My last OLY was nearly 3 years ago. I do not race OLYs often because it is brutal distance for me, but I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to have a ‘legitimate’ reason to take my bike with me on this brief trip. The race is well-run, on a beautiful course (the fact that I could tell you more about the homes along the bike route would indicate a lack of race day focus on my part), with awesome volunteers and spectator support. I was quite impressed. The race experience itself was a reminder to me as to why I do not race this distance often and why I prefer the longer distances.

The best part of the trip was heading to the theme park inside the MOA the day after the race. Hanna and I hung out all afternoon and it was nice Mommy-Daughter time. I think riding on some of those theme-park rides is more ‘painful’ than training! The fearless wonder-child I used to be has turned into a fearFUL-I-think-I-am-going-to-puke-37-year-old. Every ride I went on I kept thinking “I sure hope the engineers knew what they were doing when they designed this ride” and after awhile I just couldn’t ride any more because my head was spinning and my stomach was churning and I felt like I had drank a little too much red wine! However, the priceless memory of having my 7 year-old tell me, “Mommy, let go of me you are squeezing my hand too tight” is now something I will never be able to live down.

Enjoy your summer.

First, I am just so thankful to be out racing triathlons again, as it has been a long year. My coach told me to go into the race with no time expectations. Just embrace the race. And, I did just that. I was anxious to get back out and race, even if I was a little rusty. I had the pre-race nerves and jitters I remember having a few years back, prior to settling into that over-trained mantra of “I really don’t want to be doing this anymore.” My goal for this race was to find out where my heart was with respect to racing and recapture the joy I once experienced when racing.

A quick recap of the race:

Swim-My first time swimming with my new Blue Seventy Helix and while I was initially concerned I was stretching out the T I M E X lettering a bit too much, it was an ideal fit. Not a single mark on my neck, I had freedom of movement in the shoulders, and an overall very comfortable fit. You cannot really look at the swim times at Kansas 70.3 to determine if it was a good swim or not, but I was pleased with where I came out of the water with respect to my division.

T1-Hello…I forgot that the clock kept running during the transitions. This is where my ‘out of practice’ really showed. My story is that I was being methodical. :)

Bike-Ok, here I was a bit unprepared. Finding these kinds of rollers week in and out when training in Houston is just impossible (and I do not have the time to drive to Austin or elsewhere for training trips). The day prior to the race somebody described the course as ‘you are either going up or coming down.’ But, since I cannot train in the rolling hills, I may as well race in them. I see enough of the boring flatlands, so the terrain was a nice change. My new Madone was comfortable but I think I probably road too ‘comfortable’ with respect to my effort. I was so afraid of blowing up, and while sometimes we need to push our limits to reach our potential, I really did not want a DNF in this race. For today, I was ok with finishing with something left in the tank.

T2-Yes, I know…a ‘needs improvement’ mark.

Run-What has usually been my strength ended up being my nemesis today. It was mentally and physically tough for me. My nutrition must have been off some because I basically felt like throwing up. I was disoriented for the first part of the course, but not sure if that had more to do with nutrition being off, or the course itself. I didn’t expect the rocky-gravel portion and I got hung up on that for a bit…until I convinced myself that whining is for losers. I pretty much had to go to that ’spot’ where I just put my head down and focus on the people ahead of me, trying to run them down, and taking things one mile at a time. I kept repeating “I CAN do this.”

Finish-When I knew I was in the clear and going to finish (about 200 meters from the finish) I began thinking to myself that I would get a finish and NOT have to visit the med tent. I doubt this is something anybody else thinks of while racing, but I think I have seen more med tents than finish lines in my triathlon career. Well, I started celebrating a bit too early because about 2 feet from the finish line I went face down. Yep, right as the announcer was mentioning my name I did a face-plant into the ground. And, this wasn’t something I could just roll out of and pretend to do the Blazeman roll…no, this was anything but graceful. Thankfully I got back up, crossed the line, and then headed to the tent for some ice. I was so obsessed about my bum knee (hoping that all that PT had not gone to waste) that it did not dawn on me that my wrist was quite sore. Everything turned out ok, and it did not take me too long before I was laughing at myself.

Good news: Nothing broken, made it to the finish line
Bad news: I am afraid what my finishers photos might look like, typing by hen-pecking is slow

Thanks to Timex, Trek, Bontrager, Profile Design, Blue Seventy, hubby, Team STRIVE, Coach Clint and Tektonics for getting me to the start and finish line this past Sunday.

