Jessica, a Austin Runner AND Triathlete

This is it...! My reflections on the Texas Ironman...and rambles.

2011-05-16T11:43:00.001-07:00

4 days left. In 5 days, i will be doing -and completing- my first (and hopefully not last) Ironman. 10 years ago it was kind of just this amazing dream or glimmer of wonder. 5 years ago it was a 'maybe one day I will go for it' and a year ago, I was freakin crying tears of worry and joy as I pressed enter and signed up for this damn thing at the tune of $500 or $600 dollars. I don't even remember anymore.

I can't tell you how relieved I am that the day "THE DAY" is almost here! 6+ months of my life and training have suddenly flown by and seriously scared the shit out of me in so many ways.

I remember at first wondering how much I would change. In 6 months, could I adjust to getting up at 5am everyday? Could I muster enough energy to work 8+ hours a day then work out another 2-3 hours? Could I find something inside myself to keep pushing after being on the bike for over 6 hours? Would I forget what all my friends looked like? Would I be able to ride my bike for fun? Would I forget how it felt to get wasted if I really wanted to?

The answers didn't come easy. I struggled for a few months in balancing the right amount of play and the right amount of rest, not to mention the right amount of training. I remember those nights I would go out and play and wake up with the hangover that made me sleep in 'just a few more hours' and would result in an ultra-punishing 3-4 hour bike trainer ride.

I remember night after night after night after night of telling friends I couldn't go out, or driving past my favorite watering holes with a hint of sadness in my eyes. seriously. Or waking up so early in the morning that I could tell my friends still hadn't come in from going OUT the PREVIOUS night. Or seeing the sun rise and sun set in the same day, and be working out BOTH TIMES. shit.

Then, somewhere in there, I forgot about how bad I wanted to continuing living 'that life.' It was almost like I became a new Jessica. It's almost like I moved on from living in the past. I think I stared seriously living in the present. Somewhere in there, I relished balancing work and play. Training got "easier;" I started to enjoy what I was doing. Who I was. What I was becoming.

Do I know who I became or what or anything like that? I don't even really know right now. I suppose this race will really tell me who I am. I mean, I am a pretty tough chick, but facing so many fears like open water swimming, going really fast on the bike and recovering from a serious running injury have taught me a thing or two over the past year and now I'm ready to show the world what I got, not to mention to show myself what I have got.

I can overcome anything. I can do things I can never thought possible. I can actually come to love anything I do that I put my mind and body to do. That things that were so important in the past are what fuel me to be stronger in the present and to keep reaching towards the future.

Yeah, I probably won't finish in the top 1/3 like I usually do in a usual sprint or olympic tri, but you know what? I'm doing a fucking Ironman. There are only 3 things I really want from this race when it's all said and done:

1) to finish and have FUN
2) to realize it's been an amazing journey and every sacrifice was completely worth it
3) a freakin IM tattoo, cause all the cool kids have one

see you all at the finish line on Saturday, around 10pm. I'm #155 and you can also track me here:
http://www.ironplan.net/event/ironman-texas-2011/
and here:
http://www.twitter.com/jealex

ROCK!

2011-05-09T12:13:00.000-07:00

CB&I Triathlon!

Was this past weekend! I actually had fun!

At first, putting this on my calendar 2 weeks before my IM, I was thinking "WHAT AM I THINKING?! COACH IS GOING TO BE MAD!"

but, he said it was fine, and it was the best thing I could have done for myself. Cried for a good 10 minutes pre-race...just getting all the race jitters out. Yeah, I cried. I figured this was a better day to cry than to do it Ironman morning!

Overall, I had an amazing race. best bike split I have ever had, 20.1/mph. Run was pretty decent too at a 7:44/mile average.

I am so so so ready for that IM. I can taste it. The next 10 days won't/will come fast enough.

Breakdown

2011-04-13T11:30:00.001-07:00

Had my first ironman-related meltdown yesterday. I mean--37 days! How can you not freak out!

Coming off of it...I realized I need to chill and relax. Breathe, smile and have fun.

As my wise tri-sage Sarah told me: "you can either laugh about it, or cry."

I cried then laughed. Much better.

37 days!

2011-03-06T19:42:00.000-08:00

I'm alive! yes, Ironman training is still ongoing!

Haven't had time to keep on here...hope no one is offended.

Hard to believe the race is less than 3 months away now. after SXSW it will 2 months. EKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!

i'm excited, things are well...tight hip flexors are the worst of the pains right now....

more soon!

2010-12-16T11:24:00.000-08:00

WEEK ONE!

m swim/10 min core
t swim
w 1 hour spin am/3 mile run pm
th 1hour spin class pm/15 min core
f 9 mile run (1.5 hours)
sa 37 mile ride (2.5 hours)
su REST

8.5 hours total
100% of workouts completed
12 miles running
37 miles bike

Definetely some soreness in my old plantar's foot, related to pushing too hard on the long ride on saturday. i need to realize and accept that i am doing an endurance event, and that i am not going to be able to keep up with people that have been training year-around and that are more short-distance triathletes. other than that, it was a good and very tiring first week.

2010-12-06T20:58:00.000-08:00

WEEK ZERO!!!!!!! TX IRONMAN COUNTDOWN!!!!!!!

so...yeah, i survived my first week of training! well, week zero, so 25 weeks out. here is what it looked like:

m swim 45 min easy
t run 4 miles
w core class 45 min (lower body focus)
th 1hour spin class
f REST!!!!!!
sa 30 mile ez long bike
su 7 mile run (9 min miles)

7.5 hours total
100% of workouts completed
11 miles running
30 miles bike

SO...it was tough, but i made it!!!!!! that looks to be my format for accountability for the next 24 weeks!!! ha, we'll see what happens. so far, so good. right knee is a little sore...and i'm a little tired! ha..it's gonna be a fun journey.

2010-10-29T17:07:00.000-07:00

And TX IM training is around the corner!!!!!!

well...not really. it's still...6 months away!! but that's SIX MONTHS!!!!!! seems scary and sooner than i think. my biggest worry is overtraining, and yet, i am so WANTING this race to get here sooner than later!! i'm so impatient!

i did a 60 mile ride today and it kicked my butt. honestly, we had a great ride (my cycling coach and i), well at least the first 30 miles with a strong tail-wind going UPHILL. the last 30 weren't so exciting...in fact they were almost slow. well...i felt pretty decent until the last 10 or so...ohh. but that's what i get for not riding any serious mileage since MAY!

i'm in the process of determining what training program i will be doing...i really want to join T3 but at the cost, i may just end up joining a gym and getting a personal IM coach to supplement. yes, i realise that doesn't sound exciting, but at at least i will have SOMETHING to keep my motivated and going...

honestly, more than anything, i am SCARED! not too sure the body will hold up. at this point, the swim and the bike are the least of my concerns...still having some knee issues i just can't afford to take care of...and what's scary is that IM training is EXPENSIVE. i'm in a major panic to get a better-paying job ASAP!

let me know if you know of anything!!!!!!

2010-09-06T21:27:00.001-07:00

The 2010 Edition of the Austin Tri (12 minutes slower, but with MORE FUN!)

Well...I finished! and I had a lot of fun! probably the most fun i have had in a race before. I'm not really so sure why to be honest with you. Lack of training=more relaxed attitude towards racing?! maybe so.

wetsuit legal meant a fantastic swim...almost the exact time (to the second!) I did last year (last year was sans wetsuit...and I felt like i had an 'okay' swim this year!) The bike time was slower, okay waayyyyyyy slower, than last year. Run was slower also...but the weather was nice (except for a little rain we had during the swim/early portion of the bike).

saw tons of friends and had lots of 'first-timer' friends finish. glad i can continue to inspire my friends into triathlon year-after-year.

more later! i'm actually really renewed about training again. finally. this off-season is going to rule!!!!!

Motivation and lackof...

2010-09-04T09:34:00.001-07:00

So I have a race on Monday. My 'goal' Race if you will. The Olympic Austin Tri. I'm almost embarrassed to admit I have barely trained this week. Or really-this season.

Blame my crappy job, low self-esteem (ha) or even just the sucky economy.

But really I just want to finish.

I think I'm going to take the month of sept. off so I can get my head together and figure out my goals for the inpending ironman season. I have to do it. Have to.

As scared as I am that I won't keep it together.

See you out there!

Tri girl Tri 2010

2010-08-15T16:44:00.001-07:00

Well...on the anniversary of my 4th time doing this race...I had my worst race of the 4 yet.

2 minutes slower on the swim, a flat on the bike....a decent run but I felt like I was just trying to redeem myself and I'm not sure sure I did?!?!

Flats are a part of life and at least I didn't dwell on it. Gotta keep going and stay "IM tough."

Best parts of the race were seeing Christy, Kelly, Vic, Lou, Carol and all the first timers race. Also, I won a door prize of electrolyte drink, gu bottle and a race tank.

Things aren't that bad!

Couples Triathlon 2010

2010-07-11T10:10:00.000-07:00

SO...i cut a 1.5 minutes off my swim time from last year and one minute off my run but added 3 minutes on the bike time this year!!!!!!! looks like i need to get on the bike more.

overall, very happy with my effort and glad i was able to keep with my status quo of last yr, despite the fact my training hasn't been the most excellent this year.

Congrats to Kiki on his 2nd tri...and finishing the bike with a flat tire!!!!! (noo!)

Tri Girl race next month in August!!!!!!!

Couples Triathlon

Am I crazy?!

2010-06-25T12:57:00.001-07:00

Absolutely. By this time next year, I WILL be an ironman!

May 21, 2011.

I already signed up...no turning back now!

Let the good times begin ;)

2010-06-17T10:02:00.000-07:00

Pville tri this Sunday

I promise this blog is not dead. yes, i have a race this sunday. i am not sure what to think. training has been pretty...lackluster at best. running has been...hot. swimming has been...hot. cycling....well you know, hot. add in the fact I got food poisoning in NYC last week (while stalking this guy no less): http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/ and that pretty much means that life has been...well, real.

good news is that there will probably be a TX IM next year, may 21, 2011. i'm pretty psyched, which means that i have a REAL reason to train now. bring it on...more later.

2010-06-02T08:49:00.000-07:00

Cap tex tri...

what can i say...i came, i raced, i finished. I was 10 minutes slower than last year, which isn't so bad considering the swim course was long and i think the run was too.

all in all, a hot day and i was super sick. never gonna race that sick again.

more later...

Tour de Cure 2010!!

2010-05-22T05:05:00.001-07:00

Decided on a whim to do tour de cure this weekend! 80 miles each day--wish me luck. Should be fun.

Thanks to all for your support! I raised over $200 for diabietes research!!!

2010-04-06T09:38:00.001-07:00

I'm back, finally.

so i'm back at training. this week starts the bizness. gilbert's gazelles twice a week @730 in the morning, and eventually longer runs too...rogue swimming (shhhhhh) twice a week @730 at night. yoga @9am at ruta maya once a week. group riding @830am twice a week along with any additinal booze crusing and riding to work thrown in there.

Captex sprint on may31st. let's do this shit.

2010-02-19T09:10:00.000-08:00

I'm still around...

haven't been running much. finally hopped on the road bike after many many months of NO GEARS in my life. it was fun, although my knees hate me now.

i've been hitting core pretty hard and plan to keep up with this at least once a week...feel the difference already in just 2 months of commitment...

swimming has been minimal but at the same time, I seem to get burned out on this the fastest...hope to rejoin t3 in march...

plantar's facitis in the worst. i want to do a race on march 7 but it will probably be again best judgement. i'm just tired of putting weight on.

