I'm now at the halfway point through my epic year, so it seems fitting to pause for a moment and take a look at how things are going. Here's my list for 2011 so far:
1. Set a new marathon PR by 6 minutes
2. Swam my first 2 miler
3. Made the cutoff at Kinetic
4. Graduated from Georgetown with a masters degree
5. Tracey and I have raised $17,900 toward our $19,340 goal for Global Alliance!
6. Interviewed Pres. Obama
7. Participated in my first biathlon!
Looking ahead to the next 6 months
July 30th - leave for Kilimanjaro
August 9th - reach the summit!!
September 17th - Savageman Oly
October 9th - Waterman Half
November 20th - IMAZ!
December 10th - The Big Birthday
Not to mention all the epic training weekends (epic seems to be my fav word this year), including a 120 mile ride and 20 mile run extravaganza! This is possibly shaping up to be one of the best year's of my life...
Monday, June 20, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Swim, Bike....
What a great training weekend! Melissa had an open water swim practice and we had the lake all to ourselves! Swam a mile, with Melissa in the kayak watching over us and coaching us along the way. She helped me correct my technique and had me practice it over and over until I got it right. I think it was a breakthrough moment! She's so awesome.
Today- 60 miles on the bike. I felt so much better than I did during last weekend's 71 miler...and I actually had people to ride with, which was nice. Finished in 4:17 (including a convenience store break). 4:17 is a familiar time to me because I did the 56 miles at Musselman last year in 4:17. I hope this means I've gotten faster! Today's ride was hillier than Musselman, so maybe I'll make the damn bike cutoff afterall.
Today- 60 miles on the bike. I felt so much better than I did during last weekend's 71 miler...and I actually had people to ride with, which was nice. Finished in 4:17 (including a convenience store break). 4:17 is a familiar time to me because I did the 56 miles at Musselman last year in 4:17. I hope this means I've gotten faster! Today's ride was hillier than Musselman, so maybe I'll make the damn bike cutoff afterall.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Dear Sally...
Zooma Half Marathon
Goal: 2:30 or under
Actual: 2:35:50
Dear Sally,
Are you the same Sally that PR'd at The Pig? Oh, okay. I just wasn't sure because you ran too slowly to make your self-imposed 2:30 half marathon cutoff at Zooma. 2:35, huh. Is that all you got? Pretty lame.
And what's up with the oh-so-casual attitude? I ask because it seems you thought you could just sashay through the 13.1 miles without really training for it. Let's see, looking back it seems you didn't run more than, what, 6 miles since The Pig? Is that any way to train for a half marathon?
Now, I get that you only signed up two weeks ago (another sign of your lackadaisical attitude) and I know you'll use the excuse that you've been busy hiking and trying to get faster in swimming and biking, but triathlon also requires being fast at running, remember? It's on your schedule; fit it in!
Please tell me that wasn't you whining about the humidity.HAHAHAHA. Please. A quick check of accuweather.com's handy dandy hourly forecast shows you had nice, overcast skies, with temps right around 70. It's June. Hello? It could be so much worse than you had it out there today. Next time, suck it up, Sally, no whining allowed.
Also, I could've sworn I heard you complain about some of the hills on the course. Seriously, Sally, does a wannabe bad ass let a few hills slow her down?! You need to HTFU!
Sincerely Unimpressed,
Your Wise Inner Critic
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Wise Inner Critic,
You're right.
Sincerely,
Sally
Goal: 2:30 or under
Actual: 2:35:50
Dear Sally,
Are you the same Sally that PR'd at The Pig? Oh, okay. I just wasn't sure because you ran too slowly to make your self-imposed 2:30 half marathon cutoff at Zooma. 2:35, huh. Is that all you got? Pretty lame.
And what's up with the oh-so-casual attitude? I ask because it seems you thought you could just sashay through the 13.1 miles without really training for it. Let's see, looking back it seems you didn't run more than, what, 6 miles since The Pig? Is that any way to train for a half marathon?
Now, I get that you only signed up two weeks ago (another sign of your lackadaisical attitude) and I know you'll use the excuse that you've been busy hiking and trying to get faster in swimming and biking, but triathlon also requires being fast at running, remember? It's on your schedule; fit it in!
