Looking for "It"

Well I missed last week's recap. I didn't miss it so much as I realized I had nothing worth posting about. This week was a little better.

Monday was a holiday so Hubz and I spent a lot of time together. I took Ellie for a walk in the evening to avoid total laziness status. It was pretty ridiculously hot too and she couldn't really run with me.

Tuesday I took Ghost out to brave the heat. We had a good ride and I felt like I was really going fast. Combination of hills and flats around the house and I just managed to get in before the sun started setting

Wednesday I felt terrible. I did not sleep at all Tuesday night and as the day went on I felt progressively worse. I'm pretty sure I had a fever but never felt like checking. I spent the afternoon and evening huddled up on the couch pushing fluids. I think this worked because luckily I felt a lot better by Thursday.

Thursday I'd planned to get in a ride or a run before volleyball but ended up staying late at work. Story of my life lately. Made it to our late volleyball match and worked up a decent sweat.

Friday was Hubz' turn to be sick so we opted out of Tennis. He got the fever, chills and headache I'd had Wednesday. We mostly sacked out on the couch and watched TV all night. Fine with me!

Saturday brought fall to the bluegrass. It was unusually chilly in the morning and gusty. After the football game (which we lost and I hated) I took a nap then headed out for a run. I ran 3.2 miles on my own then picked up Ellie for another 2 around the park. It felt great. I paced 11.24 min/mi for the run and only walked some of the third mile. I'm really glad I went out - though late - and got this in

Sunday I decided to ride. I went out before dinner and did 2 loops of the park. I made it my goal just to take it easy. I saw my pace was averaging around 13.9mph and chose not to care. I focused on relaxing and just enjoying myself. All in all i think it was a good ride

Relaxing is something i've been really struggling with lately. Work has been...horrible. I've been trying to figure out how to write on the topic because whenever I think about my life, and my work, lately I just get upset. We leave for London in 2 weeks and I'm hoping that will take some of the pressure off and add in some perspective. I'm really hoping to get in some good workouts next week. As my mood soured and my stress soared the one thing that was missing was exercise. I really want that to be a priority for next week. oh, and pictures :)

Happy Running!

Tri Talk Tuesday: Race Day Tips & Tricks

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: Race Day Tips & Tricks

Pre-Race - Quelling the jitters

Race day can be super stressful. Depending on the race, your morning-of jitters can be anywhere from 'eh' to 'AHH!'. Pre-race jitters are normal, and they're good in many ways. It's what gets you amped up and ready to compete. But if you're stressing so much that you aren't enjoying the race, well, that's just miserable. Here are some tried and true ways I have reduced my anxiety pre-race

1. Set that Alarm EARLY

Not a Great Example b/c this race started @ 11:00 a.m.

I know, this one sucks. Most triathlons start at zero-dark-thirty as is, and getting up early isn't everyone's strong suit. If you're one of those people who can wake up and roll out the door (i.e. Hubz, hate him) then just ignore this one. But if you're like me, my brain and body take forever to warm up and get going in the morning. I have to be awake at least 30 minutes before I can be trusted to actually do anything. I set the alarm about 2 hours before my planned departure time. This isn't just so that I can mentally get woken up - it's so I can eat! I like to take care of business (if you get my meaning) before I leave the house so as to avoid leaving the uncomfortable bathroom business to the nasty start line port-a-potties. At Muncie I woke up at like 4 a.m. and just laid in bed watching Netflix while I drank my gatorade and chowed down my bagel. It wasn't rocket since. But it DID give me an opportunity to actually be awake by the time we left. It also leaves you with plenty of time to make sure you have all of the odds and ends so you're ready to leave on time....

2. Plan Out a Schedule

I may be too type A for some people, but hey, it works for me! I HATE being rushed in the morning. Hate.It. Hubz likes to roll out of bed, get in the car, show up 2 seconds before the gun goes off and do his thing. This makes my skin itch and belly ache just thinking about it. The day  before a race - while  I'm packing my Transition bag and going through my gear - I plot out a schedule for race morning. This requires knowing a lot of things: what time does transition close? Is there a pre-race meeting? Is it Mandatory? How far away will we have to park? Figure out these variables, then work backwards:

2015 Race the Bridge Olympic

8:15 a.m. Race Start

7:50 Meet mom & Dad outside of transition

7:45 Transition Closes

7:00 Hubz drops me off @ Eva Bandman Park

6:50 Leave for Eva Bandman Park

5:00 Wake up for race day! Drink 2 bottles - 1 H2O, 1 Gatorade. Eat Bagel. Mix iced coffee

Now you've got a schedule, just reverse the order and voila!. It takes all of the guess work out of race morning and you really don't even have to think about anything.

