R.I.P.

Today ends an era. I must say goodbye to my faithful Fuel Belt.
Now, I know this seems silly, but I have had this thing through thick and thin. In the past 8 years, anytime I have run over 8 miles, I have brought it. In the heat, it is with me over 5. It is always there, filled with whatever I need to keep me going. I stuff it with gels, Shot Blocks, Nuun, Starbursts, Endurolytes, ibuprofen, money, keys, cell phone... not to mention fluids. It has seen countless water bottles go in and out of it, but it remains the same. It has supported me through 13 marathons and thousands (yes, THOUSANDS) of training miles. It has traveled the world with me on trips from Texas to Hawaii to Barcelona. In fact, it has traveled more with me than Ross. So when I was training for this last marathon, it looked like it was almost time to go.

See, I knew it wasn't doing the best. About a year ago, not wanting to say goodbye, I had done a little repair.
My sad state of stitching the velcro back on.

But now it looks like the elastic is going too, something that I can't replace. The more I looked at it, I realized just how far it had been stretched. Over and over, sad really. It was destined to break through at any point.

Because you are always supposed to "race like you train", I didn't want to race with a new belt. I said a quick little prayer that it would get me through one more race (Phoenix) and it did.

Now with Phoenix over, it is time to say goodbye to my little buddy and move on. While he can never be replaced, I am looking forward to lots of running miles with my new pal, a Nathan with room for TWO water bottles.

Rest in peace, my dear Fuel Belt.

Phoenix Phun!

Eight years ago this weekend, I ran my first marathon in Houston. It was all thanks to my friend, Jessie, who said "wanna go on vacation and we'll just run a marathon while we are there?". Hmm? At the time, I had not run over 5 miles. But I am always up for a challenge. And, thus, my marathoning began.

So this past September, I said "wanna go to Phoenix to run a marathon?" and Jessie was game. :) Plus, now living cross country from one another, it gave us a weekend to hang out, talk and reconnect. Yay! Jess flew in to Denver on Friday afternoon and we reunited for our trip. Trashy magazines and Red Vines- staples for all trips we take together.

With the race in mind, Saturday we spent doing all the pre-race duties like getting our packet from the expo,


And getting into the 'spirit' of the race by rockin' out.

That night was a pasta party with a bunch of running friends from Denver. After signing up with Jess, I kept finding runner after runner coming down to Phoenix. My friend Sonja was in the same boat, so we set a place, time and location and wa-lah! 20+ runners, support people, etc. out for dinner. It was the perfect way to get some good food, ease some pre-race tension and just hang out with friends. I was also excited to spend some time with Dana & Dan. It was going to be Dana's first half marathon-- and I kind of talked her into it... so I was happy she could meet us out. Plus, Dan (her hubby) got some spectathlete coaching from Sonja to help his day go smoother as well. Side note: HIGHLY recommend Harley's Italian Bistro if you are looking for good Italian in Phoenix. YUM!

All hugs and smiles before our race.

The morning came too quickly and I was off to the race. Jessie was doing the half (which started later) so, I got a ride down to the race with Sandy and Michelle. Thankfully, it wasn't too cold, so it made the waiting bearable.

While there, I went for a little warm-up run. Yes, more mileage before the race. It was something new to try, but I did it and I think I like it. It kinda jiggled out the nerves and I think it helped me so I didn't start out too fast.

Coming into the race, I really didn't know what to expect. I feel like I have been training for the Ironman, and this race just happened to pop-up. While that relieved some nervousness about it, I really didn't know what to expect. Since I am swimming and biking more, I have been running less than normal when training for a marathon. Not to mention that I have been feeling less than fast lately.

So earlier in the week, I talked with my coach and set some goals:
- Trying to negative split. (Run the second half faster than the first.)
- Trying to finish the race around a 4:10.

To accomplish these, we came about with a general race strategy of starting off at a 9:50 pace for the first 5 miles, working up to and staying at a 9:30 pace for the majority and then, hopefully, pulling in below that pace for the last few miles ~ so averaging about a 9:30 pace, if possible. This would end me with about a 4:10.

Back to the race. Although I knew multiple people running it, we all had different paces and goals in mind. So, after meeting up in the morning, we all wished each other well and dispersed into separate corrals. This helped as I could focus on me and what I wanted to do.

