Pilates at ATHLETE Studio



First Pilates class at ATHLETE Studio - using the Reformer

Earlier this year I saw an announcement posted on Michele Landry’s, ATHLETE Studio’s Facebook page, that she was looking for one female and one male who would like to be put through six weeks of Pilates at her new studio. I have been meaning to start doing Pilates or Yoga consistently and thought this sounded like such a great opportunity! It’s so hard to fit in stretching, strength training, core work, Pilates/Yoga on top of triathlon training, however, it is sooooo important for injury prevention. So, I sent in my story. I haven’t talked about it much on my blog so here is a brief summary with the email I sent to Michele:

Here are my reasons for wanting to particpate in your 6-8 week pilates series. In 2008, I found out that I had a bulging disc in my L5-S1. I started out going to the basic prescribed physical therapy at a hospital doing some basic lifting. Then I got a few steroid injections. In 2009, I was training for my first Ironman. The surgeon told me he didn't think it was a good idea to do it but I didn't let that discourage me. From that point, I found a great chiropractor at Capital Rehab and started to get needling done at Sports and Spinal PT. All of these things helped me get through my first Ironman and since then I have done two more, just missing a Kona slot by 3 minutes at Louisville in 2010. I did halves and under last year and this year, I am doing Mont Tremblant and 70.3 World Championships in Vegas. I still struggle with my back/hip/hamstring issues and I know a lot of that is my lack of core strength. I still go to the chiropractor about once a week now but I know this alone is not going to get me through my tough training I have ahead of me the next five-six months. I haven't even been putting in a lot of training yet and I feel my hamstring/hip/back bothering me. It worries me a bit b/c I have set some challenging goals to try to reach this year. My ultimate goal is to try to qualify for Kona at Mont Tremblant. This will probably be the last time I do an Ironman for quite some time as I'm going to take some time off from that long of distance. So, this year I'm going all out with my training and need to definitely take time to do core and strength training. I want to do what I can to get to the start line at Mont Tremblant with a strong and healthy back and try to race my best Ironman ever. I know the only way I can do that is to work on my core and back strength. I do not take the time like I should to do this on my own. I feel a set program like this would be so helpful for my body and training and help prepare my body to be able to push myself in all three disciplines. My swim is the worst of the three sports and I know have a strong core would definitely help with keeping the proper swim form.

As I mentioned in the email above, in 2008, I developed a bulging disc in my L5/S1 vertebrae. In case you don’t know what this is, here is a definition from WebMD:  A bulging spinal disc occurs when the disc's soft, jellylike center (nucleus) is squeezed into cracks in the disc's outer covering, weakening and stretching that covering. As a disc bulges out from between the neighboring bones (vertebrae), it can press on nerves that travel to the legs or arms and can cause numbness, weakness, or pain.

Ron and I were training for the NYC marathon at the time and I knew something was not right. After visiting an Orthopedist, I started going to physical therapy and was prescribed Celebrex. Ron and I would always joke and say we had to take our ‘happy pills’ after our long run. He was also dealing with his own back issues so had some happy pills too. Lol I was not so happy when my whole right leg went numb at mile 16 of the NYC marathon! It went away luckily (for the time being), Ron and I finished our marathon together (his first!) and when I got home, I had an MRI done to confirm what was going on with my back. From there, I had a few spinal transforaminal epidural injections which helped for the short term. Then I found a wonderful sports oriented chiropractor, Dr. Beck with Capitol Rehab in Arlington, and he started treating me with adjustments and active release therapy. (I will be blogging separate about this soon in greater detail! It’s great stuff!!)

So, what exactly is Pilates?

Pi·la·tes

noun /piˈlätēz/ 1.    A system of exercises using special apparatus, designed to improve physical strength, flexibility, and posture, and enhance mental awareness

 

Pilates is a body conditioning routine that may help build flexibility, muscle strength, and endurance in the legs, abdominals, arms, hips and back. It puts emphasis on spinal and pelvic alignment, breathing, and developing a strong core or center, and improving coordination and balance. Pilates improves muscle tone, balances musculature, supports correct posture, and teaching to move with ease and grace.

Michele has a great explanation on her website here. In the picture above, I am doing an exercise on the Reformer, essentially a moveable mat with pulleys and springs to provide resistance.

On a Facebook post, Michele, explained what my muscles are doing in this exercise below on the Stability Chair:

 

Intermediate Sidebends on the Stability Chair.

Lots happening here: Internal and external obliques working like crazy as she laterally flexes the spine, glutes and hamstrings are engaged and isometrically holding to prevent her hips from flexing. Her core is on fire to prevent rotation of her torso. Court is also doing a fabulous job maintaining scapular stability all while avoiding tension in her head, neck and shoulders.
 

As Michele mentions on her website, Pilates is great for anyone!

