Dogs Love to Chase Me

I can't believe it has been a month since my last post. While I am still reading all your blogs and keeping up with all your greatness on facebook, I have certainly lacked with the comments. There have been so many great races, well done everyone!!

I have been keeping my word and working on some strength training. The first night I was up and squatting and lunging, I realized just how weak I was! Even with all the running and biking and swimming, I still have ways to go. I have been really focusing on isolating each leg and working them as well as mixing in some upper body exercises. It feels nice to toss something new in the mix.

Running has been going really well and I am really enjoying being outside moving. There is just something so peaceful and fulfilling about running. Anyway, I had a most beautiful ride on Sunday. The weather was perfect, the legs felt good, the mind was in it. I did get chased by a dog…...again. This seems to be a recurring theme. I am pretty use to it now and I can stay totally relaxed and calm and have no fear of swerving into a car when I hear the barking and dashing. I do get upset at the owners. Care for your animal and keep them safe. These dogs can get hit by a car or even worse cause a horrible accident. Be responsible people. OK rant over.

Switching gears here. As the cooler temps set in for the long haul many of us runners will be heading indoors to get in some, if not all runs. There is a nice website called Treadmill Reviews that has some great treadmill workouts and exercises as well as informative treadmill reviews. Check it out.

Hope everyone has a great week! Happy running.

Maintenance

First, I want to say congratulations to all those who raced this weekend. You all did awesome!!!

This year I really didn't do much racing and while it was nice to not have a solid schedule to follow, I kinda missed it. I don't have any races to close out the year with, rather, I am going to work on building a nice solid base. My plans for the remainder of fall and winter is to continue to build confidence in the water and to really focus on technique. I also am going to work really hard on being stronger on the bike and getting as much time as I can in the saddle. On the running front, I am going to stick to a nice base build, running 6miles a few days a week and then a longer run on the weekend 10-15. Mixed in will be some leg work as well, squats, calf raises, lunges, etc.

I hope that this "maintenance/build" phase will help me to prepare for a fun spring and summer of racing. My focus will be on triathlons in 2010. I would like to do a half iron distance, more specifically Providence 70.3 in my hometown of RI! However, I will make that decision a little bit later on, depending on how I feel after a few sprints and olympic distance tris in the spring.

Good luck to all those who have racing this weekend.

Break

Well last week I did nothing! I wasn't allowed to wear my contacts at all per doctor's orders. Last week it also rained a lot which made it easier to not exercise. Yesterday I volunteered at the Duke Liver Half Triathlon. It was fun to watch and support the athletes. There was such a wide array of levels, but everyone gave it their all.

Today, I am going to start getting in a routine with running. I won't be able to ride as much during the week outside which is a real bummer. I need all the work I can get on the bike, running and swimming will have to do.

I probably won't be blogging all that often anymore. I just need a break from it. I just haven't had much to say or anything all that new to say lately. Maybe once I sign up for some more races I'll start back up. However, I will still be commenting and I am excited for all the upcoming races and reports!!!

Happy training.

Hartford Foundation Women’s Tri Race Report

**This may be a bit long, but I have pictures!!!

After arriving in Rhode Island at 2:30 am Thursday morning, I had a couple of days to get ready for my first triathlon. I was very excited and surprisingly pretty calm. Saturday morning, Matt, Morgan and I headed to my sister’s house in CT. The race was about half hour from her.

Race Morning: I got up and ready around 5:20. I have been eating graham crackers and peanut butter before long rides and runs. I have found this combination settles much better in my stomach than toast. Anyway, after I got ready it was time to get Morgan dressed and Matt moving. We arrived to the park with just over an hour till race time. I got marked, set up transition, and talked a little with some other athletes. My parents arrived as I was leaving the transition area. My whole family headed towards the water to check the course out. The swim looked so long, but I didn’t have any doubts about my ability to swim the whole thing. The water temp was 70 degrees. A bit colder than NC water temps, but not bad. After a quick race meeting it was time to head off.


We had to go down and around the boat all the way back there.



Swim (half mile): I was in the first wave 30-34 age group and 50+. I did have the option to switch to the last wave where first timers would be, but why wait so long. Lining up I was still very calm and I really didn’t feel nervous at all. Before I knew it I was running into the water. When I put my head down I felt a lot of resistance. My tri top which wasn’t as tight as it should have been (I knew this before but never swam in it) was causing a drag. Realizing this also triggered me in to a panic. I couldn’t catch my breath, definitely couldn’t put my head down in the water and I was swallowing water left and right, I felt like I couldn’t swim, I was just moving my arms. I thought my race was over, I couldn’t believe it, and I had such negative thoughts. However, I was able to replace the negativity, calm myself down, relax, get my breathing right and stop swallowing the water. It was at this point that I told myself to just put my head down and go, and I did. After that it was smooth sailing. Before I knew it I was at the turning point and headed back to the beach. I was feeling great and as I was exiting the water I thought I could have swam much further, my arms felt good and really wasn’t tired. To be honest once I got passed the panic attack, I really enjoyed the swim! The half mile swim went by fast.


T1: I did everything I need to and got the bike off the rack and was off.



Bike: The race course was very nice. For me it was a bit different to be riding along with so many others, well, worrying about so many others. I wasn’t sure what to expect on the bike and I used this ride to really get use to racing. I was getting passed by several women, while I wasn’t too thrilled about that I knew I just had to focus on my own race and doing things my way. I usually use my Garmin to gage how fast I am going, but my screen for some was off and I couldn’t rely on it. As I came back to the park where transition was, I heard Morgan shouting for me. She and my niece were cheering for all the participants. I also saw my sister, my mom and dad. It is always fun seeing them. The bike went ok, but I have a lot of room for improvement….lots.



