CTC - REV3 Training Day HUGE SUCCESS!

Time to brag!  I am very proud to say that I am a member of the Cleveland Triathlon Club.  It is composed of 250 members or so, is a pretty active club which knows how to have some fun and is made up of some of my very favorite people!

This year the club has been working very hard to bring a lot more to our members-  many more sponsor discounts, a widely successful swim challenge / clinic in February, an awesome triathlon training camp down at Mohican, TT races galore, picnics, more training opportunities and this past Saturday, a CTC-REV3 Preview Day which was a GIGANTIC HIT!  PEOPLE ARE EXCITED ABOUT REV3 coming to Cleveland.....as am I!

In my humble opinion (as someone who is totally biased here), this was such a FANTASTIC training day.  120 athletes or so in total showed up on the gorgeous day in sunny warm Ohio!

I drove the 1.5 hours to Sandusky with the hubby on Friday and went straight to meet RD, Eric for dinner/drinks with some other folks that were in town early.  It was awesome to get the low key skinny on things and chat with Eric on the patio of Mulligans Pub at Sawmill Creek.  Speaking of Sawmill Creek, they went so over the top with helping us out, bring out water and ice, ferrying people on golf carts, opening restaurants early, letting us use their facilities & showers and just being the nicest people to work with and their grounds were gorgeous!  If you need a place to stay that weekend, consider supporting Sawmill!

Saturday morning came and the 5 of us in our hotel room were up early to start the day.  There was Sailfish wetsuits to demo, Leah Nyikes with Liquid Lifestyles on the gorgeous beach leading an open water swim clinic....and LEAH ROCKS BTW!   I demoed a high end Sailfish wetsuit.  I am not sure if it was the calm water or the wetsuit or what but that morning, swimming just seemed so effortless.  WEIRD FOR ME!

Then we got to hear more from E Opdyke (REV3 CP RD) about the course and we rode the course.  We were fortunate to have Bike Authority assisting with bike maintenance before heading out and Spin and Idutri helping with SAG and a bike course aid station.  We had a nice tailwind on the way out and the roads were marked and in great shape.  We FLEW with the tail wind on the way out as I rode with the A group.  The course was pretty flat but there were a fair amount of rolllers especially on the way back when we hit a strong headwind.  I am just planning on a headwind for the the 2nd half of the bike loops now because I think it is better to mentally prepare myself for what might be tough and faced on raceday.  Hopefully if the wind gets us on the way back, it will even it out on the way out!

Upon my 59 mile bike return, I grabbed some liquid and changed my shoes to get in some running!  Wow it was hot!  JP, TR and I clipped a quick pace along the path on Sawmill property while I baked in the warm sun.  Upon our return I rushed into Sawmill to grab a quick shower before the clinics started.

First up was Michael Folan from Infinit who really gave everyone some good insight with regard to calorie replacement, water and salt intake.  It sounded like my approach using First Endurance products was very much in line with topics he spoke of which made me feel better about what I was doing! Then one of the respected area coaches, Angela Forester, had a discussion of long course strategy and tips.  I really believe everyone walked away from those clinics knowing more and both speakers gave me a lot to think about!  SO VALUABLE!  Thanks to both of of them!

Last up was the post preview day food and drinks and giveaway at Black Bear Saloon on Sawmill's property.  Beer and a cheeseburger never tasted so good!  There were lots of nice giveaways and it was just good times to chat with other participants about the day and the course.  I know this race will be a hit and people are excited!!!  Next up is the official REV 3 preview day on 8.21....you know where I will be!

Oh why must I stress myself out so bad???

So far summer has been crazy busy-work, training, travel and plenty of other things. I just got back from an action packed weekend in AL with lots of training and fun in the sun!

I try to keep things light on here for the most part and only reflect mainly on fun and training but I have been working pretty hard to stay on top of it all.  There does seem to be a situation developing which could be a little stressful but I suppose life is never simple.  Stress can do funny things it seems.  Sometimes I am so stressed I have trouble sleeping which sort of stinks because being tired and stressed is even worse!  Sometimes this leads to a funk where I don't feel like training and can't seem to get going.  Then sometimes I force myself to go and just do not feel it at all and have pathetic workouts.  Then there are times you are soooo stressed that you just go run and go so hard that it just feels with every pounding of the pavement, you are working it out.  Yesterday was one of those runs...simply flying and trying to blow off my stress!

So for now I am not sure how the situation will develop.  I just know I will put my best foot forward and try to handle it with grace (unlike my cat tripping, heel ripping open step out my bedroom door today).  Thank goodness I have my family, friends and laid back hubby to lean on and my health!  Who know, sometimes you find out you stress for no reason at all!  And then sometimes stress can lead you to do things that are good for you in the end!  Fingers crossed everything works out!

Biking & Beers with my Buds!

That pretty much sums up the long fourth of July holiday!  Tons of fun but definitely tiring!

Friday, I had lucked out and worked from home so I actually got in about half my workout with my sister.  We ran 6.3 miles together before she took my car home and I picked up the pace to finish out my 12 miles.  It was a bit of a sizzler but I did not mind as I knew the pool awaited!

Saturday was another early day (after a later night over a friends with a few cold ones) and I made the trek over to the west side of town.  I had a 70/3 brick on tap and opted to drive a bit for some company.  It was a nice change with the exception of a whole lot of rude car drivers that just cannot deal with cyclists on the parkway when they see a paved path on the side of the road.  I had got out there a bit early to tack on a few extra miles before heading out with the main group.  The group had got split up a bit and it ended up being just my teammate, CV and I for much of the ride.  I really enjoyed catching up with her and seeing that she is getting back from her hamstring issues.  Those 71 miles went by pretty easy....amazing what a difference a lack of many hills makes as I am used to much hillier east side rides!  As I returned to the car, I switched out the shoes and headed out for the run.  I picked up the pace a bit more because I was in a hurry to get done and not so much that I was trying.  Then it was off to the bike shop and two parties with more brews and some cornhole!

Come Sunday, the Saturday parties made prying myself out of bed difficult but I finally got up just after 7 and managed to get the house picked up and some laundry going.  Is that what normal people do I suppose???  By 10:30 it was time to get rolling on the bicycle for my focus bike which I usually try to do on the trainer per coach but I wanted to ride over to my sister's so we would only have one car there later so I made the exception.  I was trying to settle into the specified heart rate zones but my legs just felt a bit drained and I knew Monday's big workout was looming so to be honest, I was just not hitting where I should have been.  One would have thought in that heat and it that wind, it would not have been so hard to get the HR up there but I decided I would just roll with what was comfy.  Made it to my sister's place 22 miles later and relaxed poolside and enjoyed the part-tay!

