TRIHARDCHIK

Finally, A Diagnosis and Treatment!

2010-10-02T16:58:00.002-05:00

This post will be about Melissa's almost 6 month battle with nausea and dizziness, so don't say I didn't warn you!

Last March or so, Melissa starting complaining about her stomach. It hurt, and she couldn't describe the exact type of pain. Some nausea, some just not feeling well. Needless to say, this pain had a horrible effect on her gymnastics--she wasn't able to have consistently good practices, which in turn affected her meet results. She was still recovering from the ankle injury she suffered in October. The last time we saw the orthopaedic doc, she estimated she was about 70% recovered. Melissa was released from physical therapy, but continued with the exercises she was given, and still does them very regularly.

In early June, all of a sudden at practice one day she felt very dizzy. I brought her to the pediatrician for both issues. She decided to treat it very conservatively, in other words, rule out the most simple problems. She had some blood work done--everything came back normal. We increased her electrolytes and fluids, but that didn't seem to make a difference.

Back to the doctor (she had a physical scheduled). The next step would be to see the ear/nose/throat specialist. Melissa had her adenoids removed about 5 years ago, so we had a doctor that we really liked and made an appointment with her. I thought maybe a trip to the ophthalmologist wouldn't hurt (other than the fact that it is not covered by our insurance and cost us $186!). She received a clean bill of health, just as she had from the optometrist. However, this doctor thought she should have a CAT scan. After speaking again to the pediatrician, however, we decided to wait to see what the ENT said. (I'm really glad we did, because she felt it would have been a wast of time and money.)

The exam showed that Melissa's vision and hearing are perfect. However, she referred us to Central DuPage Hospital's rehabilitation center for Vestibular testing. It's hard for me to explain, but it has to do with the brain and inner ear and proprioceptor issues. I was SO hoping this was the problem, because next would have been an MRI of her head/brain. VERY SCARY!

We saw the physical therapist yesterday and received amazing news. Melissa has a vestibular issue, which means that her inner ear and eyes and brain are not working together properly. I honestly don't know what the term is for what she has. We also may never know what caused it. A very common cause is a virus that the patient may never have known they had, most likely with very little or no symptoms. Some how this affected her inner ear and consequently her balance, which resulted in the dizziness and nausea.

Evidently, this is something that occurs very often, but is very hard to diagnose. It is particularly difficult to diagnose on a gymnast, since their sense of balance is so much better than the "average" person. Very likely someone else with this problem would be so dizzy they might not even be able to walk straight or stand, and would experience extreme nausea and even vomiting.

Anyway, the treatment is very simple. Melissa has exercises to do at home that involve her eyes, a pencil, movement of her head, and a metronome. Sounds very weird, I know, but the therapist seems to think she should be feeling back to "normal" in four to six weeks. Hallelujah!

The moral of the story for me is this: as a parent, you have to know your child. Melissa is not a complainer; she is a tough kid. When she says she doesn't feel good, I always believe her and listen. The therapist told us that many children are misdiagnosed because parent/teachers think they are "faking" or just don't want to go to school, etc. Many adults are misdiagnosed for years as the symptoms are thought to be side effects of meds or other illnesses. As I said, it is very easy to fix, very hard to diagnose. I'm so glad we had a doctor who was familiar with this condition.

I'm also hopeful that Melissa will have a better gymnastics season. Last year was really tough. She will remain at the same level--not being able to practice and learn new skills over the summer really set her back. But she's not upset about it--she just wants to have fun, and enjoy what most likely will be her last year in club gymnastics. She will start high school next year, after 5 years of home school. It will be an adjustment. Plus, BHS does not have a gymnastic team, and I think doing club will be too much for her.

So, thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. Enjoy your weekend. (It's already too cold for my body!)

Until next time--God bless!

Just Some Fun Stuff

2010-09-28T07:29:00.003-05:00

It's sort of early, 47 degrees, and I'm not liking the cold. September has been a challenging month for me, to say the least. I started back on a medication for my RA that is really yukky. It makes me tired and sick for several days after taking it (I take it Monday night and usually don't feel real good again until Thursday p.m.). The cold plays havoc with my body. Before RA, I wouldn't have thought twice about riding in 40 or 50 degree weather. Now....no way. I really need 60's or better. So....I skipped my ride yesterday and had a nice, long indoor workout.

Oh, and I did a 5K on Saturday! My first race of any kind in over a year. It was a new race, sponsored by the private school my kids attended. The proceeds were for a scholarship fund in the memory of a young lady who passed away at a very young age. She was the sister of one of my son's classmates, and I felt I just had to go to support such a great cause!

I had a wonderful time seeing so many old friends. It was the perfect day for a run--in the 50's, some sun, some wind. I had a very realistic goal--under 29 minutes would be just fine, thank you very much. I did not run the entire months of August and September due to pain (I hate to say injuries....) and only started running a couple weeks ago. I vaguely remembered what it is like to run a 5K without coming off a bike ride--I do much better after the ride. However, I have to say I did OK. My time was announced as 27+, but my watch said 28:17, which is just over a 9 minute pace. Hey, for me, that's not bad! It was my first race in the 55-59 age group--there were two of us there. (I did finish first.)

After the race I drove over to Lifetime and had a really nice swim before picking up Melissa at the gym. It was a nice day. However, my quads were sore the next day from running HARD on concrete--something I only do in a race. I stick to soft surfaces whenever possible. Makes a HUGE difference.

Running in that race made me wish I could race next year. Several things will have to happen. First, I really need to lose at least 10-15 pounds. I am fat and not in any shape to race. I tried really hard, again, this summer to drop weight: I trained 15-20 hours every week, but I admit I wasn't always careful about what I ate. I'm going to try again this winter. (Actually, every day I wake up and say: I can eat perfect today. I really try to do one day at a time.) Maybe the additional medication will help with my RA and I'll have more energy and feel better this winter.

Melissa is still struggling with dizziness. We're going to have a Vestibular evaluation on Friday. It's a relatively new kind of physical therapy. I really hope this helps, because the next step is an MRI of her head. Her gymnastics is very limited and meet season starts in December, so we're hoping to get this resolved as soon as possible.

I have decided that Facebook is amazing. I have been able to connect with old friends, and stay in touch with those I can't see on a regular basis. It's a great tool.

Many of my "tri" friends have had amazing races in the past weeks. Many still have their "A" race coming up. Good luck to all of you. Happy training! I hope the weather holds out for you for the remainder of the weeks you have to train.

Hoping to get out on the bike later--but it will have to get to at least 60 degrees with some sun. If not....I really don't want to put my bike on the trainer, because I'm hoping for at least one more long ride this Sunday. There's always the pool!

Well, until next time--God bless!

I'm Back...Well, Sort of

2010-09-09T08:00:00.002-05:00

It's been a while I know, but I thought I'd post an update on what's been happening in my life. Three seasons have come and gone (almost) since my last post. I'll try to keep this relatively brief.

In a nutshell, I had a tough winter. I tried really hard to drop some weight--it didn't happen, and I'm really not sure why. Age, menopause, change of metabolism, not sure. I decided, for many reasons, not to race this season. I think it was a good decision. I had a good June, but had to stop running for most of July and all of August. I just started again, and I now know I will have to limit how much/far I run. But that's OK. The stairs and eliptical are OK for aerobic fitness, but nothing can replace the feeling of a good run--even if it is on the treadmill.

Lots of hours doing core and strength work hopefully have paid off. Maybe not in appearance, but in some ways I feel stronger than in the past. I'm trying to come to terms with the fact that I'm not in my 30's or 40's anymore, and I should be very grateful I can to as much as I can. Being a type A personality, however, I've always been really hard on myself and never seem to be happy with where I am physically. Always a work in progress.

I have put in a lot of miles on my bike this summer--more than ever before! And I just love it. Knowing I can ride whenever I want, whatever distance I feel like has been an amazing feeling. It's been warm and windy, but it sure beats cold and windy!

My kids are amazing. Melissa had a tough year in gymnastics--a couple injuries, major growth spurt, and moving up to the optional level made for some big changes. This will probably be her last year in club gymnastics. Bolingbrook HS does not have a team, and I would like to see her get more involved with school activities, which would be very hard with the practice schedule the team has. She turned 13 in August--an amazing young lady with a great heart and lots of spirit, in a very quiet package.

Ryan just started his Junior year at Bolingbrook High School. He had an amazing Sophomore year. He was inducted into the National Honor Society and received the award for Outstanding Honors Chemistry student for the year! I can't believe he will be 17 in October. He's not crazy about driving and is still working on getting his 50 hours of practice. We're not a hurry for him to drive. He wasn't able to find a job this summer, but kept busy with volunteer work and helping his mom around the house. This will be a tough year for him in school--two AP classes and two honor classes--but we know he'll do his very best and we are soooo proud of him.

I'm happy to say that many of my "tri" friends had/are having amazing racing seasons. They are an inspiration and have worked to hard to get to where they are. Several still have their "A" races coming up. Good luck to all of you!

I'm not looking forward to the cold weather.....I really would like to move someday to a warm, dry climate. But....I'll do my best to make it through another Chicago winter.

That's all for now--will try to post more often, maybe once a week or so, depending on what's happening in my life.

Have a blessed day and God bless!

It's Been.....Interesting

2009-12-01T11:08:00.002-06:00

This will be my last blog....at least for a while. Seems like there's really not much I have to say that interests others, and I've never written for myself, so I guess I'm about done.

This year has been a tough one for me and my entire family. Suffice to say, however, that God continues to be good and meet our needs.

I have realized--again--that there is way more to life than triathlon. It's fun, it's rewarding, but it has to be kept in perspective.

At this point in our lives, our children are a high priority. They are at an important age--we won't have them for much longer. My priorities now are my relationship with God, husband and family. Triathlon is only important to me because it is a goal on the road to trying to keep as healthy as possible. The older I get, and the more RA takes over, the harder this has become. But, I will continue to press on, doing the best I absolutely can.

My goals for 2010 are very simple (yet not easy): Stay strong, fight hard to lose 10-15 lbs., and Lord willing complete several triathlons next year. At this point, making it through the cold of winter will be the toughest challenge. My body is totally rebelling to the change in weather. I will do my best.

Jerry and I are thinking about moving to Arizona when Melissa finishes high school--that's about six years from now. I'll be over 60 and more than ready to get out of this cold weather. We will pray and work toward that goal, and hopefully it will happen.

I will still be on Facebook, although I have decided to be a little more discerning regarding "friends". That's all I'll say on that topic.

I pray everyone has a great holiday season and finishes the year strong. Thank you if you've followed me over the last 18 months or so. It's been very interesting.

God bless!

Everything's Relative and You Can't Always Get What You Want

2009-11-03T07:30:00.003-06:00

I know, it's been a while. Spending too much time on Facebook, I guess. Have thought about a million things to write about, but I'll limit it to just a few.

October/November are interesting months if you're a triathlete. It's considered "ironman" season around here. OK, not so much "here", but many athletes from here are participating in iron distance races across the country: Wisconsin, Hawaii, Florida, North Carolina, Arizona are the ones that come to mind, as I know people who have done/will do races in these states this year. Also, the 70.3 championship is in Clearwater on November 14th. As I said in a previous post, this is not the time of year for me to train outside. I did it for many years, believe me, and I loved it. But sometimes, you can't always have what you want.....

Which leads me to something I've wanted to share for a while. I have heard many triathletes make the comment that "anyone can do an ironman (or iron distance race) if they really want to." This statement is soooo not true. And, it is wrong for so many reasons. First of all, this takes away from those athletes who have completed this distance. Most triathletes know that an iron distance race is usually a life changing experience. It takes so much more than just swimming, biking and running to complete. There are so many other factors that influence an individuals ability to compete at this distance.

Many are limited by physical issues. For many, swimming is a huge issue. If you weren't a swimmer as a child, it can be very difficult to learn as an adult. Even people who have swam for years find open water to be very challenging. When you mix in the fact that most races are a mass start, well, for many that is a deal breaker. Some can learn to deal with this situation, but not everyone. I know people who are amazing swimmers, but the thought of swimming in open water with 2500 other athletes at the same time is mind boggling.

Some of us who are older and have been doing this a long time have other physical issues. Bad knees, backs, feet. Too many years pounding the pavement, running on hard surfaces. For some women, after having children our bodies are never the same. (I know, some women race even better after kids, but I believe those are "elite" athletes, and definitely the exception to the rule. I'm faster than I was in my 30's, but I was NOT FAST then.)

Family and career choices can also influence or limit completing this distance. Iron distance racing is very time consuming and very expensive. Those of us who have younger families know that we have to keep our priorities in order. My family will always come before my triathlon goals. Before kids, we spent a lot of time (and money) training and racing. I remember a couple years when Jerry and I would do a long bike ride on Saturday, and then run a race on Sunday. It was fun, but as your life and priorities change, so does your life style and life goals.

I consider myself very blessed to achieve what I have. I have had both my feet operated on (for plantar fasciitis, when they used to do that; would not do it again if I could do it over); one knee operated on once, and one knee has been scoped three times. I had a hernia operation after my second child was born. Two miscarriages, two D&C's. When I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 2002, I did not think I would ever be able to ride or run again. In fact, several doctors told me to forget ever running--just be happy walking and swimming. And don't ever even consider trying a marathon again.

I have thought of a million more reasons, but I think you get what I'm trying to say. If everyone could run a 4 minute mile if they really wanted to........if everyone could swim across the English Channel if they really wanted to......if everyone could set a world record for the marathon if they really wanted to....well, we KNOW these things are not true.

My daughter is a club gymnast. She is near the level where many kids drop out of the sport, and I'm starting to understand why. Not everyone is BUILT PHYSICALLY to be a high level/elite gymnast. I see girls try really hard--never miss a practice, have special coaching, have amazing parental support, unlimited financial resources. But some of these girls will never get to the next level. They physically do not have the ability, for whatever reason. Some get injured over and over and have to stop so they don't ruin their bodies at age 11, 12, 13. Some realize there is more to life as a teenager than practicing 20-30 hours a week. The kids that make it are usually the ones that have not only the mental but also the physical ability to do so.

And on that same note, I'd like to address the topic of relativity. As I said, I feel very blessed to be where I am physically. So many people in my position are not able to do what I can. Yes, I am a very disciplined and driven person. But I believe God has blessed me with things other RA patients don't have. I have learned to be satisfied with any race or training effort. You know, it's really hard for me to read about women 10, 15, 20 years younger than me, complaining about how "slow" they ran in a race, or how their bike split sucked, or they just don't know why they can't swim faster than so-and-so. They are swimming, biking and running faster than 99.9 percent of people I know. You ladies need to get over yourselves. Be grateful that you have such amazing ability and have been blessed with that ability, determination and other things that make you so good at what you do.

I read a blog where the writer noted that being an ironman is not the same as being a hero. I COULD NOT AGREE MORE! Another blogger commented that while completing an ironman is an accomplishment, it does not, or shouldn't be as momentous as say, your wedding day, the birth of your children, finishing your degree, finding just the right career, etc. I AGREE!

I did not complete the one ironman I started, but I learned a lot about myself in that year. I don't know if or when I'll try again. But I do know that I am still a triathlete, I will continue in this sport as long as I'm physically able and am having fun. The minute it's not fun, I will re-evaluate why I do this. This is what I tell my daughter all the time about gymnastics. We will support you as long as you want; but when/if you're ready, you can stop anytime.

So, to those of you who have become an "ironman" this year--CONGRATULATIONS! And CONGRATULATIONS to allwho completed their first sprint (or any other distance) triathlon--you are a triathlete, and should be proud of your accomplishments. To those of you complaining about how slow you are--get over it--be grateful for what you can do.

(To those women who wrote the story in the New York Times about 6 hour marathoners--you ladies are major losers. What a horrible article. I'm so sick of the whole "you're not as fast as me so you can't possibly be on official marathoner" articles--get over yourself and keep those stupid opinions to yourself.)

On a personal note, I'm still trying to deal with the colder weather. The sun is out today, which always makes me feel better, regardless of the temperature. I've cut back on my training, hoping to give my body time to adjust to winter. I'm swimming about 4-5 times a week--swimming seems to be the thing that hurts my hips the most right now. Running/biking two to three times a week, and doing strength training 3-4 times. I'm really struggling with my weight/eating right now also. But......hoping/praying things will get better.

Good luck to everyone going to Florida, North Carolina, Arizona. Have a great time/race and consider yourselves blessed just to be there.

Until next time--God bless!

It's Already Cold

2009-10-13T10:10:00.002-05:00

Today is October 13th, and we've had the heat turned on for about a week now. This is way too early, even for Chicago, to be this cold. Friday is our 27th wedding anniversary. The weather on October 16, 1982 was about 75 degrees, sunny and perfect. My parents were married on October 23rd, and it was a scorching 90 degrees. So, tell me some more about that global warming thing?!

Anyway, it has been a tough couple weeks for me with the cold weather starting. My rheumatoid arthritis is on a rampage now, my body is trying to adjust to the cold, damp weather. It really does a number on all my joints. Last week, my neck was really sore. It took we a while to realize it was just the RA in a flare up. Today I woke up with a horrible headache, and actually went back to bed for a couple hours (can't remember the last time I did something like that). If there were any way......I would be living in Arizona.

One thing I know--I will most likely never train for a race that takes place after early September. The change in the weather is too unpredictable, and my body would never be able to adjust. I really feel for those in the area training for iron distance races now. It would be next to impossible for me to be riding long outside in 30's and 40's. Heck, I ran 8 miles outside on Saturday in 45 degree weather and it was cold. Today is supposed to be 40, and while the sun is shining, it is windy and still too cold for my body. I will run inside on the treadmill.

I put my bike on my trainer last week. It will take me a couple weeks to get back to "love" riding inside again. The good part is I can catch up on TV/movies I otherwise would probably miss. Also, when the weather is really bad, I can ride inside early and not leave the house until later in the day. Makes it much easier.

Congratulations to all who ran the Chicago Marathon on Sunday--it would have been a little cold for me, but I know it was much better than the heat of the last two years. The World Championship Ironman Triathlon was Saturday in Kona. It was great watching on the internet, although I didn't get to watch the people I know finish, due to the time difference. Looked to be a tough day, and everyone did a great job.

That's all for now. Hope everyone is enjoying fall--feels too much like winter to me.

Until next time--God bless!

Drop Dead Diva.....Fat Like Me

2009-09-30T18:36:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since I blogged. Every day I think of something witty I want to write, but then.....well, it just doesn't happen. But for the last 10 days or so I've had something on my mind and I want to get it off.

Let me start by saying that I DO NOT LIKE THE WAY I LOOK. I have ALWAYS thought I was too fat. Ever since I was 8 years old, I've always been the "chubby" one of the group. It's funny, because when I see pictures of myself at that age, I WAS NOT FAT! But, I guess everything is relative, and I know that I always felt fat.

When I was in 8th grade, I dated a great guy who was two years older than me. When I say he was great, I mean he was really HOT! All the girls were in love with him. I don't think anyone could understand why he liked me, since I was not what anyone would call a "babe". Anyway, we "dated" for almost three years. Then one day, he decided to dump me for a girl who was a year older than me. It was a very complicated situation. They got married right after she graduated, had two boys, and divorced. I haven't seen or heard from him in over 30 years, but I think about him a lot. He really liked me, did NOT think I was fat. He always told me I was beautiful, and I actually believed him. It was a long time before another man said those words to me.

So, this brings me to the TV show "Drop Dead Diva". It's a "chick" show on Lifetime Television on Sunday night. It's not going to win any awards, and it may only last this one season, but I really like it because of the basic premise: Hot, sexy, THIN, 20 ish blond model-type dies unexpectedly in a car accident. Through the magic of TV, she ends up in the body of a size 14, very bright attorney. It just so happens that her fiance gets a job at her law firm. What's really interesting to watch is how she adapts/adjusts to life in her new body. Her best friend--who is a young, blond, thin, model-actress and very ditsy--knows the truth, but no one else.

There are some very interesting stories, but I really liked the last two episodes. Jane saw an add for a dress that she really wanted. Of course, the boutique that carried the dress did not carry anything larger than a size 10. They treated her very rudely, and basically told her to leave because she wasn't the silhouette they catered to. She tried to sue the store. Although she didn't win the case, she was able to convince a stockholder (whose wife was a size 14 and couldn't shop in the store) that it was in the best "business" interest of the store to carry sizes for all women. The average women in this country wears a size 14, so you do the math!

The last episode centered around an attorney who really likes Jane and asked her out. Her mother put the idea in her head that the only reason he liked her was because she was "full figured". This had never occurred to Jane. She thought he liked her because he liked her. Turns out he likes her because she is beautiful, smart and sexy!

One of the best things about the show is for Jane to see what it's like to not be thin in the world we live in. When a person is heavy, he/she is treated differently than someone who is thin or not overweight. It is a fact of life, and no one can ever tell me differently. I have been there, and I see it all the time. People are much nicer to meet and more inclusive when I'm thinner than when I'm heavier. Yes, it is a cruel world out there. Kids are not the only mean people in the world. I wish it weren't so, but it is. A fact of life.

If you don't believe me, watch a movie called "Fat Like Me". A high school student needs to do a project to enter a contest for a college scholarship. She is a hot, thin, athletic blond. Her mom struggles with her weight, although now she has it under control. She remembers when her mom was heavy, and was very angry at the time. She decides to transform herself into a fat girl. She goes to summer school dressed in a fat suit, with her hair all messy, wearing glasses. Of course, all the guys that thought she was so hot now tease her to no end. She is befriended by one overweight, very sweet student.

Again, not the best movie ever made, but it shows how the real world treats people who are not only not beautiful, but fat. I'm so tired of hearing about racism in this country. Does it still exist, absolutely. But people are prejudiced toward a lot of things. My husband is Chinese, and when he was in grade school, he was teased, mocked and ridiculed mercilessly. There were not many Asians in the school system in the 60's, and if you were different, you were a walking target. It still exists today. You don't have to be from a different country or have different skin color. If you don't fit "the mold" then somehow people feel they have a license to treat you different (i.e. usually like garbage).

We have worked very hard to teach our kids that this is not acceptable. From what I see, it's worked. They are really good around the kids that are not popular, smart, or the most athletic. They understand the each person is special to God, and the golden rule is very important in our home.

So, as I once again struggle with the fact that I really don't like how I look, I try to remember that how I look IS NOT who I am. I am never going to be a size 4, heck, if I can get back to a size 8 I would jump off the roof with joy. But after 54 years on this earth, I need to accept myself the way I am. A very wise woman told me yesterday that I am healthy, fit, and to just get over my weight issues. I totally agreed with her. If only it were that easy.

So, the next time you see an overweight person, please don't assume that they are lazy, stupid, dumb, and don't care about the way they look. If you are blessed enough to have (or work hard at having) a great, fit body--good for you! Just remember, not everyone is in the same boat.

Until next time--God bless!

Saving the Worst for Last

2009-09-06T13:19:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was my final (5th) and longest (olympic) tri of the season. When I was planning my races, this was to be my "A" race, hopefully my best of the year. But as happens so many times, the best laid plans don't always work out.

I have been having major problems with my right piriformis, which in turn affects my hip, glute and hamstrings. But the hip/piriformis is by far the most troubling. It's something I have dealt with on and off for several years. It was even a little bit of a problem last year, but I don't remember it bothering me as much as this year. Maybe because I raced more often this year, as opposed to less but longer races last year.

Anyway, it was really bothering me on Thursday and Friday, so much that I contemplated not racing on Saturday. But, I knew I would be able to complete the race, so I decided I would head up there and try.

Waking up at 4:00 a.m., while not something I look forward to, is doable. But for this and one other race, wake up was 3 a.m. It's about a two hour drive to Niles, and they are on eastern time, so we also lose an hour. The race started at 7:30 our time.

Jerry drove, and we had a couple blips on the way there--we've been there 10 times, but still managed to miss a couple turns. We arrived about 15 minutes later than planned. I pre-registered, but packet pick up was a little crazy. There is race day registration, which adds to the chaos. They were also having a super sprint race in addition to the olympic, which means a lot of first time racers. I ended up "racking" my bike next to the garage building in the transition area (which is behind the fire station). It actually worked out nice, since I always seem to have trouble with those racks (me and my bike are small in height). Anyway, after a lot of crazy pre-race issues, the olympic race started--men in the first two waves, all women and relays in the third wave. The super sprint followed the olympic racers.

I wore my wet suit, and for the most part had a pretty uneventful swim. Sighting is hard on the way in because the sun is right in our faces, but I got out of the water in about 31 minutes. Not my best or worst time, but I was OK with it.

Coming out of T1 some young lady ran into me when I was mounting my bike. She felt really bad, I told her no worries, things happen. Have a good ride. The bike course is challenging--very little flat, mostly rolling with two tougher hills, one of which I had to get out of my saddle. I knew I wasn't riding as fast as I could--in fact, the first seven miles were really hard. I just wasn't feeling good. I realized later I had nobody to ride with to push me. I passed quite a few people, but no really good, fast riders. The last time I did this race I set a bike PR, and I was riding with a 35 year old woman for about 20 of the 25 miles (I dropped her at the big hill). I started feeling better after I had my gels around mile 11. I'm sure I negative split the course and what's funny is the two big hills are on the way back. I passed a 28 year old girl going up the hill--found out later she finished 2nd overall woman. (Our ages were marked on our calves.)

My bike time was really bad--somewhere between 1:14 and 1:15. (The race was not chipped time, so the splits are not really accurate as they include transition.) My time on the course in '07 was 1:09. Yikes, to say I was disappointed is an understatement. Plus, at Evergreen I rode 1:12. Oh well, it was time for the run.

As I was running out of transition, a lady passed me who I recognized--I remember her passing me in 2006 in the last mile of the run to finish 1st in our age group. Well, I figured if I was lucky I would get 2nd again this year, provided none of the others in my age group passed me on the run. I had no idea how many ladies there were, but I knew it wasn't a lot. (Turned out to be 5, I think.)

I had the worst 6.2 mile run of the entire year--I'm talking about since January, outside, treadmills, you name it. My stomach was fine--but my butt really hurt every time I took a step. At mile 2, I really wanted to stop. But, I knew I could finish. My original goal was to do under 2:50 (my time in 2007 was 2:39). After four miles, I knew this was not happening, so I decided under 3 hours would be good. I felt a little better at mile five, and two 40+ guys passed me and commented on my cycling abilities. Now I thought I could break 2:55. Final time was 2:54:19. When I was in my 30's, I would have loved to break 3 hours. But now, well, I was very disappointed, but knew that I did the very best I could.

I have to admit I played a lot of mind games with myself on the run, something I rarely do. This race was more mental for me than any race I've done in the recent past.

Jerry informed me that the winner of my age group finished in 2:43. I wasn't surprised at her time, and I was happy that I finished second.

I spoke with Kathleen--she was the age group winner and she's only 53 so I'll have one year without her in my age group if I go there again--she was sooo nice. She's headed up to Canada to do a half iron race next weekend. It's really fun to talk with the "older" ladies because while they are competitive, they're also very gracious in both winning and not winning.

Turns out that the overall winner was a 49 year old--2:29. And that 28 year old I passed on the bike up the big hill at 20 miles took second overall. Third place was Kathleen--which meant they took her out of the AG awards and I got first place. Ha! How funny was that. They gave away really nice plaques that had a printout with our name and time on it. (Now I have to look at that crummy time for a while.)

Yesterday I realized that after the bike portion of the race, I was in second place of all the women. Yes, it was a small race, but still that is kind of exciting. However, that good thought is outweighed by how bad my run was. Oh well, there will be more races (I hope).

Another thing I try to keep in perspective is that there is a point in time when I won't always get better. I'm starting to think this is that time. Maybe if I can stay healthy and not injured I still have a PR in me, but those are big ifs right now. But all in all, I'm pretty happy with my season. I have some goals for next year--drop a few pounds (which will definitely be the most challenging) and do one or two halfs next year, hopefully something new.

For now, I'm going to enjoy some rest time, which means swimming, riding and lifting for fun. I think I'll rest from running until my hip is better.

Congratulations to everyone who raced this weekend, especially Waddler and Sharkie, who did amazing at their half iron race. You ladies ROCK!

Hope everyone is having a great Labor Day weekend.

Until next time--God bless!

NO APPETITE/FOOD = BAD TIMES

2009-08-29T15:48:00.003-05:00

(To avoid a really long facebook entry, decided to do this on my blog!)

The last 3-4 days I haven't felt like myself. I think the rain and cooler weather has impacted my RA, and I've really felt yukky. One thing I really notice is a lack of appetite, especially for good, healthy food. Since I'm tapering, I haven't been as hungry as normal either. So, I really didn't eat that much.

Last night I made tacos, refried beans and rice. Bad idea! I didn't eat much (Melissa ate as much as I did), but it just didn't sit in my tummy well. After a restless sleep (which seems to be the norm these days, what with those wonderful hot flashes and all), I woke up feeling sluggish and my stomach was still a little queasy.

I ate my normal breakfast of plain, instant oatmeal with a few raisins. I felt OK by the time I dropped Melissa at the gym. Her Saturday practices now start at 8:00, so I headed over to Waterfall Glenn, knowing it would be crazy hard to find a parking place. I parked on the street, and I didn't feel like going back to the parking lot to go to the bathroom, so I just started running. I know there's an outhouse about 2.5 miles into the run.

My training plan called for 60 minutes; I figured I'd run 7 miles (3.5 out and back), which is a little more than 60 minutes for me (today it was about 75). I actually felt good on the run. Stopped and went to the bathroom, and had an uneventful run. I was able to run all the hills, which was good since I haven't run at WFG for a while. But I must say that while Greene Valley's hills don't seem as tough, I think they really are, and that's where I've been doing my outside runs.

Anyway, since we only have one car, I drove home and picked up Jerry, who had a meeting at the gym. I drove to Lifetime Burr Ridge, and he drove to the gym. (This turned out to be a REALLY good thing).

I spent about an hour doing strength/core/stretch work. When I got to the locker room, I noticed I was REALLY dizzy and getting nauseous. I mean, so dizzy that I had to sit down. Bottom line, I felt really sick and couldn't eat or drink anything, including water. Jerry and Melissa picked me up, and the ride home was awful.

I exited the car and went directly to the couch. I just couldn't sit up without everything spinning. Jerry commented that I probably needed to eat/drink something ASAP. Just the thought of food was, well, not a pleasant one.

After about an hour, I started to get really thirsty. Had some Gatorade, and actually felt like I could stand up without keeling over. Bottom line: the more I drank and started to eat, the better I felt.

So, lesson learned: do not attempt to workout without enough food. Yeah, I KNOW THIS! What I didn't know is that the food I consumed the last couple days was either a) the wrong kind (most likely); or b) not enough (probably also true).

On a separate note, tomorrow will be the one year anniversary of my IMKY failure. As the day has been approaching, it's been on my mind more and more. When I see the forecast is for a HIGH OF 74 degrees and partly cloudy, it makes me even sadder. I'm SO HAPPY for the athletes competing tomorrow, but sad it couldn't have been this way last year. Oh well, as I've said before, the past is just that, past, and I'm concentrating on my olympic race next Saturday.

Good luck to everyone racing this weekend, particularly those in the Chicago Triathlon. The weather should be absolutely perfect.

Until next time--God bless!

Summer is Almost Over

2009-08-23T17:49:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since I've blogged, and quite a bit has happened, little everyday stuff. I have been keeping up with facebook, so if you are a friend, you know my life day by day.

But in general, training has gone well. I find I am putting in almost as many hours training for an olympic distance this time of year as I did last year for Ironman Louisville. That's crazy, isn't it? I think because I've been doing a lot of biking and strength training, to make up for the swimming and running I'm not doing. Actually, I always do more than the program calls for, but not so much more as to get injured or overtrained (I hope).

Last Sunday I did my first organized ride of the season--Rotary Ride sponsored by....the Rotary Club of Naperville. Last year I rode the 100 mile route and did a 30 minute run after. This year it was an easy 62 miles, with a great catered pasta meal after. Soooo much better than last year. It's a fun, easy course and the best part is I rode the first 30 miles with Sheila (many of you may know her as Crackhead). Anyway, she was coming off some amazing training and Lake Placid, so we rode together well. She went on to do the 100 mile route. I rode back by myself. It was hot, but we started early and I was done early, so it really was a nice day.

Melissa's finished with her summer workout schedule for gymnastics. The gym was closed this past week, so I had more free time. This was my last week of quality/interval training, and now I begin to taper. The week was relatively uneventful--until Friday.

I am supposed to see my rheumatologist every six months, or at least have blood work done every six months to make sure the drugs I'm taking are not destroying my liver. Our finances being what they are, I put almost everything off this year. I decided it would be a good time to make the 1+ hour drive to Melrose Park--before school and the night practices start.

I drove to Burr Ridge and rode an easy 25 miles. It's on my way, so I figured the drive would be easy. HUH! I didn't realize they were tearing up North Avenue, which is already a pain in the !@# to drive on. I barely made it on time--she has one more patient after me and was leaving for the day, so if I hadn't made it, the trip would have been for nothing. Anyway, she says I'm doing great, considering my disease, and can't believe I'm able to do what I can. She did STRONGLY recommend I get the blood work ASAP, and said I only have to see her once a year as long as there are no problems. YEAH!

When I was riding on Friday, I noticed my right eye was bothering me. I figured it was from sweating, or salt, or whatever. By the evening, it was bloodshot and really painful. I think I've had this before, but can't remember what I did. Anyway, it's gotten worse every day, and I will definitely call the ophthalmologist tomorrow. People with auto immune issues need to get stuff like this looked at. It's probably allergies or something, but it is REALLY PAINFUL!

