bluelinerunner

11 Randoms

bluelinerunner — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 13:31:49 +0000

11 Randoms

I was tagged by Jason from Cook Train Eat Race not because I am interesting but because I was easy to tag on FB. It’s okay Jason I am a fan of work smarter not harder in certain situations!

The rules of this post: (disclaimer I did not make them so don’t yell at me for them being difficult)

Post these rules.
You must post 11 random things about yourself.
Answer the questions set for you in their post.
Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
Go to their blog (FB page or other Social site) and tell them you’ve tagged them. (Jason made it okay to do this =)
No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag people!

11 Random things about me

I fractured my right arm in three places, top lower and middle of my elbow joint, by attempting to do a double flip off my trampoline on my parents wedding day. Consequently, I was responsible for holding my dad’s wedding ring for my mom till the preacher man needed it and I dropped it during the prayer because I was holding it in my hurt arm. To this day I can still hear the ding, ding, roll in my head.
I am a diehard Tennessee Vols fan, yes I know they suck, but each year I tell myself they will get better… It has not happened yet.
I am addicted to Bonk Town – thank you KC – seriously I check that site on my phone and computer all day long looking for a good deal.
I sold my motorcycle because I knew I would end up ~~killing~~ hurting myself on it. I can’t help it I have a need for speed and the thrill of being on one wheel is well awesome.
I have been in situations which test the flight or fight theory. I am a fighter hands down.
Hmmmm I may be a bit of an adrenaline junkie see #4/5.
I have some mad wakeboarding skills. Okay maybe not mad per-say but I try.
I would love to have a Mohawk but…. the job does not allow it.
I come from a family that has some awesome women cooks I on the other hand am lost in a kitchen. This is something I do plan on changing…. one day.
I am very good at faces but terrible at names unless its your street name (aka nickname) then I have no issues remembering. I wish it were the other way around – forget the street name remember the real name.
I have to sit facing the main door in any restaurant I am in.

Jason’s Questions and my Answer

Which do you prefer: Vanilla or Chocolate Cake? Chocolate cake as long as its not dark chocolate. Why do I find a question about cake coming from you as being Odd…
Which would you do: Jump out of a plane or Bungee jump off a bridge? Honestly neither but if I had to pick I guess the plane.
One week, all expense paid vacation: Where do you go? Water Island in the Virgin Islands. I want to live there one day.
Favorite Celebrity? Gerard Butler
What did you eat for breakfast today? Breakfast #1 was a bowl of Flax seed granola cereal and a cup of coffee – pre gym- second breakfast was 1/2 cup of egg whites with chopped green, red, orange, yellow bell-peppers made into an omelet with a coffee honey milk – post gym.
Do you pass gas in front of your significant other? No, girls don’t have gas.
Nickname? Slim
Favorite Vegetable? Broccoli
Favorite Commercial Of All Time? The Ally Bank pony commercial – its so wrong.
Do you still write checks? Why? No, I do have some just in case I need them for something.
Are you working in the field in which you obtained your college degree in? Yes, Hold two degrees in Criminal Justice and have been in LE even before I obtained them.

My questions to those tagged:

Favorite time of the day?
What is your favorite meal to make? (If its good I need instructions – I told you I am trying to do better)
Glass 1/2 full or glass 1/2 empty?
Last picture taken on your phone?
If money was no issue how many races would you try to do in a year?
Car, Truck, Van, or SUV?
Do you take part in any water sports ?
If your walking down the street and find a $100.00 bill what do you do with it?
Favorite non sports related thing to do?
Have Pets?
Last movie you went to a theater to see?

Those tagged

Recovery – another stage in training?

bluelinerunner — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 01:49:57 +0000

Tomorrow marks the beginning of what should be my third week of training for the HITS 70.3 tri in Ocala, Fl in March but I have not done any type of training in 17 days. No I have not gotten lazy or lost any of my motivation or intense drive I promise. I shall rewind and fill you all in since I have struggled to find the willingness to write about my injury till now.

Long story short I got injured playing soccer many years ago. While I thought the injury healed appropriately it turns out that was not the case. I had been noticing as I began increasing my miles on the bike and especially in my running a sharp pain and an enormous amount of pressure in my right knee. Me being a bit hard-headed I shrugged it off and just kept on going as if the pain was normal. The longer I did this the worse the pain became. It got to the point that I had altered my stride to deal with the pressure and pain which decreased my pace per mile. I adapted to the pain to a point where I noticed it but I could deal with it. I just wanted to get through my first 70.3. I finally decided after Augusta since it was officially my off-season I would see what was going on.

I began going to an orthopedic surgeon who is specialized in knee injuries in early November. He told me on my first visit I had what is known as Plica syndrome. Basically, as it was described to me, means my plica band was pulling in the wrong direction, due to an old injury, and would cause my knee cap to come out of its track and rub up on my meniscus causing swelling and pain. He put me in a compression/tracking brace and told me to keep running in the hopes the brace would re-train my plica band to pull in the right direction while he ordered a host of test. He also told me to start physical therapy and see if I could get any relief that way.

I began going to physical therapy twice a week. My therapist started me off by doing some different stretches and she decided they were not going to do much good because of how much flexibility I already had. So we stated ART treatments (If you have not tried this GO NOW its wonderful) but that did not seem to work. On my 4th visit she said she wanted to try to see if she could locate any damaged cartilage around my knee cap by doing the Garston technique. She warned me how painful it would be at which I responded that I did not care if it helped me get better. Sure enough she dug her instrument into the area around my knee cap and I just about came off the table. It sounded like someone was walking on gravel in the room. She looked at me and said I think I may have located your problem. She had found a mass of scar tissue around my knee cap and twice a week I would go in and allow her to dig her instrument up under my knee cap till we were no longer able to hear or feel the crunching. I could instantly tell a decrease in the amount of pressure in my knee but I was still having the sharp pain which was located right in the middle of my knee just under my knee cap. So after weeks of physical therapy, x-rays, a bone scan, and a MRI I was called back in to go over all the test results with my Doctor.

