Jingle Bell Jog 2008

We had a great morning today. All of us participated in a local Jingle Bell Jog 5K. We signed up for Tanner. After running a few 2 mile fun runs, he was frustrated with placing in the top few kids and not walking away with a trophy. He was ready to run a 5K.

He ran a 23:50 and placed 2nd in boys 14 and under. Ian beat us both with a sub 21, but his age group is competitive at 17 minutes. I ran with Beast to pace him and still placed 2nd in my age group. Pete is the only smart one among us who runs at a pace to enjoy himself. He was just minutes behind us.

This may not be the best photo of all of us, but I tell you I am thrilled to have it. With Ian off to college next year (and he really doesn't enjoy racing), this may be the only family race photo we get. BTW, Santa hats were encouraged. Tanner and I plan to run this race again next year by ourselves.

Back on the treadmill

I'm not back on the road like Christy, but I am on the treadmill. There won't be any road running for me for another 4 months. I could bundle up and get out there, but the risk of injury on the snow/ice isn't worth it. So it's the hamster wheel for me. There are two indoor tracks, one of which requires 177 laps to make a mile! The other one is better, but it's still 30+ laps. I decided I can't count that high.

Today was my first day on the treadmill in a month. Between my vertigo and sprained ankle, I couldn't exercise. 30 minutes, 12-minute miles and boring as hell--nothing fabulous, but at least I was moving. I'll ditch the air cast next time. That thing is like wearing a heater and I couldn't stretch properly. I'll just have to be careful.

I need a goal. I would love to run the Equinox Marathon they hold locally in September. It was mentioned in this month's Runner's World as one of the toughest! Problem is, I think I'd need to hire a nanny to get the training in, especially once summer hits and there's no school. They also do it as a relay, so that might be a fallback option.

Until then, I'm going to focus on the Midnight Sun Run they hold around June 21 (the solstice). It's a 10K that starts at 10 pm. It will feel weird running at that time, but at least it'll still be broad daylight. If anybody wants to join me, I'm offering free room and board!

I'm Back on the Road

This will be short and sweet since dinner is on the grill and Baby will be up soon. I just had to post because I am very happy to report that I had the opportunity to run this morning. Granted, 5 1/2 weeks post partum it was only a little over 2 miles with only the first of those miles being non-stop and at about a 15 minute pace, but I got to run!!! And, I was able to run with very little pain. My right glute hurt for about 4 blocks then tapered off, after that I was fine, just rusty and slow. The biggest annoyance was my leaky bladder that no one seems to ever talk about when they talk about pregnancy...Keegles, Keegles, Keegles.

2 Dogs and a Kid

What a beautiful day for a run! Usually, I meet my running partner at 7AM on Sunday for 10 miles. This week he is in the field, so I am on my own. The good news is I don't have to get up early and it is cooler now, so I can run later in the day. The bad news is I have to run 10 miles alone. I procrastinated all morning. I finally got fed up with myself and got ready to go.

That's when I decided to talk Tanner into running with me for the first 3. We had a great time together and we had a chance to talk about some things that we have been putting off, like dad and Ian leaving soon. Funny how you can say things while running that you might not at home. Maybe it is just the lack of distractions. Anyway, he had no problem with 3 miles and his pace was easily compatible. I think we will do this more often.

I dropped Tanner at the house and ran down to my running partner's house to pick up his dog, Gracie. She is a Border Collie and she loves to run. I promised my partner that I would run her when he deploys, so since he is in the field I thought we might as well give it a shot now. His wife was thrilled that I could take her. Gracie gets frustrated when she doesn't get to go and her dad has been gone for a while now. She was very easy to run with so we did 5 miles before I took her home.

Finally, I picked up Piper, my Jack Russell (female) for a final 3 miles. Obie (male) really wants to go, but the truth is he doesn't run well, gets distracted and gives up about 2 miles in. Tanner took him for a walk instead. Piper loves to run. She kept looking up at me with this silly dog grin, ears flying and feet prancing. It was such a pretty day and the temperature was perfect. I understood exactly how she felt. I did 11.5 miles instead of 10.

Got anyone you need me to run?

Advice Needed

I am experiencing runner's knee, I am sure some of your have dealt with this issue. What's the best medicine?

I researched it online, the medical sites say I need to rest/ice them until the pain goes away, but the running sites say to make sure to ice after your runs...does this mean I can still run?

Oh, I hate to take it easy but better now than late winter/early spring when I will be vamping up for tri-training.

Running doesn't make them hurt while I run, the only thing that is painful is sitting with bent knees and stairs (especially going down).

What do you recommend or do for yourself when this happens?

Hands Free Running

V -congrats on anther great race, maybe some day I will be up to running a 10K or longer. As for now I am happy with my 3 mile runs (will be trying for 5 on Saturday when the kid is in daycare).

I have been running more, of course with a kid since hubby is deployed. I must share my new love. Stroll Smart, a hands free running devise that attaches to the stroller and you push with your stomach.

From what I read you either will love it or hate it, I just got mine and love it and once I get used to it I think I will like it even more. It takes a little getting used to steering with your mid-section, but having my hands free is worth it. I thought that maybe the dirt trails would be too bumpy for it, but it works just fine. My only complaint is that the belt's hot, not a problem this time of year, but not sure about mid July.

It is currently cheapest on HappyMothers.com, with S&H it comes to $48... well worth the money.

Grape Race

Before I tell you about last night's race, I must admit that I posted that last entry a bit too early to realize how sore I was going to get. The day after the Fastest 10K in the World Race, I got our of bed intending on a nice slow run to stretch eveything out. Well, I got out of bed and them stopped cold. I didn't know if I was going to be able to move. I spent 3 days hobbling around. I have not been that sore after any of my marathons.

Last night I ran the Grape Race through the vineyards. The area is really beautiful. The winery has a nice big yard with huge porches for tasting while lounging. The race itself was
difficult. It was still quite warm at 5PM and extrordinarily dry. We ran on several dirt roads, so the dust was an issue. I can't remember the last time it rained here.

The organizers put on a nice party. There was live music, dinner which was catered by PF Chang's and a nice glass of red wine from the winery. The long sleeve race shirt came in handy as the sun set. Pete is TDY and Tanner ran the 2 mile again so I didn't stay for the after dinner dancing, but maybe next year I will go with a girlfriend and a change of clothes and stay longer.

Tanner finished 1st in the 2 mile, but they didn't award that run. It is time for me to find him a 5K so he can race for time and in a category. I finished 3rd overall and 2nd in my age group with a 43:50 (7:03 mile). I won a medal and a bottle of red Zinfandle from the winery.

I still did my 10 miles this morning. I coughed a lot last night with a rattling chest. I thought I might be getting sick, but now I think it is just the dry air. Tonight I intend on tasting that bottle of red with a big steak.

Blow the Dust Off!

WOW! Someone blow the dust off this blog! You guys must be as busy as I am. While it may be impossible to catch you up, I will try to give you some highlights.

Last weekend I was filled with nostalgia. I was in DC for a conference and it coincided with the Army 10 Miler. I have lots of great memories from that weekend with so many of you. I stayed in the Hyatt this time, but I was frequently at the Metro station near the Marriott. Remember how we found that cheap place for breakfast on like the last day we were there? So glad I remembered and it saved me lots of money. Even though I was TDY, the per diem only goes so far in that town. Christy, I passed that restaurant that you and I ate in after the race. We had those huge Buffalo burgers and we ate all of our fries! We were starving!

So, my life is not my own these days. I have tried to prioritze things so that I don't get into the same predicament that I did last time Pete was in command. I barely maintained my fitness. Well, even though I work in the gym, I have not been very good about getting my work outs in. I have managed to stay around 25 miles per week, but that has been a struggle as well. I have been saying that I need to find a race so that I have something on my calendar and I will make time for training.

Thursday, one of the guys at the gym asked me if I was running the 10K this weekend. What 10K? He told me and I grabbed an application (yes, we had them at the gym and I didn't know). I came home and told Pete I was racing this weekend and we needed to go to the new running store I was told about 'cause I need new shoes and socks. If I can't really train for it I might as well have new shoes. I registered Friday and had a chance to talk with the owner of the store, which is about 20 minutes from me. They offer group runs Tuesday and Thursday evening, so maybe I will check that out.

So this morning, I got up late, rushed like crazy but made it to the race in plenty of time. I ran hard, and I am sore, but I placed 2nd in my age group with a time of 38:59! That's a 6:16 mile!

OK, now I will fess up. The race is called the "Fastest 10K in the World." They bus the racers up to the top of a mountain and you race downhill all the way. The difficult thing is that it is so fast, you feel a bit out of control and it is a hard on the body. I didn't anticipate the altitude difference, so the first few miles are difficult because it is hard to breath. My knees and quads are fine, but my calves are shot and I have blisters. The elites broke the world records. The male winner did it in 24 minutes and something and the female did 28 minutes and some change. They won $2000 for winning and another $10,000 for breaking the 10K world record.

BTW, Tanner ran the 2 mile fun run and was the first kid in. He may be my runner.

