iron trish

Ironman to..

2010-04-20T17:00:00.003-04:00

Ironmomma !

I've been quiet because J and I didn't tell anyone except family during the first trimester. I'm out of that and feeling better [still exhuasted] and excited for this next big adventure.

found out February 13-> B.F.P. (big fat positive) O.M.G! >

early sonogram [aka "blob with a heartbeat"]>

almost 12 weeks and starting to resemble a little person>

due: October 17, 2010
can find out the sex in about a month
am currently 14 weeks.

pregnancy goals:
> don't be too hard on myself. making a little person is tough work !
> 150-200 minutes of exercise/ week
> remember that all movement is good movement !

... and then?

tri/ running goals [times + dates tbd]:
> qualify for Boston [3:40:59]
> run Boston
> sub 6 hr HIM [did 6:00:25 last year, soclose!]
> more involved in my local tri club
> volunteer at road races/ tris
> sub 1:45 half mary
> another IM?! [this will be a few years, I'm sure, but I am definitely interested in that journey at least one more time...]

snow-m-g 2010.

2010-02-08T18:39:00.006-05:00

or: snowgasm 2010
or: snopocolypse 2010
or: snover it!

we aren't used to getting much snow here in Maryland. the whole State shuts down at 2 inches, so you can imagine how we're dealing with the 30 inches dumped on us over the weekend, and the additional 12-20" we are currently getting. I worked Monday and Tuesday, and I'm actually grateful for that (despite my bitching) ... it put off cabin fever for a it.

anyhow, I strapped on the yaktrax and headed out into the city. I got a lot of girl, you are Crazy looks (to be expected). The snow was beautiful and I was able to run in the middle of the road - practically no cars because it's now illegal to drive unless you are an emergency state vehicle.

it's not very cold but the wind ! whew - biting and strong. I ran into the wind on the way out and with it on the way back. I kind of enjoy running in the snow but it's hard to get in any significant mileage.

now, spring, if you could kindly make an appearence, I would be much obliged !

yay for my waterproof/ freezeproof/ shockproof camera !

patterson park pagoda ^
running down president's street ^

at the Inner Harbor ^

yaktrax prints ^ [greatest. invention. ever]

Pier 5/ Inner Harbor ^

running down eastern ave ^

still here. still running !

2010-01-31T00:12:00.004-05:00

haven't blogged in a while because I don't have a whole lot going on.

still doing this challenge and it's going pretty well. I'm at 45/ 47 days and as long as I get in a few more double runs, I'll meet my goal. yay.

bundled up and went trail running this morning with some of my beginnertriathlete.com buddies. It was a balmy 16* when I left my house and 21* when we started running. As usual, I wore too much and ended up shedding the hat, mittens, ear wamers, and neck gator halfway through. I always do that! It's just so tempting to overdress when it's really freaking cold. Next time: just the (thin) hat, and thin gloves (no more 'hot fingers' mittens).

I finally picked up Bella-the-tri-bike from the bike shop last week. It's been there since the beginning of December. whoops.

Still have yet to get in the pool or on the bike. teehee.

neat-o photo of the Cozy swim>

runner girl

2010-01-09T19:58:00.003-05:00

I haven't registered yet but I think I'm going to do the National Half Marathon. I haven't done a half mary since 2007 and I'd love to PR. I did the mary last year and really like the course.

Today I did my first double digit run since Cozy [and unlike the Cozy 26.2, this was an actual run. teehee]. It was in the high 20s and I was pretty warm until about mile five - even taking off my jacket - until, at mile 5.2ish, the wind really picked up ! After that I was much more comfortable. I did my familiar Butcher's Hill to Fort McHenry and back. Love that part of the city.

Fun fact: Fort McHenry is the birthplace of the National Anthem: O say can you see, by the dawns early light, a large red, white and blue banner? Whose broad stripes and bright stars . . . were so gallantly streaming! over the star-shaped Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore, September 13-14, 1814. The valiant defense of the fort by 1,000 dedicated Americans inspired Francis Scott Key to write The Star-Spangled Banner.

history + running = neat-o!

1h 33m 02s 10.22 miles 09m 06s/Mi

I got home at 4:00 and left at 4:55 for a second run - solely for the purpose of another tally for the 100-runs-in-100-days challenge. This, my friends, was tough. It was cold and I was tired.

20m 22s 2.12 miles 09m 37s/Mi

When I got back from that I felt awful. 12+ miles when you haven't done more than 7 recently isn't terrible per se, but I just felt like poop. A couple advil, some water, a bubble bath, a bowl of soup, and a mug of hot black tea, though, and I'm all better.

I'm so happy to be training.

oh, my dad [finally!] sent me his Cozy photos. the one below is me finishing - on the jumbotron!

brrrrrr + happy 2010 !

2010-01-02T21:32:00.003-05:00

I am ready for spring. I am very ready for spring. I will not bitch about the heat. I will not bitch about the humidity.

I promise.

The cold I can tolerate but these winds ...wooooo-eeeee. I have a face mask and I might have to break it out. I just hate breathing while wearing it.

My 100-runs-in-100-days challenge is going pretty well. I am 16/ 19 and plan on getting in some (more) double runs as time permits.

I have yet to get in the pool or on my bike since Cozy. I have yet to even pick my bike up from the bike shop. I kind of miss swimming but I am a bit ashamed to say that I don't miss cycling.. that's probably because it would have to be on the trainer, and boo to the trainer. once spring comes (it will come, right?) I'll enjoy getting out there again.

happy 2010 , friends ! what does the year hold for you ?

that girl.

2009-12-29T14:15:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking a lot in the offseason [dangerous, I know]. When you hang out on triathlon message boards and read triathlon blogs and talk triathlon every day with triathletes ... you tend to forget that it's a very (very very very) small group of people who do what we do.

Sometimes I feel like everyone I know has done a marathon and an Ironman and has qualified for Boston/ Kona/ podiums/ wins. It's what happens when a lot of your friends do what you do. and while we shouldn't rest on our laurels and our past races and our past PRs - it is, of course, our goals and ambitions that drive us to the bigger and better - we should remind ourselves that what we do is pretty damn cool. and pretty damn impressive.

you might be dissapointed with a crappy half marathon, but to someone who has never run a mile - you are a rockstar. you may never qualify for Kona, but you are among a very small group of people who can say I AM AN IRONMAN.

Just "tri-ing" is a big step. It's one of the reasons I just became a mentor on beginner triathlete. it's so exciting to see my mentees take on their first sprint triathlon, their first half marathon, their first half ironman. I will never be elite. I will never run a sub 3 hour marathon or a sub 4:30 HIM. But: I can encourage and support and pass on what I've learned to others. I'm very much looking foward to encouraging my mentees and see their progress and successes.

As 2009 comes to close I urge you all to step back from your 2010 goals, from your 2010 races and predicted race times to look back over the past year, the past few years, and congratulate yourself. you are a rockstar. just for getting out there and doing it. just for leaving it all on the course. just for signing up and showing up.

[from bikesportmichigan.com]

That Guy. You know him. He can also be That Girl, and often is.

It is that guy (or girl) who you see at every race. He's at every one. Everywhere in the country.

He is always more tan than you are. He is usually a good bit thinner too. His calves have those mysterious vertical striations that define each individual muscle; as if to say, "I have spent hours training each individual muscle in each calf- each individual muscle fiber in fact."

He/she has triathlon clothing that is super cool that you've never seen before. You have no idea where it came from. If you were to ask him- if you mustered up the courage to approach him- you would get some vague answer like, "Ahh, well, I know Dave McGillicutty at Sweetass Trisports and he got these samples, prototypes really, that he….. blah, blah, blah…." And you just wanted to know where you could buy a pair of those cool trishorts he has. Maybe they would make your ass look like Michalangelo chiseled it too. Prolly not though.

So this guy (or girl): His bike is clean. It is also weird. It has parts you think you may have seen in a magazine and, is that what carbon fiber looks like? Half the stuff he has, no, all of it, is stuff you've either only seen in magazines or never even heard of.

He's wearing sunglasses. But he didn't buy them. They just kind of "got there". He drives a special car just for doing what he's doing now: Getting ready for a ride, a run, a swim workout or the triathlon you're at now. He has stickers all over it.

You know when he talks about "Hawaii" he isn't talking about the state as a vacation destination, but rather, an event that you've only seen on TV. He is either talking about getting into it, having already gotten in, or why his last race there wasn't as good as it should have been. It had something to do with some chemical in his body you've never heard of. "Too much polychondrotineospandoplasm in my maldochondriacts during the last ten miles of the run. I should have know better." Yeah, an obvious mistake for someone like that guy (girl). Another thing that guy knows that you don't. Polywhat in his maldowho?

So you get to the race and there is that guy. Setting up all his stuff in the transition area like he's done probably a thousand times before, or so it seems.

And that guy is the reason why so many people are afraid to give this sport (and many others) a try. Because you know you are not That Guy (or girl) and they will look at you and think "Oh, another novice athlete…." And maybe you are embarrassed by that. I know I have been.

That guy is experienced, dedicated, accomplished, fit, knowledgeable, well versed and respected in the sport. You are a beginner. So you are at the bottom of the food chain here. You may be the big woman or man at work and at home. But here you feel like the first day of kindergarten and you don't even know where the bathroom is but you have to go. It's been a long time since you felt like that.

And you'll feel embarrassed in front of that guy.

Consider this though: You are that guy. You are that girl. Don't understand? Let me explain.

On the hypothetical morning we're describing you got up early, loaded up whatever bike you have (the old mountain bike you've had since you were 16, that old ten speed from college, whatever), put the gear you scrapped together in your car and went to the race. You stood there in your sweats and registered, set up your transition area as best you could.

Welcome to the show my friend. You are walking the walk.

You made that monumental leap off the couch and into the realm of That Guy. And now you, to millions and millions and millions of people- you are That Guy.

The next time you go to work when the conversation comes up about what you did Sunday morning you will say, "Oh, ahh, well I did this little triathlon, my first one, I'm not really any good, I was nearly last…."

But to the people at work, and your family, and your friends, and everyone else not there on Sunday morning (and some that were…) you are That Guy. The guy who does those endurance races. Who works out all the time (even if you don't). Who eats right (even though you don't).

Pretty soon it will get around work, what you did Sunday morning, and someone will ask you, "Hey, ahh, have you ever done that one in Hawaii?"

And then you answer, "Oh, Hawaii, no, I'm not that good. I've never done Hawaii…" And to you now it is just "Hawaii". You are That Guy. To someone out there you are That Guy.

Everyone has That Guy. He's better, faster, smarter, luckier. The interesting thing about That Guy is, to someone- you are that guy. No matter who you are, there will be That Guy. Don't let him bother you. Do what you do. Remember, to someone, you are that guy.

100 runs | 100 days.

2009-12-26T21:18:00.001-05:00

well it's the off season, otherwise known as the what-the-eff-am-I-supposed-to-do-with-myself season.

and then: yay ! a challenge !

email from ironman buddy:

________________________

The goal of this entire thing is to lay down a solid run base by doing volume through frequency in short bursts of running. It can be outdoors or on a treadmill, but it must be running (no water running, no elliptical trainer...). Walking does not count...there must be 2 feet off the ground at some point in every stride (the difference between race walking and running) and there must be forward motion.

DO'S AND DON'TS
You can take days off =
You can double, triple (or more) runs in a day
You can take rest days
You get no credit for going longer than 20 minutes, however it will help your distance/time totals
You can go as slow as you want provided both feet leave the ground on every stride
Listen to your body if you need to take a day off…don't get too sucked into what the other geeks on the 'standings' are doing (who am I kidding….talking to a bunch a type A tri geeks)
By all means, use the overall standing as a motivator to push you up a level, but don't put yourself in the injury/hurt locker in the middle of winter
Don't sprint out of the gate in the first 3 weeks....easiest way to get injured...if you make it through 10 weeks (70 days), pour it on in the final month when your body and mind can take it.

WHAT COUNTS AS A DOUBLE RUN? For a run to count as a double, it must be separated by at least 1 hour. I have to pick a duration to separate 2 runs and it can't be 1 minute or 5 minutes, and putting 1 hour in between means that I will allow you to count a run-swim-run, run-bike-run, run-wts-run, run-XC ski-run, run-McDonalds-run as 2 sessions as long as the thing in between lasts for at least 1 hour (be it 40K on the bike, or a session at the donut shop).

WHAT ARE THE VARIOUS LEVELS While some might go for 100 runs, the reality is that unless you are already running 4-6 hours per week, this is not a realistic goal.
For most a realistic goal is to start at Bronze "club pace" and then see how things go.
Platinum Club = 100 runs in 100 days (March 24th)
Gold Club = 90 runs in 100 runs in days
Silver Club = 80 runs in 100 runs in days
Bronze = 70 runs in 100 runs in days

It is great training for anyone doing a spring marathon or an early season triathlon, and you'll be shocked by how quickly you accumulate mileage, all without getting injured...because the focus is keeping them short and aerobic. By all means feel free to run longer than 20 minutes, but the main goal here is to get you out the door, 5-7 times per week, especially given that the weather is generally nasty for riding.

________________________

I am, of course, aiming for Platinum. right now I am at 9/ 12 but I hope to get in a few double runs with the furlough week coming up [yay government].

oh, for those of you who love audiobooks: I highly recommended The Help by Kathryn Stockett. It's a fantastic story the the narration is top notch.

hope everyone had a fantastic holiday !

don't tell me that girl is running in this !

2009-12-19T16:37:00.000-05:00

like the rest of the east coast we got snow today.

we got a lot of snow today.

at 9:20 am there was about 6 inches on the ground. every forecast predicted more snow and more wind so I tried to get out there early. well, early for a Saturday. well, early for a Saturday when I'm not Ironman training.

I strapped on my yak trax and heaaded out [James not remotely surprised]. The whole city was covered in a blanket of the fluffy white stuff. I hate the day after a snowstorm.. when the snow is dirty and gross ... but the day it's falling is lovely.

about a mile into the run I heard someone say to his friend "don't tell me that girl is running in this ! she's going to break her leg!" no worries, dude, I've got my yak trax.

Some of the snow was completly untouched and that was tough to run through -- like running in sand. Cold, wet, sand. I had to really pick my feet up. Great workout ! I went about 2 minutes/ mile slower than my normal pace, but the four miles I did in the snow was tougher than a normal 8-mile run.

you take the good you take the bad you take them both

2009-12-14T19:43:00.000-05:00

and then you have: post-ironman time.

the good:
> sleeping in
> late night tv time with my husband
> still talking about race !
> getting the email: "can you and James come over Saturday for lunch?" and responding "yes!" (no 6 hour bike ride)
> saving money (no: race fees, Infinit orders, body glide, GU, extra tubes + CO2 carts)
> no more drives to the Eastern Shore for 4-6 hour bike rides
> not being starving every 30 minutes
> staying up late !
> date nights with my husband that can end after 8:30 pm
> not saying "okay I'll go out, but I can't drink and we need to leave by 8:00"
> no more giant piles of cycling and running laundry
> time to learn to cook (I'm making honey lemon chicken breasts right now)
> time with friends and family (dinner with law school gf's tomorrow, dinner with mom and mother in law on thursday)
> house is clean
> cleaned out: the bathroom, kitchen.
> organized my closet and drawers, donated clothes to goodwill.
> no more foam rolling [for a while]

the bad [what I will miss]:
> the satisfaction that comes after a long run/ ride/ swim
> riding and commiserating with my girlfriends
> the countdown -- even when things were crappy there was always The Big Day coming up to cheer me up
> no set schedule. [I LOVE SCHEDULES]
> no anticipation
> all the little pink boxes on my BT calendar
> the BT graphs -- actual v. planned
> ginormous monthly totals
> stuffing my face with Checker's after riding the B&A trail
> buying new gear

been there, done that.

2009-12-12T18:38:00.000-05:00

[got the tattoo]

it was quite an experience.

at about 5 minutes into it I started feeling woozy. I asked for a break. then I felt really sick. the tattoo artist gave me a lollipop and said "eat this -- you'll feel better with the sugar." I bit into it - lollipop flew everywhere. I laid down on the table - right into the lollipop. Tattoo artist and husband picking lollipop out of my hair. I started to sweat and felt better immediately [this has happened to be before..okay. several times. everytime I get a shot this flight or fight reaction kicks in]. Tattoo artist put cold washcloth on my neck. Tattoo artist took a 5 minute smoke break while I regrouped. He came back upstairs and was happy to see color in my face and normal sized pupils. he finished the outline, colored it in, gave me my care instructions, and sent us on our way.

I LOVE IT !

mdot merchandise

2009-12-10T19:42:00.000-05:00

what came in the mail to work today :

too much?

no such thing !

is life different when you're made of iron ?

2009-12-08T21:01:00.000-05:00

life is back to normal.

it's back and I'm not sure how I feel.

there is this elation, this feeling of I did that? the pride that comes with the mDot necklace, coffee mug, and keychain. the bragging [I tried to come up with a more polite word, but let's call it what it is] to everyone from defense attorneys to family members. there are the photos on facebook - the ones from my camera, my sister's. there are the professional photos that I paid $11 to download. there is the telling and re-telling of race day.

and then, there is this.. empty feeling. this feeling of loss and what now and what next? this feeling of if I'm not training what am I doing and if I'm not on the road to Ironman where am I? there is no more looking at my palm and seeing swim 3200M/ run 70 min for thursday. I don't just thrive on a schedule I need one to function. and then: no more anticipation. the countdown started at more than a year out. then we were 365 days from race day. then 6 months, 5, 3. then 60 days out. 45. 30! 3 weeks, 2 weeks, 12 days, 7 days, then: tomorrow. then: today. then: yesterday.

the race itself was amazing but the process is what got me to the start line. and if you can't get to the start line healthy - mentally and physically - and ready and excited then you can't get to the finish line. I really like this> to get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping [chinese proverb].

the race is long but the year[s] leading up to it are longer. True Ironmen are not made at the finisher's chute; it's easy to run, smile, soar when the music is blasting and people are cheering and there is a finish line in sight and someone is getting ready to call you an Ironman over a loud speaker. Ironmen are made at the 4000th meter of a 4500M swim, at mile 80 of a 100 mile bike ride, at mile 12 of an 18 mile run. Ironmen are made when no one is looking. They are made on trainers while watching Kona reruns and Thursday night comedies and Spinverals and DVR'd episodes of The Biggest Loser. They are made in hot humid days when saner folk are soaking in a/c. They are made in cold days - days where running requires gloves and three layers and maybe a face mask. They are made by what they don't do: stay out late, drink a lot, happy hour. They are made with friends because misery does love company and four hour trainer rides go by much faster with pre-made PBJ sammies, gatorade, and oreos, and a chick flick. They are made on drives to the Eastern Shore to ride and swims in the chesapeake bay.

the glory is the finish line, but the hours in the water, in the running shoes, on the bike are what get you there. and while I will never forget the feelings of pure joy turning the corner and grinning like a fool, laughing, running toward the finish line, I'll also cherish the memories that got me there. the proverbial rose colored glasses are beautiful indeed: some days were rough and some were really rough. but it. was. all. worth. it.

it was all so worth it.