Today I drove out to Coal City and did the Bike Psychos ride. It's not that far, and I don't think I'll have any more organized rides, so I played hooky from church (again--shame on me). It was such a great day--cool, breezy, and sunny. I rode the 70 mile route which turned out to be 67 miles for me. I'm not kidding when I say that I rode 98% of the time without seeing another rider. I started around 7:50 (it was only 55 when I woke up, so I didn't rush to get started). I figured I either started after or before the other 70 milers, or else most of the people were doing the 100 or 124 mile routes. Anyway, I ran into two people I know--both doing the 100 together--and they took off at the 1st rest stop--they didn't stop. I was starving, so I did!

This ride was harder than last week--I think because I had a pretty hard run and swim yesterday, and just didn't feel like eating much last night or this morning. Yeah, I know better, but sometimes I just lose my appetite and it's really hard to eat. I'm still not wanting to eat, but since I need to swim and ride tomorrow, I need to find something appetizing.

So, 13 days until my last race of the season on 9/5--an olympic distance in Niles, MI. I love this race--it's a challenging bike course and the competition can be really tough. I'm just going to do my best and leave it all on the bike course and run the best I can. My recent runs have been good, but each race my run was slower than the last one.

It is officially taper time, although the plan I'm following doesn't really look like much of a taper. Less swimming definitely, but more running than the last four weeks, and the same amount of biking. I think I will edit the plan the second week so I get a good rest before the race. I'm going to need to be fresh.

Ryan starts his sophomore year at BHS tomorrow. He's not overly excited, but I think he's ready to go back. I think it's been a long, boring summer for him. Three honors classes should make it much more challenging.

Melissa starts evening workouts tomorrow. We will start her school on the 31st. I have all her textbooks, so I'll start working on her schedule this week.

Jerry is working hard and we love him for that. He's been very supportive--a great husband and dad.

Next Sunday is Ironman Louisville--the weather forecast: 81 degrees. Can you believe it? The last to years it's been in the 90's with a heat index in the 100's. Oh, what I wouldn't have given for that kind of weather last year. I KNOW it would have made all the difference in the world.

Hope everyone is enjoying the final days of summer--not officially, but it sort of ends after Labor Day here in Chicagoland. The kids are back in school, and things get back to "normal" for many people.

Until next time--take care and God bless!

OOPS...I Forgot....

2009-08-04T09:35:00.002-05:00

After my post last night, I remembered I forgot to congratulate all who ran the Rock N Roll Half Marathon in Chicago on Sunday. Props to all 17,000 who participated, especially Waddler, Lisa, and Gary. If I'm missing anyone, so sorry. GREAT JOB!

A Quick Update....Another Sprint Race

2009-08-03T19:46:00.003-05:00

Things have been pretty routine since my last post. Training has gone well. I really believe that the short distance races/training has been good for me, both physically and mentally. It's been fun and challenging at the same time. Doing races every two weeks has made it a little tough on the training, but now that is done and I'm just training for my "A"race, olympic distance, 9/5.

I raced in La Porte, IN on Saturday. It was the 30th anniversary of the race. It's run by the YMCA and they do an excellent job. The swim is 1/4 mile (it always seems shorter to me); the bike is 12.4 miles; and the run is 3.3 miles (always seems longer to me). I've done the race 3 times in the past--once as a relay on the bike, and twice by myself. The last time I did it was 2006. It's on the same weekend as Steelhead (which I did in 2007), and last year I did Racine, which is the week before.

It was a beautiful day, weather-wise. I little breezy on the bike, but my mechanic decided early in the week that I would use my 404 and not my disk--turned out to be a smart decision. It started raining on the way home--that worked out great.

As I looked around before the start on the beach, I saw a lot of very fit-looking "older" ladies. Last time I finished 2nd in my age group. This year, I was hoping for a top 3 finish. Actually, I just planned to swim, bike and run as hard as I could and see what would happen.

I had a good swim, although I got caught (again) in a group of slower swimmers for the first half. Women 35 and older were the second to last wave--under 17 and relays were last. The waves started 5 minutes apart, so there really was no bunching up on the course. My swim was about a minute faster than last time, so that was good.

I knew my cyclometer wasn't working before the race. It konked out on me earlier in the week. Jerry thought he fixed it, but when we got to the race, he couldn't get it to work. (Turns out I needed a new battery, which is what I thought in the first place.) So....I had no idea how fast I was going, or where I was on the course. I only saw one marking at 10 miles. In the past the course was really crowded, and the first 4 miles was. But I passed a lot of people before the turn around (it's an out and back course), and the last half of the course was pretty open. Plus, I think we had the wind at our back. I wanted to equal or better my time of 34:28--ended up with 35:53 (20.7 mph). I seem to be stuck on that 20.7 number this year!

The run was HARD! My heart rate monitor kept going in and out (I need a new strap; both of mine are pretty warn). When it was working, I was above my AT, so I know I was working hard. However, I know my pace was not what I wanted. I really wanted to go under 9 min, but I ended up running 32:10 (9:37). BTW--each race my run time has gotten slower--YIKES!

My transitions were both about 1 minute, which is good for me. When I was done, I was convinced I left everything on the course. I couldn't have gone any faster. My final time was 1:18:10--43 seconds slower than last time--1:17:33. I was really hoping to break 1:17, but it didn't happen. I had no idea where I finished. I really don't worry about that. Jerry always goes to check the results.

I changed clothes and chatted with a nice young man (he finished 3d in 20-24, and his girlfriend finished 1st 20-24). We were racked across from each other, and talked for a little bit. Jerry came over and told me that I won my age group (by about 5 minutes).

Turns out I did pretty well--1/11 age group; 12/123 women; 6th place on the bike. As usual, my swim was about the middle of the pack, and my run--well, we won't talk about that. The race director announced this was the largest number of athletes in the 30 year history of the race.

I was really happy with my place, but would really like to improve on my times. I guess being three years older and a certain number of pounds heavier doesn't help. But you know, when I look at the women who finished after me, I definitely do not LOOK like I would be faster than them. It just goes to show that you can't always judge a triathlete by the way they look. I would love to look like them, but I would NOT like to give up my time.

I have to add that my RA has really been acting up. I think the weather has been a factor--the change in temp and rain makes it worse. Stress is also a huge factor, something I'm dealing with in a major way right now.

So, all in all, I was very happy with the day. I really didn't feel my best before or after the race. I'm hoping things will settle down and I can put it all together for my last race. It would be so cool if I could win my age group there too. I last did the race in 2007 and placed 1st in my age group. This will be my last USAT race in the 50-54 division. Next year I'll age up. The race is very competitive and has a challenging bike course. I did my PR for an olympic distance there in 2007, and had my fastest 40K bike time. We'll see--I can only do my best, and I will be happy if I do that.

Congratulations to everyone who raced this weekend, particularly all my friends and acquaintances who kicked butt at Steelhead. Every single one of you are amazing, and should be very proud of such a great accomplishment. Good luck to everyone racing this weekend--there are probably a lot of races--I know the Naperville Sprint is Sunday. Have fun. I'll be at the Warren Dunes with Melissa's gym. I plan to bring my wetsuit and practice swimming in Lake Michigan while I'm there.

So until next time--God bless!

Do As I Say, Not as I Do.....

2009-07-22T18:13:00.001-05:00

I just couldn't let this go without commenting.

I am on the "list" to receive "Coach Troy's" coaching updates. Not sure how I got there. Anyway, when I read the latest post, I was beside myself. I thought to myself, "This guy coaches elite and recreational triathletes? He holds a training camp for Ironman Louisville--a.k.a.--hot, hot and more hot?" After reading this post, I don't think I would pay for his services.

http://campaign.constantcontact.com/render?v=001aqj1QInodGSgDciWG6ZBLQZJsWL6Zh-Fu23cgkuDk4dB4VuEYC_VCqps4Yjpj8JOe3N85-H0uzyGh2aM8aRfb6ovjaCcphiqVh_GS53-xQ2f4UGf8iNjwhTbQM_67a6mzlFeXSs-7LROb5vivWLB1HrV-ptZe_D9Kp9k9kVS4T09x5bgASi3yrJfW73sAgle3Mz9baf2HP68htqHzKDoaHlVluDs2qYfrPcr7O-79ysXdUC92oGbd8dFp6WM21VW3KOee-Vx9TQ%3D

The man goes on a 45 mile bike ride in Tucson where the temperature is 105 with two 24-ounce bottles of water? That's it. You have got to be kidding me. Not only that, but the next day does something similar--not as bad, but come on, you didn't learn your lesson from the day before?

Anyway, if you haven't already, please read the post and let me know if you are as shocked as I was.

YIKES!

Two Races in Seven Days

2009-07-19T07:37:00.009-05:00

Since my last post, I've completed two sprint distance triathlons. (If you follow my Facebook page, you know the basic, most important info.) For those of you who don't and are at all interested, here is the story:

Sunday, the 12th, competed in the Schaumburg Splash/Pedal/Dash Sprint Triathlon. The swim was 400 meters in a 50 meter, outdoor pool. 15 mile bike ride through residential neighborhoods, and a 3 mile run. This was my third year competing, so I know the course well.

It is the ONLY race I've done in 15 years that has a different finish than start location, thus, T2 is located away from the start near the finish. Not a big deal--dropped off my running shoes and hat there before going to the start line and checking in. The race starts at 6:30, so it's really nice that it's only about a 45 minute drive in the early a.m.

As usual, met some interesting people waiting in line for my swim start. (An older (50 ish?) gentleman who has completed over 280 triathlons--his body has paid the price, so now he sticks to sprint distances!) It's a time trial start with fastest swimmers first. I think I was number 172, which meant there were 171 people who started ahead of me. People don't always seed themselves properly, but I only passed about 4 people, and only one guy passed me (he had a low number, so I'm guessing he missed his start time). I had an OK swim, not my fastest, but better than last year.

The bike course is really fun--not really fast because you feel like you are constantly turning. I never really know where I am on the course, location-wise. I felt like I had a good ride, but my stomach had been bothering me since Saturday afternoon, and I still felt a little queasy on the bike.

I thought I had a terrible run. My legs felt tired and heavy, and my stomach was bloated and really yukky. I couldn't wait to finish. Turns out I had the fastest bike time of the three times I've done the race (averaged 21.03 mph), and my run time was just a few seconds slower than my fastest time (8:32 pace).

Finished 77th overall, first in my age group, 14th overall female, 7th fastest female bike. It was a great day with great weather. Rested the remainder of the day--I was tired but felt good.

Since I was racing the following Saturday at the Evergreen Sprint, my training during the week was tricky. I wanted to continue training for my A race--Olympic in Septemter--but also rest for Saturday's race. I rode a couple times, swam every day except Friday, and ran once. Friday was a workout free day--seems like the only days I rest completely are before races. I hoped it would be enough.

As usual, I slept short and fitfully Friday night--about 4 hours total. Up at 3:00 a.m., left the house around 4:00. It took us about 1:45 to get there, including one stop for a bathroom break. While waiting inside for Jerry, a youngish man walked into the convenience store, walked up to me and asked if I was going to Evergreen. Guess he could tell by the way I was dressed. He commented on how we "passed him going about 90 mph." Jerry was driving pretty fast. It was early and the roads were deserted, so he figured it would be OK. Turns out he was a coach and had 30 athletes competing in the races. (I saw him after the race and we spoke briefly. He asked me how I did--when I told him he asked if I would have done anything differently if I had known the outcome and I said YES! Keep reading and this will make more sense.)

Arrived at the race sight around 5:45. Saw a couple people I knew--Waddler, met Trisharkie, Perry, and Lisa. During the swim warm-up, I saw Jenny Garrison and introduced myself. She's a real sweetheart and she finished 3rd female in the elite olympice distance. The water was 76 degrees, which sounds cold so I warmed up with my wetsuit. Decided it was too warm and uncomfortable and swam without it. Good call--I would have melted. Plus, I hate swimming in a wetsuit unless I absolutely have to. It does make me faster, but I'm just not comfortable in it. I guess I've been swimming too long without one. For 500 meters, it wasn't worth the inconvenience.

The swim was crazy. There were only two waves of the sprint distance, which left no time for the crowd to thin out. While I wouldn't say I was beat up, I did get stuck in a group of slower swimmers. I should have listened to Jerry and started near the front. My swim time was slower than I'm capable of--when I looked at my watch it said 12:18--I was hoping for around 11:00.

Jerry handed me my glasses so I could find my bike in transition, but even though I knew where it was, it still took me a bit to find it. Our racks were in the back of the transition, so we had the farthest to run out and in on the bike. I had an OK transition.

The bike course was fun. Since I started in the last wave, I passed a lot of people on the course. I had my disc wheel, and there was a strong cross wind the first 6 or 7 miles. I was not happy. But then it settled down and wasn't really a factor. The course had a couple small, challenging hills, but that just made it more fun. I saw Waddler on the bike course and she waved!

My best time on this course is around 1:09, but I knew that wasn't going to happen today. I was hoping for 1:12, which is what I did--averaged about 20.6 mph. Definitely not my best for this distance.

I felt good when I started the run--felt strong and was running what I thought was a good pace. I carried my gel with me and walked for about 10 seconds at the water stops and gulped a little gel. I really pushed the last mile. I wanted to break two hours. My final time was 1:58:45.

I was really disappointed when I found out my run time was 29:04/9:23 pace. Last week when I felt HORRIBLE my pace was 8:32. Well, I guess the additional 10 miles on the bike and racing six days later could have contributed to the slower time. Who knows? My run is what it is. I KNOW I would be faster on the bike and run if I could get rid of this extra weight I've put on the last two years. That will be my goal (again) in the off season! It's easier to control my appetite when I'm not training 20 hours a week, too!

We walked back to the car to pack up. I brought stuff to take a shower at the beach house. A woman walked up to me and complimented me on my bike ride. I guess I passed her and she was convinced I finished in the top women--she even thought I may have won. She won her age group (45-49) so she was sure I won mine. I knew there were only two of us, and I was pretty sure I won my age group.

Jerry always checks the results for me--I don't have the patience to stand in the crowd to find my time, plus I'm too short and it's hard for me to see. But here they have a computerized sysem. You tell them your number, and they are able to print all your information and hand it to you. I went to take a shower, and when I came out, he had my little sticker with all my info.

They started the awards with the sprint race first. First award was overall women--top three. The race announcer started with third place first--there was a long pause as he looked several times at the paper--the third place woman's time was 18 SECONDS FASTER THAN ME! I couldn't believe I came that close to getting an award for overall woman in a race. The first place woman was 20 years old, 2nd place 35 (she had the fastest bike--1:10. We went back and forth for most of the bike, but she passed me near the end). 3rd place was 37--her final time was 1:58:27 . Finals stats: 4th out of 55 women with the second fastest bike time.

The top two women in my age group in the Olympic distance race always finish one/two when they go head to head. I can bike about the same as the number two woman, but the first woman is an animal on the bike (time of 1:06!) and can run 7:30 pace for a 10K. I've NEVER been able to run like that. She was a top collegiate runner and still holds a bunch of records.

While it wasn't my best race ever, I really enjoyed it and had a lot of fun! Got to talk with Perry and Lisa after the race, but never did see Waddler or TriSharkie. I was looking for Jenny to congratulate her, but couldn't find her either. We didn't hang around for the Olympic race awards, as Jerry had to work later in the afternoon and wanted to get home.

So, the bottom line is I love racing. Sometimes I do good, many times not so good. But it's always fun. I met a lady who looked really familiar. Turns out we know each other from Edward Fitness Center where I spent 17 years as a member. She still goes there. She's 49 and yesterday was her first race in years. She had a great swim, but her bike was knocked in transition and she wasn't able to finish the bike course due to mechanical issues. But when I saw her after the race, she wasn't upset at all because she still had such a great time just being there. She's excited to race again. I hope I see her at other races. To me, that's what this sport is all about.

When you get to be older like me, and you've done this so long, it really is about the journey and having fun. I was speaking with a woman about the same age as me, and she commented on how fun it is to do the shorter distance races. Our bodies are not so beat up when we're done, we can enjoy the rest of the day still being able to walk without limping, and the recovery time is not as difficult. When you're in your 50's, it takes much longer to recover even when you're in great shape, than when you're in your 40's or 30's. I never believed that when I was younger. I thought people just used that as an excuse, but it really is true. Plus, I started running when I was 14, so my body has seen a lot of pounding. The less I pound now, the better it is for me. I'm usually sore after a race from running on the hard surfaces, which I don't do on purpose when I train. It's just to hard on my body.

I have a true sprint distance race in two weeks. I've done it before, and it's a really fun, well run race. Hope I can do really well that day. We'll see. As usual, my goal is to have fun and do my best!

This post is already way too long. So I'll end saying that I look forward to somewhat of a recovery week. Today I rested--at least no workout. I'll probably ride 3 or 4 times, swim 5 or 6 times, run 2 or 3 times this week. Nothing really long (maybe 50 miles on the bike next weekend). Including my race, total training time this week was about 12 hours. I like that--enough but not too much.

Hope everyone who was racing had a great weekend and enjoyed the perfect weather here. Have a great week.

Until next time--God bless!

What Happened to Summer?

2009-07-01T14:49:00.002-05:00

OK, so it's only two days, but what a drastic change in the weather. From 90's to 60's, which normally is not bad, considering summer will be back again tomorrow, and it looks like a great weekend for the 4th of July.

The bad thing about this is how the change affects my rheumatoid arthritis. Wow, I woke up today (after a really good, sound sleep, for a change), really stiff. You would think I would realize that this would happen, after dealing with this crazy disease for the past seven years, but it still takes me by surprise.

I decided yesterday that today would be a swim only day. I worked hard for about 10 straight days, and decided my body really needed a rest. My last two runs were crummy--Saturday I attributed to running/riding in the heat of the last week. But yesterday was another crummy 7 miler at Waterfall Glenn. I actually felt better after about 2.5 miles, but not as good as I thought I should have. So what should have been a 25 minute run turned into a 1:19 run. I did some strength training and a swim that included 16 x 50, and after that I was DONE!

As it turned out, today was a good day to skip my bike ride. I had a good swim with long intervals, and while I'm still tired and all my joints hurt, I feel a little better. When the weather warms up again, I'll feel much better. I noticed last week how good my body felt. I forget that when it's really hot, my joints and muscles feel amazing--almost like a normal 30 something year old person. Ha, the joy of getting old!

(I mentioned to one of the young aquatic supervisors at the pool this a.m. that I am old, and he very emphatically said, NO, YOU ARE NOT OLD! I'm glad to see there are still some nice, polite young men around!)

I'm enjoying watching Wimbledon. Would love to see Roger break Pete's record and win this thing. I would like to see him play Murray and beat him--Murray always plays Roger tough. In fact, I think he beat him both times they've played.

Just added up my numbers for June--a little light considering I was "sort of" tapering the first two weeks of June. Now I'm only training for an Olympic distance race, so my numbers and time will be down. However, my bike and swim will probably still be a little high, because those are my favorite!

For anyone who cares:

Swim: 40,400 meters
Bike: 357 miles
Run: 66 miles
S/C: 11 hours
Total Time: 62.5 hours

Looking forward to the Joliet Bike Club 4th of July ride on Saturday. Should be nice weather, and it's always a good ride and usually windy. Maybe I'll see people I know there.

Have a safe and happy 4th!

Until next time--God bless!

Summer is Here.....and some other good news

2009-06-24T18:31:00.003-05:00

Yeah, it's hot and humid and I got to run outside and ride outside without being cold and no wind. Ha!

It was a little warm on my run yesterday. Due to the shopping/gymnastics schedule, I ran after I dropped Peanut at the gym--11:30. I went to Waterfall Glen. Since I decided no half iron distance race this year, my "A" races will be the sprint at Evergreen (40K Bike--YEAH!) and the Olympic race in Niles on 9/5. So, I'm following an olympic distance training plan. Which basically means much less training, and more ME/FAMILY time, which is fine with me.

So, yesterday the plan was for a 1,000 meter swim and a 20 minute run. I decided that even though it was really warm, I wasn't going to go through all the trouble to run for only 20 minutes. So I packed up all my stuff (lots of fluid, salt tablets, gel) and ended up running 4 miles. Not much, really, but I really felt the heat. Not much company on the path, either. One other runner, a couple walkers and bikers. Most sane people were not out at that time. However, it's a good place to run in the heat because about 50% of the part I ran is shaded. It was hot, and I did take frequent, short walk breaks, but I really felt good when I was done.

Drove to LTF Burr Ridge and had a good strength/stretch/core session. Didn't even bother trying to swim outside--the pool was packed, and I knew the water would be ridiculously warm. It was almost unbearable the day before. I swam inside and it was refreshing and felt good after the hot run.

Last night was tough sleeping. Our basement and first floor stay nice and cool, but the upstairs, not so much. Our bedroom thermometer read 88 at 9 p.m. last night. I tried sleeping in the basement, but the couch is really uncomfortable and my back was killing me, so I ended up in my own bed. Put the fan on high, no covers, as little clothing as possible. Not too bad.

M,W,F Peanut's practices start at 8 a.m., which is great for riding near the gym. I brought my bike and did my 25 mile loop. It was warm, but after riding 112 miles in almost 100 degrees in the hills of KY last August, I feel like I can ride in almost any kind of heat. Time was a factor, as I had to get home to take R-man to the bowling alley. He couldn't find a ride, and I was not going to let him walk 2 miles to the lanes carrying his 14 lb. ball and shoes. He did it on Monday, and I felt awful. So, I dropped him off, headed back to the gym for Peanut, and then back to pick him up. I think I drove about 60 miles today. Short workout, but I feel good.

One thing I learned last week--tapering, rest and a day off really WORK! I definitely plan to try that more often.

The best news of the day: I take a medication for my Rheumatoid Arthritis that costs approx. $15,000 per year. I am very fortunate to have insurance, and my co-pay every three months is $150. Comparatively, not a bad deal. However, considering our recent financial woes, $150 is not chump change. I needed to order my next three month supply this week. I get it from a mail order specialty pharmacy. They always call to schedule delivery, etc. When I spoke to the pharmacy today, the very nice lady told me that I was eligible for a co-pay assist program run by the company that manufactures the drug. Long story short, I now get the first six months for FREE, and the second six months for $20.00. OMG, I was in shock. Instead of $600 for the next year of medication, I will be paying $20.00. That is such an amazing blessing. Thank you God!

I'm so excited to share good news. I love the summer, I'm enjoying my current reading (Stephanie Plum rocks!), and I'm saving money. What else could I ask for. Also, hubby has been working a lot of hours at the hotel, which is really good for our bottom line.

BTW, R-man bowled a 268 last week at practice. Went bowling with Dad on Sunday and bowled 204. Monday he bowled a 209. It would be great if he can bowl this way when school team tryouts happen. He would love to make the team again.

That's all I got. Tomorrow will be a later run. Rain is in the forecast, but it should be cooler. I could run on the treadmill, since the training plan calls for only a 25 minute run, and a 1500 meter swim.

Enjoy the warmth and stay cool.

Until next time--God bless!

A Day of Firsts

2009-06-21T15:24:00.007-05:00

As I was thinking about yesterday's race, I realized there were several things that happened for the first time:

1) First race since the distaster at Ironman Louisville--it felt really good to start and finish a race.

2) First race of 2009 season. Didn't know if I would race at all this year.

3) First race--EVER--without contacts. I did my first race in 1985, and have never not worn my contacts. I am really blind, so I need glasses/contacts to see. I used inexpensive prescription goggles, and it was a very short run to my bike out of the pool. It worked out really well.

4) First race driving the CRV. We've always taken the Town & Country, mostly because we can fit my bike and all my junk and four people. Since the car needs new tires and we still don't know why it sometimes won't start and the 'Check Engine' light comes on, I decided to see if I could fit my bike in the CRV. It works OK--it's a tight fit, and only two people can ride in the car. Since the kids stayed home and really aren't interested in watching me race anymore, it was a wise decision.

5) First time I drove home after racing. Jerry usually does all the driving. But he worked much later than planned Saturday morning, and only slept 1.5 hours, so it only seemed fair for me to drive home--it was only about 1:45 drive and I was fine after a sprint.

6) First time I messed up on the course. It's a long story, but I was an idiot. I thought I was done when I still had more to do (we had to run past the finish line and do part of another loop before the end). Jerry told me I wasn't done, so after I went through the chute and turned in the tag on my number (not a chip timed race), I kept going. I was upset because it cost me about 1-2 minutes, but it really didn't matter in the end. Jerry retrieved my number from the spindle and handed it to me before I crossed the finish line. I should have listened to him--he's ALWAYS right about that stuff. I felt like such an idiot.

7) First time doing this race. It was the first time this race was held in this particular venue, but it was a rebirth of the Rockton Tri, so I don't know if that counts or not. In any case, I don't think I've done a tri in that area before.

8) First time since 1991 I swam in an indoor pool as part of an outdoor triathlon. The Schaumburg race is in a pool, but it's an outside, 50 meter pool. This pool was 25 yards long. I have to say I really enjoyed the swim. Each athlete started 20 seconds apart, and I did a good job seeding myself. I guessed it would take me 7:15 to swim 350 yards, and my time was 6:49. I was happy!

9) First time I've been up at 4 a.m. since Louisville. Nuf said.

10) First time I raced with my disc wheel since 2007.

11) First time in a long time (only the 2nd race ever) the race didn't provide bathing caps. At least at this race they weren't required (in a pool swim, not necessary--but since I always swim with one, I remembered to bring my own). One race I did caps were required but not provided. What a mess. Now they provide caps.

And...I finished first in my age group. I know there were at least three of us, because they gave three awards for women 50-54. The race director said there were about 144 people racing. Jerry tells me I finished 6th overall female (according to results posted at the race), 19th fastest overall bike time, and 39th overall finisher.

Jerry said my swim time was right about in the middle of the pack, which makes sense. We won't talk about my run. I thought I was running faster than my actual pace. Suffice to say it felt like the longest 3 mile run ever. I think because I usually run longer, I thought 3 miles would feel short. Not so much. It was getting warm, and I really pushed the bike--averaged about 20 mph on a course I thought was mildly challenging. Many of the racers (including the director) thought it was a really tough, hilly course. I didn't really think so. I loved it.

I'm probably forgetting some other "firsts" I was thinking about....

I was chatting with the winner of the 30-34 men's age group. He is a veteran ironman finisher. He did Louisville the first year, said he probably won't go back. Not only was the air hot, but he commented on how warm the water was too. Yeah, I remember. He encouraged me to go up to Wisconsin and sign up for 2010--don't think I'm ready for that on so many levels! I'm going to stick to my sprint and olympic races and worry about next year later.

Happy Father's Day to all. Hope you're having a great day!

Tracking a friend at Coeur d'Alene...glad it's not me!

Until next time--God bless!

Race Plans

2009-06-17T21:14:00.003-05:00

On Sunday, my husband informed me that there was a race near Rockford this coming Saturday that looked interesting. I think he felt bad that I'm not going to do the half iron distance race that I've been training for since March. So, we checked it out and decided to go for it. It's in Roscoe, and was formerly the Rockton Tri. It will be a 350 yard pool swim, a 17-mile bike (which is what really got my attention), and a three mile run. It should be a small race and I plan to go, have fun, and do the best I can.

So, this week has been taper time. I've been following the taper I would have done for my half iron race, since my body is in that training mode. Monday I did a 1500 meter swim. Tuesday I rode, ran and swam and my body felt awful. Every session was hard and my legs felt tired and heavy. This is real typical of how I feel during a taper.

But today, I swam, rode and ran and felt sooo much better. Since all three sessions were really short and based on time and speed, I decided to ride inside on the spin bike at the fitness center and run on the treadmill. I wore my racing outfit to reacquaint myself with swimming in shorts and a tri top. It was a good workout, and my body feels fresh and rested. Tomorrow will be a short, easy swim and Friday will be a rest day.

I also signed up for a couple other races. I've wanted to go back to Evergreen. I did that race the first two years it was held, and they do a great job. Last year they added a sprint distance, but the key is the bike is still 40K--yeah for me. So I signed up for the sprint. I also signed up for a small sprint race in Schaumburg that I've done the past couple years. It's close, the price is right, and they do a great job.

I have plans for two other races--the 30th Annual LaPorte YMCA sprint which I've done several times--its a small race, great venue, and they do a great job; and the Niles Triathlon in Niles, MI on Labor Day Saturday. This will be my A race--olympic distance. It's a great course--challenging bike course which I love. I lost track of how many times I've done this race. It's a pretty easy drive and is always very reasonably priced. Every year the competition gets tougher and more challenging.

So, that will be a total of five races, and the entry fees for all of them is about what I paid for one of the half iron races I did last year. No overnight stays, which really cuts down on expenses (hotels, meals, extra gas mileage). Also, only one Sunday race to interfere with church for us and the kids. (We're hoping we can get them a ride to church and pick them up after the race--that's what we did last year!)

I have to say that while I'm getting the usual pre-race jitters, I feel so much better knowing I'm going to get to race this year after all. Jerry has been amazing and supportive as always. He knows how much I enjoy racing, and is willing to share this with me.

(I decided not to renew my USAT membership this year. I'm only doing two sanctioned races, so it's actually cheaper this year to just pay the one day fee for those races--more money saved.)

Congratulations to everyone who raced and rocked this past weekend--great job, everyone! Good luck to everyone racing, training, and riding this weekend. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate.

Until next time--God bless!

Why do drivers honk at cyclists?

2009-06-12T20:30:00.002-05:00

It's been a little while since I've written. I've been spending time on facebook. I like it. It's quick. I can post several times a day. And since I'm not a talented blogger like some of the people I follow, I don't really have to have a lot to say when I post.

So.....what's new in my life? I've decided that the half iron race on 6/20 in WI is not happening. Just don't have the money. As a told someone the other day when asked about my racing plans for the year--I'm broke and burned out. Well, not really burned out, but it's a good excuse. I'm still holding out hope for about 3-4 races. I'll let you know when I know if they will happen or not.

I realized yesterday that last year I spent over $1,000 on entry fees alone for the four races I did. When you factor in all the other expenses, I just can't justify that right now. I really have to think about my family (i.e., kids) first when it comes to finances. When they were younger, it was easier. Now, bigger kids equal bigger expenses. Melissa will probably need braces, and I have no idea how that will happen. We may have to chose between gymnastics and braces. I hope that doesn't have to happen.

This was a crazy week of training. Peanut started her summer schedule at the gym. Since she is now a level 7, she practices Monday-Friday, 4 hours each day. I don't like to drive home and back again, so I get some good workouts in, between LTF in Burr Ridge, riding on the hilly streets, and running at Waterfall Glenn. The weather was pretty yukky, so I only rode outside once (Tuesday p.m.), and ran on the treadmill 3 times--too much for my body. I was able to swim and bike outside today--it was a gorgeous day. Not sure what I'll do tomorrow--rain is in the forecast for the morning and early p.m. Sunday looks like a better day for another ride.

So to get back to the title of my post--I was riding this afternoon on a frontage road along I-55. It's a narrow part of the road, and the street is really bad--tons of potholes, etc. I was riding up the little hill, a car was coming toward me in the opposite direction. As it passed, there was a car behind me--she laid on her horn, and really scared the heck out of me. I DON'T KNOW WHY SHE HONKED OR WHAT SHE EXPECTED ME TO DO! There was nowhere for me to go. I was riding as far to the right as possible. There was no shoulder. WHAT THE .........?

I actually do know why people honk. They are upset because they have to slow down for 5-10 seconds to let the other car coming toward them pass, before they are able to pass me. But please, really, what can honking your horn do, beside scare the heck out of the cyclist and maybe cause them (me) to swerve into traffic and for sure get hit? I just don't get it. I absolutely go crazy when a huge truck passes me, with plenty of room on either side of the truck, and insists on laying on the horn right as they pass me. Are they just ticked off because I'm on the road? Am I not entitled to be on the road?

Listen, I'm really a good rider. I pay attention to the lights and stop signs. I try to stay out of the way of cars. If a car wants to turn on red and I'm in the way, I move so they are able to turn. I ride the way I would want to see a cyclist ride when I'm driving. I signal when I'm planning to turn. I ALWAYS let the cars/trucks have the right of way--they are much bigger than I am and they will always win the fight anyway.

Anyway, I finally get that out of my head. I'm riding a six mile loop that is about 5.5 miles from my house. I like it because there are hardly any lights or stop signs, and usually the traffic is minimal. Today there was a little more than normal because I rode later--2:00 until almost 4:00. I knew I was taking a chance, but it really wasn't so bad.

There is a fire station on this loop. When I was on my third loop, I passed the fire station and a fire truck pulled up next to me. Right when it was along side me, they TURNED ON THE SIREN! OMG, it scared the heck out of me! I almost jumped right out of my saddle. Couldn't they have waited 10 more yards before turning on the siren, or did they do it on purpose to see me jump? If so, that really was not nice!

Now I'm heading home, passing a bunch of warehouses. It's really windy, and I'm riding into the wind. I hear a funny noise, like the noise you hear when a firecracker is set and before it explodes. A second later, I hear what sounds like a sonic boom! I'm not kidding, it was the loudest firecracker I've ever heard. I thought someone dropped a bomb, I kid you not. I turned and looked back and saw lots of smoke in one of the parking lots. REAL NICE, PEOPLE! It's not even the 15th of June, and you're messing with firecrackers already? YUK, I really hate firecrackers and the 4th of July.

Well, I got nothing else. Sunday is the Suburu Women's Triathlon in Naperville. Good luck to all the first timers, old timers, elite and pros. It should be a nice day, and I hope everyone has fun and a good time.

Good luck to everyone who is racing this weekend. I'll be praying for good weather and great times!

