Tri for Sight race report

The Tri for Sight was hands down one of the most well organized races I have ever done! The transition set-up and the swim start helped to ensure that the bike and run would not be extremely crowded, which was great!

Let's start from the beginning. On Saturday morning, I headed down to UK's Commonwealth Stadium to pick up my packet. Pick-up was very easy, plus they were giving away Powerbars, Power gels, and new Powerbar Ironman drinks. Free samples are always nice! I picked up lunch from Moe's (vegeterian burrito) and headed home to rest for the rest of the afternoon. Our good friends Justin, Charis and their daughter Ruby came into town on Saturday, so we had dinner with them at Ramsey's on Saturday night. It was so good to see them! I had a grilled chicken salad, and a pretty big piece of black bottom banana pie...the salad was "eh" but the pie was to die for!

After making sure I had all of my gear ready and packed, I went to bed around 9:15, with my alarm set for 4:30am. Morning came soon and before I knew it I was up eating Cheerios and drinking coffee. I wanted to get to the transition area around 6:00ish, so I left the house at 5:40 and headed into Lexington. I felt pretty weird on race morning though - I think it is because I wasn't really excited! I didn't have any adrenaline pumping or anything, it was more of just a "let's get this over with" feeling, which I didn't like! I figured that once I got to the race my spirits would improve.

Chad wasn't able to go the race as he had obligations at our church, but I did drive the truck. It was nice to not have to deal with a bike rack! I just put my bike in the bed and off I went. Once I got to the race site I easily found a good parking spot - plenty of parking is a big plus of having a race that starts and ends in a stadium parking lot! I got body marked, got my timing chip and then found my spot in transition. The racks were a little crowded, but nothing too bad. Oh and I may have forgotten to mention that it was only 49 degrees at this point! I was a little concerned about freezing my butt off on the bike! After getting set up in transition and making a few port-a-pottie stops, I stripped down to my tri shorts and top to try to get used to the cool weather. It actually wasn't too bad! There was no wind, so that helped.

After a brief pre-race meeting, all of the triathletes (there was also a duathlon going on) headed down to the Lancaster Aquatic Center (UK's pool) which was .25 miles away. I wondered how I would fare after the swim - running soaking wet and barefoot in 50 degree weather for .25 miles! Once we got to the pool (which is an incredible facility with a 50 meter pool) all of the athletes gathered up in the balcony. Groups of about 30 or so people were brought down to the pool deck, by number. Athletes then went into the pool every 10 seconds or so. I was #335 out of 450 or so, I was definitely towards the back. The race started at 7:15am, but I didn't get into the pool until after 8:30! This was great because the sun was out and warming up the temps by the time I got out. The swim was a 50 meter pool, and there were 8 lanes. We were to swim up and down each lane for a total of 100 meters per lane, 800 meters total. By the time my group got in the pool it was kind of crowded, but not too bad. We actually got down to the deck a little later than we were supposed to, so most of the group in front of us were already well on their way through the pool which helped.

I usually panic at some point during the swim, whether in a pool or open water, but it is usually due to going out too hard and not being able to catch my breath. I stayed nice and steady and relaxed during this swim and never got panicky feeling. The wide lanes really helped, plus I had a lot of clear water behind me and in front of me for the most part. I ended up passing 6 people, which is always a nice feeling. I was hoping to finish the swim around 20:00, and I climbed out of the pool at 19:45.

The run back to transition included a flight of stairs, but other than that it was pretty much a straight shot back through campus to Commonwealth Stadium. It was a gorgeous day already - bright sun, no clouds and no wind, so the cool temps actually felt good! Since the racks were set by race number and the swim was done by race number (rather than age group), all of the racks leading up to my rack were empty (for the most part). This made finding the rack super easy! In transition I threw on a long sleeve wicking shirt, my helmet, sunglasses and shoes and off I went.

