Tri Talk Tuesday: Triathlon Favorites

Today I'm linking back up with Courtney at The Tri Girl Chronicles, Phaedra at Blisters and Black Toenails and Cynthia at You Signed Up For What?!for Tri Talk Tuesday. This week's topic: Triathlon favorites

Boy oh boy, there are a lot of things I love about triathlons. Picking my favorites seems impossible. Also, an incredibly broad category. Still, I think I've managed to nail it down to a few salient points. 

Favorite Nutrition

Honey stinger waffles. What the hell did I do before I found these things? They're so light and fluffy but have such a great taste. I typically eat them before races, having one about 30 to an hour before the gun. I've started chomping them down before rides too. I like that, unlike bonk breakers or cliff bars, they fit so nicely in my back pockets. 

Favorite Kit

I love my sugoi Landsharks kit, but my heart belongs to Coeur (Get it, that was a pun). 

I definitely have to say for a bigger girl they can be pretty form fitting. The kit really didn't fit me until I'd lost a couple pounds, but by Muncie it fit great! I love the style and it's SO comfortable. I wear the shorts just to run in. Years of volleyball have me married to spandex. #SorryNotSorry

Favorite Workout Tunes
My workout playlist is constantly changing. Working out without music was one of the hardest things about training for Muncie. BUT, I did give in occasionally and these were the tunes that are almost always on my playlist:

• Kanye West, "Power"
• Matchbox 20, "Lets see How far we've come"
• Tom Petty, "You Wreck Me"

Favorite "Overall" Gear
Sunglasses. Couldn't do anything without them. Couldn't drive to the lake for OWS, couldn't bike, couldn't run. I got some C9 glasses from Target a few years back and LOVE them. They're light weight, don't fog up, and you almost forget you're wearing them. Also they've taken a lot of abuse.

Favorite Triathlon Moment (so far)
The start of Muncie 70.3. I know, "the start? not the finish?".  Every night before I go to bed I go back to the start of that race. The DJ playing "Single Ladies" when our wave hit the water. The cannon going off. The feel of those first few splashes in the water before finally pushing off and moving forward. The perfect, effortless touch of my arms in the water in those first few strokes. That's how I fall asleep. Rotating side to side, gliding through the reservoir. That moment was perfect to me. The finish was good, but the start was something amazing. So much was unknown. I truly felt like I was jumping off of a cliff. And it was magical. I may see finish lines again, but I'll never start my first ever again.

Happy Running!

What are your triathlon favorites? Favorite race? Favorite gear? 

Tri Talk Tuesday - Beating the Heat

Today I'm linking back up with Courtney at The Tri Girl Chronicles, Phaedra at Blisters and Black Toenails and Cynthia at You Signed Up For What?!for Tri Talk Tuesday. This week's topic: Beating the heat.

Summer in Kentucky means a lot of awesome things for me. Longer days, bourbon trail touring, back porch sitting, pool swimming and zoo visiting. I love all of it. One pesky little addition to all of those, however, is the heat.

As of 7:25a.m.Yikes

And not just heat, but humidity. Oh the humidity. The kind of stuff where you're already soaked in sweat before you make it through your warm up. Several weeks ago the humidity was so thick at 6:00 a.m. (so pre-sun) that it was actually foggy. Seriously.;

So what's a triathlete to do in these wicked summer months? After 7 years of living, running, and training in the Bluegrass I've come up with a few tricks that can help you get a handle on the heat.

- Plan your workouts around the heat
Some of you may not like hearing this, but time for a dose of truth: the coolest part of the day is in the morning. Before the sun comes up. Yes, that early ass time you haven't seen since you were coming home in college. But for summer training in some climates early mornings are a must when it's 85 degrees and 70% humidity by 9 a.m.

Also, pay more attention to your route in the heat. Usually run through the neighborhood without much tree cover? Maybe switch to trails to find some shade. This worked for me yesterday actually and it was a really nice little run. It's also important on long rides and runs to make sure you  know where you can refuel. Plan a route that has plenty of water fountains or store stops and bring cash for that ice cold gatorade at the sketchy gas station in the middle of nowhere. Which leads me to..