2010-01-25T09:48:00.000-08:00

About bike thieves….(aka, a rant)

Living back in austin for 2 years now and I figured I have faired pretty well for myself on the bike. Only a handful of accidents, 2 incidents with cars/unfriendly drivers and no broken ANYTHING. YESSSS. Remember kiddos, helmets save. And apparently and KNOWINGLY to me, so do bike locks...read on…

I decided to cruise over to West Campus (aka the Armpit of Central Austin…hate on me if you want, but you know it’s true) Saturday night and had my trusty and favorite fixie, Negra. Well, I had this feeling about not brining my cable lock to lock up my wheels, figuring I’d be okay for an hour or so. Well, low and behold, so low-life ASSHOLE stole my back wheel in that time frame.

I don’t really care so much about the actual wheel (cheapass Alex 450) but the spokecards can’t be replaced. Yeah, I guess I should be happy they didn’t run off with my entire baby, but nothing sinks your heart faster than coming back to part of your FUCKING ride home being gone. Yeah, I luckily have the best friends in the world that gave me a ride home. Thank goodness for awesome PEOPLE!

SOOOOO…I HOPE WHOMEEVER STOLE MY WHEEL HAS THE ABSOLUTE WORST BIKE KARMA IN 2010 AND THEY FAIL OUT OF ALL THEIR SHITTY ACC CLASSES AND END UP MOVING BACK HOME TO MOMMY AND DADDY IN TIMBUCK2, TX WHERE NO ONE RIDES BIKES BECAUSE THE BIGASS PICKUPS RUN THEM OFF THE ROAD!!!! AHHHAAAHA. WOULD ONLY SUIT THE LITTLE LOWLIFE RIGHT!

Haha, okay, I feel better. Just remember kiddos, learn your lesson here. U-lock your frame and front wheel, then run a cable lock through both wheels and around your frame. AND U-LOCK that shit again if you are super paranoid, like I’ll probably be for the next 10 years. Get on it.

Btw, all my bike friends are getting u-locks for presents…don’t say I didn’t warn you. Either that or helmets. Hmmm.

2010-01-18T08:43:00.000-08:00

Houston 2010: My slowest half yet!

And I actually enjoyed it! Granted I felt guilty as HELL for not running the full, but it just wasn’t in the cards this year. Yes, I realize that running (walking…whatever!) a half isn’t the smartest thing to do when the Docs are saying ‘ummm, you might want to rethink that!’, but believe it or not, I actually felt better running it than just sitting on the sidelines. I saw tons of my old Houston Striders friends, got the cool half marathon medal and shirt and overall, just soaked in the vibe of the best Marathon in Texas (yes, I am sorely biased!)

Anyways, glad it’s done, sorry I couldn’t have stayed longer. My goals (running wise) at this point are to get healthy, get strong and let ‘getting fast’ come to me on its own. BQ 2011 doesn’t sound too shabby right now, and now that I have it all in perspective, I have to admit that I am happy with the way 2010 is turning out so far.

Congrats again to all at Houston…I wanna hear how you all did!

2010-01-05T13:00:00.001-08:00

Maybe Houston Half is out now…

So sad. After maybe being too eager, the foot flared up on mile 6 of a 9 mile run two weeks ago. I couldn’t get it to stop hurting so I ended up walking 2 miles home. It sucked. As both my foot docs (chiropractor AND physical therapist) said it best, this puppy is probably gonna take a while to heal. Like MONTHS to heal, booooooo.

Part of me thinks I am just going to go run the Houston Half anyways, damn the foot, and take the rest of the spring off from running. As much as I don’t want to do that, I can focus on the bike and swimming, two sports that SORELY need to get better this year, despite the fact I am pretty sad I can’t run. Well, I can’t run further then 3 miles. Ugh. And to me, just putting one foot in front of another at a snail’s pace doesn’t count as running, dammit, I want to be back to my sub-8 minute ‘running’ miles.

I know…patience…

Thought I would share my fitness resolutions for 2010 with you all, maybe some of you share the same ones. One thing is for sure, I will use this ‘down time’ as an opportunity to get stronger from the inside out. Mind, core, hamstrings, biceps…and so forth…I won’t give in this year. I will fight to be even stronger, especially after the accomplishments of 2009, which in their own right were pretty impressive.

So 2010 fitness Resolutions:

*get at least 1 mph faster on bike

*run a marathon with the intention of BQ’ing (hmmm)

*build a road bike (wheels included)

*volunteer at yellow bike

After successfully finishing a half ironman, getting stronger on the swim, getting 1 mph faster on the bike and learning to build fixed gear and single speed bikes in 2009, I would say I can accomplish all of these goals in 2010, as long as my body cooperates and I stay focused!

Happy 2010 everyone!

2009-12-21T06:54:00.000-08:00

back at it, sort of.

running has been sparse, but due to an amazing Chiropractor (Dr. Lourie) and Physical Therapist (Dr. Vickie) I am kind of getting put together again. Yeah, it’s super expensive. Try $110 a week. Ughhh, plus on top of this, I’m buying a house. Talking about Financial stress.

Anyways, ran 9 miles last night. Guess you can say I am ‘kinda back.’ Houston is definitely in the cards (the half is anyways). It won’t be fast, but well, I just want to finish. :)

Other than that, the occasional swim, cycling as much as possible and trying to watch what I am eating during the holidays.

Eager for January already.

2009-12-01T07:46:00.000-08:00

Kind of getting back to normal…

I would like to thank everyone for the positive vibes and energy that have been sent my way. Although the foot is still not 100%, I FINALLY ran yesterday. First time in 2 or so weeks. It wasn’t pretty (well, it wasn’t FAST) but I was able to run about 2.5 miles or so in about 30 minutes. (Took some walking breaks). Noticed my foot started feeling achy about 20 minutes in so I knew that would basically have to be my stopping point, for now.

Been doing therapy with the folks at Performancewellness.com, which has really been great (although expensive!!!) I have another visit on Friday. Basically we have figured out that a combination of the wrong footwear/running shoe/lack of orthotics/hips out of alignment have been hindering me for quite a while. How I trained through all that, I have yet to figure out. Luckily, I have new shoes on order, new orthotics in my shoes and a few spinal adjustments under my belt :) Not sure I have shook this foot thing yet, but I need to continue to work my calves lose (thinking of compression socks to wear during the day to help with this) and to stay positive.

One day a week of Gazelle core and 2x a week of swimming for an hour and 3x a week of VERY VERY easy cycling are helping take the edge off and keep my weight down (haven’t gained at all and staying in ‘decent shape.’) Hopefully as the weather continues to sink in digits, I can hop on the trainer, start putting mileage on my tri bike again, and who knows, maybe even actually run the Houston Half Marathon in January…! :)

More later…rest day today (aka bike building evening!)

2009-11-17T09:46:00.000-08:00

Hanging in there…barely.

The bruises are nearly gone and the stitches are finally out of my face, but sadly, my foot never quite healed up after my first ‘break’ from running. It appears that I have a ‘small’ case of plantar fasciitis. It’s completely sucky because that means no running INDEFINETELY (whatever THAT is) and has pretty much hindered my cycling too to only very very easy riding and swimming as long as I don’t push off the wall with my right foot. UGH.

What does this mean?! Hmmm, I have already missed two races, both the Run for the Water 10 Miler and the San Antonio Half Marathon. Next up is the Decker Half marathon, and I am out for that one too. But the real question is the real goal, Houston Marathon, which my PT is already suggesting that I NOT DO. I can’t get over how depressed and sad I feel. I will talk to Coach Gilbert and see what he says. I am thinking it is completely out though. No way I can bounce back from this dumb injury and be ready to run a FULL MARATHON in 2 months. FUCK.

Although I have accepted my fate it is really hard to swallow. I mean, running that race isn’t everything, although I really wanted to try and qualify for Boston, but oh well. I guess I can just try again the following year or something. And yeah, no more 70.3’s for me until after Boston. I guess I learned that lesson the hard way. Maybe I’m not ever going to be an Ironman either. Ugh, maybe my body just can’t do it.

2009-11-06T07:48:00.000-08:00

good thing it's not broke...

Doc said my foot is fine. just another week of no running. i've come to terms with this new lifestyle of eating, sleeping and occasionally swimming. it's brutal but a nice change of pace and mental break.

HOWEVER....although all is good with the foot, i got freakin' ran off the road while on bike Wednesday night. although the bike, Trek, is fine, my face is not. 5 stitches, a wicked black eye and a gnarly headache later, i'm hanging in there.

helmet saved my life. had i not been wearing one, the way I fell, i would have split my head open. thanks to the Drs. at South Austin Hospital for patching my face back together, Kiki for being an amazing man and supporter and my friends and co-workers for understanding.

life will resume shortly. in the meantime, this is all a minor mishap and speedbump in life. i've already rode my bike again...no sense in living in fear, right?!

2009-11-02T07:50:00.000-08:00

UHHHH OHHHH!

So…starting last Monday I felt an extremely sharp pain in my left foot. No swelling or bruising, but I just figured I pushed hard on the race so it was residual from that.

Well, fast-forward to a week later of severe discomfort even SIMPLY WALKING!

I made an appointment with a foot dr. on Wednesday so I can get xrays and all that jazz.

I’m so scared and sad. This probably means Houston and a BQ time are out for next year. Even if it’s just an overuse injury…I’m gonna be out for *at least* 2 weeks.

UGHHH! :( This sucks!!!!!!!

2009-10-26T07:34:00.000-07:00

6:06!!!! i did it!!!!!!!!!!

more later....wow.

-
What to say…what to say?

I came…I saw…I went…I suffered…I conquered!!!

My first 70.3 race…I am not even going to lie and say I wasn’t nervous! I mean, 70.3 miles…that’s a LONG way. Seriously. I felt a nervous energy that rivaled my first marathon…”what if my bike breaks down?” “what if I get sick?” “what if I get cramps that don’t go away?”…man I was so scared!!!

I so have to thank sooo many people for helping me keep it together immediately before, during and after and even to just really help me get to the actual start line. Don’t worry, I will thank ya’ll later…let me run down the deets of the race before I forget and get all emotional and sappy…

I actually slept well the night before. The morning of…didn’t go so great. Ended up getting there wayyyy too late. Literally 10 minutes before transition closed. Panicked to find my water bottles, to find out they were left in the car. Ahhh! Beginner’s luck! It all worked out though thanks to amazing boys who really love you, and was even able to find a pump at the last minute from a nice gal near me in transition. And on that note: after my experience with Longhorn yesterday, I learned that triathletes have to be the NICEST people I have ever meet. I always had my doubts for some reason, maybe due to our stoic game faces or type A personalities…but endurance athletes FREAKIN ROCK!

My parents and Kiki sent me off into the water, and I was shaking like a leaf with small tears in my eyes. T3 Rob gave me a hug (THANK YOU!) and a nice girl chatted with me until we got lined up. Nerves fully went away the second I hit the water. I let it all seriously fall away…who gets nervous anyhow after that much preparation for one race? I mean, I am talking about 10 months of training here…that is a LONG time. Even for a full Ironman…anyhow, did my thing. Swam pretty conservative, and didn’t get banged around too much. It’s amazing when you swim with triathletes that do big race thing A LOT…everyone gives you your space. If someone swam into me, they immediately got out of the way, really cool and unusual. Or maybe I was just THAT slow. :P

It was a slow swim but hey, I finished, I felt great and I didn’t cramp or feel bad or anything strange. I actually swam with mostly good technique. Thanks, Coaches!

On to T1. I was worried about the wetsuit strippers. One of my teammates had said ‘get a guy to do it’ and that’s all I could think. Just then Coach Mo comes up and says “I got it!” and grabs the tear strip on my wetsuit. I was sooo happy to see him and have him help me undress halfway, you have no idea. I searched for the first available guy and let him do his magic. It was soo awesome getting help! In and out of T1…just as planned. That ground in T1 sucked though, I cut my foot on something while running to my rack. Coach said 4 minutes was a good T1, and I did 3:59 (see, I got it, yo!!!)