If you sit at a desk all day for your job, I’m sure you notice your body slouching over. Doing this day after day, can lead to horrible posture and back issues. If your job entails standing, lifting or any type of repetitive motion, body alignment and proper muscle balance is key to prevent injury. In the sport of triathlon, triathletes are constantly moving in one plane (sagittal plane – forward and backwards movements) while swimming, biking and running. If you ask a triathlete to do an activity that involves side to side movement (frontal plane) watch for the freaked out look you will get! Lol But, we need to do exercises in all planes to obtain balance!

While endurance training is excellent for the body in so many ways, if you do not focus on some sort of injury prevention with musculature strength and flexibility, injury is inevitable. You can’t expect your body to continuously move in one repetitive motion (overuse) and not have some sort of musculature imbalance. This is exactly why I signed up to do Pilates at Athlete Studio.

In my 20’s I could get away with running day after day and not have too much of a problem with nagging injuries. When I turned 30 all hell broke loose!.....Well, not really but my body could definitely tell I had been doing marathon training year after year (sometimes two a year) and I had developed some muscle and postural imbalances. I experienced plantar fasciitis then some hip/hamstring/back issues all related to that bulging disc that developed. Definitely not fun things to deal with!  Sure, I’ve been teaching Body Pump classes for over ten years and some strength training on my own but that is not enough to prevent injury with the type of exercise load I put on my body.

I’ve learned a lot since I developed that bulging disc, yet, I never made myself attend yoga or Pilates until I started up with Michele this summer. I even went through Stott Pilates training before I moved out to DC (just never took the test to get certified) so definitely understood the benefits it has on the body. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes an injury like what I had, to really buckle down and do something about it. I don’t recommend that to anyone, but who am I kidding…..when we are younger none of us think we can get injured!

Michele is an endurance athlete herself and has years of experience training and working with athletes. She believes that ATHLETE studio can help athletes reach another level by incorporating Pilates training along with endurance training. After doing my first century of the season in June, I went to a recovery Pilates class the day after. I felt amazing when I was done and actually went to the pool for a recovery swim after class. I had one of the best swims I’ve had all year! My legs also didn’t feel as sore as they usually do after putting in that type of mileage. Needless to say, I’m hooked! I now have six weeks until my Ironman so I’m looking forward to continue to see the great results Pilates is doing for my training! Michele also has recovery boots for clients to rent and pay for some time to use at the studio. I’ll blog more about those in my next post!

I'm blogging again!

Wow, this has been the longest amount of time I have gone without writing in my blog. I think it has been about six months! There is just too much that has gone on in the past six months to write it all out, so a brief update will have to do.

The beginning of the year didn’t start out too well. Ron hurt his back, we had to reschedule our Cancun trip, Ron’s Grandmother passed away (she lived a wonderful, healthy 95 years!), I battled horrible allergies and finally on our rescheduled trip to Cancun, Ron, caught some sort of nasty virus or parasite or what the hell was that thing?!?!….We still don’t have official word, but after four doctors, two trips to the ER and Ron being poked and evaluated many, many times, the infectious disease doc came to the conclusion that it was most likely enterovirus. He thinks he most likely had something else as well and at one point we were told that Ron had giardia (ahhh a parasite with eyes and it smiles!) Whatever made Ron sick, it lasted a long seven weeks! L  He’s still only about 90% and slowly gaining back the 14 pounds he lost during this whole ordeal.  So, needless to say, it has been a pretty stressful few months!

We did have a nice time in Cancun before Ron got sick. This picture was one of our favorites we picked out from a photo shoot we did with the resort photographer.

 

The last time I wrote, I was contemplating running the Rock n Roll marathon in March. Well, that didn’t happen because my dad and I did not have the time or motivation through the winter to put in the many miles needed to run a marathon. My dad still came out to DC to visit and we did the half together. I also got to spend a little over a week in Iowa the end of May to spend time with my family and good friends.

Fun ride in Iowa!

In April, the DC Tri Snapple Team went to the Lost River Barn in West VA for some amazing riding around the mountains. We all got our new cycling kits and I have to say, I really like the colors and the way they turned out! The weekend was full of some great training and delicious group meals. It’s so fun to be able to bond with everyone on these training weekend!

Snapple Girls at camp

 Just a few weeks ago, I rode a century for Tour de Cure for Diabetes. I do this ride every year and I am always thrilled to be able to ride for such a great cause! Everyone out there was riding for a reason and promoting a healthy lifestyle to prevent the onset of diabetes. Good stuff!

Ron got to do the 20 mile ride and this was his first ride since being sick!

The past several months I have started to focus on changing my diet to help me with my allergies and sleep patterns. I have been meeting with a holistic doctor who has helped me with this journey. I have also started to take Pilates with Michele Landry at her new studio Athlete Studio.   Coupled with my weekly visits to Capitol Rehab, I believe my body will stay strong through my Ironman training this year. I want to dedicate a separate blog post for each of these and hope that some of the information I start to post about will help others and/or maybe spark some interest in what these life style changes are all about.

One more thing….I finally have my first race in Williamsburg, VA next weekend. It will be my first test to see where I am at with all the training I have been doing.  I just really hope that it is not crazy hot because I already know my body is not adapted to training/racing in the heat and humidity yet. We shall see!  

