Happiness...One Mile At A Time

I'm back...January Recap

2012-01-31T16:53:00.000-05:00

Oh, right, I have a blog. Kind of sort of forgot about it for a while and then realized I didn't really miss it. But after an email from Aron, I realized while I didn't really miss writing about running (and now swimming and biking) per say, I did miss the people that I've met through blogging. Sure it seems like more of a hassle lately, but I'd like to take another stab at it so I can stay in the loop with what's going on with everyone. I'd also like to think that taking on the biggest challenge of my life might give me something to write about. So I guess I'll start off with what I've been up to the past month...

The first few weeks were rough after putting Newman down, but I'm very thankful that hard time came when it did. If that happened when I was knee deep into Ironman training, you probably would have had to lock me up. I still shed a few tears most days, but for the most part, we're back to our daily routine. The biggest difference; you'd be amazed at how much better you sleep without a cat on your head. But I'm not complaining, I'd rather have him here then get a good nights sleep.

My workouts this month consisted of easy swimming, biking and running. I'm working on my stroke and trying to correct any inefficiencies. Some days I feel great in the water and feel like everything is coming together. Then there are days like today where I just feel like a slug and my back half wants to sink. Bottom line is that I feel way more comfortable in the water than I did last year and I'm not dreading my swim workouts at all. Cycling has consisted of base building on my trainer and making sure my fit is perfect now that I'm aero position. With the change in position, the hoo-ha took a beating. I suffered long enough to make sure it wasn't an issue where I just needed to toughen up the area and then I cried uncle. I swamped my saddle out last weekend for a new one and based on my ride last night, the jury is still out as to whether or not it's the right one for me. Running has been on the light side, 2-3 times a week. That's really hard for me but I'm following coach's orders. Especially since I've had some all too familiar heel pain recently....

As for the heel pain, on my coach's recommendation, I went to see a sports doc to expand my "team" for this upcoming year. I finally feel like I found someone who is going to help me through this rather than say, "get an MRI and go back into the boot." I had my first appointment last Saturday and oh...my...gosh. Hurt like a mother! Basically my right side, from the hip down, is sort of messed up...which I pretty much knew. But I feel hopeful that we'll get me squared away.

So while things haven't been too exciting, I've been keeping myself plenty busy. With work, my workouts, personal training, appointments, trying to have somewhat of a life, etc I don't have much free time. I'm definitely going to have to knock a few things off my list as training gets more intense, but I'm ok with that. I'm actually looking forward to training picking up; I miss my crazy workouts!! But when late summer rolls around and I'm beaten down and broken, I'm sure I'll be eating my words.

10 months to go...

Rough Start

2012-01-10T16:54:00.001-05:00

We had a rough start to the New Year. I had been counting down the weeks, eager to start the journey to Ironman Florida, but instead I found myself having to make the hardest decision of my life. After 12 years of having a little black kitty attached to my hip, I made the painful decision to put Newman down. Things had slowly been getting worse over the past few years and while I kept trying not to see it, it was clear on Friday morning that he deserved a life without anymore suffering. I spent most of Friday with him giving him tons of hugs and kisses, but I would still give anything to have just a few more hours with him. Not having him around has been really rough on both Andy and myself, but we keep trying to remind each other that he lived like a king and he's in a better place. It's crazy what kind of impact a pet can have on your life and how happy they can make you. There will never be another kitty like him. RIP Newmie, we miss you so much.

Needless to say, last week's workouts weren't the best. I got them in but it wasn't how I wanted to start the year. I was tired, emotionally drained and completely preoccupied. But I'm starting to pick up the pieces little by little this week and catch up on 12 years of lost sleep. My swollen eyes have even started to go down and I was able to wear goggles and go for a swim today. And while I have this overwhelming sadness weighing me down, I feel ready to get back to my routine. I'm ready to start the journey to Ironman Florida...even though it won't be the same without Newman to keep me company during my weekend recovery naps.

Reggae Marathon Race Report

2011-12-18T17:47:00.000-05:00

I feel like the Reggae marathon was ages ago!! Coming home to so much craziness I don't even feel like I was ever away; the only thing reminding me are my tan lines and a scar from a jellyfish sting. As usual, we had an incredible time in Jamaica and I'd do anything to be back there right now. As for my race report…it’s completely discombulated due to lack of time and too much stress. And of course, it's long.

Packet pick up - so hot and tired I couldn't even stick around to take pictures.

Trying to keep my eyes open long enough to enjoy a Lychee martini; perfect pre race carbs.

Getting up two days in a row at 3am before a race and getting very little sleep was rough. I was so tired on Friday night that I had trouble sleeping and all I wanted was to get the marathon over with so I could have some fun. We were exhausted when we woke up Saturday morning but after a quick change and grabbing some food for Andy, we headed out into the dark to pick up the shuttle at the entrance to the resort. There were free shuttles that were running along the course picking up runners and taking them to the start of the race at Long Bay Beach. We boarded the first shuttle that came by and were at the park in a few short minutes. There wasn't much going on at the start of the race but I made sure I found a "hydration pack" and tested it out. This is how the water and Hi Lite were supplied on the course, in these little bags that looked like implants.

These were made in Jamaica, very cool way of supplying water. Wish we did this in the states.

After milling around for a little bit I decided I better hit the bathroom. A little disappointing that all I saw were 4 port o' pots (for 1300 people) located in a very dark spot. My first thought was that I should have brought my headlamp but that changed as soon as I got in that thing. I'm not kidding when I say there was maybe 2 inches of room left in the hole and pee all over the floor; I probably would have died if I had light in there. So after that gross experience, when I felt like I had to go again, I decided to wait and use one of the bathrooms out along the course. I should have known better.

The time came to line up pretty quickly so I kissed Andy goodbye and wiggled my way through the crowd. There were a lot of large groups of half marathon and 10k walkers that I did not want to be stuck behind so I positioned myself aggressively near the front of the pack. The race started right at 5:15am. It was a little weird running in the dark, trying to navigate around other runners and watch for holes, etc in the road but once the pack thinned out, it was fine. The hotels along the road provided some light and it was really peaceful way to start a race.

The course was an out and back it two directions from the start and the marathoners ran it twice. Immediately I fell right into an 8:30 pace and felt great. It was warm and humid but since the sun wasn't up, it wasn't that bad. The first 3 miles were pretty quiet down through Negril and the round about since it was so early, but the miles flew by. There wasn't much chatting going on between runners, which was fine because I wanted to save my energy for when the sun came up. When I looped back past the start and saw Andy around 6 miles in, I was comfortable and felt great. So far the day was going better than I had hoped for.

The sun started to rise over the next 6 miles but the temperature was still ok. This stretch of the race was a little challenging mostly because it was boring. The reggae music that was advertised wasn't what I had envisioned and the few cars along the course with huge speakers on the roof left a little to be desired. At times I thought about stopping at the half. Nothing was wrong with me and I felt pretty good but once again my head started to get the best of me. On top of that, I had to use the bathroom but there were very few port o' pots out along the course. I passed one but thought I could make it a little further and that the next one couldn’t be *that* far away. Again, I should have known better.

Of course at the half way mark I continued on. I slowed down to get some Vaseline from Andy because I was chafing and set back out feeling a little tired. The sun was up at this point and even though I was feeling lonely (with only 127 marathoners, there were not many runners on the back half of the course); I was holding that 8:30 pace steady. With each mile my stomach upset got worse and I knew I needed to find a bathroom. Then as we approached the Negril round about, I could see my competition going the other direction and realized I was the 3rd female. I couldn't believe it!! I actually thought I was wrong until people started yelling, "good job 3rd female." HOLY CRAP! Never in my life did I think I would hear those words and I'm pretty certain I'll never hear them again. Go figure I had no choice but to stop to use the bathroom just before mile 18. The bright people who set this one up put it on a down slope with the door facing down. The door wouldn't close so I had to take care of everything with one hand, using the other one to hold the door shut. The pit stop took longer than expected and when I came out, I saw the woman who was behind me up ahead. Boo.

It was at this point that the heat started getting to me. When I saw Andy around mile 18 I told him I didn't really even feel like finishing. For everyone who thinks he encouraged me to keep going, you're wrong. His response, "they are handing out Red Stripes over there!" I shot him a look and said, "I didn't come all the way here to DNF" and off I went.

The last 6 miles sucked. It wasn't that the temperature was that hot but the sun was scorching and there was ZERO relief. No shade AT ALL. And the misting tents that were advertised as being along the course, there was one…towards the end of the course, waaay too late. By the time I hit it with only a few miles left, I had stopped sweating and had the chills miles ago. I made the best of those last 6 miles and I worked with other struggling runners to stay positive and have fun. I was pretty worried about one guy who was hyperventilating and nauseous so I stayed with him shuffling and walking for a few miles. I knew I was losing time and placement, but at the time, I just wanted to do what I could to help this guy.

When I hit mile 25, named "Bob's Mile", I left him and picked up my pace. A course marshal on a bike rode up to me chatting till almost the very end when he congratulated me and thanked me for visiting his country. That was really cool and he kept me going that last little bit. Seeing Andy up ahead at the finish chute was the best feeling I had in about an hour and I just started beaming. I was so happy to be done and officially start vacation! I crossed the finish line a lot later than I had expected but I was smiling, which was not what Andy expected. Knowing I was out there longer than I hoped, he thought for sure I'd cross upset and crying. Not the case at all. I just ran a marathon in my favorite place in the world and I had 8 days of relaxation and fun ahead of me; I could not be happier.

I was so stanky, sweaty and disgusting after the race that I grabbed a Red Stripe for Andy, a coconut for me, and we got the hell out of there! Luckily we nabbed a shuttle right away (some people waited over an hour) and were back at the hotel in no time. I showered, washed out my clothes in the bathtub and was on the beach by 10am. Aside from feeling a little tired, I felt better than after any marathon I've run. I had some foot pain the days after that kept me from working out but my legs felt absolutely fine. I guess floating in the ocean and sitting in a hot tub with champagne is the best marathon recovery you can do.

4:01:35

2nd in AG (30-39)

6/48 Female

28/127 Overall

It was a great run and it was fun. But I learned my lesson; you can’t train in the colder months and then acclimate in 12 hours to that heat. When I finished I thought I wouldn’t run Reggae again…you know, been there, done that. But looking back, it was a great way to start vacation and I met so many great people during my stay because of the race. While we all know I’ll be back to Jamaica soon, I think I’d even do the marathon again. But I’d use it as a training run, not as my goal fall marathon. That's the only thing that's killing me right now. I feel like I trained so hard and missed my shot at my goal. I guess that 3:30 is going to have to wait. I have a bigger goal staring me down for 2012.

Really like the timing company they used for the race. Showed a lot of neat details. You can see below how I feel apart miserably.

Second attempt at the Lychee martini the night of the race; much better!

Marathon #10 Done!! (Pics)

2011-12-16T08:12:00.000-05:00

I've been home for almost a week and I haven't had a chance to catch up at all! I worked my ass off to wrap everything up at work so I could come back to peace and quiet before the Holidays and obviously I shouldn't have wasted my time. And after two weeks of no tv, facebook, twitter, etc I feel so disconnected from everything (however, I really didn't miss social media while I was gone). If I'm missing anything exciting, let me know! But anyway, Reggae marathon, #10, is in the books and the trip was fabulous! I've been writing my race report in bits and pieces and will hopefully post it soon. Until then, here are some pics from the race.

Poor Planning?

2011-11-30T08:44:00.000-05:00

I'm around; just insanely busy with work, getting ready for the trip, holiday shopping (or should I say, telling Andy what everyone wants so he can take care of the shopping), etc. It's been a crazy few months and this trip could not be coming at a better time. Well, actually, it could if I take into account the fact that I'm running a marathon in 3 short days.

I'm not sure planning a marathon the week after Thanksgiving was the best idea. With 5 days off work, multiple get togethers and a lot of workouts to off set said get togethers, I haven't done much of a taper. On top of that, knowing I'm going to spend a week of sipping champagne on the beach and helping myself to soft serve ice cream whenever I want has not necessarily made me have the urge to carb load...at all. So once again I've done everything I should not have done leading up to a race. But I did declare today a full day of rest, which is my first true rest day since well before taper officially began. One day is better than none, right?? Thankfully, the decision was already made for this to be a fun run so I have zero pressure on myself. I'm just looking forward to taking it all in and wearing a smile on my face while I do it.

Weather for race day is looking...um...warm. But I love my heat so hopefully I can adjust quickly. It's been unseasonably warm in Philly so at least I'm not going from temperatures in the 20s to hot and humid. Right now the low on Friday night is 76 and Saturday will be sunny and in the mid 80s. The race starts at 5am so I'm hoping I can get a lot done before the sun comes up and gets hot. It would be nice to have a Red Stripe in my hands before 9am. But we'll see...

I'm beyond excited and really just can't wait to get there. I'm pretty much packed up and ready; just hoping my Ensure makes it through security and that I get some sleep. Two days in a row of 3am wake up calls before the race are going to suck, but it'll be worth it. Bring on marathon # 10!!

Philly Half Marathon Race Report

2011-11-22T11:02:00.001-05:00

Wow, work is beyond busy and I barely have time to hit the bathroom let alone read/write any posts! One more crazy day to get through and then hopefully I have some time this weekend to decompress. All that stands between me and Jamaica is four crazy days at work, I think I can manage...and it will make sipping champagne on the beach all that more enjoyable.

This past Sunday was the Philly marathon. I've run the marathon the past 3 years but with Reggae only 2 weeks after, I decided to play it safe and run the half this year. The weekend started off great with a nice dinner Friday night with Abby and Amanda. While Abby lives in the area and we've met up before for runs/coffee, Amanda and I have never met. It was so nice to finally meet her as we've been chatting and following each other for years. After dinner, we ended up stopping by a friend's house and I probably did everything I shouldn't have done two nights before a race (damn vino). But since I wasn't planning on racing, I threw caution to the wind and just had a fun weekend.

After spending hours on my feet shopping at the outlets on Saturday and not drinking a sip of water all day, I went to bed super early hoping a good night sleep would rejuvenate me a little. I have to say, I really like waking up for a race with zero expectations and no pressure. I figured the wine I had on Friday, the busy day on Saturday and the pre race salad I had for dinner left no hopes of me doing anything spectacular on Sunday, so I just lined up for a fun little run through the streets of Philly.

Right from the start I told myself to not look at my watch and just run by feel. I'm thinking I should have left the Garmin at home because I can't resist checking my pace. And every time I did check, if I saw a 7:30 or below, I'd slow myself down thinking I couldn't hold that for the entire race. Truth is, I don't think I should have slowed myself down, I felt great and think I could have even run a little harder. The entire race I just did my thing and took in the excitement. I was feeling so good until we hit the hills through Drexel and the park. I have done ZERO hill training since Reggae is flat and that sort of came back to bite me in the ass. I wanted so badly to stop and walk one of the hills but since I was only doing the half, I powered up them the best I could knowing the pain would be short lived and I'd be done racing altogether in a few more miles.

All along, I really had no idea where I was going to finish. I obviously need to learn how to calculate finish times while I'm running. It wasn't until I had less than 2 miles to go that I realized a PR was going to happen and that I had a shot of breaking 1:40. Once I realized it though I pushed as hard as I could. The last mile I gave it everything I had and pushed so hard that I wasn't sure if I was going to pee myself or puke. But honestly, I didn't care if either happened! I wanted as close to 1:40 as I could get! As I approached the finish, another girl and I "chicked" some guys which the announcers happily shouted over the loud speakers. I'm sure those guys loved that, but it was all in good fun.

I crossed the finish in 1:40:28 and felt great! In fact, I mentioned to a friend that I didn't even feel like I had run yet. Now, after walking another 5.5 miles and running my friend 3 miles in for her first marathon finish, my legs weren't so happy and I was definitely feeling the effects of the day. But it was such a fun day the little aches and pains were worth it.

I'm really happy with my finish time since I went out there with no real goals. I PR'd and had an incredible day so there's not much more I could ask for. The pace felt so comfortable that I'm wondering if I'm actually where I need to be for that 3:30. But, I'm going to stick with my decision of not racing Reggae. Instead I'm going to line up just like I did this past Sunday and see what the day brings.

Taper and Race Week

2011-11-15T08:54:00.000-05:00

I had a pretty craptastic 20 miler on Saturday. Before I left the house, I had a feeling it wasn't going to be a good run. Maybe I psyched myself out or maybe I was just exhausted as this was the last long run before taper started. I held a decent pace but mentally I was shot and my foot bothered me for a better part of the run. It wasn't so much my Achilles but my arch and since I had PF last spring, I'm worried it's the start of that again. Since I decided racing Reggae marathon wasn't going to happen, I'm not going to push it any more in the last few weeks of training. I'm really cutting back my intensity this week and I'm not going to run back to back days. Clearly my foot does not like that; which is fine, because I'll have plenty of other activities to rotate into the mix during IM training.

Speaking of IM training, (yes, I'll be speaking about this a lot from here on out), I met with my coach on Sunday to talk about goals, training, etc. Best part of the meet up, I left even more excited than I already was before we met. I know this is going to be hard, but I also think it's going to be so much fun and a really incredible experience. I can't really describe it but there's something in me that is SO ready to take this on and I don't have a single doubt that this is the right goal for me in 2012. And because this goal is so huge and important, I've decided to make a few more sacrifices. 2012 will not be a normal year for me in terms of racing. Instead of my 10+ races a year, I will be doing only 3: IMFL, an Olympic distance tri (NJ State) and one 70.3 (yet to be determined). One race missing from that list that really makes me sad, Shamrock marathon. I thought I could sneak it in and go for that 3:30, but it's not worth the risk. And come January I need to start base building for where I need to be on May 1st, and I don't want running to take a priority. I know running is my strong point so I need to focus on the swim and bike through the winter months.

This Sunday is Philly marathon and I'll be running the half. Seems a little weird to not be running the full; I've run it every year since it was my first in 2008. I'm not sure what my goal is for this race and I keep going back and forth. I'm even toying with the idea of not wearing my garmin and just running by feel. Sometimes the garmin works against me and I slow myself down because I think, "I shouldn't be running this pace, it's too fast." I would really, really like to kill this race but I'd be equally happy with a PR. It's going to be a beautiful day so we'll just have to see what happens. I also never threw a race into the mix during taper; don't want to leave it all out on the couse this weekend and have nothing left for the marathon.

Sacrifice # 1

2011-11-11T08:34:00.001-05:00

I can't even begin to tell you how great I feel about my decision to go ahead and register for Ironman Florida. Based on the anxiety I was feeling leading up to it, I didn't think I'd feel so calm about my decision once it was done. But now that I know I made the commitment, there's nothing left to do but prepare myself.

I mentioned the other day that I knew there would be a lot of sacrifices along the way with this training. And more importantly, I'm ready and willing to make them. One thing I knew I was going to have to give up in 2012 was my marathons. Not that I personally believe there's anything wrong with running marathons while you're in IM training, if you can handle that, more power to you. But based on the past year and half with my Achilles, I know I can't over do it and running a bunch of marathons in a year on top of IM training constitutes overdoing it. Getting to the start line of IMFL as healthy as possible is my main goal and even though it's a year away, I'm already thinking about that.

Which brings me to my first sacrifice....I will not be racing Reggae marathon. I will be running it, and running it with effort, but I will not be going for a PR or my goal of 3:30. I put in the hard weeks of training for my goal, but the fact that my Achilles "talks to me" from time to time, I'm going to play it safe. Last year I went into Shamrock feeling great and while I finished with a PR, I also finished with a bulging Achilles and not sure if I'd be able to run Boston. I'm bummed and torn with my decision, but I think it's the right one. At this point I just don't feel like I can take any chances and risk being sidelined. Geesh, now that I'm making this official, I'm more bummed than I thought. I want that 3:30 marathon time; sub 3:30 actually, really bad. But I want to be an Ironman even more...

Tomorrow is my last long run, 22 miles, then I start to taper. This training has gone so fast and I'm really happy with where I'm at considering I jumped right in after the 70.3. I had a minor rough spot at the very beginning but the past 7-8 weeks have been great. Even though I may not be going for the 3:30, training for that finish time got me back to where I wanted to be with my paces and that's something I want to keep through IM training.

I can't believe I am talking about IM training. Crazy.

IMFL Here I Come!

2011-11-06T20:33:00.001-05:00

I've wanted to be an Ironman for so long now. Before I was even a marathoner I thought it'd be so cool to do an Ironman. But never in a million years did I think I'd become one because there was the small issue that I wasn't a triathlete. Well, that sort of changed over the summer and as I got more and more into the tri training and races, my desire to do an IM grew and the day I finished the 70.3, I knew I needed to make it happen.

I did my research and decided that IM Florida was the best fit for me. For starters, the swim is 2 loops which is broken up by a short run across the beach before entering the water again for the second loop. Since the swim is the scariest part for me, knowing I would have a short break on land if things weren't going well would really help me mentally. Then there's the water...swimming in the Gulf, in clear water, yes please!! The bike is fast and flat and the run is 2 loops. Again, I love my loops and knowing I would see my family twice on the run is huge for me.

There are so many things that have to be considered when taking something like this on: family, money, work, social life (or should I say lack thereof). It's not the race distance so much that makes me question if I can do this, it's if I can make the necessary sacrifices. For the past few months I've gone back and forth a bazillion times. Probably more than that. I'm sure I asked Andy 5 times a day if he thought I should do it...and if he thought I could do it. My eye twitched all day every day for the past 3 months until about a week ago when I felt confident I stressed enough over the decision, weighed all my options, and knew what to do.

So today, day after Ironman 2011, I logged on for 2012 registration. Up until exactly 1pm when it opened, I wasn't sure I was going to do it. In fact, with 2 minutes to go I was sure there would be a sign, like my computer crashing, to tell me I shouldn't pull the trigger. But with Andy standing behind me making sure I entered all the info correctly as fast as I could, I hit submit at 1:08pm before I could second guess myself. And just like that, I was registered for IMFL 2012. My heart was racing, my eyes filled with tears and all I could say was, "oh my gosh, I'm actually going to do this."

Andy gave me a kiss and congratulated me when it was all said and done. At first I thought, "congrats for what? I haven't done it yet." But then I realized, just registering was an accomplishment in itself. It would have been really easy to keep talking about wanting to be an Ironman. But talk is cheap and I'm ready to make this a reality. The next year is going to be rough. Is it going to be hard? Yes. In fact, it's going to be the hardest thing I've ever done. Is it going to hurt? Like hell. Will there be tears? Tons. But at the end of this journey I'll be stronger because of the sacrifices I'm about to make and on November 3, 2012 I'll finally hear the words..."Denise Terry, you ARE an..."

Can't jinx myself!! I'll finish that sentence soon enough. First up, I'm going to enjoy this crazy ass ride! Here we go kids, hold on tight, this is going to be nuts.

Just Not Feeling It

2011-11-01T09:38:00.000-04:00

The last time I trained really hard for a marathon, my confidence grew with each passing week. The speed work got easier as I progressed and I could tell everything was coming together just perfectly. I felt like I was in the best running shape I'd ever been in and knew I did all I could do to get that PR. Because of the positive training experience and PR outcome, I decided to follow the same training plan for Reggae marathon but adjusted my paces to shoot for a new goal. Well, as the weeks have been going by, I just haven't been feeling...I dunno...just not feeling it. I'm not burned out, just lacking the confidence that I have a shot at a PR in December. Aside from my tempo runs chewing me up and spitting me out, I'm a little worried about the travel and the heat and how that will affect me on race day. I have two more big weeks of training and I'm going to push through as if I'm going to go for it; hopefully something will click and I'll get that feeling that I'm looking for to know I'm ready.

I ran my second 20 miler for this training on Saturday and did it on the treadmill. Everyone thinks I'm nuts but I'm telling you, nothing builds mental toughness like a 20 miler on the treadmill!! I do at least one long run every training cycle like this and I actually enjoy it. I also wanted to do a long run where I was a hot, sweaty mess because temperatures in Jamaica will not be in the 40's, that's for sure. The 20 miles actually flew by and when I started to fade the last 3 miles, I just pushed the pace and got it done. My final sprint was well under an 8 minute mile (goal marathon pace) and when all was said and done, I felt great! This is the second 20 miler now where when I finished I felt like I had more in me.

Aside from all the running, I made some progress with my tri goals for next season and put aero bars on my bike. I went for a fitting, ready to shell out whatever it took for a tri bike, but after talking with the sales guy, we decide to modify my existing bike. I have a brand new road bike which served me fine this past summer and after hearing my goals, the sales guy felt it would be better if I stayed with what I had and we just made the proper adjustments. The fitting went great and I learned that I really wasn't positioning my body correctly on the bike (which explains some of the upper body pain and numbness I experienced on my long rides over the summer). Easy enough to fix, but now I have new hoo ha muscles to toughen up. My first ride in the aero position went fine, on the bike trainer, but I need some practice!! I know it's going to be a whole different ball game being out on the bike path in that position. Needless to say, I won't be doing any group rides right away, that's for sure!

Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - swim, 5 mi (didn't happen, will fit run in at some point this week)
Tues - 10 mi w/ 3 ladders @ 6:44
Wed - lift, easy pm bike session
Thurs - 10 mi w/ 6 mi @ race pace
Fri - swim, 5 mi
Sat - 17 mi
Sun - lift

Nutrition Issue Solved!

2011-10-25T08:50:00.000-04:00

Let me start by saying that I take precautions leading up to a race or long workout and cut out things that may bother my stomach. Although, there's not much out there (besides sugar) that upsets my stomach and makes me feel sick. I use hot sauce like it's going out of style and eat more than my fair share of fruit/veggies and high fiber foods. And my stomach is never an issue...until I get well into a long workout.

