I'm baaaaack!

Ok, I've been away.  Regrouping.  And I didn't want to post until I had my act at least somewhat together.  (Note the "somewhat"!  I am still very much a work in progress!)

The last three weeks, I have started doing a 30 minutes bike followed by 30 minutes on the treadmill at least three days a week.  I have done a longer (1 hr) treadmill on Saturday or Sunday.  I am only walking fast on the treadmill, but will start working in intervals next week.

I am trying to not expect perfect fitness and perfect speed right away - which is really hard for me!  I honestly think one week at the gym should make a huge difference and it just doesn't.  I read somewhere recently that it takes 6 weeks to see improvement, so I hope to see better results then.  But until then, I have got to celebrate the small victories (who I am kidding - HUGE victories) of just getting out there and doing it each day.

I am 8 weeks away from Dumbo.  I am doing back to back Friday and Saturday longer runs to prepare.  Two weeks after Dumbo, I have an Olympic Triathlon (the Outer Banks Tri that I did last year) so I CAN NOT SLACK.

Ok - this is my public declaration.  I will try my best and work hard now through Dumbo, through the Oly Tri, through Wine & Dine, and keep moving forward.  I can't be discouraged that I am not faster.  I must appreciate that I am just getting out there.

Happy Birthday To ME!

A friend posted this to my FB wall and I couldn't be more in love.  Anchorman is my FAVORITE movie and I just had to laugh at this birthday wish.  So I thought I would share it with y'all!

I am spending the morning watching live coverage of the Rock N Roll Raleigh Marathon finish line and it's inspiring, to say the least.  It reminds me of why I started running and the joy that can be found there.

I have two updates in my upcoming race schedule.  First, I was scheduled for an Olympic Triathlon on April 26th.  I checked and they are running a Sprint Tri at the same time/location so I asked to be switched to the Sprint.  I haven't heard back yet but I can't imagine why they wouldn't let me make this change.  I feel like I can reasonably finish a Sprint with my base plus two weeks to get back into beast mode.  It's 750m swimming, 16.5 miles biking, and 3.1 miles running.  Totally a doable challenge (I hope).  The second thing I am thinking of signing up for is the 16th Annual NCRC Classic 10K on May 18th.  I need a 10K or Half time to get me out of the last corral at the Disneyland Dumbo Double Dare over Labor Day and the cut off for submitting a time is June 1st.  These are both non-medal events (boo - I love my bling) but both will serve a very useful purpose in my training and for my mental health.

My personal calendar year really goes from birthday to birthday, so today is the first day of my new year and I plan on making some much needed changes!

World Balloon Convention 2014

Well, it was like an endurance sport, so I am recapping it, damn it.

I have NEVER worked so hard in my life. It was 7 days of 15 hours on my feet and running around, teaching, judging, smiling, prepping.  Yikes.  But SO worth it. This is the World Series/SuperBowl of balloons and it truly was amazing.  I think it's kinda like childbirth and I'm already forgetting the pain.

Here are some pics of the competition pieces:

 

 

 

Everything you see was made from balloons!  Amazing, right?

I almost forgot the best picture!  I did my nails up like balloons:

Ok - the huge event is over and now it's time to focus on my Oly Tri at the end of the month.  I hope you guys enjoy the balloon pics!!

5 ways that April is going to turn my life around (or else)

Ok, I know it's still March and all, but the hours left in this month are pretty much spoken for.  I leave March 24-31 for World Balloon Convention and that will be a non-stop week of work and more work.  I scoped out the fitness facilities at the hotel and they do have a nice set up, but it's undetermined whether I will have the time or energy to partake.  So, I am setting my sights on April. I have big plans for April and it better deliver.


1) It's my birthday!
I know most people consider January 1st to be the new year, but those people are wrong.  It's April 13th that starts the new year.  It's the glorious day of my birth and I'm still a little annoyed that it's not a national holiday.  I am entering my 44th year and have a lot to accomplish.  This new year is a great time to start what I knew I couldn't in January because of the schedule.  And in February because of.... well, because I'm a lazy hog.  And in March because I JUST TOLD YOU I WAS BUSY!  Jeeze.  So, April it is. 

