Showing posts with label triathlon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label triathlon. Show all posts
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Renew
Well, I'm a little late on the whole "New Years" thing, but we have had a house full of cousins so I have been off enjoying them instead of blogging! Cousins are all returned home to their rightful parents and my children are plugged into some XBOX game so I have a moment of peace . . . ahhhhh!
Onto 2010 . . . A few years ago I had a delightful personal training client that did some work with life coaching. She was big on writing out statements of intention. That was the year of my first Ironman and she wrote a wonderful statement of intention for the IM for Paul and I. It went like this . . .
I see myself & Paul easily & effortlessly completing the Ironman in our perfect time. I see us relaxed, having fun & remembering every second of the experience. This or something better now manifest in our life & so it is!! I didn't set time goals, I didn't set expectations, I simply wrote out my intentions for the race and don't you know - it worked out just like the statement. The next IM I did was full of expectations, time goals and ultimately . . . disappointment. So, lesson learned. Not that I think that time goals are unreasonable, I just think that I work best with a broader intention. BTW, I came in the EXACT same time (down to the minute) for both Ironmans, but the first one was MUCH more enjoyable!
Which brings me to 2010. I have decided rather than goals, resolutions and lists I will give myself a statement of intention for the year and live it. Here goes:
I see myself living purposefully and simply in 2010. I see myself racing with purpose and heart, and training regularly with joy. This or something better now manifest in my life & so it is!
So there it is. The year will be about joy, simplicity and purpose. Now, off to enjoy a trainer ride since it's 18 degrees outside and windy! Brrrr!!
Onto 2010 . . . A few years ago I had a delightful personal training client that did some work with life coaching. She was big on writing out statements of intention. That was the year of my first Ironman and she wrote a wonderful statement of intention for the IM for Paul and I. It went like this . . .
I see myself & Paul easily & effortlessly completing the Ironman in our perfect time. I see us relaxed, having fun & remembering every second of the experience. This or something better now manifest in our life & so it is!! I didn't set time goals, I didn't set expectations, I simply wrote out my intentions for the race and don't you know - it worked out just like the statement. The next IM I did was full of expectations, time goals and ultimately . . . disappointment. So, lesson learned. Not that I think that time goals are unreasonable, I just think that I work best with a broader intention. BTW, I came in the EXACT same time (down to the minute) for both Ironmans, but the first one was MUCH more enjoyable!
Which brings me to 2010. I have decided rather than goals, resolutions and lists I will give myself a statement of intention for the year and live it. Here goes:
I see myself living purposefully and simply in 2010. I see myself racing with purpose and heart, and training regularly with joy. This or something better now manifest in my life & so it is!
So there it is. The year will be about joy, simplicity and purpose. Now, off to enjoy a trainer ride since it's 18 degrees outside and windy! Brrrr!!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
For Garrett
“Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more”
Anthony Robbins quotes (American advisor to leaders)
I have decided that for me, this year (and I hope every year to come) must be about more than me, when I tri, or run, or even breathe, I would like to do it in order to make a change in the world.
Today's guest post is by my best friend, click on the link below to read her post and learn her story.
Renee and Garrett's Story
After reading consider making a donation here:
For Garrett
Anthony Robbins quotes (American advisor to leaders)
I have decided that for me, this year (and I hope every year to come) must be about more than me, when I tri, or run, or even breathe, I would like to do it in order to make a change in the world.
Today's guest post is by my best friend, click on the link below to read her post and learn her story.
Renee and Garrett's Story
After reading consider making a donation here:
For Garrett
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Rejoice
So, after yesterday's whiney post I need to redeem myself because I really do hate whining! So, today's post is all about rejoicing. Here are the wonderful things that happened this year that I am amazingly, humbly and eternally greatful.
*My family is just plain awesome. My daughter is smart, funny, well behaved (sometimes too well behaved), athletic, and gifted in many, many ways. My son is also smart, funny, only sometimes well behaved : ), and is just like his handsome and witty father. My husband is the love of my life. I married my best friend and I love him more and more every day.
*My greatest health ailment is that I have celiac disease. I don't have to take medicine, I can totally manage the disease through self discipline. Nothing I can't handle.
*I am blessed to be a part of an amazing sport. I truly love triathlon. I get to coach other athletes to realize their dreams. I coach the wonderful triathletes at JMU, a job that brings me lots of joy, and lots of training partners : )
*This year I was chosen as one of almost 800 applicants to be a part of Team Trakkers. I can't express how amazing it is to be a part of a community of other triathletes that lift each other up and support one another. Plus we get cool free stuff : )
*This year we moved back home to Harrisonburg. I love living in a smaller town and feel a greater sense of community there than in Roanoke. We are close to my parents and my in-laws, which to many might sound like a nightmare, but to us it is a wonderful gift.
*I sit in my sister's house writing this while I am down visiting my new nephew that I was so blessed to help welcome into the world a little over a month ago. I am once again reminded how precious, beautiful and amazing little babies are. Having said that I am also greatful that my babies can feed themselves, dress themselves and put themselves to sleep!
Tomorrow's post . . .Renew
*My family is just plain awesome. My daughter is smart, funny, well behaved (sometimes too well behaved), athletic, and gifted in many, many ways. My son is also smart, funny, only sometimes well behaved : ), and is just like his handsome and witty father. My husband is the love of my life. I married my best friend and I love him more and more every day.
*My greatest health ailment is that I have celiac disease. I don't have to take medicine, I can totally manage the disease through self discipline. Nothing I can't handle.
*I am blessed to be a part of an amazing sport. I truly love triathlon. I get to coach other athletes to realize their dreams. I coach the wonderful triathletes at JMU, a job that brings me lots of joy, and lots of training partners : )
*This year I was chosen as one of almost 800 applicants to be a part of Team Trakkers. I can't express how amazing it is to be a part of a community of other triathletes that lift each other up and support one another. Plus we get cool free stuff : )
*This year we moved back home to Harrisonburg. I love living in a smaller town and feel a greater sense of community there than in Roanoke. We are close to my parents and my in-laws, which to many might sound like a nightmare, but to us it is a wonderful gift.