I did not do very well on the bike. I haven't been riding nearly as much as I should have (should ride at least 3 times per week, I've been averaging 1!) and I wasn't really prepared for a fast 18 mile ride. The course was beautiful and mostly flat, which was very nice. The police were out in full force, blocking intersections for us which was fantastic. Also a UK sorority was volunteering for the race and they were spread out among the whole bike course shouting genuine words of encouragement - it was really nice! The best thing about the bike is that I hardly saw any huge clumps of bikers or drafting. I think this is because the swim was spaced well (by projected finish time, not age group), which spaced the bikers well, which spaced the runners well. Organization is key!

I finished the bike in 1:09:02 and was happy to start the run. It was a four mile out and back run around the perimeter of Commonwealth Stadium and over into the UK arboretum. I felt great on the run and was able to maintain a decent 8:33 pace. As always during the run, I usually get my legs under me around mile 2. Since this was a 4 mile race, it was nice to pick up speed after the turn around as I headed back to the finish. I passed two ladies in my age group in the last mile and then had a short sprinting dual with another lady at the very end. I turned the final corner and put the wheels on, confident that I could pass her. She picked up the speed too and we were neck and neck but I think I beat her by a few steps. It was pretty fun! The crowd was cheering and the announcer was like "who's it gonna be!" - she wasn't in my age group, but this is a race after all so it was nice to finish strong!

Official results:

• Swim: 19:45 (11th in AG)
• T1: 4:16 (included .25 mile run from pool to transition)
• Bike: 1:09:02 (13th in AG)
• T2: 1:55
• Run: 34:11 (8:33 pace, 5th in AG)
• Overall time: 2:08:46

I saw a lot of photographers out on the course, but I haven't been able to find any pictures online yet. Once they are posted I will try to post some here!

I am a little happy and a little sad that my triathlon season is over. I hope to do one more race in Kentucky next April before we move to Louisiana in the summer. There are lots of great road races and triathlons in Louisiana, so a new racing "scene" is definitely something to look forward to!

Next up, the Jessamine County Race for Cancer 2k this weekend where I will hopefully defend last year's 3rd place overall finish!

6 Days to the Race!

Six days to the River Cities Tri! I am getting really excited about our trip to Louisiana and the triathlon this weekend. I've been excited for months, but the fact that we are leaving this week finally makes it tangible. My training has been going well, and I'm glad that we've had some high temps lately. I'm hoping this will acclimate me a bit to the beastly Louisiana weather!

This week will be busy with wrapping things up at work and getting ready for the trip, so I am going to do a slight taper in my training. It will be interesting to see what state I am in after a 9 hour drive on Friday, 3 hour drive early Saturday morning and then a busy afternoon picking up our race packets, having dinner and checking out the race site. I hope I am able to get some sleep on Friday night - we are stopping for the night just outside of Jackson, MS and Emma sometimes gets a little wild in hotels. So many new smells and sounds and sights for the little gal usually means that she wants to do everything but sleep when its lights out!

We'll arrive in Alexandria after a short drive (3 hours or so) Saturday morning, and then at 1:00 I will head to Shreveport (2 hours north) to meet up with my family and get our race packets. Chad and I bought a cooler yesterday (how did we not have a cooler after all this time?) and I am looking forward to stocking it with road snacks like grapes, apples, pretzels, water, and trail mix. I'm a sucker for gas station snacks and drive-thru burgers, so I want to make sure I have healthier options at my finger tips during the drive.

I'm not bringing my computer with me, but I'm hoping to use Chad's to get a race report up early next week. I know I will probably be updating Twitter frequently though!

I am so excited about this race - even though it is just a sprint distance triathlon...which is really not much in the world of triathlon. But for years my sister Megan and I have been saying that our ultimate goal is to do the Hawaii Ironman together. While I don't know if that will ever happen (although we definitely plan on doing a 70.3 together in the next few years) this race we are doing together this weekend is a small step in the direction of our ultimate goal of doing an Ironman together. I love sharing this passion for run/bike/swim with my sister! It will be great to do this race with her, and our Aunt Genie, too! I am looking forward to posting pictures from the weekend here. My mom has already made a "twins tri harder" shirt!