3. Tell Your Sherpa & Support Crew How They Can Help

This is one I often struggle with. Friends and Family want to be at the race to support you. Great! They want to be there before you start. Um. Hmm. After so many years of competitive swimming I'm pretty used to being on my own at the start. In fact, I prefer it that way. With so many people around I get self conscious, 'Are they having a good time?' 'Am I ignoring them?'. It sounds selfish, but I need race morning to be about me. Sound like you? Tell your crew! My mom is always looking for ways to help me at races and I had to just be blunt with her: You can help me out on the course by cheering for me, smiling at me, and giving me positive feedback. Right now, I need to be in the zone. She totally gets it. Before we discussed that...it was awkward! Be kind, be thankful and be appreciative, but be honest.

4. Set a playlist

I always have a pre-race pump up playlist. We usually listen to it in the car on the way to the race. Sometimes I'll just put my earbuds in while I"m setting up in transition. It helps me get focused and get my mind right before the race.

Post-Race Tips & Tricks

1. Pack Post-Race Clothes

Seems like a no-brainer, but add this to your transition to-pack list. I always pack a comfy dark colored shirt (because no one needs to see your boob sweat at brunch), flip flops, and some shower wipes. Nathan makes a great body wipe that I keep in my bag, but baby wipes will work too. Nothing feels better than getting that salt and sweat off of your face. Also - flip flops! Make sure you pack a comfy pair for your worn out feet. For longer races or if we're traveling far I pack my compression socks. Whatever it takes to be comfy!

2. Plan What You're Going to Eat

It's important to eat for recovery after a race. Also, FOOD. Some races I'm not that interested in food but some, whew boy, give me a buffet. Especially if you're out of town figure out where you're going to fuel after the race. I like having that already planned out (and often have a reservation in place) so that I'm not plagued with "where do you want to eat?" by my support crew immediately after the race. People, I just did a sprint/olympic/10k/13.1 - I don't want to decide things!!

3. Move around throughout the day

It can be tempting after an especially hard race to go home and become one with the sofa. Don't let it happen! Get up every so often and walk around. Stretch! Also keep drinking fluids (I think beer does count, in moderation) to help get the lactic acid flushed out. The more you move around post-race the easier it will be to move around the next day. Trust me on this one. 

Above all - enjoy every moment! Take every opportunity before and after the race to realize that you're doing something FUN! Whenever you start getting anxious just remember: plenty of people will never get the chance to do these things. Enjoy every minute. Be thankful

Happy Running!

What did I miss?!

Waking up early - hate it or love it? 

What Just Happened? - A Weekly Recap

While I'm writing my recap I'm watching Desert Runners. It's insane. If you haven't seen if you need to get yourself in front of a Netflix Machine right now and watch it. It follows several runners attempting the "Grand Slam" of the 4 Desert Series (Atacama, Gobi, Sahara, Antarctic - one calendar year). This quote from the filmmaker stuck with me:

"Why is it that some people look at something and say 

'that's impossible' and another person says its not?"

Think on that. 

Anyway, here's my week:

See those two big gaping holes in a row?? That hasn't happened since March 18th & 19th. See that Blank for Saturday? Yeah. Hasn't happened since March either. So...what just happened?

Monday

This week is one of "the best weeks" for my job because all of the prosecutors go out of town for a conference. Court basically shuts down and we get three days to breathe. Also, my husband (a prosecutor) goes to said conference. My buddy Rania was hoping to take the conference days off for a little staycation time with her awesome family so we moved our Wednesday run to Monday. Hubz had softball so I brought Ellie with me to run. I felt bad because Ellie didn't let us run very much and I know Rania wanted to move. She nicely stayed with me while we power walked almost 4 miles. I love just chatting and spending time with her. She's so fierce. I took Ellie home and we zonked out until bedtime. 

Tuesday

I"m not really sure what happened here. I think there may have been weather? Or was it that I stayed late at work? I really can't remember. What I remember is that by the time I got home there was enough time to go out for a ride and...I bailed. I just wasn't feeling it at all. It's the first time in a long time I actually thought, "I don't really want to do this." So I didn't. 

I also walked to court in Teva's. Wishful thinking

I don't think that was the right call because...

Wednesday

I was in a terrible funk. First day without court since Christmas, I think. I thought I'd get all this crap done and I stalled and bonked. Stressful client meetings back to back to back. I was in a crappy mood, I was sad, I was angry, and I just wasn't having a good day. Hubz had left for the conference earlier in the day so as soon as I thought it was practicable (i.e. "I won't get fired") I high tailed it out of work. I got home and took a nap on the couch with Ellie. By the time I woke up the last thing I wanted to do was bike or run. I thought I remembered taking Ellie for a walk but...apparently not. We ate some dinner and then got in bed around 9. I hate to say it but I think I just needed to wallow. 

