Miscellany for Thursday

Good grief I've been busy. And I really don't have anything interesting to say. My world has been workout, eat, sleep, workout, eat, watch TV, sleep, repeat. Pretty boring. Here's a few little tidbits into my last week:

• Our Team Trakkers gear has started arriving. Last week I got my new TYR Hurricane 5 wetsuit and team kit. I'm digging the new design and since I've been working on my getting my body bangin' the last several months, I don't even mind that it's a tiny little thing.

• I have signed up for two more races this week: a half marathon and a half Ironman. That's all you need to know. :)
• I have been attending the same weight lifting class on and off for the last several years. During that time, it's been the same instructor teaching the class. A few weeks ago she decided not to teach the class any more. For a few weeks we had different instructors and one I really liked who actually teaches the class on a different day. Yesterday her class was AWESOME!!! She did such unique exercises. Today I'm sore, but really happy about it.
• It may be just me, but I am so excited about the royal wedding tomorrow. Of course, I work in the wedding industry and love all things wedding. I will not, however, be getting up at the crack of dawn to watch it. I will be using my DVR and watching it at a more normal hour.
• Today I got an email that the iPhone 4 is being released in white. Gosh darn it! I have waited for over a year for the white one to come out. Dave and I have already decided to wait for the next generation of the iPhone to come out, but with my broken vibrate function and a cracked screen on my phone, I don't know how much longer I'm going to wait.
• I'm in the middle of an epic training week. It seems early in the season to be having such a big week. So....I've got to get out the door to train. Catch ya later!!!

Deposits in the Bank

I have a knack for memorizing song lyrics. They come into my brain and never leave. Seriously, if we went to a Garth Brooks concert right now, I would be able to sing every word to every song he sang onstage. If I could harness this memorization skill in other areas, I'd be a genius! (Actually, it's served me very well at remembering every bride and every wedding I've worked with.) Anyway, one of the song lyrics that seems to be always in my head is by Mary Chapin Carpenter: "The stars are stacked against you, girl, get back in bed."

And that's how I felt leading into my long ride this week.

It's been raining around here. Not a little rain, like, my sump pump has been running around the clock the whole daggone month, kind of rain. Miraculously there was no rain yesterday so I knew I HAD to get in my weekly long bike ride. Things were in motion long before this ride, though, that had the cards stacked against me. See, I'm not recovering very well from my fall back in February. Although I'm not in pain, per se, my back, butt, and left hamstring have been in a constant state of uncomfortableness. When I woke up yesterday, my back felt all tweaked. Sure, sitting in aero for over three hours sounded like a great idea to fix that! Not only did I wake up to back pain, I woke up to 40 degree temperatures. Having trained for Ironman Louisville last year, I don't exactly have any colder weather riding clothing. So I waited until the afternoon to start this workout and still wore multiple layers including my running tights (yep, that's the best I got) and Dave's booties. Once I drove myself to where I would be biking, and started biking, the fantastic day got so much better. My bike computer wasn't working (I hate that damn thing--it works about 20% of the time), my HRM was reading wrong, and the trails and roads were a wreck.

Forty-five minutes of this nonsense and I was ready to call it a day. I was back at my car, calling Dave, and ready to pack it in. But, I also knew if I wanted to work on my mental toughness I had to continue the workout. The next two and a half hours of the workout would be on a rolling course. Mental toughness here we come.

I started out and it was more of the same except this time I was being run off the road by the wind and other cars. I enjoy sitting in aero to ride my bike, but this entire day would be spent sitting up, death-gripping my handlebars, and surviving. The next couple miles were torturous. I finally had to say aloud, "Settle down, Meredith. You can do this." And then I hit a zone. I was doing loops that included the part of the course from the 15 miler I ran in February. Each loop took me about 45 minutes. That would mean three loops and a little more. I could do that. I settled in, found my mojo, concentrated on nothing except nutrition and made it happen. Before I knew it, my three hour and 15 minute workout was done and I was ready to start my run.

Did I mention before my heart rate was reading erratically? It was. It has been. It's a pain in the butt. I've read on the website that the battery life is supposed to be 4 years with 1 hour use per day, but I beg to differ. When I wore my Timex, when the HR read high it was time to change the battery. Guess I'll have to give that a try with the Garmin. Anyway, my run off the bike was supposed to be heart rate based. Obviously, that plan was out the window. So I went on pace based on what those heart rates would be (yeah, I've been doing this a long time). It was a great run. Dude, I'm super-excited about the season!

A friend left me a note before Ironman last year that said "training accumulates...it's like money in the bank." Today's ride and run were not ideal. I fought many physical conditions along with my mental shortcomings. But, I got it done and made some serious deposits in my training bank.

Miami University Student Foundation Triathlon 2011

What a better way to celebrate a birthday than to do a race, right? Friday night Dave and I traveled to Oxford, Ohio (otherwise known as the middle of nowhere) to race the Miami University Student Foundation Triathlon. Our 2-1/2 hour trip turned into something more like four hours after a stop for dinner and a detour after a terrible car accident and we got to registration check-in 5 minutes before it closed at 10:00pm. Then we found our hotel, checked in, got our stuff ready for the race, and then fell asleep. It would be an early wake up call.