Training Log 7/19-7/25

Monday 7/19
• Rest

Tuesday 7/20
• 42:00 run (AM)
• 1:09:05 ride (17.1 miles) (PM)

Wednesday 7/21
• Rest

Thursday 7/22
• 42:46 run

Friday 7/23
• 23:00 swim

Saturday 7/24
• 51:52 bike (14 miles)
• 1:05 run
• 30 swim

Sunday 7/25
• Rest

Training Log 7/5-7/11

Monday 7/5:
• Swim: 30:00 min.

Tuesday 7/6:
• Rest day

Wednesday 7/7
• Swim: 35:00 min.

Thursday 7/8
• Run: 40:00 min.

Friday 7/9
• Run: 31:38 min.

Saturday 7/10
Lame Duck Course Preview/Clinic (recap below)
• Swim: .5 mile OWS - 18:33 min.
• Bike: 9.6 miles - 40:44 min.
• Run: 2.4 miles - 20:00 min.
• Total Time: 1:21:04

Sunday 7/11
• Bike: 14.3 miles - 53:09 min.
• Run: 2.2 miles - 18:11 min.

The Lame Duck Course Preview on Saturday morning was a great event. It was the perfect place to test my fitness and endurance on a challenging triathlon course without the stress and anxiety of an actual triathlon.

I was up at 5:30am, had my usual breakfast of coffee and Corn Flakes w/ banana and blueberries, then after getting ready I was out the door at 6:45. I arrived at the course at 6:45am - exiting I-75 about 10 minutes before this happened! I was glad I was not caught up in all of that. The interstate was shut down for a little bit due to that.

A transition area was set up in the parking lot next to the lake, so I got my bike racked and my transition stuff set up. Around 8:15am, the two coaches gathered everyone (there were about 40 people participating) and went over some general triathlon tips. I learned some great tips about the transition, like you always want to set your gear (bike shoes, running shoes, hat, race belt, etc.) on the front wheel side of your bike, rather than near the back wheel. Also, it is a good idea to strap the timing chip on your left ankle rather than the right, so that it won't accidentally get tangled in your derailleur.

We shuttled over to the start of the swim and hopped in the lake to start the 1/2 mile swim back to shore. The swim felt really good - I tried to practice my sighting and tried to get into a good rhythm. I know that I need to work on keeping my head down more, but towards the end I felt like I was in a good 3 strokes/sight/breathe routine. It was definitely helpful to do the swim without the mass swim start panic and chaos! I was hoping to finish around 20 minutes, so I was happy to come in at 18:33.

We waited for everyone to finish the swim, and then started out on the bike course. The bike and run courses are pretty challenging - the hills are relentless. I am pretty sure this neighborhood (Mallard Point) was carved into a small mountain range. The interesting thing about these hills is that some of them are long and gradual while others are short but very steep - my car had to work a little harder to drive up some of them! It is only a 9 mile ride, but my time was equivalent to a flatter 14 mile ride. My tip for getting up a hill (whether running or riding) is to increase your leg turnover and not look at the top of the hill. Keep your eyes down and focus on what is in front of you, not what is at the top. Before you know it, you will crest the hill.

I finished in the back of the first pack of bikers, and then took a little time in T2 to drink some of my Gatorade/water mixture and pour water over my head. It was about 10:30am at this point, and I knew there was no water out on the course. I started the run with two goals - to finish around 20 minutes and to not walk. Last year I had to walk part of the course and I felt like an idiot, so I didn't want that to happen again.

I finished the run right at 20:00 minutes, and didn't walk at all. After finishing, I walked down to my bike and was getting my things together when I struck up a conversation with the man who started the race years ago with his wife. We talked for a bit but then the heat and I think dehydration got to me and I almost blacked out! I told him that I needed to sit down so I grabbed my Gatorade and a Clif Bar and sat down in the shade to get my wits about me. A few minutes later I felt much better so I gathered up my things and headed to my car. On my walk to the car, a butterfly landed on my gear shifter and rode the rest of the way to the car. It was pretty strange! Overall, a great day of training out in Georgetown!

