Finding Friends

The past week or so has been a puzzle to me. I feel motivated. I am still doing all of the planning and prep. I am waking up early to get going and sticking with the plan (and hello!!! Me waking up early??? I feel like I deserve a medal just for that alone!). But some of the workouts have just kind of sucked. Sucked might be a too strong of a word. Maybe a more accurate description would be to say that everything hasn't come together.

For starters, I no longer have a master's swim class. I went from having an Olympian as my coach on deck to absolutely nothing. I was seeing huge strength gains in my swim and my motivation was sky high, as was my yardage and overall quality of the workouts. And now, nothing. No coach- no class. Just a nasty, 86+ degree pool.

The run seems to be suffering a tad bit as well. My long run last week to my parent's home did not roll as well as I would have liked (understatement) as I suffered through the heat and humidity. That tempo run yesterday? I think my marathon pace is faster.

Okay, so maybe the run didn't turn out to be so great this past Sunday, but hanging out with my parents was fun! Here is a picture my mom took of me post run with Cayenne. She took this on her new Ipad, which is so weird to me as I hate technology and I think it is so weird my mom has more technology than I.

So, finding friends...

The other day, I got a great phone call from a teammate, Steve, who said he noticed I looked "droopy" at the pool. He called to encourage me to stay motivated, and to say that a small group of swimmers will meet with me and help me get through my workouts with a little more pep for the next few months. I appreciated the thoughtfulness more than I could express. I do need some friends to push me in the pool. Left to my own devices, I will stay the same speed for-ev-er.

And after a very sub-par tempo run, again, I realized what I needed. Friends!!!!! I can't do every bit of training by myself, and that is exactly what I have been doing for the past 2 months. All of my swims and runs have been solo.

This morning I made sure to meet up with some guy friends for my bike intervals. And yes, it was a lot easier and more fun than going at it alone. It is not just about the company, I think I need that little push. I don't need any type of push for aerobic work, I can do that all day long by myself. But, sometimes I do need that push for the tempo-type work, especially when the heat slows me down and takes some of the zip out of my step.

So, I am going to try to plan a little more time with some groups and friends. It is sometimes tough to plan with others because I am limited by my own work schedule, but I am definitely going to try to plan my next tempo run with a friend (any takers?), and I am not going to give up on the swim!

Back At It

Today I felt like I was back in action after a 3ish week semi-break post half ironman/vacay. I have to say, I actually hated the down time. I felt out of sorts. I swear my body didn't like it either. I think it has started to rely on the daily dose of adrenaline and exercise. I didn't feel great this week, although I should have been rested from vacation. Go figure.

Luckily I had a normal-ish looking ironman workout on my schedule today (long ride +brick) and completed a 92 mile ride/5.5 mile brick run. Thank goodness. Everything within my control went well, and although I tried to beat the heat, I think I might just have to let that one go. Honestly, if leaving your front door at 5:20am is not early enough, I don't know what else to do.

Normally I would never stop at 92- I would go to 100. I like round numbers. I can't stand 2900 pool workout or 3800 or whatever. A 9.7 mile run? No way. I will just do the extra laps and make it a round number. Today I let the weird compulsion go and called it quits at 92. I thought... "what is the value of 8 more very, very hot, slow miles on the bike + an even hotter brick run versus the long run I have planned tomorrow and everything else on my schedule?" I think I am learning how to better focus on the workout at hand- yet keep in mind that consistency far outweighs any one daily workout. So, if I am slowing down, frying to a crisp, and getting dehydrated at mile 92? I call it a day and prepare for my next, equally important workout.

So, tomorrow I have a long run, and thus the planning begins. I think I will do one of my favorite runs- my house to my parents' house. The beauty of this run is you actually feel like you are accomplishing something with your run as opposed to just running in a circle. I leave my house...and then I get to knock on my parents' door and ask for some breakfast and a ride home:) It is really fun to actually "destination run."

And so I just realized I only have 3 weeks until my next race- Racine 70.3. And 77 days until Wales. A lot of time...yet not nearly enough time. You know?

Navarre 2011

51 more weeks until Navarre...

My annual Roberts' family vacation with the Louisiana/Texas Krewe has come and gone.

My vacation looks pretty much the same year to year. I read a lot of trashy books. This year, I managed 5 books- with one "intellectual" read thrown in just to make my family think I have some brain cells left.

I think there are 28 of us in our vacation group? Some nights we all eat together, and some nights (like the picture above), we split up and wine and dine in the condos.

A family picture with Dave's parents.