Thursday

After a solid 9 1/2 hour sleep I woke up ready to tackle Thursday. Another long day at work without court. While I got a lot done, I realized how dependent I am on the hustle and bustle of court. After being a PD I think I'd find an office job as boring as mud. Anyway, I headed home early again and took Ellie out for a nice long walk. I knew I'd be gone playing volleyball for awhile and didn't want to neglect her. We got in three solid miles before she was begging to go home. I headed to volleyball and played pretty well. At this point my knee was really bothering me. The dreaded grapefruit knee. It was swollen and sore and, to be honest, super painful. But what in the hell did I do to aggravate it? I certainly hadn't done any physical activity! I iced it and took some aleve, hoping it would go away. 

Friday

After another good night's sleep I woke up at my own pace and went for a run. I'm usually super early to work but really reveled in not having a deadline to get there. It was cool and almost crisp when I headed out to the park and I truly enjoyed the run. I was so fast! And I didn't have to walk at all, which is incredible. I've really enjoyed listening to the Rich Roll Podcast while I run. That's how I found out about Desert Runners, in fact. Anyway, it was a great way to start the day off. Plus I'd already gotten my workout in so I could hang out with Hubz upon his return from the Conference. 

Saturday 

Why is it that waking up early to go ride/run an ungodly distance isn't too bad but waking up early to go to work is so hard? I had to work arraignment court so I had to drag my cookies into the jail at 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday. Vomit. I was rewarded though because we were done by 10:30. Rather than get some work done in the office I got my grocery shopping done and spend the day hanging out with Hubz (who has a cold, "bless his heart", and was down for the count all weekend).

Sunday

Today totally made up for the rest of the craptastic week. Earlier in the week when I was really struggling I'd texted a new friend, Jen, about riding this weekend. Jessie out of town and most of the landsharks were doing ridiculous distances. Jen - who is amazing - reached out to me awhile back about riding/running together and this seemed like a perfect time. We arranged to meet up near her place in Corydon Indiana. Might as well have been Kansas to me. Beautiful place though, lots of farm land and lazy roads and small hills. Jen took me on a local bike route for about 26 miles and it was really nice. I was so lucky to have such a knowledgeable tour guide and strong rider with me. I really hope we get to ride together more in the future. 

  This ride was exactly what I meant when I talked about wanting to work on just being content a few weeks ago. Was I breaking new speed records? No. Was I setting new distance records? No. But I was riding in a beautiful place with a lovely new friend and burning calories in the process. I let myself be in the moment and just enjoy the ride.

After the ride I picked up an awesome Chopshop Salad for lunch and gobbled it down before meeting Emily to walk in the park. I hitched up Ellie and we headed to Tom Sawyer for some trails. Emily really knows her way around these parks from her participation in a local orienteering club. I really love the effect it has had on her. I can tell she's so much happier because she really does enjoy it. She's also lost a ton of weight. I happen to love her a lot. More than just being my friend, she inspires me. 

Ellie loves her too. 

All in all it was kind of a bummer week. But i'm glad to be starting this week off on the right foot. I randomly have tomorrow off and I'm looking for exciting ways to spend it. I have a date with my favorite second grader tomorrow night so I think i'm going to go for a long run somewhere during the day. Time to get back out there and find my contentment. 

Happy Running!

Do you have a buddy you ride/run with?

Do you like trails? I'm learning to!

Ghost is Fixed! and a Recap of the Week

Thank God the repairs to my beloved ghost were not intense or costly. The bike shop called Thursday afternoon to tell me she was finished. Of course, I wanted to know if there was something specific that caused the problem (since this is the second time in like 3 months). Joe, the bike mechanic and guru, explained that the derailleur limits were out of whack and the chain had been rubbing against the spokes. When I asked how that happened he said, "some people feel the need to tinker with things they shouldn't". Well excuse me Mr. Bossy, I didn't tinker with shit. That's what you get paid for. Anyway, she's back and I had a good week.

So close to breaking 100!

Monday
Went to body pump, per usual. Added some weight on a couple of lifts and boy oh boy did I feel it Tuesday (and Wednesday...and Thursday). I'm really liking this Monday night routine. I don't really have to think about it at all. Just get my butt there and the workout does itself.

Tuesday
I've already gone into detail about Tuesday's ride so I'll spare you this time. I'm still miffed.

Wednesday
Went to Cherokee with Rania and had a great little walk/run. We set out to run but...some days you're just not feeling it. We walked most of it but we walked almost 5 miles so I'm not sweating it. It was hot - and sweaty - and the walk felt good. I love our little weekly run and vent sessions.

