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April 29, 2009

YEEEEE-HAWWWWW!

Freedom!

I've completed my exam and life is good!

When I was driving away from where I took the test I had that feeling like you would get when you were done with finals in college. SOOOOO excited. A weight lifted off your shoulders. FREEEEEEEEEDOM! Yee-haw!

How did it go? Well, I think okay. It's one of those exams where everyone has to take it first (over a 2 week period) and then they throw out certain questions and decide the threshold for passing, etc... and then 6 weeks later you get a letter in the mail letting you know of your fate. That's kind of annoying - I mean I would have loved to walk out of there knowing the result - but at this point I'm so happy that I don't have to study anymore that I could care less! It was difficult. And it's 4 hours long and really mental fatigue was taking over towards the end. Plus I was getting hungry! I actually brought a snack with me but the proctor person wouldn't let me take it in with me! Only water. Um...does she know that I need fed like ever 2 hours?! What the heck?! :) Also, I really don't like the questions that ask you to choose the "most likely" answer and then all the answers are true but which one is MOST true. Argh. Those are hard. But oh wait - I'm done and I don't have to think about it anymore - YEEE-HAWWW!

So I came home and promptly fell asleep on the couch. Ahhh...bliss. I had made sure to do my run/swim/lift before the exam so I could veg out when I got home. And then I made sure not to plan anything for after the exam so I wouldn't have to use my brain. Best decision I've made in a long time! On the days I work from home I usually spend all morning/early afternoon doing my training and then all late afternoon/evening doing my work. But today I gave myself a free day.

So I could get caught up on FB OF COURSE! After my nap I ate dinner (O is away at a track meet all night) and then went on a FB binge. I wrote on like 10 people's walls. I commented on everyone's statuses and then I went to Twitter. Oh how I missed you FB! :) Oh how I couldn't wait to see you again Twitter!

Anyway, life is good. That exam is just one more thing OFF my plate. And tomorrow I will get to work on the rest of it. ;)

As for training - it's going well! I'm a swimming machine which means my arms are feeling numb right now. It's hard for me to fathom the idea of real swimmers swimming 10,000+ yards EVERY DAY! I do really like to swim though so I don't mind and a little birdie told me that Pitt's pool (where I swim masters) is set up long course now! I can't wait for masters practice tomorrow!

When I was running this morning I decided that there are 4 distinct phases of a training cycle. There is the "wow I'm really out of shape and just getting started again" phase. Then there is the "wow I feel great because I'm finally in a little better shape but I'm not *REALLY* tired yet" phase. Then the "I'm strong as an ox and faster than ever BUT I'm really tired" phase. And then finally there is the taper where you start to feel good again. (oh, and then the race). And then after the big race you recover and get out of shape and then start all over again. ;) Of course I just made all that up but it's usually something like that for me.

Well right now I'm in that first stage of feeling out of shape. :) But I know it's a good stage to be in and one that you HAVE to be in at certain points to make the most of a long season. The good thing is, I am SOOO excited to work through this phase and move onto the next. And there is so much to look forward to! Summer! Warm weather! School being out! (O still works in the summer but he has SOOO much more time and I LOVE IT!) Camp (I'm going to Boulder!)! Racing! And the list goes on and on...

So here's hoping everyone has a great night! I'll see you on Facebook... ;)

Posted by beth at 5:38 PM | Comments (10)

April 27, 2009

Goodies Galore

Today I am very sore. Darn running race! I swear it's easier to run a 10K hard off the bike than an open 10K. Anyone agree? Anyone? Okay, maybe it's just me. :)

Anyway, my swim this morning did a body good. I think there is nothing better than a nice swim when your body is sore and tired.

I was also happy to receive a goodie box from my MAO coaches today! As a member of the MAO triathlon team, not only do you get some of the best and most expert coaching this sport has to offer (the BIG reason for being on the team of course) but you also get goodies (a nice little aside to great coaches!). This year the team is sponsored by several awesome companies, some of which include:

Polar (besides this nice new HR monitor/watch we also got very nice cycling computers).

And TYR. Notice my name embroidered on the coat. Nice! And that swim bag? HUGE! I'm not sure what I'm going to put in there yet but I do think Roxy would fit... :) And yes, those are paddles. I think coach might have put those just in my box as a reminder to...actually pull with paddles occasionally. :)

We also get "podium shirts" each year which would mean that I really need to work hard so that...um...I can actually get on a podium or two this year. Not an easy task... :)

Anyway - it's a great team for many reasons and I'm very honored to be on it. Thanks to all the great companies that support our team and of course Mark and Luis, the coaches behind it all!

Posted by beth at 3:32 PM | Comments (6)

April 26, 2009

Hot Hot Hot!

Oh wow - it's hot!

Now I know I can't be complaning because it probably wasn't long ego that I was longing for such heat. But I do suppose I should have specified when I asked for warmer weather that I would like a nice progression - you know, 40s and then 50s and then 60s and then maybe 70s to 80s. Yes, that would be nice. Instead we got 40s straight to 80s. OUCH! :)

I was very happy though to finally open the windows in the house and sleep all night with them open and to enjoy walking around in shorts and sandels and not 10 layers of sweatshirts! And to eat ice cream and not shiver! And to finally turn the heat off! Yes, very nice indeed.

So the race! O and I did a 10K in the western suburbs of Pittsburgh today that is on the Montour Trail. The trail is amazingly long - we think it actually goes all the way to Washington DC - and is a great crushed limestone surface and very well maintained. They have a fair number of races on it in this area to raise money for taking care of it.