Hitching a ride

Lame Duck Triathlon Training Day

Tomorrow morning I am heading to Georgetown (KY) for a triathlon training session. The Lame Duck triathlon will always be special to me (it was my first triathlon) but I'm not going to be able to race it this year as it is the same weekend that we will be in Louisiana for River Cities. I got an e-mail this week about a training day that is being held tomorrow on the Lame Duck course. It is an opportunity to preview the course and do each leg of the course under the guidance of a USAT coach.

I double-checked with the race director to see if I could participate in the training day even if I am not registered for the Lame Duck, and he said that I could! I am really looking forward to this great training opportunity. Here is the schedule for the morning:

The Bluegrass Triathlon Club (BTC), in conjunction with event sponsor Swim Bike Run of Kentucky, USAT certified coach Beth Atnip and Jeff Buhr, will be offering a preview of the event’s entire course. This will give participants a chance to see the course, as well as learn some of the basics about triathlons and the Lame Duck. This is not a race, but an opportunity to try out the entire course at your own pace. The schedule is:

• 7:45 – Arrive, unload gear
• 8:00–8:15 - Sign up and set up your transition area
• 8:15-8:30 – Transition area and swim course overview + Q & A
• 8:30-8:45 - Shuttle to swim start
• 8:45-9:15 – Swim - 0.54 miles (we will have a small number of swim safety personnel)
• 9:15-9:30 - Transition, bike and run course overview + Q & A
• 9:30-11:00 – Bike 9.1 miles & run 2.6 miles
• 11:00-11:30 – Q & A

I normally run, bike and swim on Saturdays, so this will be a fun way to get in my workouts (really looking forward to the open water swim!) plus get some guidance and wisdom from USAT coaches. I'll be sure to include a recap in my 7/5-7/11 training log post!

Training Log 6/28-7/4

Monday 6/28:
Scheduled rest day

Tuesday 6/29:
•Distance: 6.0 mile push run (AM)
•Time: 60:03
• Notes: 30 squats, 10 push-ups, 10 jumping pull-ups

•Distance: 19.7 mile ride (PM)
•Time: 1:21:03
• Notes: 15.0 avg. mph, no energy at all during ride, only had water - should have taken Gatorade or a gel with me, glad to get it done though!

Wednesday 6/30:
•Time: 25:00 swim
• Notes: Planned to swim for 45 minutes, but the pool was packed with families and I had the only open lap lane. At 25 minutes in, a whole family got in the shallow end of my lane to play. I was feeling pretty fatigued and didn't want to navigate through 6 year olds, so I just called it quits.

Thursday 7/1:
•Distance: ~5.5 mile run
•Time: 47:33
• Notes: interval run

Friday 7/2:
•Time: 35:23 swim
•Notes: 5 min warm-up with freestyle & breaststroke at an easy pace, then 10 minutes continuous freestyle at a fairly consistent pace (1:55-2:00/100 yd.). 30 second rest between 10 minute sets. Felt great!

Saturday 7/3:
•Distance: 4.0 mile run
•Time: 36:46
•Notes: felt good, nice and steady pace

•Distance: 22.8 mile ride
•Time: 1:26:32
• Notes: 16.0 avg. mph. Felt great - started the ride right after finishing my run, ate a chocolate GU about 5 miles in, drank entire bottle of Gatorade/water mixture.

(I wanted to get a swim in on Saturday, but pool was closed for 4th of July)

Sunday 7/4:
•Distance: 14.3 mile ride
•Time: 53:31
• Notes: 16.4 avg. mph, felt good, legs were a little fatigued from yesterday's ride

•Distance: 3.1 mile brick run
•Time: 26:00
• Notes: felt great running off the bike, sweat was pouring, out & back run: focused on a keeping a nice & steady pace during the out portion, and picking up the pace on the back portion.

Overall, a good week of training! 4 weeks to River Cities, 9 weeks to Tri for Sight!

Updates

It seems like forever since I have posted an update. This morning I was trying to figure out why I haven't been blogging lately, and I think it is mainly because of the weather. For me, I think it is easier to blog in the fall, winter and early spring because I am inside more. In the summer, I want to be outside as much as possible. In my free time, I usually can be found running, biking, swimming or reading in the backyard while Emma plays.