Until next time--God bless!

P.S. A friend of mind just started a blog. Check him out at www.massageguy-adayinthelife.blogspot.com.

Training, Racing (?), Other Stuff

2009-06-01T14:36:00.003-05:00

Today is a rest day. So for me, that means I swam an easy 2200 meters this a.m. As I sit here typing, it is pouring rain and thundering outside. Guess we're lucky it didn't rain Saturday or Sunday. Saturday started out kind of yukky, but of course as I was finishing my ride, it turned beautiful. Yesterday was great--I had an early, easy outside swim (the water was warm, but not unbearably so). In the afternoon I "practiced" transitions--which really turned into a bunch of run/bike/run bricks. 4 min. run, 10 min. bike, times 8, plus one final 5 minute run at the end just for fun. It was actually a lot of fun. The neighbors now know I'm completely crazy, watching me run and bike around the block like a crazy person.

It has been an interesting couple of weeks. The week before last was a "recovery" week, but I didn't do to good following the plan. I did fewer sessions, but still ended up training 16 hours. I just couldn't resist riding and running when the weather was nice.

I'm still not sure about the half iron race in WI on 6/20. I REALLY want to go, but don't know if I can justify spending the money on a race when things are so tight. We've talked about leaving the kids home with friends to cut down on the expense, but after paying bills yesterday, I just don't know. I've trained really hard, and I'm in good race shape (I think). I'm still too fat, but I feel really strong and would love to test out my fitness. We'll see. Maybe God will work a miracle and we'll find a way to make it work.

R-man had three of his six finals today. He already knows he aced his Biology exam, thus the course. That was the only test he was at all concerned about. I'm definitely more nervous about his exams than he is. He's a really good kid and a great student. I really wish I could find him a job for the summer. He's only 15, so he's even more limited than other kids in finding work. He will have bowling four mornings per week for a month, but then what?

Peanut starts her summer practice schedule next week. I'm pretty sure she'll move up to level 7, which means five days of four hour practices. Good for her, a little crazy for me, but it will give me tons of time to train. (Now, what I'm training for is still a mystery!) She finished her school work the Friday before Memorial Day and passed all her subjects with flying colors. She, too, is an excellent student.

Jerry found a part-time job at the Marriott in Burr Ridge. Because it's a "franchised" hotel and not run by the corporation, he looses the 15 years he had with the company--bottom line, a lot less money. BUT, we're very grateful he found the job. It's very close the the gym, and not a bad drive from home. He'll be doing the same thing he did at his previous job, so that's a good thing. It's an upscale area, so the tips should be good. All in all, good news!

Good news regarding R-man's cell phone. We have Verizon, and they just happened to be running an upgrade special. Bottom line, the kids will both get a new phone (nicer than what they have) and it only cost us $49.95. That is a really good deal. We're happy, and they're very excited.

As you may remember, I rode a lot of miles on my trainer this winter (over 2,500). Now, I LOVE riding my bike outside. However, I'm not crazy about fighting with cars/trucks on the road. I really try hard to be a good, courteous rider. I stop at signs whenever necessary, at lights (unless there is absolutely no traffic and I know I won't get a green light), and I follow the rules of the road. I ABSOLUTELY HATE when drivers honk at me just because they don't like the fact that I am riding my bike on the road. Heaven forbid a driver slow down to accommodate a cyclist on the road. It may cost them a total of 20-30 seconds of driving time at the most. WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE!

When I was riding last weekend, there were at least three cars that honked at me JUST BECAUSE! I just don't understand these people. I really try to avoid traffic when I ride, but there are times when I must cross a busy intersection, or maybe ride on a busy street for a short distance. WOULD IT KILL THE DRIVERS TO GIVE US A LITTLE ROOM ON THE ROAD?

I just read on a fellow triathlete's blog that he was hit by a car while riding over the weekend. He wasn't seriously hurt, but enough so that he needed to go to the hospital. Thank God he will be OK. But, the crazy woman that hit him got out of her car and proceeded to scream and yell and swear at him when he was on the ground, still attached to his pedals, bleeding! WHAT IN THE WORLD IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE! She claimed she didn't even see him. Well, maybe she needs to open her eyes and pay attention to the road. I know accidents happen, but really.....

OK, so that's my soap box for the day. End of rant.

Lots of races starting up in the next several weeks. Hopefully, I'll be able to participate in 3 or 4 this year--that would be my goal. My training is going really well--I'm a little tired today, but that's OK. Last week of long hours, runs and rides. Then two weeks of tapering before the race (I hope). After that, I'm not sure how I'll train. I'd like to do a couple sprints and olympic races.

Hope everyone is enjoying their training, racing and finally the warmer weather.

Until next time--God bless!

Mixed Bag Weekend

2009-05-18T12:25:00.002-05:00

Ups and downs of the weekend:

Thursday p.m. as I was taking my son to the allergists, by wonderful (ha!) car decided to die. If you remember, we just spent $1900 in March having the transmission rebuilt--for the third or fourth time, I've lost count. As I write this, it is still in the shop, and while they claim it is not the transmission (I don't believe them), they don't know yet what is wrong. Maybe the fact that it is a 1996 CHRYSLER (yuk!) with over 191,000 miles on it is the real problem. I would love to buy a new/used Honda, but financially that is out of the question.

R-man participated in a 30-hour fast beginning on Friday after breakfast until 1:00 p.m. Saturday. He spent the night at church with the youth group and DID NOT SLEEP AT ALL! He was crabby, tired, and nasty when he came home. I forced him into the shower--I wanted to do one last load of clothes that day. As the dryer started, I heard a thumping noise. I checked it out but couldn't find a problem. A while later, my husband informed me that the noise was R-man's PHONE! YIKES! He left it in his jeans pocket! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY TIMES I'VE TOLD HIM TO ALWAYS CHECK HIS POCKETS BEFORE PUTTING HIS JEANS IN THE WASH? Maybe now he will remember?!

Well, he was really tired, and I feel a little bit (but not too) responsible for the damage to the phone. I probably should have checked, but.... J went on line hoping to salvage it. It works--but the battery is dead and the screen is kind of weird and hard to read. We ordered a new battery, and I guess he'll just have to live with it as is--to replace it is about $300 dollars. Needless to say, that is not going to happen!

I don't know if I mentioned it here or only on facebook, but J found a part-time job at the Burr Ridge Marriott, doing exactly what he was doing at his previous Marriott job. He took a drug test last week, and as soon as the results are in, he will be put on the schedule. Yeah, what a great answer to prayer!

I actually rode outside three times this week. Tuesday was a great day--rode for about 1.5 hours. I was due to ride Friday, but the all-day rain nixed that. So I rode on Saturday for another 1.5 hours. WINDY--typical May weather for this time of year. Cool, but not so much that it bothered me. I was still able to wear shorts.

Sunday I rode later in the day--after church and lunch--about 12:30. I was due for a 2.5 hour ride, and to be honest, I was really tired when I started. I did manage to ride about 43 miles, alone, without too much traffic problems, but still the wind was a factor. I followed the ride with a 2.5 mile run. The run actually felt better than the ride. It was perfect weather for running.

So, other than not knowing what is wrong with my car, how much it will cost, and if we have the money to fix it, it wasn't such a bad week. Peanut has about 5 days left of school. She's already finished three subjects, so that makes my life a little easier.

The more I evaluate our finances, the less chance I have of much racing this year. I think the half-iron distance in WI in June is pretty much out. Maybe a couple local sprints and olympic races, with one half in August/September is the new goal.

Congratulations to all who raced this weekend--in Galena, Memphis and Orlando. It's still too cold for me to consider racing outside, but good for all of you who participated.

This week is a recovery week--YEAH! I did a short, easy swim this a.m. just to loosen up. It felt good. The weather forecast looks fantastic, so I may ride a little more than required, just because....

Oh, and the prescription goggles are working pretty good. I haven't worn my contacts in over a week, and my eyes feel much better. It's different swimming with smaller goggles and carrying my glasses around the pool and locker room, but it's well worth it.

Hope everyone has a great week! Until next time--God bless!

Thinking Out Loud

2009-05-11T12:17:00.002-05:00

It was an interesting week/weekend. The weather was......inconsistent, which is to say pretty normal for a Chicagoland spring.

Still haven't taken my bike off the trainer. Hoping I can ride outside tomorrow. Training calls for an early swim, bike/run brick later. I need to decide before I sleep if I want to ride outside. It's kind of a pain taking CP off the trainer for the first time--hubby will do it for me and make sure she's ready to rock!

The cover of the latest Triathlete magazine has an article entitled "Body Image--Are Triathletes Obsessed?" That sounds like an oxymoron to me. I don't know ANY triathletes who are not obsessed with their body in one way or another. We spend most of our waking ours in either a swimsuit, shorts, jersey, bra top, etc. We get to see ourselves uncovered all the time, even in the dead of winter. We hang out/train with people wearing the same type of clothing. And let's face it, we usually judge how well an individual will race/perform based on how they look.

Lucky for me and others like me, you can't always judge a book by its cover. Sure, most of the time the "best" athletes look the best, but not always. Read the article if you haven't already. There are some interesting observations by the author Erin Beresini (guy or gal?). And although we would all like to look like the individuals on the covers of the magazines, many of us, no matter how hard we train or diet or even starve ourselves, will ever have that body.

Anyone else as sick of hearing about steroids and performance-enhancing drugs in sports as I am? Manny Ramirez--what a joke! He should be thrown out of baseball for being stupid! How can a grown man take a substance that helps female infertility and claim he had no idea what it was? How can a professional athlete put anything in his body without knowing what it is? If you ask me, there should be a zero tolerance rule in all of sports--not that I believe that will ever happen, because the athlete's unions, teams and leagues would never permit it! They really don't care what the athletes do, as long as it makes them money! And as far as role models go, I have taught my children NEVER LOOK TO A SPORT'S FIGURE AS A ROLE MODEL! There are so many more admirable and deserving individuals to look up to in this world.

Go Blackhawks! Just when I thought they were toast, they rallied and now have a chance to close out the series at home tonight. I really hope they can do it and don't have to go back to Vancouver for a game 7!

I may have mentioned that my daughter Peanut LOVES chocolate (as does her mom). She must have something chocolate in the house at all times. I decided I would bake a chocolate cake from scratch, because the mixes have too much junk in them, and I hate the canned frostings. The first one didn't turn out good-I confused teaspoons with tablespoons when measuring the baking soda and powder. However, the second one was a huge success.

So, I decided to try something else. I found a recipe for Chocolate Lava Cakes. You know, the cakes that have the gooey chocolate center! The recipe said it would make 10 large muffins. Well, I guess my muffin tins are way too small, because it made 26. I had one last night, and they are orgasmic! When I told Peanut that, she asked me what orgasmic means--oh oh, she's only 11--I hope I explained it OK! (Note to self--remember to think before you speak!). Anyway, they are a huge success--hubby ate too many and went to bed in a lava cake coma!

Had some good workouts last week. Did my long run on the treadmill, because of course that day it was cold, wet, windy, yukky! But I did get two 6 mile runs at Waterfall Glenn. I love that path--it has everything. Saturday was not a good day to ride outside, but it was great running. The path was really empty for a weekend morning, and I only got run off the path once by two women dressed in only shorts and bra tops, running about a 6 minute pace. I guess if you're younger, sexy looking and fast, it's OK to hog the ENTIRE WIDTH OF THE PATH! Oh well, I guess some people just don't pay attention to what's happening outside their world.

Had an OK mother's day. Spoke with my mom on the phone. I really don't like eating out, so hubby grilled some chicken and I made mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. It was a nice, relaxing day.

I'm into the heavier part of my training schedule, assuming I will do a 70.3 race on June 20th.
Last week totals:

Swim: 6x = 12,000 meters
Bike: 3x = 61miles (on trainer)
Run: 3x = 21 miles
S/C/S: 3x = 2:04
Total Time: 15:30 hours
Calories: 7,900

Hope everyone has a great week of training. Good luck to everyone competing in Galena on Saturday.

Until next time--God bless!

Tired....or maybe just old!

2009-05-06T09:32:00.003-05:00

I read a "Dear Amy" letter the other day in which the writer was a 50-something year old individual (not sure man or woman). This person was told repeatedly at times "you look tired". Not knowing how to respond, he asked the columnist for help. Her answer was to reply--I'm not necessarily tired, just old! Well, that's how I'm starting to feel on some days. Age, stress, physical wear and tear can really take a toll when you reach almost 54!

I had a lot of thoughts on things to write the past week, but now that I'm actually sitting down and writing, of course I can't remember anything really interesting or important.

Outdoor triathlon season officially kicks off in this area with the Galena Du & Tri on May 16th. The water temperature is at best in the 60's, so not a race I ever plan to do. Good luck to all you brave souls planning to race.

Spring running is well underway, and congratulations to all who have raced! The weather has been iffy to say the least, but that's life in the Midwest.

I worked hard last week. Put in lots of time and miles. I had a s/b/r day on Saturday and again yesterday. Although yesterday I swam and biked early, and ran in the evening (something I NEVER do, with the exception of last year's ironman). I enjoyed the quiet of the path and the beautiful weather, but I'm a little sore and tired today. Will swim later just to stretch and loosen up.

Still haven't taken the bike off the trainer. Peanut will be done with school in about two weeks, so that's when I'll be able to ride outside consistently. Hoping to ride outside Saturday, weather/time permitting!

I've been spending a little bit of time on facebook. It's fun because it's quick and easy. I'd love to be your friend. Check me out--Karen Martin Moy is my name!

Last weeks totals:
Swim: 5x = 10,500 meters
Bike: 3x = 75 miles (trainer)
Run: 3x = 17 miles (1 TM, 2 outside)
S/C/S: 4x = 2:41
Total: 15:43
Calories: 7,300

April totals:
Swim: 46,000 meters
Bike: 338 miles (on trainer)
Run: 75 miles
Strength/Core/Stretch: 14 hours
Total : 73 hours

P.S. Just added up the miles I've bike on my trainer since November: 2,500 plus! WOW! Can't wait to see how that translates to the road!

Hope everyone has a good week/weekend.

Until next time--God bless!

Weekend, Weather, Whining

2009-04-27T09:29:00.002-05:00

So of course, the weather did not cooperate and the weekend training did not go as planned. But, I did get to run outside on Saturday without getting rained on.

Kind of a miracle, really, considering it rained on and off all morning, on my way to Waterfall Glen, and on and off again the rest of the day. I ran 9 miles, 4.5 miles each way backwards on the path. I DID NOT want to walk on the railroad tracks again to avoid the flood on the path.

It was warm--about 75, cloudy and it was great running in only my tri top and shorts. I look hideous, but who cares. I'm sure nobody's looking at me anway, so, it is what it is.

Should have brought more water, but finished just in time to not be totally dehydrated.
Had a good hour strength/core/stretch workout. Good start to the weekend.

I ate some really bad stuff on Saturday and Sunday, and very little good stuff, if any, on Sunday. Eating right has really been a struggle, even more so lately. Can't say why. Except that MENOPAUSE AND HOT FLASHES REALLY SUCK!

Woke up tired and a little sore on Sunday. Decided a swim would do it, with plenty of resting in the afternoon. Swam an easy 2200 meters, went to worship service, stopped at the Jewel, made brownies for the high school meeting we were hosting, and WATCHED THE BULLS ROCK TO BEAT THE CELTICS! HA! Take THAT you defending NBA champs! (OK, I still don't believe the Bulls can win the series, but we have to take what we can get, right?)

High school boys are REALLY LOUD! Had about 8 boys and 2 girls (including the leader and Peanut) in our basement last night for games, pizza and Bible study. Peanut joined in and had a great time! I love seeing these kids. They are good kids and enjoy each others company. The youth leaders are amazing and do a great job with them. Thank you Rich and Jen!

I'm ready to give up my contacts, after 40 years. I really can't see up close with them anymore and they aren't comfortable. I only wear them when I swim and race. Planning to get some prescription goggles, but because my vision is so bad, will probably have to get them from the eye doc! Expensive, but probably better in the long run. (One of my lenses is really hurting my eye--I'm guessing it's scratched or something,)

Still waiting to take the bike off the trainer. Too much rain and wind (yes, I admit I am a wimp!) More training this week, although last weeks' "recovery" was not as easy as planned. I did way more than was necessary.

Hoping for a better weather week. It will be warmer, but only two days forecast without rain.

Recovery week totals:
Swim: 5 x = 9,500 meters
Bike: 3 x = 65 miles (on trainer)
Run: 2 x = 15 miles (1 treadmill; one path)
St/C/S = 5 x = 2 hr. 40 min.
Total time: 14:36
Calories: ~6,000

Have a great week. Until next time--God bless!

Time for a Recovery Week

2009-04-20T10:48:00.002-05:00

So, after three hard weeks in a row, each with emphasis on one sport (swim/run/bike), it is now time for recovery. And my body is ready for it. However, the challenge will be with my mind--can I follow the plan of a recovery week as well as I did the hard training weeks? So far so good. Today called for a 1150 meter recovery swim. I did 1500 easy. Good start.

Last week was good and HARD! The focus was the bike, and I did focus on the bike. Five days of trainer rides for a total of 143 miles (if I had done the same amount of time on the road, I know it would have been close to 200 miles). I followed my training plan, although I added some extra swim and run time.

I like to edit the weeks to work with my body. So last week, in addition to adding more swim time, I also added a long run, which was not called for. But since my running was non-existent the first two months of training, and since my leg feels UNBELIEVABLY CONSISTENTLY BETTER, and since the weather was so nice on Saturday, and since I was too lazy to take my bike off the trainer for one day only......I decided a 9.5 mile run at Waterfall Glen on Saturday would be good. I ran on tired legs, because I swam and rode on Friday, but it was a good kind of tired. Tired, not sore or painful.

Because of my schedule, it makes sense for me to run later in the a.m. on Saturday. ( I drop Peanut off at the gym for practice first--it's only a couple minutes from the path). Then I usually go to the Lifetime in Burr Ridge, as that also is just minutes away from the gym.

There are good and bad things about running later on a weekend morning. The parking lots were still pretty crowded, and I had to drive around for a while before finding a spot. I knew by looking at the cars, and by the time of day, there would be more bikers than runners. Which is OK for the most part. But then, there are those riders who insist on riding 20 mph on a path that is mostly hilly and has a lot of curves. I was almost run off the road more times than I can remember. Listen guys, if you're out training for a race, the path is not the place to ride. Get on the street where you can fight with cars and not defenseless runners and hikers (which include lots of families and dogs!)

One highlight (which was also a little scary) was seeing a fox cross the path about 30 yards in front of me. Of course, at that time I was the only one on the path. Thankfully, he/she ran into the field and just watched me run for a while. It was a little hilly and I was tired, but I was able to find a second wind, just in case he/she decided to come back to the path and check me out!

Sunday was expected to be rainy and colder, and was as predicted. After an easy early a.m. swim and church, I spent 2:40 minutes on the trainer later in the afternoon. I was tired, but the ride turned out pretty good.

I've had a little trouble falling asleep and my heart rate has been relatively low while training the last several days, so I know it's time to back off a little--recovery week just in time.

Today is the Boston marathon. I know a couple running--good luck to Kevin and Jocelyn. The weather should be perfect for a marathon.

The Moy family continues to hang in there, against all odds. Kids are looking forward to school being over soon; J is still struggling with a cough that is driving everyone crazy. I'm looking forward to a rest week, better weather later in the week, and maybe doing a local sprint tri in June.

Long week totals include:
Swim: 4 x = 7500 meters
Bike: 5 x = 143 miles (on trainer)
Run: 2 x = 15.5 miles (outside)
Strength/Stretch/Core: 5 x = 3 hr. 22 min.
Total Time: 20:34
Calories burned: ~8,400

Have a great week and until next time--God bless!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-10T11:13:00.003-05:00

First, I want to wish all Christians a very happy Easter. This, after all, is the reason we call ourselves Christians, or as I like to say, Christ followers. If Christ had not died and risen, well, he would have been like every other man. Thank you so much, Jesus!

Now....some updates. Last week was OK. The weather was so-so, which was OK because the primary training focus was swimming. And swim I did--14,500 meters that week. I even swam with the master's at LTF on Sunday--what a blast! I wish I could do it all the time, but for various reasons, I just can't now. Only two bikes and two runs, but that was OK because I felt good at the end of the week. My upper body was a little tired from the hard swims, but a good kind of tired.

This week the focus is on the run--not so good for me. The schedule called for four days in a row of running. I made it three, which still was probably too much for me. I should have skipped a day. I ran my two longer runs outside. Yesterday was perfect weather, Tuesday a little cold and windy. Wednesday was inside on the treadmill. Unfortunately, my leg and hip are really bothering me today. I swam this morning, an easy 2000, and plan to ride for about 1.5 hours or so. Tomorrow is a rest day. Originally I planned to run long tomorrow and rest on Easter Sunday, but now I'm not so sure. I'll have to see how I feel in the morning.

The kids have been on break all week, so it's been low key around here. I've been sleeping in and staying up too late watching DVD's. I guess it's OK, since it is technically "vacation" time.

I spent a lot of time chatting at the fitness center this morning. Saw some friends I don't see often and had time to visit, since many people are off work for Good Friday. I had some bad news from a woman who recognized me from my previous fitness center. She informed me that a woman I knew passed away several weeks ago from brain cancer. It's really thrown me for a loop. I'm so sorry I didn't know. I guess maybe I'm at the age where I need to start reading the obituaries. So very sad for her family. My prayers go out to her husband and children.

Makes me realize that no matter how bad things seem, my life is still very blessed. J interviewed for a job at a nearby hotel. He was chosen for the position, but the company just initiated a hiring freeze, so the job is now on hold. So, the search continues. Things are still tough, but we're hanging in.

There were several 70.3 races last weekend. I know several people who raced. I can't imagine training in Chicago and racing a 70.3 in April. I did the Orlando 70.3 in May, 2007 and that was tough. I think I only rode outside half a dozen times that before the race. Going from 50 degree weather to the 80's and 90's and humidity of Orlando was quite a challenge. Not one I plan to ever do again! I can wait until July or August right here in the Midwest to get that kind of weather. (Which, I must admit, I'm looking forward to!)

Next week, I'm hoping for great weather. Training will be bike intense, and I'm hoping to get outside next Sunday for a long bike ride. There's an organized ride I've done that last couple years that day, and I'm hoping the weather cooperates and I can make it. It would be so nice to get out of my basement and on the rode again!

Hope everyone has a great weekend/holiday.

Until next time--God bless!

'Biggest Loser': A Big Loser; Week of Ups and Downs, and other 'Stuff'

2009-03-30T12:46:00.003-05:00

Once or twice a week I receive a "newsletter" via e-mail from Beginner Triathlete.com. Most of the time I just glance at it because most of the info is not really new to me. However, last week's caught my eye with the article entitled: TV's 'Biggest Loser': A Big Loser, written by Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD.

I clicked on the link and truly enjoyed the article. Her thoughts on the show articulated my exact feelings. But since she is more qualified than I will ever be to give such an opinion, it was great to read. Just a sample:

"The messages in The Biggest Loser are all about deprivation, denial, starvation, and punishment. Exercise is akin to torture. Food is the fattening enemy. The participants use sheer willpower to white-knuckle themselves through each grueling day. They are praised if they lose ten pounds in a week (as if they are now better people), scorned if they lose only two (as if they are scum of the earth), and ridiculed if the scale barely moves. The participants get no credit for having inner beauty that shines from the inside out, nor do they get treated as if they are decent people with tender feelings. The scale is the sole judge of their worthiness."

I LOVE IT! The article continues and offers tremendous insight into the show, and how unhealthy in the long run the weight-loss method is. It's an excellent article and she explains the proper way to lose weight permanently--and it is not by dieting. Read the article for some excellent insight on this subject.

And while I'm at it, I'd like to talk about how a person loses 10-20 lbs. in a week. I don't care how overweight someone is, that just sounds impossible. OK, they may be losing weight, but it is definitely not fat weight. Think about it--to lose one pound of fat, our bodies need to burn approximately 3,500 calories. So, if you were to lose 10 lbs. of fat in one week, that would mean that you would have to burn 35,000 more calories than you took in. Now tell me, how is that even possible? That would mean you would average burning about 5,000 calories PER DAY! I think that the riders in the Tour de France may do that, but I don't know anyone else who can. When I did the ironman in August, I burned about 6,000 calories during the swim and bike portion. That was after 9+ hours of competition. So you tell me--are these contestants really losing that much fat every week? I don't believe it for a second.

One contestant lost 21 lbs. in a week once. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? 21 x 3,500 = 73,500. You mean to tell me that man burned 73,500 calories more than he ate that week? NO FREAKIN WAY!

So, now that I have that out of my system, what's new? Typical 'spring' weather in Chicagoland brought rain/wind/cold and snow for the weekend. While I worked out indoors, the good news was that I had a 'decent' run on the treadmill Saturday. I felt horrible when I started, but managed to hang in there and felt pretty good after 6.2 miles or so. My leg is much better--it feels good more days than it does bad now. But I have to say I can feel every pound I've added to my frame over the winter, especially when I run. YUK!

Last week was one of ups and downs. Some days I felt really motivated and OK; most days I was sad, depressed and just miserable. I know I need to go to the doctor--I'm really convinced I have an under active thyroid and need to be tested again. But money is a huge issue right now, so it will have to wait.

Because things are so tight (and I haven't run much), I haven't signed up for any races. Which also makes me sad and miserable. I feel like I have no reason to train, but will continue to do so just because it's what I do.

I also seem to have an even shorter fuse than normal. The only up side to that is when my family knows I'm upset, they actually listen and do what they're supposed to do. One of my big questions in life is "why do I have to get upset/scream/yell for people to actually listen and hear what I'm saying?". When I'm calm and nice, it's like no one can hear me. Well, if that's what it takes...... but, I SO don't want to be that person.

Next week is spring break for my kids and I'm really looking forward to it. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and I'll be able to get outside to run. That will be really good, because next week's training is very run intensive. This week is swim intensive, which I always like. Six days in the pool, three of them long, three shorter. Just a couple rides and runs squeezed in.

Last week was a recovery week, which was really nice. I still put in 13 plus hours, but the sessions were shorter and less intense.

One more thing--in June I will be attending my 40th grade school reunion. Yes, I graduated from 8th grade in 1969. We've got quite a group together on facebook. I'm trying to get better at using it. My son gets really frustrated when I ask him for help. He thinks everyone should just know how to use it. Me, not so much. I still haven't figured out how to post pictures and other fun stuff.

Well, that's it for now. Hope everyone had a great week. Happy spring and training.

Until next time--God bless!

Where to Start....

2009-03-16T10:53:00.002-05:00

It seems like forever since I last wrote...feels like a lot has happened.

I'll start with Peanut's meet yesterday. As I wrote in my last post, yesterday was the State Gymnastics Meet for the level 6 girls. Believe me when I say level 6 is TOUGH! We were warned right at the start (last spring) that it would be so. I guess I didn't really believe it. Well, it was ALL THAT and more. Peanut had an OK year, everything considered. Being sick for over two weeks several weeks ago did not help. Plus, she's developed a slight problem with her back walkover on the beam--she has a tendency to fall off during competition! Yeah, not so great.

Gymnastics is such a mental sport--it can really play games with your head (as so many other sports do--believe me, I'm the queen of mental when it comes to triathlon pre-race jitters). She looked so good in warm-ups--stuck every tough element. But, alas, she fell off the beam--when she got up and did it again, it was great. The rest of the routine was really good, but falling is a big deduction.

Her floor routine was really good--except she fell again on her front tuck. OUCH! The rest of the routine was really good, again, but that fall.......big deduction.

So in the end, she placed on both the vault and bars, nothing on beam, floor or all around. She, of course, was perfectly OK with her effort. It's so hard to be a mom, though, and watch your little girl struggle. She works so hard, really loves this crazy sport, and SOOOO has her head together. Mom, not so much. It was a really hard night for me. And it didn't help that awards weren't until 9:00. As many know, I AM NOT A NIGHT PERSON!

Anyway, the bottom line is that we had two all round champions, and at least one individual event winner (not sure because there were earlier sessions!). The combined team finished third, which is really good--except that we won first place the last two years. I think the coaches may have been a little disappointed. But, as I hear so often in this sport, 'IT IS WHAT IT IS'. The judging is very subjective, and did I mention VERY POLITICAL! The team that finished first is coached by one of our old coaches, so we were VERY happy for him and his girls. Anyway, enough of that. We can now relax for a while, and concentrate on the skills to compete at level 7 next year. Hopefully, that back walkover will correct itself over the summer!

As for me--what a mess I am. The warmer weather is nice, but until it actually stays that way, I'm still hurtin' a lot. I still can't control my weight--and to be honest, while I've really been watching my calories, they're not always the best choices. So, I start a new once again.

I've been trying to stick to my training plan, even though I'm pretty sure I won't be doing the half iron tri in June. I'm hoping to run outside tomorrow after a ride inside. It's supposed to be nice, and my leg is feeling really good. Maybe running off the treadmill will be better. I only have to run 30 minutes, so I may go to one of the paths near home and try. Even if I walk a lot, it will be a start.

Things are still really tough on the financial front. J is still looking for a part-time job. The two he had are pretty much dead in the water now. He had one interview at a local hotel last week, but hasn't heard back yet. I've applied on-line for a couple part-time jobs, but also have not heard anything.

R-man is doing great. School is going well--at least his grades are exemplary, even if he claims to not like it. He wishes he could get a job. I told him to wait a year or two, then he can work as long as he likes. Next fall he takes driver's ed--he's not in a hurry at all to drive, though. I'm a little worried about him behind the wheel. He's very bright, but not always aware of the world around him--not so good when driving a car.

I'm writing this late--11:15 a.m. I got up at 5:30 to take R-man to school, did some stuff around the house, then went back to bed until 10:00. I can't remember the last time I did that. I didn't get to bed until 1:00 a.m., and I was physically and emotionally drained. Peanut just woke up (ah, the beauty of homeschool), and I only have to swim, so it's going to be a laid back kind of day.

Congratulations to all who participated (Waddler, Trisharkie, Snipes) and volunteered (Snoopy, Moose, Kurt & Dan) at the LTF indoor triathlon. Sounds like you all had a great time. Hope to see you all soon!

Praying that everyone has a great week and enjoys the 'warmer' weather.

Until next time--take care and God bless!

What's New?!

2009-03-09T12:06:00.003-05:00

Some random things I would like to share:

J & R-man are still recovering from their illness. Both returned to work/school early last week, but the coughing and upper respiratory stuff is still hanging on. I wonder if they'd recover quicker if they actually slept and rested? Huh!

Peanut had a meet yesterday, and while she is still not 100% from her illness (fitness-wise), she did much better. The team placed second (there is a team that's come out of nowhere with some amazing younger girls); she won the bars, placed 4th in the all around, 11th on beam, 8th on floor, and fifth on vault. She was happy, and it was a long day. They had to be at the venue by 8:00 a.m., which was tough after the crazy daylight savings time change. I stayed home to go to church with R-man.

Next week is the state meet--kind of like the competitive gymnasts' "Kona". The kids need to qualify with a specific overall score at a meet during the season. Peanut qualified in the first meet; all of our kids qualified, which is really exciting. Our gym has won the state title for level 6 the past two years; our coach would love to make it three in a row. I'm thinking that other gym has peaked at just the right time; our kids seemed to have leveled a little. Here's hoping and praying they all have their best meets of the season. (Last year Peanut won the all around and beam in her age group in level 5. We're not expecting that kind of finish this year--just that she have fun and do the best she can to help the team!)

I've had a tough couple weeks. Still not able to run. I did a specific bike workout last week that set me back with the pain in my leg. Bad idea. I wasn't able to run as planned the next day. I was upset, so I spent too much time working out that day. The next day I could hardly move. I was going to just rest, but ended up at the pool and swam about 1450 meters. I felt much better after. I'm really starting to believe that my aches and pains are due primarily to my rheumatoid arthritis. The weather this weekend has not helped. Lots of rain and change in temperature not good. I won't know for sure until the weather finally warms up for good.

I've been trying to watch my diet, but again, no luck. I haven't weighed myselft in a couple weeks--I can tell things aren't going well. I am seriously tracking calories burned and eaten, and even though I'm eating less calories than I burn, the weight still is not coming off. I feel even fatter.

Which leads to more depression. I don't know if I'll even be able to race this year, not being able to run yet. Plus, if I can't lose at least 10 lbs., it's just not going to happen. I'm too heavy to race at my best, and it's not good for my body either. Which of course makes me want to race even more. Vicious circle.

And those wonderful hot flashes/night sweats are back with a vengeance. Hormones going crazy; cravings galore; not being able to sleep. Last night I made some homemade chili and put it in the crockpot to cook overnight. As usual, I went to bed hungry with my stomach growling (not unusual for my stomach to be growing most of the time). I couldn't sleep, and I smelled the chili all night long!

Last week was very easy for me:
Swim: 6x - 12,500 meters
Bike: 2x - 53 miles
Run (turned into 1 mile walk)
Row: 1x - 40 minutes
Strenth/core: 3x - 2:36
Total time: 13 hours

I forgot to share that my husband's computer crashed a couple weeks ago. It's old, and the hard drive just pooped out. Now, here is the thing: ALL OF OUR MUSIC IS GONE! That's right, over 6,000 songs that were on I-tunes--history. I know several people who had this happen to them in the past. So last year, I suggested backing up all our stuff. After much "nagging" he did go out and buy what he needed to do it. For over six months I "encouraged" him to PLEASE BACK UP THE MUSIC! So imagine my mood when I learned it was gone. I cannot tell you how angry I was/am. He insists there is a way to take the music from our i-pods and put it back on the hard drive. YEAH, RIGHT! I'll believe it when I see it!