My new running store tells me that this week they will do their regular Tuesday run at 6PM and then come back to the store for a wine tasting. Now, that's my kind of running store! Well, they don't do it every week. This is in preparation for the next 10K, which is out near one of the vineyards and is sponsored by such vineyard "The Grape Race." For the race fee, you get a long-sleeve technical shirt, dinner and a glass of wine. If that doesn't convince you, the military fee is only $20 and it starts at 5 in the evening! Finally, a race with food, wine and a evening start.

Life is good.

Waiting to exhale

I only have a minute, but I have a question that has been in my mind for a while. I've been taking exercise classes and the instructor, like all the other ones I've had, tells us to exhale on exertion and inhale on the negative. How important is this?

Sometimes I feel like I'm hyperventilating if I do this and I don't need to breathe that often. Other times, my respirations are off -rhythm, but it doesn't bother me. So should I breathe when it feels like I need to or do as the instructor says?

BTW, I've found that although I'm very weak, my cardio fitness isn't that bad and my balance is really good. I did great on the Bosu ball, but I had trouble climbing stairs for a few days after! I'm really enjoying this class. It changes each time. I'm looking forward to our lifting day. Today we did Boot Camp but it felt more like a football practice. I'm pretty sure I won't be able to get out of bed tomorrow.

Oh, the humanity! (of the Human Race)

Ok - I will start by saying - I'm ok. And I really liked "racing against the world" as Nike put it... and it was fun to race with my friend anastasia (her first race ever!). With that out of the way....... this race was a grade A sh*t show.

Every single person was unhappy at the end - the course was just plain dangerous...but I'll get to that! First of all, the race started 45 minutes late (start time was supposed to be at 6pm). They made all 10,000 runners line up at 5pm. So, for nearly two hours, we stood in 87 degree temps and waited. And waited. It was stunning.

So, at 6:45 - we finally start running. Well, we don't...actually. It takes us 9 minutes to get to the start line... here's why. The "road" we ran on was 12 feet wide. Which may seem like a lot - but it's not. Especially not for 10,000 people... and, here's the best part.... you will not believe this.... you had to do two laps of the course, so the 12 feet wide road, quickly became 6 feet wide to share the road with the 6 minute milers and the 15 minute milers.

Did I mention the roads weren't paved? Because they weren't. It was gravel. With big rocks and occasional holes. I decided at mile 2, as the sun was setting (no, there was really no lighting) that I was just going to power walk the race and focus on finishing it safely.

Here's the best part - at one point, mile 3 for the slow pokes and mile six for the fast guys - the two lanes merged to go over a foot bridge that - NO JOKE - was maybe 5 feet wide - if that. So, we came to a standstill. I'm not kidding. I stood at that footbridge for 10 minutes. People were furious, screaming, pushing. It was not a pretty picture of "the human race". Oh - also? No portapotties on the course - I saw WAY too many p*nises (how do you make that plural?) - I felt like I was back at Angies house at bath time!

I digress.

So, people are literally losing it at the footbridge screaming that they wanted a refund.... turns out that someone was hurt on the five foot wide foot bridge and an ambulance came and got them. Ugh.

So, we're off again after 10 minutes.... and the people that lapped us are screaming "move it, move it, move it..." Holy crap. Seriously? It's not the Boston Marathon. Chill.

Mile four, Mile 5, Mile 6 - all fine. I'm power walking really doing great - passing runners... feeling great and safe and mature that I wasn't obsessed with running - I was obsessed with taking care of myself and having some fun.

Oh - here's my favorite part. Mile 5ish - I see a girl go down. So, there's an organizer next to me and I said - "there's a girl up there who looks like she's hurt" - he says "wha happen?" - which is New York for "excuse me, what did you say, Miss?" I repeat myself. And he says - "oh." and DOES NOTHING! Turns out she was just tying her shoe - but that's not the point!!!!

Did I mention I also ran this with one pupil dilated? It's a long story - but, added to the craziness of the day.

So, not unlike the Olympic Marathon, we finished in a stadium - it was so much fun to finish on a track!!! And - it was lit! And, there were no rocks! Beauty!!! So, finish. Run into Anastasia and quickly tell her that all races aren't like this! We were handed our medal and some hot water and a mushy power bar and sent on our way.

There was a concert - but interestingly, most runners left immediately after the race. A bunch of us talked on the way back to the city - it was so dangerous to have 10,000 runners on a course like this. It's a wonder no one was seriously hurt. We thought MAYBE the course could have handled 5,000. Maybe.

So. The human race. Wow. Glad I did it and glad it's over! :-) Cathy

The Human Race!

So on Sunday, I, and a big chunk of the rest of the world, will be running in the Nike Human Race. It's a relatively flat 10k course and will mark my biggest run in some time. I'm excited about it. Tonight I pick up the race gear. All runners must wear the race tshirt, it's just going to look SOOOOOO neat!! I think this is going to be a very, very cool experience.

I've been in the gym a lot - but find myself on the bike more than anything. That's something that came out of tri-training - I adore doing the random hill course at a challenging level for an hour. There's something I love about saying I bike 21 miles today....!

The weather's starting to turn in NYC - it ALMOST feels like Fall - so, soon enough, I'll be out and about in Central Park. I'll be doing their fall race series - which I just love.

I hope all of you are doing well!!! I will let you know how the race goes!

Did you guys watch the women's marathon? Unreal. Dita blew the others away and at age 38! There's hope for me yet. Ha! How do they still have something left to run a victory lap? I started to wonder if she knew she could quit running! I just can't fathom a 5:25 mile, let alone 26.2 of them. I couldn't even run that pace for a quarter mile.

And Dara Torres in the pool? She's like 41 or something isn't she? These "old" ladies are really impressive. I love the Olympics!

Olympics

Are you guys watching the Olympics? WOW! I love the summer games. Beautiful athletes, strong bodies, determined attitudes. Makes it easy to go to the gym tomorrow.

The Balancing Act

I promise I am still out here. Life has been so very crazy these last few weeks. I started work last week as the Fitness & Group Exercise Manager and I love it. However, it is a balancing act that will require more work. I leave for Dallas this weekend.

I am still getting my miles in, but I have had to compromise a bit and tell myself that 27 miles is close enough to 30 to call it a good week. I am still lifting 3x a week and really working the functional training. I have really enjoyed working on the TRX system of suspension training. I will be certified on that in September.

Tanner started school today so things should get a bit easier to juggle. Between the Brigade, the job, the family, my training, and studying, my eyes look like I am putting in 60+ hour weeks. Oh wait, I am!

I just registered the kids for school and found out their last day is mid-May. So I started to get an idea. Usually the schools have a date that they will count as completing the school year, even though it's a couple weeks before the last day of school. Hmmm....if this date is early enough, perhaps I could make it to Indianapolis in time to run the Mini-Marathon (half) on May 2.

It would be so easy with parents available to babysit, running on my home turf, and an extremely flat course. I might get heat stroke going from this climate to that one, but I'll take my chances.

I'm so excited about the possibility! I'm definitely going to check this out.

Happy Birthday V!

V!!!!! You look absolutely fantastic and hope you had a great day celebrating! I love your new running buddies! Pretty amazing that even one of them can keep up with you. My family's really involved in dog rescue and one of the great fallacies out there is that ALL dogs are runners. They aren't. Some are meant to run long distances but some couldn't care less about running. Glad you found a kindred spirit in at least one of them!! :-)

Fort Bliss looks gorgeous. Who knew?! Stunning. I was up visiting angie at Fort Drum recently...stunning in a different way. It was really pretty but it rains a lot!!! I guess it's due to being so close to a great lake....

I'm doing well down in NYC (I'm not going to complain about the 90 degree heat so as not to upset E ... :-) !!!) It's hot though. I'm getting excited for my race next month. Really excited, actually. I hit my stride last weekend on my long run. It felt great. I had forgotten how much I love getting past mile 3 and just settling in to the zone. I almost get hypnotized a bit. Sounds silly. Anyway, now that I'm not thinking - I need to bike 30 miles after this or that was a lousy swim I just did - I'm just able to enjoy the purity of my feet hitting the pavement and let myself kinda sink into that mode. I love it. I missed it. I need to think about why that wasn't enough for me. There's still much for me to conquer in the world of running. I can get faster and I can go longer.

That's it on my end. All best girls. C

Happy Birthday to Me!

I am 43 years old today. I have been running for 8 years now. For the last 5 years, I've made it a priority to run on my birthday. I savor it and I am so thankful that I can. Here's to another year of counting miles.

V. and Rachel--you both look great! Cathy--good luck with the Nike Human Race! I'm jealous of everyone. I wish I was in shape enough for a 10K and if I hear one more person complain about 90 degree temps I'll scream! Our low last night was 35! It did make it up to 70 today though, first time it's been out of the 50s in a week. Everyone keeps telling me this has been a particularly cool summer, even by Alaska standards, but that doesn't make it any better.

I've been swamped trying to get through my cardboard castle, but I can see the carpet now so I know I'm making progress. I finally found my scale. (As if I'd been looking for it) The good news is I've lost weight in the last 6 weeks, which is a huge accomplishment during a PCS. The bad news is that it was only 2 lbs so I still have 7 to go.