I think my biggest blogging goal is to blog consistently, but lately I have felt uninspired to write. I just don't know what to write about! I have really gotten into the "literary fiction" genre this summer (after reading all of Curtis Sittenfield's books) and my lifelong desire to write a book is stirring within me again. But the problem at hand is that I don't know what to write about. I have a collection of short story ideas, so maybe I will try to jot some things down in the vein of John Grisham's "Ford County". Just for fun of course, I have no grand illusions of ever being published.

In other news, I have a triathlon this Sunday! It is the Markey Race for Women's Cancer (aka Markey Tri) and it is here in Lexington. This is the inaugural race, and I think there are like 300-400 participants. It is a 400m pool swim, 14 mile bike, and 5k run. I think this will be a good test race to see where my overall race fitness is at. Training has been going well, but I would like to ramp things up a bit after this race on Sunday to prepare for the River Cities Triathlon in Shreveport, LA on August 1st. This is my "A" race for the summer and I have only one goal - beat my sister Megan's time! She is a fierce competitor, so it will be tough to do but it will be a lot of fun trying!

A few more life updates:

• Last weekend we said goodbye to our friends the Mostroms and this weekend we will say goodbye to the Strebecks. These families have been with us since the very beginning (like the first week!) of our seminary journey here in Kentucky, and we are so sad to see them go, but proud of all they have accomplished and will accomplish. The Mostroms are headed north to Ohio for Alan to begin PhD work, and the Strebecks are headed south to Texas for Ryan to serve as a pastor in Abilene. I have shed many tears this week thinking about not experiencing day to day life with these families anymore.
  

• We sold Chad's Jeep Grand Cherokee and purchased a 2005 F-150. Chad has wanted a truck for years, and now was the time to make the move. The Jeep was on its last legs but we were still able to sell it at a decent price, and we found an incredible deal on a truck in Louisiana. Big thanks to Chad's parents who did all of the leg work on searching and finding a truck in central Louisiana - the used truck market is just so much better down there!
  

• I ordered a pair of Nike Free 7.0's from Road Runner Sports and got them in last weekend. After running in them for a week, I can say that I love them. In my first run with them it took me about 20 minutes to get used to the different structure, but after that it was fine. I love the built-in sock/liner thing which definitely makes them good triathlon shoes, in my opinion. I've done a few brick runs in them, and I am able to just slide my foot in the shoe (already tied & double knotted) so that will cut down on having to stop and tie my shoes in T2.
  
• Chad has been really busy so far this summer with a one week intensive class and then a week at summer camp as a counselor/worship leader. And next week he will be heading to Louisiana to pick up the truck. Before we know it, we will be heading down to Louisiana for the River Cities triathlon and our 1 week vacation in Alexandria!
  

I'll post an update early next week with results and a race report from the triathlon!

Transitioning to Triathlon

Oh, the triathlon puns are just too easy. Last week was Week 1 of my triathlon training for the summer triathlon season. I have two triathlons planned for this summer:

• Markey Race for Cancer Sprint Triathlon: Lexington, KY - June 27th
• 400m pool swim, 14 mile bike, 3.1 mile run
  

• River Cities Sprint Triathlon: Shreveport, LA - August 1st
• 800yd open water swim, 18.2 mile bike, 3.1 mile run
  

I also have some 5ks and 10ks thrown in:

• Bluegrass 10k: Lexington, KY - July 4th
• Bluegrass State Games 5k: Nicholasville, KY - July 17th
• Midsummer's Night Run 5k: Lexington, KY - August 14th (Chad is going to do this one!)

