Philly Tri Race Recap...errr a little late

Ah, Philly, the city of Brotherly Love.....I've done this race now 4 times and each time have grown to love it more.  I wouldn't say I had a breakthrough race (as I'm learning that may take years in the pro ranks), but I did have fun on the bike and run, a far cry from last year's near puking episode at the finish line.

Philly is a great race for many reasons.  It usually falls on my Birthday weekend, and one might ask, what better way to spend your birthday than with pre race anxiety, no alcohol and an 8pm bedtime!!!  Anyways, Philly is only about a 20min drive north of my parents' place in DE and it's always a good weekend to celebrate, race, and flood my parents' house with 2x 80lb dogs, a 10yo high energy pre teen, and bags of gear, clothes, bikes, pumps, wheels etc.  BOOM "we are here!!!!" honk honk honk!!  My parents are troopers for putting up with the chaos for the weekend.

Mom after doing her workout!

I was fortunate to swim at my old summer club Saturday, The Graylyn Crest Gators, and my old Coach Stan welcomed my sister and I with open arms.  Always great to see him, the old stomping ground and catch up on local news.  So many fond memories in that place from sun up to sun down all summer long.   I can still smell the hot dogs on the bar-b-q and feel the wrinkle in my skin from an all day affair at the pool.  Love that place!

Race morning was the usual + 2 (Harley and Gunner) cramming in to the Xterra with Anthony and My Dad on the "early crew", my Mom, Lanie and Liz to follow later.  Transition was flooded with superstars (Alicia Kaye, McLarty, Matt Reed, Potts, Dye).  A bit overwhelmed I got on the first bus and headed to Swim Start.  Swim was rough for me again.  Just feeling out of breath and not able to get a rhythm....still need to sort this out.  Swam solo until the last turn and exited with Liz (new friend and PSU alum).

Liz and I biked together most of the ride (legally), getting caught up in a few age group men on the second lap but avoiding major disaster.  The bike course is windy, curvy, up and down and I must admit, although I've done it a few times, I still done have the guts to really go for it like on a road bike. (wimp).

On to the run I felt like I was flying but really only managing 6:30ish pace.  Just didn't manage to make a real dent in the field that was really stellar.  I was happy with the effort but knew there was more work to do, strength to build.  In the end 9th Pro and a 2min PR on that course.

Oh, and I almost forgot.....Julie accompanied the cheering squad (see below) and has been quite the traveler this summer.  Fashioned on an old race belt below and often seen on the sidelines (literally hanging out of the netting that corals the bike in/out or run in / out, this jet setting American Girl may be spotted at YOUR next race.  Disclaimer....try not to burst out laughing like I did seeing this doll hanging from the rigging "cheering".  (My sisters can't get enough of where we can place Julie on the course).

Many thanks to Anthony, for dealing with me race week (not always the most pleasant) (ball of nerves), My parents and sisters for their support. Lanie for her cheering/ and Julie the American Girl Doll.  Not least is Tim Snow, for dealing with my aches and ailments, scheduling changes and panic emails ( I didn't run at all barely between eagleman and Philly)(more on that later).

Thanks to
Qt2systems/ Coach Tim
Zootsports
Village Bicycles
Bon Secours In Motion PT/ Julie Blandin
FTE Masters Swimming/ Steve Hennessy
BlueSeventy
Shimano
Biotta

Eagleman 70.3

Well, I toed the line at my first professional race June 8th at Eagleman!  To give a little back story.....I started working with a new coach early April.  It's not that I disliked my old coach, I just felt there was a need for change, especially after my hip injury, and I began to have doubts as to whether I could really be a successful short course triathlete.  My questions began....do I make my body do something I'm not designed for?  Am I limiting myself based on fear of distance due to my previous knee injury?  Can I do a half ironman?   Well, my questions were soon answered when I began to work with Tim Snow at Qt2 systems.   They have a methodical approach, an algorithm, a formula, sweat tests, heart rate parameters, you name it.  What I was looking for in a coach was someone to guide my training to race the distance best suited by my physiology and strengths. i.e.: if I wasn't meant to be a sprinter, why kill myself to only get to a certain point.  With a few quick test sets Tim quickly informed me I was better suited for 70.3 but more so for ironman.  The thoughts that I had about myself, body and training were, in turn, correct.  We came up with some short term goals.