Please tell me that wasn't you whining about the humidity.HAHAHAHA. Please. A quick check of accuweather.com's handy dandy hourly forecast shows you had nice, overcast skies, with temps right around 70. It's June. Hello? It could be so much worse than you had it out there today. Next time, suck it up, Sally, no whining allowed.
Also, I could've sworn I heard you complain about some of the hills on the course. Seriously, Sally, does a wannabe bad ass let a few hills slow her down?! You need to HTFU!
Sincerely Unimpressed,
Your Wise Inner Critic
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Wise Inner Critic,
You're right.
Sincerely,
Sally
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Sticking To The Plan
The Plan:
Saturday: 62 mile bike ride
Sunday: Reston 2 Mile Swim
That was the plan. But before the ride even started on Saturday, I was having second thoughts. Seemed like most people were doing the 48 or 42 miler. Among those going 62, I was definitely the slowest. No peeps to ride with. Warnings about tough hills. I would be riding solo, suffering solo, everything solo for 4 to 5 hours.
So I came up with The Backup Plan. I grabbed a cue sheet for the 62 AND the 48 and headed out, undecided as to which one to do. Mile 18 would be the decision point: either continue on with the 62 or turn off and follow the 48 the rest of the way. As I pedaled along, my internal dialogue went something like this:
"Just do the 62; it's what you planned on doing."
"But this is a hilly course. Even IronEs (of IM Switzerland fame) said the Snickersville Turnpike's hills were pretty serious. Translated for someone of your limited hill-climbing prowess: it'll be brutal."
"Just go for it--why are you even questioning this?! Coach Melissa said you need hill work more than anything. Listen to her."
"But your last long ride wasn't very hilly at all, so you're not ready for this. Plus, everyone will be finished long before you."
"So what? How bad do you want to make the damn bike cutoff this year at Musselman? Just HTFU, you lame loser!"
And so it went until around mile 15, when I came up with The New Plan: At mile 18 I would continue on the 62 mile course for 6 miles, then turn around and ride back 6 miles to the 18 mile turnoff and follow the 48 on in. This way I would get an extra 12 miles in, bringing my total mileage to 60, without having to tackle the dreaded Snickersville Turnpike nightmare.
I was pretty satisfied with The New Plan. Told the sagger not to worry about me, I would be doing this out and back thing, etc., etc. But when I got to the 6 mile turnaround point, I pulled over and assessed the situation. My legs weren't tired, the hills hadn't been bad thus far, so how hard could the rest of it really be? Did I really want to turn around, backtrack for 6 miles, and finish the ride knowing I just wasn't tough enough for the original 62? Of course not. So I decided to stick to the original plan.
I was so glad I did. The hills were tiring, yes, but they were really more of an annoyance--and a good workout---than anything. And of course, it can always be worse (Savageman, Wildeness Ride, and other rides I don't dare attempt: OMGWTF, Mountains of Misery, for example.). Turns out, my real problem was my lack of confidence. Sticking to The Plan and succeeding was a nice confidence booster.
Same story for the Reston 2 mile swim. The Plan was to wear my wetsuit and swim the full 2 miles, trying as hard as I could to make the 90 minute cutoff, or at least swim as far as I could until they pulled me out of the water.
However, I began to question the wetsuit part of my plan when several women in line for the bathroom started talking about how "everyone" was going without a wetsuit, the water was just too warm --dangerously warm, etc., etc.
After much internal debate, I again decided to stick to my original plan. I barely made the cutoff, but finished nonetheless. Without the wetsuit I would've been much slower. Sticking to the plan worked....and finishing that swim was a huge confidence booster.
So the lesson is: when your real problem is a lack of confidence, stick to the plan.
Tomorrow's plan: hiking!!
Saturday: 62 mile bike ride
Sunday: Reston 2 Mile Swim
That was the plan. But before the ride even started on Saturday, I was having second thoughts. Seemed like most people were doing the 48 or 42 miler. Among those going 62, I was definitely the slowest. No peeps to ride with. Warnings about tough hills. I would be riding solo, suffering solo, everything solo for 4 to 5 hours.