I have used my treadmill twice now. I have two training plans I'm following. I was going to go with the New Runner plan since it's been so long and I feel so out of shape, but I was able to do the Fit Beginner workout so I went with that. It was only 2+ miles. It took me a mile to get the kinks worked out, but then I felt great and remembered why I run. No muscle soreness or achy joints. The only problem is my pelvis. It's still not back to normal. It's mostly a strength issue I think, but I don't know what exercises to do. Lower abs, back, or hips? Probably all. Any advice?

My new snacks are rice cakes, particularly the chocolate and caramel ones. If you take a chocolate one and spread a very thin layer of peanut butter on it so you don't drown out the chocolate, then close your eyes, click your heels and say, "there's nothing like a Reese's cup" three times, then it kinda' tastes like one. Who am I kidding? :) It does take the edge off my sweet tooth though and the kids love that they can have as much of this kind of "chocolate" as they want.

My New Fave Run

Ft Bliss is located at the base of the Franklin Mountains. Most people think that it is just a flat desert out here. It is a desert, but we have a fabulous view. Sunday, I did my long run through McKelligon Canyon. From my house it is a steady rise for 2 1/2 miles to the canyon road. Then, another 2 1/2 miles up the canyon road for a total climb of 1000 feet in elevation. It as a very hard run. But, the 5 miles home was all downhill and fast. It was really beautiful. The canyon road has lots of walkers and a few bikers in the morning. It does get hot fast. Later that day, Pete, Tanner and I went back and hiked one of the trails and took these pictures so you guys could see.

I am not sure if I told you guys that we got 2 Jack Russell puppies in February. That's Piper (for sandpiper) with me and Obie (for OBX, the Outer Banks Beaches) with Pete. Piper is starting to run with me. She can easily handle 3 miles. Together they are known as the boogers.

TRI it again

Saturday was my 2nd Sprint Triathlon here on Fort Carson. It was only the 2nd year they have had it, but what it lacked in organization it made up for in prizes. I will have to actually think about training for it next year to win something. Top male and female and also masters got a beautiful crystal flame trophy and Ipod Nano. Age groupers got metals and 1st place Ipod shuffles, 2nd place Underarmour sports bag, and 3rd place $25 gift card to Dicks Sporting Goods. I improved on my time but hard to compare to the first Tri since the swim and run were longer but the bike leg was shorter.

I placed 8th overall with a time of 1 hour, 14 minutes 11 seconds, placing 7th in my age group. 30-39 is full of all those overachievers. :) Actually in a couple of years when I know what I am doing I may have a chance. I was less than 9 minutes behind the top female, and think I know where I can take that off of with the right training. (Any other age group and I would be good to go.)




With that said...I really don't care to train. I enjoy just doing them because I can. I love to workout but hate to be so specific to do all that cardio to actually win. I am content with just the two for the year. I have too many other hobbies and interests I don't want to take away from at this time in my life. Maybe when the kids are grown or out of the house.

I feel great and recovered immediately afterwards. During the running leg I thought to myself, "I am never doing this again, it's too much work." Then as soon as it is over I am ready for the next one. I am not sore at all, yesterday we did a hill climb ride and it felt great and I felt great. Off to get ready to take kiddo to the pool (that's the kind of training I am talking about, especially with all these 90+ degree days)!

The Tri

So, it was today. After church, I went over to watch the run leg - to cheer them on. When I got over there, most were already done! Everyone who passed me looked like machines. Pure muscle and looked like they could have kept on running. It was a sight. The dedication they put into this sport is pretty tremendous.
I heard a couple ambulances going into the park - the heat was unreal.
I then left and spent the day with friends in Coney Island.
It wasn't until a minute ago when I got home and turned on the news that I saw that a 32 year old man died in the swim leg. They aren't releasing his name because his family in Argentina hasn't been notified yet. It was horrible. And, apparently the river was filled with jelly fish - and the organizers didn't let participants know to expect them. A girl described being stung on the face - shocked - swam on her back to understand what had happened and then flipping back over and continuing to swim.
I'm going to attach the New York Times article http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/sports/othersports/21triathlon.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin but, not sure you'll be able to read it.
This sport is not for me.
I will stay on dry land and run my ass off. That's what I love and that's what I'll do. I hope the man today was doing what he loved. I really do. And, I so admire those 3,000 people today who pushed themselves so so hard.
The tri chapter closes for me. I will do my 10K in August. Look for a ten miler in the winter. And shoot for a half-marathon next year. That will be my race I think. I want to just concentrate on getting faster and stronger.
This isn't a decision based on fear. It's truly based on just focusing on what I love and what I want to challenge myself with. And, a respect for triathletes - and understanding the immense work they put into this and knowing that's just not what I want to do. But, huge props for those (RACHEL!!!!!) who find it in themselves to choose this path. It truly is a special breed - the triathlete..... I don't think I ever really understood - or respected - that.... until now.
So that's it. Anyone need a wetsuit?? :-)

My next race....

I am doing a really cool race on August 31 sponsored by Nike. I wonder if you guys have heard of it?? It's called the Nike Human Race - and hundreds of thousands of runners in 25 cities across the world run at approx the same time to benefit one of three charities. You have to wear your race shirt - so from the pictures on the website - it's an overwhelming sight to see thousands of people running together. Kinda awe-inspiring. And, just what I needed to get back into the swing of things!

In New York, the race is twice around Randall's Island (10k) - which I've never been to! At the finish of the race (starts at 6pm and you MUST be done by 7:30), there will be a free concert in each of the cities - for New York, it's the All American Rejects - which I'm told is a very cool band...!

This week, I've taken a really hard look at why I thought I wanted to do a tri. What I got out of training for one (a lot) and what I actually liked about it. I haven't come to any conclusions yet. But, I know this much - I got into all of this stuff two years back because I like running. I just really do.

And, this week, I'm back to enjoying the training! I have been in the gym every day - and just running and lifting and cross training....

So that's where I am. Hope all's well with you girls! Cathy

I just caught up on the blog and all I can say is, "WOW!" to all of the events as of late. Cathy, I applaud you on realizing and making the decision that you did. I know that it wasn't and easy one. I will still be rooting for you next year! Rachel, the race is a wonderful dedication to your dad. And, I will probably be writing with lots of bike questions in the near future. People around here ride bikes like crazy, so I am hoping for one under the Christmas tree in December. I will just need to help Santa make the right choice. And, V, what a perfect job for you. I remember your running classes in Vilseck and believe that you will be a fabulous trainer. I just wish that I were close enough to take advantage of your skills.

I have been making my way to the gym or outside at least three days a week and usually once on the weekend. This week has set me back a bit because I have been extremely sick with a cold that has kicked my ass. I haven't been able to breath because my nose is so stuffed up (not to mention the growing person beginning to press on my lungs) and I felt so bad on Thursday that I stayed in bed, quite literally, all day. I feel much better today, so I am planning on making a stop at the gym tomorrow. I really need to combat some of the cellulite that has decided to appear on my thighs and butt as well as work on keeping my bottom from spreading too much in the next three months. Additionally, I am hoping that working out will help me avoid too much water retention and swollen ankles and feet.

So, since I wasn't up to working out, I decided to look into buying a few new pieces of clothing to get me through the next six months, hopefully after six months I will be able to fit back into my old workout gear. I sat down at the computer all excited because Beth had sent a maternity t-shirt from Adidas. I love their running clothes, so I thought "Sweet! This should be easy." Oh, how wrong I was. Adidas USED to make maternity clothes, but they no longer do. Same goes for Nike. I guess that the maternity fitness business was not all that lucrative. I tried Gap, Old Navy, Target, Dicks, JC Penny, Macy's, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, Mimi, Motherhood, and Kohls and then finally did a Google search. All of the results went back to the same brand, Born Fit, for anything other than yoga wear. So, I broke down and spent WAY too much for two short sleeved tees, two skorts, and a long sleeved tee. But, I figure that they will be worth my sanity and comfort, not to mention the health benefits attached to continuing to work out. (I really don't like cotton t-shirts, which have been my only option the past couple of months. Plus, my shorts are becoming too tight even under my belly, either that or they hang down way too far to be comfortable.)

All-in-all my workouts are pretty boring, just a combo of back and leg exercises to target all areas. I am really trying to get the muscle tone back in my arms and, again, work on the butt thing. I have also picked up a few extras by watching other gals at the gym. Like weighted side bends for instance. And, I also started doing dead lifts (I think that's what they're called) to strengthen my lower back. Which, I am pretty sure are helping with the aches and pains that I was beginning to feel in that area. Now, I am just hoping that all I am reading about feeling bad during the last few months doesn't necessarily hold true. I am really determined to keep up this workout routine and will be really disappointed if I can't.

I've made a decision

After a lot of time this week in the pool, on the bike and on the treadmill, I realized I just wasn't ready to do a triathlon next week. I'm sad about it - I really can't think of a time when I quit something. But, I have to admit to myself and accept that I just didn't train properly. I am not making any excuses here - I didn't train enough - I let life get in the way and I just wasn't ready.

This morning, I got up at 5am and swam for the first time in an olympic size pool. I could barely do one length freestyle and then would switch to side stroke for the way back. I did this for an hour and thought "well, maybe they would let me do side stroke in the tri?" After an mile in the pool, I jumped out and got on a bike, yesterday I had biked 25 miles, and the plan was to do 25 miles today and then do the full 6 mile run. I got to six miles on the bike and my legs were already throbbing and I thought how am I going to get through another 19 miles on the bike and then THEN run 6 miles? It just occurred to me that I just can't "wing it" with a triathlon.

