Off-Season!

I'm starting my three weeks of non-training training. You know what this means - workouts with no structure, no races, no talk of triathlon or sport of any kind.

So this blog will go dormant until December. Check back then for updates!

Fresh Ink

Finished! Three sessions, 6.5 hours, five colors = totally worth it! Big thank you to Scott at Mercy Seat. I can't stop staring at it.

It's October!!!

It's been really freakin' cold here this week. I think it's been freakin' cold EVERYWHERE! It's October people! But it feels like January - not even November or December because we're still in the 50s in November and December.

There are only two places I know of that were not in the 30s yesterday - New York City and Kona, Hawaii. Separated by thousands of miles, I was told that NYC was in the low 60s and Kona, of course, was in the 90s.

Yesterday I went for a ride with a teammate. My really super fast teammate. the teammate that has only been riding for a year and will likely cat up to a 2 next summer. I only needed to ride for an hour - and it was supposed to be easy. I was supposed to "enjoy the ride". While I did thoroughly enjoy the ride, we rode for 2.5 hours on a somewhat hilly course. And it was COLD!!! Colder than a witches tit cold. My fingers froze and poor Aubs's toes fell off half-way through the ride. The wind was blowing from the north at 15 mph and we were going SLOOOOWWW.

I tried to think of all the athletes baking in the sun in Kona. But when I did, I got a little nauseous. Reading Liz's blog this morning confirmed it. Ironman, the world championships, is HELL set in paradise.

This week as I read the Facebook statuses, twitter posts, and mobile uploads from Hawaii, I got excited about triathlon again. On Friday, a different teammate e-mailed me with a question about wetsuits and I got excited thinking about tri gear. BUT IT'S OCTOBER!!

That's when I realized, it's too soon to be excited. I suffered some burnout this summer. While I am encouraged by these positive thoughts about racing, I also reminded myself that I am still having trouble filling out my 2010 race schedule. Every time I open up the document, I sit there staring at it - stumped.

I'm not there yet. But that is totally okay because it's October. I have months to decide what I want to do next year. Right now I need to be taking full advantage of the down time and so far, I am. I'm putting on weight, I'm enjoying the extra carbs (apple cinnamon french toast, anyone?) and most of all, I'm enjoying all the extra free time that a training schedule of 5-6 hours a week provides. All that extra free time has been spent laying on the couch watching movies on HBO in the middle of the day.

The IM World Championships inspire me every year. I DVR them and then play them back while I'm on the trainer. Not necessarily because I think I can make it to Kona, but more so because I long to be in the sun! Ha! No, but really, how can you not watch these world-class athletes go through HELL and not be inspired? They grit it out against the TOUGHEST conditions - I can grit it out for a few more minutes at threshold.

It's October and my season is over. I am embracing it for all that it is. I'm looking forward to next season, but I'm allowing myself to not think about it too much. It will come back to me when I'm ready. Even if I'm not ready until April. For once, I have time - or feel like I have time.

The only thing we don't have is seasonal temperatures. Come on, Mother Nature!!! It's October!!!

Decisions, Decisions

I think I'll go backwards for my weekly update...

Last night I got another tattoo. Well, the start of a new tattoo. I had the idea of this one back in May and was super excited about it. I was just about ready to make an appointment when, oh yeah - I remembered -you can't go swimming with fresh ink! I had to wait all summer for this piece and it was totally worth it!!!

Step One: Outline

If you can't tell from the photo, it's a design of two Ravens with a banner that says, "Committed". Ravens mate for life, and well, it's basically a tribute to Paul and I and how long we've been together, and our marriage, and blah blah, sappy sappy. Scott at Mercy Seat is doing it and I'm really impressed! He does great work! I'll go back in a couple of weeks to have it filled in.

Even though I'm back on the training wagon, it's been really relaxed this week. Friday was my "day off". Paul planned to head to First Fridays by bike and I was planning to stay at home, until DS texted me. We met up, went to the galleries (which I haven't done in over a year!) then went for drinks. Paul met us later and a good time was had by all.

I went to masters Wednesday night. Wednesday nights are weird. I've only been twice - once at Prairie Village and this week, at Roeland Park. Hardly anyone shows up and both times, I got a lane all to myself - which is great - but sucks most of the fun out of why I swim with a group. That and the coach - nice as she is - is not very warm and friendly. Yes, you can be nice and not be friendly. There is a difference. The workout was fine but my calf started cramping near the end so I just called it a night. (Wednesday night coach LOVES kick sets!)