Tricia Cecil - You ! Are ! An ! Ironman ! [IMCOZ 09 race report]

2009-12-04T16:29:00.001-05:00

WEDNESDAY 25 through SATURDAY 28 - pre race

wednesday november 25

J and I woke up early to pack the car and get to BWI. dark, rainy, and cold in Bawlmor, hon.

We had the bike case, my giant red suitcase [weighed in at 67 lbs] and J's tiny suitcase. We were wheels up at 4:40. Got to the airport without a problem, parked in the long term lot, and headed to the terminal. $100 to check my bike? $50 more for an overweight bag? Last time I fly U.S. Airways. Yikes. We got to Charlotte without a problem and then boarded for our flight to Cancun.Landed in Cancun [to rain - boo!] and took a 35 minute drive to Playa del Carmen to catch the ferry. Then: a 30 minute ferry ride and we're finally in Cozumel.

next time? we fly directly to Cozumel.

a short taxi ride later and we're at our beautiful hotel. here is the view from our swim up pool to our patio/ room: [this is living!]

thursday november 26

The following morning J and I met Saltz for breakfast. Mmmmm... breakfast. I had french toast, yogurt with coconut shreds, pancakes, bacon. And then more. Hey, a girls gotta get her fuel to race, right? After that feast, Saltz and I headed over for the pre-race swim at chankanaab park.

The current was crazy ! I couldn't even make it to the first buoy for the turn around. Yikes. I turned to head back to the pier, and could not believe that it took me 30 minutes to get out ... and 5 minutes to get back. Should be interesting on race day, I thought.

next stop: packet pickup / expo. it was held at the convention center and to my dissapointment it was not the thrill of an IM expo I had heard of.... hell, it wasn't anything close to the expo at Providence 70.3. There wasn't a lot of IMCOZ merchandise, and almost none plain IM merchandise. Oh well. Here I am getting my race stuff. Oh, except "we don't have the gear bags, you have to come back tomorrow at 4:00 for them." ugh, pita.

later on Cathy and Debbie got into town and I saw them at the hotel. well, I saw Debbie's race shirt from Diamondman and thought, hey, I've done that race! and then noticed it was Debbie. yeah.

My parents and sister + BIL got in that day, so James and I met them at dinner. They surprised me with GO TRICIA! tshirts.so awesome ! everyone had one, except for my dad, who doesn't do tshirts, so his was a polo with my race number in the upper left hand corner and the graphic on the back.

look, a good luck ladybug on my arm !

friday november 27

woke up early to go to the second pre race swim, only to be told on the way down to the lobby that it was cancelled due to high winds and big waves. I started to panic - what if they cancelled the swim?? I didn't want to do the bike and the run and not be called an Ironman.

I paid a bike mechanic at the hotel to put Bella back together and me, Saltz, and Debbie rode to the park [3 mi from the hotel]. Headwinds were crazy and we were avg 12 mi/hr ! yikes ! still, the strong headwind meant a strong tailwind, and we easily hit low 20s on the way back.

after the ride debbie and saltz went for a swim in the ocean, and I took a nap. I couldn't get in enough naps ! later on we met to go to the expo for the bus tour of the bike course, the rest of packet pick up, and the athlete meeting. after waiting around the front of the convention center for a while, I asked someone about the bus course. "Oh, it was cancelled." Gee, thanks for letting us know. I really hope the logistical/ communication issues stem from this being an innaugural race. Ironman is a big brand and they should know how to put on a flawless race. Then we had about an hour to kill, so we wandered around town and got some food.

Had dinner with my family and fell asleep pretty early. Oh, I should mention that my parents, sister, brother in law, and husband were very much enjoying the booze part of the all inclusive part of the resort. Drink orders for dinner: wine ! mojito ! cervasa ! dirty martini ! dos cervasas ! ... water.

saturday, november 28

to quote saltz: "we need to find something that eats up a lot of time but doesn't use any energy." I honestly don't remember what I did on Saturday, except for back my gear bags:

you need a lot of STUFF for an IM... especially if you did full changes, like I did:

oh, and then we had to drop off our bikes, bike gear, and run gear bags at the park. [location of the swim and T1]. fitting the bikes on shuttles was kind of hilarious. it made me kind of [okay very] nervous that we wouldn't have access to our gear bags on race morning. I was terrified I'd forgotten something major, like running shoes or my bike jersey.

the park was abuzz with activity. we first had to get checked in. then they took our photos [to ID the body later?] then it was to transition to rack our bikes. saltz and I had amazing spots! they were right outside of the change tents ! I kissed Bella and told her to get ready for the 112 miles tomorrow. then I got body marked by people with possibly the Best Handwriting Ever. I mean, it was calligraphy with a permanant marker on my legs and shoulder.We dropped off our run gear bags [to be transported downtown, where we would finish our bike] and hung our bike gear bags on racks:
cool sign at the park:

we headed back to the hotel and I got my Infinit ready... bottled water only !

the hotel provided a pasta buffet for dinner, and all of us in our bright orange athlete wristbands were happy to partake:

I headed to bed pretty early - around 8:30 - and fell asleep around 10. Oddly, I wasn't nervous.. just excited. and ready.

__________________________________________________________

SUNDAY 29 - RACE DAY !

morning + swim [2.4 miles]

I slept very well... I actually didn't want to get up when my alarm(s) [James' phone, the wake up call, and the alarm clock] went off at 4:00 am. I ate breakfast -- 2 chocolate poptarts, one banana, and a gatorade:
We headed to the hotel lobby and got on the 5 am shuttle to the park. It was totally pitch dark outside... dawn didn't look to be breaking anytime soon. We got to transition at, oh, 5:10, and waited around until 5:30 when transition opened. There was a lot of nervous, excited energy in the air !

Oddly, I wasn't nervous. At all. I was just excited and so ready to start the day.

When transition opened we all swarmed inside. James went to get a good spot at the swim exit, and Saltz and I headed to transition to pump up are tires [and oil our chains.. performance. it's the name of the game].

an overview of the park with transition and the swim area:

James and I took our pre-race photo:

me, debbie, and cathy:

Thumbs up and let's go !

The pros went off at 6:45 and we were scheduled to go at 7. Close to that the race officials started yelling "let's go! everyone in the water! we need everyone in the water now!" people started running and jumping off of the pier. It was madness! ... I have no idea where I ended up in the start... I didn't even hear a gun shot or a cannon - but once everyone started swimming, I started too ! I'm somewhere in that group:
it's like a giant school of fish !

The swim was pretty uneventful. Unlike the practice swim I did not meet any jellyfish ! I did see a ton of starfish on the ocean floor, which was awesome. The water didn't look very deep - mayb 10 feet - but judging by the SCUBA divers standing on the bottom - and waving! - I think it was probably closer to 90 feet. I didn't come into contact with a lot of other swimmers, except around the buoys - see photo above! it was madness around them. madness !

I kept glancing at my watch and was shocked to see it say 1:10 ish when I was so close to the exit. I finished strong and ran up the steps to T1. 1:14 and I was out of the water. awesome start !

It took me a minute to find my gear bag [I have no idea why - they were in numerical order!] and stumbled into the women's changing tent. I heard "Trish! Trish" It was Saltzy! She, of the "I will be ecstatic if I get out of the water in 1h 30m" was out in 1:13. My volunteer helped me change into my bike clothes and sprayed me with sunblock. I headed out of the tent and then panicked - where are my sunglasses?! .. and then the volunteer found them under the rest of my stuff. I headed back out, grabbed Bella, heard some cheers of "GO TERPS!", saw my family, and headed out on the bike course for a little 112 mile ride.

swim stats

distance> 2.4 miles

time> 1:14:21

div.pos> [F25-29]: 35/55

rank> 1040/ 1928

bike [112 miles]

as soon as I got on my bike I knew something was off. I felt like my aerobars were too high when the bike mechanic put them back on, so I lowered them. and then apparently thought it was a good idea to not RIDE it with the newly lowered bars. smart. it started bugging me and I thought "if you don't fix this now, it's going to irritate you for the next 7 hours." I hopped off of my bike, got my park tool, and raised the aerobars. it took 6 minutes. whatevs.

the bike course was three loops (well, 2 and 3/4) around the island. I started out pushing a nice comfortable pace of 20 mi/hr. Then we turned... then my speedometer: 18, 16, 15, 13, 12... yikes. Headwinds and crosswinds were really slowing me down, but I was okay with it. My main goal was to enjoy the day. The east side of the island is almost totally undeveloped - it has no electricity. And it was absolutely stunning [photos later in the rr]. Huge waves crashed into sandy beaches for miles and miles. Breathtaking.I finished the first loop and came into town - amidst cheers of Vamanos! Vamanos! and a lot of other things in Spanish. I was having a fantastic time! I was Hola-ing! and Muchas Gracias-ing ! all over the town. People had moraccos and all sorts of noisemakers. The whole city was out .. it was fantastic. I was smiling and cheering.

The second loop was not quite as great - I knew I had to face the winds again, and I had the most pain ... in my FEET. My shoulders, back, and legs felt fine, but my FEET - OUCHIE. It felt like they were asleep, only with more pain.. like they were hot and wanted out of my shoes. I came to bike special needs wanting a tylonel... and no one could find my bag. Awesome. At least I didn't have anything in there I really needed.. and another athlete gave me an advil. Moral of the story? Use your SN as "it would be nice to get it here, but if I don't I'll be fine." Here I am coming into town at the second loop, getting off my bike to tell my mom how much my feet hurt:

By this time some of the fasties were finishing their bike, and I was heading out to do my third loop. Boo. By this time I just really, really wanted to be off of my bike. my feet were throbbing. the last stretch along the water felt like forever. I kept thinking I saw the turn off ... and then: more water, and more headwinds.

Finally - finally! - we came in to town. I was so happy to dismount my bike. So happy. I was surprised to see James take my bike, and I think I said "no, no, you can't touch it - that's outside assistance." James laughed and said "I'm volunteering now." He, my mom, and my sister ended up as bike catchers !

distance> 112 mi
time> 7:19:54
pace> 15.28 mph
rank> 1107/ 1928
div.pos> 31/ 55

run [26.2 miles]

I was so flipping happy to be off of the bike that I would have gladly ran 50 miles. And who did I see in the change tent? Saltzy ! I just passed her at the dismount area of the bike. I changed out of my smelly bike gear - and bike shoes, tg - and into my running gear. At this point I knew that I would definitely be an Ironman by the end of the day. I had 8 hours to finish and unlike the bike, I didn't have to worry about mechanical issues or flats. Running is what I do. I was so ready to do this.

The runcourse was three out and backs - each lap 8.7 miles, each "out" 4.35ish miles.

I underestimated how hard running would be after the swim and the bike. I started at a 9:45ish pace, and slowed down from there. I didn't care, though. I made some friends - met a guy who lives in Mexico City and was recently at an arbitration in Washington as a CPA, a woman with three teenage kids, a man from England.

Here I am coming in from the first loop. My mom "you're almost done!" Me "I am nowhere near done." Mom "you are a lot closer than you were at 7 am." Touche, ma, touche. I was so happy to see them, but not so happy to make the turn around right in front of the finisher's chute, where some of the super fasties were making their finish.

The second loop was hard. I knew I had two more laps and it was getting dark and humid. The mosquitoes were out in full force, and even with the buy spray I doused myself with I was still getting eaten. The aid stations left something to be desired: all they had was gatorade, water, and tangerine and green apple powerade gels. barf. I mentioned this to some guy who kindly gave me one of his strawberry-banana gels - so nice ! I really could have used some cookies or crackers/ pretzels. I hit the halfway marker and wasn't sure how to feel. Yay - I'm halfway done! or Oh god, another 13.1 miles. I trudged on. At this point I was doing a shuffle run/ walk thingie. I was also laughing at my plan to keep a 10:15 pace ! I hit run special needs just after the halfway marker and grabbed my GUs ... and about 12 little pieces of paper I had forgotten about until that moment. James told me he was putting notes in my run SN bag. I stuffed the notes in my shirt, re sprayed myself with bug spray [and left it on the table for anyone else who was a mosquitoes dinner], and headed back on.

I opened one note every so often.. they were silly, touching, heartfelt notes from my parents, my sister, my BIL, and J. Some that stick out: "you'll never meet a judge as hard as this course!" [from dad] ; "don't worry about your hair!" [my mom, reference to me as a little one in an open top jeep, yelling about my hair getting messed up] ; "the longer you're out, the drunker we're getting" [james] ; "do it for the cats" ... they were so, so appreciated.

at the end of the second loop, I yelled to my family "see you at the finish line!!" and headed out for my very last loop. the third loop was definitely the easiest, mentally -- I knew that there would be no turn around .. just the glorious finish line. At mile 19ish I started chatting with this girl. We were telling stories about our days. I asked her for her name, and she said Janelle.. I said "RUNNERGIRL?!" .. she said "TRISHIE?!" It was my bt.com friend! we had been exchanging inspires and chatting for several months, and to meet her on the run was a gift from the tri gods. we kept each other moving -- mostly running and only walking through the aid stations. When we got into town we started cheering and getting the crowd riled up.

distance> 26.2 mi.
time> 5:16:13
pace> 12:04/mile
rank> 956/ 1928
div.pos> 23/55

the finish - 140.6 miles
then: the finish line. the lights and the music and the screaming and cheering and yelling. I saw my family and James got this shot:

I was soaking it all in, enjoying the craziness and the thrill of the end of a 140.6 mile race.. although, really, it's the end of years of training, the culmination of 6am swims, of 100 mile bike rides on the eastern shore and 18 mile runs in the city, of countless orders of Infinit and packages from trisports.com, of exhuastion and 3 hour trainer rides and a little dream, the whisper that said I can do this.

PATRICIA CECIL ! YOU ! ARE ! AN ! IRONMAN !

and so I was. and I am.

OVERALL 14:12:29
RANK 956/ 1928
DIV.POS. 23/ 55

and here is my family - my ironsherpa, ironmom, irondad, ironsister, and ironbrotherinlaw.

Saltz finished next.

and then debbie.

and here I am. it's almost a week later and I ended up with a nasty stomach bug that I still have but nothing can shake the euphoria.

a big big thanks to my twinnie-a, Andi, for keeping everyone updated throughout the day with FB updates and emails, and for the generous gift certificate to a local spa - waiting for me in the mail when I got back to baltimore.

and to my awesome family, who supported me not only on race day, but throughout my training.

and to my racing girls, for the group rides and swims and sharing in the agony, exhuastion, and exhileration.

and, of course, to J: my ironsherpa and husband. much love and thanks - more than I can express. onward and upward to the next adventure !

home sweet.

2009-12-04T11:09:00.000-05:00

we are back in baltimore.. after a 10 minute cab ride to the ferry, a 30 minute ferry ride from Cozy to Playa del Carmen, a 35 min cab ride from Playa del Carmen to Cancun, a 3.5 hour flight from Cancun to Charlotte, a 45 min layover in Charlotte, an hour flight to Baltimore, and a 20 minute drive home.

whew.

the awesome: I AM AN IRONMAN !
the not-so-awesome: I have a horrible stomach bug.

we got home wednesday night and I felt gross, but I chalked that up to the long day of travel. without getting into detail, I spent the night in the bathroom. felt a little better yesterday, tried to go to work today. was there for about an hour, then was told by everyone to go home and, well, here I am.

like most of my other Ironman bloggy buddies, I'm going to break my RR into pieces... pre race, race morning, swim, bike, run, finish, post race. I want to get it all done but I have a lot to reflect on and I should probably get more rest.

professional photos are up at http://tinyurl.com/imcozphotos [click on Tus Fotos en 2Digital - the best ones are under finish, swim, and extras]
and my photos are up at http://tinyurl.com/imcozpersonalphotos [you have to be a member of snapfish but it's free to register]

quick and dirty

2009-11-30T08:14:00.000-05:00

I AM AN IRONMAN !!

I had The Best Day Ever.

more, of course, to come, but it is time to eat ! and get a massage ! and buy finishers gear ! and lay by the pool ! with fruity drinks !

PATRICIA CECIL
BIB 862
AGE 27
STATE/COUNTRY USA

SWIM 1:14:21
BIKE 7:19:54
RUN 5:16:13
OVERALL 14:12:29
RANK 956 (out of 1928)
DIV.POS. 23 (out of 55 for female 25-29)

TOTAL SWIM
distance and time 2.4 mi. (1:14:21)
pace 1:57/100m
rank 1040
div.pos 35

TOTAL BIKE
distance and time 112 mi. (7:19:54)
pace 15.28 mph
rank 1107
div.pos 31

FIRST RUN SEGMENT
6.25 mi. (1:05:57)
10:33/mile

SECOND RUN SEGMENT
6.85 mi. (1:22:50)
12:05/mile

THIRD RUN SEGMENT
5.6 mi. (1:14:26)
13:17/mile

FINAL RUN SEGMENT
7.5 mi. (1:33:00)
12:24/mile

TOTAL RUN
distance and time 26.2 mi. (5:16:13)
pace 12:04/mile
rank 956
div.pos 23

TRANSITION TIME
T1: SWIM-TO-BIKE 10:04
T2: BIKE-TO-RUN 11:57

cozumel bound ! + no. 862

2009-11-24T22:33:00.000-05:00

bags packed
bike packed
husband ... not packed, but will start soon, I am told.
excited and ready !

A couple emails confirmed that YES, THERE WILL BE DAY OF ATHLETE TRACKING!

one more time, for the cheap seats in the back:

Sunday, November 29, 2009
7:00 am Central
Tricia Cecil
No. 862

a big thanks to all my bloggy friends for all of your support + encouragment over this past year. cliche but it really does feel like yesterday that I wrote this post on August 24, 2008.

and away we go !

five days ! FIVE !

