Coming Days....

Since I got a lot of comments about the last post I thought I would share some thoughts...Its Monday. I slept like garbage all weekend. I got my training in and it went really well. I was home all last week. Which as usual equates to me running around like a chicken with my head cut off to get everything done I didn't do the week before and in anticipation of being gone again. I try to squeeze in every appointment and errand I can think of but inevitably I end up coming up short.

I ended up having a long day at work Friday- missing out on dinner with friends. But D and I did get to the Hunger Games on Saturday, I got in a good training run and Sunday we got in some long training miles. I did a 1:50 ride on the bike inside and then a short run. Somehow in there I did get in a nail appointment so that is off the list for the next couple weeks.

I packed a bag this morning for the next few days in DC. I had a plan to run this morning but I couldn't get out of bed. So I'll do it down there tonight. The nice thing is I know the area well. I have a decent gym and pool at the hotel. I have a run, swim, bike and swim planned. I hope I might get to see my Uncle and Aunt while in town. So I'll work Mon thru Thurs in DC. Hop an evening flight home and head home to unpack, do laundry, and pack up again.

Friday morning I catch a flight to California for a training event with a lil vacation tacked on. As a part of the Boston Luna Chix I get to head to attend their summit in CA. Saturday I will be doing running clinics and Sunday I get to go for a 1.5+hr ride. Should be fun. The great chaser is the fact that the girls and I are heading to Wine country for a bit as a lil vacation. I know it will be a good trip once I am in the midst of it but right now it just all seems a bit daunting.

I hope I got all my errands done! I hope I will have clothes to wear! I hope I actually packed the right clothes for this week! I hope I turned off the coffee maker!

The kicker to all of it is the one night I am home- D is gone- he is traveling. Gonna be a whirlwind. Ladies and Gentlemen be sure your seat belt is secure and tray tables are in the upright position.


** Note: I'm getting my notes together for the training on travel and fueling on travel posts but I think the next week or so will help shape those posts a bit more ***

Triathlete, Fulltime Career Woman, Friend, Girlfriend, Daughter.... URGH so many titles!

Lately I have been thinking a lot about how I somehow manage to keep 10,000 glass balls in the air. As all of you know I train and race. I am a daughter, I am a friend, and sometimes I am a half decent girlfriend. I am also a full time career woman with a career that lately has me on the fast track. I love what I do for my full-time job. I work hard and I am starting to get the punishment (sorry reward) for my hard work.

My job lately has me on the road at least every other week. Looking at my calendar the total days I am home in the month of March is 12! YES folks 12! That includes work trips and then weekend trips of being the half decent girlfriend and trying to be a good friend. This life can be a little hectic to say the least! A friend of mine beyond limitations put it very well in a blog post- the grass is always greener. She suggested I explain my situation since it might help some others.

Honestly do you think I want to be a diamond member at the hotel and have 40K plus miles on 3 airlines under 30? I will be on the west coast not once but TWICE this month. I spend enough time in the DC area for most people in my life to believe I live there. I joke I should just get a hotel when I get home whats the point of paying a mortgage. It is hard to eat healthy when you are rushing through an airport to catch a plane much less fuel your body for training and even harder when you are Gluten Free. I have quite a few pointers if anyone is interested!

All this being said I feel like my life of travel and training and all my other million titles is something VERY few understand. I have a few friends that travel like I do and even less that travel with the last minute schedule I have. I am lucky if I know on Monday where I will be till Friday. Sometimes trips come up with less than 24 hour notice. There have been many things I have missed out on in my personal life thanks to my travel schedule- some of them I am still trying to forgive myself for.

But I keep doing it. Like I said my career lately has been on a fast track and I can't be more thankful- I really truly love what I do. And I am currently staring a season in the face where I plan to tackle not 1 but 2 half iron distance races. Somehow training has become the sanity to get me through all of this. It is the steady thing that no matter what I know there is a plan because lets be honest the rest of my life has little to no plan. I have become pretty adapt at training on the road (another post for another time of pointers). I have done many a swim in a hotel pool getting dizzy with the zillion flip turns, attempted zone 2 rides on recumbent bikes, and mapped run routes starting and ending at my hotel.

The other thing no one really can account for on the road is the "on factor". How utterly exhausting it is to be "on" all day long. Whether you are giving a presentation or intently participating in a meeting the "on factor" takes its toll. And there is the lovely lack of sleep when you aren't in your own bed. I tell ya it gets old trying to get used to a new bed, pillows, temperature, and of course the changing schedule while on the road. Needless to say somedays I am exhausted and a workout is tough to drag myself through but sometimes its just the pickup I need.

Then there is the joy of being home. It is great to be back home- but me- I take a day or 2 to get settled back into life. I also spend the days when I am home (12 this month) doing all the crap everyone else gets to do when they get home from work everyday. The haircuts, nail appointments, paying bills, cleaning my house, and all the other glamorous tasks come rushing in and fill up my time home. I would love to spend my days when I get home just lounging and getting caught back up with friends- but sadly this doesn't happen. Actually a friend of mine who I recently talked to about this was like- "and that's why I don't really have friends. They just don't get it!"

I luckily have found a coach that is very understanding of my schedule and is supportive. She goes with the quality over quantity principle. I have a very supportive partner in D, who is pretty willing to just go I get it its our job! My friends understand I think as much as they can... to be honest I don't blame them. You don't get it if you don't do it.

I guess I just wanted to get some of my thoughts on this out. It has been a brewing idea for a while. I know my schedule isn't going to change in the coming months. I will continue to travel and continue to train, try to be a decent friend, a half decent daughter, and make my sorry attempt at being a good girlfriend. As I said I will continue to keep the 10000 balls in the air- because that is my life!

*note: Like I said I have some pointers on food and training while traveling. I also think this subject won't be going away- so please let me know what you think.

