What did I decide to do on my b-day????
Well, Karel and his teammates are racing the Union City GA cup race this weekend so I decided to join in. An opportunity to ride Seduza in a cycling race and also do a long ride without having to run afterwards (even though, I would love to run!).
So...we packed up the team van yesterday (after a BUSY morning of finishing my school work, cleaning up our apartment and running some errands) and hit the road at 12:30pm. Karel, Cody and I were in the team van and Curtis and his wife were in the van ahead. Jeff, the team manager/ABC owner was already checked in at the Comfort Inn.
When we arrived, checked into the hotel and unloaded the car, Karel, Curtis and Cody wanted to spin their legs. Jeff and I were hungry so in the choice of Crackel Barrel, Wendy's, McD's, Shoneys and IHOP, we dediced to go to Crackel Barrel for dinner and bring back food for the guys. After everyone was fed, it was around 8:30pm and we drove the TT course. I was in for a rolling ride on sat.
Well, it is now sat and not only is it my b-day but it is my anniversary!!! 2 years with Karel and I am pretty thankful to have him in my life. Although karel surprised me with a nice necklace and a card signed by all the Lindner capital guys, I have a present for Karel for our anniversary. I'm NO good at keeping secrets so it is just killing me to have my present for him in a bag. At dinner tonight I will give it to him and I'm sure I will blog about it :) I'm just so appreciative of all the people who called me and emailed me today. Thank you everyone for making this last year so wonderful and I can't believe I am 26!
The best part about my bday is just being able to be together this weekend...doing what we love is more than enough for me.
This morning we got up, had a light breakfast and headed to the race venue about 10 miles down the road. Since we drove the course last night, I knew it would be a tough 10 mile ride. However, I didn't think it would be THAT tough.
I am asking all triathletes to do a TT race at least 2 or 3 times a summer. This is something that is so hard, you won't believe the difference between cycling only and doing a TT. Sure, riding 10 miles in a tri and then running, after you have swam, seems tought but in a TT you HAVE to go ALL OUT! The rollers were up and down and I found myself switching between 16mph and 28mph. I was being chased by girls and I passed a girl. I was told I was third but I will have to check tonight. If so, I will get to stand on the podium. I think karel is proud of me. I think my time was 27 minutes. Jeff K. was 2nd!!!!! Karel started 4 1/2 min. behind me and it was really neat being on the same course together. Both pounding it out, with quads burning and our hearts coming out of our chest. It was really cool having someone hold your bike before the start and then sprinting to the finish line, totally dead. I was breathing so heavy and it was so hard.
I will post pics when we get back on mon but this was amazing. It hurt so bad but doing these once a month would really make me stronger.
I think the best part of the morning was seeing so many aerobars. I know I have a lot of triathlete blog readers so you can understand my excitement seeing these guys in an aero position.
Also-Good luck to Madiera beach triathletes, Honu 70.3, anyone else racing around the globe and a happy b-day to my best friend Allie's baby girl, Gabby who turns 1 today. AND, congrats to my friend Serenity who just got married today. Lots of congrats and if I missed a good luck or congrats...I've got plenty more to give :)
Registered Dietitian.....M.S. in Exercise Physiology...Vegetarian...Writer...Speaker...5x Ironman finisher.....2011-2012 Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year...Doggy-mommy...Wife to an amazing Czech cyclist turned triathlete...2x Ironman World Championship finisher...USAT level-1 coach...Oakley women, Brooks Running ID, 110% Play Harder and Hammer Nutrition Brand Ambassador.
5/29/08
Seriously....
What has Karel gotten himself into? First he hated the thought of getting a TT bike and now he has totally pimped out his bike. This is one sweet looking TT bike. I don't even have a disk wheel!!
I told him because it looks so good he will go fast. And when he is finished riding it at the TT on sat morning he can look forward to the crit and RR on his Cervelo. Karel and I will both be racing the GA cup cycling race this weekend. I am doing the 10-mile TT bike (but on my road bike) and then the 48 mile road race on sun. Karel has a 10-mile TT on sat morning, 60 min +5 loops on sat evening and then the 114 mile road race (championships!) on sun. I am sure I will get lapped by Karel and the Pro 1,2 guys as I am racing with the Cat 3/4 women but that is ok. I am just excited to be out there on the same course. Plus, it is my b-day on sat and Karel and I's anniversary!..I'll make the most of the weekend!
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I told him because it looks so good he will go fast. And when he is finished riding it at the TT on sat morning he can look forward to the crit and RR on his Cervelo. Karel and I will both be racing the GA cup cycling race this weekend. I am doing the 10-mile TT bike (but on my road bike) and then the 48 mile road race on sun. Karel has a 10-mile TT on sat morning, 60 min +5 loops on sat evening and then the 114 mile road race (championships!) on sun. I am sure I will get lapped by Karel and the Pro 1,2 guys as I am racing with the Cat 3/4 women but that is ok. I am just excited to be out there on the same course. Plus, it is my b-day on sat and Karel and I's anniversary!..I'll make the most of the weekend!
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5/28/08
A weekend of FUN!
My weekend involved a lot of riding, spending time with Karel and doing lots of nutrition work (school and sports consultations).
Saturday:
Luckily, there was no rain and the cycling party was a success. There were plenty of people to meet but after a hard ride in the morning, Karel and I had our eyes on the food. After we indulged in lots of yummy food (plenty of Marni-friendly fruits, veggies, healthy salads, bread/crackers and cheese...Karel was super happy about the amount of chocolate deserts. Where's the love for the vanilla fans???) we met a handful of people. Of course I won't remember anyone when they are dressed in spandax and have a helmet on their head, but at least we met some really nice people. Karel knew a few people from previous rides but we were both enjoying being the "new couple" in town. :)
Sunday:
Karel and I had a nice morning of riding. Although both of our plans changed, it was still a successful morning followed by a yummy breakfast. I was planning on riding with the cycling group right down the road but I thought I would get in a good hour of riding before meeting at 8am. I rode to downtown San Marco which was around 10 miles and planned it perfectly that I would turn around at mile 15 since the ride was only 5 miles in the other direction (5 miles from my place). However, I was already cutting it short on time when I got a flat tire. I changed it super fast but I knew there was no way I would get back to the ride in time. Bummer. I continued my ride on unknown roads and although I was in company of MANY cyclists on the road (they are everywhere!!!) I headed back to my familiar loop and continued on the roads which I did on Sat's group ride. I ended up with 45 miles again on sun but everything seems so long and unknown to me here, so when I came home it felt like 60 miles. Not too long after I made my smoothie, karel came home from his ride. He was planning on riding with a teammate but when his friend didn't show up karel rode solo for 85 miles. He looked a little trashed when he came home so I waited a bit to ask him about his ride. Lots of intervals and very little recovery. Ouch...I could tell it was a tough day.
In the early afternoon, I did my school work. My two nutrition courses are really time-consuming but I love that. It really keeps me on my toes and always studying. There is a lot of material and I'm really trying to retain everything so that I can feel super prepared when I one day take the Registered Dietitan exam as the last step to having the R.D. behind my name. My assignment for my food science class involved measuring, using a thermometer, sifting and well, just playing with food. I love it!
Sunday evening we went to Wal-mart and got some more necessities for our place....and some more food.
I think all but 1 or 2 boxes are unpacked and I can finally start decorating. I have all our Triathlon/cycling stuff in the office and I can't wait to make this place look like an athlete's apartment :)
Monday:
Happy memorial day! My b-day is actually on memorial day but that only comes every so often. May 31st is when I will turn the big 2-6 this year!!! :)
Karel asked if I would like to ride together on mon and of course I couldn't pass up an opportunity to ride with him. I usually see Karel riding in the other direction when I ride so to be able to draft behind him (and maybe pull) I was really excited to ride. We headed out around 7:15am and I told him around 50-60 miles. I should have known it was going to be close to 60 and it was going to be a fast ride. Seriously, how slow can Karel go before it becomes boring so we did a few intervals after riding together for around 10 miles at 20 mph! I couldn't believe how I was able to keep up with him and we were even chatting a bit during our first 10 miles. I guess I have improved since our first century together in 2006 (I was hurting pretty bad and I think I was behind him at 18mph the whole way. It was super slow for him and super hard for me that day). I always feel a little stronger when I ride with Karel so something inside of my legs gave me extra power and we did 4 sets of him pulling for 3 miles (an easy 21-22mph for him) and then me pulling for 2 miles (21mph!!!). He told me he was impressed and I tried my hardest to keep up when I told him I was done with the intervals. My thoughts were that we were going to do an out and and back so I was getting familiar with the beautiful country road that we were on, until we made a right and headed toward the water. Uggghhh..a bridge!!! Not only that, we had lots of wind!
Karel knows my fear of bridges but it only takes a few times until I am comfortable. Again, new roads and new places scare me but at least I had Karel by my side. Instead of turning around at 25miles (like I assumed) he told me we were doing a loop and we had several more bridges to cross. I tried to be a big girl and i just followed Karel on rolling hills, rough roads and another bridge. Unfortunantly, we got a little lost and we had to cross of a very big bridge. I wouldn't recommend this route to anyone and when I saw what I was about to do the tears just came out of my eyes. Karel felt really bad and he was a superhero to make me cross the bridge. I almost wanted to walk my bike for the next 4 miles but karel assured me I would be ok. I was crying so much that the tears were rolling down my face and I just tried to stay calm and I just kept my eyes on the end of the road. We finally made it home and the pancakes never tasted so good. I am not afraid to admit how much I am afraid of bridges and even on my bike on the flat road, I get scared. Riding a tri/road bike is still a new feeling to me and in the past 3 years since purchasing my first bike with clipless pedals, I still get a little nervous. Hopefully I can continue conquering my fears and I am lucky to have Karel in my life. I guess you know your soul mate if he/she helps you do things you never thought possible. Well, karel has been with me to ride around Lake tahoe, climb Brasstown Moutain in Ga (and descend) and finish fast group rides when I thought my legs would fall off. There is something about karel that helps me achieve the impossible. And for that, I love him so much..but NO MORE BRIDGES! Unfortantly, I now live in JAX and we have no shortage of bridges.
