Last day!!!

I thought this pic was cute so I had to post it. Seriously, Smudla covered her eyes as soon as I pulled out the camera. Too cute! I don't blame her for being tired, we've pulled some late nights studying until 10pm.
This morning I had my great spin class to pump me up and start my day. I had a great CD of up-beat Woodstock music. We did our typical sprint set, jump set and hill set. The 45-minute class went by fast and boy were we pooped! Tough stuff at 5:30am in the morning..but luckily, I have a packed class with lots of energy.
Then to the treadmills. 4.5 miles and a few intervals to keep me from being bored. After about 20 minutes of playing with the speed from 7.3mph to 8mph I did 5 min at 7.5, 4 min. at 7.8mph, 3 min. at 7.6, 2 min. at 8mph and 1 min. at 7.5mph. 40 minutes of running and a bit of walking and I was ready for some core. I did some back and front core exercises on the ball since it is very important to strengthen both the front and the back to have a strong core. A few weights and then to the showers...a well-needed and refreshing shower.
Home at 8am and time to study. OK, so I didn't really study. I had a smoothie, played on the computer, had some oatmeal and got ready for my biology final. It was a 75 question cummulative final on 24 chapters so I figured, if I didn't know it by this morning, I wouldn't know it by cramming for 1 more hour. I went to bed around 9:30am last night so I felt rested for the final. I think I did well so we will see when grades are posted on friday. I have one more final tonight at 5:30 which is medical terminology. I LOVED that class. I really did like my global marketing class (Mon night) because of the teacher but medical terminology is very applicable in my field. The final is 100 questions and cummulative but because we had a quiz every week it forced me to study one chapter per week over the last semester.
I am so excited for today to be over! I want to think about something besides studying! Perhaps I can actually start planning my wedding instead of listening to my mom tell me all the things we need to do. We have the wedding venue and reception and DJ but we have so much more to do by Oct. My mom is a great planner and I feel so bad that i haven't been motivated for a wedding. However....time to get to action! Also, I just want to relax. Of course work on coaching, nutrition and articles..things I love to do (I could do those things all day!!) but I just want to de-stress. I'm feeling a nice long bike ride and swim in the am.
YAY!! MY last day for 3 weeks ....until I start back school again.

Check out the write-up on the Athens Twilight crit. You have to read every single word. Amazing..those cyclists are just crazy!

Athens Twilight Crit Write-up

Interval Tuesday!!!!!

There's no more playing around here. Time to get into serious training mode. Disney 70.3 is in 19 days and it's all about breaking 5 hours. Good eating, enough sleep, no stress after wed..I must focus on this race. Well, in addition to the 50-million other things I am doing to keep me busy, I'm really amazed of how well I have improved with my training since Kona. Actually, I'm mostly impressed on how I actually healed myself and kept sane while I was painfully walking, slowly running at 6.4mph and then somewhat biking from November until January. But....all is good and here we go. Time for interval Tuesday!
4:43am time to get up. Coffee, check email, out the door.
5:30am in the water. With a final last night (100% on my global marketing final...wahoo!! Those grades don't come in my biology class, unfortunately :( ) and no finals today (2 tomorrow) I decided to join my early morning swimmers at the Palm Harbor Y. About 20 or so people and wow, did i miss swimming with everyone. I gave up the early morning swims on tues/thurs (changed them to mon, tues, fri around 7am) because I was too tired from my mon and wed night classes. I was so happy to be in the water and I pushed it hard this morning. One of my best sets...and oh, my lats!
SWIM 5:30-6:30
10x100 warm-up w/ 15 sec rest
5 x 100 kick on 1:30 w/ fins (I didn't have fins, so 10-beat kick for me and I didn't make a cycle, so I just kicked until everyone was finished)
Main set: 10 x 100 on 1:30 for me and Dave (who I swam with in a lane). I was rocking the 100's at 1:19 for the first 5 and then I got the Ironman boost and pulled out 1:16's for the last 5.
Last set: 4 x 50's on :50. All-out!
Warm-down and it totaled 2900.
Time for the treadmill....
6:50am - Interval run
10 min warm-up at 7.3 mph
Main set: 8 x 4 min at 8.5 mph (7:03 min mile) w/ 1 min recovery jog at 7.8 mph
Warm-down 5-8 minutes (walk/jog)
Total:7.8 miles
WOOOOWWWW...this set got me. I forgot to mention that Mon. morning I trained since I didn't do a real workout on sun. I ran 10 miles and biked 20 and told myself if I tried to run on tues and I started to ache, then I would not risk hurting myself for an interval workout. Well, all was good and my legs felt fine but it was a tough workout. Each 4 minute interval came to about .6 miles and after the first 4 I had to convince myself to keep going. I had my friend Tony running next to me and he said he would do the last 4 with me. Even at his 7.5 mph pace, it was great to "run" with someone. We kept each other going with encouraging words and I happily gave the reminder "1 minute to go..we can do it!" When I'm tired during a race, I like to tell myself I can rest when the race is over, but I am the one who decides when the race is over. Therefore, I must keep going if I can mentally convince myself that i can take it. I felt the pace was good, not too fast and believe me, not too slow!!! It was just right that I felt a burn but I wasn't crossing the lactate threshold. Therefore, I knew I could clear lactate in the rest period and produce enough during the set to handle it. At that length of interval, pushing too hard over a threshold is very depleting and if I didn't properly pace myself I wouldn't make it to 8. And lastly, I knew this set was hard when after the 3rd interval I find myself looking down at the treadmill clock when my body starts to hurt. In a 1 or 2 minute interval, 15-30 seconds more isn't a problem. But when you look at the clock when you hurt, it is oh so hard to know you have 2 1/2 more minutes!!! Yes, I looked every time at 2:30 into my interval....but I kept my form and just saw myself at the Disney finish line.
Well, there we are...another interval Tuesday. Only a few more weeks left to go ....

Highlights from St.A's

Although I did not race this year (still proud of my goal of beating 1 person in the Elite division last year!) I was a proud spectator. I cheered, I covered the course and I got in around an hour of running (only about 40 min. of it continous with my friend Angie). Here are some of my highlights...


Being at St.A's and not having to study!


Watching the Pro Men Start


Watching the Pro Women Start


Seeing Scott Risgby


Enjoying beautiful St.Pete and not being inside studying!


Seeing my Friends family...too cute!


Seeing all the bikes!


It never ends!!!!


First Pro...Matt Reed


Here comes Andy Potts


Soon after...there goes Greg Bennett


Taking a pic with Laura Bennett!!!!!


Running the run course and seeing Bree!


