Kirsten-a runner, a triathlete...

Preggo Running Update

2011-08-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

It has been MONTHS since I've been on this blog, but I'm still here and I'm still out there running. I will include lots of pictures in this post!

Last Rochester Run's with my FRIENDS: I made every group run I possibly could and created a few extra's to squeeze in as many miles with my friends as I could in our last weeks in Rochester. They are ALL greatly missed and will always be a huge part of my memories of our time living in NY. I know I have lifelong friends there and we will be meeting up for future races and triathlons. Somehow I was able to keep up with them while pregnant even for our last runs together. Once I got to WA and further into my third trimester I slowed down, but am so thankful I could keep up with them while I was there! Also thankful to still be running!

Last Saturday long run with my friends. 10 miles at a 9:29 pace. Thankfully everyone runs their long run at an easy pace. These guys are all fast Boston Qualifiers and Racers!!!

(almost 29 weeks preg.)

Early morning and very humid 10 miler the day before I left town. 10.4 miles, 9:36 pace.

(Kathy, Heather, Megan, Steve, me, Sandy, Wendy)

Kim and I before our last yoga class in Rochester.

(28 weeks preg.)

Moving: We have officially made the move from Rochester, NY to Tacoma, WA. It was quite a wild adventure complete with packing, loading, driving 6 days, my husband driving the moving truck towing a car and me driving the SUV with two bikes and two dogs, then unloading and unpacking and settling in...

Rudy and Goliath

Current Running: Since moving to Tacoma, my husband Colin has started running with me for almost every run. He has run 4 or 5 half marathons, his first marathon last fall, and slows down to stay with me. (even though I tell him to go ahead!) He takes Rudy, our 6 year old energetic golden retriever, and runs ahead of me for our short 4 milers through the week. Then for the weekend long runs, we leave Rudy at home, and Colin runs with me the whole time. He easily tolerates my slower pace and frequent RR stops. I'm a lucky girl! It's great to not have to run alone after leaving so many great running partners in Roch! I'm now on a 10:00 to 10:30 mile pace but occasionally run a mile or two around 9:40's and 9:50's which seems crazy fast in this pregnant state! ha! I feel great out there running, some days are much easier than others to run. It's definitely more of an effort to run with an awkward belly and constant pressure on the bladder! I cannot wait for that part to end! At 35 weeks pregnant, yesterday I ran 9 miles with Colin at a 10:28 average pace and had to make 3 RR stops due to a baby on my bladder! But I made it to the end. Glad to still be running 5 to 6 days a week and making it to yoga once or twice a week. On long runs especially, I can literally feel the baby going lower and lower into my pelvis, weird! Here is an overview of pictures so you can "watch" the belly grow!

Almost 27 weeks...

28 weeks

29 weeks

29 weeks

My friend Dawn (and her husband) came from Iowa to visit us in Tacoma and she and I ran 10 miles together. She slowed down for me! 10 miles, 9:53 pace, 32 weeks pregnant

Sideview, 32 weeks

33 weeks, after 10 miles at a 10:09 average pace (with Colin)

34 weeks, after a short 4 mile run

34 weeks, sideview

Summer Weather: OUTSTANDING!!!! If you need a reprieve from the summer heat, you must visit the Pacific Northwest. It's unbelievable great running weather with highs only in the mid to upper 70's and no humidity. You can run in the middle of the day and be perfectly fine or opt for a morning run in the 60's and sometimes high 50's. I'm not kidding!!!!!

Hiking: This state is absolutely gorgeous! There are mountains and hiking and skiing all within driving distance. We were able to get out on several hikes and take in some beautiful scenery. On a clear day you can see amazing views of Mt. Ranier from Tacoma. It's so cool to live where there are mountain and water views all within a mile from my house! We've decided to curb the hiking since I'm more "pregnant" now and would hate to be stuck miles up a trail and have something crazy happen and not be able to get back down quick enough!

During a short hike in the Olympics, 31 weeks...

A view on a day we went for a hike on part of Mt. Ranier.

Baby Prep: We didn't get a single baby thing before our move because the fit on the moving truck was way too tight for anything extra! Since arriving here, it has been a mad rush to start getting the necessities. There are several items still on the shopping list and nothing purchased has been taken out of bags or boxes yet! It's all just piled up in the baby's room! This baby better not come early! Actually I think I'll be late, the baby's estimated weight at the ultra sound last week was only 4.9 lbs and most people are late with their first babies, right??? I'm 35 weeks, due date is September 7 which is exactly one month from today. YIKES!!!!!!! Needless to say I'm nervous about the whole thing but gradually working through and trying to mentally prepare for the pain of labor and come up with plans and strategies of how to handle it! Then there's the whole adjusting to life with a baby-but one step at a time. Here are a few pictures of the baby's room for your entertainment! It is comical how "not ready" it appears to be currently, but we'll get there!

I know, quite a ways to go....

Happy Summer Running to all of you! My next post may not be until after the baby arrives but I promise to post a pic or two so you can all see the new little one! Still don't know the gender!! Any guesses???? The heart rate is always 130's so according to Old Wives Tales it could be a boy...

Two for One

2011-05-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

Two for One, that is, two races in one blog post. Life is flying past and leaving little time for blog posts but finally making time to recap two races.

March: Spring Forward 9 mi. Race at 17 Weeks Pregnant

Since I didn't look at all pregnant, I pinned this sign to my back just for fun! We had a chilly yet sunny March morning for this hilly 9 mile race. Running attire included tights, long sleeves and gloves! I ran this race with a friend and we had a great time chatting up and down all of the hills. We stayed together until around the last mile and then I went ahead since I was feeling good and I could "smell" the finish line! Honestly, I can't remember my exact finishing time but I think it was around 1:30ish...

May 1: Flower City Challenge, Half Marathon at 21 Weeks Pregnant

This 13.1 miles was an amazing memory because I paced my Mom (Carol), age 60, for her first ever half marathon! Just a year ago, she trained for a 5K and came here to run it. Since then she continued running and entered several 5K's and one 5 miler on Thanksgiving Day. (There was a blog about that one complete with a picture of us posing with a running turkey...) Anyway, I sent her a training plan months ago and asked her to think about training for this half marathon. After deciding to take the challenge and sign up for the race, it was on! Mom trained hard for this one and it was a privilege to stay with her for every mile and cross the finish line together!

Mom and I with our medals after the race at my house.

Cheering for us at the finish line was my Dad, my sister Lindsay and her 3 year old son, Noah. Noah LOVES his Grammie and high fived her just before she crossed the line! Mom was thrilled to have held a 12:00 minute pace after not being sure she could maintain it for that distance, and finished in 2:38 and some change. Lindsay made this fun sign as a surprise and brought it to the race to cheer us on!

A HUGE congrats to my Mom! I am so proud of her for running such a great race! She has already mentioned thoughts of finding another half marathon to run...

Preggo Running Update

Still working, house hunting in WA, house selling here in NY, packing boxes, and hosting visitors but definitely RUNNING! Weekly mileage is 30-33ish and feels great! Actually, my IT band flared up after the half marathon, but it's much better this week than last week and definitely getting better. IT pain slowed down a few runs for sure, but this past week's long run of 10 miles was much improved and I ran a 9:21 pace, thanks to a fabulous running partner who made the miles click by! Still getting to the yoga studio and managing weekly long runs of 10-13 miles so I cannot complain about being pregnant! I still think I don't really look specifically pregnant, more like a girl with a gut! Here are a couple of belly pictures...

21 Weeks, day before the half marathon

23 Weeks, definitely a girl with a GUT, but almost 6 months??? Crazy how fast this is going!

Springing Into WINTER

2011-03-27T14:44:00.000-07:00

While the calendar says spring, the weather is screaming WINTER in protest! At least I know that with every day we are somehow closer to the warm weather that has to be in our future somewhere! Last week we got 6 inches of snow which promptly covered our grass that had just become visible in the previous week as our snow melted away. We had two warm days, even up to 60 degrees, and then winter struck again!

Thankfully, I'm still out there running but definitely ready to lose the winter running jacket, tights, gloves, and hats or ear warmers! Yesterday I ran 13 miles at 16 weeks pregnant, took me 2:02 at a 9:26 pace. Temps were in the 20's but more like 7 or 8 with the windchill-yuck!!! I'm really happy to be at this pace for my long runs and I know I will continue to slow down. Oddly I'm okay with my slowing pace because I know it's for a good reason and that it is temporary. My doctor says all of the running and other workouts I'm doing are perfectly fine because of my background. Good thing because if she didn't I think I would do it anyway! Ha ha! My 13 mile run was actually 2 minutes faster than the first half marathon I ever ran back in 1998! Much slower than my half marathon PR of 1:36 which was also some years back. (2004??) I love my Saturday long runs with my friends and I'm truly dreading the day when I won't be able to keep up with them anymore! But until then I'll keep rocking it out and enjoying the miles with them!

Fortunately, I can easily tell if I'm pushing too hard on the run because I'll get a little breathless and I know to back off a bit. It's so strange because I've never gotten breathless running! (unless at the end of 5K or really hard speed workout but you get my point...) It's also crazy how one day my body is just flat out slower and I'll run a 4 or 5 miler at a 9:30ish pace and then another day, like this past Friday, I run a 4 miler at a sub-9 minute pace. My pace Friday was 8:47 and my first mile 8:27. It's nice to have a day like that because it reminds me that this changing body is capable of running faster and after the pregnancy it will all come back.

On a baby note, we heard the heartbeat last week for the first time which was great. Not quite as much fun as the ultrasound but still cool to experience it. Next weekend I'm planning to run a 9 mile hilly race here locally which is a challenging course and a lot of fun. I won't be "racing" it but I'll be out there plugging away! Still out there 5-6 days a week running and logging between 30-35 preggo miles...yoga and spinning too about once a week...next week I'm hoping to drag myself to a pool workout-wish me luck!

March 5: 16 Miles at 13 Weeks...

2011-03-08T16:33:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday I ran 16 miles and then for the rest of the day I felt like I had run a MARATHON! I guess that's what happens when you're 13 weeks PREGGO!!!! We just told our parents, siblings, and friends, so it's officially out, baby number one for us is coming sometime around September 9. :)

We are super excited about this and shocked all of our family members with the news. I never said we weren't having kids, people just jumped to their own conclusions on the matter! :) It's no big deal, I always knew sometime before I was 40 I would give it a shot. After being married for 6 years and over-analyzing and re-hashing and processing for years-I'm finally ready! I think??? Seriously, I don't think you're ever ready for this until it happens-meaning the baby comes- but I knew it would be a huge regret if I lived my life and never tried to have a baby. Both of us are very thankful for this exciting new part of our lives and I'm sure it will be more than we an imagine. For now, we're just getting used to the idea that it's for real and praying for a healthy little one!

I've still been running 6 days a week, 32-35 miles total, taking in spin classes here and there, and going to my favorite yoga studios. I love all of that and have been so very lucky to have not had a second of sickness. In fact, I really haven't even felt pregnant, which is so strange! But I'm not complaining! I finally went for my first ultrasound last week thinking I was 9 weeks along. Imagine the shock for both my husband and myself to see an active kicking little baby with arms, legs, hands and feet all over the place! Within seconds the ultrasound tech said "You're not 9 weeks, I'll tell you that. You're more like 13 weeks!" Wow! It was truly the most amazing thing and an incredibly exciting moment for both of us. Finally, confirmation that this was for real! I never realized the impact of an ultrasound before when I've seen other people's pictures. :)

As I mentioned, the running has truly felt great! I've had a few days where I was a little tired but still felt like running and was able to get out there and enjoy the miles. My long runs have been at around 12 miles but then a week ago I bumped it up to 14 and couldn't believe how great I felt! Easy run, good recovery, 9:30 pace. My pace has slowed down some but I'm really okay with that and I know it will slow more. I've still had several days sprinkled in where I ran fairly quickly though. Anyway, this past Saturday, I decided to bump up to 16 miles since the 14 a week before had been so good. I always meet my running group for Saturday long runs and at the end of the 16 miles I had an average pace of 9:23. For the rest of the day I didn't get off the couch! I slept, made myself eat even though I wasn't hungry, and slept some more! Seriously, I've recovered better from some marathons!!! And I always have an appetite after long runs! Yes, I realize I over-did it slightly and will be more careful on future long runs.

This week I've been really paying attention to my body on my runs. I haven't tried to hit any specific paces but have paid attention to my breathing and not let myself get too breathless. This coming Saturday I'll probably drop down to 14 and not push the pace. I don't know how many more weeks I'll be able to hang with my friends on long runs but I'll enjoy it while I can! There are other slower pace groups that meet at the same place so I will just drop down and meet some new people when the time comes!

I'm hoping to run as long as possible. I've had some friends who ran all the way to the bitter end of their pregnancies with no problems, and others who had to quit at some point along the way for various reasons. As long as I feel good, have the energy, and my doctor gives the okay I plan to keep hitting the pavement! I'm signed up for the Rochester Flower City Challenge Half Marathon on May 1 and will be running with my MOM who will be completing her first half marathon at 60 years old! Her training is going great and I'm just thrilled to see her following the plan successfully! Hopefully I can keep up with her on race day! If not I'll accept whatever preggo pace I'm at by that point. LOL!

Honestly the strangest thing about this is that I'm not planning and training for 3 marathons and a zillion triathlons and an ironman this year!!!!! How will I survive??? Just kidding, I WILL miss the training, (already do!) but I have a feeling as the weeks pass I will be more and more focused on all of the crazy changes I will surely experience and the excitement of a baby on the way! Besides, I already have 2 marathons and an ironman picked out for 2012...and who knows what other races. :) I'll spare you which ones for now, but trust me, I already know the cities and dates for all of them!

For now I'll enjoy this new phase of running and continue to count down the days until spring!

Dec. 5, 2010: Dallas White Rock Marathon

2011-02-02T07:20:00.000-08:00

Winter time in Rochester...

Believe it or not, I initially hoped to post this race story before 2011 got underway, but clearly that did not happen. I had a great race experience, loved this marathon, and would definitely run it again! This was the last beautiful, warm-weather, sunny day run I've had as I now count down the days of the long cold winter to SPRING!! Although, I did have double IT band pain for most of the 26.2 miles and a slower finishing time than I prefer, I still count this as a great marathon. Obviously, completing an Ironman, a half-iron tri, a marathon, and then another marathon, all within 3 months- is a recipe that equals SLOW! :)

The Weather: Beautiful! Sunny! Cool at the start at around 30 degrees but it warmed up to the 40's and was a perfect sunny run in a skirt and long sleeved shirt. I didn't feel the least bit cold and recognized it would be my last sunny, dry pavement run for awhile since my home in Rochester was getting dumped on that day! (SNOW!)

The Course and the Crowd: I loved the course, it took us briefly through the downtown area, then through several nice neighborhoods where the homeowners were out on their lawns cheering the runners on all day! Lots of people complain about the 9 mile loop around the lake that begins around mile 12, and some years it can be chilly and windy. Surprisingly, I enjoyed this part of the run, it wasn't cool or windy, and since I had never run there before, it was beautiful. The only two hills of the entire race come at mile 20 and are nothing to worry about, not steep or long, over pretty fast. Definitely a course I would run again and hope for no nagging injury pains to get in the way.

ITB: My IT bands started hurting on both sides relatively early in the race, well before the halfway point. By mile 14 I had started stopping at every mile marker to briefly stretch both sides. This helped me run through the pain mentally knowing I could stop and stretch at those places and every stretch helped a bit though the pain never went away. I've had worse IT pain in other marathons and training runs in years past, but it was definitely there and nagging.

Number Nineteen: Woo Hoo!!! I made it to the finish line of my nineteenth marathon and I realized a long time ago that if I intended to run as many marathons as I can, that they certainly won't all be fast or PR's, so I'm happy to have finished it! And now I plan on triathlons too for the rest of my life, including an Ironman every 2 or 3 years, so I'm going to enjoy every day that I'm able to be out there! But I do plan to focus on speed and get a fast marathon under my belt again. Time will tell...

Will I go back? Absolutely! I loved meeting up with my old running friends from one of my first ever running groups in Arkansas for this race! Also, I have family in Dallas which makes it easy to travel there when I get to visit with them, too, in addition to a marathon. Besides, December is great running weather in Dallas!

View from the front steps of my house...

Winter Update: Since the day I got back, we have had steady, constant snow on the ground in Rochester. There are plenty of days when there is dry, clean pavement to run on despite the piles of snow on the ground itself. There are also days when the roads are snowy and like running in sand even though they've been plowed, not my favorite. If you have to run on snow, the best kind is frozen and icy and you just run right on top of it with that crunchy snow sound all around you. There are also days in the teens and single digits, or days with wind! After that, days in the 20's and 30's feel almost perfect in comparison! I had a blast running a 4 mile snow shoe race a couple weeks back. It was a gorgeous trail run through the woods with everything completely snow covered. Temps were below zero that day, but there was no wind and running in snow shoes is such a workout that I was literally HOT out there! Seriously! I'm just enjoying running, training for nothing, hitting a spin class here and there, a new thing for me, and still making it to my favorite yoga studio 1 to 3 times a week. Of course I still meet up with my fabulous running friends every Saturday for our weekly long runs. Excited for March when we might start getting less snow and warmer temps....one can only hope! :)

Running a Turkey Race with Mom

2010-12-20T12:39:00.000-08:00

Mom and I, post-race, we didn't plan to match! :)

Thanksgiving Day 2010 marked my Mom's first time to ever run 5 miles, and she chose a race to meet the distance goal! I decided to skip out on a local 10K race here at home in Rochester, NY, which I've run the previous two years since moving here, and went home a day early so I could race with my Mom.

Turkey Day morning we awoke to chilly temps and steady rain! But of course that didn't stop us from putting on our running clothes and running shoes to head out the door to the race. Along the 20 minute drive from my parent's house to the start line, we were laughing at ourselves for what we were about to experience!

We parked and ran from the car to packet pick-up, which was a small tent where other runners were huddled picking up racing numbers. Race bibs and goody bags in tow, we ran back to the car to wait a few more minutes, hoping the rain would lessen. Up until now we were relatively dry since we had rain jackets on, but I had to shed mine down to racing clothes in order to go and stand in the porta line before the race started. Standing in line, I got SOAKED! Oh well, what are you gonna' do??

Finally it was time to line up at the start, and we did! The race director led a pre-race prayer, which I thought was awesome. This race benefitted a shelter that helped homeless women and children called Hope Alive. It was humbling to think of others with no shelter from the cold and rain that we were experiencing at that very moment.

The gun went off and everyone was running! A half mile in we met our first big hill! I just pushed up to the top and started praying for my Mom to be able to run strong on that hill when she got there. This race was all through country roads and turned out to be full of big rolling hills! What a great course for your first 5 miles! (Insert sarcasm.) However, the rain actually stopped completely by the end of my first mile and it was suddenly great running weather! The only thing cold on me were my hands and after two miles they warmed up and were fine for the whole race.

I finished and then ran back out along the course to meet up with my Mom and run her in. I came to her after about .75 miles, turned around and ran in with her. She was doing amazing! Her pace was steady and strong, she had done fine on all of the hills we'd encountered, and was able to easily have a conversation with me. There we were, running it in, and talking. I'm so proud of her! She ran her first 5 miles ever, and she just turned 60 in August. But what else would you expect from a Mother of 5 and a High School English teacher? She also has always had major bicep muscles even though she's never lifted weights until recent years. (She always used to say "From carrying groceries and babies..." while flexing her cool muscles at our insistent requests--usually at the dinner table.)

I finished in 39:27, which was 33 seconds slower than I finished a flat 5 mile race last April, but I'm happy with it. Mom finished her first ever 5 miles in 56:21, hills, rain, cold, and all! At the end we posed for a picture with a runner who ran the entire race in a full-on turkey costume, too funny! By the way, this race was called the "Wattle Waddle: Thanksgiving Day 5 Mile Race," get it??? The turkey has a "wattle" and we all were going to "waddle" to the finish line? Cute, huh?

Gobble, Gobble!!!

Congrats Mom! I have big plans for her, next up a 10K, and one day a half marathon, and I'll leave my other goals for her unwritten... :)

I did run the Dallas White Rock Marathon on Dec. 5 and totally loved the course, though I had a painful race due to my IT bands. I'll run it again one year and will blog about it soon, marathon #19 was a success!

October 31, 2010: MCM pics

2010-11-21T12:15:00.000-08:00

Colin and I post-race, hooray for his FIRST marathon!

My Thoughts/Opinion: I know it has been weeks since the marathon, but I am just now getting a chance to post some pics after being out of town for awhile. My apologies for such a late race story on this one, seems like it was ages ago now! Suffice it to say I spent the first 7 miles ticked off at how crowded it was and frustrated that I couldn't just settle into a pace! On the other hand, it was a beautiful sunny day and the weather was perfect to me. I found the course very pretty and actually really liked running the hills, it was a nice change of terrain. But there were several parts that got even more crowded, I felt, because of the way they routed us. The "bridge" was seemingly un-ending and I was dying of thirst at that point, not my favorite part of the race! I've done other large city marathons that I thought handled the crowd of participants a bit better. I've never had to come to a dead stop when crossing the finish line. And I've never had to stand and wait in line for a medal. Usually it's all one smooth flowing motion, finishers just walk through and all of those things are taken care of with no stopping. At any rate, it's all in the past at this point and I'm happy to have been able to reach the finish line. Of course I did way too much weaving and my Garmin read 26.75 miles when I finished! My friend Steph cut every corner as tightly as she could and ended up with precisely 26.2, so lesson learned for me! No weaving!

Me with my girlfriends from Rochester, Steph and Wendy. :)

SIGNS: It seems like there is rarely a shortage of signs to read along the course of an endurance race. There were several shirts listing family members who were veterans which were moving to read. There were other more comical ones, like the back of one shirt that read "Dear God, please let there be someone behind me to read this!" And my favorite sideline sign at around 24 miles read "Embrace the Suck!" Oh yeah, that is most definitely the "sucky" time of the race! It made me laugh and reflect on how I should embrace it because is was near the END!

left to right: My Mom's siblings Uncle Mike, Aunt Lisa, Austin (Mike's son-in-law), me, Colin. We were all a little chilly at this point!

THE HILL: All through the later miles in the race I was prepping myself mentally for the infamous hill at mile 26. In my mind that sucker was vertical and huge and I told myself that no matter how bad I felt and how awful the hill was, I would not walk! Not that there is any shame in walking, I just didn't want to walk that close to the finish line. I wanted to power through and reach the finish without walking up that last hill! Let me tell you, building something up to the worst possible thing you can imagine is a great strategy! When I finally got to the hill I'd been dreading, it looked nothing like I was expecting and I picked up the pace a bit and sailed to the top! Of course my overall pace wasn't exactly speedy and stellar, but I did finish and added that 18th notch to my mental race belt. Ahhhh, the finish line.

A few more race day pics...

Some pics from the day after the race...

My first time to see the WWII Memorial which was very cool.

Colin next to his home state at the WWII Memorial.

As close as we were allowed to get to the White House.

The whole weekend was definitely one to remember and to celebrate the gift of being able to run. Getting to share it with friends and family make it even more memorable. Congrats to ALL who ran this marathon and know that I was praying for all of the runners that I knew out there on the course! You guys all rocked it! So proud of everyone! Until the next time.... :)

2010 Marine Corps Marathon and 10K Running Skirts in Action

2010-11-06T08:02:00.000-07:00

WOW!!! I've never made it on a skirt video before in a marathon! My friend Wendy posted this on her facebook page. She is at 19 seconds in the red dotted skirt and Mini Mouse ears with a big smile on her face! I'm at 57 seconds in a hot pink skirt and black tank. YAY for us!

It was gorgeous weather in DC for the entire weekend! Colin and I had a great time, loved where we stayed, loved being in the city, and both crossed the finish line and got our medals! He ran his FIRST marathon, woo hoo!!! So proud of him, he powered through despite major leg cramping from mile 16 to the end, yikes! He finished in 4:55 and plans to run another one when he has time to train, work schedule was nuts for him this time around. Plus he sprained his ankle at the end of August and lost 3 weeks of training. Congrats to him on becoming a marathoner!

