4 final the to Down

Only one month left until Auburn Tri. The training has been going ok. Knee pain and calf pain have finally subsided a bit, but the loss of training time and intensity caused me to step back and re-evaluate my goals. I decided to officially change to the sprint distance triathlon from the half –ironman in Auburn. It was a hard decision to make, but I just decided that killing myself for one race wasn’t worth it and I was liable to end up more injured. I haven’t done a triathlon in almost 2 years (!) and I think a sprint might be the best way to ease back into Tri Racing.

That being said, the Sprint distance isn’t anything easy—1000k swim in a 55 degree lake; 18 miles on the bike with the first 8 miles being almost straight uphill; and a 7k run on trails. Yeah, I think that’s good for now.

I pre-rode the bike course on Sunday with two (non-tri training) friends. It was great. My split time from Rattlesnake Bar (T1) to Auburn Overlook (near T2) was 37 minutes for 8 miles of 9-14 % grade hills. The first time I rode it, it took nearly 50 minutes to cover the same distance so the time decrease is greeaaaaaaaat!
I rode the rest of the sprint course to Bell Road and back (10 more miles) and my Garmin reported a total time of 1:40. The rest of the course is fairly hilly too.

I am still a “back-of-the-packer” in terms of my riding buddies. Hubby says it is good for me to ride with stronger riders, but I have to admit it is a little discouraging to be huffing and puffing up a hill and watch someone zoom away from you. C’est la vie. I can only keep trying my best and I know from my split times I am getting faster. Just maybe not faster as quickly as everyone else.

Saturday I ran 12 miles in 2:04. It was 78 degrees outside--- beautiful! The calf was still recovering a bit so I did a slower than normal pace. The Parkway half is May 1. I am still secretly hoping to beat 2 hours officially. Shhh don’t tell anyone.

Swimming is of course going well. I have been doing some longer swims even though the sprint is only 1000k. Last weekend I was doing intervals of 300 when an older man swimming in the lane next to me stopped me and asked, “Who taught you your swim technique?” to which I answered, “oh, god is it that bad?”. He laughed and said, “no no! You look very comfortable in the water and your technique is excellent!” I was dumbstruck. Really? After I finished my set and chatted with him and his wife—I was going to let him know about a training group that did open water swim and he said, “well watching your stroke you don’t need that group and from the size of your shoulders, you obviously swim a lot and are very adept at it.” Again. Uhm, WOW! I joked that by the middle of the summer hubby is scared by the size of my back and shoulders and he and his wife laughed.

I have considered doing a trail running series that is on Thursday nights—it looks like so much fun and they have a short 3 mile race option. If I substituted Friday’s morning run for the Thursday ‘race’ I think it would work. I would really like to do it but… coach chad told me that he would ‘advise against it’ since I have a hard speed workout every Wednesday. The Folsom Trail Runners look like they have so much fun though!!!!! Grr!!I

What else? Hmmm… On the personal front, three people I know were either in the hospital or having surgery last week. The worst, was my friend Ms. Tiff who somehow contracted a nasty foot infection after getting a pedicure. Her foot managed to get worse and worse until she was hospitalized for 4 days.



Yeah, I don’t think I will ever get a pedicure again. Seriously.

My grandma is here in USA to attend my cousins wedding. It was so good to see her. I saw her at the reception and she knew who I was right away (her eye sight isn’t so good). No, she didn’t ask about my training…. At least not yet.

Here’s the only pic of me from the wedding.. That shiny glare off my nose is really really awesome.

2 things diagnosed

1. Patellaform syndrome (runner's knee)
2. pulled/strained tendon from calf to insertion point behind the knee.

Fixes:

1. Strengthen VMO (vastus medialis obliqus)
2. rest, ice, possible ultrasound therapy.

I'm of to see the wizard...the wonderful wizard of oz

...Because of the wonderful things he does..

I have been tenderly loving my gamey left knee for a week. It simply doesn't want to cooperate with me. So I took the plunge and called my M.D. and have an appt with him today. He's a good doc--he's run boston several times, does centuries, etc--it's nice to have a doc that understands that i want to run and bike and swim.

In any case, the knee hurts not only in the back, but now in the front, on the left side, and inside of it. It hurts most from cycling but also with running and even with swimming (when i kick). My training has unfortunately come to a halt until I get this taken care of. Hopefully he can figure out the issue and get me rockn' and rollin' again. In any case, I am almost sure that I will need to switch to the sprint distance of the Auburn Tri in May. I haven't been able to do any long workouts since mid March--almost a month.

On the nutrition front: I started to look at my food ingredients a little more closely--I was especially interested in high fructose corn syrup--the satan of food. Now I consider myself a pretty healthy eater, but I was shocked at how many things in my house had high fructose corn syrup.

My favorite boysenberry jam
silk soymilk creamer
my daily soda (or "pop" as it is called in the midwest)
Stove Top Stuffing
Cranberry juice
cranberry sauce
corn flakes (generic)
rice crispies (generic)
raisin bran (generic)
ketchup
mayo
ritz crackers
oreos
wheat thins
tomato paste
baked beans
applesauce
every icecream in the freezer (I don't eat it but it's there for the rugrats)
every salad dressing in the fridge
various sauces in the fridge including A-1, jim beam, and "dippin' sauce".
Prego (I suspect-- I threw out the jar before I remembered to look, but prego is somewhat of a 'sweet' marinara so i bet it is in there)
I'm not sure what to think of all this. Is going organic better? It was a bit frightening though to see this stuff in almost every packaged food I have.

