Well, that lasted 10 days.

The coach/advisor thought the 'no-plan plan' was fine. 'A good start...' to be exact (HA).

But he had some suggestions he wanted me to consider. Suggestions that I tend to agree with but was/am afraid to commit to for fear of burning out. But he believes it will AVOID burn out next year. It's also all related to my ultimate goals for next year. Survive? Finish? Enjoy? Race? Compete?

Nothing is final, but looks as though I will be spending a lot more time on my feet through the winter and a lot less time in the saddle. Back to the drawing board.

The Off Season 'no-plan plan'

Before jumping into structured training for next year's big adventure, I want to take some time for some 'unstructured' training. I don't want to feel like I am training for this race for 12 months, but there are some things that I will take the next few months to focus on, and hopefully be in a stronger, better place when formal training starts.

So the plan, loosely defined, is as follows. The goal will be to hit 80-90% of the below each week, with no guilt about missing anything.

1. Log food to hopefully shed a few pounds, but also just to serve as a daily reminder that crap in=crap out;
2. Continue to slowly build running base miles. Incorporate hills, strides, but NO speed. Try to get to and maintain a 1:45 to 2 hour long run over the winter. I love winter running.
1. Start to run at lunch. Rock Creek Park is outside my building. Use it. Bird baths are OK in the winter.
2. Continue to pool run to supplement miles if foot/ankle is wonky.
3. Strength 2-3 times per week, including yoga 1x week.
4. 3 bike rides per week
1. 1 trainer ride with focus (Spinervals),
2. 1 easy, hill ride outside (Mt Vernon-Custis-WO&D loop), 
3. 1 longer weekend social ride - no attention to pace, butt in saddle matters, try for at least 2 hrs;
5. SWIM. 
1. For October/November, in the form of getting back in the water 1-2x per week at Wilson, even just for an easy mile.
2. Starting after Thanksgiving, this will take the form of Masters. I am actually really excited to get my swimming to a place it hasn't been in years. I have been able to 'fake' my way out of real swim training the past 4-5 years in triathlon while still having decent race results.  That ends this winter.

Friday Happiness Is...

...a brisk, hilly 46-degree ride at sunrise.

...leopard-print, patent leather toes

...busting my butt at work slowly paying off, in the form of 'co-investigator' status (in the world of research, this is a big step for me, especially in the absence of a PhD)

Ragnar Relay Pennsylvania 2011

A few months after I moved from NYC, my tri team sent out an email putting together a team of the Pennsylvania Ragnar Relay. I jumped on the chance, figuring the course was halfway between DC and NYC, and it would be a perfect way to catch up with my friends, log some miles, and do something new and different.

When I actually started thinking about logistics, I realized it was a 202-mile point to point race, so 'meeting' my team anywhere wouldn't really work - my car would then be 200+ miles from the finish line. After wavering, I decided to just book a bus ticket to NYC and join the team there.

The weekend ended up being so much fun, and if anyone, ever, has a chance to do a Ragnar event (assuming you like the people on the team!), I would 100% recommend it. Of course, the team dynamic is key, as you will be spending 30+ hours in a van with 6 people.

Really the only hiccup of the entire weekend was when we arrived at the rental car place in NYC on Friday morning at 7:30 and they had no more 15-passanger vans left. It didn't matter that I had a reservation and confirmation number in hand, and had called the place 24 hours prior to be sure a van would be waiting, as we had to be in Lancaster by 12pm to meet for our first exchange (we were 'Team B', so our other van with 6 members starts the first six legs at 9am). After some scrambling, we ended up in a mini-van with a heavy discount. A quick stop to pick up a teammate at the Philly airport, then at Walmart to stock up on costumes, glow bracelets, and the necessary Walmart-brand Ruffles chips, and we were finally on our way. [Didn't matter much, as one member of Team A took a little 'detour' (ie got lost) and added about 30 minutes to his run - oops!]

Our first runs (legs 7-12) were on beautiful country roads in the middle of Amish Country. For most of the routes, you saw more horse-and-buggies than cars. However, it was then that we realized that the course elevation maps were QUITE deceiving as well as their leg classifications. 'Easy' didn't mean anything, and 'Very Hard' became feared. I got ready for my first leg (Child's sized Small Batman!), 5.9 miles, and was ready to run after hours of waiting!

