Habits

Yesterday I walked into work carrying my gym bag...instead of my hard hat, safety glasses, and respirator. I found great humor in this. Except that it was raining and I have to walk quite a distance between my car and the office...

The first race of the season is out of the way. Now it's time to get serious about training...

Race: Vancouver Lake Half Marathon
Location: Vancouver, WA Distance: Half Marathon (13.1 miles)
Time: 02:28:00 (pace = 11:18 min/mi) Despite my huge amount of under-training for this event, I PR'd the distance by over 2 minutes and beat last year's time by about 26 minutes. Woohoo!

Pre-race:

I've struggled with the motivation to run ever since the Portland Marathon back in October followed by a half marathon 2-weeks later. As a newcomer to endurance sports, I often have difficulty finding a happy and healthy balance between obsessive training and couch potato. The past 3-4 months have definitely leaned towards the couch potato side of the spectrum. Suddenly I found myself 2 weeks out from the first race of the year, completely undertrained and even less motivated to start running again. The only thing left to do was make the most of it and try to enjoy the experience. And let it be a (painful) lesson learned.

Warm-up:

The day prior, a few of us played hooky from our Saturday workout and went snowshoeing instead. It was a blast, but I woke up on race morning very sore with blistered feet. And...an inch of snow on the ground. My warmup consisted of ibuprofen, bodyglide, poptart, coffee,and huddling around a propane heater. The race:

This event is quite small, and most of the participants are members from the local running clubs. They are mostly fast. The winner usually knocks out just over a 5 min/mi pace. So, just like last year, my friend Mark (who is significantly faster than me) graciously decided to run alongside me and keep me moving forward. But, unlike last year, we were not left in the dust within 30 seconds of the horn going off. Yes, we were very clearly in the caboose, but not dead last. This was a nice start to the run.The entire race was fairly uneventful for me and was actually relaxing and peaceful. Those are two words that I rarely use, okay...never use, to describe running. The snow on the ground muffled neighborhood noise and made everything extraordinarily pretty to look at. Mark kept me company with many funny stories and pushed me just enough to be out of my comfortable sluggish pace. Around mile 8 we realized that we could probably break 2:30, which I had never done before. (Hey! No laughing!)We picked it up a little and by mile 11 I was very much ready to be done. I was convinced that we couldn't break 2:30 anymore and I was plenty vocal about it. Finally, Mark said to me "I have no patience for your negativity". We agreed for me to shut up and for him to continue making me laugh. Which he did. I was laughing so hard that the next mile disappeared. With big ol' grins, we sprinted in to the finish line in 2:28:00.

Warm-down:

As usual, I ate about 5 too many cookies (cookies are so yummy!) and downed a bunch of water. The crew from my gym had a tent set up with heaters and a propane stove/oven. There is nothing better than warm turkey noodle soup, hot cider, and freshly baked cookies right after a snowy race.

We've only just begun...

Saturday morning workouts are the toughest training day of the week. It starts at 6am with a pool swim. Usually 2100m, but there is little rest in between sets. And most people wear wetsuits (I don't), so it's a struggle to keep up with the people that I can normally cruise with. Then it's on to 75 minutes of spin class with the craziest spin instructor ever. Here are a few gems from recent classes:

"Come on you big sissies, get your head out of your crotch and PUSH. Suck in that fat gut too, because you're all disgusting me."

"No one likes a sissy! What? You're okay with getting that award for 'special honors'? They'll tell you that everyone is a winner, but guest what? IT'S NOT TRUE! Now CLIIIIIIIIIMBBBBB!!!!"

"Look at those thighs jiggling. You've all let yourselves go. Pathetic. Pathetic, ALL OF YOU. Now push. Push. PUSH. I....SAID....PUUUUUUSH. PUSHPUSHPUSHPUSHPUSH!!!!!!"

"Get what you came here for. Give a little now, get a lot back later. What's your flavor? That's right, KOOLAID! Everyone Is Drinking It RIGHT NOW!"

"No one likes a sissy. And if you are one, keep it to yourself for God's sake, don't tell anybody. If you're a sissy, just quit, get out of my class. Everyone else, STAND UP AND CLIMB! SUCK IN YOUR BIG....FAT....DISGUSTING...GUUUUUUUUTS!"

The classes have been getting progressively harder over the last few weeks. The pools of sweat under the bikes are starting to meld together and form rivers. Today was brutal. I would like to blame it on some minor nagging injuries, or cumulative fatigue from starting training again. But the truth -- I'm just out of shape and yeah, I've let myself go a bit lately, and really, his class is kicking my ass. KungFu style.

