Life does not suck

Lunch at the Kona Canoe Club

Mood is improving

How beautiful is this

We had an eventful Tuesday in Kona (and beyond, more later). Started the day meeting the Endurance Sports Travel (Ken Glah's company which got us this fabulous condo) crew for a quick van ride to the Pier for swim. A lot more people here than on Monday for sure. Had to swim head up a bit so as to not run into others swimming. That is a bummer because can't watch the beautiful fishies! Anyhow, great swim and I feel pretty comfy in the water. We had a Chrissie Wellington (last years female champ) sighting as she was being interviewed just before her practice swim. The Dane still cannot get over the size of her tree trunks, I mean legs. Wow, is she put together. Anyhow, ran into Crowie (last years men's runner-up) before leaving and had a nice chat with him. We know him from Clearwater 70.3 '06 as we had dinner with him, Lisa Bentley and her hubby and amazingly, he always spots us in a crowd. He even said he'll yell for me if he see's me on the course........cool! We had a quick breaky at the buffet EST sets up daily then made a needed van ride to the grocery store. I guess $300 is the new $200. Next on the agenda was a van ride out to Hapuna Beach and ride the bikes back. We had a small crew, a nice girl from the UK and Adam, another American guy. She was a bit concerned about the wind as cycling is not her strong suit, according to her. Anyway, it was pretty windy out there and I had to spend a bit of time in the "oh shit" bars but not nearly as much as two years ago. The time spent riding in the hills is definitely going to pay off and I'm much more confident in this wind........unless it gets tons worse. So, 34 miles later, we end up back at the condo. It was a good ride and great practice for Saturday. We ran into Adam at the expo and he was wondering why we rode "so hard".......we didn't! It's all relative I suppose. He was nice enough to accompany the UK girl back as she was riding her own pace. We headed, as I said, over to the expo to try and meet Thunderbear (last year's men's third place, the other Dane), but he was occupied so we had a nice chat with the co-owner of Argon about their TT bike, very interesting design and got a cool t-shirt. Back to the condo to relax for the rest of the day and eat our wonderful clean food we picked up at the grocery store, Ahi tuna filets with rice and broccolini! Yummy. Slept better last night, didn't wake up at all until 5am, I'm finally getting on island time! I have a swim and 30 minute run today and am so looking forward to them both. I love training out here, you get free energy from the Gods - if you stop and feel it, it's there. Sounds strange to anyone who hasn't been here. Life does not suck....enjoy.
kia kaha

some photos

swimmers at the Pier

view from condo balcony

I am not as stressed as I appear!

Monday was a swim at the pier. The water was beautiful and clear and fish everywhere! Like swimming in an aquarium. Then, back to the condo for a 30 minute run. My legs are starting to not feel so tired. We have been walking around a lot but that's our mode of transportation. Tuesday, another swim then we'll get shuttled out to the Queen K and ride back in. Should be fun and I'll have my camera. We saw a ton of pros out training which is always cool. Later
kia kaha

Aloha from Kona

We made it in one piece and all our luggage arrived with us. Amazing. A very uneventful and pleasant trip. We arrived at the condo around 7pm (Hawaii time) and had to pick up some provisions. 70$ later at the convenience store, we had water, beer, coffee, etc. We sat on our wonderful balcony and listened to the Pacific ocean batter the lava for a while - that is therapeutic! I have a little video of it, mostly for the noise, too dark (won't download now). We haven't seen our view in daylight yet but feel certain it will be beautiful. Just put the bikes together but have no pump so will have to remedy that today. We'll head down to the pier to swim around 7am. I will try and snap some photos there.
Kia kaha

Big Thanks

Madam Pele.......on my quilt

The last masters swim practice prior to a big race is always fun. Most of the time, everyone knows you're racing and if they don't they act like they do or ask someone else. We have a pretty low key crew which keeps it light and fun. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of competition if that's what one is seeking. Just (just, sheesh) 4000 yards today so I was there for a little over an hours and pretty much saw most of the regulars. I so appreciate all the well wishes, it means so much to me. Like, Maude (best free stroke under water) wearing fins on part of the set (only cuz she's been out of the pool a few years having babies) to keep me company. Wayne, for bringing a book for me to read on my trip. May-li, always with a fun/crazy race story to share - this one about her adventures at the Duathlon World Championships......that's how she rolls. Cashel, aka Zookeeper, great coach and always just asks how many yards I need. Bill, had to ask my last name so he could keep track of my progress. I'm sure I'm leaving out some people, but those were just today. I take this energy with me and let it help me keep moving along - I'd be rich if I could only bottle it! Also, are the people at work who think I'm really nuts to be "working out" so much but many well-wishes from them also. Patients too, they seem to know all about my races sometimes........must the the girls up front telling them. It's all good and all appreciated in ways they will never know. I will do my best, you can be sure! Biggest to the Dane who is struggling to keep up at times when I'm in my taper because the pace heats a tad. Couldn't do any of this without support. I'm leaving out other friends and family but this was about people I came across today and I was overwhelmed. Big thanks!
Kia kaha

Go Rays!

I'm not much of a baseball fan but have jumped on the local bandwagon of the Tampa Bay Rays. They made the playoffs for the first time in their existance and it's nice see sports news that doesn't revolve around the Bucs (not a fan). A great story and one we'll continue to follow in Hawaii.
1051 is my bib number. It's exciting to have a number finally, makes the whole thing feel more real. I'm getting through taper well. Sleeping more due to fewer early morning swim sessions, feels kind of weird actually. The Dane is feeding me wonderful, clean dinners with plenty of protein. I'll push more carbs next week. The weather here is beautiful, nice little dry front has come through and tonight's long run (only 1:15) will be delightful. Looking forward to blogging from the Big Island...
kia kaha

5 days til.....

We leave for Kona. We are both, the Dane and I, in dire need of a vacation. So, lucky for us, we get to go to Hawaii. My trip is not "pure" vacation due to the little race I'll be doing October 11th, but to be gone and not have to work is a beautiful thing. Into taper mode now, not far enough into it apparently because I'm exhausted and still a little sore from Sunday's last "long" workout - ~80 mile ride followed by a brisk (for me, 7:1x/mile pace) 6 mile brick. I believe I'm as fit as I've been in a long time so we'll see how the race goes. I seem, however, to be getting bad news from/about people I love which makes it hard to feel that this is terribly important. I will be thinking of you Katie and Cathy (each for your own reasons) as my day gets difficult on the lava fields. Love you guys!
More as the week goes on....
Kia Kaha

friends

It is just over 2 weeks from Kona now as I sit. The Dane will be home tomorrow and my world will be better. I've spent the past few hours with a group of amazing women. One, Mary D, turns 50 tomorrow and you wouldn't be able to pick her out from a group of 30 year olds! We gave her a surprise B-day party and it was fun to socialize again. When you train for IM, you give up these nicities in life and wonder if any one will come back. In my experience, they always come back. And thank goodness for these grassroots type of friends. Life wouldn't be the same without them. I am thankful for them and the fact that they always support 'the cause' of Ironman. I couldn't do it without these folks. I've let them know that they will be thought of on the lonely strip of pavement as I go along the Queen K and persue my dreams on October 11th. They seem to understand, which is cool.
All I need now is the Dane to finish my dream....
Kia Kaha

funny

Now, this is funny: http://elizabethfedofsky.blogspot.com/2008/09/you-are-now-entering.html

I don't know Elizabeth Fedofsky (not personally, anyway)but she makes me laugh. Scary how true so much of this is!
TGIF and the Dane comes home tomorrow.
More later.....

Kona is coming!