Going back to my marathon roots...part II...Plus an Ironman

So…..yes, I have decided to do a marathon next March! I have chosen to train for the DC Rock n Roll marathon which will be on March 16, 2013. My dad will also be racing! Usually, we do the Cherry Blossom 10 miler but my dad said he’d come out for the marathon instead. The only bad part for my dad is training for a marathon through the Iowa winter. Right now as I write this, the state of Iowa is getting ready for their first blizzard of the year. Last year, Iowa actually had a pretty mild winter. I’m hoping for my dad’s sake that the rest of the winter won’t be like the next two days. At least I will have a white Christmas when I’m back! I am happy about that, however, I’m not looking forward to leaving the 50-60 degree weather we’ve been having in DC this week. I’ve already decided that I have to get my long run in here tomorrow before I hop on a plane to Iowa Friday morning. It’s going to be in the single digits there. Ouch! My lungs would definitely not be up for running outside in that! Looks like my dad and I will be spending some time at the Y. Which is fine, but I can’t stand doing more than 10 miles on a treadmill so I’m hoping the weekend after Christmas it at least warms up to the 30’s so we can get outside. I think I have become a little bit of a wimp with training outside in the winter elements since I left Iowa. Now, getting on a bike if it’s below 50 degrees doesn’t appeal to me at all! I remember training for Boston one winter when I lived in Iowa and had to get a 20-miler in one day with my friend Dave Mable. We ran all 20 miles in the cold, wet snow during the beginning of a blizzard! Now, that was roughing it!

I had to think hard about whether or not I wanted to train for a marathon this winter. The main thing I had to think about was whether or not training for a marathon would be a good idea to start off the long season I have ahead of me in 2013. My big news is that I have signed up to do Ironman Mont Tremblant which is in August! Yes, another Ironman….but, after 2013, I may have to retire the distance and stick with the half distance and under. I loooove racing the IM distance b/c my body loves the endurance. Ironman training just takes up a ton of time, energy and requires a TON of life balance. I will be working very hard on the life balance part by doing a lot more workouts in the early am and getting the right amount of sleep. This will allow more time with friends, family and of course everything else that goes on in life. This IM will be the main race I will focus on for next year because I really want to try to get my time down some more. If this is going to be my last IM year, I’m going hard and pushing my body to the limits. So, I admit, starting out with a marathon in the spring is a bit risky. Why? Well, several reasons which include:

·         Burnout when I get into my hard Ironman training.

·         More risk of injury.

·         Training through the winter…which won’t be as bad in DC if we don’t have several snowmageddons.

I think I’ll be ok though and this is why. I’m still only going to be running 3-4 times a week. All my running will have a purpose and there will be no junk miles! During the week I’ll have two days that will include either, track, hill or tempo work, a day of a semi-longer run in the middle of the week and then the long run on the weekend. So, it will basically be like the training I do for an IM and just doing more running at the beginning of the season than I normally do. If I do start to feel any type of injury flare up, I will back off and make a decision on whether or not to continue with the marathon training, or drop to the half. I will not jeopardize my whole triathlon racing season for the marathon and will be smart about it. Being smart will include doing my strength training exercises and stretching that my coach and chiropractor have told me to do, swimming a lot (good for recovery) and using that damn foam roller all the time! (Oh hurts so good!) I’m really looking forward to running a marathon again and having my dad come out and run it as well!

In the meantime, I have taken some time off from structured workouts. I just started getting back into a training schedule this month. It has been nice and exactly what I needed in order to be motivated and ready to go for 2013! My mom and I took a trip to NYC the week of Thanksgiving and had a blast. Here are some pics from our trip.

In front of Rockefellor Center

Empire State Building

 

 

Off season is a great time to catch up with friends you haven't seen for awhile and to not worry so much about diet, what workouts to get in and just have a blast during the holidays! You can even incorporate exercise with fun group workouts. Last weekend I did a fun 10 mile run with High Cloud. We passed out winter hats to the homeless and stopped along our route to get some pictures in front of the White House and Capitol Christmas trees. You have to have fun while training and I’m definitely incorporating a lot of group workouts into my training regime next year. This shouldn't be a problem since there are about 50 DC Tri Club members training for Ironman Lake Placid and 10 or so training for IM Mont Tremblant. Fun times to be had!

I wish everyone a very happy holiday season!!

10 Mile run - in front of the Capitol Xmas Tree

In front of the White House National Xmas Tree

 

Kathryn's 30th Bday Wine Tour Party

 

IAFF Work Party

 

 

Maybe Going Back to my Marathon Running Roots for a Few Months (Part 1)

Ron, my Dad and I before MCM 2010

To marathon or not to marathon….that is the question?? This exact question came up last night at the DC Tri Club, “Plan Your 2013 Race Schedule” seminar. Eight of us from the DC Tri Snapple Team sat on the panel and answered members’ questions about how to plan your race season. I was quiet when this question came up because I am debating this myself. I do know that now that it is ‘off-season’ I will be focusing on my weakest link….swimming and adding in some yoga or pilates two times a week. This has to become a habit for me since core and functional training is key to preventing injury. And, it will definitely play a huge part in my marathon training if that is indeed what I decide to do.

