Frayed Laces

Are you a freak?

2012-01-28T13:15:00.000-10:00

Every so often, when I run the trails, I like to think back to my first introduction to trail running.

Many years ago, I was fresh out of college and living a very unhealthy lifestyle. Like an extra cheese pizza, bottle of wine, and half a pack of smokes a night unhealthy lifestyle. One weekend, to help assuage the guilt from my lifestyle, I decided to drag my then-boyfriend out for a hike. I'm sure it was only a few miles, but we were huffing and puffing and pretty convinced we would die.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, this trail runner came blazing past us, dancing across the rocks. Before we could react, he just as quickly disappeared into the woods below.

"Whoa," muttered my boyfriend.

"What a freak!" I exclaimed, "why would anyone want to RUN on this?"

Every time I go running on the trails in my backyard, I have at least one of these similar reactions from hikers. It makes me smile. Who knows? Maybe one day--one day--they will be in my shoes.

Here's to all you freaks out there.

To Coach or not to Coach?

2012-01-20T07:31:00.000-10:00

As mentioned in my previous post, several people have recently asked me to coach them/offer training plans. The reason why I (at least for now) am not going to go down the coaching route is A) I'm not certified, B) Half the time I have no idea what I'm talking about, and C) I know how needy I am as an athlete and can't handle a dozen other needy athletes in my life as I'm stressing about preparing for my dissertation and defense (and admit it, when it comes to training and the athlete/coach relationship, we're ALL needy).

But...I've decided to make one exception: my roommate. Yesterday, while out for a walk, she mentioned to me she was considering doing an upcoming 6 mile race but had no idea how to train for it. As expected, I sprung into action. First up: a 6 mile walk together. Then we rendez-vous'd in the park for some push ups, wheelbarrows, lunges, and step-ups. By the end of it, Tara was getting a little too overexcited with this whole fitness thing:

"Ooh look a basketball court! We should play basketball!"
"Tara, we don't know how to play basketball"
"Sure we do! We can play pig!"
"I think it's called horse."
"Oh."

The Ultimate Training Plan

2012-01-18T09:35:00.000-10:00

Over the past few weeks I've gotten several requests for coaching and training plans. Well folks, you're in luck. I've decided to share with you my secret for the Ultimate Training Plan.

The Frayed Laces Training Plan for Any Endurance Event

9% Physical
91% Mental

Good Luck.

Parasailing: an unexpected fear

2012-01-17T13:46:00.001-10:00

Hi guys, remember me?

Yeah...I know it's been awhile. But I have a good excuse. Really, I do.

I blame it all on MamaFL.

Less than 24 hours after I got back from Europe I met up with her for a week of fun. It was her first time in Hawaii since I moved here, so I wanted to show her Hawaii's finest. We went hiking, snorkeling, whale watching, shave ice eating, Pearl Harboring, sunsetting, and giggling all around the island. But perhaps one of our most memorable experiences was the parasailing. Aka: realizing I have a fear of heights.

Lucky for you a photographer was there to capture it all! Hopefully these will bring some laughter to your day.

Before our lift-off: so calm and relaxed

Haha: Mama's scared!

Holy hell: I'm scared! (Click to enlarge: Can you guess what word Mama's saying?)

And the terror continues as we go up...

Up...

Up...

And away...

I was happy when they finally brought us down for a dip

And turned into a five year old after our first dip

Needless to say, I was very happy to get back on the boat. Don't get me wrong; I loved the experience with MamaFL, but I think it's going to be awhile (and several drinks) before I get the courage to do this again. Let's just hope they don't introduce this as the fourth sport of Ironman.

Frayed Laces in Paris

2012-01-06T13:09:00.000-10:00

Well folks, I'm officially back in the states...but not home yet. As I write this I'm sitting in the Seattle airport. My day so far has consisted of an hour long train ride, a 2 hour flight from Copenhagen to Paris, an hour and a half layover, a ten hour flight to Seattle, and now a 5 hour layover followed by a 6 hour flight. Repeat after me: "I love to travel. I love to travel. I love to travel."

Truthfully, I do like to travel, but until they invent teleportation the act of flying will always irritate me (as it does every other person on the planet). Yes, a 5 hour layover blows, but it gives me some time to catch up on some things before the chaos of my return begins. MamaFL is visiting me as soon as I return, so I get to extend my vacation one more week while I show Mama my favorite parts of Oahu.

I promised you I'd share some highlights from my Paris trip. It was everything I expected and more. I saw the normal tourist things but also got to spend time exploring small neighborhoods. Seeing Paris by foot was definitely the way to go. I walked so much and used that as an excuse to eat as much bread and brie as my heart desired (and yes, I did gain weight during my month in Paris. I predict about 10 pounds. It's going to suck losing it, but I know it will come off quickly. It always does). But enough about my Eurochub...on to the pics and video!

Notre Dame with the bells chiming at night

The sparkling Eiffel tower

Made this for MamaFL but realized it's the only shot of me with the Eiffel Tower

The Arc de Triomphe

Me outside the Louvre

Picture of people acting stupid for their own photos

Notre Dame (I went to Mass there on New Years!)

Do you see the Mona Lisa?

She's sprinting for the finish!

The Louvre was my far the most part. I saw every last inch of the Louvre. Granted, I had to move quickly through the exhibits, but I wanted to be able to see everything. The Louvre was great because everyone else was moving quickly as well and I didn't feel the sense of pretentiousness that you feel at other museums. (Despite getting an A in "Learning to See" in college, an introductory art course, I am not an art expert at all. I prefer to breeze through museums. I hate it when you go to museums where the patrons spew crap about the artist's chartreuse movement or pretend like their the world's expert on the artist. I feel judged by those patrons as I quickly pass through the exhibits. I feel like they're saying "pah. Look at that silly girl. She only spent 10 seconds in front of this painting. She obviously cannot appreciate the fine talent of this piece of art or she would analyze it for 15 minutes like we do.") Bottom line: You feel normal quickly moving through the Louvre.

But the best part of my day was my lunch with fellow twitter pal Caspar! He treated me to an AMAZING lunch at a nearby cafe--complete with Champagne, Scallops, and Cafe Gourmand. I felt so oh-la-la as we sat there outside the Louvre, sipping champagne and Perrier, and discussing training, working, and family life. He is an incredible man and we talked about the challenge of balancing family life, work life, and training. He is unbelievably devoted to his family and is someone all Dads should aspire to be like! Caspar, it was a pleasure getting to know you!

And with that, dear friends, it's time to say au revoir! I am happy to (almost) be home and am looking forward to my own bed, clean clothes, and my normal routine. If you're wondering about my training schedule, I haven't worked one out yet with the coach. My guess is I'll start training in February for my first 70.3 the first week of June. The next few weeks will be chaotic as I work on manuscripts from my research project, and will only get more chaotic as I defend in April! But never fear, training will resume again. But I need a few weeks to get my life back in order!

Bonjour de Paris!

2012-01-01T20:36:00.000-10:00

Bonjour! No pictures here...too busy running around Paris! (Okay well not really. I've been too busy to actually run. But I've been walking so much my feet feel like they've done the HURT100 each night and my calves are one massive cramp in the morning). But I wanted to reassure you that I've still alive and haven't been captured a la the movie Taken (which all my friends and family warned me about before I left).

Paris is wonderful. I'm quickly learning the benefits of traveling by yourself. I have briskly traveled by foot across this whole city multiple times, and can decide where to go and how long to spend in each location. I quickly pass through the tourist areas and spend more time in hidden gems. Yesterday I successfully ordered my morning bread without the clerk switching to English! Major score. Highlights of my trip include going to Mass on New Years morning at Notre Dame, finding a thrift store (and cute jacket) in the Marais section, seeing the Stein exhibition at the Grand Palais, and seeing the skyline of Paris with an espresso with fellow twitter friend @CasparV. Today is my last day and I'm braving the crowds at the Louvre. I'm not really motivated to see the Mona Lisa, but am more interested in the sculptures. But I'm sure I'll pop by the Mona Lisa just to say hi.

The one thing I've noticed about Paris is that is must be the world capital for making out. There are people of all ages making out in the parks, in phone booths, on the street....there was even an 80 year old couple making out on the subway! Rock on, grandpa!

Tomorrow it's off to Copenhagen! I'll get to explore that city for two days before I head back to Hawaii on Friday. I am loving all this travel but am definitely getting weary and am ready to return home. A whole month living out of a suitcase and going from place to place is very tiresome. I don't know if it's the lack of water or lack of proper nutrition or lack of sleep (or all three), but I look five years older and generally feel like junk. It will be nice to return to my normal routine (and hopefully look my age again!).

Okay, what am I doing still writing? Off to the Louvre! Au revoir!

~Lachets Effiloches (that's Frayed Laces in French for all my English readers)

La Vie En Corse

2011-12-28T02:30:00.000-10:00

You know how your family members like to corner you with hours of vacation photos? Yeah, well....I'm totally guilty of that for the past few weeks. My apologies to those of you wanting posts about training. Let me assure you, those posts will return! But for now I'm soaking up every minute of my European Tour and want to let you all follow along for my journey.

My current stop? Corsica. Otherwise known as Corsi-ohhmyfreakinggoodnessitisgorgeoushere-ca. I'm so incredibly fortunate because I have a friend who lives here and she invited me to come spend some time with her family. And we all know you see the real side of a country when you get to spend time with residents. And, wow. What a Corsican experience I've had.

Yesterday we drove to the town of Bonifacio. When I was a child, I read this book series Dinotopia. It was a fantasy series about this town where humans and dinosaurs lived together. There was this amazing walled city that was just gorgeous. I remember having recurring dreams about that place when I was a child. Yesterday, I found the city:

Bonifacio is a walled city that was originally built in the 9th Century. Yes people, that would be the 800s. But the city has been around longer than that. Bonifacio was visited by Ulysses and it was here that he wrote the giants threw stones at him. I understand why! They wanted to keep the beauty of this place a secret! These pictures, taken with the cheapest camera I could find before I left, can't even begin to capture the beauty of this place.

After un pain de chocolat we wandered to the city to visit a family friend. He's an artist who dives up to 300ft for this amazing red coral that grows only in this region. He harvests the coral himself and then creates one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry. I have this thing with rings where I only have rings from places I've visited, and when I saw this ring I knew it would represent my European tour:

The jeweler then invited us for an aperot, which are drinks before meals. We sat at this little cafe and had a lengthy discussion about politics and life (well, they had the discussion. I listened and understood most of it but I'm still really shy about speaking French since I know it's so bad). Halfway through the aperot the second in command to the mayor came and we got to hear all the town gossip about corruption and scandal and all things fabulous. The whole time I kept thinking: this is something most tourists never get to experience.

Where we got an earful of town gossip

In the afternoon we had lunch (preceded by another aperot, bien sur!) and then headed into the mountains for more Corsican beauty. In the mountains we found shepherd villages and amazing views and fountains coming right out of the mountain with some of the best tasting water I've ever experienced.

After we got home it was time for another (surprise surprise!) aperot with some family friends at their villa. Man, I could get used to this life. We had another amazing dinner where I tried desperately to follow along to the speedy cadence of the French from the Corsicans. We had dinner with a family from the Reunion Islands and we had an amazing meal of duck followed by traditional French pastries and homemade Lychee and Orchid rum (with Lychee from their garden on Reunion and an orchid that is only grown on Reunion Island).

The next morning I went for a jog on the property and down to town. It's simply breathtaking here. The place and the people put Hawaii to shame!

Such an amazing experience here. Corsican beauty, Corsican food, Corsican life..c'est tres magnifique!

Cycling in Denmark

2011-12-19T23:16:00.000-10:00

If you've ever been to Denmark, you are well aware of the fact that these Danes cycle everywhere. It is quite possibly the world's cycling utopia. There are special bike lanes, special bike traffic lights, tire pumping stations, and (until very recently) you could leave your bike anywhere unlocked and not have to worry about theft. In some places there are more cyclists than motorists!

After watching all these bikes for the past two weeks, I was itching to go on a ride. Sunday morning I was blessed with the prettiest day since I arrived and a day off work! Bike ride, here I come! The only problem? I didn't pack cycling gear. I didn't pack a helmet, and I didn't pack my bike. So, what did I do? Running tights, jeans, and rain paints on the bottom, Brooks longsleeved shirt, Brooks quilted vest, my $12 thrift store winter parka score, a scarf, a hat, and my Brooks gloves on top (it was cold, yo!) My ride? Well, I had to borrow one of the lab's bikes:

I put the hand pump in the back (yes, I was a wee bit nervous about doing a long ride with no spare tube or cell phone), an orange, an energy bar, some water, and my trusty map in the front:

And with that, I was off on my adventure! It was amazing. The sights and sounds. I felt like I was in a movie. Every minute I kept saying "you've got to be kidding me! Can it get any more perfect?" I had no idea where I was but was completely fine with it. Things just kept getting cuter and cuter.

In one small village, I came upon a stand of apples from the family tree. I just had to stop and buy some.

(After this picture was taken a litter of kittens came out and rubbed against my legs. I wasn't kidding when I said things kept getting cuter and cuter).

After I bought the apples, I had about 15 pounds of applies split between my front and back basket. I must have looked pretty ridiculous cruising down the road loaded with apples and pedaling furiously (at least for a cruiser bike) at 80 rpm. I got some strange looks from cyclists on real road bikes, but I didn't care. I was having my Danish adventure!

In the end I rode about 40 miles, and I was exhausted! Carrying all that weight was more taxing than I thought, and it made me really miss my tri bike. But I was in much need of a good workout, because just a few days earlier we had this for a party of 6 people:

(The sad face of a Frayed Laces who ate too much)

If you ever decide to visit Denmark and do some cycling, make sure you know the rules or you could get a $100 fine!

Will the pickled herring keep me warm?

2011-12-10T08:16:00.000-10:00

Man I'm a sissy in the cold.

Honestly, I don't know how you mainlanders do it. I mean, I lived in Boston for 5 years, but that was before I was a runner. I give all of you mad props for keeping up your running in the winter. For example, my first morning here I bounded outside to run and promptly stopped. It took every ounce of my being to not turn right back around and crawl into bed. The next morning, I woke up, put on my running clothes, and then sat on the edge of my bed. I then proceeded to have this conversation with myself: "I don't wanna run." "Go run." "But it's cold outside and I'm not used to this!" "Go run." "But I'm not training! What's the point?" "You've used that excuse for the past month. And now you're getting chubby. Go run." "But I need my fat for insulation!" "At the rate you're going to the bakery, you're going to need to buy new pants. And think of how much it's going to suck taking all these pounds off when you return to the states. Go run, fatty." "Fine. But I'm gonna complain to you the whole time." "Whatever, as long as you get the miles in. Now hurry up."

Part of my complaining also lies with the daylight. I go to work in the dark and come home in the dark. This is the view from my office...at 9 in the morning (this is so, so wrong)

But I try to remain upbeat about things, especially since I was the one who made the decision to come here in the winter!

Yesterday, due to a storm that created tidal chaos, I couldn't collect data. Instead I took the opportunity to run in the daylight. Yes, the wind was blowing like mad crazy (who doesn't love running at a 30 degree angle into the wind?) but it was so nice to be able to see the sights of the surrounding area. Here is the video I took at the start of my run:

Eventually I got out of the wind and managed to get some nice sightseeing in! Here are some highlights from the run:

And the best part about running? Getting to eat more! Like this mussel feast we had a few nights ago when the mussel researchers shared their bounty:

Or the pickled herring at the Julefrokost (Christmas lunch, which is actually a misnomer since it started at 2 and ended at midnight!) yesterday. I am so in love with Danish food.

The Danes do it differently

2011-12-06T07:34:00.000-10:00

Well folks, I made it to Denmark. It only took 40 hours travel, 100 pounds of luggage, and nearly 10,000 miles to do so. That's the price I pay for living in Hawaii.

Before I continue, let me promise that I will never, ever again complain about the price of food in Hawaii. Groceries here in Denmark are astronomical. 6 bucks for the smallest jar of peanut butter. 3 dollars for the cheapest liter of soymilk. 10 bucks for a block of cheese. 5 bucks for a loaf of bread. (But the cheese and bread are so worth it. I've basically been living off of delicious rye bread, flavorful Danish cheese, and baked liver paste, which sounds nasty but it quite possibly the tastiest thing I've ever experienced).

So far I've learned that the Danish oatmeal is quite possibly the best oatmeal on the planet, that heated bathroom floors are awesome, that the shiny thing on the street is not a puddle but black ice, that I have exactly 45 minutes of exposure time before I lose all functionality in my fingers, and that only having the sun between 8:30am and 3:30pm does suck as much as it sounds. My first morning I went for a 4 mile run. It was brutal. There was snot, there were tears, there were awful sounds emanating from my lungs. I'm pretty sure I was running by the beach but since it was 4:30am I could barely see beyond the beam of my flashlight. I got home and wanted to spoon the heated bathroom floor. Yesterday I opted to do my paper plate workout in my room instead of a 4:30am run. This means tomorrow I *should* run. Shall we place bets on whether it actually happens?

Seeing as how it's 6:30pm and I'm still awake and somewhat coherent, I think I'm getting over jetlag. The past two nights I actually skipped dinner due to exhaustion. I'm tired tonight, but want to rally to stay up till 8. I'm calling it the war on jetlag.

Aside from my complaining about the temperature and the cost of food, I'm loving my experience so far. The Danes are amazingly friendly and have such a beautiful country. I'm here for a research project which means I'm planning to work 7 days a week, but I'm hoping for one day off so I can get a run in during the daylight and have a change to go explore the world's largest Ikea.

I am not a Billy Goat

2011-12-02T12:02:00.000-10:00

This week my roommate has a friend visiting us from the mainland (his nickname is Billy Goat, which will all make sense later). He came last year, but I was too busy training for the HURT100 to spend any time with him. When he headed out for a trail run and came home 6 hours later talking about the trail he conquered, I felt like I missed out. When I heard he was coming again this year, I made sure I found some time to explore with a fellow adventurer. And explore, we did. I'm leaving tonight for my month-long trip to Europe, but definitely made the most of my last few days here in Hawaii.

