Okay, I am so pumped about Musselman. This race is all about redemption. I'm not going to go into detail about what happened last year (because frankly, the only person who reads this blog has heard it over and over and over....and over) but let's just sum it up with a simple "I didn't make the bike cutoff" and leave it at that.
This year is different. Here are the top 10 reasons why I'll make the damn bike cutoff this year:
10. Karma is on my side
9. My goggles aren't cracked
8. But just in case, I actually have a spare pair this time
7. No late night runs to the store to buy Krazy Glue
6. My bike is pimped out with aero bars
5. I actually went to Hillz practice this year
4. Georgetown Prep....Lake Montclair...I've made it to more swim practices than ever before
3. I actually started hydrating 6 days before the race (unheard of!)
2. The race may start on time...or not. But this time I'll actually check my watch to make sure
1. I'M IN THE 4TH SWIM WAVE!!!! WOOOHOOOO!
The bottom line is that this year, I WILL run--no matter what! They can yank my chip, yell DNF at me, and rip my race number off of me, but I will RUN AND FINISH THE RACE!!! BRING IT ON, MUSSELMAN!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Sunday, July 10, 2011
3-2-1 Amazing!
Just got back from watching the Space Shuttle Atlantis blast off into the history books. That's it, the final shuttle launch, something that will never happen again. It was so very cool to be there covering this milestone for the U-S space program. Assignments like this one make me love my job.
I interviewed some amazing people: astronauts Ken Reightler, Roger Crouch, Dan Tani, Janice Voss, former shuttle launch director Bob Sieck, and NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden....
On launch day, NASA almost called it off because of the bad weather. But somehow we lucked out and managed to have just enough of a break for Atlantis to launch. It was a long day -- wake up call of 2 AM, then standing in one spot the entire day for live shots. But it was all worth it because at 11:28AM, Atlantis roared off the launchpad toward the heavens.
I must note that my tri training came in handy on this assignment. To beat the heat and humidity, I wore tops made of "wicking" fabric, drank lots of water, and popped some Endurolytes to keep from getting dehydrated.
When I finally made it home I collapsed on the couch and slept for several hours, woke up and practiced changing my bike tires, then went to bed! Had to get the tire changing practice in because Musslemania is in one week!! woooohoooo!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
30 Days To Kilimanjaro!
The 30 day countdown is ON!! (Well, it's officially 28 days out, but it was actually 30 days out 2 days ago when I started writing this post.... but who's counting?)
I'm starting to get nervous, excited, overwhelmed with all I have to do to get ready... Let's see, what else? I woke up at 3AM on the official 30 day countdown day thinking that I still need to buy large Ziploc bags. Yep, gotta obsess about that one. That'll wake you up, alright. Can't forget those Ziploc bags. Never mind that I still haven't gotten MAJOR things done! And I'm heading out of town this week for the final space shuttle launch....which means no getting things done, no Musselmania training, no sleep....
At least I have tomorrow off! Happy Fourth of July, y'all.
I'm starting to get nervous, excited, overwhelmed with all I have to do to get ready... Let's see, what else? I woke up at 3AM on the official 30 day countdown day thinking that I still need to buy large Ziploc bags. Yep, gotta obsess about that one. That'll wake you up, alright. Can't forget those Ziploc bags. Never mind that I still haven't gotten MAJOR things done! And I'm heading out of town this week for the final space shuttle launch....which means no getting things done, no Musselmania training, no sleep....
At least I have tomorrow off! Happy Fourth of July, y'all.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Rockin' The Rock Hall Sprint
Goal: Breaking 2:00 would be nice
Actual: 1:52:21 - 2nd Place in my age group!
Ah...the joys of a sprint triathlon. A mere 750 meter swim; a nice 15 mile jaunt on the bike; a quick 3.1 mile walk-in-the-park-run. I signed up for this race on a whim just a few days before, thinking how nice it would be to do a short distance for a change.
Priscilla picked me up at 5:30 AM and we made the 2 hour drive to Rock Hall. A road trip with P is always a blast :). The weather was gorgeous too-- clear skies and about 70 degrees. We arrived to find plenty of parking, no parking attendants, and a t-nincy transition area! This was a small race for a change-- only 180 or so contenders.
Swim: 18:47
When I first laid eyes on the swim course, all I could think was: That's it? That's as far as I have to swim? It seemed so short! Still, the swim is always my least favorite part of triathlon and I knew I couldn't take it for granted.
Melissa had said that I needed to get myself really worked up before the race -- get mad and take it out on the water, Sally! But I was so laid back--I mean, this was the shortest distance I would do all year! So I really had to make an effort to get myself pumped up and pissed off.
The horn went off and I was surprised to find myself actually swimming near other swimmers. This was foreign territory for me...usually I've got plenty of open water around me as everyone else pulls ahead. But this time I swam in a pack of people the whole way. My thoughts went something like this:
Pull harder, remember how pissed you are! You're mad, dammit---act like it!
Don't pick up your head when you breathe, for crying out loud! Pull!
C'mon, snap that rotation! Reach over the barrel! Pick up the pace!
Before I knew it, I was pulling myself up on the dock and running for transition.
T1 3:36
Bike: 53:04
The bike was pancake flat and windy. Great, I thought, now's your chance to practice using your aero bars. So I laid down the mandate:
Sally, you will not raise up out of the aero position unless you are braking or making a sharp turn. Failure to comply with this rule means you are not worthy of owning a tri bike and therefore, must stop shopping for one. Only when you grow up and learn to ride with the big kids can this rule be revisited.
We had a headwind going out...and a tailwind coming back, so any time I lost during the first half of the ride, I made up on the last half. I managed to comply with my aero bar mandate and all was well as I headed for the dismount line.