The rest of Mon was relaxing, we watched a movie and watched cycling on versus.
Tuesday
My first day of work! After I ran a fast 7.3 miles on a beautiful country road (same route as my loop ride) I got myself cleaned up for work. I saw Karel on his bike as I was running and he couldn't believe how far I ran in such a short amount of time. I guess my hour run was a bit fast but I was just trying to shake out my still-tired legs. Karel and I had our bikes all ready to go to work at 10:50am but then the rain came. So we decided to drive and I brought my road bike so Karel could fit me on it (re-fit that is). Karel cleaned it up for me and I drove home after my few hours of working. Karel rode my Blue home and he said he felt so funny on such a small bike. My few hours of work went well and I had a good time with the other guys. Great environment and I'm happy I can help out a few hours everyday.
Wednesday:
Today was the first day in months that I have been on my road bike and I felt great. I was in for a big surprise when I see Karel on his Time trial bike. WHAT???!!! This is too funny. He comes up to me and says "hey roadie". I tell him I don't like riding with triathletes and I just thought the sight of Karel with aerobars was too funny. He did look super sharp on his Trek TT bike (when I call it his tri bike he gets mad :) but he said he is so not comfortable on it.
Maybe he will get to love it and a triathlon will be in the future one day. I know he can run (PR 10K is 39 for him!) and he can swim...one day possibly but for now, he is a fanatic cyclist with a TT bike.
After my 20 mile ride on Blue I headed to the Y for my first swim since Disney. I have been craving the water and with my guest pass to the Y (oh how I miss my spin class!) I had a nice 2200 swim. I felt really heavy in the water but I was able to finishe 2 x 500's, then 8 x 100's on 1:30 a 200 kick and a 100 warm-down.
well, I think that sums up everything. I have been keeping myself busy but I apologize for the lack of blogging. I will do better now that things are finally coming together here :)
Saturday:
Luckily, there was no rain and the cycling party was a success. There were plenty of people to meet but after a hard ride in the morning, Karel and I had our eyes on the food. After we indulged in lots of yummy food (plenty of Marni-friendly fruits, veggies, healthy salads, bread/crackers and cheese...Karel was super happy about the amount of chocolate deserts. Where's the love for the vanilla fans???) we met a handful of people. Of course I won't remember anyone when they are dressed in spandax and have a helmet on their head, but at least we met some really nice people. Karel knew a few people from previous rides but we were both enjoying being the "new couple" in town. :)
Sunday:
Karel and I had a nice morning of riding. Although both of our plans changed, it was still a successful morning followed by a yummy breakfast. I was planning on riding with the cycling group right down the road but I thought I would get in a good hour of riding before meeting at 8am. I rode to downtown San Marco which was around 10 miles and planned it perfectly that I would turn around at mile 15 since the ride was only 5 miles in the other direction (5 miles from my place). However, I was already cutting it short on time when I got a flat tire. I changed it super fast but I knew there was no way I would get back to the ride in time. Bummer. I continued my ride on unknown roads and although I was in company of MANY cyclists on the road (they are everywhere!!!) I headed back to my familiar loop and continued on the roads which I did on Sat's group ride. I ended up with 45 miles again on sun but everything seems so long and unknown to me here, so when I came home it felt like 60 miles. Not too long after I made my smoothie, karel came home from his ride. He was planning on riding with a teammate but when his friend didn't show up karel rode solo for 85 miles. He looked a little trashed when he came home so I waited a bit to ask him about his ride. Lots of intervals and very little recovery. Ouch...I could tell it was a tough day.
In the early afternoon, I did my school work. My two nutrition courses are really time-consuming but I love that. It really keeps me on my toes and always studying. There is a lot of material and I'm really trying to retain everything so that I can feel super prepared when I one day take the Registered Dietitan exam as the last step to having the R.D. behind my name. My assignment for my food science class involved measuring, using a thermometer, sifting and well, just playing with food. I love it!
Sunday evening we went to Wal-mart and got some more necessities for our place....and some more food.
I think all but 1 or 2 boxes are unpacked and I can finally start decorating. I have all our Triathlon/cycling stuff in the office and I can't wait to make this place look like an athlete's apartment :)
Monday:
Happy memorial day! My b-day is actually on memorial day but that only comes every so often. May 31st is when I will turn the big 2-6 this year!!! :)
Karel asked if I would like to ride together on mon and of course I couldn't pass up an opportunity to ride with him. I usually see Karel riding in the other direction when I ride so to be able to draft behind him (and maybe pull) I was really excited to ride. We headed out around 7:15am and I told him around 50-60 miles. I should have known it was going to be close to 60 and it was going to be a fast ride. Seriously, how slow can Karel go before it becomes boring so we did a few intervals after riding together for around 10 miles at 20 mph! I couldn't believe how I was able to keep up with him and we were even chatting a bit during our first 10 miles. I guess I have improved since our first century together in 2006 (I was hurting pretty bad and I think I was behind him at 18mph the whole way. It was super slow for him and super hard for me that day). I always feel a little stronger when I ride with Karel so something inside of my legs gave me extra power and we did 4 sets of him pulling for 3 miles (an easy 21-22mph for him) and then me pulling for 2 miles (21mph!!!). He told me he was impressed and I tried my hardest to keep up when I told him I was done with the intervals. My thoughts were that we were going to do an out and and back so I was getting familiar with the beautiful country road that we were on, until we made a right and headed toward the water. Uggghhh..a bridge!!! Not only that, we had lots of wind!
Karel knows my fear of bridges but it only takes a few times until I am comfortable. Again, new roads and new places scare me but at least I had Karel by my side. Instead of turning around at 25miles (like I assumed) he told me we were doing a loop and we had several more bridges to cross. I tried to be a big girl and i just followed Karel on rolling hills, rough roads and another bridge. Unfortunantly, we got a little lost and we had to cross of a very big bridge. I wouldn't recommend this route to anyone and when I saw what I was about to do the tears just came out of my eyes. Karel felt really bad and he was a superhero to make me cross the bridge. I almost wanted to walk my bike for the next 4 miles but karel assured me I would be ok. I was crying so much that the tears were rolling down my face and I just tried to stay calm and I just kept my eyes on the end of the road. We finally made it home and the pancakes never tasted so good. I am not afraid to admit how much I am afraid of bridges and even on my bike on the flat road, I get scared. Riding a tri/road bike is still a new feeling to me and in the past 3 years since purchasing my first bike with clipless pedals, I still get a little nervous. Hopefully I can continue conquering my fears and I am lucky to have Karel in my life. I guess you know your soul mate if he/she helps you do things you never thought possible. Well, karel has been with me to ride around Lake tahoe, climb Brasstown Moutain in Ga (and descend) and finish fast group rides when I thought my legs would fall off. There is something about karel that helps me achieve the impossible. And for that, I love him so much..but NO MORE BRIDGES! Unfortantly, I now live in JAX and we have no shortage of bridges.
The rest of Mon was relaxing, we watched a movie and watched cycling on versus.
Tuesday
My first day of work! After I ran a fast 7.3 miles on a beautiful country road (same route as my loop ride) I got myself cleaned up for work. I saw Karel on his bike as I was running and he couldn't believe how far I ran in such a short amount of time. I guess my hour run was a bit fast but I was just trying to shake out my still-tired legs. Karel and I had our bikes all ready to go to work at 10:50am but then the rain came. So we decided to drive and I brought my road bike so Karel could fit me on it (re-fit that is). Karel cleaned it up for me and I drove home after my few hours of working. Karel rode my Blue home and he said he felt so funny on such a small bike. My few hours of work went well and I had a good time with the other guys. Great environment and I'm happy I can help out a few hours everyday.
Wednesday:
Today was the first day in months that I have been on my road bike and I felt great. I was in for a big surprise when I see Karel on his Time trial bike. WHAT???!!! This is too funny. He comes up to me and says "hey roadie". I tell him I don't like riding with triathletes and I just thought the sight of Karel with aerobars was too funny. He did look super sharp on his Trek TT bike (when I call it his tri bike he gets mad :) but he said he is so not comfortable on it.
Maybe he will get to love it and a triathlon will be in the future one day. I know he can run (PR 10K is 39 for him!) and he can swim...one day possibly but for now, he is a fanatic cyclist with a TT bike.
After my 20 mile ride on Blue I headed to the Y for my first swim since Disney. I have been craving the water and with my guest pass to the Y (oh how I miss my spin class!) I had a nice 2200 swim. I felt really heavy in the water but I was able to finishe 2 x 500's, then 8 x 100's on 1:30 a 200 kick and a 100 warm-down.
well, I think that sums up everything. I have been keeping myself busy but I apologize for the lack of blogging. I will do better now that things are finally coming together here :)
5/24/08
New Stuff!
I'm just about to start my first assignment for my dietetic program. I am taking two classes for 6-weeks and then another 2 classes for 6-weeks. For my nutrition education course I finished my assignment which was a case study using stages of change. I learned how to recognize what stage a person may be in when they are in need of a change. I never thought how useful this info would be within the area of nutrition. For example, some people may know they are in need of a change but are not sure how to make the changes. Some people aren't aware that they have unhealthy habits and are immune to the negative effects of their lifestyle choices. Very interesting how their are Do's and Don'ts of working with someone when trying to help them with their nutrition (or lifestyle). I feel smarter already!
