Not meant to be . . .

I can tell you with all certainty that I am never meant to be a single parent & if by some horrible accident I become one I will be overweight and slow! Paul was gone for 5 days and I got next to no exercise done - planning GOTR, keeping up with household, swim meets, Christmas programs - the list goes on. I also did a fine job of both feeding my children & myself lots of fast and less than healthy food (although I did make myself a nice pot of soup filled with yummy vegetables and ate it all weekend).
Paul has returned and all is right with the world again - now to work the candy off my hips!!

Push ups

In an effort to get not only buff but also stronger & faster & fitter I am working on my strength. Monday begins a "Push up Challenge" that Paul and I are doing. We did our initial testing yesterday & I eeked out 17 (on my toes, not bad huh!) and he did an impressive 23 (or 25, I can't remember, I was too impressed and awe struck by his strength!) That puts both of us in group three, which means a WHOLE lot of push ups to do on Monday. I think I'll be feeling those for a while!

Winter blahs

Well it's not even winter yet and already I have the winter blahs! I think mostly it is the flu bug that has been circulating around the house that is getting me down. Next week begins my 7 week pre-season program, then the first of the year will begin a 20 week build to FLA 70.3 which is my first A race of the year. I have been doing strength work which I am surprisingly enjoying and starting to see the benefits of.
Our tri club is participating in the USAT winter club challenge through the months of Dec., Jan. & Feb. The month of Dec. is swim focused, the first club to swim 750 miles (total) wins. We don't have that much chance of winning based on numbers, but it's a fun motivation to get folks in the water during the dark & chilly Dec. mornings. I am going to try to get in 6 miles a week, which is a lot of swimming!

Jockstrapper's Race Report: Beach2Battleship

I am going to assume that a racer's support crew is called 'jockstrappers' because, well we are providing the essential support. At any rate, last weekend was my turn to be the cheerleader for Paul's Irondistance race, Beach2Battleship in one of my favorite all time cities - Wilmington, NC. For those of you not familiar this was an Irondistance (2.4 m. swim, 112 m. bike, 26.2 m. run) race, but not an IRONMAN which is an actual company with trademark for the cute little red M with the dot over it. There wasn't quite the same amount of hoopla and it was 1/4 the size of an m-dot race but it was done first class and SetUp Events did a great job.
We traveled to Wilmington on Thurs. & picked up Paul's packet, shopped the expo and got checked in at our Wrightsville Beach condo.
After a quick dinner at a pizza place close by we were ready to crash. Ruthie & Bobby (my sister & b.i.law) arrived later that evening & we all crashed together in the condo. I can't say enough about how much help it was to have them staying there & helping out with the kids!!!!!! Friday was a relaxing morning, we went out and got some cool orange poster board & had some yummy Firehouse Subs for lunch, then the kids and I got ready to go to the YMCA Halloween party. We left Paul at the condo to lay around. After the YMCA shindig we met up with Renee, Scott & Hailee and had dinner all together at O.T.B.
We drove around a bit looking for neighborhoods to trick or treat, and finally found a very nice near the beach. I was once again reminded that I would love to live at the beach. Sat. morning at 4:45 Paul got up & got ready, I drove him the half mile to T1 (it was a point to point swim so I drove him there, but then he had to take a bus to the swim start) and dropped him off. I drove back to the hotel, met up with Scott and we ran the mile and a half or so to the swim start (no cars were supposed to be allowed). We found Paul eventually and waited in the chilly morning air to cheer him off. There was a nice current running so I figured I'd better get running back & get Ru, Bobby & the kids right away. When I got back they had already left so I ran over to T1 and met up with them.
Paul had a smoking 1:05 swim (ok, some of this was the current : ) and after bundeling up he was off on the bike. We went back to the hotel for some down time and I was surprisingly relaxed for a little while. t2 was at the USS North Carolina in downtown Wilmington. Around 11 am we parked downtown and took the water taxi provided by the race folks across the river to the battleship area. Our plan was to hang out, see Paul come in off the bike then head back over on the water taxi to the downtown area to see Paul run the loops over there, have a nice dinner, etc. That was before we saw the 2 hour line to get the water taxi back over - uh oh.
So we spent a lovely afternoon w/ Renee, Scott, Haliee, Ruthie & Bobby touring the battleship, playing outside and cheering on Paul (that only lasted a few minuites) All in all the kids were great.
Around the time that Paul was starting out on the run I was lucky enough to get a parking pass to bring my car to the small parking lot right at T2 that they had said was not for race participants. The thought of Paul having to wait in line for 2 hours after completing and Ironman was more than I could take. So, after a lot of stressing I watched Paul start on his second loop of the run after a blazing 2:12 first half marathon (and he looked great!) I ran the first 3.5 or so miles of the run course to get back to the car (folks were cheering for me, aid stations offering me drinks - I kept having so say, no, I'm not racing, just trying to get my car!) I thought I might catch Paul but no luck, he was just running too darn fast!!
Got the car and some subs and got back in plenty of time to wait for him to come down the finish line. I was waiting about 300 y. from the finish line, and was going to call Ruthie & the group at the finish line when he was coming. He blew by me running so fast I never caught back up to him & he made it thru the finsh line in an awesome 12:51. He looked great (ok, a little tired) and had a fantastic race.
It was really different to be there as the jockstrapper. I dont' know that I do as well since I tend to be a *wee bit crazy and over the top about the races. I think Paul is better suited to stay calm and relaxed about what's going on when I am racing. I am VERY, VERY proud of how wonderful he did & was glad to have the whole family (and great friends too!!) there to share the experience with!!

Hurray for . . .

Hurray for -
Anne who is swimming again & did a 500!
Terry who swam across the pool today w/o stopping for the first time!
Carolyn who did 5 BIG BOY push ups today (oh yeah and 25!!! girly ones after that!!!)

You guys rock!!

22 girls!

I must admit I had a massive amount of fear and anxiety as the Girls on the Run registrations came rolling in one after another. Our nice manageable group of 9 last year was looking a lot bigger this year. I set the cap at 16, then another came in, then another and another. I just have a hard time telling the girls no, especially when I know how much they will get out of the program & experience. So, here we are with 22 girls - and it was a blast! I am a little horse & it will be very different than last year but hey, who's to say that different is bad?

OUCH

I guess karma bit me in the butt for enjoying my neighbor's frustration - I seem to have tweaked a spot in my back. I then ignored the tweaked spot and went for a harder run. I am now facing an all out back issue. I can't seem to turn my head or raise my arms. I would love this to be a good excuse to lay in bed all day but alas, laying down is the MOST uncomfortable position to be in! GRRR!

Yardsign Wars

I don't usually post about politics or other non-workout topics but this has me giggling lately so I thought I would share. It began with our neighbors 2 & 3 houses up putting up yard signs for their party (hint, it rhymes with complain & Van Halen), so my next door neighbor put up her sign for the other party. She also got a sign for us for the other party. The up the street neighbor's signs started to multiply. They now each have 4 or 5 signs.
When one of the neighbors with the 4 or 5 signs was out walking the other day while Paul was out front he made a snide comment about our signs & how 'you teachers are all alike!' Funny that they can put up all the signs they want but we put up one yard sign and he got genuinely mad. Not to mention the fact that neither Paul nor I are teachers . . .

Beaming with Pride

I was pretty nervous about allowing my 9 year old daugher to do the Rambl'n Rose triathlon. She didn't really enjoy the training that much and found every excuse not to, the bike course was on some major roads that were open to traffic and she is still very tenative on her bike and she has the tendancy in races to bring on the tears - all of which I had to weigh pretty heavily with her pleas to do the race. I gave in and thought she would, in the least, learn a lesson about the need to properly train to prepare for a race.

It was cold outside and very, very early when we arrived at the Huntersville Aquatic Center in Charlotte on Sat. A. was half asleep and very cold. We got our transitions set up and went looking for the other women that I had trained for the race in our Mother Daughter Training Group. (a 12 week program I led at the Kirk Y). Everyone was very excited and a little nervous.

The 250 yard swim was a pool swim so we were seeded based on our times. I decided to swim at my own time, then just wait for Anna to bike together. I was the 31st woman to start and probably should have put in a bit faster time as I quickly ran into the 4 women ahead of me and lost about 30 - 40 seconds waiting and trying to pass. I ran out to transition and dried off, threw on my Garrett's Wings jersey, left my chip on my towel and ran back into the pool area. I got to see Nicole and Natalie (2 of our training group girls) rock the swim, then headed over to watch A. swim. I think all the race excitement might have made her go out a little too hard on the first 250 so she did breaststroke fo rthe majority of the swim but hey, she is a great breaststroker and she smiled for the whole swim!!