I am really excited about both of the triathlons. The Markey Race is an inaugural race here in Lexington, and I know it will be done very well. Swim Bike Run of KY is involved with the race directing, and those folks know what they are doing. It will be a 400m pool swim, 14 mile bike on rolling hills out by the Kentucky Horse Park, and then a 5k. I am really excited about this race! I have already set my goals high, and I am going to try to place in the top 3 in my age group. I hope this is a realistic goal. I placed 2nd in my age group at the Lame Duck tri last summer without even really trying! My goal was just to finish under 1:30. In my training for the Lame Duck, I mainly tried to focus on being able to complete each leg of the race - namely swimming and biking. I focused on technique and endurance, but not really speed. Since I have a huge endurance base built up from my marathon training this spring, I want to focus on getting faster now.

I am really looking forward to the second triathlon, River Cities, in Shreveport. This race is known as the oldest and largest triathlon in the South. No way am I getting an AG award here! What is going to be so cool about River Cities is that I will be racing with my sister Megan and my aunt Genie! Chad and I go to Louisiana for a week every summer and it just so happened that this race is on one of the weekends we will be home! It will be awesome to do something I love with the people I love on the race course and on the sidelines!!

So needless to say, I am super motivated with my training. I want to get faster and fitter this summer in order to get an AG award at Markey, and to finish well at River Cities. When creating a training plan for this summer I modified and meshed a few plans together from TriNewbie.com and BeginnerTriathlete.com. I am only one week into my training, but I love it so far! Instead of focusing on getting in specific mileage, I'm focusing more on getting in time. Here are a few pictures of my 15 week training plan, which I cut and pasted into a Moleskine 2010 planner. I have the plan at the front of the planner, and then I keep a workout log on the monthly calendar.

Weeks 1-5

Weeks 6-15
(note: the "vacation in LA" days will be right after the River Cities tri, so I will use that week as a rest week, but I know I will still make good use of my in-law's pool and the flat roads of Louisiana!)

Workout Log: May 3rd-10th

My training plan follows the same basic pattern each week, with build-up weeks and recovery weeks built in. For the most part, my schedule will look like this:

Monday: 1 hour push-run*
Tuesday: 45 minute swim (am), 1-2 hour group ride (pm)
Wednesday: 4-6 mile repeat run
Thursday: 1 hour push-run
Friday: 45 minute swim**
Saturday: 1 hour run, 1 hour ride, 30-45 minute swim
Sunday: 1 hour ride, 20-30 minute run

*Push-runs, created by Brett at Zen Triathlon, consist of running for 10 minutes, then stopping to do a set of push-ups, pull-ups, or squats. I've found what works best for me is to do a set of 10 squats every 10 minutes, and then when I get home I immediately do 3 sets each of 10 push-ups and 10 sit-ups. Mixing anaerobic and aerobic really helps to burn fat, plus the squats help with my cycling and the push-ups and sit-ups help with my swimming.

**I realized last week that I didn't build a rest day into my plan...whoops! I think I am going to try to use Friday as a rest day, and get in my scheduled Friday morning swim on Thursday evening.

Last week was my first week on this plan and it was so much FUN! I really love the variety that comes with triathlon training. It is a fun mix of really beneficial workouts, too - I think. I do short intervals during my push-runs, so the whole run helps to build strength, speed and endurance.

• My Tuesday night rides are with two experienced and fast cyclists, so they always push me to ride harder than I would on my own. We also usually do a pace line (think back to Indian Runs in high school) which helps to keep our average MPH higher and helps to build power in the legs.

• The swims are pretty simple. I'm working on my form and getting my 100yd time down. Right now it is right at about 2:00, which is dismal. I'm working on getting down to 1:45.

• Saturdays will be for endurance - spending quality time in each discipline but at nice and easy pace, making sure to keep my heart rate under control.

• Sundays brick ride and run will be for race simulation. I have a nice 14 mile loop and a 5k route that I will use each week to simulate the Markey distance. I'll work on my nutrition on the bike (probably just diluted Gatorade and a few shot blocks for a sprint) and my transition to the run.
  

So all that to say, I am excited about the summer race season! I'd like to get back into a semi-regular posting pattern, so I will aim to post a workout log and review each Sunday. To anyone out there training for summer races - have fun and stay safe!

Help Make A Difference triathlon tomorrow

My second triathlon is fast approaching. I am not nearly as nervous and adrenaline crazed as I was before my last one in August. We have been deluged by rain all week long, and I'm really hoping that the weather is clear for the race in the morning! The race is in Danville, KY, which is about 20 miles away.

