Papa Johns 10 Miler

Feeling pretty happy with my time today, considering the lack of training. Had a horrible night's sleep - thunderstorms late and the dog was up barking for a few hours. Had one too many beers and no water, so that didn't help. Honestly thought I would have to walk most, if not all of it, with the way I felt this morning. Feeling refreshed and happy that I did it now that it's over, though. Met a lot of Landsharks out pre-race for a photo and to wish everyone good luck. The gun went off and I focused on getting through the first three miles before hitting the park. I did 4:1 intervals and felt strong. In the park, my goal was to walk the hills and run anything flat or down-hill. Think I may have lost a little bit of time there - and knew it was true when I uploaded the Garmin and my time at miles 4,5,6 were significantly lower than on the way in and then out of the park. Three miles left when we leave the park and it's relatively flat except for the wicked hill at mile 9. Walked all of this one (about three minutes total) and then just had one, one-minute break between then and coming across the finish line. About halfway through the race I made my goal a sub 2-hour race (my best 10 miler is 1:50:06), so I figured 1) that was doable, and 2) I would be happy with that since my only goal getting out of bed this morning was just to finish. So... I stepped across the finish line and came in at 1:58:20. I will take it. It's my second-best time for that course, and considering I've been a lazy bum so far this year, felt it was nothing to shake a stick at. The KDF mini is in a month, and I feel I need/want to get into a routine of biking/running these next four weeks so I can do well with that one too. The new course, which was started last year, is almost completely flat, so I feel I should be able to do pretty well - if I would just train! But for now, I sit here in my sweats with my dog, and look forward to a nice little nap before cheering Kentucky on in the Final Four. Go Cats!

Gotta get going.....

2012 has certainly started off as a very busy year! I decided to open a private practice, which kicked off in February, and between that and continuing to work my full-time position as well as doing some additional on-call work, I have been both busy and exhausted - sometimes simultaneously.

The weather has been unseasonably warm the past few weeks however, and it dawned on me these past few days that instead of taking advantage of it by biking, running, etc. I have done little more than relax and read outside. I came across a few Ironman videos on You Tube today though, and have been re-inspired to get back out there and get going.

Some good news - I have been significantly watching my food portions this year, and have lost a total of 12 pounds! I'm now down to a "flat tummy" weight of 138. And although I'm not sure I want or need to lose anymore necesssarily, I do feel that I want to continue down a healthy path and at least tone up, work on my cardio and endurance, and attempt a decent time in the Derby Festival half marathon this year (just over a month away).

I haven't really done much in the way of running or biking since February (See: Absolutely none). But.... I've obviously completed races with little to no training in the past, so I'm not too concerned. Again though, I would like to step it up and at least ATTEMPT to have a decent time. So.... without further ado, the bike has been racked to the car, helmet, pump and clothing are loaded up, and after a full day of work tomorrow I plan to get in a good 10+ miles in this gorgeous weather!

It's been months!

Well, since my full marathon in Chicago in October, I did complete the St. Louis Rock and Roll Half Marathon in late-October - after that....... nothin'! It's been a tough year - lots of work stress, the ending of a significant relatioship, a bout with depression - all of which really hamper a gals motivation level and energy. So.... I shouldn't have been surprised when I stepped on the scale today to discover that I am officially 20 pounds over my "comfortable" weight. This is not to say that I'm "overweight," as many people who know me personally would probably tell you that I look healthy and thin. However, for a medium framed 5'5" woman, I should weigh no more than 141 pounds. I'm 150. YIKES!

There is a history of obesity in my family, which is frightening to me since so many family members have passed away due to unhealthy lifestyle habits. And though I have worked my ass off (literally sometimes) in the past to stay thin, healthy and in-shape, slacking off this year really did me in. I can't believe how fast it seemed to have come on. I can remember going to the doctor a few years ago, stepping on the scale at 130, and my doctor telling me to "watch it" since I had an increase of 5-10 pounds since my prior visit. Just a year ago, it was 140. And now.... ugh! I shutter at the thought of sitting here at the same time next year complaining of the dreaded 160. No way! I'm putting a stop to this now!

I got on the treadmill yesterday - the first time in forever - for a slow and steady three miles. Then on to the bike trainer today after work for a 45 minute spin. I can't remember the last time I worked out two days in a row. Along with this, I'm also taking a homeopathic that is supposed to aid in depression, mood, concentration, energy and (subsequently) is a natural appetite suppressant. I've never been big on diet pills, as I love to eat, and don't think low fat/no fat foods are exactly "healthy" (I mean, what's the point, right?) So....although I had decided just a few months ago to slow down on the races in 2012 (I completed 19 in 2010, and at least 7 in 2011), I'm going to use these races to give me the added motivation I need to get my ass up and out and work off some of this fat!