My calves were quite sore still from the Giant Acorn run, so I opted to wear my compression sleeves the entire time, and I am finally sold on compression! (I have used full socks for recovery in the past, but this was the first time I have actually run in them). I also chose to forgo any type of watch/Garmin, and told my team over and over again that I would be taking my legs EASY! My runs over the 24 hours would add up to more than I have run in a long time, and wanted to stay healthy and not reaggrevate my foot.

...Well easier said than done! When the first 3 guys on your team average well under 7 minute pace, and you've been waiting 6+ hours to finally run, I was OFF ... a bit too hot. I settled in, and then pushed the last mile as I finally saw someone ahead to pass. I made the pass with about 200 meters to go, and felt great!


Our team then sped ahead, and while the sun began to set, started to cheer on our last runner for our first section!

After making the hand off to the other team, we regrouped, had a diner dinner (I tired to keep it simple with a spinach salad and a loaded baked potato, we still had lots of running to do!), then headed to the next exchange point. The temperature started to drop (We LUCKED out with weather, absolutly perfect), and I started to fret about my first ever 'night' run. I was lucky, as my 4.2 miles at 2am ended up being through a quaint town with street lights, and again, despite warnings to my team about 'jogging', I ended up feeling even better on this leg and averaged just under 8 minute miles.

SAFETY FIRST! I swear when I was packing I didn't not mean to bring only pink options, however, it worked out quite nicely :)

We finished our night legs, and headed to the next exchange, where we were the 2nd or 3rd team to arrive. I had not anticipated getting any sleep, but was actually able to curl up on a high school gym floor and get about 3 solid hours of sleep.


Our next legs began right at sunrise, and due to a little injury on our team, the ladies mixed up their legs and I ended up getting to run the very last leg of the race. I was very excited, but during this time we actaully got into a bit of a 'race' with a few other teams, and we realized we were one of the first teams on the road (teams started staggered, so who knows when every started, but it was fun to make it a race to the finish!)

I started off third on the road, and this time, realized I may have to push the pace to move my team into 'second' (second to cross the line, that is). I kept a steady pace, and made the pass about 2 miles into my last 6.2 mile run. However, I needed to keep this pace in order to avoid getting passed by another team quickly gaining. Unfortunately, after 295 miles of amazing, beautiful backroads, the last leg was run on a quite heavily traveled road with no shoulder, then for a mile on a main highway, before turning off towards the finish area. This was literally my only complaint for the entire route - there MUST be another way to get to the finish area!?

Our team crossed the finish line 2nd, and ended up getting first in the 'Mixed Open' division (at least half women/half men...we actually had 7 women/5 men!), averaging right around 8:10 for the entire 202 miles. I think we were right around 10th overall, including men's and ultra teams. We quickly cleaned up, and headed for some pizza and beer! It was such a fun experience, and I would jump at the chance to do it again (we are already planning for next year - they just released a new route for the Anirondacks Ragnar, Saratoga Springs to Lake Placid!).


Overall, I couldn't believe how well my body held up. My race the weekend before took more out of me than I had expected, but my legs felt great once I started running, and actually felt better as the day/night/day went on. During my last leg, it was more of a mental challenge to put one foot in front of the other than anything. I don't do well with little sleep, and I realized that with the excitement of the day, it was approaching 1pm and I had only eaten a bagel with cream cheese and 1/2 a larabar. But pushing through mentally, and focusing on the finish, made me realize, I am ready for Ironman. I made the decision perhaps in the last 2 miles, when I was running alone on a 4 lane highway, in the heat, soooo hungry, that I am ready. So I am in the process of finalizing a few things, but, decision MADE :)


Oh, and I also learned another lesson. 17 miles in 24 hours, plus sitting in a van for 30 hours, followed by a 5 miles 'walk' to recover, followed by a 5 hour bus ride back to DC = CRAZY PAINFUL SWOLLEN FEET. My toes were like little sausages! hahaha. Note to self: After removing calf sleeves, replaces with full compression socks!!

boooo rain

Best way to force a week of rest after two weekends of racing in a row?

Rain, rain, rain....go away!

Giant Acron OLY

This is going to be all over the place. I am SO happy with the weekend, the results basically surprised the hell out of me and I had no clue that I was putting together this race until I saw the finish line chute and overall clock.