*I sit in my sister's house writing this while I am down visiting my new nephew that I was so blessed to help welcome into the world a little over a month ago. I am once again reminded how precious, beautiful and amazing little babies are. Having said that I am also greatful that my babies can feed themselves, dress themselves and put themselves to sleep!
Tomorrow's post . . .Renew
Monday, December 28, 2009
Reflect . . . .
As the year draws to a close I would be remiss not to post a 'year in review'. Luckily I am a big believer in race reports so my aging brain doesn't have to work too hard! I think the one word that sums up my triathlon year is . . . whiney. Yep, it's an ugly word and one of my biggest pet peeves, but I was whiney, and not in a small way.
I should have known it was not my year when the year began with a 3 week stint of the flu. What can I say, when I fall, I fall hard. On minimal training I ran the Shamrock Half Marathon with my best friend Renee, which was her first half marathon. The whole weekend was an experience, we gathered in VA Beach with our two other best friends from high school, we were known as the "fearsome foursome". It was a well earned name : ) It was nice to run with Renee and focus on friendship and fun rather than the clock. I highly recommend the Shamrock race weekend, it is very well done and a super flat course. I loved nurturing the inner run goddess in Renee and would like to make sure I do something like that every year - this year Vicky and I will do the Shamrock and we will run together. Now I just need to talk her into the pre-race massages that we did last year . . .
The next big race of the year was the FLA 70.3 race - a race I SWORE I would not return to EVER, but again, Renee and Scott were going and it would be their first half iron - so off to the house of mouse we went. All I will say about that race is that, once again - I will NEVER return to that run course again. The swim course was long, my nutrition didn't sit well on the bike and the run, well - that is a small glimpse into what hell must look like. See, what did I say - whiney! Bottom line is that it was not a great day and again I repeat that I will NEVER do that one again!
Once the season got into full swing I started working timing for SetUp Events. It is a super fun job and I loved going to all the races. I hope to do more timing this season, but maybe a few less races, the every weekend travel got to be a bit much and I got no trainig done.
So, foolish me decided that what I needed to motivate myself was a big race. Not able to do anything in moderation I signed up for Beach2Battleship Irondistance race. Assuming that would get me off my butt and training again I took the plunge and registered. Whoops. Turns out all it would do is make me whine about my lack of training. And still not train!
I did the race on about as little training as one can do and still finish. I ended up sick race week, which probably should have been taken as a signal to maybe cut my losses and bag the race. Nah, not me. I did that darn race with a fever and whined about it afterwords! Ack, I hate going back and reading the whining in my posts, I can't even imagine what my husband had to endure!
So, that brings me to Nov. and Dec. I spent most of my time whining about not working out when the real reason I didn't get my workouts done was simple . . . I didn't do them. You know that hind sight 20/20 thing - yeah, I'm sitting here looking back on the year and realizing that I really needed a year off. Instead I tried to push through and make excuses for my lack of enthusiasm. Instead I will say with all certainty, what I did was really take a year of much needed r&r. Hopefully it was enough to re-charge my batteries and I am ready to jump into 2010 with lots of gusto.
Tomorrow's post . . Rejoice
I should have known it was not my year when the year began with a 3 week stint of the flu. What can I say, when I fall, I fall hard. On minimal training I ran the Shamrock Half Marathon with my best friend Renee, which was her first half marathon. The whole weekend was an experience, we gathered in VA Beach with our two other best friends from high school, we were known as the "fearsome foursome". It was a well earned name : ) It was nice to run with Renee and focus on friendship and fun rather than the clock. I highly recommend the Shamrock race weekend, it is very well done and a super flat course. I loved nurturing the inner run goddess in Renee and would like to make sure I do something like that every year - this year Vicky and I will do the Shamrock and we will run together. Now I just need to talk her into the pre-race massages that we did last year . . .
The next big race of the year was the FLA 70.3 race - a race I SWORE I would not return to EVER, but again, Renee and Scott were going and it would be their first half iron - so off to the house of mouse we went. All I will say about that race is that, once again - I will NEVER return to that run course again. The swim course was long, my nutrition didn't sit well on the bike and the run, well - that is a small glimpse into what hell must look like. See, what did I say - whiney! Bottom line is that it was not a great day and again I repeat that I will NEVER do that one again!
Once the season got into full swing I started working timing for SetUp Events. It is a super fun job and I loved going to all the races. I hope to do more timing this season, but maybe a few less races, the every weekend travel got to be a bit much and I got no trainig done.
So, foolish me decided that what I needed to motivate myself was a big race. Not able to do anything in moderation I signed up for Beach2Battleship Irondistance race. Assuming that would get me off my butt and training again I took the plunge and registered. Whoops. Turns out all it would do is make me whine about my lack of training. And still not train!
I did the race on about as little training as one can do and still finish. I ended up sick race week, which probably should have been taken as a signal to maybe cut my losses and bag the race. Nah, not me. I did that darn race with a fever and whined about it afterwords! Ack, I hate going back and reading the whining in my posts, I can't even imagine what my husband had to endure!
So, that brings me to Nov. and Dec. I spent most of my time whining about not working out when the real reason I didn't get my workouts done was simple . . . I didn't do them. You know that hind sight 20/20 thing - yeah, I'm sitting here looking back on the year and realizing that I really needed a year off. Instead I tried to push through and make excuses for my lack of enthusiasm. Instead I will say with all certainty, what I did was really take a year of much needed r&r. Hopefully it was enough to re-charge my batteries and I am ready to jump into 2010 with lots of gusto.
Tomorrow's post . . Rejoice
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Why I tri.
Among my triathlete friends there is no great question about why I was out in the snow on Sat. running. Because that is what I do. It is the me, of, well, me. I can hardly remember the Kati before she decided to run her first 5k. I am so much happier and healthier. Ok, well not always healthier, but in the bigger picture I am healthier!
