Tuesday in Boulder county was perfect weather for riding a bicycle, so that is what I did. I was 10 minutes from the end of my ride when I saw a state patrolman pull a car over, naturally I started to mentally high five myself because someone was getting a speeding ticket, and it wasn’t me…

The next thing I remember, was seeing all of the flashing lights, ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars. They told me what happened as they loaded me on to the stretcher. I was hit from behind by an suv, and thrown into a guard rail, before I rolled into the street. “And my bike?! Is my bike okay?!” I asked like any good cyclist. Then I lost consciousness. Then I woke up again and screamed “ARE MY FEET MOVING?!” As they flapped wildly against the stretcher…someone has seen too many Grey’s Anatomy episodes. Then the lights went out again…until I started asking the EMT to look at my pinky finger, “I think it is broken, please tell me its not broken, I use it, like, everyday, I really need it” I babbled on.

Once we got to the hospital, they took cat scans, x rays, and stitched my shin back together. The good news was my cat scan showed undeniable evidence that I, Laura Tingle, have a brain. I was also shown a possible hip fracture from where the suv hit me. The whole time I was at the hospital a super hot fire fighter was there for an emt course. As I chatted with him I tried to straighten my enormous blonde hair (for more on this, please see my blog entry about enormous blonde hair) as I ran my fingers through it, I pulled out a humongous tumbleweed…odd. Then the nurse went to work scrubbing the road out of my rash. That was my least favorite moment of my life. After that delightful experience, the police officer came in with pieces of my bike, and the pieces of my cell phone that he found all over the road. My phone was in the back pocket of my jersey, as I inspected it, I came to a brilliant realization. My wee little phono gave his life, to protect me. So anyway, this is where things stopped making sense. They fitted me with crutches and a knee brace, and eventually let me leave the hospital. The knee brace caused excrutiating pain in my hip, and I couldn’t use the crutches because my shoulder hurt so bad. So, I situated myself in my favorite recliner until it was time to see the orthopedist two days later. He said,  ”Broken scapula” oh balls, this sucks.

November 10^th, 2007
4:48.15– 32:47 Swim, 2:33 Bike, 1:37 Run
4^th 20-24 Age Group

WARNING…All components of this race including the final weeks of preparation leading into it fall under the ‘Big Learning Experience’ category! And boy what a learning experience it was…

As a very new athlete in the sport with only 3 years under my belt, I had not actually completed an uninterrupted season of hard training and consistent racing until this year. My first year was pretty much a joke. I had never swam, bike or ran EVER in my life and pretty much just went with the flow and eventually found my true passion in life. My second year I went out a little too hard without much base and developed a giant stress fracture in my hip forcing me spend almost the entire race season aqua jogging in the pool! This year I had 2 main goals – the most important was to complete a full schedule and have an injury-free season and the second to finish top 3 in my age group at the 70.3 World Champs. Although goal one was a success, placing 4^th at Worlds was where the learning came into play.

What happened on race day? Unfortunately it was a combination of mental and physical burn out a few weeks prior to the big day. I began training quite hard in December and January and raced/trained straight through until October when I began feeling incredibly unmotivated, fatigued and uninterested in going hard. Since I had never gone that long before with consistent training, I hadn’t found my body’s limits and sadly hit the wall about 3 weeks before I was due to depart to Clearwater. Bummer. I knew the instant I was more excited to go skiing then go out for my favorite workouts in beautiful fall weather that something was up. I tried to push through the mental toughness but I kept finding myself breaking down and getting really upset for not knowing why I was feeling this way a few weeks before my biggest race of the season. I had a good chat with the coach and we agreed that beginning my taper a few weeks early would be a good idea and hopefully I would be really rested and pumped up to race. Although it sounded like a great idea, I still had a hard time getting those workouts in too and flew into Worlds very flat and highly unprepared. Lesson learned: NEED MID-SEASON BREAK!!!

When I toed the line the morning of the race, I was more relaxed than I had ever been before which is never a good sign for my super-agro-type A personality. It was a crappy feeling, but I knew right away that my heart just wasn’t into the race and that I was going to be out there just to enjoy the day. As the gun went off, I was so relaxed that I immediately fell into a great rhythm and joined the first swim pack. As we made the turn straight into the sun, I sighted the buoys on the opposite side and ended up swimming into the middle of the ‘rectangle’ and into a kayak who redirected me back on course. Oops. Coming out of the water I was a little irritated that I hadn’t put together one solid swim the entire year but knew I had improved greatly on the bike so it was time to go out and fly. Well, that’s what I thought at first until I realized my legs weren’t quite functioning the way they normally do. I just couldn’t turn over the pedal and was getting passed left and right. It was definitely tough to take, but instead of getting upset, I just kept chugging away knowing that it wasn’t my day. Getting off the bike was a great delight and I was very excited to head out for the run which is always my favorite event. Since I knew there wasn’t much hope to catch that place I was after, I just decided to cruise the half marathon and enjoy every minute of it. I crossed the finish line with emotions of frustration, irritation, disappointment, and joy. The race was finally over and it was the end of the year and I accomplished the number one goal of staying healthy without any injuries. Although I didn’t really ‘race’ what I had picked to be my ‘A’ race at the beginning of the year, it was okay. Nothing disastrous happened and I was able to spend some quality time with the Timex family and enjoy the rest of my trip with my mom who has been a huge supporter throughout my entire triathlon journey.

