Hawai'i

I'm just sayin'...

I want to pick up my family, furkids and friends and head right back on a plane to the Big Island tomorrow.

More details to come - but here is a funny series of pics Mrs. Barracuda and I posed for in front of paintings in the official IM hotel.

No wonder Ironwoman Canada keeps telling me not to rotate.



I probably should be drafting in this pose, too - since Kokau and I did for a good chunk of the our ride on the Queen K.

Ironically, I had a few good runs down Ali'i drive - just another reason to relocate!

My Wonderful Achillies Heel

Maybe another post will share the more gory (not really) details...

But I am guiltily loving my achilles heel injury. No running for two weeks. Probably no speed or hill workouts for another month or so after.

Shucks.

You mean, I can't run when the temperatures in Richmond have averaged in the upper 90s and low 100s for the past few weeks?

You mean, I can hop on the elliptical trainer instead - in air conditioning?

You mean, I'll have to bike - on both Saturday and Sunday?

Darn!

While part of me knows this will be another set back in my struggles with running, I am jumping up and down with the silver lining.

Like waking up on both days of the weekend looking forward to the workout ahead.

Patriot Sangria doesn't seem to mind either.

The Year of Fun Races Kick-Off

Last fall, the Traffic Connoisseur invited a few friends to race the Virginia is for Lovers 14K in memory of a good family friend, John Kainer, the namesake for her son.

And if you know the Traffic Connoisseur and her friends - you would have also immediately signed up for this race - it was bound to be great fun - in addition to being for a good cause.

So while unprecedented snowy weather interfered with many outdoor runs since Christmas, making the 14K my longest run since Placid, I was still looking forward to kicking off Valentine's weekend on Friday by getting together with the girls for some pre-race festivities. Several friends had driven down to the beach a little earlier, but the Traffic Connoisseur and I soon caught up with them at Abbey Road Pub, where I must say, some impressive carbo loading was underway.

Yep, this was my kind of run.

So we chowed down on some evil greasy pub fare, before heading to the hotel - SuperAnnn had found an amazing deal at an Oceanfront Marriot. The party continued at our suite, where we found that SuperAnnn had supplemented our race packets with cupid wings, halos, crowns, boas and heart tattoos - which we tried on instead of preparing our gear. We watched the Olympic Opening Ceremonies as the Traffic Connoisseur and Pink's #1 Brunette Fan kept filling our glasses. The rumor of the race being cancelled due to snow wasn't sounding too bad.

The next morning, we woke up to something that looked like a PG scene from "The Hangover." We also found that JenBo was hit hard with a horrible stomach flu or food poisoning. As we somewhat reluctantly started to accept that the race would go on as scheduled since there were just a few flurries swirling around, we heard that Pink's #1 Blond Fan was also suffering from major stomach issues.

Those of us lucky enough to escape illness, quietly tucked in the patients, then snuck out to grab a quick cup of coffee. At 7:40, we realized we should head out to the 8:00 race. We barely made it in time - the race had kicked off as we were walking to the start line.

Patty Who Hits SuperAnnn was somewhere in the crowd, with the sweet son of her long term friend. Since the group had different goals for the race, we were all kind of on our own at the race start.

Wearing my cupid wings, crown, boa and heart tattoo, I loved seeing lots of other decorated racers - donning everything from Valentine antennae to boxer shorts. It felt different - but very fun - to be part of the silliness.

After the first few miles, I spotted another set of cupid wings out of the corner of my eye. The Traffic Connoisseur had caught me and kindly ran along with me for the next few miles. Between my huffing and puffing we admired the fun race signs. She ducked out for a bit during one of the loops, but we met up again to check out "Cupcake Curve," grabbing a frozen brownie bite to go.

The snow started to come down more heavily toward the end of the race - as we followed the route around the amphitheater. The course would have been pretty boring - but the race directors really did an impressive job keeping it interesting. The Traffic Connoisseur was a great pacer and had me moving during the last few miles. The group soon found each other and we shivered congratulatory hugs. We headed over to the beer tent to celebrate - though I gave Patty Who Hits Annn most of my beer. Now if only they served wine post race.

It seemed to be getting colder and colder - so we decided to forgo the second beer. Thankfully, both our sick friends were starting to feel at least a little bit better.

Oh, and yeah, this was a race right? I hadn't worn a watch (though I did happen to bring sneakers from two different sets, thankfully for different feet, too), so I didn't know my time until later in the day. Turns out I had a solid race - 9:44 pace - which is my fastest for anything over a 10K. I've never done a 14K before, so we can even call it a PR.

And more importantly - a super fun start to the 2010 season.

Off Season

My newest Splish swimsuit features a cute little penguin family huddled among snowflakes on the front - and the words "off season" spread to the limit across my not so petite bottom.

