Pushing the Long Rides

First day of school- going to 1st grade:)

My mom gave me this picture for my birthday, and it has nothing to do with the post. I just wanted everyone to know that apparently I knew compression socks were cool way before I did this whole triathlon thing.

I normally don't post tons of training details/stats on the blog because I figure training is so individual, and what is fast to one person is slow to another so it really doesn't matter what pace we do, as long as we are all working to improve. :)

But, I am going to break code a little bit today and tell you that I just had my butt kicked in a 116 mile bike ride- my longest ride ever, and it was great. The ride started off like normal....a super slow, small chain ring warm up through the city for about 45 min to meet the group (I rock a slow warm up!), and then about 2 hours of riding with Los Locos and company with some easy, moderate, and time trial riding. I normally just let the group do their thing and I do my IM pace, but today I just hung with the group and had some fun. It has been a pretty tough 3 week block, but my riding legs were still hanging around.

Then everyone split and left me for the wolves with Mark Newman. My mind felt a little bi-polar..."cool, riding with Mark will be great. Long rides are better with company" and "now I am going to die." You would think it would be easier to go from a group ride to a 2 person ride, but not with Newman (said in Seinfeld voice) as your partner.

I think I only ride with Mark on average one time per year. Last time I remember chasing him around I actually fell on a hill. I am not kidding. I just fell over trying to keep up.

So, 60 more miles with Mark Newman and no help. Awesome. Mark is this amazing athlete and fantastic person. Aside from his athletic accomplishments, he is just a good guy and someone you like to have as a friend. He wouldn't ever tell you this because he is crazy humble, but I will tell you. He is a 3 x Olympic marathon trials qualifier with a 2:19 marathon PR. (that is like a 5:18 pace for a marathon!). And that was when he "was" a runner. Now he is an amazing triathlete....goes to Kona and places top-10 in his AG in his first ironman ever (and I think his first year to ride a bike) with run-stopping cramps at mile 18. He is just a machine. There is no way I can really describe someone with his ability to hurt and suffer. By my definition, he is an elite athlete no doubt.

And hurt and suffer (in a non-elite way) is what I did for the next 60 miles. I just held on to his wheel for as long as possible. At mile 90, I was paying for all of the fun and games at mile 30 when I was chasing the guys up the hills. Mark was still zone 2 and I think I was out of zones. There was one nice 3 mile stretch where I let his wheel go and dropped to my real zone 2 and it felt soooo good- and then Mark made me get back on his wheel. Not that I am complaining, as he did pull me through all of this wind.

I went barely under 5 hours for 100 miles for the first time ever, and that was including my warm up and other playing around and piddling throughout the morning. Mark was handing me my butt. At mile 110, my ride was supposed to be over, but I was nowhere near home. I briefly thought about crying for a minute. My brain could not conceive of any ride over 112, and only on race day. At mile 116 I was finally able to stop at Dave's work and ask for a ride home. Whoo hoo! I made it! Mark had more to ride, and he is probably still out there riding 25 mph at zone 2.

So, the biggest and hugest thanks to Mark for babysitting me this morning, and helping me ride hard. It is days like today that bring breakthroughs. (I channeled my inner Michelle Simmons today, who rides hard and has encouraged me to do the same). A passive-aggressive thanks to my teammates for leaving me alone with Newman's torture. :)

Best of luck to my friends and teammates racing Rebel Man tomorrow. Great race! Congrats to my Wattie Ink teammates for their Oceanside 70.3 races. Way to rock it!

34

Thank you for all of the birthday wishes. Dave asked me tonight if I feel old...or older. I do, actually. But, I am glad that my body is still healthy overall and that I am surrounded by family and friends at all of the right times. :)

Birthdays have never been a big deal in my family. They usually go something like this "hey Damie, do you want to do something for your birthday today?" I decided to take matters into my own hands this year and make my own fun for my birthday.