Anyway, the race was at 10 am. By 8 am when we got to the race it was already in the 70s and felt like a July day to me! I wasn't sure what to expect. Since Oceanside I've not done any hard training (all just base stuff) which is GOOD because I know I have to let myself recover and SLOWLY build for my next A race (which isn't until August) and then recover from that and again SLOWLY build for my final A race in November. So taking down weeks is GOOD. I know this. GOOD. BUT, I think I'm like most athletes in that I always want to race fast. Every race is a race! It's always been hard for me to accept that not every race can be a FAST race - some of them have to be when you aren't in tip-top shape. I understand this, but don't always like it. :)

Am I setting you up for the end result of this little 10K then? Can you guess?

Yep, not too fast. :) The heat combined with not being in very good shape definitely took it's toll! I went out well but then died a slow and painful death. At one point I was wondering if I had somehow missed the finish and was on mile 7 instead! :) But alas, this was not the case.

Still though, it was good. Back in early January O and I did a 5 mile race and it was ROUGH. I was in very much the same position that I was today - not started on speed work and not in the best of shape. But that race sort of jump started my training for Oceanside much like this race will jump start my training for Steelhead! I don't actually have any hard training still for a few more weeks but I keep telling myself PATIENCE. Patience is key.

Anyway, after the race I was sooooo hot and sooooo thirsty that I made the big mistake that I always make and I chugged about 3 bottles of water and 2 bottles of Gatorade. Now I KNOW what happens when I do this. I know. My stomach just cannot handle it and I get SICK. So sick. But I'm just like Roxy who, if left to her own devices, would eat herself sick. I drank myself sick. UGH.

We stayed for the awards and O won his age group (!) and I was the 2nd female overall (and got $200 for it! :) and then we headed home with plans of stopping at the oval (this 1/2 mile loop where they hold crits all the time) for O to try out his new bike and me to do my easy ride for the day.

But I sort of ruined those plans because my stomach was so upset by the time we got there I couldn't fathom the idea of getting on my bike. Especially in 85 degree heat and a hot, hot sun. So instead we went home and I fell asleep on the couch.

I woke up long enough to take an ice bath, shower and stretch and then fall back asleep on the couch while O mowed the lawn. That 10K wiped me out!

But now I'm feeling much better and back to life. And now it's time to get organized and ready to go for this next week! Oh how the weekends fly by!

I hope everyone had a great weekend and congrats to all those racing!

Posted by beth at 7:55 PM | Comments (6)

April 25, 2009

Lace Up The Racers!

Although I guess I don't have much to lace up seeing as how my racing flats have Lace Locks in them - the true way to separate the triathletes from the runners on the starting line of a road race. Another give-away is the racing belt for the number. I try to look the part as best I can so I never wear my race belt at a road race. I pin the number on just like all the other runners. But the Lace Locks - they are already on the flats and I'm not taking them off!

Wait, where was I going with all this?

Oh yes - tomorrow I'm running a 10K! Wahooo!

The high tomorrow is 85 degrees. Here, in Pittsburgh (in case you were wondering if I flew off to Florida or something). And in fact right now on Saturday afternoon it's in the mid 80s! When I ran this morning I didn't know what to do with myself. I was actually...hot? And then after swimming I came home and...opened some windows? Strange indeed! But a good strange! The 10K doesn't start until 10 AM tomorrow - I might melt! :)

Anyway, O is also doing the race and then afterwards we are going to do some riding together. Because...O has a bike now! Oh yes, you saw the pictures already. And yesterday evening he was fitted on the bike and took it home and now Scotty has a friend down in the basement. My road bike feels left out now. Like a third wheel or something! Get it..."third wheel"...or maybe it should be "fifth wheel"?

Okay, I'll stop...

I'm sure there will also be ice cream involved after the race too because - who doesn't eat ice cream when it's 85 degrees outside?! Who?!

Best of luck to all those racing Du Nationals and at St. Anthony's this weekend - and everyone else racing everywhere else! Soak up the sun and have fun!

Posted by beth at 3:01 PM | Comments (4)

April 23, 2009

What Test?

Soon, very soon I have to retake my CNSD exam. It's a national exam that must be taken every 5 years to maintain your certification as a nutrition support clinician. Unfortunately, to keep my job at the hospital, I must maintain this credential. Has it REALLY been 5 years since I last took the exam? Seriously?

Last time I took the test I studied diligently. For about 4 months. This time around? Well, let's just say that beyond looking at a few example questions at work the other day, I haven't really started. And I take the exam next Wednesday. Uh-oh! :)

It's very hard, make no mistake about it. Physicians, pharmacists, nurses and dietitians all take the same exam. Meaning there's stuff on there that I generally don't have to worry about (well that's why there is a pharmacist on the team - so I don't have to know that stuff- DUH!). And it has nothing to do with sports nutrition, eating for recovery or properly fueling workouts. That stuff I can handle. Instead it has everything to do with enteral and parenteral nutrition, feeding critically ill patients that have every disease known to man, pediatrics (oh dear Lord, I must re-read that chapter like 10 times because I know nothing about non-adults!), research, ethics, biochemistry, ugh. I think I'm in trouble here... How does that Kreb's Cycle work again?

So today I need to study! I told myself no Facebook. No Twitter. And NO BLOGS. Well, you can see how that's going so far. ;) (I've already been on both FB and Twitter too - it's like a disease!!)

And of course training always comes first so I went to masters practice this morning (yeah fun swimming workout!) and then to ART (ouch, make me cry - seriously - but in the end my hammy is happy) and um, oh yeah, a 2:15 ride today too. Hmm...I wonder where that studying will fit in... :)

But in all seriousness, I will do the best I can do and that's all I can do! The last time to took the exam I was a newbie at all things nutrition support. And I have to believe that the past 5 years of working in the field and learning each day about how best to feed really sick people will serve me well. I hope. Maybe I should get on FB for a little first to find out though... ;)

Have a great day everyone!

Posted by beth at 10:35 AM | Comments (7)

April 20, 2009

Holy Cats!

Well a lot has been happening and because of a faulty internet connection (or faulty website...I don't know, faulty something...) I couldn't write a blog over the weekend. Which means I have even more to write about. Oh where to begin!

