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July 30, 2008

The Cross-Over

Today I was trying to look something up on the NYC Triathlon website when something caught my eye. You can watch video of yourself finishing the race! Well of course I couldn't pass that up. I immediately dialed up my video and watched.

Watched in horror that is.

I always knew I crossed my arms over my body when I ran but WOW was it bad. More appropriately - it was down right UGLY! Yikes! I never want to see that again! (mental note - no more watching myself on video! :) Coaches through the years have tried to correct me of it but to some extent I think running form is running form and that's it. I've been running for a long time, I'm not sure how much is going to change now.

Regardless, I was feeling a little down about this. That is until I read Rachel's blog and realized she too is an arm-crosser! And Bri too!

Now that's some seriously good and FAST company. Maybe there is something to the arm cross over?! :)

Anyway - quick, funny story. When I was a junior in college the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Cross Country Championships were at Lehigh University. Because Lehigh is only a few hours from Penn State, O (yes, we've been together for a longggg time) went up to watch. In our regional was then (and still) powerhouse Villanova. Not so much recently but in the late 80s all the way up to the mid to late 90s, Villanova DOMINATED NCAA women's cross country. Well Villanova and Penn State uniforms used to be very similar - navy bottoms with plain white singlet. Singlet had navy writing on it - Villanova for them, Penn State for us (duh!).

Anyway, the race starts and O, who is standing about 1/4 to 1/2 mile up the course spots the lead runner wearing none other than navy bottoms and white singlet and with a HUGE arm cross-over deduces that it must be me! He thinks I'm leading the NCAA regional race!!

Not so fast my friend!! As we got closer he realized that it was really Carmen Douma (multiple NCAA All-American who is now a pro runner) of Villanova leading. Opps!!! But to this day he still reminds me that I look like Carmen. Um yeah...now if only I could get on running that 4 minute 1500 meters... :) By the way, Carmen did win that cross country race and I was a good 90 seconds behind her. :)

Anyway - that ended up being a longer story than I thought.

Regardless, today I had a great training day. Given the pool situation I had to move my training around and so I did a short easy run this morning and then when it finally got light (around 6 am) I did my ride. I almost NEVER ride in the morning because it's too hard to get rides in before work. But I had no choice this morning so out I went (and a little later into work than usual...but all is well :).

My ride was awesome! I felt so good and it was just SO nice to be out in the cool morning (albeit extremely humid) air. I was so sad I only had 90 minutes! Today was one of those days I could have ridden forever. But alas, my taper was calling and so was getting into work!

After work I made the long trek to one of Pitt's pools for a swim. As I neared the building I could see a sign on the door that said POOL CLOSED. NOOOOOO!!! Not another pool closed! Luckily it's closing TOMORROW so I still got my swim in today but my pool options are being drastically reduced one by one! Oh well, what can you do? I will get all my swim workouts in - some of them just might be in my bathtub. :)

And so it goes. Off to Steelhead tomorrow! I am soooo, soooo, soooo excited! I really love this race and the area where it's at. And I'm excited to do a half after all Oly/sprints this season! By the way - thanks so everyone for their good lucks. I will need it! :)

Posted by beth at 9:13 PM | Comments (7)

July 28, 2008

Milk-Mongers

I've come to the conclusion that O and I are milk-mongers.

Yesterday we had a milk emergency. I finished the last of the milk with Sunday morning's breakfast and although grocery shopping was planned for today (Monday) I knew it wasn't going to be good to try to make it through the whole rest of the day on Sunday AND Monday morning without milk. So after church we stopped by the market and bought a gallon.

This evening I grabbed the milk to pour (another) bowl of cereal and to my surprise that gallon that we bought about 16 hours ago is almost gone! Who drinks a gallon of milk in 16 hours when about half of that time was spent sleeping?!?!

I think Roxy learned how to open the refrigerator while I was at work today.

I hope?

Let's just say I'm not too worried about my calcium intake! :)

Anyway, today I did a little swimming and a little riding. This morning was our first without our YMCA pool so we tried out a different YMCA north of us. It was pretty nice and they actually had 2 pools! One was cooler and for lap swimming while the other was warmer and for stuff like aqua-exercise. Anyway - very nice but over 30 minutes away in just one direction. That means an hour of driving for only 40 minutes of swimming this morning! Not the best but you do what you have to do and it's only for 5 weeks! I keep reminding myself that some people have to drive 30 minutes to a pool ALL the time! :) On Wednesday I'm going to use the Pitt pool after work which is really nice and I'll already be down there.

After work I had a nice easy ride. A little too easy in fact. I've always been one of those people that was always worried about the TOP of the HR ranges during all my workouts. As in I was always slowing down to stay within my ranges. Never, ever did I have to worry about not having a high enough average! But the switch is finally happening for me. My aerobic base is finally catching up with my anerobic system. It took me 18 months of training like this (with MarkAllenOnline), a lot of patience and at times a lot of frustration but I think I'm finally getting there!

I've always really wished I could be one of those aerobic machines that could run 7 minute pace with a HR in the 130s or 140s. But I don't think I ever really thought that through too much because as I'm finally getting to that point I only now realize that means I have to ride and run a heck of a lot faster than before to get my HR where it needs to be and that's a tiring prospect! What. The. Heck?!?! :) Of course it's very exciting for me and I know my main focus needs to be on remaining healthy and the improvements will continue to come. It's at times like this that I just want to hug my coaches and thank them over and over again...and apologize for all those nasty names I called them when I had to run 8:45 pace to keep my HR under 155. :)

Anyway, time for a shower! And maybe some more milk... :) Have a great night everyone!

Posted by beth at 7:01 PM | Comments (9)

July 27, 2008

Relaxation Part 2!

More relaxing today and I'll tell you what - I could get used to this! My only training for the day was a run which O and I did this morning before church. After church we read the paper (actually, more like I leafed through it), watched the end of the Le Tour and ate lunch. And then it was nap time. I'm a huge fan of nap time if anyone didn't notice. I will never understand those people that can't take naps. My mom is one of them. Good thing I got the napping genes from my father (who, by the way, is a master napper).

Anyway, we did clean the whole house which it was in need of. And we did our pool research. That is, research as to what pool I'm going to use for the next 5 weeks as my YMCA is shutting down! (not the whole YMCA, just the pool) How annoying! I understand that the pool needs maintenance but 5 whole weeks? And can't they do it in November when I'll be done with my season and not in need of a pool 5 days a week? I mean seriously - how rude not to ask ME first!?!?! :) I do have a couple other pool options - one is a YMCA north of us that we are allowed to use for free and the other is going to Pitt down where I work. Both great options but of course not nearly as convenient as my YMCA which is 5 minutes from our house. I'm sure I'll live though. And a change of pool scenary is always nice. :)

So I hope everyone has a wonderful week! Can you believe it's going to be August already? Two signs of summer's end are approaching - back to school sale ads and the Steelers going to training camp! AHHHH!!

Posted by beth at 6:41 PM | Comments (4)

July 26, 2008

Relaxation!

After quite a few weeks in a row of being BUSY, today was as relaxing as it comes. Over the past 7 weeks I've been to 5 races (one was a swim race and one was O's triathlon), spent a full week in Chicago and spent a weekend in New Jersey for camp. O and I have driven hundreds of miles and spent quite a few mornings getting up at times nobody should ever get up.

So that made this morning (and the whole relaxing weekend!) that much more sweeter. No where to be. No where to drive. No hurry or rush! Good stuff! I didn't even get out of bed until almost 8 am! That is almost unheard of around here. But it felt great.

When I did finally get around to getting up O and I headed to the pool. I had a good, hard swim that felt great. And then home for a bike ride. Only 2 hours today! The taper is my friend. (although it's a fickle relationship I must admit - sometimes the taper and I are enemies...)

