Aging up...

I finally caught up to my USAT age today. EndorFun Sports (Lonestar/Longhorn 70.3/Timberman/Mooseman, etc. Race Production Team) emailed me this today:

Tearing up Texas...at least Tri'ing to do so!

I'm a bad, bad blogger!! But, rather than lament the fact that I've been a bad blogger, I will just jump right into it! What has kept me busy these past three weeks, by the numbers and events, here you go:

Week of 13-19 July
S: 6700.00 M (2h 18m )
B: 165.57 Mi (8h 34m 23s)
R: 25.92 Mi (3h 43m 03s)

19 July was the Katy Flatland's Century. It was a great ride, albeit there were some signing issues that meant I took a little detour. Thankfully, of all places for me to be "misdirected" it was in my hometown stomping grounds. I still finished up the ride well and even added on nearly 2 additional miles. My average pace was about an even 20mphs! I couldn't believe it!! I LOVE THE FLATS! Some people don't like the constant "pedaling" that the flats require, but it doesn't bother me in the least. Good thing I'm signed up for Ironman Florida. Some highlights of the trip to Katy included staying with my awesome friends, the Stewarts. They are some of the most generous and loving people you could ever meet. They have known me since I was knee high, and other than my actual family, they have provided me the most constant support and love throughout the years. Thanks Stewarts!! I also too Tanya over to Phoenicia's--a Mediterranean eatery where you can get schwarmas that taste just like I ate when I was a kid living in the United Arab Emirates! They were DELICIOUS! We then headed over to their market and picked up some tasty, fresh pita bread. Oh how I wish I lived near there!!

Week of 20-26 July

S: 9050.00 M (3h 05m 46s)
B: 70.47 Mi (3h 40m 54s)
R: 21.94 Mi (3h 05m 03s) This was a recovery week. So, what's the funny thing about a recovery week during Ironman training? The answer to that is that the recovery week ends with racing an Olympic distance triathlon! I did the TriWaco Olympic Triathlon 26 July. My full race report can be found on BeginnerTriathlete at this link: RACE REPORT
RESULTS
Total Time = 2h 36m 46s
Overall Rank = 26/204
Age Group = F25-29
Age Group Rank = 1/7
Swim: 32:03 (WAS LONG! Definitely not just 1500m...all the swim times were SUPER slow for a true 1500m course)
T1: 2:16 (included a 200m up hill run to a long transition, this was a great time!)
Bike: 1:10:54 (was actually 25.37 miles vs. 40k)
T2: 1:16 (long transition area, I rocked this)
Run: 50:14 (challenging, good run! had some killer hills, thankfully they were shaded)

Of course, I was happy with the Age Group win, and I was the 3rd woman overall, so happy there as well! I was also thrilled because my brother Jeremy came and brought with him my cute poodle, Davey. I guess cheering wore them out, because when I was taking my gear to the car, a local report snapped this great picture:

Week of 27 July - 2 August
S: 7669.28 M (2h 54m)
B: 137.18 Mi (7h 26m 32s)
R: 38.73 Mi (5h 36m 41s)

Wow, looking at the time and totals, this was a monster week! That would explain why I felt I just couldn't get enough sleep!! Work was busy, but so was training. I got some good pool time in, a good long run on Saturday (15 miles) and a 90 mile bike ride on Sunday! I made a tiny mistake of forgetting sun lotion for a swim on Saturday because I'm used to going to the indoor pool. It's not too horrible, but you can definitely see the outline of my swim suit on back!! This week was tough, but it was also confidence building. Even when I was feeling rough on the long run, my body was doing what it was supposed to do, and better than I thought my body would do! I expected my legs to be DEAD on my Sunday long ride. But nope, they weren't. They lacked some zip, but they were still doing well, and I averaged a good 18+ on those 90 miles. It's taking a lot out of me, but I'm learning a lot about myself through all of this about my personal discipline, about how my body works, about the need for friends to help push you through (thanks Tanya!), about time management, and so much more.

It's less than 100 days now until Ironman Florida. At this rate, I have no doubt I'll be prepared. There will be tough days, there will be good days, and there will be a workout out two that just doesn't happen! Haha! But, in all of this I'm learning valuable lessons that truly do meld over to the other parts of my life. God and I get lots of talking time on long runs and rides, though I'm sure there are times where He gets tired of my pleas to just "make it end" or "take away the heat."

Growing Stronger or the Start of a Coup?

Ahhh, rest day. That's what today (Monday) was for me, and boy did I need it. I did get a couple of miles of running in, but they were easy and with my Soldiers during unit PT. It's a good thing it was just easy, because my body needed the rest and didn't feel like doing much else. This past weekend was probably my biggest training weekend EVER. I had a decent swim on Friday night, and then was up bright and early on Saturday for my first, all road miles 100 mile bike ride. I met Tanya at Ft. Hood around 6AM and we got started as soon as there was enough light to head out. We did the same 50 mile loop from the Tour d' Hood about 2 months ago. Coincidentally, all of the hills that were there two months ago were STILL THERE. Amazing isn't it. They still kicked my butt as well!! I told Tanya she won the polka dot jersey for the day (in the Tour 'de France that indicates the rider considered the "King of the Mountain") as she easily beat me up each hill. It was a tough 50 miles, but thankfully not incredibly hot. In fact, one of the biggest elements of nature that we had to deal with during those first 50 miles were COWS. Ft. Hood allows ranchers to allow cows to roam, and there were several times we had to stop to let them pass and several times we prayed one of the larger, more bull looking types wouldn't chase us! Thankfully, we were safe and didn't have any negative bovine experiences except for having to slow for them. After those first 50 miles we refilled our water bottles and then headed out towards Belton Lake. We had some wind and more heat by then, but it was somewhat of a tailwind on the way out and my legs actually felt pretty incredible and I was pushing some very good speed (21+mph) on the way out. Of course, that simply meant on the way back that we would hit more wind, and we did, but without the massive hills we were still feeling well. We got back to the car for another refill and Tanya headed out on her run while I headed back out to knock out 21 more miles of riding. I ended up getting 22+ more in and finished with 101.32 miles in 5 hours 43 mins for a 17.7 mph average. It took 3 hours to do the first 50 miles, and only 2:43 to do the last 50 miles! That's what hills will do!! I named my ride the "Hood Hot and Hilly Hundred." That evening I headed to Austin where I had to say goodbye (for now) to one of my dearest friends and recent Ironman, Blythe, as she heads out to a couple of Navy schools and then to the West Coast for her new assignment. Blythe is the reason I got into this crazy sport. Some days I'm not so sure whether I should thank her or rebuke her! (haha, just kidding--all thanks). She is a phenomenal Naval Officer and incredible friend. I will miss having her just an hour away. Thankfully, it's not the first time we've done the friendship from afar piece as the Army and Navy make sure we become trained on how to do that. However, going to Austin that night for the good-bye party meant I didn't get to bed early and therefore did not wake up early on Sunday. The church service on Sunday was going to be all kid focused, so I was a bad person and skipped to sleep in and run. I didn't start running until about 9AM, and that is not the best idea in Texas summers!! To make it worse, yours truly, decided she was tired of the same routes in the neighborhood and so she headed out onto the long run route, the long HILLY run. I'm a bright one, I know. So, off I went--feeling pretty decent, though definitely somewhat fatigued. I knocked out the first 7 miles on the hilly route and then stopped by the house to grab new bottles of water and spray myself down with the water hose. The last 7 miles were definitely more difficult, not in terrain, but simply because it is hot. I attempted to rationalize finishing the run short of the scheduled 14 miles, but thankfully I pushed through it and finished the run with an 8:53 min/mile average. Given the huge ride the day before, the late night bed time, the heat, and the hills, I'm pretty happy with the run. I had a 2200 meter swim later that evening, but it was nothing that beat me up too much--I don't think I had too much left in me to be beat! So, that was my weekend--nearly 8.5 hours of training, all as part of the Ironman journey.

