Chicago Bound

Again.

Every time I tell someone that I'm headed to Chicago this weekend for some "triathlon stuff" they get excited about the Chicago part. And while I'm happy enough to be going to Chicago, a trip there lost its allure about 20 trips ago.

My first trip to Chicago was senior year in high school (technically, senior year had ended I guess because I had already graduated) and we flew there a few days after I was un-wait-listed at the college I attended. We flew into O'Hare and drove the 2-3 hours to Northern Indiana and toured the campus (and asked for a copy of the letter proving I was in ... proof is always nice, just in case). Now that was an exciting, memorable, life changing trip.

And there have been other great times in Chicago ... my first Cubs game, visits senior year, the Incident at the Irish Oak, bachelorette parties that taught me who my friends were and weren't, beautiful runs, crazy New Year's Eves, post college football games, meeting parents and being nervous to meet parents (for some reason that was a one time thing, of course flying in on the bomb scare plane probably didn't calm my nerves) ... etc.

I've often thought about moving to Chicago. Still do sometimes - even though the people that made me want to live there in the past are all in suburbs more-or-less, the midwestern lifestyle (that many deny exists) still holds allure. That and the Well Fit training center. Of course, then I remember that the coldest I've ever been in my life has been in Chicago (did you know that your teeth can get cold?).

So for whatever reason, going to Chicago isn't that big of a deal to me. Its kind of like going to the mall except it takes longer to get there.

Packing for this trip however is a big deal. I couldn't sleep last night and right now the thought of packing is exhausting so it will have to wait until tomorrow (after I bribe someone to take the pedals off my bike and before my 7:30 am flight). I don't think I've ever made a written list of items needed for a trip but ... if there is any hope of me not forgetting anything I think I have to now. So, for most of you, this is the end of the blog:)

Pajamas

Toiletries

Camera

Garmin & Charger

iPhone, ipod & charger

Book

Granola Bars

Tri Clothes for under wetsuit

wetsuit

cap & goggles

towel

bike shorts, sports bra, jersey, vest, jacket, socks, bento box (?)

bike gloves, shoes, pedals, helmet & sunglasses

sneakers, running shorts, visor & hat

real clothes (Saturday night)

bathing suit

running shorts, sports bra, shirt, socks

biking shorts

different shirt, capris for yoga

real clothes (Sunday night)

running shorts, sports bra, shirt, socks

real clothes (travel home)

3 water bottles

fuel belt and bottles

6 bottles worth of gatorade

10 or so gus

flight & rental car information

directions to various places

It doesn't really seem that bad all written down. But I'm sure I'm missing something (Sara?)?

Sort of Maybe Update.

I was email bantering with a friend the other day and he commented that there hadn’t been a blog update in awhile. Usually I have things to write but I have trouble finding the time until one of my 3 fans comments that I’ve written nothing in awhile – then I find the time. Because that’s me, always aiming to please. And usually I like to write and to post stuff in the space.

Usually. But not lately.

Lately I have nothing to say. Or I have things to say but they don’t fit into the so.much. fun theme. Its not that life has totally ceased to be fun – it still has its moments – but I’m caught up in the boring suckiness. And I don’t want to be the girl that writes about the boring suckiness …

So that’s where I’ve been. I think there is a forest for the trees analogy that could come into play here. Maybe.

Anyway, today, I came back again to wanting to write and to write something here. I figured if I paid enough attention something worthy of a blog post would happen and sure enough, when I got home I looked at my bike and realized the rear tire was flat. After dinner I set out to change it and the first try took, a long long time and I had a few moments of “I am never going to be able to do this and I am going to have to take the tire to the shop which is so embarrassing” but eventually I got the tire on and decided to do it again and the second try took a long time but only half as long as the first time. Success. Twice. It’s the little things.

Sometimes you have to work at what you want. And that doesn’t just apply to tires.

Of course, in my 4^th (I don’t count the first danskin year) year of triathlons I should be a little bit better at this, but its not my fault, it’s the bike tire gods’ fault. They’re the ones that only gave me 3 flats in these past 4 years- two in the past 2 weeks. Hopefully I’m good for the season nowJ

Although, did I mention that when the tire changing was all done there was a lone screw lying next to my bike? Yeah, no idea where that came from. Hopefully no where important ...???

And there are other things on the horizon – things more fun than changing a tire. A newish bike fit that I think makes me hate the bike less (despite the flats), new sneakers if my achilles ever stops hurting enough for me to actually run, a fun girls weekend trip to Chicago when I’ll meet Liz and workout and hopefully see my college roommates and their children and a 150 mile charity bike ride in the Boston area.

I used to think I’d meet my husband in a field in Iowa during a cross state bike ride but on further reflection, Boston seems like a much more likely scenario.

So … I’m going to try to cheer up (even though its hard) and try to become a better tire changer (even though its hard) and try to write more things on this blog … because if I focus on the non-sucky things maybe I’ll see the forest for the trees or the trees for the forest. Or something:)

Random Thoughts

1. If you live in an apartment building and want to have an all out screaming, yelling, cursing fight with your girlfriend/wife/lover and you opt not to use your inside voice, you risk people like me listening intently while we wait for the elevator to take us to the gym. People like me who then scrutinize every couple that lives on that side of the elevator bank and wonder if it was them. I really need to get to know my neighbors better. And I hope it wasn't the newly wed couple, but they do live closest to the elevator bank and anyone else would have to have been yelling really loudly.

2. Sometimes you spend the day in a weather/hormone related crappy mood obsessing about the state of your (non) dating life and how you're destined to spend the rest of your life alone and when you hear the couple down the hall having a screaming, yelling, cursing fight you realize that maybe the state of your (non) dating life is just fine, thank you very much.

3. Sometimes you also stalk an old person of interest on FB and realize that yes he is married but he also has serious man-boobs so again, maybe the state of your (non) dating life is just fine, thank you very much.

4. What exactly goes through your head when you decide to elliptical in just a sports bra?

5. More importantly, what exactly goes through your head when you decide to elliptical in just a flesh colored sports bra (or really do anything in just a flesh colored sports bra - in fact, what goes through your head when you buy a flesh colored sports bra?)?

And we will call him Matt.

or, Dave was right.

Last night, I learned gym dude’s name.

Publicly at least. Privately, I’ve known it for awhile.

The conversation went something like this: “My NCAA brackets suck. What is your name?”

