WARNING: Blog contains "Roadie" talk

I repeat, Blog is not suited for Triathletes! what a great weekend. Although I started my trip on a sad note due to my clinic being cancelled, I had to change my feelings quickly in order to try to enjoy the 8 hour trip to the Gwinnett Cycling fest. After a couple food/pottie stops, we (Jim B., Karel and I) arrived at Stage 1 of the Gwinnett cycling fest. How cooll was this! We were at a race car course for the cycling race! I couldn't believe that the climbs and descends on this race course for cars and the fact that there were so many cyclists was amazing! Jim races in the 40+ and cat. 3 category so for this race he did the 40+ race a little before Karel's Pro 1,2 race. I couldn't just stand around, so I put on my cute pink Hammer cycling shorts and jersey and warmed up around the course with karel. We had a lot of fun cycling together and because I've never warmed up with him before, I'd like to say it brought him good luck. Then again, I could just be his traveling podium girl! The race was exciting and karel looked incredibly smooth. After an hour of racing the circuit race, you could barely see the riders it was so dark! Good think they had transponders on their bikes or else you would have no idea what place anyone was in at the finish! well, I could see Karle sprinting to the line and I couldn't believe it....4th place!!!! Holy heck! Out of over 40 rides, 4th place! What a way to start the weekend. Also, he earned $90 for his finish!!! In honor of his finish, I felt we needed to go to Outback for a very late dinner to celebrate! After a 9:30pm dinner we were all really tired and quickly checked into our hotel (best western) and headed off to bed. I had a big day ahead of me in the morning. I had been in contact with two elite triathletes (Husband and wife, Steve and Kris Kester) and they invited me to ride with them on fri morning. A 50 mile bike ride in the hills was just what I was looking for, but the intensity of the ride was tough! I just loved climbing and I really wanted to take advantage of the hills in GA! After 50 miles I was relieved to see my hotel! I had a great time and I was amazed that we averaged 20 mph for the ride. I knew we hammered it out and even with a few 30-sec rotations and most of the time sitting on their wheels, I couldn't believe how toasted I was after the ride. Karel and Jim made a stop at the grocery store and I was happy to see yummy food and starbucks after my well-needed shower. Most of the day I laid around and did nothing while the guys road the road race course for sat. Fri evening was the crit race in the Gwinnett Arena parking lot. Not Karel's ideal place for a crit race and the .7 mile course was incredibly tough! An uphill climb to finish each loop and crazy tight turns to round out each loop. Karel unfortunantly did not finish the race and after 20 minutes, he and many others were out of the race. This was Karel's first race that he ever dropped out of, but in Cycling, if you can not keep up or contribute to the group, there is not sense continuing. Especially in crits were the intensity is high and speeds are fast, once you get dropped you are done with the race. Karel just didn't feel it tonight and it was hard seeing him so down and depressed. His first race to stop and he just couldn't believe it. Karel was one of many who stopped the race on fri. so even though he didn't finish, he still scored points for the loops he completed. I tried cheering him up but it is hard. The mind has to be strong and he had to convince himself that the 4th place finish on thurs was reason enough to show that he is still a strong rider. Before his crash Karel was always a crit racer but after you take some time off, you loose the confidence and skills which are necessary in the tight courses of crit racing. Well, Karel couldn't be down for too long on fri. cause he knew sat. was a special day. My first road race! I was a littl nervous but very excited to do a cycling race. I've been to enough races and watched plenty of cycling races with Karel to understand what goes on in a cycling race, but for the cat. 4 women's race that I was about to participate in, I don't think strategy is involved. As I warmed up in the rain, 11:10am was approaching and I cycled my way to the starting line of the 7 mile loop road race course. This was a very hilly course so I knew I had to be good with the gears and climbing legs. The race started and the pace was very slow. I couldn't believe how slow these 10 girls were going!! I had no choice but to get to the front and lead the pack. Seriously, 15 mph to start..too slow for me! The first couple miles were downhills and rollers which were kinda scary in the rain. The rain did stop but the ground was still wet. The last 2 miles of the loop had some big climbs but I was feeling good for the 5 loops which we were to complete. After loop 1 I see Karel on his bike warming up and taking pictures of me. I don't think he could have been more proud of me at that moment. well, the next loop was finished and I started making moves and attacking to try to get the 4 girls off my wheel. I would create several gaps but I slowed down hoping that someone would take the lead and make a move to make the race interesting. Nope, nothing! So after 2 or 3 loops, I was getting upset that I was doing all the works and just pulling these girls for over an hour up and down the 7 mile course! Finally the bell lap came and they were still on my wheel. Out of the starting field, only 4 girls were left and I just knew that they were having a hard time on my wheel but I was sure they were waiting for the sprint to try to beat me. In cycling there is a lot of strategy but I just couldn't imagine going easy for the race so I had no choice but to lead the whole time. I even turned around and asked the girls if they were going to take a turn pulling and they said no!! How rude! I could hear them huffing and puffing and I should have just hammered out the last loop but I really wanted someone to make a move to make it exciting. I wasn't too tired, but after 25 miles or so of pulling, it would have been nice to get a break. So at the last mile I had to decide when to make my move and once I did, the two girls behind me had no choice but to sprint down the finish line. Errrrr, i was 3rd. what a bummer. oh well, a podium finish, a medal, a great training ride and a very proud boyfriend. Karel and I rode around a little bit and he was just so happy for me! His race started around 1 so he missed me on the podium, but I took a pic. for proof that i can be a roadie! I had a lot of fun, but I will have more fun racing in the Women 1,2,3 division once I can move up from Women 4.
Karel raced for 70 miles, which was right around 3 hours or so. I was 4 for 4 on my water bottle tosses to Karel and I spent my time in the feed zone helping him out and making him drinks. The field started out with 60 riders in the pro 1,2 race and at the last loop, there were 2 breakaway groups and only 25 riders left on the course! The race was crazy fast and a lot of people were making moves and attacking. Karel just wanted to show himself that he could finish after fri night and he ended up with 18th place! Just three places away from a small cash payout, but he was just happy that he finished the race. Even more, he was still in 10th place for the ominium! After not finishing fri's race, he still had enough points to keep him in top 10 for the overall 4-stage payout. Sunday was a great day for all of us because it was the last day. Jim raced at 9am and I went with him to the 3 mile circuit race at 7:30am. Although I would have preffered to ride that morning, I had my fuel belt on and I was ready to run! (*this is triathlon related!). I ended up running their circuit loop 5 times for a nice 15 mile ride in around 2 hours. There were a lot of uphills on the course and I was in great company with all the riders. I had people ask me what loop I was on and I enjoyed seeing the junior riders spinning their legs off on the course! After Jim's race we headed back to the hotel to pack up and shower. After I ate my breakfast, we were off to the race course again for karel's race. As the last race of the weekend, Karel wanted to do well enough to keep him in top 10 but he was so tired that he didn't know how well he would finish. The 90 minute race was exciting and I was able to see karel every 5 or 6 minutes. The race was interesting because there were a lot of attacks and breakaways and the downhill finish of each loop made it hard for me to see Karel among over 50 riders! The last loop is always exciting because you never know what the riders have left or what's going to happen and Karel ended up in 11th place!!! once again, a top 15 finish earned him so money and for the omnium he ended up in 9th place!!! Congrats karel, what an exciting weekend!! He is $185 richer and most importantly, he showed himself that he is a strong rider. This was just what he needed to tell his mind and body that he is ready to step up the training and push hard again (just like before his crash and the Tour de Gila). Jim also had a great weekend and with racing two races on sunday, he was also tired after the weekend of racing.
The car ride home was long but we finally made it back to flat, borning, how can you improve on the bike, florida...booo for flat! Looks like this will be a quick week with the Top Gun triathlon on sat. Now that I've seen karel do so well, I hope I can show myself that I have what it takes to possibly win a race! We will see....Congrats again Karel!