Today we did some climbing, some speed work, and then in the middle of class he told us to get off our bikes. Huh? Oh yeah, grab your bike, get on your tippy toes, squat. Good. Now hold that position for 3 minutes. Holy mother of the devil! Within a minute I was shaking pretty good. Shortly after that I started crying. And then thankfully it was time to get back on the bikes and sprint. About 10 minutes later we had to do it again. I was crying in about 30 seconds this time. I mean full on sobbing, tears dripping on the sweaty floor, snot stringing down my face kind of crying. Then we got to do 40 squats. Those weren't as bad though. And then 3 minutes of holding our elbows at shoulder height, pulling our arms back and then to the front clapping our hands.

It was a fantastic workout. But I'll be recovering from it all day. And probably tomorrow, but I have an 8 mile run to knock out. And during all this, I can't help but have this on repeat as the soundtrack in my mind - "we've only just begun...."

Sharky Swim 2009

Location: Lacamas Swim & Sport, Camas, WA
Distance: 5k (3.1 miles)
Time: 1:52:00 (pace = 2:14min/100m)

Last year I rang in the New Year by running a 5k at midnight, catching a few hours of sleep, and then swimming a 5k at my gym. Last year I was also swimming on a regular basis. I haven't been in the pool much this fall/winter. Despite a 2008 swim total of almost 150,000 meters, I only swam a combined total of 2750 meters in the entire month of December. So instead of committing to the entire Sharky Swim, I decided to show up and swim as much as I could. I figured 3000 meters was doable.

The night before the swim, Ken and I celebrated the passing of 2008 with some good friends in Portland. It was a mellow evening of drinks and watching the countdown on television. We were in bed by 1am, but 7:30am still came too early. I reluctantly changed into my swimsuit and loaded up. Ken came along to help count laps and snap a few photos (however, I forgot to pack the memory card for the camera...).

Last year I had a perfect group of ladies to swim with, and I was also wearing a wetsuit. This year, I had no wetsuit and no one the same pace to swim with. I tried doing the first 500m with some fun gals, but it was a tad too slow so I ultimately climbed into an empty lane and continued solo. After 2000 meters I knew I could easily complete 3000 meters. At 3000 meters I thought, "well, only another 800 meters and I'll have finished the Ironman swim distance." After 3800 meters I had to complete 4000. And then I was just too close to 5000 to quit. With about 500 meters left to go, my friend Jon (also fellow IMAZ09 competitor!) hopped into the lane with me and helped me finish up.

Final time was just shy of 2 hours (that is including breaks). About 12 minutes slower than last year, but with no wetsuit and no one to draft off of. And with little recent swim training, I'm thrilled. Woohoo, 2009 is off to a fabulous start!

Reflection on 2008

It has been one hell of a year. Looking back on my life, there have been very few, if any "bad" years. Rather, just very small random bad moments overshadowed by a lifetime of exceptionally happy memories. 2008 has been no different.

I rang in the new year with my best friend by my side, developed strong relationships with new friends, and was able to spend more time with my family. I continued to lose weight, received by first of several triathlon age group medals, completed my first Olympic distance triathlon, completed my first half ironman, ran my first half marathon, ran a MARATHON. And...I REGISTERED FOR IRONMAN. I made great progress at work, I stayed healthy, became even healthier, and helped friends to do the same. I traveled to beautiful places, met beautiful people, and witnessed beautiful weddings of close friends. WE GOT ENGAGED! I know that I am blessed and I am so very thankful.

Looking forward to 2009, I know that it is going to be another incredible year. My calendar is already filling up with fun travels and visits with friends and family. I will be taking my Professional Engineer exam in the spring, getting married in the summer, and completing Ironman in the fall. The winter will be reserved for hard-earned resting and celebrating.

May 2009 bring the highest level of happiness for all of you!

Lookout Tower - 2008

Last weekend, Ken and I headed to the mountains for our annual trek to Clear Lake Butte lookout tower. It's situated at the tip of a peak just south of Mt. Hood; about 10 miles from Government Camp. The snowshoe hike is about 4 miles, which depending on the quantity of snow, can take anywhere from 2-6 hours to hike in. This year the snow was not very deep, so we opted to pack heavy so that we would be comfortable for the entire weekend. Some of the more frivolous items: 6 pack of Jubelale and Black Butte Porter, bottle of red wine, pint of Rumplemintz (to accompany the hot cocoa of course), pint of vodka (to go with the full Nalgene of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice), some bourbon, lots of water, and enough food to feed about 8 people for a week. I don't know what Ken's pack weighed, but mine was probably between 50-60 pounds. Not terrible, but not exactly comfortable while trying to navigate on clunky snowshoes.

As we headed up the first hill, I kept thinking "dang, this hurts more than it should." I audibly complained hoping that Ken might take pity and unload a few of my water bottles. I know, I'm totally shameless. As we stopped for a short breather, I pondered why I was huffing and puffing, despite being 50 pounds lighter than I was four years ago. And four years ago I think I had an easier time getting to the tower. I mean, I just finished a marathon for crying out loud! And then it dawned one me. This year, yes, I am 50 pounds lighter. But I was also carrying a 50-pound pack. Oh. My. God. I used to carry ALL OF THIS around with me ALL OF THE TIME. How horrible for my joints, my bones, and my heart. I had no idea until the weight was gone and then I had to carry it around again.