Watching everyone finish

Quit

Karel was honored to race in one of the biggest, fastest and most exciting races in the nation last night. Watch the video (no sound)

Twilight Crit 2008

Video

The race started around 8:45pm and totalled 80K, on a 1K course. Approximately 2 hours of races. The announcer called up the "top" riders and after about 80 people gathered to the line, then came everyone else. Karel didn't even know where the starting was when the race started. As the biggest race of the year...Karel did not finish. Karel's teammates did not finish. And out of 150 starters, around 40 people finished. The average speed was around 35-37 mph and there were a lot of crashes. BUT....all is good. Karel said that he couldn't believe he was racing the athens twilight crit! He had his gearlink buddies cheering him on and he said the crowd was unreal. They had two dj's playing techno and getting everyone hyped up and the announcer was doing a great job of letting everyone know what was going on in the race. Karel made it to 40 laps (half way) and he didn't even see below 33 mph for his speed. He said there was a crash around 20 min into the race and it stopped around 20 riders. Luckily, they let everyone back into the race with a free loop but all Karel could be thankful for was a quick breath of air to slow down his heart rate. As the race continued, more and more people couldn't hang and the pack would start to break up. Karel kept fighting to move up but the pace at the back of the pack (because he started so far back) was crazy fast..of course, no faster than the front but it was hard to stay on people's wheels in the back. Therefore, more effort to not get dropped. Karel got dropped and the officialls immediately pull you to the side. Of course with it being around 9:30 at night in the dark, in downtown athens the crowd was still pulling for all the riders. You would think karel would be upset, mad or frustrated that he didn't finish (which he was a bit frustrated that he didn't make all the loops) but when he was pulled through the barriers and onto the sidewalk with the crowds....it was his moment to shine. See, when you do the Pro race at the Athens twilight crit...you are one of them. Karel was high-fiving people and he enjoyed the nice comments and cheers from the crowd. I guess to stay 1-loop longer than the last guy is an award in itself.
I am so proud of Karel and of course...he is hungry for more. With Athens as the beginning of the USA crits Speed Week, Karel will be racing on tues and wed in SC and then on sat in NC and sun in Ga. I will be watching him in NC and GA (FINALLY!) but I'm sure this is going to be an exciting and exhausting week.
I had a hard time using the word "quit" as the title of my blog. It is a hard word to use when you are an athlete. No one likes to quit. According to the definition "quitting means to give up, discontinue or to depart". Yes, these are all true definitions but I know Karel didn't want to give up. I know there are people who don't want to stop racing. Unfortunantly, the body says no more. I think I am going to start using the word "try" instead of "quit or failed". It is a much more appropriate word that I think athletes can learn to deal with better than being a quitter. TRY"To put to the test or to make an attempt". Really, this is what we, as athletes, do everytime we attempt a new race, distance or sport. We try our best. And if we don't succeed, it isn't because we failed or because we quit..it is just because we tried. I know deep in Karel's heart (strong heart!) and mine, it is always tough to not do as well as you would like. To have a goal and to not accomplish that goal. For cycling at karel's level, it is all about finish the race. I am so proud of him for trying and attempting to stay on as long as he could. So to everyone who has "quit" a race or failed at something, just remember how hard you tried until that very last moment.
"Failures are divided into two classes — those who thought and never did, and those who did and never thought."

Lots of Stuff

well, my brain is almost fried. I'm almost completely better from my bug. I'm very tired and I would love a vacation. Therefore...I am going to cover several things, but keeping things short.

1) Good luck to those racing at St.A's....I thought about writing emails to everyone, but that would take me all day!!! I will be watching for a few hours to cheer on everyone. Hope to get in some kind of run when I am down there. Looking forward to seeing all of Florida down there. I think I am the only person not doing the race..oh, karel said he isn't doing it :) hehe

2) Speaking of karel..he is about to race in the Twilight crit tonight!!! the weather is a little overcast and the radar (which I keep checking) shows a few showers heading towards athens, Ga. Rain would not be good during that race but I know those cyclists will race rain, wind or shine. I sent karel a good luck package of lots of goodies (Hammer nutrition, chocolate, a card, trail mix, water bottle, gum) and I also printed a bunch of quotes on hard work, teamwork, motivation and success. I sent the package to the team manager (Jeff Kopp) and he suprised Karel with the box as the team was heading up to Athens. I think Karel was super surprised. Karel has some of his Gearlink friends up there watching him and aside from the thousands of people in the crowd, I think Karel is ready for the "big show". That is what he calls this race :) Also, Karel texted me his number which was #112 and that he was getting ready to race. I didn't think anything of it but I checked my box of race numbers and at Ft.Desoto, that was my race number!!! Crazy!!!Good luck Karel..I'm cheering you on!!!!

3)I'm really thankful that I can be a coach right now. I have been able to help so many people with training plans, one-on-one coaching and nutrition. I just love helping people and I can't wait til school is overwith so I can devote all my time to helping people. I really appreciate everyone putting up with me during these last few days of preparing for my finals. I haven't been able to fully commit my time to everyone and that is hard for me. When someone wants me to help them I devote 100% of my time, energy and passion to helping them achieve their goals. I felt that being upfront and honest about my lack of time would be hard for people to understand. However, all my athletes and friends have been very accepting and I really appreciate it. Just a bit longer and I get a full 3 weeks of no school!! Wahoo...but then I start my dietetic school on May 20th and I will continue with 3 more semesters and hopefully finishing by August/Sept 2009. I'm sure there is a light at the end of that tunnel....

4) I'm really sad about the Shark killing of the triathlete in california. It is all over the news and it is really scary. I know these things are rare but it doesn't take away from the sadness. The scary thing is that athletes are always putting their body in danger. Of course cycling is the most scary of them all, with hundreds of cyclists around the world being killed by cars, riding in groups or just riding alone. Then there is running when people are running early in the morning in the dark or even with swimming in the pool. Anything can happen. However, we must remember that we are doing something that we love that ultimately is a good habit. This morning I had a coaching session with Gary, at..of course, Sand Key park for an open water swim. I read MSN.com last night and right away I email Gary....you sure you don't want to just swim in the pool. Me, as his coach..wimping out! Well, just like usual, when I'm in the open water I just forget about everything. All went well and we had a great 20 minute swim. I ended up riding my bike down there and after the swim, I biked home. So much better than driving. I rode 50 miles this morning and finally, I am feeling a bit better with this head cold. the sniffles are gone and my headache is getting better.

Enjoy the weekend everyone! I know this blog was kinda random but please remember to tell your loved ones how much you care about them. Thank your friends and family for putting up with you...I know triathletes live in their own world sometimes (me included!). And lastly, just remember to live life to the fullest. If your working too hard and always stressed, sleep deprived and unhappy, are you truely enjoying and focusing on the little things. You only have one life....enjoy it! :)

The bug!