4:45am we were up, doing our thing, eating breakfast, and we were out the door at 5:30. We're getting better at this. We set up our transition, got in one last bathroom break, and headed to the pool for warm-ups. It was going to be a good day.

Perfect socks to celebrate my birthday race.

Swim

I absolutely freakin' loved this swim! The swim was done at the student recreation center in a 50m pool. When we entered the race, we input our predicted swim time, and then were seeded based on that. Then waves of 50 were called down to the swim deck where we were sent off one person at a time every three seconds. You would swim down one lane, push off the wall and under the lane line to the next lane, and swim back down the next lane. At the end of 8 lanes, you had swam 400m, you pushed yourself out of the pool and ran to transition.

My number was 159 so I was, essentially, in the fourth wave. I waited in line and then it was my turn to cross the timing mat, run around the end of the pool, and jump on in. I took off pretty fast, but the guy behind me caught me in the first 50 meters. Then he decided to swim the exact same pace as me. So, I drafted off of him. I got right on his toes. I mean RIGHT on his toes. I even touched them some times. This may be the first time I have successfully drafted in a swim. At some point, though, I needed to go faster than he was going so I tried to get around him. But, just like open water swimming, another dude was on my other side and I was totally boxed in. I did like any good, offensive swimmer would do, at the end of the lane as I was pushing off, I totally cut him off and got in front of him. Then I dashed to the finish line. I wiggled my way out of the water and sprinted my way into transition.

Time - 7:55, 3/12 AG

I am totally over-the-moon about my swim. I have been working hard in the pool and it's been paying off. Swimming is quickly becoming my favorite thing about triathlon.

Bike

When we arrived to the race in the morning, the weather was better than I expected. It was around 55 degrees and it wasn't raining. That wasn't at all what the weather was predicted! But as we were waiting in the natatorium for the swim, I noticed that the temperature was dropping. And when I exited the swim and ran outside, not only had it gotten cold, it was now raining. Awesome. I took the time, or I should say I tried to hurry, and put on a long sleeved shirt for the remainder of the race. It was a struggle and a long transition, but worthwhile as it would be cold out on the bike. The bike was rolling. I would spin my way up a long hill passing people as I went, and then would descend quickly while getting passed by the big dudes on the way down. That's how the whole bike went for the whole 20K.

Time - 47:20, 15.8mph, 4/12 AG

Did you see that? Fourth fastest in my age group? What the what? Sure, it wasn't "fast" in terms of mphs, but I have been on that bike working hard to become a better biker all winter. It's paying off and I'm excited to see how the rest of the season will play out.

Run

Let me just brag about my T2 for a second. I dismounted that bike, ran it in quickly, tore off my helmet and shoes, grabbed my hat, stepped into my running shoes and was out of there in 1:00 flat. Only one other girl in my age group beat me in T2 and she only did that by 1 second. Thankyouverymuch!

Generally, I love the run portion of triathlon. I get to fly. I get to pass people. I feel most comfortable. Not today. I was suffering. I got off the bike and I was freezing. FREEEEEEZING!!! I could not feel my feet and didn't the entire run. And it was pouring rain for the run. I didn't feel like I was working hard yet my breathing was erratic. At one point I tried to breath in through my nose and my nostrils closed in on themselves. This made drinking at a water stop impossible. By the end of the run I got a stitch under my ribs so badly I had to stop twice and try to stretch it out. This was the only time of the day where I said aloud, "I'm not having very much fun." What an ugly run.

Time - 24:19, 7:49/mile, 3/12 age group

Because the weather was terrible, the race officials cancelled the awards ceremony. This allowed Dave and I to cash in our free breakfast where we were staying and we headed home shortly after. It was a good day for both of us. I finished third in my age group and Dave had a terrific run with a 21:59. Despite the bad weather, it was a fun way to celebrate my birthday.

Under Pressure

After my meltdown at the National Marathon, I've been rethinking how I want to go about my season. I can't exactly "turn off" but I can certainly tune out and retool.

I've been thinking back on my days as a youth athlete and as a student. And I figured out, I've never done very well under pressure. I was always good at homework, but cracked when it was time for a test. My final couple of quarters in college was a nightmare. I had a final project that was not going well and if I failed, there would be no graduation. I didn't eat for, like, a month. I itched all over from the inside out, yet there was nothing medically wrong with me.

I don't handle pressure very well.

In the last couple of years with the growth of social media, my presence online has grown too. This blog became something my family checked in on to having many, many followers and many, many lurkers. I've got a bajillion friends on Facebook, all of whom I "know" and then another bajillion followers on Twitter, most of whom I have no idea who they are. Throw into that being on a competitive team with sponsors and my anxiety level is through the roof. I feel like I have to be on all the time.

I can't take that kind of pressure.

