Old?? Who said old??

Last night, Mark and I watched When Harry Met Sally. I had seen pieces of the movie before, and from my vague recollections, Harry and Sally were quite old when they got together.

I guess when you're in your teens and early 20s, "old" is a relative term. Watching the movie last night, I figured out that Harry and Sally were actually 32 - which is only about two years older than I am right now. And I am certainly not old.

Want another example of skewed perceptions? When I graduated from undergrad, I went to Paris for 8 months to do an internship. All of the interns lived together and most of us were around the "just graduated" age. On my second night there, this one girl - Mylene - kept talking about her skincare regiment and various creams, etc. As she talked, I just kept looking at her and thinking "you're what, 21 - you look like you're 18, why are you so worried about your skin??" Shortly thereafter, I found out she was actually 30. My next thought was, "oh, thirty - she's going to be no fun because she's old." Seriously? Why did I think that people suddenly became old and un-fun when they hit thirty? Is there something that supposedly happens to people partway through their 20s that makes them cranky fuddy-duddies? What lies have we been telling our youth?? As it turned out - Mylene was one of the most fun people out there, and her endurance for late nights, bar-hopping, and being social far outlasted the rest of us.

I think I'm having a hard time with this whole turning thirty this year.

But why? Your thirties are allegedly even better than your twenties. You're more established, maybe you are married and have a family of your own - no more dating. You've advanced in your chosen career, you have extra money for expensive hobbies (like triathlon). You know your likes and dislikes, and now can focus on getting yourself to where you want to be - no more wasting time "finding yourself." All of this sounds appealing to me. AND - the 30-34 age group in triathlon is more competitive than the 20-something age groups (meaning people must still be getting faster when they hit 30).

Thirty is not old, forty is not old - triathlon has showed me that 50 and 60, even 70 are not old. Just wiser. In my last half-ironman, I remember chasing down a woman because she looked like she was in my age group - when I got close enough to see her calf, I found out she was actually in her 50s. I am convinced that women who do triathlons often look younger and more in shape than their inactive counterparts. Since it's impossible to stop having a birthday every year, the only way to counteract the negative connotations of "getting older" is to stay active, eat healthy, and take care of myself. Maybe someday I'll be that 50-something getting chased down by a 27 year old, because I look younger than I actually am.

food, Food, FOOD!

I just ate a burrito the size of my face. It. Was. Awesome. I've been craving a burrito for the past two days for dinner and tonight we finally made them. It's a (slight) break from our usual dinner dish - Mark and I haven't been terribly creative as of late, and we have about 4-5 go-to recipes that we cook EVERY WEEK. And this week, something snapped, and if I had to look at another dish of sauteed peppers, mushrooms and onions, or another pizza, or another veggie quesadilla, I'd just stop eating altogether. So, granted, a burrito isn't TOO different from a veggie quesadilla, but there's something amazing about the goodness of rice, beans, and avocado in a crisp, slightly buttery tortilla.

Fortunately, I've not tired of my chocolate vegan cookies. Bonus points that they are super quick and easy to make - I whipped up a batch after my workout last night at 9:30pm. I spiced them up by adding slivered almonds AND shredded coconut. I'm enjoying this cooking and baking thing. Had you told me five years ago I'd be a little Suzy Homemaker, I would've laughed in your face and gone back to eating my boxed Mac and Cheese. But something has clicked and I think I cook dinner more often than Mark does now (fewer nights that I have to do the dishes!).

In other news, I think our dog is going through the adolescent stages of testing our authority. I've caught him (TWICE) getting up and food surfing off the counter. He's also unnecessarily rough with the cats. And he HATES it when I take my computer out, because it means I'm not paying attention to him. Attention whore. Our neighbors must think that we have a pack of elephants living in our house - elephants that love to rumble up and down and up and down and up and down the stairs at 10pm every night. I thought only cats had bewitching hours, but apparently dogs do too. Oh well, I guess it makes us even for all the times our neighbor plays Call of Duty at 1am and the walls in our house shake.

