End of year report

I wanted to post all of my workout information for the year.

Run Miles: 632.57 miles
Swim Miles: 37.51 miles
Bike Miles: 1021.07 miles
Hiking, Elliptical, other miles: 19.79
Total Milage: 1710.94 miles

Total Swim time: 1 day 4 hours 55 min
Total Bike time: 3 days 9 hours 21 min
Total Run time: 4 days 21 hours 16 min
Total other time: 1 day 12 hours 53 min
Total time: 11 days 1 hour 32 min

Total calories burned (not including the other activities): 119,103.8

What did you do this year?

Goal for 2009: total workout time for the year: 28 to 30 days!

Winterfest 2008

Joe and I never run together. It is usually not a very good experience for both of us. This year Joe is still battling a sinus problem and on a high dose of antibiotics and prednisone so he decided to run the Albany Winter Festival 5K with me. I was not planning on running very fast - I love to enjoy the lights in the park, forget about running fast through them, enjoy them. So we started in my normal starting position, which Joe has never started in before, in the back of the pack where I belong. As soon as the air horn sounded, the crowd lurched forward and then stopped. This is fairly consistent with a race of this size. Joe didn't know what happened. Then we were moving up the hill and into the park. Joe had never had this experience before. The lack of race etiquette that happens back here is sometimes funny, sometimes annoying, and sometimes dangerous. The kids that weave between people and get under your feet is not a good thing. Just because I am slow doesn't mean I am unexperienced and I welcome new people to enjoy the sport but they need to learn race etique before they race or else it is not fun for the rest of us. Joe was taking it all in though and running with me! We actually watched all of the animals that were portrayed in the lights and enjoyed the tour around the world with Australia, France, Piza, and Japan represented. Joe even let me beat him. I told him it didn't matter if he beat me or not but he let me win. Of course, he got to deal with the chaos at the finish line with people not stopping in the shoot and running into others or not understanding that there was order in the line, not just people hanging out. Overall, a fun day with my husband. We deserve a relaxing race every once in a while since the rest of the year won't be so relaxing!!

New Year, New Age! Goals for 2009

Since 2008 is coming to an end, I figured I would put up my goals for 2009. These are not resolutions but goals for my life for the year. This is a big year for me; I turn 30 on Jan 2 and I am doing an Ironman. How exciting!!! So here are my goals for the next year:

To stay healthy

To have a successful 1/2 IM (PR and feel mentally prepared) in preparation for IM LP

To finish IM LP (my first IM) upright and with a smile within the 17 hour time limit (who am I kidding, I will be smiling and crying all at the same time)

To PR in a fall marathon since I didn't do it this year

To save money so that Joe and I can go to Hawaii next year or go back to a Sandles resort in the Carribean or to take a cruise to somewhere tropical - we just want to take a big trip in the year 2010 after our second Ironman.

To live a happy, exciting, athletic life with my loving husband, family, and friends.

I hope everyone will have a fantastic 2009 with health and happiness! Enjoy the new year! But lets not rush into the summer months. I have a lot of training to do and am not ready for July to come yet!

Ironman Here I Come

Ironman training started!!! I am back. I love the crazy workouts, the time in the gym (and there is a lot of it), I missed my bike (I can get back into my love/hate relationship with my bike. I don't have kids, I have a bike!!), and the pool is always welcoming! Aside from the Southwest, Lake Placid, Keene Valley and Burlington, the gym is one of my favorite places to be. If I could workout for 8 hours a day, I would be the happiest person ever. Along with the great feeling of accomplishment I get when I complete my planned workouts for the day, I am also sleeping well and have regained my appetite which I have to keep in check. I missed the lovely perfume of a triathlete - chlorine from the pool (that smell never seems to go away).

I love triathlon training!

San Antonio Pictures

I posted a few San Antonio pictures today. Thought everyone would enjoy them! San Antonio was a beautiful place and a fantastic trip.

Troy Turkey Trot 2008

What does Thanksgiving Day mean to me? It is very traditional. First, we drive to Troy - no matter what the weather is - then someone does the Turkey Trot, then we would eat and watch football later with the family. It is a wonderful bonding experience. Isn't this what all families do on Thanksgiving? If it isn't, then it should be. My family has done this since I was a little girl. My family would be bundled up and brought to Troy to see my grandmother and grandfather. My dad would go to the starting line. We would make our way down to the course and watch the race. When I was in third grade I did my first Turkey Trot grade school mile - I was slow then too. I did my next Turkey Trot when I was either in high school or college (I can't remember). My family missed this tradition two or three times as my mom and dad packed us up to go down to Disney World in Florida when we were in grade school and my dad had trouble reconciling missing the Turkey Trot with going to Florida but in the end, he and my sister and I were thrilled with our trips. At this point in my life, I understand why you would question missing the turkey trot- I mean, what is Thanksgiving without running a race??? Last year we went down to Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving and did a Turkey Trot there so isn't it obvious that all people do this on Thanksgiving? We actually scheduled our trip to go to Pittsburgh only after we found out that there was a race on Thanksgiving day otherwise we were planning on leaving after the Troy Turkey Trot to go down to Pittsburgh. Turkey Trot is not just for runners either. My cousins and their families come out each year and watch the race at the Ale House. Maybe, just a thought, since they are at the Ale House, it really isn't about watching the race but being able to drink beer at 9 am??? NO, OF COURSE IT IS ABOUT WATCHING THE RACE!!! I came out for years and watched Joey and my father do this race. We come to this race each year with the intention of seeing friends we haven't seen in years, seeing friends we saw yesterday, seeing co-workers with their families, seeing family members that we won't see again until Christmas, seeing former and current athletes, seeing former coaches, seeing people that you only see on Thanksgiving day, and just enjoying a nice workout before the big meal. And if you don't think that Turkey Trots are important to Thanksgiving day, let the more than 5,000 people who ran yesterday as well as those people who ran in the Cardiac Classic and the Cohoes Turkey Trot tell you that it is. Turkey Trots are so important to Thanksgiving traditions that there are more people all over the US participating in Turkey Trots on Thanksgiving day than ever before. Thanksgiving and Turkey Trot - the perfect combination if you ask me.

This years Troy Turkey Trot was a little different than in previous years. Joe and I decided to run the 10K while my parents were running the 5K. We wanted to get there in time to see them run so we decided to leave the house at 8:30 to get to Troy by 9am and the 5K was to start at 9:30 am. They changed the course this year but we were still planning on parking in the same place as we have in years past. The first problem came with a traffic jam. We turned around and rerouted ourselves but then hit a closed street - we couldn't get to our originally planned parking place. We drove around Troy trying to find parking - so were a lot of other trotters. We ended up high on the hill in Troy next to a big glass building (don't know what it is but it is cool looking with what looks like a giant wooden half pipe inside the building). We walked down a lot of stairs then found our way to the course. We were later than we had planned so we just walked out to a spot to cheer for my parents. We got to talk to a couple of parents of our former athletes and a couple of Joe's former athletes along the way. Joe and I don't do the 5K because it is far too crowded so we went far enough away so that the crowd would have thinned a little so we could more easily find my parents. We waited and waited for the race to start and nothing. They started the race 15 minutes late!!! That kills anyones warm-up. The racers started coming and then they started to go around the island that we were standing on and we felt like we were being attacked. We found my dad!! We found my mom!!! We went back down the block once all 4500 participants went by - WOW that was a lot of people!!! Because they had started 15 minutes late, we were on a time crunch now - we wanted to see my parents finish but needed to hit the bathrooms, get off our warm clothes, and get out to the starting line. We watched the first 1000 people go by before we had to run to the bathrooms and get ready. We went back to the Troy Atrium and got ready and out to the starting line at 10:27 - 3 minutes before the start. I was planning on just going on a nice training run today since I am still recovering from the marathon so there was no warm-up for me today. Our race started 5 minutes late but that was okay, it gave me time to stretch my hip flexors, quads, and IT bands since they are all still a little tight from San Antonio. The airhorn went off and we were off. I settled into a nice run. I was breathing through my nose. I was happy. I saw my mom and waved. I saw my cousins and waved. Then these two women decided I was their pacer. I decided to have a little fun with them since I was running pretty easily. I know that that may sound mean but I am very competitive when it comes down to it - you didn't know this fact about me?? I started to increase the pace a little and the two women stuck with me. They were breathing hard though, I wasn't. I increased a little bit more - they were really struggling to keep up. One decided to play back and surge ahead. I laughed a little in my head because I knew I still had more left, I mean I ran 20 more miles than this a week and a half ago. I let her have her minute and she fell back to me - haha!!! I knew she would come back. Now, I could really see what they had in them. By the way, I was secretly hoping that they would challenge me back and make this a little more fun and competitive. They didn't. I picked it up again and then all of a sudden I was alone. The breathing had gone away, it was suddenly quiet. I dropped them. Then I decided that I could catch the people a little ways ahead of me. And now I was in my competitive mindset - I wasn't planning on doing that during this race but I felt good, oh well, this is my last race for a little while, why not make this one a little competitive. I caught the group ahead of me and passed them. Alone again. Another group was in my sightline, I passed them. I was in race pace and slightly uncomfortable - what a fantastic feeling!!! More people, I passed them. This is why we race!!! More people. I passed them too. Mile 5 - only one left and I had more in me. I just kept passing people. My legs were burning. I was breathing hard. The thought of "If I had only started race pace a little earlier I could have had a PR" was going through my thoughts. Mile 6 - only .2 left. Kept passing people. One person decided to race with me and I was psyched. She dropped off, oh well. Then we hit a slight hill and I thought "Where did the slight hill come from?? We have to finish on a slight uphill??? I hate that." I kicked! I finished hard. I felt accomplished. I was happy with my race. I wished I had started race pace earlier. Oh well. 1:04:34 - not my best but better than I had planned. The finishing area was pretty much cleared out because I had finished in the back of the pack which made it nice to just walk around and get water and a fantastic orange. My parents and Joe found me and we talked for a little while then went towards our cars. We had to walk up all those stairs to get to the car - Ouch!!! My knees were sore. And then we were off to our day of visiting family.