The ride was nice and felt so short. I was headed home before I felt like I even began! I stuck with some flat riding (as flat as it gets around here) which meant I encountered much more traffic than usual. But everyone was nice to me and I didn't get any profanity yelled at me. I count that as a good day. :)

Got home, ate lunch, ice bath, shower, stretch, watch the IronGirl race on tv (good stuff but rather cheesy music!), nap, dinner. You just cannot beat a day like this!

And now we prepare The Packet for next week's race in Michigan. As always, my excitement is growing daily for this next race. My first 70.3 of the season and I'm thinking it's going to feel longggggg. Luckily I've done all the training and I know it has prepared me. Now I just have to make sure I don't go out on the run at 6 minute pace and things will be A-okay... :)

Pictures from NYC:

Running up from the water (I'm the one in the blue crop top).

Starting the bike.

Really hoping the run would end sometime soon.

A move O calls "the lip". If you look closely you can't really see my lips. This is because I have them sucked into my mouth. This is what I look like when I'm running hard. Not really sure how it happens but it's unlikely to change any time soon.

The awards stand.

Posted by beth at 9:53 PM | Comments (3)

July 25, 2008

Let's Play Ball!

No, no...it will not be ME playing ball. Dear Lord that would be a catastrophe. I think it can pretty much always be assumed that those in endurance sports are those that have no grace or hand/eye coordination thereby leading them to finding success in sport not with their skill, but simply by outlasting others. :) Of course that's not everyone, but I certainly fit into that category.

O on the other hand is quite the softball player. Star pitcher for the league he is in. So tonight I am going to watch him play! I don't get a chance to do this very often because they usually play on Tuesday nights at a field about an hour from where we live and the games start at 8:45 pm. You do the math on that one. But tonight is Friday and tomorrow we have not a thing on the agenda! I can sleep in! And the game tonight is early - at 7:00 pm.

Maybe I can fill in as bat-girl tonight? More likely you can find me at the DQ across the street. :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Posted by beth at 4:30 PM | Comments (2)

July 24, 2008

Glorious Ride

This morning when O and I were driving to the pool it was kind of chilly! Actually it was in the 60s but with lower humidity it felt so...GOOD. I love cooler weather. Which means that my run right after my swim was really awesome. Because I didn't feel like I was breathing through a hot, wet towel. :)

All day at work I longingly looked outside at the beautiful sunny day! I had a 2:30 ride on tap this afternoon and I COULD NOT WAIT to get out and get it started!

But on the drive home from work, my worst nightmare - rain drops. And then thunder!

Luckily I'm married to a part time weather man. (not really, but O is smart and figures things out like where and when the storms are coming) He told me to wait 30 minutes and I would be fine. So I did. And I was.

I had such a great ride. It was in the high 70s/low 80s, sunny, lower humidity. Just a glorious, beautiful summer evening. I felt good and it was just nice to listen to the whirrrr of my wheels on the country roads. And not much else. I really didn't even think of much. Just enjoyed the fact that I am so blessed to do what I love just about every day.

So now it's time for bed. But I just checked the overnight lows and I may just get my run in tomorrow morning in 50 degree temps. I can't wait! :)

Posted by beth at 9:59 PM | Comments (1)

July 22, 2008

Almost Forgot

In my previous entry I forgot to mention that the NYC Tri has THE BEST volunteers. There were so many of them. And what a bad gig for them considering the race started at 5:50 am! That's a pretty early wake up call for volunteering!

Every race has great volunteers but these people were just amazing. They were all so cheerful and helpful and well...HAPPY. Lots of great cheers from them and also from the "fans" lining the run course. My favorite line was when someone yelled out to me "Mark Allen would be so proud!" (my uniform has MarkAllenOnline on the front) I had a little chuckle for that one.

Anyway, I felt like I had to mention that. Another reason to do this race!

Pictures to come (eventually...)

Posted by beth at 9:50 PM | Comments (2)

Stuff

Well the recovery process continues. Some easy riding and running today. Yesterday some easy swimming. We are on our way. Calves are still sore but feet are feeling better. I've properly addressed all blisters. Real training to resume soon! Although "real" training is really just leading into my next taper which makes me very happy. Steelhead is but a short 2 weeks away! :)

Now for some random stuff about this past weekend that I forgot to mention yesterday:

1) I lost yet another pair of sunglasses. Can you believe this insanity? In the past 12 months I've gone through 5 pairs of sunglasses. This is not a good trend. We will soon have to sell Roxy to support this crazy sunglass habit. I don't even like sunglasses!! I never wear them except when I'm riding and then only for the fact that bad things get in your eyes if you don't have something covering them.

In my defense I didn't really lose them in so much as they just came up "missing". To tell you the truth, I think someone swiped them in transition! As I said I wear them on the bike but take them off for the run. So when I went to fetch all my gear after the race everything was there except my sunglasses. And I looked everywhere. Because I knew O would be mad at me. But they were MIA. I'm giving my rack-mates some slack though and assuming someone "accidentally" picked them up. But I'm suspicious.

The end result was a trip to the bike shop today to pick up a new pair. I just can't have bugs flying into my eyeballs when I'm riding!

2) I've decided that NYC has the best food ever. And it's everywhere. And there is just about everything you can imagine! After the race we were strolling through lower Manhattan when I decided some pizza was in order for lunch. And POOF! Right across from where we were parked - a pizza place. And BOY was it good. Although I don't think I could ever live in NYC I might be swayed if I really thought about all the good eating options. I bet New Yorkers are severely disappointed when they come to places like Pittsburgh. :)

3) Triathlon has left me with a lot of scars. I was a runner for 15 years before I did triathlon and I have about 1 scar from that sport. Now, after 2.5 years of triathlon, I'm one big ball of scar. Yes, a few scars from my cycling accident last year. But mostly my scars arise from one of two things - timing chips and/or bike numbers. Bike numbers are brutal. My seat is never high enough to put the number on the seat post like most people do so I always have to put it on the top tube of my bike. The number, of course, then proceeds to rub into one or both of my inner thighs for the entire 25 miles. With each and every pedal stroke. And I'm left with some nasty scars. Philly was the worst. Let's just say there was a twisty tie involved.

Now sometimes the bike numbers are small and don't have sharp edges and all is well. Such was the case in NYC. However in NYC the chip strap just disinegrated the skin around my ankle. Seriously. I have got to be doing something wrong here! There is a very clear outline where the chip strap was all the way around my leg and without sounding like a complete baby, I've got to admit - it REALLY hurts! :) When the very kind volunteer was trying to remove my chip on Sunday and it wouldn't come and she was really yanking I gave out a little yelp of pain as more of my skin was rubbed raw. That will be another scar for sure.

Battle wounds I suppose.

4) One really neat thing happened this weekend that we weren't planning on at all. Right before we left the city on Sunday afternoon O and I drove past Ground Zero in the lower part of Manhattan. We just wanted to see what it looked like. Pretty amazing. When you see it up close it brings a whole new meaning to Sept 11.

After that we started our long trek home. When we were nearing Breezewood on the PA Turnpike we saw a huge sign board warning that further up the turnpike was closed both east and west bound due to an accident. HUGE bummer. We would have to get off the turnpike and take Route 30, all the way into Greensburg to pick up Roxy at O's parents' house. That would add a significant amount of time to our already long trip because, let's just say, Route 30 is no expressway!

But the neat part is, Route 30 goes right through Shanksville, PA, the Somerset County town where Flight 93 crashed. As we got close we realized how unique to earlier in the day be at the sight of the first attack and later in the same day to be at the sight of the 2nd.