Anyway, hope everyone had a good week/weekend. Hang in there--the weather WILL get better eventually!

Until next time--God bless!

A Long, Sick, Hectic Week

2009-03-02T09:08:00.003-06:00

So much has happened since I last posted.

Peanut was pretty sick for about 10 days. Fever for four, sore throat, coughing and fatigue the rest of the time. She finally started feeling like herself on Thursday. So, because there was the BIG (name of the gymnastics gym/team) on Saturday and Sunday, she practiced Thursday and Friday night.

I could tell she wasn't 100%, and told her not to expect too much at the competition. True to form, it was a tough meet for her. She only placed on one event (bars, traditionally her worst), and didn't place in the all-around, which is very unusual for her. But so like her, she was not at all upset, had a great time, and went back on Sunday to watch the rest of her team compete. (They had to split up the levels over the two days because there were so many teams/girls entered.)

The meet was a huge success. J, who was also really sick the entire week, worked his rear end off all weekend. He was there the entire time, including Friday night setting up. The meet was held at Lyons Township High School, so it wasn't a long drive, which was really nice. He had to go to work today, sick and all, but I think he plans to take a day or two off this week to get better.

R-man worked concessions at the meet on Saturday--I should have left him home in bed. He now has what Peanut had--fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue. For once I'm glad they have off school today for a crazy holiday. He HATES missing school, and I'm hoping he can go back tomorrow. He's still running a low-grade fever and feels crummy.

As for me, I worked on Saturday entering scores for the Floor routine judges. If I was disheartened regarding judges/judging before, now I'm even more convinced that this sport is crazy when it comes to scoring. I watched and heard how they arbitrarily came up with many of the scores. They were really tough on the girls, especially in level 6. They were also judging level 8, and were so much more generous in their scores. They did talk about how difficult the level 6 routine is, and how there are many places to take points off the score. Anyway, I NEVER want to work with judges again, that's for sure.

As for the team, two of the levels took first place, and the rest, including level 6, finished in second place. I think it was tough competing in your own host meet, kind of like a sports team playing at home during playoffs. Many of the kids worked or were at the meet the entire weekend. Lots of stress and excitement doing this the first time. Not many of our gymnasts had "great" meets, but that's OK. They all had fun.

Thank goodness I haven't gotten the "sickness", at least not yet. I'm trying to get enough rest. I cut way back on my workouts last week. Three of the days I only swam. The good news is I actually RAN on Thursday. There was some walking/jogging involved, but I managed five miles in about an hour. My joints were sore the next day--not used to the pounding, especially at this time of the year. Hopefully I can run a couple times this week and work my way up to a regular routine.

Last night I sat down and added up my workouts for January and February. January was crazy, but February was much more where I want to be. Since I don't know when or if I'm going to race this summer, there's no need to burn myself out now. Also, I will finally admit that I should have taken time off after Louisville. I didn't, and I now know that it was a big mistake. One more lesson learned from ironman racing.

January Totals:
Swim: 47,500 meters
Bike: 590 miles (all on trainer)
Run: 0 miles (all on treadmill!)
Strength/Core: 18 hours
Total Time: 81 hours

February Totals:
Swim: 33,000 meters
Bike: 417 miles
Run: 5 miles (YEAH!)
Other Cardio: 6 hours
S/C: 15 hours
Total Time: 66 hours

I'm going to try to stick to my half-iron training plan as much as possible this month. Today calls for a swim only. I'm going to also do some strength training.

Hope everyone survived February. It's March, which means we're closer to June, when it really starts to warm up around here.

Until next time--God bless!

More Time Spent Indoors

2009-02-23T07:33:00.002-06:00

In general, our family is relatively healthy. What I mean is, we don't get colds/flu, that kind of stuff too often. So, I guess we were due.

Peanut and J spent last weekend in Indianapolis for a gymnastics meet. Tuesday morning she woke up tired. Of course, I thought it was just from the long weekend (no school on Monday). I dropped her off at practice as usual that night. When J brought her home, he informed me that over half the girls on the team were sick with flu and not at practice. Peanut was really tired and coughing with a sore throat when she went to bed.

I had her sleep in on Wednesday. She woke up later than usual, and did her school work. When I came up from the basement after my ride/workout, she had finished her work and was sound asleep on the couch. OK--the flu has struck!

She had a fever for the next four days, ate very little, slept and rested A LOT! When she's sick, she's a real trouper--no complaining--just rest and watch TV.

I feel very comfortable leaving her alone, but not when she's sick, and definitely not with a fever. So, all my workouts were at home until Sunday when I finally got back to the pool. Four days without swimming for me felt like a life time! Anyway, I actually took a complete day of rest on Thursday, which my body really needed.

Peanut is better, no fever, but still coughing and her throat is still a little sore. She's still asleep, and she's going to try to do some school work today. I doubt she'll make it to practice tomorrow night. This weekend is our team's home meet--the first meet we've sponsored since the coach opened the gym. J has been working like crazy planning the meet. R-man and I are scheduled to do our volunteer rotation when Peanut competes Saturday afternoon. I'm really worried that she might not be able to compete. We'll have to wait and see how the week shapes up.

R-man spent the weekend in Michigan with the high school church group at their winter retreat. Had a great time in the snow and cold with his friends!

Other than feeling totally trapped inside by illness, cold and snow, not being able to run, and being totally sick of this weather, I'm hanging in there. Even in the toughest of times, there's still so much to be thankful for.

Hope everyone had a great weekend and has a great week. March is less than ten days away! YEAH!

Until next time--God bless!

Update.....General Stuff

2009-02-18T08:26:00.002-06:00

I know it's been a while.....here's what I know:

February is probably the worst month of the year for me, both physically and mentally. The change in weather is tough on my body--my RA is in full flare. Things hurt now that I don't even remember in the summer when the weather's warm.

My body is telling me to slow down and take a break. That's hard for me, but I'm trying. I still am not able to run. I think I'm compensating by doing too much other stuff. I now have new aches and pains.

Our family is really struggling financially. J's two part-time jobs have no work now; one of the jobs owes him a bunch of money. Hopefully, things will pick up by April. Until then, he's been looking with no luck for other work. We're trying to hang in there.

Due to finances, I'm not signed up for any races yet. Which is probably a good thing since I haven't run in about six weeks. We'll see how things go.

I'm not optimistic about the "stimulus" plan. I'm not really that optimistic about the new administration and all the hope so many people have placed in it. That's all I'll say on that subject.

I'm SOOOOO tired of baseball, steroids, Alex Rodriguez, and all that big giant mess. Let's just agree that professional athletes, like actors, politicians, and others in our society have their own sets of rules. I don't like the rules, I don't agree with them, but that's just how it is. We live in a democracy, but life is rarely, if ever, fair.

Gymnastics, even at the level my daughter is in, is so totally subjective and unfair. At her last meet, Peanut got the lowest score she ever received on the uneven bars--7.45. At that same meet, she won the floor, finished seventh in the all around, and placed in the top ten or better on the beam and vault. Her team won their level. This past weekend, the team went to Indianapolis to compete. The competition was much tougher than at the last meet. Doing the same routine on the bars, she received a 9.125 and finished third. HUH?! The team finished in second place. Peanut finished 5th in the all around. Can you see how crazy this sport is? The good thing is she's not upset by it and realizes that's how it is. Me, I think it's absolutely INSANE!

I'm still trying to figure out Facebook. I joined a little after I started this blog, but I'm still trying to figure out how it works. It seems a little complicated to me. I would like to master it, because I think it's less work than posting a blog. Anyone out there an expert?

Sometimes it's hard to read blogs of people who are really good triathletes. What they consider success or failure doesn't even register with people like me. I like to enjoy my training and racing, see some improvement, and stay healthy. Sometimes I'm really happy with my performances, other times not so much. But for me it's all about the fun in the journey. I'm never going to be a fast swimmer or runner. I love doing both, but speed will never be the basis of how I judge my enjoyment in this sport. When I read what the 20 and 30-something women write about their triathlon experiences and goals, I wonder where they will be in the sport when they're my age. Interesting, huh?

R-man received an excellent report card for his first semester in high school. 4.0 average, ranked 50 out of 1148 freshmen. Except for Algebra, he has all new teachers this semester. He really liked his first Biology teacher, and doesn't like the one he has now so much. However, he just received his progress reports and he's doing great in all his subjects.

Last night was the Bowling teams' award banquet. It was held in the high school cafeteria--very low key, not fancy. Compared to what the football and basketball teams get, I'm sure it was a total joke. But, the teams did well, and R-man is hoping to improve over the summer and make the team next year as a sophomore.

It's raining, supposed to turn to snow later today and tomorrow more snow and colder. My body is already protesting. I'm going to go in my warm basement and ride and strength/core train. Maybe I'll go for a short swim later if I feel like leaving the house--or maybe not!

Caught a glimpse of Moose and Iron Snoopy at the fitness center Saturday. I was on the rowing machine, they were doing some serious weight lifting. Didn't get a chance to say "hey"!

That's it for now. Hoping I'll have some good news to post soon. Until then, hope everyone else is surviving this short but oh so long month of February!

Until next time--God bless!

Another Discouraging Week

2009-02-07T19:17:00.002-06:00

Another tough week. As you know if you read my last post, I was very discouraged with my one pound weight loss after working very hard and eating very right. So, this week I decided to buckle down even more, work even harder and try to eat even less. Can you say BACKFIRE!?

I spoke with my favorite personal trainer last week and told her about my one pound loss in three weeks. Her response, as usual, was that I need to eat more! I just don't get it. She really believes that I am freaky different (in a good way!?) than NORMAL people. I know that what she (and several other people have told me) is probably right, but I just can't get my head around the fact that I need to eat more and work out less to lose weight. It just doesn't make sense to me.

So, this week I tried to eat a little bit more, but continued to work out hard. So far this week I have: swam four times for 5,700 meters; biked four times for 125 miles; spent 258 minutes doing strength/stretch/core work; rowed on the rowing machine twice for 1:38--17,000 meters; and worked on the Arc trainer for 17 minutes. I still can't run, although my leg feels like it's getting better, and I'm going nuts, so I tried rowing and the ARC trainer. They're fun and good workouts, but not the same as running. Total so far is 17 hours and 19 minutes, and I've burned 6,842 calories during workouts. And oh yeah, I weighed myself this morning: I GAINED 2.8 POUNDS SINCE LAST SATURDAY! How is this even possible? My family watches me eat, exercise and be so disciplined. I don't eat what they eat. I won't go out to eat. I eat only stuff from home that I buy that is 99% healthy. This is insane and so discouraging. Basically, I've gained about 4 pounds since I started this plan. CAN YOU SAY--NOT WORKING?

So I have to decide how to proceed. Obviously what I'm doing is not working. Should I decrease my workouts and increase my calories in relation to the workouts? Hmmmmm? Maybe? I just don't know if I can do it. I go to sleep thinking "tomorrow I'll take it easy". But then my body takes over and I think if I don't work for 2.5 to 3.5 hours, I'll gain weight. But then I think, I'm gaining weight anyway so maybe I should just take it easy. I have this big Catch-22 going on in my head. YIKES! I'm really disciplined--can I discipline myself to take it easy? That's the million dollar question!

Other than that, life is pretty hard right now. We're struggling and trying to keep our heads above water financially. I can't afford to buy new clothes--I have to be able to fit in the ones I have, which I can't do right now.

The mild weather is good for my body, although the change is not. I just wish it was here to stay, but we all know that more of the nasty stuff is on the way.

Well, I hope everyone else has a better story.

Until next time--God bless!

What Do I Do Now?!

2009-02-01T07:57:00.002-06:00

I haven't posted for a while because, well, to be quite frank, there's not been a lot of good things to say.

My leg is still bothering me, so I haven't been able to run in over a month. I started treatment, but to be perfectly honest, it's expensive and we don't have the funds for it right now.

Peanut had a meet last Friday. She did OK, but one of the judges on one of the events was HORRIBLE! All our kids were scored incredibly unfair. Peanut got the lowest score EVER in a meet. She did win the floor event, and finished 7th in the all around, but that's not the point in my minds eye.

I've been working really hard to lose weight. I've been counting every calorie burned, every calorie eaten. I've eaten all the right stuff, and trying to eat it at the right time. I've worked out as hard as ever, haven't taken a day off since I can't remember when. I HAVE LOST EXACTLY ONE POUND IN THREE WEEKS! What the.........?

To give you an example of my workouts...this past week I rode on my trainer 149 miles (and we all know it takes a lot longer to ride on a trainer than out on the road). I swam about 10,000 meters, and spent about four hours doing strength/core training. This really stinks! I don't know what to do. I'm trying to work with the nutritionist who helped me lose 30 lbs. three years ago, but she is really busy now, and as I've stated previously, money is really tight!

I'm thinking of doing a half-iron distance race in June. But to be really honest, I don't want to race until I lose 10-15 lbs. At the rate I'm going, it may never happen. I'm supposed to start training tomorrow, which in my case means I can actually cut way back on my swimming and biking. However, I still don't think I can run yet. I may try later in the week and see how it goes.

So, not that it really matters or makes a difference, but here are my January totals:

Swim: 44,800 meters
Bike: 590 miles on trainer
Strength/Core training: 18 hours
Running: A BIT FAT ZERO!
Total work out time: 63 hours

(I didn't bother to total the calories, because it's a crazy number and it doesn't seem to matter anywho!)

Getting ready to swim and take R-man to church. Both those activities usually improves my mood and mindset. I hope so, because today I really need all the help/encouragement I can get.

Hope everyone has/had a great weekend. It's actually WARM (25 degrees) now!

Until next time--God bless!

Cold, Complaining (Again!) and Crabby

2009-01-18T15:47:00.002-06:00

Anyone who watches the news (weather), or lives in the Midwest knows it was a brutal week here. Temperatures on Friday were -18 to -30, and that did not include the windchill. I did not leave my house on Thursday. School was cancelled both Thursday and Friday. Final exams were postponed until Tuesday and Wednesday.

My leg is still sore, although I am getting some therapy. Don't know how much I can afford, hopefully enough to get it healed. Still not able to run.

Did a lot of riding this week--136 miles. Lots of strength training. Only swam four times for 10,200 meters--too cold to go to the pool on Friday, and too crowded on Saturday. (I like to ride early when I can't run. By the time I get done, it's late morning and the fitness center is way too busy this time of year at that time of day, especially the pool!)

Did real well with my eating this week--stayed on target! Hopefully it will pay off after a couple weeks. It's soooo hard for me to lose weight. Another positive--the hot flashes have subsided--not nearly as bad. Actually had a couple nights of good sleep.

I'm going just a little bit stir crazy. Staying inside more than I like, but it's better than the alternative. The bitter cold really did a number on my body. Thank goodness we're half way through January.

Hope everyone had a great week. Keep warm, and keep up the good work.

Until next time--God bless!

The GOOD Things About Winter

2009-01-11T14:37:00.003-06:00

Since I have spent several posts lamenting winter, and how much I (and my body) do not like it, I thought I would share just a couple reasons that I do like it. (OK, I had to really reach, but who cares, huh?) It's almost the middle of January, and in my mind once I make it half way through March, it's all downhill.

So, here is my list (as feeble as it may sound):

Why winter/cold/snow can be a GOOD thing:

1) The extra exercise of shoveling. I have only used the snow blower once (yesterday a.m.--there was enough snow and it was heavy and J is out of town and R-man was sleeping and I knew I would have more chances to shovel later in the day as it was snowing like forever!)

2) I don't worry about my car(s) being dirty. Unless we have an unusually balmy, dry day (ha!) all the cars on the road are dirty!

3) I don't feel guilty staying indoors, even if the sun is out. (Chances are, it's too snowy or cold to do anything productive anyway, so enjoy the warmth of the house!)

4) I can ride on my trainer as much as I want, and no one can tell me I'm crazy for not riding outside, because who likes riding on a trainer anyway! (Me, that's who!)

5) I can run on the treadmill....see above.

6) I can spend more time reading and watching TV because there's nothing else better to do like go outside for a walk or just enjoy the sun and warm weather.

7) I can hide my body in winter clothes. Summer clothes show everything, and this time of year I NEVER like the way I look, so it's good camouflage!

8) The inside of my house is even cleaner than normal, because in the summer when I'm outside training, I let things go thinking I can always clean in the winter when I'm not outside enjoying the nice weather.

9) I enjoy swimming in the warm water in the pools. Well, everything is relative. In the summer the water always feels too warm to me, and in the winter it usually feels a little on the cold side. I like it warmer in the winter because it's harder for me to get in when the weather is cold.

10) I can spend more time strength training because I don't feel guilty not being outside swimming, biking and running in the nice weather.

I came up with ten reasons--yeah for me!

On other notes: Peanut and J are having a ball in sunny, warm, 75-80 degree, not a cloud in the sky Miami. One day at the beach in Key Biscayne, one day in South Beach visiting with other team members, and Saturday competing. According to J, Peanut did not have her best meet, the scores were all over the place, but she did well enough to win the all around, first place on beam and vault, third place on floor, and fifth place on bars. Plus, the team took first place! GO BIG! They will be flying home tomorrow--SURPRISE! (Welcome back to cold, snowy home!)

R-man went to the Bulls game on Friday with his church group. I was very grateful one of the Dads offered to drive him home from church. The weather was yukky and I hate driving in the dark and bad weather. They took a bus to the United Center. He came home around midnight tired and hoarse, but the team won, so he had a great time!

My workout time this week--18:27, which included about an hour of shoveling. My leg is getting better, slowly, but still no running yet. I had more time than usual with Peanut gone, so I did more trainer riding and strength training. I swam every day but Saturday--I chose not to go out in the snow until later in the day. I have a mat, ball, bands and weights at home, so I've been doing strength and core work at home several times a week.

I have mentioned that I love to read. I've discovered e-books. Our library has an e-library; we can check out e-books for 21 days. They have a pretty good selection, so I decided to get myself an inexpensive, small MP3 player and try it out. I really like it. I listen when I'm working--cooking, cleaning, eating, shoveling, folding clothes, etc. I find myself reading one book and listening to another at the same time. It's fun and I find I can listen to a book in one or two days, depending on my schedule.

Hope everyone had a good "back to normal after the holidays" week. Stay warm and motivated and enjoy the NFL playoffs if you're a fan. I'm hoping the Blackhawks keep up the good work!

Until next time--God bless!

Facing the Giants....and a New Year

2009-01-05T06:58:00.005-06:00

Saturday when I was riding on my trainer, I watched a movie I had recorded the night before, "Facing the Giants". I had seen the movie before, and I remembered I really liked it. I didn't have much at home to watch the next morning during my ride, so I decided to record it and watch again.

If you haven't seen or heard of this movie, it is a very inspirational, faith-based film. It is the story of a high school football coach who is in his 6th losing seaspm at a Christian high school. The staff and parents have lost faith in his ability to be a winning coach. The team has no confidence in their own abilities as football players. Financially, he and his wife are struggling. They've been trying to start a family for four years with no success, and he discovers he is the reason they can't conceive.

There is a second story in the film that involves a new student. His sport is soccer, but the school does not have a soccer team. His father, who is confined to a wheel chair, convinces him to try out for the team as a kicker. He has never kicked a football, but decides to try anyway. He's too small to play football. In a conversation with his father, his father shares that he has been praying all his son's life that God would use him for big things. He asks his Dad, "If God has such big plans for me, why did he make me so small and weak?" Dad answers, "To show others how big He (God) is!"

If you are not a person of faith, you may not understand the significance of this statement. It hit home for me. I know intellectually that God is in ultimate control of my life. I am a Christ-follower, and know that my purpose on this earth is to glorify Him, and do His will. But it is soooo easy to be discouraged in the world we live in. Our world teaches that TODAY is what's important; go for what you can get in this world. Success is measured my what we do, how much we have, what others think of us, what we accomplish. I know that my success is measured by how I follow God's plan for my life.

So, that is the sermon for the week. If you're interested, it is an amazing movie. I won't give away the ending, but suffice to say things work out. I believe God intervenes in a miraculous way. There is a revival in the school, which I feel is the most amazing story. It was great to watch the film at the beginning of a new year. It has helped me confirm what is really important in my life, and help me set some goals for the new year.

I have made several "resolutions" for this year. I won't share most of them. The one I will share is that I'm going to try to be kinder to myself this year. I'm going to try not to beat myself up so much regarding my weight and appearance. I will do the best I can, with the Lord's help, and I'll be satisfied with whatever happens.

As far as racing this year, I'm still not sure how much I will do. My "A" race, as I've said before, will be the Redman Halfmax 1/2 Iron Distance in Oklahoma City on September 19th. I'm going to train for a 1/2 Iron in Appleton, WI on June 20th. Not sure if that will happen, mainly do to financial issues. Hopefully I will get in a couple local sprint/olympic races, and I would like to do one other 70.3 (maybe Steelhead?).

Physically, I'm a little beat up. January in Chicago is the number one reason--cold and snow. In addition to winter issues, I've injured my left adductor (aka groin) somehow. Probably running a couple weeks ago. It doesn't hurt to swim or ride, but it does hurt to walk, so I haven't run for almost two weeks. I should rest it completely for a couple days to see if that helps. I don't believe riding and swimming is making it worse, but it's not getting better either. I think my RA is a contributing factor. I've never had this injury before (at least, not that I can remember!).

Training will start in earnest February 2nd, which for me means cutting back. I need a plan to follow so I don't overdo it. My main goal from now until then is to improve my eating habits and let my leg heal.

My sleeping has been really bad--thanks to menopause/hot flashes/night sweats. I can track my current hot flashes to about every 30 minutes, day and night! YUK! It's really become a terrible nuisance. I don't know how women survive this. I'm not dealing well. Having a hot flash in the pool, while riding, running or doing other exercise is unbelievable! It's bad enough when you're sitting at the computer blogging--like right now!

Last week I trained about 15 hours. No running, but a couple long swims and bike rides. I did my strength work at home, not at the fitness center--too crazy busy there during the day during the holidays, and why get up at the crack of dawn when I really don't have to? I would like to keep the hours at around 14--average 2 hours per day.

For the first time ever, I tracked my workouts for the entire year. According to my best calculations, I: swam 453,450 meters (281.76 miles); cycled 5,644 miles; ran 936 miles; for a total of 903 hours (including strength training). This averages about 2.47 hours per day for 365 days. I don't really know what this means, or if anyone really cares!

Today is kind of back to normal. However, my wonderful 13 year old, 190,000 mile car decided to stop working yesterday. It died when J and Peanut were on their way to church. I knew there was a problem, so R-man and I took the "newer" car to church. It's some kind of voltage thing. We brought it to the shop this a.m. Please God, don't let it be too expensive to fix!

So J (hubby) is working from home, I dropped R-man off at school early (he was happy to get back, not because he loves school, but because he was bored!), and Peanut has started her school work. I'm going to try to do an easy, short bike and swim today. My leg is still sore!

J and Peanut leave for Miami on Thursday. FYI--temperature in Miami today and tomorrow--81 and 82 degrees! Wish you were coming with us, Mom!

Hope everyone had a safe and happy new year.

Until next time--God bless!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2008-12-29T10:46:00.002-06:00

It's been a challenging 10 days to say the least, but I made it through--so far. Suffice to say that Christmas was as stressful as ever, but I tried to keep it all together.

I've managed to keep my workout hours to 17.5 and 16 hours the last two weeks. This last week I only ran once--my RA is in a major flare, and I'm really hurting, so more swimming, which is normal for me during the winter.

Like most people at this time of year, my "schedule" has been interrupted with the kids off school, and hubby (J) is on vacation this week from two of his three jobs. I'm getting ready to take Peanut to the gym--she has two full practices today and Wednesday. The team heads to Miami on January 8th for a meet that weekend, so they need to keep the schedule as normal as possibe. I'm planning to head to Lifetime for some kind of workout, and a swim.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas holiday. Have a very happy new year! I'll be spending it home with the kids, as J has to work at his third job that night!

More later when I'm not feeling like the world is caving in on me!

Take care and until next time--God bless!

More Cold, Snow, "Snow Day" and "MADE" on MTV

2008-12-19T14:10:00.002-06:00

It's Friday, which is usually a really good thing. But today, well, some extra challenges.

If you live in the Chicago area, you know we got walloped with a snow/ice storm overnight. The temperature rose and the snow turned to ice and now we have a big mess on our hands. Of course, the school district phoned at 5 a.m. to let us know that school was cancelled. My son was really sad--because he likes school, it keeps him busy, and today was "party day"--last day before Christmas break. At least he got to sleep in.

Peanut, being homeschooled, was "lucky" and got her work done. No parties at home, but there will be a party at the gym tomorrow for the team. She missed practice on Tuesday due to the first snow storm of the week. We tried to drive to the gym--made it about 2 miles in 45 minutes and nixed that idea. My poor husband left work at 3:45 from Hoffman Estates. He walked in the door at 10 p.m. ARE YOU KIDDING ME! I would have died. They didn't stop once for a potty or food break. If I'd been in that van, you know we would have had to stop. I cannot go that long with out peeing or eating! He had about enough time to eat, shower, go to bed, and start over again.

This morning he was driving the van to work. They left a little early. It took them about an hour longer than normal, but at least they made it without too much trouble.

I slept in, and against my husbands advice, decided to shovel. I really just went out to get the paper, but decided I would give it a try. You know when the snow is really just packed ice, and when you walk on it you don't sink in? Yeah, that's what it was. It took me about 1:45, but with the help of the "ice pick" (it's not really a pick--its heavy, rectangular and you can chop and scoop into the ice with it) my driveway and sidewalk was clean. Add a little salt, what a job!

Now, I'll have you know that two of my neighbors (male, 20's) came out to shovel while I was working. They both lasted about 10 minutes. Gave up. Quit. Too Hard! HA! But here I am, a 53 year old woman with RA--NO PROBLEM! These young kids are way too soft!

After shoveling, I rode on my trainer for two hours. I will swim later on after I drop Peanut off at practice. Not including the two days of shoveling, I have "worked out" 12 hours, 18 minutes so far this week. I'm shooting for under 16 hours. I think I'll be close. After my swim tonight, I plan to run and do strength training tomorrow; Sunday will be an easy swim (rest day)!

When I came up from riding, my son had MTV on. It was a show called "Made". In this particular episode, a 19 year old man (but he really looked like a 12 year old boy!) wanted to be "made" into a triathlete and complete a sprint race. He weighed 271 lbs. and had type 2 diabetes and an under active thyroid. I had to watch the whole program to see how it ended.

He was training for a sprint distance tri in August. He started in June. He had a "made" coach; a woman named "Amanda" as a swim coach, who swam in the Sydney Olympics (it wasn't Amanda Beard); and a triathlete who coached him on the bike. This young man struggled every step of the way. He wasn't taking his thyroid medicine, so his doctor told him if he didn't get it under control, he wouldn't be able to race. This scared him silly, so he followed orders.

It was hard to watch him struggle. He barely knew how to swim, was scared to death of falling of the bike, and could only walk at first, and even that was a struggle. Of course, the show had a happy ending. He lost over 25 lbs, 5 percent body fat, and four inches off his waist. He struggled, but he finished the race in 3:22:05. I admit I cried when he crossed the finish line. Talk about inspiration! TOTALLY!

So many of us take what we do daily for granted. A sprint race, we laugh at. No big deal. ANYONE can do that. NOT TRUE! Yes, we've worked hard to get where we are, but when we really think about it, NOT everyone can do what we do--regardless of the reason. I feel I am extremely blessed. When I share my experience at Louisville, people are amazed that I was able to go as far as I did. I forget about the discipline, commitment, training, time, expense it cost just to get to the start line. Even though I didn't finish, I know I didn't "fail".

Christmas is less than a week away. I hope everyone is enjoying the season. Stay warm and stress-free (if possible)!

Until next time--God bless!

Just Another Bitter Cold, Windy, Icy December Monday

2008-12-15T12:14:00.004-06:00

Yes, I'm complaining about the weather again. I usually try not to complain about things I can't change or have no control over, but the weather is a BIG exception.

Last week it was pretty cold, in the teens for a couple days. The weekend warmed up to a balmy 40 something yesterday, although it was not a nice day: lots of wind, clouds, and rain that later turned to snow. I had a hard time falling asleep because the sleet was so loud against my bedroom window. This morning, a wonderful 6.5 degrees, wind chill -11. What fun!

It's been a long, busy 10 days. Peanut had gymnastic meets the past two Sundays. I was able to attend yesterday, which means it was a really long day. She did very well at both meets. She moved up a level and is now a level 6 (this will only be meaningful for those of you who know the sport). Six is a really tough level as far as judging. She managed to do well, placing 4th and 3rd all around, and placed in every event the second meet. She had a great time, loves the sport, and is a fantastic competitor and team mate.

Mom, on the other hand, has a hard time with the subjectiveness of the sport. I like activities where time or points determine the outcome/winner. At yesterday's meet, they posted the scores from both the judges for each event. The final score is the average of the two. There where times when one judge would score an 8.8, the other a 9.2. What the heck? I THOUGHT they were supposed to be watching for the same things. I will never understand the sport. But, Peanut loves it, so I endure!

I have decided to turn over a new leaf in my training. I have been working out close to 20 hours per week the last couple months. I really need to cut back. So, I've decided to aim for 14-16 hours max. Today, I'm really tired from running around, not sleeping, and the crazy cold is really playing havoc on my body. Everything hurts or aches. Yesterday I only swam for 1500 meters. Good enough to get the old body moving, not enough to tax it. Today, nothing yet. I'm thinking of a short swim later, mostly so I can sit in the hot tub, steam and shower. I took my son to school early, and I'm not looking forward to going out again. I need to do shopping--too cold, it can wait until tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will be a little better.

Christmas is almost here. We decided to have the family get together at our place this year. We will provide the main course, others will bring the sides. Since I really don't like to cook (total understatement!), we've decided to go the catering route. Nothing fancy or expensive, just your basic chicken/pasta menu.

Have I mentioned how much I LIKE my kids? As a parent, we always love them, but I really do have good kids, and I really do like them. Don't get me wrong, they are NOT perfect, but they never give us any problems. My son is doing great in school, his bowling team is undefeated, and he's pretty happy right now. He seems to be adjusting to high school life. He's really happy that several of his teachers have recommended him for honors courses next year. He had a difficult time in classes where his classmates are not interested in learning. The teachers do the best they can, but according to my son, some of the kids really just don't care. It will be nice for him to be more challenged and in an environment where he can concentrate and excel!

I hope and pray everyone is having a safe holiday season. Many of my tri friends are just kicking back, enjoying the off season, family time, holiday time, etc. Good for you! You all deserve it! I know I'll see more people when January comes around. The beginning of a new year and new goals.

Until next time--God bless!

I Know It's Been A While....

2008-12-04T07:43:00.002-06:00

...since my last post. What can I say? Remember that thing called WINTER that I HATE so much? OK, it's not that I really hate it, it's just that my body does horrible this time of year.

Listen, when I was younger and healthy (re: 30's, 40's, no RA), I really liked the cold. Running in below zero weather was not that big a deal for me--at 5:00 a.m., in the dark, with my faithful Husky dogs. Today, a totally different story. Older, not as healthy, older kids, different parental responsibilities all add to the fact that I don't do well in the cold.

Having said that, I'm also not a big fan of the "holidays". Long story that goes back about 20 years, but suffice to say I'm looking forward to January 2nd. I love Christmas, the real meaning of Christmas, but I hate all the stuff that goes with it. In fact, this year we've decided to buy one gift for each of our kids, and donate the money we would spend on ourselves and family members to our church for a really good cause--kids who are waiting to have heart surgery due to being born with heart problems. Soooo much better than another watch, video game, kitchen appliance, etc. Let's face it, we really have everything we NEED!

As far as training goes, with the exception of the week I was sick, I've been working out about 15 to 20 hours per week. I know, crazy, huh? But I really love it, it's what I do, and there's that weight thing that never goes away. Last week I rode 131 miles on my trainer--and loved every mile! I only ran 16 miles on the treadmill, swam 11,200 meters, and did three hours of strength training. Total of 19.5 hours of training. Sounds like a lot, but not really for me.

I'm still much fatter than I should be--I'm trying my best, but something's just not right. If I ever figure it out, it will definitely be an epiphany of major proportions! For now, just doing the best I can. In January, I'll probably try the "starving myself, hungry all the time" eating plan just to see if it works.

The other day I saw several friends I haven't seen in a while. They all asked about my plans for racing next summer. It's still really up in the air. A lot depends on finances, and if I can get to the weight I feel the best at. I'm definitely NOT DOING AN IRONMAN! I LOVE the training, but the race and expense, not for me. I'm going to concentrate on half and international distance races, and maybe a sprint or two, depending on how I feel. Too much racing means tapering all the time, and to me that's just not fun. One or two races a month, with my "A" race being the Halfmax half iron distance in Oklahoma City in September.

Congratulations to all who participated in Ironman Arizona: Iron Snoopy (who had the race of her life), Moose, Kara, Mike--you guys are all amazing. Can't wait to hear all the stories.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. So much to be thankful for, huh? Have a great week. Try to keep warm. As I sit here typing, it is 11 degrees outside. (Already drove my kid to school and went to the Jewel. Will run and strength train after Peanut finishes her school work today!)

Don't know when I'll post next. But until then, God bless!

On a Happier Note....

2008-11-23T16:27:00.001-06:00

My cousin sent this link to me yesterday. If you need some uplifting of your spirit, check it out:

The Sky Angel Cowboy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0r_FbARIn8&NR=1

Sick, Fat, Depressed, Blah, Blah, Blah....