I still have quite a ways to go with my weight loss. And unfortunately I've put a few back on since my peak of events this summer. But now I can quantify what I need to lose in a way that means something to me.

The full set of photos from our trip: http://picasaweb.google.com/SarahDBryant/2008LookoutTower?authkey=QUnPVNbgizI&feat=directlink

Sign-Ups for Ironman Arizona 2009

Since Ironman branded races have a tendency to sell-out a full year in advance, often on-site the day after the race, several of us decided to make the trek down to Tempe to sign up for Ironman Arizona 2009. Myself, Jon Peterson, and Tom Wortman volunteered at various locations on race day, then got priority line placement the next morning for sign-ups. We are all now $551 poorer.

I left rainy and windy Portland early Friday morning and arrived in Phoenix to warm sun, clear skies, and a light breeze. The rest of the day was filled with a short run/walk to shake off the sleepiness, dinner with some old friends of Jon, and then too late of a night with too many Jubelales around the patio table. 7:30am came early that next morning.

Saturday we were scheduled to be at the volunteer meeting at 9am and then mill around the race expo afterwards. We got to watch the athletes coming in and out of the water for the Gatorade Practice Swim in Tempe Town Lake, nervous men and women checking their bikes into transition, and supportive family members trying to hide their own nervousness as they helped shephard their sons/daughters/significant others from place to place.

Jon and his girlfriend Jessica wanted to head back to Scottsdale for a nap, so I stayed at the race site to take it all in. Some of my notes from people watching that afternoon:

• What is up with the compression socks? Do they really make a difference? I think I will get a pair to see what the fuss is about. At least then everyone will think that I'm "in the know".
• Wearing an IMAZ visor, tri top, tri shorts, and socks looks silly. Wearing it all the day before the race is certainly no exception.
• Triathletes, on average, are very wealthy.
• Riding your bike while carrying your 2 gear bags, cup of coffee, and toting your dog on a leash will not end well.
• Race wheels sure are pretty.
• Ironman boys are pretty too. And not always in a good way.
• There are literally thousands of supportive friends and family members. It's incredible how they put up with us.
• Cervelo city!
• If you're breaking into a dead sweat and wheezing, just by wheeling your bike into check-in, perhaps you may want to rethink doing the race?

Race Day:
We were up at 3:45am, out the door at 4am, and into transition at 4:30am. My first volunteer assignment of the day was bodymarking, and we had to be there prior to the competitors entering transition at 5am. Being in transition in the dark, with carbon and metal shimmering in the gleam of the spotlights, totally silent, is an amazing experience. Then the music started (U2 I think..."It's a Beautiful Day"...) and one-by-one, they started shuffling in . Wiping the sleep from their eyes (those that managed to get any sleep), trying to down the last of their high-calorie breakfast, and quadruple checking their bikes before heading to us to get inked.

The announcer was directing athletes, as well as spectators. And soon it was time to broadcast "5 minutes until the pro start". The pros were in the lake already. The other 2000+ competitors were lined up in transition, anxiously waiting to cross the triming mat and file into the dark water. The air temperature was just over 50°F, the lake was around 62°F. It was not a warm morning.
The cannon blasted for the pros, the national anthem was beautifully sung, and then the cannon blasted for the mass start. With the sun rising up in the background, the stillw ater under Mill Avenue Bridge turned into a splashing, frothy caldron. The blob moved forward as a single unit, and soon was off in the distance past where we could see. I cried as the last few swimmers struggled to move forward with them, knowing that doggy-paddling 2.4 miles wouldn't be enough. The DNF (did not finish) was only 2 hours 20 minutes away for them. Far too early after 365 days of training and preparation.
My next volunteer assignment was the women's change tent as they come out of the water and transition to the bike. No one warned me of the carnage that would take place here. It was fairly mild at first. The pro women and fast age-groupers needed little assistance. But as the clock ticked on, ladies came in needing so much help. Shivering uncontrollably, unable to open their gear bag, let alone change clothes/don shoes/clip helmet. One gal could only stare at me with blank eyes as I stripped her of her wet clothes and then dressed her, much as I would a young child. I helped her to her feet and walked her into the sunshine, hoping the warmth would be enough to get her out on the bike instead of the medical tent. A few needed help beyond our capabilities and ultimately had to be pulled from the race. I cried again.
During the mid part of the day, we walked from spot to spot on the course -- the cross-section on the run course where the loops intersect, the bike turnaround, transition, the finish line. We couldn't help ourselves from clapping and cheering for every person. My hands and throat took at least 4 days to return to normal.