2009-11-23T11:41:00.000-05:00

FIVE DAYS TO GO !

(well, five days, 19 hours, and 28 minutes)

changed my flight + hotel information so we can get in on wednesday instead of thursday. will be nice to have a day to unpack, get settled before all the IM buzz starts !

my info:

Name: Tricia Cecil
AG: F25-29
Bib number: 862

website: www.ironman.com (link to follow athletes probably will not be up until race morning)

race time: 7:00 am Central

all my bags are packed

2009-11-21T19:49:00.000-05:00

I am 7 days, 10 hours, and 21 minutes away from joining a couple thousand other athletes in the Gulf of Mexico to start the 2.4 mi swim.

wow.

> Race Plan is complete. I've included the course, loops (if applicable), nutrition, appx. time(s), and mental strategy for each leg and transition.
> Emailed friends + family the tracker information.
> I AM TOTALLY PACKED.

Yes, folks, I am almost completely packed! I thought it was take much longer, but I've been working on my "to pack" list for a few weeks and have been putting aside clothes, food, waterbottles, etc. for a while. I still need to pack some last minute stuff like meds and make up, but I'm approximately 98.45% packed !

the master to-pack list ^

bike bag -- note all the checklists, bubbles, etc. I am nothing if not thorough ! ^

water bottles, pre marked by the hour, plus post race recoverite ^

bed full of stuff ^

poe-the-cat did not make it into the suitcase ^

all the race day stuff is in ziploc bags, ready to go into the bike gear, run gear, or respective special needs bag ^

single digit countdown + how many times have I done this ?

2009-11-19T09:59:00.000-05:00

it's the final countdown... na na na... dum dum dum dum. now I have this song on an endless loop in my head. for realsies, folks, we are 9 days 20 hours 25 minutes and 18 seconds away from the mass swim start at Ironman Cozumel. And I'm ready. And I'm excited. Like, jumping-out-of-my-skin-excited. Like, good-luck-having-a-conversation-with-me-that-doesn't-involve-swim-bike-run excited. Like, let's-get-down-to-Cozy-and-become-an-Ironman-already! excited.

I've seen some other bloggy buddies do this and I thought it was a good idea.

How many times I've done the race distance for each leg since I signed up in August 2008:

swim
total distance: 250,182.20 meters (155.45 miles)
total time: 87h 58m 07s
times I've done the IM swim (2.4 mi): 64

bike
total distance: 3,577.16 miles
total time: 233h 31m 25s
times I've done the IM bike (112 mi): 40

run
total distance: 1,357.57 miles
total time: 210h 06m 30s
times I've done the IM run (26.2 mi): 52

all that math just made me hungry !

11 days and I could use a(nother) nap !

2009-11-17T14:01:00.001-05:00

I am exhuasted. All I want to do is sleep. The only place I want to be is in my bed and the only clothes I want to wear are sweatpants and tshirts. And if I'm not sleeping? I want food. A lot of food. Our grocery bills for two people are ridiculous.

Really, it's like there is a teenage boy in the house.

At this point I'm just ready to GO! I'm tired of waiting, tired of training, tired of resting, tired of planning. I'm tired of stressing over packing and remembering everything and buying last minute tubes, GUs, and tolietries.

I just want to get on the plane - with Bella-the-bike in tow - and get down to warm, sunny Cozumel. And become an Ironman.

let's do this.

Oh, and my most recent crazy IM dream? I finished the race in 9h 10m [you didn't know I was that fast, did you?]. I was waiting in line to get my picture taken at the finish, and I realized I didn't remember get a medal. Actually, I realized I didn't remember ANY of the race and that made me sad. I went to get a medal and the guy just had leftover medals from Rhode Island 70.3. He gave it to me and said "is it really a big deal?" and I said "yes! it's a HUGE deal!"

13 days and the email that started it all.

2009-11-15T19:32:00.000-05:00

totals from last week > November 9 - November 15

in the water: 5000.00 M in 1h 44m 13s
on bella: 82.50 Mi in 5h 39m 50s
in my asics: 24.38 Mi in 3h 46m 29s
total training time: 11h 10m 32s

this week the training volume drops drastically. I felt like there was still too much volume in my training plan, and so I cut out some of the workouts. The workouts for this week are listed until "on tap" <------- . At this point all of the work is done and I feel like doing less will benefit me more on race day.

also, when will taper madness kick in? right now I am exhuasted... I've been sleeping and napping non stop this weekend ! I feel like one of my cats [minus the whole pooping in a box thing]. All I want to do is lay down and sleep. Should make for a productive week at work! AND I'm in court Tuesday and Wednesday... hope I can stay awake through my dockets.

finalizing the last minute to-dos and getting ready. Getting REALLY ready... nervous but so excited.

and here is the email that started it all:

there is debate as to whether or not the "two words for you: ironman cozumel" means "isn't this interesting" (my friend's interpretation) or "go ahead and sign up!" (my interpretation). look at the date. wow.

15 days and 15 things.

2009-11-13T11:23:00.000-05:00

in typical me fashion, I've decided to do a list. are you surprised?

15 things and we're 15 days out!

(ohmygodohmygodohmygod)
1. <--- Google maps view of the bike course.
2. everyone is apparently freaking out about CO2 carts.. since a lot of people are flying (and you can't bring CO2 carts on a plane) there are worries that the expo will run out.
3. I'm really really tired. amazing what 8 months of training will do to a girl.
4. my husband has stoked up on beer to prepare himself to deal with me during taper madness.
5. yesterday I got the most fabulous arm warmers from the wild child. they are GIRRAFE PRINT and super comfy. love the bloggy world.
6. and today my desoto arm coolers arrived from trisports.com. trisports wasn't as kind as the wild child and charged me for them. boo.
7. I really hope the Powers That Be at the Mexican border don't mistake my Infinit for cocaine. both are white and powdery.
8. I have a "to pack" list going (of course. I mean, would you expect any less?). every so often I remember something - towel! hairbrush! tums! - and write it down.
9. I'm excited for my buddies racing IMAZ next weekend, especially my buddy Molly, who is 8 days out from her first IM!
10. I am so grateful for all of my tri buddies! - in person and online .. I don't think my coworkers/ husband/ friends/ family can take any more IM talk.
11. I think UPS wonders how much I've spent at Trisports.com.
12. I'd perfer not to tally it all up.
13. I'm debating renting race day wheels. Part of me thinks: hell, why not "buy" (rent) speed and save 5-6 minutes? Part of me thinks: do I really need to spend the money for that amount of time?
14. I did justify to my husband by first explaining the cost of buying Zipps.
15. My house is so full of IM stuff -- bike on trainer in the living room, foam roller on the coffee table, Infinit, GE, and Recoverite on the kitchen counter, dozens of water bottles also on the kitchen counter, running shoes by the front door or on my dresser, (stinky) bike shoes on the bike (on the trainer).

to sleep, perchance to dream [a ridiculous dream]

2009-11-10T13:57:00.000-05:00

the IM dreams... they are a'comin' !

last night's gem:

I got out of the water in 1:11 (<---- not the bad part!) and went into the changing tent -- which was a locker room. None of the bike bags were in there -- me and this other girl were yelling out "has anyone seen the swim to run bags?!?" finally they were brought in and we had to sort through them to find our bags. It was a cluster. I realized that I had forgotten ALL of my nutrition (Infinit bottles and Payday bars) and all I had was Gatorade and water. I started running to the bike and I was crying because I had practiced my nutrition for so long and didn't have any of it with me. Then I got lost trying to find my bike - there were all of these doors and weird exits. Once I finally got to the bike I quit. I thought to myself "this isn't a DNF because it's not the real race" and it turns out it wasn't... it was a practice race and because the bike bags were messed up the "race judge" cancelled it.

20 things about 100 miles.

2009-11-08T19:17:00.000-05:00

first, last week:

swim: 9500.00 M in 3h 17m 26s
bike: 145.50 Mi in 9h 25m 03s
run: 9.52 Mi in 1h 26m 23s
total training time: 14h 08m 52s
[not bad for a week that started with a wonky knee!]

today was my last long ride.. Easton to Tilghman Island and back to Easton .. twice [each leg is 25 miles]. in honor of being 20 (20!) days out from my first Ironman... I present to you, 20 things about this ride:
1. miles: 101.0
2. time: 6h 03m 48s
3. average mph: 16.66
4. a ladybug fly on and stayed on my leg for about 5 miles. yay for good luck.
5. we saw a fox !
6. the shoulder is for bikes only. dbags on mopeds who pass too closely and then burn runner should Stay. Out. Of. Our. Lane.
7. got waterbottles refilled at a bar. everyone there was ordering Coors Lights
8. apparently the bar was BYOBC [that's bring-your-own-beer-cozy].
9. post ride mcdonalds continues to be the most delicious deliciousness ever.
10. no soreness/ stiffness in the upper body !
11. calories of Infinit: 1320
12. payday bars: 2
13. it was in the high 60s. in November. in Maryland. awesomeness.
14. I love my Maryland Terps bike jersey and am excited to wear it in Cozy. [see below]
15. I'm so tired of driving to and from the Shore. no more for a long time !
16. loving the desoto 400 mile bike shorts. the pad is thinner than a bike short pad but thicker than a tri short pad. In a word: perfection.
17. got really warm on the first 50 miles -- took off arm warmers and tights at the car.. and regretted that coming back at around mile 85 when it was getting dark.
18. I'm feeling really ready for Cozy.
19. this ride makes three total rides over 100 miles.
20. I'm hungry. time for more food!

also: a big congrats to Anne and Bob for rocking Ironman Florida yesterday !

a good knee, a great massage, and 24 days to go.

2009-11-05T21:42:00.000-05:00

what has two thumbs and no knee pain ? this girl !

the pain started slowly going away with RICE - both in duration and intensity - on Tuesday, and yesterday I woke up with no knee pain. I'm still taking it easy but I am just delighted. deeeelighted.

oh, and I bought two new pairs of flats to wear when I couldn't wear heels. so really, I came out ahead.

today one of my bt buddies just finished massage school.. talk about a good person to know ! she came to my house with her massage table and gave me a massage a little over an hour. A.May.Zing ! she's a triathlete too so she really knew what muscles to work. turns out my TFL something (tendon? muscle?) was a little tender... and that somehow connects to the ITB which can affect the knee. going to keep rolling with the foam roller.

oh, and 24 days to go. squeeeeee !

magical miracle RICE

2009-11-03T11:54:00.000-05:00

thanks everyone for the advice and well wishes!

I'm happy (ecstatic, really) to report that my knee is feeling MUCH better. Last night I swam and it felt fine.. the flip turns made my knee feel a little wonky, but I managed to do them with my left leg straight (that must have looked hilarious). This morning I really don't feel any pain, except when I bend or strighten it suddenly. I can walk normally without pain or limping.

RICE has really been amazing.
Rest: swam last night, haven't run since Saturday, and will not run for a while. May try cycling in a few days.
Ice: I've been icing as often as possible.. at home and at work.
Compression: Bought a cheap knee compression sleeve and have been wearing it regularly.
Elevation: when I can. currently my leg is propped up on my desk with a bag of ice on it. have been propping it up with a pillow at home in bed.

I think maybe it was just really inflamed? I'm not sure but I'm glad it appears to be healing quickly. I need to remember to continue resting. I have a strong enough running base -- from both IM training AND from an early spring marathon this year -- to not run for a while. I'd like to get in one more long ride this weekend but I'll see how I feel.

This week will be a lot of swimming.. which is good. I like swimming.

25 days!

crappity crap crap [and welcome november!]

2009-11-01T08:46:00.000-05:00

bad news:

I ran my 18 miles yeterday with no pain... well, there was the "ow my legs and feet hurt/ are tired" that kicked in aroun mile 16, but nothing out of the ordinary. I got home, took an ice bath, and noticed that my left knee was a little twinge-y.

no biggie, I thought. Just a little sore from the long run.

I went to run errands and almost cried when I got into the car -- I could not bend or straighen my knee without a sharp shooting pain. I suffered through it, came home and got ready for Halloween. I tried to ignore it.

I went upstairs to get something, sat down on the bed, and started crying. My husband helped me out of my costume (Morton's Salt Girl) and into sweats. He got my ice for my knee, elevated it, and reassured me that it's almost time to taper, that the race is still 4 weeks away, that I have plenty of time to heal.

I spent Halloween propped up, alternating reading and watching bad tv, with a bag of ice on my knee. It was a superfun pity party.

Today it feels BETTER, I think. I'm going to keep up with the ibprofuen and the ice 20 minutes of each hour. I might swim but I'm not sure.

Please send good healing vibes my way. I'm confident that I'll be okay to race... just a little scared right now.

________________________

green = race day.
there it is on my bt training log!

october is over + 28 things.

2009-10-31T15:57:00.000-04:00

Biggest. Month. Ever.

swim> 27514.8 M in 9h 41m 49s
bike> 499.2 Mi in 34h 13m 53s
run> 123.54 Mi in 19h 01m 41s

total training time> 62h 57m 23s

and now, in honor of being 28 (!) days out:

1. long run today: 18.06 miles in 2h 48m 56s [09m 21s/Mi]. legs + feet starting hurting around mile 16. turned off my iPod at mile 12ish to practice remembering my "Best Moments" and "Mantras"... and kept it off for the rest of the run. really enjoyed running without it!
2. finally feel really comfortable changing flats. whew.
3. there is currently a box of chocolate pop tarts and 3 PayDays in my house. Must. Not. Eat. Until. Race. Day.
4. currently wearing my compression socks. alas, they are not the awesome looking Zoot ones... but for $50 cheaper, I'll keep my Rite Aid old-lady ones.
5. my house needs to be cleaned. will save this for taper madness so I have something to do.
6. getting REALLY REALLY excited.
7. filled out my Time Prediction Worksheet (dream and actual] AND my Spectator Meeting Places Worksheet, and emailed both to my family.
8. Ice baths aren't so bad - once you actually GET into them.
9. I wonder how much money I've spent on Infinit over the past few months.
10. think I tweaked something in my left knee today.. it's sore but gets better when I move.
11. going to be the Morton's salt girl for Halloween.
12. can't get too drunk tonight [I haven't been drunk in a Really Long Time] because tomorrow is a 90 minute ride and 4000M swim.
13. have eaten more McDonalds in the last few months than I have in my life... for rides over 80 miles, it's the way to go.
14. found a neighbor to feed our cats while we're gone. Phew.
15. currently watching The Wedding Signer.
16. need to figure out how to get my Ironman Timex watch to beep every 12 minutes.
17. am going to get a massage next week - one of my tri buddies just graduated from massage school !
18. am considering getting a hot stone massage. pricey but I think I'll really love it.
19. going to buy the desoto arm coolers. have heard AH-MAY-ZING things about them ... super excited.
20. buying new running shoes today. am close to 400 miles on my current pair.
21. confirmed my hotel reservation, but had a momentary freak out when they couldn't find my reservation. turns out I made it through the hotel directly and the general confirmation people didn't have it. phew.
22. still on the fence about an mDot tat.
23. not on the fence about the mDot necklace from Big Island Jewlewers, which I have oh-so-subtely emailed to my husband, with link, natch.
24. holy eff I'm really going to do an Ironman.
25. I'm really going to miss this process when it's over.
26. borrowing a bike box from a friend - need to pick that up soon.
27. what will I do with all of my free time after the race?
28. TWENTY! EIGHT! DAYS!

what do we do we swim we swim

2009-10-28T21:20:00.000-04:00

I woke up this morning and seriously considered taking a personal day. I'm not in court again until next week, and I just. wanted. to. sleep.

[I decided to go, figuring I should save some of my leave.]

I was a walking zombie all day [hope my boss isn't reading!]. Hours of s/b/r are taking their toll. On the way home I gave serious consideration to making today my rest day.. getting home, throwing on sweats and an old race tshirt, and going to sleep. for a long time.

but: I sucked it up - htfu and all of that - and schlepped to the pool.
glad I did, too: I had a great swim.

I normally average 2:00/ 100. tonight's swim:

3000.00 meters in 56m 52s// 01m 54s /100 meters [sweet average pace]

WU: 200

MS:

1,000 time trial> 18:17

pace> 1:50/100 !

500 pull with paddles.
2x: - 200 yd free w/ 20" rest - 150 yd free w/ 15" rest - 100 w/ 10" rest - 50 w/ 1' rest

CD: 300

thirty-one days. bring it!

and look how neato: wordle.net ! [I put in my blog feed and it came up with this:]

nerd alert!

2009-10-25T18:29:00.000-04:00

nerd alert!

I don't miss most of law school. It was stressful and time consuming ... and the ever lurking Bar got closer each year (that's Bar as in Maryland State Bar Exam, not bar as in fun place to drink).

However. The one thing I do miss is the organizing. I heart organizing. I heart binders and colored tabs and cross referencing. Yes, I am a nerd.

This actually translates pretty well to IM preparation. I only have 2 weeks left of training before tapering (freakout moment but let's put that aside for the moment, mmmkay?) so lately I've been focusing on the logistical aspects of the race.

I bought IronPlanner and have been reading it. I printed out the worksheets that the writer emailed to me... and yes, put them in a binder. Also in the binder? hotel confirmation, race confirmation, flight information, general "to do" list of stuff that pops into my head. Also need to photocopy licenses and passports and add those to The Binder.

Back to IronPlanner... pretty neat [yes, if you are a geek like me]. The worksheets: visualization, race slices [breaking the race up into small slices], best moments [from life, to draw on when things get hard], inspiration [Team Hoyt, Chrissie Wellington.. ideas for more?], mantra, race day theme, battle [drawing the fatigue monster and a plan to fight him], magic [magic strength to put into your body], spectator meeting places [where I think I'll be when], travel [contacts for hotel, flight, etc], time prediction, race plan, bags - swim, bike, run, SN bike, SN run, finish line.

I've heard from more than one person that this day will be as much a mental battle as a physical battle, and I want to be prepared.

today

80 mi ride on the Eastern Shore and 2.35 mi run brick. lots of headwind but that's good practice for Cozumel. Feeling very comfortable in aero.

ride> 80.80 miles in 5h 00m // 16.16 Mi/hr
run> 2.35 miles in 20m 08s // 08m 34s/Mi

this week

swim: 5000.00 M in 1h 41m 01s
bike: 130.60 Mi in 8h 33m 59s
run: 15.94 Mi in 2h 23m 57s
total training time: 12h 38m 57s

countdown

34 days !

lists of to-do lists.