I love to race. It cures the nagging and maybe a little overactive competative bug that lives inside me. I also love the hoopla. Even at the small local races when you come out of the water there are spectators there cheering you on, looking at you like you are a rockstar! Don't even get me started on the bigger races where thousands line the finish chute yelling and cheering you on. It is amazing.
Racing only lasts a few months out of the year and while I love it, racing is not the 'thing' that keeps me going from year to year. It's the community. I love being part of the crazy, shaved legs, way too much gear and gizmos triathlon communtiy. When I am on the interstate and pass a car with a tri sticker I always have to honk and wave. They might think I'm crazy, but I don't care - they are my peeps!
In Roanoke we had a loose knit tri club that gave me the one on one, local community feeling. The YMCA was also a great place to feel a part of that community. I loved seeing my training folks as I roamed the halls. There was rarely a swim workout that passed without seeing someone I had trained. I miss that.
I love living in H'burg. I love almost everything about it. Except I miss my tri community. I don't think I have the energy to put into starting a tri training group here at this point. I am starting to work on growing my business and that is a start, but here when I swim it's just me, swimming. When I am out running, I'm just out running. I am coaching the JMU tri club and I absoulutly love that. It is one of the highlights of living here to me, but alas, JMU is somewhat of it's own town so I don't get to see my JMU tri kids much. Now they are all engrossed in finals and shut up in the libraies, no one available to go play on the back country roads on their bikes with me.
All of this is what excites me so much about being a part of TEAM TRAKKERS. We had a confrence call yesterday to learn more about the TRAKKERS product and the REV3 race series. I once again felt a part of a community. My communtiy is a bit more spread out now, we have team members as far as Hawaii! But through blogs, twitter and the Team First Endurance page we can get connected.
I still hope to connect more with the local tri community. I look forward to finding some swim friends and even bringing some new triathletes from H'burg into the sport. For now I will rely on my old Roanoke folks and my online Team Trakkers folks to keep me headed out the door during the cold snowy winter months!!
I love to race. It cures the nagging and maybe a little overactive competative bug that lives inside me. I also love the hoopla. Even at the small local races when you come out of the water there are spectators there cheering you on, looking at you like you are a rockstar! Don't even get me started on the bigger races where thousands line the finish chute yelling and cheering you on. It is amazing.
Racing only lasts a few months out of the year and while I love it, racing is not the 'thing' that keeps me going from year to year. It's the community. I love being part of the crazy, shaved legs, way too much gear and gizmos triathlon communtiy. When I am on the interstate and pass a car with a tri sticker I always have to honk and wave. They might think I'm crazy, but I don't care - they are my peeps!
In Roanoke we had a loose knit tri club that gave me the one on one, local community feeling. The YMCA was also a great place to feel a part of that community. I loved seeing my training folks as I roamed the halls. There was rarely a swim workout that passed without seeing someone I had trained. I miss that.
I love living in H'burg. I love almost everything about it. Except I miss my tri community. I don't think I have the energy to put into starting a tri training group here at this point. I am starting to work on growing my business and that is a start, but here when I swim it's just me, swimming. When I am out running, I'm just out running. I am coaching the JMU tri club and I absoulutly love that. It is one of the highlights of living here to me, but alas, JMU is somewhat of it's own town so I don't get to see my JMU tri kids much. Now they are all engrossed in finals and shut up in the libraies, no one available to go play on the back country roads on their bikes with me.
All of this is what excites me so much about being a part of TEAM TRAKKERS. We had a confrence call yesterday to learn more about the TRAKKERS product and the REV3 race series. I once again felt a part of a community. My communtiy is a bit more spread out now, we have team members as far as Hawaii! But through blogs, twitter and the Team First Endurance page we can get connected.
I still hope to connect more with the local tri community. I look forward to finding some swim friends and even bringing some new triathletes from H'burg into the sport. For now I will rely on my old Roanoke folks and my online Team Trakkers folks to keep me headed out the door during the cold snowy winter months!!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
MORE COUNTING!
Here are 10 reasons why you should register for the Inaugural New River Valley Triathlon:
1. It is the ONLY pool swim tri in the VA Triathlon Series west on Lynchburg
2. The Vally Corporate Relay Challenge gives bragging rights for a WHOLE YEAR!!
3. The event is run (and timed) by SetUp Events - a first class high quality race production company (oh yeah, I might kinda work for them, but even so, they are a top class company!)
4. Just LOOK at this beautiful, flat, grassy transition area!!
5. A beautiful run along the New River on a path through Bisset Park.
6. Much of the bike route either has a designated bike lane or wide shoulder. Good to excellent road surface.
7. The race benefits the Mental Health Association of the New River Valley, Inc..
8. The distances are just right for a beginner to get their feet wet, AND for an experienced triathlete to really open it up and see what they are made of!!
9. Radford is a beautiful area to visit with lots to do, go for a race, stay for a weekend!!
10. My personal favorite: Anne Giles Clelland, the most enthusiastic, wonderful and creative race director around!!
1. It is the ONLY pool swim tri in the VA Triathlon Series west on Lynchburg
2. The Vally Corporate Relay Challenge gives bragging rights for a WHOLE YEAR!!
3. The event is run (and timed) by SetUp Events - a first class high quality race production company (oh yeah, I might kinda work for them, but even so, they are a top class company!)
4. Just LOOK at this beautiful, flat, grassy transition area!!
5. A beautiful run along the New River on a path through Bisset Park.
6. Much of the bike route either has a designated bike lane or wide shoulder. Good to excellent road surface.
7. The race benefits the Mental Health Association of the New River Valley, Inc..
8. The distances are just right for a beginner to get their feet wet, AND for an experienced triathlete to really open it up and see what they are made of!!
