Week 1 - Long Run Check!

I did it, my long run is in the books. I got up at 4:45 this morning, got dressed, ate half a Mo Jo Bar, and headed out the door. Since it was still dark, I did the first 4 miles looping around my neighborhood. I kept it nice and slow in hopes of not hitting the wall this week. (9:36, 10:00, 9:38 and 9:36) The Plan called for planned marathon pace + 20 seconds, doesn’t say much for my planned marathon pace. Once it started getting lighter I headed out across the highway, one of the moms at school told me they are putting in a new neighborhood and they have graded for the roads. It was packed dirt and was a nice change. The only bad part was that it was only about ¾ of a mile so I did a loop of another subdivision to finish out mile 6 and tried to decide where to go next. (mile 5 9:53 and mile 6 9:24). I decided that the Pomroy route would be just about the right mileage to get me home without going over so I headed in that direction. The 3 dogs that always chase me on my bike were out and one started barking and heading in my direction. He looked at his pals for back up but they kept right on eating. I guess he figured if he chased me he would miss out on breakfast and that was more important. Next time I ride that route I am taking a scoop of dog food!
The rest of the miles passed on eventful. (9:22, 9:39, 9:31, 9:36, 9:34, 9:26, and 9:30) My average pace comes to 9:36, total time 2:04:43, average heart rate 164 and max heart rate 179.

Answers

Today was a scheduled rest day so I have no workouts to report on. But I have been asked about my training program, so I will try to answer those questions now.

I went with the FIRST Program because of the cross training days. I still have one more Olympic Distance Triathlon in September and I want to continue swimming and cycling this fall/winter while training for this marathon.

For the Country Music Marathon that I did in April I used the Cool Runnings program. It was a 20 week program running 6 days a week. I got burned out and I feel like I peaked too soon. On the week of the 20 mile run I ran it on Thursday with Tracy then again on Saturday with Lana. I feel like if that would have been marathon week I would have kicked butt. As it turned out, I bonked on the 26 mile training run and then on race day I did not perform as well as I felt I could have. I ran it in 4:25:05. I am not unhappy with that time; I am just disappointed in performance. I felt that I had much better training runs.

As far my mileage for the year, the running miles have dropped since March. That was the start of taper for CMM and then after that I started Triathlon training. My first Triathlon was a month later. I have done 5 sprint distance tri’s, one Olympic distance tri and one duathlon so far this summer. So while my running mileage HAS decreased my cycling and swimming mileage have increased. I am still training 6 days a week.

All of my races are in the sidebar. That is it my lifetime history.

Tomorrow is my 2nd attempt at the 13 miles. I heading out at 5:00am and have to be home in time to get the kids to school so I will HAVE to push myself.

Saturday is the Old Timers Day 5k. The picture in my profile was taken, by Lana’s Dad, at this race last year. Thankfully they moved the race from 8:00 to 7:00. Last year it was SO hot, in case you can’t tell from the look of near death on my face. Both my kids will be doing the kids race Saturday also.

Thanks for the comments, support, and advice!!!!

Week 1 - Cross Train and Tempo

Yesterday"s plan was to get up early and ride. It stormed during the night. And when the alarm went off at 5:15, it was still dark. So I set the alarm for 5:30. When it went off, it was still very dark. I gave up on the early ride idea. I got the kids off to school and then headed out on my bike. I rode the loop that I attempted for my long run Friday except I didn’t ride the neighborhoods so that made it only 11+ miles. When I was riding down Pete Sain Road, I passed a moving vehicle. OK it was one of those big tractor type things with the bush hog arm on the side to mow the ditches but he had an engine and was not cutting grass when I pedaled past him. As I came back around, it was starting to rain but I headed out on a second loop for a total of 23.83 miles in 1:23:34 average speed 17.1.

This morning I got up at 4:45 and headed out for a tempo run. The plan called for 2 miles easy, 2 miles @ ST, and 2 miles easy. I ran the miles as follows: 1-9:40, 2-9:36, 3-8:33, 4-8:36, 5-9:42, and 6-9:33. My ST pace SHOULD have been 8:08. Missed again! This plan says “Pacing is a crucial component to this training program.” I am on my second attempt of week 1 and haven’t hit pace yet. Things are not looking good for me! Maybe I am not ready to attempt a second marathon.

Week 1 – Intervals Try 2

After that lousy long run on Friday, I have started over. Memphis is out, shooting for Vegas. I still haven’t checked to see if I can get a sitter so Vegas might still not be possible, but I will train. Today was intervals, 3x1 mile with 1 minute rest. I met Lana at the Junior High track and we were locked out. They had some paint buckets stacked up blocking the gap in the gate. We moved the buckets and slid right in.
The plan called for:
10-20 minute warm up
3x1mile with 1 minute rest
10 minute cool down
The actual:
Warm up 1.99 miles in 20.42 heart rate 154 (included moving the soccer goal off the track that we couldn’t see in the dark until we got close and a short walk before starting the first interval)
1st mile 7:58 heart rate 171
2nd mile 7:47 heart rate 173
3rd mile 8:11 heart rate 175
Cool down 1 mile 9:38 heart rate 162
I do have issues with the numbers because while Lana’s Garmin would beep BEFORE she got back to the start on the 4th lap I had to run PAST the start on 2 of my 3 miles.
Garmin reports my max heart rate to have been 182. This was my first time to wear the heart rate monitor. I don’t even know my resting heart rate.

Dogs!!!!

I didn’t think I was going to get my ride in today. Ronnie and his partner went from 3rd to last place in their flight yesterday to tied for first today. He called at 4:30 to say he was in a shoot out and didn’t know when he would be home. So I started looking for a babysitter. Finally I got in touch with the girl next door and she came over. Tracy and I rode 18.81 miles and got chased by every dog in the county. I have NEVER had this much trouble with dogs. It did give us a good sprint workout. :) Tracy also had her first tip (not dog related). We had to stop at a stop sign for a truck and she didn’t get her foot out of the cage in time. Over she went. She tore up her knee pretty good too.
I am meeting Lana for speed work in the morning, 3x1 mile with 1 minute rest. They kicked my butt last week and I have really considered just going on with week two but I KNOW I am not going to go to Memphis alone so might as well train for Vegas and if I don’t get to go, oh well.

Starting Over

Thursday was a scheduled rest day, so that is what I did.

Friday The Plan called for 13 miles at planned marathon pace + 30 seconds.
I have changed my work schedule so I was off. I took the kids to school and saw Laurie on my way out. We chatted for half an hour about all the drama in her life. Then I went home and got ready to run. All this made it 9:00 before I headed out. It was already 93 degrees and humid. I wore my fuel belt and it was driving my crazy. The first 4 miles went fine with paces between 9:15 and 9:55. After that, things fell apart. There was no shade and I was dying. I was already getting low on fluids (I had 2 6oz bottles of water and 1 of Gatorade). I WALKED, I continued getting farther away from home. The rest of the run was a combination of walking a slow running. There was a total of about 1 mile on the whole run that had shade. I ended up getting too far out and the total distance was 13.84 miles. UGGGG!
When I got home I grabbed a bottle of Gatorade, pulled off my shoes and electronics and hit the pool. I just laid on the steps and let the water jet hit me in the back for about 5 minutes. Relation time over, I had to go to Wal-mart for a birthday gift.
I called Lana and told her I was out. No Memphis, No Vegas!!!! She tried to convince me that Vegas would be great. I could start all over next week, get the 16 weeks of training in, and forget all about this horrible run.
I talked to Ronnie about Vegas. Dec 9th happens to be out Anniversary (12 years). We have not been on a trip, just the two of us, since we had kids because we don’t have anyone to keep the kids. I found out that the neighbors Aunt, who keeps our kids whenever we are going to be out late, does weekend sitting. It is under consideration.
So next week I am going to eat better, get more sleep, and start over.

Week 1- Day 3 Cross Train and Day 4 Tempo

Yesterday was a cross training day. I met Tracy at my house at 8:00am after we got the kids dropped off at school. We rode the Star Rehab race route. I couldn’t believe how well Tracy handled the one short STEEP hill. Since we started at my house the hill was early in the ride instead of at the end, but it is still a killer anytime.

Today’s plan was a tempo run. At 6:00 Ronnie’s alarm clock rang. I jumped out of bed wondering why my alarm didn’t go off. You guessed it. I had set it for 4:45 PM!!! Even though I was over an hour behind schedule I knew that I had to get the run in this morning. Ronnie plays golf on Wednesdays so if I didn’t run this morning that would mean running inside at the Rec Center tonight, YUCK!!!
I quickly dressed and grabbed my Garmin.

The Plan:
2 miles easy
2 miles ST (5K + 20 seconds)
2 miles easy

The Actual:
Mile 1 9:19
Mile 2 9:20
Mile 3 8:26
Mile 4 8:16
Mile 5 9:46
Mile 6 9:39

How about the negative split on the tempo part?!?!?! It still wasn’t as fast as I wanted but I will take it since I almost missed it.

I got home at 7:00 and was back out the door with the kids and myself ready by 7:40. And I was on time for work!

I was asked about my intervals that I did on Monday. I was just following The Plan when I did 3 x 1 mile with 1 minute rest intervals. I don’t understand it since next week calls for 800s with 2 minutes rest! But I am sticking to the plan, slower then I wanted but still doing it.