5) I've got to give a shout out to O for his amazing equipment management/navigation this weekend. This event truly tested his skills as it was a lot more logistically challenging than any race we've been to. I think he will breathe a sigh of relief in Michigan 2 weeks from now when we can park right next to transition! He truly puts up with so much on race weekends though. Most notably, the nervous ball of energy that I am. Let's just say, I don't think anybody could EVER replace him!

So there we have it. I hope everyone is having a wonderful evening! Happy training!

Posted by beth at 6:20 PM | Comments (3)

July 21, 2008

NYC Triathlon Race Report - My Calves Will Never Be The Same

So here we are, another race report and again, I still don't know how to start these things. I guess some things will never change. :)

The alarm went off at 2:50 am on race morning. Yes, that's right, 2:50 am. Dear Lord. We were in the car and on the way by 3:30 and at transition a little after 4. I had a little time to find the bathrooms and go over bike exit and entry. I also checked out the swim exit, all things I hadn't done the day before.

Okay...here we go!

Once transition opened up at 4:30 I got my stuff set up, headed to the bathroom again and then started the trek to the swim start. Walking along, I was seriously sweating about a gallon a minute. It was in the low 80s but humid as humid could be. Like southern humid. And my calves were really hurting. Seriously - was this how today was going to be? I was hot, tired and cranky already and the race hadn't even started yet!

So as we walked along in silence I gave myself a little pep talk. I told myself that EVERYone was going to suffer today. That EVERYone was going to be hot. That EVERYone was going to be slower than usual. And that the race was going to be a slugfest and that's just the way it was going to be. I told myself not to worry about time or splits on the run. Not to worry if I felt like sludge or that I was tired. My goal was to place in the top 5 for the amateur women and earn a spot at the Dallas Open and that's IT. Just be in the top 5.

Things happened quickly. We got to the swim start. I jogged a little. I drank as much as I possibly could. I waited as long as possible before putting on my wetsuit. I said my goodbyes to O. And then I lined up in my wave's pen. I watched the pros dive into the water. I pleaded with my goggles to stay on during my dive in. :) And then before I knew it, we were lining up and the starters horn was going off. There wasn't enough room for everyone to stand in front on the dock but I wasn't too worried - I just stood behind some big guys and dove in about 1 second after them.

The Swim - Attack of the Jellyfish

The swim! I was really pumped for this swim because of the well known fact that it's FAST. Point to point in the Hudson and very much "current assisted." I wasn't complaining! But somewhere along the way I think I started to take the swim a little too lightly. As in, the current will just take me down and I won't have to work and I'll still get out of the water in 15 minutes.

Umm...no.

Yeah, you still have to SWIM and swim hard. And hands down it was the roughest swim I've ever been in. I've swam in much worse chop (like in the ocean) but there were just bodies everywhere and the whole entire swim I think I found open water to swim about 3 times. You had to be aggressive if you wanted to get around people or over them or under them or whatever the heck you could manage! Very aggressive which was good practice for me. I tend to always shy away from that stuff and try to just find open water but I know I need to learn to swim hard in a pack.

Anyway, about those jellyfish. When I was swimming my face and wrists were stinging. It wasn't really painful, just sort of annoying and to tell you the truth I didn't really think much of it other than the fact that I assumed we were swimming in a dirty river and there were "things" touching me. When I got out of the water I looked at my one wrist because it was REALLY stinging and it was just really red.

Later, everyone was talking about getting stung by jellyfish and I was like "wow, no way...I wonder how I avoided that?!" But then when Maija was explaining to me what it felt like it dawned on me that yes, that was what was stinging my face and wrist. I never did claim to be the brightest crayon in the box. :)

T1 - It Was a Long One

The run up out of the water and to our transition was pretty long. On concrete. Let's just say my feet were not happy. When I finally got to transition and was running in the grass it was like a sweet, soft pillow! Needless to say, I was glad to get my cycling shoes on.

The Bike - My Favorite

I never have much to say about the bike. It's probably because I mainly just put my head down and ride as hard as I can. (I don't actually put my head down because then I couldn't see and that would be bad, but you know what I mean... :)

I will say the bike was hillier than I thought it would be. Not steep hills, but the kind where you don't even know you are going uphill until you are really pushing hard and you look down at your computer and see you are flying by at a speedy 13 mph. :)

I didn't have a good concept of what place I was in so I just kept pushing and pushing and the first 15 miles or so I passed a good number of people. And then I didn't pass anyone. I caught up to a gal who was also an amateur and although I tried to pass her (and did a couple times) she just kept coming back. We did that a few more times until T2 finally arrived.

T2 - Let's Get a Move On

This time there was no searching for a rogue visor. It was right where I left it. :)

The Run - Survival Mode

Right out of T2 you climb a sizeable hill and then run across the closed down 72nd Street into Central Park. It was just awesome. People were lining the street and cheering and I have to say being a woman in that situation is always amazing because everyone is always yelling "you go girl!". I was really excited. And I really didn't feel too badly!

I saw O and my college roommate/teammate/good friend right as I entered the park. It was so great to here and see them and O told me I was in 3rd place!! YIPPPPEEEE!! Up until that point I really had no idea of where I was at so I was pretty psyched to learn my top 5 goal was within reach. But I had a lot of work to do.

I went through the first mile in 5:53. WHOA Nelly! I think someone got a little excited with all the cheering along 72nd St. :) I was also trying desperately to keep contact with the 2nd place girl who was the one I was back and forth with on the bike during the final 10 miles. But she was quickly pulling away.

I went through the 2nd mile in 6:07 and was holding tight. But as I lost contact with 2nd place I started to falter a little. Mile 3 came and all of a sudden I was really in a world of hurt. The heat, the humidity. OH my.

I remembered the pep talk I gave myself before the race - how it was going to be tough for everyone out there and I should expect to feel this way. Hang tight and keep pushing.

At one point I wondered if I was really still moving forward or if somehow I was now actually moving backward? :)

It was definitely getting very tough but I have to say I was very proud of myself for talking myself through it. Because let's face it, after the 4 mile mark, I was just in survival mode. 2nd place was long gone. I told myself over and over again YOU CAN DO THIS. YOU WILL DO THIS. Run hard to that next cone. Run hard to that next aid station. Run hard until you get to that next volunteer. I was pulling out all the tricks.

FINALLY I got to O and Mary Beth again and they were yelling like wild. O was screaming "only 600 to go" at which point I put my head down (this time for real) and just ran as hard as I could. My whole body was just so, so tired. And hot. And ready to be done. But finally, the finish line! Victory!

I crossed the line in a heap and the volunteer that put the very, very cold, wet towel around me will forever be my hero. It felt SO good. They took me to the medical tent but only for a brief visit to get my feet under me. And then off to find O and Mary Beth and my mother in law who was also there to watch!

As I was walking through the finishers area one of the pro woman came up to me and said "you were really strong out there today" and I have to say, it made my day. She really didn't have to do that and it really made me feel good. Because I didn't feel strong, especially on those last couple miles of the run. I really appreciated her words and reminded myself to do the same for someone else the next time I race. Funny how something so small can make a big difference.

Regardless, I found my peeps and then proceeded to sit on a bench and drink bottle after bottle after bottle of water. I was sooooooooooooo thirsty!! :) And pleased.

I gave it everything I had and when I was really suffering on the run I didn't panic, I just kept as positive as I could. That's a big step for me. The heat is not my favorite and humidity is even worse, but I have to learn to compete in it because just about all big triathlons are in the HEAT. I learned a lot about myself yesterday.