The marathon in question is the VA Beach Shamrock Half, March 17, 2013. Ron and I did the half marathon a few years ago and had a great time. There was a big house that a bunch of us shared and it was the first time that I had ever been to VA Beach. The weather was perfect that weekend. Here are the pros and cons for this race.

Pros:

·         We can make a fun weekend out of it and share a house with friends.

·         I mentioned it to my Dad and I think he’d be pretty easily persuaded to come out for it. Plus, he’s never been to VA Beach.

·         The finish line is a blast with green beer, Irish soup and relaxation on the beach!

·         Flat and fast course.

Cons:

·         I’ve heard the 2^nd half of this race is pretty damn boring. Hmmm

·         You have to train through the winter.

·         How will this play into my tri season next year. (I’ll get into this in part 2 of this blog.)

My main reason for wanting to do a marathon at the end of Winter is because my dad and I would love to go back to Boston together in 2014. I’ve done Boston three times now, 2001, 2003 and 2005. My favorite year racing the Boston Marathon was in 2003, when my dad and I experienced race weekend and race day together! Not too many people can say they did the Boston marathon with their dad and I want to be able to say I’ve done two Boston marathons with my dad! Now, we both just need to qualify. ;)

My dad chilling after MCM in 2010

My dad just did the Des Moines marathon and unfortunately, did not feel good the second half.  He was running with the 3:35 pacers the first half. Cramps and fatigue took over his body but he did not give up and still finished around 4 hours and took 5^th finish place in his age group! He’s beating himself up for not having a ‘good day’ but you can’t help it if your body is just not feeling it race day. My dad’s ‘bad day’ is still amazing! The qualifying time for his age group is 3:55 and he is definitely in shape to do a 3:30 something marathon still. Heck, two years ago he ran Des Moines in 3:35 and then two weeks later ran the Marine Corps Marathon in 3:41! Here is where I brag about my dad a little bit. He doesn’t give himself nearly enough credit for his abilities and everything he has accomplished over the years! My dad is one tough, inspiring athlete and this marathon finish was number 23 for him! Back in his prime marathon years, my dad had several sub-3 hour marathons and two of those were a time of 2:47! That’s just over 6:20 pace! Very impressive! I can’t imagine what going that fast would feel like!

I started running with my dad when I was five years old. He still has a picture he drew of the two of us running out to the bridge by where we used to live. It was about a two mile run. Then I remember entering into some 5k’s and 8k’s as I got older. My brother, Tyler, even got into it when he was younger and we have a funny picture of my cousin Derek and my Dad holding him up by the arms running a mile race. My brother never got the running bug quite like I did but displayed his talents on the soccer field growing up and is currently the Assistant Coach for a high school team in South Dakota. In fact, they just won the state Championships!

 

My dad and I before MCM 2010
 

Growing up I did track but didn’t really enjoy it. The all out sprinting is not something I could really get into. I found out my Junior year of college that I enjoy long distance. I signed up for a marathon training class and did my first marathon in 1999. I was hooked from that point on. My dad has truly inspired me over the years and finding out that I got his endurance genes, I couldn’t resist seeing how far I could push myself. Hence, how I found my passion for long distance triathlon.

(I'm not trying to leave my mom out! :) She does not enjoy running but we enjoy doing other activities together such as traveling, shopping....you know womanly stuff ;) I'll be blogging about our NYC trip in November!)

That brings me to my original question....should I go back to my marathon roots and train for a marathon this winter? I’ll get into that in part 2 so you don’t have to keep scrolling down to read. Plus, my lunch break is over. J

Last Tri of the Season....Poconos 70.3 Race Report

Pocono Mountains

 

I am actually writing this race report just a few days after my race…new record! Well, I tried…I wrote half of this report a few days after my race but it is now over a week and I’m just finishing. I had good intentions!

I haven’t been a very good blogger since I started my blog for several reasons: 1) It just takes time and I don’t take time out to write a whole lot 2) Sometimes it’s hard to put your personal experiences out there for everyone to read. Blogging is a great way to reflect on your experiences and to keep friends and family up-to-date and hopefully a little entertained. I write in hopes that I can keep friends and family inspired and/or motivated in their own healthy endeavors and to give others an idea of what a certain course is like in case they are looking to do that same race in years to come. This is how I’ve learned about many races I’ve done in the past!

I have learned over the years that you can continue to do well in this sport with great determination, dedication, a good life balance and most importantly a humble approach! I have had many humbling experiences over the years and continue to learn, grow and be inspired by the many great athletes I meet, from the new triathlete to the elite. We all have good and bad days or even good and bad seasons. This season I feel like I personally had more down’s than up’s and I’m truly thankful to have had the race I had at Poconos 70.3. It reminded me of why I do this sport and the importance of keeping things in perspective and to not lose site of the most important thing….have fun while doing something you love and leading a healthy life!

Why Poconos?