By this point it was mid December and I knew I had a race to start training for the day after Christmas. So with my training date fast approaching I came to the conclusion that as long as the Doctor told me I could not do any more damage I could live with the pain and I could go on about my training. I felt like I was in the waiting room for hours waiting to hear the verdict. He finally called me back and told me he had found a mass of scar tissue and some damaged cartilage around my knee. While I already sort of had the feeling this is what he may find my stomach went straight to my feet as if I had no clue. You know how it is when someone tells you something you already know but now that it has been said out loud it becomes real. He told me that if I did not do anything and kept running as much as I was I would end up needing a full knee replacement. Seriously, I am not that old. He gave me two options: take the easy road decrease my miles and wear my brace whenever I was running or on my bike and come back and see him after a while to see if that worked or take an aggressive approach and allow him to go in and remove the damaged cartilage and scar tissue by arthroscopic surgery. He told me if I decided to go the surgery route I would not be able to run for 6 weeks post surgery so that no more scar tissue would grow back and cause a repeat of the situation. I walked out of there feeling completely numb and clueless on what I should do vs. what I wanted to do which was race in March. I had a couple of days to think it over and talk it out with my family.

While I was stuck on the fact 6 weeks would push me way past the point for which I could train the way I wanted to for the Hits 70.3 Matt along with a few others reminded me my main goal for 2012 was Ironman Florida in November. So I called the Doctor up and set up my surgery date for December 23^rd. The surgery went well. He was able to remove a large amount of scar tissue that had become tangled up in my plica band. Hopefully, this is the only thing that was causing the plica band to pull in the wrong direction. Two weeks post surgery I have 96% of my range of motion back thanks partly due to my awesome physical therapist and the other part is my desire to get back to my training so I have been doing everything they tell me to do from lots of ice treatments and stretching.

I have been stressing over what to do about Hits 70.3. According to the Doctor if I can’t run for 6 weeks I would not be able to even start training for the run till the beginning of February. While I think I could go out and finish the race I know I could not meet my goal of a crushing my time from Augusta. Therefore, after many sleepless nights and long aggravating walks trying to tell myself its okay to go out and participate without competing against myself I realized I was not going to be okay with letting my 70.3 goal for 2012 just disappear. I am just not a half A@@ it type of person and I know that is what I would have to do in order to make it through Hits Ocala. Therefore, I have decided to scratch Hits Ocala 70.3 from my race schedule and in its place will be Ironman Florida 70.3 in May. This allows me the time after my 6 weeks off of running to start the training I need to do in order to better my 70.3 distance time. My training is going to overlap my intended start date for my full Ironman training but I am okay with that at this point.

As soon as my mind was made up to scratch Hits and add FL 70.3 I felt the stress and apprehension just melt away and my focus was more in-tuned with healing properly so I can come back stronger than what I was last year. Here is to 2012 the year of Epicness!

Hello 2012 “The Year of Epicness”.

bluelinerunner — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 23:22:45 +0000

I set my sites on running my first 26.2 in 2011 so I did what many others do I started a blog in the hopes that it would keep me focused on the goal at hand. While I was researching which 26.2 venue would be my marathon debut I came across an Olympic distance Triathlon being hosted just miles away from where my family resides. I had been reading all about triathlons ever since I had started my blog and to be honest reading the stories of these triathlets left me in complete aw of their athleticism and physical accomplishments AKA they scared the “heck” out of me. The more I read the more I found their perseverance, determination, persistence, dedication and never give up attitude intriguing. So I figured why not try a triathlon along the way to my 26.2. So I did and as they say the rest is history. The tri awakened something in me that I was not getting from just running. A new challenge that not only tested me physically but also tested me spiritually and mentally. I knew the moment I crossed the finish line of my first tri that my path was about to be altered. I never did make it to the starting line of my first 26.2 in 2011 but I am okay with that because the new journey I took taught me so much about myself and I can honestly say I have a passion for the sport unlike any other sport I have participated in. 2011 was a good year and I am ready to start 2012 with the goal of completing my first 26.2 miles just after I finish the 2.4 mile swim and the 112 mile bike ride – crazy yeah but to be honest I like to be challenged. So goodbye 2011 and Hello 2012 “The Year of Epicness”!

Finding a catalyst

bluelinerunner — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 09:35:10 +0000

Can you recall a time in which you just went through the motions. You did what was expected of you but nothing more. You settled for getting by. I think we all have done this at some point in time. It’s human nature to take the easy route through life. But most of us want more from life than just getting by. We have dreams, goals, desires. So we find that “thing” that inspires us, motivates us, and forge ahead. However, even though we have made the decision to leave a sedentary life of getting by behind us in pursuit of our dream or goal there are still moments in time in which we struggle to find the inner strength to stay focused.

While I am reluctant to speak of my own personal “black holes” because I would rather forget they ever occurred the truth is I still have moments in time in which I struggle to find my inner motivation. I’m not myself during these times. I go through the motions, do what needs to be done, and nothing more. My enthusiastic spirit reverts to its polar opposite. I lose sight on that “thing” which makes me … me. I am thankful that these “black holes” don’t happen very often. But in an odd off the wall type of way I am also thankful I have these moments because it allows me to reevaluate and assess what my problem is.

A week ago I had one of these “black hole” weeks. I went through the motions. Went to work, came home slept, went back to work. This may sound normal to some but for me this is extremely out of the ordinary. I am missing all the things that make me tick. My motivation was at its lowest. I did not want to go to the gym so covered up and went back to sleep, I did not want to ride my bike so I covered up and went back to sleep, I did not want to run so I covered up and went back to sleep. I forced myself to run twice. This was hard for me because running is the one thing I can always count on to bring me peace its my cure for… everything. However, it felt forced and not enjoyable. I had a 1/2 marathon scheduled for this week and for the first time ever I contemplated not going to a race I was registered for. I had just come off a week in which I had covered 100 miles of running and cycling with 4 great lifting session. Did I overdo it and I was tired – not a chance, was I sick – nope felt fine for the life of me I could not figure out what my problem was.

I spoke with the two people who know me best my mother and husband. When I mentioned to my mom that I was thinking of not doing the race she asked me if I was feeling ok. When I told Matt I was thinking of not doing the race he looked at me funny and said your going to be lazy? (He calls me lazy regardless of how many miles I do it’s always in good humor and he always gets a laugh out of me by it). I ultimately think it was their combined comments that made me realize I was having a “black hole” week. While I know I had not been getting in the miles I normally would I am not sure I had realized I was feeling so unmotivated. As soon as I consciously figured out I was having one of those weeks I immediately began trying to claw my way out of the hole.