Another late night and another early morning alarm on Monday and I was off to meet up with the Gorris/Slov Gang.  This group included some BAFF teamies and my coach with 6 of us in total.  We shoved off just after 7 am for 79 mile bike with some hills early and towards the end leaving out of Brecksville and heading out to Grafton.  Oh I was worried when we started...lots of strong guys and the air was already so thick that I could feel the tightness in my lungs and was regretting that I had not brought an inhaler as a precaution.  However all went well and I really enjoyed checking out some new scenery and was fortunate to have a nice strong group of riders to take turns pulling.  I was feeling pretty good still as we hit the hills towards the end but then it was time for the run.  Did I mention it was hot???? With a quick shoe change we were all off on our 3 mile run.  The plan was 2 miles hard, one mile easy.  Mile one was ALL uphill and I was trying to keep up with KS and complaining out loud about the hill and the heat 7:09.  Kept on maintaining a nice effort at the 1.5 turnaround and was trying to hang on and finally hit mile 2 at 6:59....those hurt!  Walked for a short bit and started my trot back down to the start.  I think ES's neighbors must have thought we were all nuts, running so hard in that heat as I saw them watching!  It was nice to have so many fast runners in the group to push me to work hard on the run because trust me, I did not even really want to run at all really and joked I would just stay back drinking some iced fluids and time them all!  The rest of the day included another trip to Bike Authority and the pool and some more cold brews!

What a totally fabulous weekend!  Great mix of fun in the sun with family and friends and lots of good quality training.  Today I sit here so sad that the long fun weekend is over but I think my saddle area is in bad need of  a little break!  Oh and what even made the weekend even better was the start of the Tour (yes, I had to up my cable package Saturday to get Versus) that I caught a couple minutes of the last few nights before I fell asleep!  BEST TV OF THE YEAR!  Wooot!

My first big trophy in a Tri!!!!

All this triathlon business started back in 2006.  I have been fortunate enough over the years to walk away with some 2 and 3's and some ag awards, but this weekend was my first 1st Place Overall Female in a triathlon which was special for me!  Not only that, there were some good female competitors out there on this day!

So the day before I took as a rest day and spent the day laughing and riding motorcycles.  Sunday morning, I woke up at the crack of dawn and drove out to Monroe Falls for the race.  I was not quite as well prepared for this race as I sat by my car race morning going through all my normal pre-race activities (like foggle on the goggles and pulling everything out of 3 bags and putting into one bag, etc.).  Then I had a bunch of CTC stuff to get out and set-up.  Needless to say between all that and some chatting, I was beginning to feel tight on time.

I threw my Saucony Fast Twitch 4s on and went for a short warm up as getting in a warm-up before a sprint is fairly critical in my book.  I went to stop at one bathroom but there was a decent line so I decided I would just jog to the one on the other side of the park, which was locked!  CRAP!  So by this time I am running faster back to the other one, finally go and now and practically sprinting to get back to transition to put on my wetsuit.  To add to this, it is a hot morning and now I am totally sweating as I try to get my wetsuit on ASAP and head down to the water just in the nick of time.

Momentarily we were off on the swim.  I had lined up near the front of the short swim but was too close to the buoy line.  I kept getting tangled up in the rope that was next to the line.  The swim was ugly and I was hot.  As always I just tried to keep focused and calm while I waited for it to be over...ughh I hate the swims!  Thank goodness it was short at 400 yards.  I crossed the mat in 92nd place overall with a time of 7:49.  Boy did I get schooled in my swim by the girls that finished 2, 3 & 4 (their times were 6:25, 5:27 and 5:00).  Clearly my swim could use some continued work. For now I was just happy it was over and now it was time to go to work.

I hopped on my bike and started picking off the ladies that were in front of me.  I was working the hills and the turns as much as I could and closing the gaps.  It took me a long time to catch the lady who would end up in number 2, who I knew was an extremely strong triathlete.  Then as we entered the park I caught the final female at the front.  Overall I felt good on the bike and it was the first time I had rode the course.  Finished the 12 mi bike in 34:12 and a 21.1 avg which was 29th overall. 

I left transition right behind the last girl I had caught with the other one right on our heels.  I was breathing hard (TG I had already hit my inhaler) and even though I sounded like I couldn't breathe, I put my head down and started to pick up the pace.  The brick feeling in my legs did not last long.  Per Coach MG's instructions, I have been very consistent practicing bricks this year weekly and not only that, but running harder off the bike.  Funny thing is, now I am feeling much better running off the bike.  At one point on the course there is an out and back section by the drive way and I saw the two girls that were behind me very close together so I continued to push harder hoping I could hold the lead.  I was working the hills as much as possible and as I came through loop one, instead of my normal waving and acknowledging friends, I put my head down and tried to push even harder.  Today, I really wanted it and did not care if it hurt...perhaps my mental game is getting stronger too.  Finally I hit the finish line and was sooo excited to have held on and won!  Transition 2 and the 3.2 mi run was 22:47 (7:07 pace) and 17th overall.  This pace really doesn't mean much to me as it should have been much faster without the transition...everyone's paces were much lower than what would be typically seen.  I finished 1st female, 21st overall with a time of 1:06:02 and finished nearly 2 min ahead of the next female.

It was nice to cheer in all the friends out there racing as I stood on the sidelines.  This race has always been sort of special to me in that it has a nice local feel with a RD that I really like and it was my first triathlon ever.  Needless to say, this day made it even more special!

(Pic heading into finish line on my second loop!)

Keep Up...

....that is what I keep telling (or rather keep singing to) myself to do!  (You can click link for one of my current ipod faves!)

Anyways just trying to stay on top of it all, work, club stuff, the workout and just the little things!  Did I mention the pile of dishes I had on my counter that I finally did last night just before 10PM after getting home from a late night of biking at which time I was finally eating dinner???  I think it took me two seconds to fall asleep when my head hit the pillow last night...or maybe just one!

This morning the alarm went off this morning (just like yesterday) so I could get my swim in before work and I could not resist the snooze button....again and again until there was no time left for a swim AGAIN.  This is especially problematic because I can usually run or bike downtown Cleveland but the pool becomes hard to hit if I skip it in the morning!  This week I have been feeling a bit run down and suppose skipping a swim and staying healthy is probably the best option!  Too bad my swimming options always seem a little constrained with time and proximity!

After being away quite a few weekends recently I am super excited to have the next two weekends to be home and get to do some of those things I have not had much time for like riding my motorcycle (this Saturday we are heading out to ride with some friends) and hitting some parties (plenty of those lined up for July 4th weekend)!

So far this week, everything is sort of falling into place but I had managed to overplan my weeknights which I hate.  Tuesday was a 42 mile road bike ride with the touring club, tonight was set to be a 16 mile run, then tomorrow was mountain biking night, friday a 40/10 brick, with a sprint tri to top it off Sunday.  However, I am super excited that I managed to squeeze in my 16 mile run this morning (due to a last minute schedule opening AND I even got company for most of it!) so I can actually have an off night and just relax at home tonight.  All this running around has just made me appreciate my time at home so much more!  Some how I will manage to keep up with is all or at least give it my best!