Actually, first we talked about my brackets sucking because of two particular picks only one of which we shared. I mentioned that I was obligated to pick those picks because I attended both of those schools. He was super impressed with my smartness. Or at least my ability to get into schools that people have heard of. Or that play in games that are broadcast on TV.

After we established my pedigree, I asked the big name question. So now we’re friends. Marriage will probably follow soon.

And Dave was right. It wasn’t that hard (of course Dave might have proposed me proposing we get a drink – a step I’m not ready for). So if I continue to take Dave’s advice, the next easy thing on my list is to buy a tri bike.

QOD

A marathon is like life with its ups and downs, but once you've done it you feel that you can do anything. - Anonymous

True. Which is probably why I finally signed up to do another one. Of course for now, I'm reserving the right to defer!

A Decade in Review

(because all the cool kids are doing it)

I spent the penultimate (heh, love that word) day of this decade at my parent's house drinking a martini and playing wii. I thought it was a good way to end a not particularly good year. The next morning I was one block into my drive home, stopped at a stop sign when another car skidded into me. I'm really not mentally prepared to handle things like this and after I called the police, and insurance and the tow truck I declared I was cancelling my trip to Vermont and (once someone transported me to my apartment) I would never leave again except to go to work, the grocery store and maybe the gym.

It was rather reminiscent of how I kicked off the decade - freaking out about the world potentially ending before I even graduated law school. Going to Costco the day before Y2K will do that to you - people were stocking up on generators and bottled water like we were gearing up for nuclear war. That year, I eventually pulled myself together and headed to a party with some friends of law school friends at the beach. Like everyone else we watched the new decade begin in country after country and nothing catastrophic happened. I might have been accused of over reacting.

By the second half of 2000 I was in my 3rd year of law school and ready to be done. Apparently that is a common occurrence although I think I had an extreme case of it. To get me through and shake things up a bit, I befriended a 2nd year law student (we shared a night class and he had a car - a great catalyst for friendship) who would go on to work at my firm and who had gone to college with me (although we didn't know each other) and made his friends mine for the rest of that year. Many of those people arrived in New York a year after me and are still part of my circle of friends. I spent 12/31/00 in Chicago and wondered if maybe committing to New York was a mistake. I know that Chicago would have worked out fine, but I'm pretty sure New York was the right choice. At the time, I just wanted something with no law school association and Chicago was all college.

In 2001 I graduated from law school, took (and passed) two bars and spent 3 weeks before my new job (and the end of life as I knew it began) in Europe (Prague, Vienna, Venice, Florence, Cannes, Dijon & Paris). Then the day after I signed my first Manhattan lease, the world fell apart. Somehow I handled that much better than Y2K - I guess tangible horror is easier to deal with than horror of the unknown variety. Ten days later I moved in and started work. I think the sadness all around me made the newness of work and city living easier to handle. Any feelings of loneliness or disconnectedness were really nothing compared to what was going on around me. And you couldn't help but feel inspired by the way the city came together.

I think I worked more in 2002/2003 than ever again in my career. I remember regularly arriving home from work at 5am on Saturday morning and heading back to the office on Sunday. I went on my first business trip which was also my first trip to California and for the first time rented a car and drove myself to the hotel in the dark (funny how that was anxiety causing then, but now I wouldn't give it a second thought). I felt like I was a kid playing grown up and was impressed that I pulled it off. In the winter/spring of 2002 I dated the teacher and the lawyer but both had disappeared by the summer which was fine because there was too much work to allow for any sort of balance.

All of the work I was involved with finally ended or came to a natural pause at the same time - the Friday before labor day weekend and I found myself lost and slightly despondent (and by despondent, I mean just plain out of it - free time for socializing was a novelty) as I realized that I would be able to enjoy the weekend and the much anticipated football game and scrambled to come up with a plan. My former 2L law school friends were arriving to New York as was the ND football team for the Maryland game at Giant's stadium. They came to my rescue and convinced me to head to Jersey for a party the night before the game. I went reluctantly, taking the long way and listening to sad music and drinking coffee on the train. I knew that I needed more than just work in my life, but with the teacher and the lawyer gone, I wasn't sure where to look.

Sometimes I wish the insane busyness at work had lasted one more week. [ha ha]

Because, it turns out I didn't have too look far. That night I met Ryan - I believe we complimented each other's sunglasses. Mine were children's sunglasses purchased in France during my post bar trip. Ryan's were from one of the Chicago festivals near the Irish Oak. Funny what we remember. Anyway, Ryan reads this blog sometimes. So ... that was a fun, drunk, flirty weekend that cheered me up and got me excited for the fall in general and then of course more specifically when we stayed in touch and visited and then became a couple. Seven years later I can admit that success in that scenario would have been hard to impossible, but at the time I couldn't imagine an ending that didn't involve a house in the suburbs and a kid by the time I was 30. It was easy and comfortable and made the hours I was working a means to an end. Plus I got to get out of town to Chicago and see my college friends on occasion. It was my first grown up relationship and while it was fun and easy and comfortable while it lasted, it was crushing when it ended. Fittingly on Labor Day weekend (and over the phone [insert snide comment]). Fortunately I had just purchased season 1 of 24 on DVD. I think I watched all 24 hours in 2 days because every time I stopped, I'd hyperventilate.

For the most part it was a miserable fall of 2003. And while its easy to place blame for that, I probably would have been fairly miserable regardless of who I was or wasn't dating. I was again super busy at work and at some point, no matter how much you like your job (and I did still more or less like it then) the inability to have a "life" gets to you. I recall it being touch and go for awhile, but somehow, despite the busyness I made time for Brian's wedding after which Ryan made out with another girl and then called me at work to change his flight and ask to stay at my apartment. Which I allowed because I'm a schmuck. But it at least made the transition from sad to angry complete (although it took a few days to really get my head around that situation)! My friend's (now ex) husband also came to town twice that fall and hit on me both times. I remember wanting it to just be quiet but there was all this chatter and it made me want to scream. Fortunately, around then I started running with a group in central park and that saved my winter. When you're running it is quiet except for your breathing and I liked that. I needed that. I met some great girls and ran my first 10K (it snowed and was made a 'fun run' so I have no idea what my time was).