I started out a little fast for what I had intended, but got my pace down by mile 3. At mile 5, I upped my pace up to around 9:30s and kept it there. Since I was deliberately going slower, I really felt like I was "holding back" for the majority of the race. Somewhere between miles 5 and 10, I decided that I had about 8 miles of pushing in me and that I would hold my 9:30s till mile 18 and then push. I hit mile 18 and pushed. While I felt like I was pushing a lot more, my pace only dropped about 20 seconds. But, hey! that was a drop and I was happy. I kept on like this till the end of the race, slowly quickening my pace and finishing with 4:07:40-- yay!

So, that was it. I did it! I was very happy that I had goals and that I met them. I was also happy to see that my level of fitness was probably better than what I expected.
Part of the gang after.

As for the race in general, I would recommend it. There were lots of people, maybe too many for me for the pre and post activities (35,000 total). While our race course wasn't crowded, I heard the 1/2 was VERY congested. The bands along the route were great. There were even some "unofficial bands" that played along the way. Very entertaining. I enjoyed the humor of most of the announcers. There was tons of support along the way. And they gave out salt packets at 2 aid stations- yum. I had never had that before in a marathon, but it really helped. I think that I will add salt packets (like those you get from fast food restaurants) to my race belt. And the course was flat, flat, flat. While the course itself wasn't pretty, Arizona is. As you can see, they have lotsa funky cactii.
And nothing makes a better post-race celebration than good Mexican food (which Arizona has plenty of)... and margaritas!
Besides friends! Thanks to all (Jessie, in particular) for such a fun weekend! Cheers to a good race and great weekend!

Totals

I don't know if it is the weather, the nagging cold I had, all the miles indoors (treadmills and trainers), or just the amount of miles in general, but, while it is all going good, I am feeling extra slooooow and less than snappy.

I have been told by others who have gone through the same big base building phase to expect that. To expect my speed to drop and to feel like it is a bit of setback, and that one day it will just 'click'. So, that has eased the frustration with the speed a little. Lately though, I have found myself getting antsy, waiting for my 'click' to happen.

But, here's what helped. I was talking to my friend Sonja the other day (triathlete superstar). She pointed out that I was focusing on the wrong thing (speed) when I shouldn't be. Side note: Everyone needs a cheerleader, and she is often mine. Thanks, SON!

Anyways, what she suggested was tabulating my totals of how much I was doing. Total mileage. After all, that is what base building is about: distance, not speed. (There is a reason it is called LSD ~ long, SLOW distance.)

So, here it is, my totals from the last few months.

Disclaimer: Some distances are guesstimated b/c I sometimes train on time. Ie: ride 3 hours, swim 45 minutes, etc. but I erred on the side of shorter than longer.

October
Swim: 22,300 yards (12.7 miles)
Bike: 220 miles
Run: 107 miles

November
Swim: 23,700 yards (13.5 miles)
Bike: 158 miles
Run: 105 miles

December
Swim: 25,000 yards (14.2 miles)
Bike: 220 miles
Run: 125 miles

TOTALS: for Oct-Dec
Swim: 71,000 yards (40.34 miles)
Bike: 598 miles
Run: 337 miles

Put that way, I'm not feeling so bad about myself.

Not to mention, I have done my LONGEST swim (4900 yds), LONGEST ride (78.25 miles) and LONGEST run (27 miles) EVER last month. Although, I know it will only get longer.

Here's to more happy (and hopefully faster) miles!

New Years Resolutions

As the new year is upon us, it is the time a lot of people set their race schedule... Including me. I have had a tentative race schedule for awhile, but recently had some friends propose some different challenges that I added, so I am excited for the year to come.


January 17th ~ Phoenix Rock'n Roll Marathon
A fun weekend away with an old girlfriend in the warm weather. The perfect mini-vacation. You also have Jessie to thank for my endurance-junkiness. We had a similar trip to Texas in January 2002 where I ran my first marathon.

April 3rd ~ Croom Fool's Run (Florida)
A 50 MILE RUN! That's right. I'll be training for this one... And, no, I don't know how long it will take me, so check back to see how I do. Excited to be spending the weekend with my mom and running with (hopefully) my Moab companion and my GB-turned-Floridian friend!



April 19 ~ Running in the Grand Canyon
Childcare pending, we (Ross and I) hope to join our crazy tri friends who plan to run from rim to rim to rim of the Grand Canyon (46 miles total ~ 32 of it ascending/descending). We are excited to be running through o of the seven natural wonders of the world! Where we are in our training will determine how much of the run we do!



May 9 ~ Rev3 Half Ironman
Off to Knoxville to visit with Grandma Sue and Grandpa Al and experience a new kind of tri that is "focused on offering a fun, first class race experience for the whole family". Plus, we get to race through an amusement park!



