The Athlete's Holiday Guide

Fine. If all the websites want to give me useless suggestions for athlete gift guides, I will make my own.

Honestly... never buy another runner shoes unless you know exactly what they want and what size they are. If someone bought me a random pair of running shoes without knowing anything about what I'd like, I'd feign excitement until returning them to get what I actually want to run in...

And running clothes? Seriously? Am I the only picky one out there? I am the WORST when it comes to specificity about how my running tights/shorts fit and from the Pearl Izumi event, I learned that ALL the brands cut their clothes differently so there is a decent chance those $100+ running jackets aren't going to fit like a glove unless you really know the person you are buying for. Plus, how boring! *yawn* If you're going to get something just to likely return it, why not just get a giftcard? NOT HELPFUL, GIFT GUIDES./endrant

Let's be real. Buying for athletes is tough. If you're going to spend some of the most uncomfortable times of your life with something, you better hope it's perfect. Here are some alternative ideas to the cliché running shoes and jacket:

~$10-20
SPIbelt
- It gets a little bouncy and annoying if you fill it up with too much stuff, but not too bad to hold keys/phone/credit card/gels. Especially good for cycling without a jersey.
Feetures! Socks
- Or any awesome athletic socks... I know lots of people who are fans of Balega. Go interest-specific for  extra points. I found some super cool Colorado cycling socks this weekend and I had to restrain myself.
Foam Roller
- I'd go with the highest density possible. That said, I'd be ok with a PVC pipe. The softer ones get misshapen and worn out more easily, and they accomplish less.
Foot Roller
- for the runner with knots in his/her feet
Sweaty Bands
- see a review of these here.
Nutrition
- Clif Bars, Picky Bars, Gu, Honey Stinger you name it... everyone needs 'em. Plus, if you just buy one and don't like it, it's not the end of the world.
Camelback Podium Chill Water Bottles
- When it comes to cycling, these things are the best of the best. Sucks if you lose them because they are more pricey than others, but I rarely use anything else.


~$20-50
Ryder's Sunglasses
- I swear by these things. They aren't the most expensive/flashiest you can get, but they are the most reasonably priced, in my opinion
Running Headlamp
- Careful to get one that doesn't bounce too much, but I don't think you need to spend more than $25 on this to get a good one
Athletic Gloves
- I personally love the one's that have removable mitten tops and will expose your fingers because my hands get hot quickly. That said, I would hate having my fingers exposed while cycling. Make sure whatever you get is breathable and cycling gloves and running gloves are GOING to be different.
Camelback Delaney Running/Hydration pack
- Here's the thing: running with a bottle in your hand is annoying, even if it has a velcro holder strap thing, you still probably hit yourself in the hip with it while running. Some packs bounce - think about running with a backpack...how awful is that? I have it on good authority that this one is a keeper.
Road ID
- This can really cost about whatever you want, but we'll put it here. You'll have to know an athlete's emergency contact info... but it's a good one! I don't take mine off unless I have to look formal and I have bands in pink and purple :)


~$50-100
R8 Roll Recovery
- for the athlete who is serious about recovery, no matter how painful
iPod Shuffle
- If you are/know someone who runs with music, the best option has got to be a shuffle. Most runners loathe running with extra stuff to carry. It's uncomfortable and weighs you down/bounces around/irritates you... etc. The shuffle you can just clip to your clothes and go.

~$100 +
Rudy Project Sunglasses/Helmet
- Honestly, I think Rudy is the best of the best when it comes to these accessories. They do what they do and they do it well. Plus they have some sweet customer service that will take good care of you. That said, the picky athlete is going to want to pick his/her own glasses and helmet at that price.
Garmin Watch
- You can't go wrong with gifting a Garmin if you get all the features. For someone who runs exclusively, I'd go the Forerunner 10, unless you also want heart rate (very useful tool), then probably a 210 or 410. For the triathlete, time to spring for a 310 or 910 XT.
Cycloc
- This might be more for you if you live with someone who has a handful of bikes lying around, but it's the COOLEST and I now need em for my place!

Product Review: Picky Bars

Some Picky Bars

This one I hinted at and briefly covered for about two sentences in some previous posts. But PICKY BARS! The gluten free, vegan. etc etc sports nutrition.

I haven't tried one while running, but I have eaten both the All in Almond and the Lauren's Mega Nuts variaties and was a big fan. 

Description: It's like if Powerbars met Larabars and were a nice balance of yummy, nutty, chewy and not too sticky. I also really like packaging. It's conveniently paper-y and easy to tear away even after it's gotten all warm in the back pocket of your cycling jersey.

Definitely recommend, especially if you like nuts! They are a little oddly textured. A little less sticky thank Larabars, more grainy. I think it very much depends on what you want to eat while you work out. Probably good for athletes with sensitive stomachs or athletes who just want something more natural while they train.

Product Review: Be Hot Bands/Sweaty Bands

Well, this is a girls and long-haired guys thing, sorry if you're left out.

After so much hype, I bought myself one of these in pink today:
http://www.lilfairytalesboutique.com/item_23/Champagne-Black-or-Pink-Sparkle-Skinny-beHot-Band-more-colors-available.htm

I've heard of their more widely known competitor product Sweaty Bands being incredibly popular. It's essentially a ribbon, with felt-like material on the back and they're constructed to be very tight.

An assortment of Sweaty Bands

I have to say I was skeptical and Sweaty Bands are pretty expensive. I run with all kinds of hairbands, especially after I had about 5 inches of my hair cut off this summer and it was even unruly in a ponytail.