2011- Athletic Year in Review- 10 Things

Two years ago, in Dec 2010, if someone had sat me down after just having hip surgery and said you would have a fantastic 2011 season I would have told them they were nuts! I had just had my hip surgery and was in the midst of training for my second half marathon- Hyannis 2011- running was slow. Miles on the bike were purely for recovery from a long run and swimming was a filler for days when I didn't feel like running or cycling. As you can see from my New Years Blog from last December there wasn't much written down for goals. I am not one for resolutions but I do like to use the New Year for trying out new things to see if they stick and generally like to use it to set new goals.

That being said and since I didn't set any outright last December I am really amazed at some of the things I did this year. My 10 things I learned blog and my 2011 season: how to learn from your season blog wrap up some of the accomplishments and lessons learned. But lets get some of it down here:

1. I DID IT! I managed to log over 2000 miles for 2011- actually finishing 2011 with 2003mi. Since I didn't ultimately plan this for the year I was psyched that it happen.
2. I DID IT! I finished an Half Ironman. Yes that is I trained for and finished the 70.3 miles! I can't wait to try again and see if I can get under 7 hours
3. I got a new bike! DAMN SHE IS SEXY! Can't wait to get her out on those roads when it gets warm. I also got an aero helmet for Christmas- Thanks D!
4. I did 2 Half Marathons this year! Not bad after having hip surgery in 2010.
5. I did my first Olympic Distance Triathlon. I learned a lot about racing at this race. I did 3 sprint triathlons. A mile swim! and LOTS of 5ks and 10ks!
6. I learned a ton about fueling and nutrition this year.
7. I am getting faster this off season! The time I am spending running hill repeats and doing plyo runs is really adding up to great new PRs!
8. I am hoping to get faster on the bike still! Time in the saddle this off season compared to last year will help!
9. I still struggle with finding my balance- training/everyday nutrition.
10. I just want to figure out why I can't seem to lose weight! PLEASE! anybody?!

3 Straight Weeks of Racing- Not So Much...

This past sunday was supposed to be the 3rd straight weekend of racing- Hot Chocolate 15k , and Double 5k weekend with PR!. But last week I spent battling a monster cold and then to add insult to injury as my cold feels better I get a stomach bug on Saturday night. That meant to racing the Yulefest on Sunday. I spent all day in bed and D did a great job taking care of me. I am bummed to miss it though. Looks like everyone had fun!

I am wrapping up my holiday tasks. I wanna do a bit more baking stuff and I NEED to finish wrapping. Merry Christmas!!!

My training plan this week is light with enjoy the holidays. I am trying to get myself to the 2k mark by the end of 2011. I have 47 more miles to go. Need to get running and riding! I have a ride tonight and a long run planned this weekend and I've got next week- I think I'll make it.


What are your end of the year goals?

New Challenge- No OFF season Just Winter Training

To quote my coach "Remember there's no OFF season, just winter training ;)" So I finished out the DVD challenge current weight 180.6 <- ended up down about 5lbs. Can't fight with that. I figure with today being Dec 1st- Its time for a new challenge. I was going to try another DVD or another something. But to be honest- I just don't really have an interest in that right now. So- new thoughts a twitter friend, www.thefitbee.com, has a challenge #backtobasics for the month of December. I think my #backtobasics focus and challenge will be to make sure I am eating ENOUGH good foods!

I am going to continue my workouts as planned for the month. Soon I enter my "unstructured training" with my coach. I am going to have my runs I need to keep up since I have Hyannis Half Marathon in Feb to get training for but I will be having a bit more time for yoga and fun workouts. This is at least my hope- I have not done an "unstructured training" time yet with my coach so we will see what it brings :)

This weekend we head to DC for the www.hotchocolate15k.com. I am excited for the jacket we get for our swag bags and of course for the chocolate at the finish! Coach and I still haven't talked pace plan for the race. But I am looking forward to this one a lot. Never done a 15k before- so automatic PR! Tons of friends are going to be there! And another race in my sparkly purple skirt from www.teamsparkle.com. I will keep you posted on the weekend in DC should be a good time- Keep you posted on the #backtobasics plans :) Happy December Everyone!

New December Challenge:
1. #backtobasics - make sure I am eating ENOUGH good foods!
2. "unstructured training" plan- enjoy the time with unstructured workouts add in more bikram and just have fun with training.
3. Get my 2011 mileage to be 2000 total miles! I am at 1909 right now... I think it is do-able. Follow me on http://www.dailymile.com/people/DoubleDAthlete#ref=tophd

Taking Control with Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine

I have gone to an acupuncturist for close to a year now. I originally went in with hopes of acupuncture helping with stress and then my hip and shoulders. It has helped immensely with my stress and I am shocked how much it has done for my hip and shoulders. I actually don't even have to have her do anything for my shoulder anymore and the hip is just when it bugs me. I find the hour of relaxation helps with stress and mood overall.

Many people who know me know I have a constant struggle with my weight. Though I feel silly saying that. I feel like I am being vein since there are so many people in the country that are morbidly obese and I just need to lose 20 or 30 lbs. I am not sure what it is but I workout a lot and eat right and I can't seem to drop any more weight! I have been to a doctor to have regular blood work done and "your fine" was the result. I need to get to an endocrinologist to have some more tests done.

Since it is something that has really been eating my lunch this off season I have decided to do something till I can get to an endocrinologist. This is where we come full circle to the acupuncture- I asked my acupuncturist if she could help following my last appointment. She said actually you are a perfect candidate, someone who doesn't medically have something wrong, who is already doing things to help the weight loss- ie working out and eating right. Ive been to a nutritionist and know how to eat well and I have to say I am pretty good about it. The only thing I am bad about is making sure I eat enough. And you all know I work out!

She offered a tradition Chinese Medicine to start the process- Free and Easy Wanderer Plus- Jia Wei Xiao Yao Wan. She said it would help with mood and overall function. In reading it looks like it helps Liver function mostly. She said it is something she often gives to women for many issues and it helps a lot. I am taking 8 of these TINY little pills 3 times a day on an empty stomach. I started last Wednesday morning with the pills and the other thing will be acupuncture once a week focused on weight loss- first appointment is tomorrow.