Tuesday started out like any other day - and ended with a big decision to make. I received an e-mail toward the end of the day from USAT letting me know that I had made "Team USA" for the 2010 Long Course World Championship in Innestadt, Germany next summer. Whoa!

At first, I thought, "yeah, right", but then I thought, "what if?" What if I went to Germany and did ONE LAST long distance tri (after I swore them off)? What would it be like to, essentially, play Olympian for a week? Is this really a "once in a lifetime" opportunity?

I told everyone (thanks to the miracle of Facebook) and consulted with many. I told Paul and he was not exactly keen on the idea. I won't go into why, but his points are valid. It was a really hard decision but in the end, I decided not to go.

I still haven't officially declined the slot - just in case I wake up one morning (before 10/13 - the deadline t0 accept the slot) with a change of heart.

Anyway...looking ahead to next week and there is NO SWIMMING on account of the new tat! YEAH! Although swimming is my best sport, it always SEEMS like a hassle. I mean, you get wet! That alone is a hassle. So just a lot of running and biking this week. No major meetings at work - major projects - but no meetings, events or after hours who-ha. I don't think I even have social plans for next weekend - love it!

Hope everyone is enjoying the fabulous fall weather and drinking some beer! the 2010 race season is going to be here sooner than you think. Soak up the R&R time while you can!!!

Another First

I wish I could say that yesterday's cyclocross (CX) race was amazing! That I, the person who has never ridden an off-road bike of any kind, had beginner's luck and came across the line first in the women's Cat 4 race. Instead, my teammates and friends were all entertained by the "Andrea Villasi Comedy Special - LIVE from Lenexa, KS".

If you have been a frequent visitor of this blog, you will remember that I was looking forward to trying out cross this year. You will also remember that I lacked the one crucial element that is needed to compete in a CX race - a bike. Since Paul and I are trying desperately to recover from purchasing two brand new road bikes earlier this spring (and the hundreds of $$ I have spent on tri race fees - not to mention nutrition!!!), a new - or even junker - CX bike was not in the cards for me.

And so I conceded into not racing CX this fall.

Until Thursday night - the last KCOI/BLVD women's team ride of the summer followed by dinner and margaritas. So there we are, wrapping up the night and saying our goodbyes, when all of sudden Teri asks me, "hey - you wanna race CX this weekend? you can borrow my bike". Um, sure but I don't have any MTB shoes...to which Sarah replies "you can borrow mine!" Um, yeah...but are we the same size? "YES!" Really, okay...but I've never been to a clinic and I have no idea how to mount or dismount. To which Darcey replies "I'll take you out on Saturday to practice!!"

And that's how I ended up at my first CX race - ever.

Saturday morning Darcey came by with the bike and we rode along the Trolley Trail, through the Plaza, and up to Pembroke so that we could practice on the girls field hockey field. Long story, but I had to borrow Paul's MTB shoes for our practice session - and had to wear two pairs of socks to compensate for the size difference.

We started off with dismounting drills - which were easy enough. It's just like dismounting in a tri - only you do it like a million more times. Then we moved on to mounting drills. Not too hard either - except I kept landing right on my lady bits instead of my thigh. It was about then that we got kicked off the field by security, so we went across the street to Loose Park and rode circles in the grass, dismounting, jumping over imaginary barriers, and remounting.

OMG! That is REALLY HARD!

Enter Sunday morning - race day. At the last minute, Paul had to go into work because some big client is coming to visit this week and he has to make a ton of changes on some PowerPoint. This works out fine because 1) now I get to use his shoes and don't have to share them with him and 2) now I don't have to leave at 8:30 am!

I was nervous but I also was trying to convince myself that this would simply be an exercise in survival and, above all, FUN!

So I get there, register, say hi to friends and teammates and then get ready for a warm-up lap between races. Yep. It was just as hard as I thought it would be. After that warm-up lap I knew that there was no way I could take myself seriously and I would just have to laugh through it. The course had sand, sticky-mud, two big hills, switchbacks that made my head spin, and two sets of barriers. Oh, and it was FREAKIN' hot out - 82!!!