I finished right back in the time zone of my first two marathons, uggh! But I was really burned out and tired from the all the tri's this summer, mainly the Ironman and then the half-iron in September, just had no speed in training so I knew it wouldn't be there race day. BUT I did finish and got the medal, in 4:31.

This was my 18th marathon, something to celebrate right? I signed up for Dallas White Rock Marathon on Dec. 5 because I don't know if I'll get to run one this spring if we are moving, lots of "up in the air" things in life right now. And I figure if I rest up, don't do any long runs that will beat me down, get out there and hit some speedwork, I can at least run a 4:29! Ha ha! Seriously, it would be nice to run around a 4 hour or 4:15, not trying to BQ, just trying to bank on my training and take a little time off. PLUS my friends from Arkansas are running and I get to meet up with them and stay in the same hotel with them! And I will get to see two nieces and a nephew who LIVE there! Can't beat it! Besides, I've never run this marathon before. Did I convince you why I need to run it yet? :)

Most of the fun is hanging out with your friends at the finish and talking about the race! My two girlfriends from Rochester, Wendy and Steph (okay, actually she is from Canada!) met at the expo and at the finish and hashed out our race stories. I also loved meeting up with my Aunt Lisa who ran a 4:36, she has run Boston 5 times and is going back again this spring. My Uncle Mike, (Lisa's brother, both are my Mom's siblings...) ran a 3:33 and he's 54! His fastest marathon time is 3:08 which he ran not too long ago. I can't help but brag on their running times!!! (Lisa's PR is 3:45, since I'm in the bragging zone...) My cousin's husband, Austin, also ran this marathon on limited training time and STILL finished! And one of the most special finishers, Jen, my sis-in-law, ran her FIRST marathon in 5:03! Sadly we didn't get to meet up though we did try! I'm really SAD about that! But oh so proud of her! You can read her 6 posts about her first marathon on her blog.

I didn't mean to make this post so long. I will post a real story about my race soon, and will throw in a few pictures. Just wanted to share the skirt video and give a basic re-cap. CONGRATS to all of you who rocked the 2010 Marine Corps Marathon!!!

September 19: Last Tri of the Season

2010-10-14T06:07:00.000-07:00

Me, Kim and Steph the day before the race, I love these girls! We have the best time training together-biking all summer, training swims in the lake, running, and yoga. Kim drove us to the Syracuse Half Ironman Tri in her "tri-mobile" a fabulous minivan with all the bells and whistles that carries us, our three bikes and all of our race gear. We shared a hotel room and headed to the start in the dark as night, rainy race day morning together.

Honestly, I really had to psych myself up for this last tri of the season. I'm so glad I had a couple of girlfriends to go with to the race and several other friends there racing as well. After the full ironman and training all summer, I was kind of ready for the end of the season. If the weather had been gorgeous for this race, I may have been a little more motivated. The day before the race was beautiful, sunny, near 70 degrees but race day was drizzly rain, dark, cold-you get the idea.

The Swim: Water temp was 61 which is pretty chilly. I actually didn't mind it too much and felt good in my wetsuit. Some people complained that their feet and faces were freezing but I felt decent all through, We swam in a rectangle in a reservoir for 1.2 miles. The water was calm and the way out was really nice, easy to sight and went by so fast. It was a wave swim start so everyone started in their age groups. Before I knew it I was nearing the finish and the best part of the whole race day was the wet suit peelers! No triathlons have this except Ford Ironman's and Ford Half-Ironman's. Volunteers meet you at the end of the swim, you lay on the ground and they strip your wetsuit off for you! This is amazing and if you've ever taken your own wetsuit on and off you appreciate the effort and time it saves to have two people peel your wetsuit off for you in SECONDS!

The Bike: The route was great! We trained on it once and it was a fiasco, pouring rain that day, felt like HILLS for MILES, and we got lost to top it all off!!!! Ended up with almost 70 miles and had a lot of fun laughing at ourselves and created a lot of inside jokes that day! (This was myself, Kim and Steph...) Well race day, the ride went much better! It was a hilly route, but fun to ride. The only downside for me was that it was a drizzly rain and foggy, which made it hard to push and ride hard because I didn't want to slide around or wreck on wet pavement. My max speed on one of the downhills was still 42.4 miles per hour! I wore arm warmers, tri shorts and a tank for the entire ride and was glad to have my arms covered, still cold pretty much the whole ride.

The Run: Uggh!!!! At least the rain stopped on the run. I was not a fan of the route which was a point to point 13.1 mile run that eventually put us on a 4 lane highway that went past all these really attractive strip malls. At least the people in the cars cheered for the runners, or some of them did. The runners had a lane all to ourselves, wow. To top it off, I was pretty tired and my IT band started hurting, I couldn't wait to reach the finish line which I did, FINALLY!

Overall, my friends and I all raced well and enjoyed the day. After I finished the rain cleared and it turned into a sunny afternoon, go figure! Weather affects me so much, I think I would have felt entirely different during the race if it had a been a nicer day. Logistically this race was my least favorite. We had to drive 10 miles or so from the host hotel to reach the transition area and race start. Race morning it took us 30 minutes, and some who left later took even longer, because of the long line of cars full of all the race participants trying to get to the same place. Then because the run was a point-to-point, it ended 13.1 miles from the race start and all of our gear, so we had to take shuttles back to the start to get our things and drive home. But we did get medals for finishing and made a few more triathlon memories together! I'm glad I got to do this race and was able to complete it. I don't want to take for granted that I can be out there doing it. Regardless of weather, you have to tough it out on race day, not just on the perfect day. Besides, when does "life" ever give us a "perfect" day everyday? :)

Overall Finish- 6:13:16

Swim- 39:25

T1- 6:58

Bike- 3:14:37

T2- 3:50

Run- 2:08:26

IM Wrap-Up Pics

2010-09-16T08:37:00.001-07:00

Waiting in line for the swim start. The line stretched for more than a mile. nice face, huh? I didn't get to jump off the dock to start the swim until 45 minutes after the official start time.

This is the end of the 2.4 mile swim, the final bouy, and then we swam to the steps to exit the water.

Swim complete-woohoo! Now off to transition to the changing tent to get ready for the bike! During the run from the swim exit to transition, I saw my Aunt Lisa and Rose cheering me on and again as I exited on my bike! Colin actually took these pics but somehow I didn't see him!

Final push to the finish of 112 miles of rolling, hilly, gorgeous country side and horse farms galore! Only downside was that is was in full sun with no shade and temps topped out at 94 degrees. Lisa and Rose were out on the course when I hit 70 miles, what a boost to have them cheering! I got to see the whole crew when they took this pic! At the end of the ride I was completely covered in a thick layer of salt. During the bike ride I actually had a headache within the first two hours. I worked hard to drink even more and loosened my ponytail a little thinking maybe that would ease the headache.

This is what the end of a tough 26.2 mile run looks like! I was beyond happy to see the finish line. It was a double out and back run course and we literally ran right up to the finish line at mile 13ish and had to turn right to do the out and back loop again. It was not a scenic run in the least, pretty much torture to run in my dehydrated state! I got to run with several people along the way, chatting some and helping each other through small stretches of the run. A huge upside was getting to see Colin, my cousins Rose and Julia, and my Aunt Lisa all throughout the run. They were fabulous!

Sporting my hard earned medal and chatting about the day at the finish line... :)

I was so much more fatigued after this Ironman than my first one and I think it was because it was so much hotter. Literally felt better to squat then to stand upright! This is me talking to my sister Kellee on my cell, she had been following the race and talking to Colin all day. :) I had to sit on a curb and drink some water before I could walk back to the hotel... Last IM I felt fine to walk around, stand and talk and it was no big deal to get my gear and get to the hotel. This time Colin got me to the hotel and then went out to pick up my bike and all my gear for me, what a keeper!

Julia, Lisa, Me not being able to stand up anymore, and Rose! Julia has done a sprint tri previously, Lisa has run LOTS of marathons including Boston 5 times and counting, Rose is an amazing runner and marathoner with a PR of something like 3:24.

Safely back home again the day after the race, proudly wearing my finishers hat and a t-shirt that says "Ironman Louisville." It was fun but I never plan to do this HOT Ironman race again! Goodbye Louisville! Hello to future IM cities like Tempe, Arizona or Madison, Wisconsin and definitely would go back to Panama City Beach, Florida!

Next up Syracuse 70.2 Triathlon on Sep. 19 and then Marine Corps Marathon on Oct. 31.

Ironman Louisville Preview....Post One

2010-09-01T17:14:00.000-07:00

Well, I finished the IM in some seriously hot weather conditions. It was a dig deep kind of day that took lots of prayer, and I was so thankful to cross the finish line. There's really nothing like the sight of the finish line after a seemingly never ending race day! I knew I would be slower then my first IM but I ended up an hour and 45 minutes slower. Try that for your ego!!!! But truly it was the best I could do, it was a completely different race course and city, and the biggest difference was the weather. I will gradually go through the swim-bike-run that took me 15:00:54 in future posts. But first a preview...

HIGH POINTS:

The Finish Line!!!!!!!!!!!!

Colin-my husband there cheering me on, not to mention he went and picked up all my gear and bike post-race, and listened to me about everything all through the weekend...

Aunt Lisa and Cousins Rose and Julia-drove 2 hours to meet for dinner the night before and cheered me all through the entire long race day! They rocked! Took lots of pics too!

Ohio River proved to be easy water to swim in, brown and murky, but not stinky.

Fun rolling hills on the bike course!

Met a few people to chat with briefly along the run course!

Pulled myself through the run by cheering on the other runners in the later darker miles of the course and then got called "Skirt Girl" and asked "How I could be so perky?" by those same runners. :)

LOW POINTS:

That this thing was in AUGUST!!!! In Kentucky!!!!!

That it was 94 degrees and the bike course was in FULL SUN!!!!

An aid station on the bike course ran out of water (just didn't get replenished quickly enough...) so I went without for 12 miles or so, not fun. (I had half a bottle of warm gatorade on my bike, better then nothing.)

Had a headache for the first hour or two of the bike, it was hot out there. Kept drinking gatorade and pushing to get better hydrated.

Cried at mile 5.86 of the run because I felt so bad, dehydration bad feeling in my head, not really muscles. Another runner coming back on the other side of the road said, "It's okay, we ALL feel like that, keep going!!!" So I sucked it up, quit my crying, and kept going!

Run course was a double out and back straight shot with no turns, very boring, and we had to do it TWICE! AND at mile 14 we had to run right up to the finish line but instead of going down the chute to the end, we turned left and went back out for the second boring out and back loop. You could see and hear the screaming crowd and the people finishing. good times.

HYDRATION and NUTRITION:

Bike-Drank 4 aero bottles of water, 2 sports drink bottles, 5 hours worth of Hammer Perpetuem (900 calories), 4 mini Clif bars (100 calories each), 2 Clif Shot Blocks packages (200 calories each), half a banana from an aid station.

Run-Drank Nuun (3 tablets worth spaced out, needed more), straight water, sports drink (not sure how much, drank it at the aid stations as needed.), 4 GU gel packs (100 calories each).

[Aid stations had lots of food and choices but I just can't eat on the run which is why I try to really take it all in on the bike.]

WEIGHT CHANGES:

Friday: weighed in at athlete check-in 4 lbs heavier than my normal which was a result of minimal workouts for the two previous taper weeks, not a big deal. Body water was at 50 percent which was good. (anything from 45 to 60 is good.)

Sunday Race Day: CALORIE BURN was 13,020, craziness!!!!!

Tuesday: a full day after the race I weighed 9 pounds LESS than I did at the athlete weigh-in!

Wednesday: back to my normal weight, not the extra 4 lbs. I had at the athlete weigh-in but at what I've been weighing all summer.

RECOVERY:

Feel better than after a marathon, not sure why??? Quads were a little sore Mon-Tues but not Wednesday, left hamstring is a still a little tight. Overall, I feel pretty good. I did NOT feel so great at the finish line, tired and hard to stand up then!

Monday-drove the 9.5 hours home.

Tuesday-3 mile walk plus a 1 mile jog. (hadn't planned to run but was in a hurry to get back and it didn't hurt.)

Wednesday-very easy 1.5 hour slow paced bike ride.

Thursday-went out to bike 30 miles with my friend but felt so great that I biked 5o miles instead! Would not have done it if I didn't feel good, no soreness during or after and pace was decent. (15.8, not bad for a few days after IM)

the rest of the week? lake swim on Friday and a short run on Saturday.

Why am I recovering so well??? I think because it was sooooooo incredibly hot at the IM that I couldn't go all out like I had trained up for and now I've still got some in the tank. Too bad I can't go try again for faster in an upcoming IM but they fill up a year in advance and my husband would flat out leave me! ha! Not really, but he definitely would not be in favor! I mean, I'm definitely doing MORE of these things, I'm hooked and want to get faster, but I won't being doing one in the fall! :)

COMING SOON: Maybe some short posts and more pictures, one about the swim, one about the bike, and a final one about the run. Trying to keep it shorter. But of course this one is completely long. Sorry.

IM Race MOJO!!!!!!

2010-08-25T05:15:00.000-07:00

Nerves, Anxiety, Apprehension----ALL at the forefront of my mind this week! Yep, I've been in my own personal world of freak out! I've even gone so far as to be disappointed in a slower finishing time for my second Ironman then I had in my first Ironman, and I haven't even raced yet!!!!!! Pretty funny when I step back and look at myself! But seriously, this will be a much hotter race, different terrain, different swim, no comparison to my first IM. My goal is to finish. The time will be whatever it is, not putting pressure on myself, I want to listen to my body and race smart, fuel well, follow my nutrition plan, and HAVE FUN!

IT'S HERE: Sunday, August 29 is the race day, please pray for me while I'm out there! My number is 427 and it is Ironman Louisville if you want to track me on-line. I so appreciate the encouraging words I've heard from my friends both in person and on facebook. I love being out there and I think that as soon as I hit the water the nerves will settle and I'll enjoy being out there!

RACE DAY FUEL/NUTRITION: On the bike I will have Perpetuem, Clif bars, Clif shot blocks, Gatorade and water. I'd rather have a little more than I might want than not enough! On the run I'll probably just do straight GU gels and water, they'll have tons of stuff at the aid stations but not sure I'll want it at that point. Last time I couldn't do anything but gels by the time I got to the run. Planning to have NUUN in my water bottle on the run.

MENTAL GAME: This day is a huge mental game, even more so than the marathon. So it starts in my head. As I stated in the beginning, I've been on the nervous side! Well, yesterday I got this awesome message from my songbird friend from college. Her name is Colleen, we haven't seen each other since we graduated but connected on facebook in the past year. She has done two Ironmans, works for Livestrong, and is an amazing athlete! I LOVE what she wrote, hit the nail on the head, made me laugh, and brought me back to reality! I CAN DO THIS! God is my strength, there are way more important things and far more difficult things in life then a little old swim-bike-run. So Louisville, here I come! Excited!

Colleen's Words: "YOU ARE READY! You have planned your race....now race your plan! Do not deviate one bit from what you know you have worked on in the past 5 months of training." (actually 6 months, but who's counting??)

"Have fun. Don't take it too seriously. Keep in mind it is a long training day – you are not going to win. Eat and drink more than you think you need. Smile and/or laugh every once in a while. Think about people during the race that are in much greater pain than you ever will be. Think about me barfing in the swim on my first Ironman – it was red because I drank cranberry juice that morning (I thought I was puking blood). Enjoy it when they take your wetsuit off for you – that never happens in real-life. Play games with yourself all day. Go easy when it feels hard and go hard when it feels easy. Don't think about the people who will be finishing as you get off the bike. Do something stupid when you cross the finish line. Say thank you to the volunteers. Have a beer after you are done, even if you don't want one. Stay at the finish line until the race is over – you will want to leave, but it will be worth it to see the last finishers. Be prepared to be mauled in the swim – if you expect to get kicked and lose your goggles it won't be a shock when it happens. Don't get an M-Dot tattoo, no matter what."

And there you have it, thanks Colleen!!!

Bad Things Happen in 3's :)

2010-08-02T06:47:00.000-07:00

1. Transmission on my car went out 2 weeks ago! Fun times, got it towed, re-built, then back to the shop for the key stuck in the ignition. It's just a car! Been 13 days without it but it comes home today. Pain in the wallet! :)

2. First Solo Flat Tire: Only 6 miles from home on my 52 mile solo bike ride, I got my first flat tire when I was alone! I know how to change them but always have a little help. SO, I was fine, actually kind of glad for a chance to prove to myself I could do it alone. I could do it, not very fast, but changed the WHOLE thing. Don't get your hopes up, it was a failure! I changed it and got all the "hard" parts accomplished, only to break the valve off my newly changed tube when I tried to air up the tire with my CO2 cartridge. Literally the moment I had the mishap a young couple on road bikes pulled up and helped me out. They gave me a new tube and the guy changed the tire for me! I love happy endings, don't you? Free flat tire clinic, here I come!

3. Broken shifter cable on my bike: Yep, this weekend it was my shifter cable that frayed and completely broke making it impossible to shift out of my little ring and into my big ring. I was 3 hours into a 5.5 hour ride with my husband! This makes it impossible to shift into higher gears and ride at a faster pace. Great. He says we'll have to shorten the route or it will take forever. This "type A" addicted to my training girl cannot handle that! Ha ha!!! So, he got out his tools, took off my front derailer and put the chain on the big ring and I rode the next 2.5 hours in my big ring. Yahoo! This is only not fun when you are climbing a hill and don't have your low gears to make it easier to reach the top. There weren't too many hills though so I survived! Bike went straight to the shop when we got home for a repair and tune-up and it will be ready on Tuesday! Yay!

Happy Weekend: It was a great weekend! Got some great hang-out and training time with my husband after having barely seen each other or talked for the past week while he worked over 80 hours and was completely exhausted all week! Logged a 5.5 hour bike ride and 40 min. run in gorgeous weather, a long run the next day, and even grilled out on the deck! I'm all about quality time! :)

Musselman Half Iron Tri: July 11, 2010

2010-07-26T07:24:00.000-07:00

Kim and Kirsten, post-race, notice the empty transition area...

I LOVE this race and highly recommend it to anyone considering a half-iron triathlon distance! It's an outstanding, well-organized, family oriented, FUN race. The bike course is flat and fast, the run has challenging hills, and the swim is in beautiful Seneca Lake. This was my second time to participate in this race. They also have a mini-mussel which is the sprint distance, a micro-mussel which is some kind of comical tricycle race, and the Kid's Mussel which is awesome to watch!

My assigned spot in transition, when you register they ask you to give them motivational slogans and they put them on your sticker at your spot in transition. Mine says "I love this stuff! Ride it like you stole it! Never give up!" Of course I only had time to read that before the race started! I love the idea though. :)

My Race:

The SWIM felt great, my goggles were a bit fogged so I felt like I had to work harder to stay on course but it was decent. I finished the 1.2 miles in 37:28, about 30 seconds faster then last year. Yay! Then it was out of the lake, a run down the path to transition while getting my arms out of the wetsuit and into biking shoes/socks, helmet, gloves and sunglasses. Did I forget anything? No! Out of T1 in 2:55, a huge improvement for me!

My spot in the transition area with everything set exactly the way I wanted it, you should see the mess it becomes as the race progresses. :)

My BIKE computer wasn't working immediately when I started at the mount line, nice. I stopped (can you believe it?) to try and fix the sensor on my front wheel which had gotten knocked out of place. Of course I couldn't fix it and I'm ultra dependent on watching my speed and time to know how hard to push and when to take in nutrition. Well, I couldn't fix it and didn't want to waste precious time so off I pedaled deciding to ride totally on feel, what choice did I have? Honestly, it was good for me even though I took a little while mentally to get over it while I was riding! I love the bike course, it's awesome, fast, you can really fly! We had a head wind for the first 14 miles so perceived effort was up but I kept pushing. Then it was a fabulous tail wind! I saw all kinds of people passing me while drafting (against the rules), a few people blocking (also against the rules and quite annoying when you want/need to pass them!!) and it was incredibly gratifying to watch the official motorcycle pull up beside people and take down their numbers to apply penalties. Yes! I loved that and it made me even more cautious to not accidentally break any rules myself. I finished the 56 miles in 3:07:36 with an 18.0 avg. speed.

Pre-race transition area with athletes setting gear for their races.

Into transition, my legs were tired when I walked/jogged my bike to my spot. Quick change of shoes and shedding of bike gear, grabbed my water bottle and I was off! T2 about 20 seconds slower than last year in 2:52. The RUN was so hot and hilly, I completely struggled through the course in full sun with little shade. (Yes, I still love this race!) Spectators were out in their yards with hoses spraying us and I ran through every one of them! I sponged cold ice water all over my face, neck, arms and poured water over my head. I took in several Gu gel packs and drank water. I would have loved some gatorade, the course had Heed, which I don't care for, such a snob! I also would have done well to take in salt tablets. About a mile from the finish I passed my friends cheering me in and felt so bad I almost cried! In fact, I did cry a little. I was so HAPPY to cross the finish in line in 2:18:38 for 13.1 miles, even though it was 14 minutes slower than my run last year! Uggh! So, I ended up with a total time of 6:09:29 which was only 7 minutes slower than my overall time last year. It could have been much worse if I hadn't improved in other parts but it could have been so much better if I could have run better. But it is what it is! I'm thankful to have completed the race and it was frankly the best I could run on that day. :)

The LOOT: We got arm warmers, gloves, a nice long-sleeved tech shirt (made from recycled material), and a finishing eco-friendly water bottle and finishing medal which is a chainring. (basically a recycled bike part) This race really goes all out to be environmentally conscious.

There's the "stuff" and Kim made the awesome keepsake clipboard as a surprise!

Place in the Race: I got 22nd out of 53 in my age group of 35-39 year olds. I came in 423 out of 794 overall. I do wish I had run better, running is supposed to my "thing," I remember when I used to pass everyone on the run in tri's, not that day! Life goes on, I'm learning to be thankful that I can have health and fitness to do these things that I love, and appreciate that God gives me the desire and ability to do it, regardless of finishing times. It's for his glory anyway that we're even on this earth. And so as the verse says in Col. 3:23 "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not to men." So I will do it with all my heart and be thankful and happy that I can!

PICTURES: My great friend and training partner, Kim, went through this whole weekend as well, and also our friend Scott, who is married to another marathon training friend of mine. The three of us traveled together in Kim's awesome triathlon Dodge minivan with automatic doors on all sides and room for THREE bikes PLUS all of our STUFF! It's amazing, see pics below... We went to packet pick-up, painted the "Wall of Mussel," went to the pre-race meeting and then met Scott's family for dinner out and all stayed at Scott's family's lake cottage before heading out to the race the next morning. Kim and Scott both had great races and Scott completed his second ever tri and first half-iron distance.

The Van: Lots of stuff and 3 bikes, count 'em!

Athletes painting the mural and their names.

Closer view of the mural...

The three of us in front of the "Wall of Mussel."

Pre-Race shot of Kim and I.

You can add the years on to the wall every time you come back and race. Fun idea!

At a Glance...

2010-07-18T18:01:00.000-07:00

Officially I have survived 18 weeks of Ironman training! It started out with an 8 week base phase followed by an 8 week build phase, and now I am in the second week of the 4 weeks of the peak training phase. After that, the long-awaited taper leading to race day. So, peak phase is all that the name implies. Here is what this previous week of training entailed:

Monday, July 12:

Rest day (This was the day after the half-iron Musselman Triathlon)

Tuesday, July 13:

Swim 2,900 yards

(pool workout including warm up, drills, moderate and threshold intervals, kicking and cooldown)

Bike 1 hr. 40 min.

(27 miles, 15.9 avg--slower then usual due to still recovering from the race)

Wednesday, July 14:

Swim 2,900 yards

(pool workout with warm up, drills, moderate and VO2 max intervals, speed intervals, kicking and cool down)

Bike 1 hr. 30 min.

(23.5 miles, 15.9 avg---still in recovery mode...)