After my talk with my acupuncturist I looked into some research on acupuncture and weight loss. I found some great articles everything from how it works to Dr. Oz to the truth that it can't be all you do to lose weight. Essentially it appears the acupuncture is used to help your body's function, with digestion and metabolism, and help with stress to help aid weight loss. Acupuncture releases endorphins which help with weight loss also. The truth is it is like anything else it isn't the magic cure all you have to do work yourself- eat right, exercise etc. These were some of the articles I found online:
https://www.acufinder.com/Acupuncture+Information/DetailThe+Acupuncture+Weight+Loss+Solution
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/acupuncture-and-weight-loss
http://www.naturalnews.com/019552.html
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/acupunctur1/a/acupuncture_weight_loss.htm

This was my favorite http://www.acupunctureforweightlossblog.com/ with one of its article concluding in " So if you are getting tired and frustrated that your weight loss efforts do not seem to give you any favorable results, you should definitely try using acupuncture for weight loss; when combined with a proper diet and exercise, you will be amazed at how much improvement you will get from this ancient medical treatment."

So my thought is I am going to give this a shot. I am also going to keep working on getting in with the endocrinologist. I will continue the medicine and acupuncture appointments once a week for all of November- then at the end of the month re assess if I think it is working. I'll be sure to report back :)

Farm Share - Go Organic?

Last year my parents had a share at a local Organic Farm, Silverwood Organic. They got some great veggies over the summer and were interested in the Winter Share, but sadly they only offer big Family shares (win for me!). We ended up splitting the Family share for the Winter Share.

Now some of you may not know this but I LOVE TO COOK! It is kind of a zen thing for me, get me in a kitchen it relaxes me and makes me feel so much better. Not to mention with my travel schedule it is nice to be home to cook! I saw the share as a great way to learn some new recipes with some new veggies I'd probably never have tried before. The other win is the farm is Organic.

Last night I made Candied Carrots and mixed up the saute greens with a shallot and some garlic (all from the share). Add some chicken and you have a meal. I am looking forward to making soup from the squash and pumpkin we got this week. Next Saturday is the next pickup- YAY more things to try!!

Since my veggies are gonna be Organic now... maybe I should make the switch to all Organic. I have been thinking a lot lately. I know it is more expensive but I just think I love supporting more local farmers, love the thought of less chemicals on my food, and I could just be making this up but the veggies taste better and I feel like I get more nutrients. Anyone out there Organic? why did you switch? is it more expensive?

Healthy food for training is my thought since as my coach just said "there is no OFF season only winter training!"

Post Season Blues

As you may have noticed from my London blog and my other post season wrap ups the season is over here and I am lacking some motivation. I am not a fast runner- so fall running races aren't super appealing to me. I am not a fast cyclist so put that with my not a fast runner and a duathlon doesn't really sound appealing. Plus- lets be honest a duathlon takes out what I am good at- SWIMMING! So with races right now consisting of mostly 5ks and 10ks and duathlons I am kind of stuck in a rut.

The other big thing that contributes to my lack of motivation and being stuck in a rut is I seem to have some sort of health issue that keeps me from losing weight. I can workout and eat right but it just doesn't come off. So when you aren't racing and you aren't seeing results its hard to go to the gym. At least when I'm racing I have goals to keep me going everyday. This whole lack of weight loss is another whole blog story for another time but anyway- to help myself get out of this I have been trying to come up with ideas.

I started coming up with a race plan for the next couple months of a couple 5ks and a 10k and even a late winter half marathon. Okay working down the right path. But to be honest- I know even if I don't train I can finish all those races. I am stubborn enough and have a decent level of fitness. So let's see I need something else!

Last night while at home I came across my Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD. 3 different levels of 20 min full body workouts. Wheels started turning- I know I need to keep up my swim, bike and run fitness over the off season to be ready for next season but- I could add more right? I need to work in more strength workouts anyway right?




So thoughts for a new challenge are: Continue my regular workouts my coach is giving me right now- so my swim, bike and run- but now let's add doing the 30 Day Shred DVD everyday for a month. I will take some before pictures and blog about the experience to work as a review of the program and see what we get for results.

The other thing I am going to bring back to my routine is Bikram Yoga. For now starting with my "day off" from coach and possibly adding more days as my schedule will allow. So I think I've got it a new challenge, a new motivation, a new goal with any hope this will help get me over these post season blues. Hey who knows maybe if it works out in a month I will pick a new challenge.

Army Ten Miler- Race Recap

After my much needed break in London I was home for a mere 3 days before heading to Washington, D.C. Now anyone who knows me knows I am in DC enough to potentially call it home if not my second home so flying there was no sweat. The plan was to fly down Friday afternoon get to the expo spend a bit of Saturday sight seeing then run Sunday. Well the best laid plans don't always work out. I have seen all the sights of DC MANY times but D in all his travels to DC hasn't seen any so I was planning on playing tour guide.

When we arrived Friday afternoon we were still fighting jet lag a bit from London. We decided not to rush to the expo and be rushed looking through it and just take the night easy. We went to what is quite possibly D's fav restaurant for dinner Chic-fil-a. It was nice to have a very low key night. We decided to get to the expo in the morning.

It was CRAZY packed. The line to get in almost reached the street. But like any good military operation things moved quickly and we had our numbers quicker than expected. While walking around and spending WAY too much money- like I always do at an expo we ran into a couple co-workers who were running. Always nice to see friendly faces.

We headed back to the hotel to relax and get off our feet. Now to be 100% honest- I didn't have much expectation for this race. I had heard it is very crowded and I honestly just wanted to take it all in- running around the mall and just being in the environment. Somewhere in my brain I came up with the idea of wanting to finish in about 2 hours seemed to make sense with my half marathon times. After a great dinner of risotto (a gluten free GEM pre race!) we picked up some breakfast options that we could do in a hotel room with no fridge and no microwave- cereal soy milk and some bars.