One would think that after a weekend like this that sleep on Sunday night would be easy. I wanted to sleep, I needed to sleep, but I think my body has decided to stage a coup. I tossed and turned all night long, and definitely have some soreness today. When I initially started the run with Soldiers this morning, I was not sure my legs were going to work properly. However, they eventually got there...slowly, but functioning! The strength is growing, and that's important. The mental toughness is growing, and that's really important. Of course, Tanya and I are becoming better friends as we beat through Ironman training together--friends are REALLY necessary in this sport! Thanks Tanya!

Next weekend I'm riding another 100 miles, but this one is the Katy FLATLANDS Century. Is it insane that I'm HUGELY excited to ride 100 miles simply because they will be FLAT miles?!?! :)

This week's totals:
Swim: 8300.00 M 2h 55m 45s
Bike: 166.95 Mi 9h 16m 23s
Run: 33.65 Mi 4h 53m 05s

Week in Review

I think two words can sum up my life right now: Command and Ironman. I'm fond of both, so that's okay, but they both, rightly so, demand my time. Both had me busy this past week.
Command is a lot of the regular work, but enjoyable. I'm trying to put a lot of time and effort into planning appropriate training for my Soldiers and unit. They were all quite busy this week preparing to work MP duties for the post's Freedom Fest--a big 4th of July fair and event. My Traffic MPs were working TCPs (Traffic Control Posts) and incident tracking, my Bike Patrol were cruising the event with an ever watchful eye, and my Military Working Dog teams were doing sweeps of the area and put on an incredible demonstration. Because they had to work the 4th of July, we had a unit cookout on Thursday. I was very happy to have several family members show up as well!! I have been blessed to have some great Soldiers to work with. My 1SG is top notch, and I recently got a new Executive Officer who is earning his pay check with the number of projects I'm throwing his way! Good times!! It was a 4-day work week as well, and so I enjoyed that as well, especially since next week is a 4-day work week too!
Ironman: Well, I'm in the depths of training, that's for sure! I'm quickly learning that part of the training is adjusting to operating in a physically fatigued state, and by operate I don't just mean make it through the day, I mean make it through the day and get solid workouts in as well. So far, so good. I must admit, I use a lot of mental images to keep me going--I see my friends crossing the finish line at IMFL '08 and IMCdA '09, and I imagine myself out on portions of the course. When I'm having a tough time in the workout, I imagine myself strong in the race because I'm doing the training now that result in strength in the race. When I'm having a hard time getting myself out of bed to get the training done, that's when I imagine myself having a tough time in the actual race and regretting that I didn't do the training. Between the smiling faces of my Ironman friends in my minds eye and the good/bad situations I imagine myself in, I have managed to get everything done. Some swim times and run times haven't been as fast as I'd like, but that's okay. That is part of it. I have to endure fatigue as part of my training because the conquering 140.6 miles in one day is GOING to make me fatigued and I have to know how I can work through that and keep on pushing.
This week's totals are:
Swim: 7900 meters 2h 42m 23s
Bike: 148.24 miles 8h 06m 02s
Run: 28.47 Miles 4h 01m 54s
Strength: 55 minutes
Nearly 15 hours worth of tri training, and 55 minutes of some strength work. Capstones of the week were a 3300m swim workout; 82 mile bike ride, and 12 mile run (not all on the same day!!).

I did get a chance for a little socializing as one of my cycling friends had several of us over to his house for dinner. I then spent another hour or so shooting the breeze with a fellow commander and triathlete. Of course, one of my best friends is Tanya, my Ironman training buddy. I'm quite sure I wouldn't make it through some of the long rides if she wasn't out there training as well. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'll be headed to Ironman Arizona two weeks after my race in order to cheer her to the finish line. All is well, and tomorrow is a day-off from work, an easy swim and a MASSAGE! So, a great start to the week!

Catching up and Year of the Skunk

Obviously life is busy cause I'm not making it onto the blog very much!! Life can be summed up to two things right now: Command (my job) and Ironman training! That's okay though, I'm have a blast with both. I did, however, get a very nice respite and incredible inspiration last weekend when I made my way to Idaho for the first time! I headed up to cheer on some awesome friends (new and multiple Ironman athletes!) as they tackled Ironman Coeur 'de Alene in Coeur 'de Alene, Idaho. The weather was much cooler than Texas, and it was nice...though race day would probably be the coolest and included some chilly rain. My friends (from both the Austin T3 triathlon team and the BT.com crew) did excellent!! So let me extend a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to all the Ironman CdA finishers!! Well done! The race had some choppy waves, some big hills, some chilly weather, and misty cold rain! However, at the end of the day they emerged with the title "Ironman." I had a blast hauling around gear and helping out as I could, and then standing the whole day cheering on every athlete out there. It took me 3 or so days post-race to get my voice back to normal! I was hoping that seeing my friends take on 140.6 miles of swim/bike/run would give me some inspiration to keep on with my training and it has worked for this week at least!

Training has been going well. Thus far the month looks like this:
June's totals:
Bike: 22h 36m 36s - 379.69 Mi
Run: 12h 50m 13s - 90.68 Mi
Swim: 11h 02m 51s - 32550 M

The bike mileage for the month will be less than last month because of my trip to Idaho, but my running this month has been the first full month of running since February (due to the stress fracture). It's coming along really well and with no pain, so I'm happy. I had an AWESOME (and cool), scenic 11 mile run in Idaho. Here in Texas, most of my runs are in the dark so I can avoid some heat. My average wake up time is 0440 in order to run or swim before heading in for unit PT (physical training).

I did get my first 100miler in, though, I'm not really counting it. Two weeks ago (13 June) I went to Gatesville for the FireAnt 100k. I knocked out the 62 miles of that ride, and then went back out. I got to 85 miles, but was now by myself (all the other riders gone) and in an unknown area with some not so friendly drivers and some killer heat. So, I quickly packed the bike up, headed home, and finished out the remaining miles on my trainer. The mileage got done, but I look forward to a continuous 100 miles. The week prior to Gatesville, Tanya (<--training for Ironman Arizona in Nov '09) and I participated in the Atlas 4000 Ride. It's a kick off even for several UT students that ride from Austin to Anchorage, Alaska. It was 70 miles and we were flying!! We averaged right at 19mph and we felt phenomenal at the end as we followed it up with a hot, but successful 4 mile run. We were rewarded with Texas BBQ and Blue Bell ice cream! Who can complain about that? Today (27 June), Tanya and I knocked out 70 miles in the Temple/Belton, Texas area. It is definitely getting toasty...but again, both of us felt GREAT following the ride. I never thought 70 miles would feel easy, but it did. That bodes VERY VERY well for future training. Just at 19 weeks left of training before race day, but I'm no longer nervous/scared about the race. I respect the distance, but I now feel like my base is there. I am thrilled to see my running coming back (I had a tempo run this week where I averaged sub 7:30 min/miles for 4 miles!! yay!) and the cycling keeps getting easier and easier. Still not sure where the swim is as far as speed for the open water aspect, but the endurance is growing there as well. I WILL do the training and I WILL BE READY come 7 November!!

YEAR OF THE SKUNK
If you read this blog, you know that on a ride I did in May I had a close encounter with a skunk. I have had one of my military working dog teams get sprayed. We saw a skunk run across the field at unit PT one morning. The number of dead skunks on the road has been huge this year. It's typical to have them, but the numbers seemed to have been more this year. Well, the skunk encounters continue you this week!! On Thursday morning I went out for a 6 mile run--1 mile warm up, 4 mile tempo run, 1 mile cool down. I think I started around 0445, and I stay in my neighborhood. The streets are wide, there are lamp posts, and it's not very hilly at all. At about 3.25 miles into the run, I'm cruising down a street that doesn't have any houses built on it yet. I see some animal down the street crossing it quickly. I think nothing of it because I have often seen some jack rabbits around (some big enough I've mistaken them for dogs!). I continue down the street, turn in the cul-de-sac, and hear a rustle in the grass to the left. I look over and there, not 5 feet from me is a good size SKUNK! I went from running at about a 7:30 min/mile pace to a 6:00 min/mile pace IMMEDIATELY and for about the next 1/4 of a mile! There was no way in the world I wanted to risk a skunk spray! My heart rate monitor showed an immediate spike of about 7 beats per minute! Thankfully, I didn't see it again, and I got out of the general area, and went several streets over. About 10 minutes later, running down another street I hit what I can only call a "belt" of skunk smell...something or someone got sprayed. Thankfully, I was not that individual! It was still pretty thick and nasty though, so I beat feet out of there! Hopefully that is my last running encounter with a skunk.