Thursday
I snuck out of work early to go get Ghost and head out for a ride. I couldn't remember what I had on tap for the night so I tried to go for an hour and a half. To my surprise I banged out 21 miles! I can remember when 21 was my long ride. When I picked up Ghost I bought some new cycling shorts so I tried those out. The difference between cycling shorts & Tri shorts is insane! Sooo much more padding

Friday
After work Hubz and I hit the Tennis court. I was playing pretty good but man, Hubz was on fire. I lost in a tiebreak for the first time this season. Oh well. If we'd played another set I would've won ;)

Saturday
I've been riding on the weekend with my friend Jessie who is training for IMLou. She and a group training for another century were headed out to do the infamous "Pancake Ride". Earlier in the season the Tri Team had done the ride and I'd been told it was a little too advanced for where I was on the bike. Well, I'd definitely improved on the bike since May so it was time to give it a shot. They call it the Pancake ride because there's a little diner called the Chat and Nibble about halfway that folks stop and get pancakes at. Jessie had a big brick to get done so she wasn't stopping so, neither was I.

We headed out from Tom Sawyer a little after 8 a.m., which felt late to me. Also it was a little crisp to start, which was nice. I had on my new cycling shorts and stocked up my new Tube Bag.

The last time we'd done any serious mileage I'd totally bonked on nutrition so I was determined to bring the whole grocery store with me today. The first few miles were through a little city that was absolutely beautiful. The first 15 miles, actually, were lovely. We went through a lot of rollers, but the kind that follow right after the downhill of the previous one so they hardly feel like hills. By the time we hit 25 I was starting to feel 'over it'. I was in a pretty negative headspace so I just tried to talk my way out of it, which mostly worked. Luckily we were close to the turnaround at that point. We pulled into a gas station across from the Chat and Nibble and had bathroom and water breaks. This was clutch. I really needed to pee, first off, but what I needed more than anything was a break from the bike. My new cycling shorts were super padded, which was nice, but the chafing was still an issue. Good god, how can something be that uncomfortable? Oh well, nothing to do about it. Proceed on!

Before we took off I asked Jessie, "I think based on the elevation chart the back half is easier, right?" She nodded and said she thought she remembered that. Boy were we wrong. I can't find them on the elevation map but there were a few serious damn hills on the back route. Some grown men hills. Not cool. Around mile 40 I was fed up. We were going along at a pretty quick clip though and had some good downhill segments so I just decided to break it up into 5 mile chunks. Before I knew it we were heading back into the park, 57 miles in the books! We averaged over 13.8 mph which is incredible to me. Im stoked.

Sunday
Today I knew I wanted to take Ellie for a walk. Hubz went early this morning and when he got back it seemed too hot. By the time I was ready to take her, I  wanted to run. I laced up and headed out not knowing what to expect. Oddly enough, it felt good! It felt good to be running. I did whatever felt right, which included walk breaks every 4 minutes, and came back after 2.5 Then Ellie and I did another loop of the park. Perfect recovery from Saturday's ride.

All in all I'm super happy with the week. I'm getting stronger and stronger on the bike which is exciting. I still don't know if I'm actually doing the OKHT Century in September. It's the same day as the firs home football game, so we'll see. If anything, I'm still riding and that's nice. Im happy to be on the bike and, quite frankly, happy to be following Jessie along on her goal to become an Ironman. Who knows what adventures are in store. I'll just keep peddling away.

Happy Running!

Hump Day Happenings

Well we made it guys - Hump Day!

How many times have I posted that photo? Not enough. 

I'm stuck in court this morning listening to a competency hearing so I thought I'd fill you in on all the happenings. 

I had lots of good eats Tuesday, including the cutest little package of gummy bears 

And my first ever experience with overnight oats. Jury's still out on these, but I'm gonna keep trying different combos. 

Last night I rushed home after work to go for a ride. Tuesday nights look to be 75 minute rides for awhile. Traffic is craptastic between 5 and 6 so I put dinner together (tacos, yum!) and picked up around the house. 

Once traffic let up a bit I checked my tire pressure with my fancy new pump and headed out. I'm trying to track hydration better so I filled up my bottle with exactly 18oz of good 'ole H2O for my 75 minute ride. 

The ride started great. I was really feeling comfortable and relaxed in the saddle. My hamstrings were (& still are) pretty tight from Body Pump but I just focused on good form and easy spinning. Traffic was still heavy but not aggressive, so things were good. This week I rode from home up to Cherokee Park and around the loop. I was flying! The hills in the park were challenging but in a good way. I also felt like I was handling really well on the downhills. 

Once out of the park I headed back to the Seneca loop for the next half hour of the ride. This was, hands down, the best ride I've ever had. The weather was great - slightly overcast, low humidity, warm but not hot - and my legs felt great. I even charged up the massive hill to the start of the loop. 

So I jump on the loop and I'm crusing along when *SNAP*. I stopped immediately, recognizing the sound of a broken spoke. But the damage was done. My wheel was too wobbly to ride. Even with the breaks up the wheel was too untrue to rotate. What a crappy way to end such a beautiful ride! 

I was super frustrated about how it ended (still am, in fact). But I guess it's better to have a good ride spoiled than no ride at all. Also, Hubz pointed out (after he came to pick me up) that it could've been a lot worse, I could've been out in the boonies somewhere or in a race. C'est la vie. 