Keep Striving!

My wish for Mother’s Day-my 2 girls do not argue with each other for this one day (yeah, right!)

The homemade gifts children make for their moms on Mother’s Day can be quite revealing.  Since I have a 13 y/o I know that my years of receiving these special homemade gifts from my 7 y/o are limited…and while Hallmark cards can be quite nice, they just don’t make the ones that say things like this…

 My Special Mom: by Hanna

My mother’s name is Kim.  I call her Mummy.  She is 8 feet tall.  She looks pretty when she wears dresses (and not her workout clothes).  The thing my mom cooks best is CHICKEN NUGGETS.  My mom likes to run, bike, and swim.  My mom does not like to do dishes.  My mom is the queen of the world!

Have a good one Moms! 

Last year I took most of the year off for health reasons.  That was the easiest way for me to focus purely on recovering.  I see too many people, including myself, rush through recovery and compete at 75% of their best effort instead of just taking some time off so they can come back and compete at 100%, and I was going to change this pattern for me.  

So, once I took care of my health, I decided to tackle some ongoing issues I have been having since my knee surgery in 2005.  Well, and to be fully-honest here, the decision to address my knee was really instigated by Kyle’s remark at our Team Timex Camp earlier this year when he point-blank told me that I ”run like a duck.” 

I rushed through my rehab post-knee surgery because I was so focused on RACING rather than being patient.  Following knee surgery I had some swelling that impinged a nerve and my VMO basically shut-down.  I could NOT get a full extension with my left knee.  After many weeks of therapy and a LOT of atrophy, I just got frustrated and figured that ’eventually’ my leg muscles would start working properly.  I mean…at least I could swim, bike and run, yes? 

Fast forward 2 years and well…we all know what happens when there is a discrepancy in leg strength.  Other muscles soon start taking over and doing the job others should do, injuries begin to occur because one leg is working more than the other, the run gait is causing a problem with knee tracking, and performances always remain sub-par. 

I promised myself a ‘no-excuse’ triathlon season this year, and Kyle’s remark prompted me to seek help.  I recently went to Tektonic Sports and began working with Dr. Sutton and had a Wingate test, a VO2/LT test for both the bike and the run, in addition to receiving sports-performance rehab on my knee.  The test results have not been pretty but at least I know what needs to be corrected!  My Wingate test came back at…I am almost embarrassed to say this…a leg discrepancy of 65% vs. 35%.  I was also videotaped running and cycling and that has really helped me to actually see what I was (or was NOT) doing.  I have had to have some thick skin when analyzing all these results, and I know I have some work to do to get this engine back into form, but I finally feel like I am on the right path. 

The Powertap (http://www.saris.com/) is an invaluable training tool for me as I work on rebuilding this engine.  The Powertap in conjunction with my Timex Bodylink help keep me honest when training on my bike.  I am really a work in progress but I am hoping I will no longer be running like a duck.  Until then, waddle-on!  :)     

How can I wrap up the season when I feel like it never got started? 

Triathlon Race Results:  One DNF (hypothermia), a top 10 finish at Ironman Florida 70.3 and a “What the hey happened” at Buffalo Springs. 

Life’s Results:  More free time on the weekends to spend with the kids…I did not realize just how much my girls noticed that I was out training until my youngest daughter would repeatedly say to me, “Mommy, what’s wrong with you?  You sure don’t exercise that much anymore.”  

Lessons learned:  We will keep having the same experiences in life until we finally learn and apply that which is trying to be taught. 

Life’s Goals:  Balance, health.

Race Goals:  I will define my goals.  I will NOT be defined by my goals.    

I am so grateful to Timex and our sponsors.  I almost felt bad for my beautiful red hot Trek Equinox 7.0 WSD…it screams fast, sleek, and ‘race me!’  But, it had to settle for training rides.  My Spenco Ironman Cycling Gloves made all these training rides a bit more  enjoyable by making the ride more comfortable.  My Timex Heart Rate Monitor has kept me in-line making sure I am working at the correct intensity and it also lets me know when my resting heart rate is elevated.  In addition, not only does it help me in training, but it is the first thing I hear in the morning with its trusty and faithful alarm. 

I did get to use my Blue Seventy Helix wetsuit and PointZero3 swimskin once this year…note that I WISHED I had my Blue Seventy Helix when I took to the chilly waters at California 70.3 earlier this year!  In addition, I am SUPER excited to hear that the PointZero3 was granted approval by FINA for open water swimming at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  My 13 year-old daughter is anxious to try her hand at an open water swim event in the near future, and is looking forward to trying it out…she will do the suit justice.  This suit, similar to the Trek, says “fast-only please!” 