So I've needed to change some things. 2011 is about finishing what I started. Let me repeat that: Finishing what I started. I'm not doing any races because my team, my sponsors, my coach, my husband, etc. want me to. This is all for me. I have tweaked my racing schedule but the only people who know that are me, my coach, and Dave. My 2011 schedule has been taken down from this blog. And I'm not going to talk about upcoming races on Facebook or Twitter. The only time I will talk about a race will be after it happens. I want to feel a little more anonymous when I show up for a race.

I want to love racing again. I want to have fun with my racing. I want to feel like I'm racing for me. I want to finish what I started.

Mer, where you been?

I know, I know. I haven't posted anything in a week. That's because last week I was dog sitting. Dog sitting a 12 week old puppy, which meant going outside a THOUSAND times a day. It also meant extreme jealousy in our house by our dog. Which means, it was extremely loud barking, nonstop, ALL.DAMN.DAY! I got nothing done last week.

This is what I'm talking about. I call this "Dog Mania."

Lifetime Fitness Indoor Triathlon 2011

Okay, so, I didn't do the local marathon. I didn't want to. I wanted to have fun, race hard, and get some experience in the tri game for the upcoming season. Luckily Dave and I were still able to sign up for the indoor triathlon held at our gym, Lifetime Fitness. We would be able to get up at a good hour (6:00), start at a normal time (8:00) and be home before lunch (10:00). That's the kind of race I like.

Body marking was done on our hands. That's my wave, 4, and my race number (36).

The format of the race was this: 10 minute swim, 10 minute transition, 30 minute bike (on spin bikes), 5 minute transition, 20 minute run (on treadmill). The race was scored based on the number of the people in the race. If you won the swim, swam the most number of laps, then you got the most points. So if there were 80 people and you won the swim, you got 80 points for the swim. Although there were no race awards or actual winners, the person with the most points technically wins.

Dave and I swim together all the time and almost always share a lane. So it was a no brainer who I wanted to share a lane with during the race. Dave's been doing almost all run training, while I've been tri training. I thought I might have an advantage on him in the pool. I have been swimming really well. The start whistle blew and we were off. Side by side. I started fast and intended to stay that way. After all, it was only a 10 minute swim. Surely I can go hard for 10 minutes. And I did. I swam until I thought I was going to puke. I checked my watch after 300 meters and I was under 5 minutes. My goal was 600 meters (~1:40/100m pace) so I was right on track. Shoot! Maybe I could even eek out 625 meters. Every time I pushed, Dave answered. We swam side by side the entire swim. When the final whistle blew we had both done 600 meters. I'm really happy with that. The swimming training is paying off.

See? Really excited about my swim.

Even though a 10 minute transition sounds like a long time, it is not. I got changed, grabbed my stuff, filled my water bottle, and only gave myself about 1 minute to get my bike set. Luckily whoever was helping me did a pretty good job of setting it up. The only thing I adjusted was my seat; I needed it a little higher. I have to admit, I am not a big fan of spinning bikes. My lady bits hurt right from the get-go! Nor am I a big fan of spinning. The way this was set up was you had to ride with high rpms to produce many miles. The faster you spun your legs, the further you went. It was ridiculous! I was averaging 43 mph and was barely breathing hard. I was holding conversations with the guy beside me, with the spin instructor, and Dave and I were taking pictures. In the end I (should have) biked 21.5 miles. Yeah, not even close to reality.

Another thumbs up!

Finally we were on to the run. There were 5 minutes between the bike and the run and by the time I got to the treadmill there were only three minutes to go. Problem was, I had to go to the bathroom. While I have no problem peeing on myself during most races (yeah, I just went there), I didn't think it was going to be socially acceptable in an indoor race. Our gym doesn't have a bathroom on the second floor, so I raced downstairs, peed as fast as I could, and made it upstairs as they were calling 3-2-1 start. I jumped on my treadmill only to realize that I didn't have my water bottle. It was behind me sitting on the floor. Crap! I jumped off the treadmill, grabbed it, and jumped right back on. I guess they could have disqualified me, but seriously, it was less than 5 seconds that I was off my treadmill. Dave and I were running a tight race between the two of us. It was all coming down to the run. We had joked beforehand that whoever turned up his/her speed on the treadmill, the other person would follow suit. And that's exactly how it went. One minute into the run and Dave was already turning up his treadmill to a 7:50 pace. I hit my button and did the same. Another minute in and we're down to 7:45 pace. And again down to 7:40 only 3 minutes into the race. Dave was pushing me and I was going to push back. Ten minutes into the race and I'm cranking somewhere in the 7:20-7:30 range. Dave reaches for his buttons and I thought, you have got to be kidding me. How fast are we going to go?! But, he backed off his pace and I asked him what was wrong. He had gotten a side stitch and he couldn't hold the pace anymore. I felt bad, but this is a race, and I was going to stick with my fast pace. In the last five minutes of the run I really cranked it up, pulling my pace down to a 6:58. I was on the threshold of crazy and puking. The final whistle blew and I had done 2.65 miles in the 20 minutes for a 7:32 overall pace.

Done. Sweaty and happy.