Onto volunteer assignment #3: run special needs. I worked the megaphone for awhile, asking athletes to raise their hand if they were on loop 2 and wanted their bag. As time went on, some couldn't muster the strength to lift their arm. They would instead lift their gaze, make eye contact with me, and slightly nod their head. I cried for the third time that day. Later on I helped retrieve bags and did more clapping and cheering.
Later that night we reached a point where we were all too exhausted to stay and decided to call it a night. I think we all felt guilty because there were still so many people out on the course far more exhausted and worn down than us. Next year... Our goal this time was to sign-up for 2009, and we still needed to pack, shower, go to bed, and be back out by 5am.

Four hours after my head hit the pillow, the alarm sounded. My normal routine would be to hit snooze and roll back over, but I was...EXCITED!!! Time to sign-up for 2009!!! We arrived to only about 25 other people in line. Huh? I thought this was a big deal? I've read of sign-up lines stretching hundreds deep. But, within 30 minutes, the line was far into the distance and we were glad for the early arrival. We huddled under our mylar blankets (there was a leftover box from the night before) and anxiously waited for registration to open at 6:30am. Finally! FINALLY! We were ushered into to the tent to a volunteer, forked over our credit cards, and got the magic slip of paper with the confirmation number for 2009!
Now, back home again, I'm excited to get back to training. My motivation has returned and I'm ready to dig in and rack up the training hours. Less than 360 days to go...

Girlfriends Half Marathon

If you read my previous blog post, then you know I headed into this with a little whopper of a cold. It was still a good day. Requisite race report:

Girlfriends Half Marathon
Date: 10/19/2008
Distance: 13.1 miles
Time: 2:30:xx (results not posted yet) = pace of 11:27/mile

*Despite my bitching and moaning about being sick, this ended up being a PR for me. Yeah, I did have an easy time to beat, but it's still a PR.

Pre-Race:
The race started only about 2 miles from my house, so I slept in until the last possible moment. Then I took a shot of dayquil, drank a cup of theraflu daytime, took a decongestant, and had my Mom (who is in town visiting) drive me there while I drank a cup of coffee. I should mention that I've been fighting off a sinus infection and monster cold for the last week or so...

Me at home before the run --Warmup:
I found Kristin who was parked nearby and climbed into her warm car. But then she had to pee, so then I walked around and shivered talking to friends. Girlfriends Jenn, Jen, Lisa, and Nadine were also running.

A beautiful rendition of the National Anthem was sang by a very talented woman. After that, we lined up at the start line with 1000 ladies, and took off.

The Run:
As usual, I started off a little fast until I fell into a comfortable pace. By mile 3 my outer shirt was covered in snot, and I was getting warm, so I gave it to DeDe. She was a supportive spectator since she's out with an injury (she did recently kick major butt at the Portland Marathon though!). By mile 5 I was hurting pretty badly. Oh, did I mention I did the marathon a week ago and haven't ran since (note the above mentioned killer cold)? Somewhere in here we got to pass runners going the opposite direction from the out-and-back and I got to wave to all my lovely lady friends.
Jenn and Jen (you can barely see her) --Anyway, I chugged along and just listened to tunes on the MP3. But then the batteries went dead. So I struck up conversations with various women until they got grossed out by my constant string of snot rockets.
My Happy Face --At mile 10 my Mom and fiance, Ken, were waiting for hugs and photos. I wasn't expecting them there, so that was a great uplifter. I saw them again right before mile 12.
My Mom walking with me just before mile 12 --

There was one last short hill through a park. After that it was home free to the finish. I crossed the finish line, collected my snot-soaked shirt, and loaded up in the car.
The Finish Line --
Warm Down:
Hot shower, theraflu, and a nap.

Event Comments:
This event really is awesome awesome awesome. 100% of the proceeds go towards breast cancer research. All women in a race is pretty sweet to see. The support is amazing. There are tons of volunteers -- many of whom are men. I hear the post-race activities are worth sticking around for too. So aside from this not being the best day for me personally, the event itself is fantastic!


HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Kristin who finished her first half marathon!

Another Half Marathon

Tomorrow I get to do the Girlfriends Half Marathon. It's for girls only. 1000 girls actually. 100% of the proceeds go to breast cancer research. And men take care of us all morning -- at the aid stations and at the finish line. Rumor has it that hunky fireman give us necklaces at the end.

I haven't ran since the marathon exactly 2 weeks ago. It's because I got sick (well, and I'm sort of tired of running)...I now have a sinus infection and the makings of pneumonia. But I'm on antibiotics, so I should be in the clear. Armed with lozenges, theraflu, and a wad of kleenex, I'll be at the starting line in the morning. I'll take care not to cough on anyone and to aim my snot loogies away from the ladies. And then I get to go back to bed.

"It Is Never As Bad As It Seems. It Is Never As Good As It Seems."

