Was 2011 AwEsOmE!?

I set 2011 up to be a BIG year! Let's review all the AWESOMENESS I had set out to accomplish:

1. Um, 140.6 at Rev3 Cedar Point.
2. TRAKKERS
3. Recertifying for Spinning with Madd Dogg
4. Actually using said Spinning cert
5. Hiring a tri coach
6. Qualifying for Boston
7. Entering the NYC lottery
8. Some other mystery thing that I can't even remember the details of - I never revealed it. I don't think.

So let's just review each of these a little.

1. Nope. No full for me. And I'm good with that. I put it out there, but the time wasn't right. I completed the half at Cedar Point instead and am SUPER happy with my time and effort! WIN!- ish
2. Yes yes yes.. I finished my first (hope it was just my first) year with TEAM TRAKKERS and it was BEYOND awesome. Blew my mind and exceeded my expectations a million times over. WIN!
3. Recertified ... and it was EASY! WIN! 
4. Got a job. Taught spin 3x a week through the entire season. Enjoyed it.. though I KILLED myself and shot a lot of my running to hell killing myself on the spin bike, but I LOVED it so it's all good! WIN!
5. Hired a rockin' tri coach that worked with me as my schedule changed and helped me work around the crazy spinning... and helped me process the choice to drop the full.... this year. WIN!
6. FAIL! It was a fail before I hit the start line because I had an injury. I didn't even try... just ran it. Huge bummer, but it is what it is. I said FAIL, but don't think of it that way really... I RAN the race.. which I wasn't sure I was going to be able to do and I had an AMAZING weekend in Austin (love love love that town) with my bestie from Madison, WI. WIN!
7. Entered the NYC lottery. Didn't get in.. probably a good thing w/ my injuries and the fact that the marathon was just two days ago and I was really thankful to NOT be running a marathon. Not a win.. not a fail.
8. Fail.. on my memories part anyway. No idea what that was!

So while I did spend a bit of time dwelling on the fact that I didn't - REALLY - accomplish my BIG goals (140.6 and BQ) and have said more than once - in a mocking tone - "2011 was really more the year of MEDIOCRE than it was the year of AWESOME." as it comes to a close 2011 was TOTALLY AWESOME! It was just awesome in surprising - and unplanned - ways.

I could go on and on and on and on about my experience with Rev3 this year and that alone makes this year one for the record books! I am beyond proud of myself, my team and the Rev3 crew for everything that has gone into the racing season! This opportunity has been nothing short of amazing! I thank EVERYONE that had a part in my getting accepted. Thank you to all the 2010 team members that put in a word for me! I am touched and honored! I'm so thankful to Carole for telling me that Rev3 was looking for a local volunteer coordinator for the Quassy race and for LJ for hiring me. The Rev3 family for accepting me for open arms. MOST EPIC weekend I have had in a long time. And I got to do it again at SC. SERIOUSLY. Who has the most fantastic life ever... THIS girl!

I am working just enough to satiate my need to 'do something' ... and to provide me w/ fun money to buy things for my chosen addiction!!!

In just the last couple of months I have met some amazing people right in my own backyard... that means SO much to me!!! Tara of Mommy's a Runner is one such lady that I have only scratched the surface on.... she's gonna make me run trails I know it... and I love it! Crossfit is going well.. after a rough start... my mind is clearing and I see 2012 taking shape before my eyes.

My kids and husband are amazing and supportive of all of this craziness. My parents are always there to help. I ONLY lost power for a total of 2 weeks this year.. I mean come on .... lots of people live their whole lives w/o power and running potable water. Right? Okay ... I jest. That part was less than awesome... it was even less than mediocre.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that while 2011 wasn't AWESOME in the way I had defined it sure was even awesomer than it would have been had I ONLY accomplished the goals I set out to do. 2011 have much more depth than that.

Thank you to all who helped make it happen to include my great sponsors!!! Rev3/Team Trakkers, First Endurance (Kept the fire burning on all the long stuff!), TYR (that Cat5 Wetsuit made a HUGE difference in my OWS!), All3Sports (Your one stop tri shop! and the people there are awesomesauce!), Avia (Love my bolts!), SBR Sports Inc (OMG, Can't say enough about how much I love this product. I hate the chlorine.. hate it, but I didn't have to smell like a pool with this stuff!), Recovery Pump (kept the back to back workouts coming), Canari (my kit was alarmingly small at first, but surprisingly comfy to race in!)
The other highlight is that I feel like I have my mojo back!!! Let's do this thing 2012! What you got!?

Revolution3 South Carolina - Working report!

First off.. I must learn to stop and take more photos!! This weekend was - once again - Epic! I can't even begin to describe to you how proud I am to be associated with Rev3. Not just because they put on a good race, but because they are just so damn AWESOME! I really mean that! I'm not just saying it. We show up and work our BUTTS off and manage to have a good time in the process. How is work fun? This is an entirely new concept to me!

Ashley - aka Rev3 EVERYTHING Girl

Chris and Ashley - separated at Birth. I mean ... who couldn't have fun with this group!?

Chris, Charles and Nick - some of the boys/muscle

I rolled into Anderson around 11:30am and jumped right into helping wherever I could with set up until after lunch when my volunteer partner in crime, Jefferson, and I went back to the hotel to 'dial for dollars'... um, basically calling people I don't know to ask them to come out and support us.. when they really weren't 100% sure what I was talking about. 1. I don't like the phone, 2. I particularly don't like to talk to people I don't know on the phone, 3. conquered a huge fear/hurdle and talked to A LOT of people I do not know. And GUESS WHAT! I am alive to tell the tale. It actually was kind of fun after I got rolling and people were fairly nice so that helped!

We rocked that Volunteer thing then returned to the expo for some more set up then off to Applebee's (everyone's favorite place) for dinner! :) I was so excited to catch up with the people I hadn't been able to talk to earlier in the day. After dinner we rolled to DOWNTOWN Anderson to check out the town and unwind...

Kat having a little fun!

The rest of set up is a blur between dialing for volunteers and helping with set up.. laughing uncontrollably and having a flat out BLAST!!! I can't even begin to describe how I feel working with Rev3. They are AMAZING!

Set up seemed to go smoothly and without incident.. well, there are always incidents, but it went really really well!

Race day was much the same! From my perspective it all went really well. I so enjoyed working with the team, the volunteers and the athletes.

One of the most touching moments of the weekend was when the final finisher came across the line. All of the spectators were gone - aside from his Team Z folks and the Multisport Ministry (they always provide a 'last place' finisher to take that 'last' spot) team.