I sent my buddy KC a text and told her about the race and my lack of motivation. She encouraged me to still run but use it as a no pressure race in which I could run for fun and encourage the other racers through the 13.1 miles. I thought this was a great ideal. I always go into races with a plan… most of the time its to set a new PR. So the thought of just running for fun appealed to me and even more than that I could talk with other runners, pat them on the back, and maybe just maybe I would say the right thing to someone when they needed a little boost. She also suggested I try something different. It just so happens I had a conversation with my old Sarge and good friend the week before about mountain biking. I had been wanting to go mountain biking ever since we had that conversation. So I packed up Matt’s 29er and went out for my first time on a mountain bike in years. Best decision I made that week hands down. I had so much fun. I spent 2.5 hours in the woods jumping anything I could. It was awesome!

After I wore myself completely out I finally found a spot and sat down for a while. My head was clear despite my exhaustion and just like that I knew what my problem was. I did not say anything to anyone about it because I wanted to make sure I was not just thinking crazy - endorphin high. I packed up my gear and headed to the store to pick up a frame because I needed to place something on the wall to remind me… ( I will get back to this part)

I found that inner peace

I went to the race the next morning in Boston, Ga and ran for fun. I did not worry about my time, I did not care what mile I was on, I spoke to everyone I passed or that passed me. I had a BLAST. Needless to say I set a 31min PR while not even meaning to. I just ran to run and I was elated. While I was shocked to see I set a PR by 31 mins I was not overly surprised because this triathlon journey has done wonders for my running and overall fitness. I have never felt better.

Running for fun.

So if you were wondering what my issue was… I had ultimately decided I was not going to go after the full Ironman in 2012 the week prior to my “black hole” week for several reasons the main ones being:

Time – with my scheduled its hard to find time to train for a 1/2 let alone a full.
I have never run 26.2 miles
I have never ridden my bike more than 60 miles
Swim – I don’t even know where to start with this one. Me and swimming are still trying to work on our relationship.

With these things in the back of my mind I just did not feel I was ready or could be ready in time. I decided to on doing two Half IM and one Olympic. I was actually excited about the two HIM one is in Ocala, Fl and the other is in Austin Tx. While I was happy with these two races my heart, gut, soul, wanted to make an attempt at the full IM and when I decided it was just not in the cards my spirit dwindled. I fought the feeling a few more days then I went back to the two people who know me best. Both my mom and husband asked me the exact same thing without the other knowing “is it something you will regret not doing?” The answer was yes I think I would. The desire to attempt the distance is overpowering in my soul I can feel the pull with every fiber of my being. I made sure Matt knew exactly what I was asking of him. The time commitment is huge this type of fitness does not come overnight it takes months and countless hours in the pool, on the bike, and on the streets. He thinks I’m insane (he told me so) but deep down I can see the pride in his eyes and I know he will support me as he always does regardless of what crazy thing I am doing.

With that said. I was able to grab a spot in IMFL 2012. I mean grab literally the race was sold out in less than 16mins. I am lucky to have gotten a spot or maybe it was just meant to be who knows all I know is its going to be a long road but its a road I am willing to swim, ride, and run down because I will not settle for not trying.

As for the frame… I needed to make an addition to my motivation wall. I got a poster during the Augusta 70.3 triathlon that says “Anything Is Possible” and has a the IM M-Dot made up with all the participants names (Beth your name is on my wall). I felt it was something I wanted/needed to continue and remind myself because I know there are going to be those days in which I am going to question my decision. I have placed it just to the right of my computer because when I am home I spend more time at my desk than any other place in my house. To the left is a box I made after my very first Tri the 11 Global race I can’t look at the box without smiling because it was the very start of my journey and I have learned so much about myself in this past year.

Can you tell I am a TN fan.

As for the other races I will still be taking on Ocala 70.3 in March and the 11 Global Oly distance in June. Austin will have to wait till next year. Here is to 2012 and new lessons to learn!

Ironman Augusta 70.3 Race Recap.

bluelinerunner — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 09:34:00 +0000

Click to view slideshow.Let me apologize in advance if this is super long. I am trying to learn everything I can and the only way I know how is to write in as much detail as I can recall and beg that you will point out ways in which I can shave time off. Please pick it apart it will not hurt my feelings I really want to get better.

Sunday September 25, 2011

Two alarms went off at the same exact moment 4:15AM. I had been awake for a while going over my gear and execution plan in my head. I was abnormally calm and focused for a race morning. I got up took a shower and began stretching out to make sure nothing was hurting. I attempted to eat my pre-race meal, a bagel with peanut butter and a banana, but I was only able to take in half of it. I checked my gear bag once again before Matt and I headed out. We stopped at McDonalds so I could get some coffee and then made our way to the transition area. He made sure I got everything out of the truck I needed and told me good luck for I would not see him again till after the race. He went back to the hotel to pack up our stuff and get my parents and aunt and uncle.

I put my ear buds in and turned up my Ipod so I could not hear any conversations around me. I have found for me that listening to all the pre-race conversations on how tough/easy a course is causes me to start thinking I may need to change my plan and this is not the time to do that. I had looked, read, researched, the course and I knew what it was going to be like in my mind at least and I wanted to stick with that. I had to get my age and number placed on me again because the previous days markings had come off in the shower ( I think I called that one). I made my way to row 61 and was relieved to see Koa still chillin on the rack. It had rained during the night so I wiped him off. There was a bike missing to my left and the girl who was 2 spots down asked me if they did not show up. Since we figured they were a no show she stated we should both move our bikes over to give us more room. Fine by me. We shared the space and the extra room was rather nice. I put the desired air in my tires, filled up my aero water bottle with cold EFS and placed a water bottle in the lower cage then began placing all my gear out. Once I was satisfied with my layout I grabbed my morning clothing bag and took off to stand in line at the wonderful Port-O-John. Pee #1 was out of the way so I went back and rechecked my gear. I kept thinking I was missing something but I never could figure it out. I finally got over the “what am I missing” issue and took off to wait in line for the transport bus that would take us down to the swim start.

