They have flown...

... Pigs, that is. Today is Sunday. We leave for Lake Placid on Thursday. And I am essentially packed and ready to go. This never happens. I am always the one up super late the night before a trip, packing at the last minute, freaking out that I don't have everything, having a bird because I can't find something important. It's only when pigs fly that I am actually ready early for something.

This week is all about minimizing stress and maximizing sleep. We did all our our laundry today, cleaned the house top to bottom, I cleaned my bike, my suitcase is packed, I have all my nutrition and last minute items purchased, I've found race wheels to reserve, and most of my race-day tri stuff is also packed. I have my lunch all packed and ready to go for tomorrow and we even have our dinner pre-made for tomorrow night. It feels awfully nice to have things squared away - I should do this more often!

Workouts this weekend went really, really well. And I managed to do every single workout this entire week. This is my "A" race and I want to do everything right. Unfortunately, I'm not bike commuting to work this coming week - I've made it this long without any biking injuries, I don't want to tempt fate the week before Ironman by biking to work. Plus, it's not in my taper plan to bike an extra 18 miles a day.

Focus for the rest of the week - quality sleep and race focus. I have goals in mind and I need to keep them at the forefront until I cross that finish line. I've been visualizing the race over and over in my head over the past week. I think I am as ready as I will ever be. I don't care about the weather - I'm going to swimbikerun 140.6 miles whether it is sunny or it is pouring (I just hope for my parents' sake that it is not pouring - it will be an unpleasant IM spectating experience if this year is a repeat of 2008).

Now it's time to get some of that quality sleep I was talking about.

It's getting shorterrrrrrr.....

The workouts... the countdown... they are all getting shorter and shorter. IM Lake Placid is almost here! 13 days!

I'm excited. The nerves are there too, of course, but that just adds to the excitement. I think about the race in my free time. I spent 2.5 hours thinking about it on my train ride up to New Jersey today. I had motivational tunes blasting on my iPod and just visualized how I wanted the race to go, from start to finish. What I wanted my emotions to be, how I would feel during the swim, how my legs would feel during the bike, and what it would feel like to run the whole marathon. How it would feel to run around the Olympic oval and cross that finish line. Would this Ironman finish feel just as amazing as my first Ironman finish? What do I need to accomplish to get that same high? Is there anything better than your first Ironman finish?

Anyway, enough deep thoughts. Even though the workouts got shorter this weekend, I was still tired. Maybe I need to go to bed earlier. Or maybe I would sleep better if I didn't have a cat sleeping on my head, another cat sleeping on my side and a dog sleeping on my feet. I did an open water swim on Saturday morning. There aren't a whole lot of open water places to swim nearby to DC... except... the Potomac. One word: ick. You couldn't pay me enough to ever do the DC Tri or Nations Triathlon and swim amongst the "sleeping" fish in the heart of DC. The lower Potomac, where the swim was held, appeared to be cleaner. The water didn't stink, no "sleeping" fish, and there were living things in the water (in the form of LOTS of weeds). So, the open water swim wasn't too bad, once you got past the weeds. Then it was off on an hour run through some nearby neighborhoods. Then a BBQ with the team, a great way to cap off a morning workout. Mark treated me to an awesome dinner of homemade pasta, red sauce and grilled vegetables on Saturday night. I managed to stay awake through half of the Deathly Hallows movie before crying uncle and going to sleep before 11. The exciting life I do lead.

Sunday was the last substantially long brick before Ironman. I wanted to make it a good one. The past few weekends I haven't been as focused as I should've been through the workouts. I was supposed to do a T-run after my long bike ride 4th of July weekend. I forgot to write it down and forgot to do it. I was so irritated with myself when I figured out my mistake a few days later. Swims have been cut short here and there because of time constraints. So, even though I'm excited about Ironman, I still feel like there are a few things I could do better, like be more focused. I need to focus on more than just the emotions and feelings of the race - I need to figure out a race strategy and make sure I'm taking the necessary steps over the next few weeks to execute that strategy. Anyway, Sunday's brick was good. I FINALLY rode with Kerri, we're both doing Placid and I kept missing group rides with her because I never manage to get my lazy butt to a ride on time. It was a good, hilly, hot ride with an equally hot and hilly T-run (yes, I remembered to do my T-run this time). We rode on some different roads in Poolesville and had a really great time, it was nice to switch up the ride from the usual route. Though, I did take a wrong turn and found myself riding up a dirt road. I was too stubborn to admit that I might've been going the wrong way, so I just kept going, until Kerri finally called me out. Tri bikes don't make the best off-road bikes, I really thought I was going to bite it once or twice.