I took the day off, as did Dave. First, I woke up (no alarm) and went for a little run. Then, I came home and asked Dave to make me some coffee. (always better when someone else makes it)

Then, it was time for a dog rescue. There was a puppy in the neighborhood that was lost/stray and I haven't been able to catch him. Since it is/was my birthday, I made Dave come on a rescue with me. (another family took the puppy in for now :)

Next, Dave and I ate gas station sushi, which is really good :)

And, since it was my day, I wanted to go to the Lichterman Nature Center and walk around. (plus it is free on Tuesdays, and I am thrifty, even on my birthday).

Dave was a good little buddy the whole day, and he didn't even complain about spending the day on the trails. Today I finally found an animal sleeping in a tree. I have always wanted to see that. :) If you look closely, you will see some raccoon fur.

This was just about my perfect day!

Then, I jumped on the trainer for one more workout and Dave took a nap. (Apparently Tim didn't know it was my birthday...no fun birthday sets or days off :)

From the trainer to Mexican and margaritas- and then on to the Hunger Games. (I really only went to the movie for Dave. Since I already read the books, I didn't know if I wanted to sit through the movie.)

And that is it! It was a super full and wonderful day. Thank you for all of the messages, texts, and phone calls. Happy Happy!!!!!

Weekend Wrap Up

I wanted a pizza for dinner tonight (the good, Pizza Hut deep dish kind)...somehow I willed myself to cook fish, quinoa, and a salad. It must be because I am only 8 scary weeks away from IMTX.

Tonight I have really had the itch to race. Everyone is starting to post race results, and I am getting antsy to get out there and see where I am. I don't have anything on my schedule until Nola 70.3, so I have a few more weeks to wait.

My weekend long ride- happy to have company this time around. I am somewhere hidden in the middle. Thank you to the boys for the ride...and for the girls for my long run. It was a good group weekend.

This weekend was more of the norm... long ride Sat and long run Sun. No extras, which left me extra time to cut the yard, go to my nephew's baptism, play with the dogs, "fix things" with my papa, and ...drink wine.

BTW, was anyone else hoping to see Cam Brown win? Something about him running with Crowie- I just really wanted him to pull it off. I fell asleep in bed watching the race and woke up in the morning with no clue who won.

Whew. Lots of good stuff this weekend. Time to wrap it up.

PS- Shout out to my friend Diana who just ran her very first 5k ever. So proud of her!!!!!

Friday Thinking

I think most of my thinking happens on Friday nights. I think 90% of my stress with life comes from work and finances. So, when Friday rolls around, I get to volunteer at the Humane Society and reflect on work, money, and life and try to make some sense out of it all.

For one, I sometimes just wished I lived and worked on a farm. I think I could be completely happy taking care of all kinds of animals on a farm. (A happy animal farm- not a bad, mean, meat farm). I sometimes feel the human race has gotten so far away from what is natural to us, and I think being outdoors and taking care of our home, animals, and land is natural.

Kisses and hugs! Sharing love makes everyone's life better. :)

Tonight I printed off my tax return. This has been the most stressful year I have encountered financially with taxes. (again, the relationship between stress-money-work). Sigh. That is why I still drive a 1997 car with no windshield wipers or radio. I proudly own all of the choices I make with money (for example: go to Tucson vs. replace the goodwill furniture in our home that we have from college). But, I do get a little cynical this time of year when I hand over what seems like way more than my fair share. I feel pretty certain that guy smoking a joint on his grandmother's porch (while I am working with his grandmother) in the middle of the day is not paying taxes. And, I think I indirectly paid for his pot.

(and every time I pass him I have to pray to God to help me keep my big mouth shut before I blurt out..."must be nice!" :)

I walked the dogs tonight and just let some of these things go. I decided that I really admire John, kennel employee pictured above. He is my favorite employee at the Humane Society, and I realized tonight that he is just so pleasant to be around, and he does work that matters! I am sure that he doesn't get paid a ton to take care of dogs for a non-profit. And, I bet he pays taxes. He works every day and does meaningful work. What a good spirit. I decided that I want to go calmly through life like John and just do the work that matters.

I walked the dogs, had a great night, and all is settled. The tax bill will get paid, and I am fortunate to work and earn an income. Life is good.

My view from the computer tonight. They are being sweet lovers in this picture, but in few minutes Cayenne kicks Rooney off of the bed.

Breesy just watches from Rooney's her dog bed.

