On the run again

I took a month off from training.  A month.  I didn't do anything.  Like my sister and I like to say, I sat AROUND the house.  Like I sat my fat butt down and it spread all around the house.

Actually, I jacked up my knee sometime between mile 5 of the run and 2 days after the race. That's when it started hurting, 2 days after the race (WTH is that?).  I tried to run a little bit on my vacation, but it started to hurt again, so I used that as an excuse to sit AROUND the house, for a month.

I went to the doctor the day after I got back to Minneapolis.  I started PT a week or so ago because despite the fact that I have been running my tail off for the last 6 months, I'm not really strong enough to run.  So I've been doing squats and sit ups and other embarrassing butt and hip and thigh exercises.  And I got new shoes.  That seems to help.  

So, I'm running again.  3 miles on 3 days last week.  I signed up for the PF Chang's Arizona Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon in Phoenix in January with TNT because who doesn't want to get out of Minneapolis in January? So we'll see if I can really run 13.1 miles.  

Yes, we'll see.  

More Race Pics

waiting in line for my start, I just spotted my boys!

pre-race high five with the boys

all smiles before the swim

27 minutes on the swim!!

coming into the finish on the bike

this is the end of lap #1 over the bridge, I'm still smiling

at the finish, I'm about to die, but I finished!

My inspiration!

Yay!  Some post race refreshments!!

Race Day!

I made it!! I finished!! I finished the race!!  It wasn't pretty the last mile or so, but I pulled through and made it.  

The day started early, 4am to be exact.  Kevin dropped me at the race site, we checked in, got marked, and set up our transition.  We had to wait 3 hours for the start of the race and I think I peed about 6 times during that time.  I'm not sure if it was nerves or hydration or what.  

My wave took off at 8am and I rocked the swim.  My goal was to come in under 30 minutes and as I ran up the beach I glanced at my watch, 27 minutes!!  I didn't go out too hard on the bike, but I still finished right around 1 hour 30 minutes, which was my goal.  I felt great going into the run through the first lap but I hit the wall around mile 4.  I tried to eat but started feeling nauseous.  I was in one of the last olympic waves so by this time the course was nearly deserted.  A few friends from TNT that were in my wave passed me about this time and tried to drag me along to the finish, but neither my body or my mind was having it.  I knew the run would be hard, but this was miserable.  I walked a little and then tried to rally. I thought about my niece Lindsay going through chemo, I thought about my aunt who had passed just one week ago. But I felt so bad, nothing seemed to help.

Then I thought about the fact that I was the top fund raiser on my team.  My friends and family and neighbors paid $5000 to finish this race, so I then I decided I should give it all I had left.  I started running again but didn't look up, I just tried to put one foot in front of the other.  I knew if I could make it to the north side of the lake the finish would be right around the bend. It came up a lot sooner than I thought it would and my family and my coach were there waiting.  My coach was even more excited than me that I was actually finishing and Avery ran along the sidelines with me until I crossed the finish line.  The boys came running over after I got done and Avery said to me, "Mommy, you were running so fast, I couldn't even keep up with you!"  That totally made my day!  Later in the car he said, "Mommy, I am so glad you finished, I mean I am so glad you winned your race today!!"  If that's the way he saw the race go down, then it was totally worth it!

I finished the race in 3 hours 31 minutes.  My goal was to come in at 3:30.  I had to stop and pee after the bike, so Kevin says its make.

We were so happy to have Kevin's parents in town for the race.  They had a great day and were super impressed that our team raised over $250,000 for LLS.  I was super impressed by all the awesome pictures that Papa Tom took, some of them a little too good (because fat girls don't look that good in tight triathlon suits).

I've always said that I only wanted to finish the race.  6 months ago I couldn't run a mile straight on the treadmill, so I have definitely come a long way.  I'm already making plans for next year, but for now I'm taking the next few weeks off.  

Tomorrow!!

Well, tomorrow is the big day!! I went to the pick up my race packet over lunch. I just have one thing to say, those people are buff!! The guy behind me in line was talking about how he finished the race in 2:04 last year and he ran a 5:48 minute mile. I'm hoping to get in under 3 hours 30 minutes, just to put it all in perspective. So, if you want to get a glimpse of the beautiful people tomorrow, come by the race coures anytime between 7am and noon. Make sure you cheer for anyone in purple and green.

http://www.ltftriathlon.com/spectators/index.php?strWebAction=spectators_map

I haven't posted in a while. The last couple weeks have been tough. The workouts have been long and I have been desparately trying to balance my time between work and work outs and spending time with the kids. Then to top things off my Aunt Augie past away last Friday. I flew back to Pennsylvania to attend her funeral this week. My family told me not to come, but I would not have missed it. She was 80 years old, but it is still incredibly sad to say good bye to someone who has been a part of your life for as long as you can remember.

I took my running shoes and went for a run at my parents house one day. I had been having trouble running in the heat the last few weeks, but even in the heat of the day I was able to finish 3 miles with little effort. Throughout my run I couldn't help but notice how incredibly beautiful Pennsylvania is in the summer time. The sky is bluer than blue and the trees and mountains are greener than green and the air is so fresh and clean. I'm so grateful for the time and the space to run and swim and bike. Besides the physical benefits the exercise provides, it gives me quiet time to be with my thoughts, to process my emotions, or maybe even sometimes not even think at all. I don't think I have had that since my boys were born. It has truly been a blessing.