In the end, I got screwed in the results. I should have gone, at least, 21.5 miles on the bike, but they didn't reset my odometer, so they just guessed on my mileage. Instead of 21.5, they gave me 20 miles. My score for the bike should have been 45 points but instead I got 22 points. That's a BIG difference. I finished 5th overall female, but I should have been second. Sucks. Oh well. I think this was a positive experience and I feel good with the way my body and mind responded. I was the 3rd fastest swimmer (tie) and the 8th fastest runner and that's for both men and women. I have to admit I'm a little disappointed with the results, but I also know they mean nothing. There are real races on the horizon and I'm really excited for what's to come.

National Half Marathon 2011

Because of the upcoming triathlon season, I was given a small window of opportunity to have a running season. Winter isn't exactly a great time to have a running season in Ohio, but I thought choosing a marathon a little further south at the end of March would be perfect. There were a few things I didn't take into account though: (1) it could still be very cold and (2) the trees might be in bloom and allergies could be bad.

When we arrived in Baltimore on Thursday I was already feeling a little "off." I was stuffy and my throat seemed drier than usual. I also had a pain in my chest that has been off and on for four years. I chalked it all up to being dehydrated from flying. But it continued the next day when we traveled to Washington. I didn't feel sick, but didn't feel like me either. Dave registered for the half marathon and I picked up my race packet. We made it to our hotel, which was amazing, and headed to the grocery store to pick up some fixings for dinner. Yes, we had a full kitchen in our hotel room.

To my surprise, I was really relaxed about this race. I let everyone else hype it, but I was calm and realistic. I knew there would be no PR. I just wanted to have a fun race and enjoy running. I slept pretty well the night before and we were up really early on race morning. It was cold in DC and race morning was no different. It was in the low thirties at race time. What the heck do you wear with that kind of weather? I wore tights and two long sleeved shirts: one to wear, one to take off. This proved to be a mistake too.

We got to the race site, checked in our stuff, had enough time to take a bathroom break, and lined up at the start. Dave was in a different corral than me so we didn't get to pace off each other. The gun went off and so did I. Wearing my Garmin for the first time I paced right around a 9:00 for the first mile. Perfect. For the next six miles I tried to pace over an 8:30. At mile 6 I wanted to pick up the pace to around an 8:15-8:30, but this part of the course was uphill so I backed off. The course guide said this course was flat and fast. The Columbus Marathon is flat and fast. This was rolling. By mile 8 I was feeling bad. I would try to pick up the pace to what should have been comfortable but I felt like something was sitting on my chest. I couldn't breathe comfortably. I couldn't take a deep breath. I felt out of control. My legs felt like they were running through carmel and my mind was racing at a million miles per minute. What the hell was going on? I started to wonder if I should run the whole marathon. If I continued on it could a miserable, long slog. That is not exactly what I had in mind.

I continued on and felt a little better in miles 10, 11, 12, but then I needed to make a decision. The marathon and the half marathon broke off right before the finish of the half marathon. I debated over and over again in my head and finally made the decision. I would just do the half marathon and be done with it. And that's what I did. I finished the half, called my dad, cried a little, and found Dave. He had a great race with a new PR. Check out his race report here.

The silver lining in all this: the medal was cool and I got to enjoy and have fun with the rest of my time in DC.

So what went wrong? I'm gonna be brutally honest here. I am totally screwed up in the head since my DNF in Louisville. I am scared to death of the dark times in races. I have no idea how to fail. I have no idea how to succeed. I am torn between wanting to be a running and finishing what I started with Ironman. I have become comfortable with training and can't remember what it's like to race hard, finish strong, and most importantly, have fun. I have a lot to work on, mentally, as the triathlon season comes up quickly.

We returned home on Monday and there were many, many email exchanges between my coach and me. The very next weekend (this weekend) there were three marathons within driving distance of our home. Should I try again? There was also an indoor triathlon at the gym where we workout. Was it time to start my triathlon racing season? Or should I just move on with my triathlon training, keep my eye on the prize, and finish what I started? Details to follow....

March Totals

I'm becoming the queen of training. This will be three months out of the five I've been training, that I did all the workouts. Wish I could translate that success to racing (more on that in a few days). Here's the numbers:

Swimming - 24,100 meters (~15 miles)

Biking - 169.11 miles

Running - 87.52 miles

Strength - 1.5 hours

I'm hoping April is also going to be a good month. And hopefully the weather will get better so I can enjoy running in shorts and biking outside.

Cupcake Crawl

I'm starting to wonder if this is a foodie blog instead of a running/triathlon blog?

One thing we were excited to try out in Washington DC was all the cupcakes. We had done our research, consulted websites, mapped them out, and were ready to tackle the task. We decided on four stores: Georgetown Cupcake, Sprinkles, Hello Cupcake!, and Baked and Wired.

Sprinkles

Location: 3015 M Street NW, Washington DC, 20007

Menu: Available here.