Hopefully the doctor visit goes well. I'll post my diagnosis as soon as I can.

Turn You Inside Out

Been so busy at work, no time to update my blog.

Latest for Tri Training.

Rode 51 miles of the Auburn course--OUCH. Perfect discription is-- It turned me INSIDE OUT.

Tried to ride whole course two weeks later and had an EPIC FAIL due to calf/hamstring issues and bike mechanical problems. D'oh!

Managed to do 3 X 1 mile repeats at 7:54, 8:04, 7:59 during my track workouts.

Even though my 24 hour closed for repairs to the pool, I've managed to keep up my swimming--I am more relaxed in the water for sure. Up to 2600 yards, two - three times per week.

I lost 7 lbs in one week because I wasn't eating enough after my long rides. I also turned into this about an hour later.




I'm pretty proud of my riding and how far it has come along. I'm still a back of the packer, but at least i'm not MILES back.

Parkway half marathon is in 3 weeks. I hope I can break 2 hours on the run (officially).

I was doing a track workout two weeks ago and come to find out (by reading the blog) that Kristen was doing the track workout too. I didn't recognize her or know her so we didn't talk. Hoping we can catch each other on the track and meet officially face to face.

That's it for now. In unrelated news, I've recently picked up and started on the Satanic Verses. It's kinda slow so far.

Shamrock’n Half Marathon Race Report Aka The Bitch is Back

This race report is going to be full of sparkle and sunshine since I PR’d (Boo-ya!).

This is my second time doing the Shamrockn’ half marathon. I did it in 2008 with a finish time of 2:17. Not great--but ok.

I should preface the race report by saying that my goal for the race was to get under 2:15. I thought I would be able to get under 2:10 but because I had been sick for almost two weeks I didn’t want to psych myself up only to be disappointed. I figured a 2:15, even with the time lost due to illness—would be doable.

I checked my email the night before the race and found a notice from the race director reminding everyone about the parking shortages, “please carpool” yada yada. I clicked on the “FAQs” link and read through some of the info. I discovered that USATAF amended their “NO IPOD” rule and that as long as I wasn’t competing for prize money, or in a championship, I COULD WEAR MY IPOD!!

I was stoked. The friend who I was slated to run with, bailed due to a pulled hamstring. Before reading the email, I was convinced I was about to embark on 13 long lonely miles without a soul to talk to… The IPOD change made things a lot easier. Quickly, I loaded a couple of new playlists that included Lada Gaga, Rob Base, Depeche Mode, Jay Sean, Genesis, Maria Carey, Aqua and some other weird stuff. Hey don't judge me by my music. The 80s and 90s were good to me. I was set for the morning.

I awoke at the butt crack of dawn. Really. The “spring forward’ happened that same night so I essentially lost an hour of sleep. Because of the parking issues the race director recommended arriving at Raley Field NO LATER THAN 6:30. Past experience showed me that the freeway offramp was jammed by 6:15. I resolved to beat the traffic by waking at 4:30 and leaving by 5:15.

I drank my coffee, had some water, did the “business”, had some PB & J on a bagel. I went to the garage and opened the garage door. The dogs, who sleep in the garage BOLTED out (presumably after a cat). Than not only ran out of our yard, but they ran down to the end of the court and then turned left towards a busy street. I obviously couldn’t yell or whistle at 5:15 in the morning without upsetting the neighbors, so I ran after them and hissed, “SHASTA AND RAINIER GET OVER HER NOW. BAD DOG BAD DOGGGG!!!” They finally turned around and I grabbed their collars and yanked them back home and into the garage. Naturally I then had to go back in the house and re-wash the dog hair/smell off my hands. By the time I pulled out of my driveway it was 5:25.

Driving on the freeway so early was a welcome relief. No one was on the road. I finished my PB & J, continued sipping on my coffee and took a few swigs of water.

The exit came quickly. There was no traffic. I entered the parking lot—as the 10th person there!!

Parked right in front, turned off the ignition and sat back. Relaxed. Ahhhh…It was 5:40.

I watched other cars come into the parking lot..at 6 I decided, it was time to take a little potty break. I headed into Raley field and found the bathrooms and did the business. After leaving I saw my friend Tiff setting up the STC booth. She was putting on pink racing flats. She is so fast as a runner! It was freezing out (35 or so I think) so I told her good luck and ran back to the car.

I sat in the car and half rested until 7. The parking lot was full by now and people were streaming in and out of Raley field. I thought since it was an hour until the start, I should try to head for the bathroom again.. just in case.

Inside Raley field was what I can only describe as pandemonium. The lines for the bathrooms—at least 100 women deep. The line snaked around the food concourse and the booths and headed outside. Ridiculous. I walked around thinking, “I really don’t need to go that bad.” I walked back to the car and slipped off my sweats, changed from Uggs to running shoes, and strapped on my Garmin. I went back into Raley field at 7:20. By then the bathroom lines had swelled even further. Crap. With an 8 a.m. start and the announcements for the race starting, I knew I wouldn’t get through the line before the start. I half considered peeing in front of my car, but people kept walking on the concourse right above where my car was parked and they could easily look down on me. So that idea was scrapped. There were no porta-potties around Raley field that I could see, so I resolved to just wait until I was on the course and use one of the porta-potties during the race. Not ideal, but hell what could I do?

