The results are in....2011 comes to an end.

2011 comes to an end and its bittersweet honestly!  This year has been absolutely wonderful.  So many great things have happen to me and the people I love, and I am so thankful.

My sister and her boyfriend have moved in together, two of my best friends had babies, two are pregnant (one after a long road of trying to conceive), another great friend got engaged to the man she loves, my parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary with a marathon-long trip to Italy, our dog Parker pulled through a very tough time, my sister adopted a kitty that was very much in need of a mother after losing hers in a terrible tragedy...and I'm certain there are tons of other wonderful things I have forgotten (if you were one of them, I'm sorry!).   

As for me, I had an extremely successful first year of coaching, I got promoted at my "real" job, I was fortunate enough to qualify for Team USA in a race that was not my best, I completed my first bike races and fell in love with a new sport, I met lots of new people, some of which will be friends for life, I got a new coach who cares about me like family and would do anything for me, I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to attend a training camp in Tucson, I got to know myself better than I did in 2010 and tried my best to be the best daughter, sister, athlete, friend, coach and role model I can be!  I may never succeed at being the best, but I continue to recognize my faults and try to be a better person. 

Athletically, this year was great.  Training Peaks is a great system for athletes and one of my favorite features of the system is the ability to track your annual mileage and time spent training.  I am a "log-nazi" as my athletes can attest, but I do lead by example from that regard.  As most people prepare to (or already have) delve into NYE celebrations, I sit here recovering from a 100 mile ride this morning (feeling like I might be coming down with a bug).  I didn't have big plans (somewhat by choice, somewhat because every one of my friends is pregnant!) and I have zero complaints about that.  As dorky as it may be, one of my favorite things to do on 12/31 is to total up all my miles and hours of the year spent training.  2011 included: 

5,113 miles on my bike in 259 hours (19.7mph average)

1,107 miles running in 149 hours (8:01/pace average).

328,707 yards swam in about 125 hours (187 miles)

55 hours of yoga and strength!  

So, I covered 6,407 miles in 588 hours or basically 24.5 full days of training and racing in 2011!!    

This compares to last year where I completed:

5,445 miles on my bike in 293 hours

1,333 miles running in 212 hours 

371,133 yards swam in about 148 hours (210 miles).

71 hours of yoga and strength

For a total of 6,998 miles in 2010 in 724 hours or 30.2 days of training and racing.  

Obvious to see that 2011 included much less volume but a lot more speed (which is all relative).  I focused on short course this year, but was still able to maintain pretty solid volume.  Next year will likely look a lot like 2011, with perhaps even less volume.  Stacey is much lighter on me with respect to volume than I'm used to so I'm already excited to my results of 2012!

All in all, 2011 was a pretty phenomenal year for me and those around me and I truly am so thankful.  I well up in tears as I sit and think of it all - and those who know me, know I'm not kidding.  I take after my parents - who are both a little sappy :-)  As I always say, there are certainly things missing in my life that I one day hope to have, but I am enjoying the life I have now and am trying to be as patient as possible in waiting for the next phase of my life to come.  Thank you to everyone who made this year fabulous!  Onward and upward in 2012!  Happy New Year everyone!

Merry Christamas from Parker!

I love Christmas!  I love the spirit of the holiday, the down-time with family (though I do get antsy and have to sweep the floor and entertain myself often), the good food, giving gifts, and especially reflecting on all that I am thankful for! 

As crazy as this may sound, one of the things I am most thankful for this year other than the obvious family, friends, my health, etc...we are thankful for our dog Parker being here with us for one more year.  Parker is our families oldest dog who has been around for almost 15 years.  He is "part human" and is a very special part of our family.  He is my Dad's buddy.  He and my Dad go to the "store" together every morning on the weekends when my Dad is home and I think Parker helped my parents a lot with "empty nest" syndrome. 

Parkie snuggled up in front of the fire

We had a scare earlier this year with Parker and thought it was our time to say goodbye.  Though we realize he won't live forever, we were all devestated at the time and not ready for that time - especially my Dad.  What also may sound crazy is that Parker loves Christmas.  Even still, at nearly 15 years old and with heart failure, he gets SO excited to squeek his Christmas toys, chews his bones, and acts like a pup for the day.  We love it!

Merry Christmas from Parkie!!

Merry Christmas to everyone and I hope you all take some time to reflect on what you are thankful for today! 

Tucson Wrap Up

After an early morning TRX workout led by Trish, the girls and I packed up and headed to the airport.  It was bittersweet I must say.  Yes, I was ready to sleep in my own bed and ready for a day of recovery.  But on the flipside, it’s time to re-enter the real world.  The daily grind, if you will.  The daily grind is so very different for each of the girls which is what makes coming together as one such an amazing experience.   Everyone’s goals, life, race schedule, abilities were all so different, yet we all shared one thing in common – a love for triathlon.  

As cliché as it may sound, I have returned home feeling like a new person.  This camp was literally a “once in a lifetime” experience.  The generosity of Jim to put this camp together and the time Cliff spend with us are irreplaceable.  The cards and gifts we've given and no amount of "thank you’s" can come close to justifying our gratitude.  

First and foremost, I feel rejuvenated.  Looking back, I realize how bad I needed a “week off” from life.  I talk a lot about how much I love everything I do in my crazy life, but the reality of it is that it can be exhausting.  I wouldn’t want to be forced to give any of it up, but a week off every now and again is sure nice!  I also return excited to share what I’ve learned with my athletes and to build on the fitness I gained during camp. This week is a recovery week and Saturday kicks off with some sort of mystery hill repeat test set. I can only imagine!  