I did end up as the 3rd amateur and my time was a PR 2:10:17. Of course it won't be recognized as an official PR given the current assisted swim time, but that's okay. :) And I'm going to Dallas! I'm really excited for that. Very, very excited! I hope I can meet Cathy there! :)

Oh, and amazingly enough, I achieved one of my other goals for the year - to break 40 minutes for 10K. I hadn't even given thought to it yesterday because of the heat, humidty and hills in Central Park. But when I looked up the results to see my splits I was so happy to see I (BARELY) squeezed under 40! I was glad I sprinted that last little bit to the finish line! :) As Jim Valvano would say "never give up, don't ever give up!" because you may just be doing better than you think... :)

Overall it was a great experience and we had a great time in NYC. O and I left with a lot of ways to improve our experience next year in terms of cutting down on all the walking around pre-race! (my calves are seriously never going to be the same - they are so sore from all that walking!) Although we were also considering maybe trying the Lifetime Fitness race next year instead of NYC. But then again, I did like that fast swim in NYC... :)

Either way, we are now home (after a VERY long ride yesterday due to the PA turnpike being shut down!) and got a good night's rest. My feet are totally wrecked as usual after a race and the previously mentioned calves are angry...but otherwise I'm feeling pretty good. :)

Huge congrats to everyone else out there who raced this weekend. All those IMLP people who suffered in the rain and cold - you are amazing! And everyone else too. No matter what the conditions, we all have a lot to overcome to cross that finish line! And finally, my thoughts and prayers to the family of the competitor who passed away yesterday morning in the Hudson. Sad beyond words.

Posted by beth at 2:20 PM | Comments (15)

July 19, 2008

We Are STILL Alive - I Think

Well, well - what a day it's been! Truthfully, it's not been worse than I thought. In fact, it's been actually pretty smooth. But let me just say a few things:

1) it's really, really, really expensive to park a car in NYC
2) it's really, really, really hot here
3) if I lived in NYC I would have to get used to walking around a lot more than I do in my normal life
4) rookie mistakes are not beyond me at this point in the game as I made a HUGE one today - forgetting my bike number to rack it in transition (which was all the way back in the car which was parked many, many streets back from where we were) - luckily O was kind enough to rescue me by running back to the car while I sat in the shade with my bike - OH MY

But all is well now and my packet has been picked up, my bike is racked in transition, my bags are packed and ready to go for tomorrow, we know where we are going to park and have a plan of action AND the alarm is set. Set for an hour I'm not even able to mutter it's so early. This weekend I've had a lot of "firsts" but the most painful first of all is the hour at which we are arising. Earlier than I'm pretty sure I've ever risen before. Scary really - but that's what happens when your wave goes off at 5:56 am!

Today I also got to go to a pro meeting for the first time. Kind of funny since, well, I'm not a pro. But they had the people in the "elite amateur" wave go to the pro meeting. It was kind of a riot. I saw Maija there (great to see a familiar face!) and then come walking in people like Greg Bennett, Simon Whitfield, Andy Potts, etc... Umm...should I *really* be in this room? Really? :) But it was really cool. And after I heard the stagger rules for the pros I'm really glad I don't have to abide by those. I was quite confused by it all!

So here we go! I was just laying on the bed in our hotel room going through the race in my head, diving off the dock, exiting the water, the long run into transition, getting up on my bike, off the bike into transition again and onto the run. Hilly and hot and humid but I've trained for it all. It won't be easy but I have very specific goals in my head and I'm determined to go after them regardless of what may come.

That is if I really do get up when that alarm goes off and I don't mistake it for a bad, bad dream... :)

Good night everyone!

Posted by beth at 7:42 PM | Comments (3)

July 18, 2008

We Are Alive

Well, we made it to NJ and even all the way into the city. And we are still alive!

The drive was...long. I hit the wall around 5 hours in and wanted out of the car BAD. I was bonking. :) But we made it and it wasn't so bad.

After some dinner we decided to go into the city. We drove on the Henry Hudson Parkway where the bike course is (out and back, not too difficult) and then tried to drive through Central Park, which of course didn't work. All in all though we are feeling much better about things I do believe. Tomorrow will be race meeting, packet pickup and bike drop off after a little training. I think we better get up early. :)

My initial impression of the city is that it's BIG. Wow. And we are just in one small part - just one borough! It's mind boggling! We are not in Kansas anymore! I can't imagine living here truthfully. But I'm sure there are plenty of people who couldn't imagine living where I do.

Regardless, I leave you with a picture of O at his beloved Hoss's...

Posted by beth at 9:26 PM | Comments (3)

July 17, 2008

To NYC We Go!

Well, I think we are just about ready! Tomorrow we leave for NYC!

Of course my stuff isn't packed, but you all knew that. Do I even have to mention for the 10,000th time that I don't like packing? I'll leave that task for tomorrow morning, right before we leave. I'm sure I'll have at least one meltdown. It won't be that hard considering it's about 1000 degrees outside! :)

Anyway, believe it or not, I've not been to NYC but 3 times, all to run cross country races at the famed Van Cortland Park in the Bronx. The first time I was in high school and the 2nd two times I was in college. One year in college while we were jogging the course the day before the race our team van was stolen. I kid you not. Gone. We had to be rescued! Luckily all our stuff was back at the hotel so besides the actual van and the team trophy we had won the weekend before (which had been casually stashed in the back seat), nothing of value was missing. I can still start laughing just thinking back to that day...as we walked back towards where the van used to be and the jokes started "hey, where is that van anyway...did someone steal it? hehe, snicker, snicker, hehe, haha" all the way up and down the street until we realized it wasn't really a joke. AHH...good times!

Regardless, the Bronx is the only place in NYC I have ever been so this weekend will be a treat. I have to admit that there has been some worry and anxiety regarding this trip from one Equipment Manager Extraordinaire (aka "O"). I can't say that I blame him. All the navigating responsibilities rest soley on his shoulders so he has a big job. But he has done some extra homework this time around and while I don't expect everything to go 100% smoothly, I think we will be just fine. Although maybe you should talk to me in a few days and see if I still feel the same. :)

Today the workouts have been done and I'm glad to say those race wheels work like a gem. I rode on them today just to make sure everything with the cassette and shifting, etc... was working and it was all spot on. And my bike computer works now too. I even did some more practice dives in the pool this morning. O's anxiety centers around navigating the city while mine is about 99.9% focused on that dive entry off the dock that I will be doing Sunday morning bright and early. Please goggles please, I beg of you, STAY ON! :)

So away we go! I am VERY excited about this race. Really, really excited. I know it will be a huge challenge in many ways but I'm up for the challenge and ready to give it my all.

So best of luck to all those racing this weekend. It's a BIG weekend - IMLP, the big Oly distance race in Boulder and many more... Have fun everyone and may you all have the courage to make your dreams come alive.

Posted by beth at 8:59 PM | Comments (10)

July 16, 2008

Back To Work

I feel like I haven't been to work in ages! This isn't true - I have worked a day here and a day there but with a whole week off for the Chicago trip and then some time off spent with my grandmother and then for her funeral and the aftermath...let's just say I haven't been putting in 40 hour weeks. As I was leaving for work today O asked me if I remembered how to get there!

Of course I am very thankful for the job I have and the flexibility it provides but I must remind that when I don't work, I don't get paid. Many people express jealousy over the position I'm in - getting as many days off as I want. But they seem to forget that my paycheck will reflect that. And if REALLY given the choice, people don't want to part with their $$ and would rather work the hours. I get a lot of flack for it so if I seem defensive, it's probably because I am. :)

Anyway, that's neither here nor there. The point of this blog entry is to tell you all that I realized today that I really do like what I do! Yes, any job gets old when you go day in and day out. The traffic, paying $$$ for parking, not getting a big enough raise, etc... But today, as I was walking around the hospital, doing my thing, I realized that I am thankful for the job that I have.

And even if we were ever to get to the point where I didn't have to work as much or at all (you know, once I win Kona and have all those sponsorship deals - JOKE!), I would still want to keep working at least a little. Words I'm likely going to regret, but deep in my heart, I think are true.