So, last big weekend of workouts complete. Taper has begun. It's time to make time for more sleep, eat healthy, drink lots of water with Nuun tablets. Write up lists for packing, think about race strategy. Dream about the perfect race. And plan out a strategy for the post-race food binge.

Tennessee: Home of Friendly People. And Giant Farm Equipment.

Best friends and a baby

This past weekend, Mark and I ventured into the South for the 4th of July. My best friend Erin, her husband Ashley and daughter Reagan live about 45 minutes west of Nashville, right on the border of Kentucky. A long drive, but totally worth it. It was a truly great weekend.

Are we there yet?

A rundown of what I did:

Biked 80 miles and saw more tractors than cars (more on that later). Took a nap. Ate the best popsicle in the world (mint chocolate chip). Went to a U2 concert. Had dinner and a girl's night out with my best friend. Set off pyrotechnics. Lit a sparkler. Slept. Ran 19 miles in ridiculous humidity. Swam in an outdoor lap pool. Baked cookies. Ate cupcakes (of the homemade AND of the Georgetown variety). Played in a sprinkler. Watched the Tour de France. Ate cinnamon toast crunch cereal and ENJOYED it. Drank sangria (OK, only half a glass, but it was something!). Read 5 books with my goddaughter. Didn't turn on my computer or check e-mail or facebook once. Got chased by a dogs on three separate occasions on my bike.

My 80 mile ride on Saturday morning was bliss. I managed to get out the door by 6am (!!??!!) and was done before 10:30am. I watched the sun rise over the cornfields of Kentucky and had the roads completely to myself for long stretches of time. It was a bike rider's dream (strangely, however, I didn't see a single recreational rider out there besides myself). Barely any cars, sunny weather, quiet roads, and beautiful scenery. I did, however, almost get run over by a tractor on steroids. It looked like something straight out of Transformers. As I was biking down this stretch of quiet road, I heard a rumbling behind me, looked back and saw a tractor that spanned the width of the road lumbering right at me. Fortunately, there was plenty of space by the cornfield to pull over, which I did immediately. And that was my excitement for the ride.

Saturday night = U2 concert. Erin and I went out to a fancy-shmancy dinner of tapas, just the two of us (the boys were in charge of the baby and took her out to buy booze and fireworks - awesome). The Vanderbilt stadium only held about 43,000 so every seat was a good seat and it was an amazing show. All the songs I wanted to hear were played and I can now check this off my bucket list.

The mothership has landed.

Sunday was all about recovery. Recovery from a long bike ride. Recovery from a late night out. Recovery from too many sweets.

This is what I want to do every time I am within a 10ft radius of a red velvet cupcake.

No, scratch that last part. Sunday was all about the sweets. Erin and I went on a baking rampage and filled the kitchen with cupcakes, frosting, cookies, and almond-coconut-pecan balls. July 4th weekend was my last hurrah with recreational sugar before attempting to give it up until after Ironman Lake Placid. You know what's going to get my through those last difficult miles of IMLP? The magnum bars, with a side of oreo balls and brownies, that will be waiting for me at the finish. Maybe I can even finagle some Cadbury Mini Eggs out of thin air to add to my feast. So what if Easter was three months ago - there have to be Mini Eggs somewhere!

Anyway, what better way to recover than with a swim? A swim in an outdoor 50yd pool. A swim in an outdoor 50yd pool that isn't crowded. And I did just that on Sunday. I have the sunburn on my back to prove it.

Monday was my long run. I wouldn't say I was dreading this run all weekend, but it was hanging over my head all weekend, getting in the way of important things like alcohol consumption, cupcake and cookie eating (who am I kidding, nothing gets in the way of cupcakes and cookies). Thanks to Miles, I got up with the sun. I ended up doing the majority of the run on quiet neighborhood streets. Everyone was so friendly - people in their yards would smile and wave at me. People in their cars would wave at me. It made the run so pleasant - why don't more people smile and wave up here in DC? 19 miles later, I rolled back up to the house, looking like I had jumped in a sweaty pool of water. Ick. Last long Ironman run in the bank. My weekends (except for that one on July 24th) have suddenly gotten easier and emptier. Strange. But I am definitely OK with it right now.

I've always gone out to watch the fireworks shows in the past. But in Tennessee, you can buy fireworks and make your own show. So that's what we did. And now I have a better understanding of how people can hurt themselves setting off pyrotechnics (we didn't have any major mishaps, just a few minor ones). Between the 4 of us, we have 25+ years of higher education. But apparently that means nothing when setting off fireworks. We managed to hit the house with one. And then had another explode in the yard. Oops. Nobody was hurt and it did make for a good story.

After the second mishap, we decided to hide behind the car

Seriously guys, stop blowing stuff up.