My every-day attire includes my Wigwam IM socks and Rudy Project sunglasses (ok, not just the two of them, there are other things on too!).  I don’t know what I would do without these things.  Even though I was not racing for most of the season, I still felt like a racer, and was easily targeted as ‘a triathlete or cyclist or some sort of athlete’ whenever I wore the Rudy Project glasses.  And, last but not least…Fuel Belt, Gatorade Endurance and Headsweats…what can I say except that I know there is NO way I could make it through a Houston summer of running without them.    

Congratulations to my fellow teammates…it was always fun to watch and cheer for you online.  It helped to fill the void of not being there in person.  Looking forward to 2008! 

After listening to me sing the ‘poor me’ song one time too many, my 7 year-old, Hanna, looked at me with some frustration and said, “Mom…you get what you get and you don’t pitch a fit.”  Amazing how those little ears hear and retain everything…well, everything that is except when I am loudly exclaiming, “It is bedtime, now go to sleep.  No more talking!” 

Even prior to racing in Lubbock this June, I knew something was wrong.  I had been feeling run down for a long time, I could not retain weight and I was losing muscle mass.  Workouts were hit and miss, and regardless of the amount of sleep I got, I was still tired.  When I raced at Lubbock it reminded me of how I felt in my last High School Cross-Country meet when I raced with mono and was subsequently hospitalized.  It was during the run in Lubbock that I made the decision to step back from racing triathlons for the remainder of the season and focus on getting my health back in order.  Of course, implementing this plan was not a simple process for me…my mind was a battlefield of ‘Train More versus Train Less’ and my family was caught in the middle.      

Yes, there is a time to push things, but as I have learned (the hard way) there is also a time to just…REST.  Rest is a difficult thing to do for us self-proclaimed obsessive-compulsive types, especially during the racing season, and when it does not come on our terms.  I would be lying if I said this is ‘easy.’  Rather, quite the contrary, it takes [me] more discipline to hold back rather than to continue to push myself.  We all start out the racing season with goals and expectations, anticipated race schedules, and when these plans get derailed, due to illness, injury, stress, work, etc. it can be a hard pill to swallow. 

I have been reading Brad Kearns book, “Breakthrough Triathlon Training.”  It is a good book that has at least provided me with some mental relief, especially with the chapter, “The Myth of Suffering.”  Now, not all will agree with what he has to say, but I believe there is merit when he talks about the emphasis we, as athletes, place on suffering.

  
I have come to the realization that there is a distinct difference between persevering and suffering.  According to Wikipedia, perseverance is “human endurance”, while suffering is “a negative basic feeling or emotion, that involves…harm or threat of harm.”  I do not believe persevering involves the potential for harm or damage.  That is not to say one will not suffer at some point in an Ironman or another race, but I think the key is maintaining balance and knowing when to step back.  Persevering through a race is honorable.  Suffering through a race or workout at the cost of permanent damage to your health or serious injury is questionable decision-making. 

I am not writing this to whine or complain…no, the anger and frustration have since subsided.  When your 7 year-old is telling you to ‘get over it’ one cannot help but to move-on, or as I choose to look at it now…move-forward.  I know everybody has their mountain to climb, and most often we come out stronger on the other side.  Besides, there are many other ‘mountains’ I would not even want to attempt to climb.  Temporary setbacks do not mean ‘forever’ and while I did not get to complete my 200 meter butterfly [yet] or compete at the races I set out to do at the beginning of the season, I have found  immense joy in watching others complete their racing goals and have found new interests and goals outside of triathlon. 

I am constantly reminding my girls that life is not fair, and that we cannot always control what comes our way, but we do control our response and attitude to what life throws at us.  Ironically, it took my 7 year-old to remind me of this.

“You must treat your body with kindness and respect and come to the realization that this is your vehicle to move through life and you should not abuse it.”  
-Tim Sheeper, as quoted in “Breakthrough Triathlon Training” by Brad Kearns.
 

I am now officially registered for event #6 in the USMS National Long Course Swim Championship.   This means I am one step closer to the challenge my oldest daughter presented to me earlier this year.

So, how has training for the 200 fly been going?  Quite honestly…I feel like a first-time marathoner who is less than a month out to race day, and has yet to complete a half marathon!  I really wish I had specified ‘short course’ versus ‘long course’ because in my training I have realized one thing…I like walls. 