Secondly, I am in awe.  I spent the week hearing the accomplishments of the girls surrounding me – most of the time with my jaw to the floor.  From being recruited to complete in the Olympics to sub 10 hour Iron-women. To one girl that will head to the Olympic marathon trials in Houston running a sub 2:40 marathon to (several) others who can swim 100’s on 1:00 like it’s a jog in the park.  Girls who are turning in sub 16 minute 5k’s to others who swim Ironman in sub 53 minutes.  Girls who can ride Mt. Lemmon much faster than I can (or at least when I can’t breathe) and girls who have finished on the podium at Kona.  These are honestly just a few of the examples I can think of and I’m certain there are so many accomplishments that weren’t discussed.  So awesome to be in such company!

I also feel realistic.  I have always been a “good” athlete...never the absolute best, but always successful at my endeavors whether I was playing softball and volleyball earlier in my life or as a runner and triathlete later in life.  Early on when I started doing triathlon, I thought I’d like to pour myself into the sport to see what I was made of.  Over the years though, I’ve learned that the reality is there are so many far more talented girls out there (hence the previous paragraph).  Camp has solidified that I’m 100% okay with being a “pretty good” triathlete.  My aspirations are not to be the next Chrissie Wellington (don’t get me wrong, that would be awesome) but I realize that’s never going to be the case, and I can rest my head at night perfectly happy with what I’m able to accomplish.  

Lastly, I feel pretty stinkin’ drained.  My body doesn’t feel as physically exhausted as I thought it would…I just feel drained.  Here in Charlotte, I chose to do a lot of my training alone because so much of my work day requires me to be “on.”  My training is “my time” where I can reflect and unwind and collect and organize my thoughts.  Having been group training for the last week has been an awesome change of pace, but also different than what I’m used to.  In addition to the quantity of training, the chatting, laughing, coordinating, arriving on time, remembering your room key, your chapstick, your phone, etc, etc, etc for a week straight was somewhat exhausting.  Day to day life is a well-oiled machine that doesn’t require as much energy to operate.  Coupled with a (to-remain-nameless) snoring roommate that limited my usual 9-10 hours of rest, and I’m officially spent.

So that wraps up the week in Tucson. I am so happy to come home a better coach, a more fit and experienced athlete, and with a few more friends! I'm looking forward to following all of the girls throughout the season and hope to cross paths with some of them on the racecourse! Thank you Jim, Cliff, TJ, Sean, Damon, Kelly, Meghan, Trish, Gwen, Laura, Sarah, Amie, Melissa, and Jennifer for a week I'll never forget! 

Day 4 - Run for Sal 5k

We awoke Saturday morning in Tempe bright and early for the Run for Sal 5k.  As I've discussed in my blog earlier, Sally was a Duke teammate and good friends with some of the girls who were at camp.  She was tragically killed in Tempe on her bike earlier this year.

Over 1,200 people participated in the first year of the event which just goes to show how much Sally made an impression on those who knew her.  Sally was "eclectic" and sported leopard, hot pink, running skirts, and braids for all her events.  I would say 75% of the people at the race were wearing pink in some fashion - compression socks galore, skirts, braids, all of the above!  So amazing to see.  

Some of the girls and I at the Run for Sal 5k

The 5k was a bit of "talking point" between Stacey and I.  She wanted me to go super easy, but knowing the girls there, I knew they would all be racing hard!  I was indecisive as to how I wanted to approach the run.  I opted to let the girls go ahead and run a "moderate" pace.  Nothing too terribly hard, but not totally easy...a compromise with Stacey.  After the 4 mile run to the race site and a 21 and change 5k, I was glad to be done for the day.  My 21 minute 5k hurt much more than it should given the altitude!  I was breathing like a freight-train!  I honestly think I have some sort of altitude induced asthma, if that exists.  

I watched Sally's mom cross the finish line with a few of the girls from camp and I was in tears. I can't imagine how a mother deals with loss of a child.  Watching Sally's mom throughout the morning was amazing to me.  She was so well put together despite how hard the day must have been.  I was in awe of her strength.  

After the 2 hour drive back to Tucson, I was ready for a long nap before our big night out.  We had a private room rented in the back of a very fancy restaurant in downtown Tucson and it was delicious!!  It was fun to get dressed up with the girls and enjoy some wine and good food.  We also celebrated Amie and Laura's 31st and 29th birthdays with some amazing cake!

We were all very ready for bed by the time we wrapped up dinner and headed back to the lodge!  

The girls and Jim after dinner

Our last day was upon us and we were all pretty bummed to be returning to normal life.  We planned one final TrX workout bright and early with Trainer Trish before we had to head to the airport!  Wanted to make the most of the week!

Day 3 Tucson...

After day 1 and day 2, I was actually feeling great by day 3.  I knew I could at least "hang" with the girls which was a relief.  I was a little low on sleep but still managing to feel good!  On deck for day 3 was a swim, a 2-3 hour ride and an optional run after.

We started the morning with another great swim set coached by Cliff.  We did a lot of drafting work and swimming on hip/side-by-side which is so perfect for me.  By day 2 and 10,000 yards into swimming, my shoulders and lats were pretty tired by the last set we did - 3 x 300 in pace line with rotating leaders for every 100 but we cooled down shortly thereafter and I had officially survived swimming with the fishies!!

Some of the girls at the pool

A fun under water shot!!

I was getting anxious sitting around in between the swim and the run so I opted to go to the fitness center with Sarah and do some functional stretching and a little bit of core work.  It felt so good to stretch really well and feel strong again.

Our ride a bit later was originally scheduled to head up 8-10 miles up Mt. Lemmon again, but Cliff decided to change that....I was not that disappointed.  We opted for a 40 or so mile ride around Tucson at a moderate pace.  It was nice to feel good on my bike after 3 days of riding and running.

The gang...

I chose to do the optional run by myself after our ride so I could go at my own pace and do some exploring.  I was glad to be alone.  The altitude again really started to get to me and I was hardly able to breath...even while running downhill!  I was disappointed that I was the only one who seemed to feel the altitude.  Nonetheless, I did some walking and some running and enjoyed seeing some of the big houses in and around Ventana Canyon.  The weather was absolutely beautiful and I was loving feeling the sun on my shoulders in December!