We ran into transition together and I threw on her shirt and helped to get her shoes on as she stood in a daze. Off on the bike we went!! On first try she fell when mounting her bike and got a little teary and flustered but a wonderful vounteer ran over and helped her mount and she was all better! There was a lot more traffic than I expected on the 9 mile ride and since this was A's first ride on the road with cars I was a wreck! I rode just behind her and out a little so that cars had to go around me. I was fully prepared to throw myself and the new bike infront of a car to protect her!!! She rode much faster than she had in our few training rides that we did and she did FANTASTIC on all the hills, even crushing the last hill and passing a few women on the way up!!

She didn't cry, complain or fuss for the whole bike ride so I thought I would up the ante a little. I told her that I would take her straight to the bookstore after the race to let her use her yardsale money to buy the 5th Harry Potter book if she made the full run with a positive attitude and no tears for the entire run. (yes, bribery and questionable parenting, I know) She was looking so good coming out of transition I upped the ante and told her that if she could run the full 2 miles without walking I would pay for the book for her. Those that know A. know that she LOVES to read, especially Harry Potter. She has been waiting and begging to read the next book so for me to buy it for her, quite a big deal. We ran and talked and ran and ran. She was fantastic and I don't even think she broke a sweat! We ended up running the 2 miles in 21 min. which is a 10-ish minuite mile!!
I cried when we crossed the finish line, no big surprise. It was a fantastic day and such a great experience to share with A.! When asked if she would do it again she said YES! and she thought she would probably stick to 9 miles on the bike! Swim and run could be longer she thought, but 9 miles on the bike is long enough! I am THRILLED that she enjoyed the expeince so much and can't wait for next season to race along with her!!!

Name her . . ..

So while the rest of the country is in financial turmoil and ruin I felt it my duty to continue spending and help the enconomy grow. (or I just really, really wanted it) Here is my new pride and joy which is currently being built by Just the Right Gear - the greatest bike shop! Problem is I need a name for her. Abby suggested Bella, which I like but I am still shopping names, so give me some good ideas!!

The need for speed

Some that know me might call me a 'competitive' person. I like to think of myself as nice and relaxed and above the pettiness of cut-throat competition, but I know better. I, like most of us, like to win. Thus, I do triathlons to channel my inner competitive beast. I try to tell myself that I really compete with myself to better my own times but most of you know that's a crock - I want to win. Period.
Enter my frustration at not being faster. I am constantly complaining to my dear husband about not being faster at swimming, biking and running. My recent workouts have given me an insight into the WHY of me not being faster. I was biking w/ my dear beloved on Sunday & I clearly announced I would be taking it easy after a hard run that afternoon. As we started up Mill Mountain he started to get further and further ahead. I was cussing him in my head for dropping me. I was sure he was doing it on purpose. But in the end I rode faster and harder to try to keep up. So, I will attribute my lack of speed on the bike to my riding alone and at my own comfy pace too much.
The same day I went for a tempo run. After a 5 min. warm up I was to do a 5k at race pace. Ha! What I discovered was that I don't like it when it hurts that bad and tend to slow down when the hurt begins. Hmmm, maybe that's why my run sits in the same rut it has been in for the last year?!
As for the swim, I can't complain. I had a great swim last night & have my 3 x 300's down to 4:30 with :30 rest between. (Actually I got 5 done which is even better) But alas, being faster in the water without speed on the bike and run only means that you get passed on the bike and or run - which SUCKS.

The YOGA Cure

I am trying to kick my coffee habit. I have been drinking more and more and finding myself more and more tired in the afernoon, so I decided it's time to kick the habit. Going to work this morning at 5:45 with no coffee - ouch! Hopefully I made sense to my ever so patient client who is working very hard to learn to swim after 60 years of aquatic fear.

In another effort to become healthier I decided to give up my pre-breakfast breakfast that I usually have before I go to work. A gluten free waffle or two before work is just not needed for short mornings now that my exercise load has been cut in thirds! I was hungry and quite grouchy by the time I got home and my poor children suffered the brunt of it while we were in the mad dash out the door.

After returning home I decided to do a few of my new YOGA positions that I discovered in my new YOGA magazine that I picked up yesterday. Low and behold, twenty minuites and five YOGA poses later I wasn't so hungry and grouchy any more! Hmm, maybe I should be doing this in the wee morning hours instead of brewing coffee!

Goals

My wonderful client Anne reminded me today that it's time to set some goals. With the season almost over it's the perfect time to re-evaluate things for next year. I am big on internal goals and external goals. Internal goals are those that you can control - how you train, what you do, things that you are 100 (at least 99)% responsible for. External goals are great too, but you can not control them. You can't control how other's have trained, where you will place and if you will qualify. So, I always encourage folks to have both.
Here goes:
For the rest of the year and the 2009 season: (knowing this will be revised 10 times as the year progresses!)
Internal Goals:
1. Integrate YOGA as an equal part of my training to swimming, biking and running & build strength.
2. Knock significant time off my half iron distance - train to RACE a half ironman, rather than to SURVIVE a half ironman.
3. Lower my body fat and maybe drop a few pounds - but only for the sake of being faster and stronger.
4. Find the positive and the joy in all the races I do, even when they don't turn out the way I planned.
5. I wanna go fast, I wanna go fast.

External Goals:
1. Get fast enough to race in the open division without embarrassing myself. (both and internal & external goals.
2. Focus on the half iron distance enough that a Clearwater qualifying slot isn't a ridiculous thought.
3. Bring home more hardware.

SheRox Tri

I've returned home after a fabulous trip to Charlotte to do the SheRox sprint tri with Renee. This was my first women's only triathlon so I wasn't really sure what to expect. It was great! I had such a wonderful time with Renee, it was great going to the race with her. No offense to my sweet husband and brother in law, but since I'm not part of the 'shake & bake' team, I end up doing the race on my own while they are together.
I had a good race, not a great race but a good race. Out of 383 women I came in 17th. That was the great part. I really loved being at the front of the pack and plan on continuing to race there! My times were a bit slower than my best, but being 2 weeks post IM I guess an average performance is still o-k!!
The best part of the race was the finisher's bling! Every racer got a pretty silver set of bracelets! I'll be back next year and hopefully by then I'll be fast enough to race in the open category!!

Got Gluten?

So without Ironman training to blog I had to find other interesting (questionable!) things to write about. I was grocery shopping yesterday when I came across a sign in the gluten free freezer section about new wheat free items Ukrops is carrying. Cupcakes - in the bakery section - not frozen - yummy! I almost ran over to the bakery section! I took plenty of time to pined over the decision - white cupcakes with white frosting, chocolate with white frosting or chocolate with chocolate frosting! I think I picked up and put down the packages 10 times. I settled on chocolate cupcakes with fluffy beautiful white icing.
I did restrain myself from eating in the car and waited until half the bags were inside before devouring my cupcake. Yummy goodness!!!!! About 2 hours later I started cleaning out the pantry. I am embarrassed to admit that I had 3 trashbags full of expired/stale inedible items to throw out. I also had lots of spilled flour, sugar and who knows what else. That's when the tummy ache started. After about 10 min. I put the kids in front of the TV (a big no, no in my rule book - no tv on school days!) and went to bed miserable.
I assumed the flour in the cabinet got into me and made me sick. It wasn't until I was 3 bites into the second cupcake later that evening when I noticed it only said WHEAT FREE. I checked the ingredients and sure enough, Oat Flour. Number 1 ingredient. After almost 3 years at this you would think I would know by now to actually check. I know wheat free & gluten free are two different things.
I have to admit, knowing that I was already in for a rough night of stomach problems I went ahead and finished the cupcake. No more yummy fluffy white icing for me : ( At least the honey crisp apples turned out to be heavenly!!!

What's next?

When you finish any big project you usually left with that WHAT'S NEXT? feeling. I am definitely having that after finishing the IM, especially because the race did not go as well as I had planned. I am guessing if that was my first IM I would have been THRILLED with my time and ability to push through, but it was not my first and alas, I am not thrilled. I hate to admit that because I did accomplish so much and this time the race was about things much more important than TIME. So, I have the mixed emotion of thrilled with all that I accomplished and less than happy with my performance.
So, what's next . . . I am heading to Charlotte (on a whim) to do the SHE ROX tri with Renee. I am really excited about the trip & looking forward to doing a race where I don't have any expectations for myself. If I do well that is great, if I don't - at least I'll be doing the race with a wonderful friend!! Beyond that I will focus on the Take Flight Tri in Oct. (and training for the Rambl'n Rose w/ Anna), then the Star City Half Marathon in Nov.
I submitted my application to Hammer Nutrition for sponsorship for next year. I would be SO excited to get chosen, although they stress again and again on their web site that most folks are not chosen b/c they get so many requests. I am hoping I am a good candidate b/c of my celiac and my 100% reliance on Hammer yummies in my training & racing. The race suits are pink (yay) and maybe it will help offset the costs of my Hammer habit! There are many addictions that are worse . . .