Thursday, July 15:

Run speedwork 6 x 800 m repeats, 5 mile total run distance

Open Water Swim (3 loops in Canandaigua Lake, first swim with no wetsuit this season and it felt great, IM Lousiville will not be wetsuit legal due to warm water temps so I must practice in open water without a wetsuit.)

(1 loop equals slightly less then a mile, plan called for 3700 yards so I guess/estimated at the lake, must have been around 2.5 miles??)

Friday, July 16:

Run 6 miles

Bike 2 hours

(30 miles, 15.0 avg)

Saturday, July 17:

Long Run 16 miles (hot and humid!)

Sunday, July 18:

Long Bike 5 hr. 15 min. (76 miles in the wind and lots of climbing made for a slower pace)

Run 4 miles (immediately following bike workout)

Next week is quite similar to this week, there is usually a Brick workout each week but this week was slightly modified due to the race on Sunday. My bike workouts are usually supposed to be at moderate intensity, one on a hilly course and one high intensity bike workout. I just didn't have speed this week mainly because of racing on Sunday. I can feel fatigue settling in and that is normal.

Nutrition during workouts: I've been tweaking nutrition on my long bike ride days to try and figure out my race day plan. Today I burned 3300 plus calories on the bike and 400 on the run! That's a lot of calories to keep up with so I can keep going on the long workout. Race day will be an even longer time on the bike followed by 26.2 miles of running, nutrition is the most important factor to plan. Currently I'm leaning towards a 4 hour bottle of perpetuem on the bike plus a couple packs of GU chomps plus 3 or 4 mini Clif bars. (100 calories each and easy to consume) For the run I"ll likely stick with straight gels and water/gatorade because that was all I could tolerate last time and it seemed to do the trick. I'm no expert and basically just figuring it out as I go along. :)

My training plan: Following Matt Fitzgerald's Triathlon Level 4 Ironman Plan. (love his training book/plan)

Coming Soon: Pictures and a full race report from the Musselman Half Iron Tri on July 11. It was a fun race, hard run, I improved in everything except the run but I blame the heat and sun! I'm just full of excuses in this post...forgive me!

Shout-Out: to several training partners... Sandy and Kim for open water swims and bike rides from time to time, FF running groups for long runs, and the biggest and bestest shout-out of all to COLIN for biking with me on the long endurance rides. He's a strong cyclist and patiently waits for me at turns, he also plans our routes. :) Thank You! I'm lucky he's training for the Highlander, a 125 mile bike ride in September so he needs these long workouts too.

June 13: Diabetes 101 Mile Bike Ride

2010-07-09T09:37:00.000-07:00

Ironman training has taken over my life, this is week 17, leaving little time for blogging, my apologies for this late post about the fun yet wet and rainy bike ride for Diabetes this past month. Tour de Cure goes on in many major cities and I was privileged to get to participate in the Rochester ride. Thank you to everyone who donated to this important cause and made the ride possible.

My friend Sandy convinced me to join her team for this ride and the two of us set out to reach our goals. She and I have logged many training miles together, both running and biking, and have even gotten a few swim workouts in together! Her first Ironman will be this coming November! I promise to get a pic of us posted here at some point. :) Also happened upon another friend, Scott, at the start of the ride. Sandy, Scott and I set out together in the pack of over 1,000 riders in the drizzly morning weather.

The course was great, many roads that I have biked previously and a fair amount of new ones. The three of us were averaging in the high 17's for the first 25 miles or so and it felt great to be out there riding and chatting away. We stopped at the first aid station for a restroom break and to re-fill bottles on our bikes. This is really just a ride, not a race, no pressure, just a nice long endurance workout and each individual can control their own pace. There are aid stations all throughout so it is fully supported, a wonderful perk! After the first aid station the three of us separated a bit but met up at the stop around 34 miles. So we started off together again. Scott and I ended up pulling ahead and drafting behind this group of cyclists, my first drafting experience. (Drafting is illegal in triathlons earning you an ugly time penalty and your main focus is to keep at least 3 bike lengths between yourself and the rider ahead of you....) ANYWAY, back to the drafting, wow! It was so much fun, we were completely speeding along in the mid-20's with no effort. It was a great ride that went on for a good 20 minutes. Then we were back to riding on our own.

Around 60ish miles the rain had changed from drizzly to a heavy mist and amazingly WET! We were soaked, our glasses were fogged up and stopping just made you cold. I've never seen so many flat tires in a ride, they were everywhere. Scott ended up with a flat a little past mid-way through. (quickly fixed with a new tube) Around 70ish miles the course looped around Lake Conesus which was quite beautiful and gradually the misty rain subsided. I ended up stopping at 4 aid stations along the course and they were all well-stocked. But I rode with perpetuem, gatorade and water and had some GU chomps so didn't really need anything. (except the restrooms!) Perpetuem is made by Hammer and is my preference for long training rides. It has calories, carbs, protein and even a little fat and keeps my energy levels up, makes a huge difference for me on the bike. Nutrition and fueling your body is so important on these long endurance days. I did take in a Luna bar at one of the stops. (They had everything-sandwiches, Clif bars and much more...) I like perpetuem because it's easy on the gastro-intestinal track and seems to do the trick for me.

By 90 miles we were on the home stretch and a road that I ride all the time. Strangely my legs were so TIRED! Ha! But at that point I just wanted to get to the end. My left knee hurt every pedal stroke for some weird reason and I was ready to get off the bike seat! There was a fabulous downhill and a matching uphill climb, good times. :) I was so happy to roll through the finish at 101.27 miles, 6:04:38 for my time (not including stops), 16.7 average mph, and max speed of 38.4 mph.

Here is a picture of my bike racked on the car after pulling back into my driveway at home and a shot of my "tattoed" leg courtesy of my bike chain. The bike needed a good cleaning after an attack of rain and road grit, just what you feel like doing when you get home after a long ride, but I did it!

By the way, the day after this 101 mile bike ride I rested from workouts and my knee pain is completely gone, never came back. I think it was just a short aggravation from the miles that day. whew!!!

Stay tuned...in just two days I have the Musselman Half-Iron Tri in Geneva, NY. It's a great race, I got to do it last year too! I don't know that I can better my time this year, but it's sure to be a fun day and my friend Kim and I can't wait to get there and do it again! Scott is doing it too, his first half-iron tri! A story to come but I make no promises as to how quickly I will tell it! :)

June 6: Keuka Sprint Tri

2010-06-14T06:53:00.000-07:00

Crashing thunder and streaks of lightning accompanied the sound of my alarm clock at 4:15 AM on race morning. Great, the opening triathlon of the season was going to be in a downpour, I couldn't wait to get to transition to set up my gear. (insert sarcasm...) But I got up, ate oatmeal, got dressed, grabbed my pre-packed bags and hit the road, along with the pounding rain. Fortunately, I racked my back the night before so it was already loaded and I always get everything I need for the tri packed and ready the night before the race.

By the time I got to the race site, the rain had slowed to a drizzle. Steph and I met up and walked to check in to get our numbers, timing chips, and swim caps. Then it was off to set up our gear in transition, we had to be all set, completely ready, and out of transition by 7:15 AM. I was more excited for Steph to experience her first triathlon then I was about my own race. That was a good thing because the rain was not my preferred weather condition, LOL.

I aired up my bike tires and put on my backpack with all my STUFF and walked to transition. I laid everything out and covered my socks, bike shoes, running shoes and towel with a plastic bag so they would stay dry until I needed them. I even put a plastic bag over my helmet to keep it dry during the swim. Then it was off to get body marked, get my wetsuit on, and wait for the start.

Amazingly, it stopped raining! Steph and hung out chatting and watching the Olympic Tri participants swim their loop in the lake. It was gorgeous, calm water, so very peaceful. We had fun watching and killing time until our sprint distance wave starts. Hers was at 8:30 and mine at 8:35, since we were in different age groups.

It was actually fun to line up with all the women in my age group. Everyone was chatting, voicing their nerves, encouraging each other. It was inspiring to see them, some mentioning their kids, lots of them strong athletic women who were likely to have outstanding races! I missed my friend Kim, who I usually do tri's with, she had a conflict this weekend. But we always start in the same wave and get to stand there together waiting to SWIM!

the SWIM: And we were off, even though this is my 10th triathlon, I forgot what the first few moments are like in the triathlon swim. Everyone scrambles to find their pace and position to get to the first buoy. (often you get kicked, pushed, and grabbed, although surprisingly, not today!) This is when I work my nerves out, push out the anxiety, and find my own rhythm. Once I got around the first buoy and away from the crowd, I felt better and much more comfortable. I just swam along to the second buoy, then the third and then it was time to head in toward the finish. The water was 71 degrees, practically 10 degrees warmer then last year's race and not in the least bit cold. I got to that last little stretch and suddenly something sharp was poking my underarm, ouch! Don't think about it, just keep swimming! ouch again! I finally had to reach in the neck of my wetsuit and pull whatever "it" was up to the front of my suit so it wouldn't poke me anymore. I was afraid it was my timing chip so I didn't discard it and toss it into the water. It was, wait for it....my energy gel!!!!! It had come out of my shirt pocket somehow, and worked it's way up my suit, it was a sharp painful little sucker, but funny!

Transition 1 and the BIKE: I went as fast as I can, like always, which ends up not being very fast, like always. But I really do try. I got out of my wetsuit into my bike gear and onto the bike! Then I was off on the bike and flying as fast as I could possibly go. Immediately I took in an energy gel while I started the opening stretch. I tried to stay in as high of a gear as possible for the whole time, sometimes in my top most gear and pedaling as hard as I could. Other times, I shifted down for a slight incline but tried to keep a strong steady cadence, not grinding and pushing on the pedals, but smooth circular pedaling. I have much to learn on the bike, but I'm trying. The sprint was an out and back course, very simple, the road isn't the greatest but it was a little better than last year, due to some patching. I have to say, I managed to pass a lot of people and no one passed me, crazy. However, I'm in one of the last wave starts so that makes sense. Into the bike finish...

Transition 2 and the RUN: I'm always much faster in T2 going from bike to run, but still slower than my fellow competitors! I ripped off my bike stuff and jumped into my running shoes, grabbed my water bottle and out to the run course. By the way, it still is not raining and the sun has just come out. I took off, feeling fatigue in my legs but pushing through. I could tell I was not moving as fast as I did on the run last year when I somehow managed to run sub-8 minute miles for the whole thing. But you just do what you can do on any given day and there it is. My first mile was 7:55, 10 to 20 seconds slower then last year's miles but I just kept moving. My eyes were constantly scanning the on-coming runners for Steph and there she was, already on her way in after the turn around! We cheered each other on and kept on going. I hit the turn around, woo hoo! Second mile was 8:13, no problem just keep the pace, I saw my friend Karin and she yelled "Go Kirsten!" She was competing the Olympic distance and doing great as always. My third mile was 8:16 and then a surprise, my friend Melissa was yelling my name from up ahead which made me pick up the pace for the finish. She has done this for me in at least 4 races and I love it! I didn't even know she would be there that day.

The FINISH: I crossed the line in 1:30:08, turns out it was about a minute faster than last year, I'll take it! Even more of a bonus, I actually got THIRD in my age group! I was ecstatic about that! Even though one of the amazing power houses in my age group was an overall winner which allowed me to place, I'll take it! I was slower on the swim than last year, faster in T1 than last year, faster on the bike than last year, same in T2, and slower on the run than last year. It all comes out to slightly faster than 2009, so again, I'll take it, with a placque to boot for the memory. Wow, a great day!

And Steph wrapped up her first triathlon by placing second in her age group with an overall finish of 1:27:47! Of course we hung out to get our awards.

My final splits for the day were:

Half Mile SWIM 17:19

T1 3:17 (guys, I've NEVER gotten under 4 minutes here!)

20K BIKE 42:08, average pace 19.7 mph, max speed 33.8

T2 1:42

5K Run 26:12 (my Garmin said an 8:06 pace for 3.26 miles, but race results say 8:27)

Overall 1:30:08

Most of the girls in my age group can get through T1 in under two minutes, how do you get a wetsuit off that fast?? I think next time I'm putting wet feet straight into my socks and shoes, no more towel drying...Yeah, I'm sure that's the secret. ha ha!

This was our FAILED attempt at a self portrait and we thought it was too hilarious to delete...

May 5: Pink Ribbon Race With MOM

2010-06-12T11:23:00.000-07:00

Me and Mom, Pre-Race

"Want to come run a Breast Cancer 5K race on Mother's Day?" Several months prior to this fun Mother's Day 5K race, open to only women, I posed that exact question to my Mom, who had been running a mile or so at a time. Well, that got the ball rolling! Before I knew it, my 59 years young Mom was diligently following the training plan I emailed to her. Not only that, she even went out and bought a pair of running shoes, it seems her previous sneakers were not specialized to running, and oh yeah, they were FIVE YEARS OLD! We all know THAT is a travesty in the running world! (No offense Mom, I love you!!!)

In the following weeks we had many chats about her training completed first on a treadmill, and then in the neighborhood before she landed on her favorite training spot-the cushioned track at the local high school. It was a milestone to reach each new training distance and her program was a mixture of walking and running days with run mileage gradually increasing. By race day she had completed the 3 mile distance twice and was ready to go.

True to the form of Rochester weather, we had quite an unpredictable weekend. The day before the race it was a chilly 50 degrees accompanied by wind and rain. This resulted in discussions of race day attire and weather speculation. Sunday morning, "Happy Mother's Day" and don't let a little snow scare you!! Yes! You read correctly, we woke up to snow flurries and temps in the 30's---brrrrr!!!

We drove off to the race site and met a big group of women ready to chase breast cancer down in 3.1 miles, the weather couldn't stop us! Besides, the flurries were gone, leaving us with nothing more then cool temps and a little wind. (I didn't say it was ideal or anything...) Mom got to meet several of my running friends and Dad bundled up to stand the weather as a spectator.

Mom and I planned to run our own separate paces and when the gun went off were out and running! There was a rough head wind for the first mile-plus of the out and back course along Lake Ontario, which was tough physically and mentally. But soon we reached the loop turn around and started passing other runners still on their way out. I immediately began searching for my Mom in the crowd. I was running as hard as I could, which was proving not hard enough, my mile splits weren't quite fast enough for my normal 5K race times. I kept trying to reach the women ahead of me and was determined not to get passed by the women behind me. That was a success at least! I saw Mom, we cheered each other on and high-fived! I met my Dad at the finish line in 22:24 then I grabbed some water and walked out to wait for Mom.

Shortly she came running a strong pace approaching the last turn to head in to the finish! She looked great, had stripped her jacket because it was too warm and was running faster then she had predicted! I was so proud of her looking so great on the run! In 37:20 she crossed the finish line, a far cry from her expected 45:00. What a great pace!

I'm happy to announce that she is keeping up with her running, not wanting to lose the consistency she has gained, and plans to run another 5K race sometime this summer! Yay Mom!

My Parents trying to stay warm pre-race...

another one of me and Mom...

April 25: Flower City Half Marathon

2010-05-07T20:22:00.000-07:00

Another 13.1 mile race in the books. I honestly don't know how many half-marathons I've run, a lot, at any rate. This was the premier year for this awesome race in Rochester, New York. I must say it was a huge success! The course was excellent, just the right amount of challenge, great route, good crowd support, fabulous volunteers, and the event organization was amazing all around. The finish felt like a marathon and they treated all the participants like rock stars, there was even live music at the finish! (and a couple places along the course...)

Rain was the dismal forecast for race day weather so I was completely dreading it the night before the race. However, I chatted with my friend Amy who was running her very first half marathon and I got excited and motivated for the morning run! It was so much fun to hash it all out with her before hand and look forward to her first race at that distance! To make things even better, I woke up to temps near 50 and no rain!

Amy and I made our way to the start and lined up with the 1:50 pace leader. We decided to start out with him and just see how the day went for us, never planning to run together, but just to start together. A light misty rain did start but it was perfectly fine, actually felt good. I was completely comfortable in a running tank and skirt. I was surprised at how great I felt on the run because just two days before I had run a miserable 4 miles with IT band pain. But on race day it was like that had never happened!

We hit our first hill at mile 6 or 7 and I fell off the pace group. The course wound through the city, and then a section through the beautiful Mount Hope Cemetery for miles 7 through 9 basically had rolling hills before flattening out again for the final segment of the run. I determined to keep the pace group in sight with the hopes of possibly catching back up to them. Our pace leader was great, Ultra-Runner-Bill was nice and steady on our 8:23 pace, and had an ultra run himself the following weekend where he would run for 24 hours straight hoping to cover 108 miles-wow!

So back to the moment, I had fallen off the group and just when I thought I was not going to catch up, I picked it up and ran a 7:44 mile and was back with them. Amy was ahead of the group and in sight, she was running strong! I knew she would have an awesome race, she is a natural runner and just easily settled into her pace. Gradually I lost complete sight of her as she moved ahead of our pace group.

By the end of the cemetery section, I was feeling tired and Bill gave me some words that stayed with me to the finish line. He said "Your body is strong, you've trained for this! Your mind is weak and wants to quit and give up. Tell your mind to SHUT UP, you'll talk later. You can do anything for 30 minutes." He was completely RIGHT! This was purely mental! Of course I could do this! And I did. I made it to the end in 1:50:31. My Garmin read 13.2 miles at an 8:20 pace. Not a PR, but definitely the best I could do on that given day. You get out what you put in, I put no speed work in and that's what I got. :) I'm happy with it. Maybe next year I can beat my time from this year. I loved this race and can't wait to run it again!

My friend Amy? She ran a 1:46! Super race for her, she got 9th in her age group and I got 10th in mine. There were over 100 in each of our groups, not a bad day for either of us! I have a feeling she'll be even faster next year.

A ton of my friends and running partners ran this race and we all loved it. Can't wait for next year! Kudos to the Rochester Fleet Feet team for putting on an outstanding event!

Heat Wave

2010-04-04T20:30:00.000-07:00

My Grandfather, two sisters, sis-in-law, and TEN nieces and nephews!

A week before this pic, my Grandfather spent 5 days straight SKIING!!!!

He's 83 years old-WOW!!!

Last weekend with my family in PA was a fabulous couple of days! We had lots of fun and cute kiddo's running around, spent a day at a park for a picnic, watched my parents renew their wedding vows after 38 years, and enjoyed precious time together. I managed to fit in a hilly 10 mile long run on that chilly Saturday morning. God has blessed me with wonderful family for which I am incredibly thankful!

This weekend our NY temps climbed to 84 degrees two days in a row! I made the most of it-biking 44 miles with two amazing girlfriends on Friday followed by a 30 minute run. Then Saturday I ran 12 miles on a gorgeous sunny and warm morning follwed by a 23 mile bike ride, both with great friends. IM training is going great and I still love it just as much as I did last summer. I've completed three weeks of my training plan, 21 to go! Obviously I'm only at the beginning, barely, but loving it all. I'm getting two workouts a day and one rest day every week. Generally swimming 3 times a week, biking 3 times, running 3 times, and one brick workout a week. (bike/run = brick)

I did suffer a heat/dehydration headache after the long bike ride and short run on Friday. It lasted all night AND I woke up with it the next morning. Then I ran 12 miles, with a headache still, came home to a recoverite smoothie and got ready for the bike ride. I would have skipped the bike but had committed to ride with some friends who were biking for the first time and I didn't want to back out on them. (Plus I knew I would be okay.) It ended up being fine, my headache was practically gone by the end of the ride and went away completely after I ate and showered. Our temps jumped from 50's and 60's to mid-80's which is why I think the headache came on-not heat acclimated yet, but I survived. I did take tylenol and ibuprofen throughout but they didn't work!

Week Totals: Swimming 6000 yards, Biking 110 miles, Running 26 miles (wimpy running!!! not like marathon 50 mile weeks!)

Finally, here is a pic of me and my siblings taken on our family weekend, lined up oldest to youngest, yep, I'm the old lady at 35. LOL! I love my sisters and bro!

Kirsten, Kellee, Kendra, Nathan, Lindsay

(Can you find nephew Jacob peeking from behind? hee hee!!!)

Sunshine is Back

2010-03-24T11:08:00.000-07:00

Today's gorgeous sunshine makes the past two days of steady cold rain seem like a bad dream. Monday I ventured out on my bike for an hour and 19 minutes, it was a progressively colder and wetter ride. Yay me.

Lot's of self talk going on for this workout. I kept telling myself, "You can do this." "You've ridden in worse weather than this before." "PUUULEEZE, this is no ironman, you can make it an hour in the rain!" That made me think, rides like this one in cruddy weather when you just want to give it up and you wonder why you are even out there, help build the mental toughness needed for IM race day. So I kept going. I told myself, "You don't have to feel your feet to make your legs pedal this bike." My feet and fingers were completely numb with cold. Truthfully it was only the last 25 minutes that were brutal. By the time I made it home, my bike was covered in mud and so was I! In fact, the road spray had soaked through my tights and shorts and I had mud all over my skin. The hot shower was painful like I had frostbite or something!

Later that day in the early evening, Colin said "Come on, let's go for a run." I was still mentally un-recovered from the ride and not quite ready to step back out into the rainy day. I knew though that if I let him go running without me, I would wish I was out there. So off we went for 4 miles! Mentally my heart wasn't really in it, but he made me laugh and said it was perfect running weather, suck it up sally. It HAD stopped raining and it was on the cool side, but not too bad out there.

Want to get your shoes completely dry after a rainy wet workout so they're ready to go on your next time out? Simply stuff them with newspaper and the next day when you remove the newspaper, the paper is damp and the shoes are bone-dry. Works great for bike shoes and running shoes.

Yesterday I ran 7.5 miles in the rain with friends. Those great friends are what got me out there on my low motivation day. Today it is gorgeous and sunny, temps in the low-50's. Colin and I are headed to bike in a little while. I had one of the best pool workouts today, 2000 yards and I got my strokes down to 16 for each 25 for nearly the entire workout. That is crazy good for me! Granted it's not that good among "true swimmers" but it's the best I've ever done in the pool. Last winter I was taking 25 to 27 strokes per 25, over the summer I got it down to 18-19, but 16 is unheard of for me. My friend Julie (a "true swimmer") helped me with some drills in the pool last week that are helping me decrease the strokes, who knew?? It was a hard workout, but worth it.

Hard workouts, the theme for this post. A hard bike ride due to weather, a hard run (2 of them actually...) due to low motivation, a hard pool workout due to pushing myself. How do you deal with hard workouts? They are worth it though, aren't they? :)

Spring for a Week

2010-03-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

Last week was the first week for official Ironman training and proved to be a kick-off for some rockin' spring sunshine and warm temps. It's all a distant memory with today's dreary grey skies, steady rain, and a dropping 39 degrees to match. But, back to last week! It was gorgeous everyday with sunny, pure blue skies, and warm air in the high 50's and 60's! Perfect biking weather and I sailed through every workout with a huge grin and straight up joy in my soul! All while working everyday, subbing has been busy recently. By the way, people in Rochester seriously break out shorts and flip flops when it hits the 60's!

Re-cap of last week's workouts: Let me say that I LOVED every second out there! It felt like re-uniting with my long lost friend of "triathlon training." I know I'm a dork, I've admitted it many times on this blog, but I was so happy to slide right back into tri training again. I'm not going to do a weekly post of my specific training, but this is a general idea of my tri training schedule, although the time and distances will increase considerably along the way.

Monday: 2100 yard pool workout

40 min. run

Tuesday: 1 hr. 10 min. bike

2050 yard pool workout

Wednesday: 1800 yard pool workout

1 hr. bike

Thursday: Brick (back to back bike/run workout)

1 hr. 27 min. bike/15 min. run

Friday: 1 hr. 43 min. bike (followed immediately by a recovery run)

25 min. run

Saturday: 11 mile long run at a 9:00 pace

Sunday: rest (ahhhhhhh)

I feel recovered from the marathon completely by now. In addition to marathon training, I have been swimming since December, but first just once a week and then twice weekly for the past couple of months. This was my first week to bike since November. It felt great to be back on the bike and I know my speed will build over the next 23 weeks of Ironman training, with several shorter tri races and running races in the mix. Last summer I got to the point where it didn't hurt to run after biking, my legs were pretty conditioned for it. Thursday I felt all kinds of pain in all my muscles and tendons for that 15 minute run! In Friday's run I didn't feel any pain, instead my legs felt like lead cylinders that couldn't move anything but slow! Good times. :)

Kudos to my training partners: Colin biked with me three times last week-one day after a working a night shift and only 2 hours of sleep! Another day Colin and another friend of ours biked with me. The long run was done with my normal Saturday running group and I even met a couple new people that day. Two swim workouts were with friends. That left me with only one solo bike workout and one solo swim workout. Not bad!