1.  Run further i.e- run pain free and consistently without injury
2.  Gain confidence in my running
3.  Become a more durable athlete- STRENGTH
4.  Maintain swim fitness
5.  Do A LOT of biking, and I mean A LOT

After the Rev 3 series cancellation for Pro's we quickly changed our game plan 4 weeks before Eagleman.  Eagleman it was!  I was informed this race would be about execution, not necessarily about results given I'd been running after the hip injury since April giving me only about 10 weeks of run training and a long run of 12 miles just the week prior to EM.   I learned lots of fun things in the 4 week build.....overload training (20hrs), a nutrition plan (that's a lot of salt) and a new affection for training solo with the Eric Church pandora station and a lonely country road down to Elizabeth City and back!  I put my head down and did the work, all the while I was lucky enough to have Anthony here holding down the fort.

On to the race......

I had a rough night prior to race day....the usual "can't sleep", toss and turn with nerves.  I SWEAR I didn't sleep a wink.  Although the day prior had been fairly relaxed with Anthony and Lanie cracking jokes left and right to keep things light, I just couldn't darn sleep!

Swim Start:  this comes quick when you are second wave off. Unfortunately only about a 5min warm up and we were off.  Not sure what happened here, as swim typically is my strength, I totally panicked at the amount of feet and struggled for clean water when I should have just put the head down and stayed with the pack.  I went left, lost the pack then swam solo the entire way. UGH this stunk!!!  I was super disappointed with the swim and knew right away I had made a mistake but for whatever reason I just couldn't hang with those girls on that day...... onward!

Bike:  I was given pretty strict instructions to hold a certain watt and HR so I quickly set to dial it in.  I knew we'd have  a head wind to mile 30 and so I tried to keep cadence up and focused on nutrition ( 3 bottles of perform, 1 gel, 6 cliff bloks, 2 salt stick) for the ride.  I made the mistake of putting a water ONLY bottle on my bike (lack of sleep) so I tossed it at an aide station and picked up a bottle of perform, crisis averted.  Several women passed my on the bike which always is a bit of a disappointment but not today.....with my instructions I was hoping to set myself up for a good run.  Not knowing if I could even run 13 miles, I knew blowing up on the bike was not worth it.

Run:  On to the run, once my favorite discipline, has been an area of constant concern and heartache.....from the knee surgery, the hip stress fxr and lack of serious run training in almost 3 years, my confidence really lacks here.  Leading up to EM I'd only really done zone 1 running which although consistent, isn't fast.  I settled in to the pace Tim prescribed and checked the HR frequently.  I was given instruction to open it up a bit after mile 6 if I felt good and I did!  I was able to negative split the run with room in the tank.  As I was running down the finishing chute I still couldn't believe I'd raced a half ironman.   True, I wasn't competitive in my first Pro race but heck,  4 weeks of true half IM training and my longest run in 3 years, YES that is success in my books!

Conclusions:
1.  I've raced a Half Ironman and I survived with no knee pain or swelling
2.  I need to make the swim pack- ouch
3.  My bike just needs to get stronger......c'mon legs
4.  I never in a million years thought I'd be here able to do this again, I'm grateful.

Thanks to Anthony my rock and number 1 supporter, without him I would have probably given up a while  ago.....my family for driving up from the beach at 2am to watch me race.  My dad for his fun photos,   Coach Tim for all of the support and communication, The awesome kit borrowed from Rachel Jastrebsky, Qt2 systems, Powerbar, Zootsports, Bon Secours in Motion PT. The Cantrell Center for Physical Therapy and Postural Restoration.

SoCal Training......Sunshine, mountains, happiness....

I get anxious in the winter months as most know.  As much as I enjoy training, the monotony of the trainer, indoor runs, swims before the sun comes up and home from work at dark does tend to chip at my soul.  About every 3 months or so I get the urge to travel someplace new, someplace warm, someplace with mountains, views, and endless bike riding roads.  My good friend Emma whom I met in Arizona last year have gotten on a kick of adventure planning.  As soon as we part, we are scheming our next destination for travel.  Last year after Arizona it was St. George, this year San Diego.  Our bucket-list grows each trip....Lanzarote, Mallorca, New Mexico.....