Maybe Vegas isn’t out of the question. I talked to my friend Laurie this morning. After she got done telling me how crazy I was for trying to squeeze my run in this morning, she said she would like to go to Vegas with me and to check prices. Southwest looks like it will be reasonable but they won’t let me check prices that far out yet. So I gotta wait a few more days. Now I just gotta find out if Lana is serious about this or not!!!

Week 1-Day 1 Cross Train and Day 2 Intervals

Yesterday was the first day of my 16 week training program to get ready for the Memphis Marathon Dec 2.
Yesterday was cross training. I tried and tried to find someone to ride with me. I had given up and was getting dressed to ride when Tracy called. She wanted to ride at about 6:00pm. So I waited on her and we met at the ball fields. We did the Normandy loop again. I forgot to start my computer right away and then I forgot to turn it off once we finished. But it was 20 miles in about 1:15. There was a lot more traffic then normal and we just missed a rain storm.
This morning was intervals.
The plan:
10-20 minute warm-up
3 x 1600 at 5k pace minus 15 seconds (1 minute recovery interval)
10 minute cool-down
The actual:
1.89 mile warm up in 19:15
1st 8:02
2nd 7:58
3rd 8:14
1.0 mile cool down in 10:17
I didn’t run the intervals as fast as I wanted. Something about speed at 5:00 in the morning is just wrong. The 1 minute recovery went by FAST. I was still breathing hard when I set out on my second interval and by the third I thought I was just going to die. I had set my Garmin up for distance/time intervals and I didn’t like the fact that I could not see my pace while running. I am a clock watcher. I will have to look into it and see if I can change the display.
Lana is thinking about the Las Vegas Marathon Dec 10th. The good news is she will be doing a lot of training with me. The bad news is that she won’t be going to Memphis with me. I would LOVE to go to Vegas instead of Memphis but unless someone wants to put me up for free and give me an airline ticket I will be going to Memphis.

Slow, Slow, Slow

This morning I met Tracy at the Rec Center and we did the Normandy loop. She is doing great. It won’t be long and she will be kicking my butt on the bike just like Lana does now. Why oh why can I not get better at this cycling thing??? We rode 19.92 miles in 1:19:14. After the ride Tracy went inside to run and I went inside to swim. I never could get my stroke feeling right and the entire swim was a struggle. It took me 38.56 to swim 1750 yards.
After my swim I went to Wal-mart. When I got home and got everything put away, I changed into my “I am alone in my own yard” swimsuit and hit the backyard. I no sooner got settled into my chair and the wind picked up and it started thundering. I went back inside and folded laundry. A little while later, I noticed that the sun was back out so I went back to my chair. Once again it started to thunder so I went back in. When it was time to get the kids from school, it looked like the rain might hold off so I walked to the school. When I got there Casey started crying and said her tummy hurt. I had to carry her all the way home. Her tummy is fine now and it still hasn’t rained!

Tues-Cross Training and Wed-Brick or Run off

Yesterday, Tuesday, I got to sleep in until Ronnie’s alarm started its every 9 minute buzzing at 6:00. I finally had to get up at 6:45, when his alarm went off again and he was in the shower.

I did some crossing training and push mowed the fenced in part of the yard yesterday afternoon and then I went to toning class at 6 and flexibility class at 7 last night.

This morning I got up at 4:30 to meet Lana. It was still dark when we headed off on our bikes but Lana had Google mapped us a new route that kept us on either a road with street lights or a bike lane until it got light out. Lana was a little ball of fire this morning and it almost killed me trying to keep up. I don’t know why my legs were so tired since I really had an easy day yesterday. We ended up riding 19.10 miles in 1:07:25, and that included a short STEEP hill that I was sure I would not make it up today. Once we got back to the Rec Center we headed out on a run. We had hoped for a longer run but due to time we only got in 2 miles in 17:53, 8:41 pace. So was it a brick or a run off?

Don’t Expect Much This Week

This is my last week before I start marathon training again, so don’t expect much from me!
I did get up this morning and run my normal six mile route. Slow and steady, I ran the 6 miles in 57:07, 9:31 pace.

Staggerwing Duathlon Race Report

Saturday was the Staggerwing Duathlon in Tullahoma, my first duathlon. I started the day with Ronnie waking me up 6 minutes before my alarm was set to go off. He was concerned that I had overslept; he is not use to it being so late when I leave for a race. I left the house at 6:00. I had checked the weather forecast before I left and it was calling for bright sun all morning and some clouds all afternoon. When I got the race site it was cloudy and stayed that way for most of the race. Perfect weather!
The run was an out and back on the runway and an out and back on a paved trail. Nice and flat! 4k run time 20:57, 8:27 pace.
The bike was an out and back on some country roads. There was a nice long down hill at the beginning of the ride and I knew it was going to be tough to climb at the end. 30k ride time 1:01:39, avg 18.1 mph.
The second run was the reverse of the first. 4k run time 21:25, 8:38 pace.
My transition times were 1:11 and 1:12. Over all race time was 1:46:22. Good enough for a second place age group finish. I got the cool propeller in the picture below, Staggerwing is an aircraft museum.

This afternoon my friend Tracy and I went for a ride. She got a bike Thursday and wanted to take it out for a spin. We rode the route out by my house since it is mostly flat. 20.22 miles in 1:24:40. Nice recovery ride for me and a great break in ride for Tracy.

2nd-AG

Garmin's First Run

Lana came over last night so that Briar could do a practice run of his Tri he is doing this weekend. We made plans to run a SHORT run this morning to test out my new Garmin. We decided to meet at the Rec Center at 5:20. I wasn’t nearly as excited this morning about the Garmin and if I hadn’t made plans to meet Lana I would have just slept in. We did a 2 mile loop of the greenway in 19:00. It was VERY humid! The Garmin worked great even with the trees along the greenway, never got a “weak signal” warning.
After the run we headed inside to swim. I swam 1750 yards in 36:13.
I think I will be taking tomorrow off, then doing my first ever duathlon on Saturday. It is a 4k, 30k, 4k.
I guess my decision has been made on which Olympic Distance to do. Ronnie has a Golf Tournament the weekend of Fall Creek Falls and got a partner yesterday so that one is out. I will be signing up for Music City today.

It's HERE!!!!!

My new Garmin 305 got here today. It is charging up right now. I was just planning a swim tomorrow, might have to also do a short run to break it in.

Motivated Lana

Turns out the air conditioning was out yesterday at the Rec Center so classes were canceled last night.

Lana and I made plans for a 25 mile ride and a 4 mile run this morning. Since we are both without Garmins, we needed a known 4 mile route to run. We decided to ride the 20 mile Normandy route and add 5 miles to it and then run an out and back from her house. She sent me an email that said “If you are cool with taking off at 5 a.m., I will turn into motivated Lana and promise to be ready.” When my alarm went off at 4:30 I sure was not liking motivated Lana much. When I got to Lana’s house sure enough she was up and outside getting ready to ride. Damn that motivated Lana!!! It was still DARK at 5 but we took off on our ride. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Nothing happened to us but it was dark and spooky and not very safe. We both had flashing lights on the back of our bikes but that didn’t help any with seeing where we were going. We hit the first downhill that has a big curve in it while it was still dark so we took it nice and slow. Lana’s original plan was to add the 5 miles by heading down toward the lake but it was still too dark at that point so we just stuck with the normal route and thought we would add some mileage in town. It finally got light about 5:20ish. I realized about 6 miles into the ride that I never started my computer so I have no time. Oh well, it was not the best performance since we went so slowly in the beginning in the dark. We forgot to add mileage while in town so ended up just doing an out and back from Lana’s house to get the extra 5 miles.
Back at Lana’s we changed shoes and headed out on the run. Ugg! Once I got past the dead leg feeling the run was fine. 4 miles in 35:25, 8:51 pace.
Back at Lana’s, she filled up my water bottle and I went to leave. I spotted her Rudy Project sunglasses on the bumper of her car. Knowing this is how she lost her Garmin; I grabbed them and knocked on her door. In the process her dog got out. We ended up chasing him to the end of her street.
I finally got in the car and headed home. I got the kids up and dressed, changed into a dry t-shirt and shorts and we walked up to the school. Today was registration. Both kids got the teachers I wanted for them so we are very excited. First day of school is Friday. I am still bummed that summer vacation is over. We walked home from school and are planning what to do for out last two days of vacation.
Captain Jack is still living in my house. At least he didn’t go to school this morning.
I have got to make a decision. Fall creek Falls or Music City. I have until tomorrow. I am thinking Music City but then I go alone. Lana can’t go that weekend and Kim is not ready to try an Olympic distance yet.

Catching Up

Yesterday’s workout was so bad I couldn’t even blog about it until today. I had asked to be off this week so that the kids and I could enjoy the last few days of summer vacation together but we have a big job that needs to be submitted next week so my boss asked if I could just work Monday. Being the great (and broke) employee that I am, I agreed to come in. So the alarm went off at 5:00am so I could get my workout in before work. As I was changing the batteries in my Garmin one of the little metal tabs that the batteries push on broke off. Great, the thing isn’t even a year old and it bit the dust!!! I got my new watch and drove over to Westwood for some speed work. They had put the fence back up so I couldn’t get on the track. I thought maybe someone was trying to tell me to just go back to bed. Instead I drove over to the rec center and did my speed work on the indoor track. I did a half mile warm up in 4:44. Then I started my 800s. 3:53, 3:44, 3:45. As I started the 4th one my butt really started hurting so I slowed it down and just called it my cool down 4:33. Sad workout!!
When I got home I got on line and ordered a Garmin 305. Marathon training starts in less then 2 weeks, I have to have my Garmin!!!