MY IM RACE REPORT

RACE REPORT: 14:04:04 35/80 A.G. 1039 / 1975 Overall
Pre-race routine:
Arrived on Thurs. after driving 7 hours. Checked in at expo then walked around and oogled all the cool gear. Checked into the Townplace Suites (we got a 2 br. room - it was GREAT w/ the kids there) Chilled out on Thurs. night at the hotel, let the kids swim in the pool and fixed a pizza (gluten free) while Paul and the kids ordered a pizza. Friday am I got a great surprise - my sister & her husband flew in & suprised me! so exciting to have them there to cheer me on! WEnt to the practice swim, took the kids to the park for a bit (really my sister did!) & went back to the hotel to chill out. I had to run back over to the expo, then did a quick (15 min.) bike & run and started to pack my bags. Mostly tried to hang outside & acclimate to the heat! Sat. I went to the expo (again!) and napped a lot, Paul, Ru & Bobby & kids went to 6Flags for the day. I turned in my bags & met up w/ Aaron (jeepfleeb) for a quick interview and went to bed around 7. Fell asleep around 9:30 and slept most of the night. Bottle of perp. at 2 am & a bagel & some grits when I got up at 4:15.
Event warmup:
Drove over to the start and pumped my tires, put bottles on the bike and sprinted to the start. Got there about 2 - 250 people back.
Swim: 1:13:13 9 / 80 A.G.
Comments:Last year I didn't enjoy the swim at all. I got a little neg. seeing people pass me. This year the swim was the best part of the day. My stroke felt so strong and I really just enjoyed all of it. The only down side was having a much more crowded swim from starting further back than last year. I had to swim around / over quite a few folks &
What would you do differently?:
Get there earlier to have less crowds.
T1:4:12
Comments:
Pretty smooth T1, I had my own volunteer who was very organzied and kept things straight for me! Thank you voulnteers!!!
What would you do differently?:Nothing
Bike: 6:59:57 31 / 80 A.G.
Comments:
Well, it all started to go horribly wrong. Last year I didn't feel the heat on the bike. This year I was melting out there. Being a faster swimmer sucks when you are not a faster biker. I got passed non-stop. I think my grandfather might have ridden by. I started to feel rough after LaGrange. I was right on track for nutrition then I started to feel the bloat. Unforutnatly I don't have much of a back up plan w/ the celiac disease I have limited options. So I slowed down (then my 4 year old nephew passed me on the bike) and sipped water. I managed to get down another bottle and a half of nutrition and just kept the pace very easy. I was feeling rought but managing until I hit mile 80. That's when the stomach was done. I knew one more sip of HEEd or perp. & I would start throwing up so I sipped water the last 32 miles. I even picked up a Gatoroade thinking I might even try that. (G.E. is really rough on my tummy but at that point I was desperate) - I couldn't bring myself to choke it down and stuck w/ water.
What would you do differently?:
I'm still working on this one. I'm not sure yet (aside from being more ready for heat - but I can't really control the weather!!)
T2: 8:15
Comments:Knocked 2 min. off my T2 time & was feeling rough. Luckily I had a great volunteer who kept things going smooth. I did forget my E-caps which sucked.
What would you do differently?:
Remember by E-caps!!
Run: 5:38:07 (EEK!) 35 / 80 A.G.
Comments:
When you don't eat on the bike you are screwed on the run. I tried the run / walk through aid stations at first. Then the nausea and dizziness started so I had to walk more. I was hot. I was tired. I was weak - but I kept going. I kept telling myself that if I was just doing the race for myself I would have quit, but I was doing the race for Renee & Garrettt and I was running / walking for all the times that he would never be able to. So I ran when I was able, I chewed ice at the aid stations & dumped ice down the front of my top and on I went. Last year I was able to atleast trot betwen every aid station. I tried to sip gatorade & tried some coke here and there but mostly just ice and a little water. I had 4 shot blocks, 4 peppermints and 2 rolaids. This year I walked atleast 2 - 3 solid miles of the 26.
What would you do differently?:
Again, this is still a work in progress. Overall I was able to run faster on my run parts than last year - I was only like 12 min. slower overall for the run than last year's run & I walked A LOT more than last year.
Post race
Warm down:
Stagger back to the corner where Paul picked me up, he had already picked up my bike & bags (what a wonderful thing!!) Got in the hotel pool then a cool bath.
What limited your ability to perform faster:
Lack of heat in the month and a half before - I simply wasn't acclimated to performing in the hot conditions.
Event comments:
My time was :30 sec. faster this year. Not much for this distance, but with everything that went south & last year everything going EXACTLY according to plan I take it as a sign that I am in better shape and my training paid off. I'll be back in a year or two to get that 12 hour finish.

2 days!

Well, I am blogging from my Louisville hotel room! I woke up at 5 (after going to bed at 8 pm) and decided to go ahead and get up for the day. Better to be on race schedule and take a nap this afternoon than to get all out of whack.
All kinds of emotions and thoughts as we arrived in Louisville. I could tell that Paul was sad not to be racing this year. I am sad that he is not racing with me too. The extra training time was nice, but not having my best friend out there on the course will be hard. Watching him & the kids make signs for me was really cool. I know I have said it before but I truly do have the best husband in the world.
He has given me the training time to accomplish my goals, given me pep talks when I am doubting myself, helped me fundraise for Garrett's Wings and most of all put up with all my wacky emotions and whims over the last 8 months! So, I here's to my husband & best friend!!

Proof that I do swim right!

LOOK AT THAT STROKE! I was in the paper today (yay!) Read my cool story here:

http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/174543

The talk

Mary Sunshine (a blogger on the Team Louisville Board) posted about having "the talk" with yourself. That talk that identifies what you will call on when it gets hard and your body wants to stop. I mean every bone in your body wants to STOP NOW.
Last year my talk was about proving myself. It was about empowering myself, determination, having fun, sticking with it, being a powerful, strong role model. I was all about - PAIN, WHAT PAIN?! I will keep positive and prevail!
This year is so different. The journey of doing this race to honor Garret has given me such a different perspective. This year my talk is about determination, keeping going when it's hard, feeling the pain, dealing with the pain, and then going some more. When it gets hard, I mean really, really hard I will think about Garrett holding on as long as he did, then I will think about Renee and Scott, and how they get out of bed every day. Every month they face another anniversary of Garrett's death. Every year, for the rest of their life they will face Garrett's birthday. I am so proud of how they have dealt with their grief, how they turned their sorrow into Garrett's Wings and created hope for other families.
So, this year, bring on the pain.

94 women

So, there are 94 women in my age group this year (that's up a lot from last year). Top half would be great, which means I need to come in 47th or greater. Any of the folks that have heard me speak about goals before are going - HEY KATI, that's an external goal, you can't control what other people have done to train! That is correct! So, my #1 goal is to finish the race and have fun. #2 is to match or beat my time from last year #3 is to be top half of my age group. If you all are tracking me and see 12 hours on the screen when I finsh (very unlikely, but if all the stars align & everything goes perfectly it could happen) know that I am doing a very happy dance!
For all those that would still like to donate to Garrett's Wings (by the way, again I must say thank you so much to all those that have already donated!! It means the world to me & to Renee and Scott!!) there is still time, all donations must be in by next Friday (8/29) you can donate online HERE. Or email me at kati2kids@yahoo.com for information on how to send a check.

One Down!

Well, that's one down - only a few more to go! My official bib number for Ironman Louisville is

1341

Any good numorologist around here want to give me a good reading?! You can track me online on race day (August 31st) here using my bib #.

Taper madness

So a week from today I will be in the van barreling towards Louisville. So far taper has been alright, a little nerve wracking since I have a bunch of things to wait for: the race, my newspaper article STILL has not been published to aid me in my fundraising (at this point I'm not sure it will help w/ my race but it will help get the word out about Garrett's Wings), we don't have class assignments OR SOL scores yet.
Good thing I have RETAIL THERAPY to calm my nerves. Who needs a shrink when you have a credit card? : ) I have shown better restraint than last year, but I am one more day of waiting away from a new helmet, maybe a nice pair of socks . . .

The bridge

There is a bridge over the Roanoke River that I ride over often while riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I dread crossing this bridge every time. It is high up, all that is separating me from crashing to my rocky and watery doom is a metal railing. Now I know how to successfully cross the bridge, I just keep looking straight ahead to the end of the bridge. If I can just keep my eyes on the end I am fine and actually enjoy zooming across one of the only flat sections of the parkway. Here is the rub, I always seem to take my eyes off the end and look down. That's when the panic sets in.

