Response to a request.

I've been requested, by 1/5 of my overall readers (yes, that would be n=1) to post an update.

Tomorrow, I race. The high is 59. Luckily, the race does not start until 10am. However, all my winter gear, including arm warmers, toe covers and headbands, are neatly packed in a storage unit a beltway-ride away, which is not happening on a Friday at rush hour. Which means I will be toughing it out tomorrow. At least the water is supposed to be 76. I actually am going to borrow my boyfriends most tacky armwarmers and perhaps put together the most unmatching, awesome tri outfit ever (hot pink shorts, white top, bright blue arms, green socks? CHECK)

Goals:
Swim: See what swimming 1 mile longcourse once per week will get you. My guess? Sore lats and a high heart rate.
Bike: Go fast.
Run: Stay positive.

My run is 'coming along.' I am not out of the woods with the PF and achilles issues, but it is definitely getting better as I up my miles. I have added planned 'walk' breaks to my runs longer than an hour, and I think it has helped me mentally build my miles back up without getting too discouraged. I try to remind myself that I have taken lots of time off running before, and every time I have come back stronger.

Perhaps the biggest news, save the best for last? If my foot is still on the road to healthy Dec 1, and the race is still open, I will be doing my first Ironman next August. Eek. pumped. fingers crossed.

Family Relay minus me :(

Nation's has officially been turned into a 40k bike-10k run, which means what was a family triathlon relay, with me swimming, has been turned into a father-son Duathlon. I'm totally bummed, but I may complete the 'T1' leg (they are starting the race in time trial fashion in swim corrals), but I am excited for my bro to be home from San Fran to celebrate this birthday, complete the 10k (his 2nd running race ever!) and in general enjoy the day.

My new plan is to run from home to the race, getting my 'long' run out of the way for the day, then hang with my mom and sis and cheer.

On the training front, things are going well, minus the constant rain that has forced hours on the trainer this week. I've finally admitted defeat in dealing with my plantar fascitis and achilles tendonitis myself(which I didn't even KNOW was a problem until the ortho started digging!), but after 2 weeks of Graston hell and ART, I feel things slowly improving. I have also started some pool running 2x week just to keep my sane as I struggle to get my running over 20 miles/week.

Big decisions regarding next year are being made, plans are being put in place, compromises in progress (two triathletes in a relationship with similar goals is tough!)...very exciting!!

The New Office.

The move from my NYC office (lab-based, huge, super casual) has been an adjustment. I have moved into a very typical 'office.' Some things have been great: it has a real kitchen, with a toaster (yay grilled cheese!), dishwasher (yay clean coffee cup!) and ice maker (yay iced coffee!).

However, one thing is taking some major getting used to, for a few reasons. The bathroom is a shared, locked bathroom in the hall with all the other suites on the floor. From my old desk, I had about 10 steps to the bathroom. This was good, as sometimes I get too lazy/busy to realize just had bad I have to go.

Also, as I keep this glued to my hand all day, either filled with water or seltzer,


I make a minimum of 4-5 bathroom trips a day. The new receptionist looks at me strange after about the 3rd trip of the day. I just smile.

And grab more chocolate out of her candy bowl.

Luray OLY 2011

I love racing. I just wish I was in the shape I want to be to allow myself the races I want.

And that's my race report in a nutshell. I am super happy with most parts of my race.

Short Version:

Swim 24:52
Bike 1:19:36
Run 53:46
Overall 2:41:07
1st AG, 13th OA

Long, all-over-the-place version:

I swam strong and was out of the water 2nd in my wave. I chose the wrong feet and missed the lead girl from the start, and could never bridge the gap. I lost sight of her when we started to pass the waves ahead of us, came out 1 minute back on her. Had the 3rd overall female swim.

I biked within my fitness and rode in 3rd overall from about mile 7ish to mile 26ish (yes, it was a bit longer bike than a traditional OLY). I was very comfortable on the bike, my legs came around on the 2nd loop and I never felt a lag in energy or power. I got stung/bit by something that bounced off my face around mile 20, which caused a minor freak-out as I am allergic to bees but have not been stung since I was in 7th grade, so I basically tried to ignore it. There was a nasty climb back into transition right at mile 25, and I chose to spin up rather than grind and burn my legs. I was passed by 1 more girl right before transition, but had a quick T2 (rather, the girl who passed me at the end of the bike seemed to have a comedy of errors in T2 and couldn't find her rack), and started run 3rd overall.

I actually felt GREAT leaving T2. I was light on my feet, tried not to hammer the pace, and focused on quick turnover and keeping my arms and upper body loose. I knew the top 2 girls in front where way ahead, but I also knew some girls were going to be hot on my feet. I found some boys to run with, and as I had chosen not to wear my Garmin, I inquired and we were running right at 8 minute pace. I felt great and would have been happy to hold this pace. Unfortunately, I had failed to look at the course elevation profile before the race. All I knew was that it was an out and back, including some gravel road. I failed to realize the hills that the out and back also included.

