Racing for Fun and Other Thoughts

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!

I Made it to Taper

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.

Thank Goodness REST WEEK Is Almost Over

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!

Hell YEAH I'm Ready!

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!!

Blah

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

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.

Happy Thanksgiving (and blog type)

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!