When we all got word of the final finisher getting close we all congregated at the finish line that was STILL standing aside from the snow fencing. Team Z, the Rev3 staff, the 4 remaining Volunteers (that mind you were told they could go, but wanted to stay. I had a great video of them, but lost it.), Multisport Ministries, All3Sports and Recovery Pump all lined the finishers shoot and made a tunnel for him to come through. (I wish I could remember his name.) It was very touching and emotional. I congratulated him after the race and he was so thankful that we stuck around, shared his moment and captured his final words! He had tears in his eyes... as did the rest of us. He will remember that moment for the rest of his life and I'm so honored that I got to be there as part of the Rev3 crew to bring him home!

Getting our line ready waiting for the final finisher.

Getting the interview

My main girl LJ and I at the finish. We wore our pink compression socks for Breast Cancer Awareness month!

Rev3... Thank you! Thank you for inviting me to be a part of the AMAZING Trakkers team and THANK YOU for allowing me to be a part of the staff at TWO events. My life - SERIOUSLY - has been changed forever because of you. And I know I'm not the only one. Keep doing what you are doing and I'll see you in 2012. Wild horses couldn't keep me away!

And I can't close without a big HUGE thank you to Anderson, SC and Kathy Benson for welcoming us into there town and giving us a chance. I hope you were not disappointed... I know we were thrilled to be there. As I knew they would the southerns showed us their hospitality and we are forever thankful!

If you have not come out to a Rev3 race yet... you truly are missing out. I mean that from the bottom of my heard. Check them out. You WILL not be disappointed!

Super exciting Changes at Rev3 Cedar Point

This blog is like the REv3 show lately huh? Sorry. Life has been super busy lately... to include prepping to go and work at the Rev3 South Carolina race! Yes, I drink the Kool Aid!

Rev3 has made some really exciting changes at the Cedar Point race (that I know ALL of you will hope come to the other Rev3 races!!)

They are adding both a sprint and a kids tri!! How exciting is that!? Taking the 'family friendly' aspect to a whole new level! The Sprint Rev will be for athletes 14 and up. It will be a half mile swim, 14 mile bike, and a 3 mile run. The kids triathlon will be for kids 7-10 who will be doing a quarter of a mile swim, two mile bike, and a quarter of a mile run. Kids 11-14 will do a one hundred and fifty swim, four mile bike, and a mile and a half run

AND with that big announcement!!! REGISTRATION IS OPEN!! And they are offering EARLY BIRD PRICING!

Early Bird Prices for Cedar Point:

Full: $425 until November 1st
Full Aquabike: $410 until November 1st
Full Relay: $474 until November 1st

Half (prices will go up by $50 on October 8th):

Half: $210 until October 8th
Half Aquabike: $250 until October 8th
Half Relay: $260 until October 8th

Click right ====> HERE to register!

So GET ON IT! 2012 is going to be ROCKIN' at Cedar Point in September!!

Rev3 Tri Team is Accepting Applications

Trakkers will be no longer next year. Next year we will be THE REV3 Team. And if you want in.... now's the time. You can follow THIS LINK to get to the application!

I can't even begin to tell you how much I have thoroughly loved being part of this team. Even in the last couple of months I have felt tremendous amounts of love from the Rev3 team. Going to the races and being part of something bigger than myself is amazing! The love and support (along w/ the ribbing, fun poking and laughs) has been truly amazing! See if you can see it in the following photos!

The Power of the TEAM!

T-12 days until Cedar Point Half!! GULP!

It’s been a bumpy road to get here! Injuries, stress, changes of course (full to half), but FINALLY I feel at peace and ready. I’ve had a couple of big weeks of training where I’ve – hold onto your seats – been able to hit every workout!!! Only one of which totally sucked. My hamstring is still an issue, but I’m thinking (hoping) that it won’t be too BIG of an issue because the Cedar Point course is flat!! (Let’s just go with that.)

I’m not sure if it’s the big training blocks that have given me some confidence or the Rev3 love I’ve gotten over the last couple of weeks. DAMN it feels good to feel you are part of something bigger than yourself! I was reminded of that fact this week. The fact that I represent the Trakkers/Rev3 team makes me so proud! I have a group of athletes that work their butts off behind me. I have a team of people that put on KICK ASS races behind me. I have an obligation to get my sorry butt out there and give it my best!!! Not an obligation to win the thing or live up to anyone else’s standards, but an obligation to the Rev3 spirit to just GET OUT THERE AND DO MY THING!

And despite Irene preparations and dealings I managed to get it done... even my INSIDE deathbrick!! 4.5 hours on on the spin bike then 3.1 miles on the treadmill!!

We all have our own reasons for doing this crazy mixed up endurance bit… you’ve got to have some driving forces behind you to get you going for some of those harder workouts. What’s your INNER FIRE that gets you out the door on those hard days?

I gotta say I got into this stuff for the fun of it and the friends I met along the way. That’s still my NUMERO UNO! I’m so happy to have had the reminder that while my friends on my Trakkers/Rev3 team might not be here training with me day in and day out there are MOST CERTAINLY there with me!!!

So EVERYONE racing Rev3 let’s DO THIS THING!!! I’ll meet you at the coasters on Saturday!

Roll Call Who’s in!?

And don’t forget that Registration opens on Sept 1st (that would be THIS THURSDAY) for Rev3 Wisconsin and Maine!! Click HERE to register!

The 4th Discipline: NUTRITION

Hey guess what! I'm training for something!! Just wanted to be sure we all knew that. (more for me than you!) I realized the other day that I need to really spend some time dialing my nutrition. I've been swimming and riding (and have started running), but I haven't done any bricks.. no running off the bike. So what? Well I don't do a very good job of fueling on the bike. I've dropped some 60 - 70 mile rides over the last 8 weeks and for each of those rides here's what I've eaten on the bike (usually w/ breakfast in my belly, but sometimes just w/ a banana to start it off)... ONE bottle of EFS (mix per directions), ONE Gel, and maybe some dried fruit and almonds.... Did you know you burn anywhere from 3000 to 4000 calories on a ride like that.... uh, hey Laura, that's a lot. You should maybe consider EATING SOMETHING!! Especially if you plan to run - um - a HALF MARATHON afterward.

So my first point of contact was COACH. He instructed 350 - 500 calories/hour MINIMUM! HUH? Uh, seriously? OK. (I tried.. really I did.. more on that) That's a 'few' more than I had been having. Let's see I had been averaging about 170/hour.. and that's being generous.

Next point of contact was of course TWITTER and my TEAM TRAKKERS. I got a lot of great advice.

I have two bottle cages on my bike so I decided to do one bottle of DOUBLE CONCENTRATED First Endurance EFS (Grape happens to be my favorite) and one bottle of water to (hopefully) be refilled out in the world somewhere. (Note my awesome pre-planning... I won't even tell you about how we got lost TWICE while following a pre-marked course or about how I registered for a race thinking I was registering for an Olympic only to realize (after paying) that it was indeed a sprint. I. AM. A. GENIUS.) I took one flask of First Endurance Liquid Shot. This stuff is GREAT! I love the flask and it's a bit thinner than other gels so it's easier to get 1. out of the flask and 2. down the hatch.

