A Post About Justin Bieber?

**I hope this post at least makes you giggle.**

In the middle of wedding season and ironman training, you'd think I'd be completely overwhelmed and have not much on my mind. Actually I only have one thing on my mind:

I need a new haircut.

I have, basically, had the same style for the last five years. Here I am at my 10 year high school reunion (far right) in 2006:



In 2007 while on vacation in Switzerland:



2009 at the Boston Marathon (far left):



While at the beach with my parents in 2010:



And recently I've been growing out the bangs while the rest of the hair is long, long, LONG!!!:



I thought having my hair long would be beneficially for my training. It would be easy. It would fit into a swim cap, helmet, and hat/visor. But it's quite the opposite. It is hot. It gets tangly (although I do help myself by braiding it or wearing a double ponytail). It takes FOREVER to dry. And mostly it is bland, bland, bland. This week I cracked and cut my bangs, again, hoping to give the haircut a little variety. Honestly, it just made it exactly the same it's been for years and I kinda hate it.

Truth of the matter is, I really want to cut it. All of it. I want it to look like this:



Yep, I want to cut all of it off. According to my stylist, I have enough hair to donate, which will earn me a warm-and-fuzzy feeling along with a free haircut. ;) And she says my hair *should* be able to do this as long as I use product. I want to believe her, but somehow I feel like she's blowing smoke up my butt. You see, I've tried the super-short-hair thing before. In college...you know, the years of experimentation.

The next series of pictures all happened during my freshman year. I tried to thing of something creative to say about these pictures, but all I can say is "OH MY GOSH!!!"





Let me say something in my defense about these unfortunate mistakes: (a) I didn't have enough money for a good haircut then and (b) I didn't have a stylist who I trust. (c) I have learned how to dress like a girl. And (d) I no longer color my hair.

But my worry is this. I don't want to wind up looking like my husband. And I don't want to look like a soccer mom. And I certainly don't want to look like this:



Or this:



**See, I told you this post would make you giggle. :)**

Running Scared

It's not very often that I look at my upcoming training and think, "Woah! That workout is scary." Generally I like the challenge and take it by the horns. But today's workout has had me scared/nervous/sick to my stomach for two weeks.

After Louisville last year, I made a list of the things I felt I needed to get to the finish line of an ironman. Coach agreed with some and disagreed with others. One we somewhat disagreed on was the need to do more/longer running off the bike and to put in more running miles. The reason I failed in running off the bike was not my inability to run, it was my nutrition/hydration or lack thereof during Louisville. We are working on the nutrition, but to heal my mental shortcomings we ARE doing more running off the bike.

Today's workout: a somewhat short trainer bike ride followed by a 16 mile run.

Did you read that correctly? SIXTEEN MILES OFF THE BIKE!!!

I started preparing for this workout yesterday. I hydrated all day, ate clean and well (mostly), checked water sources and port-a-johns throughout town, and got all my nutrition together. Then I was in bed by 9:30. Yep, the sun had barely set and I was already in bed. The alarm went off at 5:00 and I got up at 5:45. I struggle with early mornings. :) I was on the bike by 6:20. The bike went well. I kept my heart rate right where it was supposed to be and followed my ironman nutrition plan. Then it was time for the run.

Even after starting this workout I was still nervous about the run. As I was gathering my stuff for the run I was kinda gagging. I was scared about what lay ahead. I kept telling myself, "calm down. It's only a run." Soon I was out the door.

I've mentioned it a hundred times before; I liked to run by feel. Coach allows me to do this and encourages it by giving me runs that descend based on feeling and not what my Garmin says. So, I put a sticker over the Garmin and began the run. Last week had beautiful weather for my long run. It was barely 60 degrees. Today was over 70 degrees at the start of it with 100% humidity. Breathing was a little more labored, so I held back and just kept things comfortable. After 8 miles it was time to check the Garmin and begin the descending portion of my run. I had nailed those first 8 miles at a 9:09 pace. Around 8 miles is where I really feel the mojo set in and I was hitting my paces perfectly. I was following my nutrition plan and really doing well. Soon I was 12 miles in and shifting gears once again. I was on my way home and doing terrific. I don't know why I had been so scared about this workout. I was killing it! Finally I hit mile 16. I looked at the final time - 2:22 and change for a total pace of sub-9:00.

Things are really on track for a great race in a few months. I've just got to continue to keep my head in the game, attack my workouts, and follow the plan.

Just the Facts, Ma'am

Due to the forecasted weather for tomorrow, I was forced to do my long bike ride today. Here's a few fun facts about today's ride.

• I rode for 4-1/2 hours today. That's longer than any marathon I've ever run.
• I took 5 bathroom breaks. It's sad to say but the gas station bathroom was as disgusting as any port-a-john I've used (except for the ones at Reach the Beach 2007).
• I averaged 16.2 mph for this ride which is about 1 mph faster than last year for the same distance. What a difference a year makes!
• While on the ride I drank 5 bottles of First Endurance sports drink and I also drank 2 bottles of water, ate 3 servings of Gu Chomps, had 4 servings of First Endurance EFS Liquid Gel, and consumed 9 salt tabs. It would have been 10 except I dropped my last one on the road. I also had 2 Advil halfway through the ride.
• My average heart rate for the ride was 142 which is on the cusp of zone 1/zone 2.
• The wind seemed to be coming out of every direction. Okay, that's not a fact, but it sure seemed like it. Looking out my window right now, the wind is out of the south.
• Number of phone calls I received while on the bike? One. My mom.
• The song that ran through my head the entire ride was Avalon's "My Jesus, I love thee."
• Number of bugs that hit me in the face during the ride? N+1. That's for all my math geek friends. :)

I also ran 15 minutes (1.75) miles off the bike. Overall I'd say it was a great (and fun) ride/run. Next week, I'll tack on another half hour to this ride. I wonder what "facts" can come from next week's adventures?