Speaking of neighbors, we have a set of neighbors who have these (horrible) yap-yap dogs. Every morning my day starts with: 1) Our neighbors walking their dogs around the complex, all the while barking at absolutely nothing; and 2) me peering out a window while expressing my sheer dislike of said dogs. It's a routine now - my day wouldn't be the same without it. This morning was particularly comical - the yap-yap dogs were being walked around the neighborhood for the umpteenth time (how many pee breaks do they need?!?) while Mark headed out the door to go to work. On his way to the car, Mark saw three of our other neighbors out, all walking their (well-behaved) dogs. ALL of them, INCLUDING the owner of the yap-yap dogs, all rolled their eyes and said "I hate those dogs" IN UNISON. At the same time, I poked my head out of the door, looked at Mark, and said "I hate those dogs." So, I guess the feeling is mutual across the neighborhood.

Anyone (far, far away from Arlington) want two yappy, obnoxious dogs? I'll bribe you with oreo balls.

Erin's Dirty Thirty

Me and the birthday girl

I just got back today from spending the weekend down in Nashville celebrating Erin's 30th birthday. Erin and I have been best friends since college and this weekend can be added to the long list of fun times we've had. I'd say it's pretty close to the top. The whole weekend was a surprise - I arrived and surprised her on Thursday; her cousins Kelly and Melissa arrived and surprised her on Friday; and her friends Nicole and Dan arrived and surprised her on Saturday. Dinner on Saturday night at a trendy restaurant and then partied the evening away at The Big Bang Bar, a dueling piano bar in downtown Nashville. In the end, the night proved that 30 isn't really that old - we still know how to have fun, hang with the younger 20-somethings, and are capable of staying out (way) past our bedtimes once in awhile. It was so nice to spend the weekend with Erin and Ashley, see Reagan my goddaughter, and see everyone else! Here are a few more pictures from the night out. PS - you know you had a good night when, two people are asleep on the bar table by the end of it, the next morning (on only three hours of sleep) you are at the airport, unshowered, with hair still smelling like last night's bar, and the stamp from the previous night still visible on your hand (bonus points if the stamp reads "Bang This"). I was that description, personified, last weekend.

Dinner with Kelly and Melissa

Erin, Nicole, me and Kelly

I think this sums up the night quite nicely

1, 2, 3... A, B, C

Everyone else is doing it, so I'm joining in:

A: Age - 29. But if you're looking for my USAT age, that would be 30.

B: Bed size - Queen. I share it with Mark, our dog and two cats. Cozy.

C: Chore I hate - doing the dishes. I've made progress though, at least I do the dishes now, rather than hide them in a closet. Or throw them out.

D: Dogs - we have one and that is enough. Miles is our very sweet English Setter.

E: Essential Start Your Day Item - Food. Any type of food. I'm always starving.

F: Favorite Color - blue-green.

G: Gold or Silver - Platinum. I thought platinum and silver were the same thing, until we went engagement/wedding ring shopping. Then I learned better.

H: Height - 5'6''.

I: Instruments I Play - nothing now, but I used to play the flute, the piano, AND the accordion. I was 6 when I played the accordion, for the record, and thus didn't have a choice.

J: Job Title - Survey Specialist (recent promotion, yaaay!) at a social policy research firm. I like making surveys, but I don't like taking them.

K: Kids - none of my own!

L: Live - NoVa, where I've wanted to live ever since I was 12 years old.

M: Mom's name - Molly.

N: Nicknames - Yaya (courtesy of my brother when he was 2 and "Caroline" was too complicated). Mark calls me Caro. I could also name off the litany of names (Karen, Carolyn, Carolina, Caroleena, Kelly, Carrie) that people call me when they mispronounce my name).

O: Overnight hospital stays - never.

