, and there just isn't much time to make it up. I figured at least I might be able to have a decent run.
Got into T2 and still managed about a 19.3 average, despite three stops. I'll take that.
And since I still, yes STILL do not have Yankz on my shoes, spent about 47 minutes TYING MY SHOES LIKE A FOOL IN T2. Note to self: if you are going to do short course stuff, please act like a short course athlete and do a little preparation. Oh well. I was just happy my stomach was still okay, but I was afraid to have anything but water.
Took off on the run and passed a few people instantly. Then got passed by a tiny little thing in my age group who I flew by towards the end of my ride. I remember thinking, "Hmmm, she looks like a runner. Wish I had a few more minutes on her." Oh well. Turns out she was a runner, and she took OFF. She eventually won my age group. Competitive Sara curses having to stop 3 times on the bike because I might have had a shot with a few more minutes on her. Arg!
Got passed by another girl in my age group and let her go, as it was early and I wanted to hopefully pick it up. But it was hot, and I felt a little weak. I saw her about a half mile later, stretching on the side of the road. My goal became to hold her off, and I did. She eventually finished a little bit behind me for 3rd in age group.
Somehow I managed to eek out a 25 minute 5K...hey, not bad! I finished the whole shebang in 1:22 and change. Good enough for 2nd in my age group! I'll take that fo' SHO'!
I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO proud of my girl JenC...that chick flew by me on the bike and had a solid bike (as usual) and then pretty much PR'd her 5K to win her age group! Jen, I tried to catch ya but you were smokin'! GREAT JOB! It was so good to see her do so well, and pretty much everyone in CTC finished strong or even took home some hardware.
So, you know what? Short course stuff is pretty fun. I'm very very glad I did the sprint and not the oly today. I think I could get used to it!
And I guess that's pretty much a wrap on my tri season this year!
What a freakin' blast. :)
Now, onto my marathon goals. Time to up the runs big time. I'm feeling good and I know I've got some speed in me, but do I have 26.2 miles of enough speed? That is the million dollar question.
I also head back tomorrow, so it will be a challenge to fit this in with the first few weeks of school. Here goes!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Reality Check
Okay.
Deep breath.
This is a call to remind yourself that you do this because you love it. You have been doing this ten years and that's just about a third of your life. It is as much a part of you as blinking your eyes and breathing. It is what you were born to do. You truly enjoy it, and that's more than a lot of people get to say about where they spend most of their waking hours.
In those ten years, you've tried your best to teach the history of this world and of this nation to about 1,300 students. Some got it. Some didn't. Some don't want to admit they got it, which is a tiny victory. You entered a barely-22 year old who thought she could change the world and was heartbroken to find that wasn't entirely possible. You almost left.
You know now at 31 that you can't change everything, but you can change some. And knowing that has brought a certain amount of peace to some of the heartbreaking things you've seen.
You went to more school at night, on a full scholarship that you worked so hard for, and you earned your M.A. in history over three years of writing papers late at night after going to class after teaching classes. You graduated with honors, without a penny of debt, and it meant just as much as the four years of undergraduate work you did where you also graduated with honors and, thanks to a lot of scholarships and a lot of help from Mom and Dad, graduated debt-free.
You've worked so hard to get where you are. And, as far as jobs go, you have the perfect one. There is not another place you'd rather be, save perhaps the Capitol as a United States Congresswoman.
You are going to have your 27th first day of school on Tuesday because you want to.
You don't have to.
You do this because it's who you are and it's what you worked so hard to become. It makes you a better mommy. Some mommies are happier when they are at home, too, like your own was, and that's perfect. Every one, every time, and every situation is different.
You have this choice.
You just enjoyed two and a half months of time with him and your husband, too, with paychecks still coming in every week. Sure, you could make a lot more doing something else, but you would never, ever, find something with such a good schedule.
Many mommies do not have this choice. They work because if they do not, there is no food and the electricity is turned off.
So, for crying out loud, relax. He's fine. He gets to play and sleep with a few of his friends, and chase them around. He even gave you his first steps this week, just so that you got to see them. You still can go feed the ducks, head to an Indians game, go for a ride, take him for a jog, catch lightening bugs in the backyard, and at least for next week go for a swim. You won't stay as late as you used to in your classroom, and that's okay. The house won't always be clean, and that's okay, too. Sometimes you're not going to be able to cook a nice meal, and that's okay. Lean Cuisines are your friend. Dust bunnies can be your friend.
All of this is your choice, and that in and of itself is such a wonderful privilege.
So go have your first day of school. And stop freaking out about it.
He still loves you and his Daddy more than anything in the world, and you wouldn't trade one choice you've ever made for anything.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
I sho' am SMART
How to:
--kick your own arse
--look like a total tool
--make your neighbors think you are nuts
So I got this interesting workout from Coach Emily. She said it was supposed to be "fun." It was! But I looked pretty silly.
Tuesday's workout went like this: the plan was to ride at an easy pace to warm up for 20 minutes, and then run for 10. Then, I was to hammer at about 170-180 watts on a "course" for 10 minutes and run hard for 5. Then I'd do that all over again. Finally, I'd cool down easy on the bike for 20 minutes. Now, the only way I could really think to do this avoiding stop lights and traffic was to do a loop around my block. It's a bigger block and has two sidestreets so I could at least alternate. My own little velodrome, I guess.
So I got all decked out in my IMW outfit and took off. I've been feeling really strong on the bike lately, but it's been a while since I dropped the hammer on the run. My 20 minute warmup was done before I knew it, and then I ran at just under 9s for my run warmup. I stood in my driveway and thought, "Okay...here goes."
ZOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM! I took off. It was pretty fun! I don't usually ride this hard so I was enjoying it. I had to slow a bit to take the corners but I figured this would be some good handling practice for me. I was eyeing my PowerTap and seeing numbers in the 200s and high 100s, so I knew I was pushing enough. It was really tough, and I started to see a few of the same people several times. I wondered if they noticed me as I flew by their house for the 5th or 6th time.
Then it was time for run number one. I tried to just go at a controlled-fast pace and negative split it. I ran on the same little "course" I made and got a strange look from a little old lady weeding her garden. Finished that little run with a pace of 7:42.
Um...okay. Now I have to do it again.
I know it's dumb, because no one was even noticing me except the little old lady--and only because I made eye contact and saw her quizzical look. But I just felt kinda silly zooming around the block 80 times, you know?
Did it again, and felt really good! For run #2, I was tired as hell, but determined to make it faster. I negative split that one, too, and finished with a pace of 7:28. Now for a lot of people out there that's a nice little stroll but for me that's about my 5K pace, so I was pretty pumped. Did my cooldown, and relaxed the rest of the day.
Fast forward to the Wednesday. I've been feeling really rotten about my eating the week after Steelhead, so I've tried to tone it down and eat better this week. The day after this tough workout, I had egg beaters and soy protein boca sausage for breakfast, and then a grilled chicken salad for lunch.
Then I took Bug for a 5o minute fartlek run in a moderately humid and warm day.
Notice something?
NO. CARBOHYDRATES. AT. ALL.
What was I thinking?
Have you ever BONKED on a 5 mile run? Cuz I have. It was crazy!
I don't think I've really ever hit the wall--even during marathons--but I felt weak and shaking within the first 15 minutes. "What the heck is going on?!!?" I thought. Then, I really thought about it.
DOH.
I'm in trouble.
I was laboring to hold a ridiculously slow pace. I did have a water bottle with me, but nothing else. Bug sat quietly in his stroller. I tried my first pickup.
Nothing.
I. had. nothinginthetank.
So I decided to scrap the fartlek part of this run, and just sludge through. Ugh. With about 2 miles to go, I stole some of Bug's Cheerios--CHEERIOS!--and chased them with some water. That's how desperate I was. I almost called Matt, but I decided I could get home on my own. Got to my house in a little under 48 minutes, but that's run time only. I didn't factor in the times I had to stop to steal my son's FREAKING CHEERIOS.
Oops.
So, the moral of the story is, the day after you kick your own butt, HAVE SOME CARBS before you do it again. I know, I know. You can just call me CAPTAIN OBVIOUS.
Or she who hits the wall on a five mile run.
Or she who rides around the same block 87 times.
:)
The things we do, huh?
--kick your own arse
--look like a total tool
--make your neighbors think you are nuts
So I got this interesting workout from Coach Emily. She said it was supposed to be "fun." It was! But I looked pretty silly.
Tuesday's workout went like this: the plan was to ride at an easy pace to warm up for 20 minutes, and then run for 10. Then, I was to hammer at about 170-180 watts on a "course" for 10 minutes and run hard for 5. Then I'd do that all over again. Finally, I'd cool down easy on the bike for 20 minutes. Now, the only way I could really think to do this avoiding stop lights and traffic was to do a loop around my block. It's a bigger block and has two sidestreets so I could at least alternate. My own little velodrome, I guess.
So I got all decked out in my IMW outfit and took off. I've been feeling really strong on the bike lately, but it's been a while since I dropped the hammer on the run. My 20 minute warmup was done before I knew it, and then I ran at just under 9s for my run warmup. I stood in my driveway and thought, "Okay...here goes."
ZOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM! I took off. It was pretty fun! I don't usually ride this hard so I was enjoying it. I had to slow a bit to take the corners but I figured this would be some good handling practice for me. I was eyeing my PowerTap and seeing numbers in the 200s and high 100s, so I knew I was pushing enough. It was really tough, and I started to see a few of the same people several times. I wondered if they noticed me as I flew by their house for the 5th or 6th time.
Then it was time for run number one. I tried to just go at a controlled-fast pace and negative split it. I ran on the same little "course" I made and got a strange look from a little old lady weeding her garden. Finished that little run with a pace of 7:42.
Um...okay. Now I have to do it again.
I know it's dumb, because no one was even noticing me except the little old lady--and only because I made eye contact and saw her quizzical look. But I just felt kinda silly zooming around the block 80 times, you know?
Did it again, and felt really good! For run #2, I was tired as hell, but determined to make it faster. I negative split that one, too, and finished with a pace of 7:28. Now for a lot of people out there that's a nice little stroll but for me that's about my 5K pace, so I was pretty pumped. Did my cooldown, and relaxed the rest of the day.
Fast forward to the Wednesday. I've been feeling really rotten about my eating the week after Steelhead, so I've tried to tone it down and eat better this week. The day after this tough workout, I had egg beaters and soy protein boca sausage for breakfast, and then a grilled chicken salad for lunch.
Then I took Bug for a 5o minute fartlek run in a moderately humid and warm day.
Notice something?
NO. CARBOHYDRATES. AT. ALL.
What was I thinking?
Have you ever BONKED on a 5 mile run? Cuz I have. It was crazy!
I don't think I've really ever hit the wall--even during marathons--but I felt weak and shaking within the first 15 minutes. "What the heck is going on?!!?" I thought. Then, I really thought about it.
DOH.
I'm in trouble.
I was laboring to hold a ridiculously slow pace. I did have a water bottle with me, but nothing else. Bug sat quietly in his stroller. I tried my first pickup.
Nothing.
I. had. nothinginthetank.
So I decided to scrap the fartlek part of this run, and just sludge through. Ugh. With about 2 miles to go, I stole some of Bug's Cheerios--CHEERIOS!--and chased them with some water. That's how desperate I was. I almost called Matt, but I decided I could get home on my own. Got to my house in a little under 48 minutes, but that's run time only. I didn't factor in the times I had to stop to steal my son's FREAKING CHEERIOS.