Rants and Raves

I think I'm going to start a new series on this blog called "Rants and Raves." For those of you who know me in real life, you know I can get pretty fired up about a subject. So now it's time to take it to the blog. :)

Ranting about....

...the Duggars. I'm getting myself ready this morning and I hear on the news that the Duggars have an announcement this morning. Are you kidding me? Did they not learn anything with their last baby? I'm hoping it's about their oldest child and the birth of their second child. Lo and behold, the announcement was the birth of the second Duggar grandchild. Thank God. During lunch today I'm actually watching TLC (don't ask) and a preview is shown for an upcoming Duggar special on the birth of that second grandchild. They show Anna, the daughter-in-law, laboring in a tub, fully clothed in a long skirt and shirt. Let me tell you something, Duggars, everyone knows HOW people get pregnant and we're not stupid enough to think the stork actually brought that second grandchild. The baby came out of Anna's vagina and it wasn't while she was fully clothed! What is up with these people? Does anyone care about the Duggars? I mean, come on! Frankly, I think they give Christian folks a bad rap.

Raving about...

I've mentioned before, that my goal each year is to read 12 books; one for each month of the year. Last year I failed miserably, but this year I'm just a little behind target. The book I'm currently reading, Beautiful Boy by David Sheff, has been on my list of books I've wanted to read for a while. In one sentence, it's about a father's journey through his son's addiction. That's what it says on the cover, anyway. And, I freakin' love this book. It's like reading an episode of "Intervention" but getting the whole story. I can't wait to read the son's memoir about his same experience.

So, what do you think about "Rants and Raves?" Worthy of a series? Annoying? Makes you think of your own rants and raves? Comments?

"I" Week

When I pledged a sorority in college, the week you are inducted, you must go through "I" Week, initiation week, hell week. I've reached that point in my training. The half ironman is done. Recovery week is over. Welcome to "I" week/month/quarter. In this case "I" stands for ironman.

Forget about fixing your hair, wearing makeup, or wearing normal clothes for the next three months. And you better hope that house is clean now because it will not be touched again until the middle of September. It's now about hyper-organization, long hours, longer workouts, eating around the clock, sleeping any chance you get, ice baths, and emotional roller coasters.

"I" week started with a 14 mile run yesterday, a 3500 meter swim this morning, and will conclude later in the week with a 4-1/2 hour bike, with a lot of stuff between now and then. And next week, well, next week is just scary.

So if you don't hear from me in the next three months, you know where I am. I am in the pool, on the roads, hitting the trails, or sitting in a tub of ice. And I can't believe I'm going to say this...I'm giddy with excitement! This year I'm going to be inducted. I've gone through two years of hell, have ridden every roller coaster of emotions, and this year my lifelong goal of becoming an ironman will be achieved. Welcome to "I" week Mer. It's going to be a great ride.

I Heart Spectating

Sunday, I got to spectate the biggest hometown triathlon, Wendy's International Triathlon and Duathlon. Dave was participating (and hopefully he'll have a blog post up soon) so I was there for him, but I saw some great things while spectating.

• Next to Dave in transition, someone had "racked" their mountain bike with the kickstand.
• While Dave was setting up his transition, a guy standing next to me began giving Dave advice on where he should put his bike numbers. Dave just listened intently while I wanted to scream, "He's a two time ironman finisher. He knows what the eff he's doing!"
• The swim is in the shallow area of the beach and being that it's a mixed bag of beginners, experienced triathletes, and people just trying to survive, you see a quite the combination of wetsuits short and long and people just wearing swimsuits or their tri suits. My favorite this day was a woman wearing a lycra catsuit that zipped up the front. What the what? Where do you get something like that?
• After Dave had taken off on the bike, I took a bathroom break and began walking to the bike dismount line. I quickly reversed course when I decided I wanted to be on the other side of transition. Well, a skateboarder decided I reversed course too quickly and ran right into me. I gave him a few choice words. And a group of kids learned some new words too. :)
• My favorite of the day: seeing a guy come in from the bike wearing his helmet backwards. Yeah, he wore it like that the entire ride.
• Speaking of helmet, I saw a woman wearing hers to the side, like a mortar board or like girls wore hats in the '90s. I sure hope she doesn't fall on the other side of her head.
• At the bike dismount, I saw a guy not completely unclip and went over his handlebars with the bike falling on top of him. He rebounded quickly and didn't look like he had bad road rash on him. Lucky.
• Finally, and I'm not sure a description does this justice without seeing it in person, I loved the very large man in spandex running capris running in several buddies at the finish line. Was he competing? Nope. Just running it in. :)

Thursday Thoughts

Wow! It's been a long time since I've done a Thursday Thoughts. If you're new or don't remember what Thursday Thoughts is all about. Basically, I ask a question and you answer it in the comments. Not that difficult. Now on with it....