My Downs and Ups

This week was kinda interesting. Monday is typically a day off from training. Although I sometimes hop on the road bike for an easy spin, I had absolutely no energy for the entire day. I went on with my normal routine (nutrition consultations, personal training, laundry, etc.) but all I wanted to do was SLEEP! I've been putting in big mileage weeks w/ most of my time spent on the bike. With around 250 miles a week of riding, I'm not only putting in big volume, but I'm pushing harder than ever. I want to get faster and stronger in all three disciplines but I know that I can make major improvements with my cycling. I hoped that my lake of energy on Monday would disappear during the night and when my alarm went off at 4:40am on tuesday morning, I was not feeling like myself. So, a bit of overtraining got the best of me. With my gradual increase in volume comes more pressure to work harder. I recover quick and I'm never sore more than a couple hours after training, so I feel I need to get more sleep and possibly drink more during this hot weather training. Of course I can always back off of my training volume, but as the final weeks approach, there is so much pressure to improve and work harder. My two goals with Ironman training (ok three, get faster is always on the top of my list) are to not be injured and to have fun. After a full day of rest on Tuesday, in addition to a full day of rest on Mon, I was back to myself on wed morning. Maybe it was the ice cream I had on tuesday evening after dinner (hehe) but I am happy to say that Marni is back and feeling strong! Wednesday I kinda took it easy in the morning until the Gearlink ride in the evening. I decided to ride the road bike with the guys and I just didn't feel like I would have a good ride without my tri bike. However, I talked myself out of the negative self talk and I ended up having the best ride of the year! Maybe it was because my good friend Hunter was there or because Karel was taking it easy and not rotating (for his race) and I knew he was checking me out and cheering me on. Not only did I make all 5 loops but I pushed hard enough to beat a couple guys in the final sprint. Ok-so I had Karel pushing me a couple times as we were sprinting, but I can honestly say I was toast after the ride! Thursday morning was an early swim and I had one of the most challenging sets in the pool. 5 x 400 on 6 minutes (w/ fins) and Matt challenged me to hold 4:50 or less for each 400. Once I got in my zone, I was finished the set on 4:40 and 4:43 for the #4 and #5 (respectively). I ended up with 3900 meters for that morning (hour swim practice) and I hurried home for my trip to Georgia!
I will update in a few with the Georgia trip...already I'm loving it up there.
Sadly we had to cancel the USAT clinic that I was putting on for the weekend in Clermont. I'm really bummed about the lack of people signing up but hopefully next time I will have a better turnout. I tried my best and I'm very thankful to the sponsors and potential speakers who helped me out with the planning of the event.
Talk to you soon....Kona is coming, can you believe it!!!???!!!