9. Radford is a beautiful area to visit with lots to do, go for a race, stay for a weekend!!
10. My personal favorite: Anne Giles Clelland, the most enthusiastic, wonderful and creative race director around!!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
COUNTDOWN
My fabulous partner in GOGIRLGO crime Diane had a wonderful blog where she counted down various things. I love to borrow a great idea, especially on a Tuesday that I am half brain dead from morning swim practice so her is mine:
TEN things I’m thankful for...
1. My kids - even when they make me crazy they are amazing kids
2. My friends, I still have the same 3 best friends from high school - how cool is that!?
3. My family, they stress me out sometimes but they are a GREAT family
4. Being back in H'burg - I just love living here
5. The ability to run, bike and swim daily
6. My job, I love, love, love coaching
7. Jammie pants - seriously - I flannel, fleece, whatever - I just love 'em!
8. Coffee
9. Gluten free food that is getting better all the time
10. Last and certainly not least, the love of my life - my wonderful husband
NINE things I do every day...
1. Run, bike or swim
2. Kiss the kids after they have already gone to sleep
3. Sit down for a family dinner
4. Call one of above mentioned best friends
5. Tell my kids & husband that I love them
6. Drink coffee
7. Check email, facebook and twitter - I'm a social media junkie : )
8. Eat a bowl of corn grits
9. Watch TV - I am also a tv junkie!
EIGHT things I love about Triathlon ... (I had to change that Diane!)
1. Sense of accomplishment
2. The endless possibilities
3. Sweating
4. Variety of the workouts (I cannot imagine just running every day!!)
5. The sense of community
6. Bragging rights
7. The size 4 jeans ; )
8. The pain - I love the pain!!
SEVEN things I enjoy doing...
1. Swimming
2. Biking
3. Running
4. Racing
5. Reading
6. Traveling
7. Coaching
SIX things on my ‘to do’ list for 2010...
1. The American Triple T
2. Have a successful marathon run - I don't yet know if that will be at the end of an Ironman or a stand alone marathon, but darn it, it WILL be successful
3. DC Breast Cancer Walk in honor of my Mother in law
4. Pay off debt
5. Travel to Costa Rica!!
6. Get a tri training group going in H'burg
FIVE places I want to visit...
1. Costa Rica (yay - going in Jan!!)
2. Australia/ New Zealand
3. Alaska
4. Hawaii
5. Tahiti
FOUR things that drive me nuts...
1. Smoking
2. Overweight Physicians
3. Dishes left on the table (it's just not that far to walk!!)
4. Loud eaters
THREE smells I like...
1. Coffee brewing
2. Paul
3. My own sweat while I am working out - afterwords it's gross, but I love the smell of a good sweat being worked up!
TWO things I find difficult...
1. Giving myself a break - I might be a teensie bit competitive and a wee bit hard on myself
2. Math - still after all these years I wince when my daughter has a math question!
ONE thing I want...
1. World peace - I just don't see why we can't just all be nice to each other!!
TEN things I’m thankful for...
1. My kids - even when they make me crazy they are amazing kids
2. My friends, I still have the same 3 best friends from high school - how cool is that!?
3. My family, they stress me out sometimes but they are a GREAT family
4. Being back in H'burg - I just love living here
5. The ability to run, bike and swim daily
6. My job, I love, love, love coaching
7. Jammie pants - seriously - I flannel, fleece, whatever - I just love 'em!
8. Coffee
9. Gluten free food that is getting better all the time
10. Last and certainly not least, the love of my life - my wonderful husband
NINE things I do every day...
1. Run, bike or swim
2. Kiss the kids after they have already gone to sleep
3. Sit down for a family dinner
4. Call one of above mentioned best friends
5. Tell my kids & husband that I love them
6. Drink coffee
7. Check email, facebook and twitter - I'm a social media junkie : )
8. Eat a bowl of corn grits
9. Watch TV - I am also a tv junkie!
EIGHT things I love about Triathlon ... (I had to change that Diane!)
1. Sense of accomplishment
2. The endless possibilities
3. Sweating
4. Variety of the workouts (I cannot imagine just running every day!!)
5. The sense of community
6. Bragging rights
7. The size 4 jeans ; )
8. The pain - I love the pain!!
SEVEN things I enjoy doing...
1. Swimming
2. Biking
3. Running
4. Racing
5. Reading
6. Traveling
7. Coaching
SIX things on my ‘to do’ list for 2010...
1. The American Triple T
2. Have a successful marathon run - I don't yet know if that will be at the end of an Ironman or a stand alone marathon, but darn it, it WILL be successful
3. DC Breast Cancer Walk in honor of my Mother in law
4. Pay off debt
5. Travel to Costa Rica!!
6. Get a tri training group going in H'burg
FIVE places I want to visit...
1. Costa Rica (yay - going in Jan!!)
2. Australia/ New Zealand
3. Alaska
4. Hawaii
5. Tahiti
FOUR things that drive me nuts...
1. Smoking
2. Overweight Physicians
3. Dishes left on the table (it's just not that far to walk!!)
4. Loud eaters
THREE smells I like...
1. Coffee brewing
2. Paul
3. My own sweat while I am working out - afterwords it's gross, but I love the smell of a good sweat being worked up!
TWO things I find difficult...
1. Giving myself a break - I might be a teensie bit competitive and a wee bit hard on myself
2. Math - still after all these years I wince when my daughter has a math question!
ONE thing I want...
1. World peace - I just don't see why we can't just all be nice to each other!!
Monday, November 30, 2009
2010 Race Planning
The 2010 race season is right around the corner so it's time to start planning things! There are those people that can plan things out on a whim but I am not one of those people, nor do I usually coach those people. Even if you don't know your detailed 2010 race schedule, at least choosing your "A" races for the year is a great way to start things out right.