Off season - with Ironwoman Canada's help, I've been working on "getting it" a bit more this year.

After IMFL in 2007, my endorphins were running so high that I continued training as if another Ironman race was on the immediate schedule.

2008 ended with training efforts focused on late season half IMs and marathons.

My 2009 "A" race was IMUSA in July - followed by my final "B" race - the Giant Acorn Olympic race - in early October. Meaning that off season started earlier this year - and on a bit of an "off" note.

Alas, as well as the 2-5 pound weight gain fluctuation.

Even with a little extra pudge, I've been striving to understand and trust the benefits of off season. I'm still training 6-10 hours per week, but trying to make all those hours enjoyable.

I look forward to swim and bike workouts - without the pressure of upcoming races. I've been incredibly annoyed by rainy weekend weather forecasts. I've been itching to bike on beautiful days - but have cut workouts short - or even skipped workouts - if the weather was crappy.

But those nice bike riding days...have made my heart flutter. I've relished moments casually cruising through beautiful scenery or pushing harder speeds.

These past few weeks, I've started to feel a twinge bit more comfortable about running. I've headed out without my Garmin and enjoyed the cooler temperatures, the fall leaves - and lately - the Christmas lights. I've tried to focus on technique, no matter what the distance - hoping to create a new and better imprint.

Trust and acceptance - maybe a few months of physical and mental rest and rejuvination will actually be beneficial vs. detrimental for next season.

We'll see.

Feeling Better

2009 has been an interesting year so far.

The moments when things fell into place seemed to be outnumbered by those when things felt off - sometimes due to the physical, sometimes to the mental. IMUSA and the Giant Acorn being obvious examples.

After IMUSA, Ironwoman Canada told me that I needed to cut back. To allow myself to get worse before I could better again.

I did well with getting worse.

And the past week or so, I am finding that I am starting to feel better.

I am not failing as miserably at running. I even had my best 400 about a week and a half ago thanks to some individual attention from Ironwoman Canada. Then, at last week's track workout, Cupcake KO was a wonderful running buddy and pacer. Yesterday, Barracuda BL, the Should Be Sponsored Wife and I went for an easy run. Except none of us seemed to remember the easy part. Great weather and good company had us pushing the pace - maybe to enjoy the coffee reward at the finish.

Less time in the lap lane has been good for my shoulder. Today I had an encouraging Guppy workout. I may have even surprised Ironwoman Canada - she remarked a few times that I looked really good in the water. I almost kept up with one of my Guppy swimming heroes, Sharona, during a 50 sprint. Let's just forget the kicking drills for the moment...

Then there is the bike. I am grateful for a good bike year. This weekend's Seagull metric century ride (kudos to the Peddalin' SQ for completing the full century and achieving impressive TNT fundraising efforts) started off with a discouraging downpour (during which, Barracuda BL, the Should Be Sponsored Wife and I sat in the car and debated bagging the ride to shop instead). Alas, we braved the storm clouds and headed off for a fun day. I would love to do the ride in the future on a beautiful sunny day - but still enjoyed the smooth roads and pretty course. The first 17ish miles were casual. The next 23 included some tough pace line work. And after a decadent rest stop (picture: great band, river view, hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream and apple pie), we completed the last 23 miles battling crazy cross and head winds.

While part of me would like to say I did the mile century, it was great to finish the ride feeling strong - those last 20 miles of a century can be brutal.

Then today, thanks to Columbus, I was able to join the Should Be Sponsored Wife and the RABA folks for Mondays with Mary. Though chilly, I loved the 35 mile route from Powhatan to Cartersville. Scenic foliage, fast flats, tough hills, challenging rollers and smooth roads - it was great. The Should Be Sponsored Wife was donning her new Fuji - which looked marvelous on her! We warmed up with soup and half-sandwiches afterwards - and I drove home feeling content, sleepy and...

happy.

IMUSA - Race Report - The Run

While for both IMs I haven't been able to find volunteers for T1s - I've been lucky enough to have amazing ones for T2s.

We started going through my bag - and I tried to just settle down and prepare for the run. Taking the bike shoe off my left foot was painful. I peeled off my sock and saw it - a very swollen and black toe.

I wasn't exactly stable before noticing this - and hearing the volunteer recommend I go to the medical tent made the tears that I'd been fighting, start to stream down my face. I remembered how Ironboy JW had finished an IM with a broken toe - and how crazy I thought that was.

Knowing that running is my weakest sport, I doubted my ability to complete a marathon with a broken toe - in addition to the weird hydration/nutrition issues that were going on. Having broken toes in the past, I knew there was nothing the medical tent could do. I tried to be grateful for not having broken a big toe. So I changed clothes and tied my sneakers, figuring I'd come this far and was going to continue for as long as I could.