2) I have a triathlon this month!

In one of my more delusional moments, I signed up for an Olympic Triathlon on April 26th. (Are you shaking your head at me in disbelief?  If not, I strongly suggest you start immediately.)  This event had two of my favorite reasons to sign up for a race:  It was close and it was cheap!  Pretty much the opposite of my beloved Disney races.  Side note: This is called the Beaver Dam Triathlon. I get myself a "Pandora-like" charm for all my races as a wearable reminder of my badassery.  Please take my advice here and don't Google "beaver charm" with safe search off like I did.

3) I have to make a decision about that Half Ironman by 4/17!

I actually have longer if I want to give up the measly $75 they allow for refunds if I wait longer than April 17th, but $75 will buy me a new Sparkle Skirt so it's nothing to sneeze at!!  I have no idea what decision I will make, but I'm sure it will be the right one for me.  If I try and DNF, at least I will have tried. If I decide not to attempt it, there is always next year when I will be able to plan for it better.  I'm already ok with either outcome, but I would like to give it all I've got to make it to the start line.  How I train the beginning of April will tip the scales on this decision!

 4) I get a Buddy this month!

I am short on friends and inspiration to run, so I found a group that will help me with both.  It's called I Run For and it pairs runners with kids (normally kids, but sometimes adults) that can't run due to physical challenges.  I signed up early this year and it has taken about 9 weeks so far with about 3 more weeks to go before my name comes up on the waiting list.  I am excited and I hope I am assigned a buddy in time for my April 26th tri.  It should be about that time.  I'm sure I'll do a blog post about my buddy when I get one, so stay tuned.  I love this idea and I am hoping that the inspiration my buddy provides will push me along when I am running low on motivation.  In turn, I hope to add a smile to my buddy and his/her family's lives as well.


5) I just really have to get some control over my life!

And April seems as good a time as any.  I have made improvements since January so it's not like I'm a total loss.  There's just not been much effort in the "health" arena and that has GOT to change.  So, I am leaving tomorrow for WBC, and I'll be gone for a week totally immersed in balloons.  I plan on leaving all my bad and lazy habits in Denver where the stoners can make better use of them.

(PS - despite the way the post title sounds, this is *not* about blogger extraordinaire April from Run The Great Wide Somewhere but she is awesome and you should check out her blog!)

The weather is trying to sabotage me!

FACT: Mother Nature wants me to be fat and lazy.

I was all prepared to ride the momentum of my one consistent week of working out, and darned if it didn't sleet up my streets and cancel school Monday and Tuesday.  The gym was closed so I couldn't go swim and the kids were all up in my biz, so I didn't run.  I'm so upset!  Mostly in myself for not locking the kids in a closet with their iPads and throwing in some Oreos to keep them busy while I eeked out an hour to get a small run in.

So, I have to restart my enthusiasm for squishing my lard into a swim suit and try again tomorrow.

Hopefully, winter is over.  I need to run and ride outside!  Especially because today I registered for two races!  Coming up first is an Olympic Triathlon at the end of April.  Second, and more exciting, is the Wine & Dine Half Marathon at Walt Disney World in early November.  This means I am all set to get my Coast to Coast medal!  WooHoo!!

Are you SICK OF WINTER??  Or are you hard core and run in the cold??

2014 - Goals, Plans, and Races - Oh My! (Part One)



YES! 2014 is here and it's time to start anew.  Here are my goals for 2014!

At least for the first 6 months. 

I need to get through the Half Ironman in June before I even think about what comes after.

Or IF anything comes after....

 Goal #1 for January is to get settled into a workout plan and build some consistency.  This is going to be a particular challenge, in that I am going to be away from home 12 of the 31 days in January.  I'm going to Wichita for 5 days next week and then on the 24th, I head to Japan for a whole week.