Running made me feel connected to the city for the first time since living there. And since I started running, I've tried to run in all the cities I visit. One of the group's coaches, Jen, mentioned once how running is a great way to get to know a city and I couldn't agree more. It was also a great way to at least feel like I had a life despite the hours I was working - I could sneak in a run before work (or when normal people are sitting down to dinner - and then I'd head back to the office) and at least feel like I had done SOMETHING.

I went to a lot of weddings in 2003-2004 many of which I was in. I travelled to Virginia in a blackout and risked eating little gnats that felt the need to die all over the place. I learned that weddings can ruin friendships and suspect I may never agree to be a bridesmaid again. I also ran a lot of races - enough to qualify to run the NYC Marathon in 2005 - and tried to be more New York by going to fancier bars and restaurants. Basically I tried to become the anti wholesome relationship girl (to the extent you can while still enforcing all my ND rules). It was fun, but maybe not fulfilling.

By 2005 I was tired. Towards the end of 2004 I met Mike, I moved to Hoboken, someone threatened to send me on a business trip that would have prevented me from running the marathon, I got out of the business trip, I turned 30 and I ran the marathon. It was a lot. I then stayed with Mike for months longer than I should have, just because I didn't know what to do next and being with Mike afforded one a lot of time for rest.

In 2006, when my relationship with Mike finally ended I felt a profound sense of relief. On the surface I was sad, but deep down I was ecstatic and terrified that I would repeat this horrible mistake. That not quite a year is one of the few things in the past decade and maybe my life that I regret. I feel like it spiraled out of control and all I wanted was for someone to tell me it was wrong and needed to end, but no one did and so I stayed because it seemed, on the surface at least, like the thing to do. I still can't imagine how I'll trust myself if I ever actually start talking to boys again.

For the end of 2006 and well into 2007 I celebrated my freedom. Some might say I went on a bender:) But, I l like to think that I was just taking advantage of my surroundings, embracing the city on my terms which happened to involve a lot of irish bars and beer and bar food. It was fun. I also trained for and raced my first triathlon - a sprint. It of course came at an awful time work wise, but I got through it. And sucked Sara into this madness in the process (I've never seen such a willing accomplice!).

In 2007 I made some large purchases pretty much all on a whim - a bike and an apartment! I went to Pat's wedding in Costa Rica and spent the week pre-wedding with Sara, Scott, Dave, Ara, Ryan and Ryan's now wife and somehow everyone got a long (at least to my knowledge) and it was probably one of the best vacations I've ever been on. There was pretty much nothing to do except relax - we ran, drank, swam, sunned, hiked, played cards, laughed uncontrollably and then saw Pat get married and we all headed back to our real lives. While I was gone, the senior associate that I worked with ALL THE TIME, had a baby and upon my return I picked up much of her work.

And wile her maternity leave was hectic, it was eye opening. When she returned, I didn't want to continue being her junior associate when it was clear that I had managed more or less her work load on my own. Unfortunately (at the time, fortunately in hindsight) it soon became clear that my options were limited. Therefore ...

In January of 2008 I started my second grown up job. A life changing decision that I have yet to regret. More then anything, the new job gave me time to have a real life. I have some semblance of control over my life so I hired Liz, did one half IM in 2008 and two more in 2009 (one of which - Rev, was the hardest physical thing I've ever done - I still have my race number on the refrigerator and think of it often!). I joined a summer share. Made new friends. I have time to cook dinner and/or get drinks after work. I started skiing again and took a trip to France! Other then France and Rev, nothing in the past 2 years has been epic, and it certainly hasn't all been rosy, but its been good and it launched me in to 2010 and a new decade ready for ...

More.

This post has been around for awhile, but I hadn't put it up (and am only now putting it up because Dave responded to a post that was over 3 months old so I felt I had to put something new up) because while it was a fine decade (not awesome, sometimes depressing and bad, but for the most part tolerable and fine) it ends with wanting More. And while on some level I guess we should always want More, this particular version of More is hard. I can stand up straight and smile (and maybe finally tell gym dude my name) but for the most part there is little I can do to make More happen. For someone like me, accepting that is hard. I'm used to trying and practicing and getting some incarnation of the goal of the moment. But with More, I realize (although its still hard to accept) that whether or not More happens and the exact form it takes is out of my hands. So even though its hard and seems to get harder everyday, I'm focusing on living and being and having fun and not hyperventilating or obsessing over More.

And I've been working out a ton and broke the "no sports with balls" rule and started paying tennis - a game that is sure to result in some funny stories. I'm sure you can't wait!

Random Updates

• A quick trip to Vegas (my first! and probably only!) followed by a 10K are all that separate me from my two weeks of rest.  And I can not wait.
• But I will still have to go to the gym and pretend to work out.  In order to see my gym/church boyfriend.
• Speaking of which, I think I led him to believe that I run 20 min/miles.  I'm slow but not that slow.  But when I tried to explain I started to sound defensive.  So I let it go.
• Next time I see him I'm going to ask him his name.  Or should I first tell him my name?  How does that go?
• Also, what do you call the person who collects the money in church?  Because he did that this weekend and almost touched my boob with the collection basket.  I might bring this up as well.  The fact that he was in church and served as the [money collector?].  Not that he almost touched my boob.
• It is finally getting cold out.  Which is good because I have so much skiing planned this year. But bad because I might have to turn on the heat in my apartment.  I made it through November and was going to try for December with no heat. But right now my hands are numb from the cold.
• I am so tired and hungry that I wonder (again) if I have a thyroid issued.  But I'm always accused of having one (an issue stemming from the thyroid) and never actually found to have one.  So I should probably just eat a cheeseburger.  Except the NYT scared me away from ground beef.  Another reason to hate the NYT.
• Goodnight.  

In the Name of Love

The first time I noticed him he was talking to a guy in the gym and querying when his expecting wife was due. It was appealing in a someday sort of a way. As in someday, I hope that my husband goes to the gym. And I hope that he is friendly with the other guys at the gym and remembers if their wives are pregnant and queries as to their well being.

The next time I saw him we shared an elevator with two other people. He was wearing scrubs and explaining his job selling medical devices to his neighbors. And, particularly because their questions were annoying, he seemed nice. I added that to the someday list: gym, friendly, nice.

I assumed, for whatever reason, that he had a wife (probably because of all those someday characteristics), but the third time I saw him was in church. And he was alone. And the wheels started spinning.

Following that there was one random elevator conversation (about running) and some cyber stalking on my part.