Oops.
So, the moral of the story is, the day after you kick your own butt, HAVE SOME CARBS before you do it again. I know, I know. You can just call me CAPTAIN OBVIOUS.
Or she who hits the wall on a five mile run.
Or she who rides around the same block 87 times.
:)
The things we do, huh?
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Shifting Gears
Whew. Lots going on this week. I'd better run down in listy-like fashion:
- ate more ice cream than any human being should be allowed
- had two great swims, one nice ride, and a two hour hike with the Bug and Matt to celebrate our 4th anniversary on August 7 :)
- decided for my other "30 minute ride" to "spin out my legs" on Tuesday that it was TOTALLY ACCEPTABLE to ride 13 minutes to the nearest Dairy Queen with Bug in tow and Matt on another bike, eat a Thin Mint Blizzard, and then ride 13 minutes home.
- I SAID IT'S TOTALLY ACCEPTABLE SO BACK OFF
- Speaking of which, I'm still trying to figure out...how long is the window to eat ice cream without abandon after a 70.3? One day? Two?
- Probably not six.
- Tried out some new recipes this week and actually had time to read a magazine
- realizing that chasing Bug around ONE ROOM is quite tiresome
- I'm pretty sure my 100 IM is the most HILARIOUS thing around. I might sell popcorn and charge admission next time Coach Emily prescribes it. It ain't pretty
I've also made some peace with the duathlon thing. I was really upset about it for a good 24 hours or so. I think it's just because I feel like I worked so hard all summer and I really was ready to blow this race up. But I have to remember that I did blow it up, just not in my element. Shaving almost 40 minutes off the bike and 23 minutes off the run is nothing to sneeze at, so I'm feeling pretty good. I'm kind of feeling like nothing can stop me right now.
Which is probably not good.
See, I've got this little thing called a marathon coming up. And I haven't been in the marathon mindset for a long time...like, since the Flying Pig back in '05. So I really need to shift a bit and get it in gear. Coach Emily has already informed me of what my training weeks will look like, so I'm ready to give it a go.
Sub-4 ain't gonna be automatic, kids. I need to focus. And put down the ice cream.
I've already had one good solid freak out about going back to work...not because I don't want to, because I love what I do. But I have some real issues with leaving the Bug, because, in my head, HE CANNOT SURVIVE TEN MINUTES WITHOUT ME. It's the same reason why I don't have a good swim when he's AT the pool with my Mom or Matt. Because, the whole time, I'm thinking, "Is he okay? Does he need me? Maybe I should get out."
Seriously. The WHOLE time.
I guess this is sort of just what happens when you have a little Bug, no? You just have to learn how to squelch the irrational thoughts, and realize that YES HE CAN SURVIVE FIVE SECONDS WITHOUT YOU. And a few hours. And eventually college, even.
Yikes.
So, I am going to try and shift mindset a bit. Hopefully the transition will not be as hard on me as it was in January. I am not going to get into details, but I will just say this: I didn't deal well with it. And it took a good 2-3 months of getting used to.
So in the meantime, I'm going to get up earlier, and either do schoolwork or get a workout in...but still have time for the Zoo and the Nature Center and the pool in the afternoon, followed by a walk with Mugsy Pug and maybe a sunset at the beach. And I'll do one more triathlon, because who ends their triathlon season with a du? Seriously.
Because you know what? I might only have two weeks left of summer, but they will be my two weeks.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
A Race Report
The day before, in the nice calm lake...Wil, Pharmie, Me, and Rural Girl That is:
1. "A" race report, which now I feel a little stiffed on, because my "A" race was turned into a du
2. Why you should step on a dead fish after you find out your swim is cancelled
3. How much fun I had with friends
4. Holy smokes, pregnancy doping strikes again
Well, I'll give the report here. I don't have any pictures, because why would I take pictures when Steve and James are there? Seriously. So I'll post a few of theirs. Those guys rock! All photo credits to them. Thanks, guys!!
Drove Friday morning to Benton Harbor, Michigan, and pulled into the HoJo parking lot to see a big EvoTri banner and my teammates, Stu and Michelle on the deck! That was good to see. A few minutes later, Pharmie and Steve arrived. It was so good to see everyone again!
Let's just say that, um, the HoJo, is NOT the place you want to stay. Ew. Ewewewewewewew to the max. Like, toenail clippings on the floor nasty. And I'm not kidding. But staying with my buddies made me pretty much forget that!
We met up with the rest of my teammates and a few buddies from CTC at the pre-race pasta dinner. It felt really strange to leave my bike in transition and walk away. I felt kinda naked. But it was sort of nice to NOT have to worry about that the morning of the race.
1. "A" race report, which now I feel a little stiffed on, because my "A" race was turned into a du
2. Why you should step on a dead fish after you find out your swim is cancelled
3. How much fun I had with friends
4. Holy smokes, pregnancy doping strikes again
Well, I'll give the report here. I don't have any pictures, because why would I take pictures when Steve and James are there? Seriously. So I'll post a few of theirs. Those guys rock! All photo credits to them. Thanks, guys!!
Drove Friday morning to Benton Harbor, Michigan, and pulled into the HoJo parking lot to see a big EvoTri banner and my teammates, Stu and Michelle on the deck! That was good to see. A few minutes later, Pharmie and Steve arrived. It was so good to see everyone again!
Let's just say that, um, the HoJo, is NOT the place you want to stay. Ew. Ewewewewewewew to the max. Like, toenail clippings on the floor nasty. And I'm not kidding. But staying with my buddies made me pretty much forget that!
We met up with the rest of my teammates and a few buddies from CTC at the pre-race pasta dinner. It felt really strange to leave my bike in transition and walk away. I felt kinda naked. But it was sort of nice to NOT have to worry about that the morning of the race.
Enjoying some pre-race food with my girls
Now that's what I call a big transition
Rural Girl's alarm clock went off at 4am, and she got out of bed all rarin' to go. Me...it takes me a few minutes. ;) She brewed some coffee so that helped.
Why yes, I AM aware how HAWT we all are at 4:52 am. Me, Stu, and Rural Girl
Then we packed up, met Stu, Pharmie and Steve, and headed to the race site.
Immediately, Steve warned us the chop was bad. I wasn't too worried about it, because, A) what was I going to do about it? and B) swimming in Lake Erie can get pretty choppy, so I'm used to some chop. I always feel comfortable in the swim, and sort of knew today wasn't about proving my swim anyway, but seeing how far I've come on the bike and run.
So we headed out to the start, walked almost the full mile there, when we heard the swim was cancelled.
I'm pretty much adding up all those yards I swam in the pool in my head
Poop sandwich.
I was really disappointed. I mean, damn. That meant I just spent $220.00 on a glorified brick workout. This was my A race. I trained really hard for it. Boo fricken hoo. And I was grumpy.
Then I stepped on a dead nasty Steelhead with fish guts spilling out.
And I freaked out and ran into the water.
So I took that as a slap in the face from the race. Like, get over it, chick. Do your thing anyway. So, I did.
We all suck it up and accept the new du.
We walked pretty far to get to the start of the uber-lame 2 mile run. (Hey, I was still allowed to be a teensy bit grouchy ;) I decided I'd just use it as a warmup. I knew this was a Clearwater qualifier, so there would be some hard core chicks hauling it. But you know what? It's a long day, and I didn't need to max out myself in the first 2 miles.
Yes, I'm smiling but inside I'm quite grumpy.
Garmin had it at 2.3 for 18:05, race says 18:09 for 2.1 miles. Whatever. Who cares.
You'd be smiling, too, if you got to high five this guy!
So then the real race started in my book. What can I do for 56 miles? Watts were to be held around 150-160, and Coach Emily told me to go rock it, so I did.
Rocked.
It.
It was soooooooooooooooooooooo fun. That is a seriously fast course. A bit of headwinds in the beginning but nothing really too troublesome. And, they were at your back the way back, which is always good! It had some nice little rollers, and I just felt like I really got in a great rhythm and felt AWESOME. Nutrition was good, weather was perfect, and I could hardly believe the mile markers when I got to them. The kind of ride I hoped to have all year, you know? The one that made it worth it to leave my little guy for those rides. I was very, very happy.
Except for one thing.
I have NEVER SEEN SO MANY PEOPLE DRAFTING IN MY LIFE. I mean, we're talking packs of 6-8 DUDES WITH DISC WHEELS all flying by riding TOGETHER like it was a Saturday group ride. Passing people TOGETHER for as far as I could watch them ride away. I know they are probably figuring it's better to risk a 4 minute penalty and get to Clearwater than do it the right way, but you know what? DUDES, THAT IS SHADY. Karma will get you sometime.
/end rant/
Got back to T2, and pretty much did a jig in transition. I was estatic. I almost welled up with tears like a big loser, and I'm not even kidding. It just felt good to know I made that time away from The Bug and Matt count. I know that some of that was the bike I was on, and I'd be curious to see what I'd do on my Trek. I know it wouldn't be the same. But you know what? I think some of that was me, too. I really believe that--I literally worked my ass off this winter, spring, and summer, and I'm very proud of what I did yesterday.
By all accounts, this was a little short. My PowerTap said 54.5 but I had trouble starting it so I thought maybe it was my fault. However, after talking to Pharmie and a few others, most people said it was between 54-55. Another reason I feel a little stiffed, but...a huuuuuuuuuggeeeee PR nonetheless.
My goal on the ride was to break 3 hours. I rode 2:44.34. If we adjust that and say it was 54 miles, I still averaged 19.7 mph. By my calculations, at that pace I would have come in at 2:50.
And that is what I like to call progress.
Seriously, back to T2. I'm just so darn excited. :) I was excited in T2, too. So excited that I left ALL MY SALT TABS IN MY BENTO BOX.
DOH!!!!!!!!!
Bad move. It was getting pretty hot, and it was very sunny. I did remember to apply sunscreen SPF 45 for the third time that day, so that was good. I realized I left the salt tabs in the bento box pretty much when I stepped out of transition. I then decided to roll the dice, drink more gatorade than usual, and see what happened.
Goal on the run was to come in just under 2. Like, 1:59 would have been cool. But I have to remember I've never even broken 2:25 in a half marathon at the end of a half ironman. However, I know how well the running's been going lately so I felt pretty confident I could do it.
The first loop was rough. Around mile 4 I was still averaging about 9:10 but feeling the effects of no salt tabs. Took every sponge and cup of ice I could get my hands on at each aid station, and the volunteers were WONDERFUL. The course surprised me with a few hills, including one that made me say a few bad words under my breath and walk part of it. I didn't expect that. My new teammate who is super tall and ran by my on his loop two LIKE HE WAS WALKING, PoohBear, absolutely rocked the course! It was nice to meet him--holy tall lean ball of talent that guy is!!! :) 
Still feeling pretty good on loop one!
I was still feeling OK when I saw James and Steve (and Steve was wearing his amazingly awesomely bad outfit, which just cracked me up) but I knew missing my salt tabs was going to catch up to me. I just hoped it wouldn't catch up to me before I hit 13.1.
Look! I have a leg muscle! And an arm muscle, too! Or is that a mirage....?
Started loop two and started to succumb to fatigue. However, I was passing dudes left and right. There were a lot of guys walking on loop two. I was still running, but it was definitely slower. I felt my legs starting to cramp up.
Please, please, legs... Just wait...come on...keep going and you can cramp all you want after the finish line. I promise.
