Iron Quest Mama

Ironman Arizona Part 3: T2 and The Run

2010-11-28T20:07:00.001-07:00

Well, the run.

What an experience. I'll try to keep this brief but I have a lot to say.

First, a little bit on T2. I was very happy to get off the bike. I was hoping to finish in 6:30 or less and mis-calculated my time (in my favor, oddly) and thought I was right on target, which made me really happy. Had I known that my bike time was slower than I expected, I might not have started off with so much energy. The mind is a powerful thing!

Anyway, this was the big moment I had been waiting for: seeing if I could run after the bike. In IM FL, I felt horrible after my bike and could not run. It was an awful feeling. My feet hurt so bad that it was very painful to run. One of the main reasons I signed up for a 2nd IM is to have a good IM experience, which for me, meant running after the bike portion of the race. That may sound strange but that's what I really wanted to be able to do. And I could run!

I left the T2 tent on a runner's high. My body actually felt really good. On the bike, I had some strange groin pain that worried me - I wondered if I would be able to run at all. But it went away as I started to run.

The run course headed out along the lake and the sun was finally out, making for beautiful running conditions. I felt really good. The crowds were cheering and I heard Kurt's voice as I rounded a corner. I saw Katerina standing next to Kurt and blew her a kiss. So glad to see at least one of my kids! Here is a picture Kurt took at this point:

So, at this point, I was feeling good and although I knew that feeling would not last the entire marathon, I was just happy to be feeling much better than I did in IM FL.

As I headed on out on the course, I told myself that I wanted to run 2 laps without stopping. In hindsight, that was probably a bit ambitious because I was really hurting by mile 16. But I kept the promise to myself and ran without stopping (not even at aid stations) for 2 laps. I grabbed water and sports drink at the aid stations but kept running as I drank it.

At that point, my legs were killing me. This is where the lack of long runs in my training really bit me in the butt. I slowed way down at this point and had so much pain in my feet (why do my feet hurt so much???) that I could hardly walk. Maybe it was all the concrete, I don't know.

Around mile 15 my heel started to hurt too. I focused more on mid-foot running, as my podiatrist-friend told me to do, and tried to run on the grass whenever I could. But it really hurt. I slowed down even further.

By mile 18 or so, I was in a lot of pain. I was walking more and more and became very worried that i wasn't going to make my goal of finishing under 14 hrs. I started to get down about it but would then pull myself out of it. It got dark and I struggled to keep going.

I kept wondering where Brenda and Kevin were. I saw Sarah once and Kurt had told me that she was ahead of me, as expected, but he didn't know where Brenda or Kevin was. I kept waiting for them to pass me, since Kurt said they weren't in front of me. I found out later that Kevin was way ahead of even Sarah but that Brenda was behind me. She somehow passed me on the course and I never saw her. Strange!

So, by mile 22, I was in bad shape. Pain, pain, pain. It was dark and no one was talking. The volunteers were great but I could sense that other runners were hurting too. We all shuffled along together in the dark.

I kept looking at my watch wondering if I could make it. It seemed like the last few miles were so long, like I would never make it to the finish line. I could hardly walk let alone run. Darn those injuries! If I was in the kind of shape that I was in before getting this hip pointer injury or the plantar fasciititis, I could have easily done the marathon. I fought hard to keep my spirits up because I knew things would go south if I didn't.

At about mile 23, I tried to run but couldn't. Then all of a sudden, I felt my body start to run. I could hear the announcer and all the people cheering. I ran and ran and when I rounded the corner to the finish line, I was in an all-out sprint to the finish line. The clock said 13:54 as I flew across the line and I was really happy.

A wonderful volunteer quickly embraced me with a space blanket and held me up. I laughed and cried with her as we waited for the finish line photo to be taken. Kurt, the kids, and my mom were waving to me from the fence nearby. I couldn't hold it in and started crying. I was so happy to be done and so happy to have met my goal!

So, now a week later, as I write this, I can say that i truly am happy with my performance this year (compared to last year). Sure, I wish I had could've run faster but I'm just so glad that I met my goal and honestly, that I was able to swim in that frigid water!

Its been a long haul this time around and I'm ready to close the Ironman chapter in my life. I'm not saying that I won't sign up for another one down the road, but for now, I'm done. And I'm happy.

Thanks for reading this blog. I know only a handful of people have read it but if you were one of them, thanks for coming along and supporting me along the way. Feel free to comment or email me questions.
I may write a post on nutrition soon, so come back soon!

AZ Ironman Part 2: T1 and The Bike

2010-11-25T13:31:00.003-07:00

After shedding my wetsuit (with the help of some excellent wetsuit strippers), I ran to the T2 tent. I had wanted to keep my swim cap and looked down to see if I had it. I didn't and for a split second I thought about running back to get it but quickly realized how foolish that would be! Darn, I really wanted that cap!

They ran us around to get our bike bags and then into the changing tent. This was a lot different than T1 in Florida. In Florida, we were in a hotel room and it was well-lit with a lot more space. Here it was crowded and dark but it worked OK.

As I entered the tent, a volunteer rushed and asked if I needed help. I said "sure" as I started grabbing stuff out of my bag. She was a step ahead of me and was helping me get my wet bra and tri shorts off (not easy to do when you're in a hurry!).

I quickly put on my bike shorts and long bra that I would wear in the run, with sleeveless bike jersey over it, so that at T2, all I had to do would be take off the jersey. Because it was cool, I put on bike sleeves too. I had had a system of getting ready but the volunteer's kind efforts threw me off a little - in hindsight, I wish I had told her to help someone else (as much as I appreciated her help - it was great but I think better by myself).

I grabbed my gu flask and powerbar to stick in my back packet and quickly downed a bottle of Boost (love that stuff!). Since the forecast called for 50% chance of rain, I rolled up my bike jacket and put it in my back pocket too - just in case. Helmet, sunglasses, and shoes were on.. and I swiped some sunscreen on my face as I flew out of the tent - woo hoo, I was on my way to my favorite part of the race!

It felt great to get on the bike, partly because I knew it would warm me up. I was still pretty chilled from the swim but not cold enough to put on a jacket. I felt giddy with excitement as I rounded the corner of the bike chute that dumped us out onto Rio Salado. On the way, I saw Kurt and heard him yelling for me, which really made me happy.

Ahhhh...finally riding my bike. It just felt so good to be out of the water and onto the next segment of the race. The tailwind really made us all fly as we headed out of town towardd the mountains.

One thing that is nice about IMAZ, compared to IMFL, is the 3-loop bike course allows you to see the pros. I saw Chrissie Wellington twice and that was really exciting. She passed us all like we were standing still! First you'd see the motocycles go by and then her - it was a nice distraction!

The bike course consists of 1 loop that is about 38 miles long (I can't remember the exact distance) and we did it three times. There are pros and cons of this type of bike course but the nice thing is you know what to expect for the last part of the bike segment when you're tired. Also, if you want to see anyone that you know, you have that opportunity. The down side is that it's a little boring - one thing that was nice was IMFL's bike course is that it was new scenery most of the way.

The big surprise of the day was the wind. We had a horrible headwind coming back into town, causing my speed to go from 18-20'ish on the way out (occasionally up to 23 mph) down to 14 mph! Everyone was tucked in tight to aero position on the way back to save as much energy as possible.

And there was crosswind too! It just blew and blew and blew, making it hard sometimes to keep your bike going in a straight line. I pedaled the almost the entire way with very little coasting, even when we had a tailwind, because we were going up hill then. Very hard bike! I was hoping to do the bike in 6:20 or 6:30 at the very longest but didn't quite make it.

Here's Evan running by me on my way back into the turnaround point.

I stopped twice to pee (couldn't bring myself to...you know...what the guys do...) and once for my special needs bag. At that point, I ate a bagel sandwich, drank a Boost, and took a swig of gu. Before stopping, I had a few Twizzlers and half of a Power bar. I never felt hungry or over-fed. I drank 3/4 of a Powerbar Perform bottle handed to me by a volunteer (guzzled it, in fact) and ate a package of gel blasts too. Can't remember what else.

Overall, the bike went well. I'm glad I didn't flat or have any mechanical difficulties. Like the swim, toward the end it seemed to take forever and I was really ready to stop. Almost 7 hrs on a bike is a long time!

Total bike time: 6:48:02 (damn wind!)

To be continued!

I am an Ironman X2! Part 1 - The Swim

2010-11-24T22:09:00.005-07:00

I did it! I finished my 2nd Ironman. 13:54 and some change.

So much to say...too much to write...but here's a recap:

The day started by getting up at 4:30 AM and strangely enough, I wasn't that nervous. The practice swim the day before had bolstered my confidence in the swim (at least in terms of not getting hypothermia!) and the DVD that Scott had given me re the "4 keys to success in the IM" had convinced me to pace myself the whole way. I knew that I wasn't going to set any speed records but wanted to stay focused on coming in under 14 hrs.

I tried eating my usual bowl of oatmeal but I had carbo-loaded so much the night before that I was simply not hungry. I kept trying to force it down but gave up. Instead, I ate some yogurt and drank some juice and coffee and called it good.

At 4:50, I get a text from Dan saying "here we go!". That made me smile. Dan came down to watch all of us (esp Brenda) do this race. He's been a great friend and wonderful source of support.

I replied with "Lets get this party started!" Yeah, baby, it's GAME ON!

Kurt drove me to the race. The closer we got to the race venue, however, the faster my confidence faded. Crap, what if I freeze in the water? What if I lose my goggles? What if I get a flat? What if I can't find my bike or run bag? What if I didn't pack enough nutrition? What if, what if, what if?????

Kurt walked me to the race starting area. There were hundreds, if not thousands of people there - athletes and their families - and all the Ironman tents, etc. The air was buzzing with excitement. Here's a picture Kurt took of the race venue:

I had wanted to find the others (Brenda, Kevin, and Sarah) but it was a total madhouse - way too crowded to find anyone. So I focused on getting my stuff done and just hoped that I would run into them.

First thing was to fill up my water bottle on my bike - the big one on my handlebars. I had left it empty so that I could put in fresh sports drink the morning of the race. I double-checked my tool kit and the air pressure in my tires. I had filled them to 125 on Friday and they still felt tight so I decided to not fill them anymore.

Next, I needed to drop off the bike and run "special needs" bags - these are bags that IM takes to the halfway point (or close to the halfway point) on the bike and run course. I couldn't remember where we were supposed to do that (and was mad at myself for that!) and went scurrying around to ask a race official. I finally just asked another athlete who kindly pointed me in the right direction.

But there were so many people it was hard to get around. I started getting nervous because I needed to drop off the bags and get in line for the port-a-pot before putting on my wetsuit. The transition area closed at 6:30 and it was now 5:50 - yikes!

On my way to the special needs drop off area, a tall, lean woman brushed past me going in the opposite direction, who looked familiar. She was smiling and chatting to the person next to her. It was Chrissie Wellington! Wow!

I gave my bags to the volunteers and quickly dashed over to the port-a-potty area and got in line. It was a very long line! I frantically looked at my watch over and over again. It was 6:05...then 6:15...then 6:20 and I still wasn't first in line. A race official announced to all of us in line that the transition area would close in 5 mins and that we needed to be out of there. Uh oh...I really have to go!

I had all my swimming gear with me so I started putting on Body-Glide while I waited and the athletes around me started doing the same thing. I took off my morning clothes and put on my wetsuit halfway, all the while praying that one of those port-a-potties would open up quickly. One did and I dashed in as fast as I could!

The announcer told us to move into the swim start area. My heart started to pound quickly...omg, we are actually going to start this thing! And do I really have to jump into that cold lake???

The announcer said the water was 61 degrees and again, I felt relieved that i had done the practice swim the day before. Little did I know that the water was actually 58 degrees now! I found this out later and it's a good thing!

People started lining up on the "dock" (not really a dock but a cement ledge) and some started to jump in. It was about a 4 ft drop into the water and you literally had to step off and jump in. It was fascinating to watch - hundreds of athletes all standing there apparently frozen...and one by one jumping in. Most of us were putting it off as long as we could!

I finally made the jump. The water was so cold, it took my breath away. I slowly made my way over to the starting line and tried to relax as I treaded water (mainly to stay warm, the wetsuit keeps you afloat). My neoprene cap made it hard to hear the announcer, which was frustrating. So I just hung in the water, trying to relax and waiting for the cannon.

After the national anthem was sung, the cannon went off - YIKES!!!

It was total mayhem. Arms and legs flailing everywhere. I tried to swim but there was no way - I was pushed under several times as a sea of red caps swam over and around me (men had red caps, women had purple). I was pushed and hit several times. I started to panic, even though I had gone over this in my mind a million times. I knew it would be this way so why was I panicking?!

Just keep moving, I told myself. I felt the panicky feeling getting worse. I wanted out and I wanted out right now. Crap! For an instant, I pictured myself aborting the race and seeing the disappointed looks on my kids' faces...I can't do that! Just go, damn it!

Somehow, I started swimming or at least trying to swim. I knew that if I could get into a rhythm, I would be fine. The hard part was finding space in the water to actually swim. I was pushed under again but this time I came up fighting. I will do this race if it kills me!

I put my head in the water and started swimming. I didn't look up or over or anywhere but in the water. I swam and swam and swam. A calmness fell over me as I listened to myself breath in and out, in and out, in and out. Yes, I can do this!

The swim seemed to take forever. But I wasn't too cold and my arms were feeling ok so I kept going. I could tell that I was not swimming fast; I could've pushed harder but for some reason I was holding back a little. I thought about work, family, life, post-IM life (will it ever get here?) and before I knew it, I was back to the start and someone was pulling me out of the water - YAY!

Total swim time: 1:19 (22nd in my age division - not bad!)

My swim time in Florida was 1:18 and although I was hoping to improve this year, given the rough start and cold water, I'm ok with it.

Now for the bike...to be continued!

Tomorrow is the Big Day!

2010-11-20T20:02:00.003-07:00

Finally, it's here. My 2nd Ironman and possibly my last. So much to say!

Recapping the last few days:

Thursday
Kevin, Todd, and I drove 4 hrs from Holbrook, AZ, to Tempe. It seemed like it was going to take forever to get there.

When we got to Tempe, we drove straight to the Expo. There weren't many people there yet but it was exciting to see all the Ironman trucks and signs. My heart started beating a little faster seeing the lake that we'd be swimming in. Here is Kevin and I standing near the Expo, with the bridge that we swim under in the background.

We went to the Ironman store and bought some stuff (ka-ching, ka-ching!). A common joke among IM'ers is how much money IM makes on all of us suckers! Everything there is so expensive and its a little frustrating. A water bottle cost 5 bucks. Bike jerseys are $80. You get the picture.

Sarah and Brenda were flying in that afternoon so while we waited for them, Kevin and I went to Athlete Check-In. Its pretty cool seeing your name printed on the race numbers and everything else. Ironman does treat you pretty well (and they should considering how much money we spend!).

Finally everyone else arrives and they get checked in too. Brenda has rented a house through VRBO and she offered to let me stay there thursday night so we go there before the TriSports dinner that we were all going to that night. We're only there a few mins before we head back in town for the dinner.

Had a great time at the dinner. It was outside at a really nice bar. We enjoyed free drinks and dinner and laughed the whole evening. There was a speaker - Matt Long - a NYC firefighter who was a first reponder to 9/11 and who was run over by a bus a few yrs ago, only to come back to do an Ironman was there and he told his story. It was pretty cool.

Then everyone went to their places - Brenda and I to her place; Sarah, John, Kevin, and Todd to Sarah's condo that she had arranged to stay in (for free! It belongs to a co-worker).

Brenda and I stayed up and talked for awhile, which was really nice. We hadn't gotten to do much training together (other than riding on Sundays) because of my running injuries so it was nice to just chat for awhile. I really like her.

Friday
Kevin, Todd, and Sarah came over to our place with the bikes. We got them out on the lawn and the boys tinkered on them for a bit before we took off for a test ride - all 5 of us. After sitting in the van for 14 hrs over the previous days, I can't tell you how good it felt to ride my bike! And it was a beautiful day - I wanted to ride forever.

After that we went into town for lunch, which took a long time. We were all tired and talked out by then but had a good time.

Kurt, the kids, my mom, and our friend, Dan, flew in on Friday afternoon. Lots of discussion re who was going where at what time and who was taking who where but it all worked out. By then, I was really ready to get to my hotel room and veg out. I had been living out of a suitcase for 3 days and just wanted to unpack and rest. But we had to to the welcome dinner and athlete mandatory meeting (with Kurt) and the kids wanted to swim so I took them to the pool for 30 mins before heading out for dinner.

I thought that we would meet up with everyone at the dinner but we never saw the rest of the group which was just fine. I hadn't seen Kurt in a few days so it was nice to just be with him. The dinner was outside and it was a beautiful night so it worked out great.

Toward the end of the dinner one of the speakers mentioned that the water temp was now 61 degrees. I totally freaked out. Seriously, I did. I almost cried. It didn't help matters that I was getting cold from sitting outside for awhile so the idea of getting into ice cold water on Sunday did not go over well with me!

Kurt tried to build me up by saying things like "oh, you'll be fine" but I knew darn well what he was thinking ("glad its not me!"). I had to do some serious self-talk that night. I went back to the hotel and sat on the couch. I told myself that I had to do it. Come hell or high water (or COLD water), I had to do the swim.

The funny thing is how it totally took my mind off the run! I was now not worried about finishing the Ironman, I was worried about not finishing the swim! The bike and run seemed to pale in comparison in terms of difficulty at this point.

On Saturday there was going to be a practice swim and obviously that would be a good thing for me to do. I was petrified. I really worried that I might panic and DNF. ugh.

Saturday
Not only did we have the practice swim but we had to turn in our bike and run bags. I had NO time the night before to pack these bags (with all my bike and run gear, which is a lot) so I had to get up at 6;00 and do it then. I layed everything out and stressed over every little detail. Maybe later I'll come back and include the list of things that went into those bags but not right now. Just take my word for it that it took awhile.

And its very tedious, esp since the "special needs" bags don't need to be turned in until Sunday morning.

So, the kids, Kurt, my mom, and I made it to the swim start (and lots of drama along the way with the kids but too long to write here). I was actually in good spirits. We lined up near the swim start and had pictures taken (which I would put here but having trouble with Blogger right now).

We finally got in. The cold temp took my breath away. But I just started swimming and before long, i felt ok. I really did. I actually felt great. Yay!!!!

I was SO relieved after doing that swim. I can't tell you how more confident I felt about it! Brenda really got me fired up too when she said "we got it, sister!"

Got my bike racked and bike and run bags turned in. Went back to the hotel and relaxed - finally! Kurt took the kids to the pool and I got to relax in my room. We fixed dinner here in our room (we have a kitchen) and i worked on my special needs bags. Right now the kids, Kurt, and my mom are playing UNO while I relax (and write in my blog).

So much more to say. And I know this is more like rambling but I wanted to just get most of it down on paper and maybe I'll go back later and edit all of this. Sorry if it's not written well. Anyone who has done an Ironman will understand!

How do I feel? I'm amazingly calm right now. I actually feel pretty good. I wish I was in better running shape and I feel like I peaked in October, but mentally I feel pretty good. I'll just take the day as it comes, rain or shine (and it might rain tomorrow!). I am going to try hard to finish before 9:00, which means it will be 13 hrs and some change. That's my main goal - I want to come in under 14 hrs. Other than that, I'm good.

I'll try to upload more pic's later...Blogger won't let me right now. So, good night and the next time I write in here, i will hopefully be an Ironman once again!

We're in Arizona!

2010-11-17T21:37:00.000-07:00

Not Tempe yet, but close. We're in Holbrook, AZ. Todd, Kevin, and I left my house at 8:00'ish this morning and drove 10 hrs to Holbrook, then on to Tempe tomorrow, which looks to be about 3 hrs.

Having a great time with Todd and Kevin. The drive wasn't that bad - we talked the whole way. Such great guys. It is amazing how many really good guys I know through the running and triathlon community.

We're in Holiday Inn right now watching Avatar.

I've had so many mixed emotions today re the race. I think that's normal for the most part. Kevin seems to be experiencing the same thing (which was nice to know!). We both feel confident about completing the race but still nervous about how it will go. I rode my trainer for 40 mins before we left this morning and it really helped me mentally - probably doesn't do squat in terms of improving my fitness but it helped my "head" a ton. Tomorrow we are going to run 4-5 miles before heading out and that should help too.

Funny thing is, it's freezing here! Todd swears that it's in the 30's outside and it's Arizona, for crying out loud. I didn't bring any tights! Oh well, neither did they so we'll freeze together.

Too tired to write more...gotta hit the sack.

One Week From Today!!!

2010-11-14T06:53:00.003-07:00

Can't believe we're finally this close - only one week to go! Need to write down a few thoughts...

I'm feeling scared. I would love to write about how ready I am to do an Ironman, how closely I followed my training plan and how confident I am in my ability to finish. But I can't. And I know this is not good. At this point I usually envision Cher in Moonstruck shaking her friend, saying "snap out of it!" and that seems to help.

So then I ask myself about each part of the race, whether I'm fit enough to complete them, and this is what I come up with:

Could I swim 2.4 miles today? Probably

Could I bike 112 miles today? Definitely yes, with ease

Could I run 26.2 miles? Definitely no but no one runs the full IM marathon without stopping anyway (except the pro's) and since I've run 12 marathons over the years, I feel that my experience of going that distance will help me get through it PLUS I can run 12 or 13 without stopping and that's probably good enough to get me through it and it's all I could do anyway with the injuries I had. So there!

I can do it!

I know I'm not the only one with pre-race jitters. I've talked to several people who've done Ironman triathlons who say they feel the same way before the big day. And with all this tapering going on, I have more time on my hands to stress about it. ARRRGH!

So, catching up on workouts...I ran 1 hr and 20 mins (I think) with Dan, Brenda, and Marshall yesterday. We started from WOW and ran the usual 8 mile loop, except Marshall and I left early so we probably did only 7 (we stopped a few times, with one longer stop to chat before breaking off from Dan and Brenda). Had a great time - hadn't run with Brenda in ages and with Dan only once in recent weeks. So nice to have friends to run with once in awhile!

Today Kurt and I were going to try to ride outside - my plan calls for 2 hrs but the high is only supposed to be 40. Kurt really wants to do it but I'd just as soon ride indoors (did I really say that?) and get it done for the day. We'll see.

I plan to swim a regular Master's workout tomorrow and ride my trainer again on Tuesday. Then we leave on Wednesday!!! Oh my gosh...that freaks me out even saying that!!! Ok, I calmed down...we will drive 10 hrs on Weds, then only about 4 hrs or so on Thursday (I think). I'm driving down with Kevin and Todd, which should be pretty interesting! Actually I think it will be fun. Kurt, the kids, and my mom are flying down on Friday.

More on all that later...I'm getting butterflies just thinking about it!

Easy Rider

2010-11-09T20:00:00.001-07:00

This Sunday was the last long ride before the race. And it was a really nice one!

We met at Sarah's house (Kevin, Brenda, Todd, and I) and Sarah's husband, John, came along too.

My plan called for 3-4 hrs and Sarah's called for 2-3 hrs with a 30 min run. I was feeling really good and was very much looking forward to riding 4 hrs.

I had texted Todd on Sat to see if he would pace me the last hour, after dropping off Sarah and Brenda, since they were only going 3 hrs. I wanted to try riding 30 -60 mins at 18+ mph. He said he would so that was the plan.

We went south to Johnstown and out to the frontage road. John flatted so we waited while Kevin fixed it. John has been flatting a lot lately so he was really frustrated. Sarah told us to go on but Todd wanted to stay back with John and since Todd and I were going to ride longer, I needed to stay with Todd. But I didn't mind, I wasn't in any hurry.

It was a beautiful day. The temp was cool enough in the beginning to wear leg warmers and gloves but it warmed up nicely. As we rode along, I realized that I didn't really want to do a fast-paced hour later on, that the slower pace was just fine. That is, except for the frontage road where it's impossible for me to go slow there - I love flying along that stretch of road!

We stopped at the Trek store but it was closed so Todd changed out John's tube again, it was slowly going flat again. Sarah decided that it was best for them to go back and that they would take Centerra to Crossroads to 257, instead of highway 34, which would've been faster but more dangerous (no one likes to ride on 34!).

So we headed up that way and as we rode east on Crossroads Blvd, I realized that I did not want to ride all the way back to Sarah's house and then go out again. I love riding in the Windsor area and just wanted to stay out that way. Todd had gone way ahead of me so I told Kevin to tell him that I was going to go on my own, that he didn't have to pace me for that extra hour. I knew that Sarah and Brenda might wonder why I peeled off by myself but I decided to go anyway. It was OK. I ride by myself often enough that going off on my own was no big deal.

So I turned north and circle around west of Windsor and then north to the road that is part of the Wild on Windsor course (can't remember the name of that road). I really love riding out there. I was hoping that Todd wouldn't think that I was mad at him for riding on ahead - I just didn't want to ride all the way back to Greeley and then back out again. The same is true for running - no one likes to go back to the starting point and then back out again - ugh.

I really enjoyed this ride. I rode at a comfortable pace and noticed it was easy to stay at 18 mph. Occasionally I would get up to 20 or 22 but mostly right around 18. I'm really happy about that!

I rode along and just let my mind wander. The mountains were just beautiful; they had a light dusting of snow and looked dark purple against the grey clouds hovering over them. A few months ago I would've never considered breaking off from the group like that or I would've felt lonely if I had, but on this day I just absorbed the warm sunshine and beautiful scenery. Sometimes I think my bike is my best friend!

But all good things must come to an end and the peaceful, easy feeling I was having went down the drain when I head the familiar thump, thump, thump sound. Crap, I have a flat! And guess what? I've never changed a flat all by myself before!

Of course, it happened to be my back tire. And the dark storm clouds in the west were heading my way. I rode to a safe place to get off and flipped my bike over so that I could figure out how to get the back tire off. Working quickly, I finally figured out how to do it (although it took awhile and my hands were totally black with bike grease!).

I got the tube out and the new one in. But I had trouble with the CO2 cartridge and heard the air leave the tube after I filled it. Crap again! What am i going to do? I called Kurt and he talked me through some of it. I was really getting worried about the weather and wanted to get going ASAP. I didn't want him to have to come get me but when I couldn't get any more air out of the C02 cartridge, I had to call him back to come get me. Rats.

While I waited for him, I decided to try it again. This time I pulled down on the handle further and wa - la, the tube filled with air! Yay! Now, to get the tire back on... I wasn't sure if I had the derailer on right and the clouds were getting close and closer (and they didn't look good). I decided to not call Kurt back because I still might want him to come get me. I wasn't convinced that I had done everything right and I might not be able to ride after all.

I flipped the bike back over and climbed on. So far, so good. I rode a mile or two and got off to check the tire. It was good - yay! By then, the wind was really blowing and it was getting colder. Kurt finally reached me and pulled over. He checked my work and everything looked good so I told him I wanted to finish the ride. Poor guy - he was at the hospital and had to get someone to cover for him to come get me, only to find that I had fixed the tire and was doing fine!

But just as he left me, the wind started to really blow! It was blowing so hard that I almost fell off my bike. Kurt was long gone so I was on my own. I didn't have too far to go but when you're on a bike with a tire that is only 3/4 full and gale force winds blowing you all over the road, it can seem like forever to get back into town!