Maumee Bay Race Report

Week 12 of ironman training in the books...11 more to go!

Last week after a somewhat grueling week of workouts, I had planned to race Maumee Bay Olympic Tri.  I had never done the race but a lot of local fast competition was planning to do it and I figured it would be fun to do the race that was billed as flat and fast!

After putting in a lot of hard bike miles all week the legs were pretty trashed Friday so I decided to just hit the Greater Cleveland Tri training session on Saturday morning and use the event as social hour and some open water swim practice.  It was so nice to give the legs a mini rest day.  Later in the afternoon, we headed up to Toledo (about 2.5 hours away) to have dinner with some friends (all doing their 1st oly tri the next day!) at Spaghetti Warehouse.

The wake up call Sunday morning came at 5:30 and after some issues, I made it to the race with some time to spare.  I kept thinking I was missing something as setup was too smooth...guess that means I was well prepared and getting more practiced!  Then I sat back and chatted with some friends as I sipped my First Endurance PreRace.

I hopped in the water to get in a swim warm-up and the water felt great.  However with my wave start I was waaay wide to the far buoy and my sighting was definitely costing me some time as I swam extra mileage.  I was breathing pretty hard but was not having any real issues besides being slow and sighting could have been better.  Hit the timing mat at 32 flat for the 1500 M swim.  Ughhh, just not a great swim and puts me at such a time disadvantage to some of the top females!  (Rank 147 OA)

I ran up to the bike transition and as usual, getting the wetsuit off could have been cleaner but I was a bit tired from the swim.  T1 1:07, not bad.

Out onto the bike course I was trying to get settled in.  I was getting in some water and getting the legs moving.  The course was flat and kind of a big square.  I did notice I was managing to close some gaps rather nicely on the corners.  There was definitely a nice wind coming from the northwest but it was fair in that it helped push you along riding south and east.  I was feeling good on the bike, repeating dig, dig, dig on occasion trying to reel in all those people who were faster swimmers (and there were quite a few of them!).  The bike went by pretty quickly and I was back in 1:09:03 with a 21.6 avg (3rd fastest female bike split) (Rank 73 OA).

T2 was also pretty uneventful but not sure why it took 1:06.

Out on the run I started out pretty conservatively.  It was heating up and I was breathing pretty hard.  (I had hit my inhaler pre-race so I was hoping it was enough to keep my asthma at bay).  Legs are getting more used to the brick feeling with the practice they have been getting this year.  Before long I had reeled in a fast running female vet.  I paced off her a bit as I knew this lady could run and I was still breathing hard.  I finally decided to push ahead and run my own race.  It was a rush to see so many friends out on the course which just fueled me to keep running harder.  The run course was nice and it was pretty flat all on the bike path but provided little shade.   I think this may be the first tri I ran a nice negative split finishing my last mile with a 6:51.  Final 10K 43:39 (7:02 pace and fastest female run split!) (Rank 29 OA)

I ended up with 3rd place overall female with a total time of 2:26:56 (Rank 61 OA) which is a nice big PR! I was happy to see so many of my friends do so well too!  So I was pretty pleased with my performance.  It was nice that over the course I was able to continue to improve with each discipline!  The only thing that is notable was how far 1st and 2nd overall females were ahead of me (10 and 4 minutes total which is sooo much in an oly, of which 8 and 6 minutes were just the swim!).  So guess I should spend some more time trying to get stronger there!  Overall it was a really fun race and a great day!  The thing I did notice was the flat bike really made my tail end hurt from all that digging on the bike!

Now I am ready to race the Summi Tri sprint next weekend!

Last week totals-
7700 M Swim
150.8 M Biked
25 M Ran

REV3 Quassy 1/2 IM, the race!

13 weeks to ironman and already feeling like there is not enough hours in the day but what else is new?  So finally I am making myself take the time to get down the Quassy half REV3 race report. 

So picking up where I left off, after my morning a snapping some silly pics and taking in some coffee, First Endurance PreRace and some water, I headed down to the beach and sat down at the water line by myself thinking about what was ahead of me.  The half is never a distance to take lightly, especially if you want to do well. I have only done two official half IM's, both being Greater Cleveland Triathlon, one of which was changed to a duathlon due to the Lake Erie Washing Machine.  I was hoping that even though Quassy was said to be a tough course, that I could still top my half ironman PR there.  The 2007 GCT time (5:43) was the time to beat as the 2008 GCT half had a 1.5 mile run instead of the 1.2 mile swim which is hardly the same thing.

I lined up on the beach and prepared for countdown and ran into the water as far as I could before hopping in to start swimming or rather just being in the madness.  Elbows and feet everywhere!  The swim start was so rough for me.  I just could not seem to get any clear water and for some reason this led to a lot of anxiety in the water which I tried to calm myself down from.  Additionally I was feeling like I had drank too much liquid which was not sitting well and I just sort of felt sick.  I was mentally checking out in a major way.  Yet, the one thing that keeps you going is the fact that too many people know you are doing this and quitting is not an option in this circumstance.

About 2/3 of the way through the swim around the 2nd corner, I let out some crazy long loud burps that would make any man proud.  Finally it seemed to settle the fluid overload issue and I was finally getting some clearer water and started to get into a groove....better late than never.  It was just not a good swim and I never felt smooth like I had just a few weeks back at Knoxville.  Oh well, thank goodness that was over with!  1.2 m swim:  41:54 (Overall Place 111, Division 22) 

T1 was pretty smooth.  It was a decent run up the carpet to transition and I grabbed everything as quick as possible and got moving in 2:01. Thank you trislide!

Once on the bike, I was thinking about coaches words to take it ez on the bike, real EZ the first 20 miles then pick it up as I go through 30/40/50.  I was spinning up the hills much more than I ever do and I felt great.  I was passing a lot of people.  Does this mean decent biker or really bad swimmer?  ;-) .  Regardless I was feeling very good and conserving energy with a modest pace.  I was letting the downhills rip a bit but the roads were wet from rain (which never really got us) and I had a slide which scared me a little so I dialed it back some.  In hindsight I wonder if I should have pushed a little harder in the latter miles instead of saving the legs more for the run which fizzled anyway in the heat...more on that later!

So once I got on the bike I sipped water from the aerobottle.  I took in 4 electrolyte pills total and used a gel flask in my bento box which contained FE Vanilla Gel.  It tasted like Vanilla Pudding and I was digging it while singing the Banana Puddin song, of course singing Vanilla Puddin!  I took in a few drinks of the EFS Sports Drink.  Pretty much I sat back and relaxed on the uphills and used them to refuel.  I never did take any aid from the bike stations but I can tell you that I was excited about the roar coming from the Trakkers aid station at mile 29 on the bike course.  What a rush and I even got a free show from teammate, Ryan...to friggin funny!