Truthfully, I feel like I'm starting the year swimming upstream.  It's exciting and all that, but Jeeze, it's going to be pretty easy to put training off unless I fight hard to keep on track.  But keep on track, I MUST.

Also, I should mention food here.  I have really let myself pig out over the holidays.  I'm very interested in learning more about nutrition and proper fueling this year.  And weight loss - oh yes.  I am down a wee bit from last year this time, but I gained 5 lbs over the holidays (this is even with having the flu the last 5 days and eating the cumulative amount of a sleeve of saltines in that time)

Our first race of the year is the famous Krispy Kreme Challenge on February 8th.  The challenge is that you run 2.5 miles, eat a dozen hot donuts, and then run 2.5 miles back - all in under an hour.  You wouldn't believe this by looking at my beetonk, but I can't eat 12 donuts in a whole day (let alone less than 10 minutes), so I entered as a participant instead of a challenger.  I am running this one with my son, Wil, and we are pretty excited.  I think a 5 mile race is a good place to start and this is an iconic event for our area.  We plan to dress up as the Eleventh Doctor (Wil) and the Tardis (me) because dressing up for the Krispy Kreme Challenge is definitely encouraged.

Food-wise, following up my mention on eating better with the KKC might seem like I am not fully committed to... anything healthy.  I totally get where you are coming from, and I have absolutely no excuse or justification other than I get to dress up!  LIKE THE TARDIS.  If I get real ambitious, I'm going to put Bad Wolf right across my ass.  That's worth a few unhealthy donuts!

March 24th - 31st is the World Balloon Convention in Denver, CO.  I am teaching for the second time at WBC, which is a pretty stressful undertaking.

My goals for March are to lose enough weight so I can squeeze into the silver dress to the right on the finale night.  It almost zips up now, but I went ahead and bought it anyway because it was at Kohl's and I think they coat their Kohl's Cash with bad judgement gel.  In any event, I bought the dress in hopes it will fit nicely in 3 months.

I'm looking for a Sprint Tri this month but all I can find so far is during WBC when I am out of town.  In that case, I might look for a nice half marathon and there are a few choices, including the Tobacco Road Full & Half.

Most important in April is that it's my birthday!!  I'll be 44.  Next most important is a huge decision, which is... which race to choose?  I was looking at the Rock N Roll Full on my birthday, April 13th, but there is an Olympic Tri nearby on the 19th.  I seriously doubt I can do both and remain standing.

I am leaning more toward the tri because it will help me get more prepared for the HIM in June.  I am SUPER EXCITED about another Olympic Tri.  I feel like I learned so much last time and definitely need all the Tri practice I can get before June.

I am also concerned that I have 4 months to train and that did not seem to be sufficient on my last Olympic Half.  I can honestly say my training was inconsistent and I really didn't start to swim or bike until 1 - 2 months before the event, so I believe I can go in more prepared this time.  It's local, which is nice.  And I can do some Open Water Swims at the location before the actual race.  All good.  I'd like to do this as a confidence builder towards the HIM, so I have to work up some of that "can do" spirit by April.

 May is kinda up in the air!  I don't want to do anything extreme as I taper, but a cool Sprint Tri would be nice.  I did find one pretty interesting event that could double as a mini-vacation for my family. 

The Carolina Beach Double Sprint is May 11th.  It's Swim/Run/Bike/Run/Swim, which sounds like a fun twist.  Carolina Beach is about 2 hours away and close to where we normally take our beach trips.

Ironman Raleigh 70.3 - Yeah, this is happening June 1st.  THIS is my big race this year and everything I do between now and June 1st will be leading to this event.  I am excited, but terrified.  I can imagine that the following two weeks will be spent doing some well-deserved ass-sitting.

I don't know what else to say about June.  I am dreading its arrival and thinking the first 6 months of 2014 are going to blaze by.

CONTINUED WITH PART TWO AS SOON AS I FIGURE IT OUT!