While standing in line I felt a tap on my shoulder and I turned around while taking my ear buds out and there was a guy standing there. He asked me if I had done the Oly Tri in Greensboro. I told him I had and he said he remembered me from the race (seriously it’s a small world with 3200 other racers around he picks me out…creepy). We talked a little a bit about that race and he told me he had done this race several times. We parted ways once the bus showed up. I made the short bus ride to the swim start and I checked my watch to see how long I had before the start of my wave (8:52) it was only 7:20 so I figured I would go stand in line again to pee since I am so use to having to pee a million times before a race. Pee #2 out of the way so I found a spot and began stretching out and watched the first few waves of men swimmers start their day. They made it look so easy. I knew I had not eaten enough so I started eating on a power bar. I headed down to drop off my morning clothing bag around 8:15ish and ran into Beth (she won this sneak approach). We chatted for a moment before I found another line to take care of pee #3 (seriously peeing this much is annoying – dang you pre race nerves). I found a spot to put on my wet suit and then handed my bag over to the crew. I was sort of sad I had to give up my Ipod it was keeping my mind occupied.

The Swim

Around 8:30 I stared to make my way up to the swim start since they told us in the pre race meeting we may end up going before our original time. They were running about a 1 min fast so I was able to watch more wave starts. Finally they called for my wave and we all made our way down to the water. It’s funny at this point during my first Tri I was a wreck. Not today.

It was an in water start so we all jumped in and “hung out” till the air horn sounded. Man once that thing went off the water went crazy. It was almost like a whirlpool effect. People were going everywhere. It sort of freaked me out at first but I moved farther over to the left to try and stay away from the crowd which worked out for a little bit. Before I knew it people who can’t swim in a straight line or sight right where swimming straight into me. I stopped a few times to keep from getting swam over, let them pass, and continued on my way.

The water was absolutely nasty. There was seaweed and miscellaneous debris everywhere. A few times when I would go to breath I would have seaweed on my face –that had to look funny. Your fingertips would almost touch the growth as you were swimming. I was feeling good, sighting well, swimming a rather straight line, and making forward progress at a comfortable pace. All of a sudden a foot came out of nowhere and connected with my nose. It caused me to take in a mouth full of water which in turn made me immediately nauseous. The water was nasty! I was not sure what to do at this point because I thought I was going to loose my stomach content so I flipped over on my back and took a few deep breaths. The nauseous feeling went away in seconds I said a few thank yous and flipped back over and started my groove again. I feel right back into my normal pace counting two left arm strokes before taking a breath. The counting helps me focus on something other than swimming. I did not know how long I had been swimming but it did not feel like it had been very long. I decided to look forward and see how close I was to the finish and much to my shock and surprise I was within 200 yards. I checked a couple more times because I just knew I was seeing things there was no way I was almost done. Nope I was almost done. I think I started grinning here while still swimming because I knew I had done much better than I ever thought I would have with this part. I had passed people from previous waves how that happened I have no clue but I will take it. I came out of the water and could hear my family calling my name so I looked to the right and there they were on the hill jumping and clapping. This pumped me up tremendously because they knew how much I was dreading the water. We had to run up the boat ramp which (as I had called before) sucked. The run to the bike transition was somewhat long it seemed to take forever seriously it had to take 1-2 mins just to get to the wet suit strippers.

I am the one in the middle with my hat already off and a goofy grin!

I found my suit stripper and she yanked off my suit and tossed it to me as I was taking off to see Koa. There were no more running mats at this point so you were running on grass which was littered with gravel and the rocks were cutting into your feet. I got stuck behind a group of girls who were also trying to dodge the gravel so I slowed down. I would not have felt right running them over just to gain a few seconds. I realized I really needed to pee (yes again) and I was debating what to do while I was getting my gear changed out. I decided I might as well take the time to go here at the port-o-john in hopes that I would not need to pee again while I was on the bike. Yes this cost me time but I am just not the pee on your bike kind of girl… yet.

Swim: 1.2 Miles

Pace: 1:36/100m

Time: 30:34

Rank at this point: 1671

T1 Time Swim-To-Bike: 5:15

The Bike

I grabbed Koa and took off running to the bike start line. This was a mess people were crossing the line and stopping right there trying to get on the bike which caused a massive clog. I found a spot I could squeeze through on the left side and moved out of the way before I got on Koa and took off. I had spoken with Jason from Cook Train Eat Race about my nutrition plan for the bike leg and he had told me what works best for him and I had played with the same liquid calories strategy he goes by. As soon as I made it through mile one and the line of riders were not so on top of each other I took out ½ of a honey stinger waffle and ate it. Everyone kept telling me how important it was to take in lots of fluid during the ride so that my body would still function on the run so I stated drinking from my aero bottle of EFS. I had cut up 3 honey stinger waffles into four pieces per waffle and placed them in a zip lock bag which was in my bike bag just in case I felt like I needed to eat something along with the liquid calories. The first 13 miles were really uneventful. I kept drinking the EFS and I had one small piece of waffle every 30/40 mins.

I thought the riders would be more spread out but we all were on top of each other seriously there was no way not to draft. The officials would just ride on by on their motorcycles not penalizing anyone because there was no where for us to go so that we were not in the draft zone. Passing was challenging because we all were so tight. Every once in a while a spot would open up and I took advantage and passed as many people as I could. I was holding a pace, per my bike PC, of 18-20 which made me extremely happy. Then I stated to get worried that if I tired to hold this pace my legs would be done by the time I got off the bike and I would kill my run. I was going over and over in my head what to do but ended up staying at that pace… I realized I also needed to pee again GREAT so much for spending more time in T1 so I would not have to go on the bike course. Anyway mile 15 I reached down to take another drink and my aero bottle was bone dry. I had already consumed my 32 oz of EFS. Okay not going to panic I still have another water bottle. I reached down to my lower cage to grab my bottle and got nothing but air. WTH where did my bottle go? I came out of the aero position and looked down. Gone… empty… no bottle. Why is it when you’re not thirsty but then you realize you’re out of fluid you feel like you have not had anything to drink in day’s? I knew there were two hydration stations along the way so I tucked back in and lucky me I only had to go a couple miles before I saw the first stop.