My lower back was a bit sore and I stretched it out when I had a chance but all an all I felt like it was a solid pace on the hills that still conserved quite a bit for the run.  56 mile bike split was 3:00:24 at 18.62 avg mph.  Aghh, I was so close to being under 3!  Oh and was it me or were there a lot of frogs squished all over the place???  ICKY!!!!   (Overall place 47, division 12....I like that overall drop of 64 spots!)

T2 was pretty uneventful, probably could shed a little more time there 1:37.

Out on to the run course, I was feeling pretty good.  Obviously I had the rock hard brick legs but the first couple miles were downhill and I was cruising along.  I was trying to keep it conservative but downhill makes it hard to judge.  About mile 3.5, I hit the uphill which I think went to mile 8.  About this time I think it must have been 150 degrees and 200 percent humidity.  OK so maybe I am exaggerating, but I could feel my chest tightening and I backed the pace way down afraid my asthma could come on ugly if I was not careful.  I was alternating between pepsi, water and FE gel walking the aid stations while I melted.  After mile 8 we were treated to some more downhill...thank goodness.  The other thing at this point that I was thankful for was shade.  I was probably adding on a bit of mileage getting myself on the shady side of the road.  About mile 10 I was starting to come out of the funk that started a mile 3.5 and began to get back into a regular turnover and was able to move forward at a better pace.  When the hills came at mile 12, I was happy to know the end was near and started closing on some of the people in front. Finally the 13.1 mile run came to an end with a time of 1:52:16, 8:34 pace.  That was somewhat disappointing to me.  I really thought on a bad day I would be at least 8:15 but probably closer to 7:45 but I think the heat and hills just got to me.  (Overall place 39, division 9)

Total half time was 5:38:13.  So still a PR from the 5:43 and I think it is fair to give myself credit that it was a tough course.  Hands down to REV3 for another spectacular race.  I enjoyed the course (well maybe not the whole run :-) )  and thought it was gorgeous.  REV3 sure brings out some tough competition and now I am looking forward to some local races before the big finale at the REV3 Cedar Point Full IM!

REV3 Quassy 1/2 IM, the start!

Where to start?  Well Quassy was slated to be one of my big races of the season.

My super supportive hubby and I left out early 6AM to start the 7.5 hour drive to Middlebury, CT.  The drive was actually a nice change from my normal southern direction drive down 77 and I made pretty good time, driving the whole way averaging 40 mpg in my awesome lil honda fit!

We managed to check into the hotel just after 2 and then made our way to Quassy to hit the expo.  First stop, Trakkers booth of course!  I was able to pick up my device for the race and mama bear took the time to go through a quick tutorial with me of the new waterproof device!  THANKS!  Most of the rest of the team had gotten into town early and had helped out with volunteering at an aide station on the Oly Course that morning and many more helped out during the Sunday half race.  It is great to be involved in a team that is so willing to give back.  More on the Trakkers aid station later!


Next I made my way to the packet pick up and chip activation where I was joined by Cleveland peeps, Tiffany and Steve.  Everything went pretty smoothly.  Again major props to REV3 for more nice swag.  It says a lot when a race outfit goes the extra bit to give out different items at their different races.  At Knoxville, packet included black Tyr Bag, White Shirt, Gray Visor...this one I got a blue bag, black tshirt, and White Visor and of course a nice long sleeve finisher shirt and medal :-)  Also I stopped by the REV3 booth and bought myself the super cute spaghetti strap black tank that I had kicked myself for not buying at Knoxville that was even under $20!  Did I mention how nice and affordable the expo stuff was?  So I listened a bit to the athlete meeting and went back to the hotel to prepare everything.

Yes, I have learned to take my time to get everything ready.  Applied Foggle to my goggles, sprayed some anti-fog on the glasses, applied numbers to race belt, helmet, and on and on.  Oh with triathlons, there is always so much more to remember!

After a quick shower, we headed out for some Italian with Tiffany and Steve and I opted for my normal pre-race lasagna and let's not forget the bread!  Returned to the hotel by 8 and settled in for an early night.

The crack of dawn came and after a so-so sleep I was up.  Tif returned the hero with Dunkin for all.  I had a multigrain bagel, coffee and just before the race had some First Endurance PreRace Mixed in my waterbottle.  I managed to get to the race site at 6pm and was able to quickly get body marked and set up my transition, hit the portopotty and still had the perfect amount of time to relax.  Relax turned into snapping a few light-hearted pics around the park.

I find that I feel better about my race if I try to not get too stressed about things too early!


Then I took my spot behind the announcer and watched the start of the real show.  The helicopters, the pontoon boat and the pro start!  HUGE!  It was a great vantage point watching everything including the official countdowns and I WAS JUST LOVING THE ENERGY THE ANNOUNCER HAD AT THIS EARLY HOUR(what was his name?) !


After a quick kiss, I headed down to the beach to focus on the task at hand and get ready to start my day!

To be continued...

Taper Time!

Well race week has finally arrived for my first early season race, Quassy REV 3 Half Ironman!

Equally as exciting last week I got my new training schedule for the Cedar Point Rev 3 Full this past week!  Wow, there are a heck of a lot of big ole long workouts on that schedule which have me scratching my head as to how I am going to fit it all in....always a juggling act!  If only if it wasn't for this work thing taking up so much of my day!

At any rate, the point of the story now is to do my very best to hit each workout as specified.  Last week it was pretty easy to hit all target workouts as the taper had already began.  The best thing about getting everything in was that I had made it a point to get them all done during the week knowing I would be out of town all weekend!  Pretty much everything went fairly well and due to the gorgeous, sunny, warm weather, I even added in a couple extra lunch runs, taking caution to run them easy....a girls gotta work on her tan sometime, right?  :-)

The weekend included a trip out to Raystown Lake on the super fast and fun Allegrippis Trails!  These trails are my absolute favorite!  Had a blast ripping around the trails, hitting the kickers and time trialing the hydro loop!  What a friggin great way to spend Memorial Day weekend...camping out with friends, swimming in the lake, enjoying a few beers, tossing frisbees, eating some good campfire grilling and loving the perfect weather!

We did leave out pretty early Sunday to head home a prep our place for a cookout and bonfire with our friends Sunday evening.  The fun continued on Monday with the Cleveland Tri Club 43 mi. Memorial Day ride and then hanging out at the Winking Lizard afterwards.  I don't know if I can imagine a much better Memorial Day weekend!