As I was crossing the bridge yesterday I was thinking of how much my IM training & taper is like that bridge. If I can just keep focused on the race and positive thoughts I am fine. I know that at the end of this journey there is success waiting for me. I know it. BUT, it seems that I keep looking over that edge and letting the doubt and negative stuff take over. I haven't done enough, what if I am slower than last year, I haven't raised as much money as I wanted to, and on and on. That's when the panic sets in.

So, for my next 2.5 weeks I am going to try really hard to keep my eyes on my success. I know how to get to the other side, how to stay positive, how to keep that panic at bay. Just don't look over the edge.

Something to do today

CLICK HERE

TAPER!

Well, taper begins today. I am glad, but as always feeling like I should have done more . . .Oh well, at this point it is what it is. The big bummer is that with taper I have to cut back on calories : (!! I love my eating!!
I was talking about taper w/ one of my clients and he reminded me that my taper is still a lot of exercise for most. I will probably be at around 10 hours this week, down to 6 or 7 next and almost nothing the week of the race. I guess it's all about perspective!

Doing Great Things

I was on the bike the other day (it seems all my great revelations are on the bike huh?) and was all grumbly & beating myself up about the race. I actually said to myself - man, I thought I was going to do great things this year at Louisville. (thinking I was going to train for a 12 hour race) I used my "this is not helping" techinique and low and behold - I realized that I HAVE done great things already this year.
On a hike the other day I asked my 8 year old daughter if my IM training has been easier on her this year. She said it has been much easier this year. I told her that one of my goals for my training this year was to be a better mom & be a better Ironman at the same time. She told me that I HAVE been a better mom this year. (I ofcourse cried)
I asked Renee (Garrett's mom) to write me some little inspiring messages to read during the run part of the IM. I was good and did not read them yet, but her note on the outside said (I made Paul hide it & the others so I wouldn't peek, so I have to paraphrase) you are Garrett's legs, he tried and tried but they failed him every time.
No matter what the finisher clock says, I've done things a lot greater than a 12 hour finish over the last few months.
I am $700 short of $3000, which is the absolute minimum I want to raise (I want to raise $15,000 but time just hasn't been on my side) through the Janus Charity Challenge Donate $10 or $100 now, whatever you can. Help me continue to do great things.

31 days and counting . . .

31 days left until IM LOUISVILLE. I'm excited, nervous, terrified . . . .etc. Mostly I am ready for the race. Maybe not training-wise, but I am ready to have the time / energy to clean the house again. I am ready to sleep in on a Sat. morning. I am ready to do more yoga and less gotta get it done training. I'm ready to be an Ironman, again!

This is not helping . . .

Last night I was watching 20/20 or whatever news show that was on ABC w/ Diane Sawyer. The program was a tribute to Randy Pausch, the author and Carnegie Melon professor. He recently passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer. It was a very touching show, I had to turn it off before it stared talking about his kids.
His wife was being interviewed before his death and one thing really stuck out in my head. She said that a therapist taught her to stop and tell herself, "This is not helping." when she started to go to the really dark place. Now loosing your husband to cancer is a whole different ballpark than an ironman but I think I will use her thoughts (and think about her strength) with my training.
It's easy w/ training to go to the dark place. I think I often go to that place when I am not performing as well as I expect of myself. I start to beat myself up and do that horrible negative self talk. This morning when I was getting dropped on the group run I tried it. I asked myself, Is this helping? The answer was no. So I let go and just ran.
So, in your training and in your life when it gets negative or low stop and ask: Is this helping? If not you need to make a change.

RE-Evaluating Goals

So I looked back on goals that I set for myself before mono:
Goals
I have to say, they haven't changed that much.
-I think I have had more balance this year than last between home life & training. There is still work to be done, but I am a work in progress so I'll take progress.
-I have done better on the bike & had many more miles in training than last year. An hour off of last year's time might be a tad ambitious, but I am an ambitious gal.
-Hmmm, 30 - 45 min. off the marathon time might not happen, my running has been the most affected by the mono but again, shoot for the moon, right?
-I placed 2nd at Smith Mountain Lake this year. That was my first time placing at this event so I felt great about that trophy!
-Anna did her kids' tri 2 weeks ago and had a blast. It was a very positive experience. Training for the bigger race (Rambl'n Rose) is coming slow, but it's coming.
-As for the long term goal, I'm going to focus on this year and just let the future be in the future.

I found my 'intention' that a training client wrote me for last year's race. It was:

I see myself & Paul easily & effortlessly completing the Ironman in our perfect time. I see us relaxed, having fun & remembering every second of the experience. This or something better now manifest in our life & so it is!!
I think this year's intention is:
I see myself completing the Ironman in MY perfect time. I will dedicate my day to Garrett, give this race my all and that will be enough. This or something better now manifest in my life & so it is!

Saturday Mornings

This week I got my long ride in on Friday while the kids were with my sister in law. We did a crazy all over town 70 mile ride followed by a 6 mile run. It was a lot of fun but some of that might have been delerium setting in around mile 50 of the bike.

Because of the long workout Friday I got to sleep in today (sleep in on a Sat.?! It's almost unheard of) & have breakfast w/ the kids (grits for me, whole grain Pop-tarts for them - yeah, I know, it's still bad for them but a little bad is o-k with me) then cake baking w/ my son. We are trying out a new Gluten Free cake mix in preperation for his 6th birthday on Tues. If I find a gluten free mix that is yummy I can start sharing in the birthday cake at family celebrations!!

Freak'n Out

When my husband asks me why the heck I keep a blog - now I can answer! For moments like this. I am TOTALLY freaking out. The Ironman Athlete Guide was put online today. That is the 'race bible' for the race - all the details etc. All of a sudden I am mid-panic attack, I haven't biked enough, I missed a long run, I am fuzzy about my nutrition. I am not ready!!!

Now I can go back in my blog to the happy, warm, fuzzy confident times and remind myself (much my my husband just did when I called him in tears a comple basket case about the race) that I am more prepared than last year, I can do this. I have the best reason in the world to keep going when the going gets tough out there - for Garrett, Renee, Hailee, Scott and all the other thousands of families out there that have dealt with or are dealing with loosing a child. I can do this.

Aaaaaah!

Like the one word titles? I gave myself an attitude adjustment with a nice hour and a half of yoga. I think over the next 6 weeks yoga will be my treat that I give myself. It makes me feel strong, focused and peaceful. I have even remained zen with 4 kids (my 2 & my 2 nephews) for the day - including a trip to the dentist w/ them & a visit to McDonalds playplace for lunch. Man, this is better than any drug!

Ug!

You know when you are trying to do too much so none of it really gets done well . . . Currently camped out there. I need to pack up and get organzied and move on! 6 weeks from now I will be a 2x Ironman!

Next in Line . . .

Thanks to all that sent me emails about doing the 3 mile challenge! I would love to hear more - if you did the challenge email me w/ the link in the previous post.
Watching the online streaming video for the Lake Placid Ironman it started to sink in that we are next. So far there has always been atleast one other IM to go before ours so it wasn't that real. Lake Placid was the last one. Now we are next. It feels kind of like when you go on that really big roller coaster that you are petrified of. Waiting in line you are fine b/c there is a huge line of folks in front of you, it's when the last car before you pulls out and you are waiting at that gate that it sinks in, holy crap - I'm next.

Today I have a challenge for everyone. Saturday will be Garrett's third birthday. This will mark the first birthday that Renee, Scott & Hailee will have to go through since he passed away. It will be and has been a very hard time. I can't begin to understand or expain why this happened, or try to make them feel better. I have come to understand that all I can offer is love and support.

SO, this weekend I ask that you all offer support and kind thoughts and words for Renee, Scott, Hailee & especially Garrett. It's o-k if you don't know them, that's what we call the kindness of strangers. This weekend I ask that you all do a 3 mile run, bike, walk, swim - anything - in honor of Garrett. Even if you have to spit it up into more than one session, just do the miles in honor of Garrett's thrird birthday. After you finish, send me a note at my yahoo email address: kati2kids@yahoo.com just letting me know you did the 3 miles. I will forward all of them to Renee & Scott.

I also ask that you consider participating in the Take Flight Tri that benefits Garrett's Wings on Oct. 18th in Charlotte, NC. You can do it as a relay if you don't feel that you can complete all three events.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't once again say THANK YOU to all those that have supported my Janus Charity Challenge. It is your support, kind words and generosity that help me through those long hard runs, bikes and swims!!!!