Day 3 wrapped up with a road trip to Tempe with the girls for the Run for Sal 5k on Saturday morning.  We had a good time on the 2-hour ride there and shared tons of laughs!

Amie, Sarah and I at dinner on the way to Tempe

Day 3 in the books and time for the Run for Sal!

Tucson Day 2...

Welcome back Tucson Blog followers....

Today, day 2, was even more fun to me than day 1, and day 1 was awesome.  The girls and I are all getting along really well making these workouts and our time here that much more unforgettable.

Today started same time as yesterday with another 4,000 swim set.  Today's set was much harder and I was glad to hear it was hard for everyone...not just me!  I'm swimming in the "hard workers" lane as Kelly labeled it (Cliff called us the more "moderate paced swimmers" - hahaha) with 5 others and I am fitting in just fine.  Much of my anxiety about this camp came from being in the water with these little fishes but I have been very relieved to know I'm not the girl with the swim-dunce cap on!  Our 5x400's after a 2000 warm up/drill set really topped off the swim and I was glad to be done.

After a little bit of downtime, we hopped in the cars and took the quick trip to Sobino Canyon, about 2 miles away.  The Canyon is breathtaking - I have lots of pictures but they're all on my real camera.

All the girls with Cliff and Jim!  

The plan was a 75 minute trail run.  There was a nice jog that led us to the trails that we all did together.  Once we got to the trails, we had to decide if we were up for "technical" trail run or just a more moderate surfaced roadway.  Given my lack of trail running experience and the fact that the trail on deck was known to be very technical, I opted for the "less likely to injure myself route" and stuck to the roadway with Melissa.

Headed to the trials!

We ended up having a great run.  What we didn't truly realize while we were headed out from where we started, is that the trail we chose was pretty much uphill for 4 miles, turn around, then run back downhill for 4 miles.  Our watches were not ticking off paces that were anything to talk about, and we were both working pretty hard, but given we climbed over 1000 feet, I feel better about it.  Much of the climbing was false flat, with some other steep climbs.  We walked some to enjoy the views and took the run at whatever pace we felt like running.  It was perfect!  Turning around and clicking off some much faster miles made us both feel a lot better that we're not as out of shape as we felt heading up!  All in all, an awesome run in the Canyon.  A few of us opted to run the 2 miles back to the resort which got me nearly 9.5 miles total.  I was pleased with how good my legs felt considering the events of Day 1.

We then had about 2 more hours to chill before we headed out for our "recovery" ride.  Our recovery ride took on a slightly faster pace than a usual recovery ride and also include the 4 mile climb Melissa and I ran in Sobina earlier today.  One would think on a recovery ride you'd take a 4 mile climb easy but nah, a few of us rode pretty hard, for no real reason other than it was fun!   I have pictures from this climb too but those are also on my real camera.  :-(  Our ride ended up being about 25 miles and I would have actually loved to have kept riding.   Being at 3000 feet again, it was nice to feel like myself on my bike again....not gasping for air!  

So day 2 wraps up...we finished tonight with a big dinner with Cliff and a few of the pro racers that Cliff coaches.  We went to a nearby Mexican place and had a blast laughing, talking non-triathlon and even enjoying a cocktail!  Given how amazing day 2 was, I have a feeling they're only going to get even better from here and by this weekend, I'm not gonna wanna cone home.  Oh wait, I kinda already don't!  

Until next time....sleep, eat, swim, eat, ride, eat, run, eat, sleep, repeat is on deck for tomorrow!!

Having a blast in Tucson....

Day 1 Tucson

Hey blog friends...

Now that I'm rested and not quite so delirious I can update on day 1/2 here in Tucson.  

First and foremost, the girls here are amazing.  We are all on the same page....with respect to how hard we like to train.  Are we on the same page ability/fitness-wise?  Well, not so much, but I'm 100% okay with that.  A lot of these girls are pro's, Kona podium-ers and/or Olympians but I prepared myself for that coming in.  They are all so nice and I'm so happy to be here with them!

Yesterday was an amazing day.  We started at the perfect time....7:30 am at the pool!!  4300 yards later, we all checked off the first swim session of camp.  Cliff English is leading camp and he is an amazingly cool, and super nice guy....not to mention one of the best, if not the best, coaches in the country!  What a treat.

We met later that morning for our trek to Mt. Lemmon, which is a +/- 5,000 foot climb starting at about 3,000 feet above sea level.  The climb is 25 miles and is, with the exception of about 2 miles total, straight up hill.  Yes, you get the climb the 2 downhill miles on the way back down so its 25 miles of climbing all together.  That's a lot, FYI.

This is Mt. Lemmon from a distance...

Yep...we did it!! 

The ride was amazing.  The ride was HARD.  The altitude really really got to me, much more than anyone else unfortunately.  My legs felt great the whole climb but I literally could NOT breath!  (or maybe I'm just really out of shape?)  The hardest part of the ride for me was mile 8-14 with the whole "not almost done but still starting to feel the burn" feeling.  We took a nice little break at mile 14, refueled quickly, and headed back up!

View from mile 14 - kinda blurry.  

Nonetheless, 2 hours and 25 minutes later, we arrived at The Cookie House and treated ourselves to one of these (though I refrained and split mine with Cliff).

Half Brownie Half Peanut Butter amazing cookie....

So day 1 was a huge success...I wish I had felt better on the climb up Lemmon but I did it and I'm proud of that!

We tucked in about 8:30 to prepare for day 2.  Day 2 included....drumroll....swimming, biking and running!  Shocking right?!!

Blog for day 2 to be updated as soon as I can....

The Plan vs. Reality - Day 1 Tucson

I planned to update my blog today with all of the events of day 1.

The reality is I am absolutely positively exhausted and I will update my blog, hopefully, tomorrow :-)

The highlight of today was "celebrating" our 25 mile climb to the top of Mt. Lemmon with one of these from The Cookie Cabin:

The BIGGEST cookie you've ever seen!