I have tried everything…gels, bloks, chomps, dried fruit, fruit snacks, soft pretzels, electrolyte tabs, no food at all, blah, blah, blah. It ended the same way almost every time. Either I ended up in the woods, didn't make it to the woods, or made it home and had problems the rest of the day. It wasn't pretty or fun and I was starting to think I was destined to live a life full of crapping myself. It sucks, when every time you want to do a long run you try to think of a route that includes a wooded area or a Starbucks so you have options.

I got really sick of my stomach issues during 70.3 training. After using several different products (which shall remain nameless) I found some Perpetuem lying around which I used during Ultra training. Since it had been a while since my days of 30 mile training runs, I sort of forgot I had this stashed away. (For those who don’t know, Perpetuem is made by Hammer and is designed for extreme endurance events lasting several hours to days.) The first time I used it for a long ride; I made it through 3 hours with no issues. But once I was off the bike and running, I downed a gel (non Hammer gel) and my stomach went to shit.

After a few workouts with Perpetuem and no issues, I started doing some research on Hammer's site. The more I read, the more I liked what they were about and what they were putting into their products. I won't go into the science behind their products but if you have time, its worth checking out their site. There's a ton of info on it and I learned a lot. I also did some googling and found positive reviews where others with stomach issues had found success with Hammer products.

So, over the past few months I made some changes, kept some things the same and am no longer scared to head out the door for a long run. Here's a break down:

Dinner: I still eat the same pre long run dinner which consists of brown rice, chicken, mushrooms and soy sauce. I'm not sure when or how I came up with this concoction but after trying other options; this seems to work best for me.

Pre Run: I learned over the summer that my stomach doesn't really like solid foods prior to working out. I can tolerate a banana before a short to mid length workout but anything longer which requires me to eat something more substantial, can't be solid. I now stick to liquids only and drink an Ensure about an hour before heading out.

Before/During: I now also use Endurolyte capsules/Fizz tablets. Endurolyte capsules/Fizz tablets are an electrolyte supplement and probably the thing I was most weary about. I typically steer clear of supplements and vitamins because being a chemist in the pharmaceutical industry, well, let's just say I prefer statements to be evaluated and products I'm ingesting to be regulated. But after giving it enough tries that I feel strongly any placebo affect would have died off…I can't believe it, but I'm sticking with them! I take a capsule the night before then again an hour before I start my workout. I'll then take another capsule every 1 -1.5 hours or add an Endurolyte Fizz tablet to my water bottle.

During Run: I've known I can't handle high doses of sugar while working out which is why I only ate little bits at a time in the past. Well, when I found out Hammer gels are made without simple sugars or artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners, it's another reason I wanted to make the switch. Maybe that's what all the other products had that were making me so sick??? Where I used to hate taking in food during my workout because of the bad side effects, I'm now able to easily eat as many Hammer gels as I need without ANY issues. Not bad coming from a girl who could only eat one shot blok every 2.5 miles because of stomach issues.

Post Run: Keep this part simple...chocolate milk. And I have to say, not only have I not had any embarrassing stomach issues since I started using Hammer products exclusively, I feel so much better during and after my workouts. I don’t have what I used to refer to as "runners stomach" all day after I run and I feel like my energy level afterwards is much better than what it used to be. While this energy may not be related directly to the products, I do think it has something to do with the fact that I'm now able to eat, and keep food in me, while working out.

It took me 3+ years to figure out what worked for me and it has made such a difference. I'm just not sure how I didn't stumble upon Hammer stuff before. No one I run with uses it so I guess I just fell into the trap of using what I saw others using. That's really the reason for this post. I wasn't contacted by Hammer or asked to write this; I'm doing it because if I can help one other person stop crapping their pants, then I did my part.

Pictures and a WINNER!!

2011-10-19T08:51:00.000-04:00

I realized I never posted pictures from the Half Ironman. I still think about this day a lot and wish I had more in me on race day. Really makes me look forward to the next one where I can go all out and feel more confident about what I'm doing out there. I have been having so much fun with the marathon training but part of me misses the Tri training a lot and I'm realizing I need that push to get my butt in the pool. I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself though for not swimming regularly right now because I have a feeling I'll be spending a lot of time in the pool starting next year... ;-)

on the verge of crying and pooping myself

my mom got this shot!

I'm the one that's actually swimming in this pic

yes, I changed my shirt to get warm and to get the gross lake off me. Thankfully my mom didn't take a picture of that.

~20 miles

I need to learn to look up when I'm crossing the finish!

Looking at the pictures makes me sad!! I wish I was out there doing it right now!

WINNER: The winner of the Nana Smith Design necklace is ~K~. !! Congrats ~K~, email me at dclaffey76@yahoo.com and we'll get you your necklace.

Didn't Feel Like 20

2011-10-17T11:55:00.000-04:00

This week starts my 4 toughest weeks of this training cycle and not only am I ready for it, but I'm excited for it, too!! My Tuesday and Thursday runs will be 10 miles and packed with speed work at paces a few years ago I never would have thought were possible. But building up to these weeks has felt great and I know I have this in me. I'm looking forward to my Tues/Thurs runs so much; I love pushing the pace and feeling stronger with each week.

I ran my first 20 miler since Shamrock training last winter on Saturday. Even though I'm coming off the summer tri season with a good endurance base, I was worried that this was really going to hurt. It's been a long time since I spent that much time pounding the pavement. But thankfully that wasn't the case at all and it might have been the best 20 miler I ever had. I ran by myself and mentally and physically I felt like a million bucks. Every time I looked at my Garmin I actually had to slow myself down. With the quick jumps in weekly mileage since the 70.3 I don't want to push the pace too much on my long runs this early on and risk injury. So needless to say, I was happy when every time I looked at my watch I was running a 9 minute mile. It was one of those runs where I hardly broke a sweat, my breathing was so slow and controlled that I wondered at times if I was even moving, and when I was done I felt like I had another 20 in me. I ran into some friends when I finished and someone asked how far I ran. When I replied that I just finished 20 miles he commented that it didn't even look like I had run yet. And that's exactly how I felt! It was a great confidence boosting run to kick off the next few weeks of training. I know not every run will feel like that so it's so nice when they do!

I mentioned over tri training that I thought I finally found what nutrition worked for me on my long workouts. I was hesitant to say it was tried and proven though until I got back into marathon training. Nothing messes my stomach up more than a long run so it needed to be put to the real test. Well, after 4 consecutive long runs without crapping myself or spending the entire day not feeling well after the run, I think it's confirmed that I know what works. It only took me 3+ years to figure it out, but I finally did. Since I want to devote more to the nutrition info, I'll share my secret later this week!!

If you haven't already entered, don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY!! I'll pick a winner on Wednesday of this week. Good luck!

Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - 5 mi, lift
Tues - 10 mi w/ ladders at 6:45
Wed - swim, lift (maybe a pm bike trainer session)
Thurs - 10 mi w/ 4 mi at tempo
Fri - swim, 5 mi, lift
Sat - 17 mi
Sun - off

First Client Success and a GIVEAWAY!!!

2011-10-12T10:26:00.000-04:00

I met with my first client last night for personal training and it was THE best experience!! I don't think I've ever smiled so much at work before in my life!! She was a great client and I think we both had a lot of fun. She mentioned buying more sessions so I'm guessing she enjoyed the workout. :-) I know it was only an hour but it was the most rewarding hour of work I've ever had. I can't imagine being able to feel that way *most* of the time (knowing it won't always be wonderful) but the fire in me has been lit. This is what I want...and I always get what I want (except for the bigger diamond earrings I've been whining about for a year...ahem, Andy, my birthday is coming up...). Time to get the wheels in motion and make this personal training thing happen!!

And because I'm feeling so happy, I think we should celebrate with a GIVEAWAY!!! Have you heard about or seen Nana Smith Designs? They are adorable pieces of jewelry hand made my Nana, who happens to be an incredible athlete and tennis player. Not only did Nana compete in the 2000 Olympic games, she played Wimbledon 15 times!!! Now she is creating unique pieces of jewelry for all sorts of occassions. She also hosts a jewelry contest and giveaway from her site; check out the Halloween contest going on now.

Nana sent me a necklace with a pendant that reads "believe" and on either side there's a peridot stone. Peridot isn't my birth stone, it's actually Andy's. I love the color but really picked it because Andy believes in me more than I believe in myself. So now it's a little piece to think of him when I need an extra push. Sorry the stones aren't shown in the picture below, I had issues with my camera...but here's a picture of the pendant.

Now for the GIVEAWAY!! Nana is offering up the necklace below to one lucky person. You can pick what word or number you would like on the pendant. Contest is open to followers of my blog and all you have to do is leave a comment telling me what piece of jewelry you like most on Nana's site. You can also get an extra entry if you "like" Nana Smith Designs on Facebook. I'll pick a winner next Wednesday, Oct. 19th.

Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - 4 mi, lift
Tues - 9 mi w/ ladders @ 6:45 pace
Wed - swim/lift (didn't happen this morning, hope to do it tonight)
Thurs - 9 mi w/ 3 mi @ marathon race pace
Fri - swim, 4 mi, lift
Sat - 20 mi
Sun - off

It's Not Just A Dream!

2011-10-10T16:34:00.000-04:00

I wanted to become a personal trainer back in 1999. With very little support, I took the idea off the table and just kept it to myself. For years I thought about it and wanted to make it happen but the longer I waited, the more I thought I missed the boat. Also didn't help to have the golden handcuffs get tighter and tighter each year; realizing I probably won't ever leave my job because I'm so accustomed to certain standard of living. But, after years of dreaming about it and now having a husband who assured me I could do it, I took and passed my ACE certification exam last October. After passing I made one small goal: to make some sort of progress by the time I turned 35.

I tried really hard over the past year to make connections and get my foot in the door. I even looked into doing in home personal training but with a full time job and my own training, trying to learn about starting a business, getting insured, etc...yea, it just didn't happen. Persistance paid off though and I eventually landed a job as a sub at a local branch of the YMCA. Unfortunately it wasn't the YMCA I belonged to and never showing my face there didn't help me get clients. I started to think I was just going to be a personal trainer by certification and never really do anything with it. After all, it had been a dream for this long, why would I expect it to change much now.

Well, two Sundays ago I started a steady shift at the YMCA branch I belong to. The first Sunday was not what I had hoped for and thinking I gave up my one morning with Andy to mill around the Y had me really upset. But I decided to give it a few weeks to see if things would change and good thing I did!! I landed my first client yesterday and potentially have two others lined up. I scheduled my first appointment last night and was so nervous when I hung up the phone that I couldn't sleep! My mind has been racing all day about whether or not I can do this, if I can think quickly on my feet about setting the program as we go, making sure to keep it fun, interesting and challenging. I took some time over lunch to map out a general workout and I think I have some great ideas to start with. I'm beyond excited about this and hopefully my enthusiasm will do nothing but help.

Once again, I'm glad I didn't give up and throw in the towel. Not that I ever do, but I was starting to think this was seriously just a pipe dream of mine. Andy told me he never had any doubt that I'd make this work and my response was, "but it had always been just a dream and they usually don't come true." Guess I was wrong. And for once, I'm glad I was!

With my 35th birthday 3 weeks away, looks like I made my goal!!! Setting my sights on a much bigger one with lots more progress for next year!

Catching Up

2011-10-04T09:28:00.001-04:00

Geesh, been a little bit since I last posted. Just didn't have much to say and needed a little break, I guess.

It's been a weird few weeks since the half Ironman. I was excited to switch back to marathon training but I was struggling to find my groove. I wasn't burned out, I know those signs all too well, I was just not myself. I've been getting my workouts in but they weren't necessarily exciting me. I think it might have been because the past few weeks were easy weeks and the workouts were a little boring. This week, week 4, kicked off speed work and I was so excited yesterday when I knew I had ladders to look forward to during my 8 miler this morning. I'm bumping up the paces a notch because I really want to shoot for a 3:30 at an upcoming marathon. I say "upcoming" because while I'd love to go for the 3:30 at Reggae, I'm just not sure how that will go with travel the day before, little sleep, the heat and a very early wake up call for the race (race starts at 5am). I decided I will give it a shot at Reggae but if at any second things don't feel right, I'll back off. I want to have a blast at Reggae and allowing myself to blow up and get upset will ruin the experience. If it doesn't happen in Jamaica, I have a back up race.

Aside from running, I haven't been that good about getting on the bike and in the pool. I managed a few easy bike trainer sessions but the pool....yea, haven't been in it. But! That will be changing tomorrow. I'm going to spend some time over the next few weeks working on technique and doing some drills and will be in the pool at least 2, if not 3, days a week. I'm not really sure where to fit the bike in lately with running 6 days a week, lifting 2-3, swimming 2-3 and trying to keep Sunday as a rest day. I'm thinking an easy bike session after work a few days a week might be the only way. I know I can't do it all but I'm just trying to not go into next years Tri season completely cold.

So, there you have it. I've been keeping myself busy with working out and even added to the mix with a steady shift at the Y. I've been on the sub list at a local branch since last winter, struggling to get clients, and working maybe one shift a month. Since I was never there, and it wasn't the branch I worked out at myself, getting a client to train was impossible. Well, that branch recently closed and I was able to snag a Sunday shift at the branch I work out every day. Giving up my one free day and one morning with Andy really sucks but we both agreed that if I'm ever going to make this personal training happen, I need to make some sacrifices. As long as I'm working a shift I can train clients whenever it works with my schedule so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this all works out.

After today's speed workout, I feel like things are getting interesting again with my workouts. Maybe this means I'll post more than once every 2 weeks, who knows! But I do know I'll be back later this week with a GIVEAWAY!!!

Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - 4 mi, lift
Tues - 8 mi with 2 ladders @ 6:49
Wed - swim, lift, bike
Thurs - 8 mi with 2 mi @ tempo
Fri - swim, 4 mi, lift
Sat - 19 mi
Sun - swim and/or rest

Philly Rock n Roll Half Marathon

2011-09-19T09:25:00.000-04:00

The Philly Rock n Roll Half (formerly PDR) is probably my favorite race of the year. I love the course, a ton of my running buddies participate and the weather is always perfect. Since it fell the week after my 70.3 this year, I wasn't going to drop the money on a race I wasn't sure would even happen since I had no clue how I would recover from the HIM. But then a while back Brooks offered up a slot and I nabbed it thinking I would just run for fun and use it as a training run.

The day before the race I did everything you shouldn't do the day before. I volunteered at the Expo working the Brooks Cavalade and spent 8+ hours on my feet non stop. It was fun, but it was a long day and some how I never got told that lunch was delivered. So aside from my breakfast and enormous coffee, I only had a banana and a few sips of water all day. Needless to say, I was tired, hungry and cranky by the time my shift was over around 4pm.

After the Expo Andy picked me up and we headed to my sisters house in NJ for dinner. Within a minute of walking in the door I scarfed down some brie with grapes, hummus and pita, and a glass of wine. Perfect pre race nutrition!! We had a really nice dinner with my entire family and after a ton of food and 2 more glasses of wine; I could hardly keep my eyes open. My legs were throbbing, we still had an hour drive home, I had nothing ready for the morning and I questioned if I even wanted to bother with the race at all. I thought about it on the way home and figured I had to do a 13 mile run anyway, I mine as well run with a lot of people and get a medal out of it. So when we got home, I threw some stuff together and went straight to bed.

Woke up Sunday morning to chilly temperatures and met up with the running club to car pool. We got to the start with plenty of time and just relaxed. It was so nice having NO pressure on myself for this race. My only goal was to have a good run. After having to take walk breaks last weekend, even if they were after I swam and biked 58 miles, it still messed with me a little and I was concerned my running was starting to suck.

Anyway, lined up in corral 3 and we were off before I knew it. I had no intentions of looking at my watch and decided to just run by feel. The miles were ticking away and before I knew it we were looping back past the art museum around mile 5. Waves of runners were still starting; can't imagine starting over a half hour after the first wave! Once we hit this point all we had left was the Kelly/West River Drive loop which I ran 6 times for my Ultra. There's a part of this that's really boring and always messes with me, but knowing I only had to run it once and not 6 times, piece of cake!

I felt pretty good the entire race and each time I checked my watch I was under 8 minute miles. Since I can't do math in my head, especially when running, I had no idea how I was doing in terms of finishing. A few times I wanted to slow down and thought I was, but when I looked at my watch I was holding my pace steady. With 3 miles to go, I decided there was no way I was going to fall off pace now and pushed myself to keep going strong. I ran into a friend from the gym with about a mile to go and knowing she was on pace for a huge PR, I tried to push myself harder in hopes it would push her harder, too. I checked my watch and saw how close I was to a PR and knew I had to kick it into high gear the final uphill stretch. Thank goodness for these thighs I have, they come in handy at times like these, and I hit a sub 7 up the hill to the finish.

To my surprise, I squeezed out a little PR! Nothing to write home about, but since I wasn't racing and this was the week after my 70.3, I was pretty happy with the outcome. Especially since I felt great out there and the pace was completely comfortable. I am kicking myself a little for the day I had on Saturday and wondering how I could have done had I went into this with the goal of racing, but there's nothing I can do about that now. I now have my sights set on the Philly half in November and want to all out race that. I can't say I've actually pushed real hard and raced a half before so that needs to change. I have a marathon schedule full of speed work and am excited to see what I can pull off in 2 months.

1:42:11

pace - 7:48

1887 / 16476 (total)

91 / 1743 (division)

435 / 9496 (female)

Post 70.3 Blues

2011-09-14T08:53:00.001-04:00

Big races are like weddings. You put in so much time and effort thinking, planning and getting ready. Then all of a sudden, it's over in a blink of an eye and you're left wondering where the day went. I usually feel a little lost after a big race and sad that it's all over, but this time around, I'm crushed. I've been so down since Saturday and would give anything to go back and do it all over again. The fact that it was my last Tri of the season isn't helping matters either. I did look up some races to see if I could fit one more in but with 2 half marathons and a marathon already on my schedule for the rest of the year, I need to switch gears and stay focused on what's coming up.

Aside from feeling bummed out, my body feels pretty good. It took a day or so for my legs to actually feel a little sore but even then, it was nothing like being sore after a marathon. The worst of my soreness was actually my upper body which I think was from the position on the bike, coughing, and snot rocket neck turning. It's nice knowing that such a tough course didn't beat me up too bad physically and that I was in the right shape for the race.

I've been trying to not dwell on my finish time and just celebrate the fact that I finished. But for anyone who's been reading for a while, you know I'm really hard on myself. Especially when I know I am capable of more. I did get confirmation from the race director that the swim was long, but they aren't sure by how much. Turns out they had the fire company set up the course and they screwed it up. So I feel a little better knowing there was a reason for my swim time and it wasn't just that I suck that badly. And I feel even better knowing that not only can I swim 1.2 miles, but I can swim more than that...just not sure how much more. (after I wrote this I found out that someone who wore a garmin on the swim had it measured at 1.6 miles...that's a HUGE difference!)

I've been doing a lot of thinking since Saturday and I'm feeling sort of good about my goals for next year. I have some things I want to research and iron out before I make anything official though. It's not as simple as just registering; I need to make sure I can fit this into my life, that I have support, funds, coaching, etc. Saturday was only half of an Ironman and it required a lot of sacrifices on both me and Andy. On top of that, I was lucky enough to do this one close to home and have my parents, Andy and friend KT there for portions of the race. I can't even express how much it helps knowing I'm going to see people while I'm out there and I can't imagine doing twice the distance without the motivation that I'll see loved ones along the way.

As usual, my mind is racing...

Quakerman 70.3 Race Report

2011-09-11T18:20:00.002-04:00

I don't know what it is with me getting sick the week of the race but once again it happened. I came down with a killer cold the weekend before the race that left me on the couch for 3 days straight. I thought a week was enough time to lick it but when I woke up Friday morning (the day before the race) and had to take meds, I was a little worried. Thankfully I had nothing to do on Friday but get ready and relax, and that's all I did. I headed to bed exhausted but couldn't fall asleep. I usually sleep pretty well the night before a race but all I did was toss and turn all night. It was horrible. When 4:30am rolled around I was groggy and tired but pulled myself together.

We got up to the race right at 6am for packet pick up and transition set up. There was an Olympic distance and the 70.3 distance but even combined, this race was so small!! There were 105 Olympic finishers and only 65 half ironman finishers. While it was nice to not have things be crazy and overwhelming at race start, a small race can be lonely.

I was snotty mess all morning but didn't want to take any meds because they usually make me goofy. I kept hoping my sinuses would clear up before I entered the water because I didn't know how I would breathe with all the snot. Aside from that, I was fairly calm...until I went to scope out the swim course. It was a triangle that we had to loop two times. Thank goodness for loops, they make everything seem so much easier to me. But still, it looked far. And the water was only 71 degrees thanks to all the rain we've had here so I was worried I was going to be really cold. I kept my composure up until it was time to head over to the water and once that swim cap went on, I started to get choked up from nerves. I couldn't even talk for fear that I would start to cry uncontrollably so I gave Andy a quick kiss goodbye, waved to my parents, and lined up to head in. All the 70.3 racers went off in one wave so I situated myself towards the back of the pack telling myself just to keep it together and get this done.

When the gun went off it didn't take too long for me to find a spot to swim freely but even then, I had trouble getting my breathing under control and feeling comfortable. I kept my eye on my first buoy and kept my breathing to every two strokes. After we passed the first buoy I found some more space and started to feel much better about things. Then came along this idiot who could NOT swim in a straight line. This guy was literally zigzagging all over the place and was going right over top of people. When he hit someone, he'd spot, realize he was swimming perpendicular to the course, straighten out then do it again to the opposite direction. I wanted to kill him. I kept my cool and it took a while but eventually I found a hole and made my way around him. By the time I finished the first loop of the course, I was feeling really good. I knew I could do another loop and I was feeling pretty strong. The water was cold and my Raynauds kicked in a bit, but I just pushed through hoping my body would warm up. Mid way through the second loop when I knew I was going to make it out of the water, I was so excited and happy. I resisted the urge to look at my watch because I thought I was doing pretty well. Pretty much the entire second loop I was doing my normal breathing every 3 strokes (with the occasional breath to cough out the snot that was running down the back of my throat) and every point to point I swam a perfect straight line. Coming up on the last buoy and the beach, I was ecstatic. Just finishing the swim and proving I could do it was an incredible feeling. Looking at my watch though was a completely different feeling...NO WHERE near where I hoped to be. But then again, I'm not really surprised. I've felt this entire training cycle that I wasn't making progress in the water. Lesson learned and I'm going to make some changes and work on this over the winter.

Swim 1:00:43
T1 - 2:55 (changed my shirt and was SO happy I did; much more comfortable with the gross lake off of me)

Heading out for the bike I felt pretty confident. I've ridden this course through training and knew what I was up against with the hills. But with that being said, the first 0.6 miles of the course are a pretty good climb out of the park onto the main road and this section just killed me. Immediately I knew I wasn't 100% and that climb should not have felt as bad as it did. I passed a few people on the climb out of the park but after that, there wasn't really anyone around and it felt just like a normal training ride where I'm by myself. The course was three loops of rolling hills and even on the first loop the hills felt harder than they had on any training ride. I was a snotty mess and was blowing snot rockets every few minutes. On top of it, my lungs hurt and I just felt like I didn't have much gas in the tank. Andy was waiting at the entrance of the park to see me after each loop which was the sweetest thing ever. It was so nice knowing I was going to see him every hour and be able to let him know how I was doing. The first loop was snotty, but uneventful, and I passed Andy on the start of the second with a smile on my face. Loop two hurt more that I wanted it to and as I approached Andy for the start of loop three, I said, "it might be a while, I'm hurting." During loop three the impending storm clouds in the distance started to roll in and wanting to finish the bike before the storm hit, I gave it everything I had left. As I approached the entrance back into the park, I had to pass the runners who were already on the run portion since we shared the same course. Ugh, that killed me...I knew I was one of the last ones out there. I tried to tell myself that it was more important that I was finishing this leg without any issues and I needed to stay focused. I made my way back down to transition to find Andy and my friend KT waiting there to greet me. It was SO nice seeing them!!

Bike - 3:37:42, ave 15.6 mph (slower than ANY training ride I've done...I'm sort of crushed by this)
T2 - 1:10 (13th fastest T2 time! Hey, at least I'm quick at something!)

I have never been so happy to run before in my life. The swim was stressful because it's just scary as shit to me. Then the bike is stressful because things are out of your control and after flatting out in my last race I was so scared to have that happen again. So when it came time to run, and it was familiar and safe and not scary, I couldn't wait!! I knew my run wouldn't be what I wanted it to be based on how I was feeling, but at this point I knew I was going to finish. I hustled out of T2 and was surprised to see my first mile was an 8:25. I held steady around 8:30 for a little bit until I hit my first climb of the run. It almost stopped me dead in my tracks and rather than killing myself to get up it, I decided to walk and have a gel. The gel totally helped and when I hit the second huge hill of the race, I was able to power up it. The run course was 2 loops so it was nice seeing what I was up against for the second loop but also bad because I was going to have to do these hills more than once.

On the way back to the turn around, a guy I had passed earlier on the big hill ran by me asking what loop I was on. I replied that it was my first to which he held up two fingers and shook them at me as he went by. I laughed out loud knowing the guy had his panties in a bunch because he was passed by a girl earlier and then he yelled back, "I was going to say...I'm on my second, you're going pretty fast." Whatever loser. But aside from this little exchange, I was so impressed by the camaraderie out there on the course. Everyone was giving each other words of encouragement. It wasn't your typical type of road race where you're racing for yourself; everyone knew how hard this was, how much work it took to get there, how important it was to finish and everyone was supporting each others efforts.

Anyway, to finish this up...I made it to the turn around, saw Andy and KT and ensured them I'd be back soon to finish! I was wearing the biggest smile on my face knowing that no matter what happened at this point, I would make it to the end. My pace had completely slowed down because I needed to take walk breaks from time to time. I was drained and snotty and had very little left. But when I was running, my pace was just under 9 minutes. Wish I could have done without the walk breaks, but I needed them. My stomach was not happy the last 2 miles and I wasn't sure if there was going to be an issue, but I managed to run through it determined to get to the finish as soon as I could.

