Happy 10th Anniversary

Happy 10th Anniversary to the awesomest man in the world.

To another 10 years!

La Roux - Bulletproof

This song is stuck in my head now. It is channeling Depeche Mode's Speak and Spell and the singer reminds me of Tilda Swinson from Narnia series. Aparently, the 80's are back.

You are welcome.

The Race That Almost Wasn't

The Race that almost wasn’t

For me the auburn triathlon was an exercise in tenacity. Not because the race course was hard (it was) or because two transitions can make life a little complex (it did). No, web world, the race almost wasn’t because of issues that occurred in the week before the race. What issues, you ask? Well let me fill you in.
A week and 2 days before the race, I “female” problem that I haven’t had in YEARS reared its ugly, yeasty, head. I had to cut my last ride short because there was no way I could continue riding when I was so uncomfortable. OTC medicines didn’t kill the little bugger, so a scrip from my MD on Tuesday helped the wee-beesties die a horrible death.
This first “female” problem became moot because on Thursday auntie flow showed up with accompanying cramps and swollen ankles. Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!
Friday afternoon I feel a slight tickle in my throat. I ran over to the local thai food place and bought some hot and sour soup and downed it like a drunken sailor in front of a barrel of grog. Upon awakening on Saturday, the sore throat has moved up into my sinuses and I’m stuffed up. Awesome. Awesome. Awesome.
Saturday was packet pick up, and drop off for T2 (running stuff). I spoke with a few Sac Tri Club people but tried to keep my distance since I was feeling kind of crappy. Went home and drank more water than I thought possible. Ate a spaghetti dinner and climbed into bed at a reasonable hour. Set the alarm for 4:45 a.m.
Alarm buzzed and I felt my forehead. It was cold and clammy. Not good. I rolled over and started coughing. Really not good. Got on my feet and rocked a bit due to dizziness. REALLY REALLY not good.
I told my husband, “I think I have a fever”. He felt my forehead and said, “No you have 6 blankets on you. You are fine. Get up.” Unconvinced, I still got up and poured a little coffee into a cup and got dressed. I went into the bedroom after a few minutes and told hubby, “I think I should bail on the race, I don’t feel well and it is 36 degrees outside.”
“Shut up you are going. You’ll hate yourself if you don’t.” Then he uttered the utterly cheesy, “Pain is temporary, quitting is forever.”
Fine.
I got my breakfast and hubby loaded my bike into the truck. We drove to the T1 drop off point. The whole time, the chatter from my husband was non-stop annoying:
“You’ll do great.”
“You are a tough woman. Hear you roar.”
“You’ll kick ass and take names”
“You are fine.”
Don’t get me wrong. I appreciated his pithy words but when you feel lousy and are nervously approaching what you are sure is your doom, you don’t want to hear a lot of chatter.
Finally I said, “Shutup now.” I then told him, “If I get pneumonia, you are the one staying home with me.”
Drop off was about ¾ mile from T1. I got on my bike, backpack strapped to my shivering torso and rode down to T1. I parked my bike and chatted with a friend who was also doing the race. I could barely lift my bike up onto the rack because my hands were so cold when I arrived at T1. Someone announced that it was 35 degrees outside and that there was a 15 mph headwind against us on the uphills.
Awesome Awesome Awesome.