First of all, I like the fact that my job has nothing to do with triathlon. Sure some of my co-workers know that I race and occasionally ask about it, but other than that, I don't think too much about racing, training or anything tri related while at work. That's a nice break. If I didn't work at all I think I would drive myself crazy thinking about triathlon 24-7. I'm someone who needs a diversion.

Second, I love the people I work with. Sure there are some jerks that you want to strangle every once in a while. Lots of egos running around in a hospital. But overall I have really made some great friends at work and have really grown to appreciate them. And although the hospital I work at is quite large and employs thousands of people, it's really a much smaller community than you may think. I've not worked there very long (6 years) but long enough to get to know many of the nurses, doctors, PTs, OTs, speech and respiratory therapists, etc... My friend Lori and I joke about how we know we've been there too long because there are now attending physicians who were but residents when we first started! And the medical students look so young! Scary. Very scary. :)

And then there's the actual work. Of course it's very sad to see people so sick or so dehabilatated but don't forget how many people actually get better! That's the awesome part that will never stop amazing me time and time again. The human body is utterly mind boggling in what it can do to heal. Helps me to remember to never put limits on what my body can accomplish.

Regardless, I'm sure when my alarm goes off tomorrow morning I'll be complaining that I have to go to work. But once I'm there and down to business it doesn't take too long to realize that it's a part of who I am and that I really do love to do it. Happy working everyone!

Posted by beth at 8:16 PM | Comments (3)

July 15, 2008

Training Update

But first, a picture of what Roxy and O really do all day when I'm at work. Nobody ever accused those two of working too hard. Actually, come to think of it, nobody really ever accused me of working too hard either...

Training has been going well. I think I left off somewhere around last Thursday or Friday. Last Friday I did my last BIG brick before Steelhead. I started off in the pool for 4000 yds and then headed out on my bike for a 3:40 ride followed up with a 30 minute run off the bike. I have to admit I had reservations about this workout. It came at the end of a big week and I was tired. But the swim went well and then it kept getting better from there. O formulated a new loop for me which had me riding in some new, beautiful areas. Lots of climbing still but I've come to accept the fact that if you ride for longer than 30 minutes around here you WILL NOT be able to keep it flat. As hard as it is to find hills in some areas, it's equally as difficult to find flats around here. I know it has made me a stronger rider though, so I'm not complaining.

Anyway, the new loop was great and although I endured a nasty headwind for part of the ride I got that same wind behind me for about 20 miles back home. Now that is some sweet business! I finished the ride and started my run and ran faster than I ever have off the bike with my HR right where it needed to be. I was amazed. Sometimes when you least expect it is when you really surprise yourself.

We were up bright and early on Saturday for O's triathlon but I brought my running shoes and swim gear so I could have some fun too! Saturday was a short, easy day for me with a 30 minute easy run (O actually did it with me as his cooldown!) and then some time swimming in the lake. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to swim in some open water. I just took it nice and easy but got some practice sighting and getting more comfortable in a lake. The water felt great. On the way home from the race O dropped me off at the YMCA for my final weight lifting session until after Steelhead.

Sunday morning O and I woke up bright and early again for a long run. I was assuming I would be solo on this but O felt fine after his race (I guess the run portion really only was 8 minutes for him...) so he joined me. We ran just a little shy of 13 miles and I felt really good. Probably because I had an easy day between my long ride and long run, not something I usually have. As good as the run was, the conditions left little to be desired. It felt like we were running in a jungle! It was incredibly humid and at 6:30 am already in the high 70s. And then there were the bugs. They were relentless! I guess that's what you get when you run in the woods on a trail and don't wear bug spray. :) Anyway, later in the day I was telling my sister (who was in PA for my grandmother) how hot and humid it was and she laughed at me. "This? This is hot and humid for you?" in the snarkiest tone possible. Yep, she lives in North Carolina and she had no pity on me. :)

Yesterday began the taper for NYC and I couldn't be more happy about it! See...sometimes I like the taper, sometimes I don't. This happens to be one of those times when I *really* like the taper. :) Yesterday was some light work on the track in the morning and today brought a trip to the pool and some light interval work on the bike.

This morning I tried out my new race wheels to make sure all was well and mostly because I just couldn't help myself. And WOW do they feel great. Unfortunatly though, my bike computer sensor was obviously not working properly and it was driving me crazy. I know there are many people who don't use a bike computer when they are racing and sometimes not at all! I am not one of these people. At all. If something happened in a race and the computer stopped working well of course I would be fine, just slightly annoyed. But if given the choice, I want my bike computer and I want it to work! So when I got home I consulted O who immediately diagnosed the problem and better yet had a solution. Now that's my kind of equipment manager!

Tomorrow is a day off training and a chiro/massage appointment. Meanwhile, O is busily working on the maps for our trip to NYC. I emailed a friend about our upcoming trip and told her I would consider the race a success if we made it out alive. O and I are not really big city people. But I believe we will figure it out. I think. I hope... :)

Have a great day everyone!

Posted by beth at 2:59 PM | Comments (1)

July 14, 2008

A Race Well Run

Today was my grandmother's funeral. It was a beautiful day in western Pennsylvania. Blue, sunny skies, warm but not too warm, low humidity. Just the kind of day my grandmother would have loved and enjoyed to the fullest - working outside in her garden or on her flowers.

During the service the pastor read several passages from scripture, all of which I have heard hundreds of times before. But as is usually the case, a few verses caught my attention like I had just heard them for the first time. First, from Corinthians:

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize."

And then from 2 Timothy:

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

It occurred to me right then and there what an amazing race my grandmother has run and has now finished. A race multitudes better than the best race I could ever hope for.

The past several days have been amazing, all the people that have been in and out of the funeral home to say their goodbyes and all with a wonderful story about how my grandmother touched their lives. Of course I already knew how wonderful a woman she was but validation after validation came walking through the doors. She will definitely be missed!

But now her race is finished and I have a job to do - to try to run my race with as much integrity, passion and love as my grandmother ran hers. Big shoes to fill but I will give it my best. Luckily I had a great teacher and example. And one day when my race has been run and I am finished I will meet my grandmother again. And we will rejoice!

Posted by beth at 6:41 PM | Comments (6)

July 12, 2008

He Did It!

Well, I won't steal his thunder as I'm sure he will write a full race report, but O is now indeed a triathlete! Open water swim no problem! I was so proud!

But I left little to be desired with my equipment management (EM). For one I wore a white shirt. That won't cut it! As every serious EM knows, you must wear bright colors! And no jumping over fences for me either (although there really weren't any to jump... :)

Either way it was a fun morning. And O did great. Now we just need to get Roxy started!

Posted by beth at 2:23 PM | Comments (2)

July 11, 2008

Whirlwind

Life is moving so fast.

Again, I cannot thank everyone enough for their kind words, comments, emails, calls, prayers and thoughts about my grandmother. I am overwhelmed with your outreach. My grandma did pass away last night. And I am very sad. But I'm also thankful that she's no longer in pain and that right now she is rejoicing in heaven. That gives me a lot of peace.

I had over 5 hours of training today and I have to say I spent about 99% of it thinking about my grandma. I was so thankful to have that much time to myself to pray and to remember all the great things I want to remember about my grandmother and to sear those memories into my brain and onto my heart. Lucky for me my grandma was a wonderful and amazing person and I have thousands of wonderful and amazing memories!