So I came up with The Backup Plan. I grabbed a cue sheet for the 62 AND the 48 and headed out, undecided as to which one to do. Mile 18 would be the decision point: either continue on with the 62 or turn off and follow the 48 the rest of the way. As I pedaled along, my internal dialogue went something like this:
"Just do the 62; it's what you planned on doing."
"But this is a hilly course. Even IronEs (of IM Switzerland fame) said the Snickersville Turnpike's hills were pretty serious. Translated for someone of your limited hill-climbing prowess: it'll be brutal."
"Just go for it--why are you even questioning this?! Coach Melissa said you need hill work more than anything. Listen to her."
"But your last long ride wasn't very hilly at all, so you're not ready for this. Plus, everyone will be finished long before you."
"So what? How bad do you want to make the damn bike cutoff this year at Musselman? Just HTFU, you lame loser!"
And so it went until around mile 15, when I came up with The New Plan: At mile 18 I would continue on the 62 mile course for 6 miles, then turn around and ride back 6 miles to the 18 mile turnoff and follow the 48 on in. This way I would get an extra 12 miles in, bringing my total mileage to 60, without having to tackle the dreaded Snickersville Turnpike nightmare.
I was pretty satisfied with The New Plan. Told the sagger not to worry about me, I would be doing this out and back thing, etc., etc. But when I got to the 6 mile turnaround point, I pulled over and assessed the situation. My legs weren't tired, the hills hadn't been bad thus far, so how hard could the rest of it really be? Did I really want to turn around, backtrack for 6 miles, and finish the ride knowing I just wasn't tough enough for the original 62? Of course not. So I decided to stick to the original plan.
I was so glad I did. The hills were tiring, yes, but they were really more of an annoyance--and a good workout---than anything. And of course, it can always be worse (Savageman, Wildeness Ride, and other rides I don't dare attempt: OMGWTF, Mountains of Misery, for example.). Turns out, my real problem was my lack of confidence. Sticking to The Plan and succeeding was a nice confidence booster.
Same story for the Reston 2 mile swim. The Plan was to wear my wetsuit and swim the full 2 miles, trying as hard as I could to make the 90 minute cutoff, or at least swim as far as I could until they pulled me out of the water.
However, I began to question the wetsuit part of my plan when several women in line for the bathroom started talking about how "everyone" was going without a wetsuit, the water was just too warm --dangerously warm, etc., etc.
After much internal debate, I again decided to stick to my original plan. I barely made the cutoff, but finished nonetheless. Without the wetsuit I would've been much slower. Sticking to the plan worked....and finishing that swim was a huge confidence booster.
So the lesson is: when your real problem is a lack of confidence, stick to the plan.
Tomorrow's plan: hiking!!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Kinetic Half AquaBike
Goal: Make the bike cutoff
Result: Made the bike cutoff
1.2 mile Swim: 53:08
T1 5:27
56 mile Bike: 03:58:52 *PR*
The swim was nice and smooth-- a huge improvement over last year's choppy, windy mess!
This year's bike course was quite an improvement over last year's heavy-traffic-blowing-by nightmare. I wanted to finish in 4 hours and made it with about a minute to spare. Let's just say I was thrilled to see the timing mat still in place as I rolled into transition. Oh happy, happy sight. (Last year they were rolling up the timing mat as I approached, thus giving me a DNF for the aquabike).
Previous 56 mile PR: 4:17 at Musselman.
The forecast called for rain, of course, making it the 4th race this year (as in, every race I've done this year) where it either rained during the race or on the way to or from the race.Fortunately, it barely drizzled during the bike portion of Kinetic, which actually kept the temp nice.
Looking ahead to Musselmania!!
Result: Made the bike cutoff
1.2 mile Swim: 53:08
T1 5:27
56 mile Bike: 03:58:52 *PR*
The swim was nice and smooth-- a huge improvement over last year's choppy, windy mess!