Fun Running

For all those that I coached this morning - stop reading now!!! I am about to take sadistic pleasure in your pain!!!
Had two run training sessions this morning. All that riding yesterday has left me with a really sore hip so I wasn't able to do any speedwork today. Instead I made R. do sprints alone while I jogged along at my happy little pace!
Then I met my group of ladies that are training together and introduced them for the first time to speedwork Kati style. Again, I didn't exactly do any speedwork myself (thus the 9 m.m. avg. for the race at Montclair) but instead took great pleasure in inflicting pain, oops I mean improving their running!
While at the pool last night doing a training session I ran into someone from my mother daughter training group doing her workouts (WTG!!). Got me to thinking, at any given time there are people all over town cussing my name (in a loving way I am sure) for the hideous but self-improving things I force them to do.

Training Week

Well, the kids are off at summer camp & it's my chance to train myself all week! Did a 67 mile bike followed by a 6.4 mile run today. Might squeeze in a short swim if time permits. I am also doing a lot of coaching / training other people this week so I have to make sure I get my naps in!!!!

Montclair Triathlon

Well, we went up to Montclair to do the sprint / olympic distance tri there this weekend (it is a funny distance, 1k swim, 18 mi. bike, 8k run) Not the best race results as a result of camping along side a very drunk & very rude group at the Prince William Forest Park campground. It was very, very nice to get away with P. & we had a lovely time biking on Sat. afternoon.
I did enjoy the race & it was very well run - we would do this one again. (minus the rude campers!)

Tired Body!

Man, my body is tired! I am having trouble finding the energy to fold the 6 loads of laundry that are waiting to be folded & put away before another 6 loads of dirty accumulate!!
Run this morning felt SLOW & sluggish! We head up to Montclair this weekend for the Montclair Sprint triathlon, just a 'C' race for us to get away for and have some fun! We will be camping the night before the race, that will be a first.
Hopefully the tired & exausted will be done by then!!

Sunday 7/6

Ran: 15.5 miles -ouch
Swam about 2000 yards -ahhhh!
Drank: 2 quarts of grape sugar-free kool-aid - mmmmm!
Ate: 4 servings (yes, 4 straight from the container) of Bryers Snickers Swirl Ice Cream - MMMMM!

Happy 4th of July!

Hard to believe it's July already! Looking back at last year's training logs:
June 2007:
Biked 250 miles
Ran 91 miles
Swam 26,000 yards

June 2008:
Biked 475 miles
Ran 96 miles
Swam 19,500 yards

Looking at June & July 2007 I have no idea how I finished the IM! I was hardly on my bike. I am really, really hoping that all this cycling will pay off for the race this year. I'm not any faster than I was last year but I am stronger if that makes sense. I guess we'll find out Aug. 31st!

Great training day!

Yesterday was just a fabulous training day! I needed that after the total bonk on Sat. and my run cut short by thunderstorms on Sunday. Kids were w/ my sister in law so I got in 32 miles on the bike, just under 9 miles run & 2100 yards swam. Woohoo for Tuesdays over the summer!
PLUS part of that 32 miles ridden was taking Nina on her FIRST ride up Mill Mountain. She has avoided it for as long as I have been training her but yesterday was the day! She did fabulous and didn't think it was all that bad after the other torture I've put her through! :)

My husband is THE BEST

How many husbands out there would not only watch the kids while I spend 8 hours out riding on Sat. & 2 hours out running on Sunday but encourage & cheer you on?! Mine is the best, he encouraged me to do my training, gave me a pep talk when my ride went so very bad, then gently pushed me to do my run on Sunday when I was tired and lazy and didn't want to do it. I'll get to return the favor in Aug. & Sept. when he is in the thick of his IM training & I am either tapering or DONE! YAY!

Lessons from a 100 miler

Today we rode to Lexington and back which came out to 100 miles and a few. Here is what I learned:
1. I am afraid of dogs when I am riding my bike but yelling NO at them like a maniac does work.
2. It's hard to get up & leave at 5:30 am on a sat. but you will be greatful to be almost done at noon when it's 93 degrees and traffic is agressive.
3. I am really, really sick of sustained energy.
4. Along with that, sustained energy at 93 degrees (the fluid and the outside temp) is nasty, really nasty.
5. 2 hours of no food or drink will hurt - bad. After that it's really hard to start back up again, at which point you will feel worse.
6. It is possible to hurt everywhere on your body at once - trust me.

Swimming

It's hard for some folks to grasp the idea that some workouts are just bad workouts. You don't stop or throw in the towel (o-k, sometimes you do that, but not most of the time) you just have a bad workout and chalk it up to experience. I had a horrible swim last night. I couldn't get my stroke count down below 20, I felt like I was fighting the water - I just trudged through. In the end though I had a PR for this year for my 4000y. swim - 1:07. See, even the bad workouts can be good.

This year

Enough looking ahead! I'm back to full force training! I should be able to get out on my bike this afternoon enjoying the nice weather - fingers crossed!
It's about time for me to do another Garrett's Wings plug! If you have already donated, THANK YOU!!! Haven't donated yet but need the link - you're in luck, here it is!! Don't know what the heck I am talking about?! I am raising money for a WONDERFUL charity, Garrett's Wings (see above) through the Janus Charity Challenge. I have been a busy bee this week sending out press releases & business sponsor letters trying to raise that little pledge bar that seems to be stuck!!

Long swim

Very nice long swim this morning, after a week of NO SWIMMING it's good to be back home in the water again!!
Looking ahead I have been thinking about next year. I think I might skip the big race next year & just do local (read cheaper) races for the season. I want to go to St. Croix in 2010 to do the half iron there so that will take some saving up! One idea I had for next year was to work with the C-Different foundation to help a visually impared athlete do a (or a couple) triathlon. So, I might just start looking for a local visually impared person that is crazy enough to train along w/ me to do a couple of triathlons! So, if anybody knows of someone that might be interested let me know!!!

The official start of summer training!

Well, this week begins summer training schedule so my optimism will be put to the test! Last week was quite a rest week since we were at the beach & I was incredibly lazy. I chose to lay on the beach & read and watch my adorable kids boogie board all day long instead of training & have no regrets!
Still got in:
about 118 miles of biking
about 13 miles of running
NO swimming! (see previous jellyfish post)
Better go pack my suit for the morning!!

Priorities

I was so looking forward to a week of training at the beach! Lots of time to run & bike (no ocean swimming for me - one word - jellyfish!) while the family played or chilled out. I got a nice bike ride in yesterday with my sweet husband while my folks watched the kids, it was nice to have some alone time. I have found though that working out is ending up at the end of the priority list. I have been watching the kids play & am finding that I would SO much rather spend the time with them.
They are at such an AWESOME & fun age. Playing family games, reading to them, digging in the sand, boogie boarding (alright, watching them boogie board - again, jellyfish) - all the things I would miss while out running or biking. I would much rather spend the time out on a 6 mile family bike ride then to get up at the crack of dawn for a 50 mile ride on my own, missing out on wonderful morning time with the kids.
So, not much training getting done this week but that's o-k. There are YEARS more of Ironmans to do, this is the only year that the kids will be 8 and 5.

Question - How much can Kati eat in an afternoon of flying?

7 hours of airport sitting & 2.5 hours of flying (p.s. - not good after running 14.5 miles in the morning, welcome to the world of leg cramps) I can eat:
1 bag of skittles (I know, I have to have some kind of guilty pleasure)
15 almonds
6 (yes 6) gluten free vanilla oreos (no, they are not healthy or low fat just b/c they are gluten free)
2 salads w/ full fatty gross ranch dressing (but mmmmm it was good)
1 bowl of mushy vegtables which might cause major gas while on next flight
1 diet coke
2 bottles of water
2 servings of pretzels (that's something like 60 pretzel rings)
I think I spent about $20 on food and I brought the pretzels, cookies (mmmmm) and almonds with me.
1 more hour of waiting, I wonder what kind of candy I can get at the gift shop?! . . .

Hurray for the weekend!

I will be so glad when the weekend arrives! This week has been impossible for training b/c I have had a lot of training appts (good for the pocketbook, bad for my training), we are doing a special bike helmet fitting at the kids school that has eaten up a lot of my days, this is the last week of school so there are awards' ceremonies & kindergarten graduations (sniff!) to go to and I am trying to get ready for a trip!!
Hurray that I get to go to Louisville this weekend!! I am excited to get away with the girls (yes, I am a bad wife going away on father's day weekend and absolutly if Paul did the same on mother's day I would be upset. We'll call it babysteps that I even recognize my hypocritical behavoir!), I haven't been back to Louisville since the race last year so it will be wonderful to see all the sights again & while there I get to train all I want all weekend long!
So, not much training going on for a few days then monster training weekend w/ a 112 mile bike followed by a 2 mile run Sat., then a 20 mile bike followed by a 15 mile run on Sunday. Hurray!

Totals for the year so far . . .