1) How could I not mention Saturday, a most glorious day wherein it was 65 degrees and sunny when I rode my bike. Yes, that's right, 65 degrees and sunny. I was so happy I wanted to cry! I think it was the first time EVER that I didn't want my long ride to end. Long rides aren't my favorite. After 3-4 hours on the bike I am always READY TO GET OFF! (hence no IMs) But, BUT on Saturday I was disappointed for my ride to be done. Boo! I wanted more time in the beautiful sun! Alas, save it for another day. Because it will be sunny and warm again. :)

I was also happy because for the first time EVER - I had a matching kit to ride in! Other than my uniform, I never match when I ride. Well maybe I might with a black pair of shorts and some random jersey that matches black. HOWEVER, Saturday was like a real live matching kit - made to be worn together! Thank you Saucony! And I have no idea why I'm even mentioning this because in truth, whether I match or not is never a big concern to me. I think the sun has done something to my brain! :)

2) Saturday seems like a blur other than that wonderful ride (and a good swim prior to the ride) but SUNDAY - Sunday was a great day too. I ran and rode (again outside) in the morning and then in the afternoon O and I went to THE BIKE SHOP (AKA- Big Bang Bikes) to buy a new bike! To buy a new bike for O!

Now for a long time both O and I thought it would be a great thing if he had a relatively nice bike (ie: a road bike or TT) so that we could ride together. We run together. We occasionally swim together. And I know O would be a very good cyclist. But you know - the bikes are expensive! And even if we bought something used or an older model, etc... it's still a big investment by the time you are done buying pedals, shoes, a good helmet, a nice pair of cycling shorts (or 2), etc... So we always held off. Also, O would like to do some triathlons BUT he certainly doesn't have the time or want to make the changes in his life to get the time (ie: give up coaching) to really train big for tris. So if he wasn't going to compete... Well, you get the logic, it just didn't make sense to drop $$$$$ when we didn't have it in the first place.

But then all of a sudden we had the money. :) Now before you think we hit the lottery, alas, we did not. But we actually kind of did in a way. It came in the form of the settlement I was awarded from the insurance company of the man who hit me while I was riding close to 2 years ago. Never in a million years would I have expected that whole thing to take 2 years to settle. Never in a million years would I have expected to be awarded anything other than the damage to my bike. But then again, that's why I'm a dietitian and not a lawyer. If I can make one suggestion - if you EVER find yourself in that situation (and Lord I pray you do not, it's just not fun to be hit broadside) - get a lawyer to help you through it. They go to school for a long time for a reason! :) I never once had to hassle with insurance or worry about paying my BIG medical bills and thank God. We would have been bankrupt for sure.

Anyway, I'm getting off track. The settlement - used a little to pay off some debt, gave a little away, put a big chunk in savings, got ourselves some fine BlackBerrys AND, bought O a bike with the rest of it. :)

I can't wait until we can take our maiden voyage together! (it will have to wait for a bit though because O is in the midst of track season MADNESS and doesn't have time to sit down to eat let alone go on a 4 hour ride :)

3) TRIGGER POINT! I ordered the whole package. It came. I went to town. OUCH - that stuff hurts! It's very good. Highly recommended. And much better than a squished in roller. :)

4) Hamstring. Working on it. ART. I have an appointment to see a sports doctor on Friday to talk about a different kind of treatment. Working with my coaches to change my training around some (hint-hint - more swimming and biking, less running - I don't know if I like this plan or not! :). In short, we will figure it out. I am lucky to have so many resources to pull from. If this bum hamstring of mine thought I was going to give in easy - it has another thing coming!

5) This morning at masters practice - 200s on the 2:30? Coach is trying to kill us? 200s on the 2:40 is hard enough! :)

6) And finally, and most importantly of all - I am very happy to say that today, my father in law donated his kidney and is doing wonderfully after surgery. As is the recipient of his kidney - a friend of his from church. He is very sore (after all they do cut through your abdominal wall and muscle to get in there!) but otherwise smiling and happy as always. I have very much always appreciated the man that my father in law is and the son that he raised who I am so lucky to be married to. What he did was such a huge sacrifice in my eyes but I can almost guarantee that he didn't even think twice about it. And was embarrassed by the big deal that everyone made it. I was in visiting when the surgeon came in to talk with him and he was his usual joking self, telling his surgeon "I'm going to tell all my friends who ask about this - it was okay, but I wouldn't do it again" (haha - because he only has one kidney left - haha -- yes, very bad sense of humor like his son! :) Regardless, I appreciate all those who prayed for him on our behalf! He should be home by Wednesday!

And now, I must get something done around this place! Have a great night everyone!

Posted by beth at 8:15 PM | Comments (6)

April 16, 2009

A Swim And A Bike

Well, if I am your FB friend you already know the news. Today I made a bold move. I put away the cycling booties, toe covers AND the skull cap. Yes that right, the skull cap too.

What could have made me do such a brave thing you ask? To which I answer - THE SUN! Today the sun came out! The sun came out in Pittsburgh! And oh was it a glorious thing.

Now, it's not like I was so blazen as to throw away my toe covers. They were just put away in the drawer. I can dig them out again. But I'm sticking with my guns. No more toe covers until next winter. (and I'm hoping my fellow Pittsburghers won't be mad at me on Saturday when it snows on account of the fact that I put my toe covers away!) Oh, and just as a side note, the trainer is still up in the living room. I said I was bold, not stupid. ;)

ANYWAY - today I had an amazing ride! I saw:

1) the sun
2) people cutting their grass!
3) the sun
4) people sitting outside on their porches!
5) the sun
6) flowers - that were in bloom!
7) the sun!!!!!

And I repeat - I SAW THE SUN!