Sunday we went to the beach to take advantage of some good waves. I haven't been body boarding since I was probably 12, and wasn't sure if I would enjoy it. After my first wave, I turned into a kid all over again. Wave after wave after wave. It was awesome.

Charging back in

The glee of catching a wave all the way to shore

My roommate (right) and Billy Goat riding one in

The next day we decided to hike Olomana. Olomana is a series of three peaks, and most people usually stop at the first. Going into the hike I didn't know anything about it since I was too busy to do background reading on it. Stupid mistake #1. Stupid mistake #2,3,4..? Letting Billy Goat convince me to push through the hike. The first half of the climb up to the first peak was really easy. Nice, forested area. But soon we entered the rock-climbing part. I am not a rock climber. I fear sharp drop offs. But not wanting to seem like a sissy, I kept on pushing. Higher and higher. But the view at the top of the first peak was amazing.

At the top of the first peak

Looking on towards the third peak

At the top of the first peak, I tried to put my foot down. "No farther!" I pleaded. Billy Goat prodded "c'mon....it's just a little bit further..." So I gave in. When I saw the ropes and the sheer drop off I tried again. "Oh heeeeeeeeeeeellllllll no. No way am I doing that. I'm not ready to die. I still have a lot more living to do." Billy Goat just started the descent and the whole way down kept telling me how safe it was. Safe, my ass.

Nice protected trail, huh?

On the way up to the third peak I finally gave in. We got to this section where it was nothing but rock and sheer, sheer drop offs on either side. My "oh hell no" turned into a true panic. My legs started shaking and I got nauseous. I knew there was no way I could safely get up to the top. So I held onto the rocks for dear life as Billy Goat made his way to the top. On our way down from the third peak some fellow hikers snapped this shot. I'm not kidding when I say this was the safest part of this peak:

As hard as the Olomana hike was, we knew it was just a warmup for the hike to Ka'ala. Yesterday we hiked from Waianae to Waialua via Ka'ala. All together (walking from Waianae, getting lost on the trail and backtracking halfway down the ridge, the hike, talking story with the military at the top, walking to find the bus in Waialua) it took us 9 hours. Not a bad day in the office!

On the way up we were stoked to find strawberry guavas. We filled our bellies with these before the main ascent.

Speaking of the main ascent...it was very wet. And slippery. And steep. We definitely picked the wrong day to hike. Billy Goat thought it was funny to videotape me on the worst parts. Here's one of the videos (my voice gets high pitched when stressed, which I clearly am):

Transcript: "So, how's the footing now?" "Well, when we looked this up online it was sunny and really pretty, but it's been raining pretty much the whole time so it's uh, a little bit slippery."

The top of the mountain is behind me

The top of Mt. Kaala! Highest point on Oahu (over 4000 ft)

At the top is the Ka'ala nature reserve. It's a big bog containing amazing plants:

The blue is invasive moss that the Conservationists cover with an herbicide (hence the blue color)

Unidentified Military Objects

Stopping to tie my shoe among the moss: right then was when I noticed an endangered Hawaiian snail on my glove!

The descent was where all the fun happened. The first part was really, really muddy. We were still in the clouds and slid our whole way down the mountain. The ropes helped, but did little to avoid the slipping:

Transcript: "Laura on descent. She's complaining about the length between knots" "Look! My arms don't even reach that far. That's way to long to go without knot support." "A little tricky maneuver...whoa boy!" "Help! Stop recording!"

One of the smaller peaks on the descent

More rock climbing, which I loathe.

This candid shot captures my hatred of rock climbing

And this video captures my hatred even more (I honestly didn't know he was filming)

Transcript: "Oh, great. What do you want me to do, climb that like a Billy Goat?" "No, you, uh, take a step down." "For freak's sake. Who's brilliant idea was this? Not mine." "That is...true." "I don't have legs that long!"

See me?

Honey, I shrunk the kids! Grass above our heads!

On the very last part of the hike we encountered a wild boar, two horses, three peacocks, and a mongoose. All in all a pretty exciting day!

And the best part: hitching a ride back to town in a pickup.

But alas, my Hawaii fun is over and tonight I head to Denmark for a whole month! I'll do my best to blog, although there probably won't be a lot to blog about. I've packed my running shoes and some warm running clothes and a light (dark from 3:30pm to 8:30am!). Hopefully I'll get out for some fun runs!

Triathlon is me

2011-11-24T10:56:00.000-10:00

It's that time of year when everyone starts getting sentimental...

This morning I went for my first run since IMFL. I laced up my Brooks Pure Connect and left the Garmin at home. As I was enjoying some quiet pre-dawn time I began to think about all the things I have to be thankful for in life. My life certainly didn't follow the "traditional" path. If you ask my family, they have no idea how I turned out to be a triathlete. According to them I was active, but not athletic as a kid. But if you start digging through the family album, you find evidence that my love of the swim bike run was established at a very young age:

Regardless of whether I was a born a triathlete or just became one, I am so thankful that I am one. It's amazing what you learn about yourself in this sport. You learn how to push yourself beyond all your limitations. You learn how to not only deal with pain but to embrace it. You learn your true nature when you're broken down by mental, emotional and physical exhaustion. Triathlon energizes me. Triathlon calms me. Triathlon makes me laugh, cry, and sing. Because whether I like it or not, triathlon is me.

I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving and take a few moments to reflect on all your blessings in life!

How paper plates kicked my ass

2011-11-20T21:54:00.000-10:00

As you can tell, my posts have been a bit lacking lately. Why? Well first of all I have done zero training--ZERO--since Ironman Florida. And I've been loving every minute of it. Every other day I think "hmm, maybe I should run today..." but that thought is quickly extinguished as I think about the promise I made to myself: after Ironman Florida, until the start of the New Year, I will only work out if I WANT to. Never because I feel like I HAVE to. It's been a long, long time since I had a real break. Last year (2010) I started training in January, trained straight till IMFL in November, then jumped right into HURT 100 training. After only two weeks "off" (and really, after running 100 miles it took 2 weeks for my body to de-swell) I jumped right back into my 20 hour a week triathlon training. So "offseason"? Hasn't been in my vocabulary for awhile. Maybe, never. So for now I'm totally okay with doing absolutely nothing (except for the paper plate thing...keep on reading).

Okay, well doing absolutely nothing isn't true. I've been frantically getting ready for my upcoming research trip. In less than two weeks I travel to Europe for a solo research trip in Denmark. It's a huge deal for me--I applied for a grant, got the funding, established the connection with a host laboratory, and will be building/traveling with all of my equipment. No advisor to travel with. No coworkers to turn to. One month of complete responsibility working with some big name people in my field. No stress here, right? Right.

In the midst of my frantic equipment build this weekend, I did manage to sneak off with Tara to the beach. We dognapped our neighbor's dog Buddy and took him for his very first beach trip! (Our neighbors NEVER take the dog anywhere, including walks. It's really sad). Buddy was so excited as we packed him up in the car.

In just a few minutes he was acting like the king of the doggy castle.

And when we got him to the beach, we had to videotape his first ocean encounter. Needless to say, he's never gonna be an ocean dog (tilt your head. I can't figure out how to rotate this):

Although I did make the promise to myself about the offseason, I would like to do some things to avoid turning into a complete lard-ass between now and New Years. The raw diet is still going strong (with a few hiccups) so I'm keeping control of my diet. I also decided to play around with some of those "at home 20 minute workouts!" that you see online. I found a funny workout from self.com that involved using gliders (paper plates make a good substitute) and I decided to give it a go. I didn't have high expectations, but man did it kick my butt! Within 5 minutes I was breaking a sweat and by the end my arms were quivering. Some of the moves were ridiculously easy, but some were insanely hard. It made it quite easy to see my weaknesses! You can bet your bottom dollar that I'm packing some paper plates for my Europe trip. Maybe I, too can get "Hollywood abs in 4 weeks!" Yeah, right....

My raw food experiment

2011-11-13T17:29:00.000-10:00

A few weeks ago, I started thinking about my post-Ironman phase. Thinking about all the fun things I could do with all my free time. Thinking about all the hi-jinks I could get myself into on the weekends. No training log! No early mornings! The possibilities were endless!

"Tara", I said to my roommate as we were driving home one evening, "I want to do some sort of crazy diet after Ironman Florida."

"Okay!" She replied, without batting an eye, because that's just how roommates are.

Very quickly we decided to experiment with raw foodism. Raw foodism is a food lifestyle that is quickly gaining popularity. It involves eating raw food (mainly fruits, veggies and nuts), sprouted grains, and dehydrated food. Nothing can be heated over 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Real raw foodists follow the diet because they believe heat destroys the enzymes in food and also can make foods harmful to the body. Us? Well, we're just doing it partly for the novelty aspect (cheese made from nuts? Lasagna made from zucchini? Sign us up!)

Our household has always been really, really nutritious (aka we've never owned sugar, wheat or milk of any kind, which is probably why we're still single, sigh...) and green smoothies, kale chips, and quinoa are daily staples. So for us to make the raw leap really isn't that big of a deal. Tara was given a raw "cookbook" (oh, the irony!) for Christmas last year and we've always oohed and aahed over the inventive recipes. But most of them seemed pretty time intensive (who remembers to sprout grains for 48 hours prior to dinner?) so we never tackled any of them. This time, however, we got down to business.

Last week we poured through the "cookbook" as well as online recipes and created a spreadsheet of all our meals and recipes for the next two weeks. We divided up the "cooking" duties and made our master shopping list. When we printed out the final list, it seemed a bit daunting:

It took three stores (Costco, Safeway, and our local natural food store) and we found everything! (Well, everything except Irish Moss. So much for our raw pumpkin pie) We were prepared for a large bill but were still shocked with the final tally. You can definitely do a raw food diet if you're on a budget, but you can't do the fun recipes that we planned! After our trip our fridge was packed beyond belief:

So, what have we been cooking? So far, we've tackled:

Ani Phyo's Donut Holes which are AWESOME (Here's me creating a mess of them in the kitchen)

Soaked (for 48+ hours) wild rice with corn and tomato:

Rye Flatbread (which is made with celery, flaxmeal, cocoa powder, oil, and caraway seeds yet magically dehydrates to a delicious flatbread/cracker that tastes just like rye!) I'm not posting the recipe but you can get it from Ani's Raw Food Essentials. We don't have a dehydrator but we put the oven on the lowest setting and prop the oven door open a bit (yeah, not the greenest, but our only option).

And one of my favorite recipes, Raw Pea Soup. I make this with thawed frozen peas. This soup is AMAZING. You'd swear there was cream in it. It tastes so unbelievably good and is so healthy. Go make it. Now.

Raw Pea Soup

16 oz peas (can be thawed frozen)

1 cup plain soymilk, nutmilk, or dairy milk

1/2 cup water

3T lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste.

Put all in a blender and whir! Eat hot or cold.

And of course, we had to try the Raw Lasagna:

Made with only zucchini as "noodles", nut "cheeze" and a raw tomato sauce. I know what you're thinking: "FrayedLaces, you done jumped into the crazy pool!" But as odd as it sounds, this really does taste like lasagna.

Mmm...layers of raw vegan goodness

So, how long are we planning on doing this? We've scheduled 2 weeks, which takes us conveniently to Thanksgiving. But already we're hooked on some recipes and plan on incorporating a lot of raw recipes into our normal diet. It'll be interesting to see how I feel over the next two weeks as well as if I lose any weight. I'm not tracking calories, but snack on a lot of dried fruits so I'm definitely getting adequate calories. But I'm oddly never truly hungry. Regardless, it's a fun (and healthy!) post-Ironman experiment!

Ironman gave me herpes

2011-11-10T06:19:00.000-10:00

Chafing, loss of toenails, sissy quads, finishers medal, and the Ironman shuffle.

These are all things you expect to take away from an Ironman.

Herpes? Well that certainly wasn't on my plan.

Imagine my surprise when, 36 hours after finishing IMFL, I woke with a massive blister on the roof of my mouth. As the day progressed the pain got worse, radiating to my jaw, ears, throat and head. The throbbing pain made it impossible to eat, drink, and even sleep. Orajel did nothing. Advil did nothing. My Ironman appetite had disappeared leaving without any food for 24 hours. I finally bit the bullet and headed to the doc. Doc said I had a classic case of Herpes simplex virus, which is something 80 percent of the population has. Most people usually have their first outbreak as children, so future outbreaks aren't as severe. But lucky me--I had my first outbreak as an adult so I get hit with a severe case of it including excruciating pain. I'm on an antiviral which will help clear it up in 7 days or so.

So screw you, Ironman. You f'ed me all day last Saturday, talked dirty the whole time, took my away my dignity, and left me with a susceptible triathlete disease. I thought my all my training was protection enough, but obviously I was wrong.

And the worst part? He didn't even cuddle afterwards.

Ironman Florida Race Report

2011-11-07T07:56:00.000-10:00

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.... Needless to say, I didn't make my main race goal this year. A lot of unforeseen factors contributed to this, but considering the challenges I faced on Saturday I'm proud with my performance. I did manage to eek out a slight PR despite the run disaster, but more importantly, I had a blast this weekend at Ironman Florida. So, let's get on with the race report, already!

Pre-Race
The days leading up to the race were unbelievably fun. I met with fellow bloggers, made tons of new friends, and had a blast soaking in the pre-race atmosphere and sharing it with MamaFL. Mama did an awesome job as photographer this weekend, and I've been sifting through thousands of photos that she took. While I was running around talking to people or dealing with pre-race crises she was quietly in the background snapping away...

Swim exit chute:

Swim exit showers:

Swim exit run:

More of the swim exit run:

Empty transition the day before:

Blogger meetup #1: So awesome to meet all of you and talk out our pre-race nerves!

Blogger meetup #2: More pre-race pep talking and time predicting

Transition area race morning:

Checking out the Quintana Roo bikes. I may be a QR athlete next year and was getting the low-down on their bikes. These are some sweet, sweet bikes...

A bit ridiculous with the ballet flats and amusing bike fit, but I still got to feel the bike

Mac explaining how the design of the QR frame helps divert wind resistance away from the drive chain side

After our final blogger meetup on Friday it was time for me to quiet down and focus on the race. We bought food from the grocery store so we could just heat up our pre-race food in the microwave and avoid the crowds. I had potatoes, a tiny amount of veggies, and rotisserie chicken. I slept pretty fitfully the night before the race (which is typical) and woke at 4:45am. As soon as I woke it was coffee--oatmeal--gear on time. I went down to transition to put air in my tires, fluids on my bike, and drop off my special needs bag. After I went back to the hotel room to stay warm and go over last minute race information. Before I knew it, it was time to get my wetsuit on and head down to the beach.

The swim: 1:02:51 (6th in Division)

When I got down to the water's edge, I was ecstatic. After a few days of relatively choppy water the gulf was flat as a pancake. Since the swim is a mass start, and I knew how the current was running, I positioned myself in the middle of the pack two rows from the back. The national anthem was sung, people were wishing "good luck" to each other, and before I knew it the gun went off and it was go time! Mass start swims usually freak out most triathletes, but I LOVE them. It gives us women athletes a chance to find some strong male kickers to stick with. The first 5 minutes of the swim were really a fight for survival. I was fighting to not get kicked in the face and also to find some good feet. In a mass swim start, all manners go out the window. Males will slap males and females on the head, people pull each other under, and there's a general feeling of "I don't think so. These feet are mine and I will fight you to the death for them". In my mind, all the guys are assholes and all the girls bitches. That's the nature of the swim. It's so primal, and I love it that way.

The first loop of the swim I kept things really easy. I had a great steady, strong stroke and kept my heart rate low. As I came out of the first loop I saw the clock: 40:00. I wasn't sure if it was from the start of the pros (started 10 minutes prior to us) or not. As we were running the strip of the beach to go back for the second loop I tried to ask the girl next to me. She gave me a look like "hey you crazy girl stop talking to me and swim". I got back in the water dying to know the status of the clock. I tried to push the thought out of my mind and find more feet. The pack spread out pretty considerably on the second loop. I found some feet but didn't have the same group pull advantage from the first group. I focused on staying on the feet, keeping my effort relatively low, and dodging the jellyfish that kept appearing by my face (I got just one slight sting on my cheek, so I was pretty lucky). I exited the water and felt really good, but still wanted to know the status of the race clock! The wetsuit strippers yanked off my suit, I did a quick rinse with fresh water, ran up the boardwalk, through the hotel, and into transition. MamaFL was there to capture the action:

Coming...

Coming...Looking for my bag...

Got it!

Thank you volunteers!

And off to the changing tent

Here's what the swim exit looked like:

T1: 5:09
The run for the transition at IMFL is loooooong. I tied with another girl for the fastest T1 in our AG. I ran into the tent and volunteers helped me yank on my arm warmers, put on my cycling shoes, get my sunglasses, and clip on my race belt. I strapped on my helmet and ran towards my bike. The bike handlers pulled the wrong bike for me so I didn't have the advantage of the others of having my bike handed to me. I quickly grabbed it off the rack and ran out of T1.

The Bike: 5:25: 37

As soon as I got on the bike I realized I could check the actual time on the Garmin to figure out the swim clock. As soon as I realized I did a 1:02 swim I yelled out "F yeah!" It was a great feeling to have all my pool efforts pay off. After my mini celebration I knew it was time to focus. Goal on the bike was stick to between 160 and 165 watts. I was cruising at about 163 and feeling really great. Nice, easy effort. As soon as I turned out of town and onto the main highway the packs started coming. Some of you know IMFL is known as a huge draftfest. It's the nature of the mass swim start and flat bike course. It made me mad to see some packs with people literally on the wheel of another. I tried to focus on my race and not get caught up. Right when I thought the packs were gone, one went by me fairly slowly. It was a group of men. One of the guys at the back of the group got out of his saddle to pass me (easily going 200+W). As soon as he passed me I came right up on his wheel because he slowed down (I was reading 120W). So I got back up to my 160W and tried to pass him. He turned to look at me, then got out of his saddle again. I was getting irritated, because I was in danger drafting zone. I wanted to go 160W, but the guy wouldn't let me around him. So frustrating. After doing this dance for a few minutes I finally pulled back and let him continue with the main pack. Another rider went by me and I told him "thank God they're gone. I don't want to get stuck in a drafting pack!" Literally the moment I said this a motorcycle came up to me with a race official. A man on the back yelled at me "141! 141! You! have! a! penalty! I've been watching you for the past minute!" I was heartbroken. I said "Yes sir. I understand." He continued yelling military style: "You! must! stop! at! the! next! penalty! tent! or! you! will! be! disqualified! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME? DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" I started getting upset and said "yessir. I said yes. I do understand. Thank you sir." He sped off and I dropped my head in shame. I tried so, so hard to avoid this. A guy behind me came up and said "did he just give you a penalty? That's such bullshit. What about all those other guys up there?" I was upset, but that's the nature of the race. Technically what I was doing was drafting according to the rules. The draft marshalls can't catch everybody, so there will be a lot of "real" drafters who get away with it. I backed off on my watts because the last thing I wanted was another penalty. I tried to get my mind out of my funk and kept pressing on. Chloe (a draft marshall herself) came by me and gave me a mental boost. I told her I had a penalty and I was heartbroken. She yelled at me to shake it off and that I was looking good. She snapped a pic of me on the bike and was off.