- Hydration Hydration Hydration
Hydration is always important but it's key for hot weather.  Firstly, make sure that you're hydrating well in advance of a long outdoor effort. If you wake up the morning of a 50 mile ride and your pee looks like iced tea, you're starting off with a deficit and you may not have enough time to make that up. And if you're not looking at your pee, then you're not truly invested in getting the most out of your training. Seriously, check your pee. It's not gross. Well, not that gross.

As far as hydrating during activity, there's a lot of debate about how much and how often. The old adage was "early and often" but now there's a lot of information out there about hyponatremia that's changing some opinions. I've had a lot of luck with what I learned from Be Iron Fit about my sweat rate. Sweat rate is complicated but it essentially involves figuring out how much water weight you lose after a vigorous effort. It gives you a number that specifically tells you how much you should be taking in each hour during a workout or race. If you're training for a longer race (specifically in a hotter climate) I highly recommend doing it!

- Summertime Specific Gear 
I love putting away my gloves, scarves, and balaclava at the end of the winter and pulling out my summer training stuff. This includes my nathan handheld and a series of hats and visors. These are a must for me when the weather and sun heat up.

Favorite Landsharks Headsweats Visor

- Sunscreen
This falls in the category of "Do as I say, not as I do." I try to put sunscreen on before going outside but...yeah, I forget a lot. What I won't forget is how miserable I was after TriFest back in May when I just got roasted during my first Olympic. I was a crispy critter. It took me 3x as long to recover from that race because I was so sunburnt. It really made me sick. So apply sunscreen!

- Prepare to alter expectations 
When conditions are hot and humid just accept you may not get the workout you planned for. And that's ok. According to Runnersworld.com, the Dew point (an indicator of humidity) can actually have the biggest impact on your effort. From July through August here our dew points are typically in the 60's. That means that most workouts are going to be 'uncomfortable'. This is one reason why I like Heart Rate training in the heat. Then you're running based on YOUR capacity and not some pace you set when temps were reasonable. For more awesome advice and info on hot weather running, check out the RunnersWorld Article here.

- Embrace the heat
While there are many ways to cope with the heat, there's no way to avoid it all together. So what's the remedy? In the words of SwimBikeMom, "Suck it up Buttercup." Get out in the weather early in the season to start acclimatizing to the heat. The worst thing you can do, in my opinion, is do all of your summer workouts on the treadmill or trainer. Particularly if you have a summer race! You need to get used to training and working in the heat so you have a true idea of how it effects you. So embrace it, love it, and get used to it.

What did I miss? Any other good tips for beating the heat?
Do you like running/biking in the summer?  I do. I hate the winter. 

Happy Running!

Tri Talk Tuesday - Transitions

Today I'm linking back up with Courtney at The Tri Girl Chronicles, Phaedra at Blisters and Black Toenails and Cynthia at You Signed Up For What?!for Tri Talk Tuesday. This month's topic? The transition!

Transition can be like a black hole for me. If you don't have a game plan going in, you can lose a lot of time. Now maybe over an iron distance race a few extra minutes on your transition don't really matter, but they definitely do on a sprint! So how do you nail your transitions?

PLAN
Like the rest of your race you should have a strategy for your transition. Don't just lay everything out willy-nilly and waltz through T1. One of the best pieces of advice I've taken from Don Fink's "Be Iron Fit" (which you really should read) is the Top Down/Bottom Up method. When you go through transition take everything off from the top down, then put everything on from the bottom up. I literally say it outlaid in transition as I'm rushing.

T1: Goggles off, Cap Off, wet suit off (if no stripper), bike shoes on, nutrition in belt/pockets, sunglasses on, helmet on --> GO!
T2: Helmet off, shoes off, socks on, shoes on, race belt on, visor on --> GO!

You should also have a good checklist of what you need for the transition area. I lay mine out before the race in our spare bedroom. I have a list for 1) Before the race 2)  Race Nutrition/Hydration 3)Swim 4) Bike 5) Run 6) Post Race. The night before I lay it all out by category, then carefully pack it in my Transition bag.