Let me tell you, THE RUMORS ARE TRUE. THESE THINGS ARE AMAZING. I know running stores like Fleet Feet (and Runner's Roost & TriBella for you Colorado people) carry Sweaty Bands. They generally run from $15-18. I was excited to find these Be Hot Bands which run from $10-12 depending on width, at Boulder Running Company. Similar products are available at most race expos and running stores. 

Usually when I run, my headband slips back and then lets out little hairs on my forehead. There was NONE of that. These things don't budge! Highly highly recommend them! Good stocking stuffers for the runner girl in your life.

Product Review: Pearl Izumi Project Emotion N2

Pearl Izumi Project Emotion N2 Women's $120

I think Pearl Izumi had the best intentions when creating this new line of shoes, Project Emotion. Mostly, I think they were trying to catch up to their competitors who are launching minimalist lines of shoes (namely the Brooks Pure Project, which has been selling wildly so says the local running stores). 

I got a very cool opportunity through Boulder Running Company to give these a 3-mile test run. But before I give you the scoop, let's talk what I like.

About a year ago I switched from the Brooks Ghost (a neutral trainer) which I had been running in for almost 3 years. Generally, I'm a die hard Brooks fan. Way back when I started in Brooks, and when I moved to a more minimal shoe, I switched to the Pure Flow. I also had a brief stint during which I trained in some Mizunos. While I have a pretty neutral stride, my right ankle sometimes gives out (it's really cool and helpful like that) and I think I benefit from being in those neutral to mild guidance shoes. In fact, when trying on the Pure Connects a while ago, I ran a little oddly. I've tried them on since and did ok, but decided to make a change to the Saucony Kinvaras because of a slightly wider toe box. I raced a number of triathlons in the Pure Flows and they tore up my feet a number of times. So - that's my background: Neutral shoe. Lately in lighter, 4mm offset shoes.

Immediately when I put on the Project Emotion N2s, they felt clunky and heavy. To someone who hasn't been running in super light shoes (pure flows and kinvaras weigh in around 7.5 oz/shoe), they might feel like socks. I'm not sure. I did like the one-piece, no seam upper, which from what I understand, is a Pearl Izumi thing. The seams in my Pure Flows tore apart my feet when I wore them without socks for a sprint tri. I imagine this would solve that problem. The shoe generally felt pretty inflexible and the material also felt very thick. I'm always an 8.5 and the shoe fit very snug. One of the people who worked at the store even said that he usually wears them a size up from his normal size. I stuck with me 8.5s nevertheless. I almost never size up from there... if anything I'll go down to an 8.

I headed out on the run, which started mostly downhill. Definitely a quiet shoe as I pounded down some pavement. We turned off on a trail and my right lace came untied. I ran through the trail and the shoes really did just feel kind of clunky. As I began to warm-up, I thought the material didn't breathe well. It felt like I had two pairs of socks on. as we looped around, the rest of the run was uphill. What I enjoy so much about both the PureFlows and the Kinvaras is how I feel like I want to run on my midfoot to get up those hills. I feel like it keeps the impact down and feel lighter on the uphills. Again, I have to complain about how clunky and inflexible the N2s felt.

Overall, I'm a little disappointed. Looking into more neutral, low offset shoes, I was excited to see what Pearl Izumi came up with. In the end, not for me... and I wouldn't recommend them to any runners who already run with lighter shoes like I do. That said, I could see them being a great transitional shoe between a trainer and something like the Brooks Pure Project or Saucony's Kinvaras. 

Breakdown

Pros:

Seamless upper

Aesthetically nice design

Cons:

On the heavy side for a light shoe

Inflexible

Not very breathable

I'd be interested in trying out their N1s (lighter, even less of a drop) and their tri shoes for this line in February. They felt more breathable and lighter when I looked at the sample shoe. That said, if they're still inflexible, I'm still skeptical.

US Pro Challenge!

One day I will bike this whole course.
Not today though.

YAY VIDEOS! Media diversity on the blogosphere

So what? You're still a rockstar

http://bicycling.com/blogs/fitchick/2012/11/06/are-you-an-athlete/

This article made me feel so much better about lots of things.

I took a few weeks easy after I completed that there half ironman. By easy I mean there were a few really lame 3h30min weeks in there but also a handful of 6+ hr wks. In doing so, I had time and energy to focus on strength training. I focused a lot on upper body because I've been also focusing on getting my running speed back so my legs have been finnicky. Also, I have about 12% upper body strength - even with the swimming (whatever that means). I have to tell you... I can't and never have been able to do a single normal push-up. I know, WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME? I do "modified" push-ups just fine but when it comes to normal ones, I think I'm physically stunted. One time in college my teammates, Brad and Kendyl, in totally disbelief, tried to coach me through it during a strength training session. It didn't really work.

This article reminded me that you can still be fierce as hell and yet maybe still incapable of some things. (It focuses on pull-ups. I'm talking about push ups... potato potato - hm the effect isn't as good when written.)

Speaking of being fierce as hell... I declared this, the first full week of November 2012, my week to get back to triathlon training. I'm going to the Rocky Mountain Tri Club practices and getting back in the training groove. I woke up at the crack of dawn to swim on Monday and will be swimming again tomorrow night - when I'm swimming, you KNOW I mean business.

Today I did a brick workout again. First time running off the bike since September 9th.

