Short Run

Today, I tested my foot with a short 3 mile easy run. It felt pretty good. I got up and ran before getting Morgan up, and she didn't like me being all sweaty in her room. :)

Post Race Report and Workout

On Monday, I was SOOOOOOOO sore. WOW! I made a lot of noise each time I stood up, sat down, and went up or down the stairs. I am feeling better today, but yesterday was brutal!

Tonight, the WCTT met to do a 10 mile bike with a 1 mile brick run after. It felt good to use my sore muscles. No rest for the weary! I am still trying to decide what my next goal will be. I am not sure I am ready for the half-iron. Still thinking on it.

Bike and Short Run

I rested for a day after the race, and then I did a 10 mile bike and a short 1 mile run to get the brick effect. Carmen, Jennifer, and Nicole were there, and it was good to see them!

St. Anthony's Triathlon

I stretched before I got up. It was painful to walk on, but not too bad. I took 2 advil. I put it on ice for a few mins, and then we left. This was about 5:15. We walked the half mile or so to transition from the parking and got the stuff put away. I kept my shoes on for the almost mile walk to the start. It was hurting and I was really getting nervous. Then, we went into the water, and it felt really good. Hmmm....maybe that will help I thought. So, then we walk on the sand. DOH...the sand got ALL in the tape on the bottom of my foot and the tape started coming off. Lovely. Then, they stopped the race and changed the swim course to make it 1k instead of 1.5k as it was REALLY rough. So, we waited for an extra thirty minutes. I went in the water again and relaxed. Sand all over again. Lovely.

We started at 9:33. The swim was rough, took in lots of water, but I enjoyed it and didn't feel like it was too awful from an effort perspective. I did the 1k in 18:11. I had put some shoes between the swim exit and the transition so that I wouldn't go barefoot. They weren't there. :( Bummer.

I got all muddy in transition because I tried to get the sand out of the tape by pouring water on my foot. FUN. I was way too slow on the transition, but I figured it was important to not have sand under my food in my shoe.

On the bike, i did well until mile 18.It was great to see Monica, Brian, Heather, Amy, and Mike as I was on some of the roads that did a turnaround. It was VERY windy for the majority of the ride. WOW. My foot started killing me. Lovely. I wasn't really anticipating that it would hurt on the bike. I started taking my right foot off every minute or two and pedaling wiht my left foot while I stretched out the right one. At this point, I was REALLY nervous about the run.

I was really happy to finish the bike. The wind was brutal. Then came the real test. I almost fell getting my foot over my bike. :) HEE HEE...i jogged to the transition area and it was hurting on my foot. But, the amazing thing was that it stopped hurting COMPLETELY as I started the run. For two comlete miles, I had NO pain (well in my foot....my LEGS on the other hand were killing me). At the two mile mark, it started to ache but wasn't painful. Around the 3.2 mark, it started to hurt. I kept trying to play with my stride to make it hurt less. Around mile 4, Around this time I had seen Monica, Brian, Stacey, Amy, and Heather. It helped so much to see them! it stopped hurting again for a bit, but then BAM just before mile 5, it was sooooooo painful. My body was also pretty mad at me by then. It was HOT. My heart rate was up. I was geting a sunburn, and my legs hurt. I started limping, and I decided that I should try to walk. So, I tried to do 2 minutes or so and then walk, then 2 mins, then walk. I think I walked 4 times in last mile. But, I DID It!!!!!

The weird thing is that it actually feels better today than it did. I thought it would be worse. It is still tender, but much better than even on Saturday.

I had fun, but let me tell you, it was hard. :) Abhijeet and Morgan took pictures. Here are some

Massage and Kinesio Taping

Today, I walked and ran around ALLLLLL day trying to see the kids and Mike do their triathlon. They did SOOOOO well! I had so much fun watching them, and I was so proud of all of them. My foot was hurting SO badly. I finally made it to a tent that did massage and kinesio taping. I hadn't ever heard of kinesio taping, and I wasn't sure what to expect. It is strips of tape they put on that is supposed to help the muscles and tendons stop being sore. I have done all I can and I then iced it for hours before hitting the bed in prep for early morning.

Podiatrist

Today, I went to a podiatrist. I wanted to be sure there wasn't a stress fracture and to make sure they didn't say I couldn't run. He was pretty cool and said I could run. He taped it for me. Felt pretty good after.