Totally worth the suffering.

Good night world.

Tucson Bound...

As I mentioned last week, I'd be prepping for my trip to Tucson tonight and as I promised, I am!  I'm packed, trained, treated by Dr. Greenapple, and ready to go bright and early!  


For a lot of the girls who will be there, this camp might not be a "big deal" because I don't believe many of them work full time at "non-triathlon" related jobs and I believe some may even train full time.  I would venture to say most, if not all, have had the opportunity to attend such a camp at some point in their lives prior.  (I could be wrong though).  Nonetheless, it's a first time for me!  


Many people think taking a week off work to go bury yourself swimming, biking and running doesn't sound like much of a vacation.  No, it's not a "vacation" but I will probably be more relaxed on this vacation than I would be by the end of any week long trip laying on the beach doing nothing.  Don't get me wrong, I love a few days on a beach chilling out, sleeping in as much as I can, and having no responsibilities of dogs, work, coaching, etc.  That said, I find my (secret) anxiety building more and more as relaxing vacations press on.  I am always ok the first few days, and will continue to do my workouts, but I still start to "crave" my routine and my normal life after day 3 or 4.  


So, this trip is gonna be the best of both worlds for me.  Being surrounded by a group of girls that all have a passion for this sport is going to be great.  I spend much of my time training with men and I'm excited to be in the company of other ladies!  I hope to come home with a few new friends and training buddies.    


I leave tomorrow.  I will do the best I can to update my blog in my downtime!  Our schedule is as follows: 


Wednesday: 
7:30 - 9:00 -  swim
11:00 - 4:00 - ride Mt. Lemmon
5:00 - 30 min run 


Thursday:  
7:30 - 9:00 -  swim
12:00 - either a trail run at Sabino or tempo type run at river trail
4:00 - 90 min ride


Friday:  
7:30 - 9:00 - swim
12:00 - 3 hour ride up the first +/- 8 miles of Mt. Lemmon
Run optional later in day


Saturday: 
Run for Sally 5k.  


Sally Meyerhoff was a friend of some of the girls that will be at camp and is the main reason this camp has been organized.  Sally was tragically killed earlier this year in a bike accident (click her to read about Sally) and her friends have committed to running a 5k in every state in her honor.  Sally was on path for the 2012 Olympic Marathon team as well as a phenomenal triathlete and person.  I'm sad that I never had the opportunity to meet her as I've spent quite some time researching what an amazing all-around girl she was.  


I'm honored to be able to participate in the Run for Sally 5k and I will be certainly be donning my leopard running pants, my hot pink compression socks and some pigtails in her honor!  


Here I come Tucson!

One week from today...

...I'll be packed and preparing for my flight to Tucson in the morning!  Look how beautiful!

Perhaps I'm overly excited for a week of intense training (a.k.a. monitored torture) but this will be my first time ever at a specific triathlon training camp and I can't help but feel excited.  Very few people understand and I'm ok with that.  It reminds me of my summer volleyball camp days for 7 years of my youth and despite being so challenging physically, I always came out a stronger player.

I'm super excited about is meeting/getting to know the other girls and the coaches.  I have heard great things about each and every one involved in this camp and I think it'll make the trip that much more fun.  I'm also looking forward to new and different workouts, new bike routes, running routes, a change in the weather, a city I've never been to...all sorts of new and different experiences!  Oh, and PS, I'm not all that disappointed about our accommodations!  http://www.thelodgeatventanacanyon.com/

WOOO HOOOO

The only workout I'm sure of is our ride up Mt. Lemmon.  I've heard a lot about this ride and it's making me anxious to tackle the 27 mile climb myself!

Otherwise, I have no clue what to expect our time will be spent doing.  I imagine it will include lots of swimming, biking, running, eating, sleeping and repeating.  I plan to spend a little time at the spa  at the resort myself!

After an awesome past weekend of working out, a recovery day today, a solid week of training ahead and a few recovery days early next week, I'll be ready to rock and roll!  Oh yeah, and trying to manage about 20 work deadlines before I leave!!  As my boss and I always say:  "we always seem to find a way to get it done."  And it's true.   

On a side note, I'm wishing my athlete Laura well tomorrow as she tackles knee surgery bright and early.  I'm excited for you to get this taken care of now so we can have lots of fun next season together!  Good luck!

One HELL of a Weekend...

So this was one of my biggest weekends in a while.  I am kinda having flashbacks to Ironman training tonight with how my legs feel, but tomorrow is a day OFF that I'm truly looking forward to!  Camp in Tucson is in 10 days and I'm anticipating the challenge!  I'm actually starting to feel moderately fit again so camp will hopefully just accelerate that. Stacey made a great point that I've had to remind myself....

"Training camp is to get fit, not prove to anyone how fit you are".

How true!  The caliber of girls at camp has made me feel "pressure" to keep up, but in reality, we're all there for the same reason....to get more fit, have a good time, and be surrounded by other girls with the same interests.  Not to show one another who is the best swimmer, biker or runner.   I've felt relieved since talking with Stacey about it.

Nonetheless, yesterday turned out to be an insane (read: awesome) training day, kind of unintentionally.  My day started at 8am with a 60+ mile ride that included 3x15 min efforts (each) with Marianne.  What an awesome ride!  Some BIG efforts and also lots of easy spinning.  It was great - Marianne and I ride very well together which is why I'm so excited for next season!

I then had to hurry to the pool for my 3000+ swim set as I promised myself (and Stacey) I would do since I wasn't able to get to the pool Friday.  Surprisingly, I swam a 100 yard PR, despite the huge ride!  6x100 all between 1:24 (PR) - 1:26.  A few months ago, 1:30 was a stretch for me, so ALL of my hard work is making HUGE improvements (insert sarcasm).  hahah.  Crazy that hours and hours of time in the pool equates to only a FOUR second improvement on 100 yards, but that's the nature of the swimming beast.  I realize very few people have the drive or the desire to work as hard as I do for such modest gains, but I am thankful to be the way I am.  I hope this time next year to hopefully be swimming sub 1:20.  