Tonight I'm hoping to get in a run with my work buddy. Super excited to get out and run again. Shaping up to be a good day! 

Happy running!

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? 

Hello there, August

Can you believe we've knocked out the first week of August? It seems like just yesterday we were ushering in June and now here we are saying goodbye to Summer. I'm not ready.

Pretty good week of training I think as I embark on my quest to do a century.

Monday -
Body Pump! I'm really liking that this is part of my schedule. I'd really like to focus on getting leaner and stronger. I upped my weights this week so I'm now basically lifting a chihuahua. Slow and steady, right?

Tuesday -
1.25 hours on the menu for after work. In all my Muncie training I hadn't done that long of a ride on a week night. I set out on the Seneca Bike loop around 6, hoping to miss the brunt of the traffic. I figured I'd ride the loop 3 or 4 times and see where I was. The loop itself starts from a park and residential area and goes around a small airport, then through a golf course. All in all I think it's about 3.5 miles. The first hill getting up to the loop is a bear though. It curves around near the top and I can't do anything but just spin in a low low gear. I beat it though, three times. Felt proud of that. There's a hill at the end too that's short but super steep. Definitely not reflected on my elevation map!

When I finished the third loop I decided to head home - the sky was looking pretty crazy. Sure enough, about 5 seconds after I got ghost in the door the sky just opened up and it was pouring. Perfect timing!

Wednesdays - 
I plan on running on Wednesdays, but this particular Wednesday it was a no go. I felt so crappy. My legs hurt, my body ached, I was tired. I think it was just the ravages of PMS (which are real, boys. Boy are they real), but it took a super hard toll. I worked a little later and then came home and totally crashed.

Thursday -
Thursday called for a 1.5 hour ride. I'm a little unsure of how I'm going to get these in, considering Thursday is also volleyball night. I decided to get on the trainer in the morning and do as much as I could, then hopefully get some more in later. I set the trainer up before I went to bed and stuck my water bottle in the fridge. I can't do it any other way. When my alarm went off at 5:45 I let the dog out and then got on the trainer basically in my sleep. I'm re-watching Homeland from the beginning. It's my "trainer thing" i guess. I love it. Turns out volleyball was smack in the middle of the evening so I never got the second half in. C'est la vie. Felt like I got in a good workout and some of the Wednesday Ick was gone.

Friday -
One thing I missed during Muncie training was Tennis! Hubz and I used to play several days a week but in the last year or two haven't played as much. Definitely during Muncie "Tennis" wasn't listed anywhere on my schedule so, we never played. Now we're hoping to play Friday afternoons. It's a lot of fun to come home and start the weekend off that way. I had a date with my mom at 7 so we only got to play a few games (of which I won, 4-2) but we still had a good time.

Painting Cards with my mom

Saturday - 
Luckily my friend and inspiration Jessie had an 'easy' 35 miler planned so I hopped on and did the Iroqouis special with her. For the first time, though, I met her at the starting point on Melwood about 4 miles from my house. This meant riding from my house to the start point alone. Eek. As you've noticed I"m not much of a solo rider due to my intense fear of flats/cars/potholes/LowSpeedFalls/etc. When I woke up it was super foggy. I wish I'd taken a pic - it was incredible! I clipped on my rear blinky light and set off into the fog! It wasn't bad at all really. It was a route I knew and it was dead quiet at 7:30 a.m.. I met up with Jessie and some of the speedier Landsharks and off we went. The fist 17 miles were a breeze. For the first time Jessie and I chatted and just pedaled away. I didn't even realize we'd gone that far! Overall it was a super speedy ride - only one 5 mile segment under 13 mph and that was the uphill in Iroquois. I was definitely sore after but it was super worth it.

Iroquois Park w/ my buddy Alex last week

Nothing feels better after a long effort than chocolate milk

Sunday - 
Today I was still a little sore so I decided to take it easy. Also, grapefruit knee has returned. I was wondering how long that would take given my uptake in cycling. Oh well. After a few hours at work I met my friend Emily and we took the beagle girls for a walk. An easy 2 miles (she'd already walked like 10!! Holy crap, she's amazing). It was a really great little walk. I love going on walks with her, especially with the beagles. It's my happy place.


The schedule for this week looks just about the same. Upping the biking mileage again. Also, why is fall so busy? Between football and work it's like every waking minute is spoken for. Gotta keep planning, waiting, and moving ahead. Eyes forward!

Happy Running!

How was your week?
Any recurring aches and pains? Can't get rid of this grapefruit knee for me. Ugh

The Achievement Letdown

If you read my Muncie Recaps (Part 1 and Part 2) then you know that I actually did complete the Muncie 70.3. It was the best and worst day of my life. It's easy now to look back on it and say that it was magical and I loved every minute of it, but don't be fooled: it was really really hard. As weird as it sounds, the hard is the easy part. That's what you train for. You train for the hills and the heat and the wind, you train for the parts that suck and hope you don't get many of them. That's what makes endurance racing so fun. Every time you come to a point where your body says, "Thanks but no thanks I"m done with this shit" your brain says "no." For someone who was a super unmotivated couch potato for a very very long time this is the most rewarding part for me.