Ok, so last "big week" for IM Hawaii is in the books and I'm still in one piece. I had a decent week. Great ride Sat with the "hills" group, luckily they wanted to get in 85 miles so I only had another 15 to do on my own. They are a great group and I am so glad I have been able to ride with this group of wonderful people. Of course, missing Linda M who is still healing from her injuries from the accident two weeks ago. The ride is definitely not the same without her and she is missed greatly! As is the Dane who is freezing his butt off in rainy Vienna. Anyhow, 100 miles in the hills in 5 hours isn't bad. Got my long run in Thursday night, last really long one. It's amazing how much harder the long run is after a full day of work in the heat than if you wake on Sunday morning fresh as a daisy. Another 'character building' experience. I can honestly say that I have more 'character' and, I think, solid fitness going into Kona this year. All I have to do now is get a good taper, pace the race, get my nutrition and I'm golden. No rock solid goals other than to finish, as always with any IM. I'd like to finish higher up than I did in '06 but I'll just do my thing out there and we'll see how it goes. I'm pretty confident in my fitness though, running my bricks off long rides in 7:20's will do that for you! I'll be happy to have the Dane back next weekend then venture off to Kona on 10/5! Thanks to everyone who has helped me and encouraged me along the way. Nobody could do this without support of friends and family. I think of everyone during the suffering for sure! I will try and do my best but having fun is also one of the goals!
Kia Kaha

Assault on Sugarloaf

Had a really good week of training this week. Other than getting rain and lightening'd out of my tempo run on Tuesday, the weather was hot and humid - great Kona prep! Decent long run on Thursday night, 2:20 but boy was it humid! I was soaked half way through. We planned to make the long ride on Sunday and do the Assault on Sugarloaf ride in Clermont. Nice, organized ride along the Great Floridian 112mi bike course - perfect. The weather was great but super hot, about 97degrees at the end of the ride which was also the beginning of my 6 mile brick, whew! I honestly don't remember Kona being this hot. Anyhow, we rode 4 hours on Sat, pretty easy overall. Drove over to O-town to stay at the Rennaisance at Sea World to cut the Sunday morning drive to 30 minutes. Very nice, empty resort hotel. We got to test out their cool sports bar and sushi restaurant, both good. Went to bed pretty early to get up early for Sunday ride. Tried to make this a race rehearsal type day so rode my race wheels and use same nutrition. Since I bonked on my brick last weekend, wanted to make sure I really loaded up this week. We had a nice ride but missed the good packs so ended up riding mostly by ourselves which is very race specific(what I wanted). The Dane had some troubles the last 20 miles or so and we had to cruise it in so he wouldn't be left out in the sticks. The course is pretty hard the first 35 miles or so then fairly flat (and windy) until the last 20 miles or so. I felt pretty good out there and didn't mind doing fair share of the pulling. Got the Dane back to the car ok then set out on my brick. I love running out there, nice paved path with no traffic and some gentle rolling hills. And, the heat! Had a great run, faster than race pace but went by feel not pace. Got done, packed up and drove back home to relax and watch some football and eat Thai take-out! A perfect weekend! The Dane leaves again for a couple weeks today and I'm sad. Having him along for my rides the past couple weeks has been so helpful and we had a lot of laughs yesterday especially. Only 3+ weeks left til Kona - I'm another hard/long week and great taper away from being ready. Can't wait!
Kia Kaha

The good and bad

I had overall a good training week - 20 hours in the log and some dead-ass tired legs. We are overwhelmed a bit with news of friend's bad bike accident when we rolled back into the parking lot on Sat afternoon upon finishing our ride. I was really upset about it and couldn't run so did the brick once we returned home (and bonked, again). Found that Linda was hit by a trailer when they were only a few miles from finishing. She is still in hospital today with four broken ribs and punctured lung. From what I've heard from those with her at the time, could have been a lot worse. Anyway, all the other stuff I would normally blab about seems pretty insignificant in comparison. She will be ok and recover but it is a scary thing to go through. We wish her speedy recovery!

kona winds........FL style

Ok, I know we cannot begin to replicate Kona winds but, when there's a significant hurricane floating around in the Gulf of Mexico, we get some good winds.....and waves. Did my 5 hour ride Sat in the hills with a small group, got smaller the longer we went then the group let me out on my own after 3 1/2 hours to finish up. No worries, I've never ridden out here in redneck heaven by my lonesome but my mental mojo for the weekend was.....no fear. I'm going to stop being afraid. Of riding alone here, of the weather, of the wind, etc. It may come as a surprise to some but I'm am quite the insecure chickenshit at times. But, like Linda M says, riding the last bit of long ride all alone "builds character". My mother always said I already have a lot of character... but, I here I am, building more. Can't hurt, right? So, off I go saying my goodbyes to my former group (thanks guys, seriously) now off to embark on character building. By the way, it's not like I haven't done long rides alone, never in the hills though. The weird thing is when there is a major storm brewing out in the drink, the weather can be very unpredictable. We got a little rain during the main ride and the pavement was wet the last bit. Then, the big black clouds were building in every direction.....challenging my "no fear" mojo. Had the opportunity to cut bait and run for the parking lot at less than 4 1/2 hours but decided Kona deserved more. It is not a course that welcomes those who cut long rides and runs short. The words "chewed up and spit out" come to mind. I digress. So then, the downdrafts of these building storms are blowing and I am struggling to keep myself and Lucille upright. Reminded me of riding the Queen K in '06 on my training ride. I tried to stay relaxed like the Dane taught me, hold the handlebars as if you are holding a small bird. Whatever that means - he's not out here with me. So, while screaming "oh shit" at the top of my lungs when the big gusts would come through, I held tough. Made it back to the parking lot unscathed. Decided the brick run would be done when I got home - way too much lightening out here for me. Got home, did my 40 minute "brick" in the rain and actually ran quite well, felt great. Sunday morning brought more winds, more steady, sustained variety. Rode the beach first to test the mojo one more time and was bouncing all over the road keeping the rubber side down. It was a hoot and appreciated this opportunity to train in the winds, I wasn't going to miss this. Got through that just fine. Picked up the Dane in the afternoon and shared my "Kona" moments with him and he wished he was there. Today, less than 6 weeks out, I feel pretty fit. Hopefully, the weather will hold up so I can get long rides and runs in. These are things I cannot control so I try not to worry about. Here I am with more character......hopefully, that helps!
Kia Kaha

TS Fay GO AWAY!!!! And new addition to family

No, it's not mine! New nephew. Congrats Mike and Allison.



Ok, I'm so over this weather! Yes, I'm happy that where I live in FL has been the least affected by TS Fay, which is a blessing since we were originally slated for a direct hit. But, the rain all week and again today is trying to sabotage my IM training. Went to bed last night not sure of where/how I would get in a long ride today. Heard some heavy rains on and off all night. Shut off the alarm at 5am and went back to sleep. Decided it was going to be a trainer day. Spent three hours in the position you see above, staring at crank arms with pain in my legs. Spent majority of that three hours just under my lactate threshold which is painful. Me, Troy Jacobson and the rest of the masochists on the "Tough Love" spinerval spent quality time together. As he says, three hours on the trainer is worth at least four hours on the road. Took one break to refill water bottles and get more Gu Roctane (thanks Gu for the freebie Kona pack). It actually went by pretty fast until about 2 1/2 hours and then I really had to dig deep and remember why I was doing this. I thought about standing on Dig Me beach in seven weeks with anticipation, fear and excitement to be competing in Kona again. The motivation was there for sure. Spent my cool down period watching the end of the women's basketball gold medal game and Lisa Lesley talking about not being afraid to set big goals because anything is possible, or something along those lines. Very appropriate at that point. Then onto the brick. Only 35 minutes. Of course, like every other run this week, it started raining as soon as I got out the door. No worries, I don't mind running in the rain as long as there's no lightening. All done now and proud that I survived the mind fuck of three hours on the trainer! Could have used some company but the Dane is back in Denmark for now. IM is a solo event after all....
Kia Kaha

possible new suit design for Kona.....

Click on the red X (I don't know how to get it to come up otherwise).
May amend but will sleep on it.
Love Splish suits!!

Beijing and Fay

Thanks sis for the poster - very neat, I thought. She leaves for Beijing today. Sis-in-law has new baby tomorrow. Exciting.
Had another good training week last week. Got rained out of long run last Thursday night so pushed it to Sunday, after two hour ride. On Sat before, did 90 miles with small group in the hills - my longest ride out there and I wasn't trashed. So Sunday, decided to do "long brick". We lucked out with overcast skies and had a good ride and great run, surprisingly.
We, then, awaited the arrival of TS Fay. Originally, we were supposed to get a direct hit so we took the appropriate steps in case this occurred. The Dane was supposed to leave for Europe but had to postpone this a few days in case of this storm. Turns out, we didn't get the storm, thank God. This storm has been quite strange, strengthened over land of all things, very unusual. Anyhow, cloudy skies and wind don't keep me inside. Hopefully won't have to move workouts around this week!
Kia Kaha

Remission and IM training...