I hate to make decisions. Any decisions. What to have for dinner? What workouts to do? When to do my workouts? Etc., etc. When it comes to big decisions, I'm a mess. Deciding to quit gymnastics when I was a teenager just about killed me. It took a full year to make that decision. This week I had to make a big decision. It was a lose-lose situation and I've really wrestled with it. Finally last night, the decision HAD to be made. I decided not to attend my sister's upcoming wedding. I feel HORRIBLE about it! But, it's in the middle of the week and it's a destination wedding and it's in the middle of my busiest month for photo boothing. Plus, she, supposedly, is doing a celebration here for those who couldn't attend so I would definitely go to that. I don't feel good about the decision I made, but I don't think I would feel good if I had decided it the other way.

So, do you struggle with decisions? What type of decisions make you feel conflicted? What was your hardest decision to make?

Racing for Recovery Half Ironman 2011

My big A race of the year is in the books. Yesterday was the Racing for Recovery Half Ironman in Monroe, Michigan (where?) I had big goals for this race. Some I hit; some I didn't. Here's the rundown. ***Note, lots of pictures in this post***



I had a great "pre-race." Saturday morning I had a great ride and run and after getting to the site Saturday afternoon, I had a great open water swim. Dinner was eaten and then I got a full 8 hours of sleep. Yep you read that right: EIGHT FREAKIN' HOURS!!! I was prepared and calm Sunday morning.





The race was small with only about 40 women, so I decided to swim strong from the front. The men went off first, and then all the women strolled into the water. Here I am getting ready for the swim:





3,2,1, GO!!! And I was off and fast. I had worked my way out of the mess of women and by the first buoy I was catching men. By the time we were swimming across the beach, I was in a pack with two other women and drafting well. I probably touched the toes of the woman in front of me 20 times! For most of the swim I thought maybe I was in the lead pack. I could see no other pink swim caps in front of me. Before the last turn buoy, though, I got totally cock blocked when a man stood up right in front of me, causing me to stop and work around him, thus losing the two women I was swimming with. I caught back up with one of them, but she swam so close to me she pushed me into a bouy and she was off again. Finally I was around the last turn, heading for home. I got up to the swim exit, ripped off the top of my wetsuit, and looked at my watch. Hot damn! 37 minutes! That was a great swim! I saw Dave and he told me I was in the top ten women. I walked my way into transition, calming my heart rate down, and now it was time to ride.



Swim - 37:34, 1:53/100m pace, 2nd AG

T1 - 2:41

The plan for the ride was to just go by heart rate and stick to the nutrition plan. Now, I totally made an amateur move and tried something new. I got the quick release for my Garmin and the cadence/speed sensor, but the first time I really used it was for this race. I placed the Garmin on my bike before the race and made sure it was reading my heart rate. When I got to my bike after the swim, it was reading 180. Geezy Pete! Seriously?! I had walked through transition. How could my heart rate be so high? I started on the bike easy, hoping the heart rate would come down. The plan was to be in zone 2 for the whole ride. 180 was somewhere around zone 5. I did not see my heart rate drop into at least zone 3 until an hour and a half into the ride and it NEVER fell into zone 2. I wondered the entire ride if it was actually reading correctly.



Since this was my first time using my Garmin as my bike computer, I still haven't figured out what I would like to see on the Garmin while riding. One thing I wasn't seeing was average speed, which made figuring out how long I was going to be biking or if I was doing "well" difficult. Late in the ride I started doing some math and it wasn't looking good. I was hoping to be on the bike for 3 hours and it was going to go longer than that. Of course, dropping my chain TWICE didn't help my cause either. The ride was rough, my mental status was shot, and my stomach didn't feel all that great as I came into transition.



Bike - 3:11:17, 17.6 mph avg, 7th AG

T2 - 1:07

I made it through transition quickly, but I was a mess. I met Dave on the way out of transition and kind of broke down. He walked with me a bit and settled me down. Then I started running. Even with that walk I still hit the first mile mark in 8:33. Okay, maybe this won't be so bad. Just after the first mile marker was a port-a-john, and I stopped. This was the ONLY time during he entire race that I peed. Yep, I was dehydrated. With the pit stop, I hit the next mile at 8:49. Thank goodness I'm a runner. I started to get into rhythm, counting every step along the way. When I needed to walk through a water stop I did, but it looked like I was still able to run 8:30s pretty consistently. I was catching TONS of people and starting to feel better. At the halfway point I saw Dave, who reassured me I was looking good and that most people were looking really bad. It was time to go catch them.



But starting the second lap my stomach started to revolt again. I kept thinking to myself, "you only have to make it less than an hour. Just hold on one hour, stomach." I needed to make up some time so I decided not to walk the water stops anymore. It didn't matter, though, I was losing time. 8:30s became 8:40s became 8:50s. During the out and back section, I finally saw my competition ahead of me. If I wanted to get on the podium, I had to catch those chicks. And I did. I raked in three women in my age group in the last 4 miles. Here I am breaking the heart of a few men too:



Finally I saw Dave again and it was time to haul to the finish line. I wasn't going to hit some of the time goals I had established for myself, but I still had a shot at a PR. Move legs!





Run - 1:53:28, 8:40 pace, 2nd AG

Total - 5:46:05, 4th AG, 13th female

Well, it was a new PR, but barely. A whopping 47 seconds. I missed the podium in my age group by one spot (and 9 minutes!). I have mixed feelings about this race. I thought there was a better race in me, but how can I be so tough on myself with the results I posted? I am disappointed with my bike, but ecstatic about my swim. Today, I'm sore, thirsty and hungry like the wolf. And tomorrow, it's back to training. There are still bigger races to come...