This year, with time off of work and logistics we agreed on San Diego.  Not only does SoCal offer spectacular weather, but amazing cycling and a short drive to endless roads; take your pick.

We arrived on a Wednesday evening and a short trip up to Carlsbad, we met her friend Eric, who's parents' beach home we stayed.  Eric and Sarah (another of emma's friends) had just spent a week cycling in Vegas and were extending their trip to cycle with us.  Sarah is a Cat2 cyclist, who was on the Nature Valley team (she's no joke)!

Carlsbad beach house

Emma and I are super organized ....emailing in the weeks prior with route ideas, swims, run options.  We got some great advice from Pro triathlete and super iron mom Beth Gerdes.  Thanks Beth!

Thursday we hit the coast for the Torrey Pines loop, followed by the Swami Loop with some great scenery and a few climbs.  Every adventure is not without some mishap.....Emma stripped her seat post while building her Trek, had to order a quick part but luckily the Trek Shop in Solano Beach lent us the part in the meantime!

Friday Emma and I were solo....Sarah (uber smart Biochemist and professor at Northwestern) was giving a talk in LA, and Eric was taking the day off.  We started out at the Encinitas YMCA for a Masters Swim.   Met a couple of great people including coach Chris! 

We plotted out the Great Western loop with options of 42 and 73miles.  Hmmm, let me have you guess which one we chose.....We headed out to El Cajon....about a 45min drive South, pulled out our cue sheets and hit the road.  We met a couple of nice guys in the parking lot , one of whom wanted to do a quick out and back (riding the first 10miles with us).  I welcomed him along.  Emma looked a bit puzzled when she returned from the restroom and found our new cycling friend (basketball shorts, no water bottle cages, sneakers with no clips).  I just winked at her and knew 10miles with a stranger who seemed rather nice even despite not looking like your typical cyclist.....well, just go with it!

Poor guy, was in his biggest gear, drenched in sweat hammering the first flat 5miles.  He surely checked on us a few times asking if his speed was ok.  We just smiled.  Hit a small incline and POOF, he fell off the back.  Emma and I chatted on the downhill and decided to wait at the bottom.  After 5 minutes he was nowhere in sight!  We felt slightly bad for the poor guy, he was nice and he sure did try but Emma and I turned, knowing we had a pretty solid ride ahead of us and hit the road!  To our cyclist buddy: SORRY!!! thanks for the pull!

The next 8-10miles were UP, and I mean UP, smallest gear but man it was pretty out there.  Barely a car in sight!

Once we hit the 22 mile mark it was either continue on to do the 73 or around to make the 42m.  Emma insisted, ah well, I didn't resist either..... UP and UP we went.  

Cue sheet tatoo on my leg, oops!

Over 7600ft of climbing and over 5hour ride WHOA!  Great day!

Saturday was Mt. Palomar climb.  If you didn't know (we did our research)- Mt. Palomar was featured in the Tour of California.  It's a 14mile climb at average 6.8% grade.  You go UP then once at the top you can go down and UP UP to the observatory...Another 5 miles.  Hair pins and amazing views; this really gets steep.  Elevation gain is over 7500ft.  This reminded me of Mt. Lemmon with more narrow roads and steeper but shorter.....never the less...it was hard!  I LOVE TO CLIMB!  This ride did not disappoint.  You can choose to descend the same way down, or go over the other side towards Lake Henshaw which is not quite as steep.  I would recommend THIS way because of the awesome view of the lake!

Sunday we agreed we HAD to soak up one more day of riding albeit my arse was killing me from that climb but I couldn't pass up another day in the sun riding my bike!  We made our own loop through Carlsbad, Oceanside and Camp Pendleton.   Our way back included the San Luis Rey Bike path (1st pic).  Carlsbad had some serious pitchy roads that even my smallest gear didn't like or maybe my legs were just toast....  You could pretty much train in your neighborhood with hill repeats if you wanted to.

Our last bit was a trail run in San Elijo Lagoon.  Awesome sandy, of course hilly, run.   Lunch outside at Solano beach and that was a wrap!