Well, I had signed up for the National Harbor 70.3 which was to be held the beginning of August in the swamplands of DC. I have to say, I am happy this got canceled because I really could not have suffered through another HOT race this year. I had to figure out another 70.3 race to do that was within driving distance.  So, I went to the Poconos 70.3 website to read through the course information. Last year the swim had been canceled because of water contamination and I had heard horror stories about the bike course. This year, the swim and bike course had been completely revamped. The swim was in the spring fed-lake at the former Tamiment Resort and Golf Club, the bike course didn’t have as many crazy steep climbs and was mapped out on better roads, and the run course remained the same. Plus, I had never been to the Pocono Mountains and heard it was beautiful!

Pre Race

Ron and I left for PA Saturday morning and decided to take the more scenic route rather than going 95 most the way. This is one of those races that you need to read through the entire athlete guide and figure out logistics ahead of time because T1 and T2 were in different places which required a lot of driving around the day before the race. I got my bike checked out at check-in to be sure my wheels were on properly. I borrowed a sweet set of Zip 808’s from my good friend, TrevorAlbert. Thanks again Trevor! It made me want a set of race wheels ever more but not sure that’s happening anytime soon. While I was running around one of the vendors asked Ron what my bento box on my bike was for. He said, “Oh you know it’s to store food in….like peanut butter sandwiches, ham and cheese, maybe even some beef brisket.” The guy didn’t know how to take Ron and of course Ron being in his jokester mood held a complete straight face the whole time. Then I show up and the guy is looking at me like I’m crazy or something. When we walked away Ron told me the story. Ha! No wonder the guy was confused. He thought I was going to have this big ol feast on the bike!

After dropping my bike off, Ron and I drove the course. I like to do this now for any of the longer distances I race so I’m mentally prepared the next day. We had been in the car for quite some time that day so when we drove by a bakery with about 15 miles of driving to go, Ron wasted no time at all to pull over and get some apple pie! He deserved it spending his Saturday doing my boring race prep with me. Next stop was T2 where I dropped off my running bag and then it was time to meet up with our friend, Melanie, to eat a delicious pasta dinner.

Race Day

Rather than messing with the shuttle to the start line, Ron told us that he would drive Melanie and me to the lake. There were only 100 parking spots and by time we got there all the spots were taken. So, Ron drove out to the bike course to find a spot to cheer us on. It’s a good thing he drove us because the race ended up getting delayed a few minutes because a few of the shuttles had gotten delayed. One pre-race stressor avoided! The delay was much appreciated since there were only 20 bathrooms for over 1000 people! I was standing in line and still had to pump my tires, put on my wetsuit and drop off my morning clothes bag!

Swim

 I think one of the most painful parts of the race was walking on rocks, barefoot to get to the swim start! Here’s a tip for those of you doing this race next year: buy cheap flip flops to wear to the start and then toss. It will save you from some very cold, sharp pain on the bottom of your feet! Once I got to the start, I ran into Caroline, whom I had met at book club where fellow Snapple DC Tri teammate, Mindy Ko had introduced us. Nerves are high before any race start and it was nice to bump into her, chat and try to forget about being nervous for a bit.

The water temperature was a chilly 64 degrees so I opted for my long sleeved Xterra wetsuit. We started in the water so had a few minutes to adjust to the temperature. Once we were off and I put my head in the water, I was relieved to find that you see could far enough ahead to pick out feet to draft off of. All my swims this year have been in dark, murky water which I think tends to mess with me mentally. I got into my groove quickly, was surprised the cold water didn’t really affect me and noticed that I was fairly calm. Right away I found feet to draft off of. I lost her for a bit and could tell someone was actually drafting off of me. What?! That never happens! I think this same girl sped up a bit after the turn around so then I started to draft off of her until the last 100 meters when she sped up. This felt amazing and I actually enjoyed the swim! I had the fastest 1.2 mile swim ever! I looked at my watch and couldn’t believe that it read 33 minutes. That’s about 5 minutes faster than my last half Ironman swim.  I do think the swim was a bit short because I’ve read some of my other friend’s race reports and they also had their fastest swim ever. But, hey I’ll take it! I know being able to see feet to draft and the long sleeved wetsuit definitely played into my time as well. I usually can’t keep up with the fast swimmers to draft and lose them right away. I’m not going to be so timid at the start of the swim from now on so I can find those feet right away!!

My swim set the tone for the rest of the race. I had a huge smile on my face when I exited the water and was ready to get on the bike. It was a decent distance from the swim exit to T1 and before leaving transition you had to make sure that all of your swim gear was in your bike gear bag or it would not be brought back to the finish line. Everyone was in the same boat, so the T1 times were slower.