At about 7:40, I started a slow warm up of approx 1 mile. I retied my shoes. I checked my Garmin. 7:55.

I got in the corral for wave 2. It was freezing. Seemed to get colder between 6 and 8 a.m.

At 8 a.m the first wave went. We were up. I looked around for awhile and discovered I was standing next to someone I knew from triathlon. We hugged and talked and then put on our game faces.

The horn blew for our wave. It took me 40 seconds to cross the start line. I wanted to start out a little slow since it was so freakin cold outside.
I ran into (literally) a lady I used to run with during my CIM training. We chatted for about ¾ mile laughing and catching up. Then I realized, that a speed walker just passed us. It occurred to me that I was supposed to be racing, not talking, so I bid adieu to Anita and moved my feet a little faster.

Mile 1—10:21 split. The somewhat slower time was due to talking with Anita and not concentrating on the race. I started to warm up a bit but was happy to realize that I had dressed appropriately.. Short sleeve shirt, arm warmers, mittens, capris.

Mile 2 –8:49. Stopped at the first porta-potty I saw. I stood in line for about 20 seconds before one of them opened up for me. I got in, shut the door and realized that I had mittens on and had to peel those off before I could drop trough. Did the business and got out of there. My garmin stopped in the porta potty (auto pause) and then started again once I got outside. (this is significant later).

Mile 3 – 9:03. After cowtown, I discovered that I need to eat every few miles. I ate a Gu, chocolate flavored. Because there was no garbage can readily available and I couldn’t just throw it on the ground, I sort of tucked it into the band of my waist pack so that I could grab it to throw easily when I did find a garbage can. Later I found that it left this really gross brown, smeared mark on my white shirt. Really gross.

Mile 4 – 9:09. I started to pass a few people as they stopped to get water from aid stations. That was cool. I passed the 2:10 pacer. That was cool.

Mile 5 – 8:54. continued to pass people. High fived one of my old CIM coaches who was cheering on the side of the road. Dropped into Old Sacramento and ran next to horse poop dropped by an ol’ horse. Ran on some cobblestones/bricks. Felt pretty good.

Mile 6 – 9:06. Crossed the Tower Bridge again. It was lined with people cheering. Saw a co-worker and yelled “hi”. High fived another old coach who was screaming at us, “RUN LIKE THE WIND”. Sun was just starting to really shine.

Mile 7 – 9:01. I ate another gu (vanilla) and noticed I was half done with my water. Perfect timing. Total time running on the Garmin said 1:03. Maria Carey’s Fantasy was on the IPOD, along with Jay Sean’s Down.

Mile 8 – 9:14 started to feel a bit fatigued. In the past, I would have stopped to walk right now. But somehow, I didn’t. I kept running (albeit, slightly slower). Aqua’s Barbie Girl was playing on my IPOD, I hit repeat twice so I could listen to it again.

Mile 9 – 9:09. started to see all the runners heading back to Raley field. They were about 2-3 miles ahead of me. I saw the 2:00 pacer who was probably 5 minutes ahead of me (the course loops around a lot) and realized I wouldn’t catch her.

Mile 10 – 9:20. this mile is kind of a blur. I was on the levee running. I saw some people pass me including a girl who was completely sleeved. She scared me. I think I decided not to eat any more Gus since my stomach was a little wobbly.

Mile 11 – 9:22. Now that I was on the second part of the loop back I started to see all the people still heading out. Wow. I was ahead of people. I walked through an aid station and drank two itty bitty cups of water. Looked at my Garmin and it said 1:39. I realized that I might be able to make a sub 2 half marathon if I hustled; therefore, I started to hustle.

Mile 12 – 9:14. almost done. Continued to pass people, but people also started passing me. The pace picked up considerably at this point. My water bottle was empty.

Mile 13 – 9:09. I started to sprint at this point, rounded the corner and burst through the gate into Raley Field. Red gravel crunched under my feet. I sprinted to the end and through the shoot. It was awesome. Garmin said 1:59:58.

Volunteer handed me a medal and some water. Walked up the stairs and chatted with some friends at the STC tent. Decided to forgo the LONG LINE for free food and headed for the car delighted that I beat my old course time of 2:17 by 18 mintues!!!

Called hubby and told him the good news. Started the car and drove home. On the freeway, there was a nagging idea…something not quite right. Then I realized that my garmin had stopped in the porta potty. I was a little disappointed to confirm this later—my official time 2:01.

However, taking 16 minutes off my previous course time is AWESOME! I also PR’d on the distance by 10 minutes!

If you want to see pics.. go here. Like my striped mittens?


Whoohoo! My new goal is sub-2 at my next half marathon the Parkway half on May 1.

Manic Monday

Quick bullets on the week's events... more detail later.

• Ran Shamrockn' Half Marathon yesterday. I PR'd on the same course by 17 MINUTES!!Official Time was 2:01
  
  
• I PRd over the same distance by 10 MINUTES
  
  
• Speed workout last week entailed a 2 mile run on the track. I did 2 miles in 16:02!!
  
  
• I'll post mile splits and race report later this week. Suffice to say I'm feeling GREAT!
  

Step on: Case of the Happy Mondays

My struggle over working out reached its zenith last weekend. I did nothing but watch “HIGH SCHOOL REUNION” marathon and eat and sleep. I couldn’t get the energy to work out. No run. No bike. No swim. I knew something was seriously wrong so I pulled out my ol’ trusty, “Triathlete’s Guide to Mental Training” and started reading.