I looked at the lake. The 60 degree lake was steaming because of the difference in temp between the air and the water. I got on my wetsuit.
I got in the water. I was so sure it was going to be cold, but it honestly felt like warm bath water. 60 degrees never felt so good.
I warmed up by swimming a bit and felt good. My nose was running in the water, but honestly, who cared?
Swim Start
I started at the back of the pack because I am a slow swimmer and I didn’t get run over. After we started, I kept having to stop because people in front of me kept stopping. How totally annoying. Finally I pushed past some people and started on my regular stroke. I bobbed my head up for a moment, long enough to see a woman say to me, “I don’t like this at all, I want to go back.” I put my head down and just concentrated on my swim stroke. After the second swim buoy I went off course and started pulling to the right. I looked up. Fk.
Swim time: Garmin said 24:10. Official time 25:XX. Blah.
T1: For this particular race, they bring everything from T1 up to T2 (finish) so competitors must pack all of their things in marked plastic bags. This, of course, can take a while. I stripped my wetsuit and stood shivering in the (now) 38 degree air. I put on a biking jacket, gloves and my bike shoes. I packed everything else in my designated bag. T1 time 9:20
Bike: I have ridden this bike course probably about 10 times in the last few months. The first 8 miles is almost all uphill. What made me feel good is seeing the number of people walking their bikes up these hills. People with Cervelo time trial bikes and with Pinarellos were pushing their bikes up hill on Shirland Tract. Mind you, I wasn’t racing up these hills, but never did I get off my bike and start to walk. Never.
I passed a few people on the hills. I was so happy to hit the turn around though. My chest was really cold and my clogged head was making me dizzy on the bike.
Bike time: Garmin: 1:35 Official: 1:35
T2: I saw my family when I came into T2.Mom, hubby were there. I put on my trail shoes, grabbed my water bottle and was off. T2 time: 2:13.

Run: the run was where I really lost it. I was maintaining a 10 min/mile pace, which considering the throbbing in my sinuses was adequate. The first two miles were fairly flat. Then I turned on to a sharp downhill that went for over a mile down towards the bottom of the canyon. My feet felt like they were on fire and I realized that because they were so cold from the swim and never warmed on the bike, the pounding while I ran was causing intense burning pain. I slowed to a walk. I ran/walked/shuffled to the turn around point and then looked up at 1.25 miles of uphill. Fk me.
I walked most of the uphill back. I tried to throw in a few well intentioned, shuffles and half-hearted runs but I was not really feeling it. I finally came onto the grass near the finish line and smoked past some guy who was in worse shape than I was. Run time: 48:XX
Final time 3:00:02.
The theme of losing it on the run seems to be an issue in triathlon for me. I did one a couple of years ago and again, bonked on the run. It wasn’t that I didn’t have enough calories. I just was mentally exhausted. I obviously need to do brick workouts to get the legs and mind ready for running after a bike. Overall I was pleased with my performance, all things considered. The swim was ok. I did the bike faster than I ever have before which blows my mind. I forgive myself for a crappy run.
The thing that made this race so great were the volunteers. Never have I seen a race course lined with so many happy, cheering and cheerful volunteers. They even joked with me as I stood up and attacked a huge hill on the bike, “There she goes look at her go, she’s like Contador, she’s like Lance.” It made me smile during the race and I think sometimes that is hard to do.
I was so happy when I finished but immediately started coughing. I went to work Monday but stayed home today due to the cold now moving into my lungs. My head is totally clogged and I can’t hear out of my left ear. I am not sure about the next couple of days, but I think I’m going to simply rest, drink lots of OJ and try to feel better. Hopefully it is not pneumonia.
Awesome awesome awesome.

Floyd Landis' doping allegations rock the Tour of California

I don't know what to even say about this new story. I am stunned.

Reporting from Visalia, Calif.-- The cycling community gathered in this farming town for Thursday's start of Stage 5 of the Tour of California was left stunned by allegations made by cyclist Floyd Landis that seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong and other top American riders were involved in blood doping before 2006.

Landis, who lost his own 2006 Tour de France title because of a failed doping test and was subsequently banned for two years despite years of denials, not only has admitted his own use of performance enhancing drugs during races but also reportedly sent e-mails to cycling and anti-doping officials detailing how Armstrong, George Hincapie, Levi Leipheimer and Dave Zabriskie schemed to engage in blood doping. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the allegations on their web site late Wednesday night.

All the accused riders are in the Amgen Tour of California, which starts at 10:45 a.m. and travels to south to Bakersfield.

A spokesman for Team RadioShack said team manager Johan Bruyneel, whom Landis accused of teaching him the ins and outs of blood doping, Armstrong and Leipheimer will speak to reporters before Thursday's stage gets underway. Armstrong, however, briefly told reporters Thursday morning that the allegations are not based in fact and denied ever being involved in doping or using performance enhancing drugs.

A spokesman for Dave Zabriskie's Garmin-Transitions team also said a statement would be issued later this morning and a spokesman for BMC Racing, Hincapie's current team, said he would issue a statement about the allegations.