I finally made it back to Sarah's house. 57 miles - not too shabby! Despite the flat, I'm still glad I did the extra miles on my own. It was a lovely ride and one that I won't forget.

Now it's really time to taper. It's Tuesday as I write this and although I wasn't sore by any means on Monday, I was very tired so I did not run or ride today. I did master's swim yesterday but that's all. Tomorrow I'll probably try a short run or indoor ride in addition to master's swim...we'll see. But for now, it's taper time!

One Year Ago Today...

2010-11-06T12:27:00.001-06:00

I was doing the Florida Ironman. Wow, what a year it's been too.

Marshall, my training buddy last year (see photo at left, race day), showed up at my door this morning for our weekly long run with his Florida IM cap on and big grin on his face. "Here we are again, Cin!" We laughed and reminisced about last year and how much fun we had in Panama City, even though our Ironman races didn't turn out the way we wanted them to.

Marshall and I go way back. He and his wife, Lynne, have been close friends of ours for almost 20 years now. And although my friendship was with Lynne first, Marshall and I have several things in common: we are the same age, our fathers died the same year and they were the same age, but most importantly, our spouses are eerily similar in many ways: they are both somewhat "aloof", independent people who rarely show any emotion and who have a high need for control. They're both great people, just not the most affectionate people in the world. Marshall has been quite humorous about his wife's low libido and how whatever Lynne wants, Lynne usually gets. So we usually have a lot to talk about on our long runs.

So, today we ran 2 hrs and 1 minute and I felt great - woo hoo!!!! I could've gone another half hour easily. What a change from last week. It was a huge confidence booster!

Came home and went on Ironman.com immediately. Scott, as I mentioned here a few times, is doing Florida and its his first IM. He did the swim in 1:11 and has been averaging 21 mph on the bike. As I write this, he is between mile 55 and 95. Another guy I know who is doing FL, Joe Gregg, did a 1:06 swim but there's nothing reported on the bike yet so I'm a bit worried. Hoping it's going well.

A few notes on this last week....
Tuesday: I rode 35 miles by myself. It was a beautiful afternoon, about 67 degrees, but the wind came up as I left Greeley. It was a pretty stiff headwind going north but I wanted to ride bad enough that I decided to ride into it and push the pace to get a good workout. And I did! My legs were still tired from the 107 mile ride on Sunday but I decided to keep going. It was a good ride but I'm not used to riding at that time of day 2:15 - 5:45 and there was a ton of traffic on the roads. Ugh. I rode up the hill on 257 south of Windsor and between the wind and all the big trucks, I was dying to get home. Glad I did it but not the most enjoyable ride.

Wedsnesday: Master's swim - did most of the workout but not all of it. Still felt tired and didn't have much oomph. Had some stomach issues so aborted the rest of the workout and lifted weights at home.

Thursday: Awesome run! Ran an hour listening to the soundtrack from Warren Miller's latest ski flick Wintervention - download that puppy! Can't wait to run again this week to listen to it again.

Friday: Forced myself to the pool (which is no fun on Fridays because no one is there and I hate swimming by myself) and made myself swim 30 minutes nonstop, after warming up. I was dreading it but after I got into a rhythm I started to enjoy it. But as soon as I hit 30 mins, I was outta there! People think running is boring (which I have never understood) but try swimming laps in a 25 yrd pool by yourself, with no music. BORING! I like Master's swim and even plan to keep doing it after the Ironman, but to swim laps by myself - aint gonna happen unless I have to.

All in all a good week. Today's run was definitely the highlight! Tomorrow, I'm riding 3-4 hrs with Sarah, Brenda, Kevin, Todd, and possibly Marshall. I think S and B are going 2-3 hrs and running 30 mins but I want to ride a bit further and not run. I don't want to push my luck with being able to run well so I'm doing the bare minimum of running. I hope Todd will ride the last hour with me because I want to try going faster the last hour. We'll see.

This tapering thing is really cool. Some people hate it but I'm loving it.

Off to the UNC football game with Kurt and the kids - it's supposed to be 76 degrees today - good football weather, esp after a really good long run!

More soon...

What a Weekend

2010-11-01T17:16:00.001-06:00

Wow. I sit here on Monday afternoon still in shell-shock over the weekend events. First there was the attempt to run/walk 20 miles that ended up being more of a death march at the end, and then there was the 107 mile bike ride that was, dare I say it....a piece of cake???

First the run. My plan was to run 2 hrs with Kevin and Dan and then run/walk an additional hour, with a desired goal of covering 20 miles. I hadn't had a chance to run with these guys in a long time and I was really excited to run with them. Not only do I really like these guys a lot but I knew they would not pressure me to run faster than I wanted to. So I was really looking forward to running with them.

The surprising part is that I started faster than I thought I would and faster than they thought I would too. This was good in that I realized I haven't slowed down as much as I thought I had but the bad part is that it probably contributed to the onset of fatigue at about mile 10 for me. In other words, I probably should've started slower.

But honestly, I think I was just happy to be running with friends again. I've been either running solo (which I do enjoy at times) or with Marshall (which I also enjoy). But I hadn't run with these guys nor had I done the "Brenda route" since last spring so I was just happy, plain and simple, and eager to go.

Unfortunately, my hip starting hurting really bad and that always makes me shorten my stride. I was really disappointed that it was hurting so badly because in the last 3 weeks it had been relatively fine. Bummer. Time to re-group. I almost called it quits when we got near the turn-off point to go back to the car but Dan suggested I turn right, which would prevent me from going back to the car. This was a really good idea because it helped me to keep going. Kevin went back to the car for more fluid and then he was going to catch me and run with me through Jo Jo.

I turned right and shuffled along for another mile or so. My legs, hip, and feet were killing me. These were familiar pains - I had felt them on many a long run but they usually didn't crop up until mile 15 or so. But here they were, at mile 11 and 12.

I kept going but went very, very slow. I finally stopped at Jo Jo and walked down the path to the bathroom (which was closed, darn it!). I could harldy walk. My hip hurt so bad. It was really hard not to get discouraged.

I kept telling myself that at least I ran that far, that I wasn't injured so bad that I couldn't run at all. Still, it was hard thinking that Sarah and Brenda had run 20 miles the day before and I could barely eek out 12.

Kevin caught me at Jo Jo and we jogged through the park and out onto the street. I "ran" with him to 20th street and then walked back to WOW. It was a very long, painful walk.

Later that day, I lay on the couch icing my hip and when I got up, my heel hurt so bad I couldn't put weight on it. I actually laughed out loud, thinking about how I told Dan that I thought my heel pain was gone. Silly me for thinking that it was gone!

So I ice'd the heel and did some mental therapy. Told myself all the things I've been saying here - that I'll get through the Ironman, that the swim and the bike will go well and I'll do the best I can in the run. But I still have down times when I wish I could run like I used to. Two steps forward and one back, as they say.

Then, comes Sunday. What a complete change. I rode with Kevin and Todd and since I wasn't sure how my legs would hold up, I hadn't committed to any distance in the beginning. Kevin wanted to ride 100 but my training plan only called for 40-50 so I held off on saying which way I would go.

We rode south to Johnstown, then Mead, then Centerra, then Windsor, then Pierce, and finally home. We left at 9:35 and got back at 4:30, with numerous pee stops along the way and one stop at the Trek store to fix my water bottle carrier. The sun was low in the sky when we got back and it felt like we had been gone for the entire day! But the good news was that I felt better and better as the day wore on and was easily able to ride 18+ mph. I had an amazing 2nd wind at mile 70 and pushed the pace up to 20 - 22 mph for a good long section of the ride. Todd finally passed me and we waited for Kevin in Severance. I was on top of the world!

I felt great the whole way and could've gone even longer if time allowed. They actually did go longer but I needed to get back to take my kids trick-or-treating. Plus, 107 miles is plenty long enough!

Today I am very sore and tired but it's a great feeling knowing that I can taper now and that I earned the taper! From now until the Ironman, it's time to rest and heal (hopefully).

It's been a long haul to this point but worth every step of the way. What a weekend, indeed!

100 Miler #2 -Woo Hoo!

2010-10-25T16:57:00.002-06:00

Whew! Got the last long ride in and I'm so glad! I rode 100 miles with "a friend of a friend" (Tiffany G) and had a blast.

Tiffany is an amazing runner - she just won her age group in the Colorado Marathon last week (3:19) and she's running New York City marathon next weekend. And if that wasn't enough, in August she signed up for Ironman Cozumel, giving her only 3 months to train!

Tiffany is one of those rare people that make you laugh within minutes of meeting her. She has an infectious smile and great sense of humor. She's the perfect person to do a long ride with because I think we laughed the entire way.

And I learned something very important: Don't ride 100 miles in the "up" position on a tri bike! I normally ride in the aero position which is what you're supposed to do on a tri bike. But Tiffany had a road bike and even though she had aero bars, she didn't like them so she stayed "up" the entire way. Because we were talking so much, I did too but I learned that you use different muscles sitting that way AND it puts a lot more pressure "down there" and I now have a serious case of saddle soreness!

Tiffany's husband, Patrick, came along for most of the ride. He just signed up for Ironman Wisconsin (Sept 2011) and like Tiffany, is a fast runner but fairly new to the sport of triathlon.

We rode to Boulder and back. The foliage was past it's peak but still beautiful to look at. The road we took is one of my favorites (same road I've taken several times with Scott) because its mostly flat and has such a nice view of the foothills. The road winds its way through the countryside and for this reason, it is a popular road for cyclists.

Tiffany flatted not long after the start of the ride and it took awhile to get it fixed, but it was good to go over changing a flat again. It started to get really windy as we sat on the roadside and I wondered if we would be able to finish the ride. The weather seemed to change from warm to cold, sunny to cloudy, windy to still several times during the ride.
When we headed back, we noticed that we were only at 54 miles when we went through Hygiene. By then, we had been riding 3-4 hrs and we both commented on how 70.3 races are the way to go because after 3 hrs on a bike....well, it takes a serious cyclist to want to keep going. Tiffany and I briefly toyed with the idea of just going back and ending the ride with 80 miles. But we quickly dissed that idea and decided to go for the full 100.

Patrick peeled off at mile 79 and Tiffany and I kept going to north Ft Collins. We were both so tired and my knees were killing me. But chatted all the way through FC and back to her house in south FC. All in all a GREAT ride!

And just to show how amazing Tiffany is, I got an email from her today saying that she ran 6 miles on the treadmill after the ride...she's definitely Ironman material!

Today I did a fairly hard Master's swim workout. I didn't get to do the entire workout but probably got in at least 2000 yards. My legs are not that sore which is nice! I'm looking forward to running tomorrow and doing Spinervals on Thursday. Then, on Saturday, I plan to run 3 hrs and ride a fast 50 on Sunday. After that, it's taper time!!!

Still Pluggin' Away

2010-10-23T14:39:00.000-06:00

Ran 2 hrs this morning with Marshall and felt really good. That was very encouraging since last week I could barely finish my 2 hr run. Today I felt like I could've gone further but had to get my kids to their soccer games and needed to stop at 9:00. But I'm psyched that I felt that good - almost like old times!

Tomorrow will be my last long ride - YAY! I'm riding 100 miles with a friend of a friend who is training for Ironman Cozumel. Her name is Tiffany and I've known her for a few years. She's a really fun gal so I'm looking forward to riding with her. I think her husband, Patrick, is going along too.

After that, I'll start to back down the mileage of the biking. Not an official taper (yet) but will "only" have to ride 40 - 50. I think I'll try riding faster on that ride. But since the running is going well, I'm going to try to eek out one more long run next week and go for 3 hrs. I didn't have any pain during today's run (I did afterwards but I'm used to it) so I'm going to go for it either next week or the following weekend. I've been feeling kind of nervous about not running as much as the other folks training for AZ IM, but there's not much I can do about it.

As they say, it is what it is!

Blessings Happen

2010-10-19T07:12:00.001-06:00

Someone once told me that you can never really appreciate the good days unless you experience the bad days and that's what happened this weekend.

Saturday was somewhat of a down day and Sunday was terrific. Rode 60 some miles with my new friend, Scott Taylor, and had just a wonderful time.

The weather could not have been better - sunny, upper 70's, no wind, AND the trees were absolutely gorgeous. We rode through the Boulder countryside and I was oo'ing and aw'ing the entire way.

But the really good part was that a new friendship was made. I've ridden with Scott before and I find that the more I ride with him, the more I like him. We talked about a lot of things and he helped me with some issues I've been dealing with (he also helped me change my first flat tire and for that, I will be eternally grateful!).

It was refreshing to ride with someone who could talk about more than just training, who wasn't afraid to talk about emotions or what is important in life. He shared some things with me and I shared some things with him. It was truly a breath of fresh air to ride with him.

I've always thought that the only way to grow as a person is to face the inner demons we all have lurking deep within our souls. The catch is to let those demons out and wrestle with them face to face. I think some people never allow them out and live their entire lives in denial (or they drown them in alcohol) but I'm trying to meet them head on and gradually take them down. And that means experiencing every emotion possible along the way. Its scary sometimes and the road gets a little bumpy but with good friends like Scott, its well worth the ride.

(Photo of Coot Lake, outside of Boulder, taken on 10.17.10)

Head Games

2010-10-16T16:38:00.002-06:00

I really wish the Ironman was next weekend. Not that I'm completely ready for it but because, well, I'm tired of training.

I'm tired of the weekend grind...long run on Saturday (although for me, the runs haven't been that long) and very long ride on Sunday.

Now that I think about it, it's actually the long ride that I'm tired of. As much as I love cycling and I'm doing fairly well on that aspect of the training, I'm tired of being gone every Sunday morning. I want my weekends back.

Now, lest you think that I'm being selfish, keep in mind that I've been doing long bike rides every single weekend since May. I'm just looking forward to getting back to the old days, of doing a long run on Saturday and enjoying Sun morning with my kids.

That's a huge factor for me - missing my kids on Sunday mornings. Pre-Ironman, I would lounge in my jammies with coffee and the paper until it was time to get ready for church. I would usually play some kind of silly game with them and we always seemed ot have a good time. We'd go to church 2-3 times/ month and I would come home refreshed and ready to start the week. Now, I'm so tired on Sunday nights, I can hardly walk and Mondays are spent in a sleepy, tired fog.

I think I'm just a bit down today. My training partners are in Denver tonight to run the Denver half-marathon tomorrow and I guess I'm a little jealous. But it didn't work out and the fact that I couldn't run a decent half right now doesn't help matters either.

But I am excited about feeling in better shape this year than last year. I keep reminding myself of that. With the exception of running, I really feel better now than I did this time last year.

Yesterday we all met out at the "new lake" (see photo) and swam for a little over an hour. It was cold at first but I warmed up quickly, partly because of the neoprene cap that Kevin lent me. I really hope the water in Tempe isn't any colder than that.

I swam fairly well and felt that I could've easily swam longer, so that's good.

Today, my goal was to run 2 hrs. I was a little nervous as I hadn't run that long in quite awhile. I started very slow and well, stayed very slow the entire time. It bummed me out a little to be running so slow (and it didn't help to hear my husband say "gee, I think I can run this pace in my 70's" - GRRRR!) but I told myself to keep going. Kurt dropped off at mile 3 and I went on to Jo Jo, back to Monfort, and then home.

I was probably doing an 11 or 12 min pace at the end. My legs were hurting so bad I almost cried. I felt like I used to feel at the end of an 18 mile run. My quads ached and my feet hurt (ironically, my heel didn't hurt at all). Great. I'm doing an effin' Ironman in a little more than a month and I can barely run 2 hrs.

I hobbled up the driveway and into the house. Showered, ate, iced my hip, and got my kids to their soccer games. It will be fine, I told myself over and over again. Just think how far you've come...blah, blah, blah.

Ah well....tomorrow is another day...

Two Steps Forward, None Back!

2010-10-11T15:29:00.001-06:00

Had a great weekend! It was much different than I had planned but it turned out really well.

This is worth mentioning because that's how Ironman (or marathon) training goes; things change and sometimes, they change for the good.

First, I missed my lake swim on Friday. I had planned to go at 4:30 with Brenda, Sarah, and Kevin. But two obstacles got in the way: weather and housework. The temperature dropped and it got windy in the middle of the afternoon AND there were dark clouds on the horizon. But that alone would not have kept me from going - it was the fact that my house was a wreck, I had nothing planned for dinner, and I just couldn't leave things that way. So I bagged. Not something I do very often.

I swam twice last week and Wendy says I only need to swim 2x/week anyway so I didn't bag on a regular workout, it was more of a bonus workout. Still, I hate missing a planned workout.

But the good part is yet to come. Saturday I ran 1 hr and 40 mins! I felt really good. I started really slow and when I realized how slow I was running, I started to get down about it. But I just told myself to shut up and keep going! And I ran out to WOW, something I used to do all the time. I love running out there. It's 4 miles from my house to WOW and I took a long loop back (out to Center Place and back) so I'm pretty sure I ran 10 miles (and I just realized that makes it 10 min miles and that is hard to take...arrgh!).

My hip hurt the usual amount but the heel didn't hurt at all. I really think I've nipped the plantar fascitatus (Sp?) in the bud. That's great. I had to ice my hip when I got home but it was bearable.

So, Sunday was supposed to be a 3 hr ride and 1 hr run. But for the first time, we had bad weather (for riding): rainy, windy, and cold. The cold wasn't so bad but it's no fun and not safe to ride in the rain. So I made a last minute decision to run again (easily) and ride on Monday, since Kurt had the day off and could be home with the kids.

I haven't ran two days in a row in years. That's a big no-no when you have an injury. But I just felt good and I felt like running. So off I went and what a great run! It was raining a little bit and I had some good tunes on my Ipod. I lost myself in the music and ran for 40 mins. Felt great - no hip trouble - AND when I went to church afterwards (which is when my hip would normally be extremely painful), I was fine!

All day Sunday I just felt physically good. Anyone who runs knows what that feeling is like - it's a wonderful feeling. I felt lean, fit, and super-charged.

Today is Monday and I just got back from my ride. Rode hard for 3.5 hrs! It's a bit challenging to ride by yourself, let alone go that long. One thing about riding long by yourself that is so different from running is that all you hear for that period of time is the light roaring sound of the wind in your ears. Its not safe to ride with music so you hear nothing but the wind, traffic, and the sound of your tires for however long you ride versus music when running. I always feel like I'm in a trance when I get off my bike from a long solo ride just because of not hearing or talking for a long time.

What a great ride, though. I went to Pierce, then east for about 5 miles or so. I only stopped twice and kept a fairly fast pace the entire way. Since I did Master's swim this morning too, I feel tired but good. The back-to-back runs this weekend really re-energized my psyche and the swim/ride combo today was just the right amount of exertion. A good training day, for sure.

I will say, however, that Ironman training would be extremely difficult for single parents to do or for anyone with kids who doesn't have help. Without Kurt being home today, there's no way I could've gotten that kind of a ride in. I feel very lucky to have a situation in which I can train fairly easily and still homeschool my kids (although there are times when it's impossible to get a workout in that is needed). Marathon training is very do-able, but Ironman training adds a whole other layer to the complexity of normal family life. More on that later.

Cloud Nine!

2010-10-03T20:59:00.001-06:00

This was one of my best training days ever! I rode 100 miles with two great guys - Todd and Scott. And I felt fantastic!

Todd and Scott are very fast cyclists - they averaged 22 mph on the ride so it was hard to keep up with them. Actually, I didn't really keep up with them - they rode ahead and then waited for me. But I averaged 18 mph and felt really good.

I also feel good about my nutrition today. I carbo-loaded yesterday, which basically consisted of three over-sized, high carb meals with one yummy bowl of ice cream before bed (reduced fat, of course). Before the ride I had a huge bowl of oatmeal with peanut butter, sugar, and milk added in. Then during the ride I consumed:

Two bottles of dilute Gatorade

One 8 oz container of 100% fruit juice (consumed when we stopped at the car to shed layers)

One half pbj sandwich (ditto)

3/4 of a Powerbar

One Soy bar

One package of "chews" (I'm blanking on the brand name right now)

One bottle of Boost (240 calories)

I felt like I over-ate but I also had tons of energy too. When we got back to the parking lot, I was curious to see what it would feel like if I ran, so I put on my sandals and ran around the parking lot! Todd and Scott were laughing their heads off. I actually felt good and was kicking myself for not bringing my running stuff!

If you've been reading this blog, you know how hard it's been for me not to run very well this year. So, to ride 100 miles at a fast pace and then get off and feel like I could run at least a 5k (probably more), was just a wonderful feeling!

The ride was good for a few other reasons as well. We started with a bigger group of people and its really fun riding with so many of my friends. We have such a fun group of people in our tri club. I feel very lucky to be a part of such a fun group.

So, an hour and 15 min swim on Friday and a 6 hr ride today - woo hoo! I'm on a roll, baby!

(Sorry for all the white space - Blogger is very hard to work with sometimes!)

2 Outta 3 Aint Bad

2010-10-02T15:08:00.002-06:00

So, that's my other motto these days. If I can't do the long runs now, at least I can swim and bike.

And honestly, I think that's ok. I think that most triathletes have one of the three sports as their "weakest link". I just never guessed that running would be mine! But it is now. I ran one measly hour this morning whereas my training comrades ran 16 miles.

But I have a different take on it now. Even Todd, our resident IM guru, agrees with me on this one (he actually planted the seed in my head). Most people only run 10 - 12 miles of the marathon anyway before walk/running the rest of the way. So, he said I should just train up to 2 hrs of running and call it good. With a strong swim/bike base and the ability to run 2 hrs without too much pain, I should be able to have a good race.

Todd also said something that I should be saying: that the race is all about nutrition! It was nice to hear that from a non-RD, experienced IM'er. And he's right. So that's good news for me because I'm a sports dietitian and I have a clear picture of what I need to do nutritionally to get through the race. I did it in Florida (although I still need to eat more than I did then) and I'm having awesome "second winds" in my long rides, so I must be doing something right. More on nutrition later.

We swam at the new lake yesterday. I was worried about the water being too cold, even though I knew it would be good practice for AZ. It was colder than before but not too cold to swim. In fact, it felt really good.

I swam 1 hr and 15 mins, most of it by myself. Brenda and Todd were ahead of me and Sarah and Kevin were behind me. Sarah eventually passed me but that was good because she wasn't too far ahead of me and it was comforting having someone relatively close to me. Sarah is swimming really well and I have no doubt she will do great in the Ironman.

I swam a steady pace. I didn't feel like hammering it nor did I feel sluggish. I was relaxed and steady. It gave me time to think about some things. Funny how swimming is almost like running has always been for me - a time to relax, unwind, process, or just veg out.

Today Marshall came over to my house and we ran exactly one hour. We ran pretty slow and although my hip was hurting at the end, it was bearable. And later, at the kids' soccer games when I had to run back to the car to get their water bottles and then way over to the restroom and back to the field, my hip felt fine. I was very relieved.

Tomorrow I'm going to try biking 100 miles! Scott Taylor wants to do 100 and since Kurt is home with the kids, the weather looks to be perfect, and I have someone to ride with, I decided to go for it. Might as well. I just don't want what happened last year to happen again this year: missing the opportunity to ride that far. So, I'm going for it. I feel ready for that distance - I've done five 70+ milers with no trouble so going 100 shouldn't be too bad. We'll see!

Rollar Coaster

2010-09-30T10:51:00.000-06:00

My emotions seem to have been on one lately!

I think it's only natural when you train for an Ironman. There's just so much that goes into it; so much planning, training, thinking, wishing.....throw in a few injuries that scare the heck out of you and wa la! You're on cloud nine one day and cryin' in your beer the next.

Today was a cloud nine day. I ran 5 miles for the 2nd time this week and had relatively no pain in my hip or heel. There was the usual twinge in my hip but today it was not bad at all. The heel didn't hurt one iota. I'm not sure I say this yet but maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to run most of the marathon after all!

Yesterday I had to miss Master's swim because the kids and I went up to RMNP. But I got my butt out of bed in time to do a very hard 45 min Spinerval workout. Felt good about that. Wendy said I should only swim twice a week anyway (but that makes me a little nervous so I've been swimming 3x/week anyway).

Planning to swim at the lake tomorrow with the group at 4:30. Looking forward to a great weekend!

Riding Utah

2010-09-28T16:15:00.001-06:00

If I ever had to move away from Colorado, I know where I would go: Ogden, Utah (see photos below). Wow, what a great place to live, in terms of recreational opportunities. Lots of scenic roads for cycling or running, lakes to swim in, and mountains within 30 minutes.

Julie and I set out at 9:15 AM (which we realized later was too late, we should've left at 8:00). Headed up some country roads that gradually wound their way up, up, and up. We rode 20 miles that way and then turned around and flew back to the car. Our plan was to ride 80 miles by doing several 20 or 30 mile loops.

We grabbed a quick snack and potty break at the car and then headed back out on another loop. By then, it was pretty warm and there was more traffic. But still not too bad. We headed up to Pineview Reservoir and up around a monastery. The weather was picture-perfect: warm, dry, and not a cloud in the sky!

The views were just breathtaking. The trees were in full foliage and were just breathtaking. I wanted to stop and take pictures every bend we rode around! Julie is a fast cyclist and I had a hard time keeping up with her so picture-taking was not going to happen very often!

Since Kurt was doing the Xterra triathlon at Snow Basin and was expecting to be done between 1:00 and 2:00, we had to stop at 1:30 which was exactly 70 miles. Because we rode hard most of the way, I didn't mind too much that we didn't get 80 miles. Plus, my training plan called for 5 hours and definitely got that in.

Here are a few pic's but they don't do the area justice!

Crossing My Fingers

2010-09-25T07:30:00.000-06:00

So I ran 5 big fat miles yesterday - woo hoo! First run in 9 days and it felt oh so good. I started very, very slow and actually ended up walking at first because I'm in Ogden, Utah, right now and who would ever guess it's a mini San Francisco here with all the steeper-than-you-know-what hills. We're staying with friends and it's pretty much straight up or down when you go out their front door.

Anyway, I ran/walked down the hill very fast and then started jogging. Yes, I'm going to use the J-word here. Real runners never use the J-word because none of us ever jog. Noooooo, we RUN. Jogging is for sissies. Any real runners reading this can relate to the cringe they feel when someone (who is not a runner) says to them "oh, I saw you jogging this morning". Ugh.

But I truly was jogging. It was probably a 12-min pace. Yep, that was me. Trot, trot, trot, trot. Smiling at the real runners who were wizzing by me. I could see the look on their faces, so serious and so focused. That's been me all of these years and it was kind of interesting looking at runners from a jogger's perspective. Part of me was happy for them and part of me wanted to trip them.

Anyway, I ran 5 luxurious miles and yes, my hip did hurt the whole way but it was fairly small on the pain scale. In other words, it was bearable. My heel didn't hurt at all. Its so nice to have only one of your injuries hurt at a time. Thank you, body,for picking just one yesterday!

My husband, Kurt, is doing an Xterra triathlon today at Snow Basin, near Ogden. More on that later. I'm riding 80 miles with my friend, Julie, who is also a dietitian and an injured runner. She's had to stop running completely because of another type of injury. Misery loves company, eh?

Seriously, I'm psyched to ride with her today.She has an 80 mile route planned for us. I've gotta get going so will write more and post pic's later.

