My First Triathlon

In an effort to practice for the big show in New York City on August 7, I participated in a local Sprint Triathlon this weekend. I'm glad I did it for the experience and the endorphins!

I have to say, though, that I freaked out a bit with the swim. I did not think I would be intimidated, but I was very wrong. Stepping into that water was daunting. I was on the swim team as a young girl. I never broke any records nor did I win any big races. But, swim team taught me to swim well. This led me to believe that would not be intimidated by the swim. WRONG!!! Once the race began, I calmed down and got through the swim with little problems....except for the lack of speed.

I have heard triathletes discuss strategies for the tranistions. I have read about making transitions speedy. I have shopped for gear that is supposed to maximize your speed at transitions. It all made no sense to me prior to this event. By the 6 minutes that it took me to to make the trasition from the swim to the bike, that is pretty obvious. The transition from swim to bike was a total mess for me. I was really unprepared. I couldn't find my bike due to my blindness. I did not have right gear so it was very difficult to get dressed. I had no strategy. And it showed!

Before I discuss the bike portion of this race, I have to say that I HATE cycling. It hurts my back and neck. I am terrified of falling. It feels great from a fitness standpoint, but I would rather run or swim. That said, the cycling portion of this race was difficult. It was hilly and draining. But, I made it through.

The run felt like home. I had a PR time for a competitive 5K which make me really happy.

So, I feel ready for the NYC Triathlon on August 7! Paul's Posse is seeking donations to support the Amyloidosis Foundation. Please check out our team website and make a donation, if you can.

We did it!!!

We did it. It was fun! It was hard. It was amazing. My first 26.2 is inthe books. So happy to have done it with my sister. Some photos.







The first half of the race felt great. The course was not very "hilly" and weather was great. There was a bit of rain but the temperature was not too hot and not too cold.

The race became a little more difficult when the half-marathon runners separated from us full marathon participants. We felt kind of lonely when they left us...and we had to contend with "the hill" into Oakland. "The Hill" wasn't so bad...but it felt really lonely. The second 13.1 miles were very hilly and more difficult. The last 6.2 miles were just painful. But, not too painful to quit.

I can't wait to run my next 26.2. But, next up the NYC Triathlon for Paul's Posse!

Holy Crap...I Have to Run a Marathon this Weekend.

What they heck was I thinking? Holy crap.

My sister is home. My bag is packed. I have my GU, Confirmation Ticket, and a choice of compression shorts or carpis. I have packed 15 different running outfits to deal with all kinds of weather...hot, cold, wet, icy, humid, snow. You name it.

Holy crap.

I saw the local news coverage of the marathon events today. 22,000 runners will take to the streets of Pittsburgh this Sunday. I am one of them.

Holy crap.

26.2....here we come.

One Week

The Pittsburgh Marathon is one week from today. I am so excited! I am also terrified. It is an easy week of training. Can't wait to carb load!

True Confessions of a New Runner

When I started this running journey, I read a great book called, Running for Mortals by John Bingham and Jenny Hadfield. This book does give a common sense approach to a new runner. I owe a lot to this book! It really inspired me to stop worrying about how I looked to others when I hit the pavement. It convinced me that I could do it!

I have actually started to enjoy reading about running. For my birthday, my sister bought me a book called Run Like a Mother by Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen. Love this one! Great tips on mothering and running at the same time. This gift was accompanied by a running shirt that says, "Badass Mother Runner." Thanks, sis.

These two books recommend the best possible running shoes, the best gear, the best stretching exercises, and the best ways to eat and hydrate for running. So, I followed these recommendations when I started this journey. It all worked pretty well. But, my darn hips were always killing me.

A co-worker and I were comparing our running stories and aches and pains one day. My co-worker told me about his nagging knee injury and I complained about my aching hips. He said he read a book called, Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. He said that after he followed some of the tips in the book that his knees felt better. He allowed me to borrow the book. I read it cover to cover with facination. This book is a true tale about a tribe of superathletes from Mexico who are known for their amazing abilities to run great distances with amazing times and all without shoes, stretching, nutritional rules or supplements, or gear. Oh and these athletes do so without injury.

After reading Born to Run, I started to worry less about stretching. Guess what? My hips did not hurt as much. So, I stopped stretching all together. I have little or no hip pain since I ended the stretching. So that is my true running confession. I do not stretch......PAUSING FOR GASPS FROM MY READERS WHO I AM PRETTY SURE DO NOT EXIST..... There I said it.

I still wear shoes. I continue to use GU and chug grape Gatorade. I am obsessed with gear. So, I am not joining the tribe from the book any time soon. And, I am feeling pretty good. Knock on wood. Please be advised, I am not a doctor, physical therapist, coach, nurse, sports medicine professional, or expert on anything that has to do with running, swimming, walking,cycling, playing tennis, football, soccer, rugby, hockey, baseball, mogul skiing, bobsledding, javelin throwing, cheerleading, ice skating, gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, speed walking,synchronized swimming, golfing, putt putt golfing, or curling. I have read a few books about running and I am running my first marathon. I am just saying that not stretching has been working for me so far. So don't sue me if you try this and you get hurt. Just sayin'.