I heard a wonderful word at my recent visit with my rheumatologist.........remission. He said that based on my steady progress, x-rays, lab work and overall assessment, my RA is considered to be in remission. Although, he didn't recommend (nor would I agree to) going off my medication due to the consistent inflammation in my left wrist. I've had this for almost 11 years and have been pretty stable for the past few years and am so grateful for that!
Our long ride scheduled for Saturday morning was not to be, the weather got the upper hand. Not the rain I mind but the lightening which, in Florida, is a regularity. I bonked on my brick run for reasons I'm not really sure of but still got most of it in. We salvaged much of Saturday boggie boarding in the rain which actually was a lot of fun. I was disappointed to not get my workout in in it's entirety but decided living to fight another day was going to have to do. We had clear skies today and made the most of it. Had a good long ride, just the Dane and me. Spent a couple hours on the sunny beach today and now watching the Olympics. Week one of IM training in the books, less than 9 to go 'til Kona. Yippeee!!
Kia Kaha

The OOOOOOOOlympic Games!

Yippee! Few people know just how much I love watching the Olympics. I will watch any sport at any hour but unfortunately, most of the action will take place live while I'm snoozing. Bummer. I will still love it anyway. The first Olympics (I'm mainly speaking of summer) I remember was '76 watching Bruce Jenner win the decathlon. I cried my eyes out when Mary Decker (my idol) fell to the ground in '84. I had the wonderful experience of seeing some of the '04 Games in Athens - dragged my sister and her husband to watch the women's triathlon, very cool! My sis will be heading to Beijing in a couple weeks to attend her 4th Olympic Games.
Pretty good training week. Swam my first real overdistance swim this morning, 5500Y. Ran long last night, 2 hours in real heat - 91* at start with heat index well over 100*. If that doesn't prepare one for Hawaii, I don't know what will. My hammy is being pretty bothersome but not much I can do for it now, 9 weeks out from IM. Couple of long rides this weekend should finish the week off right! Still playing with the bike fit but I feel dialed in much better now. Nothing like 8 hours of cycling over two days to really test that! That which doesn't kill me will only make me stronger! Besides, I want to earn my massage on Monday!
Kia Kaha

Pics from Top Gun...

enjoy..

Top Gun sprint tri RR

Ok, so the race was insignificant to the Dane coming home late Friday night! He was signed up for the race but the late arrival back home Friday night and the fact that his tri bike hasn't seen the outside of it's bike box since Rhode Island meant that he'd be volunteering! The weather all week was significant for morning thunderstorms and clouds and humidity all day long but we were in luck! No rain upon rising at 4AM. Yipee! Clouds, breeze and humidity were fine with me. I always forget that this race attracts more people than one would normally expect - over 800 were signed up. A major credit to the awesome race directors!! Anyhow, I was set to go off in wave number 5 with the 35-49 women which usually pits me against the strongest women overall....not today. This race was one for youth! The younger women (girls) went off a couple waves ahead of us so I knew if I had any chance at the overall, it was going to be a time trial effort, me against myself. I have no problems with that, I can push myself pretty hard and did. So, back at the beach, the water was a tad choppy but not bad by any stretch but the current meant keeeping the sighting in the right direction. I got a great start, off with two others in my wave but ahead of them after the last turn buoy. I figured I exited the water first in the wave and ran fast to T1 (long run to transition, I love) and got on Lucille (my bike). I was really motivated not to repeat the shit ride I had in Rhode Island (I know, it's totally different but I have issues) and rode my heart out. Nobody passed me (10 mile ride) and got off the bike ready to kill more people. I rode about 2 1/2 minutes faster than last year. Went out of T2 in a 6:16 first mile and knew I was going to pay! No worries, that's what sprint tri's are for.... pain!!! I loved it and wanted more. I was on a solo effort against the clock but died a bit at the end. Understandable since I haven't done much training in the past three weeks except easy, aerobic stuff and weight training. In the end, ended up first for masters, third overall female. I will say, when I looked at the results and splits at home later and saw #1 after each (for my wave) swim, bike and run - I was shocked. I don't think I've ever accomplished this in my triathlon life. Progress. This is my goal. Balance. This is also my goal. Slow to come, hard to get, but very worthwhile. Looking back over results, I had top 4 OA (female for all) swim, top 3 on bike, second fastest run. Who'd of thunk it! I am overall pleased with the effort, especially after looking at power numbers from the bike. I can say, the two girls who beat me (overall), should be followed for the future - they are fast! Alex Lechner and Alyssa Burkert are stars of the future, should they chose to pursue this sport! Go girls. I have no issues being beaten by girls this young, 21 and 16 - I applaud them and love to see this level of competition at our local sprint tri. Props to our great race directors!
The Dane and I rode 3 1/2 hours of fair tempo today and I wasn't trashed in the legs! Last time I'll feel that until Kona, I'm sure! Official training begins tomorrow and I'll try and get it all done but the last three weeks of winging it has been fun.
Kia Kaha

Ch ch ch ch changes......

So I just found out this morning at 5AM masters swim practice that our coach at this pool (I attend two different masters swim programs) is leaving and we may not have a new coach. WTF! I have IM Hawaii in 10 weeks and cannot deal with major changes to my training routine at this point. Bad enough that the coach at the other program changed a couple weeks ago but we do have an intermin coach who is really good and I hope she stays on. Holy crap! I don't like swimming on my own, making up workouts and challenging sets - I have no background in swimming and hence no creativity! Oh well, I'm sure something will work out.
Racing tomorrow, Top Gun sprint tri. Hopefully this crappy weather we've had all week will subside long enough for the race to go off. No goals just an hour of power and/or pain. Start training for Kona next week, officially. I've enjoyed just winging it with the training since RI 70.3.
The Dane got delayed in his travels back to the U.S. - was supposed to return home yesterday. He is scheduled to arrive tonight......hopefully
Kia Kaha

Another boring training week

Another boring week in the log. The Dane is still gone and I feel somewhat empty without him. So there you have it, wearing my heart on my sleeve in public. Not normalcy for me.
I have been pondering my race future for '09, early, I know. I'm really excited to go to Kona this year but not at the top of my confidence for some reason. Wondering if I even want to do an IM next year. I think the race in RI really put some reality into me. I got beat fair and square by some really quality world class AG women but am still beside myself a bit. I work my ass off day in and day out training and also work a pretty stressful job (physician) and wonder what more can I do. I try not to use work as an excuse but I've never been 41 years old before either and I can see that I can DO the workouts, I just don't RECOVER from them as well. I guess it doesn't help that I've had rheumatoid arthritis for over ten years and take medications for that but I don't ever like to use that as fuel for any excuses, as anyone who really knows me understands. I've been told that I'm too hard on myself and I don't disagree. I just want to be able to compete with the cream of the crop and hold my head high. I will do just that in 11 weeks and give my all regardless of finish times, splits, scrutiny and all the other stressors that come along with competing on the largest stage on earth for triathlon. I gain a lot of my personal confidence from my partner in life, the Dane. When he's not here, I begin to show cracks in my armor, as it were. The phone calls several times a day are not enough to keep me.... well........ me. Yes, I have a tear on my cheek typing this. We all have our weaknesses.
I have another weakness, my bike. I did another bike test today and didn't gain as much improvement that maybe I expected. Granted, I haven't been doing any strong bike work since before taper for IM RI 70.3 but I felt I should have been progressing (from the training leading up to RI). Such is life and the bike is the bane of my existence as usual. I used the think that about the swim! I have made the swim my strength now, who'd of thought! There is hope in my heart and 10 weeks and 6 days in my schedule to improve - which is what I try to do every day. Be strong...
kia kaha