I knew from previous experiments (though I was running then) that mixing the EFS And LS didn't work too well for me. My plan was to start w/ the EFS about 30 mins in.. then 45 mins later to have some LS... continue with the LS every 45 mins and drink some EFS in between - with at least a 15 min space between the LS and the EFS.

This worked great. I had no issues at all. I also brought a banana to eat half way through. For what it's worth I had a boiled egg and a banana for breakfast... I did have a VERY big dinner and wasn't so hungry in the a.m. When I know I'm going to have a big workout in the morning I make sure to eat a decent sized dinner so that I'm not too hungry in the a.m. and can have just something small to top things off.

So all told I ended up with a total of about 900 calories for the ride which gave me just under the 350 basement number I got from coach, but comparatively to my previous nutrition I'd say this is a good step in the right direction.

I'm happy to report that I felt strong through the whole ride. Which is significant because we had an overall elevation LOSS the first half and a significant GAIN on the way home. It's always good to save the killer climbs for your return trip. The last 50 miler I did (very similar route) left me feeling pretty spent by the end. This one was much better. Probably largely due to the fact that I, um, ATE SOMETHING! :)

When I got home I fired up the blender and had a First Endurance Ultragen Smoothie (Cappuccino). Ice cold and so refreshing. I've gotten away from taking the recovery (Ultragen) shakes because I didn't feel my shorter workouts warranted it, but I gotta say with the nutrition on the bike and the recovery smoothie (w/ BOTH scoops ... sometimes I chintz out and have just ONE scoop after a shorter workout) I recovered much better. I wasn't EXHAUSTED and landed on the couch an hour after my ride. I carried on with my day as usual....

If you've never tried the First Endurance stuff... it's worth a try. Yes, I am sponsored by them, but believe me when I say they have received a good chunk of my cash on their products because they ARE good. Their website has a lot of great resources about endurance nutrition as well as information about how to use their products. You should check it out! www.firstendurance.com

I'll be testing out their PreRace product at my Olympic, er Sprint, race at Niantic Tri on 8/7/2011... first race of the season. Shut up... yes, I realize that it is AUGUST!!!

Find YOUR own rhythm!

I was in a funk and honestly am scared to declare that I might be out of it, but I feel the fire starting to burn again! How did this happen? A series of things!

1. I decided to say F-YOU to the early morning work out! I AM NOT a morning person!
2. I said F-YOU to A LOT of coffee.
3. I spent a week w/ my family and went easy on myself for not swimming or hitting all my workouts.
4. I RAN HARD and FAST w/ no knee pain (for a whopping 15 mins).
5. I went on a NICE LONG bike ride.
6. I made myself swim (after my week of reprieve) and it was good.

I think the number one thing I did was to respect my own rhythm. As endurance athletes it's almost required to get up at an ungodly hour to get your workout it. It's as much of a bragging right as the distance you s/b/r. "Oh yea well I got up at 3:30 am and dropped a century ride before most sane people are out of bed on a Sunday. Who's the badass now?" You know you've heard it ... and been a little jealous of their discipline. Well I hate to get up early to do pretty much anything... so I decided I'm done doing that (at least for now.. for the summer.. while I don't have to.) Not to say I NEVER will just to say it's not going to be my regular practice. I want to enjoy this process... getting up before 6am to workout is not really that enjoyable for me. A better idea for me is to get up early before the family (I don't mind doing it) to get other stuff done... like blogging, cleaning.. whatever. Then doing my workouts later around the 9am hour. I can take the kids to the gym with me ... they love it. Great friend time for them. So what's best for YOUR rhythm? Is there a way that you can honor YOUR rhythm and still maintain balance and normalcy for your family!?

It's no secret that I love coffee. I don't love caffeine, but I do love me some coffee. It's my number one comfort food.. followed closely by dark chocolate. I'm fine so long as I keep the consumption under control, but in May when life exploded I got out of control and was having a hard time getting back under control. I was so tired and agitated all the time. So I just ripped the band-aid off. Added the decaf to our mix of beans and slowly backed it off to having just some caffeinated beans. And now if I feel I MUST have a coffee in the afternoon it's decaf. Life is getting better already. (for everyone.) There is still room for progress...

My Aunt and cousins came to visit for a week and it was so nice! I got to spend time with people... and we've talked about how lonely I've been. We just kicked it and did normal stuff. We went to NYC one day of the week, but he rest of the time we just hung around. They taught me that it's really okay - and quite beneficial - to just chill sometimes. You don't ALWAYS have to be going going going. I was able to relax and had even more help with the kiddos. They were IN LOVE w/ their cousin Steph! I also came home to find Steph and Amanda (both in their 20s.. wait.. Amanda might be in her 30s now?) out playing catch! WHO does that? ha We also spent time in the yard as a family trying to do cartwheels. (Damn why did no one get their camera.. there was some good footage there.) It was so fun! We rarely go just hang out in the yard. Okay, that's not fair. I don't go out in the yard w/ the kids much. Tom does. Must change that.... FOCUS Laura.

In the midst of this 'chilling time' I went up and did my coaching thing with the NMSC tri club. We did an hour ride and 15 min run. That 15 mins was the best 15 mins I've had in the 'triathlon' world for a LONG time. I loved EVERY SECOND of it. I decided to just open it up and see how it went. My legs still have some speed! YEAH! And 15 mins of pushing as hard as you can provides that runner's high I have been missing so much. (hmm so you mean to tell me I don't need to be out there for hours to get that feeling? Hmmm) Well, the feeling for the hours lasts longer than the feeling after 15 mins. Anyway my point being that it stoked the fire and I can feel some flames again. Let's hope the knee can continue to feel good if I ease into it. Track workout today to test it out!


The main reason for the family coming up was to ride the Bike NY Hudson Valley Ride. Getting a solid bike in really helped me to see that all is not lost on my fitness and once again reminded me that I DO in fact LOVE this stuff.

And then as a nice capper I had a great swim on Tuesday. Again with the rhythm. I was faced with an opportunity to swim when I hadn't expected it and just jumped on it.. because well I NEED to be swimming. I got in by myself.. no lane mate to kick my ass up and down the lane. No friend to try to keep up with. Just me and MY pace. While I get the benefit of swimming (and biking and running) with others because it pushes you to be better I also feel that - for me - I am better served - right now - to do my own thing at MY pace with no pressure. At the state I'm in with swimming (that kind of I can swim, but not real fast gray area) I need to just get the yards done and not worry so much about my speed. It's just who I am and where I'm at right now and I (NEED to be) am good with that. I was thinking about the progression of my running. In the early days I just focused on getting the miles done to prepare my for the event.. it was years before I worked on speed. My body/mind seems to want to follow that same progression with swimming. I really enjoyed swimming my pace and focusing on 'letting go' and 'feeling the water'...... so I'm going to roll with it!