This year's bike course was quite an improvement over last year's heavy-traffic-blowing-by nightmare. I wanted to finish in 4 hours and made it with about a minute to spare. Let's just say I was thrilled to see the timing mat still in place as I rolled into transition. Oh happy, happy sight. (Last year they were rolling up the timing mat as I approached, thus giving me a DNF for the aquabike).
Previous 56 mile PR: 4:17 at Musselman.
The forecast called for rain, of course, making it the 4th race this year (as in, every race I've done this year) where it either rained during the race or on the way to or from the race.Fortunately, it barely drizzled during the bike portion of Kinetic, which actually kept the temp nice.
Looking ahead to Musselmania!!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Flying Pig!
The Flying Pig Marathon had it all: an interesting (yet hilly) course, great volunteers, a cute name, fun theme, good swag, and nice bling at the "Finish Swine." Of course, you can't do The Pig in regular old running attire....so I decided to jazz up my race day ensemble with a pink hula skirt, hot pink shirt, and pink body glitter.
My strategy was to start strong and finish slow and steady. I know, I know--you're supposed to start slow and finish fast, but I worried that I would slow down toward the end regardless of how slow I went in the beginning.
It was the hilliest marathon I've done yet somehow I managed to PR (that was a shocker). The worst hill was about 3 miles long and everyone was dreading it. But I think all those annoying hills in my neighborhood really paid off because it wasn't that bad. Coach Melissa told me before the race to just keep my cadence up on the hills, so I focused on that going uphill and tried to make up time on the downhills.
Melissa also had me bump up my nutrition during the race so I would be taking in more calories. I had to force myself to eat toward the end, but I think that made a big difference.
Now about the PR: my previous PR of 5:27:55 was last year at Shamrock. The 'Rock was flat, the Pig was hilly, so I figured I would be lucky to come in under 5:30. But somehow I managed to push it on the hills and take very few walk breaks. Finish time: 5:22:07.
I've now set a new PR 5 marathons in a row-- I should probably quit while I'm ahead!
My strategy was to start strong and finish slow and steady. I know, I know--you're supposed to start slow and finish fast, but I worried that I would slow down toward the end regardless of how slow I went in the beginning.
It was the hilliest marathon I've done yet somehow I managed to PR (that was a shocker). The worst hill was about 3 miles long and everyone was dreading it. But I think all those annoying hills in my neighborhood really paid off because it wasn't that bad. Coach Melissa told me before the race to just keep my cadence up on the hills, so I focused on that going uphill and tried to make up time on the downhills.
Melissa also had me bump up my nutrition during the race so I would be taking in more calories. I had to force myself to eat toward the end, but I think that made a big difference.
Now about the PR: my previous PR of 5:27:55 was last year at Shamrock. The 'Rock was flat, the Pig was hilly, so I figured I would be lucky to come in under 5:30. But somehow I managed to push it on the hills and take very few walk breaks. Finish time: 5:22:07.
I've now set a new PR 5 marathons in a row-- I should probably quit while I'm ahead!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Rumpusing in the Rain
Rumpus in Bumpass: our first triathlon of the season! Woohooo, I was pumped! Well, sort of.
The forecast called for 100% chance of rain and thunderstorms, winds gusting to 20 mph or so, air temps in the 50's. Perfect race weather for sure. My race wave started at 10:25 and it would take me about 4 hours to finish. The storms were expected to get pretty wicked in the afternoon, so I would use that as my incentive to go fast, real fast, to beat the bad stuff. Or...at least I would tell myself that I would go fast and see how well that worked.
I was as prepared as one could be for the weather challenges. I had plastic bags galore to stuff my clothes, shoes, and socks into in transition. I had multiple grocery bags and two different sizes of trash bags-- so many bags, in fact, that I spent way too much time contemplating my bag situation. I kept switching bags, rearranging bags, speculating about whether my bags were adequately waterproof, properly organized, and on and on.
Finally I decided to just let it be. Step away from the bags, Sally. Just accept it as is and walk away.