I always have fear before a race - but this time was different. It was ALL fear. There was no excitement. Before my ten mile race in philly last year, yeah, I was scared, but I couldn't wait to get out there! Get to the expo! I couldn't wait to run. With the tri, I was petrified. And, every email I got from the organizers was a reminder of something I didn't know... how do you change a flat? How do you do an in-water start - as opposed to dive start? What do you mean by "bikes must be racked by the seat"? And, the last email from the organizers described the six very technical, very steep turns on the course. I just realized this was above my head right now and I have too much respect for the sport to think I can just fake my way through it.

I'm sad about it. But, as Angie said "don't cry, try!" (or tri, as the case may be!) I deferred to next year, so I have guaranteed entry. I also will look into sprint triathlons in the area. Maybe start smaller. And, I'll keep up my training, so when I decide what to do next, I'll be ready.

So. There it is. Some sadness around this decision, but it's the right one.

I've been excited to read all of your recent posts... V. - great on the job. That's going to be good for you AND for everyone in the gym! And, Rachel, that's really wonderful about the bike race. Where is it?

Take care girls. Cathy

Future Goal

Well, I have something new to train for in a couple of years. (I would love to do it next year but the logistics with the deployment and prior engagements make it too difficult.)

My mom received a letter from Jim Hughes the President of the Ultra Marathon Cycling Association with the latest copy of the UMCA magazine. They did an article on my dad and announced that to honor my dad and his accomplishments as a cyclist they are renaming the UMCA National Championship the Randy Van Zee Memorial Championship.

To me, that is God telling me directly, "This is what you should do."

It is a 24 hour race, how many miles you can bike in 24 hours. To qualify for RAAM (Race Across AMerica) you have to get over 400 miles. My goal will be to break 300 miles which should place me in the top 3 for females.

I just love a good challenge, thanks dad!

I Got a Job!

It has been so long since I have updated my part of this blog.

The house is done and we have entertained 2x already. I have hooked up with a group that runs every morning at 6:30. Then, I walk another 3 miles with a different group at 8PM (perfect to wear my dogs out before bedtime). Last week I found the gym. It isn't the best gym that I have seen, but it has more potential than the Gold's Gym I was paying for. It is quite large, but it is not as progressive as I would like. That said, the aerobics room has plenty of Bosu Balls that I can use. I just can't take them out of that room. So, once again, I carry my balance board with me.

Here's the big news... Last week when I was working out on my board, the director of the gym came over and introduced himself and asked me about my board and my workouts. We had a great conversation about functional training and training for life. He told me that he is trying to bring those concepts into the gym and to our soldiers and families. Then he offered me a job. I told him that I am not certified, much less qualified to train. He offered to send me to the Cooper Institute for certification. Well, now let's think about this. Cooper is the most pretigious certification in my mind. I would love working in the fitness industry, but I have some issues with most "certified" trainers. I am sure you have all seen the trainers in the gym with terrible form themselves. How can they possibly train someone safely? There are no industry standards on what "certified" means and I think that seriously hurts the credibility of truly qualified trainers. I just do not think you should be able to study a book and take a test, pass it and call yourself qualified to train. Any other health field would insist on internship, clinicals or at least direct supervision for a minimum of time. Doug, the director of the gym, has a Phd, teaches at University of New Mexico, has trained Olympic athletes and develops training programs for our soldiers. When I discussed my issues with certifications, he absolutely agreed with me and told me that he would pay for my classroom part and my testing and then train me himself with plenty of supervision. He also offered to send me back for my nutrition certification later in the year. By the way, I can name my hours and the pay is pretty good. How can I turn that down? I think it's a sign. So, next month I am off to Dallas and the Cooper Institute.

I started to answer E and I got too long, so I decided to post.

I finally got my first run in last night. I think I have mentioned that there is a 3.2 mile track/path right in front of my house. It is really nice. I had the same problem E had last night. The air is so dry that my throat was really parched. I am going to start wearing my camel back even for shorter runs so that I can wet my mouth.

I ran again this morning, so maybe I can get back on track. Since we are living right on main post, I get a 6AM wake up with reveille, I can roll right out of bed and hit the track with good company. Everyone warned me about the heat, but it is really not bad in the morning or in the evening. It may be 85 degrees, but without any humidity it feels like 70.

I met a girl at our reception that has done a few marathons and would like to do the El Paso one in March with me. Maybe I have found my running partner. My next goal is to find the gym. I am giving myself through the weekend to get the house done. Monday starts our new normal.

Two questions

The first is mostly rhetorical, but how do women with big boobs stand to run? I only have this problem when I'm nursing, and it's enough to make me want to wean!

The second is for those of you who have lived or currently live in dry climates. Is this dry air something I'll get used to? I ran last night and it was so dry my throat and lungs hurt. When I woke up this morning, I was hoarse so I know it wasn't my imagination. And I only went a mile and half so I wasn't out there very long.

This kind of worries me because I ran indoor track during the winter in high school. I had to quit because the dry air would trigger bronchial spasms (similar to asthma, but I don't have the disease). I've never lived in a dry climate before and I plan on buying a humidifier, but that won't help me outside.

Just wanted to report that I was able to run the entire way last night without stopping! You'll have to forgive me while I celebrate my mediocrity, but this is a 25% improvement over my previous run, so I'm calling it progress.

There's a Fun Run/Walk this weekend that I might try. Why is it that only 5Ks are called fun runs? Someday, I think I'll plan a race and call it a "26.2 Mile Fun Run"!

Rehab is over

No excuses anymore--today is the first day of my return to running. I am bound and determined to get out there, even though it never seems like I have time. The weather is beautiful and is supposed to hit 75 today and 80 tomorrow! A heat wave for Alaska and I can't wait! Baby is 2+ months old now and I haven't lost any weight in weeks, so I definitely need to get out there.

They have two great programs here. One is a gym with childcare on site--typical for public gyms but unheard of on-post. I can't wait to check it out. The other is during the schoolyear. It's regular childcare on M,W,F for 3 hrs in the morning just for working out. I'm so excited about that one. This way, I'll always have a spot reserved and be able to have a reliable routine. And it's only $40/month!

This weekend is the Midnight Sun Run, a half marathon celebrating the fact that it doesn't get dark here this time of year. It's not something I feel like celebrating though! I'm hoping a little run will get me so tired I can sleep despite the light. I'll take my camera just in case I see a moose. I don't have my bear spray yet, but I'm going to take my chances and hit the trails today!

Wetsuit Question

Hello ladies! I hope everyone is doing well. New York City is HOT. FYI.

I've been doing great on the bike now that I have giant pedals! My last ride outside in the park was about 16 miles. Getting the hang of it and actually starting to like it (a little).

So, now I have to switch gears to think about swimming again. I have to get a wetsuit. Here's the thing... I don't want to buy a wetsuit for a million dollars. I found out you can rent them from Xterra. You tell them your size and they send you one for the race weekend.

Ok. Here are my questions. First of all - is that gross? Wearing someone else's wetsuit? Second, am I going to need to practice getting this thing on? All the books suggest that it's hard getting in and out of them. Third, should I get a full body one? Or the tank one? The water will be about 74ish degrees. Rachel - what did you use? Any tips?

Thanks guys! Cath

My Favorite Run

I did get through the last good week before the packers. We spent this weekend at the beach for sand soccer (way much fun), so it was easier to get to my store for Saturday long run. I don't know about you guys, but our temps have been record breaking (100's) and the humidity is almost unreal for this time of year.

My run was quite bittersweet. Since I was staying at a hotel at the beach, my route to get to the store also happened to be part of the marathon route that we ran. It was the worst stretch and a couldn't help but smile as I remembered the misery of it all. Anyway, I love this run from the store (running path through the neighborhood), into the park (trails) and then out to the ocean front (ocean!). It was really hot and humid; about 80 degrees at 7:30AM. Thankfully, there are water stops along the way. I didn't feel like I was sweating any more than normal when I was running, but the minute I stopped, it was like every pore in my body opened up and just poured sweat. I don't think I have ever been that wet when it wasn't raining. We did 11 miles at about an 8 minute pace. I think that's really good considering it felt fairly easy and the weather was so challenging. Apparently, the heat index was so high there was a heat advisory. We saw two people on the trail fall out and need help. The kids playing soccer at the beach were limited to 7 minute intervals of play time due to the heat. The EMS crews truly earned their paychecks.

I was sad to leave the store. The owners have been so good to me and Pete. Jerry gave me a big hug in all my post-run nastiness. He has really encouraged me, pushed me and then sincerely celebrated with me. I will really miss him, the store employees that have been so positive and supporting, as well as the running community that I have met here in Virginia. I plan to rent a beach place next summer when I bring Ian back to the east coast for college. I am already thinking about the next time I get to do my favorite run.

Attempting to Get Back on Track

I began to comment back to V on her last post, but then got long-winded, so decided to go ahead and post separately. Good luck with the move V! Our recent cross-country trek has been the most difficult yet. I know that it has only been two weeks since our arrival, but I feel as if "things" should be falling into place quicker. I am far too emotional and don’t have a whole lot of motivation. I think it’s verging on depression and I am really trying to give myself a swift kick-in-the-ass out of it.