Run - 2:00:46 (ave 9:13)
(placed 32nd on the run)

I took me longer to cross the finish line than I had hoped it would but my ultimate goal was to finish and that's what I did. It was an incredible experience and I'm really shocked and proud that I pulled this off. I've never been a swimmer and I went from zero to 1.2 miles over the course of a summer. My first time on the bike outside since I was a little kid was this past April and I rode a really challenging course for my first half IM. I set my sights on something I wanted and I went out there and I made it happen. I am a 70.3 finisher.

Total - 6:43:16

47th/65 finishers

6th in AG*

*out of 6...geesh, couldn't there have been 7 women in my AG? ;-)

So, overall, a great day! Sum it up by saying it was fun, hard, long and humbling. I've been blessed with a really good running record and I'm not used to being towards the back of the pack. It was a little hard to swallow at times, but considering I only started with triathlons 3 months ago, I'm proud of myself. There are some things I would have changed from training to race selection, but that's water under the bridge. It's time to think of my next big challenge...

What I DO Have...

2011-09-08T14:31:00.004-04:00

I may not have...

the most fancy bike
the typical triathlete body
the best balance dismounting the bike
the ability to swim fast

But I DO have...

guts for taking this on in the first place
endurance that never seems to end
mental toughness that got me through running 51.2 miles

And come Saturday, I will...

focus on what I DO have
smile
call myself a 70.3 finisher!

I'm feeling ok about Saturday except the weather forecast calling for rain and cooler temps* has me nervous. I really don't want to do the bike portion in the rain. It can downpour as soon as that's over for all I care, just wait till I'm off the damn bike! I also don't do well in cooler temperatures and being wet in cooler temperatures is a recipe for disaster for me and my Raynauds. I'm going to pack a shirt in case I need to change into something dry when I come out of the water and will hope for the best that the rain holds off. Hard to believe that it's only 2 sleeps away...

I went back to read my race report and what I leared from my Ultra and saw this...it was the perfect little reminder.

"You know, I'm not a very deep person, there's really not that much to me. But I'm always looking to find out more about myself. And I did learn one really important thing this past weekend...I learned that not only can I do anything I set my mind to, but I will do it. I am not a quitter and I am more determined than I even thought I was."

*anything under 80 degrees is considered "cooler" for me and causes my Raynauds to flare up. I'm part lizard.

Race Week Already??

2011-09-06T10:09:00.000-04:00

Where did the summer go and how is it already race week?? Eeek!! 3 months ago I felt like I had all the time in the world to prepare and now I'm 4 days out from the race and wondering if I even trained at all! I don't know why I feel this way because I followed my schedule to a T. I went to bed most nights while it was still light out and the kids were still playing outside. I woke up at 4:40am every day to put in a few hours of training before work. I toughened up va-jay-jay muscles I didn't even know I had and am now the poster child for chlorine damaged hair. I put in the time whether I feel like I did or not and now I just have to hope that it was enough.

Unfortunately, I woke up last Friday with a sore throat. Something is going around my group and this little secure area we work in with no ventilation doesn't let you escape without catching what everyone else has. Totally sucks. But anyway, after leaving work on Friday I headed straight home for the couch and meds. I had one more long ride to get in Saturday morning and I was determined to get that done. I woke up Saturday, popped some meds, and headed off to the race course. The bike course is 3 HILLY loops so I wanted to do exactly this to prove to myself that I had it in me. I used this ride to practice one more time my bike nutrition and also added in the task of trying to pop Endurolyte capsules while riding. I am so not good with multi tasking on the bike so I really slow down when I go to fumble with a gel, drink, etc. But I managed to pop the capsules out of their little holder with some creative tongue work and didn't lose control. I even mapped out exact spots along the course where it'd be best to eat/drink (i.e. one of the few flat spots, large shoulder) and I have different land marks to focus on to get me through the rough patches. I've ridden the course so many times now that I know all the ins and outs, what to watch out for, and where my most mentally challenging spots will be. Saturday took me a little longer than I would have liked but I'm still not exactly sure how much to push on the bike and on top of it, I was sick. So hopefully come race day, feeling better and the adrenaline, I'll be able to push a little harder.

After this workout, I went straight home and back to the couch where I stayed the entire weekend. I'm feeling a little better but no where near 100%. I missed my workout yesterday and was going to make it up today since today was a rest day, but I might not even bother. A half hour swim and half hour run at this point won't make me any more prepared for Saturday.

So am I prepared?? I know I can swim 1.2 miles (in a pool!). I know I can run a half marathon. And now I know I can ride 56 hilly ass miles. Come Saturday it's time to put all three together and see what I can do. I usually go into every race with some sort of time goal but I've been humbled by this training. That combined with not knowing this race distance at all and so many things being out of my control, I decided that my goal for Saturday is just to finish. To finish and to have fun.

Final Brick Done!

2011-08-31T12:42:00.001-04:00

When I signed up for the half Ironman, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I have a habit of doing that; just like when I signed up for the 50 miler after doing just one marathon. Nothing like jumping right in and just doing it. I don't like giving myself the option of not doing it. Once it's on the schedule, I know I'll do what it takes to get me across the finish line. And now, after what seems like the shortest summer of my life, I'm only a week and a half away from that finish line I've been thinking about for over 4 months.

I've definitely had my ups and downs during this training and I think I actually learned a few things about myself along the way. I mean, how could I have not? I've spent countless hours by myself over the past few months. Which has probably been the hardest part of this all. I am absolutely fine heading out for a long run by myself and most times when I'm alone, I enjoy the quiet time. But I'm not the one to turn down the opportunity to run with friends and I've missed that so much this summer. Maybe because my past 2 summers were spent attached to the hip of a friend as we trained for ultras, conquering not only back to back long runs but awesome 30+ mile runs together.

Even though I like the company, I know these solo monster bricks I did through training will serve me well on race day when I'm out there alone. I had my second big brick this past Saturday and due to the hurricane, I played it safe and did 3.5 hours on the trainer. Part of me is worried I took the easy way out by doing it on the trainer but after 77 miles, a shredded rear tire, and a pool of sweat on the floor, I'm hoping I made it worth my while. Time flew by on the trainer thanks to a Married With Children marathon and before I knew it I was heading out the door for a long run. I had an hour and half on the schedule and started off feeling great, legs ready to move. But within a few miles, the humidity got the best of me and I started to fade. I held on the best I could and finished up with 12 miles and between 5 - 5.5 hours of training.

Surprisingly, I felt GREAT after the workout despite horrific chafing that kept me wincing most of the day/night. I think I might have finally nailed my nutrition and found something that works for me. It was the first time in a very long time I didn't have stomach issues or feel exhausted afterwards. I didn't even take a nap and for anyone that knows me, that's a pretty big deal!

So, I'm finishing up this last big week before I slow down for a week of tapering. Physically I feel great and the last 2 big weeks of training I've felt my best. I was most scared of these two weeks but they weren't nearly as bad as I had envisioned when I first saw my schedule. And with that, it's given me a glimmer of hope that I might be able to tackle a *slightly* bigger goal if I choose to go that way.

Getting Ahead Of Myself

2011-08-22T17:18:00.000-04:00

I really want to do a 5k or two once I get past these last few weeks of half Ironman training and the race itself. My paces have been coming really naturally lately and I'm dying to see what I could do with an all out effort. Funny that I'm running so much less than what I'm used to yet my paces are getting better and I finish each run feeling like it was such a quality workout. No more junk miles over here!! So, after I followed up my hour swim this morning with 7.5 miles, where I ran ladders at a 7:00 min/mi pace and felt like it was nothing, I decided it was time to register for that 5k. But first, I needed to know where I could fit it in during marathon training. And since I didn't have a training plan for Reggae put together, I got to work!!

I've never before enjoyed putting a plan together. In fact, I despised it and went back to my running coach time and time again for help and guidance. But that wasn't the case today. I took the plan I used for Shamrock, modified it a bit, and produced 12 kick ass weeks of training. While I was putting it together I couldn't help but think of all the hard work I put into training for Shamrock. I worked so hard, pushing the paces even more than I needed to for my 3:35 goal, and then was knocked on my butt the week of the race due to the flu. Yes, I still got my 3:35 finish, but I knew going into that race, during the race and after the race that I had much, much more in me. And it's been killing me ever since.

I got really excited today thinking about marathon training and the possibilities at Reggae. Maybe because I know my capabilities when it comes to running. I'm so much more confident with running and know that's why I'm eager to get back to marathons. But right now I can't get ahead of myself. I need to stay focused on this little 70.3 I have in 3 weeks. Once I have this race under my belt, I know the confidence will be there with triathlons, too. It's just the unknown distance right now hanging over my head, and the unknown can be a little scary.

But as I head into my final 2 hard weeks of training, I'm feeling great. I have a brick this Saturday (3:30 bike, 1:30 run) that's going to put me in my place and I'm actually excited for it. It's going to be the closest I'll get to race day and I'm looking forward to pushing through and finishing it feeling strong and confident. So no more talk about marathons until I cross the finish line on September 10th and am able to say...I am *half* of an Ironman!

First Big Brick...and a WINNER!!

2011-08-15T11:56:00.000-04:00

This weekend I had my first of two killer brick sessions leading up to the race in September. Since I need to get used to the hills I'll be facing on race day, I decided to do 2 loops of the bike course and then some out and backs to make up any remaining time. After my flat tire on this course during the race the weekend before, and the fact that I was doing this workout solo, I was a little nervous. I knew I could push myself to do the workout, but being out there alone for almost 5 hours was going to be a good mental test. Since the half Ironman I'm doing is really small, I know I'll be alone during the race when things get tough so I need to be prepared for that.

I packed up for what looked like a weekend getaway and headed up to the lake bright and early Saturday morning. It was perfect weather and I was excited to see how the day would go. Right off the bat I felt ok being out there alone and with that confidence, I loosened up a bit and found myself really enjoying the ride. The hills on this course are rough and killed my pace on the bike, but that's ok. I had a lot I wanted to work on during this workout so not everything could be spot on. Hopefully my pace will improve on the course over the next 3 weekends since I'll be doing all my rides up there to get ready.

One of my main goals for this workout was to figure out nutrtion for race day. With the goal of 30-60g of carbohydrates per hour on the bike, I decided to split this up between a half of clif bar right at the start then use acceler-gels and sips of perpetuem throughout the ride. Since I know how my stomach gets during long workouts from Ultra training, and how certain foods just won't go down, I packed a poptart as a back up snack. I'm not sure there would ever be a moment during a race when I could turn down a strawberry frosted poptart! I was glad I packed it because mid second loop, I started to feel hungry and knew a gel wasn't going to cut it. While on the bike, not counting the clif bar right at the start, I consumed 430 calories and definitely not enough water. I rode 50 miles, my longest distance to date, and I was definitely hurting towards the end of it. My lower back, cooze, and legs were so ready to get off the bike and I let out more than a few moans of discomfort those last few miles.

After a quick transition I was out and running. I was so thirsty right from the get go and opted to run with just plain water. My goal was to eat a clif blok every 2 - 2.5 miles like I do for marathons since my stomach can't handle big surges of sugar on the run. My legs were pretty tired from all the hills on the bike but without even trying I fell right into race pace and held it steady for the majority of the run. I was in and out of the sun on a paved path and every time I hit the sun I started to feel a little funny. On top of that, I could barely choke down the bloks as planned and I was insanely thirsty. My plain water wasn't cutting it. I stopped at the boat rental shack to ask if they had ice because I was craving something cold to drink but unfortunately they didn't have any. Then right after that 30 second stop, I started to feel really emotional (sugar level definitely off) and I had some trouble breathing. It felt like I was about to hyperventilate so I stopped running to catch my breath. Within a minute or so I was running again and feeling ok but it was rough making my way back to my car. I had one huge hill in the sun around mile 9 that I decided to walk up and that sort of sucked. I'm usually really strong running hills but by this point, I was done. I made it back to my car, refilled my hand held with ice cold water and a nuun and set out for another mile. I was dying of thirst and ended up chugging half the bottle before the tablet even dissolved. Obviously need to work more on the nutrition and hydration!! I forgot to turn my Garmin on so I'm not exactly sure of my total distance, but it was between 10-11 miles.

After the workout, I mentally felt great. I know I could have ridden 6 more miles and ran 3 more if I needed to. So the race distance is a little less scary. The hills on the course are going to be a bitch though and I need to make sure I keep enough in the tank for the run. As for how I felt physically afterwards...BEAT! I was so tired and my legs were aching so badly as I drove home. When I called Andy to say I was on my way, the first thing out of my mouth was, "I'll never whine about marathon training again."

As for the winner of the Dick's Sporting Goods gift card, I assigned each entry a number and had Andy picked randomly. Lucky #4 is the winner...Sara from Words to Run By!! Sara, email me at dclaffey76@yahoo.com by Wednesday to claim your prize.

GIVEAWAY - $50 to Dicks Sporting Goods

2011-08-09T09:06:00.001-04:00

Did you know that Independence Blue Cross, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, has a Facebook page? I didn't. I also didn't know they were currently running a contest for their "Get Out, Get Fit!" program. The "Get Out, Get Fit!" program was launched because IBX believes in the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. If you haven't already, check out their Facebook page which has exercise instructions, health and wellness tips and maps of some great Philly area spots to work out. And if you "like" their page you'll get weekly nutrition, fitness and wellness tips. They also offer healthy steps which are designed to help you make healthy changes, one step at a time that will last a lifetime.

As for the contest they are running, by submitting a fitness-focused photo, you can enter for a chance to win up to a $500 spending spree at Dick's Sporting Goods. All you need to do is go to their Facebook page and follow the easy steps to submit your photo. You can also view other entries to get some ideas of what people are submitting. I know some of you have some great pictures from your workouts so give it a shot and see if you win!! Contest ends August 31, 2011 so hurry and submit your photo!

But now for a GIVEAWAY!! IBX is offering one of my followers a $50 gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods!! There are several ways to enter, each one worth an entry, so pick and choose how many ways you want to enter. Just be clear in your comment so I know how many entries to give you. I'll pick a winner on Sunday, August 14th.

Here are your entry options (note: contest open to followers only):

1 – Leave a comment on my blog with ways you stay healthy and fit

2 – Like IBX on Facebook

3 – Follow IBX on twitter

4 – Tweet about this giveaway with a link to the blog post and include @rundeniserun in the tweet

GOOD LUCK!!

Steelman Tri Race Report

2011-08-07T17:14:00.001-04:00

I originally registered for this race so I'd have one more chance at an open water swim before the 70.3 in September. This race is at the same location so I thought it was the perfect choice. But after a successful Olympic distance 2 weeks ago where I didn't panic in the water, I started looking at this race as more than just a practice swim. With 2 tris under my belt, I wanted to push a little more and see what I had in me.

I woke up to a storm and pouring rain at 4:15am and questioned if I even wanted to go. I don't mind being wet but I wasn't interested in doing a Duathlon. Thankfully, once I arrived at the park the rain stopped and the skies cleared. It was muggy as hell, but at least we'd be able to swim.

It was a long morning of waiting around but hitting the port o pots a gazillion times helped pass the time. I think I finally figured out what's causing the stomach issues...coconut water. I'm going to lay off it for a while before workouts and see if the issues stop. I usually drink it for the extra potassium in attempt to ward off the calf cramps that I get.

Finally, with about a half hour to go before we entered the water, my stomach calmed down. I was 100% calm and just ready to do my thing. It was an in-water, tread start, and the water was around 78 degrees. Much better than the 88 degrees 2 weeks ago. While there weren't many people in my wave, everyone was right on top of each other. Each time I found my own little spot, 2 people would swim over and get right on top of me. I remained calm but when the gun went off, I couldn't get into a rhythm. All the way to the first buoy I kept my head up and was avoiding kicking feet. When we rounded the first buoy I finally found some space but at this point my legs felt so heavy. I tried to focus on using my upper body and really pulling but I don't think I succeeded very well. While I didn't panic, I never felt that comfortable and mentally my head wasn't in it. Mid swim I started thinking that I shouldn't do any more tris, I should just ride for fun and stick to running. I pushed the thoughts away by trying to remember the positive experience I had at NJ State but I was frustrated with myself that these thoughts ever surfaced in the first place. I plugged along, doing what I could and was so happy to see the final turn around which took me out of the water. I knew when I exited the lake that I was nowhere near where I had hoped to be, but happy to be out of there I was ready to kill it on the bike and run.

Swim - 19:37
T1 - 2:21 (long run back to transition!!)

The start of the bike was a long up hill climb out of the park to the main road where the race took place with 2 out and backs. My legs were burning leaving the park but I pushed hard knowing I had rolling hills where my legs could get a break once I got to the top. When I got up to the main road I was feeling really good! I was holding my own and trying my best to plow through the hills. One second I'd be going 27 mph down a hill, the next, doing anything I could to hit 10 mph going back up! I passed A TON of people with flats on the first half and wondered what the heck was going on. I know I'm new to this sport but I couldn't believe how many people were having bike issues. I felt so bad for them. Little did I know I'd be in the same exact situation soon enough.

Right after the final turn around, while climbing a hill, I started to feel like I was bouncing. Then...the dreaded sound of a flat tire. I pulled to the side of the road, dismounted and just stared at my bike. Having never changed a flat before, I didn't know if I should attempt it or walk it in to T2. It was around mile 11 so I still had 2 + miles to go. I walked a bit and saw a girl up ahead changing her tire. When I reached her and saw she was struggling, I suggested we help each other. Well, within a minute, there was a guy who joined us with a flat and a minute after that, another girl. The 4 of us sat there working on each other's bikes while people with flat tires road by us. What was going on??!!

I have no idea how long it took for this, but it was forever!! We had 2 race officials on scooters stop to tell us the wagon was on its way to help, but it never showed up. After we all got fixed up, we slowly headed to the finish. Unfortunately, 2 people flatted again immediately. I knew I didn't have enough air in my tire so I had to ride it into the finish so...freaking...slow. It was horrible. By the time I reached the dismount line, I wasn't sure if I was even going to head out for the run. But I didn't want to run when I got home so I decided to just take it easy and finish.

Bike - 1:41:41 (shoot me)
T2 - 1:43

I completely took my time in T2 and then headed out for the run. I didn't really care at this point how I did or what pace I ran. It was hot and humid as hell and I was just happy to see there were still sprint runners out there and I wouldn't be dead last. Nothing to say about the run really, except that this is definitely my strong suit and I want to find a 5k to do some time soon. If I can do this easily, I want to see what I can do when I'm fresh and pushing as hard as I can.

Run - 23:02 (7:26 pace)

Sigh...overall time...2:28:23. People did the Olympic distance faster than I did the sprint! At first, I was ok with everything. It is what it is. I never got upset or frustrated out there on the bike and just took what the day gave me. It was bound to happen some day and I'm hoping this gives me a flat free pass for the 70.3. But as I'm sitting here thinking about the race, I'm getting really bummed about how the day went down. The bike is one thing but my swim is another. The swim IS in my control and I'm completely disappointed with my time.

So, definitely not the race I was hoping for but it was a learning experience. I am proud of myself for sucking it up and finishing because when I entered T2, I really wanted to call it a day. I'm all about training and races building my mental toughness and this race definitely did that. Now I just need to get mentally tough with the swim because I'm really a little rattled by this whole Tri business and I'm starting to worry about what's in store for me in 5 short weeks. And honestly, I'm a little worried I bit off more than I can chew.

Fear Conquered!

2011-08-03T10:29:00.000-04:00

After a week off work and a long weekend away with friends, I started this week feeling more exhausted than I did before my time off!! I had high hopes of catching up on sleep and napping my afternoons away while I was off but that didn't happen. I was on the go pretty much all week before I left town then racked up late nights of having too much fun. While the time away was fun and totally worth it, I definitely can't handle late nights and cocktails like I used to. And I now know there won't be any crazy trips during peak training next year; I'll save it for after race season.

I've been feeling a little sluggish during my workouts this week, but I'm getting them done. I have 5 big weeks until my 70.3 and I'm determined bounce back after all the debauchery this weekend and stay focused. Thankfully, I can finally report something positive about the pool and swimming so that's got me really excited. Since the Olympic Tri a little over a week ago, my pool sessions have been great. Prior to the race I was struggling mentally and dreaded every time I had to swim. But since the Olympic, things have completely changed. My first swim went so well I thought it was just due to the post race high, but every pool workout since then has gone equally as well. I'm not dreading the time in the pool and time doesn't seem to stand still anymore. On top of that, I used to stop for a quick water break/stretch (aka mental break) every few hundred yards but now I might stop once to grab a drink and then get right back to it.

I think I was so scared of the unknown and whether or not I could do it that I had myself psyched out. Standing on the beach before the Olympic I seriously didn't think I could swim that far. Now that I did it, without freaking out, I feel 100% confident about the swim for the 70.3. If I can swim .9 miles, I can definitely swim 1.2 miles. And knowing that makes the pool, dare I say, enjoyable.

I have a Sprint Tri this weekend that I'm really excited for. Originally I signed up for this so I'd have one more chance at an open water swim before September in case I panicked at the Olympic. But now that I know I'm good to go, I'm looking forward to it and seeing what I can do! It's the best feeling when you conquer a fear.

NJ State Olympic Tri Race Report

2011-07-25T07:54:00.001-04:00

My second Tri, first Olympic distance, stepping stone to my half Ironman in September. As usual, I'm full of doubts of what I'm capable of for the 70.3 so I wanted this race to be enjoyable, confidence building and a learning experience. Thankfully, it was all three of those things!!

Leading up to this weekend I was so busy at work I didn't even have time to stress over the race and by the time Saturday rolled around, I was so exhausted that laying on the couch and zoning out was the perfect pre race day. I slept pretty well Saturday night and didn't experience any pre race nervousness that kept me up. Up bright and early on Sunday, I still felt really calm. Unfortunately, my stomach was not. I had some pretty unpleasant stomach fun from the time I woke up until literally 3 minutes before my wave lined up to enter the water. I think this was something more than pre race jitters because I never had it last so long and I really wasn't that much of a basket case. Yes, I got teary more than once when telling Andy that I didn't think I could swim that far, but I didn't think I was that much of a mess. My stomach will continue to be a mystery.

So, enough poo and back to the race...I headed down to the start of swim area for the pre race warm up. I knew I needed to do this to prepare myself for any panic that might set in and thought it was better to get some of it out of the way before the gun went off. I walked calmly into the water, which was 88 degrees and felt like a cess pool, dunked my head and started swimming. I couldn't see shit in the brown, murky water but I focused on keeping my breathing under control and just did my thing. It was the best feeling ever that I didn't experience any panic whatsoever.

After the practice swim we huddled in whatever shade we could find with all the other athletes trying to do the same in hopes to keep cool. It was only 7:30am and already hot as heck, around 90 degrees, and the humdity was terrible. Poor Andy, he just loves the heat and humdity and he had a long morning ahead of him spectating. But once again, he won the husband of the year award and sucked it up. He also provided a lot of hugs as I stood there sighing, a telltale sign that I'm nervous, and telling me I could do this.

Waves went off every 5 minutes for the swim and as I waited to line up, I told myself that I wasn't going to win this race and I definitely wasn't going to win the swim so I should just take it easy and keep myself under control in the water. We entered the water and while we treaded water waiting for our start, I took a bunch of deep breaths and told myself it was nothing more than 65 laps at the pool. When we started, I easily slipped into a rhythm and did my thing. I was nudged and hit a bit, and did a little hitting back, but it didn't faze me. Prior to the start when I saw how long the swim course looked, I was really worried but once I got moving, the bouys just kept ticking by. The only thing that messed me up during the swim was that my goggles fogged so badly and when we turned around and were heading into the sun I couldn't see a darn thing. I basically searched for any moving water in front of me to keep on track with other swimmers. When we reached the final turn to head out of the water, I couldn't believe I made it and didn't freak out once along the way!! That in itself was a huge accomplishment!!

Swim - 37:41 (now that I know I can handle it, I'm ready to push harder!)
T1 - 2:13 (didn't feel this long!)

Out of the water and into transition I went feeling great; not like the sprint I did in June where I told Andy the swim was the worst experience of my life. That was so not the case today and I think I might have even had a smile on my face! Transition went smoothly and I was headed out on my bike for 2 loops / 25.2 miles before I knew it. Nothing exciting on the bike except that I felt pretty good. Still not sure how much to push myself to save my legs for the run, so I decided to just go by feel. I did a fair amount of passing and also got blown away by some serious triathletes on their fancy bikes. It was hot but bearable since I was moving and somewhere on the second lap I downed a Gu. I wasn't drinking as much as I probably should and with my stomach issues before we started I was worried I was going to bonk. I wasn't hungry or interested in food or water but I knew I needed something. I finished the bike feeling strong and didn't crash as I clipped out and dismounted! Another success!!

You can't see it here but I'm grinning ear to ear!

Bike - 1:20:38, average 19mph
T2 - 2:05

From the second I switched from my cycling shoes to my running shoes, I knew the run was going to be a struggle. Finally stopping and not having the breeze from the bike, the still air, heat and humidity got me. I trained for a 7:30-7:40 pace for the run but I immediately knew when I started that I'd take anything that got me to the finish. The first mile started with me passing a ton of walkers and it got to me mentally. I found myself at one point calculating how long it would take me to finish if I just stopped and walked the rest of the way. If everyone else was walking, why couldn't I? Thankfully I realized that even if I shuffled I'd finish sooner and I needed to do anything to just keep moving forward. I made it to the first water stop, which was also handing out cold towels which were a god send, and took a few seconds to walk, grab a drink and pour water down my back. I never in a million years thought I'd walk a water stop at a 10k but the heat was just horrible. I pushed along as my pace slowed but I was still running which was more than I could say for a lot of people out there. It wasn't only me the heat was affecting, for the majority of the race there were more walkers than there were runners. My legs were fine but the heat held me back and I ended up averaging a minute slower than race pace. Far from what I wanted but it got me to the finish alive and smiling. In fact, as I was approaching the finish with about a quarter mile to go, a spectator said to me, "that's the first smile I've seen all day." Another goal achieved, I had fun!!

