On the Edge

Crossing My Clear Line

2012-01-20T13:32:00.000-08:00

It's been a spotty few days with training.

At the end of last week I traveled to New York City and despite setting all kinds of intentions, no work outs got done there.

In the grand scheme of my 2012 theme being Consistency, I can handle a few missed workouts here and there -- particularly since there is a clear line between consistency and perfectionism. As long as toeing that line does not degenerate into making excuses, I'm golden.

So I acknowledged the disappointment and moved forward.

To this week -- where I faced a motivation problem. Sigh.

If this were easy everyone would do it and blah blah blah.

I get all that. I believe it. It's true.

Still sucks sometimes though.

Yesterday's workout called for 1:05 on the bike trainer with some pretty intense zone 3 work. Ugh. Sigh.

Tony came over to do it with me.

We popped Breaking Away into the dvd player and got started. Badly. My energy level felt low while my irritation level was high.

The dvd malfunctioned. Predictably, I lost it (seriously cannot stand it when things don't work the way they're supposed to). There was cursing (me) and giggling (Tony). He always thinks it's funny when I lose it.

The dialogue went something like this:

Stef: I am NOT getting off the bike to deal with this.

Tony: Oh no of course not don't worry about it (smiling).

After messing around with the remote for a few minutes trying to "unfreeze" the movie I gave up and threw it as hard as I could into the chair between our two bikes]

[Shelly if you're reading this it may remind you of last May (lol). ]

The warm up was over and it was time for the first zone 3 interval.

Imagine my irritation (rage) when my heart rate would not elevate despite feeling like I was working really hard, despite the big gears and 60-75 rpms I was pushing.

The voice in my head went something like this:

Really?!?!?!?!?

What the F*#K!

You're a failure, a wimp, a loser

You haven't eaten enough, of course your body can't perform, you're so incompetent you can't even feed yourself

You SUCK

This is what you get for setting such high goals you're going to FAIL miserably and everyone's going to know

Major flashbacks of 2007 happened.

I mumbled something about how my heart rate wouldn't go up -- and cursed again for good measure.

Tony: You'll be okay. You know all that visual and mind stuff you do?

Stef: Yeah

Tony: Do that.

Stef Thinks: Well F$*K if it was that easy everyone would do that now wouldn't they and blah blah blah.

The first zone 3 interval ended with my heart rate nowhere near zone 3.

Meanwhile, Tony had gotten off his bike and was messing with the dvd player. I envied his patience -- stuff like that never phases him. He got it working again, got back on his bike and laughed with delight.

Time for the second zone 3 interval.

Heart rate stubbornly won't get into zone 3 despite the sheets of sweat that pour off me. Start to wonder if something is seriously wrong with me.

The voice (in a much nicer tone now) says: Maybe you should back off, try again another time, make the rest of the ride easy.

And that my friends, is My Clear Line. A line that, 90% of the time, for me, this year, needs to be decisively crossed. So f*@k you, undermining little voice, I'm NOT holding back. I'm forging ahead.

Holding back has caused me more pain and heartache during the last year than I can even tell you right now.

There I was, faced with crossing My Clear Line in a moment that meant everything.

Meanwhile the dvd was screwing up now multiple times and each time Tony giggled and fixed it. Getting on and off his bike. Messing with the machine. Messing with the remote. Keeping the movie going. Rolling with the punches, going with the flow.

Him doing exactly that is what helped me calm down. Helped me get into a space closer to "the zone." Helped me to summon my ample reserves to start the third zone 3 interval. And once my mind quieted, the heart responded.

Zone 3.

Big gears.

60-75 rpms

Sweat pouring off

Minutes ticking by.

Doing the work.

Showing up.

Stubbornly forging ahead.

2 more intervals completed.

Success.

Celebration!
___________________________________________________________________

Before he went home Tony said, "I love to be here when you throw tantrums like that."

"Why??" I asked a bit nonplussed.

"Because then I get to see you pull it all together. I'm so proud of you. "

Today (a day when there are two runs on the schedule), I love seeing myself the way Tony sees me.

And let me tell you there's nothing like the satisfaction of coming out the other side of a tough workout feeling stronger than when you went in.

:-)

Have a great weekend.

Don't Feel Like It? Read This

2012-01-07T11:21:00.000-08:00

John grilling for us in his backyard

A good friend of ours died yesterday.

Completely unexpectedly.

He was young (early 40s) with no apparent, obvious health problems.

He collapsed at work, was non responsive, and that was it.

Last time we saw John was in his home, Christmas Day. Thank God I have that celebratory memory with him and that it was recent.

Because you Never. Freaking. Know.

One of John's favorite things to do was to cook and have friends over. He did it at least once a week if not more.

_____________________________________________________

Over the years, especially since Silverman, I've practiced being not so judgmental. Of other people. Of myself.

John never judged anyone.

If John knew you, he accepted you, just as you are. That was the prevailing theme of the evening last night as we sat around his kitchen table, sharing memories of him, toasting to him, and wishing he was there in person.

John was passionate about technology, computers, coding, and stuff related to coding that my brain doesn't understand well enough to explain.

He devoured countless books and spent hours programming. He helped us with our computers.

CES was a yearly celebration for him.

I loved to hear John talk about that stuff, especially the coding -- not because I understood a whole lot of it (I don't), but because he was just so freaking brilliant at it and it was SO obvious how much he loved it. I'm glad he devoted energy to it because . . . . . now he's somewhere else. He's gone.
_____________________________________________________

I'm worried about Glenn -- and how this is affecting him. We never truly know what another person goes through -- so all I can do is observe, listen, and support.

So I'm pretty emotional today -- don't feel like eating, don't feel like training, don't feel like taking the Christmas tree down (yes it's still up and I love looking at it).

John's death painfully reminds me that it's so important to go after what we WANT in life, and not spend our precious energy doing crap that doesn't really matter. Of course I do NOT mean some airy fairy "oh just do what you feel like" line of bullshit.


John supported Glenn's new business -- coffee mudslide!

There are certainly times when I don't feel like:

Writing
Picking up the phone
Editing yet another draft of something
Networking for my business
Training
Eating
Figuring out what to post on the Frankly Good Coffee Facebook page

But everything on this list is tied to dreams and tangible goals that I'm passionate about! So I could bow to I-don't-feel-like-it-itis and spend my life on the couch spouting off a bunch of empty words to whoever is within earshot . . . . or I can (and do) stay in the game and act. Even when I don't feel like it.

What do you NOT feel like doing today that is tied to something that really matters to you? You may want to just go ahead and do it anyway.

Tony's Back!!

2012-01-03T21:15:00.000-08:00

My training partner Tony and his wife Marge left Boulder City on the day after Christmas to go be with family in New Mexico. Here we are on Christmas Eve day at Mt. Charleston.

Tony, Marge, and Me

Tony being gone means one very important thing: I've been slogging through the swim/bike/run/strength workouts by myself.

Last week being a rest week, I rested more than was intended. And wondered when the hell Tony and Marge were getting back on the road to come home.

This evening Marge called from the road to ask me what my workouts are for tomorrow (Tony was driving). 30 minute easy run (following a killer bike/run hill workout today) to start the day and Tony is IN!

Thank goodness. I've missed Tony.

Here's My 2012 Racing Schedule

2011-12-27T09:31:00.000-08:00

Swim, Bike Run!

2012 promises a great year of racing! I had fun putting this schedule together, sending it to Liz, receiving her input and making some slight modifications based on that input.

March 24, 2012 -- Las Vegas Triathlon Club Sprint

Goal: Get back into racing at one of the club's extremely well run and FUN events!

April 21, 2012 -- Rage Olympic

Goal: Finish as strong as I possibly can and break 4 hours (my PR on this course is 4:00:03)

May 6, 2012 -- Iron Girl Sprint

Goal: Have FUN and beat my 2010 time!

June 9, 2012 -- Boise 70.3

Goal: Have a BLAST and let a time goal come together over the next few months based on training. I've wanted to do this race since it began (back in 2008 or 2009 I think).

Fall 2012

TBD. Definitely another half iron distance race is going here.

Mellow Day After Christmas

2011-12-26T11:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we celebrated Christmas by sleeping in, going for a long run through and past the historic railroad tunnels (Tony and I ran, Glenn and Brinley walked and played), and spending the afternoon/evening with family.

Glenn, Brinley and Me after the run/walk/play

Brinley frolicking in one of the old railroad tunnels

This week starts a step back (rest) week. Rest weeks have been notoriously hard for me because it always has felt like the past three weeks of training set in and BAM -- tired. Don't want to do anything. The workouts are short and less intense which means it's tempting to just skip them.

Not this year.

Certainly there are times when extra rest is needed and warranted but overall I'm done holding back. The rest week workouts serve as much of a purpose as the other workouts do and this year I really feel that. So bring the short easy swims, bikes and runs this week -- this year!

Glenn got me a new pair of running shoes for Christmas!

Rest week is the perfect time to try them out!

Have a great week everyone!

2011 Was Horrific, Inspiring, and Kick ASS

2011-12-21T11:05:00.000-08:00

I've never done a "year end" post. Was inspired to do one this year by Miss Zippy, who did one on her site (she has a great blog by the way).She's a runner so I modified the categories to fit triathlon. Going through these was extremely revealing!

Best Race Experience

My only race in 2011 was the Rage Sprint Relay with Tony and Sean. First time I did a race purely for fun. Those who've followed me for awhile know what a profound influence Tony is in my training and life.

2011 was bumpy year in many ways. But even when I didn't train for extended periods or would take forever to return his calls, Tony ALWAYS showed up with suggestions for stuff to do. The Rage Relay was one of those suggestions -- which I almost said no to. Sure glad I didn't.

Sean (left) cycled, I ran, and Tony swam!

Until the Rage Relay I never understood why someone would do a triathlon as part of a relay. Now I do! There's a wonderful element of teamwork there -- and since we were doing it purely for fun there was no pressure to perform. Such an awesome way to spend a weekend morning!

Best Workout

This would have to be one of Coach's ass kicking bike/strength workouts, done on the trainer! Tony and I did this one just this week. Enjoy!

Warm up 10 minutes easy

Strength:

1 minute of squats (fast tempo)
1 minute alternating lunges (forward, fast tempo)
1 minute holding plank position

Bike:

2 minutes easy spinning
9 minutes building from easy - moderate - hard every 3 minutes (HR NOT OBSERVED)

REPEAT that strength/bike interval (~15 minutes) for a total of 3x through.

Cool Down: 5 minutes easy

Best New Piece of Gear

I did not buy one new piece of gear in 2011! On my wishlist for 2012: new wetsuit and garmin.

Best Piece of Training Advice

This is a tie between two pieces of advice from Coach. The first is something she said as part of her weekly update email to her athletes:

There is no secret to gaining fitness or speed for 2012 other than consistency.

The second is in response to a question I asked her.

Question: How do I know (or start to know) what is an optimal "race weight" for me?

Answer: Optimal race weight is the weight at which you feel like you achieve optimal performance and your best health - where you miss no training days due to illness and where you make progress in training.

Seriously what better advice is there. These two pieces of advice form the cornerstone of my 2012 training.

Most Inspirational Athlete

My coach, Elizabeth Waterstraat! I could write a book on why Liz inspires me (indeed it's already been written, by her, on her blog) but for this year, first of all I'm grateful to be back on her athlete roster. She has a gift of making me feel like I'm her only athlete. She meets me exactly where I am without judgment. Not only that, I 100% trust the plan she has laid out for me. Which makes it much easier to follow her advice about staying consistent!

I got to meet Liz in person in September when she came to race the 70.3 World Championship. Qualifying for and competing at Worlds is inspiring enough -- but Liz qualified within a year of having a baby! Not only that, after placing in the top 10 in her age group here, she went on to place in the top 10 in her age group in Kona the next month!

Liz and me

The reason I find Liz and her accomplishments so inspiring is that she's living proof that there is no excuse. None. You want something badly enough you'll find a way.

If I could sum up 2011 in a couple of words what would they be?

Horrific

Lots of needless struggle this year, mostly with my business. If I've learned anything. it's that needless, self-manufactured struggle will take me out. Every. Single. Time. No matter what I'm trying to accomplish. What I mean by struggle is the complete and utter bullshit that can go on and on and on in my head, making things much harder than they actually are.

Releasing struggle does not mean no effort required. Releasing struggle makes putting in the effort so much more possible and productive. I wrote about this in a guest post on my friend Debra's blog recently. It's about business but I always put triathlon and training in with business because for me the two are intricately connected.

Inspiring

I do not give up easily on goals and dreams that I truly want. There really are no excuses. They key is to let go of what you think something has to look like. One of the most profound earlier manifestations of this for me was Silverman.

Seriously, who takes 10:48 to complete a half iron distance race. I did, on that day. Those who've been reading this blog awhile know how absolutely life changing that day was for me. The irony: there was no self-manufactured struggle that day. There was lots of effort, lots of faith, tons of support, but no insidious struggle. Even as everything seemed to fall apart that day, it was really all coming together.

Silverman Half 2008: 10:48:33

For portions of 2011 it's felt like things were falling apart. I don't believe that's the case though -- I believe they are actually coming together.

Kick ASS

Two ways that things are kicking ASS right now, while we're still in 2011:

1. I'm in consistent training for Boise 70.3 and kicking ass at it.

2. My business has made more revenue this month than any other month of 2011.

THAT's how I know things are coming together! For the first time in recent memory, I'm in a holiday season where I don't feel stressed, pressured, or on edge about something.

I do feel confident in myself and my ability to manage my energy to bypass the self-manufactured struggle to get things done that truly matter. Bring on 2012!!!!

December is Productive!

2011-12-10T11:43:00.001-08:00

I was telling my close friend Debra yesterday that traditionally December has been the least productive month of the year for me. In the past I've felt either burned out from work, put upon by the holidays, or just generally unmotivated.

Thankfully this December a new story is being written.

I'm landing new clients in my business! For the first time in my life, I wrote to Debra in an email, I feel like I have the right balance between the business and training.

And that is HUGE.

Training is going GREAT. I believe now more that ever in my ability to BE consistent and get the work done. When I sent my 2012 race plan to Liz a few weeks ago she looked at it and suggested that I transition from her Off Season plan in December rather than January as we originally planned. I was all for it! So we started with the lactate threshold testing and have now progressed to base training.

So we're concluding Week 1 of the first training block designed to get me to Boise 70.3 in the best possible shape. The highlights of the week include an evening where Tony brought his trainer over and we did a tough workout that included a lot of one legged drills.

Here's a silly photo of us toward the end of the workout!

Another highlight was a nice easy run which tired out my running partner!

Brinley is always willing to get out there!

We're excited for the holidays without feeling overboard about it. No huge shopping sprees this year. No out of town travel. No sweets in the house (it's just better that way)! There are a couple of parties on the calendar (ones that we actually want to go to), and of course training!

How is your training going?

Testing is "FUN" (and Happy December)

2011-12-02T10:14:00.001-08:00

It just turned cold here in southern Nevada. And by cold I mean a low of 36 and a high of 50. Seasoned with a bit of wind and rain. Brrrrrr!

Fortunately my run test was done early this week when the high was in the mid 60s, there was no wind and the sun was shining brightly!

For those who've not had the "pleasure" a run test consists of a lengthy warm up of easy running with some strides thrown in, followed by the test part which is to run 20 minutes as hard as you possibly can (without blowing yourself up in the first 10 so you have to pace it).

My coach administers these tests every so often -- they're benchmarks of how I'm developing as an athlete and they also let her calculate my heart rate training zones.

Of the three tests (swim, bike, run) the run test has always been "hardest" for me. Something has always held me back from pushing myself here . . . I'm happy to say though that the pace and my level of 'push' (I had Tony there to help pace me), and my resting heart rate after the test were awesome!

Even though this is a stock picture

I really like the way I FEEL when

I look at it. I feel like that could be me!

I feel like I'm becoming a whole new athlete -- after essentially taking a year OFF of "formal" training (and struggling quite a bit with feeling inadequate because of that), I feel very accepting of where I am now in terms of mindset and fitness level. I'm eager to get in there and do the work. And this my friends is 80% of what it takes for me.

OH and how FUN is this:

A picture of me from Pumpkinman 2009 is featured on the FitFluential website!

Go here to see it: http://fitfluential.com/enthusiasts/

My friend Danielle was there in 2009 for the race, took the picture, and is now Chief Marketing Officer for FitFluential! She took the photo from her archives, posted it without telling me and decided to ask for forgiveness rather than permission. Um, was she KIDDING me ~ I love that she did it ~ she's a crack photographer and I look like I'm really working hard in the photo.

A little fun exposure just as I'm getting back into serious training . . . love!

Have a great weekend everyone!

No More Crickets!

2011-11-27T15:27:00.000-08:00

This blog has gone through more starts and stops in the past year than ________________ (insert good analogy here).

Rather than say "I'm back" (again), I'll just jump right in. :-)

I've got most of my 2012 races lined up with two "A" races: Ironman Boise 70.3 on June 9 and a local fall half iron race (to be determined shortly after the first of the year).

I'm so excited about racing again and returning to the 70.3 distance! I love that distance for so many reasons . . . all of which I'm sure I'll touch upon here over the next year.

For now, it's that time of year: lactate threshold testing! I have swim/bike/run tests this week and for ONCE I'm not nervous, afraid, or stressed out about them. This is totally NEW for me and I have to say it's much better and takes a lot less energy than all the worry and self-judging I used to do over these tests.

In a nutshell, my approach is:

1) SHOW UP fully and follow the test instructions to the letter

2) Do my very BEST during each test

3) Send the data to Coach -- after that it's out of my hands

Yippee!!!

My First Race is This Week!

2011-08-01T07:52:00.000-07:00

Lots going on over here in the Southern Nevada desert.

First and foremost, my "first" race -- the first race since being back coaching with Liz, that is, is this Saturday!

The Legends of Cross Country 5k right here in Boulder City!

I'm ridiculously excited for it. My running ability and confidence grows stronger with each run and I can't wait to get out there and see what I can do.

Returned a few days ago from a business/family trip to the New York City area. Being notorious for allowing training to fall by the wayside during any kind of travel I'm incredibly proud to report that I kept up with all my running while away!

Whether on the treadmill at the Westin Times Square or on the streets of Syosset, Long Island, I was there, running. Part of the reason for that was this weekend's race! Nice motivator. In the bigger picture, since I was starting with a travel training record at ground zero, and running is the simplest sport to tackle while on the road, committing to that was the easiest most practical thing.

So I win!

My view from the treadmill at Westin Times Square last Sunday:

Ouch (stretching is good)!

2011-07-11T16:33:00.001-07:00

Wrapped up another fun week of training with a long run last night. My long run is up to 60 minutes, still pretty easy effort. Despite it being easy my legs were feeling it.

Found this article on Facebook and it hooked me in because it only has three stretches in it (doable without being overwhelming) and it's designed for runners. Seeing myself more and more as a runner with every run and every run off the bike I do. YAY!

So today (a rest day from training) during a break in writing projects I tried the stretches out. Holy OW! I am so stiff! First thought was "this is an injury waiting to happen." Second thought was "man these are really going to help me get stronger."

Going with the second thought (hell yes I'm getting stronger) because it's more proactive and positive and also because I've never been injured other than Iron Girl 2010 and that was just a crazy flukey thing that happened and is destined to never to be repeated! EVER.

On Saturday the Las Vegas Triathlon Club held a sprint race down by the lake. It was awesome! After getting a flat 15 minutes into what was supposed to be my long ride for the week I bagged the ride and went down to transition to volunteer. Operation Rebound sent an athlete named Bobby Donnelly to race with the club. Watching him and everyone else finish was amazing! All the club members kicked ASS!

Later that day I changed out both bike tires and did my long ride on the trainer. We've been having thunderstorms here for the past few weeks and the result is 30% humidity when we're used to less than 10%. It sure feels damp outside and in the middle of the day . . . no thanks I'll work out indoors!

This week will be a normal week training wise but starting at the end of next week I'll be in New York City and Long Island for a combo business and visiting family trip. I am NOTORIOUS for not training while traveling -- it's just so easy to skip a workout and have the skipping snowball the entire time I'm on the road. Need to bust this bad habit starting with this trip!

Any tips out there on how you happily train while on the road? I'd love to receive those. The more the better!!

How I LOVE to see Improvement . . .

2011-07-06T09:01:00.001-07:00

. . . and love love LOVE being back to blogging again!

Woo Hoo!

So yesterday was a stressful day for a myriad of reasons. Running a business can be like that (go figure).

There was a run on the schedule which I decided to do in the late afternoon/early evening. Given the nasty summer heat combined with freakishly high humidity from rainstorms (36% seriously wow) and given that even after the sun goes down it's still at least 10 degrees hotter in the evening than in the morning, I went for it anyway.

Sort of expecting to feel miserable.

The misery never came.

What did come was simply a run that felt stronger and better than the handful of runs that preceded it in this new round of training.

WIN!

Still not keeping track of pace.

Making adjustments to my form -- soon will have Glenn or Tony make a video for Coach to give me feedback. :-)

It was just a nice (albeit hot and sticky) run. My first nice run since being back.

Full Disclosure: I ran with my iPod and envisioned myself on the run courses of my BIG goal races for next year. Wanted to give myself every chance to have a good run with some great tunes and big dreams. It worked!

HOLLA!!

Another so-so run, and a fun ride!

2011-07-03T15:38:00.000-07:00

Had another so-so run today. We have haze here and more humidity than we're used to. This made it hotter than normal at 6:15 am.

Suffice to say the best part of the run was seeing bats in one of the old railroad tunnels. We have some awesome places to run around here and get to see all kinds of desert wildlife. Hearing the bats squeaking in the tunnel was a good excuse to slow down, let our eyes adjust and watch them use their radar abilities to fly around the ceiling of the tunnel.

Yesterday's ride was much better than today's run! Tony, Sean, George and I set out to ride a hilly part of the River Mountains Loop Trail (locals -- I know what part of that trail is not hilly right) and we had a blast!

Here are Tony and Sean getting ready:

My bike -- ready to go!

The highlight of summer workouts is proving to be the Wednesday night swims. Every Wednesday evening folks from the the Las Vegas Triathlon club get together for an open water swim. It's completely informal, and very casual. You come, you get in, you swim for as long as you want, you get out. The awesome part is the picnic dinner after the swim! Last week we had pasta, salads, fruit and cookies.

We were blessed with unseasonably cool weather through most of June but now the nasty gross hot yucky-ness has settled in to stay awhile. Which makes me glad (for this year anyway) that my workouts are still pretty low key for this time of year.

Here's my race schedule for 2011:
August 6: Police and Fire Department 5k

September 25: Las Vegas Triathlon (sprint)

October 2: Slam the Dam Open Water Swim Race (1.2 miles)

October 15: Pumpkinman (sprint)

I'm excited to get back into racing!

And about what this is all building up to in 2012 . . . . .

Run, Run Run . . . .

2011-06-28T07:31:00.000-07:00

45 minute run this morning with a few pickups.

Not hard. And yet not easy.

Running is by FAR the sport where I feel the most out of shape. In fact I feel in decent shape for swimming (been getting in lots of open water swimming since summer started) and the bike (going for a new fitting soon so I'm excited for that).

But running . . . . feels like a real chore that I'm not good at. However I'm committed, so whatever it takes!

Tony came over at 6am and we started. These first couple of weeks "back" the workouts are pretty easy and pace isn't supposed to be an issue. In fact for running I'm supposed to run by feel and not look at pace. Just do the time and follow the workout parameters. Fine with me.

Until Tony told me our pace this morning toward the end of the warm up.

"&$#@$!!!!!"

I may also have said something to the effect of I hate running.

Nevertheless we kept going. And the pick ups felt great!

With about 10 minutes left in the workout Tony start peppering me with questions:

Tony: Is the coffee on at your place?

Stef: No

Tony: Can you put it one when we're done?

Stef: Yes

Tony: Another question (I can't remember)

Stef: One word answer

Tony: Another question (I can't remember)

Stef: No more questions!

Tony: Yes!

Stef: Thanks

Tony: Yes!

It's super fun to work out with Tony. He totally gets me!

Back For Real This Time

2011-06-26T17:37:00.000-07:00

I'm back for real this time.

And so happy about it!

Thrilled is more like it.

Triathlon goals, the huge big vision goals, have come very easily since I started doing this sport in late 2006. It was a huge vision goal (Silverman) that got me started and sustained me over the two years it took to get to that start line and the myriad of mechanical difficulties that threw themselves at me on race day.

I knew that when another big vision goal was ready it would show itself. And it has.

I'm playing the specifics of this big vision goal close to the vest for awhile, because I want to. There are specific things about attaining it that are totally out of my control. Along with the tons of things I can do to prepare. Thankfully none of it is new to me anymore!

So I've started by hiring back my wonderful coach (thank goodness she had a spot open for me fairly quickly -- Woo Hoo) and training regularly again.

It feels sort of like I'm in "secret" training! Sounds a bit silly but it totally works for me. Here we are in the thick of triathlon racing season, in the middle of the hot southern Nevada summer and here I am doing easy workouts designed to get my body used to a regular schedule again.

I LOVE IT!

I'm enjoying watching everyone else train and race knowing that I'm 100% back in the game myself.

I'M SO EXCITED!

Much much more to come.

:-)!!!