Thank you to everyone for all the encouragement and support during the 2007 season, I couldn’t have done it without you!

Along with the annual tradition of eating turkey and pumpkin pie, is the annual Sheboygan Gobbler Gallop 10k and 2 mile road race. This Thanksgiving was no different, as my Dad and I headed to the Sheboygan lakefront for our annual tradition. I have done this race every year but once since I was 6! The one interesting thing with the Thanksgiving day run is the weather, which has ranged anywhere from a chilly 10 degrees and snow to a balmy 60degress. This year did not disappoint, with Sheboygan getting our first significant snowfall (2.5″) the night before the race. This left the roads a little slick, and a little slush in the corners, but nothing of too much concern. I was again hoping for a PR as my running has been improving every year, so a 35minute race was my goal. As of recently I had been in a small battle with my left leg, a strained quad from intervals, and a strained hamstring from squatting. But none the less I still felt I could make a PR. The first 3 miles would be tough, straight into a strong headwind off of the lake, but I was sitting with a group of 4 runners chasing a lone leader about 15 seconds up. The draft position was definatley an advantage. The pace was a bit quick for me at 5:15-5:25/ mile, but I thought I would get towed by the group for as long as possible and then fall back to my own pace. I ended up rubber-banding off the back of the group at about mile 2.5 and was sitting about 15 seconds back at the turn-around. With the group still in sight I would just hope someone else would also fall off the pace and I could catch them in the end. I also saw another 2 runners within 30 seconds back that could be a threat. But for the last half of the race I would run in no man’s land on my own. I slowed down quite a bit the last 1.25mile, as my legs were feeling the fast early pace. In the end though, I hung on for 5thoverall/ 2nd age group in a 35:41, not quite as fast as I hoped, but not to shabby. But the best part about the race: it makes you feel less guilty having a second piece of pie after dinner! Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!

To be honest, the 2007 triathlon season has flown by for me.  It all began right before Timex camp when we found out we were expecting our second kiddo.  Since then everything has happened so fast…at least for me.  

That might not be the case for my wife & teammate Kimberly.  She had to once again put her tri season on hold as she rested up, moved us to a three bedroom house a mile down the road, & did all the other nesting type stuff expecting moms do. (See http://teamtimex.timexblogs.com/author/kimberly-grogan/) 

She was already signed up for some big time races this year & we were hoping for some nice results.  I am sure that she will come back all the stonger though cause that is definitely how she is.  And besides, I am sure she is tired of hearing me rehash my rides & races during dinner.

With that said, I can’t begin to tell you how supportive Kimberly has been this season for me.  What ever race or workout I asked to do, she always smiled, nodded yes, & encouraged me.  I know it had to be tough.  While pregnant (and in fact due with our daughter today), she has always been my biggest fan.  Between my Xterra addiction (traveling to five out of state off-road tri races this year) & leaving Kimberly to work our Tri store & look after a two year old by herself the whole weekend, she has gone above and beyond what any “triathlete wife” would do.  Kimberly understands what fuels me & how important competing is to me.  

Each time I raced this year, I never needed motivation.  I would step up to a that start line and just know I had lay it all on the line that day for the what Kimberly (& Gavin) had done to get me there to that race.  

Probably my best memory of the season came about a month back. Kimberly was there to see me come through the finish as I won the local half iron distance race here in Clermont, Florida.  She had sacrificed so much to get me there to that finish; sacrificing more that given day than even me. 

Anyway, we have some busy times ahead of us probably starting sometime this week.  Till then, sorry I haven’t seen as many of you on the Ironman circuit as in years past but I wish you all the best during the off season and hope to see you soon.

Many thanks to Ben, Tom, Keith, & Doug for looking out for me and my teammates this season.  

Six weeks, no mention of the sport. No talk of gear, potential sponsors, coaching, races that might be fun to try. Triathlon is the new bad word and I’m not allowed to say it for six weeks. My seven year-old is the bad-word police; “Mom, he said the __-word!” is an hourly statement. Most recently it was the m-word.. I can’t imagine what that one was, but Henry knows. And it was bad.

After a year of goals the new goal is to not have a goal.

I have been warned of the Noise. I’m not sure what the Noise is, though my teammates will tell you it’s probably coming out of my mouth. I just keep seeing Kevin Costner making it all go quiet in some baseball flick. Is the dreaded Noise the year-end wrap-up, the tri-mag’s most-accomplished list, the she-only-beat- me-because-she-drafted blog? Is it the gossip of our sport, catty as a gaggle of freshman girls at prep school? For me the Noise is inside – it’s a matter of over-thinking things. Like when you learn to play Tetrus and play all day until your fingers hurt and then you go to bed and can’t sleep because your brain is unable to stop aligning blocks as they fall from the sky.

The past two years, off season has meant running a couple of marathons for me. This year it means running, biking and swimming when I feel like it, which means my goggles are going to rot under a seat in the minivan. Not talking about it, not thinking about it — no T-word for at least six weeks. This year it’s going to be about letting go. It might suck. It might require my husband telling me to shut up, or a loud ipod - but I’m going to cut out the Noise.
(I shouldn’t be writing this. Or thinking it. And don’t tell Henry I said the T-word.)