I laid out my race clothes after laboring over the capri, short, skirt decision- I went with capris and my new headband- "this is my race pace" and my new arm sleeves "if it wasn't for me you'd have no body to pass". The plan was to walk from the hotel to the Pentagon- I went with the follow the crowd method. It paid off and we got to the gates just as they were opening the start area. D was in wave one and I was in wave 3- slightly different paced runners huh?! D hung with me for a bit back with the slow folk and then headed up toward the start a little before 8.

As I was standing by myself waiting on my start time of 8:15 I made friends with the girl standing next to me. I know shocking huh?! We got to chatting and realized we both wanted to run about the same pace- hopes of a 1:45 with actual thoughts of being around 2 hours. She had never run a 10 mile distance before and honestly it was my first 10 miler but not my longest run so I figured this could be fun. We decided to stick together. To be honest it was great. Sometimes you worry about wanting to run a race with someone you don't really know (at all) but pacing was good a little bit but not too much conversation. We hit the 10k timing chip and I am fairly certain it was a 10k PR at 1:03- though the silly timing pad company had a different time.

On the loop back around the Air and Space museum I slapped hands and saw a co-worker. Let me just say that city isn't as flat as it looks. The long slow down hills killed my quads and the long slow up hills were crushing my calves. The 14th street bridge was a smasher! The sun was coming up and it was starting to get hot and that up hill climb was tough. Just as we hit the mi 9 marker we went by 2 Wounded Warriors both single leg amputee's. I turned to my new running buddy and said "okay that's all I needed to make it to the finish- I think this is tough on 2 legs I can't imagine how hard that is!"

With that we finished out the last mile- I was trying so hard not to puke before I crossed the finish. I crossed the finish at 1:44:50 by my watch- 1:45:50 officially. I can't believe I not only killed my thoughts of 2 hours but made it in the lower end of the time I thought. My new running buddy crossed a bit before me and was so excited to have finished her longest race. The finish line was congested and I quickly started to seize up and was desperate for water. When I could finally get some moving room and some air and water I felt like a million bucks. I had a good race.

D had a great race too when I found him around the Finisher Coins. He had a 10 miler PR by 3 min! I was happy to have a new found running buddy and to have finished in well under the time I expected. I will definitely do the Army 10 Miler again- hopefully next year. Next time I will write down a faster race time so I don't have to do so much weaving around people walking before we even hit mile marker 1. But great race awesome environment and if you want a race filled with motivators what is better than running by a ton of Wounded Warriors?

London- A much needed break!

About 2 weeks ago while driving to a meeting on travel I called my coach. I had a horrible feeling- did my half ironman steal my mojo? We had a great talk. I told her I had a AWFUL break down on reach the beach the weekend before. I was running my second leg at about 1 am it was a VERY hilly 9 miler. I was so mad about people passing me and how slow I felt. During my run in my head I composed the email to my coach saying I was quitting. No more swimming, no more biking, and definitely NO MORE RUNNING! Obviously after I finished I realized it was just the run talking. But given that I had just done my half ironman then a sprint triathlon then reach the beach I had reached my physical and mental breaking point. Coach told me that was completely normal experience for reach the beach, and after doing an half iron and my mojo would come back.

On Monday I left for a much needed vacation to London for 7 glorious days. A few months ago D and I found a great deal on tickets and our friends offered to host us at their lovely home. We got on the plane with little plans for what to do when we landed- other than the booked tickets to Buckingham palace and a 5k the other 5 days were whatever we felt like.

Both of us quickly realized when there isn't anything else to stress you out sleep is so grand! We both slept like rocks. It also helps that the guest bed was SOOOOOOO comfy! We did go see everything we planned to see: Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Big Ben, Eye, saw a show- War Horse, Piccadilly Circus, shopped on Carnaby St., and went to the British Museum. In between all the walking all over London was the 5k.

London was in the middle of a week of indian summer- temps 80-85 everyday. The race was a lunchtime 5k. It was hot and my legs were dead from all the walking. My time was slow- but I ran a race in London.

Other than the walking around everyday and the 5k all the workout clothes I packed didn't get used. I actually took a break. Mostly because by the time I got out of bed each day it was so hot and humid. I had no bike to ride for my planned training and the one day we were going to swim we slept through the alarm. I have to say normally I would feel horrible about this but right now I am starting to think it was the much needed break I was looking for.

Work had me stressed to my max. I was physically and mentally done with training and now I can honestly say I am looking forward to my next workout. I think London was just the break I needed. Hopefully I will feel the same way when I am slugging through the Army Ten Miler on Sunday. EEEK! I think I will just go out to enjoy it!

Mill City Olympic Tri Race Recap

Couple things- this post is more for me to get everything out of my head from this race in prep for Timberman and this was my FIRST Olympic distance race. Saturday did packet pickup and some recon- swam a bit in the river and did a bike on the run course (ended up doing 6.86 mi and avg pace of 15.5mph). Saturday nights dinner was corn pasta w a meat/tomato sauce and peas. I made sure to drink a big gatorade on Saturday knowing Sunday would be hot! Got to bed around 11- alarm set for 4:45.

Got up made breakfast- 3 eggs scrambled GF bagel with cream cheese and started sipping on a gatorade and seltzer water. I had 2 endurolytes. Made a PB and J on GF bread to eat later. Left the house around 5:30- finishing my bagel on the way.

Arrived on site around 6:30. Set my transition area- towel with running shoes and visor on top, cycling shoes with race belt and number, gps on top. Helmet, sunglasses and headband on aero bars. Food in bento box- 1pkg gu chomps, 1pkg margarita blocks, 1 odwalla bar (cut in half). 2 bottles on the bike 1 gatorade, 1 water. 1 sm water bottle on towel and extra fuel (margarita blocks and gu's).

Hour pre race ate PB and J finished my gatorade. After eating I put on my wet suit and got ready to hop in the water for a little- just to get wet. Ate a hammer gel approx 15 min before the race start time. Listen to pre race announcements and I was in the first wave.