As far as my food science course, I am about to start my lab which involves sensory evaluation and descriptive terms (like taste, sight, flavor, intensity, etc.). I feel like I am on Top Chef as I am reading my book about describing food as velvety, smooth, firm soapy, astringent, rounded, glossy or bitter. The other food science lab is on food preparation. I get to learn measuring techniques and energy transfer. Wow, I am super excited for my classes and this is only the beginning. Aside from having to pay a BIG amount of money for the online school, I totally think my RD will be worth another few semesters of school and an internship.
This morning I did my first Jacksonville group ride. Karel was supposed to ride on the beach for a fast ride starting at 6am but when he woke up at 4:45am to rain, he decided to stay in bed and wake up with me at 6:20am. We had our coffee together and a pre-training snack and we were out the door at 7:15am for the ride. I wasn't nervous for the ride but just a little timid for new roads and new riders. I was happy Karel was there with me but it wasn't too long until our friend James Sweeney and Karel headed to the front of the group (50+ riders!!!!) to pick up the pace. It wasn't too long until I was dropped (as expected...I think the power in my legs is still packed in a box :). Oh well, I was picked up by 5 guys and I still ended up with a great 45-mile ride. The roads were almost car-free (compared to clearwater, I felt like i was riding with no cars) and the scenery was pretty. I actually rode through neighborhoods and not crowded main roads. What a nice change. I got home just as karel was leaving for work (he had to work at the beach store again today) and he told me he won the ride. I asked him what he won and he said nothing :) hehe. I guess Karel and James were pulling the group and I'm sure some of the riders were suffering. I saw a few girls out there who were strong so I'm sure I will get stronger if I keep riding with this group.
Well, better get to my work. I have nutrition write-ups as well, which makes me super excited to get back from my training. Tonight Karel and I are supposed to go to a big party for all the cyclists and triathletes in the area. I hope it doesn't rain (forecast doesn't look good) so that we can meet some new people in our new town.
As far as my food science course, I am about to start my lab which involves sensory evaluation and descriptive terms (like taste, sight, flavor, intensity, etc.). I feel like I am on Top Chef as I am reading my book about describing food as velvety, smooth, firm soapy, astringent, rounded, glossy or bitter. The other food science lab is on food preparation. I get to learn measuring techniques and energy transfer. Wow, I am super excited for my classes and this is only the beginning. Aside from having to pay a BIG amount of money for the online school, I totally think my RD will be worth another few semesters of school and an internship.
This morning I did my first Jacksonville group ride. Karel was supposed to ride on the beach for a fast ride starting at 6am but when he woke up at 4:45am to rain, he decided to stay in bed and wake up with me at 6:20am. We had our coffee together and a pre-training snack and we were out the door at 7:15am for the ride. I wasn't nervous for the ride but just a little timid for new roads and new riders. I was happy Karel was there with me but it wasn't too long until our friend James Sweeney and Karel headed to the front of the group (50+ riders!!!!) to pick up the pace. It wasn't too long until I was dropped (as expected...I think the power in my legs is still packed in a box :). Oh well, I was picked up by 5 guys and I still ended up with a great 45-mile ride. The roads were almost car-free (compared to clearwater, I felt like i was riding with no cars) and the scenery was pretty. I actually rode through neighborhoods and not crowded main roads. What a nice change. I got home just as karel was leaving for work (he had to work at the beach store again today) and he told me he won the ride. I asked him what he won and he said nothing :) hehe. I guess Karel and James were pulling the group and I'm sure some of the riders were suffering. I saw a few girls out there who were strong so I'm sure I will get stronger if I keep riding with this group.
Well, better get to my work. I have nutrition write-ups as well, which makes me super excited to get back from my training. Tonight Karel and I are supposed to go to a big party for all the cyclists and triathletes in the area. I hope it doesn't rain (forecast doesn't look good) so that we can meet some new people in our new town.
5/23/08
Pics from disney
Enjoy!
Thanks to my official photographer (DAD) for the great pics!!
A nice hug from kate. Who likes to be serious before a race?
Let's get this race started!
So many people!
Wish I could swim more but it is time to bike!
This isn't me but I thought you might enjoy a pic of the lovely weather conditions on race day.
Get me out of transition. Time to RUN!
Hi mom!!!
See ya boys!
I'm not sprinting to the line. I am just so ready to cool down!
It's over!! Encouraging smile that I enjoyed myself on the course.
Pizza and a medal!! The best part about racing :)
Time for new shoes!
Thanks to my official photographer (DAD) for the great pics!!
A nice hug from kate. Who likes to be serious before a race?
Let's get this race started!
So many people!
Wish I could swim more but it is time to bike!
This isn't me but I thought you might enjoy a pic of the lovely weather conditions on race day.
Get me out of transition. Time to RUN!
Hi mom!!!
See ya boys!
I'm not sprinting to the line. I am just so ready to cool down!
It's over!! Encouraging smile that I enjoyed myself on the course.
Pizza and a medal!! The best part about racing :)
Time for new shoes!
5/22/08
Getting there
The pile of boxes in our new place (2 bedroom, 2 bath) is getting smaller. However, I think I managed to move all the unpacked boxes to the office (spare bedroom) and that room is beginning to scare me. I am catching up with emails as well and getting back into nutrition consultations and coaching. I have enjoyed my little break from "work" but I am anxious to get back to helping people. I kinda loose my mind if I am not doing anything constructive with nutrition.
I finished the kitchen first and no surprise, I had a BIG trip to super Wal-mart to stock our fridge with lots of healthy and yummy foods. We have a pantry and I even found some food to put in there. Karel was a little bummed that I didn't bring home any ice cream. I guess my 40-calorie yogurt's aren't going to cut it for Karel. I did find some waffles (organic blueberry and flax seed apple and cinnamon) that Karel is now obsessed with. We both love the convenience of popping a waffle in the toaster and for a late evening snack I like to have a waffle with a scoop of vanilla lit n' fit yogurt on top and a little sugar-free syrup and cinnamon. Yum.
Karel got the TV up just in time to watch Idol last night and now, with cable hooked up, I am no longer stealing the Internet. I am getting there with the unpacking but this is much better than moving up the three flights of stairs.
Yesterday I visited Karel at work and I tell ya..what a great job! Just a bunch of cyclists hanging out and chatting. Only kidding. I'm sure they do something productive every now and then. The Trek store is HUGE and if you are ever in the area, come by and get some tri/cycling stuff. They also have an on-line store (ABC store, link on my website and blog). I am going to start working there next week to get some money to help pay for school. I think I will really enjoy selling tri/cycling stuff, especially when it comes to nutrition products. I offered working the evening hours, so that when Karel needs to go to the beach for the group rides I can let the guys go and ride. Seriously...I can get paid to talk to people about tri stuff??? How cool is that!
All my books came to the store and I am really excited to get going with my school work. I am really really really excited! I am going to learn so much. I think I could read my Food Science book over night but I will try to stick to the schedule. My other class is nutrition education which should be a great class as well.
Karel and I are still really sore. When we got out of bed this morning we both felt like our calves were on fire. I am getting less and less sore but it is a slow process. I am reminded of the pain from disney and moving everytime I walk down our apartment stairs. Karel and I rode together this morning. Only around 17 miles but it felt really good to be on my bike. I am getting back into things but slowly. I would love to get in the water tomorrow so I will ask around and see where the triathletes swim. I am a fish without my home...I need a pool ASAP!!!
Well, I think I am going to go visit Karel at work again. I guess I am making up for lost time since we were apart for almost 2 months. Plus, what triathlete doesn't enjoy a bike shop??
I finished the kitchen first and no surprise, I had a BIG trip to super Wal-mart to stock our fridge with lots of healthy and yummy foods. We have a pantry and I even found some food to put in there. Karel was a little bummed that I didn't bring home any ice cream. I guess my 40-calorie yogurt's aren't going to cut it for Karel. I did find some waffles (organic blueberry and flax seed apple and cinnamon) that Karel is now obsessed with. We both love the convenience of popping a waffle in the toaster and for a late evening snack I like to have a waffle with a scoop of vanilla lit n' fit yogurt on top and a little sugar-free syrup and cinnamon. Yum.
Karel got the TV up just in time to watch Idol last night and now, with cable hooked up, I am no longer stealing the Internet. I am getting there with the unpacking but this is much better than moving up the three flights of stairs.
Yesterday I visited Karel at work and I tell ya..what a great job! Just a bunch of cyclists hanging out and chatting. Only kidding. I'm sure they do something productive every now and then. The Trek store is HUGE and if you are ever in the area, come by and get some tri/cycling stuff. They also have an on-line store (ABC store, link on my website and blog). I am going to start working there next week to get some money to help pay for school. I think I will really enjoy selling tri/cycling stuff, especially when it comes to nutrition products. I offered working the evening hours, so that when Karel needs to go to the beach for the group rides I can let the guys go and ride. Seriously...I can get paid to talk to people about tri stuff??? How cool is that!
All my books came to the store and I am really excited to get going with my school work. I am really really really excited! I am going to learn so much. I think I could read my Food Science book over night but I will try to stick to the schedule. My other class is nutrition education which should be a great class as well.
Karel and I are still really sore. When we got out of bed this morning we both felt like our calves were on fire. I am getting less and less sore but it is a slow process. I am reminded of the pain from disney and moving everytime I walk down our apartment stairs. Karel and I rode together this morning. Only around 17 miles but it felt really good to be on my bike. I am getting back into things but slowly. I would love to get in the water tomorrow so I will ask around and see where the triathletes swim. I am a fish without my home...I need a pool ASAP!!!
Well, I think I am going to go visit Karel at work again. I guess I am making up for lost time since we were apart for almost 2 months. Plus, what triathlete doesn't enjoy a bike shop??