Running Survey

I saw this on Melissa's blog and since I have zero creativity anymore, I thought I would use it to create a somewhat interesting blog entry. :)

What is your favorite type of cross training?
Swimming. Definitely swimming. I find it relaxing, destressing, and feels good on my sore body.

What is your favorite song to run to?
I run with an iPod, but truth be told, when returning from a run I couldn't name 3 songs I heard on the run. Olympic themed music usually pumps me up, though.

What brand of shoes do you wear?
I am currently using three different types of shoes: Saucony Omni, Saucony Fastwitch, and Avia Bolts.

Do you wear a hat when you run?
I ALWAYS wear a hat when I run. My favorite is my tattered Boston Marathon 2006 hat that my parents bought me for my birthday. It's lucky and I try to wear it for every race and every long run.

What temperature is your favorite for running?
40s or 50s. The colder the better.

Do you have any big races coming up?
Yes. That's all you need to know.

What is your favorite distance?
I like anything longer than 10 miles. I'm not fast enough for the short stuff, but I tend to get a little faster with each passing mile for the longer stuff. I will always love the marathon.

Are you a morning, noon, or evening runner?
I love to run in the morning and get it out of the way. Although, I prefer to get up when my body naturally wakes up and not when the alarm clock goes off.

Do you run solo or with a buddy?
I do all of my training solo. It gives me time to think and reflect on my own training and goals.

What is your favorite post run snack?
Chocolate Ensure when it's warm outside and hot chocolate when it's cold.

What is your favorite race?
Boston Marathon. There's nothing else like it.

Do you wear a Garmin? If not, how do you track your distance?
I only use a Garmin or heart rate monitor when I have to. Usually I use it only in practice because my workouts can get complicated with different types of intervals. When racing, I like to race by feel and not worry about pace. My workouts are designed on time, not distance, so the Garmin was never really intended to determine distance.

What is my least favorite race?
I don't know that I have a least favorite race. My least favorite distance is the 5K. Not only is it too short and too fast for what I can physically do, I think they're too expensive. $30 for 3 miles is ridiculous. I'd rather spend $30 on a half marathon. At least there I'm getting my money's worth.

Where is your favorite medal from?
Boston Marathon. Didn't I mention that already. :)

Who is your running idol?
I love Meb Keflezighi. I think he runs with a lot of heart. I also love to watch Mirinda Carfrae run. She holds nothing back.

How long have you been a runner?
I just celebrated my tenth anniversary of distance running. I did my first marathon in 2001. I ran track in high school, though, as a sprinter. The last two years have been solely devoted to triathlon.

Do you run with your wedding/engagement ring on?
No. I only wear my wedding ring on special occasions. After breaking my finger almost two years ago, and not being able to fit my ring for a whole year, I've just gotten used to naked fingers.

What is your favorite workout? tempo? long run? fartlek? repeats?
That pretty much sums up every workout. The coach and I believe in low volume with more "stuff" in each workout. Each workout is a challenge.

What is your favorite place to run?
I am lucky to live close to a country club that has miles and miles of walking trails. I usually run from my house down there. I also have a favorite ten mile route that runs from the high school, past Abercrombie, and back.

Do you use Gu?
I use all kinds of different nutrition: First Endurance sports drink (lemon lime), EFS liquid gel (vanilla), Power Gel (strawberry banana), Gu Chomps (strawberry). I buy all of mine in bulk. It's cheaper.

What do you drink to keep hydrated?
I use sports drink on the bike and water on the run.

What do you take with you on a run? Does it vary by distance?
I almost always carry water with me, even if it's just for a short distance. I carry a handheld water bottle for anything under an hour, and I'll carry a full waist waterbelt for anything over an hour. I usually carry a key too and any nutrition I need. I always wear my RoadID. On the bike I carry along a cell phone and my driver's license too.

May Totals

Unfortunately, being sick I missed a big week of training which really would have made these numbers shine. But, even without that week, I think I had a great month, had solid training, and totally rocked two races. Here's how May looked:

Training Time: ~34 hours

Swim: 20,750 meters (~13 miles)

Bike: 163.93 miles

Run: 51.75 miles

Other: 2 hours

From here on out, there will be one race per month until the big one with lots and lots and LOTS of training in between.

Garmin/Bike Computer Questions

Alright, all you gurus out there, I've got questions! I posed this question a little bit ago on my Facebook page, but I've got more questions and a broader audience on the blog.

Here's my problem...I've got a wired Cateye Strada with cadence that I use for my bike computer. It probably only works about 30% of the time. It almost always gives me cadence but rarely gives me speed. The husband (who has exactly the same issues with his) and I have narrowed it down to either the sensors on the computer itself, which I don't think it is or else I don't think the cadence would work either, or the sensor that's actually on the bike to read the magnet and speed on the wheel. My problem is that my regular "training" wheels and my racing wheels are not the same widths so the sensors gets moved around and fits really loosely on the bike. Even if I get it working, every time I hit a bump, the sensor moves and I lose the speedometer.

Switching gears....