2009-10-22T20:51:00.000-04:00

36 days out. is that possible? I remember when it was more than a year out, then exactly one year out, then: this year, then 6 months, 5, 4, 3, 2... now we're at 5.5 weeks. holy bejeezus.

the training is pretty much on track, and tonight I started obessing over the logistics. I renamed the "training/ racing" category in my Palm to "Ironman Cozumel" and added the following:

> buy new tire
> buy extra tubes
> print out worksheets from IronPlanner
> order more Infinit
> make binder for all IM docs (registration, hotel, plane, etc)
> bike jersey
> new running shoes
> make tune up/ pack up appointment with Race Pace
> make general to-pack list
> make swim packing list
> make bike packing list
> make run packing list
> make SN bike bag
> make SN run bag
> buy cell phone that will work in Mexico
> make packets for family (time estimates, where I'll be when, etc.)

last night I had an odd + unsettling dream: I was doing an IM distance AquaVelo. I got out of the pool (yes, pool swim), and headed into the locker room to change for the bike. Realized when I got there that I only did one mile of the swim, so I went back to finish. When I got out of the pool everyone was out on the bike. I started the bike but couldn't find my helmet, and by the time I grabbed (stole?) someone else's it was getting really late so I quit. I was so mad at myself because I knew my training graphs would be off.

Yes, we are definitely getting closer to race day !

totals 10/12 - 10/18 and wacky weekend workouts

2009-10-19T09:55:00.000-04:00

swim: 7200.00 M in 2h 30m 07s
bike: 111.30 Mi in 8h 07m 21s
run: 29.18 Mi in 4h 29m 16s
total training time: 15h 06m 44s

saturday
the sked called for a long ride, but mother nature apparently did not get the memo. it was raining, 40s, and windy ... hardly ideal biking weather.

creativity and good company to the rescue! my friend deb (right) and debbie (left)got together at deb's house. deb put out an aid station -- with Gatorade, water, cut up PB&J sammies, and double stuffed oreos. we did: 1 hour really hard spinerval DVD, 1 hour "scenic" spiveral DVD, and then 2 hours of He's Just Not That Into You. took a break every hour or so so refuel and change the DVD. it was tough - mentally and physically - but doing it with training buddies made it so much more enjoyable.

55.30 miles in 4h 00m // 13.83 Mi/hr

here we are after the ride:

sunday

2h 30m run planned. I was planning on going to the NCR trail but had to be home early to shower and get to a surprise party, so city run it was. I wore tights, thin short sleeved tshirt, and light jacket. perfect. it was drizzly/ misty but no driving rain.

left at 7:40 am and meanered around Canton, Fells Point, into the Inner Harbor.. when I was getting into Federal Hill another runner asked me what I was training for.. we got to talking (he was training for the NCR marathon, hoping to BQ) and ran the next 7 or so miles together. so nice to have company and I did my faster miles with him.

Recovered with Recoverite and an ice bath.

17.25 miles in 2h 38m 41s // 09m 12s/Mi

splits:
mile 1: 9:32
mile 2: 9:57
mile 3: 9:49
mile 4: 9:43
mile 5: 9:23
mile 6: 9:34
mile 7: 9:15
mile 8: 9:18
mile 9: 8:40
mile 10: 8:37
mile 11: 9:00
mile 13: 8:46
mile 13: 8:48
mile 14: 8:59
mile 15: 9:17
mile 16: 9:17
mile 17: 8:32

foto friday

2009-10-16T13:43:00.000-04:00

hosted by the running fool, I present to you

foto friday

catone. (pronounced Kah-TONE-eh) she's special

poe (brown tabby) pretends she needs to be packed for Columbia.

aggie tries to sneak her way to Savageman HIM

a day in the life

2009-10-15T22:32:00.000-04:00

[of an ironman-to-be, with a fair amount of paid leave (yay government)]

5:20 am: alarm goes off. too tired to do swim + run. hit snooze.
5:20 am - 6:00 am: repeat hitting snooze.
6:00am: realize that I am not getting up anytime soon. turn off alarm.
7:00 am: wake up.
7:05 am: make decision to take the day off.
7:07 am: email the powers that be, re: 8 hours of annual leave.
7:10 am - 7:45 am: piss around on the internet.

8:00 am - 1:30 pm: nap.
(yes, you read that correctly)
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm: laundry, piss around on the internet, straighten up the house.

3:15 pm - 5:15 pm: bike trainer.
29.00 miles in 2h 06m 06s // 13.80 Mi/hr.
watched DVR'd tv: The Biggest Loser (one and half episodes), America's Next Top Model, some of Ellen.
listened to Kayne's cover of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" during commercials and really pushed it. felt great giving it my all. thought a lot about the finish line at IM Cozy.

5:15 pm - 6:00 pm: recover. shovel pancakes into my mouth at an alarming rate.
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm: take neighbor to friendly local running store so she can get running shoes.
7:40 pm: debate not going to gym.

7:50 pm: leave for gym.
8:00 pm - 8:30 pm: treadmill run: 3.36 miles in 30m // 08m 56s/Mi
8:40 pm - 9:15 pm: swim 1900.00 meters in 41m 50s // 02m 12s /100 meters.

9:30 pm - current: home, shower, finish laundry, eat.

tomorrow: rest day !

civista potomac heritage bicycle tour

2009-10-12T09:43:00.000-04:00

civista potomac heritage bicycle tour by the numbers:

miles rode: 102.5
time it took to ride said miles: 6h 44m 15s
average pace: 15.21 Mi/hr
time left baltimore: 5:30 am
paydays eaten: 2
calories of Infinit: 1250
granola bars: 1
stops by the water: 1
friends that came to ride with me: 2
Amish boys seen: 1
times I thought where the fcuk is the finish line: 8
wrong turns: 1
times motorcycle tour blazed by: 2
talks about "girlie stuff": 3
temperature at start: 50*F
times I thought I need to invest toe warmers: 12
mile at which I panicked, thought I can't do this anymore: 83
slices of pizza eaten at post race party: 1
hamburgers eaten at post race party: 1
hot dogs eaten at post race party: 1
number of mini cups of trail mix eaten at the 73 mi rest stop: 2
on a scale of 1-10, the post race massage: 10
fell asleep: 9:00 pm

[from the website]
Riders will leave La Plata starting at 7:00 am and pass through historic Port Tobacco and climb a short hill to a spectacular view from Chapel Point. The longer routes continue along lightly travelled back roads with rest stops throughout. The century route then heads through Amish country to Leonardtown. Cyclists will return to La Plata to the Crossing at Casey Jones, where they will enjoy an after-ride party with food and entertainment.

_____________________________

totals 10.05 through 10.11
IM training week 12
swim> 4114.80 M in 1h 30m 47s [1 workout]
bike> 135.00 Mi in 9h 05m 05s [3 workouts]
run> 27.22 Mi in 4h 09m 23s [4 workouts]

total training time> 14h 45m 15s

52 days out musings [in list form]

2009-10-07T21:12:00.000-04:00

52 days out ... that's:
.14 years
7.43 weeks
1,248 hours
74,880 minutes
4,492,800 seconds.

1. training has been going pretty well.
1a. I am exhuasted and hungry most of the time, but I think that's pretty normal.
2. no injuries and that is always good.
3. peeked my schedule for next week: 2 hours biking monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday.
3a. (whoooaaboy need to DVR a lot of good tv.)
4. another century coming up this weekend.
4a. (the morning after a wedding).
4b. (I will be the DD).
4c. (I will still be exhuasted).
5. love that a majority of my runs go by water.
6. "The Office" wedding is tomorrow ! swooooon.
7. white handlebar tape was a bad idea.
8. the race seems too soon
9. ... but also too far away.
10. I swam 4500 yards on Tuesday.
10a. tougher mentally than physically.
11. bought and am listening to Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen.
12. it's getting darker earlier and that makes me unhappy.
13. I bought ironplanner. looking forward to using it
14. along the lines of sentences that start with "I bought..."

desoto 400 mile shorts ^^

speedo vanquishers ^^

blue seventy goggles ^^

15. took today off work to do everything I've been meaning to do but haven't had time thanks to 5+ hour bike rides: hair cut, hair color, laundry, grocery shopping, manicure, pedicure, clean house, water plants.

totals and to-do

2009-10-04T20:13:00.000-04:00

IM week 11 training:

in the water> 4200.00 M in 1h 30m 09s
on bella> 87.80 Mi in 6h 00m 13s
in my asics> 28.20 Mi in 4h 24m 34s

total training time> 11h 54m 56s

55 days from Ironman Cozy and, off the top of my head (idea borrowed from Anne):
> order more Infinit
> new saddle?
> new bike shorts? thinking about the de soto 400 mile short
> practice changing tire .. thinking of doing "Tire Tuesdays" where I practice changing the front and bike tire one time each
> start working on my "to pack" list
> more swim
> more bike
> more run
> thank husband profusely
> more date nights with said husband
> call LBS to get biked tuned up, packed up in [rented] bike box
> buy more poptarts
> buy 650 tubes
> breathe
> two more centuries
> 8-9 hours of sleep/ night
> get a massage
> maybe get a couple massages

september totals

2009-09-30T20:13:00.000-04:00

september 09

in the water> 24313 M in 8h 45m
on bella> 463.6 Mi in 29h 37m 55s
in my asics> 93.05 Mi Mi in 15h 15m 53s

total training time> 53h 38m 48s

totals 09/21 through 09/27 and photos from CMAQ

2009-09-28T13:27:00.001-04:00

IM training> week 10
(09/21 - 09/27)

in the water> 6213.00 M in 2h 18m 01s [2 workouts]
on bella> 164.60 Mi in 10h 28m 58s [4 workouts]
in my asics> 24.01 Mi in 3h 43m 40s [4 workouts]
total training time: 16h 30m 39s

transition ^getting ready to swim ^go ! ^

the beautiful choptank (and swimmers)

chesapeakeman aquavelo [race report]

2009-09-26T22:08:00.000-04:00

chesapeakeman aquavelo > 2.4 mi swim/ 112 mi bike

overall> 8h 27m 41s

swim> 1h 29m 06s
t1> 9m 12s
bike (with stops)> 6h 49m 25s

I was really apprehensive about this race. I didn't view it as a 'race' so much as a 'really long training day' but I knew my performance at CM-AQ would be a pretty good indicator of where I was for IMCOZ.

friday
thursday night I decided to read the spectator's guide. packet pick-up closes at 6 pm. leaving work early to get to Cambridge: not a problem. doing so on a court day: problem. with a judge that goes slowly: a big problem. the tri gods must have been smiling down on me because I had a very light afternoon docket and I was able to head over to Cambridge around 2:30.

I got into Dorchester County after an uneventful drive (hit a teeny bit of beach traffic), and picked up my race packet at the Hyatt after meeting up with my race buddy Cathy. we got THREE tshirts -- all tech (2 short sleeved and 1 long sleeved), a crappy water bottle, and bags for bike gear, post race clothes, and bike SN (=special needs). then went to Great Marsh park to get my bike inspected and rack it. it was strange to rack at such a small race -- I think abougt 250 did the iron distance and 140ish for the AquaVelo (and 50 for the swim only). bella passed (of course she did, she's my good girl) and Cathy and I headed back to the Hyatt for the pre race meeting. Met up with Shaun -- a(nother) bt-er -- and sat through the meeting.

Then: dinner. we did the "carb load" all-you-can-eat buffet at the Hyatt. .. delicious! several different types of pasta, grilled chicken, salmon, salad, etc... plus "dirt" for dessert (chocolate pudding with oreos).

Stopped by Rite Aid to buy water to fill up my Infinit (put the powder in the bottles before I left), tried to check in at the Holiday Inn, realized I was supposed to be at the Comfort Inn, checked in at the Comfort Inn, put all of my gear in its bag: post race/ pre race clothing, bike gear, bike SN, watched a re run of the pilot for Modern Family (hilarious, btw), read, and fell asleep at 10:30.

Saturday
Woke up at 4:30 (thank you wake up call and cell phone alarm) after a decent night's sleep. ate my poptarts, put on my swimsuit and sweats, and headed out to the high school to drop off my bike SN and take the shuttle to the swim start at Great Marsh Park.

got to the swim start.. "pumped up my tires and I oiled my chain" . waited in line for the port o potty, as per usual, then shimmied into my wetsuit and headed down to the water for the swim start.

swim
it was a mass start (no waves) but with only about 300 swimmers total it really wasn't that bad... there was the usual kicking/ punching/ grabbing going on, but nothing too awful. the first 'leg' (the first straightaway in the photo) was good... and then we turned the first buoy.

yikes.

all of the sudden I understood how the Choptank river got its name (okay maybe that's not why but I'm too lazy to look it up) - It. Was. Choppy. everytime I turned to breathe I got a mouthful of salt (okay, brackish) water. I started lifting my head out of the water more to make sure I got air and not water. had trouble sighting because of the mini-waves, too. oh, and I kept grabbing handfuls of jellyfish ! I didn't get stung but it was a very 'eeeeewww' feeling.

I glanced at my watch a couple of times and realized this was not going to be a 2:00/ 100 swim. I was okay with it, though ... it was my first 2.4 in open water (my first more than 1.2 in open water), it was a rough swim, and it was a training day.

I walked up the boat ramp as soon as I started feeling the conrete... stood up sloooowly after being horizontal for 90 minutes and someone yelled out my number so another volunteer grabbed my bike gear bag.

T1
I decided to do a full change (1) to be more comfortable on the bike, and (2) to see what it will be like for Cozumel. I went into the women's tent and, well, just changed. Peeled off my swimwear and put on my bike gear. Grabbed some water to rinse the choptank taste out of my mouth and headed out to the bikes to grab Bella and go.

bike
I must have been really doofy from the swim because I had a lot of trouble clipping in... and then more trouble putting my water and infinit bottles back in the cages. I have no idea what was going on in my brain... I'm so used to taking them out and putting them back in - it's not like these are new cages. the first photo will be of me trying to stuff my water bottle back on the bike - nice !

the course is flat flat flat and windy windy windy. the first part is an out and back ... and I got my first taste of a nasty tailwind on the back part. I've ridden this course twice before (well, most of it), so I knew what to expect, but I swear the wind wasn't this bad last time !

I was getting passed but it didn't bother me... I'm used to it, it just means I got out of the water faster :) and this was, of course, a long training day more than a race. I stayed in aero most of the time but came out every so often to drink and stretch.

Special Needs was at the high school at mile 66. I was SO happy to get there -- just to reach a milestone. I can't look at races as one long day (I don't think most people can or do) and hitting SN was a good "more than halfway" point. I threw away my trash from my pocket and got my second bottle of Infinit and second payday. also resprayed myself down with Off!

After SN I passed a few people (yay!) and stopped at the port o potty again... I didn't really have to pee that badly but I wanted an excuse to get off the bike.

A lot of the race went through Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. I kept thinking blackACRE and getting property flashbacks. then I tried to remember the rule against perpituities but all I could remember was "an interest must vest, if at all, within 21 years..."

I sang. Out loud. Mostly showtunes.

There were some puddles which were just delightful - nothing like wet socks.

Nutrition: 250 calories of Inifint per hour (3 hours in one bottle) and half a payday bar at miles 25, 50, 75, and 100. I had some Infinit left over but overall I felt REALLY good with my nutition. I didn't feel hungry or overly full and my energy was good.

I hit some low points mentally but I think that's to be expected. they were along the lines of "why the eff am I doing this?" and "how am I only at mile x?" and "am I on the course? because I haven't seen anyone in a while." thoughts on how to deal with these from my loyal readers? I just tried to pull myself out of the funk, focus on the good, etc.

Oddly the worst part for me was mile 105. I thought once I hit 100 I would be good to go but hitting that big milestone and THEN having 12 more mi was almost more than I could handle.

I just kept going and thought - not for the first time - the faster I go, the sooner I can get off. Oddly enough, the end snuck up on me ! I saw the high school and went left into the "bike finish" lane. yay !!

finish
dismounted my bike and then walked over the timing mats - wheee ! a volunteer - they really were world class! - took my bike from me . someone else gave me a medal. I went into the gym to get food and a massage. (love free post race massages).

thoughts
I am now 2/3 of an Ironman ! I am completely and utterly exhuasted but I am now pretty certain that with the rest of my training AND a proper taper I will ROCK IM Cozumel. It's a big confidence booster to know that I can do the full swim and the full bike.. all that's left is that tiny matter of a 26.2 run ;)

to remember for next time: advil (I had a slight headache for a while) and my chamois cream! I can't believe I forgot it !

week 9 totals | a kickass relay | a glorious long ride

2009-09-20T15:56:00.000-04:00

week 9 totals

in the water: 7500.00 M in 2h 35m 47s [3 workouts]
on bella: 83.60 Mi in 5h 50m 55s [3 workouts]
in my asics: 14.47 Mi in 2h 58m 02s [4 workouts]
total training time: 11h 24m 44s

a kickass relay

yesterday me, my bt.com (and now IRL friend) James, and my AR/ cycling buddy Greg, headed down to Indian Head, Md for the General Smallwood Triathlon. Greg does adventure races and has a beautiful road bike that never gets to race, I love an open water swim, and James is the fastest person on two legs (okay, second to Bolt).

Greg's girlfriend Christine drove us - at 5:30 am, natch - 90 minutes south to the park. we got there without a problem... and then there was a problem. I realized I forgot my wallet (am totally blaming this on IM-brain) and when I went to get our packet the race director wouldn't give it to me. great. he said to talk to the USAT ref - she said it was fine - but he still wouldn't give us our stuff. James had the brilliant idea to show him my facebook page - complete with photos of me racing - and he said that counted as photo ID.

phew !

then: problem 2 (again, IM-brain). I went to dig my goggles out of my bag. they were stuck, so instead of gently working them out from under my wetsuit, I kept yanking.

they broke.