5/21/08
Moving
I'm going to tell the truth.I thought this would be fun, moving with Karel to a new place. Getting to decorate after going through all our stuff from the past year. I don't have to worry about training since my race is behind me and I can just take my time with everything since I have nothing else to do.
Ha...I wish you could understand how terribly sore I am right now. My calves, my quads and my arms. I hate moving.
Ironman Florida 70.3 was on sunday. I raced hard and I could feel my quads all evening. I slept for a solid 6 hours (too tired to sleep) on sun night after finishing the boxes in our place around 11pm. Monday morning, Karel and I biked to the Penske Truck pick-up. I think we averaged around 13mph and our 7 mile ride felt like a 20 mile ride. Karel and I were so physically exhausted from our races. We got the truck and started loading at 10am. We didn't finish until around 6:30pm and the odds and ends took another 2 hours on tuesday morning. I slept for around 6 hours on mon night and Karel and I celebrated our packing with some yummy ice cream in Dunedin at a local ice cream shop. My mom helped us clean and pack up on monday and that was a BIG help. Moms' are just great when it comes to helping out with cleaning and organizing. What would I do without her! Our friend Dallas helped Karel move the heavy stuff because I am about worthless when it comes to anything heavy. Even without a half ironman, I am not a fan of lifting heavy furniture.
We were out the door around 9am on Tuesday and headed to Jacksonville. We had to pick up a bed and a fish tank stand on the way and I was surprised that our trip only took 4 hours. Not too bad. I was entertained with Smudla crying for most of the trip but other than the first hour she did very well. She tried to sleep but she wanted to be sure I knew she was ready to get to her new home. She had a meow out of her about every 10 minutes even when she was sleeping. I also had the two fish tanks with a total of 9 fishes and although we emptied out about 3/4ths of the water, I was super careful when I accelerated and stopped. We finally arrived to our new apartment around 2:45pm and the lease was signed at 3:30pm after the walk-through. Ok, here we go....start moving up 3 flights of stairs!
Ouch, ouch, ouch...the 16 foot truck (which was packed full!) was never ending. Sadly, it was Karel and I for around 4 hours until one of the guys at the bike store helped Karel with the couch, futon, dresser, dryer, table and tv. I managed to help Karel with some heavy furniture but it sure took me a while. Karel is a true champ when it comes to lifting. I was really impressed with his strength. Strong heart, strong arms and legs too!
Towards 8pm I felt like I was in the last mile of an Ironman... but worse. As I walked up the stairs for the millionth time, I just kept saying "one foot infront of the other. You can't stop now." I think I was carrying pillows and I was struggling. Karel and I felt so weak and we had a late dinner (after a day of eating PB&J) at Moe's and I cleaned my plate which was a hearty salad of tofu, lettuce, beans, rice, cucumbers, tomatoes and salsa. Karel and I love Moe's! I still don't think I am anywhere near recovered from Disney (the move didn't help) because besides my soreness, I am incredibly hungry every minute. I know after a race the calories are still burning (especially if you stay up with your protein...thank goodness for whey protein and water on the road!) in order to help repair so I am trying to eat every couple of hours, even if it is a box of raisins, an orange or more bread and PB.
My sleep last night was just horrible. We went to bed around 10:30pm and I was up at 4am. My legs were burning and I thought I had just did an IM. This morning I did exactly what I did after IMFl and Kona...a bath at 4am and I ate a waffle in the bathtub. Now that I think about it, after Kona I had 3 rice krispie treats in the tub.
Well, now comes the fun part. Unpacking. Smudla is loving our new place and I like being on the third floor. Karel and I have decided that after the many hours of moving up the stairs yesterday, we need to live here more than a year to make it all worth it. After that...we are getting a house!
I am waiting for my books for school to arrive since I started my dietetic program (online) last mon. I have a handful of assignments that are due nex mon so I have a feeling this first week is going to be super stressfull..especially if my books don't arrive soon!!!
Karel is at work and I think this will be the longest day of work for him. I could fall asleep right now but I have boxes just looking at me.
Thanks for all the congrats emails for my race on sunday. Although the excitement after Disney was short because of rushing home to finish packing (after Karel and I watched the Tour d'Italia) I was full of smiles and happiness when reading all the nice emails and comments on my blog. Thank you again everyone for all your support and for checking in on me and all the other athletes. And congrats to everyone else who raced at Disney or anywhere else.
Ha...I wish you could understand how terribly sore I am right now. My calves, my quads and my arms. I hate moving.
Ironman Florida 70.3 was on sunday. I raced hard and I could feel my quads all evening. I slept for a solid 6 hours (too tired to sleep) on sun night after finishing the boxes in our place around 11pm. Monday morning, Karel and I biked to the Penske Truck pick-up. I think we averaged around 13mph and our 7 mile ride felt like a 20 mile ride. Karel and I were so physically exhausted from our races. We got the truck and started loading at 10am. We didn't finish until around 6:30pm and the odds and ends took another 2 hours on tuesday morning. I slept for around 6 hours on mon night and Karel and I celebrated our packing with some yummy ice cream in Dunedin at a local ice cream shop. My mom helped us clean and pack up on monday and that was a BIG help. Moms' are just great when it comes to helping out with cleaning and organizing. What would I do without her! Our friend Dallas helped Karel move the heavy stuff because I am about worthless when it comes to anything heavy. Even without a half ironman, I am not a fan of lifting heavy furniture.
We were out the door around 9am on Tuesday and headed to Jacksonville. We had to pick up a bed and a fish tank stand on the way and I was surprised that our trip only took 4 hours. Not too bad. I was entertained with Smudla crying for most of the trip but other than the first hour she did very well. She tried to sleep but she wanted to be sure I knew she was ready to get to her new home. She had a meow out of her about every 10 minutes even when she was sleeping. I also had the two fish tanks with a total of 9 fishes and although we emptied out about 3/4ths of the water, I was super careful when I accelerated and stopped. We finally arrived to our new apartment around 2:45pm and the lease was signed at 3:30pm after the walk-through. Ok, here we go....start moving up 3 flights of stairs!
Ouch, ouch, ouch...the 16 foot truck (which was packed full!) was never ending. Sadly, it was Karel and I for around 4 hours until one of the guys at the bike store helped Karel with the couch, futon, dresser, dryer, table and tv. I managed to help Karel with some heavy furniture but it sure took me a while. Karel is a true champ when it comes to lifting. I was really impressed with his strength. Strong heart, strong arms and legs too!
Towards 8pm I felt like I was in the last mile of an Ironman... but worse. As I walked up the stairs for the millionth time, I just kept saying "one foot infront of the other. You can't stop now." I think I was carrying pillows and I was struggling. Karel and I felt so weak and we had a late dinner (after a day of eating PB&J) at Moe's and I cleaned my plate which was a hearty salad of tofu, lettuce, beans, rice, cucumbers, tomatoes and salsa. Karel and I love Moe's! I still don't think I am anywhere near recovered from Disney (the move didn't help) because besides my soreness, I am incredibly hungry every minute. I know after a race the calories are still burning (especially if you stay up with your protein...thank goodness for whey protein and water on the road!) in order to help repair so I am trying to eat every couple of hours, even if it is a box of raisins, an orange or more bread and PB.
My sleep last night was just horrible. We went to bed around 10:30pm and I was up at 4am. My legs were burning and I thought I had just did an IM. This morning I did exactly what I did after IMFl and Kona...a bath at 4am and I ate a waffle in the bathtub. Now that I think about it, after Kona I had 3 rice krispie treats in the tub.
Well, now comes the fun part. Unpacking. Smudla is loving our new place and I like being on the third floor. Karel and I have decided that after the many hours of moving up the stairs yesterday, we need to live here more than a year to make it all worth it. After that...we are getting a house!
I am waiting for my books for school to arrive since I started my dietetic program (online) last mon. I have a handful of assignments that are due nex mon so I have a feeling this first week is going to be super stressfull..especially if my books don't arrive soon!!!
Karel is at work and I think this will be the longest day of work for him. I could fall asleep right now but I have boxes just looking at me.
Thanks for all the congrats emails for my race on sunday. Although the excitement after Disney was short because of rushing home to finish packing (after Karel and I watched the Tour d'Italia) I was full of smiles and happiness when reading all the nice emails and comments on my blog. Thank you again everyone for all your support and for checking in on me and all the other athletes. And congrats to everyone else who raced at Disney or anywhere else.
5/19/08
Disney 70.3 Race Recap
I went to bed late and I'm up early. I guess I forgot what it feels like to "race". Oh the soreness in my legs. I thought I would be nice to Karel and just get up and move to another room rather than tossing and turning for a few more hours.
First off, karel was 17th in the State Crit and he said he is really happy about his race. Although 17th may not seem like a good place (says karel, i think just finishing is amazing!!) he said that he made a lot of moves and really contributed to the race. That is how Karel likes to race, rather than just sitting in with the pack until the end and then sprinting to the line for a win. He is all about the action and making the other guys suffer. So, a big congrats to Karel. It wasn't very fun waiting for his call after I finished my race. I wanted to hear from him and when he called "How'd you do??" I asked. Of course, the first thing he says, "How'd you do?" It was fun exchanging race stories all evening long.
The travel to disney was fine. I was anxious to leave so as soon as my parents came to pick me up, I was out the door. "Let's go to Disney!!"
We went directly to the goofy lot of Magic Kingdom and I rode my bike up to the pavillion. It is tough getting to the race site with spectators so my parents rode the bus to the race site. I called Kate who was also at the expo and that was just the start to us seeing each other for the rest of the weekend. It was funny out of so many people, Kate and I kept running into each other. I got my stuff and couldn't have been more happy that I got a pink cap. Wahoo-pink cap, wave 7:00am with all the 18-29 girls. yikes!
