SAD

My co-worker/friend and I were chatting today about how we both have this overwhelming feeling of "sadness" that has come upon us since the weather has been so crappy.  Nothing is wrong....not one thing at all, but I just feel so BLAH!  My training has been par, but what is missing is my usual itch to race.  This has turned into a desperate feeling of wanting to get these races OVER with....not actually race them!  What on earth!?  So I spent a little time with my friend Google tonight....maybe I'm not so crazy after all.  

"Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression, winter blues, summer depression, summer blues, or seasonal depression, is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or summer, spring or autumn year after year.  SAD is not a unique mood disorder, but is "a specifier of major depression".

"Some people experience a serious mood change when the seasons change. They may sleep too much, have little energy, and may also feel depressed."

There are many different treatments for classic (winter-based) seasonal affective disorder, including light therapy with sunlight or bright lights, antidepressant medication, cognitive-behavioral therapy, ionized-air administration, and carefully timed supplementation of the hormone melatonin."

In addition to one additional unnamed factor, this about nails it:  "They sleep too much, they have little energy, and  may also feel depressed".  I laid in bed until after 2pm yesterday and I had to drink a cup of tea (real caffeinated tea!) before my swim.  I felt like a total slug!  Well by golly, seems like I'm just SAD.  

What am I gonna do about it?  Nothing.  I'm pretty sure I don't need ionized-air administration, 100 watt lightbulbs in my bathroom or any sort of medication to snap out of it.  In the meantime, I'll continue to go on with my daily life understanding its just the weather, but I sure am ready for it to pass!  Having today totally "off" from working out has helped in one regard because I finally feel rested, but as we've discussed, days off usually leave me a little "tightly strung" otherwise, and today is not much different.  A 7-mile run and a 30 min recovery swim bright and early should have me back on track in the morning. And maybe a little...

So, if you're also feeling SAD...don't feel too BAD....just don't make me MAD or I might have to hurt you.  :-)  haha.  

Doesn't get more rewarding than this!

I had to post this from one of my athletes.  It's words like these that keep me going when life is crazy busy, situations get sticky and I start to question if I can continue to manage it all....

"Thank you so much for being my coach. You have whipped me into shape and gotten me focused. Your plan for me is definitely working! :) I certainly wouldn't have had a good day today without you. My husband even got a little teary at the finish line, he was so proud! It really was an awesome day!"

Like her husband, I may have gotten a little teary reading her words.  I am so proud of everyone who raced and rode this weekend:

Devon:  MS Ride - 200

Amanda: Ramblin Rose triathlon

April: Belews Lake sprint

Craig:  Augusta Ironman 70.3

Dana:  Augusta Ironman 70.3

Like a huge dork I spent most of today tracking results of all the Charlotte peeps racing Augusta 70.3.  It was bittersweet not being out there since I've done that race for the last several years.  But after seeing some very very strong athletes come unglued on the run, perhaps it was better I wasn't down there in the muggy, humidity.  I'll get my fun at Half Max in 2 weeks and I'm sure but knowing my luck, a cold front will blast through that weekend and it'll be 35 degrees as I plunge into the water.  If you know me and my luck, you know I'm not just being "funny".   

Anywho, this weekend has come to a close and you can put a fork in me.  I ran, biked and swam myself into the ground - I am officially "peaked".   I didn't get out of bed until 2pm today other than to graze the refrigerator a bit and, man, it felt so good.  It's time to recover and taper for these upcoming races and then....CHILL OUT, give my muscles a little TLC (and hopefully a little definition!) and focus on my clients!!!!  :) 

T-13 days.   

Pfhew...Been a Busy Week!

I have been asked by two different people this week "where I've been" because I haven't blogged.  I thought that was cute.  It's been a hell of a week, both coaching/work and "socially".