I started counting steps. I started singing songs in my head. I cursed that stupid hill again. And then, I was at mile 12. I knew I wouldn't break 2, but I still knew I was going to be close to 2. And that was good.
Smiling for the camera...just a few more miles!
At the very last stretch, we had to run on sand. I said, laughing to the spectators as I tried not to fall over, "Are you KIDDING ME?!?!?!!?" They laughed, too. It must have been funny to see everyone running like they didn't drink their V8. But I saw the finish line and I did get a little teary, but hopefully no one saw because I AM NO PANSY, AIIIGGGGHT?
Note to RD: THANKS for the sand dunes at the finish line. :)
Total run 2:03.18 (9:24/mile)
Finish time 5:10.39
I wanted to break 6, but what I called my "super secret goal" shared only with those who know me very well was to go under 5:45. By adding my worst 1.2 mile swim ever to this bike, run, and transition time, and adding another 5 minutes onto the bike so it was 56 miles at my pace, I would have finished in 5:41. Which is comfortably enough under my goal that I feel like I sort of did it. (Even though sort of is just sort of....sigh.)
So, when all was said and done, I kind of PR'd my half distance by just under an hour...if we're thinking somewhere around 5:41. I'm no 5:10, that's for sure, so I feel like I can't use that as my half PR. I'll have to wait until New Orleans to see what my "real" PR is. ;)
I am so happy and excited for what I did do, though. I don't want to downplay that. I just feel like I have to add a few asterisks, which is a bummer. But I know, regardless, that this was a big breakthrough for me. My swim is fine, I'm a lot more capable on the bike than I thought I could be, and my run is okay. My next goal will be to knock some time off my run and try to improve on the bike even more. Training less with more intensity has DEFINITELY worked for me.
After the race, I cheered as loud as I could at the finish line for my buddies. And then snarfed down food like nobody's business.
Buddies at the finish line!
But I really, really wanted to get home and see my little man. So I didn't get to stay long enough to see my amazing rockstar teammate ACCEPT A POSITION TO CLEARWATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But I called her and screamed a little in her ear in excitement. :) Congrats, Rural Girl! We are all so proud of you!
Got home, and wished my little man a happy 10 month old birthday. Saw him, remembered what I did 1o months ago that night, thought more about what I did in the race and how far this body has taken me, and then cried.
Okay. So maybe I am a little bit of a pansy.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
I'm home!
And tired.
But at the same time buzzed up on caffeine so I could make the drive home.
Got to kiss my little man, who turns 10 months old today, and now I'm going to sleep in my own bed.
Lots to tell, but here's the short version: we all just did a $220 brick workout. I was grumpy and grouchy when I found out the swim was cancelled, because it's my FAVORITE part. I guess I understand why, but I was still pretty bummed out. I'm no duathlete for a reason. But I think I might have a new favorite part....
The bottom line is, despite the snafus and this NOT being a triathlon, I had a ton of fun. It was great to hang with my team and my tri club buddies. And I absolutely shattered my goal on the bike, and pretty much nailed it on the run.
My "time" with a two-mile run substituted for the swim was 5:10. Which means even if I had swam the worst time I've ever swum for a 70.3 distance I would have finished in 5:36. But "would have" doesn't mean much. That and 89 cents will get me a cup of coffee. Oh well....
So I'm going to try not to focus on how this didn't feel like it "counted" as much, and focus on the good stuff:
Previous two 70.3 bike split averages: 16.5 and 15.7
Today: 20.4 mph
Previous two 70.3 half marathons: 2:30-somethin' (I don't know and I can't find it anywhere, but it was in that general vicinity), and 2:25
Today: 2:03 (9:24/mile)
And the best stuff of all was having my buddies there! I wish we had another few days to play around.
More to come, but for now, I'm sleepy. :)
But at the same time buzzed up on caffeine so I could make the drive home.
Got to kiss my little man, who turns 10 months old today, and now I'm going to sleep in my own bed.
Lots to tell, but here's the short version: we all just did a $220 brick workout. I was grumpy and grouchy when I found out the swim was cancelled, because it's my FAVORITE part. I guess I understand why, but I was still pretty bummed out. I'm no duathlete for a reason. But I think I might have a new favorite part....
The bottom line is, despite the snafus and this NOT being a triathlon, I had a ton of fun. It was great to hang with my team and my tri club buddies. And I absolutely shattered my goal on the bike, and pretty much nailed it on the run.
My "time" with a two-mile run substituted for the swim was 5:10. Which means even if I had swam the worst time I've ever swum for a 70.3 distance I would have finished in 5:36. But "would have" doesn't mean much. That and 89 cents will get me a cup of coffee. Oh well....
So I'm going to try not to focus on how this didn't feel like it "counted" as much, and focus on the good stuff:
Previous two 70.3 bike split averages: 16.5 and 15.7
Today: 20.4 mph
Previous two 70.3 half marathons: 2:30-somethin' (I don't know and I can't find it anywhere, but it was in that general vicinity), and 2:25
Today: 2:03 (9:24/mile)
And the best stuff of all was having my buddies there! I wish we had another few days to play around.
More to come, but for now, I'm sleepy. :)
Monday, July 28, 2008
A Letter To My Pregnant Self, July 28, 2007
Dear Hormonally-Challenged One Who Freaks Out A Lot Eats Lots of Chocolate Covered Pretzels and Is Really Scared,
Let me save you some trouble.
He'll be born October 2nd--a week early, and you'll be induced, because he's so big and healthy and your doctor is afraid he might be 6 feet tall and drive you home if you wait much longer. His name will be Jackson, and from the second you lay your eyes upon him he'll be the most important thing in the world to you. He'll change your world more than anyone could verbalize to you. He'll be 9 pounds, 4 ounces, and yes, it will hurt like hell, but you'll do it. He'll be the most painful thing you'll ever experience, but the second you see him you'll forget all that pretty much forever and be stricken with baby-sighting pain amnesia. I hear it's quite common, actually.
Right now, you're afraid of many, many things, and most of which are out of your control. You like to be in control of everything, so this has been a crash-course in a little class called "Your Body Is Hella Smarter Than You Are." You won't get on the scale at all--you stopped at the beginning of this month--because it was messing with your head. In fact, your doctor has a big note on your chart that says to the nurse, "DO NOT TELL WEIGHT" because you are such a headcase.
Let me save you some more trouble.
The 55, yes, that is, the I CAN'T DRIVE 55 POUNDS that you will gain will all come off pretty quickly. Like in the first 4-5 months. Your Mom and your friends who have been here before are trying to knock that into your two mile thick skull, but you're not listening. You won't listen to me, either, but at least I tried. And a few more pounds will fall off when you're training for Steelhead. Ten months to the date of Jackson's arrival, you'll be leaner and fitter than you ever have been. But you still won't believe me. You think you're a beached whale and you're all angry about how slow you are. This is also quite stupid, but at least you sort of know how dumb you're being.
You worry. You worry that you'll never run or swim or ride the paces you did before. You fear being slow forever and ever, and you think it's the end of the world.
Let me save you some more trouble.
You won't run, ride, or swim those paces again. Because you'll be faster. And stronger.
You fear that it's selfish to admit that you don't want to give up a part of your life--the independent part, where you get to do whatever you want to do at any time with any one. But the crazy thing is, you really won't. What you will want to do will adapt to fit this new chapter of your life, but you'll find that you can still do the things you want to do--like run, swim, see your friends, make s'mores, go for a hike, play Rock Band, read a book, have a party, travel, race, and teach.
You'll wonder how you ever made it thirty years without him.
You'll be amazed at how much you love his Daddy.
One year from today, you'll be staring a half ironman in the face. And you'll be calmly ready to go, because you know now that this race is different. This race will be justifying all the hours you spent away from him--all the times you got up early so you would get your workouts in before he was up, so you could be the one to see him smile at you with his sleepy eyes. So you could be the one who gets to feed him his oatmeal. You will remember all the boring, lonely 3 hour rides and hour and a half runs you did by yourself, because you had to squeeze it in from home at an unpredictable time, and this time, you want to make it worth something.
This race needs to justify every second away.
You long for runs with your best running buddy followed by 2 hours of coffee and conversation, but you know that she has moved to the other side of the country and has a new baby of her own and those days are on hold. And this bums you out for a moment, but you know that those times will come again. For now, it was all about efficiency, and making it count. So you could be there when it really mattered. So you could be his mother.
And I know it's hard to imagine now, but you'll be ready. Your definition of success will shift a bit, and as a result, you will succeed even more.
And you'll feel like the luckiest girl on the face of the earth, because you've been blessed with the opportunity to pretty much do it all, with a lot of love and a lot of help.
So put up with the cankles. Try not to freak about the scale. Listen to your Sis, because she knows what she's talking about. Everything will fall into place, and there will be changes but you'll roll with it. And your training and your life will ebb and flow along, and there will be times of solitude and gratitude and sleeplessness and more love than you can ever imagine.
Sincerely,
TST '08
Let me save you some trouble.
He'll be born October 2nd--a week early, and you'll be induced, because he's so big and healthy and your doctor is afraid he might be 6 feet tall and drive you home if you wait much longer. His name will be Jackson, and from the second you lay your eyes upon him he'll be the most important thing in the world to you. He'll change your world more than anyone could verbalize to you. He'll be 9 pounds, 4 ounces, and yes, it will hurt like hell, but you'll do it. He'll be the most painful thing you'll ever experience, but the second you see him you'll forget all that pretty much forever and be stricken with baby-sighting pain amnesia. I hear it's quite common, actually.
Right now, you're afraid of many, many things, and most of which are out of your control. You like to be in control of everything, so this has been a crash-course in a little class called "Your Body Is Hella Smarter Than You Are." You won't get on the scale at all--you stopped at the beginning of this month--because it was messing with your head. In fact, your doctor has a big note on your chart that says to the nurse, "DO NOT TELL WEIGHT" because you are such a headcase.
Let me save you some more trouble.
The 55, yes, that is, the I CAN'T DRIVE 55 POUNDS that you will gain will all come off pretty quickly. Like in the first 4-5 months. Your Mom and your friends who have been here before are trying to knock that into your two mile thick skull, but you're not listening. You won't listen to me, either, but at least I tried. And a few more pounds will fall off when you're training for Steelhead. Ten months to the date of Jackson's arrival, you'll be leaner and fitter than you ever have been. But you still won't believe me. You think you're a beached whale and you're all angry about how slow you are. This is also quite stupid, but at least you sort of know how dumb you're being.
You worry. You worry that you'll never run or swim or ride the paces you did before. You fear being slow forever and ever, and you think it's the end of the world.
Let me save you some more trouble.
You won't run, ride, or swim those paces again. Because you'll be faster. And stronger.
You fear that it's selfish to admit that you don't want to give up a part of your life--the independent part, where you get to do whatever you want to do at any time with any one. But the crazy thing is, you really won't. What you will want to do will adapt to fit this new chapter of your life, but you'll find that you can still do the things you want to do--like run, swim, see your friends, make s'mores, go for a hike, play Rock Band, read a book, have a party, travel, race, and teach.
You'll wonder how you ever made it thirty years without him.
You'll be amazed at how much you love his Daddy.
One year from today, you'll be staring a half ironman in the face. And you'll be calmly ready to go, because you know now that this race is different. This race will be justifying all the hours you spent away from him--all the times you got up early so you would get your workouts in before he was up, so you could be the one to see him smile at you with his sleepy eyes. So you could be the one who gets to feed him his oatmeal. You will remember all the boring, lonely 3 hour rides and hour and a half runs you did by yourself, because you had to squeeze it in from home at an unpredictable time, and this time, you want to make it worth something.