My saving grace this week has been Husband's need to go to the gym on Sunday, and my overwhelming reaction that if he was going then I was going too. No more putting it off for another day. It was also an eye-opener to what making excuses for several months will do. I have been walking a couple times a week, but other than that, nadda. Now, I am trying to figure out the best way to regain some muscle tone and not doing anything that I shouldn't while pregnant. I started by lifting 3 sets of 20 back, bis, chest, tris & shoulders with 5 lb weights. I could probably go a little heavier, but don’t want to push too hard as I start back. I also did leg 3 sets of leg extensions and road the recumbent bike for about half an hour. I am planning to add a couple water aerobics classes each week and maybe some yoga. I just need to find a bathing suit that fits.

They actually have a pre-natal yoga class at the gym we are going to. The thing that frustrates me about it is that it has an additional cost associated with it. So, basically, I am being punished monetarily for being pregnant, because the other yoga classes are included with the membership fee. I am pondering the thought of attending the regular yoga class and making the instructor modify the poses for me. After all, that’s included in the price that I am paying for the membership, right?

As for the water aerobics, I am intimidated by the thought (preconceived notion) that I will be the only “young person” amidst a group of old ladies. I am just weary of feeling out of place. I read back on Cathy’s spin-class experience and figure that it can’t be that bad. Still, I am not real great at being the new girl in a class of veterans and on top of that joining the group by myself. It would be so much easier if I had a friend to take the leap with me. But, that’s not going to happen anytime soon, so I will have to suck it up and take the plunge. (Yes, that was pun intended!)

One More Week of Good Opportunities

This weekend, Tanner has a full 3 days of sand soccer. Actually, Virginia Beach will host about 9000 soccer players at every level for the North American Sand Soccer Championship. We have decided to spend the weekend on the beach at one of the local hotels on the strip for the excitement.

Our packers come Monday through Wednesday the next week with the house hold goods picked up on Thursday. That puts us back at the hotel before we start our drive west on Saturday morning, the 14th.

That gives me this week to really prepare for the packers. I need to sort out, pack for the trip, clean, etc. I also have my last appointments...dentist, doctor and hair. However, it is also the last week that I have for good quality workouts before I lose control for several weeks. I did 10 miles yesterday (with 90 degree temps and soaring humidity). Today, I ran 8 miles and got in a great lift.

Tomorrow is the doctor. I am not sure that I told you guys that I think I have a small abdominal tear. It feels like I think hernia would feel, but there is no protrusion. From what I can research, it seems to be a thing with distance running...a sports hernia. Hurts like hell. I haven't been able to do abs for about 2 months. I feel it about 6 miles and with several lifts, like pull ups. It even hurts when I roll over in bed. Anyway, I have an ultrsound scheduled for tomorrow.

So, I am trying to juggle all the appointments, things to do in the house, and my workouts for the week. It is also Ian's last week of school with finals. He leaves for the Naval Academy Summer Camp on Saturday and is back 2 days before we drive. On and on I go. It is not like we haven't done it before (yeah, like ? times). And knowledge comes from that experience...the knowledge that I have to really relax for about 3 weeks for the move, unpacking and settling before I can come back again. This week I am praying for the motivation and creativity to find a way to get it all in just one more time. Wish me luck!

Army Ten Miler Entry Needed

I have a favor to ask! I am registered for this year's 10-miler, but my friend missed the registration and is now hoping to have someone transfer one to her. She's watching the transfer thread like a hawk, but I'm hoping you could let me know if you hear about someone not needing theirs. She's also a new mom; used to be in the Army, too...and is really looking to get back into shape. We really want to do it together....So please let me know if you hear of anyone not needing their registration!!!

Thanks!

Hello Friends!

Just checked the blog and V - I loved your post. Not a rant at all! And, I agree with you and Rachel - people say all the time they can't believe I just turned 38. Well. I never smoked. I try to take care of myself. There is a benefit. My friend Sarah just bought a gorgeous dress for a wedding she's going to in July - she tried it on for me and asked me how it looked - and I said - honestly - I said it looks like you work hard (I know she does) and it looks like getting up at 6am to run 6 miles - it pays off and then I also said the dress is pretty. She looked amazing. And, it's because she works hard - she eats tofu. She runs a LOT. Anyway... so, yes. FYI - V, Rachel, Sarah - all of us - athletes. For sure.

Ok. So update on THIS athlete! :-) After a lot of fear. A lot of rain and slick roads preventing me from getting out there. Saturday morning. I got on the bike for the second time. I walked it to the park. It was still a little slick from the rain the night before. But, I knew I was looking for an excuse. It wasn't that bad. I wore regular sneakers (forget the clips for the time being). Threw a leg over the bike and almost fell right away - but, stopped. Got my mind in focus. Got back on and rode. Ok. So, I'm not sure what I thought it would be like out in the elements... but, it's so much harder riding outside than on a stationary bike. Lord. So. Did five miles and then they asked bikers to stop because there was a huge race in the park that day. It was enough time for me. I shifted gears. I did the toughest hill in the park - Harlem Hill. Then, I walked the bike home. I felt really good about it. Thanks for all your advice on this - it helped to just forget the clips for a while. As my scottish friend said - you learn to walk before you learn to run - "bin" the clips!

This morning, I swam for the first time in a while. I was right where I left off. I didn't lose anything in the pool. I think that the past month I took off getting over being so sick and then dealing with my uncle's passing - it didn't hurt my progress. It was like I hit the pause button. But, what I decided today is this.... I don't want to just "get through" the triathlon. I want to do it in a way that I'm proud of and that is safe. That said, I need to build up my cardio and my strength. And, I need to eat better - more protein.

I'll keep you posted! Cath

Are You An Athlete?

Someone recently described me as "a marathoner." I corrected them and said, Oh, no, I am not a marathoner. I have only run 3." I realize that is more than most people will run in a lifetime, but I think of marathoners as someone who does them regularly. I think of myself as a middle-distance runner. But, it causes me to ponder...

It took me years to consider myself a runner and even more to think of myself as an athlete (the ultimate title). I still struggle with it sometimes. I tend to use that word, "just." I am just a mom. Just an average 40 something woman. I just run middle distance. That's all true, but apparently I do choose to work a bit harder than many on fitness. A recent conversation at the gym...

I was on my balance board and a woman came over to ask me a question about it. She said she thought I was in great shape. I thanked her and then she warned me that after children I would have a more difficult time staying in shape. I told her I have 2 kids, but, yes, it does get harder. She was a bit surprised and then recovered by telling me that when I am her age everything seems to change and move south. (OK lady, can you not see the wrinkles. My forehead is an advertisement for Botox before pictures.) So, I take the bait and ask her at what age I might expect to see these changes. She told me that she was 37 and once you pass 35 all bets are off! I told her I wasn't willing to give up yet and that I was turning 43. She told me I must have good genes.

She may be right. I may have good genes, but what about the 30 miles I run each week and the 3 days of weights and the careful diet? How about the constant juggling of the schedule to get it all in? What about the things I give up? I ran intervals on the treadmill this week for an hour. I watched how most of the people on the cardio machines were just toodling along. They were watching TV, chatting with a friend, walking while holding on to the rails. I am sure some of these people are doing the best they can and I am happy they are trying. But, for real, most of them were not working hard at all. They are the same ones that complain that they go to the gym 5 days a week and lose nothing. I'm sorry, I think I am ranting.

Back to my musing. If I am not willing to call myself an athlete or a marathoner, how can I expect anyone else to recognize the hard work it takes year round to stay in shape. I don't think you need a race or specific event to prove your status as an athlete. I think you just need the mentality that you will train your body regularly, year round, for life. Understanding, that life will get in the way and there will always be a reason why you can't work out. Athletes find a way to get it done anyway. Sometimes you have to interpret life's challenges as a necessary break (think pregnancy, moving, starting new jobs etc) The difference is that athletes know they will come back having learned to balance or readjust to accommodate this new challenge and still allow for a fit mind and body.

So, here's to you, my friends and fellow athletes!

Getting Back Into the Swing of Things

Well, it has been about 8 weeks since I received the "go ahead" from my doctor at my 6-week check up. I was set to get right into action and that has yet to really go as planned. Life has been a little busy for us and I had wanted to start working out right after our move (that was about a month ago). I had big plans to really start getting back into shape while we have been at my parents' place in Minnesota but we were welcomed with snow. It melted a few days later and I did get out and jog/walk a bit. Then it snowed a foot again. Since then I've been really bad about getting back out there.

Trying to time the workouts is well, difficult. Plus, I have self-diagnosed myself with Pregnancy Related Pelvic Girdle Pain (otherwise known as symphysis pubic disorder). I had issues with this during pregnancy and I guess most women probably do. As I keep reading up on it I get a bit upset because it says my doctor should have assessed it more than saying "well, that's just one of those things that happens during pregnancy." It did hurt a lot more when I was pregnant but even now just walking at a faster pace hurts so I am trying to take it easy since that is supposedly all I can really do until my body stops producing relaxin.