Well, I guess I can only blame my big mouth. Karel got sick last weekend and he felt like it was coming the days before. I told him just to rest and in my mind I'm thinking to myself "I never get sick. I am so lucky. I take such good care of myself..blah blah blah" Well...I got the bug! Errrrrr....me and my wishful thinking that I wouldn't get sick. The thing is, Karel isn't even here! He has been in Jacksonville for the last 9 days so I guess he gave me a "virus" via the internet ;) Luckily, I am better now and all it really did was give me a pounding headache and a runny nose. No chills, feaver or sore throat. I just felt like I had a pound of bricks between my ears. So I passed on training on thursday and enjoyed the day of doing nothing. I tried studying for my finals every now and then but it was really hard to retain the info. Just like with trying to study, I would get absolutely nothing out of trying to train my body. I did feel a little lazy on thursday morning and not doing anything at 7am but the more I started thinking...if I would just rest one day I could have a chance to be better by friday. My plan worked. I was in the pool this morning for a great 4000 yard swim. I did feel like I needed to blow my nose the whole swim (sexy right???) but I guess the water was the best place for me to get in some type of workout. As I had mentioned, I was fortunante to not get the flu or anything like that, so maybe this was all allergies. Oh well, I finished the morning with a 4 mile run and I think having a release of endorphins really made me feel better. I am a bit tired now but I must be good and study. My last 3 exams of the semester!!!
My thinking of training while sick is this...training isn't recommended if you are sick from the throat down. So pass on the training if you are experiencing stomach problems, trouble breathing or a fever/chills. However, if it is the throat up which can be nose running, headache or stuffy head, studies have shown that a little low intensity exercise can actually strengthen the immune system. Don't expect to gain fitness but you may feel better overall than if you need nothing. You must always listen to your body and in most cases if you just rest your body entirely for a day or two, you can be back to normal sooner than if you try to train while your body is fighting a cold or virus.
When I do get sick (which is rarely...I guess I should stop saying that before I get sick again) I don't like to reach for the medicine. Actually, Karel and I don't have anything in our place besides ibuprofen (which was mostly for my aches post-kona). I am not a big believer in reaching for the meds everytime something hurts. If you are injured, you probably didn't listen to your body when it hurt and you just tried to get through training. Sometimes you can survive and be fine with an ache, but like in my case, my ache turned into 5 monthes of no running. I didn't listen before kona but you better believe i listened post kona. I sure learned a lot with my injury...
Anways....Usually, when you feel the symtoms of getting sick your body is already doing its thing by fighting whatever you have. The hotness, runny nose, chills or aches are usually because of the body trying to kill whatever it is that got into the body. These are all symptoms. Therefore, if you reach for medicine you are only trying to make yourself feel better from those symptoms. You aren't really trying to make yourself any healthier. However, if the "sickness" prevents you from daily functioning and life(includes work, planned events which can't be cancelled or sleep. Unless you are a Pro or about to race an important race, training technically is not part of life) then you may want to find the best medicine to help you make it through the day. Again, don't think that taking medicine every 4 hours is going to make you feel 100% the next day..it may, but perhaps you need to look at your daily routine and see why you got the virus in the first place. Kids, eating out, work...yes, great places to spread germs. However, in need of more sleep, stress and an increase in training...I think I have my culprit for why my immune system was a little down. I am sure I am in contact with germs and virus's everyday but if I step up my training and feel a little stressed with school, my body is having to work overtime and that virus ultimately wins.
So...I thought instead of buying some meds I would go the natural route. No, I didn't just lay around in misery and light some incents and eat herbs (hehe) I went to the farmers market and bought myself some healthy, antioxidant rich fruits and veggies. YUM!!! And after cutting up all the veggies (which were only $11!!!! Yes people...buy fruits/veggies when they are in season, especially at a farmers market) I made myself a yummy smoothie w/ vanilla whey protein, a little strawberry yogurt, organic skim milk, cinnamon and my fruit. This one came out supper creamy!

Cycling!

Here is the latest race report on Karel's great race in TN

Linder Team Blog

It is a nice race report. However, I'm surprised that Karel gave James (who writes the blog, races for the Linder team..and also just completed IMAZ!!! see, cyclists can be triathletes!) so many details!!!! Coming from Karel, I usually here "It was tough, it was hard, I did ok" HEHE-it must be a guy thing :)

This Saturday is one of the most exciting cycling races in the states. The well-known Athens Twilight Criterium.

Athens Twilight Crit

Karel and the other Linder Capital Cycling Team guys will be racing the PRO-only race. With the majority of riders, racing in teams, Karel and his teammates will be racing in one of the most thrilling races. This has been a dream of Karel's for a very long time and seeing that they only let in "the big boys", this is a privilege for any rider to race this race. Although Karel loves Road Racing, he can't get enough of crit racing. The tight corners, the crazy pace, the breakaways and the crowds!!
I wanted to show a couple YouTube clips to show the speed of this race. Check out the massive amount of riders and spectators!!! Oh..I forgot to mention that this race is a 2-hour race starting at 8:45pm!!! And if that isn't enough, the race is 80K on a 1K course!!!!

Athens Twilight Crit Video

Athens Twilight Crit Video

Athens Twilight Crit Video

Athens Twilight Crit Video

Crazy Interval Tuesday!!!!

"Top results are reached only through pain. But eventually you like this pain. You'll find the more difficulties you have on the way, the more you will enjoy your success."

"Learn to run when feeling the pain: then push harder."

Ask yourself: "Can I give more?". The answer is usually: "Yes".

"It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect it’s successful outcome.”

"The goal you set must be challenging. At the same time, it should be realistic and attainable, not impossible to reach. It should be challenging enough to make you stretch, but not so far that you break."

Another Interval Tuesday. 5:30 am I'm making some coffee, mixing my amino's w/ water and checking my email. 10 minutes later I'm out the door to the YMCA. My treadmill calls for me. 10 min. warm-up, feeling great at 7.2. Legs started to feel like i was breaking my stride so I bumped up the speed to fomfortable 7.4mph. Here we go....
8 x .5 mile @ 9 mph (6:40 min/miles) w/ 45 seconds recovery (no running/straddle treadmill). This came to .6 miles every set. Around 7 miles total in 50 minutes and I was beat. I felt like my breathing was controlled, I was sweating like crazy and my legs were feeling good with a little lactate. I felt comfortable until I got the worse cramp in my side at #5. OUCH!!! I ran through it and tried to stretch it out on the recovery. I know that side stiches can be in response to short and shallow breathing or bexhaling when your right foot hits the ground. If you suffer from right side, side stiches, you want to exhale when the left foot strikes the ground. When you exhale as the right foot hits, the liver is dropped and ligaments stretching from diaphragm are pulled, thus promoting a side stich which is usually in the right side. Just a helpful word of advice....however, I still had my cramp. I pulled through the last 3 sets and wow was I hurting. At that point I had the aches and i was getting hot. I muscled them out just like I plan to run at disney 70.3 in less than 30 days. Hoping to break the 5 hour mark for my 70.3 race, I was running like crazy on the treadmill. I tried not to laugh when several older men would come up to me, look at my speed and then confirm how crazy I was. Oh well...there's no stopping this crazy Iron Girl on an interval tuesday. I quickly recovered from my intervals, did a few weights and abdominals and jumped in the pool for a 1000 yard "play in the pool" swim. I just love the water so a 500 swim, 500 pull was just fine for me. The smoothie was just perfect this morning and I am feeling good and refreshed. I'm sure I'll be feeling it all a little later today.
Well, the next few hours will be spent studying for my Biology Lab final at 2pm. One more exam and quiz tomorrow and then time to focus on those finals. Have a great tuesday!

So, I leave with this quote in hopes that you will make it through your intervals....
"Running is like mouthwash; if you can feel the burn, it's working."