From before Tri Fest

On race day, I tend to lay out my transition area with bike in the front and the run in the back. Extra nutrition and sunscreen go in the middle. I've also done it with the bike on the left and the run on the right, since my transition area was a little cramped once. It really just depends on your own mojo.

Whatever your strategy, come up with set it up, stick to it and...

PRACTICE
Transitions, like running, swimming, and biking, are an event in the race and should be practiced just like the other three disciplines. My training plan has several workouts that require a transition-type setting. The practice of going from one discipline to another isn't just good for your body -  it's good for your brain. Put yourself through the rigors of a transition well in advance of race day. How do you practice for transitions? Early and often!


PATIENCE
I'm of the opinion that I'd rather do something once slowly than several times quickly. For me, If i take the time to breathe and focus in transition then I may lose a few seconds, but I gain a lot in confidence. For instance, in Shelbyville this spring I threw my socks on over wet feet with the sole goal of getting on the bike as fast as possible. No Bueno. I had to fiddle with them in T2, I had to stop on the run several times and fiddle with them. During Tri Fest I decided to lose some time and actually sit down and take the time to put my socks on. Loads better. I'm also picky about my hair. I hate my hair bouncing around crazy. I hate flyaway in my face. So I take a few extra minutes to fix my braids/bun/ponytail but spend the bike/run happier.

Whatever your set up for the transition, if you plan, practice, and have patience with it it will enhance your overall race experience.

I am really enjoying the link ups and reading all of your blogs! Thanks for your comments last month - it is so nice to know people are actually reading :)

Happy Tri-ing!

Transitions: Love 'em or hate 'em? Any tricks you can share?

Hump Day Happenings

Last night during my swim I was chugging along and actually thought, "Screw this. I'm getting out." I was super tired, and my arms were really sore and achy. The last several swims the first 400 yards have been magical - almost effortless. This swim felt more like I was pulling through mud and my shoulders were screaming. Not to mention, my suit has finally gotten to the point where it's so stretched and saggy that anytime I catch myself in the mirror I think, "Oh god, that can't possibly be what I look like!". Not good.

But I finished anyway and I felt good just knowing I finished a hard workout. Sometimes, that's just the way it is.

Post-Swim Locker Room Action

I rewarded myself this morning by getting myself a new suit and hot pink swim cap. I went through the TYR grab bag so I have NO idea what it will look like. It's sort of exciting. Also, I bought myself this awesome shirt just because. 

So Cool

Tonight I have my bike fitting at our local multisport shop. I'm excited to learn a little bit more about my bike and have a professional fit. Also, it will be my first experience with clipless pedals. I'm more than a little nervous about that (as in I'm nervous about falling off my bike because I can't unclip). We shall see.

Ellie and I are not thrilled about being awake this morning. 

Sleepy Puppy

At least I have caramel coffee!

Happy Hump Day!

How do you recover from bad workouts?
Have you ever used clipless pedals? How'd it go?
Do you like flavored coffee? Which flavor?

And then there's Summer

Thanks for all of your input, sympathy and advice about this week's long run. I decided to go the 'make it up as I go along' route and just let my body dictate everything. I didn't end up running Saturday but I did manage to get a lot crossed of my to-do list. Saturday I went out for a 10 miler around 10am. Almost every single step- save maybe the middle two miles - were awful. C'est la vie - I did it, it's over and I'm stronger for it.

The biggest difference between this run and all of the others? The weather. We here in the Bluegrass have lucked into a very mild winter (more of an extended fall, really). Temperatures have averaged around 40 since November. Most weekends I would wait until around 10 or 11 a.m. to head out on my long run.  Not anymore.

Almost overnight we switched from winter(fall) to summer! When I headed out on Saturday I wasn't expecting the temperatures to be quite so warm, and was totally unprepared. Time to clean out the running bag - my favorite old ASICS backpack - and reconnect with all of my warm weather running stuff!