I train with a Garmin 310XT. I have a love/hate relationship with it. I think it's been a big help to my training. I love being able to program it and being able to track heart rate and speed, etc. BUT, I hate to race with it. I prefer to race on feel, especially with running, and don't like to know how fast or slow I'm going. With longer endurance races on the schedule (half ironman, full ironman), though, I need to wear a Garmin for the heart rate and speed on the bike. In general, in a race no matter what the distance, I don't wear heart rate for the run.

So, I've been thinking about getting a quick release for my Garmin along with the speed/cadence sensor for the Garmin to use on the bike. I like the idea of having all of the information I need all in one place so I'm not looking down at my computer for the cadence then up at my watch for the speed and heart rate. Here's the thing, though. I don't envision actually using the quick release portion in a race. As I mentioned before, I don't like to run with the Garmin and I don't really need it on the swim. I envision myself turning the Garmin on while setting up my transition and then using it only on the bike portion. Here are my concerns.

1. I would hope that all triathletes are trustworthy, but that's a might expensive piece of equipment if it were to get stolen off my bike.
2. If I turn it on before the race actually starts and make sure it's reading my heart rate, but then I go away for say, and hour and a half to two hours, will it still read my heart rate when I get to my bike?
3. The Garmin 405 turns itself off after a period of time when not in use, does the 310? (I don't think it does.)
4. My different wheel size problems are not going to change, will I have the same problems with reading any sensors? (This isn't a problem when riding outside because it will use GPS, but I do a whole lot of trainer riding.)
5. Is the quick release a "piece of crap" and will I be ruining my Garmin by changing it?
6. I've heard that the same Cateye in the wireless version is much better. Should I just invest in one of those?

Alright smarty-pants, I need your input. Please help me out!

It's a Mystery

After Rev3 last week, I came home to a sore lower back. I had raced hard in Knoxville and I figured it was just soreness and some residual pain from my fall back in February. I still believe that. Having raced so well and so hard, not only was my back hurting, but I was feeling a little let down, tired, and unmotivated when I got home. It was raining for the bajillionth time and I just didn't want to do anymore training. So I sat on the couch for a few days. I realized that it may never stop raining so I finally took my bike to the basement and placed it on the training. I did two workouts last week, both 45 minute training rides.

Thursday of last week I tried to go out for a run but my back was continuing to bother me so I scrapped the run. In the "big picture" that run meant nothing. Later in the evening, however, I started developing a new pain in my back but this one was in my left side, up by my ribs, kinda in the kidneys area, and it was super strong pain. I sat with a heating pad on my back while watching my evening TV. By the time I went to bed, that pain area had gotten larger and had moved into the front of my ribs and was intense in my chest. I thought maybe it was just gas or heartburn so I took a Zantac before I went to bed.

In the middle of the night I was awoken as the pain was getting worse and now there was pain in my shoulder. I started to panic. Oh no! I'm having a heart attack! Oh no! I'm having a pulmonary embolism! I was in so much pain I could barely move. I barely slept the remainder of the night. I was a little scared there would be no waking up if I did. Friday morning I asked Dave what I should do. There was a part of me that knew I needed to go to the ER, but we've been slammed by unexpected bills recently and that same part of me knew we couldn't afford a trip to the ER. Honestly, that should have been the last of my worries. There was another part of me that was scared to find out what it was because I thought my triathlon season might be ruined. If it was indeed a PE, and I would be on blood thinners, triathlon would be a no-no perhaps forever. I called my mom. She's had, unfortunately, many blood clots including a PE and I described my symptoms to her. She told me to call the doctor. I did and luckily they could get me in that afternoon. They told me if I started feeling worse to go straight to the ER. I waited it out.

I got to the doctor and started to describe the pain. By this time the pain in my shoulder had subsided. It seemed to come and go as I laid down and got back up. The pain in my ribs remained. The doctor did a urine test for my kidneys. Everything looked fine there. Then he thought maybe my lungs were leaking. What the what?! He said this happens with skinny athletes. Really?! I had a chest x-ray and everything came back looking fine there too. He didn't want to put me through any more tests that day. I thought that seemed a little odd (this was not my regular doctor I was seeing, by the way). Why wouldn't you want to do a blood test, at least? He concluded that I was either having inflammation in my ribs from the training, which I guess is also common with skinny athletes, or that I had shingles. He mentioned shingles three separate times in that appointment. He gave me a prescription for Naproxen, basically extra strength Aleve, and told me to wait out the weekend to see if the shingles rash started to appear.

Friday night was another night of restless sleeping. I could only be on my right side, so I was woken up any time my body tried to find another position and was met with immense pain. I think the longest I slept at any one time was two hours. Saturday morning I felt a little better. The pain in my shoulder was here to stay, but the ribs were doing alright. I had a full day of photo boothing, so I got myself ready. As I was finishing up, however, the pain got intense. I don't think intense is the right word for it. It was more like someone had ripped out my rib, broken it in two, and was using the broken ends of it to poke me in the lungs. I couldn't stand up straight. I couldn't sit. All I could do was lay on my right side. Unfortunately, I had to work. I got in the car and laid in the back seat as we dropped our dog off at my parents' house. My mom saw how much pain I was in and offered me some Tylenol in addition to the Naproxen I was taken. An hour later, the pain was manageable.

I felt okay for about four hours. Yep, four hours was my max for Saturday. By the afternoon I couldn't complete a sentence, the pain was so intense. I put on a happy face, though, and continued to work. By late afternoon, I made a call asking my dad if he could fill in for me that evening. I hated doing it, but my level of discomfort was off the charts. I spent the rest of the evening crawled up in a little ball. Looking back, I probably should have gone to the ER on Saturday even after seeing the doctor on Friday.

