Thanksgiving

What a great long weekend. I got in a 37 mile ride on Friday morning, a 40 mile ride on Saturday morning and a 8.5 mile run this morning. I spent a bit of time on the computer working on training schedules and nutrition write-ups and I finished up a few assignments for school. This is my last week of school and I am super excited. I can't wait to have Dec. off before I start another semester of school.
Thanksgiving was a lot of fun. Karel and I went to Lenore's parents house in Riverside (downtown Jacksonville) at 2pm. I brought my fruit pizza dish and I also made a brocoli and chickpea side dish. I added a little low sodium ginger soy sauce and sesame seeds to the brocoli dish and then baked it in the oven.
I was really excited for Karel and I to celebrate our first thanksgiving together as husband and wife and I was also excited for Campy to meet his new girlfriend. I was looking forward to this all week....Lenore has a chihuahua named Annabell and this would be the first time that Campy would interact with another dog. I was really excited to see if the two got along and if they acted the similar since Campy is a chihuahua/italian greyhound mix.
As soon as campy got out of the car, Annabell and Campy had a few sniffs of each other and then they started playing. They were running all around the backyard in circles, chasing each other. I couldn't even take a picture of them they were running so fast. Campy also enjoyed his first thanksgiving with a few pieces of Turkey from Karel. Oh did he love that!
Thanksgiving was great and we enjoyed the people around the table as we shared stories and talked about random stuff. I missed being with my family but I always tell them how thankful I am to have them in my life.
I hope everyone had a great weekend.

My fruit pizza (sugar cookie dough crust, fat-free strawberry cream cheese and whatever fruit you want)



Annabell meets Campy (she dressed up for Campy)


They are so fast!


Water break



Campy is looking for his future wife (annabell)


Karel found Annabell's christmas outfit


Karel!!


More turkey please?



Too much turkey...

Outback classic half marathon report

I had my doubts on Wednesday. After feeling super heavy during my 4 mile warm-up run on the treadmill at the Y, I went to Karel in the weight room and told him that I felt a little strange. I wasn't too concerned because I knew what was coming. Let's just say that mother nature gave me a little surprise, 5 days late and 1 day before my race. I don't mind admitting it because well, I am a women and it is part of life. All the women out there live with it and well, I think it is just one more challenge for us women to overcome as we are training. Unfortunatly, after leaving my microbiology class on Wed I was feeling super horrible. My body was all crampy, my stomach hurt and I was just feeling awful...absolutely awful. I just wanted to go home and sleep.
I had some errands to run and I tried to keep my mind off how miserable I felt. When I got home, Campy and I went for a long walk and as usual, he cheers me up. Later that afternoon we did our daily 1.2-there and back walk to the Trek store and Karel cheered me up with a new Giordana winter jacket and gloves. :)
So, the day went on, I had an early dinner of eggs and toast because I had no apetite all day and while watching TV with Karel last night, I just wondered how I would be able to race on Thursday.
Having said all that, I do not make excuses. Although I was feeling super crappy, I had not convinced myself that I would have a crappy race. I told Karel my body was ready to race. I tapered, I rested and I was excited to run. My body may have felt lousy but I was in the mood to race. So, when Thursday came I just put away any negative thoughts and convinced myself that I could run fast today.
It was kinda strange because the race was 1.2 miles down the road at Outback and because of that, I didn't need to drive there. After waking up at 6am, eating my toast w/ PB and banana slices and getting dressed I had so much extra time. It was only 7am so I decided to take Campy for a walk. I could hear the race music going on and I was even more excited to leave. I was dressed in my zoot long sleeve shirt and I decided on my hammmer tri shorts because they compressed on my legs, rather than wearing loose running shorts. It was a bit cold (mid 40's) in the morning but I knew that would bring fast running.
I made my 9 min run up to the start and at 7:45 I was just standing around, waiting for the start. At 8am the race was off.....
The best part about this race was that I had run on all the roads, except for the last 2 miles. I knew every turn, every slight incline and decline (there were only a few of them and very small) and all the nice houses I could look at.
The first 3 miles were fast. Almost too fast. I was running under my goal pace of 1:25 and I found myself around 7:15 and under for the first few miles. Rather than slowing myself down I told myself that if I could keep that pace up, I would have some built in time (around a minute) if I needed to slow down the last few miles. I had a new race strategy today if I wanted to reach my goal time of 1:38.
If I don't slow down, I will run fast enough to get my goal time.
I know, I'm a genius.
In all seriousness, I really really really wanted to slow down. Especially around mile 6, my legs started to not coroporate. There was only water at the aid stations and I only had 1 gel with me (Hammer vanilla). I wanted to use 1/2 of that gel at mile 8 and then again at mile 10 but I was beginning to feel super tired by mile 7. Luckily, an aid station with powerade came at mile 7 and when I grabbed that drink, it was like I was getting a shot of sugar. Oh, did I love it.
I kept on running with the same group of guys and although I was slowing down a bit I was still on pace to reach my goal time. After taking 1/2 mile gel at 8 and then again at 10, I was feeling like I was going to run a bit faster than my goal time. However, I got a super sharp pain/cramp in my right side just before mile 11 and I was hurting so bad. I had to slow down a bit but there was no walking for me. I tried everything, pushing in my side, making sure i was inhaling and exhaling on my left foot and I tried breathing deeper. Finally, I decided to do my hillary biscay run (I call it that because I feel like I run like her when I do that and I just think she is great!). I kinda lowered myself to the ground, lowered my arms to my hips and kinda shuffled my legs fast for a few minutes. Although it didn't do the trick completely, it did enough to allow me to pick up my pace again.
I had 1.5 miles to go and I saw Karel's coach in front of me. As I passed him up he told me to "go get 'em girl!" That really cheered me up to power it out as much as I could on the last mile.
*On a side note, Karel's coach, Shawn Burke, just did Kona (for fun), raced IMFL a few weeks later and placed 8th in his AG to re-qualify for Kona (to race) next year. What an awesome athlete/coach. He was just cruising during the half marathon and I don't blame him.
The last mile came and although I didn't spill the beans during this race report, I knew I was way ahead of my goal time during the entire race. When I saw the clock as I made the turn to the finish line shute, I was in shock. Absolute shock.
1:36.30

I just can't believe it.
5th in my age group
32nd overall female.
I still can't believe it but my body is reminding me this morning, that I pushed really hard to get that time.