A Different Kind of Training

2011-05-11T17:12:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went to Kentucky for a business retreat. Lots of things happened there.

Including TREE CLIMBING!

For the past few months I've felt like I put myself out on a limb (call the pun police) repeatedly so this was perfect. Absolutely perfect. My extremely close friend Paula took tons of pictures which I'm so happy to have and be able to post and share with you.

DAY 1

We arrived, a bit discombobulated and annoyed -- well I was discombobulated and annoyed. After getting settled we got ready to climb!

Me, Heather, Wendy, Debra, Paula and Shelly (our host)

Our hosts Shelly and Bill had put balloons and other assorted surprises in the tree.
I captured one of the balloons!

Paula captured a space in the hammock!

Climbing this gorgeous tree was a great way to end a long travel day. And a great reminder to me of how much I love physical activity!

DAY 2

Day 2 was tricky. Because this was a high level business retreat, we had to deal with stuff. Like how happy or not happy we are with how our businesses and lives are going. We did an "exercise" where we walked among the trees, and reflected about all of this stuff and the emotions it brings up. The past few months have been stressful in my business and one of my go to emotions in times of stress is anger. During this exercise I went from being annoyed to 110% pissed off in less than 30 minutes. Seriously. It sucked. Bad. Part of why I was angry is that we had to do this exercise before we could climb again.

Once the exercise was over I was ready to climb and climb quickly.

Ever climb angry? I have.

Ever ride angry? I have.

It sucks to be in that angry space but you do what you have to do. I personally am not willing to settle for being anything other than an entrepreneur with a wildly successful business that directly reflects who I am. Because I know it's possible. And guess what's to "blame" for that?

SILVERMAN.
Yes.

Silverman showed me anything is possible. ANYTHING. And now I have to live with that. And I'm willing to live with that. 100% willing to do whatever it takes. It's not always easy but I'm grateful every day I have that evidence. You'd be surprised (or maybe you wouldn't) at how many times I go back to that race. That day. It's connected to everything I do. Everything.

So I persevere. I do whatever it takes. Even when that means I get angry, stressed, and scared. Because I do. More often than I'd like sometimes.

Climbing angry. I was the first one at the base
of the tree and the first question out of my mouth to
our co-host Bill was "any additional direction for me?"
Bill said "for you, no." Right answer!

My extremely close friend Paula either didn't know
I was livid or didn't care. She captured my
fake smile here. I should mention that my
anger wasn't personal toward anyone there.

DAY 3

As may be typical in retreats of this kind (this was my first one) by Day 3 I'd gone from being 110% extremely pissed off to being extremely grateful for everything I have. People, places, things, experiences . . . you name it, I was grateful for it. Kind of like that instantaneous shift from T2 to the run in the Utah Half. I've had numerous similar shifts since then and they never cease to amaze me.

I started out Day 3 planning to not climb. Yeah. Right! We were each going about the morning at our own pace and when I got to the tree my extremely close friends Paula and Debra were already up in the branches. Paula was tying a stuffed money in a branch about 55 feet up and told me I had to get it. She was tying it up there just for me. Challenge Accepted!

Here I am maneuvering to the other side of
the tree (had to change ropes -- so FUN!) to go get the monkey.

Hell YES! Reaching for the monkey

Shelly helping me maneuver and change ropes.

Look how high I am (upper left)! Shelly and Debra (arms out) on the right.

Getting ready to zip down with the monkey!

And she's down!

Paula me and the monkey

Me, the monkey, and extremely close friends Debra and Paula

_________________________________________

I've got to be honest here. I haven't trained seriously in months. And yet I still see myself as an athlete and I still talk about myself as an athlete and from feedback I receive I'm still seen that way. I still BELIEVE in myself as an athlete! It's part of who I am and I need to be that part of myself to really be fulfilled and successful and happy.

So to be able to go on a business retreat that was based around physical activity was a huge gift for me.

Since being back I've started on the weight training program I'd been putting off for months and Tony and I have gotten back into running. Tomorrow we're doing an open water swim at Lake Mead just the two of us. It will be my first open water swim of the season. Still wetsuit temps. Brrrr!

Oh and I've sworn off recreational sugar for the month of May and have STUCK TO IT.

Much much more to come!

[All photos by Paula Gregorowicz]

One Year Later

2011-04-25T13:35:00.001-07:00

Can't believe it's been a whole year since I last completed a triathlon or blogged on this blog. Iron Girl 2010 was an epic race for me. Over the past year as I've poured tons of energy and resources into my business training has taken a spot on the sidelines.

It struck me earlier this week that in these two and a half years post Silverman, things have changed A LOT. Things I thought were impossible (or at least impossible for me) now no longer seem impossible. My vision for myself, my business and my life since Silverman has gotten exponentially larger.

This is both a blessing and a curse.

Since I've seen, lived, and breathed evidence that I can do whatever I set my mind and heart to, it feels impossible to settle for anything less. And, since old habits die hard and I still tend to put tons of pressure on myself, I've been pretty stressed out lately (to put it mildly).

A friend suggested last week that I consider blogging again about training. It's a good idea. While I don't mind that I don't have any big races on the schedule for 2011 (don't have any desire for BIG races this year in fact) I miss who I am when training. I miss the energy that I receive from training and who I am because of it.

Oh sure it's easy to say just train anyway.

I've been saying that for the last year and a half. And training has consisted of a lot of fits and starts, stalls and long periods of nothing.

I know for a fact that what I'm doing now is just as important as (or more so) than Silverman. Silverman was a beginning, a catalyst for something HUGE.

So in order to get out of the "all or nothing" mindset that is neither helpful nor constructive, I'm going back to basics. Weight training, cardio and training for the Pumpkinman sprint this October. Pumpkinman was my very first triathlon back in the fall of 2006. My return five years later to the sprint distance is going to be . . .

Wait For It . . .

LEGENDARY.

(lol)

[What can I say I've been watching How I Met Your Mother Reruns lately]

So I'll be writing about my training and goals for 2011 and about the fun stuff that Tony and I still do. Like RAGE! Talk about epic, game changing showings at Rage for me in both 2008 and 2009. In 2010 I cheerfully volunteered, and then last weekend I participated in the sprint distance as . . .

Wait For It . . .

Part of a relay!!

We had a BLAST! It was a first relay experience for all of us!

Sean (cyclist), Me (runner) Tony (swimmer)

Tearing up that 5k course!

So . . . I'm back bitches!

I'M BACK.

Fun + Hard Core: Iron Girl 2010 Race Report

2010-05-15T20:08:00.000-07:00

What can I say about this race?

So much fun! With some hard core elements.

I decided to do Iron Girl after being sherpa for my friend Leslie last year. And then renewed that decision when Izaac peer pressured me and Kelly to sign up. Honestly, I'd never been drawn to woman only races. And until Iron Girl arrived there were none here locally.

I heard somewhere that 70% of the women doing this race were first time triathletes. Haven't been able to find that stat so I'm not sure if that is an overall Iron Girl stat, particular to this race, accurate or inaccurate. From my own scientific observations, there were a TON of first timers at this race.

The announcers were very first timer friendly, and very motivational. As I was setting up in transition I heard them say something along the lines of Iron Girl promotes health and wellness for women and shows women they can do anything they set their mind to. At that point my gratitude meter for the day went over the top and I teared up a little.

I was under trained going into this race.

So much has been going on lately in my business and life that what I really wanted, more than anything, was to have fun with this race.

Truly that is all I wanted.

Under trained or not, I am a 3+ year triathlete, this is a sprint race, and I knew that I could handle this course and do pretty well if I kept myself in a good place mentally.

Mission: Accomplished!! Hot DAMN!

Leslie picked me up at 5am and we arrived in transition a little after 5:30. I was feeling very low key, not nervous at all (which is highly unusual for me). It was a relief to simply not allow any stress in, and feel very happy and grateful to be there. These were very strong feelings that I've not felt this intensely since Silverman in 2008.

There were nearly 900 women signed up and the swim was a time trial start. Leslie and I positioned ourselves in the middle of the line and I was impressed by how quickly the line moved. This was my first time trial start.

Here is a photo (taken by Tony Taylor) of the swim start. In a time trial start, the athletes line up and every 5 seconds or so, two or three girls get in and start swimming. This repeats until everyone has gotten in.

Tony snapped this picture of Leslie and me moments before we jumped in (I'm on the right):

Then he snapped this one as I jumped in and started to swim!

Glenn and his father (who just happened to be visiting during this weekend) were part of the swim support team. Glenn drove one of the larger boats. These are a couple of photos from the boat:

The weather and water temperature could not have been more perfect. Though I had no specific time goal for the 800 meter swim I knew that somewhere around 20 minutes is what I've been doing. My last swim before this was about 10 days ago in the pool.

After swimming out from the beach and under the bridge, the course was a clearly marked triangle, which we swum around counter clockwise. Never have I seen so much swim support at a race. The water was filled with surfboards, kayaks and the larger boats, all there to support us.

There was even a lane line placed under the bridge to keep incoming and outgoing swimmers separate.

I got out of the water feeling good! As it happens Leslie got out at the same time! She looked at her watch and said "22 minutes." Sweeeet!

It was a long hike from the beach to transition. Tony was there with his camera and snapped a couple of photos!

Ready to strip the wetsuit off and get my cycling gear ON.

This is a genuine smile. At this point I was thinking YAY I get to go for a little bike ride now. I am SO HAPPY to be here doing this and so grateful that I CAN do this. Sappy? Maybe. But it's how I felt and it was exactly the energy I wanted to be in for this race.

Tony snapped these shots of me leaving transition with my bike:

I knew this was going to be a good ride when there was no hesitation, mental or physical. Just got on the bike, clipped in and zoomed around and past the couple of girls who were either hesitant or struggling to get clipped in. I felt smooth as silk and ready to GO.

This was an 18 mile ride, the first couple of which were the hills up and out of the Lake Las Vegas Resort (anyone who has been there knows what I'm talking about). The first hill, near the back end of the Loews parking lot, royally sucked. I got passed by quite a few girls and for a second my mind went there, to that dark place . . .crap I'm under trained . . . oh God remember the Utah Half Iron bike leg that was the worst . . . can I really do this without being totally spent . . .

Then just as quickly the feeling passed, mostly because I said to myself "fuck that noise! I don't HAVE to go there!" So I pulled out a Shot Blok, drank some water, and cranked away up that hill. By the time I got to the second hill I was back in that energy of gratitude, I can DO this, I am awesome, look at all these awesome women out here doing this I GET to do this with them! Woot!

By the time I got up and out of the resort I was on fire! From the point on the course was fast and fun! I got into a rhythm and just enjoyed it. Rode aero for most of the time and started picking people off. On the bike normally my mind will tell me to hold back . . . either to conserve energy for later or because I get nervous to go "too fast." Not this time! This time my mind kept telling me to go for it! As a result I had my best feeling ride ever! Time seemed to warp as the miles flew by and it felt like I was out there for less than an hour. In reality my time was somewhere between 1:20 and 1:28.

[Caveat: My bike time is my best guess since I had not reset my bike computer before leaving transition and there are no "official" times for me on this race. Don't get me started on that -- it is the one negative point and I don't want to dwell on it. I do find it a bit "ironic" that for the one race I was truly not racing for time there are no times for me. Perhaps this is not a coincidence. In hindsight I would love to have known my official time for the bike leg especially since I did so well and felt so good but it's not to be]

Coming into transition off the bike I felt tons of energy. I was absolutely pumped UP that I had done so well and felt so good!

Running up the steep hill out of transition I knew that this 5k would be the toughest part of the race for me. Little did I know just how tough. . .

HARD CORE PART COMING UP NOW

What happened next still kind of floors me. Nothing like this has happened before and I hope to not experience this again.

Just after leaving transition, making my way up the hill to get to the desert and the rest of the run course, my right ankle turned, buckled, and completely gave out. I went down. HARD. So hard that my right shoulder hit the ground and my nose touched the asphalt.

There were a few seconds of pure action, no thought. Pushed myself up, sat on the curb, and waved away the girls behind and around me asking if I was okay. I felt immobilized. Picture in the cartoons where someone crashes and those little birds are chirping in a circle over their head. That's what it felt like.

My left knee was gashed and scraped and blood was running down my leg. My left hand was scraped and bleeding. And my ankle . . . holy crap! Fortunately Leslie's husband Kym was right there and saw it happen. I think he was as shocked as I was.

I got up, said "Kym I don't know what to do" took a couple of shaky steps and sat down in the soft cool grass. Everything hurt. As I started to get my wits back my first thought was "my ankle is okay I make this run no problem." But I needed to sit a bit longer. I grabbed handfuls of grass and tried to mop the blood from my knee. The bleeding had stopped. Kym and I had a few more words -- don't remember exactly what they were, I stood up, had my bearings back, thanked him for being there, and got back on the course.

From the first step I knew things were okay. This would be a slow 5k but it would be fine. Felt a wave of gratitude wash over me and continued on at a slow jog. Ankle had stabilized and it felt a little stiff but capable.

The first person I saw cheering on the athletes as we entered the desert was none other than Frank Lowery, Silverman Race Director!

"Frank!"

Gave him a big hug. Told him I fell. He asked if I needed water for my scrapes and I said no I'll take care of it later. Got a hug from his wife Meg too. Awesome doesn't begin to cover what I was feeling here.

The first mile of the run course has a huge, steep downhill in it. Jogging down bothered my ankle so I walked down. No problem! The ankle felt a little stiff but still stable. Throughout the run I visualized the blood circulating to it, helping it be strong and flexible. I knew as long as I watched my footing it would come through for me.

Time seemed to warp here too and it felt like I made it to the 1.5 mile turnaround in about 10 minutes. Saw Kelly near the turnaround!!! On the 1.5 miles back I alternated between jogging and walking. A girl came up next to me and said "Wow you are hard core." Yeah!

If she only knew how hard core I truly am! Honestly after the initial shock and the initial pain wore off this felt like no big deal. I've had to deal with so much more, mentally, weather wise, and mechanically on various courses that this felt like nothing more than a minor glitch.

So it felt like I was out on the run course for maybe half an hour. In reality I'm not sure. 40 minutes? 45? I wasn't wearing a watch and Glenn estimates 40 minutes so somewhere around there. Slow, yes! The feeling I had while out there: Priceless!

After getting another hug from Frank and Meg on the way back it was all downhill to the finish!

Tony was waiting to snap another photo:

Finish felt GREAT!!! Felt like I came through for myself yet AGAIN as I've developed the habit of doing ever since I started training for Silverman all those years ago. Well it's only been 3.5 years but in some ways it feels like a lifetime ago.

Here are a couple of post race shots:

Telling Glenn about what happened on the run course!

Getting my knee fixed up in the medical tent.

Me, Kelly and Leslie at the post race breakfast. We are Iron Girls!

POST RACE (the next day):

The ankle is swollen, stiff and painful so I'm resting it and treating it with ice, a topical ointment that Leslie gave me, and care. It actually feels much better than yesterday afternoon but I'm staying off of it for as long as it takes for a full recovery.

Other than that I have no residual soreness other than I can feel it a bit in my shoulders from riding aero on the bike. YAY!!

I received everything I wanted and more from this race and am very glad and grateful that things went down the way they did.

RAGE from the Other Side

2010-04-17T18:44:00.000-07:00

Training has gone really well this week! Very pleased and grateful with how easily I slipped back into it. Feeling feel more balanced than I have in awhile.

This morning I went down and spectated at Rage. For those newer to my blog, Rage is THE spring triathlon to do here in Southern Nevada, and the west. I heard the announcer say there were athletes from 40 states there, doing either the sprint, Olympic, or half iron distance.

Not knowing exactly when the different waves started, I got there in time to see Izaac come out of the water! Izaac insisted on punishing himself for the second year in a row in the half iron distance. He was looking cool as a cucumber after his warm up of a 1. 2 mile swim. See ya Izaac! Yeah, he'd be out on the course for awhile.

I spent a good amount of time at the bike in/bike out area and was shocked to see how many athletes did not have their bike in an easy gear coming out of transition. DUDES. It's a loooonng grinding hill coming out of transition. Put it in something close to granny gear -- trust me it's worth the extra few seconds in set up to do it. You'll thank yourself at the same time you're cussing that damn hill!

There was a lady standing next to me who said it made her feel "bad" that there were quite a few older people in the race. I've been doing this long enough to know that this means she feels bad about herself for not exercising more -- or whatever. Snort. Comments like that are so sad. So I took the opportunity to tell her that I was waiting for my 70 year old training partner to get in. Yup, TONY was doing the sprint.

He got in looking great, ran out looking great, and finished looking great. When I caught up with him after he wasn't happy with his swim but felt good about his bike and run. Then in typical Tony fashion, he changed and stayed for hours to volunteer.

I love Rage. Rage was a pivotal race for me in 2008 -- the first Olympic distance I was able to complete after a string of failed attempts in 2007. I completed it in 4:46 and was Dead F**cking Last in the Olympic Distance for the women and second to last overall. There was one guy who finished after me that I believe was disabled. None of that mattered because I was on the road to Silverman, I had LIZ for a coach, and nothing was going to stop me. Finishing Rage 2008 was HUGE.

Then in 2009 I decimated my 2008 time and finished in 4:00:03. Still quite a slow time for the Olympic distance but somewhat respectable on this punishing course. Most importantly, it showed how far I had come in a year. By 2009 Rage I had transformed into someone who believed she could do anything she set her mind to. And thanks to the support I have and my own belief in myself I'm still that person, growing every single day.

This year I was happy to be at Rage on the spectators side. The weather was perfect, the course punishing, the people were awesome and I had fun. Really what more can someone ask for!

So Here I Am

2010-04-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

It's been an interesting couple of weeks.

I'm dealing with the stuff I always deal with it seems. Lately my "stuff" has shown itself in some massive resistance to workouts. Succumbing (daily) to the temptation to sit on my ass and ignore Coach Jackie's training plan. With no big race hanging over my head and a business to grow, what are my choices?

Thankfully there ARE ALWAYS choices! We always have a choice whether we want to admit it or not. So I'll get this out of the way now: I skipped the Showdown at Sundown Triathlon that I was signed up to race on 3/27. Had a super bad case of the I DONT' WANNAS and Glenn knew better than to try and make me. Definitely NOT one of those times to try and make me. He went sailing, I went and got my nails done, ignoring texts and calls from two of my favorite partners in tri: Izaac and Johnny Tri.

Since I'm no longer buying into the Stef Beats Herself Up Mercilessly After A Failure of This Magnitude, I did NOT beat myself up for skipping the race. Which is awesome!

Still, even though self acceptance and being good to myself are things I've been "working on," the writing was on the wall! Because even though I forgave myself for skipping the race, I was not happy about it. After weeks of not training (let's just admit it) feeling like crap, not sleeping, looking not my best, and feeling woefully out of shape and out of balance, something had to change or I would taking an unnecessary detour from success. And folks, I'm simply not willing to do that.

Enter Coach Jackie and her Kick ASS timed triathlon workouts! I signed up and actually showed up, this past Saturday where I proceeded to reclaim my MOJO and become a triathlete again! Jackie had a sprint course set up of 1200 meter swim, 13.4 mile bike, and 3 mile run. Because everyone was there for different reasons, we could make our own course if we wanted to, which is exactly what I did.

During my swim (can I tell you how much I LOVE swimming in Lake Mead, the most fabulous lake man has ever created) of + or - 1000 meters, I set the intention to do a 10 mile bike and 1.5 mile run. And that is exactly what I did. It was Awesome!

I needed to do something where I would have to push myself but also finish feeling good (not totally spent). In short I needed a confidence builder, some "evidence" that I've still got it. And of course the evidence was there. I just needed to show up and claim it.

More importantly I am now serious about training for Iron Girl! Oh hell YES. Iron Girl will be my first official race of the season. Thanks to Coach Jackie, my triathlon friends (especially Johnny Tri for his encouraging words as I was transitioning from swim to bike on Saturday: "let's go Stef, this ain't no rest home"), and my own desire to have it all (as that definition applies to me), my MOJO is back! I'm getting back in shape to have fun with some races this season!

HELL to the yeah!

The Magic of the Open Water

2010-03-14T18:54:00.000-07:00

It's NO exaggeration to say I've been slacking on the training lately. But I'd rather not get into that.

Thankfully, coach Jackie held an open water swim clinic today out at Lake Las Vegas and also THANKFULLY my friend Leslie was going and offered to drive me.

We showed up. And that, my friends was 80% of the effort right there.

The swim was AWESOME! I had so much fun and this confirmed (again) that I love open water swimming so much more than pool swimming.

Coach Kara of the phenomenal Swim Las Vegas said the water temperature was 72 degrees. If you ask me it felt a lot colder than that but once my hands and face acclimated I felt very strong, natural and smooth. Swam 1000+ yards and called it good!

The longest triathlon swim I will do this year is 750 yards (meters? yards? whatever!) so I totally have it in the bag baby.

I will be going into Showdown at Sundown in two weeks with a great attitude making it all about FUN! Which is captured right here in the above picture Kara took of me today.

Have a great week everyone!

:-)

Dear Jackie

2010-03-04T14:40:00.000-08:00

Dear Jackie,

I ran today.

And felt great while doing it.

I WIN.

Cheers,
Stef

____________________________________________________

This is where I am with my training these days. Swam yesterday (LOVE swimming SO MUCH lately), ran today. I'm golden. A few days back, few days forward, not on my radar. I'm forced to live in the NOW. For now.

The last couple of weeks have been pretty intense because I've been preparing to launch the Brilliant Business Writing Intensive where I teach a select group of entrepreneurs how to write white papers in a way that revolutionizes their marketing. Writing is both art and science and I've always secretly wanted to "be a writer" and now I'm living that dream through my business.

This program is why I'd been putting so much stress and pressure on myself and now that Week 1 of 4 weeks is complete there is a huge release of stress and pressure. Week 1 has showed me clearly that my belief in my abilities and willingness to take a chance on myself are paying off right NOW and will continue to pay off in a very big way over time.

Thanks to Jackie's support I'm able to continue to work out in a laid back way that FITS WHERE I AM NOW and prepare with confidence for the Showdown at Sundown Triathlon on 3/27. Danielle is going to be there to take pictures and it's going to be both fun and hilarious!!!!

Speaking of pressure, um yeah. I went over to Izaac and Kelly's the other night to discuss skin care, training, coaching and one thing and another. Typically I am a self proclaimed master of not not succumbing to peer pressure. My mom taught me well as a child.

Well, I've met my match. Izaac is a master at applying peer pressure! His distinctive skill and refined expertise in this area resulted in both Kelly and me signing up for Iron Girl! YUP that's right BABY! May 15, Lake Las Vegas -- look OUT!!!! (guess I should let Jackie know).

[thanks Izaac for illustrating that in some cases peer pressure is a good thing]

Oh and Jackie's response to my email set forth above?

"It is a great day to get fit!"

HELL to the yeah!!!!!! It's a great day to get out there and move!

On the Edge . . . . .

2010-02-21T19:46:00.000-08:00

For these past few weeks (pretty much since my last post here) I've felt on edge. On the edge of breaking through, breaking down, and everything in between.

Sitting here writing this I feel like tons of pressure is on me -- and it's all self generated.

Growing a business is not easy. At the same time it is a joyful, excruciating learning, scary experience not unlike my experience with Silverman. In fact it is that very comparison that keeps me going during the hard days.

I give tele-classes now as part of marketing my business and in those classes I tell the story of how Silverman changed my life. And every time I tell it, I choke up. And sometimes, when I start to doubt myself and wonder "what in the world does this have to do with business" I get to that part of the story where Silverman changed the way I see myself, gave me boundless confidence over and above that which I had lost over years of habitual living, and how it takes confidence, above all else to be an entrepreneur that actually makes a difference.

And next year, Silverman is hosting the 2011 ITU Long Course Triathlon World Championships! How fitting that Silverman just keeps getting BIGGER.

As for me, things are changing. I literally took about three months off of serious training and now I have a new coach!

Jackie Arcana, Female Overall Winner (Nevada) of the Silverman Full Iron distance in 2009, is training me for short course! While I wasn't "looking" for a new coach, it quickly became obvious that I needed help. Badly! Jackie gets where I am now, what I want to accomplish, and she has years upon years of expertise to draw from having trained a wide range of athletes through the years. I feel really great to be training with her!

At the same time, it feels like I have a long way to go in the motivation department. But it's not a question of "do I still want to train?" Unequivocally YES I do! It's an issue of taking some of this awful insidious self induced pressure off, letting myself relax, trusting in my overall abilities, and having more fun.

Yup! One the one hand I'm a pro at "relaxing" (taking three months off training shows that) but on the other I am the master of self induced stress. I want to train and race for fun this year and feel like with each workout completed, I'm getting closer to that goal.

First race: Showdown at Sundown on March 27. I would like someone to come with me and take some pictures. Any takers?

Back at It, and Smiling

2010-01-07T21:25:00.000-08:00

I went cycling today for the first time in . . . . awhile.

It was GREAT! Tony got home from his holiday trip and under his influence I'm back in the game. That guy is such a shining star. I'm totally serious.

Tomorrow morning we're going to the pool!

Feeling good about things overall. I'm going to investigate some other fun ways to exercise and I intend to put yoga back into my life regularly. My friend Leslie and I occasionally go to yoga at this place close to my house (Leslie goes way more than I do). I'm going to investigate some other places too. At least once a week. My body needs to be stretched.