Sunday came around and I thought maybe I had turned a corner. My shoulder was still killing me, but the pain in my ribs was subsiding. My breath was "fluttered", you could feel it both internally and externally cracking and fluttering every time I took a breathed in. I also woke up Sunday with my left eye bothering me. It was puffy and itchy, but didn't look like I had pink eye. And my left ear was echoey. Yet, I had no rash. I spent all day Sunday in bed.

Yesterday I felt about the same. I called my doctor and we consulted over the phone. He said it wasn't shingles. I would have had a rash by now and shingles wouldn't have pain in multiple areas. I was surprised he didn't call me back into the office to do more tests, but he did prescribe me something stronger: Prednisone. Yes my friends, I'm on steroids. Call Tyler Hamilton! He needs to do another "60 Minutes" interview. I'm on high doses for the first three days and then the doses get lower with each three days thereafter. I took my first dose last night with dinner.

This morning I feel SO much better. Like, 85% better. The pain in my shoulder seems to be gone. I can still feel the rib pain, but finally I can get a full breath in. I plan on testing all of it out on a short workout this morning. I'm guessing I just had a virus that was affecting me strangely, but without having had a blood test, I guess I'll never know. I'm glad it wasn't worse and my triathlon season and summer are not ruined. I'm hoping with each passing day I'll keep feeling better. I just want to return to my normal life.

Rev3 Knoxville Olympic Triathlon 2011

Last year I raced seven races total. Sunday was my seventh race of the season and my third triathlon. I feel like I've gotten a good jump on the year and have settled into my goals and expectations. I was ready. I was SO ready!

I slept great Saturday night and woke up Sunday hungry--hungry to eat up the course. I had established two goals for myself: PR and place in the top ten of my age group. I was ready to eat those for breakfast. I got to the course early, set up my stuff, and waited around patiently. I would be in the very last wave.





As we headed down to the swim start, I did get a little nervous about the swim, but overall I was excited and ready to tackle the day. I was here last year, had previewed the course again this year, have had GREAT training in the last couple of weeks, I knew exactly what to expect. Finally, my wave was called and we headed down the dock and into the water.

Look how calm I look before this race!

I'm the tiny one about to jump in.

I never know where to line up for a swim start. I know I am a strong enough swimmer that I should position myself nearer the front, but I really don't like the crowds. I am not good at drafting and I don't like to be around other people when I swim. Unfortunately there wasn't a whole lot of time to find the right position as the horn sounded and we were off. And I, of course, was right in the middle of a gazillion bodies. I kinda panicked. I treaded water for a good amount of time and actually said to myself, out loud, "this isn't worth it. I'm gonna swim over to those rocks and quit." But, I didn't. I pulled myself together, found space, put my face in the water, and just swam. And then I started to catch people. A lot of people. People in my wave, people in the wave before me. Before I knew it, the swim was done. I rolled myself onto the dock, started running up the dock, and then error #5 of the weekend happened: I couldn't get my wetsuit off.

See, I'm stuck!!!

I had, stupidly, put my watch on the outside of my wetsuit and the wrist cuff had gotten stuck. Really stuck. So stuck that I screamed at Dave when I saw him near transition, "I'M STUCK!" He and another volunteer pulled and pulled, which really hurt, until my hand popped out. I lost good time and my Garmin had gotten all screwed up in the process. Finally into transition, I had to restart my watch and would just wonder and do a little math for the remainder of the race to figure out how I was doing overall.

Swim - 30:20, 2:06/100m pace, 10/25 AG (All the swims were slow this year. I hear the course was a little long.)

T1 - 3:08 (This may have included the time I needed help getting my wetsuit off. I have no idea where the timing mats were.)



I have to admit, I love hills. I love to ride them. I love to run them. I enjoy the challenge. I love passing people. This bike course was made for me. I have worked for the last year on hills and I knew I was ready for a big bike day. I had something to prove. I started out conservatively, but made a conscious decision on the out and back portion of the course, "Meredith, you have got to go." I popped my bike into a big gear, which I never do, and pedaled as hard as I could. I raced up the hills. I pedaled every downhill. I stopped looking at my speed because I didn't want to freak out about it. Just go hard until the bike is over. I started to do a little math in my head. My goal was to go under 1:30 as last year I went 1:33. Soon I was realizing I was going to be in the 1:20s and before I knew it, I was back to transition in 1:22. Holy crap! I just became a legitimate triathlete.

Have you ever seen me smile getting off the bike?

Bike - 1:22:04, 18.13mph, 10th/25 AG (I was 12th AG coming off the bike.)

T2 - 1:15

Finally, I was out on the run, but things didn't seem to be clicking like they normally do. I saw Dave and said, "I may have spent too much on the bike." He told me I was within striking distance of several girls in my age group. I knew what I had to do: RUN! I didn't have the speed of last year, but I was still dropping 8:00s on the course. I was catching all kinds of people and soon found myself having passed 3 or 4 girls in my age group before the turn around. Right before the turn around, however, one very fast chick in my age group passed me. There was no way I could go with her. Turns out, she averaged 6:50s on the run. Yazow!