THEN...Dawn reminded me Friday that we made plans a few weeks ago to go hiking at Crowders Mountain with the dogs on Saturday afternoon.  The weather was beautiful and I couldn't resist!  So, she and I packed up immediately as I got home from the pool and made the trek down I-85 to get our hiking on.  We took a trail that we weren't sure was a loop or an "out and back".  2.8 miles into our climb, we got to the top and realized it was the latter.  So, 5.6 miles later, we returned to home base...me with some ridiculously tired legs and the dogs with tongues to the ground.

Nearly every other step of our awesome hike yesterday though, I thought about the 90 minute run on my schedule today!  I committed to getting off my legs immediately after the hike and did pretty well chilling out the rest of the evening.  I was asleep at a time that I'm embarrassed to admit being a 31 year old single girl and the fact that it was Saturday night, but it was great :-)

Jim and I made plans to run today and I was worried to say the least.  An easy pace for him is like 6:40 and, needless to say, that is not an easy pace for me.  Stacey's goal of this run was base training at about 8:30's with some accelerations and strides and I warned Jim the run would be super slow for him.  He was awesome to accommodate.  The run was all good....for about the first 3 miles.  Luckily I had Jim there to hang with me and push me along cause I'm 99% sure I would have cut this run short without him.  We stayed slightly below goal pace for the most part and ended up getting a nice 10 miles done in about 1:20.  Pretty much a suffer-fest, but got it done!

And that recaps my weekend in a nutshell.  Post run I met my bestest friend Emily for a late lunch in Birkdale.  It's always so good to see her and I think I'm as excited as she is to meet baby Brax and be an Aunt again.  That little boy is gonna be very loved...by a lot of people, including his Aunt Kim.

My adorable little Emmie! Due Jan 13th...

   

Happy Thanksgiving - I'm thankful for my family, friends and a PR!

First and foremost, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!  If you're reading this blog, you're probably someone who is important to me and I am thankful to have you in my life...truly!

This year was the first year since Dawn and I moved to Charlotte in 2002 that we've done Thanksgiving at my parents house - Dawn usually hosts this holiday.  My parents / our older dog Parker has been having lots of heart problems and we were unsure of what Dawn's plans were going to end up being, so we decided to do the day here in Hillsborough.   The Turkey Trot in Charlotte was my first ever organized run in 2002 and its technically because of that race I started running 1/2 and full marathons!  

Needless to say, I was disappointed to not be there to participate this year, particularly since I have athletes that I coach out there now.  Nonetheless, as soon as I decided to come to Hillsborough, I looked for a Turkey Trot nearby and came across the Gallop and Gorge 8k in Carrboro, not far away!  I had no plans to go hard at this race, but I think Stacey felt otherwise.  I figured I'd just head out there and see what happens.  The Charlotte Turkey Trot has always been a great way to gauge my years running improvement, and I've literally run a bit faster every year since 2002!  I ran 35:39 there last year (43:50my first year) and Stacey wanted me to run sub 36 again today.  I haven't felt very "fit" lately so I didn't really think that was possible.  

This course was a bit flatter than the Turkey Trot and I'm happy to report I ran a 33:57 (6:48/mile pace)...an 8k PR by over 1:20!  I felt great for the whole run and ended up finishing 7th overall....my best ever finish in a stand alone running race.  Seeing the winner who ran 28:08 snaps me right back to reality that I'm still not very fast, I'm improving with every year and that feels good.  

On that note, I took a huge nap, walked in the woods with my dogs, ate some delicious home-cooked appetizers and now I await the yummiest meal of the year!  Happy Thanksgiving friends!  

2011 Season Recap!

I have been meaning to recap this season for a while now so today seems like a better day than ever!  I have to say, this season was really great.  Most importantly, I had a blast racing, met a ton of new people and had great success!  I raced my  tail off though - 26 races!!

Here's a little recap from each race...

Cupids Cup - 5k - 21:11
11th OA/ 2nd AG
I had bronchitis before and during this race so it was really tough.  I don't remember much but literally gasping for air coming down East Blvd.

Carla's Fund Time Trial - 8m time trial - 21:25
1st OA
This was immediately following the Cupids Cup, and obviously still had bronchitis.  This was a fun (hard) charity ride computrainer ride at Uptown Cycles.

Waxhaw Duathalon-  2m run / 18.63m / 2m run - 1:21:30
3rd OA
This was a really fun day!  The run course was on a trail which I'm not that strong at.  I rode my tail off today to try and track down Stephanie Hucko, and never could.  The first time of many this season.  :-)

Corporate Cup 13.1 - 1:38:31
9th AG
Did this race with Tom and Jim!  We had a blast but I hit a wall hard at about mile 12, coming up Morehead!

Quintiles 13.1 - 1:59:01
I paced my sister at this race to her goal sub 2 hours.  It was awesome to run with her and it's so nice to take the race pressure off.  Troy was running the full so after I finished with Dawn I headed backwards on the course and paced Troy in for a Boston Qualification sub 3:20!!  One of my best 20-milers leading up to Boston!

Dawn and I after Quintiles

Cool Breeze Sprint - 250m / 20k / 5k - 1:05:37
9th OA / 1st AG
So this was the worst race of my whole season!  My goggles totally filled up with water when I pushed off the wall and I never got my riding legs.  The entire Navy Triathlon team showed up and destroyed me.  My boss renamed this race "fricken Cold Breeze".  It was freeeezing.