Feeling lazy...and I love it!

I am beat. Seriously, every part of my body is aching. Not to the extent that I just finished an Ironman or a Marathon, but I am moving very slow. I really don't get "sore" I just get tired. My body is tired. Saturday morning I watched the guys do a fun circuit race in landsbrook. 6 loops of our normal Wed night ride and the guys split into 4 teams of 4. They all worked together, sprinted at a certain point of each loop to get points and they looked like they were having fun and working hard. I, of course, did not participate and road on the other side of the road and did my 6 loops and pushed hard to average 20-21 mph by myself. After they finished Karel rode home to get ready for work (yes-he works on saturday, what a bummer) and I rode with some of the guys for a bit longer. I ended up going an extra 20 miles by myself to put in my needed mileage. After getting home a bit before 12, I had put in 65 miles on my bike in about 3 hours and 45 minutes and quickly put on my shoes and fuel belt for a 30 min. run. I always feel strong on sat. morning and I did a lot of visualization during my run. I invisioned myself in Kona running along Ali drive about to finish the Ironman in 10 hours and 30 minutes (actually, in my dreams I am finishing in 10 hours and 9 minutes) which is the time I am training my body for. I wasn't too tired on saturday but I still made myself rest and not get on the computer. Of course I can't watch the tour w/o Karel so I just sat around and watched TV. I had my weekend trip to get a yummy coffee (usually Starbucks Frappachino carmel light) which is a yummy treat to myself! I usually get Karel a yummy coffee as well, but he is more of a chocolate person so it is usually something mocha. The tour was super exciting to watch and afterwards I popped in the '98 Ironman World Championship DVD to get myself excited to train on sunday. I woke up early on sunday (actually-slept in until 5:20 am...I know, it is sad) and got myself ready to run with celia. Karel was off to San Antonio and I will start riding up there w/ him (well, with the triathletes. I could never keep up w/ Karel and his cycling buddies) in a 2 weeks. I rode my bike to Celia's (around 18 miles) and dropped my bike in her garage as I ran the first hour and 10 minutes by myself. That was really good for my aerobic running legs because it is always tough running w/ celia. She is resting a bit this week for the duathlon nationals so after my hour and 10 minute run, Celia joined me for the last hour and 10 minutes of my run. Ouch...not sure if it was my tired legs or her amazingly fast legs but I was hurting. Heart rate wasn't too high but the quads were aching a bit. After 2 hours and 20 minutes for me, I was anxious to hop on the bike and spin my legs home. Celia and I chatted on my way home (again, we rode a little faster than I would like) but if she is the one that beats me at my races and is 5th in the World in Duathlon in her AG, I guess I will have her push me. You always have to train w/ people better than you to get faster...and I want to get faster!!!
Just checked out the times for IM lake placid. Gotta check out the girlies in my age group (25-29) to see who I will be racing against in Kona. My friend Rachel Cosgrove raced and so far she is pulling out great times for her first IM. It is amazing watching some of the Pro women (on the internet). What an inspiration for me as I keep training hard to hopefully one day make some money for all the hard work I do in the sport I love!
Have a wonderful sunday..the couch is calling me and so is the TV!!!

Coffee is brewing....so I write!

Just put together a fresh pot of coffee so I'm sitting around watching the weather and looking around on the internet. I had a good night of sleeping and I really enjoy the weekends when I wake up at 6am rather than 4:40am during the week. Karel and I are about to get ready for our sat morning ride but today is a bit different where we are doing a circuit race rather than the normal 3+ hour ride. I will try to sneak out of the door before Karel so i can actually warm-up before we meet the group at 8am in Landsbrook. I am planning on 3 hours and 45 minutes on the bike today followed by an hour run. Looks like I will be ready for a nap when I get home today!
Yesterday was tough. a 40 mile intense bike ride followed by a 40 minute intense run. Not only that, but as soon as I got home, i made smoothie and headed out the door to go personal train someone. Then, as soon as I got back and made something to eat, out the door again for some errands. Well, I guess that is the typical marni..always doing something.
Have a great morning...I'm sure more updates will come!

Kona countdown - 86 days!!