Take the Good with the Bad

2010-09-22T21:54:00.002-06:00

Recap of the last few days:

Sunday
Had one of the best swims I've ever had! I went out with Brenda to this new lake we found recently in Water Valley. Sarah and Kevin, the other IM'ers, were there too. We swam a route that we thought was 2 miles. I went slow and steady and had no trouble finishing the route (which we later found out was 2.05 miles!). The water was colder than I expected but even that didn't bother me too much. So glad we did that - HUGE confidence builder.

Monday
Totally off - woo hoo!

Tuesday
Took the kids to my mom's house and went on an, shall we say, an "eventful" bike ride. Took the kids to my moms house and left from there. Rode south of Johnstown and was having a great time when I had to make a pit-stop. Pulled off near a corn field, leaned my bike up against the corn, and went in the corn to pee.

All is well until I see a truck pull up near my bike. Crap! I start panicking because I didn't want the person in the truck to see me yet I also didn't want Mr. Truck-dude to take my bike either! I crouched there breathing heavily trying to figure out what to do. He wasn't leaving. What was he doing???? I decided to walk out and get my bike and if he said anything to me, I'd just laugh it off and say I had to use the "facilities" (hoping he would have a sense of humor). But then his truck slowly started to roll on by...thank God!

Then, when I came out of the corn field, I heard more trucks - there were several large trucks that passed me before I stopped at the cornfield - and now there was a long line of them coming. Darn it - I chose this road because it was a "quiet country road" (not!) and i didn't really want to ride back yet. But all I could see were big red trucks coming down the road so I turned around and went back.

As I'm heading back to Milliken, a deer comes flying out of nowhwere and darts across the road. Fortunately I was looking ahead at the time and saw him in plenty of time to slow down. Not too far down the road, a ground hog runs out in front of me. Geez!

At this point, I knew I needed to speed up if I wanted to make this ride worth all the trouble. So I tucked in tight to the aero position and cruised along at a pretty good clip. Yay - I love riding like that! I turned left at 257 just chompin at the bit to ride up Mad Russian hill. Feeling esp good, I flew up that hill faster than I've ever rode it. I thought seriously about going back down and charging back up it again but just kept going. I managed to keep a pretty fast pace all the way back to Greeley (need to get a computer on my bike so I know what speed I'm going!).

Then, on west 10th, I passed a car that obviously had smashed into a tree. There was no way the driver could have survived that accident and sure enough, I found out later he didn't. Pretty sad.

Not long after passing the car, I flatted - first time in years. Fortunately, I was less than a mile from my mom's house so I walked my bike back to the car. I needed to get the kids and run errands - will fix flat later.

Today, I swam Master's and felt pretty good. Was almost able to stay up with Sarah and Natalie but not quite. That's ok, I can tell I'm faster than last year so that's all I care about right now.

The one thing in the back of my mind all of this time was running. When will I get to run again? My hip is better but my heel was hurting really bad today and I haven't run since Saturday and even then, it was only for a few miles. I am literally hobbling around the house, most of the time with an ice pack on my hip.

Tonight I am feeling very discouraged. I'm glad that my swimming and biking are going well - thank God for that - but I'm really down about not being able to run. I will try on Friday and maybe it will work out. But right now it hurts to even walk. And it's not just the Ironman that worries me, it's the fact that I may not be able to run at all in the future. I don't want to "awfulize" but it's hard not to when you can't walk without severe pain.

I just miss it. I've been running for 20+ years and it's hard to not do something that has been a part of your daily routine for all these years, something that makes you feel good and something you can do with friends.

I'm tired of the pain too. I can see why people get hooked on pain relievers. My heel and hip hurt a lot and I'm tired of cringing with every step I take.

Well, tomorrow is another day and maybe things will be better. I'm planning on a Spinerval ride early in the morning and then we're driving to Ogden, Utah, for Kurt's Xterra triathlon Saturday. One of my best friends lives in Ogden and it will do me good to hang out with her for awhile. I'm planning to run there on Friday so hopefully I'll have some good news to report when I get back! We're also planning to ride 80 miles when on Saturday and that will be nice.

Too tired to think....more later.

Plan B

2010-09-18T14:04:00.000-06:00

So, today I ran for the first time since Weds and although my hip hurt a little as I moved around, I thought it would be ok but it wasn't. It hurt so bad that I walked most of the way home.

I tried running on grass but it didn't seem to matter. And I guess that make sense; this is not an impact-related injury. It's a strain of some sort and the pain is caused from the swaying of my left leg going forward and backward (if that makes sense), not when my foot hits the ground.

I kept running for awhile hoping (and praying) that the pain would subside but it just got worse. I decided to bag the run and go home.

So, the plan is to lay off running for a week. I'll swim and bike (thank God!) but forego any running. I'll ice my hip everyday and keep taking Celebrex.

Not to worry...it could be much worse. I'll walk the IM marathon if I have to. At least I will probably have a good swim and bike! Hopefully by then it will be better and I'll be able to run most of the way. We'll see.

Tomorrow our plan calls for a 2-3 hr ride and I decided that this would be a good time to go to church. Katerina has a girlfriend over to spend the night tonight who goes to our church and I can take all 3 kids to church tomorrow. They just started a new Sunday school program and it would be nice for them to go to that. So, I'm going to ride earlier than our pre-planned ride at 8:00 and ride from my house. I doubt if Sarah and Brenda will want to go earlier (esp as cold as it is today!) and to change locations so I'll just go alone. Or maybe Colleen can go with me. Either way, 2 hrs is not bad to ride by yourself.

Ok, chin up and keep on truckin!

Gotta Keep on Truckin'

2010-09-15T14:58:00.000-06:00

That's my motto these days.

I've had a number of aches and pains lately (both mentally and physically) but at this point, I just gotta keep on truckin'. I can almost see the finish line at this point and I'm going for broke.

Today my hip pain is back with a vengeance - it hasn't hurt this bad in months. I swam and ran this morning (about 2000 yards at Master's and then a 6 mile run). Somewhere along the way I must have aggravated that muscle again because it hurts so bad I can hardly walk. I'm icing it as we speak. I guess the good news is that my heel didn't hurt so we're back to the hip thing again.

But.... I gotta keep on truckin'.

I've been wrestling with some personal issues lately, as we all do from time to time. But it's nothing I can't handle and with my re-newed focus on the finishing this Ironman, I'm feeling pretty good. The journey has been different than I expected but that's the way it goes.

Tomorrow I'm doing Spinervals and I need to get up early and get them done before the kids get up, or at least have most of it done by the time they get up. I like Spinervals - they're an extremely hard workout and I always sweat a ton when I do them.

Then Friday is a long swim, Sat is "only" a 10 mile run, and Sunday is "only" a 2-3 hr bike ride - woo hoo! I get a little overwhelmed when I think about the training ahead of me in October - the really high mileage weeks - so for now, I'll enjoy this recovery week and just keep on truckin....

Big Miles

2010-09-14T07:12:00.001-06:00

This is going to sound strange but we're into the big miles now and I didn't even realize it until I sat down to write this entry. Last weekend, I ran 14 miles on Saturday and rode 81 miles on Sunday....almost without a blink of an eye.

The big surprise for me, though, was how well the run went. I've been struggling so long with my running and for the first time, I could go the distance without too much trouble. I went very slow and was not able to keep up with the group (except for Marshall, who I ended up running with), but two good things happened: I didn't really care AND I felt fine. YAY!

We all started as a group but after dropping a gu packet and going back to get it, I fell behind. Then I had to dash into some bushes to you-know-what and fell even further behind. Everyone but Marshall kept going so we just ran together the rest of the way. That was fine because I'm not sure I could keep up with them anyway!

But there was something very different about this run. Usually at around mile 8 or so, I start getting the "I can't make it" feeling. Mile 8 came and went and I was happily chatting with Marshall about kids and sports and to be honest, didn't even notice that we passed mile 8. Then mile 10 came and then mile 12...lo and behold, I wanted to keep going!

We ran to Jo Jo where Marshall needed to stop to watch Allie do a time trial. My kids were playing soccer at 9:00 at Monfort and originally I was going to run back to WOW, get the truck and drive to my mom's who lives down the street from WOW, shower, and drive to Monfort to watch the games (long story on why that was the plan).

But it was 8:40 when we reached Jo Jo so I had to make a decision....I decided to just run to Monfort and watch the games before showering. The problem with doing that is that I'm super sweaty and I hate sitting/standing for an hour in sweaty clothes but more importantly, I need to re-fuel for my big ride the next day and I wouldn't have any food or drink to do that.

So I stood in the street for a few mins to decide what to do....go back, shower, eat/drink, drive to game and be late....or run to Monfort, be sweaty, thirsty, and hungry but watch both kids' games from start to finish. The kids won out and off to Monfort I went.

(Funny side note - I was so tired that I accidentally ran down the wrong street while trying to take a shortcut and ended up having to backtrack to the main street that leads to Monfort. I've lived in Greeley 22 years and know my way around...oops!)

But Sunday was the bright spot of the weekend. I had the best ride of my life. I rode with Sarah, Brenda, and Todd. We rode 81 miles on a new route that Todd took us on and I felt fantastic. I have never felt stronger in my life. We started at our usual pace and I felt good but didn't feel particularly strong at that point but it got better as the ride went on, to the point where I was hammering the hills at the end.

I honestly don't know where the energy came from. I felt like I couldn't slow down. I passed Sarah and Brenda a few times, hoping they would stay on my wheel and then we could take turns drafting on each other but either they slowed down or I sped up because before long, I was way ahead. I felt a little bad about it but since Todd was way ahead of us as well, I decided to just ride up with him and then wait for them.

One thing I will point out is that I would never leave one person behind. That is one rule of group cycling that I learned a long time ago. Its ok for one person to go ahead of two people but two people shouldn't leave one person behind, unless that one person said to go ahead. So I went on knowing that they were together.

I also knew that they were wanting to stay in zone two, which is a lower intensity, and that they were going to run after the ride, so they didn't want to push too hard. That is very smart if you are wanting to run afterwards (plus, Sarah was having an off-day and her legs were tired - I've been there many times!). But I was not planning on running after the ride (per advice from Wendy and Kurt) so I was free to push as hard as I wanted. And I did!

So, all in all it was a superb weekend and I'm amazed that I ran and rode a total of 95 miles. I really believe that nutrition played a big role in how well I felt on both days and I will write more about that soon (in case anyone ever reads this blog and wants to know more!).

Another Epic Ride

2010-09-05T20:46:00.000-06:00

What a day. We rode 75 miles and most of it was in temps above 90 degrees. Rode to Carter Lake and back and had a major headwind for part of it. The good news is that we also had a tailwind on the way home so we flew for a good long way. But the heat was intense!

Then, we ran 2 miles when we got off our bikes. We were all dead and VERY thirsty. I rode well today but the run was brutal. I could hardly finish.

Have more to say about yesterday and today but I'm leaving town for 4 days - will write more later. Hope to get in a good ride and run while I'm gone!

Back in the Game

2010-09-05T20:42:00.000-06:00

Today I ran 13 miles, which is only the 2nd time I've run that far since the Ironman. It felt great to be running that far again and the best news is that my heel didn't hurt AT ALL!

I've been doing long runs on weekends for 24 years now (wow, even I can't believe that!). I ran my first marathon in 1987 and I've been doing long runs on the weekends ever since.

I've run through every type of weather - extreme heat and extreme cold. I've run in happy times and sad times, down country roads and along busy highways. And over the years, I managed to finish 12 marathons.

So today was like a trip down memory lane - running long with my friends. The only difference was - I was much slower! I've really lost a lot of my speed over the years but my friends haven't. But it was ok - I was just glad to be running long again.

I have more to say ....to be continued!

Major Milestone

2010-09-01T16:37:00.001-06:00

Today I did something I've never done before: I completed the entire Master's swim workout. Yep, 3000 yards! To most triathletes, that's nothing. To me, that's HUGE.

I've always had to stop the workout early for two reasons: one, I had to be home by 7:15 to get my kids ready for school (last year), and two, I physically could not do the entire workout.

So, today I just kept plugging away and hadn't even thought about doing the whole workout. I did the main set and felt fine so I thought I'll do the smaller stuff at the end of the workout. Did that and got out. There was still a 200 warm down but I thought I'd done enough but as I was toweling off, I asked Richard how many yards the whole workout had in it, and he said "well, if you do the warm down, it's 3000".

I swirled around and said "what???" He calmly said "3000". Last year, I did 1500 at the most and that's what i did all summer too. I had always admired people who could swim that much and didn't really think it was in my grasp so I just settled with my piddly little 1500 yards.

I threw off my towel, dove back in, and swam the 200 yards. I couldn't leave with that elusive goal within my reach! And I just wanted to say that those magic words "I swam 3000 yards"!

It's kind of like running your first half-marathon or marathon. I feel like I accomplished something and although 3000 yards is nothing for many triathletes, it's a big deal to me and I'm super pumped about it (can you tell!).

I was on such a high when I left that I went home and ran 40 mins on pure adrenaline! I ran on the grass over at UNC and felt great. I really do feel like I've achieved a higher fitness level lately. I really hope it pays off at the IM too!

Yesterday I biked 30-some miles on my own. Had a nice time. Rode out to Windsor, Crossroads Blvd, and back. Tomorrow I'm doing Spinervals. Friday is a lake swim and the weekend is the usual run on Sat, bike on Sun.

Life is good!

Nice Recovery Weekend

2010-08-29T21:50:00.001-06:00

Well, it wasn't exactly a recovery weekend but close.

Saturday I woke up really worried about my knee. I had felt twinges of pain the night before and I needed a long run on Sat. So, I drove to Jo Jo and gingerly set off on a 90 min run (with heel tightly wrapped and orthotics in shoes). I ran very, very slowly at first holding my breath to see if my knee hurt. Please, please don't hurt - I really, really want to run!

I ended up finishing the 90 mins without a lot of pain. There was a little pain - in both heel and knee - but it seemed to go away after awhile. I was finally able to relax and settle into a comfortable pace.

I ran by myself because most of my training group was in Steamboat for the Steamboat Tri and Dan was doing something else. I didn't mind - I really enjoy long runs by myself. I like to wear my Ipod and just let my mind go. I can go at my own pace and stop when I need to. I wouldn't want to run alone every weekend but once in awhile is very therapeautic.

On Sunday, I met my friend Scott at the Boulder Reservoir and we rode to Carter Lake and back - about 65 miles. I was supposed to only do about 40 but didn't want to pass up this opportunity. The countryside outside of Boulder is just spectacular - green grass, blue skies, mountains in the background - love it!

Both Scott and I were feeling tired today so we kept the pace fairly moderate. We chatted most of the way and had a nice time. The climb up to Carter Lake was tough - harder than when I did it in May (Community Classic) and we had a stiff head wind when we turned around. There were white caps on the lake.

We saw so many cylists today! There was a ride going on called Venus de Miles, which I found out later was an all-woman ride. I read tonight that there were 1800 women of all levels in this ride! But we saw lots of other cyclists too.

Compared to last weekend, when I ran 12 miles and biked 75, this was a recovery weekend but I didn't exactly follow the training plan. Oh well, I'm just glad I was able to run and that I got in some easy miles on the bike.

Tomorrow I swim at Master's...and the beat goes on....

Easy Week With One Scare

2010-08-27T20:57:00.000-06:00

Summing up the week, after Monday's swim (see below):

Tuesday (this is where the scare comes in):
I was supposed to ride this day but I really wanted to run so decided to switch workout days with Weds. Went over to UNC playing fields and ran on the grass for almost an hour (boring, I know, but I want to play it safe) and felt really good. Was happy with how much energy I had. But, in the middle of the run I suddenly experienced a sharp pain in my right knee - something I've never felt before. It hurt so bad I had to stop running. I walked a bit, trying not to panic, and then tried jogging slow but no go, the pain was really bad.

So I walked home (with a few attempts at running) feeling pretty discouraged. What is going on - why all of these injuries? I decided to take the "wait and see" approach and to not worry too much.

I told Kurt about it and he said "well, it's not surprising considering how you have ramped up your training lately". He also thought it was due to biking, not running, although it has never hurt while I bike. So tomorrow's workout would be the true test as I was planning on doing a brick.

Wednesday
Did Master's swim and felt really good. Not sure how many yards we did...warmup of 200 free, 200 kick, 200 pull. Main set (to be done twice): 2 150's, 4 75's, 6 50's (I think), then a slow 200, then something else, I can't remember. I did most of it and felt really good. I'm still liking Master's a lot and feel like I'm getting stronger.

Came home, ate breakfast, got kids going on schooling stuff (we're homeschooling now) and did a quick Spinerval workout. Only had time to do 30 mins (40 mins with w/u and cool down). Not bad but I felt like I could've done more.

Thursday
OK, now for the test: I did a brick workout and I wanted to see if my knee would hurt again. I rode to Kersey and back, then ran for 40 mins on the UNC playing field (grass). No knee pain but my knees felt sore and they hadn't been feeling that way in a long time. I had the feeling like I shouldn't go any faster or farther.

A few words about the ride: I started way too late and I realized that that is the kiss of death for a good ride. I felt rushed and just didn't enjoy it. Got to Kersey and just didn't want to ride anymore. First time i've every had an icky ride! But I am glad I did it so there was some value to it! I also felt like I could've rode much further but because I started too late, I couldn't.

Friday
Had a great night sleep, which really starts the day off well. Kurt didn't have time to go to the lake so I went alone. I decided that I could swim by myself and that I would be safe with a wetsuit but fortunately, when I got there, Tom M and Richard H were there. Richard was leaving but Tom stayed and swam with me. We did the perimeter and he helped me with my stroke. I can I'm getting better because I was not tired after swimming the perimeter, which we estimate is a mile. If I had time, I could've swam another perimeter - never thought I'd say that!

Tomorrow I'm going to run and I'm curious if my knee will hurt or not. Please, please, please oh Goddess of Injuries, heal thy knees, heels, and hips! I want to run so bad. I'm planning on running at Jo Jo and hopefully going about 10 miles.

This weekend is the Steamboat Triathlon. I signed up for it but ended up deferring to next year because my mom can't go with me to help out with the kids. She had hip surgery so she can't go. Kurt is working so he's out of the picture. The only way I could've doen it would have been to get the kids up at 4:30 and drive to the race start with me but I just couldn't do that. So, when I found out that the race director would defer my entry, I decided to do that.

Plus, the only place I could stay was in a house 20 miles away (owned by my neighbor who offered to let me use it). Everyone else was staying town. It was no one's fault that it worked out that way but I just didn't want to feel like the odd man out again. I'd much rather go without kids and stay with the group but logistically, it wouldn't work. So, I'll go next year.

So, running long tomorrow and riding with Scott Sunday morning in Boulder. Really looking forward to that! More soon.

Monday Madness at Master's Swim

2010-08-23T22:07:00.000-06:00

Made it to Master's Swim today and glad I did. Right now it's just a "mini-session" so the workouts are supposedly not as hard but they're hard enough for me. And I learned some new stuff today.

After the usual warmup, of which I did only half since I was running late (200 freestyle with 2 50's choice), we did a main set with about 1200 yards:

25, 50, 75, 100, 200, 300, 200, 100, 75, 50, 25; each with 20 - 40 seconds rest in between. That's the hard part - not being able to rest. We did the first 3 or 4 bouts very, very fast. It was good practice for swimming while being hypoxic because i couldn't breathe fast enough to catch on the shorter ones. And I was swimming next to Al which was totally intimidating! But amazingly, he wasn't that much faster than me on the 25's and 50's. He zoomed ahead on the 100 and 200.

But the cool thing is that I got some great advice from Al. Everyone knows Al in Master's Swim because he is so fast. He doesn't usually say that much to me but today he reached over the lane thingy and grabbed my arm. He said "you need to do this" and he demonstrated what I need to do with my arm. It was totally different than what I've been doing. But it also made sense.

The workout was over and I had to leave but just had to write this down...really looking forward to trying what Al suggested. I'm too tired to write more so will sign off for now. More soon

My New Favorite Route: Kevin's Ride

2010-08-22T13:39:00.000-06:00

Wow, what a ride today! And what a turn-around from yesterday.

We did "Kevin's Ride" - a route that Kevin did when he trained for IM Wisconsin. From his house, it's about 56 miles, give or take a few, and he would ride it twice sometimes.

I actually started from my house and rode to Sarah's, which is about 4-5 miles from here. We then did Kevin's route, which took us to Johnstown (just east of) and then south on a fabulous country road that had almost zero traffic on it and spectacular views of the front range.

We then headed west to Berthoud, then back north, then east to I-25, then north on the frontage road (we missed it and tacked on an extra 4-5 miles getting back to it)... then Marshall headed back on highway 34 while Kevin, Sarah, Brenda, and I headed north on Crossroads Blvd. Kevin split off at the roundabout and S, B, and me went of to just about Kodak, where I went on ahead.

This route is really nice. We had hardly any traffic and great views the whole way. We pretty slow in the beginning and I found myself wanting to go faster. But I just hung with the group until we hit the chip seal road heading east to I-25. For some reason, I felt really good and decided to speed up. I thought they would catch me but if not, I'd wait for them at the next stop. It was that way the rest of the ride - I kept going on ahead because I was feeling really good. I felt a little funny passing everyone after we had stopped and started but I was feeling so much energy that I decided to go with it. That doesn't happen often.

All told, I think we rode around 65 -70 miles. Maybe more. I'm just happy about how good i felt. I wish my running was going that well but hey, I'll take it! Now it's time for a nap...

Next time, I will write more about nutrition...I think that played a big role today for me. TTFN

First Week of IM Training

2010-08-21T15:36:00.000-06:00

The first official week of my Ironman training is almost over but I decided to summarize it today since I have some time. You see, I'm icing my heel and there's not a lot you can do while you ice your heel! I'm bored with Facebook so might as well catch up on my blog.

It was a good week, with lots of mental and physical challenges. Here's a rough summary, starting with last Saturday:

Saturday, Aug. 14th
Ran 9.4 miles with Dan, Brenda, and Marshall. We found Kevin at Jo Jo and ran with him for a short while too. It was great running with these guys as I had not run with them in a long time, esp Dan and Brenda. It was the first long run since the Boulder 70.3 race and at first I felt ok but my muscle strength seemed to deteriorate in the last few miles. The old familiar knife-in-the-quads pain settled in about mile 8 and I knew I wouldn't be able to go past WOW where our cars were parked. It was one of those runs where you know you need to stop ASAP. I managed to make it the car but knew I was done for the day. Brenda wanted to do the full 10 miles so she ran some more (you go girl!).

I drove home and hobbled inside. I had a 4 hr ride to do the next day so I needed to start carbing up quickly. But the plantar fascitis decided to pay me a visit, making walking very difficult. My mother was in the hospital post hip surgery and I needed to mow the lawn, clean the house, get laundry done, and go see her - yousa. By the time we got to the hospital, I could hardly walk - seriously. My feet hurt all over but my heel was in some serious pain. Not good.

I emailed my friend Scott Taylor - podiatrist - who reassured me that you can train with PF (unless it's advanced, like Todd's is). He said that taping really helps and that he would tape my foot after our ride on Sunday (the next day). So, I ice'd it, took Celebrex and went to bed.

Sunday, August 15th
Wow, what a day! The plan was to ride for 4 hrs and we had a big group. Brenda, me, Kevin, Geoff, Scott, Marshall, and surprisingly, Jenny! She's training for Steamboat and she is new to cycling so she came along. She, Marshall, and Kevin were planning to ride only 1.4 hrs and the rest of us 4 hrs.

We headed out to Windsor and here's a pic at the top of one of our favorite hills:

Jenny, Marshall, and Kevin headed back not long after this was taken and Geoff, Scott, Brenda, and I kept going.

At first, we rode kind of slow and easy. We hit McDonald's for a pit-stop and then headed north on the Wild on Windsor bike course, then east to CR 33. We turned north there and went to Pierce. At first we were going to turn around and head back but we decided to try the road that goes east to Pawnee Buttes.

By then, I knew we were going to end up with more than 4 hrs of riding. I was feeling surprisingly good and as the pace picked up, I was able to keep up (which surprised me...but I did have my racing wheels on too!).

Scott Taylor is a former CAT II racer so he's very fast. He and I were chatting but I noticed that we were going faster and faster, to the point where I had to stop talking and focus on breathing. I'm not sure of our speed but I'm thinking we might have gotten up to 22 mph! We flew home and I was exhausted. Brenda cheerfully called out that we hit 70 miles in the parking lot - woo hoo!

I was psyched after that ride. To ride 70 miles this early in the IM training season and to do it relatively easily was just what my psyche needed. Yay!

I also decided on this ride that I need to tweak my training plan to reduce the running and beef up the cycling, since my heel hurt so bad after the run the day before. But it's funny how things change because Scott taped my heel when we got back to the parking lot and what ended up happening this week is that my heel feels much better. Such a rollar coaster it's been!

He also talked to me about "mid-foot running" and that I should try landing mid-foot instead of on my heels. I decided to try it and do the following to treat my heel: icing, medicating with Celebrex, taping, stretching, running only on soft surfaces (and this time sticking to it!), and running mid-foot. That was the plan for the week.

Monday, Aug. 16th
Master's swim mini-session started and I was really glad. As much I like swimming in the lake, getting down to the Rec Center is much easier than getting to the lake. Kurt and I went together (which is really nice!) and had a great workout. We shared a lane and ended up racing against each other. I'm proud to say that I actually beat him on a half of the eight 150's we had to do! We're pretty much the same speed now and that's pretty cool for me since a few years ago I couldn't even dream of keeping up with him.

I didn't have to rush home to get the kids to school since we're homeschooling now. Yay! We stayed and did most of the workout and got in 2000 yards. The only reason we had to leave was because Kurt had to get to work. I felt energized and ready to start the day.

Tuesday, Aug. 17th
OK, this was to be my first time running with my foot taped AND with new shoes. I was cautiously optimistic that it would work well. Kurt was riding his mountain bike out to Jo Jo and I decided to ride with him and then run at Jo Jo. I rode my old commuter bike (not my new one, which is what I should have rode!). OMG, can I tell you how uncomfortable that bike is??? Ugh!

We got out to Jo Jo and slowly I ran around it a few times, testing out the new running form, running with taped foot, etc. No pain...none...zippo! But I knew the real test would be later at home so after running 50 minutes, I hopped on my clunky old bike and rode home. I was so happy at that point that I didn't even notice how bad the bike seat felt!

Ice'd the heel and as the day wore on, I noticed that there was no pain. Wow, taping can make that much of a difference - cool!

Wednesday, August 18th
Normally I ride long on Wednesdays but for a lot of reasons, I didn't have time this Weds. I had Master's swim in the morning and then by the time I got home, I needed to do something quicker. Spinervals! I ate breakfast, cleaned the kitchen, picked up the house (usual morning stuff), played with the kids and by the time I got my bike set up, I had lost "the urge". I did NOT want to get on that bike. But my body went through the motions and I got on there. I ended up having one of the best Spinervals sessions ever! Rode hard for 50 minutes. It was like track used to be - dreaded it beforehand, with NO energy or desire to do it, then having a great workout. Just goes to show that sometimes you just gotta hang in there to get good results (and realize that motivation levels can change in the middle of a workout).