Today, I am sore. My calves are tight. My legs are not recovering from the marathon very well because of this and turkey raffle run but oh well I will take some easy running days this weekend and next week and all will be better. It was a good race. It was a good day. Meeting with Joe's family. Giving Cooper food and seeing his toys - the elephant and the monkey were some favorites. Eating with my family. Reading books to Sierra, watching Kaelah write words by herself, seeing Lila with her new glasses and reading jokes with Joey. I love the time we get with our families. It was a fun day.

Twilight and Turkey Raffle Run

What a great weekend for me! After a summer of reading the Twilight series, it is finally out in the movies. Joe, Alynn, Heather, her sister, and I had made plans to see it on Saturday months ago. We were joined by two others that we work with and went to get our seats. Good movie!!! There were several things that didn't work for me and it is quite the stalker/obsessive relationship but it was still worth watching and as my friend Amy said to me, it is about a vampire and a human so it is a strange relationship! I was disappointed by the people they picked for most of the characters as they just weren't what I had envisioned in my head but they portrayed the book well enough and left it so that they can release another movie - hopefully sooner than later!

The weekend before Thanksgiving is always centered around Turkey Raffle Run. Turkey Raffle Run is a laid back run for 1 hour around the Crossings. It is so much fun just to run and pick up raffle tickets for every loop you do. The loop is about 1 mile long and I did 5 today. This was the best post marathon run I have ever had. I think it is probably because I took more time off than usual after the marathon. I just wanted to be this week so I took it easy. My hip flexor is sore and my heel is getting better from my massive blister so I had a lot of questions about what would happen today but I started slow and then found my pace. I didn't win anything but Joe won a 20 lb turkey. That is a lot of turkey for Joe to eat since I am a vegetarian!!! My mom won an apple pie which is funny because she made and brought 2 apple pies for the raffle. She basically just traded her apple pies for this apple pie.

Next up: Troy Turkey Trot 10K. After that, just Ironman training for a little while.

Rock N Roll San Antonio

I just got back from San Antonio today (Monday). What a beautiful city!!! The weather was nice, even though a cold front went through and it got "cold" while we were there. The Riverwalk was fantastic and the entire city was very nice. The food was great! Some of the best Mexican food that I have ever had and the salsa fabulous.

My third marathon is in the books! Three years ago I didn't think I could do a marathon but I have done 3 in 2 years. 2 this year. And I am signed up for Ironman. How amazing that life is so exciting and changes so quickly. I can't believe how my life has changed over the past three years.

Lets talk about the marathon and the week before the marathon.

Last weekend we did the Schenectady Stockadeathon. I figured this would be a good run during my taper. I had a plan of running under 1 hour 34 minutes by maintaining just over 10 minutes a mile. I wanted to make sure that I got in 10 miles. I got to the starting line and ran with a friend whose goal was 1 hour 29 minutes. I didn't stick to my race plan - STUPID ME!!!! I got in a great warmup. I just didn't stick to my plan and I was dying at mile 4. By the way it was a 9.3 mile race. I know better. So, I ran a 1 hour 33 min race. It is a PR for me but I was pissed off at myself for not following through on my plan. This also made sure that I was recovering a little longer than I wanted to this week.

I have taken the past week pretty easy to make sure I am tapered well and recovered even better. I went for a 30 min run on Tuesday, 25 min run on Wednesday, 20 jog on Friday and then took off Saturday. We traveled to San Antonio on Thursday to make sure that we were there with plenty of time to acclimate to the temperature, humidity, time change, etc.

You may be wondering why I am telling you all of this. It is because I am trying to figure out what went wrong during the race. This is the first marathon that I was not going into it sick and did the most long runs. Marathon #1 - I had mono and ran a 4 hour 50 min marathon, Marathon #2 - I was sick for 5 weeks prior to the race and ran a 4 hour 55 min marathon, and Marathon #3 - I felt prepared, had PRed in distances up to the half marathon all over the place and had quality training in. My goal was a sub 4 hour 50 min marathon. I ran a 5 hour 2 min marathon. I finished. That was the number 1 thing that I achieved. I have finished 3 marathons. That is impressive. But...WHAT WENT WRONG???? I don't have this figured out yet obviously.

The day started out really well. It was in the 40's at the start. It seemed like a good day. We had done a lot of walking over the past three days sightseeing in San Antonio but I felt ok on the morning of race day. I didn't have my normal breakfast as the hotel didn't have poptarts or toaster strudel so I had Cheerios and half a bagel with peanut butter. Unlike some of the participants, we got to the starting line without a problem. I went to the porta potties and did my thing. I got to the starting line and after the race started for wave 1 I had to wait for 30 minutes for my wave to start. I hit another porta potty again while waiting and got hungry while waiting as well so I ate some fruit snacks. The race started well. I went out slower than I normally would but I didn't want to start too fast. I had a fantastic 1/2 marathon. So much fun too!!! We kept going and felt great up until after mile 17. I had some intestinal issues initially but I didn't want to stop because I was on pace for a 4hour 46 min marathon. Then I just kept getting slower. My muscles got soooo tight. I didn't want to eat anything. After mile 19 I decided to walk the aide stations. I kept getting slower. It got warmer out - around mid to high 60's. My entire upper body hurt. I was in a death crawl. I started going to the run 4 walk 1 minute running method. I just wanted to get to the end. I picked it up a little after mile 25. The end though was interesting - we finished on an uphill. Yuck!!! Of course, the entire course was much more hilly than I had expected. For a course that was said to be flat and fast, I didn't expect the couple of rolly hills that were in it. This was the hardest course that I have done in marathoning. But that still doesn't explain why I self destructed.

Maybe I didn't do enough weekday runs. Maybe I didn't do enough long runs even though this is the best i have done with my long runs. Maybe I didn't fuel appropriately this weekend - there was a lot of vegetables but not a lot of carbs the two days before. Maybe I just don't run well in the heat/sun. I did a lot of yoga but no weight lifting this time around - maybe I should do more weights. Maybe I didn't sleep enough the week before. Maybe I didn't recover from the Stockadeathon well enough - I didn't keep to my plan which should have been better for recovery. Maybe I didn't taper enough. Maybe I tapered too much - shorter runs the during the weekdays two weeks before the race. Maybe I did my last long run too close to the race - 2 weeks ago. Maybe I went out too fast and ran the first half too fast even though I was right on target for my goal time. Maybe I wasn't hydrated well enough - even though I drank a lot of water this weekend. Maybe I put too much pressure on myself up to the marathon and needed this one to be the best one. I could maybe all day long but what would that accomplish now.

I am happy with the race though. It was lots of fun and I finished. I just can't believe I self destructed. I will do another even though this past weekend was very difficult and I am really excited about the half marathon distance. I am doing Ironman in July and am disappointed that I don't have a fall marathon planned - maybe I will get into the NYC marathon this year. Although I don't think that one is going to be the PR course but could be a positive marathon experience without much expectations as it is a very hilly course.

So, instead of doubt myself. I want to end with a positive. I finished. How many people can say that they did 3 marathons. San Antonio was great and the course was fantastic and fun. Ironman training here I come!

A quote to end my blog for today:

"No matter how old I get, the race remains one of life's most rewarding experiences."
George Sheehan
GEORGE SHEEHAN

Let's Talk About Me... Wait, We Always Do!!!

Hello everyone! Life is crazy (as always). After our NYC weekend, I ended up with Bronchitis and a bacterial infection in my lungs which put a little bit of a damper on running for a little while (about 2 weeks). I basically ran only on race day for 2 weeks straight. Here are the race reports and a marathon update from the past 3 weekends.