I am getting a bit frustrated because I really want to get back into shape and running was my way to "get away" for a while. And of course, I hate feeling the fat bounce up and down on my ass. Seriously not cool. And running is about the only thing I have found that really works for me. Has anyone ever had this post partum and if so can you offer some advice? I guess until it starts to feel better I need to be better about doing my pelvic floor exercises, keep doing my yoga DVDs and possibly hopping on the bike. I haven't tried the elliptical either so maybe that will be ok.

I'll appreciate any advice!

Pain is Temporary

"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever."
-Lance Armstrong

I can't do my regular long run this weekend, due to kid conflicts. So, I decided I needed to get my long miles in mid-week and swap it for a short run that I will do Saturday. It makes things a bit of a challenge since I still have my gym schedule and yoga. Is it just me, or does every week seem like a scheduling nightmare? I have taken to sitting down each weekend with my Outlook calendar and literally scheduling my workouts on the calendar so that I have a visual. I find that the day gets away from me or I don't think I have time when I actually do if I deconflict early on.

So anyway, I had a hard yoga session yesterday, followed by an 11 mile tempo run at a 7:40 pace. It was 80 degrees and windy (of course). I came home to find this quote in my running club's newsletter. Pain for me can be physical or it can be emotional (much worse). For instance, guilt, if I know I should be doing something and I am not. I am glad I didn't decide it was just too hard this week.

I TRIed

Well, I did it and I am darn proud of myself and did my best. I was happy with how I did considering my circumstances.

The swim was the hardest, the pool was a human blender and it looked liked they had turn on jets, very choppy. You started based on your estimated finish time. I was number 92 (starting at 31) and there were well over 200 people behind me yet. Most everyone was swimming at a faster pace. I was bound and determined not to get passed so I wouldn't have to pull over and wait while I was passed. So I swam my little heart out. I was exhausted and could barely get out of the pool at the end. I have no idea how to translate my swim time so I have no idea what it was.

Both of my transition times were horrible, they aren't lying when they say to practice. My advise is to practice when your heart rate has been at max for 5 minutes. I have already peeled off 3 minutes mentally for next year on what to do differently. The transition area was indoors which was awesome. The windchill was 24 that morning and the winds were howling.

The bike ride was grueling. The hardest most have ever ridden. 35mph out of the NNW with higher gust. It was hard going down hill. It took me 40 minutes to go 7.75 miles. Then we got to turn around. Boy was that fun. My average mph on the way back was 28, 25 uphill, 32-35 downhill. It took me 60 minutes total. (I was very glad to have my new bike... more on her later).

Prior to this event I was a 5k virgin, never even ran 3 miles in training, I was up to 2 when my dad died and then my training ended. Ironically it was a lot like sex the first time. At first I thought, 'oh no, what I have gotten myself into'. Then a little while later it was, 'this isn't so bad,' and then just like that it was over. :) The run ended up being the easiest of the three for the day. I finished and felt great. My run time was 25 minute 10 seconds. (Now I am curious to find out what it would be if I wasn't exhausted from the swim and bike ride prior.)

My finish time was 1 hour 40 minutes 5 seconds. I was hoping for 1 hour 30 minutes but with the wind on the bike ride, that was impossible. I was 5th in my age group (out of 34) and 15th overall women (out of 95). I am happy with that. I should/could have been 11th overall, my times in all three events were faster than those ahead of me but my transition times were to slow. I can't wait for next years and shouldn't have a problem being in the top 10 (as long as no one dies).

My reward taste awesome. The event was extremely well organized and they honored my dad with a moment of silence and wanted me to say a few words about him (I had the heads up on this). I don't have the slightest idea what I said but everyone said it was good.

Sad times for our bloggers.

We have had our dose of saddness on this blog. Angie and I lost our uncle somewhat unexpectedly two weeks ago. It really knocked us all on our collective butts. I've never really had that experience - where you turn off machines and watch a person slip away. I would have thought I would have nightmares (I'm such a scared-cat) but I didn't.
Needless to say - my training has slipped a lot. I was already sick from the outbreak monkeys that I call my nephews (!!!). It's been three weeks and I finally feel on the mend. Between vomitting and burying my uncle, my bike came in.
It is terrifying. For all the reasons that have been posted on this blog recently and for reasons that haven't (a member of my tri-club was hit last week - 45 stitches in his face).
So, I have used this as an excuse to just look at the bike for the past three days. And, with each day, it gets scarier. And, they have made this bike more complicated than f*cking flying the space shuttle. They have made it seems impossible. So, I have let this white monstrosity stare me down and win.
This morning though, I decided - f*ck it. I bought it. I have to ride it. I'm going to fall. But, I have to just do this. And, said to myself - there must be a reason that there's the saying "as easy as riding a bike..."
So, across the street from my apartment is a small paved park (where all the UN protests are - if that rings any bells). It's always empty early in the morning. So I went over there and tried. I wiped out immediately. I was clipped in and paniced and couldn't remember how to unclip - so, in slow motion, fell straight on to my knee. I did it in four minutes out. I stood up. Scared as hell. Bleeding. And got back on. And this time, rode for a couple minutes, and then wiped out again, this time on the other side. This time, so bad that a door man came running over to me. I told him I was learning and not to be alarmed. (even though on the inside, I was waaaay past alarm...). I was scared. I wanted to take the bike and give it to the doorman (who said it was really a good one) and limp home.
But, I've never let fear beat me. So. I got back on. And I forgot about gears for the moment and just practiced clipping and unclipping. Fast and slow. Unclipping and stopping. Unclipping and still riding. I did it for about an hour. And, I did my trick from years of therapy - I found I went to a mantra. Saying over and over "this is fun. this is fun. this is fun."
FYI? It wasn't. But, I feel like it might be in a while. Maybe.
After an hour of practice, I went straight to the drug store to get first aid bandages and cleaning stuff. One knee is just scrapped up. The other has a huge bump on it, but I figured if I cracked or broke it, I would know (based on how I felt with the calf tear - when something's bad - it's f*cking FEELS bad). I'm icing and took some tylenol and am already making deals with myself to get back out there. Next time... long pants....
I am thinking about all of you all the time. Rachel - I hope you and your family are feeling better. Just getting through my uncle's funeral -it was so hard, and I was so grateful to have angie - I hope you have a strong network around you and know there some random chick in New York City praying for you!
More later - Cathy

Congrats V. on getting to know your feet! Next you'll be doing backbends and the splits! I hope there's a yoga class in Alaska that I can take.

I have come to the realization that I can't call my current goals "training". Rehab is a more appropriate word. I've been walking and slowly increasing my distance. I hope to be able to go a mile today. Isn't that pathetic? But I feel stronger each time I go and I can call what I do a walk now instead of a shuffle/hobble. My pain is gone except if I do a lot of bending, then I get some sciatic pain. But it's nothing like when I was pregnant.

I plan on building up to walking 3 miles, then I'll try jogging for a few minutes. Hopefully I can be at this point before we move and I can start running after the move.

My dr told me to start any toning exercises with my arms and work my way down. I figure that between carrying this baby around the house, plus carrying her in the car seat up and down the stairs, that I've been getting some good shoulder/arm workouts in. I need to move to my abs now and boy, is there a lot of work to do there!

I wasn't in any hurry to get the weight off, but now we're planning on staying at The Great Wolf Lodge when we move. If I'm going to have to get into my bathing suit in 6 weeks, I need to get moving. I have 10 lbs left to lose, but I think 5 will be enough. My suit is a tankini with board shorts=very forgiving.

The Indianapolis Mini-Marathon (a half) is this weekend. They hold it annually to kick off the Indy 500 celebrations that take place all month. It used to be the biggest one in the U.S., but I don't know if it still holds that title. Kind of sad since I really wanted to run it this year, and next year I'll be too far away, but I'll still keep it as a long-term goal. Right now, I just need to focus on the first mile!

Running Without A Clue

A few weeks ago, I noticed that I was running every run too fast. I'm not sure what my motivation was. I think I have been training for something specific for so long that me and my Garmin were in constant competition. So, for the last week and a half, I have been running without anything to measure myself. No Garmin, no watch. I don't even look at the time when I leave the house. I know all my mile markers through the neighborhoods, so I do know how far I am running. It has been good for me. I still run at a good pace, but I don't torture myself with comparing every mile. If the wind is up, I don't push through it. If I hit an intersection with traffic, oh well, I stop and rest a minute. It has been very freeing to just run. I have no idea if I did better than last time.

Yoga update: I CAN TOUCH MY TOES! I am still not very good at this thing, but I have made definite improvement and I will continue when we move to Texas.

My strength training is improving as well. I was able to do 3 sets of chin ups this week, 10, 7 and 5 and I moved up to the 35lb dumbbells for my incline press.

How is your week?

What an Ass!

I am so mad at my gym! For weeks I have been using a Bosu ball. It looks like half of a ball on a flat stable bottom. I do about half of my leg workout on it. So, this past week I couldn't find my ball in the leg area where it has been. I wandered the gym and then went to the front desk to see if they knew where it was. This one guy that works at the front desk is very nice and he attempted to help me. Well, we found 4 of them in the Team Training room and none of them were being used. One of the personal trainers saw us and told us that I could not use the ball that they were only for personal training clients. What?