Leaving T2, again, smiling!

Run - 53:12, average 8:35

I had some time goals for this race which I didn't share because I knew with this being my first one I shouldn't focus on time. But my main goal was to finish happy in under 3 hours, which I did. Another win for the day! I have been analyzing everything all day and know where I could have done better, etc but the bottom line is that the heat was just a little too much today. Considering this was my second Tri, I'm happy with how it went and I already have plans to go back to this course next year and come home with a huge PR.

Total time: 2:55:49

F35-39 - 16th

Overall 418/944

I left this race with a lot of thoughts about where I'm going in the sport of Triathlons and honestly, I might be a little confused. I'll be taking it easy the next few days with some light workouts, and lots of thinking about goals, as I work my way back into the thick of training...Quakerman Half Ironman is only 7 weeks away!

3 More Sleeps

2011-07-21T12:09:00.000-04:00

I swear the work Gods are against me. Every week before a race the shit hits the fan at work and it's complete chaos. This week has consisted of stressful, long days and this 5 minute mental break for this post will hopefully keep me from screaming. The only good part of this craziness is that it's keeping my mind off of this little thing I have scheduled for Sunday....my first Olympic Tri!!

On Sunday I'll be racing my second triathlon, first Olympic distance. The race consists of a 0.93 mile swim, 25.5 mile bike and a 10k run. I'm usually all about goals, even when it's my first time doing a particular race, but with the heat wave we're currently experiencing, my only goal is to not over heat and die. If you're not part of the fun on the East coast, we have temperatures exceeding 100 degrees today and tomorrow and the humidity is making it feel closer to 110. When I left for work today at 7am it was already a toasty, humid 84 degrees. The temperatures are supposed to fall a bit by Sunday with highs only in the mid 90's. With the race starting at 7:30am, hopefully it won't be too bad.

I have some general times for each part that I'd like to hit but I'm not going to beat myself up if I can't nail my race pace on the run. In a way, I think the heat is almost a good thing. It's keeping me much more relaxed and I'm not so focused on what finish time I want to get. With this being my first Olympic distance, it should be more about the experience and what I can learn, than how quickly I can get it done.

But with all that being said, I feel pretty good about it. A little anxious about the swim, as I start in a wave with men, but I'm trying to tell myself it's just goofing off in the water and not to take it too seriously. I had my final brick last weekend with a 2 hour bike and an hour run. With both covering distances longer than I'll see this Sunday, and my first three miles of the run around a 7:30, I finished up peak week feeling pretty confident. I put in the time for this race, even a little extra, and I'm ready to have some fun!! Knowing there's a beer garden at the finish and that this kicks off a week of vacation is definitely helping!

3 more sleeps till the fun begins!

Holy Hills!

2011-07-13T16:06:00.000-04:00

The Half Ironman I have scheduled for September became so real the other day when I received my training plan from my Coach. I knew it was creeping up on me and I knew training would get more intense, but having never done one of these before, I didn't know what to expect. Thankfully I've been training a little more aggressively than what I need for my Olympic Tri in just over a week so that softened the blow.

When I first opened the plan, I just stared at it. Then I closed it, opened it again, and stared some more. Not sure what I was expecting to change, but I think I closed and opened it like 10 more times. The format is the same, with 3 doubles a week and some brick workouts on Saturday. The biggest change, obviously, is the training hours I'll be putting in each week. My shortest week consists of just under 9 hours while the biggest week takes me to 14 hours. It terms of workouts, my time in the saddle increases significantly and my runs get progressively longer. Thankfully, the hours I'll be spending in the pool won't change much. This was huge because expecting longer pool workouts was messing with me mentally.

So after staring and analyzing the plan for a good 2 days, I decided that I had to get up and ride the bike course of the race to know what I was up against. The course is hilly, to say the least, and not closed to traffic...two things I desparately need to gain some confidence with. Since I upgraded to clip pedals and bought myself some gaudy cycling shoes the weekend before, I figured what better way to break them in then to check out the race course!

The race course is 3 - 18ish mile loops and I easily managed two loops, with only one fall while trying to clip in at an intersection. Lucky for me there was a flower bed to cushion my fall and I walked away with just some minor scraps and covered in mulch. I even conquered some of my fear of going fast and hit 30mph (crazy thing is I touched the breaks a few times) on a downhill, while on a small shoulder and cars flying by next to me. That in itself was huge since I do NOT like to go downhill let alone go downhill on an open road! But after all was said and done, my legs felt great and I definitely had another loop in me. And to be honest, I felt like I could have easily run after riding the 36 miles. While that ride definitely built up my confidence, I know I still have a lot of work to do. I want those hills to feel like nothing on race day and I want to know every inch of that course. So, my goal for August: eat those hills for breakfast every weekend.

I'm not very good at this technical stuff, but here's a rough profile of the course with elevation. Good thing I picked a nice hilly course for my first 70.3!

My Name is Denise and I'm Addicted...

2011-07-06T11:26:00.000-04:00

Last week, right after my burned out post, my coach mentioned that I might not feel like myself as I went through a week of recovery. While I really do think I was a little burned out, and part of my emotional roller coaster was due to that, my coach said something with regards to recovery weeks that really made me think.

"Think of it more as 'training' and less as an 'addiction'."

I know I'm very passionate about working out and don't feel myself if I don't get it in, but am I addicted to it?? According to Merriam-Webster, addiction is:

"Compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal"

Hmmm, "compulsive need?" "Physiological symptoms upon withdrawal?" Sounds a little too familiar.

I thought back to my time off from the Achilles injury and how crazy I was; having breakdowns left and right and funky all the time. I literally fed my lack of exercise with too much food and thought since I couldn't do as much as I wanted, I might as well do nothing at all. I was anything but myself during these times.

Then there are the times where life gets in the way and I have to make changes to my training schedule. I definitely don’t handle this well and feel really anxious about missing a scheduled workout or not having it be exactly as planned. For weeks I've been thinking about how I'll fit workouts in while I'm away later this month and am worried I won't get in as much as I should. What I should really be concerned with is making sure I have a ton of fun and get plenty of naps in on the beach!

And then there's last week. A cut back week and me feeling like an alien I was so out of sorts. But mid way through this week, with the highest intensities yet of my training, I feel like a million bucks. And over the weekend, I was looking forward to the two weeks ahead of me because they are chock full of hard workouts. Maybe I was excited to get "my fix."

So maybe I am addicted to exercise. But I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. It's not like I'm addicted to crack. And I'm taking recovery days/weeks as scheduled so I'm making sure my body gets the rest it needs. But with that being said, I do want a healthy relationship with working out and think it's something I should work on...wouldn't hurt to have some flexibility and not take everything so serious. But at least I now know that the next time I start to have a melt down during a cut back week, I can blame it on my addiction.

I thought all of this was interesting and explained a lot about my ups and downs during training periods. What about you guys? Do you "train" or is exercise your "addiction?"

Rode Through It

2011-06-30T09:23:00.000-04:00

I should have acknowledged it earlier in the week, but I was in denial. Even though I'm putting in a decent amount of hours training, with 3 doubles a week, I still don't feel like I'm doing that much. But when you add in work and life, I guess it does exceed what the average person does in one day. So when the week started off with me not being able to roll out of bed on Monday morning for my easy recovery swim, I chalked it up to me being too old for the beer fest I attended on Saturday and decided I'd make the workout up on Tuesday. I suffered through Monday feeling exhausted and blah but pushed myself out the door after work for an easy 4 mile run.

When Tuesday morning rolled around and I woke up from a horrible nights sleep (again), it was all I could do to drag my body down to the basement for an hour session on the bike trainer. My plans for making up my swim before the bike session, out the window. Usually missing a workout would upset me, but I was so exhausted I didn't even care. Again, I should have recognized what was going on. I got through the workout and Tuesday went just as miserably as Monday. I headed to bed super early in hopes of making up for lost hours the past 2 nights and waking up refreshed for a double first thing Wednesday morning.

While I didn't sleep well, I managed to be in the pool at 5am and followed the swim with a 5 mile run with speed work. I suffered through the swim, my back half sinking and breathing harder and louder than normal, hitting my moderate intensity effort by swimming like it was a recovery day. While my run felt good, when I left the gym, it felt like everything had been sucked from my body...and my mind. My spirit for training, completely gone.

I spent the day feeling really lonely. Wondering why I was training. Missing my running friends. Starving. Exhausted. Warm and sweaty in my frigid office area. And then the doozy...I actually said out loud to Andy "I don't think I want to train anymore." Hunh?? After that little outburst, I immediately sent myself up to bed.

I finally acknowledged what was going on when I woke up this morning at 5am and the first thought I had was, "I don't want to do an Ironman." I'm not even training for an Ironman (yet) and I'm already ruling it out? What was this crazy talk? But as I hiked up my sausage shorts and looked at the bags under my eyes, I shook my head and acknowledged what the signs had been pointing to all week. I'm a little burned out.

Rather than crawling back into bed and pulling the covers over my head, I marched myself down to the basement. The first 10 minutes on the trainer were misery but then the next 10 were better. And the next 10 even better. Then all of a sudden I felt like a weight had been lifted and I was pushing hard and enjoying it. When Andy came down to say good morning, I happily said, "I know what's been wrong all week. I've been burned out. But I just rode through it!"

Like I said, I don't feel like I'm doing too much, I really don't. But then again, I'm the type of person who will keep going and going until I can't physically go anymore. Something was definitely telling me all week that I needed a little break and I didn't want to listen. Maybe physically I was fine, but my mind needed a rest. Either way, I think the worst is behind me and I'm going to tackle the next 3 weeks before race day with a vengeance.

No Pool Love

2011-06-23T09:53:00.000-04:00

I was sitting here thinking about how good I feel. My body feels great and mentally, I'm strong and focused. I'm not sure what clicked but ever since the Sprint TRI, things just seem to be...right. I'm in the midst of one of my highest training hour weeks and I feel like I have a lot more in me. Running is going exceptionally well and when running by feel I'm knocking out some paces that are surprising me. What used to be my "sort of push it pace" is now my easy pace and my speed work paces are getting quicker, too. I'm feeling great on the bike and have learned how to really push the intensity and get a great workout. I'm even excited about my long rides on the weekend and am not sad I traded long runs for the bike at all! It all seems like it's coming together so nicely...with one exception. The pool.

I just don't love the pool. I know I'm not going to love everything, but the pool sort of sucks. On a good note though, I find the pool more tolerable on a hard workout day than an easy day. For some reason pushing myself to the point where I'm gasping for air and feel like I might hurl makes the time go by so much faster. And I guess I'm just a little frustrated because you can't see improvements with swimming as easily as you can with, say, running. Sure I can knock time off but if that sacrifices form, then I don't think it's worth it. I need to come out of the water feeling great so I have to find the balance between speed and form, where I'm not sacrificing one for the other.

I mentioned to Andy the other day my frustrations about swimming and that "I'm just not good in the pool." His response sort of shocked me when he said, "Good!" When I asked what the heck he meant by that he said he thinks it's good for me to not be good at everything, that it's not realistic and it's like a kid getting everything they want. I didn't bother to have a debate with him about this because we've had countless discussions about how I want to be good at everything I do. I'm not the type of person to do something and not try to perfect it. If I'm doing it, I want to be the best I can at it. So instead of discussing it further with him, I walked away knowing I'm going to keep at it until I AM good in the pool. I may not love it, but damn it, I'll be good at it!

Quick gluten free update...going great!! On day 4, feeling really good. Had a little stomach trouble early in the week but I know I need to give it more time. The only thing I'm struggling with is finding snack options for my late afternoon carb snack at work. I need to hit up the GF section at the store so I'm prepared for next week. If anyone has any GF suggestions for a healthy carb snack, can you let me know? Right now my staples are oatmeal, quinoa and brown rice as my carbs.

The GF Experiment

2011-06-20T08:51:00.000-04:00

I am the Queen of stomach aches. It's rare that a day goes by where I don't get some sort of discomfort which can range from bloating to full on I-can't-stand-straight-up stomach pain. I've never been able to narrow it down to what causes it but I do know that I can NOT eat sour dough pretzels. I figured this out through marathon training as pretzels were my carb load food of choice the day before a race. That and twizzlers. :-) Anyway, within minutes of eating pretzels I'm in such pain I walk around hunched over and usually end up in the fetal position moaning. Andy and I did a little experimenting and while all pretzels bother me, sour dough are definitely the worst. So sad, they were my favorite.

After doing some reading about food allergies and knowing some friends who are gluten free, I saw a connection between some of the symptoms of gluten intolerance/allergies and what I was experiencing. On top of the stomach aches/bloating, I also have extremely dry, itchy skin that no lotion can help and some days it's all I can do to not scratch my skin right off. And every now and then I get waves of nausea out of no where after eating and on most days I'm dog tired. Now the tiredness could be training but even on light workout days, I'm still pretty exhausted. There are tons of sites out there citing different symptoms but here is a general list of symptoms of a wheat/gluten allergy:

• Abdominal pain & cramps (check)
• bloating (check)
• headaches
• foul smelling stools (hmmm, TMI??)
• vomiting
• osteoporosis
• diarrhea (probably more often than the normal pooping person)
• allergic rhinitis
• anemia
• muscle cramps (hell yea!)
• eczema (check)
• swelling around the mouth
• tingling in the feet and legs
• irritability (what? not me!)
• depression (check)
• hives (check)

So, I figured, what do I have to lose (besides not being able to eat bulgar which is by far my favorite grain)? I'm going to try a little gluten free experiment and see how things go. I'm not doing this for training purposes or anything thing like that because honestly I don't understand the connection between gluten free and performance. I'm simply doing it to see if the stomach aches subside and if there's any change in how I feel overall. I'm going to attempt no gluten all this week with the exception of Saturday since we're going to a beer festival. Come on, it's not a life or death situation. I can deal with the beer induced stomach ache for the sake of having fun!

I'll update mid week on how I'm feeling and post an example of what the food intake in a gluten free day looks like. I really hope this solves the stomach ache mystery and if it does, I'm going to be crushed I can't eat twizzlers anymore the day before a race.

Weight and Training

2011-06-16T09:30:00.001-04:00

I've been going to a nutritionist for several months now. I've gone before in the past because of disordered eating habits but this time around it was more my training that made me realize I needed some guidance. For years I managed through marathon training on about 1200 calories a day and as a result, zero energy. Now I never dropped down to a size 0 or wasted away because my body held on to everything so it could get through the next workout and daily activities of life. I lived in a constant state of exhaustion and didn't even trust myself to drive into work some days because it was that hard to keep my eyes open. There was even an instance where I passed out/blacked out/whatever you want to call it on a 22 mile run. That shook me a little but not enough that I made many changes to how much I was eating. In fact, I wrote it off for a long time refusing to admit it was my own fault that happened.

Well, when it came time to start TRI training, I knew there was no way I could get through it doing what I was doing, so back to the nutritionist I went. The first session was horrible and I spent days crying over my new eating plan, how many calories I was going to consume and the weight I feared I would gain. Since my body was so used to being restricted, the theory is that it will hold on to the food until it trusts it won't be restricted again, and then eventually the body will adjust to the appropriate weight. We upped the calories very gradually and surprisingly, after the first few weeks, I actually lost a little weight. What? Ate more and lost weight...yup, that's exactly what happened. Now, things were going well until I had the hiccup between Shamrock and Boston where I couldn't do a darn thing and I coped with my injury by eating like crud and graining more than a few pounds. I have a terrible "all or none" behavior pattern which needs to change and I'm working on it! Now while most of this has come off, of course there's always "just one more pound" that I'd like to lose.

Over the course of a few months, my caloric intake has gone from ~1200 calories to 2700 a day and we're still planning to add more. I'm pretty much eating non stop because it's hard to get that many calories when you eat healthy and overall, I'm feeling more energetic most days. It's been a struggle because I'm not at the training weight I'd like to be at but I know I can't focus on losing weight right now...even if that's always in the back of my mind. I need to trust what we're doing and remember that I'm not little, heck, there is nothing petite about me, and that I'll never be a size 0. Eventually my body will adjust and find its healthy, happy weight but until then I'll keep reminding myself that I'm a 3:35 marathoner and a triathlete. A few extra pounds may have settled in places I don't like, but they aren't going to slow me down!!

Where is all this coming from? I've just been struggling with the "trying to fuel my workouts" and "training weight" debacle. I know what I need to do; I got certified as a personal trainer, I'm educated in the subject. It's just hard to take your own advice some times, especially when you are as stubborn as I am. Each day though I'm trying to think of my workout the following day and what I need to do today to make sure I get the most out tomorrow. And to do that, I need to refuel. I'm not all the way there yet, and I may never be there completely, but each day I'm starting to follow my own advice a little more. Since I know I'm not alone in this, I just want to say that I'm proof that eating less during training does not equal healthy weight loss. All it gets you is less than stellar workouts and crankiness (at least in my case, just ask Andy!).

I am a Triathlete! (and WINNER)

2011-06-09T13:04:00.001-04:00

I think I've been smiling since Sunday. There was something about the TRI that clicked with me and I think once I get used to the open water swims, this may just be my new love. However, the memory of the swim is still burning in my brain and I haven't been able to get it off my mind. The panic I felt is still really fresh and a few nights this week I found myself having trouble falling asleep because I was thinking about it. Every seasoned triathlete I've talked to said what I experienced is completely normal and expected and that it does get better with time. I hope they're right because the next one is only 6 short weeks away....

The next 6 weeks of training are jammed packed with workouts but I'm feeling great and ready to tackle them. With the recent Achilles* flare up, my Coach and I decided that it's probably best to cut back my running. Going into the training I had requested to keep my long training runs because I wanted to stay in marathon shape. Because come on, you never know when you might need to run 26.2 miles!! Well, those long runs on top of all the other training weren't needed for my upcoming TRIs and were possibly (I'm not 100% sold) aggravating the Achilles. So, the schedule has been adjusted and the running has been cut back. I still do a fair amount of running, with my mid week runs being as long as 1:15, but there won't be any 20 miles in my near future. I've realized that it's more important to keep myself healthy than to rack up pointless miles. There will be plenty of time for marathon training come September 11th when my TRI season is over.

If you can't tell, I'm feeling really positive about things. A switch went off on Sunday after the race and brought me back to where I want to be. I've been slacking off a little and making excuses and I'm ready for the old me to come back. I've got my game face on and am determined to kill the next month of training. I'm going to swim, bike and run my ass off, because, well...that's what Triathletes do. And now I'm one of them! I've got a lot of work ahead of me and there are improvements to be made, but I'll get there and 6 weeks from now I'll be ready to crush the Olympic distance.

The winner of the Mondetta Performance Gear, pick randomly by number generator Andy, is # 24 -- Marisa @ the pace of my life. Marisa, email me at dclaffey76@yahoo.com.

*so I didn't take my doctors advice and go back into the boot. While the pain was there, I knew I wasn't at that point. Last week I took off from running, only did light swimming and biking, and stretched the hell out of my achilles and calves. I felt pretty good after the TRI and so far this week things are going well. Stretching is now a daily part of my routine and I think it's making a big difference. But I'm keeping my fingers crossed nonetheless.

Independence TRI - Race Report

2011-06-05T16:28:00.005-04:00

I was going to break this up to keep it from being too long, but I wanted to capture everything while it was still fresh in my mind. So sit back and relax...

Saturday was not my normal pre race day filled with relaxation and a whole lot of nothing. Instead I attended a pre race meeting for TRI newbies and ran around taking care of some bike issues that arose at the last second. They left me completely flustered and cranked up the nerves but finally around 5:30pm I was all packed up and able to get off my feet and relax for a bit. Thankfully, I managed to shut my brain off and got some solid sleep before the alarm went off at 4:30 this morning.

I bounced out of bed feeling completely refreshed and calm and the nerves stayed at bay until we were about a mile from the park entrance. At that point I started taking deep breaths and sighing and might not have put up a fight if Andy turned the car around and we headed home. But once we parked and started unloading, I settled down.

We made our way over to the start and I set up my very first transition area! We had about 18" of space and man; some people really go nuts with what they cram into that tiny spot! I saw buckets of water, PAM cooking spray, wardrobes, etc. I brought just the bare essentials and set up everything up in the order I was going to need it.

After a quick pre race meeting and the national anthem, we headed down to the water. It was already a cool morning with overcast skies and the temperature around 60 degrees and when we got to the water, the breeze picked up and it was even cooler. I was shocked to see so many people in wet suits as this was only a 1/4 mile swim. I personally didn't see the point for a 1/4 mile swim and thought it was more of a waste of time than anything.

Check out the stink eye from the chick in the wet suit behind me.

The wave start for this race was backwards with the woman over 40 and Athenas starting first. This was previously a women only race and I heard the race director wanted to honor the females and keep with the tradition by letting them enter the water first. As the first wave entered the water, I stood on the edge covered in goose bumps but surprisingly calm. When it got close for the first gun to go off, I worked my way to the edge of the water and was shocked at how warm the water felt. They said the temperature was around 70 degrees and it felt great considering the air was cooler. I eased my way in (it was an in-water start) and was completely grossed out by the feel of the bottom and the long sea weed type things wrapping around my legs and arms. I took the opportunity to pee and then exactly 3 minutes after the first wave took off, it was go time for wave 2.

that's me waving to Andy; I was making sure he was keeping a close eye on me!

Wave 2 start; I'm in there somewhere!

I had positioned myself towards the front of my wave because I knew things would be crowded no matter what with the reverse wave start. We would be catching the first wave and the men starting after us would be catching us. As soon as we started I found a nice little rhythm and couldn't believe how calm I felt. It was such a surreal feeling...I was swimming in this murky lake and I was completely under control. Well, flash forward a minute or two and everything was the complete opposite. Holy panic! I don't know what happened but I was freaking out. I was searching around for the nearest rescue boat and thought for a second that I was going to flag them down. Instead I kept my head above the water and did whatever stroke I could just to stay afloat. I was breathing so hard I thought I was going to hyperventilate and felt completely helpless. It was the longest seconds/minutes/I have no idea of my life and all I wanted was to catch my breath and not sink to the bottom. I eventually talked myself down and kept myself moving. But all my good form and bi-lateral breathing went out the window and I just swam to survive. Once I rounded the buoy and was headed back to the beach, I felt so much better. I just kept thinking, "get me the hell out of here." As I exited the water and almost killed myself doing so on all the rocks, Andy asked if I was ok. I mumbled, "that was the worst experience of my life."

Thinking my TRI career is over. There was a closer shot of me coming out but it involved an exhaling gut and insanely large nips so I'll spare you.

From swim start to T1 entrance - 11:06

I hustled up to transition and was just so happy to be out of the water. I didn't rush too bad as I wanted to regroup and make sure I was composed before heading out on the bike. I threw on my helmet, sunglasses, race belt and shoes, grabbed a sip of water and took off. Andy was already at the T1 exit and as I ran by, I smiled and said, "no worries, I'm never doing an Ironman."

T1 - 1:34

The bike portion started on a hill, yes a hill, which sucked. Thankfully I was prepared for this from the pre race meeting the day before and had practiced with my gears set how I wanted them. It actually took me two tries to mount my bike and get started but it didn't set me back. We had a long gradual climb out of the park before we turned onto a closed road for the majority of the race. From the second I got on the bike, I felt strong. Going into this I knew the bike was going to be a weak spot for me because of how scared I am of crashing and because of how little time I've spent on it. I think I had 3 rides outside going into this race, so I wasn't exactly prepared. The course was all hills and definitely challenging, but I pushed through. I thought for sure I'd be holding my breaks going down the hills but instead I found myself flying down them without a fear in the world. At one point I said to myself, "who are you?" Had you seen me prior to today, you wouldn't have known it was the same person. Going into this I was convinced I'd have no brake pads left by the time it was over because I was so scared of going downhill! Anyway, I hurt myself on the bike portion by not changing between my big and small ring (I stayed in my small ring the entire race) for fear of popping a chain and getting confused between gears. I'm just not that comfortable on the bike yet and this was one way of keeping it a little less stressful. After all the hills I was so happy to see the final turn around and the downhill entrance back into the park. With this being my first one, I had no idea how hard to push on the bike and still save something for the run and I just hoped I saved enough. I dismounted the bike on the downhill, managed not to fall, and ran into transition. With no shoe change I was in and out in a flash and even remembered to take my helmet off!!

Heading into T2

Bike - 37:08
T2 - 30 seconds

Out for the run!!

My legs were heavy but they were also ready to run. I had practiced some bricks before and knew I handled them pretty well but today shocked me. I felt really good and the leg turnover was there. I had decided not to wear my Garmin since today wasn't about time and just ran by feel. I honestly thought I was running around an 8:30-9:00 min pace and was wondering why I was passing everyone. I felt like I was hardly moving yet I was breathing pretty good. I grabbed a sip of water at the turn around point and headed back to the finish. Not knowing how fast I was running bothered me because I kept thinking if I knew I could push myself harder. Well, before I had any more time to worry about it, I turned the corner and saw the finish line chute. I pushed a little further, saw Andy cheering on the side, and crossed the line with the biggest smile on my face! It wasn't until I saw the results that I realized how fast I was running...so much for that 8:30ish pace!

Run - 13:20 (6:41 pace!!)

Overall stats:

1:03:41

63/269

3rd in Age Group

Best husband in the world and my biggest fan. Loved knowing he was at each transition.

I'm a triathlete!!

First time I actually got to stand on the podium, no other races I've placed in before have done this.

So many thoughts after this race, my mind is swirling. Yes, I enjoyed it. Yes, I'm insanely happy that I placed in my first TRI. Can I imagine doing roughly 5x this distance for the Half Ironman? No, I can't. But I will. And when that's done, I'll take it a step further and double the distance. So much for my comment to Andy as I left T1...