I'm happy to report I am two weeks from HalfMax Nationals and one week from Pinehurst Olympic - my last two races of this insane 2011 season.  I've had a blast this year which started with the Charlotte Duathlon waay back in March, and have had some awesome results (and a few not so awesome results) but overall, I am very very very (did I say very) ready for this off-season/winter.  I am excited to change up my schedule...lots of yoga, functional strength, Crossfit, pure barre....all sorts of things that don't include swimming, biking or running....though I'm sure there will be some of that too.  I'm also excited to focus on my athletes this winter and building their bases and strength for next season, while restoring my mental game a bit.

My training has been going well this week, but I can't lie the weather has put a bit of a damper on my motivation and, unfortunately, my "ability" to get workouts done as originally anticipated.  I originally planned to run long Thursday after teaching spin class, but was honestly so very sleepy, it was pouring rain, and I was pretty sore from a Functional Movement Screen I had on Tuesday night (more on that later) so I decided to postpone for one day.  I got it done today but ended up having to break it in to two runs (6 and 7.3-ish) because of the weather.  When I woke up to do the full 13 at 6:30, it was raining.  I discussed with Stacey and she suggested breaking it into two treadmill sessions, 6 this morning, 7 at night.  The rain broke about 7:45 this morning though so ventured outside to get my first 6 done.  A little over 3 miles in, I was at the furthest point from where I started (started Uptown, was at Queens Road West near East Blvd)...when it started to torrential downpour.  I'm talking downpour.  By the time I was headed up Morehead, my shoes were 2 lbs heavier each (not exaggerating) and the streets were like river rapids.  Heading up Morehead with the water flowing down while practically wearing ankle weights was, needless to say, not that fun.  I had my Ipod on too...which clearly doesn't like to be drenched.  Expensive run!

At around 2 today the weather actually got really really nice.  I found a break in my workday and finished up a little over 7 miles.  I was so thankful to not have to run on the hamster mill.  I ran 13.3 in just over 1:40 and was happy with that, particularly given how slow my last two miles of the torrential rain run were and how hilly the routes I ran were too.  My goal is to run sub 1:40 at Halfmax and so long as my fueling has gone well, I think is feasible on the flat terrain.  My 1/2 IM PR off my bike is 1:41 and change in 2009 at Augusta, and I wasn't running as well as I am now.  We'll see in 2 weeks!

As I mentioned earlier, I had a very detailed Functional Movement Screen on Tuesday after work at Dr. Greenapple's office with both Dr. G and Dr. Kahn.  It was exactly what I needed. I am now able to hone in my weaknesses this off season in terms of strength and flexibility.  Dr. Kahn video taped the whole assessment also so I can review and provide to Stacey for complete analysis.  There are 7 standard functional movements that are scored in order to benchmark each athlete, but Dr. G had me do 8-10 additional exercises testing various more triathlon-specific movement.  I scored pretty to very well on most all of the movements and I now know exactly what I need to work on.  Thank you very much Dr. G and Dr. Kahn for taking your valuable time out to help me!!

Tomorrow involves a 3 hour ride at more or less 1/2 IM racepace and a 45 min run thereafter.  I'm riding with a great group of guys so I'm excited to get out there and have some fun.  This will be my last super long workout before Pinehurst next Saturday and then recovery/taper begins!

I have three athletes that will be in Pinehurst racing too so the weekend will be a blast!! Good luck to all my athletes racing and covering new distances this weekend in Augusta, at Ramblin' Roads and the MS 200!  You guys have put in so much time and energy into your training and I have no doubts you will reap the rewards!

"Ride it like you stole it and run like who you stole it from is catching you!"
~ Coach Kim

Things this weekend included that I needed very badly....

Despite it being Sunday night, not having worked out for going on 48 hours and having eaten 3-straight days of stupidly unhealthy food starting with 2 enormous pieces of cake at work Thursday, I realize how badly I needed this weekend and how much healthier my mind is upon return.