After the race on sunday, I took it easy on monday and went for an easy 1 hour spin on my road bike. So the hour race on monday wasn't hardly a warm-up if you are talking about training volume, but in reference to intensity, I raced at my max and I took it easy after the race. I don't race a lot because of my heavy volume of training on the weekends, but when I get the chance to participate in a local race I really enjoy it and I want to stay around and socialize rather than bolt out to get some training in after the race. Tuesday morning was a light swim, followed by a tough treadmill run workout. I was really focused for the run because all I could think about were the 4 girls who "ran" me down at the race. The set was intense, fast and challenging (3 x 3:45 desc 1-3 w/ 1:15 recovery between each 3. Then repeat same set for 4-6 descending). In total it was a little over 7 miles with warm-up and warm-downn and I felt strong throughout the set. Now if only I could hold that pace for a marathon!!! haha-maybe one day, just maybe. Tuesday evening I went for a spin on the tri bike and felt really good. I ended up with around 30 miles. I've been falling asleep exceptionally early (around 9:30-9:45) and I feel sleeping a sound night has really helped me recovery. Of course I am good with my recovery nutrition and I rarely have sore muscles the days after hard training sessions. Wed. morning, normal wed - spin, lift/core and swim. I haven't been napping at all during the day and I am going to make myself turn off the computer on the weekend (except to keep track of athletes in races) and rest my mind and just be lazy. Wed evening was brutal. A VERY tough ride with the guys. Celia and Roberta weren't there and even though they are fast enough to rotate, the intensity was high for the workout that evening. Karel seemed to lead the pace for the workout and when I noticed I was hanging on at 25-28mph I was really pushing myself to stay anyone's wheel. I was right behind the rotation group on the 4th loop when all of a sudden, some of the guys stopped rotating to have a break. In other words, I lost a wheel to draft off of and when the guys were ready to get back into the rotation, I was not strong enough to accelerate and catch the group on the 5th and final lap. One other rider and I pulled each other for the last loop (around 3 miles) and we both sprinted to the finish to catch the other riders. Karel said he felt really strong and fresh tonight and spun easy gears all evening. I just laugh as I push heavy gears with my sky-high elevated heart rate. I think I looked like death as I pedaled home with Karel and of course the ride wasn't over when we were heading home. Karel wanted me to push hard for another couple miles. He said I needed to train my mind for in Kona, I can't give up even when my body wants to stop. With tears in my eyes, I tried to stay on his wheels. I will cry tears of pain before I complain so I was relieved when we finally slowed down the pace. The post race smoothie never tasted so great and the stage for the TDF was awesome. Let's say it was a great evening. This morning I woke up tired (body was tired) but had an awesome 3600 yard swim. Swim pace is finally dropping but still have a long way to go. 1 hour run after the swim and I finished up the day with my bike-open water swim-bike this evening. As I sit here waiting for karel to come home from his ride I want to thank my friends and family for their support as I train intensly for the Ironman World Championships. Ironman training is long, lonely, tough and did I say long???? Thanks again everyone...these next 12 weeks are going to be tough!