If you had asked me earlier this year if I would ever run a marathon, separate from an Ironman of course, my response would have been "Hah! Like hell! I'm a triathlete, not a runner." But after finishing the half ironman and continuing my training for Hood-to-Coast, I found myself right on target for the Portland marathon training. After a couple of beers one night, I signed up. My initial thought was "huh, that was dumb." My thought the next morning was "yep, pretty stupid." Indeed, my thought the evening before the race, as I was methodically filling fuel belt bottles with GE and stuffing GU into nooks and crannies of my gear, was "shoot, this was the silliest idea ever." But I trained anyway. Sort of. My plan was to poll fellow runners each Monday morning to see what their week looked like. I would pick what sounded the best to me (read: the shortest) and do that. Whatever, it worked. I finished. And I finished pretty darn happy too! Here is my race report:

2008 Portland Marathon (that's 26.2 miles, in case you didn't know)
10/5/2008

Pre-race:
I ate an English muffin w/ PB&J, drank some coffee, posed for a picture, and then kissed my sweetie-pie goodbye before heading downtown with Jeff, Natalie, and Tom W. Once there, we hit the porta-potty line and then continued to hydrate. I stood with the 5:30 pace group for a bit, then moved up to the 5:00 pace group. After thinking about it, I moved back to the 5:30 pace group. And then back to the 5:00 pace group, but towards the back of it.


Warm up:
Walking back and forth between pace groups while neurotically trying to decide where to seed myself. Oh, and I saw Jenn, DeDe, and Lisa from the club. What a treat to see them before the run!

The run:
It took about 10 minutes to cross the starting line. That was frustrating because we would start moving, and then stop. Then we would move again and get all excited. And then stop. Once we crossed the start line, there was quite a bit of room to move around. The only exception was when a couple of nordic walkers busted through and runners tripped all over their wildly flung trekking poles.

Miles 1-4 were super easy. But I had to pee. I finally came up on a set of potties that didn't have a line. Ah, relief. 1 minute 42 seconds of relief. I caught back up to the 5:00 pace group and cruised on until mile 7.5, where my support crew was waiting for me. Ken (fiance) took photos, Desi (best friend) ran with me for a couple of miles, and Steve (Desi's boyfriend) cheered. I LOVED LOVED LOVED having them out there!
I ended up ahead of the 5:00 pace group for awhile. As I was coming up on mile 12, a haunted voice popped into my head. "It is never as bad as it seems. And it as never as good as it seems." The latter part of the quote is what was getting to me. I felt SO GOOD. And then, like clockwork, and mile 15 the air was let out of my tires. I was going too fast to sustain for 26.2 miles. And the 5:00 pace group got a new leader with fresh legs and started running close to 10-11 minute miles. I let them go ahead.
Mile 16 has the infamous climb up to the St. Johns bridge. It's beautiful in here, so I focused on the scenery and smell of the forest, rather than the climb. I walked 1:00, ran 1:00. Over and over again. I was passing people the entire way, so that was a confidence builder. Finally...I was on top and at mile 17. Woohoo!

I was expecting the gang to be on the other side of the bridge around mile 18. I needed refueling and just a moral boost. They weren't there, so I looked for them at mile 19. Nope. Mile 20. Uh uh. Oh crap. I needed my Gu and GE. I started cramping. I got down on myself for being so slow. Then a song came on my MP3 that brought out the emotions and the tears started rolling. Within seconds I heard a familiar voice. Kristin! She ran with me for a little while (with her backpack bouncing around) and called Ken to let him know where I was. Turns out, they were going back and forth trying to find me, but my predicted paces were so off target (my bad), that it made it nearly impossible to find me. If it weren't for her, I may have never met up with them the rest of the course. Love you K!

Just past mile 21, my sweetie-pie was running across the street with an arm full of bottles and Gu packets. I got a quick kiss, my smile came back on my face, and I was recharged for the remaining 5 miles.

Miles 22-25 were physically tough, especially the downhills. My pace slowed down a lot. I ran when I could and walked when I couldn't run. But despite the pain, all of us in the marathon were giving support to everyone else. It was great.

Mile 25 appeared and I knew I was home free. I tried to run the entire last mile. Sadly, I didn't have it in me. But I ran most of it. At mile 26, I saw Ken and posed for a few photos. He gave me his phone so that I could call my Mom after the finish line, and said he would see me in the reunion area.
I rounded the corner to the finish chute and saw Steve and Desi cheering me on. I think Desi was smiling wider than I was. Yay, I did it!
Warm down:
I walked through the finishers area and loaded up on cookies, chocolate milk, and chips. I also stopped to have a finisher's photo taken. I felt a little silly because everyone else was posing with friends, but I was all by myself.

Ken helped me change into dry clothes, and then we all went to my favorite NE Portland joint for bloody mary's and french toast!
Event comments:
This is a GREAT event. I don't have anything to compare it to, as far as marathons go. But I very much enjoyed myself [almost] the entire time. Entertainment groups were at least every mile, the volunteers were super friendly, and people lined up outside their homes to give encouragement.