Thursday, August 19th
Ok, another attempt at running to see if I can do it without pain. I spent the night at my mom's house (her first night home post-surgery) and since she lives close to Jo Jo, I drove over there and ran 45 mins there. No problems, no pain. This taping thing is really working!

Friday, August 20th
Kurt and I went to the lake and did a nice, easy 45 min swim around the perimeter (inner circle). Kurt had to be at work by 8:00 and we got a late start so only had time to do 45 mins. But the cool thing is that when I got out, I felt like I could easily swim more. I decided that I want to go back this next week and try swimming around the perimeter twice. I'd just like to see if i can do it.

Saturday, August 21st (today)
Today was the Pelican Lakes Ranch Kids Triathlon and like last year, I did my long run before it started. Brenda was volunteering again this year so she picked me up and we drove to the race site and ran from there. Had a great run! Fortunately, we found some dirt roads that had zero traffic on them (really, no cars at all) and ran 12 miles. Yes! I was ready to stop at 10.3 when we went past the race venue but decided to push on to finisht the 12. Aside from my feet just hurting all over, I feel pretty good. I could not have run one step further, but I was able to crank out the 12 miles. Plus, I really enjoyed running with Brenda. She's such a nice person and great training partner.

Tomorrow we have a 4.5 hr ride with 30 min run afterwards. Hope I can make it! More on that tomorrow.

Recovery Mode

2010-08-12T06:59:00.000-06:00

People often ask me how I can do long distance triathlons "at my age" (and these are usually people who don't know anything about endurance training). After holding myself back from wacking them on the head, I usually mumble something about rest, recovery, and good nutrition.

The truth is, I can still do the same things I did in my 30's, I just go slower and I definitely take longer to recover. Take this week, for instance. I did a hard half-Ironman on Sunday and did fairly well "for my age" but I was wiped out for two full days. Seriously wiped out. In fact, I felt worse than I did after the full Ironman last November.

I was very sore, sleepy, and lethargic for two full days. On Weds, I finally felt somewhat back to my old self. Most of it was catching up on sleep. We had to get up at 3:00 AM on Sunday to get to Boulder in time and I have never been so sleepy in my life as I was on Mon and Tues. That really got to me.

But yesterday I was feeling perky again and ran 30 mins in the morning and swam 40 mins in the evening. I could've run more but I had to get my mother to the hospital for hip surgery.

I really enjoyed the swim. I swam at Centennial pool at 5:00 PM and since it was really hot yesterday, the water temp was perfect. There was only one other guy there swimming so it was quiet and serene. I love swimming my own pace, on my own time. I wouldn't want to do that all the time because I would never improve but to do that once a week is just wonderful.

For some reason, I was also feeling a little melancholy. Most of the people I train with were heading to track while I was swimming alone. Part of me felt fine about that and part of me felt lonely. Its something I struggle with all the time.

I do a lot of solo training and there are pros and cons to doing that. The pros are obvious: you go when you want to and you don't have to work around someone else's schedule. You also get to listen to music and just "veg out" instead of carrying a conversation, which I enjoy very much. But it's also lonely and sometimes I think I quit sooner than I would have if someone else was there. I'm a social creature by nature and I do enjoy having someone to go with, esp during long rides.

Today, Kurt and I are going out for a short, easy ride. We don't get to go together very often so this is a real treat. Looking forward to the company!

Boulder Ironman 70.3

2010-08-11T15:10:00.000-06:00

Yay, it's done! Not the full Ironman of course, but a brutally hot half-Ironman. Its the third time I've done this race and I do wonder why on earth I chose to get up at 3:00 AM (really) to propel my body over 70.3 miles, esp when the last 13 miles are in 90 degree heat.

But I'm happy to report that I'm satisfied with my performance. Anyone who knows me will agree that I don't say that very often. But I really am.

So, for anyone interested, here's my race report:

The swim (1.2 miles in Boulder Reservoir)
The race started at 6:30 and my wave was supposed to start at 6:40. But because the first wave was delayed, I think we actually started closer to 6:45. No biggee, I was just glad to be in one of the first waves for once. Last year, I was in the last one and the year before, the 2nd to last.

Both Brenda and I were in the same wave because we're both in our 40's (she's 44 and I'm 49). This was Brenda's first half and she was pretty nervous about it (understandably so - I was that way too when I did my first half-IM).

The gun went off and off we went. It was very congested in the beginning, more than I expected. It took several minutes before I was able to actually swim. It reminded me of the Ironman when you see (and feel) arms and legs thrashing all around you. I was amazingly calm and just waited until I could stretch out and actually swim.

When I finally did start swimming, I felt great. The water was warm (I wore my sleeveless wetsuit) and the cones were on my right, which worked well since I turn to the right. I sighted often and stayed on track for the most part. I felt fine the whole way, never felt tired at all. To think that just 2 yrs ago I was having panic attacks in this same lake, at this same race. Wow, I've come a long way when it comes to swimming.

Total swim time was 38-something, five minutes faster than last year! Yay!

T1
I ran to get my bike but needed to make a pitt-stop in the port-a-pots. I almost didn't, thinking I could stop on the bike, but decided it would be better to go now than have to stop. Even though my T1 time ended up being super long (some 8 mins), I still think that was the right decision. I do need to speed things up, however, because this ended up putting me over the 6 hr mark - dang! I didn't need to put on bike gloves and probably shouldn't have chatted with the gal next to me either - all things that add up.

Bike
There was good and bad to the bike portion of the race. The good: I love my bike! It was the first time I rode with racing wheels and it went well. I kept a good steady pace and was able to finish under 3 hrs, which was my goal. The bad: I found myself still very scared of the fast descents. I braked on sections that I wouldn't normally brake on, which really slowed me down. Lots of people passed me in those sections. I went very conservatively on the first loop and then sped up on the 2nd loop. The whole time i felt like I could go faster, which in a way is good. Its not like I went all out and that was my time. I know I can go faster with a little more training and getting used to going fast again. I was also thrilled that nothing happened - nothing came off, no flats, no crashes - yay!

T2
My 2nd transition was not as slow as the first but still way too long. I needed to make another pitt-stop and due to female-related issues I was having that day, it took longer than normal. But can't really do anything about that! I took off my singlet and opened a bottle of Boost too, which took a little time. I'm not really too worried about these longs transition times because they are all things that I can easily change.

Run
Now for the hard part. At least that was what I was thinking. I had fully prepared myself for a crappy run because I hadn't run over 10 miles in many, many months. I've been battling plantar fasciatus in my left heel and a weird, painful injury in my left hip for months so had really cut back on the running. But I was able to take off jogging rather easily and I ran the entire way. I made one really quick pitt-stop about mile 9 (and wished that I hadn't because I didn't really have to go) but other than that, I ran the whole way and I'm very happy about that. REALLY happy about that. Running is so near and dear to my heart that to run like that on such a hot day, after riding 56 miles, was like being handed a gift (thank you, God!). It was a very slow run - 2:16 - but considering how little I had been running and the heat, etc, I'll take it!

I really think my running experience got me through it. There were several times I wanted to stop and people were dropping like flies all around me, but I kept going. Call it muscle memory or total denial but whatever it was, I am glad I kept going.

Now if I can only do that in the full Ironman!

Sarah and Brenda did really well - both well under 6 hrs - and Marshall did "as well as his fitness level would let him". Jim finished 3rd in his age group and Jade said he did ok (not great but not bad either). All in all, a good day for the Greeley Triathlon Club!

Taper Week

2010-08-03T21:04:00.000-06:00

Kurt and I went to the lake early Monday morning on a whim. I normally swim on Monday afternoons at 4:30 but the forecast was calling for thunderstorms so we decided to go early (and for once Kurt could go on a Mon morning - very rare!).

This was the view from the dock - the water looked like glass. Kurt checked the temp and it was 77 degrees!

Then, of course, he needed to do one of his famous cannonballs into the lake, which pretty much destroyed the tranquility I was enjoying. Men!

We swam in sync around the perimeter of the island. Like biking in the AM, it's very quiet and serene swimming at the time of day too. All you can hear is the swish of the water - very relaxing.

I'm finding that I can swim farther and farther without feeling fatigued. I'm not getting much faster (well, maybe a little bit) but my endurance is much higher and I seem to be able to keep going easier than before. This makes me very happy!

When I think about where I was a few years ago with my swimming and where I am now, I am really happy that I stuck with it. I can really relate to people who come into triathlon afraid of open water swimming. More on that later.

And I have more good news: I ran 50 mins this morning with NO heel or hip pain! I know neither hip nor heel are completely healed (they both hurt last week) but for some weird reason, they didn't hurt today. I ran very slowly and maybe that's why but I'd rather run slow than not run at all.

I also swam today. I usually go on Weds at Centennial by myself but decided to go during Master's swim. I didn't have the AC on and it was really hot in my office at home so the pool sounded good. Didn't really talk to anyone, just swam. I think I did around 10 laps and felt like I had hardly swam at all which is good - didn't push it since it's a taper week. Not sure why but I left early - just not feeling like I fit in this group anymore.

I've been going through some tough times lately. Thankfully, I have a wonderful spouse and good friends who are very supportive. Training also seems to help - its one reason i love endurance sports. A good long run or ride can do wonders for the psyche and although they won't solve the problem, they sure can help me feel better about myself and that's half the battle.

TTFN - more soon!

Dry Spell

2010-08-01T12:27:00.001-06:00

I've been MIA for over a week and need to catch up....will start with today.

With the Ironman Boulder 70.3 coming up next Sunday, we did a shorter ride today: 2.5 hrs. We rode to Pierce and back (from Sarah's house), which I believe is 40 miles. Its nice to be at the point where a 40 mile ride is considered an "easy ride"!

At left, there is Kevin, Geoff, Sarah, and Todd. We had a nice time.

Yesterday, I ran 10 miles with Lynne and it was a very hard run. I just didn't have much steam and Lynne is a fairly fast runner so I ran out of gas around mile 6 (unusual for me). I had to reach deep to finish but i did.

Sarah and a group of others ran at 6:00. I really wanted to run with that group but it's just too hard to get there by 6:00. I would have to get up at 4:30 to eat (just a little) and drink coffee and drive to WOW. When I'm not in a hurry, I just don't want to get up that early. I was hoping Sarah would change it to 6:30 as I would've done that, but she wouldn't budge (her in-laws were in town and she had things to do). I understand that but I do hope there can be some compromise in the future!

Fortunately, I had Lynne to run with. Lynne is on the other extreme: she likes to go as late as possible, or should I say it this way, she likes to sleep as long as possible! She wanted to run at 8:00 which is much later than I would normally want to go but given the choice of getting up at 4:30 or running in warmer temps, I chose the latter.

Ideally, I'd like to run at 6:30, 7:00, or maybe even 7:30. But 6:00 is just too hard to do. And one of the reasons is because I am notorious for having to stop and pee and the earlier I run (closer to coffee time), the more I will have to stop and I hate having to do that so much.

And maybe we'll just have two groups or maybe I'll end up running by myself. I don't mind running alone but I'd prefer to run with at least one other person on long runs. We'll see. I know Dan has to go early too so it may be hard for me to find people to run with.

Back to workouts, in the last few weeks I've done the usual routine: swim at the lake on Monday (I swam the entire perimeter by myself last Monday), swim at Centennial on Weds, and swim at one of the two places on Friday; run Tues/Thurs, and bike Weds and Sunday.

Last week's bike ride was great. I rode with Colleen and Todd again. I ended up doing about 45 miles and they cut back early so they did a little less (so they could get to work). They go so fast! I have a hard time keeping up with them, esp Todd. Colleen hung back with me but only because she had to teach a spinning class later in the day. Whew!

I love riding on Weds mornings. The air is cool and fresh and the country scenery is peaceful. I just love it. I wish I could ride in the morning more often. More on that later.

Here's Todd, Colleen, and I last Weds:

After riding 45 miles, I swam a mile at Centennial! I did 16 laps and was really happy about that. I was not able to do that last year.

Running wise, I've been doing the short 4-6 milers on Tues/Thurs but still having minor heel pain and significant hip pain. The hip is the worst. I'm very worried about it. It hurt during the run yesterday. I'm just afraid to run on it too much. I feel like I'm so far behind in my running and I get pretty discouraged sometimes. Dan, Kevin, and Colleen have been very supportive and I appriate that very much.

All in all, a good two weeks. I'm feeling more fit and ready to tackle the official Ironman training plan that starts after Boulder. Wish me luck!

For Better or For Worse...

2010-07-21T11:38:00.000-06:00

Well, this is a first. A BIG first. I rode with my husband this morning and well......he couldn't keep up with me!

I never thought I'd be writing that sentence!

But I need to mention a few things. First, he is recovering from an Exterra triathlon that he did last weekend. Xterra races include mountain biking and trail running. This race in particular was held in Beaver Creek (9000 feet) and it was a very difficult course.

Ok, so he was tired. And his shoulder hurt. And he didn't have aerobars like I do. And, it was the first time he was on a road bike all summer. But I still beat him (and it made me very happy - can you tell?).

I have been looking at my husband's back for the last 17 years whenever we ride or run together. He is a very fast runner (34 min Bolder Boulder 10K and 2:46 marathon - need I say more???) and a fairly fast cyclist. But not this summer! Ha! I'm on a major cycling roll and I want to milk it for all it's worth!

We started the ride with Colleen and Todd, the same two people I rode with last Weds - both very fast cyclists. So I thought I was in for the ride of my life and was quickly surprised when Kurt dropped back from the very start. I kept turning around and wondering what was going on.

So I had to make a decision. I was feeling great and chompin' at the bit to get going but Kurt wouldn't be able to keep up. Do I ride on with Colleen and Todd so I get a good workout in? Or do I be a good wife and hang back with my dear husband? I chose the latter.

We had a nice ride together. The sun was breaking through the clouds like it was last week and the view was fantastic. But I won't lie, it was hard. I wanted to go faster so bad! But when I thought of all the times he waited for me, I realized that I needed to do the same. That's what marriage is all about, right?

We got in 30 miles and that's pretty good. Colleen and Todd enjoyed their ride too. And well, there's always next week!

Ice Ice Baby

2010-07-20T10:01:00.000-06:00

As I'm icing my hip I thought I'd jot down a few thoughts...

Went for a lovely noon time swim at Centennial yesterday. I normally swim at the lake on Mondays but Katerina had a softball game at 5:30 so I swam earlier. Although I missed swimming at the lake, I love swimming at Centennial at noon. Its usually hot then so getting in a pool feels really good. And there's usually only 1-3 other lap swimmers so I usually have a lane to myself. Plus, I love just swimming at my own pace on my own time.

I think I swam 1400 or 1500 yards, not a long swim but I focused a lot on my technique. My left arm still isn't doing the right stroke. I tell it to but it doesn't listen! Seriously, it's weird how your brain can tell a body part to do something but the body part has a mind of its own. Ok, that's weird, I know!

Today I ran for 62 minutes - woo hoo! I had planned to run at Sanborn Park (around the outside perimeter, on the grass) but I just couldn't do it. I get SO bored going around and around in a circle. I went around it once but since my heal wasn't hurting, I decided to take another chance on the roads (like I did last week).

I ran out to Lowe's via the dirt road the goes behind the Weslyan church. This route has a mix of asphalt, dirt, and concrete. I avoid concrete like the plague and found that I could do that pretty easily by running alongside the sidewalk in most places.

I also decided to push the pace. I want to run faster so the only way to do that is to, well, run faster! I threw in some long tempo runs and felt great! I was definitely tired at the end but was glad I did it.

Tomorrow I am biking and swimming. Then we head up to Snow Mountain Ranch for a few days, where I hope to maintain my training plan.

TTFN!

First Brick

2010-07-18T15:59:00.001-06:00

The Ironman training is rampin' up!

Sarah, Brenda, and I did a brick today (first one this year for me) and it went really well. Their training plan (from Wendy Mader) starts earlier than mine and it called for 3:30 bike and a 30 min run. I was a little nervous about it thinking that I might not be able to keep up with them but it turned out fine. They rode a slower pace than what I've been doing on Wednesday mornings (which is smart) so I felt fine on the bike. The run was another story!

More on that in a moment.

I have to mention how the day started. I had everything ready last night: bike, helmet, gloves, shoes, water bottles (2, filled with Powerbar Endurance drink), bike shorts and top, running shorts, running shoes, socks (for the run), gels, bars, cell phone charged, camera battery charged, etc. I put out my cereal bowl and had the coffee ready to go - all I had to do was hit the button.

I even got to bed on time!

The first thing that went wrong is the electricity went off in the middle of the night and set off our alarm. Great, just what I need, I thought. It was 4:10 AM and my alarm was supposed to go off at 4:50 AM. I finally drifted off to sleep and woke with a start at 5:10 - crap! My clock was off so the alarm didn't go off (duh!). Good thing I woke up!

I still have time but now I have to hurry. I slurp down a large bowl of cereal and drink my coffee quickly. I get dressed and get my bike in the back of the truck (Kurt has the van and he's out of town).

My plan was to leave at 6:00 so that I would be at Sarah's by 6:10'ish. But I have to hook up the battery to the truck (something we've had to do for years because there is an electrical shortage in the truck somewhere and no one has ever been able to find it). No problem, I can do that quickly.

Not!

I can't get the cable screwed in right. I try and try and no good. Crap, I'm going to have to take all my bike stuff and throw it in the car. But I decide to try it again and wa - la! I'm successful, but it's now 6:10. Darn, I'm late.

But the ride went well. As I said earlier, we went at a pretty slow pace but that's ok. I'm not sure I would've made the run if we hadn't. Still, I found myself wanting to go faster during the ride.

We rode from 6:30 - 10:00, with two potty breaks. We put the bikes in Sarah's garage and headed out on the run. It was very hot and very hard to run after riding 58 miles! But this is where things get weird for those of us who like endurance events - it actually felt good to hurt a little.

My goal on the run was simply to stay with S and B. They are running so fast now (and more often than me) that I honestly didn't know if I could. Sarah was chatted easily on the run, which shows what great shape she is in, and I was breathing heavily. But I was able to keep up and that thrilled me to death!

We made it back in 30 mins and I was about to collapse. But I was so glad that I did it. One brick down, a dozen to go!

Hot Fun in the Summertime

2010-07-17T17:34:00.000-06:00

Its supposed to be 101 degrees today so Jenny, Kevin, and I ran early (but not that early - it got hot!).

Jenny is nursing a sore butt muscle so we went really slow out to the stop sign and back. I added on an extra mile at the end because I was feeling good (but was sore later).

Sarah, Brenda, and Dan ran 12 miles today but I elected to not go with them. Just not ready for that distance yet. And it didn't even bother me!

Quick recap of the week: Monday I swam at the lake - did two loops around the island, felt great.

Tuesday I ran 5-6 miles and actually felt pretty good. Weds was a fabulous 58 mile ride (see previous post), Thurs was a tired-legs run that felt pretty good and Master's swim at 5:00. Friday I spun for 30 mins and then did a lovely swim at Centennial pool at 5:00 PM by myself.

Not a bad week at all!

Tomorrow I'm riding with Sarah and Brenda. We are going to try 3 hrs and then running 30 mins - in the heat! It will be extremely tough but I'll give it a shot.

Beautiful Ride

2010-07-17T17:20:00.000-06:00

This was a ride that I will never forget.

It was a typical Weds morning and the plan was to start riding at 6:00 AM. Colleen and Todd rode to my house and Brian was supposed to join us but he overslept (can't blame him!). Colleen and Todd both had to be back by 7:30 so we took off pretty fast.

We rode south to 37th street and then headed east to Kersey. Like Colleen, Todd is super fast and I knew I had my work cut out for me keeping up with them. But they know I'm not as fast as they are and I counted on them going my pace.

We rode at a fast clip all the way to Kersey. But I couldn't help noticing how pretty it was out at this time. The sun was shining through some clouds in the horizon creating a soft palette of colors in the sky. The air was cool and the corn swayed gently in the wind. Perfect riding conditions!

We got to Kersey and turned south. Colleen and Todd were plenty warmed up at this point and really pushed the pace. Todd tried to get me to hang with him as we went up a long hill but I couldn't. Colleen and rode side by side and she gave me some advice on doing sprints on the bike. I tried a few and just about died!

We rode south for 5.5 miles and then turned back toward the west. The mountains were purple (really!) and the sky still had that soft hue of a summer sunrise. Just gorgeous.

We rode west and then turned north again. I was working very hard to keep up with them. Colleen is a painter and she had done some exterior painting on a house that we rode by so we stopped to look at it -it was pretty cool -she had painted french garage doors on the side of a barn or something like that. Very interesting.

It was 7:20 at that point and they had a ways to go. I told them to go on and that I was going to add some miles on since I had more time than they had. For a brief moment after they left I felt a pang of regret, then told myself to get going. And I did.

I rode south to 37th street (the street we started on), where they had ridden too, and had to make a decision. Do I turn left and go home or do I turn right and ride further. I turned right.

I rode along this country road enjoying the scenery. Its a nice road because there's not much traffic and it curves around in the beginning. I kept thinking that I should turn back and go home but for some reason i kept going.

I ended up going to Kersey again. Again I told myself to just turn around and go home but didn't...I turned right and headed south again, on the same route we took earlier. I didn't think it was that far but it was!

I finally got home at 9:05! Three hours of almost non-stop riding. Wow, I had never planned on riding that far. I was proud of myself for not turning back and for pushing on...and for enjoying the ride!

I was so curious how far I had ridden that I drove the course later in my car. 58 miles! I was shocked. I had no intention of riding that far, as I said, so it was kinda cool.

There's something immensely satisfying about reaching a milestone, esp when you do it alone, and I felt like I had hit a milestone in my training on this ride. I was able to ride 58 miles without batting an eye.

I'm starting to think I might meet my goal for the Ironman (13 hrs). I've got a long way to go but this ride definitely boosted my confidence.

Now if I can just run...

Estes Ride

2010-07-13T06:43:00.003-06:00

Every year I have to ride to Estes Park. Its one of my favorite rides for a lot of reasons. One, I love riding through Big Thompson Canyon with the river less than 50 feet away. Just the sound of the river rushing by is enough to make me want to ride there everyday.

Second, I almost always see wildlife. One time I saw two big horn sheep way up on the steep rocky face of the canyon wall ran their heads together, making a loud clacking noise that echoed against the canyon walls.

This time I saw a young goat on the side of the road (with the usual paparrazi of tourists surrounding it taking photos. This is one time I did NOT take a photo!).

Third, I love the view from the top. I always take the Glen Haven route (more on that below) and it dumps you at the top of a hill with a breathtaking view of Longs Peak.

But the final reason is all about training (of course). The Glen Haven route departs highway 34 at Drake and meanders along for 9 miles or so, gradually going up to the town of Glen Haven. This part of the ride is a breath of fresh air because there's very little traffic and the road gently twists and turns through trees and meadows. Lovely.

Then all hell breaks loose. After leaving Glen Haven, the road suddenly starts going up, up, and UP. No more nice and easy pedaling listening to yourself sing Sunshine on My Shoulder. Nooooo...it's one heart-crushing push to the top.

There are two switchbacks near the top of this climb. I don't know the percent grade but I know that when I drive it in my car, I have to downshift to 1st gear to make it. It's that steep.

Quite simply, it's the hardest thing I've ever done. This section of the ride is not long, but in terms of sheer effort, it's excruciating. My heart pounds so hard and I sweat so much just getting up those switchbacks, that I honestly think I'm going to just fall over and die.

I made it to the top - thank God - and will keep doing this every year until I can't do it anymore.

Another nice thing about the ride this year is that I rode with Scott Taylor, a friend of mine who is training for Florida Ironman. Sarah and Brenda would normally be with us but they were doing the Boulder Peak triathlon that day. I really enjoyed riding with Scott because he's a really nice guy and well, because he's really fast and I knew I would have to push myself to keep up with him. Fortunately, we rode at a leisurely pace and chatted all the way up (he went ahead of me at the point where it started getting steep, handily climbing the switchbacks in record time) and on the way down, his front tire was about to blow so we took it easy. It finally blew about a mile from our cars. Whew!

Here's Scott at the top:

Here's a few photos of a group of us a few years ago and the view as we got closer to highway 34, near the town of Estes Park (lower photo):

You can probably see why I like to do this ride every year. Its a killer doing the switchbacks but the scenery makes it totally worth it. I may just do it again this year!

Training Plan

2010-07-10T21:44:00.000-06:00

The pressure is on now - I got a training plan from Wendy Mader!

Yes, THE Wendy Mader - overall female finisher (amateur division) in the 2008 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.

She's done some 9 Ironman triathlons and usually finishes in under 10 hrs. Her swim times match the pros and she's an amazing cyclist too.

She owns t2coaching in Windsor and is the CSU triathlon coach. Needless to say, it feels pretty cool to have a training plan from her.

I've mentioned here many times that we (Brenda, Sarah, and I) are going to follow Gale Bernhardt's Ironman training plan, like Marshall and i did last year for the Florida Ironman. But Brenda felt that we should review the plan with Wendy and get her advice. Not hire her as a coach but do a one-time consultation with her.

So B and S went and saw her a few weeks ago and I saw her on Thursday. We all came away with a totally different plan from Gale's. And I feel good about it.

I don't have anything against Gale's plan but Wendy has more experience than Gale and well, we could speak to her face to face.

So, what is the plan? It's heavier on cycling and lighter on swimming than Gale's, which is fine with me. Wendy felt that I didn't need to swim 3 times a week, which was a big surprise. She said "you did a 1:20 Ironman swim in Florida, right?" and I said "well, it was 1:18" and she said "you don't need to swim 3 times a week" - that was music to my ears!

So, what is the plan? Here is the general schedule for the summer (while we are swimming outside):

Monday - lake swim (45 - 60 mins, my choice; her plan starts when Master's goes inside)
Tuesday - run
Weds - bike/run brick
Thurs - off (yes, I actually have a rest day!)
Fri - Spinerval bike, low intensity
Sat - Run long - 1.5 - 2 hrs
Sun - Ride long - 2 - 5 hrs

After September when Master's moves inside - the real plan starts then:

Mon - Master's swim (2000 - 4000 yards)
Tues - 6 - 10 miles of tempo running
Weds - Master's swim, bike 2-3 hrs and run for 30 mins
Thurs - off
Fri - Spinerval, low intensity
Sat - Run 2 - 4 hrs
Sun - Ride 3 - 7 hrs

Sunday and Weds will be the hardest days. I feel good about the swim and bike part of this plan but not the running (speaking after running 9 miles today and my hip hurt like hell). I honestly don't know if i'll be able to run on Tuesday - I'm worried I'll be too sore from Sunday. But we'll see.

I'm excited about training but a little nervous about it. Its more than what I did last year but that's what I need, I think. I just don't know if my body will hold up!

Today I ran with Kevin and Dale at Jo Jo - we ran around the outer circle 6 times, which is 1.5 miles per loop. I really enjoyed running with these guys - they are so nice. But my hip really started hurting during the run and I could hardly walk afterwards. Ice'd it and took Celebrex and it was better but it really makes me wonder how I'm going to increase my mileage.

Tomorrow I'm riding up to Estes with Scott Taylor - another great guy. I've mentioned him before - he's training for Florida IM. Taking my road bike - hope I make it up the Glen Haven switchbacks!