.9 mi swim- 31:31- There was a strong current for the first portion then the current pushes you back for the second half. About the same time I had with my last swim at Merrimack River. Not a super fast swim but good pace. Wore my wet suit for another race with it. Made sure to kick and worked on sighting. Had trouble sighting on the way back with the sun in my face- wore my mirrored goggles but it was just super sunny.

t1- it is a long run across a 4 lane road to transition got my wet suit off no problem and was able to toss my goggles and cap to D. Got myself mentally prepared for t1 while in the water- bondi band, sunglasses, helmet, watch, race belt, shoes. I should have turned on my garmin a bit earlier in the transition so it was a bit more accurate. D reminded me to take it slow and catch my breath so I was sure to take a sip of water.

26 mi bike- 1:29:24 w transition- got on and immediately ate 1/2 odwalla bar. I knew I was going to crave fuel soon. Once I got in a rhythm and got my heart rate down a bit I could eat the other half. I worked on the gatorade first. At a half hour on the bike I was sure to have my first half of the margarita block sleeve. I continued to sip on the gatorade and was sure to finish it by an hour into the bike. At an hour on the bike- I had 1/2 the pkg of gu chomps. At an hour in I looked down at my watch and was happy to see over the hour I had avg'd 17.5 mph. Once the gatorade was gone I worked on the water bottle- not sure how much water I got in for the 1/2 hour I had left on the bike- I think about half. I ate the other half of the margarita blocks as I came close to the transition to finish off the pkg. Put the other half chomp package in the pocket in the back of my suit. Coming into transition I dropped into an easy gear to prep my legs for the run.

t2- didn't think about this one as much before (which I need to do). Got everything off okay. Put my visor on and slid on my shoes. Took another sip of water. As I went thru transition I could feel the chafe on the inside of my arms from the long ride in aero and rubbing against me. But nothing I could do now just had to get thru the run. Grabbed the other package of chomps for the run just in case.

10k run- 1:09:16 with transition- headed out of transition and my reaction is to usually push hard thru the jelly leg feeling then settle into a pace. I started out with a 8:30 pace then slowed to around 10 for the first mile. At the 1/2 pkg of gu chomps in the first 1/2 mi to continue the fueling. Stashed the other package in the pocket. At the first water stop- 1 mi- grabbed a water skipped the ice. Second water stop was just before 3 mi. Grabbed a water and an ice package. The ice felt great as I stuffed it in the front and lower back of my suit. Next water stop was just after 3 mi. Grabbed a gatorade. Once the ice melted I poured it over my head which helped me cool down. Just before I hit mile 4 I started to feel my feet chafing. Left foot felt like a blister in the arch and right foot was a rub on the heal which already felt cut wide open. I slowed after the water stop around 4 after taking on water and ice again. Slid my shoe off to see if maybe if I put my foot back in it would help. My feet continued to hurt thru mile 4- again I put the ice on my lower back and in the front of my suit and dumped it over my head when it had melted. At the sign for mile 5 I told myself I could tell my body to shut up for a mile. So I grabbed a water and an ice bag again. This time I figured out how to get the ice just over my QL on my R hip. I got it completely numb then dumped the water over my head. The last mile my feet hurt really bad- but I was close to finishing and I just wanted to be done. The heat was pretty bad and the run course was mostly in the sun. The ice bags really helped. And I need to coat both my cycling shoes and my run shoes in anti-chafe everstride. Run splits 10:17, 10:36, 11:17, 11:17, 12:21, 11:45, 8:45. As you can see it was about mi 4 when my feet really started to bother me. When I finished I had D remove my shoes immediately. My feet were so swollen even as loose as they were they were hard to get off. My rings wouldn't pull off my fingers and they are usually so loose they spin around. I am not really sure why I am swelling. I felt pretty good- my nutrition plan seemed to work fine. I really need to figure this out it has plagued me off and on throughout my training.

Overall finish time 3:10. I was happy that my nutrition plan had worked and I wasn't hungry at any point nor did I throw up. I need to consider socks at least on the run if not for both the ride and the run. I think if I hadn't had the issues with my feet the run time would have been a lot better. I had a solid swim- given the current. I am very happy with the improvements to my biking speed- I figure I avg'd just under 18mph (taking out time for transition from my bike/t1 time). My sprint tri in May my avg pace on the bike was 14.73mph so that is a big improvement- due both to aero bars and training. I think my run could have been faster- the chafe really got to me and the heat. The last mile and a half it took a lot mentally to keep running- and to not just walk.

This morning I realized this was the longest (time) race I have done yet. It left me feeling good for Timberman. I know it isn't going to be easy but I still have about 5 wks left to train. I think given the improvements I have been making I will be ready to go. This Friday I am riding the Timberman course with my coach and that will only help me feel more prepared!

Cycling... New Equipment... Great Training Day

For those of you that have known me for a while you know that I did my first tri in 09- it was off road so I used my old mountain bike to train and borrowed D's to race. In April of last year I had my hip surgery so that made bike riding a big part of my recovery and potential come back to triathlon. I bought a bike (trek 2.1) soon after my surgery and tried my first ride when I was allowed bout 4 weeks post surgery. On my very first attempt to clip in I fell over onto my NEWLY repaired hip. I rode with flat pedals for the rest of the 2010 season.

With the new endeavors I was taking on this season in triathlon I had to give the clips another shot. My friend Julia bought some speed play pedals and when I saw how easy they were to use I had to get some. I swapped to the speed play light action . Love em and get in and out of em easily!


So my newest edition to making my training and racing better I added aero bars to my road bike! Last Thursday I had aero bars put on my bike. In order to do this I had a fitting, I just needed to be sure that the add of the aero bars wasn't going to totally screw me up. Glad I went. Ended up adding Profile Jammer bars to my current road bike. I just can't afford the purchase of a tri bike right now so I am making it work. At the fit we ended up leaving most of my geometry the same but taking out a spacer in the handlebars.