I had very simple goals for this race, I didn't put any time pressure on myself bc I didn't want to set myself up for disappointment, and I also truly had no idea as to where my fitness was, or what the course was like. Despite a solid performance at Luray, I got so caught up in my times, getting run down by what felt like the entire field and 'what ifs' that I wasn't able to enjoy that I put together a solid race and performed well. In the 6 weeks between Luray and Giant Acron, life also just calmed down in general. I took a week completely off to celebrate my best friend's wedding with basically all my college friends, and have now settled into a comfortable routine, adding regular pool running as my foot is on the mend, and convincing myself that swimming 1500 meters once a week is sufficient (read: it's not). I also have found some great training partners/friends that have showed me some challening and enjoyable rides around my area.

I put in one big weekend of riding (for me) and had three solid weeks of running in a row, building my miles, but keep the pace SUPER comfortable and focusing on how my legs were feeling. My longest run in the last 6 weeks was 7 miles, with planned 30 second walk breaks at every mile. I finished the run in 70 minutes exactly, and while that pace didn't make my confidence soar, the fact that I was on my feet for that long, finished feeling strong and healthy, and felt like I could have kept going helped my mind consider a 10k at the race.

I have nothing but great things to write about Set-Up Events. I am totally sold on their races, they are affordable, just 'big enough', logistically SIMPLE, and this race had pizza, cheese balls, oreos and mountain dew post-race, I mean...what more could a girl ask for, really?

A 10am start time only 80 miles away from home made this race attractive. While I considered that October could bring chilly weather, mid 50s is far prefferable to me than humidity and heat any day. However, as I hit 95S to head out to Lake Anna, and it was POURING, I decided that mid-50s and WINDY AND WET is not as ideal.  I arrived OCD early at the race, couldn't believe how windy and freezing it was as I waited in line to register, and headed back to my car to zone out for the next hour. I was at this race solo, the boy had to work and my dad chose the UMD game over me, understandably. I started to feel a bit lonely, but realized it took all the pressure OFF. When I emerged from the car, it had warmed up and calmed down nicely, and I realized the weather may actually cooperate.

As I headed to transition area, I had a rude awakening. There were college kids at this race. LOTS of college kids. FAST looking, skinny, young, college kids. Somehow I ended up on a rack with a lot of guys from the Duke and Virginia Tech club teams, and I realized this was some type of collegiate championship/team race. I reassesed my overall placement goals, but reminded myself that it wasn't likely that any college kids would be in my age group. I got my things settled, got my wetsuit on (for only the 3rd time this season, whoops), and realized the sun had appeared, the white caps on the lake had calmed, and I was ready to race. No warm up for this girl, I figured my ankle/foot probably  had about 6.3 miles so I didn't want to push it with a warm up.

Swim: 22:59 (6th overall, 1 AG)
From the start, 2 girls took off and I couldn't stay with (this will become important later....ohhh foreshadowing). I just put my head down and swam a strong pace I felt like I could maintain. Out to the first buoy. After the turn, started to feel just how rough the water was. With the waves, I couldn't find the yellow 'turn' buoy in the distance, only the orange site buoys. Even a few breatstrokes didn't help, so I didn't to do something I NEVER do, swim buoy to buoy. This usually adds distance, as the site-buoys are not set up in the most straight line to the turn buoy (as we were reminded by the race director), however, I felt like it was the only way to focus on forward progress. Made it to the last turn buoy, and was blinded by the sun, and literally had no clue where to go. I could generally see the shore and swim in that direction, but I know I swam wide and probably added quite a bit of distance to my route. It was during this leg of the swim when I began writing my race report...."just didn't have it", "not my day from the start" "1500 meters a week is NOT enough to race an OLY", blah blah blah. I reached swim exit and headed for my bike. I went with my shoes on my bike bc it was one of the longest runs from bike exit to bike mount I had ever seen, and as I grabbed my bike and started the run, I heard the announcer call out my name as first female out of the water. WHAT!? No way, those girls had taken off....could it be? Maybe they swam a little long, too? Well, everyone was screaming as I got to the mount line, so I let myself believe that yes, I was the first women on the bike course.