And that was the weekend in a nutshell. Here are a few of my favorite pictures we managed to take of Reagan. I saw her back in March and she is a different baby 4 months later, but still super cute and very sweet. On my last night, I gave her a bottle and put her to bed. The little stinker already knows how to play me like a harp and managed to get me to read five books to her before going to bed! Being smart and cute is quite the irresistible combination :)

Cute Reagan

She looks like trouble. Fun trouble :)

Wouldn't you read 5 books if those eyes were staring at you?

Peak weekend for Placid

This weekend last year, I was swimming here:

Biking here:

And running here:

The weekend this year was spent in a less exotic locale than the French Riviera (Poolesville, MD, the Wakefield HS pool, and the streets of Arlington/DC) but was no less tiring. Peak training weekend for IM Lake Placid (i.e., spend more time swimming, biking and running than sleeping and eating your weight in burritos every day and every night) was this weekend. Taper starts in a little over a week. Friday was a long swim - I actually managed to get the whole set in before work AND before the pool closed. Saturday I did a long (long, long, long) bike ride with Brian, who is also doing IMLP. We did two loops of the 52 mile course out of Poolesville, plus a few smaller loops to come out with about 120 miles. There were plenty of hills and flats, ascents and descents - similar to Placid. I felt good through the whole ride, taking in nutrition every 20 minutes and water every 10 minutes or so. I'm sticking with mainly Hammer gels for nutrition and, can I just say, I lost count of how many gels I ate during this ride. I don't know how I'm going to carry all this nutrition on the bike - they don't make a bento box big enough. I actually felt pretty good after the ride - not too sore, definitely tired - but in a good way. I capped off my weekend with a 20 mile run on Sunday. Now THAT was painful. I probably pushed it a little harder than I should've - I was mainly in Zone 3 - but I wanted to see how my legs would respond after a long bike ride. But overall I'm happy with the way the run went. After it was over, I managed to get myself up the stairs and spent the next 30 minutes sprawled on the floor, trying to find the motivation to get up and take an ice bath and eat some food. The food eventually happened, but the ice bath didn't. It was also a relatively cool summer day here in DC (only in the 80s), so the recovery tights made an appearance.

I actually did do a few non-training related activities. We had dinner at my aunt's house on Sunday night - spent time with my adorable 3 year old and 10 month old cousins Lilly and Xander - and OD'd on burritos (the impossible has happened - I am over my burrito kick as of today). We took Miles to the dog park and a jaunt around Shirlington on Friday - I've never seen him so excited to be at the dog park. I also made Mark watch a few episodes of Glee on Netflix with me (I think he secretly likes it haha).

Less than a month until Lake Placid!!

Letter to My Younger Self

With less than three months to go before the big 3-0, I started feeling nostalgic for my youth, and opportunities I inadvertently passed up as a kid. And so, I present to you a letter to my younger self. I don't actually want to change the past, but maybe I can learn a few lessons that could be applied to my future.

To my 6-year old self: Don't be a quitter when it comes to swim lessons. Knowing how to do more than just dog paddle might come in handy one day. (psst - good call on quitting gymnastics though; 23 years later you are still as klutzy as ever).

To my middle school self: Stop obsessing about your terrible bowl cut. It is hair. It will grow back. Instead, turn your energy to something fun and creative. Learn Irish dancing, how to create pottery, photography - SOMETHING. Otherwise, 17 years later you will find yourself wishing you had something different to talk about besides swimbikerun.

To my high school self: Be nicer to your parents. Yes, they are rather strict. And yes, you would still behave perfectly without all of the extra rules - but those rules gave them peace of mind. Also, learn how to embrace athletic challenges and competitions - they are fun and not meant to cause so much angst. Oh, and put some effort into focusing and actually doing your best during practices and races - you'll probably exceed all of your expectations.

To my college self: Don't float through life during college - seize every opportunity you are presented with and always search for more. Take advantage of all the cool programs at school - go skiing, kayaking, snowboarding, hiking, camping (OK, well maybe not camping - you hate camping), take a dance class, go on community service trips to foreign countries. Once you get out of school and enter the real world, this stuff costs money and takes up time you suddenly don't have. Oh, and quit the diving team - join the swim team instead (see above note on gymnastics and klutziness).

To my study abroad self: You are going to France. To live in a medieval town. In the French Alps. Get the hell out of the student bars and go see some French stuff! Go ski. Go biking. Explore. Have your host mother teach you how to cook some of those amazing meals that just pop out of her oven. The bars and alcohol will be waiting for you when you turn 21 back in the US (and the novelty of barhopping will wear off shortly thereafter).