And then, the fourth time I saw him, it was love. It was love because in addition to being a gym going, friendly nice guy that goes to church (alone and doesn't wear a wedding ring so might be single), he roots for my college's football team.

Since it was love, when I saw him in the gym on my way home from work tonight, I had to make an appearance. So I put on my cutest gym clothes (and some lip gloss) and went to the gym. The problem was that the plan called for a bike (which I wanted to do on the trainer while I watched house) and a swim (which I never really intended to do) so I decided on an upper body/core workout. I think it was a good choice because I caught him looking at me while I did sit ups and I'm sure he was impressed with my push ups (he spent some time in the armed forces). Despite him being on the treadmill we commented on last week's game and the likelihood that my team will get a new coach.

I timed it so that we'd leave together and we talked more. About football. And he still doesn't know my name. And he might have a girlfriend. But I'm pretty sure its love and he's the one. I'll keep you posted. Hopefully I'll be lifting weights in the name of love again sooner rather than later, because I'm ready for someday.

T-Man Race Report (FINALLY)

So, I'm only 2.5 months late on this one ... there is so much other fun stuff to blog about that I finally decided to just get this out of the way.

The Days Before

I left work early the Friday before the race and embarked on my solo journey to NH.  Packing had been quite an adventure because I was headed for a week long vacation immediately following the race.  As was typical for my summer, as soon as I started out on the drive it started torrentially raining and I needed gas before I left NJ (no self pumping for me) so I was forced to deal with getting gas in the torrential rain - which in and of itself isn't that bad, but I also needed snacks and water.  Anyway, the attendant had a million questions for me about my braces and how much they were and weather they were covered by insurance because his wife apparently had bad teeth that needed to get fixed.

I didn't think that excessive conversation with the gas station attendant necessarily boded well for my trip but a few hours later I saw the most stunning rainbow which I figured did bode well - or at least well enough to negate the gas station attendant.  It took close to 8 hours but I made it to NH where Marty was waiting for me in our SPACIOUS (seriously, huge) room.  We made a plan for the morning and headed to bed.

In the morning we swam and I felt good - the water was warm and clear and we got out and were drying off to bike when I bee started buzzing around me.  I tried to shoo it away and then I tried to run away from it and then I ran into the water because it would not leave me alone.  It continued to fly around my head but eventually seemed to loose interest.  Or not.  Because as soon as I got out of the water it came right back and actually stung me through my bike shorts!  Bastard.  Finally Marty had to gather up my stuff and I sprinted out of the water towards our bikes finally eluding the bee.

After the bee incident we biked the run, got lost driving the bike course and spent most of the rest of the day doing normal pre race stuff.  After dinner we got ready for bed and even though it made me slightly nervous I took an actifed (which had no adverse effects) and slept like a baby.  

The morning started off smoothly until we hit traffic a mile from the race and couldn't get in to onsite parking.  Marty had an earlier wave and was getting nervous so I finally kicked her out of the car and headed to park on my own.  I would have been cutting it super close but the whole race was delayed because of a car accident on the bike course so as it was I had plenty of time to get ready and go for a nice swim warm up.

Swim - 39:38

Awesome is really the only way to describe this.  I just felt great, I drafted, I swam hard I got out of the water and saw that there was still a chance of going sub 40 and basically took a girl out crossing the line.  Strangely, I think this girl was Marty's friend.  Fortunately she survived my brute force;)

T1 - 3:37

Wet suit strippers rock.  I got in and out of transition as quickly as I could - making sure to put on my multi sport mastery socks and headed out on the bike ride.

Bike - 3:40:25

Someday I will go sub 3:40 on a 70.3 bike.  Due to our failure to read a map well enough to drive the course, the hilliness of this course caught my by surprise. It was no Rev3, but it was also far, far from flat.  My way of getting through these bikes is generally to keep the computer on cadence and time and to check my progress at one hour and then every 30-45 mins thereafter.  This worked well through 3 hours and 3 gatorade bottles but then sort of backfired.  At 3 hours I knew I was close to being done (relatively) and never started the fourth gatorade bottle (which also had my salt tabs mixed into it).  I just kept thinking I was "almost there" and add to that some stomach queeziness, I had no desire to shuffle around my bottles to get more gatorade.  The last 20 minutes of the bike seemed never ending and I couldn't have been happier to arrive in ...

T2 - 3:26

In and out as fast as I could.  I stopped for sunscreen and was careful to make sure that I had everything I needed.

Run - 2:26:19

And this is when the missing gatorade comes back to kick me in the ass - or legs as the case may be.  The run at this race is fun (except for the part where you have to run right past the finish line before running an additional 6.6 miles) - its a double out and back with awesome local fans.  I started off WAY TOO fast and soon realized me legs were on the verge of cramping.  I basically binged on salt tabs for the first 3 miles and managed to survive but it was close.  I manage to run the whole way (except for water stops and one steep hill) which was a huge goal but next time I will start off super slow and aim for a negative split.  I kept a close eye on the time to make sure that sub 7 hours didn't slip away - I knew the key to that was to avoid things that might make it hard to start running again.  Like walking and porta pottying.  With 2 miles left the guy I had been playing cat and mouse with all run totally cramped up and became that guy sitting on the side of the road unable to move.  I wanted to avoid that fate so I didn't stop for any reason until I hit the finish line in 6:53!!

For the last few miles of the race I really had to pee but didn't want to stop and no matter how hard I tried could not pee while running.  When I finally finished I was sooooo hot and nauseous that a porta potty would not have worked so bee lined straight to the lake where I managed to cool off and finally pee.  The lake was full of race finishers though so I decided not to go under since I was likely swimming in a bunch of gatoradey pee.  Gross.

I felt like death for a good hour or so after the race but eventually recovered enough to be super pleased with my sub 7 performance (guess the chatty gas station attendant wasn't a bad omen after all).  And super happy to have a week at the beach to celebrate.