My weak link right now is strength training. I have weights at home but the energy (motivation) is so NOT there. The only gym in BC here is a . . . . darn I'm blanking on the name. One of those chain fitness places that you get a card key to get in 24 hours. It's small but the equipment is GREAT.

May need to eventually go over there. Maybe I can get a free session or something so I can get a feel for what it's like to work out in there. It, also is not far from my house. Nothing is too far here in BC! I have several programs that have both strength and cardio. I really only need the strength since I'll be running, biking and swimming up to the Showdown at Sundown!

After that I'm leaning heavily toward signing up for Iron Girl. Need to make sure that race doesn't conflict with with my work schedule.

Loving this weather right now too. It's in the 60s during the day. UN-BELIEVABLE!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T21:49:00.000-08:00

When I last left off, I was full of intentions to blog more.

Didn't happen.

I have kept up with other blogs though and Lisa and Sarah's recent posts have inspired me to start again.

Oh and Izaac's recent post is really super funny.

My focus for 2010 has changed dramatically. I guess in reality it hasn't changed that much but in relation to this blog it feels like it has.

Not focusing on long course has caused me to become much more relaxed about my training. So much so that I'm not working with my wonderful coach anymore. This broke my heart but frankly I was starting to feel strangled (figuratively) by the schedule, had no desire to train, and so was not doing the workouts. Since this serves neither of us I decided that taking a break from coaching was the right decision.

It SUCKED though because I felt like by letting go of working with Liz I was letting go of a part of my Silverman experience and doing the half Silverman is what renewed my confidence in myself and is in fact why I have my own business right now!

So here I am. Without a triathlon coach for the first time in three years and wondering where triathlon fits into my life now. The desire to train and race is not the same as it once was and I have to accept that. There is no other way for me to move forward.

Because I'm training less, I feel extremely out of shape and have packed on some extra padding around the middle which I've NEVER had before and which is driving me quite crazy. At the same time I feel like this repositioning of priorities is 100% the right thing for me.

I have big plans for my business in 2010. HUGE. On paper it looks a bit batty in fact. Thing is though, I know I can do it. The other thing is, I know I can do it while keeping myself healthy and shapely and having fun. :-)

So, the tenor of this blog is going to evolve.

My first triathlon of the season is the Showdown at Sundown on March 27, sprint distance! It should be a lot of fun! After that we'll see!!

Happy New Year!!!

Yahoo! The Off Season and Other Stuff

2009-11-14T09:23:00.001-08:00

It's really time for me to blog again!

Since the Ragnar Relay I've loved not training. What I loved most about it was the mental break. Having one less thing on my plate for awhile was good because training had become something I "had to do." The passion for it had waned.

During the break I made some decisions about 2010.

I'm going Short Course! All sprints and Olympic distance races!

The reasoning is two fold:

1) Training for Short Course will take significantly less time, which is essential for me in 2010. While I've learned tons about managing feelings of overwhelm that come from launching a new business, trying to be the best wife I can be, and living the rest of my life, honestly the thought of training for a Half Ironman next year made me go UGH and produced a feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach. I've learned to listen to those feelings. After all it was a flash of feeling, in the center of my gut, like a voice telling me what to do, in November, 2006 that spurred me to commit to Silverman. Three years later, HERE I AM! A changed person in every sense of the word. I listen to those gut feelings.

2) I seriously want to get faster. I TRULY DO. Coaching with Liz will get me there. I will continue to have to step outside my comfort zone. I didn't push as hard as I wanted to in training in 2009 and that sort of bugged me. It also showed in my Utah Half Iron race results and in a lot of my mental struggle during that race. Looking back I just see it as an opportunity to prove to myself how serious I am to raise my athleticism to the next level. I need to get comfortable being uncomfortable!!!

I'll post my race schedule soon in the sidebar. I feel the need for a new blog template soon too, and new pictures . . . . . :-)

For now, getting back into training has been good. But also rough. My run absolutely SUCKS. Liz told me yesterday that the run takes 4-6 weeks to come back so this makes sense. I had a GREAT swim workout the other day -- it surprised me how good I felt in the pool after six weeks away. And I've been riding the trainer doing high cadence drills, one legged drills, and other stuff. And of course strength work. That is the toughest for me to fit in because I treat it as an afterthought.

WRONG WAY TO LOOK AT IT! I just told Mike and Ann the other night at dinner (Mike came down here to race the Silverman Half -- he had a very strong race!) that I'm feeling too "soft" in the body lately. Ugh. It's true though. I sometimes miss the days where I lifted three times a week (of course during that phase of my life I did no cardio at all. I brazenly believed I didn't need to -- rofl).

SO . . . . DO THE STRENGTH WORKOUTS STEF. Duh. Nuff said.

Consistency is KEY for me this year. Part of not pushing myself enough in 2009 included letting myself rest too much. Truth be told I skipped too many workouts. Because pushing myself really HARD out there in the swim, the bike and the run scares me. It is SO uncomfortable. Training for Silverman, every workout was a risk. Every workout, especially toward the end, pushed me into someplace I had never been. I wanted Silverman so badly that I had to shove aside the fear and the discomfort and just GO.

After Silverman I've had to find new sources of motivation within me. And that's okay. That means I continue to change and grow.

So I plan to be back here more often blogging about my training and new goals. Welcome back ME!

OH and it was so much fun following my awesome blogger buds who did the Beach 2 Battleship!!!! I had signed up for that race and, while pulling out was the best decision for me, it was amazing watching them give their all out there: Calyx, Donna Shirley , and Kevin especially!!! I've been following these guys for at least two years now and always wait with bated breath for them to post. Great blogger friends to have!!!!!ENJOY YOUR OFF SEASON FOLKS. You earned it!

Update!

2009-10-24T10:16:00.001-07:00

Things have been good since the Ragnar Relay.

On the one hand, the week right after Ragnar I had some "taper like" symptoms which I assume came from going from training to not training. I was fine Monday and Tuesday then Wednesday and Thursday I was dragging and felt as hungry as if I were training for a half ironman!

Two weeks out from Ragnar, with one more week of deep rest to go, I'm feeling pretty good although still, in my opinion, "too hungry." Not that I'm opposed to eating it's just that I wish I didn't have to eat so much or so often. Yeah I know cry me a river.

My body is feeling pretty good and with the weather as nice as it is, I'm happy to get outside and do things like walk the dog or spectate the Pumpkinman.

Pumpkinman was last week and it was a lot of fun to be out there on my clunky, non fitting mountain bike (from Walmart or somewhere) spectating and not racing. It was actually a bit too warm for my taste (and for October) but really what did I care. I wasn't racing! No nostalgia, no regret whatsoever for not racing. Even though this race is what started it all for me in the fall of 2006. No worries, I'll be BACK in 2010!

I followed Tony along most of the run course -- that was fun. He had a great time racing it and kicked some ass. Then I went home and took a nap. When you've quit training cold turkey sometimes the slightest exertion in warm weather feels like a lot!

Am I worried about losing fitness? Hell NO. I know I'm losing fitness. And I'm FINE with it. This is what I have a coach for! She tells me to take three weeks off and she doesn't have to tell me twice! Plus she backs up this recommendation with all kinds of evidence, articles, etc. Even if she didn't do that I'd still listen. I mean just look at my results since training with her! PRICELESS.

During this little hiatus, this vacation from training, my spark of motivation is coming back! I actually have Season 2010 planned out already. Not ready to write about it yet but it's planned. And it is PERFECT to support everything else I'm doing.

2010 is going to be a HUGE year for the growth of my business! Ha! I've been laying the groundwork, working with clients, and can I just say I can't wait!

More to come . . . . . . . .

Ragnar Relay Race Report

2009-10-12T18:29:00.000-07:00

Team Wile E Coyotes at the finish.
I am standing second to the right

The Ragnar Relay was simultaneously the strangest and one of the best events I've ever done.

It was strange simply because it was something I'd never done, and, until it was happening, I could not picture spending 24+ hours in a van with five other people, three of whom I'd never even met until the morning of!

CRAZY?

Yeah, just a little.

It was one of the best events I have done because of the team cameraderie. Hands down I've never been part of a team like that and had no idea it could be so much fun!

Let's back up a couple of months, to a date that was days before the Utah Half Iron. I sat down for lunch with my friend Phil, feeling pretty darn good about my current state of fitness. Sure I had my struggles training for Utah but the important thing was I had made it! I had made it to taper and was ready to race!

So, Phil was a great mentor to me back in my lawyering days and I've always sort of looked up to him, professionally and personally. As we caught up on what's been going on in our lives and our work he asks me if I would be interested in participating in this 24 hour running relay with 11 other people on a team with two vans of six people each.

Um . . . . what now.

I should mention Phil is a runner, and a good one at that. He has been running for I don't know how many years, has done a few marathons, the best of which was at Big Sur where he posted a PR and felt the best he had ever felt running a marathon. I sort of envied that Phil ran back in my stressed out couch potato lawyer days, well before I got into triathlon. But certainly at that time running was not EVER something I would take up myself. NO Freaking. Way. I just envied that he had the drive and passion to train for something and be active and stay healthy.

Phil for his part has seemed intrigued by my triathlon trajectory, remarking that day at lunch that I must be in phenomenal shape. To which I replied YES, yes I am!

So I agreed, totally on a whim to be part of team Wile E. Coyotes.

Then I did the Utah Half Ironman.

Then I felt I needed a BREAK and so revised my fall schedule to ax my other "A" race, the B2B half ironman.

Then, the Ragnar commitment started to feel like a monkey on my back that I didn't think I could get rid of. Or get out of. Or get the motivation back to train for.

Then, a few days before Ragnar a team member dropped out and someone stepped in to replace her. Was it too late for me to drop out??

Throughout this whole then - type dialogue I became annoyed at myself for thinking of dropping out, for not training as much as I should have and for worrying that my pace would be too slow.

You may be wondering: Is this the attitude that one should go into an event like this with?

NO.

BUT.

Underneath all the claptrap talk in my head I knew that I would totally come through for myself, for the team, and that there was no question that I had the fitness to pull it off! So I blew off those annoying voices in my head the best I could and determined that I was, indeed, Ready for Ragnar.

And yes. Yes I was.

This event for me was almost too awesome for words. But I will describe it anyway!

The Series of Boondoggles That Happened Before The Race Start

I should mention that, not only did I agree to be in a van with five guys for 24+ hours (three of whom I had never met, one that I barely knew, and Phil), but I had volunteered the use of our diesel Suburban to be our van -- VAN #2.

I mention that it's diesel because otherwise we would never own a vehicle this large -- totally fits our sporting lifestyle though. I'm just sayin.'

So, VAN #2 had to be at the first van exchange point by 1:40pm. I should mention that it was SO NICE to not have to get up at the butt crack of stupid to participate in this event. VAN #1 took the first leg, showed up at the starting line in the Valley of Fire at 9:30am, and that was that. They were taking care of things!

Warning -- Cursing Ahead

I get in the Suburban around 9:30am or so and the rat bastard won't start. Dead battery.

WTF.

SERIOUSLYIDONTFUCKINGNEEDTHIS

WTFTHISISBULLSHITWHYISTHISHAPPENINGTOMEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

Glenn is gone, I am livid, what to do.

I called Andy, VAN#2 teammate (the one I had met before but barely knew) who lives in Boulder City to come over and jump it. He does. It starts. Crisis averted. Not much time lost.

THANKGOD.

Follow Andy to his place to get his stuff as I was giving him a ride to our rendezvous point at Green Valley Ranch, the Original Pancake House to be specific.

We are about halfway to Green Valley Ranch when this happens:

Andy: OH fuck!!!!!!!!

Stef: What???????

Andy: I forgot my fucking running shoes!!!

Stef: YOU'RE FUCKING KIDDING ME right

(I seriously thought he was kidding)

Andy: NO

Stef: WHAT? You seriously forgot your running shoes?

Andy: I seriously forgot my running shoes!

Stef Thinks: NOONE is going to remember the Suburban incident now. YES! Score.

We turn around and go back to Boulder City. By this time I can picture Phil starting to stress out. I feel badly for him but really there's not much I can do.

Andy and I get to Green Valley Ranch a full hour late!!! Thank goodness we built in so much lead time! Phil had ordered for us so we wolfed down breakfast!

As it was we arrived at the van exchange point in the gorgeous Valley of Fire about 20 minutes before we needed to be there. This, in my opinion as the first runner out of VAN#2, was perfect timing. I had enough time to hit the porta pottie, double check all my stuff was in order, and do a quick little warm up before Susan came in to hand off to me!!

Aside: I doubt that Andy will ever live down forgetting his running shoes. While I feel that I may have played a small role in that by calling him hysterically practically ordering him to my house to jump the Suburban, still . . . . an experienced runner forgetting running shoes . . . it really doesn't add up no matter how you look at it.

And, Now, for the Race!

For those who have never done one of these relays (and none of us had), Ragnar Las Vegas was 171 miles of running from the Valley of Fire to the Red Rock Casino. There were 200 teams of 12, with each team having two vans.

Start times were staggered and were based on paces inputted into the Ragnar website by each runner.

So VAN#1 started, each person in that van ran one leg, then they handed off to VAN#2 where each of us ran one leg. Repeat this three times, and you have the 171 miles.

Our team captain, Susan, was the last runner out of VAN#2. I had met Susan (I guess I really had met everyone once at the team meeting but I don't count that really cause all we did there was talk a few details and then leave) once and we had gotten to know each other over email a bit. So I was glad that I was taking the hand off from her.

She ran up, looking strong, popped the metallic wrist band thingie on my wrist, and I was off like a shot!!!

Okay, I was off!

Okay, I started.

First Leg: 5.5 Miles -- Vally of Fire

Lingering worries about my pace died off within the first few steps when I realized that, truly, everyone was running their own pace out there. My pace was what it was and I accepted it.

THERE was a monkey off my back in a hurry. YAY.

So this leg was labeled "moderately hard" which was accurate. There were a few hills. It was pretty warm.

There was barely any shoulder in the road but thankfully most of the traffic out there was race related so I felt reasonably safe.

I adopted a run/walk plan in places where the hills felt a bit overwhelming. Used my watch to time water and to decide when to have a gel.

Overall it felt GREAT to be out there running and participating in a huge event WITH a team. Speaking of my team, VAN#2 stopped at least twice along the leg to cheer me on and ask if I needed anything. I didn't. My water bottle and gel flask were plenty for the distance but I loved that they were out there supporting me.

We quickly developed a strategy about support which involved asking each runner before they left how much support they wanted between handoffs. How many miles? What will you want? This worked very well.

As I neared the hand off I had some moments of uncertainty because I forgot the guy's name who I was handing off to.

Did I mention that I did not know these guys at all (except Phil) before that day??? Crazy? Yes. Very!!! For some reason I now find this hilarious.

Approaching the hand off point . . .

Stef Thinks: Oh crap! I can't remember who I'm handing off to. Do I even remember what he looks like??? That's debatable. HOW AM I GOING TO KNOW . . . . . HOW!

Fortunately he was standing there waiting for me. When he stepped forward and put his arm out, I knew . . . . . DOMINICK!!!! It was Dominick. And the other guys in the van were Chad, Jake, Andy and Phil. It only took a few hours for me to sort them out.

The Subsequent HOURS Between Stef's Leg 1 and Leg 2

Dominick's leg was 8.5 miles and very hilly. So there was plenty of time to sit around, relax, and eat.

I had brought three different running outfits, a large towel, my bathrobe, pillow and some assorted other comforts from home. After we drove out about three miles to wait for Dominick, I slipped the towel around my waist and deftly changed into my lightweight sweatpants. Changed from my running top (sports bra made modesty unnecessary) to my World's Toughest Athlete Silverman shirt and I was basically set. Brushed my hair. Put the headband on. Yup, didn't want to look too messy and haggard after only my first run!!!!

Then there was a lot of waiting watching other runners go by, snacking and chatting. Everyone was high energy and excited. It was fun. I walked around a bit, did some very light stretching. I was pleased with my first run leg because it was more or less on schedule (okay I lost a couple of minutes).

Jake ran next, then Chad, then Phil, then Andy.

Phil and Andy were by far the two strongest runners in our van. To "see" them tackles those hills in the inky darkness that enveloped the Valley of Fire in the evening hours was very inspiring.

I use "see" in quotes because after the sun went down all you could see was the lights from the runner's headlamps. Phil and Andy both had sizable legs to run, 7.8 and 8.7 miles respectively. It was quite funny watching Jake and Chad on the side of the road with water, saying "Phil??" every time a runner came up.

As it was, Phil nearly blew right by them. He was listening to his music so loudly that he didn't hear them calling his name.

As for Andy, he told us later that all the support vans started to look the same in the dark. He thought Jake and Chad and Dominick were just supporters chatting with him on the course and as a result nearly ran by till he realized who they were!! That was more hilarious in person than it looks here but I had to get it down.

We had a lot of fun out there during those first six legs!

First Break -- Colville Bay, the Hacienda, and Andy's House

The second van exchange took place at Colville Bay. Andy came in, handed off and we went to look for food. Turns out the event had run out of pasta and was only serving burgers. Um, no thanks.

We drove into Boulder City and went to the Hacienda Hotel and Casino. By this time the tiredness had set in. Big time. Plus Phil and Andy were sore having just come off their ass kicking hilly runs.

So after wolfing down breakfast (steak and eggs for me) at the Hacienda we decided to go to Andy's place and crash. We were now firmly in uncharted waters as I had no idea what to expect from my next run, scheduled for 1:30am.

6.3 miles. Straight uphill. On the River Mountains Loop Trail. In the inky blackness.

Thinking about that was pretty daunting so I picked a spot on Andy's living room floor, put my pillow and robe down and crashed.

Then Phil came along and told me to take the couch.

Stef Thinks: Phil must be fucking delirious if he thinks I'm getting up when I've already made the effort to lie down here. I'm beat I need sleep now or I think I might die.

Stef Says: You take the couch, I'm good here.

Phil took the couch.

Five minutes later someones fucking alarm went off. Okay it was more like an hour and change but you get my drift.

I start to worry about my run. I start to think how fucking ridiculous this all is and maybe I can sneak away and go home. Andy doesn't live that far from me I can walk it. My stomach is annoyed at the steak and eggs from earlier. What to do???

Keep my mouth shut.

Breathe.

Relax.

Second Leg -- 6.3 miles from Boulder Beach to Pacifica -- straight UPhill

We go down to Boulder Beach, meet our VAN#1 team mates and wait for Susan to get in. Ah the site of so many triathlon starts! At least we are at the Water Safety Center instead of all the way down by the water.

Translation: I don't have to worry about running up that long ass hill that we always have to bike up from transition! WOOT!

I'm starting to feel better about this. This run is in my backyard, my territory, on a trail I've biked up many many times. This could be okay.

By the time Susan gets in I'm feeling okay! As I take the wristband and start to run I am enveloped by the darkness with nothing but my head lamp. It gives the illusion that there is a moon out but in reality there is no moon. Last week was the full moon.

This was the best run I've had all season. Simply and without question. It was strong, steady, slow, strong, and steady. Running up that winding trail I felt so good that I actually started to like (even love) running again.

I found a pace that I could maintain without pissing off my stomach. The steak and eggs from two hours earlier were sitting fine but I didn't want any gels. Sipped water in very small quantities very often. I had energy. I had time to be grateful. For everything I have and everything I'm able to do.

The air was perfect. Cool and still with a the occasional gentle breeze. The trail was free from vehicular traffic. It was just me and the other runners. I almost didn't want this run to end. But in the end, I did! By the time I reached the top I was tired and only two happy to hand the wrist band over to Dominick.

It took me quite a long time to get up that hill but that time was some of the most significant of the season for me. Imagine if I had weaseled out of the event. Or not shown up and fully committed to getting this run done. I would have missed it.

We hit a convenience store when Dominick was running and I got a chocolate milk. It was delicious. After that I didn't want, and didn't eat, anything for quite some time. And I paid for it when I bonked awhile later.

Didn't want to leave the van, huddled in my robe, slept sitting up, my stomach threatened to get nauseous and I wanted nothing to do with the snacks we had in the van. They all sucked.

Meanwhile there was a horrible accident on the course where a runner was hit and killed. We heard rumblings about it while waiting for Phil. Phil and those running near him were diverted about a mile and a half off course because of it.

I wasn't sure what to believe of the rumblings since they were unsubstantiated, but we received an email from Ragnar earlier today confirming that a runner was killed by a vehicle and the driver had been arrested under suspicion of drunk driving, leaving the scene and resisting an officer. I bawled like a baby reading that this morning.

Second Break -- back at Green Valley Ranch

Our second set of legs ended up with Andy running a little over two miles uphill. I don't think he was expecting it to be uphill.

So at 6am we were again at the Original Pancake House and I'm praying to get my appetite back or things would get really ugly for me. Fortunately plain oatmeal with a bit of cream and some raisins did the trick. Yes!

We went to Jake's house to crash. Two more hours on the floor and I'm feeling pretty good, and very hungry! Only 4.2 miles stand between me and my end of season break. I can DO this!

Since my appetite is back I snack on some things from the van. The exhaustion sets in again and I wonder if I can do this last run. Sure I can. Really? I'm SO hungry and tired right now.

We arrive at the third exchange point at 10am. VAN#1 has had some difficulties. Someone had problems with nausea and Susan is struggling a bit with her last run. No problem at all. I've been there so many times myself (fortunately not so much with nausea but I'm no stranger to struggling toward the end of a race). I sit down to wait.

There is a team of girls screaming, cheering and generally being super obnoxious. I stare at them with hate in my eyes. Hidden behind my sunglasses of course.

Phil approaches me and asks, in a completely smart ass way, if I'm mad that our team mates are not cheering for me like that. I look over at the guys, sitting there waiting, looking as tired as I feel, and start chuckling.

Um NO. I prefer the sullen silence of just wanting to be DONE thank you very much. Then I stole a sip of his coffee. Took the cup right out of his hand.

The obnoxious girls brought their runner in and both of their vans left the premises. I started to feel better. LOL!!!!

Third Leg -- 4.2 miles on fairly flat terrain -- pretty warm out

Susan got in and finished strong! I started on a blissful sloping downhill. Got a good rhythm going quickly and nursed a GU for the first few minutes. Didn't take the whole thing at once as I normally do cause I just wasn't sure how my stomach would react. It ended up fine. I really do have an iron stomach most of the time. GRATEFUL for that!

My run quickly devolved into run/walk. It seemed to take forFUCKINGever.

There were these posts in the road and I would run for two of those, walk for one. No watch this time. I did NOT want to know how long this run would take me. With less than a mile to go this woman passed me and for some reason this really pissed me off! Nothing I could do though. At least not then. One day so many people will not be passing me. One day I will pass some people.

But not this day.

With the hand off point in sight I see Phil come running out to meet me.

Stef Thinks: Do I look that bad? Like I'm struggling that much? How long have I been out here?

Stef Thinks Again: Shut up! There is nothing wrong with your team mate wanting to encourage you. Get the fuck over yourself!

Phil said later that he was concerned I might have run out of water. He says he hates it when that happens to him.

I was so happy to be done but had zero energy to celebrate it right then. So I sat in the van and smiled a lot. Drank. Ate snacks. Felt good for Dominick that soon he would be done too. Then Jake. Then Chad. Then Phil. Then Andy. What a TEAM!!!!

It was so much fun seeing everyone finish his last leg. Phil gave it all he had. It was obvious he was so DONE!!! This inspires me to work on pushing harder. Cause if I really do want to get faster that's what will need to be done.

The Finish -- 29:50

Phil and I missed running into the finish line with Andy and the rest of the team because of a stupid boondoggle with the Suburban door. My first instinct was to just go insane and kick the door in as hard as I could. Instead I called Glenn and he talked us through it.

It was long, it was hard, but most of all it was FUN!

We all agreed we would to it again.

And I totally would!

OH and here are my workouts for the next three weeks:

END OF SEASON BREAK. Complete rest for deep recovery & recharge until November 1st. No structured activities.

You can bet your ASS I'm following these instructions to the letter!!!!!!!!!

WOO HOO!

Racing for Fun and Other Thoughts

2009-09-12T21:34:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's closing in on a year since I did the Silverman Half.

I'm in such a different place now than last year it's almost incomprehensible to me. Staggering. Crazy.

After the Utah Half my training became sporadic and inconsistent, much like my posting frequency here. I could say it's been hard but the truth is I've enjoyed taking a break. It is so0000 refreshing to not judge myself so harshly for everything I do. Working on that has taken some significant energy but I have to say I'm very proud and happy about where I am right now.

My business is blasting forward and that has "upset" my life balance a bit. Upset isn't the right word really but it's the first one that came to mind. I'm not working long hours killing myself as an entrepreneur (seriously I did that in a job I'm not putting up with that being in business for myself -- life's too short) but the time and energy I'm spending is specifically targeted and deliberate, so that I'm growing my business without killing myself or becoming resentful.

It's GREAT!

So I've allowed training to take a temporary back seat. It's not permanent and it's not something I'm ashamed of or something I'll regret. Ever. Taking the B2B half off my calendar was SUCH the right thing to do. Although part of me is still bummed that I won't be there, the overreaching theme is that I can do B2B another year!!! YEAH!