My gear is packed and ready - I've checked and re-checked my packing list a few times. I had a simple dinner of spaghetti with marinara sauce, and I've got my breakfast all planned out. I'm going to eat oatmeal with a banana and a tablespoon of peanut butter mixed in - it has worked really well this season as a pre-long run meal.

I think I am most concerned about the swim. I feel really confident about the distance - 300 yards. But I'm not too confident about the swim being in a pool, as I've heard they can be a little more messy than open water swims. I've really been working on my breathing and my stroke over the past two months, so I am excited to see how I do tomorrow.

I'm really looking forward to the bike and the run - I was convinced that the bike was 18 miles, but I found out this week that it's only 15 miles! So, that is a bonus, as I've been training for a fast (that's relative, of course!) 18 mile ride. The course is a 7.5 mile out and back, so I feel good about having a better idea of the course on the way back to T2.

I hope my run will be much stronger in this race than it was in the Lame Duck tri. I really didn't put in the run work I needed before Lame Duck, so I've made sure to really put in the necessary work this time around.

One thing I've been thinking about a lot lately is how happy I am that I was raised in such an active family. I am extremely thankful to my parents for this, and I hope they realize it. From the time Megan and I were in kindergarten, we were playing sports - basketball, soccer, t-ball, softball, lacrosse, and even a brief stint with roller hockey!

The other thing that we always did as a family was go on walks. We would leash up our trusty Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mix Scout and hit the roads. We would walk down to the local lake, down to our elementary school to play on the playground, or just around the neighborhood. We would go to mass as a family on Saturday evenings, and then spend our Sunday mornings out at our local park with Scout and a mini-van load of skateboards, roller blades, and bikes. My parents would also take us to the local high school to play tennis and run around the track.

This was such a great way to grow up, and it has really helped me to appreciate and enjoy being active and spending time outside. While Chad and I are still a few years away from having kids, I am already looking forward to taking them to parks, taking them for walks, taking them to t-ball practice.

So all that to say, I will be thinking of my mom and dad and my sisters and niece tomorrow as I race. I am so thankful to them for all they have done to make me the person that I am today!

Ok...now I've got to go wipe up these tears and get my game face on!!!

Race report and training updates

A few Saturday nights ago, I ran the Midsummer Night 5k run in Lexington. That morning, I ran 6 miles and swam for about 20 minutes. I wasn't sure how this would affect my performance in the race, so I went into the race with the goal of just having a good time. It was pretty weird running a race at 8:30pm - I am definitely more used to running 8:30am races. I tried to rest my legs that afternoon, and ate a light dinner at 5:00pm. My friends picked me up about an hour before the race start and we made the quick drive into Lexington. The sun was still out and blazing, so I knew we would be in for a pretty hot run.

The gun sounded at 8:30 and off we went down Main St. It was extremely crowded - tons of walkers and people with strollers - so I did my best to dodge and weave around them for the first mile. As we ran the sun began to go down, and by the 2.5 mile mark it was totally dark outside. This was my first time to run this race, and it was kind of nice not being familiar with the route. I never knew when we were going to turn next, or at what mile we were at. I just kept surging along with the crowd - trusting that everyone around me knew what the heck they were doing!

I felt great the entire race, and when we turned back on Main St., I knew that I was relatively close to the finish. I was able to pick up my pace and give a pretty good final surge, finishing in 26:48. My watch said 27:03 - but I later realized I started my watch when I crossed the starting line sign, not the starting mat. So I was pretty happy to see that my time was a little better - even if only by a few seconds!

After crossing the finish line, the first thing I saw was people puking. It was absolutely disgusting! I guess the heat combined with dinner combined with a 3.1 mile race wasn't a good mix. After finishing, I walked over to the water station and ran into one of my co-workers, whose son was running the race with his high school cross country team. She was taking pictures, and snapped a picture of me. It is a little frightening, but it is quite an indication of how hot it was that night - I was pouring sweat! (Gotta love the sports bra outline.)