Double bling! The bigger one on the right is for the AG win.

Don't forget to enter the Mondetta Performance Gear GIVEAWAY!

GIVEAWAY!!! - Mondetta Performance Gear

2011-06-03T09:46:00.002-04:00

I have to be honest, I had never heard of MPG before they contacted me to do a review. When I first checked out their site I was a little taken aback by the selection of clothes they offered to work out in. But as I took a look around and learned about the company, I was excited to try some stuff out. Some info taken directly from their site:

MPG is a brand of clothing which fuses fashion sensibility with performance function.

In our drive to develop the ultimate active apparel, we have achieved garments that feel and look so great on, you will want to wear them for everyday use. MPG has effectively blurred the lines between fashion and performance.

The second sentence there, could not be more true! You think a zip hoodie is a zip hoodie? Well, so not true! The Paragon performance hoodie (which I'm wearing in the pic below) is the most comfortable hoodie I've ever worn. My only complaint is that it's white and I know it's just a matter of time before it's grungy from me wearing it all the time! It fits absolutely perfect and is not bulky and unflattering. I actually wear it out on the weekends because I like they way it looks better than a jacket.

I also tried out the Stance capris. Um, love them! I have to admit, I haven't even worked out in them because they are too comfortable to just lie around in. I will say, they stay completely in place, no sliding down from the waist or riding up at the knees. There's even a little zip pocket on the butt cheek. Not that I do yoga, but I would think these would be the perfect pants for it. They are made with moisture wicking, quick dry material so they could definitely stand up to a sweaty workout.

I don't know how you guys take pics of yourself, it took me almost 10 tries to get something half decent!

Just got out of the shower after my brick workout this morning, which is why I look so pretty. Have to mention it because I got through 15 min of swimming, biking and running w/ almost no pain!! Resting up for Sunday!! eeeek!

You have to go check out MPG! They carry both men and woman apparel as well as outerwear and gym bags. I feel their pricing is really reasonable, especially after living in this hoodie for weeks now. For those women out there what are looking for some fashionable workout clothes, this is the site for you.

Now, for the fun part!! MPG is offering one lucky follower anything from their active or lifestyle tops and bottoms collection (no outerwear). All we ask is that you "like" MPG on facebook and leave a comment to this post. I'll pick a winner towards the end of next week. And for those of you who can't wait to find out if you won, MPG is offering my readers 25% off a one time purchase until July 11th if you use the code deniselovesmpg

GOOD LUCK!

Not the B Word...

2011-06-02T08:27:00.000-04:00

I got in to see a foot and ankle specialist on Tuesday at Temple Sports Clinic. I was so excited for the appointment and was really hoping they would help me figure out why this keeps happening. I'm not willing to accept that it's too much running (I've only been running 3/week); my body needs a rest, and all that other crap. For one, I was fine after coming out of the boot last August. I ran 3 marathons within 8 weeks last fall and didn't have an issue. Then I trained harder than I have before for that 3:35 at Shamrock and everything was fine during training. It wasn't until mile 20ish when things started feeling funny. So once again, I went back to PT and took the month off between Shamrock and Boston. Came out of Boston feeling good and thought everything was pretty much back to normal. Then WHAM, it happened again.

So I went into this appointment thinking we'd figure out a solution to this issue. I don't know, maybe my feet are jacked up and I need orthotics, maybe my gait is a mess, anything that would explain this and help keep it from happening again. But that isn't exactly how it went down. Instead, within minutes of being in the office I was told my options for surgery (to lengthen the tendons in my extremely tight calves, which are a cause for the injury), blood plasma treatment, and then the dreaded "B" word was spoken. He suggested I go back into the boot for 6 weeks with NO activity and stretch like my life depended on it. Last time around I was able to swim and bike while I was in the boot but he said I could do neither this time. In fact, he suggested I see a psychologist to help me get through this rough time. Needless to say, I was very upset in his office so he could tell how devastating this was for me. He also ordered another MRI so we can see where I'm at now compared to last year and I have that scheduled for tomorrow.

As for his advice...I listened, I cried, I got angry and then I pulled myself together. Last year I knew it was time for the boot. I knew it for weeks before I even went into it. This time, I'm not at that point. Yes, Saturday I had a lot of pain and swelling but each day has gotten significantly better and according to Dr. Andy, who checks the bump/thickness every day, it's improving. Side note -- that's pretty much how the doctors check your Achilles; they check the thickness of it and how pliable it feels.

Now where does that leave me for the TRI on Sunday? I'm doing it. I've taken it easy this week and swam one day and biked another, both without pain. I've been stretching like there's no tomorrow and even flicking the heck out of the tendon to try to increase blood flow. I've even enlisted Andy to give me calf massages to try to loosen them up. The distance of the TRI is short enough that I know I can get through this without much trouble. Worse case, I shuffle the 2 mile run portion. Either way, I'm ready and determined to become a Triathlete this weekend.

From there I'll decide what the next step is....

I'll be posting a GIVEAWAY tomorrow for MPG Sport clothing!!

Craptastic Achilles

2011-05-30T18:20:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it's been over a year since my Achilles decided to suck. And I can't believe it's a year later and I'm still dealing with this crap. I've taken my time off, I've worn the dreaded boot, I've cut back on my mileage, I've gone to physical therapy, I've suffered from roid rage...and I'm back to square one.

During the past few bike sessions on my trainer I thought my Achilles was feeling a little funny, especially when my foot was swiping on the bottom of the pedal stroke. Well, Friday after my hour and 45 minutes on the bike, I found myself flexing my ankle a lot during the day trying to relieve some of the tightness. I didn't think much of it and chalked it up to a tough workout. The last thing I expected was for the bike to bother it, especially since the bike was part of my rehabilitation over the summer. So on Saturday when I set out for my brick workout, I wasn't expecting pain that brought me to tears. Some from the actual pain, some out of frustration. It was feeling sore while on the bike ride but then it really blew up during my long run. I was about 5-6 miles into the run when the mild discomfort turned into pain; the sharp pain that I know all too well. Completely upset and angry, I pushed through and made it just under 14 miles. That afternoon, the ever-dreaded bulge was back and my ankle was swollen.

I have no idea what's going on. I'm at a loss and can't believe this is still an issue. At this point I don't think I'm going to go back to physical therapy but I might see if I can get into see a sports medicine doctor, etc. I did swing by my bike shop to have them take another look at my bike fit and everything on that end is fine. My podiatrist, as well as myself, don't understand why the bike is causing pain too.

So, with under a week to go to until my first TRI, I'm crushed. I'm laying low this week and am hoping I can at least make it through each portion of the race by taking it easy. Not that I had any big goals for this race but now I'm being forced to use it solely as a learning experience. Even so, I still took a ride up today to check out the course to see what I'm up against. The lake is pretty but it's still an open water swim and I'm more than a little freaked out about swimming in it. The bike course, while short, is hilly and that will be my biggest challenge. The run, only 2 miles, is along a paved path through the park and normally wouldn't be an issue. Here's hoping I don't have to walk it. Definitely not how I wanted to go into my first TRI but I have to show up and give it a shot because I need this experience.

Someone might have to push me into the water on Sunday.

Our little picnic snack which must have made the people grilling at the table next to us feel bad because they came over and offered us some bbq!!

After a lot of tears yesterday, I'm trying to keep a smile on my face and remember that things could always be worse.

Really good GIVEAWAY coming up this week!! Stay tuned.

It's Getting Close!

2011-05-26T10:27:00.001-04:00

Hola! The need to post finally struck! But I'll admit, I've been enjoying my non blogging time. At this point with work, training, and life, I'll take any free time I can get and you'd be surprised how that adds up when you ignore blog land.

Anyway, I'm in a little disbelief that my first TRI is just over a week away. I don't know how I feel about my progress in the pool and on the bike but I've been hitting both often enough that I'm confident with my endurance. It's the speed that's lacking but that will come over the next 6 weeks while training for the Olympic TRI. I've been doing what I can to chip away at all the things you need for a TRI (which is never ending, by the way) and trying to prepare myself as much as I can. I had a swim lesson on Sunday with my Coach where we went over spotting technique and contact. Yes, contact. Having my coach grab my ankles, swim into me, elbow me, etc went surprisingly well. But, I think I handled it well because 1) I was in a pool and 2) could see where I was going and 3) could stand if I needed to. Contact in the open water will be a completely different experience and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it yet.

I also went to a bike clinic this past weekend to learn basic bike maintenance and how to change a flat. God help me if I get a flat during a race. I think I'd be better off carrying the bike on my back and running then attempting to change the tube. I have a fear of compressed air, I have since my college days in the lab, and even the little CO2 cartridges freak me out. So if we're ever in a race together and you see me crying next to my bike, I'm not hurt, I'm just trying to change a tire.

And as for the actual training...it's a lot but I found my groove and it's going really well. I did my first brick workout last weekend with a quick transition from bike to run and didn't think it was too rough. Of course my legs felt funny but I was still able to push pretty hard and it didn't take too long for them to feel normal; no more than a half mile. I have a doozy of a workout tomorrow with an hour swim and an hour and 45 minute bike ride both at a moderate/hard effort. This is followed by another brick workout on Saturday and then things taper off just a bit until race day. While I'm beyond nervous for the race, I'm ready for it to be here. I need to get the first one under my belt so the fear subsides and I can assure myself I can do this. I'm really hoping for a good experience because if I end up hating this, it was probably the most expensive lesson of my life.

I know I missed posting my schedule last week but this is what I've been up to this week (note - each workout has a specific intensity level, but I don't feel like typing it all out):
Mon - swim :45 / bike :45
Tues - 7 mi run with 2 ladders at 7:03 (still working to get to that 6:53 I was at for Shamrock training!*)
Wed - swim 1:00 / bike 1:00
Thurs - 8 mi run
Fri - swim 1:00 / bike 1:45
Sat - bike :45 / run 2:00
Sun - swim :30

*Achilles still isn't a fan of pushing the pace with running. I'm not sure when this stupid thing will ever be back to normal. So I've been really conservative with the paces and easing back into it. Just hoping I don't have the slowest 2 miles of my life on June 5th.

A little Poet

2011-05-18T08:34:00.003-04:00

I've been struggling for a few weeks, maybe even months, as to whether or not I want to keep blogging*. It's been almost 3 years of me blabbering and lately I feel like I have nothing to say. So the past few days I've just been ignoring blog land altogether, waiting for something worth posting to come my way. Well, this morning something worth while came along...but it has nothing to do with swimming, biking or running.

My 11 year old nephew recently had an assignment to sit in the school courtyard and write a poem about what he saw. Turns out, his poem was so good it was selected to be published in a book with all children's writings!!! He recently told me he wanted to be an architect or do something with computer science, but I think we have a writer on our hands. I'm so proud of you, Nate!!!

A lone leaf
Paler than the palm
Of my hand
Lays in the sunlight
Trying to get a good tan
The few leaves that
Are still on trees
Are shivering
Holding on for dear life
Barely resisting the soft breeze
My paper is a hummingbird
Flapping frantically but failing
To pry itself out of my clipboard's iron grip
The slow breeze is
Softer than
A peacock's feather
But colder than
My sister's hands
After she played with ice
The white mum's leaves are shaking
Like a little kid who just had a nightmare

-Nate W.

Here's the little poet holding his sister, Grace.

*I'm going to stick around for a while longer, just think I need a break. I'm a little overwhelmed lately with all that I have going on and blogging has just felt like a chore. But I'm not ready to stop bothering all of you just yet...

Rough Morning and a Bad Ass WINNER!

2011-05-13T12:52:00.000-04:00

Had a little bit of a rough start to the day but 2 hours and 35 minutes of working out can do that to a girl. Last week I found myself quickly gaining momentum with training and slipping easily into a routine. At several points I thought to myself, "I think this Tri stuff is for me!" But man, what a little weekend getaway can do to throw you off track. I've been struggling a bit with being overly tired since I got home on Tuesday and my workouts are showing it.

I had a 50 minute run yesterday and I managed to do 6 miles. I'm no where near where I was during Shamrock training but it felt good to run in the low 8's and not have anything hurt. I can definitely tell my legs lost some speed but now that things are feeling better in the foot, I'm going to start pushing the pace again. I really want the run portion of the tri to be my strong point.

Today I had another double which I knocked out before work. I will admit though, it was a rough morning. The swim was just 'ok' and I felt myself really fading towards the end of it. So when I left the pool feeling a little blah about the workout, I wondered how I was going to make it through an hour and 45 minutes on the bike trainer. Before I even got on the bike I was psyching myself out, which is never good. I tried to break it up into chunks and an hour into it I ate a banana. Funny how making it to the point where you get a snack can keep you going. Right after that Andy came down to check on me and I'd be lying if I said I didn't pout a little. I felt like such a loser that I was struggling but it was just a hard day. Thankfully, with a little over a half hour to go, I got my second wind and finished the ride feeling really strong. 2 hours and 35 minutes done before work! I wish I could say I get to sleep in tomorrow but I'll be up early for a long run...

Now, for the winner of the Bad Ass socks….and I swear this was not fixed. I asked Marlene this morning through twitter to "pick a number between 1 and 34." I thought it was appropriate considering how much of a bad ass she's been the past few months getting ready for her marathon on Sunday. She picked unlucky # 13...which happened to be her! And there is no way she could have checked this when I asked because blogger was down and you couldn't see the comments. It's a sign of good things to come on Sunday, Marlene!!

Apologies and Catching Up

2011-05-11T09:40:00.000-04:00

I have to apologize. I'm turning into one of those bloggers. The ones who read and don't comment. It's not that I don't have anything to say, because believe me, I always have something to say (ask Andy), it's that I don't have time. I'm lucky if I get to read blogs and with the number of posts people are putting up lately, I just can't keep up. With a minimum 9+ hour work day and lot more hours training than I'm used to, there just aren't enough hours in the day. So, while I'm not always commenting, know I'm reading as much as I can. And as soon as I become a millionaire and don't have to work anymore, I'll be commenting away...

Now, on to the fun stuff. I just got home from a relaxing weekend in Florida. Andy went to Michigan to visit his family and I headed down South. Grey skies in the mid west or sun and pool? Hmmm, wonder which one I chose. My family was celebrating "Family Day" which marked the one year anniversary that my sister and brother in law brought Gracie home from Russia, and I really wanted to be with her on that special day. It was a really nice trip with my family and I got to spend a ton of time doing nothing but relaxing by the pool. I did manage to get a long run in on Sunday and am happy to say I had no pain. Nothing in the Achilles or PF region. It took a few miles for my legs to wake up but by mile 4 I felt great and was cruising. Each pain free run is such a huge deal to me; I'm dying to get back to where I during my Shamrock training. My foot was a little sore the following morning but after I did some walking and stretching I was good to go.

So I'm now mid way through week 2 of training. I managed the best I could while I was in Florida but I did miss one workout. Not the end of the world but still bothers me a bit. I made up for it yesterday with a solid run and this morning with a 50 minute swim followed immediately with a 50 minute bike ride. Bike was great, swim not so great today. I was just tired and my breathing was off because of it. Took on some water a few times and just wanted to float on my back and sleep. But I pushed through and felt good for getting it done.

I was going to pick a winner for the GIVEAWAY today but I'm giving it a few more days for anyone else who wants to enter.

Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - swim :45 / bike :45
Tues - run :40
Wed - swim :50 / bike :50
Thurs - run :50
Fri - swim :50 / bike 1:45
Sat - run 1:40
Sun - off

Bad Ass GIVEAWAY!

2011-05-06T09:36:00.000-04:00

With only a long run left this week, I think I can officially say I survived my first week of Tri training! But I won't lie; I was a little stressed with how it would all work out having doubles 3 times a week. I was especially concerned with my workout today, 45 min swim and 1:30 bike. Those two workouts separate, no problem! But doing them before work...a little different. I'm all about long workouts, um...ultra training, but when it comes to long workouts before work; I get myself into a tizzy. The thought of 2 hour and 15 minutes just seemed like a lot when I like to get into work early so I can get the heck out. Knowing this was my shortest Friday workout (yes, they get longer each Friday), I was determined to tackle both parts before work to prove to myself that I could do it.

I jumped out of bed at 4:40 and was at the gym before they even opened the pool door. I was in the water at exactly 5am and knocked out an easy, peasy 80 laps (2000 yds) in 45 minutes. I found myself taking it a little too easy today, probably because I was still half asleep, but I picked it up towards the end. Right after the swim I raced home and hopped on the bike trainer. The thought of an hour and half did not sound fun and since I haven't gone longer than an hour on the trainer before, I was hoping the hoo ha would survive. Well, thanks to Dr. Phil and the messed up life of his guest Alex, the first hour flew by and before I knew it I was counting down the last 10 minutes. I actually said out loud to myself at the end, "you did it, D!" Week one a success and I'm now confident that I can handle this training! I rewarded myself with a bucket of coffee and even used some creamer. What can I say, I'm wild and crazy like that.

So, to celebrate my success...how about a bad ass GIVEAWAY?? Remember Cheryl from RazzyRoo Headbands? Well, after seeing the great response to the headband giveaway and how much everyone liked the knee high socks, Cheryl is offering up a pair to one of my followers! If you would like to win a pair, be a follower, like RazzyRoo on Facebook (if you don't already), and leave me a comment. I'll pick a winner next Wednesday.

Sporting the socks after my kick ass pacing gig!

Shot in the Foot

2011-05-04T08:57:00.000-04:00

It's not new information that I've been plagued with issues in my right leg/foot for some time now. In fact, I just hit the year anniversary of my Achilles going to shit. Post Boston my Achilles was feeling pretty good so I stopped going to physical therapy. That was good news. But even though my Achilles was feeling better, my plantar fasciitis was still acting up and the pain in the bottom of my heel kept getting progressively worse. Well, after the half on Sunday, I was in pretty bad pain. I could barely put any pressure on my foot and even when I was off my feet, the pain in my heel was still throbbing. When I woke up Monday barely able to walk, I emailed my doc. I got in to see him on Monday night and he confirmed my self diagnosis of PF. I winced in pain when he touched my foot and the pain remained even when he wasn't poking at my arch/heel. He also took some x-rays but didn't go into any great detail about a bone spur, which was my fear. He told me it didn't matter if I had one; we were going to treat the PF and gave me a few options. One, go back to PT and have it take several sessions/weeks to get this feeling better or two, get an injection in my foot. While the injection is suppose to be a quicker fix, there are some risks that go with it. Specifically, there is the small risk that the PF could tear in the days following the injection. But, if they have to surgically fix the PF they end up cutting it anyway. So I weighed my options and took the needle in the side of the foot like a big girl. I walked out feeling less pain than I had when I walked in, so I'm hopeful this does the trick. The heel pain is pretty much gone but I'm still having some PF discomfort, which is normal. I can bike/swim and return to running on Thursday. The doc suspects I'll feel like a million bucks. Here's hoping he's right!

Aside from that, I'm mid way through my first week of Tri training. The week started off with 3 workouts within 24 hours and me wondering how I'm going to get anything done between work, training, and sleeping. I asked my coach for a pretty aggressive schedule and looking at the next 4 weeks, that's what I got. I've been up every day between 4:40 - 4:45am and I'm hoping I can sustain this wake up time because it's the only way to get everything done that needs to be done. My schedule calls for 3 doubles a week, plus my brick workouts on Saturday. When I can, I'm going to try to do both workouts in the morning so I can free up my evenings to have some down time. That's what I did this morning; 45 minute swim then raced home and hoped on the trainer for 45 minutes. That was manageable but I think that will change as my workouts get longer, forcing me to split them up.

Effort is light for most workouts this week as I ease into everything. Swimming has been going better than I expected and I think the lesson I had and the drills I worked on made a big difference. I'm really concentrating on my form for now and can feel the difference when I exaggerate my rotation and really reach with each stroke. And the pool isn't as bad as I thought it would be...it doesn't hurt the hoo ha like the bike does and I even got hit on in the hot tub, goggle marks and all. :-) Biking is going well, too and I successfully rode outdoors with my coach this past Saturday. Aside from horrific fire crotch*, it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be but I really need to gain some confidence on the roads. I'll get there...

Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - swim :45 / bike :45 (light effort)
Tues - run :30 (race pace) -- biked for an hour instead due to foot
Wed - swim :45 / bike :45 (light effort)
Thurs - run :45 (light effort)
Fri - swim :45 / bike 1:30 (light effort)
Sat - run 1:30 (mod hard)
Sun - off

I'm going to post a GIVEAWAY by the end of this week, stayed tuned!!! I know you guys will like this one; you had a sneak peak at it before...

*worse crotch pain ever on Saturday and I'm still sore from that ride. Turns out, my new bike didn't fit me as it should and I ended up trading him in for a new one. Wasn't what I had hoped for since it involved shelling out more money, but at least I ended up with a much prettier bike. She's white and purple....*smiles*

Great Experience!

2011-05-02T09:22:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was my first pacing gig at the NJ Half marathon. Having never paced before, I was a little nervous. I knew I could handle the pace (10:18) but was concerned with holding that even over the course of 13.1 miles all while being motivating and remembering to hit the silly little lap button on my Garmin.

I got a good nights sleep and woke up a little after 4am to head to NJ. Getting to and from the race logistically was no issue and I was there in plenty of time to park in the lot right at the start and not have to deal with the bus shuttles. After picking up my pacing shirt and balloons, I ditched my warm clothes and headed to the port o' pot line. Holy hell! I stood in line for over 20 minutes and barely moved. At 8:00am when I was suppose to go line up at the start, I actually took advantage of my pacer status and some nice girls let me budge. I bolted to the start to get situated and it was a mad house. Definitely not organized and pacers were out of order, etc. I made my way behind the 2:00 leader and within seconds I had runners pushing their way towards me. I had been warned that I had the largest group of the race, with over 50 people signed up, and more who just joined me at the start. It was so exciting with tons of first timers with lots of questions.

It was absolutely beautiful out and the sun was shining. Immediately I found my pace and made sure I didn't get caught up in the rush during the first few miles. I lost some people quickly who went out too fast, even after saying they wanted to stay with me to make sure that's exactly what they didn't do. But for the most part, I had a pretty good group for several miles. Runners dropped and joined throughout the race and the miles just flew by. I checked in with everyone throughout the race, called out upcoming miles (to which they would all cheer), and pointed out water stations as we approached them.

A mile or so past the half way mark I was down to a tight little group and we stuck together chit chatting and having fun. These girls were so sweet and did an amazing job, providing support to one another and smiling the whole way. Around mile 11 we lost a few more of our group. That's the hardest part. I wanted so badly to slow down, to make sure they were ok, encourage them to hang on, but I couldn't. Instead I had to keep on pace for those who were left in my group.

Around mile 12.5 my last two pacees, Jocelyn and Ann, left to finish strong and as much as I wanted to sprint to the finish, too, I held my pace and paced a few people I had picked up during the last mile to a strong finish. I crossed the finish line, still carrying my balloons, which a huge smile on my face. I had so much fun out there!

Official Finish Time

2:14:59

I'm shocked I was this accurate. SHOCKED. This was such a great experience and I hope to do it again because getting feedback like this made my day:

"We loved running with you today! Not only were your tips perfect while we ran, but we totally enjoyed chatting the entire race. My first half marathon experience was awesome...can't wait to come back for more. Now my only concern is how I'm going to run without you as our pacer! PLEASE let us know if you'll be pacing any other halves in the future so we can sign up!"

Our Pacer Shirt and medal.

Ready to Pace!

2011-04-29T10:41:00.001-04:00

It is absolutely beautiful today!! After getting some blood work done, routine physical junk, I headed over to the one mile loop we have to practice my pace for NJ half this weekend. I'm pacing the 2:15 group and I'm a little nervous, as I've never paced before. It doesn't really help my nerves either that it looks like I'm going to have a huge group. I've been getting a gazillion emails from people who plan to line up with me at the start. They are calling for perfect weather on Sunday so I'm hoping it's a great experience and I don't screw everyone up. I practiced 4 miles last night and was only off total time by 3 seconds. Today was a little quicker, off by 5. Even though Sundays pace will be slow for me, I actually think it's going to be harder. My body does not run a 10:18 pace. In fact, I'm not really running. I have to alter my gait into more of a shuffle. But I feel pretty confident that I'll be able to dial it in and get these kids to the finish within their goal time.

Tomorrow is my first bike session with Coach Bill. On the road. It's on a road which closes to traffic during the summer to allow for roller blading, running, cycling, etc but still, it's a road. And I don't like roads. They hurt when you land on them. I really need to work on my road confidence and am thinking if I crash right off the bat I'll get over that fear pretty quickly.

Speaking of biking, I got my official Tri schedule for the next 5 weeks. Oh my. Very different than training for a marathon. At first I just stared at it thinking "uh oh." But then I got excited about a new challenge and I'm looking forward to it. I remember being concerned about those 4 tough weeks of Shamrock training and the 4:45am wake up calls, but when it came down to it, it wasn't bad and I actually enjoyed it. According to Coach, the first 5 weeks are tougher than normal for a sprint tri because the goal is to get me in 70.3 shape by the time my Olympic distance rolls around in July. I love the sound of that and I am hoping I love the effects this training has on my overall fitness, too. There won't be much time for me to get into trouble over the summer, but debauchery can wait...

Hope everyone has a great weekend and good luck to all those racing. GO GET IT KATIE!!

Giveaway coming up next week!

On to Something New

2011-04-27T12:48:00.000-04:00

Last Tuesday as I lay in bed sore as heck from Boston, I started to panic. It doesn't take me long to get past one race and start to worry about the next. But this panic was a little bit justified. My first triathlon was a measly 7 weeks away and I had yet to get out on my bike (since I was a little kid!) and/or get the pool time in that I needed. I told myself to take this first week of recovery to just get refocused and then I'd tackle the project of creating a training plan. Well, that creating a plan thing lasted about 2 minutes before I was completely overwhelmed and I told Andy I was hiring a Tri coach. Reason: "I'm paying for my sanity." So it's a done deal and I'll be getting my schedule shortly. It will start on Monday and take me through my sprint Tri in June and my Olympic distance in July. From there I'll see what I want to do regarding training for the Half Ironman in September. (In other words, I'll be using the Coach through that race, too).