So, what is an "A" race? These are your priority races - the ones you really want to focus your training on. For these races you will taper, and the rest of your seasons' races will be tailored to prepare you for this race. For example:
For 2010 I have 2 "a" races, The American Triple T in May and Cedar Point in September. My 20 week training plan for the Triple T will begin Jan. 1st. Until then I am in the off season. To prepare for this I will do the Rev3 Olympic race in Knoxville. Funny thing, I have done 3 Ironmans, 3 half Ironmans and countless (really, I mean countless!) sprints - but NEVER an olympic! Crazy! However, the Triple T has back to back Olympic (separated by a few hours) distance races. Eeek, better get a few of those under my belt!
After Triple T I will switch over to training for Cedar Point. I haven't yet decided if I will do the full or half distance there. If I choose the half I will choose a few other Olympic distance races in June/July/Aug, if I go for the full I will probably train through the summer months and won't do much racing, maybe a half marathon and a century ride to support the training schedule.
So, for now I will run, bike and swim when I want, do some good old fashioned weight training. For me the off season is about resting my body and spirit. I need a little bit of time where I am not putting the pressure on myself. Now, if I could just get my food under control so that I can avoid getting too squishy!!
So, what is an "A" race? These are your priority races - the ones you really want to focus your training on. For these races you will taper, and the rest of your seasons' races will be tailored to prepare you for this race. For example:
For 2010 I have 2 "a" races, The American Triple T in May and Cedar Point in September. My 20 week training plan for the Triple T will begin Jan. 1st. Until then I am in the off season. To prepare for this I will do the Rev3 Olympic race in Knoxville. Funny thing, I have done 3 Ironmans, 3 half Ironmans and countless (really, I mean countless!) sprints - but NEVER an olympic! Crazy! However, the Triple T has back to back Olympic (separated by a few hours) distance races. Eeek, better get a few of those under my belt!
After Triple T I will switch over to training for Cedar Point. I haven't yet decided if I will do the full or half distance there. If I choose the half I will choose a few other Olympic distance races in June/July/Aug, if I go for the full I will probably train through the summer months and won't do much racing, maybe a half marathon and a century ride to support the training schedule.
So, for now I will run, bike and swim when I want, do some good old fashioned weight training. For me the off season is about resting my body and spirit. I need a little bit of time where I am not putting the pressure on myself. Now, if I could just get my food under control so that I can avoid getting too squishy!!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Team Trakkers
Big News! Over the weekend while I was helping my brand new nephew (who is by the way beautiful and perfect in every way!!) I got the GREAT news that I was chosen to be a member of Team Trakkers! It is an incredible sponsorship opportuntiy and I am super excited to be a member of a team as well.
Along with Trakers, a real time GPS tracking product that is brand new they have partnered with other really cool companies to sponsor the team. After we sign our final contract in Dec. I will post more about the other sponsors.
This also means I get to go and do the cool REV3 races this year, which I will go into more detail about later in a long winded rant about why I am staying away from M-dot races in favor of other race series this year!
Along with Trakers, a real time GPS tracking product that is brand new they have partnered with other really cool companies to sponsor the team. After we sign our final contract in Dec. I will post more about the other sponsors.
This also means I get to go and do the cool REV3 races this year, which I will go into more detail about later in a long winded rant about why I am staying away from M-dot races in favor of other race series this year!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Beach2Battleship Race Report
Excuse the epic race report - so much to tell and heck, it's my blog so I can make it as long as I want!!
The race week began to go downhill when I started to run a fever on Wed. I assumed it was a sinus infection - I think I was wrong about that. I rested on Thurs. all day as best I could when getting ready for an ironman (and getting two kids ready to stay with their grandparents for the weekend!) Paul and I left of Friday am at 6am for the 6 hour drive - it's amazing with 2 kids how exciting 6 hours alone in the car can be! I was feeling good that morning so we were able to enjoy the ride and a little time together to talk.
After arriving we went to packet pick up and got my shirt, bag and nifty wrist band. From there we went to drop off my bike. Being there early paid off, I got a great end spot on my rack!
As usual we went to our hotel and I hopped in bed for the rest of the day! (about 4pm on) Bedtime didn't go as smooth as I would have liked as the room above us, and the room on each side had construction crews. They weren't being unreasonably loud or anything, but at a cheapo motel the walls are thin. SO, we moved rooms. Then the air didn't work in the second room. SO, we moved rooms. Finally settled I got to sleep around 9:45, woke up at 1:30, then finally got back to sleep at 3. Not the best way to start the day but it was what it was.
Up at 5 and out the door by 5:30 - the morning was lovely. Not too cold, quickly got on the shuttle to the beach, and the sunrise was amazing - probably the best part of the day!! I got in the water to fill up the wetsuit and get my face wet and it felt great. 67 degrees was the official temp, it felt wonderful!
The swim start was a running mass beach start. Aside from the bumping and crowdedness of the swim it was simply delightful. I will say that there was a pretty strong current so my time was about 15 min. - 20 min. faster than normal IM swim time, but with the fever I had been running my motto for the day was "ZONE 2" so I just took it easy and enjoyed the water.
2.4 mile swim time: 52:38
I ran out of the water and had the wetsuit stripper unzip and pull the top down on my suit, but left the legs and booties on for warmth since there was a 400 y. run to T1. I took the time in T1 to completely change clothes so that I wouldn't be cold on the bike. I put on my Oomph! tri shorts, my Team G jersey, my Cannondale arm warmers, Paul's FAB sugoi R&R compression socks, toe covers on my shoes and a throw away ear warmer. I was on my way!!
The first 50 miles of the bike were delightful. I felt o-k, I was getting passed like I was standing still, but I was using my mantra "zone 2 will get me to the finish line" I was sipping my HEED and water and loving life. Then the fever came back. I guess the am Tylenol wore off but I just started to ache all over, my head started to hurt and it got hard to swallow. Boo! Miles 50 - 70 weren't fun but they weren't too bad.
At mile 70 the headwind started and I was just unhappy, that's where Garrett stepped in. For those that don't know about Garrett read his story here, it is worth it. I race for and with Garrett each and every race I do. A guy in a bright green jacket rode by and said "Hey, who's Garrett?" (I was wearing my Garrett's Wing's jersey) I told him and he said, "I know he is here with you today." Chills, tears and a deep breath. O-k, I can HTFU and finish this thing.