Chicago Marathon - Part II

Well, just like with most all of my races, I had good intentions of training hard and solidifying a good performance this year - especially since I blew my first marathon in 2009 (also Chicago). But, much like most of my races, I failed my goal of weekend long-runs and cross training on the bike. Instead, Alicia and I winged the 26.2 miles we ran/walked 4 days ago, and I'm STILL paying for it!

Reading older posts, you've probably determined by now that although I love to race, I hate to train. And, as those of you that race know, these two combinations don't go together too well - especially when you're talking long distances, such as the marathon. But, having done it twice before (and twice before promising myself I would never do it again), I went out with high hopes but no expectation other than to finish. Now.... normally during a non-trained-for half marathon I can still get a halfway decent finishing time despite a tired body and sore legs. Since my back-to-back races in May however (the Derby HM on Saturday, Flying Pig full on Sunday), my knees haven't quite been what they used to be. And boy oh boy did I feel it this past weekend.

The weather was decent at the start, but by "decent" I mean it was cool enough to run a marathon in had it stayed that way. However, when the sun came out and the air temperature started to rise, we knew we were in for a scorcher of a race. We did our regular 4:1 intervals to start and I was amazed at how good I felt. I usually take a while to warm up and then knock it out of the park 3-4 miles in, but this was unlike anything I've ever felt at the beginning of a race before, so I had a small thought that perhaps I could actually have a decent no-training-for-this-race run afterall.

Alicia had even less training than I did, so it didn't surprise me when she had to cut the running distance short and walk more. This went on after the first 3-4 miles, and stayed that way until 8 or so. For the few miles after that, I felt we were holding our own pretty well, and were still on our way to a decent race. At one point I looked down and saw that we were on pace to do a 5:15 - 5:30 finish, which would have been a PR for us both. Little did we know at the time, Karma had a different idea of how this race would go.

I'm not sure at what point we felt it, or who felt it first, but the injuries of marathons past - hey, I kinda like that label, witty me :) - soon crept up and my left knee (the one I WASN'T already wearing a brace on), and Alicia's ankle started to whisper to us that they were present and accounted for. Soon before the half-way mark we were both doing little more than walking, and had both already agreed that we would be perfectly fine with walking the remainder of the race so long as we finished it. No truer words have been spoken during a race, because that is pretty much exactly the way it went down. Between blistered feet, GI issues, tweeking ankles, and aching knees we all but ditched any sort of run/walk method and instead turned our marathon into a nice little "hey, let's catch up with one another" stroll.

This went on for many miles, and we seemed to be doing okay with it. At mile 16 someone handed us both a beer and we enjoyed and took comfort in the fact that we were having a good time and that the pain was at least bearable - heck, we may even feel the best we've ever felt after a race considering the amount of exersion we're NOT putting into it. My naive little mind actually thought this for a long time into the second part of the race. I'm not sure at what point in all changed, but if I had to guess I'd say it was somewhere between 19 and 22 miles because at 22 I hit a complete and utter brick wall that did everything it could to not allow me to go any further.

By this point I had switched the knee brace to my left leg, although it really was too late. Alicia had caught somewhat of a second wind and was doing her usual high-pitched, so giddy you wanna slap her motivational talk and wanted nothing more than to finish the race if only to stop the pain. I, however, would have loved to do the same, but my knee hurt so badly that I could do little more than limp ahead. We began intervals of "shuffling" and walking just to get closer to the finish line a little bit faster. Whene we got to the 25th mile I felt somewhat relieved until I realized that this would be the LONGEST. MILE. EVER. One thing we had going for us however, is that at least we weren't the young woman who lay on the ground a mere 1/2 mile to the finish with EMS standing around her chugging a bottle of water. I mean, at least we were going to make it to the finish line. Right?