I've gone back and forth with Coach Bill (who I called "Jim" the first time I met him because I'm considerate like that) with my work schedule, my goals and what I want to achieve in each race. So far the man seems to have the patience of a Saint, nicely responding to all my crazy emails. I'm nervous about what training will look like but excited at the same time to try something new and see what I'm capable of doing. I feel like I'm in good hands and I clearly have a coach that gets me...

"Since you are high-octane-Type A-personality-marathoner, it is a pretty challenging plan"

-Coach Bill

With that being said, bring it on. I'm ready to get back out there and start kicking ass. I don't think any of this is going to be easy but I'm determined to see it through. Because like Abby picked up in my last post, yes, I ~~hope~~ ~~want~~ WILL do a full Ironman in 2012.

Let the Tri training begin!!!

Final Thoughts and Pics

2011-04-25T20:08:00.000-04:00

Hard to believe Boston is a week behind me already. It came and went so fast and I find myself checking out my pictures and my race report daily. It's like I don't believe I was ever there! I've been asked by almost everyone I talk to about it if I'll do it again next year and my answer has been the same; probably not. Yes, I already qualified for 2012 but honestly, I don't see myself running it. Last Monday was such a great experience and everything went so perfectly. From having my sister and Andy there with me, to beautiful running weather, and finally meeting some long distance friends, I couldn't have asked for a better Boston experience and I'm content with these memories...for now. I'll be back there some day, I'm sure, but I don't see the need to go right away. I have a goal to qualify every year whether I use it or not, but next year most likely isn't in the cards for me. Especially since I'm hoping to have a much, much larger race to focus on in 2012.

I'm recovering pretty well, which is a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I was so worried I'd come off Boston back to square one with the physical therapy but I haven't had the need to go back. I ran my first few recovery miles last Friday and while my legs felt like fire hydrants, I didn't have any Achilles pain. I even managed another run on Saturday and just got home from a great 6 miler. Tonight finally felt like the old me was coming back. My pace was slow as I'm still feeling the effects of last Monday but my body and heart were in it and I wasn't scared with each step I took. So maybe we're finally on the upswing. Good timing, too as I have NJ half marathon (2:15 pacer) this Sunday and my first tri is just right around the corner.

Before I end with some photos I haven't shared yet of Boston, I just have to say thanks to everyone who supported me and sent texts, tweets, etc to cheer me on while I was out on the course. I know everyone was tired of hearing about Boston but everyone just let me blabber away. I also owe a huge thanks to Andy, my sister, Mich, and Lisa. It meant the world to me to have them there on race day and treat me like a rock star. You guys are the best and I love you tons.

It just amazed me that I was part of something some huge.

Loved the swagger posters everywhere.

I took this picture right before I passed him. ;-)

Usually in a race they are constantly clearing the streets but there were too many people for them to keep up with it. This was one of the least messy ones.

I did stop temporarily to take this picture.

This was her 42nd Boston marathon! Unbelievable. I ran over to congratulate her; she was all smiles and all decked out. Bright red lipstick and blue eye shadow. Too cute.

Can't imagine running in that uniform or those boots; they are way tougher than I'll ever be...

After you crossed the finish these guys were sitting high up in stand saying "Welcome to Boston."

It was a sea of space jackets at the finish and you could barely move.

Found Tall Mel at the finish!! So great seeing her and so proud of her for toughing it out!

This crazy guy passed me early on but I couldn't get a pic of his bare ass quick enough. He ran the entire race like this and I think he said a 3:50ish?? I haven't looked it up to check yet.

Celebratory beers at Boston Beer Works with my favorite supporters.

xoxo

BOSTON Recap Part 2 - THE RACE

2011-04-21T20:09:00.003-04:00

So, where did I leave off…to read part one, go here.

After a quick wait in the corral, wave 2 started right on time at 10:20am. We walked a few feet and before I knew it we were slowly running before we even crossed the mat. I had heard so much about the downhill start before the race and how it can kill you for later but I never really thought much about it. Well, right away I knew what everyone meant and I was happy I was forced to take the start of the race so slowly. But with that being said, the start of the race was very lonely for me. Everyone was excited and quickly passing me by and there I was, scared and paranoid that at any given second my Achilles would seize up and I'd be walking. I didn't even want to chat with anyone because I had no idea when I would be forced to walk. The first mile or so I felt alone, sad and even thought that this was going to be a really long day.

Slight downhill right at the start

Thankfully I quickly came to my senses and realized that I was ruining the experience for myself. At that moment I worked my way over further to the side of the road and started high fiving some spectators. Within a minute I was beaming and had a spring in my step! THIS is how I pictured running the Boston marathon! And that's how I continued right through Ashland…

I took the early downhill miles easy although my body really wanted to pick it up. Even if my Achilles held up, I knew I still needed to be conservative considering my month off before the race. So I sucked it up and didn't let the thousands of runners passing me bother me at all…and I had a feeling I'd be seeing some of them later when they didn't save enough for the Newton hills.

I loved this shortcut sign!

It was either mile 4 or 5 when I decided to take my first water stop walk. But instead of walking a minute as planned, I walked while I took a few sips and then quickly started back up again. I repeated this at almost all the remaining water stops but a few. I had some pain from time to time in the Achilles but it wasn't the fist making, teeth clenching, cursing out loud pain that I had experienced the weeks before so I kept pushing forward. As I crossed each Athlete Alert mat I was ecstatic that my sister and Andy would see I was holding on strong and I just hoped that held true the remainder of the race.

Now, as for the race and course itself, it was unbelievable. I am SO glad I ran with my camera and was able to soak it up all. I thought to myself several times out there that I was so happy I was not racing. The crowd support was crazy and they all seemed to be having such a great time (I'm sure the beers helped!). There were people handing out sponges soaked in water, ice pops, candy, orange slices, etc and you always had water if you needed it in between official water stops. There was even a "lube" stand where you could swing by and get some Vaseline for any chafing!

There were spectators all along the course but some spots were more populated than others. Entering Wellesley College was my favorite part. You could hear the screams well before you reached the girls with their "kiss me…" signs. I had made it my mission to kiss some girls and that's exactly what I did! I got kisses from: "kiss me I'm gay," "kiss me I love chemistry" (I'm a chemist so I couldn't pass her up), "kiss me, I think science is cool" and the best one, shown below, was for "girls only." The girls got so excited if you stopped to kiss them…so much that I even went back to kiss one that I had originally passed by. It was so fun and worth running backwards in a marathon!

Ready for some kisses!

The miles flew by and it was impossible to take it all in. The sights, sounds, other runners, spectators…it was all amazing! I typically run looking at the ground but on Monday I had a bobble head and was on sensory overload. All along I was feeling pretty good. My legs were tired but I never once felt like I was falling apart or wouldn't finish. The course is definitely challenging but it didn't faze me too much at the time because of all the fun I was having. The hills that everyone warns you about, yes, they are there, but they are not as bad as everyone makes them sound. If you were all out racing then they'd be a lot tougher, of course. But honestly, I didn't even know I was on Heartbreak Hill until I saw this big heart colored in chalk on the road!

The "you've got great stamina, call me" was my favorite sign.

Heartbreak Hill artwork.

Survived Heartbreak and still smiling!

Running through Boston College was a little bit of nuts! At one point police were holding back some of the students who were pushing so hard to get close to the barricades. I loved the energy and ran along high fiving and yelling back at all of them. I left BC ready to tackle the last few miles of the race!

Some of the Boston College kids.

As we got closer to the finish the crowds really started getting thick. At one point I actually thought that I was glad I wasn't in the crowds, it looked sort of scary everyone so packed in together. When I got my first glimpse of the Citgo sign I couldn't believe it was almost all over. The miles went by so quickly and I couldn't believe I was nearing the finish. And I'm not sure I was ready for it to end! I knew Andy, my sister and Lisa would be somewhere within the last mile so I kept my eyes peeled hoping I could pick them out of the crowd. As we made our first turn of the race onto Hereford Street I spotted my crew right up against the barricade. I bolted over to them, my arms stretched and tears running down my face. I gave them the biggest, sweaty hug and didn't want to let go. But Andy (who I swear had tears in his eyes but won't admit it) yelled, "You're almost there, don’t stop, keep going!!"

Crazy crowds!

Lisa captured this great shot as I ran to Mich and Andy for a hug!

Brings tears to my eyes every time I see it.

I turned onto Boylston and composed myself. It was my last few seconds to take it all in and I could finally see the finish line that I had been waiting a year and half to cross. I crossed the finish line with a huge smile on my face and my arms in the air.

4:08:36

I am a Boston Marathon Finisher.

Post race, hurting. Definitely the sorest I've been after a marathon. Since I didn't race I'm chalking it up to my body not being used to pounding the pavement combined with the difficulty of the course. As for my time, I couldn't be happier with it. I ran a 4:08 a month after racing a 3:35 marathon, dealing with an injury that kept me from running for a month, taking walk breaks, snapping pictures, getting kisses and hugs...and best of all, I enjoyed every single step out there and had the time of my life. I couldn't have asked for a better Boston experience.

BOSTON Recap Part 1

2011-04-19T20:06:00.003-04:00

Wow, where do I even begin?? I'm not calling this a race report because it was anything but a race to me. It was 4 hours, 8 minutes and 36 seconds of memories that will last a lifetime. But before I get ahead of myself...

We left Philly on Saturday morning and to my surprise I had my first blogger meet up in the airport!! Turns out Jill and I were on the same flight. We've been trying to find each other at local races forever and it finally happened. She's just as spunky in person! :-)

Travel to Boston was quick and easy and once we checked in we immediately headed over to bib pick up. As I walked up to get my bib, my eyes filled with tears and I actually had to slow down and compose myself. Getting that bib made it so real...

After bib pick up we made our way to the Expo, which was INSANE. I've heard all these wonderful things about the Boston Expo but honestly I didn't like it. It was such a madhouse and almost impossible to navigate around through the crowds. I wanted to buy some stuff but couldn't take all the people so we grabbed some free Stonyfield yogurts, which you would have thought were gold by the way people were shoving and pushing to get them, and high tailed it out of there. Next up we stopped at The Pour House for monster bloody marys (it's fun when you're not racing!) and some sight seeing around the finish.

Saturday night was the blogger meet up which turned out to be a little disappointing. I was really looking forward to hanging out with everyone but when we got to the bar they had no idea we were coming. So our meet up happened in the lobby area of the hotel outside the restaurant and consisted of a quick chat and some pictures. But I did get to meet some awesome bloggers so it was totally worth it. I also had my much-anticipated meet up with Aron and Morgan who I have been wanting to meet for some time now. From there Andy and I hit up a local place for some drinks and thankfully Bethany and Ryan brought Mel by for a quick hello. It was so great to meet all of them!! And even nicer that I was no longer the tallest one! Earlier in the evening as I towered over everyone, I heard a lot "you're a lot taller than I expected..." Didn't help my complex about being tall.

I'm standing in the back with my knees bent so I didn't look like a giant.

Worlds best cheerleader

Aron and I had been waiting to run this race for so long. Over the past year and a half she's become a good long distance friend. I'm hoping to see her again in November...we didn't have enough time to hang out!

Yea, I'm not the tallest! Mel wears her tallness proud!

Sunday I woke up early but missed spectating the 5k. I saw the runners start from my hotel room but I couldn't pull myself together quickly enough to get down there. I did however make it to the invitational mile, which was really cool. It was great seeing the young kids participating and some of them can really run!! After that I had a quiet day relaxing in the hotel room while my fans (Andy, my sister Michelle, and Lisa) went off to do their own thing. I napped on and off and even gave the Expo another try. Yea, didn't like it any more on Sunday either. The shelves of clothing were pretty much cleaned out and bare and it was even more crowded than Saturday. So, I stopped by the Reggae marathon booth, took another yogurt (cause remember, they are like gold) and got the hell out of there. After a nice pre race dinner with my fans and a glass of wine, we all headed back to the room for a good nights sleep. Without any pre race nerves, I fell asleep easily just before 10pm.

I woke up Sunday morning EXCITED! The weather forecast was perfect (60 degrees and sunny) and I could not believe it was marathon Monday. I tried to share my excitement with everyone but instead of smiles and cheers I got some grunts. I ate some oatmeal, dressed, packed my bag and headed down to meet my running club peeps for the bus ride over. As soon as we stepped outside the wind hit me hard. Thankfully I knew the wind would be at our backs for the race so I wasn't too concerned, but at that moment, it was cold! We headed over to Boston common to get the bus to the start and it was crazy! So many people everywhere and it wasn't very organized. I was told in the past there were lines marked to wait your turn but this year was like a free for all. After waiting around 45 minutes, we finally made it on to the bus.

My running club friends who took good care of me Monday morning.

Bus loading mob scene

The ride probably took a little over 45 minutes. I'm not sure. I had no concept of time at this point and didn't really care either. I was just soaking it all in and enjoying myself already. We were dropped off at Athlete's Village around 8am and made our way to our host house. Athlete's village looked really cool but I was glad I had a warm house and a normal bathroom to use. I can't imagine Athlete's village if the weather was bad and raining. It would be completely miserable. Thankfully, that wasn't the case on Monday.

Anyway, after a short stay at our host house we checked our bags and headed to the start. Just as we got there wave 1 was getting ready to start. The sun was starting to feel warm and the excitement was building. After a short wait wave 1 took off and within minutes wave 2 started loading into their corrals. I made my way to corral 6 and took it all in...

Waiting for Wave 1 to start

Looking back at Wave 2, corral 6

After what seemed like a really short wait, we were off!! Stay tuned for the race portion coming up next!!

Boston Mush

2011-04-14T09:08:00.001-04:00

Boston craziness is all over the place right now. People are posting about goals and what it means to them to be running, etc. It's a huge deal. And why shouldn't it be? In order to get there, you have to push yourself for weeks and hope for the best on race day when you lay it all out there. I'm lucky; I qualified on my first attempt, which was my second marathon. I don’t have a story of multiple attempts and heartache trying to chase down my BQ. Because, like I said, I was lucky. Yea, I worked hard for it and things came together but I firmly believe you just never know what's going to happen at your goal race. I've had my fair share of blow ups out there on the course since, and after each one I said to myself, "thank God that wasn't my BQ attempt."

When I ran my first marathon in November 2008, I ended my post by saying, "I don't think I'll ever put the pressure on myself to qualify for Boston. I ran my first marathon in under 4 hours and I know that is an incredible achievement. I want to make sure I always enjoy this and have fun; I don't want the added pressure of qualifying." Now 2.5 years later, 8 marathons, 1 ultra marathon and 2 qualifying times under my belt, I'm packed and headed to Beantown. I can't believe I just typed that…

I'm a little emotional about it today. Thinking about the lifestyle I used to have and my struggles with just about everything, it's crazy to think that *I* am a marathoner and am about to join the thousands of runners who make their way from Hopkinton to Boston on Patriots Day. Honestly, I'm a little overwhelmed by it all. So while I haven't been posting and talking with overflowing with excitement, it's because this race is more personal to me. It's about a journey a lot longer than 26.2 miles and one with hills waaaay bigger than Heartbreak hill. Crossing the finish line on Monday will be much more symbolic than just finishing a marathon.

So this will probably be my last post before I head off to what will most likely be the most memorable experience in my running career. I'm honored and excited to be a part of this and can't wait to meet so many people who have followed my journey over the years. And to have my sister and Andy there by my side for this weekend means the world to me and I'm glad they get to experience it, too. If it wasn't for my family and their support, I wouldn't be going to Boston in the first place.

Feel free to track me on race day, but no making fun if you see I'm the last one to finish! I have one and one goal only for Monday…HAVE FUN!

Bib 14983 signing out!

Mile 13 of my qualifying race in 2009

WINNER!! (and Out of Shape)

2011-04-13T08:51:00.001-04:00

Edited -- After I posted this I realized that I really haven't mentioned how stinkin' excited I am for this weekend. This post isn't meant to sound down and out; I just need to document where I'm at with stuff. Rest assured, I'm completely wound up and antsy over here. Saturday can't get here soon enough!!!

Now that I've accepted to just roll with the punches and take it easier than planned at Boston, I'm excited and looking forward to the trip. I'm even feeling optimistic about the Achilles but that is based on nothing other than my recent positive thinking. I'll know more on Friday when I take it for another test run. But really, it doesn't matter how that goes; I'll be lining up at the start for a fun 26.2 miles through MA regardless. With that being said, I'm starting to wonder if I'm nuts for even thinking I can run 26 miles after such a long break. I have to be honest; I've sucked the past 4 weeks. Sucked. The first week after Shamrock I was still fighting the flu so I didn't do a darn thing. Nadda. Zilch. So it wasn't until the following week that I got moving a little bit but even then, I wasn't back to feeling like my normal self. Now after 3 weeks of sporadic elliptical/bike workouts and a few (~4) lbs heavier*, I'm feeling completely out of shape. I was really frustrated with myself last night but it's too late for that now and there's nothing I can do. I just wish I felt stronger going into this run. I'll finish and it might be more painful than normal but that's the price I have to pay. Hopefully I still have some muscle memory left to carry me the distance...

*I've been all over the place with my eating and with the lack of good solid workouts; it's just too darn easy to put on weight! I'm seriously lost when I'm not running and feeling so down because of the injury didn't help with making good food choices. On top of it, I follow a completely different set of "rules" when I'm not racing a marathon. My normal restrictions during the weeks leading up to this have gone out the window...for example: the 2 glasses of wine last night and sour blue razzberry candies that never would have happened during race week had I been racing this marathon. But with that being said, I have to remember that I am running a marathon, even if not fast, so the next 5 days need to be on track. No more crapola.

Now, time for the winner of the RazzyRoo headband GIVEAWAY. My sister, Michelle, who will be coming to Boston to cheer me on, was my random number generator. She picked #4, which was her number when she played flag football. So the winner is: JenniferLeah from Miles, Muscles & Mommyhood. Jennifer, email me at dclaffey76@yahoo.com and we'll get your headbands sent out. Congrats!

One...More...Week!

2011-04-11T13:50:00.002-04:00

Wow, it seems like so long ago I was crying when I found out Boston sold out the week before my debut BQ attempt at Philly marathon in 2009. Thankfully, that disappointing news didn't hold me back and I qualified with 2 minutes to spare. At the time I was excited but with the thought of Boston so far away, it never really became real to me. As we finally got close to Boston this year and all my friends were training for that, I was just a little bit ahead of schedule focusing on Shamrock marathon. Determined to get that 3:35 finish I wanted, I wouldn't let myself think about Boston until I got through this race. I didn't even look at a course map or read the Boston webpage for fear of losing focus on what I was going after in March. I told myself that once I crossed the finish line in VA beach, it would be all about Boston. I wasn't expecting to come out of that race injured again.

Being injured leading up to Boston has been a little devastating. Everyone (aka Aron!!) is going Boston bonkers and I've been a worried mess wondering if I'd even be able to line up at the start. After an unsuccessful test run a little over a week ago, I was happy that I made it 3 miles last Friday pretty much pain free. I had some moments of discomfort after the run but I'm hoping this final week of rest and physical therapy will fix me up for good. Running this week will do me no good so I'm just doing minimal elliptical work to keep my legs moving a bit. I'll do another easy 3 miles on Friday followed by PT and then that will be it.

Now, after a month off from running, I'm not sure where this leaves me for next Monday. I'm hoping I have some major muscle memory and my body remembers what 26.2 miles feels like. Who knows, maybe 4 weeks of doing nothing is the new magical taper. Guess I'll find out! But I need to play it safe so I don't make the injury worse and to make sure I finish on my feet. I really don't want a finish line photo of me crawling. Although I'd do it if that's what it took to earn the medal and wear the jacket! So, I've decided to carry my camera to document the fun and to incorporate walk breaks. Right now I'm thinking a 30-60 second walk break every mile and some walk breaks up the bigger hills. Since there are water stops at every mile it will be a nice little break to snap some pictures, get a drink, kiss the college students, etc.

If you haven't already entered, don't forget to enter the RazzyRoo GIVEAWAY. Winner will be picked on Wednesday.

GIVEAWAY! (and some Positive Thinking)

2011-04-07T08:42:00.003-04:00

Tuesday was horrible. Just flat out horrible. I was feeling so sorry for myself and just wanted to curl up in a ball and sleep. After a few breakdowns and a good night sleep, I woke up yesterday determined to cure my Achilles through positive thinking. I've been trying to have only positive thoughts about how tomorrow's test run will go and have been visualizing running pain free. I totally believe in the power of positive thinking, especially when it comes to those with disease, etc, but I've never tried to apply it to myself. And I have to say, it's actually really hard. Makes me wonder how someone so far worse off than me can stay positive through such rough times and I'm crying over an Achilles. Well, no more crying!! I've started a pack list, I'm going to start packing this weekend, and I'm going to allow myself to get excited. I've waited so long for this day to get here and no matter what, I'll make the most of it and enjoy every step along the way!!

Now, to make up for my crankiness, how about a GIVEAWAY!! I'm all about headbands, never run without one. I can't stand to have hairs tickling my face and I really don't enjoy sweat in my eyes. Well, I recently received some Razzy Roo headbands to try out. As per the site, these are "non-slip sports headbands for the...'Sassy Sporty Gal.'" The headbands come in different widths and the cutest patterns! My favorite..."hoooty hoot is so cute"

And I think I need this one for the beach, "Day in Paradise"

As advertised, the headbands don't slip, although I will say I haven't worn one when racing. I think they are too cute for that and wear them out and about instead! However, I have seen people wearing these for races. But regardless, they don't slip, they are very comfortable, and very affordable. Depending on width, the bands range from $12 - $15. And there's more than just headbands. There are some really fun knee high socks* and even tutus!!

I NEED these socks!!!

RazzyRoo is offering up some headbands!! If you would like to win all you have to do is 1) be a follower and 2) head over and "like" their facebook page and say RunDeniseRun sent you. It's that easy. I'll pick a winner next Wednesday, April 13th.

Link to facebook: page:http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/RazzyRoo-Headbands/144809755566808

*little tid bit -- I always wear fun knee high socks the day before a race. :-)

Case of the Tuesdays

2011-04-05T08:49:00.000-04:00

First off...Sorry the posts are such debbie downers lately; I really hate posting stuff like this. But if I don't, Andy takes the brunt of it and he needs a break! I'm just all out of sorts and mixed with emotions lately. I worked really hard to get my BQ and waited a year and half for this race to get here. Now I'm holding my breath hoping I'll be able to run it. Just thinking about it makes me cry. I know I qualified for 2012 at Shamrock but that doesn't make this any less hard or frustrating to deal with, especially since I have no intentions of going back to Boston next year.

I'm trying to stay positive over here, I really am. But truth is...I'm worried sick. As much as I want to go for a run to see how the Achilles feels, I'm waiting until Friday hoping that every little bit of time off will magically do the trick. I definitely do not feel like my normal self and am going crazy without being able to run. The elliptical and bike just aren't cutting it for me. On top of it, I'm still struggling to find my normal energy level and have been feeling sort of weak overall. Wondering if it's just because I'm not doing as much, I decided to start the week off with a two a day. I did the elliptical for an hour before work yesterday then did the bike trainer for 40 minutes when I got home. It was hard to get on the bike but once I was done, I felt great and it definitely pepped me up a bit. At this point I just want to keep my legs moving as much as possible since they haven't done a long run since March 20th.

This morning I woke up exhausted (again) but rolled myself out of bed to hit the gym. I did some cardio and then lifted for the first time since just before Shamrock. Wow. I have lost a lot of strength!! It was eye opening and frustrating. You lose it a lot quicker than you think and I'm disappointed I let that happen. I took today easy so I wouldn't be insanely sore and now have the kick in the butt I needed to get back on track with lifting. I'm hoping for another session on the bike trainer tonight after work, although the hoo-ha isn't looking forward to it. And yes, I have padded bike shorts. Very nice ones, in fact. But they aren't doing the trick.

So, that's where I'm at. Trying to make the best out of my workouts and trying to keep a smile on my face. Things could always be worse...I know that and I'm keeping it in perspective. Thanks for the support and listening to me whine. To make up for it, I'll post another GIVEAWAY this week!!! Stayed tuned.

WINNER and Some Ramblings

2011-04-03T14:50:00.000-04:00

It's really killing me right now that I can't run. I think I'm handling it even worse than I did over the summer, except there have been less tears this time around. When I went into the boot in July I was devastated, this time I'm just pissed. I'm starting to go crazy and I want to get out there so badly. I feel like I'm turning into a slug and losing fitness by the second. But on the other hand, my body is still feeling tired and out of sorts. I talked to someone who said they felt the effects of the flu for close to a month so I'm guessing between that and the marathon my body just isn't back to it's normal self yet? Who knows?

Anyway, this past weekend was a 5k that 18 of my family members participated in at my suggestion back around Christmas. For all but 3 of them, it was their first. We had a beautiful morning for a race and it absolutely killed me that I couldn't join them. But I put on my smile and headed out to cheer them on. I ran with them at the start for a bit and then picked them up on their way back running each group/person part way to the finish. I was so proud of them and even happier that they all had a great time and want to do another one!!

All the run/walkers and their cheerleader!

As for the Achilles, it was ok for most of it but towards the end it was definitely getting sore. After the race I headed to the gym for an hour on the elliptical and then 30 minutes on the bike. The whole time I was cranky that instead of being outside in the beautiful weather I was stuck trying to make myself sweat while watching King Pin. I'm really, REALLY concerned about Boston and am praying PT and the oral steroids work their magic. I'll go for a test run next weekend to see if there's any improvement and I'm already nervous about this. I'm not sure what I'll do if it's not feeling any better...but I do know I'll cry. Once I know the outcome, I'll start to formulate a plan for Boston. Right now I'm certain of two things: 1) I'll probably do a run/walk so I don't get injured any more since I haven't been running and 2) I WILL cross that finish line one way or another.

