Dang you Andrea!

Yeah, I might have a hard exterior, but there's a soft candy center inside.

Dang you, Andrea! You made me cry!

[Read this!]

August Totals

Running really got bumped up in August. And it wasn't easy running at that. Lots of intervals and fartleks and hill workouts. This could shape up to be a very good running season.

Swim = 11,050 yards
Bike = 1 hr 35 mins
Run = 114.6 miles

Prerequisites and Midterms

There comes a mid-point in marathon training where things gets stale: tired of running, sore and hurting all over, wondering why you are doing this at all. This is when it should be a requirement to go see a big race.

This weekend we did:



That's right. We went to watch Ironman Louisville. We went for several reasons: (1) Dave wanted to see an Ironman before he did one, (2) we wanted to get psyched for our training and (3) we wanted to see Bree Wee because we think she's awesome.

We got lucky and found a great parking garage right at the transition area and they charged us less than was even posted on the sign. We walked as fast as we could, but we missed the pro start, but we did get to see the start for the mortals. It was a rolling start. The athletes came down a walkway, stood in line, crossed the mat, and then jumped into the swim.






The swim went upstream, around an island, then downstream to the transition area. The transition area was full of volunteers and bikes. It was all very organized. The city of Louisville did a great job.




The bike went out along the rolling countryside of Louisville and went through the town of LaGrange. From downtown Louisville there were shuttle buses that would take spectators up to LaGrange. LaGrange had set up a village of vendors and food and they had bleachers along the bike route. This is where we got to meet the Wee family. They were so gracious and friendly. Throughout the day they would say hi to us and let us know how Bree was doing. Which....was awesome. Off the bike she was winning! Here's a few pictures of Bree and her family.






We came back to Louisville after seeing Bree close in on the lead on her second lap. The nice thing about following a pro is that you got to be one of the first spectators at any area. Here's the Run Out of the transition and the finish line areas without anyone there yet.





But my favorite part of Ironman yesterday was the spectators. They dressed in fantastic shirts and had the best signs.







Dave and I had a great time. He, of course, got more nervous about doing the Ironman and I was so excited it took all of my power not to go downtown this morning and not sign up for myself. I didn't, in case you were wondering. Let me watch Dave and then I'll make up my mind. :) And, I feel like my training has been rejuvenated.

Hurdle Competitor

Physically, I think I can match the goals I lay out for myself. Mentally, not so much. For three years I have set my marathon goal as 3:30. I truly believe the only thing that has held me back from obtaining that goal has been my mind. I certainly can run that fast and have been in really good shape for several marathons. I just think knowing that a 3:30 marathon is a 8:00 pace really messes me up.

Coach recently said on her blog that you have to train your mind like you train your body and then your mind will know what to do with your body on race day. This is something I'm working on this time around. When I'm running and I'm struggling I think of key words to help me get through the run. And it has also been very helpful to have a coach to talk to and have her set me straight about my abilities.

The workouts have been rough, I'm not going to lie. But, I'm seeing real results and I'm excited about that. Hopefully in a few short weeks I can get over that mental hurdle and achieve the elusive 3:30 goal I've been after.

Thursday Thoughts

I have been watching the Olympics nonstop now for two weeks. And seriously, I need a nap. There have been a lot of great moments from the telecasts. My favorite moment was probably last night when Haley Ishumatsu was interviewed after she failed to qualify to finals of the platform diving and she broke down and cried. So often the athletes almost seem like robots in the way they compete and interview. It was nice to see a real moment.

So, what has been your favorite moment from the Olympics?

Malfunction

I keep getting e-mails from my real-life friends asking me if I'm dead. No I'm not dead....I just don't have much to say.

Here's a story from a run last week, though, that y'all might find interesting and warning...there are bodily fluids involved.

I am 30 years old and I have the bladder of an 80 year old. I usually get up several times during the night to empty my bladder and the daytime can be ever worse. Usually my bladder is pretty quiet while running, but not while I'm running slowly. And since my coach almost exclusively only lets me run in zone 1, I've had to go to the bathroom A LOT while running.

Last Friday I set out to do my 17 mile run with 8 miles of it at race pace. My plan was to run from my house to the school, 8 miles around the track (yes, I need a Garmin!), and then run home. I got to the school all in zone one and two and then stopped into the bathroom. I then ran 2 miles at race pace, but the whole time I felt like I had to pee and it was really painful and burning. I went in to use the restroom again, but nothing came out. I tried to run again, but the pain was unbearable. I tried the restroom one more time and again, nothing happened. So, I started to run home, but I couldn't get past the pain. For most of the miles home, I walked. Throughout my shower and lunch the pain persisted and got worse. By the afternoon, I could barely sit and started to wonder if I should call the doctor. Here's the thing, though. :) I am friends with my doctor. I run with him on occasion. We are on a first-name basis. I was worried that if I was going to the doctor for pain "down there" he was going to become "more than my friend" and I was going to have to find a new doctor. :) So I self-diagnosed and came up with a urinary tract infection. I then took a nap.