What we ate: M-Black and white, red velvet. D-Coconut, Cherry Blossom

Thoughts: We hadn't initially planned on going to Sprinkles, but trying to go to Georgetown Cupcake on a Saturday night was ridiculous. The line was an hour and 40 minute wait. We were too hungry to wait that long. Instead we went to Sprinkles, waited in line only 20 minutes, picked up a pizza and headed back to the hotel. M-My black and white cupcake was really dry, a little overbaked, and maybe had sat out too long. But then several days later, after we had gotten home, I ate the red velvet cupcake and it was really good. Maybe I got a bad batch of the black and white. D-The coconut cupcake was a little on the dry side as well, but the frosting was yummy. The cherry blossom was probably a little better, though I didn't taste the cherry flavor in the cake.

Hello Cupcake!

Location: 1361 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington DC, 20036

Menu: Available here.

What we ate: M-hc original (vanilla with vanilla frosting), heart of darkness. D-24 carrot, vanilla gorilla

Thoughts: Unlike the other cupcake shops, this one was not in Georgetown. This one was in the heart of Dupont Circle. No waiting in line either! Hello Cupcake is known for being all natural so there is no red velvet or anything else that uses artificial colors or flavors. M-The vanilla/vanilla combination was very good but the heart of darkness, aka, CHOCOLATE!!! was soooo good. I mean, SO GOOD! D-I started with the 24 carrot cupcake, which was a good moist carrot cake with a delicious cream cheese topping, not too sweet. Vanilla gorilla was a yummy banana based cake, almost like banana bread, again with a cream cheese frosting. Yum!

Baked and Wired

Location: 1052 Thomas Jefferson Street NW, Washington DC, 20007

Menu: Available here.

What we ate: M-red velvet. D-Strawberry, Menage a Trois

Thoughts: This place was cool. It had a great laid back vibe, like something you'd find on a college campus. The cupcake selections were displayed really artistically. I liked that there were three distinct areas of this store: baked goods, coffee bar, and sitting area. We would have loved to stay and hang out. Baked and Wired is known for making small batches of baked goods. The cupcakes are bigger than most. M-I didn't actually eat this cupcake until later in the day. It was good, but I've had better. The presentation and overall love of the store made up for the lack of flavor. D-I was really looking forward to the strawberry after reading about it. The cupcake actually has real strawberries baked right in! It was really good, although the frosting was a little too sweet for me. The menage a trois cake was a chocolate cake, filled with a raspberry jam center, and topped with vanilla frosting. Yeah, it WAS that good.


Georgetown Cupcake

Location: 3301 M Street NW, Washington DC, 20007

Menu: Available here.

What we ate: M-chocolate mint. D-mint cookies and cream

Thoughts: After our failed attempt at waiting in line at Georgetown Cupcake on Saturday, we decided to order ahead of time and just pick up our cupcakes. But come Monday we had forgotten, so we just went to the store at the beginning of the day, right when it opened. We only had to wait in line a few minutes. M-I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical about the quality of cupcakes from a store that has it's own TV show. I've that the cake from those a lot of those "fancy cake" shows actually tastes really bad. But, this was far and away the best cupcake I had all weekend. The mint frosting was to die for! And the cupcake was so moist it did not fall apart. Well worth the wait. D-I think Meredith's was just a touch better, but mine was pretty great as well. Great cake, nice sweet-but-not-oversweet frosting, and both were full of crumbled Oreos.

Miscellany for Wednesday--Marathon Edition

I am just a few days away from marathon #14. Here's a few thoughts I've had this week.

• This will be my first marathon I've run on a Saturday.
• This will also be my first marathon I've run with a Garmin. Usually I would hate this, but Coach and I have set up a specific pacing plan to follow.
• I have lost 8-10 pounds (depending on the day) since the start of November and have made it down to the perfect racing weight.
• I haven't had a drop of alcohol since the end of February. Yeah, I'm that dedicated.
• I have run 424.4 miles since November in preparation for this race (and the upcoming season). Doesn't seem like a lot, but it's the equivalent of 16 marathons.
• I haven't missed a single run workout since November 1st. Did I mention I got dedicated?
• I am looking forward to getting some cupcakes after the marathon. I hear it's the thing to eat in DC.
• I'm also looking forward to seeing my teammates Kati and Kiersten this weekend.
• I thought signing up for a marathon at the end of March in a place a little more south would wield better weather. As it turns out it's going to be cloudy and in the high 30s. At least I have trained in conditions exactly like that. Packing has been a challenge, though. I've got everything I would need to wear for weather like that. I'll make a game-time decision Saturday morning on what I'll actually wear.
• This might be the most excited I've been for a marathon ever. Let's go!

Monday's Menu

Each week, I will feature a recipe on Monday that Dave and I cooked the previous week. If you'd like to contribute a recipe, please leave a comment below or send it to me via email: meredith-gordon@insight.rr.com.

Last week we were at the grocery and saw a special: buy one get one free bags of chicken breasts. A gazillion chicken breasts for $13? Yes, please. Now what to do with a gazillion chicken breasts? We (well, Dave) made chicken cordon bleu. You can find the recipe here. And since I have no idea how Dave actually made it, I'll show it off in pictures.










This meal was so yummy. The chicken cordon bleu was so tasty and had great flavors. I had half of mine like it was built and then paired it with honey mustard for the second half. Still very yummy. This looked like an easy recipe and we will definitely be having it again.