Emily, Scott and I road-tripped to Atlanta Friday night after work.  Post college, 4 of our girlfriends moved to Atlanta, so Emily and I spent many many weekends trekking down there...for visits much different than what our weekends now entail.  We had some of the most fun times down there for 4 or 5 years after college having partied enough to fill 10-years worth of time!  But, I can't say I miss the Sunday car rides home "not feeling so well" (to put it mildly), nor can I say I'm sad that our weekend antics aren't quite as rowdy as they once were.  It was certainly fun at the time though.  Given Emily is 5 months pregnant and Kristen and Pippin have a 5-week old baby, this trip was definitely very different, but also still really fun at the same time...and so very needed for my sanity.

Such a cute little family

After traffic and a late start Friday, we didn't get in till after 10.  Kris and Shannon had the most delicious cupcakes from Gigi's and champagne for my birthday waiting - which was such a great surprise.  The cupcakes, um, let's just say I had several throughout the weekend.  If you know me, you know my love for cake.

We spent most of the day Saturday drinking, sitting outside and finished up the day with some absolutely hysterical rounds of Catch Phrase.  That game is always one of my favorites - people say the funniest stuff!  My abs are a little sore from laughing today, so perhaps I can't say I totally took the day off from training.

I've said this for years, but the best dynamic about our group of friends is that everyone's husband's / fiance's are all very close too.  No, they didn't go to college together and don't necessarily have the history my girlfriends and I have, but they've all become a really tight knit group of guys on their own and it's super cool!  Most people wouldn't want to take a weekend trip to spend with 3 "couples" and a new born baby as a "wild single girl" (hahah - kidding).  But, given the dynamic of the group, it honestly doesn't even phase me or cross my mind, nor do I feel like I'm there with couples for one second during the weekend.  I'm "wife #2" to Scott and being Emily is pregnant, my job this weekend was to fill her (very big) shoes and drink / party in true-Emily fashion.  As you may have guessed, I failed miserably, but I believe Scott has forgiven me.  We definitely missed Aubrey and Jason and Lindsay and Adam though and its just never quite the same without everyone.      

We spent lots of time on the couch and various beds and chairs relaxing with Sydney  :-)  Any of my friends will tell you, I am beyond drawn to babies.  I love love love them and have no "issues" admitting I absolutely cannot wait to have a couple of my own some day....when that time is right!  Having Emily pregnant, Kris and Pip with 5-week old Syd, having just seen Lindsay and Adam's 6 month old and 2-year old over labor day, and having another friend (not sure if this friend is public at this point) just starting the "journey" of getting pregnant, babies are ALL around me.  Everywhere you turn, women are pregnant!

I mean, is there anything more adorable than a 5-week old baby??
LOOK at that pout!  

Despite my desires for children, I am not "bitter" or "resentful" of my friends for being at this place in their lives.  I am elated to be an Aunt to all these little babies and am excited to watch them grow up and be a part of their lives.  I am excited to teach them about all the crazy races and stuff I do and would love to see, perhaps, one budding triathlete or cyclist among them.  I am in awe at seeing my friends - girls who I've known for 12/13/14 years now and their husbands who I am equally as close with - turn into loving and caring parents.  It is really amazing to see how people change and adapt so quickly.  

Though eating like crap makes me want to go for a run or do something active, having had an amazing long run Friday before I left, my mind was "at peace" with having Saturday off.  Its nice to "free the mind" and fortunately (sometimes unfortunately) my mind is one that is freed once my training is complete.  Though I can't obviously be taking drink-all-day-each-like-shit-and-not-workout weekend trips very often, I know I have to in order to stay human.  

Seeing my friends just reminds me that even though there are things "missing" in my near-perfect life, I am so very lucky to have them.  Ideally, we would all be in the same city, but given the fact that we're not, we still do a very very good job at getting together quite often and I have no doubts that will never change. Congrats Kris and Pip, Sydney could not be any more adorable - she will make a great babysitter for my little nuggest some day. ;-)  Thank you girls for keeping me sane....even if you don't realize you're doing it.

So so sweet to have such a tiny little human
asleep in your arms

It's official...