BUT, it doesn't end! Today, Tanya and I were riding and heading out on a route we've done many times, and sure enough up in the road at one point is a skunk taking it's little time on a street. There was no way I wanted to ride past it for fear it'd wait just till the right second to release it's foul odor. So, we turned back and went another way. When we came back later the stinker (literally) was thankfully gone. Rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks all run away from people. Not skunks, no they know that you know you're in for a bad day if you get close. I'd rather ride by (not too close mind you) a big, live snake than a skunk. I can avoid the snake...I can't predict that spray! Too many skunks breeding here in Texas!

It's Summer!!

There is no doubt about it, summer has fully arrived to Central Texas! The heat is here in full force and we hit somewhere between 97-99 today! I really should update this on a weekly basis, and I'll attempt to do that this summer--but no promises! Last weekend I did the Tour d' Temple in Temple, Texas. It was a 62 mile route, and I linked up with the head of the Team Army Cycling club...he's a very strong cyclists and does triathlons, so he had his sweet Felt tri bike that day and said he'd ride with me. About 3-4 miles into the ride he tells me that we're going to pass this group and to hang onto his bike tire....this starts a pace line, and the next thing you know, we're going 23-24 mph for about 17 miles!! I fell back a little after a turn, but was still fully in it and it was awesome! I had never really done that before. One of the guys towards the back saw us and took this picture. You can't see me really, but I'm #2 up there. I finished up the 62 and then I headed back out to get in some more, and I finished the day with 79 miles at nearly a 19.5 mph average! Granted, some wonderful drafting helped with that average, but even when I headed out on my own for those last 17 miles I was pushing 19-20! It was a beautiful day to cycle, and unusually nice right off the bat that morning, though it surely heated up towards the end. On Sunday afternoon I headed to Lake Belton with my friend Tanya who is training for Ironman Arizona 2 weeks after Ironman Florida. This works well as we can do a good amount of our long training together. So, we hit the lake, but it seems everyone else did too, so we'll definitely have to find a less busy time to swim, otherwise we have do 200m loops, and that's not as helpful as just swimming long.

Yesterday (6 June), Tanya and I headed down to Cedar Park, TX, just NW of Austin to participate in the Atlas 4000 ride. It's the kick-off of a group of mainly UT students who ride from "Austin to Anchorage" as they raise money for Cancer Research at MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital. The ride started in Cedar Park and went north to Lampassas, TX which is just west of where I live in Central Texas. Thankfully, we had our support friend, Tiffany, who graciously picked us up in the early morning and dropped us at the start point and met us at the end point. The routes took us through mainly Texas County Roads with very little traffic. We had some great downhills that were long and gradual, and then some tough uphills, but most were steep and short. The wind was more in our favor than against us, and while I was feeling a little "whooped" during the first 1/2 of the ride, I got my second wind around mile 40. We ended up at nearly 72 miles and a 19mph average (no drafting help this time around!). 70 miles has become a very comfortable distance for me! The ride ended at a Vineyard and they had BBQ, Massages, Ice Tea, Blue Bell, Beer, a Band, and more! The BBQ was delicous and topping it off with Blue Bell was nice!! Not to mention, Tanya and I both got a massage. I had a big pull set during one my swims earlier this week, and my shoulders/back were a little sore (not pain, just sore)--well, during the massage I found they were more sore than I though and WOW, there were moments where I thought I might cry. I need to get in for a full massage soon!!

So, training is going well. I did go out for 9 mile run today, and I made the mistake of going out at 5:30PM...it was still upper 90's and I might as well have been BBQ today! I'm going to just have to suck it up and not sleep in on Sundays (which equates to approx 7:30AM...can't sleep longer, and have church at 9AM).

The rest of life is going well. My first of two brothers, a senior at West Point, is here at Ft. Hood doing some summer training, so he's staying with me. It'd been enjoyable to spend some good time with him. It's also exciting to see him excited about the "real" Army. I think he's going to be an excellent officer. I've been busy commanding my unit as well, but a good busy. The first few months of command included a steep learning curve and weren't quite as "enjoyable" as I had imagined and been told that it was supposed to be by others. But, once I got more ingrained into it, fixed some things that needed fixing, I found myself truly enjoying the job. I work with some great Soldiers and NCOs, and my junior officers are increasing in number and I relish the opportunities I get to mentor and grow them. I had some incredible officers do that for me when I was a LT, so I'm glad to do it in return.

This next week is a "short" work week. Monday we have unit organizational day, or fun day at Lake Belton. We'll have a unit run for PT in the morning, and then everyone will show up at the lake in the morning for some fun volleyball, basketball, dodgeball, and cookout. Normal operations for Tuesday/Wednesday, and Thursday is always early out at 1500 for Family Time, and then Friday is a training holiday! Works for me! I hope everyone has a great week!

For my deployed friends out there--miss you lots and pray you are safe. Looking forward to you coming home!

CapTex Tri Race Report

Total Time = 2h 34m 21s

Overall Rank = 257/1342

Age Group = F25-29

Age Group Rank = 10/101

Pre-race routine: On Sunday, my friend Tia and I traveled down to the race expo, picked up our packets, ran into another friend, checked in our bikes (covering them with plastic bags to keep the forecasted rain off), and then linked up with our friends Anne and Tanya. We got checked into our hotel (yay for Priceline name your own price), and then headed to Whole Foods for dinner--great place to get something not too heavy, but with options for all! We headed back that evening, made sure our bags were good and actually turned the lights off in the room around 9PM...but I was in and out of sleep and in and out of the bathroom--I was well hydrated. We woke up at 0500, I ate breakfast, and then we body marked ourselves cause they told us too. I added something a little special for Memorial Day. Then we headed over to get to parking around 0545. Transition was supposed to open at 0600, but was obviously already open. I pumped up my tires, laid out my gear, and started putting on sun block and a guy was trying to hurry us up at 0635?? Really...come on now. Anyhow, got a little rushed out--which cause a minor problem later in the day. Made it down for the National Anthem and the intro of the Wounded Warriors who were racing as part of the Wounded Warrior Project--which is close to me because it's the charity I'm raising money for with Ironman. Then the waves started going off.
Event warmup: None. I wanted to run a little bit, but we got kicked out of transition..so, um, nothing...couldn't get in the water early either.
Swim:
Started off strong, but let me tell you there were some aggressive girls in there, one that would be a pain in my side--literally--several kept trying to swim right into me, push me over, etc, but I had none of it, I mean seriously. I got a little bit of drafting, but once we got to the end of the first leg for the first right turn, there was a gap between me, the front of the pack, and the folks behind me. I was feeling decently strong, but once we turned to head East, even with my shaded goggles, the sun was GLARING--I had to sight much more than usual just because I wasn't quite sure WHAT i was sighting off of, and I had to keep a look at the pack in front of me. I then started catching some of the two waves before us, and that's always a little difficult. I wasn't feeling worn out, but I simply prefer to get done with this part...I tried to remember to kick, but I wasn't doing it as much as I should've, and I think my time shows it. Anyhow, once I made the last turn I was with a group again--I think I caught up to them, and with the group was swimsuit girl that again tried to swim into my side--argh, was driving me nuts. A little bit of a bottleneck at the out ramp and I had wiggle by a few folks.
What would I do differently?