So, my race this weekend!!!! Las Vegas Triathlon, Sprint.

It had been three years since I'd done a sprint triathlon. WOW how much fun are they!!!! Originally the plan was to go to Tempe with some friends to do the Nathan's Sprint. Those plans fell through so I got into the LV Tri and raced here at home on the same day! Serendipitous, simple, and really really fun!

This is the first race that I've rolled out of bed for feeling absolutely NO pressure. So another way of saying this is that doing this race was KEY to my well being in and love for the sport. I do love the level of discipline and dedication needed to train for and execute a half iron. LOVE IT!! THAT is what got me to this point!!!!! After Utah, though I needed to take the lid off of the pressure cooker! I was not expecting this to happen so it took me by surprise. Fortunately, I trust myself enough to make adjustments.

Though it was in the back of my mind, I truly did not worry about the fact that my training was not up to the level that it usually is before a race, any race.

Coach wrote some fun, short and speedy workouts for me. I treated most of those as "optional." Instead I got there, knowing I could do the distance (oh yeah) just looking for a good time.

Swim (750 meters)

The water was PERFECT!!! Flat, calm and the perfect temperature. No wetsuit for me! The conditions were just too perfect.

I'm not used to being in the largest starting wave. Here locally the sprints draw the most athletes and yesterday all the women started at once. Since I'm typically either doing a half or an Olympic distance the starting waves are pretty small. This wave was larger than I am used to but very tame. Quite a few of the girls were doing side stroke, back stroke, or breast stroke.

My stroke is getting an overhaul from the folks at Swim Las Vegas! I continue to improve in the water and my new stroke felt pretty good! I swam at a moderate pace just really enjoying the water.

Swim time -- 21:47

The run up to transition was ridiculously long -- the longest I've ever seen. Leslie, Kym and Donny were there cheering for me as I got out. LOVE that!

You can sort of see how long it is here and I still have quite a way to jog yet!!

Nothing like those gorgeous just out of the water shots -- waving to all of my fans (lol)!

T1 -- Pretty uneventful and longer than normal.

Finishing the ride!

Bike (12.4 miles)

Ah this was where the fun was -- and I'm not even being sarcastic! After Utah I needed a ride that I was at least semi happy with and this one filled the bill.

No more had I gotten into my rhythm when we were hitting the turnaround.

YES!!!!!

Seriously it felt like I had just taken a couple of breaths and there it was!

It was the familiar hilly course I'm used to but I had not ridden these hills in months! The last one is always brutal and as I made my way up I just kept repeating: Silverman -- Strong, Silverman -- Strong over and over as I listened to the clip clop of a couple athletes walking their bikes up . . . SILVERMAN . . . okay I was at the top. Time to descend to transition. Yeah!!!!!

Bike Time: 54:45

Run (5k)

Well it seems like there is a less than happy place for me in each race this season and this time it was the run. Not that it was so bad but by this time my body was starting to feel the effects of the sporadic inconsistent training as well as the less than stellar eating habits that have been a part of my routine lately.

Let's just say the run was slow and it started to get hot and leave it at that. It was still fun being out there and encouraging and being encouraged by others.

Run Time: 39:54

My friends had to leave before I finished but they got this shot of Tony finishing. Tony kicked my ass in this race by more than 11 minutes. He was waiting for me and removed my chip when I crossed the line then he gave me a big hug. He did double duty at this race as a volunteer and a participant. Tony has seen me at my best and at my worst and he is always there ready to train with me.

Thanks Tony.

So this year has been full of learning experiences, and I set some huge PRs!!!! GREAT season for me.

If I had to address one nagging thing though it's this: I never pushed myself as hard as I could, or, more importantly, as hard as I wanted to, this season. I know there is some speed in my body, at least enough to put me up in the middle of the pack. I know this as surely as I'm sitting here typing. Or at least I'm as sure as I can be having not cracked mid pack yet.

So the question becomes, what do I really want? Getting to mid pack (if I really do want that for a compelling enough reason) may take time, what with me having no background in swimming, biking or running. I just don't know right now and that's OK.

I felt like I lost my edge after Utah and immediately realized that I had to take things down a notch. I HAD to do the LV sprint tri just for fun to keep my finger on the many reasons why I do the sport.

So next season should be interesting. After doing the Ragnar Relay in two weeks I will be officially (as opposed to unofficially as I have been doing) "off" until November 1 and then I will let the inspired ideas about next season come to me. They are there as one has surfaced already.

For now I will blog more frequently even if it's not all about training as I've missed blogging, and the interaction that comes with it. Facebook is great but it's not blogging!

Take care everyone!

Happy Monday!

2009-08-31T07:29:00.000-07:00

Two days after the Utah Half Iron we went to New York to visit Glenn's family for six days. Getting home was great, though I felt like I needed a vacation after that trip.

So, the next few days were spent not doing much -- but NOW, it's time to push forward again!

Couple of things:

1. My new home office is ready to work in. First day of work in there: TODAY! Tony found me an awesome desk and chair and Glenn put an air conditioning unit in there yesterday. All that's left is to decorate the walls and my own private QUIET space is done!

2. I've made some changes to the second half of my race season which I'm very excited about! I've taken the Beach 2 Battleship Half Iron off the schedule and instead added the Nathan's Tempe Sprint, the Ragnar Relay and the Pumpkinman Sprint!!

As I was reaching my taper for Utah, I had pretty much decided I needed a break from long course training. After Utah I was sure of it. Training was starting to become a burden rather than a blessing and, since we always have a choice about what we do, I chose to make some changes.

And I really feel revitalized because of it! This week marks my first week of "serious" short course training -- last week was awesome as the schedule got me back into the swing of things (I didn't train at all while in NY). Training, for me, must be fun as well as challenging, breaking through, and all that stuff, so my decision is 100% right! For ME!

I seriously still have flashbacks of Silverman, quite often. I mean real flashbacks where I see myself on the course, feeling the feelings and emotions I was having, and knowing that I can do WHATEVER I set my mind to. Utah simply added to the rich racing history I'm creating for myself. I wouldn't trade training for that or racing that for anything.

The best part of all this is that I get to be at Silverman this year! As a volunteer/spectatator/screaming fan. As far as I'm concerned that race has magic attached to it. And I'm a part of that.

Have a great week everyone!!!!!!

Shifts and Celebrations!!!!!!

2009-08-17T18:22:00.001-07:00

Utah Half Iron Distance Race Report
1.2 mile swim**, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run

** Swim cut in half due to high winds.

[all photos by Tony Taylor]

It astounds me how circumstances have a way of converging to give us the exact experience that we are supposed to have. This is what happened for me at the Utah Half iron distance race on August 15, 2009.

I've never had so many ups and downs during a race and never have they been so profound. In many ways this is the hardest race I've ever done.

Glenn and I before the start:

Pre Race

Normally Provo, Utah is in the low 90s with a bit of humidity this time of year. So I don't think anyone expected the weather we got. When we got up it was a moderate breeze. By the time the swim start came around, the breeze had grown to ugly, almost squall like conditions, blowing one of the swim markers across the harbor.

The swim start was delayed. Ah yes. The only other time I've experienced a significant race delay: Silverman! For the same reason. Wind and chop. Chop and wind. The water didn't look that bad actually but they could not secure the rampant swim marker. According to Glenn they did not have the right equipment for those conditions. Since the water is usually glass flat and calm this time of year, you can't really blame them.

Everyone seemed to be taking the delay in stride. I passed some of the time talking with a fellow athlete named Klause, who we had met the day before. This was Klaus's first half iron!

Here we are during the delay. Some other awesome gal gave Klause her hoodie to wear because it was actually chilly out.

After about 45 minutes the race director announced that we had a short "window" during which we would only swim one loop of the 1.2 mile course instead of two. The wind and weather were supposed to get worse. He urged anyone who did not want to swim to not swim but said he did not believe in canceling swims. Thank goodness! Yay, we were starting!

Swim

The men went off and five or so minutes later we got the go ahead.

The first few minutes were okay but the water felt strange. The chop was like nothing I had swum in before. Glenn said later that was because we were swimming directly into a stiff headwind -- 20-30 knots. After a few moments of being tossed around in a way that felt foreign to me I panicked.

I bobbed upright and looked around for a boat, a kayak, anything. Nothing was near me. I flagged a kayak and it looked like he was trying to get to me. I wanted OUT of the water NOW. But he either could not get to me or hadn't really seen me so after awhile I gave up and pressed on.

This happened three more times before I reached the turnaround. One time another girl near me asked if I was okay and I told her yes. Each time it happened a few deep breaths helped the situation and I knew I was okay. By now I have the experience to handle this type of thing. I never needed rescuing. I was glad there were no boats near me or I would have left the water.

32 minutes later I was being helped up the slimy boat ramp by some volunteers.

SO, the swim was sucky in a way but I'm glad I have that experience now. I could not have cared less about my time -- in fact I forgot to start my watch before we started. This race was not about time. Well it sort of was but in the end it was not. PERSPECTIVE!

I like this photo from the Zazoosh.com website so I "lifted" it to put here:

Swim: 32:23 for approximately .6 miles
T1

Transition seemed to take forever but I didn't care. This being only my second half iron, I was determined not to miss anything.

Tony captured this great shot of me leaving transition.

T1 time: 04:38

Bike

Ahh the bike. I have such a love/hate relationship with the bike. Ever ride angry? Well I have. On this day, on this course.

I wasn't sure what to expect from 56 miles of FLAT course but I had a very specific plan, straight from Coach: keep cadence at 85-90 at all times and stay in zones 2-3. Follow nutrition plan. Got it. And I did that. The entire ride.

The first 10 miles or so were good. The course was well marked and there was a porta potty at a construction site a few miles out from transition. I reference this because there were no porta potties whatsoever on the bike course itself. I knew the one at the construction site was there from our course preview. Not wanting to disrupt my transition rhythm I waited until I reached it to make a pit stop. It was clean and well stocked. Score!

As I was leaving the porta potty one of the girls who came out of the water after me came by and passed. Since we were riding at about the same pace I followed her, staying an appropriate distance back. A drafter I am NOT. I don't even know how to draft on the bike.

After awhile another girl passed, saying she had gotten lost. Yikes that had to suck! She was riding a faster pace and soon was gone. As the miles went by the gal who passed me at the porta potty increased her lead and I was pretty sure I was riding in last place. This is when things started to turn ugly in my head.

As the course went from Provo out to farm country, the wind increased. Every turn seemed to have a new headwind. No, wait, crosswind! Honestly I didn't mind it too much. It wasn't hot and I have a lot of wind training under my belt. While I was following my race plan closely, once athletes started passing, coming the other way on this out and back course, my mood and mindset went downhill.

I felt self conscious about being last. In fact I felt 100% mortified.

There is nothing wrong with being last!

Sure I believed this intellectually but my emotions told an entirely different story. Apparently, for me, there was something wrong with being last!

Although I had planned to stay in the moment and stay positive, I found myself really just getting angry. Some of the athletes that passed me coming the other way said "good job" and this just pissed me off even more. Who did they think they were, talking down to me like that!

At the same time this awful anger was building up inside of me the sky grew so dark I had to remove my sunglasses. Then the wind picked up again and the stinging rain started. And a few hailstones.

Now, while this weather sucked (to be sure) and I found it incredibly ironic that the ONLY other time I've ridden in rain in my entire life was at Silverman, the weather was incidental to what was going on in my mind. Everyone faces the same weather. Only I had to face the demons that decided to show up to ruin my ride.

I reached the turnaround, in last place and felt like the whole world was taunting me. Tony and Glenn were out there in our Suburban and at one point I put on the brakes intending to pull over and ask them to take me to transition. What made me change my mind and keep going I have no idea. I spent the next few miles regretting that decision and hoping they would stop again or I would get pulled from the course.

The last LAST straw came when I realized a police officer was following me out of farm country. It took a few minutes to figure out: HEY! They always follow the LAST ONE.

I'M LAST.

I SUCK.

WOW.

THIS REALLY F*CKING BLOWS.

My thoughts turned to the run and I decided there was no way I was going to run. I was too angry, too stressed, I was last, it just wasn't going to happen!

And when, for a few brief moments before hitting transition I thought I had gotten lost (I hadn't) I swore I was going to strangle the race director for inadequate signage (it was adequate).

So why would I write all of this negative stuff here on my blog? Because it happened and I'm being honest about it. Because I refuse to sugar coat things. Because this is a really great example of how putting too much pressure on oneself can lead to ugliness in the mind, when objectively I had a great ride (for me) that I would have been proud to log into training peaks had it been a training ride.

Had this been a training ride it would be a great ride for me to build on to get stronger, faster, more confident . . . . Oh wait, I'm still doing it, even now, nearly two weeks later.

Correction: It IS a great ride for me to build on. :-)

For those few hours though, all I could see it as was I am last, I suck, I hate everyone out here, this completely blows.

Bike time: 04:05:08 -- PR at this distance!

T2

So, as you can imagine, I was seething coming into T2. It was completely deserted, so much so that Glenn and Tony walked right in with me and Glenn took my bike and racked it. Without thinking (this is key) I went through the motions of transitioning into my run gear, having absolutely NO intention to run.

I told Glenn that there really was no reason for me to go on.

"Why?" He asked.

I had no answer. Therefore I had to run.

Just f*cking great!

Tony recognized the photo op.

Then some kind words from a fellow Las Vegas triathlete really helped to shift the awful space my head was in. Pierre, from the Las Vegas Tri Club came into transition having just finished (he did a 4:30 or something in that neighborhood). He looked at me and said "hey I recognize you." And he did. From last years Silverman Volunteer dinner where Tony and I sat next to him, his wife and their daughters and talked.

It took only a few seconds for him to figure out my predicament and he said something to the effect of "just keep going, you'll get there."

Great. Here I go, with tons of enthusiasm (NOT).

T2: 03:59

The Run

The moment I picked my feet up and started running everything changed.

Just.That.Fast.

It was astounding really. I don't think I've ever experienced anything quite like it.

Legs felt fresh, body felt loose and ready to run, I fell into a rhythm immediately and felt like I had found my Happy Place.

All of the stigma I had attached to being last while on the bike fell away and I wanted to smile and enjoy myself. So that's what I did! Glenn rode alongside me for a few minutes on his mountain bike and the first loop of the two loop course seemed to fly by.

And, it didn't take long to figure out that there was a handful of folks only a few minutes ahead of me -- since I no longer cared about being last this was a nice BONUS. We high fived and said encouraging words to each other during the multiple out and back trails that made up the two loops.

I loved this run course! Completely flat, partly along the water, nice shaded areas. And thanks to the storm, that by now had blown over and given way to sun, it still was not hot. Which was good because I had forgotten my salt tabs in transition (only nutrition mistake the whole race).

The first 8 miles were great, the next 2 were pretty good, and the last three were hard. Yeah they sucked. I would be lying if I said that I didn't struggle (and cry some) those last three miles. But it wasn't because I was second to last (one guy was behind me now) it was just that "I need to be done now" feeling.

And my pace, I must say, was quite a bit slower than I would have liked. But my run suffered the most in my training leading up to this race. At times my heart wasn't in it, so I got what I put into it and it's fine. Overall, my time here seriously does not reflect what I'm capable of. And that's okay. For now. :-)

I am to this day so grateful to have shifted into a good place in my head again!!!

Run time: 2:58:32

Here I am finishing:

And here I am a few seconds later:

Total time: 07:44:41

If I had to do this race over again I would change nothing.

I was well trained, well prepared, followed my race plan, executed a solid race, and got a PR!!

My attitude on the bike? Of course I'm tempted to say I would change that. But had I not been in that dark angry place (which is not altogether a strange place for me -- I used to spend tons more time there than I do now), I would never have experienced that huge, instantaneous shift into the run. Seriously, I wouldn't trade that.

The willingness to follow through + great support (Glenn, Tony and Pierre) = Awesomeness!!!!!!!

I love this sport. So much.

I Made it to Taper

2009-08-02T17:58:00.000-07:00

I haven't been blogging lately because I haven't wanted to put a lot of negative crap out there without context.

Truth is, training in this hellish inferno all summer has taken a toll on me emotionally. It has shown up in my motivation level (or at times lack thereof), it has shown up in my bike and run times (which honestly I would prefer that no one, even Liz, ever know but Liz knows cause she is my coach and stuff) and it showed up last weekend when I fell under the weather and bagged the entire weekend of training. Stomach bug. I was relieved to tell you the truth. I stayed in the AC all weekend, recovered and did not feel remotely bad or guilty for not training.

I've been frustrated with, and at times, resentful of training. Training has been no fun. Naturally it's not always fun but I have NO memory of Silverman training feeling even remotely hellish like this. I think it's because the long stuff started at the end of summer when things were more bearable and then of course fall is perfect training weather here.

So I haven't felt that positive lately about training.

And I have no idea how I'll do up in Utah but if my training times are any indication it's going to be a really long day. On the other hand it's not quite as hot up there and the course (bike and run) is billed as "pancake flat." Since I have absolutely NO experience on pancake flats it should be quite the adventure.

I do feel really strong and confident on the bike, despite my low average speeds. I'm not blaming the heat necessarily, but to pretend it doesn't affect me would be patently ridiculous. I had a minor episode today where I had a few seconds of "panic" and nausea going uphill with no breeze. I just felt like it was closing in on me. . . . . . fortunately it passed pretty quickly. My nutrition plan is second nature by now -- I felt strong running off the bike too. So I feel like I ended the long workouts on a strong note.

Now that I've made it to taper with my sanity intact, my general plan is to go up to Provo, be grateful for everything I have accomplished, race in the moment, and do the very best I can. I think that will be more than enough! Glenn and Tony are going with me. I have the best support in the world.

Tantrum

2009-07-14T08:08:00.000-07:00

Sunday was my last long ride on the last day of a three week build cycle with a bike focus.

Tony and I decided to ride out toward Searchlight and back. Tony suggested this route for variety and because there aren't really that many hills out that way. Except that going out, after sailing down past the dry lake bed (30+ mph), it's pretty much a grinding incline the rest of the way. Nothing bad though.

When you start riding at 5:45am, the first couple of hours are actually pleasant. Plus most of the trucks on the road were extremely courteous, going into the far left lane when they passed us. Nice! We also got a "way to go" honk from some guy driving a Ryder truck and towing a car behind.

The way out was uneventful.

On the way back I got a flat. First flat since Silverman. Woot! Almost eight months with no flatting -- I'll take it!

Glenn chastised me a couple of weeks ago for not paying enough attention to how my bike handles. He was NOT impressed that I rode for four hours with the front tire rubbing against the fork. I should have noticed it pulling to the left, stopped, and fixed it.

Of course, Glenn is totally right! Pay attention to the damn bike, especially during long rides!

So, when I noticed that something felt a little "off" while cruising at a nice 18-20 mph in aero, I stopped. Sure enough the front tire was spongy. Slow leak. It pays to pay attention.

Tony changed the tire for me. He's so nice. By this time it was really HOT out and getting off the bike I experienced just a HINT of nausea. Oh God! I don't do well when nauseous. I looked around for a bush just in case but there really wasn't one large enough for me to hide behind. I silently cursed the desert.

Thankfully once I started riding again it disappeared and I had no problem drinking my hot Gatorade, hot Perepeteum and hot water. Sounds yummy right!! It WAS.

Not!!

Only the Luna bars tasted normal. But dry. Had to wash them down with warm water.

This ride was good overall and I was feeling strong until we got to the dry lake bed and had to grind up the hill we had sailed down about three hours earlier.

By this time it's about 95 degrees out and on that hill there was no breeze. No breeze at all. Not even a whisper. It reminded me of sailing downwind. When you sail downwind any breeze that exists is directly behind you and when it's hot out it feels even hotter. Like 10 times hotter and the air feels thick and still.

That hill was by no means the steepest or longest hill I'd climbed. But it seemed to NEVER END. I felt oppressed by the heat. A wave of heat moved through me, then another. You know how you can "see" the heat on blacktop if you look? It felt like THAT. I seriously got scared that I would need to stop and if I stopped there was no way I would start again and someone would have to come and rescue my ass. I couldn't let that happen.

It finally became unbearable and I screamed "FUCK," at the top of my lungs, started blubbering, whining, and breathing really hard. I was very VERY angry!!! At the heat, at the hill, at myself, at Tony, at everything. All rational thought flew out the window and I became worried about things like my brain melting, suffocation, and lying on the side of the road being beat upon by the sun with no one to rescue me in time.

Not my proudest moments. In fact I was a little ashamed. The only thing I kept doing that made any sense at all was taking in my nutrition. YUP. I'm just that paranoid that without enough calories, salt and water I will surely die out there.

When we finally reached the top of the hill the breeze reappeared, the road flattened out and everything got much easier. The breeze was there all along it just didn't reach us in that little pocket of hell.

I wasn't done though. I told Tony "I love you man" and proceeded to let out another string of curse words and obscenities. This time though they were chased by maniacal laughter, rather than desperation, fear and shame.

Tony asked me if I still wanted to run after the ride and I said hell yes. Liz will ream my ASS if I don't run after.

The run was a mixed bag. On the one hand, my nutrition had settled really well, my legs were there and I had energy. On the other hand it was terribly slow, and I still felt oppressed by the heat. This is how all of my longer runs off the long rides have been. I'm seriously concerned with how my run will go up in Utah.

It will come down to a choice of how hard I push myself. I struggle with that all the time and it frustrates me. This workout gave me confidence that I can certainly handle Utah. I can do the distance. The high up there should only be 90 or so and the race is billed as "flat and fast." It is approaching 110 here and will climb higher in the next few weeks. And here it is hard to find flats to practice on that are long enough to do any real distance.

What this means is I've been working hard. Some days harder than others but I've been getting all of the workouts in. I want to do better than just getting the workouts in, but some days my mind just doesn't like to cooperate. I'm also afraid I will be DFL in Utah and I don't want that. Though realistically I think that if that happens I probably wouldn't feel too badly about it in the moment.

This is only my second 70.3. I'm sure these thoughts and feelings are somewhat normal. They are certainly normal for ME. But still I feel like there are flaws in my approach that I want to correct. I guess it's a question of how badly I want to correct them.

Grrrrrrrrrrr: The Frustrations of Training

2009-07-06T15:26:00.000-07:00

So training has been hard. I won't deny it.

Training has made me hate the heat a bit earlier in the summer than I normally start hating it.

And yeah, I've been known to not leave the house (the air conditioning) on the days I don't train (like today).

It's what I signed up for -- an August half ironman distance race.

SO I've been chipping away at it, whether I feel like it or not.

In the interest of full disclosure, I did skip one swim last week -- a 45 minute open water swim. On the Fourth of July. Yeah, I went outside in the morning and watched the parade, and of course I went to the park after dark to watch the fireworks, but just could not make myself go down to the lake and get the swim done.

I was over it, no guilt, no pangs, the second after I made the decision to not go.

So today you are reading "Stef in the middle of a three week build with a bike focus."

Today is a rest day, this week is week 3 of said build.

I've asked myself a lot lately WHY? Why did I sign up for a race that necessitates me to be out there in the triple digits training for hours on end??? And the answer is always the same. My "gut," that "inner voice" that we all have just smiles and says "you know why."

And I do. Training is what is fueling my business confidence right now and my business success is fueling my training. One cannot exist without the other. One success stacks upon the other. And I'm good with that. Training is the path that brought me here and I need the high level of training that comes with the 70.3 distance to keep moving forward.

So yeah, I'll do a 5+ hour workout in the heat. That was yesterday. My front tire was rubbing against the fork the entire time and I didn't know it. I just knew the bike didn't "feel right." But wheels not rolling means the clock stops ticking and I wanted the 4:30 ride to be done as soon as possible!!

Only when we got home and Tony removed my front tire did we see what was going on. And I thought I was getting slower. Whew.

The 45 minute run off the bike was a real treat. NOT. I forgot my bottle of perpeteum for the ride and so was working with a rather large calorie deficit. Realizing that I cannot afford to cut any workouts short, I powered through, relying on the rest of my nutrition, figuring I would at least learn something.

I told myself the workout doesn't need to be perfect but I do need to be present.

Things actually went pretty well, although my stomach was growling at the end of the ride (yeah no kidding right).

And after 45 minutes of running I was out of energy my stomach was screaming where the f*ck is the food?!!! Running a full 13.1 miles like that? I think NOT!!!!!!! A deficit like that would be absolutely impossible to make up. I'll avoid the "death march" thank you. I think Tony was hungry too as he immediately suggested going out for lunch. We got Glenn and Marge and went to the Southwest diner where I started my recovery with spinach omelet and hashbrowns and coffee (yes even in the summer I prefer my coffee hot -- inside an air conditioned building of course).

Yesterday's training taught me that, no matter what you have accomplished before, 70.3 miles is a LONG EFFING DISTANCE! Doing one in the heat presents special challenges. Of course this is not new information and many have done it! But I needed to receive that information, in just the way that I did yesterday. Going through the workout and receiving that information reignited my motivation. And I recovered more quickly than expected given the calorie deficit.

So yeah, it pays off. If you stick with training, with a plan you trust and know works, for reasons that are right for you, it will always pay off. At least that is where I am with it now.

My body IS acclimating to the heat, and my mind is mostly being supportive. LOL. I guess that's about where I should be at this point. This week has 12+ hours of training, including an even longer brick next weekend. Then rest week!