This race needs to justify every second away.
You long for runs with your best running buddy followed by 2 hours of coffee and conversation, but you know that she has moved to the other side of the country and has a new baby of her own and those days are on hold. And this bums you out for a moment, but you know that those times will come again. For now, it was all about efficiency, and making it count. So you could be there when it really mattered. So you could be his mother.
And I know it's hard to imagine now, but you'll be ready. Your definition of success will shift a bit, and as a result, you will succeed even more.
And you'll feel like the luckiest girl on the face of the earth, because you've been blessed with the opportunity to pretty much do it all, with a lot of love and a lot of help.
So put up with the cankles. Try not to freak about the scale. Listen to your Sis, because she knows what she's talking about. Everything will fall into place, and there will be changes but you'll roll with it. And your training and your life will ebb and flow along, and there will be times of solitude and gratitude and sleeplessness and more love than you can ever imagine.
Sincerely,
TST '08
What It's All About
I got this a few days after the race, and just had to share part of it. This was such a wonderful experience for me, and I am so happy to have been able to share the day with these kids. I can't wait to do more next year.
This is what it's really all about. And yeah, I cried when I read this. Cuz I'm a sap like that.
_______________________
Dear Mrs. Ziemnik,
I just want to say thank you for all the help you have given me in training for the triathlon. I am so proud of myself for finishing, and I really don’t think I could have done it without the help and inspiration you provided. At the first brick, I was very unsure of myself and became discouraged because I couldn't keep up with everyone. But as I kept training with you, your motivation gave me the strength to continue, and I gradually saw myself improve a little more each week. Your kindness stayed with me right up to race day, when I was nervous about the water. Talking to you allowed me to calm down a bit and gave me the courage to run out into those waves and do what I came there to do. Also, when I came back from the bike, I was very tired and got a little confused. But your running that first hill with me allowed me to get everything back in order and refocus my goal to make it to the end. When I crossed that finish line, I didn’t know whether to smile or cry, so I just grinned and knew in my heart that there was nothing I couldn’t do. There’s a million more things I could say, but I’ll keep it as short as possible and end with this. The night before the triathlon, I read the note you gave us before we took the AP test. While reading Roosevelt’s quote, I realized how much it applied to the race. I sure didn’t come in first, but I still finished. And that’s a lot more than “those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat” can say....
__________
"I just grinned and knew in my heart that there was nothing I couldn't do."
And that, my friends, is why I love what I do. Even when it's hard. And challenging.
I love every. single. second.
This is what it's really all about. And yeah, I cried when I read this. Cuz I'm a sap like that.
_______________________
Dear Mrs. Ziemnik,
I just want to say thank you for all the help you have given me in training for the triathlon. I am so proud of myself for finishing, and I really don’t think I could have done it without the help and inspiration you provided. At the first brick, I was very unsure of myself and became discouraged because I couldn't keep up with everyone. But as I kept training with you, your motivation gave me the strength to continue, and I gradually saw myself improve a little more each week. Your kindness stayed with me right up to race day, when I was nervous about the water. Talking to you allowed me to calm down a bit and gave me the courage to run out into those waves and do what I came there to do. Also, when I came back from the bike, I was very tired and got a little confused. But your running that first hill with me allowed me to get everything back in order and refocus my goal to make it to the end. When I crossed that finish line, I didn’t know whether to smile or cry, so I just grinned and knew in my heart that there was nothing I couldn’t do. There’s a million more things I could say, but I’ll keep it as short as possible and end with this. The night before the triathlon, I read the note you gave us before we took the AP test. While reading Roosevelt’s quote, I realized how much it applied to the race. I sure didn’t come in first, but I still finished. And that’s a lot more than “those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat” can say....
__________
"I just grinned and knew in my heart that there was nothing I couldn't do."
And that, my friends, is why I love what I do. Even when it's hard. And challenging.
I love every. single. second.
Friday, July 25, 2008
The Million Dollar Question
I'm sitting here, enjoying my coffee after a nice 1:45 ride and :20 run this morning along the calm, blue lake and cloudless skies, and wondering....
....is it possible to literally snot your brains out while riding on a bike? Because if it is, I am pretty sure I might just do that.
Seriously.
If you'll be at Steelhead next week (!), and want to say hello, just look for the girl in the EvoTri jersey on the red BMC TTO2, snotting her brains out.
Cuz that'll be me.
....is it possible to literally snot your brains out while riding on a bike? Because if it is, I am pretty sure I might just do that.
Seriously.
If you'll be at Steelhead next week (!), and want to say hello, just look for the girl in the EvoTri jersey on the red BMC TTO2, snotting her brains out.
Cuz that'll be me.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
July 7
I posted this on the Bug's blog the day I watched him try to walk for the first time. I thought I'd share it here.
____________________
Today I watched him learn to walk.
I have never been a witness to such an amazing moment.
I literally, watched someone learn to walk.
He pulled himself up, and then stood. He took his hands off my knees for a few seconds, and realized he could do it. He wobbled a bit, but looked at me with this realization followed by a huge drooly grin. It was amazing. He started to walk around the sectional couch, all the while looking at me in disbelief.
Really? This is how you do this?
He was so excited he just couldn't stop. He wanted to walk and walk and walk all night. He would have, I'm sure, if I would have let him.
Every day this summer I am overwhelmed by this sense of amazement and gratitude that I am here to watch this. That I helped to make this person, who is a part of me. That my heart is now walking around outside my body permanently. I have never felt so vulnerable and loving and loved before. So I put him in his sleepsack, took him upstairs, turned on his U2 lullabies, and rocked him to sleep. He usually tosses and turns a bit, but didn't fight it tonight. He had a long day of swimming, and giggling, and now walking. I think he knew, as did I, that this is a whole new world now. He needed his rest, so he could do it all again tomorrow.
So he could go even farther.
I hope he never stops feeling that amazement--when your body surprises you, when you realize you had it in you all along, and when you feel like you really, truly can do anything. Too many people lose that wonder.
He gazed at me, heavy-eyed, as he always does when I rock him to sleep. I nuzzled him, felt his breath on my cheek, and watched his eyes look at mine just before he dozed off, just to be sure I was there, and it was okay to let go to the heavy feeling of slumber. And I stared at him, so hard as if I was taking a picture in my eyes, because I know that I'm going to blink and he'll be five, eight, twenty years old. And nights like these will be just a memory, like his breath on my cheek and the sigh he let go as I lay him to sleep.
____________________
Today I watched him learn to walk.
I have never been a witness to such an amazing moment.
I literally, watched someone learn to walk.
He pulled himself up, and then stood. He took his hands off my knees for a few seconds, and realized he could do it. He wobbled a bit, but looked at me with this realization followed by a huge drooly grin. It was amazing. He started to walk around the sectional couch, all the while looking at me in disbelief.
Really? This is how you do this?
He was so excited he just couldn't stop. He wanted to walk and walk and walk all night. He would have, I'm sure, if I would have let him.
Every day this summer I am overwhelmed by this sense of amazement and gratitude that I am here to watch this. That I helped to make this person, who is a part of me. That my heart is now walking around outside my body permanently. I have never felt so vulnerable and loving and loved before. So I put him in his sleepsack, took him upstairs, turned on his U2 lullabies, and rocked him to sleep. He usually tosses and turns a bit, but didn't fight it tonight. He had a long day of swimming, and giggling, and now walking. I think he knew, as did I, that this is a whole new world now. He needed his rest, so he could do it all again tomorrow.
So he could go even farther.
I hope he never stops feeling that amazement--when your body surprises you, when you realize you had it in you all along, and when you feel like you really, truly can do anything. Too many people lose that wonder.
He gazed at me, heavy-eyed, as he always does when I rock him to sleep. I nuzzled him, felt his breath on my cheek, and watched his eyes look at mine just before he dozed off, just to be sure I was there, and it was okay to let go to the heavy feeling of slumber. And I stared at him, so hard as if I was taking a picture in my eyes, because I know that I'm going to blink and he'll be five, eight, twenty years old. And nights like these will be just a memory, like his breath on my cheek and the sigh he let go as I lay him to sleep.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Pride
Yesterday morning, a few awesome girls became triathletes.
I am so proud of them!
At the beginning of the summer, we had a good sized crew. But then, school was out. And vacations came. And work came. And, inevitably, a few emails came from kids who decided to back out. I was kind of bummed, but I tried to remember that this often happens to us adults, too. But I have this big project at work...but I have to do this or that....sound familiar? So, instead of being bummed about losing a few kids, I decided that, you know what? I'm going to make this as fun as I can for the kids I do have, and they will have a great time, and I'll be able to start earlier next year. My mind is already churning with the ideas I have for next summer--a mini-camp, a pre-race pasta dinner, adding 3 more schools that I have solid contacts to, getting all the legal mumbo-jumbo and photo release waivers out of the way earlier, etc. etc.
So I threw my efforts into making these girls feel like triathlon queens in training. Because, we all know, once you have a race day, you're hooked.
On the docket over the past six weeks, we've had two open-water swims, four spin and core classes, 6 brick workouts, a weekly email with training tips, and a transition and race day talk. And I really couldn't have pulled this off without my Iron Bro, TriEric, who was gracious enough to not only lead the brick I couldn't make, but come to our open water swim and give tips in our transition talk, AND cheer like crazy after kicking some major butt in his own race yesterday. Thanks, buddy!
It was so much fun for me to see these girls progress over the past few weeks. The first brick, a few could barely hang on for the ride and then had to run/walk a mile. One girl was taking a few swimming lessons because she didn't really know how to swim. I only know this because I saw her working so hard one morning when I was doing my laps. And I had her in class the past two years, and this didn't surprise me. She's one of the hardest-working kids you'll ever meet...one who just doesn't give up and rarely complains, but throws her effort into it and just tries to make it better no matter what, because she knows deep down in there, she can do it.
You know, the kind of kid that grows up to be an Ironman.
And all five of these girls possess these qualities in different measures and ways. It was really, really fun to see. I can't wait to see where they go now.
So yesterday was the race. I met them down in transition at 6:45. Well, Ashley beat me there, actually, with a perfect spot chosen on the edge of a rack near the bike exit, just like I told them. "The early bird gets the worm!" she chirped. Yep, there's a triathlete for ya, huh?
They laid out their transition towels like we practiced, applied sunscreen, got their water bottles ready, and went over to get their body markings.
And then, it was time to head to the beach. But not before I could snap a picture of them with their numbers on their arms, like tri-rock stars.
They walked down to the beach and discussed the beginning of the swim.
I saw a few girls getting a little nervous about the swim. Two were pretty solid in the water, but the other two weren't strong swimmers and I could sense the fear of the open water rising, despite a nice calm day. I said a silent prayer thanking for this calm day, as I didn't think I could even get one of them to start the race if it was crazy wavy. Whew.
They waded in, got their caps on, and waited for their waves to start. And then they were off. I watched as they made their way to the first buoy. I wasn't worried about two of them, but my other two I was a little worried for. If they can just make it through the swim, they'll be fine, I thought. Basically, the same thought process in my head during Ironman. Please, just let me get through this bike. If I can get through this ride, I can do this...
I ran out to the breakwall about halfway through the course to look for them. I found them both--one was resting on a kayak for a minute, so I cheered her on. I told them before it was totally okay to take a rest, or do some backstroke or doggy paddle or WHATEVER you need to do. She kept going. Good job! I thought. I saw the other one on her back doing a few backstroke kicks. "Good job, Erin! Keep going!" I yelled. She saw me, and gave me the thumbs up sign.