Ok, enough whining...I'm off for a walk in this beautiful weather. But before I go, it's time to pick a winner for the Run Free tee. My random number generator, Andy, picked #14. So Jill from finishing is winning, email me at dclaffey76@yahoo.com. Congrats!! And no worries to those who didn't win, I have another giveaway coming up this week!!

Twinkle Toes

2011-03-30T09:32:00.000-04:00

I headed back to physical therapy this morning for the Achilles. Since I haven't run since my lame attempt on Saturday, I'm not really sure how it is feeling. I do know it's no where near where it was over the summer. I can walk and do stairs without pain and even the elliptical doesn't hurt. Over the summer I couldn't do any of these things without pain and even sitting at my desk was uncomfortable. Heading into PT I was hoping they would confirm that I caught this in time and we could fix me right up. Here's a quick summary:

We started off with some measurements and surprise, my bad leg is still considerably smaller than the left leg. But I'm equally not flexible in both legs when it comes to a flexion stretch. Flexing my toes (pulling toes toward shin) without assistance I reached a whopping 10 degrees. However, pointing my toes down, I'm super flexible and according to PT Bob, I should be a ballerina not a runner. My mom always wanted me to be a dancer...
Wondering why it flared up when it didn't bother me during training, PT Bob thought running sick and post flu might have had something to do with it. Especially since I had the body aches and muscle fatigue the days leading up to the race. I was wondering that myself since this was definitely the hardest marathon recovery I've had and I'm still feeling the effects from the race.
PT Bob also confirmed that I caught this in time and that it's not nearly as bad as before. There's no "bulge" and I was able to do all exercises without pain. He also thought my self diagnosed plantar fasciitis might actually be a bone spur. Reason being, when he touched my heel I winced in pain. Just add it to the list!

So overall I think it was a good visit. I have to keep up with my exercises and I'm going to go for a short test run on the treadmill tomorrow to see where the pain level is at. I have decided to not race the 5k I have on Saturday. I'm a little disappointed because this is the 5k that a lot of my family members are running as their first one, but it's just not worth the risk. And since I can't race it, I'm just going to run around the course providing support to everyone as part of a very easy long run that I hope to get done. I'll play it all by ear and see how I feel after tomorrow.

Don't forget about the Run Free GIVEAWAY!!

Stupid Achilles and a GIVEAWAY!!

2011-03-27T16:25:00.000-04:00

So it seems the Achilles pain I felt during and right after the marathon was a little more than just being sore from racing. After taking off from running until Friday last week, I only made it 7 miles before I had to stop. I had pain from the start of the run but it was coming and going and I was hoping I just needed to warm up. Well, around mile 5 I knew my long run wasn't going to happen and at mile 6 I was doing a run/walk. I tried to run again on Saturday just to see if it was a fluke and I barely made it a mile. I talked to my doc and I'm going to head back to physical therapy ASAP. I don't have time to mess around with Boston only 3 weeks away. Thankfully, my goal for Boston is to have fun so there's no pressure to be in racing shape for it. I'm not going to run all week to see if it just needs some more time off. I have a 5k on Saturday which I really wanted to race hard but unless I'm 100%, I don't think it's worth the risk. We'll see how the week goes.

Now for something more fun...a GIVEAWAY!! I recently tried out a running tee from Run Free Tees. Run Free has a really simple slogan which I think sums it up pretty well: "Move. Motivate. Live. Run Free." Their goal is to inspire and encourage people to live a healthy lifestyle and to be active in the fitness community. They have both men and woman's shirts which are tailored for the different body types. The shirts are wicking material which is also treated with a anti-microbial that helps keep your shirt smelling fresh and clean. They have some very simple but cute slogans on their shirts, like this one below:

I really like that the slogan is on the back.

This is a woman's shirt and I really liked the fit. It's a narrower cut and I like that there was some extra room down around the waist/hips. There wasn't a ton of excess fabric up in the shoulder area like there is for a unisex shirt. And most importantly, I wore this on a warm run at the gym and there was no chafing! Score!!

So, if you want to win one of these shirts, head over to Run Free to see what they are about. Then leave me a comment and I'll pick one winner at random next Sunday. Contest open to followers only.

Photo Friday

2011-03-25T10:33:00.000-04:00

Pics from Shamrock Marathon...

In this same spot last year for this picture I was crying so I made sure I looked extra happy this time.

(I also might have been laughing a bit at something else. Can someone say leg warmers?)

Always prepared with a "thumbs up"

I always have at least one "pissed off" pic; I do this especially for you, Andy.

Pain or shock that I did it...probably a little bit of both!

Finally got out for my first run today and unfortunately it didn't go to well. I only made it 7 miles before I had to call it quits. My Achilles was acting up and I'm a little nervous. Nothing as bad as what it was, but I don't want it to get to that point. Have a call into the doc right now and am hoping to nip this in the bud! Have a great weekend!! GIVEAWAY coming on Sunday!!

Post Shamrock Thoughts

2011-03-23T09:01:00.000-04:00

I know it's only Wednesday but this is the longest recovery time I've ever taken after a marathon. I was feeling pretty beat up on Monday but each day has gotten significantly better. I was going to do some light cross training this morning but between the flu, racing a marathon and now a cold, my body asked for one more day off today and I listened. I'll be back at the gym tomorrow cross training and am shooting for 12-14 easy miles on Saturday.
I'm happy with the mental race I ran on Sunday. I paid a lot of attention to how I was feeling during the race and adjusted accordingly. There were times when I saw someone walking and I thought, "that looks nice" but I was able to refocus and not let those thoughts get the best of me. By really knowing the course map and breaking it into chunks, that helped a lot and getting through each segment was a little accomplishment in itself.
The last 3 miles of the marathon were some of the hardest 3 miles I've had. I really felt like slowing down and even told myself to just settle for a PR and not worry about the 3:35. It's times like these where I'm amazed by what the body can do and how it really is mind over matter. This course ate me up and spit me out last year and those thoughts kept creeping up into my mind on Sunday. It took a lot to shut them up and I found myself repeating "just hang on" over and over those last 3 miles.
I mentioned the other day that I told myself during the race that if I did it I wouldn't ever have to race a marathon again. Heh, anything to get me to that finish. But even as I was running, I thought several times that it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. I was really prepared for this both mentally and physically. Which is why I'm left wondering "what if?" Yup, within minutes of finishing I was already wondering what would have happened had I been 100% healthy. Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy with a 3:35 finish but I'm so hard on myself and I've been struggling to be proud of my accomplishment. And to be honest, even if I was 100% healthy, I'm sure that finish time would have left me wondering "what if" too. Does anyone else struggle with the "what if" immediately after??
So where does this leave me...I'm not sure yet and I'm not rushing into any decisions. My goals for this year were to race Shamrock (check!) and get into triathlons. While I'm curious to see what else I can do with 26.2 miles, Boston will not be the place for that. I worked hard to get to Boston, even earned myself another spot in 2012 if I want it, and I plan on enjoying myself while I'm there and taking it all in. There will be a time and place to race again and I'll figure that out soon enough.

GIVEAWAY coming this weekend!!

Shamrock Race Report

2011-03-21T08:15:00.001-04:00

Well, nothing really went the way I wanted it to the week leading up to the race. After coming down with the flu on Tuesday and still having zero energy come Friday, I was really nervous about what lied ahead of me. When we left town on Friday for the 6 hour trek to VA beach, I was hopeful that 2 more days of rest and sleep would do the trick. Unfortunately, the sleep part didn't really happen. On Friday night I didn't sleep at all. I think I might have gotten an hour or two at best and even that was in bits and pieces. Saturday I was more tired than I think I have ever been and at one point the exhaustion, combined with anxiety for race day, brought me to tears. Finally around 2pm I was able to lay down for a bit and just relax. Saturday night I got some sleep but woke up Sunday really tired and with a sore throat. But like every race day, I was calm and ready to run.

When we headed to the start of the race the wind was howling! Waiting for the start we ducked into alcoves to try to find some shelter. The temperature wasn't bad but the wind made it chilly; in fact, it was a really beautiful sunny day. After a 15 minute delayed start and a squat behind a building with a male elite runner (who shall remain nameless to protect him) for a quick pee, I lined myself up in between the 3:30 and 3:40 pace groups. I wasn't feeling much of anything at this point in terms of anxiety or nerves...but I was tired. I was yawning, rubbing my eyes and just felt like I hadn't woke up enough yet. But I told myself as I crossed the start, "you're going to do this."

The first few miles flew by as I struggled to dial in my 8:12 pace and my first 5 miles were all under 8:00. While the pace felt fine for my legs, I wanted to slow it down to where I needed to be so I wouldn't fall apart later in the race. I could also tell right from the get go that I wasn't my normal self. I wasn't out of breath but my breathing wasn't normal. I know what these paces feel like and I was breathing harder than I had in any training run at this pace. That concerned me and made me want to find my pace and settle in even more. Whenever I hit my pace, I tried to focus on what it felt like but then I'd slowly speed up again. Anyway, before I knew it we were at mile 8 which is around the military base. Last year this part was sort of boring but this year there were tons of service men and woman outside of their barracks cheering us on. It was so cool because you could hear them from far away and when you eventually ran through them the energy was great!! I made sure to thank them for what they do for us and went smiling on my way.

When we left the base and headed back towards the start for the next half we were also running into the wind. I knew I had at least 7 miles of head wind to deal with so I just tried to stay focused and push through. When we entered the boardwalk just after mile 10 the wind was pretty brutal. There weren't many runners around but the few of us that were together held tight in a pack. Without saying so, we all took turns moving to the front to take the brunt of the wind. From miles 6 to 10 my pace jumped around from 8:00 to 8:08 but the wind was kind enough to help me find that 8:12 pace I'd been looking for while we were on the boardwalk. We exited the boardwalk just before the half way point but unfortunately that didn't mean we escaped the wind. I knew I had to get to Shore Drive at mile 16 before I'd feel any relief.

I pushed along but was starting to feel really tired. I didn't have my normal energy to begin with and the wind was not helping. Thankfully there was some crowd support at this point and I joined up with 2 guys running around my pace. We stuck together supporting each other through the wind and eventually I let them go a little ahead of me. It was their first marathon and they were shooting for a 3:30-3:40 and I didn't want to get caught up in any rookie mistakes. So I backed off and went back to doing my own thing.

Last year the 3 mile stretch from miles 16-19 on Shore Drive is where the wheels started to come off and I went to shit. This year I was so mentally prepared for this section and the few days I spent visualizing this stretch and forming a game plan definitely paid off. It wasn't until mile 18 of this stretch that I felt completely confident that I was going to do this. I had some doubts up until this point but then something clicked and when I knew I only had 8 miles to go, I was ready to get the job done. But, I knew I had one more boring 4 mile stretch with wind to deal with before I was back to main road with 3 miles to the finish.

When we hit Atlantic Ave we were once again in the wind and a lot of runners started walking and slowing down. This is where my death march of shuffling, walking and crying started last year so I decided to break the 4 miles into half mile increments and count them down. Around mile 20 I passed the two guys I was with earlier and was thankful I let them go when I did; they were clearly fading fast. I was really starting to feel things during this stretch both mentally and physically so I played a game with the cones lining the road. I would run hard for 2 cones then back off for one cone. Not only did this help change up the leg kick a bit, but it made this boring stretch go a little faster. My pace started falling here and I did my best to just hang on the best I could. Miles 20-23 my pace slowed to around an 8:20. I kept telling myself, just get to mile 23 and you got this...

Finally! I rounded the corner and knew that if nothing else, I would finish! I was really tired at this point and wanted to slow down but I knew I lost what little cushion I had and couldn't lose any more time. I was passing runners and that helped me feel strong but there was nothing I could do for my pace as I struggled to hold the 8:20. I was on the look out for a landmark I picked out the day before which was the turn onto the final stretch on the boardwalk. When I saw that hotel and knew the turn was coming, I gave it all I got. Once I entered the boardwalk I knew I was cutting it really close so I pushed as hard as I freaking could. I know I looked like a mess but I didn't care. Everything was hurting at this point and I was so determined to see that 3:35 finish. Thank god for the crowd support on the boardwalk because I needed all the help I could get. I tried to smile as I crossed the finish line but the tears started coming and it was all I could do not to fall over!!

Through the pain, exhaustion and tears, I said to myself, "I did it".

3:35:02

13th in age group 30-34

73rd woman overall

426 overall

Exactly a 3 min PR!

I waddled my way to bag check with bad cramps and collected my swag (you not only get a medal but a long sleeve tee and a hat at the finish) along the way. People were coming up to me to see if I was ok so I imagine I looked pretty rough. When I finally got settled and could talk without wincing, I called Andy. Within a second of answering he said, "3:35:02!" and I just started bawling. I really wanted this and I put so much into training. I was so scared all week after being sick so reaching my goal was even more special.

I know this is ridicously long and I actually have more thoughts about this race, but I'll save them for another day. Let's just say, I know I have more in me. I'm positive of that. And while I told myself out on the course yesterday that if I pulled this off I would never have to race again, within a few hours of finishing I was already wishing I could go back and try harder.

Goodie bag and race shirt.

Long sleeve tee and hat you get at finish line.

Medal which also doubles as a bottle opener!!!

I'm sore today but not terrible and now nursing the back half of my flu which turned into a cold. My Achilles was killing yesterday during the race and after but thankfully that has subsided. I'll be taking it very easy this week to make sure I recover adequately because we all know what's 4 weeks from today!! Thanks for your support and tweets while I was racing. It made my day when I got home and saw them all! You guys are the best and I swear, I thought of you so much while I was out there yesterday.

It's Go Time

2011-03-18T09:55:00.000-04:00

Well, the flu definitely knocked me on my ass this week but I pulled through surprisingly fast. I spent the past 2 days on the couch with a short lived attempt at work yesterday. I headed in around lunch time only to last 2 hours. After the walk from my car to my desk took it all out of me, I was really worried about what that meant for Sunday. I decided I would wait until this morning to make the call. Thankfully, I woke up feeling pretty good. Good enough that I decided to go for a run to see how I felt and to move the legs a bit. I managed 4 miles with 3 at race pace but it wasn't easy. The body aches and fever are gone, but the energy is LOW!! There is no way I could have run a marathon today. But with that being said, I still have 2 days to do absolutely nothing but rest. Since I'm not driving, I can rest in the car today and tomorrow in VA, other than the Expo, I plan on laying low. I wouldn't be going down if I didn't feel confident that I'll be ok by Sunday. So off I go...

A few pics...

Everything I'm taking. I use the little cosmetic bags to organize things I'm going to need on race day. The one contains my garmin, pace band, bloks, tape, water bottle holder, etc. That way everything is together and I don't have the stress of worrying I forgot something or not knowing where I packed it

Since I have such a funny stomach, I can't take the chance of eating something out of the norm the night before the race. While I usually eat fresh chicken, etc I had to be creative for the trip. There's a can of mushrooms, can chicken, packets of soy sauce which I snagged from the take out section at the grocery store and a baggie (which I'll reuse, of course!) of brown rice. Also packed baggies of oatmeal, pretzels and twizzlers for carb loading.

Can't forget the knee high shamrock socks!

And of course the nails are painted green!!! That's "Don't Mess With OPI"

I hate my sausage fingers.

I will definitely be thinking of you guys while I'm out there on Sunday, determined to come back to you with good news!!!

ShamROCK on!!

Bad Timing and a WINNER!!

2011-03-16T07:41:00.000-04:00

Before I get to the winner of the Races2Remember giveaway, I have to bitch, complain, feel sorry for myself. I woke up yesterday feeling a little off with a sore throat. I immediately ran to the store and stocked up on cold-eeze and vitamin C drops. I never take these things and don't believe they do a thing but I was desperate with Shamrock only a few days away. I spent the day sucking down the drops and praying this was all in my head. Well, unfortunately, this is not taper madness. I had a fever last night, feel like I'm still running a low one now, and have been hit with the sweat and chills. The chills were so bad last night that I couldn't control my body shaking. Thankfully I got a good night sleep but still woke up with a killer headache and body aches. I'm on the couch throwing back thera-flu and plan to sleep the day away. Definitely not the way I like to spend the week before a marathon, but if nothing else, it's just more rest. I don't really have an appetite but I'm forcing myself to eat and I'm drinking a lot of water. I hate, HATE orange juice but Andy just picked some up for me and I'm choking it down like a good girl.

I'm really frustrated because I've been sick more since April than I have over the past few years combined. It's all since I started my new job. We're tucked away in a small secured area, no windows, no air flow and no ventilation. It's absolutely gross and germs just go from person to person. Andy, if you're reading this, maybe I shouldn't work anymore. It's clearly not good for my health.

Ok, now for a winner, randomly picked by Andy as he was dropping off OJ and soup on his way into work. Comment #28...Sara from Words to Run By. Sara, email me at dclaffey76@yahoo.com.

Weather for Sunday in VA beach: partly cloudy, with a high of 53. Sounds perfect!!! 4 days to go!

All Kinds Of Nervous

2011-03-14T11:31:00.000-04:00

T minus 6 days!! I can't believe race day is less than a week away. Yesterday it hit me that it's so close and the nerves kicked in. I started to panic a bit that I haven't done enough and was wishing that I had more time to prepare. But when I calmed down and thought about it, compared to my previous PR marathon training, I did so much more this time around to get ready. Even though I'm nervous, mentally I'm still confident. I know I have this in me and ~~I know I can do this~~ I'm going to do this! The obsessive weather forecast checking started this morning and right now they are calling for a high of 56. I'm thinking my warm long runs on the treadmill might just come in handy for Sunday.

So as if race day nerves aren't enough, I learned two more things today that made me even more nervous. One, I'll be an official pacer at the NJ Half Marathon on May 1st. Since it's less than 2 weeks after Boston, I picked the 2:15 group which is a 10:18 pace. Even though I can handle the pace, it's still a little stressful. People will be depending on me to help them reach their goal and I plan to take this very seriously. I'll use the time after Boston while I'm recovering to really narrow in on the pace and make sure I get a good feel for it.

The other thing that got me a little worked up today...sounds like I might have my first official client to train at the Y. She's training for a marathon so the director thought I'd be a good fit for her. We still have some details to iron out but it's looking good. I really can't describe how nervous and excited I am. Part of me sort of thought this day would never come. That I would just say I'm a Personal Trainer and give out advice to my friends and that'd be about it. So I'm happy that my attempts to make this happen are going somewhere and that each day my dream is getting closer and closer.

Don't forget to enter my Races2Remember GIVEAWAY which ends Wednesday. Stay tuned, 2 more giveaways coming up after that!

Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - 2 mi, lift upper body
Tues - 4 mi
Wed - swim drills or rest
Thurs - 4 mi (2 mi at race pace), lift upper body
Fri - 2 mi
Sat - off
Sun - SHAMROCK MARATHON!

Resting Up and a GIVEAWAY!

2011-03-10T08:13:00.002-05:00

I finally forced myself to take a rest day yesterday and in turn my whole morning felt "off" because I didn't start the day with a workout. In fact, I felt exhausted all day and struggled to keep my eyes open. I'm definitely more alert and awake when I work out in the morning. So while I didn't feel like I needed a rest day, I took one because I know I will be pissed at myself if I'm beat up and tired for Shamrock. There will definitely be another rest day or two over the next week to make sure that's not the case. And yes…we're down to just a little over a week till race day!! I'm a little nervous but overall really excited and looking forward to the entire weekend!!

As I think of things for the trip I've been setting them aside and crossing them off my list. My pace band is made and laminated and I'm ready for that 8:10 pace! I ran my ladders this week a little faster than normal, took it to a 6:53, and my 3 miles today at race pace (8:06) were a breeze. During the run I told myself that I can definitely hold that pace and that I just need to stay focused and not go out too fast. Tomorrow I have an easy 2 miles and then I'm going to spend some time in the pool working on my drills. My goal for my last long run on Saturday is to run at least the last 5 miles at race pace and then after that, it's all about taking it easy!

So…GIVEAWAY time….To go along with my pace band I also have a "grace band" that I'll carry with me on race day. If you haven't heard of a grace band, it's a customized wrist band through Races2Remember. You can customize it with people you want to dedicate each mile to or list motivational sayings to keep you going. Here's a picture of the one I made; I combined people and sayings. Mostly family but I had to throw Puddlz in there since she's been by my side for every single long run but one this training cycle. Including those long runs on the treadmill!!

In addition to grace bands, Races2Remember also offers customized back bibs, name bibs, tattoos and cheering signs. If you're interested in customizing something for your upcoming race, just leave a comment and become a follower if you aren't already. It's that simple, no rules!! I'll pick a winner at random on Wednesday March 16th.

Guest Blogging Reggae Style

2011-03-08T08:24:00.001-05:00

After I registered for the Reggae marathon I was contaced by their marketing team and site blogger. We went back and forth through email discussing ways to promote the marathon and even had a few telecons. With my love of Jamaica, and running, I'm up to do whatever I can to help promote this event and more importantly, encourage people to visit the island. So needless to say, when I was asked to do a guest post for the reggae marathon blog, I jumped at the chance. I would really appreciate it if you could take a second and check out my post here, "Whole Heaven Pie." (I suck at titling blog posts, this was as creative as I could get!!). Feel free to leave a comment over there, I'd love to know what you think!

Here are some of my favorite Jamaica pics from throughout the years...

Stay tuned for a few GIVEAWAYS coming up!!

First Swim Eval

2011-03-06T17:58:00.000-05:00

During my 15 miler on Saturday, I came to the conclusion that I have to take a few complete rest days between now and Shamrock. I'm running less miles now that it's taper but instead of calling it quits after my run I always end up putting in more time cross training, etc. On Saturday I expected to feel completely refreshed but that wasn't really the case. In fact, when I woke up that morning I told Andy I actually wasn't in the mood to go. Since I never feel like that, I know it's a sign that I need a little break. We averaged just under a 9 min pace, got in some good hills, and while I felt strong, I could tell I need a little rest. So that's what I'm going to do.

In other news, I met my Stalker on Saturday and she's completely harmless! Andy and I met up with Stalker and her fiancé for some drinks and Tri talk and it turns out we had a lot more than running to talk about. We had a lot in common and I'm really looking forward to training together. It makes going into these Tris a little less scary when you know someone else there with you. Definitely see us hanging out with them again!

And today...I had my first swim evaluation with the Tri Coach. It went better than I expected!! It started off with me doing a few laps so he could watch my form. Needless to say I was really happy when I stopped, thinking he would tell me I have to relearn everything I know about swimming, and he said I was a pretty good swimmer. In fact, on a scale of 1 to 10, he rated me a 7! My kick is great but I need to work on rotating my body more with each stroke and not bringing my arms so far out of the water. We did some drills, one of which I nailed pretty quickly. But when he got to the second drill, I struggled a bit. Now for the next few weeks all I do is to practice the drills, for about an hour at a time, and when I feel I have them down and they are too easy, we'll meet again for some new drills. During this time I won't swim laps because we don't want to make progress with the drills and then have me go back to my old swimming form. I left the session feeling great! I already feel so much more confident going into these Tris now that I have some guidance. And it doesn't hurt either knowing I don't completely suck in the water. Coach Bill was great and I have a feeling I'm going to learn a ton from him and his wife. For the first time since registering, I'm actually SO excited for these triathlons. I have a feeling I'm going to love this sport!

Two weeks till Shamrock. Still focused and ready to kick some ass. Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - 5 mi
Tues - 5 mi w/ 2 ladders
Wed - lift (possible off day)
Thurs - 4 mi w/ 3 mi at race pace
Fri - 3 mi
Sat - 10 mi
Sun - swim drills (this will count as an off day as it's not a hard workout)

Three Things Thursday

2011-03-03T09:08:00.000-05:00

1) I don't have a personal computer at home. Since Andy and I both have laptops for work and bring them home every night, we didn't really see the need to buy a personal one. But, for some reason, this huge company I work for doesn't have the updated version of Explorer and I'm limited to a lot of stuff I can do on line. Two of the most annoying things I can't do: play Bejeweled Blitz and use The Daily Mile. Seriously, it's the year 2011 and we don't have the software to support basic internet? Is it justified to get a personal computer just for logging my workouts and chatting with other runners?

2) I found a Tri coach. Once again, I freaked a little after signing up for the Half Ironman and experienced the same panic I felt after registering for the Ultra. Basically, "Crap! What did I do? I could die during the swim..." So I'm meeting with him on Sunday for my first swim evaluation. While I'm not going into these Tris trying to win them, I do want to do my best and that all starts with the swim. I need to leave the water feeling great so I can kick butt on the bike and run. If I'm not efficient in the water, that's not possible. So it's about time the pool and I worked on our relationship.

3) I realized just how small of a world it is this week. After connecting with someone local through my blog, who is also starting to train for her first Tris this summer, we found each other on facebook. Well, of course the first thing I did was check out her album of pics called "running." Imagine my shock and surprise when the FIRST picture I looked at was this...

This pic is from the Philadelphia Distance Run 2009 and yes, that's me. No, not in the background, but right there smack dab in front, that's me!! What are the chances? Of course, I immediately emailed her asking if she's stalking me. Which I would totally understand and be ok with if she was. But no such luck, just a crazy coincidence. You never know who you will end up meeting in this world and when your paths crossed (literally) before meeting.

The ABC's of D

2011-03-01T08:34:00.000-05:00

Age: 34

Bed Size: Queen (but I wish I had a king)

Chore I hate: Cleaning the toilets (and I'm proud to say I haven't done it since I've lived with Andy!)

Dogs: Grew up with dogs but now I'm partial to cats

Essential start of my day: Brushing my teeth

Favorite color: Purple

Gold or Silver: If it's not platinum I'll settle for white gold

Height: 5'8" and a little more

Instruments I play: None, unless musical toots count (Oh, come on!! We all do it!)