Amy (also from BT, aka 'bushy' and don't ask) had an extra pair of goggles - the same Speedo Vanquishers I wear - that she kindly lent me.

we were taking pictures at the start - christine as our photag - when she said "um, your camera just popped." then it started smoking. no good. well... have been coveting a new camera for a while and I guess this was the catalyst to make that happen !

after being sure I understood the swim course - it was a weird set up: swim one circular loop, then back out, then swim back to the exit - I jumped in the water with the rest of the relay people and the women. ... and we're off ! for a small race this was a really crowded start! it took a while to break off from everyone and settle into a pace. because this was it for me I really tried to push it. sighting was okay but I got a little turned around on the way back to start the second loop. headed toward the finish --- easy to find thanks to the wacky waiving inflatable arm flailing tube man at the boat ramp.

hit my watch at the swim exit with a time of 29:07 - woot ! that's a pace of 1:56 / 100 meters... amazingly good for me.

ran uphill to transition, got off the chip and onto greg's leg, and he was off on the bike. about 70 min later greg got back to T2 -- transfered the chip to James' ankle -- and off went James ! Greg, Christine, and I headed over to the finish (ate pizza and Mike&Ikes.. mmm). we saw one relay runner finish -- and then a few more runners .. and then James, in his Terp Runner kit.

Team That'sWhatSheSaid placed second (Greg got a 2 min penalty for illegal passing, but even without that we still wouldn't have gotten first, so he is forgiven) out of ten relay teams! yay !

team> THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID
overall time> 2:25:07 (rank: 2/10)
swim _ 1500M > 29:15 (rank: 2/10)
t1> 2:18(rank 6/10)
bike _ 24 mi> 1:11:34 (rank: 3/10)
t2> 0:26 (rank: 3/10)
run _ 10K> 39:36 (rank: 1/10)
[penalty> 2:00)

dozed on the way home... what a fun fun day. I think more relays are in my future -- they are a fun, low key way to enjoy tris with friends. nice going, guys !

a glorious long ride

because I am so awesome Greg decided he would ride with me for 3 hours. we met in Linthicum and headed out on the B&A trail. beautiful day... mid 70s, sunny, blue skies with puffy clouds. the kind of day you would pick if you could pick riding weather.

we rode down the trail .. kind of a pain to avoid the people who don't know not to ride all over the trail but so nice to not be avoiding traffic. got to the end of the trail (the furthest I've gotten) and followed the route out to downtown annapolis.

the best best best part of this ride [really, I think, the best part of any ride, ever] was when I was at the top of the Severn River bridge. blue sky, blue water dotted with sailboats, beautiful houses on the water. it was one of those it-is-so-damn-good-to-be-alive(-and-I-love-my-bike-so-much)-moments. can't really put it into words .. I just felt so. damn. good.

we got through downtown naptown slowly - a lot of traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian - and then went through this amazing neighborhood. if I had .. oh, I dunno, about 1-2 mil laying around I would totally buy a house there. .. big but not obnoxiously so, lots of windows, interesting architecture, lovely gardens, and right on the water. stunning. stopped for a snack (payday bar, yay!) and turned around to head back.

3h 23m 33s
53.30 miles
15.71 Mi/hr

finished the ride then headed to checkers to replenish the body with that wholesome high quality food.

life, my friends, is good.

diamondman half iron [full rr]

2009-09-16T17:12:00.000-04:00

Saturday

Saturday I got in a short run. I didn't really [okay, I didn't at all] taper for this race. I planned to view it as a training day where I'd go fast. Goal was sub 6.

My friend Scott got to our house around 12:30 and we set out for Bear, Delaware (Hi... we're in ... Deleware). Got there and checked into our luxurious hotel - the Newark Sleep Inn. hey, it might have been a pos hotel, but each room had a microwave and fridge. ... and our room didn't stink like Deb's. ew. Then to packet pickup, which was the most bare bones low key packet pick up I've ever attended... got our shirts and numbers [chips were to be picked up on race day]. No expo. .. pickup was in a tent. We walked down to see how far the swim exit was from T1... the answer? far. .25 mi.

saw the buoys being taken out:

Starving, we then headed to TGIFriday's for a late lunch. I had chicken and pasta. It was yummy. Then: a group trip to K-mart. Scott wanted a fleece for the chilly race morning, and can you beat this for $17.99?

and I got chocolate poptarts for race morning. Really, I think that's why I race. It gives me a legit reason to eat chocolate poptarts and payday bars and call then the misnomer NUTRTION.

back to the hotel to rest [anyone surprised to see J like this?]

then we were hungry again so we went BACK to TGIFriday's [it was next to our hotel] and I got a Chips Ahoy Cookie Sundae [see above, re: "nutrition' ^].... and then, time for bed !

Sunday - race day !
after the wake up call, in room alarm, and James' iPhone went off, we [I] were awake. got dressed and headed down for breakfast --- brought - and toasted - my poptarts and started hydrating. grabbed the bikes and packed the car and drove 15 min to the race start.

pre race panic
started putting air in the tires --- had to use the headlights from the car as the sun had yet to show. lazy sun. then.. why is no air staying in my tire? WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH MY TIRE? TRANSITION CLOSES IN FORTY MINUTES AND I DON'T HAVE AN INFLATED TIRE AND THE MECHANIC LINE IS LONG AND NOT MOVING. I tried - with Deb's help - to change my tire, but we couldn't get it off the rim.

IS(=IronSherpa, = James) came, of course, to the rescue. He stood in line while I ran to the port o potties, got my wetsuit, laid out transition, etc. grabbed the tire with minutes to spare, threw it on the bike (front wheel. thank god.) and ran - literally - to the swim start.

SWIM

me, deb, and deb, pre swim (who doesn't look good in a green latex swim cap?):

swim start:
our typical pre race photo:

we started walking (shallow lake) to the start when we heard ONE MINUTE TO START and then people started swimming. water was chilly but not too too cold. I felt good during the swim - strong, smooth, decent sighting ... until I got out of the water. I looked at my watch: 44 minutes. FORTY FOUR MINUTES? I went 36 at Rhode Island. What did I do - take a nap during the swim? I mean, REALLY.

here is a flattering picture of me running the 1/4 mi to T1 from the swim exit:

swim time> 46:30
overall place> 128/ 213

T1
not too bad... peeled off my wetsuit, put on socks and bike cleats (clipping in while riding may happen in a couple seasons...) , helmet, sunglasses, and ran off. not the fastest T1 time ever but not bad for me, esp. for a HIM.
time> 2:40

here's deb in t1:

bike
the bike was billed as "flat and fast" although I have come to learn that people's definitions of words like "flat" "fast" "rolling" and "hilly" vary greatly. ... with the exception of one tough bridge, the course was pretty flat. I mean, if I was averaging 18.4 mph.. yeah, flat.

aero trish:

aero trish thumbs up:so, like I said, cruising along pretty well, getting passed, of course [maybe everyone had a bad swim?] ... and then we got to this HUGE bridge. it was beautiful and it was over a lovely river, but man did it suck. I had to come out of areo and out of my big chainring. .. at least I wasn't the guy I heard say "is this the sprint course?" no, sir, it most certainly is not. the course was pretty nice, very well marked, lots of volunteers and and police officers.

going BACK over the bridge + headwind = yuck. headwinds in general kind of suck. you feel like you are pedaling normally, same amount of effort... and then look at the bike computer which reads 14mph. wtf? during the bike I thought about how long 112 mi was on a bike (or, um, in a car).

time> 3:04:52
pace> 18.2
overall> 171/ 213

when I saw the bike dismount I was elated. so was my butt.

t2
time> 2:02. pretty good

run
I am always so so happy to start the run. running is my first love and, unlike the pass, I can pass and am not too often passed (plus, those fast guys on the bike are already way ahead of me. or, well, finished).

the run was an out and back --- a mile around the national park and then several miles on the C&D Canel.

starting the run is always a big of a downer though... so happy to be done with the swim and the bike but it's daunting to have 13.1 mi to run. I fell into a very comfortable 9/mi pace, walking through the water stations and getting water + gatorade. miles 1-5 flew by and I was passing a lot of people. I got to the turn around at mile 6.55 and then, around mile 8, I was feeling.. well, finished. the thought of running 5 more mi - in the sun - was not appealing. still, I tried to stay positive. I took it mile by mile and told myself that I could have a walking break at the next aid station (they were at each mile).

at mile 6 I told myself that sub 6 was an almost-definite -- all I needed to do was keep 10 minute miles and I could do it ... but it would be a photo finish.

and then I realized, at around mile 9, that it probably wouldn't happen. I was slowing down, I was tired and sore and hot. shoulders were tight and feet were sore.

time> 2:04:22
overall place> 97/ 213
pace> 9:30

finish
I ran the last mile hard and saw my watch turn to 6:00:00 when I was about 100 yards from the finish. at that point I played the whatif game (whatif I didn't walk that aid station, whatif I didn't have such a shitty swim) but I tried to push it out of my head and finish strong.

coming down the final stretch .. with always flattering photos:

Scott finishing -- and my awesome photog skills:Deb finishes strong:
overall time> 6:00:24
ag place> 10/14
gender place place> 27/ 61

post race

saw James, got our POSTrace photo:

post race with Scott --- both of us PR'd by 15 minutesmatt WINS his ag and goes sub 5:

post race mickey d's .. showing off deb's new fancy Barbie purse that came in her Happy Meal.

post race thoughts:
conflicted. I was so [so so so] elated to go 6:15 at Rhode Island.. I felt like I had an unbelievably great race [and I did]. my goal there was to go under 7 and to smash that by FORTY FIVE minutes was great. I was beaming at the finish line.

.. and I miss my goal here by 25 seconds - and still PR by FIFTEEN MINUTES - and I feel meh. that's how I feel - meh. I had a pretty good race - a shitty swim but a very solid bike and run - and I feel meh. maybe I wasn't as excited for this? there wasn't as much (or any, really) pre rae build up. the pre race and post race activities were... non existent.

a big-huge-mega THANK YOU to my IronSherpa.

anyhow, onward and upward to IMCozy.

fifteen minute PR.

2009-09-13T17:17:00.000-04:00

deleware diamondman tri.

2.1 mi swim/ 56 mi bike/ 13.1 mi run

overall time> 6:00:24
ag place> 10/14
gender place place> 27/ 61

swim
time> 46:30 (YIKES... it did include a long run - .25 mi - to T1 .. but still - YIKES)
overall> 128/ 213

t1
time> 2:40

bike
time> 3:04:52
pace> 18.2
overall> 171/ 213

t2
time> 2:02

run
time> 2:04:22
pace> 9:30
overall> 97/ 213

diamondman in t minus 21 hours!

2009-09-12T10:34:00.000-04:00

bella is cleaned.
transition bag is packed.
directions are printed.
lunch has been eaten.
need to go to the grocery store to pick up poptarts/ plastic water bottles (for bottle exchange).
waiting for racing buddy and his friend.
packing is almost finished.

ready go to sub 6h at Diamondman.

external motivation.

2009-09-08T21:12:00.001-04:00

the journey is the reward .. most of the time.

sometimes, when the journey itself is not enough of a reward - when you are tired and hungry and would rather nap and maybe clean your dirty house - you need an external reward. something tangible. something now.

my sked called for a 3600M swim - that's exactly 2.4 mi (IM distance). told myself that if I did it I would treat myself to a pedicure post swim.

and I did.

and it was delightful !

totals 08|31 > 09|06

2009-09-06T18:49:00.000-04:00

swim> 7800.00 M in 2h 42m 21s [3 workouts]
bike> 130.20 Mi in 8h 03m 10s [3 workouts, including one 75 mi ride]
run:>20.41 Mi in 3h 11m 26s [3 workouts]

total training time: 13h 56m 57s

happy run/ smooth swim/ fast bike

2009-09-02T22:13:00.001-04:00

my past three training sessions have been amazing.

I think it's the weather... it's been mid 70s, sunny, and clear all week (unheard of in swampy Maryland).

run
last night I headed out for a 45-50 min run. all of baltimore, it seemed, was running (I don't know where these people are when it's 95* and humid or 30* and windy, but I digress). I met a bangel cat (beautiful animals) that lives with her owners on a boat. they live in texas but cruise all over and stay in each city for a couple months. the cat can swim ! also met two westies. people actually smiled/ waved back when I smiled/ waved. just a lovely happy run.
5.41 miles in 50m 17s // 09m 17s/Mi

swim
this morning I dragged myself out of bed at 5:50 to swim. it was cold and it was dark and the warm comforter called to me.. but I ignored her siren call. when I got to the pool there was only one other person there. shocking, I know, since it was 55* this morning. swam a 200 and 8 x 50 for my warmup, a 1000 TT (19:23), and a 200 warm down. the air was chilly but the water was warm and I love seeing the sky turn a beautiful pink just before the sun comes up.
1800.00 meters in 36m 15s // 02m 01s /100 meters

bike
tonight I met up with two people from bt.com and one other guy (who really should just join) to ride the Columbia course. more amazing weather and an amazing course. saw the sun set over the fields in Tridelphia. saw horses, sheep, and a donkey. good conversation with delightful training buddies. fastest avg on that course for me .. ever.
25.20 miles in 1h 35m // 15.92 Mi/hr

first full IM month [totals]

2009-08-31T20:38:00.000-04:00

august's totals
[first full IM training month]

swim> 31300 M in 10h 58m 07s
bike> 428 Mi in 28h 12m 34s
run> 89.11 Mi in 14h 15m 15s

total training time: 62h 25m 56s

totals and feelings.

2009-08-30T18:16:00.000-04:00

IM training week 6
24 august - 30 august

in the water: 2500.00 M in 53m 30s [1 workout]
on bella: 132.30 Mi in 8h 28m 50s [4 workouts]
in my asics: 25.64 Mi in 4h 00m 34s [5 workouts]

total training time: 13h 22m 54s

thoughts as I head into week seven >

I am always
1. exhuasted
2. hungry
3. doing laundry

this is hard. I didn't think training would be a cakewalk (where did that expression come from? I will wikipedia it later) but I didn't realize what a jump it would be from HIM training.

I've been training for 6 weeks. I have 13 weeks to go. I CAN do this and I know I WILL do this but oh man am I feeling the effects of long rides, runs, and swims. The judge took a recess last week and I ran to my office to inhale two granola bars.

I'm fortunate that I've found some v. cool people to train with ... the only place I don't have a training buddy is in the pool, but I'm okay with that - it's mainly the long rides where I can use company.

Yesterday I rode 43 miles - Columbia + IronGirl - hilly. did a 4 mi trail run after that. today I rode Easton to Tilghman Island and back (51 mi and flat) and did a 5 mi run brick. that's 92 miles on the bike and 9 mi in my asics for the folks at home keeping score.

I did laundry on Friday and I'm doing a load now -- amazing how 2 1/2 days of workouts can acculumate so many stinky clothes !

my plan to supplement the training:
> More. Sleep! I'm needing 9 hours a night. [note to self: stop dicking around on bt.com at night]
> Order Recoverite. have heard very good things about it from a few people
> STRETCH ! yoga ? might join one of my buddies on BT for hot yoga once/ a month. use my Yoga for Triathletes DVD.
> Massages. would love to get these regularly. call the Balt School of Massage to get them on the cheap.

.. exactly 3 mo out from today. squeee!

I pump up my tires and I oil my chain

2009-08-27T10:38:00.000-04:00

performance - the name of the game

this has been floating around for a while, but if you haven't seen it, it's worth a laugh!

[and if you have seen it, watch it again!]

totals 08.17 through 08.23 [IM week 5]

2009-08-23T20:41:00.000-04:00

IM training > week 5

in the water> 9750.00 M in 3h 26m 55s [3 workouts]
on bella> 105.30 Mi in 7h 01m 41s [2 workouts]
in my asics> 15.82 Mi in 2h 47m 05s [3 workouts]

total training time: 13h 15m 42s

totals

2009-08-18T11:27:00.000-04:00

IM training > week 4
[10 aug though 16 aug]

in the water> 8200.00 M in 2h 56m 06s [4 workouts]
on bella> 74.40 Mi in 4h 54m 13s [4 workouts]
in my asics> 15.65 Mi in 2h 29m 32s [3 workouts]

total training time: 10h 19m 51s

north east tri [oly], or, what a difference a year makes.

2009-08-16T15:09:00.000-04:00

North East Triathlon - Olympic Distance.
1500M SWIM/ 23.5MI BIKE/ 10K RUN

the swim> 00:30:49 1500 meters 02m 03s / 100meters
t1> 02:47
the bike> 01:22:58 23.200001 miles 16.78 mile/hr
t2> 01:39
the run> 00:54:24 06.21 miles 08m 46s min/mile

finish time> 2:52:35

saturday
swam 1800M in the morning then cleaned my bike. she was drrty.

Steve, Christy (Maryland BTers) and I met at DuClaw for lunch pre packet pickup. After a delicious salad (you really cannot go wrong with candied pecans) we drove to Cecil Co. to pick up our packets. Got our stuff, checked out the water (WARM), and headed back to Baltimore.

packed the tri bag, relaxed, and had dinner with some good friends. asleep by 10:30.

race day !

woke up at 4:45 and had my usual pre race breakfast of oatmeal, honey, almonds, and peanut butter. woke up james. grabbed my Infinit, water, tri bag, and bike, and headed to North East. no traffic, although not surprising for 5:20 am on a sunday morning.

we got to the race site (after J got a doughnut and coffee at Dunkin' Donuts. mmmmm doughnuts), parked, and then headed to T1 to get body marked and get set up.

Found the Maryland BTers - Christy, Traci, Steve, and CJ - and hung out for a while. I was in wave 8 - of 8 waves - and that was after all the sprint athletes went out AND we took a 15 minute break. I was chomping at the bit to get in the water! doing the pee pee dance in line for the port o pots.

from left: christy, me, cj, steve, traci.

goofy BT kids.

the swim:
1500 meters
00:30:49
02m 03s / 100meters

finally! waiting in the water for our wave to get the GO !

the water was WARM. not okay-I-can-deal-without-a-wetsuit warm, but holy-crap-I-take-showers-colder-than-this ! the course was set up like this:

and there were a ton of buoys so sighting wasn't too much of a problem. I felt like I was going at a decent clip and I passed a few people in the wave(s) before me.