I was dreading the swim in the frigid water. I mean, how crazy is it to get into the water when it's rainy, windy, and cold?! The water temp was in the 60's. It would be one thing to stand outside in that weather barefoot with no umbrella or jacket, but it's quite something else to hop in the water and swim almost a mile in it! But that's what you do when you're hardcore, right? (or trying to be) Had Janet and Tracey not been there, I'm not sure I would've gotten in the water! Misery loves company.....or needs company, I should say.
My mantra for the race was this:
Confident - because I thought reciting this word over and over might help alleviate the usual anxiety and low-key dread I feel leading up to every race.Say it enough and maybe it will be true.
Strong - to remind myself of all that strength training I did over the winter and convince myself it all worked.
Fast - because I have to get faster.
The first leg of the swim was relatively okay, all things considered. I was glad Tracey and I were in the same wave and thrilled to see her at the first buoy. I decided I would try to keep up with her and see how it goes. But a few strokes later the wind and waves picked up. I started blowing off course and zig zagging my way along. I inadvertantly got a mouth full of water twice and yes, started choking due to the gross out factor. I reminded myself to focus on what was going right, not all that was going wrong. At least my goggles weren't leaking!
My hands started getting numb and I couldn't close my fingers together to get a good pull. Then my right foot started going numb. Great. I'll finally arrive onshore and not be able to stand up. I'll be hopping to transition because my foot is numb! And of course I became preoccupied with the question of why my right foot was numb but my left foot wasn't. What did that mean? Is my blood circulation better on my left side? Is my technique causing this lopsided effect? Crazy, I know, but I guess it was a way to kill time as I floundered toward the beach.
I finally made it out of the water after 49 minutes, my slowest Oly swim yet! Then it was on to transition where I fumbled around for way too long trying to get my wetsuit off. My hands were so cold that they just weren't working! I couldn't grasp anything. I finally got my extra layers on, socks, and helmet and headed out through the mud to the mount line. T1 time: 7 minutes
The first thing I noticed on the bike was that my computer wasn't working. It really threw me off my game because I'm so used to looking at my speed to make sure I'm not slacking. Without that, I had no idea how fast/slow I was going. I pulled over and jiggled the sensors, to no avail. I finally got into the groove on the second lap. It was windy, but at least it wasn't pouring rain. Still, I came in slower than last year's Rumpus at 1:51.
The run was the highlight of the race for me. I LOVE to run and I was ready to let it rip. However....
My calves were really tight--- something that usually doesn't happen. I just kept telling myself that they would loosen up and sure enough, after 3 miles, they did. It was fun high-fiving other Zs on the course.
On the second lap I glanced behind me and saw a guy on a bike. When I stopped for water and Gu, he stopped. When I started again, he followed. When I slowed, he slowed; sped up, he sped up. Pretty soon I realized that he was following me because I was the last runner! (I was actually second to last, but they weren't going to let the last runner finish because of the 4 hour time limit). The fact that he was there---following me like a vulture, waiting for me to start walking so he could cut me from the race-- only propelled me forward faster! From out of nowhere came this burst of energy! I was cruising along like I had just started a 5k. I had to make it to the cutoff by 4 hours or I was sure he would pull my chip.
There were 3 people not too far ahead of me and I decided to try to catch the woman ahead of me. This took some work, but eventually I passed her. Ha! Now the bike guy won't be following me anymore! But as soon as I got to the final turn off the road, the woman passed me and kicked it into gear. The bike guy was behind me again. So I powered up as much as I could and decided I would try to lose him on the muddy trail that led to the final stretch. He eventually turned off and let me be. One more curve, then downhill and the finish line was in sight! I was happy it was over with.
Total time: 4:08....one of my slower races. I could blame the weather, but I know I just need to train harder!
The forecast called for 100% chance of rain and thunderstorms, winds gusting to 20 mph or so, air temps in the 50's. Perfect race weather for sure. My race wave started at 10:25 and it would take me about 4 hours to finish. The storms were expected to get pretty wicked in the afternoon, so I would use that as my incentive to go fast, real fast, to beat the bad stuff. Or...at least I would tell myself that I would go fast and see how well that worked.