I was passed hard right about mile 2 by 2 girls, leaving me in 5th, and running 1st in my age group. I knew two girls ahead were also 29, but I was fairly confident they would hold on for the overall podium. I took a gu right around this point, hit the turn around, and the dreaded 'my legs are heavy, my head isn't in this, every step hurts' pains from DC returned. I saw the cushion I had with a whole gaggle of women behind me and thought if I could just keep my legs moving forward and not walk, I would be able to hobble the last 3 miles back to the finish.

Once the desire to walk hits, it hit hard. And I gave in. I was passed by probably 5-6 women in the last mile, and my body and mind just couldn't respond. I just kept on holding my breath as they passed, hoping they weren't my age group. Crazily, every single woman that passed was 30-39 (with the exception of 1, who was 40 and had actually started 3 minutes back). I just kept thanking my lucky stars and willing the finish line to come.

I finished, sat down to decompress and try to explain the feeling in my legs to my boyfriend. I can't put into words the overwhelming desire to just STOP. I feel like my heart rate doesn't match my perceived effort and I just have this debilitating desire to STOP. I didn't want to look at my splits right away, and tried to focus on the positive: I came out of the water 2nd, rode almost the entire bike in 3rd, and my run felt better for longer than in DC. So it's forward progress. And as I had realistic expectations going into the race, I was happy overall. And it's all relative: It might not have been pretty, but I won my age group, how could I be disappointed? AND, I got quite a useful award....

Post race, after the results were available for dissecting, I had the same sad and angry feelings I had after DC. Especially after I realized that my run was actually 2 minutes SLOWER than DC. If I had only been able to run a bit faster, hold those 8 minute miles....

But again, after taking a step back, I need to figure out WHAT is going on. Then it hit me. Both in DC and this race, I took in about 1 bottle of water on the bike (maybe had Nuun in DC), 1 gu on the bike and 1 gu on the run TOTAL. Last year, I was taking over 200 liquid calories on the bike, plus water, plus a gu on the bike and run. This, combined with being honest that I am just NOT putting in the running miles I need to for the results I want, helped me return to the positive aspects of the weekend.

So, last night, I went on an easy 45 minute run (at a significantly faster pace than the race...ugh) and realized that I want to do another OLY this year. Poconos is out. I am pretty sure I have found a race for 'run redemption' - I was impressed with the race organization, this race starts at 10am, and I can sleep in my own bed before. I just want to end the year on a high note and be excited to plan out a schedule for next year. I have completed three OLYs this year, and my run is going in the wrong direction. I need to figure this out, and have 6 weeks to do it.

I just (finally) placed an order to replace my Carbo Pro and EFS, and will figure this out.

Want, need, LOVE

Missoni for Target, click for more previews.

Do you think that 5 bikes in a 1 bedroom apartment is overkill? BC i think I need to have this...I mean, I can't commute on my tri bike, or my road bike...right???

Luray Goals

Realistic Expectations. Have Fun. Good attitude. Smile.

More substantial goals:

1. Race the swim. My swim has felt pretty horrible the first 400-600 lately, but I think that is my body and triceps/lat adjusting to swimming longcourse on a regular basis again. I've been swimming more the past few weeks and I have been really happy with my swims this year. Expecting a non-wetsuit swim, hopefully my shorts stay up.

2. Don't over-cook the bike. It's a hilly course, with some fast decents, so I want to really ride smart but aggressive. I have been feeling heavy and a bit crappy on the bike, but my efforts and paces have been OK.

3. Don't talk myself out of the run. No matter what pace my legs produce, have fun and be happy. Don't walk no matter what - I probably spent 1-2 minutes walking/enjoying and aid stations at DC Tri -this is not OK in an Olympic race, no matter how I'm feeling. If I'm feeling bad, the faster I run = faster it's over.

If nothing else, I'm excited!!! I'm trying not to overthink it, but depending on how this race goes is going to decide my fall (between another OLY or committing to Poconos) and perhaps even a much bigger decision regarding next year. I don't necessarily care how I finish in terms of time or place, it's more about how I feel and if I enjoy the race. To commit to a longer race, my body needs to respond to racing in a way that I haven't felt since the half marathon in March, and I need to be in a good place mentally and excited for the potential of 5+ hours of racing.

The Unknown

It's been fun and a bit intimidating to find new training routes, especially on the bike. I don't mind riding loops upon loops in the city during the week, but wanted to find something different for my long ride. This morning, I ventured about 30 miles from home to attempt at least 3 hours on the bike. I haven't been on my tri bike much this season and wanted to work on my comfort in aero before next weekend.

I read the 7 mile loop was a great mix of false flats, flat and climbing with some screaming descents. It did not disappoint. I can't decide which direction was tougher, and I got in 44 miles before I decided to call it a day, due to the heat and my lack of preparation with nutrition (really need to snap out of this bad habit!)


While I feel like I finished up strong, my legs did not decide to join the ride until the 2nd half. I have been putting a lot of hours (for me) in the past few weeks, so this week a little bit of rest is on tap to be sure my legs show up on time next weekend!