My friend at the front desk tried to track down that decision and even called me at home to follow up. He was told that a member personally bought the Bosu ball for her personal training sessions. OK, what about the other 3? Why does a member have to buy their own equipment? I have lots of personal equipment. Can I bring it to the gym, load it in a corner and expect the gym to guard it?

This area has 3 Gold's Gyms, all owned by the same person. The other 2 gyms not only have this equipment, but they are out of the floor for anyone to use. The next time I went to the gym, my friend encouraged me to talk with the general manager since this is not my only complaint. It was a terrible discussion. He was such an ass and had an answer for everything.

Me: I would like to be able to use the Bosu balls.
Him: We only have one and it is personally owned.
Me: You have 4.
Him: No we don't (eyes rolling).
Me: Yes you do.
Him: No we don't.
Me: Yes...you do!
My Friend: Uh, boss, yes we do.
Him: Oh.
Me: So, the other gyms have theirs out on the floor for all members.
Him: Not Virginia Beach.
Me: Yes, they do.
Him: No they don't.

UGH!

Me: We only have 3 stability balls in entire gym, they are all different sizes and all of them are flat.
Him: Well, everyone wants a different level of air. You are small, so you want it inflated a lot. I am big, so I want it flatter. We have a pump at the front desk so you can pump it back up.
Me: If we had more balls, that wouldn't be a problem. Really, 3 balls for the whole gym?

Me: Can we get a box to reach the chin up bar?
Him: You can get an aerobic step out of the group exercise room.
Me: I would have to stack about 5 risers to reach and that quite inconvenient since the steps are downstairs and the chin up bar is upstairs.
Him: You are the only one that has asked for a box.

Me: The weighted straight bar and EZ bar sets are incomplete. We have a 20 pound bar, 30, and then 50 pound bar. There is a 40 pound bar in the EZ set. Most girls don't make 10 pound jumps in their weights.
Him: Can't you just add plates to the bars?
Me: Um, no the weights are fixed and flush at the end.

It became very clear to me that he didn't want my feedback. He told me that I was the only member to ever request specific equipment. There was much more to the conversation, but it is not worth it to detail. I told him that I have always been a loyal member of Gold's, but I was disappointed that this particular gym not only was difficult to really do a progressive workout, but it is vastly different than the other two in the area. Almost every workout requires me to compromise. Some really inexpensive things would bring it up to date. Ironic that they just spent thousands to install a cardio cinema (with only elliptical machines), but we are arguing over $20 stability balls. Clearly, I can just go to one of the other gyms, but they are inconvenient. The Norfolk gym would be about 30 minutes away. I have less than 2 months here or I would end my membership. I need to take the plunge and drive to Norfolk. It is just frustrating. I really felt like he was talking to me as if I am "just" a girl at the gym. You know the type that think that girls just toodle at the gym, they don't really lift weights or do a serious workout? What an ass!

What Happened

So the Iowa State Patrol investigator came by Friday and reenacted the accident for us and gave us a little more info. The gal, 21 years old, had been text messaging, on her way to a tanning session, when she glanced up and saw my dad but it was to late. She tried swerving to miss but there wasn't enough time/room. She hit him almost directly from behind. He flew up on the hood and hit the frame of the car (where the windshield meets the roof) with the back of his head (breaking his helmet). It fractured his skull and lacerated his brain stem and he died immediately.

She did not have insurance (which is law in Iowa) so my mom gets nothing, no burial costs or settlement. Hard pill to swallow since she has enough money for a cell phone and tanning sessions but no insurance. She received a $750 fine.

The days have gotten tough. I was dreading the Tri, but ran into someone my mom works with whom I know and she is doing it as well so that makes me feel better. Training is none existent at this point, I am hoping to swim tomorrow. This town doesn't have a pool :) so I will be traveling three towns over to swim in theirs. I still need to time myself for my approximate finish/start time. It is warming up and everyday I have hopes of biking outside but every warm day has brought 40mph sustained winds. :(

Can I Lift?

I am at work, so I have to keep this short, but I really need some advice. I know that I could go to my doctor, but I think y'all will be a better source. I am not liking how my arms are looking these days and with summer currently rolling into NC, I want to take care of them if possible. So, with my present condition in mind, can I lift bis, tris, shoulders, back, and chest? And, if so, how much weight can I lift? I am walking a few times a week, time permitting, but I need to bump that up too. Any ideas, tips, and pointers would be greatly appreciated.

This and That

It was 80 degrees here today after 10 days of low 50s and rain/drizzle. The change in weather called for a run at the beach. There were lots of people on the boardwalk and the wind gusts (30mph) brought out the surfers. I haven't run down there since the marathon and it felt great, even with the wind. I need to remember the sunscreen since I am sitting here feeling the tingle of sun on my shoulders. I did remember my sunglasses and hat.

This is week 2 of running at least 28 miles per week and 3 days of lifting. My body has been so sore, but it is good to be back. I can already see the change in my shoulders and lats.

Friday, I participated in a fitness exam by the clinic that runs out of my gym. They scanned my feet, checked my posture and flexibility, checked my body fat, and measured my antioxidants, which is supposed to be indicative of my nutrition health. No surprises on my feet and no thanks for inserts. I have learned my lesson and will stick with Mizunos. My posture is not too bad, but my head comes a bit to forward, too much computer time. I know you think I flunked flexibility, but I didn't. Yoga has helped considerably. It is still not a strength and I am not even sure that I like it, but I am working on it and clearly, it is good for me. My body fat is the lowest it has been, but I still have a period, so no worries.

The antioxidant thing was interesting. Apparently, I scored higher than anyone they have ever scanned. The machine uses a blue laser to scan the fatty part of your hand to measure your carotenoids, which is an indicator of your overall antioxidant protection. I am still skeptical about the accuracy of such a test, but I won so who cares. Most people score about 1900. I scored 4300. See, red wine is good for you! Ok, so are fruits and vegetables.

I have decided not to run the half marathon I planned. I don't think I could run it without trying to race it and I was not enjoying the pressure I was feeling. I worked hard for the marathon and I need to back off for a bit and just enjoy my runs without thinking about a win. It is also $100 for us to run it and you know, that's a lot of money considering other things we could do. Thursday, I didn't feel like running, so I didn't! I would have never done that with a race coming up in a week.

To follow up on the marathon towing adventure, I spoke with one of the race directors. He was furious and promised to bring this up at the local business owners meetings and the local city council. He was so upset that so many runners were treated that way when so much effort (his and his wife's) is invested in drawing the traveling crowd. I hope the city is more runner/race friendly next year.

Speaking of the marathon, I got my awards. They did marble tiles with the name of the marathon, date, location, and placing around the edges with a shamrock in the middle. I have two. One for a first place finish in my age group, and one for a second place finish for our team. I use one as a coaster next to my computer. I like them. They are different, can be used in several ways, and don't scream "gag me with your marathon."

I am not sure that I will race again before we move in 2 months. I have done well. We did 4 hard years in Europe and wanted to take full advantage of the year of school. Pete really wanted me to have the chance to run and train hard; to see my potential. As moms and wives, especially Army wives, we rarely get this opportunity to focus on ourselves. I am also blessed to have a husband that is secure enough with himself that he is not bothered with the fact that his wife runs faster than him. Anyway, I have placed in every race I have run this year from the 10K, to the marathon. I really can't ask for more than that. I have some really big running goals for Texas, but they don't involve any personal success. We'll talk about that later.

E, you were on my mind all day. I ran hard for you and was thankful that I can.

Ready to get back on the wagon

I have two days left of being pregnant (finally!) and I've already got my "training plan" worked out in my head. I put that in quotes because I don't really think of it as training until I can actually run and it will be a little while before I build up to that. But my short term goals are all laid out. I've even got some potential 5K fun runs/walks lined up.

I'm giving myself 2 months before I plan to run. If I feel up to it before that, then I might try, but running isn't in the plan until after we move. After 9 months of holding down the couch, I'm starting from scratch so the beginner walking plan is for me. How appropriate that an article in this month's Runner's World is about how to start from a zero fitness level and build up to running. I would expect this article to come out in January for all the New Year's resolution people, so somebody must be reading my mind!

I have a friend who's a marathoner and she had to take time off during her pregnancy too. Her dr told her that the cardiovascular demands a pregnancy places on the body is enough to maintain the cardiovascular fitness she had before getting pregnant. If that's true, I just need to build muscle and endurance (no small task). It will be slow-going and frustrating at times, but I'm in no hurry. As long as I can get outside and move, in any capacity, it will be wonderful.

Wish me luck this weekend and I'm pretty sure delivering a baby counts as an equivalent cross-training activity for running a few miles, right?

Signing Off for Now

We just received word today that my father was hit and killed while biking. We are headed to Iowa tomorrow. C will stay through the funeral and then fly back, Kiddo and I will stay in Iowa with my mom until the end of May.

Since I have the blogger dashboard saved in favorites I have no idea how to log in otherwise. So there is a possibility I may not log until the end of May. I still hope to do the Tri beginning of May... time will only tell.

Please keep us in your prayers, especially my mom.
Rachel

My crotch is level...and assorted stories from Tri-land

Hello people!! It's been a long time. I have been reading - but haven't had a chance to write and I'm sorry! Work has been intense - but, I've kept up the training for the triathlon and have been so looking forward to giving you guys the update on where I am!!