Here are the splits:
7:12
7:06
7:12
7:20
7:11
7:40
7:12
7:23
7:29
7:22
7:33
7:27
8:16 (last 1.1 mile)
Total: 1:36.30

Do's and Don'ts of Thanksgiving

In no particular order....
-DO eat breakfast. Rather than going for the daily bowl of oatmeal, cereal, toast or bagel, think protein. Egg white omelet, whey protein shake, yogurt or lean/veggie meat. Although turkey is high in protein, there are is abundance of carbs on Thanksgiving and there is nothing worse than starting off your day with fluctuating blood sugar levels and feeling extremely starved when your thanksgiving meal is served. If your thanksgiving meal is before 4pm, aim for a decent sized breakfast (around 400-500 calories). If your thanksgiving dinner is after 4pm, stick to protein foods, at around 350-400 calories.
-Do not go long hours without eating. Again, stick to foods which will stabilize your blood sugar and will not digest too quickly. Choose foods such as deli meat, cheese, string cheese, nuts, PB, carrots, celery, cucumbers, apples, pears, yogurt or egg whites (hard boiled). Stick with snacks around 100-150 calories, every 2-3 hours.
-Do not go into the thanksgiving meal starving. Hungry, yes. Starving, no. Go for a small snack of your slow digesting foods around 1 hour -45 minutes before the meal. Pass on the heavy appetizers which can add 300-500 extra calories to your daily diet, before the meal is even served. Although I do not suggest this on a daily basis, a good choice before the meal would be a carbonated beverage such as a flavored water or seltzer. Even a 12 ounce diet soda will help to curb any cravings you are feeling as you are anxiously awaiting the meal. Especially if your meal is in the afternoon (ex. around 2 or 3) or in the late afternoon (4 or 5), a few sips of your carbonated beverage will keep your tummy from feeling empty.
-Do not use excuses. Just because it is Thanksgiving, you only have the day to enjoy a variety of foods you normally wouldn't prepare. Yes, the portions may be a bit bigger, but 200-30 extra calories is no big deal. However, giving yourself the excuse that you can eat however much you want will leave you feeling extremely full after the meal. Stay focused with your portions and try to overestimate your calories for each serving that you put on your plate. You'd be surprised that you could easily eat 1000 calories at a meal from just 3 oversized portions of the green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole and a piece of pie.
-Do use strategy when serving yourself (yes-please serve yourself). Use big plates for any type of vegetable or salad and meat. Use smaller plates for deserts and side dishes. Or let your brain think you are eating a lot by using one plate for your meal and use 60% of the plate for the turkey, greens and veggies and then choose a little of whatever you want to make up the rest of the plate.
-Do exercise on Thurs morning. See this day just like any other day. Although your table may have a few more table settings and the fridge is packed with food, make sure you are portioning your calories during the day in order to eat a little bit more come the "real" meal. Having said that, give yourself some extra room to eat a variety of food. Burn those calories in the morning! Remember, it is the off-season and you don't have to train. It is ok to work out for a few hours (or be active for a few hours) and not have to worry about properly replenishing or reaching x-heart rate. Get in a good sweat even if it is just for an hour on the treadmill or a 90 min spin on your trainer. And, if you are choosing a protein-filled breakfast, you won't have to worry about feeling sore and lethargic all day.
-Do plan a workout for Friday morning. Plan ahead (like today) and know that you will do something active on Friday morning. You can sleep in and go for a 45 min or 60 min run on friday morning or wake up before your family gets up and go for a long bike ride (or a ride on your trainer or treadmill). Ever eat too much on the night before a race, sleep horribly the night before a race and then wake up on race day morning regretting that you had too much to eat? Thanksgiving is kinda like that. You feel great when you are eating but when the meal is over, you tell yourself you will never do that again. If you know ahead of time that you will exercise on Friday morning, you will be less likely to eat until you are stuffed (rather than satisified). You probably won't need to have a pre-exercise snack on Friday morning but just getting yourself out the door on Friday will help you burn those extra calories that you enjoyed on Thursday.
-Do not think all is ruined. Maybe you didn't lose the weight you wanted to this past season/year. Maybe you are "feeling" fat at the moment. Maybe you are dreading all the "unhealthy" foods that are going to presented to you at your meal. Although this is Thanksgiving, this is just another day. You still need to use all the wisdom, knowledge and education that you have to make good choices on Thanksgiving.
-Do have a go-to food. This is something I believe in for all events and functions. If you are holding Thanksgiving at your home, it is easy to plan what you will prepare, what you will eat and how much food you have to choose from. However, when attending Thanksgiving at a neighbors house, family members house or a friend of a friend's house, it is very hard to maintain your healthy eating plan if nothing healthy is available. And believe me, even though a bunch of athletes are reading this blog there are plenty of people who go to houses where everything is soaked in oil, fat or butter and there is absolutely nothing under 400 calories a serving and less than 10g saturated fat. No matter where you go for Thanksgiving, always have a go-to food/side item for you to feel good about. And, if you find that your go-to food is the only healthy food, be sure that you use your dish to help make up that 60% of your plate of veggies, greens and turkey. Maybe you choose to make your own healthy version of a sweet potato or green bean casserole or maybe you want to bring your own steamed veggies or a bowl of chopped hard boiled eggs and fresh chopped celery. Regardless of whatever you bring, you will have nothing to fear when platting your plate of a variety of foods (unhealthy and healthy).
-Do give thanks. I know it sounds cliche but it is a great holiday to give thanks to the people who you choose to be with in order to celebrate the holiday. Furthermore, we all have people around us that we should probably thank more. Specifically all the half ironman and ironman athletes out there....LOTS of thanks is given to the friends and families who put up with us and our long training sessions. Rather than thinking about all the food you will eat, take the time to email, call or visit those who have played an important part in your life. I am sad because this is only the 2nd Thanksgiving I have not spent with my parents (the first was because I was cramming my brain with info before my exit exams in grad school in Dec. 2005). Karel and I are thankful that we have great friends here in JAX to spend Thanksgiving with and we also look forward to meeting new people tomorrow.

I hope this all helps!
Happy Thanksgiving!

Somewhere around #20, my arms fell off

"Earn your turkey Tuesday" or for me, "Earn my sweet potatoes"

This morning at swimming we had a change in our typical workout regime. Rather than doing sets, our coach Lindsey decided that we would do 100's all practice long. The practice started at 6am and ended whenever we needed (or wanted) to get out. I normally stay in until 7:15 (depending on the set).
Lindsey had us pick an interval and then it was time to repeat 100's.
I picked the 1:30 cycle, but in order to change things up, I did:
3 x 100's on 1:30
3 x 100's on 1:40.
This broke up the monotony of swimming and swimming and swimming...like nemo would say.
After 2 sets of my 6x100's, I was ready for a break. However, I found it hard to stop. I kept telling myself just to get in 3 more fast ones. But then when I finished the 1:30 cycle I wanted to do the 3x100's on 1:40 to relax a bit. Finally, at #20 I took a "social" break and did a 100 kick. Then back to the 100's.
By 7am most people had gotten out of the pool but I was determined to get to #40.
When I got to #28 I kept telling myself that I only had 2 more sets to go. After 6 more, I had no more arms and my shoulders were struggling to reach and roll. I kept thinking about my form since the cycle wasn't very hard, but after swimming continuously for over an hour, I was ready to get the last 6 over with! 3 more, 2 more, 1 more. FINISHED!
But...
I didn't want to stop at #40. I wanted to do more, even though my arms did not.
I ended up doing 5 more by alternating kick, backstroke, kick, backstroke, kick, swim/cool-down.
I ended up doing 45x100's in 1 hour and 15 min. I only stopped for 1 minute after #21 and then the last 5 were on no cycle. I just gave myself a few seconds rest. The 4500 went by pretty fast but then again, it must be the Ironman mentality. Lindsey told me that many people found the set really, really, really boring. Not me! :)

After the swim I walked on the treadmill for a few miles (for the second day in a row) to rest my legs. I am taking my race on Thursday really seriously and attempting to taper my legs as much as possible. Tomorrow I will do some intervals on the treadmill to warm myself up.