Wow. So I figured out why I’ve been in a horrible funk the last couple of weeks.

The bad weekend really took a toll on my confidence. A real toll. Oh, I know, it probably was obvious to everyone reading, but not to me. I’m a little slow sometimes. For some, the lack of confidence comes from a single bad workout. I had 3 bad workouts in 1 weekend. No wonder I felt awful. Lack of confidence sucks away motivation. No motivation = no workout.

Basically, this happens to a lot of people (according to the book) after a bad training episode or a bad race. Like a lot of people, I started to question my abilities: to train, work full time, enjoy my life, be a good step-mom and wife, and volunteer.

So I sat on my ass and ate. That is something I can do. Well.
I licked my wounds, and licked the frosting out of the Pillsbury frosting container.

The day I resolved to ride my bike again, my husband crashed badly on his. That scared me. A lot. He is still recovering.

Mental Training didn’t have an exact prescription for fixing the psychological catastrophe. I’m talking to some people in my tri group. The rain is back for the next 6 days so I can’t ride but I can run. I can swim. I can do 30-day shred and yoga DVDs.

Can I guarantee a workout tonight? No. But I can tomorrow—it’s my run group through Fleet Feet.

Poker Face

I lived through the bad week I wrote about here.

Not surprisingly, the stress of the week allowed a little "wee-beasty" to take refuge in my nose/sinus and caused a nasty little cold.

I let the fever cook for a few days and I finally felt better yesterday. I have not worked out at all for 1 week.

Tomorrow's run is a 14 miler. I'll be running to granite bay and back again. I don't know why, but running to another town sounds so, uhm, impressive.

Sunday is a ride with the Tri group along part of the Auburn Tri course.

Yesterday Hubby wrecked bad on his bike commuting to work. I had to leave work and take him to emergency. His helmet is cracked in 3 places, but i'm grateful that he is basically ok. Broken thumb, along with a hemotoma the size of a grapefruit on his leg. His bike is pretty beat up. Karma ran over his dogma. I have pics, but I'm not sure I should post them. They are really really gross. Really. If I get enough requests, I might do it though.

I decided against doing Vineman. I was really sad when i reached that conclusion, but finances being what they are, I have to consider the bigger picture and spending $400+ for a race, hotel, food, etc simply isn't going to happen this year.

I also opted out of Wildflower in order to do the practice Auburn Tri on April 25.
Focus is on Auburn Tri May 23 and Shamrockn' half marathon on two weeks.

Oh, and I decided to grow my hair out long again.

New Allegations in Floyd Landis Case

02.22.2010 | 11:40 am
A Note from Fatty: A big thanks to Dug for helping me “research” many of the allegations in this news piece.
PARIS (Fat Cyclist Fake News Service) - Floyd Landis, former Tour-de-France champion and longtime sporter of scruffy facial hair, has recently found himself facing a France-based arrest warrant for hacking into the French anti-doping agency AFLD.
Pierre Bordry, head of the AFLD, asserts that “Landis, under cover of the night, wearing black cycling tights and black long-sleeved cycling jersey, snuck into our lab, where — using the mad computer skills he developed in the Computer Hacking Class he took at the local Mennonite Technical College — he proceeded to download all of our most sensitive data, and uploaded all kinds of malware and trojan horses and tasteless, photoshopped images of Thomas Voeckler.”
“Quite clearly, this was Landis’ work,” continued Bordry. “As evidenced by the way he wrote “Floyd wuz here” and “Metallica ROOLZ” on a whiteboard near the computer where he was working.”
“Also, he left candy wrappers, PBR cans, and cookie crumbs all over the place,” continued the AFLD head. “Landis is — in addition to being a doper, hacker, and ninja-like break-in artist — a total slob.”
And today, additional allegations have come to light, casting a still-darker shadow on the already well-shaded cyclist.
More Seriously Illegal Doping Problems
Bordry asserts that, far from merely doping himself, “Floyd Landis also made other people dope. He was sneaking EPO into Basso’s juice, giving Iban Mayo HGH under the pretense that it was mayonnaise, and secretly sneaking all manner of noxious concoctions into Tyler Hamilton’s herbal remedies.”
“We are confident, in fact, that Floyd Landis is responsible for every single doping incident that has ever happened. And for several which have not happened yet,” continued Bordry, his voice quivering with emotion.
Concluded Bordry, “Floyd Landis is the root cause of all doping in the whole universe and must be stopped at once.”
Still More Allegations
Landis’ offenses are not limited to cycling-related activities, according to French authorities. In addition to doping, Landis is guilty of and / or wanted for questioning in France for the following offenses:
• Being the originator of the term “Freedom Fries”
• Owning several McDonald’s franchises in Paris
• Disliking very thin pancakes
• Knocking down and ridiculing a mime, simply because the mime was wearing a beret
• Being possibly descended from Henry V
• Claiming to not consider Amelie to be the best film ever made
• Wearing excessively gauche attire
• Drinking beer while eating fish, instead of going with a nice white wine
• Causing the French defeat in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu
What This Does NOT Mean
According to Bordry, none of this has anything to do with circumventing the conclusion of Landis’ suspension from ranks of professional cyclists and keeping Landis out of France — and hence, from ever making another attempt at a Tour de France win. “Of course we realize that we are investigating Landis for a crime to which another person has already confessed,” said Bordry. “But we want to be absolutely certain.”
When asked why this warrant has not been distributed outside of French territory, Bordry remarked, “That is an excellent question, and I hereby issue an arrest warrant for you, should you ever enter France.”

