tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37051837359110996472024-03-21T17:21:27.153-07:00Living Life Beyond the Chaos of the Every DayAngelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489514344422610056noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705183735911099647.post-81551719821267347442014-12-05T01:00:00.000-08:002014-12-05T01:00:02.353-08:00Miami Man Half Iron Triathlon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So. I talked my husband in to the whole marathon thing because it was close to my birthday and I have always said "someday, I want to do that." </div>
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When my bike was stolen this winter, I realized my "someday" for a half iron distance tri was going to have to (most likely) wait. The idea of doing one had been in the back of my mind for awhile, especially since I had a good summer in the water this year--I had several swims over a mile and multiple open water swims. But suddenly, my bike was gone, and not only would I probably not do a half iron this year, but my triathlon season was probably over. </div>
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Somewhere in there, I told myself that if I somehow ended up getting my bike back, I would just go big or go home. I would sign up for 70.3 and try not to die in the process.</div>
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Then Diamondback Bikes came in big for me, and the difference in the quality of the bike made me absolutely certain that I could handle 56 miles in the saddle. I knew, with marathon training in the works, that I could handle 13.1 no problem. Putting it all together, on the other hand, was crazy. </div>
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Triathlon is a little bit of a logistical nightmare to begin with. It's equipment heavy---you need your gear to swim, your gear to bike, your gear to run. There are about 1,000 things that can happen in 56 miles on a bike. I have never, in the three years since I've had a road bike, flatted, and I'm perpetually worried about it happening during a race. <br />
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Transition</div>
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The day before the race, I was in freakout mode. My training was completely derailed in October--I hadn't bricked, I hadn't swam. Longest ride on the bike was 44, and I hadn't done a mid-distance brick after a long ride. I was exceptionally worried about the cutoffs, and was trying to mentally prepare myself for a DNF, because I was almost certain it was going to happen.</div>
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One of the Multirace staffers talked me into switching to the first wave on race morning. I am SO GLAD she did. Once I made it out of the water on the swim, I KNEW I had plenty of time and it allowed me to really sit back and enjoy things. </div>
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View of the swim from near transition. Two loops around the lake, and you had to exit the water at the end of each loop. </div>
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I very much stuck to the back and took my time on the swim. This lake is my favorite swim of the season--its clear and calm and you can (usually see) very well. Race morning was overcast and disgusting, the weather outlook was terrible, and we were just thankful for no lightening. </div>
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When I exited on the swim, I heard tri-friend Madison screaming my name, which was awesome. I hadn't drowned. Yay!</div>
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1.2 mile Swim: 53:38, which works out to over 3 minutes/100 m but my only goal was to finish it under an hour, so I'll take it!</div>
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T1 was not memorable, nothing major happened. <span style="font-size: 19px;">2:50</span></div>
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Its really hard to even begin to explain the rest of the race after T1. The skies opened up and it poured. POURED. Here. . . just watch. 56 miles of wet, rural, open roads in the pouring rain. You can see how much wetter things get as the video progresses. </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/111619315" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/111619315">2014 Mack Cycle Miami Man Triathlon & Duathlon</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/multirace">Multi Race</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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The bike went much much MUCH better than I was expecting. I held above a 17 mph pace pretty much the whole ride. I was really expecting to be much slower than that. My lower back started screaming around the 35 mile mark, so I started trying to really stretch as much as I could. As we neared the end of the 56, I realized I was going to finish this thing, as long as the weather didn't force a close on the run course. </div>
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56 mile bike: 3:09:37 - 17.71 mph</div>
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When it was over, it was hard to walk. Its actually kind of funny to be in T2 of a half iron after doing so many sprint triathlons. People move slowly and take their time. Many are in pain, and I was definitely one of them. My back was miserable, so I took some time to stretch as I switched shoes. I thanked my lucky STARS that I had covered my running shoes with a bag in the morning, because they were dry. My feet were pruned and felt disgusting from 3 hours of being in cleats, soaking wet. So dry socks and shoes felt lovely. Popped a couple of advil and off to run 13.1</div>
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T2 - a very slow 4:45. It was worth it. </div>
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I can't say enough about the Galloway method for running. I would have probably had a melt down if I hadn't been able to say "just three minutes" as I left transition. Those first few intervals were awful. I also spent a lot of time attempting to avoid puddles because my feet were so happy to be dry. I started loosening up, and it started raining again, so after awhile, it was just plowing through puddles. The run course was WET. Part of it is on trails, and there were a bunch of unavoidable puddles. I saw friends around the 4 mile mark, got some hugs and was recharged to finish the first loop. Saw Brad hunkered in a rain slicker at the finish as I passed for my first lap. (He had done the international distance--bless him for standing in the rain for 3 hours to wait for me while I kept going) It was pouring again, and started thundering right after I passed. I worried again that the weather might cause them to stop us. But it moved through quickly, and I felt good enough to pick up ever so slightly. Knowing I would see familiar faces again kept me going. </div>
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I was really surprised that I never reached a wall. Maybe I wasn't pushing enough, but I genuinely had much more fun than I thought I would. I love doing Multirace events because its always a bunch of familiar faces, and you can always find someone to say hello to. It may have been a totally different ballgame if the sun had been blazing, but it was really an incredible experience. </div>
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When I came to the finish, I was, OF COURSE, bawling. These are things some people never even consider doing, and certainly things I myself never thought I could do until very, very recently. </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">13.1 run: 3:05:02 - 14:07 min/mile.</span></div>
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Total time: 7:15:50.77</div>
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Much, much faster than I was expecting. I can't wait to do another one, this time with proper training. I should be able to shave a good chuck off of that. Glad to have the first one under my belt--its putting yourself out there and going for it, not knowing if you have it in you, that is absolutely the hardest thing in the world. </div>
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I didn't even manage to get many (ANY) good pictures after the race, because the rain continued to come on. I ate (a LOT) when we were done, hoping it would stop so that I could get my phone and take a few pictures, but it never did. Couldn't even change out of my soaking wet kit, because we would have gotten soaked again getting back to the car. The warm bath we took when we got home was literally the BEST BATH EVER. </div>
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Big thanks to my awesome friend and training buddy Julie, who not only kept my kids, but also fed us dinner afterward. And to everyone who listened to me whine about how I didn't think I could do it, and told me that I could anyway. To Diamondback Bicycles for my awesome ride. To everyone who I have the pleasure of training with regularly this year--Julie, Jess, Tiffany, Karen, Susan, Rosie, Peggy . . . and of course to my hubby, who thought I had lost my marbles when I did my first sprint. I love that I'm slowly dragging him over to the dark side. To all the ladies on Team Tough Chik, who gave me the courage to think big. And to my kids, who made me want to be a better version of myself. A version of myself that was comfortable in my skin. It's kind of hard to hate a body that can carry you through 70.3 miles. </div>
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Tonight, we head up to Palm Beach for the last big adventure of 2014. 26.2 miles covered by nothing but our own feet. 2014 has been a year of firsts for our household. Scary and so incredibly worth the wild ride. </div>
Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489514344422610056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705183735911099647.post-46360457772468893862014-12-04T01:00:00.000-08:002014-12-04T01:00:05.282-08:00Key Biscayne Half Marathon + The Rest of October<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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October 5, 2014</div>
One week after Escape to Miami, we had signed up to run the Key Biscayne Half Marathon. No part of me really wanted to go run this race, especially since I knew I had to tack an extra seven miles on after to hit my first (and as it turned out ONLY) 20 miler. I spent the week in active recovery--running only 5.5 miles and spending around two hours on the bike. <br />
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Had an absolute BLAST doing this race just because we had a huge contingent of Tough Chiks present. My friend Jess, who will be running Palm Beaches with me this weekend, Karen, who has been my training partner for a lot of the long runs I have done this year (and has calmed me at every freakout), and Gillian, who runs with us regularly and is just awesome sauce. Seriously love these ladies. Oh yeah, my hubby was there too, but its not like we run together soooo . . . :-)</div>
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Gillian grabbed this pic of Jess and I during one of our walk intervals as we hit the bridge. Yeah, this girl and I are going to absolutely slay 26.2 this weekend. Wouldn't do it with anyone else. <3</div>
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I really, really REALLY love how Multirace does videos of their events--it allows those of you who aren't locals to see the beauty we are spoiled with on our runs. </div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/108251718" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/108251718">2014 KB Half Marathon & 10K - A MultiRace Production</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/multirace">Multi Race</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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After finishing the half, Jess and I handed our medals to our hubbys (because we are crazy people) and took off for another 5 miles. It was so nice to catch up. </div>
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I came home and still did an extra three more in the evening, to make it all the way to 20. It was a crazy crazy crazy day. <br />
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Unfortunately, back to back weekends of racing + every day life kicked me in the butt. We all got sick, and it derailed my training significantly. I ended up with a 25 mile bike the following week, instead of the 50 I was planning, and then was promptly knocked on my butt, missing a whole weekend of training. I bumped down the schedule 23 miles I had for the end of October to 17. Then suddenly it was November, I found myself feeling incredibly undertrained for 70.3 on November 9th. Commence freak out. <br />
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Next up: Miami Man Half Iron TriathlonAngelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489514344422610056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705183735911099647.post-52976648508884174652014-12-03T01:30:00.000-08:002014-12-03T01:30:00.710-08:00Escape To Miami Triathlon Recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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September 28, 2014</div>
I have never done a race quite like Escape. And granted, its not like I have done a bunch of huge races, but Escape to Miami marked my 18th triathlon. This race, at nearly 2500 entrants, in the sprint and Olympic distances, was H-U-G-E. This was also my first triathlon that wasn't put on by Multirace, which made things a little more nerve-wracking for me.<br />
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Because this is a big race, its complicated. You have to pick up your packet early and drop off your bike the day before. In downtown Miami. *Yay* This means a logistical nightmare when both you and your spouse are doing the race and you have two little people. Thankfully we have awesome friends who make it possible to do these things. (Monica, you rock!)<br />
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The bikes, all locked and loaded in the truck. </div>
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See that little island out there? Yup, that's Escape Island. We get to swim from there to where the picture was taken. NOT in a straight line. :-) </div>
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But it was fun to get to hang out on a beautiful, windy day with my incredible family </div>
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Race morning started a TWO AM. TWO AM. That's early even by triathlete standards. I finally figured out that if I get up early the day before the race, I will have no problem sleeping the night before the race. I usually have major issues sleeping on race right. Really glad I tested this on this race because BOY did getting a good night's sleep keep me from wigging out at TWO AM.</div>
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Set up my stuff under the bike, and was thankful the guy next to me didn't show because the bikes were packed in TIGHT TIGHT TIGHT. Made the first in many, many errors in this less than perfect race when I accidentally stuck my index finger in the spoke of my front tire while checking it. Awesome. So throbbing finger and I went to find our crew (Brad, our friend Julie, Chris, and Alfredo, the vet among us who had done this race at least 7 times). </div>
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We were supposed to board the ferry at 4am. Yes, board ferry. Jump off ferry. Swim the rest of the way to island. Yes, we pay to do this!</div>