I took the bike out for the first spin on Sunday- 2hrs on the road. It felt so good. I had a great training ride. I rode almost 31 miles in the 2 hours. Which is about 2mph faster than I usually ride my training rides. Then hopped off the bike and ran 2 miles. It was one of those great training days that boosts you mentally. I needed one. I was starting to get to the point where I thought I wasn't going to make the time cut offs for Timberman. This ride and run made me realize I have come a long way and my training is paying off. It was really just a great training day! :)

Training and Race Nutrition

A big part of training for my 70.3 has been spent trying to figure out how to fuel pre race, while running/riding and after the swim. I have had a couple mishaps this season with racing fueling- season opener tri and rtb relay. I am trying to use those events and learn from them.

So I think I have my during ride fueling down- gu chomps and cliff blocks are my fuel of choice. I also throw in Odwalla bars cut in half. So 30 min in eat half a pouch/sleeve of chomps or blocks. At the 1 hr mark half an Odwalla bar. And repeat. Hydration on the bike is key so I have stuck to drinking a LG water bottle every hour. Usually one is Hammer Heed and the other being water. I still need to work out getting more water on my bike... Need more places to put it!

Running- I try to stick to a similar fueling schedule. Every 30 min half a pouch/sleeve of chomps or blocks. So far it seems to be working. I may have to up the intake though. I recently read some articles about how many carbs you need per hour of exercise- needless to say I need a little more. There's still time to play with it a bit more. But I think I have found the products I like to use and I will play with the timing a bit more.

I am really trying to work my pre-race nutrition. I always have been a big eater pre-race. Give me steak and eggs for breakfast and I'm good to go. Seems a couple eggs, sausage, some toast seem to really work. I also go with a gel- Hammer or Honey Stinger- and a banana right before start. All this seems to give me enough fuel to get through.

Being that I am not an average sized athlete I need to eat more and to be honest my stomach and body begs for it. I am just really trying to keep myself from getting hungry while I'm out there - because then its too late! Like I said I need to work timing to be sure I get enough!

My product choices are: Gu chomps (watermelon), Cliff Blocks (margarita- love the salt), Odwalla Bars, Hammer Heed (melon), Hammer Gel, Honey Stinger Gel

Happily Training- Endurance Athlete?

I just wanted to let you know lately I have had a few revelations related to my training. The biggest one was last weekend- after slugging through 2 hours and 10 min on the bike on Saturday and a 2 hour run on Sunday. On Sunday after my 2 hours out on the road I walked up the stairs to my condo and I realized I was unphased by the 2 workouts. I mean don't get me wrong I was tired but I wasn't beaten and feeling like a wet noodle. Made me realize I've come a long way... The fact that these kind of miles and hours of training don't kick my @$$ really makes me realize I have taken huge strides at becoming a ENDURANCE ATHLETE!

After running a half marathon on 5 June and setting a PR by about 10 Min. (more to come on this in another post) I had a hard training week. I logged 87miles! I was on the road all week for work and somehow pulled off the most miles I have done yet!

This week started a new week of training- with a new coach. I did a running speed workout on Tuesday. Wednesday had a nice long swim and a speed bike workout. And yesterday was a long run- mid week! The fact that a 45 min speed workout on the bike wasn't a big deal and the run on Thursday night tho HOT and HUMID was 7 mi. really solidified my thoughts from last weekend... I am becoming an ENDURANCE ATHLETE!

**All of you out there: please remind me of this when I am hating my training and I am FREAKING out pre 70.3- btw- 65 days but who's counting!**

Reach The Beach- 2days. 10.5 well then 9 girls. 200 mi

This is going to be a hard one to sum up in a blog post. I spent a lot of time thinking about it but it still isn't going to do the relay justice! But here goes... My team mates @rtdanielle09 and @kissing_frogs have written their commentary- guess its my turn.

So- I wanted to do a reach the beach but J and I didn't want to be capt and try to pull together a team with the schedule we both had for work in May. The relay went out the window and I went on with training. Then a twitter friend @fiftyforbilly asked me to join her team. Well when I responded they had already found a replacement. Then sometime in late April I got another message from @fiftyforbilly asking me to join- this time I responded promptly and was added to the team.

I know my coach and I had discussed not adding anymore races to my schedule but this opportunity looked way too fun to let it pass! I signed up then told my coach. I wasn't really sure what legs or distances I would be doing but I was on team #dirtylittlefreaks and really looking forward to it.

A couple weeks before the race we needed another girl to join- of course I offered up @kissing_frogs. It worked perfectly that she could get the time off and wanted to run! I was excited that I would actually know at least one person going into this!

The week of the race I was out of town traveling for work like always. I didn't get to eat too much with being on my feet in an airfield so I had a hard time getting my runs for the week in. I got home and started to pack up. @kissing_frogs came over Thursday night- we went to the grocery store and tried to be sure I packed everything. And let me tell you I packed EVERYTHING! hahaha

Got up in the morning made my awesome French Toast- don't believe me ask D and @kissing_frogs?! We met up with @RTdanielle09 Sarah, Kelly,and Katie at Wachusett. We almost got tossed out of orientation- sorry I am not a morning person and the only way to get me through mornings when I am exhausted- LAUGHING!

Kelly had the first leg STRAIGHT up wachusett- better you than me! @kissing_frogs and @RTDanielle09 were next. Then my first leg:

Leg 1 STATS: 5.95mi, Moderate
Time- 1:06
Avg HR- 164
Cals- 1189

My leg ended with a uphill to the finish. It was a tough one. I wanted to be sure I would have enough gas to make it through the whole race so I wasn't going to kill myself in Leg 1. It was a humid and hilly but I got it done- slower than I had hoped but such is life.

After our van finished our legs we went to @RTDanielle09 friend's house since it was right near where we needed to start up again. Nice to wash some funk off- repack the car and just relax a bit.

Our next set of legs was going to take us into the night which meant the fun of running in vests, head lamps, and flashing lights. My second leg actually started at the Middle School I went to growing up. So my parents came down to say hi and brought us some chips and some more water. And I asked D to meet me at the end of my leg at the HS in the next town.