When I woke up, 2 hours later, I had a huge urge to pee. And that I did. For like 5 minutes straight. And every since then, I have had no pain and no sudden urges to go to the bathroom. Coach is convinced it's a UTI; Dave and I think I passed a small kidney stone.

All I know is, I'm not sure I ever want to experience natural childbirth. :)

Thursday Thoughts

Question: What do these two pictures say about what happens in my world?

Big Shout Out!

Have y'all been watching the Olympics? Dave and I have been glued to our TV. And last night we stayed up really late to watch Ohio State alum Raj Bhavsar and the men's gymnastics team totally kick butt to earn the bronze medal. Raj was an NCAA all-around champion while at OSU. From the Buckeye nation, congratulations and....


O-H!

Totally Stoked!

I don't know if it's the upcoming Olympics or the fact I am working with a coach for the first time, but I am more motivated than I have ever been. I am three weeks into my training schedule and I haven't missed a workout yet. I have been following all the rules--HR zones, nutrition, weight training, rest, ice, etc. And yesterday, I surprised myself.

This week has been a week of tempo workouts and yesterday's was the hardest one I have ever done. The workout was 8 miles with the middle 6 miles descending at 7:50, 7:40, 7:30, 7:20, 7:10, and sub-7:00. Since I seem to be the only runner left on planet earth without a Garmin, I had to run this on a track and keep track of my own pace. Want to know how I did it? Quarter mile splits and a piece of athletic tape. :)



The first three intervals went pretty well and then I started to freak out about how quickly the intervals were getting. But you know, what? I hit them. No, I destroyed them.

Interval 1 = 7:43
Interval 2 = 7:41
Interval 3 = 7:25
Interval 4 = 7:14
Interval 5 = 6:56
Interval 6 = 6:47

I have only run a handful of sub-7:00 miles and yesterday was the first time I have ever done them in a workout and the first time I have done two of them at once.

Needless to say, I'm pretty excited about all the good things to come.

July Totals

Here is what I accomplished in July. There will be a whole lot more running going on from now on.

Swim = 16,950 yards
Bike = 124.55 miles
Run = 61.35 miles

When did I become a jogger?

Today's workout was all in zone 1 and it was slow. Really slow. And I felt like a total tool! There were two little girls out with their dad who was also doing his workout. One of the girls said, "look Dad, that girl is jogging too." When did I turn into a jogger?

Lifeline of Ohio 1/2 Marathon

Last year I ran the Lifeline of Ohio 1/2 Marathon with some of the high school girls I coached. It was a good race and fun to experience it with those new to the half marathon distance and it was my slowest half marathon ever.

Until now. :)

Coach allowed me to do the race, but I had to play by her rules. And the rules basically stated I had to run slow. I started with a 10 minute warm-up. Then I had to run in zone 1 for 30 minutes, followed by zone 2 for 45 minutes, and finally zone 3 for 45 minutes. The zone 1 miles were in the 10:30 to 11:00 range. The zone two miles were in the 9:30 to 10:00 range and the zone 3 miles were in the 9:00 to 9:30 range. Keep in mind, my usually half marathon pace is somewhere between 7:50 to 8:20. The plan called for 2 hours, but I wasn't finished with the race in two hours, so we (Andrea and I--I can't believe she ran the whole thing with me) dropped the hammer for the last mile plus until the finish line. My heart rate skyrocketed up to 194 coming up the last hill at the end.

Overall time, 2:10:15.

I'm trusting coach, though, and I know this is all going to translate into fantastically big races in the fall.

Feeling Exposed

Every time I go to the gym I hop on the scale how things are going. Generally in the last two years, every thing has been pretty much the same. But I was noticing that my swim suit seemed to be getting looser so I thought that the training was going well, things were tightening up, and I was slimming down.

What I didn't realize, however, that I wasn't getting trimmer. My swim suit was completely worn out and I was flashing my butt to the entire pool! OMG!

So, I got on Splish and designed a new swimsuit (it's the black one with the polka dots). I've worn it and I love it!

**I don't think my link works. I'll have to figure that out at a later time. :)

Taking the Leap

A few years ago I heard the quote, "Leap and the net will appear." Ever since I started my photography business that quote keeps reappearing and presenting itself in my head. But, being the cautious conservative I am, I haven't been ready to take the full leap. I was basically standing on the ledge with a harness on looking down trying to muster the courage.