Alive in quad soreness hell

A week ago I did a half ironman. My quads are still rocked. It's crazy and I don't like being old and recovering sooooooooo slowly. I did a run yesterday and damn near had to walk home because my quads started screaming after a bit. Anyway, they'll recover eventually, I hope.
Did the last Clearwater Beach Ocean mile swim on Sat. It was fun. Seemed to be fewer people because I didn't get clobbered on the way to the first turn buoy. It was nice to get my heart beating again after doing almost nothing all last week (except a couple masters swims). I swam a little faster than the previous race but really had to work hard. It was fun. And, I won my age group! First win for this swim! Yippeeeeeeee!
Boring, lonely weekend really with the Dane away.
Kia Kaha

IM Rhode Island 70.3

view from our hotel window

the race crew

view of beautiful RI coast

post race fun


Ok, finally a gory race report. I am kind of over this race, not physically, but emotionally. I was really quite upset about not obtaining a Clearwater slot but such is life and I need to be faster. Period. I don't know quite how to accomplish that with all I have going on in my day to day but I'll continue to push on and compete with what I have.
The race was well put on but a logistical pain in the ass. The swim start was roughly 30-40 miles from the finish and Providence proper. The drive over was made more fun with my weekend race mates and genuinely fast folks! I loved being able to share my many fears and anxieties with Laura and Linda and they really helped me out. Thanks gals! Anyhow, the race spanned essentially the entire state of RI! Swim was in Narragansett in southern RI and the finish under the Capitol stairs in Providence. I had some issues with packing/unpacking my bike and had to visit the expo instead of getting a pre-ride in on Saturday which I didn't like but had to live with. Registration was very smooth and well run (on Friday). We decided to spend Friday afternoon driving the bike course. We got lost numerous times so never really saw most of it but got the gist, its HILLY! The road surface left a lot to be desired as well, especially for a chickenshit rider like myself. We drove back out on Sat to rack the bikes, run the gears, etc. Back to "town" for dinner and an early night to bed. The alarm set for 3am so we can make the trek, yet again, out to the southern part of the state. Did a little 10 minute jog prior to pulling on the wetsuit then into the sea for a warm up. The wind started to really kick up during the night so the normally calm bit of water for the swim became quite choppy and wavy. Not a worry for me because I've been good about doing open water swims at least once per week. We had a great wave, women 40+ in the third wave. Guns off and away we go. I was sure to line up next to the scathing fast Lisbeth Kenyon - it was the last time I'd see her til the end! FWIW, she's my pick for Kona for our AG if all goes well. Anyway, I got a great start but missed the feet I wanted due to the waves separating everyone. Drank a bit of water on the journey out to the turn around buoy but once around that, felt quite. good. Counted strokes to keep focused and out of the water in 30:xx minutes, very good for me especially in rough water! Onto the bike and the very scenic course awaits. The first 20 miles or so ran along the coast and was beautiful. Apparently, I was doing too much sight seeing but I saw no other souls on the bike for many miles and sat up several times wondering if I was still on the course! I was and found the hills pretty soon which came with cross winds and gusts. That actually didn't bother me but I was really tense about the descents and poor road surface in many areas. I didn't really push it at any time during this ride and it showed. Anyhow, along the bumpy, crappy, fried chicken smelling area back to Providence, L & L came bombing past me and I was pretty dejected. Not for nothing though, they are exceptional cyclists. I got into T2 feeling like I could have done the loop again (not the feeling you want in a HIM). Scooted out of there onto the unknown run loop - out and back twice. I had been warned by none other than Lisbeth herself, thanks, about the wall of a hill on the first mile - almost couldn't believe it when I saw it. Way worse than Palani hill in Kona and longer. Frankly, there was no flat area on this whole loop which I actually prefer. I felt light and strong and ran quite steady the entire time. I had more trouble running down the steep hill than up it! I have the painful quads to prove it! Anyhow, I had a steady run and pushed hard and was honestly happy to finish under 5:10! Finished 4th in the AG and no Clearwater slot - have I rehashed that enough! The Dane had a hard day and finished a few minutes behind me. A household trophy for me but not what I wanted out of the day. I am extremely sore so I know I raced hard and should be happy about that. I think this will help me keep motivated for Kona - not that it's a problem. Gonna take a week or two to recover then start into IM training. I have thought about going to Cancun to try and get the elusive Clearwater slot but then I remind myself how much I don't even like the Clearwater course. Who knows, I'll figure it all out. I should not make any decisions now because the pain is still fresh. Congrats to Laura on her Clearwater slot! Brilliant! (you had to be there...). The Dane is off to Europe as I type and will have to pay his dues for being home for "so long". I'll be lonely but will survive. Enjoy the pics!
Kia Kaha

IM Rhode Island 70.3

Just wanted to do a quick update as we are leaving the hotel in a few minutes. Will write about all the gory details later. The race was very well run, highly recommend this event. That said, it was the hardest half ironman I have ever done. Riding in the hills once per week in Florida did not prepare me for this race. However, I swam well and ran pretty well considering the nagging hammy. I ended up 4th in the AG, a full 10 minutes out of 3rd so even if I didn't have such a pedestrian ride, I wouldn't have cracked the top 3. Only two Clearwater 70.3 slots in my AG and it rolled down to third. Third place girl won the AG at Florida 70.3 in May but I guess she didn't take her slot there. I was pretty upset about that yesterday (and still am), but there's nothing I can do about it right now except focus on Kona in 12+ weeks. I'm in good shape now and need to try and get over this injury as much as possible to make a good run for Kona.
More gory details to come...........

Manatee sighting....

Power sign (as the Dane says) or prediction of my upcoming swim? I'm betting on the former, trying to remain positive and confident for Rhode Island 70.3 on Sunday. Had a pretty lazy holiday weekend, not much training due to taper. Really enjoyed watching Oly trials, swimming and track, Tour and Wimbledon. Of course, we spent plenty of time on the beach as well. So yesterday, we were sitting on the beach and noticed a crowd gathering. Couldn't have been a shark or there would be more running and screaming. Walked to the shoreline and there were two huge manatee checking us all out. It was pretty cool, they just swam up and down the beach for an hour. Neat to be able to see an endangered animal in its natural habitat. I had a really good swim this morning though. Never really felt out of breath or tired - I love those days (I wish they would happen in RACES). Hope this week goes fast....
kia kaha

Taper time

Yippee!! I actually don't love taper that much because I love training but it's nice to have a little break now and then. We rode in the hills last Sat, did a "race rehearsal" type deal - 50 mile ride (pretty slow though) then 6 mile brick at "race pace". Notice my use of quotes. The race rehearsal is supposed to be done with race clothing/foods/drinks/yada yada. Yeah, like I'm gonna ride in hillbilly heaven in my swimsuit! Not. I did manage to get my aerobottle thingy strapped to my aerobars and used it as I would in a race. Had to move the SRM mount and it's not happy where it is so I'll need to rig something up. Anywho, the Dane, Linda M and I had a nice ride through the green pasture-lined roads. It wasn't too hot when we hit the parking lot to transition to the run.......until later! Wore the fuel belt to simulate G-rade at aid stations - hate wearing that thing. Set out at....ooops.....6:57 isn't goal race pace (dream on). Slowed it down and managed to get in a little over 6 miles @7:24 pace - more reasonable. Found the Dane and LM under the pavillion hiding from the sun when I rolled back into the parking lot. We exchanged war stories then went on our way back home. Hit the beach to unhook. Good day. Sunday was supposed to be a no workout day but I don't do that very well. We took out the road bikes and tooled around Clearwater Beach then did an open water swim later. Got sunburned but felt happy except for my nagging hammy - just won't get better. I'll worry about it more after Rhode Island. I'm gonna get back to the ART guy after the race so I can train for Kona. Can't wait for 3 day weekend! Cheers to the taper....
kia kaha