Onto the bike. It was chilly the first 20 miles or so. I had arm warmers and toe covers and gloves due to the good advice of Mo, my buddy Rob and common sense. I actually put the arm warmers on before the swim, under the wetsuit, and that worked great. They were dry within 5 minutes. I think I was completely dry by mile 30, just in time to reapply Chamois Butter and the sun was coming out, which was nice. Riding the course ahead of time was sooo incredibly smart, and I felt I had a very small advantage to some of the other athletes, at least mentally. Don’t get me wrong, I was SLOWWWWWWWWWWW. I got passed my everyone. I think I passed 3 people the whole time. Ahh..well. Pick your battles…I knew I would get them on the run anyhow…

I ate A LOT on the bike (all my food, plus a Power gel…note to self: bring more of MY gels next time!!!!) I was so hungry it was insane. And thirsty. I drank 3 full bottles of water/gatorade, I think. I think for next year, I will experiment more with drinking Accerlerade or another caloric replacement on the bike. Although I had ‘enough’ while riding, I probably could have had more. I needed 250 calories an hour while riding, and I think I only took in about 100. Ohhh…yeah not good. However, that is how I TRAINED and I didn’t want to change things. And even though I was slow, I actually felt FINE until the very last 5 miles. Then, I was READY to be done!

Two quick notes: my heart goes out to those who flatted, crashed or did not finish the bike portion, and there were a few of each. I heard no less than 3 different ambulances rushing to the course. I saw one guy OUT laying on the ground around mile 12 I think? It made me so sad and depressed. Hope you all are okay and know you will get another chance to finish…another thing that I need to remember is the one salt tab every 30 minutes, which thanks to Texas Iron Sarah, I adhered to very strictly. And yes, ask all the guys who cramped later, it DOES make a difference-I swear by it! I had no cramps at all. After 2 marathons of feeling like @#(*, I learned the importance of taking in additional sodium while endurance racing!

T2, I was slow but it was great to be off the bike. The legs didn’t want to move it seemed, as expected. I sat down, changed shoes AND socks (HIGHLY recommended with the new socks…but remember to Body Glide your feet first…I forgot and it bothered me later, ouch to new blisters…!) My parents were there for me again cheering loudly…so incredible to have that support!

AND THE RUN! I knew it was my time to shine. I just went on my way, passing people left and right. Fast people, slow people, walking people…I seriously think 6 people passed me the entire run. 2 ladies (man, they were awesome and awe-inspiring to me!) and 4 men (and I think they were all relay guys, so they don’t count, right?!) anyhow, I felt great for about 10 miles. Took in a gel I had, drank at every stop. Ate the icees, had a flat coke. Took salt tablets. Put ice on my head, took the sponges…Ironically, I am not going to lie and say I was running with great form at any point during the half marathon. I think I looked like crap. Just put one foot in front of the other…keep going is what I told myself. I felt SLOW for as good as I felt mentally.

Mile 10 comes and I knew…”THIS IS WHERE THE MEN GET SEPERATED FROM THE BOYS…!” It was the last loop and was a serious death march. So many people in pain, so many people walking. On the hills, I saw more people walking than running. I think 2-4 people were running per hill, It was really sad. I cheered as loud as I could for my teammates and even others that look like they needed *something.* I see Coach Logan for the final time (and mumble “I feel horrible, I am so glad I don’t have to see you again!”) and head back home. That last mile was an amazing feeling that only endurance athletes or women that have given birth (haha) will understand. In pain like you wouldn’t believe, everything hurt, but yet, keeping it in perspective by remembering “…Hey I’m gonna do an Ironman in a few years…so this is NOTHING!”) My feet felt like they were barely moving. I was hot, thirsty, excited and tired, all at the same time.

I picked up the pace, heard the crowds and knew “THIS WAS IT!” I saw Kiki and Ginny and suddenly felt like I was just starting the beginning of the half all over again…spring in my step and huge smile on my face! I couldn’t believe I was going to finish! I round the corners, head inside. There was the finish line! The finish line!!! I left the guy in front of me have some space to cross first and make sure no one is sneaking up behind me to cut me off for the photo:) I throw my arms up (well, at least one of them, for some reason I felt I had to look at my watch!) and knew…I not only FINISHED but I think I finished at 6:05, which is an incredible first half time!

I don’t remember anything after that, other than pausing to catch my breath and feeling tears well up in my eyes. I did IT! I DID IT! Nothing is gonna stop me! My parents and loved ones congratulated me and I felt elation that I haven’t felt in a long while. All the training paid off. I just got to celebrate 10 months of hard, grueling training…missed partying on the weekends, no sleeping in, barely having enough energy to stay awake until 10pm on some nights. Yeah, most single 20-something girls don’t want to be ME! (add to the fact I am in a punk rock band…hmmm, how did I ever manage?!)

The many thanks: first all, the COACHES of the T3 family!!! Coach Mo from the first day I met you in swim clinic and I knew there was a connection there of some sorts. Me-being stubborn and naïve (and yeah, I still am, and that won’t change, sorry). You, being there with great support, advice, drunk texts I sent you at midnight that you said you didn’t get?! You being the best role model I could have in the triathlon world with your passion and love of the sport and of people just in general. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Coach Chrissie for being such a positive and beautiful person in my life. I remember my first real T3 swim workout I did and being so nervous, but you threw me to the sharks (haha) and I didn’t drown. Coach Suzanne for being my main swim coach this year and always keeping me positive through all those really long days where I had to literally throw myself in the pool to go swim. Ahhh. Good times. Coach Amanda too-I want you to coach me more! Coach Logan for cleaning my bike and being a good sport cheering for me on the run course at Longhorn! You will see more of me on the bike, don’t you worry.

To the T3 family: those of you I trained with (Jane K and Jane B, Patti!, Becky, Landon, Sabrina, Rob, Maggie, Rhonda, Vickie (the best PT in town, as well!) Jennie, Eric (my swim “boyfriend”-you know I love ya, sweetie, thanks for making those months of summer fly by) and whomever else (sorry I am forgetting people, I am sure of it), but you all rule! And all of our volunteers yesterday!!!! Kelley for the pickle juice! To the Gazelle family, especially my Coach Gilbert, who I managed to convince in one year that triathlons are actually good for me. To the very sweet Desiree Flicker who inspires me daily with her determination, will and great advice and ‘gets’ why we love triathlon AND running so much. To my running partners Ginny (I love you always, girl), Gabby, Beth, Kenny (you are my best friend, Kenny, thank you for being for me every step of that way this year as I ventured into a new distance!) and the whole Tu/Th afternoon crew. I am ONLY faster on the run because of ya’ll.

To my actual family-my parents that were there for everything yesterday. To my love, Kiki and the fact you put up with my triathlon shenanigans for an entire year and I even got you to sip the triathlon koolaid and you completely LOVE it! I can’t wait to see you do your first 70.3 next year! You will love it! Or hate me. Or both, haha.

To everyone else that supported me throughout, whether reading this blog, riding/training with me randomly (Mercedes and crew), friends, etc. etc. etc. I can go on forever. And this isn’t like the Academy Awards, so I won’t. Besides, gotta save something for my Boston Qualifying write-up and post Ironman report :)

Love you all and thanks for being supportive. Now time to relax, party, and relish in the accomplishment!!!
-Jessica

PS: Holding your bladder for 6 hours is kind of painful…just sayin’.

The Stats:

51:32 1.2 mile swim (2:40/100 meters)
3:59 T1
3 hours 15 minutes 56m Bike (17.2 mph)
3:32 T2
1 hour 51 minutes 13.1m run (8:32/mile)
=6:06.48

36 out of 67 in the 25-29 age group
(so long, my sweet, sweet 20’s!!!)

2009-10-22T07:18:00.001-07:00

The countdown...

T-3 days til the big dance...

6 hours of pain and glory...

i can't wait to be a (half) ironman!!!!!!!!!

I'm so excited, nervous and anxious. The next time I post, I will have (hopefully) completed the race and have stories galore!

PS: halloween alleycat next week. dig it:

2009-10-18T08:49:00.001-07:00

47:00, a néw huge 10k pr!

Wow. More later!

--

All I had to say is I didn’t know I had a 47:00 in me. I figured…”sure, it sounds good, I’ll say I want to run a 47 but actually run a 48-something…” All of my workouts lately though have shown me otherwise that a 47-something was very possible. Factor in the great weather, a good vibe in the air, a fantastic course…not to mention my first road race since…the Jackrabbit 10k in May. Overall, this is one I want to do every year from here on out. 2 years in a row of PR’ing here makes me really look forward to it. Flat course with a lot of turns in the middle of nowhere (haha)…but I’ll take it!

Last challenge for the late-summer (although technically it’s fall now) is my last tri that is coming up this weekend!!! the Longhorn 70.3. Yes, my little web widget to the right says it already occurred, but that thing is wrong and I never figured out how to change it. Sure, I’m nervous. After all, I’ve pretty much been training for it non-stop since January. That’s 10 months of cycling training and 9 months of swim training. That’s a LOT. Have I made the improvements that I wanted to make this season? Maybe not, but my swimming AND cycling have gotten stronger, that much is for sure.

I’m most excited for that cool swim and hoping that the bike course isn’t too chilly. I’ll probably bring my arm warmers and hope my little knees stay warm. Of course I will wear gloves. Then finishing that bike with NO issues and going onwards to a strong half marathon!!! I really just want to finish, but anything from 6 hours to 6:30 (if all goes as planned!) would really make me happy…haven’t decided what food I want to pig out on yet after, although some REALLY REALLY good cheesy enchiladas and a couple of strong frozen margaritas on the patio somewhere here in town sounds AMAZING!

Come out and cheer for me if you are in town! This Sunday, Oct 25th at 8am at Decker Lake! I’ll post my race # once I get it! Wish me luck!!!

The Stats:

=47:00 (ave 7:34/mile)
7:43, 7:37, 7:42,
7:32, 7:48, 7:24, 1:12

4th out of in the 25-29 age group

2009-10-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

My favorite rites of passage on the bike.

Not sure where I got it from…but I love it! Enjoy…and feel free to add your own in the comments! I added my own after the stars at the bottom!

From the November issue: Falling in puppy love, graduating high school, the birth of your child–nothing compared with your first case of road rash and these 108 other momentous occasions in the life of a cyclist. Share your own cycling rites of passage in the comments section below.

06. Bonking so bad you don’t think you’ll be able to make it home.
07. Discovering how a convenience-store Coke can resurrect the dead.
09. When you hang out at the bike shop and no one expects you to buy anything.
19. You notice that someone else has the chain grease on his right calf.
20. You get stuck in your pedals and topple over at a stoplight.
22. Riding a bike through a big, congested city and feeling smarter than everyone else because you’re moving.
25. You fix up your old bike to get someone into the sport.
26. Wearing out your first set of tires.
27. You ride through a pothole, and it’s no big deal.
28. Getting hopelessly lost—deliberately.
29. You stop midride to give your only spare tube to a stranded cyclist.
30. You realize you’re driving your car as if it’s a bike—drafting, looking for holes, getting away from the squirrelly guy.
31. Fixing a busted chain.
34. The first time you crumple your race number.
37. Wondering how the biggest local hill would rank on the Tour de France climb classification.
39. You got dropped, you flatted, bonked, got turned around—and when you got home you said you had a great ride. <-my favorite one
42. Rolling through a stop sign—and knowing it was the right thing to do.
45. Rubbing wheels—and staying up.
48. Cleaning the cassette with your old toothbrush.
53. Telling someone which bike to buy.
56. Figuring out how to layer without overdressing.
58. Your first ride with a jersey instead of a T-shirt.
61. Though you’re not clear on exactly how to do it and unsure of the outcome, you manage to fix your first flat.
62. Walking home in your cleats.
64. Following a favorite pro racer—besides Lance Armstrong.
66. Wrapping your bar tape so the handlebar plug stays in and no bare bar shows at the tricky bend at the brake hood.
72. Crashing and immediately asking, "How’s my bike?"
76. Clacking into a rough tavern in cleats and spandex.
81. Explicating your training in exquisite detail on a blog, then realizing nobody cares.
84. Riding someplace you’ve always driven.
87. Waving at a cyclist coming the other way and being ignored.
88. Getting annoyed by an uninvited wheel sucker.
92. Surfing traffic on adrenaline and luck in one of the world’s 10 biggest cities.
97 . Passing someone whose bike costs twice as much as yours.
99. Dismissing what used to be your favorite cycling magazine because it keeps repeating topics.
106. Feeling superstrong, then turning around for the ride back and realizing you had a tailwind.
108. Being the person whose bike squeaks drive everyone nuts.