Week of 5/24


M: 2000 M Swam (AM), 8.6 M ran at 8:05 pace (Noon)
T:  7 M Ran at 9:00 pace (Noon), 31 M Biked with Touring Club 20.2 avg (Eve)
W:  8.25 M Ran at 7:55 pace (Noon)
R:  2500 M Swim w Masters (AM), 18 Mil Focus Bike (noon)
F:  25 M Bike at 19.7 avg with 4 M Run off  (Miles 1&4 @ 7:09, 7:00, 2&3 EZ)
S:  Rode 24 Miles on Mtb at Raystown Lake!!!!
S:  off (in car)

Totals
S:  4500 M
B:  98 M
R: 28 M

I'm Loving It!

And we ain't talken about McDonalds!  Although I must say it was sheer torture yesterday to ride the elevator up to my gym on my lunch break already hungry with some office workers and their McDonald bags, knowing I was heading for a run and had something much more healthy (boring/bland) to eat upon my return in an hour and half.  Oh the discipline I must have sometimes!


So the weather is finally smiling down upon us here in Northeast Ohio!  That can only mean one thing!  More outdoor training!  I am trying to not get too caught up with it all.  The sunshine called my name Monday lunch hour so I went outside to catch some rays and ran with Espeed and the boys through the flats run (err ghetto).  Then returned to work for a late day before rolling home on the motorcycle ...yes first ride to work of 2010!

Tuesday rolled around and again, more sun, more warm temps!  Lunch time came and logic tells me my legs are a bit tired and I know I have the road ride with the boys later.  Yet, I feel the need to go outside and run and I had found a sucker to go run with me so out I went.  I had made it clear this was to be an easy run and that it was.  Wow, it really felt great to run so effortlessly!  (Knock on wood) I finally think I can start to run a little more and the tibia is not flaring (getting tender) like it had been for awhile so I am hoping I can continue to integrate some more easy running days into the training because when it is nice, I just need to be outside!  More super easy runs, the better!

Last night was a fantastic night of riding.  There was a pretty big group that turned out for the Cleve Touring Club Tavern Ride.  Turnout has been rather small to date this year between the rain and cool temps, but last night there was a pretty big group with a lot of different abilities on this sunny gorgeous day.  I went off with the four boys in the front and it was taking me a bit to loosen the legs up and the heat was definitely pushing my lungs a bit more than usual.  Typically there is not much talk the first 10 miles or so but as we hit Punderson the pace eased a bit and my legs finally started to loosen up just in time to outrun a dog and then climb up Butternut.  Most of the ride we took turns pulling a pace line.  As we pulled into the parking lot 31 miles later, I was pleased to see that even though the second half felt pretty easy, we had managed our fastest average pace of the season by a decent margin.  I have developed a lot of respect for these guys that I have rode with quite a bit now between last summer and this year.  Many of these guys have years of experience.  I have found that pushing myself to ride with them, riding along in the pace lines, taking my turns pulling and climbing the many hills with them has been so very valuable to me and I am thankful every Tuesday when I ride with them!  Oh please let this beautiful weather continue!

Past two weekends!

So the past two weekends were a nice change of pace from the prior 4 of being out of town.  The timing was perfect as there was sooo much going on.  The weather has been rather cold and rainy and has screwed up a fair amount of evening bicycling plans the past two weeks which stinks after the warm sunny weeks down south.

Nonetheless, training seems to be going well and I have been busy.

Last weekend, I hit a tri club social on Friday evening and got to check out a bunch of bicycle demos, Zipp wheels and SRAM components.  Saturday, I wanted to get in 60ish on the bike and I rode with the Cleveland Touring Club or rather BL and we managed to make a nice day of it.  We even decided to climb Durthick's Hill (a hill that I always thought was pretty big) and just to say I did, I climbed it in my big chain ring.  So there!  Really this hill is not nearly as big as I thought it was and many hills off river road or in the valley deserve much more respect!  Great ride and a nice headwind to contend with on the way back.  Ended up with another late night Saturday at a friends bonfire before waking up Sunday early for the next big workout.

On Sunday, I had mapped out a course to leave my place a 6:30 am and take a winding 50 mile route up to downtown Cleveland on my own.  Again, this year with the workouts I am trying to fit in, I am learning to get in a fair amount of riding all on my own and have decided that it is not sooo bad!  I took a gorgeous route that had me climbing up 168 up into Burton, continuing on and making a left on Butternut and on up the big climb to Wye, L on Rockhaven, R on Fairmount, over to Shaker, took North Park to South Park, to MLK, to Carnegie to my office.  Then I switched shoes and commenced a 5 mile run off.  The run was FABULOUS as I was running out the Cleveland Marathon Course backwards just as sooo many of my friends were finishing!  Great times cheering for everyone!  I hung out at the CTC tent for a bit before the gang all headed down to Barley House to hang and then I headed over to the SERC party!  Busy but fun day for sure!

This weekend was no less busy, but thankfully the evenings were not as late!  Babysat my sister's twins on Friday, Saturday was up early to head to the GCT training day.  Upon the 7:50 AM arrival I donned to wetsuit and braved the water with 3 other crazies!  Holy smokes it was cold with temps in the low 50's.  That swim did not last long as I just was struggling to put my face in the water, let alone how my feet were feeling!

After a change and some BS-ing it was off on the road bike in the rain with a decent sized group of other people on the course.  I was covered in road spray and grime but not really minding it too much as the temps were at least warm as I hung with the 3 guys at the front.  After the first 23 mile loop I headed out to find the ladies who were heading out for a second loop and ended up doing an out and back to end up with 34 (6 short of the 40 goal) but I wanted to make sure I had time to run before the picnic.  I ended up running the 10k course (which was all I had time for) running 1-3 with a harder effort (7:15), easing off for 1.5 and then finishing up stronger to end with just below a 7:30 avg pace.  Again I was supposed to get in 9 so fell 3 miles short but sometimes I just need to do the best I can and roll with it.  The picnic kicked off at noon and it was nice to get a chance to chat with a lot of new faces.

Sunday was sort of a day that I did not have a planned workout so I decided to head out and support CTC's Crazy Coyote Time Trial Series.  What a great idea because this was right up my alley!  It was a 12 mile course with 3, four mile hilly loops starting in one minute increments.  My legs were not feeling super fresh but after a one loop warm up I was off.  I went out like a bat outta hell and was feeling pretty gassed and trashed after loop one...classic me!  I think my goal was to not have fellow TLE member, MV pass me on the first loop as he was starting 1 min behind me.  That was a success as he did not get me until half way through the second loop and I tried to stay with him but got a little out of rhytym and rolled up beside him and then lost some momentum and he was gone.  At least MV was the only one to pass me and I ended up passing 2 others.  After crossing the finish line, it was clear I had done a nice job of really punishing the legs on the hills, yet the plan was to head out with the vanuccis for some memorial day course preview riding.  This was good times...good roads, beautiful weather and great friends!  We ended up finishing the day with 66 miles or so.

The weather forecast this week is looking up and I am stoked, even had to ride the motorcycle to work today.  If only I could play outside every day.