Job title: QA Analyst

Kids: Just of the furry kind…Newman and Lainey

Live: Just outside Philadelphia, PA

Mom's name: Monica

this picture was taken right after one of many tattoo unveilings. But she's still smiling through the tears. Sorry for torturing you, mom!!

Nicknames: D (work), Dennis (friends), Sunny D (running buddies), Little Coconut or Biscuit (Andy), Nez (sister and Dad)

Overnight hospital stays: None

Pet peeve: Loud chewers, coffee slurpers, lip smackers

Quote from a movie: "Can't see the line, can you Russ?"

Right or left handed: Right

Siblings: 2 sisters (I'm the baby)

Time you wake up: 5am (weekends aren't much different)

Underwear: People, it's ok to talk about the skivvies! I'll admit it, I definitely go commando from time to time. But I am wearing them right now.

Vegetable I dislike: Broccoli rabe (that's actually the only one I don't like)

What makes me run late: Nothing. I'm always on time and can't stand to be late. And I can't stand when other people are late. That should probably be listed above under pet peeves.

X-rays I've had done: Knee, foot, dental, elbow

Yummy food I make: Everything I make is yummy; at least that's what Andy tells me.

Zoo favorite animal: Penguins!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wish I could have one as a pet.

Made It!

2011-02-27T17:14:00.000-05:00

I remember when I first looked at my training plan for Shamrock, I was a little intimidated. I wasn't sure if I would be able to handle the longer mid week runs before work and the speed work looked more intense than I was used to putting myself through. I remember I forwarded my schedule to Andy because I was so nervous about it but knew the fear was just because of the unknown. I went into this training so determined to train harder than I have in the past and to get the most out of every single workout. Now here I am, 9 weeks later and after a 22 miler on Saturday, I'm starting to taper. I'm usually not really ready to taper but this time around, I know I need it and I'm ok with it.

The 22 miles on Saturday went ok but my body was definitely tired. I could really tell that I just put in 4 hard weeks and while I was mentally ok, my body was a little sluggish. My running partner had a great day and if it wasn't for her, I know the run would have been pretty miserable. There were times where I felt like I wasn't moving at all and kept thinking, "just get to mile 17". Not sure why I pick these random mile markers to get to but this weekend it was mile 17 that would signify the run was almost over. The next 5 miles didn't tick away very quickly but they got done nonetheless and towards the end I could hear myself sighing. When I start to sigh, I know I've had enough!! We finished with an average pace of 9:05 which made me so happy considering 10 of those miles were done with lots of hills and I was feeling more than a little pooped.

So, now it's taper time. I'm looking forward to 3 weeks of taking care of myself and getting the rest I need for race day. It's a great feeling going into taper feeling you worked hard, you're prepared and over the top excited for race day. March 20th can't get here soon enough!

I capped off the week with a swim this morning then a nice easy recovery run. Now onto week 10 of training, here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - 4 mi, lift
Tues - 5 mi with 2 ladders at 6:58
Wed - cross train, lift
Thurs - 7 mi with 6 at tempo (7:35)
Fri - 4, cross train
Sat - 15 mi
Sun - swim

Half What?

2011-02-23T10:48:00.000-05:00

I'm actually a little shaky right now. My heart is beating sort of fast. I'm not sure I'm ready for it, but I guess I'll find out!!

I haven't done a triathlon...yet. But I'm determined to be an Ironman some day. I registered for a little baby sprint Tri in June. Then I decided that I needed to try something a bit longer. So I registered for an Olympic distance Tri in July. See a pattern and where I might be going with this?? Well, I just registered for a HALF IRONMAN in September. Oh..my...gosh. I really hope I can ride a bike!

My original goal was to dabble in the Tris this summer, see what I thought of them. I thought 2013 sounded like a good year to do my first Ironman and I would give myself plenty of time to get (mentally) prepared for the big guy. When I stumbled upon this half IM in September, I thought I should give it a shot. See what I have in me; see if I can even handle this. If this goes well, I'd like to move my Ironman goal up to 2012 and already have my sites set on the one I want to do. I have no doubt I can handle a 10 hour endurance event, I've done it before with the Ultra. I'm just not sure I can handle open water swimming, then biking, then running. I'm scared beyond belief. But I figured its go big or go home. So there you have it. Race #9 added to the calendar. Now I need the weather to get better so I can get out on my bike and toughen up the hoo-ha.

My schedule for the year:
Feb - Frostbite 5 miler (DONE! With a big PR to boot!)
Mar - Shamrock marathon
Apr - Get the lead out 5k
Apr - Boston marathon
June - Independence Sprint Tri
July - NJ State Olympic Tri
Sept - Quakerman Half IM
Sept - Philly half marathon
Dec - Reggae marathon

(I'm sure there will be some smaller races thrown in along the way and I'm still really considering Philly marathon in November. But we'll see how things go.)

Frostbite 5 Miler Race Report

2011-02-21T10:02:00.003-05:00

I have to admit, I was really nervous going into this race. This was my fourth time running it so I knew the course wasn't easy. I don't mind hills for a normal run but all out racing 5 miles of hills is a different story. Secondly, I was using this race to see if my hard work for Shamrock training was paying off. While I wanted to see a 36:33, which would be a PR and what McMillian predicted for a 3:35 marathon, I was scared that I would see a finish time that would suggest I wasn't where I needed to be. So when I got sick last week, I'd be lying if I didn't say I thought that maybe that was my way out of racing. But as I sat in a meeting on Friday afternoon thinking about the race, my heart started pounding. I was excited and nervous and knew I had to go for it.

When I headed to bed Friday night the wind was howling. We had a severe wind advisory through the night and all day Saturday. The winds were so loud they kept me up for most of the night and made me even more nervous about racing. When I woke up on Saturday, we had 40mph winds with wind gusts up to 60mph. I thought for sure a PR was out of the question.

I arrived to the race about 45 minutes early and ran an easy 3 mile warm up. It was sunny and the temperature was nice but the winds were a bitch. I was feeling pretty good and just figured I'd do my best to hold a 7:18 pace, making up for any lost time on the hills on the downhills. This race has really grown over the years and there were 1500 runners this year. I lined myself up at the front of the pack but told myself not to get too caught up with everyone and to do my own thing. When the gun went off we all took off like bats out of hell. I didn't look too much at my watch and just tried to find a pace that was comfortable. A short ways into the race we hit our first hill and I plowed up it like it was nothing. I checked in with my pace and saw I was averaging under a 7 minute mile. That had me a little concerned but my legs felt good so I stuck with it. I figured I'd lose a lot of time on the hills still to come so I mine as well make up some time early on. I cruised through the first 2 miles...

Mile 1 - 6:49
Mile 2 - 6:48

When we hit mile 3 there was a nice climb and the wind was killing me. I started having waaaay too many doubts at this point; definitely something I need to work on. I actually thought about walking and just stopping altogether. What the heck is up with that??? Yea my legs were hurting a bit but there was nothing wrong with me. Thankfully, I shut myself up and knew I just needed to make it to mile 4 because then the end was near.

Mile 3 - 7:31 (ugh)

Mile 4 came and my legs were tired and I was so done with the wind. My lungs were hurting from my cold and I wanted this to be over. I gave it everything I had and just tried to hold a pace under 7:18. At this point I was still just hoping to break 37 minutes and come in around that 36:33. Due to a downed power line, we were forced off the road for a bit and onto a trail, which is normally part of the course. With the weather we've been having, the trail wasn't in the best condition so we were supposed to stay on the roads. Thankfully we had an option when the road got blocked and thankfully no one was hurt. It was really muddy on the trail and there were a few spots that really slowed you down because of the thick, soft mud. The only good part of the trail was that it provided a little shelter from the wind. When I got off the trail and could see the turn ahead of me that would take me to the finish, I gave it my all. On the final stretch I was trying to run straight and the wind was blowing straight from the side. It seriously took everything I had to stay going straight. I made the final turn heading right into the wind and saw the clock at the finish. I couldn't believe it said 35:XX. I sprinted as hard as I could and crossed the finish line shocked and beyond happy.

Mile 4 - 7:10
Mile 5 - 7:03

My official time: 35:26!!

Average pace 7:06

133/1341 overall

9/113 F30-34

29/652 Females

A huge PR and better yet, a HUGE confidence booster. I swear, I never in a million years thought I had that in me, especially on this course. I've been training harder than ever and taking every single workout very seriously so I guess all my hard work is paying off. It's a great feeling to be able to say that.

I texted my friend Coach Jack who has helped me with my schedule for Shamrock and part of his response, "...your time today predicts a 3:26 marathon (with certain assumptions)..." While I'm not so sure about a 3:26 marathon in my future, I'm feeling great about my goal of sub 3:35 at Shamrock.

I got my long run in today (in more wind) and spent the rest of the day being lazy. Between the race and this cold I needed a day to lay around and rest up for week 4 of 4, which is going to be a tough one. Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - 5 mi, lift
Tues - 10 mi, 3 ladders at 6:58
Wed - lift, easy bike
Thurs - 10 mi with 7mi at tempo (7:40)
Fri - 5 mi
Sat - 20 mi (but I'm thinking I may do 22)
Sun - swim

Frostbite 5 Miler Race Report

2011-02-20T17:22:00.000-05:00

My official time: 35:26!!

Average pace 7:06

133/1341 overall

9/113 F30-34

29/652 Females

It's the Little Things

2011-02-18T08:30:00.000-05:00

It doesn't take much to make me happy. Give me a nap, a quiet house, a trip to Jamaica (that's not much, is it?) and I'm perfectly content. It also makes me happy when I pull into the garage and see packages on my front porch. So imagine how I felt yesterday when I left work early because I was feeling like crap and came home to this!

OPI Texas Collection and Nicole by OPI Justin Bieber Collection

(sorry the pic is blurry, I was shaking with excitement)

Thank you, thank you, thank you OPI!!! I admit, I have a slight obsession with nail polish and love painting my nails. So being able to review* OPI is a little piece of Heaven for me. Needless to say, this cheered me up immensely...and over stimulated me. I couldn't decide what color to try first! After a hard debate and input from Andy, I went with "I have Bieber Fever", which I don't actually have but the dark purple was too cute to pass up. I always have my nails painted, but love to do a fun color especially before a race. So now I'm all set and ready to go for tomorrow. Now hopefully this cold is better by then and I have it in me to run my heart out.

A quick recap of week 3 of 4...I survived yet again. And actually, this week felt pretty easy considering I haven't felt well. Tuesday was 10 miles with 3 ladders at 6:58 and yesterday was 10 miles with 6 at marathon pace (8:10). I wasn't sure I'd be able to get in 10 miles yesterday with how I was feeling, let alone at race pace, but I shocked myself and ran the race pace miles slightly faster at an 8:06. Leg turnover felt great and I felt like I could, and should, be running faster. I was pooped after the run which was a combination of my 4:45am wake up call and being sick, but I was really happy I got that workout in. I was so stressed about possibly missing one of these key workouts. I was planning to lift today and do light cardio but opted for a complete rest day instead. I thought if it might help me feel better for the race tomorrow it was worth it.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!! It's going to be 67 degrees here today...makes me want to break out the flip flops!

*Reviews of previous OPI and Nicole by OPI collections are on my review page. Review of those pictured here coming soon!

Frostbite Goals

2011-02-16T08:39:00.000-05:00

For a while there we were dealing with a snow and/or ice storm each week. Everything has been covered with dirty snow and I can't remember the last time I was able to see my back patio. Well, Mother Nature decided to play nice and we're finally gonna warm up this week. But not a little warm up. Oh no, we're suppose to hit the 60's tomorrow!! That's like Spring! Anxiously awaiting the warmer weather has me dreaming of all the time I'll be able to spend outside. I even started to look at some new patio accessories at CSN. We put on a new paver patio last year and I want to get some fun stuff for when we entertain. I know there's a lot of chatter about CSN in blog land but if you haven't checked them out, head on over. They have over 200 online stores where you can find anything you need whether it be swingsets, fitness equipment, or even cute cookware!

With the warmer weather rolling in for the weekend I should be excited since I have Frostbite 5 miler on Saturday. This will be my 4th year running it and I set my sights on a PR**. It's a pretty hard course with a lot of big hills but I feel more trained than ever this winter and am excited to see what I can do come Saturday. Unfortunately, I woke up with a sore throat this morning and feel really run down. I had a feeling something wasn't right when I was exhausted after my run yesterday and could barely keep my eyes open at work. I had my normal Tuesday workout, 10 miles with 3 ladders at 6:58, but yesterday it completely drained me. I managed to make it to the gym to lift today but called it quits after that. I plan to get as much sleep as I can over the next few nights and hopefully knock this out of my system quickly.

**Since I'm training for a 3:35 at Shamrock, I entered that time into the McMillan calculator to see what 5 mile time would equate to a 3:35 marathon. According to McMillan, I should be able to run a 36:33 (7:18 pace) for a 5 mile race. My PR at Frostbite is a 37:08 (however, my garmin had me just under 37 minutes last year and I swear something was off with the chip timing) and I really want to see something in the 36 minutes this weekend. Last year I went into this race without much (if any) speed work so I'm hoping I can do much better this year. However, if it was an easy course, I would have no doubts that I could do a 36:33. But with how hilly the course is, I definitely have my work cut out for me.

So, my goals for Saturday:
1) feel well enough to race
2) PR
3) 36:33

My Bum Leg

2011-02-14T08:54:00.001-05:00

If I could switch out my right leg I would in a heart beat. My entire life this leg has given me problems. Growing up I complained of knee pain and was in and out of physical therapy to try to fix it. It wasn't until 1998 when they finally realized I needed surgery to clean up and repair my torn meniscus. Unfortunately, what should have been an easy procedure turned into a nightmare when I developed a blood clot after surgery. Not just a little blood clot but a major DVT blocking my vein from my knee to my ankle. As a result I became an expert at injecting myself with blood thinners and got pushed around the mall in a wheel chair. People are very sympathetic when they see a young person in a wheel chair and I even got to use the handicap dressing room. After the wheel chair came a cane, which made me look oh so stylish walking around college campus. When all was said and done I suffered some pretty good muscle atrophy and couldn't bend my leg more than 45 degrees. Physical therapy fixed me up but the leg has never been the same.

I now suffer from time to time with what I call "dead leg." My leg just feels funny and tired and the only way to describe it is "dead leg." It's not painful and doesn't keep me from doing anything; it's just annoying more than anything. And the calf and ankle of my right leg is also much smaller than my left. Sounds like a lot, but there's even more...

I have an extremely painful bunion on my right foot. My big toe is growing so far under my second toe I look like a freak. The pain used to be tolerable but now it hurts while I'm running, sitting at my desk, laying around, etc. The pain has gotten so bad that I'm starting to think of a good time to work surgery into my training schedule. And I swore I'd never let the right leg go under the knife again.

I also suffer with IT band issues in my right leg. It completely seized up and kept me from running after Philly marathon in 2008 but since then I've kept it under control. I have to be very diligent with stretching it and using the foam roller or the pain sneaks up on me out of no where. Like it did last week because I got lazy. Back to rolling every day.

Then there's the Achilles injury I had last summer. When I told the Physical Therapist about my history with this leg, he seemed to think it was more than a coincidence that everything happens to this leg. I've been really good about stretching the Achilles before and after every run because it's still a little funky from time to time. No pain, but I can feel it get tired (for lack of a better term) and it's a little tender.

And lastly, and hopefully nothing else comes up, I'm suffering with some plantar fasciitis right now in my right foot/heel. Self diagnosed but 99% sure that's what's going on. Determined to nip this in the bud I started rolling on a frozen water bottle last night and a golf ball. It hurt like heck but I'm going to do whatever I can because I will NOT let this get in the way of me and Shamrock.

So that's the story of me and my bum right leg. Are all of these things related? I dunno. But it definitely seems weird that it all happens to the same leg.

Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - 5 mi, cross train
Tues - 10 mi w/ 3 ladders at 6:58
Wed - lift, bike
Thurs - 10 mi w/ 6 mi at race pace (8:10)
Fri - lift, rest
Sat - Frostbite 5 miler
Sun - 17 mi

Week 2 of 4

2011-02-10T09:18:00.001-05:00

This is my 2nd of 4 hard weeks of Shamrock training and after a successful week 1, I was looking forward to this week. Tuesday I upped my ladders and did 3 during my 10 miler at a 6:58 pace. By the time the 3rd ladder rolled around, I was a little pooped and this one took more effort, but I finished strong. And aside from a screaming sciatica, which is really bad lately, I felt great. When I took it down to an 8:30 pace to cool down, I realized how much has changed over the past month or so. The pace felt slow, almost too slow, and a little awkward. My legs wanted to go much faster...which is a really good feeling.

Yesterday I really wanted to ride the bike trainer but I was anxious about my tempo run today. Why are tempo runs so intimidating to me??? So instead of tiring out my legs, I decided to lift and ride the bike at the gym for a little bit. It's really hard to balance workouts lately to make sure I'm recovering and ready for my next hard workout while trying to incorporate cross training. I'm making it work but think it would be much easier if we didn't need easy/recovery days. Then I could fit in everything I wanted!

So today, I had 10 miles with 5 miles at tempo (7:40). From the second I started I was thinking it was going to be hard. When I realized I was psyching myself out I tried to push those thoughts out of my head. I started telling myself, "I got this" and "I can do this." After a little while of chanting in my head, I found myself cruising at a 7:40 pace and feeling good. I held this for the first 3 miles then upped the speed a bit for the last 2. While it definitely wasn't as hard as I was anticipating, I realized that I think tempo runs are boring. I like the faster pace but I much prefer the ladder work out.

As for the sciatica, I'm now sitting at my desk, hunched over in a stretch position which could easily be mistaken as me trying to push out a turd. Lovely site. But the good news is that we finally made it through an entire week without any snow or ice and I'm super excited about getting outside for my 20 miler this weekend. After 3 or 4 (I can't even remember now) straight weeks of long runs on the treadmill, I've about had it.

This Week's Food

2011-02-08T09:08:00.000-05:00

Since things were slightly different this Sunday prepping food for the week, I thought I'd post another snapshot of what went on in the kitchen. I didn't get to make any granola bars this week but I promise to post the recipe soon since people have asked for it.

But before the food...the weather on Saturday forced me yet again to do my long run on the treadmill. I was dreading it ALL week and kept trying to think of a way to get out of it. But since I made plans with a friend to run together, I forced myself to stick to the plan. Turns out the run was nothing to be dreaded. I felt great and the miles flew by. I ran the first 6.5 at 9:05 and then the next 6.5 at 8:57. The final 4 I played with my speed and finished those averaging an 8:04 which is slightly faster than race pace. Best part, chafing was minimal. Thankfully, we are having a week without snow or ice and I'll be able to get outside for my 20 miler this weekend!! Here's a pic of the treadmill before I started on Saturday.

(Vaseline on the side, extra headband, towel, Gus, plenty o' water, headphones, Gu chomps which weren't needed)

Now...food time.

Of course, hard boiled eggs.

Grapes, picked and washed so they are ready to eat.

My fav...brussel sprouts!! Had to go with frozen this week. :-( This and the broccoli are for dinners.

Steamed broccoli which didn't all fit into this container so there's even more.

Baked sweet potato fries which turned out great. I coated in a little oil (I HATE the taste and feel of oil. Anything that makes your lips slippery grosses me out) and sprinkled with sea salt. These will be my carb with dinner.

Barley, one of my favorite grains. Made with water and a bouillon cube. Barley takes on the taste of whatever you cook it with so there are a ton of different ways to prepare it. This stays fresh for up to a week in the fridge.

The beginning ingredients for homemade cabbage veggie soup: garlic, carrots, celery, onion, bouillon cubes, cabbage and some spices.

Saute for a few minutes until soft then add water (8 cups), bouillon cubes, cabbage and other veggies.

I use green beans and cauliflower. Bring to a boil and simmer until veggies are soft.

Final product packaged and ready for a few lunches. It makes about 8-9 of these containers.

And finally, this is what I packed for work yesterday. A smoothie for my mid morning snack which is made from almond milk, mixed berries and 1 scoop protein powder. Then there's carrots, cabbage soup, turkey, salsa and a wrap for lunch. I ate the popcorn about an hour after lunch and then late afternoon I had the yogurt (TJ's fat free plain European style. I'm addicted to this stuff) with flax/wheat germ and grapes.

Note the wrap. That's the piece of saran wrap I'll reuse all week.

Here's my schedule for the week:

Mon - 5 mi

Tues - 10 mi with 3 ladders at 6:58

Wed - lift, bike

Thurs - 10 mi with 5 mi at tempo (7:35)

Fri - 5 mi, lift

Sat - 20 mi

Sun - swim

What Do You Do?

2011-02-04T14:36:00.003-05:00

We have a recycle bin at work, right next to the trash can. You can't miss it; it's huge and it's labeled for exactly what can be thrown in there. Yet there are people who still throw their recyclables in the regular trash. Honestly, it fires me up that people don't recycle. I'll admit I slip up from time to time but I at least make a very conscious effort to dispose of things properly and reuse whenever I can. Unless you live in some rural area which doesn't offer recycling, I see no reason why you shouldn't be doing it.

I sometimes wonder if besides recycling my trash, if the other "little" things I do add up or make a difference. Here are some of those "little" things I do...

I don't like using paper towels as it is. But if I do, I reuse them if they are only used to dry an apple, or my hands, etc. And if I use one to cover my plate when I heat it up in the microwave, Andy will reuse it to heat up his dinner. I may even go as far as to then use that same paper towel as my napkin.
I HATE using baggies. I *had* to throw one away the other day and it killed me. I rarely use baggies but if I do, I reuse that thing as long as I can.
I reuse a piece of saran wrap used to bring my wrap into work all week long. I have a way of folding it so I know the outside that touches my desk or lunch bag will never touch my food.
I have actual utensils at work so I don't waste plastic. And if I have to use plastic (like today I had to find a knife), I'll wash it and reuse it.
I will NOT buy bottled water. Enough said. I can't discuss this topic without getting all fired up.
I buy my yogurt in the bigger containers because I can't stand the thought of all those little containers filling up landfills. Think about all those little containers on the shelf in the grocery store...oh lord!
I buy big containers of hand soap and refill soap dispensers rather than throwing away and buying new little plastic soap dispensers.
I use reusable grocery bags at the store. Any time we end up with plastic bags they are used for scooping litter. And even then, we fill that plastic bag to the rim with cat pees and poops before we throw it out.
Any food or take out container with a lid, gets reused for something. Those little tins from mints make great containers to hold safety pins in your running gear bag or spare change in your car. Plastic chinese take out containers are great for lunches. And glass jars are good for when you make nut butters, or to store homemade soup, or holding all those random extra buttons that come on your clothing!
When I can, I try to buy food in containers which I know are recyclable. If there's a #1 or #5, I'll go with the plastic that is recycled in my area. Not always possible, but sometimes there is a choice.

Those are just some of the little things I try to do on a daily basis. Do they help, I dunno. They will never offset the people who don't recycle, but at least I know I did what I could and I tried.

What little things do you do???

Oh, and since I'm talking about this, if you haven't seen "No Impact Man", I highly recommend it. It's about a young couple and their baby attempting to reduce their carbon footprint. You can watch the trailer here. They even go as far as not using toilet paper. I have to admit, that is something I just could not do...but I applaud them for their efforts to this cause.

Here's a picture of a pencil cup I made out of a tonic water bottle for my sister's desk at work. It says, "Bottle Pencils Not Water." :-)

Feelin' Good

2011-02-02T13:21:00.002-05:00

Woke up to a sheet of ice covering everything outside this morning. It's so pretty to look at but makes such a mess and causes broken trees and power outages. When I got to the kitchen this morning I noticed water running down the wall in several spots from the skylights and the back windows. I threw open the shades and water splashed everywhere. It wasn't dripping but actually running out of any place it could. A little freaked out, I did what every Daddy girl does and I called my Dad. Turns out the windows weren't leaking but there was water trapped on the roof from all the snow we've had and it got in between the walls. Dad came up with some tool to clean snow off the roof and thankfully that stopped it. Now the rain and melting snow has some place to go other than through my walls onto my nice hardwood floors. Don't know what I'd do without that man...

In other news, I finished off January with 175 miles. I'm really happy with that considering it was the start of training and I'm only running 5 days a week to ensure I make time for cross training and lifting. I...feel...so...good and I attribute this to the cross training. Not only does it help with muscular imbalances, I really think it helps my running. Overall, it was a strong month for me and I ended up only taking 2 complete rest days. One of which wasn't needed but I had too much fun the night before, slept in and then was too tired after work to do anything. I'm annoyed about that one. But now it's 8 weeks till race day and week 1 of my 4 hardest weeks of Shamrock training. I've been preparing myself more mentally than anything for these 4 weeks because it's harder than I've ever pushed myself before. Sort of makes me wonder how I ever qualified for Boston in the first place because I definitely don't feel like I worked nearly as hard as I am now. I think if I can get through this full week and see that it's manageable, then the next 3 will be less intimidating. I'm sure by the end of the third week I'll be ready to think about tapering.

I've also realized that I actually enjoy running more when I run faster. I know I always had these paces in me; I just never pushed myself to run them consistently. But even with that being said, I can tell the paces are getting easier and I continue to get more comfortable with them. I'm not running anything over an 8:30 except for my long runs and even then I'm keeping a 9 minute mile with increasing speed towards the end of the run. As the weeks progress if I need more recovery, I'll definitely back off the pace a bit in between the hard workouts. But for now, I love how the runs feel so I'm sticking with it. I can not wait until Shamrock!!

Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - 5 mi, a little lifting
Tues - 10 mi, 2 ladders at 6:58
Wed - bike trainer
Thurs - 10 mi, 4 miles at tempo (7:40)
Fri - 5 mi, lift
Sat - 17 mi
Sun - cross train, lift