Washington DC - Army 10 miler:
We drove down to DC after school on Friday - a 7 hour drive when we were both very sick. We arrived in DC at Mimi and Erich's house (sorry to both of you for our non-stop runny noses, coughing, etc.). It was a beautiful weekend in DC. We went to the National Portrait Gallery on Saturday after packet pickup. The Gallery was enormous. It was so cool though. I can't believe how many pictures and paintings there are in that building. We spent a good 2 1/2 hours there and didn't get through half of it. We then headed back to Erich's house to order pizza for Radius (some of the best pizza I have ever had), watched a little of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and headed to bed early. The next day we wake up early, get on the metro, and arrive at the Pentagon in the dark. This is the biggest production I have ever seen. There were armed army officers everywhere. There were even security dogs. We wandered around for a while found the port-a-potties, found the baggage check, watched the Canadian parachute team do formations after jumping from a plane, and then went through security to get to our starting corrals. Yes, I said security - no electronic devices, no bags, and no beverages over 6 ounces. This was the most secure race I have ever been a part of. It is also the most organized race I have ever been a part of which was great for me since I am a little obsessive about having organized events. The first wave started at 8 am, Erich and Joe were off - not that I could see them as I was in a parking lot and they were up on a road about a 1/2 mile from where I was standing. I was in the bathroom line again when their wave went off which was great since no one was waiting for them at that point. I had been warming up for about 20 minutes by this point so I bathroomed it, found my corral and stretched. By the way, my warm-up consisted of running back and forth in an area inside of security since I would have had to go back through security again if I had left the area and the lines were far too long. So, my wave started at 8:10. Really??? The canon went off but we were still standing in the parking lot. 8:20 we were on the move through the parking lot and up a grassy incline (how come those of us who are the slowest have to go farther than those who are the fastest - oh, the irony) and at 8:25ish I am across the finish line. Why did I bother warming up??? Not sure, I will not do that next year. The race started well. I was running ok considering I was not feeling well. It was a little more hilly than we had anticipated and it was warm. Beautiful route though. We went by the Botanical Gardens which had these really cool "Earth's" outside. We went by a lot of monuments. Imaging running here everyday - how cool would that be. Then we got to mile 8. It went on a road that acts as an overpass. Holy crap!!! It was such a long incline. At this point not feeling well really started to hit home. I wanted to run my marathon race pace (11 min per mile) but had averaged under that up until this point. I didn't think I could keep it up. But we got past mile 9 and then to mile 10 and the finish. I finished in 1:48.32. A 10.51 per mile pace which was good for me during marathon training. I then had to navigate through the chaos of the 30,000 runners and their family members at the finish area at the Pentagon. I finally decided that Erich and Joe may have decided to go to baggage claim to wait for me since I would have to end up there at some point. After the race, Joe and I both felt awful. I told Erich and Joe that running this race was probably one of the worst moves I have ever made and I should have just stayed home today. Oh, well, hindsight is 20/20. We all know that next time I am sick and there is a race I will do exactly the same thing I did that day and feel bad after all over again. I finally found them at baggage check and we went back to Erich's, showered, ate, and I took a nap before the GPS took us on a screwy way home but we were home within 7 hours so it was ok. We will be back next year and hopefully we will be in better health and faster!!!

HMRRC 1/2 Marathon:
So, running 10 miles when sick is not a good idea. I didn't feel well the entire week leading up to this race. I finally felt ok to run on Saturday and the race was on Sunday. So, I guess I was really well rested for this one. My goal - to finish without relapsing into sickness again. We get to the start we find that it was much colder out than we had planned. We got to the start at a perfect time though. We got to use the bathrooms before the busses got there with all of the other runners who left their cars at the finishing area. (Those of you who are not runners don't understand how important bathroom time is to us runners.) When we got to the start and I decided that I was going to sacrifice a long sleeved shirt for my warmth. A mile in I lose the shirt - bye bye shirt. I feel like I kindof fell asleep for the first 4 miles - not really sure why but I did. After a sub-par mile 4 I kicked my butt into gear and started to race. Not sure what clicked but it was the best and longest tempo run/1/2 marathon race pace of my life. What a fantastic run too. I had a 5 minute PR in the 1/2 marathon. I ran it in 2:18. I finished before the first marathon finisher too. I knew I was on my upper limit as to my pace for this distance and kept waiting for the wall - I love when I hit the wall because it shows me that I have pushed as hard as I can and I learn where my limits are. The wall never came. It was a fabulous experience. I realized today that I have done all of my 1/2 marathons in Lake Placid or Schroon Lake which are incredibly hilly courses so who knows if my PR is one of just being on flat terrain or of me being in better shape. The downside of this run is that I have learned that my new shoes are great for up to 6 miles but over 6, I get a horrible blister on my heel. Need to fix this by next week if these are going to be my marathon shoes.

Marathon Training Run - 15.5 miles - What a great day. I felt great. It didn't feel like I ran that far but I did. I also can't believe how good my body felt the next day. How exciting!!! Blister worse though. I ordered new shoes. Thank you Alynn for riding your bike with me for 2hours and 50 minutes.

The Great Pumpkin Challenge - 10K
I love this race. It is really flat in the first 5K and then the second 5K is all hills. It is challenging once you get past mile 4. Today was a speed day. I wanted to average under 10 minutes per mile for the course which is tough on a hilly course for me. I am in great distance running shape but have not trained on hills because the San Antonio course is not hilly and I am not in 10K speed shape either with my focus on 11 min per mile workouts to make sure that I can PR at San Antonio. This was going to be hard for me even though it was only 6.2 miles. The course is through Saratoga State Park which is gorgeous so I was hoping that that would be a distraction enough for me to succeed. I went to warmup on this rainy, cold day and felt ok on my warm-up. I got to the starting line 5 minutes before the start time to stretch but we started late so by the time we started I was cold again. The first mile felt fast but wasn't what I wanted it to be - 10:08. The next mile was better 10:01 but still not fast enough. Mile 3 was great - 9:15. I was happy with that mile. Mile 4 was a 9:45 then mile 5 with 2 or 3 of the hills was slow at 10:08. Mile 6 was excellent even though I was struggling - this was a fast day for me and I was feeling the pain - 9:55. I finished on my watch at 1:00:56 which is my PR on the course. They had me at 1:01:17 which still may be a PR for me on that course. Nice and fast day!!! My new shoes are fantastic too. No knee or foot pain. No new blisters. No extension of the old blisters. I am happy with my performance of the day.

In conclusion:
So, I feel semi-confident in my abilities for the marathon on November 16. Next weekend is my longest run of my training. Hopefully that will go well and I will end marathon training on a high note. Then I go into the Stockadeathon in Schenectady where I want to do some more speed training for 9.3 miles (about the same pace as the Great Pumpkin Challenge just with 3 extra miles) which should help me with some speed and a little endurance late in training right before the main part of my taper. I really want to PR this marathon. I am not sure why it means that much to me but it does because I don't think I have given this distance a great try. I am faster than my previous times would show that I am.

So, I will end with my mantra that gets me through running hard and long because these are all true of my and my running.

I am strong
I am fast
I am visualizing pain leaving my body with every breath exhaled.

Talk to you all after my last long run next weekend. Have a good week.

Weekend in NYC

Last weekend we went down to NYC so that Joe could do the Urbanathlon. What a crazy race. Run 8 miles with lots of different obstacles in that 8 mile time frame including 52 flights of stairs up and down, monkey bars, jumping over taxis and scaling an 8 foot wall. I just was not up for that craziness but Joe and Erich had such a great time with it. If I could find two more to make up a team, I would do it next year. Just have to find 2 more crazy people to come down with us and run and do crazy obstacles. Maybe that will happen.

Running is a little better now that I have a new pair of shoes. I actually ran on a treadmill at 5:45 am on Saturday morning while we were in NYC because I wanted to continue to break in my shoes. I feel like my joints are returning to normal now that I have more padding and support under my feet. The shoes should be ready for this weekend at the Army 10 miler in Washington DC.

So, we are in Washington DC this weekend. I am really excited. Army 10 miler here I come.

Alright, back to the biggest loser. I love this show. I want to get on the show but I don't fit the criteria to get on the show. I want someone to kick my butt for 8 hours a day. I would love it. You wouldn't hear me complain once. I love Jillian!!!! I want her as my trainer. Can she come and live with Joe and me??? There are very few shows on TV this season that I like except Biggest Loser, Till Death, How I Met Your Mother, Lipstick Jungle, and The Big Bang and all of those shows are on on Monday and Tuesday nights. Lipstick Jungle must be DVRed as it is on too late at night for me. So, I am really enjoying watching Biggest Loser tonight.

OK, enough of the randomness. Have a good night and good week. Maybe I will try to have Joe update his blog now!!!