2008-11-23T16:05:00.004-06:00

This has probably been one of the worst weeks of the year--at least that I can remember. In a nutshell:

Started feeling a little sick last weekend, but instead of resting, pushed myself through too much--life and workout wise.

Instead of resting on Monday, which would have been the wise, smart thing to do, pushed myself through 2:15 on the trainer. Went to the pool but just couldn't get in. My head, sinuses and stomach were a mess. I was cold, the water was cold--it didn't happen!

Tuesday took the day off. Did stuff at home. The new bed arrived--YEAH! Felt MISERABLE all day. And fat. And depressed.

Wednesday again pushed myself through 2:20 on the trainer, thinking I felt better. Went to the pool in the afternoon--felt way too bad to swim--again.

Had a hard time sleeping all week due to the sinus infection. Decided NOT to go to the doctor because--wait for it--every time I go they insist on weighing me. I haven't weighed myself in weeks, and I know I've gained a bunch of weight. I've tried really hard to watch what I eat. I have no appetite now, which actually means no appetite for HEALTHY food. I'm not eating a lot, but what I am eating is not filling my nutritional needs, so I fell hungry all the time. When I'm hungry, I can't sleep. So the circle goes.

Took Thursday off--completely--only left the house to pick up my son from school--it was late, and cold and he had a bowling match that night. Another miserable night--no sleep, no healthy food, YUK!

Friday I had to take Peanut to her coop class--last one until February-YEAH! Decided I'd try to swim. It actually felt good, until the aerobic class started and the waves got too much for my head/stomach to take. Got out after 1500 meters. I had taken FOUR days off of swimming. I can't remember the last time I didn't swim for four days in a row!

Saturday I felt a little better. Did 2:20 on my trainer. Did some weight training for the first time in a week. Short 1000 meter swim. Drove all over the place. Up until late. Felt horrible again.

Sunday, decided to rest, go to church, follow my friends on-line in Arizona. Still feel tired, fat and depressed. I hate the cold, I'm not crazy about the holidays. I'm really not a food person. I don't really like to eat. Or cook. Decided not to do a whole turkey this year. Nobody in our house really likes it, but they do like the trimmings. Maybe a breast. Sweet potatoes. Cranberry sauce. Dressing. I think I can manage that.

The kids have school on Monday and Tuesday, then off until next Monday. Yeah! Hopefully I'll feel better, this rest will have done my body some good, I can start eating healthy again, and maybe, just maybe, I can lose some of this unwanted weight.

I didn't take any time off after Louisville. Didn't feel I deserved it since I did so horribly and didn't finish. Maybe not a good idea for my body. Maybe the rest will help. Maybe if I take it easy, the weight will come off. Lots of maybes.

It looks like Ironsnoopy, Moose, Kara and Mike are rocking in Arizona. May not be up to see everyone finish. Need to get some sleep.

Oh yeah, the new bed is great! Roomy, comfortable, sweet!

Even though I'm a little down, I'm not out. This too shall pass. I tend to get this way when the weather is cold, gloomy, dark, yukky! Nothing to train for, nothing to look forward to in the immediate future.

Peanut starts her gymnastic season soon. Unfortunately, I will probably miss a lot of her meets. You know that thing where two parents can't be in the same place at the same time deal!

Hope eveyone has a great week.

Until next time--God bless!

Tough Week, Pity Party, Strong Faith

2008-11-15T15:29:00.002-06:00

It's been a tough week in almost every way. The weather is really wreaking havoc with my body--I think I'm having a full blown RA attack. Tired, nauseous, bad appetite, joint and muscle pain, depression....yeah, just about everything.

I really tried to back off my workouts this week. In fact, I actually took Thursday off. Well, it wasn't really a "rest" day as we prepared our bedroom for the new bed, which was supposed to arrive on Friday. Hubby took Thursday off work to dismantle the waterbed (no simple task--we haven't done it since we moved 10 years ago!) and clean the carpeting.

We were told by phone Thursday night that delivery would be between 9:30 and 11:30 on Friday. I needed to take Peanut to her coop class, so Hubby took the morning off work. Soooo....I get a voice message from him telling me that the company (who he WORKS FOR!!!) called to say that, uh, your mattresses aren't on the truck. Need to reschedule! WHAT!!!! Long story short, it's one of the ways they "save" money (but if you ask me, lose customers!). How absolutely stupid. Because he works for the company, he made several calls to let management know what happened. Turns out they're in the process of "changing the delivery process". Well, I should certainly hope so. It's a wonder the company is still in business!

So, delivery is now scheduled for Tuesday. We were thinking of painting the room since it's almost totally empty, but Hubby has a lot going this weekend, and I'm feeling really crummy, so it may have to wait after all.

Friday was a really stinky day! Rode on my trainer for 1.5 hours early, dropped Peanut off at her coop and headed over for a swim. It was a miserable swim. The water was cold, I never warmed up, and everything hurt--especially my stomach. You may know how difficult it is to swim when you're stomach is upset and you feel nauseous. I kept telling myself I should just stop--but NOOOOO! I finished the entire 2500 meters in spite of feeling awful.

After I showered, I realized I had one of those horrible headaches I've been getting. YUK! I felt like my head was going to explode. I had too much to do the rest of the day, so resting was out of the question. Turned out Hubby didn't have to work last night, so he was able to pick up Peanut from the gym.

In the meantime, I had a major meltdown at home. Sick, tired, sore, headache, fat, bloated, starving, don't feel like eating, blah, blah, blah! Went to bed feeling miserable with the whole family ready to throw me out the window!

After an OK sleep (I was so hungry it was hard to sleep much) I woke up early and decided I had to shake this depression. Dropped Peanut at the gym early (she had an 8:00 practice today--normally it's 11:00) and headed for an inside workout. The fitness center I visit on weekends was closed last week for remodeling. I was really looking forward to some new treadmills. Well......it turns out all the treadmills were replaced, but none with the kind that I like (they have a more forgiving belt). Rats! I felt lousy but somehow made it through the strength training session.

Got on the treadmill not knowing how far/long I would run--1-2 hours/5-10 miles. I decided to try a new nutrition again (Perpetuem--last time didn't go so well). Bad idea. After about an hour my stomach really started to bother me. I was sweating like crazy, but freezing cold from the air conditioning. Everything was hurting, including my feet (need to wear my new shoes) but again, I WAS NOT GOING TO QUIT! I finally stopped at 10.5 miles because I ran out of liquids. YEAH, MADE IT!

Well, I spent a lot of time in the bathroom after that run--at the gym and again at home! Yuk. I still feel kind of shaky now.

That pity party thing--has to do with the whole weight issue. We were supposed to go to a big banquet tomorrow night--found out yesterday it's "formal attire". I have nothing even resembling that, and what I do have I can't squeeze into, and I don't have the time, money or ambition to go out and buy something. So--it ain't happening, which is OK with both of us. My head/mind/body is a mess regarding my weight. Just don't know how to solve the whole issue. I keep saying I'll let it go--but I just can't. In fact, I decided this a.m. that if I can't get to a good racing weight next summer--there IS NOT going to be any racing. HA! Maybe that will help, but I'm not that optimistic.

So, I'm driving home, listening to some Christian rock on the radio and thinking how horrible my life would feel right now if I didn't have my faith. The world is a mess, and frankly, I'm not convinced that the "new administration" has the answers for our country. I feel like garbage and I really don't like the way I look. I do believe, however, that God is in control of all things. ALL THINGS! That includes this crazy world and its politics, and most importantly my life. I will continue to leave myself in His hands.

Hoping to feel better soon. A big shout out to my friends racing in Arizona next week. I hope you enjoy the warm weather and have great races! Have a safe trip and a fun time.

Until next time--God bless!

It Really is November

2008-11-07T14:18:00.003-06:00

After a beautiful weekend and three really nice days, November has hit the Chicago area. It's cold (40's), windy, and dark. And with the change in time, it gets dark here by 5:00! YUK! This weekend will be inside for sure. They're talking SNOW for the Bears game on Sunday!

I've had a lot rolling around in my head this week. My main goal was to decrease my "training". Uh, OK, not too bad. Still haven't taken a day off, but have done less swimming for sure this week. Three good rides on the trainer, two good runs--one outside, one on the treadmill, three good strength sessions. Hope for one more of each this weekend, and maybe a good swim.

Of course the change in the weather has really affected me physically. Most of my joints and muscles are sore, but it's something my body will adjust to as the winter arrives. Good and bad days....good and bad nights.

I read two articles involving off season nutrition and weight loss for the triathlete. They seemed to contradict each other. They were in the SAME MAGAZINE! One article stressed not to worry so much about what you eat--within reason of course. Don't count calories, etc. because it will definitely back fire. The other article stressed the IMPORTANCE of eating less calories vs. more exercise. It SEEMS (although the data is not air tight) that eating less is the way to lose the weight. HA! Tell that to the trainers/contestants on the biggest loser. Seems like they really stress EXERCISE. You don't lose weight, must be due to slacking off in the gym!

(I have done both--still not working!) If I EVER get this figured out, it will definitely be a miracle.

I know several people who did AMAZING at Ironman Florida. Congratulations to all who participated! Saw a lady at the fitness center today who I met a couple weeks ago. She had a great race and enjoyed her first Ironman. According to her, she never got her heart rate above zone 1, did not race or ever push, and finished around 12:30! Oh my gosh, a time I could only ever dream of. It must be nice to have that much natural athletic ability. Oh, she also mentioned that the last month of training went really bad! And her training partner finished around 11:30.

So, that's all I got. I've spend a lot of time driving kids around this week. More to come this weekend. The new bed comes next Friday--yeah! We were thinking about painting before it came, but...maybe not. Too much work and not enough time right now.

Hope everyone had a good week--enjoy the weekend. Only two weeks until Ironman Arizona!

Take care and God bless!

Rest vs. Addiction

2008-11-02T15:19:00.004-06:00

Meriam-Webster defines rest: repose , sleep ; specifically : a bodily state characterized by minimal functional and metabolic activities; a: freedom from activity or labor b: a state of motionlessness or inactivity c: the repose of death.

Definition of addiction: the quality or state of being addicted; 2: compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal ; broadly : persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful.

It's been a tough week in many ways. Suffice to say, I'm struggling with what should be off-season rest. There are many reasons for this, but I'll just say that I definitely have a mental and physical addiction to exercise. A bad thing? Not necessarily. But in my case, something I really need to work on.

I've read several blogs/articles relating to what triathletes should do during the off-season. The number one thing on the list: rest; relax; some deconditioning is good. Spend time with the family, doing something else you really like. Do some other form of physical activity which doesn't involve swimming, biking or running. Yoga anyone? How about kickboxing or pilates?

In my head, I know all of this is true. The last two years I have taken almost no time off. Thank God I haven't really been injured, which is usually the only reason I slow down. I did taper for ironman, and I felt absolutely horrible. I can't even explain how bad my body felt. I really think this was a contributing factor to my belief that I couldn't finish an ironman race. (Story for another time.)

Having said this, I know it was not a good thing. Three years ago, before I did my first half iron distance race, I lost about 35 pounds in 5 months. Over the past two years, while training for half and full iron distance races, I have gained about 10 pounds. One of the reasons I don't like taking time off is that I'm very concerned about my weight. I'm so afraid of gaining weight that I am now having an impossible time losing. However, I need to do something different. After all, what I've done the last two years HAS NOT WORKED! Not sure why, but for me, training harder and eating less is not the answer to weight loss. Maybe my body needs a big change. Less training, more relaxation, a time to destress.

Sounds easy, huh? For most people, yeah, I guess it would be. But for me, not so much. I am a very disciplined person. If I could be as disciplined about rest as I am about training, I would probably be a much better triathlete.

So, with all this in mind, I decided I would back off on my training starting on Tuesday. Less mileage, alternate high and low intensity, concentrate on form, not worry so much about distance and time.

I REALLY TRIED! I did OK on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. My plan for Friday was to swim only. But I woke up, and really wanted to ride on my trainer, so I did. I swam a little less than normal, so not too bad. I wanted to ride outside on Saturday, but the weather was really yukky for me to ride. I decided on an outside run. I was even cold running. I gave myself three choices on the run: 7.5, 11 or 9.5 miles. I opted for the 9.5 because I was COLD! I felt really good, so if I wasn't cold, I might have gone for the 11. Glad I didn't.

I had a really bad day yesterday. Stayed up too late, couldn't get to sleep, just a mess. When I woke up this a.m., I felt miserable. I ended up doing some strength training and a 2500 meter swim. Which means I did not have a rest/recovery day. Oh well. I feel like an addict. Every day I try to start over. I'm hoping to have a better week this week. I'm going to work out a plan and try to stick with it.

CONGRATULATIONS to all the athletes who completed IMFL. Elizabeth, Leigh Ann, Adam--you guys all rocked! You all had great times, and it seems like the weather was GREAT! I envy each of you--all that hard training paid off.

That's all I got. Not a happy camper--for all the wrong reasons. Hope everyone had a great week and weekend.

Until next time--God bless!

Definitely an Indoor Weekend

2008-10-27T11:50:00.004-05:00

The weather turned out to be pretty much as predicted--cold, windy and wet, with just a touch of sun here and there. So I did pretty much as planned.

Saturday I slept in (7:30) and did stuff around the house before dropping my daughter off at gymnastic practice. I then had about 7 hours to kill. I headed for a long workout at Lifetime.

I was hoping to do a good strength workout and then hop on the treadmill for 2.5 hours. The weight workout went great, although my stomach wasn't feeling great. When the weather changes as it did this weekend, it can cause a flare in my RA. This results in joint pain, fatigue, and flu-like symptoms. For me, it usually means my neck and shoulders get pretty sore, and I can feel pretty nauseous. I get used to it as the winter progresses, but it takes a while after feeling "normal" during the summer.

The first 5-7 miles of the run were good--I worked in some fast intervals and recovery time. I was trying a new "drink". It didn't go so well. I think it was a combination of already feeling yucky and maybe the new formula. In any case, I ended up in the bathroom several times. After 7 miles, I really felt bad. I was going to stop, but decided I would at least walk for a while. The next five miles were a combination of walking, jogging and slow running. Total time was 2:36 and about 12.25 miles.

I felt too tired to swim after, so I didn't. Sat in the hot tub and steam and took a relaxing shower. Felt much better after I ate. All in all, a good workout.

My husband has finally decided we need a new bed. We have a water bed (the kind that sits on top of a box spring) that is over 20 years old. I can't sleep on it anymore because it really hurts my back. He found a great sale through his work (Sears) and we are getting a new, KING SIZED bed in November. YEAH!

I was really tired Saturday night. I had originally planned to swim early and ride on my trainer in the afternoon. But I decided no ride on Sunday. I realized that I usually take two days between runs when I plan a long one. Since I had run hard on Thursday, I didn't have the normal amount of rest, and I felt it. Sunday would be a swim/recovery day.

Sunday I dropped my son off at church and headed to Lifetime in Burr Ridge. This is not my "home" gym, but I spent a lot of time there in the summer, and do now on the weekends. Usually when I swim it's later in the morning. Yesterday, I was there by 8:30. When I started there was only one other lady in the pool. I took the lane next to her, next to the wall. Bad idea!

I was tired and struggling with my swim. After 30 minutes, two guys and one girl got in the pool. The two guys were sharing a lane next to mine; the girl was in the lane next to them on the other side. I am not a fast swimmer. I consider myself to be pretty average speed-wise. I think I have OK technique--I've been swimming pretty regularly since I was 4 years old. I had my stroke analyzed several times and have seen videos. Of course there are things I can improve on--nobody's perfect--but I do OK. I will never be lightning fast, but I think I look like I know how to swim.

These guys next to me were big--not fat, but tall and fit. They looked like swimmers turned triathletes maybe. They FLEW through the water. Lots of muscle, splashing, body movement, head movement, and they both looked really ANGRY! It could just be that they were working hard and were really concentrating, but every time we made eye contact, I felt like they were going to yell or scream at me. They didn't look like they were having fun, but I'm sure they were.

Did I mention there was a lot of splashing and big wave-making? Since I was swimming against the wall, well, you know what that means. I was being bantered about in my lane. I am not a small person (OK, so I'm short, but not little, if you get my drift), and was flying around in the lane. It was like swimming in Lake Michigan on a really choppy day. OK, so maybe not that bad, but it was really wavy for an indoor pool. I wanted to quit early, but I stuck it out for the full one hour plus. Did my 2500 meters and got out of there ASAP. They were still swimming when I was in the hot tub.

I love watching people swim--their technique, what they do with their head and feet, how many strokes they take, etc. Since this is a 25 METER pool, I think 20 strokes is a good amount for most people. These guys were both taking 18 strokes--not bad, but for being as tall and as big as they were, could have been better. I usually average about 24-26 strokes, 22 if I REALLY concentrate, more if I get lazy. I've seen really good swimmers take 12-14 strokes in that size pool--I can tell who they are even before I start counting.

At the other end of the spectrum, there was a lady really struggling in the first lane. I counted her strokes for two lengths--58! Oh my, she was wasting so much energy, it hurt me to watch. I really feel bad for people who swim this way. Regardless of the reason they're in the pool, it would benefit them so much to have a couple lessons on technique. We all know that swimming is a sport that's all about technique. Yes, I see people at races (and pools) who are able to swim really fast by muscling their way through the water, but they are wasting so much energy and could be so much faster. They sure do kick my butt and a lot of others though, so maybe it doesn't really matter?! Off my swimming soap box for now!

Went to church after the swim, picked up my son, came home and crashed the rest of the day. I was really wiped. As I said, this weather is really tough on my body. It was actually hailing yesterday afternoon, and the wind was strong enough to push our grill around the patio. One of our chairs was on our lawn this morning. It's still windy, cold (the wind chill was in the 20's), and I'm so glad I rode on my trainer this a.m. I would never ride outside in this kind of weather at this point in my life.

When we had our Husky dogs, they LOVED this weather. The colder the better. They even liked the wind, and the snow was the BEST! I used to ride my bike with them in every kind of weather--even snow if the road wasn't too icy. They basically pulled me when they were young, but when our last one got older, I had to slow down for her. They both did lots of runs with me. I still miss them a lot in the winter, because it reminds me how much they would have liked the colder weather.

Well, all in all a good weekend; I can't really complain about too much. Read some very interesting blogs. Sometimes I think I shouldn't read those written by the "pro's" or "elite" triathletes. Makes me feel even slower and weaker than I already am. Oh well, I must remember that many things in life are relative. I'm just happy to be able to do what I can do.

Speaking of what I can do, here are my numbers for the week:

Swim: 5x for 10,100 meters
Bike: 3x for 97.5 miles (on trainer)
Run: 3x for 25 miles (on treadmill)
Strength: 3x for 233 minutes
Total time: 20 hours, 36 minutes
Total calories: 8,400

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Stay warm and dry!

Until next time--God bless!

Indoor Weekend?

2008-10-24T18:01:00.003-05:00

Continuing the "too cold" theme, looks like an indoor workout weekend. I know that many of you love this cold weather to run in--and good for you. I loved running outside when I was in my 30's and even up to my mid 40's. But now--just not fun. And when you get to be my age, you are supposed to be "older and wiser". So, because I don't like to run in the damp, cold, cloudy, wet weather, I will PROBABLY run inside tomorrow. If it's sunny and dry, count on me to be outside. I would love to run two plus hours, so outside is much more fun. But, if the weather man is right (ha ha), then I will be inside.

I have several kid responsibilities tomorrow, so my schedule will revolve around that. I plan to sleep in a little, and run later in the a.m. Get in a strength/weight/core workout and an easy swim. According to my HRM, I have exercised over 15 hours so far this week.

Sunday, the weather looks even worse, so a long ride on the trainer. I love riding in the afternoon, after church, especially when the Bears aren't playing. Put on some fun DVD's, maybe a short Spinerval workout, and enjoy the warmth of my basement and my trainer. I know, many of you think I'm crazy, but it sure beats bundling up and riding outside in wind, rain/snow, and cold! Glad to have the option. Although, my best option would be to live in a warm climate where I could run/ride outside all year. Now that, to me, would be heaven on earth!

Yesterday was October 23rd. If my parents had not divorced when I was 30, they would have celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary. I always remember it, maybe because it's so close to my own (10/16). Divorce is tough, and while I always knew it was tough on young kids, it's no easier on adult children. Their divorce pretty much split up my brothers and sisters and me. It's really hard not to "take sides", and while we all did the best we could, we are, after all, human.

Met a woman at the pool today who is doing Ironman Florida next week. Her first ironman race. Spoke to my good friend today who is also doing Ironman Florida--her first ironman race. Saw another friend at the fitness center, also doing Florida and her first ironman race. All three are really nervous. Boy, can I relate. I tried to be as encouraging as possible to. I really envy them. They will all have great races. I told them what so many people told me before my race--HAVE FUN AND ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE. They all know my story--at least the short version. It's getting much easier to share.

After reading a couple posts last night, I have a question: what kind of distances do you swim when training for an ironman? I did several 4000 meter swims. The race is about 3800 meters, so my long swims never called for more than 4000 meters. I have read where people swim multiple 5000, 6000, even 7000 meter/yard swims. What the.....? Why so much? I don't know many people whose longest bike ride is much longer than 100-112 miles, and the longest run is usually about 20 miles (or an equivalent time). So why so much more swimming? Because it's "easier" on our bodies and easier to recover from a long swim? Maybe a coach or more experienced ironman has a good answer for me!

Have a great weekend. And to those of you in warm climates--I AM SO JEALOUS!

Until next time--God bless!

Too Cold Already!

2008-10-22T12:28:00.004-05:00

When I woke up this morning, my outdoor thermometer read 38 degrees. YIKES! I know it is the middle of October, but that is really cold considering the last time I biked outside (about 12 days ago) it was in the 80's. Oh well, that's what I get for growing up/always living in the Midwest. I keep telling my husband that I DO NOT want to die in this part of the country. Take me somewhere warmer, please!

Oh well, survived the plumbing disaster of Sunday. No more leaky faucets in the Moy household. YEAH! The last three days have been relatively uneventful. I woke up Monday a.m. feeling and looking every bit of my 53 years. Maybe because I "took the day off" on Sunday, but I don't really think so. The change of weather really effects me negatively--really tough on the RA. Did a 2.5 hour ride on my trainer and swam for a little over an hour. Still didn't feel great, but at least I had a good workout.

Been having trouble falling asleep off and on lately. Very unusual for me. I usually fall asleep quickly but wake up often. But once I get to sleep, I've been sleeping well, so that's the good news.

I decided on Monday that until I'm through with this whole menopause thing, I have very little control over my body--at least the parts that are controlled by hormones. I've struggled enormously with my weight the last two years. I've decided to just do the best I can and not beat myself up too much about those 10-15 pounds I really want to lose. I guess they'll disappear when they're ready! (Hopefully!)

So Tuesday I ran into a casual friend I know through the fitness center. I was excited to see him, because he ran a marathon on Sunday. He's a good age group triathlete (just a couple years younger than me). He's been to Kona several times. This was his first "marathon only" in 15 years. To say he was disappointed in his race/time is an understatement. He had trouble around mile 21 and had to walk/jog the last five miles or so. We talked a little bit, and I shared that nutrition may have been a factor. For such an accomplished athlete, he didn't seem to know much about nutrition for endurance. I recommended a book I like, hopefully he will learn some things he doesn't know that will help him in the future.

BTW, he mentioned that he was "old school"--once did an entire ironman on ONE BANANA! You're kidding me! Well, times and practices have surely changed in endurance racing. I remember when marathoners would barely even drink water in the hottest of conditions. It's a miracle more of them didn't collapse and suffer permanent injury.

I have decided that I'm going to change my off-season training a bit. Instead of lots of steady, long distance, I'm going to do a couple days of hard intervals on the bike and run. It's a lot easier for me to do this on my trainer and the treadmill. So yesterday after a long, hard weight session, I spend 1:18 on the treadmill with intervals. I like it--it breaks up the workout and makes the time go faster! I'm really hoping this will help make me fitter and faster (if anything at all can actually make me a faster runner)!

This a.m. I did a long ride on the trainer--almost three hours. It was nice to be warm and toasty in my basement--it's still quite chilly outside. Plan to go for an easy swim a little later.

I have a tentative race schedule for 2009: 2 local sprint races; a half iron distance race in WI in June; a nearby olympic race in July; Steelhead 70.3 in August; an olympic race in Niles, MI labor day weekend; and the Half Max Age Group Championship (half iron distance) at Redman Triathlon in OKC in September. Like I said, tentative. A lot depends on money and time!

Less than two weeks to IMFL; about 4 or so to IMAZ. I only wish I was going to one of those races because it will be warm there! Happy tapering, final training weeks to all participants.

Have a great week and stay warm if you're in the Midwest.

Until next time--God bless!

The Best Laid Plans...

2008-10-19T16:33:00.002-05:00

After bashing my toe on Friday, Saturday went OK. I wasn't able to ride outside, but I did put in about 1:40 on the trainer. I slept in a little bit (it really felt good--I had a great sleep). I dropped Peanut off at the gym and headed to Lifetime. Spent about 1:20 on strength training, core and stretching. Then swam a good 2300 meters. Had a relaxing evening and a great sleep.

I had originally planned to get up early and swim before taking my son and daughter to church. But late last night, I decided to take the morning off and sleep in. I haven't had a day off since right after Louisville, and my body really could use the rest. Plus my toe is still pretty sore and ugly. I thought I might ride this afternoon on my trainer, and/or go for a short swim.

But.....my hubby decided to try and fix our leaky shower before he had to head off to work after church. What he thought would be a 20 minute job......HA, HA, HA, LOL! He fixed the kid's tub last Sunday--it had been leaking for, oh maybe two or three YEARS!!!! Since that one went pretty well, he figured ours would be just as easy--NOT! Through no fault of his own, he ended up breaking the pipe. So now we have no water, he's late for work which he can't get out of, and I'm not a happy camper.

Thank God he has a good friend who is great at all kinds of stuff. He was able to come over, and right now is in the process of fixing it. Of course, it's been one problem after the other, so it may take a while. He had to run to Menard's just now to get some more "parts". So I sit here waiting, hubby's at work and I'm keeping him in the loop through the cell phones, my bathroom closet has a big hole in the wall, I'm miserable because my toe still hurts, and it looks like I will have a forced "rest" day after all. Oh, well, at least the Bears managed not to lose their game today! To tell you the truth, it would have been more rest to do a swim/bike and skip all this faucet-fixing stuff!

I must say though that things could have been much worse. If our friend couldn't have come, we would have had to pay a plumber to come and that would have cost a fortune since it would be considered an "emergency" after regular hours. PTL! And I guess one day off will do my body good. I'm even planning to eat some pizza later for dinner.

Hope everyone had a good weekend. Have a great week.

Until next time--God bless!

Fast Friday

2008-10-17T18:42:00.005-05:00

I know, lame title, but right now I can't think of anything at all clever.

It's been a fast week--can't believe it's Friday p.m. already. Stayed really busy every day. Between my daughter's homeschool and gymnastic practices, my son's bowling, and my workouts/housework/chores/shopping/paying bills, blah, blah, it's easy to be overwhelmed as a "stay-at-home".

Just read a post of a lady in my age group training for her second IM this year. She commented there will be no more "only 2 IM's per year". Too life consuming. Seems like the half distance will be enough for her also. Even with grown kids and retired, she still feels the effects. I've heard a lot of that lately. Also, read about a young man who just competed in Kona. According to someone close to him (wife), that will be the last time he EVER does an iron distance race. She noted that not everyone is cut out for that distance. Hmmmmm.....Well, I think I should at least finish ONE before I decide to NEVER try again. Although before Louisville, I told my husband that if I completed that race, it would be my ONE AND ONLY! We'll see....

Speaking of Kona, I was at the fitness center for a swim today, not my "regular" location. When I was finished swimming, there was an "older" gentleman waiting to get into the pool. I thought I knew him, and asked him if he was Bob Scott. Yes, I am. Ha! For those who live in the Chicagoland area, Bob is a triathlon legend. He just won his age division at Kona (he's 77 years young) again--I don't know how many times he's competed there--a lot! He is a class act, a very nice man, and very well known and loved. It was great to see him!

Have you ever had a "freak accident"? Today after I rode on my trainer, I was kind of in a hurry to get my daughter to her homeschool coop and head over for my swim. I was trying to stretch my quads standing in the kitchen. The dishwasher was open. A fun song came on the radio and I started to dance--bad idea. I dropped my leg and banged my foot on the corner of the stainless steel dishwasher. OUCH BIG TIME! My toe is a mess (I guess you would call it the "ring" toe--next to the baby toe.) I've been hobbling around all day. It hurt like crazy, but I still managed to do my 2600 meter swim. It's swollen, purple, red, blue and really ugly. AND IT STILL HURTS!

The good thing is it gives me a good reason not to ride outside tomorrow. It will probably still be sore, and it's going to be in the 40's and 50's when I usually ride. I have to ride early because I have kid obligations, so back to the trainer it will be. Hopefully, my toe will be able to take an indoor ride!

Has anyone out there been reading about how bad all this "cardio" work we do is, and how we would be much better off doing more "weight training"? I saw another article in a local running magazine that interviewed a local trainer who insists that cardio work doesn't do anymore for the cardiovascular system than weight training. Huh? I've read about five articles about this theory, and I don't think I buy it. Yes, we all agree that strength training is essential for what we do, actually, for any physical activity, but skip the cardio because it doesn't help? I don't think so

I've talked to several trainers about it, and they tend to agree with what I've learned over the past 40 plus years. What do you think/know? I'd love to hear if anyone else has read about this.

Enough rambling. Need to go pick up peanut at the gym. It's raining, dark, cold, and I hate driving in these conditions--plus MY TOE REALLY HURTS!

Hope everyone had a good week and have a great weekend!

Until next time--God bless!

Happy Columbus Day....and other stuff

2008-10-13T17:13:00.003-05:00

I did something last night that I knew I shouldn't do even before I did it: I had a Portillo's cheeseburger, fries and onion rings for dinner--at 9:00. I KNOW, what was I thinking? I really wanted a hamburger after the long ride on Saturday, but I didn't have the money or energy to go buy one. Since I only eat 3 or 4 per year, I don't have the ingredients at home. As a family, we eat very little red meat at home. Mostly turkey and chicken. When I make things that require ground beef, I always use ground turkey.

Anyway, my husband was going to pick up my son from a meeting about 8:30 last night, and none of us had eaten dinner, and my daughter wanted Portillos, so.....

VERY BAD IDEA! I knew when I was eating that I would pay the price. Couldn't fall asleep, and when I did, I had really weird dreams. Finally dragged myself out of bed about 7:30--that is really late for me.

I didn't want to eat, but knowing I was planning to run for two hours, I did eat a bowl of oatmeal. Drove to Waterfall Glen for the typical one loop plus run. It was a great day--the weather was perfect for running--about 70 degrees, cloudy, no wind to speak of. Perfect.

Other good things about the run: the outhouses had just been cleaned! WOW, was that nice. I guess Monday at 8:45 is a good time to go and use them when they are actually clean.

I think I saw four other runners the entire time. Maybe two dozen "recreational" (i.e. not riding as fast as they can taking up the whole path trying to run me over) bicyclists. Several people walking, a couple families with small kids. It was really nice!

Question: Why is it that horses can leave their 3 to 5 pounds of "stuff" on the path, and the riders/owners are not obligated to pick it up? But if a dog does a small little couple pieces on the path, holy cow that cannot happen? I'm not saying dogs should be allowed to go on the path where people are riding/biking, but why is it OK for the horses? Probably because the riders would have to carry a shovel and giant sack to pick it up and move it. Oh well, just one of the "unfair" things about life.

Question: Are you a tidy triathlete? Do you clean your bike, shoes, equipment on a regular basis? I must admit, I am crazy about keeping my stuff clean. If I don't clean my bike every time I ride it, my husband does. There's nothing that bugs him more than going to a race, seeing really expensive decked out bikes that are FILTHY! What the.......? He really doesn't understand that. I guess because I sweat so much, I almost ALWAYS clean off my bike each time I ride. Also, because I run mostly on paths, I always clean my running shoes when I'm done. Also, my helmet is usually covered with salt/white stuff, so that gets cleaned too. Am I nuts, or does anyone else out there identify?

Since my Louisville debacle, I've read several blogs about others who have completed ironman races. Seems like a lot of people had "coaches/family/friends" out there "encouraging" them during the race. For many, that meant being screamed at and told "you did not come all this way to not finish. Do you want to carry that with you for the rest of your life?" I'm sure that works for many of you, but I don't think I would want a coach that did a lot of screaming at me. My dad was like that when I was a kid, and believe me, it didn't motivate me AT ALL! What motivates you?

Question: Is it mandatory to complete an Ironman (copyright) race to be considered an iron man? In other words, if I completed an iron distance race that did not cost $525, did not require me to register a year in advance, did not allow me to withdraw or refund my money, but consisted of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run, would I still be an official iron finisher? I understand that the m-dot would not be an appropriate tattoo, but what is the difference, really? I'm having this "debate" with my husband. He is very against me doing a "smaller, less expensive" race because it is not officially "ironman". What do YOU think?

(You may have seen the argument in one of the triathlon publications that an official iron man is only someone who completes the Hawaii race. Personally, I think that's a bunch of hog wash. First of all, not everyone capable of competing at that race does, and while I understand that it is the "king" of all races, I believe there are other courses that are difficult in their own ways.)

BTW, Ironman Louisville is STILL "Accepting Applications" as of 8:00 this a.m. Any idea why this race doesn't sell out in five minutes like the rest of the U.S. "Ironman" races. I have several ideas!

