Training weekend of epic proportions (for me, anyway)

As I write this, I am sprawled out on the couch, wearing my compression tights for the second day in a row, and really wanting a nap. Labor day weekend has been awesome - definitely the most training I've ever done over four days. I've calculated that I have biked 155 miles and ran 38 miles, covering a grand total of 193 miles. And I feel it. Friday was my 28th birthday and Mark and I both took the day off and drove 3 hours out to Deep Creek Lake in Western Maryland so I could ride the Savageman bike course. And it was savage. The Westernport Wall was just as unforgiving as last year, but I still (barely) made it up AND took a picture of my brick and Karen's brick, forever entombed in the Wall. Awesome. That was only the beginning of a really long day on the bike with more hills than I really ever care to ride again. There's a no-name hill towards the end of the ride, nearish to mile 50, and I was cursing to myself all the way up the thing because I was so tired of hills. But I felt good on the ride overall, and felt like I could run afterwards if I had to. I was only gone a little over four hours, but it felt like much longer - in some ways you almost feel like a different person when you are finished than what you were when you started, it's very hard to adequately explain. Either way, I was GLAD to be finished and on our way back to DC for my birthday dinner!

Dinner with friends was great - it was so nice to spend time with everyone because I don't get a chance to see them all terribly often. Ha - on our way there, we walked our the front door to our apartment building and saw the bus (pictured above) sitting in the parking circle in front of our building. Apparently it hopped the curb, crashed through the brick wall by the sidewalk, and came to rest in the parking circle after mowing through the flowerbed. Fortunately nobody was hurt, that's why I didn't feel guilty taking pictures.

Saturday was a beautiful 100 mile ride out by Maryland's Western shore (I didn't even know Maryland HAD a Western shore). For some reason, I thought it would be a flat ride... I was wrong, there were actually alot of rolling hills. I did get one flat, but one of the riders was nice enough to let me use his pump, rather than wasting my CO2 cartridges. The scenery was beautiful and I especially liked riding the last few miles out by the Bay. It was my first 100 mile ride since Beach2Battleship last year and I was thrilled with how well it went. I ate a few bananas at each rest stop (and, who am I kidding, along with some cookies and brownies). I'm trying to lay off the Fritos on my rides, but I did miss them on Saturday. I figured I'd finish the ride in a little over 6 hours, but I surprised myself with a 5:55. It took me 5:45 two weeks ago to finish my 90 mile ride, so I'm really happy with Saturday's ride.

I was tired after the ride, but I made myself go on a 6 mile run when I got home. It was a slow, ugly 6 miles, but it actually got better as every mile passed. I spent the rest of the day wearing my compression tights and eating (a whole veggie quesadilla, two ears of corn, carrot cake, and Birthday Cake Remix ice cream - yum!! thank you Mark!). I was down for the count before the clock struck 10.

Sunday was the most painful 20+ mile run ever. I was planning on doing a 22 mile run, the weather was perfect, I ate a good breakfast, but my legs were SORE from the previous two days of cycling. I must've also been in a fog when I left the apartment for the run, because I only took a half-eaten bag of Honey Stingers with me (along with water, of course), and there was no way that small amount of food was going to keep me satisfied. And it didn't. And I didn't bring money with me either so i couldn't even stop at the store. I decided to ration out my last three Honey Stingers with nine miles to go - I would eat one every three miles and hope that I wouldn't have to beg a Clif bar or something off of a biker or runner on the bike path. I ended up running eight miles on roads and 14 miles on the bike trail - I was afraid if I looped back by home (as I normally do on my runs) that the temptation to cut out early would be too overwhelming. While on the bike path refilling my water bottle, I met an older guy who was out for a leisurely 80 mile bike ride. His plan was to ride to Leesburg on the bike path, stop for pizza (I was starving at that point and pizza sounded sooooo good) and then ride the canal path back to DC. He doesn't race, he just bikes for fun. I have alot of admiration for people who just get out and do long bike rides simply because they feel like it, no goal in mind. I always have a goal to work towards - and even though I enjoy my workouts, I also enjoy racing and having something to try and achieve, so I don't know if I will ever be one of those people who just works out "for fun", I don't know if I'm motivated enough without a goal. Anyway, I got a little off topic there. I did finish my run in one piece, Mark was the most awesome husband ever because when I came home, he had twenty pounds of ice, a cold gatorade, and a tub for me to take an ice bath in. AWESOME! I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (all while fending off Bissell, my thief of a cat), took a (painful-yet-exhilarating) ice bath, and sported my compression tights for the second day in a row. It was 3:17 of running with lead legs, but it felt good in the end. And I have more confidence in the bank for Ironman Florida (coincidentally, two months from today!).

