Distraction: Found

Was IMAZ just the inspiration I needed to embrace my off-season training with enthusiasm and gusto?

Um, not so much.

It's funny. I watched a friend do Lake Placid about five years ago. I'd never been to a triathlon before, much less an Ironman. I had no idea what was involved. I'd never seen so many shiny, expensive bikes in one place. Or that many beautiful, hard-bodied athletes. It poured rain from the moment the starting horn blew until the last finisher staggered across the line. Listening to Mike Reilly tell each finisher's story, watching moms cross the line with their little ones on either side and challenged athletes doing what seemed impossible enough for the average able-bodied person, I was hugely impressed and inspired.

Oddly, though, I was not inspired to do a triathlon. I remember telling myself with conviction, "I never need to do one of these." And I wasn't referring to just the Ironman. This was back when I figured I'd never be over my pathological fear of the water and my life felt complete enough without crossing that off a list.

In these past couple of years obviously I've been to numerous races both as a spectator and an athlete. Somehow I have accumulated a swanky bike collection of my own (my front hallway is my own personal T1), my own body is athletic and fit, and my fear of swimming is pretty much gone. In short, swim/bike/run doesn't have the mystique for me that it used to. Ironman feels like something possible.

I think that's why I didn't experience the kind of awe I did five years ago at Lake Placid. Did I come home and jump on the trainer? No. Am I running to the pool today? Probably not. As I said to Craig, "You can take a girl out of the off-season, but you can't take the off-season out of the girl." Watching the athletes from my volunteer post at mile 7 of the run, I was never more happy not to be training for something big.

That said, I had So. Much. Fun. Volunteering was a blast. I spent hours in the blazing sun pointing runners over a timing mat until my arms were sore and my throat hoarse. I watched Joanna Zeiger throw up. I watched Chris Lieto and Joseph Major and Leanda Cave prance. I saw runners who looked defeated on the first loop rejuvenated by the second. I saw others walk away from the race. Lots more were soaking it up, smiling as they came by my corner knowing they were on the last leg of their sufferfest and an Ironman finish was almost theirs.

After our stint at the Trisports station, we ran around trying to catch Craig at various points along the run and finally as he crossed the finish line. He didn't have the perfect race he wanted and that was disappointing to him. So many things can go wrong during an Ironman, and everything has to go right when you're aiming high.

But for me, the weekend wound up being a fantastic distraction from everything else in my life. I didn't think once about work, my messy house, the economy, the looming holidays. I had a great time hanging out with Craig and Erica and their families. It was a hoot surprising Craig. I went for a great run into the desert sunset.

I didn't know it when I left for Arizona Saturday morning, but that's what I needed more than inspiration. And for that reason, I am glad I went. (I was so distracted though, that I neglected to take many pictures! Here are a few.)

Mill Street Bridge at dawn as the 2000+ swimmers prepare to start their day.

Swimmers everywhere.

I ran into Jen Harrison after the swim start. Fun to meet bloggers and Facebook friends in person!

ISO: Inspiration

Triathlete looking for off-season fun. Must involve 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of cycling, and 26.2 miles of running... but not by me. Preferably in climate other than 16-degree eastern PA.
I am here in warm, sunny Tempe to cheer on Coach Craig in his 23rd iron distance race, as well as fellow EnMu athlete Jim. And also to soak up a vibe that will hopefully give me the incentive I seem to be lacking most days for doing my off-season work. No, I will not be signing up for IMAZ '09. But I decided earlier this week that a weekend of spectating and volunteering at an Ironman would be the perfect remedy for my training funk and relentless work stress.

Erica and I schemed it as a surprise for Craig. When I appeared outside bike check-in today, the expression on his face was priceless: a mixture of confusion and shock underscored by a happy grin. It's never easy to gather an entourage for out-of-town races, so the more familiar faces from home the better!

(I'll be volunteering at the Trisports run aid station from 11-3 tomorrow. If any of you are nearby, come say hi!)

Good luck, Craig and Jim and everyone else who's racing!