I'm going to New Zealand!  I just submitted my registration and it's such a great feeling!  The race is 13 months from yesterday....I'm sure I have ample time to prepare!

The race is in Auckland - all the way up on the top left!

My awesome sister and I are gonna make the journey together and stay for at least 2 weeks and probably a bit longer.  We may even hop on over to Australia for a few days as it will likely be the only time in our lives we'll have the opportunity to travel to the other side of the world and we plan to take full advantage of it!

Needless to say, we're excited!

Insightful

A friend of mine's husband posted this quote on FB this morning and I couldn't think of anything more appropriate to share with my blog friends:  


"Most people never get there.  They're afraid or unwilling to demand enough of themselves and a take the easy road, the path of least resistance.  But struggling and suffering, as I now saw it, were the essence of life worth living.  If you're not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you're not constantly demanding more from yourself - expanding and learning as you go - you're choosing a numb existence.  You're denying yourself an extraordinary trip."


~Dean Karnazes 


(Dean Karnazes, if you don't know, is probably the most famous ultra-endurance runner most known for running 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 consecutive days in 2006.  The NYC marathon was the last one of the 50/50/50 which he turned in a 3:30.  UNREAL!  Even more unreal, after the 50/50/50, he decided to RUN home to LA from NYC.  I don't think he made it the whole way but ran to like Missouri or something but regardless, talk about a guy who knows a bit about "suffering."  He wrote the book Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All Night Runner - read it!!)


Also, my athletes:  think about this quote and this guy the next time you decide that that interval is just too hard, that you're just not feeling up to your run or that you think you can't do it.   Think about this quote in your day to day journey though life!  I know I will.  


(Thanks Butch Holt for posting this quote - I loved it and I know you, of all people, know how to suffer with the best of them!)

Bike Racing is Hard....Really Hard

This weekend was a double race weekend for me and Marianne and many of the Pain Pathways girls.  It was great to be out there with a team sporting my new gear, even though I'm not technically official till next year!!

Yesterday, we headed to Winston Salem for a race I honestly don't even know the name of.  From here on out, it will be known as Crit from Hell.  We arrived, Marianne-style, with several hours before the race.  It's good for me to have someone like her with me cause if it were up to me, I'd roll in 30 minutes before the race started.  We pre-rode the course and I wanted to cry.  The course was about 1/2 a mile long.  From the start/finish line, we took off on on a gradual uphill with a quick left turn, a pretty steep, short, downhill (what goes down, must come back up), a wide left at the bottom of the hill,  a long flat wide (fun) backstretch, another left turn, and then hell.  After the left, we headed back up a hill similar to the short steep one we came down on the other side, followed by a long, 3-4% incline front stretch.  The front straightaway included potholes, broken pavement, cobblestones, cracks, bumps, you name it, in addition to its just-steep-enough-to-hurt-incline.  Considering the course was so short, we were climbing up the hill and grinding up the crappy road about once a minute, literally.  

The gun went off and my entire race strategy went to hell.  I wasn't ready for the whistle and it caught me off guard.  The girls jumped, and they jumped hard.  It took me a solid 3 minutes of hard work to get myself worked back into the group and be in somewhat of a position I wanted to be in.  In a 30 minute race, working hard from the get go is not the best strategy.  As Marianne warned me and as I have now experienced, 30 minute races are all out....balls to the wall....go for broke for the full 30 minutes.  Well, I did what I could to hang on to the lead pack and at some point, on the long straight grinder, I fell off.  I rode the last 10 minutes on my own which felt like an eternity, still riding hard, and working hard to catch the girls in front of me, which I knew would be near impossible.  With about 4 to go I caught the 3's and 4's who had dropped off the back much earlier on, in which two of my teammates were a part of.  It worked out great to have caught them as I jumped on the front and worked for 2 or so laps and sprinted my teammate to a 2nd place cat 4 finish behind me.  Though this race was included cat's 1-4, we were all scored separately.  So, despite having fallen off the lead group, I still won the cat 4 race by quite a bit which was great.  However, I'm not sure 30 minutes in Hell was worth my saddle bag and frame pump prize.  