About mile 85 I went to the dark place. I was going to quit the race, I never wanted to ride that damn bike again, heck I didn't want to ever do a triathlon again. I guess my green jacket guy stopped for a pit stop because there he rode by again, while he passed me he yelled "This one is for G right?!" More tears, chills and a little more HTFU. Oh yeah, this isn't all about ME.
Got to the mile 110 marker (and a big bridge darn it!) and couldn't wait to get my sore tush off that darn bike. My butt hurt, my neck and head hurt, my hands and arms were achy from the fever and my tummy was all done with the sweet of the HEED.
My chain fell off at mile 111.5 and I had to stop and put it back on. Cursing and greasy I handed my bike to the volunteer and headed into the changing tent unsure if I was going to drop out or run.
112 mile bike time: 6:33 (plus 10:00 in T1)
I guess it was peer pressure but everyone else was changing into run stuff so I did too. Before I knew it I had on my running shoes so I decided I might as well try - you know in "zone 2." First 3 miles were fine, I was alternating a run / walk - not too fast but I finished 3 miles in 34 min. so I was starting to think I might just see 12 hours on that clock at the finish line. I was slowing down and walking more because of stomach cramping and potty stops(this is where I started to guess maybe I had a virus, not a sinus infection.) Around mile 8 I decided I was going to have to quit. I promised Paul that if I felt really bad and the fever was back I would stop. I was there.
This is where stubborn kicked in. I started to see people from the Half Ironman walking to their car with their finisher medals. Darn it, I had to have the medal in order to wear the shirt. I've never had a DNF, ever. I looked at my clock and saw that I was only at 10:30, I could walk really slow and still finish. At the turn around (13.1 miles) I saw Paul and he saw UNHAPPY Kati. He asked the question . . ."well, are you going to take it easy or do you need to stop?" I said I would finshdamnit! (all in one breath and through some tears)
That's when I found my friend Ron. Ron is a firefighter from CT who had been sick with bronchitis for 3 weeks and was forced to walk too. So we walked. That's when I started to have fun again. My motto changed from "zone 2" to "it is what it is!" We walked 14:30 miles (which at 5'4" is pretty darn fast) and talked and cheered everyone else on. I told Ron about Garrett and why I race. Ron said "well Garrett obviously sent me to you." Yes Ron, I think he did. If Ron hadn't been there I might not have made that 13 mile walk, if I did it certainly wouldn't have been a 3 hour half marathon!
Paul met me at mile 23 and walked with me for about 1.5 miles. (horribly against the rules, but he was really just walking back from the car and just *happened* to be next to me : ) He ran back to be at the finish for pictures and I caught back up with Ron.
We ran the last mile in together. I finished that damn race and got the damn medal and in the end the day wasn't about zone 2, it was about perseverance and remembering what was important to me. Final finish time: 13:47 - still a PR by 17 minutes.
26.2 mile run time: (ugh!) 6:04
Special thank you's: My wonderful family, who support me in more ways than I can verbalize here! Garrett, who always gives me the wings to get where I am supposed to go. And Ron, who dragged my little legs along at a power walk to a PR!
As always I am humbled and changed by the experience . . . and of course already thinking about what's next so I can redeem myself!
(My daughter started complaining about tummy trouble on Sun. pm, by Monday am she had the same symptoms - low grade fever, stuffy head, tummy trouble . . . I guess it was a virus. At least I am feeling better today and can care for my sick little girl!!)
The race week began to go downhill when I started to run a fever on Wed. I assumed it was a sinus infection - I think I was wrong about that. I rested on Thurs. all day as best I could when getting ready for an ironman (and getting two kids ready to stay with their grandparents for the weekend!) Paul and I left of Friday am at 6am for the 6 hour drive - it's amazing with 2 kids how exciting 6 hours alone in the car can be! I was feeling good that morning so we were able to enjoy the ride and a little time together to talk.
After arriving we went to packet pick up and got my shirt, bag and nifty wrist band. From there we went to drop off my bike. Being there early paid off, I got a great end spot on my rack!As usual we went to our hotel and I hopped in bed for the rest of the day! (about 4pm on) Bedtime didn't go as smooth as I would have liked as the room above us, and the room on each side had construction crews. They weren't being unreasonably loud or anything, but at a cheapo motel the walls are thin. SO, we moved rooms. Then the air didn't work in the second room. SO, we moved rooms. Finally settled I got to sleep around 9:45, woke up at 1:30, then finally got back to sleep at 3. Not the best way to start the day but it was what it was.
Up at 5 and out the door by 5:30 - the morning was lovely. Not too cold, quickly got on the shuttle to the beach, and the sunrise was amazing - probably the best part of the day!! I got in the water to fill up the wetsuit and get my face wet and it felt great. 67 degrees was the official temp, it felt wonderful!
The swim start was a running mass beach start. Aside from the bumping and crowdedness of the swim it was simply delightful. I will say that there was a pretty strong current so my time was about 15 min. - 20 min. faster than normal IM swim time, but with the fever I had been running my motto for the day was "ZONE 2" so I just took it easy and enjoyed the water.
2.4 mile swim time: 52:38
I ran out of the water and had the wetsuit stripper unzip and pull the top down on my suit, but left the legs and booties on for warmth since there was a 400 y. run to T1. I took the time in T1 to completely change clothes so that I wouldn't be cold on the bike. I put on my Oomph! tri shorts, my Team G jersey, my Cannondale arm warmers, Paul's FAB sugoi R&R compression socks, toe covers on my shoes and a throw away ear warmer. I was on my way!!
The first 50 miles of the bike were delightful. I felt o-k, I was getting passed like I was standing still, but I was using my mantra "zone 2 will get me to the finish line" I was sipping my HEED and water and loving life. Then the fever came back. I guess the am Tylenol wore off but I just started to ache all over, my head started to hurt and it got hard to swallow. Boo! Miles 50 - 70 weren't fun but they weren't too bad.