The past two weeks have been pretty consistent.  I still should probably be swimming more.  Running is kept conservative with distance but have been very conscious of hitting paces which has been easier and easier.  Biking as much as I can.  Time to start the two week taper for Quassy this week!  This will be hard with this nice weather!  Heading out of town the next 3 weekends, Raystown Lake Mountain Biking, Quassy in CT and then back to Raystown.  :-)

Totals past two weeks-
S 9500 Meters
R 50.7 Miles
B 232 Miles

My first race with the Trakkers team!

*** Photo credit goes to Eric Willis*****

The feeling of a team is truly something special when they come together. 

Knoxville marked the kick-off to the Trakkers team races for 2010.  What a wonderful experience it was to meet the people I have known in the electronic world for a time now.  Team leader, Carole sure deserves a lot of credit for her energy& spirit and taking such good care of us.  I felt very fortunate this weekend to be a part of Trakkers and the camaraderie with so many people I was meeting for the first time and much of this all goes back to her efforts.

The Trakkers had a lot of fun Saturday snapping some pictures, working the Trakkers booth, passing out a bunch of awesome First Energy Products, getting in some training and racing and of course cheering for each other out on the course!

  *** Photo credit goes to Eric Willis*****

  *** Photo credit goes to Eric Willis*****
Gotta like Sonja's photo jump idea!  

  *** Photo credit goes to Eric Willis*****
The gang having some fun playing up the team challenge!

  *** Photo credit goes to Eric Willis*****

Team sporting our Super Sassy Saucony Shoes
PS...I have taken to the Saucony Tangents and absolutely love them!

Can't wait to hang with the group out at Quassy & Cedar Point!  Team Trakkers Rules!

REV3 Knoxville Race Report

*** Photo credit goes to Eric Willis*****
Where to start?  Well I had signed up for the Rev 3series and I assumed this would be my worst placing of the three races mainly because swimming is always my weakest link and proportionately it counts more in the Olympic distance than the full.  So let's hope it holds true and each race gets better...we can hope anyways ;-)

So the week leading up to race week was vacation week which was nice.  I was able to hit all key workouts and even get in a bunch of open water swimming...bonus!

Friday and Saturday, I enjoyed a nice mini taper for Sunday's Oly tri.  I was very laid back about this race, probably more than I should have been.

Saturday was an early start to a busy day.  I actually spent a lot of time making sure everything was laid out and in good order (no more forget the timing chip fiascos or goggles or anything like that this year...fingers crossed).  I had wanted to get in a little more course preview time (which I did not end up with any) but was trying to balance my weekend with keeping the husband happy.  We had a nice day and I must admit I was not as well behaved with my intake the day before a race as I need to be (especially when it comes to those longer races).  Nonetheless, thankfully all worked out and come race time I was all good and had no issues on that front...which most of my friends know me for!

Race morning I woke up and had hotel coffee with a nutrigrain bar as I was trying to make it with what was available.  Then as I walked down to the race I sipped on my First Endurance 1 scoop of Pre-Race drink.  I set up my transition super easy since my bike was already good to go from Saturday.  Then I hit the portopotty which only had a short wait and made my way down to transition.

It was a gorgeous morning but only in the low 40s and I was absolutely frozen.  Thank goodness, the husband was there as he could carry my jacket and sandals from waterside.  Once I got to the swim area I sprayed myself down with some TriSlide.  It was the first time I used it with my wetsuit and I am not sure if I liked it more for how easy it made getting into my wetsuit of getting out!  It was actually so painless to get my suit on!

Watching the pros go off for their swim was amazing.  Time must have been going slowly for me because I kept waiting for them to come back after heading out to the buoy and although it had only been a short time, it seemed like forever as I kept thinking it was going to take me like double their time which was going to be forever.  I was starting to fret about getting in the water because I was so cold.  As I made my way towards the start, I chatted with teammates Meredith and Rachel and this seemed to make me feel more comfortable with what we were about to do.

As we made our way down to the dock, I was cold and noticing that our wave of women 30-39 and men 29 and under seemed pretty big.  "Oh boy, what did I get myself into," I thought! But it was time to take the plunge and I hopped in the water and it actually felt warm.  WAHOOO!  I had a chance to take some strokes and position myself about 3 people back on the right next to the buoys and was off.  I felt bodies all over but just sort put myself in my comfort zone and pretended it was just another open water swim and felt surprisingly relaxed.  I hit the first turnaround buoy pretty effortlessly and had a long swim back.  I think I sighted pretty well and probably looked more than I should but I figure that costs me less time to do that than to swim out of my way.  I think it helped that I stayed right close to the buoys.  I am definitely getting more comfortable in the water as in the past when people infringed on my space I kind of tried to get out of their way...now I feel comfortable holding what was mine.  So for the 0.9 mile swim I was thinking it would probably take me 29-30 minutes.  I hit the deck and hoisted myself up and looked at my watch which read 25 flat!  I was thrilled and it felt easy!  That is not to say that I might have heard rumblings that it was short, but regardless I felt good about my relaxed steady swim.

The run up was not pretty.  My wetsuit rip cord has disappeared and both arms were reaching back there as I tried to get my legs moving and by the time I crossed the mat my swim split registered a 26.10.  Moving into transition my bike was towards the back so I ran back and peeled the wetsuit off and tried to get out of T1 quickly.  It took 2:35 which was far too slow.  I will practice transitions.  Transition=Free time  REPEAT!

Out on the bike I wanted to be careful to ease in.  I think some tri's I have went out super fast which just resulted in tight hammies and slower overall time.  Within a mile or two I was starting to feel a little bit better and after the bridge my heart rate started to come down and then the passing began.  Once we got out of the city I was loving the course.  Rolling and scenic.  I was lucky enough to score a First Endurance prototype gel and I had tucked the flask in my tri-top pocket.  On the two bigger climbs I pulled it out and spun up the hills while I took in some gel and water from the aerobottle which worked well for me.  I feel very comfortable on the descents and was passing quite a few people on them especially as the downhill speed pushed me up the next hill.  All those twisty mountain roads that I rode this past week were perfect little training rides with all their sweeping corners.  Oh and of course I love the thrill of the downhills, sort of feels like riding my motorcycle!

*** Photo credit goes to Eric Willis*****

Again I think I was feeling too comfortable and next thing I know a 17 yr old passed me and we leap frogged some.  Then another girl passed who looked pretty strong passed and I kept her in my sights for awhile.  As we drew closer to the city the 3 of us had changed positions a few times and all came in pretty close.  Overall I felt strong on the bike and very few people passed.  I probably felt too good and now regret not pushing a little harder, although it always weighs in the back of my mind that I still have a run ahead of me!  I was hoping for a faster bike split which I know I am capable of, but I guess that would have required more pain! 