Sunday night, Mark and I put on our dancing shoes, and celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary (which is technically on the 8th) with a dinner cruise down the Potomac. The food was good, the sunset was beautiful, and we had a wonderful evening together. The music was cheesy, and it tested my knowledge of 70s/80s smarmy love songs. Mark and I had a field day with that.

Today I slept in as much as possible, considering I had a cat licking my face starting at 6am. I swear, sometimes Bissell forgets he is a cat and thinks he's a dog. He drools, he licks me, he steals food and breaks into cabinets and closets. He and Hoover have been in cahoots and dragged a 15 pound bag of cat food off the shelf in the pantry, ripped it open, and had a buffet. Again, I've gone a little off topic. I only had a 10 mile run to do today, but I was so tired I REALLY didn't want to do it. I finally summoned the motivation (after bribing myself with 5 new iTunes purchases) to get out the door by 11:30. And the run felt pretty good about halfway through. I ran down to Arlington Cemetery and over the Memorial Bridge, back through Georgetown and over the Key Bridge before heading up Wilson Blvd to get home. We had Gnocchi for dinner tonight (AWESOME!) and we're still working our way through my birthday carrot cake.

The pool is open again tomorrow after being closed for a week for annual cleaning. I'm really excited to get back in, I LOVE swimming in a pool that's just been cleaned! Now I just need to go to bed so I actually wake up... though I'm sure Bissell will help me by drooling in my eye and licking my ear...

Hitting my stride?

Today did not start off great. I overslept and I blame our *lovely* neighbors who were fighting for a good hour and a half this morning - from 2am until 3:30. And they were fighting pretty loud because they woke me up and I sleep like I'm dead. I think there was some slapping going on and throwing of objects too, judging from the noises I heard. Fortunately, Mark and I are in the market to buy a house so hopefully we will leave this roach-infested, frat-boy inhabited, full of inconsiderate neighbors apartment complex behind.

By the end of the day, I was SOOOO ready to hit the track. I was fired up and determined to have a good workout, both mentally and physically. There are some days where I am not in the game mentally, my mind just takes a vacation and forgets to make my body push itself. But I feel like I've started to really pull it together these past few weeks, both the mental and the physical, and I'm really excited to see where it could take me in terms of my training and racing.

This was week one of my three week build cycle (culminating in Savageman - how perfect!). Wednesday is speedwork. I decided I would do two 2 mile repeats and then two 1 mile repeats for a total of six miles, all keeping my heart rate in Zone 4. I managed to keep a consistent pace of about 6:45/mile for each set, even dropping my overall average pace down in the last mile and ending my workout in 40 minutes and 21 seconds, with an overall average pace of 6:43/mile. I was tired, but still had enough energy to jog home. I felt good that I accomplished what I set out to do in this workout and it is money/confidence in the bank for upcoming races.

Tomorrow night is the Jimmy Buffet concert - I am a Jimmy Buffet concert virgin so I am rather excited about the concert. I still have to make oreo balls for this momentous occasion.

And then the next day is my 28th birthday. Mark asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday and he said I could do anything I wanted. So we are getting up early Friday morning, driving out to Deep Creek Lake in Maryland and I am going to ride the Savageman bike course while he sags for me. He is an awesome husband. I'm going to take a picture of my brick in the Westernport Wall too, since I plan on being too busy to stop and stare on race day. I just need to do this prep ride so I feel confident about Savageman.

Even though today started out on the wrong foot, my good workout made me feel much better. Though, when I got home I went on a bit of a cleaning streak (incredible, I know) and while I was vacuuming I accidentally sucked up Bissell's toy mouse (ha, ironic, I sucked up Bissell's toy with my Hoover vacuum). I felt like bad pet mom - he had just been playing with that mouse a few minutes earlier and now it is gone (I am no going into the vacuum bag to fish it out, sorry Biss).

Random Running Ruminations

I'm sure most runners would agree - running clears one's head. It's a great way to escape, have some "me" time, and just let your mind wander. I have the most random train of thought while running. I love the days when you get so lost in thought that you suddenly find yourself five miles away from when you last mentally checked in. Today I had to put a bit of mental concentration into running because it was a tempo run and I needed to keep a certain pace. But I still had plenty of time to let my mind wander. So here's a rundown of some of the random thoughts that ran through my head...

- it's unseasonably cool - it feels like mid-October, not August

- what characteristics do I want my future house to possess (Mark and I are embarking on the great adventure of house hunting tomorrow - and I am EXCITED!)

- I wish there was a bathroom nearby

- I don't think my running form is very smooth - I feel like I have a very choppy run

- PhD program - sociology... or peace and conflict resolutions studies... or anthropology... and what would I do with such a degree...

- I'm going to be 28 in less than a week

- need to start "clean eating" (as I shovel Teddy Grahams down my throat while writing this)

- Cold Stone Creamery Birthday Cake Remix - best ice cream flavor. Ever.