Here are a few of my "must-have" warm weather items

1. BodyGlide
     I'm not ashamed to admit it, I love and depend on BodyGlide in the hot summer months. Heck I slather it on in the winter too. This stuff does what regular vaseline can't - it protects all your delicate skin from chafing and blistering despite gallons of sweat. If it's raining or particularly hot I'll coat my feet in it to keep from getting blisters. If you have anything that rubs, sticks, or itches when you run this stuff will save your life.

2. Bondi Bands
     Now I love my Active Bands - they're cute, they keep my hair back, and they fit great. But when it's hot and I'm sweating so much that I no longer look like a human being, this is my go-to headgear. I'll even wear it under my hat/visor so that when I take it on and off my wispy little hairs stay back and out of my face. Or dunk them in water and just wear them around my neck. Amazing.

3. Nuun
    I became a Nuun convert during the last of my hot summer training in the run up to the Chicago Half Marathon last year. What I love is that it has absolutely zero sugar. Sugar seems to be the trigger for my mid-run GI distress so finding this little gem was particularly awesome. Easy to use, lots of electrolytes and has just a fain taste. We all know how awesome yellow-powdered gatorade mix tastes round about mile 25. Yeah, not good. Tri-Berry is my fave, citrus is not my fave, and if my kroger doesn't start carrying Tropical I might have to order it online. yummm.

4. A good solid everyday waterbottle
    A good daily waterbottle is something all runners and athletes should have and carry with them, but in the summer time it's a must. If your schedule is anything like mine, sometimes you just have to get a run in at a minutes notice. Since that makes it hard to plan for fuel and hydration, it's important to stay hydrated all day. Find a waterbottle that suits you - it sounds stupid, but don't get a big 64oz Nalgene if it's too big to put in your purse. Better to get something small that you can always keep with you, even if you have to refill often. Personally? I'm in love with my Camelbak Eddy.

5. Sunscreen (no, seriously)
    This is one of those things I'm making an effort to keep in my bag this year. Not just because my wedding dress is strapless, but because I know limiting exposure to harmful UVA/UVB rays is good for me. I like to keep a generic sweat-proof spray on around because it's so easy. May not be the best coverage, but it's better than nothing (which is my current alternative).

lets be honest though, it's all because I want to avoid this

6.  Hat/Visor
    I hate wearing sunglasses while running. Anything that bounces, rubs, moves, or does anything like that annoys the crap out of me and I spend the whole run - no matter how long - thinking about it. Thus, a visor. I won an Asics Everyday II Run Visor at a volleyball competition (runners up got a giant bag of swag, including visor, winners got a volleyball. Suckers). It's light, it fits my dainty lady head, and effortlessly protects my eyes from the gallons of sweat seeping out of my forehead. Sold.

7. Cheapo Beach Towel from the dollar store
    Have you not picked up that I sweat like a 400lb dude? If it's over 75 degrees I need something to put between me and my upholstered interior lest I permanently dampen the seat. I keep these cheapo towels in my car like Kleenex.


These are just some of the things that make summer running tolerable down here in Kentucky. Before we know it, I'll be reminiscing about 80 degree days and talking about how I've got the vapers and what not in the 70% humidity and 110 degree heat. Until then, whew, pass the ice water!

What are your hot/warm-weather must haves? What changes do you make to your training when the temperatures start to climb?


To everyone who raced this weekend - YOU ROCK! I've loved looking at all of the pictures and seeing you in all of your green-glory.

Back in action

I feel like a completely different person than I did this time last week. It's amazing what a difference 7 short days makes, but it's true. My efforts at rehabilitation paid off and Saturday morning I woke up feeling 100% again. I even slept until 9:30 - oops! - but managed to have a leisurely day with J and still get in my long run.

Checking off my long run

And yes, I proudly wore my Broncos gear all day Saturday. Football is such a cruel mistress, am I right?

I've pretty much resumed my normal activities this week. Last night I got in a great workout on the treadmill and trudged through three horrible games of volleyball. After we were finished I was oh so excited (read: not excited at all) to find a new achey spot in my knee. Good thing I've got my trusty ice pack to make it all better.....I hope. 