It's amazing how awesome the sun is and how it can lift your mood. And it was close to 50 degrees when I rode. Loving life. Plus it just felt good to be back on my bike for longer than an hour. ;) I am really enjoying being back in the routine of some regular, good old hard training!

Anyway, before all that wonderful riding I went to masters this morning. Sets of 3x100 on an increasing interval as easy/moderate/FAST. The fast ones were supposed to be descended throughout the sets although Meredith and I got stuck on 1:09 for a while. We agreed descending much farther might not happen. But finally - on the last one - 1:07! :)

Then I went to the ART doctor and told him to fix my hamstring like he fixed my IT band. He said he'll try. Well his "try" involved ripping each muscle fiber of my hamstring apart - one by one! Or at least that's what it felt like. :) The hamstring does feel a little better now actually but I didn't have a run today so we shall see! Regardless, I do really want to thank all you nice people that commented about my bum string and also emailed me. I LOVE YOU GUYS! I truly hope I wasn't sounding too whiney about it all because I know this is just part of the game and we all go through it. But I guess yesterday was one of those days where it was bugging me more than usual.

Anyway, it is just so nice to hear from other people who have gone through the same (injuries in general) that yes, it will be okay. :) I think sometimes I just need to hear that. Oh, and Julia has me interested in a different kind of therapy that I have yet to try. So thank you Julia - PT extraordinaire!

Now - time for dinner! Have a great night everyone!

Posted by beth at 5:48 PM | Comments (9)

April 15, 2009

My Challenge

The way I figure it, everyone has challenges in their lives, unique to them only. Or obstacles they have to overcome. I prefer to call them "challenges" though. Things that make us better athletes and better people if we choose to overcome them. Things that challenge us to either rise to the occasion or...well...quit.

My challenge has always been injuries. God just didn't make me that durable. ;)

Since I began running as a teenager I've always struggled with this injury or that. The first I can remember was a monster case of achilles tendonitis when I was a freshman in high school. Then there were foot problems, IT band syndrome so bad I didn't run for a whole summer, more foot pain and then, oh, some more foot pain. :) Wanna know something funny? When I was in high school our athletic trainer was one of my favorite people! He knew how to take care of me. Well he went on to become a trainer for the Steelers and a triathlete also. A triathlete who swims at Pitt Masters with me now. In the lane next to me in fact. Funny how small this world is!

Anyway, although I struggled with injury issues in high school I don't ever remember missing any HUGE races because of it (like a state or district championship) and I think this was mostly because I had a great coach who didn't run us too much and made sure I took care of things early before they got too bad.

Then I went to college.

Ouch. :)

I would dare to guess that in just about every college women's program (at least at the DI level) the average weekly mileage is somewhere in the 60-70 range with many women running more and some running less. This of course was quite upsetting to my body. If it could hardly handle 40-50 miles how would it take 70? But of course it didn't stop me from trying!

College is a bit of a blur to me. I can't even remember if I ran my whole sophomore year. ;) Ah just kidding. I can say though that I probably spent more time injuried than healthy.

Like I said, injury and durability have always been my challenge.

After college I decided running marathons was a good goal. And so I did. And I loved it but of course I got hurt. This is when my hamstring issues started as well as a case of plantar fasciitis that just hung on and on and on until I stopped running altogether for close to 4 months. That is the longest I've never NOT run since I had started. And I hated it.

So I took up triathlon.

Of course triathlon is great because swimming and cycling are so much easier on the body than the pounding that running provides. But still, training 20 hours a week for weeks on end does add up.

And all of this is my VERY long way of saying, my hamstring hurts. Boy, I have a way with words 'eh? :)

I know I've whined about the hamstring issue before - it's something that I've had for a long time. It flares up occasionally. Sometimes I have to take time off for it, sometimes I don't. I manage it daily with lots of stretching and icing and massage, chiro appointments and ART.

But still, it can be a bugger and right now that's exactly what it's being.

(Let me just pause to say that I know that with training like we do, there will always be aches and pains and trust me, I have lots of those too. BUT we all know about those aches that go beyond just a little annoyance and that's what I'm talking about. I realize I'm starting to sound like a hypochondriac here but really I'm not. I've been doing this long enough to know the difference.)

ANYWAY. I have to admit that I always get a little down and angry when I have these types of problems. BECAUSE REALLY - WHY ME?!? I am SO vigiliant about taking care of myself. I stretch. I ice. I roll/massage. I get professional massage. I go to the chiro. I go to the ART doctor. I rest when I'm supposed to rest. I eat well. I get lots of sleep. SO WHY? There are so many people that treat their bodies like crap - no stretching, no massage, no nothing. And they train HARD. And their bodies just accept the hard work. AND I HATE THOSE PEOPLE! ;)

I know. Cry me a river right?

But I am human and I do get upset when all I want to do is work hard and see results and I'm always getting side-tracked with a body that won't behave! The injuries just wear me out sometimes.

This morning I was sad about my hamstring. I want it to be better NOW. And I started feeling sorry for myself for all the above reasons. And then I finally came to my senses.

Because really, it's just another challenge right? A challenge that can go either way. I can either make the best of the situation and make it work or I can whine and cry and feel sorry for myself and then not have it work. At all.

And I realized again (for about the hundreth time) that we all have challenges. Every one of us. For some it's lack of motivation. Or perhaps an unsupportive spouse. Maybe it's GI issues. Maybe it's a stressful, time consuming job that doesn't allow enough time to train. It could be financial restraints. It could be a suseptability to depression. Some people struggle with lack of discipline. And I'm so blessed to not have to deal with any of the above.

Yes, I should be glad for just my one little challenge. Because after all, if it was easy and everything ALWAYS went smoothly where would the fun be? How would we learn that we are strong enough to rise above?