Boston Marathon - 3:52:12
4655 OA
I was so ready for this race and trained my little tail off.  I ran a 1:40 first half and was feeling great.  At about mile 15, I was heading into an aid station and attempting to go behind the volunteer to fill up my water bottle.  As she thought I was coming in front of her to grab the water she was handing out, she stepped back to get out of my way.  At this point, I "jerked" to my right get out of her way.  I literally felt like I tore my right quad muscle.  It was excruciating.  I debated calling it quits, but given it was "the" Boston Marathon, I couldn't bring myself to.  I literally hobbled and limped my way to the finish line for the next 11 or so miles.  Aside from IM Louisville, this race goes down as the biggest disappointment in my athletic history.  Turning onto Boyleston Street at the Boston Marathon is supposed to be exhilarating and momentous - a moment you remember forever.  I honestly don't remember much about making my way to the finish other than trying to whip the wince off my face.  This day ended in the medical tent and after about 4 hours of attempting to get back to my hotel, I spent the next week or so with the most painful legs I have ever dealt with.  I hope to make my way back to Boston one more time, someday.  

Me, Andrew and Tom at the Boston 5k the day prior!

White Lake Sprint - 750m / 14m / 5k - 1:18:01
11th OA / 2nd AG
Another not awesome race.  My swim here was atrocious, but can't really point out exactly why.  I rode the entire bike course without hardly seeing another female so I had no idea what kind of race I was having.  I had a decent run of 21:13, but overall not an awesome race.

Over the Mountain Olympic - 1500m / 45k / 10k- 2:40:36
5th OA / 1st AG
I had a decent race here today.  This was my best Olympic swim of the season - 19th overall - but still no where near fast enough to be in OA contention.  It was also my slowest 10k of the season.  I realized as I ran out of transition that I forgot to put my insoles in my racing flats (and had taken out the original insoles) so I ran the 10k on the soles of my racing flats.  Probably not that good for my feet!   I do love this race though and am looking forward to executing better in 2012.

Fletcher Flyer Century - 100m - 4:48:57
This isn't technically a race but I had great ride today!!  This is my 3rd year doing this ride and I've loved it every time.  Rode 11 minutes faster than first year and 5 minutes faster than last year in 2011.

Tri Latta Sprint - 750m / 17m / 5k - 1:26:43
5th OA / 1st AG
A pretty good race today!  Same story with the swim, actually one of my worst of the season.  Tough run course but managed a 22 min 5k.

Blood Sweat and Gears Century - 100m - 6:06
5th OA
This was my first year doing BSG and man, it's all its cracked up to be...and MORE!  This was a tough day, left 1 of my 2 water bottles in my car before the ride so managed with only 1 for the day, but overall a great experience.

Fabulous 4th Metric Century - 100k - 5:02
Well, this started off as an awesome day.  We rolled out with a really fast group and I was feeling great sitting in....until I flatted at mile 8.  Two awesome guys were kind enough to stop and help me and we ended up riding the rest of the day together.  Not exactly the ride I planned, but ended up getting a good workout.

Piedmont TT - 14.42m - :35:23
1st Cat 4 / 2nd OA
This was my first official bike race, though TT's are not really bike races.  I love time trials, because it's like triathlon riding :-)  

Piedmont "Open" Road Race - 38.4m
1st Cat 4 / 8th OA
This was my first real bike race.  Road racing is interesting and tactical and I learned so much from Marianne this weekend.  I learned two things this weekend....I love bike racing and I need to learn how to sprint.  I spent entirely too much time pulling everyone around and cramped a bit at the finish.

Stumpy Creek Olympic - 1500m / 27m / 10k - 2:37:25
15th OA / 2nd AG
I was assessed a 2 minute penalty for my race bib being turned at the finish line which bumped me down 4 places in the overall and 1 AG place.  I had a pretty good race today...if you only count biking and running.  My swim was an utter disaster.  The "hill" destroyed me last year and I refused to let it get to my head this year.  I ran a 44 min 10k which was a 5 minute improvement over last year.

Heading out on the run at Stumpy

Tour de Orange Century - 84m - 4:11
The heat index was over 100 when we rolled out for this ride at 8:30am so the race directors opted to shorten the century course by about 15 miles.  It was a brutal ride with the heat and the course was windy and far from flat.  I ended up with a group of 5 ex-European bike races who pushed the pace quite a bit and I was thankful to be able to sit in!

High Rock "Open" Road Race - 41m
1st Cat 4 / 4th OA
I don't remember much about this race other than it was really hot and the Cat 3 men caught us with about 200 yards to go, which made our finish a huge cluster.  I grabbed a wheel and rode it in wherever I was in the line as there wasn't much room to move around.

Crossroads Crit - Cat 4 and Open - 30 min and 45 min
Cat 4 - 1st OA
Open - 7th OA
I did two crits today in Salisbury since I'd driven all the way up there.  This was my first criterium racing experience!  I was super nervous heading up but felt better after talking to Marianne and after riding the course pre-race.  The Cat 4 crit was first and I decided to break on the first climb.  I was able to get away from the group so it ended up being more like a "time trial" in order to stay away from the group.

The "open" crit was about an hour later and I was even more nervous since this would be my first actual crit experience with other girls around, cornering, etc.  I was glad to have ridden 30 minutes on the course earlier to get comfortable with the turns, but I was also nervous with how my legs would feel.  Luckily, they ended feeling ok and I was at least stay in the lead group.  I ended up finishing 6th in the field sprint (7th OA as a girl had gotten away on a break early) and was pleased with my first few crit races.  I was hooked!

During the Cat4 Crit in Salisbury, the pace car let
Dawn ride a few laps so she took some cool pix :) 

AG Nationals Olympic - 1500m / 25m / 10k - 2:23:31
19th AG
As I recapped earlier in my blog, this was a decent race results-wise but not a good race "execution"-wise.  Travel disasters the day before meant stiff and sluggish legs.  Despite totally bonking on the run, I ran a 43:55 10k which is an Olympic distance PR.  Given how flat the run course was (other than one huge hill), I should have been able to run a bit faster.  The best part of this race was qualifying (by the skin of my teeth) for a Worlds spot in NZ in 2012.

Signing in for Team USA!