Swim faster--which I think means kick more, I neglected my stroke a little in the middle, and when I regained it is when I caught some of the pack that had broken away from me earlier. I'd love to draft, but seriously, I always seem to be in this middle pocket where I don't have anyone to draft. I think I can do this at a 1:45...would like to do that at Waco in July and Austin in Sept. We'll see.
T1
HOLY COW. WORST T1 EVER. It doesn't help that it was at least 250m from the swim exit, out and around and up to my transition spot while running through dirt that became mud on my feet. I ALWAYS run out of the swim, and I had no problem doing it, got my wetsuit to my waist, took off my cap and goggles and the cap ended up falling off to the right..I suppose I could've let it go, but I stopped to pick it up. 1st time waster moment. Then I get to my rack and have a horrible time getting the dumb wetsuit off. 2nd time waster moment. My feet are COVERED in mud, had to get some of that off before I put my shoes on--dusted a little off on my towel, but not much. 3rd time waster moment. Got my shoes, glasses, helmet on, grabbed my bike, and dang it if the person next to me had pushed their bag into my bike and it got stuck on my pedal. 4th time waster moment. I get that undone and start the at least 250m (maybe longer) run from my rack spot to the mount line--as I'm about half-way there my right quad cramps up--crap, what is this. I've had side stitches and calf cramps but NEVER a quad cramp, I had to slow down. 5th time waster moment. Then I realize since I got rushed out of transition I didn't move my chain ring from little/little, so I wasn't at the starting getar I wanted. 6th time waster moment--but not too bad. Crappy, crappy T1 26/101 ranking
What would you do differently? Work on wetsuit removal, let the cap go, not have a quad cramp. The wetsuit was really bad. This transition, for both bike and run, is one thing I dislike about CapTex and the Austin Tri--they are so HUGE that you are inevitably going to have long transitions (though mine here should've been faster) just so you can get from A-B...i'm much better at transitions than this.
Bike:
Starting off was a little tough as my right quad was tight from the cramp. I took the first pass of the hills up past the Capital a little slower than I would the rest of the race, once I turned around and hit the downhills I was back into a groove and started pushing from there. The course was crowded, but not too bad. When I hit the flats/slight downhills headed out towards Lake Austin BLVD I was pushing 23-26. I was passing several folks. On the 3rd loop, after refilling the aero bottle, I started to put the bottle back and someone came up to pass (I was right) WAY closer than they needed too...and I dropped the bottle. Darn it...oh well, it was empty. I was pushing pretty hard and there weren't too many sprinters that hit the course till my last loop, and that last loop I really put the hammer down with what I had left knowing that I did have to run, so a little in reserve. My turns were "okay" but they were crowded and you simply had to slow to be safe. I don't particularly care for all the turns on this course...but overall, I feel like I did it pretty well.
What would you do differently? I would of liked to have started off a little stronger, but the quad cramp really slowed me down that first loop. I'd like to see a 22 avg. on an Olympic course one of these days. Still a good ride.
T2:
I'm kind of disappointed with this time, except for I remembered that it was, again, at least a 150m from the dismount line to my rack, and then another good 150-200m to the run course start. I got to my rack no problem and bike racked, got the shoes on--all the dirt came off in the bike shoes on, grabbed my hat, bottle, and race belt and took off. There is a HUGE (for my short legs) step that you have to go up to get to the run entrance. Not too bad of a time..can get better. 5/101 ranking
What would you do differently? Not sure, thought I did this well--but the time was long--get a rack closer to the center aisle? I got there pretty early for racking, but it seemed like most of the 98 girls in my AG did the same.
Run:
Okay, I have been running for roughly 2.5 to 3 weeks prior to this after having to take 6+ weeks off of running due to a stress fracture on the head of my right fibula. The furthest I had gone in my training for this, at one time, was 4 miles. I wasn't sure what to expect. I did know I wanted to negative split it...I wanted to keep steady for the first loop and then speed it up on the second loop. I did just that. I miss my sub 8's (except that last mile), but I am very happy that I was able to do this with no pain at all.
What would you do differently? Not get a stress fracture two months beforehand...lose some weight. I plan to do both before my next olympic (TriWaco 7/26) and I want to get back sub 2:30 (PR is 2:28)...I have a new goal to do a 45 min 10k in an Olympic. Can't complain too much here--goes to show how much bike fitness can help keep the run fitness.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

-Need better focus in the swim on my form, must remember to kick stronger.

-Must get better at removal of wetsuit on my own...or just do races with wetsuit strippers (I'm going with get better on my own)

-Quad cramp in T1
-Stress fracture recovery = minimal run time prior to race

Event comments: This is a good race--it is a BIG race. I liked the run course, not fond of the 4 loops on the bike, but not too bad. The swim is a good swim, except for swimming into the sun sucked, but no biggie. The thing I dislike about races on Auditorium Shores are the HUGE transitions and the LONG transition runs. Oh well--otherwise, it was good schwag, "okay" expo, and a beautiful day to race. This brings out a good, solid, competitive crowd, and they handled it all well. I'll be back, and I'll be faster! :)

I am happy to snag top 10 (just barely!) coming off of injury. There are definitely some things to work on, but I'll get there. One of the best things about the race was racing with some great friends!

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a time to remember...a time to remember that freedom isn't free and that the cost is very real. It's not necessarily a time to mourn, but rather a time to reflect on the character, bravery, and courage of those who gave all. I don't know that I fully understood the meaning behind Memorial Day until after I graduated into a war-time Army. From some of the Soldiers I have served with, to my classmates, and other graduates I've known or events that were very real to me, this day means more than it did prior to 2002.
Today I remember: SSG Shank, CPL Roberson, SPC Kephart, CPL Hale, SGT McCoy, Todd, Mike, Jim, Kevin, Tim, Drew, Torre, Bryan, Laura, Andy, Leif, and Tim....you will never be forgotten.

Today, as we remember those who gave all, I do want to ask, if you can, to remember those other Service Members who suffered traumatic injuries due to war. The Wounded Warrior Project supports, on a daily basis, those wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines who are learning to cope with life through their injuries. Whether it's jobs, continued service in the military, dealing with PTSD, etc., the Wounded Warrior Project seeks to empower our countries wounded heroes. I'm seeking to raise as much money as possible for the WWP through the Janus Charity Challenge for Ironman. This is NOT about me!! I am not seeking out a "prize" for myself, but truly want to raise money to help out those that gave more than I have. Every single dollar counts and helps. I won't solicit here often, cause I don't want to nag...but I feel that today is an appropriate day to ask, if you can, to please give.
Just click the following link: WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT.
If you want to learn more about what the WWP does, to include the major bike rides they do in many states, go here: http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

The 100 miles that wasn't...

Another week has passed, and another week has started. The awesome thing is this is RACE WEEK (sort of --if you count Memorial Day as part of a "long weekend" and not next week) and one week from today I FINALLY get to do a full triathlon this season. But, I won't jump too far ahead. Last week was a VERY long and busy week at work. I had some great training as well, and I'm sure that lent to some of the fatigue I felt by the end of the week, but that's okay. Running is going well, though I have definitely lost some fitness...it's okay, I will build it back up. The training highlights of the week was definitely a long swim I got in on Thursday, some more running, and a good weekend of training. I was SUPPOSED to do my first 100 mile bike ride on Saturday. Friday night I packed up my gear, got my ride nutrition together, and headed to bed early so I could wake up early and head to Austin. Of course, the waking up early on a Saturday, like 0420 early, only lends to some people's claims that I must be crazy, but that's okay. I pulled myself out of bed, grabbed some breakfast and made my mug of coffee and hit the road to link up with my incredible friend Blythe, her husband Joe, and a band of merry triathletes from the Austin T3 triathlon team for their long weekend bike ride. Most of the T3'ers are doing Ironman Coeur 'd Alene (Idaho) in about a month. I've gone on some of their long rides with them, and Saturday was to be my first 100 mile or "century" ride. We started off right at 0715 and it was beautiful out. We expected storms, but they weren't supposed to start until around 2PM, so we hoped to miss them. We made our way to the first rest stop at 25 miles and we were doing simply excellent and feeling great! It wasn't too windy, it wasn't too hot, it wasn't sunny, it was great! We then made it to the second rest stop, and then, enroute to the 3rd rest stop of the day the skies became very dark--we still held out hope the rain would delay, but then we started to get hit with droplets, that then became hard droplets, that became hail, and suddenly it was as if we went through the a "wall" from somewhat warm temps to 15-20 degrees cooler. The skies opened up on us (there were about 5 of us in our element of the group) and it began to pour. Thankfully, we were no longer on the shelterless country roads, and we had hit some of suburbia "Austin." We came up on a dry cleaner's that had covered overhang and we tucked ourselves and our bikes up underneath. The T3'ers then began the phone chain to get vehicles to pick us up. A Starbucks happened to be just around the corner from the dry cleaners, so 5 wet triathletes popped in and most of us grabbed something to drink. As we sat there sipping on our hot tea and coffee the rain became a monsoon! We stayed there a bit as the phone chain continued to work. It seems the faster group ahead of us by a couple of miles also pulled into some cover...some cover in the form of a brand new bar. It was only about 1130 at this point, and to some true Austinite form that's where they were. A good amount of the crew ended up there, some had a few drinks, and others, like myself, just chit chatted. It really was a nice establishment and not some dicey place. I doubt they have ever had so many stinky, sweaty, and rain soaked people in spandex gracing their establishment! What was incredible is that everyone had been having a wonderful ride, and we all felt great, to the point that many of us said we hardly felt like we had done a workout. I love it that my bike base is solid enough right now that 63 miles was, in essence, "easy." That bodes well for Ironman training. Eventually I made it back to Blythe and Joe's and I got myself cleaned up and headed home. The week caught up to me at that point, and I just crashed a little bit!