Alas, I'm tired. Tired and ready to sleep! O's big debut triathlon is tomorrow and I wouldn't miss it for the world. Time for ME to be the equipment manager! He's going to be great tomorrow - for this I am sure! (me, not so much...I have much to learn in the way of managing equipment)

Speaking of equipment, I would be remiss not to thank the Best Bike Shop in the World (you guys are the best and thanks to Craig my bike now works better than eva!), my friend Jeremy and of course O for these:

Zipp wheels, a girl's best friend. :)

I sometimes feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Family and friends who love and support me in every part of my life - what more could you want?

Posted by beth at 8:58 PM | Comments (7)

July 10, 2008

Day of Dates

This morning, bright and early, I had a date with the track. And I have to admit, at first I wasn't too into it. What I really wanted was a longer date with my bed. But I'm guessing that's not how you get faster, so up and at 'em I was.

I didn't know how it was going to go, first of all because I was by myself (O is in taper mode for his big race now!) and also, because my legs are feeling weeks of big miles and many training hours.

So I knew it was going to be one of those workouts where I really had to break it down piece by piece. I do this often in the pool. I take one repeat and sometimes even one lap or one 100 at a time.

And as I start to click off the intervals I gain confidence. At the start of each hard piece I tell myself "you CAN do this - you WILL do this" and it works wonders. By the time it was all said and done I had run very, very well and was quite pleased with the outcome. It's amazing what our bodies can do.

Next up was work and then home. I still had a swim to do but the pool wasn't open until 4:30. So I made the decision to have a date with my bed. O joined me. And then Roxy too. Team Shutt nap time! :)

Oh boy did that feel good. I woke up over and hour later to Roxy barking at something. I didn't exactly mean to sleep that long but oh well. My body was asking for it!

Finally, my date with the pool. Lots of pulling today. Not necessarily my strong point so all the more reason to do more of it! I had a great swim and then came home to find our lawn nicely mowed and trimmed. O was busy while I was gone!!

And so it goes. These next few days are the final push into my next A race. I've had several big weeks in a row and I can feel the fatigue. Now it's time to let my body soak it up and get stronger than ever. Next week my taper for NYC will start and then after NYC a few recovery days that lead right into a big taper for Steelhead. I couldn't be more excited.

Also, a very big thank you for all your nice comments and emails regarding my grandmother. Your prayers and thoughts and kind words are more appreciated than you will ever know!

Posted by beth at 8:47 PM | Comments (1)

July 9, 2008

This Is Life

Well, I have to admit, it's been a tough couple of days.

First and foremost is the fact that my grandmother is very sick. She has been courageously fighting a battle with pancreatic cancer for the past year. There have been ups and downs but unfortunately I think her battle is soon to come to an end.

I love my grandmother dearly. And I have so many wonderful, wonderful memories of her both as a child and as an adult. I can remember shopping trips to an outlet mall in Reading, PA each year for school clothes with her, my sister and my mother. I can remember her taking us to the barn where we rode horses. I can remember running around their big, old house and hiding in the laundry chute. I can remember running like crazy with her away from a big black snake we encountered near their shed one day. I can remember picking berries off the berry bushes they had in their yard. I can remember how my sister and I used to not let her leave out the door until she gave us a kiss.

As an adult my memories mostly center around holidays. Her Thanksgiving meal is to die for. I distinctly remember a Christmas not so long ago when every single one of the rooms in my grandparent's house was filled with someone. Everyone comes back home to grandma's house for the holidays.

I've learned a lot about my grandmother over the past year. She was diagnosed with the cancer just about 1 year ago and subsequently had surgery at the hospital where I work. I was lucky in that I was able to go to almost all her doctors appointments with her and when she was actually in the hospital I could see her each day.

The week before I left for Chicago she was back in and before, during or after work I would go to pay a visit every day. Although very fatigued she was always willing to talk and I feel very fortunate to have had that time to tell her all the things I want her to know.

Like the fact that I love her very much and that I think she is one of the most courageous people I've ever known. And that she is very brave to fight the battle she has fought. And that I'm so thankful that she is MY grandmother. I told her that if there is one person who defines selflessness it is her. For her whole entire life she has given tirelessly to her family and to her church. And asked nothing in return.

By the time I returned from Chicago she was back home but only for a short period. She's now back in her local hospital. Yesterday O and I went to visit and my whole family was there. My father and uncle and of course my grandfather. My mother had spent a whole week there and my sister and brother in law were up from North Carolina as well. And while my grandmother is slowly slipping away I do believe she was lucid enough to know we were all there and that we all love her so much.

I'd be lying if I didn't say my heart is aching a little. My grandmother is a Christian and no doubt headed for a much better place than this earth. But I am selfish and I want her here so that we can have more time together. On my drive into work this morning I was surprised to feel my eyes well up in tears a little as I waited in traffic on the 40th Street Bridge. I'm largely an unemotional person, especially outwardly. But this is hard.

I take solace in a verse from Corinthians I know my grandmother would know off by heart: "Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is thy sting? O Grave, where is thy victory…. Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

And I take solace is something I've always taken solace in - training. At a time like this I am so thankful to have running, swimming and biking, sometimes so I can just get away and think or sometimes so I can just NOT think. Like my ride this evening. I didn't want to go at first and when I started I was hot and my legs were tired and my mind was racing with a million thoughts. But 2 hours and 38 miles later I felt great. My mind was clear and I was able to finally quiet all the madness in my brain. My heart is still heavy but that's to be expected.

I got a call from my mom this afternoon telling me that today, of all days, she had to put their dog down. When it rains it pours right? But, as my blog title suggests, this is life. Not the best sometimes but we get through. We all get through in different ways but we do get through. I get through because I have a faith in God that won't be shaken. And because I've been blessed with people in my life that will help me get through. Doesn't make it easy, but nobody every promised that.

Posted by beth at 8:36 PM | Comments (10)

July 7, 2008

Back to Reality

Well, I woke up this morning and the Boss Dog wasn't waiting for me downstairs. I missed the little guy. As did I miss my training partners Elizabeth, Ness, Jen and Chris. And my oatmeal.

But luckily I did still find a way to move on and go about my day. I had a wonderful time in Chicago but there is always something to be said for routine. Routine feels good every once in a while.

Still, I really would have liked SOMEone to swim my 5000 yds with this morning. :) No takers so off to the YMCA by myself it was. And I had a very good workout ONCE I got going. It took me a while but about 1500 yds into things I started to feel very strong and fluid in the water. Not really too speedy, but strong and fluid. :) I also lifted.

Last night O and I ran 14 miles in 80 degree weather with 100,000% humidity. I dub last week my "heat acclimization week" as I did the majority of my running in temps above 80. That's rough business. Last night it felt a lot like I was breathing through a hot, wet towel! But as I remember correctly by the time I got around to running at Steelhead last year it was in the 80s and roasting. So this is good practice. Of course I'm very much looking forward to some cooler temps for my run tomorrow morning around 5 am. :)

And now it's time to go check out what Roxy is up to. I think I just heard her jump in the bathtub. Storms must be coming!

Good night everyone!

Posted by beth at 5:57 PM | Comments (3)

July 6, 2008

Camp Conclusion

Yesterday was another great day of training. Starting at the pool with Chris and Liz's masters team.

I've really only been to my masters swim practices which are pretty laid back. We don't swim too long and there is a wide variety of abilities from the really fast to the pretty slow. I fit right in the middle somewhere.

Not so with Elizabeth's team. I think everyone is a national champion! They swim long and EVERYONE swims fast. So when Liz says she can't keep up with her masters teammates it's only because they are the Real Deal. I told her she needs to come to Pittsburgh where she'd be kicking everyone's butts!

Regardless, Liz took me under her wing and joined me in a lane with a man named Fritz. I liked Fritz. He was a cool guy.

At the pool where we swam there was a huge white board mounted on the wall that the masters coach wrote the workout on. One piece at a time. I would have liked to see him try and write the whole workout all at once. He would have needed a much larger board!