Holy smokes kids, do not underestimate the difficulty of running after you bike. After a lame 65-minute bike ride, I stashed my bike in my apartment, put on my running shoes, chugged some water, and headed out on the pavement for my usual 5' mod + 5' hard + 3' walk + 5' easy run + 3' walk...

Yeah that was a JOKE. My 5' moderate up a hill felt like death might be upon me. After that 5' I gave myself a 1' pity walk. Then I convinced myself to do 5' at a ramped up pushing it speed. MAN. I have never been so happy to see that 3' walk in my life.

Don't kid yourself, man. Triathlon is hard. I just forgot.

In other news, TdF champion Bradley Wiggins got hit by a car today. Stay safe. Cars are stupid. So are pedestrians and other cyclists. Be ready for anything. It's funny, his story sounds a lot like mine - I too was hit by a woman pulling out of a gas station. Only, I'm sure he was going much faster.

Sometimes you train hard race hard... and sometimes you don't

One night, Kyle talked John into doing a marathon. I was there. I thought he was crazy. I begged him to be smart about nutrition so on race morning he taped 2 gus & 2 sets of shot bloks to himself, then added 2 gus in his back pocket. He bought a Go Pro to document his 98 hrs of training and entire marathon.

I don't think this is really an inspirational video because John didn't train and is still strong enough to run a marathon - no injury. In fact, he did pretty well and is perfectly fine. JEALOUS

Road or BMX in disguise?

This is the coolest. I'm in awe. Also super dangerous and probably not the best use of that beautiful carbon frame and aero wheels.

Run the Rocks

Lemme explain this real quick:

Run the Rocks is an intense 5k in which you spend most of the first 2 miles running downhill. To give you an idea - I did my first mile in 8:08, and my second in 7:25. Fast.

Then just as you round mile two, you get to climb up an extraordinarily treacherous hill, followed by a short hike up a steep ramp and a climb up some serious amphitheater stairs. Unlike the race in France, I actually tried so I didn't take pictures DURING the race this time :) I finished in 29:59 - JUST UNDER 30, 25th out of 110 girls in my age group. Real stuff.

This, however, does not mean you will go without a photo narrative:

we took a quick pic by the rocks during our warm up :)

also, personalized race bibs! what is this? (and finisher medals)

The 6 min/mile pacer stood at the front, so Justin basically had to start on the line #intimidated. He DID finish 37th overall and 10th out of 88 in the M20-24 age group.

post race breakfast in the mountains

LOOK at those pancakes. YUM

Kona, break throughs, race report to follow

Hey guys,

A race report is soon to come because I'm running Run the Rocks 5k tomorrow. My calves are going to hurt so bad from the hills and stairs.

The news since last we spoke is:

1. SPEED. Wednesday brought 6.3 miles averaging below 9 min/mile. Just ran 4 miles at right around 8:30 pace. While that killer 4 miles might have had something to do with my strong desire to rip something to shreds.. I'm still hoping this is a sign of something good and solid to come! Where can I find me a nice, solid, flat road race? 10k? Half marathon. mmmmmm I feel READY

2. I had a Picky Bar. I tried the All in Almond flavor - very good. It's like if Powerbars met Larabars and were a nice balance of yummy, nutty, chewy and not too sticky. I'm a fan. I'll let you know when I try the remaining flavors.

3. My job let me do coverage on Hincapie's statement release! http://milehighsports.com/2012/10/11/boulder-cyclist-says-lance-armstrong-is-guilty/
Now, if there was a byline I'd almost be a real journalist.

Kona was today guys! (Slash it's still going on) and Chrissie Wellington announced while hosting that she generally has a cadence of 75 on her bike. 75!! Man that girl mashes them gears and is still fierce!
I'm excited to see who wins. You can watch live feed here: http://universalsports.com/triathlon/
It keeps making my internet crash but... that may be my own problem.

Everyone has a story - the marathon journey

I personally have never attempted a marathon. The thought of running to much longer than 15-16 miles sounds like death to me.

This is my friend Cookie's video (featuring some of my other friends out here). She trained for her first marathon while I was training for my half ironman. Her video reminds me a lot of why I started my blog in the first place. So shout out to Cookie and you can watch her journey here:

I also have tons of friends back in Chicago running the marathon today. So shout outs to my KD sisters:  Hillary (my sassiest pledge grandbaby (: !!), Kristie, and Caitlin (there may be even more...)

I have found them!!!

Picky bars. Review to follow.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Well, it's only just rounding October, but I just got incredibly excited.

Clif Bar is bringing SPICED PUMPKIN PIE and ICED GINGERBREAD.

Also peppermint stick, but I swear I've seen that before.

yummy in my tummy

I am going to do long workouts year-round just so I have a real excuse to eat these guys. MMmmmmm

They also recently introduced Gary's Panforte?
Idk sounds good.

Insomnia or obsession?

Sometimes... usually... when I can't sleep I look at bikes and drool a little.

Michellie Jones and I share a very special love for pink. Especially black and pink. What impeccable taste.
http://www.slowtwitch.com/Features/Michellie_Jones_2013_Felt_DA_3087.html
Plus, I've ridden that bike for about 5 miles. The Felt DA rides like honey butter. If honey butter was a bike.

Also, can we please look at the Cannondale women's CAAD10 3?

shiny and sleek. beauty.