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Really though, this aspect of the race was so cool. It was weird to jump off a boat in the dark. We sat on the island and chit chatted, hung out, and just generally had a good time. Watched the sun rise. I freaked out more than a little, but it was awesome. And then there wasn't any more time to think, because our wave started.<br />
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My swim was slow. #2 on the long list of things that could have gone better on this race happened, and I got stung by jellyfish under my arms and in my top. Fun times. It started raining 3/4 of the way through the swim, HARD, which was disorientating. <br />
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I felt like my swim lasted forever, and was glad when it was over. I promptly forgot the go stick for my bia in transition, so I didn't get to track my bike with my GPS. It ended up being no big thing--the bike was a blast, lovely weather and pretty views. My front derailleur was apparently out of adjustment, because I couldn't shift. Thank goodness the bridges were small. This was only Karma's second race, but I was again blown away by the differences on this bike. 24.8 miles was lovely, and I got off the bike feeling great. I even managed to chik a few of the guys on tri bikes in the turns--I love tight turns, its fun to come off of them quickly. Had so much fun on the ride.<br />
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T2 was a mess, I had to find the go stick for my bia and was so focused on that i almost forgot to take off my cycling gloves. It was HOT by now, and the run was a shadeless wasteland of South Florida humidity. The best part of the run was the cool towels they gave us at the sprint turn around. It's times like this that I really appreciate the Galloway method, which kept me from getting overheated in pretty brutal conditions. I saw lots of familiar faces on the run, and felt good despite the heat. I love the camaraderie of triathlon--since no one runs with music, you end up making friends. I shared my water with an older gentleman who was overheated in the last few miles, ran in to my friend Jeanette and chatted with her for a bit. The last mile came and went quickly.<br />
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When it was over, both the older gentleman and my friend Jeanette said GO FOR IT in terms of 70.3. Both of them have done that distance before. So when I came home, I upgraded, and freaked.<br />
Stats: Swim 00:45:46 03:04 min/100m<br />
T1 00:02:29<br />
Bike 01:28:21 16.88 mi/hr<br />
T2 00:02:32<br />
Run 01:23:08 13:23 min/mi<br />
Total : 03:42:14<br />
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Brad did great too, even though it endlessly annoys me that he was under-trained and finished a good 12 minutes ahead of me<br />
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By a complete freak thing, I ended up placing. There were only a few women in our division though. I don't get WHY there are not more Athenas--I have a hard time believing there are only a handful of women over 165lbs who chose to do Triathlon. They do divide based on age (over 39 and under 39), but I wonder if there is a stigma against racing as an Athena. I don't care, though, I'll do it anyway--I like to own that I'm not your typical picture of a triathlete--you don't have to be a size 2 or 4 to enjoy this sport. Medal was pretty cool. </div>
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Really enjoyed this race. I probably wouldn't do it again, because the logistics were just a bit too much, but jumping off the ferry was by far my favorite part. </div>
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No rest for the weary though--Key Biscayne Half Marathon/first 20 mile run was due the following week. </div>
Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489514344422610056noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705183735911099647.post-72059042495611111982014-12-02T11:34:00.001-08:002014-12-02T11:34:09.155-08:00Catching Up (yet again)I can't believe it's December (again). 2014 has flown by. And once again I have slipped off on my blog duties. I haven't written a post since mid-August, which was week EIGHT of my 30 week marathon training. Week 8. <br />
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Yeah, 26.2 is almost here. On Sunday. A meager 5 days away. <br />
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It wasn't so long ago I used to ride in my car and see people running, thinking "I could never do that."<br />
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So, what's been going on since August. A lot. We went on vacation. School got in to full swing for the kids, and that's played a large part in my inability to keep up with ANYTHING. I totally DID go for 70.3.<br />
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It annoys me to get this far behind, because there have been so many awesome moments that I haven't documented. A part of that is simply trying to be present in the moment with my family though, instead of being behind the computer writing things down. I finally am back in the technological age, in terms of my phone, so that should help immensely. <br />
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So, the past 3.5 months in pictures.<br />
We went on vacation in August to Mammoth Cave National Park. This is one of my favorite places to go, because of the sheer scale of things. Its absolutely amazing, the things that water can do underground. We FINALLY got to go on the 5 hour wild cave tour, something that has been 3 years in the making. Spending 5 hours spelunking in the worlds largest cave system? Pretty freaking cool. I was covered in bruises after. Even my son, who is 8, strapped on a headlamp and got to go caving with a group, without either of us along with him. Pretty darn epic stuff. <br />
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The kids went home with their grandparents, allowing hubby and I to escape to the LITERAL wilderness for a few days. We've always been a fan of off-the-beaten-path, and Linville Gorge was about as rugged as it gets in the eastern US.<br />
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In my mind there is nothing that substitutes for nature in terms of healing the soul. The hustle and bustle of every-day life can be overwhelming, and it was lovely to just get away from everything for awhile. We drove up the Blueridge Parkway and then hiking into the wilderness. We spent a night sleeping in a hammock under the stars (and hoping not to get eaten by bears). We climbed to a precipice and I cried, because it makes you feel small and insignificant and reminds you how big the world is. It was wonderful and beautiful and the pictures really don't do the trip justice. </div>
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We came home, and the kids came home right on our heels. School for both kids entered full swing, and that was a challenge. I finished out August with a 17 mile run, and the next weekend hit 44 miles on the bike. The weekend after that (9/14) was the bonus round in the Triathlon Trilogy. I honostly can't even remember the race at this point, except that it was my first race on Karma and she FLEW. It was amazing how much smoother the ride was on her, compared to my old bike. </div>
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Cool video from the folks at <a href="http://multirace.us/">Multirace</a> showing how gorgeous the course is. It's been such a pleasure racing with them this (and every) year.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/106348982" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/106348982">Multirace Mack Cycle Bonus Round 2014</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/multirace">Multi Race</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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The results from that were good enough for 1st place Athena for the series. </div>
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The following weekend was a 14 mile/5.5 mile bike run brick. The weekend after, 9.28, was the Escape to Miami Triathlon. Its kind of hilarious looking back, I was incredibly nervous about this race. I have a thing about stepping outside my comfort zone--I don't like doing things when I'm not sure how they will go. Until this year, I can barely manage to do one new thing a year. I did my first half marathon in March 2012. The biggest things I've tackled since then have been the Ragnar Relay and finally getting up the courage to do an International Triathlon in November 2013. I haven't really pushed the envelope in several years. . . I have been living in my comfort zone. Last year, that International was a stretch, I was exhausted afterward and the thought of an Olympic Distance Tri was a bit overwhelming. I hadn't yet fully committed to doing a Half Iron at Miami Man in November this year, and I was planning on using Escape to Miami as a testing ground to see if 70.3 was doable, or just a little bit too far beyond the realm of sanity. <br />
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So. Next up. Escape To Miami. </div>
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.9 mile swim, 24.8 mile bike, 10k run. </div>
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489514344422610056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705183735911099647.post-79221349893645190492014-08-12T11:41:00.000-07:002014-08-12T11:41:00.672-07:00Marathon Training - Week 8Long run last week, and so far the week following a long run have been more tri training weeks than anything else. <br />
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Karma arrived on Tuesday so I spent a LOT of time in the saddle this past week. Heaven--this bike rides like heaven. I was riding an aluminum frame trek with bottom of the line components for two years. Between the frame and the components on this bike, I feel like I could ride FOREVER. Its so smooth and effortless, I would never have imagined that they would make such a difference. <br />
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Monday - Basic Yoga<br />
Tuesday - 3 mi run (including the Rickenbacker) + .9 mile swim (AM), Yoga (PM)<br />
Wednesday - 20 mile "shake out" ride on the new bike.<br />
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Thursday - Solo 15 mile bike<br />
Friday - 1.25 mile run on the treadmill + Body Pump<br />
Saturday - 31 mile ride<br />
Sunday - 22 mile ride (AM), 5 mi run (or wog, it could be called a wog) (PM).<br />
I was seriously considering trying to squeeze in next weekend's scheduled "long" run since we will be up to other things next weekend. I left at 3pm to allot for enough time to finish 14 miles before it got dark. BIG mistake. The heat index was at least 101. It was brutal out. Plus I haven't been in the saddle much since the end of June, so I think my body was tired. I settled for 5 and was totally okay with that.<br />
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The best part of the week was that I got THREE rides with my better half. We rarely get to ride together, because of the kids, so it was a wonderful treat.<br />
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In all, broke 100 miles swimming, biking, and running this week. And I said the words "half iron" out loud this weekend. Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489514344422610056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705183735911099647.post-39924656744749455382014-08-11T11:22:00.000-07:002014-08-11T11:22:04.446-07:00On facelifts . . . and things that change your life foreverI've been meaning to update my blog header for awhile. When all things blogging fell by the way-side back in February, I got terribly behind on keeping things current. As you can see, I finally found the time to do it. Yay. But I have to say, I'm a little floored. You know that old saying "Its hard to see the forest for the trees"? Well, yeah, the same can be said about life.<br />
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We (and when I say we, I really mean me, but I am pretty darn sure you can relate. Because if there is one thing I've learned in the past few years, its that more of us feel this way than we realize. THAT is an important thing for all of us to understand. Oops I digress). Anyway, we tend to get bogged down in the day to day--making dinner, finishing our work, getting in our workouts, the number on the scale, how we could have eaten better. Sometimes it is so easy to fall into the mindset of what you didn't do, that you forget about the things you <i>did </i>do.<br />
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As I look at the pictures I stuck in the header above, I can't help but feel overwhelmed. The memories in each one of those pictures are overwhelming. And then I look back at the <a href="http://lifebeyondthechaos.blogspot.com/2012/06/race-report-key-biscayne-triathlon.html" target="_blank">first race report </a>I wrote on this blog, in June 2012. A mere 26 months ago. That person, she really didn't know how strong she was. I hadn't discovered cycling yet--I was still riding a hybrid. The weight room was still a foreign place that scared me to no end. I had one triathlon and one half marathon, along with a couple of 5ks under my belt.<br />
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It's strange, I found a picture of me in 2008 (on the left) and 2010 (on the right), and I think I still felt like I was trapped in my old body for a long time. Sometimes I feel like I am still trapped in it. Physcially, there isn't a huge difference between the picture from 2010 and where I am now. I may even weigh more. But I FEEL stronger. More capable.<br />
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Anyway, I digress. About a month ago a dear friend's 7 year old son underwent brain surgery. Twice. Once was decompression surgery to relieve symptoms of his chiari. The second surgery was because he contracted meningitis. To date they have spent 20 days in the hospital. She has two other children at home, and I can't imagine the pull she must feel to be in two places at once. Her entire ordeal and her son's struggle is one of those things that puts life in perspective. That make you see the forest. And the trees. And the small beautiful bits of every day. You can read more about Gabriel's journey <a href="http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/gabrielmai">here.</a> A crowd funding site for his medical care and incidental family costs have been set up <a href="http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/showing-love-for-the-mai-family/210865">here</a>. It's been hard NOT to think about this family as we go on living our every day lives around here. As my hubby and I whine about silly little unimportant things like our jobs and the kids fighting and missing a workout, this kid has been fighting for his life. Its one of those humbling things that really makes you want to re-evaluate life.<br />
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So, don't miss the forest for the trees. See the beauty in your life. In YOURSELF. In every little accomplishment, every little victory. Give yourself the grace to feel the way you do, and just . . . live.<br />
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Sorry for the esoteric rambling. Its just going to get worse as we get closer to m daughter's birthday!<br />