P: Pet Peeve - WMATA (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority). Yes, it is the cleanest transit system I've ever seen BUT, if I am paying $7.50 a day to go the 5 miles to work, I'd like the bus to be on time, the metro not to break down multiple times a week, and a working escalator here and there. That's all.

Q: Quote from a Movie - "Back to school... Back to school... To show my dad that I'm not a fool..." (Billy Madison)

R: Right or Left Handed - right!

S: Siblings - younger brother (24 this week) and three sisters (23, 21, 19). Technically they are my sisters-in-law, but I consider them my sisters because they are awesome.

T: Time you wake up - prior to 5am if it's Tues/Thurs and I'm swimming with Team Z. Otherwise, it's after 6. I don't really have a set time.

U: Underwear - none of your business!

V: Vegetable you Dislike - I can't really think of any. I vehemently hate cantaloupe and melon, but those are fruits.

W: What makes you Late - Ummm, I don't need anything to make me late, I do well enough with that on my own!

X: X-rays you've had done - for my teeth at the dentist.

Y: Yummy food you Make - Vegan chocolate cookies, OREO BALLS, my mother's Chicken Pot Pie, homemade pasta, veggie quesadillas, butternut squash soup. I used to be a master of The Blue Box Special Mac and Cheese, but I've grown up.

Z - Zoo Animal Favorite - I don't really like the zoo.

Mountain biking on a tri bike...

... Well, not exactly. But close. On Saturday, I went for my first outdoor ride since last October. It was wonderful! I actually don't mind riding on the trainer, but this ride beat any and all trainer rides hands down. A crisp day, breezy, sunny, out in Virginia horse country on backroads where you saw more horses than cars. Company was good too - in the spirit of tradition, I went riding with Karen and John (my first outdoor ride of the year always seems to be with Karen and John). They are both into biking, both road and mountain biking. Between the two of them, I think they own about 10 bikes. I'm not joking. Anyway, we were doing a loop north of Middleburg, VA that John had pulled off the internet and none of us had ridden before. The first 14 miles were beautiful and perfect. And then, we took a right on another picturesque country road and pavement was suddenly replaced by dirt and gravel. Nothing says "Welcome Back To Outdoor Riding" like an unpaved, rutted, HILLY dirt road. On your tri bike. I don't have enough fingers and toes to count how many times I thought I was going to bite it. Looking back, going down some of those hills, I'm surprised I managed to remain upright. But you know what? It was fun and it made me want to buy a mountain bike (mine was stolen when I lived in the frat-tastic apartment building). And the whole ride in general has me all excited to do more outdoor riding. Yes, the trainer is convenient, but even with a good movie, it can get kind of boring. Plus, it's not nearly as great of a workout as a hilly outdoor ride with strong headwinds. I was tired, sore and hungry by the end, but really happy. The 45 miles went by fast and I'm looking forward to getting out again. I may even start bike commuting to work as the weather gets nicer.

Speaking of nice weather, Mark, Miles and I took advantage of a warm, sunny afternoon and took a walk along the Mall. We got some fun photos of Miles in front of some of the monuments and memorials. He was just beyond thrilled to be outside and around people. We were crossing a street and this little kid walked by us, looked at Miles, and was like "Hi Spot!" and just kept walking.

Tomorrow is Day 1 of my 2011 Triathlon Training. And on that note, I'm going to bed!

GW Birthday Marathon - Race Report

You know it's going to be an interesting race when the race director says these things in the pre-race talk:

- Well, it was a bit windy yesterday, so if some of the Port-o-Johns are knocked over, just be sure to stand them back up before you try to use them.

- It's pretty likely the mile marker signs were blown around too, so don't count on seeing too many signs out there while you're running.

- Right around mile one, you're going to have to climb around a gate blocking the road (part of the race is run on USDA property). We tried to get them to open the gate before the race, but as of a few minutes ago, it was still locked.

And with those words, I got ready to kick off my 11th marathon (15th if you count the ones I've done during Ironman).