Wet one

We did Clearwater Beach Ocean mile swim Sat morning under dark skies, thinking we may get a chance to ride afterwards. Not. I had no goal, once again, just wanting to get in a good workout. I have a love/hate relationship with these open water swims. On the one hand I like to compete with the pure swimmers, see how I measure up (usually, I don't). On the other hand, I like (yeah, right) to try and practice being more aggressive in the opening, not bowing down to the blows and attempts at drowning me. I really don't like that but it's not dissimilar to a tri start! So anyway, survived another start and open water swim. I never got in a good rhythm due to some chop and current, I'm not great with choppy water. Every look ahead on the way out was greeted with lightening in the distance. Yikes! We had a favorable current going out, which means not so favorable coming back in. I finished, unofficially, second in my AG which is better than I've ever done in one of these swim races. I wasn't happy with my effort, just couldn't find the extra gear to push it but then, we're 3 weeks out from "A" race so that's probably totally appropriate. The Dane had a good effort as well. We got back home and realized there was no way we were going to fit in a bike ride amongst the lightening strikes, so lounged at the beach until the black clouds rained down. We spent the evening wishing good friends Bon Voyage on their adventure moving to the OC! Fun but sad at the same time! :>(
Today brought yet another ride in the hills. Yet again, longer ride than I was supposed to do but couldn't get the brick in due to rain and lightening so no harm done. We fought the pouring rain and lightening for over 2 hours of the ride and managed to get back in one piece! Thanking God for safe return now, we venture into the beginnings of the taper. Ahhhhhhh. Really, I'm always thinking of how far out from Kona I am now, 16 weeks for those who are counting! So, the 4 1/2 hour ride was not all for nought! As LM says, building character type of ride today! So start to back down a tad this next week, necessary as far as I can see based on my need for sleep! Maybe it's just my age! Best of luck to all....
Kia Kaha

Winning one in the swim

A major first for me! When you come from nearly drowning in the swim for many of my beginner years of multisport to actually coming from behind to win a race, any race, in the water, it's encouraging. We did the Sunrise Biathlon on Sat morning. Felt it would be a nice low key affair, as have been the other 2 biathlons I've done ever. And, since I've been training about 18 hours a week for half ironman in 4 weeks with no real rest days, I wanted a low key event. Showed up and there are a lot of people and timing chips. Wow, not low key at all. Took it all in stride and used it more as a nice hard workout than a real race. We swam every day last week too so the old arms/shoulders were pretty tired. No excuses, just here for fun anyway. And it was fun. Two mile beach run (out and back), 1/2 mile ocean swim (two loops) then one mile run (out and back). The first run I was a little slow to get going, no speed at all! Passed a few gals on the return trip and went into the swim in third, but the first girl was flying on the run! Arms super heavy and breathing hard around the first loop of the swim and wanted to settle into solid tempo on second loop. Stood up to exit the water from the first loop and there was the first girl right in front of me so I needed to hammer the second loop hard to get a lead on the fast-running girls ahead of me. Out of the water, onto the second run. Didn't realize I was in the lead until the turn around. I DID realize the gals behind were charging hard to catch me. Luckily, it was only a mile and I was able to hold them off for the win. The Dane finished up second in his AG. We took our bikes with us and did a 2 hour ride to/in/out Fort Desoto then it was Corona time! Rode super hilly 66-miler yesterday, reportedly 3000ft of climbing on this ride and I felt each foot! Did 45 min brick off that which felt better than the ride! One more week of hard workouts then easing into taper for IM Rhode Island 70.3. Can't wait. Think I'm ready.
Kia Kaha

Whoa Nelly

Ok, I should have known I was totally going to jinx myself with the last post. Live and learn. I'm not wrecked or unable to train or anything but the hammy isn't as happy as when I posted last. Ran hill (bridge for us in FL) repeats on Tues with Linda M and the Dane. This workout was fine but tightened up the hammy a bit. Rode intervals at Fort Desoto on Weds night which was really tough but got through it. Swim in AM and long run after work on Thurs kind of burried me. Ran almost 13 in pretty sultry conditions which I'm slowly getting used to. Rode 78 miles in the hills on Sat and had some tough spots but didn't get dropped. Pleasant 65 mile ride on Sunday with a 45 minute brick which I wanted to run around race pace. I had some really tired legs for the brick but that's what I want to train, to be able to run steady with really knackered legs. Managed to average 7:15/mile for the brick and was happy with that. Back to it today after couple swims already, we'll hit the bridge today again. And the beat goes on...
Kia Kaha

hammy healing

Yup, I think I'm spontaneously healing. It shouldn't be too amazing, I spontaneously get injured all the time! Seriously though, I put together a nice training week last week which actually looked like an organized attempt to get fit enough for a 70.3 race (half ironman for you old schoolers) and I feel pretty good. I did note that the speed/tempo work seemed to aggrevate the hammy the most so I replaced that with hill repeats this week. Since the run course at Rhode Island 70.3looks anything but flat, I thought I would toss this in. Been riding in the hills, did 86 miles Sunday with 30 min brick which went amazingly well. The Dane wonders what I'm worried about, that I'm pretty fit but I just don't feel it for some reason. I look in my training log and don't see the weeks of 15-20 hours strung together and worry. Maybe I shouldn't. Who knows but we'll certainly find out 7/13! Fingers crossed. Mostly, gotta stay healthy to train for Kona!
Kia Kaha

Back to reality

Wishing I was in my favorite hiding spot in Maui

No sooner did I get my last blog done did I get the stomach crud! Boy was I sick for a couple days. Ick. I tried to pretend I was well and ran my regular workouts on Weds (tempo run) and Thurs ("long" run) and this was likely not the prudent thing to do but I didn't die. Tried swimming Thurs morning and was met by a massive wave of nausea and had to quit. I think I'm in the clear now although 3 pounds lighter. I had a great weekend of riding - necessary since I had been off the bike nearly 2 weeks! Did some tempo on Sat, nice easy-ish ride yesterday with L&L on the beach then a ride in the hills today with good group. Solid three days and I didn't suffer too badly. I have been seriously questioning my fitness here less than 7 weeks from IM Rhode Island 70.3 but I'll probably be ok, not great. Anyway, back to reality now and routine is found again. The Dane is already back in Vienna for the week - I miss him so since we were attached at the hip for our entire trip. The week will go by fast though and he'll be home. Still dealing with the niggly hamstring (only right side now, used to be both) but just running through it all now. At my age, there's always something hurting!
kia kaha

Back home

view from terrace
view from terrace
Willy, the Dane and me

The week went by like a flash and I wish I could have spent more time. But, the reality is that I have to return to work which will be tough. I was an awesome trip and meaningful in so many ways. Mostly, meeting the Dane's family and getting to know each other was fun. They are really nice people and seemed to embrace me very well. We're loosely planning to head back over the the holidays, I have to check how much vacation time I have! I have some more pics to share, these are from the terrace of the Dane's parents home, beautiful views! It was a little chilly but refreshing compared to being back in FL. Poor Dane got sick (?food poisoning) the night before we came back and is still not well but is a trooper. I felt so bad because I couldn't do anything for him except grab more barf bags on the plane. Anyway, safe and sound back home. We did get up to swim this morning which was ok despite being out of the water for 10 days! I will dive back into training mode this week and hopefully get some good sessions in on the bike. Thanks to everyone for the emails. The video is our hotel room in Copenhagen, cute 300 year old place!
kia kaha

Back in CPH

Last city of stay, Copenhagen. Trip comes full circle. We are off to in-laws for grill out and watch end of today's Giro stage. Exciting. A couple videos on from the drive from the airport. Pretty cool that I can do this from my camera! Enjoy...

hello from Zurich

view from our hotel room in Zurich


Wow, what a beautiful city this is! We are only here for a day but really saw a lot just roaming around. I will put up some photos but they don't do it justice. I feel more comfy here than Vienna because it's easier to get around, more similar to Copenhagen. I liked Vienna just found it really confusing to get around. So much so, I ran on the treadmill which I hate to do but better than getting lost in a city where I cannot read signs or speak good enough German! Luckily, I had one of Anders' employee's wife to give me the guided walking tour. We really have had incredible weather also. That will likely end when we return to Copenhagen this afternoon where it will be chilly (for us, spring for them). Back home on Sunday, boo hoo. I has been a wonderful trip and I cannot wait to come back to Europe.
kia kaha

We inadvertently stumbled upon the changing of the Royal guards while still in Copenhagen, video below. Really cool, loved the music!