The World Anti-Doping Agency issued this statement Thursday:

"WADA is aware of the serious allegations made by Mr. Landis. We are very interested in learning more about this matter and we will liaise with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and any other authority with appropriate jurisdiction to get to the heart of the issues raised. WADA looks forward to these further investigations and enquiries by those responsible.

"Generally speaking, WADA encourages everyone with knowledge of banned practices in sport, including athletes who were caught cheating and who denied the evidence for years, to be forthcoming in disclosing the information they may have to the proper authorities. This will further contribute to clean sport and strengthen existing anti-doping programs for the good of clean athletes worldwide."

Until the Wall Street Journal story and in a later interview with ESPN, Landis had fought the charge that he failed a drug test while riding to the 2006 Tour de France championship.

Landis, who sent e-mails to the USA Cycling Federation and the International Cycling Federation detailing the allegations against his former teammates, had taken his appeals process all the way to the World Court of Arbitration. He ultimately served a two-year suspension and has been trying to get on another world class cycling team, but without success.

Landis even wrote a book, "Positively False: The Real Story of How I Won the Tour de France," that was published in 2007. He asserted in the book that he never used performance enhancing drugs.

The cycling publication VeloNews said it received a copy of an e-mail sent to USA Cycling President Steve Johnson in which Landis accuses Armstrong, Hincapie, Leipheimer, Michael Barry and Jose Luis Rubiera (the latter two also rode for Bruyneel).

Repeated attempts to reach Landis went unanswered, and Johnson was not immediately available for comment.

diane.pucin@latimes.com

Grandma Strikes Again

Sorry for not posting the last few weeks. Family obligations, including two surgeries have kept me too busy to do much of anything other than go to work (sporadically) and eat and train (again, sporadically).

Last night I visited with my Grandma at my mom’s house. She's visiting from India for a few months so i thought I would hang out with her and my mom. As you may recall, my grandma has very definite ideas about how people should behave, dress, etc. (See Here). I was excited to tell her about my upcoming triathlon in Auburn this SUNDAY. She seemed really pleased and asked how far the “running” was.

Me:

Oh, its not just a run. It’s a swim, a bike ride, and a run.

Gma:

Oh, ok. (Pauses) In the same DAY????

Me:

Yes, back to back.

Gma:

But you get to rest in between, right?

Me:

Well I can, but it’s a race so I should try not to rest.

Gma:

What about eating? Isn’t there a lunch in the middle? (like all grandmas she is concerned with making sure everyone eats enough food)

Me:

(Trying to explain about my bike bento box) There’s a little sack you can put on your bike that holds energy gels and granola bars . I eat that if I am hungry while I ride.

Gma:

How long are each of these events?

Me:

1000k swim, 30k ride, 7k run. (India is on the metric system so this was easy).

Gma:

Oh, that’s not too far. You should come in first place, right???

Me:

uh….

Gma:

Oh, I’m sure you’ll be first or second.

Me:

uh…..

I have thought about inviting my Grandma to the race, but with two transition logistics (plus her bad eyesight and propensity to wear heels everywhere) make it a bit difficult. She would need a full-time chaperone and nobody has volunteered to keep an eye on her for the duration of the race. So she will be at temple praying for me while I do my race. Praying that I get first or second, no doubt.

I probably won’t post before race day on Sunday—I’ll have race report on Monday next week.

American River Parkway Half Marathon

First off, I love this race because it is a fairly fast course, you can wear headphones and it is close to my home so there is little travel time involved.

The last time I did this course in 2008 I managed a 2:06. The fastest half marathon for me at the time. I was also taking tons of steroids so my 2008 finish time was partially due to the superpowers given to me by that prednisone prescription. One of the only pictures of me from that race depicts a bloated tuba-bubba trying to finish a run. No, I won’t post a picture of that.

I got up at 5:15 a.m. had coffee, pb&j, checked email. It looked like it would be nearing 80 degrees for the day so I elected on nike shorts, Hawaii tank top, hat and large waterbottle.

Left the house near 6:00 a.m. I wanted to leave earlier, but somehow I got side tracked. Got to William B. Pond park around 6:20 and found that I barely found a parking spot in the park itself. Sat in the car and watched others drive like maniacs looking for parking.