Through the majority of T2, TRIgirl CD was in the tent with me. Even after a tough and painful bike, she was chipper and upbeat though she knew she'd be taking the run easy and walking most of it due to a much more serious injury than a broken toe. We hugged before she headed out - with me following soon after.

I was still a mess for awhile. I stopped at the porto-potty at the first aid station - hmmm, still nothing going on. I tried walking with TRIgirl CD but soon realized her walking pace was faster than I could handle. So I experiemented with run/walk combinations that might work. Early on, I ran into TRIgirl KB (finishing her first loop!) - who convinced me to take a Tylenol.

And after that, surprisingly, things fell into place for the rest of my race. I could jog the downhills and the flats - and walk the uphills to keep my toe from having to deal with the extra bend. While my nutrition was messed up - I forgot to even Gu for the first 4 miles - I took in whatever appealed to me at each aid station. Most of the time that consisted of water, cola and oranges. The sweat continued to pour out of me, even when the temperature cooled off as the sun began to set. I saw many fellow Richmond racers. When the timing worked out, I could spend a few minutes trekking along with some of them - TRIgirls KO, SK, CD, and Coach MB, Others, I'd see in passing during the loops - TRIgirls KB, AM, LM, SS, the Barricudas, Coach BB and TRIboy MR, Some I never saw - like the super speedy boys TVR, MC, AS and GM.

The Richmond cheerleaders had spread themselves across the miles in town. My husband, mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law and house neighbors were at the out and back of the end of each loop - so I was able to see, high five and hug them twice before starting loop two. I can't remember exactly who said what - but remember feeling supported and encouraged. Seeing Ironwoman Canada and the Real Deal on the stretch through town was motivating, too.

The second loop was more of the same, with the addition of some chicken broth. A few times I started to feel light headed - probably from being low on calories - and I tried to take in something at the next aid station to help me get through. I'd given up on Gus, though, so the calories were limited to oranges, gatorade and cola.

During the last six miles, I was relieved and happy that finishing seemed to be possible and I started to relax and smile more. Ironwoman Canada and the Real Deal were waiting on one of the tough climbs back into town - they helped me powerwalk up the hill. Hearing Ironwoman Canada tell me how proud she was of me - and that I was much tougher than she realized (also mentioning that she would remember this for future workouts) gave me the last shot of adrenlin I needed to try to follow her directions to walk the uphill, but push the downhill into the Olympic oval. My husband, family and housemates were once again on the out and back. They are the best sherpas ever.

I swear the last two miles felt like four, but finally I was entering the Olympic oval. The course only really included about half of it, but it was an amazing feeling to be on grounds that have seen some of the best athletes in the world.

I finally crossed the finish line. At 15:03:12.

My husband and family soon found me - and gave all kinds of sweet and wonderful congratulations. They made feel like a winner vs. a backpacker.

I watched some of the Richmond crew finish, squeezed in a massage and headed back home (and finally peed around 11:30). Sitting around our kitchen table, I caught up with the Barricudas and both our sherpa crews, icing my toe.

One of the longest and hardest triathlon days I'd ever experienced was done.

Shhh..TRIgirl 40 Something is in a Little Denial

More often than not, I've been eerily calm about the quickly approaching IMUSA date.

I am pretty sure it is some kind of denial. At best it is acceptance.

Yep, I've panicked here or there when completing some type of race preparation, like ordering nutrition or scheduling a bike tune-up. The hardest moments have been when someone has asked me if I am ready.

And I sigh or shrug. I can't say I am or am not. I am not thrilled with what that means either way, but I do know I've worked hard, struggling through the most challenging workouts I've ever attempted.

The shoulder is still feeling good. I had an incredible opportunity to swim at Guppy AS's Lake Gaston's paradise - a "not so torturefest" few days with Ironwoman Canada and several great training buddies - helping me to believe I could have a solid swim (for me) at Placid if I can overcome the claustrophobia of 2000 plus swimmers hitting tiny Mirror Lake (and if I could bribe the Real Deal to be a bandit and let me draft of him).

While I wish I had more time to work on climbing, I also know that too many more long mountainous bike rides without a bunch more good fun ones thrown in between might break my spirit.

After beginning to stabilize on new asthma meds, running is on the upswing. It is not anywhere near where it was at its best, but it is a heck of lot better than where it was even a few weeks ago. I could kick myself for not recognizing what was going on and dealing with it sooner, but am grateful that something finally clicked in my stubborn brain.

And in this non denial moment, I've let it register that in exactly a week, I'll be in the Peloton SUV with the Barracudas and the hubby.

But I'm still plugging my ears with my fingers about the following four days after our arrival in Lake Placid.

"la, la, la, la, la, la, la..."