But first the warmup. Not too bad. And then a few sets of 50s to get us going. And then the main set. I immediately got scared. It was all stroke and IM! But luckily Liz noticed the fear in my eyes and said I could stick with all free.

At first I felt kind of bad - it's not fair for me to do all free while everyone else is toiling away with breast, back and fly. But then I quickly got over it. Mostly because I STILL had trouble keeping up with everyone! And the intervals were by no means cushy even when I was doing all free! And let me just say, it's not as if I was having a bad day and swimming slowly - no, no, these people are just FAST!

As we were just finishing up the main set I noticed the coach erasing the white board and writing another whole main set. Hmmm...main set #2? Okay then! This set had more stroke and IM but luckily also a good amount of free. But again, no time spent standing around at the wall. Fritz was always pushing off the wall for more!

Of course by this point we had already swam >4000 yds so I figured that was the end. But wouldn't you know that dang white board was being erased again and ANOTHER main set was about to start? When the coach was explaining it my brain wasn't processing. Did he say more 400s and more fly? How could this possibly be? But he was serious. Luckily Liz had swam her quota for the day and set off on a cooldown, as did I. When all was said and done, we had a good 90 minutes of pool time. And then it was hot tub time. I'm going to be severely disappointed when I get back to my YMCA and there is no hot tub waiting at the end of my swim workouts. :)

Next up was our ride. Chris and Liz drove us up to a beautiful area to ride - much more like where I live, out in the country. But much flatter. And a lot more corn. :) There was an hour loop to do and Liz rode it with us showing us where to turn. It was awesome. Beatuiful roads and beautiful countryside. Definitely what one pictures when they think of the midwest. After the first hour Liz went off to do some harder riding while Ness and I started our 2nd loop. And then our 3rd and then our 4th. We rode just a little over 4 hours and got in over 77 miles! And it was an amazing ride. One of the best 4 hour rides I've ever had. The weather could not have been more perfect (sunny, in the high 70s/low 80s, no humidity and very little wind), I had great company, there was no traffic and the scenary was beautiful. We rode past farms and fields of corn and soybeans and cows and horses.

And Ness was so kind to ride with me the whole way. I don't think 4 hours was her original plan but she was great company. We sometimes talked and laughed and sometimes just rode together in silence.

And that was our day! We drove home, stopped for snacks, and then ordered a Chicago deep dish pizza for dinner. OH MY! O would have been jealous. It was so good and so filling. Now THAT is my kind of pizza!

So now I am sitting in the airport waiting for my flight back home. I was thinking back on the week and all that I learned. I truly can't begin to thank Elizabeth and Chris enough for having us to visit. They fed us, housed us, kept us clean and provided for great training opportunities! Not an easy task! And all for nothing in return! It was definitely a lot to ask but they graciously and selflessly provided. I hope they had as much fun as I did.

I learned so much. I very, very much enjoy spending so much time with such awesome athletes who are so dedicated in their pursuits of excellence. It's a different breed of person than the usual and that was readily evident from the get go. I tried to pick their brains - all of them - Elizabeth and Chris and Ness and Jen, to learn and see their perspective on our sport. And I came away with different ideas and some different experiences.

And let's not forget the fact that it was just fun. Boss? Yeah - he could entertain all day. Ness? Could make me laugh for hours on end. I had a blast and created many great memories.

But now it's back to Pittsburgh. I really miss O and Roxy so it will be great to see them again! I'll get home this afternoon in time for some running and riding and laundry and then it will be back to the daily grind tomorrow.

Thanks for a wonderful, wonderful week in Chicago Elizabeth and Chris! Your generosity has meant the world to me. Now it's time to put my new found knowledge to use.

Posted by beth at 8:28 AM | Comments (4)

July 4, 2008

I Love Ness's Draft

Holy cow, I don't even know where to begin.

But we must start somewhere so here goes! First off, the ride last night. I never blogged about that one. But Ness and Liz did so I don't have to. Crazy laps. That's all you need to know. It was very fun though and riding with so many others made the time go by so fast.

Now moving on to today. I got up and ran easy and short. And then we went to the pool. To swim with Chris and Liz's masters team. I was a little scared but it was really great. And there were many memorable moments. First off, the actual workout. 50s and 100s and 25s, the last of which involved not breathing. Or not breathing very much. The 50s and 100s were on a descending interval starting off on the :50/1:30 and then :45/1:25 and then, yep...you guessed it :40/1:20. I have to admit...I was a little sad when Coach Liz suggested that one.

But the fact of the matter was, Ness was leading the lane and as you can very well tell from my blog title, her draft is a very good thing. I'm not afraid to admit that on the last set I left about 0.0005 seconds AFTER Ness pushed off the wall.

Right before we started the last set on :40/1:20 Liz spoke the Quote of the Day:

"I have come to the Hurt Shop...and I am ready to make a purchase."

Truer words have never been spoken.

Hundreds on the 1:20 aren't something I can usually accomplish. But today we didn't do too bad. Not bad at all. By the end I wasn't sure what was going on though. I just kept swimming until I saw Ness standing at the wall. At that point Chris had also jumped in our lane and when we finished he asked "were you guys swimming a 400?" Yep...that sounds about right... :)

Anyway, we all lifted. Ness got caught in the Web of Stretch and then we all went to Einstein's for coffee/lunch and DP for me (Diet Pepsi of course).

But all of that is neither here nor there because the truly important event was about to take place later in the day. Championship Putt-Putt.

Elizabeth will have pictures on here blog to document the rest of the evening. I'm a bit nervous to see what she'll post. If there is a picture of me looking for my putt-putt ball in a pond or holding a black napkin, remember, pictures can be deceiving.

Regardless, it was a putt-putt championship for the history books. 36 holes total and much was on the line. Loser had to buy everyone else cake. As I said, the stakes were high. The pressure was on.

Add to the fact that Liz and Chris don't play normal putt-putt. Midway through the first game Liz started making up new rules. Rules like "this next hole we will play with our eyes closed" and "now we must tee off turned backwards and through our legs" and "the person who loses this hole gets an additional point added to their score." Rough stuff.

When it was all said and done I finished in 2nd place. I was in 3rd after the initial 18 holes but luckily Chris went out way too hard, bonked and blew to smitherins. His coach may need to work on some pacing strategy with him next time. Ness was the champion and was quite impressive overall. She talked the trash and then she backed it up. Not easy to do. And Liz won the most holes in one award with 2 total. I'd call it dumb luck but she was the only pro athlete in the field and I have to believe that was no coincidence.

Naturally we were all very hungry after our 36 holes (talk about bonking my friends!) and our next plan of attack was dinner. More games and eating and lots of laughing. And then Ness started making "things" out of her napkin. I almost snorted Diet Pepsi out my nose. If you've ever done it, you know how badly that hurts.

Of course now we are all blogging and eating the spoils of victory - our cake that Chris had to buy us for losing putt-putt. Cake never tasted so good. That is until Ness remembered that there are walnuts in carrot cake of which she is allergic to. She's still breathing at this point though so I'm not worried.

Camp sure is fun. Too bad tomorrow will be taken up by lots of riding...otherwise I we would have time for me to show Ness how putt-putt is REALLY played.

PS Boss is still cute!

Posted by beth at 9:45 PM | Comments (2)

July 3, 2008

Red Bear, Running and More

Well word on the street is, Red Bear was in town. In this very house. And I missed it.

I can't believe I missed the Red Bear! He came and left all while I was sleeping the night away. The only remnants of the Red Bear this morning were a pillow and blanket on the couch. And perhaps a few tufts of red fur. Okay...not really any red fur, but you know what I mean. So I'm not any closer to knowing who the Red Bear really is, other than the fact that he is elusive. Perhaps his new name should be The Elusive Red Bear.