- Staring at a new bike. Wishing you could afford the latest carbon technology

- Not feeling embarrassed wearing cycling shorts
-Buying your first modern bike and no longer having bike envy.
Increasing your average speed by 1 mph
Wondering how early is too early to go riding
The strange feeling of using chamois cream for the first time.
-Ending up spending waaaay too much time at your local bike shop (and always end up getting out with something)
The first time you passed 30 miles per hour.
The first time you passed 40 miles per hour.
Your first track stand.
Your first bunny hop.
The first time you fixed someone else’s flat.
***
The feeling you have after your first race, even if you are last place.

The first time you put on a team kit and you fill with pride.

The first bike you ever build, even if you got helping building it.

Your first single-speed conversion.

Realizing you need to get rid of a bike to make room for a new one.

Your first real bike tattoo.

When you start naming all your bikes!

2009-10-08T13:50:00.001-07:00

wow, i will actually get to ride my bike 5 days in a row!

due to a nagging leg injury from January (if not older than that!!!) i haven't been riding as much as I would like, since maybe july. OHHH, it sucks. My bike performance certainly peaked. i went from a nice ave. 16-17 mph on short cruises to a slow and sluggish 15-16.

well, i'm trying to turn the tables. #1, my knee feels better finally. #2, i have a 'little race' called a half ironman coming up. #3 (and most important): i miss riding my steeds and a little pain isn't going to stop me from riding!!!

btw, off-season tri goal is to focus on cycling. one long ride a week followed by 2 hour-long spin classes. hey, yeah i know you might be giggling at the thought of doing spin class, but just 3 classes convinced me of the benefits. PLUS! i learned how to climb out of my seat!

anyhow, 15 miles yesterday on the tri bike, 15 miles tonight on the fixed gear for fun (bike-in to see the Goonies with my cool and awesome band!!!), 20 miles tomorrow on fixie for fun, 35 miles on the tri bike in the morning Saturday, 30 miles saturday PM for the alleycat, and 30 miles sunday for the OTHER alleycat...and anything else i can throw in for fun.

145 miles in 5 days...not a new record but at an average of 30 miles a day, this is where i need to be again.

see ya'll on the streets. be SAFE!

2009-09-29T07:19:00.001-07:00

A warning to Bike Thieves!

Don't do it, just sayin'...DON'T!
I hope this
guy gets his bike back!!

2009-09-21T08:41:00.001-07:00

Longhorn Prevew, aka 'The ride that wasn't meant to be'

Due to awful weather last weekend, we postponed our lovely 56 mile Longhorn route preview bike ride to this past weekend. I, although nervous about it, was READY (or so I thought!) to give it my best shot. My goal was to finish feeling great and to finish averaging about 16.5 mph. Slow, but steady and good enough for my legs to feel “OK” on the half marathon afterwards (woof!)

After a rather restless night (would rather not go into WHY right now, but it was a valid, work-related reason!) I head out with a teammate and take my time getting ready. Everything looks great, I have enough water, Chamois Crème, snacks, etc…and that’s where the fun ends. Right off the bat, we get lost. Then I hit a crack in the road JUST big enough to fit my little 650c tire. Oh man, we were pacelining too, so when I hit it, certainly I thought “There goes my collarbone” and “I hope the girl behind me steers left.” I managed (by a huge miracle and catlike reflexs) to roll out of the crack, remain upright and ONLY manage a flat tire.

Normally, a flat tire isn’t the end of the world. However, after carefully and recarefully checking and then almost freaking out, I realize I lost EVERYTHING in my toolbag with the exception of a spare tube, patch kit and a singular tire lever. Goodbye, sweet and expensive ’18 in one (plus bottle opener!!!) multi-tool to the stars’…luckily, the girl behind me was able to signal to the group to stop, and a fellow by the name of JP (I believe!) helped me out with a spare Co2. Man, close call there. Had I been alone (which I usually AM on these longer rides), it would have been a long wait for a sag ride home…

Luckily I had my cell phone, although some how a little later in the ride, I also dropped that AND my bike computer!!!! Then, add to the craziness and madness of the morning, I lost almost all of my water. That’s right, on a course that only has one gas station for over 50 miles, I went from 4 bottles to 2!!! Ughhh…the ride that was not meant to be. And add there that we got lost 2 other times…ANNNNNNNNND this all happened within 20 miles of the start!!!!!

Luckily, (yet again), I did catch up with random other folks (including the Emerge team) and finished the ride out without any other major incidences, but not before I got chased by one of the hugest dogs I have ever seen, UPHILL for ½ mile at the very very end of the ride!!!!!!! Ughhh, can I ever catch a break!?!

So I finished the ride finally, being so glad to be done that I almost threw my bike down. I guess it’s better everything (AND I MEAN EVERYTHING) happened today. So I guess that means I will have the best 70.3 race ever now! (Or at least, I SHOULD!) glad training is almost over. A month is left and I am ready to do this thing NOW!

2009-09-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

it's almost time!

route for tomorrow, assuming the weather holds out:

Longhorn 2009 Route
Find more Bike Rides in Austin, Texas

anyone want to join, meet at entrance at 7am, wheels down at 7:30am. wish me luck!

2009-09-08T07:54:00.001-07:00

Austin tri--2:57 baby!!!!!

Preparation yields success, and this race was complete and amazing success, and has proven how hard and smart training yields amazing results.

Felt great going into this thing, a few nerves, but once I got my brain into it, everything else fell into place. The swim (sans wetsuit…boo) was uneventful, other than a girl smacking me a few times and causing me to swim off-course a little. I gave her a dirty look. I felt efficient in my stroke though and never really tired. Yes, I’m still slow, but dammit, I went out there and did it and STILL took almost 4 minutes off my swim time from last year.

Not wearing a wetsuit saved me a minute in transition. Not too shabby either. Then took another 3 minutes off on my bike time. Didn’t hammer as much as I would have liked, but still, to come out with 18 mph PLUS on those little wicked S. Austin hills felt pretty good. Hydration and nutrition this year was better than last year’s race. Ate 3 small fig bars and drank 2 bottles of Nunn water.

Legs felt actual decent (although a little fatigued-completely normal) going into the run. However, this is like the FLATTEST 10k in Austin, so how can you not pound it out?! I hit the halfway point at 24:00 even and finished in a cool 49:07, an average of 7:55/mile. I would like to thank Dave from Tsunami Cycles for helping me push the last quarter mile. It felt great to run hard and finish even stronger. In fact, I don’t think anyone passed me the last 5k, which is saying a lot when that was all that happened to me on the swim and bike.

(Plus, the best part is passing all the people that are WAYY WAYYYYY in front of me from previous in the race)…well and having a goal to finish under 3 hours is something to push up against, as well.

A quick rundown of the run placing looks like I was 4th in our age group for the run…ahhh to be a mildly-fast runner. And then get everyone (and I mean everyone) pass me up in the first two sports. I believe my focus next year will be on the bike…stay tuned. Must.get.stronger.and.then.i.will.get.faster. Must.get.stronger.and.then.i.will.get.faster. Must.get.stronger.and.then.i.will.get.faster…etc, etc.

Overall, a terrific race, and just the confidence booster I need for Longhorn next month (40 days away…ekkk!) Although my goal will be to finish…Would love to see 6’ish hours as a secondary goal :P thanks to all for cheering and support!!! You rock!!!!!!!!

The Stats:

41:02 1500m swim
3:34 T1
1:21 40km Bike (18.2 mph)
2:18 T2
49:07 10km run (7:55/mile)
=2:57.35

21st out of 62 in the 25-29 age group

(click for the nerdy results version)

My Chip Time

Kiki-the first timer! we are grand champeens!!!!!!!!

2009-09-03T12:28:00.001-07:00

almost time for my 2nd olympic tri!!!

65 miles this upcoming Saturday. Anyone want to join in, let me know! I'll be starting at Atkins High School though, I HATE riding on Slaughter.

T3- Kiker- Kyle - 65 mi
Find more Bike Rides in Austin, Texas

2009-09-02T07:29:00.001-07:00

This is messed up!

just saw this...everyone be careful out there!!!!

Alert: Legal help needed for out of town cyclist hit and jailed by police at Critical Mass ride

Shared via AddThis

--
Edit:

Richard got bailed out by an awesome lawyer here in town. Follow updates on the case here: www.atxbs.com.

Thanks to Jason for keeping us cycling folks in the loop!

2009-08-16T14:33:00.001-07:00

Tri girl tri! 6th place in my age group!

A great sprint tri here in houston! Raced hard today was wasn't able to crack that elusive top 5 in my age group.

Regardless of that fact, I cut 5 minutes off my time from last year!!! Still a pretty big deal to me! Add in the fact I am getting sick....just thankful and happy I wa able to pull it together to enjoy my last sprint of this season!

All that remains are the 2 big ones-Austin tri Olympic and longhorn 70.3. Training resumes tomorrow or whenever I feel closer to 100%.

More later...

--

Despite not being sure If I was going to race due to a nasty and quick-acting head cold that happened to me Friday afternoon, I made it out to the start line feeling strong and with flying colors. Everything was on schedule and working like clockwork, even though I waited until the morning of the race to pack my bag AND clean my bike (usually not the *best* thing to do, if almost the WORST, and I have learned this by experience THE HARD WAY). Even had time to use the restroom, eat a gu, take a pre-swim warmup and take some pics, all the while not feeling rushed doing any of it. Devine.

I started too far back in the swim, I am guessing, as I ended up getting slowed down by quite a few girls that had no sense of being in an open water swim, or at least in the front of it. I guess I can relate, as I use to struggle with OWS, but today I was just ready to TEAR IT UP! My goal from the get-go was to place in this race, and it’s even more enticing at this particular race since they give out 5 placings per age group. Last year I was 7th, missing out by 2 spots. This year, 5th was to be mine…at least…

Looked at my watch after the swim and was super happy to see 6-something, my shortest and fastest swim this year! T1 and Kiki caught me starting to get comfty and taking my time…”HURRY UP!!!” I zipped out of there and got excited about riding Whitey. This is the 2nd time Whitey has been to Houston, so she gets excited by the flatness of it! We love this course, but unfortunately, a week off the bike left me feeling sluggish and labored near the end of the 11 miles. First 6-8 miles I ave. 19.5, and man, those last 3 miles…’what a shame,’ I thought. ‘No reason NOT to be flying on this EASY course!’

T2 was quick and then on to my favorite part, the run. Although I really enjoyed the bike today (despite being slower than I *should* have been), I was ready to make up some time on my feet. Passed a million ladies, as usual, cheering for all the gals in front of me since the course is an out-and-back. I picked up speed along the way as I noticed myself slowing down (which, I was slower than I should have been the first 2 miles). The last mile, I looked for all the girls in my age group and tried to pass them all up, which I think I did…

Even with a sprint to the finish, I was beat out of 5th place by a very skinny and petite girl about 5 seconds in front of me (did not see her until the finish shoot). I was so happy to be done though and excited by a great finishing time (took 5 minutes off my time from last year!) that it really didn’t matter! Stayed to watch my girls Lou (2nd tri and 2nd place in her age group) and June (1st tri!!!) finish, had a snack and watched awards, and then began the long trek back to Austin.