T2: Matt was there cheering me on and taking pictures. I quickly got ready for the run and tossed back some hammer gel.

Run: This was the fun part. The run was a trail run. The trail was actually pretty wide so you didn’t have to worry about getting stuck behind a slower runner. However, because it had rained for three days prior to the race some parts were pretty slick, especially on the declines and inclines. Because of this, it was a little hard to get in a good rhythm. The ladies that passed me on the bike I easily passed on the run. I felt really good out there. All in all, I should/could have given the run a little bit more. If it was on the streets I would have since it is easier to spot people ahead of you. In the run I was 41/491.



Thoughts: I had a great time and really can’t wait to do another. It was so much fun and I love having three events to keep things interesting. 177/491 I am happy with. I could have easily placed higher (didn’t panic in the water, grinded it out more on the bike), but I really learned so much.

Lessons: I need a much tighter tri top! I can swim. I have to work on really grinding things out on the bike. I need to get a bike computer. I can still run fast. For only swimming and biking for 3 months I did pretty well and am proud of myself; also only biking and swimming for 3 months I have lots of room for improvement and lots to learn. I love triathlon and can’t wait to do more!!!

A big, big thank you to Matt, Morgan, my sister, niece, brother-in-law, and parents who all woke up early and cheered me on! I also have to thank Matt for listening to my talk about the triathlon for the ride back to RI and pretty much the rest of the day. I am really behind in blogging and probably won’t be able to get much computer time while I am in RI. I’ll catch up with you all next week! Thanks for all the support, I really appreciate it.

A Little Bit of Everything

1. I have been such a slacker with the blogging, both reading and writing. I'm working on catching up.

2. I won a Pearl Izumi contest and got $250 worth of gear and they tossed in a free pair of sneakers too. I'll post all the goods soon with reviews. I love it all.

3. I had a sucky run this weekend. I also missed my long ride due to having a strange burning and watery left eye.

4. Because of the eye issue I had to wear my glasses and I hate wearing them.

5. All those who raced IMKY did a fabulous job. I can't wait to read the race reports. Great job Marni and Amanda.

6. The weather finally broke yesterday and I got in a speedy 6 miler. It is amazing what you can do when there is no humidity! It helped with my confidence.

7. Matt ran 6 miles yesterday. I am so proud of him. Now, I just have to convince him to race with me.

8. Can you believe it is September? I just love fall.

9. We head back to RI in a week. I'm excited to see the family and visit with friends. Oh, and hit up some restaurants back home.

10. I am most excited for the triathlon on the 13th. I can't wait to see how I do, especially in the swim. I have big tri plans for 2010, but more on that later.

11. Swimming is going well. I really need to join masters or take a class to really nail down proper form and technique.

12. Six work days left till vacation. I can't wait.

13. Hope you all have a great day.

Is It Just My Daughter

As most of you know I have a daughter who is 3. Matt and I have a blast with her! Over that last few months she has really picked up on tons of things and can connect situations together. It is very cool. Anyway, these are some things I have found that Morgan knows that relate to Matt and me living an active life style.

1. Knows the difference between Body Glide and Deodorant
2. Naturally asks if I am, "going for 6 today?" before I head out for a run
3. She loves shoes and loves getting us our shoes out of the closet before we go out. When I ask her to get me a pair of sneakers she knows that the ones I wear to run are just for running until a nice new pair comes in
4. She can tell by the outfit I wear and how my hair is, if I am going for a ride or run
5. Knows a series of leg stretches and can execute them properly
6. Knows what a Garmin is
7. Asks to go for a run (can't wait till we can run together)
8. Knows that when I come home with 2 bags that means I went swimming in the morning
9. Enjoys a recovery shake with me after long workouts
10. Loves being outside



Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

A Push

Let's see. Not much happening outside of the usually stuff. Last week I was able to get in some nice solid rides, swims and runs which I was very happy about. This week is starting off well. I had a great swim yesterday morning and got to swim next to a swimming couple who were very fast. It wasn't just their speed that was impressive but how fluid and smooth their strokes were. I on the other hand, am not graceful in the water.

Last night, I was planning on going out for a nice 6 miler. I was just going to enjoy the run and keep a nice relaxed pace. The air was stale and it was hot hanging around 93 degrees. I take off and as usual I start a bit faster than I would have liked. As I finally settle in to a nice pace about a half mile in, I see one of the neighborhood guy runners. Now, there are three guys that I will link up with if we catch each other running. Guy #1 can cruise, but when we run together we keep things at a nice more upbeat pace. Guy #2 is one of my better running buddies. When we run together we keep a nice relaxed pace, nothing trying and have nice conversations about the families. Guy #3, well he is all about speed all the time. Guess which one I ran in to last night, yup guy #3!

He saw me asked how far I was running and said he would wait for me to catch up, he was in the opposite direction. I smiled and said “ok”, however I was really thinking “you got to be kidding me.” He doubled back and we were off. Now, I really wasn't in the mind set of going fast today, but there was no way I was going to crash on this run. As X-country squared says, I have a reputation in the neighborhood to protect. I kept my legs moving while engaging in conversation, If I am going faster I don't like to talk, but I didn't want to be rude. For a majority of the run we talked about speed and how fast he could run and times he wanted to post! He wasn't talking in a conceited or show off way, he is just excited about running.

I won't lie there were a few times when I had to concentrate on my breathing to keep it regulated (I wasn't about to huff and puff), but in the end I was happy to have been pushed on a day I wasn’t expecting to. Sometimes you really just need that push from someone else to keep your running honest, I have been lazy with it. However, I will welcome faster paces more when the temps drop and air is easier to breathe!