Today's race was the Carolina Cup, a circuit race that has been going on for almost 40 years in Greensboro.  My parents were so awesome to come and support and it was great to have them there.  Given my dad's car racing background, I think he loved the idea of watching his daughter, somewhat, fulfill his "racing dreams".  He had his stopwatch to time laps and all, so he was in hog heaven, which I loved to see.  

Today's race was 45 minutes on a 2+ mile course that took place through paved trails in Greensboro State Park.  The course was absolutely beautiful and perfectly suited for my riding style.  Long flat stretches, a few good climbs, some decent turns and a long flat/downhill finish.  Perfect.  Or so I thought. I was prepared for the gun today and was off the line in a jiffy.  Thanks to Marianne, this race took off like lightening.  There was an immediate left followed by a pretty short, moderately steep climb thereafter.  The first half of a lap the group stuck together for the most part.  At some point during one of the climbs, one of the stronger riders attacked.  Seeing Marianne had gotten on her wheel, I was ready to sit back and let my teammate have the break.  But, as I started to sit back, 2-3 other girls headed for the break too so I decided to get on.  I figured if it was a break of 4 or 5, it'd be better for Marianne to have her teammate in the mix with her to help her work.  So the 5 of us girls took off and never saw the rest of the pack again.  

In the break, we were flying.  I signaled to everyone that we should try to work together and for the most part, we did.  However, about 25 minutes into the race we were still working really hard, almost the same effort we used to get off the front of the pack!  To be honest, by this point I was confused why were continuing to work so hard, getting tired, and in desperate need of a short recovery.  Not so much.  We continued to nail it and I continued to feel confused why everyone would continue to hit it so hard when we had over a minute and a 1/2 gap on the rest of the field.  However, I continued to hang on and take my turns pulling through the pace line, though I could feel the fatigue setting in.  With about 6 laps to go, I took my turn pulling up a decently long uphill stretch.  As I pulled off the front to rotate out, the strongest rider in the group was on my wheel.  She got up front and hit it hard.  I'm not sure if it was an actual "attack", but it certainly was an increased effort.  Perhaps she wanted me out of the group, perhaps she didn't realize what she did, perhaps it wasn't much of an increased effort at all and I was just cooked....whatever the case, as I rotated through to catch the back of the pace line, I just couldn't get on.  So I rode the remainder of the 6 laps by myself, which is almost harder than crushing it in the pack.  

I finished 6th on the day as the group behind me never caught me and only cat 1's, 2's and 3's finished ahead of me, so a good day overall, I guess.    

As I discussed with Marianne on the way home though, this weekend was "not good" in my eyes.  Despite a 1st place and a 6th place finish, I didn't finish with the lead group either day and that is "failure" in my books.  However, I am not one to make excuses, but I do need to remind myself of several things as I beat myself for getting dropped in both races this weekend.  

1.  I don't train for crit racing - or bike racing really at all.  At this point, I hardly even ride my bike anymore, nonetheless, train for 30-45 minutes of all out, threshold efforts.  These races are "C" races on my schedule and are used more for training and so I need to keep that in mind.  

2.  I am not rested leading up to these races.  I taught spin class Thursday morning, followed by an hour and a 1/2 run, a 4000 swim on Friday, and a 3000 swim on Saturday morning...all within 48 hours before the race.  Though swimming isn't leg-focused, I have to believe it zapped at least a little of my energy, if nothing else. It also takes more than 48 hours to recover from a long run and I can't expect to have full "pep" in my legs for an intense bike racing following such an effort.  It's just not possible.  

3.  I also need to remember these lead riders have all been racing 3, 4, 5, 12 years (in Marianne's case) and this is my 5th bike race!  Crit racing is very technical and very hard and it takes time to find your way with that.  