Things that make you go "HMMMmmm"

This post will have quite a few bad words, explatives, and me pondering the ontological mystery that is "LIFE". This post may be considered a "bitchfest". Consider yourself warned.

The last few days have been a shitstorm of crap.
Last week went well. Did all my workouts--didn't even skip one. Was good on my paces for speed work. After what seemed like a million weekends of rainy weather, the NWS promised blue skies and sunny 70-degree weather--and it was a 3-day weekend! All should have been well.

But--oh, it was about to get bad.

I started saturday with a ride with my tri group. Ride was supposed to be 40-50 miles and cover the first 1/3 of the Auburn Triathlon course. Perfect. Just what I have been wanting to do.

I got to the starting point, unloaded the bike, got geared up and said the usual pleasantries to the other group members. All was awesome. Perhaps bulleted points might be the best way to describe the events of the next hour.

• Realized that although I loaded myself up with tons of food, i forgot a second water bottle.
  
• realized that the 40 mile group wouldn't be stopping for water.
  
• Got ditched by the 40 mile group when I was stopped at a turn signal and nobody realized it but me.
  
• Decided to make the best of the situation and go through Rolling hills with the group going 20 miles. Considered doing two-20 mile loops.
  
• Realized I didn't have water for two-20 mile loops either.
  
• Realized that the 20 mile loop was really only 16 miles.
  
• Realized that although I can climb ok, my descents suck.
  
• Got home and tried to whine to my husband.
  
• He told me to 'man up' and that it was my own fault for getting ditched. As if I wasn't already feeling bad enough.
  
• Yelled at my husband in front of everyone on my street.
  
• He yelled back (as he was leaving for his bike ride), "get cancer and die."
  
• I cried.
  
  
  Oh, this was just Saturday. There are two more days in the long weekend.
  
  
• Sunday's 12 mile run went really well. 1:53 for 12 miles.
  
• because my legs were so toasted from the long run, I decided to put off my swimming time trial until monday.
  
• I drank a lot mostly because RR#2 was working my last nerve with her, Oh my god it's valentines day and i didn't get to see my boyfriend crap. Then she cried for 2 hours, then she yelled at us for ruining her life. Great. Pass the Boeger Barbera please. I spent sunday evening drinking margaritas and red wine. A lot of red wine.
  
  Monday started out really promising. I slept in and then decided to hit the pool for my timetrial. 1000 yards as fast as I can.
  
• Got to the pool at noon. 4 people per lane. No joke. And not 4 graceful, people. 4 writhing and twisting and running in place and trying to learn how to swim people.
  
• I watched everyone and carefully chose a lane that had 2 men it it who were going slow, but doing continuous freestyle laps. That's the ticket!
  
• Got punched in the head, face, and leg by the bozos.
  
• Switched lanes and commented to the guy that I needed to change lanes before I ended up like Robin Tyson.
  
• Guy yelled at the two guys in my prior lane and almost started a fight.
  
• Finally gave up on trying to swim after two elderly ladies entered my lane and started standing at the shallow end and talking. Not swimming, not blowing bubbles. Just blocking the end of the lane and chatting about their grandkids.
  
• Got home and showered only to realize I promised hubby that I would go mtn. biking with him.
  
• "OK" I said, "But it has to be an easy pace and only a couple of miles."
  
• 3 miles and two big hills later I asked to turn around. He yelled at me, calling me all sorts of names and saying it was embarrasing that I was always last in my age group.
  
• I walked my bike back to the car, because according to idiot, I shouldn't have a mountain bike anyway.
  
• Impaled the back of my right calf on the front gear ring.
  
• Calf looks infected now.
  
  Tuesday.
  
• Fought more with hubby via email, phone, and text message.
  
• Started to really question my sanity over doing the Auburn Triathlon. What the hell am I doing? Why? What am I doing here? I'll never finish. I won't even make the swim cutoff.
  
• Got into an argument with my mom over my lack of attention to her because of my training.
  
  Wednesday
  
• Continued to question my training committment.
  
• Realized that the ONE day of the year that the Auburn Tri Course is OPEN for PRACTICE is the same day as the Wildflower Century.
  
• When I registered for wildflower I paid registration ($55) + bought jersey ($75) + bought "SPECIAL CENTURY FINISHERS JERSEY" ($75).
  
• Still questioning what I should do. Then I got this email.
  
  Hi Karen,
  This email is to inform you that you have been accepted off the waitlist for the 2010 Vineman Ironman 70.3. Please read the instructions below and then follow the link to sign up for the race.
  
  You will have 7 days to complete your registration process. After that date you will no longer be considered for the event and your name removed from the waitlist acceptance list.
  
  Once on the registration page you will need to select your name from the drop down box. Then you will need to put in your password.
  

FK me. Really?

Friday Five Ten

Friday Five Ten

• Decided to forgo the Super Bowl run in order to ride 60 miles on my bike. Sunday was the only sunny day available to ride in more than a week so I had to RIDE. Running was optional so I blew off the race. Not a good start to the 2010 race season but the weather has been so bad, I have to take the riding days when I can.
  