<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489514344422610056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705183735911099647.post-44806253457069323072014-08-07T08:13:00.001-07:002014-08-07T08:16:43.376-07:00Marathon Training - Weeks 6 & 7I am LOVE LOVE LOVING using the Galloway method for marathon training. I've always had issues with my mental game . . . I really haven't been able to be strong/consistent on the back half of races/runs. Galloway is really fixing that for me.<br />
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The intervals work well training in the yucky summer South Florida humidity. The recovery week continues to work well for my schedule. </div>
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Week 6:</div>
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I squeezed in my long run from week 5 (10.5 miles) on Monday. We had a huge summer storm move through, and while I love running in the rain, running in thunderstorms is just flat out reckless. So I hit the dreadmill in the afternoon. I was on a clock, since my neighbor was watching my kids and needed to leave soon. I busted out 10.5 miles in just over 2 hours which for me, on a training run, is pretty good. </div>
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Then life played its card and I got slammed with work. SLAMMED. As in, barely had time to sleep, yet alone work out. I didn't work out again until Saturday morning, when I took a spin class. And then proceeded to get a serious migraine and spend the weekend in my bed. So basically, after my long run, week 6 was a BUST. </div>
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Week 7:</div>
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Back on track (again). . . </div>
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Monday - 800m in the pool, body pump (AM); Yoga (PM)</div>
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Tuesday - 3.33 miles, 400ish m in the pool (lost count) (AM); Yoga (PM)</div>
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Wednesday - 100 minutes spin (AM); Body Pump (PM)</div>
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Thursday - Kids wanted to go for a run, so we did a 1.5mi wog, 2 miles later in the afternoon alone, spin.</div>
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Friday - 1600m in the pool</div>
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Saturday - Rest</div>
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Sunday - 12 mile long run. </div>
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I got a late start--didn't leave the house until nearly 9:30am. But it was an overcast day, which here makes a big difference. I felt like I really found my stride and stuck to 4/1 intervals most of the run. I usually do 3/1. As the miles ticked off, I couldn't help but think about how training for 26.2 is changing my outlook on the long run. Because 12 miles used to be a LONG run. But this is just the beginning of the build. 14 miles, 17 miles, 20 miles, 23 miles, and 26 miles are yet to come before we toe the start line in 122 days. I was pleased with the splits and the pacing on this 12 miler--probably one of my better training runs. (This doesn't include stoppage time for water refills). </div>
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I was horribly sore after, but nothing an ice bath, a good stretch, and some gentle adjustments from the hubs wouldn't fix. Its quite nice that Brad, who does not really care for yoga, will use all my yoga **stuff** and quietly adjust me in ways similar to how my guru does. :)</div>
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So, if you are facing down a daunting task, or have something you've been thinking about facing for awhile but just don't want to, remember that the only thing truly stopping you is yourself. Write your own story, and go for it. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZa1BVM00pmvaWgNIV8e4l4RdcurAW4FtS_jbnnR78c7SbZ0PD24gHXKFijD5Riw4qHiuK3xTj_i8YX5HvGOoexa08GQfril3XFNWfLCBGGh-woPlTyKFvdU7ACntnM5k99P5NrnS0pCCu/s1600/10155296_10152108500477979_810507159_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZa1BVM00pmvaWgNIV8e4l4RdcurAW4FtS_jbnnR78c7SbZ0PD24gHXKFijD5Riw4qHiuK3xTj_i8YX5HvGOoexa08GQfril3XFNWfLCBGGh-woPlTyKFvdU7ACntnM5k99P5NrnS0pCCu/s1600/10155296_10152108500477979_810507159_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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Run on,</div>
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Ang</div>
Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489514344422610056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705183735911099647.post-21208672822937491362014-08-06T13:42:00.000-07:002014-08-06T14:01:41.468-07:00Opening to GraceOne of the reasons I am such a HUGE proponent of Anusara-inspired yoga is because the basic principals of that particular genre of yoga have so many practical applications in life OFF the yoga mat. I have plenty of workouts in my weekly routine--when I step on to the yoga mat, I'm looking for more than just flying through some poses. I'm looking to relieve the stress I've put on my body . . . and also on my mind. <br />
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I mean really . . . work, kids, life, school, training . . . blah blah blah. LIFE gets completely overwhelming sometimes.<br />
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Okay, let's be honest here. Life gets completely overwhelming ALL OF THE TIME.<br />
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Open to grace is the first principle of Anusara-inspired yoga.<br />
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px;">"Open to grace</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"> is the first principle of Anusara Yoga. How I understand it, this stems from the belief that we are more than just our physical body and mind. That everything is made out of the same energy, the whole of existence: you, me, nature and the streets. That everything is one thing. Opening to grace doing yoga is connecting and aligning ourself to this energy, that is bigger than us. That energy that intrinsically is us, the space in which everything appears and that what appears in it. All one thing." (<a href="http://www.ekhartyoga.com/blog/principles-of-alignment" target="_blank">Source</a>)</span></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUAbofQwLQ-jV9edtV3z8QPM_I8ht6DhZf2Gbyl1Nds0RI_Lth4XyAhwpo-G0i6jjtO9LE74M9n7m6BY3r4k09-tHzCy5g8HVKDjt9Jnz4OUm9d-FSo4i2eMVg6CdJv-g2g5A-sXr9ndah/s1600/opentograce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUAbofQwLQ-jV9edtV3z8QPM_I8ht6DhZf2Gbyl1Nds0RI_Lth4XyAhwpo-G0i6jjtO9LE74M9n7m6BY3r4k09-tHzCy5g8HVKDjt9Jnz4OUm9d-FSo4i2eMVg6CdJv-g2g5A-sXr9ndah/s1600/opentograce.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
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Opening to grace is accepting that things will be hard, and embracing the challenge. Opening to grace is seeing the benefit of the challenge. I use the "open to grace" concept a lot. Not just during my yoga practice. In running. In life. Take a breath, accept the challenge, and stretch for a goal.<br />
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My bike was stolen out of my garage in mid-July. It followed on the heels of the theft of some other items out of my car the week before. I was devastated, I loved my bike (it was a gift from my mom), and it gave me a feeling of freedom I don't get from anything else.<br />
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Cycling has always been a "thing" for me, even when I was an out of shape, unhealthy child. My cousin Kirk would come and take me for these long bike rides--out to my Grandparents farm or just in the country. I looked forward to those trips so much.<br />
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Anyway, it was a rough thing. But . . . Open to grace. Accept the challenge. Inhale the positive, exhale the negative. Think of a solution. So I wrote a letter. And two short weeks later, that letter has panned out not only into a sponsorship for me, but also for all the ladies on Team Tough Chik. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzE7q-DtfQmCbt06Sv78LgB2lwFHOaiVq8s-bxwegOdWIeBRCn2-B22_ubK-6YfOYVQoGMCBUpSFE6XGaDq4eDOW26B2Ut40A_7mBlPYj01FfiVFHuDSx0V4YHGv3iJj_uThm-aZZL_d1/s1600/DIAMONDBACK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzE7q-DtfQmCbt06Sv78LgB2lwFHOaiVq8s-bxwegOdWIeBRCn2-B22_ubK-6YfOYVQoGMCBUpSFE6XGaDq4eDOW26B2Ut40A_7mBlPYj01FfiVFHuDSx0V4YHGv3iJj_uThm-aZZL_d1/s1600/DIAMONDBACK.jpg" height="130" width="320" /></a></div>
So its with great pleasure that I announce <a href="http://www.diamondback.com/" target="_blank">Diamondback Bicycles</a> as my bike sponsor.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAjJvCGm3bcYfBoodIpF9gOFg1A-gew2DAMKeoexhKPz_l7OyXZeN62jyIkFRLdGn2vZREE2LPy9F7HC2QsNDb7lCVSqgP4yg97JLhmhFVgMWUQa0Tnd0z8A2fmfaf2PO8yw924Na1uM7I/s1600/karma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAjJvCGm3bcYfBoodIpF9gOFg1A-gew2DAMKeoexhKPz_l7OyXZeN62jyIkFRLdGn2vZREE2LPy9F7HC2QsNDb7lCVSqgP4yg97JLhmhFVgMWUQa0Tnd0z8A2fmfaf2PO8yw924Na1uM7I/s1600/karma.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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I am still more than a little in awe of the beautiful little bike sitting downstairs right now. I'm not one for naming bikes, but this one is getting a name because of the very unusual circumstances by which she came to me. I am not a pro athlete--I will never be the fastest, especially not on the run. So going for a bike sponsor was something I would not have dreamed about even a few short weeks ago. But here we are. So meet Karma. She's a <a href="http://www.diamondback.com/bikes-pavement-road-endurance-road-womens-air%C3%A9n-4-carbon" target="_blank">Diamondback Airen 4</a>. More bike than I would have dreamed of for myself for a long, long while. I expected to be riding my aluminum Trek for years to come. </div>
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I can't wait to get this baby out on the road. And honestly, I'm considering doing something in November that I've only thought about in the most abstract of terms, previously. </div>
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Inhale, exhale.</div>
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Open to grace.</div>
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Accept the challenge. </div>
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Reach for more.</div>
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Namaste </div>
Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489514344422610056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705183735911099647.post-20428830162123735092014-07-21T15:00:00.000-07:002014-07-21T15:00:03.957-07:00Race Report - Triathlon Trilogy #2I feel like its been forever since I've written a race report. Probably because it has been. It's been six weeks since my last race (Trilogy 1) and THAT alone seemed like forever. The last race I blogged about was Ragnar back in February and I never even finished writing about that. Sigh. Have to do better on the balance.<br />
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This race was by far my BEST race this season, so far anyway. Also my best race on this course. This is my third season doing the Triathon Trilogy, although the course was changed up this season by the return of the Rickenbacker Causeway to the bike course. I actually miss all the loops of the old course--the Uturns made it a technically challenging course it was slightly longer. The challenge presented by the climb is fantastic though.<br />
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Here's the low-down on the course.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt13dg5rd9BHqcMaDPTxGnDwfw1TfLecThnxggZIVXNSN3FTgEV9kxkFJrT2-8bbod205-xiXm21kDljoVURw6MA0QoScGbKQflRUEzGBN8r5VTaJPcO4oaqvsHNxWP7SOJ6ehWguQoeCo/s1600/SBRTrilogy2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt13dg5rd9BHqcMaDPTxGnDwfw1TfLecThnxggZIVXNSN3FTgEV9kxkFJrT2-8bbod205-xiXm21kDljoVURw6MA0QoScGbKQflRUEzGBN8r5VTaJPcO4oaqvsHNxWP7SOJ6ehWguQoeCo/s1600/SBRTrilogy2.png" height="320" width="173" /></a></div>
And how things shaped up for me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Tu89oRDPZxeMtDOQ3xODG2ippiU6PNzRCikns0aZVJvkSp27C28ObyA8WFAQoW3BB1SOPE0bJgIR3uaLC4KJ33tGg_4_IFFsd9T-QbP5sW1iLJ48UYRk09tsTXxAglr5gnx_JvyMbqaA/s1600/trilogy2ticket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Tu89oRDPZxeMtDOQ3xODG2ippiU6PNzRCikns0aZVJvkSp27C28ObyA8WFAQoW3BB1SOPE0bJgIR3uaLC4KJ33tGg_4_IFFsd9T-QbP5sW1iLJ48UYRk09tsTXxAglr5gnx_JvyMbqaA/s1600/trilogy2ticket.jpg" height="320" width="234" /></a></div>
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The swim--AWESOME. I have been spending a lot of time in the water focusing on improving my technique. My friend Julie is an AWESOME teacher. This was a PR on this course for me by 1:07. Which is HUGE for a 400m swim. The conditions were near perfect too. </div>
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The bike-I had hubby's road bike for this race. I am flat out floored by what a different ride it is, between the carbon fiber frame and the upgraded components. The climb over the Rickenbacker Causeway was SO MUCH EASIER on his bike than it was on mine. Its just crazy. The pace above is incorrect though (as much as I would like to say I really did break 20) because the course distance is incorrect. Either way, using his bike shaved 2+ minutes off my bike time from last race. The only downside is that his bike is a bit too big for me and my shoulders/back are SCREAMING today.</div>
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T2-My T2 times used to be under a minute, but since switching to clips on the bike (I used to ride in cages) I can't seem to trim T2 down. 12 second improvement this time, so I'll take it. I also managed to run in my cleats this go-round, which is a bonus. Lots of room for improvement here.</div>
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Th run- by the time I hit the run course, it was hot. I ran most of the first mile and then switched to Galloway 3/1. Best thing I ever did. I felt physically strong for the duration of the run, and this time was only 3 seconds off my personal best for this run course. It's a challenging multi-surface run course--part of it is over sand. Looking forward to breaking the 11 minute mile barrier in September, since I hope marathon training will continue to make me a stronger runner.</div>
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All in all, good enough for an almost 7 minute course improvement over last race, a 3 minute PR for this particular race, and 3rd in my division. My friend Julie rocked it out for 2nd, despite back pain and a nagging knee injury. 146th overall and 47th female. </div>
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This was my first race with my bia. It's still a work-in-progress, learning how to use it. I really enjoy the fact that it can automatically post my tracks (it has a built in cellular connection, which is pretty freaking cool). The Triathlon mode is on rollout and I missed the shout out to get it in time for this race, so I missed getting that in time. As a result I missed the first .6 miles of the run while my bia was doing an upgrade. But its all good--The go stick stayed snug during every stage of the race. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_H3E7KUukgEtAe8DfNmyTSAQJdUTa7FagGq4QObqcdASwCYjauxHGnSau3S-l_Lbt4SsIRmEaIYPHU7ZR6aCR8V2uZ6Fba843wxjipgUKg-p1ZpZKMws9M87frtgmBP8-7OtxPtqrh3m/s1600/bia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_H3E7KUukgEtAe8DfNmyTSAQJdUTa7FagGq4QObqcdASwCYjauxHGnSau3S-l_Lbt4SsIRmEaIYPHU7ZR6aCR8V2uZ6Fba843wxjipgUKg-p1ZpZKMws9M87frtgmBP8-7OtxPtqrh3m/s1600/bia.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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The place medals were super fun this go-round--a spinning place number with a spinning multirace emblem inside it. Loved them! Here's a pic of the goodies.<br />