So with an attitude adjustment I can now take on my hamstring head to head! Today I got a massage and had a chiro appointment. My chiropractor is going to find out about getting me my very own ultrasound machine! :) Tomorrow I see the ART doctor. I will stretch and ice and make good decisions about whether or not I should run. And I will keep my head up. If I have to pool run than that is what it will be. As O always says, it is what it is. We have a long season ahead wherein I plan on achieving all my goals. So giddy up little hamstring - your challenge will be met!

Posted by beth at 4:20 PM | Comments (12)

April 12, 2009

A Weekend Away

In case you haven't noticed, it's kind of hard to get away for a weekend or a "vacation" if you are a triathlete. Because you are usually doing a lot of training on the weekends if you aren't already traveling for a race. And a lot of training involves things like a pool and dragging your bike all over the place. It was a lot easier when I was just a runner. Running shoes might stink but they are less cumbersome than Scotty. Oh well. :)

Anyway, with me still taking it easy after my race last weekend (which ends tomorrow by the way!), we took advantage of the free time and lack of bike to hit the road.

But first up on Friday - BLACKBERRY time! Of course my need for a new cell phone is well known at this point. And as I had hoped, losing my old phone in the crapper worked out quite well. It was actually most perfectly planned because not only did I lose my old phone, but that very same weekend O and I spent quite a bit of time with Chad (in Oceanside) who has a BlackBerry. I might not have been able to convince O that we needed BlackBerrys myself had he not seen with his own eyes the wonders of Chad's BlackBerry all weekend. So thank you Chad.

On Friday before we left for our trip, O stopped out at the mall and picked our new beauties up. And then we fought over who had to drive first so that the other one could play on their new toy! Luckily I won so play away! But wait...what's this...after a full hour of playing I was starting to feel very ill. Car sickness? BlackBerry disease? Hunger? I don't know what it was but I had to stop playing for a bit because I did not feel good at all.

A stop at Subway for lunch and a little break from my new toy and I felt all better. Close call! I can't be getting sick from using my BlackBerry in the car because I suspect that's where I will use it most!

Anyway, after a full weekend of playing and playing some more with it, I think I have it mostly figured out. I'm sure I will never even use half of the things that it's capable of but for right now it's doing all the things I want - FB, twitter, email, playing my music, oh yeah, and making phone calls. :) Our road trips for different races are going to be MUCH better now. Especially that drive to Benton Harbor, MI which involves driving through all of Ohio and all of Indiana. And trust me when I say, if you've not done this before, watching paint dry is MUCH more exciting.

Okay - back to the trip! We were heading to Charleston, WV where my father has been working on a bridge (he's a civil engineer) for the past year (or 2?). My parents live in SC but my father works in WV during the week and flys back home on the weekends. Craziness I know, but this is how he has operated most of his life. Live in one place and work on bridge in a very far away different place.

ANYWAY - this bridge is special as there are only ~12 of it's kind in the US. Kind of a big deal. Too bad I'm so clueless about all things bridge (even though most of the people in my family are civil engineers). It's hard for me to appreciate how amazing of a thing it is I think, but going to see it certainly helped some.

My grandfather has been wanting to see the bridge for quite some time so O and I picked him up on our way down. Then, my mom flew up from SC to meet us AND my sister and brother in law drove up from Durham, NC. Family meeting in WV!!

We got in Friday around dinner and went out to eat. Then Saturday woke up for a quick run (along the Kanawha River) before heading to see this infamous bridge!

We took a look at the bridge from the bottom first. Hard to appreciate the size of it though until we drove around to the other side and actually went out onto the bridge from one end. It's size is amazing!

Everyone got their picture on the bridge! Included O who isn't a huge fan of heights (and we were REALLY far up). This is my sister Becky (herself a PhD in civil engineering) and brother-in-law Doug.

After bridge viewing we all went to the Imax to see "Hurricanes on the Bayou" which was pretty neat and then just to see the capitol building (since Charleston is the capitol of WV).

Charleston has a bell too! Just like Philadelphia's but this one wasn't cracked. :)

We left around dinner time on Saturday so it was a short trip but still, very nice to see what my father has been working so hard on (kind of like how they come to watch my races :) and of course to see my family! With them being so far away, we rarely see each other.

And WV is a beautiful state. It gets a bad rap (oh, all those West Virginia jokes) and some of the stereotypes fit. BUT, the landscape is breathtaking! You can drive for miles and miles up 79 and not see a single thing other than mountains and forest and rivers, etc... Very different than our recent trip to San Diego but good nonetheless.

After dropping my grandfather off on Saturday night, we spent the night at O's parents' house (where Roxy was also camping out) and then spent Easter morning at church and brunch after with O's (large) family. Lots of fun family time this weekend!

And so now we are home (like real home) and getting ready for the real return to reality! O has had this whole past week off for spring break and tomorrow he goes back to school. And I got back to some real training. Thank goodness because I was starting to get stir crazy. Between the taper and then the recovery -- I CANNOT wait to do some real training again!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter and has a great start to the week!

Posted by beth at 9:24 PM | Comments (7)

April 9, 2009

A Sad Day In Pittsburgh

Today was a very sad day for the city of Pittsburgh. Today was the day of the memorial service and funerals for the three slain police officers that were killed when they responded to a domestic dispute in Stanton Heights this past Saturday. The shooter, armed with several assault style rifles and wearing a bullet proof vest, awaited the arrival of the officers and shot them one by one. After a 4 hour stand-off, the shooter surrendered himself.

The memorial service took place directly across from the hospital I work at and you could see the thousands of police officers from all around the country from the big windows directly outside of my office. Not really an emotional person I found myself quite chocked up watching the procession of hearses and hundreds of cop cars drive by. And the thousands (and I'm not exaggerating) of police officers that stood on the steps where the memorial was, all saluting as the procession went past. And the sound of the bag pipes that played all morning and afternoon long outside of the memorial.