I wanted to post these pics....
Campy is just the luckiest dog in the world. We love him so much! Karel thought Campy was cold so he bundled him up when we were watching a movie the other night :)






And this is our Chiclet fish. She has never done this before! We woke up on monday morning and although the fish were still sleeping, the timer on the tank came on and we found Chiclet resting in her "bed". We've never had a fish sleep on a shell before. *No, she isn't dead.

At least I'm consistent

Yesterday was another early morning ride with the guys. After watching a movie with Karel on Saturday evening, we were asleep by 9:30 and the morning came really fast. We set the alarm at 5:20 so that we could be out the door by 6:20. Campy was in no mood to get up (as usual) but once we told him we would go Outside he was fully of energy. It is just too cute how he gets so excited to go outside, even at 6 in the morning. Campy and I walked outside, after I bundled myself up with a sweatshirt and pants. After my normal pre-ride breakfast of oatmeal and coffee, I started layering for the ride. It was around 41-degrees out and I was trying to stay positive that I would eventually get warm. The one thing I hate to be when training is cold. In the pool, while running or on the bike...if I am cold, I am miserable. But, I've learned that layering on the bike (in Karel's winter clothes, since I don't have my own yet) helps a lot.
After dressing in my leg warmers, shorts, t-shirt, jersey, arm warmers, jacket and socks we headed out the door to drive to the beach. Needless to say, I still wasn't warm in the car. After arriving at the ABC store on the beach, I put on Karel's cycling shoes, Jacket, booties and gloves and finally I was somewhat warm. Karel, Jeff and I were on our bikes by 7am and off we went for our ride.
Jeff had a plan to take Karel and I to the "mountains" of jacksonville. I just kept smiling because I thought we were just going to ride over bridges (the florida version of mountains). However, after about 20 miles of riding rolling streets and going over 1 bridge, Jeff was not kidding. We were climbing neighborhood streets which were named "mount" or "pleasent hilll" and these roads were steep! They were all short but I had to get into my smallest gear, get out of my saddle and swerve back and forth to get up these hills that were at least 14% grade. They kind of scared me cause it has been a long time since i climbed something that steep (I think the last time was in 2007 when we went to watch the Tour de Georgia in Dahlonega). Nevertheless, I was a trooper and I did the climbs.
After a few more miles, we got to a neighborhood, made a left and started climbing again. There were two climbs on a road that made a big loop so Karel and Jeff did their own thing by riding the loop 4 times. I couldn't keep up with them but instead of waiting for them, I decided to ride alone and do the loop (with the two hills) alone. We eventually started heading back to the shop with 30 miles of rolling hills and a few steep climbs and I knew our ride was not overwith. I got dropped on the way back on the bridge but I pushed hard to catch back up. Although the sunday ride is long, it is a tempo ride so the pace isn't incredibly fast. Needless to say, it is still tough with the wind that never goes away here in jacksonville.
I didn't want to complain but a few times I wanted to yell to Karel and Jeff to wait up for me. However, I knew they wouldn't be too happy about waiting for me every time I couldn't keep up. So, I would push push push to get back on their wheel and then we were all back together again.
When we got back to the beach, Karel told me they would do another hour and a half and I could go to the car and get some breakfast if I didn't want to go with them. I wasn't ready to stop so I told Karel I would join them. The pace picked up a bit to about 23 mph and with a little tailwind, it was a bit easier to stay on their wheels. However, I was looking at all the huge and beautiful houses along the beach and I found myself drifting back. After about 12 miles, we made a potty stop and I thought we would turn around to give us 30 more miles. Well, Karel and Jeff had a few more miles to go until the reached another steep bridge and then they would turn around. Karel said I could start heading back and with the headwind, we would probably all get back together eventually. However, I was in no mood to try to ride by myself in straight (and I mean STRAIGHT, in your face) headwind, so I joined them for another climb over another bridge. I stayed on their wheel for the first climb but I got dropped on the way back on the bridge. However, I powered my way back to the guys and with burning legs, it was time to face the wind.
The way back was ridiculously hard. The guys were holding around 19mph but I have no idea how they did that. If I even moved to the side of a wheel (they were rotating every mile) by just 1 foot I would be popped off and there would be no more drafting for me. I was grinding my teeth and pedaling for dear life and before I knew it the guys switched into their small chain ring and it was time to cool down.
Karel was impressed and so was Jeff. I was also impressed that I didn't complain. I am trying really hard to just suck it up and get through these workouts. However, even though they are crazy hard for me, I absolutely love riding with Karel and I get an extra boost of confidence when he sees me "hanging on" during these rides. I think everyone needs a confidence booster in their life, whether it is a coach, friend, family member, child or teammate. That person just makes the workout so much better and when you feel like death after a workout, the person reminds you that you aren't the only one that is suffering. We all suffer in different ways and if it wasn't for the suffering, we would never get stronger or faster.
The rest of Sunday was kinda pathetic. Karel had to work from 12-4 after our 60 mile ride and I did thank you notes, finished up a microbiology concept map and took Campy for a SLOW walk. After Karel came home, we had dinner and watched IMKY (taped on the DVR) and watched a movie. By 9:30 we were ready for bed.
Now I am at school, I just got out of Microbiology and I'm waiting for my next class to take an exam in microeconomics. Thank goodness this is a short week...I can't wait until Thursday!

A cold morning

I woke up to the mid-30's outside. Brrrr, another cold day. I know, we don't have snow, but wind, anything under 60-degrees and a Floridian is not a good combination. Karel and I are enjoying the cooler temps but it takes a little getting use to when we are training.
The run this morning was good. I slept in until 6:30 (ok, it was 6:20 when I finally decided to get up) and heade out at 7:30. I was suprised that I could run 1 hour and 33 minutes without water when dressed in long sleeves, my ear warmer/headband and gloves. By 20 minutes, I was a little warm but in no rush to take off the gloves. My music kept me going and I wasn't even thinking about my run....as I was running.
I guess I was just enjoying the morning and thinking about the run on Thursday when I try to break my PR at the Outback Distance Classic.
Karel went to Hannah Park at Jacksonville beach at 8 this morning. But instead of mountain biking, Karel, and several other mountain bike riders in the area, cleaned up the trails and worked on trails that weren't being used. It was great that Karel gave back to the community and he didn't even have to think twice about missing training to help out.
I think I am finally warm and it is time to get started on some work. Not sure how much studying I will get done today but with only a few more weeks until finals, I need to keep up with my studies.
BTW-Ironman Kentucky is on versus tomorrow!!! I know I'm not the only one signed up and you can be sure that I will be tuned in tomorrow, watching it with Karel and getting super excited and motivated!

Maybe a few professional pics from Kimicarrier.com will warm everyone up....

Things to do...