Coming Soon: A blog post about the sheer misery of today's cold, wet, rainy, muddy bike ride. Did I mention it was miserable? Lest you think I'm "Sally Sunshine," today completely sucked and the run wasn't too hot either, but at least I had a running bud, thanks Colin. :)

Johnny's Runnin' O The Green

2010-03-14T09:47:00.000-07:00

Saturday, March 13, 2010
This was my 5 year wedding anniversary and my husband had to work for 27 hours beginning at 7:30 AM-yay US! What can you do? You make the best of it, we're celebrating a day late. So, in honor of 5 married years I signed up for a 5 mile race, a pretty big one here in Rochester, as it turns out. It's a St. Patty's Day race followed by a parade through the city. I was well on my way home during the parade in some chilly 40-degree rainy weather! I did, however, run in shorts (actually a skirt, my new favorite thing...) and long sleeves. I wasn't the least bit cold while running, yes, cold afterwards. (But that's what long pants and fleece jackets are for!)

There were around 1600 or 1800 runners, many in green and some in fun costumes, including kilts. I started out with my long run buds and three of us stayed together for a little while. Wendy and I ran the first 2 plus miles together, then she moved on ahead and I did my best to keep her in sight. It was an out and back course so we got to cheer on the front runners as we were still going out which was really fun. We even knew a couple of them!

I finished a minute behind Wendy and 2 minutes behind my other friend Mark. My normal long run group had done a 7-mile pre-run to reach their long distance of 17 for the day and they all still ran FAST races! Still I'm happy with my 7:38 average pace a week after the marathon. My splits were mile 1- 7:28, mile 2- 7:44, mile 3- 7:39, mile 4- 7:54, mile 5- 7:31.

I opted to call it a day at 5 miles instead of running 5 more with my friends-about 8 of them were still going like energizer bunnies! Maybe if it had been a beautiful day I would have kept running. But I deserve an easy weekend because Monday is Ironman Training Week One, already!!!

IT Band Stretch

2010-03-14T08:35:00.000-07:00

If you've ever run with me you've already seen this stretch a zillion times. There are other good stretches for IT but this one is quick, convenient and easy. You can easily stop on the side of the road for this quick stretch if necessary at any time during a run.

Step 1: Cross the right foot over the left foot.

Step 2: Lean to your right to stretch the left IT band.

(View of the above left IT stretch from the back.)

Opposite Side: Cross left foot over right foot, lean to the left to stretch the right IT band.

Tips: Keep the back leg straight and stiff, push hip outward to really feel the stretch.

Another good one is to roll on a foam roller or medicine ball. This is done by lying on your side with the roller or ball under your leg. Balance yourself with one hand on the floor and the foot of your top leg on the floor. Then roll as slowly as possible from hip to knee (and back up) on the side of your bottom leg, with as much body weight/pressure that you can stand. You could do this 10 times on each side, or less. You can really feel the IT band stretching and if you're tight or injured it will be painful. Another runner told me this weekend that she uses a rolling pin on her IT to stretch it out as well. There are other stretches that can be done lying on your back but this standing stretch is my "go-to" IT band stretch. :)

Ice massage is great for IT band inflammation after a workout. I've used this in the past when I had severe knee pain from a tight IT band. Simply freeze a paper cup filled with water in advance. Immediately following your run, peel the paper down on the cup so that the ice is exposed. Move the ice in small circles all along the outside of the knee for 10 minutes. Be careful to ice in small circles and not in an up and down motion. I always needed a towel underneath my knee because it melted into a big puddle as I was icing.

Little Rock Friends

2010-03-09T19:13:00.000-08:00

My dear friend Teraysa. I got to stay with her and we

got some much needed catch-up time.

You never fully realize how much you miss a place, and how much you miss the people, until you are suddenly back and it hits you right in the face. I loved every minute of seeing my friends and enjoyed spectacular spring weather with glorious sunshine all weekend. It was quite nostalgic to be back in Little Rock and visiting with old friends and running on my favorite old streets. Thank you to everyone for being so wonderful, it was truly a weekend to remember. I had to battle mild depression when I left town and headed home. Miss you guys!

Brian, Karen, John and Allison, Me, Lea and Greg at the post race party.

Everyone ran some part of the marathon-full, half or relay.

The Girls: Karen, Lea, me, Allison, Tina

Tina and I at the post race party.

Tray and I again, at our favorite Starbucks. :)

Hills? What hills?

2010-03-09T17:06:00.000-08:00

Hills? What hills? Yep, that is the slogan for the Little Rock Marathon. They also went with "It's a natural" this year, since Arkansas is the "natural state." Anyway, back to that slogan, be afraid, be very afraid! As I was climbing away on the course I remembered why I had never opted to run the full marathon while I lived in Little Rock. It's a hard course! And why, I ask you, did I wait to sign up for the full, until I had been gone for almost two years! I mean, I USED to train on every inch of that course! It's been awhile. :) Still, it's a great course, very challenging, an accomplishment to finish, well organized and I definitely recommend it! But next time I just want to run the half in Little Rock if it's okay with all of you.

Best Part of the Race: Unexpectedly getting to run with running partners from years past! Seeing friends along the course both running and on the sidelines! Just loved that. I stayed with my friend Tina in Little Rock the night before the race and she and I went to the start together. Ran into Amy in the corral and her husband snapped a pic of us together.

Weather: A warm 48 at the start with a slight breeze. I felt a bit chilled at the start but it was truly just race jitters! My long sleeved shirt came off just after mile 2. It was tank top and shorts weather! Temps climbed to mid-60's but we had cloud cover till my last mile, it was perfect!

Miles 1-3: Took it easy and did not go out too fast for once! Right on my goal pace at 8:30's and 8:20's. According to my training and 800 m repeats and tempo runs and marathon pace runs etc, I should have been able to hold this pace, but more on that later. :)

Also saw a friend and running buddy Karen Call running past me at mile 2, she ran a great half even with her achilles injury! Yay! Saw a teacher friend on the sidelines who called my name, also great! Saw my friend Tina pass me by in mile 3! Always great to see friends and cheer each other on!

Miles 4-11: There almost aren't words for these miles. My friend from literally 7 years ago, came speeding past me and I called out to her to cheer her on. Diane Novotny, oh what a great runner-winner of the half in the early years of the race! She and I have trained quite a few miles together in years past. We ended up pacing off together and catching up on the past few years. We were chatting it up for the entire time. I know, shocking, me running my mouth, who knew? :) I didn't want to hold her back so in the beginning I said, just go ahead anytime, please. But no, this was a good pace for her, she wanted to stay right where we were and she literally helped me keep it up! At mile 6, I had to stop at a porta and I told her to go on, I'd catch up. Guess what? I came out and she was standing there like my coach with a cup of water which she quickly handed me and we took off running. That mile was an 8:53 due to the porta stop but it was fine. At mile 7 we both took a GU. I LOVED talking to her! Picture a typical runner build on the tiny side! And dark brown braids flying along! That was Diane. We hit every water stop and then at mile 11 she had to turn off for the half route while I had to keep straight ahead past Central High School. She told me she would see me at the end around mile 24 or 25 where she was planning to cheer some other friends to the finish. (By the way, these were the flat miles of the race.) Also saw Tina again, (an awesome runner, 3:21 PR), having knee pain around mile 9, and she told me she was pushing me on ahead with some positive vibes. Diane and I were right on my goal pace the whole time, awesome.

Tray and Jen made me this sign to cheer me on!

Miles 13-17: Hills. This is just one big climb with not a break. It's true. And I used to run miles 15-16 twice a week as a speed workout, of course, they were only miles 3 and 4 of the training run. Big difference. Plus it's been two years! Still I knew exactly where I was and what was next and where the end was, that helps. Let the pace slowing begin, whether you want it to or not, there goes marathon goal pace. This was when my friendly IT band decided to speak to me, protesting the hills. My right hip was tight and feeling the pain. I'm such a doctor of my running ailments. I can diagnose and treat right there in the marathon. Ha! So, on Kavanaugh, I gave in and stopped to do my famous IT band stretch, you know the one. I just held it for awhile and then hit the other side too, just to be safe. Miraculously, the pain was gone when I started to run again. Unfortunately, my IT band chose to be a complainer so I had to stop and stretch about 4 or 5 more times as it tightened up again. But it always felt better after the stretch. You gotta' do what you gotta' do, ignoring it and not stretching would have been excruciating. It was quite bearable, not even close to IT issues I've dealt with in the past. It really was about the hills, wow! No break, until...

Mile 18: Big downhill!! So fabulous! I let it go, I mean first we turned the corner and climbed a little bit more, but then the downhill. So worth it! The downhill wasn't a full mile or anything, but it was a good break. And here is where I ran into another old friend! Bentley came sprinting past on the downhill but didn't hear me call to him due to the music in his ears. So, I sped up and caught him. He was someone who had encouraged me to do an ironman one day and I totally rejected that idea. So we chatted it up for a good mile, climbing another hill without realizing it. He and his wife have a two year old son now, and he has run the LR marathon all 8 times. Alas, we hit a water stop and I had to stretch it out (again) so I let him go.

Miles 19-23: This is the out and back part that everyone dreads. It goes out and you see all the people coming back who are well ahead of you, and you just want to be where they are! Fortunately, it's flat, but that didn't matter at all, I was totally beat up from the hills!!!! By the way, I was doing beautifully with fueling for the race. I kept up my Vanilla Bean Gu gels and Blueberry Pomegranate Chomps consistently every 4-5 miles. I saw Scott, from the IM in Florida, on his bike twice during these miles. He was riding along the course to support his wife and other family members and friends who were running. It helps so much to see friends who cheer you on. Reaching the turn around is a great feeling with music blasting and all the relay runners for the last leg making a lot of noise for the runners. Of course you still had to run out of there! This was also my old running route for 5 miles, an out and back starting exactly at the turn around. It was still really hard on marathon day though.

Shout Outs: To Ashley, Scott's wife, and we high-fived as we passed each other. Yay! Then I saw Jackie, another shout out! Then I saw Arland, who called my name because he saw me first, another shout out! By the way, those last two have both achieved marathon maniac status, which means lots of consecutive marathons. I think 5 in 5 months is the minimum. wow!

Mile 24: One word, rude. But with a smile. At this point, Kevin, another guy who did IM FL in November, caught up to me. He was having a day like me. We talked about the course, how we were feeling, future IM's, trainers for biking indoors, the size of the marathon medal... We may have started running together somewhere around mile 23. It's all a blur. So back to why mile 24 is rude. Two huge hills add insult to injury, and at the top of the second hill is mile 25. I never take energy gels at this point in a race because I'm so close to the finish I can always push through and the last thing I want is another GU. I had taken in 2 gels and 1 chomp pack at this point. We were at the water stop in between those two consecutive hills and Kevin said he was taking a gel. I looked at the hill and decided I needed one too to make it up that thing!!!! Off we went!

Mile 25: Remember Diane? My running angel? There she was running out on to the course to run me in! I introduced her to Kevin and she immediately started cheering us on while running right along beside us. Kevin had to drop back and Diane just kept going, pushing me, my pace was suddenly up again. We came though a water stop and she grabbed a cup, threw some water on me and said "You need that to cool you down you're hot, drink the rest, pour the extra on your wrists!" She was AMAZING!!! She kept running me in, she said her friend was with other people and would be fine, she was getting me to the crowd support right near the finish line. Later that night I thought about Diane helping me through this race and got tears in my eyes over it. How incredible! Once the finish was in sight she gave me one last hurrah and I picked it up to get to the finish. What a great feeling, utter exhaustion, but I was done. 4:05:47.

Pity Party: I've been beating myself up all day over my finishing time. Why didn't I do mile repeats? Why didn't I do more hills? Why do we have snow on the ground all winter? Why can't I run anymore? I couldn't sleep last night over it. Ridiculous I tell you. But my therapist and previous awesome training partner, Raquel, texted me through it today at work. I love my running friends. She gave me some encouragement, and good reminders, and understood.

The Medal: Just way too much, too big. My neck could not handle it after 26 miles. I had to hold it with my hand with the ribbon around my neck. Then I had to take it off. Come on, I like to wear my medal on race day only, but it was impossible. AND I had to get re-scanned through airport security because that medal was in my carry-on, sheesh!

My attempt to show how large the medal is next to my dog's heads...

Post Race Massage: First time for this, I waited in line for 45 minutes, and it was so worth it. Actually, it got to the point where I really didn't want to wait anymore but I had already stood there so long I had to continue. I got this big burly guy with a diamond grill, he was the best. I highly recommend post race massage, deep tissue was his specialty, but he only did pressure since it was directly after the run.

Weekend Wrap-Up: I spent precious time with a dear friend, Teraysa, and her sister and family. They came to the race finish but I missed seeing them! Also got to meet other running friends for pre-race carbs the night before and the post-race party on race day. I loved running on the nostalgic streets of Little Rock. I miss these friends and this place so much. There were sooooo many people that I didn't get to see and I truly am sad about that. It's just hard to fit it all in. Another marathon in the books and lots of beautiful friends and memories tucked away with it.

Hardest Course: Yes! Not the hardest marathon I've ever run because I have run much harder marathons due to injuries. This one was definitely the hardest marathon course I've run. There is solid up-hill with no break and the hills at the end in mile 24 clench the deal. I much prefer the rolling hills of Boston which break it up some. :)

One more thing....Lots of praying on this marathon run and it's how I made it through, honestly it's how I make it through every time. Thank you Lord for another finish line and for the gift of running, and the gift of friends. :)

Saturday Superman Snow Slide

2010-02-27T13:13:00.000-08:00

Last Long Run-
Very fitting for my last long run in this marathon training to be in snow. After all, I've been training all through a snowy winter already so why should the last training run be any different? All Saturday long runs are with training buds and I could not run in the snow without them. Well, I could, but it's so much better with people, why should I? I'm almost through my second winter in Rochester and I love my running partners, they have taught me so much about how to run in the snow. And most of all, they're always there doing it too, inviting you to jump in and join the fun.

16 "New" Inches of Snow-

We've had 16 inches fall from Thursday to Friday, and it just kept right on adding up all through this morning's run and throughout today. For the past 2 plus months we've had a solid 4 inches on the ground with much dry pavement. It's been a great winter for running. Of course there have been days of snow packed roads and slush, but more clear pavement then not. No one is complaining! Yesterday was the first day all winter I really needed my stabilicers for better snow traction. The roads were plowed, but there was a layer of ice underneath the powder, quite slick. Me, Colin, and our dog Rudy, had a fun 4 mile run in the snow yesterday afternoon. One cute sledding girl stopped us to pet Rudy and chat, she just loved him and asked if we were going to give him hot chocolate when we got home!!

Colin took these pics of me yesterday finishing the 4 miles on our neighborhood's snowy streets.

10 Wet Miles-

Today I started out with my stabilicers but took them off 5 miles into the run because I could feel a blister beginning on my toe from them. Plus the main roads were pavement with a lot of slush and the side roads were snow packed. Stabilicers and pavement just don't go well together. The best part of the run was turning onto a snow-packed side street after climbing a slushy hill. Picture gorgeous white snow clinging thickly to every tree branch on this tree-lined street. It was so beautiful and peaceful, we couldn't stop talking about it. The last mile and half, however, were on a slushy shoulder with lots of passing cars. We must have gotten completely sprayed by at least 5 cars! It was hilarious, some of them would try to get over but the gray yucky slush still went flying through the air in a perfect spray all over us! There was nothing to do but laugh and try to brush it off somewhat. My feet and shoes were as soaked as if I ran in a major rain downpour! But on we trekked to the finish of the training run.

Superman Snow Slide-

I know, you've been dying to know what this is all about. Well, about 7 miles into the run today, we were on a snow packed road with a deceptive layer of ice underneath the powder. We kept slipping and catching ourselves. Suddenly in a split second my left foot slipped and I was on my stomach with both arms stretched out in front of me for a lovely glide down the street. It was like Superman, really, only very graceful. I really did slide several inches! The first thing I did once I realized I was down was to stop my watch, whew! Ha ha! Then I flipped over on my back, made a snow angel and stood up. Remember when I fell, I was carrying my stabilicers in one hand and my water bottle in the other hand. It was pretty comical and we all joked about how it's a good thing my stabilicers were in my hand instead of on my feet...

That is actually the first time I've ever fallen on a run, period. I didn't realize it until today. Nothing hurt though, my left knee made a decent impact on the road but I couldn't even feel anything different after about two minutes, no worries about any injuries.

Shoveling with the Dogs-

After a post-run bowl of cereal, it was out to shovel the heavy wet snow off the driveway so Colin could get in when he came home from his 16 hour night shift. Good times, for him I mean. The dogs had a great time trotting around the yard while I shoveled it all away. It was a great morning! Now I only have 4 more short runs and 2 full rest days before the marathon on Sunday, March 7. Next post will be a race story. Wish me luck! By the way, it's still snowing at 5 pm.

Goliath(left) meanders through the drifting snow in the backyard while Rudy (right) strikes a pose in the snow while I shovel away...

SNOW DAY!

2010-02-26T08:18:00.000-08:00

View of my street from my front steps, hard to really demonstrate the amount of snow in this pic...

Woke up to a bunch of drifting, blowing white stuff this morning and it's still coming down in a fine and steady shower of snow. A check of the internet confirmed the unthinkable-no school! I had a sub job lined up and everything, they never cancel school around here! I actually read it several times just to be sure it REALLY said schools closed. No worries, I'd hate to be at home when I was expected in a classroom.

I'm actually looking forward to a run in that thick, white snow today. Crazy! But I only need 4 miles and I could care less about my pace. I've already run everyday this week, including two marathon pace runs and one speedy tempo run. The snow will be a perfect and enjoyable training run with no pace goals. Better yet, after Colin finishes snow blowing and after we walk the dogs---also unheard of, we're such pathetic dog walkers---Colin is going to join me for the 4 mile run. Even though he's a little sore from our run yesterday and has to work a night shift tonight, he's going for a run with me. Yay!

Colin snow blowing in the back of the house, he loves doing this, seriously.

We'll see how it goes, the roads are plowed kind of, snow is somewhat packed. It's coming down and blowing which should make for lots of squinting. I'm still looking forward to it though. Hoping for as many roads as possible to be plowed by tomorrow for my last long run before marathon day, a measly 10 miles. And yes, you might be training for a marathon when 10 or 12 mile runs seem-dare we say it, SHORT? Yep, that's right, short.

Happy Winter Friends! ( I know it's almost March....still winter here, definitely.)

509 Miles Since Dec. 1

2010-02-21T12:45:00.000-08:00

How do you stop your brain from over-analyzing your training during taper time? You look back at your training log. Thanks to my trusted Garmin that downloads all of my running workouts to my computer training center, I can look back at every insane mile. For whatever reason, during every taper, I start to have a mental battle about whether I have put in the kind of training to deserve or produce a good marathon finishing time.

After 16 marathons and an ironman you'd think I'd get over it, but no, still have to make a conscious effort to relax and just be in the moment on race day. If it's my best day, fabulous. If it's my good day, still fabulous. I'm thankful to be able to run period. How many times have I written that on this blog? A lot!

Basically, my training this time around is decent. I've managed to somehow remain injury-free. (This from a girl who has run 4 marathons with IT band pain and 3 or 4 with plantar fasciitus. I think, honestly, you lose count...) Looking back at my training log reassured me that I actually have put in good training. I've managed to follow my plan, put in tempo runs, marathon pace workouts, some 800 meter repeats-all on my goal pace. Wow! All injury free-bigger WOW! I haven't missed any long runs, even on snowy, cold weather days.

I remember my first marathon when I really didn't know for certain that I could complete the 26.2 mile journey, period. What did I do? I trusted my training to get me to the finish line, and it did. It's the same today, can I finish in a desired time? I'm trusting my training, yes, I can. Will it be a PR? No, my training has been great, but not quite what it needed to be for a PR. I'm not complaining, just stating the facts. I'm okay with that. More than okay, I can't wait to see all of my Little Rock/Arkansas friends and run in warmer temps-hopefully in shorts!

I'm hoping to be able to average close to 8:30 to 8:45 miles, give or take, for this marathon. Did I do enough hill work? Maybe not, but I here I come anyway! Trusting those 509 training miles and enjoying the easier workouts for the next two weeks. This past week's training runs all felt great, including yesterday's 14 miles. Today was an awesome heated yoga vinyasa workout-just what this body needed.

20 Miles to Get To My Couch

2010-02-13T12:06:00.000-08:00

What is the best part of the last 20 mile training run before taper time until marathon day? Laying clothes out the night before? The morning bowl of oatmeal? Pulling on a pair of gloves AND mittens to match the two layers and a jacket? Gotta be the two vanilla Gu energy gel packs during the run, right? Ahhh, yummy, but no. And actually not that yummy, in fact very cold and kind of stiff in texture. It must be the friends who run with you? Well, yes they are a HUGE plus! I love my running buds and we pushed our long run pace a bit for 12 miles of the total distance. Two of my fellow runners decided at the last minute to run the full 20 with me, saving me from running the final 4 miles alone. That was pretty fantastic, I must admit. A gigantic thank you to them! Maybe it was the snow flurries that fell consistently on us for all 20 miles, at times pelting our eyeballs. It certainly wasn't the roads that were snow covered, that familiar sandlike surface greeting us yet again. (Actually we had a decent amount of clear pavement, so it all equaled out.) Give up? My title does give it away after all. The best part was the end when I got to meet up with my couch and the TV. What can I say? Inside I guess I'm just a couch potato with a running habit. Before landing on the couch with some delicious coffee, I did manage to fold laundry and throw some chicken into the crock pot (which is becoming "Crock Pot Taco Chicken" -recipe from a friend, yum!). And I had a post-run bowl of cereal for recovery. OKAY, also a couple of chocolate chip cookies immediately following the run, thanks to another runner baking them for us! It was a great morning! I can't stand to spend my Saturday mornings any other way than completing a long run and truly "earning" my weekend.

Okay, so this picture isn't from today, but it is me on the couch, actually the recliner, but you get the idea. :)

Snowshoe Running Trail Race for Haiti

2010-02-12T11:56:00.000-08:00

Pre-Race Pic-Left to Right: Jackson-the loveable trail running dog, Kathy, Nicole, Kirsten-showing off snowshoes, Wendy, Katie, Mark, Steve, in front is Ellen-race hostess with the most-est!

Last Sunday I got to strap on some snowshoes and run through snowy trails with lots of hills, all to benefit Haiti! And now I have something new to save my pennies for-SNOWSHOES!!!! I borrowed my friend Kathy's snowshoes made especially for running, and tried them out. It actually is quite amazing that I loved it so much considering I'm not a huge fan of trails or snow when it comes to running! But it was incredibly fun and challenging, a great workout, and the snowshoes provided an element of traction and control that made the snowy trails fun for running.

Me at the finish, smiling like a dork. :)

When I first put the snowshoes on I felt like a toddler learning to walk, but after a few strides out and back on the snowy field, I was ready to go! My first downhill slope on the trail itself was a bit unnerving but I adjusted and before long I felt confident. It was just me, the snowshoes, and the trail. It was beautiful, it was invigorating. I was definitely working hard, out of breath, and the muscles were in use! It felt great and I would recommend it to anyone! I'm told the more you run on snowshoes the better and faster you get. It wasn't about speed for me on race day, just being out there and running.

Our local running store, Fleet Feet, aka Yellowjacket Racing put the race on and all benefits went straight to Haiti. Additionally they had a shoe drive which resulted in a pick-up truck full of donated gently used running shoes. What a creative idea and way to continue to support Haiti relief efforts! Kudos to Boots and Ellen-the owners. They came up with a 2 loop trail course that we ran twice for a grand total of 4 miles. It had hills to climb, one named "Suicide Hill" which was straight up and literally had my legs burning on the second loop! There were also downhill portions and just regular old single track trails. All were snow-covered of course! My whole group had blast and we have lots of pictures to prove it!