Today, I took off the harness and jumped.

OMG! I quit my job! As in, I walked away without giving notice and decided it was time to pursue photography full time. Dave and I have been working our budgets for months and we're still not sure it's all going to work out, but sometimes you just have to leap to try.

Wish us luck; we're going to need it.

Muncie Pictures

I'm not so pretty when I swim, bike run. :)

Let's start with the swim. Do I look like I'm having fun? Notice the pouring rain coming off the lake. Also notice how totally badass my arms have become from swimming.


Moving on to the bike, am I touching myself inappropriately? Nope, I'm trying to get the salt tabs out of my Ziploc baggie yet they have all melted away from the rain. Notice, it's still raining. I also love how it looks like I'm about to vomit.


Um, why do I have aero bars?


Finally to the run. I have NEVER taken a good running picture. There is no good way to smile while you are running.


Coming up the hill at the very last 0.1 of the race.


And finally, the finish.

Muncie Endurathon 2008

When it rains, it pours.

Literally.

Three years ago when I did this race it went something like this....rain, thunder and lightning at the end of the swim and during the whole bike, and then got sunny and hot, hot, hot on the run. Yesterday's race went something like this....rain, hail, thunder and lightning at the end of the swim and during the whole bike, and then got sunny and hot, hot, hot on the run.

As we were setting up our transition area the race director called a little meeting with all participants. He said the weather was looking bad in the next three hours so he was moving the waves around to get everyone started in the next half hour. My wave was moved up from 7:30 to 7:16. I quickly put all my stuff away and got down to the beach.

Because the water was 80 degrees, wetsuits were not allowed. Although I had not done a race without a wetsuit, I was probably happier not to be wearing one. I'm more of a pool swimmer than a triathlete swimmer and use my kick. When I wear my wetsuit, I don't really get to kick the way I want to. I had practiced the day before without a wetsuit and I was feeling pretty good. The gun went off for my wave. I hung in the back, counted to ten, and then dove into the water and started swimming. I made it out to the first boat with little trouble. There I stopped and treaded water for a few seconds. The people on the boat asked if I was okay. This time I was able to confidently tell them yes and I kept on swimming. Although the water was choppy, my swim was going great. I was breathing every four strokes, sighting well, and catching people in my wave and other waves. As I rounded the last buoy and now was heading towards shore, the winds picked up, the sky opened up, and it began to rain. HARD! What I found out from Dave is that it was also hailing. As I took a breath over my right shoulder I saw a huge bolt of lightning. My only thought was....did that strike water and how far could the electrical current travel. I kicked it into high gear, got those arms moving, and headed towards shore as quickly as my little body would get there. As I'm running up to the transition area, another lightning bolt hit. I truly thought about stopping at this point. The important part of the race was over for me. I had conquered my open water fears and had a great swim.

Swim time = 42:10

But I didn't stop. I didn't train like a crazy woman for 12 weeks to come all the way here and not finish the race. I put on my helmet and my shoes and I was off.

T1 = 2:25 (this is longer than it could have been because I was trying to figure out if I was going to continue on in the race)

The rain didn't bother me....it was the wind. Let's face it, I'm a little girl and the wind can do a number on me. There were times where I was flying on my bike, easily doing 20-22 mph. But there were other times when I was struggling to keep it between 14-16 mph. I was having fun, though. I actually passed 5 people, which is a record for me! I followed my nutrition plan and kept my spirits up by singing to myself and playing games. My most favorite part of the bike was when I needed to take my salt tablets. I had put them in a plastic Ziploc baggie inside my Bento Box. To be efficient (as all engineers are :) ) I kept the baggie unzipped so I could easily reach in and get what I needed. But, because it was raining, my salt tablets disintegrated and all that was left was soggy salt. I licked what I could off my fingers and carried on. :) The bike was longer than I hoped but I was still in high spirits as I entered T2.

Bike time = 3:16:36
T2 = 2:22 (I was smart enough to put my socks, shoes, and hat in a plastic bag to keep them dry. What I wasn't smart about was my balance as I fell with my dry sock onto my wet towel.)