All in all, a great race, albeit not placing. This marked my last sprint tri of the year and probably my last Houston race of the year, also, since I will not be doing the Houston Half-Marathon this year in October, since it’s the same time as Longhorn 70.3. I’m excited about my last two races, although they will definitely be more endurance events, and my only goals with those two are to finish, and finish feeling GOOD. Here’s onto a few more months of tough Tri training and Houston Marathon training too!

The Stats:

6:32 300y swim
1.31 T1
35:39 11m Bike (18.5 mph)
.52 T2
24:07 3m run (8:02/mile)
=1:08.42

6th out of 45 in the 25-29 age group

2009-08-07T07:45:00.000-07:00

Hey you racing types!

So there are 3 alleycats this week! Go Bicycle Film Fest week in Austin! (will try to catch some films tomorrow!) although I missed the first race (but did send kiki to go race on his 26’ cruiser-and he wasn’t last!), I will be at the other two. Tonight is the infamous Fab Friday fix gear race. My goal isn’t too be last, and I heard we are doing parking garages! Whatwhat?! Tomorrow morning I am doing a ladies race, and yes, I am pulling out a gear bike. #1-it has water bottle cages, #2-it makes my knees feel better when I have to climb. #3-it makes me looook fast :)

See ya’ll kids out on the streets! Have a great weekend! Be safe, hydrate! Hopefully I will have tales of bikes, boys, green day and random other spats of debauchery on Monday!

2009-08-04T07:55:00.000-07:00

The (Total Destruction x2=Demolition Weekend) recap!

I survived 360, amazingly enough. The tailwind combined with a net elevation lost there made for a cozy ride to Parmer. Although I wasn’t flying there, I wasn’t crawling either. I felt pretty uncomfortable in my aerobars for some reason though, so I was mainly on my brake levers the entire time. This equates for wrist issues the entire week since I didn’t wear my wrist brace, . The ride back was a different story. The headwind COMBINED with the net elevation gain made for a lot of climbing out of the seat. I actually didn’t mind it, plus it wasn’t that hot out. I think by the time we got done riding at 9:30 or so, it had only got to 86 degrees. Not so bad. A short 2 mile brick later and some breakfast tacos at Tacodeli, I was way ready for a shower and the real start to the weekend!

After I crawled out of bed Sunday at noon (wow! I actually slept in! Thanks Independence and 512 Breweries!) I got ready to Hash and yes, this totally capped off the Demolition Weekend theme. Hash was great, 5 miles of running in South Austin, in my neighborhood, on some very predictable trails. I ran almost the entire way, and it was grand to run easy and have fun with my friends in a social setting. If you have NEVER checked out hashing, I fully endorse it. Go to www.austinh3.org for the details!

Now as the week starts up again and I have finally gotten all the sleep out of my eyes, I would like to thank the fellas at http://austinontwowheels.org for the blog mention and Jason at www.atxbs.com for adding me to his blog roll. I don’t particularly think that my blog is THAT exciting, but that being said, it’s nice to have friends that do have cool blogs!

Finally, as I end this post…I remind the good people at Lost Creek Pool to stop over chlorinating their pool (seriously, I smell like a pool this morning!) and if anyone can guess what beauties lie in this box…well then I bet you would want them too:)

2009-07-31T10:30:00.000-07:00

Another t3 ride tomorrow!

Although this will probably be my last t3 ride for a while (will start long runs on Saturday after this week), I’m freakin’ out. Here is the route:

T3/ Bank/ Office / 45 mi
Find more Bike Rides in Austin, Texas

It will be my first go at 360. I STRONGLY DISPISE 360! But rather then be a baby about it, I am gonna conquer my fear tomorrow. Wish me luck, I think I will do 45.

Oh! By the way, last week’s ride was awesome! Ended up riding 50 miles with Jane
http://soupwithafork.typepad.com/born_again_athlete/ who was a great training partner, despite the fact she thinks she is slow (she is NOT…she was in front of me for about ¼ of the ride…).

Training overall is going great…ran 9 miles this morning (YES, on a FRIDAY at 5:30am!!!!) I felt like a real runner or something as we skipped along the trail chatting about life and all the nonsense we athletes talk about while not thinking about running…meanwhile about 200 other runners were doing the same things with THEIR training partners. Ahh, to feel like part of something bigger than myself…very gratifying.

Going to some Physical Therapy (everyone in Austin-go see Vicky at Atlas PT…she’s great!!!!) to get my IT band finally worked on. Need to get my bikes refit, as well (at least my two race bikes). Ahhh, so busy…Half ironman training is in full swing (I’m now 4 weeks in…) and Marathon training starts Tuesday (okkk…I fully admit I am not READY at all!) But I am very excited and eager.

Overall, life is grand. I’ll be in Houston August 14-16, so holler at me if you wanna hang out!!!

2009-07-24T07:32:00.000-07:00

t3 bike ride tomorrow!

gonna do this ride, which includes part of fitzhugh, a hilly part of Central Texas near where i currently work.

hope to do 40, but will probably do 50. yeah for new routes!

2009-07-17T08:54:00.001-07:00

finally 29!

so a happy birthday to me...and thanks to all for the birthday wishes! now...back to training...and more training :)

gonna enjoy my last 'competitive' year...and attempting a BQ next year at the Houston Marathon (yup...i signed up!)

2009-07-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

dual race weekend: all-ladies alleycat and couples tri!!!

wow, i am so beat. yes, whomever thinks it's a great idea to race back-to-back days (especially with only about 12 hours of recovery in between them) is CRAzy! OF COURSE, i have been known to be called crazy!

anyhow, 3rd roadie in the alleycat and 1:33.32 in the tri. Which is GREAT considering i cut 10 minutes off my swim time from last year!!!!!!!!! bike was slower than usual, but considering...run was 'alright,' but really hot.

thanks to all for the support!!!!!! high five events aka jack and adams knows how to put on the events! lots of food, beer, etc!!!!!!! a good time for all! congrats to my partner, Ginny, who was the 'gin' part of "Gin and Jess!" 1:26 and some change. she is gonna start placing top 10 any race now...

that is all for now, more later. oh everyone wish my tri bike, Whitey, happy birthday! today she turned one! it's been a great time with her!

look for my REAL birthday plans to be posted, soon :) (hint: it's the 16th, this thursday!!) party is wednesday night...

---

So the alleycat first:

Things went well! I am not gonna lie, it was stupid hot outside. Racing at 6pm (especially considering that I had a race the next morning!) was not the smartest move. I went out there and did it though. Took my geared commuter, Trek, and we tore it up the best we could. Made all the checkpoints (especially the 7-11 at North Lamar-woof and the Givens Park at 3800 block of E 12th street!!!!!!!!!!!!) I think I rode 20 miles. At least. I didn’t have the best game plan, but overall, I was happy to finish and, amazingly enough, was 3rd roadie. NOT TOO SHABBY! Got a jersey, drank some free beer and had a grand time. Til I remembered I had to get up early :/

So the Tri…

Yeah I woke up with minimal sleep, but amazingly enough again, legs didn’t feel too bad. Did feel a little woozy. I’ll blame the heat of the previous day. :) anyhow, ginny and I and our race biatch Kiki (he knows we love him!) carpooled together and got there with plenty of time to rack up and hang out. The heat was already crawling. For some reason, my nerves were FREAKIN OUT! Not too sure where this is coming from. I have been racing tris for 4 years now and have never had issues like today!

As soon as I got in the water, all was forgotten. The nerves actually played in my favor I guess and I was suddenly very calm and relaxed. I swam the BEST swim of my life. Mind you…still SLOWWWW but steady and a HUGE improvement (we are talking a 10 minute improvement over my swim time from last year!!!!!!!!) I came out of the water cheering and so freakin’ happy I thought I was gonna cry. Ironically my swim coach Maurice comes up behind me and tells me ‘good job!’ I told him ‘it’s because of you!’ he dashed past me and we did transition. Ironically, we came out of T1 at the exact same time (well, it turns out he beat my T1 time by 2 seconds!)

Onto bike time. Coach Chrissie goes FLYING by me and tells me ‘looking good.’ So does T3’ers Tom and Cara. Good motivation. I hammered the first half at 19.4 MPH…amazing time for me…but wayyy to fast. I got to the 2nd half and my legs were DONE. I ended up averaging 17.0 mph overall for the bike course. My slowest bike this year! Blach….but I blame racing the previous day!

T2, I couldn’t find my rack!!!! Somehow, still came out, and ironically, 2 seconds IN FRONT of Coach Mo in T2. :) (sorry, we all have to brag were we can brag!!!) the run course was soo freakin’ hot. I started getting cold chills-no bueno. I felt slow and overheated. I felt SOOO slow. I ended up though averaging 8:41/mile, still my slowest run this year, but strongly under 9:00/mile. It felt great to finish, seeing Beaux (hey sweetie!) there and all my teammates and friends cheering. Ginny totally beat me by 6 MINUTES!!! She rocked this tri, for sure. 20th fastest swim time OVERALL (out of everyone that raced….even faster than my coaches!!!!!!!!!!) I need to take swim lessons from her:)

The afterparty was totally a great time and I didn’t want to leave. Sleepiness eventually set in though (adrenaline is hard to maintain when you are drinking mimosas instead of water!) and Ginny, Kik and I split to go home. I wish we would have stayed for awards, and BTW, we were 4th female friends team-under age 59!!! Haha…funny.

Thanks to all for the support again: T3’ers, Jeff @ advanced rehab, Michelle @ Performance wellness, Kenny, sweetheart Beaux, my coaches, the frozen yogurt folks, New Belgium, Ginny, and Kik. This is my favorite Austin race, I think. I’ll keep doing it as long as you keep holding it, Jack!!!

Onwards to yoga and rest today, and birthday week!

The STATS:

800m swim, 11.2 mile bike, 3.1 mile run
22:56
2:32 T1
39:36 (17.0 mph)
1:31 T2
26:55 r (8:41/mile)

=1:33.32 total time
27th out of 91, ages 25-29

2009-07-11T08:46:00.000-07:00

Double Down Ladies Alleycat!

AHHH YEAH! Race time again! I can’t freakin’ wait! Yeah, it’s gonna be hotter than HolyHell but it’s gonna be worth it! Hopefully I can avenge my performance from the last alleycat and even if I don’t place at the top, I will finish fast and strong.

And NOT GET lost (well…okay, not get lost in the Adult shop anyhow!)

HA! Deets below:
--

Alright ladies, here it is - Austin’s 2nd ever all ladies alley cat race! We’ve got a ton of great sponsors and prizes, and a bunch of new prize categories.

Dudes - this is for the ladies, but contact Heather if you want to volunteer for a checkpoint or the after party.

This race is going to involve some gambling and checkpoint challenges where you can double down for more points. 7 checkpoints with a few bonuses. Fastest doesn’t necessarily win Queen of the Double Down, it’s about how many points you collect and some other secret prize categories that will be announced at the after party/awards ceremony.

Registration begins at 5pm (we will be @ the Capitol at 4:30 for all you early birds) and costs $5. The after party will be @ Fast Folks Cyclery (2513 A. EAST 6TH. ST.). The after party is free for racers, $5 for everyone else, and will have beer, food, a raffle with even more great prizes, and DJ Daecosomoxi from San Antonio. All proceeds will benefit the Austin Yellow Bike Project.

Bring a bag, a lock, plenty of water, a bathing suit, and some money. Dress appropriately ladies - Austin’s heat/humidity in July ain’t no joke!