Okay. We're okay. They're gonna be fine.
They all made it out of the water, and I was there to cheer them on with their parents. It was so exciting to me to see all their families come out to cheer them on. That is another goal I hope to have with this thing--to get families together, and maybe even doing the race together.
On the bike course, I just waited for them in transition. Jenna came in first, with some blazing speed, especially for a mountain bike! I had already told the girls NOT to freak about getting passed on the mountain bikes they were riding upon...that there was NOTHING they could do about that, so just run your OWN race. Jenna is a fierce competitor and a captain of the cross country team who is not used to getting passed, so I hoped she remembered my words. She seemed to look great, and I knew she was in her element now. She took off, and passed a few people right out of the gate!
Next came Ashley, another runner and swimmer, too. She swam THREE MILES last weekend for a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. THREE. MILES. I have no doubt this girl will be back for more triathlons, and I can see her going the distance some day! She moved quickly through T2, then realized she forgot her hat so she came back...and then she was off.
Jenna came in first, looking strong, and with a look of determination on her face combined with the desire not to hurl. (Her mom and her had been joking how she often leaves it all on the course....literally....in cross country races.) She crossed the line and smiled as she tried to catch her breath. What a tough cookie!
Then, I saw Jackie and then Erin round the corner. Erin grabbed some Nuun I bought for her in transition and Jackie took a few swigs of Gatorade. Jenna cheered on Erin and told her just a few more short miles and she'd be done...which is what tri buddies always say to each other, right? Jackie was a runner, but I knew this would be Erin's longest run ever. I cheered them on as loudly as I could, and ran with Erin down and up the first hill just to get her going and keep her spirits up.
Ashley came in looking really strong with a nice kick! She crossed the line all smiles and hugged her Mom and Aunt who came to cheer her on.
I was getting a little worried and hoping the girls were feeling okay. It was really, really humid, and the longer they were out there, the harder it would be. TriEric's wife Aimee helped me spot the girls as they crossed the street and made it to the last turn. I saw their parents and uncles, too, as they crossed and we all cheered them on.
They got that magical energy we all get when we see that finish line, sprinted like they were in the Olympics, and crossed the mat.
BEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPP
And they were in!
Four new triathletes. And one more who will be on August 2nd in downtown Cleveland.
I gave big sweaty hugs all around, and we all celebrated. I told them how proud I was of them, and they all seemed genuinely proud of themselves. I especially congratulated Erin, who isn't on the swim team or cross country team. She just thought this sounded like a great way to challenge herself, and she worked SO hard. She made it.
They all did.
They swapped stories about the course and hugged their families. I remembered my first sprint triathlon and the memories I still have from that day seven years ago. It gave me pride to know that this morning would be a part of these girls memories forever, and hopefully they'd had so much fun today that they would remember this feeling of accomplishment and how they can do anything--anything--if they try hard enough.
So congratulations to the newest members of the triathlon family! I am so proud of all of you.
I am so proud of them!
At the beginning of the summer, we had a good sized crew. But then, school was out. And vacations came. And work came. And, inevitably, a few emails came from kids who decided to back out. I was kind of bummed, but I tried to remember that this often happens to us adults, too. But I have this big project at work...but I have to do this or that....sound familiar? So, instead of being bummed about losing a few kids, I decided that, you know what? I'm going to make this as fun as I can for the kids I do have, and they will have a great time, and I'll be able to start earlier next year. My mind is already churning with the ideas I have for next summer--a mini-camp, a pre-race pasta dinner, adding 3 more schools that I have solid contacts to, getting all the legal mumbo-jumbo and photo release waivers out of the way earlier, etc. etc.
So I threw my efforts into making these girls feel like triathlon queens in training. Because, we all know, once you have a race day, you're hooked.
On the docket over the past six weeks, we've had two open-water swims, four spin and core classes, 6 brick workouts, a weekly email with training tips, and a transition and race day talk. And I really couldn't have pulled this off without my Iron Bro, TriEric, who was gracious enough to not only lead the brick I couldn't make, but come to our open water swim and give tips in our transition talk, AND cheer like crazy after kicking some major butt in his own race yesterday. Thanks, buddy!
It was so much fun for me to see these girls progress over the past few weeks. The first brick, a few could barely hang on for the ride and then had to run/walk a mile. One girl was taking a few swimming lessons because she didn't really know how to swim. I only know this because I saw her working so hard one morning when I was doing my laps. And I had her in class the past two years, and this didn't surprise me. She's one of the hardest-working kids you'll ever meet...one who just doesn't give up and rarely complains, but throws her effort into it and just tries to make it better no matter what, because she knows deep down in there, she can do it.
You know, the kind of kid that grows up to be an Ironman.
And all five of these girls possess these qualities in different measures and ways. It was really, really fun to see. I can't wait to see where they go now.
So yesterday was the race. I met them down in transition at 6:45. Well, Ashley beat me there, actually, with a perfect spot chosen on the edge of a rack near the bike exit, just like I told them. "The early bird gets the worm!" she chirped. Yep, there's a triathlete for ya, huh?
They laid out their transition towels like we practiced, applied sunscreen, got their water bottles ready, and went over to get their body markings.
And then, it was time to head to the beach. But not before I could snap a picture of them with their numbers on their arms, like tri-rock stars.
They walked down to the beach and discussed the beginning of the swim.
I saw a few girls getting a little nervous about the swim. Two were pretty solid in the water, but the other two weren't strong swimmers and I could sense the fear of the open water rising, despite a nice calm day. I said a silent prayer thanking for this calm day, as I didn't think I could even get one of them to start the race if it was crazy wavy. Whew.
They waded in, got their caps on, and waited for their waves to start. And then they were off. I watched as they made their way to the first buoy. I wasn't worried about two of them, but my other two I was a little worried for. If they can just make it through the swim, they'll be fine, I thought. Basically, the same thought process in my head during Ironman. Please, just let me get through this bike. If I can get through this ride, I can do this...
I ran out to the breakwall about halfway through the course to look for them. I found them both--one was resting on a kayak for a minute, so I cheered her on. I told them before it was totally okay to take a rest, or do some backstroke or doggy paddle or WHATEVER you need to do. She kept going. Good job! I thought. I saw the other one on her back doing a few backstroke kicks. "Good job, Erin! Keep going!" I yelled. She saw me, and gave me the thumbs up sign.
Okay. We're okay. They're gonna be fine.
They all made it out of the water, and I was there to cheer them on with their parents. It was so exciting to me to see all their families come out to cheer them on. That is another goal I hope to have with this thing--to get families together, and maybe even doing the race together.
On the bike course, I just waited for them in transition. Jenna came in first, with some blazing speed, especially for a mountain bike! I had already told the girls NOT to freak about getting passed on the mountain bikes they were riding upon...that there was NOTHING they could do about that, so just run your OWN race. Jenna is a fierce competitor and a captain of the cross country team who is not used to getting passed, so I hoped she remembered my words. She seemed to look great, and I knew she was in her element now. She took off, and passed a few people right out of the gate!
Next came Ashley, another runner and swimmer, too. She swam THREE MILES last weekend for a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. THREE. MILES. I have no doubt this girl will be back for more triathlons, and I can see her going the distance some day! She moved quickly through T2, then realized she forgot her hat so she came back...and then she was off.
Jenna came in first, looking strong, and with a look of determination on her face combined with the desire not to hurl. (Her mom and her had been joking how she often leaves it all on the course....literally....in cross country races.) She crossed the line and smiled as she tried to catch her breath. What a tough cookie!
Then, I saw Jackie and then Erin round the corner. Erin grabbed some Nuun I bought for her in transition and Jackie took a few swigs of Gatorade. Jenna cheered on Erin and told her just a few more short miles and she'd be done...which is what tri buddies always say to each other, right? Jackie was a runner, but I knew this would be Erin's longest run ever. I cheered them on as loudly as I could, and ran with Erin down and up the first hill just to get her going and keep her spirits up.
Ashley came in looking really strong with a nice kick! She crossed the line all smiles and hugged her Mom and Aunt who came to cheer her on.
I was getting a little worried and hoping the girls were feeling okay. It was really, really humid, and the longer they were out there, the harder it would be. TriEric's wife Aimee helped me spot the girls as they crossed the street and made it to the last turn. I saw their parents and uncles, too, as they crossed and we all cheered them on.
They got that magical energy we all get when we see that finish line, sprinted like they were in the Olympics, and crossed the mat.
BEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPP
And they were in!
Four new triathletes. And one more who will be on August 2nd in downtown Cleveland.
I gave big sweaty hugs all around, and we all celebrated. I told them how proud I was of them, and they all seemed genuinely proud of themselves. I especially congratulated Erin, who isn't on the swim team or cross country team. She just thought this sounded like a great way to challenge herself, and she worked SO hard. She made it.
They all did.
They swapped stories about the course and hugged their families. I remembered my first sprint triathlon and the memories I still have from that day seven years ago. It gave me pride to know that this morning would be a part of these girls memories forever, and hopefully they'd had so much fun today that they would remember this feeling of accomplishment and how they can do anything--anything--if they try hard enough.
So congratulations to the newest members of the triathlon family! I am so proud of all of you.
Monday, July 14, 2008
MiltonMan '08
Okay, I'm gonna try and bang out a race report here. Which is hard, only because I'm having too much fun to blog. Thursday was Bug's first Tribe game (he helped break their 10 game losing streak--thanks, buddy!), Friday was our Caddyshack picnic, Saturday was a Luau Murder Mystery Party, and today we took Bug to the Zoo for the first time. So I've been enjoying that, and am slacking on the bloggin'.
Here's a few of us from the Tribe Game:
Here's a few of us from the Tribe Game:
And here's me showing the Bug there were lions in our midst...
Going into this race, I didn't really know what to expect. To say I was rusty was an understatement. Coach Emily said, "Let's do a race before Steelhead, you know, to work out the kinks." I figured that was a good idea, as the last time I had a T1 or T2 was in Madison. I haven't really pushed myself in a triathlon in a loooooooong time. There were none last year, and the year before was all about LSD. (not the drug, of course. The SLOOOOOOOOWWWWW stuff.) The Olympic Tri I did that year had a 2:59 finish time, and my overall PR in an Oly was 2:54 from a year before that.
So the plan was for Matt, Bug and I to go to the party which was halfway between my house and the race, and then me stay at my buddy's house and they head home.
Why do I think that's a good idea? Ugh.
I don't sleep well away from my guys. WIBA was reaaaaaaalllllllllyyyyyyyy hard for me to sleep. I just felt restless. So I didn't sleep more than 2 1/2 hours the night before the race. Excellent. Also, my buddy has a cat and I am hella allergic, so I think I OD'd on my Nasonex. Needless to say, it was not the greatest pre-race night's sleep, but my buddy was so awesome to let me stay there and break up the (what turned out to be an) HOUR and a HALF drive. Yikes!
The alarm went off at 4:30am, and I immediately thought, what the hell am I doing? I'm not tapered at all. I'm tired. I miss my boys. I don't want to do this race. I feel like poo. I am a sniffly mess. I had a mojito and a bunch of mozzerella sticks last night. I'm 40 minutes from home...I can just drive home...
But then I snapped myself out of it. If I'm going to spend a night away from my boys, there BETTER be a good reason. I thought of Wil's alarm clock going off then, too, and I knew she wasn't going to miss her bus, so I'd better not miss mine. No excuses.