When I stopped at the penalty tent, it was a huge cluster F. There were probably 30 people and they had about 4 stopwatches. The poor volunteers were trying to keep track of everyone but I knew it was hopeless. I decided to keep track of my own time. 4 agonizing minutes watching everyone else blast past you. I did get a laugh because when I came in to the tent full of guys one guy said "oh I know why we were all drafting...it's because we wanted to get behind you!" That made me smile during an otherwise craptastic portion of the race. As soon as my four minutes were done I got ahold of the volunteer and told her my time was up and then I was back on the course.

The rest of the course should have been uneventful, but the wind...oh, the damn wind. It was bad. It was 14mph when I was on the course and at this weird angle that made it a head/cross wind for most of the bike. Awful, awful, awful. At mile 80 I started getting mildly nauseous and had a difficult time getting my nutrition in. I prayed I wouldn't puke. Thankfully I didn't. I usually smile the whole bike, but at mile 90 I was so over the bike. I wanted done. I wanted out of the wind. I wanted away from the men who can't keep a steady wattage and have issues with chicks passing them. The last 5 miles of the bike were the worst. Stupid, gusty winds. Stupid, stupid penalty. That's all that went through my head. I was so happy to see T2. I literally threw my bike at a volunteer and ran into T2.

T2: 3:05 Ran to the transition bag area...

Coming...

Grabbing the bag. Thanks volunteers!

Running...

And into the empty female changing tent.

Inside the tent I changed into my socks and shoes (wore Brooks racing flats, which were a stupid, stupid choice on my behalf...more on that later) and lost about 30 seconds due to speedlace malfunction the day before the race. Tying laces after 6 1/2 hours of racing is rough.

MamaFL got a great shot of me coming out of the changing tent:

And running through the long transition:

And I'm out!

Despite what I thought was a shitty bike, I was the 7th amateur woman to start on the run (would have been 5th without the penalty).

The Run: (4:08:53, where it all fell apart)

I started the run feeling awesome. My stomach had settled, my legs felt amazing, and I was in great spirits. My first mile ticked off at 8:15. Ooops. A tad fast. My next mile: 8:30. Oops again, a tad fast. My goal was to do about 8:45 for the first loop, then kick it up a notch. I was on fire. I was talking to people, profusely thanking all the volunteers, and having a HUGE smile on my face. I even high-fived the kids on the road. My splits were awesome and I even had time to walk aid stations to get in fluids and nutrition. I ran through the park still on track (first run split 8:43) and thought I had it in the bag. I ran out of the park, through more aid stations, and kept up my awesome splits. Then, at mile 9, I landed squarely on a rock with the ball of my right foot. The same foot that has had weird shooting pain during some of my last training runs. I yelled in agony and jumped up to grab my foot. I took another step. Shooting pain. I tried one more, but it was the same. With each step I took the sensation of a nail being driven into the bottom of my foot got worse and worse. I decided to walk. A walk break took the impact off of the foot and tempered the pain. I walked about a quarter mile then tried to run again. The same. I was so upset. My legs felt great--I had it in me to run. I tried to change my gait and ran on the inside arch of my foot. That worked for about a mile. Then I did my little run 3/4 of a mile, limp 1/4 of a mile routine. Once I stopped running I started getting nauseous. I still don't know if the nausea was due to me being so upset about the "run" or truly from nutritional issues. I saw MamaFL for the first time at the turnaround at mile 13. She started cheering but I tearfully walked by her and said "Momma I can't run this. My foot. I'm not gonna make my goal. I'm so, so sorry." I don't remember what she said but she just tried to cheer me on. I got my special needs bag and took a GU and some salt tabs.

After the turnaround I started feeling better and ran for an entire mile before needing to walk again. I continued this charade. Along the way several other athletes who were struggling came up to motivate me. They tried to get me to run with them. I managed to make it about a mile before succumbing to the agony of my right foot. As I got closer to the park, I made a promise to myself: no walking in the park. I found a run/limp that I could do that allowed me to "run" continually at a meager 9:30 pace and I stuck to it as I went through the park. The pain in my foot intensified but I refused to walk. I told myself I'd be able to run the last 10k without stopping, but as soon as I exited the park it all fell apart as I stepped on another rock squarely on the ball of my foot and doubled over. I let out a loud, primal yell and tried to get back going again. Things were getting ugly. With the pain came the nausea and I knew I had to walk for a bit. A spectator saw me struggling and tried to run with me for awhile. It was really awesome having people trying to pull me together. I limped, I walked, I yelled, I cried, but I did all keeping my head high. The last 3 miles were pretty raw. I tried to see if I could run all the way, but my damn foot. I pushed and pushed and groaned and grunted and when I finally couldn't take it anymore I would let out a huge yell and resort to a walk. In some sick way the crowd loved it. When I got to the last mile and a half, I knew it would be either me walking in or me giving it everything I had. So I went for it. My legs were so great that I could just fly when I was running. But the pain under my foot had me streaming tears down my cheeks. My head went upwards and I was letting out labor-like yells. The crowd was yelling "you got this girl! Dig deep! Fight!" My friends slapped my butt as I went by. Chloe snapped a pic of me half a mile from the end. I was fighting. I was hurting.

I got in the final stretch and just wanted to see the finish! When I saw the clock I realized I managed to eek out a PR. I must've been flying because the announcer yelled "wow! She looks like she could do another lap!" I raised my hands high and blew the announcer a kiss. I knew I had just a few feet more left in me. I pushed, and pushed, and pushed. Arms raised high, I crossed the finish at 10:45:35.

In the chute...

Arms up...

Pushing...

Blowing a kiss...

Crossing with my last ounce of energy

...and then I promptly collapsed in the arms of my catchers. I told them "don't worry I won't puke on you." I actually kept repeating this over and over after the race. I was horribly nauseous and think I was saying this just to myself. I bypassed the food tent and started the slow shuffle to find my mom.

Shuffle...

Shuffle..

Talking to another (rare) female finisher

And then I found the person I was looking for all day....my Momma! I went up to her and said "I'm so sorry Momma. I didn't make my goal." I started to get all teary but she wouldn't have any of it and just wrapped her arms around me and told me how proud she was of me.

Hands down the most amazing support a girl could ask for. Momma, thanks for an amazing weekend and all your love and support. Definitely wasn't the race I wanted, but it was so special sharing all the memories with you. How can I ever thank you for all of this?

I hobbled back to our hotel room and Momma helped strip me and get me in the shower. While I was showering she washed my pee-laden clothes (now that's love!) and got my mac and cheese ready. She even went back to transition to get my bike and gear bags. Once my stomach settled we toasted the day with a much-deserved beer!

And then Momma got this awesome photo of me trying to move my legs

After the race I went back down to meet up with Chloe and some of her friends to cheer on the finishers. It was awesome. I had several beers in my system and we were totally rocking it in the stands! The crowd was just electric. A fantastic way to end the night. Here's a video of one of the last finishers.

I went to bed not disappointed in my race, but happy with everything that happened during the day and night. As predicted, my body only let me sleep 90 minutes. I spent most of the night watching Netflix while MamaFL slept soundly next to me.

The next morning we stuck around for the awards banquet. It was nice to get up on stage! I have to admit that it feels weird for me to be up there. I still don't feel like I belong. I don't feel like a real athlete; I feel like an impostor. I think because this is all still no new to me I don't feel like I'm part of the "big girls" club. Will I ever get over this? Who knows. But it was nice to get up there so MamaFL could get photos and we could celebrate my race.

And that, my friends, ends my 3rd Ironman. Not the sub 10:30 I was hoping for, but I know I had it in me. I learned a lot of lessons and can't wait for next year. Thank you all of you for your support. From my sponsors to my family to my "real" friends and my "internet" friends---thank you. We all know these things are not a solo effort. Sure, I was out there racing by myself that day, but I was backed by hundreds and hundreds of hearts and minds pushing me through. So thank you to each and every one of you. This race belongs to all of us!

Twas the night before IMFL...

2011-11-04T06:57:00.000-10:00

We'll get to my poem shortly. But first, what have I been up to these past days? MamaFL and I drove down on Wednesday and got settled into the hotel just in time to head down to the expo to meet Chloe. I didn't realize it, but MamaFL was totally going paparazzi on us when we finally tracked each other down:

I got all checked in (no line! Score!) and then headed over to the QR booth to check out their goods (I *might* just be a QR athlete next year!)

After catching up with Chloe we headed to dinner at the Boatyard and had some awesome seafood (MamaFL just couldn't stop with the pictures!)

After dinner we headed to Publix to get all the pre and post-race food:

Pre race food:

Post-race food: bring on the gluten (and wine! and beer!)

Our hotel room overlooks the transition area, which means no porto-potty lines for me! Score!

And it also means MamaFL can watch the swim from the warmth of her hotel room

Thursday I lounged around the hotel watching bad reality tv and then headed down to hang with the QR peeps some more. Their bikes are awesome. Really, really, really awesome. So awesome they'll get their own post in the future.

And then in the afternoon we had our big blogger/twitter meetup! It was so awesome to see everyone. We had @trijon, @devoniain, @gardenTRI, Carolina John and his wife Kelley, @heidileeaustin, @mattscottaustin, @ChloeElfrink, @KristiMcE, @MacMcE and future superstar Sienna. It was awesome. It's @trijon, @gardenTRI, CarolinaJohn, and @mattscottaustin's first 140.6! So excited for all of them!

Today I did a quick s/b/r. The first two minutes of the swim were not fun. Big (at least for me) waves. But once you get past the two sets of breakers (damn sandbar!) it's actually quite nice. The water here is so clear, which allows you to see (and avoid) the jellyfish the size of my butt. I also saw a stringray, which was oddly relaxing. Then I jumped on my bike for a quick spin on the course. It was certainly cold, so I will definitely take the extra minute to put on my armwarmers in transition tomorrow. I'll also be rocking calf sleeves. And toe covers. And iron will.

My quick run was also fun. So many athletes were out on the course and everyone was shouting "good morning!" to each other. Such great attitudes here. I am making friends everywhere I go. It's really, really nice to be staying at the host hotel. As far as my body goes, my knee feels better, but my calf started cramping last night. The calf is better this morning but my back seized after my swim and now my back is on thin ice. I have a massage in a few minutes to hopefully release it a bit. But this is all part of the taper, right? You gotta go into a race with some worries and nagging "injuries" (which are really just mental biproducts of your body finally resting).

This is the last you'll hear from me before the race. There's no internet in the room (which is probably a good thing) so I will only have access to twitter on my phone. Race day MamaFL will take over my twitter account (I am not held liable for anything she says; she assured me her mission is to embarrass me).

So, how's my attitude and mindset? Well, I'm ready. I have nagging aches and pains, which is all part of the process. I know that I will have ups and downs on race day. But I've done the work. I've put in the hours. I've suffered in the training. I have a solid pacing and nutrition plan that will help focus my mind during the race. I plan on doing a lot of reflecting for the remainder of the day. I know the possibility exists for me to flat or mechanical on the bike, have a debilitating injury, or totally blow up on the run. I also know that the possibility exists for me to shatter my wildest expectations. But no matter what happens I will finish this race, and my goal is to have one hell of a time doing it.

Twas the night before IMFL

Twas the night before IMFL and all through PCB,
not an athlete was sleeping, as they anticipated the race with glee.
The tri bikes were racked on the bars with great care,
In hopes that a record bike split soon would be there.

The entrants were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of PRs danced in their heads.
When at 4am, the alarms made such a clatter, they sprang from their beds to see what was the matter.
To their gear did they run, as they knew it was the time,
To go down to the race venue and get in the body marking line.

On goggles, on wetsuit, on tri kit and swim cap!
On GU Brew, on Brooks shoes, on helmet and Powertap!
To the front of the line! To the top of the hill!
Now dash away, dash away, go Iron will!

They jumped on their bikes, and the fans gave a yell,
And deep down the athletes knew all would be well.
And I heard them exclaim, and they soared at a pace,
Happy IMFL to all, and to all a great race!

Ironman Florida Tracking Info and Pre-race

2011-11-03T01:57:00.001-10:00

Well folks, the day is almost here! Yesterday MamaFL and I road tripped down to Panama City Beach. We took the back roads through the cotton fields and enjoyed the finest the rural countryside had to offer. Lunch was Hardees since it was the only food place for two hours (their turkey burger with a lettuce wrap is actually quite good!). We made a field trip to get some pecans to bring back to people in Hawaii ( if your ever drive through AL you need to stop at Priesters).

We got to the hotel in the afternoon just in time to meet up with Chloe! She did the race last year but is draft marshaling this year. We had fun running around the expo and catching up. This is the best part of being a blogging racer--friendly faces at the races!

Our hotel overlooks both the swim (@devoniain is down there somewhere in the swim picture) and the transition. This means I can wakeup race day, get transition set then go stay warm in the room! I can't tell you how happy that makes me feel.

Those of you following me on twitter know about my knee problem I finally came clean about yesterday. I'm trying to be optimistic, so we're not going to talk about that. Instead, we're going to talk about race day taking info!

On Saturday, log onto ironmanlive.com. Then click on ironman florida. You can get live race updates, track individuals our age groups, our even see a live webcam at the finish! My race # is 141. Mama FL will also be tweeting for me under my twitter account. If things go well, I expect to finish the legs in the following time ranges:
Swim: 1:05:00
T1: 5:00
Bike: 5:15:00-5:45:00
T2: 3:00
Run: 3:36:00-3:49:00
Total: 10:03:00-10:36:00
(sometime between 5 and 6pm central)

Again, this is all if things go well and according to plan. But it's an Ironman, and we all know how plans go out the window during a race this long!

Taper Time!

2011-10-31T03:38:00.000-10:00

It's taper time! Ironman Florida is less than a week away. Naturally I'm starting to get nervous about the race, but my body is so ready to race. Last week in Hawaii my body was on fire. It was really hard to rein in the pace/power during my sessions, which is a big indicator that I have properly peaked. My past two sessions weren't that great, but I've been on the mainland for less than 48 hours. Once my body adjusts to the time and temperature change (and fights the bugs I picked up on the airplane) I expect that power to return.
Usually I get antsy during taper time, but I've had plenty of distractions to occupy my time. My last week in Hawaii I got to housesit in Kailua, which is my favorite town on Oahu. The house was one block from the beach and a perfect distraction. Every morning I woke to take care of the chickens:

And got plenty of quality time in with the cats.

My roomie Tara (remember the smoothie video?) joined me and one day we tried on formal dresses for no reason whatsoever.

We found this video in the house collection and decided to give it a test drive. My first attempt at hypnosis--it didn't fully work, but it put me in the oddest trancelike relaxation state!

The wallet I ordered last week arrived the day I left for the mainland. I can't tell you how happy this makes me:

Friday night I took the redeye flight out of Hawaii. A man offered to switch seats with me so he could sit by his girlfriend, and I ended up in first class! I ended up not sleeping a wink, but a 3 hour nap and an hour run later in the day fixed my jetlag. All my gear arrived intact but I still have some minor mechanical issues to take care of before the race (genius me stripped one of my handlebar screws, and my rear derailleur is all kinds of whacked). I have a few more days here hanging out with the fam and then Wednesday MamaFL and I will drive down to the race!

Waiting for me on the mainland was my new torque wrench

I purposefully left my hard drive in Hawaii, so I have no desire to do actual work these 2 days I'm with my family. Instead, I do more productive activities like paint the family Chihuahua's nails hot pink:

The weather for the race keeps improving. Last year it was so, so cold. I think it was 38 or 39 degrees at the start. I remember being in tears before the race saying "I can't do this. My body simply cannot handle this." I dropped my nutrition the first hour on the bike because my hands wouldn't function. My feet were numb throughout the entire bike and the first 5 miles of the run. This year, thankfully, the forecast looks great! Depending on what source, the low for the day is from 53-63 and the high is from 73 to 78--PERFECT for this Hawaiian! Now all that's left to do is fix my bike, avoid catching a bug, rest, hydrate, and get ready to RACE!

Ironman Florida Meetup

2011-10-27T07:18:00.000-10:00

Aloha Athletes! I know several of you out there are planning on racing, volunteering, or spectating at Ironman Florida. It's so exciting that we will all be at the same venue. So....let's get together!

Ironman Florida Blogger/Twitter Meetup
Who: All of you!
Where: Meet at gazebo behind the Boardwalk Hotel (see map below), we will then move to secret location.
When: Thursday, Nov. 3 at 3pm (right before Welcome Dinner)
Why: To meet each other, talk race strategies, laugh, and make memories!

GU Energy has graciously offered to provide GU product that you can all take home with you, and (depending on sponsor feedback) there may be some door prizes. I will provide some light, healthy snacks. We can share race tips and stories, meet some volunteers and spectators, and help each other relax before the big day!

If you're planning on coming, please RSVP to me (frayedlaces@gmail.com) so I can get a head count and determine our "secret location" we will move to. If you can come but will be late, let me know as well so I can email/twitter you the secret location. Feel free to pass this along to other blogger/twitter people you know who would be interested!

Aloha and see you soon!