To make matters a bit more humbling, Lauren and the other kids from her swim team will be timing our events that morning.   Great…this is the opportunity for Lauren to experience what it is like to have to sit in the heat and watch your loved one swim, and a perfect occasion for Lauren to yell and scream at me to ‘kick faster!’ while fully aware that I am already going as fast as I can.

I only hope that cameras are barred from the pool deck.

Happy Training.
 

Emerson wrote, “To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch…to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.  This is to have succeeded!”  

Thank you, Blazeman, for your enduring inspiration to myself and numerous others.

Racing is a great way to guide us in our training…it highlights what we need to work on, feeds our competitive desires, makes us laugh (and on occasion, at ourselves), and can humble us beyond imagination.  Disney 70.3 did not let me down. 

The race day conditions were milder than last year, and the highlight of my morning…warm water!  My goal for the race was to have a better day than California and put the DNF demons to rest.

Upon finishing the race, one of the first phone calls I made was to one of my close friends who, after congratulating me on my finish and listening to me discuss my strengths and weaknesses in the race, proceeded to ask me, “What were you doing in transition?”  I seemed to have overlooked ‘transitions’ when analyzing my race, but she was not going to let me off the hook!  T2 was simple…Mother Nature called, and I made a necessary stop.  She let me slide on that one, but kept pushing to hear about T1.  A bit embarrassed I explained that yes, I failed to listen to the advice of ‘practice your transitions and never try something new on race day.’  Let’s just say…putting on a top when wet proved to be a bit of a challenge for me.  And, yes…I had to laugh at myself. 

But, that was not the only chuckle I had from the race…the surprise came when I realized I suffered (yes, that is the correct term to be used if you saw the size of this ‘wound’) a huge papercut on my backside.  During the first lap of the run my race number was already hanging by one loop on my race belt.  Unfortunately during lap number two (of three), the number fell off.  Thank goodness some participants who were heading the other way saw it happen and gave me a heads up.  The last thing you want to do when you are running is re-trace your steps…but I did not want to be penalized for ‘abandoning equipment’ and so I went back to pick up my number.  Without thinking, I stuck the race number in the back of my shorts.  Well, the good news…no penalty…the bad news…OUCH!
Happy Training.

If you live in California and have not raced the PossAbilities Triathlon, then you are missing out on one short, fast, and fun race.  Even if you don’t live in California, it is a race worth checking out.  Last weekend I had the fortunate opportunity to travel to California to speak at the Inland Inferno Tri Club’s monthly meeting.  Since their meeting was being held in conjunction with the PossAbilities Triathlon, I thought I would take advantage of the opportunity to also race.

I have not participated in a sprint triathlon in seven years.  I have avoided sprint triathlons not because they are too short, or too easy…oh no, quite the contrary…sprints hurt too much!  But, there were two things that drew me to this race.

First, the race benefits the community outreach program, PossAbilities.  PossAbilities assists individuals who were born with or have suffered permanent physical injury.  This effort touches me personally as my grandfather was paralyzed when he suffered a spinal cord injury as an adult.  In addition, I had an aunt who had to have both legs amputated, enduring several operations to do so, as diabetes ravaged her body.  Their spirit and tenacity continue to be a source of inspiration for me.  So, without a doubt, I definitely felt an immediate connection to this race.

Second, the swim is only 150 yards in a HEATED swimming pool!  Now, this is my kind of triathlon.  After suffering hypothermia at California 70.3, how could I resist a WARM (and short) swim?!  No complaints there.

My trip to California, like the race, was short and sweet.  I had a great homestay (thank you Kylie and Mike), was able to get in a good ride on Saturday, and even made a shopping trip to Trader Joe’s (the Triple Berry-O’s cereal is the best).  We arrived to race site early with ideal race day conditions.  The competition was great, and the race was a sell-out success.  The Kid’s Triathlon was memorable…dads carrying multiple kids on their back while the kids are screaming “faster, faster”, and children grinning ear to ear as they are running their hearts out.  I always hope that love for the sport stays with them throughout adulthood.       

Following the awards, the Inland Inferno Tri Club held their meeting and we talked “tri-talk.”  We discussed training, balancing triathlon and family, the benefits of using Spenco Ironman Cycling Gloves (reduced vibration equals more comfort on the bike which means more time is spent on the bike!), nutrition, etc.  Best wishes to all Inland Inferno Tri Club members…may each of you reach your goals this tri season.

Happy Training.