In the last two miles, I found myself in the land of men. I saw no women in front of me and knew I wasn't going to place any higher in my age group. I had no idea where I had placed, but I was pretty sure it was in the top 10 of the age group. My last mile was the hardest and slowest of the day. Had I known there was one more girl in my age group only 30 seconds in front of me, I probably could have found the strength, but as you can see, I was very much alone:

Looking very fit.

Run - 50:20, 8:06 pace, 7th/25 AG

I finished the race not knowing how I had done. Dave came running up to me and asked me what I thought? How big was my PR? Well, it was a 6+ minute PR. I had PRed on the bike by 11 minutes. I had made my goal and had finished in the top ten of my age group, taking home 8th place.

Total - 2:47:08, 8th/25 AG

This was a big breakthrough race for me. Finally, I feel like a real triathlete. I put together the total package: swim, run, AND bike. This was a real confidence boost for me. I can do this sport. I'm ready for the next challenge that lies ahead...

Comedy of Errors

Saturday was my first open water swim of the year, the day before my first all-outside triathlon of the year. And well, it was a comedy of errors.

Let's start at the beginning. I am so thankful to be sponsored by TYR this year and received a lovely new wetsuit. That thing is delicate and I knew it as many of my teammates ripped theirs the first time they put it on. I did not want to make that mistake so I've been handling it like a flower. But, it seems super small compared to my previous wetsuit even though it's the same size. It took me forever to get into it.

This is the face you have to make to get the wetsuit on.

The wetsuit was on and zipped up. I made on final yank to get the crotch where it was supposed to go and BAM, it ripped in the stomach. Gosh darn it!!! Luckily the rip didn't go all the way through. I plan on fixing it this week. Error #1.

Then we headed down to the dock and watched everyone else jump in. As their heads popped out of the water there was usually a scream and then "Wow! That's cold." Great. I hate cold water.

Here I am, thinking about getting into that cold water.

I finally worked up the courage to jump in, got ready to jump, and then the klutz in me took over. My foot slipped out from under me, I went face and belly first into the water, hitting my shin on the dock along the way. I really didn't hurt myself, but looked like a complete idiot falling into the river. Error #2 What I didn't know, however, is that I hit the water so hard that my ear popped out of my swim cap which made me look even more like an idiot. And yet, no one told me! Error #3.

Nice ear.

Thanks for telling me about my ear, friends!

The swim was cold, very cold, take your breath away cold. And it was dirty. There was grass, twigs, and even logs in the river. It was good, though, to get in the river and get used to being in the open water again.

I love the new wetsuit. It felt great on my shoulders and I felt fast in the swim. But, my problems with wetsuits continue. I am allergic to rubber and despite doing all I can do to avoid it, I always wind up with a horrible rash after the fact. I am covered in rash. It's on my back, my legs, my neck, and the worst of it is on my right ankle. It itches and is just plain awful. Error #4.

Dude, that itches!!

One more error to go and that happened race morning...

A Few More Things I Think You Should Know

This weekend I will meet many of my new teammates and will be reintroduced to my teammates from last year. Before all the craziness begins, there are a few things I think you should know...

• I am PAINFULLY shy, which can come across as stand-off-ish. That's not the case at all. I have no idea what to say in social situations and therefore, say nothing at all, which may seem like I don't like you. I'll open up. Just give me a while.
• Growing out my bangs sucks. Please don't make fun of my hair. :)
• Because of my shyness I tend to be a little socially awkward. I don't really look people in the eye; I will talk in incomplete sentences; and most likely I will stick my foot in my mouth at some point. I am going to go ahead and apologize for my awkwardness.
• Yes, I am that tiny. :)
• During the race, I may not exchange pleasantries on the course. That's not to say I'm not cheering you on the inside, I like to race as hard as I can and go for it. There isn't energy to cheer and race. I'll throw you a high five after the race, though.

Well there you have it. I probably just revealed too much about myself, but I wanted to make a good first impression. I'll call this my pre-pression. :) See you all in a few days.

Capital City Half Marathon 2011

Yes, this is my 6th race of the year. Yes, that's a lot of races. Yes, I wasn't planning on this race, but it had purpose. Let me explain...

My friend Mandy qualified for the marathon Olympic trials after winning the Wineglass Marathon last year with a time of 2:44. Our running group decided to go down to Houston in January 2012 and watch Mandy in the trials and then we thought we would run the Houston half or full marathon the next day. After doing some research we found out that we either needed a qualifying time or risk our luck in the lottery to get into the race. Dave had already established a qualifying time at the National Half Marathon. Technically I had qualified in DC too, but since I was registered for the full marathon, my distance was considered "incomplete" and my time was not verifiable. Surprisingly, with all the races I've done in the last year, none of them were correct distances and times to get me into Houston. I needed another option.

Dave was running the Capital City Half Marathon as his "A" race and I really, really wanted to just support him and cheer him on from the sideline. When I saw, however, that my training plan had a one hour, 40 minute run on the schedule for last week, I thought, "shoot! I might as well sign up for the race and get my qualifying time." So I did.

Pre-race.

Dave had his plan and I, well, I just wanted to get in under 1:54. In fact, I had no plan. I would start slower, pick up pace, and see where the cards fell. My friend and teammate Colleen had plans to break her PR, which would get me in under that 1:54, so I thought maybe I could help her do that. I lined up with her. Dave was lined up just in front of us with the 1:45 pace group. Yes, this half marathon is big enough to have pace groups. The gun went off and I started comfortably. The first mile marker was off so I wasn't really sure how slow or fast we were running. Neither Colleen nor I were wearing a Garmin.