I'm also beginning to be really fascinated by Look bikes. They are doing some cool stuff with this integrated stem and seat stay plus the whole custom cut seat post. Just so much. Read more here.

a whole new beast in town

In other news I am getting a very used but FREE fizik arione saddle from someone on the Rocky Mountain Triathlon Club. Hopefully tomorrow. PSYCHED.

What Be Deese Picky Bars?

Just yesterday I was in the car with my friend Kyle, who recently just completed his first marathon, and his girlfriend, Nikkita, being my uber-nerd self, barking about how important race nutrition is.

Personally, I've experienced some of the worst problems due to lapses in nutrition and hydration during races... or even too much nutrition before a workout! I've had stomach cramps during racing like you wouldn't believe and I've felt re-energized in the middle of a ride just from eating a pack of sports beans. I've run around praying for a bathroom or an inconspicuous spot in the trees... and haven't we all?

The other day, I was looking at the labels on Marathon Bars and couldn't believe the amount of fiber in them!! Who wants a ton of fiber? Who wants to feel energized... and full of poop? That's the worst combination unless you've got a bathroom every two miles. I frequently go with Clif Bars as they were a sponsor for my college team. A bit less fiber than the marathon bars and they pack a bit more calories if you're looking to sustain yourself. That being said, they are pretty grainy. Then you've got Luna protein and Builder bars (also by Clif) which melt on the outside and are really more ideal for recovery - definitely don't take them in the heat unless you want a sticky mess. Larabars are delicious but almost impossible to take with you - they mash and squish and break in your back pocket until you unwrap them and find.. mushy mess. Powerbars have a similar problem and man do they taste weird and grainy sometimes.

For during the race, I definitely think simplicity is key, though after a year of strawberry Shot Bloks, it is truly a challenge to chew and swallow them. This year I've been racing a lot with Sports Beans - both caffeinated Cherry and uncaffeinated Berry and I finally got over my fear of gels, and started on peanut butter and chocolate flavored Gu. Personally, I find the peanut butter to taste a tad like sesame seeds, but the chocolate outrage is where it's at! I find Clif Shot gels to be a little grainy tasting and though I'll eat them on rides, I'm definitely a bigger fan of Gu's product. I'm definitely pro-Gatorade, but sometimes I get so much liquid in me that I need something solid not sloshing in my stomach.

This, however, does not make me any guru on sports nutrition options. In fact, compared to the vast field of options, I have made but a small dent in my sampling.

I was reading a fascinating article on Slowtwitch about Skratch Labs and Allen Lim's whole philosophy on the types of nutrition he gives endurance athletes, but just before my half ironman, I wasn't about to go experimenting with new nutrition. Still, I like the idea of eating real, natural food.

That's the other huge thing I've found a lot of new athletes never realize: the benefit of having a solid, repeated nutrition plan that you KNOW will not make you sick. One of my friends once said it best - have something on the bike with you that you look forward to eating! During the half ironman, for me that was chocolate gu. I just watched my friends complete a marathon just eating whatever was offered to them. One tried downing some Honey Stinger waffles and it just wasn't working for him. I'm not saying I empirically know, but I think his inability to have nutrition he liked was a huge factor in making those last 6 or 7 miles pretty treacherous.

Back to Kyle - I was trying to stress how important it is to have a tried and true nutrition plan. He complained about all the options and I told him about my wearing experiences with strawberry shot bloks. Though delicious, I cannot eat another one without feeling a little nauseated. Then I mentioned my teammate Rich, who used to get awful stomach issues after races from his nutrition plans - some people suggest these things come from intolerances to certain kinds of sugar that are in one product but not another. Then there is my friend Zoe, who is allergic to so many things her options are severely limited and she has to get a little creative in her nutrition. Man, are options important.

On that note, I didn't just start this entry to rant on about nutrition, though apparently I had a lot to say as someone who has suffered through some bad times with bad race nutrition. I started out of total excitement for these guys:
http://www.pickybars.com/

Picky Bars has created yet another option... that I'm pretty darn excited about. It looks like it has a little bit of Larabar mixed with the philosophy of Skratch Labs and a whole lot of love for pro-triathlete Jesse Thomas, his dietary restrictions, and sports nutrition in general! Right now, I'm bummed that I'd have to drive all the way to Boulder or ship a bunch to get my hands on these guys, but I'm excited to have a natural, pre-packaged alternative to the daily grind started by some seriously elite athletes.

Recovery and baby steps

This is a quick update.

It's been two difficult easy weeks. Contradiction? Maybe.

One week after the half ironman, I attempted to spend a morning doing a 50-mile ride to Lookout mountain. Yes well, about .7 miles from the top I truly felt what seemed like altitude sickness for the first time out here. At a mere 7k ft I felt dizzy, short of breath and like I might pass out. I was disappointed to have to turn around, but you do what you can.

I opted to take this week easier but started with a beautiful 5.7 mile run finally back at my 9:05 pace. It was so good and rewarding to finally be back. I eased off most of the rest of the week to cap with an 8 miler in the 9:30s with some baby hills that tuckered me out.

Just watched a group of friends do a marathon this weekend and it was truly grueling. Still have no desire to do a marathon. Definitely think I would get to mile 16 and hate that I had 10 to go. So proud of them.

That time I did a Half Ironman

Yesterday was... quite an experience.
I was nervous beyond belief starting the Harvest Moon Long Course triathlon. I don't think I've ever had SUCH a good warm-up beforehand.