I went right through the expo (I don't even make eye contact with all the race gear) so I can save my money and went to go rack my bike. Well, I was by a big tree which was great for findning my rack (#30) but I was near the end and it was so tight. Luckily, on race day morning there was a big gap a few bikes closer (still far away) so I moved my bike so seduza wasn't so close to the other bikes. It was a big mess in transition with all the bikes so I could only imagine what it would be like in the morning.
Out of the past 3 years of racing Disney, this was the first year I didn't stay at the wilderness lodge. This year, I didn't have my racing friends with me so opted out of the lodge to save some money and be with my parents. All was good at the Fairfield in and I slept great. I actually liked be off the race site and of course, only a mile away from Outback. I invited my friend Kori to Outback with my parents and me and I enjoyed my bread, rice, house salad (w/ pecans and eggs and tangy tomato on the side) and sweet potato (everything on the side). I could have eaten another loaf of bread if Karel was there with me but I think the 3 we went through was good enough. I didn't feel stuffed so that was good. Just a simple dinner to keep the muscles filled with fuel.
Race day morning I woke up at 4am at went to the lobby to cook my breakast. I prepared my breakfast on sat morning and put it in a baggy so all i had to do was heat it up. 1 packet instand oatmeal, raisins, sliced almonds, a little protein powder, cinnamon and 1/2 banana (which I got sat night). With coffee and water, I felt good about my nutrition. Sometimes i am nervous and my tummy will make me feel like I need to eat more, but i know that i am well fulled. this time, I felt just right. I didn't eat anything else for the rest of the morning and that means so spikes in blood sugar. I drank my water and had my amino's before. I felt really good all morning.
I arrived to the bus's and saw Kate. Too much fun! We waited for about 10 min (seemed like an hour) and then we were up at the race site. My parents were a bus behind Kate and I (I jumped in line with Kate) so we headed right to body marking. #1435, 25 years old. All marked up, ready to go.
Into the mess of transition and I squeezed my way through all the girls and attempted to have some type of transition set-up. I tried to be quick cause I wanted to get out of the craziness. I checked Seduza's wheels and brake pads, put on my computer and I was out. My parents and i headed to the beach and my dad went to the pier to get a good spot for taking pictures (those will come soon). My mom hung out with me and I just enjoyed having her there. As I mentioned in previous posts, I love being around people before a race. I guess I spend so much time alone training and preping for my race that when I get to the expo or race site on race day morning, I just want to be around people who are excited and ready to race. I've already mentally prepared myself so I really look forward to being around 2000 of my closest friends (well, friends for the next 5-6 hours).
My wave was called and I was ready to go. I wanted to swim really hard but still efficiently to not waste energy. I put myself in the front line with the girls and I was happy to get a good luck hug from Kate. I love that girl! The horn blew and we were off. I was proud of my position when we started swimming. There are a lot of fast swimmers in the 18-29 age group so I knew I wouldn't be at the front. I just looked for pink caps and kept my stroke long. I had a few looks on my watch to see if i would break 30 min. but when I looked up near the end of the swim and the finish seemed forever away I knew I wouldn't be at 30 min. But i kept swimming strong, weaving my way through the swimmers from the waves infront of me and i was out in 31:50. I ran to transition, and ran and ran and ran (this is a long transition run) and finally arrived to my bike. I peeled off my awesome Zoot speed suit (I love that thing) and grabbed my bike. Off I got for the 56 mile ride. The outfit I wore today was the same as Kona. I felt that i needed another chance to enjoy my Zoot clothes and pink hammer socks. This race was for all I went through in Kona.
The bike was fun and I was flying. I didn't want to pound out the bike and I never felt tight legs. Actually, I keep thinking my legs felt so good the whole bike. I kept saying "fresh legs, fresh legs" and I just went at my own pace. I was riding cat-and-mouse to a lot of the same girls so for around 40 miles I felt good with my ride. That is, until the rain started to come. It was around mile 35 when we hit the rolling part of the course that it started to sprinkle. Then came the ran. Just to note my short racing career, I have never raced in the rain before. Maybe I am lucky but I have never been in a triathlon and had it rain. then, to be pushing hard, descending down hills and trying to make turns in the slippery roads, I was a bit scared. It rained on and off for the rest of the ride and I was so looking forward to being off my bike. I averaged 20.5 so I was happy with that. I knew my bike wouldn't be super strong because I haven't had a lot of time to train on my bike. I did the best i could with school but I wasn't going to be upset with my time. When I arrived into transition I knew I wouldn't break 5 hours (I needed to come in before 10:20am and even with that, I would have to run a 1:40 half marathon..no way! I didn't train my body to run that time so I was being realistic). When I racked my bike and put on my running shoes I opted out of the visor in case it rained again. When I saw all the bikes on my rack I was on a mission for the run.
"Pass them!!!"
I jetted out of transition and my first mile was just crazy fast. Then I hit the off-road section and I'm running with a lot of guys. I hear one guy say to me (or maybe himself) "Oh, this is the bad part of the run." I just wanted to say to him "If you want to look at it that way." But I kept my mouth shut. I hear a lot of complaining when I am running and I think it just drives me to run past the negative voices. I passed a few girls at the beginning of the first loop but I knew i needed to pick up the pace. my favorite part of the run is the last stretch (about a mile) on the off-road. maybe because I am about to hit an aid station and the grassy road turns into the street filled with spectators. I felt solid the whole run and I just kept running. I had no idea where I was in my age group but I was running my little legs off. My body wanted to slow down the last 2 miles cause I was super hot but I said no. YOu can rest when you get to the finish line. I was so over my breaking 5 hour time and I started thinking I might be able to place top 10 in my age group.
Here are my run splits:
7:08
7:59
8:04
8:08
First loop: 31:19 minutes
8:00
8:01
8:14
8:11
Second loop: 32:26 minutes
8:04
8:14
8:10
8:28
8:30
Last loop to finish: 41 minutes
Run:1:47
I finished the run and was done. My parents couldn't believe how much I had left at the end but I left it all out on the race course. I wasn't in pain after the race but I was a little sore. Not too stiff (like I am today) but it was a hard race. I love having the loops cause when I see the spectators at the beginning of each loop I feel the fire to pick up the pace.
I checked the results and I just hoped that I made top 10. I was 6th out of 98 girls and couldn't believe it! No Clearwater spot (only 3 in my age group) but that is ok. I was so happy I could race on sunday because that is why I train so hard. I love going into a race with a trained body but dealing with wind, rain and heat is something that is hard to train for. I was so happy to see my parents enjoying themselves out on the course and having my friends Angie and Hunter out cheering me on. A big thanks to Hammer for making me feel so good during the bike and run. Thanks to all the other people cheering (kate's hubby Craig is an awesome cheerer..he got me really pumped!) and congrats to all those who raced in the heat and rain. I guess it is Florida so the weather is expected but hopefully the finisher medal is the memory that motivates you to sign up for another race.
First off, karel was 17th in the State Crit and he said he is really happy about his race. Although 17th may not seem like a good place (says karel, i think just finishing is amazing!!) he said that he made a lot of moves and really contributed to the race. That is how Karel likes to race, rather than just sitting in with the pack until the end and then sprinting to the line for a win. He is all about the action and making the other guys suffer. So, a big congrats to Karel. It wasn't very fun waiting for his call after I finished my race. I wanted to hear from him and when he called "How'd you do??" I asked. Of course, the first thing he says, "How'd you do?" It was fun exchanging race stories all evening long.
The travel to disney was fine. I was anxious to leave so as soon as my parents came to pick me up, I was out the door. "Let's go to Disney!!"
We went directly to the goofy lot of Magic Kingdom and I rode my bike up to the pavillion. It is tough getting to the race site with spectators so my parents rode the bus to the race site. I called Kate who was also at the expo and that was just the start to us seeing each other for the rest of the weekend. It was funny out of so many people, Kate and I kept running into each other. I got my stuff and couldn't have been more happy that I got a pink cap. Wahoo-pink cap, wave 7:00am with all the 18-29 girls. yikes!
I went right through the expo (I don't even make eye contact with all the race gear) so I can save my money and went to go rack my bike. Well, I was by a big tree which was great for findning my rack (#30) but I was near the end and it was so tight. Luckily, on race day morning there was a big gap a few bikes closer (still far away) so I moved my bike so seduza wasn't so close to the other bikes. It was a big mess in transition with all the bikes so I could only imagine what it would be like in the morning.
Out of the past 3 years of racing Disney, this was the first year I didn't stay at the wilderness lodge. This year, I didn't have my racing friends with me so opted out of the lodge to save some money and be with my parents. All was good at the Fairfield in and I slept great. I actually liked be off the race site and of course, only a mile away from Outback. I invited my friend Kori to Outback with my parents and me and I enjoyed my bread, rice, house salad (w/ pecans and eggs and tangy tomato on the side) and sweet potato (everything on the side). I could have eaten another loaf of bread if Karel was there with me but I think the 3 we went through was good enough. I didn't feel stuffed so that was good. Just a simple dinner to keep the muscles filled with fuel.
Race day morning I woke up at 4am at went to the lobby to cook my breakast. I prepared my breakfast on sat morning and put it in a baggy so all i had to do was heat it up. 1 packet instand oatmeal, raisins, sliced almonds, a little protein powder, cinnamon and 1/2 banana (which I got sat night). With coffee and water, I felt good about my nutrition. Sometimes i am nervous and my tummy will make me feel like I need to eat more, but i know that i am well fulled. this time, I felt just right. I didn't eat anything else for the rest of the morning and that means so spikes in blood sugar. I drank my water and had my amino's before. I felt really good all morning.
I arrived to the bus's and saw Kate. Too much fun! We waited for about 10 min (seemed like an hour) and then we were up at the race site. My parents were a bus behind Kate and I (I jumped in line with Kate) so we headed right to body marking. #1435, 25 years old. All marked up, ready to go.