The hardest part of Muncie for me was the hour or so after the finish line when those inevitable words crossed my mind: 

What's next? 

Whatever the goal, achievement is an incredible high. You feel immortal and untouchable. But when that feeling wears off, there is a gaping hole. An empty space where all of the want and anticipation had been. The high that comes with achieving these goals is a high unlike any other. And like anything else, it's a high you end up chasing. At least I do. I think that's how I got from 5k to half to marathon to 70.3. The constant push of that terrible question, "what's next?"  

So while I'm trying to remember that Mucie wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, I'm trying to also feel content with the accomplishment. I don't have any other races lined up right now - something I hope will change. But for now I'm just trying to find a 'normal'; how often should I be running, biking, and swimming without a training plan? What do I have to maintain in order to keep the weight (coming) off? I really don't know. So maybe that's the 'goal' for now - find a normal.

Muncie was amazing. It was everything I wanted and knew it could  be. But maybe now I'm training for contentment. I'm training for status quo. I'm training for normal. I feel like that one is much loftier than the other.

Happy Running!

Do you feel letdown after a big accomplishment or goal? How do you cope?

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!

Ironman 70.3 Muncie Recap - Part 2

This is part 2 of my recap of Ironman Muncie 2015. If you missed it you can check out part 1 here.

The Bike
     Goal: Under 4 hours (14 mph avg)
     Actual: 3:44:45 (14.95 mph)

I felt good getting out on the bike course. It was pretty crowded, which is totally unusual for me since I'm always in the back of the pack. The course took you out some (Crappy) country roads and onto the main 'highway' for two loops. It was hard finding a place on the course at this point with everyone passing me. I just tried to settle in and find my rhythm.

I was super conscious at this point of going out too fast. I felt good and was wary of burning out. I'd never really hit the wall on my bike and I wasn't interested in doing it now. The first 10k(it) was strong but according to my splits the first 28 were super strong overall, averaging 16.4mph.

The course was essentially two loops along the highway. Getting to the first turnaround was basically a breeze. The route back from there was more downhill so it was also not so bad. The first 25 miles weren't bad at all. The last 25 were another story. After about mile 30ish I started getting wary. My butt - and other lovely lady parts - was sore. My hips were tight and when I attempted to stretch my right hip even locked up on me. Ok, not doing that again.

The second loop was rough. After I hit the turnaround it felt like I went 50 miles just to get back to the turnoff. There were very few people behind me at this point and the course got a little lonely. Luckily, the temps were still low and I didn't feel like I was baking on the bike. Nutritionally, I nailed the bike. I drank every 10 minutes - thirsty or not - alternating between GuBrew and water. Every hour I ate some bonk breaker, every half hour I ate a Cliff Chomp. Basically, I was full. I brought two bonk breakers but only got through one and couldn't really force myself to eat the other.

Once I made it to mile 35 I realized I could essentially walk the bike and still make it back within the 5:20 cutoff. I was at about 2:15 and that put me at 3:00hrs overall. Yeah, I was gonna finish the last 15 in that amount of time. But how fast? My legs weren't tired so much as I was tired. I was tired of the bike, I was mentally tired. I just kept telling myself, "This isn't about your body, this is about your head. Pedal, pedal, pedal." I started feeling sick to my stomach. Looking back on it now I can't figure out how I felt so bad, because I remember it so fondly. But I was in bad shape. Later I realized the sickness was emotion - I needed to cry. Not cry, but sob. That achy feeling your stomach gets before you just let loose all anger and frustration and sadness. That's what I needed. But I couldn't do it.

Finally I hit the turnaround and turned, right this time back to transition. The 6 miles back to transition were brutal. The road was crap, it was hilly, I was over it. I rested in granny gear a little bit. Someone passed me and as he did he said, "Just keep going, we're almost there." We. Yeah, you're passing me. YOU are almost there. I"m still back here!

Finally I made the long turn onto the Reservoir road and I knew I was close. I slid into granny gear not for rest but for Cadence. I knew I needed to get my cadence up high to prep my legs for the run.

And there it was! The Bike in! And all the people and....and Hubz! He was there, waiting for me. (There was also some asshat with a baby stroller just walking around in the road on his cell phone that I damn near plowed over just out of principle).