We hope to see you there, especially the virgins!

xoxo

heather and Jessica s.

2009-07-08T20:00:00.000-07:00

Sign the petition! Help Safe Passing (3ft) get passed as a law in Texas!

Sign here at biketexas.org

can't believe Gov. Perry would pass on this! Cyclist safety depends on laws like this! even Louisiana passed it...geez.

2009-07-07T08:50:00.002-07:00

Tour de France, 2009

Holy hell….it’s really really good.

Lance misses yellow in the 4th stage by NANO seconds?!! Wow…

If you aren’t as cool as me (or you actually get up early to watch live in Versus-meaning you can afford cable), I found a live feed to watch for a few minutes everyday…

hopefully I don’t crash their system by passing out the URL…

http://www.steephill.tv/tour-de-france/#tv-schedule

I usually watch the first feed there that is password protected.

Cheer on the boys from Astana to a Tour victory!

Via le Tour!

2009-07-02T11:45:00.000-07:00

Ladies ride (7.3) tomorrow night! i'm hosting again!

Come on out, austin ladies! here are the details on flyer below and also on facebook (i mean, you *ARE* on facebook, right?)

here is our group:

http://www.facebook.com/editphoto.php?oid=68094655877&success=1&failure=0#/group.php?gid=68094655877

--

"Okay, I decided to host the ladies ride for this Friday!!!!! I was holding out for the fixxxed friday flyer/race and hadn't heard anything? Dancakes...still doing it?!

Meet at the Lamar Ped. bridge at 6pm, leaving at 6:3pm. (most of us aren't working so, this should work okay).

we will hit a free swimming hole, grab refreshments and then decide the next course for the night. I really want to see the Music Man at Zilker Park @ 8pm, but we can always head that way and split off along the way like last time.

bring plenty of water, lights and a swimsuit. should be a good time. i also know of a pool party nearby we can crash if we get bored!

see you all there, bring a lady friend!
-Jessica

PS: my birthday is coming up...bring some party ideas to the ride!"

2009-06-07T10:07:00.001-07:00

2009 danskin Tri--a success!!!

Considering I took about 12 minutes of my time from last yr and didn't get any flats this yr, yeah I would say that was a success!!!

Swam the whole way without stopping and actually WITH the pack, only got passed by one cyclist and one runner. I rocked this race.

Ironically, I had the same time as captex (1:33).

More later...way to go first timers, including my gazelles running partner Ginny who only finished one second behind me!! Watch out for her, ladies. She will be placing in races before u know it.....

--

So, I am still high off the race yesterday. I don’t think I could have had a better race at this point. My hard training I think is finally paying off. Or at least I feel like it is.
The swim went without much drama, and I was actually able to find water to have my area and swim in it. didn’t get kicked, didn’t get punched, just swam, swam, swam. I sure did get tired though, but still managed to finish strong. Lots of newbie swimmers to go around though, and I actually passed people in earlier age groups (something new to me!) I just got to keep working on my swim technique though. I fully expect the coaches to kick my ass this week at swim practice before I go on vacation to New Orleans. Got to get more efficient and NOT spend 20 minutes in the water…

My bike was great, NO FLATS THIS YEAR! Ha, take that stupid Decker Lake roads. Although my bike computer didn’t work at all, Whitey and I just rode as hard as possible. The hills did slow me a little, but I was able to climb all but two of them without getting out of my seat. Got passed by one girl on a tri bike who looked super fast but also like she was using a lot of effort to ride. I’m wondering if she was borrowing someone else’s bike to race in? She was super strong though. Never saw her again after mile 6 or so. I did put my aero bottle on wrong so I had to bend my straw to drink out of my bottle. A little awkard but it worked.

My run was slower than I would have liked (forgot my sports beans) so I was pretty hungry and ready to be done with the race at this point. I only got passed by one girl again, a very strong, young ‘track star’ type girl. I wonder if she was on a relay team? She was just wearing a tshirt and didn’t look like she just got off her bike. Who knows though. Anyhow, that run course is tricky but at least it isn’t boring. Footing through some parts is sketchy and the cross-country feel of it makes for niceness on your knees. The hill at the end always makes me want to walk.

I caught up to Ginny at the very end (last 200meters) and she finished a second behind me. She was doing so awesome throughout the race and I fully expected her to finish in front of me. She had so much fun and had a great race!!! She is a very strong swimmer, in fact I think she was in first place in our age group! I fully expect nothing but great things out of that girl now that she has the tri bug. In fact, I am her partner for Couples Tri next month…and I hope I can stay caught up with her!

So a little time ‘off’ this week and back to training hard next week. It’s great not having ANY races for 5 weeks, so I have plenty of time to focus on swimming, but at the same time, get a constant base going for the start of Half-Iron training that starts before we know it!

The STATS:

750m swim, 12 mile bike, 3.1 mile run
25:06s
2:41 T1
39:36b (18.1 mph)
1:21 T2
24:55 r (8:02/mile)

=1:33.42 total time
18th out of 218, ages 25-29

2009-05-31T09:41:00.001-07:00

Real ale ride-80 miles O' fun!

Allthough I felt awful at first, about 40 miles in I finally felt good and ready to ride!!!

Held a good pace and hydrated and ate enough...it still took me about 5 hours to finish AND I stopped at every rest stop. Not in a hurry though, just enjoying life...

I also drank a gallon of pickle juice....that stuff is excellent!!!!

Good times and the beer and swimming at the end made it worth it!!! Danskin Tri next weekend...those hills at Decker Lake got NOTHING on the Real Ale hills!

2009-05-25T13:43:00.001-07:00

Cap tex Tri!!!

First Tri of the season!!!! Didn't have the best swim, but felt strong on an easy bike course! My run was awesome despite a tight it band.

Happy overall but have a lot to build on...more later!

-
So overall, although I was pretty dissapointed with my swim initially, now that I think of it, a 10 minute PR on the swim ain’t so bad!! (that’s right, I had a 10 MINUTE PR on my 750 meter swim! That’s pretty big!) So I really did have great reason to celebrate my race! Yes, I was slow to get started on my swim, but a couple of my T3 buddies saw me finish and said I looked really strong, which I DID feel awesome at the end. I just need to keep working on it. Getting stronger…mentally push from the beginning. NO PANICKING…ughh, too bad other people kept swimming into me ¾ of the swim…urgh.

My transition times weren’t great, but MAN, that is a long tranisition area! Anyone who has done CapTex or Austin Tri knows this! I didn’t bother with a wetsuit so that saved a little time. THAT WATER WAS COOOOLLLD though! Swimming in Barton springs without a wetsuit did NOT prepare me at 9 in the morning for 70 degrees!

My bike time was decent. I could have pushed a LOT harder I think. I felt my heartrate was pretty high for about 6 miles though so I just cruised a little. The course was crowded and the roads were downtown-bumpy. I got passed on the Right (WTF?!) more than what made me comfortable, and I tried to stay as far right as possible! I lost my rear waterbottle very early on the course, and it almost caused me to crash as it feel into my drivechain! Luckily, my cat-like reflexes helped me there and also when some guy deadstopped RIGHT in front of me after the turn-around on S 1st street! UGH, surely that would have been the end of the race for both of us had I hit him. Anyhow, still an Austin bike PR for me. My best race PR is 18.3 mph which I accomplished in Houston last year. My bike goal is to average AT LEAST 18 mph in the Austin races!

My run, is as usual, where I shine. Even feeling sluggish and slow, I ran a 24:34 5K. That’s not too shabby after all that ‘other stuff’ before hand. Overall, I felt confident and picked people off left and right. It’s very clear that running is where triathlon is won. I mean, I passed SOOO many people. I think I got passed twice by some really strong elite-looking guys. Eghh, no skin off my back. I would like to bring my run down to 7:30/mile, so that’s another goal to go for this summer, which might be a challenge since I haven’t been training hard on my running.

Happy to be done and have another race to train for in 2 weeks! Gotta bring that swim time down. Placing 15 out of 63 in my age group (good enough to put me in top ¼ of my age group) feels great…but literally only 2 minutes seperated me from a top 10 finish. Time to continue to focus and train hard, knowing I have goals to accomplish. And this next race is on a TOUGH course…the 70.3 course…!

The STATS:
750m swim, 12.4 mile bike, 3.1 mile run

21:19s
3:43 T1
41:43b (17.8 mph)
2:24 T2
24:34 r (7:52/mile)

=1:33.44 total time

15th out of 63, sprint female, ages 25-29

2009-05-09T18:42:00.001-07:00

my manic workout day! 10k race and then a Street bike race!!!

I need to take a nap!!!

48 minutes and some change in a 10k this morning in my hometown of copperas cove (not a pr though) and then a street bike race this afternoon! (on a fixed gear bike!!!)

Placed 4th overall 10k female and who knows in the alleycat (probably 4 from the bottom!!) but it was good times and a greatttttt workout!!

I'm so tired, but a short nap and then a rock show and then midnite bike riding!! Can't wait.
Life in Austin is grand on so many levels. Wish kiki was here to share it with me...
Tomorrow is rest and a cold open water swim. I cAn't wait.

oh and here is a pic of me from the race...yes, kiddies, look both ways before you cross the street. There are other pics but in attempt to not be vain (cause you know, i sooo am-ha), this is the only one i'm putting up.

Thanks Les.

2009-05-07T19:41:00.000-07:00

Finished my first adult criterium!!!!!

and guess what, I wasn't last! It was a lot of fun. I was pretty nervous going into it. Not knowing what to expect...how fast the peleton would be going...how agressive the pack would be...overtaking people...planning strategies on when to attack and all that other roadie jargon...

the sprint out of the front gate is sadly what got me (as an amatuer racer...i didn't know!!!) but it was great picking people off the front pack. I averaged 19.3 mph...which *IS* slow in bike racing circles...but the front pack probably was at 23-24mph so I wasn't terribly far behind.

I did get lapped at the end and those girls were GETTING it! it was inspiring!

and in the end, it was great to race! i enjoyed it so much i think i will HAVE TO come to the next one. hopefully if I really get into this race thing (you know, not that i PLAN to), i can do more of these and actually stay with the pack!

now on towards saturday, a little hilly 10k race to warmup the legs for the afternoon's alleycat...yes it will be fun and yes i plan to place. Win...ehhhh, but i would definetely like to be in the top.

OH...and i am doing it on my fixie:)

PS: proof i 'look' like a cyclist:
http://dcmphotography.smugmug.com/gallery/8140612_z5VWV/1/531107321_Uvd9U#P-89-12 pg 82 and 89. rawr. i look great in pink, i have realized this!

2009-04-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

Well, I finished the MS80 :)

Soo yeah, they called off the first day of the ride due to the weather aka monsoon rains allll day long in the Houston area.

AND YET!!!!!!!!!!

I had some friends that still rode in the rain!!!! These guys are soooo sooo bad asss! Leave them love on their website!!!!

Anyhow, I was very disappointed that we did not ride Day 1 and that is understandable. However, we did train a lot for this (not to mention the costs)….again though, all for a great cause…
Day 2 started in La Grange and I met my team, Tough Cookies (yes, we were the gals in hot pink, you could not miss us). I figured with the rains passed us and the sun coming out, it was gonna be a great day. However, that was not going to be the case.

#1, my stomach was bothering me, which I lay partial blame to all the travel and stress and fast food I had been dealing with over the past few days. #2, the wind. The HEADWIND. Enough said.

I took the challenge route throughout the Park and rightfully finished it, not walking a single hill or having to stop. That was such a glorifying moment, not walking and passing all those folks. My stomach bothered me enough to stop at the first breakpoint but I breezed right through the park one and even caught up to some of my team members.