T2 2:12
Run: 34:45
Did I mention how much I love to run? Well, I love to run. Yes, it was getting hot and no, there wasn't any shade, but I was happy to be in my comfort zone. My focus, at this point, was on staying ahead of this woman in my age group. We had played tag on the bike and initially she was ahead of me on the run; but within the first mile, I managed to pass her and tried not to look back. I kept imagining she was right on my tail and that made me keep up the pace. On the out-and-back stretch, I noticed that she was pretty far behind me, but I still didn't want to let up. I kept thinking how nice it would be not to finish last in my age group :).
I had no idea that I was a contender for 2nd place at that point. I knew there were only a few women in my age group, but when they called my name at the awards ceremony, I was truly shocked!
Finish Time: 1:52:21
Priscilla also placed --taking 3rd in the Athena category! Needless to say, the ride home was great. We compared race notes and laughed about our improbable "podium" finishes. We'll always be back-of-the-packers, but for one brief moment we got to feel like winners....and that was cool.
Actual: 1:52:21 - 2nd Place in my age group!
Ah...the joys of a sprint triathlon. A mere 750 meter swim; a nice 15 mile jaunt on the bike; a quick 3.1 mile walk-in-the-park-run. I signed up for this race on a whim just a few days before, thinking how nice it would be to do a short distance for a change.
Priscilla picked me up at 5:30 AM and we made the 2 hour drive to Rock Hall. A road trip with P is always a blast :). The weather was gorgeous too-- clear skies and about 70 degrees. We arrived to find plenty of parking, no parking attendants, and a t-nincy transition area! This was a small race for a change-- only 180 or so contenders.
Swim: 18:47
When I first laid eyes on the swim course, all I could think was: That's it? That's as far as I have to swim? It seemed so short! Still, the swim is always my least favorite part of triathlon and I knew I couldn't take it for granted.
Melissa had said that I needed to get myself really worked up before the race -- get mad and take it out on the water, Sally! But I was so laid back--I mean, this was the shortest distance I would do all year! So I really had to make an effort to get myself pumped up and pissed off.
The horn went off and I was surprised to find myself actually swimming near other swimmers. This was foreign territory for me...usually I've got plenty of open water around me as everyone else pulls ahead. But this time I swam in a pack of people the whole way. My thoughts went something like this:
Pull harder, remember how pissed you are! You're mad, dammit---act like it!
Don't pick up your head when you breathe, for crying out loud! Pull!
C'mon, snap that rotation! Reach over the barrel! Pick up the pace!
Before I knew it, I was pulling myself up on the dock and running for transition.
T1 3:36
Bike: 53:04
The bike was pancake flat and windy. Great, I thought, now's your chance to practice using your aero bars. So I laid down the mandate:
Sally, you will not raise up out of the aero position unless you are braking or making a sharp turn. Failure to comply with this rule means you are not worthy of owning a tri bike and therefore, must stop shopping for one. Only when you grow up and learn to ride with the big kids can this rule be revisited.
We had a headwind going out...and a tailwind coming back, so any time I lost during the first half of the ride, I made up on the last half. I managed to comply with my aero bar mandate and all was well as I headed for the dismount line.
T2 2:12
Run: 34:45
Did I mention how much I love to run? Well, I love to run. Yes, it was getting hot and no, there wasn't any shade, but I was happy to be in my comfort zone. My focus, at this point, was on staying ahead of this woman in my age group. We had played tag on the bike and initially she was ahead of me on the run; but within the first mile, I managed to pass her and tried not to look back. I kept imagining she was right on my tail and that made me keep up the pace. On the out-and-back stretch, I noticed that she was pretty far behind me, but I still didn't want to let up. I kept thinking how nice it would be not to finish last in my age group :).
I had no idea that I was a contender for 2nd place at that point. I knew there were only a few women in my age group, but when they called my name at the awards ceremony, I was truly shocked!
Finish Time: 1:52:21
Priscilla also placed --taking 3rd in the Athena category! Needless to say, the ride home was great. We compared race notes and laughed about our improbable "podium" finishes. We'll always be back-of-the-packers, but for one brief moment we got to feel like winners....and that was cool.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Lake Montclair
At times I wonder if I'll ever be sleeping late again on the weekends. Once upon a time I would lounge in bed until 10:00 or 11:00. These days, sleeping till 7:00 is considered sleeping late. In fact, I get up earlier on the weekends than I do on weekdays. But today is yet another example of why it's so worth it to drag myself out of bed waaay too early.
This morning the alarm went off at 4:45. Ugh, no fun. But by the time I throw my swim gear in my car and take off for Lake Montclair, I am thrilled to be awake. Lake Montclair is flat calm quiet this early in the morning---perfect for a swim. We slip into the water and aim for the big white house on the other side of the lake. Melissa paddles next to us in her kayak---my own personal coach, cruising right alongside me, offering tips on technique and making sure I make the necessary corrections---can it get any better than that?
I'm hoping the Lake Montclair swims and Melissa's coaching will be the extra help I need to make it happen on race day---and make all those early mornings worth it!
This morning the alarm went off at 4:45. Ugh, no fun. But by the time I throw my swim gear in my car and take off for Lake Montclair, I am thrilled to be awake. Lake Montclair is flat calm quiet this early in the morning---perfect for a swim. We slip into the water and aim for the big white house on the other side of the lake. Melissa paddles next to us in her kayak---my own personal coach, cruising right alongside me, offering tips on technique and making sure I make the necessary corrections---can it get any better than that?
I'm hoping the Lake Montclair swims and Melissa's coaching will be the extra help I need to make it happen on race day---and make all those early mornings worth it!
Monday, June 20, 2011
My Epic Year...So Far
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...
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...
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.
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