I'd like to add more events, but even these listed will be a stretch financially.  You may have noticed no RunDisney Races and that is purely financial.  The average RunDisney half marathon is $180 now and that doesn't include travel and hotel, or even time in the parks.  I'd love to do Wine & Dine again, but this may have to be a Disney-free year.  The truth is that I can do THREE local races for the cost of one RunDisney entry and that is hard to ignore.

 

Wish me luck with my first 6 months of 2014!  They should be jam-packed since I usually travel about 6-10 days a month in addition to training.  I am hoping for a more quiet year, but I don't think that's going to happen.  I hope YOUR 2014 is going to be successful and exciting!

 

 

 





The importance of Recovery Time

I am sitting here a exactly a week after my first triathlon and I am utterly exhausted - STILL!  Part of it was because the week I had following my Saturday race.  It goes like this:

Saturday afternoon:


I took the kids to the beach while mom took a nap.  I laid there on a blanket and didn't move for about two hours.  I think people wondered if I was dead or possibly needed to be rolled back into the water.

Sunday:


NC Aquarium!  These are my actual children, Wil & Zaine.  After this, I was wadded up in the front seat of a car for 3.5 hours.  I was stiff when we got home.  I had to do laundry and pack Sunday night.

Monday:

"Since it's so damn early, we probably haven't had THAT much to drink!" said my Delta pilots.
At 3:30am Monday morning, I got up for my 6am flight to Florida where I was teaching a one-day balloon seminar. 

This is how many balloons needed to be inflated for my pre-class prep on Monday.

This was this problem: I had gripped my handlebars SO tightly that my hands did not work.  I couldn't tie balloons so I had to enlist the help of the sales rep.  This resulted in slower work effort, meaning I was on my feet from 11am to 5pm.  Back at the hotel, my hands were too weak to open the plastic on the soap.  It was very sad (and dirty) indeed.

Tuesday:

Here's one of the things we made in class - it's an 8ft Awareness Ribbon.
I got up at 5:30am and got back to the hotel at 7pm - on my feet all day!

Wednesday:


Back home!  Up at 5am for a 7:45 flight.

Straight from the airport to carpool pick up for the kids. Then dinner, homework & bed.

Thursday:


Up at 6am to get the kids ready for school.  Carpool in between periods of vegetation.

Friday:

Ok, this was actually fun, but I was freaking exhausted by Friday night.
http://www.wideopenbluegrass.com/

Saturday:
I did sleep in until 8:30am this morning, which is a huge feat!  Today was supposed to be for carting the kids around with friends, but it looks like that has been put off until tomorrow.  A week later, I can honestly look back and say I am proud and exited to have completed the triathlon.  In fact, I feel a little like this:

Hopefully tomorrow I will have enough energy to pick up my own pug and do this exact same thing.

In an effort to provide real information, I did do some reading online about recovery times.  I found this article, which I thought was helpful: http://beta.active.com/triathlon/articles/determining-your-race-recovery-time-877436.  Most info says 6-10 days before you're feeling like your old self, so I have a few more days I can milk this and sit around.  I do plan to go back to the gym on Monday.  I will be looking at training plans for the Raleigh Ironman 70.3 so I am better prepared, but before then, I have a half marathon in November.  I was going to do one in mid-October, but I don't know if I will.  I was racing for time to get bumped up in corrals on the WDW full marathon (deadline for submitting times is in October) but I just don't know if I have the speed to do it.  I will re-evaluate after next week.

Race Report - Outer Banks Olympic Triathlon

My first triathlon!

September 21, 2013

Swim - 1500 meters
Bike - 24.5 miles
Run - 6.2 miles


Outer Banks Olympic Triathlon
Manteo, NC

 

I have to admit that I was SCARED going into this big event.  I questioned everything - my training, my dedication, my ability to finish.  Yikes.  It was the longest and fastest week at the same time.  Finally (suddenly!), Friday came around and I packed Mom and the kids in the car and off we went for our 3.5 hour drive to Manteo.  The informational meeting was at 5pm and we arrived at about 4pm and went to packet pick-up. 