Swim Time – 33:50

Bike

Bike profile: http://www.ironmanpoconomountains.com/sites/default/maps/elevation2012.pdf

The bike leg started with a long, fast four mile decent. Weeeee! This is a great way to start and gives the heart rate a chance to go down a bit from the swim and rush onto the bike. Speaking of heart rate….my heart rate monitor did not work correctly the entire race!  I have had some major problems with the ‘new and improved’ Garmin heart rate strap. I do not get the need for companies to continuously feel they have to change and upgrade their products all the time when they work perfectly fine the way they are. I had NO issues last season when I was using the hard strap that came with my Garmin when I purchased it. After awhile, it’s just inevitable that straps get nasty, smelly and rinsing them out just doesn’t work anymore. So, I was forced to buy the new strap. Anyway, it was just really weird because during the bike, my HR was reading at a resting state the whole time and then on the run it was reading like I was maxing out. Of course, neither one of the readings were true. Luckily, I’ve done several half Ironman races and know my body well enough to keep from racing too hard. I went strictly on how I felt this race!

Back to the bike…after the long decent, you go out nine miles and then come back in for ten before the rolling hills start to greet you. During this time, you get rolling hills until the end. There were a few short steep climbs where I had to get out of the saddle and a few times where I did not think I needed to gear down and it ended up being steeper than I thought so had to stand up. During this portion of the course, I saw the beautiful foliage and mountains, deer running along the side the road in a field (luckily they stayed there and did not venture out to the road!) and a sinkhole in the road. A grumpy woman had informed Ron and I the day before when we drove the course that the sink hole was there. She went on and on about how she could not believe they would make part of the race course on that road. I was starting to get a bit worried that there would be tacks in the road the next day. No tacks luckily! I also saw this same woman sitting in her front yard watching the race so guess she got over her anger about the course.

They had made a wooden pass through over the sinkhole where we had to go single file. It was not crowded so it did not slow me down too much. Then late on, at the top of one of the climbs, I saw a creepy Criminal Minds unsub type of man. He had on some big safety goggles, held a leaf blower and stared out at the riders with a killer look on his face. Seriously, it was scary looking but actually made me crack up after I had passed. The theme song to Criminal Minds got in my head ‘do do doooo do’. Ok so if you do not watch Criminal Minds you probably have no idea what I am talking about but it gave me a nice chuckle. I was just having a blast and taking it all in! Luckily, all that man had in his hands was a leaf blower!

I did not see many women until about mile 40. I had finally caught up to the faster swimmers and started to see several women in my age group around mile 50. I saw Caroline and she was looking strong. Over a mile from the finish, I had to swerve around a 19 year-old who was trying to clip out of his shoes too early and was weaving around the road.  This is why you practice this technique before you  race!

In T2 I struggled just a bit to get my long sleeved jersey off over my Garmin, but that was the only delay. I was anxious to see how my legs would feel on the run.

Bike Time – 2:42:33

Run

I’m including my run from my Garmin because the Garmin shows the true run course. I was warned about this run but the race website didn’t really explain that there were several hills that were about a mile long! Don’t pay attention to the heart rate. It was way off and not working most the time! http://connect.garmin.com/activity/229228431#.UHhEquRW76w.email



How I felt the whole race!

Throughout the entire run I was running with mainly men from the 40 and up age groups since they were in the swim wave ahead of me. When I got to the first hill, I got a feel for how my run would go and luckily…my legs showed up for a good run! The first half I passed a few more women in my age group along with some women in the two age groups up from mine. Several times women said to me as I passed, “Oh good you’re not in my age group!” I gave them a thumbs up and encouraged each woman I passed. This course is an out and back so I kept watching for anyone in my age group coming back on the other side of the road. I saw all the pro women including Beth Schutt, who was looking strong and raced to 3rd! Once I got to the turn-around I was pretty stoked….I didn’t think I saw anyone in my AG ahead of me and I was actually first in my AG! That has never happened in a half Iron distance race so I didn’t want to get too excited and jynx myself.  After about a mile or so I started to see a few girls in my AG. I knew they were most likely too far back to catch me, but I didn’t want to let myself think I didn’t need to keep up with my pace. You never know when there’s some sub 7 minute mile runner trying to reel you in. On the way back in I also so several DC Tri and Snapple Club members and cheered them on. It was nice to see some people from DC! I saw Melanie on her way to the finish, and she told me to go get that championship slot. Thanks for the encouragement Mel! I just couldn’t believe that I was feeling so good on this run!  Even the long hills did not bother me. Sure they slowed me down a little but didn’t seem to bother my legs much. With about three miles to go I passed a 60 year old man who said to me with a chuckle, “You know this isn’t a 5k right?” I just smiled and told him I just want to see that finish line!

There was one shorter steep hill before mile 11 and then it was pretty flat the last two miles. I could hear the announcer as I got closer and just started to kick it in. I heard Ron cheer me on and I had a huge smile on my face as I ran down that last block. Wow, had I really won my age group?! Ron ran up to me, confirmed my place and gave me a big hug. I cried tears of joy and was just in awe! We later found out that I was the 3^rd amateur woman.