No one knew I was an expert at the hoola-hoop. I might sound a little cocky, but I was 8th grade hoola-hoop champion. You have NO IDEA how much practice I put into the hoola-hoop in order to beat Meredith Smith for the crown. We battled for YEARS- and finally, my hard work paid off and the hoola-hoop crown was MINE!!!!
When everyone thought it would be fun to "try" to hoola hoop after a day of drinking, I was able to showcase my very best talent. Effortless! Ha ha!!!!!

Us again.

Our vacay dinners are top notch. We never eat out- ever. We have the best meals around. Here, the boys put together a dinner with fresh fish that they caught the day before and boiled shrimp/corn/potatoes. Yummmm!!!!!!!!!

It should come as no surprise that I gained 5 pounds over the week. If you saw the food menu for the week, you would understand. I am sure the "who wants a boat drink?" at 10am every day didn't help me either. Or the fact that I ate cookies and rum cake all day long for a snack. Come to think of it, I don't think I ate a single piece of fruit and hardly a vegetable the whole week. No wonder my body is in complete shock right now and going through detox.

Some good years....

Gorgeous sunsets every night...

One of our legendary Jenga games. We did not beat Jenga this year, though, like we did in 2009.

The immediate family: James, Stephanie, Dave, Damie, Joe, Carol, Judy, and Pop Pop

Just wanted to give a shout out to my dogs because they rock. Last night, Dave dubbed this time in our life as the "Roo Years." He said we will always look back at this time in our lives and think of Rooney. So true. He permeates everything we do.

Not that we don't love Cayenne as much- she is our baby girl. But, like I imagine children to be, they are just so different. Rooney is my protector, buddy, worker, household rock. Cayenne is a total moocher and goof. :)

Here is a picture from last week of Rooney, me, and Cayenne. I can't ever seem to get a good one of the three of us- no one will look at the camera, and just when I get everyone in place, a squirrel or ball or something fun will catch their attention.

So this morning I woke up early to go run. I made sure to give myself enough time to eat a tiny bit and let my body wake up. True to character, Cayenne jumps in my lap while I am sitting at the computer desk and mooches as much snuggle time as possible. Gotta love the 45pound lap dog.

As I left the house to go run, a neighbor of mine (a male) came up to talk to me in the street. Rooney, ever vigilant, could hear the guy approach me, even though he couldn't see a thing from inside the house. He went crazy with his protective warning barks. He always has my back. Gosh I love that dog.

Rock N Roll Race Report

But first, we interrupt this program to bring you more important news. My little recovery run at Overton Park tonight delivered a great stalking opportunity for me: American Pickers from the History Channel! I made sure to first finish my run, but then I came back to give Frank a good, sweaty hug. Good times. Except I had the most un-cute running outfit tonight. Really? Ugh!

So, on to the race report.

Just to give you a glimpse into my mind prior to this race...this was my first half iron distance in 3 years. And, I had only completed 2 half iron distances ever. I knew I lacked experience. I also knew it was going to be very hot (high 90s and humid). I did not have time goals. Not a single time goal for any part of the day. I am still in triathlon limbo- not really sure what I can do or what paces are appropriate. While my body has recovered from surgery, I think I still sometimes have that mindset that I am injured and "just need to make sure to finish."

Swim: non-wetsuit. I went in the 4th wave with the age groupers. I started off slowly and didn't panic at all. Came out of the water in 35 minutes. No backstroking or freaking out- met my goal.

Bike: I just love this course. Within the first mile I was plodding up a hill at 9 mph, and I was so happy to not be racing on a flat course. This course is just so good at keeping it interesting. There is wonderful climbing, and fun descents. I never race with a computer, but on this day, I decided it would be a good idea to use my HR monitor and practice for my ironman. So, I used a mix of HR and RPE to keep me balanced. I felt great the whole time and never really felt like I was working. Most races I am pushing the pace to catch riders up ahead. My lack of experience in this distance helped me keep my riding enthusiasm in check. Overall, the ride felt easy and I never had a moment where I wished I was off of my bike. I finished in 2:40 in what felt like a pretty easy ride.

Run: Again, HR and RPE. I knew the run would be scorching hot, and I did not want to walk the back half. I also just do not have the recent experience to know what pace to expect when I run. I thought a good goal would be to just try to run the whole thing!

Out of transition I was running in the high 7s for the first couple of miles. I kept trying to slow down, but I felt slow and my HR was okay. But, if you look back over the results of this race in past years, very few women run super fast here. Anything in the 1:40s seemed to be a good run for this course, and I didn't think I fit in that category. I had this idea in the back of my mind that 1:40s were unrealistic for me, and I was hoping that maybe I could run a 9 minute pace and squeak in under 2:00.