Ahh rest week . . . . I'll probably be blogging daily just to keep myself accountable for doing all the workouts, no matter how small I think they are.

The Day After REST WEEK

2009-06-23T20:11:00.001-07:00

So, rest week did not go so well. I'm leaving it behind. It's in the past.

Today was my first workout after rest week.

A 90 minute run.

Let me just say it was great to be back! Actually for the first 50 minutes the run did not feel great. It felt like a relentless chore. Thankfully it was only about 80 degrees out and the park is always nice in the mornings.

When I got to the "meat" of the run (some zone 3 work) things started looking up! I got into a rhythm and found it was much easier to go with the quicker pace than the slow plodding pace I started out with. I was tempted to walk one time but caught myself.

Another highlight of my week was receiving my Multisport Mastery race kit in the mail on Monday. It was just the extra bit of motivation I needed to get out there and run. Best tri outfit ever, hands down! The large fits me perfectly. Nothing pinches, nothing rides up, it's extremely comfortable. Can't wait to do my long ride in it this weekend!

So next time rest week comes around (about three weeks from now) I'm going to hold myself accountable to do all the workouts during rest week right here. On my blog.

Oh and my 69 year old phenom training partner, Tony should be back from his vacation in time for this weekend's long workouts. THANK GOD. I've been so spoiled these past few months training every day with Tony. I hope he wants to do the long stuff. I'm sure he will do a lot of it with me.

Cheers,
Stef

Thank Goodness REST WEEK Is Almost Over

2009-06-19T23:13:00.000-07:00

So . . . rest week.

Rest weeks blow. It's not that I'm sad to have a reduction in volume and intensity of training because I'm not! I love to rest! In fact, at times it feels like I would be in danger of returning to couch potato land if I didn't have races to prepare for. Which is why (just one among a myriad of reasons) I continue to do this.

No, rest weeks blow because during them I feel more tired, more hungry and less motivated. It actually HELPED to look at Training Peaks last night to see 11+ hours on next weeks schedule (starting a build toward the Utah Half Iron with a bike focus). YES! With a schedule like that there is no choice but to buckle down, focus, eat, and get it all in. But seriously folks if I had my druthers I would take this weekend off of training. Just because.

I'm not overtired, over trained or burned out. But just because. I feel lazy. Yuck.

PLUS my 69 year old phenom training partner Tony is out of town for two to three weeks! So when I'm putting the day's workout off there is no one there to help me keep on schedule. And I've put off the workout just about every day this week. YAH!

I'm supposed to go to a Swim Las Vegas open water swim tomorrow morning but am already considering skipping it and it's 24 hours away yet!

I guess it's okay to feel "off" once in awhile. It's "normal." Sigh.

On another note my friend Wade told me I look more "buff" in the arms than he's seen me in awhile. This was yesterday. I told him that's what 4-14 hours of training per week will do! Hee hee. I also told him I've gone up three sizes!

My business is moving forward at breakneck speed. My new website will be up in 30 days or less and I will be blogging professionally and doing a bunch of other stuff to get "out there" in the white paper writing world and the entrepreneurial world in general. I'm already writing stuff for my own business and for clients -- I'm just taking it to another level! FUN! EXCITING!

I am BEYOND EXCITED for my blogger buds doing Ironman Coeur D'Alene tomorrow: Izaac, Victor, Stacey and Dave and a whole host of others whom I either read about or know through folks on Facebook. WOW I'm actually sort of nervous and excited myself -- kind of a microcosm of what they are each feeling I'm sure. Such a huge thing to be doing, something that most of the population will never even attempt. I just got chills.

With that I'll see you all next time! Have a great weekend!

BAM Race Report!!!!

2009-06-15T08:23:00.000-07:00

The Battle at Midway Triathlon
Midway, Utah
June 13, 2009

Olympic Distance:

15oo meter swim
22.8 mile bike
5.97 mile run

I'm back! Back to blogging after a three week (or more) hiatus, and this past weekend I was BACK in Midway for the Battle at Midway Olympic distance triathlon, or BAM!

BAM was even more fun this year than last. Seriously? How is that even possible?? Well for starters it was fun to come BACK to a race that I really loved last year, being a year older, a year smarter and a year FITTER.

It seems like almost nothing about me is the same as last year. Different mindset, different body, and of course I've done Silverman! :-)

So here are the quick and dirty results, followed by more detail:

Quick and Dirty Results + Comparison:

BAM 2009 total time: 3:15:11
BAM 2008 total time: 3:43:16

YEAH.

I love numbers when they look like this!

More Detail

We drove up to Midway on Thursday and it was just as awesome as I remembered. Tony, my 69 year old phenom training buddy, came with us. When we got there, he pitched a tent at T1 near the lake and near the race director's pop up trailer. For the next two days he immersed himself in helping them set up and everything else that A List High Level Volunteers do. On race day, wherever I turned, Tony was there! It was amazing.

On race morning it was very overcast but not that cold. I was pretty damn nervous so it was good to see Mike in transition and talk with him awhile. He seemed a little nervous too but we both went on to have stellar races. When I got in the water for my warm up I was pleasantly surprised. Deer Creek Reservoir was probably in the mid 60s. Warmer than Lake Mead during Rage, but much cooler than Lake Mead is now.

Swim

My keyword for the swim was PUSH. It's time for me to break into the next level. The course was a triangle, very well marked and the water was flat. This year they added a shorter race called BAM Lite. Once around for them, twice for us!

The swim was smooth and uneventful. At times I wondered if I was pushing hard enough which is why I say it's time to push into the next level! Thank goodness Swim Las Vegas has some summer programs going on! I need to be pushed more in the swim. Hell the swim is now my favorite part of the race! My mind still hesitates to wrap completely around that one but it's TRUE!

Halfway through the course my stomach growled which displeased me. The stomach/mind connection is sometimes not optimal for me but I was able to push it out of my mind and keep going.

I got out of the water feeling really GOOD and Glenn snapped this photo:

Swim time: 37:47 (total freaking 1500 meter PR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
2008 Swim time: 42:48 (oh yeah how far I have come!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Last year at this time I was fantasizing about getting my 1500 meter swim time down from the 40s into the 30s. Now that I'm there I'm dreaming about the high 20s for this distance. I KNOW I can do it! It is simply a matter of commitment, dedication, work and time.

T1

The difference in time here from last year is so vast that it's almost ridiculous.

I discovered at Rage that sitting down to put my shoes on really speeds things up for me. Thus, Tony, who seemed to be all over T1 and T2, snapped this flattering shot:

Glenn snapped a shot of me leaving T2:

T1 time: 2:42
2008 T1 time: 4:46

SEE! It's funny/ridiculous! There's room to take more time off here as well.

Bike

Ah THE BIKE! My word for the bike was HAMMER and I intended to ride like I'd never ridden before in a race. I was nervous about this but determined to just freaking go for it!!!

The BAM bike course is flat but I forgot that the first few miles, while flat, are on a gentle incline so it's kind of a false flat. I did not even want to warm up I wanted to just GET TO IT. For the first time ever my computer was set to MPH so I could monitor how I was doing. Typically I don't do that cause it messes with my head. NOT THIS TIME!

Because my stomach had growled during the swim (a huge red flag) I started sucking down my nutrition right away. The day before the race I questioned whether my three bottles would be overkill because this was going to be my fastest Oly bike time EVER.

Fortunately I did NOT make what would have been a very stupid, unbelievably moronic mistake of trying to change the nutrition plan that has worked for me for OVER A YEAR, at the last minute. NO! I stuck to it! And because I stuck to it, everything went great! The only difference was the bottles were not empty when I reached T2 because I wasn't out there very long. LOL!!!!

I pushed harder on the bike than I ever have before and it actually felt like I was racing! I picked several people off and toward the end was leapfrogging with this girl until I just turned up the heat and ditched her. That course is really conducive to fast bike times and I got my fastest there for sure!

The flip side is that I feel like I could have done more. BUT it seems like I just need to improve step by step and honestly since my times show I'm improving by leaps and bounds I am happy with it!! AND I love my bike. I fantasize about "arriving" in the middle of the pack someday and, like anything else it will take upleveling which requires work, dedication and more work! Can I do this while still keeping it fun? ABSOLUTELY!

Bike time: 1:23:06
2008 Bike time: 1:38:55

T2:

This was pretty speedy as well though I lost a bit of time from last year. Tony was there to take another flattering shot:

T2: 2:14
2008 T2: 1:55

Run

Ah the run. I had grand ideas about pushing hard through here as well and, well, let's just say there is a lot more room to push! I forgot how freaking hard this run course is and during the first mile figured I must have been delusional when I told Mike how much I loved this run course.

Well, I DO love the run course. But after pushing myself on the bike it felt much MUCH harder than I remembered. My body felt totally different. Many more things hurt than usual. I could feel the bike ride in my quads, hammys, upper and lower back and torso. All completely normal muscle pains but wow, I'm not used to that. So I walked. And walked again. And walked again.

Those uphills just KILLED me. As did the downhills. So I was a bit disappointed with my run. But then after some reflection decided I'm not at all disappointed!

I have broken through to another level and readily admit that I do want to leave the back of the pack behind. I know I have the physical capability. My body has changed radically in the past two years with all the training. Sometimes I look at photos of myself and I pull my new clothes size off the rack and I cannot believe the transformation.

Having spent many many years being much too thin I truly believe my body is just now finding it's ideal weight and size. My weight is at a number now that I never in a million years thought I would weigh and I wear a size that I never thought would be on my body. And I look the best that I ever have. I've heard this from others, and believe it.

So my point is that my body has more strength in it and more speed than my mind is allowing it to put out. I say this with full acceptance of where I am now, and I absolutely love seeing numbers that show how far I've come. It is this attitude, along with my awesome coach, that will get me to where I want to be. And for now that is mid pack. Totally. I can do it without comparing myself specifically to others, without obsessing over things I can't control, and while loving my body! And running my business! And having FUN!

Glenn took this photo about 300 meters from the finish. I'm surprised I'm smiling here because I was so DONE! In fact right before this was taken I had let loose a string of words containing the letters f, c, k, and u, though not in that specific order.

Tony was one of the volunteers holding the tape as I crossed the line. He got this awesome photo:

And this one:

Run time: 1:09:23
2008 Run time: 1:14:53

A run PR!!! Even though this run course was a bit shy of a full 10k, I'll take it!!!!!

I'm so glad I took a chance a year and a half ago and signed up for the 2008 BAM. At that time I was a DNS at the 2007 Silverman, had just hired a new coach (or was about to) and felt like I was really scraping the bottom of the barrel of any athletic ability or confidence. WHY was I even doing this?

In 2008 I got a huge PR at BAM and did that again this year! NOW I have two half irons on the horizon for August and November.

AND I'm sure I'll go back to BAM next year.

I.CAN'T.WAIT!

The 2007 Tape

2009-05-24T10:15:00.001-07:00

In January I signed up for this "business boot camp" in order to have access to an expert in business building and also be a part of a group of entrepreneurs who are in various stages of building their businesses. It has been GREAT I have made many valuable connections, both in a professional capacity and also I've made some great friends.

One of the things this particular program addresses (and the reason I signed up) is how to get past fears and mistakes that entrepreneurs often make. In other words, anyone who is serious about the program is willing to get inside his or her head and face negative thoughts, beliefs and actions that may be standing in the way and work to shift them.

The program also addresses all of the typical aspects of running a business (marketing, copy, website, getting clients, working with vendors, hiring assistants, etc.) in a way that really resonates with me. So I am busy putting this stuff into practice and moving my business forward.

I was dubious about business coaching at first. SKEPTICAL.

But I also knew that I was not going to get where I wanted to go with my business by myself. Not without some type of coaching/support.

VERY analogous to Silverman!

The program has NOT disappointed. In fact it has over delivered more than I ever could have imagined.

In addition doing my marketing, copy, client work and all of the "practical" aspects of running a business I've been working on shifting non serving beliefs and pushing past fears to build a business writing white papers and more . . . not sure what the more will end up being yet but that's okay! In fact it's exciting!

So, in this process the tape that plays in my head has changed drastically from negative, self flagellating nasty epithets to more supportive, positive, reinforcing "nice" thoughts.

Now, the tape started to change started WAY before I started this business course -- it started with triathlon, it started with Liz's influence and guidance through training. And a lot of the stuff I'm doing now to build my business is analogous to training. When things get hard it really REALLY helps me to look at things in relation to how I train and my business coach/group coach has really responded to this. She often asks me about training in order to better understand where I'm coming from so we can figure out the best way for ME to approach a given situation since MY business is unique.

So during this morning's longish run (1:14) I was surprised and dismayed to hear the old tape playing. Actually, it has been playing in the background all week and making everything harder. We're talking the pre Liz, 2007 tape, saying things like:

You suck

You are so slow

You should be way faster than this by now

You are going to come in D.F.L. in the Utah Half (fer shure)

My 69 year old phenom training partner Tony was with me and was very talkative this morning too. Sometimes during longish hot runs I don't like to talk. Tony understands this about me and is cool with it if I don't say anything for long stretches at a time. That doesn't prevent him from talking though (this is why we get along so well -- I don't ask him to stop talking and he doesn't expect constant conversation from me).

Here's an example:

Tony: Yeah we should go out to lunch later with Glenn and Marge

Stef's Head: WTF! What is he talking about lunch for?? It's early f*cking morning!! This run SUCKS I am so hot and slow.

Tony: Look there's another runner coming toward us on the trail! She has two dogs!

Stef's Head: Yeah she's so much f@cking faster than I am, I should be so much further along by now. Those dogs are nowhere near as cute as my dogs. Why isn't she carrying water?? Am I the only one who drinks like a camel in this damn f@cking desert heat????????

Tony: It's nice out here

Stef's Head: Please make him stop talking! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MAKE HIM STOP! I want to go home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm going to be D.F.L. in the Utah Half and that is going to suck. I hate training.

Around this time Tony asked me what was in my head. I told him I wasn't saying cause he didn't want to know.

5 seconds later I told him:

Stef: Well Tony I was thinking I'm going to be D.F.L. in the Utah Half.

Tony: I don't think so.

Stef: Well I don't really think so either but sometimes my mind still goes to dark places.

Tony: That's understandable.

Then he said some more stuff about stuff and this all made me feel better. When we had less than a mile till home I felt even better. Then Tony asked me if I wanted to do some pickups/fartleks. I said NO absolutely not.

Five seconds later I said "oh what the f*ck, why not." We had fun racing each other down Wyoming on the way to my house.

Tony is an experienced athlete. He has run multiple marathons, done many many triathlons, and hiked in and out of various canyons and whatnot. So when he asked me what was going on in my head it was because he noticed I was in that dark place.

Tony gets that training sucks sometimes! He doesn't judge. At the same time he is a positive force and I'm sure he wouldn't train with me so much if I was as negative as I was two years ago. That 2007 tape has been playing a lot this week so I'm glad this week is over. :-)

Oh and tomorrow (Monday) is a rest day from training AND a a day off from my business. WOO HOO! This three day weekend arrived just in time for me to recharge.

YAY it's Sunday!

2009-05-17T11:42:00.000-07:00

Another week in the books!

Training wise this was a rest week and thank goodness! When I'm getting back on the clean eating wagon, training is harder for me. It takes a lot of energy anyway and there is very little wiggle room when it comes to nutrition! This morning was a 45 minute easy run, the kind of run where Coach says don't bother with the heart rate monitor, just run by feel at a conversational pace. PERFECT. It was warm out and Tony and I "conversed" the whole way. Don't know how many miles. Don't care. :-)

Next week starts another build week toward BAM. Tony is going out of town so I will be on my own. Which is probably good for me. I've become very dependent on Tony to train with so I feel like working out on my own (or maybe with others for an OWS or ride on the weekend) will be good for me.

I'm already thinking ahead to the Utah Half and painting a picture in my head on how I want the race to go. The picture in my head is ambitious! Much more so than my current numbers indicate. Again, don't care. I know myself and absolutely know that I'm capable of executing an awesome race, in 90 degree heat, on a flat course! Naturally, I'm also glad that it's still over two months away, because there is much work to be done!

When I'm out there racing it I will be detached from the outcome, wanting only to give my best in every given moment. If I do that I am happy with the result. Um, yeah. Silverman is the perfect example of that. Silverman will always be on a pedestal in my mind. It was the very tip of the iceberg to a lot of things, bigger and better things! I think I really like the 70.3 distance and my two half irons this year will tell a lot in that regard. :-)

Our new kitchen is taking shape. Glenn is doing all the work himself so it's taking longer (and costing much less) than a typical remodel. When he figured out this morning what we've spent so far the figure is staggeringly low. The other side to that is that Glenn's business is slow right now which gives him the time to work on the kitchen. And we haven't ordered the cabinets yet. LOL! He has assigned me to clean the kitchen (there are tools everywhere) and I decided that blogging is a better option for me right now.

Uh oh. Guess I'd better get to it! We are going to the Lowery Fish Fry in a little while too. I'm looking forward to that! They always have great food there. And beer!!!

8 x 4 Lists (I've Been Tagged)

2009-05-13T20:20:00.000-07:00

Molly has tagged me to write four lists of 8 things about myself!

If you haven't checked out Molly's blog, you should! Not only is she training for Ironman, she has two Bearded Collies and a St. Bernard.

I'm training for 2 half irons this year ( Ironman someday), have an Old English Sheepdog and a Gordon Setter and we had a St. Bernard growing up.

So naturally I read Molly's blog as much for the dog stuff as for the training! Molly is seriously cool. We have the same coach. She is racing Ironman 70.3 Boise in a few weeks, a race that I'm thinking about doing next year (detailed report please :-) And a bunch of other cool stuff -- LOL!

So, here goes:

8 things to which I'm looking forward

1. Building a seven figure business! :-)
2. Our remodel being done (new kitchen + new office for ME = totally awesome)
3. Our next sailing vacation (nothing currently planned but it has been too long -- we need another one)
4. My upcoming races for Season 2009!
5. Getting a haircut (it has been way. too. long)
6. Getting back to Clean Eating (I've fallen off the wagon and it feels BAD)
7. Getting a new wardrobe (nothing fits me anymore)
8. My birthday (I'm 41 and loving it -- the 40s are totally rad)

8 things I did yesterday

Caution: this is so riveting that you may want to sit down or something. Relax. Breathe deeply. Okay:

1. Ran with Tony
2. Work stuff :-)
3. Attended a teleclass on How to Get Off the Sugar Rollercoaster
4. Got up
5. Ate breakfast
6. Ate lunch
7. Read some blogs
8. Went to bed

8 things I would like to do

1. Ironman (Don't know when. Definitely not now. I will know when it's time and then I will do it.)
2. Own a huge luxurious apartment in NYC and live there at least part of the year
3. Take a trip to Africa
4. Take a trip back to interior Alaska (I was born there and haven't been back since childhood -- well we went on a sanitized cruise up there three years ago but not to the interior)
5. Write a book
6. Go to the grocery store without disliking it so much
7. Ride on the Concorde
8. Get on What Not to Wear (see also below list)

8 shows I watch

1. Without a Trace
2. The Mentalist
3. Medium
4. Two and a Half Men
5. Scrubs
6. CSI NY
7. Say Yes to the Dress (none of those dresses on there was as perfect as my $99 dress!!!!!)
8. What Not To Wear (Please I really hope someone has been secretly filming me for the past two weeks!)

8 people I tag

1. Calyx
2. Izaac
3. JT
4. Kelly
5. Danielle (even though her comment on my last post made NO SENSE WHATSOEVER -- rofl)
6. Sarah
7. Lisa
8. Chad

Thanks Molly, I had fun with this!!!

On Balance

2009-05-12T11:35:00.000-07:00

WELL!

Last week, with the exception of the awesome IronGirl spectating/sherpa experience, was less than stellar for me.

To start, from Wednesday on, I completely fell off the training/clean eating wagon. YUCK! Loss of appetite, limbs that felt heavy, motivation GONE added up to a half a week of missed training. Even the euphoria of IronGirl could not motivate me to train over the weekend. Again, YUCK!

And yet, this is OK with me. Months of attention to details like my business, staying balanced, staying happy, training consistently, has left me with very little desire to get angry over these glitches and almost no desire to beat myself up like I used to.

This morning I started a new week of training which is a clean slate. Sure I felt a little flat, a little like I was recovering from a mild illness, but honestly I didn't care. The point is I was out there, doing my run, in the increasing southern Nevada spring temps. Honestly? I was thinking how this freaking HOT weather we have here will really help me be prepared for the Utah Half!

So yeah I don't like training in the heat. At all. But it sure is nice when a kick ASS thought comes before a more whiny negative thought.

Meanwhile I'm moving forward in my business and our kitchen is being transformed. Seriously. It seems like every time I leave my home office to go out there something has changed. Glenn is a freaking GENIUS.

So, I've concluded that I can totally do it all. As long as "it all" is comprised of moving forward with:

1) things I really truly want and am passionate about (my marriage, triathlon, my business, and assorted "others"),

2) things that I am doing for reasons that feel absolutely 100% right to me and

3) the absolute understanding that I am a continual work in progress and, with 1 and 2 firmly in place, I accept where I am, all the time, in every given moment.

Iron Girl Sherpa and Spectator Report

2009-05-10T11:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I watched my awesome friend Leslie, a newly crowned triathlete, finish the Iron Girl sprint race out at Lake Las Vegas.

I did not sign up for Iron Girl because, frankly, the race seemed like it had potential to be a giant organizational clusterf**k waiting to happen. The course out there is not my favorite. However, after sherpaing the race for Leslie yesterday my opinion is revised. I observed a pretty darn well run race (there were a few question marks I still have about the course) with over 1000 athletes participating. It looked like fun. So much so I may consider it for next year.

It was very strange getting up at 4:30 am, going to a race site, and not racing. I didn't mind it! Especially since they had coffee there! I picked Leslie up at 5:20am (she lives three blocks from my house) and she was excited! This was her first tri and she seemed well trained and in an excellent frame of mind. Since her husband wouldn't be there until just before the swim start I had offered to sherpa for her because I didn't think she should go to her first tri alone. Even though she was very well prepared and could have totally handled it no problem.

We got there in plenty of time and Leslie got set up in transition. We then went to the beach start over at Mira Lago. Because it's a resort the grass was thick and soft and there were lots of tables and chairs there. Leslie was calm, cool and collected. Here she is starting to think about getting her wetsuit on to warm up:

Here she is pre warm up:

And here she is right before the start. Great Attitude: CHECK! :-)

Leslie's swim wave was the very last to start and one of her concerns leading up to the race was that she would be the last swimmer out of the water. Her concerns were completely unfounded.

She was so far from last out of the water that it was impossible to count the number of girls coming out after her, or the number of bikes still in transition when she got there.

While I think Leslie feels (as many others do) that the swim is probably her weakest leg, on race day, WHEN IT COUNTS, she had no problems getting into her rhythm, no problem sighting and she had an overall great time in the water!

Here she is starting the bike:

She took almost exactly the amount of time she thought to complete the bike and was soon back in transition. Then Leslie did something that made us chuckle. She stopped in one of the porta potties in transition. The following conversation (or an approximation thereof) ensued:

Stef: No Leslie don't do that! Can't you just hold it?

Kym (Leslie's husband): That's going to cost her some time.

Stef: Yeah (exaggerated sigh, checking of watch) . . . .

Kym: We need to document this.

Stef: Yeah! We also need to tease her about this later.

Kym: (nods head in vigorous agreement as he positions the camera and waits)

Here is Leslie right after emerging from the porta pottie. Although her face is conveniently obscured by tree leaves, trust me, it's her!

Here she is waving to her adoring fans as she starts the run. There is a BIG ASS hill at the start of the run that you can't see in this photo. The run overall is difficult. It is typical desert terrain -- dirt trail type surface with some nasty hills thrown in. Hurry Leslie before it gets really blazing hot! :-)

We did not have long to wait at this point. Here is Leslie coming down the big ass hill to the finish:

Leslie had an estimated time spread going into this race and she finished just a couple of minutes over her best estimate. The first thing she said after she crossed the line and hugged Kym was:

That was so f**king fun!

Leslie kicked Iron Girl's ASS! Way to go Leslie! I see many more tris in her future! She did some training with Tony and me to get ready for this race and, as I said (and it bears repeating) she KICKED IT'S ASS!

Overall I would recommend this race after spectating it. While it's pretty hot here now (close to triple digits) the mornings are still nice and if you do the sprint (or if you do the Olympic and hustle to get in in a decent time) you can run the race before it becomes too unbearable out. Yesterday there was a little wind but nothing too bad. The water was calm and the buffet that Iron Girl had for the athletes looked really good! Plus of course it is all women and seems very beginner friendly. I can definitely see why Iron Girl is a popular race!

Changes!

2009-05-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

Things are seriously changing around here!

Let's start with training:

I am LEAGUES ahead of where I was last fall! I can tell because Saturday at the Tour de Fire I had the most awesome and fun ride EVER!

Tour de Fire is a group ride sponsored by Pro Cyclery, ridden from Boulder Beach out toward the Valley of Fire. Ride lengths ranged from 20 miles to 138 miles! Fully supported with food at the start and finish line.