Run Time – 1:36:51

Total – 4:58:45

The few weeks leading up to this race I finally felt my body peak the way it is supposed to. I have not felt this going into any of my races this year. Coach Mackenzie had asked me a few days before the race how I was feeling and if I was ready for the race. I told her, “I feel giddy and am so excited to race. Finally!” Yes, I said giddy. It’s weird how you just know when your body is ready to go and you have this gut feeling that the day will go well. I had this feeling at Ironman Louisville and it was nice to finally feel it again. I was thankful that everything fell into place…excellent weather, smooth, clear lake, good nutrition, a fun and challenging course and my body felt healthy. It just goes to show that patience, persistence and a positive attitude can go a long way!

After the race I got to hang out with Mel, Caroline and Ron. The line to claim the Worlds slot was long and the beer tent was conveniently located right by the line. Hmmmm….So, I enjoyed a nice beverage to celebrate while I waited (maybe followed by a few more while waiting for the awards ceremony ;)

Caroline, me and Mel

 

Caroline got 2^nd in our age group so she got a championship slot. Mel also had a great race placing 5^th in her AG and got a slot as well. We are all excited to be heading to Vegas next September!

I never thought I'd get one of these cool awards! Very nice  finisher medal too!

 

And now, let the off season begin!! Also, time to get some new bike shoes! Yes, I raced with these hoping the clips would clip in for one more ride. Thankfully, they held out. Ha!

 

Waterfall on our hike at BushKill Falls

HyVee Triathlon

I wrote this several weeks ago and posted to the DC Tri Snapple Blog but forgot to post here....

 

I’m originally from Iowa so I have wanted to do the Hy-Vee Triathlon since they announced it back in 2010. Last year was the first year it became the 5150 series championship race for both pros and amateurs. Age group athletes have to qualify at a previous 5150 series race in order to race in the championship race. I had qualified in 2011 at the DC Triathlon but did not do a qualifying race this year since DC Triathlon got canceled. So, I raced in the age group race.

Some of you not from the Midwest might ask, “What the heck is Hy-Vee?” Well, it is the best employee-owned chain of supermarkets throughout the Midwest! And, apparently ranked 48th in 2011 on Forbes magazine’s annual list of the largest privately owned companies in the US. Plus, it is the largest employer in the state of Iowa. Now that you have a little background of what Hy-Vee is, you’ll understand why their race has the best sponsors and swag! This race only cost $99 and you definitely get your money’s worth. (For those of you that don’t race, I say ‘only’ b/c there are some Olympic distance races out there that cost close to $200 and then of course your longer races will run you $200 all the way up to $650 for the IM distance!) Race swag included a backpack, visor or hat, jersey and tons of great samples from the race sponsors.

My main priority for going to Iowa over Labor Day weekend was to visit my family and a few close friends. I knew this race was going on the same weekend so it worked out to ship my bike back to race and get in a long ride with my dad the day after. (Which only cost me around $65 one way this time….yes!!) A couple of days before the race my dad let me know that he had been asked to be in a relay and would be doing the bike portion. He was very excited to finally see what he could do on the bike in a race. He’s put in tons of miles on the bike, but has only done running races. (Too many to count but for marathons I believe he is up to 20 now with another one coming up in October!)

I flew into Des Moines the Friday before the race and picked up my race packet that day. Since bike racking was on Sat. and my parents live an hour away, I had emailed ahead of time to get permission to rack my bike the morning of the race. Race morning I walked up to the transition entrance and showed my email so my dad and I could get in to rack our bikes. I was already a little stressed because traffic was pretty bad coming in on the one road that led to the lake. Even though there was well over an hour before our race started, we had to be out of transition the same time as the championship races since they would be coming in from the swim. The woman hesitated, made me dig in my bag for my email, sighed and then said something about people giving permission for things they shouldn’t…..then finally let us in. At least she was the only grumpy volunteer I encountered all day!

The transition was huge and divided up into three sections: 5150 championship, age group and relays. We had to be out at 6:30 and my wave didn’t start until 7:45 since the championship race started first. So, I just relaxed and watched the swim for an hour hoping to pick up some tips or get some kind of magic swim mojo sent to my body before my swim. (I don’t think it worked!)

The swim was at Grey's Lake and a time trial start. Four of us were sent off every few seconds. I felt like I was doing pretty well on the way out and there weren’t too many people around most the time. Then the chop started to slow me down on the way back in. It definitely wasn’t a spectacular swim! At least the water was cool enough to use my Xterra wetsuit again!

The bike was flat at first and then gentle rolling hills. My legs were definitely feeling the 90 mile hilly ride I had done the weekend before in Reston. I was not tapering much for this race and just wanted to have fun and not worry about my time or trying to get any PR’s. I will try to be more competitive at my last big race this weekend in Poconos.

As I was riding, I tried to find my dad on the course but did not see him. The swimmer on his relay was a few minutes faster than me and they had started in the wave before me as well. My dad and I ended up having about the same bike split time, right around 21 mph ave. He’s a machine!

Halfway through I did see a crash that should not have taken place. As I was getting ready to pass a few people, all of a sudden I see this guy riding right into the guy in front of him. I was so baffled at what happened and how it happened! Guess he wasn’t paying attention at all and I would have been ticked off if I were they guy he ran into! They were ok at least. Just goes to show, you have to pay attention at all times and always be aware of your surroundings.