So I drove there, got all set, got my transition spot ready, laid out my towel, and realized I didn't have Yanks for my shoes. Damn. I meant to get those last week....oops. So I had a nice new wetsuit, a sweet new bike, and I was going to have to tie my shoes in transition. I guess that's why I was working the kinks out, alright!
We headed to the water. I remembered what a swim start was like, as the last time I bobbed in the water waiting for the gun was at Ironman Wisconsin. Why am I doing this, I thought again?
To see what I'm made of.
To see how far I've come.
Let's go.
The two loops in the lake were uneventful. I went at a pace I felt good at, and one that I could go all day at. I tried to really focus on good form and gliding in the water. I saw two girls toward the end and I thought I might be able to catch them, so I did. I got out of the water with no watch, and no clue what time I swam in. I would find out later that I swam in 27 and change, which would be a PR by just over a minute. 1:50/100 meters on the dot. I felt great out of the water, and know I definitely could have gone faster. But that's not what this race was about.
Had a decent T1 in 2:11, surprisingly, as I am rusty on transitions! And then I was off. Coach Emily said to keep my watts around 160-180. I tried to do this but found myself lollygagging a bit. At one point, I even muttered, "park it or drive it, granny!" and "this is a RACE, dude!" It's funny--I haven't raced in so long, and I think I forgot what it was like. But I'm happy to say I didn't get passed by ONE WOMAN at all on the bike course, and I passed a few chicks. It was a while before the fast guys passed me, too. That was pretty cool. I'm used to coming out of the water and getting MAD passed like crazy, so this was a nice treat. When all was said and done, my PowerTap said I had gone a little over 25 miles for 19.4mph, but the official race time is 19.1 mph for 24.7. I go by what races say, so that's the story. Still, a massive PR for me as my previous best on an Oly bike leg was 18.3, and the last Oly I did was 17.7.
The best part--or actually the worst I guess you could say--is I only averaged 151 watts. Which means, in fact, that was kind of granny-ish riding by me. Proof positive that I could have gone faster. And that's actually kinda sweet.
T2, despite me having to stop and tie my shoes, went pretty quickly in 1:06. And then I was off for a run. It was pretty good until about mile 2....and then the heavans opened up. What is it with me, races, and rain? Every. Single. Race. I have done since and including Ironman has rained. Good thing I do well in the rain, I guess! It was kinda annoying to have my shoes slosh around, but other than that, not bad. I did the first loop and felt fantastic, so I figured I'd pick it up a bit on the second loop. My Garmin kept going in and out of satellite range so it said the course was a little short, but the time at least was the same...51:29, for the fastest 10K I've ever ran, in an 8:18/mile pace.
I got to the end, saw the clock said 2:40.16, started laughing, and asked the 2 girls working the tent behind it if that clock was right...did it really start with the first wave? I just had to be sure. They then asked me how old I was, I told them, and they handed me a trophy. "You just came in first place!" My age group was really really small, though, so instead after they posted the results I looked to see I was the 5th overall female out of 14--and just a minute behind the 4th female, Alison in my tri club, who rocked the swim as usual and came out the water first.
Cool. But I was most excited about first, shaving 14 minutes off my best time, untapered, tired, and without racing in a year and a half. I raced a smart, and even conservative race, I felt great at the end, and I negative split my run. I surprised myself, yet again.
And THAT'S why I do this.
I told him I didn't know what I was supposed to do with it, either. And, clearly, he is NOT amused.
So I've got some numbers in my head for Steelhead. They are aggressive. I'll lay them out later, but it's safe to say I'm going to go hard, leave it all on the line, race my first 70.3 and not just do it, and see what I'm made of.
It's gonna be fun.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Holy SMOKES.
PR on swim.
PR on bike.
BIG OL' PR on run.
= 14 minute PR for an Olympic Distance Triathlon. And 1st in my (very small!) age group, to boot!
2:40!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was in such disbelief that I MIGHT have said a bad word pretty loud, prefaced by "Holy," as I approached the clock. Cuz I didn't roll with a watch, so I only knew my run split. And I was dumbfounded, again.
It's soooooooo good to be back. :) More to come, but for now I need to take my boys for a walk!
PR on bike.
BIG OL' PR on run.
= 14 minute PR for an Olympic Distance Triathlon. And 1st in my (very small!) age group, to boot!
2:40!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was in such disbelief that I MIGHT have said a bad word pretty loud, prefaced by "Holy," as I approached the clock. Cuz I didn't roll with a watch, so I only knew my run split. And I was dumbfounded, again.
It's soooooooo good to be back. :) More to come, but for now I need to take my boys for a walk!
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
This Whole Power Thing
So, I just got my feedback from my test with Robbie Ventura at Vision Quest. I thought I'd share my thoughts on this whole thing, since I am a total newbie at power training.
First off, I don't think it's any secret that I HATE HEART RATE TRAINING. Hatehatehatehate it. Pretty much always have. I feel like with heart rate training, I am forced to go at a pace that is annoyingly and frustratingly slow, and that I got slower as a result. This could mean any number of things: I don't have my actual max heart rate, my allergy medicines affect my heart rate, the weather affects my heart rate, etc. etc. You get the drift. But it has NEVER worked for me, and probably because I was guessing at most of it. Clearly, my ability to hold an average heart rate of 181 in the Cleveland Marathon is a bit unorthodox. But I felt great, even the next day. No problems at all. So I sort of gave up on heart rate training and literally wrote it off in favor of RPE.
Heart rate is a reaction. Power is the source. For this reason, I am already a HUGE fan of training with power. It is what it is: it doesn't fluctuate. It is not affected by headwinds, humidity, stress, allergy meds, blah blah blah. In fact, it takes all that into account and allows you to still push yourself exactly how you should IN SPITE OF THESE THINGS. It's sort of why I like swimming, too: because the numbers don't lie. There's no umpire but the clock, and clocks are brutally honest, you know? Power training takes out the subjective and makes it very objective and easy to follow. I like that.
When I went to VQ to be tested by Robbie, I learned that I would have my finger pricked. O. M. G. I HATE HATE HATE needles. I know, I just gave birth not too long ago and was begging for a needle the size of Montana to be stuck in my back, but I didn't have to LOOK at that one, you know? Well, turns out I didn't have to look at this one either, and they were right--it just felt like a bug bite. That I can handle. :)
Essentially, what we did was we took a small teensy little blood sample every 30 watts. 30 watts was enough that I could tell the resistance was harder, but not too much. Kind of like you went up a gear, except I didn't, and I was told to maintain a steady cadence of about 85 rpms. Then this funky machine thing would measure the lactate in my blood and would tell us how many watts I could push before I bonked. It's really useful information, and it would help Coach Emily set my training zones. Essentially, I would know how many watts to hold when doing a sprint, oly, half or full triathlon. Not speed....watts. Unaffected by hills, heart rate, or wind.
Sign me up!
So sure enough, when I got to a certain point, my breathing sounded like a wheezing hyena and I felt like I just couldn't pedal any more. The machine did its wonder, and we were done.
Here's what I just got in the mail from VQ and Robbie--his words in italics, mine in bold:
Sara comes to VQ with one of her big events for the season closing in at the Steelhead Tri (gulp), where she is hoping to break the 6 hour mark. Other big goals are the Columbus Marathon and an Olympic Race in Cleveland. The test showed Sara has great fitness and also some areas where she can improve her skills to generate some better race results.
The performance test went quite well and Sara's lactate threshold was determined to be 189 watts, which is among the best in amateur women. (Really?! Is that a joke or something?) Her aerobic fitness was also strong as she endured 4 stages of the test with no appreciable increase in blood lactate values. Especially since she considered the bike to be the weakest of her three disciplines, this is good power. (Yay! I have good power! Or is it just the pregnancy blood-doping again?) With continued consistent training and aerobic foundation that will be built upon in subsequent seasons, she will probably see her threshold power continue to increase. (Allllllllllright! Now hit me with the bad news.)
One thing that could be holding Sara back on the bike is her cadence. (Yeah, I can be a real masher. Boo.) Overall, her pedaling mechanics were solid, although including some single-legged pedaling drills in her warmup or cooldown routines would probably help to refine the stroke further. The main goal regarding pedaling will be increasing her cadence slightly...Along with this training, Sara could also benefit from including more work targeting her functional strength and core stability. (Uh...yeah. WHAT functional strength or core stability? Sara = Total Softie) Some basic exercises are included here to help her address weakness common to endurance athletes. (Awesome--no more mushy me!)
So all in all, I learned a great deal about myself. It was really cool to read those words--kind of the equivalent of Coach Kara handing me the 1:45 pace band before my half marathon. Proof positive that it's in there, alright. Now I have no excuse not to hammer that out. I just need to put the time in, that's all.
I got a chart of my zones, their power ranges, and my heart rate ranges, too. So, power training doesn't totally disregard heart rate training, but it makes your heart rate training effective, accurate, and smart. I dig that. It also gave me RPE, too. Here's what it looks like:
Zone 1: Recovery
Power: less than 105 watts, aka Why am I even on this thing?
HR: less than 110
RPE: 1-4
Zone 2: Endurance
Power: 105-140 watts aka DUDE, I could do this all day
HR: 100-140
RPE: 4-6
Zone 3: Tempo
Power: 140-170 watts aka Okay, I'm movin' at a pretty good clip
HR: 140-160
RPE: 6-7
Zone 4: Threshold
Power: 170-200 watts aka Holy CRAP this is hard
HR 160-175
RPE: 7-8
Zone 5: VO2 Power
Power: 200-225 watts, aka OMG I AM DYINGGGGGGGGGGGGG
HR: 175-180
RPE: 8-9
Zone 6: Anaerobic Capacity
Power: over 225 aka ARE YOU KIDDING ME I'VE GOT MAYBE 5 SECONDS OF THIS BEFORE I PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE
HR: over 180
RPE: 10
So that's the scoop. Consider me, the person who swore off heart rate training and all numbers a....convert. I'm sold. It covers all the bases, takes everything into account, and makes it pretty freakin' easy.
Now let's see what it does for my racing this weekend!
First off, I don't think it's any secret that I HATE HEART RATE TRAINING. Hatehatehatehate it. Pretty much always have. I feel like with heart rate training, I am forced to go at a pace that is annoyingly and frustratingly slow, and that I got slower as a result. This could mean any number of things: I don't have my actual max heart rate, my allergy medicines affect my heart rate, the weather affects my heart rate, etc. etc. You get the drift. But it has NEVER worked for me, and probably because I was guessing at most of it. Clearly, my ability to hold an average heart rate of 181 in the Cleveland Marathon is a bit unorthodox. But I felt great, even the next day. No problems at all. So I sort of gave up on heart rate training and literally wrote it off in favor of RPE.
Heart rate is a reaction. Power is the source. For this reason, I am already a HUGE fan of training with power. It is what it is: it doesn't fluctuate. It is not affected by headwinds, humidity, stress, allergy meds, blah blah blah. In fact, it takes all that into account and allows you to still push yourself exactly how you should IN SPITE OF THESE THINGS. It's sort of why I like swimming, too: because the numbers don't lie. There's no umpire but the clock, and clocks are brutally honest, you know? Power training takes out the subjective and makes it very objective and easy to follow. I like that.