4.  I think I slept 4 hours last night.  Can't imagine that doesn't contribute to lack of pep.  

So in a nutshell, you can now see how my crazy brain works.  I can't expect to not train for this type of race, come in not-rested, and race girls with 8x's more experienced than me and think I can compete...but I want to!  I can't help it! 

These will be my last two bike races until after Ironman 70.3 in Panama in February so I have some time to recover from Crit from Hell on Saturday, thank god.  Off to hopefully get more sleep tonight than I did last night!  That shouldn't be hard. 

2:30 am and Stressed

Yes, me, up at 2:30 in the morning.  I cannot sleep.  My mind is racing.  Just like my little legs were not that long ago.

I was in the racks at 8:45 today (absolutely pathetic on a Saturday night but such is this life I have succumb to) and despite my best efforts to get into some show on TV, I was dozing off by about 8:55.  Sad.  Given my rest day Monday, my goal is to be up past 9:00pm tonight.  I'm getting very crazy as age 31 rapidly approaches.

4 hours later, I have been awake ever since.  I have so much on my mind, and though its rare that my mind wins over sheer exhaustion, tonight the victory goes to my racing brain.

My "real" job (which I don't discuss very often) has been very stressful for the last 2-3 weeks.  We are in the midst of preparing for our first quarterly meeting with our new managers since we've been mapped to the Securities side of the bank from the Capital Markets side. It's a good change, we think (read: we think money will be better), but that won't be determined for a few more months.  Nonetheless, stress #1 and though its only 2:30 am on Sunday, I am dreading Monday - Thursday of next week.  Some people reading this blog may not even know I have a "real job" or know what it even is...maybe I'll blog about that on my next sleepless night :)

Coaching has been very stressful this week more than any other week honestly.  Many experienced coaches have offered me a "heads up" or their past stories of various situations that can arise as a coach that you never in a million years think you'll find yourself in.  Well, without indulging any details, I have.  As a coach (or at least the kind of coach I like to be), I am very involved in the daily lives of my athletes, particularly the athletes training for more intense races.  I have learned a lot this week about communication and how that can be completely misconstrued.  I have been reminded that people often look for a scapegoat for their personal insecurities - which we've all done it at some point in our lives.  I am learning through the process that no matter how our actions are intended to be portrayed, not everyone sees them as you intended.  As a coach, I have not only learned a ton about triathlon, about myself as an athlete, about how other people tick, what pushes people's buttons, what people like to hear, on and on!  Most importantly, I am reminded every single day, literally, that everyone in this world is so very different and as a coach, managing that is a full-time job in itself.

Race stress is mounting also, I cannot lie.  I have my first half and my longest race in nearly a year in a little over 3 weeks and I feel unprepared.  It's so rare that I ever feel unprepared for the distance of a race because I've been doing long course for the last 2 full years.  The last few months with Stacey have been so speed-focused that I feel like my distance-training is lagging a little. I did my first 11 mile run last Thursday after teaching spin class, and albeit it went fine, it still hurt.  An hour and a half run used to be a "shorter" run about this time last year, and it's amazing how you can alter your training and how your body will adapt.  I did my first hour on the treadmill and then my last 3 1/2 miles outside at tempo.  I took the treadmill part relatively easy and stuck to right around an 8:00 pace, little faster, little slower sometimes.  My tempo outside was tough, and was hitting low 7:00's with mile 10 at 6:55, so it's nice to see the speed filter itself into the distance, but again, it hurts.  I am trying not to stress over the race and or the distance as this will be my 5th half and it's flat as a pancake, but it's still Nationals (same thing I did in Vermont a few weeks ago, but this time for this  distance) and it's still fast and furious.  I will keep updating as to the status of my training as that unwinds.

I am so a bit nervous about the circuit race tomorrow, the Carolina Cup.  Today's crit has left me anxious for tomorrow's race, which gives you an idea of how today went.  More on that later.

I am anxious about getting older and where I am at this juncture of my life.  Plain and simple.  Sounds crazy, but I'm starting to dread my birthdays.  I love my life, but there is so much I still long for.  Patience.  