Congratulations to all Chicago Marathon participants. It was another tough day for many--hotter than ideal for running a marathon. I heard on the news last night there were about 10,000 DNS--largest in the 30 years of the race. I think maybe people just didn't want to deal with the heat! Not sure how many DNF--probably quite a few.

Just a few things I thought about during my workout time today. Hope everyone who had the day off had a good one.

Until next time--God bless!

Too Much Time

2008-10-12T13:25:00.003-05:00

I think that at times it is possible to have too much free time! Case in point: Yesterday, I had a free day--I didn't have home, husband or child responsibilities until after dinner. The weather was amazing, so I planned on a good bike ride. I would start out with several friends who are training for IM Arizona. See how I felt, how far I would ride.

The group we started with were planning on 30-35 miles. My friends were planning on a six hour ride. I thought maybe 3 to 4 hours. The group started faster than I was comfortable with. I knew that if I wanted to ride 60+ miles, I needed to take it easy. I trained hard during the week, and rode on my trainer hard Friday for 1.5 hours, and also did a hard 2500 meter swim. (Remember, I am not in training now, but I believe I am as fit as I've been all year!)

Iron Snoopy and I rode together for the whole ride. It was a beautiful day. A little windy, but it's always windy out in the corn fields, no matter which direction you're going. Actually, we did have a tail wind for a while on the way back, which really helped. Oh, did I mention that I decided to go the whole ride? It was such a beautiful day, and I knew I'd have great company with Iron Snoopy, and I did. Not many more weekends left like this, and I ride alone 98% of the time. Ended up riding 87 miles.

It was a good ride, but I learned several things about myself: I swim, bike and run because I really enjoy it. One of the group, as she sped past me, pointed out that I was crazy to be out here when I didn't have to be. Well, I WANTED to be. The last 15 miles or so were a little hard, but nothing I couldn't handle. I felt great when I finished. (Although I made the decision on the ride that I would postpone my Sunday long run until Monday. The kids are off school, so my schedule is very flexible. Did my Monday swim on Sunday instead!)

I also realized that I will probably never be able to ride a 6 hour iron distance bike course. I pretty much realized that in Louisville, but it was pretty much confirmed yesterday. My ride time for 87 miles yesterday was 5:28. True, I wasn't racing, but I was pushing a little harder than if I'd been riding myself. Seven hours or better is probably much more realistic. My average time for a half is about 2:45. One thing I learned, however: an ironman is much more than twice a half.

I also realized that I don't have to be as "fast" as people 15 to 20 years younger than me. Hey, they really SHOULD BE FASTER! I may have a little more experience, but they have age way in their favor. Not only that, but I don't HAVE TO BE AS GOOD AS ANYONE! I just need to be myself. I am so blessed to be able to do what I can, I have no reason to feel that I NEED to be better. Would I like to be faster, stronger, leaner? Of course, who wouldn't. But we all work with what we have. I am not a professional or elite triathlete and never plan to be. I repeat: I DO THIS BECAUSE I LIKE IT AND IT IS FUN. When it stops being fun, goodbye!

Another lesson: I still feel REALLY BAD about my DNF at Louisville. Kona was yesterday. I have several friends competing at Florida and Arizona. I'm so glad for all who had great races and who will have great races. I'm not going to be ashamed of my performance because I had a bad day. I did the best I could at the time. There will be other races, and my goal now is to complete an iron distance race in 2010, Lord willing. (I'll be 55 and in a new age group!) Next year will be the year of the half.

Today was the Chicago marathon. It was a little warm, but not dangerously so. Don't know how everyone did yet. Congratulations to all who raced!

Decided to post my weekly numbers. Not bad for "not training":

Swim: 7x for 12,000 meters
Bike: 2x on trainer: 51 miles; 1x outside: 87 miles
Run: 2x for 11 miles
Strength/Core/Stretch: 4 sessions for 176 minutes
Total time: 19 hours, 17 minutes
Total calories: 9,085

Hope everyone had a great weekend--have a great week.

Until next time--God bless!

Cold Vs. Hot (Is there really a winner here?)

2008-10-06T15:08:00.005-05:00

I rode outside on Saturday, and ran outside on Sunday. IT'S NOT SUMMER ANYMORE!

As you may know if you know me or have been following my blog, I DON'T LIKE THE COLD! And since cold and hot are relative terms, I will define them in terms of my biking and running.

Any temperature under 50 degrees, without sun, and with wind is cold for me on the bike. When I left home on Saturday, the temperature in my car was 46 degrees. The sun was out, and it didn't feel too windy, so I drove to Lifetime thinking a 50-60 mile ride would be really nice.

As soon as I started riding, I WAS COLD! I wanted to turn around and go back to the club and skip the ride, but I REALLY wanted to get a ride in. I only rode once during the week on my trainer, and planned to run outside on Sunday. I also knew that Saturday looked like the better day of the two days.

One of the MANY things I hate about riding/running in the cold is dressing in layers. I totally understand why we do this, but here is my big problem: by the time I warm up enough to take off the top layer(s), the next layers are wet from sweating (I really sweat a lot!). So when I try to take the outside layer off, I really can't because I get cold because my clothes are wet. This is really bad when I'm riding. I end up leaving everything on and getting a little overheated. Plus, you can only carry so much stuff when you're on the bike--food, drink, AND extra clothes?

Even with socks and gloves on, my feet usually stay cold. I should have put my toe covers on--I forgot--and I need to get a new pair of cycling gloves that cover the whole hand. I have a pair I bought for the Apple Cider Century in 1989. Yeah, they are really old!

In spite of all of the above, I had a pretty good ride. Although I was wondering why I didn't see anyone else riding. Usually I see at least 20-30 riders at this time on this route. That day--I saw 3. Actually, I saw several of my friends when I was about 10 miles from home. They were just starting out--they were smart because they were able to wait until it warmed up a little before starting. I had to be done by a certain time--had to pick up Peanut from practice.

I think the cold did make the ride harder though--I rode the same route, same distance (52 miles) as last Saturday, but I had to work a lot harder, and my speed was about 1 mph slower. My heart rate was in zones 4 and 5. I usually ride in zone 3.

The hot tub, steam and warm shower felt really good afterwards.

Sunday, I couldn't decide if I wanted to run in or out. I decided to go out to Waterfall Glen. Running in the cold is a lot easier for me than cycling in the cold. My feet stay warm, and the layer thing works better. I still felt cold, but had a really good 11 mile run. Good speed, good heart rate, and the drizzle didn't start until I was done and got in the car. Even though I was sweating and my core was warm, I felt really chilled by the time I got out of the car at the fitness center. I had planned to swim, but the lap pool just felt too cold. I played around in the leisure pool for a few minutes, but spent most of my time in the sauna and hot tub.

According to the weatherman (Tom Skilling), next weekend could be a major washout--lots of rain and cooler. I know if that's the case I'll be on my trainer and the treadmill. I hope it doesn't affect the Chicago Marathon. Personally, I'd rather not run in the rain, but I guess it's better than running in the heat. I don't mind the heat if it's not extreme--anything over 90 degrees I consider extreme.

If I have to make a choice between hot and cold, I will ALMOST always choose hot, especially on the bike. Running, a bit different. Although I DO NOT RUN in extreme cold. The cold is really hard on my joints, the hard ground is hard on my joints, the cold air is hard on my respiratory system, I hate wearing three layers of clothes, two hats, gloves, extra socks.......I mean, you have even more laundry to do than in the summer! I just find it much easier staying inside. Don't get me wrong--I WOULD MUCH RATHER BE OUTSIDE--but it sure beats being outside in the cold or just not riding or running at all. That would be the WORST!

One good thing about the cold is that fluid stays cold. It's nice drinking cold water or whatever. But have you noticed how hard it is to eat a cold Powerbar, or gel that's really cold? One year I trained for an April marathon. My gel actually froze when I was on one of my long runs!

When I was younger (up to my early 40's) I ran outside in almost any weather. I ran at 4:30 in the morning, in the dark, in the cold, snow, rain, 10 degrees and below wind chill, with my Siberian Husky dogs. They loved it, and I felt really safe with them. NO ONE bothered me when they were with me. Today, I wouldn't even THINK about doing such a thing! Thank God for fitness centers, bike trainers and treadmills!

So that's my story. All I could think about when I was riding on Saturday was how long it will be before April comes. Until then, I'll be on my trainer and the treadmill, watching movies, TV, Spinnerval DVD's, and listening to my IPOD. Oh, and swimming INSIDE.

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Have a great week.

Until next time--God bless!

'Sup'? (aka 'What's Up?')

2008-10-03T13:35:00.004-05:00

So it's been a few days since the last post. Lots of things happening, but nothing that seems that exciting to me.

1) My workouts have been OK. I'm still feeling tired at times, and not always sleeping well. The stupid headaches come and go. The night sweats and hot flashes really S***! Getting old(er) in general S****, but as my dad always says, it's better than the alternative.

2) People are still asking my if I'm recovered from Louisville. I have to tell you all something: because the race was such a disaster for me, I realized the other day that I didn't think I DESERVED a recovery period. I know that's crazy, because I did all the training, and was out on the course for over 14 hours that day. But because I didn't finish, somehow my warped sense of right and wrong tells me that I just didn't deserve a rest/recovery time. So basically, I've continued my workouts as if it was base training. Maybe even a little more than your average "normal" triathlete. Another reason I wish I could afford a coach.

3) Speaking of "affording"--things are really tight financially in our household. Normally I sign up ASAP for the races I want to do next year, but I'm going to have to hold off for now. I know this means I probably will miss the early bird sign up discounts, but, what can you do? No new bike toys for next year. I'll just have to get stronger and faster on my own!

4) Yesterday was my son's and husband's birthdays. Yeah I know, but we really didn't plan it that way, just how it worked out. In some ways it seems like yesterday that I was in the hospital with my first newborn, and in other ways it feels like the 15 years it has been. There are some things I would do different, but in general, it's all good!

5) Speaking of my son, last night was parent/teacher conferences at the high school. I knew exactly what to expect. To a teacher, this is what we heard: Ryan is a great kid and student. He's doing amazing. He participates, always has fun/interesting things to contribute to the class. He's polite, good with the other kids, and I wish I had 50-150 more kids just like him. It's a testament to your parenting that he is the way he is!

I shouldn't have been surprised--this is what we've heard about him since he was in kindergarten. I know he's a good kid. And at 15, I don't expect him to change a whole lot (Lord willing). He's going on an overnight with his church group tonight, and he is really excited.

6) When my son was about six months old, I stopped working outside the home. It was something we had always planned on doing. I was 38 when I had him, and had been working pretty much since I was 16. I spent one year in college, and even then I lived at home and worked part-time. Things were so different in the early 70's. It wasn't a given that everyone graduated from a four year college. Anyway, my point is that while it has been a HUGE FINANCIAL SACRIFICE for me to be home, and I know our lives would be very different if I had continued to work, I wouldn't trade the time I've had with my kids for anything. This was a choice we made, and for better or worse, we are living with the consequences. Last night at the conferences, I once again realized that we made the right choice. PTL!

7) Talk about a small world! There is a very talented local triathlete who teaches at the high school my son attends. We happened to walk by his classroom while we were at the school last night. This is a very large school--the chances of that happening? Not so good. So when we were finished with our conferences, we went back and introduced ourselves. He wasn't busy, so we chatted for a little bit. This guy was about 3 years old when I did my first tri. HA! He routinely goes under 10 hours in an ironman race (even Kona). He was at Louisville, and did amazing.

8) When we were at the very first high school meeting when we met the teachers, there was a PE teacher that looked really familiar to me. He was built like a triathlete, and I wondered if that's how I knew him. When we were talking to the ironman teacher, he mentioned that this guy completed the iron distance race I'm thinking about doing in southern Illinois. AHA! So he is a triathlete, and that's probably how I know him. I saw him at the conferences yesterday, and we were both kind of looking at each other, but I didn't talk to him. Unusual for me, and now I'm really wishing I had. Seems like everywhere I go, triathlon follows me in one way or another.

9) October 16th will be our 26th wedding anniversary! What more can I say?

Last night I was wiped when I went to bed. I had originally planned to ride for a couple hours on my trainer early and swim later, but I felt so lousy I decided to skip the ride. I did have a pretty good 2500 meter swim. I'm hoping to do a long(er) ride outside tomorrow. The weather is a little cooler than I like for biking (50's), but tomorrow is supposed to be the warmer of the two weekend days. Sunday should be a good day for an outside run.

Once October comes along, I know my outside workouts are winding down. I really hate the beginning of fall and winter. I keep telling my husband I don't want to die here--in other words, I want to move somewhere warm sometime before I die, and while I can still swim/bike/run. We'll see--doesn't look to good, but you never know!?

Hope everyone has a great weekend. One more week until the Chicago marathon. Good luck to everyone racing this weekend.

And to those of you lucky enough to be heading to Kona--have a safe trip and good pre-race preparation. I envy the weather you will have.

Until next time--God bless!

Some Good News on a Gloomy Monday

2008-09-29T14:54:00.003-05:00

I had a good day Sunday. A good, long run (11miles and hills), a quiet Waterfall Glen (most runners tapering for Chicago Marathon--yeah!), and the bikers that were out were much more courteous than most. The weather was really nice--cool and a bit cloudy, but perfect for running.

After, I did some much needed stretching, core work and a short swim. Came home and did a bunch of cooking (if you really want to call it that). I made sloppy joes, sweet potatoes, green beans, and brownies. I finally got to sit down about 5:00--I was really tired and my right glute/hip/hamstring/quad was sore.

I was in a state of shock when I went to sleep--the Bears won! They DID NOT BLOW THE LEAD in the last couple of minutes. Although they did try really, really, hard. Now, if the White Sox can win today and tomorrow, sports fans in Chicago will be on cloud nine!

I woke up a little bit late--long story, forgot to set the alarm, although I usually wake up before it goes off. My butt was really sore/tight. Decided that today would be a swim only workout. Made it through 2200 meters and felt better after. May have to skip that run tomorrow--see how I feel.

So, when I got home and was helping my daughter with her school work, I decided to check my e-mail. This is what I received:

Endurance Sports, Ultramax Events and USA Triathlon would like to congratulate you on your qualifying efforts at the Spirit of Racing Triathlon on July 19, 2008. Your top placing finish has earned you the opportunity to race in the 2008 Las Vegas or 2009 Oklahoma City Championship (your choice). You will race against the nation's best long course age group athletes.

WOW! I had to read it several times, and called my husband and had him check it out to make sure I wasn't seeing things! (Yea, I know it's really not that big of a deal, but after my abysmal showing at Louisville, this was a real boost!). No way I can make the 2008 race, but I'm really hoping we can do the 2009 race in Oklahoma City. Like so many people, money is really tight for us right now, and I'm not sure how much I can spend on racing next year. My daughter and husband are going to a gymnastic meet in Miami in January. I need to stay home with my son. Boy, would I like to be in Miami in January--swimming and running outside--how awesome would that be?!

Now I have a goal for my 2009 season. My plan was to concentrate more on the half iron distance, and this fits in just perfect! Even if it turns out we can't go, I at least have a goal and a plan.

It seems so often that when things look really bad, all I have to do is wait about a day and things get better. Of course, it works the opposite also, but I'm trying to dwell on the positive here. So while I considered this triathlon season to be pretty much a bust, I guess it wasn't a total loss. The training I put in did count for something. Lord willing, next year at this time I'll be planning a trip to Oklahoma City for a really big race!

I hope everyone had a good weekend. This is running race season, so go, runners, go! The Chicago Marathon is less than two weeks away, and there are lots of other marathons in the next two months. Good luck to everyone out there racing.

Although I'm not training for anything, I still like to keep tract of my workouts. Week totals:

Swim: 5x for 8,500 meters

Bike: 2 trainer rides: 3.5 hours; 52 miles; 1 road ride: 52 miles; total 104 miles

Run: 2 treadmill runs: 11 miles; 1 road run: 11 miles; total: 22 miles

Strength/Core/Stretch: 4 sessions; 233 minutes (3.8 hours)

Total time: 18 hours, 32 minutes

Calories burned: 8,237

Until next time--God bless!

A Week of Ups and Downs

2008-09-27T17:53:00.003-05:00

Actually, mostly ups. It doesn't seem like almost a week since I last posted. Time really flies when....you're crazy busy AND having fun (mostly)!

Had a good week training-wise. Although I can't really call it training, because this is supposed to be my off-season, should be cutting back, taking it easy, recovering, resting.....yeah, right! That's probably not going to happen.

I was speaking to a friend at the pool the other day. He's a long distance triathlete. He's surprised I've been able to keep up with the amount of training that I have. I told him that this is me--it's who I am and what I love to do. I don't have to be training for something to do the work. I love what I do. While it's a little harder during the school year, I'm still very motivated. See, this is why I should have a coach. I really don't know how much I should be doing now. As I said, my number one goal for the "off-season" is to lose some weight. I may not be going about it the right way. But I'm not really sure.

Yesterday I went for a late swim (4:00--way past my normal workout time). I rode on my trainer for 1.5 hours in the early a.m. Went to Lifetime after dropping off Peanut at practice.

I met a nice man named Frank in the pool. As he was leaving, he was asking me some questions about my workout. He is an ultra-marathoner. He's done 35 marathons, and now he's doing trail runs. He's almost 61, so we're pretty close in age. We chatted for a while, and he brought up some good points.

Lately I've been reading blogs of several local newly-professional triathletes. I'm so amazed at the times they are able to accomplish. Of course, I know I can't compare myself to them. As Frank pointed out, these "kids" in their 20's and 30's probably competed at a high level in high school and/or college. They have so much more going for them than we did when we were their age. Heck, I was in high school before Title IX! I swam on the YMCA swim team, but that's about all that was available for girls back then. I did take ice skating lessons--another sport acceptable for little girls in the 1960's.

Also, most people in their 50's and 60's, no matter how great shape we're in, can't do what a 28 or even 38 year old can. I know, there are exceptions to every rule. I can name several women and men in their 50's and older who can keep up with some of the best younger age groupers. But really, that IS the exception to the rule!

And we all know that recovery time is much different when you're over 40. I have friends who are just over 30 or 40, and boy is it fun to hear them talk about how hard it is to recover compared to just a few years ago. You think it's bad now, people, wait until you hit 50! YOW!

Frank also mentioned that long hours of intense training at this stage of his life doesn't really make him better. I can totally relate. I really have to listen to my body. That's why a "one size fits all" training plan is not really good for me. I always have to "tweak" them for myself. Again, a good reason to have a coach.

My husband and I were talking about coaching. Now, I'm sure there are some terrific coaches in their 20's and 30's out there. But I would feel much more comfortable with a woman who is closer to me in age. Late 40's at least, maybe with a couple kids whose been competing/coaching for a couple decades or so. If I can ever afford it, that's who I'll be looking for.

Staying at home and homeschooling my daughter makes life a little lonely during the week. And since I train alone, I spend a lot of time by myself. So please be patient with me if I see you and want to talk. I know, I can go on sometimes, so if you're in a hurry or short on time, I really won't be offended if you say so. I get it!

I went for a ride this morning. It was a beautiful day and I felt really good. Had a great ride and even met a friend on the way home. Got to ride together for about 11 miles. Did 52 miles. Was thinking about 60, but I did ride pretty hard yesterday and would like to run long tomorrow, so I settled on the 52. Did some core/strength/stretching after, and an easy 1000 meter swim.

That's enough rambling. When I'm not at the computer, I think of some great things to write about. Then when I have the time--poof--gone from my brain!

One more thing--I watched "Grey's Anatomy" while I rode on my trainer yesterday. (I recorded it the night before because I knew I needed something to entertain me on the ride.) There was a scene when a doctor was explaining to another that we learn through our failures and mistakes. Of course, I immediately applied that to my Louisville experience. Still can't get that "race" out of my head. It's true, I know, but still so hard to deal with....

Hope everyone had a great week and enjoys their weekend and upcoming week.

Until next time--God bless!

What a Difference a Weekend Makes!

2008-09-21T17:51:00.002-05:00

Wow, what a great weekend, in every possible way. The weather was fantastic here--felt like summer all over again. And after the torrential downpour of last weekend, it was a very welcome sight.

I already miss summer: Cycling, running and swimming outside, racing, no school for the kids, great weather, etc. Yeah, I really need to live somewhere warm. It would be great for my joints (and the rest of my body, too)!

I've been having really bad headaches for the last three weeks. Don't know if they're from the RA, allergies, hormones, stress, weather change, etc. Could be all combined. Friday night I went to bed late with a terrible headache. I stayed up until midnight reading a book my son is reading for school. One of those books that you can't put down and have to finish ASAP.

I slept in on Saturday until 7:30. My daughter wasn't feeling well, and skipped practice Friday night and Saturday afternoon, so I was pretty flexible with my workout schedule. When I put my bike in the car, I really wasn't sure what I was going to do. About 9:00 I decided to drive to Lifetime and ride from there. I ended up having a really good 50 mile ride. The roads weren't too crowded, the weather was perfect, and I ran into a couple rest stops for a ride being sponsored by a local church to raise money for a food pantry. If I had know about it, I would have participated. I was running out of water with 13 miles to go (I know, I DO make this a habit), and the lady at the stop was very nice and filled my bottle with cold water. There are really nice people in this world!

When I got back to the fitness center, I did some stretching and core work, and a very easy 1000 meter swim. As usual, I didn't bring enough food, and I was really hungry. By the time I got home, it was almost 3:00. Of course, by this time I wasn't hungry. But I did eat later, hopefully it was enough.

I've worked really hard the last 10 days on my eating. Writing everything down, tracking calories in and calories burned during my workouts. But, as usual, I still can't lose a pound. I have decided that my main goal over the off season is to get rid of the 10 pounds I've gained while training over the last two years. I've tried almost everything, and I don't have the money to pay anyone else for help. I've invested a lot of money and time and no one has been able to help.

So, today was a great day. I woke up feeling rested and relaxed. Decided to go to Waterfall Glen for a run, after dropping my son off at church. I had four hours to get everything done. When I started, I wasn't sure how far I would run. I found a new parking lot, and it was crowded but I did get a spot. The main lot is always packed on the weekends, and I always end up parking outside on the street somewhere.

After I started running, I decided I would do the full loop (9.5) miles. I felt really good, and added an extra half mile to make it an even ten. There were lots of people on the trail, many doing their long runs for the Chicago Marathon. I spoke to a man on a bike who was riding while his girlfriend was running. She was doing a 20 mile run, and her goal is to qualify for Boston. She looked really strong with only 2 miles to go. I complemented him on his support--he said he'll run the last seven miles of the race with her. What a guy!

I love running on the path, but now that I run on the weekend, there are soooo many more people, and some of them think that they own the path. I almost got run down by bikes on more than one occasion. The trail is pretty hilly, and when they're coming down a hill I'm running up--well, it gets pretty scary. They forget that they need to stay on the right side of the road. On more than one occasion I had to run off the path to avoid being hit. It also happens with runners. You know, those really young, really fast, really fit guys who only wear shorts, no tops, and are all young enough to be my kids. They run four or five abreast, and I guess they expect me to move because I'm going the other way, am slower, and older! Hey, wait a minute, shouldn't us older runners get some respect out here!

No worries. I didn't let that stuff bother me. The weather was perfect and I had a great run. Makes me think more about running a half marathon. If anyone knows of one close to home, please let me know. I can only find one in Mattoon, IL which is a three hour drive. Too far!

After my run I drove to Lifetime, did some stretching, strengh, core work and a short 500 meter swim. Was short on time! Four hourse goes so fast when you're doing something you really love!

One more thing I'd like to share: When I workout, I SWEAT. I mean, I really sweat, big time. Even when it's not hot, like today, I sweat ALOT! When I run on a treadmill, it is really gross. I have to clean the machines on either side of me because I manage to get them as wet as mine. My shoes AND socks are soaked if I run for more than an hour. I tell you this, because we all know that when we sweat, we chafe. Yes--big time, mega chafing going on here. I've used a lot of stuff--body glide, vaseline, aquaphor, chamois butt'r to name a few. They all work for a little while, but eventually my sweat wins and I get terrible chafing.

Well, I think I found a product that really works for me. It's called "Mission Anti-Friction Cream". It feels different from anything I've ever used. It's a bit pricey, but I think it's really worth it. I put it everywhere today, and I'm chafe free! If anyone's looking for an answer to the chafing problem, I would definitely recommend this! (I also used it in Louisville, and found I had very little chafing, even in that horrible heat and for such a long time!)

I sent my heart rate monitor to Polar after Louisville and got it back last week. They fixed it up really nice--new battery, I think they replaced the face (it was really scratched up and now it looks good as new), as well as the big red button. It was great having it back this week.

The weekly numbers look like this:

Swim: 6X = 10,000 meters

Bike: 1x trainer = 24 miles
1x road = 50 miles

Run: 3x = 22.5 miles

Strength/Core: 4x = 225 minutes

Total time: 17:22

Calories burned: 7,350

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Have a great week.

Until next time--God bless!

Random Thoughts

2008-09-19T07:20:00.002-05:00

After a very wet, nasty weekend, it's been a great week weather wise here in the Chicagoland area. Cool nights, warm(er), sunny days. Great for training outdoors, if you can do it. With my kids back in school, it's much harder to get outside during the week. This weekend looks great though and I hope to get outside to both bike and run! YEAH!

I find myself tired lately. Don't know it it's the RA kicking in--the change of weather can play havoc with my symptoms; could also be having the kids back in school; or could it be all the training I did over the last 10 months catching up with my body? Mmmmm. Don't know for sure, but I'm trying to get more rest, not work out as hard, and sleep more. I find the older I get, the more I do, the more sleep I actually need. It's good to listen to your body.

I love the internet, and I particularly like being able to watch TV shows that I missed over the past 15 or so years. Before kids, and when my kids were younger, I watched very little TV. Not much for going to the movies either. No time, and when I did have time, I would much rather read. Now that the kids are older and more independent, and my eyesight has made reading harder, I find I enjoy TV, movies and the computer very attractive.

I just finished watching all four seasons of "Lost" on the internet. It took a while because each episode has about 10 zillion commercials, but hey, it's "free" so you put up with that kind of stuff. I'm definitely hooked, and looking forward to season five starting in February.

I'm really not much for reality TV, although I must admit that for the first time my family got me hooked on "Dancing With the Stars", and I even watched most of the later part of "American Idol." Usually, I think "they" get the winners wrong, but I had no complaints this time around.

One show that I have promised myself I won't watch this season is "The Biggest Loser". There are so many ways this show is not realistic. Having battled with weight issues all my life, educated myself on nutrition and exercise, I believe this show is so wrong for the average obese person who really wants to change their lifestyle and lose weight and keep it off.

Just a couple points: not many people can (or want to) leave their homes and loved ones for such an extended period of time (how long they've never really told us); not many people can devote 8 hours (or so they say) to working out every day. And how many of us can live pretty much isolated from the real world with only the "right" foods at our fingertips? I know they do spend time being tempted by stuff, but let's be real, most of us live that way every day. Also, when you are as obese as these people are, how many doctors would recommend the running, jumping, pounding that the trainers make these people do? True, most of them are young, but many do get injured during the course of the show.

Also, and this is the thing that kills me--I don't understand how ANYONE, NO MATTER HOW MUCH THEY WEIGH AND STARVE THEMSELVES AND EXERCISE NON-STOP FOR A WEEK, can lose over 20 lbs. in one week! If they are working as hard as they say, they really need to eat. When you don't eat, no matter how fat you are, you can really mess up your metabolism.

Also we have to remember that this is a contest to win a LOT OF MONEY! Games are played, people are used, friendships are made and broken, feelings are hurt, emotions are toyed with. That's a lot to go through for a prize. Plus, on national TV in front of millions of people? I don't think so!

OK, there are about a dozen other issues I have with this show, but I'll step off my soapbox now. I know many people think it's great and inspiring. I think it's great for the network and advertisers. They are the real "winners" on this show.

Also, I would like to see how well all the contestants have done in keeping the weight off. I know there are several who have struggled. Let's have a show tracking their process and their life when they go home and leave the "ranch". We see when they go home for the last whatever amount of time it is (again, they never really say) that most of them really struggle. All of a sudden they hit "plateaus" or gain or lose only a pound or two per week. HA! Now that is real life!

Hope everyone has had a good week. I've had a couple good treadmill runs, a couple trainer rides, good strength training and core work, and swimming almost daily. I was looking around for a half-marathon near home, but can't find any. I guess that's for the best, as my knee(s) are still gimpy (probably more RA and OA than anything else).

Have a great weekend--get outside and enjoy if you can.

Until next time--God bless!

The Calm After the Very Wet Storm

2008-09-16T19:35:00.002-05:00

All you who live in the Chicagoland area know that this was a very wet weekend. We set records for the amount of rain that fell from Friday through Monday. There are still people in Indiana without power, and many of the roads in and around our suburbs are flooded. One school district closed yesterday due to street flooding.

Thank goodness only a few flooded basements. Not us. Those of you who are flooded, I feel for you. Ours flooded in January when we had an unusual amount of rainfall for that time of year and our 10 year old sump pump decided to stop working.

Anyway...spent all weekend indoors training. I know I may be a little unusual, but I really don't mind running on the treadmill. I do it a lot in the winter for several reasons: I usually run pretty early, and it's dark outside. I'm limited by time, so it's quickest to do all my stuff in one place (at the fitness center). I need to run on a soft surface as often as possible. In the summer, the paths are great, but when it's cold, they're too hard. And did I say that in my old age I hate running in the cold? (Cold usually means under 40 degrees--I know, I'm a wimp!)

I did give in and put my bike on the trainer for a 2:20 ride on Sunday. It wasn't too bad. I was watching an interesting DVD that made the time fly by. I rode in the afternoon, so I didn't get to swim after. That always means I'm a little sore/stiff the next day. Had a good swim on Monday and two soaks in the hot tub--felt much better.

Today I ran on the treadmill again. Short on time, so no swim. Stiff again! Drat--need to make time for a short swim every day!

Went to see my rheumatologist today. Her arm was in a sling. She tore her biceps tendon--OUCH! After 4 months, she decided she needed to have it surgically repaired. She's miserable, and not sure the surgery was worth the pain. It's only been 2.5 weeks. She calls physical therapy "torture".

Needless to say, she really didn't feel very sorry for me when I told her my Louisville story. While she admires what I'm able to do, she thinks an ironman borders on true insanity. She made a point of telling me that she knows NO ONE who could even swim 2.4 miles in a river. And ride 112 miles on a bike--do people really do that? She thinks it's incredible that I do what I do with my disease and at my age. It was good to see her, and gave me an even better perspective of how blessed I am. She injured her knee pretty bad about two years ago, so in some ways she's worse off than I am. Again, thank you God!

Nothing else really exciting happening in my life. Except that I spoke with my friend who lives in Austin, TX--she's incredible! Her first ironman will be in Florida in November and I know she will ROCK! You go, girl! I LUV U!

The weather should be nice here the rest of the week. My knee is still a little sore, but for now I'm just going to deal with it. Maybe when my daughter is done with her P.T., I'll have it looked at. I'm hoping to ride and run outside this weekend. Probably one more inside run on the treadmill and bike on the trainer until then.

Hope everyone is having a good week.

Until next time--God bless!

Seems Like We're Never Satisfied

2008-09-12T07:31:00.002-05:00

It's been an OK week. I've been "working out", which is so much easier than "training". One to two or so hours per day feels like a cake walk. My goals for next year are still up in the air--don't want to share until I'm a little more sure about what I want to do!

I've had the chance to speak with several friends who completed Ironman Wisconsin. You know, it's really funny how hard we can be on ourselves. For me, I would have just been happy to finish in Louisville. For them, a much different story. I do not mean to criticize or judge. They all had times I would have LOVED--hey, just crossing that finish line would have been good for me. But their expectations were so much higher. I can totally understand that we all set goals for ourselves, and when we don't reach those goals, we are disappointed. But we also have to keep the sport of triathlon in perspective.

Most of us are "triathletes" because we enjoy the sport. We're not making a living at it, the love and acceptance of our family and friends do not depend on how well or often we compete, and many of us are just happy that we are blessed physically (and financially) to be able to participate in this sport. Think about it: Do you have anyone in your life, who for some reason, CAN'T physically swim, run or bike? I know I do. In fact, that was me in 2002.

When I was suffering before being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, I didn't know if I would be able to swim, bike or run EVER AGAIN! This is something I thank God for every day. It is a blessing to be where I am with my physical limitations and at my age. In fact, I am probably a better athlete at 53 than I was at 33, when I did my first race. I will see my rheumatologist next week, and when I tell her what I did this summer, she will be AMAZED! She believes I should be the poster patient for the medication I'm taking!

Anyway, the bottom line here is that I am truly blessed with all I have in my life. Do I wish I had done things differently in Louisville? Of course. Do I still think about not finishing every day? Of course. But, Lord willing, there will be other races. If not, then I am totally thankful for the experience. PTL!

Yesterday my friend took me out for lunch. She is so proud of all that I've done, and her love and care means the world to me. She was with me when I could barely walk, and has been there to support all my accomplishments. Thank you, Gail! You're the best! I thank God for friends like you every day!

So, if anyone out there is having a tough day, hang in there. Things will probably get better, and if you really think about it, things could be a lot worse!

Until next time--God bless!

Manic Monday......

2008-09-08T12:47:00.002-05:00

....not in the sense that I'm a crazy maniac (OK, some would probably disagree). But more in the sense that I have many feelings going through my head at this time.

I. I'm so happy for all the competitors and those I know who completed Ironman Wisconsin yesterday. Nick, Kevin, Adrienne, Molly and Jo Ann, you guys are all so awesome. Congratulations on a great day, great time, and great finish. I know it was the first for two of you, and you did a terrific job!