Its been a while

I have been really busy. Between teaching, running, and traveling, we haven't been around at all. The last two weekends were in Keene Valley. Last weekend was the North Elba Half Marathon. I have been really struggling with running recently but North Elba went pretty well - 2hours 24 min 25 sec. My PR is 2: 23 so I was fairly happy with that time. It was more hilly than I thought it was going to be. Joe left out a couple of decently sized hills. When I got to the hills that Joe forgot, I though "Huh??? Maybe they changed the course. Maybe Joe just didn't want to scare me." The temps for the day were supposed to be in the high 50's which would have been perfect but it wasn't in the high 50's it was in the high 60's and a bit humid. I started well and actually felt really strong until mile 10 but I was happy with my ability to maintain after I didn't feel as good any more. The only thing that was tough for me is that it wasn't a large race so I felt that I was soooo far back at the beginning but I did catch people near the end which always happens. I did well. The frustrating part was that when I entered the horse shoe grounds where the finish was I started to give a little "kick" (little being the operative word). Then I got to a line of people and could see the finish line behind the people. I let out a "S#^%" when I realized I had to go around the parking lot to get to the finish line. My kick was gone by the time I got around the parking lot. Lila and Kaelah tried to run the last .1 miles with me but Kaelah kept falling behind since she did the warmup with me so they cut across and caught me at the finish line. Overall, it was a good day.

Yesterday, I went for a run. It sucked. I was dehydrated. I am over it.

Today, I went for a run. It was good, almost great but not quite. My new shoes felt good. I did a tempo run that went exactly as planned. I have been waiting for an excellent run for weeks. Since I have been back at school, I haven't felt great while running and since running is my stress relief, I have been incredibly stressed out. When the thing that relieves your stress isn't going well, it ends up adding more stress to your life. I just have been off since being back at school. I think I am finally back to normal, well, as normal as I am ever going to be.

I just want to make a note on YOGA!!!! I love YOGA!!! I have missed yoga sooooooo much!!! The only way I get through Wednesdays is because I know that I will be in YOGA soon and will feel 100% better than I did when I went in. Even if I don't want to go at the end of the day, whenever I go I am always so much happier when I left. I don't know how I made it through the summer without YOGA!!!! Next summer, I am finding somewhere that I can practice while in Keene Valley. It is a must.

Getting into a rhythm

I am trying really hard to get into a rhythm now that I am back at work. Last week didn't go so well. I am struggling with my asthma lately but I think it is because the weather was so humid last week. I feel much better today. My ankle is also a little sore from turning it on the hike last weekend. So, I have edited my schedule for marathon training a little. I will still be ready but I am hopeful that my running will improve as it has sucked since the last 9 mile effort. I got on my bike today and that also sucked. I think I am just tired. Once I get back on a schedule everything should be better - I hope. Sometimes I can go for weeks without a good run. I am hoping that it will be a good run this weekend as it is the North Elba Half Marathon. I will go for a run tomorrow and Thursday and then take Friday off as the race is on Saturday. I am hoping it will be good weather and a good day.

First day back

Work? What is that?? Well, I did it today. Here is my comments on last night and today:

6am is early.
Cats are loud at night.
Cars shouldn't be able to honk their horns at 2 in the morning!!
It was hot last night.
It was hot today
This bed is different from my bed at home, I mean the camp
Work clothes, what are those, I don't have any of those - I guess we had to go shopping.
Groceries?? We have to get those??? Too many options - the only Price Chopper in Lake Placid or the Grand Union in Elizabethtown makes life easier.
Constant access to a cell phone is weird
Internet, immediate access to the internet, that is great, or is it??
My name is no longer Kelly, I just get called by my last name.
Who are all of you people I haven't seen in 2 months??
Work?? I need to do this? I don't like to rush back into this work thing.
What is that thing that keeps talking to me in the living room - oh, it is the TV. Who knew it could be so bad and annoying.
News - there is something going on around the world??? I had no idea.
I am tired.

Ok. That is enough for today as my mental capacity has hit its limit for the day. Time to pack for yoga and running tomorrow. My first yoga class since June - I am really excited. That will be my favorite part of the day.

I know that several of you must think I have an easy life but wait until we really get into the school year. Then it just gets crazy busy with work during the day and planning at night especially now that I am teaching a new class and working on an independent study. Plus, working out to train for an Ironman should take away lots of time that I have left. Then I get stressed and tired. I am glad that I got my sleep in this summer. I am tired just thinking about grading research projects.

Time for bed. Good night.

Yuck

Let me just recap my long weekend.

Saturday - went on my long run for this week. It was scheduled to be 13.1 miles. I dropped Joe off to do a trail run at the Adirondack Lodge Road and went up to Mirror Lake to start my run. The weather forecast was for rain/showers during the day so I was excited to get on my run as I love to run in the rain. It was cloudy when I started going around Mirror Lake. I just didn't feel great, couldn't get my stride, and I was having trouble keeping my breathing even. I went around the lake and then started down toward River Road. It was hot and sunny by this point. I generally am very slow when it is hot but today I was dragging. I got about 4 miles out and felt awful. I kept trying to get myself together but I really was struggling. I got to River Road (about 5 miles out) and decided that I was going to aim for 11 miles which is what I did last weekend. I got 1 mile more in and just didn't have it. I turned around. I got to a point where I just had to stop and walk. I walked about .5 miles drinking water and Gatorade. I started running again with hopes of just hitting 9 miles at this point. I did it. I guess I will be running 13.1 miles next weekend because of this. A nice swim in Mirror Lake was my reward for just going that far on a really tough day.

Sunday - Hiking!!! Noonmark Mountain was our goal. My mom, dad, Joe, and I went out for the hike. I decided that I didn't want to read the trail description before we left so that I didn't judge the hike before I even started. Because Joe and I both ran large distances yesterday, we decided that we would be moving slowly in order to get it done. It was tough with lots of rocks but it was a great day and a great hike. We got to stay on the top for a while and take in the Great Range, Giant Mountain, Hurricane Mountain, and lots of other great mountain views. We went down a different, longer, but less steep route. Joe and I were doing really well going down. We got to an intersection but we weren't sure where we were supposed to be going so we stopped and waited for my parents. As we were waiting, we decided to sit and relax. As I was sitting I saw this big snake slithering down the path very rapidly chasing a toad!!! I jumped up and ran to another place to avoid being in the way. Joe was trying to figure out why I was so jumpy and I couldn't get the words out of my mouth "Frog and and and....SNAKE!!" The snake kept coming towards us and it finally caught the toad. Poor Toad. The toad was screaming as the snake was killing it. I felt so bad for it that I couldn't save it. Who knew that toads could scream??? My dad said later that it was saying "Help me Kelly!!" Joe watched the entire attack and the swallowing of the toad. It was the largest snake I have ever seen in the wild. After the snake incident, we continued down the trail. My legs were tired from yesterday but I was doing ok and then I twisted my ankle. It hurt but I kept going - it wasn't too bad just a little tweak. I then got to a place where I put my foot down, it slid (usually not a problem) and then got caught under a small root. I fell because of this. I didn't even see it coming. All we said was that that would hurt tomorrow. We finished the hike and felt fantastic about a good day and a fantastic hike.

Monday - Sore!!! Very Sore!!! My ankle is sore, my hips are sore, my quads are sore, my back is sore and stiff from the fall. What is my remedy for this??? Go for a bike ride. I figured that it would be good to loosen the muscles so that I could stretch them. Only a short ride out there today. We then went to the Great Range for a farewell lunch and had a great salad, sandwich, and a fantastic lemoncello cake - possibly the best desert I have had in a really long time. We then went back to the camp, finished packing the cars, and then headed home. What a sad day.

So, now we are home and we are going back to work tomorrow. The problem with coming back is going to be that the weather forecast for the next week is highs in the 80's. We haven't hit 80 in Keene Valley recently (actually only 3 times this summer) and have been living in the high 60's and low 70's over the past few weeks. These temperatures are going to be tough for us. Also, tough to get used to - noise from neighbors/living in a city, traffic lights, stop signs, really fresh produce, Cedar Run veggie burgers, and not being able to sleep until 9am. We are going to try to go to the Troy Farmers Market this weekend as we want to try to get fresh produce here to buy local and fresh fruits and veggies.

Running is going well

I was thinking about how this is the first summer that I have actually run distances. Usually the heat and humidity is too awful to run in during the summer and/or maybe I am usually just out of shape (I think it is a combination of the two) and I just do basic runs but this summer I am doing well. Up this weekend is an 11 mile run which I am confident in my ability to complete.

This past weekend was fun. Amy came to visit and we went to the farmers market, hiking up Owls head, drove to the top of Whiteface, and went for a bike ride as she just bought a new bike. See the bottom for a few pictures of the weekend.

Nothing new

I haven't really been up to much athletically lately, so no new posts. We were home this weekend to see a friend who had surgery (Hi Heather!), to go to a surprise birthday party (Hi Brenda), to see Joe's family (Hi Sam, Jessica, Cooper, Joe, Joanne, Aileen, Ed, Carissa, Zach, Murph, Jeanne!!), and get in some Olympic coverage. It was a good but tiring weekend as we were going the entire time.

This week I have finished the Twilight series and am struggling to find my next book. I went for my longest bike ride of the season today which was good. I did two good runs this week. Amy is coming to visit this weekend as are Lila, Kaelah, and Sierra.

We have no race in the immediate future but looming on the horizon is the Lake Placid Half Marathon in September.