It had been nearly two years since my last marathon (Boston 2009) and in the days leading up to the race, I was nervous. I even had a nightmare about the race (forgetting to pick up my friend for the race and then proceeding to get lost on a very straightforward course). Fortunately, come race day, things went very smoothly. I just wanted to do well, I wanted a PR (sub 3:25), which I knew might be out of reach, given the fact that I missed two weeks of training last month due to the flu and running hasn't been my sole focus. But after a season fully of less-than-satisfying performances in the run department (mostly due to nutritional issues), I wanted this to be an opportunity to show myself that I can still run well. And I did - I ran well. Just not as fast as I would've liked.

The GW Birthday Marathon in Greenbelt, MD has been around for 50 years, but apparently word has not traveled very far about the existence of the race because it is still very small and very local. You can register on race morning. This is the first time they tried doing chip timing (gun time and chip time are basically the same, seeing as it takes about 10 seconds for all runners to cross the start line - which, in years past, I believe was literally a chalk line drawn across a neighborhood street). Most people know each other. Besides the other marathoners and relay people, you see about 5 other people out on the course cheering. It's one of my favorite races - it's just about you and the run, there aren't any extras. No expo, no loud finish line announcer, no crowds. When you finish, they rip the tag off of your bib and thread it on the string - the official results are reported in the order of the tags on the string. Then you hobble back to the youth center for some homemade chili in the cafeteria (this year they even had birthday cake in honor of the race's 50th birthday!) You just don't find races like that very often anymore.

Megan and Rachel (my wonderful friends from high school cross-country, who also live in the DC area) and their husbands, Mark, as well as my co-worker Ebo, and another friend Rohan, all came out to race. Ebo was doing his first marathon and the others were running this race as a relay. There were some fellow Team Z'rs (Gina and Carol) and I ran with Fabrice for a hot second before he left me in the dust. When Megan and I were running together, it felt just like high school cross-country again - out in the countryside, the stink of cows and manure (the joys of going to a high school with a farm). There was even a guy running in front of us whose shirt said "Pain is Temporary. Pride is Forever." That happened to be the same logo that was on our cross-country shirts my sophomore year of high school. I loved that shirt.

So, this race proves that it is possible to have "the perfect race" and not hit the pace you want or get the finish time you were aiming for. The weather was perfect - in the 40s, sunny, light breeze. I wore my Zoot Active compression tights and a tee shirt with arm warmers and my pink visor. I kept the pace steady and controlled, not wanting to blow up in the end. I nailed my nutrition - taking in a Hammer gel every 45 minutes, for a total of 4 gels. I ended up carrying my own water, just so I wouldn't have to wait for a water stop to take a gel. I had a Nuun tablet in my water, just for some added electrolytes. I didn't bonk, I didn't hit the wall. there was no thought or talk of stopping or walking - I felt good during the whole race. It was a hilly course and you can see right from the start, where the hills were in the three loop course, just by looking at my mile splits. My HR was steady, in mid Zone 3 until the last 6 miles when I brought it into high Zone 3/low Zone 4 in an effort to go a little faster. I didn't really get any faster, I just didn't really slow down as much. I was mentally plugged in - focused on the mile I was currently on, constantly assessing how I was feeling, reassuring myself that I could hold that pace and HR all day. And when I realized (by mid-way) that my goal of sub-3:26 was not going to happen, I didn't get down on myself. I was still happy to be out running, spending time with friends, and just seeing how I could do. The course is hilly and challenging, and really pretty. After running the race on Sunday and realizing how hilly it was, I have a hard time believing this was where I PR'd two years ago. I actually like the three-loop format; I feel like it's easier to break the race up into pieces and you know what to expect - there aren't any surprises after loop one (except for the hill at mile 25 - you know it's coming because you ran down it at mile 1, but it feels ALOT steeper running back up it).