The Gang After a Fun Race!

Me and my running bud, Katie. She WON the 5K road race and then WON the 4 mile trail race too! Consecutive race WINNER!

...another pre-race pic

Post-Run Pancakes = Recovery

2010-02-06T15:16:00.000-08:00

Every once in awhile after our Saturday long runs, I have the running gang over for pancakes-your choice, chocolate chip or blueberry. And of course we wash it down with mimosas and coffee, because you are supposed to hydrate after a run. (insert sarcasm...but it goes great with the pancakes.) It helps that I live only a quarter mile from the running store where we begin all of our group runs. I always run to the start instead of driving. And usually I walk home at the end of the run, except lately because it's so cold and snowy, I accept the offers for a ride. Here are before and after pics of my friends.

BeforeLeft to Right: McCardle, Wendy, Lehman, Steve, Kathy

This was our "pre-run" group at 7:10 AM while it was still beginning to get light out. We kicked it off with 4 miles, then met a HUGE group of 150plus at the store for the next chunk of miles. Several of these guys are pacers for the big group run and needed 20 miles today so we had to start early. I lucked out and only ran 12.75 since I had 20 last Saturday and 20 again next Saturday. Yay me! it gave me time to get home and start the pancakes. BTW I think it was around 16 or so this morning with some wind.

AfterBen, Naomi and Tegan are runner kids-children of runners, and they got to come and have pancakes too. Obviously they are good buddies and great kids! I love these guys!

This is the same gang after 20 miles, you'd never know it huh? I'm not in the picture since I'm holding the camera. We had a great time and the kids only had to tell us to be quiet a couple of times, really.

Cold- A State of Mind

2010-02-05T07:23:00.000-08:00

COLD DEFINED: Several reactions to my post about the cold weather run of 2 degrees made me realize how much living in Rochester and running has changed my mindset when it comes to cold weather. Thank God! I can't imagine giving up running, EVER! When I lived in Arkansas, me and one of good friends and marathon training buds, Raquel, cried and whined about the cold weather to no end! We were hilarious when I think about it and our "cold" then is now my "warm" winter day, ha!!!! Our water bottles froze slightly on ONE day of colder weather and we could not believe it! Now it's a weekly long run occurrence and it almost freezes solid.

So, now 20s are decent winter temps for me and 30's warm winter temps. Upper 40's make me consider shorts! This is a FAR cry from when I used to show up in Arkansas with long pants and long sleeves on a "cold" fall day and get laughed at by all my running friends for being over-dressed when they had on their shorts still! Teens are on the cold side to me and single digits and below a definite challenge. One freezing winter day last year was 12 below and we ran 12 miles. Let me just say my balaclava was stiff and frozen solid, fun times. At the same time, this is nothing compared to Minnesota runners where below 0 temps are the norm. I know there are runners in all climates and I truly believe they don't let the weather stop them.

Goliath and Rudy greeting me at the door after a cold run in the dark decked out in full-on cold weather clothes and reflective vest. not the greatest photo quality....

MIND GAMES: If you struggle with getting out to run in the cold--and even if your "cold" is my "warm," it's still COLD to you and a real challenge! I understand the issue at hand! Most of the time getting out there is far more than half the battle. I can't tell you how many days I don't want to run and I wish I was one of the people that could be content to sit in my warm house in lieu of a run and be guilt-free!! But alas, that is not the case! So out the door I go because not going will make me feel worse as the day goes on then just biting the bullet and getting out there. Plus thinking about how good I will feel when it's completed. That gets me out the door, I might procrastinate it, but I get out there none-the-less.

Then, SURPRISE! I am running down my street with two or three layers, depending on the temps, maybe a jacket, and I feel GREAT! My body loves the run, it's invigorating, I'm not cold at all, it actually feels good out there. Even if it takes you a mile to get to that warmed up point, it's worth it. So try my mind games and see if they work for you. Happy Cold Weather Running people! Spring will be here before we know it, and what I really love to run in are shorts and a tank top!!!

These are my trail shoes with some stabilicers strapped to them. Basically screws that give traction in ice and bad snow. I needed them constantly last winter but this year the pavement has been much clearer.

20 miles, 2 energy gels, and OH YEAH, 2 DEGREES!

2010-02-02T19:43:00.000-08:00

I'm a creature of habit in way more ways then I care to admit and running three 20 milers before every marathon is yet another way I fit that mold. So this past Saturday was the second 20 miler for my Little Rock Marathon training plan, and it didn't matter if it was 2 degrees or 102 degrees, 20 miles had to be covered! I met my friends and off we trudged through sand-like snow covered sidewalks and roads wearing full on cold weather gear.

Cold Weather Gear: Several layers of moisture wicking shirts and a warm jacket, thick running tights, wool socks, mittens, balaclava's and hats!!!!! Wish I had a picture of our running group to post! I always feel like I'm getting ready to go play in the snow when I'm bundling up on running days like this one!

Snow Like Sand: I hate running on a beach and don't really get it when runners say they enjoy that! Of course I love the ocean and beach but running in sand is entirely different. And snow running is just like sand, hard on the ankles, hard to keep your body stable and requires lots of energy. Running in snow that is thick and slushy is not my favorite condition. I much prefer dry pavement or even hard packed frozen solid snow. Saturday's run was a combination of all of the above so some parts were good, some parts were rough, and ALL of it was COLD! I know, enough complaining already!

Frozen Water Bottles: It is a given that our water bottles will freeze on a long run in the winter in Rochester. Thank God for The Spot coffee shop. Nearly every Saturday we trudge through that warm coffee shop with people snuggled up to their laptops and coffee mugs wishing we were them! Instead we head straight to the restrooms to thaw out our bottles. I only got one short drink from mine around 5 miles before it froze almost solid and I couldn't even unscrew the top to drink out of it. I had an AHA moment when I realized filling my bottle with hot water would delay freezing. That will be my new habit.

Street Peeps: People were so smiley and friendly to us downtown! They would cheerfully call out hello or encouragement to us as we ran past them. One guy who was quite possibly homeless said "God Bless You!" to us as we ran by and I waved at him which prompted an "Amen Sister!" Loved it, brought a smile to my face. Another man was out shoveling his front sidewalk and humorously asked if we were "nuts!" The answer is of course, a re-sounding yes.

Friends: We could not have endured this grueling run without each other. I love my running friends, I've always said that! When I was really struggling and hanging in there I knew that all my friends felt the same way and we kept each other going. We were all in it together and there's never a lack of conversation-even for 20 miles.

Route: Basically, all over the city! But we ran the Flower City Half Marathon course which is a new race in Rochester this April. We loved the course, definitely challenging with rolling hills but all through the city. Can't wait to run it on spring pavement!

Recovery: Sunday afternoon I went to an outstanding heated yoga class and managed to do crow for the second time ever and tripod for the first time. We did LOTS of high planks to low planks which made my upper body sore. Additionally, lots of poses were great for stretching my legs and hamstrings especially. I LOVE some yoga, even for an hour and fifteen minutes of sweating it out! And the best part is savasana, ahhhhhh. Laying flat on your back and doing nothing at the end, best part. Monday was an easy 5 mile run and an invigorating 2100 yard swim with my friend at the Masters Swim Workout. Today, another easy 7 miler and tomorrow a challenging tempo run workout.

It all continues and I love every minute of it. Little Rock, I'm on my way and can't wait to see everyone!

Up Close and Personal with a Side View Mirror: this runners' hit and run mini-van experience

2010-01-23T13:49:00.000-08:00

So today's 13 mile long run was something I looked forward to all week long after last Saturday's grueling 20 miler. Little did I realize that at around 6 miles into the run I would come into direct contact with the side view mirror of a grey mini-van! Yes, I was struck by the side view mirror of the said van resulting in the mirror coming completely off of the vehicle! Fortunately, I'm perfectly fine other then a sore elbow and a pretty decent bruise. First of all, let me say that as a runner I like to think of myself as cautious and aware of my surroundings. Generally I try to abide by the "rules" and run on the shoulder against traffic or on the sidewalks etc. Admittedly, running as many miles as I do, it's easy to become too trusting of drivers and expect them to watch out for me. Today was a classic and serious reminder to be vigilant as a runner, expect drivers NOT to see me, and always follow the rules of the road. Here's the story...

I was running with a group of friends and we had just turned right on to Elmwood Avenue. Most of us were running on the sidewalk. However, Steph and I-chatting away-hopped down onto the shoulder, running incorrectly on the right side of the road. Big mistake! Just before the road "bridges" over the freeway, the shoulder ends, and this was where the trouble occurred. I was running on the outside when a grey mini-van came flying past us and there was no on-coming traffic. Rather then slow down, or honk, or move over away from the runners and toward the middle of the road, the driver opted not to slow in the least and he (or she?) clipped my elbow with the passenger side view mirror! The mirror came flying off the vehicle and I shockingly realized the impact I had just experienced! The side view mirror hit my elbow and the left side of my middle back before landing on the side of the road. "I just got hit! I just got hit!" were the words I repeated several times over as our entire group of 8 runners stopped to inspect the damage. The van? Oh, it just kept going, slowed a bit at the top of the hill, and then took off! One of the runners tried to sprint up to get a license number but to no avail. We didn't get the make or model of the van either.

Steph checked out my back which only had a small pink mark on it and my elbow was stinging from the hit. I wiped my wimpy tears away with my gloved hands and decided to keep on going with the run. Everyone asked if I wanted to go back and even offered to go with me, but I could tell that I was fine and my back immediately felt okay. I figured I could run with a sore elbow! Besides, I had full range of motion with my arm so it was nothing serious. Sure enough, I made it to the end, especially with my friends on all sides of me! Not to mention we were all extra cautious for the rest of the miles of the day!

Don't you hate it when other people are right???? How many times has Colin gotten frustrated with me on a run because he doesn't think I've gotten over far enough? And how many times has Lehman (another runner of the group) put his arm out in front of us like a crossing guard to keep us from crossing a street too quickly? Well let me just say that I get it now. I'm so fortunate to not have been seriously hurt today and I vow to be a cautious, law abiding runner from now on. I love it all too much to risk serious injury. In this day and age of cell phone use and texting while driving I suppose we're never a hundred percent safe out there pounding the pavement. But I intend to do everything in my power to be as safe as possible on the roads. Don't get me wrong, that driver was a complete jerk to not even bother to slow down, watch where they were going, or stop to make sure everyone was okay. But today was a great reminder that drivers are NOT watching out for me and even if it is their fault, I'll still be the one laying in the hospital bed, or worse, dead. (Of course I realize that today I was also at fault, but that guy should have stopped!)

I must admit, I went back to the scene several hours after the incident and collected the side view mirror. Not that anyone is coming back to claim it, or it probably would have been gone already. But if they do, it won't be there and they'll have to shell out the money to get it replaced. I'm sure you can't pass NY inspection without a mirror!

What's your take? Would you have reported this to the police?

13 hours to Make an Ironman

2009-11-18T17:27:00.000-08:00

Soak it up, you are an iron maiden. Words written to me from another Ironman who is about to complete her second ironman. I definitely am soaking it up. What an unforgettable journey from beginning to end, culminating with the experience on race day. I'm like an endurance junkie, first marathons and now ironmans. Addicting activities and I love all of it. Ironman Florida 2009 will always be remembered for countless reasons. I'll do my best to put into words for you. The two previous posts give you an idea of how elated I was to have completed the distances and some of the stress leading up to race day. Now for an account of the actual race day...

Pre-Race

I woke up early, 4 AM, for breakfast (oatmeal), got dressed, got my bags and headed out the door with Colin to the race site. It was only about a mile away from our hotel. I got dropped off, then proceeded to drop my special needs run and bike bags in the designated locations. Next up, body marking and pumping up my bike tires. There were volunteers all over holding permanent markers up in the air. I walked up to one, got my number marked on both arms and my age on my leg. Only it said 35 which I've been all summer long in triathlons even though my birthday was technically 3 days after race day. I know, cry me a river. It's actually like getting to be 35 for two years, delaying 36, right? Now where was I? Body marking-check. Next I flashed my cool blue ironman wrist band to get into the transition area, pumped up my bike tires and filled my bike water bottle. All this and it was still dark outside.

My friends from Arkansas were staying in the host hotel right next to the race site so I headed up to hang out at their place until the race started. They had a balcony overlooking the beach and the exact start of the race. What a great way to start the race, we were all calm and chatting a bit, looking out at the beach. Actually, we were only calm on the outside, but it helped to try to stay focused and not be in a state of panic before the start of the big day. It was Trey's third ironman and his brother-in-law Scott's second ironman. Their families were there and Colin came up too, so there we all sat for about an hour or so until the start. They all had blue t-shirts with the name "All-In" on the front signifying we are all in this together. On the back of the shirts were the athlete names for whom they were cheering. Pretty cool to have that support! The absolute best part of that pre-race time was the group prayer. Scott led a prayer about all of our training and for strength during the race, and brought perspective to the faith we all shared that would bring us to the finish line. Emotions were close to the surface and I cried quietly through every word of the prayer but knew that God would see me through the day.

View of the beach race start from the balcony...

Before we knew it, we were pulling on wetsuits and getting ready to head out to the start. But first I had to pose for a few silly number pictures. It was actually the most neatly I had ever been body marked, what can I say, I got a girl with good handwriting.

The Swim 2.4 miles

I headed out to the beach with Trey and Scott and it was a mass of 2000 plus people that would soon hit the water all at once for the start of the race. At this point I was ready, nervous, but ready to just get in and start swimming. It really helped to have two friends standing beside me who had done this whole thing before.

Scott up ahead, then me, and next Trey-heading to the start.

left to right-Trey, Scott, Me, the back of Scott's wife Ashley, all nervously awaiting the swim start.

Wetsuit-check, White swim cap-check, Goggles-check

Once the swim finally got going, it was great. The water was rough and the complete opposite of my calm water practice swim, but it was a gorgeous morning. It was impossible to swim without touching people that were shoulder to shoulder in the water. I got kicked, bumped into, and did my fair share of getting into everyone else's business myself. This aspect of triathlon swimming always sounds much worse than it actually is in reality. The truth is that none of it hurts, you're just out there in the thick of the masses swimming. I kept stroking and breathing and moving right along. Strange as it may sound, there is something comforting about having so many people around you in the water, far better then being out there by yourself. The trick is to just keep swimming, you know, like in Finding Nemo, don't stop, just stay steady on your strokes. I even got my head pushed under the water three times! First time for that experience in a triathlon but it was fine, my head just popped right back up again! Once the guy kept following through on his stroke as if my head wasn't under his hand. Kind of funny now but I thought it was rude at that moment. :) I swam straight out to the furthest buoy and turned left with the crowd of swimmers bottle-necking to make the turn. Next it was a straight shot to the other red buoy on the opposite side. However the current was strong and pulling us all off course. The swimmers started talking to each other out there in the middle of the swim, saying "Swim Right" and pointing at the red buoy we needed to swim over to and around. From that buoy I turned left again and it was a straight shot to the shoreline. I realized that I felt relaxed, calm, not breathless with nerves. I also recognized that my body felt strong and that I wasn't at all tired. I knew I could finish the first loop and the second one too. It was an exhilarating feeling that brought confidence for the rest of the swim. I came out of the water at the end of the first loop at the exact same time as Trey. We talked the whole way out of the water, crossing the timing mat and getting water at the aid station on the beach. Salt water makes you so incredibly thirsty! Colin has laughed at my use of the word "parched" to describe the state of thirst, but it's truly how you feel. Then it was back in for our second loop. What are the chances you come out of the water with a person you know in that huge number of swimmers? By this time I was pumped, ready to swim the second loop! I had used a system of counting my strokes and looking up to sight the buoy's every 30 strokes. Otherwise I felt like I was making no forward progress because the water was so rough. I swam right into the first buoy on my second loop, yep, face to face with it. I had to laugh at myself but I was right on course! Before I knew it I was at the end and ecstatic to have made it through the swim! And the clock said 1:22, better then I had expected for the swim! Next up, meet the "peelers."

The Peelers- hmmmm, maybe the best part of the race besides the finish line. Ha! Seriously, the guy looked at me and said "Get Down" then in 3 seconds my wesuit was completely ripped off. There were overhead showers to rinse all the sand off and then it was off to transition. And by the way, you do have clothes under your wetsuit, bike shorts and a tank top to be exact. :)

Transition 1

Trey and I were out of the second loop at practically the same time again, and walked up to the transition area together. I also saw Heather, a girl from Little Rock with the "All-In" group, as she was running to her bike decked out in full bike gear. We cheered each other on! Then into the tent I ran and someone handed me my gear bag along the way. I know this all took me 12 minutes but I promise I was moving! I toweled off and got my bike shoes, helmet, gloves and sunglasses on and somehow sprayed sunblock on my arms and legs. I did not want to get crispy in the sun all day and set myself up for a painful race. On my way out of the tent I stopped at the first porta-potty for the day, then ran down the row to get my bike. There was a guy standing there with my bike just waiting to hand it to me, WOW. The volunteers were amazing all day, it was like nothing I have ever experienced before.

The Bike 112 miles

Let me say it felt great to be on the bike! I saw the Chandler Clan and Colin as I was rolling out which was a boost! In the first couple miles I was acutely aware of the beautiful blue sky and sunshine surrounding me. I remember thinking "This is it. This is what I've been training for all these months, and I'm finally here doing it." Suddenly the bike ride was just like another training ride in perfect weather. I was very conscious of all the riders around me, making a point to keep 4 bike lengths between myself and the person ahead of me. I started easy, getting passed by many people, but not caring because I knew I had a long way ahead of me. I settled in and watched the minutes pass on my bike odometer so I would remember to drink my perpetuem every 20 minutes and take in food as I needed it.

At around mile 20 I needed to stop at the aid station and use the restroom aka porta-potty which was fine with me because it meant I was hydrated. A volunteer actually held my bike for me! I had been worrying that I had no sunblock on my face and so I asked if they had any at the aid station. The woman who was holding my bike said, "Yes, our paramedic right here has some." There he was dressed in his crisp white shirt and navy pants holding a container of sunblock. I took off my sunglasses and got ready for him to squirt some on my hands when he said "I'm just going to put it on for you." Suddenly this nice man was rubbing sunblock all over my face! I was in shock, I stood there for a second and he said, "Anything else?" I said "That was awesome! Thank you! Can you come to all my triathlons?" We all laughed and then I hopped on my bike and continued on my way.

The only tough part of the bike was a stretch where we rode into a decent head wind for awhile. As soon as I turned the corner, a guy standing there said "And here is your head wind!" Okay, here we go, hold on for the ride. My eyes were watering and I just kept pedaling and thinking about nutrition, eating when I got hungry and drinking water and perpetuem. I knew eventually we would turn out of this wind and started to get tired of dealing with it. My speed definitely slowed in the wind but then we turned and it was all good, my speed picked back up again. By now I had already passed long lines of cyclists a few times and of course been passed by many of them in return. I saw a group of riders stop at a yellow penalty tent to serve their time and determined to be careful not to draft. I saw people with flats off to the side of the road. I saw the official motorcycles cruising around to enforce the rules and offer assistance. There was another stretch where we rode over a surface with a zillion cracks, literally rolling over a crack every second. I really hate that on my bike but I knew it would pass and that everyone was dealing with the same thing. Sure enough, it gave way to a brand new road surface and I was flying, at least for me, hitting 22-24 mph. My overall average for the entire ride was 16.7 mph and max speed for the day was 30.3 mph.

It felt so good to be nearing Panama City Beach again and to know the finish of the bike was close at hand. My total roll time according to my odometer was 6:38 and my official finishing bike time was 6:49. This means I had a total of 11 minutes for stop time which consisted of 3 restroom stops, a sign that I was staying hydrated, yay! I also stopped to get my water bottle filled twice, and once to get my special needs bag. While I was riding I ate about 4 granola bars, 3/4 of a peanut butter and honey sandwich, and a package of GU chomps. Wow! Plus I drank my two 3 hour bottles of perpetuem. I just really paid attention to my body, ate when I was hungry, and stayed on my plan. Before I knew it I was crossing the dismount line and handing my bike off to yet another fabulous volunteer. Time just flew on the bike, I was so ready to run!

My favorite sign on the bike course was this: "Ride It Like You Stole It!"

Transition 2

Well this was a faster stop, around 5 minutes. All I had to do was shed my bike gear, change into running shoes and shorts, grab a hat and I was off. There was the sweetest little girl who must have been around 11 helping me in transition. She pulled everything out of my gear bag and offered it to me. She even loosened the laces on my running shoes so I could put them on faster. I thanked her and told her what an amazing job she was doing. I just wanted to put her in my pocket and take her with me on the rest of the race. I wish I had asked her name and age, she was adorable.

The Run 26.2 miles

To my utter surprise I had no leg pain or feelings of muscle fatigue as I headed out on the run! This was completely unexpected for me, I kept waiting for my whole body to just shut down with exhaustion but it didn't happen. I took a GU energy gel immediately as I was leaving transition. I saw the "All-In" spectators cheering me on and Colin was out there too with the camera getting a couple of pictures before the battery died. By this time he had already been forced to watch the beloved Iowa Hawkeye's suffer their first loss of the season, bummer. The quarterback got hurt! Of course I forgot to ask about the game even though I had been thinking about it on the bike. I realized I had several questions in the first few miles of the run, "Did the Hawkeye's win? Where were my friends in the race?" I knew they were all ahead of me but just wondered how they were doing. So I determined to keep running and ask my questions at the turn-around. (which I did...)

In the first mile I had to stop 3 times, once to fill my water bottle, once to get a wet paper towel to wipe the salt and stuff off my eyes (gross, I know!), and once to use the restroom. All the while I was going easy and trying to pay attention to how I felt. I could feel a slight headache coming on so I made sure to drink water and a little gatorade. I really went out conservatively taking short walk breaks and making my way on the out and back loop. I kept waiting for my legs to get that marathon fatigue, wondering when it would hit me, and expecting it earlier then in a normal marathon. I tried a sip of coke in that first loop and it was no good for me, instead I stuck with GU chomps and energy gels and water. I had eaten enough on the bike that I could tell all I needed was gels and water for the run. Later in the run, after dark, I tried a sip of chicken broth which was also no good to me, skipping that for all of the run. Normally in a marathon I take 3 to 4 gels but for this 26.2 miles, I needed about 4 or 5 Gu gels plus a package of GU chomps, which was equal to two gels. Wow! I definitely needed more than usual!

Mentally, instead of thinking about miles, I thought about landmarks on the course. We had to run through neighborhoods and wind our way to the park which we looped through, and then back the way we came to the turn-around. There were lots of spectators out cheering us from their front lawns and along the course. One group was having a 70's costume party complete with loud music and dancing in the street cheering the runners on. I had to make one more restroom stop in the middle of the first loop, good, I was still hydrated! I saw Heather two more times on the run, she was still ahead of me, and it was fun to see someone I knew to cheer on!

Finally I reached the turn-around and felt a surge of excitement that I was starting my second and final loop for the run. At this point I realized that my body felt good and felt strong, the fatigue wasn't setting in. There wasn't speed there, which I was well aware of by all of my slow mile split times, but I really felt pretty good. I decided to run the whole second loop. It was strange, I thought that surely for parts of this ironman day I would be completely miserable and in pain, but instead I loved the race day as much I loved the training! I'm sure it was rooted in adrenalin for the whole day itself but I'll take that! I had been afraid to push myself mentally in the ironman marathon the way I normally would in a regular marathon because I wan't sure how my body would handle the distance in this race. But now that I know what it's like and how it feels, I have a better understanding of how to mentally push through the distance. I'm still happy with my approach because my number one concern was nutrition and monitoring how my body felt throughout the day.