As I approached the ladies at the dismount line I chuckled and said, "please god get me off this thing." Hubz was right on the other side of the barrier, smiling at me. In that moment I felt lower than I've ever felt. He was there, sweating his a*s off all day to watch me do this - and i might not finish. It was the first time the thought crept through my head. I couldn't look at him. I just kept pushing my bike back to my rack

T2

     Goal: 4 minutes

     Actual: 4:28

I knew I needed to keep it short because I was losing energy. That sick, dry-heave feeling was sticking with me. All I wanted to do was sit down and cry in the grass and never get up. Just as I racked my bike I heard a familiar sound. It was Tom Petty....and it was a song I loved. A lesser known, unpopular song, but one of my favorites. And as he sang, "not me baby, I've got you to save me," I pulled on my shoes. Between choking, sobs of air, I sang along. I smiled. I moved out of transition. 

The Run

     Goal: Under 3 hours

     Actual: 3:04

Hubz was along the partition as I moved out of T2. He said, "you can walk the whole thing - you're crushing your goal!!". I just wanted to stop and hug him and have him tell me again that I was going to do it. I just tried to keep moving. 

 The run course is an out-and-back along a country road. A hilly country road. As I was starting out I saw everyone coming back. All headed for the finish line. I knew I'd get there, but I wasn't sure how long. I'd been moving for 4:30 when I started the run so I knew I had 4 hours to complete the run. Then it hit me - who cares if I walk this whole damn thing? Not me. This part is for me. This is my victory lap.

So I did. I walked almost all of the first three miles. Just get to each aid station, I told myself. I shuffled a little bit down the hills, from cone to cone. But I mostly just walked. Somewhere after the 4th mile or so I started talking to the woman in front of me who was run/walking. We laughed that it looked like we were gonna be seeing a lot of each other. She offered to run/walk with me and I told her I'd see her at the turnaround, then I would.

I kept my word on that. After 6.55 miles Colleen and I were best friends and determined to finish the race together. It was her first too, and she and her husband were both racing. Her son, Miles, was waiting for her at the finish. Colleen gave me something to focus on. I was going to get her to the finish line, and in the process get myself there too.

I ran into Stef after mile 7 or so and she was in bad shape. She was as broken as I was when I got off the bike. She stopped and hugged me hard, but I steered her back on course. I knew she would finish if she just kept going. "Just keep walking, one foot at a time," I told her. I pushed her on her way.

Colleen and I ran and walked. We stopped at each aid station getting ice, sponges, and gatorade. I grabbed some chews eventually to combat the sloshy belly that comes with so many fluids. My nutrition plan was essentially this: HYDRATE. It was getting really hot and the sun was out in force in parts of the course. We just kept going.

Finally we came to the final hill. I asked her, 'Do you want to go first through the finish chute?". "No," She said, "Go for it." So I did. Once I got to the top I could see Hubz sitting in his chair near the finish and I just lost it. That choky, nauseous, sobby feeling was back - but for a whole new reason. I'd done it. I'd flipping done it. I wanted to run the finish chute but I also wanted it never to end. And then, suddenly, it did. I went through the Finish Line at 7:37. I was a (half)Ironman.

I found Hubz and just latched on to him. I showed him my medal. I walked around. I was dazed. I went back to find Colleen. I wanted to thank her. Thank her for helping me help her through those last miles. For helping me find the strength in myself.

I met up with Missy - who was lightning fast at 6:03 finish - and she asked about Stef. I told her I thought Stef would make it but it would be awhile. It really wasn't. 20 minutes later Stef made her own dash through the finisher's chute. We'd all done it.

And just like that, after 7 long hours, I'd done it. I met all of my goals (though I was a little over on the run). I crushed my overall goal. And I'm a half-Ironman. There's no way to describe the feeling of accomplishing something like that. It's the worst best thing i've ever done. And I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Ironman 70.3 Muncie Recap - part 1

There's enough to talk about here that I'm going to split it into two parts. I know, how dare I keep you on the edge of your seat? Sorry, dear reader.

Friday - the day before the race
Friday Hubz and I packed up the car and headed to Muncie. I took Ghost out for a pre-trip ride to get a feel for the tune up. Glad I had her worked on; her gears shifted much nicer and the breaks were sound. Also I hadn't been on a bike in over a week and, well, I was a little bit nervous with race day being my first re-try on the bike.

After a quick stop at IHop we were on the road. It rained almost every single mile up to Muncie. I'm not kidding. We found our hotel pretty easily, got checked in, and headed to the race site. While the athlete guide suggested otherwise, many had said that the athlete briefing wasn't mandatory. Either way, I wanted to make sure I attended just to hear the rules and get a feel for everything. The expo was a little insane! I met up with Stef & Missy - two friends from the Landshark group who were also  first timers - then got myself all checked in.

After I got all my stuff Hubz and I checked out the water start. I loved the easy beach access and the water looked super calm. Also, water temp was at about 75 degrees - 3 degrees lower than the day before and wetsuit legal! With the rain expected later and the cooler temps it was almost assuredly wetsuit legal.