Mental Strategies for Ironman

2011-10-24T08:12:00.000-10:00

Since Ironman Florida is less than two weeks away, yesterday I had a lengthy phone conversation with my coach about race-day strategies. We discussed race-day nutrition, bike strategies, run strategies, but most importantly, we discussed mental strategies. For me (and likely most of you), this is the hardest part of any race. Some of you witnessed what happened this summer when I let my mind determine the outcome of my race. The result? A pathetic performance in comparison to my training expectations.

Why is it that our mind can determine the outcome of a race? Many studies show that mental attitude can have a big influence on physical capabilities. What this means is that if your mind is in the right place you have the ability to push past a lot of physical limitations. This works both ways, however, so having a negative attitude can really impact your race-day performance. It's pretty amazing, actually. When I mentally give up I can literally feel the energy being sucked from my body.

Having the right mental attitude is crucial for good racing. But in a long event such as Ironman, mental attitude can swing wildly. If you expect to be positive and upbeat 100% of the time you will be sorely disappointed. In Ironman you will have highs and you will have lows. It's how you handle those lows that determines the outcome of your race. To quote my coach, pro triathlete John Hirsch, "Ironman is not about being awesome. It's about managing the shitty."

He further elaborated by saying that when things go bad--and they will--recognize that this is an Ironman and things will pass. There will be highs and there will be lows--accept them. During the lows, focus on your nutrition. Maybe take in an extra gel or some caffeine. Try to get past the lows by focusing on the training you did leading up to the race. Remind yourself that you have all the fitness and all the power to finish this race strong. Think about all your training and how you want to honor the time and energy you put into preparing for the race. Keep your head together and push past the lows. During the run, don't be ashamed to walk. Many, many pros walk. The key is to walk purposefully. Don't be that person with their head hanging in shame shuffling down the road. That person already gave up on the race. Instead, hold your head high, set a time limit (15 to 20 seconds) and powerwalk. This is best done at an aid station to help you get nutrition in. Having a brief (purposeful) walk break can really help you refresh a bit and by keeping the duration short it will have a minimal impact on your run splits. They key is to control the walking and don't let it turn into a mental and physical downward spiral. Also remember that everyone out there is suffering with you. No one is having an easy time.

Before the race, you can anticipate these bad moments. During your taper (when you're antsy) spend your time on mental race preparation. Imagine having bad moments during the race. What could cause these bad moments? What would they feel like? What will you do or say to yourself to push past them? Remember one of your long workouts when you felt really good. Remind yourself you have the fitness and you have the power. Get your mind ready. You are in control of this race.

Got other mental strategies? Share them below!

She's got legs! (but no toenails)

2011-10-21T15:02:00.000-10:00

Today on twitter @VWiltse said "Was checking the twitter feed when ZZ Top's "Legs" came on the radio. Made me think of how @frayed_laces is going to rock #IMFL"

Talk about a confidence boost! Thanks for the shout-out, Vincent! And for all of you kick-butt athletes out there, here's the music video to give you a confidence boost for your upcoming races!

For those of you who missed it on twitter, Wednesday I got hit with a lovely case of puke-your-brains-out-all-day-itis. I spent a good four house curled up on the bathroom floor, then another four hours curled up in bed, then another four hours watching HGTV because it took too much effort to lift the remote to change the channel. All punctuated by hourly bouts of dry-heaving till I'm crying and shaking. My roommate brought me ginger ale and chips late in the afternoon and after failing to keep most of it down I was able to keep some fluid and food in by bed. I felt weak but much better the following morning, and am finally feeling back to normal (if I ever do feel truly "normal"). I'm still insanely tired, but I'm eating and drinking. Thankfully I get to housesit at a beautiful location this week (taking care of chickens and four cats!) so I get to recuperate right here:

This morning I kayaked out to the Mokes (islands off of Kailua) to see shearwater nestlings. It's box jellyfish time (they come three days a month 10 days after the full moon) so I knew I took a risk doing any water-related activities. Historically Kailua doesn't get the jellyfish as bad as the rest of Honolulu, so I factored that into my decision. I'm proud to say the only wounds I have are from when I mis-judged the depth of the water and dove my ribs right into the rocks. Brilliant.

And even bigger news--I lost my first big toenail! I knew it was on its way off a few weeks ago (still have no idea what I did to lose it) but let it do its thing. But when it started flapping during my swims I knew it was time to take care of it. Here it is flapping free:

And here it is after I cut the free-hanging part. My exposed skin should have plenty of time to toughen up before IMFL.

Countdown to IMFL...15 days to go!

650c versus 700c Wheels

2011-10-18T09:45:00.000-10:00

One of the common questions I get is "why do you ride on 650c wheels? What are the advantages of 650c versus 700c wheels?" First off, if you have no idea what I'm talking about, you should know that road/triathlon bike wheels typically come in two sizes: 650c and 700c. These sizes are not the actual size of the rim, but come from an old French measurement that was based on the dimension of the inflated tire. So, 700c wheels actually have a rim that is 622mm in diameter, and 650c are 571mm in diameter. Confused yet?

Most small bikes (50cm frame and lower) use 650c wheels. This is due to something called wheel overlap. If you have large wheels on a small frame, the wheel can actually overlap the rider's foot on tight turns. If your foot hits your tire you can have a nasty wipeout. This image from rodbikes.com explains the hazard of a large wheel on a small bike:

As you can see, a large wheel on a small bike can cause mega problems. Some bike manufacturers overcome this by changing the geometry so there is no toe overlap with the 700c wheels on a smaller bike frame. But if you're a small person (like me), make sure you check that toe overlap before you buy!

650c wheels have some advantages over 700c wheels. They're smaller, so they're lighter. Since they're smaller they also accelerate faster and climb hills better than 700c wheels. This is something I've noticed with my bike. The wheels are very responsive. Once you're no longer accelerating and just maintaining speed on the flats (such as in a race), there basically is no difference between a 650c and 700c wheel.

650c wheels also have a huge disadvantage over 700c wheels. 700c wheels are way more common, so it's much easier to find tires, tubes, race wheels, etc. if you use 700c wheels. If you're riding 650c and totally destroy your tire during a race, chances are you may be screwed. It's also really difficult to find race wheels that you can rent or borrow if you have 650c's. This is something that's been really difficult for me.

So, do I like my 650c's? You bet! But, if I were to do it all over again, I would definitely go with the 700c wheels. In my opinion, the convenience of the wheel and tire selection of the 700c far outweigh any minor performance benefits from the 650c.

127 mile ride recap

2011-10-17T08:36:00.000-10:00

Well folks, that's a wrap. I've officially finished my last hard week before Ironman Florida. From here on out it's just focus on nutrition, short(er) sessions to keep my muscles fresh, and rest, rest, rest. This past week consisted of 11k of swimming, 187 miles of biking, and 40 miles of running. On top all that nonsense this was also the most stressful professional week for me as my "mega-monster-determines-the-next-three-years-of-my-life-and-beyond" grant was due. And my usual second job of tutoring. And teaching a workshop Thursday night. And organizing a work barbecue for the weekend. So, surprise, surprise that come Sunday night, after a 3 hour massage was needed to deal with my battered body, I started to feel sick. Sore throat, felt feverish (but wasn't), zero appetite even though I just ran 18 miles. I was supposed to go out on a date, but I cried "Ironmonk" and went to bed at 8pm instead. Smart decision, since right now I'm clearly on razor's edge.

But the good news is that I'm feeling much better this morning and have a very, very relaxing week ahead of me. (Hence why I find time to blog with my morning coffee---what an indulgence!) On Friday, while I was doing my epic 127-mile ride on Friday, I promised mid-ride twitter photos. But one of the downsides to traveling to the prettiest parts of the island is that you can't get access to twitter. So--better late than never, right? The ride itself was awesome. I got hit with some really insane squalls that pummeled me with painful rain and blew winds harder than anything you'd find coming down from Hawi. I was a little nervous when the visibility dropped to zero, but the cars were really considerate and I never felt unsafe. Riding through the squalls gave me a lot of confidence and made the sunny parts of the ride that much more enjoyable! For those of you familiar with Oahu, I started in Kaneohe and headed towards the North Shore on the Kahekili highway. Usually I go up Pineapple hill, but decided to simulate the IMFL course as much as possible and kept flat out to Dillingham Airfield. I did laps from Waialua to Kaena point and back until it was time to turn around. Brutal crosswinds, but again, really good training. Here's some highlights from the ride:

Kualoa Ranch

Backside of Kualoa

Beachpark view

Beachpark break to refill fluids

Somewhere near Kahuku

View of Kaena Point

Hawaiian Training Vacation

2011-10-12T21:46:00.000-10:00

A few weeks ago an idea popped in my head. And if you've been reading me long enough you'll know that dangerous things happen when I get ideas in my head. My idea? A Hawaiian training camp. Picture this: you, me, our closest twitter/blogging buddies...all staying in a massive house together (room for 20, with a pool, 5 bathrooms, two kitchens, a huge yard and lanai) just steps from the beach. We swim, we bike, we run (or, if you're just a runner, you can relax by the pool!). Swim in crystal clear waters at some of my favorite beaches (swim with turtles, anyone?). Bike along the coast and through the pineapple fields. Run on the beach, run up mountains, run through hidden rainforest trails. Share training and racing trips and talk story while we're recovering in between workouts. Sounds like an awesome time, right?

So, back to my idea. I'd like to see how many of you are interested in doing this, in February or March. People of all training backgrounds welcome. We can accommodate. I've found a killer house that would be as cheap as $35 a night (depending on how many people come). Of course you'd need to pay your own airfare, but we'll keep other costs to a minimum. Healthy food from Costco that we cook together. One big rental van. Anyways, if this is something you're interested in, shoot me an email (frayedlaces@gmail.com) and we can all start communicating about dates and details.

What dreams may come

2011-10-12T07:50:00.000-10:00

Last night I had a dream, err, nightmare, that one of my favorite bands (Ted Leo and the Pharmacists) kidnapped me and put me on a train. While we were on the train other trains were coming towards us from one direction and rabid dogs were coming from another. But they were all coming towards me. As each one approached me, I was able to jump matrix-style to avoid them. I was then able to jump off the train and outrun my captors trying to reclaim me. Looks like all my training is paying off even in my dreams! (Also looks like I need to de-stress a bit before bed)

Burning the candle...

2011-10-11T17:07:00.001-10:00

My fingers are burned from trying to hold onto the candle I've been burning at both ends. Things have been more insane than I ever imagined. Yet somehow, I'm getting it all done. I submitted two manuscripts on Friday after my flat disaster thwarted my long ride attempt. Sunday after double flatting and walking back to the car I finished my ride with 5 hrs and 20 mins on the trainer (yes, it was pure hell. I wouldn't recommend it). I finished my brick with minutes to spare and headed out for a date (!) with compression gear hiding under my dress. This morning I finally, finally submitted my insane grant proposal. It's so nice to have that off my shoulders. I rewarded myself with a kick ass 4hr brick.

Ironman Florida is less than three weeks away and I can't believe it. I feel like things are finally coming together. My massage ninja was trying to tell me some Brazilian quote about potatoes being cooked and how it relates to this phase of my training. I certainly feel like an overcooked potato but I feel strong and found my confidence. My coach is really pushing me, but I have just 6 more days to power through before things start winding down for the race. I've still got a lot of candles to burn before Nov 5, but I've got a book of matches ready to strike.

(if this post looks/sounds weird it's because I'm testing out a new blogger app for my phone. Apologies if it's screwy)

Some Honesty and Sad News

2011-10-05T20:31:00.000-10:00

Throughout my blogging life, I've tried my best to limit what I share about my personal life outside of training. I use nicknames for my friends and try not to give a lot of details about people that I love and my "non Frayed Laces" life. But the reality is that each and every time I write a post or send a tweet, I invite you into my personal life. I've become very close with some of you. Some of you I've met in person; some of you I may never meet in person. Some of you have been reading me since I started blogging over four years ago; some of you are brand new to Frayed Laces. Regardless of how well or how long you've known me, you're still very much a part of my life. And the bottom line is that it it's my duty, both as a friend and a blogger, to try to be honest with you as much as I can.

So it's with a heavy and sad heart that I have to let you know that after almost 2 years as a couple, Dr C. and I are no longer together. Out of respect for him and our relationship, I'm not going to give any details other than to say that it was I who made the ultimate decision but we came towards that decision together. Whenever I have major life decisions to make, I don't take them lightly. I have agonized over this. The month after returning to Hawaii I had to take sleeping pills each and every night. My training suffered. My work suffered. I couldn't think of anything other than: Was I making the right decision? What does the future have in store?

I made the final decision just over a week ago. I'm now sleeping without pills. My training is improving. I can finally focus on work. My heart its still indescribably sad, but I know deep down I made the right decision. My life had been turned upside down and I don't know what the future has in store, but I know ultimately I'll be okay. Because if there's one thing I've learned on this crazy life journey of mine, it's then when I get knocked down I always get back up-- stronger than ever.

Weekend News

2011-09-26T10:57:00.000-10:00

While we were all busy getting our swim, bike, and run on this weekend, some major triathlon-related news was happening. What did we miss?

First, Diana Nyad attempted her 103 mile Cuba-to-Florida swim again. When she attemped it a month ago, intense asthma stopped her after 60 miles. This time, she made it 82 nautical miles before throwing in the towel (that's 40 hours and 30 minutes in the water, 130,098 strokes). What stopped her this time? Box Jelly stings. Mind you, these aren't normal jellyfish stings. Box jellies are hellacious. They screw up your breathing, cause muscle spasms, and bring numbness to your body. Trust me, I should know. Diana claims she will not attempt the crossing again. But I wonder...a woman with that much grit...will she truly give up?

The second piece of "news" is something that an ESPN anchor tweeted over the weekend. As you probably remember, ESPN got into some trouble awhile back about some comments an anchor made in regards to the Tour de France crash. Well this past weekend, Bill Simmons tweeted: "Thanks to the LA Triathalon for ruining any chance anyone had to drive around the city this morning." His comments drew some fire over at slowtwitch in an article titled "Sniffing jocks inhibits good spelling".

The third piece of news is very exciting: the world marathon record has been broken! Kenya's Patrick Makau (pictured above) beat Hal Gebrselassie's 2008 record (set on the same course) by 21 seconds. His time was 2 hours, 3 minutes and 38 seconds (at a 4:43/mi pace!). Something tells me we may see a human run a sub-2 hour marathon in our lifetime. What do you think?

A Heart to Heart with the Ladies

2011-09-24T12:44:00.000-10:00

Women of America, we need to talk.

Lately I've noticed an infiltration of new running apparel. And ladies, it 'aint pretty.

Buns, boy shorts, booty shorts, whatever you call them, they're spreading faster than the legs that wear them.

Just because you look good in them standing in the mirror doesn't mean you'll look good in them bouncing around on your run (might I suggest the slap test?). And unless you're Kara Goucher, the only message you're sending by wearing them is "free milk".

So please, ladies, be good running ambassadors and wear something that flatters your sexy running body!

Women's Marathon Record No Longer?

2011-09-21T20:46:00.000-10:00

I'm sure that this is old news to most of you, but yesterday the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) pulled a fast one on us. They decided that in order for a woman to hold a "world record" for a marathon, it has to be in a race where the women aren't running with any men. What this means is that Paula Radcliffe's world record 2:15:25 time may be taken from her and given back to Joan Benoit Samuelson's 2:24:52.

You can read the full article at the New York Times but the bottom line is that the IAAF says that women, on average, run 2 minutes faster during marathons when they have male pacers. They argue that in order for the record to be a true women's record it needs to be run in a male-only race. According to them, it's all about gender equality. "The I.A.A.F. wanted to show that women can stand on their own two feet, that they don't need guys to help them set world records."

Okay, I sort of get it. I understand that women run faster when men are running but the IAAF has it all wrong. They're running faster because they have pacers. Anyone runs faster with a pacer. But if men aren't allowed, and you're the woman's record holder, how are you going to find a faster female to pace you? According to their logic, marathons should be solo runs if you want to set a world record time. It just doesn't hold up.

What this also means is that under the new rule the world record is being taken away from Paula! How insanely ridiculous is that? Imagine running your very first race or your hardest PR and then at the finish have someone say "oh, well, that race didn't count because you did X,Y or Z, so we're taking that away from you." Now multiply that feeling times 1000. I bet you that's how Paula feels right now. But man, oh man, is she handling this with class. Hats off to Paula, and thumbs down on the IAAF.

Where has Frayed Laces gone?

2011-09-16T06:25:00.000-10:00

Since I've returned to Hawaii, my blogging frequency has tanked. I've been a bad, bad blogger. I've always said you can inversely relate my work productivity to my blog post frequency. So, what have I been up to? (This is bulleted since I'm running late for work)

Training. Lots and lots of training. My new coach John is toughening me up!
Slimming. I've started a "too chub for a sub (10:30)" campaign in my house and by cutting out booze and only having foods around that I have to cook I've already dropped 4lbs since returning
Working. Good God. Three manuscripts in the works, a mega-mega grant application, and a 45-min presentation to my entire department next week. I'm in over my head, but it will all get done
Working (part 2). My research assistantship involves long days in the hot sun. I've been picking up a lot of extra days since I've been back, which cuts down on the time I have to get all my writing done.
Working (part 3). My part-time tutoring gig is exploding with hours, which is great for my pocketbook but hard on my schedule
Car issues. A defect in my car's stop lamp switch means I have to use a screwdriver to switch gears and I have no brake lights. Had a joyous half day at the dealer yesterday in which they took 4 hours to tell me
"yep, it's that switch, but sorry, we don't have the part in stock. Come back in 10 days."
Bike issues. I'm told my replacement frame is on the way. We'll see about that. The whole fiasco has led to an interesting opportunity, though, which I'll fill you guys in on if it comes to fruition.
Phone. I just got a new Droid Bionic. It's supposed to be the latest and the greatest but I'm still trying to figure this thing out (like why it keeps eating emails and will only show notifications for one of my gmail accounts).
Sleep. I need more. So, so tired.....

So that's the quick and dirty recap. I'm really, really looking forward to getting some sleep and rest this weekend! I hope you all have a great weekend!

My Beloved Felt Bike is Damaged

2011-09-11T07:43:00.000-10:00

The last thing I need right now is more bad news. But unfortunately, when the bike shop called yesterday, it wasn't good.