So back to the race, it got dark in the first hour of the run but I was holding out for a glow necklace, I wanted purple! What did I end up with? Orange! Oh well, it didn't really matter. It was cool to see all of the runners with their glow necklaces dotting the route. Suddenly someone said my name and I looked back to see I had just passed Trey, it was great to see someone I knew! We chatted a little and then he told me to keep going. The second loop through the park was mostly pitch black, not well-lit. I just kept running though, passing glow necklaces along the way, talking to a few of the runners. A radio station was parked at the end of the park loop blaring music and when I passed it this time, they were blasting The Black-Eyed Peas "I Got a Feeling That Tonight's Gonna' Be A Good Night" and I was even more pumped up to keep running. It was an awesome feeling! Once I got to 21 miles or so I started counting down the miles, and that was a good feeling. I still thought about running from landmark to landmark along the course. By the time I had only a few miles left I was psyched!!!! One of the spectating groups had been playing 80's music all through the run and I was so excited to hear "Thriller" blaring from their speakers as I passed on the second loop. I said "I've been waiting for some Michael all day!!!!" It was on! I was on the home stretch and I could not wait for the finish! I could feel myself picking up speed on sheer adrenalin to be at the end of this day! When I came around the last little turn before the right turn into the finishing chute, I started screaming and acting like a crazy person! If you saw the podcast on-line of me crossing the finish line, you saw that I kept it right up until the very end. What a feeling! It was a good night! I was so excited to have reached this goal. "Kirsten Davis-You Are An Ironman!"

Immediately after the finish...

The spectacular volunteers gave me a medal, a t-shirt and a hat, put a space blanket on me, and took my timing chip-which had given me a nice little chafing spot on my ankle by this time. I stopped for a quick photo with my medal and then moved on to the food tent. To my dismay, I couldn't bare to touch the array of pizza, fruit, cookies, or pretzels that was laid out for us. Normally I can easily eat lots of pizza and food at the end of a marathon. But that night I knew one bite of anything would make me lose everything!!!!! So instead I drank a bottle of gatorade and then walked back to the food table, still no go for me to eat! Sometimes you just know you can't do it, and I could not do it! I grabbed one more gatorade and went to meet up with Colin. It was so much fun to tell him all about the day! Before long, the "All-In" gang was gathered around and we were all swapping details and elements of our Ironman day experiences. Everyone had great races and they had all managed to finish with PR's, wow! We had much to celebrate and appreciate. I really had been praying all day and thinking about my friends out there doing the same thing, also thinking about my friends and family at home cheering for me. There was so much strength to draw from in all of that. It was an unforgettable day.

Now if you made it to the end of this post, congratulations, because it probably took 13 hours to read! LOL

PS I finally managed to eat pizza at midnight that we had delivered to our hotel room, whew! After all, I burned 7,409 calories that day!

Ironman Finishing Time: 13:15:17

10 Signs It Is Your First Ironman

2009-11-16T09:14:00.000-08:00

1. You have two major meltdowns, tears included, on the day of athlete check-in and barely notice you have arrived in beautiful sunny Florida.

2. Your husband is abused and treated slightly like a doormat by you as a result of stress, pent-up anxiety and nerves due to the looming race day. Plus you have been tapering and unable to workout enough to get rid of excess stress. Not that any of that makes it okay to mistreat others. Sorry, I love you!

3. You're not a fan of stepping on the scale in front of everyone at athlete weigh-in at the check-in tent. Never mind that you're probably in the best shape of your life after 6 months of IM training.

4. You ask a million questions of complete strangers about the water and the IM swim loop while standing on the beach before a practice swim 2 days before race day.

5. You take pictures of your gear check bags after obsessively packing them for over an hour.

6. You obsess about exactly which spot on your bike to place the adhesive race number, trying several different places and calling your veteran IM bud with questions about it, before finally deciding on the perfect place. And then you take a picture of it.

7. On race day you feel like a rock star when all the volunteers are so overly nice and helpful all day long. It starts when the "peelers" rip your wetsuit off in 3 seconds at the end of the swim.

8. You cheerily say "Nice Job!" to someone who passes you in the first mile of the bike course. I'm such a newbie, there's a long way to go, duh.

9. You realize you have had a permanent smile on your face all day long when spectators keep commenting on your smile throughout the 26.2 mile run in the last hours of race day.

10. You scream like a banshee with your arms up in the air as you cross the finish line becoming an Ironman for the first time.

BONUS #1: You wear your IM Florida hat and t-shirt to breakfast the morning after race day.

BONUS #2: Drum Roll....Definitely a First Time Ironman when you continue to wear your blue ironman wrist band for 3 days after the race is over. And then you cut it off but keep it for memories.

What a nerd. :)

Don't worry, a blog post with my race story is still coming, I promise....

A Big FAT Thank You!

2009-11-12T10:54:00.000-08:00

No, this is not the ironman race post yet, but don't you fret, it is DEFINITELY coming! :) I am still riding a huge race high from completing my first ironman this past Saturday. It only took 24 weeks of mad training, 20 hours of driving to Florida, a few hotel stays, a patient and forgiving husband-(I mean, have you ever spent hours in a car with a stressed out first time ironman wanna be???? not pretty.) Then in 13:15:17' on race day I reached the goal! YAY! I made it! I could NOT have been more excited crossing the finish line. But I'm saving all race details for my next post about the race, and none will be forgotten!

I just wanted to take a minute to thank all of my friends and family for helping me make it to the finish line. So many people gave up time to train with me along the way. Colin gave up solitary days off in a 6 day work week to spend 4 to 6 hours biking with me! Kim biked countless miles with me all summer and then into the brutal cold temperatures of October! My running buds still let me log miles with them while I spewed endless chatter about Ironman this and that and training and swimming and biking and race plans and BLAH BLAH BLAH! Thanks for helping me and putting up with me!

Never during a race have I felt more prayed for, supported, and blessed. Everyone sent me off to Florida with well wishes, encouragement, emails and cards-all of which stayed with me every step of the race. Kim even stopped by with some "happy's" for our trip and a 140.6 sticker which I almost couldn't look at in that moment of jitters! Thank you to all of my friends for believing in me, cheering me on, and for tracking me all day! Thank you to God for His presence and strength all through race day. I truly loved being out there during the race for every moment. It was the same way I felt about the training only unexpectedly so!

On our trip home we stopped at my parent's house and I got to celebrate my 35th birthday there with them. Wasn't I just 30 yesterday? That means tomorrow I will be 40! LOL It was the first birthday I'd celebrated with my parents since I was 18. My beautiful sister Lindsay made me this AMAZING birthday cake, I didn't even want to cut into it and ruin it. So we took about 20 pictures of it and then dug in! Her little 2 year old Noah loved the cake! While she was making it, he said "I love it! I love it! Want to bite it!" Then when it was time to blow the candles out he said it was his birthday and helped blow all the candles out, what a cutie!!!!!

Thank you to all of my friends and family for getting me through this! I loved it so much that I'm officially signed up for Ironman Louisville 2010 on August 29. Yes, I am a madwoman. Love to all of you!

Leaving it on the blog...

2009-10-31T20:34:00.000-07:00

Yep, I'm leaving all of my race anxiety right here on the blog. And sending it up to Jesus. Somehow between those two things, it will have to work! I cannot believe I am 6 days away from my first Ironman. It makes me a little sick inside to think about it. Oh I'm sure the anxiety and nausea will go away once the race actually starts, tri's usually work that way for me. I remember feeling nervous about my first marathon or a marathon when I was really concerned about my finishing time, but this is way more than that for me.

Race Anxieties....here they are!

Getting my nutrition right all day....

Wavy or rough waters for the swim.....

Starting with 2000plus other swimmers at once, GULP......

Salt water....

Getting a flat tire....

Will I be able to handle the hotter climate?????

and just the whole big long day all together!

Okay, there they are. Now that I see them, they're mostly about the swim. So get through the swim, fuel my body, stay hydrated, and I should be fine. Of course I know anything can happen. I do respect these distances. But I have trained for this more than I have ever trained for anything in my whole life. I know I'm ready, I've put in the time. Now I just have to stay calm, relaxed, focused, have confidence, and follow the plan. (The detailed plan below is for my Mom, she wants to know.) :)

The Plan....

Swim: Stay relaxed, start easy to get the feel for the water and find my own rhythm in the midst of all the swimmers. I don't want to be too wide and waste energy, but also don't want to be in the "front." I'll do a lot of looking in the beginning to watch out for everyone. Then I'll go to my normal sighting every so often, picking my head up mid-stroke to stay on track. I will try to reach ahead and glide and relax for the entire swim. It is two loops, we exit the water after the first loop and then go back in for loop number two!

T1: Get the wetsuit off, they have people who help with this. My tri shorts and tank will be under the wetsuit so I'll just have to get my helmet, socks, shoes, gloves, sunglasses and race number and I'll be ready to get on the bike. Someone supposedly brings your bike to you in the ironman. (unless it's packed out in transition, then I will get it myself.)

Bike: Hoping to be able to average around 15-16 mph for the whole ride. In my shorter tri's this summer I have been able to ride at an 18 mph average but am not expecting to be able to hold that pace for this longer distance. I'm just going to do the best I can!

For nutrition on the bike: Drinking perpetuem for nutrition which is made by Hammer. I'll also have water, gatorade, Gu energy gels and Gu chomps. I like to have options! Plus I'm putting a PB and honey sandwich in my Bike Special Needs bag which I get halfway through the 112 mile distance.

T2: Planning to change out of tri shorts into running shorts and of course get the running shoes on. And I cannot run without my trusted Garmin. We have survived many miles together!

Run: No goal but to keep moving! I'll run if I can run, walk if I need to walk. Whatever it takes to cross the line. It's a 2 loop run so I know the first loop will be tough mentally and the second loop will be the home stretch. There are aid stations every mile with all kinds of food, gatorade, water, even chicken broth. I will also have energy gels in my pockets and might carry water. Usually when I'm running, I can tell what I need or want as far as nutrition goes, so I will go with my instincts! Sometimes that means taking in a gel or some form of energy even when you don't want it. :)

Wish me luck...

And there it is. I'm hoping I don't drive Colin nuts with my obsessions over this while we drive to Florida. I know he is afraid I will be crazy and make this trip the furthest thing from vacation. So I'm going to try very hard to "leave it on the blog." :) I am excited and promise to write all about it when it's over! Presently, the countdown to race day on this page is completely freaking me out! I can't wait to see friends once we get to Florida, there are a couple other people who I know that are also racing and they are bringing their families. It's sure to be a huge cheering section! I know it will be FUN! and painful. :) But mostly fun.

Summer Trainin' Had Me a Blast...

2009-10-23T11:19:00.000-07:00

Summer trainin'....had me a blast,
Summer trainin'....went by too fast.
Rode my bike, thousands of miles!
Ran and swam, changed up my style!
Summer Dreams, ripped at the seams,
'cause now-ow, the cold fall is HERE!

(to the tune of Olivia Newton John and John Travolta's "Summer Lovin'" from Grease of course!)

I have absolutely LOVED training for the Ironman all summer. In fact, I'm finishing week 22 of my training and at long last entering the 2 week taper period before race day. For years I contemplated attempting the Ironman distance but could hardly stand the thought of giving up my 6 days of running every week. I would miss that so much, there's just no way I could cut my running days. I was so wrong! Now I don't know how I can go back to "just running." Well, actually, with the cold weather here, I cannot wait to wrap my bike in bubble plastic for the winter-more on that topic in a moment!

the training...

Honestly, it has been tremendous fun to be swimming, biking and running. I've been so invested in all of my training I didn't have time to miss my running! Besides, I still ran 3-4 days a week, including a weekly long run. Additionally, I biked 3-4 times a week and swam 3 times a week. Yes, that's a lot of time! Two to four plus hours a day in fact! I know people with full time jobs who put in the training and complete Ironman triathlons and I am truly amazed by them! As a result of the time spent training and following my plan diligently, I do feel confident in reaching the finish line of my first Ironman. It will likely be my biggest challenge, but if I can get my nutrition right and stay focused, I believe I am ready. I'm working on my mental race plan and will blog about that sometime before race day.

biking blurbs...

Since week number 1 of IM training, I have biked 2500 miles which is insane for me! My first road bike doesn't even have 2000 miles on the odometer and I've had that bike since 2002! I trained exclusively on my tri bike all summer, a great find on eBay, and it is a much better fit for me then my road bike. (turns out I've been riding a bike that doesn't fit me until this summer...)

A few experiences on the bike to remember: Getting whacked in the face and helmut by bugs on almost every ride all summer until the temps cooled down. Having bugs, flies or bees end up down my shirt while riding, stung once! The beautiful scenery and wind on your face while cruising down open road. Max speed of 39 mph on a scary downhill. (Lots of people have gone much faster then that!) Most rides my top speed is in the low 30's from a downhill. Riding in rain, thunder (once), sunshine, warmth, and cold! Mastering the aero-bars and new shifters on my bike. Lots of solo rides, but also rides with Colin, and my tri buddy, Kim.

running...

This will always be my true passion! I'm not giving up marathons even though I do possibly see more Ironmans in my future simply because I loved the training so much. My plantar fasciitus is officially gone after two years, turns out less days of pounding the pavement was good for treating injury, hmmmm. I still got to meet my friends most Tuesdays and Saturdays for group runs which is a huge highlight in training.

swimming saga...

I managed to get one open water swim in almost every week during the summer months which was great training. Kim swam with me too for quite a few workouts! I followed specific pool workouts from my training plan and got help on technique from coaches at the Master Swim practice I went to last spring and again this fall. Swimming is my most challenging event since I have never been on a swim team, but I am so thankful for those kiddie swim lessons! Thanks Mom and Dad! Since last winter, my stroke number is down from 27 strokes in 25 yards, to 18 strokes in 25 yards. Now I have to work really hard to get it there, but I can do it. I still have tons to work on in my swimming and am very average if not less. However, it feels good to see improvement.

whiney weeks....

Yes! I had some serious whining issues in weeks 19-21 when it got colder here! I was biking in 40's and rain and hating life on two wheels. My last long bike ride was on a very wet, rainy day in 37 degrees with Colin for 5 and a half hours. Definitely our most miserable ride ever, but comical now. Kim came out with me too on the bike in some cold temps complete with endless layers of clothing. In fact, Kim came to my rescue with some reminder words to bring me back to reality and out of my selfish pity party! They helped so much that I typed them up and they became my mantra! Here are Kim's words sent to me via email:

"Just think of everyone who doesn't have the ability to exercise. (I'm not talking about the people making excuses.) Maybe that will help you wrap your mind around these last grueling weeks of training.

This is a choice, no one is holding a gun to my head.

Being able to participate in an event of this magnitude (the IM) is a privilege:

1. Because you could afford it.
2. Because you have the physical ability to do it.
3. You have the discipline to do it (which is a gift).
4. Your husband and your friends are willing to be dragged along with you for parts of it!!"

Those words made my day and are so true! I am blessed to have friends and family that donated to the charity so I could gain entry into the race after it was full. I have loved the training and easily completed the workouts all summer. I have amazing friends who came with me when it was easy and when it got tough in the bad weather! After this email, I quit whining and got serious again! This week has miraculously warmed up to the 50's and 60's, making biking fun again! And I used to think biking in the 50's was cold, hmmmmph! Not anymore!

life's metaphor...

Endurance training and racing always turns out to be a metaphor for life in my mind. Life is never a guaranteed picnic with only good times and smooth sailing. It's an up and down, ever changing road with unexpected challenges mixed in with the easy times. Training and races can be that way, one moment it's easy and you're full of energy, the next you think you might just end up in a pile on the concrete. Circumstances in training, workouts, and in life will always change. What is your motivation to keep going? What inspires you? What makes it worth it? Where does your strength come from? Sadly, just this week a dear friend of mine lost her husband at the young age of 33. She is only 30 herself and has a beautiful 3 year old little girl and a baby on the way. I know all too well the road ahead for her will be a surreal and painful one to travel. But I know she has a strong faith in the Lord and the hope to see her husband again in a perfect place. God will be her constant source for strength and will faithfully see her to the end. I know this because of my own experience. That is how I know I can make it through Ironman too, with spiritual strength that comes from only one place. So if you're in a hard spot in life, or maybe in a race, or a physical challenge-hang on to hope and know that in just a short while, things may be the exact opposite that they are now. Just like in a marathon, sometimes you run 17 miles and suddenly feel miserable and then you're strong again for that last 4 miles. How does that happen??? it just does... Life, my friend, is like marathon.

Isaiah 40:31 They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.

Finger Lakes Olympic Triathlon: Sep. 20

2009-10-07T07:31:00.000-07:00

Pre-Race Morning

This triathlon began with a 4 AM wake up alarm! We had to get there early to be completely set up and out of the transition area by 7:15 AM. My friend Kim picked me up bright and early, we stopped and grabbed Kathy who was doing her very first sprint tri that day. Before we knew it we were walking our bikes while lugging all of our gear the long half mile walk from the parking lot to transition. Did I mention it was pitch dark outside and the temps were extremely chilly in the mid 40's? Brrrrr!

Well, it may have been dark and cold but the place was buzzing with activity! There was music playing over the sound system and announcements were being made through out the set up time about how to set your bike and calling for certain numbers and giving you the warning for the start time of the morning pre-race meeting. Kim and I set up almost right across from each other in transition and we chatted while we got ready-race talk, jitters and who knows what else. I ran into Tiffany, my "TWIN," who was also doing the olympic distance! We weren't wearing the same outfit today, but it was great to see her and wish each other good luck. See the blog post from Sodus Point 2008 if you want to know more about her. :)

We got all our stuff set up, got body marked, reluctantly peeled off our warm clothes and put on our wetsuits which provided some shield from the cold air but man it was COLD! I kept my socks on until the bitter end, caring less how black they got from the pavement! Finally it was time to walk out to the lake. My feet were like ice cubes and it was painful to walk on the asphalt out to the lake, then we stood and waited for our wave start. We were in the fourth wave, the green swim cap wave! The sun was finally lighting up the day, but it was still incredibly cold. The cold created a lot of mental anxiety for me over the swim and the whole race in general! I learned from this that on Ironman Day, I will not let anxiety get a hold of me like that. Mind over matter! Positive thinking and pushing the negative energy and self doubt away! :)

The SWIM .9 miles

It actually felt so much WARMER to get in the 62 degree water then the to stand out in the cold air and dread the swim! My feet started to warm up once we stood in the lake. Finally my wave of women were off and swimming. Canandaigua Lake was slightly choppier than usual, but not too bad. This is the lake that I have done all of my open water training in this summer so it felt a bit like home. But for some reason for the first half of the swim I couldn't relax and kept having anxiety about the swim and couldn't stop thinking about the fact that my next triathlon would be a swim in the Gulf for Ironman Florida! It was like I was having nervousness for both the lake I was in at the moment AND for a race that was still 2 months away! Uggggh! Not a good choice. Like I said, I'm not going to let myself get like that on November 7, I'm starting now, can you tell?? Okay, back to the race at hand.... By the time I reached the halfway point in the swim, I felt great! The sun was shining and gorgeous, the water was calmer on the way back in then it was on the way out, and I was finally in a good rhythm for my stroke and concentrating on technique. I bumped into someone during the last little stretch and said "sorry!" and it was Tiffany! We said a couple motivating words to each other and swam to the finish. Then I was out of the water and running on the painful asphalt path to transition! Ouch! I kept running on the little edge of grass to avoid the pain. Kathy and Nicole, two of my running partners, were there cheering me on! (Later Kathy said I was running like a little ballerina, yep, it hurt!)

The BIKE 23.5 miles

Let me just go ahead and put it out there that I'm slow in transition, I can't help it, guess I just don't move fast! But I got out of the wetsuit, toweled off, bike shoes, helmut, gloves, sunglasses and ready to go. I passed a few people and one was Tiffany-we cheered each other on and kept climbing the hill! I felt GREAT! It was a gorgeous sunny day, beautiful countryside and everything that I love about biking was surrounding me and staring me in the face! It makes me so thankful that God has given me the chance to be out there and loving it! The first half of the ride is a series of pretty decent rolling hills and climbs but I've trained on the course so know where all the turns are and what to expect. There was one chica who I played cat and mouse with on the bike. I would say "Nice Job!" to her when she passed me or I passed her and she never responded. After the second time of no response I looked at her leg to see her age, she was in my age group, now it was ON!!!! I memorized her number and determined to beat her. The next two times we passed each other I said nothing! It was my mission to beat her! Well, when we got to the huge downhill near the end of the ride, I left her in the dust and never saw her on the bike again, Yes!!!!! But now I had to beat her on the run too....

The RUN 10 K

Back into transition and I couldn't find my spot! I needed a bright colored towel like Kim so wisely puts at her spot. (bright pink tweetie bird beach towel!) After a couple of minutes I found my place! Ditched the bike, helmut, gloves, glasses, changed my shoes and grabbed my Garmin and water bottle. I was off! To my amazement, just a week after the marathon, my legs felt fantastic! I've not experienced this in a triathlon before but nothing hurt and I felt like I had speed and energy, crazy! I let out a "WOO HOO" and took off down the path. Kathy and Nicole were there again cheering me on! It was still that amazing beautiful sunny day and the temp had warmed up nicely. The run was two loops, not my favorite, but still okay. Worse, I had to pee! Sorry for TMI but it was an issue! There were no places along the course to go and I seriously started eyeing the trees and bushes! But then I remembered my girl to beat on the bike and determined to make it to the end of 6.1 miles without a bathroom stop. I was off and checking everyone's numbers since it was a loop and we all passed each other. I saw Tiff about three times and we high fived and cheered each other on everytime. She rocks! The volunteers at the water stations were great and cheering all of us on. The first loop was tough mentally but by the time I was starting the second loop I felt like the end was in sight! I kept up with this girl in front of me who was running a bit quicker than me but she helped me keep going. I followed her for half of the first loop and all of the second loop, we even spoke to each other a couple of times, cheering each other on. I did see the "girl to beat", you know, the "bike girl," and she was behind me. I saw her twice during the run loop and determined to hold my pace so she wouldn't catch me. Surprisingly my Garmin beeped for all the mile splits and I was running 8's! The first mile was 8:04, second 8:01, third 7:56, fourth 8:11, fifth 8:13, and sixth 8:00. I couldn't believe my splits but it helped me keep pushing! I passed Kim near the end of the run and it was great to see her looking strong in the final event of the race! The finish line was in sight and I was so happy to get there!

The FINISH 2:46:35

It was a fabulous day and such a fun triathlon! I had a blast with my friends and being outside enjoying every minute of it! I actually got 6th in my age group and could have made 4th if my transitions were faster which just makes me laugh. The important thing is I beat "bike girl." Just kidding!!! I'm not being cocky, it was just a fun aspect and challenge in the race that helped me keep going. Here were my splits for the race: Swim-30:49, T1 4:19 ( I know!!!!), Bike 1:17:45, 18.4 avg., T2 2:47 (a little better, but not compared to everyone else!), Run 50:55. If you want to see some hilarious race photos of me, go to the Brightroom Photos website, search Fingerlakes Triathlon, and punch in my bib number 274. They're slightly embarrassing but funny enough to share. :)

Endurance Weekend: Running and Cycling Sep. 12-13

2009-09-14T06:31:00.000-07:00

The Highlander: Colin's 105 Mile Mountain Ride
Saturday, September 12

Setting up bike and gear for the big day starting just before 7 AM.

Colin climbed 105 miles worth of hills and craziness on his bike while I had fun spectating and driving to meet him at the rest stops. It is an incredible ride, with 15 hills which are major climbs. The killer hill comes at mile 100 and is literally a 23 percent graded incline. I had fun putting pics on facebook and tweeting up a storm as the day went on, documenting the ride. Colin met up with a buddy, Scott, who is the husband of Kathy, who I run with regularly. The two helped each other up the climbs all day and both said that got them to the finish. Near the end at mile 91 the two guys were at the fifth rest stop and decided to skip the sixth and final rest stop and head straight to the end. Colin said "Unless they have new legs for me there I don't think there's anything that will help me to the end." Ha! That gives an impression of the fatigue that is bound to ensue with such a challenging ride.

Tiny view of Bopple Hill which is a mile long, this shot does not do it justice...

I really was in complete awe of the notorious Bopple Hill at mile 100, it is fierce! I can't imagine climbing it. I walked partially down to cheer on riders climbing to the top and to wait for Colin and Scott to come through. The view from the spectator side is a steep hill with a gorgeous lake in the distance.