Swag!  It's a solidly confirmed fact that I will do just about anything for a free t-shirt.

I had received info with two bib numbers via email on Thursday - one said I was Athena (so despite the fact no one responded to my call and email, I guess they made the changes?) and one said I was Age Group.  When I checked in, I showed them both numbers and the Athena bib had some guy's name on it, so the lady looked up the AG and it said Lisa.  I asked again about switching and was told that I *could* but I shouldn't because the Athenas were a faster group.  What?  The chubby girls are faster than the super-fit early 40s ladies?  DOES NOT COMPUTE.  But the official said since this was my first triathlon, I should stick with Age Group.  Who am I to argue?  I know nothing about this, right?  The meeting went quickly and we headed to the hotel on the beach at Kill Devil Hills (about 15 miles away).  I slept poorly and woke up dizzy and nauseated.  I ate some popcorn (which is what I eat for breakfast every morning.  Is that weird?) and felt a bit better.  I briefly considered that I might not make it to the start line feeling this way, but I think I willed my body to cooperate by sheer force.

 

Transition set up was from 5:45 - 6:45am, with the Olympic start time being 7:45am (the Half peeps started at 7am).  We got there and I picked up my timing anklet and got marked up with my number: 537. 

Setting up transition was something I had read lots about, so I felt good about it.  I put out a little towel and had my running shoes out with socks in them.  I have not yet committed to cycling shoes so I planned on wearing my running shoes for the bike and the run.  I had two bags - one with a red shirt to put on for the bike and some snacks to eat in between the swim and bike, and another bag with my run stuff: my red Sparkle Skirt and more nutrition for the run.

I started off in a red/black/white TYR trisuit and had a wardrobe change for each leg.  Why? Because I'm FABULOUS!  Ok, not really.  I wanted the shirt for the bike because I didn't want to worry about looking fat in my trisuit on the bike, but I did add the Sparkle Skirt for the run to be fabu.  I felt like I needed something fun to finish this thing out.

But let's start at the beginning, with the...

SWIM!

Here's our wave swimming out to the Olympic buoy - the yellow one.  See how far it looks?  Yeah, it was further than that.
From the shore to the yellow buoy was 1/3 of the way.  We then swam across to another yellow buoy 500 meters away
then back to the shore.  It was FAR.

I made some friends at the start line who were also doing their first triathlon.  We were all extremely nervous and decided to be last in the water so we didn't get swum over.  Since we were the last wave, we were THE VERY LAST into the water.  We all good-naturedly argued who would be last out of the water at the end.  I ended up winning this argument when it took me 1:17 to make the .9 mile swim.  This pretty much was my pace in the pool, so I was not surprised or disappointed.

The Good:  I made it.  And Lordy, it was hard. 

The Bad: I was exhausted when I got out of the water, unlike anything I've experienced at the pool.

The Ugly:  I was last out of the water by like 10 minutes.  I hated being last.

What I Learned: So much!  I needed more swimming practice and especially more open water practice.   And maybe a wetsuit.

The AWESOME: My family was at the shore screaming and clapping like I was the FIRST one out of the water.  I always love them at my races and this time was especially wonderful.

I had a private escort as they patiently watched me swim.  The lifeguard on the board was awesome and so encouraging.

Finally out and smiling (probably just grateful that I didn't drown)

Transition went well except I messed up my Garmin and it locked up.  So I had to go into the bike segment totally blind on time/pace/mileage.  I think my transition time was between 3-4 minutes.

BIKE!

Obligatory butt pic.  Here's me leaving for the bike leg.

I got on my bike and headed out feeling pretty proud I'd finished the swim.  It was more challenging than I thought and I just kept thinking, "If I can get out of this water, I can SIT on the bike and rest!" HAHA!  Wrong!  The course was extremely flat which meant NO COASTING and constant peddling.  There was a cool 3 mile bridge between the island and the mainland, but they didn't close any of the roads so there was not a lot of room to move over as cars sped by.  There was one pretty big hill on the bridge, but it was doable.  It was very windy and wind was blowing directly into my face.  I just kept thinking it would be at my back on the return so if I could just make it to the turn-around, the trip back would be easier.  It was somehow worse!  I felt like I was in a pool of water trying to peddle.  It was like I wasn't even moving forward sometimes.  The wind was THAT bad! 