Pretty soon it was time to line up: Masters 35+ B, Women 4, and juniors. I look behind me and thought, "all of these little kids are going to pass me on the first lap!" Everyone kept commenting on how large the women's field was - with 20 of us.

The bell/whistle blows and we're off - well, they're off - I'm trailing as I try to figure out how to clip into those stupid pedals! First loop and I'm thinking, "this isn't so bad"...until we got to the muddy burm. I got to the bottom of the first turn and there was already a pile up...so I just waited while they untangled themselves and then went on. Riding, riding, riding, and we get to the first set of barriers - which are on a hill, and I'm so confident! I've got these! I am so going to rock this - and then - KA CHUNCK! I fell face first over the first barrier. HA! HA! Everything Darcey had taught me the day before completely left my brain. I think the most hilarious moment of the race (besides falling face first into the dirt) was when I tried to mount the bike with one hand on the handlebars and one hand on the seat!!! WHAT WAS I THINKING???? :)

And then...riding, riding, riding - WITH ONE FOOT CLIPPED IN! (it had to be because the shoes were two sizes too big) and the first lap is done...SLOOOOWWWLY. I was passed by everyone and their grandmother!! Zeke kept yelling at me to "SHIFT!" and "YOU'RE NOT RIDING A SINGLE SPEED!"

I think about the second or third lap I bit it on a muddy corner. No one took me down, just lost control of the bike. Riding, riding, riding and I'm looking at my watch and I'm thinking, "I think I have one more lap - maybe? Oh God, let someone win already so I can be done with this!"

I came into the park and the last set of barriers and Darcey is there and she's shouting, "come on! you're almost there" and I yell back, "Am I? Is this my last lap? I don't have to do anymore????" It was the last lap - thank goodness!!

I rolled in and Chasm asks me, "How'd it go?" - but before I could answer, I forgot to unclip and I just fell over. There's your answer!!! IT WAS HARD!!!!

BUT IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!!! I completely let go of focus, competition, and, lets face it, all motor skills and it was AWESOME! I was sure I came in DFL, but I checked the results this morning and I came in 16th out of 19 finishers. This is consistent with my crit attempts this summer as well - two or three places from the bottom.

It was so great to see all my friends - the BLVD peeps, Black Sheep Brigade, Evil, SKC, Mesa, Colovita, Local Cycling...thankfully, they all laughed with me (not AT me) and congratulated me on even trying. They all told me to keep at it and come to the clinics - but I had to convince them that would have to wait until next year, when I actually have a bike of my own.

Cross really takes it out of you. Yesterday, I used muscles that I never use in triathlon! I am bruised and scratched and I'm pretty sure I won't be able to wear skirts for a week or two.

Last week was my rest week. I took the whole week off from training (except for the bike workouts Thurs, Sat. and Sun). Tonight, I'm back on the wagon. Easy run on the Trolley Trail. Should be a perfect fall evening for it.

Looking back, I've really stepped out of my comfort zone this season. It's scary but once it's over, it's over - and the experience usually has a good story to go with it. I am thankful for all of the support from my friends and teammates. I am thankful that I get to race and that I am healthy enough to do so when ever I feel like it.

Yeah, I'd say that even with the ups and downs, it's been a pretty good year.

For photos, check out Miss Beer's Flickr page.

Redman RR and Season Recap

Redman was...interesting. So many feelings, ups and downs, and well, now it's over and I can move on.

The weeks leading up to this race have been strange. I have not felt like myself. I'd been moody and tired one day, and the next day happy and energetic. I think I summed it up best when I explained it to Liz as: two parts work stress, one part end-of-season fatigue, a pinch of hormonal imbalance, shake to mix and you get a walking mental case.

You know the saying, "he's just not that into you"? I was just not into this race. I even considered bagging it all together, and then, asking the RD if I could switch my registration from half to Oly...but I never acted on either.

Race morning I was a mess. I was a mix of nerves and calm. I'd be perfectly fine one minute and then freaking out the next.

It started raining about an hour before race start. It kept raining, and raining, and raining. No thunderstorms - just rain. So there we are, standing in the dark, in the cold, in the rain in our wetsuits, waiting for the sky to lighten and waiting for the race to start. They delayed it. People were wearing trash bags and race blankets to keep warm. The delay was due to reports of high water on the bike course - "impassable" and "6 inches of water" were thrown around. They considered a swim/run and I turned to my friend Casey and said, fine by me.