I have a big to-do list. However, I always have a to-do list. Since a very early age, I always do things ahead of time, way too early or right when things are assigned. ok-so maybe the cleaning doesn't get done on time (my mom can second me on that one), the laundry doesn't get folded and I never put away dishes (I always wash them though. I think I've used the dishwasher 3 times since we moved in may). I am not a procrastinator so I always write things down, write down the deadline and keep myself busy with a daily list of things to do. Here is my list for things to do in the next few months....
1) Find a new tri bike. I tried out the small Seduza QR (700 wheels) the other day and it fit. Karel is also checking on the geometry for the new Blue Triad TT bike (XS with 700 wheels). I love my bike but it is 3 years old and it would really help Karel and I out to have the same size wheels.
2) Start planning our honeymoon. Since Karel and I didn't take a "trip" after our wedding we decided to delay a honeymoon until the winter. We had a great time with Karel's family and I would not have changed a thing. Karel and I will be going to Lake Tahoe on Feb 2nd for a whole week! I am thinking snowboarding, lots of cross country skiing (hopefully we will get LOTS of red blood cells), snow mobiling and well, just relaxing a bit (in the evening). If the weather is nice we will take a drive to san francisco. My Grandpa and Grandma were so nice to let us stay in a rental house right on the Lake and of course we will have a great time with them. Karel and I LIVE for traveling so I guess this is just a nice change from triathlons and cycling.
3) Start checking out dietetic internships. I am getting close to the application process for an internship. I will start applying in September but my application needs to be perfect in order to get into the Mayo Clinic (my #1 choice). To do a 6-month internship there would be a dream and I would learn SO much.
4) Order books for the spring. As if sitting in class was hard enough, registering for classes and getting books are the pits! SO much money for these books and the classes are not cheap. I will be taking Biochemistry (locally), and two dietetic courses online. I am once again really looking forward to my dietetic classes. Just 3 more semesters to go!!
5) Get excited for my half marathon on Thanksgiving. I can't really say that I feel super ready but I have put in some good training sessions. I am really exhausted right now and I think everything is catching up to me. I am looking forward to decreasing my run volume starting on sunday and gearing up for the Outback Distance classic on Thanksgiving morning (ummmm, outback bread). I really want to PR and go under 1:39. My goal would be 1:38 but even that will be tough. The course is super fast and I know the entire course (the start is 1 mile from my place) so I hope everything comes together on Thursday.
6) Thank you cards. I finally got the proofs of Karel and I from the wedding and it was worth the wait. Kimi (from kimicarrier.com) did a great job and now I am going to make postcard thank yous with one of the pics. Now I need to decide what pic, get the cards ordered on snapfish and then start with the thank you's for all the great people in our life.

Well, looks like a long list but at least nothing needs to be done tomorrow. In the early morning I will bundle myself up for a 6-715 swim at 5:30(it is 30 degrees here now!!! WOW!) and then get on my bike at 8:30 w/ Karel, Jeff and Jerry.

BTW- Campy is doing great and he's still the best thing that happened to us!

Brrrr....what a ride!

Words can't express how I feel right now. I have a black eye and I am extremely tired. Let me explain...
Last night Karel and I invited Lenore and Alex over (Alex works at the Trek store) for dinner. I prepared one of the easiest dinners ever. Lenore brought the salad and I had a buffet of toppings for french bread pizza. I cooked onions, corn, spicy red beans, mushrooms and veggie meat all separately in a 450-degree oven. I used a can of tomatoes (diced) and added that to about 2 cups marinara sauce. I cut the french bread into 4 slices and toasted them in the oven for about 5 min. I heated the sauce, used shredded cheese and Karel cut up some meat. I put everything out on the table and let everyone make their own pizza. I'm not a fan of serving people or preparing food which people can't pick and choose what they want. This meal was just perfect and super easy!

And for desert I made my croissants (Pillsbury can helped with that) with jelly. I also made chocolate sugar-free, fat-free instant pudding and added some chopped walnuts with that. I think the entire meal took about 45 min to prepare and that was with the desert.
We watched our wedding video and it brought back so many great memories. Karel and I want to do it all over again! Maybe we will renew our vows next year and have another wedding/get together...just A LOT cheaper :)

We went to bed around 10pm and 5:40 came pretty fast. When Karel took Campy out in the morning he told me it was cold out. COLD???? It was just super hot two days ago. Well, it had dropped to 40 degrees and it was our first real cold day here in Jax. After a small bowl of oatmeal, banana slices and raisins it was time to bundle up. I toughed it up and only had my shorts, jersey, an underlayer shirt, arm warmers and gloves on but Karel had a vest and knee warmers.
As we headed to the bike shop (1.2 miles away) I was already cold on my finger tips. It was only 6:45am but I knew it wasn't going to turn hot anytime during the ride. Having already checked the weather, the high of 60 was a big shock for us this morning.
We picked up Cody at the store and by mile 10 my toes were cold. I wasn't having a hard time riding but booties and thicker gloves would have helped. I'm sure all the northerners are laughing now but for us, this was a cold day.
I drafted off of Karel and Cody and we met up with Jeff and Curtis. The guys rode 2 x 2 and I always had two guys to draft behind. I was planning to ride about 40 miles with the guys and then head home but when Karel told me that we would be getting head wind and crosswind all the way home, I made the decision to do the entire ride with the guys.
The wind was super strong and the pace was about 20-22 mph then entire ride. Even in the wind, it was tough to draft behind the guys. I have been working on my riding skills and I was not ready to do this ride in the wind alone. After 50 miles with Jeff and Curtis, Karel, Cody and I took a left turn home. A left turn into head wind and boy, it was strong. I couldn't believe how the wind was blowing.
Now, I must talk about my Karel and how amazing he is. He was averaging 18-19mph and the wind was pushing us backward. I couldn't believe how steady he was and how controlled he was on his bike. Even Cody, who was infront of me, was having a tough time in the wind. After an hour of pulling us we finally made a turn into a semi-tailwind (not really but after the head wind, it felt great!). I just couldn't believe how strong Karel was and I told him I would make him pancakes anytime he wanted for the next 2 months. If it wasn't for Karel, I think I would have fallen over on the side of the road and just cried until someone felt bad for me and picked me up.
After reading my previous post on the double 10K's I thought about the comments of how I stayed motivated. I was very impressed with myself during the ride this morning that I didn't complain and I didn't give myself a bad attitude. I have a tendency to complain to Karel when we ride because it is hard, tough and I always hurt. But, I am using these base training months on my bike to get me to a place where I can ride strong, hurt and enjoy what I am doing. I know I want to get stronger and workouts like today will get me there. The ride was just a tempo ride for the guys and for me drafting, my HR was controlled. The muscles hurt and I had to keep myself focused. I thought about my form, riding style and just kept myself entertained with my music and with my thoughts of upcoming races.
When we got home, I couldn't wait to get my feet warm! They were cold during the entire ride. We rode 3 hours and 33 min and got in 70 miles. I was super excited to see my Campy and I couldn't wait to eat my whole wheat blueberry pancakes that I always make on Sunday after we ride.
Karel received a phone call from Jeff, after he got a ride home from Curtis. After we left Curtis and Jeff, they had at least 30 more miles to Curtis's home. They decided they wouldn't draft off each other so after riding side by side, Jeff couldn't even make it 6 miles to his car after they got to Curtis's house. Jeff said that the wind was so bad (this is a TT champion and former NFL player speaking) that he and Curtis bonked so bad that he couldn't even ride his bike a few more miles to his car at the bike shop at the beach. I'm glad I wasn't the only one suffering.
So, after feeling completely exhausted and ready for a nap (which I never took) I bent over to take off my shoes and there was Campy. Super excited to see me, he jumped up to get on the bed and BOOM!
Right into my eye.
I busted into tears and just started crying. Crying so loud that Karel came into the room and was so worried about me. Campy was shaking and he felt so bad and I knew it wasn't Campy's fault. The combination of a windy 70-mile ride and getting punched in the face was not a good mix. Campy gave me a few kisses on my face and after I wiped away my tears I could feel my left eye and how puffy it was getting. After taking a quick shower, I noticed my eye was getting blue and after the pancakes I noticed that I had a black eye.