Awesome Chopper

Since I get the privilege of working from work, I also get to experience really good TV. (I hope you got the sarcasm there.) One day I caught an informercial for this: The Vidalia Chop Wizard. I must have been really intrigued, or really bored, because I watched the entire informercial. And I knew I had to have one.


Seriously Bed, Bath, and Beyond carries everything. I knew I could find it there. And within five minutes and asking no one, I found it. I immediately fell in love and dubbed it my "Awesome Chopper." A quick trip to the grocery store and $35 in vegetables later, we were ready to make the most amazing salads.

Here's how the Awesome Chopper works:

Choose your vegetable and put it on the chopper.


Swing that chopping arm and voila! Chopped vegetables!


We put all the mixings into different re-sealable containers so we could make multiple salads throughout the week. Look at those colors!!


And here's the salads that Dave and I made. Aren't you jealous?

Sentimental Saturday

Six years ago this weekend my grandpa passed. Recently my grandma moved into an assisted living facility. My mom and aunt have been hard at work clearing and cleaning out her condo, prepping it to sell it. Today the nine grandchildren were invited to come over and choose the things we would like from the house before it and its stuff is sold.

Being the uber-type A personalities that my aunt and mom are, things were very systematic. First, there was a two hour preview before the estate sale, if you will, began. We were told what was available and what wasn't and then we compiled our lists. From there, we all drew cards and they were ordered ace high and down from there. My sister and I, being the youngest, were given the two lowest cards. So much for random. :)

The "sale" started with a flurry and for a minute I thought I was way in over my head. I had a very small list of very detailed things and my cousins were going much bigger than that. Dave and I looked at each other, completely overwhelmed. Luckily for me, though, my first pick I had hidden. My first pick: several strands of my grandmother's pearls. They're beautiful.

For what seemed like hours we picked apart the house looking for treasures and sentimentalities. Personally, I took home great things. Sure, I picked up practical things: wrench, miniature crock pot, pitchers, but I also picked through boxes and found beautiful gems. I brought home a huge box of lace. Yes lace. I also got hundreds and hundreds of buttons. I found my grandmother's old handkerchiefs. I even gave one that had amazing blue embroidery in it to my sister use as her "something blue" for her upcoming wedding. I took home a watercolor picture my mom did of my grandparents' house they lived in for over 50 years. And one of my favorite finds: a pair of lace gloves. I wish I had had these when I got married. I would have designed my whole wedding around them. Now I must find an outfit to model them around.

I thought today would be rough. How weird it is to be sifting through someone's life when they're still alive. But, I'm excited to visit with my grandmother this week and let her know how lucky I am to have her in my life.

Why?

My dad asked me over the weekend, and again last night, if I was going to break his marathon PR (3:21:21) next weekend. The answer is no. I'm not even gunning for a new PR. So it begs the questions, why am I running yet another marathon?

That's a good question.

The National Marathon will be marathon number 14 for me. I gave up doing marathons for the "experience" after my first one. With each one I've wanted to run faster and faster. I'm thisclose to reducing my marathon time one hour from my very first marathon. And yet, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be nowhere near a PR this year. So why am I doing this?

Initially I began thinking about this race when my teammate Kati announced she was doing it. The timing would be perfect with triathlon season and I thought it would be fun to be there with my teammates. Unfortunately Kati got injured and now I'm the only Trakkers Chick doing the race. But, I think Kati and Kiersten are going to be there to spectate.

While training for Ironman last year all I could think about was missing Boston and wanting to be able to run it again. Triathlon training is so consuming; I missed the simplicity of running last year. And having DNFed at Ironman I felt a little robbed. It's hard for me to feel positive about 2010. Running makes me feel fast and free. I needed a good marathon to kick off 2011 in the right way. My training has gone tremendously. Although I don't think a PR is possible, I think a good solid marathon with a quality time is. I'm excited to be running again. I'm so excited!!!! (And the thought of cupcakes after the marathon sure helps too.)

Inspiration

I'm kicking off my taper with a little bit of inspiration I found in my fortune cookie a few weeks ago:

The Battle and The War

There has been a war brewing with my water belt for several months now. Let's review...

I have been wearing an old school Fuel Belt for many, many years. Like, 8 or 10 years. It was great. It was small. Fit well. Carried four 6 ounce bottles. I loved it. Although the bottles leaked significantly I continued using this belt for a long time. Over the summer, though, I noticed the Fuel Belt wasn't fitting too well. I've always worn it around my waist, but decided this summer I wanted to wear it lower on my hips. The only way I could keep it in place on my hips was to use a hand towel positioned on my backside. This worked pretty well. This winter, though, maybe with slipperier clothing, the towel trick was no longer working. Maybe it was time for a new water belt.