Dude. Triathlons and triathletes are ridiculous. This will be a recurring theme throughout this post. So, last week - I finished up the base/winter training program. Always, my plan was to do that four months on my own and then join a triathlon club so I really learn how to do this stuff, figure out the gear, make some friends that "get" this stuff and why I want to do it, have motivation of others to push myself harder....

So. I joined one. I found a good club with a great gym and huge pool. Included in the annual fee are a daily TOUGH workouts with superstars instructors. I was scared. Excited. I signed up for my first bike class on Tuesday morning at 5:30am . I put out my clothes and my sneakers the night before. Figured out what time I had to leave to get up there by then... I was like a kid before the first day of school!

I got myself to the gym no problem. And, I'm a morning person, so it's not that hard for me to get up at 5am. I walked into the spin class and there were a bunch of people dressed alike who looked at me like -- "what the f*ck are YOU doing here". So. A hard core spin class at a hard core gym???? Very different that my shi-shi manhattan experience - with orchids next to the spin bikes. Basically. It's a bare room. So I look around trying to figure out what to do - and see ok - I have to drag a spin bike to the middle of the room. Ok. Fine. So I do it. Then, someone starts screaming "NOOOOOOO put it on a mat" Ok. So grab a mat. Drag the bike onto the mat. Then think.... what now? The class is full at this point - with people who are all in the same get up and have fancy shoes made especially for bikes... hm? Anyway - so I am standing there - trying to look pleasant so maybe someone will help me. I'm smiling and I'm sure I looked like Rainman.

Finally, the girl next to me decides to speak to me... there is a God.... and, she opens her mouth... and I think...God Bless her she's going to help me! And, she says "what is WRONG with you?" Oh. Wow. So, I just say that I'm not sure how to work this stuff and she looks at me like I'm Osama Bin Laden - AND I smell like dog sh*t - and just says "ask the instructor". Nice. Also? She's clearly been doing this for an eternity. Whatever. So I walk up to the instructor when he finally shows up and, as I say a big "Hi! I'm new - do you think you can help me?" He interrupts and rudely says "give me a minute - i'll come over when I can..."

Ok. Fine.

But, I will tell you, and this is the Army brat in me - I know I will win over all of these people by month's end. They have their clique. They are going to be mean for a while - but, I'll wear them down. I went to three high schools - I know how to do this!!!

It turned out ok. The instructor finally set me up. I really enjoyed the class. All the base training paid off. I could do it all for the whole hour. It was really intense and geared completely towards tri-prep. But, they spoke another language completely. "Get it in the 3s!" "Let's do a cadence. Ok stop cadence!" I will get it eventually. Right now, I haven't a clue what they are talking about.

One girl forgot herself and actually smiled at me at the end of the class. I'm sure she was flogged for it later.

No matter. I got up the next morning for the 5:30am brick - and, I put my mat down and dragged the bike out and set up my seat. And, kicked a**. Then went and did a 25 minute run following. It felt great.

But, now all the training moves outside in Central Park.... and I don't have a bike yet - so, this is where my level crotch comes in.....

So, I want to get out in the Park with the tri club. Need to bite the bullet and buy a bike. Which - not only is it expensive - it will take up 100square feet of my 500square foot apartment...It's a real commitment I'm making. Anyway - I decided to take advantage of this "tripackage" that SBR has - so you get a bike, a helmet, the fancy shoes, two shorts and singlets... it's a great deal.

I went to SBR after work - thinking, I'll just go pick up a bike. Lord. FYI? Nothing in triathlons is easy. The SBR people are awesome - the people in the store were awesome... it was the first time I have encountered nice triathletes and I can't tell you how happy I was.

But, you just don't walk in and buy a bike. First of all, a bike comes in 295,035 pieces. Second, you need to pick out pedals - they aren't one of the 295,035 pieces. Third, you have to have your crotch measured. I am not kidding. I had to lean against a wall with a level between my legs - literally ALL the way up - when the bubble was where it was supposed to be - they measured my height to my knee and to my collar bone. Part of me thought maybe he was hitting on me - and then I remembered that my breath smelled like McDonalds and I have two inches of gray roots at the moment, and I thought, my crotch balance/imbalance must be important to this transaction.

I'll get a call tomorrow to find out when they will have a bike in my size and we'll go from there.

I am really loving this stuff. Which is good because now I have to work out six days a week for one to three hours. It's absurd - but, it's really helping that I'm a morning person because I can get it all out of the way before the city wakes up.

I will start writing more regularly and hope all of you guys are doing ok!!!! Love, Cathy

The Rest of the Story

I know, I promised I would tell the rest of the story and two weeks have already past.

About 2 weeks before the race, I noticed a small lump in my bottom left eye lid. It continued to grow and the right eye got one too. Being the research queen that I am, I got online to figure out my symptoms and decided I had 2 styes. I followed the advice of warm compresses and cleanings 4-5 times a day, but they wouldn't go away and the left one was getting out of control. After a week or so, it was clear I had to go see a doc. The left one was so big that my vision was blurry and my face hurt down into my cheeks. Makeup was out of the question. I looked like I had been in a hell of a fight. Anyway, I finally get into the clinic (claiming vision problems gets you in pretty quick.) The doctor, who had the personality of a rock said that they probably needed to be lanced! You know the saying, I would rather poke a needle in my eye? Well, here was my chance! Yikes!

I still couldn't get in to see an opthamologist and have the procedure before the marathon, so I ran with blurry vision and a big honking goiter-looking thing growing from my eye. My plan was to run in sunglasses so I didn't scare anyone. Too bad it was cloudy and I would have just looked stupid in sunglasses. We will be doing some photoshop to those race photos! I did have them lanced Monday morning. By the way, it was one of the worst things I have endured.

Then...

Sunday morning of the marathon, Pete and I drove into Virginia Beach plenty early enough to find parking. We were competing for spaces with the half marathon people who had an earlier start than us. Every side street was full, so we drove around looking for open parking lots. Most business at the beach have signs forbidding parking unless you are customers, with threats to tow. We decided to stop at the Harris Teeter for a last bathroom opportunity and some provisions for the ride home in case they ran out of food. As soon as we got out of the truck, an employee came up to us and asked if we were running in the race? I guess our tights and numbers gave us away.

Him: You can't park the truck there.
Me: Uh, can I buy a banana?
Him: Sure, but you can't leave your truck here when your done.
Me: Maybe, I'll buy my banana somewhere else too. Sheese.

We did use the bathroom, but I didn't buy my banana cause I didn't want to give them business. So, off we go to find a parking spot. Now we see parking lots filling up, so we jump when we see an open spot and park. Yeah! I am sure you can tell where this is going. Everyone in this lot and others were runners. It is Sunday morning and we are in the lot of an evening bar. Point is that it is closed and not opening for many hours, but there is a sign forbidding parking. I feel confident we are fine. I have traveled many times to race and local businesses and police have always supported runners by overlooking parking violations. Marathons are routinely run on Sundays mornings so that streets can be closed and parking is available (with the exception of church parking lots).

So, after I finish the race, the plan is that I will meet Pete back at the truck. I can change clothes, eat something and hydrate. I was so cold and wet and emotional when I finished. I gimped back the several blocks to the truck only the lot was empty. OK, I am emotional and very tired. Maybe I'm not in the right place. It happens. I don't always pay attention to where I am or where we park. I was focused on the race, not the parking lot. So, I look around. Yep, that's the 7-11, that's the storefront we walked past, and that's the bar. Where is the the truck? I was completely calm, figuring that I was just not seeing things right. Maybe I was delusional. 26 miles is a really long way. I close my eyes. I open my eyes. Nope, no truck. Then I see a tow truck hooking up to a car in a neighboring lot. Now, I get it... Are you f*%#^& kidding me!?

What now? I don't know when Pete will finish. Do I sit in the spot that the truck was in? I am so cold and wet. Do I go back to the finish and hope that I didn't miss him? My cell phone, IDs and purse are all in the truck. I decided to go to the beer tent where it will be warm and eventually he will go through this same process and make the same decision and find me in the beer tent. So I walk again.

I waited in the beer tent and finally, he walked in with a big grin on his face. OK, I'm thinking he clearly didn't go to where the truck is supposed to be. I congratulate him, ask his time, and generally whoo hoo him. Then, I say, "let's get you a beer."

So, I tell him that the truck is not there and we walk back to the lot to get the number of the tow company that took the truck. Then, we walked 5 miles to the lot, only to be told they don't take credit cards and I don't have $125 in cash on me. So, we walked another 1/2 mile to an ATM and back to finally get the truck out of hock. We figure we covered about 31+ miles that day. I kept telling Pete, it would make a great story.

It is unfortunate that the business owners of Virginia Beach were not supportive of the race. Lots of cars were towed that day, which will affect the participation in the marathon weekend. Recently, I read an article that said that marathons and other large races are becoming the number 1 fundraiser for cities. They draw a lot of people who spend a lot of money. This is off season at the beach and you would think these business would be happy to have people at the beach. We were parked at an establishment that was closed. Even Harris Teeter can afford to offer a back row of parking. Oh well, I intend to follow up with the race director and depending on that feedback, the city council.