The rain meant that I ended up spending 2 hours of my Sunday cleaning my bike, but that was needed. I also got in a 4 mile run and headed out to the lake to get some open water swim work in with two friends, Tia and Tanya. Tia will be doing her first triathlon this next week at CapTex as well. Tanya and I did our best to assist Tia in prepping for the open water swim. We swam next to her, giving a little contact, we swam in front of her, and we showed her what it's like to have someone swim over you like happens in triathlon. She did very well and I'm so excited about the race next weekend.

In other news, but really more important than anything I wrote above, I got a new 1st Sergeant this past week. On Friday we had, what the Army calls, a "Change of Responsibility" where the the senior enlisted Soldier of my unit changes out. It was a very good ceremony. I learned a lot from my first 1st Sergeant, and I'm sure I'll learn a lot from my new one. Change can be very good as Army leaders bring different experiences and leadership philosophies to the table. Life is good and continues to remain exciting and full!

Armadillo Hill Country Classic but NO Armadillos!

On Saturday morning I rode the Armadillo Hill Country Classic in Liberty Hill, TX. They have several route options, but I did the 80 miler (which was really a 78+ a little miler). The day started off quite well, overcast, not as hot as it was on Friday, and the wind was not gusty!! I rode with my friend Tanya for the first 25 miles or so, and then our routes broke off. At around mile 30 I found myself riding with another lady who was cycling strong. We got to talking and while she lives in Austin now, she is originally from Germany. Having served over there, we talked about Germany and several other things, and finished out the last 48 miles together, stopping at only one rest stop. However, there was a low water crossing area that had some water in it, and it was at the bottom of a hill. We saw a guy go down in it before we got to it, and thankfully he was okay. But, to be sure we didn't suffer the same fate, we stopped and walked across. I nearly slipped on the slick algae that lined the crossing! Not too long after that we had to slow down for horses crossing the road, and THEN we had to wait for a skunk (tail raised and everything!) to cross the road out of spray range as well!! Plenty of road runners darted across the roads, squirrels and possums served as dead obstacles throughout the course, a rattlesnake was in the road--but thankfully no longer in the land of the living when I saw it--and of course some Texas buzzards were taking advantage of the road kill. What did I NOT see while riding the Armadillo Hill Country Classic--that's right, an Armadillo (dead or alive!). Sort of ironic! Anyhow, it was a great ride, and I felt FANTASTIC when I finished. The wind was really not noticeable at all until the last 10 miles. I hydrated well, hit my nutrition well, and on a hilly course I averaged just over 18mph! I was thrilled! Not only that, but I made a new cycling friend, and she even ran the first mile of my 3 mile post-ride brick run!! It was HOT and humid by the time I started running, but I felt pretty solid--NO LEG PAIN at all!! Yes, that's right, I'm back to running. I'm keeping it short and easy, but I'm definitely getting back to it all and thrilled about it. I am excited about racing the CapTex Olympic Triathlon on Memorial Day!

Last weekend's ride at the Tour d' Hood was captured on film by reporters from the Ft. Hood Sentinel, and for some reason (I was wearing my Team Army Cycling jersey) I was the only one identified in this photo--I'm the blurry one in the back in yellow! I do enjoy wearing the Army yellow, and it's nice on rides, like the Armadillo, as I often get a lot of "Go Army!" Thankfully no one has said the evil "Go Navy, Beat Army" yet!!

Life is staying busy, but there are some excellent things happening at work. If I haven't mentioned it before, your American Soldiers are highly talented. Last week my Military Working Dog section went through some intense training and certification and it was incredible to observe Soldiers, many just 24 years old or so, work under intense circumstances, in partnership with their assigned K9. I'm so honored to have the job that I do!

Have an awesome week. I am doing my first Century (100 mile ride) this next weekend!! Should be fun!

Back at it

Vacation time ended nearly two weeks ago, and I have been hitting the road hard since then--okay, not running, but figuratively. I truly enjoyed my time and rest in NY. It was great to see my parents in their new place, and to see my brother in college. I lost some fitness in April (not just running), but I did jump right back into it all, both my day job and working out. Thus far, in 2009 I have done the following (doesn't include strength work, aqua jogging, etc.)
2009 totals
Bike: 112h 27m 42s - 2082.3 Mi
Run: 60h 03m 31s - 427.59 Mi
Swim: 38h 51m 37s - 110831.2 M

Of course, I have really run in the past 6 weeks. Though, this past weekend I gave 2 miles a shot and it went well. I have been released to start giving it a try, I just have to pay attention to any pain and NOT run through it. So, I will be back at it. I have been on some good group/charity rides lately and am enjoying the bike. Not so sure about the swim--I can do it, but it's simply not my favorite. The verdict is out on my new wetsuit though--I'm not sure if I like the full sleeves. Oh well. The goal right now is to keep building good swim and cycle base, and get the run back. Hopefully, I'll be good to go at the CapTex Olympic.

Work has been busy, not bad busy, but busy. I had to do a military parade/pass-in-review for the first time since I graduated from college. It went well though, and the military working dogs that went with us did a good job, though they weren't too fond of the cannon salutes that happened! I also have deployed out several of my dog teams. They are really stellar Soldiers and I enjoy working with them a lot. Sure, there are some frustrating moments, but it is always a small percentage of the whole that cause those. We've had lots of promotions and awards, and some re-enlistments as well lately. I always enjoy seeing Soldiers rewarded for their hard work--and some of the ones lately had to get past some hurdles, but did it well.

So, with work being as busy as it has been, training time, and simply the fact that I need time to do normal chores and play with my dogs, I have started outsourcing! Along with the house cleaners that come through every other week, I'm having the yard done the same way. I looked at my finances, and it was affordable. It has been worth it thus far!

Nothing truly exciting is happening, but I'll try (emphasis on try) to update here more. Priorities...

Stand down...

Okay, so the run yesterday was a victory, but I was told to stand down on it today. I got a phone call with the results of my bone scan, and I do in fact have/had a stress fracture on the upper part of my right fibula. What caused it, we're not sure, but the bike fall was probably the catalyst. Anyhow, my provider said coming back usually takes 6 weeks, and I'm at about 4 weeks since the incident occurred, so hopefully in a couple of weeks I'll be back going, but must not run till I'm given the green light. He said that pain level is a huge indication of healing, so the fact that yesterday's short little jaunt had no pain is a GOOD indication of healing. So, when I get home from my trip to NY it's back to swimming, biking, and aqua jogging. Must make sure I heal up properly so I can do Ironman training and racing with NO problem! Back to healing...

I RAN!