No, No, Counter!

Please don't drop below a calendar month before IMUSA.

My shoulder loves the cortisone shot, making swimming easier and smoother (and maybe on the verge of getting faster).

Hill climbing on the bike is starting to make sense (but I have much to practice).

Running - well it is what it is (an inkling of improvement).

I am just starting to feel stronger and more confident.

I need time. To hope. And believe.

Where is Superman when you need him?

White Lake - Race Report

Having the few extra prep days prior to the race was a treat. The Barricudas and I checked out the courses and completed final workouts. I never felt rushed or anxious.

White Lake was a training exercise for me - meaning no taper and using the race as an opportunity to iron out my problem areas. And if you've read my previous race reports, you'll know that includes avoiding unintentional penalties and stupid mistakes.

I slept fairly well before the race. I wasn't terribly nervous. I ate breakfast, drank a good cup of coffee (per Ironwoman Canada's instructions) and left to walk Patriot Sangria over to transition a few minutes before the more coordinated Barricudas biked over in flip-flops/crocs and with large bags draped across their backs.

Setting up for the race went smoothly. The people sharing my rack seemed nice. I tried to notice the run and bike exits. I took note of the surrounding rack markers as mine was decorated with just standard candy-stripe black tape.

Race time was 7:00, with the the old lady wave slated a half-hour later. Since Barricuda BL's age group was combined with mine, we would be able to start together. As the first waves kicked-off, we headed over to the water to warm-up. Barricuda BN was there, too. His wave would start after ours.

Barricuda BL tried to convince me to start up front with her, but I was leary of my Rumpass experience and placed myself more toward the middle. As our wave took off, I watched the leader group - and swimmers around me burst ahead. I just tried to find my groove and focus on sighting. With a sigh of relief, I rounded the first turn and saw the correct buoy for the next leg. The long straight-away was more choppy than I anticipated, but there really was no current. The swim felt good and I gradually caught up to some of the eager beavers. I sighted well and exited the water feeling strong, though not without being trampled by more aggressive racers when trying to climb up the dock ladder.

The long run to transition and the timing mat was still there. I didn't know my swim split at the time, but it turned out to be 41:29, about two minutes faster than last year and 13/31 in my age group.

Entering the transition, I saw the black tape candy stripe rack. But I did not see Patriot Sangria. I ran back and forth for a bit looking for the nearby rack landmarks, but did not see them either. Was my bike on the right instead of the left? Finally, I realized that the transition area was L shaped and that my bike was on the other side of the L. The rest of my transition must have been fairly quick, as T1 ended up being 3:45, which wasn't too bad for me.

On the bike, I settled in. This would be the one part of the race I wanted to push beyond a training experience. I felt good during the first few miles. I couldn't tell exactly where the wind was coming from, though I quickly realized when making the turn onto the longest stretch of the course that I was also hitting a headwind. I remembered loving the bike course more last year. This year, it seemed like the road was way more bumpy, with the ba-bum cracks covering about 2/3 of the course. It also seemed more boring. Sometime over the past year's training, I've come to enjoy rolling hills more than pancake flat. Nutrition on the bike was going well overall thanks to heavily loaded carbo pro and motortab bottles. I couldn't eat much solids, but knew I was consuming a decent amount of calories. A little over halfway through the race, I stopped and refilled my water bottles at an aid station.

Though I didn't have my exact split as I forgot to start my Garmin, I knew by my bike computer that I was close, but probably over my dream of breaking 3 hours. My bike turned out to be 3:01, 13/31 in my age group - about 5 mintues faster than last year. I was still pretty happy.

The last few miles on the bike were tough for me mentally, though. Not so much because I was phyically beat or sick of the bumpy road conditions, but because I knew the run was coming up soon. My longest run to date since November was 9 miles - those extra 4.2 seemed like a big jump. I thought about how it would be so easy to turn my chip in - and just run what I wanted to without worry about my overall time. It was very, very tempting.

I moved more slowly in T2 as I delayed the final decision. With a big sigh, I tightened up my sneakers and told myself to suck it up. This was a training race, right?

I jogged out of transition, deciding to hit the first aid station for the porta-potty (which I soon learned was not a very original plan). My legs actually felt better than I expected as I ticked off each mile by breaking the 13.2 miles into a long series of 1 mile laps.

While the bike was fairly overcast, the sun decided to pop out more often on the run. It wasn't as hot as 2008 - or even as originally predicted, but it was still in the low 80s. I was a dripping mess of water dumping and cold towel donning - and I spotted a few racers sporting TRIgirl SS' "curtain of cool." As I headed toward the turnaround, I saw Barricuda BN hustling - and then Barricuda BL looking strong and confident.