Wish me luck tomorrow and please come by the race course if you are in Minneapolis and you have time. Again, thank you all so much for supporting me in this event and for your support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!!

The X-Factor

I haven't posted anything in a while.  Training over the last month has been really hard.  I had been feeling a little deflated and I thought it would be best to take a break from the blog and not spread any negative energy.

I signed up for the Olympic distance race (1 mile swim, 25 mile bike, 6.2 mile run), incase I forgot to post that earlier.  I'm still totally freaked out by the workout schedule that the coaches put out every week.  Despite the fact that I have been training for the last 6 months, I still have doubts that I can actually run 6 or 7 or 8 miles, even though I have done it a zillion times.  The physical training is nothing compared to trying to win the mental game.  

So I am all in for the team trainings from now until the race.  I just need it.  I need the support of my teammates and I need to know I am keeping up.  Last weekend we did a "mock tri."  A mini race, just with our team, to start getting us used to putting all three sports together.  I never swam with the team this year.  I guess I figured after 12 years of competitive swimming, it was the last thing I needed to work on.  And when workouts had to slip, I always cut out the swim, because swimming is my fall back.  So nobody knows that I can swim.  They only know that I can't run, well, I can, but I am really slow.  So when it came time for the mock tri, I crushed the swim, open water and all.  I think I was the third person out of about 100 people on the team to come out of the water.  I surprised just about everyone, including myself.  It was an awesome feeling and just the boost of confidence that I needed.  

I've never wanted to do anything more than to finish this race.  But after month and months of training its demoralizing to always come in second or third to last on a long bike ride or a long run.  Despite the fact that my bike is a 9 year old "Schwin Super Sport" or the fact that some of these people run marathons.  I always want to do better.  But finishing that swim as fast as I did more than level set me for the rest of the race.  I was able to hold off most of my teammates over the course of the bike ride and despite my super slow running pace, finished right behind them at the end of the race.  

So it felt really really good.  I had to run by myself and that sucked, but I did it.  More than a sprint distance, not quite Olympic distance.  I did it, and felt good and had a little bit more to give at the end.  So, I think I will be ready.  A few more brutal trainings before the race next month, but I think I'll be ready.

A better day

The follow up mammogram went fine today. I'm all clear for another 5 years or so. I have 2 dear friends, Erin and Meg, who lost their moms to breast cancer. Both of them sponsored me for my TNT event. I'll admit that I have been terrified the last 4 days, and the appointment this morning both uncomfortable and frightening. But what I have been through this week can't even come close to what their mothers and their families went through battling breast cancer. So tonight I dedicated my workout to Erin and Meg and I hope I have the chance to sponsor them in the Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk this summer.

I was rushed to do my workout tonight. Kevin was still out of town and I was trying to squeeze in a 2 hour brick in on my way home from work only to get a call from the nanny asking for new diapers. I was so rushed. I got in 18 miles and on my way back to the car I forgot to clip out of my pedals and wrecked my bike. It was the exact same accident as last year when I broke my arm. This time I did not put my arm out. So I now have a mean case of road rash on my thigh, but I did not break my arm! Thank God for the extra cushion on my fat ass. I put in a great 3 mile run later in the evening after Kevin got back from the airport. It felt really good.

My most exciting news of the day, I made my fund raising goal, $5000!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has supported me in this endeavor!! Special thanks to my husband Kevin, Aunt Ann and Papa Tom who helped me in with fundraising to help me me this goal. I promised myself if I could get to $5,000 I would go after a half marathon later this year. I'm all in now!! Once I get past this tri, its running, running, running from here on out.

Wet Suit

This Wednesday we are starting open water swimming. I haven't been to a team swim all season, so I think its about time. Its still pretty chilly here so my TNT friends recommended getting a wet suit. What's another $200 spent on a piece of sporting equipment that I will use maybe 4 times this year in the name of raising money for cancer research? Its all good.

Kevin is traveling this week, all week and weekend, and my nanny is on vacation (Its a double curse). Its been great having two little rug rats up in my business all week. Well, I needed to buy a wetsuit this week, so naturally I took my little kids to go get a wet suit. What a great idea, NOT!

I don't even know where to start with this story, but I am sure the other customers and associates at Gear West in Long Lake got a kick out of the three of us stuffed in a tiny dressing room while I tried to stuff my fat ass into a skin tight we suit. My God, those things are hard to put on. Its like 5,000 times worse than putting on a pair of panty hose (which I do not wear anymore). I swear I actually had to tuck by buttocks into that thing. And wet suits are HOT, VERY HOT! I guess that is the point, but I think I got a harder workout trying to get into that thing than I did during my swim earlier that day. And all the while the boys are goofing off in the dressing room, spitting at the mirror, singing loud obnoxious songs, trying to open the door while I am half naked with the we suit tangled around my ankles as I am trying to pull it off.

I just bought the damn thing. I have no idea what is going to happen on Wednesday night when I have to try to put it on in front of the whole team. I actually thought about putting it on before driving to the lake, but not only is that totally ridiculous, its entirely too hot. If I can get it on I should be nice and toasty in the water.

We'll see....