June 6 ~ Kansas 70.3
Now we visit Grandma Diana and Grandpa Gary and experience our first "Ironman-sponsored" experience. We'll see if it is worth the price tag. :)




July 18 ~ Door County Half Ironman
Back to Wisconsin to race in beautiful Door County!!! The following week, we plan to relax in Ellison Bay, so let us know if you wanna visit. We have a huge property rented!




Aug 1-4 ~ Rocky Mountain Bike Tour
A lotta, lotta climbing. This tour will take me over many of Colorado's peaks, including Mt. Evans (14,990 ft). Oy boy! I am hoping the hills in Wisco will pail in comparison after this ride. 4 days and 272 miles of challenging riding! Excited to be doing it with my friend from GB!


That all this leads up to...


SEPTEMBER 12, 2010 ~ IRONMAN WISCONSIN

We look forward to racing with all of our friends and family there for support as we complete one LONG day, including a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run. This has been a bunch of years in the making and will be the most challenging thing that we have (training) and will have done. I am happy to say this is a goal that Ross and I have set together and supported each other along the way. I am blessed to have such a wonderful, supportive and motivating husband.

Here's to a great year of experiences, races and personal growth!!!

A beautiful day for a 5 hour ride...

Yes, that's right, I look on my schedule and see: 3-5 hour ride, lsd.

At first I am not sure if that means 3 hours on the trainer OR 5 hours outside. OR if it meant I get to choose how long I ride between 3-5 hours. Either way, I am riding 5 hours.

So, I do the math. 5 hour ride @ ~ 15 mph = around 75 mile ride. Making this my longest ride since... well... Ever. Hmm?

Another dirty secret about me: I don't know where to ride around Denver. When we first started biking, Ross and I bought a map and tried to do some experimenting with routes. Every time we tried, it ended horribly. For the sake of our marriage, we decided to stick only to routes we knew or were shown. That left us with A LOT of riding this summer on the Cherry Creek Trail. I now know that trail like the back of my hand. Think you can't do 70 miles utilizing the CCT? Think again.

When I talked with my coach last, here is what he said: "No speed. Work on increasing your cadence. It's lsd (long slow distance), so it is not about the miles, just the time on the bike. Look around, enjoy it."

So, with that in mind, I talked to a friend and got a new route to try heading east out of Denver, looking for new sites to see. And here's what I saw:
Lots and lots of land. At first it was very mind-numbing and I was thinking "I came out here for this?".

But as I rode along, it turned more methodical, beautiful, simple. It was nice to be away from the city. Out on the plains. I just let my mind go.

It was also fun to come upon some small towns. And I mean small. Here is how you know when you are in Bennett.That is about all there is there. Across the way from here are a few local businesses, but that is about it.

Leaving Bennett, you come upon a really neat tree grove. It was a definite shift from the farms I had been seeing and I just thought the trees here were way old and WAY cool. You don't really get a sense of it in this picture, but see those two cool trees in the foreground? Now imagine a valley of them behind them. I imagine it looks even better in the spring/summer. I guess I'll find out next year. :)

And then more cool things you can see only out in the open
So, I kept plugging along. At one point, I made a turn north (I believe) and the headwind picked up. I didn't mind this, as it meant a tailwind on the way back-- or so I thought.

I kept going and came upon Strasburg. Very cute, quaint town with decorations everywhere. I didn't get many pictures, but each of the little businesses was decorated from the general store to the gas station to the propane center(?).

It made me wonder what it was like to live in a small town. I mean, we bank here:
And, if we lived in Strasburg, we would bank here:Quite a difference.

Anyways, I kept plugging along. By this time, it was getting a little long, but I just told myself "only 'x' number of minutes till I can turn around."

And then I cam upon probably some of the coolest thing I saw on the ride, What, oh what, could this be? It looked like a ride from Disneyland, but realized it was part of an old mine shaft-- or so I think. Here's more track:And the entrance to the shaft:

And, I continue on... until my watch hits 2 hours 22 minutes and I decide it is time to turn around.

And WHAM! Headwind. Serious headwind. My speed immediately slows. And it stays slow for probably 10 miles. I look down at my Garmin and see how slow I am going. I do the math. If I continue at this pace, I will be out here for 7 hours. Ugh. I start to think of how to explain to Ross how to come and get me. Umm.... "Honey, go to this one place and take a highway east and follow it until you find me"??? That won't work. Especially cuz we can't fit my bike in the car he has. So, I continue.