On the way home from work O met me for dinner and as we drove up route 28 towards home we realized that part of the procession was making it's way past our house. After the memorial for all three officers, each went their separate ways, 2 towards cemetaries in Lawrenceville and 1 towards Indiana (PA). So like everyone else we pulled over on the side of 28 and waited for the procession to pass. By the time it did, route 28 was literally lined with hundreds of people that pulled their cars over to salute the passing procession. It was awesome - the hearse followed by the family members in limos and other cars and then another 50 police cars following behind, lights flashing and sirens sounding.

You know in sports we talk a lot about the sacrifices athletes make to be the best they can be. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I feel like I've made sacrifices in my life. Because NOTHING compares to this kind of sacrifice - the kind that cops and firefighters and the men and women in the military make each day so that I can be safe.

My thoughts and prayers to the families of Paul J. Sciullo II, Eric G. Kelly and Stephen J. Mayhle. Thank you for your sacrifice.

Posted by beth at 7:00 PM | Comments (7)

April 8, 2009

Back To Reality

Hmm - I believe the last time I wrote I was still enjoying the beautiful Californian sun. And now I'm back in Pittsburgh where the snow just melted this morning. Something wrong there. Something very wrong.

But let me back up a few days. Our flight landed around 12:30 am on Tuesday morning in Pittsburgh. O and I followed the usual protocol - he went to retrieve the car from the far, far away extended parking and I went to baggage claim to retrieve our gear. As I stood outside waiting for O to come around with the car, I was FREEZING! It was cold and windy and dark and as cars came around I could see they all had snow on them. SNOW?! Wasn't I just wearing shorts?

By the time we got all the bags situated and drove home, it was around 1:30 or perhaps even 2 am. I walked into a very cold house. What's up with that? We had lowered the heat some while we were away but this felt VERY cold. And then both O and I realized that it was around 52 degrees in the house and, yep, the furnace wasn't working.

I wanted to get back in the car. Drive straight to the airport. And board the first plane back to San Diego. STAT! Curses!

Furnace not working. Very cold house. Very tired from a day of traveling and still sore from the race. Double curses.

I went upstairs to change and tried to picture myself in the warm sun. O went down to tinker with the furnace. I think I must have fallen asleep on the bed waiting because the next thing I knew I woke up wrapped in several blankets with a hat and hood on and about 6 layers of shirts/sweatshirts. Oh, and my compression socks. I was quite the fashion queen! But luckily, by 3 am, O had gotten the furnace to behave. Thank you O!

Great to be home right?! :)

In all seriousness though, it is nice to be back into our little routine and reunited with our furry Roxy dog! :)

This week I've just been taking it very easy. I think this is something I failed to do well last year - after my big races I always wanted to rush right into the next training cycle and by the end of the year I was mentally fresh, but not so much physically. It's a long year - I keep reminding myself! Plenty of time to train!

So I swam a little yesterday, rode a little today. Tomorrow I'm going to go to masters again (yippeee!!) and then sooner or later I will run. :) Next Monday I will start anew and I can't wait! Coach filled in my program for the weeks to come and I always get so excited to see what lies ahead. And I even added a 10K running race in there (per coach's suggestion) which is very excited because I LOVE to race - no matter the discipline!

I've used the extra time to get caught up on life again (it's surprising how far behind you can get in a span of 4 days) - doing some work, preparing for a nutrition class that I'm going to start teaching next week, catching up on emails and doing lots and lots of stinky laundry. The bag from the trip that contained our dirty laundry, some of which was wet, was LETHAL!

We are also taking advantage of the light training week by going on another short trip to West Virginia to see family over the Easter holiday. Very much looking forward to that! We are going to a baseball game! And no worries, I will be wearing my thermal underwear to that one... :)

So that is life after San Diego I suppose. :) Not too bad if you ask me!

Posted by beth at 9:10 PM | Comments (4)

April 6, 2009

Oceanside Race Report

Where to begin?

The race seems like ages ago now. That's probably why you should write the race report directly after the race so you don't forget what happens. But I was having too much fun doing other things Saturday night. So, oh well. :)

The swim! If it kills me, one of these days I WILL SWIM UNDER 30 MINUTES in a 70.3! But Saturday wasn't that day. :) I swam around 31 instead. So I'm not thrilled but it wasn't bad either. Especially considering this is my first time in open water in my wetsuit in a longgggg time. My first open water swim last season (St. Anthony's) was MUCH worse. So I've made a little progress. :) I am swimming so much faster in the pool but that same smooth, longer stroke that I've worked so hard on seems to go to pot in an open water race situation. :) Either way, I did feel strong and relaxed and the swim went by quickly. I also sited and drafted better than I ever have before. AND, after all that worry about how cold I was going to be, I was absolutely fine! The water was 59 degrees on race morning but other than when I first got in, I didn't feel cold at all!

Out of the water and into transition I saw all these women that I knew would place very well in my AG! Rachel and Charisa among them. And I got all flustered and decided I didn't want to put on arm warmers and socks after all. :) But that worked out just fine because it was a beautiful, sunny, clear day and I was never cold after that initial shock of getting in the cold water in the morning.

The bike was simply amazing! At times I almost had to pinch myself it was so beautiful. If you've never done this race, it's a must. The first 20-25 miles of the course are along the coast and flat and fast and I was loving life. Then, as we turned inward I wasn't loving life as much. It got real hilly and real windy real fast. :) But it was still beautiful. Most certainly the hardest 70.3 bike course I've done although that isn't saying much since I've only done Clearwater (which I think it all downhill) and Steelhead which is a little rolling but not anything near what Oceanside is like. Despite the challenge of the course I felt good. I had some orders from coach to back it down a little on the bike and some HR guidelines to stick to as I think the root of some of my 70.3 running problems in the past has been because I ride my bike like an Olympic distance race. Not such a great idea considering a 70.3 is over 2x as long. :)

So even though I REALLY wanted to chase Rachel (who I could see on the bike for about 20 miles) when I saw my HR creeping up and up and up I knew I had to let her go. Boooo. :) But I'm sure it was the right thing to do.