Yes, my 10 lb. dog beat me up. But that's ok, I love him anyways.
What a day and what a weekend. But now the excitement is over and it is back to school tomorrow :(
I've never been injured on my face before but I've always wanted to say this and now I can...
"sure my eye is bad but you should have seen what I did to the other guy" :)

The Double 10K

*I'm too tired to re-read this post to edit it so please forgive me for any mistakes.
I had a slight change in my plan this morning. After thinking things through I decided that I would drive to the race site instead of running from my place to the race site. Silly me forgot to think about how I would get back from the race and I had a feeling that I would not to want to run another 10K after two 10K's.
I woke up at 530 and had my coffee as I looked over the course map on the computer. I am very fortunate for where I live because almost every running race is in my area of Mandarin. I train on the same roads as the race routes so it is a great mental boost.
I had a piece of toast w/ PB, raisins and a few slices of banana at 6am and by that time, Karel was up. Campy, however, was still in bed so we decided to wake up our sleepy dog at 615. Seriously, I think he is a human in a dogs body. He is just too cute and we love him so much. Smudla is doing much better with him and we just love our happy pets :)
At 615am I was out the door and I said good bye to Karel and Campy outside as they were taking a walk. I drove to the race site, picked up my chip and race number and found a close parking spot right near the start (on the street). At 6:45 I grabbed my Sony radio and started my run.
I ran the 10K course for the race and the first 2 miles were a little slow. It took me a while to convince myself to keep going (do I really want to do this run before a race??) but with the mile markers already set up I found myself at mile 3 before I knew it. Since I didn't see any other runners out on the course from mile 3-5 I knew I had to think about my own reasons for doing this. I saw myself at IMKY (only 20 degrees warmer at the IM), at the Outback half and at the Jacksonville marathon. I forgot about the race and just kept myself moving at my slow 8:30 min/mile pace. Mile 5 came rather quickly and before I knew it I was seeing a road filled with cars and the entrance to the Mandarin park. After 49 min and a 10K completed I started walking to change shirts and put on my race number. I must have timed it right because as soon as I got to my car, the rain came down. And not just sprinkles, it POURED! I felt so bad for people, trying to find a large tree, rooftop or port-o-potty to stay dry and here I was just chilling in my car, completely dry.
I had a Hammer gel at 7:45 and from 7:30 until the start I sipped on some aminos and water. I didn't really feel tired and I wasn't even nervous. If anything, I started to feel really good at mile 5 of my training run and I was actually looking forward to the race. When it was time to walk to the start, the rain had stopped. Thankfully, I was able to stand at the starting line, all dry and not very sore. I was talking to the owner of Native Sun (all natural/organic shop who put on the race) and all of a sudden, the sky opened up and it poured once again. About 5 min of chatting with Aaron in the rain, we were off.
Karel and I had a little discussion before this race because I have never trained before a race. I can see myself going for an easy spin or jogging 10-15 min before a race but to run the exact distance of the race, before the race, was something new to me. Karel told me that I can't do this race with the mindset that I am just using it as a training run. I agreed with him. I wanted to race on my tired legs because I am just not good at pushing through the pain. I think my endurance capacity is high and my tolerance to discomfort is good but I don't really know where my breaking point is. I guess this was the morning I would find out if I could convince myself that I had enough in me to pace myself and be tired and sore. Karel really gave me some great advice and I was thankful that he convinced me that I couldn't just run this 10K for fun or for training. I needed to push myself to see if I could beat my training time.
When the race started at 8am I was soaking wet. I could barely see because the water was dripping down my face and I was running through big puddles. Seeing that it had already poured for 30 min. before the start, the falling rain was just an addition to our wet conditions. I actually like running in the rain and I know it will rain in races. It rained at Disney 70.3 and I had never biked through rain before. I know soggy shoes and heavy clothes can be annoying to some but it really doesn't bother me. So long as I am not cold, I love running in any type of environment.
After the first mile I was passing a group of people and all of sudden I see KAREL! HEY BABE!!! I yelled at him and told him it was a bit wet out. He agreed and cheered me on. He had just finished up 30 min of interval work on his bike and he road his bike over to find me. I didn't expect to see him because I knew he was training this morning. However, as soon as it started raining, I figured he would stay home. He is not a fan of riding in the rain but he toughed it out this morning and went home to Campy after he saw me.
Seeing Karel just made my day. I wasn't in any pain during the run but having him there gave me a little boost. I kept my pace consistent during the run and it wasn't until mile 5 that I began to get a bit tired. I actually felt better today during this race than I did in any 10K. I was warmed up, my food was fully digested and I had plenty of energy. At mile 5 I could have used another surprise from Karel but I had to finish the race alone. I decided I would try to pass the fellas out there so I tried to look ahead and pass as many guys as I could. I didn't see too many girls but that was because they were all ahead of me with their speedy anaerobic legs.
I finally saw mile 6 and I knew the finish was just behind the corner. Well, the start arch had moved into the mark and with .2 miles to go I was getting a bit frustrated. Where is that stupid finish??? It was just so long to get there and finally I saw the finish.
I wasn't sure what I would be capable of running if I didn't run before the race but I ran 45 min. for the race. Not too shabby considering that I had ran 49 min. about an hour earlier.
I actually felt pretty good during the entire race and I felt like I could hold a pace, which was my main goal. Here are my splits for the race:
7:17
7:12
7:14
7:18
7:25
7:07
1:33 (that .2 took FOREVER!!)
45.08

After the race I went to my car to drop off some yummy goodies that I grabbed from the buffet of natural foods and after I gave my body about 20 min to relax I enjoyed some delicious fresh fruit and granola. I placed 2nd in my age group and 26th overall female.
After my 10 min. drive home I took a shower and changed out of my soaking wet clothes. It was 10am and the running finally caught up with me. Karel took a short nap on the couch and Campy jumped in bed with me as I rested in bed for a quick nap.
What a morning. Unfortunately, the fun is over. I'm looking forward to tomorrow when I do a long ride with Karel, Jeff and Curtis.
Now, time to do some homework!