I signed up to do the 42 mile ride with Tony, his friend Natalie, and his other friend Jason. Our other good friends Leslie and her husband Kym signed up for the 20 miler. The 42 mile course is the same as the Rage 1/2 Iron course but turns around a few miles sooner. It was actually 46 miles, with the turnaround at mile 23!

This workout was to get in some endurance miles and Coach's only instructions were to fuel smartly and have fun. Well, I always fuel smartly! So, I concentrated on having fun. The weather was nice, the company was awesome and the best part was that I did not push myself hard on this ride. I let myself enjoy it. Because I wasn't worried about time, heart rate or any of that, I was able to let loose and just have fun.

And by doing that I arrived at the finish with a time that was faster than than both long Silverman rides last fall (on the same course)! While I felt like I wasn't pushing very hard yesterday, both Silverman rides I felt stretched pretty thin.

Yup! I am much less intimidated by the hills and much stronger than last year! The hills that ALWAYS give me problems . . . . really didn't. My legs said "we got this, just enjoy the ride!" So, I did!

This week I'm taking the bike in for a tune up. It was starting to shift funny -- nothing too serious but it needs to be in top shape for BAM which is next month already!

House Addition:

We are adding approximately 240 square feet to our home, on the kitchen/laundry room side. This will more than double our kitchen size and create a new home office for ME! The framing is done, doors are in and now Glenn just has to put the roof on. After that it's interior work.

Business:

Starting and running my new business is a lot like training. It takes persistence and consistency to see results. There are breakthroughs along the way, and some days it's very tiring and you wonder . . . . .

I love to write and have no doubt that white papers are the way for me to go. From there, who knows!

If you are interested you can click on Glenn Frank Design to see a sample of my work. I wrote a white paper about remodeling for Glenn's business and am about to launch a marketing campaign for it. The landing page does require an email registration to read the entire paper. Don't worry, no selling of email addresses and no spam!

Till next time, and take care everyone!!

Oh I wrote an article for the latest Swim Las Vegas newsletter!!! When it comes out I will post it here.

Breaking Through . . . RAGE Race Report!

2009-04-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

Season Opener, RAGE Olympic Distance Triathlon
Swim: 1500 meters
Bike: 25 miles
Run: 6.2 miles

Hot Damn!

I was gunning for a huge PR and got one! 46 minutes off of last year's time!

Last years' time: 4:46:xx

This years' time: 4:00:02

Now, I really wanted to break four hours on this course. But, seriously, who am I to quibble over 3 seconds. Can we say "close enough"?

YES.

I can.

I think those three seconds are a sign of more work to be done and more awesome breakthroughs to come! Not later, but now . . . in the present . . . in the 2009 season.

I could not have asked for a better, more satisfying season opener. I feel blessed.

So with that, here is the lowdown of what unfolded out there:

Pre-Race:

I was quite nervous when I got up. So nervous in fact that my stomach did not want breakfast. No problem. I took my oatmeal with blueberries, added a bit of plain yogurt, pureed it in the blender and washed it down with cold water. Worked like a charm, as did all of my race nutrition. NICE!

My friend Leslie offered to sherpa for me. Since Glenn was racing too (sailing) I took her up on that offer. Leslie is a new triathlete, training for her first triathlon, Iron Girl, on May 9 here at Lake Las Vegas. She has been training quite a bit with Tony and me. Having her there made things so much nicer!

The Swim:

Something did not quite click during the swim. My warm up felt sluggish but I was loving the cool/cold water temps! There was a bit of a breeze but not too bad. I lined up in the middle of the swim wave (all Olympic women and relays) and swam pretty solidly. Until I made the rookie mistake of swimming off course. Damn! I realized it quickly and corrected. I tried to turn up the heat on the last half but was really wanting out of the water.

The swim felt long.

In reality, I think the course was right on and something was a little off with me. No problem.

Swim time: 41:54
Last year's swim time (including T1) 56:xx

T1:

For the first time ever, I got out of the water and jogged up transition to my bike. Usually I just walk. This time I had energy!

T1 time: 3:46. The fastest T1 time in the history of Stef!
Last year's T1 time: added to the swim so don't know.

The Bike

Here is where I gained the most momentum and confidence in myself. ON THE BIKE.

It's no secret I haven't liked the bike since Silverman. Even though there's nothing wrong with my bike I've had trouble trusting my equipment again after all those flats (even though I haven't flatted since).

But thanks to training with Tony and really applying myself, especially on the KEY bike workouts, I'd seen enough gains on the bike in the past couple of months to know, even with wind, I could handle this course in under two hours. I had never done that before, but the data was there. All I had to do was do it.

Getting up the steep hill out of transition is never fun. And there was wind. NOT like at Silverman but there was enough of a breeze to be noticeable and to annoy me immediately.

My legs started hurting way sooner than they normally do, in the upper hamstrings, rather than in the quads where they normally do. My crotch area was bothering me for nearly the whole first half and I just did not feel comfortable at all!

I found myself wondering what is wrong with me??? Is this because I'm working harder than normal or am I just too tired? Maybe I don't have it today . . . . is it the shorts? NO! I've trained in them several times and rode Silverman in them. It has to be me . . . . .

Reaching the five mile marker clinched my foul mood. Already I was behind my two hour goal, the wind was in my face and I was starting to wonder why I even do this. My legs still hurt. But, what could I do but just keep the burn going? After all it wasn't too much longer to the turnaround.

The struggle continued for a few more miles grinding up the hills. Then a familiar car passed and pulled over. It was Tony (my 69 year old phenom training buddy)! He had come to find me! I was SO GLAD TO SEE HIM. The old me would have whined and complained about how uncomfortable I was. Thank God I'm not that girl anymore.

The dialogue was brief and went something like this:

Tony (grinning from ear to ear): Hey Stef!! I found you! How's it going??

Stef: Well I'm struggling a bit, but things are OK!

Tony: That's great! You look great!!

And guess what. That brief conversation produced a total shift in energy and Wow! Got to the turnaround a bit after that and had the relief of a downhill and a tailwind. I was Back Baby!!

I could make it under two hours if I pushed it and the funny thing was I already "knew" that I would. I took control, shifted in the saddle, spun down the hills (no brakes man) and powered up the tough up hills. The last uphill was the hardest by far. But once I got up there, I rode like a bat out of hell to get back down to transition.

And this is where something else shifted. I finally felt what it's like to race on the bike. For the first time ever I didn't think about going "too fast," I was thinking that I needed to really push to make my time goal. I found the right gear (gearing is too often still hit or miss with me) and powered down, passing a couple of people on the way.

I finally felt trust in my bike. And in myself. In a way that was not there before.

Bike time: 1:57:29
Last year's bike time (lumped in with T2): 2:12:xx

T2

I sat down for the first time ever in T2 and discovered that makes it a lot easier to switch shoes. I also took two salt tabs and chugged some water before leaving and still produced my quickest T2 time ever.

T2 time: 2:39

The Run

One of the BEST parts about Rage this year was getting to meet some fellow Bloggers in person for the first time. I had the awesome privilege of spending time with RBR and her LA Run Buddy on Friday when we drove the bike course, had lunch, and went to packet pickup.

Then at packet pick up I got to meet Mike, his wife Anne, and their five adorable kids. So cute!!! Then of course there are the local boys Izaac and Johnny Tri and the awesome sherpa/athlete/spectator Kelly and Amanda and Isabelle!

Mike and I were the only ones of this group with enough sense to do the Olympic rather than the half iron (LOL)!

So when, within my first mile of the run, I saw Mike coming in on his last mile, I was like AWESOME!!!! This run is starting out great!!!!!

And the run did go great. It was tough but not quite as tough as I thought it would be after the bike. In fact I could have pushed a bit more. And I think that's what those three seconds are telling me:

You have it in you to push more. You can do it! Go for it!!

I'm very happy with how I handled this run! Last year the wheels completely fell off and I survived it. This year I was in charge. There is a nasty hill that starts at about mile 1.5 and it's a least a mile long. I knew this would be tough but I kept running. Very slowly but, like at Silverman, I was determined to not let myself walk.

On the way back down I felt like I was floating. Tried to keep good form and NOT put on the brakes. Made up a lot of time on that downhill!

The last mile and a half I got to see Izaac and Johnny Tri as they were starting their half iron runs. Those guys are too awesome for words. JT PR'd big time on the course from last year and Izaac had a strong strong race here, just two weeks after Oceanside! I'm so glad and lucky and fortunate to have such great friends.

Meanwhile I was starting to feel like I was running in slow motion through quicksand. My body wanted to be DONE!!!

Just keep at it!!! Ugh!! No really just keep at it!!! You have this!!!

Run time: 1:14:16
Last year's run time: 1:38:xx

The Aftermath

Leslie was at the finish line waiting for me. YAY Leslie!!

Another really really cool thing about the finish line is that the announcer commented on my CAF tri suit.

As I was coming to the line he said something like: Another great way to race is for a cause. Here's Stefanie Frank from Boulder City for the Challenged Athletes Foundation.

I'm totally paraphrasing but that was the general gist. I love my CAF tri suit so much!!! It represents the one and only time I have fund raised for a cause that I believe in deeply. And I love that the suit has Operation Rebound all over it.

I got a ton of "good jobs" from folks on the course (more than is usual for me) and I wondered if the suit had something to do with it. It really makes a difference racing in a suit you love. I wore it at Silverman too but because it was so cold and windy/rainy that day it was mostly covered up so I consider this race to be it's unveiling.

I also got support from some great folks in a gray pickup out on the bike course. This was during the final push to the last nasty uphill. THANKS GUYS (if you're reading this). I am not sure who was in there but they called my name, gave several short honks of support and made me smile!

There were also a couple of folks who recognized me and called me by name out on the run course and in transition. Honestly, I felt like a rock star this entire race because of these people, along with Tony (my good luck charm), Mike, Izaac, Kelly, JT, RBR and LA Run Buddy

And because I was Breaking Through!

So even though I did wonder for a few down moments on the bike course why I do this, hell the answer is obvious! The people! The challenge! The confidence! The energy! The breakthroughs! The people!!!!!!!!!

Oh hell yeah!

Congratulations to everyone who did this tough, tough race!!!

WOO HOO!!!!

Welcome to the 2009 Season!

Hell YEAH I'm Ready!

2009-04-16T19:28:00.000-07:00

Woot!

Rage in two days!

Today was a rest day.

Yesterday Tony, Leslie and I went to the lake for an open water swim, followed by a 30 minute run. The water is still cold. I still considered getting out until my face and hands acclimated to the cold. Then I was GOOD BABY!

Tony wore a sleeveless wetsuit and was quite cold when we got out. He was running and jumping around squealing about how cold he was.

Leslie's husband Kym snapped this photo just before we took off to run:

Me, Tony and Leslie

See you all on the other side!!

Some Pre Rage Thoughts

2009-04-12T14:48:00.001-07:00

RAGE is six days away!

Wow seriously where did the time go?

Training has been going well except for one thing: I skipped my open water swim practice yesterday.

Do I think that will negatively impact my race? No.

Do I feel badly about skipping anyway? Yes! I feel badly because I had no real reason to skip it except that I just didn't feel like going. I really really hate it when I do that and no amount of trying will stop that behaviour. Because I either go. Or I don't. There is no try. Really. There isn't.

Cool I got that off my chest.

Other than that glitch, training has been going very well, including swimming!!!

Last week on the bike (KEY workout) I pushed harder than I normally do and was rewarded with a higher average speed than I normally get. That felt great!

Today (another KEY workout) I didn't push as hard as I could have on the bike but I pushed my 30 minute run off the bike. I need to just swim, bike and run faster than I normally do and know that it's okay to be uncomfortable. OKAY! It's supposed to be uncomfortable!! I am getting better with this. Slowly but surely I am getting better. I plan for this to show in my race results this year!!

I'm very excited for Rage! As long as I hold the mind games at bay I should do really well. Definitely should smash last year's time. Last year I was DFL in the Olympic distance. Not just in my age group. Out of everyone! So there's nowhere to go but up.

Last year at this time I was staring down the barrel at my third attempt at the Olympic distance. Last year, under Liz's coaching, I got my first finish at Rage, but not before Liz had to bitch slap me though the computer because I was nervous to the point of being hysterical.

This year? Oh I'll be nervous, no doubt about that. Hysterical? Not so much.

Because I have TONS more experience and confidence now! And I do have (a lot) more speed in me I just have to be brave enough to bring it out.

It's funny I've been humbled so many times out on different race courses and in different parts of races that I'm not sure what goals to set for this race or how to formulate my race plan. I want to set a reasonable goal but don't want the bar to be too low, know what I mean?

I need to mull this over a bit more.

One thing I do know -- I will have a plan! And my nutrition will be ON!

Who am I kidding I want a HUGE PR out there!! HUGE!!

More later.

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

Hanging Out in the Higher Zones -- and a Little This and That

2009-04-04T07:44:00.001-07:00

I love it when Liz tells me that certain workouts are "key" workouts for the week. Because then I really focus and give it my all. Yesterday was one of those workouts.

It was a long run, building from zone 1 up to zone 4. Very strong run to prepare for Rage in two weeks.

I've spent little time in zones 3 and 4 this season, so I'm not very comfortable there. Even though I can get there, just like anyone else can, I don't go very often. Tony and I started at Veteran's Memorial Park, because he wanted to measure a different proposed route for a new 5k that's going to be held here in the fall. I like going to the park cause it's nice there and we run from my house a lot so the variety is good.

The warm up was typical -- I felt a bit creaky from buildup of the week's workouts and the negative voices were whining in my head. Once I started building up into zone 2 though, they left. Never to return. Zone 2, to 3, to 4 all felt very strong and fast! And also uncomfortable (well the latter part of the zone 3 work and zone 4 were uncomfortable).

I'm one of those athletes that Liz has to push to push herself. To put it another way, Liz does not have to coach me around taking it easy or recovering well. I totally have those down!!!!

Where I need help is pushing myself into an uncomfortable place and staying there longer. Because I do want to get faster. So this year I'm working on walking that line between pushing myself and also accepting where I am (in other words not beating myself up).

And this year, God willing, I will complete two half irons with no mechanical difficulties. So it will be be against myself, the course, and whatever the weather dishes out! Oh and two brand new courses to boot! My time goals for these races may be a little ambitious, but I'm going for them anyway. Which takes us right back to pushing pushing PUSHING when it counts!

I'll keep you updated on that . . . . .

I've had a breakthrough in my new business. I've produced my first white paper! That's right! I've always wanted to be a writer and for the last six months I've been gearing up toward launching my white paper writing business. At times it has felt slow and arduous and I've felt impatient and frustrated. However, I'm learning to manage those thoughts and emotions much like managing the negative mean voices that show up during training.

In fact I've concluded that building my new business is a lot like training and racing. It takes so many of the same traits that I've overlapped the two in my mind. Which is good because Silverman was the linchpin! The turning point! The event that made me realize that I CAN DO THIS. So they are forever intertwined for me.

More on my business later. It's coming along at the right pace and I am no longer overwhelmed by balancing work, training and the rest of my life. I took four weeks of reduced training volume to manage those issues and now I'm back baby! Although continued persistent management will be necessary to keep balanced . . . . .

Oh and BEST to Izaac who is doing Oceanside today!!! GO IZAAC!!!!!!!!!!!

My Backyard Pool

2009-03-22T07:38:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was my first open water swim of the season with Swim Las Vegas (awesome website coming soon).

Being Typical Stef, I was hesitant to go in. Information about the water temps ranged from 49 to 59 so I was skeptical.

But it seemed fitting, having watched Champions of the Silverman 2008 on the big screen a mere two says prior. That movie brought it all back. In a good way! Kelly blogged earlier about how that movie really showed the beauty of the desert and Lake Mead. Very very true. Wonderful movie I'm so glad they made it and had a screening for us!

Anyhoo, back to the swim. Just before we went in Coach Paul remarked that Lake Mead was my "backyard pool." I've mentioned here before how awesome Paul is. That remark simply confirms the awesomeness, and also confirms that I have the best backyard pool EVER.

I love Lake Mead. Before it was my swimming space it was my sailing space. And I never thought I'd say this but I like swimming much much better than sailing races. I feel like I'm in my element when I'm swimming out there.

Although my backyard pool was COLD. High 50s I would say and I base this partly off of JT's comparison of the temps to last years Ironman Coeur D'Alene temps. He said Lake Coeur D'Alene was a bit colder. When I filled my wetsuit with the shivery cold water my hands and face still felt like icicles. A few strokes out and I considered going back cause it was almost painful. But then my hands warmed up and my face acclimated so I was all set!

It was a good workout! I didn't feel especially fast but kept up with the group no problem. We ended up splitting into two groups. I was in the slower group. AWESOME! I felt very happy and at peace with where I was, both in the nice brisk lake and with my pace, and with our awesome swim group. My stomach growled a few times and my new Swim Las Vegas swim stroke felt a bit awkward in the wetsuite but I felt strong!

Well, okay, I kept up with everyone in the slower group until the end when Izaac ditched me when we were supposed to practice drafting off each other. I could NOT keep up with that guy. He must have misheard and though we were practicing racing! He clearly belonged in the faster group and in fact I think he switched groups at some point to swim with us. Dork!

Anyhoo on our last swim between the buoys we were supposed to draft in a row: Izaac, then Stef, then John. That's how it was supposed to go, because that's what Coach Kara said! So Izaac was the leader, and JT was behind me (I'm sure had no problems keeping up). But Izaac just HAD to go fast. I tried to stay on his feet but was simply not successful. He said that he tried to slow down but it just wasn't working for him. Um, hmmmmm. Sure dude. Lol!

I was totally going to tattle on him to Coach Paul but then I forgot to so oh well. LOL!

At least he invited me to breakfast later. So I was able to refuel AND catch up with him and Kelly AND see their cute niece Isabelle. So that was a lot of fun too!

Overall training is going well. I'm still struggling a bit with everyday fueling but told Liz that I want to ramp it up for Rage, which is now four weeks away! So this coming week starts a nice build! I'm very happy about that!

Moving Forward!!

2009-03-08T15:32:00.000-07:00

YAY! Things are good right now. :-)

I have taken a HUGE step in moving my business forward and fully expect things to blast off, in a big way. I am not ready to give details yet. When I am I will know it and I will talk about it to anyone that will listen, and that includes you guys!

The really significant part about this is that it all stems from Silverman. I told Tony this on our ride this morning:

"Silverman changed my life. It's because of that that I know I can do this."

Training is going well! About two weeks ago I asked Liz for a reduction in volume and it has PAID OFF in that mentally I was able to pull back just a little and go back to being consistent. Another couple of weeks of this and I will be ready to do what she tells me, no requests, ifs, ands, or buts!

I wrote in a status to Liz that I am enjoying the swims and runs, putting up with the bike and slacking on strength work.

This week I had I think my biggest volume of swimming ever! And I am occasionally starting to see isolated 100 times that read 1:xx!! Under two minutes! WOO HOO! I gave up Boulder City Masters and now have a schedule where Tony and I swim every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 7am (he does whatever work out I'm doing and makes me count the laps, rest times, etc) and then on Saturday I swim with Swim Las Vegas, the best Masters team ever invented. :-)

Tony typically runs with me, also in the earlier mornings, so that I can start working around 9am.

As for the bike, well . . . I've used the trainer more than I'd like to admit so far this season to avoid riding outside. The rides Liz is giving me are still fairly short and since Silverman I just feel ambivalent about the bike. I'm afraid to descend (again). I had made wonderful progress with this on the long rides leading up to Silverman and was really getting over the fear. Now it feels like I'm starting over. I'm afraid to go fast. Afraid a tire will explode and I'll wreck. There is a litany of other things that scare me about descending fast, all of which end in a huge giant wreck for me. I try not to think about these things but it's not working well lately.

So today when we rode out at Lake Las Vegas, I babied the descents while Tony and the others smoked me. Actually, Natalie and Sean smoked us uphill as well! They are good cyclists. It is so good for me to ride with others in this perfect weather. The only way I will surpass where I was before with cycling is to get out there and ride with people. A big part of it for me is really appreciating the landscape, the perfect spring weather, and the fact that I really love living in Southern Nevada. All that was there today. The faster descending will come with more time and practice.

I've changed my schedule around a lot and that means that I'm commenting a little less on the blogs that I like. Fear not folks, I'm still reading, I just don't always have the energy to comment. I've read something similar to this on a couple of my favorite blogs lately so I know I'm not alone in this. My excitement for my season and for my friends to reach their goals has not wavered. In fact it is increasing! I support you even though I may not comment on every post.

Till next time!!!

Train smart and safe and have FUN!

Calming the Crazy

2009-02-21T20:32:00.001-08:00

It has been a strange two weeks!

Starting this new business has caused some (a lot) of overwhelm which has spilled over into, guess where?

Eating!

Training!

Suffice it to say I've been motivationally challenged these past couple of weeks and my eating habits have slid to less than stellar. Although by typical American diet standards Glenn and I do very well even when we get into a rut! I'm not worried. The climb out has begun, in fact we are almost out!

I am learning to manage myself in new and sometimes scary situations. I have to take baby steps in my marketing because otherwise I won't move forward. But it's so worth it to me! Thank God I have 2008 training and racing under my belt because I feel like although I've slipped in training consistency I have the power to get right back in there and rebound quickly! This is more evidence that I'm living the lifestyle not just training for a couple of races.

Woo Hoo!

Nevertheless, I called Coach in a panic a few days ago and asked her if we could reduce the training volume for a time certain. She suggested four weeks. That sounded good to me. Well not GOOD but good for the overall structure of my life at the moment. She said that reducing volume through March will be fine. Woo Hoo! I personally don't think I will lose much (if anything) athletically by doing this.

I will be ready for RAGE! Swimming volume is not being reduced, per my request. I've decided to swim once a week with Swim Las Vegas, do two workouts per week on my own (written by Kara and Paul, coaches of Swim Las Vegas) and drop BC Masters. I feel good about this decision.

Take today, for example, when I accidentally showed up at the WRONG POOL for SLV Masters! When I discovered that the workout was at a different pool across town I nearly blew a gasket. Paul got on the phone and that is when I discovered that, in addition to being a great swim coach, Paul has another very special talent.

The ability to Calm the Crazy.

I was this close to calling it a day and going home but Paul actually calmed the crazy. He listened when I told him that I check my email a billion times a day, he heard my frustration at potentially being late for practice (I HATE BEING LATE), told me how to get to the right pool, said I had plenty of time to get there AND said that he was going to make me work extra hard today! The way Paul was talking it was clear to me that not showing up was not an option.

So I showed up (on time, barely) and had a damn good workout! Seriously how far would any of us get without support? Not far at all!!

I am grateful for the support system I've built around training and racing. After all, it is going to be a long season. Everyone needs people to lean on!!!

So I'm looking forward to getting all of the workouts in next week and managing myself to create the business and life that I deserve. And I need to see if Tony is available tomorrow to do my brick with me. Wouldn't that be nice!! :-)

Week Wrap Up Randomness

2009-02-08T22:09:00.000-08:00

This week was pretty good. I'm moving forward with my business and I got all of my training done! I did have a few nights of insomnia which absolutely sucked so I'm sitting here at 10pm sort of not wanting to go to bed so now is the perfect time to blog.

Sometimes I have to pinch myself when I think about the fact that I'm swimming three times a week and this is now normal. There is one thing though. I'm not sure that Boulder City Masters is the place for me to be long term. I go to Boulder City Masters on Tuesday and Thursday nights. The coach is a 24 year old guy named Travis who was State Champion from Boulder City High School during his senior year. After that he went to college on a swimming scholarship.

Travis is a competent coach. Thing is, I wonder if the workouts are challenging enough. Not that I'm ALL THAT in the pool -- I mean, I have my own lane! Next to two tri girls who I chase pretty hard so that I won't get totally creamed. The "pure" swimmers are very very far from my lane.

Still though, when I read descriptions, on blogs, of how hard others work at Masters, I wonder if BC Masters is cutting it. And my gut tells me no. I've signed up and paid for the month of February, so I'm committed. I've been there two weeks so I'm still fairly new there. Another gut check at the end of six total weeks should tell me what I need to do.

On Saturdays, I swim with Swim Las Vegas, another Masters team that ROCKS! These folks are the swim group that I trained with last season to get ready for Silverman. They have formed a masters team and structure their workouts in blocks, triathlon specific, to train for specific races. I just finished up a four week stroke clinic with them and on 2/21 start an eight week program to prepare for Rage.

The thing about Swim Las Vegas is that 1) Coaches Paul and Kara are head and shoulders above anyone who has ever coached me in swimming and 2) the workouts are split into four Saturdays in the pool followed by four Saturdays in Lake Mead. Those who follow my blog know that the Open Water swims with this group with Paul in the kayak coaching us while we swam the buoys is what clinched my swim confidence heading into Silverman.

I can feel my swim stroke improving practically every time I get in the pool. I've learned to push through the moments of frustration and fatigue and just swim. Working with Paul has been so good for me -- he is excellent at coaching a group of people through a workout and the people in the group are GREAT!

Today (Sunday) was a 90 minute brick, 1 hour on the bike, 30 minute run off the bike. Even though I live in an area where we can bike outside year round I am picky lately about the weather. My training buddy Tony is recouping from knee surgery so I've been on my own more. Even though Coach said to "get out and ride" I looked outside today, saw the bushes bending in the wind, and said SUCK IT WEATHER! I hopped on the trainer and watched Psych and the first part of Burn Notice.