Leg 2 STATS: 5.23mi, moderate
Time: 54:37
Avg HR: 165
Cals: 893

It was tough in the dark to navigate and I had a really hard time feeling comfortable on the wrong side of the road in the middle of the night- pretty scary. Luckily the girls stayed close in the van. I was passed just as I finished by the team who ended up winning the whole thing- ya they avg like 6 min miles over the whole race!

The team was off for a few hours so we drove to get some rest. I slept in the van which was actually pretty comfy and I think I was just exhausted. We planned to get up get coffee and food then run our next set of legs. Well that didn't happen. We got the text at the last minute and got lost going to the transition. We got kelly out there and supported her run then got @kissing_frogs out there. I was up next and I was doing everything I could to get some food in my system. I ate a couple odwalla bars and had some water and had some other snacks we had in the car. But knowing me and knowing what I need to fuel to run I knew I needed more for my long leg being next. But what can you do? You eat what you can and make the best of it.

LEG 3 STATS: 8.34mi, HARD
time: 1:33
AVG HR: 155 (kinda low for a race)
Cals: 1296

Leg 3 is where the wheels fell off. I couldn't find a pace- Id look down one min and I was running 8:30s Id look down the next minute and I was running 14:30s? WHATS GOING ON?! I feel okay I just can't find a comfy pace. I brought 2 sets of Gu Chomps with me to help get me thru and the girls stopped a ton to support me. I threw up 2 times. At one point I had to walk b/c I thought it would come out both ends if I didn't! When I finished I hit the porta potty. Took @kissing_frogs with me b/c I thought I might pass out. She had to pull my compression shorts back up on me I was so swollen.

Before my 3rd leg started we had a team mate get sick. So I knew her long 8mi hard run was going to have to be taken my somebody. Everyone else in the van was already running 4 legs. After they saw how hard my 8mi was for me they decided to split it between them. I got in the van and told em I was not going to let them do that and not have me take part too. So we split it into 4 each taking about 2mi.

LEG 4 STATS:part of a 8mi, hard 1.85mi
Time: 19:38
Cals: 266
AVG HR: 151 (low considering pace- prob b/c I was beat)

All in all I totaled over 20 miles. Our team finished the 200mi in just under 32 hrs- avging a 9:30 pace. Not too shabby. I burned over 3600 cals! I have to say I had so much fun! I would do a relay like this again! I had a great group and wouldn't trade them for anyone! I am actually looking for another relay I can do with these girls :)

*this post took forever to write- i wasn't sure how to even write it but I think this covers the basics. I learned a lot from this race and had a blast*

Season Opener Recap- Nerves? Fueling?

I was really anxious and nervous getting ready for this race. I knew I could get through it but I wanted to do well. This is the start to a big season and I wanted to get it going on a good note. The fact that I had to wear a wet suit really messed with my head and I didn't like that they changed the start time a week before hand. Packet pickup was on Saturday and my plan was to pick up my packet and do a short ride/run brick at the race site- well thunder and lightning made that a NO GO! After picking up my packet went to the gym- did 25 min on the bike and 5 min on the treadmill. I spent a lot of time stretching. We went home and made dinner- corn pasta and ground turkey in the sauce and lots of veggies. Picked a movie and hung on the couch for a couple hours.

Race Day- I got up at 5:45- tummy growling.D made me some breakfast. I am a big eater before a race- 2 eggs, GF toast, and a bowl of cereal. I had a cup of coffee and lots of water. Finished packing up my race clothes and headed out at 6:45. We got pretty decent parking and got to the transition at around 7:15- got some premo spots!

I laid out my transition area and tried to stay calm with my ipod. Scoping out the field around me I settled into the idea that I wasn't going to be taking home any awards at this race. There were some serious triathletes around! I tried to sit as much as I could to get in the zone but my nerves and my stomach were not getting into the game. I got into my wet suit put on my cap and goggles and got ready for the pre race meeting.

8:30- pre race meeting- They went over how the swim would start and possible pit falls on bumps on the bike course. they talked about how pretty the run was too. That's all I remember.... We were the first wave of women so I moved toward the start.

9:00 Duathlon starts- is that I'm hungry or is that I'm nervous?

9:?? SWIM- we walk into freezing cold water. For the first time I was thankful I was in a wet suit. As I was treading water my arms got cold and I felt my feet get really cold- I got that omg I'm cold headache feeling. I decided my best plan of attack with the swim being a shore line swim was to get to the outside far from the shore. The extra 25/50 yds weren't going to kill me and would give me clean water to work with. The start was messy. There was lots of kicking and bumping. I did finally find some clean water. My stroke felt out of sink. Wet suits make my body float too much and screw with my catch. I had some trouble with sighting. I am not sure if it was the cold or the locations of the bouys but I had a bit of a tough time. My lips were so cold. I could feel my bicep tendon not liking the wet suit across it. I was getting close to the end and I started to feel the OMG I am STARVING! I came out of the water and saw my father. He told me I was in the middle of the pack. That bummed me out- that swim did go as bad as it felt. 9:11- slowest swim I have ever had at this distance

T1- not a bad transition with a wetsuit. Dropped everything grabbed my number water and more chomps. headed out on the bike.

Bike- well lets just say things didn't go so great on the bike. First set of bumps in the road and there were water bottles strewn all across the street and out bump my chomps. Well I am down to one pack. I keep drinking my pure sport and water and try to get chomps in me since I was hungry. The rolling course proved to be pretty challenging at times. It was really hard to tell who was in your age group who was a triathlete and who was a duathlete but I tried to pass folks and had a few women pass me. But at mile 5 I started to feel kinda gross- and there it was I threw up. Just as I look at the half way point sign my body decided we didn't like the way today was going. And from there I knew this was going to be a tough one. I muscled my way through the rest of the ride and came into T2.

T2- knowing the dismount was going to be a mess of folks trying to clip out unprepared I clipped both of my shoes out early- since it was a downhill coast. I yelled to D in t2 that I had puked on the bike and he said he knew something happen. Guess my time wasn't too great. Well no time to think now off for the run. I grabbed my water bottle to sip on for the run and took the blocks I had to hopefully refuel a little.