NJ State Triathlon

So, I told myself no more blogging until I wrote race reports for NJ State and Timberman.  Sadly I have just not been motivated to write those reports ... they're in my head, but getting them down on paper, not what I want to do after a long day.  BUT I love going back to my race reports before each race so ... here we go:

Pre Race

Paying the extra money to sign up for day of race packet pick up was huge.  I got to hang out the beach Saturday and shoot across the state to Mercer County Sunday morning.  For my Saturday pre race workout I actually did a 5k (don't tell Liz) - I took it slow though.  Sunday morning I woke up early to torrential rain.  Seriously.  But hoped it would clear and headed to the race site. I was running way late but while transition closed at 7 am (or something) my wave didn't go off till 9 so I wasn't too stressed out.  I eventually got my transition set up, found Sara (& Scott) and sat around.  And sat around some more.  And when the sprinters had all gone off and the oly was gearing up to start I got in a solid swim warmup.  This is SOOO important for me and I was glad to have done it (plus, once I was wet I was FREEZING and since the water was warmer than the air, the water was a good place to be - I'd soon be wishing for some cool air though).

Swim

('09 =34:07; '07 = 36:11)

I love the swim at this race.  Its super well marked in a lake where they row crew so you can follow the little crew buoys the whole way.  And its basically not wetsuit legal and I'm kind of a big fan of non wetsuit swims so ... I got in and swam.  It wasn't a bad swim, but I felt I could have done better.  Again and again I come back to needing to not be so set on finding clear water and to be willing to just get in there and draft, draft, draft.  But, it was a 2 minute pr so I'll it.

T1 ('09=2:42; '07=?)

Not much to do without a wetsuit to take off.

Bike

('09=1:22:39; '07=1:37:20)

Woah, what a difference 2 years and a coach make.  Liz told me to keep my cadence up and I did and it worked.  Once I got on my bike after the world's longest run from transition, I seriously felt like I was flying.  Its an at times technical but flatish course and after Philly and certainly Rev well ... you know why I felt like I was flying.  I also noticed that the day was heating up (which was expected due to the late start) and while I was thrilled to have such a solid bike, I was more than ready to just get off the bike and see what I had left for the run!

T2 ('09=2:30; '07=?)

No socks.  Read to run.

Run ('09=1:01:16; '07=1:08:37)

WHY DO NOT STAND ALONE 10Ks FIT INTO MY SCHEDULE?  I soooo want to do one.  Anyway, I was trying to chase down a sub 3 finish and that motivated me right up until I knew it wasn't going to happen.  I was trying to run a race that I could finish and that took precedence over trying for an arbitrary time goal.  And it was hot and well, hot.  And while its mostly flat there is some grass and path type running and again its technical so a sub 1 hour run was not meant to be.  But I did my best and again, was pleased.

TOTAL: 3:03:12

If you're wondering if I'm haunted by those 3 minutes and 12 seconds, the answer is YES.  I played all the "if I had just" games and for awhile I really, really wanted another oly in the season to chase down those minutes (thank God, I didn't find one, I was DONE after T-man, but I'm getting ahead of myself) but there were none to be found so I decided to just focus on what I did do and not what I could have done.  And once I did that I was super pleased with my performance.  It was totally a day in which everything just came together and while I'll totally be chasing those minutes next year its seriously an arbitrary goal that doesn't take away from an otherwise great race (and I'm really bad at beating PRs so I'm trying not to make it more than it is).

Up next ... Timberman!

Local Sprint Triathlon

There is something nice about waking up in your bed at 9 am the day of a triathlon.  And having a margarita and glass of wine the night before the triathlon.  And leisurely eating some cereal and pumping your tires with your sister and then asking dad for a ride to the race start.

Of course, a NOON race start also means the race could get a little toasty, but we were on an island and it was a sprint so it all worked out.  I don't normally sprint because I don't like that "(metaphorical) balls to the wall" feeling, but my sister wanted this to be her first race and I can't say no to the first timers, so I said yes.

Transition was on a tennis court a long, long run from the water.  I helped my sister get set up and we played around in the water getting comfortable. She had barely trained for this race but the training she had done was mostly for the swim and with me and every time she kept up with me stroke for stroke.  I was a little afraid she'd beat me, but I resisted the urge to deflate her tires;)

It was an in water start (mostly because you had to walk out mostly the distance of the swim before the water was deep enough to accommodate our arms!).  Despite being 9 years apart, my sister and I were in the same wave (it was a small race) -we started mid pack to the outside of the buoys and I had this idea that if my sister stayed just behind me and to the right I'd block her from the fray.  It didn't work  I lost her and she freaked out a little - next year she'll beat me in the swim though. For me though, except for one instance when I swam RIGHT INTO a 65 year old man (who the lifeguard subsequently begged to get out of the water and who refused and went on to finish the race), the swim was uneventful.  There was some water running in the end and I finished the .25 miles in 10:56.  I don't sprint though so I have no idea if this was a good time.

T1 was in a tennis court far, far away.  I was traveling to T1 and/or in T1 for 4:39.  Stupid wetsuit.

The bike was frustrating.  I wanted to go faster but this was before I knew about the high cadence secret.  So I got through it.  14 miles in 49:33.

T2 was fast!  1:33.

The run was fun because it was out and back so I passed my sister twice and tried to get the people around me to cheer her on.  The run was also long.  I passed the 3 mile mark and had a chance at sub 30 - fortunately I knew that we really weren't that close to the finish so I didn't go all out - which is good because I ran for 4 more minutes finishing up the run in 31:15 and the inaugural running of the race in 1:38:06.

Definitely do this race again - it was a super fun long weekend away in one of my favorite places.  I wonder if I can go 8 minutes faster if I forego the margarita.  I wonder if it is worth it:)

Amazing

I can complete a half ironman and drive home 3 hours and go out to dinner after but one scary early morning phone call followed by 45 minute of minor chaos leaves me wiped out for the rest of the day.

Don't ever get old kids. Ever.

Answer Me This ...

The most recent edition of Triathlete Magazine (or whatever the free one that comes with your USAT membership is called) has an article about GI distress.  One of the suggestions is that you know where public restrooms are on your run and if you're running on trails (which presumably have no public restrooms) you bring an emergency kit of zip lock baggie, toilet paper and ... lighter.

So ... tp, got it.  Baggie, sure why not.  But what exactly are you supposed to do with the lighter?  I assume (no ass pun intended) that you're not burning the tp because that's got to be what the baggie is for, right?  So that means you're either lighting a fire to poop by, or sending up smoke signals or burning your poop.  None of which seem obvious enough to warrant no explanation? 

In other news, I'm two race reports behind.  I'll get them done before the next race.  After the last race I was on cloud 9 for awhile but seem to have since succumbed to the post race blues because now I just want to strangle everyone.  Everyone.