Riding in the Rain

2010-07-08T15:29:00.000-06:00

Not my favorite thing to do, that's for sure. But I'm glad I got it done.

And there's always hiccups along the way. Colleen and I had made plans to ride at 6:30 on Wednesday. Brian emailed to say that he would go too.

Then Colleen texted me Tuesday night to say that she needed to start at 6:00 instead of 6:30 (ouch!). That extra half hour makes a huge difference to me!

No problem, I told her. I can do that. Then I proceede to stay up until 11:00 Tues night to watcht the movie Precious with Kurt (if you ever want a reality check about how cush your life is, just watch that movie....you'll never complain again.)

The alarm goes off 15 4:45. I have to have coffee and a small breakfast before i ride two hours with Colleen. I was actually awake but very tired and groggy.

At 5:20 Colleen calls to say that she doesn't feel up to riding. Great! I got up early for nothing! Oh well, no problem, I told her. And I really did understand. I know how it goes. But that extra half hour of sleep would've been really nice!

So Brian and I take off at 6:26 AM. The sky is so dark with clouds that I had trouble seeing with my sunglasses on (not safe to ride without glasses and i don't have the clear lenses!).

It was very dark and foreboding but Brian felt sure that it wouldn't rain until after 8:00. Not so. It started coming down midway into our ride and rained fairly steadily until the end. Fortunately, I had brought a jacket and as long as we kept riding, I felt fine.

Brian is a fast rider and I had trouble keeping up with him. I felt good but was not very aggressive. I'm still a little shaky on my racing bike and when the rain started, I decided to just keep a steady pace and get home.

We rode 38 miles and all in all, a good ride.

Quick recap of the week: Monday I ran 50 mins with Brenda and Sarah at Jo Jo (they met me there and ran a lap with me). Tuesday I took off - woo hoo - and Weds was the ride described above. Today is Thursday and I ran 40 mins with my friend, Michelle (from Tasmania! More on that later), and tomorrow I'm swimming at the lake and spinning, hopefully. Not sure I'll have time to spin.

Tonight I have a meeting with Wendy Mader! More on that later too.

Ironman Boulder 70.3 Practice Ride

2010-07-08T15:13:00.002-06:00

Rode the old 5430 bike course (which is now the Ironman Boulder 70.3 course) last Sunday with Sarah, Brenda, and Scott Taylor.

We're doing the Boulder half-IM race on August 8th so Brenda and Sarah wanted to see what it was like. I've done this race twice (when it was called 5430) so I was familiar with it but wanted to do it again. Had a great time.

The course is relatively easy - some roller hills in the beginning but nothing too hard. It's a 2-loop course and the 2nd half of it is relatively fast and flat, with some nice views of the Flatirons.

The day started with dark clouds and some rain as we left Greeley. But it didn't rain on us and the temp was much cooler - perfect for riding (but the sun would've been nice too).

Hoping for a good race this time! Have had two "failed" races this season and I don't want anymore.

My bike felt good and after riding about 55 miles or so, I felt fine - wasn't really that sore or tired.

I feel in much better shape right now than I was this time last year, esp on the bike and in the lake. My running is behind but I'm hoping to slowly build that back up.

Nutrition-wise, I didn't eat as many carbs on Saturday as I usually do the day before a long ride or run and I could feel it late in the ride. But it wasn't too much of a problem. Sometimes you need to go with the flow and trust your body to get you through!

Race Against Cancer 5k

2010-07-03T19:39:00.002-06:00

My, how things change. Like Bolder Boulder, I've done this race at least a dozen times, if not more. The race name has changed a few times, with Race for the Cure being the longest-held name, but Greeley has had a 5k on the 4th of July since I've lived here and I'm pretty sure I've done it every year.

Here's a few memorable moments I'd like to share....

I don't know what year it was but Annie Bersagel was in high school. She was doing this race for the first time (and I think it was her first race EVER). I was running pretty hard - back then I would finish in around 21 minutes - and she came up behind me. I heard her breathing hard and her feet slapping the pavement.

At the time, we were members of Our Saviors Lutheran Church, where her dad is a pastor, so I knew her, but at the time, no one knew how fast she would eventually become. I wasn't worried about her passing me because she was so young but I recall how hard she was struggling. I was working hard too but not as hard as she was. I could tell she was intent on passing me.

After a few minutes, she finally did. But knowing how fast she is today, it's nice to know for one brief moment, I was her carrot!

Another memory...

The year was 2004 and Geoff Muntz, our dear friend who died of cancer a few years ago (ironically), was the race announcer (like Kurt is now). He and Jenny always had a little chemistry going and he was "admiring" our shorts (which he later said was our legs). He took this photo and called it "the legs":

I also remember pushing Katerina in her stroller that day and Juan Leal snapped a good photo of us:

I can't believe how small she is here! And she has her bottle....oh my gosh.

I remember many years trying so hard to get below 21 minutes. I thought 21-something was too slow and now, of course, I would KILL for a 21-something 5k!

My 5k PR is 20-something and I think I did it in this race. It was either this one or the Turkey Trot, can't remember. But I was always chasing Jenny. We would always come in within a minute of each other but she was always ahead of me.

Then one year, Dan England, my friend from track, ran it for the first time. He ran up behind me but he was hurting. He almost caught me at the finish line and I remember being excited for him that he ran his first 5k (he was new to track and I had been doing it for years). Wow, how things have changed!

Every year we would run this race and go all out. I placed in my age group a few times and it was probably the next most important race to do well in (after Bolder Boulder), because the race times were often in the paper and everyone wanted to show off how fast they could run!

This year I walked/ran it with my kids. I've been doing that for the last 3 years and like Bolder Boulder, it's very bittersweet. I see my friends who are still doing track - like Jenny, Brenda, Doug, Rick, Pam, Dan - doing really well in this race and truth be told, I do feel a few pangs of jealousy. But the smile on my kids' face reminds me of what's most important.

Who knows, maybe one day they'll be running 21-something 5k's...

Here's a few photos from the last few years, including this year:

Pluggin Away

2010-07-02T14:59:00.000-06:00

This has been a good training week and boy, did I need that. After two failed triathlons (one was a DNF - my first, btw - and the other included an hour delay during the bike portion - more on that later), I needed to succeed at something.

So, I got in 3 good swims, 2 great runs, and one really good bike ride (so far).

I swam at the lake on Monday and swam farther than I've ever swam out there. But it still isn't far enough for Ironman training. That's ok, I have plenty of time to increase distance even more.

Then, I had a lovely swim at Centennial pool by myself on Weds evening and did Master's swim last night. On Weds, I swam slow and easy and focused on my technique. It was pretty hot outside so it felt really good to get into the pool.

I learned some new ways to work on my technique from a woman at the Silverthorne Rec Center when we were up there. She had been to the Swim Lab in Denver and showed me what she learned. It was really helpful! I incorporated those suggestions and really liked doing that.

Today was kind of the big day (in a way) because it was a test of whether i could run for an hour without any pain. I decided to run at Sanborn Park and just run on the grass. So, for an hour I ran the perimeter of Sanborn (not just around the lake) and felt really good. It is actually harder to run on grass so I think I got a good calf workout!

Running to the park and back was another 15 minutes each way, so I got in a good 1.5 hr run and guess what: no heel pain! My hip is hurting a little but not any worse than before. I felt really good and it was nice since I hadn't had a good long run like that in awhile.

I do think I'll stick to the grass or trails as much as possible. At this point, I don't want to risk ANY injuries or worsening of injuries.

Tomorrow is the cancer 5k here in Greeley - not sure what they call it now - and I'm walk/running it with the kids. Then, I'll bike 50 - 60 years on Sunday and be back to the normal routine.

Tonight Sarah, Brenda, and I are meeting with Wendy Mader, CSU Triathlon coach and owner of T2 Coaching. She won the citizen's division at Kona a few years ago. We're paying her to look over our training plan and give us suggestions/tips, etc.

Gotta run - TTFN!

Turning a Corner

2010-06-30T10:25:00.001-06:00

I have a lot to write about but it will have to wait until later. Just wanted to jot down a few notes about today.

Rode 37 miles with Colleen Murphy today, one of (if not THE) fastest female cyclists in Greeley. I've known her for years and we've always kidded each other about how she can out-ride me but I can out-run her. I've always admired her cycling skills and she says she has always admired my running. We're about the same age and we both have 2 kids.

So I called her up yesterday and asked if she wanted to ride with me today, expecting her to say no since most people work during the week and it's hard to get out for early morning rides. But she said yes - yippee!

And even better news is that she lives only a few blocks from me, which made it much easier to meet at 6:30 AM! She's been riding around Greeley for15 years so she knew a bazillion different routes. I told her that I would just follow her and off we went.

We went northeast on several different back roads that I've never been on. This was very cool because I need some new routes. We went up near Eaton, then over to Galeton, then through Kersey and back to Greeley. At UNC we were at 36 miles and I had about a mile to my house.

It was just great. And the really good news is that she wants to continue riding on Wednesday mornings - perfect! I couldn't ask for a better training partner.

I needed this change for reasons I can't write about here. Finding a new friend was just what the doctor ordered.

Mountain Respite

2010-06-23T07:51:00.001-06:00

We're up in Summit County for a week and I can't say enough good things about it.

I've been coming up to our cabin for 17 yrs now but this time I'm staying in a condo that we were lucky enough to buy into this winter.
And we couldn't have picked a better time, weather wise. It's absolutely beautiful here right now. Sunny, dry, and in the low 80's. I just want to be outside all day!

Kurt took the kids to the cabin yesterday so I had one glorious evening, morning, and half-day to myself. Any parent of young children will understand how incredibly therapeautic that can be!

I was too tired yesterday to do any training (although I hiked for 3 hrs with the kids) but after having a good night's sleep, I felt like a new person this morning. I enjoyed coffee on the deck watching the sun come up over Lake Dillon, then went for a run.

Since I'm still having heel and hip pain, I knew I had to run on a soft surface. I started off in the woods near the condo and ran on a trail. The air was cool and crisp and I had the trail to myself. I can't even describe how good that felt.

I ran 50 mins up and around the condo (slow and easy), including 4 long ascents on a dirt road that leads up to a hiking trail. At 9000 feet, that aint easy! I'm doing Lake 2 Lake triathlon on Saturday so I didn't want to go too hard anyway.

I thought about a lot of things that have been on my mind during this run. Like, how often I train alone and how lonely it gets sometimes. Sarah and Brenda do almost all of their training together and I will admit I've been a bit jealous. They both work full-time and their schedules jive really well. I have to work my training around the kids schedule and what works for me physically (like not doing track to prevent injuries from getting worse. Katerina has softball on Weds nights so I can't do track anyway).

I just hope we can do our long rides together. I'm fine training along during the week and can even handle long runs on my own (if necessary) but I don't want to do long bike rides alone. Its not safe and I don't enjoy them. I know I'll have conflicts this fall with soccer and church so I'm just hoping I'll have someone to ride with on the really long ones.

The one good thing about training alone is that I think it does make you mentally tougher. Its just you against the clock anyway during a triathlon and if you're used to cheering yourself on during long training runs, etc, then its easier to do that when you're struggling to get to the finish line.

Training alone also gives you time to think. I've had some pretty amazing conversations with myself during long runs (and swim bouts) and feel that I've conquered a few personal issues that have been nagging me for years. There's a certain zen to training alone that I can't get from anything else and although I'd rather have company on long runs and rides, at least I gain something other than fitness from going solo.

Hoping to ride around Green Mountain Reservoir and possibly swim in it too - brrrr! TTFN!

Lake 2 Lake Bike Course - Yowsa!

2010-06-21T07:47:00.000-06:00

Lake 2 Lake triathlon is next Saturday so Brenda, Scott, Todd, Sarah, John, and I rode the bike course yesterday. Beautiful day and very challenging course. It starts at Loveland High School and goes out west of Loveland to Glade Road, then north to Horsetooth Reservoir (and up that really steep hill!) and then back to Loveland.

Its a fabulous course because its scenic and very challenging. Glade Road is mostly uphill and then there's the climb up to Horsetooth trail park - that was hard! Then its a screamin' downhill before the big climb to the Rez (Todd clocked in at 45 mph!).

I hadn't been on my racing bike since the accident and I was a bit nervous. Riding in the aero position of a racing bike feels a bit scary - you don't have as much control as you do on a road bike, esp going around curves. You feel as if you are going to fly over the handle bars any minute. The good side of riding a racing bike is that they are so much faster! It's like going from my Honda mini-van to a little sports car.

Here's Todd, showing off the Twin River's cycling jersey, below. TTFN!

So Far, So Good

2010-06-19T20:23:00.001-06:00

Ran 80 mins today with "the boys" at Jo Jo (aka, Josephine Jones) park. I needed to stay on soft surface and this fit the bill.

It was an interesting run. Dale, the guy in the white singlet at left, wanted to run around 16 miles and he wanted to do it all at Jo Jo.

He does this once in awhile: plans a monster long run at either Jo Jo or Bittersweet Park. Why he doesn't do a longer route is a mystery to me.

He said he'd like to make it into a fund-raiser someday. Not sure how that would work out but hey, I'd chip in a few bucks.

He started running around 5:30 and he planned to keep going until 10:00 or so (something like that). I decided that I should run with him instead of my other friends, since I needed a soft surface and also because I wanted to help him out.

So, I get there at 7:30 and like always, I started off slow and easy. Dale and Duane were coming up the hill and I ambled along beside them...that is, for about 50 feet before they took off! I had no idea they would run that fast!

I finally caught up with them but I was huffin' and puffin'. I couldn't keep up so I slowed down to my usual long run pace. Todd waited for me on his bike and rode along with me for several miles and we had a nice chat. He's going through a major change in his life so we talked about relationships, life, and seat posts. That made it much better.

I was also glad to be running with people I hadn't seen in a long time. I feel kind of like a lone ranger anyway since I'm doing almost all of training by myself (due to my kids schedules and my friends' work schedules). It gets kind of lonely sometimes but I don't really have a choice. More on that topic later.

But the good news is that I didn't have any hip or heel pain during the run, but as usual, I did have some after the run. But it was mild and I ice'd my heel for a good 30 minutes, which seems to help a lot. If it stays like this, I can handle the training but I won't be surprised either if it gets worse. I just really, really, really want to keep running so I hope and pray that it doesn't!

Weekly Recap: Yesterday Kurt and I swam at the lake and I think I mentioned the 25 mile fast ride to Pierce on Wednesday. Tomorrow I'm riding the L2L course with Sarah, Brenda, Todd, and Scott (and maybe others, i don't know). Its 24 miles but goes around Horsetooth Reservoir and up those steep hills. I'm actually looking forward to it! Kurt is fixing my bike seat as I write this and I can't wait to get back on my racing bike!

TTFN

I Ran 9 Miles....and Now I Can't Walk

2010-06-17T15:29:00.001-06:00

Life is full of ironies and so is training for an Ironman.

Last Saturday I ran 9 glorious miles (see previous post). It felt so good to be running long again AND to be running with my friends (I'm not sure they noticed I had been MIA but I did).

Anyway, I felt so good that I decided to sign up for Lake 2 Lake triathlon, which is June 26th. Since I didn't finish the Greeley Tri, it would really do my psyche some good to cross a finish line. I just hope I can get my bike fixed by then (waiting on Felt to send the right part for my seat...grrr....).

I signed up Saturday afternoon and later that day, noticed that I wasn't putting any weight on my left heel when i walked around the house. Why? Because it hurt....uh oh. This is not good. I promptly ignored the pain and told myself to just pop a Celebrex and see how it was on Sunday.

Sure enough, the pain was still there Sunday morning but now it was worse. I couldn't put weight on it at all. Crap! First my hip, now my heel.

Kurt was dashing out the door to go to work (his call weekend) so I quickly asked him what it might be. "Sounds like plantar fasciatas to me". Plantar what? I had heard of it but hadn't a clue what it was. He also said that that is what Todd, our injured Ironman friend also had. So I called Todd.

Long story short, I do have PF. The good news, according to Scott Taylor, podiatrist friend of ours who is training for Florida IM, is that I can probably train through it as long as it doesn't get worse. He said to ice it 4-5 times/day and keep taking Celebrex. He said that if it worsens, that I will have to stop for awhile. This is not good with a half-Ironman coming up in early July, followed by a 13 week full Ironman training plan.

I did two short runs since Saturday, both of them on grass and it felt ok. I could feel some pain but it wasn't too bad. I ice'd it and I'm icing it now. We'll just see how it goes.

Other training news....

Kurt and I swam at Centennial Pool on Monday and I felt fantastic! I swam 13 or 14 laps (100 meters each) and felt like I had hardly swam at all. It was amazing!

Rode 20+ miles with my new friend, Brian, on Wednesday morning - felt fantastic then too! Biking and swimming are going so well. I love riding in the early mornings and plan to keep going with it until the Ironman, if I can.

All in all, not a bad week. I'm planning to swim at the lake tomorrow, run Saturday AM with the group and bike on Sunday morning (but not sure where yet).

TTFN

I Ran 9 Miles!!!

2010-06-12T21:39:00.002-06:00

It's true! After foregoing long runs for 2 months or so, I finally did a "real" long run and managed to eek out 9.3 miles (according to my Garmin-owning friend, Brenda).

And to top it off, it was rainy and cold. Its June but it felt like October, for cryin' out loud! Mid-50's and raining steadily.

But I honestly didn't care. I was just happy to be running long again. Part of me was thinking that I shouldn't be running long, that I should let my hip muscle heal more before venturing into endurance runs again. But gosh darn it, it's been feeling fine lately and i really miss running with my friends.

So, off I went with Kevin, Brenda, Sarah, and Jenny. Woo hoo! Bring it on baby!

Greeley Triathlon (Disaster)

2010-06-12T21:07:00.002-06:00

This will be a hard post to write.

First, this is me with my friends BEFORE the Greeley Triathlon last Sunday (June 6th). I was in a great mood because I was, well, feeling great.

Weather was perfect and I was antsy to race. It would be my first race on my new fancy schmancy racing bike too.

But it would also be my first DNF.

The swim went really well - better than I expected. I felt strong and despite a little bit of hypoxia during the first 100 feet or so of the swim, I pulled off a 9:30'ish swim time (according to my friend, Jenny). That was at least a minute faster than last year.

Another surprise: I came out of the water ahead of Jenny, which surprised both of us because she has always been faster than me in the water (and on foot), and that gave me a jolt of energy. I flew through T1 pulling my wetsuit off in record time. I jumped on my bike and headed out onto the course feeling great.

As I headed east on 10th street going close to 20 mph, I heard something fall from my bike. It sounded like a tire iron or something like that. Then I noticed that my seat was wobbling all over the place. Oh no, this is not good!

I told myself to just hold it in place until I got back to T2. It was only a 10 mile bike and I thought I could make it back. I had to slow down to keep the seat in place using my inner thighs and buttocks. No, this is not good.

As I rounded the corner onto 95th Avenue, I realized I was super thirsty. I gently reached down to get my water bottle and the next thing I knew I was doing a face plant on the pavement and my body was skidding across the street.

This is the 2nd time I've crashed in a triathlon and I can tell you one thing: it hurts. It hurts like hell.

So what happened? My seat was obviously not screwed in tight and it just came off during the race. How in the world could that happen??? I really don't know (and neither does anyone else that I've asked). When I bought this bike last December, I bought a new seat too and the shop owner (who did my bike fit) put the new seat on but maybe he didn't screw it in tightly enough. But I've ridden the bike 9 or 10 times since then and never noticed anything. Go figure!

Fortunately, I did not break any bones. I had a cuts and lacerations on my face and a huge bruise on my left thigh. I also had a sharp pain in my chest, which only got worse as the day wore on. We thought it was a broken rib at first but then Kurt said it was probably a "rib muscle that separated from a rib bone". Great, as long as I don't laugh or take a deep breath, I'll be fine.

I cried pretty hard. I was very angry and I couldn't hold it in. A policeman called for someone to pick me up - lo and behold it was John Kinne - a Greeley policeman I know very well. He laughingly said "Dallow, what happened to you this time?" when he saw me and I tried to joke about it but I was not too successful. I was really upset.

Long story short, I ended up in the medical tent for much longer than I wanted to be. It was very, very hard to see my friends having a great time, comparing race times and congratulating each other. A few came over to joke with me but some kept a distance and that made me feel worse.

A week has passed and I am feeling better. The scars on my face have healed but not my pride; that will take much longer. I've come a long way as a triathlete and I felt like a total idiot for not checking my seat before the race. It was hard not to get a little depressed afterwards.

I did get some good training in this week. On Monday, I rode my trainer hard for 65 mins doing a Spinerval workout (the longest indoor workout I've ever done). Tuesday and Thursday were moderately-paced runs; on Wednesday, I rode 30 miles with Brian D (a guy I met through the Twin Rivers group, more on that later), and on Thursday I swam with the Master's group.

All in all, I'm lucky to be walking and talking, considering how fast I was going when I crashed. And I learned a few things along the way, like check your bike seat before a race....and believe in yourself no matter what happens.

What a Difference a Week Makes!

2010-06-04T12:03:00.000-06:00

Lots to catch up on!
First, things are much better now - my last post was a bit downer but that's the way it goes sometimes. I've never been one to say things are fine when they aren't!

Hip is much better and I've had some awesome workouts. Too many to write about now, although I will mention the early morning bike ride I did on Weds with 2 guys I never met before. We rode out to Windsor and back and it was just fantastic!

Did the Bolder Boulder with my kids (more on that later - have a LOT to say). Here we are before the race, above. Kids did a great job - very proud of them!

Let's see...what else...oh, a couple of lake swims! Kurt and I swam this morning. Got to the lake by 6:15 AM (woo hoo!). The water is so nice then. Cold at first but not bad once you get going.

Our friend, Dan, took the plunge for the first time this morning (he's a marathoner who will do his first triathlon this Sunday!). It was fun to watch him get in. He did great and swam 500 yards right off the bat (go, Dan!).

I had one of those mornings where you literally feel on top of the world. I got to swim next to my husband, which is extremely rare, and then since he was kind enough to get Evan to track practice, I was able to go for a short run. I felt sooooo good on that run! It was only for 3 miles but it just felt good and i had NO hip pain (but it does hurt now, though).

As I was running, I was thinking about how much I love early morning swims, rides, and runs, and how lucky I am to live in Colorado with such great friends. I love our lifestyle and wouldn't trade it for the world!

What a difference a week makes, indeed.

Injuries Suck

2010-05-27T17:43:00.000-06:00

Let me start by saying that I'm not having a good day.

It started with showing my husband the bill for Daisy's echocardiogram (which our vet highly recommended - long story) that was $495. Yes, almost $500 we paid for someone to rub some weird medical device over our dogs heart and tell us "oh, she's fine".

That was after payingt he $700 bill to Honda of Greely for fixing the back bumper that I happened to mess up when I backed into someone else's car.

And that was after paying for a long list of "extra" expenses that we cant live without, of course, including $10,000 for a new deck that we just had put on our house. I know, it's very tacky to talk about money like this but somehow that Mike's Hard Lemonade erased all of the etiquette rules in my brain.

Anyway, when the officer pulled me over this morning for driving 60 mph in a section of highway that I honestly thought was supposed to be 55 mph (that was really 45 mph) and gave me a FOUR POINT violation that will cost me $185.00, it didn't exactly go over well. I actually cried in front of my kids.

But the worst part is that I can hardly walk. My hip pain is back with a vengeance and it hurts like hell. For the first time EVER, I contemplated deferring my Ironman to 2011. I ran a short run today and could hardly walk afterwards. Then I got the ticket.

So, it's a sucky day.

I did Spinervals on Tuesday and swam a nice, long swim on Weds. Biking tomorrow and hoping to do my first open water swim at 5:00 PM at the Promontory. Who knows after that. I just want to get through today.

Ride Like the Wind!

2010-05-23T06:48:00.000-06:00

That's what Brenda and I did yesterday!

We started at 9:30 and quickly realized that we should've started earlier. It was already 70+ degrees and too much traffic. But it was a beautiful Saturday morning and we were raring to go.

So we headed out 20th St to highway 34, which we took to the first Windsor exit. The short section of 20th from The Buzz to 34 is narrow but I didn't think it was too bad. I forgot about the potholes and cattle guards, and it seems like the entire town of Greeley was headed out of town that way too. Ugh.

We finally made it 34 and were relieved. It was actually easier to ride on the highway than 20th. At least there is a wide shoulder and its concrete, making it a great place to really fly.

And it would've been fine if we didn't have to ride past a really big turtle that didn't quite make it across the road - EEUUUWWW!

We took the Windsor exit and flew down the hill on 257. If you stay to the right of the rumble strips, it's actually pretty nice riding.

We turned left onto New Liberty Road (I think thats the name of it) and circled around the south side of Water Valley and up the steep hill we like to ride. I had to drop into my lowest gear to make it up the hill but Brenda mentioned she still had two gears left (not exactly what I wanted to hear, btw). The view of the front range at the top made it worth it!

Now for my favorite part: riding west on Crossroads Blvd toward the mountains. I just love riding there - wide shoulder, little traffic, breathtaking view of the snow-capped Rockies - love it!

That's where I noticed the wind. Either it had just picked up or we were too high with endorphins to notice. Either way, it was windy!

We made several turns in different directions on the way back so we had a headwind, tailwind, and side wind all the way back. The side wind was the worst because it really felt like we were going to be blown over. The tail wind was awesome because it was with us as we descended the big hill after the roundabout on Crossroads and we hit 41.5 mph!

And of course, we had the head wind on the toughest part - the long hill back up 257 that intersects with 34. We both laughed and said "no wonder we flew down that hill so fast"!

We ended up riding 32 miles from The Buzz and back but I had an extra 8 miles from my house, so I got 40 miles in - yay! And the GREAT news is that I felt like I could've easily kept on going.

All in all, a fun and challenging ride. I'm so glad to have friends who are crazy enough to sign up for an Ironman too. It makes the training a lot more fun.

I went home and mowed the yard for 3 hrs (front and back, riding mower and push mower) and collapsed on our new deck, cold one in hand, about 5:00 PM. Ahhhhh....

Today I am probably going to take off since I need to let my hip rest before I try running again; plus, we have lots of yardwork to do and church to go to this morning (and the kids and I will ride our bikes there). I'd love to run but better not.

TTFN!

Accidental Long Run

2010-05-22T07:18:00.002-06:00

I ran a long run yesterday accidentally. Let me explain.

First, it wasn't technically a "long" run - it was only 6 miles and normally, that's not a long run for me. But since I've been nursing this hip (iliac crest) injury, 6 miles is now considered long (sniff, sniff).

Now for the funny part. Kurt and I wanted to swim on Friday morning and he likes to get a short run in when he swims so he usually runs to the pool (3 miles) and then catches a ride with me back home (whenever he doesn't have to go straight to work from the pool).

This time he said "why don't I run to the pool and you drive; then we'll switch on the way home?". I thought about it and decided that I would try it. I would have to take running clothes, shoes, Ipod, etc, with me, but what the heck, I should try something different.

But this takes a little more planning. Like the fact that BOTH of us need our keys to the car or we need to make a plan so that the Kurt gets my keys before I take off on my run.

We managed to forget that little detail.