My legs continued to feel OK - and my breathing wasn't as labored as I expected. I wondered how I would feel at mile 10, but it didn't seem much different than mile 7. The last few miles were fairly consistent with the majority of my run. For a few wonderful seconds, rain began to fall, but it was just a cruel tease.

Crossing the finish line, I had a feeling my run time was close to last year's (Garmin died around mile 7). My overall time was 6:17 - a PR and about 7 minutes faster than last year, leaving me smack in the middle of my age group - 16/31.

And my run? 2:27:29 - 18/31 in my age group and 12 seconds (LOL) faster than 2008. Last year, I was disappointed with my run. This year, I was grateful.

The Barricudas were waiting for me at the finish line. Barricuda BL had an awesome race and a great PR of about 15 minutes. Barricuda BN had earned another first place age group win. We cheered him and a few other RTC age group winners on as they climbed the podium - making Richmond proud. It was exciting to be so close to hard earned success and accomplishment.

Reflecting over the race these past few days - I've recognized that while I was happy for the PR, I was actually more satisfied with the realization that maybe I am not quite as far behind for Placid. I have a way to go on my running, but there could be more base to help me out than I thought.

And to be honest, I think that confidence builder is what I needed most from White Lake.

Why I Love To Run - By TRIgirl 40 Something

I love to run...

Uhmmm....

Uhmmm...

Uh....

Fezzy and Buttercup, can you come back here?

Why I Love to Run - By Fezzy

I love to run...

• To chase Daddy's old handballs.
• To partake in the "Bichon Buzz."
• To celebrate my daily constitutional.
• To build up enough momentum to get anywhere in deep snow.
• To say hello to other dogs and people (because my feelings are hurt if they don't want to meet me).

Why I Love to Run - By Buttercup

I love to run....

• To chase squirrels.
• To claim my food at meal time.
• To steal Fezzy's food if possible.
• To remember my love of soccer balls.
• To show younger dogs that I am still tough.

Rumpass in Bumpass - Race Report Part 2

My training buddies and I were in the same swim start wave – which was very cool. We eased into the water, chilly, but really not that bad. We went through the previous day's tips and added pouring hot water down our wetsuits – which was incredibly helpful. So much so, that even getting out of and back in the water was no problem.

After a final group hug, our blue cap wave was about to set off. I followed Ironwoman Canada’s directions to start more toward the front of the pack. The swim felt great and I didn’t even mind being close to other racers. The first yellow turn buoy arrived fairly quickly. At this point, I still had two racers on either side of me who had been swimming with me for awhile – so I just continued along with them around the turn.

Stroke, stroke, stroke, sight, don’t see the buoy for awhile.

Stroke, stroke, stroke, sight, still no buoy.

Stroke, stroke, stroke, there is the first buoy ahead.

Stroke, stroke, stroke, sight, look for next buoy.

Notice there are NO swimmers ahead and STOP.

My swim partners kept going while I looked around. Yep, no one was ahead, though a few poor souls had followed us – as we basically had made a U-turn and were heading back to the start. Did I just blow any chance of a PR within the first 10 minutes? Wasn’t my race number supposed to be a good omen? I saw a bunch of blue caps on the correct path and concentrated on narrowing the ever growing gap. Somehow, I caught up with a group of them by the second yellow buoy and, thankfully, managed to stay on course for the rest of the swim. My time was 32:10 – about 40 seconds off my best Olympic swim time – 5/15 in my age group. Considering the extra meters, I was grateful.

In transition, I tried not to dawdle as much as I usually do – and actually did OK – again 5/15 in my age group.

I was excited to get on Patriot Sangria. Before the race, I decided to push the bike – I had an average mph goal in mind if the weather was good and I was feeling strong.

I settled in, ate and drank a bit before the turn to the main road. Then, I gradually built up speed. Since my legs felt good – I tried to figure out that point between what I could maintain with a good push vs. what would be too much. The course was slightly rolling with one climb that was a bit deceiving and a beautiful smooth stretch of road where you could fly. Not many women passed me – and I gradually moved my way up through the crowd, passing a bunch of girls in green team shirts.

Around mile 10, I ran into TRIgirl JS – she looked strong and was having a great bike.

With loop one almost done, I looked for information about loop two. I saw a sign with different arrows pointing to the finish and the second loop.

I swear I followed the right arrow.

But as Devilface wisely commented a few years ago, sometimes you just get race drunk.

I think I sensed something was off – I called out, “Loop 2, Loop 2?” but I don’t think anyone heard me.

Then I see the transition area. Then the dismount line. I slow down and stop.

“Loop 2?”

“This is the finish. You missed it – it is back up by the main road.”

“SH*****TTTT!!!!”