We got Ghost all checked in to transition and I walked the bike-in and bike-out. Then I said goodbye to her for the night and we headed to dinner. Honestly at this point nothing sounded good - I was nervous! I knew apples had some pasta options and it was on the way back so we stopped there. I had some alfredo thing that actually tasted pretty good. After dinner we went back to the hotel and relaxed (watching Despicable me!). I filled up my bottles for the morning, stuck them in the fridge and set my alarm. 

Pre- Race Carbo Load

Ironman Swag - I'm a sucker for the M-Dot

Race Morning

 I woke up a bit before my alarm went off in nervous anticipation. I immediately started drinking water and ate my BelVita Cookies. Those things travel great and taste perfect on a nervous stomach. Luckily I did one last pack of my tri bag the night before so everything was ready to go. It was surprisingly cool - only 57 degrees! - because of an overnight storm. I was glad I'd packed a throwaway sweatshirt to wear. I pulled on my coeur kit and we headed to Prairie Creek Reservoir.

It was much easier to find this time because there was essentially a caravan to the reservoir. Not a lot of traffic in Muncie at 5:00am on a Saturday morning! We parked in a second "lot" a little bit away from transition. I was really glad I'd checked Ghost early because it was muddy and slippery and the last thing I would've wanted to deal with was my bike. I ate a honey stinger waffle as we walked and tried to keep my nerves down. 

I got body marked quickly and easily and set up transition. The person next to me never showed up so I had plenty of space to lay out my stuff. I chatted with some of the girls on my rack and my friend Stef showed up a little bit after. I took time to set up everything but didn't want to obsess over it  - as long as I had two pairs of shoes, a helmet and a bike I could finish this race!

Stef & Missy had to lug their stuff back to their car so Hubz and I waited at the Landshark area. A lot of the tri clubs participating had tents and were set up pretty comfortably by the finish line. I used the port-a-potty and waited around for Stef and Missy to come back. They announced they were starting the race 15 minutes late because of traffic issues so my 7:40 start time was now 7:55. Ugh. I was really nervous at this point - more so than I thought I would be. I saw my friend Jessie who was a few  waves ahead of me and wished her good luck. Finally it was time to pull on my wet suit and get ready to swim.  I kissed Hubz goodbye and he wished me good luck. Then it was off to line up with my wave. 

Stef, Missy & I were all in the same wave which was nice. We talked and I took my last gel and threw away my flip flops. Pretty soon we were "on deck" and the announcer was saying our wave! As we waded into the water the DJ started playing "Single Ladies" and everyone started laughing. It really helped to break the tension. Before too long the clock hit 7:55 and the bullhorn rang out signaling our start - and off we went!

The Swim

       Goal: Under 50 minutes

       Actual: 38:04

Since my wave was pretty big the initial frenzy at the start was a little rough. I let the wetsuit hold me and just tried to find some space. I was really proud of myself for not panicking (something many had warned me about). I kept moving left and looking for an opening. The course is kind of a floppy rectangle with a longer out to Turn 1, then a short section, then Turn 2 and back to the beach. My goal was to really stretch and relax in the "out" or the first side. 

It was hard to find a groove at first because people were super aggressive. I'd never had that problem in a race so It was a little disarming. At one point some woman kept pushing me to the right, practically swimming on top of me. I finally sat up and let her go. Little did she know she was swimming completely off course and into the middle of the lake. I took some sick pleasure in knowing that she'd get payback for her rudeness. I Kept counting buoy's and was at Turn 1 in a breeze. The reservoir was calm and still with almost no wind - sighting was a breeze! The short side went by super fast and before long I made the turn to home. I knew there were about 6 buoy's on this side so I decided I'd build to the 4th one before really digging in to home. I nailed the plan there. I kicked it into high gear at # 4 just in time to see the "Swim Out" sign. I pushed my turnover and really gunned it, passing a couple of the speedy dudes from the wave behind us. Before I knew it my fingers touched sand and I stood up. I looked down at my watch, 

37?

wtf?

I was shocked. If you'll recall I thought I could do a 47min swim but wasn't sure. 37 minutes was a complete shock to me. What a great way to start! After I saw that the butterflies went away. As all of the speedsters zipped past me, racing into T1, I just strutted. I swam a 37 min 1.2, I can do whatever the hell I want from here on out. 

Transition 1 - Swim to Bike

    Goal - under 4 minutes

    Actual - 5:50

From the beach and swim out to my bike it was about a quarter of a mile. I walked every bit of it and couldn't have cared less. I felt good knowing I had 13 extra minutes to play with in transition and on the bike. Also my heart rate was still pretty high coming out of the water and I wanted to start as close to neutral on the bike as possible. 

It was super muddy and dusty getting up to my bike. Luckily i'd anticipated this so I left extra towel available to stand on and wipe my feet off. I put on my helmet and glasses, strapped on my shoes and tucked away my bonk breakers. I walked to the bike out sign and up to the mount line. I took a deep breath and clipped in, pushed off, and headed out for 56 miles!