When I went to VQ to be tested by Robbie, I learned that I would have my finger pricked. O. M. G. I HATE HATE HATE needles. I know, I just gave birth not too long ago and was begging for a needle the size of Montana to be stuck in my back, but I didn't have to LOOK at that one, you know? Well, turns out I didn't have to look at this one either, and they were right--it just felt like a bug bite. That I can handle. :)
Essentially, what we did was we took a small teensy little blood sample every 30 watts. 30 watts was enough that I could tell the resistance was harder, but not too much. Kind of like you went up a gear, except I didn't, and I was told to maintain a steady cadence of about 85 rpms. Then this funky machine thing would measure the lactate in my blood and would tell us how many watts I could push before I bonked. It's really useful information, and it would help Coach Emily set my training zones. Essentially, I would know how many watts to hold when doing a sprint, oly, half or full triathlon. Not speed....watts. Unaffected by hills, heart rate, or wind.
Sign me up!
So sure enough, when I got to a certain point, my breathing sounded like a wheezing hyena and I felt like I just couldn't pedal any more. The machine did its wonder, and we were done.
Here's what I just got in the mail from VQ and Robbie--his words in italics, mine in bold:
Sara comes to VQ with one of her big events for the season closing in at the Steelhead Tri (gulp), where she is hoping to break the 6 hour mark. Other big goals are the Columbus Marathon and an Olympic Race in Cleveland. The test showed Sara has great fitness and also some areas where she can improve her skills to generate some better race results.
The performance test went quite well and Sara's lactate threshold was determined to be 189 watts, which is among the best in amateur women. (Really?! Is that a joke or something?) Her aerobic fitness was also strong as she endured 4 stages of the test with no appreciable increase in blood lactate values. Especially since she considered the bike to be the weakest of her three disciplines, this is good power. (Yay! I have good power! Or is it just the pregnancy blood-doping again?) With continued consistent training and aerobic foundation that will be built upon in subsequent seasons, she will probably see her threshold power continue to increase. (Allllllllllright! Now hit me with the bad news.)
One thing that could be holding Sara back on the bike is her cadence. (Yeah, I can be a real masher. Boo.) Overall, her pedaling mechanics were solid, although including some single-legged pedaling drills in her warmup or cooldown routines would probably help to refine the stroke further. The main goal regarding pedaling will be increasing her cadence slightly...Along with this training, Sara could also benefit from including more work targeting her functional strength and core stability. (Uh...yeah. WHAT functional strength or core stability? Sara = Total Softie) Some basic exercises are included here to help her address weakness common to endurance athletes. (Awesome--no more mushy me!)
So all in all, I learned a great deal about myself. It was really cool to read those words--kind of the equivalent of Coach Kara handing me the 1:45 pace band before my half marathon. Proof positive that it's in there, alright. Now I have no excuse not to hammer that out. I just need to put the time in, that's all.
I got a chart of my zones, their power ranges, and my heart rate ranges, too. So, power training doesn't totally disregard heart rate training, but it makes your heart rate training effective, accurate, and smart. I dig that. It also gave me RPE, too. Here's what it looks like:
Zone 1: Recovery
Power: less than 105 watts, aka Why am I even on this thing?
HR: less than 110
RPE: 1-4
Zone 2: Endurance
Power: 105-140 watts aka DUDE, I could do this all day
HR: 100-140
RPE: 4-6
Zone 3: Tempo
Power: 140-170 watts aka Okay, I'm movin' at a pretty good clip
HR: 140-160
RPE: 6-7
Zone 4: Threshold
Power: 170-200 watts aka Holy CRAP this is hard
HR 160-175
RPE: 7-8
Zone 5: VO2 Power
Power: 200-225 watts, aka OMG I AM DYINGGGGGGGGGGGGG
HR: 175-180
RPE: 8-9
Zone 6: Anaerobic Capacity
Power: over 225 aka ARE YOU KIDDING ME I'VE GOT MAYBE 5 SECONDS OF THIS BEFORE I PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE
HR: over 180
RPE: 10
So that's the scoop. Consider me, the person who swore off heart rate training and all numbers a....convert. I'm sold. It covers all the bases, takes everything into account, and makes it pretty freakin' easy.
Now let's see what it does for my racing this weekend!
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Race Week...Wait, did I really just say that?
Whoa.
I've got a race this Sunday!
Yahoooooooooooooyippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
(can you tell I'm a little excited?)
Now, let's be honest: this is just a tune-up for Steelhead. My coach wants me to have a race before Steelhead because I haven't had a race since September of 2006.
(Yeah. It was that race.)
So for the first time in over a year and a half, I'm going to suit up here and give it a go. I'm not gonna lie, though....it's going to be hard to NOT drop the hammer (relatively speaking, of course)! But I'm going to try and focus more on smooth transitions, keeping my watts where they need to be, and being smart. It's pretty far away, but my good buddy is having a Murder Mystery Luau Party the night before and she lives about halfway there, so I'm going to crash at her pad and drive up at the crack of dawn in the morning!
I've been having some great training sessions lately--Friday before the festivities began, I rode 2:30 and then ran 15 off the bike. Watts were where they needed to be, pace was spot-on for my goal for Steelhead, and the run was better than I thought it would be. Saturday's run was a little sluggish, but I'm thinking that staying up really late wacked me out a bit.
So I'm feeling pretty good...except for the 48 hour bender of birthday ice cream, cookout food, and Mexican food I've been on (my favorite...every year!). But that's done tomorrow. Hey, you gotta let loose a bit on your birthday, right?
Speaking of which, I had the most fun weekend EVER with my buddies Friday night, family and friends Saturday night, hiking with my boys today (pics to come tomorrow--wait until you see The Bug's sweet backpack) and family this evening. Sharing a birthday weekend with America works out pretty well.
:)
Race day, here I come!
I've got a race this Sunday!
Yahoooooooooooooyippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
(can you tell I'm a little excited?)
Now, let's be honest: this is just a tune-up for Steelhead. My coach wants me to have a race before Steelhead because I haven't had a race since September of 2006.
(Yeah. It was that race.)
So for the first time in over a year and a half, I'm going to suit up here and give it a go. I'm not gonna lie, though....it's going to be hard to NOT drop the hammer (relatively speaking, of course)! But I'm going to try and focus more on smooth transitions, keeping my watts where they need to be, and being smart. It's pretty far away, but my good buddy is having a Murder Mystery Luau Party the night before and she lives about halfway there, so I'm going to crash at her pad and drive up at the crack of dawn in the morning!
I've been having some great training sessions lately--Friday before the festivities began, I rode 2:30 and then ran 15 off the bike. Watts were where they needed to be, pace was spot-on for my goal for Steelhead, and the run was better than I thought it would be. Saturday's run was a little sluggish, but I'm thinking that staying up really late wacked me out a bit.
So I'm feeling pretty good...except for the 48 hour bender of birthday ice cream, cookout food, and Mexican food I've been on (my favorite...every year!). But that's done tomorrow. Hey, you gotta let loose a bit on your birthday, right?
Speaking of which, I had the most fun weekend EVER with my buddies Friday night, family and friends Saturday night, hiking with my boys today (pics to come tomorrow--wait until you see The Bug's sweet backpack) and family this evening. Sharing a birthday weekend with America works out pretty well.
:)
Race day, here I come!
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
WIBA Training Fun
I know everyone's already said this, but the best part about WIBA is the friendships you make. Plain and simple. It was so good to see my old Iron Friends and to meet some new ones.
Saturday we went for a swim...I got to test out my new wetsuit and it was so tight that I felt a bit like a Polish Sausage as I headed to the pier. As soon as I dove in, though, it was ALL good. I felt great and like I could really hold a good stroke. This was my second time in open water and I wasn't sure what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised. Hopefully I won't have dawdling swims like I did in '06, and will actually turn on the jets a bit in my two upcoming races. I was disappointed with both of my '06 swims and Coach Emily has had me doing a lot more intense stuff in the pool than I've ever done in tri training. Hopefully it will pay off!
The best part of the swim was seeing WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY too much of Steve in his shorts. If you haven't seen it yet (seriously, have you been hiding under a rock?) go here. You have been warned.
;)
Afterwards, we all got ready for our ride. I am still a little laughing in my head at my lack of preparation. First of all: zero hills. None. Zilch. Nada. But for some reason, I just didn't feel as worried...more just a calm acceptance that this was going to be hard, so let's get it on. Second, I have ONE water bottle cage on my bike. That has since changed, but I just didn't get a chance to get it before I left. So that worried me a bit, but not too much. I figured I'd just figure something out as I went.
Who is this girl and what has she done with OCD TriSaraTops circa 2006?!?!?!?!?
Anyway, I felt surprisingly chill. I was just excited to ride with Jacks and my buds Pharmie and Wil again. Despite butt-biting mosquitoes (don't ask), a flat, and some lost keys that caused me to leave a cloud of obscenities still hanging over a Wisconsin farm, it worked. We just rolled with it, had a great time, dodged a storm, and got in 60 miles despite a few setbacks. The miles always go faster with friends. :)
Bonus: my watts were right where they needed to be and we had a killer negative split. Hello, sexy tailwind!
It did feel a little like the high school cafeteria scenario, and instead of being a petrified freshman I was more like the junior who still had a long way to go but knew a lot more and had grown up a bit.
Dinner was super fun! I loved hanging with my team members, finally meeting awesome Cara--yay!--and Jonah, swapping stories, and catching up. Can I just say that Rural Girl is my hero? Aside from being hilarious, she is sooooooo talented and yet so humble. This chick is going to ROCK Steelhead and IMW. :)
The run the next morning came too early as my body wanted about 4 more hours of sleep. But once I saw everyone the fatigue vanished, and we had a great run. It was very deja-vu-ish to be on that course again, and I enjoyed it just as much as I did running in the pouring rain. I'm not being sarcastic, actually. I had NEVER been so excited to run in the pouring rain as I was in '06, because it meant I was off my bike and I was going to make it, and I ran with a big stupid grin pretty much the whole marathon. I remembered that, and I smiled again. My buddy Al and I talked about how we ran into each other during that epic race, and then after about an hour, Al grabbed a copy of the ONION and was reading it to us WHILE HE RAN. Gotta love it!!!
My Garmin had no juice, so I just ran by feel and we felt great. I loved every second of it.
Then I was homeward bound, and couldn't wait to kiss my baby boy. It was so good to be home and see all three of my guys.
Thanks to all my WIBA friends, old and new. That's really what triathlon is all about. I can't wait to see some buddies again at Steelhead, and cheer on my other buddies in Racine (XT4 and Al) and at Ironman Wisconsin! Here's a few of my original WIBA buddies, with a pic stolen blatently from Steve :)
Saturday we went for a swim...I got to test out my new wetsuit and it was so tight that I felt a bit like a Polish Sausage as I headed to the pier. As soon as I dove in, though, it was ALL good. I felt great and like I could really hold a good stroke. This was my second time in open water and I wasn't sure what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised. Hopefully I won't have dawdling swims like I did in '06, and will actually turn on the jets a bit in my two upcoming races. I was disappointed with both of my '06 swims and Coach Emily has had me doing a lot more intense stuff in the pool than I've ever done in tri training. Hopefully it will pay off!
The best part of the swim was seeing WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY too much of Steve in his shorts. If you haven't seen it yet (seriously, have you been hiding under a rock?) go here. You have been warned.
;)
Afterwards, we all got ready for our ride. I am still a little laughing in my head at my lack of preparation. First of all: zero hills. None. Zilch. Nada. But for some reason, I just didn't feel as worried...more just a calm acceptance that this was going to be hard, so let's get it on. Second, I have ONE water bottle cage on my bike. That has since changed, but I just didn't get a chance to get it before I left. So that worried me a bit, but not too much. I figured I'd just figure something out as I went.