Procrastinating

After a GREAT weekend of training (13 mile run and 20 mile bike on sat. 53 mile ride and 4 mile run on sun) I had a mental breakdown. With 2 exams and a quiz this week and 3 finals next week, my brain is oozing out of my ears. Or, maybe it feel out when I was swimming this morning. Either way, I am stressed beyond belief. Here's my deal..I am not a procrastinator. I have been freaking out about finals for the last 2 weeks, which was the same time I started studying for my finals. I do a little studying everyday because I go to bed early (no later than 10pm) and I wake up early (around 5-5:30). I don't find the time to nap so I rely on a good night's sleep to help me recover from my daily activities. Also, I don't comprehend and retain info if I cram. I have never been a crammer. I was always the one to finish a project the week it is assigned, if it isn't due for several weeks. Maybe that is why i love the long distance training, because I am not one to sign up for a race without many months of training my body to get stronger and faster. Well, I think I get a little overwhelmed with everything because I have 5 bazillion things to do. Articles, nutrition, coaching, writing on my blog (very important to get out my many thoughts in my head), training and showing a little attention to Karel, my friends and family. The school and training have become my lifestyle but with everything else, there are some things which make the days entirely too busy. BUT-I do it because I love it. I have never been the person to just sit around. I am always doing something. My dad always tells me that i need a hobby besides nutrition and training. Well, get me started on a scrap book or making something and I will spend all day doing it. But, it is hard for me to just sit and watch tv or read a book without my mind thinking about everything I need (or want) to do. I think about the future, how I can help more people with nutrition or what I will write about for my next articles. So, if I asked myself if I procrastinate I would have to say NO!
BUT........
How many times have we, as athletes, found ourselves getting to the starting line of a race a little undertrained. Perhaps, a little overtraining. If we would have only taken a few more days of rest, or thought about how many weeks we needed to dedicate to an Ironman, marathon or Olympic distance training plan in order to feel ready to participate or race. When you pay the money for the race why is it after you sign-up that you question if you will have time to properly train. How about procrastinating with an injury. You just want to train and work through it (or being sick) but if you would take the time to rest, rehab and recover for multiple day you would keep getting yourself back to the sick and injured athlete that you don't want to be. There are so many times that we procrastinate with our training. What is another 5 miles on a bike ride going to do if I miss it, or if I don't get to my brick workout this week. Well, if you are competitive and putting pressure on yourself to do well at your A-race, you can't expect to squeeze in all those important and critical workouts during the last 3 weeks of training (or even worse, during taper week).
Then there is nutrition. How many times have you looked at yourself the week before a race and became frustrated that you didn't lose the 5-10 lbs that you wanted to lose for your A-race. A few extra hundred calories everyday didn't dawn on you as you enjoyed your ice cream or pizza after a hard workout, yet cutting out a 100-200 calories everyday for 2 months would have done the trick to get you to your lean and shapely body. Or, you are feeling super strong with all your hard training, yet with 2 weeks to go you think you would do a lot better if you were 5 lbs lighter. Well, starving yourself of useful fuel is not practical or healthy, but 3 months ago you could have started your weight loss endevour and found yourself 15-20 lbs lighter.
I think at times we all procrastinate and don't realize the impact that daily stress can have on our body. Sleep, healthy and calorie controlled nutrition and proper training (and recovery) need to be applied everyday. So, instead of procrastinating. Start TODAY and hold yourself accountable to everything you want to do to get you to where you want to be!
ok...back to my studying :(

Don't miss it!

3pm EST on versus!!!This is the well-known Paris-Roubaix race. Here is Karel at the Florida version of the Roubaix.

Paris Roubaix

Wait and see what the big boys get to do! This is one of Karel's favorite races to watch...Enjoy!
Here are the other Cycling races which will air on versus

Cyclism Sundays

Also, don't forget that live coverage of the Boston marathon starts at 9:30am on Mon 4/21.

Boston Marathon

As my most favorite event (tied with Kona), Boston is the most unbelievable experience I have ever felt. The crowd, the runners, the hills (ouch!) and the finish line. Unbelievable! I hope I get to do it again.
*The Women's marathon Olympic trials was this morning and that will air next weekend.

Triathletes and cyclists

If you live or know a cyclist it is quite obvious that there is a big difference between cycling and triathlons. Besides the water, aerobars and running shoes, it is a completely different sport. Here are some of my observations about triathlons:
Triathlons are addicting. You watch one, do one and are hooked. People start training for a triathlon in order to lose weight but after a few weeks, the goals change and a bigger distance becomes the next step in the journey. Triathlons are one of the few sports that anyone can do. If you can swim, bike and run you CAN finish a triathlon. Triathlons are one of the few sports that when you age, you get better and little more competitive. Triathlons have distances for everyone. Triathlons are one of the few sports where you don't have an athletic background to race in a national championship. Triathlons are one of the few sports where you can actually tell your friends and family that you hope to qualify for a world championship. Triathlons are one of the few sports that you can be a world champion at any age. Triathlons are one of the few sports that kids can watch their parents train and compete (not the other way around). Triathlons are one of the most time consuming, yet manageable sports, which keeps your life in balance. You can be competitive at a triathlon AND have fun. You can race at a triathlon and not know anyone and still feel like you have fans and teammates.
Since meeting Karel on May 31st 2006, I have seen him grow as a cyclist. He is so passionate about what he does and since he was a very young kid in Europe (racing for a junior team in Czech) he has always loved bikes. His dad, at the young age of 65 still races!! For the last 2 years I have learned a lot about cycling. Probably a bit too much. The training and racing is very different than triathlons and of course, cyclist have no choice but to ride their bike everyday in order to get better. At the races, the energy is a lot different. You are usually in a field and you see people on trainers getting into their zone. There are usually more teams than indivdual riders so you see a lot of groups, in different areas of the race venue. You can register the day before the race and not worry about the races "closing". There is a payout for almost all divisions so no matter if you are a Pro or a first time road racer, you always have a chance to get paid. You have to upgrade in order to race with the more elite riders and in order to upgrade you have to accumulate points based on your finishing position. And once you are able to race in the 1,2 category (Pro) the field of cycling totally changes. You have world champions dominating the field and Professional teams leading the races. There is a major emphasis on skills and tactics and you don't see experienced riders. You must know what you are doing when you race with the Pros.
Last May Karel was hit by a car and fractured his clavicle. This was the day of his first ride since finishing the Tour de Gila and he was feeling super strong. Well, the crash set him back but he was determined to continue to train hard in order to upgrade to Category 1. Unfortunantly, he wasn't able to race the BIG races to get the points to upgrade. So still at category 2, he is driven and determined to upgrade. He has a powertap, a coach and a team. Aside from working 40-45 hours a week, he lives the life of a pro. He thinks, eats and sleeps like a focused cyclist..just like all of us triathletes do on an everyday basis. No matter how good we are, triathlons are a lifestyle!
Karel started off the season with a few bad crashes and not the performances he had hoped for with all his hard training. But, with determination, hard training (I've never seen anyone train so hard) and a very good nutritionist (ME!!!) he is starting to get some better results. Still not the results he needs since unfortunantly, you have to race the BIG races which have the best of the best racing. And, you have to be the best in order to get the points to upgrade.
So, last weekend Karel went to Chattanooga, TN for a Georgia Cup series race. Not only was this a long drive from Florida, but he had no teammates there and he was without me (his cheerleader/watter bottle hander). On sat morning there was a time trial and as Karel's most unfavorite thing, he did it anyways. Sat. evening Karel was driving to the crit races in downtown Chattanooga and all of a sudden I get a phone call. This surprised me because he doesn't like to talk to anyone the hours before a race. He is so upset because the interstate was closed. He had 90 minutes or so to get to the race and he had been sitting still for over 30 minutes. I felt his frustration and I just let him get mad at me. Well, not really mad at me but he needed someone to release his stress to and of course, I didn't mind it. He kept apologizing for being so upset and the traffic but I kept my cool. Inside, I was super stressed cause i would hate for him to miss this race. He was 1 mile away from the exit and in my mind i am thinking that he should just pull over and ride his bike to the cops and tell them to let him go to his race. Yes, I live in lala land when a race is involved. I want people to be stress free before a race. So, finally Karel tells me he was able to get to the exit and then it was a quick I love you and I didn't hear from him for a few hours. I get a phone call from Karel and when I see his name on the ID I prepare myself for 3 different scenarios.
1) The race was too fast and he didn't finish. This is very common in cycling that a number of cyclists don't finish. Imagine doing a group ride and getting dropped. Once you get off someone's wheel you are done.
2) The race was hard and he did ok. As his loving fiance, I am always happy no matter how he does. Even with triathletes, I always find a positive and I'm always happy when people give it their all after hard training.
3) He did fantastic! As a male, I don't expect much excitment from him. If it is me..I'm super excited for anything (again, always happy to finish a race). But for Karel, he evaluates even the best performance and is pleased but still determined to get better.
So..how did the weekend turn out. Karel had one of the best weekend results in his life! Karel not only placed top 10 in the 60+ min crit (out of over 90 starters) but he was 5th place! I couldn't believe it I nearly cried I was so happy for him. He said he was so nervous for the race he almost didn't even want to start. As for the 92 mile road race, Karel was told by another rider that they were racing for 20th-30th place. Just like in triathlons when you start in waves, you never know how you finish until the results are posted. All week Karel thought he was 20 something place which was great since there was over 100 starters in the Pro 1,2 race. Well, the results were posted a few days ago and Karel and a few others were actually racing for 10-15th place. Karel ended up placing 13th in the road race!!
RESULTS:

Road Race

Crit

Pics from GA cup website

I'm so proud of Karel. Although cyclists and triathletes are different, the one thing we all have in common is that we love what we do and the passion for getting better is what keeps us craving for more.

Hormones, Training and Food

All week (mon-wed) I was acting a little off to Karel. Karel and I never fight and barely argue. We disagree on things which is totally normal but we don't have the time, energy or desire to get into fights. For some reason though, I was just a total mess in my personal life (Karel) during the beginning of the week. Karel had just come back from his race (which I will update this weekend) and I wasn't trying to be mean or rude. I just kept thinking that he was the one that changed and he was tired and being difficult to me after his race. Well, apparently it was the wrong time of the month (if you get my drift) for me to blame him for his change of moods. Please fellas...keep reading the blog, I promise it isn't about womenly stuff :)
I had no idea why I was so emotional and a few days later I figured out why. I am probably one of the few women who don't crave chocolate or sweets and it can be any time of the month for me to want carbs (I LOVE BREAD!) so I guess I experience a major change in my emotions. I haven't acted this way in a long time (I can't even remember a time!) but it was like I couldn't even control it and I had no idea what was going on. I thought i was thinking clearly and Karel was the one who was being difficult but I was so wrong. I had to apologize to Karel cause he just didn't understand what was going on with me. A weekend away for a race and I'm an emotional mess! Well, it all has to do with the massive change in hormones most importantly estrogen, serotonin and progesterone..what lovely hormones. So men, understand that your loving girlfriend, wife or friend has almost no control over how they feel once a month. And with those cravings, the body is releasing a massive amount of hormones, and specifically the serotonin (a by-product of tryptophan) hormone drops which causes you to crave sugars and sweets (refined, quick sugars) to quickly raise the serotonin to make you feel good.
OK boys, your attention again..lets talk training. I'm sure everyone has experienced bonking or some type of glycogen depletion that causes you to get extremely moody, hugry or tired when training or immediately after training. Again, that lovely serotonin hormone gets depleted during endurance activity, especially if you haven't kept up with your carbohydrates during training. My advice, instead of loading yourself with calories every hour for those workouts lasting more than 3 hours (the body can only absorb around 240-280 calories/hr) start off with a low amount. Because you ALWAYS want to practice, practice and practice your nutrition well before a race, you have plenty of time to practice and see where you don't bonk. I do suggest going on some long workouts and experiencing a slight bonk so you know the minimum level. Then you can work your way up with calories but I have a feeling it will only be around 50-100 calories more an hour (also-it makes a BIG difference of what you are consuming, liquid calories of maltodextrin digest the slowest with the best absorption). If you consume too many calories per hour you may always feel great during training but you can't understand why you aren't losing weight (or maybe even gaining weight!). Also, come race day, if you are use to taking in too many calories during training and then you kick up the intensity in a long race (like IM or 70.3) you may experience total GI distress. So, my point here, don't let that serotonin hormone affect your training. Be sure you focus on carbohydrates during your long workouts and emphasize protein in the form of amino acids.
So now food. My favorite topic. Your food choices affect how you feel everyday. And if you are stressed, tired, overtrained, moody or sad, your food affects you even more! Food affects the neurotransmitters in the brain which ultimately make you feel completely crappy if you don't focus on protein and commplex carbs with all meals and snacks. Now, here is an area that you can control all the time. I don't think there as many dieter-athletes as there are sugar-loving, high calorie meals, big snacks, I just trained therefor I can eat whatever-athletes reading my blog. Serotonin drops if you have been dieting or cutting back on carbs. Probably not a problem here. But, if you are training and not properly replacing what you burned on a daily basis or eating too many high sugar, simple, low fiber carbohydrates (be sure to think portioned controlled meals and snacks and more pre and post training foods) serotonin levels will drop. The body, in return will want you to eat sugary foods which will raise serotonin levels quickly to get back to normal. However, once those sugars are introduced in the body the pancrease releases insulin and digested sugars are either stored as fuel or stored as fat. so here, we now have a situation where we can control what we eat and ultimately it will affect how we feel no matter what the day. My point...be sure to focus on protein with all meals and snacks. No matter if it is the time of the month (ladies) or a day when you are training (that is everyone, all the time!) you must be sure to balance the blood sugar to keep the hormones stable. Also, with the long distance training, add some amino acids to your drinks (or amino acids with water for early morning hour workouts, where food isn't needed and you want to workout out with an empty stomach) for those longer workouts to be sure you keep the brain energized and well fueled!
Make yourself a yummy smoothie after those long workouts.....