Weather Forecasts + Courtney Love = 20 Painful Miles

I decided to do my 20 mile training run today instead of tomorrow as I had originally planned. Why? The weather forecast. That's why.

You see, tomorrow the weather forecast says it is supposed to be cold and rainy all day. Today's forecast predicted overcast and cold with a chance of showers. A chance. It did not say, there will most definitely be showers. It said A CHANCE! Whatever. Eff you weather dot com and local news-caster-weather-man-schmuck with your toupee, capped teeth, and fake happy voice. You know why I say eff you to the weather people? Because, it friggin' rained. It rained a lot. All. 20. Miles.

I went to a local park with a five mile loop for bikers and runners. It is about and hour drive from my home. However, it is worth it because of the nice scenery and the easily mapped distance. The cold rain started about 5 minutes prior to my arrival. I wasn't happy about it. But,I had all of my cold weather and rain gear ready to go along with my drinks, GU, and iPod. Plus, the weather experts said a chance of rain which clearly meant that there were no large precipitation systems covering the area. Right? Uhhhhh....WRONG!!!!

Lap one was a smooth 5 miles. I felt strong. I felt focused. I felt COLD AND WET! However, I fought through the discomfort caused by the conditions with a fair amount of ease. There were not too many others on the course, by the way. Those people were smart. They did not try to run 20 freakin' miles in 38 degrees and rain.

Before lap 2, I shed my gloves and ear warmers. My hat was keeping my hair dry and the gloves were driving me crazy. The rest of the gear felt bulky and uncomfortable. From a running persepctive, lap 2 felt good too. I was cruising, strong, and COLD and WET. But, my pace was good and I felt like I could go forever. Boy, was I wrong.

Lap 3 was the beginning of the end of my mental toughness. I decided to switch from clockwise to counter-clockwise on the 5 mile loop. I thought the different perspective would help keep me going. Like the meterologists in my life, I was WRONG. The change seemed to toy with my mind. I began to feel out of sorts when I saw the oncoming traffic that would have been at my back had I stuck with the clockwise pattern. (This was around mile 13.) Then, the Gatorade and GU chomps started to taste like poison to me. Did I mention that it was cold and rainy too?

After I fought the last 2 miles of lap 3, I stopped at my car to hydrate, shed my hydration belt (it was chaffing on my hips due to the wetness of my shirt from the unexpcted rain), and pull myself together for the final 5 miles. Oh, and I shouted out asking for someone to, "PLEASE HELP ME!!!!" (Not kidding!)

The first 2 miles of the final loop felt ok. But, then came the hill. I walked it due to the pain in my legs. My nose was running, my legs felt like jell-o, I was freezing, and my mouth tasted like citrus GU. Obviously, nobody heard my shout for help. I just wanted to stop. But, I didn't.

Even my music was on my nerves at this point. Some song by the band, Hole, began to play and I just lost it. I started thinking that Courtney Love was surely not running 20 miles in the rain today. In disgust, I turned off my iPod and accidentally dropped it. When I bent over to pick it up, I felt like someone was hitting my lower back with a sledge hammer....and if Courtney Love had been standing in front of me at that very moment, I'm pretty sure I would have punched her in the face and screamed, "Why don't you live through this?!?!?". My gloveless hands and iPod were covered in mud thanks to picking up the dropped iPod. Great. Thanks, Courtney. Now, I had to clean my hands and my iPod and it was all Courtney's fault. Once I dealt with the iPod dropping situation and got over my irrational anger at Courtney Love, I resumed my jog to the quiet, peaceful sounds of the park in the rain. It felt nice again....and suddenly, I was done.

20 miles in the books. My time was 3 hours and 19 minutes. Upon completion, I stopped at Chipoltle and ate a giant burrito. And, it continued to rain. All. Day. Oh, and Courtney, I forgive you.

8 Miles

Until I started this athletic nonsense, when I heard someone say 8 Miles, I assumed they were referring to that ridiculous Eminem movie. You know, the one where he had the "rap off" with his enemy while Brittany Murphy watched with love in her eyes. (I recently came across that movie on Encore and it was as terrible as I remembered it. Just sayin'.)

Today, I ran 8 miles because that is what my Health Magazine Beginners Marathon Training Schedule said I had to do. Compared to last week's 18miles it really felt like a piece of cake. The only issue that I had was an iPod situation where my headphones made loud crackling sounds in my ears during Love the Way Your Lie by Eminem and Rhianna. Weird, right? (See paragraph 1 of this post if you don't see the weirdness in that).

Next week, it's the big 20 mile run. Happy Easter to me. Nothing like chocolate bunnies and the inability to move without terrible joint pain all in one day. I am not sure if I will go to a local park that has a 5 mile loop and complete the 20 miler or if I will attend a group 20 miler on the marathon course sponsored by this cool, local running store called Up N Running.

What would you do? (I think I just asked this question to nobody...since I have no readers.)