This morning’s workout went much better. Alarm went off at 5:00 again and I got up and headed out on my bike. I rode 32.2 miles in 1:50:34. It was a great ride. And I did it all on my own. I am still planning on toning and yoga classes this evening too.

Big congratulations to Lana’s son, Briar. He did his second tri this past weekend and did great. I am still waiting on a full race report but I do know that some of the kids cut the run short so he didn’t place as high as he should have. He has another one this weekend and I know he will do great again. Good luck, Briar.


My son has been a pirate for 3 weeks. Ronnie took them to see Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest and he has been Captain Jack Sparrow ever since.

Cedars of Lebanon Race Report

I got up Saturday morning at 4:20am and got ready for the race. I could hear the rain on the skylight and just hoped that it would stop soon. I drove next door to pick up Kim and her sister, Lisa. Kim came running out a few minutes after 5 and said “I will be just a minute, my alarm didn't go off and I just got up”. Just a few minutes and we were on our way.
It continued to rain most of the way to Lebanon and at one point really poured down. Once we got to the park the rain had stopped and we picked up our race packets, timing chips, got body marked, and set up transition.
It started to sprinkle again. The race started right on schedule at 7:30. It was an interval start based on estimated swim time but they were putting us in extra fast in hopes that they could get everyone in and out of the pool before any lightening started. It made it more crowded and I passed a bunch of people in the pool, I did not get passed by anyone. My new goggles were wonderfully non-fogged. Swim Time 6:03 (last year’s swim time was 6:21)
Last year as a first timer I wasn’t thinking about transition time and the fact that it adds up really quickly so I walked to T1 and talked to people and was in no real hurry. I knew this year that I could really make up some time here. I jogged from the pool to T1 and got my helmet on checking 3 times to make sure the chin strap was fastened. Got shoes on and grabbed my bike. No sunglasses needed since it was still raining. T1 time 2:04 (last year’s T1 time 3:02)
I have NEVER ridden my bike in the rain, it is always an excuse not to ride, so I was very nervous riding for the first time in a race. I felt great despite the rain. The turns really made me nervous, I took them extra wide. It wasn’t raining hard but it was enough that I stayed wet and my shoes got sloshy. I battled back and forth with 3 other riders. One was an 18 year old on a hybrid, another was a little skinny 15 year old and the other was the guy who started right in front of me in the pool. The course was very hilly and we passed back and forth over and over again. In the end we all came into T2 together. The last 3 miles of the bike the road was VERY rough. They were supposed to have gotten it paved but never did and instead it was just graded. It was like riding on rumble strips for 3 miles. I was glad that I didn’t get a flat or wipe out. Bike time 55:33 (last year’s bike time 1:00:55).
The 15 year old kid was just ahead of me running into T2 with our bikes and he missed his bike rack then cut me off to get to it. The ground was wet and those bike shoes are slick, I almost wiped out. I got changed for the run and headed out. T2 time 1:16 (last year’s T2 time 1:32)
My legs felt surprising well heading out for the run, maybe it was all that rough riding shaking them out. The rain had stopped at some point on the ride but since we were under trees it still felt like it was raining and I didn’t notice the lack of rain until I was running. The run started with a short up hill and had a big hill at the turn around. There were some other hills in there too but I was busy watching the clock so I don’t remember. Run time 24:53 (last year’s run time 26:15).
We stayed for the awards and I got another coffee mug. In addition, this time I got Hammer Gels in my favorite flavor and a Hammer Bar inside the mug.








Casey party was also a success. I got my camera working and the weather was fine.

Lisa took pictures at the race and Kim is going to email them to me. I will post them when I get them.

I Beat Last Year

Today was the Cedar of Lebanon Sprint Tri. Last year it was my first ever Tri. My goal going into this race was to see how much I have improved in a year.

Last year time 1:38:03, this year 1:29:51 third place in age group!!

Report to come later. Right now I gotta get ready for Casey party. My camera died this morning, I am still hoping to breathe some life into before the party but it is not looking good. I am also hoping for the weather to improve, that at least looks a little promising!

My Daughter Tried to Kill Me

OK, maybe she didn’t try to KILL me but she did make us go to Toot’s for her birthday dinner. I ate hot wings, fried dill pickles, and onion straws. Grease, grease, and more grease. I wasn’t going to do anything this morning but after all that grease I decided I need to sweat some of it out. I got up at 5:40 this morning intending to run 3 or 4 easy miles. After one mile I felt like I was going to throw up and by 2 miles I had to potty BAD. I looped back around to my house and finished with 2.72 miles in 25:03, 9:13 pace. I ran all the way to the potty, didn’t count that part since Garmin doesn’t work inside. :)

Tomorrow is the big race. I am picking Kim up at 5:00 in the morning. Her sister is thinking about coming with us to be our photographer. She just doesn’t know if she wants to get up that early!! I am hoping she drags herself out of bed, it helps so much to have someone cheering for you. And since Lana is not racing this weekend her parents won’t be there to cheer me on or take pictures.

Sleep and Great Ride Reduce Funk

I slept GREAT last night I don’t think I even moved. At 4:33 I woke up, this was earlier then the 4:45 I had my alarm set for but not enough time to try to go back to sleep so I just got up. I got dressed and headed to the Rec Center to meet Kim and Lana.
We had an awesome ride. We did the same Normandy Loop. I did not get a new top speed today. My max speed down the hill was 41.9 and then 8.8 was the minimum coming back up the other side. We rode a total of 20.02 miles in 1:09:29, average speed 17.3. Improvement!!! Maybe because Lana wasn’t holding back as much as usual. Sure she slowed at times to let us catch up but she stayed way ahead of us pretty much the whole time and that made me try to ride faster.
When I got home at 6:45 both kids were still asleep so I jumped into bed and fell back asleep until 8:10 when rooster boy came in yelling “cook-a-doodle-do”.
This Saturday is Cedars, my A race of the season. Last year, it was my first ever Ti. I am excited and nervous to be going back! I am looking for a big improvement over the 1:38:03 from last year.



Today is my “baby” girl’s 6th birthday. I don’t know what all she has planned for us today except that she wants Toot’s for dinner tonight. Happy Birthday Princess!!!
Here is a look back to your past birthdays:
Arrival July 27, 2000 2:45pm
With Daddy
1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

3rd Birthday

4th Birthday

5th Birthday

We are having the party Saturday afternoon. I have Cedars that morning then at least 10 kids over to swim that afternoon. I am insane.

Darkness

Yesterday, Tuesday, I got up and met Kim and Tisha at 5:10 but it had been raining and was still very cloudy and therefore, dark. We decided that it just wasn't safe to be riding so we canceled it. I SHOULD have gone ahead and run but I went home and got back into bed instead. I told myself that when Ronnie's alarm went off I would get up and run. Didn't happen. So at about 10:00, I got the kids dressed and on their bikes. We made it about 3 houses down the road before Bryce crashed into the ditch and didn't want to ride anymore. So we went home and sat by the pool. I decided to swim some laps. I got in twenty-five 40' lengths before the kids got bored with that. I did make it to toning class and yoga so yesterday wasn't a total bust.

This morning I got up at 4:50 again in hopes of making up for yesterday. Well, I didn't make up for anything. I ran but it was slow. I ran my 6 miles in just under an hour. I will give myself credit for sticking to it. I wanted to just quit so many times and the loops give me lots of opportunity to do just that. But I toughed it out and logged the miles. Today was about quantity not quality!!!

Non-running note:

The tooth fairy was very sleepy Monday evening but did manage to stop by our house and leave Bryce a dollar. Now his other front tooth is just hanging on. I am hoping that it doesn't fall out before Friday. Casey is still a little disappointed that she hasn't lost any teeth and since tomorrow is her birthday I hate for the tooth fairy to pay Bryce a visit.



I have been in a major funk.
I think it is because of all the signs that summer is coming to an end. It is still dark when I get up to workout, it is getting cooler in the evenings and mornings, school starts a week from Friday, and there are yellow leaves everywhere (ok that is from lack of rain, but it makes it look very fallish).
I am also sick of getting up so early EVERY morning and then only getting marginal workouts because I am so tired.
I have gained about 4 pounds and really don’t know why; I don’t feel like I am eating any worse then normal.
I need some me time that doesn’t involve exercise.
The kids are fighting more then normal.
See major funk!!!!

You Call That Speed?!?!?!

This morning I got up at 4:50 for speed work. I ran at Westwood. The track is still officially closed but the fence has a break in it where they are constructing a building (looks like bathrooms). So I was able to slip in. I did a half mile warm up, 6 x 800 and a half mile cool down. Break down looks like this
Warm up 4:39
6 x 800 3:48, 3:54, 3:48, 3:46, 3:44, 3:40
Cool down 4:28
I am not thrilled with my times and it shows that I need to be doing more speed work. No more “the track is closed” excuses!!

On a non running note.
Bryce lost a tooth this morning while eating a donut. Top front, 3rd tooth lost. Tooth fairy comes tonight. He still has 2 more teeth that are loose. He is going to have some great looking school pictures this year!