I did all my drills, strides and easy jogging, set up a beautiful transition area, got in a short 3 mile bike warm up, then wriggled into my wetsuit JUST in time to get out to the first 150m buoy and back. The water was cold - definitely a wetsuit race, but probably thankfully so. If only the air temp wasn't 60 degrees. During the pre-race "meeting," I chugged my gatorade in preparation.

Somewhere, I am out there.

The first half of the swim felt FAST. I was the first wave to go out, and I hung out with lots of people in my wave. For the first time ever I was actually near feet for the whole swim! Once we turned around there were more people in the water and because it was an out-and-back you could feel the choppiness from the people going in the other direction and the people around you. The nice thing was, on the way out, the sun was in your eyes, so sighting the buoys was sometimes difficult. On the way back, from the second buoy after the turn around, you could sight the finish line. I was feeling pretty great, so I hauled it in, all the while sighting the big red finish arch.

My swim went great. My goal was 45 minutes, and I came through off the transition run at 45:28! That means I kept something like a 2:03-05/100y which I'm really happy with since that is what I have been keeping for olympics. I felt really relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed the swim, wetsuit and all.

Killing it out of the water.

On to the bike I felt good. Despite some nasty hills on the first part of the course, I completed 19 miles in the first hour. When I hit 24.8 (the olympic distance) I was at 77 minutes which would be about 4-7 minutes longer than I'd like during an olympic, but in the middle of the half ironman distance... I was pretty happy with that. At 28 miles, the half way point, I had been biking for 1:27 and felt pretty great. Pretty soon thereafter I was slightly distracted by the small tornado in the middle of someone's farm at mile 29.. about a good quarter mile away from me. Maybe I'm just a naïve girl from Jersey, but I swear... tornado. Then I came around a corner and WHAM headwind into climbs. I hate headwind. Someone once asked me why I hate headwind so much more than hills and the answer is simple: you know when the hill ends. You can see the top of a climb and think "I just have to get to there, and then... what goes up, must come down!" I used every trick in my book - coming up to a wheel and sitting on it for a few seconds before passing within the 15 second allowance, tucking in to be small and aero. I got through it, and still managed a cool 17.2 miles during my second hour, rounding out an 18.1 mph average. Though it wasn't as good as my half-way average, it still wasn't bad.

I made the final turn and things got rough. The last 15 or so miles are pretty much entirely low grade climbs, except for 3 small descents. Around mile 45 I felt my abs starting to cramp like they did the first time I did collegiate nationals. "Oh no.. no, no, no. It's gonna be ok," I thought and started chugging water and gatorade. The cramps got bad. It hurt to pedal and yes, my legs hurt, but mostly the pedaling made my abs cramp more. I had to employ "pedal, pedal, coast" uphill for about 11 miles.

look at all the bikes! 

Into T2 things were bad. I was so happy to get off the bike AND that I had stocked emergency water and gatorade at the back of my transition towel. I chugged some water and, much like nationals 2011, walked out of transition holding my sides. I spent the first 20 minutes of the run traveling .6 miles. 2-3 times I stopped, doubled over, because it was the only thing that made the cramps go away. I knew mile 2 was an aid stop, and if I made it there and simply couldn't go any further, I could get someone to carry me in and DNF. I really REALLY didn't want to DNF. I worked so hard for this to be my season ender. So many weeks of 11-13 hrs of training, just to be carted off because I made some stupid hydration mistake.

But then, I think the extra water I had been working so hard to get in finally hit and the cramps were gone. I started walking at a quick pace and felt ok. I made it to the mile 1 water stop where I met Jen. She was just a touch faster than I am and had the plan to "run 10 min, walk 1 min." I concluded it was destiny. For the first 5 miles, Jen and I ran and walked together. She'd always get a bit ahead and I'd hold on to her in my sight. Every time we ran I was keeping 9:45 pace which is great for me out here because I've been thoroughly struggling with the altitude and hills. After the mile 5 water stop (which was more like 5.3 miles), I lost her because I kept going. We had had a few conversations about racing your own race and both agreed to it.

Hitting the turn around my watch read 6.83 miles and I thought "Oh god, please don't let the run course be long. Please."

Soon enough Jen and I found each other. She was red in the face and looked tired. We took ice at every water stop and stuffed it down our shirts. For the second half I became the motivator saying "let's run to this mileage, tree/sign, water stop, just the down hill." I lost her again around mile 10 when she held up at a water stop and a 60-something year-old man pleaded I "jog him in." I jogged with him for a while but his 12 min/mile pace was more difficult than walking or running - it was more... bouncing. I started walking and wished him luck. Jen found me again just after 11.5 miles. She wasn't too far behind. We continued our walking/talking/running routine and hit 13.1 miles a long way away from the finish line - that was frustrating. As we came to about .2 away from the finish line we agreed to run it in, but her foot cramped and she yelled to me to keep going. I felt pretty good so I did leave her behind to race her own race. The run course ended up being 13.53 miles, which is .43 longer than I've ever run in my life.  Grrr.

In the end, it took entirely too long. Playing with some triathlon calculators, I think I can take an entire hour off my finish time - even a good 40 minutes off that course if you asked me to do it next month. Hydration really killed me and then fear of the cramps returning in the run. I still ended up finishing 3rd in my age group, with the 3rd fastest swim, 2nd fastest bike and 5th fastest run (yeah.. it was a bad run). I got a neat plaque to add to my plaque collection :) The girl who finished 4th just a minute or so behind me was an NU 2010 alumna, which is pretty cool. She ran cross country at NU and now I want to train with her! I also found Jen at the end and we hugged and I was glad to see she was feeling better.