Basically Rooney is getting run over by the women in the pack.

Just Getting On

Tonight I did everything possible to NOT get on the computrainer after work.

First, I ate a ton of cookies and crackers. Oops, can't get on the trainer now. Can I just add dinner on to the 1000 calories I just ate?

Then I thought, "you know, I really deserve a break from work."

I emailed Tim...."I don't feel like getting on my trainer. SOS. Hint Hint." (Like he cares- it is my race, not his. He is not going to rah-rah me on the trainer. It is up to me.)

I threw the ball with the dogs.

I let the time drag on till it was going to be too late to get on the bike.

I pulled out some lame training excuses : "but I already did a similar workout in the past few days. I don't need this one, right?"

I checked my calendar. Am I PMS? Um, yes. (that is the week before when I just eat a lot and don't feel like doing squat).

I played on the computer.

And finally I got on.

I really do like the trainer, but I dis-like the "compu" part of it. I hate those little evil numbers that are called Watts. When I break it down, I actually don't hate Watts, I hate it when I feel like I have failed a workout, and not "hitting Watts" can do that to me. If you want to win a Watts contest, come see me. I am easy pickings.

I put on a good interview with Scott Molina, and that really helped my workout. Listening to the insane amount of training he did helped me do my tiddly little one hour trainer ride. He also said something in the interview that hit home with me- he never wanted to show up to a race thinking he should have done more in training.

I feel the same way. Our preparation is something we can control, and while we won't be 100% for all of our races, we need to go into our big races prepared. Skipping workouts and logging zeros in the training log does not get me to the starting line mentally or physically ready to race. It feels wonderful to go to a race and know that you have given it your best preparation in training. Thinking about this helped me do all of my intervals exactly the way they were supposed to be done. I didn't even lower the Watts (which I tend to do when I start thinking they are stupid).

So luckily, even though I set everything up so I could fail, I managed to hang on tonight and do the work. Thank you for not letting me sabotage myself. Tomorrow may be yet another battle.

100 In The Bank

I am back in the work/wife/train groove here in Memphis. IMTX is actually getting pretty close and I only have 9 weeks to go. If you count some taper time, well...that is not a lot of time left at all. Good thing it has warmed up here in Memphis so I can finally ride outside.

Looks like Tim noticed I don't have much time left as well, as evidenced by my schedule. Holy Moly. Looks like Smashfest Camp hasn't ended. No complaining, though...I don't want him to cut back and then I will be saying, "I am not doing enough, wah wah." But man this week has been hard!

Today I had a solid 100 miles on the bike. The funny thing is, last year I couldn't do enough centuries. More, more, more!!! This time around, I start to think....90 sounds good, right? Can't you do an ironman off just 1 long ride? Ha ha! I know that is the winter hibernation talking, so I am ignoring that voice and getting the work done.

I am really working on keeping my HR up and consistent for long durations of time. This is hard for me. It takes a lot of focus to not let my HR drop off. I realized I am really good about not going too hard in training, but I am not so great at keeping my effort level up. I thought I had perfected my aerobic paced rides, but in reality, I have still been riding a little too easy at times.

So, if the goal is to ride 112 miles in a consistent manner, I need to do that in practice. Today I executed my plan and was rewarded with a much faster bike time at an appropriate level of intensity than I am used to seeing. I made myself push a little bit when my intensity was getting too low. It made a big difference.

I know my Los Locos team is probably completely annoyed with me and my "zones" as I will just drop off of the back of the group when it is too high or I will just go off of the front when it is too low. Eh, but I know deep down they really love me and that is why they put up with me. :) Hopefully I amuse the group with my shenanigans if nothing else.

A fantastic treat landed on my doorstep last night...my new Wattie Ink gear! Holla!!!!! I LOVE our uniforms, and I usually don't love inanimate objects, but these kits are so nice. I had to play dress-up and try on every little piece.
Happy Weekend!

More Thoughts on Tucson Smashfest

I am VERY MUCH missing camp and my new friends. I am back to my real life- going to work, messy house, figuring out how to pay the IRS, flat tire on the car, etc. :) The great thing about camp is I was able to leave all of that behind for a few days and just be with friends.