We turned our next-to-last corner and saw the last, and only, hill of the entire course (who the hell does that, by the way? ends a marathon on a hill????) and knew we were home free. Alicia ran ahead as I was still hobbling in pain, and finished probably 10-15 seconds faster than my unofficial time of 6:58:32. Yes, I had a seven hour marathon! Pathetic. But.... at least I went out there and did it - pain and all. It's not something I ENJOY doing. It's just that I tend to get myself in these situations where I have good intentions of knocking one out of the park, only to realize a few weeks before the race that I've had time (or energy, or motivation, or any other excuse you want to insert here) to do little more than hang out in the dugout all season. So, we'll chock this one up to another one of Connie's grand ideas that didn't quite pan out. Yes, I got the medal, and yes I have the blisters and still-throbbing knees to prove that I did the race. But I would much rather be sitting here typing out a post on how I trained with all my blood, sweat and tears and went out on race day knowing that I gave it my best shot. I haven't felt that way in any races this year. Maybe it's time to try something different..... Until next time.

Providence Rock and Roll Half Marathon

Obviously been a while since I've updated anything, and mostly that has been due to working A LOT, and hence not training much at all - for anything. I geared it up for a bit there, preparing for the Rev 3 Half IM to take place in a week, but after working way too many hours, and being unable to find the time or energy to train properly, I backed out and have decided to try another time.
I did complete the Providence R&R Half at the beginning of August, and took the opportunity to also turn it into a mini-vacation in Boston for a few days. It was pretty humid when we arrived on the Saturday before the race, and by Sunday morning the rain had started. We were already pretty drenched before the race even started, so it was no big deal when it decided to rain - sometimes downpour - during the ENTIRE 13.1 miles. Unfortunate for me, I remembered to Body Glide my thighs, but not the insides of my arms, so by the end of the race I had two spots that had been rubbed raw and hurt like heck! For not training much (other than some long bike rides over the summer), I finished in a respectable time of 2:39:13.
A few weeekends later, I was watching the Louisville Ironman in my hometown and it really got me bummed that I pulled out of Rev 3. I just don't know if I want to try to push myself to that limit (both physically, AND mentally) after minimal training. Speaking of which.....
Chicago is in 4 weeks, and although I've tried to get Alicia to meet me out a few weekend mornings to run, nothing has panned out. I have good intentions by telling myself that I'm going to run anyway, even without a partner, but longer distances are hard to complete alone. The wienie part of me starts telling myself that I'm too tired, I'm too hot, I can't go on, and that 3 miles should be plenty for today - there's always next weekend. So, I've just sent her a text asking that we meet this weekend for a 10 miler, and then add on 4 miles to each additional weekend building up to Chicago. I know it's not ideal training, but it's certainly better than nothing - and the last thing I want is a repeat of Memphis.
But for now, no more races scheduled until then. Was toying with doing either a sprint or olympic tri this weekend, but after paying some bills I don't really have the extra cash, so I'm gonna wait to hear back from Alicia and hope for the best. Worse case scenario - I go out on my own and muddle through the best I can. Until next time...

Buckheads Border Challenge Olympic Tri

Well, another tri down, another Sunday spent relaxing after a hot shower and glowing over my finish. The tri started on the banks of the Ohio River on the Kentucky side, and took us to the Indiana side where we finished the full .9 miles. It was a somewhat tough course, as I had a hard time keeping track of the direction I was going, and spent lots of time near the end trying to keep away from the bank where lots of rocks, logs and weeds loomed. Almost as tough as the swim, though, was trying to walk my way out of the water in knee-deep mud for 50-feet or so. I looked at my watch upon getting out, and saw that it took me 47 minutes to finish - about 8 minutes slower than Knoxville, and 5 minutes faster than Taylorsville, both of which took place last year.

I hopped on the bike after spraying myself wish some SPF, donning my helment and sunglasses, and slipping on my shoes. I believe I was in transition for approximately 2 1/2 minutes, then pedaled away. This was a two-loop out-and-back course which was nearly completely flat! I don't mind courses set up this way, as it gives me a chance to see what's coming the next time around so I know what to expect. Plus, I like to break the race up a little bit, and thinking, "Okay, just three (or two, or one) more of what I just did and I'm done." It was hard to tell who was on their first or second loop, so I wasn't sure exactly how far behind I was. (I say "far behind" b/c I'm pretty sure I was one of the last people out of the water). When I got to the last turnaround I noticed approximately 4-5 bikes behind me, so I felt assured that I wasn't the LAST person on the course.