What do you do to get yourself out of your funk... I know we all fall into it at times! Now when I fall in a funk again I need to refer back to this game plan!

Athlete.. ? Are you sure!?

Not feeling like much of an athlete these days.. the rhythm will return right? As will my motivation and positive attitude!

Ever since the knee thing and the new york/uncle thing my head has been spinning and I've just really been tired and unmotivated to stick to my program. Such is life, eh? Some days the Wife and or Mother (or Grand Niece in this case) take precedence over the ATHLETE. I've been working out here and there and eating fairly well (yes, even at Disney - though I suffered some Serious digestive issues that I thought were behind me), but I have lacked focus and determination. Every time I fall into this frame of mind or part of life I start to seriously doubt if I really am an athlete at all.. if triathlon is really what I'm into. I always come back to it so there must be something to it right?

Rev3 Quassy is coming up next weekend ... WE STILL NEED VOLUNTEERS!!! If you are local or know anyone local get your happy butt out there and volunteer or call on your local friends/family to help us out! PLEASE! Here's the link: http://www.rev3tri.com/!/volunteer/quassysignup.htm

THEN ... drum roll mom and dad show up on JUNE 13th!!! The calvary is on it's way! THEN I can get my head back in the game... THEN I can even pretend to try to follow a schedule. Okay.. it's not true.. I don't NEED them to be here NORMALLY in order for my head to get in the game, but I feel so behind right now (mentally) and every time I sit down w/ my calendar in front of me to 'figure it all out' I feel like my head might explode! I did get out for an early morning ride today before Tom had to fly off to Asia and I will teach my spin classes this week... and maybe try to run while the kids are in school this week (if the knee will cooperate), but I'm allowing myself to just not worry about it all too much this week. We're fresh off a REALLY hard month for the family, a trip to Disney and now single parenthood. This is not conducive to hitting the training hard. This is conducive to spending as much time as I can with my kids and just letting what be is until I can take a deep breath and get my head back in the game.

This is the balancing act folks... this is where the road meets the rubber. This is the real deal. It's not the days and weeks and months where it all seems to come together flawlessly and you are nailing all your workouts... it's the time where you have to juggle it all ... the time where people would choose to give up because it's just too hard to get it all done. You must allow yourself to step back a little... still do your thing, but don't worry so much about hitting it and know that the space will open up again for you to go hard for it.... IF you are in this place with me right now feeling like maybe it's not all worth it... maybe you should just wave the white flag, buy a gallon of ice cream and throw in the towel stay strong with me here!!! We will get through... it IS worth the fight! FIGHT for it... stay with it... keep the momentum going, but pull back on the throttle! This will keep you going, but get you through.

What do you do when the going gets tough and you feel at the end of your workout / training mojo rope!? How do you rally?

New Milford Sports Club Tri Program

Last night was the second session I was able to attend for the tri program my buddy Scott and I are leading at the New Milford Sports Club. It was their second swim session.

There are six people in this group and I have to say they are stoking the triathlon fire in me. The fire always burns in me, but it has gotten a bit dim over the last couple of weeks. I've been so busy with my Great Uncle and life and this blasted knee thing (I'm making an appt with the ART guy TODAY) that I've not been so enthused about triathlon lately.... but meeting this group and spending time with them as they enter into triathlon or look to tune up their game has reminded me why I love this sport so much and THAT I love this sport! So THANK YOU!

Watching them in the water last night was amazing! (I was surprised to feel the desire to get in and swim with them.) They improved in just the hour that we worked with them. I have to say it is hard to not overwhelm people in the pool. I remember all too well what it was like when I first tackled this swimming thing. How overwhelmed and defeated I would feel after some practices. I DO NOT want these athletes to feel that way - though I know I won't be able to avoid it... it comes with the territory. Scott gave them some basics on the first day on Monday and gave them a lot of information to think about just to give them a base understanding of how everything was going to go down then last night we gave them one task to work on. Focus on this one thing... then make it comfortable.. then move on.

The improvements were amazing!

This process is continuing to give me insight and perspective as I think of myself as an athlete and the self talk that I (come on you know YOU do to) give myself... sometimes it's positive, but mostly it's not. I tell them to keep a positive attitude, to keep it light, to focus on just the one thing and that they should be proud of their effort and improvements yet I do not do this myself.

Am I really talking about this AGAIN!? Seems we all need a reminder to think positively about ourselves.

So I will be taking my own advice (and I'm sure I'll need to hear it again) to go easy on myself and focus on the positives of it all. Afterall ... tis why I am here doing this. Amazing how teaching someone else really teaches you too!

Thanks again guys for all your hard work thusfar.... looking forward to our next session!

Perspective: The first tri of the season is HERE!

I've gotten a heavy dose of perspective over the last couple of weeks.

I'm coming up on my first triathlon of the season - as a sponsored athlete!!! - and I've never felt less prepared to race. I feel unprepared physically (I know I'm fit enough to complete the race, but I have major knee / calf issues right now and my taper has basically been TWO work outs over the last couple of weeks and those likely would not have happened if it wasn't my job) and mentally (my mind is elsewhere).

My Great Uncle has been living in Manhattan for the last 60 some years. He is almost 90 and has gotten to the point where he can no longer live on his own. I've been going into the city quite a bit to help with his transition from living in a small apartment off Central Park to an assisted living place here in Newtown, CT. It's been mentally and physically taxing and has taken ALL FOCUS off triathlon and my up coming race at Rev3 Knoxville.

I've really enjoyed spending the time with both my Great Uncle and my dad. Dad and I have been taking adventures into the city on the train and subway and it's been fun to spend that time with him. I'm very excited to have my Great Uncle living close by now so that we can go and visit him and help him when he needs it.

Needless to say I haven't had a lot of extra brain power or energy to worry too much about how I'm going to get to Knoxville (though the details are all worked out), meeting my team for the first time or the race. I'm excited to have a nice road trip with a new team mate and to meet everyone. I'm nervous about the swim (first open water, first in my TYR hurricane Cat 5 wetsuit), bike (first ride on my tri bike since last year), and the run (on my crappy knee). I'm actually considering two options 1. Planned DNF just dropping out after the bike, 2. WALKING the run.

I'm thinking the first option is probably my best. I KNOW myself well enough to know that I'm not too keen on walking in a race and that I would push it and possibly make my knee worse before I even got started with the season. My knee has also been bothering me a lot just with the walking around NYC so walking for 6 miles probably isn't a great option. THIS part sucks. I don't love the idea of a DNF. BOO!