Got out of the water and checked my watch - totally happy with my swim and onto t1/ the bike.

t1:
02:47
this really isn't as bad as it looks ... there was a long run from the water to t1. once I got to my bike, I put on my socks, shoes, and helmet and was off !

the bike:
23.200001 miles
01:22:58
16.78 mile/hr

this is where I expected to see most of my gains. I've been training hard on the bike - riding the hills of ellicott city, long runs on the shore, strength workouts on the bike trainer - and I was ready for a solid bike split.

the course is like a mini Columbia - it's what I'd call a true rolling course. none of the hills were too awful, but I did get passed by a girl in pedal cages. go me. However, I DID beat her on the bike. I'll take these as victories: stayed in aero 99% of the time, easily got Infinit bottle and water bottle out of the bottle cages, didn't flat, stayed in aero downhill! pedaled like hell on the downhill (and passed a few people who weren't pedaling... it really does make a difference), took corners in aero.

oh, early in the course: look, wild turkeys!
oh wait, those are VULTURES.
and they are eating a DEAD DEER.
barf.
(oh, and I would see that delightful scene again on the run. TWICE).

and an average mph of 16.78? I will SO take it.

t2:
01:39
not bad ! ran in from the bike, pulled off my cleats, pulled on my running shoes, grabbed my hat and number belt to put on as I ran out.

the run:
06.21 miles
00:54:24
08m 46s min/mile

it was hot. it was humid. it was on pavement. and it was not shaded. the run was an out and back along the road and the road was open to traffic... which kind of sucked but when a car went past I got a little breeze.

I had no idea what my pace was since I didn't have Garmie, but I tried to settle into a comfortable fast pace. Mentally, mile 2 was the hardest. I wasn't halfway and I was getting tired. The aid stations were great - water, heed, power aid gels (I had a banana one. it was - surprisingly - delicious!), and the best: ice cold wash cloths. tucked one in my tri top straps on the back of my neck.

The hill leading up to the turn around was pretty steep, but I kept thinking KMF (keep moving forward) and I pushed through. Once I got to the turn around I felt great. 3.1 miles. I knew I could run 3.1 miles and I knew I could do it in a decent time.

My goal was to break 3 hours and I knew when I started the run I would more than likely do it, but I grew more confident at each mile.

the finish!
I was passing a lot of people, which happens when you (a) are slow on the bike, and (b) have a running background. it's also a huge morale booster.

I hit mile 6 and was so happy to see the finish chute.

coming up on the finish:

badass finisher's photo
I hit my watch after the finish line (I'm really trying to avoid the looking-at-the-watch finisher's photo).

met up with the BT kids, got food (hamburger, potato salad, cookies, and a pepsi), and headed back to baltimore.

James got McDonalds:

and I got Rita's:

I am really happy with this race. improved speed on the bike, faster transitions, and a fourteen minute PR.

and compared to last year's north east tri?

2008 swim> 37:06
2009 swim> 30:49

2008 t1> 3:52
2009 t1> 2:47

2008 bike> 1:28:34
2009 bike> 1:22:58

2008 t2> 3:38
2009 t2:> 1:39

2008 run> 53:14
2009 run> 54:24

2008 time> 3:06:24
2009 time> 2:52:35

totals and photos.

2009-08-09T20:25:00.000-04:00

totals

totals 08/03 through 08/09 [IM training week 3]

in the water: 5450.00 M in 1h 50m 42s [3 workouts]
on bella: 46.00 Mi in 3h 32m 50s [3 workouts]
in my asics: 20.65 Mi in3h 13m 24s [4 workouts]

total training time: 08h 36m 56s

photos

from last sunday's ride on the eastern shore:

it was raining. hard.

then deb flatted.
[not pictured: the c02 cart refusing to come off of the tube and the tube exploding]

yay we made it to Tilghman's Island!

pretty

biker chick.
69 [hehe] point five miles !

totals july 27 _ august 2

2009-08-02T18:47:00.000-04:00

in the water> 6950.00 M in 2h 32m 01s
[3 workouts]
on bella> 100.50 Mi in 6h 31m 45s
[4 workouts]
in my asics> 20.50 Mi in 3h 12m 16s
[4 workouts]

total: 12h 16m 02s

longest training week [so far!]

july is ova ! + the FINA swimsuit debate

2009-07-31T20:58:00.000-04:00

july is ova!

well bloggy buddies, july is over ! [how is that possible?]

my numbers are low for this month because of a one week taper and a one week recovery period.

in the water: 6h 36m 39s - 19000 M
on bella: 13h 27m 46s - 195.2 Mi
in my asics: 14h 47m 02s - 92.54 Mi

total training time: 34h 51m 27s

so excited for august and starting my first full month of IM training !

the FINA swimsuit debate

as a woman, erm, swimmer, I just think we should go back to the plain ol' speedos. the originals, if you will. I mean, do you want to see this:

or this?

the State rests its case.

an open letter to my iron sherpa.

2009-07-29T19:59:00.000-04:00

dear james [my iron sherpa],

four [4!] years ago, this was us:

we clean up pretty nice, I'd say.

and while I could go on [and on and on and on and on] about how wonderful you are in all aspects of my [and our] life(ves), I'll keep this tri / running related. [um, and let's be honest... most of my life right now IS tri related!]

you got me a brownie cake - with 26.2 candles, natch - after I completed my first marathon - Baltimore - in 2005. we were still living in that apartment with the loud art students. I ate the whole thing in two days.

you were there with me at my first triathlon [Cascade Lake Sprint, summer 08]
this was before I had discovered the joy of a race number belt.

and at the start of my fourth marathon [National Marathon, March 09, 6:15 a]

... and at the finish line.

you drove us three hours west to Deep Creek Lake so I could 'race' Savageman.
and you never told me that I had absolutely no business being there, although we both knew that was the truth.

you cheered me on at Columbia... while wearing my transition backpack [after finding the only unhealthy food the vendors were selling]

anyone who reads this blog knows how much I value your support. you are my chauffeur, photographer, cheerleader. you [rarely] complain about how much money I've spent on gear, clothes, and races. you listen to be babble on about my training schedule and my bike and my nutrition plan. you commiserate with me when I have a bad training session and celebrate with me when I have a good one. you know the exact distances of an Ironman and have never once complain about ending our nights at 8 pm so I can go to sleep early.

simply put,

I could not train or race without you.

or, maybe I could, but it wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable.

looking forward to this journey - Ironman - and seeing you, my iron sherpa, at the finish line at Cozumel, beer(s) in hand, and knowing that I could not be there without you.

[happy anniversary]

[oh, and proof that we have a photo together where I'm not wearing spandex and you're not wearing your maryland under armour jacket]

all my love,

wifey.

week one + totals

2009-07-26T12:27:00.001-04:00

the first week of IM training went s w i m m i n g l y ! I know all weeks won't be like this, but I am going to just enjoy it for what it was: a great first training week.

totals:
in the water: 6850.00 M in 2h 22m 42s [3 workouts]
on bella: 59.70 Mi in 4h 20m 56s [3 workouts]
in my asics: 19.77 Mi 3h 05m 06s [3 workouts]

total training time: 09h 48m 44s

Saturday's run
I had my first long run in, well, a long time!
The plan called for a 12 mile run, and with a predicted high of 90*F + humid I knew I'd have to get it in early.

I go up at 6:00 and was out the door by 6:25 [I find it amusing that I get up earlier to train than I do for work!]. Even toward the end of the run it wasn't that hot... looks like the earlier the better for long weekend runs + rides.

I did a familiar run, and kept almost all of along the water, which was nice.

splits:
mile 1: 9:35
mile 2: 9:26
mile 3: 9:40
mile 4: 9:29
mile 5: 9:21
mile 6: 9:16
mile 7: 9:13
mile 8: 9:12
mile 9: 8:51
mile 10: 9:04
mile 11: 9:17
mile 12: 9:23

12.05 miles in 1h 52m 11s // 09m 19s/Mi

Sunday's ride

The more I ride, the better rider I become, and the more I want to ride ... and the better rider I become. Cyclical, eh?

I got to the park at 10 to 8:00 .. and it started drizzling. And then it started pouring. And then it really started pouring. ARF and I sat in his car for a while and waited it out. And then - thankfully, because I really didn't want to do 2 hours on the trainer - the rain stopped and the sun started shining.

This is one of my absolute favorite rides. Rolling hills, beautiful scenery, acres of farmland... and at the beginning of the ride there were tons of these little yellow birds [that reminded me of something Fleur and the other Veela would have released. yes I am a nerd]

I went with my Camelback and a 2 hour concentrated bottle of Infinit. I had a sip of Infinit every 10 min... and I think I'll need to get a watch for IM Cozy that beeps every 10 minutes to remind me to drink. ARF forgot his water bottle so I shared mine because sharing is a nice thing to do. I still felt kind of hungry and I think I'll need to up my Infinit calories to 250 / hour (currently at 217/ hour) ... and maybe bump up the protein a bit.

map:

elevation:

33.50 miles in 2h 10m 05s // 15.45 Mi/hr

... onward and upward to week two !

and so it begins.

2009-07-23T20:31:00.000-04:00

well, bloggy friends, IM training has commenced !

last night I met with ARF [adventure racing friend] after work for a ride/ run brick. ARF loves climbing and planned the ride accordingly.

The first major (and prolonged) hill is New Cut Road. The second major hill is Hilltop. The next is Ilchester. Between 14 and 17 miles are the big initial hill and rollers on College Ave. The last one is Westchester.

Ilchester is 375 feet in about 1/3 mile (450 feet in less just under a mile). Hilltop does 325 feet in about 1/2 mile. Westchester is 275 feet in about 1/2 mile.

map:

blue = elevation; purple = speed [it's AR's speed - I forgot my Garmin - mine is slower]

Summary Data
Total Time: 1h 24m
Total Distance: 17.00 miles
Average Pace: 12.14 Mi/hr
Elevation Gain (ft)+4,310 / -4,384

---- and what does one do after one trashes her legs up the monster hills of Ellicott City ? she runs, of course !

we got back to ARF's house, changed into running shoes, grabbed his dog and set out for a run.

Time: 37m 50s
Distance: 4.00 miles
Average Pace: 09m 28s/Mi
Elevation Gain (ft): +675 / -683

the run felt surprisingly good and the pace, shockingly easy.

and then: croissant turkey sandwhich + fries + beer.
yum.

good luck to all racing IMLP this weekend !

a humbling run, weekly totals, and the start of something new.

2009-07-19T16:30:00.000-04:00

hope all my bloggy buddies had a great weekend !

a humbling run

AR friend convinced me to start trail running. Since he smokes me on the bike and I'm a decent runner I thought this would be a chance to be the fast one... or, at least, keep up.

I. Was. Wrong.

Trail running is a different animal. Hills, rocks, roots, branches, trees -- I was exhuasted after the first mile. And there went AR friend, flying down the downhills and easily tackling the uphills. Me? Stutter stepping the downhills to avoid falling flat on my face and slogging up the uphills like this was my first time in running shoes [despite my National Marathon tshirt and 70.3 Finisher hat].

Still, it was absolutely beautiful:

Seamus [AR friend's dog] had a good time playing in water.

A house J and I could probably afford!

The elevation ... yup, a couple hills:

map:

the numbers: 6.68 miles in 1h 17m 49s // 11m 39s/Mi.
compare that 11:39 to yesterday's 8:30s. yeeps to my ego. still, will make me a better runner and as AR friend says, we're working on my training, not on my ego.
[still, the ego a little sore after that run]
then, post run slurpees . delicious.

weekly totals - recovery week

in the water: 1500.00 M in 29m 46s
on bella: 8.00 Mi in 37m 50s
in my asics: 13.53 Mi in 2h 18m 52s
total: 03h 26m 28s

the start of something new

tomorrow marks the official start of IRONMAN COZUMEL 09 training.
.... let the journey begin !

ri 70.3 prof. photos

2009-07-16T17:08:00.000-04:00

I think this is went into the ocean to pee before the race. don't judge.

me and saltzy pre-race

the always-awesome-I-look-drunk swimexit

thumbs up.

me and bella

I swear I'm running. slowly.

happy half-ironwoman

rhode island 70.3 - race report.

2009-07-13T21:37:00.000-04:00

or: the perfect race
or: the most zipp wheels I've ever seen in one place.

thursday

3:30: picked up my bike from Race Pace. when I called wednesday afternoon, they said they were booked. overwhelmed. swamped. But I NEED you to tune up and pack my bike. I leave friday morning ! they said: bring beer. I said: how much and what kind?
9:30: perhaps I should pack. bike already in box. could only check one other bag, which I knew would have to be my tri bag [well, I thought it would qualify to bring on the plane - J said no effing way].
laid everything out and had J read me my 'to pack' list as I put everything away:

friday

alarm goes off at 5:30. mother effer. got out of the house with bike in bike box, tri bag, and carry on suitcase/ backpack at 6:05. J drove me to BWI. lots of strange looks - 5'0 girl lugging around a giant grey box. no problems checking in or going through security. flight left on time and arrived on time. I dozed off before take off.

deb picked me up at the airport and we were off to the expo. we relied on "samantha" - her tomtom - to get us around Providence. beautiful city ! after driving around in circle for a while - no, samantha, we ARE NOT at our destination! we finally found the expo/ packet pick up.

first: wait in line to show USAT card.
second: sign waiver [if you die it's not our fault]
here's deb signing her life away:

third: get in line to have someone explain everything to you and get your athlete wristband clipped on. it's useful to know why other people are eating dinner at 4:00 pm, but more on that later. also got shuttle tickets for race morning.

fourth: check out the expo!
what I learned: if it holds still, Ironman will put an M-DOT on it. M-DOT socks, wetsuits, glasses, mugs, keychains, frames, towels, and dog treats.

yes, dog treats.

something fun you can do at the expo: get your photo taken in one of these:

we are so cool.

after the expo we checked into our hotel [walking distance from the finish line!] and I took Bella to the LBS in Providence to be reassembled. and then: we went shopping. I bought some shirts from AT and Deb bought two pairs of shoes. oh, and I got new rainbows. she is a bad influence.

then, back to the hotel where we did an easy 2 mi on the hotel mills to warm up/ stretch/ get the blood moving.

here is Bella with her race number affixed relaxing at the hotel:

then we ate at someplace [Joe's?] that had really really good nachos ... mmm. nachos.
watched some bad tv and then went to sleep.

saturday

this race is different from most in that the bike is a point-to-point.

that means: swim in the ocean at Roger Wheeler Park, bike north to Providence, then run through downtown Providence.
that also means: you need to get all of your shit in the right place on Saturday.
and: you have a lot of bags for said shit:

three bags --

green: morning clothes [the stuff you wore TO the start, to be delivered to the finish]

black: wetsuit/ bike gear [bike gear, and also to stuff your wetsuit/ goggles in, to be delivered to the finish]

red: running gear [to be put in t2 on saturday]

we had a 9:00- noon parking pass for the beach in Narragansett, so after an all-you-can-eat(-and-steal-for-race-morning) breakfast, we headed to the beach to rack our bikes.

here's deb and her badass cervelo p2c

and here's me kissing bella bye and telling her I'd see her in the morning.

here is the beach on saturday late morning. it did NOT look like this on race morning:

we then drove the bike course. got off course at around mile 40. I was navigating. total coincidence. total.

we headed back to the hotel to get our run stuff together . then: to the race briefing [drafting is bad, mmmkay?] and put our run gear bags in T2:

and then we ate dinner. at 4:30. it was pretty funny - lots of people wearing green Ironman 70.3 wristbands sucking down pasta while other people were eating lunch.

so: bike was racked, run stuff in t2, bike gear packed, race day clothes and wetsuit and goggles and cap laid out. it's go time !

... except: it's 7:30. the sun is still shining. people are still out. but: the shuttle from downtown providence leaves at 4:00 am and we need our sleep.

8:30: deb and I go to sleep.

1:30 am: deb and I are awakened by a parade. YES, A PARADE. mother effer. no matter, says deb, we have to be up in a couple hours anyhow.

sunday

3:30 am: we're awake.
3:32 am: why the eff am I doing this.

3:45 am: we're on our way to shuttle pick up. it's dark. very much so.

here are deb and I on the shuttle:

taking a picture of deb's cell. it says: 3:53, I think. that's early.

the shuttle was freaking FREEZING, mr. bigglesworth ! and so was the air! ... so brilliant of me not to pack long sleeves and sweats. it was in the low 60s and very windy and I was wearing a tri top, tri shorts, and a tshirt. like I said- brilliant.

I put my bike gear bag on bella and wiped her down.

SWIM

time > 37:34

pace > 1:57/ 200

age group place > 43/ 59

overall place > 866/ 1308

there was a nasty storm saturday night -- and the waves knocked all the buoys all. over. the. place. the race start was delayed 15 min... and then another 10 min while the kayakers pulled the buoys back into something that resembled that ^^ . the water didn't LOOK too bad... some big-ish waves breaking at shore, but once I got past those, I thought I'd be okay.

my wave - women 18-29 - was toward the end, so I stood in the water and watched all the waves before me start. and then: PURPLE CAPS ON DECK ! ahhhh I hate this part of races. well, maybe hate is the wrong word, but the waiting is the hardest part. after what felt like forever, the gun went off and so did we.

I ran into the ocean, high stepping as best as I could until I could start swimming. holy eff this was a tough swim. sighting was pretty good for the first 300m or so, and then ... not so much. I tried to see the next buoy but the waves blocked my view. plus, we were swimming against the current. finally I got to the red buoy and turned around to swim back to shore. and then: I got lost. seriously, who gets lost in an out and back swim ? the buoys had shifted and at one point I wasn't sure where shore was... I asked a kayaker WHICH WAY and she pointed to an orange buoy. and then: SHORE ! wheeeee ! I slogged out of the water, ripping off my cap and goggles and unzipping my wetsuit, and ran up the beach.

and then: wetsuit strippers ! awesome ! I laid down on the (M-DOT, of course) carpet and two girls ripped my wetsuit off. so efficient. then to t1 where I traded my swim gear for bike shoes and a helmet and it was time to riiiiide.