  
• Apparently I was moved from the “A group” (aka slowest) to the “B Group” in my FIT training weeks ago. I just never got the email from my trainer. I was feeling really good about “blowing away” the 76 year old man and the 55 year old woman in the A group during our intervals. B group is full of 30-something women who are ass kickers in their age group. The kind of women who yell, “Go Girl GO!” as they pass you sprinting around the track. Now, I’m scared.
  
  
• I watched “The Soloist” last night on HBO and it made me cry. Such a good story, but also so very very sad. I tried hard to hold back the tears but it was no use. Then hubby came into the bedroom with his eyes red and teary. He was watching the same thing in another room. I don’t know what’s sadder—the movie OR the fact that we were isolated in our own house experiencing the same emotional turmoil.
  
  
• Work is crazy. Really Crazy. People are cranky and upset all the time. I smile at everyone while I walk down the hallway for my 50th pee break of the day. I’m sure co-workers think I’m high. I don’t’ care though, cause my new-ish boss thinks I’m doing “Excellent” work. Not bad for being in the fiscal field and never even taking one econ, accounting, budgeting or business course in my whole life. Not bad at all.
  
  
• I’m reading “THRIVE” by Brendan Brazier. Good info, but not sure that I buy everything he’s selling. Yes fruits, veggies, etc are good for all of us. But eating them a lot will send me to the bathroom a lot. And there is no way I’m eliminating coffee from my diet. No. Way. NO WAY! Step away from my coffee mug and nobody gets hurt.
  
  
• The “pool drain walker” was doing his thing on Wednesday morning at the 24 hour fitness pool again. It was creepy.
  
  
• This weekend is a three-day-er so I hope I find time to ride my mountain bike. Hubby insists.
  
  
• I’ve decided I don’t like swim fartlek intervals. Yes I’m sure.
  
  
• I rode an “easy” 1:30 yesterday on my road bike. At a certain point I had to wait for a light to change before I could continue across a crazy busy road. A car pulled up behind me but waited so far back that her car wouldn’t trigger the light. I motioned for her to move forward (I was basically waiting in the crosswalk). The twit was so busy talking on her CELL PHONE that she either (a) didn’t see me motioning to her or (b) thought I was a looney waving at her. In any case, I decided to wait for her to figure out that the light wasn’t changing –then she would figure out to move her car forward ON HER OWN. I waited through 4 light changes while the twit talked and laughed on her fkn CELL PHONE and cars behind her were honking at her. Then when she finally did trigger the light she had the nerve to BUZZ me in her massive SUV, talking on the CELL PHONE, while I was in the bike lane!!! Again TWIT!!! GRRR!
  
  
• After she buzzed me, I flipped-off the lady (above). It made me feel better.
  

Seeds of Triathlon

When I was a kid, my parents would whisk the whole family off for summer vacations to their ancestral homeland—India. The culture shock of going from Northern California –McDonald’s, Datsun pickups, stoplights and lane lines to India—land of home-cooked meals, Fiats, and no discernable traffic laws boggled my mind.

Every two years my parents packed us up and we headed on the whirl-wind trip through Japan, Thailand and onto New Delhi. From New Delhi, we usually took a 13 hour drive by taxi to my grandparent’s house. We alternated between one set of grandparents and the other every couple of weeks. We went to the Bazaar by a bicycle-pulled rickshaw. The Rickshaw ‘driver’ (I don’t’ know why he was called a driver, as he was usually pulling 6 people—not driving) was often a skinny guy with tiny ankles straining to pull us up a hill toward the bazaar. We, as the landed gentry sat back and spoke haughtily about how much we spent on this-or-that, while gazing downward at all the proletariat walking or running to a job or home. But I was often intrigued and pittied the man who had to pull me, my brother, my mom, my dad, and usually at least one grandparent close to 5 miles. Somehow the idea that manual work was for—well, others—became ingrained in my psyche as a young girl. Physical labor was for those who couldn’t afford to NOT do physical labor.


As I got older, we went less and less. High school commitments kept my busy most summers. Then summer jobs thwarted my parent’s plans for “one more family vacation.” Finally, college beckoned and with it, the idea of traveling overseas, when I could be making money at home, seemed stupid.

Finally, my last trip to India was in the summer of 1993. Two of my grandparents had died. It was before my last year in college and I wanted to have some fun before I made the final push to get the elusive Bachelor of Science degree. Plus my boyfriend was going to Germany for the summer, so I’d probably be bored sitting around all summer.

But I had changed. The idea that doing something physical meant that you were ‘lower than’ no longer struck a cord with me. I tried to go for short runs in the oppressive heat only to have my Aunts and Uncles yell at me that I would surely die after a few steps (seriously—they thought I would keel over). I wanted to ride a bike to the bazaar for some shopping—but everyone said, “but people will think you are poor. Come, we can go in our new air conditioned Mercedes.” I asked about swimming opportunities in the canals nearby, but it was totally unheard of for a young lady to show anything other than her arms and face outside. So I languished. I had servants bring me breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea and snacks. They folded my laundry, drew me baths, and cooked my meals. And I sat. and I ate. And yet, I wanted to be outside DOING something.

I guess it was during that last trip in 1993 that the seeds of future triathlons were planted. Everyone telling me “NO” started a fire in me that burns to this day.