I dropped off my beloved Felt B2 Pro (the one pictured in my header and to the right, the one that qualified me for Kona, took me to Kona and IMFL, and helped me nail the fastest bike split in my division for my last two 70.3s) for a performance tune-up. My IM training is about to kick into high gear, and I wanted my baby to be ready to help punish my body.

At 11am I received a call from the shop. "We have some bad news" they said, "your seat frame is cracked". I pleaded with them to be joking. "Please, please let this be a prank". But they assured me they weren't. The Felt frames have an aluminum insert that is integrated to the carbon frame. My aluminum is cracked 1/3 to 1/2 of the way down the collar. Although I don't have a picture of my bike, I found a picture of someone else's who had the same problem. His is more severe than mine, as it goes all the way down into the carbon frame:

So, what does this mean? Well, my bike shop told me they've had this happen with other Felt bikes in the past, and it was apparently some sort of defect. In the past Felt replaced the frames free of charge (the owner just had to pay to ship their old frame to Felt's HQ). I'm nervous, however, because my bike is a 2008 model (bought in Nov. 2009). Will Felt replace my baby? If Felt does, it means I'm without a bike for over a week. How much is this going to screw up my training? If Felt isn't going to replace my frame, training may not matter anyways. I ate rice and beans and worked my ass off for two years to afford this. There's no way I can afford a new frame right now, so if Felt isn't going to replace my frame, you can kiss all future races goodbye. Let's hope for good news.

Seeking your help

2011-09-09T11:36:00.000-10:00

As some of you know, a friend tragically lost her husband last weekend. We were there with all the craziness of the rescue team, and were there when the police told her the words no person ever wants to hear. Her husband passed while freediving, doing the activity he loved the most. Although no one was ready for him to go, it was his time. He sadly leaves behind a very young widow. I don't normally do things like this on my site, but we need your help. Olga is a PhD student from Russia living in Hawaii, and her whole world has been turned upside-down. We are trying to raise funds to help her travel back home to see her family and help her get her life back on track. I know money is tight for everyone, but if you have some to spare, we would all appreciate whatever you can donate to Olga. With your help we can't take away the pain, but we can help her transition back to a somewhat normal life. If you can't donate, any thoughts and prayers you can send her way would be much appreciated. Mahalo.

If you'd like to help, please click on the link below for more information:

In Loving Memory of Heber

Brooks Pure Project Shoe Review

2011-09-06T10:02:00.000-10:00

To pre-order your pair of Pure Project shoes or to learn more about their technology, click on the Brooks logo below!

Light at the end of the tunnel

2011-08-26T02:26:00.000-10:00

Coach (The voice of reason) currently has me on a bit of a rest. I'm allowed 30 minutes, 4 times a week, for the next 2 weeks. I probably used up all my "training time" with my 3.5hr mountain hike the day after Timberman, but we're just going to say that didn't count. I took two days off and headed out yesterday for the first time. I hate to admit it, but it was really nice. Dr. C and I ran easy to the park for 20 minutes, did some crunches and pushups, played on the monkeybars and swings, and ran partway home. At exactly 30 minutes I stopped and started walking. Dr. C said "you've got to be kidding me". I replied, "Nope. Coach says 30 max and I'm sticking to it. You can go ahead and run home if you want. I don't think I'll get attacked. It looks relatively safe here." His reply "Thanks. Now I have to stay with you."

One thing that's good about dropping from around 20 hours per week of training to 2 is that I have a lot of extra time. I could be laying on the couch and watching bad reality TV, but since Dr. C a) doesn't have a couch and b) doesn't have a TV, that option is not available. Instead, I'm focusing extra time and attention on my dissertation work and lighting the fire under some data crunching and manuscript writing. It's all starting to come together.

After 4 years of darkness and despair, I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of the PhD tunnel. And that light is getting brighter with each passing day. I've got lots of publications under my belt and two really exciting ones in the works. I've basically finished collecting all my data--all that stands between me and a dissertation is a research trip to Denmark, which I'll do in December. Come hell or high water, I will defend and graduate spring semester. Then, I'll insist everyone calls me "Dr. Frayed Laces" and I'll walk around with a brandy snifter permanently attached to one hand.

My internship this summer has paid off, too. I've already been told I can come back as a post-doc researcher. It's ultimately dependent on funding, but I have a slew of grants I can apply for so things look positive. Having a post-doc from an Ivy League institution is going to look killer on my CV and really help launch me towards my goal of a career in academia. Sure I'm sad I'm leaving Hawaii, but if my diabolical plan to brainwash my roommate and make her move back up here (hear that Tara? You're getting sleepy...very sleepy...) with me follows through, I'll have everything I need to keep me healthy and happy in New England.

So see, sometimes rest periods from training are a good thing. They allow you to catch up on so many other aspects of your life! What are you looking forward to catching up on during your next rest period?

Triathlon Wetsuit Strippers

2011-08-24T03:44:00.000-10:00

Remember how I told you I got stuck in my wetsuit at Timberman (the consequence of squeezing a 5'6", 140 lb woman into a suit designed for someone 5'2" and 120 lbs)? Well, @billrisch's dad was there to capture it all in sport mode. The looks on the kids' faces are just too good to be true. Any wetsuit companies out there wanna hook a sister up with a properly fitted wetsuit?

Pictures from Timberman

2011-08-23T11:43:00.000-10:00

Man, ASI is getting speedy these days! The photos from Timberman are already up! Thanks to the great race photographers for snapping these proofs. It's nice to see me smiling in a race for a change! Can you spot where I got stuck in my wetsuit after the swim? How bout the rag shoved around my neck to help keep me cool?

Race Report: Timberman 70.3

2011-08-22T02:43:00.000-10:00

As most of you know, this race was a big toss-up for me. After a string of bad races (and beating myself up over them) I decided to hire a coach last weekend. He told me I was overtrained, burnt out, and on the verge of catastrophic injury. The only way I would make it to the starting line for IMFL is if I take a serious rest break. The problem was I had one little 70.3 in my way: Timberman.

We decided my goal for Timberman was to have an aggressive taper going into it, and then simply enjoy the race. Hammer the bike (while still staying within my 70.3 power zone) and go easy on the run. Due to pain last week, I was fearful I may had been developing a stress fracture, so the plan for the run was to bail if things started hurting. As John put it: "A DNF at Timberman is better than a DNS at Ironman Florida".

I wanted to do everything in my power to make sure I enjoyed the race. Due to my burnout, triathlon stopped being fun over a month ago. I wanted to reclaim the feeling that got me into this race to begin with.

Pre-race
The morning of the race we drove to Gunstock Resort and opted to take the shuttles as opposed to parking at the venue, because we heard horror stories about traffic and parking issues from past years. I woke at 4, had my pre-race coffee and oatmeal with raisins and protein powder, and headed to the race site. I ran into @swimrjul in transition and she helped me with my tempermental extender so I could get air in my race tires (thanks chicka!). I chatted it up with the ladies around me, and everyone seemed to be in good spirits. On the way out of transition I ran into @IMbethwalsh and we shared some pre-race vibes and a promise NOT to chat with each other on the bike like we did at Kona! Before I knew it we were headed down to the swim start.

My wave didn't go off for an hour after the gun, so I got to watch all the other waves go and soak up the race vibes. I ran into @billrisch and we hung out at the start.

He was there with his Dad so the 4 of us (me, Bill, Dr. C and Bill's dad) kept each other company as we waited and waited. Finally it was go time. I shimmied in my wetsuit, kissed Dr. C goodbye, and jumped into my wave. I found @swimrjul and asked if I could stay on her feet for a bit. Thankfully she said I could! The girls in our age group were in good spirits. There was a lot of "good luck ladies" being said as we walked into the water. I told everyone to go out there and "chick as many guys as you can!" That got everyone laughing. Before I knew it the announcer was counting down. 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...

The swim:
As soon as the gun went off we dolphin dived our way into the water. Here's a video of our wave going off:

I hung onto Jul's feet and did my best not to tap her toes. The pace was good and solid. I noticed the main pack veering off to the right a bit, but decided to hang onto the feet. I have a tendency to think it's a good option to bail on feet only to suffer later on. I focused on keeping my breathing steady and my strokes long. Pull, 2, 3...breathe. Pull, 2, 3...breathe. Once we made the first turn I was feeling good and decided I could kick things up a notch. Not seeing any good feet options I made a bold move and abandoned the feet, leaving me feet-less for the last 2/3 of the swim. As my heart rate got up I had to switch from an every 3rd stroke breathing to a 2/3 breathing pattern. My heart rate was high but it was still doable. I started to run into caps from the previous waves and decided to NOT be a douche (hear that, men in the wave behind me?) and go around the swimmers instead of over them. Finally I saw the swim exit. I was getting a wee bit tired and was plenty happy to get out of the water. I got out of the water and tried to get my wetsuit off. I pulled if off my shoulders....only to have it get stuck around both arms. Oh crap. As I ran down the chute I struggled and struggled. I managed to get one arm out (as well of a chunk of my arm in the process). I saw the timing clock and squealed with glee.
Time: 32:34 (7th in AG)

T1:
Before I could do anything I had to get out of the wetsuit! I ran into the stripper area, only to see it be manned by small children. Don't get me wrong; volunteers, you're AMAZING. But you can't help it but feel panicked when you see small muscled kids as your wetsuit stripper options. I ran up to two boys "pull with all your might, kids!" It took three of us to free my left arm. Since I put sports shield over my entire lower half of the body my legs popped right out. I yelled back a quick thanks and ran to find my bike. Of course, I overshot my rack and had to turn around. Then I couldn't find my bike. Ah, transition confusion. Once I found my bike it was Garmin on, glasses on, helmet on, shoes on, race belt on...go!
Time: 2:17

The bike:
What can I say? I love the bike. Biking is definitely my strong point. Must be my tree-trunk be-donk-a-donk legs. I guess I can push the power better than the twig-legged fast runners in my age group. So when it was time to jump on the bike, I was happy as a clam. When I saw Dr. C I yelled out "32 minute swim, baby!" and he snapped a photo as I was yelling:

The majority of the bike was "tuck and hammer". I kept it right around 190 Watts (my goal half iron wattage) and focused on keeping things steady and strong. There were some killer hills (even people walking their bike up some!) but I just focused on steady power. I think I got passed by 10 men at most from the wave behind me. No women passed me, but I was flying by them. The course was beautiful and the roads were in amazing condition. The crowd support was AWESOME! At the turn-around point a slow-moving lady in front of me swung far left, causing me to veer to the left to avoid a collision. As a consequence I missed the timing mat and had to turn around and backtrack. I think I lost about a minute since I had to wait for traffic to clear. I tried to keep upbeat about it but it was definitely a bit of a downer. It was also scary to see two major bike wrecks on the course. I saw one woman being loaded onto a body board. I really, really hope everyone was okay. Before I knew it, I was back at transition.
Time: 2:36:54 (1st in AG)

T2:
I jumped off my bike and ran to the rack. I saw the rack and uttered "oh sh%t". My rack was a ghost town: no bikes in sight. I threw on my Brooks T7 racers and grabbed my GU and hat, and ran out as I got everything situated.
Time: 1:55

The run:
As soon as I started on the run I knew I was in trouble. I had an agonizing side stitch. I backed off the pace and focused on breathing and striding. If I couldn't get this pain under control, it was going to be a long, long race. About a half mile out I saw Chrissie Wellington coming in and I yelled "GO CHRISSIE!". By mile 2 the side stitch was manageable. "Okay, you can do this," I said, "1/6 of the way done." I kept going at a steady, but slow, pace. I wanted to keep everything slow so I could stay out of the miserable zone. At mile 2 I heard someone say "Hi Frayed Laces!" It was Janine (Justine? sorry, the lactic acid blurred my memory!), a FL reader. She was kicking butt on the run! I got to mile 3 and saw Alett (@petfxr) cheering me on. That was a HUGE boost and I gave her the biggest smile I could. At the turn around point (the course was a two-loop out and back) there was awesome crowd support including a barbershop quartet! I blew the men kisses as I ran by. I was still feeling good. I passed by Alett again. "I'm actually having fun!" I yelled at her. I kept on trucking, but was starting to get really hot. I avoided fluids the first 4 miles to prevent more side stitches and took in my first water and GU Roctane at mile 4. I started dumping water on my head and shoving sponges in my top--whatever it took to help lower the heart rate. There was a KILLER hill at mile 5/11 but I refused to let it beat me. I shortened my stride and powered up that hill. At mile 6 I saw Dr. C for the first time and gave him a big kiss:

The turnaround for the first loop is yards from the finish, which is necessary but cruel. I headed back out and knew I was about to enter the dark zone. Sure enough, I started hurting. I saw Dr. C again at mile 7. I told him I was suffering, but that I'd make it.

I walked the aid stations to help lower my heart rate a bit and get fluids in. I dumped ice in my top and kept on trucking. I refused to walk outside of aid stations. I wanted to--oh how I wanted to--but didn't want to be a big sissy. The final turnaround was at mile 10. I saw Alett again and gave her a smile. I checked my time: "Hmm, maybe I can get a PR?" I quickly dismissed the idea. "Just run for fun. Don't make yourself miserable. Don't set any goals." I still had power left in the engine, so I decided to try to pick it up a bit. The hill at mile 11 nearly destroyed me, but I managed to truck up it. I would have been faster if I power walked it, but didn't want to give into the walking demons. At the top, I celebrated. My heart rate was soaring, but I wanted to keep it up till the end. So I dug deep. I pushed and pushed. I was flying and passing people left and right. Then, the nausea hit. The last 2 miles were me uttering "don't puke; don't puke" with each step. I convinced myself competitors were hot on my heels and I flew down the chute, passing more people with each step. The crowd was fired up and cheering me on. I saw the race clock. Holy crap, I'm doing it! A PR! I raised my arms high and proud and leapt across the finish line with a huge grin on my face.

Time: 1:54:30 (6th in AG)
Overall: 5:08:10 (6th in AG)

Post-race:
Chrissie Wellington, triathlon ambassador extraordinaire, was at the finish handing out medals. I was so excited when I saw her. I got my medal, told her about my PR, and told her she was such an inspiration to us all. Thankfully Dr. C was there to capture it all on camera.

Waiting for my turn

Getting the medal

A hug and a picture

Telling her about my PR

Still in my Chrissie/PR glow, I staggered down towards the beach and ran into Caroline, another FL reader. She had a great race too! We talked about the race and had some awesome girltalk so celebrate our victories.

Girltalk with Caroline

Smiles!

At the food tent I ran into @IMbethwalsh and she told me about her race. Naturally, she dominated, but she said she did blow up on the run (which for her means a 1:34 run). Her mom was still out racing, but ended up getting 4th in her AG!

More smiles!

After the race Dr. C showed me the photos and videos he got of the pros. He got awesome shots of Rasmus Henning and Chrissie Wellington (he got these as he was missing me come off the bike because he didn't expect me to finish so quickly!) Here's his awesome bounty from the day:

Male Pro off the Bike

More pros

Chrissie off the bike

Chrissie on the run

Nothing but smiles!

As we were laying on the grass enjoying the atmosphere, the announcer came on and told everyone that a severe thunderstorm was headed our way, it was serious, and we needed to leave immediately. The started shutting down the race course. I grabbed my bike and headed to the monstrous line for the shuttles back to Gunstock. I have to hand it to the race organizers: they managed to patiently and efficiently evacuate about 5,000 people at once from the venue. Kudos to them, and kudos to putting on an AWESOME race! I will DEFINITELY do this race again, and so should you!

A new direction: time to throw a coach in the mix

2011-08-13T10:02:00.001-10:00

This week I hinted that there were big changes happening with my training. As of today, I officially have a coach.

Why the change? Well, as most of you remember this summer has been filled with a lot of really bad racing and training. It was the crash and burn Providence 70.3 followed by weeks of zero motivation. Then last week was the Providence R&R half marathon with a dismal performance. Despite training longer and harder than last year, my times were getting worse and worse. I started hating training. My blog posts have been full of misery and bitching. I knew I wasn't doing something right.

So I started doing some background research on various coaches. I knew I needed someone who wouldn't sugar coat things and whose mindset was similar to mine. I needed someone to push me.

After some background ~~stalking~~ research I decided on John Hirsch. John is a professional athlete who also does triathlon coaching. We had a very interesting conversation today. Before I gave him my current update he correctly predicted that my times now are 10-20% slower than they previously were, that I was losing motivation, and that I was going to get injured. In fact, I am injured. I hinted on twitter that I had bad hamstring problems, and those are slowly healing, but I also have a very unique pain/sensation in my inner thigh/hip that is unnervingly similar to pain I had before with my pelvic stress fracture. But we'll get into that in a moment.

John basically told me that with my race/training history (Kona IM in October, IMFL in Nov, HURT 100 in Jan, start training 17+ hours per week at end of February) I am completely burnt out. He told me that if I continue down the path I'm on there is no way I'll make it to IMFL without a catastrophic injury. I need rest. Mental and physical. After my body is well rested I will return with a solid, intense training plan for IMFL. He assures me that with my training background and base, I can get just 2 months of solid training and still have a kick-ass Ironman in November. The alternative? Crash and burn and never make it to the starting line.

The wrench? I have Timberman 70.3 next weekend. The prescription? I've been put on a "very aggressive" taper. No activity---I mean NO activity for 48 hours. Then maybe a 30 min swim one day, 30 min spin the next....try a short run on Wednesday. John thinks that with a long break my body and mind will be itching to go on race day. My job for Timberman is to have zero expectations and go into the race thinking that I'm injured. My goal is to try to have fun.

And as far as the weird hip pain/sensation? I'm praying it's just a biproduct of my bad hamstring pull and that it will heal itself by next weekend. But I'm under strict instructions to DNF the moment my gait changes on the run.

So things are a bit weird for me right now. Obviously not being able to train and being potentially injured is making me grumpy and sad. To top it off, Dr. C is out of town for the weekend and our car's in the shop so I'm homebound. But I know John is right. Everything about the past 2 months has been screaming "BURNT OUT". I've just been to blind and stubborn to see it. Am I scared about taking so much rest? Of course. But I also know that it's time to put my training into someone else's hands. I just wish I'd done it sooner.