I perfectly executed my first drive by water bottle grab without incident! I jumped off the bike at the end of the line and stood in line for a second so I could pee again. Got back on the bike and waited what seemed like forever to wait for a spot to enter back into the line of riders. There were so many riders but I could not believe we were not spread out more. I finally found a spot and took off again with my aero bottle and cage full of water again. 17 miles out of the way and I still felt great. I knew this was where the rolling hills would start and last a while before the course would flatten out again. I jockeyed for a better position for a while since I did not care to be passed by so many people due to my having to pee grrrrrr. The hills presented themselves.. yay.. I hate hills. Honestly, though they were not that bad even for a flat land rider such as me. Only a few of the hills where killer but I refused to come out of my saddle and just spun on up. I was actually passing tons of people on the hill climbs. This worried me once again. While my overall pace had slowed tremendously due to the hills I knew if I kept up my over aggressiveness I was going to kill my run. I talked myself down off my desire to pass everyone in front of me and settled in behind – not drafting close- a line of riders to finish up the hills.

The miles just kept on passing with only one interesting event. There was a man standing at the end of his driveway with a card board sign that read something along the lines of “Go Home, Your not Welcome Here”. He was yelling at everyone as they passed about how we were such and inconvenience to the community and not to come back next year. Come on man really ONE day out of the YEAR you may have to drive a different way to the store calls for that type of stupid behavior. I rode up beside a girl right after passing him and said he must think he can’t do this she started laughing and said we should go back and show him he too can do this.

I ran out of water again right before the second stop. I kept going back in forth in my mind if I should get a Ironman Preform or water at the next station since my EFS was long gone and I figured I would try a Ironman Preform to get some calories and hope and pray it did not mess with my stomach. I executed another good on the go 2 bottle grab without incident. I was worried I was not going to be able and do that. I put more water in my aero bottle and placed the Preform in my cage. I tried the Preform and I did not care for the taste at all! I only took a few sips of it along the way because I just knew I would not be able to stomach it. I was so happy I decided to bring as many honey stinger waffles as I had they saved me! I never imagined I would go through so much liquid in such a short time. I was mostly overcast but very humid and the later the day got the hotter it was getting. It started to lightly rain around mile 45ish. It did not last long but it felt good while it was raining! The hills finally died and the course was flat again which made me super happy but I could feel my “stupid” race up the hill efforts in my quads. CRAP I knew this was going to happen. I checked my watch and saw I had been on the bike around 2 hours and 40 mins (approximately). I knew I could easily cover 10 miles in 30mins if I pushed it so I had a decision to make go for it and get the bike done in just over 3 hours or slow down and save it for the run. This was hard for me because I am so freaking competitive and all I wanted to do was pass the next person. But running is my back ground so I felt like I ultimately could make up more time there than I could with an all out effort riding. I don’t know if this was the right thing to do or not to be honest. Looking back I sort of wish I had just gone all out for it but I made my decision and I stuck with it.

The last 15 miles were once again uneventful other than a new PR on bike distance for me. The longest I had ridden before this race was 50 miles so I was super excited once I saw the 50 mile marker. At this point the sun had come out in full force and it was really heating up quick. I kept drinking water and took a Gu gel when I was within 2 miles of the bike finish. I made the turn to go into transition and there was my Mattie James and my dad yelling at me to keep going and I was doing great. I am not sure if the spectators know how much simple words of motivation helps push you along. It does WONDERS!

I made it to the line jumped off the bike and guess who needed to pee – ME AGAIN. I ran to my bike spot and sort of tossed Koa onto the bar (sorry buddy). I pulled my helmet off, placed my running hat on, yanked off my bike shoes, tried to put my socks on but my legs and feet were so sweaty they did not want to go on so I had to sit down and force them before I could get me shoes on, flipped my race bib to the front grabbed 4 Gu gels and took off to the Port-O-John to pee again… As soon as I got into the POJ I realized I had forgotten to take my gloves off DANG IT MAN. I thought about just tossing them but then I was like that is silly I have already taken more time to stop to pee I have time to run them back to my bike since it was not that far from the run start anyway. I was coming out of the POJ and someone let out a loud scream that sounded like they were right on top of me. I stopped dead in my tracks ears perked up still holding the door open as I frantically searched the area for someone being stabbed, shot, having a medical issue whatever I don’t know all I know is my instinct kicked in full force and the world slowed down for a moment. A second later a girl came out from the POJ beside me in tears. I asked her if she was okay and she told me she had just dropped her glasses into the POJ. I laughed because it was nasty and ultimately funny but also I think in sheer relief no one was hurt or in danger. Seriously you CAN’T do that to me I go into Cop mode. Ugh.. I wasted time for glasses ok glove-toss time to run.

Bike: 56 Miles

Pace: 15.83

Time: 3:32:13

Rank: 2418

T2 Bike-To-Run : 4:03

The Run

I don’t think I knew how hot I truly was till I was off the bike and the wind from the bike died down. It took me a mile before my legs felt somewhat normal off the bike. I was almost 3 miles in holding an 8:30 pace per my Garmin when all of a sudden I realized I was getting tunnel vision which was turning into blurred vision. The pressure in my eyes was so intense I thought they were going to come out of my head. I felt my head and I was sweating which was a good sign but I knew something was very off. I made it to the mile three and I took a one of the ice cold sponges and held it on top of my head. The water was so cold and my body was so hot it actually sent me into a mini shock that took me a moment to recover from but the pressure in my eyes went away. 3 miles in and I am overheated already how do you come back from that?

There was a water station at every mile so I kept pushing along taking water to sip from and one went over my head face and neck. I made it to mile 5 and my cheering squad was set up and this pumped me up again! My dad began running along beside me and gave me some water. He was telling me how strong I looked and I believed him at this point it’s the only thing I could hold onto I may not feel strong but he said I looked strong so I will take it. I was passing people right and left. Around mile 7 one of the pro men was walking along giving words of encouragement (I only knew he was a pro because of the chatter around me) anyway he started running beside me and said “I love to see someone who looks like they know how to run – looking good girl keep it up and you will be done before you know it) he patted my shoulder and took off the other way before I could utter much more than thanks.

My dad coming out to cheer me on.