R A I N Spells Relief

Last night we got some rain and with it cooler temps. I got up at 6:30 to run before Ronnie had to leave for his golf tournament. It was sunny and about 72 when I started but clouded up before I finished. I ran 6 miles in 53:34, 8:56 pace. Here is what I kept running through my mind as I ran.
“Hey fasto, pick up the pace. It’s quality not quantity. These 10 minute miles are just not getting it. It is not hot out, you have no pains, why are you such a slacker? Pick up the pace!!”
It worked well for the first three miles and I kept an 8:40 pace but the second three I just told myself to go to hell and was a slacker.

Slow and Hot

The alarm went off at 5:00 this morning. I so did not want to get up but Ronnie is in a golf tournament this weekend so I don’t think I will have an opportunity to workout at all Saturday or Sunday.
I finally got to the Rec Center and ready to run at 5:30. It was already 75 degrees and very humid. I ran 3 miles around the greenway and town in 28:04, 9:22 pace. Another slow run. While in town, I saw Lana running in the opposite direction. I almost turned around to run with her but I was already more then halfway done and didn’t want to run a step more then I had planned.
After running, I went to the pool. I swam 3 x 300. I only have estimates on my times because I got a new watch yesterday and I don’t have it completely figured out yet. Guess I have to get those instructions back out.
This morning at 5:49 I got somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 anonymous comments. What’s up with that?

Brick

My husband is off work today and tomorrow. Last night we sat by the pool and drank 3 bottles of wine between us. So this morning when the alarm went off at 7:00 I did not want to get up. I hit snooze, which I NEVER do. While snoozing, I had a dream that one of my old bosses was walking through my kitchen. I said “Hey Blair, what in the world are you doing here?” He responded, “I just came by to tell you not to get up. You raced hard Sunday and should just sleep in this morning.” I have not talked to Blair since Thanksgiving and then it was just “Hi” when I saw him at the Turkey Trot. So why was he in my kitchen telling me to sleep? I got up after one more snooze anyway.
By 7:30 I was on my bike. I rode the Matt’s Hollow/Pomroy loops. It was already sunny and hot but I had a great ride. 20.54 miles in 1:13:19. Average speed 16.8.
I returned to my driveway and changed into my running shoes and discovered the battery in my Garmin was dead. I changed them out only to find the rechargeable were not charged either. So I had to find some regular AAA’s. Once Garmin was working and got a signal, I was off on my run. As I said, it was HOT!! I ran 3 miles in 26:00, 8:40 pace. How is it that I can run 3 miles at an 8:40 pace after riding 20 miles but I haven’t been able to just run 6 at the same pace???

New Top Speed

I met Kim, Tisha and Ray this morning at 5:10 at the Rec Center. Lana called my cell to let me know she wasn’t going to make it due to some hamstring issues.

We rode a modified Normandy loop. Today I hit a new top speed going down the hill of 42.9 mph. Weeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

Tisha was in a hurry because she had a 7:30 patient coming in so she and Ray went ahead. I never realized just how much we hold them back. I don’t know why they ride with us. But I do know that I am getting better because if it.

I just got an email from Team Magic, the race directors for the Waterfront Tri. Seems that some people only made one loop on the bike and others didn’t run all the way to the turn around. So they got DQed and I have moved up. New standings: 24 of 47 in age group and 451 of 869 overall!!

I Heart Tuesdays

Tuesday is my favorite day of the week right now. I off work. I got to sleep until 6:15!! When I got up I ran 6 miles in 53:54, 8:59 pace. After my run I jumped into the pool to cool off, it was sunny and already 81 degrees out and I was HOT.

The kids and I spent the afternoon playing in the pool. I discovered that I am too old and big for the slide. It just hurts to go down it and therefore isn’t much fun. But the kids had a great time laughing at me.

We came inside at 4:30, ate and got cleaned up. Then we went to the Rec Center so that I could do the 6:00 toning class and the 7:00 flexibility class (this is the yoga class but it really isn’t very yoga-ish). I realized during the toning class just how tired my legs still are. The squats were killer tonight! But my balance is really improving; I only wobbled once during yoga.

Race Pics

Well, I guess I am pushing the buttons right this morning and blogger is going to let me post some race pictures for Sunday's Chattanooga Waterfront Tri (race report below).

This is the river that we swam, the stairs we had to climb to T1, and the post race party.







Me just after crossing the finishline


Me and Lana Finishers!!!

Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon Race Report

Lana picked me up at about 4:45pm Saturday and we headed down to Chattanooga for the Waterfront Triathlon. We just made it in time to get our packets then headed to the Hilton. Turns out they over booked and did not have a double room for us. They gave Lana the choice of a king room at the same rate or a free double room at a hotel a block away. She went for the free room. This trip was off to a GREAT start.

We had a great dinner and turned in.

Alarm went off at 5:00. We got ready and rode our bikes to the transition area. After getting body marked and setting up transition, we boarded the bus to the swim start.

The Swim 1.5 K
This race was an interval start based on estimated swim time and age. I was number 220. Lana was just ahead of me at 212. When it was me turn, I entered the water and the race was on for me. Everything was going just fine, my stroke felt good and I was breathing every third stroke. Then my goggles got so fogged up I couldn’t see anything. I just tried to deal with it for awhile but I was starting to get worried I was going off course and I could tell I was slowing down, so I stopped and wiped them out. After that things went good. I made it to the pier and got pulled out of the water. Swim time 23:54.

T1
Getting to T1 required running up a flight of stairs. T1 time 1:39

The Bike 40 K
I felt great on my ride. The course is a partially one loop with a section of two loops and was a mix of hills and flats. I did start to worry when I was on my second loop and was getting passed by a number of people but when I got to the “straight to finish, right for second loop” part I was the only rider going straight so I felt better. There was a guy that passed me and gave me a woo-hoo and rang his bell. I thought it was very funny that he had a bell on his bike!! At the 20 mile maker, a guy came flying by me and said “How fast can you ride the next 4 plus miles?” I tried to keep him in sight but he was just too fast. Bike time 1:19:57.

T2 time1:45

The Run 10K
I was starting to feel the difference between a sprint distance and an Olympic distance now. The run course took you down a ramp to the waterfront, along the river then up stairs to the river walk. Along the river walk there were several bridges. I HATE crossing bridges. The first one was a glass bottom bridge and I really did not think I was going to make it across. I started getting dizzy and had to run with my hand on the railing. After that bridge the others were not as big of a deal but they still made my heart beat faster. The course was hilly and it was very hot and sunny by this point. At the first water stop I drank a glass and dumped a glass over my head. I got a drink at each water stop and at the turn around I got sprayed by a man with a hose. Right after that I realized that the hosing wasn’t the best idea after all because now I was running is soaking wet shoes. It didn’t take long and my shoes rubbed a blister on my heal. I finally made it back over the bridges, down all the stairs and to the finish line. Run time 57:00.

Total race time 2:44:17. 25 out of 48 in my age group. 453 of 871 overall. It was not an award winning performance but I am happy with it. Now I can add Olympic Distance Triathlon to my list of accomplishments.


Right after they handed me my towel and water I hear Lana’s dad calling to me. Her parents had made it down after all. Thanks Flash for the pictures that blogger won't let me upload!!!

It was a great race with a great spread afterward. They even had free beer for all the racers. I managed to get one before they ran out.

Good Intentions

Wednesday evening the kids wanted McDonald’s. So while we were in town, we drove past Westwood track to see if it was open. There were two guys out walking on it, must be open again. Thursday morning I slept in. The kids didn’t get up until 8:15. It was like heaven to just lie in bed that long. We got up, dressed and headed over to Westwood. When we got there we discovered that the track is in fact not open and there were workers there working on it. So my speed training was canceled. I got a rest day, not that I needed one.
This morning I got up at 5:15 and ran 4 miles in 36:41, 9:10 pace. What has happened to that girl that was running sub 9 minute miles a month ago???
I don’t know if I will be able to squeeze anything in tomorrow or not but if I do it will be minimal. Then Lana and I head for Chattanooga sometime tomorrow afternoon/evening for our first Olympic distance tri on Sunday.

Pack Ride

I had a great ride this morning. It is SO much easier when riding with someone. This morning I met Kim, Tisha, Ray and one of their cyclist friend’s Jack. We rode 22 miles in about 1:21. We got a slow start getting everyone gathered up but after that the pace was great.

Hills, Swim and Classes - What a busy day

I got up at 5:15 and went to the Rec Center. I wanted to run a hillier course today to get me ready for Waterfront this weekend. I ran up jail hill and over to Oakdale to run Thrill Hill then down and around to Spring Street and up those hills and finally up 41 to Old Stone Fort for that hill. It was a total of 6 miles in 57:11 for an average pace 9:31. Not my best effort but it was hilly. When I got back to the Rec Center I went in and changed to swim. I swim 1750 yards in 35:58. That was my first non race swim in a few weeks and the first time I swam a mile in even longer.
The kids and I spent the day playing in the pool with some friends and neighbors. Casey has learned how to do a front flip off the diving board. She didn’t believe me that I could do one so I had to prove it to her. It has been years since I tried a flip and it was ugly. My back flips were much better so she had to try that too. She did it.
After getting cleaned up, we went to the Rec Center for the 6:00 pm toning class and the 7:00 yoga. I enjoyed both and hope that I am not too sore tomorrow for my ride.