Into the mess of transition and I squeezed my way through all the girls and attempted to have some type of transition set-up. I tried to be quick cause I wanted to get out of the craziness. I checked Seduza's wheels and brake pads, put on my computer and I was out. My parents and i headed to the beach and my dad went to the pier to get a good spot for taking pictures (those will come soon). My mom hung out with me and I just enjoyed having her there. As I mentioned in previous posts, I love being around people before a race. I guess I spend so much time alone training and preping for my race that when I get to the expo or race site on race day morning, I just want to be around people who are excited and ready to race. I've already mentally prepared myself so I really look forward to being around 2000 of my closest friends (well, friends for the next 5-6 hours).
My wave was called and I was ready to go. I wanted to swim really hard but still efficiently to not waste energy. I put myself in the front line with the girls and I was happy to get a good luck hug from Kate. I love that girl! The horn blew and we were off. I was proud of my position when we started swimming. There are a lot of fast swimmers in the 18-29 age group so I knew I wouldn't be at the front. I just looked for pink caps and kept my stroke long. I had a few looks on my watch to see if i would break 30 min. but when I looked up near the end of the swim and the finish seemed forever away I knew I wouldn't be at 30 min. But i kept swimming strong, weaving my way through the swimmers from the waves infront of me and i was out in 31:50. I ran to transition, and ran and ran and ran (this is a long transition run) and finally arrived to my bike. I peeled off my awesome Zoot speed suit (I love that thing) and grabbed my bike. Off I got for the 56 mile ride. The outfit I wore today was the same as Kona. I felt that i needed another chance to enjoy my Zoot clothes and pink hammer socks. This race was for all I went through in Kona.
The bike was fun and I was flying. I didn't want to pound out the bike and I never felt tight legs. Actually, I keep thinking my legs felt so good the whole bike. I kept saying "fresh legs, fresh legs" and I just went at my own pace. I was riding cat-and-mouse to a lot of the same girls so for around 40 miles I felt good with my ride. That is, until the rain started to come. It was around mile 35 when we hit the rolling part of the course that it started to sprinkle. Then came the ran. Just to note my short racing career, I have never raced in the rain before. Maybe I am lucky but I have never been in a triathlon and had it rain. then, to be pushing hard, descending down hills and trying to make turns in the slippery roads, I was a bit scared. It rained on and off for the rest of the ride and I was so looking forward to being off my bike. I averaged 20.5 so I was happy with that. I knew my bike wouldn't be super strong because I haven't had a lot of time to train on my bike. I did the best i could with school but I wasn't going to be upset with my time. When I arrived into transition I knew I wouldn't break 5 hours (I needed to come in before 10:20am and even with that, I would have to run a 1:40 half marathon..no way! I didn't train my body to run that time so I was being realistic). When I racked my bike and put on my running shoes I opted out of the visor in case it rained again. When I saw all the bikes on my rack I was on a mission for the run.
"Pass them!!!"
I jetted out of transition and my first mile was just crazy fast. Then I hit the off-road section and I'm running with a lot of guys. I hear one guy say to me (or maybe himself) "Oh, this is the bad part of the run." I just wanted to say to him "If you want to look at it that way." But I kept my mouth shut. I hear a lot of complaining when I am running and I think it just drives me to run past the negative voices. I passed a few girls at the beginning of the first loop but I knew i needed to pick up the pace. my favorite part of the run is the last stretch (about a mile) on the off-road. maybe because I am about to hit an aid station and the grassy road turns into the street filled with spectators. I felt solid the whole run and I just kept running. I had no idea where I was in my age group but I was running my little legs off. My body wanted to slow down the last 2 miles cause I was super hot but I said no. YOu can rest when you get to the finish line. I was so over my breaking 5 hour time and I started thinking I might be able to place top 10 in my age group.
Here are my run splits:
7:08
7:59
8:04
8:08
First loop: 31:19 minutes
8:00
8:01
8:14
8:11
Second loop: 32:26 minutes
8:04
8:14
8:10
8:28
8:30
Last loop to finish: 41 minutes
Run:1:47
I finished the run and was done. My parents couldn't believe how much I had left at the end but I left it all out on the race course. I wasn't in pain after the race but I was a little sore. Not too stiff (like I am today) but it was a hard race. I love having the loops cause when I see the spectators at the beginning of each loop I feel the fire to pick up the pace.
I checked the results and I just hoped that I made top 10. I was 6th out of 98 girls and couldn't believe it! No Clearwater spot (only 3 in my age group) but that is ok. I was so happy I could race on sunday because that is why I train so hard. I love going into a race with a trained body but dealing with wind, rain and heat is something that is hard to train for. I was so happy to see my parents enjoying themselves out on the course and having my friends Angie and Hunter out cheering me on. A big thanks to Hammer for making me feel so good during the bike and run. Thanks to all the other people cheering (kate's hubby Craig is an awesome cheerer..he got me really pumped!) and congrats to all those who raced in the heat and rain. I guess it is Florida so the weather is expected but hopefully the finisher medal is the memory that motivates you to sign up for another race.
5/18/08
Disney 70.3
I will write the detailed write-up in a bit. Right now I'm trying to finish some packing before we load up the moving truck tomorrow.
The race was hard. The girls in my new age group are tough. The conditions weren't the best. Rain on the bike for around 20 miles and the heat on the run was tough. The swim was beautiful.
I swam my hardest.
I biked hard...but saved my legs.
I ran like there was no tomorrow.
I would like to provide a quote for my last loop of the run...
"No mom, I can't run any faster."
There must be something about parents, friends and loved ones that think you (as the athlete) can go faster. Yeah, like it is just that easy. Only kidding. I love when people cheer for me and especially my mom and dad. My mom loves running with me and my dad just shouts "Go Marn!" And today my dad had a new quote for me
"Marn if you are talking than you might as well be walking." He's telling me this as I am asking him how many girls are ahead of me.
I am so proud of my performance today because I competed to the best of my ability. This was my first time "racing" my bike in rain and I was a bit scared. I just wanted to run.
Thanks for my good luck wishes and congrats emails. I appreciate it! And the best part...NO INJURIES, NO PAIN (well...you know what I mean)!!!!
Results are on Ironmanlive.com but here you go:
SWIM: 31:50
BIKE: 2:46:12
RUN: 1:47:50 (WAHOO!!!! My interval tuesdays paid off!)
Total: 5:11:20
Overall place:289
Female overall: 35
Age group (25-29): 6
5/17/08
Disney....here I come!
First off...thank you to everyone for the good luck wishes!! I never thought I would have so many friends through blogging. I hope to meet a few more bloggers at Disney tomorrow, but I'm sure we will all "run" into each other one day down the road. I really appreciate the kind words, encouraging advice and just the committment to checking my blog and writing comments so that I had an incentive to get up every morning and do something fun, hard and challenging so that I would have something to write about on my blog. I guess all you bloggers (and readers) have held me accountable to my training for the past couple of months. To all my blogging training buddies and supporters..thanks!
Well, Karel left at 8:45am for Lakeland. He has a tune-up race today and then the state crit championships tomorrow. There is race money for both days but only tomorrow will the state champion be awarded. I think karel is going to do really well. He felt great all week (even though he really didn't say much about his training) but I could tell he had a calmness that I usually don't see in him. I think speed week gave him that extra boost of confidence and I know he would really like to do well this weekend. I guess today will be a good opportunity to get a feel of the other races. Most people will probably just race on sun. but for Karel, he likes racing two days in a row. however, with the race at noon, he isn't too happy about riding in the heat. Oh well....Good luck Karel!!!
I woke up around 6am with Karel and packed up my stuff. Actually, re-packed. I like to pack my stuff 2 days before I leave for a race. It just makes me more calm than trying to gather everything before I leave. Also, with our place filled with boxes (for our move on tues), I had to think ahead when packing up our stuff. I then warmed up with a 17 mile ride and a 2 mile run. The bike was a bit windy and I got rained on toward the end of the ride. I didn't expect rain but it came quickly and then it was just wet and cloudy. I put on my running shoes and felt great. I was just running along and noticed there was a 5K race on the street behind me. I had a few people tell me that i was about to miss the race start. I just smiled and kept running.
I said bye to karel and made breakfast. Now I'm just hanging around anxious to leave. My parents are picking me up and we are heading to orlando together. It is nice to have my parents with me. I don't ask them to come to any of my races and I tell them that they shouldn't drive to a race if the drive takes longer than the race itself. However, when it comes to a 70.3 race, at least the 2 hour drive to Orlando makes up for a hopefull "sub-5 hour" finish. Of course, it is great to have my mom to cheer and my dad to take the pictures (which I will post on my blog with the race report).
I don't always feel this way about a race so I don't want to come across as super confident. However, I am feeling really good about this race. Not nervous (you might want to ask me again when I line up for my wave with the 18-29 women, 145 of us total, 115 in my age group), excited and ready to hurt. Karel gave me a little pep talk and told me to pace myself so it will come down to the run. I was thinking the same thing. As I was warming up I found it strange that I felt so good. HOwever, my good was very relative to my opinion of good and mot so ready. I guess the old Marni would think that I was feeling good if I felt fast and without aches. A not-so ready warm-up would be soreness from overtraining or not resting properly. Perhaps not enough sleep or not keeping up with good nutrition. However, this time I only had one thing on my mind for not being ready. Pain. The pain I felt going into Kona and not being able to run for 31 days before I ran 26.2 miles in kona. The pain I felt walking (with a horrible limp) for 2 months (1 month with crutches). The pain I felt trying to run at 4.5-6 mph for another 2 months. I guess now I feel so good about this race because I have no pain. I am not sure if my legs are sore, if I am not properly trained or if my muscles are tired. I am feeling so good because I can go into this race (and hopefully finish) without any pain. Of course I am going to work very hard and it WILL hurt as I push my body but that is why I worked so hard. I don't expect to go a time that i didn't train for but i expect to enjoy this experience because I am not in pain. Racing in pain is not fun and I don't like the feeling of wanting to just finish. I hope that after the race, even if I don't reach my sub 5-hour goal (I am aware of the difficulty of reaching this goal) I can find something positive in this race. There may not be an age-group award, there may not be a 70.3 World Championship qualifying certificate and I might not set a PR (last year, 5:09 finishing time). However, I will have a medal to show for my Ironman Florida 70.3 finish and if the above "goals" don't happen, I will try to dig deep and remind myself of where I was 7 months ago.