LONG Ride

(July 4th weekend - still catching up)

Fourth of July weekend the plan called for a 3 hour bike ride … I was leaving from the beach and knew that my usual “follow the MS Ride” route would not take 3 hours I decided to get creative on mapmyride. I searched for a 45 mile ride and found one that began and ended in a place I was familiar with that was 50 miles ... close enough I figured and made my own cue sheet from the map. The morning of the ride, I loaded up with gel and gatorade and was out the door by 8 am.

The first 10 miles or so were on my usual route and I felt fine. I was only traveling with the cue sheet, not the map and around 10 miles tried to visualize where I would be on the map – and that’s when I realized that I forgot to account for the fact that I started my ride 5 miles before the 50 mile mapped ride “officially” began and would be ending it about 5 miles away from my final destination. And like that my 50 mile ride became 60.

The next 15 miles were off my usual route and less than straight – I thought about doubling back to keep the distance down but wasn’t sure that I’d be able to easily reverse the directions in my head. I also wanted to hit the hills that were yet to come on the complete course. I was hopeful that I would at some point know where I was and be able cut out some miles by taking a direct route home. If not, I had an extra gel and money so I figured I’d be fine.

At about the 35 mile mark things were still going fine and I estimated I’d come in around 3:30, go for a run off and enjoy the rest of the day having done some solid training. And then, just as I was feeling good about my direction following ability, I realized I missed a turn. I doubled back and still couldn’t find the road I was looking for. I tripled back and having added another 6 miles to my already too long ride, started to panic. So I pulled out my phone and used the gps function which told me I was only 1 mile away – I quadrupled back and STILL COULD NOT FIND it. And the fact that I was by myself and miles away from home on a hot summer day started to freak me out even more. So I had the gps give me turn by turn directions and realized that the road I was looking for had two names, only one of which was on the street sign I had ridden by 4 times already.

Unlost but realizing I was going to be on my bike for a long time (both in terms of hours and miles) I decided to stay focused and get home as quickly as I could. I was still doing ok, and thankful for a passing shower when I hit the head wind. Ouch. Before long I was down to my emergency gel, conserving warm Gatorade in the middle of farm country without a 7-11 or gas station in site and I still had at least 15 miles to go. But I was fine, more or less, and didn’t think it was worth using a “help come get me” card with any of my friends. So I pressed on and eventually made it home having covered just over 70 miles in just under 5 hours.

And was never so grateful for GPS and the emergency gel!

Philly Tri

(Sunday, June 28th … yes, I’m late)

Going in to this race I was fired up. I was exactly 3 weeks post Rev and I had finally stopped laughing at the bizarreness of the hills and coming to grips with the fact that I in fact rode my bike up those hills. After that an Olympic Tri seemed like pie (and it rhymes too). Plus, I was doing this race with a good friend (S) and she was handling logistics – all I had to do was be at her house the day before the race. She had arranged for our hotel and a ride for us. When I arrived we were both wearing the same 5 year old JCrew skirt – what are the odds? S and her friend K were doing their first oly race and I was psyched to be there with them. It kind of reminded me of the small handful of random science and math classes that I took over the year and actually understood – I would help friends learn the material as well and wind up acing the test. Talking S&K down and through the race didn’t leave me much time to worry about things myself and I sort of went on auto pilot right until the gun went off and it worked.

Anyway, we made it to packet pick up and then back to the hotel and dinner where another of their mutual friends freaked them out about the “hilly technical course.” Um yeah, it was a hard course but there were never going to come in first and they were always going to grind up those hills so why freak them out un-necessarily? Whatever. For a variety of lame reasons we didn’t get much sleep that night but got up and to the start rather un-eventfully.

One of my only gripes about the race is that Transition was at the bottom of a hill right next to the river and the trek in and out was long and tiring. But we made it down, got set up and body marked (I only advised S&K when asked but politely suggested that they might want to forego rinsing their feet off with water and then applying baby powder before putting on socks – I mean really, who comes up with these things?). We had to take a short bus ride to the swim start and S&K opted to porta potty before getting on the bus – I opted to do whatever had to be done to get myself in that river before my wave started. It was my first ever river swim and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that … it was fine though. The water was warmish and we were swimming with the current. I wouldn’t necessarily describe it as clean but there was nothing floating in it (that I saw) and compared to the Hudson it was narrow and calm so I wasn’t really worried. Although, I will say that without S&K to distract me I started getting nervous for the first time all day.

We waited around for a bit – monitored the earlier waves (this was a BIG RACE) to see what the current did to them and then we were called down to the dock …

The Swim
(27:05)

Clearly this was with the current. We slid off the dock and into the water and I positioned myself to the left (the outside of the turn line) and about ¾ of the way back. I breath mostly to my left and S breaths mostly to her right and strangely we were together breath for breath, stroke for stroke for several minutes. Eventually though I decided I was lolly gagging and was READY TO BE OUT OF THE WATER so I picked it up and we got separated (she would only finish 20 seconds behind me though – go S). I was happy with the swim but I still maintain that I can do better if I just get a bit out of my comfort zone. Someday.

T1
(3:45)

Not great but not bad either. I did not put baby powder on my feet;)

Bike
(1:40:53)

As promised, the course was hilly and technical. But the hills were shortish up and over in 3-5 minute fellas – no Rev type monsters. And there were flats. Where you could go more than 12mph. Seriously, I saw numbers like 18 and 20! It was a two loop course which I don’t really like but at least you know what to expect on the second loop … and for awhile I fully expected that if I picked it up just a little bit on the second loop I could come in under or at least really close to 1:30 and then I flew by K who had crashed (but was up walking around and talking to volunteers) - I yelled back to her to ask if she was ok and she said she was and I should go on. So I did but immediately wondered if that was the right move … I had more or less decided that she was in good hands and there wasn’t much I could do when I found myself at the bottom of a big hill in a high gear and shifted too fast and dropped my chain and COULD NOT get it back on – I had tried to get it back on without dismounting and got it jammed in their good. When I finally had things fixed I decided to walk the few yards to the bottom of the hill and start over. I also said good bye to 1:40. But at least K was okay (although her race was over).

On the next hill I found myself behind a young man whose shorts at ripped right up the center of his ass. Nice fella. He apologized to me for the view.