Still Dark

The days are getting shorter therefore; it is not getting light as early as it was. I headed out for a ride at 5:00 this morning and it was still fairly dark.
I rode alone again and only put in a marginal effort. 20.2 miles in 1:18:25.
The good news is that I only had one dog encounter and it wasn’t until about 15 miles. It was the same dogs I always see so it was not a big deal and they didn’t put much effort into their chase. Guess they were feeling lazy too.

Run Bike Swim

Manchester Star Triathlon Race Report.
A reverse sprint distance.
I was not crazy about running first and swimming last but I did this race because it was our first local tri. For once I did not have to get up at 4 in the morning and drive an hour to get to the race. This morning I got up at 5:40 and got the kids up at 6 to go with me. We got to the Rec Center at 6:30. I had picked up my race packet last night so I just had to set up my transition area and get body marked. The kids were wild so I handed them off to the child care at 7:00. The race started on time at 7:30.

The Run -5k
I started out slow for fear of not having anything left for the rest of the race. Problem is I never picked it up. I don’t know what my run time was but think it was in the 25-26 minute range. Not a good 5k.

T1
I made it into T1. I made SURE I got my helmet buckled this time. I got my shoes changed and grabbed my bike.

The Bike – 15.6 miles
Ray had told me before the race the bike course was mostly up hill until you crossed over the interstate. The first part of the course is the only part that I haven’t ridden so I was glad for the warning. I felt great. I was passing people and making up time that I lost on the run. I got to the part of the course that I ride some and was preparing for the turn and hill when my chain fell off. I know it didn’t take that long to get it back on but it felt like forever. It was like I just couldn’t think. Finally I calmed down and got it back on but not before I got passed by a bunch of people. I managed to catch most of them. The next big challenge was the hill by Cracker Barrel toward the end of the course. It is short but very steep. There was a guy in front of me that was weaving back and forth trying to get up and I had a guy on my left moving in to pass. I had no where to go. Finally the weaver got off his bike and moved over to walk up the hill. I made it to the top and then on to transition.

T2
I got my bike racked and shoes and helmet off, grabbed my swim cap and goggles, and headed for the pool.

Swim – 200 yards
I jumped into the pool and started swimming. Half a lap into the swim I was feeling a drag and realized that I forgot to zip my shirt. I stopped at the wall and zipped it. By the second lap my goggles were filling up with water. I continued on trying to breathe every third stroke and ingnore the water in my goggles. I finished the swim and hauled myself up and out of the pool to the finish line.

My official time was 1:21:15. I don’t have any splits and don’t know that there will be any since we didn’t have timing chips.

I got first (and last) place in my age group and got some nice hardware. My daughter informed me on the way to the race that I “had to get first place this time” since I had gotten 3rd and 2nd at my last two races. Glad I was able to make her happy! I did finish 4th overall female and there were more then 4 females in the race!!

The race was very well organized and the course was great. Thanks to Leslie for putting on such a great race. I will do it again next year.

I don’t have any pictures since Lana’s Dad didn’t make it out for the race.

Shortcut

Lana called me back at 9:45 last night to let me know she was in for a 30 mile ride this morning at 5:00. We met at the Rec Center and rode our Normandy loop. Despite the fact that it was cold the ride went very well, I only remember seeing one dog. We decided to make a change to the route that brought us back to the Rec Center at 18.2 miles. Lana was ready to quit and I didn’t fight too hard. The change we made added some good hills so even though we didn’t get the miles in we still had a good ride.

I have decided to go ahead with the Manchester Star Tri tomorrow. It is our first local Tri and I really want to support it. Cindy has assured me she will have child care for my kids so I am out of excuses.

10 Mile Struggle

It wasn’t pretty and it was a huge struggle, but I got my 10 mile run in this morning at 5:15. It was cloudy, windy, and felt like rain when I started but by the end of the run the sun was out (still windy) and it looks like it is going to be a beautiful day.
I ran very slow and even though I wasn’t haven’t any problems or pains I just could not get my legs moving any faster.
I am way behind on my training this week and really wonder if trying to do a triathlon Saturday is wise.

Happy 4th of July

I got up at 5:00 this morning to meet Lana at her house for a 5:30 ride. It was a great ride with some dogs but I think they must be getting use to us. We saw the arrows painted on the road for the Star tri that is this Saturday. I really need to get signed up for that.
We ended up riding 31.37 miles in 1:53:23. I had an average speed of 16.6. Still lots of room for improvement. I was really feeling the effects of taking two days off and having too much fun in Memphis over the weekend.
Lana had a great crash at the end of the ride. She looks over her shoulder at me and says “I am going to the end of my street and back to get 31”. I said “I already have 31” She started messing with her computer and hit the curb and tipped right over into her neighbor’s yard. That ended her ride at 30.9!!
We are having a 4th of July pool party today. I am hoping the rain holds off. Guess I better get back to house cleaning in case we have to move the whole thing inside.
Have a GREAT 4th!!!!!

I've been Tagged

I have been tagged by Lana

four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Civil Engineer
2. Cad Tech
3. Waitress
4. Hostess

four movies I watch over and over:
1. Cheaper by the Dozen 2
2. Toy Story
3. Sponge Bob
4. Hello Kitty

four places I have lived:
1. Manchester, TN
2. Memphis, TN
3. Chicago, IL
4. St. Paul, MN

four TV shows I love to watch:
1. Survivor
2. Desperate Housewives
3. Friends
4. The Bachelor

four places I have been on vacation:
1. Jamaica
2. Orange Beach, AL
3. New Orleans
4. Cancun

four websites I visit daily:
1. blogger.com
2. coolrunning.com
3. yahoo.com
4. my-cast.com

four of my favorite foods:
1. Chocolate
2. Mexican
3. Pizza
4. Ice Cream

four places I would rather be right now:
1. On Vacation
2. In the pool
3. In Bed
4.

four favorite bands/singers:
1. Kenny Chesney
2. Tim McGraw
3. Trace Adkins
4. Faith Hill

four bloggers I’ll Tag
1. Jamie
2. Denise
3. David
4. Dusty

Home Again

I am back home and exhausted.
Yesterday morning I was going to get up early and go run but Casey had bad dreams so I was sleeping in the top bunk with her. I knew there was no way I would be able to sneak out so I just slept in. I finally went on my run at 9:00. It was HOT again. I ran 4.5 according to my Garmin but it was acting up again, so who knows how far it really was. I hope now that I am home it will start working right.
I got up this morning and was on the road at 6:00am. Casey slept most of the way home and Bryce watched TV. I never even had to stop. 4 straight hours of driving. We had a great time but I am glad I won’t be making that drive again until Thanksgiving!
I am NOT getting up early in the morning so I hope I can squeeze something in tomorrow evening.

Wacky Garmin

I got up this morning and headed out for a run at about 7:45. Dawn lives in an old subdivision with LOTS of big old trees. I strapped on my Garmin and headed out. It was already 84 degrees but the trees provided some shade. I ran two of the subdivision around here then ran an out and back on the main road. The road is 2 lane each direction with a bike lane on each side. At the end of that road I made a right onto another busy road that is 3 lanes in each direction, no more bike lane. For some reason people felt the need to drive in the outside lane that I was running in and forced me into the gutter. My Garmin went all crazy on the run and at one point it said I had run 6.41 miles so I headed back to Dawn’s, then I looked down again and it said 6.20 miles. WTF. This happened two other times but I just couldn’t stop running until the Garmin read 7.00. So I looped around and around and finally got 7.00 miles in 1:08:22 (9:46 pace). I think I ran more then 7 miles but I am only giving myself credit for what the Garmin said.
Today the kids and I are moving to my friend Angie’s house. Don’t want to over stay my welcome at any one place.

3 is Better then Nothing

I am in Memphis visiting friends. I got up this morning and ran on Dawn’s treadmill. This was my first treadmill run in a long time; I avoid the treadmill as much as possible. I started out planning to run 6 miles but I ended up only running 3. I have a whole list of excuses, my bad diet yesterday making the top of the list. It was very hot in the sunroom that Dawn keeps the treadmill, after I finished running she told me that she keeps the door open when she runs in there. Also quitting when on the treadmill is just too easy, you don’t have to get back home.
After my run, I got cleaned up and we took the kids to the zoo. It was 98 degrees out so we didn’t get to see everything. The kids all where so hot and it just was too much effort to drag them around. So we came home and mixed up some strawberry-banana smoothies (with coconut rum). Going to chill out while the kids are quite!!!

Half Hearted

I was up way too late last night trying to get ready for my trip this afternoon. I didn’t sleep well worrying if I packed everything. Then my daughter got me up at 2 because she had gotten mad last night and went to her room where she fell asleep on her bed and at 2 this morning she wanted to move to the bed she sleeps in that is in my son’s room. She was also worried that I was going to make her make up BOTH beds this morning in order to earn her allowance.
When the alarm went off this morning at 4:45 and I had gotten less then 5 hours of sleep, I was feeling less then enthusiastic about riding. But since I was meeting Kim, I knew I had to get up. We headed out on a route she knew. The sunrise was beautiful but my heart just wasn’t in the ride. I was watching Kim spinning her pedals in front of me but I just didn’t fell like making the effort, easier just to push and get the ride over. I kept and eye on my cadence but did nothing to keep it steady. My only goal was to keep up with Kim. We had dog issues again and I spent most of the ride dreading the pit bull that I knew we would have to pass near the end of the route. We made it home safe and sound after a 22.5 mile ride that took around 1:20. I forgot to start my computer so time is just an estimate.
I didn’t put out the effort this morning so today’s ride did nothing to improve my cycling, but I burned a few calories. So all is not wasted.