At mile 70 the headwind started and I was just unhappy, that's where Garrett stepped in. For those that don't know about Garrett read his story here, it is worth it. I race for and with Garrett each and every race I do. A guy in a bright green jacket rode by and said "Hey, who's Garrett?" (I was wearing my Garrett's Wing's jersey) I told him and he said, "I know he is here with you today." Chills, tears and a deep breath. O-k, I can HTFU and finish this thing.
About mile 85 I went to the dark place. I was going to quit the race, I never wanted to ride that damn bike again, heck I didn't want to ever do a triathlon again. I guess my green jacket guy stopped for a pit stop because there he rode by again, while he passed me he yelled "This one is for G right?!" More tears, chills and a little more HTFU. Oh yeah, this isn't all about ME.
Got to the mile 110 marker (and a big bridge darn it!) and couldn't wait to get my sore tush off that darn bike. My butt hurt, my neck and head hurt, my hands and arms were achy from the fever and my tummy was all done with the sweet of the HEED.
My chain fell off at mile 111.5 and I had to stop and put it back on. Cursing and greasy I handed my bike to the volunteer and headed into the changing tent unsure if I was going to drop out or run.
112 mile bike time: 6:33 (plus 10:00 in T1)
I guess it was peer pressure but everyone else was changing into run stuff so I did too. Before I knew it I had on my running shoes so I decided I might as well try - you know in "zone 2." First 3 miles were fine, I was alternating a run / walk - not too fast but I finished 3 miles in 34 min. so I was starting to think I might just see 12 hours on that clock at the finish line. I was slowing down and walking more because of stomach cramping and potty stops(this is where I started to guess maybe I had a virus, not a sinus infection.) Around mile 8 I decided I was going to have to quit. I promised Paul that if I felt really bad and the fever was back I would stop. I was there.
This is where stubborn kicked in. I started to see people from the Half Ironman walking to their car with their finisher medals. Darn it, I had to have the medal in order to wear the shirt. I've never had a DNF, ever. I looked at my clock and saw that I was only at 10:30, I could walk really slow and still finish. At the turn around (13.1 miles) I saw Paul and he saw UNHAPPY Kati. He asked the question . . ."well, are you going to take it easy or do you need to stop?" I said I would finshdamnit! (all in one breath and through some tears)
That's when I found my friend Ron. Ron is a firefighter from CT who had been sick with bronchitis for 3 weeks and was forced to walk too. So we walked. That's when I started to have fun again. My motto changed from "zone 2" to "it is what it is!" We walked 14:30 miles (which at 5'4" is pretty darn fast) and talked and cheered everyone else on. I told Ron about Garrett and why I race. Ron said "well Garrett obviously sent me to you." Yes Ron, I think he did. If Ron hadn't been there I might not have made that 13 mile walk, if I did it certainly wouldn't have been a 3 hour half marathon!
Paul met me at mile 23 and walked with me for about 1.5 miles. (horribly against the rules, but he was really just walking back from the car and just *happened* to be next to me : ) He ran back to be at the finish for pictures and I caught back up with Ron.
We ran the last mile in together. I finished that damn race and got the damn medal and in the end the day wasn't about zone 2, it was about perseverance and remembering what was important to me. Final finish time: 13:47 - still a PR by 17 minutes. 26.2 mile run time: (ugh!) 6:04
Special thank you's: My wonderful family, who support me in more ways than I can verbalize here! Garrett, who always gives me the wings to get where I am supposed to go. And Ron, who dragged my little legs along at a power walk to a PR!
As always I am humbled and changed by the experience . . . and of course already thinking about what's next so I can redeem myself!
(My daughter started complaining about tummy trouble on Sun. pm, by Monday am she had the same symptoms - low grade fever, stuffy head, tummy trouble . . . I guess it was a virus. At least I am feeling better today and can care for my sick little girl!!)
Monday, November 2, 2009
Back on Track
Whew - that was a rough weekend, but now it's time to move into happy race place. My aunt is in the hospital and working with a new Dr. and I am working on having faith that she is being taken care of and will be better. My negative worry will do nothing to help her so I am choosing to have positive hope. *exhale*
Onto happier blog things! Today I will write about those nasty little bike limiters. I know all about these. I am that chick on the bike that gets a great lead on the swim, only to hit the bike and first the fast people that are crappy swimmers pass me, then the people that I look at and go WTF? HE/SHE is passing ME? (usually followed by murmuring curse words under my breath), then my the 70+ old men pass me, followed by the blind athlete on a tandem bike, and pretty much everyone else in the race. I am getting better on the bike - I am up to only half of the WTF athletes passing me. Maybe this year it will only be the fast/crappy swim folks! (see positive thinking!!)
I do absolutely believe that biking is a cumulative sport. Over the years you build strength and experience on the bike that one season of heaving training or all the right coaching can't make up for. The tricky thing about biking in the off season - at least in VA is the weather. To a certain extent my advice to you (and myself) is to buy some good winter cycling gear and suck it up. On the days when you can not get outside here are my thoughts on off season bike training:
*focus on speed over distance. There is plenty of beautiful spring outside time to build the miles back up, for the winter think less miles - more pain.
*speaking of pain - the trainer is a great controlled environment to work lactate threshold sets (or if you train with power max power sets!) You can really focus on pushing that l.t. up by doing those great repeat sets at or just above threshold.
*there is still skill to be had in the winter! The trainer is also a great place to work on your bike skills. Unclipping one leg and doing one leg drills - great for strength, but even better for seeing where you might have weak spots in your pedal stroke.
*cadence work - I don't believe that one cadence fits all so I won't say that everyone needs to be working on having a cadence of 100+, but on the trainer is a great time to experiment with some high cadence spinning and see how your legs respond.
*strength - look for a good off season cycle weight workout and DO IT! Your pedaling will thank you come race season!