Luckily, I turned a corner and TAILWIND! Relief. And so my pace gets better, and faster, and I think I can make it. By the time I hit Strasburg, I am confident I don't have to call Ross and I am happy.

Then I see it, in the distance:
The mountains. The one thing I love about riding out east is coming back and seeing the mountains. Biking towards them, I feel like I am going home. And I never get tired of seeing them, either. Maybe it will wear off after living out here for more time, but so far it hasn't. :)

So, I make my way back home. Tired, but happy, looking at the mountains.


There you have it. My longest ride ever. (So far.) Here's proof.
5 hours 15 minutes (ish). 78.25 miles.

What drinking and training have in common

Dehydration.

Seriously. As I write this, it is 3:38 in the morning and I can't sleep.

As I have gotten older, I started waking up in the wee hours of the morning unable to sleep. It took a bit of investigating, but I realized it happened EVERY Saturday early morning one fall when we were playing on a Friday night kickball league. It's not that I would go out and drink loads, but I would have a beer or two after (and during) the games. From that, I quickly realized that it had to do less with how much alcohol I drank and more with how much water I consumed in the process. IE, if I made sure to drink enough water-- even while having some beers-- the chances of sleeplessness greatly went down. Since, I have tried to limit the alcohol intake and up the water consumption. (Not always successfully, but I try...)

So, here I am, clean as a whistle. Haven't had a drop of alcohol all day and it is nearly 4:00 am and I can't sleep. So.... why?

It comes back to hydration. I went for quite a long ride today and didn't drink probably as much as I SHOULD have. Leaving me awake and dehydrated, not from alcohol, but from working out. I guess I learned my lesson. I need to focus on hydrating properly not only during, but AFTER hard workouts.

Here's another lesson about hydrating:
These things are great! They are tablets you drop in water and they dissolve to provide you with a flavored, carbonated water filled with electrolytes. They are mighty yummy on a run when you are depleted and need a boost. Plus, they are not sugary (like Gatorade) so it is a great alternative when you need your electrolytes, but feel over-sugared. I found them this summer via my friend Sonja.

Anyways, what I have also learned is that they are great for recovery. Both after a hard workout or after a glass (or bottle) of wine. They "flavor" your water with both taste and electrolytes, speeding your hydration and improving how you feel. It's awesome. So now I try to have some Nuun not only after a run, but after a night of drinking and it has proved to be most helpful. Think I should be a Nuun spokesperson?

So there is what I have learned about hydrating, dehydrating and recovery. Take it for what you will. I am going to go have some Nuun and get some sleep. :)

Running Roadrunner Style

Believe it or not, cartoons can teach you something about running.

Ross and I met with our coach to work on our running form (again). This is something I am all about ~ working on form. Since correct form = efficiency and efficiency = yielding a better end product with less work, I am all about improving my form. Not to mention the desire to be more efficient (read: do less work) was a primary motivator in having a coach. I can run and run and run, but that doesn't mean I am going to necessarily get any faster unless I change something.

So, we met today and went for a little jog. And along the way, he was reiterating a number of things that we had talked about before and some new things. For 2 hours straight it was running form 101 and practice... with the help of some inventive aids, but we will save those for a different post.

From what I have learned, with running, you use your power to get going, but after that, it is a matter of keeping the momentum going by pushing along the ground with your feet. Make sense? Maybe not (at least the way I am explaining it). But look at these pictures of runners:Notice what they all have in common? Their feet are not touching the ground. They are all just gliding through the air, using their feet to tap the ground and push them forward. Now there is the theory, here is the form part I learned.

Wile E. Coyote vs. Roadrunner

Ever wonder how that dang bird out runs the coyote EVERY time? Think about it. A roadrunner can run up to the speed of 17 mph while a coyote can run up to 30 mph. So why does the coyote never get the bird (other than for the storyline)? It lies in the form of how they run (or, at least, that is what I like to believe).


Here is roadrunner:
See that ellipse behind him? How the roadrunner has a lean forward and basically his feet are just pushing him along. That is what makes him go faster. (That, and the animation, of course.)

Now take a look at our friend the coyote:

Coyote is pretty straight up with some lean forward, but not barely the amount of the roadrunner. With Coyote's posture, his legs are more underneath him instead of behind him, like the roadrunner. He is not allowing his body to take him forward and, by being more straight up, he is stopping himself in a way.

Try it. Run. Now, while running, lean forward, you will automatically speed up.

So, that's what I have got to shoot for. That and a number of other things that I need to do to improve my form, but that was the one that I thought could illustrate best and the best "a-ha" moment I have for you right now.