Morning Run Evening Classes

I don’t know what is up with all the fog lately but it was ANOTHER foggy morning. I got up at 5 this morning. I had my alarm set for 5:15 but Casey came in to get in bed with me at 5 because of a bad dream, then the dog decided she needed to go out. So by the time I could have gotten back in bed it was 5:10. Oh well, might at well go ahead and run.
I took my fuel belt for the first time in a long time. It took me a while to get use to it again. I started out my 12 mile run at a very slow pace. Fog theory???? The first two miles were just under 10 minutes each. The first 6 miles ended up taking 58:12 (9:42 pace) and the second 6 miles which are on the less flat part of the run took 57:16 (9:33). Yay me!!! Ok, that is not a very speedy run but at least I picked it up after such a slow start.
After spending the day poolside, I took Bryce to the doctor to find out nothing is seriously wrong with his ear. She gave me an Rx for some drops.
I went to Cindy’s toning and yoga class tonight too. I enjoyed her yoga a lot more.
Oh, I got signed up for the Waterfront Tri that is July 16th. My first Olympic distance.

Solo Ride

I have gotten spoiled. I have not had to ride alone in a while. This morning, however, no one could make it so I was on my own. I got up at 4:40 and got dressed. When I got outside I discovered it was foggy and still not very light. I thought about going back in and changing into running attire, but I will be in Memphis this weekend without my bike and I wanted to get two rides in this week. I have decided the only way I am going to get better is to ride more. I just hope it doesn’t hurt my running performance. The fog made the ride pretty freaky and I almost turned around several times. It finally started getting lighter out so the fog was less freaky. I got bored so I started playing with my computer. I decided to try to keep my cadence at 80. Why 80? Because that was higher then the cadence I was at when I decided to play that game. I found I had to change gears a lot more then I normally do to keep my cadence steady. There were times that I just couldn’t do it and it fell into the 60’s. At about 7 miles I encountered two dogs. At first the lab was scared and turned tail to run but when his buddy decided to chase me, he joined in the fun. So I had a dog on either side of me and I was peddling as fast as I could. I forgot to notice my cadence while trying to out run them but once I did get away I saw that it was at 100. The next dog encounter came at about 12 miles. This time it was 3 dogs and they ran fast. My cadence hit 109. I was pretty winded after that chase, and then I saw a dog at the end of the road. I needed to make a left onto the highway and had a stop sign. The corn in the field on my left was too high to risk just running the stop sign. So I slowed, fully expecting to be attacked by the dog. Thankfully that dog had no interest in me. The rest of the ride was uneventful. I rode 20.21 miles in 1:13:56. I am sticking to my fog slows you down theory since this ride was a minute and a half slower then the same ride last Wednesday.

McMinnville City Triathlon – Race Report

Kim and I headed for McMinnville Saturday morning at 5:30. I had checked the weather forecast Friday afternoon and it looked great; partly cloudy, cooler temps and no rain. On the way to the race, the sun was trying to break through the clouds and made for a pretty sunrise.
We got to McMinnville Civic Center at 6:00 and did all the pre race stuff. I was surprised to see Mike N. He had said at the Moon Pie race last weekend that he was thinking about trying triathlons but he hadn’t been on his bike in YEARS. Well there he was and he ended up doing GREAT.

The weather ended up delaying the race start about 30 minutes and there was even talk of making it a duathlon. But we finally got started with the tri at about 8:00.
It was an interval start in a pool and Lana was starting a few people ahead of me. I had used my Mach Tenn swim pace and calculated an estimated swim time of 7:40. I blew it away. Swim time 6:55.

Lana and I entered T1 together and she was in and out in no time. I took a little longer. T1 time 1:39.
As I left T1 on the bike, my chin strap came undone. I managed to get it refasten pretty quickly while riding, but I spent the rest of the race worried about a DQ. I passed Lana who was on the side of the road trying to get her chain back on but it didn’t take her long and she was flying by me. I was coming off a cloverleaf and making a right onto the road when this girl comes flying around me. At first I was irritated but not concerned because she had a 30 written on her leg, then I realized it was Lana. I kept her is sight for a long time and pushed myself to keep up. Bike time 49:04.
I entered transitions again and was getting my bike racked when I saw this guy who had come into transitions with me take off running in his helmet and bike shoes. I was wondering what in the world he was doing when I saw him go to the relay tent. I got ready for my run deciding to go hatless this time since it has caused me so much trouble in my last two races, plus I don’t have a hat to match. I grabbed some beans and headed out. T2 time 1:11.

Lana’s dad was right there to capture me shoving beans in my mouth as I started the run. I did not think I would EVER get to the first mile marker and I felt like I was barely moving. I tried to push myself harder but my legs just wouldn’t move faster. I was surprised to see at the first mile marker that I was close to an 8 minute pace. There was one steep but very short hill in the second mile and a lot of the third mile was the same as the half marathon I had done there last October. As I went by the civic center and ran back into the park I knew I was almost there. Then I saw the 3 mile marker and pushed with everything I had left. Run time 25:48.

Total race time 1:24:37. Good enough to get me 2nd place in my age group.

Us Manchester Tri athletes put in a good showing. Leslie got 2nd place overall and Lana got 3rd place in her age group.

Thanks to Lana’s dad AGAIN for taking pictures and being there to cheer us on.

Race Ready

Last night birthday celebration for Tracy made it extra hard to get up to go swim this morning.

But I did get up at 6:09, that’s right I waited on Ronnie’s second alarm to go off. I went potty and almost got right back in bed, but knowing that the alarm would be ringing every 9 minutes forced me to go ahead and get dressed. Turns out Ronnie decided to get up at 6:18, after only 2 snoozes. I could have slept undisturbed until 8:00.

I went to the Rec Center pool to get one last swim in before the race tomorrow. I wanted to make sure I could do my estimated time of 7:40. I swam 2x375 in 7:24 and 7:31 so with the 375 yards being just a little short of the 350 meters I will be swimming tomorrow I should be fine with my estimated time.

There are a lot of people racing this weekend. Good luck to Lana, Kim and Leslie who will all be smoking my butt at the McMinnville City Triathlon, Rae and Brent who are doing a 5k, DasiyDuc who is doing her first ever Tri, Joe who is going to do his first half marathon (maybe), Joseph who is doing a half Ironman, and anyone else I missed. Looking forward to the race reports.

Snooze

I hate the snooze button and never use it. My husband, on the other hand, sets the alarm for 6:00 and hits snooze until at least 6:36 everyday. Most mornings I am gone while all this alarm ringing is going on, but this morning I was only planning on a 3 mile run so I didn’t need to get up until 7:00. By 6:18 I couldn’t stand it and got up, got ready, and left for my run. Since I have the tri on Saturday, I wanted to do an easy 3 miles today. I did just that. 3 miles in 27:59, 9:20 pace.

The kids and spent the afternoon outside playing in the pool yesterday. After they got tired I decided to swim some laps. Bryce wanted to go inside and Casey wanted to “help” me. I got the diving sticks and explained to her again how to count my laps. Either I didn’t explain it good or I was swimming VERY slowly. I swam 400 yards in 11:30. I hope she counted wrong otherwise I am in serious trouble for the race Saturday.

Getting Better

I didn’t make it to class yesterday, got tires for my van instead. Turns out no one showed up to teach the toning class so I am glad I didn’t make the effort to be there.

I got up at 5:00 the morning to meet Kim and Tisha for a ride. We did the Matt’s Hollow-Pomroy route. There were more dogs out this morning then normal but my Satan like screams kept them all away. We rode 20.25 miles in 1:12:32, an improvement from last time Kim and I rode the same route.

I was looking for marathon training schedules last night and could not get the Runner’s World one to work. The next one I found was 24 weeks which meant that I should have started this past Monday. The 20 week program I used for CMM was too long for me; no way could I handle 24 weeks. I finally found one that is 16 weeks and starts in mid-August. That is perfect timing for me because I will only have one or two tri’s left for the season so I will be ready to focus on running more again.

Can fog slow you down??

I mean, seriously, I’ve got nothing else.

I got up at 6:00 this morning to run 6. When I got outside, I saw how foggy it was. I took off on my run and noticed right away I was going slower and could NOT seem to get faster. I spent the entire run trying to pick it up but just could not maintain a decent pace. I ended up running 6 miles in 57:13, 9:32 pace. I am blaming the fog!!

Maybe I will go to toning class and yoga tonight to redeem myself, but then again maybe I won’t.

Speed Work

According to my training log I have not done any speed work since April 3rd. The track at Westwood has been closed and I haven’t taken the time to go see if it is back open yet. I need some speed work so this morning I got up at 6:00 and improvised. The new neighborhood they are building near us has a flat half mile loop. I did a slow one mile run (10:10 pace) to a starting point on the loop. I had carried my water bottle over so I found a safe place for it and started my loops. 3:33, 3:37, 3:41, 3:36, 3:43 and 3:41. Loops 2, 3 and 5 where done in one direction while 1, 4 and 6 were done in the other direction. I forgot to change directions after 2 and 3, I did not intend to run them the same direction. After the 6th loop I caught my breath, got my water bottle, and headed home. The 1 mile run home took 9:41.
Kim and I had planned to go on a ride this afternoon at 5:45 but she called and canceled. I know I could have gone ahead alone but…well I don’t have an excuse other then laziness. The kids want to swim so I guess I am going swimming now.