Over It

I guess unloading my stress on this blog actually makes it go away... or I get sick of whining and just suck it up and deal.

A couple weeks ago when I wondered about my swimming issues, I posted about it and suddenly they went away.

Literally, the morning after I wrote about not wanting to ride, and how much I hated the trainer, I banged out a quick spin on said trainer.

And it made me feel great. (As the picture attests.)


I even did a longer trainer ride this morning with speed-up drills. Woo-hoo! And my legs are happy.

OK, so it seems my off-season hasn't completely hit the skids.

At least for now.

Thank you all for your words of encouragement on my last post. It really helped!

Motivation Hiccup

Warning: rambling, unfunny post ahead.

I don't know what is up with me lately.

A couple of weeks ago, I couldn't stomach the thought of swimming. All I wanted was to ride and run.

Suddenly, I can't stand the idea of riding my bike. In these last weeks, I have used every single excuse I've ever come up with to avoid a ride. It's raining, my stomach hurts, that saddle is uncomfortable, this bike bothers my knee, I have a flat, I'll have to ride alone, I don't want to go up the stupid hill outside my door, it's effin' cold, I hate the trainer.

I am driving myself crazy!

The pool seems really inviting now. (Not that I'm making it there much either. Ugh.)

The truth is, my time is very limited suddenly, on top of which I haven't been feeling all that well. With no time and little energy, I'm having a hard time prioritizing my workouts. There's no pressure right now (is there really ever?), no races coming up. It's just a matter of not losing everything I've worked hard to build this year.

Today I went to "take your mom to school day" at Willa's school. At one point, her teacher said to me, "I wish I did all those triathlons like you. I really want to lose the weight."

I was flattered she seemed to admire what I do. But I brushed it off with this response: "Oh, I've been such a slug lately. I've been blowing off my workouts left and right."

She went on to tell me how she has a long commute, she can't get out during the day, she simply has no time.

And then I realized. I am not a slug. Even squeezing in just 2:55 a week is more than most people can do. I don't have lots of natural athletic talent, and I'm not speedy fast, but compared to a lot of people I might as well be an Olympian.

I need to figure out a way to adjust my expectations, enjoy the workouts and little races I can make time for, and find new inspiration. Because, let me tell you, this down phase is not helping my motivation.

Thoughts During a 7K

I've been signing up for small, local running races this fall. Now that my legs have gotten with the program, it's been fun to line up on a Sunday morning in a group no bigger than a couple hundred at most, where the announcer simply says, "Go!" to start the pack moving, where I think about little besides putting one foot in front of the other--no bikes, no wetsuit, no major nutrition decisions.

Today it was the Fallen Leaves 7K at Bicentennial Park in Northampton County. My first race longer than a 5K.

Mile one into a strong headwind made for a hard-effort 8:37 pace.

Into the second mile I was huffing, but knew I could sustain it.

I could hear runners' breaths just behind me. A chick wearing mittens and a couple of guys kept a good pace up ahead about 25 feet.

I consciously unclenched my fingers and let my arms swing a little more freely, feeling my shoulders and upper back propel me forward. I sprang lightly off each footfall. I kept my gaze forward but let my eyes stay unfocused, my head floating above my shoulders.

Little by little the breaths behind me got quieter. I passed mitten girl. Then I heard her breaths getting softer. I trotted by Guy #1, then Guy #2.

Finally I had my own space. A woman in black shorts was too distant to catch. At the turnaround another girl passed me quietly and was gone.

I wanted the race to be over at about 2.5 miles. A familiar soreness arose on the outside of my left knee. Discomfort not pain, I repeated to myself like a mantra.

I thought about how nice it was of my coaches to get out of bed on a cold Sunday morning to cheer me on, and how happy I am that we've become good friends.

I smiled as I passed a dude wearing headphones, hoping he wouldn't shoot a snot rocket. When I realized I was going by black-shorts girl, I thought I might be having a solid race.

At the three-mile marker I pondered the fact that if this were a 5K, I'd be kicking it to the finish but that today I had another 1.35 miles to settle in and it felt like a luxury.