Mile 8 is about the time I started to fall apart. My socks and shoes had gotten really wet at this point and I could feel 2 water blisters on my right foot forming with a vengeance. I contemplated taking them off and running barefoot but looking at the street I knew that would not be much of a user friendly option. I would stop and walk for a moment and try to wiggle my foot around in my shoe to find a better position but nothing was working and each step was becoming more and more painful. I checked my Garmin and I my pace was in the 10 min mile which just broke my heart. I knew I was not going to be able and finish the run in under 2 hours like I had originally planed. It only took me a second to get over this because I was still super happy about the whole experience and the overall journey that had brought me here. It started to rain which was a welcome because it was so hot. It did however finish soaking my shoes and began forming more blisters. Not much you can do about that. I saw an old high school friend who came out to cheer me on along with my buddy Kevin who I met in my first Tri. He was going to do this race but he got a stress fracture 2 weeks ago during a long run. He was only able to swim which he used as a practice.

I saw my dad again at mile 10. He came up beside me and I told him I was hurting he told me to keep going I only had 3 miles to go. So I did I kept going and I kept saying over and over 3 miles only 3 miles I can do 3 miles in my sleep. 3 miles is nothing. My normal stride was off because of the issues with my feet but I managed to pick up my pace a little. I saw my cheering squad again at mile 12. I was so HAPPY to see them words can’t even express the feeling knowing I only had a mile to go. I knew I had more in me so I took off. I picked off one person at a time. I forgot about the pain and I found my normal pace for the last mile. I rounded the last corner and I could here the crowed cheering the racers on as they entered the final stretch. Man what a feeling it’s hard to describe! I gave it all the energy I had left. Finish Strong. I was so elated with this accomplishment I am not really sure it has fully sunk in yet. I do know one thing as soon as I crossed that line I felt like I was more than a runner I was a triathlete.

Run: 13.1 Miles

Pace: 10:35

Time: 2:18:41

Final Rank: 1957

I still have some work to do but I learned so much from this race and I plan on taking it all in so I can come back stronger for the next because there will be a next there will… always be a next.

Overall time: 6:30:46

The day before…

bluelinerunner — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 19:44:00 +0000

The day before any big or new distance race, for me, always seems to be filled with so much nervous excitement. I think I stress more this day than I do the day of the actual race. Mathew and I drove from Valdosta to Greensboro, Ga on Friday so we could hang out with my family Friday afternoon then make the hour drive to Augusta, Ga early Saturday morning so I could take care of all the pre race requirements. The race expo and registration/race packet pick up was scheduled to begin at 11AM and we figured we might as well get there then and get all that taken care of before it got “busy”. We were not the only ones with this plan. The hotel was packed with compression wearing, fit, toned, lean, muscular, M-dot tattooed, water/sports drink caring, last race T-shirt wearing amazing looking athletes. I know this sounds stupid, I promise, but just looking around at these people was intimidating. I was standing in a VERY long line waiting my turn to pick up my race packet just taking in everything and I noticed a lady a few people up in front of me who was “wringing” her hands in what I picked up to be a nervous behavior. This particular lady was a bit larger than most of the 100’s of people around her and I could see her looking people up and down as her eyes moved along the line of racers. I don’t have a clue if she was feeling the same intimidation I had previously experienced but I really wished I could have given her a hug and told her how proud I was of her for being there in this line. All I am saying is if I felt intimidated by the extremely athlete people then I can only imagine how she felt and I was so proud of her for being there doing what so many don’t think is possible. After spending an hour in line I finally got my race kit and made it to the pre-race meeting just after it had started. I was able to pick Beth from (Discom-BOB-ulated Running) out in the room and since we had sort of a challenge I made sure she did not see me…yet. After the meeting I headed over to the Expo to look around and realized that was not going to happen due to the small size of the room which was packed with more people than a Fire Marshal would be happy with so I waited around till I saw Beth walk into the room. She knew I was in there due to the exchange of text but I was able to sneak in behind her. I was going to go in for the sneak attack leg hug but I really did not want to get kicked or hit in the face so we “re-introduced” ourselves before we exchanged leg hugs! Go check out he page I am sure she will be doing a race re-cap as well! (Beth I am so glad we got to meet).

Once all that was taken care of I found my mom and dad and we headed out for some lunch. Being that the hotel we were staying in was only a mile from where we had lunch we decided to go ahead and check in so I could look over Koa one last time before taking him to the bike drop off for his first slumber party. I knew something was wrong when my dad came out from checking in and Matt was not close behind him. I had already taken Koa off the truck and was messing with my gear. I realized Matt had been in the lobby for a long time so I called him and he informed me the hotel had messed up our reservations (made in June) and they were booked with no room for us. The hotel began calling other area hotels trying to find us a room. They finally found one a few miles away that said they had one room left and for us to come on over. The Jameson Inn (Original hotel) told Matt they would pay for the room due to mistake being their fault. So I put my bike back up and we took off to the other place. Once again I realized something must be wrong because people were coming and going and Matt was still in the lobby. I walked in and he looked at me and shook his head. I asked what the problem was and basically there was a new person working the desk who did not understand how to read the computer and they were also booked. My stress level went from medium to low high. We drove back over to the Jameson and Matt explained to them what had occurred at the hotel they had just sent us too. While Matt was dealing with that I went to my parent’s room and hung out with my mom. Apparently the Jameson Inn had done the same thing with another lady’s room and she was at the front desk being rather crude. Matt on the other hand stayed cool calm and collected which went a long way. Crude lady was sent packing and Matt was told 20 people had yet to check in their rooms thus he was given a room due to the length of time we had made reservations and his “nice” demeanor. I felt sort of bad for the last one that got there to check in only to find out they did not have a room. Augusta was booked!

I had Matt check Koa over real well for the 100 time and we headed to the race start to look around at the swim and drop off the bike. I was able to meet up with a good friend of mine who lives in Augusta. She brought her husband and daughter to the bike check in to check out the atmosphere and wish me luck. She is a runner – a good runner at that. I have had the privilege of running with her and she made me work for every mile we covered… Maybe she will try a Triathlon next =) I dropped Koa off amongst the gaggle of other bikes. Goodness there were some good looking bikes out there! It did feel rather odd leaving the bike there. The officials were asking those that were there to go ahead and get marked to save time in the morning so my number and age were placed on my arms and leg. I sort of thought this was pointless because I knew I was going to be taking a shower before the race but they said if it came off they would just redo it in the morning. Matt, my dad and I walked down to the swim exit so I would get an idea of where I was going once out of the water. The exit was a boat ramp and and I remember thinking running up that after swimming a mile was going to suck. I stood at the end and looked back to where the bike racks were and man it was a long way away. I am not sure if that is normal all I know is the Oly Tri was not that long of a run from swim to bike. I had a moment of panic when I “saw” how long the swim was… I sent KC a text and she reminded me to focus on one buoy at a time just as I had been doing in the pool one 25 meter lap at a time. I know I have swam the distance before but it just seems longer when you can see the whole distance rather than laps in a pool. Anyway, I knew she was right so I put it out of my mind.