By the time I got on the run, it had stopped raining. I trotted along for the first couple of miles having to walk and stop and stretch and readjust my socks a couple of times. When I got to the first water stop I pulled out some more salt tablets which had been sealed in a plastic baggie. Of course what do I do? I drop one of the ground. Being the gross athlete that I am, I picked it right back up and popped it in my mouth. Although I walked a little bit of every mile, I was making good time until about mile 5. There my stomach revolted and I had to take a port-o-john stop. Still, that mile was only around 10 minutes and I kept on keeping on. At the turnaround I still had a shot to make 6 hours, but that quickly went away as I needed to walk more and more. I was passing people, though, and having fun and just taking small strides toward the finish. In the end I got passed by one person in my age group on the final 0.1. Darn it! But, I beat my time from 3 years ago....just barely. 59 whole seconds!

Run time = 2:05:43

Final = 6:09:17 (12/20 in age group)

Although I really wanted to go under 6 hours, I'm pretty happy with the way things turned out. I'm glad that my triathlon season is over and I look forward to hitting the pavement and getting back to running full time. I'm also really looking forward to the saddle sores going away because they've become unbearable!

Confidence

I have been a bad blogger this week. There's not much to say when you're tapering and the race is just a few days away.

My coach has been talking to me about mantras--things to say to myself during the race that will put my head back in the game and keep me focused. Usually when I lose focus in a race, I count. Maybe it's the engineer in me. :) I count my steps between poles. I count my steps between mailboxes. I count to 50 over and over until I reach the next mile marker. Because this race is going to likely take me 6 hours, that's a whole lot of counting! So, I decided to take her advice and think of a mantra. What did I come up with?

Confidence

Physically, I am ready for the race. I did more training than I did for the last one. I'm lean and muscular. I've been following the nutrition plans. My body is ready to go. But, my head always seems to get in the way of a great race. The two marathons in which I think I had the perfect race, my mind was focused. I thought of nothing except running. I need those thoughts to happen this weekend. So I decided to focus on the word "confidence". I need to be confident that my training was enough. I need to be confident that I deserve to be out there with the best. I need to be confident that I can pull off the race that I want to pull off.

Coincidently, I've been asked to speak at vacation bible school next week and my topic...confidence. :)

On a Three Hour Tour

We’re about a week away from our half Ironman and should be tapering, but due to some bad weather we still had one big ride to do. And last night was the night. The plan was to ride three hours and hopefully get in close to 50 miles.

All was going well until we turned onto a road that last week was paved and this week was gravel. Dave seemed to be riding fine on the road, but I was worried about busting a tire and considering I’m not really sure how to change a flat, I didn’t want to press my luck. So I stopped to turn around a take another road. But, when I stopped my bike leaned to the side that still had my foot clipped in. The asphalt quickly came up to greet me. I cut my knee and bruised my elbow and hip. I kept yelling at Dave, “DAVE, I’VE FALLEN!”, but he was too far ahead to hear me. I yelled that I wanted to turn around and he finally came back. I then showed him I had fallen and he got out my camera and took a picture.


We reached our turnaround point in 1 hour and 24 minutes, took a bathroom break, and refilled our water bottles. On our return trip, it got windy. So windy that we could only manage 12 mph and were getting blown sideways. And we ran out of daylight, having to cut our trip short by about 25 minutes. We stopped at my parents’ house and they drove us home.

Today I’m sore, but no real damage caused by the fall. The picture’s awesome, though!

At Least Ask Permission

I went to the pool Monday evening to see 2 of the 5 lanes taken up by the master swim class. I've always seen the signs advertising the masters swim but I had yet to actually see them in action.

I was intrigued.

I was let down.

There were only two people at masters swim and one of them was the instructor. But, they continued to occupy two lanes and spent a majority of their time standing and talking and laying all over the lane lines. If you're not going to swim, get out of the pool!

The three other lanes were occupied by me, the Splasher (he's famous), and some dude who would do 25 yards, stop and stretch, and then do it again. Because I was the most normal swimmer of the bunch, two different ladies decided to join me during my workout.

Problem is....they didn't ask permission.

I'm totally cool with sharing a lane, but at least ask permission to jump in and share. Maybe I wanted to do butterfly or maybe I was almost finished with my workout, maybe I didn't want you to join me, maybe I'm the meanest person on the planet (totally possible...y'all don't know me!). But instead, I hugged the lane line and just finished my workout.

Here's the kicker, pun totally intended....don't you dare jump in my lane without permission and then do the freakin' breaststroke! You know how many inches away you were from kicking me in the face?

So next time you're at the pool and you're thinking of sharing a lane, please ask permission and then let the person know you'd like to kick them in the face.

Thank you and have a nice day. :)

June Totals

It was a pretty big month of training. Lots and lots of time spent running, swimming, and biking. It's a good thing Dave is training for the same race or else I never would have seen him!

Swim: 19,050 yards
Bike: 8 hrs 51 mins
Run: 62.2 miles