While I was running, I didn't keep track of my place. There seemed to be alot of fast girls, but it was difficult to tell which of those were full marathoners and which were relay runners. I ended up finishing in 3:40:44. Turns out this was good enough for 4th girl overall and 1st in my age group. My time from two years ago would've won this race on Sunday. Technically, this is still a 2012 Boston Qualifying time, but only if it doesn't fill up before it's my turn to register with the new rolling registration. To be honest, I don't even know if I want to run Boston next year. It's a great race and my favorite marathon, hands down, but it's right at the beginning of triathlon season. And right now, I like triathlons more than I like marathons - they are just more fun. I was even a bit relieved once this marathon was over - now I can focus more on swimming and biking. Now that it seems I have my nutrition on the run sorted out, hopefully I'll post better running times in my tris this season. Rumpass in Bumpass Oly is less than two months away!

For those interested (and for my own records), below are my mile splits and HR from the race. Not spectacular, but pretty darn steady and even.

Overall time: 3:40:44, pace 8:21/mile, average HR 158bpm

Mile 1: 8:09, 157bpm;

Mile 2: 7:48, 155bpm (there was a nice long downhill);

Mile 3: 8:11, 159bpm;

Mile 4: 8:08, 158bpm;

Mile 5: 8:13, 156bpm;

Mile 6: 8:19, 158bpm;

Mile 7: 8:09, 153bpm;

Mile 8: 8:13, 157bpm;

Mile 9: 8:26, 156bpm; HILL

Mile 10: 8:06, 154bpm;

Mile 11: 7:59, 156bpm;

Mile 12: 8:23, 157bpm;

Mile 13: 8:25, 158bpm; HILL

Mile 14: 8:07, 157bpm;

Mile 15: 8:20, 156bpm;

Mile 16: 8:34, 157bpm; HILL

Mile 17: 8:32, 159bpm;

Mile 18: 8:16, 159bpm;

Mile 19: 8:25, 160bpm;

Mile 20: 8:31, 160bpm; HILL

Mile 21: 8:25, 162bpm;

Mile 22: 8:40, 159bpm;

Mile 23: 8:41, 159bpm;

Mile 24: 8:51, 160bpm; HILL

Mile 25: 8:21, 162bpm;

Mile 26: 9:05, 165bpm Biggest HILL Ever

last 0.2: 7:31 pace, 161bpm.

Vegan diet - the wrap up

I will call the Vegan-for-a-month experiment back in January an overall success. No, it did not convince me that I want to be totally Vegan. Yes, I discovered that sometimes non-vegan food is more appealing (and frankly, probably healthier, than vegan food - namely those "meatless" burgers). Overall, the month of being more conscious about what I was eating really helped me press the reset button. I didn't visit my co-worker's candy bowl ONCE (because Hershey kisses have dairy in them). I didn't really go out to eat very often, I consumed for fruits and veggies by default because sometimes that was the only vegan food available. I ceased eating my weekly wedge of brie. I felt better, thinner, less bloated, and just... healthier. I looked forward to cooking each night, I indulged in chocolate (but in moderation, mainly in the form of vegan chocolate walnut cookies - soooo easy to whip up AND you can eat the batter). And even now, when I'm not really vegan, I still eat mostly vegan - I don't mind homemade pizza without the cheese, I don't put cheese on my pasta, I've still been successful at staying away from my co-worker's candy bowl. So, why don't I want to be totally vegan? It's just too restrictive. I think I can still feel just as healthy by eating a mostly vegan, clean, mostly-unprocessed foods diet. It's easier to maintain and I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything - kind of like the best of both worlds. I came to this final decision when we were out at dinner the final weekend of my experiment. We were at Founding Farmers and I was bitterly disappointed in their meatless vegan burger (most disgusting thing ever, well, next to the fake cheese it was smothered in) and watching Mark indulge in a huge slice of homemade red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. Where was the joy in my life? What's the point of living if you can't enjoy a little red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting? Vegan diet be gone! I ended the experiment right there with a huge bite of cake and frosting. It was glorious.