We both swam for 30 minutes and since I started before Kurt did, I left before he did. After changing into my running gear, I dropped my swim bag in the car (with keys IN the bag) and took off running.

At first, I was thoroughly enjoying the run. The warm air felt good against my wet hair and damp skin, the music from my Ipod filled my sleepy brain and I settled in to a good rhythm as I made my way up 13th Avenue.

Then all of a sudden a thought popped into my head: what if Kurt didn't bring his keys? He wouldn't be able to get home...he did have his swim bag with him, although it was a tiny one that he carries with him when he runs to the pool and maybe he thought he'd get my keys from me before I took off on my run ....uh oh...

I was right. When I got home, there was no car in site and he was sitting on the deck eating breakfast with a "what were you thinking" look on his face. Richard had given him a ride home (oops!). So I downed some water and hit the road for another 3 mile run back to the Rec Center to get the car. Good thing I didn't have to take the kids to school that morning!

It turned out to be a good run. Unfortunately, my hip is hurting pretty bad now so I'm icing it as I write this post (sniff, sniff). But I'm riding with Brenda today (and hopefully Jenny too) so I'm hoping that by Monday, it will calm down so I can run again (please, oh Goddess of healing running injuries, please!). More on that later.

TTFN!

Community Classic Bike Tour

2010-05-20T12:17:00.001-06:00

CCBT is truly one of my favorite rides of the year. And because it's always in May, it kicks off the racing season really well.

The metric century route (62 miles) starts at McKee Medical Center in Loveland, CO, and goes up to Carter Lake (emphasis on the word "up"), then over to Masonville and up around Horestooth Reservoir, and back to McKee.

This was the 3rd or 4th time I've done this ride and because of all the rain we've had, it was the most beautiful I'd seen it - the grass was so green and the lakes were so full!

And the best news is that my new racing bike did really well! I was worried that I might not make it up the hills without my triple but I did fine. I'm really psyched about that!

I rode with Brenda, one of my IM training buddies. She also has a new bike (see us both at left), and we rode really well together. We took it easy and because of that, I felt like I could've gone longer at the end. I felt I could've gone faster but glad we didn't. We had a great time!

I have to mention Ken Whitney, the man in the middle picture here (in blue jacket, red helmet). He inspires me so much. He's 80 yrs old and doing the metric century - that's incredible!

Right now I'm focusing more on kid stuff as my kids finish up school and we start the summer schedule. Today is their last day of school and they start tennis, softball, and CARA track on June 1st. So we'll have a relaxed week next week and then I'll start my Ironman training in June. Until then, I'll probably write 1-2 x/week here. But I love feedback and/or comments so please feel free to leave me one!

Happy Mother's Day Indeed!

2010-05-09T07:49:00.002-06:00

Wow, what a difference a few days make. My last entry was last Tuesday, at the start of some kind of GI bug illness I had, and now, 5 days later, I'm on top of the world.

First, its a beautiful day - sunny with a forecasted high around 76 - and its Mother's Day, which is one of my favorite days of the year! When you have young children who get super excited about making you a card, it takes on a special meaning.

But there other reasons to be happy today. My friend, Dan, is running his first marathon as we speak (he should be at mile 10 - 11 right now as I'm typing this - go Dan!) and Sarah, my Ironman-training buddy is running her first half-marathon (go Sarah!). Also, Jenny is doing the half and Dale is doing the full (both old-timers at these distances). We've been training together for a long time so I'm psyched for all of them.

Then, the other cool thing is that I am going to ride my bike to Windsor, taking my favorite route, which on a day like this will be breathtaking (I'll be riding west toward the mountains and I love looking at them as I ride), and Kurt and the kids are going to pick me up west of Windsor, on our way over to hike Horsetooth Mountain trail. A bike ride AND a hike with my family - it just does not get any better than that!

We're also going to pick up a friend of mine and her two sons, one of which was adopted from Siberia and who we've known for many years. Anton and Katerina used to play together when they were 3 and 4 so this will be a special reunion.

Then, to top it off, we'll go to the Rio (with my mom) later tonight to celebrate Mother's Day but also to see Dan, Sarah, and others who are going there to celebrate their runs.

And re training...I had a pretty good week...swam on Weds, ran on Thurs, biked inside on Friday, and ran an hour yesterday (yes, a whole hour!) and felt great! I had a little pain in the hip but nothing more than usual.

It's amazing what a difference a few days make...

Worst Run Ever!

2010-05-04T11:21:00.000-06:00

Well, maybe not the worst ever but darn close. I ran about 4 miles this morning and felt like, well, crap. And I'm not sure why.

I did my usual routine: ate breakfast around 7:00 and ran at 8:30, after dropping kids off at school. I could tell that I wasn't feeling great but after 22 years of running, you learn to look past that feeling because it almost always changes during the run.

This time it didn't. I felt slow and sluggish the entire way. In fact, I actually walked in the middle of the run and what is more shocking is that I didn't care. My running mantra has always been that you keep running regardless of how bad you feel. I tried to keep going but I eventually just walked. Ugh.

In my defense, it's incredibly windy today. The wind gusts are upwards of 50 mph, according to 9news.com. The entire run I felt like I was fighting the wind. But still...walking???

I've also had some GI stuff going on lately. I don't know what it was but I felt so bad on this run that I took every shortcut possible to get back to my car, including running through a field of weeds.

Oh well, gotta keep on truckin'. Its days like this that I will remember when I have that IM finisher's medal around my neck (at least that's what I will tell myself today!).

Dan's Run

2010-05-03T10:04:00.000-06:00

My friend, Dan, is running his first marathon one week from yesterday (he's on the far right in the picture). A group of us ran with him yesterday to send him off with good racing karma.

Unfortunately, Dan has acquired a "stress reaction" in his foot, that may or may not affect his race next Sunday.

That's the thing about running marathons (or doing triathlons): you train for months and months and months and then BOOM, something breaks or twists or strains and you're now officially on the "injured" list.

Of course, non-runners will smile smugly and say "I knew running was bad for you" (to which we will promptly think to ourselves "yeah and that's why you look the way you do too" - not a nice thing to say but hey, the non-runner started it!).

But we had a nice easy short run, probably 3 miles or so. We ran at Josephine Jones Park (aka, Jo Jo) which has a soft surface and good for anyone with bad hips, knees, ankles, or feet (which is pretty much all of us).

Dan was amazingly calm about the prospect of running 26.2 miles with an injured foot. I would've been whining relentlessly for hours or maybe even home in bed with a bucket of ice on my foot and a morphine drip line going full-speed. But no, he was calm and reasonable, saying what we all know to be true: that he will finish come hell or high water. That's just how we runners are.

So, here's to Dan and the Colordo Marathon - rest up, eat well, and we'll see you at the finish line!

Making a Comeback

2010-04-30T14:02:00.001-06:00

Having an injury sure puts things in perspective. I've been able to run a minimum of 4 miles easily for 20+ years now and on most weeks, I run a long run of 10 - 12 miles on Saturday. But now that I'm not running much, when I do run, I feel like I'm just starting for the first time.

So, today, Evan left his homework at home and I was heading out for a 3-miler. I thought, why don't I just run it out to Monfort, which is 3 miles from my house (but that means I have to run home, making it a 6-miler). No problem, I thought, I can do it! Its probably ok to run that far now, isn't it???

So I did and well, lets just say that I made it home without totally puking up my breakfast. I felt like crap 2 miles into the run - almost like I was going to faint. Arrgghhh...I didn't expect to feel like that!

With Evan's homework sheets scrolled up in my hand, I plodded on. But it was so weird...I had run this distance for years and years, on this same road, and for the first time, I thought I wouldn't make it.

But I did and actually, on the way home I felt better than on the way out. Maybe it was because I swam this morning (got in a mere 1000 yards today) and my body was just tired or maybe its because I'm getting older and I refuse to accept this minor fact (ya think?)...

Either way, I'm happy I was able to run that far. I need to be running again and I've decided to just go for it and live with the pain. I'll continue with PT but I can't wait any longer.

Parenting Trumps a Group Run

2010-04-24T08:02:00.001-06:00

Well, its Saturday and my friends are all running at 8:00 this morning. They are running 12 miles and I would LOVE to be running with them. When my kids' soccer games for today were cancelled last night, I thought "yippee, I can run with the group" (at least start off with them and turn back after 3-4 miles).

But then the phone rang. It was the mom of one of Katerina's friends, who wanted to know if she could spend the night. Of course she can, that would be great. Katerina is at the age where friends are starting to be important to her so she was over the moon when I told her.

So, it would be just me and Evan for the evening (Kurt is out of town). I had never spent an evening with just Evan so this would be pretty cool (and it was). But it dawned on me that leaving to run with the group would mean leaving him alone, which is a whole different ball game than leaving the two kids alone.

At first I thought "no problem, he'll be fine" but then after remembering that my mother is also out of town, I realized that I couldn't say "if you get scared, you can call Daddy or grandma". Neither of them are around this morning and that would make being left alone seem even lonelier.

Bear in mind that this is a kid who LOVES his computer and who LOVES it when I'm gone because that means he gets to play his computer. I let him do that because it totally preoccupies him and he won't bug his sister when I'm gone. But this time, he would know that not only am I gone, but there is no one for him to call if he got scared. Not good.

And...one more reason I need to stay put....the wind. It is howling outside and it scares him to death. For some reason, he does not like ths sound of the wind. So, it looks like a ride on the trainer for me!

That's ok, I'd rather stay here with him anyway. The group runs are great but so is hangin' out with my son. He'd be happy as a clam if he could play his computer games while I rode my bike in the basement.

Such is the life of an Iron Quest Mama!

Surprise - A Good Swim!

2010-04-21T11:23:00.001-06:00

Wonders never cease, my mother used to say. And today one of those wonders happened at Master's swim practice: I had a really good swim!

It was weird all the way around. I woke with a start at 4:50 AM (I rarely bold anything but this deserves bolding). I got up and felt strangely wide awake. Still, I drank my usual 1.5 cups of coffee and had so much energy, I almost bolted from the couch to get to the pool.

I was in the water by 6:20 and took off like a bat out of you-know-where. Sarah was already there (of course) and we shared a lane. Kurt came in 15 mins later (he rides his bike) and we 3 shared a lane.

I felt strong and swift. Even though I can't keep up with well, anyone, at Master's swim, I still swam fast. Richard wasn't there but he had emailed Todd the workout so we did it on our own:

Warm-up: 200 free, 200 kick, 200 pull

Main set:
3 x 200's
4 x 100's, alternating choice with free, descending (slow to fast), 30 seconds rest
6 x 50's, breathing every 5th stroke (what was Richard thinking?)
6 x 25's, odds easy, evens fast

I don't remember all the details but this was pretty much it. There was a cool-down kick thing but I couldn't stay that long. Although this was one of the easier workouts that Richard has had us do, I was still happy with how easy it felt for me. I could've easily swam (swum?) longer but just didn't have time (I have to leave by 7:00 to get my kids to school).

All in all, a good workout. Looking forward to swimming outside this summer, both in the pool and at the lake.

TTFN

Trying to Be Positive

2010-04-20T19:27:00.001-06:00

Well, I ran 50 mins this morning (very slow) and didn't feel any pain. That is good. However, later on the pain came back with a vengeance. Sigh.

I shouldn't be surprised. After all, it is a strained muscle or something like that. And given how bad it has hurt in the last few months, I shouldn't have expected it to go away quickly.

So, back to PT on Thursday. I was going anyway but I didn't expect to be back at square one. Made an appt with Todd for more "trigger point dry needle therapy" and ultrasound treatment.

I know injuries are common in runners and that training for an Ironman raises the risk even higher. And I know its still early enough that it might heal in time for Arizona (although Boulder is in August and I need to be training for that race NOW). So I'm trying to be positive.

Just disappointed, that's all.

Tomorrow is Master's swim and then on Thursday, I'll do a hard Spinerval workout. Friday I'll swim again and Saturday I'll run 12. No, just kidding...I'll do a slow, wimpy little 4 mile run. BIG sigh.

Brenda Ran Boston!

2010-04-19T21:48:00.000-06:00

My friend, Brenda (with me at L2L tri last summer, she is on the right), who was also crazy enough to sign up for AZ Ironman, ran the Boston Marathon today. She had qualified for it before the IM idea came up so Boston was her "A" race for quite awhile. Many of our group runs were centered around her training plan or Dan's (who is training for Colorado marathon) and we were all excited for her to go.

Anyway, she finished in 3:58, which is really a good time for a race like that. Boston is not a good race to PR in - there are thousands of people on a skinny road and its just not known for fast times. And from what I hear, she went out too fast and couldn't maintain that pace at the end. But good for her for trying!

I learned some things from Brenda. She was so diligent about her training and I really admire her for that. I took many shortcuts in my Ironman training and Brenda is the kind of person that if her training plan called for 10 miles and our training run ended up being 9.7, she would go out and run .3 mile more.

I was also amazed at how much she was running. One weekend when i ran with her, she had run 10 mile the day before, 20 on Saturday, spin bike on Sunday, 8 on Monday, 6 on Tuesday, 5 on Weds, off on Thursday and 10 again on Friday. It was insane! Never in my wildest dreams would I run that much when training for a marathon! Now, I look back at my training for marathons - back when I ran marathons - and I can see how wimpy my training was!

But there were no training plans back then. There wasn't even the internet back then, except for the last few I ran. All I knew was that I needed a long run every weekend and that's what I did. No speedwork, no tempo runs, no hill repeats, nada. Just 3-7 mile runs during the week and one long run on the weekend (and I took the other day off).

I'm happy for Brenda and looking forward to training with her for Arizona!

One more thing about Boston. I was so excited about running it and had such a wonderful time, that I wrote my all-time favorite article for the Greeley Tribune when I got back. At that time I was writing a monthly nutrition column and they asked me to write about my experience running the Boston marathon when I got back. I remember sitting at the computer and my hands just started writing. It flowed so easily whereas my nutrition columns were difficult or sometimes boring to write. This article came straight from my heart and i still treasure it to this day.

Now....what am I blogging about....oh yeah, training for the AZ Ironman triathlon! What have I dont this last week?

After seeing Todd last Weds for the amazing, fantastic, magical needle therapy that has literally worked wonders in my tensor fascia lata, I did the following:

Thursday: ran 38 mins slow and easy
Friday: swam 1400 yards
Saturday: ran 30 mins
Sunday: biked 31 miles - awesome ride!
Monday (today): Master's swim, 1600 fast yards - about killed my shoulders!

Tomorrow I have to get up super early but will plan to run for 45 mins before getting kids to school, then off to class.

Congrats to Brenda and here's to an exciting year ahead!

Things are looking up

2010-04-18T21:48:00.000-06:00

This last week was crazy busy so I'm behind in blogging...

The good news is that my PT guy, Todd Smith (aka, muscle magician) tried a new treatment on my sore spot called intramuscular-something...and it involves sharp needles....but it might, just might, be a miracle. Really!

I can't believe I'm even saying that. I'm THE biggest skeptic around. I don't believe in most of what passes as "alternative medicine" and I definitely don't believe in acupunture. But this procedure is similar to acupuncture and well, it worked (if you define "worked" as there is no more pain).

I'm holding out to see if it comes back but right now, I have no pain when I run or walk. I still have pain when I get out of the car (but I fixed tha situation by swinging my legs around to face the other way, then putting my right leg down first - wa la!). And I've been taking Celebrex so it could be a combination of everything. But I was so excited I had to blog about it.

Too tired to write more...will finish this tomorrow. TTFN!

Biding My Time

2010-04-12T21:33:00.000-06:00

We started a new 5-week session in Master's swim today. I actually got there on time (6:15 AM) and was in the water at 6:20 (can I hear a collective "wow"!). It seems that no matter how hard I try, I can't get there any earlier than that. And to be honest, I'm not sure I really need to but that's another story.

After warming up for 300 yds or so, Richard had us do 4 sets of 3 100's with a minute rest in between. After each set we were supposed to do an "easy 50" with a drill for the first 25 and freestyle the last 25. There was actually more detail to this workout but my brain shuts down after hearing the first half of what we're supposed to do! Honestly, I can never keep it straight, I just go when he says go and I stop when I see everyone else stop (no trouble there, I'm always the last one to stop).

Today I started with fins thinking I could kind of keep up. Natalie and Al were in the lane next to me, with Todd and Jim next to them. These people happen to be the fastest swimmers in our program and they lap me handily. Its like running with Doug Bell or some elite Boulderite. But people like that don't intimidate me - they're so far out of my league that I don't even think twice about it.

But Jade and Sarah are more like me and I try to keep up with them. I used to be able to be fairly close to their speed but not today. They were way ahead of me. I really had to keep myself from starting a pity party - I felt like a total clod. Even wearing fins, I couldn't keep up with them.

What's interesting is that sometimes I feel totally hypoxic when i swim, like I can't get my breath. And other times its smooth-sailing. Today I was hypoxic and strangely enough, I was kind of glad because it mimics how I feel in a triathlon sometimes. I get that panicky feel where i can't seem to breathe. I haven't had that feeling in a long, long time (thank God, because its horrible). But today I had a minor version of that happening and i just kept swimming.

I figured I swam my usual 1400 yards today and I think that's fine for now. Will start to increase it when we move outdoors in June. I plan to swim the perimeter of the lake at least twice a month (1.2 miles) all summer and fall, until we move back indoors. That's more swimming than i did last year and I had a decent swim time in Florida!

I wanted to run really bad after dropping off the kids. But I had a lot of school work to do and since I'm not supposed to be running much anyway, I decided to get the work done. I lifted for 20 mins and then worked on school stuff. In fact, I was sitting on my butt almost the entire day - UGH!

So, when it was time to go to Kat's soccer practice, I decided to take Daisy and try a short, easy run. I did, and ran about 2 miles, very easy and slow. I felt great and had no pain. But later I did, of course and i'm icing my hip right now.

All in all, not a bad day. Got a good swim workout in and lifting. Will keep going as planned...hope to be running again soon!

Test Ride #2

2010-04-11T20:38:00.000-06:00

Today was a day I've been looking forward to: the day I get to really try out my new bike.

Remember, I got that fancy-schmancy carbon-fiber racing bike last December after my dismal performance in the bike portion of the the Florida Ironman. I've ridden it ONCE since then because of weather and "dirty roads". Its been on my trainer and I've ridden it for my Spinerval workouts but that's not the same as riding it on the road.

So, today was the day.

Kurt raised the stem for me (per my request), put water bottle carriers on it, and pumped the tires and checked the brakes. Its nice to have a resident bike mechanic at home (even though he gritches about it all the time).

So I took a spin around the neighborhood first and yowza, it felt so weird! I've been riding my road bike for the last few weeks (same bike I rode in the IM) and its a totally different bike and fit.

On my racing bike, I'm tucked in tight in a total aero position, whereas on my road bike I'm more stretched out, if that make sense. My racing bike is also much lighter - I can pick it up with one hand.

After test driving it for a few miles, we took off for a 2 hr ride. Whew! I was flying. I actually passed Kurt for once! Either those Spinervals were paying off or this was one fast ride!

I felt really good. We cruised along for quite awhile just enjoying the ride. The weather was perfect - sunny, clear, no wind, and about 75 degrees. Kurt likes to ride out east, which is not as pretty as riding west but there's much less traffic.

So we stop to get a drink and chat for a bit and a truck pulls up, and the driver (who obviously knew Kurt) jumps out of his truck, runs over to us and hands us a roll that he said he just made, saying something about a sourdough starter, and then jumps back in his truck and speeds off. We laughed and I took a picture of Kurt holding his roll (see above). I found out later that Mr. Breadmaker is a local psychiatrist...figures!

It took me awhile to get used to my new bike. I was frustrated at the start but as we rode on, it felt better. I can definitely go faster on this bike. But its not as comfy as my road bike and that's a bit disconcerting, considering I'm training for a race that involves a 112 mile bike ride. But after about 20 miles or so, I felt like I was finally "settling in" to the new bike fit and feeling comfortable.

Later, we rode our bikes down to the Rio with the kids - they are really good bike riders - and back home, which is mostly uphill. Had a nice time

Tomorrow Master's swim starts again and I'm looking forward to it. Not a bad weekend, despite the lack of a long run. Capping it off with a margarita almost made up for it!

Being a Good Girl

2010-04-10T20:48:00.000-06:00

This is the 2nd Saturday I haven't been able to do my usual long run. And as much as I'm trying to stay positive, there's nothing positive about it. In fact, I hate it.

But the good thing is that I'm doing what I'm supposed to do and that is run less. I'm constantly telling myself that its still early enough to not worry about it but its hard when all my friends are getting in really good shape.

OK, enough with the whining...I did run a very slow 3 miler today and I have no soreness or pain at all. Zero. Nada. Zip. This is a very good thing.

Tomorrow Kurt and I are going to ride for 2 hrs and I can't wait. Originally I was riding with the group at 10:30 -in fact, I was the one who set up the ride - then I remembered that I'm supposed to teach Sunday school (oops!) and had to back out of the ride. Talk about a double whammy - no group run and now no group ride! I miss the camaraderie!

But my dear husband said that he would ride with me so we called up some friends who had asked us to babysit awhile back and asked if they would watch our kids. They said yes - yay! Its going to be 75 degrees tomorrow and I'm so anxious to get out my new bike.

Monday I'll swim and Tuesday, a short easy 5 mile run. Anxious to find out what happens at Physical Therapy this week - hoping that will make a difference too.

I'm not sure what else to write about in this blog...it might get more interesting when we actually start the Ironman training plan...I'm open to any suggestions!

Have Bike, Will Travel

2010-04-08T19:31:00.001-06:00

My kids are on spring break and they've spent almost every minute of it together. They love each other immensely but like any other sibling set, they hate each other immensely too. Today they demonstrated the latter situation quite well.

After oh, maybe the 8th or 9th round of sqabbling I decided that was enough, they either vamoose to their rooms or they will be drop-kicked out the door.

This is one of those times when I can relate to Bill Cosby's famous missive to his oh-so-beloved children: "I brought you into this world and I can take you out!" except with adopted children, you change it to household instead of world (just a little humor, folks, don't take it seriously!).

I love my kids dearly but this was also one of those days that I was GLAD that I had a physical outlet, like running, biking, or swimming. I needed it desperately today or I was going to strangle two perfectly normal children.

Coupled with the fact that it was going to be sunny and 65 degrees today, I knew I had to get out on my bike. I called my mother to see if her darling grandchildren could come visit for awhile (please, mother dear, please!). She said yes, and before you can say shot blocks, I was out the door, bike in hand, child in the other.

I dropped them off at Grandma's and was on my bike in no time. Ahhhhhhhhh.....yes! Fresh air...blue sky...nothin' but the road and me for 2 solid hours. And a few cement trucks, Ford F-150's, and errant barking dogs...

I rode for 2 hrs. Felt pretty good and enjoyed an awesome view of the front range. Rode north on County Road 33.

Tomorrow I swim and Saturday, I will try running with the group for 6-8 miles. I'll take a Celebrex first and just see how it goes. I think if I keep up short distances until this "angry" tensor fascia lata heals (that's what Todd called it - he said it was mad), then it won't be so hard to start the real IM training program. At least I hope so. Wish me luck.

I Love My PT

2010-04-07T21:23:00.000-06:00

Here's a good pic of my gal pals in Master's swim class. From left, Sarah, me, Marsha, and Natalie. They're a lot of fun (and they're very fast) and Master's swim wouldn't be nearly as fun without them.

They guys are great too but they weren't interested in getting their picture taken.

We don't actually have master's swim class this week - it runs in 5 week sessions and the next one starts next week (hence, why I brought my camera to the pool). Good time to take a photo.

But my big news of the day is my appt with Todd Smith, PT extraordinnaire at Proactive Physical Therapy and Sportsmedicine here in Greeley. I've been to Todd before and was so impressed that I went back.

Todd was actually a dietetics student way back when I was at CSU getting my doctorate. I worked as a supervisor of dietetics students at the student health center and he was one of my students who I trained when I was there. Not longer after that, he decided to change majors and pursue physical therapy. Wa-la, here he is and we're working together again!

He did a thorough exam and pinpointed the pain fairly easily (and pinpointed is an understatement - he pretty much nabbed it). Its the insertion of the tensor fascia lata muscle into the iliac crest bone. Just what I thought (ha ha).

He worked the area for awhile moving my leg in more ways than I knew it could be moved, pressing his thumb into the area where it hurt to confirm the diagnosis and well, it REALLY hurt. But I was just glad to have it figured out and to hopefully, be put on a treatment plan.

But all the while I was bracing myself for the possibility that he might say "no running forever". Ok, I exaggerate, I knew he wouldn't say that but I was worried that he would say "no running for 3 months" or something like that.

Todd could see the look on my face and he said "you runners are crazy...no, you Ironman people are crazy!". Then he told me about two treatment options that he felt would really help. The first one was what he calls "ultrasound" which is heat probe that he would apply to the area for 10 mins (what he had done for my lower back a year ago, that really worked). He also told me about a new "needle therapy" that used acupuncture needles, but was not acupuncture, that he had used with some success in other patients.

But he would not do the needle therapy without talking to "my doctor" (aka, Kurt) first. He said that not running would be ideal, but that he knows better to tell a runner not to run and that slow running on soft surfaces twice/week might be ok. He encouraged me to do more biking and swimming and lay off the running for awhile, except maybe a few slow runs each week. He also said to run only on flat surfaces - not the side of the road where its curved.

This was good news! His assistant did the ultrasound and it felt great afterwards. I left the office with absolutely no pain but noticed after I drove less than a mile, that it hurt again when I got out of my car. However, it went away soon after that and tonight, it feels fine.

So, I go back twice next week and between now and then, I will do the slow, easy, short runs on soft surfaces and bike and swim more. I forgot to mention that I did run today - 40 mins on the grass at UNC and although I had pain the first 20 mins, it went away (such a weird injury - it comes and goes all the time!).

But I'm really encouraged and happy that its not worse. And I don't mind biking more, its just that biking takes so much more time! Next week I have a crazy-busy week and it will be hard to fit it in. But I'll do it.

So, that's it for now. I need to focus on the positive and not get down about not doing the long runs on the weekends. Hopefully, I'll be back at it soon.

I love my PT!

Injuries Are a Blessing and a Curse

2010-04-06T14:43:00.000-06:00

I haven't run in 3 days and my mind has gone through all kinds of contortions because of it. My normal routine has been thrown out of whack and I should feel all disconbobulated. But I don't. I feel fine.

I never thought I'd say that. After all, running has been the backbone of my life for the last 25 years. It's my therapy, my salvation, and sometimes, my ticket to a zen-like existence that I wouldn't trade for all the chai tea in the world.

But as you know, I've got an injury. The good news is that it is much better and I can hardly feel it sometimes. The bad news is that I still need to let it heal and shouldn't run for quite awhile.

But since last Saturday, I've gotten some killer non-running workouts in. Sunday morning, I did a Spinerval workout for an hour and felt great. Coach Troy has convinced me that indoor cycling (and running) should be a part of any endurance athlete's training plan and i can see why after doing his workouts. I never sweat running as hard as I do doing a Spinerval workout.

Then Monday, I went to the pool even though there is no Master's class this week (it starts again next week). I got there late but got in about 1500 yrds, which I'm totally happy with. And the best part is that I didn't even feel tired when I was done. I could've easily done more but didn't have time.