Race Day Pics

4 miles down only 6 to go



DONE!!!!!

Heather, Lana, Holly and me



Thanks to Lana and her dad for the pictures.

Moon Pie Race Report

I got up at 4:40 yesterday morning to get ready for the RC Cola – Moon Pie 10 Miler. I ate my banana and oatmeal, got dressed, and then drove to Lana’s house to meet her and Holly.
We got to Bell Buckle in plenty of time. We paid $5 to park, got our race packets and waited in line for a port-a-potty. Then it was off to the start line.
The start gun fired right on time and we were off. I ran with Holly and Lana for the first mile 8:42 and was right on their tails for the second 8:37. There was a water stop just past the 2 mile marker and I walked while taking a drink. Lana and Holly kept right on running while drinking so they got farther ahead of me. Then I saw a guy that I recognized from Goodlettsville Half Marathon. I caught him and told him that I had chased him the entire half last November. We stayed neck in neck for a while, and then I pulled ahead. Mile 3 was 9:04. I saw Lana and Holly’s parents right around the 4 mile marker and waved for a picture. Mile 4 was 8:55. I got a drink and prepared for “the hill”. I caught up with Holly on the hill but she quickly recovered and got back ahead of me. I reached the halfway point in 44:46. Mile 5 was 9:23. Mile 6 was 9:11 and Mile 7 was 9:01. At about 7.5 the guy from the Goodlettsville half was back. We chatted some then he pulled ahead. I kept him in sight and chased him just like I did in November. Mile 8 was 8:51. Right before the mile 9 marker a car was driving down the road and one of the runners over compensated and ran off into the ditch. He couldn’t climb out so another runner stopped to help him and got pulled into the ditch too. He managed to climb almost all the way out when another runner stopped to help him. Together they pulled the first runner out. I am so glad I was on the other side of the road; I don’t think I would have had the energy to get out of the ditch at that point. I ran mile 9 in 8:54. I was almost there. I sped up some and then in the last tenth poured out everything I had left and started passing other runners. I saw Lana cheering at I approached the finish line. I finished the last mile in 8:08. Total time 1:28:53. Average pace 8:54. 273 overall, 69 overall female, and 12th in age group.
I met my goals: to beat last year’s time and to run “the hill”. So it was a good race.
We stayed around long enough to enjoy some of the great post race food and see the official race times.
Thanks to Lana and Holly’s parents for coming out, cheering for me, and taking pictures.
Now it is time to get ready for the McMinnville Tri this Saturday. Lana, did you get signed up??????

Ready for a Moon Pie

Today was my final day of training before the RC Cola Moon Pie 10 Mile Run. I got up at 5:15 and went to the Rec center. Lana and I had talked about a 5 mile run at 5:30 but I had not heard from her so wasn’t sure if she was going to make it or not. Turned out to be a not but her sister Holly showed up to run so I ran with her. She was having some foot issues so I just let her set the pace. Bonnarro starts today so I took my camera on the running hoping for some interesting shots. We ran up jail hill and thru town. We ran up 55 to the Middle School/Interstate but they were already letting people in the gates so there were no photo ops. 2002 there where cars sitting on the interstate for 8 plus hours. We headed back to the Rec Center via the greenway. Holly split off at Rayfields and I ran up Jail Hill AGAIN and then down the stairs back to the parking lot. 4.1 miles in 40:24.
By this afternoon my calves were really starting to remind me of how great toning class was Tuesday. I decided to swim a little. My next tri is a 350m swim so I decided to swim 400’s. My pool is only 40 feet long so it takes 30 lengths to equal 400 yards, if I did my math right. I kept losing count but know that I did at least 30 lengths each time. The 5th set I got my kids to help me out. I lined up diving sticks and told them each time I got to their wall to drop one in and when they ran out of sticks to jump in the pool. When they jumped in I would know I had one lap to go. Worked like a charm (after the first lap when they tossed in two sticks and I had to stop and explain things again). Total swim time for 2000 yards = 50:39.
I am taking tomorrow off in preparation for my run. Good luck to Lana, Holly, David and LPM at Bell Buckle and everyone else who is racing this weekend.

Make Up Classes

I spent the better part of yesterday beating myself up for two days of slow runs. The kids were exhausted so we just spent the day inside lying around. Casey even took a 3 hour nap. So at 5:30 last night I decided to go to the 6:00pm toning class. I called up to the Rec Center to make sure Cindy was teaching. They assured me she was. So I loaded up the kids and headed to the Rec Center. Once I got there I found out Joyce was teaching, that was great news. She did an awesome toning class. I really did not think she could make my legs THAT tired!!! Yoga class was next so I decided to give it a try too. Again Cindy was not there so the “real yoga” teacher was filling in. First thing she did was turn off the lights and tell us to lie down and relax. “Let all feeling of competition and judgment leave your body.” Hell if it wasn’t for competition and judgment my butt would have been at home on the couch. I got some good stretching, which I needed after that toning class, but I still find yoga to be too slow for me. When we got home Casey wanted to go for a bike ride. The kids rode their bikes and I ran/walked along. We did the one mile loop.

This morning I got up at 4:45 to meet Lana, Kim and two of Kim’s cyclist friends, Ray and Tisha. We left Lana’s house at about 5:15 and did an out and back on Highway 41. I had to check out this Watermelon Hill. On the return part of the ride Ray finally spoke up and gave me some tips. He said he was afraid to say anything because I have a “really nice bike” and he thought I had been riding for a while. When I told him that I had had the bike for less then a year he rode beside me and helped me understand when and why to change gears. We also stopped so he could raise my seat. He said it still needs to go up a little higher but for me to get use to the inch he raised it first. I hope that I can remember to “spin” vs “push” when I am out there alone and more importantly during a race!

After the 19.52 miles on the bike I convinced Lana to run with me. We ran half a mile out 41 in the other direction and back to her house then I ran another half mile out the direction we biked and back for a total of 2 miles in 16:10. Now that is more like it!!!

Missed Opportunity

I knew I should have gotten up and ran with Lana and Holly this morning but they were meeting at 5:15 and I didn't have to start until 6-ish. Also they were planning on 5 miles and I wanted to do 6. So I slept in and went with the solo run.
I got up at 6:00. It was a nice cool morning, I decided to take the less flat 6 mile route. It was uneventful and SLOW. I ran the 6 in 55:25 (9:15 pace). I have whole list of excuses prepared but won't bore anyone with what boils down to laziness.
Meanwhile, Lana and Holly smoked their run this morning. Should have gotten up!!!

Slow 6

The kids are in VBS this week so I am getting to start a little later and sleep a little longer. I got up a 6:15 this morning and ran my 6 miles. I really need to get back to the track and get some speed work, my training run times are really slowing down again. This morning’s 6 miles took 55:24 (9:14 pace). The weather was perfect for running so can’t use it as an excuse. Only thing I got is lack of speed training.

Swimming in a Short Pool and Running in Hot Sun

Ronnie golfed yesterday morning. I didn’t have time to get up and workout before he left so I slept in!! The kids and I spent the day outside swimming, playing and cutting the yard. At about 5, I gave the kids and bath and parked them in front of the TV to “rest” since they would be up late at the drive-in. I went back outside and swam laps. The pool is 40’ long so I swam 150 lengths. It was harder then swimming in a longer pool because I had to turn so often and I would not allow myself to push off the wall. It took 53:04 for a total distance of about 1.1 miles. I loved swimming outside. Look forward to more swims here.
This morning I headed out for my run at about 10:00. It was HOT and sunny. There is no shade on my route so I was really feeling it. I stopped at about 2 miles at a house under construction where I saw a water hose but they had the water turned off so I was out of luck. I headed home for a total of 3 miles in 28:17 (9:26 pace). On my tenth of a mile cool down walk home I removed all my electronics and my visor. When I got to the driveway I pulled my shirt off then my shoes. Then I did something I have been dreaming about…dove into the pool. Man that felt GREAT!!! I just let myself float and cool off.

I Hate Hills

Man, I am wiped. I guess it is from the 8 hours of sun yesterday. We had nowhere to be yesterday and took full advantage of that fact. Casey slept until 9:45 and we were out poolside at 10. I tried to dig up another fence post but the ground has gotten HARD. Plus the one I was working on has a lot of tree roots around it, so I just gave up. We had people coming and going all day so we stayed out until 6. I actually got into the pool at about 5:30, after the lake swim of 76 degrees 83 didn’t feel so cold. The kids took turns riding on my back while I attempted to swim the 30’ length of the swallow end, switching kids after each lap. That was hard.
So when the alarm went off at 4:40 this morning, I did not want to get up. And knowing hills was the plan did not make it any easier. Some how I managed to drag myself out of bed and out the door to the Rec Center. I started at the parking lot and ran 0.31 miles to jail hill in 2:59 then I ran up and down the hill 6 times.
up 0.30 miles each 2:36, 2:38, 2:40, 2:48, 2:49, 2:49
down 0.30 miles each 2:55, 2:54, 2:53, 2:51, 2:50, 2:41
then the 0.29 miles back to the parking lot in 2:53
Grand total of 4.20 miles in 39:25 (9:23 pace)
Notice I got slower each time up the hill but faster down. Wonder if the faster down had anything to do with the slower up???
I had planned to swim but by the time I was done running I just didn’t have the energy. Now I feel guilty.