But, the race went on and 5 miles in I felt great. I just held the same pace, really. There were a few miles that were a little slower when it was hillier, but I just tried to keep the same effort. I didn't focus on pace at all, I only focused on water, heed, ice, and towels. My whole run centered around keeping my body cool.

So, I had two girls ahead of me: Nina Kraft and another elite age grouper chick. And girls behind me, I guess. I was kind of in no-man's land, and since I didn't have a time goal at the start of the race, I really was just managing the run rather than pushing it. I don't think that was a bad decision. I really do lack experience, and just getting out there and putting together a bunch of good decisions seemed like a good goal.

(here is Nina Kraft's interview on the day. I must say, it is a little insulting to hear her talk about the heat. She had a friend go around the entire run course and give her extra water to drink and pour on herself to stay cool in between the aid stations. I just found this disturbing- she was so far ahead of all of the women...was it really necessary for her to get extra help? I thought you could not accept outside assistance. Believe me, we were all hot and thirsty, but we had to wait to get to the aid stations. I just felt a little mad seeing that happen over and over again on the run course.)

I had one mistake the whole day- I missed a gel somewhere around mile 8-9. By mile 10, I really needed one, and there was a gap in the aide stations right at the toughest, hottest part of the course. I had to wait from mile 9 to 11, but I got a gel and boom- I was right back on track.

My last mile was my fastest mile of the day- and I finished the run in 1:44- about a 7:59 pace. So, I guess I was running at the right speed since I was able to maintain it. And to think that just 3 months ago I ran an open half marathon in the nice cool weather just one mere minute faster. Hmm.

Anyways- I have many, many more thoughts on this race, but it is way past my bed time and I am truly tired. I finished in 5:03- a nice PR for me and completely unexpected, especially on a hilly and hot course. There is nothing that I would change about the race. It was a good crack at this distance, and I was glad to see I can work hard for 5 hours.

The biggest feat of the weekend- driving 7 hours to the race site, only to sleep (or not sleep) in a hotel with no air conditioner with temps in the 90s. Race a half-iron distance. Drive back 7 hours to Memphis solo. Go to Italian Festival.

I am now officially tired...I think, except I am still awake.

Race went well and exceeded expectations in all events. I met my goal of swimming freestyle the entire swim with no panic. The bike was beautiful and fun. I managed the run with the following shout-out at every aide station "water, Heed (or coke at mile 10 on), ice, towel!" Water on head, Heed/coke in mouth, ice down my bathing suit, and wet towel over my shoulders. I will have to look at my watch again, but I think my last two miles were my fastest. This was probably my most successful battle ever against the heat.

Getting Ready to Rock N Roll...No Melting Allowed!

Road trip!!!

Solo. (no Dave or Joy with me this time. Oh where, oh where, are my traveling buddies?)

The funniest thing happened this week, too. My wedding ring is missing a prong, the band is cracked, and it is too big. I ceased wearing it on Monday so I don't lose it or damage it further, and I do intend to have it fixed, once I make it that far down the "to-do list." Dave suggested I just wear the ring he gave me for our 1st anniversary, but come Wednesday, I still didn't have anything on my finger. (because I was lazy and didn't feel like searching for it)

Wednesday night, Dave said, "so, I guess you are going to race this weekend as Damie Turpin?" Ahhhh ha ha ha!!! It was so funny I couldn't go to sleep after he said that, and I got out of bed and started sorting through junk to find the anniversary ring. Well, the dern thing doesn't fit either, so I am wearing a ring that my mom gave me as a kid so that I can travel as Damie Roberts, married triathlete with a pretend wedding band.

Currently I am sitting in a roasting hotel room. I mean roasting. It was 100 degrees here today, and I just checked the current temperature at 95 degrees!!!!!!! seriously!!!!! And there is no air in this hotel room. I keep telling myself this is just heat acclimation.

So, here is the scoop. Tomorrow is a half ironman distance event. The event is decently challenging- hilly course on the bike, but not awful. Just lots of hills to get over and one major climb. I was excited when I drove some of the course this afternoon to see climbs at mile 1...then mile 2....then....yes!!!! It is just so much fun to ride different topography, especially after riding in Memphis day in and day out.

The run course is interesting in that it changes every 400 meters it seems. It will be flat, then you climb, then you are on a false flat, etc... so, it is up and down- some gradual and some a little harder- and some nice and easy.

But doesn't 13.1 miles seem so long when you drive it in your car? I kept thinking today on the interstate...boy 1 mile is really a long way! I have to do how many tomorrow?