Fortunately, I do get to come home to a great husband, a farm full of animals, and I job I like. So, life is good, and I am happy to say I continue to make the most of it when I can with new adventures. I know I make the adventures happen, so my life is made up of my own choices. Yet, when I go do something like a training camp, I can't help but feel that I am also a lucky girl.

Some thoughts on camp and pictures (mostly stolen from Hillary :)

This is a picture of our full group from Memphis, Hawaii, Chicago, California, Texas, Canada, Michigan, and Arizona. Every single person here impressed me with their positivity. We decided the group got along so well because choosing to go to this type of camp is self- selective.

While there were several different levels of ability in this camp, every person seemed to have the same level of work ethic and a desire to achieve something more than they had achieved before. I don't think anyone left this camp without a new accomplishment, whether it was swimming 100 x 100 or 3 days climbing Madera, Gates Pass, and Mt. Lemmon. For me, everything seemed to be a new accomplishment. I LOVED it!!!

This is one of my very favorite pictures from camp. I spent most of my time with Dawn, as we were pretty similar in ability. Towards the end of camp, I would just kind of look for Dawn and expect that we were going to be hanging out for the day. I can't say enough good things about her and the positive spirit she brought to the training table. She is someone I could train with daily if she lived near me.

Another picture of my white legs. If that isn't motivation to get outside and train, I don't know what is! This is a picture of our group at Starr Pass getting ready to go for a great trail run. This was our final workout- 3 hours of running after some serious training days. Every single person got it done.

Running down the trail. Thank you to Hillary for taking pictures!

Look at all of the cacti!!!! Isn't that so cool? I have never seen anything like it in my life. I LOVE running trails, and this one was so awesome.

More running with my sweet and awesome group.

After camp, I took the time to write down some things that I had learned, not only from Hillary and Maik, but also my fellow campers. I think every camper would say this very thing: our limits are not what we think they are. Watching friends like Michelle crush it day after day really helped me to see not only what is missing from my training, but also what is possible. It was a very positive experience.

And, I can't say enough about Hillary. If you don't already read her blog, start reading it! I met her through my typical blog-stalking, which BTW, I think is totally fine to do :) Over the past few years, she has been so encouraging and helpful to me in my journey. And, just wait till you meet her in person. She is so dern fun and cute 24/7. (being with Hillary makes you promptly want to invest in some Lululemon clothing). I never saw her look un-cute or un-smiley... even when smashed from a lot of training...must be a California thing :) Yet- with the fun spirit she brings to the day, she is a monster in training. She CRUSHES it and asks for more. To swim (well, I didn't really swim with her...just in the same pool), bike, and run with her (not really with her, as she is so much faster!) was awesome and inspiring.

So, if I could leave you with one big thing I learned from Hillary, it would be this: be a small fish in a big pond. That is how you learn. For me, this was getting out of town and getting out of my comfort zone to go to a camp where I would just try and survive.

Thank you Hillary and Maik!!!!!

Last Day Tucson

Quick post to say....goodbye to Tucson!

A few pictures of the last day. Hopefully I will get some more here in the next week to post.

Last day of camp- 3 hour run with Hillary and friends on the beautiful trails at Starr Pass.

And after a good Frog and Firkin IPA, I was officially tired.

One last group session with some smores and a great view of the city at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort.

No more blogging. Just sleeping. Hope to post some more good pictures when they come my way. I am sad camp is over. It is a lot like being at summer camp as a kid...it goes by too fast! But, I do miss Dave and the pack a lot. :) Over and out. xo

Day 4 on Mt. Lemmon

It seems everyone has climbed Mt. Lemmon, but this was a first and awesome experience for me. I can see now why everyone loves Tucson.

The prior 3 days of swim/bike/run have challenged me more than anything I ever do in Memphis. For one, I just don't have access to any climbing. So, to come here and do Madera Canyon, Gates Pass, and Mt Lemmon back to back after a winter with very limited indoor cycling was epic for me. The good news is, I got stronger and stronger with each pedal stroke, and this boded well for my final climb at Mt. Lemmon.