I dug in for the last mile, upped the pace a bit and kept it steady. On the tiny rise before the downhill finish a headwind made me feel like I was running through syrup.

In the end, a solid effort at 37:xx, for an 8:42 pace. Similar pace to last week's 5K, and pretty steady throughout. With the extra 1.35 miles, the headwind, and the cinder surface, I have lots to feel good about. Plus 2nd AG. :)

Next up, icing the knee, a chiro visit for ART, and signing up for another race. Maybe 5 miles this time?

Race!

I crossed the finish line of the South Mountain 5K this morning and realized just how far I've come this year.

For starters, I had warmed up for 20 minutes. Prior to this year, the idea of a warmup before a race seemed absurd. Why use up all my energy before the race even started? (Oh, how I'm laughing at myself now.)

For another, I was pain-free. I haven't finished--or started!--a race with no leg pain since my first race of the season.

Next, I had run the entire race, steep hills and all. When Craig told me beforehand to "try to run the whole thing," I thought Why wouldn't I? Isn't that what you're supposed to do? But looking back on all my races this year, I walked during all but two. (I have to keep reminding myself that injuries kept the training light and there was no way I could have pushed any harder during most of this season.)

The fact is, my body seems to finally embrace running. My long runs are hitting the hour mark, my heart and legs feel strong, and my brain is loosening the reins. Hours of core work and PT exercises--along with meticulous run coaching from Craig--are finally paying off. I feel like I'm just finding out what I'm capable of.

Finally, as I toed the starting line (and even as I lay in bed the night before) my nerves were calm. I'm getting used to this racing thing! I will say that 26:xx minutes later I was a little disappointed that I hadn't gone faster. (I may have started out too fast: My first mile split was 7:40-ish.) Still, it was good enough for third AG, which made me smile.

Cross your fingers that I continue to stay healthy and can do the hard work needed to keep improving. Things are falling into place and I'm ready for next year to be a good one.

Pinch Me

Nothing too exciting has been happening here. Met with the coaches to talk about plans for next year. I'd love to do an HIM. We'll see how the body holds up.

Have been getting to the pool about once a week. Given my foot-dragging when it comes to swimming these days, Erica even suggested we take swimming off the agenda for a couple of weeks. I hate the idea of that first breathless practice after time off, so I'm telling myself once a week for maintenance until I get my head back in the game.

Been having some bike issues. Would love to get back on my road bike, but the set-up seems to bother my sensitive left leg, so it's the tri bike or nothing for now. Problem is, the saddle on the tri bike is causing problems. So I'm meeting with Craig to see if we can adjust the set-up on the road bike. And I'm contemplating yet another saddle change on the Giant.

Oh, wait. I did do something exciting this week...

I went running with Ryan Hall and Deena Kastor!

Yes, you read that right. I ran Friday morning in Central Park shoulder-to-shoulder with U.S. Marathon Olympic Trials winner, Ryan Hall. I was with a group of magazine editors sponsored by Asics to run the ING New York City Marathon. (I was just along for the run; obviously I didn't do the marathon!) Deena Kastor, who had just received the green light to start running again after her broken foot at the Beijing Olympics, pedaled a bike alongside the group.

(Side note: Both were perhaps the skinniest, most elfin people I have ever met. Deena is about the size of my thigh. And my thighs aren't actually that big! And none of the throngs of runners in the park even batted an eyelash as they ran by these two marathon stars. Gotta love the anonymity NYC affords.)

I've never felt the pull of the marathon. Mostly because I can't imagine my body staying in one piece during the training for such a distance (never mind that I have triathlon aspirations well beyond just 26.2 miles). But after Friday, I might be inspired. At breakfast after the run, they each talked about how incredible a feeling it is to feed off the energy of the crowd during a marathon. It was fascinating to hear Deena talk about her injury; I even told her about my stress fracture. We agreed that the mental devastation of an injury is almost worse than the injury itself.

Um, yeah. He's a hottie.

With Deena.