My dad and I checking out the swim course.

By this time it was getting rather late so we headed back to the hotel to pick up my mom and my aunt and uncle who had made the trip to watch the race. We all went out to Bonefish grill for dinner. We had to wait an hour before we could get a table but it appeared to be that way every place we passed. I struck up a conversation with a husband and wife who were there for the race (the husband anyway). He was from Tennessee so we got along GREAT! This was also his first 70.3 but he had done several Olympic distance triathlons. I love hearing race stories from other athletes!

It was a long day. It all worked out in the end which I am rather thankful for! It also wore me out which helped me get over my pre race jitters and sleep. I set my alarm for 4:15 and I was OUT. Next post… Augusta 70.3 Race Day Recap.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 Race Week

bluelinerunner — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 14:36:00 +0000

Well time flew and Race Week is here. I love race week. It’s a week full of nervous excitement. Am I nervous? Yes but it’s a good kind of nervous. I feel that I am as ready as I can be at this point so I am looking forward to getting out there and “playing”.

I have been struggling to come up with my race expectations. I have a strong competitive side but I also am trying to be realistic so I don’t set myself up for a crushing let down. So my main plan is to go out there and have fun while at the same time attempting to push hard and see where I fall in the end. I will be ecstatic just to finish but I would love to do so in the 6 ½ hour range for my first 70.3. Regardless I am going to go out there with a smile and have fun. I believe it takes experience in order to come up with the best execution plan so I am going to pay close attention to how I feel so I can note where I need more work. Therefore, my dream finish time can be more achievable when I pick out 70.3 race #2. I look at this as a Win Win situation. Now to get out there have some fun and learn!

Taper week has been going rather smooth for me this go around. My first tri, back in May, I was a nervous wreck so I did not taper as well. I have more of the calm before the storm feeling now. Probably because I sort of know what to expect now more so then I did then. I do have a new personal rule I will share:

No heavy lifting, esp. legs 1 1/2 weeks before the race.

My old “rule” was the week of the race = no more lifting. Well going by this self made rule I lifted hard and heavy last week (non race week) and have been paying for it in my legs the last 5 days. So that being said I changed my rule and have learned my lesson. I took Tuesday off completely from all activities just to give my legs another free day to stop hurting.

I have changed up my gear since my first tri. I have already introduced you to Koa (Here) my new ride.

We are getting along rather well. I am still adjusting to the aero position but it gets better / more comfortable with each ride. I have not been professionally fitted to my bike simply due to lack of time. It would have been much easier had there been a place here I could have taken it to have done. But I have been tweaking it the best I can and know how. I did a lot of reading on proper fitting and measurements were taken and the bike was adjusted and readjusted. My poor hubby would get home from work and I would be waiting in the garage with the tools so he could do his magic. Bit of background – Matt built bikes as a job when he was working on his bachelor’s degree. So he knows all about the parts and such of the bike not really about fitting someone to it but he has LOT’s of love for patients with me and my “that does not feel right” “that’s needs to be more this way”. Fun times.

I got an interesting package in the mail last week. My dad knows a pro surfer who found out I was doing the Ironman August 70.3 and had his sponsors over at O’Neill send me a sweet wet suit. He promised it would “make me faster”. I thought that was rather awesome!

Yes I have a tendency to wear my hat a bit sideways.

My Dad sent me some new Brooks T7 running shoes a few weeks ago and I have been enjoying them. So I will probably wear them in the race. My mom sent me a new 2XU outfit. Seriously, I know everyone says this but my PARENTS are AWESOME. They are some of the most supportive people I know and I am so grateful I have them in my corner.

In 4 days I will hopefully have figured out my Identity crisis (here). My race number is 2817 if you care to stalk me on race day just click (Here).

Good luck to anyone who is racing this weekend! Till next time Keep Smiling!

seven links

bluelinerunner — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 06:12:00 +0000

The individuals at Trip base have been running a blogging experiment with the goal of uniting bloggers from all around cyberspace to share and develop a collection of lost, but not forgotten blog posts that deserve to be brought back into the limelight.

I have had the privilege to be nominated by two blogger buddies, KC from 140 Point 6 Miles of Awesome and JC from The Fat Slow Triathlete.

Here are the rules:

Blogger is nominated to take part
Blogger publishes his/her 7 links on his/her blog – 1 link for each category
Blogger nominates up to 5 more bloggers to take part.
These bloggers publish their 7 links and nominate another 5 more bloggers
And so it goes on!

This may be a bit stretched for me since I don’t blog as much as I had anticipated. But I like to play along so here we go.

one – most beautiful post :

Identity Crisis

I had a hard time picking this category but I kept going back to this post. Probably because its where I am currently in my journey. I was not expecting to fall in love with this triathlon sport in such a profound way.

two – most popular post :
The Tri Suit test run – Winning
(Blogger ate my pictures and It is giving me some issues with trying to restore them so sorry for the big black ! box -dang you blogger)

This post was about my new Pearl Izumi Elite In-R-Cool Tri Suit and my review of its awesomeness. So I guess people like gear reviews or reading about my dog getting attacked by another dog..

three – most controversial post :

Last training week and a question

This is the only post I have written that I have been sent some emails talking about having body issues. I found it rather funny since I don’t personally have any issues with my body. I guess some just read it that way.

four – most helpful post :

Swagger

This post is about the gear I used for my first tri. I am not sure it was helpful to anyone else but it helped me remember what all I needed to take to my first tri event.

five – a post whose success surprised me :

Official

This was a very short post in which I made it public I was going to take a break from just running and attempt my first triathlon. It was this post that I realized I was embarking into a wonderful community of supporters aka triathletes. I was surprised by all the encouragement and the willingness to help from other experienced triathletes.

six – a post that did not get the attention it deserved :

Justice in Motion

A short post about a topic that is close to my heart. Its not something people like to think about or speak about but domestic violence affects 1.3 million people a year in which 85% of the victims are women. It just breaks my heart.

seven – the post I am most proud of :

Lake Oconee Olympic Triathlon Race Report

The post I wrote after my first triathlon. There is nothing like the feeling you get when you achieve something you never thought you could. This was the start of a new lifestyle and my second job.