Smoothie Video

Workouts

I texted my friend Kate (IronKatemonster.blogspot) this morning and told her 1 more month until Disney 70.3. One month!! I can't believe it! This is my third year in a row racing it and I am really excited. I will try to do my best in my new age group (25-29) but I will miss the 18-24 girls :(. I guess we all grow up. The last couple of days have consisted of some great workouts. Wed morning was my early morning spin. As I have mentioned in previous posts, my spin class isn't a typical spin class. We train in there. Music keeps us energized (and my big mouth) but we have sets to focus on. I don't time anything to the beat or to a song, the music just plays for entertainment. I break down my workouts into 5-week sessions, so we build on one specific speed set, one muscle working set (usually jumps or hovering, a lot of holding still, up and down stuff) and one climbing set. I make them visualize, I ask them where they want to go (usually out west since visualizing florida gets kinda boring) and I make sure I let them know that I am hurting just as much as they are. "Mind over muscles" I always say! Oh, and I forget to mention that only about 1 or 2 people in my class actually race! These are all gym enthusiasts and since i started teaching this class almost 2 years ago, my class is consistent and always packed. I love it! My spin class ends at 6:15am so I head to the treadmills for a run. It took me a while to get going but I ended up with 6 miles and felt really good. No aches, no pains and the tempo run (with a few intervals, I got bored) was finished in about 45 minutes. I did some arm and leg weight exercises (mostly arms) and finished with core. After cleaning myself up, I spent the rest of the day in class and studying. Thursday morning I headed out for a cold ride. It was a freezing 56-degrees when I left at 6:50am. Ok northerners...go ahead and laugh.


I took this pic so you can see how us Floridians dress in the cold. I didn't even take off my arm warmers. I finished with 2 hours and around 35 miles and the legs were a little tired. Good tired from doing several 1 mile race pace intervals with 1/2 mile recovery. Unfortunately, about 10 miles from home I got a flat. I didn't hear it but as I am flying with tail wind at 24 mph I feel my back wheel wobbling. I didn't even have to look. I pulled myself over and pulled out the big staple that was sticking out of my rear wheel. I changed it in about 5 minutes (had to text Karel on my record for changing a flat) and finished my ride. This morning was just fantastic. My friday morning swim with the guys (this morning there were two other girls...a pleasant surprise!!!). The funny thing is that a lot of these guys don't race. They are older guys, several of which who were former swimmers. But I love swimming with them and I feel like I spend more time laughing than breathing hard. The workouts are good and I like feeling the push to keep up. Every couple of weeks they spice things up with relays as part of the set. We break up into groups and it is a great way to relay feel competitive (but for fun) and get the heart rate up. The set today was 4 x 150's, 4 x 125's, 4 x 100's and 9 x 50's. After the 150's we did a relay where we all did a 50. I thought that would be nothing hard since we had only done a 500 warm-up and then the 150's, but after that 50 relay..I was feeling the lactate! Then came the 125's and another relay. This time it was a 25 for everyone but after you finished the 25 you had to run around to the other side of the pool and do it again. There were 4 people on a relay (we use 3 lanes, there is about 12-15 of us) and the heart rate was up again. Then to the 100's and another relay. This time..the 25's were butterfly! (without running around, just get out and do it again when it is your turn). I use to be a 200 butterflier in college but now, I call myself a triathlete...I just swim freestyle and an occasional IM set to spice things up. Nothing butterfly all out..ever!! haha. Well, after the 3200 swim (did some pull afterwards) I dressed for the treadmill and did an easy 3.5 mile run (30 minutes). I say easy cause i felt really comfortable. 7.2 mph for 10 min, 7.3 for 10 and then 5 x 1 min at 8 mph and 1 min. at 7.5. I felt really good and finished this morning with abs and some weights. I think with one month to go until Disney I am feeling really confident with my training. I look forward to keeping up with my intervals and building my speed with my workouts and hopefully all will come together on race day so I can achieve my racing goals. Have a great weekend everyone!

Thank you Sponsors!

3 years ago I applied for sponsors for triathlons. I applied to everyone and anyone. I was new to the sport of triathlons and I felt that if I had a sponsor I would be more of a "cool and competitive" athlete. I guess having a sponsor would make me look like a better athlete. I didn't really care what I was given (if anything) but I thought wearing a jersey with a company name on it would make me competitive just like everyone else who had a sponsor. Well, I got nothing. I did get a letter from one company that I could pay money to get the products and the jersey...pay money to be on a sponsored team? That didn't make much sense. And when I have to pay hundreds of dollars for just one class in graduate school, the sponsorship idea went out of the window. I competed in my swim suit and if I remember correctly, I don't think I even had a short sleeve biking jersey to train in. I wore a tight t-shirt for my bike rides.
2 years ago I was finishing up with grad school and getting ready for Boston. I applied again to everyone and anyone and I received sponsorship from Amino Vital. I was thankful for the products and I believed in the amino acids. I felt so cool in my Amino Vital jacket and I guess I had "the look" of a competitive athlete. I was starting to get some good results which helped me get on the Amino Vital team but I didn't feel like the Amino Vital alone could take me where I wanted to be in this sport.

I finished up my 2006 year with Boston, Disney 70.3 and IMFL and I thought I'd give it another go around to apply for sponsors. Since finishing graduate school and taking my training to the next level, I started to realize that sponsorship is more than just be apart of a team or wearing a jersey with a logo on it. You are representing that company. You believe in the product, you use the product/gear and you know the company cares about you. As a frugal lifelong student (that is what I feel like right now) I know I am thankful for anything I can get even if it is at cost or %30 off the retail price. But when I was training for the Ironman World Championships last year I knew that I needed to have the best nutrition for my training and the best quality gear to get me through all the long workouts. At the beginning of 2007 I applied to several companies which i used their gear and I didn't hear back from many. I even emailed outback since I go there before all my races!! I didn't even get a free loaf of bread!!! :( Oh well, I will still go and enjoy my bread and sweet potato. But, I didn't hear back from Zoot and Hammer. I had fallen in love with the zoot gear after buying my first pair of cycling shorts in 2005. I loved the idea of having pockets in the shorts! Also, the clothes were super comfortable and since then, there are so many great products (wetsuits, socks, clothes, jersey's, trisuits, etc.) from zoot. I just love being on the Zoot team because I feel like I am with family. When I was in Kona I had zoot people cheering for me and they were everywhere! I get friendly emails from the staff at Zoot and Eli (the Zoot rep) is my twin (not really, but we do look alike!). They are so good at sending out congrats emails and keeping the whole team up to date with how everyone (Amateurs, Elites and Pros) is doing during the season. Last year the team bike was an Orbea and unfortunantly, the team bike (ordu) wasn't available in my size without being custom made. I would have loved to be on an Orbea but it didn't work out for Kona. However, the zoot team was cool with everything. I thanked them so much cause I know how important it is to have the team ride the bike of one of their partners. I was a little worried this year when I re-applied because the team bike is now a Scott (again, great bike) but this year I can't afford anything new. With paying almost $300 per credit for my online dietetic school starting in May and now taking 12 credits in-state, my concerns are on studying and school. When I told Zoot that I wasn't able to afford the bike they made an exception and told me that they would still love for me to be on the team. I nearly cried because not being a Zoot athlete would really be sad for me. I'm so happy to be on the team!!!