I made it back to the main road to start loop 2 - adding probably a little over a half mile to the day's course. I cringed seeing all those green shirts again - and it took probably another 10 miles to make up lost ground. I was happy that I appeared to be maintaining my pace - maybe it was SuperAnnn's magic candy. I didn't know my overall bike time because I hadn't reset my the trip time (doh) before the race. When race results were posted later, I found out my bike was 1:18:29 - 4/15 in my age group. I met my goal and with a little cushion - especially if factoring in the extra distance!

Pulling in, it was great to see SuperAnnn and Barracuda BL's big smiles.

T2 wasn't quite as good as T1 - 9/15. Maybe because I wasn't nearly so excited about running as I had been about biking!

After leaving transition, it was back onto the trail from earlier in the morning. It was muddy in places - not overgrown, but with a few serious roots sticking up here and there. After pushing on the bike, I definitely felt that wonderful (awful) "brick" feeling - and more pronounced than I'd experienced in a long time.

The run out and backs were mostly on the road, with many rollers. It was getting warm - but still nice and dry - so dumping water felt good and kept me cool for most of the stretches between aid stations.

All the TRIgirls and I were pretty close on the run and we'd see each other on the out and backs. At one point, I told TRIgirl JS that I'd pay someone to do the second loop for me.

I had the Garmin for the run - so I knew my run was averaging at a slower pace than my best for an Oly race. I actually started to feel a little better during the last 2 miles (not that my pace improved at all). Though the last few hundred meters seemed much longer!

Coming around the corner to the finish, I saw and heard our great sherpas cheering. I mustered up a small sprint - and hoped the time I saw on the clock was right. And that the start time was right.

Because if it was...

I found out later my hopes came true. I had a PR - of a whopping 35 seconds - 2:59:28, just barely breaking 3 hours for the first time. Even with my lackluster run of 1:03:12 - 8/15. Overall, I finished 5/15 - with the fourth place finisher beating me by 15 seconds.

All my training buddies had solid races, too. TRIgirl JB shared my need for a compass as she missed a turn on the run and probably did an extra half mile (I'll take extra time on the bike any day vs. the run). And there was some hardware to celebrate! Barracuda BN placed first in his age group and TRIgirl PH finished second in hers. We waited to watch them receive their awards - very cool and impressive glass mugs - while sipping some of SuperAnnn's champagne.

I think all of us were enjoying the day - and we decided to extend it a little longer with a final stop back at TRIgirl JS' home.

For some Rumpus wine and cookies!

Training Update - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Good -

Love my bike. Love my rides. Love my fellow bike riders. Love...OK, you get the picture. Seriously, the bike is going well. Recently I've had great rides with TRIDi, TGCoach CD and Ironwoman Canada.

I always look forward to rides with TRIDi. She is so much stronger than she gives herself credit for - even before factoring in that she is about to graduate from an accelerated business IT program, works full time and is dedicated to her family, kids, dog and friends. Our rides are tough, but always full of fun moments and great conversation.

TGCoach CD kindly agreed to meet with me for a ride before I left for Phoenix. We made this year's first pilgrimmage to Miller's Lane, with her devious hills and cruel teases. TGCoach CD helped me feel more comfortable with my natural tendencies for dealing with traffic and worked my butt off trying to teach me how to attack hills as we rode the Capital One loop a bunch of times. Build up speed, rise off your seat, come out with acceleration.

Ironwoman Canada and I ventured out on her 5 county course this week. She claims riding with me is fine. It is like the third or fourth time she has been on her bike in over two years due to injury and having a baby - though her rockstar abilities were obvious - I don't think she broke a sweat while I panted and gasped for air more times than I want to remember. She made me pull for over half of the ride, giving me pointers for climbing tough Patterson hills and yelling at me to PEDAL when hitting descents I'd normally coast (and brake) through (I learned that bike breaks were reserved for after the workout, not during) - making this training ride with notable winds and tough climbs within seconds of my White Lake half IM race pace.

Now Patriot Sangria's life would be perfect if we could throw in a few bike rides with more TRIgirls (DL, Annn and MS, among others!), Barricudas (BL and BN) - and the rest of the winter posse!

The Bad -

While my swim training has seemingly remained on track, I had a rude awakening during a core workout when I couldn't put my left arm into the correct position for a lat pull exercise because it.would.not.go. Right arm - perfect, left - a mess. My shoulder pain has fluctuated from tolerable to annoying to more uncomfortable than I want to admit - and when Ironwoman Canada told me "This is not good," I scheduled an appointment with Dr. S for this coming Tuesday. All signs are pointing to tendonitis - and I'm hoping that a good cortizone shot will reduce the inflammation so I can build up strength and flexiblity.