Morton Plant Mease race report

5:00am the cell phone alarm went off and I couldn't have felt more fresh when I woke up. I started the coffee and got myself ready by putting on my race clothes and putting my bike in my car. The transition bag was packed and I was almost ready to go. I made myself my normal pre-race breakfast, but for this race the calories were a little less. 1/4 cup of oatmeal, a few nuts and 1/2 banana. A full bottle of water and I was ready to go. I had a short drive to Sand Key beach but I took my time and thought about the upcoming race....All I wanted to know was if I would have an E on my calf (like i had hoped at St.anthony's) to show that i was elite. Ok, so I look forward to the little things. After I parked the car and said many hello's to friends, I was very happy that I received an E on my calf, in addition to my race number #18. Another perk to racing elite, I racked my bike on the 2nd rack in the transition area. I must say that I was very intimidated standing around the other Elite girls. I train with a few of them and have raced with them in the past (I was racing age group, they were elite) but being able to start with them was a great honor for me. I was greated by my parents and that really calmed my nerves. My mom and dad always seem to lighten me up. I also saw so many people that I knew so that was a great feeling. I warmed up before the race and excitedly got out of the water to start with the men and women elite. 7am we were off and I was happy with my start! For once I wasn't the last person in the water. I have been practicing the run-in the water-start (thanks to coach matt hess) and I just started swimming my arms off. I was chasing down a white cap which I thought was another female, but suprisingly it was a male. Since we were the first wave to start, I was shocked when my mom told me that I was the first woman out of the water. I could hear it on the loud speaker and I took a quick look behind me...Oh my gosh, I was the only woman out of the water and on the course! I told my mom I would enjoy the moment while it lasted (as I was running out of the water, my mom was quickly running with me and cheering) cause I knew i was about to get cycled down by these amazing cyclists! I wasn't sure how far behind me the girls were, but after looking at the results, I had a 2 minute lead after the 1/3 mile swim. I knew Karel would be at the top of Memorial causeway waiting for me on his bike, so my only thought was to have him see me get to the bridge and still be the lead. Oh, and I forgot to mention that the motorcycle was in front of me as I was heading out of the park and I followed the motorcycle (which was going much faster than me!) for most of the bike ride. How cool was that!!! I never really took in any of these moments until after the race, but when I saw Karel on the top of the bridge, I knew he was really proud of me. I have him to thank for my major improvements on the bike! Not only is he a great training partner, but he is a perfectionist when it comes to working on my bike tune-ups. After the two causeways it was a fast stretch until the bellair causeway. I was in between 21 and 24 mph for a good stretch of the ride along Indian Rocks and I was passed around mile 9 of the 13 mile bike ride and then passed again around mile 11. I did all I could on the bike and I had to be happy with my 21.5 mph pace which was something that I wasn't even close to last year! I can't believe that i am averaging 20 mph in a half ironman and over 21 mph in a sprint triathlon. Last year I could hardly average 18 mph no matter what the distance or training ride! The run in the park was tough, with the first mile on the soft sand. My transition was quick and I had no time for socks or a visor. I was run down by my running partner Celia, so i guess that was anticipated since she always pushes me hard on our 2 hour+ runs. Of course I always tell her we are running too fast! :) hehe. I did pass one girl on the run but i was chased down by the other 4 girls. wow-I just couldn't believe how fast these girls run! I really look forward to my tues morning workouts on the treadmill as a great opportunity to work on my speed. however, after this race I know I need to step it up! I ended up in 5th place and I was so excited with my finish. 1:11.36 and the difference between 2nd and 5th place was 35 seconds!!! It was a very exciting race for all the females and I just couldn't believe that I had the motorcycle in front of me!!! To make things even better, I won money for my 5th place finish (money to the top five females) in addition to a beautiful award.

I just can't believe how far I have gotten in two years of training for triathlons. I feel like I become more competitive and stronger with each day of training and more knowledgable with the sport as the days go on. I am getting into the long training days of my Kona training, so i will do my best to keep everyone updated on my journey to the Ironman world championships in 12 weeks!

Congrats to everyone who finished at Morton Plant Mease! I had a great time working the expo most of the afternoon on saturday and it was really fun meeting new people at the race. Thanks also to my parents and karel for watching the race.

RESULTS

http://altavistasports.com/results/2007results/mortonplantmeasetriathlon071507.html
Overall time: 1:11:37 1st out of swim at 9:10 T1 (Long swim to bike run) 3:03 7th on the bike at 36:12 T2 1:00 and 5th on the run at 22:14.
5th overall. Race report will come shortly...time to rest and watch the tour. What an experience to race Elite!

I AM a sprinter!!

Morton Plant mease sprint triathlon tomorrow!! I must say that I am a bit nervous. I go up and down with my nerves before a race. I get really excited and pumped up to race and then I think about the fast girls that I am racing with. I never really got nervous racing in my age group, but I think it is a good thing to race Elite. I'm excited to start in the first wave and really push the swim (which I love). I've been working SO hard on my cycling and I know I can be strong on the bike with my new confidence while riding. As far as the run, I love to run and I love to run fast. Even though I consider myself a distance runner (nice aerobic pace), I really enjoy interval workouts on the treadmill. I guess my interval tomorrow will be 3 miles at sub 7 min. pace. I must tell myself if I can "race" a half marathon at the end of a Half Ironman and hold 8 min. miles, then I sure can run my legs off to hopefully get in the low 20's for the 3.1 mile run tomorrow. I really want to do well and show myself that I can push. I always have fun at races but I really want to work this one and show myself what I can do. I'm super excited to see so many people on the course and now that Karel has suprised me that he will bike to my race and pass on his weekly ride to San Antonio, I know I will have a great bike ride! My parents are coming and I really appreciate their support...even at a 7am start time they are still my number one fans at my race and I love having them there. My mom does a great job yelling at me as I run through transistion area..I'm known for passing up my bike on the rack. I guess now that I am racing elite, I will run right through transition if I miss my bike! My dad is my photographer so expect pics on my blog after the race!!!
As of now, I'm excited for the morning....good luck everyone!!

Excited!!!