I love representing the company and because of them, I always feel extra comfortable and super cute in my clothes. The other day I received a suprise package from Zoot so in the middle of me studying for an exam I was excited to see some goodies from Zoot! Thank you Zoot so much for my gear!!

Of course everyone knows about my other Sponsor- Hammer Nutrition. Now this is a company that really gets it with the science and physiology of nutrition and training. I agree with everything they have and that is hard to come by with me and sports nutrition products. I couldn't be more happy to have them as my sponsor and because of Hammer, I really feel I have taken my training to the next level because of their great product line. Thank you Hammer!



For 15% off your first order, use my product code 97495 or mention my name.

Hammer Nutrition

Zoot Sports

Smudla thought she should get something too, so she created a new bed with my Zoot box.

Karel the Baker!

Last night I came home from class around 9:50pm and saw a bag of groceries on the counter. Karel went to the store for the weekly food necessities but came home with baking ingredients. Well, since I'm not a baker I thought this would be great that he would cook and I could eat! I had to wait until today to enjoy the muffins and might I say these were YUMMY muffins. Totally healthy and around 120 calories. Karel found the recipe on the side of a Raisin Bran (generic) cereal box. These would be perfect for after a long weekend workout or 1/2 of one for a snack with some yogurt (or other protein). I had one with my lunch today...I just couldn't resist! How could I not try Karel's first attempt at making muffins! Well, to make things even better Karel made some substitions to make them even healthier and they taste great! I'm so lucky to have someone in my life who is not only aware of my healthy habits (woman and a vegetarian) but has taken the time to learn how to eat like an athlete and as a health-conscious person.
Here is the recipe with our substitions. In parentheses is what the recipe called for...still healthy, but we cut out a lot of fat, sugar and calories.
1 1/2 cups Raisin Bran cereal
1 cup milk
1/4 cup natural, no sugar added applesauce + 1 tbsp olive oil (instead of 1/4 cup vegetable oil)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 1 /2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp light brown sugar (instead of 3/4 cup sugar)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin cooking pan w/ cooking spray (makes 15-18 muffins). Combine cereal, milk, applausauce, eggs and vanilla. Let stand for 10 min. Stir to break cereal, stir in apples and wanuts. Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in seperate bowl. Add cereal mixture to flour mixture and stir until moistened. Spoon into pans and bake for 16-18 minutes.


For dinner tonight, I made myself a really yummy meal. Everything seemed to taste so good. After a morning of intervals, I guess anything would be yummy in my tummy. I had a piece of onion matzah (I know, a bit early for passover) w/ garlic hummus on it and it tasted so good with my egg beaters, tofu, mushrooms and corn. The tofu and eggs are typical ingredients in my vegetarian dinner meals. I also had a salad w/ carrots and cottage cheese.

Interval Tuesday!

It's my favorite day of the week...Interval Tuesday. That means I run until I can't run anymore. I know it is tuesday but my body doesn't feel like it is Tuesday. I'm not incredibly tired, my heart isn't pounding as I write this blog and my legs aren't shaking. I'm sore but it is a comfortable sore. Did I work hard enough this morning? Something just feels different? Perhaps I am getting stronger? After a weekend of racing on sat and then doing a tough brick on sunday, I decided to swim on monday morning (my "day-off") as a form of active recovery. I think it really loosened me up and I really felt good all day on monday as oppose to feeling tired, stiff and sore from the weekend. This morning the alarm went off at 5:30am and I was quick to get out of bed. I had my coffee, put some amino's in my water bottle and I headed to the Y. I had a bit more time this morning to train so I decided to go to the Y and run on the treadmill so I could swim right afterwards and do some core work(instead of in the afternoon and run outside). I really pushed hard this morning, had my HR monitor on and stay focused the entire run. I visualized running at Ironman Florida 70.3 on my favorite 3-loop run course on 1/2 off-road, 1/2 pavement. I visualized giving it all until I crossed the finish line, only imagining myself breakinf 5 hours (my goal). I started off with a 10 min. warm-up at 7 mph and it felt incredibly easy. Almost too easy that I bumped it to 7.2 for the last couple of minutes. Here's the main set which I did 2 times: 3 x 1 min, 2 x 2 min, 1 x 3 min. Here's how I ran them. During the first set I did the 1 minutes @ 9mph and the 2 min @ 8.8mph. For the 3 min I started at @ 8.7 mph. but every minute afterwards I had to run what I did on the 2 minutes and then the last minute was what I did on the 1 minutes. So my 3 min. run was ran at 8.7, 8.8 and 9mph for each minute. I recovered for 1 minute @ 7.5 mph (which felt like I was jogging) after every interval throughout. After the first set I recovered for 5 minutes and repeated the set. The next time I bumped up the pace. Set #2: 3 x 1 min @ 9.2 mph, 2 x 2 min @ 9.0 mph and 1 x 3 min starting at 8.8mph, then 9, then 9.2! I used the last 15 minutes for a cool-down because I wanted to run for an hour total and did 5 min. at 7.5 mph, 5 min @ 7.8 and 5 min @ 7.5. I was sweating, my hair was all over the place (even with my hair in my ponytail poof and my headband), my face was red but I felt like I could control my breathing. I'm still working on the muscle memory so I need to really think about my leg turnover and making sure I am stricking with my mid-foot and keeping my hips squared. If I don't think about things I may have the tendency to add a little limp from my injury and I don't want that! I ended up with 8 miles this morning!!! After a few arm exercises and core I jumped in the pool for a swim. I was dead tired but i didn't want to get out of the water. I swam a 1500 w/ a 500 warm-up, 6 x 75 on 1:15 and 6 x 50's on 50. 300 cool-down and I was done. I made myself a yummy smoothie when I got home and had some dry cereal with it (granola, raisins, generic cheerios and some bran flakes). Suprisingly, I feel really good about my hard effort today. I am not wanting to collapse in pain and I feel like I really gained something from this morning. I'm sore enough to remember what I did this morning but I feel like I am really gaining something from all these interval tuesdays! The great thing about being consistent with your training is that you really recognize the improvements and you are always wanting to go a bit faster and further than the last time. Unfortunantly, because I feel somewhat ok, that means so relaxing on the couch... I must study for my biology lab quiz today :( Have a great Interval Tuesday everyone....even if you don't do intervals today :)

What you call yourself...