Onto happier blog things! Today I will write about those nasty little bike limiters. I know all about these. I am that chick on the bike that gets a great lead on the swim, only to hit the bike and first the fast people that are crappy swimmers pass me, then the people that I look at and go WTF? HE/SHE is passing ME? (usually followed by murmuring curse words under my breath), then my the 70+ old men pass me, followed by the blind athlete on a tandem bike, and pretty much everyone else in the race. I am getting better on the bike - I am up to only half of the WTF athletes passing me. Maybe this year it will only be the fast/crappy swim folks! (see positive thinking!!)
I do absolutely believe that biking is a cumulative sport. Over the years you build strength and experience on the bike that one season of heaving training or all the right coaching can't make up for. The tricky thing about biking in the off season - at least in VA is the weather. To a certain extent my advice to you (and myself) is to buy some good winter cycling gear and suck it up. On the days when you can not get outside here are my thoughts on off season bike training:
*focus on speed over distance. There is plenty of beautiful spring outside time to build the miles back up, for the winter think less miles - more pain.
*speaking of pain - the trainer is a great controlled environment to work lactate threshold sets (or if you train with power max power sets!) You can really focus on pushing that l.t. up by doing those great repeat sets at or just above threshold.
*there is still skill to be had in the winter! The trainer is also a great place to work on your bike skills. Unclipping one leg and doing one leg drills - great for strength, but even better for seeing where you might have weak spots in your pedal stroke.
*cadence work - I don't believe that one cadence fits all so I won't say that everyone needs to be working on having a cadence of 100+, but on the trainer is a great time to experiment with some high cadence spinning and see how your legs respond.
*strength - look for a good off season cycle weight workout and DO IT! Your pedaling will thank you come race season!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Off Season
As the leaves have started to fall here in SW VA the tri season draws to a close which means it's time to start thinking about the off season. The WHAT you ask? I know plenty of folks that train the same year round and do just fine - but I also know plenty of folks that train exactly the same over the winter only to hit June with major burn out OR injury. I do firmly believe that everyone needs to have an ACTUAL off season.
So, what DO you do in the off season? I encourage my athletes to do two major things in the off season: first, do something different and second, focus on your limiters. Never run a half marathon but always wanted to? Off season. Had your eye on the local master swim group but haven't taken the leap? Off season. How about a trail run? Think outside the box and find something fun a different that you will look forward to!
Limiters are a whole different issue. Take a really honest look at your last season race results. It is usually pretty easy to identify where you could stand to improve. For A LOT of triathletes that means hitting the pool. I highly encourage all triathletes to have a coach (swim or tri) look at your swim stroke. If you swimming in a swim meet and doing a 50 - 100 y. sprint it's all about power and speed in the water. HOWEVER, if you are a triathlete the swim becomes about not only speed and power, but also efficiency. You want to get out of the water with energy left for a bike and run. So, find a masters swim group, hire a coach, get yourself filmed in the water and fix that swim stroke!!
Tommorow's blog: working on those bike limiters!!!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Beach2Battleship Goals
I guess it's time to end my denial and accept the fact that I will be doing an Iron distance race in less than 2 weeks! I was in such denial that I didn't make hotel reservations until a week ago. In my own defense my sister is due to have a baby a week after the race and I promised that I will ditch the race to be with her if she's in labor. I also got a case of poison oak that was bad enough that I emailed the RD to see about changing over to the half, only to email him back 2 days later and claim insanity brought on by massive doses of prednisone.
So, it's time to set some goals for myself. The bottom line is that my training has been pretty S. A. D. sad for this race. There are a million reasons I could give why I wasn't able to train, but the bottom line is that I didn't. So, that leaves me with what am I going to strive for on race day?
As I said a few posts ago I am all about setting both internal and external goals. I tend to focus on the internal goals more, those that are under my control. External goals are those that you don't have any control over. For example - placing in my AG is an external goal because I don't have any control over who else is registered OR how well trained they are for the event. So, here goes on the goals for this event:
1. I want to enjoy the race. Last year at the IM Louisville I went to such a dark place and wasn't able to have fun. I know that at some point during the day I will go to the dark place, but this time I want to do a better job of fighting back from that place and going back to the happy place.
2. Swim: I want to go sub 1:00 for the swim, with the current this should be pretty easily doable.
3. Bike: Hmmm - this is the place where I haven't trained anywhere as much as I would like. I would like to take the bike fairly easy and nail my nutrition plan.
4. Run: At IM Louisville '08 I hit the wall and then the wall beat me again and again for about 16 miles. At B2B I want to run the run - and not in that "I think I'm still running but why are all those walkers passing me?" kind of way. I would like my watch to read nice little 10's every mile.
So, there goes - the clock will read what it will at the end and I will finish the race. Fingers crossed for beautiful weather and strong legs!!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Race to Beat Breast Cancer
Yay! Tommorow is race day! I don't often do running races, not because I don't enjoy them, I just don't usually have the time! The race is put on by the Rec Center, which I LOVE because they support so many great programs, and the race benefits the Breast Cancer Center at RMH which I am happy to support because they take care of lots and lots of people, including my mother in law.
So, I am really hoping to have a PR tommorow - which shouldn't be hard since I don't think I've ever run an actual 10k before : ) So, external goals are, as always to bring home some hardware. Internal goals are to break 50 min. and never give into the pain. (I'll post later on goal setting and internal and external goals.)
Afterwords we are having the JMU tri club over for pancakes - I don't know if Paul will make gluten free pancakes for me, but I won't subject everyone else to gluten free pancakes!
So, I am really hoping to have a PR tommorow - which shouldn't be hard since I don't think I've ever run an actual 10k before : ) So, external goals are, as always to bring home some hardware. Internal goals are to break 50 min. and never give into the pain. (I'll post later on goal setting and internal and external goals.)
Afterwords we are having the JMU tri club over for pancakes - I don't know if Paul will make gluten free pancakes for me, but I won't subject everyone else to gluten free pancakes!
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