T2
(3:04)

Um, this was a big race with a big transition area.

Run
(1:01:19)

Early in the run I saw S’s husband and indicated that K had hurt her hand (seemed like the body part least likely to cause alarm – K had actually scraped up much more than her hand) and was probably not finishing the bike … fortunately a friend went to retrieve her from medical. The run was weird in that it was flat. I almost don’t know what to do without some terrain changes to keep me on my toes. So I ran and ran and it was hot and got hotter and my water proof watch had decided to fill with water so I had to really strain to see splits and overall time. By now I was feeling Rev in my legs and wile I would have loved to come in under an hour I was pleased with just over. I crossed the finish line and would have loved to jump into a tub of ice. Unfortunately there was not one available.

So I drank some water, ate some bread and waited for S who had stopped to be with K for a bit but then decided to finish her race. And she did finish strong.

So in all, it was a solid 3:16 performance and 12 minute PR. I don’t think I’ll do this specific race again because its big and technical and at the bottom of a big hill (seriously, walking up the hill to the car was probably the hardest part of the day! S&K had husbands to carry their crap but I was on my own!) but I know that without any mechanicals and without having done Rev 3 weeks prior I can continue to improve!

Up next … why you should never leave home without an emergency gu and a gps …

Since Rev ...

At first it was tiredness, like can't keep my eyes open past 9pm tiredness that kept me from updating. And then it was work insanity. And now its a combination of the two.

I am so tired, but there is so much work to do.

But I hope to find time over the long weekend to write more because ... there was this race in philly that I've just got to tell you about.

Happy weekend kids!

Rev3 Part 2

or, If I could just dive through it, it'd be so much easier.

We left as I got out of the lake with a minute or so PR.  I trotted into T1 and in 4 minutes and 56 minutes I was on my bike (a PR by 30 seconds ... ha, ha. Go me!) ....

THE EPIC BIKE

And I peddled and peddled and peddled and then peddled some more.  We drove the course the day before and I obviously looked at the elevation profile but nothing prepares you for being at the base of a mountain on your bike until you are in fact at the base of a mountain on your bike with nowhere to go but up.  

Strangely, it reminded me of playing in the ocean. You're having fun and then a big wave comes and you think "Ok. It was fun but now I'm ready to be done.  I'd like to get out of this ocean."  But you can't because the wave would crush you, so you take a breath and dive through the wave.  It tosses you around a bit but you come out the other side and then ride the next manageable wave home to shore.  On the bike however you would wind a corner and there would be a huge mountain and I'd think "Ok.  I'm ready for T2 now.  Getting off the bike would be great."  But alas, mountains separated me from T2 so I took a deep breath, peddled (very slowly) up the mountains, got beat up a bit and then came out the other side.  And eventually, just shy of 4 hours and 20 minutes later I was done (although, in my defense that included a 2-3 minute pottty break).

And even though it took about 37 minutes longer than the last race of this distance, the course was SO MUCH harder so I still call it a victory.  For example, I initially decided that my goal for the bike would be 4 hours which is only a 14 mph average which considering that I was either going 4 miles up hill or 30 miles down hill for the whole race, was actually aggressive ... I was right on pace though through 2 hours/28 miles and at 3 hours I wasn't too far off at 40 miles.  The next 10 miles were mentally challenging, but I got through them in 45 minutes ... which meant that 4 hours wasn't going to happen but I should have been close.  Except that the last 6 miles is when the course goes from hard to brutal.  The math reveals that the last 6 miles took over 30 minutes and I can tell you that nothing unusual happened in that time - no mechanicals, cramps or bonks.  It was just brutal, grueling, hot, achey and ALL UPHILL and I was so done ... 

I remember early in my college career after one of the first home football games my roommate summed up the day by saying she was hungover before she was even done tailgating.  And sort of, that's how I felt in the last 6 miles of that bike.  Except I was sore before I even stopped working out.  Grinding to the finish my legs just ached.

But I made it and while it wasn't a PR it was a victory.

T2

4 minutes and 13 seconds.  A minute longer than last time but I think its because I had to apply my own sunscreen and wow, thank goodness I did because the few spots I missed were crispy!

THE "ARE YOU F'ING KIDDING ME?!?" RUN

If only the whole run had been downhill ... the first 2 downish/flatish miles were great and ticked off in 9:42 and 9:52 and I thought "this might not be so bad."  And then I rounded the corner and the course became totally ridiculous.  When it was flat or down I ran and I ran well but there were SO MANY portions of the course that were up bizarrely steep hills it was ridiculous.  I held on for mile 3 coming in at a respectable 10:26 but after that finishing became the name of the game.  The miles ticked off in 12-14 minutes each and the goal of finishing under 7 hours and 30 minutes was replaced with the goal of beating my previous Half IM run time.  I ultimately missed this goal by 2 minutes and 30 seconds but the fact that I continued the run after it took me by the finish with 3 miles left is a small victory in and of itself (seriously, that was the cruelest part of the run ... seeing the finish and knowing you still had well over 30 minutes left ... but we got a cool finishers tee shirt so I'm glad I kept going ...).  The last mile of the run was probably the only truly miserable part of the day - I remember seeing some rocks in the shade and thinking that they were probably cool and if I could just sit down and cuddle up to them and close my eyes it would be a nice nap ...thank God I didn't do that;)  

I finished up (finally) in 7 hours and 51 minutes and just wanted for someone to please take me somewhere not in the sun with a place (rocks or otherwise) available for sitting.  Sara was like a mirage bounding (or so it seemed) down the hill and directing me to the shade (and the seats and the food).

And that was that.  Post race thoughts, what I've been doing for the past week and what's next (unlike last year, I actually have some races I intend to participate in on the horizon) are yet to come.  I will tell you now that next year there are going to be some  flat races on the schedule.  Or at least one.  Its pretty much an order from Liz!

Rev3

or, It appears I AM actually doing a Half IM today.

Before I can tell you about Rev, we need to talk about Harriman.  The race in and of itself would really warrant no attention at all, except that it messed with my head right up until the gun went off at Rev.