- 70.3 World Championships - I'm thinking of making qualifying a goal of mine for next year

- I'm very lucky to be married to the best husband in the world. And I need to learn and grow to become the wife he truly deserves.

So, why do YOU do triathlon?

I read an interesting article recently in Triathlete Magazine. The topic up for discussion was what motivated people to train for and race triathlons. Training, especially for the long stuff, can be time consuming. Any time that you're not at work or sleeping is often spent swimming, biking, or running. Trips to the bar with friends and sleeping in on weekends are usually non-occurrences during triathlon season. So - what would motivate people to devote so much of their time to the sport? Like the article said, there are the artificial reasons - look good in a bathing suit, gives you carte blanche to eat whatever you want in huge quantities (hooray!), and gives you a feeling of satisfaction, etc. The usual reasons any normal person would give when asked that question. But the article was convinced that there were deeper motivations underlying the aforementioned surface ones; and after reading the article and thinking about the question in relation to myself and my life, I tend to agree. These underlying motivations aren't usually something that's admitted, even to oneself - in fact, you may not even be aware of it. There's something bigger than just looking good and feeling satisfied that makes me train and race. I love the feeling of accomplishment, yes, but I think I love it so much because, it's one of the places I feel like I actually excel in my life. I don't feel inadequate, like I do in other things that I do. Growing up, I was never one of those kids that stood out, I was always average. And maybe I'm average when compared to other triathletes and their accomplishments - but I feel above average because I'm doing stuff that the vast majority of America can't/chooses not to do - swim, bike, and run for inordinately long periods of time over and over and over again. Here's a secret - it's really not that hard to swim, bike, and run - you just have to have something that motivates you!

Feeling Good

This past weekend was a big boost in my confidence for Ironman Florida. I had more than enough hours for the week by Thursday so I took Friday off and did my 90 mile bike ride on Friday (I had the IronGirl triathlon on Sunday, my normal bike day). I stuck around on the bike trails in the DC area - I rode out to Mt Vernon and back, took the Capital Crescent Trail up to Bethesda and back, went up into Rock Creek Park and then zipped around Hain's Point 4 times before heading back into Arlington up the Custis Trail and onto the W&OD trail. The last few miles of the bike, I noticed that the storm clouds were gathering. Storms weren't supposed to start until three and it was only a little after 2 so I figured I could beat the rain and finish my ride. Unfortunately, at mile 88.5, Mother Nature proved me wrong and I got caught in a ridiculous rain storm. I was soaked within one minute of the rain starting - it was windy too! Made it home, squelched down the hall to the apartment, and in the time it took for me to change into my running clothes, it stopped raining and I zipped out for a 5 mile run. I was tired at the end of the day, but I felt great! I could've kept on running if I needed to. Mark and I ate gnocci for dinner with pesto - perfect!

Saturday morning I went running with Karen - I love running with her because we are so close in pace, we're both really competitive, and we push each other. And I love doing racing with her for those same reasons - you never know which one of us will cross the finish line first. And I'm motivated to try to catch her when she's in front of me and vice versa - and I'm so happy for her when she has a great race and finishes before me. I don't think I'd be as good a racer if I didn't have Karen to train and race with. And running with her makes the time fly. Before we knew it, my 20 mile run and her 14 mile run were finished. We did the hilly Military Road route, kept a great pace, drank copious amounts of water, and I looked like I had gone swimming by the time I finished running. After the run, I tried icing myself in our cooler (didn't work too well, my legs are too big), put on my compression socks, and ate lots of food. I had a PB&J sandwhich, then went up to my aunt Amy's house and had another lunch (yummy) and then went out to Columbia, MD to drop of my bike and pick up my packet for Sunday's IronGirl race. Had gnocci again for dinner (yummy!), scrounged around for newspaper to help dry out my running shoes (soaked with sweat) and biking shoes (still soaked with rainwater) because it's no fun to race in wet, smelly shoes. The only newspapers I found were my Wall Street Journal Commemorative Inauguration issues for Barack Obama's inauguration. And I fully support Obama and was thrilled he was elected, but I didn't want to race in wet shoes, so I pulled out the sections that didn't have Obama articles, and stuffed them in my shoes.

Race day was great! IronGirl 2007 was my first road triathlon so I was eager to see if I had improved these past two years. I rode up with Leighton and it was soooooo great to spend the day with her; we're both so busy that we don't see each other nearly enough. We got an awesome parking spot right by the park exit AND the bike transition (we got to watch the pro women fly by on the start of their bike legs), the race official let Leighton rack her bike that morning, and the weather was PERFECT! Leighton and I were in the second to last wave, the first women finished the race while I was treading water waiting for the start. My goal for the swim (1000m) was to keep as straight a line as possible and not swim off course. I literally hit every buoy as I swam, so I definitely met that goal. I had hoped to swim it in 20 minutes, but finished in 22 minutes (44th fastest in my age group), still two minutes faster than two years ago. I felt strong on the swim, so I guess that's what matters most. And I didn't drown, also a bonus.