In Vienna, the weather is beautiful and what a magnificent city. Did a lovely walking tour while the Dane was working. Did a run on the treadmill today which I hate but was afraid of getting lost! Ran 41 minutes since it's my 41st birthday, felt it was appropriate and plenty boring! Probably the longest I've ever done on a treadmill! Off to Zurich tomorrow, the Dane has business there and I am a handy travel partner. Enjoy the photos!
Kia Kaha

side track through Copenhagen

It's late, we're tired and supposed to be in Vienna tonight. But, we're still in Copenhagen which isn't so bad at all. I have pics but cannot download but found an adapter for my camera battery and it's charging as we speak. Anyway, another day in Copenhagen, which turned from summer to winter in one day (well, Florida winter) then off to Vienna tomorrow. Cool sites today and people watching. More tomorrow, I'm tired and have major allergy issues here!
Kia Kaha

Oh, beautiful Denmark. We slept until almost 10 am (but that's only 4 am my time) this morning. Took a beautiful run through Deer Park (cannot type it in Danish) and it was truly invigorating! Nice dirt trails with people everywhere having picnics. Saw the King's old hunting palace and green grass and trees as far as the eye could see - I wished I had my camera! I will post pics when I can hook up the camera to the Mac Book. It's a holiday here now and nothing is open. We had lunch with the in laws and it's Dane's older sister & BF at the world's oldest amusement park right outside of Copenhagen, called Bakken. Not far away. just at bus ride (although we ran through there today). It was lovely and the weather wonderful. However, the temperature has taken a bit of a plunge and when the sun goes away, it's like winter in FL!! I brought appropriate Florida winter clothing though! We will be having dinner at the hotel here with the Dane's old high school friends which will be fun. Truth be told, we completely invaded their apartment last night when we couldn't find and open restaurant late (after my power nap) had wonderful cheese and wine and got back to the hotel late........(really late). We have dubbed this the Danish cave (the Tavanese will get this!). Yada, yada, yada we woke up late. It was fun meeting the people who have known the Dane for so many years. We have had a lot of fun and it's really cool to see a different culture and see where the Dane comes from. More later.
Kia Kaha

happy mom's day

I'm blogging from beautiful Denmark, land of the Dane. We have absolutely gorgeous weather, the Dane's family is shocked it's this warm so "early". Anyhow, I'll get pics up as soon as I find a converter and can charge my camera battery. I just had the nap of my life and feel refreshed after long travel and lunch with the in-laws - who, by the way, are very lovely people. More later, just wanted to tell my mother happy day to her (since I cannot call).
kia kaha

This one's for Bri........

I'll get to Bri's questions in a bit. First I want to jot down my weekend of training. Rode in the hills on Saturday with the group, had no idea how long this was going to be but we went out like banshee's and I knew I was in for it. The Dane proceeded to blow the group apart throughout the entire ride, myself included going off the back a few times. Luckily, there was some regrouping every now and then because I would have been seriously lost! So, 76.7 miles later, I'm running a nice relaxed brick with Linda M., thank goodness she remembered her "jogging shoes" this time. My brother and his wife arrived for the weekend and there was some eating and drinking to do the rest of the day. Sunday brought another ride, just three of us though, 55 miles then a 35 min brick at an uncomfortable pace! I was dead. Spent the remainder of the day at the beach with more eating and drinking. Needless to say, it was a fun weekend. I was supposed to race St Croix this weekend but glad I didn't after seeing the blazing times for my AG!
Anyhow, the rest of you can stop reading if you like. Bri has to endure this entire paragraph since she asked:
Grew up "all over" as military child, but mostly in Colorado Springs. Played all sports in school but started running in 7th grade and never looked back. Only qualified for State in the high jump (I was pretty good at it) and relays. Got a smarty pants scholarship to Missouri Baptist College and ran XC and track there. Transferred after 3 years there to Southeast Missouri St U and ran there as well. Never really excelled while in college, injured a lot. Began swimming a bit my last year in college mostly as rehab. I had a bike but didn't ride much, used that as rehab as well. Did my first tri after college, an Olympic distance race in Pueblo, CO and could never recall having so much fun "racing". I nearly drowned but enjoyed it none the less. Figured I wasn't going to be going to be participating in the Olympics so tried to figure out what to do with my life. Went to school part time and worked, picking up my pre med requirements. Went off to medical school in '93 and my triathlon career, such as it was, went on hold for a while. Came to FL in '97 for residency and never left. Diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in '98 and thought I'd never be active again - this was indeed a challenge. Anyway, had a good doc and got put on good meds and can function now though not as before. Met the Dane on Sat morning group ride and had a very secretive crush for a long time. Little did I know, he felt the same. We had a platonic, training relationship for many years. Yada, yada, yada, now we're happily married. I work for the VA so my hours are stable but the work is hard. The only things we really watch on TV are cooking shows, nature shows, some reality shows and sports. Takes me a year to read a book because I read in bed and last about 30 seconds usually. Haven't traveled much but hope to change that. Going to Europe next week with the Dane and can't wait to see some of the areas he travels to regularly. So that's the outline of 41 years of my life. Hope I got to the highlights Bri!
kia kaha

The gory details - St A's

Got up before my alarm at about 3am, early.... Pretty much had everything packed up so morning routine was Red Bull, oatmeal, toilet and out the door. Really uneventful morning, had parking spot picked out from the previous day which was nice. Checked on Lucille (the bike, remember?), pumped up her tires and set up my LITTLE area. Said hi to a couple people, did 10 minute jog then the 20 minute walk to swim start. Walked a little with/behind Andy Potts, boy is he tall and skinny! Got my 2XU wetsuit on, checked out the sandy bottom of the run in on the beach and felt pretty good, not nervous at all. The swim start for the elite wave is a lot less nerve wracking with only a fraction of the numbers of the AG wave! On my brief warm up swim, noted the water to have a bit of chop but nothing scary. Gun goes off (actually, the guy said GO, so I went), had a good run in and got going. A little bumping and jiving for position but nothing bad, everyone behaves within this experienced group of FAST women! I thought I had a good little group but found the water to be a lot rougher than my warm up swim. Anyhow, it was a little currenty too which didn't help. I didn't swim hard, pretty steady but just couldn't switch into that next gear. Got out of the swim, finally, and didn't even look at my watch, I knew it was slow. Grabbed Lucy and we headed out of T1. Immediately on the bike, I could feel my legs still had a bit of fatigue in them. I decided, HARDEN UP was going to be the mantra of the day (too much time on my feet the previous two days?). I watched the SRM with interest, mostly to make sure I didn't let up. I passed a few gals and a couple passed me and I hung on with another girl, legally of course. The bike actually went by pretty fast even though I was hurting the whole time. Anyway, got back to T2, racked Lucy, put on my runners and exited. If I thought my legs were bad for the bike, the run was a bit of a nightmare. Not only did I just PR for 40K bike by over 2 minutes, I'm not in the best run shape right now. Went out a little too fast but caught a couple gals in the process. I then went into damage control, my quads were done. Decided a steady pace was better than a serious positive split on the out and back course so just went into cruise mode. Honestly, I thought I was running a lot slower than I ended up! I think I finished ok, not where I wanted but I raced as hard as I could. Not bad for a long course gal like myself with some of the fastest amateur women in the country. I had a great experience overall and may make this an A race next year and see if I can crack top 10. I'm really sore and am taking a couple days pretty easy now to recover. Thanks to everyone who cheered for me and to Val and Paul for helping get Lucille set up. And always, my favorite training partner and motivator, the Dane.
Kia Kaha
p.s. from St Pete Times 4/30/08: The highest Tampa Bay area woman was Kathy Frailing, 41, of Belleair Beach, who finished 228th overall. Christina Noordstar, 32, of Tierra Verde came in 319th. Kailand Cosgrove, 18, of Tarpon Springs came in 434th, followed by Amy Keener, 32, of St. Petersburg in 492nd.