I felt a little dehydrated, so drank my water while sitting in the car and by 7 a.m. I had to pee. Walked to a nearby bathroom and did the business. I then decided to walk around the course start area. Here's some pics of the start being set up, etc.
Went back to the car. At 7:15 I had to go pee again. At 7:35 I had to go again. I decided to stop drinking so much water and do my warm up run.




Warmed up and did one more pee break. Saw two ladies from my Ophir Milan riding group and we talked for a few minutes. Ate a Chocolate Gu and headed for the start. Placed myself right next to the 9 min/mile marker.

Waited for the start.
Waited a few more minutes.
Waited again.

Finally at 8:15, there was some commotion near the front of the pack. The race director was talking, but the speaker near where I was standing wasn’t working so I couldn’t hear a word he was saying.

A bagpipe band cut through the course and headed for the front. I’m not one for bagpipes necessarily but it was a unique touch to the race.

At 8:20 the race started. (I learned later that the delay was due to traffic congestion from the remote parking location—the race director elected to wait until people could get to the start).

Mile 1-3. Had consistent 8:30ish splits. I felt great—my legs felt fresh and even though it was warm, my water bottle was full of cold tasty goodness. After the first mile I systematically started picking people and passing them. It was an awesome feeling!

Mile 4-6.5. Moved from the shaded bike trail up to the levee. I have often run on the levee with various training groups so it wasn’t a big deal but the relentless sun was a difficult to deal with. I tried to ration my water bottle and began taking fluid from the aid stations to supplement my bottle. Pace was still 8:20-8:37.

Mile 6.5-8. The half way point is a 180 degree turn around—we descend off the levee, turn 180 degrees and proceed back up the main bike trail. I was HOT. The sun was directly in my face and the pavement seemed to irradiate heat through my shoes. I know that it was probably only 70 degrees but it really felt overly warm. I stopped and walked through aid station 7 and ate a gu and drank 4 cups of water. My pace slowed to about 9:10 per mile.

Mile 9-12. These were the toughest miles of the race. The shade trees became sporadic along the trail. Sometimes it was nice and cool, and sometimes I got a frontal assault from the sun. I checked my watch at mile 9 and saw it was 1:18 and realized that I could probably make the Sub 2 hour mark even with my slower pace, this really helped me relax and I just focused on trying to pass people. Up ahead, I saw a lady from my running group. I focused on her blue shirt and trying to stay with her. At Mile 11.5 aid station, she ran through and grabbed a water cup while my volunteer fumbled with pouring some water into a cup for me. By the time I looked up, my “pacer” was gone. Drats!

Mile 12-13.1. I looked at my watch and saw 1:46 and realized that I would definitely be doing a sub 2 and started to smile like a fool as I ran to the finish. As I crossed the line, the official clock said 1:58. I glanced at my Garmin and it reported 1:56. Fkn. Hurray.

After my race, my stomach was just wrecked so I didn’t wait for food. I saw “blue short lady” and we talked for a few minutes. She reported one of the fastest guys in our group did a 1:35 for the half! Holy . Crap.

I was really beat after, walked to my car, drove home got cleaned up and ate two HUGE sandwiches and had a coke. Funny, I am never hungry right after a race, but within an hour and a half I am famished almost to the point of blacking out.

So now that I’ve reached my goal of a sub 2 half, I don’t know what to do next. There aren’t any other half marathons in the Sacramento area over the summer (it’s too hot!); There are quite a few trail runs so I may do those but not sure that my time will get faster after doing those.


Lessons Learned:

• HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE for days before the race.
  
• Be ready for any issue. Several reviewers of the race complained about lack of water, cups, etc. I attempt to be self-sufficient and bring my own water, etc.
  
• my knee hurt so I iced for awhile
  

I have my Auburn Sprint in 2 weeks. I can’t believe I am saying this-- I am ready for the race.

ANOTHER PR Baby

Just a quick bulleted list of things. In-depth Race Report of Parkway Half Marathon to come later.

• Chip time--1:56 --Another 5 minutes off my last race and another PR!!!
  
• It was a HOT HOT Day!
  
• Sore legs today!