Lake Norman Sprint - 750m / 17m / 5k - 1:28:36
4th OA / 1st AG
I had a great race here, again if you consider it a duathlon.  I hung a hard right at one of the buoy's in the water and ended up in no-man's land thus turning in yet another lost race in the water.  Otherwise, I ran a PR 5k at 20:39!!

Wake Forest Crit - 30 min
1st Cat 4 / 7th OA
This was the longest and hardest 30 minutes of my life.  I raced as hard as I could with zero legs and stayed on the lead pack for all but the last 5-6 minutes when I just couldn't hang on any longer.  A really tough course that I'm not 100% sure I'll ever go back to again.

Carolina Cup Circuit Race - 45 minutes
1st Cat 4 / 6th OA
This was the day after the Wake Forest Crit and I was toasted.  45 minutes, after 30 minutes the day prior, sounded like an eternity!  A group of 6 of us got away in a break on the first lap and stayed away for the whole race....but I fell off the lead group with about 8-10 minutes to go.  I finished up and was never caught by the group behind us so took 6th overall.  It was a beautiful course and I am excited to go back with hopefully some fresher legs next year!

This was at the Carolina Cup - I was SUFFERING

Pinehurst International - 1500m / 30m / 10k - 2:43:52
5th OA / 1st AG
One of my best races of the season.  This course is well suited for me.  I swam "ok" today, rode pretty well and ran 44 on a very hilly course.  I used this as a good race prep for Halfmax which was just one weekend following.

Heading out for a windy ride at Pinehurst...

HalfMax Nationals - 70.3 - 4:55:44
2nd AG / 7th OA
A perfectly executed race for me!!  I felt great during the swim, drafted a little, swam a pretty good line.  The ride was boring and flat and very very windy but had a strong ride.  My goal was to run sub 1:39:59 and I ran just a shy over 1:40 which I was disappointed about that but overall a great race and the perfect end to a loooong season!

No matter how hard you try, no one looks good in an aero helmet!  

I raced a lot this season and I had a ball!  But next season I will likely race a bit less and hopefully swim a bit faster so I can see some better OA results!

End of Season Gathering

Last night was my 1st annual end of season gathering for my athletes, their spouses and SO's and my good training friends.  I think everyone had a good time; I know I did!  It was so great having all of my favorite clients and friends (and sister, of course) that I train with in my house all at one time.  My house is really small so I was worried how it would work out, but I don't think it ended up being a problem.  From what I've heard, I think some people even made new friends to train with and I love that!

Prepping for parties is always hectic, especially when they're on a week night.  I wanted as many people to be able to attend as possible so Thursday night worked out best for that.  All except one local athlete and my two out of towners were able to attend, so I'd say it was a success!

I was so excited to "give back" to my clients who have made my first year at this so awesome and I am now looking forward to it every year!  It's also nice to chat and hang out without having races on the schedule.  Everyone seems very excited for the 2012 season which is making me antsy too!  I've gotten the rest I've needed mentally and am ready to get back at it next season.

I decided to make a little something for everyone and I couldn't think of anything better for this time of year than a holiday ornament.  If you didn't leave with yours or weren't able to attend, I have it :-)

Everyone got a special message on the back too.  

Of course I forgot to take pictures the rest of the night.  I've gotten horrible at that in my old age.

As I said to everyone last night, thank you guys for making this year so much fun for me!  When I question how I can maintain this insane life I lead, I think about how rewarding it all is at the end of the day and I am able to find the energy and desire to go150mph for another day.  Lots of love to all -CK

Shower, Veteran's Day Madness and a Good Deed too!

So today stacks up there with one of the busiest and most productive days I've had in some time!  I scheduled out my whole day yesterday, as dorky as that sounds, because I had so much to do.  I am hosting an end-of-season party this Thursday for my athletes and good training buddies and I've had a lot to do to get ready.

The Girls and Sydney at Em and Scott's
baby shower last weekend

I was thankful to have today off from work as I was tied up last weekend with friends in town and hosting Emily's baby shower.  Both the shower and the weekend ended up being wonderful as it always is when all of the girls are together.  I was determined to put aside any worries about things on my own party to-do list and  focus all of my energy on helping to make baby Brax's shower special for Em and Scott and spending quality time with the girls.  I managed to get my long run in Saturday morning, despite being exhausted from being up later the night before, but I got it done and I was happy about that.  As always, it's sad for a few days after everyone goes back to their respective cities.  I would love it if everyone lived here in Charlotte...obviously.  :-)

It took me a few days to recover, sleep-wise, from two weekend bedtimes after 1am last week so this week I was pretty unproductive at crossing much of anything off my list.  To add to it, I am going home tomorrow afternoon so that I can attend TriStacey's end-of-season / launch party tomorrow so today was crucial to get stuff done for next weeks gathering.  I managed a decent swim this morning before the madness began!

Most excitedly, I finally finished my cornice project that I started a few weeks back.   It has taken me nearly 3 weeks to find 2 or 3 free hours to drive to Gastonia to Mary Jo's and pick up the fabric and materials I needed to complete my project.  That said, I made a point to go today and I finished up my project this evening!  I'm so delighted at how they turned out.  I'm not that creative but I didn't think building a cornice and covering it in fabric could be all that hard.  Below are some pictures of my finished product.

I added some beading around the border and made the ends a
bit longer for a more special design than just straight across

I have a gold wall and a brown wall so I was excited to find a
fabric that went well with both, as well as my new rug.  

I think my new rug and my fabric go great together! 