Up until about 1 hour before the race, I wanted to back out. I had no desire to do a marathon and I didn't think it meant anything to me at all. When I started running, I knew that if I didn't finish that I would be devestated. Part way through the run, I realized that I had goals I didn't even know about. And as I crossed the finish line, I just about exploded, I was so happy. This non-runner just finished a marathon!!!

Marathon? Check.

Okay, I DID IT!!! It's over! Thank goodness. It was mostly a good day, with the exception of a little black hole around mile 21 that Kristin quickly pulled me out of (thanks girlie!). Also, my fiance Ken, along with our dear friends, Steve and Desi, followed me around the course providing great moral support. I love them! I'll write a longer report later, but here is a link to photos from the day:
http://picasaweb.google.com/SarahDBryant/2008PortlandMarathon#

Final Time - 5:17:56
Pace - 12:08/mile

Oh Crap!

I have to run a marathon tomorrow!

[Pulls hair out of head while running around looking for running shoes under piles of suitcases.]

The Biggest Loser

The premier of "The Biggest Loser" is on tonight. I love this show. Granted, I don't like some of the aspects of it (body weight percent rather than body fat percent, the high school-ish drama, etc.), but I love that it takes every-day people and shows the world that they too can lose weight and get in shape. Inspiring. I think it's awesome that there is such a huge focus on EXERCISE and not just diet. Americans seem to miss that part most of the time. I know I did for, oh, about 6 years.

Tomorrow, Ken and I are going to have our own Biggest Loser challenge. I've packed on close to 10 pounds since the half ironman (and hey, I've happily earned every pound!). Ken looks fabulous as far as I'm concerned, but he could probably stand to slim down a few pounds. Since I haven't sprung for a body-fat scale yet, we are going on body weight percent. Stay tuned for our progress!

Longest Run

The Portland Marathon is just around the corner -- exactly 3 weeks from today. When I signed up for the marathon, my goal was to get myself into half-marathon shape. So that this winter I could run any race that I felt like entering without planning ahead. Now that I can knock out 13 miles with no problem, I'm feeling a bit lost. My motivation has disappeared. I do not want to do the marathon. My heart is simply not in it. But I was raised by my parents to finish what I start. Damn morals. I called my Mom the other day to whine and complain about it. She offered me $100 to drop out. That was her way of telling me it was okay if I chose to not finish the marathon journey. But my conscious won out and I found myself waking up before sunrise this morning. Filling my nutrition bottles, donning my running shoes, and driving to the gym while the rest of the world slept in on a chill Sunday morning.

My good friend Sondra was a blessing, as she ran the first 11 miles with me. She has been sick and has not run in a few weeks. She also goes at a much faster pace. So for her to slog through 11 miles along side me was likely not easy. But I am so very thankful.

The next 10 miles started out better than expected. This first couple of hills were no trouble. Other walkers and runners gave me friendly waves and smiles. I smiled back...and I meant it. As I came up on mile 14 I was marveling at my rythm and enjoyment. As I came up on mile 15 I felt like I had been hit by a truck. My knees ached, my hips ached, and all of the bones in my feet crunched as they pounded the pavement. I started to cry a little. And then I saw an elderly couple in matching outfits riding their bikes past me. For some reason this lifted my spirits enough to keep going. Soon enough I only had 2.5 miles left to go. It's a route I run often and this is my mental hurdle point. Once I pass this intersection, I'm home free. And then my body started to feel lighter again. My feet didn't throb so badly. My back loosened up a bit. And I was done.

Today was an experience in digging deep and finding out what I have in me. It's been awhile since I've had to go there. I'm out of practice, I suppose. But I know now that I have what I need to get me through the marathon in an few weeks. And maybe even a little itsy teeny piece of me is looking forward to it. Just a little bit.

It Seemed Like a Fun Idea...

I've been rolling all around town with a "Dirtbag Kayaker" license plate holder for the last 2 years. Even though in those last 2 years I've only paddled, oh, 2 or 3 times? I know, it's sad. I do love to kayak. But I like to sleep more. And on my one free weekend day each week, that extra hour of sleep (and the 10 loads of laundry of training clothes, and overflowing sink of dirty dishes from the insane amount of food I consume, and the bike cleaning, and and and) has taken priority. Annnnnnyway, it was 'bout time to change up that license plate holder.

This is what it looks like. Clever, eh? When it arrived in the mail, I do remember thinking "hmm, those swim/bike/run symbols are a little small."


But...............this is what most people see. However, I did not realize this until my Mom was visiting and she asked me, "why do those truckers keep honking and waving at us?"

Q: How do you know it's the end of the season?

A: You have a $3000 sports-bra drying rack sitting in the spare bedroom.