II. I spoke with a friend today at the pool who is an experienced IM er. He's qualified and completed Hawaii more than once. He was so excited to see me, thinking I was an ironman. When I told him the story, he was still so very happy for me and for the experience I had. He still considers me a winner, and was so sweet and encouraging. Thanks, Tom! You are awesome and you ROCK!

III. I just received a card in the mail from a really good friend who lives out of state. She's training for her first ironman in Florida in November. She phoned me before the race and was so encouraging and supportive. Her card came at such a great time. It's a rainy Monday here, I'm still feeling a little down, and I couldn't sleep last night. When do you think the nightmares/dreams about the race will end? I'm told it may take a while. OK. It is what it is.

Her card was so encouraging it made me cry. I'm a BIG WINNER in her book. She's proud of me! Leigh Ann, you are the best and I can't say enough how much it means to me that you sent a card in the mail!

IV. I'm so happy for two other friends who completed milestones in their tri careers. I think I mentioned them in an earlier post. Mike, you are an IRONMAN! Elizabeth, you are an Aquaman and will soon be an Ironman in Florida. You are both great inspirations to me! Keep up the great work!

V. Received a phone call from Snoopy yesterday. It was great to hear from you, girl. I really appreciate you taking the time to check on me personally. Hang in there, I'm in your corner!

Yesterday I spent most of the afternoon/evening glued to the computer following the race. Very tiring and exhausting. A little sad for me too, considering one week ago....

I went to the fitness center yesterday and spent an hour on the treadmill. I covered five miles walking, slogging (my term for a slow jog), with a little running thrown in for good measure. Kept the heart rate very low. Although, I'm not exactly sure how low because my heart rate monitor pooped out on me in Louisville on the marathon course. HA! HA! I sent it to Polar to be fixed.
Seems like when it rains......

Anyway, had a good 2500 meter swim today. As I told a friend, I may be a little down, but I am far from out!

Thanks again for all your thoughts, prayers, encouragement and friendship. Hope everyone has a great week.

Until next time--God bless!

Eliminate the Negative....Accentuate the Positive

2008-09-06T16:52:00.003-05:00

I've had a couple more days to try to pull myself together since my last post. I admit, it's not really getting much easier. I was able to speak over the phone with one friend, via e-mail with another, and I was nearly in tears both times. Elizabeth and Gail were encouraging and congratulatory, regardless of the outcome. Thanks, ladies, you're the best.

Since hardly a minute goes by when I'm not thinking about the race, I decided to dwell on the positives that came from that day, and all the days leading up to it. Here's a list:

Negative: I calculated my training miles and hours, and here's the totals--since January 1, 2008 I: Swam 296,050 meters; biked 3,949 miles (many of them done on the trainer); ran 641 miles. Total training hours: 613.75. That's a lot of training to do and not finish the "A" race of the year.

Positive: That's a lot of training, PERIOD! While I didn't get to my goal weight (another negative), I know that my body can endure a lot of training, without being injured. OK, my knee still isn't perfect, but I think it will be much better in the next week or so.

Positive: Even though I didn't finish, I feel really good physically today. I swam four days this week, and today rode 22.5 miles, spent over an hour doing strength and core work, and swam 1000 meters. Considering I raced for over 14 hours less than six days ago, that's pretty darn good!

Negative: Something I forgot to mention. When we arrived home on Monday, we parked the car in the driveway. An hour later, it took several tries to get it started. Bottom line was it spent the next two days (and over $500) in the shop getting a new fuel pump.

Positive: We made it to and from Louisville without any problems. Thank God it didn't breakdown in Louisville, or on the way home.

(Several years ago we went to Appleton, WI for a half marathon. On the way there, the transmission died. We had to leave the car there for three days, drive home in a Ford Focus, and my husband had to drive back to pick it up. I drive a 1996 Town & Country with over 186,000 miles. These cars are notorious for transmission problems. We're on our fourth one. I KNOW, but we can't afford a new car! )

Another positive: It wasn't the transmission--YEAH!

Negative: The pictures from the race are posted. No picture of me crossing the finish line.

Positive: There are some decent pictures. I think I'll get one or two, just to remember the day. After all, it really wasn't a total loss. I did 5/6 of the race! (I know, but I'm trying to focus on the positives here, OK?)

Negative: Very bad last race of the season.

Positive: I did three other races--one sprint, two half iron distances. I won my age group in the sprint and one of the halfs, and did very respectable (PR) in the other half. Remember, Karen, accentuate the positive!

Negative....oh, forget it. I'm way to blessed to be thinking so much negative stuff now. My family loves me just the way I am. My Savior and Lord is ALWAYS in my corner. My friends will continue to be my friends and support me, not matter how bad or good of a triathlete I am.

So, enough of that. When I actually see you, don't be afraid to approach me. I promise I'll try not to start balling the minute you start talking. After all, it was ONLY A RACE!

Once again, good luck to all the competitors at Ironman Wisconsin tomorrow. Looks like you'll have good weather. Can't wait to hear all your stories.

Until next time--God bless!

Blessings Arising from the Bad

2008-09-04T10:29:00.004-05:00

It's been several days since my DNF, and I'm starting to feel a little more like myself. I won't lie--it has been a tough several days, and I know it will be tough for quite a while. I've only spoken in person to one friend who followed my training. As usual, Kevin was supportive and encouraging. He's going to do great in Wisconsin on Sunday!

I've had several comments on my blog post--thanks for all for the encouragement. It is very much appreciated.

I've also done a lot of thinking, and I BELIEVE I know what really went wrong: I did not BELIEVE I could do the race! I know that sounds very simple, but for me, it's very complicated. I did the training, and physically I knew I was capable. I think the main issue for me was that I was afraid to fail. I can honestly say I have never been so nervous/scared/terrified before any event in my life, until Friday morning. Getting married, having two kids, numerous surgeries, being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, losing loved ones--all stressful life situations. BUT NEVER WAS I AFRAID like I was when I arrived at the packet pick-up and athlete briefing on Friday. This was really going to happen, and I was really going to attempt to complete an ironman triathlon! Was I crazy, nuts, insane, loco, lost my mind, what the heck was I thinking?

As you can imagine, I drove my family crazy. I couldn't eat much on Friday or Saturday. My stomach was in knots, I wanted to go home, what if I don't finish, what will people say? My knee hurt. What if I couldn't run after the bike? How will I feel about myself if I fail? Eight gazillion reasons I gave myself to worry. And worry I did. My husband kept telling me I always get crazy before races. In fact, he believes the crazier I get, the better I do. But I knew this was different. This wasn't just nervousness, this was pure, unadulterated TERROR! When I think about it now, I realize I was making myself crazy for nothing. But at the time, it didn't feel that way.

I truly believe that this is the reason I wasn't able to stick with my nutrition plan. It started Friday afternoon, and by race start it was already too late. Of course, the heat and hills on the bike didn't help, but I really think I was ready (physically) for that part.

Even though I said I wasn't going to, I've done a bit of second guessing my decision to stop. Emotionally, I really wish I could have continued. Realistically, I'm really glad I stopped when I did. It was the right thing for me to do for my body.

When I started the race, I was so terrified that I vowed if I got through this, I would never do an ironman again. When I stopped on the course, I vowed I would never do THIS ironman again. After several days of thinking, I vowed that I WILL do Louisville again. And when I do, I plan to finish. Not in 2009, but possibly 2010. I won't be as scared because I know what to expect. It's hard to fail, but the learning experience is very valuable. (I hate saying those words.)

Now the hardest part will be facing all the people who knew my goal, and have to tell them that I didn't get there. But I will tell them that I didn't QUIT. True, I didn't finish, but I will try again.

Now, I feel good physically. I was tired for a couple days, but I got in the pool yesterday and swam an easy 1000 meters. Today was an even better 1500, and I plan to ride a little bit on the weekend. Running will probably wait another week or so.

I know several people competing in Madison on Sunday. To Kevin, Nick, Molly, Jo Ann, Adrienne and Amanda, may you have the race and day of your lives. Most of you have done this before, so you're veterans. (Although I hear it's still pretty scary, no matter how many you've done!) To all you first timers, don't be like me. Relax, know you've put in all the hard work, and enjoy the entire experience. So many people gave me the same advice, and if I'd taken it, well........

And to my friend Elizabeth, you're going to do great! This weekend will be a great preview of what to expect in Florida!

Enough rambling for now. More thoughts next time.

Until next time--God bless!

It Was a Very Tough Day

2008-09-01T18:13:00.003-05:00

Unfortunately, I don't have good news. You're all familiar with the initials DNF? Well, for me, yesterday, they meant the Dreaded Nutrition Factor. Going into this race, in fact, when I was thinking of signing up, my husband's main concern was nutrition/hydration. He knew I could do the training, and mentally and physically, I am a strong person. But he was really concerned about the heat factor for me. I have a really hard time with nutrition particularly in the heat.

I really thought I had it figured out. But there were so many things that happened the last few days before the race. First, I was really nervous. My knee was killing me. I was really concerned about the bike course, and the heat was going to be an issue. I was so nervous, I couldn't eat the way I should have Saturday. Hardly any dinner. The morning was worse. I had a hard time choking down my breakfast. Before the race was crazy. It was a time trial start, and by the time I got in line, I was in the last group of 50 to start the race. I ran out of water, and just couldn't eat. So when I started the swim, I was already in trouble--hungry and thirsty.

I actually had a good swim. I love the time trial start, and while the water was very warm (I think 83 degrees), it was relatively calm and not very crowded. I got into a good rhythm early, and kept an even pace and good sighting. I swam close to the buoys, and I was sure the day was off to a good start.

Ironman transitions are amazing. The volunteers are great. It's like you have your own personal valet (as my husband puts it) to help you change, or whatever you need. I changed, went to the bathroom, got sunscreen, and was on my way. I should have eaten before I got on the bike, but I forgot. Very typical! I also attached my shoes to my pedals, and I didn't practice with these shoes getting them on. I had to stop and take the second shoe off and start over. Not a great start!

I planned to start slow on the bike, which I did. All in all, it was a great course. There were some challenging parts, but if I had been at my best, I think I could have ridden it in 7 hours or less. But when I started, I had a stitch in my side. I can honestly say I don't ever remember having this on my bike. I think it finally went away about mile 35 or so, but I couldn't eat or drink much, which was the beginning of the end. It took me just over 8 hours! TERRIBLE!

The course had a 30 mile loop that we did twice--there were some really tough parts. By the second time, I was really struggling--it was really hot, I was dizzy, and just couldn't eat. When I saw my husband and kids the second time, the course was pretty empty. I stopped and told him I was in trouble and not feeling great. But I knew the last 30 or so miles would be easier. But then I realized that I was actually going to have to hustle to make the bike cutoff! Never in my wildest dreams did I EVAR think that would happen. But, I was determined to do it and at least try the run. I didn't come this far to not even try!

The last part of the bike was a little tough because the 2nd to last aid station ran out of drinking water. One of the volunteers decided to just pour freezing cold water on my head, neck and shoulders--before she asked me. OMG--I almost went into shock. Had to stop a couple minutes and regulate my breathing. YIKES!

By the time I got to the last rest stop (10 miles to go) I was really in trouble. I knew the run was going to be tough, but I knew I had to at least try. The last part of the bike was easier. The riders around me were happy we were going to make the cutoff!

Again, personal valet in the transition, grabbed all my stuff (food), hat, sunscreen, peed (very little--another hint of dehydration) and started. When I started the run, my clock said 10:04 for my race time. That meant I had about 7 hours to finish. If I was able to run/walk at a 15 min. pace, I would make it. Remember, they don't close the course officially until 17 hours from the time the last swimmer starts, but that was only about 3-4 minutes after I started. Plus, I really wanted to be an "official Ironman finisher".

The run started out OK. I ran the first mile, then the stitch came back. Couldn't eat, only drink. Decided to walk a while. Got worse. My friend Gary was on his second loop and walked with me a while. Many people I saw had tough days. Lots of walking on the marathon course. Both first and second loops.

I saw Gary again when he was almost done. He encouraged me and said he's come back and watch me cross the finish line. I felt soooo bad when I had to call him later and tell him not to come--I wouldn't be there!

At about 9 miles, I realized it was pretty much over. I had developed a huge blister on my right foot (NEVER had that before!). Now I couldn't even swallow the water, and I started to get cold. It was still about 87 degrees. Not good. Plus, I knew I could never walk the last 13 miles and be done by midnight. So I made the decision to walk to the turn around, and call it a day. It was a very fact-based, unemotional decision. I knew it would be tough, but it was the right thing to do.

One of the volunteers at the aid station at 12 miles had a phone. I called my husband, who was at mile 14, and we walked until we saw each other. It was dark, we were 1 mile from the finish line, and I could hear all the celebrating. It was hard, but again, I was so sick, I knew I really didn't have a choice.

My good friend Jo Ann had called my cell phone twice. She had been tracking me and knew I was in trouble. I was able to call her when I was finishing up and she was great. She agreed that I made the right decision. Thanks so much, Jo. I love you!

And really, I was OK. I talked with one participant and he told me I was doing the right thing. Get yourself together, figure out what you want to do, and if you want to do another race in the future, you will.

Last night, I told my husband and mom, maybe my body is not meant for Ironman distance. I'm definitely not planning for one next year. I'm going to stick with half distances.

Driving home, I had the "meltdown". I saw a couple other cars with bikes from the race, and I kind of lost it. I'm tired, my foot is killing me, I did everything I could. I did all the training, the sacrifice of time, family, money, and the wear and tear on my 53 year old arthritic body. And with all that, this is the first triathlon I started and didn't finish. No finishers medal (which my husband had to tell me were really cute). No t-shirt, no mylar blanket. Just swim, bike and run splits, and a big DNF after my name. That really STINKS!

There were 24 women signed up for my age group. 16 started, 11 finished. One didn't make the swim cutoff, two didn't make the bike cutoff and one didn't finish the bike. One other lady finished the bike and not the run. It was a tough day all around. The average bike time was much slower than I expected, even from the younger and more experienced racers. Of course the pros, elites, all those crazy fast people, it didn't bother them.

There were several bad accidents. Plus I saw about six ambulances carrying bikers off the course with problems--mostly heat related. Then there was the occasional athlete laying on the side of the road, under a tree, with their bike on the ground. There were times that really looked like a good idea.

To those of you experienced IMers, this is probably not out of the ordinary. Not everyone who starts a race finishes. People have bad days. The weather can affect people in different ways. Injuries happen. Which reminds me--I didn't not finish because of my knee. It was a little sore on the bike, probably from the hills, but it really felt good on the run (or for me, walk). It's tired and a little sore today, but all in all, I think it's going to be OK! PTL!

My quads were cramping on the bike when I tried to get out of the saddle the second half of the course. Again, a first for me. So, I stayed in my saddle pretty much the whole rest of the way. I stopped at almost every rest stop, except the first. According to my cyclometer, I spent about 40 minutes stopped. In the end, though, I think it was worth it, or I may not have finished the bike.

So, the bottom line is that I am not officially an Ironman. My husband still believes in me, and still thinks that I will want to go back and conquer the Louisville course. I don't know--maybe in two, three years. Now I know what's involved, and I'm glad I had the experience. It was a good learning experience, but I REALLY WANTED TO FINISH! Believe me, if there was any way I thought I could physically do it in 17 hours, I would have. But at my age, comes wisdom. There will be other days and other races. Better to stop then continue and really have long term problems.

So to everyone out there who is an Ironman, I applaud you. I have always had great respect for what you do, but even more so now. You are all amazing! And to all of you who conquered the course yesterday for the first and second times, a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS! YOU ARE AMAZING IRONMEN AND IRONWOMEN!

There's still more to share, but enough for now. Can't wait to read everyone's stories.

To those who are racing in Madison next weekend--good luck and God bless! May you have great weather, great attitudes, and great races!

Until next time--God bless!

From Louisville

2008-08-29T16:38:00.002-05:00

Here in Louisville, it is really hot! But...I'm too worried about my knee to worry about the temp. It still hurts--a lot!

Had a fast, safe trip here yesterday. The kids were great, the hotel rooms are great. We have adjoining rooms, and because my husband works for Marriott, got a great deal!

Swam in the river this morning--83 degrees. Even the water here is hot! Had a good swim, except that the water smells kind of funky, and my knee hurt!

Picked up my packet and went to the athlete briefing. Good info, not much I didn't already know. Met a girl who is doing her first ironman....and second triathlon! WOW--either very brave or very stu......well, you know!

Have all my nutrition/hydration planned. Hope it works. My husband took my son out this afternoon. Told me to just take it easy and finish the race--it's going to be really hot! Well, I can only do what I can do!

Took Peanut to the pool for an hour or so. She swam, I read/napped. Going to hang out at the hotel tonight. Bring something back to eat. Low key. Had a good sleep last night. Hope for a good one again tonight because tomorrow night......

Bring bike and bags to the transition tomorrow. Short trip to the expo, then back to the hotel. It's so close, I can't believe it.

The next time I write, Lord willing, I'll be through this. I have so much respect to all of you who have done this before--and many, multiple times. I'll let you know if this will ever happen again for me maybe next week--or month?!

Have a great weekend. Pray for all the racers, and me this weekend.

Until next time--God bless!

Last Time

2008-08-27T18:57:00.003-05:00

As I write, I'm praying it will be the last time before I am officially an Iron(wo)man.

It has been an up and down week so far, actually, mostly down. I haven't felt well physically and mentally. My knee is giving me major problems. I had a massage today, and I'm praying it helped. I've even thought about not making the trip. But then, what if it feels better on Saturday/Sunday and I don't go. I'm going, and Lord willing, I'll finish! I know I'm mentally tough, praying hard that the physical can keep up.

We're leaving tomorrow (Thursday) by noon. Should get to Louisville about 7:00 local time, hopefully. This will be the longest car trip ever for our two kids. Books, music, food and DVD's will hopefully make the time go a little bit easier.

I'm all packed--food was what took the longest. Hopefully, I've figured it out right. I plan to stick to the plan. I know it will be a long, hot, tiring, frustrating but hopefully very rewarding day/night.

I just spoke to a friend who called all the way from Texas to wish me luck! I love you Leigh Ann and Mike! Thanks so much for the kind words and encouragement. Your phone call was very timely.

I also received a real encouraging e-mail from my friend Kevin. Again, very timely and much needed--you are so sweet and you ROCK!

And my mom called to tell me good luck and say she knows I'll do great. She'll be the first person I call after the race--she'll be worrying until she hears from me. I LOVE YOU, MOM!

To say I'm nervouse is an understatement. I'm hoping I'll be more excited once I get there and my knee feels a little better.

Thank you to everyone who's walked with me through this journey to date. I pray I won't disappoint any of you. Your support and prayers have really helped get me here. Keep praying for #2400 on Sunday--I know I'll need it!

To everyone else out there who's racing this weekend--especially Team Louisville 2008--good luck and God speed! May you have the day/race of your life!

Until next time--God bless!

A Quick Note

2008-08-25T21:47:00.002-05:00

I survived the day. My son make it through the first day of high school, however, not without a small glitch. You see, he rode his bike, and had to take the front wheel off to lock it. (It's quick release.) I was out for my short bike ride, sort of watching for him about the time he should have been home. No sign of him. I was getting worried.

He barrels in the garage about 20 minutes later than I expected him. The bike is on the ground, the wheel not attached. Seems he couldn't get the wheel back on and walked all the way home carrying it along with the bike. Oh boy, off to a great start! I helped him get it back on, and hopefully tomorrow it will be easier. Now, he could have called me and I would have ridden to the school to help him, but no self-respecting high schooler would ever call his mom for help!

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. A quick 1000 meter swim workout. And later in the early p.m. a 10 mile bike--and it was really windy!

I wanted to alert you to a blog by and about a very special triathlete. Her name is Jamie Whitmore, and if you read Triathlete magazine, her story is in the October issue.

She's a huge XTERRA champion, and is going through some very difficult times with her health. She may never be able to race again. She is a woman of strong faith, and I believe it will get her through this difficult period. I plan to be thinking of and praying for her during my race on Sunday. When I feel like quitting, I'll remember her struggle and faith, and I know it will inspire me to not quit! If you're interested, her blog is on her website at www.jamiewhitmore.com.

Oh, and I forgot last weeks taper totals:

Swim: 7x for 9000 meters
Bike: 3x for 107 miles
Run: 2x for 14 miles
Stretch/core: 5 sessions for 160 minutes
Total training time: 15:30
Total calories: 6,800

Until next time--God bless!

READY....OR.....NOT

2008-08-24T14:55:00.002-05:00

Well, as the saying goes, the hay is in the barn. I'm done. Finished. And, hopefully, will be rested and ready to go in one week. In fact, at this time next Sunday, Lord willing, I hope to be on the run course. I've done ALL the training: base, prep and speed (well, for me speed is a relative term) work. The taper is in progress as we speak. Did my last "longer" workouts yesterday and today.

Yesterday I swam 3000 meters, followed by a 3 hour ride. I think I rode about 50 miles. My cyclometer pooped out on me--maybe the battery? My mechanic (husband) will check it out and have it ready to go. Good thing it happened now and not during the race!

I also was stupid and didn't bring enough water with me on the ride. I rode the same route as the week before, but it was much warmer and later in the day. This time, I had money and only had to ride about 10 miles without fluid before I found a Walgreens. It was a good ride. I saw a friend out riding who will also be in Louisville. It was good to see you, Gary. Hope to see you in Louisville!

Today was a 90 minute run. My knee has been bothering me, so I took it slow. I still covered the 9.5 miles in the same time as always. I'm hoping all the hill running will somehow translate into bike fitness. I did train on some hills--hoping it's enough for the "rollers" in Louisville.

My knee wasn't too bad. My rheumatoid arthritis is in a flair, so all the joints that give me problems have joined the party. Could be the stress of the extra training, as well as the stress of the race itself. I'm sure it's a contributing factor to my knee stiffness. The good thing is that the heat always helps my RA. Now, if I can make it through the run in the heat, I should be OK.

This week will be very easy. Which is good, because I have quite a bit on my plate. My son starts high school tomorrow, my daughter starts homeschool (6th grade) tomorrow, and it will probably take me three days to figure out everything I need to bring for the trip.

I've decided to only do one short, easy run before the race. I'll let my knee rest and it hopefully will be good on race day. Just a couple short bikes, and she'll be cleaned, lubed, my race wheels will be put on, and be ready for race day! I'll probably swim easy most of the days. We plan to drive down on Thursday, so that will be an off day. Friday I hope to do the practice swim on the course in the river. Saturday, lots of resting and healthy eating.

That's it for now. Don't know when I'll write again. Hope everyone had a good weekend. The big Chicago Triathlon was today, and the weather was perfect. I also heard the water temp here in Lake Michigan was 78 degrees.

Until next time--God bless!

Less than 10 Days

2008-08-22T14:27:00.002-05:00

It's been a challenging week, to say the least. I thought the long, hard workouts would be the challenge, but noooooo! This taper, and the way my body feels, well it really stinks! I hope I'm not the only one tapering for an IM who feels this way.

I woke up this a.m. feeling really bad: crabby, achy, tired, thinking "what the heck was I thinking when I clicked the button on the computer to register for this crazy race?". Maybe we just shouldn't go. What if I'm so nervous I forget how to swim, or breathe, or ride my bike, or what if my knee hurts really bad after the bike and I can't run? Can I walk an entire marathon?

I haven't ran in the dark for over 15 years. What's it going to be like to run/finish in the dark? Will there be other people around me? Will I be able to see where I'm going? Have I spent all this money and time for something that's going to be a bust anyway? My son REALLY doesn't want to go, but he's not old enough to stay by himself, and we have no one to stay with him. He's going to miss two days of school, which is a whole other story. His absences will be "unexcused" and it's up to the teachers whether they let him make up the work or not. More stress!

While today was supposed to be an "off, or rest" day, I woke up so wound up that I went to the pool and swam a real easy 1000 m outside. For the second time this week, I saw a woman swimming who was being coached/trained by a young lady from the deck. She was a good swimmer. She was wearing a cap from Steelhead, so I know she's done some triathlons. I know everyone can improve on their technique, but it made me feel extremely inadequate. She could swim circles around me. She's got a coach. I'm doing an ironman and don't have anyone helping me. SOMEBODY HELP!

OK, so I pulled myself together, telling myself it doesn't matter, I'm just going to do the best I can. It is what it is!

Ran some errands, did some shopping.

I've decided that I have no choice but to use the drink the race will be offering, which is Gatorade Endurance. Is it easy to find? Absolutely not. The lemon-lime flavor is the only one sold commercially, even though they will be offering orange also on the course. So I'm going to bring some with me and start on the bike with it. That way, I'll be drinking the same drink all day.

I'm really worried about nutrition. How am I going to carry everything I need for the bike ride? Hopefully I'll find my special needs bag and I will have packed all the right stuff for the bike and run. How much to carry with me, what will fit in my pocket/fuel belt, what to pack in my special needs bag? Yikes, way too much to think about!

I just found out there are 24 women competing in my age group (50-54). There are four women named Karen! It was a very popular name when I was born. Most of the time when I meet someone named Karen, I know they were born about the same year as me.

I am the only "homemaker" listed. Several "fitness consultants" (a.k.a. fit/fast athletes), several nurses, and even one lady from Mexico! Should be an interesting group.

Oh, by the way, my race number is 2400. Should be easy enough to remember, right?

Weather forecast for Louisville on 8/31--86 degrees (hot, but hopefully not 90's) and sunny.

There was a short time yesterday when I was stretching that I was starting to feel excited, not just nervous. It didn't last long. I'm hoping it will come back. After all, we'll be in Louisville one week from today.

Enough babbling for now. If anyone has any kind words, good advice, atta girls, or whatnot, please feel free to comment. You don't have to be a blog member to respond.

Hope everyone had a great week and has a greater weekend!

Until next time--God bless!

Free Falling....Apart

2008-08-20T15:35:00.002-05:00

The last three days have been crazy. I feel like I'm falling apart, mentally and physically. I'll just give you the high/low lites of these days.

Monday: My daughters 11th birthday. Wow, in some ways it feels like forever ago that she was born, but in others just like yesterday. I remember her birthday (literally) vividly, and the next several months. Good and bad times, as all mothers/parents know and can relate. But I wouldn't change having her for ANYTHING! She is the light of my life, and she makes our entire family so much happier. I love you Peanut!

Rest day, although I did do a very easy 1000 meter swim at the outdoor pool. Just enough to move and loosen up all the 53 year old joints and bones. I was tired, but felt better after.

Met a veteran IMer at the pool, who asked me how I felt. My response was "tired, achy, cranky, just want to get this over with". He could relate. In fact, he mentioned that the way I felt was a good indication that I trained hard and that my taper was working. Yuk! He's doing IM WI the week after Kentucky, so he could definitely relate to what I was feeling. So, I guess that's another highlight!

I spent a lot of the day preparing my daughters first couple weeks of school, since the first week we leave for Louisville, and the second week, well, I'll probably not feel like doing a whole lot the week after the race. We homeschool, so it's a bit of a responsibility to get started on my part. This will be our third year, so while I don't consider myself a veteran, at least I have a little experience and feel a bit more prepared.

Tuesday: 1500 meter swim, followed by a 22 mile bike. Swam and rode relatively hard. Felt good after, at least for a while. Later in the p.m. my bad knee (has had 3 scopes) started bothering me. Now, know that through all the hard, long, hilly bike rides and runs, my knee has been great. Why does it bother me now, when I'm actually taking it easy? Well, I did do a lot of running (for me) last week. I'm hoping with the rest during the taper, it will get better. It did feel better Wednesday a.m.

Tuesday p.m. was the Freshman Family Night at the high school for my son. Let's just say I don't envy him come next Monday. It's a big high school, and it's going to be a big adjustment for him, coming from a small, private school and homeschooling. Also, we're taking him out of school for two days to travel to Louisville. I've been told that this could be a real problem. Too bad, says my husband, we'll work it out! I think I'm going to let him call the attendance office and explain why he won't be there! It scares me!

One of the reasons I haven't posted is our internet service was really messed up. In and out, finally more out and in. Comcast came and fixed it yesterday, so we're good to go. I never realized how much I relied on it, until it was gone.

Today, I had a nice bike ride with my friend. She needed to ride 2.5 hours, I only had to do 1.5. We rode together for about two hours, then I headed back. Thanks for the company, route, and fun conversation, E2! It was great riding with you!

After, I stretched out, swam really easy outside, and finally headed home. Here I sit, worried or maybe nervous is the better word about so many things pertaining to Louisville. I can't believe it's almost here. Next week will be insane crazy: packing, kids starting school, etc.

Youtube has a great post of Heather Golnick riding/running and reviewing the bike and run course. She won the race last year and is competing again this year. At first, I thought this would give me more confidence and make me feel better about the race. WRONG! I think I would have been better off not knowing some things. Oh, boy, more things to worry about.

So, just a couple more days of what I call real training. Short run tomorrow, off on Friday (and I DO plan to take the day off). 60 minute swim/3 hour bike brick on Saturday; 90 minute run on Sunday. Hopefully, my mind and body will make it through. I think I'll be more nervous the less training time I have. GOOD GRIEF, CHARLIE BROWN!

Anyway, hope everyone out there is having a great week.

Until next time--God bless!

Two Weeks to Go!

2008-08-17T14:38:00.002-05:00

I've been a little crazy the last couple days. Didn't really take any time to celebrate my birthday--so much to do and think about.

Friday was a day off from training--and I actually did NO training/working out that day! I must say, I felt horrible! Physically and mentally, it was really hard. I have rheumatoid arthritis, and if I don't do some sort of exercise, my body rebels. It's what keeps me able to move. So, I've decided that even on "off" days I need to do some sort of moving.

I took my son to register for high school Friday--YIKES! It's going to be a big adjustment for him but probably more for his Dad and me. If you believe in prayer, please keep us in yours. We will need them.

Saturday it was back to "normal". A very early (start in the dark) 50 mile bike ride, followed by a 2 mile run. The weather was very cool at the start, but by run time just perfect. Not what it will be on race day, probably, but weather is something we have no control over! Since I hadn't been in the pool since Wednesday, had a nice 1000 meter outdoor swim after. Aaaaahhhhh! Nice!

Today and tomorrow were slated as OFF! days. But....I decided to do some core/strength training, and I'm trying to decide on a new pair of running shoes--not for race day, but for the future. You see, New Balance stopped making the shoe I've been wearing for the last 5 or so years. I'm trying out two different sizes of the most current model of that particular shoe. I walked/jogged a very easy 3.5 miles on the treadmill. Did my last long strength training session until after ironman. I also enjoyed an 1100 meter outside swim. It was so nice. Relatively quiet, water was relatively cool, and the weather perfect!

Now, I must say that when I think that two weeks from now I should be finishing up the bike course in Louisville, it makes my stomach queasy. I know I've done the training, but I'm still not sure if I'm going to be able to put it all together on race day. When I do long rides and short runs, or short rides and long runs, I think, "How am I going to do 3 times this (or so) on race day?" I'm just praying that the program I followed works for me that day.

I've decided that IF I ever do another iron distance race, I'm going to get a coach of some sort: on-line, in person, whatever, but someone who knows ME and my body and my strengths and weaknesses. I definitely understand why a generic program is difficult for this distance, especially at my age and with my health issues. I thought I would be OK, and I might still be, but I think having a coach would have been a big advantage!

Haven't the Olympics been amazing! I've enjoyed every event I've been able to watch, and unfortunately I've been staying up too late to watch a lot! Go USA! So many of the athletes are amazing. Can't wait to see the triathlon. I hope they show a lot of the races.

Last night I went to church service. I was very tired, crabby, depressed, and upset when I walked in the door. Not a good attitude to have to worship God. But thank God I was able to get my head on straight, realize how blessed I am, and how thankful I am that God cares about all of my life. When I think about ironman, I realize how blessed I am to be able to attempt such a thing. I have the support of my family, my health is good (relatively), and I have the discipline, drive and resources needed to train. No matter how bad things may seem, there is ALWAYS a silver lining.

The next two weeks I'm going to really try to relax so I can enjoy race day. No matter what happens, I want to have "FUN"!?

My week goals for training reads: "Two weeks to go! Enjoy the further reduction in hours and resist the urge to go longer or harder. Also resist the urge for pizza, beers and 5AM clubbing with all your newly found extra free time."

I rarely eat pizza and don't drink alcohol. I have never been to a club, and 5AM is when I wake up, not come home! The going longer/harder area, however, will be a challenge!

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Congratulations to everyone who raced or trained hard!

Begin Taper Week Totals:

Swim: 5 times for 7,800 meters
Bike: 4 times for 138 miles
Run: 4 times for 24 miles
Strength/Core: 6 sessions for 254 minutes
Total time: 21 hours
Calories burned: 8,700

Until next time--God bless!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-08-14T21:05:00.002-05:00

In what seems to be the norm lately, it's late and I'm tired. But since today was my "special day" I wanted to check in briefly.

Had a good day. Turned 53 years young. Rode 21 miles, and "made it through" a 12.5 mile run. I have a day off training, but lots of stuff that I have to do tomorrow. More details to come.

I'm so blessed to be who and where I am in my life. God is definitely good, and to Him goes all the glory.

I have a lot in my head, but too tired to write it all down. Hopefully I won't forget (that happens when you get old) and I can share in the near future.

Have a great night/day.

Until next time--God bless!

Too Tired to write, but....

2008-08-13T20:00:00.003-05:00

Since I didn't post yesterday, I figured I do a quick recap of the last two days.