To my post-college self: The defense contracting industry is not for you. Don't wait 5 years to finally come to this realization. Set goals. Make a plan. Don't wait 4 years to go back to grad school. Master the art of non-procrastination before you start grad school - otherwise, it will be 2.5 years of very little sleep. Make an effort to show your friends and family you care about them - life is busy and gets in the way, but that's a shoddy excuse. Marriage is about compromise - as nice as your husband is, you are not going to get your way every time. Get over it. Mac and cheese is not a food group. PS - triathlon is expensive. You might want to consider getting a second job to support your growing habit.

To my current self: Stop procrastinating on taking that photography class or Irish dance lesson - do it now. Embrace each day and never forget how lucky you are to be living your life the way you are. Take responsibility for your actions, reactions, and future - only you can influence and ultimately decide those outcomes. And stop comparing yourself to others - circumstances and abilities differ and no two people are the same.

One more thing - go to bed earlier. I'm going to take my own advice and sign off.

Joys? Wonders? Confessions of Ironman training?

I was this close to wearing my recovery socks to brunch this morning. My legs were that sore post-long run. But then I decided to save my husband and his sister from the embarrassment of being seen with me clad in knee-high socks, and opted to put them on in the car immediately following brunch. Those things are amazing.

We met up with an old friend for dinner tonight. He was the one who got me to do my first (disastrous) triathlon, which we had a lovely time reminiscing about. Someday I'd like to get back into doing some mountain biking and off-road tris.

I'm starting to wonder if your hair can grow mold if it is never, ever completely dry. It's 10:30pm and my hair is still wet. Between the sweat, visits to the pool, and showers between workouts, I don't remember the last time my hair was completely dry.

I'm starting to give up on girly. Not that I've ever been really girly, but I always used to make it a point to wear a dress or something cute to race expos and bike check-ins, you know, just in case anyone forgot I was a girl since most of my time was spent in sweaty workout clothes. Now I'm starting to forget what cute dresses and skirts I own, but I can tell you all about my favorite tee-shirts and such. I even bought a dress made out of wicking material... and I wear it all the time. It's also a black dress, so you can't tell if I get bike grease on it. I can't say that about any of my Lilly Pulitzers...

Today's run was... hard. But in a good way. I think my body is still getting used to the idea of running more than 13 miles, seeing as it starts to get noticeably sore around mile 15. It better get used to the idea quickly because Placid is in a little over a month and there's definitely more than a 15 mile run involved with that race.

Next week is a monster training week. I don't know if it is a peak week and then the taper starts, but it's definitely up there. The hours are literally like having a part-time job. I'm also hungry all of the time. And I mean all of the time. Do you know how much willpower I had to exert tonight in order to not grab the breadbasket off the restaurant table, cradle it in my arms, and croon "Mine, mine... my precious, my precious." I also bonked in the pool. Who bonks in the pool? Especially when they JUST ate not too long before going to the pool. Next time, I'm going to be armed with snacks, signs prohibiting food on the pool deck be damned!

Oh, and before I sign off - a very important message! Happy father's day to my dad! As well as my father-in-law (who officially became a triathlete in May!) Love you both!

Training thoughts

With Allie in town visiting this week, I wanted to get my weekend workouts done as quickly and early as possible so we could get on with our day. This meant doing my 3 hour ride on the bike path. I haven't been doing many of my bike rides on the bike path because it's crowded and not very Lake Placid-like (i.e. - it's pretty flat). In fact, it seems like all of my training rides so far this year have been stupid hilly (Skymass, Skyline Drive, Lake Placid course, some Poolesville MD hills. The only thing missing is the Ascension ride, which I will NOT be using for my 120 miler this year). Soooo, this morning's ride was a nice change of pace, especially once I got out of suburbia and the crowds. The 1.5 hours out passed quickly, with a few gels and a PowerBar. Same for the ride back. Then a short brick run and I was finished - all before 11am! My legs don't really feel like they did a 50+ mile ride this morning, probably due to the lack of major hills. Maybe next year I should do a flat Ironman - the rides are over faster and your legs feel less chewed up at the end.

I have a few goals I'd like to meet over the next few weeks as Ironman approaches:

1) Go to bed earlier. I used to be good at this, until grad school ruined me.

2) Eat fewer Magnum Bars. Eat fewer sweets in general. I'm better at this than I used to be, but I've still been known to go on a sugar bender here and there. It's getting to be that time where I really need to save the bender for post-ironman, you know - as a reward.

3) Get all my workouts in. This is tied to goal one - if I went to bed earlier, I probably wouldn't oversleep and have to reschedule my morning workouts.

4) Make triathlon and training a priority every day. This will help with accomplishing goals 1-3.

5) Don't cut workouts short, don't slack, and stay focused.

Happy training!