Not much else to say today, so, off I go to get a milkshake!!! Then we will watch an episode of the first season of House. Yippie! Sounds like a good night to me.

Two for the price of one

I have done a lot since the last time I posted. Friday, Joe and I went for a swim in Mirror Lake. I went out with the idea that I would do about 15 minutes out and then head back in but my alarm never went off and I was so comfortable that I just kept going and did the entire Ironman loop (1.2 miles plus the shore to start line - 1.3 miles) in 53 minutes. I felt so comfortable and relaxed. It was a great swim. The day was a little cool and the water a little cool but overall a great swim. My foot was still hurting at this point so I was hoping staying off of it was a good move.

Saturday, Race the Train in North Creek and Riparius. 8.4 miles on a dirt path that has more uphills than downhills or flats. I was a little concern with my foot but it was great the entire way. My PR on this course in the past was a 1:35. I ran it in a 1: 30.43! Amazing. I felt fantastic the entire way. I paced myself on the first 1.5 miles that were uphill and then just went for it in the last half of the race since I felt good. The weather this year was very different from every other year though. It was in the low 70's with overcast skies but it was humid. Every other year it was 80's with full sun and humidity. It sucked weather-wise every other year but this year was great.

Sunday, I gave my body a rest day - well deserved.

Monday, Monday night mini tri. I vacillated all day as to whether I wanted to do it or not. The weather was cool (in the 60's all day) with clouds and threats of rain. Joe was not going to do it so it was all me. I decided to go for it. We got there early, I set up my stuff and then hung out for a while watching these guys who looked like pros set up their stuff. I have never seen a person get into a wetsuit as quickly as this guy did - it was impressive. Then there was me slow as a snail trying to put all that bulk into a skin tight wetsuit. I was glad that they had gone to warm up before I started doing this so that they were not making fun of my slowness. I got into the cold water and waited for the start. My swim was slow as I just couldn't breathe. I don't know what was wrong but I just couldn't breathe. I was stuck in between a whole bunch of people and couldn't get a good stroke going either. I just wanted out of the water. Transition was easy. I started the bike and felt ok. I had forgotten my bike computer so I didn't have a clue how fast I was going and I just pushed the entire way. My fastest bike of the season. T2 was more difficult because someone was sitting in my transition area. So I tried to change out of my bike shoes and take off my helmet while standing. He then moved and I sat and put on my socks and shoes and then left. The run was tough. My legs were burning. I did fantastic on the run though. I am very happy with my new PR.

I did have a great moment on Monday night. For the past three years, I have been beating this one woman out of the swim only to have her bike past me on River Road and then beat me badly. I have always gauged (sorry if this is spelled incorrectly, Joe and I think it is right) how I was doing based on where this woman passed me during the mini tri. The first year we did mini tri she always passed me in the middle of River Road. Last year it was towards the end of River Road. This year it has been on Route 86 and then last week it was on the Cascade Road leading into transition. Last night she passed me after I left transition on the run. I have no chance of beating her on the run since she is much faster than I am but if I keep getting better at the bike and swim maybe, just maybe I can put enough of a gap between me and her that she won't be able to beat me. I was really excited about this little improvement from previous years.

Overview of Monday night:
Swim 9:46.97 (couldn't breathe felt really really slow)
T1: 1.37.87
Bike: 44:04.49 (excellent bike)
T2: 1.21.68 (good considering some guy was sitting in my transition area while I was trying to transition. I had to stand and do most of my transition until he got up and left)
Run: 28.16.02 (really good)
Total time: 1:25.07

PR!! Yippie!! Can I go for 1: 24 next week??? I don't know about that!!! Last week is the last mini tri but I have had great success this mini tri season so if I don't PR next week, it isn't the worst thing that could happen.

I am adding a couple of pictures at the bottom of the page of mini tri!

Not a great running day

I went out for a run today and it sucked. First of all, I went too late in the afternoon when it was still too hot on the road but that wasn't my problem. Second, I had this pain in my foot the entire time. I was supposed to go out for 45 minutes but I got 10 minutes out and, bothered by my foot, decided to just go to the bridge in Keene Valley and turn around to go home. I slowed down to make sure I was planting correctly and not pushing off too hard. So, I did 3.06 miles in 34 minutes. Yuck!!! I have ice ready for tonight. Hopefully, tomorrow will be easy with a swim and a short bike and then it will be fine for Race the Train on Saturday.

Other random updates, I have become addicted to the Twilight series of books by Stephanie Meyers. I read Twilight and New Moon is a couple of days and have ordered the third book Eclipse and the new one so I should have them by Monday or Tuesday. They are intriguing even though they annoy me sometimes with teenage angst and a relationship far too developed for a teenager. Joe is also reading them and is as intrigued as I am (well, maybe not as intrigued but he is being entertained by the writing) and I think we got Joe's sister hooked as well. Sorry about that!!!

Finishing the second book is the reason I went out far too late in the afternoon for my run. Oh, well. It was well worth the trade-off.

Kayaking in Lake Placid

On Tuesday, Joe and I checked the weather forecast and decided that it was the day to go out on our kayaks. The weather was forecasted to be high in the mid 7o's with partly to mostly cloudy skies. Wednesday, Thursday, and possibly Friday was a chance of rain and we didn't want to go out in the rain. Last week we were supposed to go out but it rained all week long. So, we had our first voyage out in the kayaks yesterday. It was fantastic. We went around the entire perimeter of Lake Placid. It was the first time we had ever done this in this lake. What beautiful houses there are on the lake. One was a new construction boat house that had a lot of Asian influences and was absolutely gorgeous. We found a little beach area and stopped to eat our peaches and granola bars (do we sound like outdoors people with that type of a snack!). Joe went into the water for a little swim but I didn't because I was freezing. It was cool without the sun. We did 8.58 miles in about 3 hours - not fast at all but we had a great time. Joe and I are always competitive in races that we just wanted to have fun. Mission accomplished. The sound of the water under the kayak and the paddles in the water is so soothing. We had a great time. We got to see a few loons as well, which were really neat. Next kayaking trip we will probably go to Lake Flower and try to navigate into Saranac Lake.

Ironman - coming to see us

I was thinking this morning (like every other morning) about how excited we are about Ironman. We are so excited that we sent out an e-mail to about 40 people letting them know about our debut in the Iron distance. Joe and I are the type of people who don't talk a lot about our events unless we are asked because we know that other people don't necessarily enjoy things like this. We have made our lives revolve around training and participating in events but understand that others are not really into that and that is fine. So, we don't usually ask people to come and watch our events unless they express interest. This time is different though. Joe and I are so excited and awed by this distance and we need spectator support this time because we are going to be working out for at least 11 hours (in Joe's case) or in my case between 15 and 16 1/2 hours!!! So, we invited everyone. We want those around us, family and friend, to come and see this event that we are so awed and moved by and even if you are not an athlete this event is moving. It brings tears to my eyes every time someone crosses that finish line not because of what they have accomplished in that day but what they have accomplished in the year that preceded that day. And now, we want others to come and celebrate with us this monumental accomplishment. Joe and I have already gotten married (on a fabulous day last June), we will probably never be having children, so this is our accomplishment that we want our friends and family to be a part of with us. We know that this may require planning on the part of our friends and family but we are so excited to have this be an accomplishment that both Joe and I can celebrate and our family and friends can celebrate with us. I want everyone to get the feeling that anything is possible just by watching this fabulous event especially the smaller ones of our group (in one of our friends case - a 5 month old baby!!! I won't give her away yet!!) I just hope that this feeling of excitement and want to share this with others will be well received as this is really important to us. Joe and I realize that all of our friends and our families have lives of their own but we just want to feel supported on the 2nd most fabulous day of our lives (the first of course was our wedding!)

Another Mini Tri in Lake Placid

I did not realize that I PRed last night at the Monday Night Mini Tri until just now! How exciting. I actually thought that I really sucked in comparison last night. I felt awful last night for the most part. My swim was really difficult as I just couldn't catch my breath and I got a couple of mouthfuls of water in the process but it ended up being really good. My bike was tough but because there was this 12 year old girl that was right in front of me I just kept pushing. My run felt slow and I had some abdominal issues (an injury that I have been wrestling with for the past year) that made me feel slow. But overall, I guess I did really well as for the third week in a row, I PRed. I can't believe it. The end was what helped me. I heard footsteps behind me in the last 200 meters of the race and refused to have someone pass me here so I gave it all I had left (which wasn't a lot) and he got right up on my back and told me "Good work" and I thought that he was going to pass me. He didn't though. For those of you who know me, this was not my type of race outcome - if you are going to get right behind me and not pass me before the finish line, then you let me win. This was not cool for me. As I went over to Joe, he was laughing a bit and told me that the guy behind me was just running around the lake and not part of the mini-tri but pushed me in. So, he actually helped me to PR. I felt awful though at the end. I have PRed a lot this year in all different kinds of races. What strikes me the most is how bad you feel at the end when you PR. You have left all of your guts, sweat, sometime blood out on that course and you feel completely spent!!! That is how I felt yesterday, like someone had hit me in the chest and legs with a baseball bat. I was done. Joe says that that is how you are supposed to feel when you give it your all and I agree but does it really have to feel so bad. The best part is the next day when you feel like yourself again and are so proud of yourself for having accomplished something that you didn't think possible. But then again, that is how I feel about everything I am doing lately. Who would have thought that I would have done the Tinman or would be doing the Ironman??? Not me 5 years ago but here I am. So, everyday is work toward an ultimate goal and I am getting faster all of the time. That is really exciting!