Today I decided to take my short, easy run outside to try out my new reebok wind jacket. It felt great to be off the treadmill, despite the chill in the air. I think I was going faster than my planned leisurely pace but lots of stops for traffic lights forced me to take lots of breaks.

On the bridge between KY & IN - failed attempt
to get the city in the background

An hour of yoga later and I'm whooped. Now for some quality time with Mr. Ice Pack & a bubble bath.

Wednesday Wish List

This week's wish centers around something I've ALWAYS wanted, but just didn't think I was built for: svelte, muscular arms. As a swimmer my upper body was always built a bit like a linebacker & being a bit chesty (Ok, more than a bit), I just didn't think It was possible. But in less than 9 months I will put on this:

So I'm adding strong sex arms to my wish list. Because when I slip on that wedding dress I want to look less like her

and more like her

Do you have any "trouble spots" that no amount of running seems to fix? 

How's the weather where you are?

Things and Stuff

I didn't realize that it had been 5 days since I last posted. It has been a relatively busy few days, though at this exact moment I can't recall exactly what it was busy with. Nature of the beast.

Saturday I got to go out and buy new running shoes after my prize money finally came in the mail. Louisville is blessed with a lot of awesome running stores and, in the interest of showing support, I've shopped at all of them. Lately I've been shopping at the new-to-Louisville store Blue Mile. The guys that work there were super helpful - and honest - in helping me pick out a Garmin and were really friendly. Not to mention they have an awesome rewards program that gives you store cash for spending money there. So I headed in and the first person I found was the store owner, who chatted with me about my volleyball shoes, told me a charming story about Balaga brand socks and passed me over to Wes for my gait analysis. I hadn't ever had a true gait analysis, so this was interesting. I brought in my past two shoes, showed them where I get blisters, and did the gait test. After some more treadmill running - questions from Wes - and a bit of bouncing around I decided on these babies

I'm glad I started the day out with such an awesome purchase because the rest of the day was spent shopping.....for ALL of my Christmas gifts. I don't know why I decided to do it all in one go (maybe because I have ZERO free time, see Infra) but it was enough to kind of dim my faith in the idea of "Christmas Cheer". Whatever happened to manners, being nice to people, and simple social courtesy?

If i sound like a negative nancy, it's probably because I'm kind of feeling negative. As good as my fitness was before thanksgiving, it has gotten equally as bad lately. My runs are sluggish, Grapefruit knee/ITBS is raging, zero energy, and tons of water retention and weight gain.

I'm having trouble deciphering what my body wants me to do. In the midst of all of the holiday craziness I want to spend my free time working out or running. Moreover, this whole trying-to-plan-a-wedding-right-now-so-my-family-will-shut-up-about-it thing means if I don't spend some quality time in the gym, I get super cranky and hate everybody (myself included). But then the physical signs make me feel like maybe I'm pushing it and could risk starting 2012 out injured instead of strong. I honestly have no idea which it is. Either way, it's gross and I'm not a fan.

In positive terms, my friend Emily got me to try a fruit smoothie with Spinach in it. I'm sort of hooked. In a preemptive strike against the holiday bulge, I filled my fridge with fresh and frozen fruits and veggies, milk and greek yogurt. The smoothies are, oddly enough, super tasty! They don't taste like spinach but they ARE spinach. Genius, really.

Emily says the trick is "don't look at it, just drink it" 

I contacted DerbyFest about switching over to the Marathon. Negative Nancy says, "Tough S%@!, too late."But i'm trying to remain positive and just keep doing my thing. That's all I can ask.

Odd, I feel better having at least openly discussed that I'm in a pissy mood....strange how that works! Thanks to you all who share your ups, downs, and in-betweens so openly on your own blogs. I am constantly inspired by even the most mundane parts of your lives and your fitness journeys - thank you for sharing with me!

Negative Positives

Last week it was the Religion Clauses, today it's equitable relief that I'm drowning in. Drowning isn't really fair, since I didn't start swimming in it until about 5 hours ago. Regardless, my 3rd "final" of the semester (out of 4) is due at noon tomorrow. Quality and content be damned, it'll be done (though I can't complain much since I've been procrastinating for about...oh...two weeks...).