So, here just 4 days from the Boston Marathon for which I'm registered but not running (deferred to 2010--if they accept my sent in reason of injury), I am thrilled to have run slightly over 1 mile at about a 9:10 pace!! 26.2 wouldn't be possible, but just some slight soreness after doing 10 minutes on the treadmill. I was really nervous to try running, cause the last time I gave that a shot (2.5 weeks ago) it was horrible pain at about, oh 1.5 minutes. So this is GREAT news. I had my bone scan the other day, and while no official results till next week (I'm on vacation so not there), what I saw and talked to the tech about definitely showed a spot near the head of the fibula as having had some sort of stress/trauma from which it is now healing--stress fracture, bone bruise, something like that. There is very little tenderness there now, and whatever it was probably occurred from the bike fall as the fibula is non-weight bearing and it's odd to get an injury as high as I did (down near the ankle is more common). Calf-strain is the other side of the injury, but thanks to a Physical Therapist and fellow athlete at Ft. Hood taking care of me, and a wonderful sports massage therapists who gave me all sorts of specific stretches and strengthening exercises for the peronials (outside of my calves) and the two calf muscles (gastroc. and soleus) I think I'm on the mend and I'm thrilled!! Of course, I'll keep taking it slow coming back cause I want to heal, not re-injure. Since I've started running long, I never thought 10 minutes of running would bring so much joy!
Time to stretch now! Thanks for your prayers!

Happy Easter, Aquabike, Healing Up!

HAPPY EASTER! He is risen indeed!

Let me thank all of you that left such great notes on my last post about my blog entry. I haven't posted much because I've been crazy busy and trying to figure out this injury. It's now been 3 weeks since I ran, BUT I don't think it'll be too much longer until I can start it up again. There was some worry that I may have had a stress fracture and calf-strain. I am scheduled for a bone scan this next Tuesday (scheduled 3 weeks ago--that's Army medicine for you!) to rule it out, but it's just to be safe. I've been going in to the Physical Therapist (who is a triathlete and marathoner himself) and they've done some electrical stimulus to help with the pain (which is mostly gone now) and the other day he got me into see the volunteer massage therapists (one-day a week) and she did WONDERFUL things without much pressure and pretty much was able to determine that I need to strengthen the outside of my right calf and stretch the inside more. Without my saying so, she determined that I under-pronate/supinate (roll outward on my foot vs. inward)--which is exactly where my wear pattern on my shoes are. I am seeing her again tomorrow afternoon at her local massage clinic. It is GREAT to have found a local, trained sports massage therapists. There are places to get massages, but actual sports massages for helping heal up, not so much here in the land of Killeen. I'm betting I'm back to running in a week or so! Yay!

The Lonestar Aquabike went well. My swim was not stellar or as fast as I can do, that's for sure. But, I was using my new long-sleeve wetsuit (got a killer deal on it, and knew I'd want it for Ironman Florida), and I haven't had too many swims in it, so my shoulders got a little tired in the middle. Plus, my head wasn't into the game for the swim yet...I think I let my injury suck a little of my usual race enthusiasm away. However, one of the best parts of the Aquabike was that I got a BLUE swim cap vs. the ugly fluorescent pink one I was going to have to have for the normal Half-Ironman. Swim time: 39min 23secs Still good enough for 6/23 women in the Aquabike.

After I got out of the water I did what I thought was slow jog up the transition chute, got my wetsuit stripped by the wonderful wetsuit strippers, grabbed a bit of Gatorade to get the saltiness out of my mouth, then to my bike rack: shoes on, helmet on, sunglasses on, and I was off. Transition 1 time: 2:22 Actually the fastest time in the women's aquabike and would've been top 5 in my normal age group, and I thought I was going slowly!!

When I got out on the bike I hit some headwind, and my quads and hips were sore, it was really odd. I was having a hard time getting into the groove for the first 15-20 miles. The winds weren't horrid, and I'm used to them now plus it was flat. I was having a hard time getting above 20mph, and I wanted to for this bike. I hit the 20 mile mark at the hour mark and something sparked then, part of it had to do with the 79 year old guy that passed me (didn't last), but then I was FINALLY in the groove and went 21-24mph from them on out and it was fun. I think I probably should've been able to do around 22mph avg. since I didn't have to run, but those first few miles didn't let me. However, I'm still very happy with my 21.3mph avg with a final bike time of 2:38!
It was good for 2nd/23 in the women's aquabike giving me a total time of 3:19:49 and putting me 2nd place overall (of 23) for the women's aquabike and 10th overall for all aquabikers (men and women, 41).

I then cheered on a lot of my friends that were running. It was odd not to run, but definitely smart. I walked away with a nice award, my friend Anne won a drawing for free Mavic race wheels, and it was overall a great race. I definitely recommend the Lone Star Triathlon Festival to anyone! It's a top notch race. They have a Sprint, 1/4 Iron, and 1/2 Iron. They do the sprint on Saturday and the other two on Sunday. They have some deals of doing the sprint and then one of the other races. I think I may do the Sprint and the 1/4 Iron next year (easier to train for that while training for Boston 2010 vs. training for a 1/2 and Boston---I've learned that!!).

Lastly, thanks again to all of you who have already donated to the Wounded Warrior Project through my page for the Janus Charity Challenge. If you haven't yet, don't worry, there is plenty of time, so whenever and whatever you can support will make a difference!! Thanks everyone!
CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Down but NOT out

Well, it appears I am going to have to make a wise decision. I am struggling with a lower leg injury--it was most likely brought on by tight calves and some damage by the crash (that I thought was minimal). My right lower leg, especially the calf, and bottom right area near the ankle, is strained/sprained, something like that. Anyhow, I cannot run, I mean even slow run. I tried running today and only made it a 1/4 of a mile (after a week of NO running) before pain was back and I limped home. From everything I've read, and some medical friends (sports doc and nurse practitioner) it sounds like it's something that will take a good 4-6 weeks of stopping the offending activity (running). Biking and swimming, being non-impact, doesn't seem to bother it...so that is good, and I will take up some aqua jogging to try to keep the loss of run fitness at a minimum.

HOWEVER, it also means I have to change some race plans. I am scheduled for the Lonestar Half-Iron this next weekend (5 April). Thankfully, they have an AquaBike option (1.2 mile swim/56 mile bike)--same as the Half-Iron, just no run. I can do that! I can probably do it REALLY well. I have never "hammered" 56 miles, but you bet I will next Sunday! I won't have to hold back for the run!!

AND...while I hate to do it, I'm going to defer my Boston Marathon entry to 2010. I got my card packet in the mail this week and was excited, but thankfully I can defer and I know it's the right thing to do. If I can't hardly do a 1/4 of a mile right now, it's not wise to try 26.2 miles in 3 weeks. The big goal for the year is Ironman Florida--that is still FAR enough away for me to heal up and be fully trained up, especially if I focus on swimming and cycling fitness and work the aqua jog into it. Boston will still be there next year. One of my best friends will be just an hour away in Rhode Island and has already said I can stay with her.

While I am not happy to not do the full Half-Iron or Marathon, cause without the injury, I would've done well---I am also not going to let this minor disappointment in life rule me. God has given me so much, and so many others--like those supported by the Wounded Warrior Project--have to deal with such worse circumstances, that I think I can have some patience for these next few weeks. Hopefully, I will heal up and start my true "triathlon" season at the CapTex Tri over Memorial Day. Until then, it's a swim/cycle focus, and I'm going to learn to aqua jog. Adapt and overcome--the Army has taught me that, and I learned in High School, when I truly had a bad injury (ruptured ACL) that God can teach me wonderful things in times where my body has to heal. He is in charge, after all!

My body says I'm getting older...

Wow, life moves by so fast the older you get. Not that I'm ancient, but between time flying by, short term memory loss (or simply too many things on the brain), and realizing that my body requires proper stretching and recovery maintenance I am feeling a little bit older these days!

These past couple of weeks have been jam packed, but before I get to that, I must put out my first THANK YOUs to those who have already donated to the Wounded Warrior Project through Ironman's Janus Charity Challenge. My goal is $2500, and thanks to some of you wonderfully generous people, I am already at $780!!! THANK YOU! Still lots of time to fund raise, so you have plenty of time if you are interested in donating (I have until 2PM the day before/of--I have to check--race day!).