Hood-to-Coast

Last weekend I participated in "The Mother of All Relays". What a kick in the pants good time! I was part of the team "Headhunter Voodoo Dolls" from my club, Lacamas Swim & Sport. 12 girls, split into 2 vans, covering 197 miles in less than 2 days. I was in Van 2 along with DeDe (best van captain ever!), Lisa, Juliet, Sondra, and Nadine. We met up at the club around 11am and headed over to the FredMeyer in Sandy, OR for the first major van exchange point. Van 1 had started much earlier in the morning up at Timberline Lodge to kick off the event. Each person runs a total of 3 legs and we continue to leapfrog each other all the way into the beach at Seaside, OR. You sleep when you can (which isn't much) and you eat what your body can tolerate (which isn't much).

Van 2 Ladies:

I had been given Leg 11, which is actually Leg 11, Leg 23, and Leg 35.

Leg 11: 4.39 miles, ranked easy.
Time = 00:48:35 (pace = 11:04/mi)

This leg was mostly flat, but really hot and stuffy. It went along the Springwater Trail in East Portland, along Johnson Creek. The trail had many homeless guys along it and I was thinking that running this during the evening wouldn't be much fun. The odor from the creek (or was it from the transients) was a bit overwhelming at times. I saw very few other runners, which was a bummer. I just remember being hot and cranky. Not the best way to start out the relay for me. My predicted pace was 11:11, and I ended up with 11:04. I hoped I would do even better, but I'm okay with that time.

Leg 23: 4.18 miles, ranked easy.
Time = 00:40:02 (pace = 9:35/mi)

My second leg was MUCH better and more enjoyable than the first. We were tired since we hadn't napped at all since the start, but it was during the night and the temperatures were cool. This leg was also pretty flat, but had more of a rolling nature. I like running in the dark on unfamiliar roads because I can't see the hills coming and I can't tell how long they are. That's a good thing for me. My estimated pace for this leg was 10:44 and I blew that out of the water with a 9:35!!!

Leg 35: 7.28 miles, ranked hard.
Time = 01:26:36 (pace = 11:54/mi)
My third leg was my longest and most difficultly rated leg. There was also no vehicle traffic allowed on the course (i.e., no van support and no water aid), it was half on paved trail and half on loose gravel, and mostly in hot sun since all of the clear-cutting allowed for zero shade. I LOOVVVED my second run, but this one was pretty cool too. Mostly just because I was exhausted, it was hot, and I was able to push my body to stick it out and not walk.

My pace was a little bit slower than my predicted time (11:22), but considering I was going on no sleep in 35 hours and had only eaten 1 PB&J in the last 18 hours (long story, but my stomach was NOT happy with me, so I pleased it by not feeding it), so I did pretty fantastic I think.

I was carrying a 12oz container of Gatorade and hadn't taken in much when I came upon a young guy that was in a really bad way. He was walking slowly and sort of stumbling along. I offered him some of my drink and when I actually saw his face and realized how bad of shape he was in, I wouldn't leave until he finished it. I was so happy when I saw him cross the finish line only about 5 minutes after I did!

After my last leg, we hauled ass to the beach in order to cross the finish line with Nadine and get our group photo taken.

Afterwards, we all sort of disbanded and went our separate ways to shower and get ready for an evening of partying on the sand. Ken (best fiance ever and driver for Van 1) and I were staying with Sondra, RustyBalls, and DeDe at a 1,000 trails campground not too far away. It was awesome! After cleaning up, we headed to the party and gorged ourselves on yummy food and plenty of tasty adult beverages. Finally at around 11pm we headed back to camp for a much needed night of sleep.

Evening activities:

Off Season = Running Season

After some debate, I decided to call Blue Lake Sprint Tri a couple of weeks ago my finale for the season. I love competing in triathlons, especially since this has been such a rockin season for me. But my body is tired, my mind is tired, and quite frankly I'm feeling more than a bit worn out. My checkbook is too...entry fees are not cheap!

But with the off season comes many opportunities to work on areas that need a little attention. For me, the big obvious area is RUNNING. One glance at my triathlon splits will tell you that. I'm typically top 20-30% out of the water, 50% or so on the bike...and then about bottom 5% on the run. So....this girl is gonna do some running. In a big way.

I'm thinking maybe Portland marathon in October. That's right folks. I'm crazier than you thought. After my half ironman I realized that I was doing the same mileage as some friends training for Portland. So I hopped onto their schedule for the heck of it. Last week my long run was 15 miles. The two weeks prior to that it was 13 miles. Tomorrow I get to do 16. Next weekend is Hood to Coast. Huh, who would have thunk...

Think Happy Thoughts

I have some bummin' news to report. Our fellow triathlete, K-Dawg, was injured a few nights ago in a freak accident at his house. I'll let him tell the icky details, but it basically involved him bravely chasing intruders away from his house and falling while jumping his own fence...and breaking his hip. He has been in the hospital for a few days trying to get well enough to go home. He has pins/screws holding him all together, but it's going to be a long recovery process. He needs your happy thoughts and prayers. With some hard work and favors from the Big Guy, he'll be back to training next year. GET BETTER SOON K-DAWG!!!!