My Miracle Healer :)

Today, I saw Chris. He worked on my evil foot, and he made a huge difference. It was amazing to feel the difference. Unfortunately, it still hurt, but it was a lot better which gave me hope that it might keep getting better by Sunday.

Foot Massage

Today, I stopped at the airport to get a foot massage. This stupid foot pain is not going away. I can't swim bike run this weekend with this pain so it must go away. The foot massage did help for a bit but then it came back. grrrr

Rest and Chiropractor

I still can barely walk. I am very, very nervous about the race at this point. I went to see a chiropractor that is located in the same building as the office. They did an ultrasound and foot massage. She kept rubbing over some marble feeling thing in my foot. Freaked me out.

Swim and Stationary Bike

Today, I did swim about 1000m and I rode the stationary bike for about 40 mins. Better than nothing, but still no running.

Foot Pain

Last night, I suddenly had really bad pain in my foot. Weird. I haven't even run since Wednesday. I didn't turn it. I didn't fall. I was at the beach all day for Morgan's cheer comp. Odd. Hopefully it goes away as fast as it came. Still resting, no running.

SICK

Today, I surrendered and went to the doctor for my chest cough. It just kept getting worse. She told me that I must rest for 3 days. I got an antibiotic, a dose pack, and a rescue inhaler. They also did a nebulizer treatment before I left. On to resting and hoping it gets better.

6 Miles with Hills

Today, I did a hill workout in Atlanta on the hills. I went 6.4 miles, and it felt pretty good. I am nervous about the hills for the Marine Corps Half, but hopefully training on the hills in Atlanta will help.

10 Mile Monday!

Today, I got up EARLY and did 10 miles before work. It felt really great. I felt good, and I was happy to hit double digits in preparation for the Marine Corps Half in May.

Fort Desoto Sprint Triathlon!

I have now officially completed my second sprint triathlon!!!!!! The crazy part is that I got second in my division! I was first in the swim, fourth in the bike (I suck at the bike), and third in the run.

I got up at 3:30am (yes, that is 3:30 - I don't think I have ever willfully gotten up at 3:30 although I have seen it from the other direction quite a few times). I drove to Jennifer's to ride with or follow them to the race. I decided to drive so that I could have my car no matter what. Mike was going to get the kids in Brandon after the race, so I needed a car to get Morgan and I home. I followed them (thankfully as I was so brain dead at that hour). We arrived about 5:30 which was PERFECT. I was on the fourth rack in the transition area. Of course, I got yelled at twice before I ever even got into the transition. The packet had a wrist band, but I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do with it (e.g. right arm, left arm, etc). They also wanted my chip ON when I got there. I had it all in a nice little envelope in my bag. I got marked with my age and number (I really hate that they make your age go up to what it WILL be at the end of the year and I will really hate that next year). I love that they write it on you. It feels so cool. :) I got into trouble for not having my wrist band on AND for not having the chip on. Geez...take it easy. It is 5:30 and I am still new at this! :)

I tried to put my bike on the rack, and it collapsed. Oops. A girl tried to help me, but it was falling down. I went to find someone, and of course, I could only find the man who yelled at me about the wrist band. Lovely. I put on my sweetest face and kindly asked him if he could help me with my rack. He asks if my wrist band is on, and I was SO glad that I could say yes. He helps me get it fixed, and then the nice girl who tried to help before tells me that I am hanging my bike wrong. She is very nice and smiling and tells me that my seat has a hook. So that is what it is for! :)

I look to my left and see that Carmen is across the aisle! FATE! :) She tells me that we are soon to be tbff's (triathlon best friends forever) as we were rbff's (running bff's) for the half marathon. I am nervous, but I know it is Carmen's first tri all together so I try to be good. We go to the restroom, and I go back to the car to get some cough drops. I am coughing a lot. I set out my things in the order I think I will use them. I mentally prepare as if i am coming back from the swim. Then, I think of coming back from the bike. I was pretty happy with it, but I definitely need to get a tri bag. That must be my next purchase. :)

I really need to pee and possibly some other form of restroom activity, so I am nervous. The port-a-potty line was VERY long. i abandoned it when they said that we had 3 minutes before transition closed for the race and there were 10 people in front of me.

We walked down to the beach. I got into the water, and I was surprised that it wasn't too cold. We put on our swim caps and wetsuits. I was a pink swim cap. Carmen was also a pink. :) We waited together. I thought Mike and Morgan must be there by now, but I didn't see them. I left my shoes and shirt on the beach, and I asked Sean to tell Mike if he saw him.