The Ugly -

I've been struggling with running since the SF. Though I am gradually upping the distance, my pace is all over the place. The dreaded side stitch from my early running days has returned, usually around mile 2.5. During my t-run yesterday, I tried running up hills for the first time since SF - and it was not fun. I am grateful that my foot is feeling fine, but also realize I've lost some ground and have my work cut out for me for Placid.

Why I May Have to Do IMAZ in 2010

I'm just catching-up after returning home from a week's stay in Arizona for work and pleasure.

I could so live there. At least, this time of year.

My visit has me (almost) convinced that IMAZ should be in my race future because...

1. The Phoenix area has outdoor pools for swimming. Beautiful, slightly heated outdoor pools. I swam every weekday, feeling the sun on my back and fresh air on my skin. Now Tempe Town Lake is a little murky, but looks like one of the calmest bodies of water in the IM series.
2. Bike lanes have been incorporated into many major roads. Ah - a bike friendly city! The area is mostly flat - and definitely does not have steep climbs or descents.
3. Every day during my visit was sunny and dry. A little windy at times. No, and I mean no, humidity. Running took some getting used to as hydration needs were different, but I didn't even realize I was sweating during my runs until I stopped.
4. I have close friends who live about a half hour away from Tempe and my company has a subsidiary office in Phoenix. Which means I can justify trips easily - wanting to see my friends, getting training time on the IM course - and even having the ability to work remotely if needed.

Plus, I think a cactus themed MDot tattoo would be a cool addition to my ankle.

Where Am I?

I am not so sure.

The whole stress fracture thing has thrown me for a loop.

But not in the ways you might think.

After this week, I should be officially healed.

To be honest. I haven't really missed running. I've worried about missing running. Quite a bit. But, missing donning my running sneakers and hitting the pavement? Not so much. I've enjoyed the G-trainer runs. And my excuses for running just a couple times a week.

Now contrast that to this past weekend when the gloomy, rainy, cold weather prevented me from biking outside. I was a - ah yeah - that female dog word. I can't imagine if an injury compounded that miserable factor - and if I had to miss 10 weeks of beloved bike riding (my heart goes out to TRIgirls SQ and SJG)...instead of running.

This same weekend, I had my first brick of the year (and since SF diagnosis). After a long and tough trainer ride with Coach Troy, training mates and Ironwoman Canada - Barricuda BL pushed me through my first transition run. It felt good, but...I was (and still am) worried about being so far beyond - and not terribly excited about catching up.

So, for IMUSA - bike and swim training seem to be on track. I feel fairly hopeful about how both are progressing.

But the running...

Well, that seems to be needing a bit more physical committment and mental motivation.

Aquavelo IMUSA, anyone?

What a Wonderful World (Weekend)

I see trees of green...flower buds, too
I see 'em bloom...while most runners flew

And I think to myself...what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue...clouds of white
Bright Bulldog kids...runnin' with delight

I hear friends yell loudly...do you need Gu?
They're really sayin'..."I.heart.you"

And I think to myself...what a wonderful world.

The colors of a rainbow...so pretty in the sky
Are also on the bikes...of riders whizzing by

I see friends lovin' the ride...sayin,' "How did I do?"
They're really rockin'...I.heart.them, too

I hear my coach cry...grab H20!
She'll help me learn...what I need to know

And I think to myself...what a wonderful world.

Yes, I think to myself...what a wonderful world!

Not So Fast...

This was the week.

The week I would return to the running world.

I took a premature jump by going to track on Monday - my first track workout since before Christmas. And my first run outdoors, on my full body weight, since the "test runs" when hoping for a stress reaction.

I've been running on the g-trainer faithfully, increasing the amount of body weight over the past five weeks from 20-75%.

And, after Monday, I can tell you that last 25% makes a difference. (Now if I can just lose like 30 something pounds, maybe I'd have a chance of running at the pace I've grown accustomed to on the g-trainer.)

Track was hard. My foot was stiff. My pacing was off. Toward the end, it started to feel a little more natural, but it was a bit of an eye opener. I have some work to do.

Fast forward to Tuesday - and my doctor's visit to check out the foot and discuss the "back to run" regime. Ironwoman Canada kindly came with me to hear the plan.

For some reason, I thought I'd be back up to 8 miles by the end of March.

Not so. I'm supposed to run, very slowly, 3 times this week for 20 minutes (plus an hour and a half on the g-trainer), then 30-40 minutes per week (plus 2 hours on the g-trainer) for the next 3 weeks, gradually building up some speed.

I am going to be a good bit behind my Lake Placid training mates with running come April.

Patience...

On My Way

Today I am boot free.

No cute shoes yet, but no clomping around, either.

My foot? Dare I say? It feels healed. Stiff and a little “off” – but no pain.