Four days after the accident.  This was one of several bad
bruises all over my body.

Finished with bike leg and giving an exhausted smile.

Because of the wind, a few things happened.  One, I was gripping too tightly on the handlebars and had some lasting problems from that (which I will cover in my Recovery post later on).  I was not relaxed and this was not a good way to ride the bike.  Two, it was getting harder to keep the bike steered straight and maintain control.  I was getting tired and it was work to keep on course.  Then "Three" happened at about mile 14 of 24.5.  A car swooshed by pretty close to me as I was changing gears.  I pulled kinda hard to the right and went off the side of the road, down, down, down, and tangled up in my bike on the ground.  I don't remember it being scary or painful at all.  I popped right back up and rechained my bike.  I was looking it over when the bike tech pulled up to help.  I had knocked my handlebars out of whack and broke my front breaks.  He suggested I go to medical and I told him I was fine.  The he pointed to my right leg which was gushing blood.  I told him I had a band-aid, so I'd be ok.  He literally laughed in my face because that was the most ridiculous thing I could have said in light of the situation.  He went to his truck and got a huge stack of Taco Bell napkins and a bottle of water for me to clean up my leg.  It would not stop bleeding!  He finally stopped suggesting I go to the medical tent when it became obvious that I was unreasonable (LOL) and I went on my way.  I did have to stop and rest a few times.  Between the accident and my few rests, the bike segment took 2.5 hours.  It did not seem like that long at all.  It was slower than my training pace, but the wind and the accident really threw a loop in my overall time.  I know I gave it everything I had, so I can't be hatin' on my effort here.

The Good:  This was the farthest I'd gone on my real bike!

The Bad: The fall.  Yikes.

The Ugly:  The wind.  Why is this worse than the fall?  Because I fought it the whole time and it was miserable.  The fall was over quickly and I was so pumped with adrenaline that it barely registered as a blip.  But the wind was taking my breath away with its force and it was so hard to peddle against.

What I Learned: I need to spend more time on my real bike.  PERIOD.  The gym is nothing like outdoor training on a bike.

The AWESOME:  Most everyone that passed me said something nice and encouraging.  I was so impressed with my fellow triathletes and their support.

Transition between bike and run.  I was putting on my skirt here.  I can't believe I sat down and then actually got back up!



Leaving transition - total time 6 minutes.

RUN!

or more accurately...

WALK!

 

Yeah, walk.  My Garmin was key-locked and not working so I had no interval alerts and honestly, I was so damn tired.  I tried to keep a brisk pace, and I did run a few times, but I really didn't have a lot more to give and I wanted to finish in the upright position.  At this point, I knew I was going to make it, so I think mentally, I decided to take it easy and just FINISH.  As proud as I am of my swim and bike (because I gave it my all), I am not proud of this last leg at all.  And that's really an ongoing issue with the half marathons I've done.  I just do not leave it all out on the course and this bothers me tremendously.  I don't know how to get around it.  My time was my worse 10k time ever - 1:44.

The Good:  I got A LOT of compliments on my Sparkle Skirt!

The Bad: Walking.  Ugh.

The Ugly:  The fact that I didn't finish strong. 

What I Learned: I've got to work on giving my all during a run. 

The AWESOME:  I actually finished this thing!

Getting my medal.  I did not ugly face cry, but I did get a little teary-eyed.

 

 

So, I did it.  WOW.  I honestly can't believe I finished.  I was not happy with my time, but it was about what I'd estimated (5 hours) plus the wreck, and transition, adding another 44 minutes.  I was not dead last and there were people who DNF, so I was ok with it.  My plan for next year is to take two hours off that time for a totally doable and reasonable goal of 3:44.  I'm going to go ahead and sign up for 2014 this week!