But really this whole thing with my Uncle has given me so much perspective. This triathlon thing (for me) is about fun and the ability to be ABLE to get out there do it. My favorite part of triathlon is definitely the social fun aspect of it... and mostly the training to be honest! I am so lucky to be healthy and part of a family that gets my need and desire to lead a fit and healthy life... thus accomodating my 'schedule'... and FAMILY will always come before triathlon.

So whatever I end up doing at Knoxville is A-OKAY and I need to remember what I've been able to put into my training... the crap my body seems to feel the need to throw back at me... my glute/hammy problem and now my knee/calf. It is what it is and I'm LUCKY to be able to roll to Knoxville AS A SPONSORED athlete to meet my team and spend the weekend geeking out over swim, bike, run.

Let's do this thing! Can't wait to meet the team and CHEER for the runners and at the finish! Go TEAM TRAKKERS!!!!

What's your NUMBER 1 reason you love YOUR sport of choice!? What do you prefer... the training or the racing?

Tri Season is upon us folks!

 For $10 off race entry enter TRAKKERS27 at check out.

Okay. Time to get my head in the GAME! Tri season is here. REAL training has begun and my head is elsewhere (in case you hadn't noticed). It's all good though. I'm hitting the workouts (uh, except the swims last week. Additional level of scheduling headache w/ the hubs traveling and my regular swim time being in the evening.. post kid's bed.) I think I've got it nailed for this week. Time is carved out and plans are made (I sit down w/ my calendar every Sunday and make sure my workouts are SCHEDULED!!! this helps me insure that I get them done. I do have to juggle sometimes, but for the most part I can hit them) so I'm hopeful that my two swims will happen... though I'll be swimming solo and we all know how that usually turns out. Not quite as good as when I'm training w/ my friends, but something better than nothing.

Rev3 Knoxville is only 8 weeks away. EEK! I'm feeling okay. I lack focus a bit right now, but so long as I'm getting my workouts done I'm happy. The running is still painful... BOO! I'm suspecting that I'm going to be limping along all season because, let's face it, I'm not going to have any time to get off it for months to truly let it heal. I KNOW I need to do some yoga and I'm working on (meaning planning and getting my mind around getting up earlier) finding a place to fit it in. I've only ever overcome an injury and gotten back to pain free running through yoga. We all know it would benefit us... as would uh, swimming, biking, running, eating, sleeping and strength training. Who wants to pay me to just exercise all day? Cause I'll do it! Any takers? I can set up a paypal button on here and you can just start clicking it! :)

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I'm no longer racing Rev3 Quassy either (oh, how plans change after the initial hub bub wears off and reality sets in). I AM working with Rev3 as the Local Volunteer Coordinator and I'm having so much fun with it. I mentioned some of the connections I'm making as a result. I've gotta say I love LJ too! She's so amazingly energetic and delightful. SO.. if you are coming to the race, but aren't racing (or you, uh, live here) click on THIS link and hit SIGN ME UP! and volunteer for this great race. It's an amazing experience to volunteer and gives great perspective as an athlete. Give back to your sport! You know you want to!

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Originally I had planned on doing Rev3 Portland as well, but things have changed. For a few reasons... 1. Money money money - all frequent flier miles have been used up for our trip to Texas for the MS150 in April.
2. Family. A trip to the PNW to do a race also includes crazy running around to see family. I wouldn't feel right going out there just to race and not going to see everyone. This would add a level to stress that I don't want to put the family through. We will find a time for a family only non-race related trip.
3. We are taking the kids to DISNEY World for their birthday. They don't know yet. We're going to do that 'hey kids, wanna go on an adventure today. Get dressed we're going to Disney." thing. This goes w/ the 'spend our money on family time' and not on items thing. Though Disney is FAR FROM MINIMALIST! ha :) To each their own.

Now I'm speculating as to whether or not I need to (should) do a local HIM. Thoughts on that? Can I hit a Full Triathlon without first doing a HIM? Coach says absolutely.. what are your thoughts fellow AGE GROUPERS!?

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We're not even going to talk about Rev3 Cedar Point yet. Maybe after we get through Knoxville. Still totally freaks me out to think about it so I generally just don't! :)

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Capping off with Rev3 South Carolina will be great fun. I'll be looking for what coach calls the Ironman Bounce.. a little bit of extra speed doing a shorter (God, really?) race after a longer race. Or I might be just glad to be heading back to my alma mater for some fun with the team and reunions with fellow alumni. We'll see how I'm feeling when we get there!

I am getting paid or three workouts a week so I suppose I shouldn't complain too much! My spins are going great. Coach has worked it so I have my three spins a week to just wreck myself w/ speed work and big gears and then I do one nice long ride outside. This works surprisingly well for me. I have a hard time killing myself on a ride outside, but I have a hard time NOT killing myself in a spin workout. Go figure.

In addition to this a buddy and I are putting together a tri program at the gym where I teach spin (New Milford Sports Club) that starts in June (yes, that's late, but it's for a sprint in August) and I'll be running a run and bike program as well in April and May. I'm really looking forward to sharing my love of sport w/ others and I get an enormous high from seeing people succeed in their athletic endeavors!

Should hear about whether or not I got into the NYC Marathon sometime mid April. Here's hoping that TP and I both get in. It would be a great way to cap off the season before hanging it up for some R&R.

Let's do this thing!!

How are you feeling about your upcoming season? HIM pre IM a necessity or a luxury?

What do I want to accomplish with this sport!?

What's my purpose? Ok.. not in life, but here on this blog. Why? Why do I write? Why do I train? Why do I race. I alluded to my questioning my definition of AWESOMENESS for this great year of 2011 in my last post. Originally when I thought of AWESOMENESS I thought about crushing the Boston Goal and achieving my furthest distance at some arbitrarily fast pace. Well, as I've been striving toward the Boston goal I've found that I don't have the drive (my teammie Megan wrote a great post about this) to run FAST. I have the drive to run, but not fast. Not right now. I might come back to it, but right now I feel like my purpose is different than proving to (who?) the world that I'm a speedy runner.

So what exactly is that purpose? What makes me the most proud of my efforts? When others, mom's and otherwise, are inspired by the fact that I just get it done at all. I don't need to be super human... I want other people to see me as a 'regular' person.. a solid middle of the pack age grouper.. who is getting it done in my way. I want YOU to see me and realize that YOU too CAN set those goals (dreams) and find the DRIVE to do it. YOU CAN make the time in YOUR schedule to do it. YOU CAN push your body beyond the point that you once thought you could. Because really... if I can do it so can YOU!!! (Don't get me wrong I won't be slacking!! I'm eat up those hard workouts... I'm just not going to focus and worry about it so much. IT being finish time. )

And that we can ALL do it while having a GREAT TIME!