Routine

Back to the routine. Training is picking up and I'm really looking forward to 2009. IMKY is on the very back of my mind on a daily basis but I have to keep everything in perspective and just look forward to tomorrow.
Swimming is going great and the workouts have been long. Around 3500-4000 every tues and thurs and I just love it.
Running is going great and I can't wait until the Outback Half Marathon Classic on Thanksgiving. Oh, I hope they give us bread at the finish. That would just make my day! Tomorrow I will be running the Mandarin 10K after I run a 10K. I figured I would try to run a race on tired legs to see how it will feel on Thanksgiving when I try to break my PR of 1:39. And the other reason why I am running to the race (6 miles to the race start from my house) is because the Native Sun is putting on the race and after 12 miles of running and racing, I am going to fully enjoy the all-natural/organic buffet of food. YUMMM!!! I can't see myself running 6 miles after the 10K race and I can't really use the excuse "I just raced 6.2 miles, I can eat whatever I want, even if it is healthy" after "only" running a 10K. I'm sure I am not alone on my plan to train, race hard and enjoy my exhaustion with bagels, fruit, granola and yogurt :)
One thing that I have been really enjoying lately is base training with Karel. Seduza is hung on the wall in our spare room/office and Blue is on my mind every day. I just LOVE riding my road bike. I have been talking to Karel about selling Seduza because I really like my 700 wheels. Plus, they would be MUCH easier to change during a race if I ever had a flat. 650's are a pain, even for Karel! Any suggestions on a small tri-bike frame with 700 wheels? I am probably going to get a new tri-bike in the early spring/late winter.
The sunday after 70.3 Worlds I road with the Gearlinkers. It was just great seeing my friends (who are like family to Karel and me). I rode 60 miles with them and felt great. We talked a lot and each took turns pulling. I felt really strong and it was a great end to my weekend. On thursday this week I told Karel that I would ride with him and Jeff after my swim workout. So I swam from 6-7:15 and then headed home for an 830 ride. However, Karel did not tell me that they were planning on 2 hours instead of the normal 1 and I was a bit tired for the ride. But, I hung on and drafted like a pro. Although I was drafting mostly behind Jeff, I really liked the steady pace at 22-24 mph (in the wind). They were both working hard, rotating every minute for about 20 minutes and I was just riding behind them. I didn't mind having two great butts to look at. Jeff is not only Karel's team manager but also his boss. We are both very thankful to have him in our life and he has really been a great person to us both. And, Jeff is a crazy fast Pro 1 rider (and TT state champion) who use to play for the NFL. Crazy!!!
Anyways, the ride was good and we ended up with around 40 miles. I really enjoyed the ride and I didn't even complain once. After the ride and breakfast, I went to the Trek store to put invoices in the computer (one of my side jobs) and then I finally went home to crash on the couch for about 20 minutes. Then time for lunch.
Yesterday Karel had the day off and it was just great to be with him all day. Karel usually works 6-7 days a week so a full day off was gret. We went grocery shopping, did computer stuff and went to the post office. For dinner I made a big salad and we each had 1/2 whole wheat sub. I dressed up the sub with marinara sauce, hummus, cheese and mushrooms for pizza bread. I really enjoyed having Karel around all day and I'm happy that we are still loving each other after the wedding. I was told by a few people that after the wedding everything changes. Luckily, things just keep getting better. :)
This morning Karel and I went for an hour ride and I had the chance to pull Karel. He let me pull most of the ride since today was a recovery day for him. He has been working out really hard in the gym, with the weights, and riding really hard. It was a great workout today and I am looking forward to sunday when I will be riding with the boys for a long ride :)
I hope everyone is enjoying their Friday. The week is finally over and it is time for the weekend! Unfortunantly, I have to squeeze some studying, homework and assignments into my routine so that I can finish up my semester with good grades.

PIZZA!!!!

By now you know I LOVE pizza....healthy pizza that is.
Hope you enjoy this video I put together.
Another great recipe to let your friends and family know that any meal can be healthy so long as you use a little creativity during meal prep.

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1616


*BTW- Congrats to all World Championship 70.3 athletes!!! Way to go out there!

70.3 World Championship Spectator Race Report

As I mentioned in the previous post, I was pooped last night. After getting home at 6pm and eating dinner shortly after, I worked on a case study microbiology report for about an hour and my brain turned off around 8pm. I called Karel to tell him good-night and Campy and I were ready for bed at 915pm.
The night went by fast and I felt like I was racing this morning. The alarm went off at 4:35am and Campy was in no mood to get up. So, it was just me getting ready this morning and I threw on my running shorts, tank top and visor and with my coffee in my hand I was out the door at 5am. I headed south to downtown Clearwater and at 545am I was parking for the shuttle.
I boarded the shuttle and I was at the beach by 6:10am.
I met up with Kate, her sis and family and I had my camera ready to go. Unfortunately, my rechargeable batteries are slowly approaching their last charge. I did make my near-empty battery last for the entire race by prioritizing my pics to the pros, my local friends and my blogging buddies.
The race was awesome for everyone out there and although it started out cool, it turned hot, hot, hot by 10am.
My good friends Hunter and Ange joined me for most of the race and after watching the pro's start and finish we headed to a local breakfast spot for a yummy garden omelet. After breakfast it was time to watch the Pro's come in and we timed it just perfect to see the men come in, followed by the pro women.
After seeing the pros it was time to find our spot for the age groupers coming in off the bike. So the end of the bike looked more like a group ride rather than a non-drafting triathlon but as I always say, it is what it is...just deal with it.
I spotted Ange and Kate and I had a few hellos from other local friends who were also spectating. I met up with Mel (CrazyMel) and it was just great to be around so many enthusiastic athletes. I was super excited to see Ange blow up the course and place 5th in her age group (35-39) for her 3rd 70.3!!! I've been working with Ange for the past 2 1/2 years on her nutrition and I've seen her progress as a "just do it" triathlete to a top age-grouper. Kate also looked great on her bike and although she pulled it out on the run, her tan looked just great (my way of motivating her to just enjoy the day :).
After spending all morning at the race, it was 1pm and time for me to head home for the dreaded homework. Time to get back to realty. I bumped into my buddy Dan as I was walking to the shuttle and luckily, he didn't arrest me. :) Dan (and his buddy John) are my good friends that I coached for this race last year. They represented the Clearwater police department and I had worked with them for an entire summer. What great guys!!! Also, in the future it might pay off to have a cop/friend in my life :)
As I was riding back to my car I did a bit of reflecting. I think this race was a good close to a chapter in my life. Not sure when the chapter started and why it ended today but I believe that this next year is going to be really exciting. I just love watching athletes work so hard for individual goals and it really inspires me to see all types of people out at races (no matter what the race). With a marathon, IM and the end of my schooling all approaching in 2009, I am really looking forward to the upcoming months. Also, with Karel in my life, I am so lucky to have such a wonderful, supportive best friend/husband o help me through all the obstacles I face and inspire me along the way. Lastly, what would I do without my blogging friends. I have learned so much from people out there and I love hearing about the good and bad days from people just like myself...people who love staying active, eating healthy and working hard for a goal/dream.
Enjoy the pics!