Then I got outside and ran. It was windy and a bit chilly, but I don't mind running in wind. Not having a dreadmill leaves no choice anyway. It was my first brick of the season and it felt GREAT! Let my heart rate go a bit too high on the run so next time I will rein that in but everything felt really really good!

Then later this afternoon I got to be part of a focus group at Lululemon Athletica! That was great! They asked us a bunch of questions, like what running clothing and gear we like, etc. and then we went in the store and picked something from their running line to review. I picked a bright yellow, long sleeved running shirt. It is still pretty cool here after all -- too cool for short sleeves (I say this a bit tongue in cheek -- I'm a cold weather wimp since moving here 24 years ago)!!!!!

I hope everyone has a good week. At some point I'm sure I will update more often but for now these less frequent updates feel right to me. :-)

Evidence

2009-02-01T10:08:00.000-08:00

I've been working on launching my new business and things are coming along. Probably at the pace it is meant to happen but I occasionally have bouts of insecurity and self doubt about it all. Those will not stop me though. I know that my business will be successful.

In getting things off the ground I've been very conscious about how I'm showing up every day. What attitude to I have? How do I chose to be? How do my clients feel when they work with me? It's powerful stuff.

I've had a few dips in power and motivation this week and they can all without exception be traced back to lapses in fueling myself. Yup. Not eating enough.

Sometimes I just have to laugh at how I can go through some big, transformational experience(s), Silverman being the most recent, and, at some point I invariably end up right back in the grip of a dumb habit that wants to hold me back.

Why IS that?

Human nature?

Whatever causes it, I just have to look at each time it happens as an opportunity to do better. My training is going SO WELL right now. As Liz has said to me many times recently, I am a different athlete. And I am. There is no denying it.

There is so much evidence of this fact lying around:

1) SILVERMAN,

2) I got right back into training after essentially taking two months off and did very WELL on my fitness tests,

3) I like swimming now,

4) I'm swimming 3 times a week now,

5) training now feels like a lifestyle as opposed to something I have to do to finish Silverman,

6) the first two weeks of January my fuel intake was perfect for what was going on in my life -- I had energy to do the workouts, energy to work, and when I got tired it was a "good" tired not a debilitating tired!

7) I've been making and enjoying many recipes from the Eat Clean Diet Cookbook -- they suit Glenn's and my taste and lifestyle very well -- and THIS fact is coming from a woman who used to hate to cook! When I use these recipes I know that I'm eating enough fruits and veggies. I also have some quick standby meals for when I need them.

So in the face of all of this evidence, WOW, there it is.

Suddenly I have more energy to grocery shop and do what needs to be done to set myself up to have a good training week.

Hell noone is perfect but it's how we manage things that can make us or break us.

Oh and another piece of evidence that I'm not the same athlete that I was: I am Multisport Mastery's Athlete of the Month for February!!!! I love my coach! So much of this I could not have done without her guidance, support, meticulous attention to detail and professionalism. Thanks Liz!!

Run Test!

2009-01-23T21:58:00.001-08:00

Wednesday I had my run fitness test. What a monster.

Here is what I had to do:

Go to the track, warm up.

Run a mile hard.

Write down heart rate info while trying to not die.

Run a mile and a half ALL OUT.

Write down heart rate info while trying not to puke and die.

Cool down.

Tony came with me for this. I was grateful for the company. Tony is usually up for anything as far as workouts go and this test was no exception. He did his own thing while I warmed up and when it was time for the mile he was ready. He beat me. This is normal. For those of you who don' t know, Tony is 69 years old. To say he is in great shape is an understatement.

We lined up for the mile and a half. Tony stayed behind me the whole way -- he typically does this. Whenever we are biking or running he usually settles in right behind me. Then he will occasionally pass me up as he feels like. Well lap 6 came around and I decided to pick up the pace, just to make sure I left it all out there. Tony didn't catch me. To paraphrase his words I took off like a shot or something like that and he was unable to reel me in as he had planned.

I was glad to have beaten Tony -- keep in mine he beats me 95% of the time. Not that we race all the time. Or ever. He is simply faster than I am.

I was also wondering whether I should have picked up speed sooner than I did -- did I really run the mile and a half ALL OUT??

THEN I decided to stop analyzing it and just let the results speak for themselves. I'm getting faster. Slowly, I am getting faster. I enjoy seeing improvement it makes me very happy.

Quiet

2009-01-22T08:36:00.000-08:00

Yup I've been quiet lately. Seems like lately I have less to say. And that's OK!

I've been putting quite a bit of energy into launching my new business. I'm not ready to talk about it yet, but when I am I'll talk about it here! Or introduce it here. I'll have a business blog too at some point!

Finding the confidence and wherewithal to finally put into action what I've been thinking about for over a year now has added balance to my life and has actually helped my training. With two years of solid training under my belt now I'm able to incorporate the workouts into my schedule almost effortlessly. With the help of a little planning and my trusty calendar! I no longer question my ability to get them done, my ability to eat to keep up, and I don't expect to "win" every workout and I don't expect perfection. I do expect consistency.

The Bad Attitude still rears it's ugly head (like when I skipped Masters the other night and Coach responded with an email saying: GET OVER YOURSELF), but that happens! Not nearly as often as it used to thank goodness!! :-) Hence, consistency!

It feels like by finally addressing my need/want to have a vital rewarding career again (although it can be argued how rewarding my legal career was it certainly did have its moments, it was worth every moment, and the money was good!), other things in my life have become more effortless.

And YES I have HOPE! For myself, for my business, and now for the country as well! Anything too easy isn't really worth having now is it! We all have big jobs ahead of us! To do whatever it is we want, and need in our lives and to keep ourselves healthy and youthful through multisport. Oh hell yeah!

I am grateful every day that I discovered triathlon.

Oh and there is a new Masters Swim Team in town! Swim Las Vegas! They are going to put on Nevada's first ever Open Water Swim Meet in October! I SO want to do a 2.4 mile open water swim. Hell I've already swum 2.1 miles in the open water under the watchful slavedriving eye of Coach Paul (one of the founders of Swim Las Vegas). I'll have to talk with Coach about me doing that.

So while I've been quiet on the blog lately things have been happening. Good things. I'm stepping up to the plate in another area of my life and it feels great!

I Like Swimming!

2009-01-14T10:09:00.001-08:00

I like swimming.

Yup, I do.

It started when I joined Swim Group last season and then sort of snuck up on me as Season 2009 training started.

I actually like getting in and moving through the water. Such a refreshing change from the last two years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is GREAT cause it's now going to be easier for me to get better at a sport that I actually like.

Coach is making me swim three times a week (we are in a swim focus right now) and soon, very soon, I will be starting up with Masters. Next week is my 1000 yard time trial test which, well, BLECH! Who likes those? Noone I know. Then again no sport is perfect.

Last week I had a 500 yard time trial and figured my result was just average. I wasn't too concerned about it since it is so early in the year and I did work hard for it and so had no regrets or nasty thoughts that I could have/should have worked harder when it was done.

Then Coach emailed me later and pointed out that I had dropped 18 seconds per hundred compared with this time last year.

18 SECONDS PER HUNDRED. That's pretty darn good!

Another reason that I like swimming -- continued improvement! Improvement is always fun but for me just not dreading the swim workouts (and in fact actually looking forward to some of them -- GASP) is the bigger reward.

My times will go down this season too. I can feel it!

Season 2009, Week 1

2009-01-11T19:44:00.000-08:00

Happy to say that I thrived in week 1 of 2009 training! Not only did I complete everything 100% as Liz programmed it but I was nowhere near as worn out as I thought I would be! AND (equally important) I stayed one step ahead of my appetite all week!

Those that follow me on Facebook know that my status line occasionally lists what I ate for whatever meal of the day! I do that to motivate myself to stay on track and because I think it's also kind of funny. My tri buds on Facebook all seem to understand.

Monday is my day off and I'm GLAD! I like starting out the workweek not having to worry about a workout. A Monday "breather" if you will. This week was a little over seven and a half hours of training and next week should be about the same.

This week was important to me because I wanted to start Season 2009 off on the right foot and I did that. From here on out it will be all about consistency and getting it done. In training, in business, in life, in everything!

I have such good energy lately and intend to keep it that way. 2009 will be a much more well rounded year for me!

Today I got to ride with KELLY! It was so good to see her (she probably got tired of hearing me tell her that but I didn't care -- lol). The fact is I haven't seen her or Izaac since Silverman! Since they had to babysit their adorable niece today I wasn't sure which one of them would show up to ride until Kelly appeared next to me as I was getting my stuff out of Tony's van (she had ridden from her house to our meeting spot). We chatted nearly the whole way out and back until she left us to go back home. She looks GREAT it was so great to see her out there and catch up.

Hour long rides are fun! Not so long as to where you start dragging but long enough to get a workout in and catch up with friends you haven't seen in awhile!

After the ride the week caught up with me. I ate a bunch of pizza and took a nap! My eating has been going really really well and normally I allow myself one day a week (at least) where I treat myself, completely guilt free. I love pizza so . . . . there ya go!

Hope everyone has a good week! :-)

I'm Back!

2009-01-04T12:21:00.000-08:00

It seems like if you wait too long to do things, your motivation lapses, know what I mean? I was going to wait until I "felt like" doing the "perfect" 2008 wrap up post, complete with reflections, goals, and other "stuff."

However, if I waited for a post like that to come to me, it either wouldn't come or it would feel like too much work!

2008 was a great year in some ways, not so great in others. Great in that it was the Year of Silverman. Every time I think back to the race I still get teary eyed. In that race I became my own hero, a feeling that I never in my life experienced before.

My work, on the other hand, slid in 2008, much more so than it should have. Because I let it. And I'm not going to let it anymore. I am starting my own business, doing something I truly love to do and it will prosper. More on that later.

2008 can really be "summed up," emotionally at least, in my Reflections on Silverman post. Yeah. I can't really re-read that without crying either. Having that in writing, as well as the posts in the weeks leading up to Silverman, where I was gaining confidence but still scared of the unknown . . . so glad I wrote all of that down. I went outside my comfort zone with that more than I ever have and it changed me for the better.

Really, I feel like Silverman was the culmination of so many many things for me. It marked the triumphant end to two years of hard mental and physical work, successes and failures, trial and error.

Silverman is also my springboard to things better and even more powerful. I know this for sure. I am finally ready to open myself up to actually starting a business not just talking about it or wishing for it or wallowing in the many details, feeling overwhelmed and never taking action. Over thinker, I am. Action taker, I am too!

Finally, we had a really great vacation in Bimini! 14 Franks, ranging in age from 14 to 73, fished, swam, biked, ran, snorkeled and sat out by the pool basking in the 80 degree sunshine.

The things I liked best about the trip:

**Our studio condo (because we don't have kids, we had a cute little studio all to ourselves!)

**Biking all over the island with Glenn. The island is 9 square miles and flat! Recreational cycling just for fun is something I've never done before. In 2007 I bought the Cervelo Dual and jumped right into triathlon training. Before that I hadn't been on a bike in probably 30 years.

**Running to Capt. Bob's for breakfast (about 2 miles) with Glenn biking beside me, having one of the locals say to Glenn "she's doing good."

**Snorkeling off the north side of the island. There were not many fish to be seen but Glenn and I swam out quite a ways toward a rock formation. About 2/3 of the way out I got nervous and turned back. I had my mask and snorkel on so it wasn't "real" swimming but I got to practice sighting in some of the peaks and valleys of the gentle waves. Prior to this I have been to afraid to actually swim in the ocean or go out beyond where I can stand.

**Snorkeling with the family in and around a shipwreck. We saw the coolest fish in there!

**Watching Glenn jump the boat wake waves on the wave runner, getting more air than his 23 year old nephew had!

**Biking to dinner one night (instead of golf carting it with everyone else) with Glenn and his 14 year old niece Anna.

**Parading around the pool in a string bikini, the likes of which I would never have dared to wear in my 20s.

**Answering Glenn's family's questions about Silverman. :-)
So there you have it in brief summation. Glenn's brother Kenny took some photos which I will post when I receive them.

Meanwhile my Season 2009 training officially starts tomorrow. YAY! I need to be back on a schedule, I've had enough rest. At the same time I've maintained my fitness and so feel prepared for the rigorous workouts that Liz dishes out.

Happy New Year everyone!!!!

Unplugging!

2008-12-20T08:50:00.001-08:00

After this post I'm going to take a short blog hiatus until after the first of the year. I realize this is only a couple of weeks but I've grown accustomed to posting at least twice a week. Lately I haven't been feeling it so I'm taking a short break.

We got snow earlier this week. I mean real snow that fell (to the tune of 8" in some parts of the Las Vegas Valley) and stuck for a few days after.

Every year Brinley is surprised by the one snowfall that we typically get. This year was the most she has ever seen. After the initial surprise she gets used to it and then doesn't want to come in the house!

My truck covered in snow

We leave for Bimini, Bahamas, on Tuesday and return to Clean Green Boulder City on New Years Eve Day. Everything is lined up for us leaving: house/dog and cat sitter, bunny sitter (yes they are different), packing -- okay not the packing yet! This weekend for sure.

For this trip I am leaving the laptop at home. This is so NOT like me I like to have Internet access wherever I go but I've been spinning my wheels a bit as far as work goes and too much of my time has been spent on the computer doing non work things which makes me feel . . . UGH. Sigh. Lame. Etc.

So being burned out on the computer, I'm leaving it behind. Hell I won't need it! I'll be spending time deep sea fishing, lounging by the pool, running, swimming, spending time with Glenn's family, seeing Bobbi and Jerry who will also be there, renting bikes and riding around the island. . . oh yeah and sleeping!

Training has been going better. I ran another Nellis 5k in 29:29. YES that is 9:28 per mile! It was pretty chilly out -- somewhere in the 30s and about two thirds into the race I had to take my gloves off and wished I had worn one layer instead of two.

So lets look at my Nellis 5k times shall we?

28:32 (my 5k pr)
30:44
29:29

All of these times show under 10 minute miles. Nellis is a magical place. Either that or my run speed really is improving! I love these 5ks because they are so low key, fun and my age group is blessedly thin. My 29:29 time was good enough for 3rd place and I won a pedometer. WOO HOO! Oh and Coach keeps pointing out that I was not specifically trained for any of these races. I run them for fun with her blessing. FUN!

Coach and I have been talking about my goals for Season 2009 and have delved a bit more into why a run focus at the beginning of the season will not further my dreams of becoming a speed demon. Volume, efficiency, miles, focus and other things were discussed. I've been firing questions at Coach to better understand where we are going this season. This feels particularly important since I don't have a race on my 2009 schedule that packs the emotional punch of Silverman. Which feels different. Not bad, just different. Change is inevitable so why not embrace it. Plus you can't manufacture that kind of emotional pull. It's either there or it's not.

Anyway whenever I fire questions at Coach she fires back answers that are extremely clear and make total sense. Coach is awesome!

I am very, VERY excited about Season 2009 because I get to race with some awesomely cool bloggers: RBR (Rage), Mike (Battle at Midway and Utah Half) and the long list of folks doing B2B (Calyx, Donna, Sarah, Shirley, IM Able and I have left some out I know it apologies in advance), and Izaac (I don't know Izaac's 2009 schedule but I am ASSuming that he will do some of the local races. :-)

Anyway I will leave you with a photo that I took of our three fake Christmas trees in the yard.

Fake trees flocked with real snow.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Blah

2008-12-13T08:47:00.000-08:00

The last couple of weeks have been pretty blah for me as far as training goes.

Didn't think that getting back into the swing of things would be difficult but it's been a bit of a challenge getting my motivation back. Since it's December I'm not that worried.

Coach gave me feedback on my 2009 goals and as a result of our talk I am dropping the Mardi Gras 10k and Red Rock Half Marathon off the schedule.

See, my overriding goal is to get faster! After experiencing how awesome I felt getting off the bike at Silverman and not really starting to hurt until mile 8 of the run I know, without a DOUBT that I have what it takes to get faster. Told Coach that I am tired of being slow and she proceeded to tell me what it would take to meet the time goals that I put down for the two Half Iron races that I signed up for next year.

A run focus at the beginning of a long season will not further those goals. Ok! I can live with it. More than that I am happy about it. Sometimes the pressure of racing gets to me more than I would like and now my first race is not until April. Last April I was SO FREAKING NERVOUS before Rage that Coach has to have a firm talk with me. Hard to believe that last year's Rage was the first Oly that I actually finished.

Woo HOO!

Anyway I'm working my way through feeling that I'm a bit soft in both the body and mind for the past few weeks. I'm pretty sure this is "ok' since I can still claim this as my "off season."

Been working on my new blog template too and am not sure that I like it. Well that's what weekends are for I suppose. I may revamp it all yet again until I'm satisfied. Getting up to speed on HTML is not something I want to spend tons of time on but there are lots of nice templates out there now. This is one of them. I like the photo a lot (reminds me of Lake Mead) just not sure about the layout, colors, etc.

Oh and we are going to the Bahamas for Christmas with Glenn's family. That should be FUN!

More later!

Season 2009

2008-12-02T19:24:00.000-08:00

New season.

New perspective.

New races.

New PRs!

My 2009 season is taking shape in my mind and on paper. My race schedule and goals have been written and submitted to Coach, and the structured workout week has returned.

It will be different to not have such a strong emotional pull toward a race as I had toward Silverman. I may miss that.

But I'll probably find something just as valuable to take it's place. I hope so anyway.

The drive to train and race is still there and I do it because I love it, because of the friends I've made, and because training and eating right makes me feel like I'm getting younger every year instead of older. Exercise is the fountain of health and youth -- I really believe that.

So here is my 2009 Schedule, along with my notes:

Mardi Gras Masquerade 10k (2/21/09) C race

Not much to say here except that I NEED to get my 10 minute mile or less time at a 10k. This is the race to do that. The course is pretty flat with a couple of gentle inclines, nothing major.

Red Rock Canyon Half Marathon (3/7/09) A race

I like doing a spring 1/2 marathon and this year I picked a different one. The course is hilly and pretty difficult. I volunteered for this race last year. It is very well run and Red Rock Canyon is absolutely breathtaking to run through.

Rage Triathlon -- Olympic Distance (4/19/09) B Race

Last season Rage was the first Olympic distance triathlon I completed after a prior season of disappointment. Should be able to PR big time here!

Battle At Midway Triathlon -- Olympic Distance (6/13/09) B Race

Last year this stunning course yielded my best Olympic distance time and was a huge breakthrough race for me. I should also be able to PR here.

Utah Half Iron (8/15/09) A Race

This course is supposed to be flat. It will also be HOT. I've never raced a flat 1/2 iron course before and I hate the heat. So, I can't wait to see what I can do with this race! Also, I believe Mike will be racing it which is really cool. He is the one who informed me it will indeed be hot up there (darn it). Yes I know it's August!

I tell ya looking at a half iron from the perspective of having already done one is a whole different ball game. A lot of unknowns have been taken away. Not that I won't be nervous and ready and I definitely respect the distance! But still -- I'm excited to see what I can do here.

Pumpkinman Triathlon -- Olympic Distance (10/18/09) B Race

This race again falls on our wedding anniversary and for the past couple of years the weather has been perfect for it. I want to race my heart out and PR big time here!

Beach 2 Battleship Half Iron (11/7/09) A Race

I pulled the trigger and signed up for this race yesterday. The decision was a bit difficult because a big part of me wanted to do Silverman again. But B2B started tugging at me when Calyx blogged that she and Donna may sign up. Then I found out that a bunch of other bloggers are going, including the awesome Shirley, bartender extraordinaire at the Endurance Sports Bar! The B2B blog is HERE.

But the main reason I picked this race is that it looks like a great race (only in its second year) and doing it will mean I'm branching out with my racing. For some reason this is important to me.

Glenn's sister lives near where the race is held and more than likely we will wrap a vacation around it. I love visiting North Carolina. So the general area is not entirely foreign to me but it's enough of a stretch that it will present a new challenge. Oh and it's another FLAT COURSE. And the swim is in a channel WITH THE CURRENT.

Just sayin.' A half iron PR over Utah? MAYBE!!

I'm very sad that I won't be able to at least volunteer at Silverman but it's the same weekend as B2B. Oh well. Silverman will survive with out me, and I without it.

New season.

Change.

Change is good.

Silverman Video

2008-11-28T19:47:00.000-08:00

Watching this made me bawl like a baby.

With happiness. :-)

Silverman Trailer from Momentum Advertising/Production on Vimeo.

Mike is signing up for the half in 2009.

Anyone else?

Come on.

You know you want to.

Happy Thanksgiving (and blog type)

2008-11-26T12:18:00.000-08:00

So far this weekend (which I have started today) is shaping up to be fun.

For starters, it's foggy out. I'm enjoying the hell out of this because we hardly ever get fog here. It's also getting colder. Meaning that when I step outside in my pjs and cotton long sleeved tee, it feels pretty chipper. Oh it's also raining which hardly ever happens here.

Except on Silverman race day. This rain is more lingering though, than on Silverman Day. It has been coming down for hours, which again, is very unusual for around here.

So far I've made two pumpkin pies using Ray's mom's top secret recipe. Thanks Ray! They turned out great! I know this from my own taste test and from the fact that Glenn requested I make the second one.

The recipe makes two but I made one to start with. In case I screwed up and it sucked. Ray's mom's recipe notwithstanding I had never ever made a pie of any kind before. Just took the second one out of the oven. Delicious! And I even used fresh pumpkin. And made my own crust!

Tomorrow I'm making a cherry pie for our Thanksgiving feast that will be held at Bobbi and Jerry's. I'm sure it will be just as delicious!

Also tomorrow Glenn and I are volunteering with Tony at the Turkey Trot -- Six Tunnels to Hoover Dam 5k and 11k run/walks. I don't even care if it's raining. Heck the way I'm feeling lately I may even wish I was running it!

But Liz has told me to still take it easy so this week, in addition to Monday's 5k, I went mountain biking on a very easy trail yesterday with Tony and Glenn. My legs are feeling it today. Not bad at all but still feeling it. There were a few gentle hills in there but nothing strenuous. Glenn does NOT like hills. Kind of cracks me up. :-)

The jury is out on mountain biking. I need to get more experience to know if I like it or not. However I did enjoy doing something different with no training pressure attached. That was FUN! I won't do much the rest of the week until Saturday's hike to the Arizona Hot Springs.

I read on Shirley's blog this site that will analyze your blog and tell you what "type" you are. Of course I had to try it and this is what it came up with:

ESTP - The Doers

The active and play-ful type. They are especially attuned to people and things around them and often full of energy, talking, joking and engaging in physical out-door activities.

The Doers are happiest with action-filled work which craves their full attention and focus. They might be very impulsive and more keen on starting something new than following it through. They might have a problem with sitting still or remaining inactive for any period of time.

I really LIKE this, especially since I was the complete opposite of this just a few short years ago with regard to being active.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I will be stalking the blogs of those racing tomorrow to see how you all do . . . good luck, go fast and be safe out there!

Race Report -- Nellis AFB Turkey Trot 5k

2008-11-24T10:36:00.000-08:00

This morning Tony and I showed up to run the Nellis AFB's Turkey Trot 5k*.

This was my first run of any kind since Silverman so I planned to make it a "fun run." It was fun all right!

I ran a 30:45 which was good enough for 3rd place** in the 40+ age group which meant I won a 15 pound frozen turkey!!!!!!!!

AND I might add 9:53 minute miles!

Being that I was expecting to run between 11 and 12 minute miles for this event I was THRILLED! Perhaps I am really a 10 minute mile girl now?

Or could it be the nice cool weather combined with the nice FLAT course out at Nellis? Whatever it is, I'LL TAKE IT.

It was a small field of runners competing and I started out at a pace I was sure was too fast. Would have been tempted to check my watch at mile marker 1 but I left my watch at home! On purpose. I have been diligent about my recovery and following Coach's instructions to do very little.

When the pace started to feel a bit too fast I just let my mind wander back to Silverman and figured the pace would be what it would be. Worked like a charm!

I wanted to feel good during this run and I did. I did not push hard except for the last few hundred meters when Tony came back to pace me (he finished in 25:xx) and I turned up the heat to finish strong. I was quite surprised to see 30:45 on the clock as I was honestly expecting to see a time somewhere between 33 and 36 minutes.

This tells me that 1) my recovery from Silverman is going well, 2) I really enjoy running (most of the time), 3) the course at Nellis is a good course for me! It was out at Nellis where I set my blistering (for me) 5k PR time of 28:32 back in September.

I am still mostly on recovery and not doing much in the way of exercise but yesterday I went on an 8.25 mile hike out at Lake Mead -- the first part had lots of steep hills. I was feeling it after let me tell ya! Planning on another hike this coming weekend (about 6-7 miles), then back to some semblance of structured workouts starting next week.

Honestly I'm not at all anxious to get back on my bike and I don't miss swimming. LOL!

Hope everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving week!

*I'm not sure why they had it on a Monday except that most of the runners probably live/work on base so after the race they shower up and just go to to work. Since Tony's and my schedules are flexible we can run over there do the race, have some coffee and then return home.

** I'm pretty sure I was 3rd out of 3. I was not expecting them to award turkeys to the top three winners. When I saw the table full of turkeys I immediately wondered how many were in my AG and thought maybe . . . . . . YES! I got one!