Why am I writing all this? My only remaining grandparent is my maternal grandmother. She is extremely old fashioned. She doesn’t’ think girls should ride bikes because it isn’t ladylike. In any case, she has heard through the family grapevine that I started running. “Running? Really? But Karen will get darker? What does ‘hubby’ say about this?”

When she heard I swam in the lake she was concerned about my attracting “undue” attention from men and how could I swim without being fully clothed and what did my husband think about me going around half naked in water?

But the funniest thing—the thing I can’t stop laughing about—is when she was told that her oldest granddaughter (me) rode 45 miles on her bike a few weeks ago. Her response, “Why the @&$# did she do that? Did her husband lose his job? Did they wreck their car?” It never occurred to her that I enjoyed riding my bike. That all those years of “NO” have created a personality that says “YES I CAN, DAMMIT!”

Yesterday, I rode 60 miles on my bike in 3:44. It was my longest ride ever.

I can’t wait to call my grandma this evening and tell her.

Holy Busy Tri Season!!!

Superbowl 10K run Feb 7
Shamrockn' Half Marathon March 14
TBF XTERRA March 28 (possibly--perfect fit into training plan)
Party Pardee Metric Century (Waitlisted) April 3
Wildflower Century April 25
The Parkway Half Marathon May 1
Auburn Half Ironman May 23
Sierra Century June 5
Xterra Tahoe City June 26 (I have to do this one--in memory of my pops!)
Vineman 70.3 (Waitlisted) July 11
Marin Century Aug 7
Napa Century Aug 16
TBF Half Ironman(HIT)III Sept 11

Landis wins Bahamas time trial--But Rock Racing future unclear

By: Cycling NewsPublished: January 26, 10:29, Updated: January 26, 15:43
Floyd Landis tries to break away in the final kilometres




Floyd Landis won the time trial in the three-stage Tour of Bahamas this week-end. The former OUCH-Maxxis rider reportedly beat the course record set by David Zabriskie in 2008. Landis rode the race wearing Rock Racing kit, even though it is not known whether the American team will actually continue to exist this season.

"All that drinking is starting to pay off," Landis wrote in an e-mail, according to NeilBrowne.com. "I beat the course record set by Zman [David Zabriskie] two years ago and I was on somebody else's road bike with clinchers and no aero clothes. Take that f@*#ers."



Several videos of Landis at the Tour of the Bahamas show the 34-year-old wearing a Rock Racing outfit. "I told them (Rock Racing) that I wanted to do that race so they sent me a kit," Landis said.

But even Landis himself wasn't sure whether or not Rock Racing would continue to be part of the American racing scene this season after being denied a Professional Continental license by the UCI.

"I honestly don't know," continued Landis. "I don't know even if [team owner] Ball has thought about the team these last two weeks. I have no clue what's going on. After the Tour of the Bahamas I'm going back to my shack behind the car wash. Maybe I'll write a book."

The Tour of Bahamas was won by Garmin-Transitions' Caleb Fairly, with his team-mateTaylor Sheldon placing second.

Burn OUT

Sometimes I wonder WHY I'm doing all this training?

Is it for a sense of accomplishment?
To fight boredom?
Run away from problems?

Not really sure--I mean, why do anything but sit on my butt and eat fatty food and watch "Big Love" on HBO?

(Can you tell I'm cranky)?

Workout pics and Other Nonsense

It's always cool when you can run to another town.




This is a better shot of the sign. When I took this picture i was trying NOT to look like I was taking a picture. I didn't want all the cars whizzing by to see me standing in front of a sign taking a picture of myself.


On the trainer.


My Sidi TRI Shoes. These things cost so much money and I never ever wear them. Yes they are WHITE. In biking circles, apparently, that is some sort of signal that you are super super fast. I wish I had known that before I bought them cause now I'm scared to ride outside with them.




My trainer set up. Bike, Fan, Laptop loaded with Spinervals DVD.


This week is a recovery week in my training. I am quite happy about that. I was beat after the 45 mile bike on saturday and the 8 mile run / 2100 yard swim on sunday.
I need to pull my mountain bike out and hit some trails but just don't have (a) TIME or (b) ENERGY just yet. My workouts are so far are:

Monday ---Rest
Tuesday ---Bike (power intervals)
Wednesday -- Swim (a.m.)/ Run (intervals--p.m.)
Thursday-- Bike (foundation)
Friday -- Swim (a.m.)/Run (foundation--p.m.)
Saturday -- Bike long
Sunday --Run (a.m. LONG)/ Swim (p.m. LONG)

Not really sure where I could fit in a mtn bike ride a couple times a week. I suppose I could ride my road bike on Tues/Thurs mornings and then do the mtn. bike on Tues/Thurs after work but that seems like a bit much to me. I have two xterra races this year--this one and this one--so I gotta get on the MTN. BIKE.

Speaking of which, hubby who has been waiting (NOT VERY PATIENTLY) for his new mtn. bike got it last week.


Apparently, I've been replaced.

Happy week everyone!

Thursday's Three Things

Had an interesting week. Got up at 4:25 a.m. and hit the pool for laps 3X this week. Three funny things happened:

1. A guy asked me how I got to be such a good swimmer and asked ME for swimming advice.

2. Another guy asked me if I had seen him on the internet. When I cautiously answered, "Nnnooooo", he replied, "Ok Bud" and turned around and left.

3. A third guy walked around and around and around the pool careful to only step on the white drainboard while humming the theme for "Mission Impossible"

Below is an interesting graph of my workouts since May 2009. I definately need to increase my swim and bike and probably decrease my run a little. What do you think?