So have I found my WHY? I haven't drilled down to it all the way yet, but I think it's starting to show me glimpses of itself. I know a portion of that why is YOU! All of you... whether you be team mates, friends or family. I think of all of you during the long training sessions. I think of all of you when I race. And I hope to inspire you to dig deep within yourselves to find those dreams and the desire and to start putting one foot in front of the other to GO FOR IT! All the way. We get one life, one chance... let's do it!

What's your WHY?

One last thing.. I would be remiss if I didn't share the hilarity of THIS post with you. Read it.. you will LAUGH OUT LOUD!

Ironman Access my 2 cents

Would I be remiss as a triathlete if I did not comment on this?

The WTC (as you ALL already know) dropped the IRONMAN Access program this week only to rescind a few days later in response to the SOCIAL media BLOWING up over it. It's been so interesting to hear all the remarks. Thusfar I've only found one or two that did not totally trash WTC and IM for being greedy money grubbers.

No one fessed up to purchasing this $1k gem.. though people did because it was stated that it was FULL only days later. Of course FULL has not been qualified as it was never announced how many slots were available. And who knows if that wasn't announced just to 'stop the presses' while they made their little video about rescinding.

I'd love to give the WTC the benefit of the doubt ... thinking that they really did have the athletes in mind, but it is a hard pill to swallow. I think they made a good move in rescinding in response to all the negative comments. And I really don't think it was 'too late'. They made a blunder.. yes. People were pissed.. yes. Does Ironman (the brand) still stand for a HUGE thing in people's minds.. yes. Ironman is representative of the 140.6... I think it will take a long time for people to truly get past that. Not to mention the whole qualifying for Kona thing.. the triathlon of all triathlons.

I think David of Chicago Now makes some interesting statements about the whole thing. While I don't agree that people "thumbed their noses at the other race directors and let them know, "you are an after thought Rev3 or Silverman, a cute diversion after we do the Ironman."" I do believe that people have/had a certain respect for the long standing Ironman brand and are sad to see that tarnished by the goal of being a mega money maker instead of a dream creator and are a little afraid that they won't be able to get to the race they want .. so they can get to the THE RACE they WANT.. Kona. Many people get into this sport after seeing KONA on TV. So there's SERIOUS brand awareness.

I do think that a lot of Ironman money is now going to go to the non-IM races such as REV3 , the Great Floridian and Silverman... for a lot of reasons. It creates variety. These races bring a different feel to them. REV3 is growing like wildfire.. who knows what they are going to have to offer their athletes over the years. People are starting to believe and realize that it does not matter whether your 140.6 was branded IM.. it's STILL 140.6! It's STILL a huge accomplishment.. YOUR accomplishment.

I love Run Faster Mommy's open letter to the WTC. It says so much about where Triathlon is going. People are seeing the accomplishment not the brand. Things are changing. It's going to take a while, but they are.

You've got to check out the sweet video at Swim Bike Live. HYSTERICAL!

What do you think? Did the WTC just shoot itself in the foot and we are going to just watch them bleed out or are they redeemed?

Now get off the computer and stop obsessing over the BS and get your work out in folks. It might be the off-season, but there is still work to be done!

Are you coached?

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Are you a coached or self coached athlete?

If you've got a coach give them some link love in the comments!

Focus!

My dad has always described me as an inch deep and a mile wide as opposed to an inch wide and a mile deep. Hmmm I really do take it as a compliment (though I think it was his way of calling me a scatter brain) bc I like doing and knowing a variety of things, but it makes it hard for me to concentrate on any one thing for a very long time.

I have made some decisions about what the next two years of my athletic life are going to look like, but still find my mind wandering and me spending time unwisely looking into and at things that are not in line w/ my two year goals. I then have to remind myself to stop wasting time (it really is nice to have some things figured out and not feel like I'm spinning my wheels and wasting time looking at things over and over again) and remember that I've already made this choice ... I don't need to be looking into marathons in the next two years, I don't need to find training plans and looking into different strength routines. I need to remember my choices, remember my goals and only do things that push me forward to the completion of said goals. (I'll talk about those later)

I'm working hard to stay focused. It seems I'm able to find the focus for each workout or for a training schedule, but things are always flitting around in my mind and steering me off course for bigger picture stuff. Maybe that's why I like the training schedule so much. It keeps at least one part of my life somewhat organized and focused. Now to figure out how to bring that into my everyday life.

Here are some things I am doing to stay focused on the goal:
1. CLEAN OUT MY HOUSE! Get rid of all the extraneous stuff that just clutters up my space and wastes time. I want to have this done before I start the main set of work on the next two years. I figure this will help me maintain focus and not get distracted by the 'stuff'.

2. CHOOSE A TRAINING APPROACH AND STICK TO IT! I've stumbled upon Endurance Nation somewhere along the way and have decided to go with them for my training for the next two years. As they say, "I'm drinking the Kool Aid" over there! This saves me from researching training plans and changing things up mid season ... and wasting MORE time. Dumbs things down for me!

3. BE A TRIATHLETE! at least for the next two years. I want to qualify for Boston. I tried this year and missed by 10 minutes. I know I could do it and am convinced that my race strategy Fd me up this time..... BUT I want to do Ironman.. I want to focus on triathlon. This does not jive w/ thrashing my legs by RACING a marathon. (again 'drinking the Endurance Nation Kool Aid' on this decision.

4. SET MY BIG PICTURE GOALS and follow through w/ shorter term measurable goals! Thanks to AM at Goals for the Week for providing guidance and motivation in this department. This should help keep me focused on the 'big picture' while doing what I do best.. focusing on the little chunks one day at a time.

What are your tips and hints for staying focused .... especially when life throws you curve balls or your motivation just isn't there and the wheels are starting to fall off???

Masters swim

I'm back in the pool.... I joined a Masters program at the local Y. I'm an aspiring swimmer. I fake it in the races and beat myself up about it all along the way. I was thinking about taking the entire winter off of swimming.. though I don't feel like I ever REALLY got into it this summer w/ my one night a week in the sound adventure. I decided that I need to spend more time in the pool.

I've decided to go Monday at 5:30am (OUCH) and Tuesday at 8pm. Now I've been getting up a couple mornings a week at 5am to do a 6am workout. I really like to start my day slowly w/ some coffee and a little email and facebook so I get up early. Well, I figured 5:30 isn't that much earlier than 6am... well I'll tell you 4:30am is VERY different than 5am. Why? Who knows. That 4 at the beginning just kills me. It takes me longer to get to the Y than it does my gym ... so if I want my 'quiet time' it's 4:30am. I don't like to hit the ground running.. anyway. I digress. So I set my alarm for p.m. on the first day so I missed the monday a.m. swim and hit the Tuesday p.m. I rolled up and was instructed to follow the schedule which amounted to 3000 yards/meters of swimming. Holy crap you guys really get to it huh? Well, I doubted I would actually finish the work out and was bummed that there was no coach (isn't that what I'm paying for), but I finished the workout and didn't feel like a total swimming moron. Yeah me!