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I am totally bummed that I will miss the 3rd round of the trilogy because of our vacation. I have done every race in the trilogy for the past 2 years. Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489514344422610056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705183735911099647.post-90422615049719248912014-07-20T14:19:00.003-07:002014-07-20T14:19:39.779-07:00Marathon Training - Weeks 3, 4 & 5Well, lookie there. I'm behind again. No big surprise. It's been a CRAZY couple of weeks, but I'll spare you all the details. This fun little sign pretty much sums up the past few weeks.<br />
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Suffice to say I am tired of yelling PLOT TWIST. But life moves on, and the world keeps turning.</div>
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The kids have started sports again, and that sucks up a lot of our time--which is probably why I am again behind on blogging. </div>
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I've been in triathlon mode lately. Our season is coming in hot and heavy. Emphasis on hot because HOLY COW it is hot outside in SoFl. The heat index regularly tips into the 100s and the humidity is excruciating. </div>
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Week 3:</div>
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Monday - Spin + Body Pump, Yoga</div>
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Tuesday -Yoga!</div>
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And then the sickies descended on our house. ("PLOT TWIST!") Wednesday and thursday were rest days.</div>
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Friday - 4th of July, I was off my food and feeling under the weather. 3.25 miles, excruciatingly miserable miles, but in the done column.</div>
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Saturday - Weights</div>
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Sunday - 9 miles</div>
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Week 4 looked like this:</div>
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Monday - Weights/Spin</div>
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Tuesday - 3.25 miles on the bridge (hills for SoFl people), 400 m Open Water Swim. This day included yelling "PLOT TWIST" many times, but I saw a school of spotted eagle rays from the bridge--twas AWESOME!</div>
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Wednesday - 40 min spin, 400m swim, Body Pump</div>
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Thursday - 4 miles (including wu/cd)</div>
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Friday - Body pump</div>
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Saturday- 2 miles (with our cute lil foster puppy)</div>
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Sunday - 1 mile OWS</div>
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This was the first time I hit a mile in open water, so I was super stoked. And super pooped. I had four miles on the calendar for Sunday but pushed it back due to time and ya know, LIFE. </div>
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Week 5:</div>
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Monday - REST (Because whoopsie, I went 10 days straight after the sickies came to call. Because I have issues balancing, and also because working out is my stress relief.</div>
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Tuesday - 4 miles + Yoga</div>
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Wednesday - Discovered my bike had been stolen from my garage. ("PLOT TWIST") - Processed this information with a 70 minute spin session and an 800m swim.</div>
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Thursday - 3.1 mi bike+400m swim. 13 mile bike in the evening on my hubby's too big, but nice bike, just to make sure I could manage on it. Because Sunday was a race day.</div>
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Friday - Body pump - Easy</div>
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Saturday - Rest</div>
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Sunday - Virginia Key Triathlon Trilogy #2. (400m swim, 8 mi bike, 5K run). Race report to follow, but here are my awesome neighbor and I after the race. </div>
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I have 10.5 miles on the calendar for Sunday, but that's going to be shifted to either early in the week or just be pushed back a week, depending on life. And the number of times I need to yell "Plot Twist" again this week. Lets hope not at all. </div>
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Have an amazing Monday!</div>
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489514344422610056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705183735911099647.post-64720199291232539622014-07-03T08:24:00.001-07:002014-07-03T08:25:13.751-07:00Marathon Training - Week 2Since I'm doing Galloway's marathon plan, each increase week is followed by a recovery week. We started a few weeks into the actual plan, which is why week 1 had 7.5 miles. This past week was a recovery week so the "long" run was only 3 miles. I love this because it allows for tri training and for my chaotic life. Like this week-when I had to conduct my monthly sampling for work, which involves a bike ride in the Everglades. That ended up being my long run this week.<br />
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My son got sick on the back half of the week, and it threw things off. Its still lingering, and STILL throwing things off. Thank you Jeff Galloway for coming up with a marathon plan that won't stress me out when LIFE HAPPENS. Because let's be real--life happens ALL. THE. TIME.<br />
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The theme for this week was beautiful scenery:<br />
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From Tuesday's 3.75 mile sunrise bridge run on the Rickenbacker Causeway (check out the moon and Venus in the first pic!)<br />
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And from Sunday's 30 mile bike in the Everglades--which felt like I was on the surface of the sun, by the way. It was in the lower 90s and the humidity was INSANE. </div>
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The river of grass--so cool to have such ready access to one of the world's most amazing ecosystems. </div>
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And yes, that's an alligator</div>
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Its the rainy season here, which means everything is flowering!!</div>
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This was one of those weeks when it was lovely to be outside, even though it was excruciatingly hot, to see the beauty that nature has to offer down here. </div>
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So, anyway, the week looked like this:</div>
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Monday - 50 min Spin, Body Pump, 30 min yoga</div>
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Tuesday - 3.75mi hill repeats (3/1 intervals)</div>
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Wednesday - 40 min spin, 1200 m swim (ladder workout), strength training</div>
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Thursday - 3.25 miles (HOTTER THAN HOT, ended up so slow)</div>
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Friday - Rest day thanks to a sick kid, but lots of puppy walks</div>
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Saturday - "Rest" day, and by rest I mean 2 birthday parties and several hours volunteering in the sun</div>
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Sunday - 30 miles in the saddle, 14.2 mph average pace. First time I've hit 30 in a long while. </div>
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So, really low mileage on the run side, but one hill workout. I thin </div>
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So far this week has been rocky--we ended up with a foster dog and my son has been under the weather again. But its all good, because I've got this. 158 days till 26.2.</div>
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489514344422610056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705183735911099647.post-8779685115492362262014-06-23T09:20:00.000-07:002014-06-23T09:20:14.544-07:00Marathon Training - Week 1So, I am turning 33 in December. I have never been big into birthday celebrations for myself . . .<br />
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I wanted this year to be different. I wanted to do something "big" for a change. My birthday, hubs birthday, and our wedding anniversary all fall in December, and of course there is Christmas too, so it makes it hard to do big things. It's time to do something I have been thinking about for a long time, but makes me terrified. <br />
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So along with my running bud Jess, her hubs, and my hubs, we signed up for the <a href="http://www.usroadsports.com/Signature/PalmBeach/" target="_blank">Palm Beaches Marathon </a>during its blitz. <br />
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Holy crap. Twenty six point freaking two miles. I guess it fulfills this mantra. <br />
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Its been awhile since I've done something that terrifies me. 26.2 miles TERRIFIES me. Its a crazy thing that a lot of people will never do. Its certainly something I never thought I would do, back in those days not so long ago when I would look at people running, from my car, while eating a fast food burger and thinking to myself "Wow, those people are crazy."<br />
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I have sort of been in marathon denile these past few months. I have just tried not to think about it, because thinking about it is pretty overwhelming. But since we're now less than six months away, there was no more putting it off. So last week, Jess and I chose a plan and put our heads together and said "The time is now."<br />
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And low and behold, Week 1 of marathon training is over. Keep in mind, we're knee deep in triathlon season, which goes until November here in SoFL. So that impacted the training plan I chose. Went with Galloway, because I think the mileage is realistic for me and because it will give me time to swim, bike and lift, all things I am not willing to give up during marathon training.<br />
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So here's what week one looked like:<br />
M - 30 min spin/Body Pump<br />
Tu - 800m swim/4 mi run<br />
W - 50 min spin/3 mi run (brick!)<br />
Th - 4 mi run/wog (cause I died at the end)<br />
F - Body pump<br />
Sa - Rest<br />
Su- 7.5 miles at 3/1 intervals. It was hot and humid but I was SHOCKED how good I felt at the end. 6 was originally on the schedule, but we decided to go for 7.5 because WHY NOT. (And also because I realized Escape to Miami in September falls on the same day as my first 20 miler according to the plan. File that under things that won't quite work out.<br />
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The only bad thing about the week was the training increase sort of made me wig out on my eating. I need to plan more carefully this week. I don't care if I don't lose a pound over the next few months, but I DO want to lean out. So I need to watch what I'm putting into my face. Fun times.<br />
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Rock on peeps, and happy Monday.Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489514344422610056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705183735911099647.post-20657797961946634802014-06-18T09:33:00.002-07:002014-06-18T09:43:56.338-07:00When Life Bogs You DownHello Readers!! <br />
Sorry that I have been MIA. I don't even know how blogging fell by the wayside. Or maybe I do. Life happens, and sometimes, it just gets overwhelming and the things that aren't critical to existence fall away. The past few months have been very much about finding our homeschool groove in this house. Its been a challenge. I haven't been running, I gained some weight . . . I struggled with my emotions and old habits and all of that fun stuff.<br />
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No matter where you are in your journey in life, or in fitness, or WHATEVER, its important to recognize that things happen. Life gets you down. You make crappy choices, bad things happen. You fall. But then you get back up and you move on. <br />
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June has very much been the getting back up and moving on for me. Its not like anything catastrophic has occurred in our lives, it was just that life got away from us. <br />
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I was reminded that people actually DO read this page, and take things away from it, by a woman I met at my last race. She was a friend of an awesome chick I met last year, and had been reading for awhile. She had noticed the lack of posts. I realized I need to make more of an effort to write here again. I have fallen SO FAR behind, its not even funny. Mental and physical struggles aside, I still haven't blogged about the last 2 legs of Ragnar. I haven't written about the two half marathons or three triathlons I have done since then.<br />
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Oh, and I haven't written about the awesome night hubs and I went out to go dancing that resulted in my toe getting sliced open and sidelining me for an entire month. THAT was fun. Because of that injury, I did my first Relay at Miami Man Speedway edition. I'm lucky to have awesome running friends who are willing to run 6.6 miles in the heat of the day at the drop of a hat.<br />
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In the four months since I've written last, my son has turned 8 and my daughter has graduated from preschool. We had a crazy fun soccer season in there too.<br />
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There have been a lot of beautiful sunrises . . .<br />
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Miami Beach 13.1 - From the causeway</div>
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and LOTS of epic craziness . . .<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pS0pMlg83Na0mThEBIWJNT-0F3VB8ZtbeRVjtSs6Ur_drxkSjBXrcDjGr-rWFMcqnxJQK-DebgiZQ5S6Mvv9cc0X5d12JvGI7dPKAvtsxwYOBFflS6zDXI8evGPXNj58sPViFhjpcYa1/s1600/0325141021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pS0pMlg83Na0mThEBIWJNT-0F3VB8ZtbeRVjtSs6Ur_drxkSjBXrcDjGr-rWFMcqnxJQK-DebgiZQ5S6Mvv9cc0X5d12JvGI7dPKAvtsxwYOBFflS6zDXI8evGPXNj58sPViFhjpcYa1/s1600/0325141021.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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like running in the rain</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgioAr51lDcUOl14KcB766YTsfdoMnfMF2rGjvUeP61HbzN8w4FoEIIMwwvwMstRpOao6T1sfAMQw0gIRO1Ksj6LebQ7hClbl_aJ7VoL-3l6s8avYWiZbJuZpbtyzTqEtiM1rJ3QKXth1u/s1600/0502141316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgioAr51lDcUOl14KcB766YTsfdoMnfMF2rGjvUeP61HbzN8w4FoEIIMwwvwMstRpOao6T1sfAMQw0gIRO1Ksj6LebQ7hClbl_aJ7VoL-3l6s8avYWiZbJuZpbtyzTqEtiM1rJ3QKXth1u/s1600/0502141316.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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and humiliating the dog</div>
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and finding cool things on the beach</div>