But then I thought of all the people who trained for the full ironman, and all the people who were excited to be doing their first half, and that sucked. How selfish of me.

In the end, they delayed the race an hour, but the race would go on as scheduled - with a little cyclocross action thrown in - there would be a mandatory dismount at mile 6 of the bike, where we would have to walk through mud and grass for about 100 feet.

So the swim starts and I try to put myself in a good position - on the inside front. Those women were WILD!!! Kicking and scratching and swimming over me and - that NEVER happens to me! I'm good about finding my way out of that type of mayhem. But it doesn't stop and I'm like, "that's it! I'm done! Where is the kayak? I'm outta here!" But I keep going and it got a little better - not much, but a little. The whole way back I'm thinking to myself, "I'm going to quit after I get out of the water. I don't care about this anymore!" I'm not even pushing - just swimming. Before I know it, I'm done and I look at my watch and it says 33:15!!! WHAT??? I wasn't even trying and I PR'd the swim!!! Okay, guess I better get on the bike because that swim rocked!

Official Swim Split: 33:44 (PR of 2:17)

Off on the bike and it's still raining. Not hard but just enough that it's messy and people are riding slower than usual. The course is narrow heading out of town and it's impossible not to ride in packs. People are doing a good job of riding safe, but we're all bunched up on top of each other. We get to the part where we have to dismount and they were not kidding - a good 100-150 feet of walking. I pick my bike up, CX style, but I can't run because of the mud and my Speedplay cleats. I go under a tree and a low-lying branch hits my rear bottle cage - sending one of my bottles straight into the red clay - mouth piece down. Great. Some girl says, "that's going to be tasty later".

Back on the bike and all you can do is ride. I actually felt good - despite all the chip seal and new payment they laid the night before to cover all the potholes. It's obvious they did a half-ass job on the new black top - I felt like my fillings were going to fall out of my teeth!

Heading back to the lake and aside from a tightness in my right hip, and the usual fatigue, I feel okay. Oh, yeah, it's still raining.

Official Bike Split: 2:58 (one minute slower than last year)

Into T2 and, I don't know why, but I take my sweet time. 3:12 - which is like, a lifetime. I take the time to wring out my socks, turn my shoes upside down, put my nutrition in my pockets. Even a day later, and I have no idea why I thought it would be a good idea to take my time in transition.

Onto the run and I'm feeling pretty good. I took my Garmin with me for the first time ever in a race, so that I could pace myself. I have a problem of going out too fast and dying at the end. I did it again here today - even with the Garmin.

I get to the first aid station and get some water and, "what's this? they have pickles!" They're cut up into one inch pieces and I take one and keep going. I'm feeling fine until about mile 4 and I ask for some coke to settle my stomach which is getting a little gurgly. Pace has finally settled where I want it to be and I'm heading back to the turn around. Second loop and I'm okay - until I decide to have ANOTHER pickle! Of course, it was AFTER the second pickle that I think my stomach troubles are due to the pickles. HA! I get to mile 11 and I'm in a bad place. My pace is slowing but I'm still on time to PR - not by much, but a I can still pull it off. Until I get two miles to the finish and I feel like I'm about to EXPLODE (ala JH at Oceanside). So I hit the Port-O-John and hang out there for a couple of minutes. I feel better but I'm spent and the last two miles are just about survival and making it home.

Official Run Split: 2:12 (4 minutes slower than last year)

2009 Total Time: 5:49
2008 Total Time: 5:44

AG place 10/23 (I still came in 10th! crazy!)

At first, I was a little upset that I didn't PR, but then I thought - I wasn't even sure I wanted to do this race! My head was not in it, the weather was crappy and I got sick - DUH! OF course it's going to go poorly.

But considering these things, especially my mental state, I still did pretty darn well! 4-5 minutes slower in a 70.3 is not the same thing as being 4-5 minutes slower in a Sprint or Oly.

Halfs are really hard for me for some reason. This past spring, I was talking to a friend about it. I don't remember what the context was, but something he said really hit me - "maybe 70.3's aren't for you". When he said that, I was really offended. I was kinda shocked - and this was BEFORE I did Kansas. I won't say that he's right, but they are not my thing NOW.