For Christmas my in laws got me a new Fuel Belt, the H20 Collection. I really appreciate the gesture and think it was a great gift idea, but this Fuel Belt was a piece of crap. I have the smallest size, synched as tight as it will go with the velcro overlapped and the Fuel Belt will not stay put. I put it on my hips, above my hips, at my waist, and no matter what, within 20 steps that belt is around my ribs and bouncing all over the place. I have used my towel trick and it still wouldn't hold it in place. I thought it was the slippery winter fabric and put it outside my fleece jacket or my wind breaker jacket and it still didn't matter. The water belt still wound up around my ribs. My last 20 miler, I fought with that thing every step up the way. At the 11 mile mark I had had enough, stopped, took off my jacket and repositioned all my other clothes, completely wrapped my jacket around and through the Fuel Belt and went on my way. It kept it mostly in place until I finished 18 of the 20 miles. Then I took off the belt, took out one of the water bottles and put it in the waistband of my tights.

With only a few weeks until my marathon I spent a little time checking out some details on the website the other day. I clicked on the link for the water stops and was really surprised to see that there were not water stops at every mile. They are every other mile except no water stops between miles 15 and 19. As a friend said on my Facebook page, "what marathon puts dehydration as a 'perk'?" A little panic later and a conversation with Coach, it was decided that I would wear a water belt for the marathon. Ugh! Was I really going to fight my Fuel Belt for a full 26 miles?

I have an Amphipod waist pack (aka--fanny pack) that I absolutely love. You put it on and you forget that it's there. It's lightweight and doesn't move an inch. I figured that their water belts were exactly the same. I got on the website, searched my options, Googled reviews, and put in my order. Before pulling the trigger, though, I put a call out on Twitter and Facebook for what my friends were using for their hydration. I got a lot of good responses about Nathan so I put my Amphipod transaction on hold and waited to head to a local running store the next day.

I went to FrontRunner with a bit of skepticism. A water belt is a water belt, right? I tried on the Amphipod and didn't like it. It didn't really have any stretch to it and I couldn't figure out how to get the water bottles in and out. I asked the sales associate about the Nathan one and he didn't have a lot of information. It was a new product for them. He told me to try it on and go for a run around the building. I did and it seemed okay. I went back in a talked to the associate a little more. He told me to try it out for a few weeks and if I didn't like it I could bring it back. Sold!

I brought it home, stuffed it with all the nutrition I would carry in the race, filled it up with water, and put it on. Dude, that sucker was heavy! My logic, though, is it's only going to get lighter as the race goes on. :) This morning I filled it with water and hit the treadmill wearing what I'm planning on for the race. It was only a 35 minute run but I wanted to get a feel for the belt. It.....was great! I didn't move. I was able to wear it on my hips and it didn't ride up. I didn't notice the weight of it. I was able to get the water bottles in and out with one hand, although it was a little tough. I'm sure it will loosen up with more use. I think it's going to be great for the marathon. FuelBelt may have won the battle, but me and my Nathan are hoping to win the war.

Thanks, Megan, for the suggestion.

Checkmate

This is my last big week before the marathon taper begins. And today kicked off the week with my last 20 mile run.

I have to admit, I was not looking forward to this run. I knew it was going to be cold; I would have to do it by myself; I had to carry a water belt (more on this later this week); and with the season in full swing, I have to admit I'm a little tired of training. I psyched myself up, though, and got my stuff together on Sunday. I woke up this morning with purpose and ready to go. It was time.

The run looked like this: several miles of warm up, more miles at race pace, a couple miles faster than race pace, and finish up with a short cool down. Okay, it was more specific than that, but I have a coach and I'm gonna protect her work. :) I started and wanted to keep my warm up pace around 9:00. But 9:00 came and went and suddenly I was doing 8:55s, then 8:50s, and then sub-8:50s. I thought, "crap, that's too fast to start out." I felt too good, though and just kept with it. The warm up came and went and it was good. The next part was a race pace. I started around 8:30s, dropped to 8:15 for several miles, and then finally was averaging around 8:05s. Perfect. Things were going well. The next part of the run dropped the pace below race pace. At this point I was late in the run and wondered how this was going to go. Surprisingly I dropped the pace down below 7:45s and was just cruising. Finally I cooled down around an 8:20 pace. I finished those 20 miles in 2:47:24, for an 8:22 overall pace.

The big run training is over. It has been awesome! I nailed every long run. I've done every short run. I haven't missed any marathon training. My body feels good. My mind is in the right place. I may not be as fast as I've been for previous marathons, I'm definitely feeling more fit, more ready for this marathon. I'm ready.

Checkmate, Marathon.

ABCs of Me!!!

I saw this on everyone else's blog this week so I thought I would join in. :)

A~Age: 32

B~ Bed Size: Queen. Wish I had a king, although I think the twin bed upstairs is the most comfortable in the house.

C~Chore you hate: Grocery shopping. I'd rather go to the gynecologist.

D~Dogs: Sloopy!!! My 1-1/2 year old half Maltese, half Yorkshire Terrior.

E~Essential Start your Day Item: A hug from my puppy.

F~Favorite Color: Red.

G~Gold or Silver: I guess silver. But, I don't really wear jewelry.

H~Height: 5'1" and shrinking.

I~Instruments you play: Piano and I played xylophone/bells/chimes in the high school band. I want to learn guitar.