Three Things Thursday

1. Running Group was AWESOME!! I hate speed/track work, but with a group it was really fun and easier. We warmed up with a 2 mile run; did some drills (i.e. butt kicks, high knees, etc); did 1 mile of strides; then 2 mile run cool down. Someone told me that with this group, they improved their marathon time from 4:50 to 4:20. Holy SH!T!

2.I have been looking into the P90X system, but there have been so many bad reviews on Amazon.com that i'm a little scared to plunk down $100+ if the darn things don't work. Anyone have good experiences purchasing from Beachbody or Amazon?

3.Running Group schedule is a lot more intense than my Matt Fitzgerald schedule. Not sure if I should bring pick a different Tri Schedule with more running or if I should only do the run workouts that correspond to my tri schedule. Hmmm... decisions decisions.

Suffer Well with Suffer-o-Rama

After work last night I rushed to the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner. I ran smack dab into RR#2 who had cut track practice in order to hang out with her ugly BF. How happy was I?

After disconnecting her cell phone and lecturing her(unsuccessfully)on the evils of teenage boys, I made dinner, quickly ate, and then jumped on the bike trainer to do my 1 hour 5 min of intervals. I was slated to do 7X20 second spinups with 2 min rest between with a warm up and cool down but I decided to warm up on my own for 10 min then pop in the Suffer-O-Rama Spinervals DVD.

Oh
MY
GOD

First off, it was a great DVD—I enjoyed it much more than “No Slackers Allowed.” There was a pool of sweat and water on the floor under my bike. The intervals are definitely hard—but the rest periods are great. I kept thinking halfway through a rest period, “there is no way I can keep going.” But by the end of the rest period, I was able to do the next interval. Coach Troy really kept me motivated and the music is much better than some other DVDs.

I finished my workout and then showered, watched the Biggest Loser and went to sleep. I was awakened by RR#2 and dad doing dishes at 10:30 pm. Really?

Then a big winter storm of rain & wind moved into the area at midnight. The rain pelting the bedroom windows, the wind slamming against the house woke me again and again. When my alarm went off at 4:30 a.m. for my swim, I wasn’t having any of it. I hit my alarm clock to shut it off and rolled over. I woke up at 6, late for work and sad that I didn’t make it to the pool. Hphrumph!Perhaps I’ll make up the swim tomorrow morning.

On the brighter side, tonight is my first group run with FleetFeet FIT program and I am really looking forward to improving my run times and staying injury free. In terms of running, I have a new favorite Power Song--Suffer Well, by Depeche Mode is out. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga is in. Yes I know you are all interested.

In any case, RR#2's ass is grass and she knows it. She tried give me the poopy face last night and was being super nice to me by offering to help with dinner and mop the kitchen floor. Ahhh, living with a teenage girl. The next 4 years are going to be fun.

Twenty Ten kick-off with a Bang!

2010 started off with a BANG--migraine. I stayed up late new years' eve ( I barely made it to midnight) and then hit the sack. At 3 a.m. migraine hit and I got up and took my scrip and hobbled back to bed. Woke up at 10 a.m. I never sleep in that late. I had the RESOLUTION Run at 1pm in Auburn so I got up and got moving.

Resolution run 5k was awesome.. 1.2 miles straight down hill. Then last 2 miles up muddy trails. I managed the downhill well. On my way uphill, I tripped on a granite rock and BAM! hit the ground hard. My left leg, left shoulder were scraped and my right hand (which I put out to brace myself) landed on a granite boulder so was sore. But most importantly, my garmin was scatched! Embarrased by the chorus of, "Oh my god are you ok??" by everyone around me, I got up and finished the run. The last 2 miles was completely up hill. Overall my resolution run time was 40 minutes for a 5k but I managed to get 6th place (out of 20) in my age group!

When I got home I took some pics of my injuries. It turned out my right hand had a big hole with pieces of missing skin. Awesome!









January 2 I rested but on Jan 3 I rode 44 miles on my bike in the freezing rain/ fog. Even with the crap weather I really enjoyed the ride. I bonked at about the 35 mile mark and had to stop and eat a Gu, but finished the ride in 166 min.

My half ironman training started on January 5. I am following Half Ironman training plan #4 in Matt Fitzgerald's book, . It has me biking, swimming, and running 3X/week. I've noticed several interesting things with this training program.

1.I find that I am a LOT hungrier now, even after one week of training.
2. I did most of my weekly biking on the trainer since it is dark when I get home from work, but the 5 a.m. swim workouts are not too bad.
3.The running is just ok. I am trying to go slow when I run, so I don't irritate my IT Band, but I haven't been doing my PT strengthening lately, so the IT is IRRITATED right now. Blah.
4. I do not have any time to watch TV any more. The working out takes time, but so does all the planning/clean up etc. Washing water bottles, washing workout clothes, hanging up workout clothes, set stuff out for the next day is a lot of time. I barely got to watch OZ last night.



Today is a rest day and I am very happy for that. I do enjoy doing my YOGA DVD so I'll pop that in tonight and do a few minutes. Unless, of course, the Season #4 BIG LOVE DVD arrives from Netflix today. Then I'll indulge in that guilty pleasure. :)

I'm onto week #2 of training plan. Only 19 more weeks until Auburn Half Ironman!