The highlight of my day came as I was heading down to Gastonia for fabric.  I was stopped at the turn light to get on I-85 and there was a man, which there often are, sitting in the median, with a sign that said "Homeless Veteran - will work for food".  I'm certainly guilty of trying to avoid making eye contact with such panhandlers on any normal day.  Today struck a different cord with me.  I had just been to Target getting things for my party and spent a whole ton of money.  I was on my way to drive 25 minutes in my huge gas-guzzling SUV to buy fabric for $25 a yard to finish a totally unnecessary project at my house, that I live in alone, with heat, all the food I could ask for, dogs that live high on the hog, and flat screen TV's hanging from multiple walls.  The least I could do for this Veteran was get him something to eat.  I don't really believe in just giving money to panhandlers, for obvious reasons; however, if this man was truly hungry, he flashed his sign at the right girl on this 11/11/11 Veteran's Day.  I got out of the turn lane, headed up to Burger King, got him a grilled chicken sandwich, a large french friends, and a large sprite!

When I looped back around to give it to him, he was beyond gracious and thanked me endlessly stating this was his first hot meal in 19 days.  Whether he was or wasn't a Veteran I'll never know, but as I handed him his food, I told him that he worked hard enough serving our country to deserve a free meal today and he smiled and thanked me again.  It was very rewarding.

Tomorrow I'll be running the Thunder Road 1/2 Marathon with one of my favorite clients before heading home with Dawn and Kevin.  Of all the aspects of coaching, I love being there with my athletes and helping them conquer goal times the most.  I'm excited to run with you Devon!  Good luck and CONGRATS.

Training...for Training Camp!?

So I learned a few days ago I would be attending a training camp in Tucson in early December and I'm ecstatic! I am delighted to have the opportunity and cannot wait to meet the girls, the coach and everyone out there who made the week happen!

That said, the last few weeks prior to learning of said training camp were pretty mello.  It was rather nice, I must say, but like any type-A triathlete, I itch to train hard again.  Stacey and I "arm wrestle" religiously about her wanting me to "slow down", and me not really know how to do that.  So the last few weeks have incldued pretty much one workout per day, lots of swimming, lots of yoga, strength training, some easy running and enjoyable weekend rides.  Awesome!

Well, I have decided I need to step up the next few weeks leading up to this camp.  Even in my best of shape, I'd have little to no shot of competing with any of these women, nonetheless, 6 weeks into "off season".  My only saving grace is that they, too, have been enjoying the off season as well!  :-)

I'll be running the Thunder Road 13.1 this weekend with one of my favorite clients and excited to hopefully pace her to a huge PR!  Otherwise, there hasn't been a ton going on in my world so I haven't bored you all with my blog updates :)

Everything happens for a reason....

There are many times in my life when I think "why is this happening to me?", "why do I have such bad luck", "I think I need to start going to church cause I think the man above hates me".

But when it all shakes out and you look back, most every time, you learn something, you become a better person, and if nothing else, you usually have a good story to tell.

I hope everyone has a great Thursday and an even better weekend approaching!  

Busy Bee...

Well, last week was again, "on my own" with no scheduled workouts and included lots of fun and goodness.  But, I will admit, after 2 weeks of no schedule, I'm ready to get back to it.  Though it has been awesome rest for my body physically and even more so mentally, I do start to miss my routine.  The primary reason I have a coach is because I don't want to have to do the thinking for myself about what is best for me on what day.  Let's be honest, it's not brain surgery to train for a triathlon.  But what I love is someone else tellng me to rest, go hard, go easy, so I don't have to be the judge of that. 

Also fueling my desires to get back to training was my meeting with Stacey Sunday morning in Chapel Hill.  After a trip to Carrowinds to ride some roller coasters with my sister Saturday morning (which was a blast!), and a quick 11 mile run from hell, I ventured home Saturday evening to spend some time with my 'rents and let my doggies have a field day at the lake.  Stacey and I had a great morning together on Sunday going over lots of stuff that we've wanted to talk about and I think we laid out a pretty great race schedule for next year!  I will officially post my schedule as soon as the thought of racing again doesn't make me want to cut a vein. 

My trip home and meeting with Stacey coincided with attending the NCTS banquet on Sunday in Raleigh.  I won the 30-34 age group which is a pretty competitve group of women so I was pleased.  I can't lie, I hoped for better results overall, but considering this was my first year that included any speed training, I'll accept what I've been able to accomplish.  Most importantly, contrats Jenny and Tom!!  Accolades very much deserved by both of you.  Congratulations to everyone who also had a great season and took home an award (and even those who didn't)!  The banquet was a nice ending to the season and I was glad I made the trek up there to attend.  I also give the Hilton accolades on their pecan pie. 

Other interesting things in my life are pretty limited.  Coaching has quieted down significantly since the season has ended, which is sad in one regard, but also a breath of fresh air.  Since every waking hour of every single day has not been occupied for the past few weeks, of course I embarked on a living room renovation as well as tackling a to-do list of, literally, 34 things.  These "things" do not icnlude like "go to the grocery store" but rather bigger ticket items such as clean out the gutters and the garage, trim all my hedges, have the carpets cleaned, on and on and on.  Nothing is a "quick" check-off, but I'm plowing through little by little, while also being patient with not being able to do everything in one day.  If you know me, you know this isn't my strong suit.  My living room has turned out great.  I've had the accent wall and trim painted, got a new entertainment center and TV, new blinds, a new rug, pictures and traded out lots of the picture frames and such.  A new couch is on the horizon and I plan to build my own cornice this weekend....which will complete living room overhaul 2011.  

This is a cornice, which is on the
to-do list this weekend

Here's the Z-gallerie comfy couch I'm planning
to complete my living room with

I'm planning an end of the season party for my athletes and my favorite training friends.  To be held November 17th!  There is so much to celebrate this year; my athletes have completed so many firsts, PR's, and new accomplishments, that it's only right to show them how proud I am and how much I appreciate working with them!  I'm so looking forward to a night of good company and cocktails.  

Well, I best get back to that monster to-do list.  Tonight's project included moving out all of my summer clothes to make room for my winter clothes.  It is such a daunting task to me for some reason, I dread it every season, but  it needs to be done.  Maybe I should just eliminate 1/2 my wardrobe and keep all my clothes in my closet year round to eliminate such daunting task....

That would be no fun!  :)