J~Job Title: Owner and President at VIP Photo Booths, Inc.

K~Kids: ZERO and I love it!!!!

L~Live: Ohio. Is it spring yet?

M~Mom’s Name: Saundra

N~Nicknames: Mer, MJ, although I prefer to be called by my formal, given name.

O~Overnight Hospital Stays: None!!! My only surgery was lasik eye surgery.

P~Pet Peeve: I'm annoyed by everything!!! Today's pet peeve is people who complain without a solution.

Q~Quote from a Movie: "That caviar is a garnish!!" You've Got Mail.

R~Right or Left Handed: Right although I was a left-handed gymnast and find that a lot of sports I do more strongly as a lefty.

S~Siblings: Sister, Amy, 3 years younger than me.

T~Time you wake up: Whenever I want!!!!

U~Underwear: Big granny panties!!!!

V~Vegetable you Dislike: What are vegetables? :)

W~What Makes You Late: My husband! My dog! I hate to be late. It's one of my pet peeves.

X~X-rays You’ve had Done: Too many to count. If I ever want to get pregnant it's never going to happen. I have to be infertile from all the x-rays, MRIs, and CT scans. The latest were an X-ray and MRI last week for my pelvis, sacrum, coccyx area.

Y~Yummy Food you Make: Spaghetti sauce, meatless taco dip.

Z~Zoo Animal Favorite: Manatees.

February Totals

I have been working with a coach now for 2-1/2 years and it has taken me that long to adapt to her program. Only recently have I figured out how to schedule everything, do the workouts in order, and most importantly, get it all done. February was a hugely successful month for me. I did every last workout. Even after my fall, I completed all the workouts for the week. I did four long runs: 15, 16, 18, 20 miles. I did two races: CRRC 15 Miler and Last Chance. I'm feeling really good leading into my last few weeks before the marathon. Here are the numbers for February:

Swim = 19,450 meters (~12 miles)

Bike = 174.83 miles

Run = 117.83 miles

Strength = 2 hours

I decided if I got all the workouts in during the month of February I was going to reward myself. I have some thoughts. What do you think should be my reward?

Last Chance for Boston 2011

There is a time to race and there is a time to have fun. Last Chance is a race to do both. I don't know why, but I love this race. It's so simple. Pick a distance and run it on a one mile loop over and over again. I've had some very good runs at this race. And have set new PRs along the way. I've run this race both as an individual and as part of a relay team. This year I ran it as part of a marathon relay team with my dad.

The original plan was that I would start the race and run the first 13.2 (the race starts 0.2 miles before the start/finish line) and dad would run the last 13 miles. He had mentioned for the last several weeks that his training wasn't going so well and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to run his 13 miles. I told him that was okay because I could pick up more miles if he needed me to. Well, that was the plan until I fell and hurt my buns this week. I didn't know if I was going to be able to run the race at all, let alone pick up any more miles. When I was cleared by the doctor and told Dad the race was on, I think there was a little bit of him that was disappointed. I'm not sure he wanted to do it.

We got to the race site plenty early but with a gazillion trips to the bathroom later and chatting with friends, we somehow made it into the starting area with only a three seconds remaining. The start was slow and for the first time ever I was the one getting passed at the start. My buns quickly warmed up and I was rolling along around an 8:30 pace. I had hoped to be about a minute faster per mile today but with my pain it felt like my left leg was dragging and each left-hand turn hurt. Since the course was a one mile loop turning counterclockwise, it was all left-hand turns. Around the two mile point I picked up a fellow runner friend, Christine, and we ran together for the next 4 miles. She was running the 10K so when she finished I was on my own again for another couple of miles. Then around the 8 mile point I started running with my friend Helen. She's one of our "Boston Bitches" club (self-named, of course). I haven't seen her since Boston 2009 so it was fun to catch up.


We ran together until about mile 11 and then I was on my own for the last two miles. Finally I reached my handoff point and gave the chip to my dad. I had completed my 13.2 in 1:51. Slow for my standards, but acceptable for the level of discomfort I was in.


Just a few miles into Dad's portion of the race, I realized he was struggling. He was slowing down with each lap and kept asking?/joking? if he could stop. After 8 miles he came by, stopped, and said he was done. We were done. We had finished 21 miles and he was willing to take a DNF. I was not. I did not put myself through all the discomfort to stop 5 miles from the finish of our race. Luckily I was still wearing my running clothes. I ripped the chip off his ankle, took off my coat, and got going.


Dave was willing to help out too. He had run the 10K (read his race report here) and was willing to do a few more miles. I told him to go change. I would run 2 miles, would hand off to him for 2 miles, and then I would do the last mile. I deserved that last mile.

My next two miles fell right in line with my first 13+. I was strolling along in the 8:15 to 8:30 area and handed off to Dave. He boosted us by turning in 2 miles at a 7:30 (um, when did he get fast?) and I finished the race with my fastest mile of the day for me: 8:09. Our marathon relay finished in 3:45:24 for 10th place in the relay division. It wasn't easy. It wasn't pretty. But somehow I managed to run 16.2 miles with a bruised butt and a full heart.