As a newbie, I didn't really know what to expect, and I didn't check out the maps. There was no goal time or anything like that for me. I rode the first 10 miles at what I felt was an easy pace (if you can say easy when you are climbing for almost an entire 25 miles). I took it all in and enjoyed the beautiful mountain. Then I just felt great and went for it. I crushed my way up the rest of the mountain, and just like I have done the rest of my time here, I got stronger with every mile.

Making it to the top was worth a little cookie celebration. :)

One of the absolute highlights of my camp experience was the descent of Mt. Lemmon. You have a couple of miles of climbing before a 20 mile descent, and I still felt good and happy. It was strange and I don't know how my legs were doing it, but I was still ready to climb. When Maik started to gap our little group up the road, I bridged to his back wheel and made up my mind to ride down with him.

And we FLEW down the mountain. It was just Maik....and me on his wheel. He kept looking back to see if I was hanging on, and yes....I was. Not just hanging on, but pushing it. He could tell I was loving it and just kept going hard. It was crazy, scary fun. In less than an hour, Maik and I had gone from climbing out of Cookie Cabin to the bottom of the mountain.

Not to mention, I had just ridden the wheel of a world class triathlete- one of the best cyclists in the sport, on a gorgeous day. Maik couldn't believe I had kept up, but little did he know I wasn't going to give up that opportunity to crush that mountain with him. It was one of those moments where I KNEW I had just seized and experienced a lifetime opportunity.

My descent partner, Maik Twelsiek! We were grinning at the finish with exhilaration.

So, that time with Maik was one of the highlights of my weekend. Truly, though, there have been so many good times, though, and it would be hard to report every single cool moment. I think, though, that having dinner with and listening to Sam McGlone last night would have to be up there, though. She was awesome.

So, still lots and lots of fun around here....sad to see it coming to an end soon.

Day 3 Tucson Smashfest

It is going to be really hard to go back to work next week.

Day 3 and the Tucson Smashfest. I had to steal a few pics from Hillary's blog. We actually have a ton of pictures floating around, but I probably won't get to them until camp is over.

Today we did the Gates Pass/McCain Loop Ride with Hillary. It was an absolute blast, and my riding legs are definitely coming around. I am LOVING my new bike fit and so happy to be getting in bike miles!!! (I could do without the saddle sore, though- did not get it here, have had it for a while now:(...and Hillary scared me today with a really graphic saddle sore story- not her story, but a nasty one nonetheless).

Today's ride was gorgeous! Cacti everywhere and not a cloud in the sky. I was with new friends and just having an absolute blast.

Hillary was in charge of the pictures today. She takes the cake for remembering to use her camera.

Gate's Pass- finished!

Then it was time......the 100x 100 swim set. Oh yes, my first attempt at the distance. Actually, I have never gone over 5,000 yards in my life. Why not double that? Hillary divided us into lanes and read our final will and testaments gave us our sets/instructions.

My lane mates- Jimi and Kevin. They ROCKED!!!!!

Michelle and I had this deal that if I did my 100 x 100, I would earn a special swim cap that she brought just for me on this occasion....

The authentic Michelle Simmons- BSC, aka Bat Shit Crazy, cap.

On my 99th- 100, Michelle gave me the cap to wear for my final 100....and it is now mine to keep forever! I am now officially on team BSC. 10,000 yards..... doable, with the right mindset, fuel, and GREAT lane mates. If everyone is on board, you can really push yourself and each other.

And the thing is, I was swimming a faster pace the entire workout than I do for most of my master's workouts. So, it is not like we were piddling around. Crazy where your mind and body can go if you just decide you are going to do it.

Over and out- tomorrow is Mt Lemmon, brick run, and some light swimming followed by dinner at Hillary and Maik's house. I can't believe camp is almost over. BOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't want the fun to end!!!!!

Tucson Days 1 and 2

Hee hee!!! I am having an absolute blast. Seriously. Every time Dave and I talk on the phone, he can just hear my grin. I am in Tucson!!!! This is my first time in Arizona as well as my first time at a real training camp.

First, I am rooming with Michelle. We are having sooooo much fun. I think most people are like their blogs, and I knew Michelle and I would get along, but honestly, she is even better in real life. She is truly Mama Simmons....she is my mom on the trip. She is keeping me on schedule and making me eat healthy and coaching my swim, etc..... So, so much fun.