In other news, we went running this morning. Elizabeth took us to a beautiful forest perserve. I had a nice 70 minute aerobic run to do, Ness had some running to do and Elizabeth had hill repeats. Gotta say I wasn't too jealous of her. :)

I ran on a incredible crushed limestone trail and the weather was gorgeous! All the heat and humidity of yesterday was gone and instead replaced with a beautiful sunny, cool, breezy day. Amazing! Especially because I know it's STILL raining at home. I lucked out this week for sure. I'll have to say that there are some great places to train in the suburbs of Chicago and lots of open water BUT the only down side is, there is a lot of driving to get to everything. That only adds to the total workout time. Which makes me feel blessed that I can ride and run right out my front door. (and my pool is a mere 5 minutes away)

Anyway that was our morning. Lunch, blogging, relaxing, (and Elizabeth actually working - glad SOMEONE works around here) has filled the hours since and soon we are leaving for a group ride. I haven't been on a group ride in a longggggg time so it should be fun. But I hear this specific ride is really big so I'm a bit nervous!

Details to come I'm sure. And pictures too...if one of us could actually remember to bring a camera! (I think we need Marit, the official camp photographer!)

Posted by beth at 4:53 PM | Comments (1)

July 2, 2008

Camp Continues

1) Boss is still cute.

2) I've deemed Liz the healthiest eater of all time. A dietitian's dream. When I was telling O of this this afternoon when I talked with him on the phone he said "oh no, does that mean we are going to have spinach and hummus on our grocery list?" You could sense the fear. Worry not O, I could never give up pizza. :)

3) I've also deemed Liz World's Fastest Typer - she types fast and furious.

4) Chris is the the fixer of all things bike. He's currently building wheels. Who in the world knows how to do that?

5) Ness just plain makes me laugh.

6) Jen could very well be the spunkiest person I know. Spunky being a very good thing of course. :) I'm amazed at her energy.

This morning we went to the track. Well, to me it seemed like it was more like 3 in the afternoon. But that's because I'm an hour behind here and also because, as previously documented, I usually do my workouts very early in the morning.

Getting up at 4:45 am for a track workout (done purely so I can get to work at a decent time) isn't always fun but it does have it's benefits. First and foremost of which is, the temps are usually in the 50s or 60s and sometimes if there is a heat wave going on, in the 70s. In other words, the conditions are usually ideal for running fast.

This is good and bad. You have the confidence of knowing that you can run fast and that you can feel good doing it. It's a lot easier to recover from a workout done in the 50s than done in the 80s. And the list goes on.

But enter Liz and Jen who apparentely eat nails for breakfast (although they claim to always eat oatmeal). Don't believe these tales of oatmeal. It's pure nails.

They apparently always do their workouts at this 10 to 11 am hour when it's...oh, I don't know...80 degrees, humid and windy. Ouch.

So we drove to the track and I knew it was going to be rough. Jen and I did the same workout while Ness and Liz were also off working hard running their own version of crazy laps. Crazy laps indeed.

I had some time goals in my mind for the workout we were doing as based on the last time I did this workout but after the first repeat I immediately ammended those goals. Jen graciously agreed. There was no way I was going to be able to repeat the same performance when it was 30 degrees hotter.

And the workout was still painful and I still suffered. But it was SUCH a great workout regardless. Because it was really good practice for racing. In fact it was very much like the run portion of a race where it's hot and humid and you feel like pooh. And you want to stop. And mentally you are struggling to stay in it. But you keep going anyway. Because that's what you do.

I wouldn't want to run my track workouts in the high heat every week, but I realized today that it's not such a bad idea every once in a while. You learn to perservere better that way. And we all know perserverence is what racing is all about.

Regardless, when we were all done with our workouts we cooled down together and then back to Liz's for lunch and recovery and mostly me being lazy while everyone else did work. I'm good at being lazy.

The next agenda item was swimming. An open water swim race was on the docket but the weather had other ideas. Unfortunately the swim was cancelled as storms rolled in so instead we went to Liz and Chris's gym to swim with a few others.

The pool was really nice! And the water chilly. Which at first didn't feel good but was REALLY nice while we were swimming our 500s. Yeah - 500s. But all was well and other than almost getting lapped when we were doing 250 pulls and then Ness trying to take my hand off (I've renamed her LANE HOG), all was well. I can't say it enough - just how nice it is to be around and train with strong, talented women who share the same passion and focus. I'm so thankful for it. And I've already learned a lot from these guys.

Oh wait - did I forget to mention the hot tub after the swim? Um yeah...my YMCA definitely needs one of those!

Finally we finished up with some dinner at Noodles which is the bomb. O and I had eaten there last year when we were in Portland, OR but I had forgotten about it because there are none in Pittsburgh. That might be a good thing - because I would ALWAYS want to be eating there!

And so it goes. Camp day #2. Looking forward to seeing what day #3 holds!

Posted by beth at 5:53 PM | Comments (5)

July 1, 2008

Camp Has Begun

Well clearly I've already fallen behind. Liz and Ness have already blogged about day #1 of camp and I have yet to begin! That's what happens when you go to the grocery store to feed your serious need for Diet Pepsi while they are back at home on the computers. And there are a lot of computers. One for each of us although we have yet to resort to email communication. We are doing just fine talking face to face thankyouverymuch.

Regardless, camp is all I had hoped it to be and more. First of all, Chris and Elizabeth live in a beautiful home and I have my own room and the sheets smell REALLY good. I've already put in my request to stay...for a long time. But I will really miss O and Roxy so I've requested that they be allowed to stay too. After all, I think Roxy and Boss would really get along well.

Speaking of Boss, I have to admit it - he's got a serious case of the cutes. Wow. That dog is cute!! Elizabeth isn't kidding around when she talks about him. And the crazy laps? Very cute. But I think it's the ears that do it for me. They are big and animated. And very, very cute.

Regardless, today we did a couple workouts after we picked Ness up at the airport. I immediately knew I was really going to like Ness when we spotted her standing at passenger pickup at the airport with her aerohelmet on. Now that's my kind of girl. Let it be known there has been no shortage of laughter around here!

Back home from the airport we did a few things and then Jen arrived. I've met Jen before so I knew what to expect but still, her fire and spirit and smile amaze me. And then off to the quarry/pool/swimming hole it was.

The swimming was great - sort of like open water but not. It was outside and that alone made it much better than my home pool. We did some work in the lanes and then Ness, Liz and Jen were nice enough to practice some dives into the water with me. My next race requires a dive in and I've already been fretting about that for quite some time. No big deal though. Just keep the chin tucked as Ness told me.

After the swim Liz took us to the famous Fermilab to ride. I've read so much about it before! It's not at all what I expected but really a great place to ride in many senses. Very low traffic and good roads. And it's bigger than I thought. And as I realized, the midwest certainly doesn't have hills like back home but the wind could very well be worse. And Liz said that today wasn't windy. Hmm... As expected, "wind" might be redefined for me after this trip.

Anyway, we did a great workout and I truly, truly enjoyed having 2 very strong riders to work hard with. Liz pedals on that bike like I've never seen before. WOW! I really enjoyed myself and was sorry for the ride to be over. Although there is more riding to be done this week so no worries.

Hmm...what else. Liz made us dinner and it was soooooooo good. Seriously, I'm not going home. Last night Chris built my bike for me in about 3 minutes. No, make that 2.5 minutes. Seriously, I'm not going home. Ness makes me laugh, really hard. Actually EVERYone makes me laugh. And no, I don't plan on going home.

But wait, Boss is about to put on a show with his red blanket so I've got to go.

Tomorrow is "track" as everyone calls it around here and some more open water swimming. This really is the life.

Posted by beth at 10:20 PM | Comments (4)