I still have one more week of the Gravity Trainer – which is quite cool. Basically you put on this bike short style wetsuit with a “tube” around the middle that you zip into a big bubble on a treadmill. It fills up with air to displace body weight. I started at 20% of my body weight the first week – and am up to 60%. You can run like the wind when you don’t have to lug around all your weight. I’ve actually been sore afterwards from the faster gait.

Then – the following week, I meet with Dr. Stadler to discuss my “back to running plan.”

It’ll be awhile before I can run fast or far. No Shamrock, no Monument 10 K even (silver lining – I’ll be cheering folks from a balcony on the race course, sipping mimosas and bloodies) – but, with any luck, I’ll be hitting the pavement in a couple of weeks.

And the Rest of the Story

Weeks ago, right after MightyMan (maybe, even, actually before), a few training buds were asking me if I was doing any of the Richmond races in November (marathon, half, 8K).

My answer was a resounding, "maybe" (for the half marathon). Notice, the race is still not listed on my 2008 calendar.

With the unplanned events of MightyMan finishing up my planned race season, I was ready to jump into off-season. Not so much to skip training, but to have the right to just do what I wanted to do. So, while I didn't specifically train for this half, I tried to keep up with a few longer weekend runs.

Just in case I would feel like doing the half.

Like on a gorgeous Richmond fall day - those cool, crisp days where I can almost enjoy running.

I heard myself saying quite often, "I have no desire to do another race this season in the rain."

So I waited. About a week ago, I checked the 10 day weather forecast. Race day looked great - and I found myself at the computer signing up.

I swear the very next day the forecast changed to "showers possible," then "showers likely," then "rain," building up to the day before the race with "rain, thunderstorms and heavy wind."

Exactly what I didn't want. Feeling obligated to run a race that would be a challenge to enjoy.

Two days before the race, I was swimming with TRIgirl MW. She and I discussed our ambivalence about doing the half in lousy weather and agreed to touch base race day. Race eve, I went to the expo with TRIgirl BL. She was fighting a horrible cold and wasn't sure about racing either. But we both picked up our race packets and enjoyed a yummy pre-race meal.

Again, just in case.

That night, I begrudgingly prepared all my race day gear.

I even went to bed early, only to be woken up around 1:00 am with Buttercup shaking and panting.

Soon thereafter, the mother of all thunderstorms started to pass through, pounding the house with torrential downpours and big claps of thunder - for hours. Around 4:00 am, it started to ease up and I fell back asleep for another hour or so, thinking there was no way I'd be racing if a similar storm was to follow.

My alarm went off at 5:45, but I was tired and procrastinated getting out of bed for another 10 minutes. I took the dogs outside - the rain had dwindled down to just a light drizzle.

But, boy, was it warm and humid.

I checked my email. TRIgirl BL said she was in.

So, I figured I'd be upset if I raced and it started pouring, but I'd be more upset if I skipped the race and it turned out to be nice. I grabbed my stuff and headed downtown. I found TRIgirl MW - and we ran into a few other TRIgirls and friends racing, but I never caught up with TRIgirl BL before the race.

The race started. TRIgirl MW and I were soon discussing how warm it was - and how much we were sweating after just a half mile.

I really appreciated TRIgirl MW's company. We'd chat occasionally to keep our minds off the humidity, but I also enjoyed running together quietly as the miles ticked by.

Around miles 5-7, we wove through TRIgirls SS and KB's pretty northside neighborhood. They, along with TRIgirls SK and SD, were manning the race course - and cheering everyone on. Seeing them was wonderful - though I had to laugh when TRIgirl KB's initial response after hugging me was "Wow, you are sweaty!"

Soon after, TRIgirl MW and I lost track of each other. I tried to pick up my pace a little, but also felt the need to hit more aid stations as I felt like I was losing too much water and salt. I kicked myself for not packing endurolytes with my race gear earlier that morning when noticing the warmer temperatures.

The sun came out around mile 11 - which normally would have been great, except it just created oppressive steam conditions for the last couple of miles. I finally hit the last half mile - which was almost entirely down hill (sweet!). I heard Guppy AS call my name and gave him a high five as I tried to kick into "my version" of a sprint (lol) to the finish line.

Though not my best pace compared to a couple of recent training runs, I was still happy to end up with a PR - of about 6 minutes. My race time was 2:13:14 and included a small negative split for the second half of the run.

I caught up with a few other TRIgirls at the finish, including TRIgirl BL and her hubby - who struggled to race fighting horrible colds. TRIgirl MW and I compared notes on the last few miles - and we ran into TRIgirl DJM - who crossed the finish line looking very strong.

For the rest of the day, I tracked friends, fellow Guppies, TRIgirls and coworkers who were racing the marathon - especially excited for the first timers.

And on Sunday, I woke up to lovely, cool fall weather. (Grumble, grumble)

Congrats to all who race this weekend!