Go 'Cats!

"Um, excuse me, I placed third."

See. Told ya.

Yay! Done! Poppop!

Hammering in CO

Well, it has now been 23 days since I arrived in the beautiful city of Denver. I have to say, I do love it, but the training has been hard. Not harder than I expected, per se, but the difficulty has lasted longer than I anticipated.

Everything is pretty slow. The hills and the altitude have to be the hardest part. I could get through the hills, they really aren't THAT bad. In fact, I think I'm pretty good at hills on the bike. I can keep up with some of the locals biking up the hills. Heck, I can beat some of the locals up the hills. But one tough part is the dehydration from the altitude. It's super dry, so no amount of water (or chapstick haha) is enough. I did an 11.8 mile run to prepare for a half marathon I ran on August 18th and MAN going without water was the WORST idea.  I knew there was one water fountain on the trail, so I assumed there would be others. There are a few but not enough. After mile 10, I ran into my house, chugged water and gatorade, and then headed out for 1.8 more just to get in a little more distance.

Whereas I used to expect 18 mph averages on my training rides, 16.5 is really an accomplishment out here. The trail I ride most often twists and turns, goes up and down, so when I'm not climbing or take some bizarre corner (which is virtually always) I have to hammer to keep the pace up.

I have now done the course of a half ironman that I decided to do, twice. Well, not the full course. You can take out one out-and-back portion and cut off about 10 miles, while still covering all the terrain. Last time I averaged a disappointing 16.1 mph doing 48 miles of the course. Today I did 44 miles of the course and averaged 16.5, so I'm pretty happy. In the first hour I covered 19.3 miles, so I think that helped. The rest of the course, other than a middle 20 miles, is pretty much long slow hill after long slow hill. My hamstrings are also feeling incredibly weird/painful so that didn't help towards the end. Hopefully after a taper week that will.. go away. I bought a groupon for a sports massage, so I think I'm going to use it ASAP and hope that will help too.

Funny enough, the only thing that hasn't taken a huge drop is my swimming and it's beginning to become the activity which I most enjoy because it sucks the least. SURPRISE. I joined the Denver Recreation Center, which is nice because it's a ton of rec centers in the area and I can basically go to whichever one I want to swim, even though they all have very limited lap swim hours.

Running has been disappointing like biking. It's amazing how 9:30 pace feels like 9 min pace. Ouch. Plus not being able to get through as many miles without feeling dehydrated and my HR being through the roof. It's tough! I can't get through 4 miles without stopping to walk. It kinda feels like I've gained 20 lbs or something, and I've actually been losing weight (though I'm totally convinced it's because food is expensive haha).

So, it's tough. Once this race is over I think it's time to do some new types of exercise with a short break from the "swim, bike, run" routine. Definitely some HIKING! I'm sure you'll hear about those adventures too.

Watching the Pros

Today I'm writing from the illustrious city of Boulder, CO where I'm patiently awaiting the arrival of some relatively famous men. Haha

The USA Pro Challenge (a sort of US equivalent to the Tour de France, one could say - though that is probably really the Amgen Tour of California... but whatever) passes through today on their 6th and final stage of the race before heading down to Denver for a final time trial stage tomorrow.
I decided to volunteer and so now I find myself maybe 1/2 mile away from one of the sprint points, which is pretty neat...and not too far from the finish either.



Volunteering was pretty exciting. I had a race marshal right by me so... I took pictures when the peloton came by. Oops. There was also a picture of the lead group, but it's not as good.

So after my hours of sitting, and standing, and directing spectators were over, I headed to the center of it all: the race expo on pearl street where I bought myself this sweet poster I'd been eyeing ever since Garmin Sharp put it up on facebook.

I'm glad to say it was only $10, even though it's $20 online. Ohhh yeaahh

I also bought a great commemorative t-shirt that Pearl Izumi made for the event. All the US Pro Challenge tees were $26!! Pearl Izumi had the right idea - they're a local CO company and made sweet men's and women's tees for $20. The crowds flocked to their tent. Plus it's super cute! But quickly Pearl St got aggravating and I was unbearably hungry and feeling pretty tired. I had gone from one end to the other, so I headed back to my car while eating an apple. One of the spectators had extra wrist bands to get to the finish, so I took it and thought "well, let's see how close we can get to Flagstaff." So after driving around a little confused, I found a good parking spot and starting hiking up Flagstaff. Yeah... I couldn't get too close. I was glad I worse sneakers because I think I ended up walking a good 1.5 miles away from my car and up a mountain. There were SO many people who had already made the hike (or bike) up earlier. I was greeted by this as I turned a corner:

Ultimately I stopped and walked back down to the 4k marker because I decided it was the best place to get pictures. I think I got some pretty cool ones:

Including one of George Hincapie, which was neat because it was his final pro road race stage:

He's a local. The company Hincapie is based in Boulder. Everyone knew who he was and was cheering GEORGE as he passed. I then saw him later as he came back down the mountain.

That was good fun, though by the time I got home I was INCREDIBLY hungry.

The next day I biked around Denver a bit, trying out a new trail, but finished downtown to watch the TT. I have lots of pictures, but high lights include:

Jens Voigt, KOM

Tee Jay Van Garderen - 2nd place! 