The Battle

You would think the hardest part of getting up early to run would be the getting up. But every morning when that alarm goes off I get out of bed just fine, it is the staying out of bed and getting out the door that is the problem. This morning was no exception. The alarm went off at 5:15. I got out of bed and went potty. I was thinking to myself, “It is summer vacation, I don’t have to work today, the kids will sleep until at least 7, I just want to get back in bed.” This continued the ENTIRE time I got dressed, changed out the batteries in my Garmin and MP3 player, and even for the first mile or so of my run. Then a new battle started. I have been trying to run sub 9:00 miles. It wasn’t happening today. First mile was 9:04 and second 9:11. I kept trying to push my legs harder but they were having none of it. I even tried promising them a strawberry banana milk shake if they could get me in under a 9:00 average but they failed, so it is rabbit food today! I ran 10 miles in 1:31:55 for an average pace of 9:12. When I got home I drank a large glass of water and crawled back into bed. I fell right to sleep and slept for 20 minutes before my son came in to wake me up. The sheets are in the washer now!!

The Bell Buckle 10 mile run is in just over a week and last year I ran it in 1:30:26. I have trained a lot more then I did before the race last year. I should be able to beat my time but today did not give me any warm fuzzy feelings.

It is going to be another beautiful day. I get to dig up more fence posts and if I can figure out how to get the cord out of the weed eater I will finish that job too. Then it will be lounging by the pool. Have a great day!

Nice Ride

Woke up this morning at 4:40 to meet my neighbor, Kim, to ride. Getting dressed I discovered my arms are sore. Not really sure if it is from the weed whacking or the digging up of fence posts that I did yesterday. Or maybe it is from forking Oreo Cream Pie into my mouth, gee wonder why my butt isn’t getting any smaller.

It was cool this morning and I am glad I went back in the house for long sleeves to put on over my bike jersey. I still went sockless and had frozen toes at the end but it isn’t bothering me to not wear socks just hope that it is really helping my transition time. We did the same loop that I have done by myself two other times. Part of that route will be part of the Star Rehab Tri in July so it is nice to get some practice on it. It took us 1:17:12 to finish the 20.25 mile loop.

Last night I signed up for the McMinnville Tri that is June 24th, another sprint distance.

Ronnie got his Golf calendar in the mail yesterday and he has another tournament July 22-23 and July 29-30. Cedars of Lebanon tri is July 29th and I am really wanting to do it this year since it was my first ever tri last year and I want to be able to compare (and beat) my times. Hope I can find a sitter.

8 miles

I got up at 6 this morning after staying up WAY too late reading blogs. Congrats to all of those that ran the San Diego Marathon Sunday.
It was perfect running weather this morning. I thought my MP3 was dead but I finally managed to get it working. I did the Baker Heights/Danbury loops and added on the Maple Springs and Amberwood loops to make 8 miles. The first mile I did in 8:30. Then I got slower but I managed to finish strong. Total time was 1:10:59 for a 8:52 pace.
It looks like it is going to a beautiful day. Got some yard work that needs my attention and the kids are already asking to swim. Have a great day everyone!

Nature Calls

OK, I FINALLY did it. I have spent WAY too much time trying to get the pictures from the Mach Tenn into my blog. I don’t know if it was me or blogger but I have done the same thing over and over and for some reason it finally worked. I now have the pictures on my race report. Thanks again to Lana’s dad for taking them.

This morning I was moving VERY slow. I took 5 minutes to get out of bed after the alarm went off, then it took me another 15 minutes to get dressed and out the door to run. Then I had to come back in to change out the batteries in my garmin, only to find out after I got back outside that my MP3 was dead. I guess the batteries did not get charged. I just decided to go musicless. Finally I was off on my run. I was still moving slowly. After about 2 miles it hit me that I had to potty. I looped back toward home and ended up only running 4.17 of the planned six miles. The run took 38:29, 9:13 pace. Not my best effort.
I HAVE to get in a long run this week and a hill workout. Moonpie is less then 2 weeks away.
I guess I am going to commit to the McMinnville Tri and register this week. I ordered a new tri top today so I will have something to wear and I will be able to tell one tri picture from another.
I have forgotten to mention how wonderful my summer birthday was. OK, it sucks to have to say I am 38 seven months before I will actually be 38, but it was wonderful to sit by the pool in the hot sun on my “birthday”. My kids heard me explain before the GJCC Tri that “since they will be writing a 38 on my leg, I am going to go ahead and celebrate my birthday” So when I got home from the Mach Tenn, Casey looked at me with my body marking and said, “Mommy, did they think it was your birthday again?”

I can Fly

Check it out, I can fly!!!!

Mach Tenn Tri

Wednesday the lake was 81 degrees so they said wetsuits would not be allowed. We got a LOT of rain Thursday and Friday and a cool front moved in. Race morning the lake was down to 76, wetsuits became legal. I don’t have a wetsuit so I was really hoping for warmer water but Lana has one and wanted to wear it. I am told that the wetsuits help you float and are therefore an advantage but I don’t know. Anyway, a lot of people were happy that they were getting to wear wetsuits. We got to the race WAY early for a change and had a lot of time to kill. We got race packets, got body marked, set up transition, ate half a Luna bar, woke poor Briar up about 10 times, then finally put on running shoes and ran up a hill to get warmed up.
Then it was finally time to line up on the beach.
The swim was a long one by my standards and a lake swim. They lined you up based on your predicted swim and bike times so I was 237. I had lots of time to watch how people enter the water. I ran into the water when it was my turn and the race had started for me. I don’t know why I swim so much better during practice and then struggle so much race day. I was breathing every other stoke so I know that slowed me down but I get so worried about getting off track in the lake and I just seem to be out of breath racing. I saw Holly on the pier and waved to her. I got out of the lake and my legs actually felt a little wobbly. I jogged into transition and went to the wrong bike rack. I found the right rack and got ready to bike (sockless). I grabbed a handful of sport beans and saw a guy struggling to get his socks on. Then I ran my bike to the mounting line, saw Lana’s family cheering for me, and was off on the bike route.
I am glad Lana and I rode it Wednesday because I knew what to expect. I got too much joy out of passing people and checked out each one of their numbers to see how much time I was making up. Then I realized I forgot to but on my race number belt, hoped to remember it at transition. After the first couple of miles I felt like I was out there alone. I got passed by a few people and caught up with some other people later in the race. The bike went about like I expected it to and there is still a lot of room for improvement. I ran back into transition. I racked my bike, changed from helmet to hat, changed shoes, and ate part of a gel.
I saw Lana’s family again just as I was getting started. It was great to have them cheer me on and Holly yells “You are flying”. That got me really motivated. I finished the first mile in 7:30. I saw Lana on her way back and cheered for her. As I was approaching the turn around, a gust of wind blew my hat off. I went back for it as a guy yells “No, you never go back for anything”. I made the turn and headed back. I still felt good. I made it to the 3 mile water station and grabbed some water as I passed and dumped it down the front of me the guy yelled after me only 1 mile and 2 more hills (it is a very hilly route).
I just kept picking people off to pass and made it to the final chute and turned up the speed to sprint pass a guy in a white hat. At the finish line they handed me a cold towel and Lana and her family were there.
We loaded up all our stuff then got some food. They had a GREAT post race spread. I will be doing this race again next year.
Splits:
0.6 mile Swim – 20:38
T1 – 1:52
16 mile Bike – 54:20
T2 – 1:18
4 mile Run – 31:55
I ended up 7th in my age group and 183 overall. Lana kicked my butt, of course. Thanks to Lana’s dad for the pictures, that I can NOT get to post for some reason.

GJCC Splits

I just got my splits for the GJCC tri that was Monday.
I knew that the swim part didn’t go as well as I hoped because of the mass of people on lengths 2 and 3 but the run went even better then I thought. Transition time still needs work; maybe going sockless will help there. During T2 I dropped my hat on the other side of the bike rack and instead of just going on I crawled under the bikes after it. Can see that hurt too.
200 yard Swim - 4:23
T1 - 2:03
8.5 mile Bike - 30:33
T2 - 1:16
2 mile Run - 15:33 (that’s a 7:47 pace!!!!!)

Swim, Talk, Swim

Today I went to the Rec Center pool at 6:00am and swam 1250 yards in 26:15. Well actually I swam 350 yards then stopped and talked to Lana who had just arrived (I stopped my watch while I was chatting) then I swam the rest (restarting my watch). I did not feel good in the water today. I have not gotten enough sleep and have drunk a few too many beers in the past several days. My friend Angie and her three boys have been in town from Memphis and my diet has been horrible. We had a great visit and the kids had a blast. (Thanks Angie for making the trip.) Now I have two days to clean up my act and get ready to race.
As I am typing this my son just pointed out a commercial on television for some ab machine. He says “Look mom that is what you need so you can get skinny.” I said “What is wrong with mama the way she is?” He told me I was “too wide”. Man, I love kids!!!!!