Alright, well thank you for playing along now to nominate other bloggers:

1.Donna G -Fitness and Training

2. Steady Pursuit

3. Coach D – Coach Dion

4. Mallory – Sit for your Job. Run for your Life

5. Colleen – Irondiva

Identity Crisis

bluelinerunner — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 00:29:00 +0000

I was presented with a moment today which made me realize I am suffering from an identity crisis. Stay with me I promise this is not about the adolescence to adulthood crisis we all were faced with.

I was at the local YMCA talking myself through my second swim for the week. Anyway, I had been there a while with the pool almost to myself which was rather nice for once. I noticed about halfway through my swim that a guy had started his laps in the lane next to mine. He got done with his laps a few moments before I was done with mine. I finished up my swim for the day and exited the pool. I saw the guy had sat down in the chair next to the one which contained all my stuff. As I am walking up he stands and says “excuse me, I hope you don’t mind me asking but are you a triathlete?” You know how time seems to slow down to a crawl and what really is 1-3 seconds seems like hours. Okay got the feeling? well that is what happened to me. I began to stutter – just an FYI I don’t normally stutter. So anyway here I am being faced with a simple non threatening question and I can’t seem to formulate an answer.

That is when I realized I am in the middle of an identity crisis. The line between a runner transforming into a triathlete. At what point is it okay to consider yourself as a runner, swimmer, cyclist, triathlete? Is it a personal realization, do you need to successfully finish an event for the sport of choice, do you have to win an event, or do you simply have to just train in that sport or sports? When do you know?

For me I did not have to win anything to know and define myself as a runner. Running is just part of me. I can’t imagine my life without it. It’s that simple. I run because I love to run. Now that I have discovered triathlons I have fallen in love with the mental and physical demands the sport requires. I love everything this journey has taught me along the way not only about the sport but also about myself. Honestly, I can’t ever see myself going back to “just” running.

Yet there I was unable to say Yes to a simple question. For some reason I felt like I would be lying had I said yes. So my answer to him after what seemed like an eternity was “I’m trying to be, I have done one and am training for another which is this month.” I could see his eyes light up when he said “that is really cool, I have just started to train for my first sprint distance which I hope to do next season.” We carried on a short conversation about how he finds running the hardest part and I the swimming (which by the way he told me I looked super strong in the water –Yes this made my day!) about what type of bikes we had, and if I was part of a local tri group or self coached. His name is Jason and he wants to start swimming with me on Friday afternoons even though I kept telling him swimming was not my strong suit. I am thankful I met Jason and hopefully I will see him around again so I can watch him fall in love with the sport I have fallen in love with.

As for considering or defining myself as a triathlete maybe my opinion will change after I cross the finish line on September 25, 2011.

When did you know?

Accountability and a Challenge.

bluelinerunner — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 09:18:00 +0000

As you all know by now I’m new to this triathlon thing. I have one Olympic distance tri under my sneakers and am 21 days away from attempting tri #2 the Augusta 70.3 HIM. (Just saying 21 days away makes me nervous) In the matter of 8 months I have transformed from just a runner to a swimmer, cyclist, runner. Now please don’t misunderstand my term “transformed” I’m not a strong fast swimmer or cyclist but I am attempting to be.

My weakness, by far, is the swimming. While I have the drive and desire to become better at swimming I have caught myself allowing excuses not to swim enter my world. I have an issue with excuses (I hit my wife/husband because, my child does not have clean clothing or food because, I only had 2 beers and drove because… I could go on and on but you get the point) I detest them. Excuses are just that excuses – the lack of taking responsibility for your own actions. Therefore a couple of weeks ago, when I realized I was allowing this plague into my training, I sent my blogger buddy KC over at 140 Point 6 Miles of Awesome a text telling her I was going to swim that day so that I could be held accountable. She surprised me by telling me she had also been slacking in the swim department. Now if you have been following KC you will know she is an amazing triathlete and missing some swimming for her is not going to set her back. I swear that lady is a fish in the water, a power house on the bike, and a cheetah on the run! Anyway she came up with the idea that we hold each other accountable till our perspective races (me the HIM her the IMFL). We made a promise to swim 2 times a weak till our race date. Let me tell you it has done WONDERS for my swimming. I have yet to miss a swim since. There have been days where I just did not want to go but I know she is waiting on my text saying swim # 1 – 2 is done with. My fear of letting someone down is greater than my dislike of swimming so it works for me. I have generally been good at self motivation but for whatever reason I needed to be held accountable for my swimming and I am thankful she is willing to play along.

Speaking of playing along…. Drum roll…. Would you all like to play along with KC’s challenge???

KC sent the ridiculously funny Beth over at Discom-BOB-ulated Running and I an email last week asking if we were up for one of her challenges. Of course like any A-Type personality I said HELL yes probably before I even knew what I was doing. Yes I was that kid that if you said “double dog dare you” on the playground I would die doing the challenge. (I think she knows this) I digress… This challenge is not just for Beth and I you all can play along too if you wish!

The objective is to do the one activity you dread the most 5 times within a 7 day stretch. It has to be done in the same week. The challenge must be completed before 12/31/11. There are rules and perimeters for each of 4 different activities so don’t think you can just run 1 mile 5 days in a row…

The rules based on the activity are:

Running: No less than a 5K (3.1 miles) for each run day.

Biking: No less than 12 miles for each day.

Swimming: No less than 1 mile each day

Weight training: No less than 30 minutes per day

Now if you’re asking what’s in it for you well its simple really… Self satisfaction that you not only just made yourself better at your “weakest” activity but you just conquered a full five days of something you dread. So are you in?????? Come play!

I of course I will be doing my weakest most dreaded activity – Running

Just Kidding me and the pool are going to be besties for five days!