BIKE

time > 3:22:06
pace > 16.63 mph
age group place > 40/ 59

overall place > 1158/ 1308

biking is - undoubtedly - my weakest leg so I was a little nervous about this 56 miler. my time goal for this was 4 hr. the start of the course is pancake flat and I was averaging 18.8 mph ... knew this wouldn't last but enjoyed it while it did ! I stayed in aero for most of the time and followed my nutrition/ hydration plan: one sip of concentrated Infinit followed by one sip of water every 15 min.

men 20-24, 25-29, and 30-34 all started behind me, and most [all?] of them zipped by me on the course... but I didn't care. I was racing my own race.

oh, and speaking of zipping -- 60% of the field had zipp wheels. it was insanity - I've never seen so many pricey bikes + wheels in one place.

there were some climbs in the middle of the ride... nothing too bad, though. at one point a woman passed me on the right - on a hill - and it looked like I was trying to pass her. pissed me off.

at mile 30ish I heard "any women have spare 650 tubes???" I did I pulled over to give her one. poor woman ended up with 2 flats ... turns out her wheel was shredded [Deb talked to her on the run] and she had to wait for the SAG van.

then: into the town of Providence- yay! - and through the hood - boo ! seriously, the last 5 miles went through the slums - complete with potholes and railroad tracks. it really was shitty. but then I heard: you're almost there - just to the top of the hill ! and I finished strong.

hopped off my bike at the dismount area - almost getting run over by some dbag - and headed into t2 to drop off my bike + bike gear and pull on my shoes and hat for the half marathon.

RUN

time > 2:09:11

pace > 9:51 min/ mile
age group place > 43/ 59

overall place > 844/ 1308

you can't think - at the start of the last leg of a half ironman - I have 13.1 mi to run. it's too much, too overwhelming. gotta take it mile by mile.

the run course was an out and back - twice - which I liked. there was an aid station each mile - with power bars, power bar gels, water, gatorade, pretzels, and sponges soaked in ice cold water. there were tons of spectators, too, which is always very nice.

as you can see from ^^ , there was a HUGE hill that we had to go up - and down - twice. apparently it's the hill that was used for the street luge at the x games. it. was. steep.

I didn't wear my Garmin but figured I was keeping about a 10 min pace for the first loop.... maybe a smidge bit under. the nice thing about the out and back is that I could say to myself - on the first loop - next time you're here you will be so close to done. I finished the first loop and it was mentally tough to make the u turn instead of heading to the Capital to the finish !... but I knew that I was halfway done, and that was a big mental boost - just one more lap, just 6.1 more miles. there were inspirational signs set up by friends and family - very sweet to read, especially the ones done by kids.

I chugged along, taking some walk breaks when I needed to -- I also walked through all of the aid stations. I passed A LOT of people on the second loop which was a big boost to my morale.

and then I was near the finish. the crowd grew larger, louder, and the most beautiful sight - the finish line - grew closer.

FINISH!

time > 6:15:24
age group place > 45/ 59

overall place > 1011/ 1308

I gave it all I had and even passed the guy next to me. crossed the early mat and heard TRICIA CECIL, from BALTIMORE, MARYLAND ! and smiled my biggest cheesiest smile at the finish line photographer.

looked at my watch: I SMASHED my 7 hour time goal by 45 minutes ! elated, I grabed some water, got my water and 'finisher' hat, and posed for a photo. very cool: some guy said "wow, you were passing everyone in the second loop -- what's your secret??" then borrowed someone's cell to call my iron sherpa - james - and waited in line for a massage. ... the line didn't move and I needed to find deb, so I headed out out of the finisher area.

went to the tents where a volunteer easily found my morning clothes bag and my bike/ wetsuit bag, and got a photo with Bella:

the beautiful Capitol and the sight of the finish:

I couldn't find Deb at our meeting place, so I headed back to the hotel, where she was with her parents. don't we look great?

her parents took us to lunch/ dinenr, where I had the most delicious glass of shiraz and an awesome bacon cheeseburger. back to the hotel to take a nap and then we got coldstone ice cream.

I have a nasty chafing bruise/ open wound, but I'll spare you all a photo.

exhuasted and happy, I fell asleep early.

monday

packing up the car was interested. I stuffed all my luggage stuff in the bike box, and after multiple attempts, we finally got the car packed. it was like tetris:

an uneventful 6 hours later - we made great time- I was back in Baltimore. happy to be home.

THOUGHTS

this was My Perfect Race. I dropped over two hours from my finish at Savageman ! everything just went so damn well --- the flight, the hotel, the race itself. I am thrilled with my times and I am beyond thrilled with my bike. I can't believe I kept under a 2:00/ 100 with that swim. I had a good HM and a spectacular finish.

best part of the race - the volunteers. they were awesome and they were EVERYWHERE.

.... onward and upward to ironman training !

rhode island 70.3 - the short version.

2009-07-13T16:42:00.000-04:00

this was The Perfect Race

I have, of course, lots of photos and stories to share with my bloggy buddies, but I'm (1) tired, (2) need to unpack, and (3) need - badly - to get my haircut.

for now, my numbers:

overall

time > 6:15:24

age group place > 45/ 59
overall place > 1011/ 1308

swim

time > 37:34

pace > 1:57/ 200

age group place > 43/ 59

overall place > 866/ 1308

> 4:50

bike

time > 3:22:06

pace > 16.63 mph

age group place > 40/ 59
overall place > 1158/ 1308

> 1:43

run

time > 2:09:11
pace > 9:51 min/ mile

age group place > 43/ 59
overall place > 844/ 1308

rhode island bound !

2009-07-10T05:41:00.001-04:00

leaving on a jetplane for Providence in 5 minutes.

you can track me at ironmanrhodeisland.com or ironman.com on Sunday 06/12.

race starts at 6:00 am !

thanks for all the well wishes !

triathlete's house/ pack it up.

2009-07-08T15:33:00.000-04:00

only in a triathlete's house:

according to the countdown clock on ironmanrhodeisland.com we are 3 days, 10 hours, 42 minutes, and 58, erm, 56, 52.. 50 seconds until race day.

that means: time to start making lists. I love lists. I love making them and crossing things off of them. it's a sickness - but I digress.

and now I present to you

TO-PACK for Rhode Island 70.3:

[please don't laugh]

race day clothing

> craft tri top

> craft tri shorts

swim

> wetsuit

> goggles (2 pair)

> caps

bike

> bella-the-bike [to be checked on the plane]

> extra tubes

> gloves

> bike cleats

> floor pump

> helmet

> thin socks

> sunglasses

> water bottles

> chain lube

run

> hat

> extra socks

> race number beflt

> running shoes

> Garmin

race day necessities

> flip flops

> post race clothing

> towel(s)

> camera

> Inifint mix

> GUs

> body glide

> cash

> sunblock

> USAT card

> wristwatch

> camelback

> lip balm

> identification

clothes

> underthingies

> jeans

> jean skirt

> tshirts (4)

> tank tops (2)

> madras plaid skirt

> flip flops

> polos (2)

extra training clothes

> running shorts

> running singlet

> bike shorts

> bike jersey

> swimsuit

> extra socks

> sports bras

tolietries

> shampoo

> conditioner

> body wash

> face lotion

> body lotion

> face wash

> medicine

> razor + shave gel

misc.

> Garmin charger

totals - june and last week.

2009-07-05T15:30:00.000-04:00

monday 29 - june 5

in the water : 3200.00 M in 1h 05m 29s
on bella : 66.80 Mi in 5h 04m 47s
in my [new!] asics: 21.61 Mi in 3h 25m 06s

total: 09h 35m 22s

june 09

in the water : 18250 M in 6h 13m 24s
on bella : 376.45 Mi in 26h 58m 59s
in my asics: 34.61 Mi in 5h 34m 39s

total: 38h 47m 02s

with my achilles tendonitis I didn't get in very much running in June ... and with the stitches I missed a week of swimming. still, a solid month, and I'm pleased with the cycling. onward and upward to july ! .. which will be a low numbers month -- one week of taper + one week of rest/ light active recovery.

r-b-r brick.

2009-07-04T08:38:00.001-04:00

yesterday was my last go-hard-or-go-home-exhuasting-sweaty-give-it-all-you've-got workout before taper [madness].

I left for the B&A trail around 8:00 a. Can I just say how much I love my Rocket Science Sports transition bag? [and no, I don't work for them/ am not sponsered by them ... or, um, anyone!]. It fits everything so perfectly. It was pricey, but if you are in the market for a new transition bag -- totally worth it.

The plan, per my BT sked:
run 9K
bike 1h 20m
run 9k hard + fast

kilometers? what is this, England? [or any other part of the world? ha]

oh, and I wore my fancy new jersey ! yay for eBay!

RUN
49m 18s
5.05 miles
09m 46s/Mi
8:30 AM

nice and slow and easy. surprisingly, this is only the second time I've trained on the B&A. it's a very nice trail - paved, many shady parts, pretty long (14 mi one way). I wish I had brought water with me -- I was getting really thirsty even though it wasn't that warm or humid.

BIKE
2h 15m 02s
32.20 miles
14.31 Mi/hr
9:30 AM

there is something wrong w my front brake - it's rubbing against the wheel and I an't tweak it. no biggie though - I'm getting my bike packed up on tuesday by my LBS and I'll have them tune it up. anyhow, I felt really good in aero ! I'm still a weenie when it comes to turning / going downhill in aero but I'm getting better. sort of. there were a fair amount of people out but everyone - even the little kids - seemed to know the rules of the road ... stay on the right, pass on the left, etc.

<>I was shocked at how many people weren't wearing helmets. I know of quite a few people that would have split their heads open if not for a helmet. yes, it's a trail, no traffic, etc. but you never know. < / rant >.

I still need to figure out what I'm going to do for hydration at RI70.3. I only have one water bottle holder on and because my bike has such a small frame - 48 - it's a btich to get the bottle in and out of the holder. I think I'll have my LBS put on rear mounted water bottle holders. I can put my concentrated Infinit in one and water in the other, and then just refill with water at aid stations.

It was kind of lonely riding by myself but I figure that I'll have a few solitary long rides in training for IMCOZ and I should just get used to it.

RUN
52m 46s
6.15 miles
08m 35s/Mi
12:00 PM

I got off of the bike and changed out my shoes for the third part of this brick. I always feel so awkward and slow off of the bike but I'm actually faster... maybe because of the cadence on the bike? maybe because muscles are warm?

This was a really. hard. run. I had a 20 oz. water bottle but had to stop at mile 2.75 at a KFC to refill it. I kept a 8:30-8:40 pace and I was tired and hot and exhuasted but I pushed it and kept thinking KMF(keep moving forward - my motto) until the end.

Home and inhaled whatever food wasn't nailed down. I realized on my way home that I needed new running shoes and went to my LRS to get a new pair of Asics Gel Nimbus 11. and then I slept. for quite a few hours.

and now: let taper madness begin !

totals/ ocean swim/ achilles + PT/ RI70.3

2009-06-28T18:25:00.000-04:00

totals

in the water: 5400.00 M in 1h 51m 37s
on bella: 39.10 Mi in 3h 00m 50s
in my asics: 25.92 Mi in 4h 08m 39s

total: 09h 01m 06s

ocean swimming

I spent this past week in Ocean City, Md at a work conference. Did a little learnin' and a little boozin' ... and I did get in two runs [one 4.5 mi run and one 4 mi run] and one OWS.

swimming in the ocean by yourself = scary !

I told the lifeguard I that I was going out, would be swimming parallel to the shore - 15 min north and 15 min south, and wearing a bright orange swim cap. I wore my wetsuit for bouyancy and warmth.

I [normally] love OWS. I love being out in it ... cold, wide open water, looking up at the sky. It's so one-with-natureness. I've swam in a few ponds and lakes and in the Bay.

Wednesday was the first time I swam in the ocean ... I mean really swam in it, not just splashed around. It was salty... very, very salty. At one point I swallowed a mouthful of saltwater and it almost came right back up. It was terrifying. I kept thinking that I would either (a) get washed away to the middle of the Atlantic, or (b) get eaten by a shark. I spent some time wondering what would be the more preferable way to die. And it was ... bumpy. The combination of the salt water + Mexican for lunch + the motion-of-the-ocean made me nauseous and woozy.

But: I did it, and the next time I do an ocean swim I'll know what to expect [and swim a little easier knowing there are kayaks/ lifeguards/ other swimmers around].

achilles/ PT

I think I've mentioned it before here but didn't really go into it. A few weeks after the marathon I kept getting a sharp jabbing pain behind my left ankle. I stayed off of it for a while but every time I tried to run the pain came back.

I got a referal to a sports medicine doctor, who pronounced it achilles tendonitis --- fairly common, nothing serious, but could get bad if left untreated. He, in turn, wrote me an Rx for Physical Therapy.

The PT checked me out and noticed that my left ankle rolls in slightly when I walk/ run. We started doing ankle strengthening and balance exercises and he gave me therapy bands to take home. My PT doesn't think I'll need too many sessions which is great news [better news: my health insurance covers this -- I only have my $25 copay (which starts to add up, but it's still awesome that most of it is covered!)].

I've been running a lot more [see above] and I don't. have. any. pain. ahhhmazing !

Rhode Island 70.3

is in 14 days !

eeeeps!

totals (last 2 weeks)

2009-06-21T21:27:00.000-04:00

8 june through 14 june

in the water: 0.00M*

on bella: 79.75 Mi in 6h 14m 28s

in my asics: 2.01 Mi in 20m 33s **

total: 06h 35m 01s

* stitches = no swimming
** achilles tendonitis

15 june through 21 june
in the water: 5600.00 M in 1h 53m 07s
on bella: 78.50 Mi in 5h 49m 17s
in my asics: 6.68 Mi in 1h 05m 27s
total: 08h 47m 51s

compression socks.

2009-06-20T17:01:00.000-04:00

who says compression socks aren't trendy ?

bluebird's last ride + bella's maiden voyage

2009-06-14T17:44:00.001-04:00

bluebird's last ride

BT's Maryland community is pretty sizeable, and last week several of us decided to meet up for an open water swim in the Bay + bike ride on the shore.

I got to Sandy Point Park ($5 entrance fee, thanks Maryland), asked a few groups of people with wetsuits "are you from BT?" ... and finally found my group. Ater introductions we made it down to the beach and put on our wetsuits.... and procrastined for another few minutes.

The swim was four (I think) out and backs from buoy to buoy, horizontal to the shore. It was awesome! I love OWS and it was nice to do it in a non-race setting. I felt really good in the water --- which was, by the way, a perfect temperature once I got moving. I did feel a little woozy from the up and down of the waves combined with the forward motion of the freestyle. We did a mile in a little over 30 minutes.

After the swim me, April, and James changed from our swimsuits and wetsuits to our bike shorts and jerseys and drove to Easton. We fit three bikes on April's car (hers in the back and me and James' on the bike rack.

Got to Easton, stopped at a gas station for a candy bar and got on the road.
The entire ride pretty much looks like this:

...totally and completely flat - a [wecome] change from the hills I'm used to riding! April and James were great company.

We had to stop at the drawbridge at the entrance to Tilghman Island, despite James' idea that we jump the bridge. He was kidding. I think.

here we are stopped at a restaurant to refuel:

the southern most tip of the Island: [pretty, no?]

map of the ride:

3:10:25
50.5 mi
15.91 mph avg.

the only thing that really sucked about the ride was that I could not get comfortable in aero. I would only be in that position for 45 sec before my shoulders starting aching... and thus the seed was planted: I NEED A TRI BIKE.

and that, my friends, was my last ride on bluebird.

bella's maiden voyage

I went to hagerstown yesterday to help my friend look at wedding dresses [btw, she bought one, and she looks absolutely freaking stunning in THE dress!]. AR friend lives in Frederick and after lunch with the girls I headed east on I-70 to meet him for a ride.

This ride was as hilly as last week's ride was flat... 40 miles through hills is a lot more taxing than 50 mi on the flat ES.

We first stopped to get some water and Sweedish fish [and seahorses! did you know they made Sweedish seahorses?] I was in charge of watching the bikes --- they are quite pretty:

and here is greg with the delicious fish/ seahorses:

the ride was hilly, yes, and tough, definitely, but it was also beautiful:

...and some action shots:

3h 16m 20s
41.40 miles
12.65 Mi/hr

total elevation: 14,546
elevation gain: 7,245
elevation loss: 7,301

we were both wiped after the ride, so we refueled with beer and pizza. mmmm.
and then we found that holding up cold glasses to our foreheads felt really good.

I think we terrified our waitress.

I leave you with this gem:

[sorry, Greg - I HAD to!]

ETA: lisa's comment reminded me:

I am LOVING riding my new bike. I am so much more comfortable and have no problem staying in aero for long periods of time. She's ligher and just fits me so much better.

my new love! <3

2009-06-11T17:36:00.000-04:00

here she is ! [finally!]

hours on craigslist and ebay, six stiches, and, finally, a deal at my LBS:

Felt S32

bad ass.

2009-06-11T09:48:00.000-04:00

yesterday I left work to check out this bike at my LBS.

I put on my helmet, my bike shoes, and set off to try it out.

preface: with my trek 1500, I have to apply a decent amount of pressure to the brakes to come to a complete stop.

I was in aero, riding along nicely on this beautiful bike, when I came up on a speed bump and decided to test out the brakes.

I squeezed them hard [tha'swhatshesaid].

the bike stopped.

I didn't.

head-over-handlebars into the cement and some good samaritans helped me up. I landed on my hand and my chin I got cleaned off and walked back to the LBS, trying not to cry and failing miserably.

A Howard Co. police officer was there checking out new bikes --- he saw me, grabbed his first aid kit, cleaned off my chin, and promptly drove me to Howard County General.

One perk of being an ASA and knowing police officers? Going in through the ambulance entrance at HCGH and not having to go through triage.

PA: have you had a tetanus shot within the past 5 years?
me: no, but I'm pretty sure I don't need one
PA: yes, you do.
me: can we do it in pill form?

confession: I hate needles. I know most people don't love them, but I have a horrible phobia ... my blood pressure starts to drop, I get woozy, and light-headed.

so this was a one-two punch: stiches in my chin, then a tetanus shot in my arm. awesome.

The officer that drove me to the hospital sat with me for two hours and held my hand while I wailed (pansy, I know).

But: no puking + no passing out, which is kind of a milestone for me.

annnnd here I am - all around badass triathlete prosecutor:

I'm going back today to ride the Felt and see if I can get some money knocked off the price [a little sob story may help!]

totals june 01 - june 07

2009-06-07T19:56:00.000-04:00

time in the water: 7250.00 M in 2h 28m 40s

time in my asics: 0.00 Mi

time on bluebird: 144.50 Mi in 9h 04m 39s

total training time: 11h 33m 19s

bluebird rides outside, is bathed.

2009-06-01T16:40:00.000-04:00

rides outside:

at a wedding, saturday night, and I got a text that a friend of mine who does adventure races [ARs = triathlon's weird cousin] bought a road bike. a beautiful road bike: [a road bike I would steal if I wasn't 5 feet tall.]