Other stressful things are also going on my personal life which are contributing to my now 3:00am blog post.  What will put me to rest though is knowing I have the best family in the world (who I will get to see at my race tomorrow!), a sister who is my absolute best friend in the world, my support system, and my sounding board to keep me sane, and have the most amazing group of friends a girl could ask for.  Though I have my anxiety about missing a full weekend of training, I am so excited to go to Atlanta in 2 weeks with the girls to meet baby Sydney and be a "normal human" for a weekend!  I need that very badly every now and again to keep me from such 3:00 am blog posts!

Night.

Humbling

The past few days have been nothing short of humbling.  They have included:
 
* my first super hard bonk in about 2 years on my bike no-less.  My bike has become my "crown jewel", the one thing thing I can always turn to when I want to feel good and strong.  Nope.

* my first Crossfit workout to which I learned that my upper body is weak, I can't do a ring dip, and 70 ring rows leave my arms un-extendable for (at least) 2 days thereafter (this could be longer, the jury is still out on the length of frozen, painful arm).

* my first yoga class in about 8 weeks which reminded me I need to do more yoga and stretch more because my muscles are like guitar strings.

* and an epic failure of a track workout this morning.  The anticipated set was 3x (1000 at TH/400 jog/400 at TH/400 jog/200 at TH/200 jog).  I made it through one set before succumbing to quitting (honestly not sure if I've ever just quit a workout in the middle), driving to the treadmill and finishing with something much easier.  It was also pouring, so I'm making myself feel better than I even attempted to do this in the rain, but truth is, I was just a slug.

This was me at the track this morning, except I wasn't a man,
my shorts were a bit longer and it wasn't sunny .  

What am I trying to take away from these tough days? 

* I am trying not to beat myself up for once in my life.  This is hard for me.  I am harder on myself than anyone has or ever will be in my life but I am working on this.    

* I am working with my coach to get to the root of the poor performances.  Friday nights light dinner attributed to Saturday's crash and burn.  Lack of yoga has led to string muscles...easy fix, go to yoga!  Lack of sufficient strength training = inability to do insanely hard handstand pushups and wobbly ring dips.  Fix?  Do more functional strength.  I can't quite get to the route of the track workout this morning other than the rain, yoga last night, and I think just plain mental exhaustion.  At this point, track sessions on my schedule instantly raise my stress levels - it's hard as hell!      

* I am resting tomorrow and will move ahead Thursday hopefully feeling like a new person.  

* I am attempting to pull some positives from the last few days as well vs. focus on the negatives.  Some positives:  Our dog Parker is slowly improving and we are beyond thankful to still have him with us for now.  I think being emotional about him has led to sleepless nights and more-than-usual tiredness/stress on my body.  Secondly, I had a phenomenal swim yesterday!  I swam longer than I've swam since IM training and felt great the whole way through, despite my "Crossfit arms".  My (pool) swimming is coming along nicely with my increased training.  Lastly, I ended today with a fun, fast, peaceful bike ride, by myself, in the zone, preparing for my races this weekend.  It was beautiful out and I needed some time with myself and this was just the fix.  I wish I had the time to ride my bike every single day.  I think I would be much less stressed as a person.  

In a nutshell, tomorrow off will be the most necessary part of this whole process.  I am realizing more and more how important recovery truly is in order to get quality from each workout.  Thank you Stacey for being patient with me during this very tough learning curve!  Here's to a rest day!   

  

An exiting announcement!

Next year's bike racing season should bring tons of fun and I couldn't be more excited for it to get here!!  I have big traithlon goals for next year, but I'm also excited to do some "extra-cirricular" bike racing on the side!

I recently signed on to the Pain Pathways Cycling team for the 2012 season and I am ecstatic to race with a great group of women.  Most heavily weighing on my decision to race for this particular team vs. the others that reached out to me, was my friend and bike racing mentor, Marianne!  She and I have a lot in common and she was a huge factor when it came time to decide who I'd want to race with.  There are a number of reasons I selected this team, but the decision was certainly not an easy one.  I always say though, everything always works out the way it should.  