Once off the bike and onto the run, I could tell my quads weren’t going to cooperate. They were screaming for most of the bike and that unfortunately, that did not subside on the run. The first mile felt good but then I had to slow to a little above 7 min. pace rather than a little under. Shucks! No 6:50 pace this time. It wasn’t even a hilly run course! The leg speed just did not show up for most of the run. There is just one short steep hill and guess where it was……right at the end 100 meters before you turn to go to the finish line! Ah well…at least my dad was right there at that hill cheering me on telling me to go try to catch the runner in his relay.

As I got my finisher slip of paper, I found out that I got first in my age group! This made me very happy considering I didn’t have the speediest race. I got a cool medal in a box and then a few weeks later found out that I got a free entry into next year’s 2013 5150 series championship race. Woo hoo! That means I’m going back to visit my family next September and racing against some crazy competition. This will definitely inspire me to get my arse in the pool this winter and finally try to get my swim times down. My dad is also inspired to learn how to swim well enough to do an open water swim and wants to do the triathlon next year instead of a relay. Good times to be had! :) I’m very blessed to be able to share the love of this sport with my dad!

I spent the rest of my time at home hanging out with my mom and dad. The next day my dad and I went for a long bike ride on the open Iowa roads. Love that! Then, my mom and I visited the cool lego sculptures at the Reiman Gardens in Ames. It's always so nice to spend great qualify time with my family!!

Summer is coming to a close

Well, it is now the end of August and I have two races left for the season. I've gone through many up's and down's this season and I FINALLY feel like my body is cooperating and responding well to training. Plus...I'm enjoying it again! I realized that I didn't link to my Buffalo Springs race report. If you're interesting in reading it can be found here on the DC Tri Snapple Team blog page. Here are a few pics from the race.


Hot 90 some degrees the day before the race!



I had a post race pic of my mom and I but she didn't like the pic so I better not post. ;)

 

July was a very busy month! At the beginning of the month, one of my best friends from Iowa, Marci Burns, visited. We've known each other since 1st grade! It was so wonderful to spend some quality time together and show her what its like to live in the 'big city'. Plus, she had some big news....she's pregnant! I'm so happy for you Marci!!

Marci and I on a boat ride in VA

The following weekend, Ron's sister, Kym, got married and we were both in the wedding party. It was such a beautiful wedding/reception and we had a blast! Here's a pic of us all dressed up. A nice change from lycra ha!  We also had our IAFF work Convention that week following the wedding in Philly. It gave us a chance to check out some different restaurants in the area. We also found a hole-in-the-wall  karoke bar and sang a few tunes. They said they had never seen their bar that lively on a Sunday before. Everyone was having a blast dancing and singing with us! A Michael Jackson impersonater even showed up!

 

At the beginning of August, Ron and I did the Bike to Beach for Autism fundraiser ride. This was a 108 mile ride that left from Washington, DC at 5:00 am on a Friday and ended in Dewey Beach, DE. We biked to Annapolis first, got bussed over the Bay Bridge and then dropped off on the other side of the bridge to continue the 75 miles left of the ride to the beach. Like last year, it was a very hot day! Right before we hit mile 90, Ron got a cramp in his leg. He ended up riding the last 10 or so miles using mainly one leg. Guess those one legged drills he had us do in his off season cycle class during the winter came in very handy that day! Besides that, we had a fun time. This is a great ride, for a great cause and I highly encourage bike lovers to do it. We hope to do it next year again.

Bike 2 Beach Finish

 

We stayed at the beach the rest of the weekend and really enjoyed some R&R time. Saturday afternoon was spent on the beach and then a visit to Jimmy's Chicken Shack where we ordered some delicious Watermelon Crushes! Yum! Our favorite live acustic singer, Jefe, was singing that day. He even let me sing part of a song with him! If you are wondering how we got back to DC, well that's a good question....no we did not ride! We took a bus and then picked our bikes up the next day in a secure location. Bike 2 Beach folks hands down have one of the most organized events around!

This past weekend I decided to do the Reston Century. I've had motivation issues with getting up and riding on weekends so knew if I signed up for this, I'd actually get my ass out of bed! It was a very hilly ride and it rained off and on the whole time. I knew that I didn't need to get a full century in and that it would probably hurt me more than help me for my upcoming race, Poconos 70.3. So, I tried to cut some off where I could. I ended up cutting off 18 miles, and got in 90 still. My legs were very happy to see the finish! (The full ride was actually 108 miles. For some reason all centuries are 100+ these days!)

 

Coming up is Labor Day weekend. I'm heading home to Iowa to visit my parents, some friends and race in the Hy Vee Triathlon! Since the DC Triathlon was canceled, I did not get the chance to try to requalify for the 5150 Championship race (can't use last years time unfortunately), but they still have a regular AG race I'll race in. My dad let me know today that he was asked to do the bike portion on a relay team so he will also get to participate. I'm looking forward to the fun weekend! Race report will follow!