Pooped

That would be Campy and me.
My morning started at 4:40am. Campy was in no mood to get up but he didn't want to be alone in bed. Karel is usually the one who gets Campy up in the morning (yes-Campy LIKES to sleep in until about 6:30!! Who does that in the Sumbal household???)
After I quickly made my coffee and let Campy out for a quick squirt in the bushes I was off to the Y.
5:15am I was on the treadmill and 1 hour and 35 minutes later I had ran a little over 12 miles. Because the treadmill only allowed me to do 30 continuous minutes, the workout went by super fast. It was more like 3 x 30 min sessions. I did get a little bored (even with my radio) after the first 30 min. so I did my favorite quickie set of 6 min @ 7.7mph
6 x 45 sec @ 9mph
5 min @ 7.7
5 x 45 sec @ 9mph
ETC
I finished my sweaty workout with some crunches and I went home to take a shower. Now that I think about it, I usually do my "long" run with toast and PB and this morning I had water during the workout and nothing before. I guess my body is pretty efficient right now. Time to really step up the training for the upcoming races!
I made myself a PB@J for the road and Campy and I were off to Clearwater.
Plans changed for us today because Kate had a few misfortunes with her trip and housing situation.I'm sure she will explain on her blog but lets just say that the airlines do not cater to World Championship 70.3 Triathlete gear bags and you might not be able to get into the rental house that you already paid for.
Anyways, I met Kate's sister (Chelley) at the Pier and Campy introduced himself to Kate. Since we haven't seen each other since Iron Girl Atlanta, it was great to see her!
I ran into a few other familiar faces and everyone congratulated me on the marriage and asked where my husband was at. Well, I left him at home and took the dog with me :)
After driving the bike course with Kate, her sis and her two friends, Chelley dropped off Kate at the Sheraton to shower and rest and Chelley and I picked up John at the airport. At this point (around 12:30) we were STARVING so we stopped by MOE's (karel and my favorite fast food/sit down restaurant) and I got the personal trainer salad and Chelley got herself and John the Homewrecker (Love the name, right?). I recommend that wrap because that is Karel's favorite.
After picking up John, we headed back to the pier and I was dropped off to meet up with my friend Angela (http://www.angesdrivetotri.blogspot.com/) who I had never met! She was one of my first nutrition consultations about 2 1/2 years ago..it was so nice to put a face to a name. I didn't even say "nice to meet you" cause I felt like I already knew her so well. I just love meeting bloggers!
After chatting a bit I had to make a quick phone call to Karel for her regarding tire pressure the night before a race and tubular tires and it was nice to talk to Karel for the third time today (yes, we talk a lot. Short convos and lots of texts. I just can't get enough of him and usually I inconveniently call when he is super busy at work).
After getting my car (and a parking ticket...errr) I headed to Kate's hotel to give her the FELT and say good-bye. I had a little goodie bag for her but of course, it was her favorite goodies for AFTER the race. TOOTSIE ROLLS of course and Twizlers. Gotta have something to look forward to for after the race.
So, after intending to spend the night, Campy and I headed home to my parents and I will head down to Clearwater at 5am in the morning.
Campy was a trooper today. He was super tired in the car and slept on any lap he could find for the many hours we were driving around and he had a great time sniffing and squirting (peeing) on every new spot in clearwater beach. He was absolutely the center of attention and aside from giving a big bark to show off his manliness to a few bikes and dogs, he was his normal kind, loving, sweet self and everyone wanted to pet him. Even Desiree Ficker greeted Campy in the water as we were walking to go see Kate. Yep, Campy is one lucky dog :) I wish I had a pic of that one. I think Karel would have liked a pic of Desiree too.
As for tomorrow, I am sure I will have plenty of pics. However, Campy will not be coming with me. He was so tired and worn out today and it was just a lot for him. I'm sure he would be fine tomorrow but it is hard to take pics, get food, go to the bathroom and watch a race with a dog. I love my doggy but it is the World Championships and I must have my game face on :)
Good luck to everyone tomorrow. I can't wait to cheer loud for everyone! Aside from the IMAZ athletes, I think Sunday will officially start the triathlon off-season for most people!!! :)WAHOO

He's a little nervous but excited

This morning I ran a bit more than I had intended. I had 6 pages of DNA replication, antiobiotic structures and other "entertaining" microbacterial facts and the time flew by as I studied for my microbiology exam.....9.7 miles later Karel had arrived and he ran on the treadmill next to me as I walked my cool-down. Yep, almost 10 miles on the treadmill and I only ran without my notes for 30 minutes. This kind of studying got me through grad school and I would much rather get in a good sweat than sit in on the couch in my sweats and study.
Karel and I lifted for about 20 minutes and I went home to quickly shower, change, prepare my oatmeal and hit the road. 20 minutes later I was at school and ready for my microbiology exam.
After my exam I spent the morning texting Kate. I am super excited to see her and hopefully, lots more bloggers down in Clearwater. Kate's bike is all fixed up with a little love from Karel and I will be hand delivering it to her on fri morning at 9am sharp. I am looking forward to my trip because I will also see my parents on thurs. It's only been a week but I miss them a lot since the wedding.
Well, the person who is super excited (and doesn't know it) is CAMPY!
This will be Campy's first triathlon weekend and what a weekend. He is going to watch the Ironman 70.3 World Championships! What a lucky dog. Campy will be with me all day on fri and we will spend the night at Kate's rental house on fri night. I'm sure we will have an Outback run for dinner on fri night but other than that, it is Campy and I, together, all weekend! Karel will be staying in Jacksonville and working on Sat :( I'll miss my husband (and my best friend) but it is nothing abnormal for one of us to attend a race and the other one to train. However, this time around neither of us will be racing but I'm sure we will both be training.
I'm really looking forward to heading to the race. I get so excited to watch people race and after the past few weekends, I've been inspired by so many blogs that I just can't wait to race again. I'm also excited that I can show off Campy and of course, wear him out like I usually do :) He's just a little ball of energy.
I'm so happy I have triathlons in my life. It is such a way of life that I don't know what I would do without a lifestyle of swimming, biking and running. More than training my body, triathlons teaches me so much about myself. At first I was obsessed with the sport and my life revolved around training. After taking on more responsibilities (school, a dog, a husband and sports nutrition) I have learned how to balance my life and see triathlons as a hobby. When I view my training as a choice, rather than something I have to do, it is so much more enjoyable and I love waking up each morning and learning something new about myself. It's been a while since I have taken a race seriously so I will use my upcoming half marathon and marathon as a way to get myself psyched for my upcoming season and upcoming Ironman!
Alright, time to dinner ready and get packing for my trip to Clearwater!

For all my clearwater folks..This was Karel and I the day after our wedding on Clearwater beach. Yes, the sand is still that white but the air is getting cooler (and so is the water!)

BOO for school, YAY for workouts!