Bike: 1:08:42 (17th overall, 2nd AG) OLY PR BIKE!
I had grabbed arm warmers in transition, but once I was on the bike and got my feet in my shoes, the sun was shining and I decided not forgo trying to get them on my wet arms. Truth was, I was riding SCARED! If I was first on the course, that meant those behind me would be out for blood. So the 'ride smart' mantra became 'ride hard'. I LOVED this two loops course. I had read it was quite a fast course, and enjoyed the rolling hills and beautiful scenery. I was riding with a smile, but pushing the pace, and also focusing on getting in my calories. I think a huge aspect of my running meltdowns in my last two races had not only to do with injury/lack of fitness, but also not taking in enough calories. I learned last year that my body can handle a pretty high number of calories per hour, and I perform better when I hit those numbers. During this ride, I took in about 200-250 calories of Carbo Pro/Nuun from my aero bottle, and a caffeinated Gu around mile 20 (I wasn't going to take this until the run, but my legs were starting to feel a little lethargic and I hadn't had any caffiene yet, and I definitely appreciated the pick me up).  It was a 2 loop course, and on the second loop I focused on passing as many people as I could and riding safely and cleanly.

As I got close to T2, I undid my shoes and started to dread the flying dismount and run into transition. It had clouded over the second half of the bike and my feet felt numb (no socks, no toe warmers, ouch) and I was COLD. I actually decided to not do a flying mount for fear my feet wouldn't agree, and hated life those first few steps.

I hadn't passed anyone females on the bike, and no females had passed me. Even though I had allowed myself to believe that I was riding in first, I KNEW those two girls had gotten a jump on me in the swim. And sure enough, as I reached the dismount line, I saw two girls running out of transition. I did not let it phase me, as I knew in the back of my mind they were there, and still no on had passed me, and I had ridden SCARED and push the effort, which in the back of my mind, made me scared to death to hit the run.

Run: 48:39 (41st overall, 2nd AG)
Socks, shoes, garmin, visor and racebelt and OFF! I put a smile on my face, strapped on my Garmin and told myself not to go out too hot. I had hardly run any miles faster than 9 minute pace in MONTHS, it was ridiculous for me to start the run thinking I could hold 8s, or anything faster. I also saw there was a steady stream of girls coming off the bike that were DEFINITELY close enough to catch me if I blew up like my last two races. First mile: 7:39 DAMN. Well, I felt OK. In fact, I felt GOOD. So I went with it. It was a 2 loop out-and-back course and I knew I was losing ground to the girls in front, but I had to wait until almost mile 4 to see what was going on behind me. I was solidly holding sub-8 pace on a rolling course, and was keeping the negative self-doubt OUT of my mind (believe me, it was there and trying to take over!) I took my 2nd Gu about mile 3.5. At the turn around on the second loop (about mile 4.5) I realized I had three girls FLYING up behind me. They were all wearing college kits, and all I could think is "Damn these college girls can RUN (and damn, they are so skinny! ha)." But I also reminded myself they are 21, and not in your age group. I focused on not letting them pass, but all three made solid passes by mile 5. I pushed as best I could, including in the little trail/root section at the very end, and rounded the last downhill and corner to the finish chute. It was then that I saw the overall clock reading "2:31:--". It was that moment that I realized I had started 8 minutes back, and I may have just gotten an OLY distance PR?!?!?! I don't ride with a bike computer and the swim felt like it took AGES, so this was such a complete shock. But then I also realized that I had pushed the run as hard as I could have, that I NEVER once felt the urge to walk, and I just wanted to sit down.


2:23:52 - 1AG, 13th overall 
(I think that 5 of the girls that finished ahead of me were in the 'college' division and not counted towards AG awards, but I do think the girl who won overall was collegiate, I was confused.)

I tried not to get too excited until I saw the results, bc who knows if they actually spread the waves out 4 minutes like they were supposed to, but when it was confirmed, I did a little dance.  My previous PR was from Miami in April of this year on a dead flat course. I felt like since then, my entire season was in a backwards slide, including my fitness, my motivation and my confidence, especially on the run. This was just the race I needed to put my mind in the right place to keep the focus on getting healthy, and make a wise and smart decision about Ironman next year (I have put a Dec 1 deadline on the decision, unless it looks like it is going to sell out before then).

Now, time to run this thing they call Ragner in the mountains of Pennsylvania with 11 friends from NYC next weekend.