Photo Tag

2008-11-20T23:11:00.000-08:00

I saw this on Cindy's blog and wanted to do it!

Photo tag works like this:

1. Pick the 4th folder on your computer;

2. Pick the 4th picture

3. Explain the picture.

Here is the picture:

This was taken not long after we got Brinley and is one of her first baths with us. As you can see she is smiling. She's a good dog. Except that her bark sounds like nails on a chalkboard so if I don't feel like hearing it I make her stay inside even when it's nice and cool out.

We got her when she was five months old because her breeder was planning to keep and show her. Then things happened and they could not devote the time to show her so they looked for a "show home" for her. We appeared on the scene and applied for her; they chose us knowing that we were going to be a "pet home" as opposed to a "show home."

Something about the other home they were considering did not feel right to them. Brinley is our only pet that was bought and paid for (we love the Old English Sheepdog we will probably always have one and will seek out and pay for one from a quality line). The other five are rescues, including our 10 (almost 11) year old Gordon Setter. She is a retired champion (story for another post) who has lived with us for a year.

Okay so when I went to pull the above photo up and upload it into blogger my photo folders were arranged differently than they were when I just went into My Pictures like I normally do. So I feel that I should include this picture too, which showed up as the 4th photo in the 4th folder when I was browsing via Blogger:

You guys may remember when I posted back in July about Glenn and his buddy Floyd going back to Chicago to race the Chicago to Mackinac Island sailboat race. Well this is a photo that Glenn took after they got to Mackinac Island. It looks like a horse drawn taxi. Not sure who is in it. It looks kind of fun actually -- his photos of the island made me want to go there immediately.

Reflections on Silverman

2008-11-17T16:54:00.001-08:00

Finishing Silverman changed my life.

It gave me clarity, new insight into myself, and restored confidence that that I haven't had in a long time.

I started triathlon training at a time when I was very uncertain about what exactly I was DOING with my life. I had left my law firm job less than a year before my first Pumpkinman and was floundering in a new career where I was uncertain of myself and my abilities. I'm sure that I had all the ability I needed but confidence was lacking. I was trying to fake it, but faking anything for too long is exhausting. I was tired, disgusted with myself, and after awhile I just walked away from the new vocation.

Training for triathlon gave me something to latch onto, something new and different, and extremely challenging. At the same time I was withdrawing and shying away from any type of challenge in the career arena, I was embracing challenge in this brand new arena, where perhaps (I thought) I had less to lose.

What I did not realize was I had everything to gain, including reclaiming my confidence and once again seeing myself as a successful, happy, motivated person.

2007 was a disaster in terms of race results, confidence and motivation. WHY was I even doing this? I had no answer. Only one race completed in 2007, and that was a half marathon! The rest were DNF and DNS, including a DNS at Silverman!

Maybe this was for the best . . . . , I thought, from my volunteer post on the bike course.

Maybe I'm just not cut out for this.

Seriously I'm fine with it.

Watching the half iron athletes tackle the course I knew I had let myself down. Again.

Some people in my life I know wondered why I kept pressing on with this. Somewhere in my gut I knew that pressing on was the right thing to do. Justifying my reasons for not starting Silverman and pretending that I was fine with it and that maybe I didn’t need to do it was more exhausting than faking confidence!

I was BEAT!

I needed a different coach. Thankfully, I made a selection that would turn out to be the best possible fit for me. Sign me up! Done!

I needed to commit. Truly commit to doing the work, not just the idea of doing the work. That took longer. I felt noncommittal, non motivated, and downright hostile for quite awhile. Too long, I feared. I could not afford another 2007!

As days turned to weeks, which turned to months I forced myself to do the work. Not perfectly but I did it. Got some races under my belt. I made many more friends this year, found some wonderful training partners, and that made things better. I joined Swim Group which infused joy into my swimming.

As the time ticked away and Silverman got closer . . . . I was petrified, afraid, excited, and . . . omigod, confident. Yes, for the first time really ever in the sport of triathlon and for the first time in way too long in my life in general I felt confident!

I've talked before about how Silverman is much more than a race to me. The overwhelming feeling of POSSIBILITY that I had while volunteering on the run course in 2006 is as strong now as it was then. It is still with me and shows no sign of leaving. Since then I have gotten to know and admire the people who put this race on -- it is truly for the athletes and the ones who keep coming back year after year to race the full iron distance revere this race.

These feelings about Silverman built up over two years and came with me on November 9, 2008. I underestimated their power, as, for ten hours, forty eight minutes, and thirty three seconds, my mind went on autopilot and overrode all but a couple of fleeting negative thoughts.

Every mental status check revealed an inner calm, focus, and complete confidence that I would finish. No matter what happened, I could rely on my mind and body to move me forward – even when things turned out differently than planned.

I feel like I reclaimed part of myself that was missing . I’ve come out the other side a stronger person, a different athlete. I am infused with confidence. This is what triathlon means to me and this is why I intend to keep training and racing.

At the same time I am going to divert more energy toward revitalizing the parts of my life that have been neglected and are in desperate need of a makeover (don’t worry my marriage is GREAT, I’m talking career). I know what I want and I’m going after it!

It was worth it.

Moving is a Pain

2008-11-16T20:11:00.000-08:00

Well actually it's just time consuming.

FYI I would not recommend Typepad to anyone. Ever.

This blog needs a makeover! It will be fun putting it together. :-)

I DID IT!!!!!! A Silverman Half Race Report

2008-11-10T15:01:00.000-08:00

This race is MINE bitch! (10:48:33)

I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I lived my triathlon dream, I achieved my goal of finishing the Half Silverman. Thanks so much to everyone who followed me yesterday. Of course you were able to do that through the awesome efforts of Glenn, Sarah and Danielle! Thanks girls so much, you really had me covered. I wondered what was “going on”online during all the flats, wind, rain and obstacles that yesterday threw at me. Thinking of everyone who has supported me in this endeavor helped get me through some trying times out there. I would not have finished the race without Glenn. He followed me the entire bike course, offering support and the best attitude anyone ever had. His attitude was contagious. This is why I married him. THANKS HONEY!!

I was racing MY RACE until about mile 10 of the bike. My swim was awesome! It felt like the best swim ever! After we started an hour late due to weather, it started raining. The lake appeared eerily foggy at times.I would sight and see the bright yellow buoys and the people around me and nothing else. Every time I turned my head to breath, my face would get sprinkled with rain. It was very, very cool!!

Hell YES -- best swim ever!

I got out of the water in about 51 minutes which pleased me very much as my goal time was 50-55 minutes. Also got to meet Macca during the swim delay – that guy is so nice, and HOT! And so nice!

The first flat happened around mile 10.

By that time the weather had cleared and I was riding slightly faster than my normal riding times which is exactly what I wanted to do. In short, I was rocking it. The next three flats happened on Northshore Road – thanks Izaac for stopping (by all appearances Izaac rocked it! He needs to post his race report quickly)!

1st flat -- I'm still smiling

My perspective changed very quickly from I WANT TO RACE THIS BITCH to I AM GRATEFUL TO BE MOVING FORWARD. And trust me I was. Even though I had that many flats (after not having one for six months previously), there was always someone in the vicinity who offered something that allowed me to keep moving. And Glenn was always close. He told me we would do what it took to get me through it even if there were 12 flats.

The fifth flat happened at mile 47 – I had just returned to civilization from the River Mountain Trail Loop Trail where the Three Sisters are. That fifth flat was the only time I thought about quitting. I sat there in semi defeat while Glenn rushed over a new tube that he got from someone somewhere, after a nice volunteer let me use her phone. I rode the last nine miles just praying that fix would hold. I pumped the brakes hard down a nice long fast downhill because I was afraid the tire would explode on me.

By some point everyone thought I was doing the Full Silverman.

YAY YOU’RE AT MILE 100! WAY TO GO!

Um, yeah . . . . try mile 44, you smiling, yelling, very nice, enthusiastic volunteer. But thanks!

Glenn and I laughed hard about this later. Seems this is the story of my triathlon career this year. I’m either doing an Olympic and racing with half iron people or doing a half iron racing with the full iron people! Trust me we laughed! It was funny! And maybe fitting, I don’t know. The way I look at it I was meant to finish this race, one way or another!

I did not look at my watch one time out on the bike course. Mentally I couldn’t afford to. I kept my eye on my trusty bike computer and just pretended that no time had passed between every tire change. This worked well until, within five miles of T2, a full iron guy overtook me. He said something about us being almost done. I said YES! Then he said “yeah I think we’ll make the cutoff.”

UM . . . WTF really??????

I looked at my watch for the first time then and it was a little after four. Bike cutoff is at five.

YIKES!!! There’s a situation I never thought I’d be in!!

Thank goodness for half/full iron races with the only cutoffs being for the full iron. Yet another sign I was meant to finish come hell or high water.

I really REALLY REALLY WANTED this race. More than I thought! Yesterday proved that to me.

Thanks to Liz, I was so well prepared, it’s not even funny. Seriously! Taper week was not that fun for me but everything I have done over the past year under Liz’s guidance paid off in SPADES yesterday! Every time I got back on that bike after the latest tire fix I felt great! My legs were strong, my lungs felt awesome, I was in my zone! When the rain and crosswinds/headwinds hit and blew my bike to the side or smacked me in the face coming up that long hill out of Northshore, I was just so grateful to still be in the race that I didn’t care!

Somewhere between the 4th and 5th flat.

I made it ¾ of the way up the first of the Three Sisters before unclipping. Glenn was there to take a picture. It was raining and the trail was slick. I had never ridden in rain before. Oh well! I made it all the way up the second Sister and felt very proud of myself! Elected to walk up the third sister, and walk down the backside too. That downhill on the backside was very steep and it was still raining and it was slick . . . . I figured better safe than sorry!

There was another downhill shortly after that with a sharp turn at the bottom that I also walked. Felt like a complete dumb ass for walking that second one but then a girl rode down, made the turn, slipped and biffed it at the bottom. She was fine, she got up and got back on her bike but suddenly my decision to walk down was totally validated. The River Mountain Trail Loop was very isolated. After the sisters it is a slow, gentle incline for miles where I got down into the bars, rested, and spun as best I could. Saw one ranger ride by on an ATV, a handful of full iron peeps and that was IT.

Someone upstairs did not want me to have my fifth flat on the River Mountain Trail Loop. Someone waited until mile 47 when I was back in civilization and could call for help. I am very grateful for that. A flat on the River Mountain Trail Loop would have ended my race.

My bike computer read 5:10 when I got into T2. Some of that time was spent walking the bike waiting for Glenn or someone else to come by!

My nutrition plan worked flawlessly. I had loaded up my bike with five hours worth of nutrition, never dreaming I would actually need that much, and was able to absorb the extra time spent out on the bike course with no ill effects. My stomach (after being such a f*cking bitch during taper and demanding all sorts of food) fell in line, didn’t growl once, and I was able to eat every single calorie that I planned to eat on the bike and on the run. All of my salt tabs, water, Gatorade, gels, Perpetuem, Clif Bars, gels (oh did I say that twice? I had gels on both the bike and the run).

Every aid station on the run had my raspberry Hammer Gels. I decided to carry a water bottle with me as a last minute decision made in T2. It was a good one. It sort of helped to hold onto it and I sipped from it the entire run. At the aid stations I took Gatorade and had the volunteers fill the bottle to ¼ full. The aid stations had their usual buffet of goodies, but I stuck to my plan and it paid off for me. I ditched the water bottle in a trash can at about mile 12.5 so it would not show up in my finish photo!

At the same time things seemed to be falling apart on the bike, everything else came together. Sounds a bit strange, but it’s true!

I ran the entire run, and felt really good until about mile 8. Started feeling like something the cat dragged in by mile 11. By the time Glenn and Danielle saw me in The District (mile 11) I was hurting pretty badly but kept running!

Mile 11 -- Running through the pain

My run time was slow for sure, but I FORCED MYSELF TO RUN THE ENTIRE WAY. I kept telling myself:

This is Silverman. . . YOU RUN AT SILVERMAN!

This is Silverman, it is SUPPOSED TO BE HARD (got that one from Sarah).

I also sang the ABC song several times in my head (especially up the hills) and counted my foot strikes. Counted from1-20 backwards and forwards and back again. Zoned out, cleared my mind, andjust stayed within myself. All of this helped me to keep running.

The finish line was awesome! The clock read 13:xx!! Subtract two and a half hours from that and that’s my finishing time. HELL YES! That time is all MINE, BITCH! (I put my official results below, check em out!).

I now know why those mylar blankets are at the finish line. The temperature had really dropped but I did not notice it until I stopped moving. Can’t believe how warm those things are. I did not get a medal because they ran out of half iron medals. Yes you read that right, they RAN OUT OF HALF IRON MEDALS. I was so non plussed and disgusted that I nearly gave the nice volunteer attitude about this. But then I smiled, thanked her, and walked away. Not her fault, and all of the volunteers that I encountered on the course were awesome! I got to borrow a full iron medal to wear in my photos. J

So, that’s it in a nutshell. I achieved everything I wanted to at Silverman and much much more thanks to the obstacles that were thrown at me. When I read about people overcoming obstacles during races I tear up and think WOW! That person really has what it takes! Now I think the same of myself and that is a pretty powerful place to be. Thanks so much for reading and for supporting me. Under Liz’s direction I am taking TWO WEEKS off of working out. She doesn’t have to tell me twice!

Official Results: STEFANIE FRANK Swim: 51:28 T1: 6:06 Bike: 6:28:26 T2: 4:08 Run: 3:18:27 Total Time: 10:48:33

She is most certainly FE...

2008-11-10T14:45:00.000-08:00

Wow is all I can say. I had to hit the hay, so I missed posting a a final update last night. Stef's rockin twitter posting fiend of a friend posted a nice summary of the day here for your reading enjoyment until our dear friend Stef returns to the blogosphere. She did it!! Girl, you can conquer anything now!!

It was fun, and I now return this blog to its owner! Woohoo!!!

guest blogger...

2008-11-09T19:29:00.000-08:00

Woohoo!! The day has arrived! This is Sarah and I'm guest blogging today as Stef tackles the Silverman course in her quest to become a half ironman!

Stef's husband Glenn will be calling me with updates (or I'll call him and bug him. hee.) and I'll be sharing those here with you guys!

You can also check out the Twitter feed --------------------> over there in the sidebar for updates! We've got you covered!

Stef - I know you are going to have a fabulous day out there. You've already won the prize for showing up and toeing the line. Today is just the icing on the cake. Have fun!

great swim, and she's out of the water!

2008-11-09T19:28:00.000-08:00

Talked to Glenn - she started the swim around 9AM! They pushed out the swim start due to some crazy weather. She is off and apparently swimming like a robot shark that has been programmed to eat the slow! Woot! I'm loving these twitter updates! Apparently it was pouring, but there is no wind.

Update - 9:53AM - she's out of the water and getting her wetsuit peeled! I've got pictures! Appox. 51m swim! Go Stef!!! Glenn says weather is back to normal. The sun is out and the wind is down. She is out on the bike now!

I've got several pictures sent via Stef's cell phone, so as soon as I can get those, I'll update this post with warmup shots and the swim start, as well as shots of her getting her wetsuit peeled and in transition!

Stupid flats!!! and Pictures!

2008-11-09T19:27:00.000-08:00

Just talked to Glenn at 12:45PM. Stef has had 4 flats. They think it's a problem with the rim tape, as the flats keep happening in different spots. He said that she's staying strong and he'll be out there on the course to check up on her the whole way. I told him to tell her that she's a rock star and that if she can get off that bike, there is no stopping her. This is a tough situation to deal with mentally, I can't even imagine. She's at mile 20 and is going to keep pedaling!

Stef - you rock!!! So, as our heroine conquers the bike course, I will share some pictures. She may hate these, but I owe you people the news!

Crazy wind!

Warmup Swim!

Swim Start!

Gettin Peeled!

Swim to Bike Transition -

Stupid flats started after first aid station -

1:35 PM - Mile 30 Bike

2008-11-09T19:26:00.000-08:00

She's at Mile 30 as of 1:35 PM!

2:07 PM - Update 35 Miles

2008-11-09T09:05:00.000-08:00

Apparently the wind and rain are picking up. Keep going Stef!! You can do this. You can do anything after this race :)

3:52 PM - Almost there

2008-11-09T09:00:00.000-08:00

Just talked to Glenn - she got her 5th flat around mile 47, but she is on her way and is almost there! It started raining and getting windy again, so she's had every kind of weather you can imagine out there.

Stef, you are a rock star!!

Edited to Add - She's in T2 as of 4:37 PM! Woohooo!! Thank god, now it's all you baby, no bike to slow you down!

It's Almost Time

2008-11-06T19:30:00.000-08:00

Today (Thursday) I went down to packet pick up. I debated
waiting until tomorrow but Tony was there working/volunteering and called
around noon to tell me he had set aside a red back pack for me (a super slick
back pack is part of the Silverman SWAG). They had red and black back packs and
I wanted RED! Tony is always doing nice stuff like that for me so I figured I’d
go down there and get packet pick up over with before many people got there.

The finish line was semi bustling with set up activities but
not many athletes were there checking in. I got in, got weighed, signed
everything and got my paperwork and SWAG. It took about three minutes. Then
Tony and I went over to T2 (the majority of which has yet to be set up) and
looked at the bike dismount line, the changing tents, and the run out chute.
Tony introduced me to a couple of his buddies – he knows SO MANY people! The
Expo was not set up yet.

Then I took a couple of photos:

I’ve been on this side
of the arch for the past two years, watching athletes finish and getting
inspired.

I wanted a preview of the
other side for Sunday . . . . that’s Tony holding the British flag.

Then I went home.

And promptly proceeded to get antsy again. During the past few days I’ve been more STARVING
than I have EVER been in my ENTIRE LIFE. Fortunately for me Coach wrote a post on
tapering which I read this morning and was grateful for. I know everything I’m
experiencing right now is normal and I am very proud of myself for keeping
things in perspective – I am so excited I can hardly stand it!!!! I have 100% confidence in my preparation and
my ability to FINISH this race strong!

I have not devoted a lot of time or energy to thinking about
a time goal, because I think a time goal is not where my focus needs to be for
this race. I need to RACE THIS BITCH to
the best of my ability. For me, this means staying in the moment, every moment,
picking myself up out of the tough spots, and letting NOTHING get in the way of
that finish line!

It means swimming up to the capabilities I have shown
recently in my race swim PRs and the open water practice swims.

It means attacking the down hills on the bike and taking
advantage of the “flats” to go as fast as I can go.

It means reminding myself that I love the hills – I love the
challenge of grinding up a long hill, I draw energy from being able to do that!

I want to ride faster than I’ve ridden out there before – on
a good day this is totally possible. On
a bad day, I have all of those hard, windy training days in my bank to draw
from. 56 MILES BITCH! Here I come!

It means running the entire run, no matter how much it
hurts, no matter how slow I think I am going, and no matter how badly I want to
stop and walk. How I handle the run will be KEY to my success. Once my feet hit
the ground at T2 the race is mine to win.

All of that being said, I would love to break eight hours on
this course. I would dearly love that. Regardless, though, of what my final
time is, I will have done it. I will have overcome the low confidence that I
started this season with and, with perseverance, a lot of work and quite a few
ups and downs, I will have reached the pinnacle of my triathlon experience thus
far, by completing one of the toughest damn
courses out there! I have wanted this for two years. Only two more days to wait.

Also, I will be wearing this:

Thanks to the generosity of a lot of people, including a lot
of YOU, I was able to raise $1,500 for the Challenged Athletes
Foundation/Operation Rebound! There will be ten wounded military veterans
racing on Sunday. I am so proud to have been a part of fundraising for CAF and
to be able to wear this suit to race in! Thank you to everyone out there who has
supported me in this endeavor, either by giving funds or by kind and
encouraging words – your support has mean the world to me.

Special thanks to Sarah for taking the
time to respond to my taper emails this week (who better than someone who just
completed her first HIM a mere two weeks ago) and for being a guest blogger for
me on Sunday! I thought it might be overkill along with Twitter, but guess
what: I DON’T CARE!

Glenn will talk with Sarah several times on Sunday and
hopefully provide some good details that can complement the tweets from Danielle (and BEB and WBG)!

Special thanks also to Wes who started commenting on every
one of my posts about a year (or more?) ago. Once I figured out he was not a creepy
stalker, I followed his example and started reading and commenting on his and other
blogs and that is how I now have all of you as friends.

I feel pretty sappy and sentimental right now. I will
probably start bawling at the swim start, between making it to the starting
line, seeing the CAF athletes there, along with Dave Scott and Macca (Macca is
racing, Dave Scott is not racing this year), and achieving a dream that I
dreamed up two years ago that at many different times I wondered if it was even
possible. But you guys understand. Thanks so much for reading my blog and for
offering your support along the way.

Not sure that I will post anymore until after the race. If I
think of something cool and/or random to say I will be back but this may be it
until after Sunday.

I CAN’T WAIT!

Six Days! And Photos! And a Few Thoughts

2008-11-03T19:31:00.000-08:00

SWIM GROUP!

Here we are at our last open water practice on Saturday. That's me on the far right in the yellow cap. Coach Kara is next to me on my left.

Here we are AGAIN. Next to me in the white t shirt is Slave Driving Coach Paul. Damn him and his long workouts and sprints! He he. Actually on Saturday we only did 2000. We are tapering!

Everyone in these photos is doing either the half or the full Silverman on Sunday. Actually, the guy in the blue t shirt (lower picture) is Hans, the mastermind behind the Silverman swim course set up. I'm not sure if he's racing or not. He's an excellent swimmer though!

BIKE COURSE!

This nasty looking hill shows up at mile 90 of the full iron course, mile 34 of the half course. It is first in a series of three 18% grade, approximately 100 meter long hills known as the Three Sisters. Here locally we call them the Three Bitches. They sit one right after the other. After the last one is completed it is basically a grinding uphill incline for quite awhile, um, basically until T2. YES!

I stole this photo from a stellar race report on Slow Twitch.com. The guy in the photo, Eliot Drake, did the full Silverman as his first iron distance in 2007, and is coming back for more punishment on Sunday. He has a cool blog too, with tons of great photos of a lot of stuff. He also had a stellar photographer/family member(?) following him throughout the race and I could not resist these photos.

Here Eliot is at approximately mile 5-6 of the bike course. Just getting warmed up! LOOK AT HOW GORGEOUS IT IS!

I'm not sure where Eliot is on the course here, I just like the picture.

BIKE PROFILE

Um, yeah . . . . . This is the profile for the full 112 miles. The course is a point to point and also an out and back (on Northshore road), with everyone leaving Hemenway Harbor and ending up at the Multigenerational Center in Henderson, the site of T2 and the finish line.

Everyone makes a right turn on Northshore Road and rides out into the hills, turns around, and makes their way to Henderson.

For the half, we turn around at approximately mile 23. As you can see on the profile there are some larger hills beyond that! I've ventured beyond that point myself during the Silverman 5 hour ride. Ahem. It was hard.

The full iron folks turnaround at approximately mile 50.9. Poor bastards.

SO, looking at miles 1-23, and then at miles 79-112, you can see the profile for the half course.

RUN PROFILE

And here is the run profile. One 13.1 mile loop around Henderson.

MY THOUGHTS

Last night I did my final significant brick in training: 1:45 on the bike and a :30 run. Since I waited all day to do this brick the ride was done on the trainer, the run outside. The ride was OK but the run was fabulous! I felt smooth, speedy and my HR was smack where it was supposed to be for my half marathon pace. I did not have my gps with me so I don't know my actual pace but I don't care. The point is that I felt like I could run like that all night. The air was cool but not cold and even though I felt tentative the first minute or so, my body knew what to do. I'm so excited and grateful to be at this point I cannot tell you. I tear up just thinking about it.

Silverman is much more than a race to me. It is what started the possibility in my mind of greater things, things I had never done before. From the second I sat at the volunteer meeting in 2006 and heard Frank say they would be adding a half in 2007 I thought

"what if I could . . . ."

2007 was a mixed year that tested my resolve. I had to learn to swim. I had to deal with DFL, DNF and DNS. Had I not really really WANTED IT, I would have stopped. But for reasons I can't quite articulate or explain, I wanted it. BAD. Not just any race. I wanted Silverman. I learned to ride and run on these hills and swim in the often choppy waters of Lake Mead. Through the heat, the wind, and the nice weather. The magic started in 2006 at that meeting and the magic is alive and well my friends.

Six more days . . . .

Copying Sarah!

2008-10-30T19:32:00.000-07:00

WOOT! Sarah's idea was such a good one that I am copying it!

You will see that I've added a Twitter widget to my sidebar. During Silverman on November 9, Danielle has agreed to update it as Glenn updates her! I'm so excited.

After seeing this plan in action by Sarah's hubby updating on her progress I decided I wanted to do the same.

This does involve a trust issue with Danielle . . . but I trust her enough to get the job done and not say anything too outlandish about me! LOL.

Um, even if she does, WHO CARES! I'll be too busy racing to care!

Glenn does not text. And I'm not going to ask him to that day since he will be out and about following me, eating lunch, taking a nap, or whatever else it is that awesome husbands do during their wife's first HALF IRON distance race!

The updates will also go to my Facebook page . . . . .