School is taking the best of me right now. I am SO over it! I feel like I have senior-itis and I'm not even close to being finished. Ok, so maybe I am with only 3 semesters to go but my little schedule of two classes, two days a week is getting to me. I just want to learn at school and go home to my campy, smudla and Karel. NO MORE STUDYING!!! ERRRRR. Where is that stupid light at the end of this LONG, LONG tunnel...oh yeah, that RD behind my name!! Luckily, I will get to apply to an internship in September since I will be finished with my dietetic program in the fall. I am applying to the MayoClinic and hopefully, I will be accepted and all this studying will pay off.
As for my other passion,
training is going great! I am a bit more focused now that I have two races approaching. I will be doing the Outback half marathon on Thanksgiving and the Jacksonville Marathon in the end of December. Also, with Karel starting his base training, it is nice to have a partner at the Y when I lift. We always have so much fun together doing our plyometrics but for now, I will let Karel enjoy his soreness after not lifting weights for the past few months. I know he dreads this time of the year (he actually ran for 10 min on the treadmill on mon!) but we both know that there are things we must do to get stronger for our upcoming seasons. And with all the amazing finishes at Kona and IMFL (and upcoming finishes at worlds) I'm super excited for my upcoming IM in Kentucky!
Here is the workout for this morning:

Swim (BREASTOKE DAY!!!)
400 warm-up
4 x 200's pull
12 x 50's breastroke (1-3 kick, 4-6 1 pull, 2 kick, 5-8 fly kick w/ breast pull, 9-12 swim)
Main set (2x's):
300 kick (middle 100 breastroke)
100 breastroke
3 x 100's (1:25, 1:20, 1:15)

warm-down 100

Treadmill RUN
10 min warm-up @ 7.2mph (entire workout on a .5 incline. NO more 0 until after IMKY)
Main set:
5 x 45 sec @ 8.8 (15 sec straddle treadmill recovery)
3 x 2 min @ 8.5 w/ 1:15 recovery @ 7.5 mph
5 x 45 sec @ 8.8 (15 sec straddle treadmill recovery)
3 x 2 min @ 8.5 w/ 1:15 recovery @ 7.5 mph
5 min walk cool-down
Total: 5.9 miles, 40 min.

Avoiding Off-Season Weight Gain

ATTENTION: 70.3 World Championship and IMAZ triathletes...this doesn't apply to you!! Stay focused with your training and read this article so you can be ready for your off-season. However, for everyone else....time to get motivated and start exercising!!!!
I had to write this article because this is a topic that so many people struggle with in the off-season. Karel takes off from everything active for a week whereas I exercise 7 days a week (give or take a day off every now and then) for about 3-4 weeks. After our "off" period from training we both enjoy the aerobic workouts which comprise our build phase of our training.
If you want to race fast and be strong in your build phase, be sure to keep up with the "exercising" in the off-season. Every triathlete needs a strong heart..don't stop exercising it!


Avoiding Off-Season Weight Gain
By: Marni Rakes

Sadly, the triathlon season is quickly coming to an end and, unless you live in a year-round warm state, the number of local running races has dwindled down to a few "chilly willy" 10Ks. Your structured routine of swimming, biking and/or running has allowed you to participate in many competitive events this past season, but now it is time to say "hello" to the off-season.

To most athletes, the off-season is a welcomed change after a long summer of high-volume training weeks. You've spent countless weeks preparing for races and the off-season allows you to relax your mind, body and soul. However, for many athletes, the off-season also brings unwanted pounds, a loss of motivation and a diet of tasty, although unhealthy, foods. While sleeping until 7:00 a.m. is a nice alternative to waking up to a 5:00 a.m. alarm, it is important that you do not get too relaxed with your laid-back training routine.

In order to avoid weight gain in the off-season, and potentially drop those extra pounds that you attempted to lose during your race season, it is critical that you stay in shape during the next four to five winter months. Staying in shape will ensure you do not comprise your upcoming competitive racing season. In other words, remove the word "training" from your vocabulary and simply exercise to stay in shape, burn calories and strengthen your heart. I promise, even if you are that type-A personality who relies on a strict schedule, you can lose weight, get stronger and gain speed in the off-season, all without sticking to a structured training routine.

Weight Loss With Exercise

You've already come to terms with your intense interval track workouts, long hours on the road and tedious hours in the pool, but the off-season should not be associated with structured activity. The off-season should be fun. You should not wake up in the morning and dread going to the gym to exercise. Your environment and choice of activities should adapt in order to keep your routine exciting.

Even though you are not training specifically for a race, exercise should be a vital component in your off-season routine. It is necessary to raise the heart rate to a moderate intensity in order to lose weight and improve cardiovascular fitness. An athlete exercising moderately on a daily basis, with a slight reduction in calories, will be able to lose weight in the off-season.

Depending on your lifestyle, mix and match the following workouts in order to stay in shape, tone up and most importantly, have fun during the off-season!

TIPS:
*Try to stay active for at least one hour, five to six days each week.
*Try to elevate the heart rate to 75-85 percent max heart rate for at least 30 min. of every 1 hour of exercising. If you are exercising for more than an hour, be sure to keep the exercising primarily aerobic (75-80 percent), with only a few intervals at 85-90 percent max heart rate.

Plan:

Run 2-4 days a week
Options:
Workout 1: 40-45 minute run (intervals)
Workout 2: 50 minute - 1 hour run
Workout 3: 1 hour 10 minute - 1 hour 15 minute run
Workout 4: 2 x 35 minute runs (morning and evening)

Biking 2-4 days a week
Options:
Workout 1: 45-60 minute spin class
Workout 2: 2 x 45 minute spin classes (morning and evening)
Workout 3: Ride a road bike (use a trainer if weather is bad)
Workout 4: 2-2 ½ hour ride (remove odometer and enjoy being outside!)

Swimming 3-4 days a week
Options:
Workout 1: Master swim for 1 hour
Workout 2: 30-45 minute continuous swim
Workout 3: Repeating 100's or 200's (yards or meters) w/ 15-30 second rest
Workout 4: Repeating 300-400's (yards or meters) w/ 4-8, 50's all-out kick in between

Weight lifting 2-3 days a week
Options:
Workout 1: 4 exercises upper body, 4 exercises lower body. 300 abdominal exercises. 3 x 15 repetitions
Workout 2: Upper body. 400 abdominal exercises. 2 x 20 repetitions
Workout 3: Lower body. 400 abdominal exercises. 2 x 20 repetitions

Other types of activities for any day of the week:
Options:
Cleaning
Cooking
Washing your car
Walking the dog for an hour
Mountain biking
Walking uphill (or up and down stairs)
Commuting on bike or by foot
Group exercise class (aerobics, kickboxing, salsa dancing, step, etc.)
Yoga/Pilates
Walking an hour or two with friends
Run/Walk in the park

As opposed to the competitive racing season, the off-season should embrace a training schedule that is flexible. You must find balance with training, relationships, work and extracurricular activities. Because quality is always better than quantity, do not let your off-season life revolve around your training. If you don't feel like exercising one day, enjoy the day to catch up on errands, finish chores or watch a movie. Mix up your choice of activities, so that you steer clear of the familiar monotony of your race season. Most importantly, as you are focusing on a fun, yet consistent, exercising routine, be sure to focus on the daily diet and seek ways to cut out calories in order to complement the type of activities in your off-season training plan.

This article can be found on the IronGirl.com website. Be sure to subscribe to the FREE newsletter to receive lots of great tips and the 2009 Iron Girl race schedule (for all my Iron Girls out there!)

Behind the scenes wedding pics

First off, Congrats to ALL IMFL finishers (and participants). I hope everyone had a great day out there. Be sure to reflect as much possible on one of the best achievements ever! Can't wait to see some bloggers at 70.3 worlds!

Karel getting ready

Groomsmen


Nothing like a little alcohol to ease the nerves




Karel with his mom and dad



Just married!



Time for cake





Wearing our cake