St Anthony's brief RR

Just wanted to jot a few things down so I don't forget to mention them when I post a long, painful to read race report. First off, it was a really fun weekend. I got to see and chat with a bunch of friends that I don't get to see very often which was great. I also got to get to know some people better that I had wanted to meet, especially the Gaal's. Too bad you guys don't live here, we'd have a blast! The girls I raced against in the elite amateur wave were crazy fast, as usual. I had a really bad swim - 2 1/2 minutes slower than last year. Great bike - 2 minutes faster than last year. And, the same slow run as usual. All in all, I got what I wanted out of this race, major bike improvements. I haven't been running a lot so didn't expect much there. The swim was pretty rough which I don't tend to swim well in - another area for improvement. It was a fun day and I held my own in the end, fourteenth out of 40-50 elite amateurs - not bad for what I put into the training. Note to self, don't stand all day for two days prior to the race again. More to come....
Kia Kaha

St. Anthony's week, weeeeeee!

Ok, I'd be a lot more excited about racing St. A's if I was in better shape and not gimpy but it's a fun weekend anyway. Tonight we'll head to St Pete Beach for Mad Dog swim and probably run into some friends along the way. We ran this morning and the Dane found his legs. Usually, he doesn't like to run under 9:00 miles on early morning runs but after the first mile, he was obviously feeling spry and we ended up running 6 miles in a decent clip. Saw alot of other runners out, it was neat. Friday evening, we'll head over the the Mad Dog party where we'll run into more friends and get to mingle with some of the best triathlon pro's in the world - pretty cool experience and one of the reasons I love this sport! We'll also be helping out in the Outspokin booth, selling Val's wares to all. This is sort of my second job as I get a lot in return for helping out at the expo! I hope to have a decent race but one never knows. I'm racing in the elite amateur division just to get out in an early wave because it's chaos racing in the age group waves. I'm one of the older gals but hopefully can finish mid-pack or so like last year. We rode quite hard last Sat and Sun with bricks both days and the legs are still quite dead so I'm doing a few grandma days here hoping they come around for Sunday. I'm going to forgo another ART session prior to the race because, even though it is helping my hammies, it really makes my legs feel knackered. So, anyhow, it'll be a fun weekend and regardless of how I finish, I'll race hard. I think I have a good chance to win the St A's household trophy this year although I know the Dane will fight to the death! All in good fun!
Kia Kaha

Lucille

That's what I've named my new P3. It was the funnest name of all my deceased family members, RIP. Plus, "Charles" just doesn't have the same meaning unless Lucille is the one saying it (only my family members will get that one)!
I have a headache and am coming down with a cold. Bummer.
Kia Kaha

Escape From Fort Desoto Sprint Tri

Can't believe I've crammed two races and some solid training into a six day span. I was a bit nervous about this race for several reasons. There are always some fast women here, I know a lot of people racing and I had some hard training days this week and didn't know how the legs would shake out. Well, I did ok, second overall female and got another Master's award. Every time I gripe about being old, I like to think of the Master's awards I've been racking up, kinda nice. I had a good warm up run/bike. I had some ART (active release) on Friday after work and this really helped my hammy's, I think. I only had a partial treatment since I was racing the next day but I will definitely get more treatments even though it's painful. The swim was a little tricky - long run out over the sand bar which sends the old heart into anaerobic nirvana! We had a current to swim against so it seemed pretty long. I concentrated on keeping my arm tempo really high like coach Seth preaches and it paid off. I got through the endless droves of prior waves with ease and just plugged along. All in all, a really good swim for me. It's about time because I have been really working on this. Onto the bike and the legs argued with me a bit. I had a rough go but just tried to keep the watts up and ignore the pain. Average bike but I didn't lose any placing, just time to the leader. On the run, I had one speed - unfortunately, it was the same speed as last week but this was a shorter run and needed to be much faster! Guess running mile repeats on Thursday night might have a bit to do with that! I did feel strong as the run progressed onto the sand, I just couldn't catch anyone ahead - Sharon was absolutely gone! Much credit to her, she is a fierce competitor and raises my game every time we race! I had a much better race than I had here last year, gotta be happy with that. The positive I take from the race is that I had a pretty balanced effort, not super fast or slow on anything, just steady in each.
Rode in the hills today and felt decent for not having been there for about 5 months!
Another hard week this week then I'll ramp it down for St. Anthony's on the 27th. Rethinking the half ironman, may change to Rhode Island 70.3 in July instead of Kansas - gives us more time and likely will be more inviting. Gotta look at the calender. The Dane comes back home today, yeah!!
Kia Kaha.

Great Clermont Oly tri

This race was kind of weird. I haven't traveled solo to a race since being with the Dane. I had no support crew or literally anyone I knew that was racing. Put that on top of being racked with the men, being numbered 313, having significant bad weather all night prior, I wasn't really sure about this. I got up at 3:30 am to make the drive to Clermont, not sure how bad the weather was going to be. I had a little oatmeal which I'm testing out for race day breaky, working well I'll say. The drive was wet but not raining, good. The weather was quite still in Clermont which was a nice surprise. Got my packet, made sure they knew I was a female (was originally registered male) and got transition squared away. One reason I like doing early "c" races is because you're reminded of all the silly things you seem to forget about since the last major race. I brought no towel to "mark my territory" amongst the men but, no worries, I have the plastic bag my wetsuit was previously in. Took my token 10 minute run to open up the body and the hamstrings were arguing but I didn't care to listen. We, the women, were the last wave, as usual. Got a good start but just didn't feel terribly comfortable the entire swim. Didn't get into any good drafts, just swimming along on my own but not super hard. My swim split represented that, not happy and hopefully will be better come St. Anthony's. Onto the bike after novice transition - couldn't get my wetsuit off and my glasses and helmet on. I liked having the SRM for a few reasons - I wasn't a slave to it but it kept me honest when I wanted to soft pedal a bit. I changed my bike position a bit last week (trying to get more aerodynamic) and am not comfortable on it at all at this point so all my descending was done out of the aero bars - ugh, slow. I did feel comfortable and strong on the flats. Kept my head in the game though my legs were not very rested. Off onto the run and felt immediately, I had left my legs on the bike course. I didn't head out like a bat out of Hell like I normally do and this proved to be a smart move with my current fitness level and advanced age. My hamstrings were killing so I jogged up the hills and tried to push down. Finished in 2:22 something and this is actually a PR for any Clermont olympic course for me. They moved transition also so much longer run to T1 than previously. I ended up 4th overall female which was a nice surprise since I didn't expect to have an overall result. Swim was not great, bike was definitely better and run was better than I expected with the injury issues since Jan. I actually felt stronger as the run went on, with the exception of the hills which really killed my hamstrings. I have diagnosed myself with a high hamstring tendonopathy which is basically a problem where the hamstring attaches to the pelvis. I have a massage tomorrow and my first ART treatment on Friday, hopefully this will help. If I don't get much relief, I'll have to reassess my spring races, the goal is Kona, afterall. Overall, I feel really good about the first race even with all the mistakes and pains I've had. One thing I love about this sport is there is always a learning curve!
Kia Kaha

New ride for '08

PICS NOT SO GREAT, THEY'RE FROM MY PHONE.

Thank goodness for rest week!

I've had a solid training week last week and am thoroughly tired and sore. I did all my workouts, plus extra swimming. My long run is still not long but I'm trying to gradually extend that. It'll affect my early races but hopefully I'll have it long enough for half ironman in June. I'm dealing with some really strange pains in my butt/hamstring area so have stopped the power weights - may have been too much to do while training with power on the bike. I'm gonna see how a week of rest does then persue opinions if these pains don't resolve next week. Being over 40 is a drag. I do have a race on Sunday 4/6, olympic distance tri in Clermont. I'll get to shake out the race cobwebs and open things up for real. I feel good about the swim and bike but the run is lagging due to time off from the injury. I'm really only doing this race because I don't like to have St A's being my first Oly distance tri. I look forward to racing with the power meter, not for instant in-race feedback but more for reviewing afterwards. We'll see. My legs are currently toast, hopefully I'll get a little spring back by Sunday. I have whirlwind schedule planned for April - Clermont 4/6, sprint tri 4/12, then St A's 4/27 (this being the most important of the three). I'm getting a new '08 P3C frame this week, my trusty '06 frame is on it's way to Sweden - I hope it's ridden fast! I'll be sure to take pics!
Kia Kaha