It's almost here. Morton Plant Mease Triathlon. I don't know what I am most excited about, but I am looking forward to racing on sunday! There are so many athletes racing (over 800!) and I know so many people..that always makes for an entertaining and motivating race experience. I am also racing elite where I will be racing for $2000 for the top 5 elite females. I'm really excited for this opporunity and there are a lot of FAST ladies in this field. I say Ladies, cause as usually, most of the top athletes are atleast 5 to 10 years older than me and fast as anything! What an inspiration that these ladies have kids, families, full-time jobs (hehe) and so many daily committments and are still training and racing incredibly! I understand that we all do what we can to pay the bills, but sometimes I feel like I just work so hard just to pay for my trip to Kona for the World Championships. Oh well, the opporuntity may only happen once! :)
This week was tough up until thursday. I finally survived the entire wed night ride in Landsbrook and didn't get dropped! But of course my bike bag fell off right before the last loop and I was so upset that I had to turn around to go and get it. Since the wed ride consists of 5 loops around a 3 mile course, I turned in the opposite direction to meet up with the group before the final sprint. Thursday morning was a time trial swim (650 meters) and I felt really good about my 8:50 time). Thursday afternoon I rode the MPM course again for last minute details of where the potholes, bumps, unpaved parts and turns were on the course. Two days before a race I always sleep-in (ahhh, 6:15am has never felt so good) and I felt really rested since I usually get up before 5am during the week. Tomorrow I will have my race wheels on Seduza and I will have Karel warm-up with me for a couple intervals until he meets up with the group ride. I'm really looking forward to helping at registration for the race tomorrow at 11am. I always try to help with races and if I could help out during the race, I would find a way to race and help. I enjoy handing out packets at the expo because it is a great way to meet new people.
Sunday...well, you know-It's race day!
Good luck everyone!

Sunday's workout leading into Race week!

Sunday was an early morning. Karel headed to San Antonio for his normal sunday ride and I was off to sand key beach to meet a couple triathletes for a swim and a bike on the MPM race course. The swim was good and with the current, I felt fast. Out of the water and onto the bike was good and I biked the course with a couple newbies. I shared tips the entire way for ascending and descending on the bridges...all helpful tips which others have shared with me. I just love seeing the excitement and progression of newbie triathletes. It only takes once to get hooked. Because I didn't have enough money for the meter, I decided to drive home to dunedin and do my long run on the Pinellas trail. I just love running on the trail and seeing all the people along the trail is really encouraging. Also, every couple streets you see a glimpse of the ocean which is really nice. Because I took my time showing the triathletes the course in Clearwater, I didn't start my run until 9:15 am. That wouldn't be so bad if it was a short run after a long bike, but in this instance, I had a 2 hour and 15 minute run in scorching 90+ degree Florida heat!!! Unfortunantly, my fuel belt didn't do the job for keeping me hydrated and I was splashing water on me and refilling my bottles at every water fountain. I was very very hot and I couldn't believe that i covered almost 16 miles in that heat! My black Zoot shorts were covered with salt after the workout and i was cooked for the rest of the day. Once karel got back from his ride, we exchanged a couple stories of how hot we were for our workouts and we were both out for most of the day. We each claimed a couch and snoozed for most of the afternoon. We've been watching the tour everyday which makes for an entertaining evening.
Monday morning was a well-needed recovery day and tuesday morning I swam and did my interval treadmill workout. Tuesday evening I rested and this morning was spin class and 1500 meter easy swim. Tonight will be my last hard workout until the race and I hop to make all the loops with the Gearlink guys for our wed night ride.
I am super excited to race Elite for Morton Plant and race with so many of my friends and familiar faces in the area! Philip Lahaye puts on great races and I know this sold-out event will be great!

I'm Cooked!

What a weekend...Actually, what a WEEK!!! I am cooking here in Florida! The heat and humidity get to you no matter what time you train! Thursday I had a hard time getting in the water after my 4th of July intense bike ride (65 + 1 hour spin class). I just stood at the edge of the pool at 5:20am and forced myself to get in. Every workout to me needs to be a quality workout. Regardless if I am spinning easy on my bike or doing an aerobic long run, I want to get something from everything that is tri-related. I wondered what the Pro's would do the day after a weekly ride and from that point on, it was an easy decision to get in the water. The workout wasn't too hard but I did get 3600 meters in that morning. I followed the swim with a 8 mile run and I was surprised how good my legs felt. Thursday evening I hoped on the road bike and did a nice 35 min ocean swim to get me use to open water swimming. I don't get anything out of the swim for speed, but just for the simple fact that I like being around other triathletes while being in open water.
Friday morning I rode the Morton Plant Mease bike course 2 x's (including memorial causeway 3 x's) and completed 30 miles on my bike before a 7 mile run. Again, I felt powerful with my running and I think all that cycling is finally paying off. A year of kicking my butt on the bike and I'm finally seeing some results. I have great cycling friends (and Karel) to keep me going fast (a.k.a drafting off of) and they give me great pointers.
Saturday morning was a good day. Warmed up with karel to clearwater beach and at 8am we met the gearlink group at CVS. It is never a warm-up when I ride with Karel so with tired legs (FROM WED!!!) I was pedalling my legs off to stay on his wheel. The Gearlink riders met up with the Panera ride and I knew this would be a great opportunity to show myself that I am a strong rider. I have to tell myself that for that little push...plus, I always do my best when karel is around. even though I don't see him cause he is always at the front of the group, I just know he is proud of me and hopefully his fast cycling skills are rubbing off on me. I had my other two girlfriends there (Celia and Roberta) so I was in good company that morning. The ride was fast but I kept up. A couple times I feel behind but luckily I caught up to the group in time to not get dropped. After the 54 mile ride, I finished the morning with a 7 mile run. Running at 10:30am is no fun, but I guess it is good Kona training. After my workout I rushed into the shower, blended me a yummy protein smoothie and quickly got in the car to go to Tampa. I first dropped my bike off with Karel for a well-needed tune-up (new chain, new cables) and cleaning. Oh-seduza looks great! I spoke to a room full of Doctors (10 Amazingly nice people) about Triathlons. Most of the talk was preparing for the Morton plant tri this weekend and I spoke briefly about nutrition for sprint triathlons. I really enjoy speaking to people and seeing the excitement from newbies! I remember the day..... Anyways, after my 75 minute talk I had a quick stop at starbucks and i was heading home for a well-needed nap!
this Blog is already a long one so i will leave you hanging before i tell ya about sunday!