When we were waiting, a man was talking to a lady and pointng out how people were drifting out on the outbound leg of the swim which made it farther from the green buoy. Good point I thought as I watched. I decided to go out on the inside. I didn't go in front, but instead I hung at the back as I was pretty nervous about the ocean swim. I didn't get to practice before the race, so I was afraid of waves, people banging into me, etc.

I should have gone in the front as I had a really hard time breaking away. I got kicked a few times, and I was elbowed a few times. I finally found a track and made some way. Then, I ran into someone else. I elbowed one girl in the head. Oops. I finally got over my nice side and just swam. I didn't care if I hit people, got hit, was kicked, etc. I just kept going no matter what. i was SHOCKED to see the green buoy. ALREADY? WOW! I so should have swam a bit harder, but it was a nice swim. As we came in, I saw a LOT of people standing up and walking out very early. I kept swimming until I couldn't any longer as I know it is much easier to swim than to walk in water.

Then, we had to go across the lagoon. YUCK. It was nasty feeling on your feet and it STUNK. ICK. I saw Mike and Morgan yelling for me as I came out. I was so happy to see their smiling faces. I can do this!

I started pulling off my wetsuit. Then, I remembered that I wore a bra top with nothing over it as I don't have a tri top I felt good about wearing yet. So, I couldn't pull it all down because then I would be walking around in a bra top. That might scare everyone, so i just kept it over my boobs but unzipped and out of my arms.

It was a pretty long job to the transition. My feet were killing me by the time I finished running over the litle rocks and shells on the path. I was SO happy to put on SHOES!

I got into transition, and I took my sham wow to my feet. YUCK. They had nasty lagoon stuff on them. I pulled off the wetsuit thinking about how much I stink at taking it off. I need to practice that. I got my socks and shoes on. I got my helmet on (without trouble this time), and I put my watch on. I grabbed my sunglasses and I was off! That felt prety good. I was third in transition time in my division, but there were only 5 seconds between 2nd and 3rd. The fastest time was over a minute less! Until I can run faster, especially with no shoes, I don't think that transition will get better for a while unless it is a shorter distance from swim to bike.

I started out on the bike trying to figure out how fast to go. Man, that wind is NOT FUN. WOW!!!!! Around mile 3 I am wondering why I do this. Around mile 4, I am so thankful that I am about to turn around. My bike is leaning SIDEWAYS with the wind. I did get into my aero bars and that helped a lot. Next thing I know, well before mile 5, we are turning! WOO HOO! It was SO great to have that wind at my back for a while. I loved the next 4 miles. AWESOME and fun. Then, it got windy again for the last 2. I knew the end was near though, so it was ok. I got into my transition, pulled off the helmet, took a sip of water, put on my visor, grabbed a gu, and I was off!

I planned to run the first mile and then take a walk break. However, I felt so good at a mile, I decided to go for another half mile. At one and a half, I felt so good that I decided to just keep going until I needed a walk. Then, the stairs came. Lovely. The top stair was brutal, but they weren't as bad as I expected. Going down them was fun. Then, we ran on the beach. It was beautiful, and the day was perfect. The wind felt good since I was getting hot, but the sand and wind made it harder to run. I still hadn't seen anyone from my group on the run. I had seen Monica and Brian at transition, so I thought they would be right beind and would pass me. Around mile 3, I saw Holly. Then, I saw Jen coming the other way. It was fun to see them, and I was excited to be nearing the end. At one point, I asked the girl next to me where she was from. She said Atlanta. I told her that the company I worked for was based there at Ravinia. She said it was right near her. At that moment, this 66 year old man who was PASSING us said, "Girls, if you can talk you aren't running hard enough. " I thought that was very funny but probably true. I was really enjoying it though and didn't want to push too hard too fast.

The last half mile I pushed a bit harder. It was so great to hear the crowds. Then, I saw Mike and Morgan cheering for me. It felt SO great to go across the finish. I did feel like I might puke for a brief second after I crossed, but it was quick. I don't know why I get that at the end of runs, but I almost always get it.

I cheered in Monica, Brian, and my tbff, Carmen. It was so good to see everyone finish and to celebrate. The crew wanted to go to some bagel place to eat, so we went. Morgan realizes she has lost her phone. Mike thought it was at home. Morgan said itwasn't. We tried AT&T, but the lady on the phone was worthless and didn't have a clue about the services they have. Finally, they told me that it would take 24 hours to activate the service that can help find the phone. We went back to the race area, but they said that they didn't have a cell but we could check with race director later.