Rundown of 3rd mini tri of the season:
Swim: Fastest of the year - 9:37.90
T1: 2:02.31 (yuck - couldn't get my wetsuit off)
Bike: 45.16.88 (not a bad time)
T2: 1:32.95 (slow - I think I thought that I wasn't doing well so I slowed down in transition)
Run: 29:20.36
Total time; 1:27.36 another PR

Ironman

Joe and I are now officially registered for the Ford Ironman USA Lake Placid 2009!!! We completed our online registration today!!! 1 year to go!!! I am so excited for this.

Pictures

I posted a few pictures of us getting our Ironman vouchers. We are officially in!!! Training, where do we start!!!

Ironman Lake Placid 2009 Here I come!!!

Monday morning Joe and I got up at 5:15am in order to get to the Olympic oval in Lake Placid by 6:15 am to sign up for the Ironman next year. I think we are showing our insanity just by getting up to go and register for a race that is in a year. We sat in a very long line for several hours just so we could get a really nice piece of paper that says that we can register on-line for the race on July 27!!! So, we are in!!!! The next year of our lives is dedicated to completing 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking, and 26.2 miles of running in one day - JULY 26, 2009!!!!
It was only fitting that the first things that we did was do a mini tri in Lake Placid last night. A good way to get yourself into triathlon mode!!! I PRed as well with a great run after a not so great swim or bike. I also came in third in my age group which has never happened at Monday night Mini Tris before. I am really excited!!!

Here is the race rundown:
Swim 9:56
T1: 1:57
Bike: 45:39
T2: 1:06
Run 29:03

Total: 1:27:65

Hamstrings hurt on the ride but everything felt great on the run. Swim was off a little but not too bad.

Joe and I then had a beer with some friends in celebration of our upcoming training!!!

I want to like hiking, I do!!!

One of the perks to living in the Adirondacks during the summer is that there are beautiful mountains that surround Keene Valley as it is known as the "Home of the High Peaks." The problem with this is that I have had real trouble getting into hiking. I want to like it. I really do. I just don't know if I do. Let me give you some background. I grew up hiking with my father and then in high school decided that I didn't like it and then after high school started again but after taking up triathlon, I wanted to like it but wasn't convinced. At one point in my memory I even dreamed of becoming a 46er like my dad. But, every time we planned a hike post college, I would say yes and then go to bed the night before dreading the morning. I would wake up in the morning hoping for it to be raining as that meant we were not going to go. I would be almost at the verge of tears as we were getting ready and at the trail head even though I tried to seem confident and cool. I am not a crier so this was significant to me. As we would climb the mountain I would hate every minute and my body hated it more. My feet would hurt and I would end up with blisters every hike. I can actually pinpoint when I decided that hiking may not be my thing but still went along for some of the hikes because I felt it was expected of me - it was on Giant Mountain. We had successfully gone up the mountain, a fairly difficult assent, and were on the way back down when I got to a very steep section of wet rock and fell down a significant portion of this rock. I ended up with pebbles embedded in my skin and "road rash". My mom had to help me to get the littlest rocks out as I couldn't see them. I have since tried to convince myself that since Joe and my dad love to hike, then I should as well. I even had my Vasques retired and got a new pair of Asolo boots. Three years ago my dad, Joe, and myself decided to go for a hike on Dix mountain. I cried up to the pond and finally told them that I was going back and I didn't want to do this. My dad convinced me that we should go a little further and I agreed but quickly figured out that I didn't want to do this. This was supposed to be a 13 to 15 mile hike and I "chickened out" fairly quickly. I made the decision that I didn't like hiking and that that was ok because it isn't like I am sedentary and don't do anything in the Adirondacks. I have swam in more lakes here than most, I have ridden my bike countless miles around the area, and I have had some of my best runs here. I have since kept trying to like it though as so many people really enjoy it and it seems like it should be a lot of fun. I went on two hikes last year, one up Blueberry Mountain with Joe and Mount Joe with my Mom, Dad, Joe, Lila, and Kaelah. Both of those were good but again I wasn't completely sold.

So, that brings me to today. It was a gorgeous day in Keene Valley - low 80's/high 70's with a breeze and not a lot of humidity. I had told Joe that I would go for a hike with him if I got to choose the mountain. I read through the high peaks guide book and picked Hurricane Mountain. I didn't remember ever being on it before, it was only 2.6 miles up, and it had a fire tower on top. It read as if it was going to be fairly easy. Joe has decided to approach my hiking in a very good way. (What a loving husband I have) We don't get up early for a hike anymore, we don't do the really big ones, we had a really good breakfast, we took our time before leaving for the hike, Joe packed the backpack and since he knows that some of my problems with hiking is that I dread carrying a backpack since it causes me so much pain and discomfort he doesn't make me carry one. I got ready and when I was ready to leave, we left. We started the hike and I started making lists in my head about what I like about hiking and what I don't. For 1 hour 31 minutes up the mountain, a lot of things came into my head.
Cons:
1. Labored breathing - I am an athlete but when I go out on a run, my breathing settles in and my perceived exertion doesn't feel like I am working so hard the entire time. Not with hiking. Because you are going up the entire time (or what seems like a long time) you never get into that rhythm and I feel like I am in the worst shape. This is the feeling that kills me as I work so hard to be in good shape and I am in the best shape of my life right now.
2. The lack of talking. I like to talk when I am going up the mountain but those who I generally hike with are not real talkers so I end up with lots of time to think!!! This is why I have a list of things that I like and don't like.
3. Feeling unstable. I can't stand the feeling that I can't guarantee that my footing is good the entire time and that scares me.
4. Hearing my knee make funny noises. As a person with anklosing spondylitis I have some joint issues but it is generally handled with exercise and I don't ever complain about it. Only when I am hiking and going up stairs does my knee make cracking noises and it reminds me (as Joe put it) that "You are broken."
5. The noises in the woods. I don't like the idea that I could get attacked in the woods without me seeing it coming (I know, this probably won't happen but there are a lot of random noises in the woods.)
6. The sweating. I am an athlete. I should not mind sweating but for some reason in the woods while you are hiking you sweat even more. Whether it be because there is little breeze or the humidity, I don't know but I was pouring sweat.
7. My mind. I usually can get out my frustrations on a good bike, swim, or run but in hiking all I think about is how much I am not enjoying it. I don't know why. I remember when I first started running and I was not in very good shape and I hated every minute of it but once I got in shape, it was the one thing that I really long to do. Maybe I just need to get into better hiking shape!!
8. Coming down the mountain. I am petrified of loosing my footing. See #3
9. My feet hurt - no matter what, I end up with blisters and sore feet.
10. The idea that if I hurt myself when I am out hiking I will be really pissed off that I did something stupid doing something that I can't say that I love and I can't compete in my next triathlon, marathon, running event which are truly things that I love doing.

Pros:
1. The view. We had the most amazing view from the top today. I could see Vermont and Lake Champlain. It was awesome!!!
2. Doing something that my dad and Joe enjoy. I love being with Joe and my family. I love hiking with my nieces. I want to do things that they want to do because sometimes they do things that I love to do.
3. The exercise. It is different and it is good exercise. Maybe it will help with my running hills.
4. Did I mention the view.
5. Getting muddy. It is fantastic to be able to get dirty sometimes. I love it.

Overall, today was a good day. Much harder than I expected but I didn't hate it and I didn't dread it so that is a good thing. The views were just spectacular. I enjoyed sitting near the fire tower and looking out to this amazing view of so many different mountains. I got muddy. I love it when I have to go in the river after working out in order to get clean. My legs didn't hurt today. This is a sign that I am in great shape but my breathing was still pretty bad. So, I was thinking that I may allow for more hiking this summer. Maybe even once a week but it has to be on my terms and I think that one of those terms is that I won't do anything that requires more than 2 hours to get up. Maybe I will be in better shape for the marathon this fall if I do more mountain climbing. Lets give it one more try. I do own these hiking boots that I haven't worn too many times.

Boilermaker 2008

This is the race that Joe and I look forward to every year. This race is probably one of the best I have ever been a part of. It has so much crowd support that it is impossible not to have a smile on your face the entire 9.3 miles. I love this race. Joe and I left Keene Valley on Saturday morning to go to packet pick-up and meet with Erich, Mimi, and Jimmy. The trip out was good. I slept most of the way. We passed the Hinkley Reservoir and I decided that next year I am bringing my bathing suit and wetsuit and swimming there on the way to Utica. Next year it will be the week before the Ironman so I will want to get in a swim that weekend too.