So, 6 months into the year here are my totals:
Total training time: 195.5 hours
bike: 1683.93 miles
run: 395 miles
swim 74,381 yards
I would think these are all a little low except when I remember that I had mono for a month and had to take 3 full weeks off training, then slowly get back up to speed for the next 6 weeks.
Training has definitly ramped up in the last week or two, jumping up to 16 hours last week, on it's way to 18 this week. Better go spend time with the kids now . . .

Field Day

Skipped swim workout to go work at Field Day at the kids' school:
-hot & sweaty
-sunburn
-missed my speed swim for the week
-legs are all itchy from the grass
-had to pick up about 200 wiffle balls (and anyone that knows me knows that I don't belong anywhere near a bat and ball!)

Seeing my daughter's look of surprise then a HUGE smile when she saw me there:
PRICELESS!!!

Kati the teenage boy

O-k, so it sounds weird, but just stick with me. I am so feeling like a teenage boy w/ the current IM training.

1. I eat non-stop. Seriously today I have had: 2 waffles, a bowl of grits, 2 egg whites & 1 whole egg, almonds, a half a box of pasta (2 servings) w/ sauce & cheese, a bowl of cereal and an apple. It's 3 o'clock. Our grocery bill is through the roof not only b/c of inflation but also b/c I am eating non-stop and it's all gluten free stuff that costs a fortune!

2. I am up for a nap at any time. Seriously - I can fall asleep in a matter of seconds.

3. I am usually smelly and sweaty.

4. Dressing up means putting on flip flops and shorts instead of workout clothes and running shoes.

5. I go out and play on my bike all day.

6. I quote songs from popular movies on my blog.

7. I'm broke between all the gear and the extra food!

Why I'm NOT like a teenage boy:

1. I'm ready for bed by 8 pm - not much room for thinkng about anything but sleep.

2. I'm up and out of bed at 4:30 am, even on the days off I'm up and wide awake.



Scary stuff!!!

Summer Schedule

Ahh, the end of the school year. The kids are going on field trips every day or just spending the days playing outside. No homework (yay!) and a no afterschool activities (yay!)!! The kids are done w/ school next Thursday so the time has come to formulate a schedule for getting my training done & spending lots of good quality time w/ them. I'm choosing optimism!
Here's how it looks:
Monday - early morning appts. until 8:15, trainer ride in the a.m. while kids play outside (read: watch tv) then glorious pool time , evening run (fingers crossed) when Paul gets home
Tuesday - early morning appts. until 7:15, then the kids are off to Angie's for the day : ) ride / run scheduled w/ one morning training appt. Kids have swim practice from 2:30 - 4 so I can either get in a swim or run
Wed. - early morning appts. until 7:15, pool time in the am, kids have swim practice from 2:30 - 4 - time for a ride or run
Thurs. - early morning appt. until 7:15, pool time or other kid fun, trainer ride in the am, swim practice from 2:30 - 4 - long swim
Friday - day off - watching my nephews for the day, pool or playground fun all day long (except nap time - for all of us!!!)
Sat. - early morning long ride w/ short brick
Sunday - early am or late afternoon long run

Whew! I think it will actually work! Again, optimism will win out!!!

My new FAV song

SEASONS OF LOVE - Rent Soundtrack

525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear


525,600 minutes how do you measure - Measure a year


In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee


In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife


In 525,600 minutes - how do you measure a year in the life


How about love - How about love - How about love


Measure in love


Seasons of love


525,600 minutes, 525,000 journeys to plan


525,600 minutes how can you measure the life of a woman or man


In truths that she learned, or in times that he cried


In bridges he burned, or the way that she died


It's time now to sing out, though the story never ends


Let's celebrate remember a year in the life of friends


Remember the love - Remember the love - Remember the love


Measure in love - Seasons of love - Seasons of love

-------------

Ironicly this song has been on my mp3 player for a while & I just love it. Paul and I were talking about our playlists this weekend and this one was both of our favorite for running. Awwww : )

Anyway, IM training is really a year long process. From sign up a year out to the actual event a whole year passes so I started thinking about my year of IM this year.

First I decided to go back to Louisville, I just loved the race, the place & couldn't resist! This race & training will be very different b/c Paul is not racing w/ me, but I started out thinking I would really push the training hard this year & try to make a big difference in my times from last year. Well, I guess the universe had other plans for me!

I decided I wanted to race for Garrett and Garrett's Wings to try to help Renee and Scott bring about some change and help after Garrett passed away in December. Through that I have loved getting reconnected with wonderful old friends. I have found that I have been able to teach my daughter a great lesson in giving. She has grown and learned so much about helping and giving to others.

After a bout of mono in Feb., March & some of April my dreams of a super fast time in Louisville are gone. I have had moments of panic that my mileage is not up to what it needs to be to get the job done in August. That's when I listen to my song & realize that this year is about so much more than the mileage & time. It's all about rediscovering a wonderful old (I mean that in the good way - I swear!) friend, and teaching my kids about love and life. Crossing the finish line in August I'm not sure it will matter what the clock reads, I have gained so much in the last few months - I wouldn't trade it for all the Kona qualifying slots in the world!!

Too much pressure

Our girls on the run group did their 5k last weekend and did great! Almost all that ran last time knocked off a lot of time and everyone finished with a smile! My daughter, the drama queen, ran w/ my sister and announced that she just needed to run with her friends and have fun for this race because there is just too much pressure on her. After all, she says, she already has to do an Ironman when she get older!
Now I admit to being a bit of an overachiever (not being fast but I kinda have a habit of perpetually upping the ante) and I do encourage my kids to do their best . . . Oh no, I am one of those moms! Seriously we had a long talk about whether or not she runs and does tri's because she wants to or because she thinks I want her to. She says it's because she wants to, I sure hope that's true. I'd hate to think she feels like she has to live upto my expectations or accomplishments.
Man, an Ironman was easy compared to parenting.

My latest happy list

Time for a new happy list!!! With so many things going on I can't belive I let it go so long!
1. Anna ran an entire 5k and knocked 7 min. off her p.r. - she was SO proud of herself!! Yay Anna!
2. Paul, Robin, Michelle, Bobby and I all rocked the FLA 70.3 race in pretty harsh conditions. Everybody finished - we might not have had a smile while finishing but soon after it returned!
3. Anne did her first triathlon. Better yet, it was a wonderful spontanious decision to do this race which is so FUN and FANTASTIC!! She did wonderful!!
4. I'm really late on this one but Nina did her first half ironman!! She did finish w/ a smile! YAY!
5. Renee did her second triathlon - and the bike description was HILLY! Way to step out of the comfort zone and challenge yourself!! Oh yeah, and she came in 4th in her age group!!
6. My sister is the best sister in the whole world for giving me her new, favorite running shoes two days before the race b/c my old shoes were hurting me! (See Anne, the suit started a chain reaction!)

FLA 70.3

What a fantastic weekend & great race!! I definitly race better when I don't set a bunch of crazy expectations on myself. My goals for this race were to 1. finish 2. practice my IM heart rate pacing 3. practice my IM nutrtion 4. practice my mantras and mental focus and most importantly 5. HAVE FUN
I pretty much made it 5 for 5. I stayed calm and never got too worked up about the race. We had a long but fun ride down, followed by a few days of RnR with my sister and brother in law (and my hubby: )which is always fun.
Race day was great! Got there at just the right time, got set up and got to see the pro's & Robin & Michelle take off. My swim wave wasn't too bad. The swim stayed fairly crowded the whole time but I've gotten much better at elbowing for my position. I drafted off someone for the entire swim. My time was a little slower than I would have liked, but my effort level was very easy and my focus was great.
The bike was VERY crowded. I felt wonderful passing people. I stayed focused and watched my cadence the whole ride -88 avg. Great progress for me! I did have to pee 3 times on the bike, that was a bummer but when I have to go, I have to go. I followed my HR to a T and did my nutrtion just right. Had some stomach pain but I think that was the combo of my shorts and my race belt pressing into my belly.
The run was, well HOT! I felt great for the first 1.5 laps (it was a 3 lap course). Ran well, passed a lot of people, drank my HEED, HR in the low 150's. Life was good. Then the heat and the lack of walk breaks hit me like a brick wall. My dream of a sub 6 hour race flew out the window. But I did manage to continue to "run" walking only the aid stations.
Here is where my mental training challenge came in. With one lap to go I was hurting. Everyone around me was walking but I didn't beat mono and train all that time to death march in the last 4.5 miles. So I dug deep. The first thing I thought of was the video Scott posted of Garrett. I sang the Chasing Cars song to myself. I thought of the 5 months from diagnosis to Garrett's passing that Renee & Scott had with him & counted down each mile as one month. It somehow made my pain pail in comparison.
Finally, I must admit my other mental focus during that time was telling myself I was going to be able to get an IV at the finishline. (I didn't) I thought of that IV as my reward, if I could just keep running I could get the IV. In the end I was fine, a cup of water and sitting for a few minuties did the trick. Thanks to all those that were tracking and cheering us on. You guys are great!!