Unfortunately the cyclists miss the lake view and only have the endless hill in sight as they make their way to the top. And at the top on the right is a cemetary, classic. But from there its a short easy distance to the finish. Congrats on an outstanding ride guys! Loved watching and it is truly a grueling challenge. Finishing Time - 8 hr. 45 min.

Nothing like the finish...

The Rochester Marathon: The Story of Going Out Too Fast :) Sunday, Septemer 13

Here I am dying at mile 18 but so glad to see Colin with Gatorade and Body Glide. :) Several "first's" for this marathon: Ran in a skirt, carried water for the entire marathon, got my first blister (on my toe) ever during a marathon, lined up with a pace group at the start line...

Call me crazy, I signed up AGAIN for the Rochester Marathon after swearing to never run it again. But they were having pace groups for the first time this year so I thought I'd give the BQ dream time another chance. I only missed it by 3 minutes in Pittsburgh last May and thought maybe I could grab it this time around if I had my "perfect" day. Those days are hard to come by! After a few weeks of consideration, I signed up a week before the race. I've been Ironman Training all summer and threw in 20 and 17 mile training runs as I approached the Rochester race date.

I lined up with the 3:45 pace group telling myself I would hang as long as a I could and if I fell of I'd just let it go and not push which could risk unnecessary injury and poor recovery time for my "A" race, the November Ironman. Well, the leader took us out SO FAST for the first 5 miles. I needed to hold an 8:35 to 8:37 pace for the whole race which maybe I could have done, I'll never know, but the weather was outstanding. High 50's at the start, cool and breezy. The breeze lasted for the entire race and the temp only topped out at 70, great weather!

Back to those first five miles...we were hitting paces almost a minute faster then goal pace-7:42,7:43, 7:58, 8:08.....I was fresh so ran well at that point. If I were running a marathon on my own, I would immediately slow the pace if I hit one mile in the 7's! But I trusted our guide and hung in there hoping I could make it. I kept thinking, maybe this is it! Maybe I'm going to make it and be "Boston Bound!" Well you guessed it, by mile 13 I was struggling and by mile 15 I was on my own! No more pace group, my worst nightmare, alone on the boring canal path! This is probably the ultimate reason I didn't want to try and run my pace on own, I would end up on the canal path alone and slow down anyway. So big deal, I started counting the miles to 18 when I would meet up with Colin and some gatorade. :)

By that point I knew I would not make the 3:45 finish and rather then kill myself and run as fast as I could for a marathon I signed up for on a whim, I let it go. I slowed down, ran easy, but still in pain, and treated it like a training run all the way to the finish line. Man, 16 marathons and it's always HARD! Even if I take it easy and don't push myself, 26.2 miles IS pushing yourself...who am I kidding??

The 4 hour pace group caught up to me around 20-21 miles and passed me in about 15 seconds! My friend Kathy was running strong with them and I knew then that she would make her first BQ-and she did! CONGRATS!

I do love the adrenalin for the final miles though! By mile 23 I was thinking a long 5K to go! Then counting down to 2 quick miles and I started talking to people around me, cheering them on when they passed me or I passed them. I came upon walkers who responded to my encouragement with "You Rock!" Well, they rocked too!!! Then a couple of first time marathoners-I love telling them they're doing great and they're going to make it! I told one guy I was running for my ice bath at the end! It was his first marathon and he was obviously hurting but getting to the end. Amazingly another woman was at mile 25 of her 123rd marathon!!!! WOW!

Just yards from the finish line, my friend Kim, who had finished running the half, was standing there cheering me to the end. I pointed at the finish line and said "I get to STOP when I get there!!!" Spectators were cheering loudly and Colin got a picture of me smiling and hitting stop on my watch. Then you can see the pain on my face in the next picture as I walk to get my time chip taken back. Thank goodness someone reaches down to your ankle and takes it off for you so you don't have to. :) Finishing Time - 4:11:25

So why is it that now every marathon I run is about qualifying for Boston? I spend miles mentally battling the self-induced pressure and praying for strength. Constantly I think to myself-"Can I make it? Just relax and run! If it happens great, if not, at least you can run 26 miles!" In the end I know that's true, I love being able to run period. Another year for Boston, my goal this year truly is the ironman. And I'll be throwing up and crying with nervousness on THAT race morning! Can't wait! I think...

Can-Am Century Bike Ride: August 16, 2009

2009-09-05T13:33:00.000-07:00

Colin and I had a lot of fun riding our first hundred mile bike ride on this hot August day! It was actually 105 miles by the end and it was great Ironman training for me and Highlander training for Colin. (He is signed up to bike the Highlander on September 12 which is 100 miles of really tough hills in Bristol, NY. One climb is a 23 percent grade!) Our friend Dave came with us on this fun ride and he is a veteran cyclist having completed 40 to 50 hundred mile rides already!

The group ride started in Buffalo, NY and cruised over to Canada for a lovely spin past Niagara Falls and through Canadian countryside. We all had to stop and show our passports to cross the border two times. My favorite part was the Canadian side, wish the whole thing could have been in Canada! Terrain for all the miles was mostly flat so it truly was a laid-back, easy ride, our average pace was just right at 16.0 miles an hour for the entire 105 miles. We did have one HUGE hill to climb, it was so long! And it was incredibly hot! Plus it was right around 60-65 miles so we were well into the ride at that point. But we all just granny-geared it and climbed to the top! Not bad, just one tough hill for the entire ride. :) The last 15 miles or so were on a bike path which we all objected to greatly due to pedestrians and major cracks in the asphalt. That part turned out to be quite humorous. Every time I thought we were getting off the bike path and onto the road, an orange arrow would point us BACK to the path AGAIN! Seriously, at the time, I was going crazy! I'd get this huge wave of happiness to be off of it and then there we were again. I had to just laugh at it or I would SCREAM! All in all it was a great course and it was fun to push the limits on the bike for such a distance.

The aid stations were great! There were four and we actually decided to skip the last one because we were so close to the finish-we just wanted to get to the end! I had perpetuem in my bottle on my bike which is basically liquid nutrition with calories, carbs, protein and even a little fat. It's what I plan to use in the Ironman and I've been training with it on long bike rides. It keeps everything leveled out so you never really hit a big energy low on those long bike miles. So even though the aid stations had sandwiches, drinks, fruit, cheese, pretzels and more, I mostly relied on my perpetuem. I had some gatorade and re-filled my water bottles and snacked on some grapes and pretzels, but not many. (Didn't want to get an upset stomach...)

At the end of the ride there was great post-ride food! And we took great advantage of it after the long, hot day on our bikes. Temps climbed to about 90 and we were in lots of full sun all day. Completing the miles was a huge confidence booster for the Ironman, I'm so glad to have ridden it. And Colin and Dave were great riding partners, we made quite the trio and really had fun out there!

Musselman Half Iron Tri: July 19, 2009

2009-07-23T09:56:00.000-07:00

Race Site: Seneca Lake in Geneva, New York

My friend Kim and I are the two smiling faces on the left waving at the camera. Look at the serious faces of all the other women!! :)

Our wave start group heading out to the lake to begin the swim.

...and we are swimming, 1.2 miles to go!

Me running up to transition after the swim, hard to get a good shot of this, but there is my face, right shoulder, arm and hand. Whew! Made it through the swim in 37:57 and only got kicked in the head once which didn't hurt at all. I also grabbed somebody's foot for a second and swam slightly off course....All part of the triathlon swim! Lake was calm, warm and perfect! Had to swim a small portion in the canal to the boat ramp at the end which was stinky (literally!) and felt long mentally. :)

Colin drove out on the bike course and got a quick picture just after I made a right turn, about halfway through the 56.1 mile ride.

On the home stretch back to transition, an exhilerating and FUN ride on the bike course. Lots of rolling hills, very fast course overall. Had a section at the end in the last 5 miles where I passed a bunch of people without trying and was rolling steady between 20-24 mph. Overall pace for the entire ride was 17.7 in 3:12 and felt great.

...and one final bike shot, almost to Transition 2 to switch to "Running Mode!" I was so happy to get out of the bike saddle! :)

Mile Number one of the 13.1 mile run. My whole body felt like the end of a marathon at this point. Amazingly, everything warms up and feels normal in about 2 miles and the run is pretty decent. I never run as fast in triathlon as in just a running race but my goal is to get to the finish line.

The woman in purple was a great athlete! Just before this picture was taken a spectator yelled "Only 13 more miles to go!" which is the LAST thing we want to hear on the race course at the beginning of a painful run. I said, "Oh did you hear that??" and the woman in purple sarcastically said "Thank you very much," then added something else not too nice which made me laugh and she sped off for the rest of her faster than me 13.1 miles. :) If you look closely, I'm barely visible in turquoise in the back left of this picture.

This is the last mile of the run and it was a long one! The girl behind me had started the run at the same time as myself. I ended up running the first 6.5 miles with a friend from Rochester, Melissa, who was doing this race as her first triathlon. We trained some together. The girl in this picture behind me also ran with us. We just chatted it up and joked around helping each other through the miles. Then we spread out and separated and suddenly there was the girl again behind me. She was great! She said "Come on, we started this race together and let's finish it together!" And we both picked up the pace and ran to the finish line, it was a great moment! One of the things I love about triathlons is the camaraderie among the athletes even though we've never met each other before. Everyone is out there together pulling for all the people around them. Total run time was 2:05.

Here I am back at home with my bike gear medal.
Official Race Time 6:02:16

Final Thoughts...

This tri marked several things worth sharing. It fell on the anniversary of my first wedding 12 years ago and it was my second half-iron tri in 7 years. I completed the first one 7 years earlier just before losing my first husband who also completed the same race. It was the last thing God enabled him to accomplish in this life. And there is so much more than that in the person he was, committed to memory, including much happiness and many good times. I wore his helmut along the bike course, which just happens to be my helmut now due to convenience. :) Throughout the 6 hour race, I reflected some on my life, that first triathlon race, and enjoyed the fabulous day and moments of the race. Emotions tend to be close to the surface in an endurance activity for me when I'm pushing physical limits. So naturally, the weight of this race day was present for all of the above reasons. And ESPECIALLY when I thought of Colin taking pictures along the course, and waiting for me at the finish of the race. He is truly a gift and I have much to be thankful for in the gifts God has given me in this life. The best part of the race was the hug I got from Colin after crossing the finish line, despite being sweaty and covered with salt.

Keuka Sprint Tri: June 7, 2009

2009-07-22T07:23:00.000-07:00

Kim and I waiting for our wave start time in the lake...

The first tri of the season was in Keuka, NY with my friend and training partner, Kim, and my Mom as a spectator. It was such a fun triathlon-we had perfect weather and a blast in all three events! As always, there was plenty of pre-race anxiety which completely melted away as soon as we started swimming. The lake's 61 degree temp was nothing to us after training in 59 degree lake water just a few days earlier. We weren't even cold! A wetsuit goes a long way, what can I say? The bike part was a bit of a rough ride but we made it with good speed and no flat tires so all was well. The run was faster then we anticipated running, it's crazy how your body kicks into gear and picks up the pace. The perception is always that I am running much slower then my actual pace. Plus another guy in the race came along beside me and started pushing me to keep my pace of in the middle of the run and really helped me keep going. So, it was a great first tri of the summer. Both Kim and I wished we had done the olympic distance that day but we were worried about the lake being too cold. Ha! Next year....we'll sign up for the longer distance.

Mom and I after the race. We had a fabulous time at Women of Faith in Rochester for two days before the race.

Just arriving, getting ready to set up our tri gear in transition.

Tansition Area...

Mom trying to get a picture of the numbers on my legs...

My Sprint Times:

Swim: 16:46 (half mile)

T1: 4:09 (uggh!!!!!!)

Bike: 13.6 miles in 44:17 with an average pace of 18.3 mph

T2: 1:42 (a little better...)

Run: 3.1 miles in 24:24 with average mile pace of 7:46 (Mile 1- 7:46, Mile 2-7:43, Mile 3-7:39)

Overall Finishing Time: 1:31:24

Pittsburgh Marathon Crew

2009-05-23T09:04:00.000-07:00

Here is pic of the great friends that all went to Pittsburgh together for the big race May 3. (Left to Right: Mark, Me, Sandy, Steve, Kim, Kathy, Wendy)

Pittsburgh Marathon May 3, 2009

2009-05-14T05:23:00.000-07:00

THE CITY
After training through the cold, dark, snowy winter, spring started to peek through and I made it to the finish line of my 15th marathon on May 3 in the fabulous city of Pittsburgh. Now this was a marathon, very rolling and taking us through all parts of the city. We ran across the bridges of the city with gorgeous views of tall buildings in the skyline, water, and green trees and landscape. The weather was perfect, low 50's and completely overcast. The people of Pittsburgh came out in force on the sidelines and volunteering at aid stations to cheer the runners on. All of this made for a memorable and outstanding race that I would love to run again and again.

THE FRIENDS
A whole group of us got the bulk of the toughest training in together. This consisted of Saturday long runs in snow, below 0 temps, and sometimes nice, weather. We also hit our favorite Cobbs Hill for hill repeats every Tuesday night. Those Tuesday night hill runs turned into distance runs of 11 to 14 miles with hill repeats sandwiched in the middle starting at 6 PM every week. Yes, we ran most of it in the dark! Everyone was excited for our final day to be in Pittsburgh and run our goal race. There were 9 of us running the marathon and two running the half marathon. With spouses and a couple kids we had 22 for dinner reservations the night before in a fabulous Italian restaurant in Pittsburgh. It was so much fun to hang out with the crowd all weekend and wait for each other at the finish line to celebrate our success. Everyone had great races and three people set PR's.

THE TIME GOAL
I needed to run an 8:35 pace to meet my finishing goal and was just shy of hitting the mark. I crossed the line in 3:48, missing my goal of a 3:45 Boston qualifying time by 3 minutes! But still, it was my best marathon of my past 5, many of which I ran with injury, so I finally feel like I am back within reach of running those 3:40 and 3:30 something marathons....Needless to say, I'm happy with this race and finishing time.

THE RACE
Standing at the start I realized I had to pee! Great, no porta potties in sight! So I had to wait for the race to start and I hit the first porta that I saw at about a half mile. I still managed to run an 8:37 first mile with the RR stop! Oh well, what can you do? At least I didn't have to stand in line for it. I started settling into a pace that was between 8:20 and 8:30's which was perfect. The course turned out to be very rolling with hills and I thought it would be flat with one huge hill at mile 12. Nope, I'd call this a gently rolling hilly race. It was great though, gave a nice change for your legs and didn't feel monotonous, still, I kept waiting for the "one big uphill."

THE MENTAL TRAP
The first 10-13 miles of the marathon is mentally grueling for me. I was trying to settle into a pace and in my head I was having turmoil over the whole thing. "Why do I do this again? What if I can't hold this pace? Am I going to meet my goal? Is anything going to start hurting? There's my plantar fasciitus steady in the right foot, what if it becomes excruciating?" And the mental anguish continued! I ran a couple of slower miles but knew I had time in the bank with some faster previous miles and my 3:45 goal was still within reach. Miraculously, later about halfway through the race the pain in my right foot completely disappeared and it wasn't even sore the next morning. This never happens and I've been dealing with plantar fasciitus for a year and a half, maybe it's gone!

THE HILL
Every hill I hit I kept thinking, "Is this the hill? The half marathoners turned off just after a nice uphill, and I thought "That can't be the hill." Well, there was no question when we finally hit the hill around mile 12, and it was fine. It was close to a mile long and decently steep but completely manageable. And it was a relief to finally run it! Whew!!! Now to continue on the rolling hills, ha!

THE SLUMP
The thing about a marathon is it's never the same race, no matter how many times you've run the distance. I'm painfully aware of the fact that anything can happen, paces can drop off, injuries can flare up. So I feel like I was running the first chunk of the race with those worries hanging over my head. Then from around miles 13-18 I hit this mental slump and slowed down, off of my goal pace, and there was nothing I could do to speed it up. Then a bright spot! The 3:50 pace group caught up to me and I heard them chatting. I asked them a question or two and they said, "Latch on to us and we'll get you through." I thought to myself, I'll try but I'm probably gonna' end up dropping back and not be able to keep up. At that point, I thought I would continue to slow down...

THE SECOND WIND
I was wrong! This group was incredible! They asked me my name, where I was from, if it was my first marathon and told me their names and stories. Suddenly, we were on a great downhill, it was mile 20, I had more energy then I had previously. Talk about a mental boost! I quit looking at mile markers, I quit looking at my split times. Seriously, I didn't look at a single split time from there until after I crossed the finish line. I was simply running and talking to my new friends. The pace leader was Pacer Rick and he easily chatted us all up, telling us what was next on the course and mentally prepping everyone for it. At water stops we would get water and they all looked around for each other to make sure the gang was all there. I paced off with a man in his late 40's maybe early 50's (I'm guessing...) and his name was Dan. He lived in Pittsburgh and people knew him on the course. It came out that he was a doctor, Doctor Pickle, to be exact. Great guy! We had a great chat and near the end of the marathon, Pacer Rick said "okay I'll cut any of you loose now if you've got energy and want to pick up the pace, go for it. " Surprisingly, Dan and I picked it up and brought it to the finish. He waited for me to make sure I would make it, he said "I'm not leaving you now." In the last two miles I looked at my watch and told him I was missing my BQ by a minute or two. He said "you want to lean into it? I'll help you." First I said no because I knew I wouldn't make it anyway. Then I thought well I might as well know I gave it everything I've got and we took off with a harder pace. We crossed the finish line and I high fived Dan and he gave me a hug! Our last two miles were each 8:15's, go figure! I'm happy we finished strong and have hope that a 3:45 or less is in my future.

THE END
This race is yet another great memory. I'm so thankful to be able to run and I love marathons. God is my strength and so faithful and so good to give me the joy of a simple pleasure like running. Why do I do it? The challenge, the addicition of it all, the training, the friends, the feeling of crossing the finish line after 26.2 miles. Until next time...

Crunch Crunch Crunch Crunch...

2009-01-17T10:13:00.000-08:00

"Crunch Crunch Crunch Crunch" was the sound that filled my ears throughout our 14 mile training run in below zero temps this morning. I have often found a sort of settling comfort in the sounds of all of our feet running. There's just something about everyone's shoes pounding the pavement together that makes everything okay. Never mind if it's an ungodly dark hour like 5:30 AM, or in the middle of a seemingly endless 20 miler, that sound reminds you that you're out there with your friends, and for some reason it's FUN. Today the sound was not shoes rhythmically hitting the asphalt, but rather shoes crunching across the packed snowy and icy streets of Rochester.

Yes, today we had several conversations questioning our sanity and level of craziness, deciding ultimately that we were okay since we were all in it together. Who cares if we saw a couple of people in their cars laughing at us? Or if the cashier at the coffee shop shook her head in disbelief when we walked in to use the restroom? There's a marathon in a few months and you can't just skip a long run. Nope, today's run was not for the faint at heart. And we survived.

I wore two pairs of pants, wool socks, trail shoes, four layers on top plus a jacket, a balaclava, a hat, two pairs of gloves... I should have opted for mittens since my hands were balled into tight fists gripping handwarmers for the entire run. My water bottle was frozen solid by the end of the distance. My vanilla GU was like thick ice cream, and no, it didn't taste good.

Despite the conditions, it was actually fun to be out there with a group of people. Somehow we filled the miles with a fair amount of laughing, telling stories, and talking about random bits of nothing. We reminded each other that conditions could have been worse had the wind been blowing. But even the locals who have lived here much of their lives said today was one of their coldest runs ever, so what an accomplishment for all of us! What would I do without that favorite sound of feet hitting the roads?

One Sprint Tri and Two Marathons...

2009-01-03T19:37:00.000-08:00

And where did the fall of 2008 go anyway???? Sorry for not posting in five long months. Life happened with busy schedules, my new addiction to facebook, and sheer laziness in posting here. I did manage a brief summary of the end of 2008.

Sodus Sprint Tri - August

This is Kim and I after finishing the tri--she is my bike training partner, we have lots of fun training together!

Went out for a fun little sprint tri that I thought would be easy and it was the exact opposite! I still had fun and loved being out there, after surviving the ocean-like lake swim in a very rocky and rough Lake Ontario! Seriously, it was such rough waters that me and my rented wetsuit contemplated swimming back to the shore and calling it a day after only a few short minutes of being tossed and thrown around by some extremely choppy water. But alas, I sucked it up and decided to get around all those big orange bouyies and make it to the end. Next came an unexpectedly hilly bike ride, suddenly 13 miles became much more difficult then originally anticipated! Finally the run, I somehow ran a decent average in the hot temps of the day and made it to the end. The most memorable part of this tri was meeting a girl who happened to have the same exact tri attire on as me! Quickly we realized we also had similar looks and have ever since referred to each other as "TWIN!" We snapped several pictures and still laugh about that day. She is also a vocal music teacher like me, go figure! Colin and I got to ring in the new year at her house and had a great time meeting new friends and enjoying her husband's fabulous cooking!!!

A pic of my TWIN Tiff--we had a blast laughing about our similarities!!

Rochester Marathon - September

April, myself, Karen and Dave

HOT! Can I say it was incredibly hot and humid? It was sheer torture! Water stops were only every couple of miles and needed to be every mile in that heat! AND the stops ran out of gatorade by the end, okay that's an exaggeration... But at MILE 22 they really did run out of gatorade!!!!! And what the other stops tried to pass off as gatorade was so watered down and weak it tasted like water to me! No I won't be running the full in Rochester next year, I will however run the half marathon! The best thing about the race-besides crossing the finish line and ending my misery-were my three awesome friends who flew up from Little Rock to run the Rochester Half Marathon! We had the best time that weekend-lots of laughter and fun memories! Karen, April and Dave are amazing runners and friends. I truly miss our Tuesday-Thursday 5:30 AM runs when I lived in Little Rock. Of course they still are there every week to run the long standing and wonderful training course! Anyway, this was my 13th marathon and my slowest in the last 10 that I have run due to the excruciating temps!
Karen, Dave and April after finishing their awesome races--Karen even won her age group!!

Memphis Marathon - December

Me, Raquel and Bailey the morning before the big race...Raquel ran an awesome half and Bailey PR'd!!!

My fourth time to run this full marathon and I've also run the half a couple times. I love this race! It benefits St. Jude's Children's Hospital and is incredibly emotional for me every time I run it. I have both PR'd on the course and fallen on my face, but I've always finished, and each time with a renewed perspective about what in life is truly important. Seeing those beautiful children's faces and recognizing the battle they are fighting for life suddenly puts my mile pace or finishing time in a pale light. My run itself was not a complete disaster, but tough mentally and physically. I stayed the course and crossed the finish line in 4:06, better then my Rochester race, not outstanding... I got to see lots of incredible friends at the race! Shared a hotel room with my tried and true marathon training partner Raquel, and her Mom, and a new friend, Bailey. Saturday night after the race I spent the night in Little Rock at April's house and saw MANY special friends at a party she and Craig hosted that night. It was a wonderful weekend and I'm so blessed to have been able to go and run another marathon and see my friends.

Raquel and her Mom

Next....

So what's next??? Funny you should wonder.... So far on my wish list is the LR half marathon in March but I don't know if I can make the air fare for it. In May I plan to run the Pittsburgh Marathon with a group from Rochester. And I have a long list of tri's and bike rides for the summer in preparation for my next big endeavor, Ironman Florida in November 2009. Stay tuned for more details. And I'll try not to wait five months before the next post, but I make no promises!

18 Miles With The Girls

2008-08-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

How about an overcast morning, steady, light rain, cool temps around 70 degrees, and green leafy trees and lush green grass surrounding a group of girls out for a run? It was great, the rain actually lasted for about half the run and it was perfect running conditions. Six of us started out together and the more we chatted and laughed the more I realized how inspiring they all were as women and runners!