Finishing up the bike course (in approximately 1:36), I traded my helmet for a hat, sprayed more SPF, and put on some socks and shoes before heading out on jello-like legs. I walked a large part of the first mile, and was concerned that I may have to walk all of it. At this point, the water I consumed on the bike was catching up with me, and I had to pee like a race horse! I asked a few volunteers if there were any porta-pots ahead, and was more than a little discouraged to hear that there weren't any, but instead there was a nice lot of woods near the turn around point. Jeez buddy, thanks a lot. That doesn't quite help a female wearing a one-piece trisuit. Needless to say, I got to the half-way point just fine, turned around, and just couldn't hold it any longer. I commenced to squatting behind a large piece of concrete and let it rip - through my trisuit. I had heard of triathletes "going" in their gear before, mostly during half and full Ironman competitions, and always thought that was more than a little gross. However, with more than 3 miles left to go, a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do. Luckily, there was a water stop ahead and I was able to douse my contaminated suit with water to keep from any additional stinkiness.

Coming around the corner to make my way back across the Second Street Bridge and towards the finish line, a volunteer asked if I had passsed anyone. "No, I think I'm the last one," I replied. This statement doesn't bother me much, since I also finished dead-last in the Taylorsville Olympic Tri this time last year. Hey, at least I'm out here doing it, right? The only thing that concerned me at this point was that I had heard that they close the race down at the four hour point. I wasn't sure at what point they started timing this four hours, but I didn't want to take any chances. I walked the up-hill of the bridge, and ran as much of the decent into Indiana as possible. For the remainder of the half-mile or so, I ran/walked until I saw the "Finish" sign up ahead. Surely I can run to the finish line, right? All of these people still standing around, waiting for the last person to cross - I can't let the public down! I pulled it out of me and ran the last .3 miles or so until coming to a stop after crossing under the Finish sign, and that lovely medal was hung around my neck.

All in all, it was a pretty good race. I can now say I swam across the river from Kentucky to Indiana - not many people can. The bike courses flat surface was a nice break from the hills I'm so used to in these races, and even the run was mostly flat which helped keep me sane. Oddly enough, even though it took me 3:55 to finish, it didn't seem that long. The bike seemed to fly by, and even the run wasn't so brutal.

A few things that I would change about this race - make sure there are places to use the potty along the course - this would be my #1 complaint. If I had to go #2, it would have been bad news bears. Also, they advertised that there would be clocks along the course, and there were not. I don't mind this so much b/c I wear a watch, which is what I always go by since it's accurate to MY personal time. But beyond clocks, mile markers would have been nice. Thirdly, they also advertised that there would be a Kids Fun Zone with inflatables and whatnot to keep kids busy during the race. There was nothing that resembled this at all. Again, if you're going to advertise something, make sure you have it. And lastly, and probably the most important for some people (those who compete to win or look forward to winning some prize money, or just want their finishing time set in stone), I heard that the timing for the race was not working (either correctly or at all), so there are no official finishing times, meaning no awards for those who really work hard to kick ass at these races. I understand that accidents happen, but for some people their finishing time is a really big deal!

For an inaugural race though, I thought it was mostly excellent, and I give it one-and-a-half thumbs up! And, for me personally, I now know what to work on over the next few months as I prepare for the HalfRev in Ohio in September. Definitey looking forward to it!

Tri Training Resumes, and first Duathlon Completed

It's been a week since my first-ever duathlon, and I'm starting to really get into the groove of tri-training again. I have my first Olympic of the year (third overall) in approximately one month, and the half-ironman in exactly 3 months from today. Although I haven't swam much, I have been getting out on the bike a lot more, and trying to keep up with running. The running is harder with Kentucky's humid, summer heat, but I'm doing the best I can with 3-4 milers a few times a week.

The duathlon was put on by Oldham Co. Parks and Recreation and was a 3k run/10 mile bike/3k run. I told Alicia afterwards that I felt this duathlon was harder than a tri since we were on our feet running, then cycling, then running again. The course was the same that I've done twice before through the Oldham Co. Tri, and the hills weren't any easier this time around. I felt fairly decent throughout, although we walked a lot of the last 3k. It was a fairly small race with only 50 or so participants, which was only proved by my getting runner-up in my age group at an unofficial 1:33:34 finishing time. I believe only a handful of participants came in after Alicia and I crossed the finish line.

I'll probably do a duathlon again, although my focus right now is on the Oly tri swim that will take me from the banks of Kentucky to the banks of Indiana. A little scared about that one, but I figured if it was that unsafe they wouldn't have gotten the go-ahead to schedule the event. My legs are definitely feeling stronger this year - I can go up one particular hill at 8mph rather than the 6mph I was struggling with last year. ;) I think I just need to invest in some softer, thicker, more comfortable bike shorts so my toosh doesn't hurt nearly so bad. Butt (pun intended), I guess that's the price we triathletes pay for the sport we love!