Good luck everyone racing. too many names to mention so a BIGGGGG good luck to those who know I am cheering for them!!!
Well, Karel left at 8:45am for Lakeland. He has a tune-up race today and then the state crit championships tomorrow. There is race money for both days but only tomorrow will the state champion be awarded. I think karel is going to do really well. He felt great all week (even though he really didn't say much about his training) but I could tell he had a calmness that I usually don't see in him. I think speed week gave him that extra boost of confidence and I know he would really like to do well this weekend. I guess today will be a good opportunity to get a feel of the other races. Most people will probably just race on sun. but for Karel, he likes racing two days in a row. however, with the race at noon, he isn't too happy about riding in the heat. Oh well....Good luck Karel!!!
I woke up around 6am with Karel and packed up my stuff. Actually, re-packed. I like to pack my stuff 2 days before I leave for a race. It just makes me more calm than trying to gather everything before I leave. Also, with our place filled with boxes (for our move on tues), I had to think ahead when packing up our stuff. I then warmed up with a 17 mile ride and a 2 mile run. The bike was a bit windy and I got rained on toward the end of the ride. I didn't expect rain but it came quickly and then it was just wet and cloudy. I put on my running shoes and felt great. I was just running along and noticed there was a 5K race on the street behind me. I had a few people tell me that i was about to miss the race start. I just smiled and kept running.
I said bye to karel and made breakfast. Now I'm just hanging around anxious to leave. My parents are picking me up and we are heading to orlando together. It is nice to have my parents with me. I don't ask them to come to any of my races and I tell them that they shouldn't drive to a race if the drive takes longer than the race itself. However, when it comes to a 70.3 race, at least the 2 hour drive to Orlando makes up for a hopefull "sub-5 hour" finish. Of course, it is great to have my mom to cheer and my dad to take the pictures (which I will post on my blog with the race report).
I don't always feel this way about a race so I don't want to come across as super confident. However, I am feeling really good about this race. Not nervous (you might want to ask me again when I line up for my wave with the 18-29 women, 145 of us total, 115 in my age group), excited and ready to hurt. Karel gave me a little pep talk and told me to pace myself so it will come down to the run. I was thinking the same thing. As I was warming up I found it strange that I felt so good. HOwever, my good was very relative to my opinion of good and mot so ready. I guess the old Marni would think that I was feeling good if I felt fast and without aches. A not-so ready warm-up would be soreness from overtraining or not resting properly. Perhaps not enough sleep or not keeping up with good nutrition. However, this time I only had one thing on my mind for not being ready. Pain. The pain I felt going into Kona and not being able to run for 31 days before I ran 26.2 miles in kona. The pain I felt walking (with a horrible limp) for 2 months (1 month with crutches). The pain I felt trying to run at 4.5-6 mph for another 2 months. I guess now I feel so good about this race because I have no pain. I am not sure if my legs are sore, if I am not properly trained or if my muscles are tired. I am feeling so good because I can go into this race (and hopefully finish) without any pain. Of course I am going to work very hard and it WILL hurt as I push my body but that is why I worked so hard. I don't expect to go a time that i didn't train for but i expect to enjoy this experience because I am not in pain. Racing in pain is not fun and I don't like the feeling of wanting to just finish. I hope that after the race, even if I don't reach my sub 5-hour goal (I am aware of the difficulty of reaching this goal) I can find something positive in this race. There may not be an age-group award, there may not be a 70.3 World Championship qualifying certificate and I might not set a PR (last year, 5:09 finishing time). However, I will have a medal to show for my Ironman Florida 70.3 finish and if the above "goals" don't happen, I will try to dig deep and remind myself of where I was 7 months ago.
Good luck everyone racing. too many names to mention so a BIGGGGG good luck to those who know I am cheering for them!!!
5/16/08
Websites?????
This is an area I know nothing about. I think the idea of blogging is just great because it is easy to blog daily and you learn a lot about random people. It is only after a few comment posting's that the random person becomes your friend.
A year ago I knew I wanted a website. Since I'm not a Pro athlete, I didn't want it to showcase my athletic career. Although I am an athlete who takes my sport very seriously, I wanted to show people what I can do as far as coaching, sports nutrition and writing.
I was told by Robert "vigo" Vigorito (race director for Columbia triathlon...if you live up north, you probably know him) to contact Ray Lake as the go-to person for a website. I contacted him right away and told him what I wanted it to look like, I sent him some info about me and he went to work. I paid him and it was just that easy. There are many things that I feel I am capable of doing and I don't need to hire anyone to help me out but when it comes to computers and designing a website, I need help!!
Here is some info about Ray....
I have 25 yrs experience as a pharmacist but my interest in information technology led me to create my own home-based webpage business called "Pagescripters". I've been building webpages now for a little over 10 years. My first site was for my local running club since I felt others, like me, wanted to see our race results and upcoming races online. Wow, that makes me feel old considering how far we have come since then!
As a pharmacist, I am responsible for a large cleanroom operation and several corporate pharmacy initiatives for Medstar Health, an 8-hospital system in the Baltimore/Washington metro area. I also have 3 Microsoft certifications which I acquired through self-training.
I am a divorced father of two. My beautiful daughter Carla is 18 yo and will soon be attending the U. of MD @ College Park in the Fall and my 13 yo son Michael is a burgeoning tennis player with a mean backhand. My girlfriend is also a pharmacist and we both enjoy technology, movies, eating out, traveling and anything outdoors.
I've done many triathons and two marathons and continue to love running and biking. Swimming has always been a necessary evil to register for a triathlon. I've also done the Chesapeake Bay One Mile swim. My favorite local races are the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler (~ 7 times) and the Columbia Triathlon (5 times).
Some of my current sites include:
www.trimarni.com
www.mshp.org
www.dcshp.org
www.paulmassaro.com
www.tms-mindbodymedicine.com/
www.tricolumbia.org (some behind the scenes, not the design)
www.mdvoices.com (some involvement since my daughter is the Editor)
www.striders.net (no longer actively involved but this was my first site)
Ray Lake, R.Ph, M.S.
Contact: raytlake@gmail.com
This year, I wanted something new. I wasn't sure what I wanted, but I thought my website needed an update. I am in a new stage of my future career and I feel much more confident about my skills and ability to help people. Therefore, I need a website that is informative and fun. I see all different types of websites, some cluttered and some very detailed. I just want something that tells people what I can do and shows that I love what I do.
Ray went to work with almost any guidance on the layout of the site. I just provided the info and pics. I couldn't be more impressed and I hope everyone out there enjoys my new site. With a lot of time and work it is finally finished!!!!
MARNI'S WEBSITE
A year ago I knew I wanted a website. Since I'm not a Pro athlete, I didn't want it to showcase my athletic career. Although I am an athlete who takes my sport very seriously, I wanted to show people what I can do as far as coaching, sports nutrition and writing.
I was told by Robert "vigo" Vigorito (race director for Columbia triathlon...if you live up north, you probably know him) to contact Ray Lake as the go-to person for a website. I contacted him right away and told him what I wanted it to look like, I sent him some info about me and he went to work. I paid him and it was just that easy. There are many things that I feel I am capable of doing and I don't need to hire anyone to help me out but when it comes to computers and designing a website, I need help!!
Here is some info about Ray....
I have 25 yrs experience as a pharmacist but my interest in information technology led me to create my own home-based webpage business called "Pagescripters". I've been building webpages now for a little over 10 years. My first site was for my local running club since I felt others, like me, wanted to see our race results and upcoming races online. Wow, that makes me feel old considering how far we have come since then!
As a pharmacist, I am responsible for a large cleanroom operation and several corporate pharmacy initiatives for Medstar Health, an 8-hospital system in the Baltimore/Washington metro area. I also have 3 Microsoft certifications which I acquired through self-training.
I am a divorced father of two. My beautiful daughter Carla is 18 yo and will soon be attending the U. of MD @ College Park in the Fall and my 13 yo son Michael is a burgeoning tennis player with a mean backhand. My girlfriend is also a pharmacist and we both enjoy technology, movies, eating out, traveling and anything outdoors.
I've done many triathons and two marathons and continue to love running and biking. Swimming has always been a necessary evil to register for a triathlon. I've also done the Chesapeake Bay One Mile swim. My favorite local races are the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler (~ 7 times) and the Columbia Triathlon (5 times).
Some of my current sites include:
www.trimarni.com
www.mshp.org
www.dcshp.org
www.paulmassaro.com
www.tms-mindbodymedicine.com/
www.tricolumbia.org (some behind the scenes, not the design)
www.mdvoices.com (some involvement since my daughter is the Editor)
www.striders.net (no longer actively involved but this was my first site)
Ray Lake, R.Ph, M.S.
Contact: raytlake@gmail.com
This year, I wanted something new. I wasn't sure what I wanted, but I thought my website needed an update. I am in a new stage of my future career and I feel much more confident about my skills and ability to help people. Therefore, I need a website that is informative and fun. I see all different types of websites, some cluttered and some very detailed. I just want something that tells people what I can do and shows that I love what I do.