The team has also been flexible with/for me so that I can continue to compete in triathlon.  They have agreed to reduce my required number of races to 10 vs. the 15 required for the team and also to count triathlon as my 5 "other" racing events...which would typically be mountain bike or CX races.  I am very appreciative to say the least!  

Having a team out there next season is going to be super fun!  Bike racing is very strategic and having a team to work with is crucial.  I've done well so far just being out there alone, due in part because Marianne has been my "ally" in most all races.  I really can't wait for it to be official.

Here's to an even busier 2012!  I really do love my life and am so thankful for all these amazing opportunities I have been given.    

Morrison Metric Highs and Lows

So today I headed to South Charlotte for the Morrison Metric 85 mile ride.  I've done this ride for the past 2 years and love it!  I spent a lot of time on this course and on these roads training for IM Louisville and Arizona so it's fun to know the roads and where you are for much of the ride, which is rare. 

I met up with Jim, Greg, Keith and Starkey and we set out with the lead group and were rolling relatively easy for the first 7-8 miles.  I could tell we were all getting anxious to ride a bit faster.  Not long after, the Bicycles East guys came blazing by on our left so Jim, Keith and I latched on.

We were flying!  I love nothing more than sitting in on a ride a beautiful day going super fast!  I felt great through the 2 hour mark when it was time to break off for the 85 course where 99% of the group hung a right for the 65 mile route.  I was staying on top of my hydration and fueling and we were averaging about 23 mph through the 45 mile mark.  Fun!!

It was quite a spirit breaker after we turned off for the 85 ride and were left with only 4 of us to share the work.  The fun was over though.  We rode with the 4 of us for about the next 8 miles.  The 4th guy riding with us ended up falling off leaving just Jim, Keith and I.  3 to share the work...crap. 

About 65 miles into this ride, the climbs started.  Not huge long climbs, just enough to  hurt.  At this point, I was not feeling so good.  I preach to all my athletes, calories, calories, calories...and here I was, their coach, and I was behind on my calories!?  Idiot.

So Jim was awesome enough to offer me half his Bonk Breaker, I took a gel and some Gatorade and slow pedaled for a few minutes.  I eventually started to feel better, but never awesome.  Let me tell ya, bonking is NOT fun.  I think I did okay taking calories on the ride, but the night before I didn't have enough dinner which ended up biting me in the ass.

So, I think it's appropriate to list some quick fixes in the event you start to bonk:
1.  Slow down - ease up for a minute to assess the situation. 
2.  Immediately start drinking.  Don't chug, but get some fluids in ASAP.  Preferably fluids that also contain calories.
3.  Eat - if you have a gel, take it right away.  Depending on various circumstances (how long you have left, what fuel you have available for the remainder of the workout, if there are rest stops, etc), perhaps take another gel. 
4.  Salt / Electrolyte tablets - if you have these, take one or two, particularly if you're starting to cramp.  An S-Cap would have saved me tremendously today but I took one before I left the house and thought I'd be ok. 
5.  Solids - Depending on what you're already taken, a Honey Stinger Waffle, a few crackers, a cookie, a Bonk Breaker can all raise your sugar levels.  If you've taken 2 gels, I don't think I'd also recommend a solid unless you're bonking hard and have a good bit of distance left in your ride or run. 
6. Re-assess in 15-25 minutes and see how you feel.  If you don't feel better, I am not sure I can help you :-)

As a whole, the ride ended up being great.  I owe Jim a HUGE thank you for letting me whore off his wheel the entire last 20 miles.  Despite my bonking, we still ended up averaging over 22 mph so I guess if that's as bad as it gets, I'll take it. 

For those that haven't done this ride, come on out next year!  It's a total blast!!  And remember, be sure to eat and hydrate!