Levi Leipheimer, last year's winner, and yellow jersey for the day

Tyler Farrar, Sprinter jersey

Taylor Finney, TT winner in 17:25, 32.7 mph

Welcome to Colorado - Let's Climb

I could tell you about altitude acclimation... or the half marathon I think I'm going to do... or that little think called a Half Ironman that I want to do. Or my first ride where I ended up turning around at a beautiful little spot on Cherry Creek.

Cherry Creek Trail

But I'm going to tell you about my SECOND ride in Colorado, with the Rocky Mountain Cycling Club, because it truly tops all others.

In Colorado, I want to join a cycling club - make friends and learn bike routes... race.. the usual. So I looked up the club and they had a ride 30 min away from my house today that was supposed to be "flat" and I thought "good because I'm probably not too ready for the climbing around here."

I anxiously couldn't sleep too well last night - worried about group ride etiquette, forgetting something dumb like my helmet, getting dropped/lost, having to work hard to prove myself.. but I got to the start location 10 minutes early to see... no one. Then a car with a bike pulled in. Then another with two bikes and two men on bikes. Our small group of 6 headed out on a 33-mile ride. There were two other women and I thought "hey, how hard can this be..?"

As we headed out, we let one woman named Sue slowly pace us through a warm-up. We started slowly climbing up the side of a mountain, me at second wheel. Sue yelled back "well, this will be about 6 miles up averaging around 6% grade, gaining 2500 ft." I laughed tentatively. My mind said "Oh crap," my outward attitude said "All right then, guess I'm in for a challenge. Let's do it."

We grinded up and up. Once I was on Sue's left and she motioned for me to go around a group we were gaining on. Naturally, I put in a little more effort to speed up around that group only to find myself riding off the front of the entire group we were with. Oops. I stopped when I seemed to be at a reasonable grade to start up again, and let them catch up.

I rode the rest of the way up with another woman named Mary Ellen, who is a few years older than I am and also new to Denver. We talked in between gasps for air, constantly wondering why we hadn't reached the top yet.

13.7 miles from the start of our ride, after much grunting, groaning, whining, and VERY low cadences we reached the top of the mountain. I started losing Mary Ellen on the steeper climbs toward the very end, but just as the top evened out and I eased off for water, she caught up and we coasted to a stop together to find THE CYCLIST STOP! Complete with free cookies, gatorade, and water all for a requested donation.

Making it to the top of that Rocky Mountain "foothill" was probably the single hardest thing I've ever done. I was never so happy to see a chocolate chip cookie and water. I think this is the most work my small chain ring has ever had.

We continued on after a generous break. The descent was fierce. We were braking and easily looking at 35 mph, whipping around corners - some with little room for error if you didn't desire to go flying down the side of a mountain. This descent was complete with a few sharp hills when suddenly one must be in the smallest gear to make it up.

It was painful and incredible all at the same time. I can't believe I'm still alive but I ALSO can't believe how little my legs hurt right now... 

At the end, Sue looked down at her computer to notify us that we had experienced between 3-8% grade hills on the ascent, it was over 10 miles long, and we had in fact gained nearly 3700 ft in our ride. 

To top it ALL off, I also somehow got a free t-shirt and Sue bought Mary Ellen and me pizza for lunch.  I guess that's a pretty good reward. That and being able to say I did it!

After the storm...

After some neglect, my bike got a new chain and sassy bottle cage today...and a bit of a cleaning :)

VIDEO TIME

I just had a good brick workout and figured out when I am officially moving! Let's celebrate with this.

A Taste of Colorado

It has been one interesting weekend plotting out my plans for moving to the great CO.

After many delays, I arrived in Denver at 3:30 am on Thursday. I woke up later in the AM and was so eager to run that I forgot about hydration and food. I headed out and was surprised to not feel the altitude too intensely during the 25 min I was out. It was tough, though I figured more due to not being physically prepared in other ways.

On Saturday, I woke up early in Boulder and head out for about an hour. I did 5 min of warming up on a nice gradual hill. The plan was 8 min repeats and spent my first repetition pushing up a little incline. When it came to the next I found myself facing a huge hill (which I later determined to be 1 mile long), gasping for air, struggling to keep my HR in a normal place. This involved a bit of walking. I noticed a stable 174 bpm as I walked up the hill at a quick pace. Unbelievable. It took a lot of motivation and willingness to compromise my 8-min intervals to finally get through 66 min of slow suffering. I finally met the altitude.

Yesterday I got out for my last run - a 35 min struggle through the slight hills of Colorado Springs. Though everything was a low grade hill, it was still tough to maintain any normal heart rate. I spent all 35 min running until my HR reached 175, then walking down to 150.

I got to stop by a local bike store in Denver where I learned about bike routes, one of which includes a trail that is about 2 min away from one of my potential housing options - SO COOL. I also talked to the guy who worked there about cycling clubs/teams and a time trial series in the area. Yeah, I'm ready.

Today we headed back to Colorado Springs for a quick visit to the USOC training center, which was very cool. I saw some people swimming who I am CONVINCED are triathletes. I was thoroughly impressed by their freestyle stroke. I want someone to teach me! This whole visit got me that much more psyched for the games which start in 3 days!

I really liked this TT art at the USOC training center

Racine 70.3

On a more positive note from my last race, I had the awesome experience last weekend of getting to see three of my teammates kick butt at Racine 70.3.
Here is a narrative in pictures:

Kendyl, Nikhil, & Tyler all geared up before the race!