Bikes packed and headed home monday sunburned and satisfied!!!

Next up.....some shift in the plan for this year, stay tuned....

M

Stones and Bones

So, settled back in VA after my Tucson cycling adventure, the daily grind continues.  Sometimes I feel like my daily schedule is overwhelming.  I can, at times, barely keep above water.  5:30am swim, 8am work, 6pm 2nd workout, eat, unpack, repack, sleep, repeat. Sometimes cramming 2 workouts in before 8am...  But, this is my life and my choice and so I somehow keep pace (barely).  Every now and then I get a little sign to slow down (i.e. hip stress reaction, and I'll get to the second thing in just a minute….hint hint).  Whether I choose to recognize the sign is another story but I feel like I'm getting better or at least have come a long way.  I'd kill for the chance to train and race professionally, truly having every and all opportunities to do this right but I've got bills, a husband, student loans etc and quite frankly I'm not competitive enough to make a living doing this triathlon thing for now maybe ever.  The important thing for me is to balance, the best way I can, budget time, resources etc to make it work!

Training on the bike and swimming has been going well.  After gaining some fitness in Tucson, we've upped game on intensity and wattage on the bike.  I'm enjoying the challenge of holding higher watts, heart rates on the bike.   I've been swimming with the Coast Guard Blue Dolphins National team (aka high schoolers) on saturdays that are sure kicking my arse for a smooth 2 hours plus a 30min circuit set at the end with parachutes, cords, pull-ups, pushups, lunges, brick squats etc. OUCH.  These kids rock!

Working on my position on the SHIV, thanks to Dave Luscan at DL multisport.  The challenge for smaller riders is getting low enough in the front for an aggressive position.   Taking advantage of the retul system, we've narrowed down where I'm comfortable, tweaking the front end a bit.  Waiting on a set of new extensions and bringing in the elbow pads in on my Shimano missile pro aerobar will make all the difference.  Thanks Dave!

Now on to this week.  I've been using a tool to measure HRV (heart rate variability).  Some of you may be familiar with this so I won't go in to a whole explanation…..but it's a tool to measure objectively fatigue i.e.. you are given a number based on a 1min snapshot of your heart rate first thing in the morning.  Essentially a low number means you need more rest, maybe dehydrated, fatigued from previous workout etc.  High number means you are pretty fresh and expect to rip it in your workout.  Coach may want you to be at low number and train then rest and watch the numbers rise, just depends on the plan.

Anyways….noticed a whole week of LOW numbers i.e. 40s-50s and we weren't quite sure what to make of it.  Looked to back off a couple of days and see if a rebound would happen.  Started to get a little flank pain on the right and initially thought it was a pulled muscle.  Wednesday after swim pretty painful but not unbearable.  Ended up getting pretty intense in the O.R. thursday (at work) to the point I turned green with sweats and chills.  My boss sent me down to the ER (how embarrassing).  Luckily they took really great care of me.  Diagnosis: Multiple kidney stones.  SERIOUSLY?   2014 seems to be the year of ailments and I swear I don't make this stuff up.   Some IV toradol (NSAIDS) and a liter of fluids and I was back in action.  

Key take home points:
1.  Drink a lot (of water)- I'm terrible at this but getting better
2.  I'm working and training my butt off- this is hard
3.  My shiv is awesome, but not quite ready, luckily I love my road bike
4.  Swimming with high schoolers is fun and humbling- locker room conversations are interesting
5.  I don't want another kidney stone ever
6.  Oh yeah, and I did my first 10min run!!! yay

Onward
M

Tucson Training Adventure

Where to start..... well, first off, the 4th annual Linsey Corbin Tri camp was a success.  My second camp in attendance, it did not disappoint.  With initial doubts about my recent hip injury, I was tentative to book my flight but once I did, I committed myself to having fun no matter what.

Tucson, AZ has to be one of my favorite places on this planet.  There is just something that takes over me out west.  I feel like I"m meant to be out there.  The beauty of the land is overwhelming.  The friends, experiences and sense of being alive makes my heart smile.  I know at some point I'll end up out west whether it be Cali, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Montana.  The mountains are calling my name!!