Lunch came not a second too soon (I was feeling better after that first stop and then the other unplanned stop after someone crashed….) but I learned my lesson quickly that lunch during the middle of a 80 mile ride: not a good idea. I started getting real sick again and stopped at breakpoint #6. At this point it was all mind over matter to avoid sagging. I remember seeing people from my team and even some friends at the breakpoint and was talking to them and I felt like complete hell. I think I might have gotten food poisoning? Or was it the heat? Dehydration? Whatever was going on, I just felt awful.

I picked it up the last 20 miles, passing almost everyone (okay, ALMOST everyone except those doing pacelines). Lots of stragglers/roadkill at this point. I was in the back of the pack but it felt good to pass everyone, ESPECIALLY on those last few hills. In my mind, I was owning them and convincing my body, ‘yeah you feel like crap but at least you are passing these people…don’t worry, keep pushing!’

Met my team right before the finish and rode together the last 2 miles. I was on such a high, cheering really loud and raising my arms in the air. As soon as we finished though, I felt that punch to the stomach that had haunted me 40 or so miles. I hurried home to mope around the rest of the day in states of pain and exhaustion. I was way more tired than 80 miles should have worn me out. Maybe I am not cut out for distance riding.

Anyhow, just glad to be done! Here is a picture of me and my coach at the finish. Definitely a happy time and a distance first! 77 miles! Hope I can ride a century sometime this spring just to prove to myself I have it in me:)

Thanks for all of the support! It meant the world to me!!!

2009-04-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

The MS150, please support me!

In lieu of giving me gifts for christmas (because we all know I have been a GOOOOD girl this year), please donate to my MS150 riding cause.

Even a dollar helps. I bet you can even donate .25 cents!!!!!!

Thanks in advance, and the REAL challange will be if I can finish riding 180 miles in 2 days!!! :)

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/jalexander

2009-04-01T11:20:00.001-07:00

Doing My Part...

Ladies that read this blog (all 3 of you…)

Come race in Austin on May 9th! I believe this will be the FIRST EVER all-women’s alleycat in ATX!!!!!!!! For those not in the know, this will be an urban bike race with various checkpoints throughout the city and usually involves items to grab and stash in a bag, ala bike messenger style.

I am going to lay it all on the table and let everyone know I will own every girl there.

And to whomever challenges me….good riddance on your soul.
Training started yesterday, biatches!!!

2009-03-30T09:21:00.001-07:00

48:58 in Cap 10k. I beat the mayor of Austin!

Wow, what a major workout weekend. Flashbacks of pain came at various points and never seemed to stop, including an evil sunburn from 2 days of not wearing a hat! But that makes you tough, right?! I ended up spending the entire weekend outside though, which was awesome. Saturday was the 62 mile Rosedale Ride with the worst head winds ever. 13 mph for over 5 hours….geeez. It goes down as the worst ride conditions ever, at least according to everyone I know. And my longest ride to date!!! I seriously burned 2500 calories, which don’t worry, I made up by much dehydrating liquid consumption…haha.

My legs were toast but I still found the energy to go to Les’ bike alleycat on the way home. (didn’t race though but took pics and drank some) then took the night to rest and carb up, and got up early (again) to do the Cap 10k. The 5th largest 10k in the US! Wow, I had no idea. Rode my bike there (about a mile trip). I was in a great corral (blue), and I ran into a bunch of my Gazelle buddies. Since I haven’t been running much lately, I knew this was going to be a painful race, not run with much joy (sorry Gilbert…) My goal was just to finish under 50 minutes. I ran into Staley and Tara though and their goal was 50 minutes too so I decided to pace them, not even sure if I could do it though.

I dropped Tara at mile 3 and Staley shortly after…I felt bad about it but at this point, I knew I could still finish in 50 minutes and if Staley could see me, he would too. Mile 4 my legs gave out. Thank goodness for all the Gazelles cheering at Run Tex-Lake Austin. Hi Beth! Was Carrie there too? I pushed as hard as I could the last 2 miles, pulling negative splits, and only missing my PR by 32 seconds! Coach G even saw me finish strong, which was inspiring!! I did beat the Mayor, Will Wynn. He was a good sport about it, as his personal goal was 47 minutes. Good job, Wynn! I still do love Houston’s Mayor Bill White (Whitey!!!) but I don’t see him running 10k’s that much…now my next goal is to beat the Governor Rick Perry in a race! :)

Rode bikes home with Kiki and took a short 30 minute nap after a large breakfast…rode my new fixie bike to Sexy Sunday, a trick competition near Towne Lake, hung out for a little while, then went onwards to the Austin Hash Harriers run, which Kiki was laying trail on this week. it was my first hash ever…mainly because I always thought the Houston Hashers were scary (but that’s just being ridiculous…they are a great group!) I ended up running 8 miles on a 4 mile trail because we got pretty lost…in hindsight, I bet I really only ran about 6 of those miles and walked the other 2…but my legs were done. DONE. Copious drinking and eating rounded out the night and a fabulous training weekend. I don’t know where all the energy came from. Must have been all the adrenaline….

Jon Walk teased me on Facebook about how I’m just readying myself for an Ironman…so I guess I can put this down as my first ever ‘big’ training weekend. Next weekend will be just as long and crazy when I ride 40 miles on Saturday and then attempt 70-85 more miles on Sunday. WOWZA….i can do this…MS150, I am going to own you! Yes, just wait til I sacrifice myself to the Ironman Gods….no more sleeping in…30 minute power naps and pool hair every day…it’s going to be a crazy voyage! I can’t wait!

Total weekend running: 14 miles

Total weekend cycling: 80 miles

I’m taking today off (well deserved!!!) and tomorrow is band practice. I’ll try to run in the morning to stretch the legs out…wish me luck this week!

if interested, pics will be here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31137523@N08/

2009-03-15T08:59:00.001-07:00

Tough cookies duathlon!!!

4th overall, 1st in my age group. Good times.

I love my cycling club...thanks to all!!!

2009-03-08T21:40:00.001-07:00

I came. I saw. I conquered.

TIR 2009 was more awesome than I could have ever imagined. Thanks to my team, "the battling bloggers of the Texas republic."

203.20 miles with you guys and gals in 30 hours was freakin amazing. Can't wait til next year!!!

2009-03-02T10:10:00.000-08:00

Jessica: Bike builder extraordinaire!

I just finished my first fixie!!!!!!!!! Ooohhhh and she is soooo pretty! I can’t wait to post some proper pictures today. Hopefully I get to take her for a few spins too before the end of the week. Can’t wait!!!!!!

-

here she is and below is the rest of the stable (sorry, i realize i have the worst bike names ever):

"La Negra" "Whitey"

"Trek"

"Red"

"Blue"

2009-02-23T19:44:00.000-08:00

It's official: T3's newest member...

IS ME!

I managed to survive at 2700 yard workout tonight and finish with a smile. Not too sure how good i'll feel tomorrow, but it was a great start to what is going to be a great tri season, I can feel it!

2009-02-15T23:03:00.000-08:00

Austin Half Marathon!

Was a great time!!! I don't know what I ran since I was pacing my boy! Then I helped Gazelle Ginny run a 3:59! She is a complete badass! More later, but it's great to say goodbye to "distance running" for the season...

Onwards to Tri season!!!!!!!!

2009-01-18T17:57:00.000-08:00

OMG...Houston Marathon 2009!

I just ran a 3:52. Wow.

And I didn't walk! Even more wow.

More later....congrats to all who finished, PR'ed, first-timed and a special shoutout to Coach Gilbert who helped me reach my marathon goal this year!!!!!!!

-

Wow is seriously all I can keep thinking.

3:52, 3:52, 3:52.

I didn’t walk, I didn’t walk, I didn’t walk.

Both are huge accomplishments for me. First of all, I never thought it was possible to run a marathon without stopping. I know top-notch runners who walk during marathons, for crying out loud! (no shame in that, at all…I’m just saying). So for almost 4 hours, I kept doing the only thing my legs wanted to do, and that was run, run, run.

Pre-race I felt a slight scratch in my throat and tiredness in my legs. I worked a trade show earlier in the week and got straight off the plane on Saturday from LAX to the race expo. Yes, I am crazy, and some even say I am hard-core!!! Haha. Anyhow, I ate a huge carb-y dinner (big portion of spaghetti following by a twice-baked potato and an ice-cream bar!!!) No point in going to bed hungry, since the past year’s marathon I struggled with being hungry during the race…I was also good about drinking two huge carb-y Ultra Fuels earlier in the week. Yumm…pure sugar and carbs! I was asleep and not at all nervous by 8pm!!! Perhaps a little dehydrated though?

Woke up at 4am, showered, ate a big breakfast (1/2 bagel with peanut butter, cup of oatmeal, large banana, large Gatorade) and got dropped off by 5:15am at the convention center. Did the normal pre-marathon ritual, listening to loud DMB and Green Day while singing, pinning my number on, stretching, reading and eating a bit of clif bar…drinking, drinking, drinking. Needed to use the portalets at least 2 times before the race. Looked for some Striders at the Hilton after bag drop off. Really warm outside. 62 degrees is what the digital billboard says. Def. not a 3:45 day.

Found my friends, we waited for the potties and talked. Running late to the start, Strider Amalia and I miss the start of the first wave. For some reason though, this might have worked to my favor. Not having to weave through anybody (literally 50 people in front of me) was nice. We were both out for 3:50, but after sticking to her even pace for a few miles, I knew 3:50 would be a struggle today. I slowed down a little but would catch her around mile 6 or 7. Popped Tylenol and a salt tablet. Nothing exciting really happened for quite a while, the ‘donut guys’ weren’t there this year. Lots of smiles though in the crowds. Awesome, awesome crowd support as always. It was exhilarating.

Didn’t see my brother or his finance at mile 7. At mile 8 we bid farwell to the half-marathoners. Saw Strider Janet turn-around. Looking good there! It was quiet until we turned into West U and I was already getting hungry!!! Got blessed by the holy water as normal and hearing the church bells, began to cry thinking about Dwight and the fact he is still in ICU. I had to regain composure though because I found myself unable to breathe. West U is my favorite part of the course. The crowd support is simply amazing. People are drinking mimosas in their front yards. Kids handing out bananas, candy and high-fives. SIMPLY THE BEST.

Up the Westpark hill…piece of cake for me now that I am in Austin and train on hills every day (love them!) I was starting to feel slightly tired by mile 10 though. But not going to walk, just slow off the 3:50 pace slightly. Passing people left and right. Lots of people shouting I looked good. Striders cheering for me. Onwards though the Galleria, and my Houston home for 5 years. I always get sentimental here for some reason. See Wes (my best friend) at mile 17 and Kiki (guy I’m dating) at mile 18. I know this is mentally a tough part of the course. Physically, I haven’t walked yet. Both guys say I look great. I feel…strangely good?! Popped Tylenol and a salt tablet and was chewing on a yummy clif bar Wes gave me and a super strong and tasty Gatorade in my little bottle.

Mile 19 brings the notorious bellydancers (love those ladies!) and usually…the WALL. Not for me today. I keep running. I feel unusually strong. I actually speed up a little. Through Memorial Park, past the beer tent (yes, I drank a beer again!), towards the Houston Striders (love ya’ll!) and then towards HRTC (love you all too!) and the Houston Hashers. I am having fun, waving to people I know. Laughing and smiling. For some reason, although I feel I should be walking, I start to feel more spirited and alert. Determined to finish….knowing I will. NOT WALKING…I know if I don’t walk, I can still do 3:52 at this point…

Don’t remember much after mile 24. I think Kiki met me around mile 25 and ran with me towards to finish. I told him I wanted a Vodka/Vicatin and no tonic before I finished. I think I was really really ready to be done running. I don’t know how I was still running actually. I couldn’t feel anything at this point. No pain, nothing. Just one foot in front of the other…

The finish line finally came and as I was crossing the finished, I started screaming and looking up towards the sky, instantiously crying and yelling “Dwight, this one was for you!” It was absolutely the best feeling in my life, up to that point. I cried for a long time. Totally elated. 3:52. So what, I missed 3:50…but knowing I had a 10 minute PR on a warm day, who am I to complain?!