Midsummer Sprint at Blue Lake

Mid-Summer Sprint Triathlon
8/3/2008
Distances: 800 meter (0.5 mile) swim, 12.5 mile bike, 3.1 mile run

This race wasn't really on the schedule for the year, but a sprint distance sounded fun and some other Headhunters were doing it. I'm a lemming, what can I say. Also, my friend Bill was tri-ing for the first time and I thought it would be cool to come out for some support. For the first time that I had a choice, I decided NOT to race in the Athena category (women >150 pounds) and instead race in my real actual age group -- F 25-29. I knew I didn't have a chance in the universe to contend with skinny 20-something year olds, but I wanted to give it a shot!

Bill and I after the finish (photo credit - Bill's wife, Melissa):

The day/night prior to the race I was in McMinnville for my friend Angie's bachelorette party. Now, at no time during the party was I ever "drunk". However, glasses and glasses of wine prior to a race does not suit me. Especially since I don't really drink anymore. I woke up with a nice little hangover and a really bad attitude. I probably would have bailed on the race, except that I had Nadine's race packet and she was counting on me to show up with it.

After arriving about 45 minutes later than planned, I pulled into Blue Lake park and proceeded through the normal pre-race rituals: set up transition, chat with nervous triathletes, rearrange transition, pee, rearrange transition, stare at the water, pee, put on wetsuit, lube up, get in the water and pee, line up to start.

Swim:
I was in the 2nd wave and placed myself in the front, inside. In bigger races I would get mowed over here, but I figured best to battle it out with some dudes rather than fight my way through some slower crowds of swimmers. This turned out to be a wise choice. I had mostly clear water until we started catching up to the first wave.

I focused on taking nice long strokes, and making sure to get a hard pull with good follow-through each time. This worked nicely until I got tangled up with a really big dude. He wasn't fat. More like he left me wondering if he ever played for the 49ers. We tangoed and duked it out for a little while, and then finally parted ways. I then swam until my hands touched sand, then popped up and ran through the Red Bull arches on into transition.

T1:
My fastest T1 time here at Blue Lake. For the first time ever I left my shoes clipped into my bike and put my feet in while riding. It was flawless (thank goodness).

Bike:
I got up to speed and put my feet in pretty quickly. Then I focused on keeping my cadence up and not dropping speed. This was tough when the headwinds hit, but I kept telling myself I couldn't go below 18mph. A dropped below a few times, but made up for it when the wind was blocked by homes/trees.

Not a single girl passed me on the course, and only a handful of guys sped by. It was fun to be passing people. It made me feel fast, although after looking at overall results I maybe wasn't as fast as it seemed. It was fun though!

Next season I need to do more sustained speed work in training. And ride more. I did a lot of riding earlier in the season, but I have only been on my bike twice since the half ironman. I just needed a break from the saddle, ya know? I was 7 seconds slower than the last time I rode this course, although I do think it was windier this time.

T2:
I took my feet out of the bike shoes before dismounting and then ran quickly through transition. My time seems slower than it actually was, but I did stop to drink a fair amount of water. I was so dehydrated from the previous night!

Run:
I dropped down the most spots during the run, but it's the leg I'm the most proud of.
1) This was a 5k PR for me.
2) For the first time ever I kept a sustained pace below 10:00 min/mi.
3) I actually passed someone and was only passed by 2 women (1 was my coach and another was someone in my AG who got me 0.1mi from the finish line).

Me coming down the finish line (photo credit - Julie Seale):

I am so proud of this run, but have so much room for improvement. I have my work cut out for me this winter!
Headhunters, post-race:

Post-Race:
I had a poor attitude coming into this event, but I'm glad I was able to turn that around and push myself to do well. In turn, I ended up enjoying myself. And...I ended up with another podium finish!!!! Final results:
Female 25-29 age group -- 3/12
Overall females -- 12/50
Overall -- 105/205

Swim -- 15:34, pace = 1:57/100m (2/12, 76/205)
T1 -- 02:28
Bike -- 38:01, pace = 19.73 mph (2/12, 93/205)
T2 -- 01:56
Run -- 30:24, pace = 9:49/mile (10/12, 170/205)
Overall -- 1:28:23

Huge congrats to:
Julie, who got 1st place female overall.
Denise, who got 1st place masters female overall.
Bill, who finished his first triathlon, and kicked ass doing it.
Kevin, who did well in all 3 legs and came in with a great time...and ran the whole way despite knee injuries.
Nadine, who made huge improvements on the swim and did great overall.
Denise, me, and Julie, with our awards:

Here is Julie's glass plaque. Do you notice anything UNUSUAL about it??? She's a "traithlete"...