Well, my alarm was set for the correct time this a.m. I'm astonished at how much that extra 30 mins changes my attitude. I was NOT feeling it this a.m. I got up had my coffee and rushed off... as I'm headed to the pool I'm thinking ... 'why am I doing this?" It's SEPT the END of the tri season this is insane". I didn't have any of these types of thoughts when I was going to the pool at 8pm. Anyway. I showed up talked to the coach.. mostly just to tell her I was new and say hi. Here we go w/ another 3000 meters (Side note: I went to a swim clinic the evening before and did some swimming.. maybe 1200 - 1500 yards.

I think I have unreasonable expectations of Masters programs. I'm always very underwhelmed. I expected that the coach might talk to me a bit about my swimming before I got in the water since I was new. Things like.. what kind of experience do I have (I could have sunk like a rock for all she knew), why I was there so forth and so on. I mean obviously I'm there to swim, but I'm no masters swimmer.. I'm a triathlete.. this may have been good info for her to have. Though I think she figured it out when I balked at the butterfly! Or when I swam w/o kicking... :D

I got no direction on my freestyle.. and that's not bc my stroke is so great. I did get some feedback on the breast stroke and back stroke. Awesome I'm sure that'll come in handy on race day. Anyway....

I have to work REALLY hard to keep my negative self talk at bay when I'm in the water...well I got lapped like crazy this a.m. and tried not to take it personally.. then one of the ladies that was swimming in our lane moved over .. to a more crowded 'fast' lane. I guess the benefit of being slow is that we had only 3 people in our 'slow' lane while the fast lane had like 6 people crammed into it. Whatever.

As I'm trucking along in the slow lane trying really hard to stay positive and focus on all the things I learned about MY stroke yesterday in our swim clinic I started thinking about the evolution of my running. I spent MANY years at the same speed and only recently feel like I've really kicked it up a notch and seen improvements in my speed so I'm trying to go easy on myself in the pool. I'm a neophyte in the pool. Let's get our stroke down and then worry more about the speed!

I'm also thinking I might try to figure out how to do Tuesday night and Sunday afternoon instead ... the early a.m. stuff is ROUGH!!! and no good for my attitude and continuation of the program. And then again maybe I'll just get used to it. I did like having it done!

Planning..

This time of year always starts the gears turning. I'm not sure if it's the closing of the triathlon season (for me) or the season change or what, but I start planning my season for next year at the beginning of fall. Obviously nothing is in stone, but the pencil is flying and the fingers are a searching through the schedules on the internet. I'm comparing school schedules and trip schedules and cashing in my "SPUs" (spousal approval units).

I've been trying to decide whether or not I really need to take some time off after this 'season'.. using that term VERY loosely considering I only did two triathlons.. and sprints at that. I did a few running races early in the year and will do a few this fall/winter... again nothing MAJOR. ie no marathon

I basically decided that I'm going to do a couple of half marathons and maybe a 5k or two through the fall and winter then take December "off"... meaning no races no super long stuff.. I'll keep spinning and lifting, but won't be so focused. Then in January I'm going to check out Endurance Nation's Out Season plan.. basically a huge sufferfest of short HARD intervals to get some speed into the legs. I'll do this plan for 20 weeks then hit a 12 week HIM training plan for Timberman in August. I've got some other stuff (races) thrown in there, but like I said nothing in stone so I won't bother writing about it because it will likely change dependent on our schedule and what I can talk others into doing... racing with friends is more fun!

Now just waiting for the sun to come up so I can safely go for a my long run before my parents head back to Texas until the holidays. Good thing I've gotten used to early morning workouts because that will be the only thing available to me now... since I have other motherly/wifely duties that need to be completed and the school hours are the best times for that.

What's on your plate for the upcoming year?

Danbury HV Sprint Triathlon

I drug my friend Jill down to the HV Danbury Triathlon. Okay.. drug is not the right word. We met less than a year ago and when we found out we shared an interest in athletics we got to talking and it turns out she aspired to be a triathlete... so then started the pestering and nagging on my part to get her to commit (she is a VERY busy lady) to a race this year. I prodded and prodded until we settled on this race as her first. I almost feel like I should apologize. This was a tough course! The weather was PERFECT! A bit cool just standing around in the a.m., but nice when you were out there.

OA place swim T1 Bike T2 Run overall
45 Laura Mount 7:10 2:00 41:19 1:04 25:02 1:16:33

Swim: 7:10

The swim was short... my favorite... just 1/4 mile. The distance suited me just fine, but the waves were sent up SO fast that 300+ people were dumped into this short swim almost all at once. We clobbered each other the whole way. If I went 10 seconds without being kicked, hit, pushed or pummeled I assumed I went off course and would have to pop my head up to confirm that I was still in the midst of the crowd. After we turned the first buoy the sun was right in our eyes and you couldn't see a thing. I guess at this point it was a good thing we were so crowded bc you didn't really need to look up to know you were still on course. If I'm going to get better at swimming I'm really going to have to swim more. Side note: People were talking about the weeds in the lake and I almost laughed after my LAKE WINGRA swimming in Wisconsin it's hard for me to be bothered by too much in the way of lake swimming.

T1: 2:00

I put arm warmers on bc I thought it was going to be really cold biking soaking wet. BIG WASTE OF TIME. Getting arm warmers on wet arms is a pain

Bike: 41:19

This course was hilly. 9 mph uphills w/ 34mph descents. It was fun, but frustrating. You would get in a groove then, bam, be slapped in the face by little gear hill. Then power down, get in a groove, bam, uphill. There were a lot of newbies out there riding the center line b/c the roads were banked and pretty chewed up. Frustrating, but pretty normal. There were lots of bends and curves along the course that kept it interesting. Downhill at 30+mph into a 90 degree curve. Good times.

When I dismounted my legs were wobbly... uh oh.

T2: 1:04

nothing exciting here. I ran up to the wrong wrack initially and forgot to take my pump (bc I will NEVER race w/o a pump again.. whether or not I have intentions of actually changing a flat) out of my back pocket and threw it back toward my stuff.