Tapering

I have started the nice little taper leading up to FLA 70.3 that I will 'race' on Sunday. I say 'race' because the forcasted temp. is 91 and humid. So far our hot day has been 80 and there haven't even been many of those. So, no going hard for me - just another training day 11 hours from home with 2500 of my closest friends!
My girls on the run group made bracelets today for Garrett's Wings care packages they are working on. Each girl will run in honor of a kid that suffers from Batten Disease. The girls were very touched by the experience and took it very seriously. From my daughter's letter to her honoree: "I am going to run the whole way again (she mentioned a race last weekend), and be your legs." Kids are cool.

A wild ride

First off, the Smith Mountain Lake tri was fabulous! Aside from having to start in the last wave (that sucked!) and a ton of bike & car traffic on the road it was perfect! Great weather & lots and lots of great friends to share the day with. (Taking home 2nd place in my a.g. didn't hurt my perception of the day at all!)
Today I had a nice ride planned with a few friends. Started out nice enough, good weather, my legs felt amazingly good after the race the day before. About 10 miles into the ride we came across a muddy & crying woman walking down the road. Stopped to check on her & found out her jackass boyfriend had beaten her up. A car stopped to help and offered to drive her to the fire station. A little rattled we started back up again.
The first dog wasn't too bad, chased us but gave up pretty quickly. The large and mean German shepherd was not so quick to give up. Luckily Paul (not my Paul) isn't afraid of the beasts and stopped to bark and yell at it so we could get by. Meanwhile the fat redneck owner came out and didn't seem bothered by the scene. Her dog was in the middle of Bradshaw road. Paul yelled at her to get her dog from the road etc., still she wasn't bothered.
A few more miles up the road we stopped off at a convenience store to potty & fill up on water. Here the male redneck drove up in his truck and started to yell at and threaten Paul. WTF! He can't get off his butt to get his dog out of the road but he can get in his truck and follow us to cuss Paul out! Unbelievable!
So, all in all a very eventful 50 miles! Not too much fun but beautiful weather, great company and I rode fantastically!!

IM benifits

I am either eating, or thinking about what I will be eating next. That is a huge bonus of IM training. I haven't been on the scale in forever, I think I'm weighing in about the same, but I am finally getting tight again after a few months of post-IM squishy legs etc. So, here is my FAVORITE thing right now, my quinoa blend pasta mixed w/ som olive oil, parmesan cheese & spinach. I am eating it by the truckload right now. That and candy. Oh yeah and I just had to order a huge amount of $$$ worth of Hammer Nutrition stuff. Yummy : )

Outside the Box

How many times in a normal day or week do we get the chance to really get to step outside the comfort zone & challenge ourselves? I think I fall into the comfort zone all to often and then something comes along and reminds me to challenge myself beyone the 'easy.' I don't mean running harder than usual or doing a longer swim, those are a challenge but not exactly what I mean. Going to a group swim when that terrifies you (go Anne) or riding outside when you are scared you won't be able to clip out or in (go Nina) or even running the whole time at Girls on the Run instead of walking (go Madelyn) - really challenging your comfort level & proving to yourself that you can really do it.
So, this week I challenge myself (and anyone else reading) to do atleast one thing that is uncomfortalbe for you. Prove to yourself that you can.

Conversations w/ my legs

It sounds quirky (those that know me well would say that quirky is an accurate description) but it's so true. I forgot how much of IM training is bargaining w/ your body to do a little bit more, go a little bit faster or farther. Today went something like this:
Climbing up mill mountain:
me - uh, come on this is just the beginning - you can't be tired yet!
legs - hello, do you remember running yesterday, the day before or the day before that?
me - just a little bit further . . .
legs - lies.

On my run:
me - o-k, just a short 3.5 mile run
legs - hell no
me - o-k, how about we skip the last hill and do a 3 mile run
legs - hell no
me - we're doing the run
legs - hell no
me - there's chocolate chip cookies at home
legs - well, o-k, maybe just 3 miles . . .

I think I might be delirious from exaustion!

Reporter Questions

Sunday afternoon I was interviewed for an article the Roanoke Times is doing on my Ironman & the Janus Charity Challenge. They are doing an online video piece to go along with the written story & this was the video interview. I am sure I sounded like a huge dork. It was weird being interviewed. She (Jessica my reporter) asked what I use as inspiration during the long workouts. I mumbeled through something about thinking about Renee & Garrett (see previous post - First Race of the Year). Today I saw a video Scott (Renee's husband) made of Garrett. Watch this . This is what I will think about when the going gets tough, or I want to skip a workout or start feeling sorry for myself. Wow, again I think that 140 miles is nothing compared to the journey some people face.

Reflections on Week 1 of IM training

Well, week 1 of official IM training is almost done & I have to say I am very hopeful. A few highlights:
-The majority of my training was done during the week. Over the summer I guess this will have to switch & I'll have to go back to the monster weekend training. : (
-I rode the SML bike course twice through at a faster pace & lower heart rate than I did for the race (only 1 loop) last year. Hopefully that means good things to come for the race in 2 weeks!
-My swim was slow, I have got to get my lazy butt in the water more!
-Oh yeah, my running was slow too. I guess I need to do some more of that too!
-Out of my 103 miles ridden this week all but 18 were outside! And my average pace was higher than my ironman average with a lower average heart rate!
-So, it seems that I have succeeded in becoming a better cyclist but have let the run & swim slip. Luckily those are easier for me to improve upon. How to improve upon those while maintianing my bike, cleaning my house, taking care of my kids & having a relationship with my husband. Hmmm. . .

Racing for Garrett & Coming in First

Today was the first race of the season. The Angel's Race was in Lynchburg and is always a favorite of mine. One special thing they do is ask each racer to pick an 'Angel' to race for. This can be someone you are honoring or someone you are remembering. I raced in memory of Garrett, of Garrett's Wings.
I started the race with a plan. My 8 yr. old daughter was swimming the swim leg of a relay. Because the swim is a pool swim, start times are based on your estimated swim time, the faster folks going first. Anna specifically asked if I could be there to watch her swim. For a girl who is a huge daddy's girl to ask mom to be there with her was a big deal. So, knowing that I started racing at 8:31 and Anna began her swim at 9:52 I made my plan. If I got off the bike in 51 min. (total time from the start of my swim) or less I would have plenty of time to finish the run then make it back to the pool to watch Anna swim.
My swim was a little slow, I just couldn't get in a good rythm with my stroke. I was about 20 sec. slower than last year, which wasn't a particularly good swim either! My bike felt o-k, I was really feeling fatigued & that dang wind kept beating me up. So, my time was ticking away and I started to see that I was going to miss the cut off.
I started to go thru in my mind how I was going to deal with not finising the race. I had expected to be dissapointed if faced with a DNF. Not at all. I went through in my head - folks might remember for a couple of days if I came in first but Anna would remember much longer if I missed her swim. It was a no brainer.
Anna was amazing!! She was swimming in this big 6 lane pool full of growns ups. She was tired, but she just kept going. After the swim she laced up her running shoes and finished my run with me by running a 5k! The whole thing! I can't wait to get the pictures of us crossing the finish line together!
So, driving home I thought - hey, I really did honor Garrett today. I put caring for my baby first, just like Renee did. I enjoyed the time that I had with my child & it was priceless. I found out at the award ceremony that if I would have continued on the run after the bike I would have easily won my age group. I ended up coming in last but reading Anna's post race report I'd have to say I definitly came in first.

More Happy Items

More happy list things:

• Nina ran a 28 min. 5k - that's almost 4 min. faster than 6 months ago!
• Terry DID do great in his Duathlon - he finished & said it was a "Blast" & all in under 2 hours!
• More happy things to add tommorow!

My Happy List

Here's my happy list for the day:

• I got a little sunburn (not much thankfully) & sunburn means sunny days! Time to pull out the sunscreen for OUTSIDE BIKE RIDES : )
• My #1 client (sorry honey) my daughter dropped 2 min. & 5 sec. off of her 300 swim time - WOW! She started at a 10 min. 300 and on Tues. did it in 7 min. & 55 sec.
• Ragan has lost OVER 25 pounds! YAY!
• Anne has not only become an excellent athlete, but this weekend becomes a TRIathlete : )
• Dennis ran a 6:45 mile AND has dropped :30 seconds off his 300 time!
• Robin started running a year and a half ago - she thinks she's slow running 8 min. miles - it took me 4 years to get there! She is FAST & maybe someday she'll believe me when I say that!
• Michelle has been taking the time for herself to get her workouts in, not an easy task when your job demands more, more, more. Plus she has learned to swim with her LATS!
• Terry is doing his first Duathlon this weekend & he will do wonderful - I know it even if he's not yet convinced!
• Brad is getting settled in Arizona AND still getting his workouts done. Sounds like some exciting runs out on the trails!
• Nina is willingly going for rides out on the road with me! Plus she is now running 11 miles wonderfully, 3 months ago 6 miles was a long run . . .
• My dear husband is swimming faster and faster. His swim stroke has improved by 100% and I am sure I don't take the time often enough to tell him how wonderful he is doing.