So, what training craziness have I seen. Well, I had an 18 mile run on the 15th that was one of the most epic that I have had! It was a cold day for here--tights and jacket and beanie--but I was feeling well and headed out into the cold and wind. I had decided to try Infinit (a liquid nutrition mix to get me the calories I need--I use it on the
bike) on the run. Let's just say my body didn't really care for it, and by about 6-7 miles into the run, I knew I couldn't ingest any more of it--and that was after only a few small swigs. I did have a back up in the form of GUs (energy gels). I took one at the 8 mile mark, but it didn't mix so well with the Infinit, and that was the last nutrition I could take on that run. I had hardly had anything, maybe 250 calories, and I had 10 more miles to go...I didn't do what, in the triathlon/cycling/running world, they call "bonk," but I came close!! I was already 9 miles out so I had to finish up the distance. The last two miles were SLOW, and I'm convinced if I had to go much further I might've started having tunnel vision or something bad! Lesson learned--play with nutrition on SHORTER runs!

After that debacle, I had a decent training week, but had to cut a run out cause my left hip flexor was a little bit sore, and I didn't want to cause an injury. I seemed to work it out with some stretching and some self-massage. We had a four day weekend this past weekend because the Commanding General said so (and I'm not going to argue!). On Thursday night a college classmate and her family were passing through town, so they stayed at my place. I am blessed with a nice home and enjoy hosting people, and it was great to see her. I started Friday with a nice run, and then had breakfast with my friends that were at the house.
Then, I headed to a local lake for my first "open water swim" (OWS) of the year in my new, full sleeve, triathlon wetsuit (Zoot Zenith that I got for an AMAZING deal). It was a sunny day, and the water was chilly, but not too bad. I did about 1700m and my left calf cramped up on me.
Grrrr. I hate that so much, and in fact, my right had done that to me earlier in the week as well. When that happens, my calves seem to stay tight and feel bruised for several days. The swim, overall was good, but I did have the cramp and getting used to the new suit and poor application of Body Glide to the neck left me with a little chaffed neck spot. I then went and joined a couple of friends down the road for a 28 mile bike ride. It was, again, a beautiful day--some wind yes, but not as bad as usual. We were 14 miles into the ride when, as I was going up a hill (not too steep) my front tire caught some loose gravel and CRASH I went down on my right side. I wasn't moving fast, so it wasn't too bad--but I did scrap up my forearm and had some minor road rash on my right hip. The bike was fine (which is important), and I continued on the ride without much issues. I actually think the scrap looked worse a couple of days after the crash!

So, now I've got swim bite on my neck, and road rash on my arm and leg. On Saturday I made my way to Liberty Hill to ride an organized bike ride with some of my friends--it was long ride day. We did 88 miles in the hill country and it was TOUGH but GOOD!! The second loop (two 44 mile loops) the wind kicked up a lot, but we still did well in knocking it all out. I was tired, but feeling well. Sunday came along, I went to church, headed home and got ready for my 20 mile run. I was sore, but not too bad...the worst was that both of my calves were still pretty tight. (This is where the "I'm getting older I must stretch more" lesson comes into play). It was REALLY windy and the first 5 miles were a doozy, but I was feeling alright, just slower due to soreness and winds that were literally pushing me off the road. But, around 7.75 miles that tight right calf started getting tighter, and more sore, and miles 8-10 were little a walk/shuffle home. My calf hurt. I wanted to cry. I iced, and iced, and I was so worried, the push off motion is what was hurting the most. On my own research, I thought it was a calf strain. An ART chiropractor in Austin and the Physical Therapist here at Ft. Hood agreed--but neither felt it was a very serious case. I've laid off running since then, have been doing self massage, got a massage with the entire focus on the lower body, and have been icing a lot. I can bike and swim, so I'm doing those, and will see about maybe testing the run this weekend. So yes, this past week I got beat up from head to toe by swim/bike/run: Swim=neck chaffe; bike = road rash; run = calf strain! Haha!

Yes, the lesson learned is, I need to stretch more and take care of those tight muscles or they may not be to the level I want them. I should be good for the Lonestar Half-Iron, and then it'll be Boston. I would like to race Lonestar, but simply "run" Boston, soak it in, and have fun.

In other news, I finally decided that, while I could pick up clutter around the house, I just couldn't keep it clean, do my job, go to church, play with my dogs, train, have a semi-social life, and sleep in there. So, I hired a cleaning service. This Tuesday I came home to a very clean house. It is still clean, and every couple of weeks it will be clean...and I won't have to do it. I finally realized that I make enough to afford it, and with my schedule, it's worth it. So, it's a luxury I am allowing myself at this time.

To end the post in an absolutely wonderful way, take a look at my nephew--is he not the cutest baby!?!? I'm a proud Aunt! ;)

Wounded Warrior Project

Most of you know I am training for Ironman Florida on 7 November 2009. I am doing it for a purpose beyond just the elation I hope to feel when I cross the finish line. So, take a minute and read the following, it is something I put out to my family and friends on email.

I have embarked on the journey to become an Ironman. I will race on 7 November 2009 at Panama City Beach, Florida. The race is a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run. Athletes have 17 hours to complete the course. Approximately 2000 triathletes will toe the start line on that day. However, for a race this big, and this demanding, training starts early. I’m not in specific Ironman training yet, but I am building a base. Part of that base is training for and running the Boston Marathon on 20 April! I am very excited about that as well, but I also look at it as another opportunity to get myself in shape for Ironman! It is definitely more than a race, it is a journey.

However, in pursuit of this journey, I decided that I wanted to do it for more than myself. I picked up the endurance sports bug while I was in Iraq. During that time, I ran and worked out to keep myself sane. Unfortunately, too many of our service men and women in harms went through more than some of us, and were wounded in the process. Their recovery and adaptation to the new challenges they face in life is not an easy task. That’s why the Wounded Warrior Project exists. The Wounded Warrior Project’s mission is to honor and empower wounded warriors with the following purposes:
· To raise awareness and enlist the public’s aid for the needs of severely injured service men and women.
· To help severely injured service members aid and assist each other.
· To provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of severely injured service members.
Ironman has partnered with the Janus Corporation to sponsor the Janus Charity Challenge, an opportunity for athletes to raise money for their designated charity. I have signed up to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project. My goal is to raise at least $2500. If you are interested in helping me out, please visit my donation webpage at http://januscharitychallenge.kintera.org/fl09/brittanymeeks?faf=1&e=2281148109. If you are not comfortable with online donations, I can accept checks made out to the Wounded Warrior Project and I have a contact with them to whom I will submit the offline donations to them. The Wounded Warrior Projected is a non-profit agency and you will get a tax deduction for the donation. If you’d like to know more about the Wounded Warrior Project, please visit their website at http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/.

Please contact me with any questions. I will be updating this page with and adding a link to the donation page soon as well!! Thanks in advance for your support!

Update to come

I know I'm behind on posting. I do have things to post. I will post this weekend. I promise!

My Nemesis or Can we say tired?

My nemesis is:
W.I.N.D
I expect wind in Central Texas. It happens. It happened last year. This year it is happening on a COLOSSAL scale and, unfortunately, almost EVERY weekend. It's become so consistent and bad enough that it is starting to take a toll on my mental state. It's not just 10mph winds, that is typical and I can do that. We're talking regular wind advisories of 25-30mph sustained and gusts at 30+mph. Training is tough enough, and you need to train in some tough conditions because race day may have them....but doing it everytime becomes wearing, takes more time, causes you to work harder, and even causes things like windburn. It's just nuts, and I'm tired of it. But, it is what it is I guess. Yesterday's long run was in easily in 30-35mph winds. Today we rode the first 40 miles of an 80mph ride in 20mph winds (and cold, it was 35 when we started at 7:15 AM!). HOWEVER, the tail wind from that was nice. I did this ride with some of the triathletes from the Austin T3 Tri-Team. NO WAY I could've done it on my own. A big thanks to Celine, Blythe, and Jim for braving it out there with me in that craziness. Guess we can throw the sayings of "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger" and "builds character!" My face is wind burned, and I am tired. I will keep tackling this nemesis...but I don't like it.