And thanks to Tom McIlhenney (sp?) for giving me advice AGAIN. He watched me swim and reminded me to turn my head to the left when I rotate - not just look straight down. He gave me a few more tips and said I was doing great - can't say how much I appreciate all of Tom's advice and support this last year!

Then, later that day, I decided to go for a ride. My husband and children were out of town so i could actually ride without the pressure to get back to pick up the kids - woo hoo. I went through the usual routine that I've described before, of pumping tires, checking brakes, packing up all the gear, including the bike, into my truck, and headed out west. I live in "east" Greeley and I hate riding through town so I usually drive out to Monfort or The Buzz to take off from there.

This time I parked at the Buzz. There were a few men looking at me as I lifted my bike out of the back of my truck and put on all my stuff. They probably thought I was nuts but i really don't care. I just wanted to ride.

I ended up going 28 miles and had a great time! I felt really strong and fast - managed to maintain 18 - 19 mph most of the time, occasionally going above 20 mph. I rode out to Windsor and up New Liberty Hill, which is a killer hill. I always have to use my triple to get up that hill and felt this time that I didn't really have to use it but I did. I felt so good on that hill that I turned around, went down and back up it again!

Then, I headed around Hilltop Drive and out to the round-about (which is always fun on a bike) and back down to Highway 257. I don't normally go this far; I usually chicken out and go back on O street. This time I was determined to do something different, so I turned south on 257 and went up the big hill that leads to Highway 34. Although I was thrilled with "pushing the envelope" on my own, I realized that it was probably the wrong time of day to ride on any highway because there was a ton of traffic. And this traffic is flying by at 65 mph - not good.

But I trudged up the hill anyway and turned onto Business 34, which was a last minute decision but a good one. Business 34 has a much better shoulder than the main highway. I tooled along for several miles and turned south onto 95th Avenue and back to the Buzz from there. Great ride!

Its easy to run by yourself but biking is different. You feel as if you are taking your life into your hands by riding by yourself. And its somewhat true - its much easier to get killed on a bike than running. People are not as forgiving to cyclists as they are to pedestrians and plus, you can't always hear cars coming from behind (esp if its windy). Plus, there's always the fear of a flat tire and not being able to fix it and being stuck out in the middle of nowhere. Not good for women. This is why its always best to ride with a group but it just aint gonna happen for me in the middle of a weekday.

Today I had to teach so not much time for exercise. I would've run if I weren't injured but I was a good girl and decided to just wait.

Tomorrow I have my first appt with Proactive, a physical therapy place. I'll see Todd Smith, who I've seen before (and knew from CSU) and who I really like. Hope to get a core-strengthening program and tips on how to keep this iliac crest injury from getting worse and/or coming back.

That's all for now!

Adapting to Change

2010-04-03T17:23:00.002-06:00

No, I'm not talking about healthcare or anything political...I'm referring to going from running 10 - 12 miles with a group of people I really like to running maybe 3 miles with my dog. I love my dog but it wasn't quite the same this morning.

But if I focus on the positive, I can say that "at least I ran". I went very sloooooowwww and paid close attention to keeping my form correct, i.e., no weird swinging of my left leg, which I tend to do sometimes.

My goal was to run only on grass or ashphalt but absolutely no concrete. I took Daisy along, thinking that would force me to stop occasionally since she likes to do that. We did stop a lot, but I had forgotten that I had basically trained her to run on the sidewalk and well, she ran on the sidewalk. Sidewalks are made of concrete, did you know that?

But the bottom line is: I ran and I'm glad for it. Even though I felt somewhat lonely - knowing that all my friends were running either 12 or 20 miles today, laughing and joking the whole way - I knew I was doing the right thing. But I was lonely.

So, for now, this is my plan:

Run 2-3 days a week (what I was doing before) but keep the mileage low and slow, instead of doing tempo runs and going up to to 12 or more on my long runs, I'll keep it at 5-6 for awhile.
Bike 3 days a week, whether its Spinervals or outdoor riding. I want to include one Spinerval workout/week, however, and focus on speed and hill climbing to build strength
Swim 3 days/week
Lift 2 days/week and get started on a core strengthening program

The weird thing is, that without running hard, I don't get the "fit" feeling I usually have. I feel soft and unfit and I don't like that. That's why its so hard. I don't get the same zen from biking and swimming that I do from running. Then again, maybe I never tried to do that either.

So, lastly, I think I need some kind of daily meditation to keep my head on straight, to not go down the path of self-pity or "awfulizing" (thinking the worst) and to help me think positive. After all, this Ironman is all about having a better experience than my first one and that will mean finishing strong and well, faster than before.

So that's the plan and I'm stickin' to it.

A Different World

2010-04-02T21:57:00.000-06:00

On Thursday, I posted this on Facebook: "Its amazing how much time you have when you don't exercise"...and its true. Many people responded to that comment and although it sounded a little strange, I really meant it.

This is because I had decided to make good on my plan to lay off running (despite my 3 mile easy run/walk that I did on Weds) and NOT run on Thurs morning. It was so weird! I had so much more time and surprisingly, I was very relaxed. I had finally convinced myself that running too much or too often would make the pain in my iliac crest (not hip, actually) get worse. So I worked all morning on an assignment for my class at UNC and it felt strange to have so much time!

The problem is, I didn't even walk or lift so later in the day I had the "slug" feeling, which is not good. Then today (Friday) I had planned on riding with Nancy but it was so cold and windy that we decided not to go. Instead, I did a 40 minute Spinerval tape and lifted a little bit.

The interesting news is that I scheduled myself in to see Kurt for my "hip" pain! Talk about weird - seeing your spouse, who is a doctor, for a medical appointment. We decided to do that for several reasons (too many to write here) but the bottom line is that he examined my hip and gave me a shot to numb the pain. He also told me that my core is very weak, something I had suspected, and I'm "unbalanced".

What I really wanted was a referral to Proactive Physical Therapy, which I got, and will make an appt next week. I'm really looking forward to this appt because I think Darrell and Todd will have a good idea about what caused this pain and what to do about it. I really want to get started on a plan to strengthen my core and "balance" me so that I don't have this problem anymore.

That's all I can write now. Too tired...will try to run a short, easy run tomorrow and see what happens. Wish me luck!

Risky Business

2010-03-31T21:29:00.000-06:00

I feel like I should be in a confession booth writing this post and I'm not even Catholic. I have a confession to make...here goes: I ran today. I wasn't going to run for a week and I ran today.

But this is the deal: my hip was feeling good (no searing pain) and well, the weather was really nice and it was the time of day when I usually run and my body was just craving a good run.

So I made a deal with myself. I said I could run IF I went very slow and IF I would stop at the first twinge of pain and IF I stayed on soft surfaces. I decided to take Daisy since she usually stops a lot and that would force me to stop a lot too.

It worked quite well. I ran about 3 miles very slowly and for the most part, stayed on soft surfaces. I stopped multiple times with Daisy. I paid attention to my form and made sure I didn't twist or turn in any way that was not necessary. It felt so good to be outside!

Although I felt a slight twinge of pain with each footstrike, it was nowhere near what it was last week. After the run I took Advil and two extra strength Tylenols and iced the entire hip area for 20 mins. No pain!

But now, 8 hrs later, I feel it again. Its not any worse than its ever been but its still there. I didn't really expect it to go away and I'm glad its not worse.

I told Kurt and he thought that was ok. He can't get me in until Friday so he said a short run on soft surface was ok. I want him to assess it and then refer me to Proactive Physical Therapy, with either Darrell Martin or Todd Smith. They are the BEST physical therapists in town!

And, I got a good swim in today too. Made it to the pool slightly earlier this morning and warmed up for 200 yards, then did 6 x 125 and then 8 x 75's. Not a bad workout. My arms were really tired so I know I did something.

And one more thing re the hip situation. Its not really my hip...and its hard to explain where it is...but its the point of the bone to the left of the abdomen. Kurt says its the muscle that inserts into that bone there. It is obviously inflamed because it hurts so bad and I'm just curious to know what I did to it. Hopefully Darrell or Todd will know.

Until then, its rest, ice, and good ol' Celebrex!

Grin and Bear It

2010-03-30T19:30:00.000-06:00

The good news is that it was damn near 80 degrees today and I managed to sneak in a quick 20-mile bike ride. I could've easily blown it off because I had a million things to do but I stuck to my plan and made it happen. Yes!

I have a system that works well. Since I pick up my kids at 3:30 and their school is out west where I like to ride, I put my bike in the back of the van and drive to their school and leave from there. Today I was slipping into the I-don't-have-time-to-ride mode and I threw all my gear into the car and took off.

And there's a lot to do before riding (why running is so handy). I have to get my bike down from the hook on the ceiling, pump up the tires, and check the brakes. I have to put on the right clothes: bike shorts, top, jacket and sleeves when its cold, socks, and special bike shoes. Then, grabe my cell phone, water bottle with home-made Gatorade in it, sports bar, and bike gloves and put bike in the car (until Kurt puts our bike rack on the back).

It may not sound like a lot but it is a LOT more than what you do to go for a run. I'm proud to say that today I did it all within 5 mins and got out the door.

I rode to Windsor and had a fabulous ride! The only problem was that I had eaten such a big lunch that it was kind of uncomfortable to ride hard with a full stomach. And belching up black beans and salsa when you're int he aero position is not so fun.

I'm glad I got the ride in but I'm bummin' about my hip. I've decided to not run all week and see what happenes. It didn't hurt very much today so that's promising but when I would move certain ways, I could feel significant pain. I wish I knew how I pulled that muscle!

I am worried about how I will train for an Ironman with this injury. Everyone keeps telling me that its ok to take time off now and they're right, it IS best to take the time off now. But I haven't stopped running in 25 years (seriously) and I'm honestly wondering how I'm going to do it.

What I miss most is the Saturday morning long run. I've been doing that for 25 yrs now. I think I have missed only a handful of Saturdays in all those years. I don't how know to function without that long run. It kind of "sets" me for the week. I feel a little panicky when i think of not running long on Saturday or Sunday morning. I find myself thinking about sneaking out to do the run...what an endurance junkie I am!

So, we'll see how it goes this week. Hope to swim tomorrow and Friday, bike on Thursday and maybe Friday with a friend, and I guess bike again on Saturday. I really want to run!!!

ARRGGGHHH!!!!

Swimming is Good

2010-03-29T11:52:00.000-06:00

OK, so I'm not going to run for 5 - 7 days. But I can obviously swim and bike and thank GOD the weather looks fabulous this week! I just have to plan ahead since biking takes so much more time.

Today's swim felt really good but I got there later than I should have. I was in the water at 6:25 and I'd like to be there by 6:20. I will have to get up earlier or spend less time drinking coffee (I drink 1.5 cups before going to the pool - its my meditation time and you can't take it away from me).

Next week is spring break for my kids so I can stay longer since I won't have to get them to school. Hopefully, I can run short distances next week.

At the pool today, we did 12 100's and since I swam 200 before we started, I got in 1400 yards. Not great but better than nothing. Richard said I'm getting better. I've been working on "pushing through" to the end of my stroke (still). He says that I pull my arm out too soon. I might go down there tomorrow and work on this since I can't be there Weds morning (spending the night at our church to help a program for homeless families).

Hoping to have good news later this week!

The "I" Word

2010-03-28T22:03:00.000-06:00

Yes, that means "injury". And I've definitely got one. Ran with the group today, which really wasn't a good idea since it has been hurting quite a bit. But I thought that taking 2 days off would help and it kind of did. I was able to run 9.5 miles today but it hurt so bad afterwards that I literally could hardly walk. Ugh.

So I really might have to take some time off from running. I'm too tired now to think clearly but wanted to jot down my thoughts. And I think it sucks, plain and simple.

I have pain every which way I move. Not good.

Tomorrow is Master's swim so need to get to bed early so I can get up early (5:20 AM). Will swim and lift tomorrow, bike Tuesday and see how things are on Weds. If I can run 2-3 days/week that would be great. Then again, it might be best to not run at all for a week or so. But I'm afraid it will just come back again and what good did that do?

Kurt is finally taking me seriously and says he will either do a formal exam on me or refer me to someone he knows. I also want to see the guys at Proactive - the best physical therapy in town!

I'll keep you posted. Keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer, if you are so inclined. I need to start IM training soon!

Uh Oh

2010-03-26T14:14:00.001-06:00

I've been running some 25 years and I've never had an injury. Lucky, I guess. I've had my share of aches and pains and there's been many times that I've cut back on my mileage because I felt a twinge here or there but I've never had a full-on injury.

So, I should feel lucky, right?

I am lucky but darn it, why do I get one now? The year I am REALLY going for it....really going all out for the best possible finish time in my 2nd (and probably last) Ironman. And at a time when I'm REALLY enjoying my long runs!

I guess its fate.

Whatever it is, it stinks. And it hurts.

So, what is the injury? Its the sharp pain in my upper left hip bone - maybe pelvic bone, I'm not sure - that has been bothering me for months now. It has been especially painful when I get out of a car, for some weird reason. It hurts like heck when I step out of my Honda mini-van and I hobble for the first few steps.

The good news (until now) was that it did not hurt when I ran. This made it easy for me to rationalize running. I mean, why stop running if you don't have pain during the run? Ask any runner what they would do and they'd look at you strange and say "I'd keep running, of course". And so I did.

And it actually got better for awhile. It was hurting before the Florida Ironman but then it subsided and I was able to do the Ironman (although I walked most of the marathon, but that's another story).

I didn't feel it for weeks after the Ironman but then it slowly came back. But still, it never hurt during the run, only after (and it hurt like heck).

And its back with a vengeance. Yesterday, during a typical 5 mile run, it started hurting with each foot strike. Then it radiated down and around the entire hip area. Crap! I came home and could hardly walk. It was really, really painful. I took a Celebrex and iced it for 30 mins but it still kept hurting.

Today when I woke up, it hurt like heck. I made it to the pool and swam for 30 mins. Fortunately, for my psyche, I had a great swim! I wanted to swim longer but in order to get kids to school, I have to leave the pool by 7:00. Plus, Kurt had a 7:00 AM meeting and he needed a ride to the office. More on the swim later.

So, what to do. I should probably stay off it and keep taking Celebrex and icing it. But since I'm not running today or tomrrow, it might settle down long enough for me to run 90 mins on Sunday (can't believe I'm saying that). Cross your fingers - I really want to run on Sunday!

Back to the swim today. Tom and Richard were there and being the great guys that they are, they gave more excellent advice on my technique. Richard watched me swim underwater and told me to try the "almost catch up drill" which will hopefully force me to follow through on my stroke and "push" at the end, which is what I'm not doing. I tried it a few times and it did feel different. I really wanted to stay and practice longer (and the water felt so good!) but had to go. Such is the life of an endurance junkie with kids.

I'm looking forward to swimming more. I really think my stroke has improved and I want to start trying more speedwork (did I just say that???). But as I said in my last post, if I can manage 2 days/week until summer when I can go to 3 days/week, I should be fine. Can't wait to do open water swims again!

As for biking, I did a 30 min Spinerval workout today. Again, no time to do the whole thing. I tried one that Sarah loaned me and I can't remember the name of it but it called for three 6-minute bouts of high intensity cycling, after doing an extensive warm-up. The good news is that I did that and felt like I hadn't done much work - I was ready to do more but had to grade papers and write an exam. Sigh.

So, not a bad week all in all. Tomorrow I'm skiing with the kids and Sunday, I hope to be running with my friends. Prayers for healing and good karma will be accepted and appreciated!

TTFN!

Mental Health Run

2010-03-23T15:06:00.001-06:00

I teach at 9:30 on Tuesdays, so I have to run before taking my kids to school, which means getting out the door by 6:30 at the absolute latest. Today it was easy to do that because I had so much on my mind.

What was I thinking about? Health care reform, of course! And while I won't go into a political discussion here, I was feeling very frustrated, disappointed, and yes, a bit angry. And I'm FOR the reform bill!

Anyway, I needed to get out and burn off some negative energy running through my body. Sometimes we need to do that and for me, its the only way I can rid myself of the toxic ju-ju that too much news-watching creates in our brains.

I ran from 6:30 to 6:50 with Daisy (she actually did very well) and then another 25 mins by myself. I would've loved to have a LONG run to really work out the kinks but it just couldn't happen today.

Oh well, at least I felt better after the run. Some people turn to alcohol to drown their sorrows in but I go for a run. Its much healthier, they say!

Spring Rides: Heaven on Earth

2010-03-22T13:20:00.000-06:00

It must be the long winter that makes the first few rides in the spring feel so wonderful....the warm air, the chirping birds, the endless sun....ahhhhh...there's nothing like a long ride with friends on a Sunday afternoon in early spring.

Its Monday and I still feel a bit "high" from yesterday's ride. We left from Sarah's house at 1:30 and got back around 3:00'ish. It was a bit nippy at the start but we warmed up fast.

We went south to Milliken and then up Mad Russian Hill. I felt great! We rode 23 miles and I held a fast pace the whole way. I felt a little guilty because Sarah was not feeling great and I was pushing the pace (although Lynne and Marshall were way ahead of me). This was the first time I've ever done Mad Russian hill feeling strong enough to NOT use my 3rd ring.

I hope I have more days like yesterday!

I actually got a lot of exercise yesterday. I walked to and from church, which is a good 20 minutes if you walk very fast (30 mins at a leisurely pace) and really enjoyed that. I was a bit sore from the 11 mile run on Saturday so walking felt really good. In fact, I thought to myself that if I ever get injured and I cannot run, I would actually enjoy walking. There is a whole other zen to walking that you don't get with running (but the reverse is true too).

Today, I went to Master's swim and got there by 6:20, in the water by 6:25. I was really motivated to swim this morning and had a good workout. I couldn't keep up with Sarah (although she had on fins and I didn't) but it didn't bother me today. Tom was in the lane next to me and as usual, he kept me laughing.

I warmed up with about 400 yards (maybe more) of freestyle. Then the main set was: 2 x (200 easy, 150 fast, 100 easy, and 50 fast). There was a lot more but this was all I could do before 7:00, when I need to get out and get kids to school. So that would be....400 + 300 + 200 + 100 =1000, plus my warm-up = 1400 yards.

Normally, it would bother me to not do an entire workout but I've decided that until June, if I keep up this amount 3/week, I'll be in good shape to increase my swim mileage this summer and that's when the IM training really starts. And besides, I was doing this much (or less) this time last year and I managed to eek out a 1:18 IM swimtime! (I'm so proud of that!!!)

OK, so now I need to find time to lift weights. I always put that at the end of my list of things to do. I need to move that higher...that's my biggest challenge, in terms of training...well, and getting high mileage in while getting things done at home too!

Off to get kids at school...more later.

Plans Change...and Then They Change Again

2010-03-20T12:15:00.001-06:00

Such is the life of busy people who train for endurance events (and who like to FAC the night before our group run). This morning was a prime example.

The original plan was for those of us running 10 - 12 miles to meet at Sarah's house at 7:30 and those who were doing 20 (Dan and Jenny) to meet at Jenny's at 6:00 AM and we would hook up on the Matt Maske Trail (our name for the trail).

Then Sarah and Lynne go out for a beer at Crabtree on Friday night and after indulging in several beers with high alcohol content, they decide to change the plan to meeting at Jenny's. Sarah texted me late last night to tell me the plan had changed. I thought Jenny and Dan were in on this change and since it didn't matter to me, I was ok with it. So, this morning I get ready to go to Jenny's and decide to take Daisy so that she can play with Sammy while we run.

I load Daisy up in the truck and of course, she's all excited about going somewhere, and I head out to Jenny's. While stopped at a stoplight halfway out there, I turn on my phone and see that there is another text. This time its from Lynne and she said they changed the plans AGAIN to meet at Sarah's at 7:30!

Crap, what am I going to do with Daisy? And now I'm halfway to Jenny's and I'll have to go back home to drop her off and then back out to Sarah's house. ARRGGGHHH!

Long story short, there was an obvious snafu in the plan-making and it sounds like it happpened late last night at Crabtree's. This is not good. While I understand the reasoning for changing the plan (too long to explain here), it is NOT good to change a running plan late in the game and then change it AGAIN!

So I drove back to my house and dropped off a very sad-looking dog and then turned around and went all the way out west to Sarah's house. I got there late, of course, but I didn't care.

The good news is that Sarah, Lynne, Marshall, and I got in 11 miles. Dan, Brenda, Steve, and Jenny ended up doing 20 and that's what they needed to do (Dan and Jenny are training for spring marathons). And if you think about it, after all the years we've been running together on weekends and this is the first time we've ever had a major snafu, that's pretty good.

And the run was nice! It was 15 degrees when we started but I had dressed warm enough that I was comfortable the whole way. I felt sluggish in the beginning but got a 2nd wind mid-way through and finished feeling really good.

Sarah got a new yoga video for runners/triathletes so I stayed at her house and did half the video with her after the run. Oh boy, that was painful! I am not as flexible as I used to be and definitely not used to doing yoga so I could only do half of it (and was anxious to get home, shower, and eat). But it was nice to stretch and I feel pretty good now.

I'm just glad we had a nice run, considering how last night Katerina was not feeling well - had a swollen lymph node, sore throat, headache, and slight fever - so I thought I'd be staying home but she got up early this morning (like 5:30!) and said she wanted to go to snowboarding lessons (it was Kurt's turn to drive them today). She's one tough little girl.

Anyway, that's how it goes sometimes. Things change and then they change again. You just have to go with the flow...or don't go at all.

Quickie Swim

2010-03-18T22:17:00.000-06:00

Kurt and I hit the pool this morning and I'm proud to say I was IN the pool at 6:20 AM! That's the earliest I've ever made it. Not sure how I did it....it's all a blur right now.

We only swam for 30 mins but it was better than nothing. I did a combination of freestyle with and without the pull thingy and kicking. I like using the pull thingy because it keeps me afloat. I tend to sink without it. Plus, I heard that it mimics the bouyancy of a wetsuit fairly well.

I've learned that there are pros and cons to swimming on a non-Master's day. The pros are that you have a lane to yourself and you can go at your own speed and do whatever you damn well please.

The cons are that without a coach and a class full of really fast swimmers, its easy to slack off and/or lose motivation. I know I swim much harder and faster when I'm at Master's swim. But I also love the slow, easy pace of a non-Master's swim workout. I guess its best to include both in a training plan.

Speaking of training plans, I'm going to have to pick a training plan soon. Not sure if I'll use Gale Bernhardt's plan again. I emailed Wendy Mader re coaching fees but haven't heard back from her.

Tonight we have a winter's advisory for a snowstorm headed our way. Funny how I rode in shorts and short-sleeved jersey on Tuesday and tomorrow the high will be 32, with 3-5 inches of snow expected. Welcome to spring in Colorado.

Off to bed, hope to run or ride tomorrow, then long run with the group on Saturday. TTFN

First Spring Ride!

2010-03-17T22:01:00.000-06:00

Today is St. Patty's Day and although I got in a short "Daisy" run this morning, I'd rather write about yesterday - it was simply glorious.

First, it was incredibly warm. And after a long cold winter, the first REALLY warm day is exciting enough, but I was able to actually ride my bike, making it even BETTER.

I had a lot of school work to do so I worked hard all morning so that I could ride for 90 mins or so before picking up the kids. This is what you do when you train for endurance events and you have a job and kids...you plan ahead.

And it was hard to wait. I'm a morning runner/exerciser and to wait until the afternoon is excruciating for me. My body goes through all kinds of weird contortions when it doesn't get its usual fix.

I finally put aside the computer around 1:00 and decided to go. Biking is so much different from running because there's so much to do, esp for the first real ride of the season.

I decided to ride my old road bike (the same one I rode in the Ironman) instead of my fancy-schmancy new racing bike because my new bike was on my trainer and it doesn't have a water bottle cage and a few other things.

I hadn't ridden my road bike since the Ironman and my race number was still on the stem! I decided to leave it there as kind of a well, badge of honor so to speak. I couldn't bring myself to take it off just yet.

Next, I needed to pump up the tires but when I tried to unscrew the valve on the stem of the thinga-ma-jig, it wouldn't budge. I tried really hard and BAM, all the green gu inside the tire exploded out of the top! ARRRRGGGH! The green gu is stuff we put in the tire to keep it from going flat. It works great but now I had it all over my hands and bike shoes. UGH.

What to do. I can't get the valve to open and now my tire is flat. Crap, I really want to ride today!!! I have to pick my kids up from school by 3:30 and I want at least an hour ride. I try again and again and it won't budge. So, I do what I always do in situations like this: I call my husband.

Fortunately, I got ahold of him. He suggests taking the front tire off of his bike and putting it on mine. Great. I find his bike hanging upside down in the garage close to the wall, requiring me to reach across a stack of junk in the garage and finagle the bike off the ceiling hooks. After almost falling flat on my face, I finally get his bike down. The clock is ticking...

I quickly switch the front tires and notice that his tire is a bit low. No problem, I'm sure he doesn't have the same problem with his valve. I was right, he didn't, the valve opened up fine. BUT the gauge on our pump has fallen our, meaning that when you use the pump, all the pressure is lost and the air escapes through the opening where the gauge usually is. This means I have to hold my thumb over the hole while I pump the tire, which is really hard to do!

So, I start pumping with one hand. The other hand is keeping gauge-opening shut but the more I pump, the harder it gets. I finally give up and decide to ride it "as is". The front tire feels pretty good but the back tire clearly needed air. The clock was ticking....

I grab my helmet, shoes, water bottles, cell phone, powerbar, bike gloves (accidentally grabbing two right hand gloves but I didn't know it until later), sunglasses, purse, jacket (just in case), keys, and then put on bike shorts and shirt....stuffed the bike in the back of the van...and took off.

I drove to my kids' school so that I could ride from there. I hate having to do that but I like riding out west of town and if I ride from my house, I have to go through 4 major stoplights just to get out of town (with a few miles in between of stop and go traffic). This way, I can end my ride at 3:30, when the kids are getting out of school.

I get to the school, park the car, get the bike out and put front tire on, put cell phone, powerbar and jacket, in my backpocket, check brakes, put bikes shoes, sunglasses, and helmet on, notice that i only have one glove that I can wear and I put that on, and FINALLY I am ready to go!

As I head out of town, I notice how different my road bike feels from my racing bike. Wow! No wonder I had a slow bike time in Florida! I feel spread out on this bike, like my arms are reaching too far ahead. Oh well, its a beautiful day and I'M ON MY BIKE!

I check my watch and for once in my life, I see that I have plenty of time. So, I head out to Windsor. So far the bike is riding fine. It feels pretty good, actually. Its gonna be a great day.

I end up riding fairly fast out to Windsor because I just felt really good. I love riding on O Street, with its big wide curves and lack of traffic on weekdays. I felt like I was flying along....arms in my aerobars and my body tucked in as much as possible.

I got back to Greeley by 3:00 and since I had a little extra time, I turned around and looped back to 10th street and then back to 20th street. What the heck - I had the time and i just didn't want to get off my bike!

So that was yesterday (Tuesday). Monday, I ran a moderate 5 miles from Monfort (my kids' school) after dropping them off. Felt pretty good. Nothing spectacular, just a regular weekday run. I did run up Bunny Hill however and that's always a challenge.