[so jealous]

he was anxious to ride her and I was anxious to ride outside [no more three hour trainer rides. The Wire or not, that was a long time to sit inside]. I put down the wine, started drinking water, and went to bed [relatively] early.

we met at a park in howard co. at 8:45 [I got lost. I know you all are shocked] and got on the road around 9 .. after taking these goofy pictures:

[me and bluebird.]

[it's hard to take pictures of tall people.]

the weather was absolutely beautiful - mid 70s and sunny. [I woke up to rain and was happy to see that it cleared up so beautifully]. the ride was beautiful too -- rolling, I'd say, with some flat stretches and some fast decents (got up to 40 mph on one!) and a few uphills. it's weird to me that there is so much farmland in an area I think of as totally suburban. we passed quite a few farms and saw horses and cows. moooooo.

oh, and I found some houses I know J would absolutely love, but gov't attorney or not, sweetie, I think 2+ million is out of our price range (for now ;)).

I took two bottles of Infinit and two bottles of water. I need to practice drinking more of the Infinit and getting down a full bottle per hour. Not such a big deal for shorter rides, but I need to get my stomach used to the calories for RI/ Diamondman and esp. IMCOZ.

the ride: 35.20 miles in 2h 11m 51s // 16.02 Mi/hr.

then J and I had a graduation party, and I needed a potty break for a 35 min drive [too much water.] -- riding with me is like riding with a toddler -- and then I inhaled as much food as I could get my grubby little hands on.

gets bathed:

apparently there are things that everyone knows about cycling that I do not know.

one is pumping your tires before each ride.

another is cleaning your bike.

I ended up taking a day off [long story] and figured I should clean Bluebird since I haven't cleaned her, um, ever, and AR friend said that I should take better care of it.

[getting ready to clean her]

[scrubbing the chain with degreaser]

[elbow grease]

[smiley]

[clean Bluebird!]

[need to clean these before court tomorrow]

may 09.

2009-05-31T18:08:00.000-04:00

may 09.

riding bluebird: 23h 21m 13s - 365.3 Mi
in my Asics: 9h 44m 44s - 63.73 Mi
in the water: 7h 02m 13s - 20398.4 M

total training time: 40h 08m 10s

totals 25 may through 31 may

2009-05-31T18:03:00.000-04:00

in the water: 4900.00 M in 1h 36m 48s
on bluebird: 86.80 Mi 5h in 26m 31s
in my asics: 3.59 Mi in 34m 31s*

total: 07h 37m 32s

* achilles (I think my achilles) has been bothering me. am staying off of it for a while and have an appt with one of the Univ. of Md. team physicians [sports doc] 06/15.

typical workout.

2009-05-28T21:09:00.000-04:00

bike shorts? check!
super sweaty tshirt? check!
trainer set up in living room? check!
so-bad-it's-good reality tv? check! *

* yes, that's Spencer Pratt.

two weeks of totals.

2009-05-25T00:41:00.000-04:00

11 may through 17 may

in the water: 6398.40 M in 2h 13m 20s [3 workouts]
on the bike: 80.00 Mi in 5h 13m 50s [5 workouts]

in my Asics: 12.41 Mi in 1h 48m 57s [2 workouts]

TOTAL: 09h 16m 07s

18 may though 24 may

in the water: 6600.00 M in 2h 18m 35s [3 workouts]

on the bike: 89.00 Mi in 5h 15m 20s [4 workouts]

in my Asics: 20.84 Mi in 3h 16m 43s [4 workouts]
TOTAL: 10h 50m 38s

wallet size

2009-05-24T08:53:00.000-04:00

I was thinking of ordering a few wallet photos of the first one to pass out to friends and family

[kidding]

columbia oly tri.

2009-05-17T13:34:00.000-04:00

Columbia Olympic Triathlon

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Centennial Lake - Ellicott City, Maryland, USA

1.5k Swim - 41k Bike - 10k Run

the short version:
swim
time: 29:25
pace: 2.03/100M
place in AG: 28/71

t1 and bike (timing mat issue?)
time: 1:43:29
pace: 14.78 (* off because it includes T1)
place in AG: 41/71

t2
time: 2:17
place in AG: 51/71

run
time: 54:08
pace: 8:43 pace
place in AG: 23/71

total
time: 3:09:10
place in AG: 33/71
place among women: 233/512
place overall: 984/1569

Friday Evening

I left work around 4:30, eager to get to packet pickup and meet Chrissie Wellington. I spent most of last week (1)telling people that I was meeting Chrissie Wellington, and (2) explaining who Chrissie Wellington is (two time Kona winner, god among women). Pick up was at the Columbia Sheraton. I got my race packet with my chip (new system, nice chip), bike number, run number, helmet sticker, and shirt (ugly ugly). My buddy Deb was there slapping wristbands on people and telling them that it was their ticket into and out of transition.

And because it was on sale and fit well and, was, well cute, I bought a new tri top. Hehe.

And then - time to meet the pros! I thought they would speak and we would ask questions, but it was really informal. Chrissie and the other pros were just hanging around... we were like giddy schoolgirls... erm, giddy trigeeks. She was SO NICE. I asked her about her flat at Kona and she said that she wasn't the type of person to throw her bike in a ditch, that the nice thing about Ironman is that you have the time to catch up (erm, SHE has the time to catch up... I'd probably be a ditch thrower!). She said she didn't have a favorite out of s/b/r. She was just so gracious and down to earth and friendly and TAN. I looked like a glowing albino next to her. She signed a poster, the race map, and my water bottle. Yes, Chrissie, I WILL reach for the stars! total girl crush. love her. Two time Kona winner, above right. MOP athlete, above left.

Deb, Chrissie, Me, Deb.

then it was time to go home and get to bed early !

Saturday
I spent Saturday morning cleaning - nervous energy - and just relaxing around the house. I took a nap and then got ready to meet some BTers for dinner at Pasta Blitz. It was great to meet everyone and put a face to all the names !

First, though, I found my spot --- end spot -- sa-weet!! and racked my bike (trashbags to keep it dry from the forecasted storms):

transition on Saturday evening:

Then I laid everything out and packed (cats not included):

and made a list of stuff not to forget:

and went to sleep after watching Monster-in-Law, which I found highly underrated! [J disagrees, although as someone who has never seen it his opinion doesn't really counts].

Sunday - RACE DAY

Up at 4:30 to eat my usual breakfast [oatmeal, peanut butter, honey, almonds] and get all my stuff together. Roused James [who got home from work at midnight] and we were on our way. So much easier on race morning when the bike is already racked.

Got to transition at around 6:00 and set up:

and then got marked [1304 on my hands and arms, 27 on my calf]:

and then waited for my wave -- wave 8, at 7:47 a.m. while waiting, we saw Chrissie come out of the water --- smiling, of course:took some pictures while waiting for my wave:

me and J ^^me and Deb ^^

James got breakfast ... he found the only unhealthy food for sale, natch [it's a small chocolate cake, not a muffin -- let's call a spade a spade!]:

and then - finally - it was game time.

SWIM - .9 mi

The swim is wetsuit legal, which is good news -- that's some brrchilly water. still, it really wasn't that bad, and although getting in was a bit of a shock, once I treaded water for a bit I felt okay. we were in the water for about three minutes, and then the air horn sounded, and we were off.

The course is a triangle - out to the first buoy, left around it to the second buoy, left around that, and then to the exit. I felt pretty good during the swim. I got kicked a few times but not in the face and nothing bad. I am horrible at drafting --- if I get close enough to draft, I find feet in my face and that, well, grosses me out. Sighting was good -- I was on course the whole time and never found myself needing to over correct.

Got out of the water at just under 30:00 - a solid swim.

running up to T1 ^^

T1
I struggled a bit to get out of my wetsuit, but once that was off, I got on my [pre rolled] socks, bike shoes, helmet, and gloves, and headed out for my ride. It was misting -- wet but (1) not storming, and (2) not pouring. I'd take it. In true Columbia fashion, you have to run your bike up a [muddy] hill to get out of T1 and get out on the bike course.

BIKE - 25.5 Mi
Although this was my first Columbia, I've ridden this course a few times. And no, it's no Savageman but it's a tough course:

The ride started out pretty well. I started taking swigs of Infinit -- I made a 90 minute bottle [3 scoops] and sips of water. And I got passed. A lot. I will be hearing "ON YOUR LEFT!" in my dreams. I am just not a great [ahem decent] cyclist and I know I need to work on it... by riding more. What I HAVE gotten better is downhills ! I stopped breaking and just started flying. Hey, if I fall... that's what helmets are for, right? Plus, I need to bring up my average speed of 11 mph on the hills with those 25+ mph on the downhills. My favorite part of the course is the circle around Tridelphia -- it's the most rolling-y part of the course and just beautiful.

at some point during my bike, Chrissie finished:

she's so cool.

Least favorite part of the ride? The [well intentioned, I know] lady who was cheering for everyone, then looked at me struggling up and hill and yells, "ARE YOU OKAY??" Umm, yeah, fine, just kind of slow. BACK OFF.

Finally back onto Rt. 108 and ready to get off my bike. Re-entered the park, and unclipped. I almost bit it trying to get off the bike, but I managed to stay upright. barely. [below: I'm the girl behind the two guys in blue]

T2:
Ran my bike down the hill, re racked her, and put on my running shoes and hat. Grabbed my race belt and ran out. can't feel my feet. is that normal?

RUN - 6.2 Mi
My legs were Jell-o at the start of the run.

So everyone talks about the hills of Columbia, but I hadn't heard a whole lot about the hell that was the run course. HILLS - they're what's for breakfast! [brunch, maybe though, at that point]. the first .25 of the run is pretty flat, and then you make kind of u-turn and start running up a hill. And then it's flat for a bit. And then you run up another hill. then downhill for a bit. then uphill. REPEAT. whoa nellie was that tough! I did pass some people [the advantage of being an okay runner and a crappy cyclist].

Mile 4 was a welcome sight and mile 5 was beautiful. At one point I was walking up a hill [so tired] when a woman in my AG, grabbed my elbow and said, "c'mon, last big hill, I promise. push it!" and I finished that hill strong. erm, okay, I finished it running.

FINISH
We came back into the park and I could see where we'd finish. I knew it was only about 1/3 of a mile but it seemed so far away ! I tried to pick it up and finish strong.

There is nothing more beautiful than a finish line.classic watch shot^^

Got my medal, mylar blanket, and some food (pasta salad and bagel w cream cheese - YUM), and then went back to see Deb finish. I was COLD. and hungry. [and kind of cranky, but really, why the eff are you in the food line if you didn't race?? p.s. the jeans are a dead givaway].

wearing the ugly shirt ^^

And as I'm walking [dragging] out of transition with all of my crap + bike, Chrissie passes me and says WELL DONE. I stammered, thanks, you too !

the happy finisher ^^ [watch time says 1:09 - still waiting for official results]

totals 03 may - 10 may

2009-05-11T10:14:00.000-04:00

recovery week

swim: 2500.00 M in 53m 30s [1 workout]
bike: 58.00 Mi in 3h 35m 20s [4 workouts]
run: 19.09 Mi in 2h 54m 21s [3 workouts]

total: 07h 23m 11s

birthday girl !

2009-05-09T12:39:00.000-04:00

yesterday I turned the big two-seven.

[celebrated by having an afternoon criminal docket and going out my co workers for happy hour].

many of you know that my husband isn't into tris. or running. or swimming. or biking.

but for someone who doesn't actually participate in tris, he knows a lot about them [example: I asked him if he would be volunteering at IMCOZ, and he responded, I'm not slathering down the Clydesdales with sunblock. See? he totally knows the phrasology!]. he doesn't blink when I say, I'm going on a run, I'll be back in 2 1/2 hours, or I'm going on a ride, I should be back in 4 or 5 hours. he knows the difference between a singlet, a tri top, and a bike jersey. he doesn't gripe when we need to leave at 4:00 am for a race. he cheers me on and takes photos and carries my bike back from transition to the car after a race.

basically he's the most awesome, supportive guy ever.

so, back to my birthday:

James got me an Aero Design aero bottle for my bike !
SockGuy socks! (that say sassy, natch)
and Lush products for post race/ post training soaks in the tub!

I mean, really? those gifts are so me.

so very sweet.

really, TBL? [spoiler]

2009-05-05T20:59:00.000-04:00

the final challenge for the contestants on TBL (the Biggest Loser) is to run a marathon.

that is clearly a great idea for people who
1. were morbidly obese 12 weeks ago
2. have no to little running background
3. have 26 days to train
4. have current injuries [hip, knee]

I truely believe that anyone can finish a marathon - given proper training and time.

[I do realize that any publicity is good publicity, but shame on you NBC.]

(um I do think Mike pissed some people off by the "I'm not saying I finished a marathon. People RUN marathons. I'm walking it." still a marathon, buddy.)

.... and now I am crying because - bringing it back to me, of course [it is my blog] - the next time I finish 26.2 miles will be at the end of IMCOZ. sometimes I truely cannot believe I am attemping this. I cannot believe my training now will double [double!]. Ironman will be my life but I want it so badly. and people ask me why // why put myself through this, through the training and the pain, the exhuastion and I wish I could answer but I can't. it's too hard to explain/ it's just a goal, a fire inside, part of who I am and who I want to be. november seems so far away but it's not. RI 70.3 is in less than 9 weeks. Ain't it funny how time slips away says Dave Matthews and isn't he right.

totals 27 april - 3 may

2009-05-03T12:33:00.000-04:00

swim: 2500.00 M in 54m 41s [1 workout]

bike: 101.60 Mi in 7h 07m 34s [5 workouts]
run: 17.45 Mi in 2h 40m 28s [3 workouts]

total: 10h 42m 43s

htfu'd, indeed.

2009-05-02T15:36:00.000-04:00

today's ride - by the numbers:

time spent riding: 180 min
miles rode: 41
amount of time in the rain [appx]: 80 min
roadkill: 3
people that passed me: 7
people I passed: 0
water bottles on bike: 4
tries it took before I got good at putting the bottle back into the rear cage: 4
number of times I cursed the the Bento Box when it hit my leg [appx]: 14**

I woke up at 8:00 to get ready and eat before stuffing all of my stuff in the car and driving to the Columbia bike course. breakfast: thomas whole wheat bagel with peanut butter + cream cheese. bike clothes still not dry from washer so I threw them in the dryer on low with the towels.

On the course at 9:36... I decided to wear bike shorts, short sleeved jersey, and arm warmers. It was in the low 60s, overcast. Started riding and felt pretty good.

And then the rain came. [htfu, it's just rain]

I couldn't SEE. [htfu, just keep an eye out for cars]

The rain hurt like hell when it hit my skin. [htfu!]

I was nervous on some of the steep downhills, but - glass half full girl that I am! - I thought, hey, if I crash my bike, I could just get a new one.. erm, a new carbon one. a cervelo, even. I didn't crash.

I made it through the course once (25.2 mi), and then went out and back from the park to the 10 Oaks circle (16 mi).

socks, bike shorts -- soaked. and trust me, the chamois doesn't dry quickly after a rainstorm. eeps.

**oh, I solved a mystery ! I've had these bruises on the insides of my legs about an inch below my knee, and I could not figure out where they were coming from. On an uphill I stood and my leg hit the Bento Box -- hurt. like. a. mofo. turns out all those times I hit my legs on that stupid box ... yeah, it definitely hurt enough to bruise. [turns out I need to move it back further, but for now I have two lovely purple brusies. hawt.]

after: my friends Cathy and Deb walked me through the course (the transition areas, where the swim starts and ends, the horrible hill at the beginning of the 10K) and then we enjoyed lunch at cheeburger, cheeburger.

Cheeseburger + fries + onion rings + peanut butter cup milkshake = best post ride food. Ever.

I actually had fun on the bike today ! it's taken me some time to enjoy biking - for a few reasons, I think: I'm not good at it [um, not that I'm a great runner or swimmer, but at least I can keep up in those sports], it's sssscary [whizzing downhill at 30 mph while cars pass you at 65 mph], it's expensive, and it's time intensive [pre mix drinks, pump air into tires, take front wheel off bike, load up car, drive to course, take bike out, put bike shoes on, helmet, etc., actually ride, then do all of that in the reverse].

um, all that said, I am starting to enjoy it, and I think that's because I'm getting better at it. The hills that felt impossible 2 weeks ago felt easier today, and the hills that felt difficult 2 weeks ago felt... well, almost easy today.

nutrition/ hydration plan is going well: I am becoming obsessed with Infinit (thanks, IronBob, for reminding me!). I know a lot of triathletes that use it + love it, and I'm quickly understanding why. Today I put in 6 scoops - about 600 calories - for a three hour ride. It went down easy, didn't upset my stomach, and kept me going. My plan right now for IMCOZ is to make two 4-hour bottles (marked off by the hour) and just rinse down the ultra-concentrates with water from the course. My stomach doesn't tolerate food well and I think going Infinit only on the bike - with maybe a Payday or 2 for flavor/ variety - will be a good plan.

t minus 15 days until Columbia - so excited !

april showers.

2009-05-01T11:01:00.000-04:00

april totals

swim: 20700 M in 7h 30m 38s

bike: 278.6 Mi in 17h 04m 52s

run: 92.45 Mi in 14h 10m 11s

total training: 38h 45m 41s

gross.

2009-04-28T19:09:00.000-04:00

[I almost didn't write this]

a list of all the gross things [I] we runners + triathletes do while training/ racing/ recovering:

snot rockets on run
peeing on the side of the road
using the bathroom of a fancy resturant while wearing sweaty runners clothes
wiping nose on shirt
inhaling food at super(wo)man speeds
peeing in the pool/ lake/ ocean/ river
spitting in goggles
snot rockets on bike
chafing
getting Body Glide in every nook and cranny. in transition.
discussing saddle sores. in public.
checking the color of your pee
blisters
blood blisters
toenails. or lack thereof
not showering after a 7 pm run because I'll have to shower anyhow after the 5:30 am swim

any that I missed ?

totals 20 april - 26 april

2009-04-26T20:24:00.000-04:00

swim: 6200.00 M in 2h 17m 20s
bike: 62.30 Mi in 3h 56m 21s
run: 22.41 Mi in 3h 29m 03s

total training time: 09h 42m 44s