Ray went to work with almost any guidance on the layout of the site. I just provided the info and pics. I couldn't be more impressed and I hope everyone out there enjoys my new site. With a lot of time and work it is finally finished!!!!
5/15/08
A few more memories....
During the beginning of my senior year of college I was filled with emotions. Of course because it was my LAST year of school (so I thought) but because I knew I would finish school (Transylvania University, Lexington, KY) with a great liberal arts education and 4-years of competitive swimming. Because I almost didn't swim my senior year because I was so burnt out from swimming, I ran cross country my senior year but didn't feel happy. I had so many amazing memories from swimming and I felt like the swim team was my family. As much as I spent the whole summer before Senior year dreading the upcoming season of jumping into the pool every mwf at 5am and then going back for daily afternoon practices from 3:30-6 and then going to sat. morning swim from 7-10, I knew I wanted to be with my family. I wasn't in a sorority in college but I felt like my team was my combined fraternity and sorority. Luckily, I decided to swim and had an amazing season and I graduated college with a great fulfillment that I stuck it out and swam. Not only stuck it out just to finish the season but I enjoyed every swim practice and never complained.
I remember having many "Last" moments during my senior year.
This is my last first swim practice.
This is my last first meet.
This is my last swim practice.
This is my last race.
This is my last nationals.
This is my last banquet.
This is my only senior banquet.
I think I had a "last" comment for everything but it was a happy, yet sad, time in my life.
Now I am moving on once again. However, triathlons have given me many memories that I will never forget. The best part is that I don't feel like any one time is my last. I know I will see people again, I know we will all train together and I know there are no endings to what we love to do. I guess after 4-competitive years of swimming, a college athlete is ready to say "good-bye". However, I have so many great memories and I am fortunate to have many great friends in my life to share them with. Karel and I have been so lucky to find each other through our sports and the best part is that we have the same friends. Even if some people do only triathlons and some people
do cycling races, we all find joy in training together, socializing and just having fun. Life is just a lot sweeter with good friends and I am really going to miss all the great people that have come in my life during the past couple of years.
Last night Karel and I did the Wed. night ride with the Gearlinkers. Gotta love those crazy fast rides. I think I was barely hanging on around 26-28mph and after 2 loops (3 mile loop, no stopping, all right turns) of warm-up I hung on for 3 more loops (out of 6). My cornering skills are just awful so as I would keep getting dropped I would have a guy or two try to pull me back into the group. I was barely hanging on for all the loops. After I got dropped I rode by myself. This ride is just one of those rides were you just hang on until you get dropped or can't take it anymore (for those who are rotating). I think around 30 people start the ride and the final sprint is around 15-20 people. Tough stuff! I saw Blair Lahaye (PR at Ironman) walking on the sidewalk so I thought chatting with blair as I pedaled around 4mph was a perfect end to my workout. After we talked for about a mile (so it seemed) I headed to the long stretch of road so I could watch the guys (and Celia D.) sprint to the finish. I love watching them and it is unbelievable seeing how fast they go. I guess Karel wasn't going to finish his "last wed ride" without making the guys work a little harder than normal so I see Karel and Spencer Smith (Pro triathlete, you may know him as the one with the Pink Planet X bike) and Frank Lopez (pro cyclist) sprinting together. Oh Karel...going out for the win. I catch up with Karel after a cool-down and the first thing he says "I can't wait for some wings and a beer." Sounds like the Czech boy was ready to celebrate. We had a great group of people (more than we thought) join us for dinner at the Varsity Club. This spot is very special to Karel and I (not because they serve good wings and beer to the cyclists) but this is where Karel and I met after the group ride. We met on May 31st, 2006 (my b-day) 2 years ago so we thought this was an appropriate place to say our "see ya later, until the wedding" to everyone. Because a few of the Gearlinkers decided to hook-up Karel and I , we couldn't be more thankful that we have such great friends in our life.
This morning, another great swim and the last swim of my taper. I practiced in my Zoot speed suit (LOVE IT!!!) and felt amazing. It took me a while to warm-up (again, it was a little cold) but I was ready to work hard and get some good rest in between sets.
2 sets: 4 x 200's. I took around 45 sec - 90 sec rest. I pretty much went when I felt like my HR was down. The first 4 went 50 pace, 100 hard, 50 pace. I also descended each 200. My times were:
2:45, 2:43, 2:41, 2:39.
HAPPY!!!!
The next 4 were build within each 200. My times were:
2:41, 2:41, 2:39, 2:36.
SUPER HAPPY!!!
Time to take another pic!!!
I am really going to miss my fabulous swim team. Gay, tony, lee, barb, jerry, john, leo, dave, derek, eric, art, jill, tracy....everyone!!! Coach Matt Hess just wants us all to have fun and enjoy swimming. He loves pushing us and I guess it works. Everyone has improved within the past season. There is a lot of sarcasm in the pool and it makes me laugh so hard in between sets. No one complains about the sets...we just laugh cause Matt makes fun of everyone..and we all take it ;)
After the swim I was surprised by a beautiful fruit display in the lobby. Derek...you are awesome!!! Thank you so much. Jerry gave Karel a nice bottle of wine and I guess my friends really do know me....I would much rather prefer fruit than cake, cookies or some kind of sweet for a going-away party in the lobby of the Y.
Thank you all for lots of great early morning swims :) Even if my bed was nice and warm, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else (swimming that is) than with the Swim Fit at Palm Harbor Y at 5:30am on tues/thurs.
I remember having many "Last" moments during my senior year.
This is my last first swim practice.
This is my last first meet.
This is my last swim practice.
This is my last race.
This is my last nationals.
This is my last banquet.
This is my only senior banquet.
I think I had a "last" comment for everything but it was a happy, yet sad, time in my life.
Now I am moving on once again. However, triathlons have given me many memories that I will never forget. The best part is that I don't feel like any one time is my last. I know I will see people again, I know we will all train together and I know there are no endings to what we love to do. I guess after 4-competitive years of swimming, a college athlete is ready to say "good-bye". However, I have so many great memories and I am fortunate to have many great friends in my life to share them with. Karel and I have been so lucky to find each other through our sports and the best part is that we have the same friends. Even if some people do only triathlons and some people
do cycling races, we all find joy in training together, socializing and just having fun. Life is just a lot sweeter with good friends and I am really going to miss all the great people that have come in my life during the past couple of years.
Last night Karel and I did the Wed. night ride with the Gearlinkers. Gotta love those crazy fast rides. I think I was barely hanging on around 26-28mph and after 2 loops (3 mile loop, no stopping, all right turns) of warm-up I hung on for 3 more loops (out of 6). My cornering skills are just awful so as I would keep getting dropped I would have a guy or two try to pull me back into the group. I was barely hanging on for all the loops. After I got dropped I rode by myself. This ride is just one of those rides were you just hang on until you get dropped or can't take it anymore (for those who are rotating). I think around 30 people start the ride and the final sprint is around 15-20 people. Tough stuff! I saw Blair Lahaye (PR at Ironman) walking on the sidewalk so I thought chatting with blair as I pedaled around 4mph was a perfect end to my workout. After we talked for about a mile (so it seemed) I headed to the long stretch of road so I could watch the guys (and Celia D.) sprint to the finish. I love watching them and it is unbelievable seeing how fast they go. I guess Karel wasn't going to finish his "last wed ride" without making the guys work a little harder than normal so I see Karel and Spencer Smith (Pro triathlete, you may know him as the one with the Pink Planet X bike) and Frank Lopez (pro cyclist) sprinting together. Oh Karel...going out for the win. I catch up with Karel after a cool-down and the first thing he says "I can't wait for some wings and a beer." Sounds like the Czech boy was ready to celebrate. We had a great group of people (more than we thought) join us for dinner at the Varsity Club. This spot is very special to Karel and I (not because they serve good wings and beer to the cyclists) but this is where Karel and I met after the group ride. We met on May 31st, 2006 (my b-day) 2 years ago so we thought this was an appropriate place to say our "see ya later, until the wedding" to everyone. Because a few of the Gearlinkers decided to hook-up Karel and I , we couldn't be more thankful that we have such great friends in our life.
This morning, another great swim and the last swim of my taper. I practiced in my Zoot speed suit (LOVE IT!!!) and felt amazing. It took me a while to warm-up (again, it was a little cold) but I was ready to work hard and get some good rest in between sets.
2 sets: 4 x 200's. I took around 45 sec - 90 sec rest. I pretty much went when I felt like my HR was down. The first 4 went 50 pace, 100 hard, 50 pace. I also descended each 200. My times were:
2:45, 2:43, 2:41, 2:39.
HAPPY!!!!
The next 4 were build within each 200. My times were:
2:41, 2:41, 2:39, 2:36.
SUPER HAPPY!!!
Time to take another pic!!!
I am really going to miss my fabulous swim team. Gay, tony, lee, barb, jerry, john, leo, dave, derek, eric, art, jill, tracy....everyone!!! Coach Matt Hess just wants us all to have fun and enjoy swimming. He loves pushing us and I guess it works. Everyone has improved within the past season. There is a lot of sarcasm in the pool and it makes me laugh so hard in between sets. No one complains about the sets...we just laugh cause Matt makes fun of everyone..and we all take it ;)
After the swim I was surprised by a beautiful fruit display in the lobby. Derek...you are awesome!!! Thank you so much. Jerry gave Karel a nice bottle of wine and I guess my friends really do know me....I would much rather prefer fruit than cake, cookies or some kind of sweet for a going-away party in the lobby of the Y.
Thank you all for lots of great early morning swims :) Even if my bed was nice and warm, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else (swimming that is) than with the Swim Fit at Palm Harbor Y at 5:30am on tues/thurs.
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