Today, I missed Master's swim due to a certain dog I know, who woke me up at 3:00 AM. I couldn't go back to sleep until about 4:30 and there was no way I was getting up at 5:15 to go swim. Besides, its spring break and I don't feel too compelled to follow any kind of schedule.

Tomorrow I hope to make it to the pool by 6:20 with Kurt. Better get to bed then!

Birthday Run

2010-03-14T16:51:00.000-06:00

Today is my birthday and I only wanted two things: handmade cards from my kids (which I got and I love - complete with Jolly Rancher candy and sticks of gum taped to the inside) and a long run with my friends.

Although only two of my friends could make it, I really enjoyed the run AND the fact that at the ripe old age of 49, I could run 8 miles so easily, it felt like I hardly did anything.

I have to add that last night was Daylight Savings Time so our 7:30 run time was really 6:30, and Jenny and Todd still made it over to run with me. Todd is nursing an injury so he rode his bike while we ran. Now that is commendable!

Last year, my birthday was on a Saturday and there was a good size group that went. This year, being on a Sunday, and one when the time springs forward an hour, drastically reduced the number of people showing up (they all ran long yesterday).

So, I feel really good to have such good friends. Many people make comments about my running or doing triathlons and if they only knew how much easier it is to train when you have such a great group of friends.

Our long runs on Saturday are something that I look forward to all week. We laugh and talk and cheer each other on. We are all different, yet we have this one thing in common and it works really well.

Today, I thought about two close friends that I lost a few years ago. Geoff, who I had run and climbed with for many, many years (he was an integral part of our running group), who died of multiple myeloma at the age of 56, and Denise, who was a fellow adoptive mom and who I became very close friends with. Denise died of stomach cancer at the age of 43. Both amazing people and I will never forget them. I'm missing them today and will not take life for granted, knowing that they would give anything to be here today.

So, here's to life and to living it to the fullest, each and every day.

Last Ski Day...I Think

2010-03-13T20:25:00.001-07:00

Today was my 3rd and hopefully last day of hauling the kids and way too much gear up to Eldora for snowboarding lessons. I love my kids, of course, and I'm psyched that they are good snowboarders now but these Trek lessons are killing me.

First, I get up at 5:30 (which I do normally) and its a mad rush to get the kids ready and out the door (and wait til you hear what Fri night is like getting ready for this day!) and then its a 2 hr drive, door to door, then skiing by myself for 5 hrs, then skiing with the kids another hour, then loading up the car (which seems to take forever) and then an hour down the canyon (usually behind someone going just slightly under the speed limit so it also takes FOREVER), then eating in Boulder (not as fun as it sounds when you're dog-tired and sweaty from all the layers and wearing a helmet all day), then a long boring drive home that takes another hour. Ugh.

And the funny thing is, I love skiing. I really do. And its so cool watching the kids snowboard so effortlessly down the mountain. But it's a long haul to do in one day.

And so Friday night is worse....packing 3 lunches, finding ski clothes for the kids (socks, under garments, turtleneck, fleece jackets, ski coats, helmets, gloves, ski passes) and of course, there's always one glove missing, packing snacks for the ride home, making sure my ski's and their boards are in the topper, filling car up with gas, camera, sun screen, reading material (in case I linger in the lodge after lunch), water bottles, lip balm, and a movie for the kids to watch on the way up.

Its a major ordeal.

And I'm doing all of this knowing that I'll miss my Saturday morning run. My body yearns to run (or at least move) on Sat mornings and sitting in a car for the first two hours of the day (when I'm usually running) is cruel and unusual punishment.

But the kids and I had a great time and I know that's what is most important.

So, tomorrow Jenny, Cory, and Kevin are coming over to run with me at 7:30. I have to be in church so I need to be done by 9:00'ish. And its my birthday tomorrow so I want to run with my friends.

The downside (and this is a BIG downside), is that it's Daylight Savings Time tomorrow so we have to move our clocks forward, which means I'll lose an hour of sleep. Arrgggh!

So wish me luck getting out of bed in time to run at 7:30, which will really be 6:30 AM...the things we do for triathlons!

Flip Floppin' the Workouts

2010-03-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

Wow, this week flew by fast. And nothing went as planned. But you know, that's the name of the game when you're trying to fit your training in around soccer and choir schedules, work, and all the other stuff most people do. When people ask me "how do you fit it all in?", I honestly don't know!

So here's a recap of the week:
Sunday - This was the weirdest day. We had a ride scheduled at 2:00 PM because we heard the weather was finally going to be nice so I didn't run in the morning. But when I took Daisy for a walk, I felt strangely energetic and really wanted to run. I jogged a bit and really had the urge to do a 5-6 mile run but told myself that no, I better not, since I'm riding at 2:00 and since I ran 12 miles on Sat, it was ok not to run.

But the weather was so cold and crappy that we aborted the ride. I was bummed because i could've run in the morning and now I was out both a run AND a ride. But it was way too cold and grey to ride. So, I went with my kids to a park to fly a kite and guess what, the sun comes out and it warms up 10 degrees (at least it felt like it) and was absolutely beautiful! I could've rode after all. ARRRGGGHHH.

Monday
Master's swim. Felt pretty good. Had to leave by 7:00 to get kids to school but got in 1500 yards. I decided that that is ok for now. Until school is out, swimming 1500 - 2000 yards on Mon and Weds is good enough.

Went home and ran a good run but I don't remember how far it was right now...I think 5 miles

Tuesday
Rode my trainer 30 mins

Wednesday
Master's swim and fast 6 mile run. Felt good. Ran up Bunny Hill twice.

Thursday
Can't remember right now...

Friday
Rode my trainer: 20 min warm-up, then did 8 x 1 min bouts of fast spinning (90 rpm), then 12 x 45 second bouts of fast/hard spinning at 80 rpm. Had to get kids to school so got off bike, put on running clothes and after dropping off kids, took Daisy to Josephine Jones Park and ran her around there. It was warm enough I could've wore shorts! Felt good. Need to find time to lift!

Tomorrow I am taking kids to Eldora for snowboarding lessons. Then on Sunday, which is my birthday, I'm running 90 mins with Jenny and whoever else shows up.

I've been thinking a lot about the Ironman. I really want to go for a faster time this time and how I'm pretty motivated to train hard. I've been thinking a lot about my training schedule too...its gonna be crazy this year but I'm up for it. That's why this blog is helpful - keeps me accountable.

What I need now is a stronger upper body and more bike training. My running is solid and even though I complain about how slow I am as a swimmer, I know I can train up to where I want to be with swimming. But it will take diligence...and sacrifice....and a hefty dose of humor.

As my husband alwasy says, don't take yourself too seriously...

Surprise 12-Miler

2010-03-06T12:04:00.004-07:00

First, before I write about the run, I have to say that I am SO frustrated with Blogger. It is very hard to put pictures and text on this blog where I want them! I also do NOT like the text centered like this but it won't let me change it. Believe me, I've tried. And the white space below this paragraph is unintentional, it won't let me start a new paragrap below this one. It skips to below the picture. Go figure!

This morning I met my friends at Jenny's house for our usual group run. Jenny wanted to run 18 (she's running a marathon in Kentucky in a few weeks) and Dan and Brenda wanted to run 12 (both training for marathons). Sarah and I just wanted to run 9 or 10 so we planned to do "just the loop" (which 9.something).

We also had Paul, Dave, Kevin, and Cory along for the ride. Such a stellar group to run with!

We headed out into the chilly fog (and yes, that's me in short-sleeves...). The thermometer said 37 but it felt more like 27 because it was a "wet cold". But I quickly warmed up and by the end of the run, the sun came out and of course, I was hot.

Sarah, who was running ahead of me, missed the turn off point to go back and I just followed her. I knew that that meant we were doing more than 9 but I decided that I need to start pushing it. In other words, I need to stop wimping out.

So, I didn't say anything and like a good Ironman-trainee, I kept going. This is precisely why I do my long runs with a group - you almost always go farther than you would have on your own. And I actually felt pretty good. No complaints (and you know you'd read them here if I had any!)

In the picture at left: Brenda, Dan, Sarah, Kevin, and Paul. The others are behind me. See how foggy it is? Ugh. But we got it done and I'm glad I went for the full 12. Now I can sit on my butt all day and not feel too guilty.

Came home and had a delicious bowlful of leftover Pasta with Sausage and Soybeans. This is one of my favorite recipes and although the title doesn't sound too appealing, it is absolutely delicious. Low in fat and high in protein and carbs. I'll put the recipe on my Recipe page. Try it - you'll love it!

Breaking it Up

2010-03-05T21:51:00.026-07:00

One of the most important things I learned while training for my first Ironman is that its very easy to get burned out on training. And the best way to avoid burn out is to "break it up" - or simply, do something other than swimming, biking, or running when you get a chance. And although I am not officially in training yet, I have been gradually building my training base since January and that means my mind is focused on one thing 90% of the time: training.

So, I've decided to add other interests to my life. In fact, I found something that I enjoy so much that it could easily replace triathlons if it were logistically easy to do. And that would be skiing.

I grew up in Kansas and honestly, I don't think I had even heard of skiing until I was in junior high. And since my family didn't have much money, it was not anything we did or even thought of doing. It was a totally foreign concept to me throughout most of my life (and still is in some ways!).

Anyway, my kids learned to ski when they were 5 in Eldora's Trek program. Like most kids, they loved it. They went on to be pretty darn good skiers and would handily fly down any blue slope they could find and would occasionally do a black slope.

I was not far behind but being an adult, my worldly knowledge and great wisdom that I constantly told them about only made me more fearful of the steepness, because I knew what could happen if I, say, ran into a tree. They did not have this perspective, which freed them up to ski as fast as they could with nary a worry about crashing into anything. And crash they did, but they got up and kept going. Tough little buggers.

So, they had Thursday off and we went skiing and snowboarding. They did the latter while Kurt and I skied. It was a nice diversion from the usual swim, bike, run routine and I loved it. It won't be long before I'm on a rigid training program and I cherish these days when I can do what I want.

Two-a-Days = One Tired Mama

2010-03-03T13:38:00.001-07:00

The good news first: I had an awesome 7 mile run today. And I mean awesome! I haven't felt that strong in a long time. It was like "old times" - when I used to run 5-7 mile runs on weekdays and feel really good. I did that for years and years, back in my marathon days. Seems so long ago now!

And that's not all: I also did Master's swim this morning. I only swam about 1500 yards but it felt great. As usual, I had to leave by 7:00 to get the kids to school but I did the main set and I was very happy about that. We did two 250's, two 200's, two 150's, two 100's, two 50's, all at race pace with about 30 seconds in between (after a 500 yard warmup).

The not-so-good news (or should I say the reality check) is that I can hardly move now. This is the difference between training when you are almost 49 and training when you are 29 or 39. I can still do it, but it takes longer to recover.

My younger training partners don't seem to get this. They seem to think I can run what they do and feel fine. Not! There is a definite difference in recovery time (and energy level, sleep, mood, and sex drive, but that's another story) when you approach 50. Like I said earlier, you can still do the training but you get sore-er, faster. As my kids would say, it's more better to be younger.

Then again, all of my running and endurance training has paid off in other ways. I'm fairly smart about what I need to do to accomplish my goals and I know darn well how one day can feel significantly different from the next. Every runner will tell you that you can run like the wind one day and feel like a turtle the next. Its the nature of the beast.

So, its rest, ice, and Celebrex for me today (icing my hip). And since this blog is about training and parenting at the same time, I'm off to the school to pick up my two punks plus 3 others. All five kids will ~~terrorize~~ hang out at my house for a few hours and then I take 3 of them to church and the other 2 to soccer practice.

Such is the life of an Iron Quest Mama. Ha!

Hurts So Good

2010-02-26T14:37:00.000-07:00

Ran 10 with Dan, Sarah, and Brenda today. I love running with Brenda because she has a Garmin so we always know exactly what distance we ran. Then again, it always seems to be less than what I thought.

No time to write more. We had great weather and good company - makes the miles go by so fast! Heading up to Eldora tomorrow with the kids for some more 'boarding. Then plan to ride like the wind on sunday (on my trainer of course!).

I Thought I Liked Winter

2010-02-25T11:46:00.000-07:00

I've always liked running in the winter. For some reason, the cold air feels refreshing to me. In fact, 35 degrees (with no wind) is my favorite running temperature.

Having lived in northern Maine for 3 years (where I trained for my first marathon), I've had the dubious pleasure of running in MUCH colder temps (like zero degrees).

This is me at Winter Park running with my hubby early in the morning in 5 degree tempterature. Not what I would prefer but it wasn't as bad as most people think.

But you know, come March, I'm tired of the cold and I start yearning for that first warm spring day when I can just throw on a pair of shorts and a singlet and head out the door....feeling the warm sun on my skin....ahhhhh, spring please hurry up!

So, what did I do this week? Not as much as I would have liked. Missed Master's swim Monday due to a malfunctioning alarm clock. This is not good. Rode my trainer for 30 mins on Tuesday - whoop-dee-do.

Swam on Weds and despite being way, way behind everyone else (not just way behind like Richard said I was last week), I felt good. Enjoyed the swim and wanted to do more but had to leave to get kids to school (those kids!). Got them to school and went for a very nice 5 mile run. Loved it. Totally lost myself in my ITunes.

Today I'm taking off because I basically didn't get my act together early enough but that's ok since I'll be running 10 miles with Dan tomorrow. Looking forward to that. Really want to get back to running more - yesterday I had that feeling like "gee I haven't done a regular weekday run in awhile".

I will lift today, however. Need to get stronger.

To prepare for tomorrow's run, I'll eat extra carbs today. Endurance athletes need 6 - 10 g/kg of carbohydrate each day. That's at least 400 g for most people. So I'll eat pasta tonight and snack on high carb foods throughout the day: dried fruit, fruit, yogurt, muffin, pretzels and/or pop corn (while watching the Olympics) and a certain hops-containing beverage.

Off to the races...

Sunday Redemption

2010-02-21T15:03:00.002-07:00

After sitting in a car for 4.5 hrs yesterday and then sitting on my butt watching the Olympics for 2 hrs last night (I'm totally hooked), I felt the need to exercise this morning. Nevermind the fact that all of my clothes are fitting a little too snug lately but that's another story.

Anyway, with 3 inches of fresh snow on the ground and more coming down, I decided not to run. Instead, I would ride my trainer. And btw, this is one of the advantages of being a multi-sport athlete: you have at least 3 different ways to get your training fix.

I was feeling pretty fiesty so I popped in Coach Troy Jacobson's Ride and Stride 10.0, one of my favorites. Its rated as extremely difficult which was perfect for how I was feeling.

But first I will a mention mistake I made in my nutrition this morning. I don't normally make nutrition mistakes because, well, I am a sports dietitian after all. I have a PhD in nutrition, for cryin' out loud. But even we "experts" screw up once in awhile.

And it wasn't really a nutrition mistake. It was a planning mistake. I ate my usual bowl of oatmeal (mixed with flax cereal, grape nuts, and reduced-fat granola) and thought I'd sit down with my son to listen to him read a book while I let my breakfast settle. My thought was that it would take awhile to digest so I might as well sit and read with him while my tummy does it's thing.

But the book was longer and harder than I thought, meaning that we sat for a very....long...time on the couch and I was itchin' to ride. I didn't want to say "sorry, Evan, mommy can't read with you, she has to ride her bike" so I pretended to be a good parent and patiently sat there while he read.

Then I hear a strange sound...it's my stomach growling. I'm hungry already which means I won't have a good ride. I always time my meals so that I ride or run when the food is digested and on it's merry way to the small intestine for absorption (you can actually feel that happening if you pay attention).

But food travels at different rates depending on what else is going on in the body. Suffice it to say that i should've rode much earlier - I was now going past the point of having plenty of fuel in my bloodstream for fast-moving muscles. ARRRGGGHH!

No big deal, right? Just ride later, right? No, I want to ride RIGHT NOW. So I did what any self-respecting Ironman trainee would do: I told my son that we would take a break so he could play the computer and I could, um, ride my bike.

It was a total win-win situation. He flew off the couch and raced to his room, promptly plopping himself in front of his computer to play a totally brainless video game. I raced off to get my bike gear on (envisioning his brain turning to total mush and his college scholarships going down the drain). But I had to do it now while I had the energy or else the day would be shot.

Long story short, I did the entire Ride and Stride workout and felt great. And lest you feel the need to chastise me for not finishing the book with my son, we DID finish it after lunch and he is now happily snowboarding over at the UNC hill. So there! It really was a win-win situation!

I share this story because I have a lot of women ask me how I train and be a mom at the same time. Well, it doesn't always work out the way I want it to, but most of the time I'm able to pull off both tasks fairly well. It comes down to planning ahead and simplifying your life so that you do have time for training (more on simplifying later). And to be honest, you have to "just do it" or it will never get done.

In other words, you have to prioritize your training (or exercise) fairly high. This may sound selfish but everyday I first think about when I will run/ride/swim/lift and then I plan my day around that time. I may not get all my housework done or all the phone calls made that I need to make, but those things have a way of working themselves out anyway. Just get the exercise done first and everything else will work out fine (most of the time). Really, it will!

Kids Come First

2010-02-20T20:02:00.003-07:00

Well, its Saturday and I didn't run today, first time in a very.....long....time. All my friends ran together today too (sniff, sniff). Where was I? Shleppin' my kids up to Eldora for snowboarding lessons, that's where!

My kids are good skiers but like every other red-blooded Colorado kid, once they saw snowboarding, skiing was history.

Kurt and I didn't get it at first. After all, we had skied with the kids for 3 years now and had a wonderful time together.

With a heavy sigh, we gave in and signed them up. But you can't learn snowboarding in just one lesson - it takes many lessons. Hence, the 6 week Trek program at Eldora.

So, no long run for me today. And I must admit, its hard giving up my long run. And I don't have to totally give it up - I can do it on Sunday but I missed running with the group. Its the only time I see most of my friends. But its ok, I had a good time with the kids.

So, a few notes on the last few days:

Weds, Feb. 17th
Short, sloppy 4 mile run after swimming...not great but I got 'er done.

Thursday, Feb. 18th.
Well, what a run I had that day! I didn't get my morning run in so I thought I'd take Daisy with me when I went to pick up the kids and run with her, while Kat was at WOW at tennis lessons (Evan went with Kurt to FC. When I left the house, it was partly sunny and 34 degrees. I wore my usual number of layers for mid-30 temps. By the time I got to Monfort, the temp had dropped 10 degrees! The wind picked up and it started snowing.

I dropped off K at tennis lessons and by then, it was downright freezing cold. The wind was fierce and it was snowing/sleeting steadily. Daisy was going crazy knowing that she was going for a run so I had to make a decision. Do I bag the run and watch K while staying warm and cozy or do I brave the wind and sleet for a good run with Daisy. I chose the latter.

We ran about 5 miles and I was frozen when I got back to the car. I had not dressed for the cold wind but decided to gut it out anyway. I ran Daisy behind Aims Community College and let her off the leash. That was fun! She zoomed all over the place like any respectable golden retriever puppy would do and I attempted a tempo run to keep warm.

But one thing I didn't think of...because the temperature had been warmer that day, there was a lot of mud. Daisy ran through as much of it as she could possibly find. When we got back to the car, she was soaked in mud, sleet, and snow. Lovely. I put her in the car pinching my nose already, knowing how much the car would stink when I came back.

Despite the bitter cold wind and the fact that my face was covered with sleet, I didn't care. I had a great run!

Friday, 2/21
45 min Spinerval workout - ooh la la! Felt great and really went for it. Felt so good I couldn't stop and did something that I have never done: made my kids 20 mins late for school! I just couldn't stop...shhh...don't tell anyone in the administration office at Monfort Elementary School!

National Lindsey Vonn Day

2010-02-17T17:14:00.001-07:00

Ok, so there's no such thing (yet) but after hearing that she won the gold today, I think there should be. First American female to win an Olympic gold medal in women's downhill skiing. Plus, she's won the World Championships at least once. Enough reason for a holiday for me!

So, today I did Master's swim and again, I couldn't hang with the rest of the group. Richard tried to make me feel better (and he actually did) by commenting on how far I've come since I started Master's a year ago.

And he's right....I was whining about being way slower than the rest of the group and he said "yeah, but you used to be only way, way slower". So I guess I'm only way slower...not way, way slower...that's different!

Managed to eek out 6 150's but no time for more. Went home, got kids breakfast and took them to school, and went for a quick run. A short, not-so-great run but that's ok, it was better than nothing.

President's Day

2010-02-15T09:22:00.004-07:00

Well, today is President's Day, which means it's Monday, which means its a Master's Swim Day. Yes, I got my tired butt out of bed at 5:15 AM this morning and made it to the pool on time. And yes, I did the main set which is good since that's what I'm supposed to do. And yes, I am still the slowest swimmer there.

But first, let's catch up from last week. Lots to write about. Here is a recap of my workouts:

Wednesday, 2/10:
Master's swim and 30 min Spinerval workout. That's all I remember, too long ago (this is what happens when you get old)

Thursday, 2/11:
Five mile run after dropping kids off at school. Felt tired and sluggish, wanted to stop at mile 3. Pushed through last 2 miles but it was not pretty. Strangely, I got really hot and did something I never do: took off my gloves. I also took off my base layer top but I do that frequently but I always keep my gloves on when the temp is below 40. But for some strange reason my hands got hot - really weird. The last 2 miles seemed like another 5 miles. Strange all the way around.

Friday, 2/12:
Day off and for the life of me, I don't remember why. Probably because I knew I was running long on Saturday. See, my memory is totally shot.

Saturday, 2/13:
11 mile run with friends (see pic above). This was a good/bad run. Good because I ran 11 frickin' miles with people I really like (and we laughed the entire way) but bad because well, I felt like crap. Started off good but could hardly finish. I was very sore and tired. Everyone else was fresh. Great. Me, the one who just did an Ironman in November (remember?), could hardly do 11 miles.

The other picture is pretty funny. We were out in the middle of nowhere on a dirt road that no one uses and guess what's out there? A hospital sign! That wouldn't be so funny if you didn't know that there isn't a hospital anywhere near that sign. NCMC is way, way far away. So we call this route "the hospital route".

And if you're not from Greeley you wouldn't know that there is a bitter rivalry between Greeley's hospital (NCMC) and the new one outside of Loveland (MCR). My husband works at NCMC and Brenda works at MCR so we had to get a shot of them pointing the way to "the hospital". Too funny.

Sunday, 2/14:
Two mile run with Daisy in bitter cold wind. I actually wanted to run farther but my kids were singing in church that morning and I didn't have time. Plus, Daisy had just eaten before we left and she stopped a lot so I cut it short.

And as I said above, today was Master's swim. I'm beginning to sound like a broken record here but gee wiz, will I ever catch up with my swim-mates??? I was so far behind today that half of them left before I finished the main set. I even started with fins!

I shared a lane with Kurt and HE was actually slower than me (for once). He got there late and didn't get to warm up so he was fairly slow. Cool. I out-swam someone and it was my husband. For once, I have bragging rights in this household.

This was the main set. Comments are welcome!
2 x 250
2 x 200
2 x 150
2 x 100
2 x 50

I did about a 500 yd warmup and then this main set. I liked it but wish I could swim with everyone else! Even Sarah who has been injured for 2 months blew me away.

But I redeemed myself on a fast tempo run 2 hrs later. Felt fantastic! Ran 40 mins, with 3 ten-minute surges, holding a near all-out pace. Woo hoo!

No Dog, No Love, No Joy...

2010-02-09T21:35:00.003-07:00

Today was one of those days that it was hard to find time to exercise. I had a lot to do and a lot on my mind. I could've easily blown it off.

But not when you have a 1 yr old Golden Retriever puppy staring up at you with those big brown eyes...begging you to take her on a run.

So I did and it was great. I went at 5:00 PM, which is odd for me; I usually run in the morning but since I teach on Tuesday mornings, i couldn't go this morning. It was a nice change. The sun was heading over the horizon and the sky had that "dusky" look.

We ran through some neighborhoods and down to Sanborn Park. She did her usual "stopping" thing, where she stops and rolls on the snow, about 4 or 5 times. But I didn't care. I wasn't in any hurry.

There's just something special about running with your dog. It is the ultimate de-stresser. How can you not be happy running at a comfortable pace with a gorgeous dog trotting along beside you?

We only ran 30 mins but it was all I needed to unwind from a busy day. And judging from the way she is curled up by my side right now, I would say it was enough for her too.

Off to bed early tonight...tomorrow is Weds and I want to make Master's swim, which means getting up at 5:15. Too bad I can't take Daisy with me to the pool!

How 'Bout Those Saints???

2010-02-08T06:45:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a game! And I'm not even a football fan. In fact, I didn't even know who was in the Superbowl until last Friday (tragic, I know). But I was on the edge of my seat the entire game.

And we topped it off with great food: Cindy's Healthy Nachos, Chicken Tortilla Soup, Sunshine Wheat Beer, and Kurt's Famous Mint Chocolate Chip Cake with reduced-fat vanilla ice cream. Yummy!

And since I bet my daughter a bag of Skittles that the Saints would win, I'll finish it all off with well, a bag of Skittles (just kidding, I won't make her buy them for me!).

So, did I do any training yesterday...hmmm...its Monday morning and I'm trying to remember....oh yes, I ran Daisy around the football field at UNC a few times (love watching that dog run!) and then I tooled around the neighborhood at a very slow pace a few times. Still sore from Saturday but it felt good to get out.

I can finally use the basement so I'll probably spin later this morning. Can't go swimming today...no explanation needed. Oh, and maybe I'll lift a few weights too. Gotta work off the extra beer I had yesterday (just kidding, I only had two!).

Happy Monday!

Nothin' Like a Good Long Run With Friends

2010-02-06T12:46:00.001-07:00

Most people like to sleep in on Saturday mornings. Many like to relax and read the paper. Not me and well, not most runners. We like to do what we do best: run, talk, and laugh.

Today was no exception. And today was one of the best group runs I've ever had. It was good for a lot of different reasons but mainly because I really like the people I run with.

And it was funny because Dan and Brenda, who are both training for spring marathons, wanted to start their run at 7:00. Kurt and I didn't want to run quite that early because we thought we were going to be out late Friday night, so we got a small group to go at 8:00. Well, we actually ran into them during our run so we combined both groups and ran together. Too funny!

And, we didn't end up being out late anyway so we could've gone at 7:00...long complicated story but the bottom line is we all ended up running together anyway.

Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera today so I posted a picture from a recent group run that I really like. Everyone in the picture was there today, PLUS some, including: Lynne, Marshall, Kurt, me, Kevin, Brenda, Dan, Sarah, Alaina, and Rob. Fun group!

And I liked this run for another reason: I felt great. Our group ended up running 1 hr and 40 mins and I felt really good the whole time. I'm guessing it was 10 or 11 miles. We made one semi-long pit-stop at Sarah's house for 3 of us to use the bathroom, but other than that ran most of the way.

Tomorrow there is the 30th annual Super Bowl Sunday 5k which originally was going to benefit Haiti but since there was a tragic accident here in Greeley this week that killed a 15 yr old girl, the money will go to help her parents pay for her funeral. So sad!

We won't be running the race (kids singing in choir at church) but will contribute toward the cause. I'm a firm believer in "what goes around comes around" and you never know when you might need some community support. Plus, I just want to help this family.

Now that I got my running fix, I can get on with the day...