Now.....let me just say this trip so far has been very COLD in the mornings and at night. Not what we expected in Tucson. Michelle is a big weenie from Hawaii, and she made me take a picture to prove we have been using a lot of heat in the car.

Day #1. Heading out for our first run as a group. Can you pick out the girl that has an actual winter and hasn't seen the sun in months? That would be me...pasty, white chick on the left.

Ummmm....and don't forget that I saw Abdi Abdirahman twice while I was running yesterday. He was doing some sort of tempo run and was KILLING it. So amazing to see that type of real talent. It was beautiful. We got a few smiles out of him with our hoots and hollers. We finished our first night with dinner at El Charro....see, we are bundled up! Cold!!!!!

Day 2: Madera Canyon + Shootout loop. No one told me about the climb at Madera (thank goodness- Kari and Julia....stay away and don't tell me anything!) :) 93 miles of awesomeness today. Michelle frickin' kicked a$$. She is the real deal, guys. If you are racing her this year, be scared. She is one of the strongest girls I have ever seen ride a bike. I am learning a TON from her.

Our group getting ready to start the ride.

Highlight of the day? Riding with Maik Twelsiek. So dang awesome. A few times I just sat on his wheel and just thought to myself how cool my day was. He is the NICEST guy ever. He is such a great rider and professional. It is unreal to watch him ride- EFFORTLESS.

The BEST news of the day was my bike fit. You guys know I have had some major problems on the bike, and it has kept me off of the bike this winter. I really have tried reaching out to a lot of people for help, but nothing has worked. I arrived in Tucson early and got a Retul fit (more on that later) and HOLY MOLY THANK GOODNESS!!!! Today was GOLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am back. Seriously. I KNEW something was wrong, and today's comfort proved it. I haven't done 90+ miles since Wales, and today it was just like the good ol' days.

Except that a couple of bolts weren't totally tightened, and I had to spend about 30 miles towards the canyon without my aero bars. My back really paid the price riding into the wind with no aero bar relief. Thank goodness for super SAG friend, Bruce (pictured above) for fixing my bars at the top of the climb. It was heaven the whole rest of the day.

Then, it was time for a swim session. Who better than Hillary for some swim help? And I get 3 days of swimming with her! Sunday she is going to look at me underwater, so updates to come.

Tomorrow? Gate's Pass/McCain Loop and some crazy swim session. Hopefully I will get to connect with fellow Wattie Ink teammate Lindsay Zucco as well for dinner. So, super busy but having an awesome, awesome time.

xo

A New Adventure

It is not an exaggeration that I have been asked (in a sort of negative, condescending way) several times in the past week or so what I get out of blogging, or being on Wattie Ink, or interacting with strangers at races.

The question always leaves me a little baffled. There is so much awesomeness out there! What do I NOT get out of those things? What do I NOT get out of meeting so many great people?

I think about soccer. You ALWAYS shook hands with your opponents after the game. If someone was an excellent player or had really played with extra courage or toughness, I always made it a point to introduce myself and congratulate them. It was a sign of respect, and it also connected me to the game in deeper ways. I didn't just know the players on my team, I knew lots of players everywhere.

I remember one time after a tournament when I was about 23-years-old, I made it a point to say hi to some really great players on the other team after the game. We had won the game, and I had had a great game with 2 goals and a lot of midfield control. It was one of my best games. But, I knew that I had played some classy players, though, and come to find out, they were Atlanta Beat players (pro team that had folded for a while at the time). What a great conversation we had about post-college play, mutual friends, etc. These players were just awesome- what passion! No one else bothered to talk to the other players, and they had no clue the quality of the team we just played.

And if I had just left the field without speaking to the other team, that game would just be one game in a million that I don't remember. I think about that connection and that special day where I played with some amazing players, and it makes me wonder...

why wouldn't you want to extend yourself to other people that love the sport and learn from them?

So, what do I get out of blogging, and being on teams, reading about pros, and making friends? I don't know if I can sum it up quickly, but I believe it connects me deeper and more passionately to my sport.