The packet pick-up and expo is always fun. There are lots of people, you get a pint glass, and get to look at all different races that come out to promote their race. I didn't find a really good shirt this year so my pint glass is the only thing I have to remember the race. We ran into old friends and chatted and had a great time just wandering around. Joe and I went to eat after that and then Erich, Mimi, and Jimmy came to the hotel to get the race lowdown as this would be their first Boilermaker attempt. After they left to go to their final resting place of the evening, Joe and I went out to have dinner and get ice cream. Joe hadn't been feeling well all week and was slightly optimistic that he would feel better in time to run the race. After dinner though, Joe did not feel well at all and his dreams of running the race this year were halted.

I woke up at 5:30 am on race day, got changed and ready and took off alone for the race. It was actually raining!!! I got really excited as I run really well in the rain. As I was waiting for the start though, the rain subsided and it got a little warmer out. It was by far the best race conditions in the past 5 years. I am also in arguably better shape than I had been for any of the other years. The race started and I waited for about 7 minutes until I got to cross the starting line but then the fun began. The international mile, the sign that said "My wife is already at the 5K finish drinking beer!", the Utica residents happy and loud, the road side bands playing fun music, the DJ's out with their vans playing music, the lama and goat at the Utica zoo, the leprechaun giving out luck as you finished the last .5 miles of the race, and the fantastic volunteers at the aid stations. Kelly's Popsicle Stand was handing out ice pops and because I was out there having a lot of fun this year, I had a banana Popsicle when I went past. This race is phenomenal. I even tried with great success these new Power-bar gummy things which were great. The ice stations were very helpful in keeping me cool. I ran it in a 1:40.24 which I think may be a PR. Last year was probably my best Boilermaker experience though as Joe and I both wore T-shirts that said "Just Married and this is our honeymoon." People liked to comment on those shirts and we left for Jamaica the next day. This year was a close second though although my Joey wasn't there waiting for me at the end as he has been every other year.

I spent the next 40 minutes after the race having a sno-cone, drinking half of a beer, getting my lunch and eating the potato chips, having a vitamin water, and looking for Erich, Mimi, and Jimmy. Found them all and talked for a while. The morning was a success and the beginning of my marathon training . Rock N Roll San Antonio here I come!!!

Next up: Signing up for 2009 Ironman Lake Placid on Monday, July 21. Mini tri later that evening, and then Race the Train in August.

1st Mini Triathlon of the Season

After being lazy for a week, I came back to the High Peaks Cyclery's Mini Triathlon series that are held every Monday night during the summer at Mirror Lake. This was my first mini-tri of the season. I wasn't sure what to expect as I had been lazy last week and all I really wanted to do was have fun. Boy did I!!! I was expecting to go out and take it easy but once I started, I felt great and just kept pushing. Here is the race overview:
Swim - 400 yards - 9:37.94
T1 - 1:35.23
Bike - 12.5 miles - 45:21.61
T2- 1:10:42
Run - 3 miles - 30:32.93
Total time: 1:28.18

I PRed!!! My fastest time up until yesterday was a 1:30. The swim felt short and fast even though it isn't my best swim ever. The bike I pushed on the whole time and averaged around 16 mph which is great for me. The hills even felt easy on the bike yesterday. The run felt slow. I just didn't have much left. Plus, I knew I had to run a 32 min 3 miles in order to PR. I had a great day.

Today, who knows what I will do. Make chicken noodle soup for my husband who is not feeling well. The weather is nasty out (hot and humid) so today may be an off day and then back into it tomorrow. I do have to do an hour run on Thursday. That is my only set workout of the week.

Happy, Fat, and Lazy

It has been a week since the Tinman. I have done very little in the past week. It has been really hard to get myself motivated to do anything this week. I got out for a bike ride on the 4th and just didn't feel like going very far and my legs just felt tired. I went for an easy swim on Saturday and basically played in the water for the entire time. I haven't been sore from the race but tired and a little bit under the weather. Hopefully this will end soon.

In the 10 weeks before the Tinman, I stopped eating desserts, candy, ice cream, etc. I have spent the past 7 days eating cake, cookies, ice cream after dinner every night. I have to stop that now. So, starting today, I am going back to my old habits. It is better for my stomach that way. I may go for the next few weeks leading up to training for the marathon to ice cream once a week though - ice cream is good!!!

Tonight will be my first real workout since Tinman, Mini-triathlon in Lake Placid. Next on the agenda is the Utica Boilermaker on Sunday, July 13th, which could be great as we have a group of people who are going to run it this year instead of just me and Joe. After that is Ironman weekend where I am working registration and an aide station and then signing up for next years Ironman!!! Then, Race the Train in August. Then in November, my third marathon - Rock N Roll San Antonio!!!

I will give a race report on the mini-tri later this week. Hopefully, I will break out of my slump soon.

Overall though, the summer is really nice!!! I have been reading a lot. I finished Lipstick Jungle right before we left and then I read Nights in Rodanthe which was a good, easy read. I am currently reading The Secret Lives of Overachievers. It is an interesting analysis of high achieving students and their families. It is good for me to read as I teach these kids in my AP class. I frolicked in the water with Lila, Kaelah, and Sierra yesterday which was a ball as Lila likes to race you down the river now and Kaelah loves being in the water. Sierra is tentative in the water but loves to play as long as she doesn't get water in her face. Joe and I have had fantastic meals at the Great Range, Lake Placid Pub and Brewery, and Cedar Run. The fireworks at the Ausable club were very nice this year. The weather has also been fantastic.

Well, that is enough of an update for now. I will post again later this week. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer as much as I am.

Tinman Recap

I can't believe it is over. What a wonderful day! Let's just get down to details.

The day began with an interesting weather forecast: showers and thunderstorms with highs in the 70's. There were clouds but no rain when we got to the site. We assembled our bikes, picked up our chips, hit the porta poties, got body marked, and were ready to go to transition. I went to get into the transition area and the volunteer yelled at me that I couldn't go in without my bike number on my bike. As I was already a little uneasy as I had 70.3 miles ahead of me, I was a little thrown by this angry woman. I still don't understand why people who are angry, volunteer. Your job is to help and make me feel like I am being eased into a crazy day not to make me more nervous. I went to the side and put on my number and then went back into line and into transition. Set up of my transition zone went really well except that I forgot my sunglasses in the car. So, I set out to find my dad and get into the car. That went easily and I left transition with plenty of time and feeling confident about the day ahead. The obligatory pictures of me and Joe before the race were fairly painless even though we look a little weary of what was to follow.

Getting ready for the swim start, I put on my wetsuit without much issues and help from my mom and Alynn. I said goodbye to my parents, Melinda, Alynn, and Melinda's parents and went into my start section with Joe. The good thing about this race was that Joe and I were starting in the same wave so we got to stand together waiting for the sprinters to go off and then it was our turn. While we were waiting in the water, I figured out where I wanted to be in the start and just kept thinking how I just needed to get out of the water and then I would be fine. I am a decent swimmer but it is really different in open water in a race situation. I have gotten hit too many times to make this a fun experience. The siren went off, and my day began. I was in the back of my wave to avoid people and when I looked up to sight for the next buoy, there was a boat in my way. I was thinking "Great, I am off course already" but I wasn't. There was a person on that kayak, that person was Joe. From what I now know Joe got hit and swallowed a lot of water and got to the boat so he could burp and readjust his goggles and then took off. I said hi and asked if he was ok and then went on with my swim. (Is that bad that his wife didn't wait for him?? Oh, well, I think he would have left me, it is a race after all.) I got tossed around a little while I was out there. I felt slow. I got a little disoriented. I started sighting the wrong buoy and the official wanted me to go back and do part of the loop again. I didn't though. This volunteer told him that I was just sighting incorrectly and I had done the loop and the official and her got into an argument but instead of waiting to see what the outcome was, I just kept swimming. Oh, well. The cloud cover allowed for no sun glare which was great for sighting the rest of the way in to the beach. I got out of the water in about 51 minutes. I was aiming for between 50 and 1 hour so this was great.

Transition was painless and fast. I was ready to get out on the bike.

The bike was great. I rocked that course. I had some pedal issues initially and thought I was going to have to bike the entire 56 miles without my left foot clipped into my speedplays. I almost cried. The worst thing that could happen is to have a mechanical problem and not be able to ride. I finally got in and vowed never to get out until the end. The first 15 miles were all hills which meant that the last 15 miles were all hills but the 26 miles that weren't hills were great. The volunteers were fantastic. I had a great time out there. The people were really nice too. I was so happy that the bike wasn't too hard today as the bike is not necessarily my strong part of the race. I did happen to get a drafting penalty though. I was disappointed that out of all of the people out there drafting, I was the one who got it even though I wasn't drafting. If I had known I would have gotten that penalty, I would have tried to draft. So, I came back in smiling to my family and Alynn and was happy that the bike went so well. My goal was under 4hours and I actually biked it in 3 hours 57 minutes. This is fantastic!!!