YAY for everybody!

Weekly Miles

Well, the week is done and the miles turned out pretty good. Not as much swimming & running as I would like to be doing, but with 2 full days off here it is:
133 miles on the bike (2/3 on the trainer)
15.5 miles running (missed a big run this week)
2600 yards swimming (missed my long swim this week)

The best part was I was able to spend some family time & get all that done & didn't get sick! YAY!

Official IM training Begins

I was just writing workouts for next week & got to my own & realized - it's here! Official IM training begins next week! We are 20 weeks out as of next week! Time to start ramping up the mileage & really begin training in earnest. I am hoping I am almost done w/ the mono & my body will do o-k w/ the increased training.
Ironically next week is also my first race I am scheduled to do. I'm supposed to be doing the Angel's Race in Lynchburg. I am torn on whether I should race or not. Not only am I worried about going too hard & wearing myself out, but I also really want to watch my daughter do the swim leg of the race. She is on a relay team, swimming a 300 meter swim. Not much to grown ups but in a big pool filled w/ other swimmers it seems like an awful lot to me. My sister will be there to help her if I am racing but still, it's my baby girl - how can I miss that!

Bike Commuting

Today I was a bike commuter! O-k, well I rode my bike to work for a few meetings then rode it home. My total count in 21 miles were 4 cars that chose not to stop at stop signs & instead almost ran me over, 1 'hey baby' from our local homeless man, 3 dogs that tried to eat me (o-k, really they just barked really loud & scared me to death) & 3 ambulances - wow they are loud when you are on your bike.
It's nice to be able to incorporate training into every day life but boy is it hazzardous!

I was feeling better yesterday & this morning but after a really busy & long day I am wiped w/ another sore throat. Mono sucks.

First Race of the Year

Hopefully not indicative of the rest of the year, my first race of the year was as a spectator. My husband, brother in law & 2 friends all did MAP in Huntersville, NC last weekend. Because I have been sick I got to watch & play support crew. I thought it would awful & hard to not race & just watch but really I had a blast.
First I got to cheer my husband on, which I never get to do because I am always racing with him. I screamed at him a lot along the way, too much I am guessing he would say. He had a fantastic race & I was very proud of him. Ditto for my brother in law, he is just fast & continues to get faster.
No offense to the boys but the highlight of the race was being there to cheer my dear friend Renee on through her first triathlon. I am doing my Ironman to support the charity Renee and her husband started http://www.garrettswings.org/ through the Janus Charity Challenge after they lost their son to Infantile NCL in December.
It was so cool to see her perservere, in many ways - first she went through 6 months of caring for a terminally ill child, and the last three months of grieving for the loss of her child, second she began her training not knowing how to swim or ride a bike, and finally the weather was HORRIBLE - wind, cold, rain & HAIL - and she kept going.
She rocked. So, even though I was on the sidelines it was an awesome day!!

Flowrider

I can't seem to get the dang song out of my head now! The kids and I spent the day at the Massanuten Indoor Waterpark on Monday. We had a lot of fun, that will definitly be a place to return to often. ONe of the rides was called Flowrider. It is an indoor boogie boarding ride.

Not one to miss out on the fun I decided to ride, along with the kids. I'm not sure if it is being heavier, bigger or just inexperienced but it was a lot of work! I am sure I used every abdominal muscle I have trying to control that board. I got the hang of it pretty well so the lifeguard starting giving me tricks to do. I was able to first push my board out in front of me, then get back on. Then I pushed the board out & let go & got to body surf! It was so fun - plus the best part, folks clapped for me when I got off.
I rocked the flowrider! (that sure is a HUGE spray of water coming off my legs, it's almost a re-enactment of the parting of the Red Sea!)

Climbing Mill Mountain

I have been trying to convince Nina, a training client & friend to climb Mill Mountain (on the bike) for the first time. She is still resisting my efforts. Never fear though, I will eventually win out.

This has gotten me thinking about my first trip up Mill Mountain. I too had avoided it for years. It just seemed too hard, too steep, too long of a climb to tackle. Add that to the fact that I was (and still am) afraid to actually ride my bike on the road - I wimped out of many a ride to get out of that climb.

Finally my wonderful friend Kate offered to take me up the mountain. I thought that would be a much better choice than going w/ Paul, so I gave it a try. WOW - that was hard. About half way up I thought I might not make it. Seriously, I wondered how bad it would look, me walking my bike up the mountain?! I do know that at times I was going around 5 m.p.h., so joggers could have passed me, luckily they didn't.

We kept going and rode out to Explore Park. I guess I din't notice the nice downhills going out on the spur on the way out. They hurt on the way back. Anyway, I made it up - YAY!

The next time my dear friend Kate and I were riding up she asked, 'Hey, do you want to go up the old route?' My obvious quiestion was - "Is it harder?" Lies, Lies, Lies - Kate said, "No, I think it's about the same."

Now I can ride up the new way or old with not much struggle or pain, but I still smile triumphantly every time I get to the top!

My First Race

I got to tell the story at a beginner triathlon clinic that I was leading of my first triathlon. It made me giggle so I thought I would give everyone else a laugh too.
Paul and I decided on a whim to try a triathlon. I had started running & have always been a swimmer & we had some friends that did triathlons so we thought what the heck. We decided on the Wilmington Sprint which was a 1500m. swim, 12 mi. bike & 3.1 mi. run. Leading up to the race I ran & swam occasionally but never got on the bike. Paul had bought some used mountain bikes from a co-worker for us to ride. The Thurs. before the race I decided I'd better learn to actually shift gears on the bike. In my pajamas & Birkenstock at 8:30 at night Paul had me out in front of our house riding back and forth. If only the kids had woken up and seen what we do when they are asleep.
There was a tropical depression moving across NC on our way down. We drove through tornado warnings (even missed an acutal tornado by 5 min.) and torrential downpour. Thankfully the rain stopped by race morning and the weather was cool but nice. Paul and I took heart in the fact that we had all that body fat to keep us warm, all those waif like-in shape fools were shivering & cold!
The swim was no problem, although I did worry about Paul (who announced before the swim, you know I could actually die doing this!) the whole time. The bike was comical. In the pictures I am all hunched over looking very serious and VERY red in the face, although my bo bo walmart helmet is on crooked. I just shifted gears at random for kicks. I thought I would die on the run. Thankfully my wonderful husband came back and did an extra mile (he was already finished) to finish the run with me.
My goal was to finish in under 2 hours. I finished in 1:55. My first thought was, when can I do that again. Paul and I went back to our room and slept all day, then went out to dinner and pigged out.
4 1/2 years later I can do the same race in about 1:25. Afterwords I can go out for another ride. What a wonderful 4 1/2 years it has been and wow, I am so lucky we decided to do that first race!!!

Oh yeah, it wasn't the flu!

So it turns out not to have been the flu, but instead mono. Just as an FYI mono stinks. For the last few days I have been saying, "Gee, I just don't have that absolute run down feeling everyone describes, I just can't shake the fever." Ha, shook the fever - but a trip to the grocery store felt like a marathon to me. It's so hard to remember that taking it easy now will benefit me in the long run. All I seem to be thinking of is - when can I train again! It doesn't help that all day I am looking at training stuff - writing workouts for people, reading new training books, planning for my speaking gig @ East Coasters about you guessed it - TRAINING!
Trying to think positively and tell myself that all this rest will really get me ready to go, go, go soon. Mostly though I think that's crap and that I will be tired for months and training is going to be really hard to do. So much for positive thinking!

Getting off Track

UUUG - THE FLU!! The plague struck this week and I have been oh so sidelined! For two days the challenge was just standing up out of bed, that was a workout. I swear the halls at the doctor's office were longer than the marathon I ran! The nurse had to stop and wait for me! Once this stage wore off and the flood of mucus started in my head and chest I have now entered into the struggling to breathe phase. What a joy!
For the first time in a very, very long time I have not exercised all week. The dumb thing is I keep stressing that I'm going to loose all my fitness and get way off track on my IM training by taking a few days off. Some of it is that I usually train about 14 hours a week. Without that training I feel blah and a little out of control. So, add the blah and out of control to my general sick feeling and you can imagine that I have been a joy to be around this week!
(Mental note, do something very nice for my husband - soon!)
Here's hoping to get back on my bike this weekend and OUT OF THIS HOUSE!!