T2 was rough too.  My feet were so numb and would not go where I wanted them to.  It was ugly and after too long I was finally off. 

Off on the run, my heavy legs and very numb feet=not a good combo!  First mile was 6:55.  I was smiling and cheering for Trakkers peeps the opposite direction, heck I was even giving props to the Terrier team (this was deserved as one of their men came up on me with one heck of a pace!)  I was passing people but just was not pushing like I know I should have been.  I think I was resolved at that point with finishing a steady race and feeling comfortable....ahhh, but that is never enough when I look back! 

*** Photo credit goes to Eric Willis***** 

A few things slowed me down like the 5 steps and the U-turn but all in all it was a nice run course and I love getting to see racers on the out and back!  I hit one water stop after taking another swallow of the FE gel and cruised into the finish line.

So here are the stats-

Swim 
Distance:  0.90 Mile
Time:  26:10
Overall Place 66
Division Place 13

Bike
Distance:  24.8 Mile
Time:  1:48:44
Pace: 18.6 mph

Overall Place  38  (Gotta like those drops!)
Division Place 6

Run 

Distance:  6.2 Mile
Time:  47.0
Pace: 7.34 min/mi


Overall Place  35

Division Place 6


Total Time:  2:36:20


All in all, it was probably a solid start to the tri season.  However, I think I was not as mentally prepared for this race as I should have been.  I knew the competition was so strong that I think I let it get in my head which resulted in me not pushing as hard when I should have just raced my own race for myself.  Lesson learned.

Also, while I would have liked to have made myself work a little harder, the Oly distance never was the target race and I take comfort in the fact that I felt very good all day and it was still a respectable time. Not only that, I really enjoyed myself while racing and really liked the course/venue!  Oh and I was not even really beat up which was a bonus!

 *** Photo credit goes to Eric Willis***** 

My REV 3 Knoxville Experience

*** Photo credit goes to Eric Willis*****  

So for anyone who was counting, this past trip was 9 days long and got me home late Sunday night and capped off 4 weekends in a row that I have been out of town for the entire weekend (Mohican, Nashville, AL/Chattanooga and Knoxville).

The idea was to get an update out sooner, but I have been plunged into the world of playing catch up.  That and the fact that I want to do it justice.  So I am thinking a three part series the next three days to get it all down in some sort of manageable way as there is so much to say! 

• Part I-REV 3 TRI Experience
• Part II-My Race Report
• Part III- Trakkers and Sponsors

So this past weekend was race one of the new Rev 3 Triathlon Series which I am participating in which includes the big three distances of Olympic, Half and the Full!

I had arrived bright and early after a 2.5 hour drive to Knoxville from Alabama on Saturday morning.  No sooner than we park, I hop out of my car to see two of my Trakkers teammates, Sonja and none other than Michael Lovato. This brings me to point number one about REV3...it was sooo cool to get to be around such a large pro presence which led to a big race feel.

*** Photo credit goes to Eric Willis*****  

Photographer, Eric Willis is teammate, Sonja's dad and he took tons of pics of the gang...how cool is that?

The expo seemed to offer a lot to everyone including inflatables for kids, bike support, multiple nutrition vendors , a swim preview, an All 3 Sports booth with a little bit of everything, a REV 3 Booth (I was so in love with the little spaghetti tanks and the sweet REV3 swimming suits and was blown away how affordable the prices were as I could not get a boring swimming suit at the Dicks for the price).

who's that in the green :-)

*** Photo credit goes to Eric Willis*****
who's that in on the far left...wish it was me that sweet Kestrel in my hand! 

The volunteers were everywhere and everything was real easy to navigate through both at the expo and on race day.  I picked up my packet and headed to get my timing chip where they snapped a picture.  Later, I had headed down to the bike transition about a half a mile away to rack my bike.  REV3 thought of all the little things like my name and number where I would rack my bike.  Not only that, I am a huge fan of this style of bike rack.

This was my first time in Knoxville and I thought it was a great venue.  We stayed at the Holiday Inn for a reasonable price offered through REV3 (less than half the cost of hotels for Nashville mary).  The hotel was located right next to the expo and the finish line!  Bonus!  It did seem like most the hotels were pretty close.  I really liked that we could park and just walk everywhere!

Outside of the expo, my Saturday was pretty laid back.  We hit Downtown Grill and Brewery for a laid back lunch while sampling a couple beers :-)  Then for dinner we checked out Oodles at Market Square (Market Square was a cute lil area to walk around with a bunch of shops and restaurants) which was good and even offered some smaller very affordable portions....both places were thumbs up in my book and felt lucky to have found them both...thank you Internet!

The Race!  This one had to be fun to watch (which I heard it was) and left me thinking how cool it would be to be a spectator there!  Plus the MC's sure kept it interesting and fun all weekend!

First off, the field was deep in talent.  Not only where there around 70 pros, there was a number of elite age groupers and also a lot of talented age racers.  Needless to say, REV 3 brought out some good competition!

My wave was set to go off at 8:15, pros at 7:45 and transition was to close at 7:40.  I figured I would leave the hotel at 6:45 for the 1/2 mile walk to transition and still have plenty of time so I actually slept in until 5:45 which was really late for a race day which was nice.

I walked by one cop car by the expo stuff...definitely seemed like REV3 had a lot of them on hand everywhere!  I continued the walk to transition and set up my area and made my way to the portopotty line.  I probably waited 5-10 minutes, so not too bad!  Then it was off to the swim start which was probably another 1/2 mile away. 

At first glance the 0.9 mi. swim was incredibly scenic!  Definitely would have been cool to take in the start over the brunch on Calhouns overlooking deck.  It sure had a big race feel with the two helicopters, filming pontoon boat and all the stuff going on like the guy paddling out the pro men!

  *** Photo credit goes to Eric Willis***** 

The swim was well marked and seemed pretty easy to navigate.   No worries about waves, water seemed clean and the water actually felt warm!  Great SWIM course!

  *** Photo credit goes to Eric Willis*****

Next up-the 24.8 mi bike course!  I am a fan of a rolling course so this was great in my book!  The hills kept everyone honest and there were a lot of fun sweeping downhills like I am used to!  I did not think either of the two longer climbs seemed too rough but they will definitely slow ya down a bit.  Both the bike and the fun course seemed well marked and never did I have any real issues figuring out where to go.  I saw some course marshals out on the course but I did not notice any blatant drafting and seemed like a pretty clean race from my vantage point.  

  *** Photo credit goes to Eric Willis*****

(Just checking out the bike setups at this race was friggin amazing all in itself!)

Last up the 6.2 mile run!  It was mildly rolling and an out and back for the most part until the end and that was cool to see other racers and figure out where you were at.  Looking at the elevation profile, I had expected it to be much hillier than it actually seemed.  There were a few areas that slowed you down such as the 5 steps and the u turn.  Seemed like plenty of aid stations through the bike and run course with Cera Sport, Water and gels.