Of course the big issue for tomorrow is the heat- it is projected to be 97 degrees while I am "racing." And since it was 99 degrees here today, I believe it will reach its projected temperature. While it is normally hot this time of year, we are having "severe weather alert" heat in the south. Go figure. And the race course? NO shade.

I go into this type of event understanding that I cannot defeat the heat. After my awful meltdown in the Chicago Marathon of 2007, I have learned that I MUST readjust my plans in hot weather. At Chicago, I refused to do this. I decided I had trained for a certain pace, and I was running that pace no matter what!!! I would not budge!!! The worst part of that decision was not the med tent visits (3 of them) or the horrible heat exhaustion. It was the destruction of the rest of my year. I never quite recovered from that event, and it destroyed the rest of my season.

So, with a little more experience, I am heading into tomorrow's race very conservatively and hopefully with increased safety. Safety and staying cool are my number one goals tomorrow. Since I have a history of being a poor performer in heat, I know I need to be absolutely diligent about hydration, sodium, and staying cool. I am going to wear my HR monitor tomorrow and compare it with RPE to make sure I am not doing anything too hard. I am also going to follow my sodium and hydration plan faithfully.

And no time goals. Out the window. There is no way I can project a bike or run time. There is no need to try to finish in a certain time. This is about using my brain and solving a tough puzzle to put together the best day that I can safely put together. But honestly, I am excited! I love a challenge. Triathlon is not just about raw speed, it is about making good decisions over and over again to put together a good day.

Beyond The Myth

I am not done with my animal postings... I just try to give you guys a break from time to time. :) I mean, I am still seeing tons of dogs on my bike rides. About 7 weeks ago I found a completely starved pit bull in the hood (could see every bone)- he was hiding in a pile of trash. I rode my bike to the store, got him some food, and came back for him. I was able to get close enough to him to give him some food. I am not scared of these dogs- he was not growling or trying to hurt me- he was sick and hurt and scared of me!!!! I tried to call every agency I could reach, but it was a weekend, and no one answered. I waited with him for a while, but realized...until I went home and got my car, there was nothing I could do. I knew Dave was going to absolutely freak out. I mean- if I can't provide a home for Shelby Angel, I can't bring in another dog. I know the limits of our house.

When I saw Dave, of course the tears just poured out. I can break a bone with no whimpering, but if I see an animal suffering, crying is the only thing I can do. I blathered on and on about the dog, and "can we please go give him some food. Please just come see him." Dave- AWESOME HUSBAND, BFF FOR LIFE- drove me back to the dog. We never found him again. :( I searched for a few weeks and left food for him regularly. And then the floods came....and who knows if he made it.

And...you know, a couple of weeks later Ali, Joel, and I were riding and found a puppy that had been dumped on the side of the road with a bag of food and a "good luck to ya." Really!!! WTF!!! What is wrong with people. So, we were able to get some help on this one, and hopefully the little guy got to a safe place. The thing is, you never know if you do enough. You can only do what you can do in the moment on your bike, and then you hope you did the very best you could. Thank you to Ali and Joel- they were so kind and really have a sense compassion for animals.

So, just two little stories. Huge impact on my life. Do animals make an impact on yours? If you open your hearts and minds, animals can help you be a more loving, kind, and caring person. Can you adopt just one dog- open your home and make a lifelong friend? You might think I have had dogs my whole life, and that I am a "dog person." Not true. I found Rooney, my first dog ever, at age 28. And Dave and I will both testify- he has changed our lives forever. The day we lose Rooney will be one of the worst days of our lives...but the love he gives us every single minute of the day is priceless. If you haven't experienced it and can manage it in your home, adopt a dog.

I encourage everyone in Memphis to go see Beyond The Myth. This documentary on pit bulls and breed discrimination is guaranteed to educate you and open your minds and hearts. It is not cool to turn a blind eye to these amazing dogs and the suffering and abuse that WE- HUMANS- impose on them. I am hugely biased towards this breed based on my AMAZING interactions and encounters I have had with these dogs. I do not think everyone needs to own a pit bull. I also don't think everyone needs to own a cute, little dog either. Dogs all have their special needs. But, yes, I am partial to these amazing, faithful, happy, lap dogs. I swear, every pit bull I know just wants to be a lap dog- no matter how big they are they are always trying to just snuggle in my lap...so funny. :)

Wednesday, June 15th 7:00 PM, Malco Studio On The Square

Advance movie tickets $12 each, $15 at the door

Movie and after movie party, $27 advance- Slider Inn,

(2117 Peabody Ave. at Peabody/Cooper Ave.)

Purchase tickets at:http://www.beyondthemythmovie.com/screenings.shtml

Performance by soundtrack artist, Kimber Cleveland