And, if I didn't ever venture into meeting friends, I definitely wouldn't be struggling to finish packing my bags so I can go to Tucson to train with Hillary Biscay and friends this weekend. I would be staying by myself instead of sharing a room with Michelle Simmons. I wouldn't be emailing Jen Harrison for some Tucson advice. And on and on and on....

There are so many great people in this sport...so many nice people! What a great outlet for us as adults! So my question back to the people that have hounded me in the past few weeks is...why aren't you extending yourself a little more? Why aren't you taking the time to introduce yourself to competitors after a race? Why aren't your reading a pro's blog every now and then to learn something new? Why aren't you enjoying a cool, enthusiastic team?

There are so many adventures to be had in this sport! It is not just about the small area where you live. There are races, friends, and good times to be had all over!

Breesy wants me to take her with me.

Breesy and Cayenne were helping me pack, until they figured out I might be leaving them. These are the sad faces. Aren't they so pitiful! :)

And yes, I am very, very excited to go to a training camp. This is my first one EVER! I have had many excuses not to ever do this, and now that I am making it happen, I wonder...why did I wait so long?

11 More Weeks....Time To Ride

The bike has been elusive for me this year.

One of my goals for IMTX is to have a better bike split. I know that I am capable of riding faster....but I haven't proved it. So, until you do it, you don't do it, you know? I can think I ride well, but I haven't proved it at that distance. My half IM bike splits were 2:38-2:41 last year, with the 2:38 being my worst race of the year and the 2:41 being a very hilly, hard, yet successful race. It seems I have the potential to do more, but the truth is, I just haven't.

A big problem for me this year has been bike fit. I have had too many different adjustments to my otherwise awesome Slice in the past 5 months, and the result has been very negative. I am uncomfortable every time I get on the bike. I am justifiably worried, as I have ridden this bike for 3 years with no problems. Then, for the first time in my 6 years of riding, I had severe back pain over the weekend. I couldn't even stay in my aerobars for more than 2-3 minutes. How am I going to ride 5-6 hours in an ironman if I can't even ride a couple of hours now? This has really been upsetting me. I am losing time...11 weeks out...tick tock tick tock.

But I am not going to give up- and I am going to find a way to get this fit right. Thank you to all of my friends that are trying to help. If it was good before, it can be good again!

What I am realizing about choosing an early season ironman is that bike frustration will be inevitable. I have been on the trainer, or on my couch, all winter. I won't have a few races under my belt to give me some feedback on my cycling. I haven't had a chance to get on the road and feel the negative pressure on my back or other sensitive areas. I won't have a lot of speed or endurance because I have been inside most of the winter. An early season Ironman is tough!

And while I do have some feedback from the computrainer, I have to say, I am starting to hate it. Apparently I am not any faster than 11 mph for this ironman if you start computing my W/kg. I miss the days where I would just ride. Easy. Hard. Slow. Fast. Now all I hear is, "what are your watts?....and how many mph was your ride today?....and blah blah." And it drives me insane! It is just another way for people to "race" each other during training, and I want no part in that. As I have never been able to correlate my race times to my training times, I just prefer to not use a computer and stress myself out over that stuff. Some people thrive on training numbers, but I think I wilt. I prefer to just see the number at the end of a race.

All of this makes me love my husband even more- his type B, even keeled, wonderful self. Yesterday I had an easy trainer ride followed by a run. The run was good. Everything is clicking in that department. I came home and talked to Dave about my fears with the bike and how much I feel I have regressed. How can my running be doing well and my bike be so shitty? Dave's response is always so simple. He said, "I never think you won't bike well. Of course you will bike well. When it is time to race, you will ride fast." And he says is so calmly, as if I am not pushing the Watts of a 80-year-old grandmother or twisted over with surreal back pain. And I love him for that.

So, I just keep moving forward and try to get the fit right, put in more miles, gain some strength. All I can do is keep trying and striving to get bike fit and walk the walk so that maybe, just maybe I won't have a 6+++++ hour IM bike time this year.

Precision Sports

This is what we do at Girls' Night Out here in Memphis. And for the record, I am a damn good shot.