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while burying ourselves in the sand. </div>
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June has been getting back to basics . . .</div>
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Eating clean</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXFrW8A8g-J0YHx8P8P6BC0l1c0u_3x3Ddr_A5vkPk6xDwdf1fffovbJf8hV-af84RHPuEHmdhxuPt8KV1xSGS48hBCrJ9uBij1wPL9pke1nXYRredIxlZH3xHrFtPeA_oQNiNA920TrB/s1600/0618141130b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXFrW8A8g-J0YHx8P8P6BC0l1c0u_3x3Ddr_A5vkPk6xDwdf1fffovbJf8hV-af84RHPuEHmdhxuPt8KV1xSGS48hBCrJ9uBij1wPL9pke1nXYRredIxlZH3xHrFtPeA_oQNiNA920TrB/s1600/0618141130b.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Positive self talk (Thanks Grandma!)</div>
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And COMPRESSION.</div>
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It was putting on my compression today, after a 50 minute spin/3 mile run brick, that inspired me to write today. Because as I was struggling into my Aspaeris shorts I was reminded that only 18 months ago, I was sitting in my car with <a href="http://tootallfritz.com/" target="_blank">Amanda/TooTall</a> feeling exhausted after my 2nd Ragnar leg/my first Ragnar night run, and feeling like there was no way I could MOVE yet alone keep going. We were two runners down, my stomach wasn't behaving and I felt SO TIRED. But she talked me into struggling into the shorts, and even though I felt like dying, we finished. Life is like that. You think you can't go on, but you do. You preservere. You get better, you get stronger, you get faster. It may never get easier, but you get better. You keep going. </div>
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My favorite thing about running/endurance events is that they are metaphors for life. Yes, its hard. Yes, you want to give up. You struggle, you fall, you want to quit. But you don't. You can't. You have to keep going. You come out the other side.</div>
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Oh, and sorry if you see me around town in my compression get-up. Since training is back in full swing, you gotta do what you gotta do. </div>
Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489514344422610056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705183735911099647.post-80940907029907477442014-02-13T08:20:00.000-08:002014-02-13T08:20:00.272-08:00Ragnar 2014 #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivN1jTpbLzoGWASrbMo_BP3ePY6nouKg52p7Vibki-rjTJHie1nCs_oE6myi1qA56hFLGLzYxf2eT36a6OQznF8Tr5-WRlhEPKRBRGDf7sRhck5vHEO8Ep3eMgy3B5tShxZOL54rKedvAz/s1600/daboys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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We got up at 2am on Friday morning to do this crazy thing. Yes, you read that right, 2am. By 3, we were on the road to pick up Kristen and Rich. Gigi and Nick had arrived the night before and were staying at our place. It made things super easy in the logistical sense. We arrived shortly before 4am for our safety briefing and check in. Ragnar was running behind, and we didn't actually start until 5:10, ten minutes after our assigned start time. <br />
Our starting rotation looked like this:<br />
Nick - 5.7 miles (including the Rickenbacker Causeway)<br />
Brad - 4.4 miles (through Grand Avenue)<br />
Me - 2.4 miles<br />
Rich - 4.0 miles<br />
Gigi - 3.6 miles<br />
Kristen - 2.7 miles, handing off to van 2 at Tamiami Park<br />
Here is everyone at the start, getting ready to go.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKcGKiGqqC9uWMNi-waFpBi9_cPvkCg6abOk4PnzxI5IsoBH2FPCwCiwAl-vwJxBTLVT-r1BFuDKnWABxvs7dBpZkkJpZSxu5msoRWt6erhfsqaMJPZf1h06pW9JaK60Zh3OwrgCtYOPc5/s1600/startline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKcGKiGqqC9uWMNi-waFpBi9_cPvkCg6abOk4PnzxI5IsoBH2FPCwCiwAl-vwJxBTLVT-r1BFuDKnWABxvs7dBpZkkJpZSxu5msoRWt6erhfsqaMJPZf1h06pW9JaK60Zh3OwrgCtYOPc5/s1600/startline.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
I knew Nick was fast, but I really hadn't rectified in my mind exactly HOW fast. The man has a 1:28 half marathon under his belt. When they started, he was off like he had been shot out of a slingshot. He was in the lead leaving Key Biscayne. He was IN THE LEAD. I'm a 11-12 minute miler on an average day, so this whole in the lead thing was pretty foreign. We watched him in awe. Here he is, looking like a flash. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK02cKgIi6oPPjYQAxsowCTCFmXiAwVZYxsggerLttdvI_LpbxkgANcsqZDRElELAZRunrfoAcf-YJA3C8qkzLWdun9562reBMDFcdXL7hhNNqrkL13ISjA01P6UXWomCDheCC024uXGhU/s1600/nicknight.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK02cKgIi6oPPjYQAxsowCTCFmXiAwVZYxsggerLttdvI_LpbxkgANcsqZDRElELAZRunrfoAcf-YJA3C8qkzLWdun9562reBMDFcdXL7hhNNqrkL13ISjA01P6UXWomCDheCC024uXGhU/s1600/nicknight.jpg" height="320" width="320" /> </a></div>
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Nick handed off to Brad in Coconut Grove, and we stuck close. It wasn't even six am, the sun wasn't up yet and Brad had to run through a pretty shady area. So we would go a few blocks and wait for him, then go a few more. Once he crossed US1 we headed to the next exchange, which was right behind the University of Miami. I was up next. My 2.4 was pretty uneventful--my legs felt heavy, and I think I was finally warmed up by about the time it was over. I ran a 10:45, which was on pace for what I was expecting. </div>
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Next up was Rich. Rich is also a super speedy guy. </div>
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Gigi was up next--love this girl, we had such a great time. Here we are before her first exchange. </div>
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And here are the guys while we were waiting for Gigi to come in.</div>
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Next to the shower pill magnet. We really did love our shower pills.</div>
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AAnd last, but not least was Kristen, who brought us in to Exchange 6, where we handed off to Van 2. </div>
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The really GREAT thing about doing this race, which literally runs through our back yard, is that once we were done, we went home. We dropped Kristen and Rich at Kristen's house and then went to my house. We ate real food and slept in real beds (or at least tried to sleep). That paid off later. We were done and headed home by 10, looking forward to a solid four hours before we needed to meet back up. Meanwhile, Van 2 ROCKED IT despite the heat.<br />
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To Be Continued!!<br />
Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489514344422610056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705183735911099647.post-43000709457485262532014-02-12T07:59:00.001-08:002014-02-12T07:59:16.059-08:00Ragnar 2.0 - In the Books<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This year was so incredible, I'm having a crazy hard time recovering from it.<br />
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Because it was damn near perfect.<br />
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Sure, there were little snafus. Like when we got to exchange 24 at midnight Friday night in an INCREDIBLY sleep deprived state, expecting a nice major exchange with OH, I dunno, a building. Or at least a bathroom with running water. And got a grass field. An UNMOWED grass field. With port-o-johns as the ONLY facilities.<br />
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But I digress.<br />
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This year's Ragnar Keys was AMAZING. This was our second year doing the event, and our first as team captains. Technically BRAD was the team captain. Technically. We had a great group of really strong runners. Half of our crew had relay experience. The weather didn't cooperate with us, but it didn't absolutely flatten us like it did last year--the heat was bad but the night runs, at least, were manageable. <br />
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I can't say enough about how much fun this group of people was to hang out with in between runs. Left to right, Gigi (<a href="http://www.runningoncandy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Running on Candy</a>), Brad, me, Nick (went to college with Brad), Kristen (friends with Allison), and Rich (Kristen's brother-in-law).<br />
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Rich and his crew of "Tarts and Tartans" were awesome. Steady and strong for every single leg. All while wearing kilts. Back row, left to right: Allison (we know each other from the gym), Susan (friends with Allison), Dawn, Rich; front, Mike and Melissa. Dawn, Rich, Mike and Melissa all know each other and had run together previously. Steady and STRONG, I say!<br />
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We started at 5:10 am (10 minutes later than we were supposed to) and finished 34 hours later, while the sun was still out, which was a great treat :-) </div>
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Fantastic experience. <a href="http://www.showerpill.com/" target="_blank">Shower Pill </a>DEFINITELY made things more pleasant for us, keeping the stinkiness to a minimum. We really appreciated those Shower Pill wipes when we were stuck at the exchange with no running water, let me tell you.</div>
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I'll write three separate posts over the next few days highlighting the three legs. But suffice to say this was an AMAZING experience with a bunch of great people. I couldn't help but think of our Ragnar team from last year often--another amazing experience with a bunch of strong, resilient runners. I was glad that we had an injury/incident free year this year!</div>
Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489514344422610056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705183735911099647.post-78700963344914661332014-02-05T16:40:00.003-08:002014-02-05T16:40:45.699-08:00A Pre-Ragnar Tale . . . These Shoes.<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7w3MZbctbJnu4u7cThyphenhyphenlUuRfsJI3zWfzoweGwfRiYjy7kDmTgi4bybSivYkiTR4qtHv_Nq0Hk-vjhLfwcwui_WUKIULlW3Dhz-sQGfDP2mFXKDs4YZrAZduZui9Mhm1stiKbMzKInUukW/s1600/shoes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7w3MZbctbJnu4u7cThyphenhyphenlUuRfsJI3zWfzoweGwfRiYjy7kDmTgi4bybSivYkiTR4qtHv_Nq0Hk-vjhLfwcwui_WUKIULlW3Dhz-sQGfDP2mFXKDs4YZrAZduZui9Mhm1stiKbMzKInUukW/s1600/shoes.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a> </div>
So. These shoes. These shoes were new when we did Ragnar last year. A impulsive sale rack purchase at Sports Authority. (Not something I would recommend doing unless you know what you are looking for.)<br />
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They hurt my feet when I first got them. I almost always have to "break in" my shoes, even though I know they say you aren't supposed to. Whatever. I have stupid feet. <br />
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I hated them every time I ran, but I packed them for Ragnar because my tried and true shoes were starting to really show their age and I KNEW I was going to need these babies at some point. So I put them on for my second leg (night leg) and was regretting it by mile 2 because I hurt. EVERYWHERE. It was hot and humid, I was so so so so not mentally prepared for that second leg, because I was expecting it to be cool and beautiful and instead, I got hot and humid instead. By mile 6 I was just ready to be done. Add some tummy troubles into the mix, and I was in tears when I finished my 9.9 miles. Mostly because it was at a 12:45 pace, which I felt was a letdown. I wanted to throw those shoes in the TRASH CAN.<br />
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Its really funny thinking about that now, because I'm willingly and happily packing those shoes again this year. They are my "down and dirty" shoes these days. I spent my ENTIRE triathlon season in these shoes, mostly because most of the tris this year involved trail running and these shoes have great support for hitting the trails. These trails carried me through the 19 mile disaster that was the <a href="http://lifebeyondthechaos.blogspot.com/2014/01/race-report-and-review-superhero.html" target="_blank">Super Hero Scramble </a>with very little foot pain. This year these shoes will keep me company on my second leg again, 8.2 miles on a canal trail. Its probably going to be hot and crazy and I absolutely can't wait.<br />
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The differences between me as a runner this year and last year is HUGE. I was still a fledgling last year. I only had 1 half marathon under my belt. I didn't have THAT much mileage. Ragnar was THE event that made me embrace endurance events. Since then, I've done 2 more halfs, a ten miler, a 19 mile OCR and one international tri. I've consistently logged 20-30 mile weeks since triathlon season ended. I've learned how to recover quicker and fuel myself better. I can NOT WAIT to see how all of this translates on the open road.<br />
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Emphasis on OPEN ROAD. This is an open road race. There are no lane closures. There is little support, except that provided by your team mates. I can not wait to get this crazy journey on the road again. And I suspect to make some more good memories in these shoes. <br />
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PS. Go check out team-mate Gigi's <a href="http://runningoncandy.blogspot.com/2014/02/leaving-on-jet-plane.html?showComment=1391646331031#c3939246723558025933" target="_blank">pre-Ragnar post! </a></div>
Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489514344422610056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705183735911099647.post-14169989805745497312014-01-15T12:59:00.000-08:002014-01-15T12:59:14.317-08:00Race Report and Review: Superhero Scramble Villain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So . . . we signed up for the Superhero Scramble using a deal on Living Social a LONG time ago. When we did it, it was for the Intimidator course, which was supposed to be 8 miles. When we did it, I figured it would be a fun "last long run" before Ragnar (before I knew how crazy I would get it my training, to the point 8 miles really isn't a "long run" anymore . . . ) It was meant to be a fun chance to do something crazy with a bunch of girls at the gym, except most of them bailed/moved/were injured. So it ended up being just Brad and I. Brad and I don't usually run together, because I run an 11 min/mile +/- and he runs in the 9:30 min/mile territory. Those two just don't mix well. At some point, the powers that be at Superhero Scramble decided to add a "Villain" course to this race, which is advertised as "13+ miles". They also moved the race from Miami up to Deerfield Beach, a LONG way from our house.<br />
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<br />Whatever, we rolled with the punches. We somehow ended up registered for the Villain. Don't ask me how, I still have no idea. We debated downgrading to the Intimidator, but decided we could swing 13 miles. We headed up to stay with my friend Jess on Friday night, and she watched the kids. The first wave wasn't supposed to start until 9:00, and our wave at 9:15, but we headed up to the park at 7. We arrived by 8, and there was already a line for parking. A short line, but a line all the same. After we got our numbers, we started chatting with a couple ladies from New York, who said they were told the course was 20 miles for the Villain. Wait, what? What happened to "13+"? That's a lot of "+". But then the MC for the event announced 8 miles for the Intimidator, 16 miles for the Villain. Okay, that's still a lot of "+", but better than 20, right?? RIGHT??? Right after that the MC announced parking was such a disaster that they would be delaying the start. Our wave, which was scheduled for 9:15, didn't start until 9:40. During this time, I managed to down half my hydropack, because it was already hot and humid. In a major case of forshadowing, there was no water at the finish line water station, so I couldn't refill. Oh well. I ditched my shirt, because it was seriously hot. I'm super selfconcious, but if we *were* running over 15 miles, I wanted to stay cool. So whatever. <br />