Beet Smoothie

2011-08-12T15:07:00.000-10:00

Tonight I took my "green" smoothies to a whole new level.

A whole new color to be exact. I present to you, the fuchsia smoothie!

I know what you're thinking: "Okay FL, I kind of understand the whole spinach thing, but beets? Really?"

Hear me out. Beets are all over the news now for all kinds of health benefits, and some people are even calling it the new "superfood." But we all know that one of the keys to eating healthy is to eat as many different colored vegetables as possible, so why not add fuchsia to that palette?

To make my smoothie I started out with 1.5c of soymilk and put in 4 peeled, chopped beets. Then things got a little crazy. I threw in some agave nectar and some red swiss chard. I tasted it. "Hmm, a little off." I squeezed in half a lime and tasted again. Perfect.

By the time I was done I had a tasty yet delicious new smoothie to add to my repertoire. It totally looks like I committed veggie-cide in my kitchen, but it's well worth it.

(Note: if you eat or drink beets you may have red colored urine or stools. Don't freak out. It's called beeturia and is completely normal. In fact, you may even find it fascinating!)

Race Report: Providence Rock and Roll Half Marathon

2011-08-09T03:49:00.000-10:00

Sunday's race was my first open half marathon since 2008. Ever since I got caught up in the triathlon scene, I stopped doing road races. Last week's Blessing of the Fleet race was my first road race since 2009, and I had a blast running it at an easy training pace. Since I ran those ten miles at a 7:42 pace and barely felt like I was exerting myself, I was convinced I would break my old half PR of 1:42:XX. Apparently I was very wrong. But we'll get to that.

The morning of the race was not ideal. Cold, rainy, windy...yuck. But we tried to put on a cheery face as Dr. C, his mom, and I headed down to race start. Due to my magical blogging powers (cough, cough) I scored some VIP passes so we got to wait in the sheltered area with gilded port-o-potties until race start.

Since I really didn't care too much about this race (another 70.3 in 2 weeks) I wanted to experiment a bit and see how fast I could do. I knew that Lauren, @healthontherun, was planning on running a 1:34. This pace is way to fast for me, but I thought maybe I could stick with her for as long as possible and then slog in the last few miles and still get a PR. Looking back, that was a dumb pacing move. Live and learn, eh? But I did tell her I wanted to suffer in this race. And suffer I did.

I was able to meet up with Lauren right before the start and when the gun went off we were off! The first mile ticked by: 6:50. Oops. The next mile ticked by: 6:52. Oops again. I told Lauren we needed to slow down. By mile 2.5 I started getting an agonizing stomach cramp low on my right side. That had never happened before. By the 5k mark I was in utter agony. Our pace slowed a bit but I couldn't get the cramp to go away. I think the sequence of pictures taken by Lauren's man shows it all (feel free to laugh, I did!)

Want a good laugh? Click to zoom and look at our faces

At least we're so fast our feet don't touch the ground!

At around the 4 mile mark I told Lauren to go ahead. I was dying a slow death. Once I slowed about :30 per mile the cramps turned from knife-like stabs to bludgeon-like aches. And it started moving to both sides. My heart rate was high, and I couldn't get my breathing down due to the cramps. I suppose my posture was off as well because my back started cramping. I was able to fix my back by frantically punching myself between the shoulders. I think I gave a few spectators some good laughs.

And, can we please talk about the weather? The rain was relentless. The intersections were full of water up to your ankles, and the wind blew the rain sideways at points. I kept trying to tuck behind guys to get a break from the wind, but realized it was futile as the wind kept changing. The 9 mile point went right by my house. I kept thinking I could just tuck inside for a bit, but then reminded myself the point of this race was to teach myself suffering so I soldiered on.

The low point of the race was when my mental math failed me and I thought the 15k was the 10 mile mark. I apologize to all racers around me when I got to the next mile sign, expecting it to read "11", saw "10" and uttered "you've got to be f'ing kidding me!" a little too loudly for my own good. It was at this point that I just fell apart. My hamstrings, which had been sore all week and requiring daily massaging, had enough. Mid-stride one seized and I was reduced to walking. A few spectators and racers tried to encourage me by saying "c'mon, only 2 miles to go!" but all I could think was "no, you're wrong. It's at least 2.5 miles" (and we all know that .5 mile makes all the difference!) I walked for about 30 seconds or so, then ran for a few more minutes until my hamstring seized again. I also started to experience nausea, which was weird for me since I wasn't exerting myself too hard and it wasn't hot. I heard a guy right behind me retch and then the sound of his vomit splattering on the cement. Joyous.

I continued this run until cramping, walk 30 seconds for the remainder of the race. I crossed the finish line, not feeling sad, not feeling mad, not feeling happy...not really feeling anything.

Dr. C finished a few minutes later and we headed back to the VIP section for some mimosas, food, and oh, of course...more rain.

About 2 hours after the race I started to get one of my mega-migraines. I used to get migraines when I was teenager, and was on a slew of meds for it, but had a few years migraine-free in my early 20s. Now they are coming back with a vengeance and it seems after every super hard effort I get them. Apparently I'm not alone. I've thought it was dehydration or blood sugar related, but have played around with those causes and it seems not to be the case. The only thing I'm left with is that it's caused by an elevated (170+) HR for an extended period of time. Anyone wanna weigh in on this?

Oh, and in case you're wondering, I signed up for more punishment with Lauren. This week we have a track date. Bring. it. on.

A bicycle built for two

2011-08-06T13:39:00.000-10:00

The more time I spend here in Rhode Island, the more this charming little state is growing on me. It took me awhile to get used to the vast difference between this state and Hawaii, but I think I'm starting to warm up to it. Case in point: today. It was such an idyllic day. Since Dr. C's mom is still in town, we decided to take a day trip out to Block Island. Located about 13 miles off the coast of Rhode Island, Block Island is 9.7 miles of pure charm. It's got great coastline, nice beaches, and is just your quintessential New England beach town. Although there is an airport, most people access the island via the ferry, which leaves from Point Judith and is about an hour trip. The ferry is pretty large and affords a lot of great people watching opportunities!

We decided to rent bikes to tour the island and I squealed with glee when I saw they had tandem bikes. After pleading and pleading Dr. C gave in and we chose our bike. We rented our bikes from a highly reputable (cough cough) company that was run by a group of Russians. Four miles in we learned our brakes didn't exactly work and that our gears didn't shift because the rear derailleur cable had been cut. Regardless of the sub-par cycling conditions we still had a blast.

Setting off on our maiden voyage

Getting the hang of this thing...

Reading the map while Dr. C steers!

But alas, my navigation skills are lacking so we stop...

The sweet ride that Dr. C's mom got

Some of the picturesque coastline

The lighthouse on the northern coast

Dr. C taking a break while I do all the work

If you haven't ever tried out a tandem bike, I highly recommend you do! I had a blast and we were laughing the whole time as we tried to keep it balanced. It requires a lot of trust since the front person controls the steering and the brakes, and also requires good communication since you both have to decide when to pedal and when to free wheel. Sure, people were laughing at us the whole day (even making comments like "see, she makes him do all the work") but deep down they were jealous of our sick ride. I think triathlons need a tandem division!

Flashback Friday: The $150 pit stop mistake

2011-08-05T03:53:00.000-10:00

This post was originally published on August 30, 2010. My family still laughs about it. Dr. C still laughs about it. From now on I always carry TP with my when I run.

Okay guys, this may go down as the most embarrassing blog story in Frayed Laces history. I wasn't planning on telling you, but I realized that my blog was initially started as a no-holds-barred way for me to share all the details of my training, so it wouldn't be right for me to not share this mistake. Why am I hesitant to share? Well, first of all it's horribly embarrassing, but secondly it also makes me look like a huge idiot.

After my conference in Ireland I was spending a week with Dr. C in Atlanta (can you believe we've made this long-distance thing work for 8 months already?). I was supposed to take a direct flight from Dublin to Atlanta but my original flight was oversold and they were offering $1000 flight vouchers for people to give up their seats. So I did, and got rerouted through JFK on business class and arrived in Atlanta 5 hours later. But this has nothing to do with my story, so let me continue...

Due to jetlag I woke with a start in the darkness and prodded at a sleepy Dr C until he stirred. "Babe are you awake?" He responded with "mmm". "Great! Let's go running!" "It's still dark out," he murmured from beneath a pillow. "But, it's a nice temperature to go running...pleeeeeease?" He rolled over to see me sitting upright and bouncing up and down. "Sigh...okay, let me grab my shoes. You're not kidding when you say you're a morning person."

We headed out for a quick 7 miler to jumpstart my travel-laden legs. The sun began to rise, and it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day. I was happier than a clam--out for a morning run with my sweetie by my side. What could go wrong?

Suddenly I needed to make a pit-stop. "Uhh, babe...you go ahead. I need to make a pit stop". I found a secluded area and scanned for some big leaves. I saw what I thought was a tree and grabbed a handful of leaves in the hazy dawn light.

The scene of the crime

The "tree" leaves I grabbed

After the stop I felt much better, and bounded home

Fast forward 48 hours. I'm watching reruns of Top Gear on the couch when suddenly I jump up. "What the....I think a mosquito just bit my buttcrack!" I went into the bathroom and saw a huge welt spreading. I tend to react badly to mosquitoes, so didn't think anything of it. The next morning it was worse. It proceeded to get worse, spreading in area, swelling up, and causing me the most intense itching I have ever experienced. I was up all night long in agony. Dr. C was worried. I was worried. Did I catch some sort of beasties in Ireland?

After 4 days of agony I decided to go to an urgent care clinic. I had no idea what I had. I proceeded to give the doctor my whole story: I'm a triathlete, just got back from Ireland, am getting over a raging cold....blah blah blah. He asks "did anything abnormal come in contact with that skin area?" Then it hit me. The leaves. Oh my God the leaves. The doctor said I had a severe case of contact dermatitis that had also triggered some sort of infection in the area. He put me on steroids to control the reaction and antibiotics to control the infection. I hate taking meds. The last time I took antibiotics I was in college. But when your butt is on fire, it's no time to eschew medication. I walked out with the pills and a $150 medical bill.

On the way home I made Dr. C drive by the scene of the crime so we could figure out what I'm allergic to. My Dad has a PhD in plants so I wanted to take photos to have him ID the leaves. I took pictures of the plant at a distance and up close, showing him the front and backside of the leaves.

Hmm...they look different now than they did at 5am

I sent him the pictures and a few minutes later got a call from him. "Daughter, I hate to tell you this, but that's poison ivy." "WHAAAAAAT?" I screamed, "Poison Ivy? But that doesn't look at all like the poison ivy you taught us to avoid as kids". "Well that's because I always scanned the woods and killed it before the plants got too big" he explained. He then said it's not uncommon for the stem diameters to get up to 3 inches. "I can't believe you picked the worst plant in North America to wipe!"

That was Friday. It is now Monday. I still have a bad reaction. I can't sleep through the night. Running is doable as long as I mentally block out the fact that with each step it feels like 10 mosquitoes are biting my butt crack. I want to scratch. Oh how I want to scratch. But I don't really want to be that chick who scratches her butt in public. The doc says it will take at least a week to heal. Until then I have a reminder of my stupid mistake.

So guys, don't be like me and pick the worst plant in North America to wipe. Remember, "leaves of three, let it be."

What an Ironman Triathlete (Really) Eats

2011-07-31T14:16:00.000-10:00

Although I blog about a lot of things, one thing I've never done is post a food diary. There's a good reason for that. You see, right before I got into running, I had a big issue with food. As a child and a teenager I had a pretty healthy relationship with food, but something happened almost overnight in my early 20's. It was pretty bad. I would limit myself to 800-1000 calories a day and obsessively log every calorie I ate in this little tiny purple notebook I carried everywhere. I was so, so stupid, and so, so vulnerable. It was during this time that I started reading so called "healthy eating" blogs--the kind where people posted photos of what they ate. Seeing how little those "healthy eaters" ate made me more subconscious about what I ate. I remember when one of those bloggers trained for a marathon and in a Q&A someone asked her how much more she ate now that she was running so much. She replied that she just adds nuts to her oatmeal. Now I see how ridiculous her reply was, but back then I was so impressionable. When I started to pick up running I ate more, but still was very conscious of my calorie intake. The result? Amenorrhea for 9 months and a fractured pelvis in my first marathon.

It was during my recovery that I started to change my attitude about food. I am not a skinny triathlete and I've never been. Even when I was amenorrheic I looked healthy and had normal weight and body fat. Compared to many competitors in my age group I am quite hefty. I am 5' 6" and weigh about 138 pounds. But most of my heft is muscle. My body does a pretty good job at regulating my caloric intake. I no longer log calories, which is an amazing feeling. I am proud to say that since I stopped my disordered eating nonsense I have been injury free.

I've had several requests lately to share what I eat. Although I stopped reading "healthy eating" blogs during my recovery period, I took a peek this week at a smattering of them on the internet. It both infuriates me and saddens me to see what some people are eating in relation to their activity level. Why? Because they either 1) have the world's smallest basal metabolic rate; 2) are too restrictive with what they eat and are setting themselves up for injuries and health problems; or 3) are lying about what they eat. Any athlete reading those blogs and comparing what they eat to their activity level would feel like a big fat slob (at least, that's how I feel). Now, before I continue, let me save myself a lot of hate mail and say that there are many healthy eating blogs out there that are just that: all about healthy eating. And yes, everyone's metabolic rates are different. Maybe I just require a lot more calories than the average athlete (although I doubt it). If I am wrong about my opinion of some of the "healthy eating" blogs then I will take back all my words and eat them with a side of fries.

So why am I posting my food intake? Because I eat. I eat a lot. I also train a lot. But right now I have a perfect balance of calories in and calories out. My weight has been stable for over a year. I have my period (for some reason a lot of people have been searching for "Frayed Laces Period"). I'm healthy and strong. I think it's important to show how much food is needed to properly fuel your body for endurance athletics. I also think it's important to dispel the myth that triathletes can eat burgers for every meal and still be rail-thin. I try to eat healthy, but as you can see am far from perfect (cough, chocolate, cough, french fries). To be as authentic as possible I decided to document three days of food. This week was 18.5 hours of training, which is a pretty typical week. I also promised myself that under no circumstances would the fact I was documenting my food influence my food choices. I wanted to keep this as real as possible.

Although I'm sure many people will give their opinions on my caloric intake or food choices, I'm not seeking your approval or disapproval. It's not the most perfect diet, but it's a real diet. A real diet by a real(ish) athlete. So, for your voyeuristic pleasure, I present...

What a triathlete (really) eats:

Day One: Friday: 2 mi swim, 10 mile road race

Breakfast:

Three cups coffee with soymilk

One Milkybar button (like a giant white chocolate chip, eaten because Dr. C shoved it in my face and said "try this" at 6:30am)

Green smoothie: 1c soymilk, 1 banana, bunch of kale

Crispix cereal and soymilk

Lunch:

Grilled kafta salad from East Side Pockets in Providence. Full of meat, full of hummus, full of tahini. Oh, yes.

Two Thornton's chocolate truffles

Post-Swim:

During the race:

After the race: (not pictured: one bunch of grapes and one bunless hotdog at the finish)

Dinner:

Quinoa with olive oil, salt and parmesan cheese. Yellow and green zucchini

Day Two: Saturday: Run 13.6 miles

Breakfast:

Kix cereal with soymilk

Rice cakes with 2 eggs, ketchup and a banana

During Run: Mandarin Orange GU
Post-Run:

GU Recovery Brew and Electrolyte Tabs

Three rice cakes (addicted to them!)

Grapes (this bunch was full before I ate them all)

Lunch:

Lunch out: Irish ham, eggs and Fries

Snack:

Frozen banana/soymilk/peanut butter popsicle

Dinner:

Lettuce wraps with turkey, tomato, and mayo.

Two bowls of honey nut gluten free Chex

Gin and Tonic

Mug of chocolate frozen yogurt

Day Three: Sunday: Run 3 miles, Swim 2 miles, Bike 90 miles

Pre-Run/Swim: GU Peach Tea Chomps

Breakfast/Pre-Ride: Not pictured since I was in such a rush! 3/4 c dry oats and 1/4c raisins soaked in soymilk overnight (since I was too lazy to cook them), 1 cup coffee

During ride: 1000 calories of GU products, 4 Salt Pills

Post-Ride (mid afternoon): GU Recovery Brew, GU Electrolyte tabs, and...

Three rice cakes with mayo (yum....mayo....) and ham

Spinach and balsamic vinegar

1.5 frozen bananas blended with 1.5 cups of soymilk

Cherries

Dinner:

Chicken Burrito Bowl from Chipotle with (gasp!) sour cream

Some tortilla chips

The leftover filling from Dr. C's burrito

A Thornton's chocolate truffle

Frozen yogurt

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what I eat in a three-day period. No wonder my pantry is always bare...

Race Report: Narragansett Blessing of the Fleet 10 mile road race

2011-07-30T02:36:00.000-10:00

Yesterday I did my first road race since December 2009. Yup, I can't believe it's been that long either. I've been so focused on triathlon I gave up on my first love! But when Dr. C asked me if I wanted to do a local 10 mile road race, I had to say yes. The race? The 10-mile Narragansett Blessing of the Fleet road race. It's a local race that has about 4,000 participants and is a yearly tradition here in Rhode Island.

I knew I was going to do this race purely for fun and at a training pace. I did a two mile swim right before the race, and my goal was to keep my heart rate under 160 and my pace slower than 7:45 for the race. I was actually looking forward to not having to "race" a race. It's been a long, long time since I did an event purely for enjoyment.

Before the race, I ran into a long-time Frayed Laces reader, strugglepants (aka Sarah). It was so nice to finally meet her after all these years! And this awesome chicka just had a baby 4 months ago. I'm in awe that she's back to running 10 miles! Sarah, you're an inspiration!

At the last minute, I asked Dr. C if he would run with me. He has an injury that has been on and off lately, and he was planning on running slower than me. I told him that I would stick to whatever pace he wanted and that I wanted to run the race with him, regardless of time. His mom snuck a photo when we were discussing the race:

We made our way through the crowds and positioned ourselves at the starting line.

And then, we were off!

See my leg and front half of me all the way on the right?