After my 43 mile WINDY ride and 45 min. run on sunday morning, I was glued to the computer most of the day. Even before my ride, before i discovered I had a flat tire on my training wheel that I put back on after my race, I was sending good luck emails to people doing IMAZ. When I got back from my ride I was super tired but i needed to get some school work done so I at least felt somewhat productive for the day. So I would study, check online, study, check online and then once the live video aired in the evening, I was stuck on the computer. I was checking splits, reading forum pages, contributing to chats online and just feeling super excited for all the athletes. I started to miss Ironman training, Ironman racing and just being an Ironman. Of course I know I am an Ironman but when you sign up for an Ironman, your whole life changes. You dedicate weeks, months and lots of money to one long day and when it comes and you do whatever it takes to cross the finish line you just feel complete. I was so happy for everyone out there and just seeing the excitement for everyone crossing the finish line was overwhelming. When you complete an Ironman (first, second, third, tenth...) you know you did something remarkable that not many people can understand..unless they too are an Ironman. It is a society, a group a distinguished club that many want to join. And once you join, your life changes. Everything becomes easy, your perspective on life changes and you just appreciate everything much much more. I almost forget what it was like to do an Ironman. Sometimes when I train on the weekends I forget that I am not doing an Ironman. I am focusing on 70.3 races for the next two years until I do another Ironman (Thinking IMAZ in 2010!). Right now my focus is on school but that doesn't mean that I am not still an Ironman. I want everyone out there to know that if you haven't done an Ironman, it is something that requires a lot of time, patience and dedication. however, it IS possible. YOu find an inner strength that you never thought was there...to get you out of bed to go ride your bike for half the day. You challenge your mind to make you run for over three hours and when if you think about it, you don't even like to drive that far. You make yourself swim and swim and swim only so you can learn how to be efficient in the water. You know you can't win an Ironman in the swim and that is only 2.4 miles of your 140.6 mile journey. But for those who aren't quite ready for an Ironman, I know you feel the same passion for triathlons, running, cycling, etc. for whatever you train for. So remember when you train that you are an athlete and you must eat, sleep, train and think like the athlete you want to be. Have goals, even if it is just to finish and remember that no matter what the finishing time, your goal is to finish the race you decided to sign up and train for. So no matter what you call yourself, you are an athlete..a dedicated, hard working athlete. Never let anyone take that away from you!!! my friend Angela emailed me on sat. and mentioned she saw me on TV again in the very beginning of the 70.3 world championship airing on NBC (listen for the word PAIN and you will see me cross the kona finish line). I must have missed that part so I went to my DVR and saw myself painfully crossing the finish line. I almost forget what it felt like to complete an Ironman and as I am watching everyone cross the finish line at IMAZ on the computer, I was glad I saw myself on TV again just to remind myself why I love what I do and more so, why I love helping people with their nutrition to help them get to where they want to be. Congrats all you IRONMAN and dedicated athletes!!!!

Ironman Arizona!

Good luck to all those racing at Ironman Arizona! All that training, all that time, all those great habits....all for this one day!!! And before you know it...you WILL be an IRONMAN!!!! I'm going to busy on the computer all day watching everyone...

Escape from Ft.Desoto Race Report

Last night was great. Checking USAT cards and saying hi to everyone. Wishing the veterans good luck and telling the newbies encouraging words to rid them of nervous looks. I helped out for about 3 hours and headed home around 6:30 for a pre-race dinner. Right now I am enjoying french toast (egg beaters and Nature's Own High Fiber bread) w/ yogurt on top and cottage cheese with scrambled eggs (leftover from the bread). I still love my sweet potato and bread from Outback but with shorter races, I like a lighter dinner. I wasn't really tired around 9 but I made myself get into bed at 9:45. I must have fallen right asleep because the next noise I heard was my phone alarm. 4:40 am I was up and packed up the car with my bike and Zoot transition bag. I prepared my one water bottle for the bike of powder amino acids and Heed in water and filled up a bottle of water for the hour trip. I prepared my coffee and made a little oatmeal with a little protein powder, a few fresh banana slices and raisins (I put it in a coffee cup so I could eat it as I drove). Just something small to keep me satisfied and get the body ready to go. As i had mentioned in a previous post, I followed the LONG line of cars with USAT stickers and bike racks to Ft.Desoto and I arrived to the race around 6:10am. First a bathroom stop then to the transition area. I saw so many people and still the nerves didn't get to me. I was just enjoying everything from setting up my transition area, getting my chip to walking around in my new zoot tri suit. I didn't feel like I needed to compete or prove anything but when I saw a couple of the HerSports girls around I knew there would be competitive girls out there looking for a top place. I was a little nervous for the water being 74 because I am not a fan of cold water and then getting on the bike. So, wet suit or no wetsuit??? Since i've only worn a wetsuit 3 times in my tri career, I decided no wetsuit and glad I choose to go without. The BEST part about my morning, besides seeing all my friends, was having a First Timer (a few bikes down on my rack) come up to me and ask me if I have done these things before. I said yes and he had so many questions. Well, there was nothing I'd rather be doing, as I wait for 30 minutes until the start, than to help a newbie. I helped him line up his helmet and running shoes (no cycling shoes), told him he didn't need 2 bottles of water on his towel, in addition to the two bottles of water on his bike and showed him where to get on and off the bike. It really made me feel good to help someone out. I made my almost 1/2 mile walk to the swim start with the 1000 other athletes and waited for the start. No warm-up for me since the water was a bit cool for me to just stand around for 15 minutes before my 7:36 wave start with the 39 and under ladies. Ready GO! The run in the water seemed to last a few minutes and finally the ground was deep enough for me to start swimming. I still saw people walking in the water but lucky for me, I have short arms :) I followed the lead girls and tried to chase down their maroon caps. Unfortunately, we caught up with the heat before us (men 39-49) and even a few of the first wave (34 and under men). I came out of the water as one of the top swimmers but I was definitely out swam by some fast girls! I had a few "go Marni" cheers from the crowd and I ran to the transition area. Another long run to my bike and then from the end of the transition to the other side of transition to mount my bike. When I started the bike i was passing a lot of girls. Then I started passing the guys and I was passing and passing and passing. I didn't get passed by any girls and I kept thinking "Karel is going to be so happy". I always talk about my swim and run and now I had a good bike to tell him! I hammered out the bike and I really felt the wind coming off the ocean. It is an out and back course so you get wind in all directions since you are riding parallel to the water. My quads were burning but I pretended like i was doing intervals. I was in the big chain ring but I would shift up to losen the legs after I passed a group. I picked up the cadence for a little in the lighter gear and the pounded again for a few more miles. I got off the bike and didn't hurt but I didn't really expect anything amazing from myself from the run. I started out on the run and wasn't really sure of my pace. I felt good, breathing was steady and form was solid. I passed a handful of guys and approaced a set of stairs that we had to climb to get over the Fort. Then down a bunch of stairs to start the run on the sand. At that point, I was passed by Sharon (who won the race) and then passed by another HerSports Girl. Of course I am cheering for the girls "go get 'em" as I was running and chatting with people along the course. Oh, what fun we had just running on the sand. I finally finished in 1:11.53 and I felt great. I did work hard for my 2nd place age group finish




and 10th overall female but I didn't push to the limit to make the race not enjoyable.
I socialized after the race and waited for the awards to get a nice plaque. I was sad to have my party end and i guess I will have to wait until Ironman Florida 70.3 to really show what I look like
when push it to the limit and I leave it all out on the course.



But today, it was all about the party and enjoying my morning as a triathlete.
A big congrats to all my friends (and future tri friends!) out there and to all the first timers who are hopefully addicted after today!
The pic above is of Gary who is 60 and is a superstar (in my eyes)!! I have been coaching him with his swimming for over 5 months and today he had a PR race, placed 5th and pulled out some really fast splits. I guess it shows that you can be competitive at any age...and still love triathlons!

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