I need a nap!

I've needed a nap since last weekend! Training is tough and I am beat! I keep pushing and pushing....but I'm FINALLY seeing results!
Tuesday was a not so bad (intensity) but I got in around 3400 meters. The run was followed by the normal treadmill speed workout and I busted my butt for 3 minutes at 8.8 mph and 2 x 1:30 at 9.5-9.8 mph. I repeated the set 3 times. I actually felt really strong and finished the day with an hour EASY spin. Wed morning was the day...the day I needed a nap!
Any normal wed I would have taught my 45 minute spin class and followed it with a 1500 meter swim and weight lifting. Wed evening is usually the Gearlink landsbrook ride so I rest up all day for that crazy fast ride. Well, on 4th of July my morning started off the same but I was more than tired all day for a very good reason. As a treat for my spin class, I had decided a couple weeks ago that I would do an hour spin with them (for the first time) starting at 5:30am. So I got up at my normal tues/thurs time of 4:40am and taught an hour spin class from 5:30-6:30. I am a very hard instructor but we have a lot of fun. I do make them work hard but we do every set as an interval. For this wed. I wanted to keep them entertained and focused since the mind seems to wander in a spin class. After the spin class, I quickly changed clothes, heated up some oatmeal and drove to the Eastlake cafe to drop off my car. I pulled out Seduza from Hyundai and headed to the CVS on Alt 19 (Sat morning ride meeting point) to meet Jim and Scott at 7:30am. This is when my second ride of the day began. For the first time ever I was going to test my speed and ride with the Panera ride. Karel met the group at 7am in Bellair. The group rides through Sand Key and clearwater beach (over both causeways) and they head toward Alt 19. Jim, Scott and I met the group and I quickly pedaled my legs to stay in the draft. It was a big group that morning (around 30 people) and many unfamiliar faces. everyone was nice but I was focused on staying on anyone's wheel. I new at a speed of 24-30 mph, if I got dropped I was done. This ride is normally ridiculously fast but karel had faith in me that I could hang on. Of course he was riding in the front with Spencer Smith pulling the group...totally different pace than what I was use to. Put a retired Pro Triathlete on the front of a group ride and the fast pace of 24 mph becomes a wicked fast 30 mph! I actually hung on for most of the ride, until Howard Park where I had time to catch the group as they turned around on the Island after their sprint. Karel must have been feeling good cause he won the sprint (nothing new :). The panera riders only rode around 30 miles with us (gearlinkers) and Jim, Scott, karel and I continued on our familiar sat. morning ride for another couple hours. with a total of 65 miles (not including an hour spin class) and around 3 hours in the saddle I could barely eat my pancakes after the ride. I pushed so hard and didn't really get dropped. Of course I give a little thanks to red lights so that I can catch up, but the fact that I can push for over 60 miles makes me feel really confident with my improvements on the bike. The rest of the Gearlink team rode easy that morning and we all met at the Eastlake Cafe for a great breakfast. I was so tired for the breakfast that my brain hurt! Of course I could pull off a couple smiles but I really pushed hard. No bonking so that is always good. Just a couple tender muscles to keep me walking slow all day. I didn't nap on Wed and now i regret it. After a hard Thurs am swim/run and pm bike/open swim/bike, I am ready for a good night rest! I am really looking forward to next weekend racing at morton plant mease. Phil Lahaye puts on great races and I have no doubt that this sold-out race will be a hit! I'm racing Elite so I'm racing for some $$$! this morning I rode the course twice, did some bridges and ran for an hour following my 30 mile ride. This weekend is more cycling and I will call it a great week come sunday!! All this for Kona???? YOU BET!

What a weekend!