Run: 25:02

Holy hell! I felt like I was going to puke right away on the run. Tried to suck down a gel and couldn't choke it down. My legs felt okay, but I felt asthmatic through most of the run. I didn't need to let anyone know I was coming b/c they could hear me panting. There is a pretty killer hill right at the beginning. I focused on cruising to the top as best I could. I ran the whole thing and by the time I got to the top I felt like I had my legs under me again.. now for the breathing/heart rate. Was trying really hard to get in a good cadence while getting my breathing and heart rate under control. Threw the whole run my mind kept trying to tell me to slow down and enjoy the ride... but really I was there to race. After my last sprint I had told myself that I might be able to win my age group in this race bc I knew it would be small. The more I thought about it the more I realized I hadn't been passed by any women since I got out of the water... and the swim was so short that I couldn't have gotten that far behind my wave in 7 whole minutes... right? I started looking for women to pass. Again this was a small race so we didn't have our wave numbers or age on our calves so I had no idea if the women I passed were in my age group or not. I pushed through it all and had to concentrate really hard to not puke when I got done... I left it all out there. (though when I saw the results I wondered if I could have run faster if I had turned my brain off and just run.... I know I HAVE run faster)

At the end of the day I ended up 1st in my age group (yea), 3rd in my wave (I'm not sure what that means as I'm not sure how the waves were broken up... ), 5th woman and 45th overall. I'm psyched to have gotten back out there this year.. even if it was only two races (well, two tris) and now I'm back in planning and scheming mode for next year as I lace up the running shoes and hit the road in anticipation of some half marathons coming up this fall and winter! :)

Gosh we've been busy...

I've been so so busy doing... hmmm.. something I'm sure. We've been living it up this summer making a big mess and lots of noise and now school is back in session (thank god). The kids and I are both really REALLY ready for school to be back in session. Jason and Lily were getting bored and I was getting frustrated. I am not an effective Preschool coordinator. :)

I'm happy to have some quiet time to clear my mind.. oh and to clean.. yea that too.. we'll get to that as soon as my head quits rattling.

Both the kids are loving school and seem to be excelling already. They are psyched for new friends and, er, some structure! :) Again.. structure not my thing.

My head is still rattling so instead of pummeling you with all the things that are rolling around up there I'll stick to... yes, I'm alive, yes, all is well, yes, blogging more is on my list of 'things to do now that school is in session'..... stay tuned. For all 5 of you that are still hanging in there with me! :)

I'll start off w/ the blogging on Sunday with a race report from the sprint tri I'm doing tomorrow. 1/4 mile swim (now that's my kind of swim), 12 mile ride, 3 mile run. I drove the course yesterday.. the ride is CURVY and two loops... I'm not a huge fan of loops, and the run has two murderous "walker" hills. I haven't given this race a lot of mental space (see post above) so I'm not sure exactly what my goals are... you know there is always something in the back of the mind, but I'm kind of 'whatever' about it. I'll let you know how it goes!

Pat Griskus Sprint Triathlon

Aka.. first triathlon since August 2008. Wow... that shit is hard. Worth it, but hard.

It was a HOT day yesterday so I decided to forgo the wetsuit. Okay, many of you know I am not a stellar swimmer. I'm not trying to be self deprecating here... it's just a fact. I did go out and swim around a bit without it to see how it felt and it felt HOT.. okay, but hot. I decided that anything I would gain from the wet suit would be lost because I would be so damn hot. Not sure if that's true in retrospect, but I'm glad I did it. I showed myself that I can do it ... even though it's harder and slower. the swim course is a bit different... let's see if I can explain it. There are two rows of buoys coming off the beach at an angle meeting at the top of a triangle. Waves start from left and right on each line of buoys. When you hit the top of the triangle you turn and come down the middle of the triangle together w/ your friends from the other line of buoys. Well this is all well and good... except when someone strays from their line of buoys (which we all know happens quite a bit in triathlons) and comes straight at you and hits you in the lip w/ their forehead while you are siting. I got my wits about me and kept going assuming I would have a fat lip. Thankfully it's split, but not fat.

Out in 22 minutes. While the official results aren't out I'm pretty certain I was either last or almost last in my wave. UGH. Must learn to use my legs. I basically pull myself through the race. So for you swimmers.. next time you toe the line use your pull buoy and you'll have a decent idea of how I get through .5 miles of swimming... minus your hips sinking every time you site! I think I spent too much time w/ the pull buoy back in the beginning bc I outright FORGET to kick.

Out of the water and to the bike. My transition was slow b/c I was having some trouble w/ my timing chip. It was coming off and I had to take it off and reposition it w/ my shaky "I just pulled myself for .5 miles" arms.

This course had a couple of technical descents, but I wouldn't say it had a lot of climbing.. more rollers w/ one out of the saddle climb. I felt great on the down hills. Felt strong and confident in my bike handling (I did get the tri bike out for the event), but on the flats (well false flats w/ slight uphill) I felt weak. My quads and hip flexors were NOT loving that. Flats were good. I only got passed by a handful of people on the bike and was frankly embarrassed by how many people I passed from my swim wave. SERIOUSLY! I did want for better mile markers in this race as I need to figure out how to change sports quickly on my Garmin (bc I haven't done a tri since I got it) so I opted not to use it. I felt okay about my bike, but know I could do better. I'm going easy on myself since I haven't spent a ton of time on my bike and haven't spent any time really working on speed.

Transition okay... almost ran out w/ my pump and tube in my shirt so I had to back track a bit to ditch them.

Now my favorite... the run. We ran down a big hill, flat for a bit then turned around to run up the big hill. As I ran out of transition I saw one of Tom's co-workers that was running the race w/ a relay team (aka on fresh legs). I don't know this woman at all really and certainly have no idea what kind of runner she is, but I tried to keep up with her. No dice. I kept her in my sites for most of the run, but lost her on that blasted hill. It took me a mile before I felt like I could breathe (first time the whole race) and then fell into a groove. I was looking to catch my friend Nicole. She is a stellar swimmer and I knew she would have a huge lead on me out of the water (turns out is was about 8 mins.. ugh), but I figured I would run her down on the bike...nope. So now I was really trying to find her. I didn't catch her until the last mile. I saw her at the turn around and tried to pick it up. I didn't think I would catch her if I didn't do it before the big hill. She's got more experience w/ the blasted hills and I thought she would tough it out longer than I did. I finally caught her in the middle of the hill and finished only about a minute or two in front of her. :)

My favorite part of the race was the finish shoot. As we turned the corner to head in a guy passed me ... quite easily I might add ... well I wasn't going to have him pass me right there at the end. I picked it up and pushed as hard as I could. It hurt. Just before the line I let out a grunt and he heard me and picked it up. Someone told me I 'won', but I'm pretty sure we came in together. The guy smiled and patted me on the back. Ah a little friendly competition.

All in all a good time. As always a learning experience. I do think I prefer the long stuff where I can actually have time to catch my breath and get in a groove more. Not big and giving it everything for 1.25 hours... I think that was about my time. Not sure yet. Good news is it's 10 mins faster than both the sprint tris I did back in 2007.