Mile 1 - 7:03

It was obvious we weren't running 7:00s because (1) it felt too easy and (2) we hit the second mile mark in 8:54. Let's average that out and call miles 1 and 2 around an 8:30. Perfect. I couldn't believe how well I felt. I had a great week of workouts last week and things were just going my way. Finally!

Mile 3 - 8:08
Mile 4 - 8:10
Mile 5 - 8:05

I was pacing really well, feeling great, and was hoping Colleen was excited about the pace and knowing this would get her the PR she wanted. But I also heard her breathing and knew she was working harder than me. In my head I was feeling conflicted. I didn't need to run as fast as I was to help her out and I wanted to help her out, but I was also feeling terrific and wanted to see what I could do. When we hit the water stop at mile 5, she told me to go ahead. I wished her good luck, bid her farewell, and continued on my way, picking up the pace as we turned downhill.

Mile 6 - 8:01

And then I felt great. I had planned to keep the 1:45 pace group in my sights so I knew I was going to finish in enough time. By miles 7, though, I was moving right along and the 1:45 pace group was right in front of me.

Mile 7 - 7:57
Mile 8 - 7:48

Miles 8 - 9 were back downtown. The 1:45 group was right in front of me and then it happened. I spotted Dave. He was running right in front of the pace group. I picked up the pace just enough to get in front of the group and tapped Dave on the arm. He said "You're moving well. I'm in trouble if you're feeling this good." Yes, we're a little competitive.

Mile 9 - 8:03

I had no need to try to outshine/outrun Dave. This was his race and I wanted to support him. We ran shoulder to shoulder and sometimes shoulder into shoulder for the next three miles. We were both pushing each other and the pace; both of us still feeling really great. I couldn't believe how great I was feeling!

Mile 10 - 7:54
Mile 11 - 7:51
Mile 12 - 7:52

The last mile started uphill through the judicial district downtown. Having spent many miles by myself, talking to Dave for the last couple of miles had brought about a small stitch in my side. Dave wanted to go for it in the last mile and I just couldn't go with him. That's alright. We would see each other after the race. I pushed and pushed and pushed and finally the race was over.

Last 1.1 miles - 8:08 (7:23 pace)

As it turns out, Dave and I finished within 17 seconds of each other: I ran a 1:43:59 and Dave ran a 1:43:42. I easily got my qualifying time and had a terrific race. Even without a plan, I really ran a perfectly planned race. If I ran a great race, Dave ran the race of his life! He PRed by over 6 minutes. SIX FREAKIN' MINUTES!!!!!! Three cheers for Dave. He has worked so hard to do this. Go tell him good job on his blog. For Colleen, however, she had a tough day and was not happy with how she ran. She could use a little love too. Here's her blog.

Dave and I celebrating!

Colleen, me, and our big-ass medals.

There's some big training and big races in the next several weeks. This past week of training, along with this race, really give me a shot of confidence to tackle the big goals. I can't wait to see what's next.

Come Hell or High Water

...or rain, or snow, or wind, or whatever I was getting this workout done today and it was not going to be on the treadmill. Today's workout was a bike/run brick that involved hard, crunching gears biking, and fast, fast running. Today also brought about 40 degree temperatures so the bike started with multiple layers:



The workout was complicated and required a watch, a Garmin, and written instructions.



The run intervals started fast and ended faster. For me that was a 7:29, 7:11, and 6:41. Dang! I haven't run that fast in quite a while and it felt so natural and easy. Finally! I'm starting to feel like me again.

Here I am checking my watch to make sure I'm on target:



And here I am after I finished, looking like I might puke on Dave:



Things are starting to click and come together. Good thing. There are races on the horizon...

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.

Easter was different this year than normal. My sister's fiance's family had their Easter earlier in the day so my mom didn't want to duplicate food choices. In addition, my mom had spent much of the week in the hospital (blood clots, she's better, thanks for asking) so the majority of the food prep fell on my dad, sister, and me. Given that my family STILL doesn't believe that we can cook (they do read this blog) I was assigned, once again, the dessert. We made....

Striped Delight

Striped Delight consists of layers of cookies, cream cheese, pudding, and cool whip. Here's how to break it down.

Cookie Layer:

1-1/2 cups cookie crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter

We used graham crackers as our cookie layer. We crumbled our graham crackers by using our food processor. Take the cookie crumbs, mix with the sugar and the butter and press firmly into the bottom of a 13 X 9" pan. You can either chill it for five minutes or bake it at 375 degrees for eight minutes and allow it to cool. We baked ours.



Cream Cheese Layer:

1 pkg (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened (we used the reduced calorie cream cheese)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 container of cool whip (we used the no-fat cool whip)

Beat cream cheese with sugar and two tablespoons milk until smooth. Mix in half of the container of cool whip. Spread over crust.




Pudding Layer:

2 pkgs (4 oz) instant pudding (we use the sugar free pudding)
3-1/2 cups cold milk

We made the pudding first and put it in the refrigerator while we mixed and layered everything else. Prepare pudding as directed on package, except use 3-1/2 cups of milk instead of what's directed. Spread pudding over cream cheese layer.





Cool Whip Layer:

Using the remaining half of cool whip, spread over the pudding.

Chill the Striped Delight in the refrigerator for several hours or over night. Serve chilled. It's so yummy!