Tuesday: Up early (relatively). Did a 3000 meter swim, followed by a six mile run on the treadmill. Trying to watch men's beach volleyball during the run, but the TV at the fitness center was too far from the treadmill I was on, and I couldn't read the captions or scores. Turns out the Americans won! YEAH!

Also did a little stretching and core work. Came home, tired, but not bad. Did some house stuff, even took a short nap. I knew the women's gymnastics was on late, and I'd probably stay up to watch.

When it was over and the US got the silver--the Chinese really rocked--it was almost midnight when I went to bed. Still awake at 1:00. Was planning on waking at 5:30 for an early swim. Stayed in bed until 7:00, but still got the 1600 meter swim in. Rush home, pack up, drop Peanut at the gym, ride a good 31 miles. The weather is still too cool for Louisville training, but it sure does feel nice.

Lots of unpacking, repacking for tomorrow's early 60 min bike/2 hour run brick. Cook dinner, do laundry, feed the kids, and now I'm finally getting ready to chill for the night. No Olympics past 10:00 for me. I'm tired and need the sleep.

Go USA! I love the Olympics. Tonight is the men's individual gymnastics--the Chinese should win all the important (gold) medals. Hopefully the Americans can medal.

Michael Phelps is a swimming MACHINE! His body was made to swim---FAST!

Have a great night/day.

Until next time--God bless!

Ready for that Taper.....

2008-08-11T18:32:00.003-05:00

I'm pooped! Tired, wiped out, spent, out of gas, done, had it, ready to get the show on the road. I'm ready for this race already.

After a good weekend of training, and staying up too late to watch one of the most exciting Olympic events EVER (the men's 4 x 100 relay--record setting, unbelievable, don't have all the adjectives to describe it), I'm TIRED!

I rode 36 miles today, did some stretching and core, and swam a very easy 1100 meters. Now, I'm tired. And even though this is the beginning of my three week taper, I'm scheduled to swim 3000 meters and run for an hour tomorrow--I plan to do inside and on treadmill. Wednesday will be a 1550 swim and 90 minute bike. Then on Thursday I need to bike 60 minutes and run for two hours (brick). It doesn't really sound like a taper to me right now because I'm soooo tired! Oh yeah, I think I already said that.

Basically, I think I'm just ready to get to this race. I've been training and working so hard for so long, I'm ready to rock and roll. A nervous wreck, but ready to go! So much to plan and think about packing. I'm most worried about the nutrition end of the race. Hoping I've figured it out, but I'm sure something will blow up on me on race day. Or not. Ha!

I'm hoping I can stay up to watch the swimming tonight--of course it will probably be the last thing they show. Tomorrow is an early start, so I may miss it.

Too tired to say much more. The weather was way too cool (74 degrees while biking) to acclimate for Louisville. Hope everyone else is enjoying the unseasonable August temps.

Have a great day/night/day. Go USA Swimming and Gymnastic teams!

Until next time--God bless!

Cool Weekend

2008-08-10T18:10:00.004-05:00

The Olympics are finally here, so I'm really glad my training time will be reduced. Three weeks from today at this time, Lord willing, I will be on the run course at the Louisville Ironman. Can you say, NERVOUS WRECK?!

This was a great weekend for training, but not great weather-wise to acclimate for Louisville. Yesterday was a 38 mile bike, half of which I did with some friends. What a blast! I was only supposed to ride for 90 minutes--total ride time was 2:10. Started at 6:00 a.m., finished by about 8:00. Followed by some good strength training, core work, stretching, and a very relaxing, wonderful, outdoor 1500 meter swim! YEAH!

The temperature was really cool both days. Saturday it was 60 degrees when we started the bike. Never got past 75 or so. Louisville was a cool 83. THAT would be perfect race day temperature. Today called for a 90 minute run--did 10 miles in 1:50 at the HILLY PATH! Felt really good after the first 45 or 50 minutes. Once again, I ran up and down every single hill! It was about 60 when I started, never getting past 75 or so again today. After the run, some stretching and an easy 1200 meter outside swim. YUM!

Hubby decided to barbeque chicken for dinner--which of course called for my help and took almost the entire afternoon. He's watching the olympics. Whenever he's not at work, he will be watching the olympics. The fitness center we belong to has these super HD TV's, so I think he'll be there more often during the next two weeks--to watch the olympics!

I've decided to start watching the TV show "Lost". I've heard so much about it, and I just love the cutie who plays Jack (Matthew Fox, from Party of Five). I belong to Netflix, so it's fun to get the DVD's from them. Almost done with the first disk (pilot and two episodes). I think I'm going to like it! I'll have something to do to fill in the time I've spent training for the last nine months!

I have a couple "semi-long" days next week. The training plan I'm following says of this coming week: "Welcome to tapering! We'l slowly reduce hours over the next 3 weeks, while keeping the sword sharp for race day."

Recovery Week Totals:

Swim: 7x = 11,600 meters
Bike: 3x = 96 miles
Run: 3x = 21 miles
Strength/Core/Stretch: 5x = 175 minutes
Total time: 19 hours
Calories burned: 7,200

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Until next time--God bless!

Remember Recovery

2008-08-08T14:35:00.003-05:00

I needed to remind myself several times this morning that this is the end of a recovery week, to be followed by three weeks of tapering before the race.

Today I swam a good (not hard/not easy) 3000 meters. Other than the water being too warm, it was a nice day. The first 1500 I swam inside, it was so warm, I decided to check out the outside pool. A little cooler, and it always feels so good to be outside!

Yesterday I had great strength training session (1:20), then a 6 mile run on the treadmill, followed by a wonderful, delightful, awesome 2000 meter swim. The workout called for 1000 m, which I did, but then I felt so good I did another easy 1000. I swam outside, the water was cooler than normal (i.e., not as hot), it was beautiful weather and it was quiet, not too many kids. I really love to swim. It makes me feel so good.

My dad still tells the story of when I was about 4 years old and he threw me in the pool for the first time. He claims I started swimming immediately. I don't know about that, but I can't remember a time I didn't love or know how to swim.

I heard from my friend Snoopy yesterday that tomorrow will be either a 50 or 70 mile bike ride. I was so excited and looking forward to riding with the group. But then it hit me--I'm in a RECOVERY WEEK and I'm only supposed to ride for 90 minutes. YIKES! What to do? When I woke up today, I thought it would be O.K. I rode 100+ miles the last two Sundays, so what's another 70 mile day?!

Well, after my swim, I was chatting with a couple triathlete friends, and I was reminded (by myself) of the importance of rest/tapering. OK, so I don't think riding 70 or 50 miles would be the best idea in the world for me at this time. Maybe I should just do my own thing--1200 recovery swim and 90 minute bike. Boring, but I guess I should follow the plan. After all, I don't want all the training I've done over the last gazillion months to be for nothing and I end up overtrained, fatigued, and not rested for Louisville.

But then, when I was leaving the locker room, I met one of the cyclists from the group. She had this great idea of me starting out with them, and then just heading back on my own. I was afraid I might get lost, but she assured me no, I'd find my way just fine.

So that's the plan. Ride about an hour with the group, head back, then go to the pool and do my swim. I just have to be sure not to ride too far. I'm hoping my friends help encourage me to turn around when I need to! After all, what are friends for?

Next week I get to ride 3 hours on Saturday. Hopefully we can meet up again for a longer ride.

Looks like the weather is going to be nice here again this weekend. Hope it's nice where you are. Have a great weekend. Good luck to everyone racing.

Until next time--God bless!

Feels Like Hump Day

2008-08-06T19:12:00.002-05:00

It's been a long time (15 years?) since I worked full-time and remember Wednesday being called "hump day". But as I was sitting here trying to think of a catchy title, it's the first thing that came to mind.

I felt tired and shaky after today's training. It started out innocent enough. Good sleep, house cleaning and other household stuff early, drive Peanut to the gym. I switched my schedule so today was a two hour bike and a 1150 meter recovery swim. (Tomorrow will be a 60 minute run, which I plan to do inside on the treadmill, along with some strength training and the swim I was supposed to do today.)

It was a great day for a ride. Cool (80's), just a little breezy, and I was able to ride my normal hilly route. Did 35 miles. I don't think I ate enough before or during the ride. I went right to the fitness center, did some core/stretching, and swam a continuous 1500 meters. Didn't feel like doing the 1150 workout that was scheduled.

I felt weird when I was done. I knew I needed to eat ASAP. I brought food with me, so I showered quickly and ate as soon as I got to the car. Felt much better after my healthy PBJ sandwich, banana and nectarine.

My legs still felt shaky at home, so I made a good salad. Also had a small bowl of low-fat ice cream--YUM!

I sit here now eating a mini bad of popcorn--the bad stuff. All the healthy popcorn tastes like cardboard and isn't worth the calories, even though there's no fat.

Maybe I'm just a little tired/burned out. Also, I've been upset about the way I look again. I really did try hard to lose weight in the off season, but it just didn't happen. (Really long, boring, unbelievable story!) I keep telling myself that when this IM is over, I will be 15 lbs. lighter by next race season. I'm not sure how I'm going to do it, because nothing I tried in the last 18 months worked, but I really need to find a way to do it.

For now, I'm just going to concentrate on Louisville and the remainder of my training. Hopefully, I can get through this and have a fresh perspective on everything starting September.

I have so much to be thankful/grateful for, that this weight issue seems very petty. I'm going to try to deal with it the best I can. A good sleep, and maybe not feeling hungry all the time will help. Is it normal to be hungry all the time when training for an ironman? Right now I'm not sure about anything. I think I need to sleep on it, and tomorrow will be a better day, right?

Hope everyone had a good day.

Until next time--God bless!

Oh, What a Night

2008-08-05T17:16:00.002-05:00

What a night it was here in the Chicagoland/Indiana area. There were probably other areas hit by the big storm, also. Thunder, lightning, monster winds, power outages, and tornados. Just heard on the radio that one was spotted in my town of Bolingbrook. Don't know if it touched down, but I do know I spent about half an hour in the basement with the kids last night. It was scary! Other than losing our computer and our cable going in and out, we made out unscathed. Praise God! Hoping everyone reading this was as fortunate.

Yesterday's training schedule called for a rest day. But.....I decided I needed to do something. I'm having trouble with my left calf/achilles, something that bothered me last year. It's an overuse/dehydration/too much running type of thing. So, my plan is no more back to back runs, stay off the hills on the run, and limit hills on the bike to 2x per week. I'm also planning to do my shorter runs on the treadmill (flat and soft!).

I did about an hour of core/stretch/strength (mostly upper body). I was a little tired from the long day Sunday. Because it was such a nasty day, the outdoor pool was quiet and the water was a little cooler than normal. Had a great, easy 1600 meter swim in the clouds/drizzle. It was really nice. Have I mentioned how much I love to swim? I LOVE TO SWIM!

After the big storm, I had a great sleep. Slept from 11:00 to 5:00 straight. If my husband's alarm(s) hadn't gone off, I might have slept even longer. Felt rested and refreshed when I rolled out of bed at 5:45.

My original plan was to run inside at LTF on the treadmill (45 min) then ride outside (75 minutes). I wasn't sure if the weather would cooperate, but after checking the forecast decided to load the bike in the car just in case. It turned out beautiful. Had a good, easy (slow!) 5 mile run, followed by a good, easy (slow/mostly flat!) 22.5 mile bike. Stretched out and cooled off with an easy 1000 meter swim. Good workout, nice day, it's ALL GOOD!

Tomorrow was supposed to be a 60 minute run, but I'm going to switch the workouts so I don't have to run back-to-back. Two hour bike instead, maybe some core/strength and an easy swim. Thursday I'll do the 60 minute run, probably on the treadmill to save my calf/foot.

I can't believe IMKY is almost here. I'm really getting excited (nervous!). I want it to be here, but then again I don't. Does that make any sense?

Well, I hope everyone is safe and cool. Have a great day!

Until next time--God bless!

The Best Laid Plans

2008-08-03T18:13:00.003-05:00

First of all, a great big shout out and congratulations to all who competed in Steelhead yesterday. Everyone I know did a great job. Lots of first time half iron distance racers. You all ROCKED!

Now, the plan for today was fairly simple. Ride 102 miles in about 6 hours. I was going to do an organized ride, close to home, so I figured this would be a piece of cake. I wanted to average 18 to 20 mph, what I hope to do at the race (hoping to get the speed up with all the downhills!). Following the ride, an immediate 25 minute run. (I brought my running gear with!).

So, after a good sleep, with great weather, I headed out to the ride. Here's what happened:

1) They gave us a map at registration. Just a map. (Well, to be honest, we also got a T-shirt, which I wasn't expecting.) When I say just a map, what I mean is there was no cue sheet--you know, take this street so many miles, then turn this direction, take the next street for so many miles, to such and such a rest stop. Nothing. Just a map with a yellow marker to mark the route. Well, I figured I would follow all the other people and the signs. I don't think ride organizers are allowed to mark up roads anymore, so there were signs on posts on the side of the road.

2) About a mile or so into the ride, I got stuck by a freight train. For about 5 to 10 minutes. Well, maybe not that long, but it seemed like a long time. Had a bad feeling this was a bad omen for the rest of the ride. I was CORRECT!

3) Talked with some riders who assured me the course is always marked really well. HA! NOT SO MUCH AT ALL!

4) First rest stop at 10 MILES? What? Already missing a bunch of signs. Continue to follow people.

5) There were 5 different routes available--20, 40, 55, 82, 102 miles. I can't prove this, but I think only 2% of the riders actually rode the entire 102 miles. If there were more, they passed me in the first 10 miles and I never saw them again. This is possible, really possible. But I also think some people got frustrated and bailed at the 55/82 mile marks. Didn't feel like playing "try to read the map the rest of the way home" game.

6) By mile 12, I knew I must have missed a sign. Plus, the area we were riding is very popular for weekend riders doing their long rides. So, not everyone we saw was part of the Rotary Club ride. Just following was not an option. Two guys pulled up next to me and another guy to tell us we missed a turn. They were not part of the ride, just out doing their thing, and knew the route. I had never ridden out here before, so I had NO CLUE where I was.

7) This little miss only cost me 2 miles. But who knows how much TIME!?

8) Second rest stop at 20 (for me 22) miles. What? The rest stops were very different from what I'm used to. There were one to four volunteers, one table of food, some drinks, and one or two port-a-potties. Huh. OK, whatever.

9) Third rest stop around 35 miles? Very confusing to get to, lots of missing signs, stop about 1 million times to check out map, very confused, what in the world is happening? Heard a rumor that someone was removing the signs from the major intersections. Guess they didn't want the cyclists on the road. Ha! What a _____ (insert your own nasty adjective here).

10) Continued on. Started riding with a couple women. At about 45 miles, one lady told me she was only planning to do 55 miles. Missed the turn, oh well, maybe I'll do 80 something? What a mess. No one knew where they were going. When we mentioned this at the rest stops, the volunteers knew the signs were missing, but didn't seem too interested in doing anything about it! O....K....... (This is when I realized that a bike ride not organized by a bike club.....not such a great idea for the future!)

11) This list could continue ad nauseum, but I'm too tired. Suffice to say that after spending tons of time stopping to try to figure out where I was, I did complete the ride. I met a really nice lady named Molly. She's doing her first ironman at Madison. We rode the last 40 or so miles together. I didn't want her to be alone, and frankly I didn't want to ride alone either. We saw MAYBE four people the last 30 miles. Where was everybody? Most people we saw were very annoyed and disgusted by the lack of signage. But what can you do? (There were quite a few cars in the parking lot when we got back to the school, so we actually weren't the last riders on the course.)

12) I DID NOT FINISH THE RIDE IN SIX HOURS!!! Ha, like you couldn't guess that one. Actually, the total time was even longer than last week (7:28) and ride time was 6:30. But I have to say it was a good mental test. I know that physically (and hopefully now mentally) I should be able to handle whatever comes my way in Louisville. At least I HOPE AND PRAY I CAN!

13) Alas, the day was not a total bust. I had a really good run after the ride that never seemed to end. There was a great park with a really nice path across from the school parking lot, and I ran about 2.5 miles. Felt good.

14) The weather was great, not too hot, not too windy, and there were actually some rollers on the course. (Last week was sooooo flat.)

15) I feel good--tired and ready to rest, but good.

16) And did I mention, this was the LAST BIG TRAINING DAY before Louisville? Yeah, me!

Today's totals:

Bike: 105.88 miles; total time: 7:28; Ride time: 6:30; AHR: 121; MXR: 191; Zones 1-3;%MHR: 67-106; calories burned: 3,322.

Run: 2.5 miles; 26 minutes; zone 3; AHR 142; MHR: 165; 71-83% MHR; 215 calories burned.

Week totals:

Swim: 6x for 11,100 meters
Bike: 3x for 171 miles
Run: 3x for 28 miles
Strength/Core work: 4 sessions for 115 minutes
Total workout time: 26 hours
Total calories burned: 10,500

Hope everyone else had a great weekend! Have a great week.

Until next time--God bless!

One Really Big Day Left

2008-08-01T16:10:00.002-05:00

Yesterday (Thursday) and today (Friday) were tough days for me. Yesterday called for a 2 hour bike ride. According to my odometer, speedometer and HRM it was an easy 2:15 (a.k.a. SLOW) ride. However, my legs would most definitely disagree! But, I got it done, did some easy stretching/core work and an easy 1000m swim. Two more tough days left!

(Note to the ladies: That visitor I got unexpectedly on July 9th for the first time in 11 months returned yesterday--YOW! What is happening? Needless to say, it was a tough workout yesterday and today. Again, I forgot how horrible I/we feel this time of the month. Just praying it doesn't visit again until AFTER Labor Day!)

I knew today would be tough--3 hour run; 2700 meter swim. I also knew it would be hot, but I thought I was prepared. Turns out I picked a really bad place to run--I forgot there's NO SHADE AT ALL on the path (Springbrook, for those who are familiar). What was I thinking? I should have braved either the hills at Waterfall Glen, or done a bunch of loops in the shaded part of Greene Valley. I had lots of water, and even stopped to refill after the first loop. Was planning on three loops--about 16-17 miles. Half way through the second loop I knew I was in trouble. I did a lot of walking. My legs were good, but I was really over heated and when my head/neck started hurting I knew it was over. I stopped after the second loop at the car to refuel, but I knew it was time to quit. Too dizzy, nauseous, shaky, etc. I hated stopping after only 11 miles or so, but better to be safe than sorry. Plus, I really didn't think walking another 5 or 6 miles in the heat would be of much benefit at this stage.

The good news, I came home, changed, refuelled, started laundry, visited with the kids, and headed to the pool where I had a good 2700 meter swim. Felt good, but that pool water is way too warm!

Tomorrow is a day off. Last week I did NOTHING and felt horrible. So, I think I'm going to do an easy strength/core/stretch session and an easy 1000m swim. Just enough to let my body move a little.

Sunday will be warm, a long (100+ mile) ride, followed by a 25 minute run. Then, it's all downhill from there! PTL!

Hope everyone had a good week. Have a good weekend. For everyone who's racing, have a great time!

Until next time--God bless!

Triple Tuesday/Slo..W..ednesday

2008-07-30T18:59:00.002-05:00

The weather is truly cooperating by way of imitating IMKY, although it will probably be even hotter and more humid. YEAH!?

Tuesday was my last long(er) tri day. I did a 1500 meter swim, followed immediately by a 30 mile bike. Later in the p.m. (3:00) a five mile run. Running later after the s/b brick guarantees tired legs. They were a little tired, and it was 88 degrees. My friend, who is a level 1 tri coach, explained the logic behind it. I usually feel good the day I do the triple w/o. It's the day after that I'm a little wiped. I was a little tired and a lot hungry!

Slept really good last night. I would have gone to bed early, but I wanted/needed to see the rest of the Cubs game. Go Cubbies!

This morning was a sleep in/clean/shop before the run day. I started about 11:15 at Waterfall Glen. More of those darn hills! Did 5 miles backwards, 4 forwards, for 9 total. I ran/jogged slow, even for me. It was hot, but I was also fatigued from yesterday's workout. I don't do well with these back-to-back runs. Not many more left, thank goodness. Back to the fitness center for a good stretch/strength workout and an easy 1000m swim.

Tomorrow will be an easy 2 hour bike. Maybe a short swim. Friday is a 3 hour run and 2700m swim. YOW! Saturday rest. Sunday 103 mile bike, 25 minute run. Last tough day. Next week is recovery, then three weeks of taper. I think I'm going to like tapering after ironman distance training!

A big shout out of good luck to all you friends doing Steelhead this Saturday: Iron Snoopy, Moose, Waddler, Nick, Lisa, Kurt, Dan and anyone else I know but missed. It's going to be a hot day, but at least it won't rain! You guys are all awesome, have trained hard, and will do great! Can't wait to hear how you all do. Please let me know.

Too tired to write anything inspiring today. Just wanted to get the basics, for anyone interested. Have a great night and Thursday. I'm enjoying the summer (finally) weather!

Until next time--God bless!

Finally Over Monday

2008-07-29T06:11:00.003-05:00

Monday is over, good thing too. I'm not too proud to say I was tired after the long day/ride on Sunday. I tried to sleep in, but 6:30 was as late as I could do.

Cleaned a bathroom, went to WalMart, did my paperwork before taking Peanut to the gym. Drove over to LTF for what turned out to be the LONGEST swim (in terms of time) EVER:
200S; 200K,;200Pull; 200 S: 1900 ladder down from 300 (300,275,250, etc.); 10 x 100; 4 x 50. Whew! I did this workout once before, but I wasn't as tired when I started. The ladder doesn't look so bad, but it was hard yesterday, believe me.

When I was done, I was really tired (didn't help that the water was soooo warm--Ohio River warm?), and starving. I had two hours to kill before getting Peanut, so I ate (the lunch I brought with me) and sat in the gym and read/napped.

We had to stop for P.T. for Peanut on the way home. We left the house at 10:30 and got home at 6:00. It was a long day! Came home and made a good pasta dinner. Ate too much pasta and broccoli, and I had some light chocolate ice cream. I was too full when I went to bed at 10:30. Had to stay up to watch the Cubs win--YEAH!

Today is Tri Tuesday (last one!): 30 minute continuous swim; 90 minute bike. Later in p.m. a 45 minute run. Hoping the weather holds out at least until I get my bike done. If necessary, I can run on the TM at LTF this afternoon. My son likes to workout in the p.m., so that would actually work out good.

FYI--I read on the Team Louisville forum that the bike course is changed a little from last year--more hills. A big climb at mile 100. This from a member who rode the course over the weekend and completed the race last year. Just what I need--more to be nervous about. My husband keeps telling me I'll be fine, but to make me feel better, he changed my cassette last night. More easy gears. I'll train on the hills today and see how it feels. I have a feeling I'll use it at the race.

Hope everyone had a good Monday and has a good Tuesday!

Until next time--God bless!

If You Miss the Train I'm On........

2008-07-27T18:39:00.002-05:00

........you can hear the whistle blow 100 Miles! For you old folks out there, you may recognize the words to the old Peter, Paul and Mary song, 100 Miles.

While I didn't hear the whistle blow, I did ride my bike 105.54 miles today! What a blast. I rode with my good friend--thank you so much for a great time, Jo. You're going to do it in Madison for sure!

The course was actually about 98 miles, but we, uh, missed the 50 mile loop that made the long route the long route. In our defense, while the Naperville Bike Club did a great job and put on a great ride, the markings at this particular point were a bit, well, not so really clear to a couple senior ladies. Also in our defense, we found a couple other young people who did the same thing.

The weather was absolutely perfect. Started out cool, but warmed up nicely, with just enough wind to keep us cool and honest. The course was really flat, so the wind challenged us just a bit!

It took us a long time....but, we did stop at three of the four rest stops for quite a bit. Lots of visiting and chatting. My friend knew about 2,000 people everywhere we went. I actually met a couple people I know, too. In fact, the young couple that missed the 100 mile loop--my husband and I met them in Appleton, WI when I did the High Cliff half iron tri. The nicest, cutest couple you'll ever meet. And, it turns out, they live just across the street (i.e., subdivision?) from my friend in Naperville.

A good time was had by all, at least I think so. Again, it was a long day, and after the ride I needed to do a 20 minute run, so my girl ran with me. It was so fun riding with someone--I normally ride alone and meet people on the way.

On the way home, I decided I just had to stop by the fitness center (I was practically driving right by it anyway) to stretch out good, do a little core work, sit in the hot tub and have a shower. It felt really good.

So, all in all a very good day. Also, a good confidence builder for IMKY. I'm really starting to believe that I'll be able to do this craziness I've been training for since January. One more long run (3 hours) and long bike (100 miles) next week, and I start recover/taper.

FYI--yesterday (Saturday) was a rest day. And boy, did I rest. Went to the library, post office, washed some clothes, and sat at the computer TV for most of the day. Did get to see the Iron Girl tri from Las Vegas. Interesting course in the desert!

Tonight I should sleep like a log. Tomorrow, just a 3900 meter swim. Should be a good day.

So, the totals for today's ride for anyone interested:

105.54 miles; Total time: 7:19; Ride time: 6:14; AHR: 129; Zone: 3; %MHR: 72; Calories: 3,650.

Week totals:

Swim: 4x = 8,300 meters
Bike: 3x = 168 miles
Run: 3x = 22 miles
Core: 3x = 80 minutes
Time: 21 hours
Calories: 9,300

Hope everyone had a good weekend and weather as good as we did!

Until next time--God bless!

Easier Day!

2008-07-25T19:18:00.002-05:00

Well, not so much. I thought today would actually be an easy day, but not really. I was so tired last night, I was asleep BEFORE 9:00. (You know you're either getting old or training for a long race when you hit the hay before your 10 and 14 year old kids!)

When I woke up at 5:30, I was surprised at how good my legs felt after yesterdays long run. Not bad for an old lady. Maybe I can get through this ironman thing after all.

So I headed over to the fitness center for some warm-up/core/stretch/strength work, followed by a VERY EASY 2.5 miles on the treadmill (i.e., flat--no hills). I then headed into the pool for a 4,000 meter swim.

The water at all the pools I swim in has been really warm lately. I decided to try the outside pool, hoping it would be cooler since it was earlier (8:00) in the day. No such luck. Still pretty warm, but I decided to stick it out. I've heard that the river in Louisville is really warm, so maybe a good race practice.

It took me longer than I had hoped (1:40 with water and potty breaks). I felt pretty wrinkled when I got out. Of course when I was swimming, a couple younger, faster ladies got in the pool and pretty much swam circles around me. Not really good for the self-esteem. I was able to hang with one or two of them for a little bit, but in the end......well, I'll never be mistaken for Dara Torres.

I have to admit I was a little tired when I got done. And SOOOO thirsty and hungry. I forgot how hungry swimming can make me. I tried to eat good today, and I did OK.

Things were crazy around the house this afternoon. I thought I was going to have some "down time" but it never came. I took my son for his high school (yikes!) physical and stopped at the grocery store so I don't have to do THAT tomorrow. I hate almost all types of shopping (except I do love book stores)!

Tomorrow is a REST DAY. Very little house work, NO running around, maybe evening church service. I'm riding with a good friend on Sunday at the Melon Metric. We're doing the 100 mile route. My first 100 mile ride in, well, basically FOREVER. Hope I'm up to the challenge. I have another one planned for the next Sunday, so hopefully this one will go well.

Tired now and planning to plop down in front of the TV and watch a couple shows on USA. Hopefully I can stay awake until 10:00 tonight. No alarm tomorrow.

Hope everyone had a great Friday.

Until next time--God bless!

MENTAL MEGA MARATHON (Almost)

2008-07-24T16:16:00.002-05:00

What a difference a day makes. I was wiped yesterday and went to bed at 9:00. Good sleep. Only woke up two times. YEAH! Woke up at 5:30 refreshed and ready to rock.

Had a good breakfast, packed up the car and Peanut and I were off. Dropped her off at the gym at 8:00 and headed to Waterfall Glen. The weather was absolutely perfect. Around 70 degrees and sunny when I started. I had a good plan. Run the entire loop (9.5 miles), stop back at the care to reload with fluids and gels, and do another 3.5 out and back, for a total of 16.5 miles. My plan called for an almost three hour run, and I figured I could get that done in just a little over three hours.

My legs were a little stiff when I started, but that's normal for me. I do better the farther I go. The first 3 miles are always the hardest. Ran into a friend triathlete on her bike. We stopped and chatted about our races last weekend. She did Harbor Lights and is doing Steelhead next weekend, her first half! She's going to do great. You rock, Lisa!

The thing about the path at Waterfall Glen--it is incredibly hilly. It seems like you are always running up or down, with just a smidge of flats in between. (Honestly, there really isn't much flat to speak of.) My goal was to run as much as possible, maybe walk up the hills and during nutrition/hydration breaks.

Well, I'm proud to say, I ran up every single one of those hills! EVERY ONE! The entire 16.5 miles I did not walk up one hill. I felt really good. I kept my heart rate exactly where it should be, and I only made one small error in my hydration plan. I stopped at my car after 9.5 miles, and instead of taking all four bottles, I only took three. I skipped the second one filled with only water. Bad mistake, but luckily it didn't cost me. I won't do that again. I have found that I need to drink water with my Nuun/Carbo Pro mixture, as well as my Thermolyte tablets and E-Gels.

It was a great run and I felt really good when I was done. My legs were tired, buy my stomach, etc. felt amazing. Nutrition/hydration is a really big thing for me, one that I'm most worried about at IMKY. I hope I'm getting it down. The two halfs and long rides/runs are helping.

After my run, I picked up Peanut at the gym and headed home. Had a good meal, then went with my son to the fitness center. It felt really good to swim an easy 1000 meters, sit in the hot tub and take a nice shower. (You remember I didn't get to swim yesterday because it took me SOOOOO long to complete my ride!)

As I'm writing, the Athlete Guide for IMKY is printing. YOW! It's really getting close. I'm both excited and nervous.

I hope to have another great sleep. Tomorrow I'm planning a warm up/core/strength/short run on the treadmill session (15-30 min.), followed by a 1:15 to 1:30 tempo swim. Should be a nice, easy day compared to the last five!

For you HRM number geeks, today's numbers are as follows:

Distance: 16.5 miles
Time: 3:06
Zone: 3 (mostly)
AHR: 145 (perfect range)
MHR: 189 (one of those crazy hills I'm sure)
% MHR: 73 to 95
Calories: 1,580

Hope everyone had as good a day as me! PTL!

Until next time--God bless!

You Know It's a Not Great Day When.....

2008-07-23T19:04:00.004-05:00

You wake up every hour during the night to pee;

You stay in bed until 7:00 but don't feel rested;

You decide to clean 3 bathrooms, dust, and wash the car before the workout;

You break the light bulb in the work light in the garage because the wind slams the door and knocks it off the shelf when you're on your way out the door;

You start your bike ride already hungry and tired;

You realize at your potty break that you lost one of your water bottles and you have to go back to the car to get more water;

You can't remember hearing it fall off your hydrotail (because of the wind?);

The water bottle is the one you received for finishing Florida 70.3 (first half ironman);

You ride the course backward looking for the bottle;

You don't find it until AFTER you go up the hardest hills on the ride--for the second time;

You eat all the food you had planned for the entire afternoon during the bike ride because you're STARVING the entire ride;

You ride as slow as you can remember for 42 miles, and it feels like you rode 60;

You don't have time to swim and stretch out in the pool because it took you so !@#$ long to ride the %^&* 42 miles;

You realize that you have to get up and run for 3 hours at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow;

You're so tired and hungry you actually eat PIZZA for dinner--YIKES!!!!

You realize there are nine more hard training days until recovery/taper for IMKY;

You realize the movies are due back to the video store and you didn't watch the one you rented for yourself;

This is the best I can do for today's post!

So, that's it guys. It's been an interesting day. Hopefully I can make it through the three hour run tomorrow (15-18 miles).

Hope everyone had a better day.

Until next time--God bless!

Three Plus Training Day

2008-07-22T17:48:00.002-05:00

Today is Tuesday, so that means another brick plus one plus one more training day. Confused?

The plan called for a B/R brick: completed 21 miles on the bike, followed immediately by a three mile run. Done. Great weather, good hydration and nutrition. Considering I raced on Sunday and swam yesterday, I felt pretty good.

From the run, I drove to the fitness center and did 30 minutes of stretching and core work, followed by a 1300 meter swim (12 x 100 plus 100 cool down). I felt really good when I was done. Picked up my daughter from the gym and headed home for a relatively quiet afternoon.

Tomorrow I'm supposed to do a 45 minute run, followed by a 90 minute bike. I'm going to skip the run, because Thursday calls for a 3 hour run and Friday a one hour run. I can't run that many days in a row. Instead I will do a longer bike--2.5 to 3 hours, approx. 45 to 50 miles. If time permits, a short swim after. Hopefully, my legs will feel OK to do that long run on Thursday.

The weather has been great and should be for the rest of the week. YEA! Friday will be a one hour run and a continuous swim (doesn't specify time or distance!?). Saturday is a rest day. Sunday will be an organized bike ride and my first 100 miler (I have one planned for the next Sunday also!)

I'm a little nervous about the bike course in Louisville. I've been riding a lot of hills, I just hope it's enough. We wanted to go to Louisville and ride the course, but time and finances are not cooperating. It's a six hour plus drive and an overnight stay. Plus coordinating with someone who knows the course--more stress than I can handle now. I'll just have to trust in the training I'm doing. I like rolling hills, but I keep hearing about how brutal the bike course is! HELP!?

It was such a nice day today. The highlight was seeing a baby deer on the path during my run. They are so beautiful! It reminds me how awesome our God is!

I'm getting tired and need to eat. Hope everyone had a great Tuesday. I love receiving comments, suggestions, constructive criticism and encouragement!

Until next time--God bless!