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Here we are before the race </div>
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Race started, there were some simple obstacles along the way. And then we hit the trails. HOLY TRAILS. We were literally running black diamond single track mountainbiking trails for 4-5 miles. It was INTENSE. And hot. And there was only a single water station on the entire course. But we held our own. I didn't fall on my face, which was a WIN considering how intense those trails were. The entire time though, I was thinking what a PERFECT Ragnar training run it was.<br />
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Then, after what felt like hours, we finally got to an obstacle that wasn't a wall, and the chance to get wet. The "Leap of Faith" is a 20-30 leap into the lake, followed by a 250ish yard lake swim. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Courtesy of Superhero Scramble</td></tr>
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When
we got there, things were a little crazy. Multiple people were having
to be rescued. There was a rope for people to hold on to, but it went
across the ENTIRE swim and was swamped with people. We waited for a
good 10 minutes while they sorted that out. It got cloudy and started
raining. We finally got to go. SO FUN to jump from that high, and the lake swim wasn't a big deal. It was just awkward swimming in shoes and with the hydropack.<br />
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Climbed a net to get out of the lake. Passed the *only* other water station on the course immediately after that. About 10 minutes later, we stopped to provide medical assistance to a guy who had immobilizing leg cramps and was probably majorly dehydrated. At some point we passed a mile 7 marker. Only the 2nd mile marker on the entire course. But whatever. There was a balance beam obstacle, which was cool.<br />
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There was the Arach-net-phobia, which was seriously cool. And no, I didn't mange to climb the rope. I used to be scared to death of heights, so I felt pretty bad ass doing this obstacle. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Photo courtesy of Superhero Scramble</u></td></tr>
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Other than some rock walls, which are always fun, there weren't any other "awesome" obstacles. There was a row of deep, steep pits that were challenging. There was a cinder block pull and a sandbag carry. *Yippee* NO mud. Although it was nice reminder of how much Body Pump pays off. :-)<br />
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As we were heading through the parking lot, we started strategizing how we would survive the next loop of the course. Because it had DEFINITELY been way more than a mile since we had seen the "Mile 7" sign. We stopped at the car to get extra nutrition and refill the hydropack. Then headed out for our second loop. We saw a guy right after the split for the Intimidator course who had clocked 9.5 miles on his GPS. Yeah, NOT 8. <br />
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We managed the 2nd loop. But things were dire back at the first waterstop. They had run out of cups, there were lines, 2 jugs, and everyone drinking from the jug. DIRE. We refilled our hydropack. The 2 guys working the water stop said that they only had two jugs of water left. We walked a lot on the trails during the second loop, but still passed a lot of Intimidator people from the later waves. When the trails finally ended, we did the "Leap" again, and swam the lake. Balance beam was harder the 2nd time around. Similar conditions at the 2nd water station (no cups, 2 jugs, NO volunteers). After that point, there were very few volunteers anywhere on the course. <br />
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The end of the course was a total fail, IMO. There were several obstacles at the end . . . a fire jump followed by an ice pit. The ice pit had collapsed. Here we are jumping over fire though.<br />
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Then the wall climb (which we skipped, because I watched a girl fall almost from the top and no. After 19 miles in the heat and humidity . . . Just no.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u></u>Photo courtesy of Super Hero Scramble</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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The slide was FUN. That's actually us. One of the things I *did* like about Superhero is downloading race photos is included in the package. <br /><br />The final obstacles were supposed to be a slime pit, mud pit, and battling past some people with giant pads. EPIC FAIL. The slime was dried up, the mud was dried up, and there was one person just standing there with the giant pad. Oh, and Brad managed to cut his hand in the mud pit, which had all sorts of fun sharp objects in it. Insult to injury, there was no water pressure in the hoses and no place to change after.<br />
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Shirts and medals were cool. Except wait, what year it is?? Yeah, 2014. The medal and shirt both say 2013. Superhero says it is because it is because it is the end of the 2013 season. Okay, whatever. It would still be nice if it said the year we raced it in. Oh well. Otherwise, the shirt is awesome. <br />
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Final thoughts: We had a BLAST, and it was definitely great Ragnar prep. AND I've been stuck at 14-15 miles for my max long run, so this got me over that hump. But considering the hydration issues and issues on the swim, I am surprised no one died. And I'm not joking when I say that. I thought the obstacles at Warrior Dash were better. Having *MORE* obstacles doesn't really do anything for me if its the same thing over and over, or if half the obstacles are dried up/broken/whatever by the time I get to them. My biggest thing though, is I do NOT SEE how a race organizer can not let participants know the correct distance before the start of an event. We were fortunate, because we overpacked, but there is a HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE difference between 13, 16 and 19 miles. Its impossible to bring proper nutrition and water if you don't know the proper distance. There was no nutrition on course and only 2 water stations over 9.5 miles. I get that this race wasn't a supported race, but how do you bring proper fuel when you don't know the actual distance? There's even a pretty big difference between 8 and 9.5 for the Intimidator people. Overall, this race was poorly executed, especially for a "World Championship." We only do Obstacle Races once a year, and I don't think we'll do Superhero again. <br />
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489514344422610056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705183735911099647.post-14876606432304347182014-01-01T12:29:00.000-08:002014-01-01T12:29:05.427-08:00Miami Man Recap (In Pictures)Oye, I have fallen off the blog train. Life, in all of its chaotic glory, really got away from me this holiday season. Between homeschooling the boy and logging miles (lots and LOTS of miles), I just didn't log on enough to blog. Whoops. <br />
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But we've been busy here at Life Beyond the Chaos. Miami Man was awesome, and I never did write a race report for it. Again, whoops. It was a fun crazy ride, and here's a summary in pictures.<br />
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I'm not a fan of lake swims, but this swim was AMAZING, the water was beautiful and it was nice to not have salt going up your nose. :-) <br />
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Transition was HUGE. I'm used to little races so this was different. <br />
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I don't ever get tired of that race day thrill though. <br />
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I LOVED the bike. It was an open road course, which was a little scary. I was surprised that I liked the longer distance. I felt like for the most part, it was just me and the road. Looking forward to some longer distance tris in 2014 (already registered for 3 mid-distance races). <br />
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I died on the run, which was a little disappointing. It was just smokin' hot, and there was little shade. But for a first international, I was okay with it. <br />
Splits were as follows, and were good enough for 5th in my division. Again, a little disappointing, but it was what it was, and it was defiantly a learning experience.<br />
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<tr class=""><td align="right">Swim: 0:26:07</td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right">T1: 1:58</td><td align="right"> Bike: 1:18:02</td><td align="right">T2: 1:33</td><td align="right">Run: 1:29:20</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right"> Total: 03:16:59.50</td><td align="center"><br /></td><td align="center"><br /></td></tr>
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I got to meet up with Ragnar team-mate Dawn, who smoked the female relay with her team.<br />
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<br />I found myself both glad and sad tri season was over. I love triathlon, it is such an AMAZING sport. But it has been nice to just get back to the run. Since Miami Man, I have literally split my time between only running and lifting. I haven't touched my bike and I haven't done much else, which has resulted in FINALLY getting some really good running miles logged. Which (hopefully) will translate to an improvement in my pace come February. Only time will tell. </div>
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I'm already registered for Miami Man again next year--its a great way to end Tri season. :-)</div>
Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489514344422610056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705183735911099647.post-36366009429260829892013-11-07T11:59:00.000-08:002013-11-07T13:24:31.001-08:00Miami Man Ramblings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.miamimantriathlon.com/" target="_blank">Miami Man</a> is almost here. THREE short days until my first non-sprint triathlon. I waiver between being scared to death, excited, and nervous. Part of me wants to just get this over with so I can go back to having a training life, rather than being stuck in the continuous recovery/preparation phase that has governed my life for the past 6 weeks. Because TRAINING is the only real break I get from my every day.<br />
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I'm doing the international distance. Its more than twice what I've done so far this year, but approximately half of a Half Iron Distance . . . 0.6mi swim/22 mi bike/6.6 mi run.<br />
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So to break it down . . . first comes the swim. .6 mile lake swim. And can I just say HOLY CRAP, it looks long on paper. <br />
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Goal for the swim . . . not die. Really, that's all I'm going for. A
goal is under 25 minutes, B goal is 30. But not drowning (or needing to
hold on to a freaking lifeguard) would be acceptable as well.<br />
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The bike . . . 22 miles in the Redlands (agricultural district) . . . flat, crappy roads with nothing to block the wind. Wind tends to be out of the ENE, so it could be a rough ride back. It was blowing 25 mph earlier in the week (which was freaking me out) but has calmed down. Hope it stays that way. <br />
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Goal for the bike . . . hard to say because it depends on the wind. I'd like to negative split the out and back. A goal is 18mph+, B goal is 17. But I really haven't ever tried to keep that pace for 22 miles, so we'll see. I will just have to pretend my favorite riding partners are pulling me the whole way. Any time I feel like quitting I'll definitely be thinking of Rosie and Sus.<br />
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The RUN . . . the whole reason I picked to do my first mid-distance Tri at THIS particular race is because loops make me want to scream. I hate loops with a passion. This 6.6 mile run should be pretty cool though, since its through the zoo. I have spent a bazillion hours at this zoo, so I know it like the back of my hand. This SHOULD be handy when it comes to knowing where I'm at and how much further to go. <br />
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I KNOW KNOW KNOW the run is going to be the hardest part for me. I have a tendency to spin more on the bike racing than I do when I train. Which means my legs are dead for the run. I haven't bricked enough in training, I KNOW it. So, in an effort to not suck on the run, I'm dedicating miles . . . so corniness ensues NOW. . .<br />
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<b>Mile 1</b> - My kiddos, who motivated me to START my fitness journey and keep me moving.<br />
<b>Mile 2 </b>- My hubby, who will be waiting for me at the finish (thanks to an awesome friend) . . . he used to think I was crazy for doing this stuff but I'm slowly pulling him over to the dark side<br />
<b>Mile 3</b> - My Tough Chik Sisters, who motivate me and move me and never fail to support each other<br />
<b>Mile 4 </b>- Every single woman out there who ever thought she couldn't do something. Who felt like she was too fat, too slow, to weak . . .I have to post this now because its been in the back of my head all week. <br />
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<b>Mile 5</b> - A few very special friends who are going through a REALLY, REALLY crappy year. They know who they are. <br />
<b>Mile 6 </b>- My gym peeps, Cherokee, Peggy, Carmen, Abbey, Lourdes, Dawn. . . really too many to list them all; and my forever running bud Jess, who will be racing her own 13.1 at the same time; my good friend Julie who has always given me something to aspire to in mothering and in speed, and who has been recovering from an injury for a large chunk of the year :-)<br />
<b>That last 0.6</b> . . myself. This race closes out the competitive year for me, as well as my tri season. And it WAS a season. 6 sprint triathlons since March. This will be my 12th event in 11 months. Something I would never have considered possible a few years ago. This has been a break through year for me and I want it to end on a high note. <br />
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A goal for the run is a 10:30 pace but that may be pushing it. I'd really like to be under an 11 minute mile as a B goal, but it really depends on how the bike goes.<br />
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A goal is to be done under 3 hours. B goal is to (once again) simply NOT DIE.<br />