The bike was pretty good - a hilly course and I passed a fair number of people, both in and not in my age group. Half of my age group started 8 minutes ahead of me so I didn't know if these girls were in my wave or in the wave in front of me. But it didn't matter, my race strategy was just to go hard for as long as possible. Hardly anyone passed me on the bike (yay! I think my biking is finally improving) and it took me 56:16 to do the 17.5 mile bike course (averaging 18.7 mph, 7th fastest in my age group). And the run seemed to come together too; I started off feeling strong, I didn't love the hills and there were times I just wished the finish line was just in front of me, but I wanted to catch as many girls in my age group as possible and I didn't want anyone to catch me. Nobody passed me and I felt like I kept a consistent pace over the 3.4 mile course. My time was 25:32 for the run, a pace of 7:31/mile and the 4th fastest in the age group. My overall time was 1:49:09, fifth place in my age group (out of 181 girls) and 39th overall (out of 1600+ girls). My time was over two minutes faster than the 2007 IronGirl and I didn't do a 90 mile bike ride, 5 mile run, and 20 mile run in the 48 hours preceding the 2007 race so I'm pretty happy with the results.

Highlight of the day, going on an impromptu movie date with Mark on Sunday afternoon (Harry Potter) and then getting some Birthday Cake Remix from ColdStone (best ice cream flavor!) Then early to bed because I was tired.

Recovery week was never so welcome!

Happy Training!

Ironman Training Has Begun!

This past weekend was the first weekend since last year's ironman training that I just felt physically drained by the end of it. I did the Luray International Distance triathlon on Saturday morning - great race venue (bonus points that I had already run most of the roads back in January when we rented a house down there for New Years) and even more awesome was the fact that we could show up race morning, pick up our packets, set up our bikes, and just race. My swim was slow, like always, 33 minutes to do 1500 meters - I am terrible at sighting. Bike was good, 1h24min for a 25 mile ride, ate my power bar and hardly touched the brakes on the downhills. I'm also happy with my run, it was 46 minutes for 6.2 miles but I felt good during the whole thing and it was hilly and hot. The lowest point mentally on the run was coming back on the first loop up the hills (hills that didn't seem all the big and long on the way out on the first loop). Finished the race feeling good - 26th overall and 8th in my age group with a time of 2:48. I also realized this is the shortest triathlon (besides the sprint I did with Chelsea) that I've done all year - the other 4 have been half ironmans. It was great to be done in less than three hours as opposed to almost 6 hours. When we got home that afternoon I did a 14 mile run (note to self- don't eat ice cream before running, no matter how tempting...) since I wouldn't be able to do a long run on Sunday because I needed to bike. I felt good all the way until the last 2-3 miles and then I just wanted it to be over. I took my first ice bath of the season and wore compression tights and ate copious amounts of gnocci and passed out on the couch by 9 - awesome! Sunday was a 30 mile bike ride on the W&OD trail; I left the apartment at 7:30am and was home by 9:30 and felt very accomplished. Then I ran 8 miles this morning, fast mile/slow mile. Tomorrow I hope to wake up in time to go swimming - we'll see if that happens... Have to go to bed soon! But it feels good to be fully back into training! IMFL is going to be fun!

Oh, Nepal!

I had the most amazing trip to Nepal from 15 June - 4 July. The purpose of the trip was to assess the Dalit Rights Movement in Nepal through visiting Dalit villages, meeting with various organizations and government officials, and through first-hand observations. Me and the nine other people on the trip became fast friends with each other and with our wonderful drivers/translators/guides. It's hard not to get to know each other when sharing a 16-person van for three weeks. The above picture was taken in the village of Laghuwa in the Palpa district of Nepal, about an hour away from the town of Tansen. This village was in a valley surrounded by mountains (the drive out to this village from Kathmandu took two days and was actually loads of fun - and gorgeous - a subject for another posting when it's not so late!). Laghuwa was DB's village and we were visiting the primary/secondary school he used to attend as a child. As you can see from the picture, we received an amazing greeting from everyone in the village - this was probably the most memorable moment for every single person on this trip. I lost count of how many Namastes I said and how many flowers I received. Many of us hope to return to that village and help out at the school, whether it's through teaching English or doing supply drives from back here in the States. Until I visited Nepal, I took daily life in the US for granted. I still have a tendency to revert back to taking everything for granted, but that's a habit that needs to stop because most people in most other countries would never take for granted the things I have and the things I get to do.