Like I said though, I felt good for the most part, even up the hills. I did have some low points on the bike when I thought I should be moving a lot faster than I was but later learned that most people struggled in the same areas mostly due persistant wind. Nevertheless, a big thank you to the Marines for allowing us onto Camp Pendleton because it was quite a treat!

I think I was in about 6th place coming into T2. I wanted to give myself a few miles to just relax and work into a pace but right off the bike my legs were feeling good and despite the deep sand we had to run through I still ran just a little over 7 minutes for the first mile. And then the 2nd. And then the 3rd. And then there were a few miles in the 6:50 range. And I thought "hooray - I've cured my 70.3 running problems!" :) But of course thinking that at mile 5 is a little premature when there are still 8 miles to go.

I won't say I completely fell apart but things did start to go a little south on the 2nd loop (the run is a 2 loop course) when all of a sudden I started running 8 minute pace instead of 7 minute pace. Oooops! :) I would like to blame that stupid sand (that you run through a total of 4 times for ~1 mile total) but really I think I just ran out of gas. I was having flashbacks to Steelhead last year where I cracked miserably and dropped out and was just determined not to let it happen again. It wasn't pretty but I did only run 1 mile over 8 minutes and managed the last 2 miles in the 7:45-7:50 range. Really picking it up - I know! I was definitely in damage control at that point but hung on okay.

And when I finished I was so happy. :)

I wasn't sure of my place. I had passed several women in my AG on the run but had also been passed by Charisa (who ran so, so, so well and just looked amazingly strong as she powered by me) and by at least one other women. In the end I was 6th.

I have to admit - at first when I found out I was 6th in my AG I thought "Grrrr...6th place? That's not very good." But after further inspection I realized I was actually the 9th overall amateur female which just sounds soooo much better than 6th in my AG. That 30-34 AG is rough business! These women don't mess around! And what the heck because the top 5 got awards and I wanted a little plaque too! But oh well, as coach told me, it will just make me more determined and help me rise to higher level of competition. Which is a good thing. :)

In summary, a so-so swim, a good bike (slower than ever before but also wayyyy tougher course than ever before), a good first half of the run and so-so last half of the run. :) BUT - overall I am happy. My goals were to break 5 hours (which I barely did with a 4:58:30) on this tough course AND to qualify for Clearwater which I did! I had to wait for a roll down slot but I got it and was very happy! I also wanted to make sure (for the first time!) that I REALLY did stick to my nutrition plan which amazingly I did. Taking it a little easier on the bike made that possible and I took in every calorie and oz of fluid that I had planned to. That's definitely a first for me!

So I did accomplish both of my goals but of course I'm greedy and wanted more. I wanted to swim faster and run (much) faster and place higher and... but that's how I always feel! There is always something I can do to improve or want to work on and that's what keeps me coming back for more. Like I said though, overall I was happy, especially for the first race of the season; for the first time swimming in open water in a while; and for riding well on a tough bike course when I really only rode outside 3-4 times in training for the race. AND - the best part about it is, I have 2 more chances this year to get this distance right! Steelhead and Clearwater and that is very exciting!

So there you have it - my race in a nutshell!

As for the rest of our time here - it's been AWESOME! I have so enjoyed getting to spend time with Jen and Chad and so many other wonderful people, some of whom I have met and some of whom I knew through blogs only! This sport is so awesome and amazing and I LOVE the people that do it. :) And we've gone to Noodles (twice!)! And we went to the zoo today! And we saw the seals at La Jolla! And we've certainly enjoyed the amazing San Diego sun and warm weather. O and I will definitely be sad to get on the plane tomorrow evening.

Some pictures from the weekend:

Marit was nice enough to have us over for dinner and it was awesome! Thanks so much Marit!

Chad and I with our Clearwater papers. We both got roll down slots!

Apparently in San Diego you have to wear sunscreen or something? :) When I woke up this morning I was definitely sore from the race but I think the sunburn hurt most of all!

O and I went to the San Diego zoo today because we love animals! O asked me my favorite animal and I said either the flamingos (I mean how cool is it that they stand on just one leg?!) or the...

giraffes! They are just sooooo tall! And today there were baby giraffes!

At the zoo O and I took the bus tour and also rode on the skyfari (the little cable car thing that goes OVER the zoo from one side to the other) to minimize walking. And it wasn't just because I was sore. O is hurting too! Read his blog for stories of his Spectathlete Performance of the Year yesterday. I think he ran harder than me AND - he also went down...HARD. :)

After the zoo we picked up Jen and Chad at the airport (who were having some serious flight problems) and went in search of the seals (which we kept calling sea lions) in La Jolla. It was quite an experience! We drove up the coast (which is beautiful) and finally broke down and called Marit (again!) to ask where to find these elusive seals! She pointed us in the right direction and finally - victory! La Jolla is amazing! And the seals are so funny! There was a momma seal that didn't seem to happy with our picture taking and hissed. Do seals really hiss? Regardless, we finished the night off with a beautiful sunset.

And now I have to pack my bike up. That just doesn't seem right. :)

Many, many thanks for all the good luck wishes and congratulations too! You guys are the best! This has been such a great trip - great way to kick the season off with a tough, hard fought race - and meeting and getting to see so many wonderful friends, new and old. I LOVE THIS SPORT! I LOVE TO RACE! Let's do it again real soon okay? :)

Posted by beth at 12:52 AM | Comments (23)

April 2, 2009

Seriously?

YEAH! I'm in California and it's awesome and we saw the ocean although I will say, not as warm (air temp) as I thought. Still - how cool is it to drive along the highway and see signs for Los Angeles?! Never seen that before!