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And eep, I think I'm now officially really freaked out, having put all of that in writing. Have an amazing long weekend, friends!Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489514344422610056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705183735911099647.post-18668189728924491952013-11-06T13:54:00.001-08:002013-11-06T13:54:33.377-08:00Miami Beach Halloween Half 2013 . . . the one that almost didn't happen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I wasn't entirely certain I could handle a half marathon in October, when my tri season wasn't ending until the 2nd weekend in November. But alas, hubs and I committed to the do the <a href="http://halloweenhalfmarathon.com/" target="_blank">Miami Beach Halloween Half</a>. I worked this race last year and it looked super fun--lots of people dressing up in costumes. In the weeks leading up to this badboy, I was secretly hoping for a new half marathon PR.</div>
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<br />Then my oldest son got sick. Then I spent the whole week coughing up a lung and fighting a horrible sinus thing. Brad got sent out of town on a whirlwind two day business trip. I didn't sleep. I was pretty sure that not only was PR NOT happening, I was probably going to be taking my first DNS (Did not start) because I couldn't walk around the block without feeling like I was going to die.</div>
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The night before the race, I took nyquil and spent most of the night sleeping in a chair (AGAIN). I resigned myself to the DNS, but decided to pack my race clothes "just in case" because I knew I would regret it if I didn't. We always work these races, so even if I wasn't racing, I was still going to help out. I was undecided until 30 minutes before the race started. It was SUCH a beautiful day. I finally decided what the heck. It was 4 miles from the start to where we ran by the finish line for the first time. If I felt bad, I would just stop there. Dead Last > Did Not Finish > Did Not Start. So I got dressed.</div>
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We were supposed to be Gilligan and Mary Anne, but I failed getting Brad the signature hat and didn't really do it to the full extent we could have. </div>
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I started off SUPER slow, just willing myself to get warmed up and *not die*. At this point I had zero expectations and just wanted to enjoy the moment.</div>
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The view as we passed the finish line the FIRST time (mile 4). I was feeling good, and kept going. </div>
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And all things considered, THIS was a beautiful way to spend a Saturday morning. We had to run half a mile on the beach on the way out, and then the same half mile on the way back (around mile 11). No biggie on the way out. On the way BACK on the other hand . . . <br />
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At about mile 5, I felt INCREDIBLE so I decided to pick up to my goal pace. I knew PR wasn't happening, so I decided to make this a training run and go for a negative split. It so happened that my music stopped working, so I ran 3.5 miles between a 9:25-10:25 min/mile pace. (Fast fast fast for me) I was feeling ON FIRE. And then, two things happened. # 1 was that there were no water stations for 3 miles. #2 was we turned on to the famous Lincoln Road, which is APPARENTLY not my cup of tea. I did not dig the detour, I was thirsty, and I crashed quickly. I slowed down and never got my mojo back. I know nutrition was an issue, because I wasn't feeling well and didn't eat like I normally would have leading up to a race. <br />
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Back on the beach stretch I got to hang with <a href="http://www.doctordribble.com/coming_soon/" target="_blank">Dr. Dribble </a>, which was fun and entertaining. Even HE had to carry his balls across the beach stretch. <br />
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And THEN came the biggest letdown of the race . . . we had to run PAST the finishline AGAIN for the last 1.5 of the race. All the way to the site of the after party. Then turn around and run BACK to the finish line. No secret to those that know me that I am NOT a loop girl. I am an out and back girl. I don't run by my house because I WILL quit. This was totally because of a last minute course change the city required, but it was PAINFUL. My mental toughness was gone. I walked way more than I should have. I was SO GLAD when I finally crossed that finish line. <br />
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My time for half marathon #3 was 2:36 and change, just under a 12 minute mile. Not what I was hoping for going in, but not as slow as my first half. It was a total learning experience. Things I learned:<br />
-Speed work pays off. I CAN maintain a faster pace for a prolonged period. All of my tempo runs have been in the 3-4 mile range, and if I expect to maintain a faster pace for 13.1, I need to start upping my tempo runs.<br />
-I actually stay on pace better with music. I think from now on, music is for the last half or so. Or maybe the first 3rd and last 3rd.<br />
-I still need to carry my own water, because if I don't drink, I crash.<br />
-I can ABSOLUTELY kill my run at <a href="http://www.miamimantriathlon.com/" target="_blank">Miami Man </a>this coming weekend, and hopefully do it under an 11 minute mile pace if things go well. I CAN RUN FAST(ER) if I focus. <br />
And, your TMI for the day . . . if you run with a head cold, it drains, and it causes tummy trouble. NOT FUN. <br />
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Recovery coming off this race was not great, simply because I felt so crappy after that I didn't even stretch like I should have. I have felt under the weather for the week and a half since, and haven't really done much of anything. Mostly because Miami Man is this weekend, and as my "A" race for the year, I want fresh legs. Another thing I learned about myself is that scheduling too much to close in means I end up undertrained. I haven't really trained since the first week in October, between recovery from the Columbus Day Tri, this race. Soooo ready to be done with Miami Man so I have two months to just FOCUS on miles and speed before Ragnar and the spring half marathons.<br />
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Hoping YOU had an amazing October. Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489514344422610056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705183735911099647.post-22375764619433000762013-10-15T18:18:00.001-07:002013-10-15T18:18:38.524-07:00Stronger Together (and a Race Report for Columbus Day Triathlon)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This past weekend was the <a href="http://columbusdaytri.com/" target="_blank">Columbus Day Triathlon</a> at CB Smith Park. The soul reason I signed up for this race was because my former neighbor and long time training bud Jessica was celebrating her 34th birthday, Tough Chik style, by doing something she never thought she would do--a triathlon.<br />
Coincidentally, my <a href="http://lifebeyondthechaos.blogspot.com/2013/03/race-report-egg-hunt-triathlon-2013.html" target="_blank">Tri season started back in March on this same course</a>. It seemed an appropriate way to end my sprint season. The only multisport event left on my calendar is the <a href="http://www.miamimantriathlon.com/" target="_blank">Miami Man International Distance Tri </a>in just 4 short weeks (with the <a href="http://halloweenhalfmarathon.com/" target="_blank">Halloween Half </a>sandwiched in between). <br />
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Anyway, I was off my game this past week. Anxiety and eating like crap and all that fun jazz. I can't even explain it. Anyway, I was feeling off my game coming in to the weekend. But seeing as the whole reason I was doing this was to support my friend, it really didn't matter. All I knew was that I *had* to do better on the bike portion of the course than I did back in March. <br />
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Jess and I were looking super adorable in our Tough Chik Zoom Zoom kits, with matching painted nails and the whole nine yards. <br />
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Its FINALLY cooling down a hair in South Florida . . . which means mid 70s in the morning instead of 80s. Race morning dawned beautiful and calm. The lake was pleasant (as opposed to March when it was bone chillingly cold). We met so so so many first time triathletes waiting to start, which was amazing! The swim was just meh for me. I'm so much more comfortable in the water than I was when the season started, but I'm just not an efficient swimmer. And I can't seem to swim in a straight line to save my life. Going to work on that as much as I can in the off season (even though our Y pool is closed) so that next year can be better.<br />
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The bike was ROCKING. All the weekends spent schlepping around with my awesome riding friends has paid off. I averaged 19mph over 11 according to my computer, and 18.5 according to race timing. The only people who really passed me were serious competitors on tri bikes. I was super stoked at how fast my little aluminum baby rode.<br />
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Legs felt like jello after the bike, which I know is because I'm not practicing enough bricks at my race pace. I'm too lazy to push that much outside of a race. Something to work on going forward. I was determined to break an 11:00 min/mile pace, which has been my pace for the ENTIRE summer, on this run, so I set my watch timer for 33 minutes, making sure I was on pace at each mile marker. This race is a 2 loop run, and at loop one I got passed by a young lady I remembered from packet pickup. I spent all of the 2nd loop watching her back, and we finished together. Pace for the run came out at 10:21, which makes me SUPER stoked to see what I can pull off at the Halloween Half. <br />
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Times were good enough for 2nd place Athena. If I would have raced Age Group, I would have been first, but I'm so incredibly happy being an Athena. I feel at home there. </div>
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I had to grab a picture with Madison, the awesome chik I kept an eye on during that second loop. My favorite races are always the ones where I find someone to keep me company/push/encourage over those last miles. She scored a 1st in her age group. </div>
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Jess did amazing for her first time out, scoring 3rd in her age group. </div>
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This medal design is probably my favorite of the season. </div>
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The bling is nice, but this is my favorite race of the season for another reason. In part because there were so many newbies there to encourage. It was a personal best (by a lot) on the run, and I felt sooo strong on the bike. It was nice to conquer a course that conquered me back in March. But its more than that.<br />
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One of the great advantages of racing with <a href="http://www.multirace.com/" target="_blank">Multirace</a> is that they give you a link to all your stats, and keep track of everything. I think back to who I was when I did that first race in 2009, and how far I've come since then. I was still scared, wasn't sure what I could tackle. I feel slow, still, but when you look at the progression, its slow forward progress. SLOW, but still progress. And this last race was all the sweeter because I managed to improve while being two months in with this whole homeschooling thing. <br />
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And THIS is the Stronger Together part of this post. This progress has been possible because of support. The folks I run with on a daily basis from the gym and from my running group. My Tough Chik sisters, who keep me motivated when days are rough at home and I want to sit down in cry. Who understand that determined does not necessarily mean FAST, and don't care.<br />
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As I look forward to 2014, I want to cry--half out of terror, and half out of sheer excitement. I'm chasing a 2:22 half marathon goal this season. I want to tackle the Ragnar Relay with so much more strength than I did last year (it was certainly the event that turned me in to a distance runner). I (can't believe I'm saying this out loud) hope to tackle my first marathon. Its time to stop settling for "slow" and going for more.<br />
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Its never easier to push the envelope, but its SO much easier with people by your side. Pacing you, pushing you, cheering you on. Getting stronger (faster/fitter/happier/healthier) is never easy. Its not in a pill or a powder. Its in the work you put in, every day, and how you look at your life. Sometimes we, as a society, like to compare/compete/demean each other . . . but we are STRONGER when we work together. I was stronger because I managed to attach myself to Madison during the last 1.5 miles of that race. I am stronger because I just happened to "meet" <a href="http://www.tootallfritz.com/" target="_blank">TooTallFritz </a>in a Weimaraner discussion group online, a lifetime before even considered running. <br />
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Sometimes, as we struggle, we feel alone. Like we are the only ones
who feel that way. Like you might be the only person who wants to quit,
so you do, because it doesn't seem like anyone else is struggling.<br />
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The miles go by a little smoother when you know someone believes in you.<br />
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The tears come a little easier when you know someone is crying with you, even if they aren't in the same room, or the same state, or the same country. <br />
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Find a tribe to help you reach your goals. Find them in a gym or a run group . . . or if you still feel like you are drifting on alone, join <a href="http://www.toughchik.com/TEAMTOUGHCHIK.php" target="_blank">Team Tough Chik</a>. Its easier to believe in yourself when there are others who believe in you. When people who have never even met you believe in you. Team Tough Chik registration is open only through the end of the month. <br />
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Fast or slow, thick or thin, we are STRONGER TOGETHER. So go out, get inspired, and be inspiring. Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489514344422610056noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705183735911099647.post-2421937855423219862013-10-09T07:51:00.002-07:002013-10-09T07:53:16.459-07:00On Values and What Is Right<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The world right now is a world of uncertainty, especially here on the bit of soil we call America. There is finger pointing, there is a blame game, and there is a government (not one side or the other of the government, but the ENTIRE government) playing politics and being ridiculous while the American people suffer. There are children shooting each other in school and adults shooting each other almost everywhere. <br />