I thought about discussing Harriman in a typical race report format but I never got much beyond the alternate title of "or, At least I got a bathing cap."  So in summary, I was excited and ready for that race and then they cancelled the swim due to fog.  That sucked because I like swimming.  It sucked more because they made it a duathlon.  And that change threw me for a loop, so to speak.  Desperately hoping the fog would miraculously disappear and refusing to accept that I would have to run 1.5 miles BEFORE I biked 26 miles and ran 6.2 more, I somehow failed to warm up.  My day thus began with a 1.5 mile sprint instead of a warm up followed by a swim (ie, a TRIathlon).  This might not seem like such a big deal, and in some circumstances it would not have been a big deal but, on a tough course with a smaller field it left me in almost last place from the start.  

So, even though I PR'ed the bike and the run (despite some pretty scary fog situations on the bike) and even though I remember (thanks to my race report from last year, which is why I'm writing this down now) to bring extra water on the last run and had pretty decent race execution, the race was frustrating to say the least and left me grumpy.  And no matter what I did, I could not shake the triathlon grumps.

The fact that 2 weeks before Rev I hurt my neck and didn't do much of anything didn't really help matters.

I wasn't grumpy enough to bail on the race, but I was grumpy enough to be unable to accept that it was really happening.  It was just not something I could get my head around.  Maybe because I've just been busy, or because I've raced at this site or because the field was smaller so things were less hectic, but even after the practice swim on Saturday and witnessing the insanity that was going to take up 69.1 miles the next day, it all seemed kind of pretend.

The morning of the race was like clockwork.  With just me and Sara in the room (ie, no non-racers) we got ready and fed and out the door without worrying about waking others at 5 am.  We got to the race site easily and did the normal bathroom, transition, body marking stuff.  I even went for a quick practice swim.  And before I knew it I was standing on the beach waiting for the gun to go off ...

The Swim

I was pretty much as calm as could be.  Per usual I waited for everyone else to go before finding some calm water to call my own.  I think I need to be more aggressive in these swims and not be so afraid of getting touched.  I have some less than 1/2 IM open water swims coming up and I think I'm going to have to try getting in there.  When the guys from the wave behind us (2 minutes back) caught us, things got a bit crazy and I survived.  I never freaked out, so I should be able to handle some 30-34 yo girls, right?

Eventually, after cruising along and feeling like the swim would never end, I decided to go faster.  Funny how that works, right?  I never really went fast, per se, but I went faster.  My average HR for the swim was 142.  I'm not sure how swimming HRs work, but I feel like I can go faster if I get over my fear of getting hit in the head or stranded in the middle of the lake/ocean/river.   Regardless, in 42ish minutes I was done.  It was a swim PR of roughly a minute, but I know I am capable more than a minute faster than I was in RI (even without any waves to bring me home).  Buy bygones kids.  We'll get that one next time.

And on that note, while I'd love to tell you about the bike and run, I'm tired.  So, to bed I go.  More later.   

Because she asked ...

I think it was Eleanor Roosevelt who said something to the effect of  "people will come in and out of your lives, but true friends will leave a mark on your heart."*  I have friends.  And then I have friends that have left a mark on my heart for reasons I really can't explain.

S is a true friend.

We first met when our mother's decided that in an attempt to make our transitions to high school less awkward we should join the field hockey team and enlisted the local gym teacher to give us some lessons in my backyard.  We both made the team and played for one year.

Field hockey wasn't our thing and really, there was no escaping the social awkwardness.

We did however both swim on our separate swim teams and we spent our summers life guarding.  And let me tell you ... those were the days.

But I digress.

S is now a triathlete and I take some responsibility for that.  I encouraged her to sign up for her first race and brokered the deal pursuant to which she bought Sara's first bike and made it hers.  I convinced her to sign up for her first oly race, which she DNS because she wound up pregnant - which was good (the pregnancy - not really the DNS). 

But she is back in the swing of things and I will be with her for her first oly in a few weeks.  I also knew that she was planning on her first 1/2 marathon a few weeks ago.  As is typical of my life lately, I got the weekend of her race mixed up and told her I was going to be in town for it and would be there to cheer (I in fact had plans to be in town the next weekend).

When S asked if I wanted to run the race with her, I couldn't say no.  So I said yes, only sort of querying as to whether it fit within the plan (it sort of did).  As a result I was with S for literally every step of her first 1/2 marathon.

And let me just say, we've come a long way since field hockey in my backyard.

I was there to run with S, not to beat any records.  So the goal was to beat 2:30 and we did with 7 minutes to spare. In the beginning I thought I'd stay with her for a few miles, maybe half the race, maybe even the first 10 miles and then I'd see what I had left.  But as we ticked off and talked through consistent rainy 11 minute mile after consistent rainy 11 minute mile I really had no desire to go off and suffer on my own.  I did have the desire to make sure that S met her goal.

I remembered back to when I started running and would meet my group one night a week and every Saturday.  I thought of the people that stayed one step ahead of me offering up distracting banter through my first 10K, my first 1/2 marathon and my only marathon.  I remember those friends fondly even if they didn't really leave a mark on my heart.  

So together we ticked off the rainy miles one by one.  I was with S when ran further than she ever had before, I was with her when she ran longer than she ever had before, I was with her when with 1 mile left she was ready to be done and I was with her when I lied about where the finish was (I was really confused, I THOUGHT it was right there) and she started her sprint to the finish too soon and thought she'd have to walk in it - she didn't, I slowed down so she could catch up and with puking a distinct possibility we finished strong together.

So despite the crappy conditions, it was a good day, a fun day, with a friend.  And really that is why I do this.  For the friends (and the license to eat).

Subsequent to my race with S I did my first multi-sport event of the season.  And, um, wow.  More on that later this week.

*Yeah, I know that the real quote states that "many people will walk in and out of your life, but true friends will leave footprints in your heart."  The cheese factor there is a bit too high for me though.

Coming Around and Maybe Even Buying In ...

I'm still livid. But after I saw the front page of the NY Times print edition, I'm willing to consider that maybe the President himself didn't know about yesterday's debacle (b/c, in my mind, the NY Times covers for the President). And while I'll never be down with the administration (so to speak) I will respect the President if he does the right thing. I'm not sure what the right thing is, but it definitely involves personal accountability, making sure people with decision making power are qualified to make those decisions and not sweeping this under the rug. It wasn't just a photo op or a bit of poor planning. It was a really big deal.

I guess we'll just have to see but wanted to update to clarify that while I'm livid I remain an intelligent rational person.

If I didn't, I'd be no better than the brain washed masses (and the fact that I can't resist these digs, means that I'm getting back to normal);)