The Cycling House is an amazing concept.  Read about it here.  www.Thecyclinghouse.com.  Essentially, all logistics of rides are dialed in, accommodations and food are amazing.  The experience is well worth it for a week of challenging training.  The staff are well traveled, friendly and really create a family like atmosphere.  I was so excited to see everyone again this second trip and make more great memories ie epic battles up Mt Lemmon, time trials around gates pass and hammer fests up Madera Canyon.

My favorite part of the trip minus the climbing (love to climb!) were the Tucson sunsets.  The most inspiring view, Ukulele playing in the background, a cold beverage and mountains you can't take your eyes off.  There are few times in normal every day life you stop and enjoy the little things.

With a sense of accomplishment I leave Tucson....until next time.  Plotting our next adventure...

1 month down...

Well, I hate to admit that the time has flown by, but 4 weeks without running hasn't been quite as bad as expected.  For one, the weather plain old stinks!   Record lows, wind, wind chill, snow….yuck!  If you know me at all, I absolutely HATE the winter.  I would take 100deg temps all year round rather then wear a coat, gloves, etc etc.   So with that said, I'm totally not missing running in this …..looking at the positive side?

I've had time to focus on swimming, biking, strength, aqua jogging.  Over the last week, I've added the elliptical.  Not bad eh?

The picture you may ask….Arizona!!!!  I leave Tuesday for the annual Linsey Corbin Camp.   Looking forward to reconnecting with some great friends, incredible weather, delicious food and hard riding.  Got the ok from doc thankfully and booked my ticket!

More from AZ to come…

M

1 Week Down/ Conquering the Dreaded Aqua Jog

I'm proud to admit I've completed 7 whole days on crutches at the advise of my orthopedic surgeon (see previous post for explanation of hip injury).  I begrudgingly agreed after a long discussion about what actually constitutes "pain with weight bearing".  The first few days took a bit to get used to i.e. sore armpits, wrist pain, remembering how to stuff crutches into the passenger seat of my car, how to carry things in two fingers etc but it came back slowly.

Luckily work was great at accommodating my needs and I was able to sit in the office doing desk work instead of seeing patients.  I've never been one to sit behind a desk on the computer (my attention span is way too low and I applaud those who can do this) but I welcomed the change of pace and chance to heal properly.

After three days on crutches the pain in my right hip diminished significantly.  Its funny how perspective changes the minute you aren't constantly nagged by discomfort.  My mood elevated almost immediately, no longer did it feel like doomsday and I could come up with a plan for moving forward.  It's easy to talk about rehab and "ok, I can bike, swim blah blah" but when you are in pain you truly don't feel motivated to do it.  As soon as I felt good it was like a light switch…."ok, what's next, what's the plan".

I'm swimming 5 days this week and probably for the next couple of weeks.  My masters program is amazing and I feel so lucky to have this group.  Group is about 15 or so mixture of fitness enthusiasts, ex college swimmers, triathletes and those entering the sport later in life.  We are coached by Coast Guard Blue Dolphins Swim Team head coach, Steve Hennessy who is one of the best coaches I've had.  Not only has he coached olympic trials level swimmers but he has a unique way of understanding the needs of each swimmer and their needs.  We are blessed to have his expertise on deck.  We talked about me joining the high school group on saturdays yikes ;)  I'll definitely update a post on getting my *ss handed to me!

An update on aqua jogging:  success!  I've managed to turn red in the pool, anaerobic and exhausted.  Whoa! Coach Steve (as mentioned above) wrote a specific workout for me today as follows:  For those injured, this is a must save:

400 warm up as 100s, 200 kick/drill, 100 swim
800 skps (swim kick pull swim)

3x ( 100- 25drill/50swim build/25kick
     ( 100 descend

5min of aqua jogging w/ belt as 30sec sprint/ 30 easy

200 swim

3 sets of x   (3x   (40sec sprint aqua jog w/ belt/ 20 easy))

200 swim

10x 25 sprint aqua jog w/o belt on 1:00

200 swim easy

It was hard, cheeks were red.  I learned it is important to focus on high knees, toes up and working the core.  It also helps to have a coach on deck yelling out the intervals and screaming (encouraging) me to move faster!!

I'll keep the updates coming in case there is someone out there with a similar problem that may find this advice helpful!

Best
M