I just had to put up this pic!! One of my favorites from IM FL 70.3!
My "recovery" week went really well. Thank goodness for rain that I didn't feel any guilt when missing my afternoon workouts last week. I wanted to take it easy so I thought the only way I could reduce my volume is to only workout once a day. I kinda enjoyed having an extra 10 or so hours last week but I kept myself busy with a lot of nutrition consultations and work for Beginner Triathlete. Friday, Saturday and Sunday were normal workouts and my body felt quite relaxed as of Friday morning. Went for a nice 2 hour ride to Howard Park, with 1 hour of intervals at a semi-hard pace. Got off the bike for a 40 minute run, including 10 x 1 minute bursts with 1 minute easy jog. Feeling really strong off the bike and I strongly believe in the brick workouts. I never wake up in the morning and just run because it is nice to run with warm muscles after I swim or bike. Also, I have had no injuries for the past couple of summers since I started triathlons and I think it is because I don't run right when I wake up in the morning. Whereas in the winter I am (was) more likely to wake up and hit the road for a long run, now I am spinning my legs first thing in the morning or hoping in the pool for a swim team workout.

Friday evening Karel and I went to Crispers for dinner down at Safety Harbor. Dinner was ok but we both enjoyed our Cold Stone afterwards! Yummm

Saturday morning I was feeling ready to complete the Gearlink ride with the guys (and Roberta and Celia). Karel was with me as we warmed up at an easy 20 mph! I hate it when he wants to spin his legs and asks me to come. I always find myself huffing and puffing before the ride even starts! After a 20 mile warm-up, we arrived at our CVS meeting point at 8am for the ride. To make this story short...We cycle for around 10 miles and then I get dropped at the start of Anclote road before I even had the chance to get on anyone's wheel! WHat a bummer...so after around 10 miles of self-talk and a LONELY Time Trial ride along Anclote road, I had to make a decision to continue on and catch up at the 7-eleven re-fuel stop or turn-around and head back home. As I started to turn around at a red light, I thought about the Pro's and the girlies in my new age group (who break 10 hours in an Ironman!) and what they would do in my situation. First off, the probably would not have been dropped (they would be pacing the guys!) and secondly, they would push and push and never give up. The light turned green and I kept going. After the guys had refueled, they were all ready to go and continue with the ride. Of course they asked where I was and what happened, so I joked with them that they don't need all this rest and I we needed to keep going. After a couple laughs, I had one more opporunity (no more rest stops) to stay on a wheel as everyone rotated. Finally, I stayed on....and thank goodness for red lights. I got a couple of breaks but there was no resting for me. It's hard riding 24-28mph for miles and miles with no rest! Of course one of these days I'd love to rotate, but it may be a while. So I continued to push and push and my heart rate rose and rose. Oh, it was so tough but I just love the feeling of accomplishing the rides with the guys. There was one more point when I got dropped as we were turning after a red light and by the time I clipped in and looked forward, the group was aroud 15 yards ahead of me and there was nothing I could do to catch them. By this point, I think they were rotating around 26-28 mph and I could catch them. Karel (probably feeling sorry for me) slowed down and helped me catch the group. At this point, my heart was about to come out of my chest and my legs were aching! Luckily, there is no bonking or nutrition problems (besides being hot and thirsty in the Florida humidity!). After sticking on Karel's wheel, he pulled me for a couple miles and I finally caught the group in time for a couple more miles of them rotating and a sprint to the end of Trinity Road (which Karel won as usual). Thanks to Karel, I would have been pedaling a lonely ride all the way home. The guys were proud of me and so was Karel but most of all, I see BIG improvements in my cycling. Whereas I couldn't even make a warm-up with these guys, now I am staying on their wheels for a 3 hour ride. Karel and I ended up doing around 70 miles on saturday. Once we got home, I put on the fuel belt for a 30 minute run. I usually get "the look" from Karel when I do my brick workouts after our saturday ride and I kinda like it that he thinks I'm craz that I run after I ride. Last summer I would always save a little for the run, but now I give my saturday rides my all and enjoy the run after the grueling ride. The run wasn't that bad and I actually felt really good. Sunday was a 1 hour 50 minute run with Celia at 6:15 am I didn't feel that sore from Saturday...another good thing. Of course since we shaved 10 minutes off from the last 3 weeks (due to time constraints on sunday morning) she pushed me hard during the last 40 minutes..much harder than I anticipated for a long run. Oh well, it is good for me. I hoped on my bike for a 20 mile swim and after LOTS of miles this past weekend, I took a well-needed nap.

My mom, dad, Hunter and Angie came over for dinner last night and I entertained everyone with wraps and lots of fixings. The "veggie" meat was a hit but I also had a back-up of real chicken for the meat lovers. With fruit salad and ice cream for desert, I think this was a fabulous weekend. This morning I had to pay my rent so I biked to their office (about an hour and 40 minutes round trip) to save my gas and to spin my legs.

well, I guess I got everyone caught up on my life. Have a great week! Enjoy the 4th, be safe and congrats to all those who raced at Nationals this past weekend.
Also- a BIG congrats to my friend Bill who raced at BSLT in Texas a couple weekends ago. With a weight loss of over 10 pounds, he also made his race great with a PR by over 30 minutes...WAHOO!!!