I have a LOT to work on. Running is the biggest thing. Everyone knows I can't run. I fall apart. Confidence is another thing I need to work on. BIG TIME. But ya know, confidence isn't something you can fake. And it takes time. You have to learn so many lessons, have so many experiences, before you can truly be confident.

I have a lot to let go of too. This year, this summer, was particularly difficult. I had work crap and some personal crap that was affecting my focus. It seems as though the things that were causing me stress earlier, are settling down and this fall will certainly be a time of relaxation and reflection.

I looked at the schedule for this week. There's nothing on it. In fact, I was told that it was okay to take the entire week off. I don't know how I feel about that. Funny because I really wanted to take the whole week off until I actually was told that I could take the whole week off.

Today is strange. I wanted so badly for the season to be over and now it is. I'm energized by all the possibilities that the extra time off will afford me, but also feeling a little lost...like, where do I go from here? What am I supposed to do now?

Crazy. I know.

So here's where the story ends. Another year, more lessons learned. (A LOT more than I'm including in this post). The next two months will certainly be about relaxation and reflection - so that next year can be the best season yet!!!

Frankie Says Relax

Good Times, Good Friends - Or Are We Sisters?

Stress has been at an all time high this week with the hospital's annual fundraising gala taking place tomorrow. We work on this event for seven months out of the year and it is an all consuming affair for everyone in our office. It's huge - over 3,000 people attend and we gross over $1 million for cancer care each year.

I'm so ready for it to be over.

Thank goodness for the holiday last weekend. Despite that it was the last "peak week" before Redman, I was able to find time to relax.

Friday called for an easy bike. I think it was raining that night, so I did the ez spin on the trainer, Paul cleaned his bike and we watched Runaway Jury on TNT while doing both. So is married life.

Saturday I slept in and took my time getting ready for my last long brick of the season. I headed out to the airport to ride for 2.5 hours, run 30 minutes. I know - the airport is the worst place to do a long ride. It's mind numbing because you just go round and round for 3.7 miles BUT it's pancake flat and windy as hell - just like Oklahoma! And it was the perfect place to try out the race wheels I am fortunate enough to have borrowed from my awesome teammate!!!

Workout went pretty well - thanks to a killer play list (if I do say so myself) on the iPod - until I ran out of calories and bonked with five minutes left on the run. Not only did I have a great bike, but I was hitting my pace for the run perfectly ... and then it was like I hit a brick wall. I didn't even slow down - just stopped. I tried to rally, but it was useless. I should know better. I had enough calories for the first two hours but...that was it.

Saturday night was low-key date night with the man. Headed over to McCoy's (local brew pub) for dinner and entertainment - there was some death metal/hardcore show going on down the street. The people watching was hilarious! A couple of drunk band dorks bellied up to the bar where we were and, well, the funniest quote of the night was: "Dude, I know we sound like Megadeath, but did you read that blog? They don't think we sound like Megadeth!" Classic.

Sunday was the best day of the weekend. I "volunteered" at the Boulevard Brewery apparel tent, went for an easy swim, then headed home to meet my very best friend, Michelle. She missed my birthday last month and wanted to make it up to me - by taking me to Harrah's!!! HA! HA! HA! I have NEVER been to a casino and have NEVER gambled, AND the last person I would expect to find in a crappy Missouri casino would be the ever fashionable, trendy, and hip, Michelle. She was like a whole other person at the craps table, and while I didn't love playing, it was a lot of fun to see her get so excited about it! She was doing really well ... up until she wasn't and I convinced her it was time to go. She gave me $50 to start and I left with $82.

Monday, SLEPT IN again, cleaned the house, went for another swim, and then met friends to see Inglorious Basterds. LOVED IT! I saw the previews for this movie way back in March? April? Anyway, when I saw the preview months ago, I commented to a friend, "that's going to be hilarious!". He wasn't sure how a movie with someone getting their head bashed in would be funny - I guess you just have to appreciate Tarantino. IT WAS FUNNY! But also horribly violent. Guess we were both right.

Make sure you see it on the big screen to get the full effect.

And that was my weekend. So, so relaxing and fun - just the way it ought to be. Monday through Friday is pretty awful these days, but weekends remind me just how great life can be.