But my procrastination hasn't been in vain! Friday night J and I had a date night which involved P.F. Chang's, some sassy new date clothes (in light of my new "I love my body!" attitude), Froyo with lots of toppings, lots of couch canoodling and college football. Ideal Friday night.

Unfortunately the blissful Friday night lured me into such a deep sleep that when my alarm told me to get up and go for a run at 7am Saturday morning, I told it to shut up and went back to bed. I did manage to get my run in though - after watching Louisville football AND basketball win! - and truly enjoyed every second of it. I was a bit wary thinking I could make it through 5 miles since I haven't had any real "training plan" but, well, I made it with gas in the tank! In fact, I negative split it!

Wow! My first mile was my marathon goal pace

Negative splits and gaining strength throughout runs is something I'm setting my sights on in 2012. I'd DIE to negative split my May Half Marathon, but lets do one thing at a time.

Today I wasn't really feeling like doing anything but now that the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge is in full effect I'm trying to keep my own bootie in gear! In deference to my legs after yesterday's phenomenal run, I walked a mile on the treadmill then hit up ZUMBA at the Y. I'll leave today's Zumba experience at this - we had a substitute and she was ridiculous. Too much pep. Worth it though, because then I didn't feel at all guilty about eating a feast of Trader Joe's Orange Chicken. Not one bit.

Love in a bowl, straight from the oven

I got an exciting running-related package in the mail today. I'm not breaking it out until the Turkey Trot, so you'll have to wait...but it's worth it. Oh, it's worth it.

Hope everyone had a great weekend  - congratulations on finishing races/long runs/or getting much-needed rest!

Do you run negative splits - have you always, or do you have to work at it? 

Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge Log for 11/19 & 11/20

11/19 - 5 mile run = 5 pts

11/20 - 1 mile walk, 45 minute Zumba = 4 pts
Total Daily points  - 4
Total weekly points - 9
Total Cumulative points  - 9

Wednesday Wish List

Today was just plain good.

I've been trying to "plan ahead" as far as my workouts and eating goes, in an attempt to feel more secure about both. Sometimes the 'plan' part means simply knowing that I can't plan for it and that there's are both 'best' and 'worse' case scenarios. Last night I made the coffee, set out my morning work, and put the workout stuff in it's spot. I'd planned my morning around getting a gentle wake-up, getting good fuel and proper digestion time, and getting my workout in comfortably before leaving for class at 1.

I'm happy to report, it was a great success!

Today's workout was Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs. If this sounds like Dejavu, well, it's because you're paying attention. I slipped Pure Cardio in on Sunday (I think?) because I had skipped it. I'm glad I got a double dose. I love this work out. It makes me feel light and agile.  It makes me feel fast. These are both attributes nature simply forgot to give me. As both a swimmer and a volleyball player I never had either and coach after coach struggled to teach it. For today, at least, I had a little bit of 'fast' in me.

I love how Insanity® has made cross-training a realistic part of my workouts. I've cross-trained in the past, but it always seemed kind of mindless. I would go to spin class, or Body Pump, or just go through my weights circuit. There was no regularity to what I was doing. While my training had a point, my cross-training really didn't. I think my goal of working these exhausting workouts into my future training program is more than realistic - I also think it will help make me a better runner!

Wednesday Wish-List
This week is a two-parter, and the first one is totally a vanity thing. My "Wish" this week is for pushups. Real, manly, serious-style push-ups. I've gotten better, but this week I'm going for it.
Wish: Complete Level 1 Drills (i.e. at least 3 sets of 8 real pushups)

Second wish is one I need your help with! I'm in the market for a nice, light-weight, wind-rain jacket to train in. I'm in love with the Colombia Women's Peak Power jacket but I need YOUR suggestions for some other great wind/cold jackets!

This awesome jacket might even
put a dent in Santa's wallet

Also my Active Bands came today. I'm so excited to try them out but I can't decide which one to wear first!

I'm kind of partial to the pink giraffe one

What do you do for cross-training? How do you keep it interesting? Got any winter gear "must haves"?