One girl told us her hilarious experience of running with the local hasher running group and we all decided we would skip out on that one. She also sang snippets of her all-time favorite disco music throughout the miles, forcing us to smile and have fun and sing along maybe... Another woman completed some tri's this summer, including placing third woman overall in the Shoreline tri! And she is signed up for Iron Man Lake Placid for next summer. It was so much fun to run with just the girls and keep each other going. Especially for me in a new area where I'm still getting to know people. These women really were inspiring and so comfortable to hang out with for a run. They were accepting and made you feel like part of them even though I had just met several of them for the first time.

Most of the little group made it for 13.5 miles together, then two went on to make it 15 and three of us stuck together for 18. The two I was with picked up the pace for the last four and half miles! I had them in sight the whole time which really helped me not slow down and keep a steady pace. I couldn't hang with them though! In the final mile, (which ended up being my fastest mile, go figure) we sang James Brown's "I Feel Good" and ran it in on sheer adrenalin and a "Shine On" mantra with every step. It was definitely a highlight of the weekend and great start to the day! Shine On Girls, until next time!

Shoreline Triathlon

2008-08-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday marked my first tri in a couple of years! I had some anxiety over whether to sign up at all because of little training time on the bike and swimming but I managed to sign up anyway! Then I worried about how choppy and cold the lake might be on race day! Well, talk about worries for nothing!! It was the most perfect, beautiful weather for the entire race, including warm, calm lake waters! I had sheer fun for every minute of the tri!

Most people wore wetsuits for the half mile swim in Lake Ontario and I rented one for the event. It was a good swim, I never panicked and didn't get kicked or bumped into by any other swimmers. (That was a first!) I was not fast of course, the swim is always my slowest part. In fact I was 163rd to get out of the water out of 220 people! Then a barefoot run up a grassy hill to the bike transition area...

My new friend Kim came into transition seconds behind me and we actually spoke a little bit during the mad rush of pulling wetsuits off and getting into bike gear. It was so much fun to go with a friend and laugh and talk and stress pre-race, and then see each other throughout the race too.

On the bike, I just flew! It was crazy, we had an awesome tail wind for several miles until a turn in the route changed it to a head wind! But overall it was gorgeous country side, clear blue skies, cute houses and the 15 miles flew by! I averaged 18.1 on the bike which was a surprise to me! Colin said why can't I ride like that with him??? Because, it's not a race and in a race I know it's only a short distance and I push through the leg pain while trying to forget I have to run next...

I was the 111th person to finish the bike and then off for the four mile run with concrete legs. I always forget how hard it is to run in a triathlon! I felt like I was doing 10 minute plus miles as I ran along the marked route. It was in Hamlin Beach park, through some trails, some paved path and some road. While I was running I saw all the people ahead of me who were faster and beating me! I just plugged away with the energy I had left. My legs warmed up for the run after about a mile and a half or so. One woman told me I was running strong and looked great and then sailed past me! It was great, she actually helped me with her comment and she looked amazing herself, I couldn't catch her!

Alas, I reached the finish line! I was the 94th person overall to finish the run, the 10th woman overall to finish the run. My 10 minute plus pace was actually more like 8:30 for the 4 miles, but it didn't feel like it! I was the 129th person to finish the triathlon overall and I actually got third in my age group! Okay, so there were only 7 others in my age group, but it was still the first time I placed in a tri before.

I liked it so much that I signed up for another sprint on August 17th, Sodus Point, another Lake Ontario swim...Guess I better buy a wetsuit, to be continued...

Our New Home

2008-06-14T14:48:00.000-07:00

Start spreadin' the news....NEW YORK

2008-06-14T14:04:00.000-07:00

Wow, Surprise, a NEW post!!! My apologies for not getting on this but we have had a ton of "life" happen lately and there went all my free time.

So quick update: Colin graduated, out of state family came in for a visit, sold our house in Arkansas, bought a house in New York, packed up all of our "stuff," left some behind b/c it didn't fit on the truck, drove to NY with the dogs and everything else, flew back to AR, finished school, exams, grades, packed my classroom, said many tearful goodbye's (SERIOUSLY, lots of tears!) and made the treck back to NY with a fun stop in Indiana visiting Grandma Grace, aunts, uncles and cousins. :) [including an 11 mile run on the Monon Trail with my aunt Lisa, cousin Rose and her friend Amanda, in a mild thunderstorm with a steady light cooling rain, it was awesome!]

Whew...arrived safely in Rochester and went to work applying for jobs. Applied to 16 districts then looked around at piles of boxes and didn't know where to begin, almost shed a few tears over that one! But progress is being made, can't wait to be done unpacking and start painting rooms. :)

Meanwhile, I got online and looked up local running groups, found lots that meet for various workouts and long runs. Well, I just happen to live a quarter mile from a cool running store that is the meeting point for several. I mean God just totally picked this house out for us, it's also 3 miles from the hospital. (Colin's job, not future running injuries, I hope)

So Friday night I head out my front door and am at the running store in less than two minutes for their weekly "Happy Hour" run at 6 PM. How perfect is that?? I met a super nice girl and we ran together the whole 4.3 miles with a couple of challenging hills. (Did I mention it was hot and humid?? They've been having a heat wave this week, feels like I'm back in Arkansas. But I'm assured it won't last.)

By the end of the run, my new friend and I had planned to run together the following morning (Saturday) for a long run. There is a group long run every Saturday from the same store, they are a Rochester Marathon training group, go figure. :) So we met up again at the same running store and I got 14 miles, my longest run in awhile. It was slightly humid, but not bad, overcast and a breeze every once in awhile. I can't complain even though I was soaked and salt covered by the end.

Next plan is to meet at my new favorite running store on Tuesday night to run over to a local track for a group speed workout. And yes, I'm planning to run the Rochester Marathon on Sunday September 14. I know of a free hotel for any of you runners who might be interested and need a place to stay, it's called the Davis Extraodinaire and we'll try to get the bed set up in the guest bedroom by then. (there is also a couch, a futon and various floor space.) Unless of course, you're already running Berlin, in which case we are also planning to be in business for the Fall 09 Rochester Marathon. (Flat course BTW)

Colin is doing well, working like mad on the kitchen floor and other odds and ends. He needs some down time before he starts orientation on Monday. I guess he'll have to go to work to take a break! Dogs are happy and all is well. Miss my peoples but I promise to stay in touch!!

I'll try to post about Boston and throw a picture up to go with it, sometime....

Snow in MARCH

2008-03-08T07:53:00.000-08:00

We have actually had snow twice in March this past week! And it was our first and only snows of the winter, so crazy!

Tuesday morning it was beautiful coming down and just barely starting to cover the ground. Went and met my running group at 5:30 and we all had slow recovery runs after racing on Sunday. But it was so cool to run in the snow. Of course nothing was canceled because the roads were fine and it was business as usual.

Then Friday we got dumped on, at least dumped on for Arkansas. Everything was canceled and lot's of people missed work. The snow continued for the most of the day but roads were no more then a little on the slushy side. Colin and I ventured out to the gym around noon and after lifting we headed to Murray Park to run in the snow.

The trail was slushy and cold, wet snow was falling pretty heavily at that point. Off we went with the wind at our backs. Our feet quickly got wet in the slush with each step and after the turn around we had the wind in our faces! We were soaked, pants were wet, feet and socks were wet. My jacket had a thick layer of snow sticking to the front. My baseball hat didn't keep the snow out of my eyes like I had hoped. I had to squint the entire time because of the snow pelting me in the eyes. But it still beat a treadmill! Somehow we ran a negative split even with the head wind, probably because we wanted to get to the end!

Finished 4 miles with an 8:36 pace and felt a lot better then I had in my earlier runs this week. Rough recovery from the race last weekend. So for this run, the only factor was the wind and snow in our faces! As we were driving away, I could finally open my eyes and see how beautiful it was out with everything snow covered and a curtain of white steadily falling.

I love snow days! A break from work, we were the only ones at the gym and the only ones on the trail. :)

LR Half

2008-03-08T07:20:00.000-08:00

First of all, I just looked at the countdown and I can't believe it's only 6 weeks till Boston----That really freaks me out!!! I'm starting mile repeats this week, I have to! Tomorrow is my second 20 miler and then I'll have one more 20 three weeks out. So close to race day...

Okay, back to the Little Rock Half which was last weekend! I have had a crazy week at work, no time to post or read anything.

Got to the start in shorts, a tank and long sleeves after much stress over parking, streets were already closed, we finally got there. I have so much race anxiety over getting to the start in time and finding my people. Colin is way more layed back and once we finally got downtown, stopped at a pre-race porta pottie, he stopped to talk to someone and I had to jet out of there! Found Rock and Brenda and some other cruisers and I was finally relieved. When I realized I was sweating before we even started, I shedded the long sleeve shirt and Tim kept it for me in his bag with Rock's stuff. (Thank you!)

At first I was really annoyed by the slow start on a narrow street but soon realized it kept me from going out too fast, which was a GOOD thing. Of course I have to say if you're going to WALK and push a STROLLER, please, line up at the end of the crowd, not up by the 3:00 and 3:30 pace groups!!!!

Started out okay, but I was feeling tired early in the race and I truly think it was the heat!!! Ran the first mile in 7:52 and the second in 7:28, the first mile was good the second was too fast. Loved crossing Broadway and running past the Gospel group in NLR and then the Guitar playin' Rocker just before Karrot--those people have no idea how much energy they give off! In the beginning I looked up and I was holding pace with all my friends who I train with through the week, and we hadn't even started together! Kristen, Lea, Whitney all right there. Rock and I started together and she was just ahead of me. But by mile 4, I was already feeling that Heat-Fatigue business and had to let them ALL go ahead. It's okay, you gotta' run the race you have on that day.

By miles 8-10 I slowed down considerably and it felt so hot to me out there. Passed Dave, who trains with a group I meet on Tuesday-Thursday mornings and he was slower then normal too, like me. We finished just together within one minute at Wynne last November in 1:43, and today we were on a slower pace. I carried my own water and started to think I was going to finish it all off before the finish! Stopped one time for gatorade at the aid station after running Capitol. Took two gu's and probably should have taken a third.

Well, by mile 11, adrenalin started kicking in, I knew we were almost to the end. I was disappointed to turn off early and not get to pass Central, but glad for the shortened route. A couple of people were blaring "Walk This Way" from their mini-van on that street and it just cracked me up! I knew it was the marathon 12 mile sign after that because we had turned off early and plus my garmin had the distance, so the two 12 mile signs didn't throw me off. At this point, I had known for a long time that this was no PR and at least 6-7 minutes slower then my goal finish time, but I just wanted to get to the end!

I caught up to Lea in the last mile where she was getting water and I cheered for her to come on and run it in, she picked it up with me. I love it when people help me like that and know that's what we need out there! She pointed out Rock to me just ahead, and I was surprised to see her. I thought she would have been finished by then but the heat got to her too. So I started picking it up to try to catch up to her. By the last mile I had some SERIOUS adrenalin and wouldn't you know that was my fastest mile all day? I ran it in 7:24 and was so glad to be finished!!!!! Disappointed in a hat for my efforts instead of a shirt, but still got a medal! This race was just motivation to get in gear and start doing speedwork before Boston gets here.

Loved seeing all my friends at the race and sharing our misery in the heat and the joy of finishing anyway.

Great Run...Hard Recovery :)

2008-02-23T13:47:00.000-08:00

Today's 18 miles was a great run for me, ran with my friends which is always good, and kept a decent pace-thanks to those good old friends! Why run alone? My right foot (the same PF problem) was noticeable and bothered me more for the last 5-6 miles but still maintained an okay pace. Unlike last Saturday's 20 miler which was extremely HARD mentally and physically painful for my foot and another favorite old friend--the left IT band. Oh the 30's, such a new world of aches, pains and injuries! I'm told that in my 40's I have even more to look forward to experiencing! Ha! I'm fine with all of it because I have so many friends in their 50's and 60's who are amazing runners and still running marathons. So, I'll count these aches and pains as "rites of passage" and reminders to STRETCH!

I'm really feeling like I'm into my training by now with two 18's and one 20 under my belt. Next week is the LR half marathon, which I don't expect to run fast, but it will be good training. After that I have just two more 20's (or a 21??) and one 18 for my ultra long training runs, with some shorter weekend long runs mixed in. (a 13 and 14 here and there.)

As for my recovery today, YUCK! I've accomplished nothing except the 18 miles and finally a shower! Unless you count laying on the couch, eating, and watching one and a half movies! My "to-do" list for tomorrow just grew another foot: house cleaning and laundry, grocery store, and a pile of school work! I'll survive. I actually have to get dressed and put make-up on for a birthday party tonight! But it will be lots of fun with our friends.

And I really need to post some pics of my weekly running groups! They have no idea how much I love meeting up to run with them on our assigned schedule of days, routes and distances. (I join a group that meets consistently on Mondays and Wednesdays and another consistent group on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I trade off meeting different groups for weekends depending on scheduled distances etc.)

Time to go accomplish SOMETHING! :) [besides 18 miles in 2:35:12 at an 8:36 pace.]

Officially in Training...

2008-02-02T09:44:00.000-08:00

I have officially registered for Boston and been accepted so now it's on for real...Hotel reservation is taken care of and the only thing left to do is get my flight and train. I'm so excited for the "Girls Weekend" in Boston with Lisa (My aunt from Indianapolis---our third Boston together), Melanie (from Stuttgart, our second Boston together) and Raquel (from Cabot, her FIRST Boston)----so exciting!

So training is going okay, ran 13 last Saturday with patches of ice and the dam bridge which was ALL ice and I had to walk/slide across the whole thing while holding the railing, really fun, let me tell you. But I made it, logged the miles. Today I met the LR marathon group at 0:dark O'clock in the morning (6!) and ran 16 miles on rolling hills, which were great actually. It was a decent pace until about mile 12 when my plantar's started to bother me but I finished in 2:18 with an 8:40 pace.

My true goal is to somehow become injury free by April 21 and be able to run the marathon with only the normal amount of pain involved with 26.2 miles, and not excruciating pain levels of injury. (which I have experienced several times-two IT band flare ups and one painful PF marathon...)I'm told it is possible for the PF to be gone by then, time will tell...I must STRETCH!!!!!

Running with Rock

2008-01-19T15:02:00.000-08:00

Today was a great morning for a run-cold, clear, sunny and definitely brisk! I headed out to Cabot to meet up with Raquel for a long run. We hadn't seen each other since October so it was great to run and chat it up for the entire run. Of course in classic "Kirsten" style--I was late! (I seriously need therapy on that one, I have the best of intentions....) So the group took off promptly at 7 and Rock waited until I got there. (thank you!)

We ran into Arland and Kelley and they told us which way to go for the route. We muddled through and ended up making up our own route in the middle,adding a couple of extra miles on to the original loop. It was awesome to run on all my old training roads from when I lived in Cabot, complete with several dogs running out at us! Nothing at all threatening though. In the middle we decided to add a loop knowing it would make our route longer. Raquel wanted 18 today anyway and I was fine with going a little more so it worked out great.

At the end Rock went out to finish her 18 and I called it quits at 16.5. By the time I changed my clothes across the street in the public RR, Brenda, Cindy and Lisa had finished up so I drove back over to say hi. It was good to see them and chat for a few minutes.

All in all, there is nothing like running with a great friend. We had a blast catching up on the latest, sharing training tips, laughing at ourselves and nothing at all, and just enjoying the run.

Louisville, Kentucky

2007-12-23T19:08:00.000-08:00

What a great city with an awesome downtown! Colin and I ran here this morning while it was still dark out. The city lights and Christmas lights were so pretty and gradually it got lighter. Cold and windy especially at the start but it warmed up once we got going. It was fun to run beside the Ohio River too, nice park area there. Ran past the famous Louisville Slugger store with a huge baseball bat outside on the sidewalk as tall as the buildings. After the run we hit a Starbucks and continued the journey to Lexington (also a nice city...). Louisville would definitely be a cool place to live if we end up there.... Should be running in Pittsburgh tomorrow morning, more on that later.

priceless...

2007-12-12T16:57:00.000-08:00

Memphis Marathon Registration Fee..........$65.00

Months and Miles of Training...............okay, free, but lots of time and energy

Energel Gel................................$30.00

Gatorade...................................$20.00

Water......................................OKAY, free again!

New Running Shoes..........................$59.00 (on sale!)
(to combat plantar fasciitus)

Dr. Visit for a PT referral................$25.00 co-pay, a half day of leave from work AND 2 and a half HOURS!

Three P/T visits for treatment and
tape for PLANTAR FASCIITUS.................$50.00

Two rolls of Tape and adhesive so I can
keep running and heal the PF...............$50.00

Finishing the half-marathon in less than my best time...........PRICELESS

LECTURE from my husband for running 10 mile "long run" one week after the marathon "because it was fun, and a good route, and I was with my friends, and I'm addicted, ect.".....................EVEN MORE PRICELESS

Yes, much to my dismay at being wrong, my husband is right. If I want to heal and be able to train for another marathon in April, I need to get smart, back off and let myself heal. So next weekend, I will BIKE. but I'm still running EASY through the week, with tape. SMILES :)

St. Jude's Memphis Marathon

2007-12-02T06:06:00.000-08:00

The Weather:
Weather was perfect at the start line, just barely 50 degrees, maybe slightly cooler. It would warm up up to upper 60's, perfect running weather. Ideal for shorts and a tank and I started with a long sleeve shirt.

The History:
This was my 11th marathon, my third St. Jude's Marathon, and I have also run the half in Memphis. I walked to the start with Colin, who was not running but planning to meet me along the course. I said to him "The first time I ran this marathon it was in '03 and it was my first marathon after Ken passed so I was really sad to run it and be here by myself. And I thought, well maybe someday I'll get to be here with someone. And today is a someday." It was awesome to see Colin about 4times throughout the race, he gave me words of encourgement, and body glide and caught my gloves.

The Start:
I should have quit drinking ealier because at the start I ended up in line for the portables with 13 people ahead of me and 17 minutes to the start! Finally they started moving a little quicker and I was watching my watch deciding to get out of line at 7:55 if it wasn't my turn yet. Whew! Got in at 7:54, then bolted my way through crowds of people to corral #3, the bathroom lines were at the opposite end! I ended up having a couple of minutes to spare before we started and they held each corral so I didn't cross the start officially until 3 minutes after.

The Run:
Of course I went out too fast, but I really was holding back and felt like I was running slower than my actual pace turned out to be. The first mile clicked off at 8:00 minutes. It was sunny, gorgeous, a beautiful day and you just wanted to run. My plantar fasciitus was hurting slightly but it wasn't too bad and I thought it would stop around 2 or 3 miles. I was moving right along, slowing myself down some and was with the 3:35 pace group for a few miles, lost them at a water stop around mile 5 and couldn't catch back up. My foot was still hurting and I realized I needed to pay attention to my body and run my own race rather than try to force myself to try to stay with a pace group that I wasn't really able to hold.

Around mile 10 the 3:40 pace group caught up to me which was fine because that was my ultimate goal for a finishing time. Unfortunately, I could tell that there was a strong possibility they would pass me too. They did. :) It was a nice three miles together.

My foot was still hurting and getting worse but around mile 14 the pain just leveled off and stayed the same for the rest of the race. The 3:45 group came and went. The 3:50 group came and went. By then I had already realized my situation and my goal went to FINISH THE THING and try to get in under 4 hours. Sometimes we just recognize our limitations. Besides I kept looking at all of my split times and knew I was giving everything I had and not holding my pace. :)

Life Perspective:
All along the course there were signs for JAKE. Run for Jake. His family and friends and team were everywhere. One year I ran the race and Jake was on the course, a sweet little two or three year old in a stroller, bundled up in the cold weather that year. This year there was a sign for the Jake Owen Raborn foundation and a sign that said Run in Memory of Jake. How do you not tear up when you see that? The year Jake was on the course was my first IT band injury marathon and I was in pain. I turned the corner and saw Jake and remembered there are a lot of worse things in life then running with a piddly injury. So this was another of those moments. I checked out the website when I got home and learned that this family lost their precious son in Oct. 06 at age 4. They are incredible to still to be out at the race to help other families still fighting pediatric cancer.

The Finish:
I finished@!!!! Yay Rah!!!! Finished in 3:53:52. The course by the way, had tons of traffic, exhaust to breathe in, and people telling you to run on the inside of the cones. I much prefer the middle of the road where the cars were, Come on!! I wish they had closed off the lanes completely, oh well. Running on slanted pavement is my least favorite. The traffic control was excellent though, the police officers did a great job directing and wathing out for the runners in our one lane. The slightly rolling hills were nice, just enough to make the race not flat. It actually felt good to have a change in terrain. On the way home, I was stretching my foot and talking about my next marathon, Boston. I'm qualified from Chicago 06 and hopefully will be there with two awesome friends, Lisa (my aunt) and Raquel. We shall see...

Plantar Fasciitus

2007-11-29T20:37:00.000-08:00

I have one more day until the marathon and I think I have everything packed and ready to go. There is a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I'm forgetting something...probably just pre-race anxiety and don't I know all about that! :)

Temps are predicted to be a high of 68 and a low of 54 with cloudy skies, an improvement from the rain that was in the forecast last week. Perfect running weather I think, planning to wear shorts. Now, do I pin my number on my tank top or on my shorts....the age old question.

Yes, I have plantar fasciitus in my right heel. It entered my life on November 16 when I had excruciating pain getting out of bed and then had to limp when I first started running. Since then, I've taken extra rest days, shortened my last two long runs to short ones and even biked one day. I've been stretching and got in for some physical therapy on Tuesday.

There is a fabulous physical therapist in Little Rock who helped me with IT band problems over the summer. He did some therapy on my foot and then taped me up. Surprisingly that has helped more than I expected. Pain was far less on my last run before the marathon, Wednesday, and it actually went away by mile 2. Tomorrow I go back to the PT for a final taping before race day.

I'm as ready as I can be, kind of worried about pace and finish time, not sure what to aim for exactly. Also slightly worried about my foot of course. Will it hurt? Will it be fine and then become excruciating at some point during the 26 miles? A lot can happen in the animal known as marathon, it's such a long distance that everything just hangs in an unknown balance. Will it be smooth sailing that ends up in a storm? Will it be a rocky start with a successful summit? Will it be IDEAL where everything feels effortless? Will it be a gut-wrenching soul-searching painful experience culminating in tears of relief to cross the finish line? I think I have experienced all of those in past marathons!

Bottom line is I love to run and I love the marathon. Saturday will be another day in my memory and another day to be thankful that I'm able to run at all. A good friend reminded me of a great verse for the marathon in Isaiah 40:31, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; They shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint." Another favorite marathon verse for me is Phil. 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheth me." He is the source of the ability, and the strength, and the joy in running.

20 Mile Birthday Run

2007-11-10T13:21:00.000-08:00

Met some friends today and ran my last 20 miler before Memphis. It was a beautiful morning once it got light outside after our 5:30 AM start. Temperatures were in the 50's and the sun was shining. I love fall running, the trees were gorgeous and it felt great to be outside enjoying the day. Nevermind that the course was absolutely the HILLIEST route I have run in all my weeks of marathon training, we all need a challenge, right? It was an awesome day, I can't think of a better way to start my birthday--- a 20 mile run with friends, beautiful fall scenery and great weather. And now, at long last, the TAPER....

Reason to Run: Scones

2007-11-07T16:31:00.000-08:00

What better reason to run then homemade blueberry scones? And we're not talking about scones from Starbucks or your local coffee shop.

This morning our usual group of 5 runners plus two newbies met at our usual Starbucks on Kavanaugh to run at 5:30 AM. As we made our first few steps into the cold air, Alan counted us and announced that he had scones for everyone at the end of the run. Not just regular scones, scones made from scratch in some new fancy way that definitely made them better.

So, I was tired and decided when I got up this morning to only run 4 or 5 miles. Our quicker than usual pace reinforced the decision. I had even decided to forego the scones and stick with my plan to cut a couple miles. Well, the more I ran the better I felt and somewhere around 3 and a half to 4 miles I changed my mind and decided I was running 6 after all. Running for scones became my mantra, and it was worth every calorie. We all know runners love to eat and I'll run for scones any day! (or for my usual oatmeal or Kashi Go Lean cereal for that matter....but those scones were definitely delicious...) Thanks for the awesome treats!