Bend and snap

Yeah, remember that from Legally Blonde?? Or something similar to that anyway. Funny movie. But, the point is, I'm trying to grasp the two-beat kick. It sounds really simple but, for one who did not grow up swimming, it is far from simple. Seems that learning to swim properly and efficiently has taken up more time than training the other sports! Anyway, Coach Seth was on deck demonstrating the two-beat kick dryland style and got into this rhythm and the word snap popped out of his mouth and Val and I busted up laughing (especially after Val blurted out "bend and snap"). Guess you had to be there! Keep in mind, we're swimming at 5AM, it doesn't take much to get giddy. He was making up drills for me to do and I felt like a wounded animal. I got to swim this morning with all of the lesson fresh in my mind and feel I have a mild grasp on it. I don't know if it's a runner thing but I didn't think I did that much kicking. We swam some 300's this morning and I really tried to concentrate on NOT kicking, just doing two-beat and dragging my legs. Amazing how much less tiring it felt! I didn't swim faster necessarily but it felt more efficient. Not sure I was doing it right but I'm working on it (different coach on deck). And, if you should see me running, yes I'm wearing compression socks. Not trying to be a Euro wannabe, just nursing my lower leg from the injury Jan/Feb and these really seem to help. They just look really dorky! Oh well, the price for better perfomance!
Kia Kaha -> my new slogan

Swimming and power lifting

Ohhhhhh, can I say painful combination! I have been on this strength training program for 3 1/2 weeks now, it's more based somewhat on power lifts and the remainder on moving your own body weight and dynamic resistance. It is killer and I'm spending more time in the gym than I ever have. I hope it's getting me stronger because I am truly sore after each session. The exercises change every session so the body doesn't adapt so easily and one can continue to make strength gains. Anyhow, I'm doing all this while ramping up my swimming, biking and running. Training on the bike with the power meter is becoming like another weight session and is quite demanding but every session is quality - no junk miles here! Running is coming along slowly. Did almost 7 miles yesterday with 3 x 7 min tempo in the middle. I'm not fast but I'm working on it. Swimming is challenging when paired with the weight training. However, I'm getting faster, I think. Had a 1000y TT in the pool this morning (done solo) and averaged 1:25 pace for the distance. I think that's some sort of improvement for me. It's not fast by any stretch but it's not so long ago that I was using 1:40 as my aerobic "T-pace". And, the fact that I'm in to middle of massive weight training AND able to swim faster is really positive! I think the technique work I'm doing is really helping me to not always try and muscle through the water. I am pumped that once I go to a maintenance phase on the weights in 6-7 weeks, I'll swim way faster. It is really fun because I used to be such an aweful swimmer. Just shows what dedication, consistency and drive can do to turn a weakness into a potential weapon. Now, if I can just ride the bike faster and not lose all that wonderful time I'll gain in the water, I'll be all set!
cheers

Running again

I didn't want to jinx myself and post last weekend about running again. I'm a bit superstitious I suppose! I did run last weekend off the bike Saturday and Sunday, just 20 minutes each day. Wondered who's legs I was running with - certainly not the legs I stopped running with 3 1/2 weeks ago! Anyway, no pain or injury issues, just suboptimal run fitness. Amazing how fast it goes away! Ran again on Weds, 40 minutes. I was supposed to run again on Thurs but thought I'd be better off just not running so just swam in the am and did serious power lifting in the evening. I've been swimming 4 days per week, 2 days technique and 2 days just regular masters yardage. I think this is going well. Riding with power meter which was broken and needed replacement which was done very quickly - thanks to SRM and Outspokin!! Lifting power weights three days per week and this is wicked hard! Sore after every one hour session because it is full-body workout!! The drive home from the gym, about 8 minutes, is an effort! The weights are slowing the other workouts but even so, I felt stronger in my Friday swim. Strange.
I'm getting HUGE! Hee hee. I will post pics of new brick route, it's killer - along the waterfront, then up to the golf course. Tough living. Change of race plans too, nixing St Croix 70.3 due to injury and don't want to go in there with subpar run. Planning instead to do IM Kansas 70.3 Lawrence in June, perfect timing and it'll be great to get back to KU country. Haven't been back there since I took classes in '90-'91. Go Hawks!
Ciao

Hey Ya'll

When I qualified for Kona '06 race, I gifted myself with a much-needed new tri bike. It was a really good move for me and I've enjoyed riding my P3C immensely. When I qualified for Kona '08, I decided to commit myself to cycling more (and more specifically) in '08 to prep for Kona. I felt the best way for me to try and make another leap forward in cycling was to train with power. I finally got my new SRM mid-January. I'm still playing around with it, trying to figure it out but I can see where more information will help me improve my cycling. I'm also doing a training program which is power based instead of heart rate based. It's hard and there is no hiding and not much "easy" mileage but I want to give this a shot. I did my first test on Sunday, functional threshold power (FTP) test. Drove out to Fort Desoto since there are no stop lights or any distractions there to do the test. My cycling program is pretty much based on my FTP so it was important to get this info. I actually was right around where I guessed I might be based on wattage readings I had gotten from my Tacx trainer over the past year or so. So now, I'm ready to embark on my training with specificity in increasing my FTP. We'll see if it works. Had a wrench thrown into my overall training with a running injury I seem to have aquired in Maui and also we have moved. The move has taken a bit away from training as I have been prioritizing going back and forth between houses to get our stuff moved and organized. The injury was a bit worse than I felt initially and I probably shouldn't have run the last 10K race but cest la vie. I did see someone about this and he confirmed my initial fear, probable "stress reaction" in my right leg, which is just short of being a stress fracture. The bad news is this takes 4-6 weeks to heal if I don't run at all (which honestly, I cannot currently). The good news is, it's starting to really feel better now after 2 weeks of no running. I figure 2 more weeks tops and I should be back pounding the pavement. I have been swimming 4-5 days per week, working strictly on form 2 of those days (swimming 101, Bree Wee style!). Getting back on the bike now that the house is getting a bit more organized. Besides, when the Dane gets back from his 10-day stint in Europe, he can finish up! Doing 1-2 trainer rides during the week then riding Sat and Sun with some specific power sets all days. So that's it. Hopefully, I'll be able to get my Spring races in but already having to cancel on Chilly Willy duathlon which is one of my favorites. We'll see....
Cheers!

St Pete Beach Classic 10K

Let me just say that this race is done extremely well. Spoke with Wendy, the race director, and she is a really nice person. Normally, I do a half marathon in January but they were on the same weekend this year and I chose to do the 10K because I love this race. I chose well as we had nice foggy, calm conditions on Saturday morning while Sunday morning (for the half marathon) was cold, windy and plain ick! Most know how much I hate the cold! So I dragged the Dane out with me for the 10K. To back up a bit, the last day in Maui, we ran a five miler and I had some pain in my right lower leg, didn't think much of it. It has continued to bother me so I haven't really run all week. I'm not quite sure what it is but it's becoming quite bothersome and I may have to see someone to get diagnosed. Anyhow, I was already signed up for the 10K so decided to warm up and see how the leg was. Injury pain seems to totally subside with racing, weird. I did run every day in December and felt my run fitness was ok but took it a little too hard in Maui so I didn't know how tired I would be from that. Gun goes off and six women take off and I am stuck in no man's land - I was afraid of going out to hard not having any speed or tempo work of any sort for several months, good decision. Went out in 6:3x and stayed there for a couple miles. I passed the Dane in the second mile, he wasn't having a good day. Nonetheless, the 10K household trophy is mine! I was also doing a lactate threshold test and had to run the second 5K as solid as possible. I really kind of died the last couple miles and barely squeeked under 42 min (although I think official result shows me at 42 even). Anyway, I only ran the second 5K about 17 seconds slower than the first which I thought was pretty good for me at this point. I won Masters and got nice swag for that! I also got my lactate threshold tested and now can plan my run program. I do need to solve this injury and hope I can do that without missing too much. We did sign up for St Croix 70.3 in May instead of doing Florida 70.3 which I have done every year since it started in '04. St Croix is a very tough course and will definitely be a challenge but I'm looking forward to it. All build up this year is for Kona and getting stronger for that. St Croix will give me some good feedback! Cheers.