On the way home, Morgan looks up the results on my phone. She says, "Mommy, you got 2nd place!" I was SHOCKED. I didn't even get my trophy with all of the phone hunting! I hope they will send it.

Thankfully, the next day, the race director responded to my email that he had her phone. I picked it up and saved having to buy a new one. WHEW!

I totally loved the race. I had a great day with my tri buddies. I definitely want to do it again next year. Loved it!

Lazy

My last two days of vacation ended up being a bit lazy. Thursday, I was pretty tired from my hill run the day before. Friday was the day before the Fort Desoto Sprint Triathlon, so I decided I should rest. :)

Run with Hills in Nashvile

Today, I got up and went running in Nashville (well Franklin really). Man, I have a totally new respect for Nashville runners. It is HARD running on those hills. It also made me VERY nervous abou this half marathon that I am running in May in Virginia. It looks VERY hilly. There was one hill that was really mean. It looked like it was the top, but oh no, there was another hill right behind it. It was also pretty windy, but I did it! :) I felt like such a good girl to get in a 7.17 mile run on vacation, especially since I did 9 two days ago. :)

Swim

Today, I visited the Y near my parents and swam a little over a mile. It was rather funny as they had to take my picture. The guy looked all hesitant, and he said, "The frightening part is that I must take your picture today." He was looking like I might throw a shoe at him or something. I said, "That's ok." He looked SO relieved and said, "You would be surprised at how many women get MAD when I have to take their picture." Too funny.

I was surprised at how many people were there during the day. I had to wait a bit to get a lane. I shared a lane with this poor woman. I accidentally got in her way a couple of times. Oops. Otherwise, the swim felt good. I thought it was funny that my mom told me to have fun as I was walking out the door to go. Then, she muttered, "If you can have fun while swimming." What a riot. My favorite workout. I obviously didn't get my love of swimming from my mom! :)

9 Miles Running

Today, I ran 9 miles. I did it at 11:50 a mile pace. I was proud because I really just tried to take it easy and relax, and I ended up having a great run! I found a new little 7 mile loop in the neighborhood. It was nice to have a different route to follow.

Today, we are going to Nashville for Spring Break. Last year, Morgan almost missed the flight because I didn't want to wake up earlier to take her. This year, I was up before the sun, ran 9 miles, and made it to the airport with PLENTY of time. What a difference a year makes!

BIking on Hills, Running, and Swimming

What a day! We started this morning by meeting in San Antonio, FL where there are hills. We rode 33.6 miles. The longest I have ever ridden before is 25 miles on flat ground. At mile 10, we had to go up College Hill. Everyone kept talking about it and scaring me to death. Then, when we got there, it was really foggy and there were a lot of cars. It really scared me. I actually started crying and said I didn't think I could do it. THANK GOD Terry was there. He told me to ride with him, and he taught me how to do the hills. I haven't ever understood the gears and when to shift, but he made it much more clear. I really enjoyed it. I did almost have to walk a few times, but somehow I powered through it. ::) Then, we ran 2.5 miles - again with HILLS. That was hard. My legs were killing me, and I was breathing hard. I did it though. I am not sure I could have done 3.7 more, but hopefully I can after riding 25 on flat.

Then, we ate a quick bite, got the kids and their bikes, and headed over to Holly's house. We swam a half mile in the lake (I am still terrified of that lake. I just know a snake or alligator is going to get me). The first quarter I wasn't very efficient, but the second one was MUCH better. I need to work on making the beginning smoother so that I don't wear myself out too fast.

The kids did a clinic on the triathlon. It was great. The swam 10 lengths in her pool, transitioned to the bike, and then biked 4 laps. After the bike, the ran 1 lap around the circle. I ended up running another half mile with Morgan as she struggled with her bike.

Tough Run

I was in Minneapolis for work, so I ran with Nick and Heather H. It was rather hot at 78 degrees. There were also some hills. On top of that, I had a chest cold, and I think my legs were a bit sore from the brick on Tuesday. Or, maybe it was just a bad run day. Not sure, but it was not fun. I did not feel good the entire run. My legs hurt. My chest hurt. My stomach hurt. YUCK. But, I did it. And I felt better at the end. 3 miles in 34 mins with hills feeling crappy - check!