   *** Photo credit goes to Eric Willis*****

Just seeing the pros and how fluid while going so fast was INSANE!

  *** Photo credit goes to Eric Willis*****

The finish area seemed first class with the jumbo-tron, finish chute, and all the other stuff!  They had ART setup, an awards ceremony which went 3 deep in each division!  Oh and did I mention the sweet finishers shirt and medal we got on top of the race shirt, visor and Tyr Bag....Super Sweet Swag for sure!

COMING SOON...THE  RACE REPORT !

Overall, easily probably the coolest triathlon to date I have done and I am just soooo much more excited for Quassy and Cedar Point!

Tour de Tenessee :-)

First there was Nashville half mary on April 24 which was an absolute blast.  Then it was back home for 4 days before getting back in the car to head down to AL. While in AL, we have spent time with the husband's family and have enjoyed relaxing for a few days....I guess in all honesty sometimes I have a hard time with this and start looking around trying to figure out what we can do next! 

Lucky for me, I have Tether for my phone so I can still get on the Internet but the connection is slow and uploading pics is not working so ya all are going to have to wait for those!

I have found some good ways to occupy my time though.  I have been getting in some open water swimming in the gorgeous lake, playing on 4 wheelers, sunning my chalky OH body, running and riding bicycle of course!

The last two days have included trips up to Chattanooga.  Wednesday my husband and I packed the mountain bikes up and went riding at Raccoon Mountain.  These trails are beautiful up next to the TN river and have amazing rocks and overlooks.  We stopped quite a bit to take in the sites as we traversed all the elevation changes.  It was a 85 degree day and the climb up Megawatt about melted the husband but we survived fine and treated ourselves to our own little Cinco de Mayo celebration at a nearby Mexican to refuel with some chips, salsa, food, margaritas and Dos Equis!

Yesterday we headed back up to Chattanooga to see some family, shop and have dinner which made for a nice day.  Today is our final day down here before we head up to the last stop on our Tour de Tennessee to Knoxville for the REV 3 Olympic tri.   I am SOOO excited to meet my Trakkers teammates and some of our sponsors like Kestrel, Tri Swim, Saucony First Endurance, All3Sports and more.  It never seems to matter how many triathlons I have done, I still get nervous and already have some butterflies thinking about Sunday.  Why do I want to do these things that are going to force me to deal with such racing pain?    Nonetheless, looking forward to seeing where I am at and giving it my best!  Bring on the weekend! 

Oh and I should also mention the little AG competition going on with Trakkers and the two other teams....time for our Trakkers peeps to bring it!!!!! ;-)

Reporting in from Ider, AL!

This marks weekend number 3 away from home. Thank goodness my doggie seems to like staying at the mother in laws with all the other girl dogs!

This last week had been sort of a whirlwind. We had got back home late from Nashville Sunday night. I did the best I could to unpack right away, get the laundry going and all that other fun stuff right away.

Monday morning, at 4:45 am I dragged my butt out of bed only to find that I had never shut my car lights off the night before and now had a dead battery...ugghh so much for the swim!

The week went pretty much as normal-

Mon noon- 6 mile ez spin to loosen up my tight calves, 40 min weights/core
Tues- AM 1600 M Swim
- Noon, 6 M run with ET (8:30 pace)
-Eve, 31 Miles biked with touring club (I was so tired and cold by the end)
Wed - Noon 18 mile focus bike
Thurs - 1600 M Swim (just not feeling real motivated swimming to get in more distance)
- 7 M run with MB (8:30 pace)
Friday - off ...in the car forever!

Then Saturday started my fun in the south. My husband had been trying to get down here to take a weekend class in AL and stay at his family's place. That was fine by me as I figured we could have a low key week and then head to Knoxville 2 hours away for the upcoming Olympic race and it would work out perfectly! So with the husband and his family tied up all weekend, I had to come up with a way to entertain myself!

Saturday, I had mapped myself out a 68 mile ride which turned into 72. Really it would be most helpful if more of the roads down here actually had signs, but nonetheless I managed with no issues. The threat of storms loomed and it was cloudy all weekend, but all in all I only had a little mist for probably 15 minutes. The real threat in my world was all the dogs that chase me down growling on the road. I had lost count within the first 5 miles of how many had to come see me. Thankfully from prior trips I was beginning to learn where they lived and was getting good at really accelerating past their places!

Saturday's bike was just fabulous. Ider, is the the northeast corner of AL next to Georgia and TN in the Applachian Mountains. I left out early and rode down Sand Mountain and headed into the historic village of Mentone after a long climb up Look Out Mountain. The climb up was rather long but I backed off the pace some and felt rather comfortable the entire way and took the time to stop for a picture. I continued on through Mentone and after missing a turn and realizing I was in Georgia, I turned around and finally figured which of the unmarked roads I had meant to turn on which was Desoto Falls Parkway.

The Desoto Falls Parkway was just gorgeous with winding, tree covered roads and stunning scenery. Now over the last few years I have become such a fan of group rides that I can not even remember the last time I had rode this far myself. Yet, I was actually enjoying myself, especially on the descent down Look Out Mountain as I rode into Fort Payne. Past Fort Payne I started checking my map some and realized I had missed the turn I had intended but thankfully I was able to navigatge back without going out of the way too far and then it was back up Sand Mountain towards Ider.

A couple of notes on the ride. It was my first ride in the aerohelmet I had got for Christmas...and to the husband I did not care if you told me I looked like some alien! (I wanted at least one practice ride before using it to race which was a good thing as I made some adjustments after the ride.). I am not sure if it was the climbing or staying aero for longer (since I was not riding in a group on the hoods or drops) but my back and neck were definitely a bit sore.

After some food and rest, day II of operation Daisy entertain herself and I set out on a new 48.5 mile bike course which was to be followed up with a run. (In all fairness coach had given me a 60-70 m bike and the 40 M bike/ 4 mi brick). I knew before I got started that this course would not have the elevation changes, but I had something else to contend with...A Mighty Strong Wind! And of course with the way I planned the course it was all in the second half. I might have swore at the wind more than a couple of times on the ride, but I managed. Then it was back out on the streets to run 4.5 miles with miles 1&4 at race pace armed with a little horse prod in case of dogs (and of course 5 dogs came and seen me but they did not seem nearly as bothered as they were with me on the bike). I wrapped up the day with a ~600 M open water swim (auntie has gorgeous big lake to swim in). I had planned to swim longer but by the time I put on the wetsuit and got going, I decided I was tired and called it a day. Good enough for one weekend!

So the week ended with-
175.5 Biked
17.75 Ran
3800 Swam

Planning to get in some fun stuff early on this week and taper it off to be ready for Knoxville Oly REV3 tri on Sunday!