Who is this girl and what has she done with OCD TriSaraTops circa 2006?!?!?!?!?
Anyway, I felt surprisingly chill. I was just excited to ride with Jacks and my buds Pharmie and Wil again. Despite butt-biting mosquitoes (don't ask), a flat, and some lost keys that caused me to leave a cloud of obscenities still hanging over a Wisconsin farm, it worked. We just rolled with it, had a great time, dodged a storm, and got in 60 miles despite a few setbacks. The miles always go faster with friends. :)
Bonus: my watts were right where they needed to be and we had a killer negative split. Hello, sexy tailwind!
It did feel a little like the high school cafeteria scenario, and instead of being a petrified freshman I was more like the junior who still had a long way to go but knew a lot more and had grown up a bit.
Dinner was super fun! I loved hanging with my team members, finally meeting awesome Cara--yay!--and Jonah, swapping stories, and catching up. Can I just say that Rural Girl is my hero? Aside from being hilarious, she is sooooooo talented and yet so humble. This chick is going to ROCK Steelhead and IMW. :)
The run the next morning came too early as my body wanted about 4 more hours of sleep. But once I saw everyone the fatigue vanished, and we had a great run. It was very deja-vu-ish to be on that course again, and I enjoyed it just as much as I did running in the pouring rain. I'm not being sarcastic, actually. I had NEVER been so excited to run in the pouring rain as I was in '06, because it meant I was off my bike and I was going to make it, and I ran with a big stupid grin pretty much the whole marathon. I remembered that, and I smiled again. My buddy Al and I talked about how we ran into each other during that epic race, and then after about an hour, Al grabbed a copy of the ONION and was reading it to us WHILE HE RAN. Gotta love it!!!
My Garmin had no juice, so I just ran by feel and we felt great. I loved every second of it.
Then I was homeward bound, and couldn't wait to kiss my baby boy. It was so good to be home and see all three of my guys.
Thanks to all my WIBA friends, old and new. That's really what triathlon is all about. I can't wait to see some buddies again at Steelhead, and cheer on my other buddies in Racine (XT4 and Al) and at Ironman Wisconsin! Here's a few of my original WIBA buddies, with a pic stolen blatently from Steve :)
Monday, June 30, 2008
I just woke up.
It's 10:30am, and I just woke up.
The Bug is already down for his first nap. Matt laughed at me when I came downstairs.
But I was EXHAUSTED. And I just don't sleep well when I'm not at home, so I had 4 days of butt-whoopin' followed by not much sleep. And that equals a lazy Monday morning, so I figured now would be a good time to recap.
I'll add pics later, as I really didn't take many. I mean, why on earth would I take pics with my 2002 digital camera that's heeeeuuuuuggggeeee when I have James and Steve around? So I'll just direct you to those pictures as they come in.
Wednesday I packed up and delayed leaving as much as possible...not because I didn't want to see all my friends, because I was SOOOOOO excited for that. I was SOOOO excited to meet my teammates, too. But I was so NOT excited to leave Matt and the Bug. And, as predicted, I stood in the basement to say goodbye I cried like a little baby. The Bug looked at me with that "should-I-cry-too?" look so I stopped as much as I could, but I realized I would just cry a bit in my car and that was going to have to be okay. I've never left him overnight before. I don't even like to leave Matt but this was even worse. I read somewhere that having a baby is like having your heart walk around outside your body, and I guess that's the closest I can come to explaining it.
So I drove. And I decided the best thing to do would be to play fun tunes and talk to my buddies. I called IronJohnny, my training bud from the first Ironman for both of us, and told him where I was going. He told me all about his IMUSA training and we shared stories. And I felt better. I talked to a few other friends, too, and despite hitting a major storm in western Ohio, I felt better.
Before I knew it, I was in Chicago. The stupid thing was that I filled up right near my house and then forgot to fill up at the last station in Indiana, which meant that as I pulled into Lincoln Park I was coasting on fumes. Which then meant, of course, that I was going to pay the most insane price for gas I've ever paid. Ugh. But my little car made it from Cleveland to Chi-Town on one tank! Yay Chewy!
Jacks and I got the car unloaded and brought all my stuff up to her apartment. We caught up like we had never left and like we still lived in our house from Miami, the Nuthouse. And I was reminded of how awesome it is to have friends that you can just pick up with like five minutes have passed no matter how far away you are or how much has changed. This is true about my WIBA friends; many of whom I hadn't seen in a year and a half, and we've all changed tremendously, yet we could still ride, swim, and run like we did it last weekend.
You just need friends like that.
Thursday I woke up and drove to Vision Quest in Lake Bluff for testing with Robbie Ventura. Yeah...the real one. The one who rode with Lance and stuff. Needless to say, I was a bit intimidated. My buddy and teammate Stu was there to help document (thanks, Stu!) and I also got to meet Coach Emily! CycleOps was also there and I got to meet some really cool people who work for what I'm convinced is the coolest company on earth.
Robbie was SO nice and down to earth. You would never know how amazing he was if it wasn't for the posters all over the room with him and his teammates. I even forgot my running shoes and he let me wear some of his! Super nice. Within a few minutes I didn't feel quite as intimidated as I did on that drive up.
I did the LT test and got my finger pricked every 30 watts. It was awesome to see how my body was reacting to the stress and what it would mean for my training. Robbie explained everything to me in simple terms and I am amazed at how scientific this process is. Sure enough, at a certain point, my lactic acid skyrocketed, and that's how we determined my power zones. I am already a HUGE fan of training with power; it's everything that for me heart rate training was NOT. I'll be writing more about that as soon as I get a chance.
When the test was done, Robbie took me into another room with Stu and Emily to do a strength test, or as I refer to it, a Lack Of Strength Test. Ugh. I clearly know what I need to work on. I was frustrated at times, and even had to bite down pretty hard on the upper lip. I just know that I was pretty strong before The Bug and now I feel a little back to square negative one. But, that's life, and I'm not going to whine about it anymore...it's time to just change it. So I will.
I finally made it back to Old Town in the city and Jacks and I figured out a place to go to dinner with our buddy T-Bone. We didn't even head out until pretty late, so I didn't know if I'd get to see any of my other buds I was going to try and meet up with, but I did! My buddy Chris came to meet us and so did my other friend Chien...and my super awesome friend Mouse! We ate lots of food, laughed a lot, and drank a lot of sangria. It was SO fun and so good to see them!
Friday Jacks and I headed up to Madison which took a little longer than anticipated. I remembered my first drive up there with ESpeed and Wil and how afraid I was of what I'd encounter when I got there. This time was different. The fear wasn't there as much--there was an odd familiarity to it, perhaps like if you step into your old high school cafeteria and you remember what it was like to sit there and what you were like back then. I wondered what it would be like this time. How would Madison be different to me?
And it was. Totally, 100% different this time around. But in a good way.
The Bug is already down for his first nap. Matt laughed at me when I came downstairs.
But I was EXHAUSTED. And I just don't sleep well when I'm not at home, so I had 4 days of butt-whoopin' followed by not much sleep. And that equals a lazy Monday morning, so I figured now would be a good time to recap.
I'll add pics later, as I really didn't take many. I mean, why on earth would I take pics with my 2002 digital camera that's heeeeuuuuuggggeeee when I have James and Steve around? So I'll just direct you to those pictures as they come in.
Wednesday I packed up and delayed leaving as much as possible...not because I didn't want to see all my friends, because I was SOOOOOO excited for that. I was SOOOO excited to meet my teammates, too. But I was so NOT excited to leave Matt and the Bug. And, as predicted, I stood in the basement to say goodbye I cried like a little baby. The Bug looked at me with that "should-I-cry-too?" look so I stopped as much as I could, but I realized I would just cry a bit in my car and that was going to have to be okay. I've never left him overnight before. I don't even like to leave Matt but this was even worse. I read somewhere that having a baby is like having your heart walk around outside your body, and I guess that's the closest I can come to explaining it.
So I drove. And I decided the best thing to do would be to play fun tunes and talk to my buddies. I called IronJohnny, my training bud from the first Ironman for both of us, and told him where I was going. He told me all about his IMUSA training and we shared stories. And I felt better. I talked to a few other friends, too, and despite hitting a major storm in western Ohio, I felt better.
Before I knew it, I was in Chicago. The stupid thing was that I filled up right near my house and then forgot to fill up at the last station in Indiana, which meant that as I pulled into Lincoln Park I was coasting on fumes. Which then meant, of course, that I was going to pay the most insane price for gas I've ever paid. Ugh. But my little car made it from Cleveland to Chi-Town on one tank! Yay Chewy!
Jacks and I got the car unloaded and brought all my stuff up to her apartment. We caught up like we had never left and like we still lived in our house from Miami, the Nuthouse. And I was reminded of how awesome it is to have friends that you can just pick up with like five minutes have passed no matter how far away you are or how much has changed. This is true about my WIBA friends; many of whom I hadn't seen in a year and a half, and we've all changed tremendously, yet we could still ride, swim, and run like we did it last weekend.
You just need friends like that.
Thursday I woke up and drove to Vision Quest in Lake Bluff for testing with Robbie Ventura. Yeah...the real one. The one who rode with Lance and stuff. Needless to say, I was a bit intimidated. My buddy and teammate Stu was there to help document (thanks, Stu!) and I also got to meet Coach Emily! CycleOps was also there and I got to meet some really cool people who work for what I'm convinced is the coolest company on earth.
Robbie was SO nice and down to earth. You would never know how amazing he was if it wasn't for the posters all over the room with him and his teammates. I even forgot my running shoes and he let me wear some of his! Super nice. Within a few minutes I didn't feel quite as intimidated as I did on that drive up.
I did the LT test and got my finger pricked every 30 watts. It was awesome to see how my body was reacting to the stress and what it would mean for my training. Robbie explained everything to me in simple terms and I am amazed at how scientific this process is. Sure enough, at a certain point, my lactic acid skyrocketed, and that's how we determined my power zones. I am already a HUGE fan of training with power; it's everything that for me heart rate training was NOT. I'll be writing more about that as soon as I get a chance.
When the test was done, Robbie took me into another room with Stu and Emily to do a strength test, or as I refer to it, a Lack Of Strength Test. Ugh. I clearly know what I need to work on. I was frustrated at times, and even had to bite down pretty hard on the upper lip. I just know that I was pretty strong before The Bug and now I feel a little back to square negative one. But, that's life, and I'm not going to whine about it anymore...it's time to just change it. So I will.
I finally made it back to Old Town in the city and Jacks and I figured out a place to go to dinner with our buddy T-Bone. We didn't even head out until pretty late, so I didn't know if I'd get to see any of my other buds I was going to try and meet up with, but I did! My buddy Chris came to meet us and so did my other friend Chien...and my super awesome friend Mouse! We ate lots of food, laughed a lot, and drank a lot of sangria. It was SO fun and so good to see them!
Friday Jacks and I headed up to Madison which took a little longer than anticipated. I remembered my first drive up there with ESpeed and Wil and how afraid I was of what I'd encounter when I got there. This time was different. The fear wasn't there as much--there was an odd familiarity to it, perhaps like if you step into your old high school cafeteria and you remember what it was like to sit there and what you were like back then. I wondered what it would be like this time. How would Madison be different to me?
And it was. Totally, 100% different this time around. But in a good way.
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