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There are people who make vows to one another and then simply leave when the going gets tough. And no, I'm not saying there is anything simple about separating from a spouse. But we live in a world where a PROMISE really just means "I promise to love you while its convenient and easy. Unless it gets hard. Then I'm done." <br />
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There are people who spend the few hours they have with their kids with electronics in front of their face instead of listening, REALLY listening to what their kids have to say. Our children can be empowered when we give them a voice and actually LISTEN to what they are saying.<br />
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I'm blown away lately by the nastiness that is floating around in the world. . . from partisan rants to vitriol among people that should be friends. It leaves you with a yucky feeling.<br />
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So do yourself a favor. Smile. Say something nice to someone. Listen
when your children speak. Turn off the TV and have dinner as a family. Let your children know that their opinions and thoughts matter. Model how they should treat people by how YOU treat people. <br />
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Our world is broken, and sad, and sorry right now. But it doesn't have to be that way. Even though we are each single people, we can change our little corner of the world. We can change it for our children. We can change it for our friends. Bad things will happen, but we can approach them with grace and show that strength is beautiful. We can revel in the simple beauty of the day. We can find wonder in the simpler things in life. <br />
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We had a great yoga class a few weeks back about keeping steady in times of uncertainty. Going back to basics is a great way to do this. Our foundations, our roots are what keep us strong. What is your foundation? What are your strengths? Think of those things as you move through your day. <br />
<br />
Take a step back. Unplug. Do something kind. Say a kind word to someone you don't know. When you make a promise, keep it. And when there are people in your life who don't do these things, let them go, because they don't add any value to your life. Our days on Earth are numbered . . . we are each only here for so long. Don't kid yourself that what you do DOESN'T impact someone. Because it can. And it probably does. Live a life you can be proud of.Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489514344422610056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705183735911099647.post-61119042722533568342013-10-08T13:58:00.000-07:002013-10-08T13:58:48.112-07:00Race Report - Mack Cycle Triathlon Trilogy Bonus Round - Mostly in picturesIn 2012, I was amazingly pleased with myself just for completing all four races in the Mack Cycle Triathlon Trilogy. (Yes, Trilogy means THREE, but there is a bonus round). I got a new bike and spent a lot of my season learning how to ride it well. This season, the trilogy was different. I learned that I could be competitive. <br />
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This race was super special because after Brad thinking I was NUTS for doing this stuff, he decided to JOIN me. <br />
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Getting ready to head out in the wee hours of the morning. <br />
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After racking our bikes in transition<br />
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And really, what beats this?? It isn't about winning or losing or how fast you go. Its about meeting the day, rising to the occasion, and living each day to its fullest. <br />
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I got to pass Brad on the bike once. Other than that I didn't see him. He was waiting at the finish for me, but in the end I had him by a scant amount of time. Of course, HE was on a mountain bike and it was his first race. I was actually sad when I saw my run time, I was expecting to kill it because I felt AMAZING. My time last month was faster. <br />
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After<br />
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Really liked the Tough Chik <a href="http://www.toughchik.com/2013TRITOPDETAIL.php" target="_blank">Zoom Zoom</a><a href="http://www.toughchik.com/2013TRITOPDETAIL.php" target="_blank"> top.</a> It didn't chafe and stayed in place and was kind to all my lumpy places. I snagged the matching shorts for the <a href="http://www.columbusdaytri.com/" target="_blank">Columbus Day Triathlon</a>, where I'll accompany my long-time run bud Jess on her first Tri. <br />
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Times were good enough for another 3rd place. I had a personal best in almost everything. The currents were in our favor for a change. I also managed 3rd place Athena for the series. Sooo close to 2nd, but close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades. Was happy having my little miss on the podium with me, <a href="http://lifebeyondthechaos.blogspot.com/2013/09/in-end.html" target="_blank">arms raised in victory</a>. <br />
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We managed to finish up the awards ceremony before the storms started rolling in. <br />
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Beautiful day. Brad had fun, and will definitely be back for more next season. His only response to his time was "I should have practiced a brick." :-) Ever so slowly pulling him over to the dark side.<br />
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Don't forget <a href="http://www.toughchik.com/TEAMTOUGHCHIK.php" target="_blank">Team Tough Chik</a> registration is still open, through the end of the month! <br />
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489514344422610056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705183735911099647.post-43652317267873363732013-10-04T07:57:00.000-07:002013-10-04T08:09:05.802-07:00One Day At A Time<div style="text-align: center;">
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I still owe you guys a race report from the Bonus Round of the Mack Cycle Triathlon Trilogy. It would appear I'm slipping again in the blog realm. It seems there are just not enough hours in the day to train, get school work done with the kids, work, make dinner, and keep my house clean. Oh wait, my house isn't clean. 4/5 isn't bad, right? Oh, snap. That's a B. I don't like "Bs". Perhaps there is a grading curve??<br />
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I digress. I'm currently in freak-out mode, and trying very hard to take things one day at a time. The whole "one day at a time" thing is keeping me from having a nervous breakdown, mostly about school stuff with the kiddos. Partially because I am so annoyed with our government. Partially because I'm a little worried I over-reached in planning my schedule for the next six weeks. Partially because anxiety issues run in my family. <br />
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In the next six weeks, I have a sprint tri, a week off, <a href="http://halloweenhalfmarathon.com/events/miami-beach/" target="_blank">The Halloween Half Marathon</a>, a week off, and then the <a href="http://www.miamimantriathlon.com/" target="_blank">Miami Man International Triathlon</a>. This race is my goal race for the year--I just want to be able to NOT DIE (specifically, drown, but I am now less worried about that then I am keeping a decent pace for 26 miles on my bike and then running afterward). In addition, in the spring, I promised myself that I would break an 11 minute mile pace at the Halloween Half Marathon this year. <br />
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So, pace. Being a middle-of-the-packer is sort of annoying. I've been running for several years, and have watched many runners who are new blow out times that are far faster than mine. For a while I convinced myself that my pace is my pace. But my last two distance running events last year showed me I *CAN* be faster if I just work at it. But I KNOW I have to work for it. The thing that makes you faster is running outside your comfort zone. I know that this is why I haven't gotten "faster". Although, really, I have . . . my first half was at a 13 min mile pace and my second was at an eleven min mile pace. But still. I'm ready for more. Yes, comparison is the thief of joy. But I want RELENTLESS FORWARD PROGRESS too.<br />
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So I've been putting in the miles--September was the highest mileage month for me since probably January, when I hit 70 miles. I've never been a high-mileage kind of girl, I enjoy too many other things to run more than 3-4 days a week. But when I hit the send button on our entries for the Halloween Half this week, I had a moment of complete panic. Have I done enough work? Have I put in enough time on tempo runs and speed work (two things I HATE) to sustain a good pace? Were my times in the spring completely influenced by the cold weather? (Both races were in 50-60 degree weather). Can I sustain a sub 11 minute pace on a balmy October morning?<br />
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Add in the fact that our YMCA has decided to close our pool for the
season, which makes getting pool time for triathlon training INFINITELY more complicated. Yes,
we have a pool in our community, but its a heck of a lot harder to swim
laps when you also need to make sure your children don't drown. Add in
trying to work around school schedules, work schedules, my husbands
meeting schedules . . . and his training schedule too since he is doing
the Halloween Half along with me. Blah, blah, blah. In the end, these races are happening. Whether I am ready or not, these two big races are happening in the next six weeks. And yeah, I'm a little scared. Scared of not meeting my goals. <br />
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Saying goals out loud freaks me out more than a little. I worry about failing. I don't always believe in myself. I tend to freak out about my pace if I have a concrete goal. I worry about failing. I worry about being judged as being slow. People expect certain things when you (talk about) run(ning) as much as I do. Sometimes I get the "you aren't faster than that?" look. <br />
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But you know what?<br />
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<br />
You have to believe it to achieve it. Its hard to remember that each
and every workout, each and every scrap
of sweat you put in makes a difference. You have to trust in the
process. You have to take things one day at a time, and remember that
in the end, it adds up. You have to trust in the process. You have to
take it one day at a time. You have to believe that in the end, the
miles and the sweat and the tears will add up. <br />
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And you have to believe that you worked hard enough. That you can do it. That you are tough enough. <br />
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Dilemmas like this are why I love Team Tough Chik, by the way. Because not everyone wants to listen to me lament on all this. Not everyone gets it. But my toughie teammates do. <a href="http://www.toughchik.com/TEAMTOUGHCHIKINTRO.php" target="_blank">Team Tough Chik registration</a> is open RIGHT NOW, and I'm so glad to be in for another year of greatness. </div>
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I find myself watching this video before nearly every workout lately,
because the voiceover really resonates. I HAVE come along way, and sometimes I get caught up in the "look how far you've come." But while I've come a long way, I still want to go further. I want to get faster. </div>
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"The voice you have chosen to listen to is one of defiance. . .Sit up, put your feet on the floor, because we have work to do. Welcome to the grind. For what is each day but a series of conflicts between the right way and the easy way. . . When you make that choice, when you decide to turn your back on what is comfortable, what is safe, what some would call 'common sense,' well, that's day 1. From there, it only gets tougher. . . The easy way out will always be there. . .<b>This is no time to dwell on how far you've come</b> . . . Remember, this is The Grind, the Battle Royale between you and your mind . . . Drown out the voice of uncertainty with the sound of your own heartbeat. . . REMEMBER WHAT WE'RE FIGHTING FOR. . . Is that all you've got? Are you sure? . . . Believe that voice that says you can run a little faster . . . <b>When your time comes, and a 1,000 different voices are trying to tell you that you aren't ready for it, listen instead to that lone voice of dissent. The one that says you are ready, you are prepared, it's all up to you now."</b><br />
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I feel like I'm rambling, so I'll be done now. Here's hoping that you can take it one day at a time, too, while at the same time making those days count. These are not easy times, but tough times don't last. We're all tough enough to outlast the tough times. </div>
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489514344422610056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705183735911099647.post-38490467476638605312013-09-16T14:40:00.001-07:002013-09-16T19:45:02.807-07:00In The EndSo, I raced yesterday. Personal best in the swim and the bike. First time for hubs racing. Podium. It was great, but then this moment happened. <br />
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<br />
THIS moment is exactly why I started all this business in the first place. Because 5 years (minus 2 days) ago I held this tiny little girl in my arms and realized that everything she would learn about self esteem would come from me. <br />
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Being a girl was hard when *I* was a teenager. It seems the world we live in is infinitely more complex than it was when I was a child. National tragedies are becoming a nearly daily occurrence. Teenagers are having sex at a ridiculous age. The best thing I can do for her is give her the confidence to believe in herself. Because let's be real. Believing in yourself is a pretty important thing. Nothing, not even the love and support of a parent, will help our kids if they do not have the self confidence to stand up for themselves and others, especially one they are out there "in the world." <br />
So it meant the world to me to have her up on the podium with me. Hands raised in victory. I will be proud of myself, and raise my arms in the air over every little victory. Because that is what I want for HER. I want her to raise her hands on victory and be proud of herself. If we, as women, can not be role models for our daughters, they are stuck with the Mylie Cyruses of the world. And THAT is a scary thing.<br />
So the next time you have a victory, raise your hands up and celebrate, no matter how big or small that victory is. Victory is what you make it. BE PROUD OF YOURSELF. Because you never know when your children, your neice, or someone you may not even know (but who feels they can relate to you) is watching. In the end, what matters most is the impressions we leave on the people around us.
<br />
<i>In the End </i><br />
<i>As you fade into the night</i><br />
<i>Who will tell the story of your life</i><br />
<i>And who will remember your last goodbye?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Because its the end, </i><br />
<i>And I'm not afraid to die . . .</i><br />
-Black Veil BridesAngelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489514344422610056noreply@blogger.com0