Wow, what a week!! My goodness, between a lot of work events and training, I am TIRED but boy did I get a lot done. I won't go into the work stuff that much, as it kind of just gets to stay there. However, this week was, I think, the biggest week of training I have ever had. I'm in a weird spot where I'm training for both the Lonestar Half-Iron on 5 April and the Boston Marathon on 20 April. Maybe not the wisest of choices, but I wanted an early season triathlon to test my base, and I qualified for Boston my first time out on a marathon course, I had to give it a shot. So, that's the path I chose, and this week was a test of that training. Yes, I'm nuts. Yes, my life is pretty much: sleep, work, train, eat and then repeat. Don't look at me to repeat this year! :)

Monday: 6 mi run (51m 13sec)
Tuesday: 3.23 mile fartlek run (25m 30 sec) 1 hr bike (*indoor trainer) (18.3 miles)
Wednesday: 2600 meter swim (57m); 3.13 mile run (*unit; 28m 18sec); 1hr bike (*indoor trainer) (18.53 miles)
Thursday: 7 mile run (56m 29sec); 2hr bike (37.30; outside); 4.06 mile ruck march (1h 6m)
Friday: 2600m swim (55m) 8 mi run (1h 10m 5 sec)
Saturday: 16 mile run (2h 18m 53 sec); 2300 swim (46 min) WIND!!
Sunday: 80 mile bike (5 hours) WIND!!

Yeah, I'm a little tired. Monday's recovery day and I'm thrilled. If only I could sleep in....

Balancing Act

So another week has passed and I have failed to post anything at all in my blog. I truly must rectify this or I shall never have loyal readers!
Not that I would expect anyone to be a loyal reader of my musings. I think I post more myself than anyone else, and mostly as a way to keep my family informed of the more crazy things I do in life. Though, I am grateful for those of you that do stop in here to peek in on the red-head.

This past week was an interesting one...in a sense I don't have a physical "home" anymore. Well, a place I call "home." After nearly 20 years my parents sold their house in Katy, TX (W. Houston) and then hopped on a plane to Buffalo, NY. I told you that this blog had crazy things in it! Who moves from warm TX to freezing Buffalo?? Well, when it's a good job to be had, my parents do! My Mom made a great observation when she said that if they could adapt to 120 degrees and the Arab culture of the UAE (where we lived from '82-'89) they could adapt to cold temperatures/snow and Yankees! They arrived in Buffalo on Saturday. So, now the question is, where do I call home? You're probably wondering why I don't call where I am now home? I guess being military it's a little odd because we move around so much In fact, the end of March will mark the longest I've been in any one location at one time since I graduated and was commissioned in 2002, and that recording breaking time is 16 months. The previous winner for that record was Baghdad, Iraq for 15 months! That being said, in the past 11 years I have lived in NY, MO, Germany, Iraq, and TX. I claim the state of Texas, and always will, but where I live in TX now may have my house, but I don't claim the city! That "home" in Katy was always home. At the same time, the home in Katy was also just a house. I was there with my folks last week when the movers were packing them out, and the only time it felt a little weird was when I was driving off, and I think that was more that they would be so much further away (for now--if they stay in NY till 2012, then I'll be close to them again). So, I have no sentimental place for which to call my home. Yet, the old saying of "home is where the heart is" does ring true...so my TX house with my dogs, my parents in Buffalo, my sister and nephew in California, my brother at West Point, and my other brother at Univ. of Arkansas, those place hold my heart...so I guess I'm from all over, but with the Lone Star State as my hub!

I did have a couple of rest/easy days this past week following the 1/2 Marathon and then it was jumping right back into training. The Lonestar Half-Ironman is only 41 days away and Boston is only 56 days away!! Part of me wonders how ready I will be for both of those events, and another side of me wonders why I'm not freaking out about either one (yet!)!! I think it's because, ultimately, Ironman Florida is the prize. While I would definitely like to "shine" at every race I do, I also must understand that if I am going to race in an Ironman year that I must keep that as the focus and use everything as preparation for that. I should be pretty solid at Lonestar for the bike and the run, but I will admit that the time I've spent in the pool lately hasn't been enough or that stellar. A wetsuit and the salt water swim will help because my kick is so terrible and my pull so good, that the buoyancy both the suit and salt provide will assist my form and speed.

This past weekend my workouts were fairly solid. I had a 70 mile ride planned for Saturday...well, actually the schedule called for 40, but I had some friends from the Austin T3 crew that were riding 70 and I wanted to ride with them. I got there and we had an awesome first 30 miles (despite my attempt to play NASA at two points when I launched a water bottle off the back of my bike)...then it rained on us and we got wet and cold...and then one of the T3 coaches had a bike crash and hurt his shoulder (I haven't heard how he is, but I hope he is okay)...and then God flipped the wind switch and I think miles 33-40 were some of the most miserable miles of my life. I have never worked so hard on the bike and gone SO SLOW. Previously we were averaging 19-20mph on the bike easy. Blythe was kicking my butt and I was having to put out some good effort to stay with her, and it was great! She was truly making me a better cyclists. But, when that wind turned on (30-40mph winds), it took everything I had just to a.) stay anchored to the ground and b.) to go around 10/11 mph! We finished the first 43 miles and they entire crew decided that the next 28 mile planned loop wasn't worth it. These T3'ers are pretty hard core athletes and are training for Ironman CdA in June, so when they opted not to go out, I knew my decision to not do the second loop with them was not wimping out!! We did make it into a "brick" (bike/run) and I just ran with Blythe at a nice easy pace. My feet were cold and felt like bricks for the first couple of miles. We ended up running for about 40 minutes or so. Overall, a good workout, but it's amazing how something like insane winds at the end of the ride can make the whole ride feel like it was so hard! But, the best part was training with PEOPLE. REAL PEOPLE. It was just nice to train with others. I'll admit it, I'm insanely jealous of the social aspect of triathlon that my friends in Austin get and that I don't get here in Killeen. The silver lining is, if I get my wish and end up at UT for grad school, I know a tri team I plan on joining! Sunday I had a 10 mile run and 1 hour swim on tap. I went to church in the morning, and instead of opting to go to eat with the Sunday School class (which I seldom do anyways as I just don't eat out much) I headed home to go run.
The weather was GORGEOUS. I mean it was in the 50's/60's with some wind (but nothing like Saturda) and SUNNY. I wore shorts and a long sleeve shirt. I could've worn a short sleeve, but I knew when I was running in the wind and sweaty that sleeves would be comfortable. I guess I should've put sun lotion on as well as I have a light red tint and my first running short lines of the year! I wasn't pushing too hard on pace and was keeping a good eye on my heart rate, and I was feeling so good that 10 turned to 14...yeah, that usually doesn't happen. Usually workouts get shortened, not lengthened! Then, about an hour later I was in the pool and knocking out a good 3000m swim (with some sets). I think the swim did wonders for keeping me to the lowest amount of soreness I've had in a LONG time after a long run. It's usually not bad, but it is noticeable. Today, it isn't really! Yay!

I do wish I had more time to sleep. My sleep isn't nearly what it should be, but there isn't too much I can do about it. I do not have a choice but to be at work at 0630, it's part of my job. Sometimes, I must be there earlier if we have certain mandatory things to accomplish (fun things, like urinalysis, health and welfares), and sometimes I am up late for important things (like greeting some of my Military Working Dog handlers after they redeploy from Iraq). So, I just have to roll with it, get what I can get, try to eat well, hydrate well, and pace myself during workouts with the appropriate effort. That is easier said than done though! Some days I'm successful, some days I am not. I do not want to burn out, that is for sure...thankfully, I have some good friends that keep an eye on me and help talk me down when I'm pushing my days to fast and hard. I just try my best to roll with the punches, know that my job as a commander is important and I am grateful to have the privilege to serve in the position. It would be harder if I didn't know that I had a respite just a little over a year away. Grad school will be challenging, but I think I may actually enjoy having my studies and my furry canine kids, Davey and Annie, be my primary responsibilities. It will be odd, yes, but I do am so looking forward to it!