The morning started off bright and early (actually, still dark) when Chad and Jen picked me up and we then proceeded to fit 3 bike boxes, 3 suitcases (okay, mine is more like another whole bike box - never have been a light packer) and 3-4 carry on size bags PLUS 3 humans in their Xterra. It was interesting. Sort of like a clown car. But luckily we didn't hit much traffic and only my right leg went numb, not both. ;)

Flight was smooth, albeit long. But it actually went fast because instead of traveling alone I got to sit with Chad and Jen and we chatted pretty much the whole way. O is coming out later tonight!

We landed on time (about 6 hours later!) and got our bags and everyone's suitcases and bikes arrived in one piece. Things were definitely going well.

And then - get this - TIME FOR NOODLES! Even though it was only 2 pm California time we were all ready to EAT because we had been cooped up in a plane for 6 hours and our stomachs were telling us it was dinner time back in PA. And luckily Chad has a Blackberry thingy that tells him everything and within minutes he had located the nearest Noodles and Co and we were on our way!

First of course, the car rental pickup which was a little harrowing but I did finally get the right car and all my luggage in it and was off to meet Jen and Chad at Noodles. LIFE IS GOOD.

Had no trouble finding Noodles. I was so hungry. I ate Noodles. I was in heaven. We then walked to Jamba Juice across the way and I got a smoothie. I was in heaven again. I wondered if life could get any better.

Next up - packet pick up. We found that too with no problems (actually, I should say Chad did and I just followed along). We walked through the expo, checked things out and then headed over to get our chips/number/etc... when I make a pit stop at the port o johns.

And then it happened.

That thing we always think "hahahaha...what if _______ happened when you were in the port o john?!?!"

Yep, my cell phone, which was in the pocket of my jeans, fell into Never-Never Land.

I was in disbelief. Like really - did my cell phone just fall into the crapper?! OH YES IT DID!

Crap.

Literally.

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Luckily I was still with Chad and Jen or I might have cried. I came out and told them what had just happened. The look on Chad's face was priceless.

We actually did try to determine if we could get it out. And then we came to our senses. Really - even if it did work when we retrieved it, would I seriously ever use it again?

To which I answered a BIG FAT NOOOOOOO WAY!!

And then Chad tried to call it and we couldn't even hear it ringing which pretty much made the decision final.

Time for an iPhone. :)

I called O and left a message (who was having trouble of his own - the plane in Pittsburgh hit a bird, left 90 minutes late and he BARELY made his connecting flight) and told him what happened that said that I was really sorry but, really, it was true. And you know the first thing he said to me when I talked to him next (again, on Chad's phone)?

"You know, there are easier ways to get an iPhone." :)

Yes, I've been begging for an iPhone for a long time, but I swear, I didn't pull the phone in the crapper stint on purpose. :)

And so it goes. What can you do? :) After a while we laughed and laughed hard. I mean seriously - WHO DROPS THEIR PHONE IN THE TOILET?! Who I ask - WHO?! :) Apparently me. :)

So now I'm back in the hotel, getting organized and relaxing and waiting to pick O up from the airport. I'm going to put my bike together next. And probably laugh a little bit more about today's events. When the going gets tough on the run on Saturday I now have something a little extra to smile about - passing the very port o john were my cell phone met it's final match... :)

Huge thanks to Jen and Chad for putting up with all my antics today. Don't know what I would have done without you!

And now it's time to race! I've been so excited for this race for so long but now it's real - we are here! Time to race! Really, who could ask for anything more?

Posted by beth at 10:00 PM | Comments (18)

April 1, 2009

To San Diego We Go!

Well it wouldn't be triathlon season and my first race of the year if I didn't write at least one blog entry complaining about packing! Yeah - time to complain again! It's just been far too long... :)

Of course I had grand plans (as usual) to get all my work, all my training and ALL my packing done before O got home today from track practice. At this point in time though (as usual), this looks to be an unlikely scenario. I will have all my work done. And all my training done (still gotta go to the pool though) and at least half of the laundry. But packing? Hmm...that always seems to get put off until around 9 pm the night before an early flight at which point I have a minor meltdown.

Speaking of meltdowns, I had a minor uniform meltdown on Monday. I suddenly got VERY worried about what I was going to race in - was it going to be too cold, too hot, too wet, too dry? I am mostly concerned about the cold water (that everyone talks about so much) and being cold on the bike. But then I relaxed and reminded myself - it is what it is. Will I be cold on the swim? I'm sure. But I've swam in cold water before. At ITU AG Worlds in Germany in 2007 the water was in the high 50s/low 60s (about the same as Oceanside) and I was freezing. But I survived and actually had quite a good race. And the on the bike? I think I'll wear arm warmers but nothing else extra. I ride in 35-45 degree weather all the time at home with nothing extra on my feet (besides socks). And I'm sure it will be at least in the 40s by the time we start riding on Saturday. And then I also remind myself that THIS IS A RACE! And all the little piddily things I worry about before the race don't even enter my mind during the race because, well, I'm focused on RACING, not on whether my feet are cold!

Yeah race!

Anyway, back to the packing. By the end of last year I had it down. I knew where everything went in my suitcase and I could pack my bike in it's case in record time. But now I'm back to being slow and forgetting what I even bring, let alone where it goes in the bag. Oh, and I totally forget again how my pedals come off my bike. One of the many mysteries in this world to me are bike pedals. I used to ride Speedplays and they were easy to manage but my Look Keos are much more difficult. I think. Better wait for O for that one...

I'm leaving tomorrow bright and early! And I can't wait. I have many goals for this race but tops on the list is just to allow myself to get back into that racing mode. Remember what it's like! And to enjoy every step of the way. Oceanside here we come!

(now will someone please pack for me?)

(please?)

PS Good luck to everyone racing this weekend as I know this is a big opening weekend for many! Smile big and enjoy!

Posted by beth at 1:50 PM | Comments (9)