I was as prepared as one could be for the weather challenges. I had plastic bags galore to stuff my clothes, shoes, and socks into in transition. I had multiple grocery bags and two different sizes of trash bags-- so many bags, in fact, that I spent way too much time contemplating my bag situation. I kept switching bags, rearranging bags, speculating about whether my bags were adequately waterproof, properly organized, and on and on.
Finally I decided to just let it be. Step away from the bags, Sally. Just accept it as is and walk away.
I was dreading the swim in the frigid water. I mean, how crazy is it to get into the water when it's rainy, windy, and cold?! The water temp was in the 60's. It would be one thing to stand outside in that weather barefoot with no umbrella or jacket, but it's quite something else to hop in the water and swim almost a mile in it! But that's what you do when you're hardcore, right? (or trying to be) Had Janet and Tracey not been there, I'm not sure I would've gotten in the water! Misery loves company.....or needs company, I should say.
My mantra for the race was this:
Confident - because I thought reciting this word over and over might help alleviate the usual anxiety and low-key dread I feel leading up to every race.Say it enough and maybe it will be true.
Strong - to remind myself of all that strength training I did over the winter and convince myself it all worked.
Fast - because I have to get faster.
The first leg of the swim was relatively okay, all things considered. I was glad Tracey and I were in the same wave and thrilled to see her at the first buoy. I decided I would try to keep up with her and see how it goes. But a few strokes later the wind and waves picked up. I started blowing off course and zig zagging my way along. I inadvertantly got a mouth full of water twice and yes, started choking due to the gross out factor. I reminded myself to focus on what was going right, not all that was going wrong. At least my goggles weren't leaking!
My hands started getting numb and I couldn't close my fingers together to get a good pull. Then my right foot started going numb. Great. I'll finally arrive onshore and not be able to stand up. I'll be hopping to transition because my foot is numb! And of course I became preoccupied with the question of why my right foot was numb but my left foot wasn't. What did that mean? Is my blood circulation better on my left side? Is my technique causing this lopsided effect? Crazy, I know, but I guess it was a way to kill time as I floundered toward the beach.
I finally made it out of the water after 49 minutes, my slowest Oly swim yet! Then it was on to transition where I fumbled around for way too long trying to get my wetsuit off. My hands were so cold that they just weren't working! I couldn't grasp anything. I finally got my extra layers on, socks, and helmet and headed out through the mud to the mount line. T1 time: 7 minutes
The first thing I noticed on the bike was that my computer wasn't working. It really threw me off my game because I'm so used to looking at my speed to make sure I'm not slacking. Without that, I had no idea how fast/slow I was going. I pulled over and jiggled the sensors, to no avail. I finally got into the groove on the second lap. It was windy, but at least it wasn't pouring rain. Still, I came in slower than last year's Rumpus at 1:51.
The run was the highlight of the race for me. I LOVE to run and I was ready to let it rip. However....
My calves were really tight--- something that usually doesn't happen. I just kept telling myself that they would loosen up and sure enough, after 3 miles, they did. It was fun high-fiving other Zs on the course.
On the second lap I glanced behind me and saw a guy on a bike. When I stopped for water and Gu, he stopped. When I started again, he followed. When I slowed, he slowed; sped up, he sped up. Pretty soon I realized that he was following me because I was the last runner! (I was actually second to last, but they weren't going to let the last runner finish because of the 4 hour time limit). The fact that he was there---following me like a vulture, waiting for me to start walking so he could cut me from the race-- only propelled me forward faster! From out of nowhere came this burst of energy! I was cruising along like I had just started a 5k. I had to make it to the cutoff by 4 hours or I was sure he would pull my chip.
There were 3 people not too far ahead of me and I decided to try to catch the woman ahead of me. This took some work, but eventually I passed her. Ha! Now the bike guy won't be following me anymore! But as soon as I got to the final turn off the road, the woman passed me and kicked it into gear. The bike guy was behind me again. So I powered up as much as I could and decided I would try to lose him on the muddy trail that led to the final stretch. He eventually turned off and let me be. One more curve, then downhill and the finish line was in sight! I was happy it was over with.
Total time: 4:08....one of my slower races. I could blame the weather, but I know I just need to train harder!
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