Run- The run started out up hill. Just what I needed after that bike. I sipped on the water and ate margarita cliff blocks. The salt and sugar were a friend at that point. I had to walk a bit up the hill to drink more water. I knew I needed fluids. And just then my friend passed me and said good job jules! It was a great boost! I just slugged through the run. It wasn't pretty. I had really hoped for the 3 mi I could be around a 9 min mile. I had a PR 5k avg 8:45s so a 9 wouldn't be that big of a stretch. Well every time I pushed myself- I felt like I was going to puke again. I got to the point that it was either this needs to be over and I need to finish or I need to puke again and feel better. Well it happen that I finished. It wasn't the race I had hoped but I crossed the finish line.

I am now on the search to try to figure out what went wrong. What is my new way of fueling? Am I not eating enough? Am I not drinking enough water? Did I just have a bad day? SO many variables but I am going to try my damn'd ist to figure it out- I better or that 70.3 is going to be really hard!

Starting the Season... Tri #1 Sunday!

This week officially kicks off my triathlon racing season. I will be starting with the Hopkinton Season Opener Sprint Triathlon I haven't done a triathlon since 2009, my 2010 season didn't allow me to run with my hip surgery. Tho in 2010 I did 2 aquabikes and did well in both. I am getting anxious about putting all 3 sports together again.

Swim- 1/4 mi- point to point swim- going to be cold. Water temp predicted to be in the low 60s. Even though it is supposed to be cold I don't really see the point in wearing a wet suit. I plan to be in the water about 5 min. I don't think I will get that cold. But the race packet says they are required so I will be wearing one. It is more the stripping out of a wet suit that I am not looking forward to. I will do as I am told since I have to.

Bike-10 mi- bike is described as rolling hills with a couple challenges at 2 and 7. I think with all the biking I have been doing lately this shouldn't be too tough. Though I still feel biking is my weakest of the 3. 10 mi is pretty short given my shortest rides lately have been more than that so hopefully it shouldn't be an issue. I am looking into getting tri shoes but looks like the road shoes will have to work for now.

Run- 5k- looks pretty flat. Contained to inside the state park. I think if my hips will agree with me I can hopefully knock out a fast 5k at the end of this.

The game plan with my coach is to do it all out. Have fun with it and listen to my body. If I feel good go for it. This week is a taper for training to get me ready- 2 weeks ago was about 7hrs of training this week is about 3. I am going to go nuts with taper but I am going to try not to lose it... Trying to stay focused not get anxious and get ready for Sunday! This is the kick off to a big Tri season!

2011 Season Plans

So I decided to take the plunge this season and sign up for Timberman 70.3 on 21 Aug in New Hampshire. I know I have the swim in the bag. The bike is gonna take A LOT of work. My runs seem to be coming along nicely. I know this is not going to be an easy undertaking but I don't fool myself with any thoughts of a goal or even placing in this event! I just know this is a goal to finish race.

Since this will be my big race this year I will do mostly racing to prep for that- as opposed to my past 2 seasons of um I feel like racing this weekend race schedule. This is going to be different for me. I have a actual race schedule May 8th is the season opener sprint tri in hopkinton, june 5th worcester half marathon, june 25th 1 mi swim, july 10th mill city olympic distance, and then the big one Timberman!

It is going to be an exciting season. I am terrified about the bike and terrified to put it all together in one day. But I have plenty of time to train. This is going to hopefully be an exciting season ahead!

Reflection on my ONE year hip-versary

So April 9, 2010- a day that will live in infamy- well in my life anyway. It was the day I went under the knife to fix my hip. I had a torn labrum tendon and needed to have the top of my femur shaved (FAI old post) I thought I was never going to walk again much less run.

Surgery was a very scary thing for me- thanks to my friends and my family I got through. It was tough 4 months without running. But in November I got back to it.... RUNNING!

Since then I have finished a few 5ks, a few 10ks and a half marathon. I honestly couldn't believe it had been a year. My core isn't back exactly where it was pre surgery- with months of no ab work but I am getting there. And I have to say that even tho my run this weekend my legs felt heavy and tight. I just enjoyed the fact that I can still run!

I know a lot of people decide not to go with surgery but for me it was the only option. I wanted to keep running and I wanted to keep doing triathlons! I just didn't see any other option. I have to say a year later and I am so glad I did what I thought was right.

On saturday- my hip surgery anniversary- I recorded myself running and sent it to my coach. It was kinda sweet it worked out that way. I have some work to do with my left leg but funny thing is my surgically repaired hip and leg strike very well. I am going to try these new techniques in hopes it will help me avoid having to have the left one fixed- since heel striking is bad for your hips. I think my right hip had problems to start and if I was a heel striker I wasn't helping them along.

Well- I spent a lot of time this past weekend thinking about where I was a year ago. I looked at my old pictures of my scars and looked at how little they have gotten in a year. Its amazing how different things are now! And I like it!

iPod Security Blanket

I was always an iPod runner when I started a few years ago. I needed the iPod to get through every run. I had a zillion different play lists changing them almost monthly or maybe even weekly to get me through. But at some point in training for my half marathon I just stopped using music to get me through. Maybe it was because I was training with friends but at some point I didn't need the security blanket anymore.

So when it came time to hit the start line for the Hyannis Half Marathon I had this idea- hey why run with my iPod? I was going to be running with friends and the biggest weighing factor- for my trithlons iPods are out of the question. Might as well get used to running without it.

I have to say the half wasn't bad without it. And it makes me think I can race my tri's this season without it. I have to say I get geared up for my runs now and I look at the iPod and wonder if today I really want or need it. I mean don't get me wrong I am far from a technology free runner- I've got my Garmin and my heart rate monitor. But now I think about whether my brain could use the quiet time on the run to just enjoy the run. I know it isn't for everyone and I know some of my runs I welcome the distraction but I have to say it is nice to know I don't need the security blanket anymore!