See Dr. C in the blue shirt?

This race was so much fun. Maybe it was because I was running it for fun, but this race had unbelievable crowd support. Families lined the roads and had parties to cheer on the runners. I high-fived young kids whenever I had the chance. Dr. C and I got to have small talk as we ran, and it was really nice to be able to run alongside him.

The course itself was beautiful. It ran along the ocean, then curved up through a wooded section. It felt like the whole race was downhill, too. Dr. C told me we had one long gradual uphill at the beginning, but the continual downhill at the end was awesome. Because we started out conservatively, we passed people the whole race. We kept having to slow down to keep my pace where I wanted. It was hard to fight the urge not to race, but it also felt good to do a race without hurting!

Some of the crowd support

At mile 8, we were surprised by Dr. C's mom alongside the course. I wanted to stop for a photo-op, but Dr. C wanted to keep going:

Before we knew it, we were approaching the finish. The crowds were amazing! Dr. C picked up the pace and we finished strong and crossed the line around 1:17:30. According to my Garmin we ran a 7:42 pace and my heart rate was 160---perfect zone and perfect pacing for a training run. And the best part? A kiss from my sweetie at the end.

All in all, I have to say this was an amazing race. First of all, it was an incredible deal. It cost $30 to enter and you got a technical tee, full course closure, aid stations every half mile, and a huge spread of food at the finish. The whole town was so supportive of the race and it was just an awesome experience. Thank you so much to the Narragansett Lions club for putting on such a memorable race!

Swimming Etiquette

2011-07-29T04:02:00.000-10:00

The first time I hit the pool, I was terrified. To me, the lanes were foreign territory. Just like entering a new country, the residents within seemed to move about with their own set of customs. Arms arched overhead in a fluid, rhythmic manner. Bodies somersaulted and twisted with each flip turn. Even the language was different: IM, desc, pull buoy, circle swim. As a non-swimmer, I felt intimidated. What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to not do?

Over the years, I'm learned quite a few of the pool customs. I've also witnessed some pretty serious breaches of pool etiquette. If you're a swimmer, or considering taking the plunge, heeding these rules will help foster positive swimmer relations. Besides, the last thing you want to be is THAT person at the pool.

Before you enter the pool:

Swim attire
Men: Can you pull off a speedo? Are you really sure? If you have any doubt whatsoever, the answer is likely no. And just because you can still fit into your speedo from high school doesn't mean you should wear it. I'm all for hydrodynamics, but might I suggest a pair of jammers instead? And anything flesh colored? I don't even need to explain why that is ten kinds of wrong.

Women: Chlorine degrades swimsuits overtime. This results in a thinning of the fabric. Thin fabric means see-through. And although I'm sure your breasts are fabulous, they don't need to be put on display for all the members at the YMCA. So do yourself and everyone a favor: nipple check your suit periodically.

Hygiene
Some states have laws requiring showering before entering the pool. All states should. It's definitely swimmer etiquette that you shower before entering the pool. If you don't emerge from the locker room wet, everyone will notice. Give a quick rinse before you jump in.
Swim cap
Ever be mid-lap and have a floating hair get stuck across your face? It happens to me at least once every swim and is my biggest pet peeve. Ladies: wear a swim cap! Not only will it make you a faster swimmer, but it also keeps your hair on your head and out of everyone's lane.
Band-aids
Finding a band aid in a pool is gross. If you must wear a band-aid to the pool, make sure it's one of those heavy-duty waterproof types. Remember: swimming is kind of like backpacking: leave no trace behind.

When you get to the pool

Lane selection
Most pools have unwritten rules about which lanes are for what type of swimming. This is so the 1:10 100m sprinters don't share lanes with the aqua aerobics ladies. Usually there are slow, medium, and fast lanes. Slow lanes are usually for the floaters. Medium lanes are usually for most swimmers. If you can swim sub 1:30 100s (or even slower, depending on the pool) you can probably go in the fast lane. But keep in mind: there are always people who think they “own” a certain lane. If you're new, just go with the flow. The best thing to do is ask the lifeguard which lane is best to swim in when you arrive.
Sharing a lane
What do you do if all the lanes are full? Well, if there is only one person in a lane you share. Typically that involves splitting the lane. If there's already two people in the lane, typically you switch to circle swim (all swimmers swim counter clockwise). If you want to share a lane with someone, go stand by the end of the lane. Usually the person will see you and move over. If they stop, simply ask “mind if I share the lane with you? Which side do you prefer?”. If the person doesn't see you, sit on the edge of the pool and dangle your feet in the water. Now, some of you may disagree with my next statement, but I personally believe you should never just jump into a lane while a swimmer is mid-set. Many times I have been in the middle of hard sets and flip turned right into someone who wanted to share my lane. I have waited up to 5 minutes sometimes to get permission to share a lane. I'm okay with waiting. I'm not okay with disrupting someone's swim set or having someone disrupt mine. If I have a particularly long interval that day, I'll make sure I go ahead and only swim in half a lane so someone can easily jump in without disrupting my set. But there is no excuse for ruining someone's 100s just because you can't wait a few minutes for them to stop swimming.
Speaking of 100s, never, ever, EVER try to talk to someone when they are clearly mid-set. A quick “good morning” is always nice, but don't take their 10 second rest period as an opportunity to discuss politics or weather. I consider myself a pretty nice person, but if you try to talk to me mid set I will ignore you.
Never give unsolicited swim advice. I can't tell you how many times people have tried to “correct” my swim form. It's all been unsolicited, and it's all been bad advice. I may not be breaking any swim records, but I consider myself a fairly decent triathlete swimmer. I have spent thousands of hours on my form and feel downright offended when someone tries to “correct” me. If I want swim advice, I'll turn to a professional.
Flip turns
Can't do em? So what? Some of the best swimmers I've seen don't do flip turns. Flip turns are great for fast swimming in a pool, but they don't help you out in triathlon. So if you're worried you will be the only person at the pool not doing flip turns, get over it. Personally I think the lifeguards get a good laugh out of my bastardized version of flip turns, but I don't care enough to work on them. So don't stress if you don't know how to do them

So, these are my tips on how to exercise proper swimmer etiquette. If you're intimidated by the swimming pool, don't be! Once you get a few key pieces of info down you're good to go.

Swimmers, what else am I missing? What are your swimming etiquette tips? Share below!

Who needs a Kona slot, anyways?

2011-07-26T02:59:00.000-10:00

Yesterday I decided to do some recon on my fellow Ironman Florida competitors. Last year, since I didn't have a Powertap, I went out too fast on the bike and blew up on the run. I still managed to finish in 10:46, but missed a Kona slot by exactly 2 minutes and finished 4th in my age group (they only gave out 2 slots in my age group). After the race, I decided I would try to reclaim that Kona slot at IMFL the following year. With the finishing times the past few years of competitors in my age group, I thought my goal was completely attainable.

That was until yesterday. There is some serious talent in my age group this year. One girl did her last Ironman at around 9:30. Another has a 4:40 half PR. Several others are sub 5:00 half. Talk about a blow. I'll be lucky if I even place top 5! Dr. C tells me that I shouldn't write myself off so soon, but let's face it. Unless some of these girls drop out I have zero chance of a slot. Zero.

Now, I know that Kona isn't the end-all-be-all. I know I should be happy with simply competing. But I can't help but feel a little sad. I only have one more year in this age group before I move up to the dreaded 30-34 bracket. That is where competition is insane. I kind of feel like this is my last chance of getting to go to Kona again. I also realize that once I get my PhD and start the academic career train that my opportunities for training will dwindle. So in a way I feel like this is my last shot. So I'm going to let myself feel a bit sad.

So, what does this mean for training for IMFL? Well, it doesn't affect training, but it means I need to shift my goals for race day. My family is coming down again, and I was hoping that they could all see me grab a Kona slot. Since they likely won't, I'm going to try to make it the best experience for them. I'm still going to train hard for the race and give it my all. Last year I had a great bike split and was almost alone in T2. The crowd support and energy was awesome. I'd love to have that front(ish)-of-the-pack feeling again. I want to make my family proud as they hear my name being called in T2 and as I cross the finish line. I want to know that I put my heart and soul into training and gave it everything I had. Regardless of my finish place, I want to finish with a huge smile on my face and celebrate my hard work with my family. Because after all, isn't that what it's all about?

How heat and humidity affect running performance

2011-07-24T04:33:00.000-10:00

This morning I struggled through a brutal 10 mile interval session. Although I started at 5:30am, I still couldn't escape the heat. Within minutes of my run I was soaked and shed my shirt. I managed to hit the paces on my intervals, but my heart rate was way higher than it should be. I mistakenly thought I'd find water fountains at the park, so I only had 16 oz of water during my entire run. By the end of my intervals I was dizzy and getting goosebumps. During my cooldown I couldn't get my heart rate below 165. I knew it was due to the heat and dehydration, but as soon as I got home and cleared my tunnel vision I decided to do some research to figure out exactly what happens to your body when you run in heat and humidity.

As we all know, our body's main way of getting rid of excess heat is through sweat. When your sweat evaporates from your skin it takes excess heat along with it. This is part of the reason why you should avoid wiping sweat from your body while exercising. By wiping away the sweat, you essentially slow down or eliminate your body's natural cooling mechanism. If you want to cool down, embrace the sweat!

In order for our cooling system to work properly, it is important that we are hydrated. Let me state the obvious: when you sweat, your body loses water. As you become more and more dehydrated, your body has a harder time producing sweat. In some of the most dangerous and extreme cases of dehydration and heat illness, some athletes will stop sweating.

Although our body had evolved a pretty efficient mechanism for dealing with excess heat, it hasn't quite adapted to the incredible demands summer running puts on it. When the humidity is high, our cooling system doesn't work as well. Why? Pure physics, my friends. When the moisture level in the air is sky high, our sweat won't evaporate as quickly. Thus, humidity slows down our cooling system. Combine this with high temperatures when your body is producing excess heat and you're in for some trouble.

What kind of trouble? There are three kinds of heat related illnesses you should be concerned with: Heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Heat cramps are characterized by, as the name suggests, muscle cramping. This is likely fluid and electrolyte related. Heat exhaustion is characterized by a core temperature between 38 and 40.5 degrees Celsius (100.4 to 104.9 Fahrenheit) and is often accompanied by profuse sweating, dizziness, chills, sporadic "hot spots" on the body, headaches, nausea and irritability. The best remedy? Stop exercising, get out of the heat, and start rehydrating with an electrolyte-based liquid immediately. Heat stroke is characterized by a core temperature that rises over 40.5 degrees Celsius (104.9 Fahrenheit), which is the temperature at which damage to body tissues begins. This is considered a highly dangerous condition. Symptoms include a cessation of sweating, moderate to severe mental impairment, and unconsciousness. If these symptoms happen to you or your training partners, call 911 immediately. Mortality from heat stroke can exceed 10%.

Now that I've scared the bejezus out of you, what can you do to avoid these heat illnesses? The first thing is to be a responsible runner. Pay attention to the heat and humidity. Most people think it is just the heat you need to worry about, but in fact it's a combination of heat and humidity. This chart from NOAA shows the danger level according to heat and humidity.

You probably want to monitor your local temperatures and humidities closely. Sometimes first thing in the morning may not be the best time to run. For example, here in Providence it can be 80%+ humidity in the morning but drop to 30% mid-day. If it's not one of the 100+ days, it may be better to wait and run when it's drier out. My favorite weather site is weatherspark.com. You can track the historic humidity and temperature levels according to hour and see predicted levels for upcoming days. My monitoring temperature and humidity you can pick the best time of the day to run.

But how does this heat and humidity affect performance? It seems that most of the decrement in performance is linked with dehydration. For every 1% body mass that you're dehydrated your core body temperature can increase by 0.12 to 0.25 degrees Celsius (about 0.2 to 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit) and your heart rate will increase 3 to 5 beats per minute. Likely every one of you achieves at least this dehydration level in your runs. One fluid ounce of water= 1 weighted ounce, and sweat loss averages between 16 and 64 oz per hour for athletes. Say you're a moderate sweater who weighs 140 lbs and sweats about 40 oz per hour. You head out for a 90 minute run and carry one 16 oz handheld. By the end of your run you've lost 60 oz of fluid through sweat and consumed 16. That means your net loss is 44 oz, which equates to 2.75 lbs. By the end of your run you've lost 2% of your body weight through dehydration. You can expect your heat rate to be 6 to 10 beats per minute higher for a given pace. Additionally, a loss of 2% body mass through dehydration can affect cognitition, so you may get the smart idea to run a few extra miles at the end of your run when you're already on the verge of heat exhaustion.

So, it's not that heat directly affects your performance, but it's rather a cascade of events. First, it's hot. Your body temperature rises. To compensate, you start to sweat. If it's humid out, your sweat isn't evaporating quickly so your body temperature rises more. Then you sweat more. The more you sweat, the more water you lose. The more water you lose, the more your body temperature increases. (A vicious cycle, no?) Your heart rate increases. So, although you might be running the same pace as during a cooler run, it feels as if you're running much harder. To compensate, you slow down.

Although not scientific by any means, legendary runner guru Jeff Galloway created his own performance adjuster based on heat. You can expect your race pace to slow by the following amounts according to temperature (he doesn't mention where humidity fits into this, however):

55-60 degrees: 1% drop in pace
60-65 degrees: 3% drop in pace
65-70 degrees: 5% drop in pace
70-75 degrees: 7% drop in pace
75-80 degrees: 12% drop in pace
80-85 degrees: 20% drop in pace
Above 85 degrees: run for fun

It's hot out there. We all know it. We also know that it's making it incredibly difficult to get quality training in. Despite the heat, you can get solid training in this summer. Knowing how and why heat and humidity affect your performance is the first step. Monitoring the heat and humidity and timing your run is the second step. Paying attention to hydration is the final step. If you can master all these steps, your summertime runs will get a lot easier. It's hot out there, guys. Stay smart and stay cool.

Sources:
Armstrong, L.E., Casa, D.J., Millard-Staffor, M., Moran, D.S., Pyne, S.W. and Roberts, W.O. 2007. Exertional heat illness during training and competition. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 39: 556-572.

Casa, D.J., Stearns, R.L., Lopez, R.M., Ganio, M.S., McDermott, B.P., Walker Yeargin, S., Yamamoto, L.M., Mazerolle, S.M., Roti, M.W., Armstrong, L.E., and Maresh, C.M. 2010. Journal of Athletic Training. 45: 147-156.

Coris, E.E., Ramirez, A.M., and Durme, D.J.V. 2004. Heat illness in athletes: the dangerous combination of heat, humidity and exercise. Sports Medicine. 34: 9-16.

Galloway, J. Tips archives: seasonal running. retrieved from
http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/tips_archives/seasonal.html.

Grandjean, A.C., and Grandjean, N.R. 2007. Dehydration and cognitive performance. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. 26: 5495-5545.

Flashback Friday: My First Triathlon

2011-07-22T01:07:00.000-10:00

This is the race report from my first triathlon, the Honolulu Sprint Triathlon. This was originally posted on May 20, 2008. It's really fun to see how much progress I've made in this sport since then! For example, my warmups now are essentially the paces I raced at back in 2008. Just goes to show that hard work does pay off. So those of you who are just starting out, keep working hard and you'll improve by leaps and bounds!

When I woke for my first Triathlon, I was very unprepared. I was on four hours of sleep, a belly full of meat from a friend's going away bash, and had hastily thrown together my race bag the night before. My past week had been nothing short of chaotic, and the fact that I felt so unprepared for my triathlon made my bowels quiver. Even though I hadn't touched alcohol in days, I was so dehydrated from being in the sun at work the day before that I felt hungover. To top things off, I had misaligned my bike brake in haste to check in my bike in the last few minutes of bike check-in the night before, so I knew I needed a bike mechanic STAT. So, I was a little, umm, on edge the morning on my first Tri. As soon as Boyfriend dropped us off (his sis was participating, too) I raced to the transition area to get my bike fixed. Luckily the mechanic fixed it in about 10 mins, and I spent the rest of the time rearranging my transition area. Eventually I settled on a good configuration, then had to exit the transition area two hours before my wave started. Since the Olympic distance was before the sprint, I had a lot of bathroom time, err, waiting around time before my wave lined up on the beach. Finally, at 7:40, they called the women to the beach. My already racing heart was beating even faster because they had traditional drums and chanting on the beach as we lined up. Boyfriend managed to snap some great photos. Don't let the smile deceive you; I felt like I was about to puke.

Once the gun went off, I beelined it for the edge of the pack and ran as far as I could into the water. I went out strong, and was towards the front edge of the pack until the turn-around. I need to be way more aggressive in the water. Women started thrashing into me and instead of holding my ground, I backed off. I even popped up my head to see about 20 girls go flying past. Damn! I thought as I tried to cover ground. Towards the end of the swim I realized other swimmers were losing steam, and I managed to make up for some lost ranking. I emerged feeling refreshed and full of energy.

The transition area was discombobulating. Despite making note dozens of times where my rack was before the race, I lost about 30 seconds trying to find my rack. It's amazing how one short swim can confuse you. I was also surprisingly calm in the transition area; my brain went on autopilot and I slowed down to make sure I didn't forget anything. I rinsed my feet, put on socks and my cycling shoes, helmet, sunglasses, race belt, started the garmin, grabbed my bike, and was off!

I certainly made up for lost time on my bike. I did not get passed by a single person and felt like I was flying past everyone. I never felt winded, and in retrospect could have pushed it a lot more. I think I had a huge smile on my face for the whole ride, and the time flew by. Here's me coming out of the bike and into the second transition:

And here's an awesome paparazzi-style photo of me transitioning to the run care of Boyfriend:

Went I first went out on the run, I felt great and was flying. I thought I was going really slow, only to look down at Gar and see 7:10 miles. Holy Crap! Better slow down!

That feeling quickly faded after the first quarter mile. For the next half mile I was blessed with agonizing shin splints. When those faded my legs felt like they weighed 100 pounds each. For the rest of the run, it felt unnatural. Typically I only have to think about keeping pace during races. For the 5k portion I had to remind myself: lift leg, move leg forward, put leg down, repeat. It was very surreal, and everything went into super-slow motion. This picture was taken at mile 3, right before I nearly fell apart.