As far as triathlon training goes, things are going well! This week I have started to incorporate "push running" into my training. Brett from the Zen and the Art of Triathlon podcast
invented this workout as a way to incorporate both anaerobic and aerobic activity in one workout session. The basic premise of a push run is that you run for 10 minutes, then do a set of push-ups, pull-ups or squats. Then you run for another 10 minutes, and then do another set of push-ups, pull-ups, or squats.

On my 4 mile run on Monday morning, I ran for 10 minutes and then did a set of 5 squats. I ran for another 20 minutes (forgot to stop after 10) and did another set of 5 squats. Then when I got home I did 5 more squats. The idea behind push running is that incorporating squats into your runs will help with your cycling, and incorporating push-ups and/or pull-ups will help with your swimming. I am going to try to make at least two of my weekday runs "push runs" (incorporating both squats and push-ups) to see if it helps with my swimming and cycling.

Speaking of cycling, I went on my longest ride to date last night - 26.6 miles. We were aiming for 18-20 miles, but a semi-wrong turn added on a little more than we had planned. I also experienced what can only be described as a successful flying dismount. I was coming down a fairly steep hill, when I realized that I was quickly approaching a very sharp U-turn in the road. I knew there was no way I could slow down enough to make the turn and survive with any skin, so I made the executive decision to unclip my shoes and unseat myself. I pretty much just jumped back off the seat and watched as my bike slammed into a cattle fence. Luckily, there was no damage to the bike, but I was definitely a little shaken up! My friend Cody took a look at my brakes and realized that they were way too loose, so helped me tighten them up. I could immediately feel a huge difference with the tighter brakes, which really helped me get some confidence back.

We finished the ride in 1:56:50, and I was dog tired and very hungry. I ate a peanut butter, jelly and Frito sandwich (so good!) and some watermelon, and then immediately fell into a deep sleep.

I have a 5k coming up Labor Day weekend, and then my tri at the end of September. After that, I have a 10k and some 5ks on the schedule in October. It is shaping up to be a pretty fun, race-filled fall!

New Year Additions and Plans

Our friends, the Heron's, gave birth to their second beautiful daughter around 6:30am on New Year's Eve - welcome to the world Eloise!

Pictures and posts about Eloise and her big sister, Margot, can be found at Jason's blog at www.likethebird.blogspot.com

Having two weeks off from work has turned me into an absolute slug. I can't seem to get motivated to do anything! We were out of town and traveling for the first week, and it seems like I've spent this second week recuperating from our travels. I am really looking forward to getting back to work and getting into a consistent routine again. I am also excited about beginning my spring marathon and sprint triathlon training program on Monday, January 5th. My sister (her new blog can be found at www.texascrossfitter.blogspot.com) has started utilizing CrossFit workouts into her workout schedule. These are really intense workouts, but seem to be great for building endurance, strength, stamina and muscle tone. I am going to try and incorporate some of these workouts into my training this spring as well. I'm also hoping to pick up my rate of blogging as my training picks back up.

I'm really excited about training for a sprint triathlon. I've always said that I wanted to do triathlons, but I didn't have a bike and I didn't know how to swim. Well, now I have a great Specialized road bike and access to a heated indoor pool...so I don't really have any excuses any more to not do a triathlon. I think training for the Derby Festival marathon and the sprint triathlon at the same time will work well - the biking and swimming will help with my endurance and hopefully keep me from getting burnt out on running. The tricky part for me will be figuring out how I can run a long and steady pace for the marathon, and a fast pace for the triathlon's 5k. I'm hoping the speedwork I've incorporated into my marathon training will serve to help me in both the marathon and triathlon.

Chad and I had a wonderful Christmas with both of our families. My parents got us a gift that just keeps on giving - a great new digital camera! I am in love with it and we took so many pictures while we were in Houston, TX and Alexandria, LA for Christmas. I am going to be posting the pictures soon - it will probably take 3 or 4 posts to get them all on here! I'm hoping to get all of the pictures posted by the end of this weekend.

Happy new year!