Transition again went smoothly. I talked to my mom, dad, and Alynn while I was getting ready. I forgot to take off my bike shorts though. I left quickly and knowing that I am 2/3rds of the way done!!

I started the run and realized I should have used the porta-potties before I left. My legs just didn't feel fantastic and I needed to find some real estate to pee. I got to an area that was protected enough for me to use the "facilities" and realized that I hadn't taken my bike shorts off. So, after I peed in the woods, I took my bike shorts off and left them next to a utility pole so that I could get them later. I left there feeling relieved and ready to run. The run went really well. At this point, the sun had come out and it was really hot. I kept putting water over my head to cool down but I knew I was burning. The volunteers at the aid stations were fantastic again. I had PRed in the half marathon two weeks ago in a 2hour 23 min so I was ready for this distance. I wanted to cover it in under 3 hours today. After having power walked some of the bigger hills and walking through the aid stations to get the nutrition that I needed. I ran a 2hour 41 minute half. I was so excited about this.

So, in the end. I finished in 7 hours 36 minutes (7 hours 40 minutes with the drafting penalty). I am so excited about the Ironman. Two days later, other than looking like a lobster, I feel great and excited. I accomplished something I didn't know that I could do and can't wait to train for more of these events. What an amazing experience this was. I am so happy that I could have accomplished this with the help of all of the volunteers, friends, and family members. I am so glad that my husband, Joe, is so supportive because he did this as well and understands the training that goes into it and doesn't feel neglected by me while we are doing this.

Joe did really well too. See www.sullysjourney.blogspot.com to see his race recap. Also, look below for some really great pictures. (Thanks Alynn and Dad!!)

Next up though, San Antonio Marathon in November. So, now you get to read about the trials and tribulations of marathon training.

2 days to go

I did a loosening up run and swim today. All felt good. I feel ready. While I was running today, I was thinking about what I would think about on Sunday to get me through the day, weather and all. Here is a list of what I came up with:
1. When Carissa, Zach, Cooper, Lila, Kaelah, and Sierra (my nieces and nephews) get older, they may look at what Joe and I have accomplished and feel that if we could do that, then they can do anything they put their hearts and minds into. And maybe, just maybe, they will want to do it as well.
2. What my friend Kim said to me the night before my first marathon (and the thought that helped me through both of my marathons: Picturing Al running after me wearing a pink boa and a pink undergarment. HeHeHe!!
3. Not hitting any cows, bears, or having deer run into me.
4. This is a stepping stone to Ironman Lake Placid 2009 - Here I come!
5. How excited and proud I am of myself for working so hard and going after what I never dreamed possible.
6. My parents and Alynn will be expecting me back at some point
7. Joey will be waiting for me at the finish line.
8. Kim being one of my biggest cheerleaders. I know that Kim understands and appreciates all that goes into training and enjoys hearing of my progress. I can't wait for Ironman because Kim will be there and be the one that helps me push through the pain and emotions and get me through to the end. Alynn and my parents will be cheering me on that day. They are fantastic as well.
9. How many of my friends, family, and coworkers who will not be there but are thinking of me and wishing me luck while I am out there for 8 hours whether they understand or not.
10. How pround of me my dad, mom, and husband will be.

2 days until the big day. I am so excited! With all of the support I have, it has to be a good day. 70.3 here I come!

Almost time

The day is almost here. I am so excited. I finally had a mental breakthrough yesterday while looking at the Tupper Lake Tinman website. Because of my fueling issues, I was worried about the bike and run. I was reading about the support at the aid stations on the bike and got really excited. They have oranges, bananas, and pretzels at the aid stations. This is fantastic news. I am so excited. I CAN DO THIS!!! I CAN DO THIS!!!

Now, the weather report leaves less to be desired (rain showers, thunderstorms, and 70's) but I have PRed in the rain and it won't be too hot which is always a concern for me.

At this point, I am happy. I am excited. I am thrilled to be attempting to accomplish something that I never thought I could ever do but now I feel confident that I can do it.

3 days!!

Relief

Today was a day of rest and relaxation. I had a pre-race massage. Yippee! It was very much needed. The massage therapist hit the knots under my shoulder blades really well. She also did a great job on my IT bands and piraformis muscles. I was so tight before I went in there and after felt a lot better even though I felt a little beat up. I then went out with my husband and my friend Amy for dinner and a beer at the Pump Station. I am hopeful that the massage will speed my recovery this week and put me in a good place on race day!!! Dinner, the beer, and the company was good too and helped allow me to forget about my worries concerning the race day ahead.

Weekend update

The weekend started well. I left work on Friday and went to the pool. I swam my fastest swim of the season. I was very happy about this even though it was a shorter swim.
Saturday, Joe and I did the Great Adirondack Trail Run. It is about 3.5 miles long and went up and over Baxter Mountain in Keene Valley. I went out with the idea that I wanted to make sure I did not hurt myself since Tupper Lake is next weekend. The trail was rocky and had lots of roots which I am not good on. I did the race in 46 minutes. Not too bad. I realized while I was out there that I was in great triathlon shape but not in good trail running shape. Joe won the race (his 3rd win). It was a lot of fun but there is a reason I don't do trail runs very often as I am not very good at them and not very good on my feet. I had a nice nap that afternoon and slept well that night.
Sunday morning looked ominous. It had been raining most of the night. It looked like it was going to rain all day long and that was what the weather people had predicted. I got up, ate breakfast with my three nieces and my parents and then got ready for a bike ride. I wanted to try my Infinit nutrition today to be sure it didn't effect my stomach. The only problem was that it calls for 2 scoops in 20 ounces of water but it didn't come with a scoop and it didn't say how much a scoop was. This was not good for me as I don't have a clue how many calories I actually took in while on the bike. I set out on the bike with a long sleeve shirt and pants because it was cool outside. I had some issues getting into my speedplays at the beginning. I also realized that my legs were sore from all of that uphill and downhill from yesterday's race. Within 10 minutes of starting the ride, the really dark clouds parted and sun came out. I was very hot. I tried to get my shoes out and struggled with the pedals but finally got out and stopped to take off my long sleeves. I kept going UP the Elizabethtown hill. It was very difficult. At the top of the first hill I had to stop again (again struggled to get out of my pedals) and take off my pants. The next 10 or so miles went ok and then I hit the WALL. I just couldn't get my legs to do anything. It sucked!!! The wind was bad and there was a constant, slight uphill. My legs just wouldn't work. I think that the leg problems weren't just from the road and wind but also from fatigue from the mountain race. When I finally hit Rt 73, my legs finally started to work up the hills. The hills on 73 were much easier than I remember from last year. I finished the ride and gladly got off of the bike. I hope this doesn't say anything about my race next weekend.
No swim this weekend though as the weather just wasn't very cooperative with rain on and off. I did get to plant my garden on Sunday though even though it was nice, then rainy, then hot. Lila, Joe, and my mom were big helps in planting. I can't wait to have my veggies from my garden later in the summer.
This week will be a VERY easy week. I have to swim tomorrow and then I go to get a pre-race massage - YIPPIE!!! I am so excited. We leave for the race on Friday. I just have to keep reminding myself that I am ready. I have done all of my training and now I just have to trust my body to respond correctly.

Getting Ready for Tinman

So, I am doing the Tupper Lake Tinman on June 29. This will be my first half Ironman. I am excited and nervous at the same time. I finished my last long workout before the event. I have gone over-distance in all of the disciplines with several 1.5 mile swims, a 14.1 mile run in which I felt like I could go several more miles if I needed to, and a 56 mile and 64 mile bike rides. I am just not sure if I can do all of them on the same day. I guess I will find out.

I am a little afraid of the day mostly because of nutrition. I have been struggling with nutrition. Haven't figured this out yet because every time I go out and think that I have it figured out, I end up with horrible stomach cramps or intestinal issues. What works one day doesn't the next.
I got my Infinit nutrition yesterday and will be trying that this weekend.

Stay tuned!

Tired

My taper week and a half is not going as planned. I am exhausted!! I went out on Tuesday night for my last long bike ride (56 miles). Wednesday, I went to yoga and was supposed to run that evening but didn't have enough energy to do that. Thursday, I went strawberry picking after work and then home where I feel asleep on my couch for an hour and a half and didn't get out for my run. So, I woke up this morning and went for a short run and am going to the pool for a short swim after work. At least I did something today. I am really not sure what has happened since my last long run and bike but I am exhausted. I am hoping that I can get through the next week and be rested enough to do well at the Tinman on the 29th but also get in the workouts I want in order to not be lethargic during the race. It is almost like my body knew that I was tapering and just shut down. Planned for this weekend: Baxter Mountain 3.5 mile race on Saturday, a 36 mile bike ride around Keene Valley and Elizabethtown, and a swim on the Ironman course to get in some more open water swimming. Lets hope I get it all in without feeling completely spent.