Nikhil is FLYING, Kendyl is READY

Here comes Nikhil from his AWESOME swim

The Chicago tri club was awesome and lent me some chalk... so naturally this happened

Nikhil is just a happy runner. I wish I looked like this when I ran

Let's go KENDEEERRR. Oh yeah, and I cut my hair off - see? But more importantly, Kendyl starts her half marathon. NBD

Here comes Nikhil finishing up loop 1 of the half marathon in a stellar time

Bought a few finisher presents for Kendyl and Nikhil (couldn't locate Tyler). I was thoroughly impressed by both of them. Naturally, I am now scared out of my mind.

Evergreen Lake Triathlon x2

I owe a race report, though I hate to tell you, it isn't a good one.

I had this goal of 2:45. Then they rerouted the swim and I hammered it...I was convinced I'd PR the swim until I got out and saw my watch was just under 41 min. As a team, we all decided it was long. I'm thinking more like an 1850m than a 1500m.

I think I was aiming for a 72-73 min bike. But after that awful swim, I had some dreams of doing a 70 min bike. That didn't happen. I came in at 73:40, which was still a decent bike split for me, especially with some nice hills. I had a 40-something clydesdale racing along side of me for a lot of the race. At the end he said "Nice riding, let's finish this up" and I left him in my dust :)

I remember this being taken. I made sure to not make a crazy face.

The run I took hard for 3 miles...until my mind got the best of me and I gave in to pain and exhaustion. Ended up walking a lot and gave up on the race.

I can make excuses about lack of hydration and not enough run training... But ultimately it was a bad race that I gave up on. It happens. Ended up placing second in my age group anyway, and the awards were neat.

Now to Denver for the weekend. May the high altitude training begin.

Oh hey heat acclimation

Check out this awesome article from the Washington Post!

Sign and Back

Man, do I have a whole new appreciation for what the tour riders are doing right now.

July 3rd was a rough night. I had a speed workout earlier that day and let me tell you - a track in 95-degree heat is no joke. I was supposed to do 1200m repeats. Did one, then laid on my back to recover. Started #2, got 650m in and walked. HR not coming down. That was horrifying. My friend Zoe, who was doing 800s talked me into running her last two with her. Let me tell you - if it wasn't for that girl a LOT would not have been accomplished this week.

I came home and drank water, didn't feel like eating food so went with a smoothie and gatorade. Still not too great. Sleep was rough and the dehydration was rougher. Though I had planned a Wisconsin ride on the 4th, I was worried about my recovery for the coming day.

But Zoe arrived around 10:30 and we headed out around 11 on our epic 73-mile journey.

The beginning felt great, though hot. We made our first water/ice stop only 10 miles in - mostly in anticipation of not having another option for a while. Perhaps stupidly, that was our only stop for the next 26.84 miles until we got to the sign.

The last 7 miles to the sign were the most difficult. We were hot, tired and thirsty, but determined not to stop until we got there. Various signs teased us along the way, but eventually we made it!

I made it. Second time!!

Zoe is excited! :D

Immediate next stop? Across the street for a 35 minute ice-pop, water, gatorade, chip, and sanity break :) I looked down at my phone and it said "Pleasant Prairie. 101 degrees and Sunny." Awesome.

It was so hot that the ice melted almost instantaneously upon hitting the sidewalk.  

Zoe was impressed by my ability to house ice pops and I was impressed by her will power to sit on the boiling hot ground. We filled up with ice and water and hit the road again. We started on a nice "pedal-pedal-coast" technique, really feeling the miles, even though we had both ridden over 45 miles before, something about the way there had killed us. We were ok with stopping for a picture of the lake just outside of North Chicago.

Soon enough, the water in my aerobottle was at about the temperature at which I would happily eat soup, and the icy water in my insulated Camelback bottle was almost gone. Desperately we walked around a Metra station, hoping for a water fountain. With no luck, I poured the remainder of my aerobottle into my ice, hoping it would at least come down to about 70 degrees. We made a pact to keep an eye out for a water fountain and stop as SOON as we found it. 

By some miracle, a mile down the road in a baseball park, I spied a water fountain and IMMEDIATELY signaled for a left turn. Zoe couldn't believe I found a fountain... clearly I meant business. We lucked out and also got a bathroom break out of it, then back on the road with full bottles and slightly fresher legs.

I felt good as we were nearing home. We hit the 56 mile point and I yelled "HALF IRONMAN DISTANCE DONE!" Knowing we had less than 20 miles left invigorated me on our way back down Sheridan Road. We chatted and zipped a little faster now up and down little hills and around windy roads. Both of us were struggling to find comfortable positions on the bike. I began to appreciate cycling gloves as the heels of my hands started to feel raw. Finally we hit Fort Sheridan for stop #7324 (or 4, or 6... depending on how you look at it). We bought another bag of ice - me: more gatorade, Zoe: apple juice.

My gatorade was the same color as the windshield wiper fluid  - see it on my elbow pad?

This time I only filled my aerobottle with ice in order to avoid the soup-water predicament. Not to mention the heat was sort of melting my straw so it tasted pretty plasticky (is that a word? It is now). Luckily, this worked out, and I sloshed with ice cubes in both bottles the whole way home.

We took it hard from the Fort down to Kennilworth, but with a few miles left the fatigue got the best of us and we eased off to a nice leisurely ride home. Though the heat was against us and though my back "looks like a cookie" (as coined by Brad), it was truly a feat. 

Now to get my legs to stop aching so I can actually swim and run and nonsense like that.