Just a few hundred yards later, I was met with excruciating stomach cramps in the middle of my stomach. I tried to breathe through them, but it was definitely not working. As much as I wanted to keep pace I had to slow down significantly, and sadly watched as the distance between me and the girl in front grew longer and longer. When there was about 400 yards left I noticed I was catching up to her. Knowing that she was in the sprint race (we had different numbers than the Olympic distancers) I decided to go balls-to-the-wall to get one more place ahead. I sprinted all out towards the finish, ending strong amidst the cheers of Boyfriend and family, 3 seconds ahead of the other woman.

When I crossed the finish, I was overcome with emotion and started tearing up, which is highly unusual for me. Once that girliness subsided, I directed my feelings about finishing to my dear, dear Pele:

After I celebrated her properly, I waited around for Boyfriend's sister to finish the Olympic. I made sure to stretch properly, since I had been experiencing pretty strong hamstring and hip pain all week. Boyfriend snapped this on the sly, but for some reason I think this photo is kinda cool:

Oh, so you wanna know how I did, huh? Well.....

Yup. That's right. 2nd place female overall. Swim: 8:29. Bike: 33:15, Run: 26:48. Total time: 1:13:32. I can't even begin to tell you how great this feels.

Roommates

2011-07-18T10:52:00.000-10:00

Don't get me wrong...I LOVE living with Dr. C this summer. But there's just something about female roommates. And Dr. C never greets me like this:

Video backstory: My roommate was about to work on a video for a class she's taking, and was rolling right when I came home one day. She found this while she was cleaning up some files last week. This is an honest-to-goodness real video. We greet each other like this everyday!

Morbid Thoughts on the Bike

2011-07-18T02:35:00.000-10:00

I have a problem. It involves lots of morbid thoughts on the bike. And not just thinking of them, but playing out morbid scenarios in incredible detail. You'd think, after years of cycling without major incident, I'd be over these thoughts. But every ride I think about impending doom. As you'll read below, I try to joke about it, but the reality is that I think about it all the time. You'll hear more about these thoughts later in this post. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this, especially if any of my readers are psychologists!

This weekend I had the best training weekend to date in New England. No, I didn't go any spectacular distances or paces, but I actually had fun! While Dr. C and I were driving down to Narragansett for my ocean swim, I was bemoaning donning the wetsuit on twitter. I got this response from Jamie:

And it got me thinking. Even before my disastrous race last weekend, I've been hating most of my training here. Chances are my negative attitude is interfering with my training. So I made a vow. No more negativity. My goal for the week is to be as positive as possible with my outlook on training. And you have every right to call me out on it if I slip up.

Once we got to the beach, I tried to maintain that positive attitude. I was nervous; you guys know how much I despise wetsuit swimming. I planned for a 30 min swim but ended up swimming for 45 minutes. I actually liked it! The water was a lot warmer than a few weeks ago and my wetsuit didn't feel as tight (losing weight perhaps?) . The water was clear-ish and I sliced through the water with ease. After the swim I headed out for a quick 5 mile run and ran through a fishing town and onto one of the cutest communities I've ever seen, Great Island. It was a pretty awesome way to spend a Saturday morning!

Sunday I wanted to get a ride in, so I headed out on my bike and had Dr. C meet me partway via bike/car. We wanted to ride down to Newport. I wasn't sure about the road conditions. Via the magic of the internet, I learned that you can legally ride your bike on one bridge, the Mount Hope Bridge. It says, however, that "even advanced cyclists should use extreme caution." Since I wasn't sure what that meant, I wanted Dr. C to cross with me. How was it? Pah! Piece of cake! There was plenty of room and all the cars were very courteous. After the ride I found this shot on the internet that shows how much room a cyclist would have:

The roads the rest of the way down to Newport were a cyclist's dream: bike lane most of the way and relatively good condition. We hammered down to Newport and then did some easy riding to tour the town and see the mansions:

We stopped to refuel with a mocha and banana and have a photo-op:

And then hammered the rest of the way home.

But now, onto the title of this post. While we were refueling, Dr. C tapped at my RoadID. I replied "It's so when I get hit by a car and my head splatters everywhere they know to call my Mom and Dad. And then they'll call you." Then, being a girl and not knowing when to stop, I asked him "What would you do if that happened?" Dr. C knew that he was in a trap and that anything he said would be wrong so he replied "and I'd tell your Mom and Dad to give me your bike." I looked at him with a raised eyebrow and he said "I'd get your ashes, put them in a GU bottle, put that in your bike cage, and then hang your bike on the wall. So when you fall and your head splatters, make sure to fall away from your bike, k? I don't want any scratches on it."

All joking aside, I have these thoughts on the bike often. I think about what would happen if I got hit, how injured I would be, and how my friends and family would be alerted. I think about what would happen if I even was fatally injured. It happens almost every ride. Is this weird? Am I the only one who thinks this? Discuss!

Why all triathletes need engineer support crews

2011-07-15T02:25:00.000-10:00

Last week I was watching a PBS documentary titled "This Emotional Life". In it, there was a section on romantic relationships. A psychologist said that there are two main factors that successful couples have: 1) Showing an interest in the other's activities, and 2) Doing new activities or having experiences together.

I am a lucky, lucky girl. I have the most loving and supportive man in my life (and he hates it when I talk about him on the internet, so he's likely shaking his head right now if he's reading this). Dr. C is an enginerd, which means he's very, very logical. If you are even remotely familiar with me and my blog, you'll know that I'm about as illogical as they come. Sometimes I wonder how we get along together so wonderfully. But one thing's for sure: Dr. C takes a huge interest in triathlon and as supportive as they come. He deals with my obnoxious training schedule, my pre-race freakouts, and my rollercoaster of emotions after the races. And with each "Frayed Laces thing" he sacrifices his time and energy for, he continues to add "you will support me when I buy that old sportscar to restore" tokens to his personal piggybank.

The day before my last race, I realize I had a problem with my valve extension on my Zipp wheel. It wasn't sealing properly and I couldn't get the tire up to the correct pressure. We fiddled with it and I got very frustrated. I believe I ended the conversation promptly with "there's nothing at all we can do today so you might as well stop before you make it worse" (bitchy, yes, I am well aware).

When we went to the pre-race meeting, Dr. C disappeared. He came back smiling and holding up a potential solution. (Turns out we couldn't get it to work in time for the race, but what he bought can be used for future races).

Later that night my Garmin strap had big issues. The pin holding the clasp in kept coming out. While I began freaking out, Dr C got to work. He dug out all his watches and started seeing if any pins could be subbed out. We couldn't find an appropriate replacement pin, but he did manage to do some repairs to keep everything together for the race.

Knowing how I can be, he made me check his work and give it my okay. He then made me sign a waiver

The morning of the race, he dutifully followed my (up at 3am out the door by 3:30) policy. While I got my kit on and got lubed up, he helped make the essential pre-race coffee:

And then got all his "support" gear together. He looks like he's off on a triathlon expedition!

This is why I think we work so well: when I'm off in the middle of one of my freak-outs about something, Dr. C will just slip away and come up with a solution to my problem. This extends beyond triathlon and applies to everything in my life. Are we opposites? Hell yeah! He doesn't understand why I get upset about things and I don't understand why he doesn't get upset about things. I'm a breaker; he's a fixer. But somehow, we just work magically together. And with each passing day, he's that much closer to buying that old sportscar to restore...

Developing Mental Toughness in Running and Triathlon

2011-07-13T05:55:00.000-10:00

Think about your last great race. The race where you pushed yourself and transcended pain and your abilities. The race where you crossed the finish line and were amazed at your accomplishment. What was different between that race and your other races? Likely, it was mental strength.

Mental toughness. Mental strength. You hear athletes talk about it all the time. Kara Goucher, one of the best female runners of all time, has publicly shared her battle with mental toughness. When it comes to racing, our mind can be our biggest friend or our worst enemy.

But, how can we develop mental toughness to help us with racing? With physical training, it's quite easy to improve. If you want to get faster and develop more endurance you simply train for it. Tempo runs, intervals, drills, long endurance workouts...with consistent training you will get stronger over time. But how do you even start to train your mind? How do you increase your mental strength?

I'm certainly not a psychologist, and am definitely not the best example of mental strength, but I'm going to share some of the tips and tricks I've learned through my years of training and racing.

Strategies to Develop Mental Strength

1. During physical training, train your mind.

During workouts, tune into what's going on in your head. If you have a particularly hard workout (say, running speedwork) use this opportunity to push your mind. Think you can't go any faster? Shove all those thoughts aside and show your body that it's wrong. If your interval time is up, push it for a few more seconds.
Is the weather deplorable outside? Head out for a training session anyway. Occasional training sessions in bad weather can help increase your confidence in your abilities.

2. Seek out the company of others

Training with other athletes can be huge mental boost. You can both struggle together and help each other. Some of my best training sessions came when I said "I can't" but my training partners said "yes you can" and pushed me beyond my preconceived capabilities. If you train with someone who is right around your same ability, you can help push each other on rough days.

3. Measure your success

Throughout your training, it's important to keep a log. With a log you can document your improvement throughout your season. For example, I keep track of my running speedwork splits, my bike FTP, and my 100m swim times. Whenever I feel lousy about my training or racing, I look back on my log to see my improvement over the season.

4. Create a mental strategy for races

Sure, we make physical strategies for races, but how many of you make mental strategies? In long races and triathlons, there are lots of opportunities for things to go wrong. It's how you mentally handle setbacks that determine your success in the race. Try to anticipate things that could go wrong before a race and have strategies for handling them

5. Break larger races up into smaller segments

If you try to mentally tackle a larger race all at once, it can be overwhelming. Instead, break the race up into segments and create mental goals for each. For example, break a marathon up into 10k segments. In triathlon, break it up by discipline. Have a crummy swim time? Regroup, refocus, put the swim in the past, and set your mind on your bike.

6. Trust in your training

If things go badly in a race, think back to your training. Are you suffering on the run? Think about how you successfully completed tempo runs at the same level of pain. Think about all the training you put in. The sweat, the sacrifice. You ARE physically prepared for the race. Don't let your mind tell you otherwise.

7. Have a mantra

Before your race, come up with a mantra. Your mantra is your "go-to" word or phrase to help refocus your thoughts during your race. A few years ago when I qualified for Boston, my phrase was "DDYA" (Don't deny your awesomeness). Last year during my first Ironman attempt it was "There will be a day when you can no longer do this...today is NOT that day". Currently, my mantra is "No sissy moments". When you feel like you start to lose it mentally in a race, say your mantra and it can help you refocus your thoughts on the goal.

If you adopt some of these mental strategies, you can help increase mental toughness and decrease mental breakdowns in racing. Sure, we can't always have perfect races, but if we all work on developing mental strength we can make sure we have less of the bad races. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some mental conditioning to get to...

Amica Providence 70.3 Race Report (or How I tried to quit twice but Dr. C wouldn't let me)

2011-07-11T01:39:00.000-10:00

Ugh. How do I even begin to write a report on a race that went so incredibly wrong? Let's start out by how I'm feeling. Muscle-wise, I feel great. My body isn't even as sore as after a typical training weekend. Mentally, I'm pissed, embarrassed, and defeated. I know that I had it in me to bust out a sub-5 hour 70.3 (in hindsight this probably wasn't the best course for that) but ended up crossing the finish at a whopping 5:17:29, and spent a total of 10 minutes whining to Dr. C on the side of the run course (and then walking all the aid stations and hills after that in protest). If I hadn't have stopped, I certainly would have had a PR. I probably would have gone under 5:05. I may have even placed in my AG. But I did none of the above, because I mentally wasn't in the race. I turned into a big, blathering, inexcusable sissy. And here's how it all went down:

The Swim

I think this is what started my mind games. Last year at Honu I did a 34:50. Not too good, but not too bad. I have been working my ass off on the swim. At Kona I swam a 1:06. IMFL was a 1:04. Logic dictates I should be able to at least swim half as fast as that, right? Especially since I have been training, training, training on the swim. If it was a good swim I was hoping for 30:00. I would be happy with anything under 33:00. But I exited the water at 34:34. I was PISSED. But with our dinky swim wave, I couldn't get feet.

Our wave lining up at the beach

Our wave 30 secs out on the water

The fast women were off and the slow women were slow. In mass swim starts I have a lot more men to swim with around that time period. For comparison, I made two histograms of the swim times for women in my wave versus a wave of the men. The red arrow indicates where I SHOULD have swam.

As you can see, if it was a mass start I would have had a good number of men to be swimming with. Instead, the women spread out and I had no feet to find. (An excuse? Yes. But I'm allowed to make excuses)

(I'm the farthest dot exiting the water)

(Crossing the mat pushing my Garmin)

(Running by feeling highly irritated)

I exited the water frustrated at myself. I usually exit the water exhilarated and ready to bike. Transition was just dumb because I forgot to put in my bike bag and spent at least 10 seconds trying to explain to a volunteer that I forgot my bag and "can you please label these goggles as #1050?" (I never did get my brand new goggles back. Not a smart move).

The Bike
Usually I get goosebumps as soon as I get on the bike. It's my strength and my baby. Instead I spent the first 5 minutes going "WTF!" and moving 6 mph. My Garmin could not find my powertap. I should have pulled over and dealt with it, but I kept trying to keep pedaling and futzing with the Garmin. I had been training with power and needed it for the bike leg. If this was my A race I would have probably just kept on, but since I was using this for training purposes as well I wanted my power data. I finally got my Garmin to work, but by then was pretty irritated and probably wasted 3 mins of bike time.

Another thing that irritated me on the bike was the result of the wave start. The pros went off at 6:00. My wave went off at 6:45 (one of the last waves). The waves before me included women 45+ and men 55+. So, as you can imagine the whole ride was "on your left"! In mass starts I usually only have to pass people for the first 20 minutes or so and then settle in and relax as I enjoy the open road. But in this race there was no relaxing. Most of the course was open to traffic and all we had to ride in was a bike lane. You can imagine how hard it is trying to pass someone on a bike when a car is right next to you. Especially when (I don't mean to offend anyone, but it's the honest truth) the people I am passing are not strong, confident cyclists and don't keep a straight line. I had some close calls with the "weavers". There were even cars honking at athletes. Lame.

The thing that really did me in on the bike was the last 15 miles. There was one section that was a no-pass zone. At the race briefing they mentioned it was because it was "bumpy". I remember thinking to myself "ah, I ride on pretty shoddy roads in Hawaii. How bad can it be"? The answer? BAD. Worse than you can imagine. The whole road was full of potholes and bumpy roots sticking out. I'm not sure why the road was like this, but all I can say is that it was 100% not safe for a race and 100% not safe for the participants. I wouldn't even ride on that in training. There were ejected bike bottles everywhere. This went on for a mile or so. Once we emerged we were then treated to crossing 1/2 dozen or so railway crossings and twists and turns through neighborhoods. I remember praying for a flat tire in the last 5 miles so I could have an excuse to quit. I was miserable. This bike course made me hate cycling.

I pulled into T2 and was ready to quit. In my mind I told myself that if I wasn't having fun and wasn't anywhere close to my goal it was time to throw in the towel (lame, yes, but at the time I thought it was logical). I was going to quit at T2 but decided to run down to meet Dr. C and then quit there.

The Run
I got to where Dr. C was supposed to be but he wasn't there. Apparently he was stuck in the nightmare of spectator "shuttles" that the race poorly managed. So I kept running. My heart wasn't in it and my pace was pathetic. I was just jogging along. There was a beast of a hill almost a mile long and I cursed as I ran up it. I made the loop, and came back to the intersection at mile 4 expecting to find Dr. C and quit. No Dr. C. Now I was pissed. I thought "that boy is going to make me run a whole 6 miles before I quit?!? Bull!" So I jogged along. As I came back to the intersection at mile 6 he saw me and yelled "Yay! You're doing great!" I walked right up to him and said "Nope, I'm done. Let's go home." I'll never forget the look on his face. It was a look of utter disappointment. He tried to reason with me. I gave him the whole "I hate this course, I hate this race, it's making me hate triathlon and never want to do it again." I told him my toe hurt. I told him I wasn't going to make my goal so there was no point. I was getting irritated. A woman was trying to photograph me doing this and that was making me REALLY pissed. Dr. C told me that I trained so hard and it was stupid to quit. I don't remember what exactly went down but it ended 5 minutes later with me saying "fine, you really want me to keep going? Well, I'll go. But I'm gonna walk and I'm not going to have fun." Then I realized I was 47 minutes into the run with no gel so I downed a GU and was off.

Two miles later it happened again. I saw Dr. C, told him I was done. You could see he was walking a fine line between wanting to be supportive but also being pissed off. He told me (in nicer words) that I couldn't say the course was bullsh*t; it was just that the course beat me. He also told me that it's lame to give up just because I couldn't make my goal. I continued to sit there and argue with him. I took off my race belt. I asked him to take my slippers out of his backpack. I asked for my recovery drink, but he said we were going to get water for it at the finish so it was dry. I said "let's go find a volunteer so I can give them my chip." We argued for a few more minutes and I started walking to the volunteers to give them my chip. Dr. C then muttered something about his parents tracking me and I suddenly felt really guilty. I told him "I'm going. I want you to disappear. If I see you again I will quit. Go wait at the finish." So he did. I continued to walk the uphills (and some flat sections) and jogged along. It felt like an easy run. I just didn't have it in me to push. I finished, grabbed water, and lay on the ground brooding at myself and my behavior. Pathetic. Just Pathetic.

(Blue dot right above the M-dot at the finish)

After the race I found out I had the fastest bike split in my age group and the 8th fastest out of all the age group women. A guy in bike thanked me for the "awesome pacing" the first loop of the course. I told him that I was trying to quit and he basically told me I looked really strong and was moving at a great pace (Dr. C said the same). So I have nothing to blame for my shoddy performance other than myself. Things happened at the start of the race that threw me off and I just couldn't shake it. I've always believed that racing is 90% mental, and today was a testament to that.

So, what's next? Well, I'm not sure to be honest. I have another 70.3 in 6 weeks (Timberman) and have a lot of thinking to do before this race. One thing's for sure: I am never allowed to pull the sh*t I did yesterday ever again.