Next year…hmmm. 3:40 I think. Anyone want to run Boston with me next April?! :) Another fun voyage is totally in store…

2009-01-09T09:36:00.000-08:00

Awful news!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just found out that local runner/triathlete and good friend Dwight Benson is in ICU after a serious bike accident this past Sunday.

As I get updates, I will post them here.

update: 1/11 (from a fellow Gazelle):

Here is an update on Beaux; He's been in the comma for a week now. Everyday shows some improvements. He no longer has his lung infection or fever although he most likely still has some organisms in there. RN Alyssa, who knows him from Pure, is his day nurse right now. She brought him a blue koosh ball from Toy Joy that he's been playing with, very actively in his right hand. This is most likely a result of all the hand dexterity from all the mechanic work. A positive bit of movement. Terra & Pat got to see him get some physical therapy today. I believe he sat up and did a few other things. On Thursday night, my friend Michelle was excited to see Beaux leave his eyes open for a few moments after she pulled them open. He was also showing signs of tracking (following movement). When I was there again yesterday, he was asleep the entire time. You're doing great Beaux, wake up soon!
===

update on Beaux: (1/16)

Just wanted to let you know that the main rehab doc at brack went to see beaux yesterday. she oversees the doc that's been seeing him. overall, she was very optimistic about beaux's condition. she said that his initial assessment may have been a little off . . . that he was never truly comatose. he was on high doses of dilantin (for seizures) and propofol (a general anesthetic that puts people into a coma like state, and is given to anyone who has a trachiotomy). beaux suffered a brainstem injury as well as some bleeding in several areas of the brain t issue and ventricles. but when she saw him yesterday, he was spontaneously opening his eyes and following commands. the PT and OT's are saying that he helps them to sit up and is doing more movement on th is own. he still may be a bit weaker on the left side but he's moving it which is great. these are all great prognostic signs and she thinks he'll make a full recovery. it'll be a long road but she is very postive about the condition. she also remarked that beaux is handsome and seems like a great person. even in his state, she could tell that he has a good vibe. it was nice to hear that.

her name is dr.charlotte smith and she specializes in brain and spina l cord injury. she left a card next to his bed and i would recommend her highly. may want to let his parents know as i think the initial information that they got may have been a bit graver than it truly needed to be. in any case, i feel better after speaking with her. hope this heps. feel free to forward this on to the rest of the lot. cheers, esther

--sidenote: I ran with his name on my singlet on Sunday. it made for a very emotional but empowering marathon. Get better Beaux!!!

---

From Michelle......progress! (1/20)

This morning when I got to the hospital the nurse was excited. Beaux had sat up on his own and opened his eyes. She said it nearly scared her to death. She asked if he was okay and he gave her a thumbs up. After that the nurses tried to get him to do more and got some eye movements. Ashley arrived after I did. We encouraged him to turn his head, which he did. Then we encouraged him to open his eyes to look at her, which he also did. After that he looked over at me and tried to say something. Nothing came out and I can't read lips so I'm not real sure what he was trying to say. Good chance he was trying to say I'm annoying him. I told him I am sorry for bugging him so much but I want him to wake up, hopefully I'm not on his bad side. I tried to rub his legs and feet to make up for all the pestering.

We asked him some questions and he was answering 'yes' or 'no' with head movements. It was really quite exciting! Mel, Chris, and Kevin soon arrived. After that Beaux seemed to be a lit less reactive. I can't help but wonder how exhausting those few minutes of interaction must have been. I wonder if the 2 visitors at a time rule are too keep the patients from getting too exhausted and frustrated. Keep up the good work Beaux!

From Vania (1/21)

Antonia and I went to see Beaux at his new temporary home today. The new facilities are great (surrounded by a lot of beautiful green spaces) and the staff is extremely helpful. In the hour and a half that we were there, we were visited by Beaux's Speech Therapist, two nurses, one assistant nurse and his doctor. Everyone was glad to answer any of our questions and share with us their feedback. The great news is that Beaux scored a 16 out of 23 in his Speech/Response test this morning, and his Therapist told us that he is doing great. He was able to respond to her commands and questions almost perfectly...she admitted that she is a tough scorer and that she was not going to let him off too easily, so 16/23 is great!

His doctor and his nurses told us that he is going be experiencing some "neuro-storming," a condition that affects some victims of brain injury. The storms come on like seizures, causing B's body to tense and contract, his heart rate to accelerate and his fists to clench. It looks like he is in pain, but it is actually very common. The nurses said that if this happens, the best thing to do is to calm him down...comb his hair, speak to him softly, sing to him (if you have a soothing voice) and tell him that he will be okay. It will pass. Please be sure to call and ask for Shelley, Beaux's main nurse, before you go by. She is enforcing the 4-8pm M-F visiting hours for now.

Update from me 1/30

I hadn’t heard anything about Beaux in a week so I made it a personal mission to get out and see him and make sure he is doing better. Sure enough, he is!!!!

Beaux is a total rock star! Went and visited him Friday and he was awake, making jokes and sitting upright talking about wanting to ride on a real bike already! He told me he wants me to give him dance lessons too! The doctors will hold a meeting with him on Wed., Feb 4th to figure out if he will be able to go home.

everyone cross your fingers! He will have a long road to recovery with physical therapy but he is already walking strong and in good spirits! thanks to all for the support, it has meant a lot to him!

---

Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

-Jessica

2009-01-05T11:53:00.000-08:00

Less then two weeks...

Wow is all I can say. In 12 days to be exact, I will be attempting and completing (if all goes well) my third Houston marathon. They say the third time is a charm, and I fully believe it.

4 long runs over 18 miles. At least two pairs of shoes. Two containers of Accerlerade. A new watch since the Polar died.

Can't wait to do it...I'm ready. 3:50, here I come:)

2008-12-07T10:38:00.000-08:00

Austin's Decker Challange Half-Marathon, Almost a PR!

Despite feeling sick (well, I still have bronchitis), not running up to my potential in my training runs (cutting back on the mileage for now), and I'm sure a million other 'excuses,' I ran a 1:46.59 today.

Can't complain! Almost a PR!!!!!! I feel good!

More later!!!!

2008-11-23T22:40:00.000-08:00

Feeling absolutely moved and inspired: IMAZ 08!

After running 16 miles this morning (feeling pretty good until mile 12) with Gazelle Ginny, nothing could make the day any better then watching footage of IMAZ online. I watched 4 hours of coverage tonight and it moved me like nothing else.

I can't wait to take my shot at doing one sometime in the near future! :)

MAJOR props to Jane Kang and Jana Landry tonight and all the T3'ers and HRTC kats!!!

YOU ALL ARE IRONMEN!!!!!

2008-11-17T10:19:00.001-08:00

San Antonio 1/2 marathon!

I would rather not say how I did, but would rather point out and stress that I finished it...a painful 1:57:15 LATER. :(

Probably my worst half marathon time, in.........forever. Or at least since I ran the Houston Half in 2006 on a severly sprained ankle (ohh such a bad idea...but I did it!)

Congrats to allllll that finished it, the half OR full: all the Gazelles, Striders, Houston racing kiddos, SoCo kats, Dwight (hey, you looked hot after finishing the full thing!), etc...you all made it look easy.

I was the one that really suffered today. 3 weeks of traveling, not a lot of running and a bad cold can really add up quick...

More on the race later, maybe...

A special shoutout to Houston Strider Lou for the big PR and the great times out in San Ant last night....girl, we have to go party again sometime soon!!!

2008-11-09T08:02:00.000-08:00

Run for the Water 10 Miler!

Another big PR: 1:25:12 or something like that. A whole 5 minutes. I felt horrible the whole time for reasons that I won't mention here since I know Coach comes to check up on this page when he doesn't see me at practice. :)

Anyhow, yes, vacation was awesome, yes, seeing all my friends this week at PASIC was awesome, and yes, go Obama, and yes, I promise to update this page, for real, soon. I'll be in Indy all this week, then the San Antonio half, and then I will get down to business. And more running!

More soon....

2008-10-26T21:04:00.000-07:00

Houston Half Marathon-A HUGE PR!

1:46:12.

WOW. to think all i had in me was 'just run a 1:50 and I will be happy.'

*running negative splits at sub-8 minute pace at the end of the race was awesome.
*passing people on the overpass 'hills' was awesome ("cookie, cookie, Wilke, Wilke!")
*having the Houston Strider family there to cheer me on was awesome.

an 8 minute PR...and I probably could have done more! more later...after my well-deserved vacation to Panama (the country!)

see ya soon...

2008-10-19T08:52:00.000-07:00

IBM Uptown 10k, a new PR!

48:27.

Didn't think I had that in me. Funny thing is that when I was looking at watch right before we hit mile 6, I was right on target for 47 and some change. I still hammered the last .2 and that flew by fast!

A fast course...great weather. ONWARDS to the Houston Half Marathon next weekend. Another PR? One can hope...

More later...

2008-10-18T12:38:00.000-07:00

I GOT IN!

good news from Tough Cookies camp (the girls I will be riding the MS150 with this year):

I'M IN!!!!!!! WOOHOO!

Now, to try to relax a little today (read=try to stay off feet) as tomorrow I have the first race of the season, the IBM 10k.

2008-10-15T19:29:00.001-07:00

I DIDN'T GET IN!!!!!!!

As karma would have it, I forgot my credit card at home this morning and by the time i tried to sign up for the MS150 tonight, it was sold out!!!!!!!!!

i'm so sad and pissed at myself...someone come comfort me!!!!!!!

:(

2008-10-11T17:11:00.000-07:00

Dare I say it...

seeing how i already planned out my race schedule on here for the wholllle world to see...

I have a huge crush on a local austin hottie. that is all i am going to say.
(yes, Jane...THAT guy).

2008-10-05T17:13:00.000-07:00

in honor of the end of tri saason (Austin Half-Iron was today, and no I didn't compete)

I promise to update soon.

here is a little eye candy in the meantime.

can't WAITTTTTTTT til next season!!!!!!!!

2008-09-17T08:19:00.000-07:00

Houston friends and family!

I hope you all are okay!

Check in here and let me know you are alive!!!!!!!!!!

2008-09-01T10:14:00.000-07:00

The Austin Triathlon!!!!!!

WELL...what to say...

My triathlon season is over for the year! YEAH!!!!!!!!

I'm a little sad though...kind of wish I was doing the Longhorn 70.3 in a month.

Overall, a great race today! My first Oly Distance! I really enjoyed it. It was super hot though, I couldn't drink enough water.

Wearing a wetsuit totally rocks, wish every swim could have one.
Running out of water on the bike totally sucks.
Wearing all-black is never a great idea (but I knew that already).

Time for a 4.5 hour nap following by well-deserved beer and BBQ!

Congrats to all...more later!!!!!

2008-08-30T14:26:00.000-07:00

Change of heart...

I still plan to train with T3 for swimming (year around) but I decided today I am going to train with Gilbert's Gazelles instead for the marathon season. I know Gilbert will help me achieve my running goals, as noted below.

I can't wait...!

2008-08-29T10:07:00.000-07:00

Maybe I am on crack but...

I am just gonna lay it all on the table for the next few years:

Jan 09: 3:50 marathon!
Oct 09: Austin 70.3!
Jan 10: 3:40 marathon!
April 10: Boston marathon!!!!
Oct 10: Austin 70.3!
Jan 11: marathon (just finish it)
April 11: New Orleans 70.3!
June 11: Ironman Coeur 140.3!!!

In an ideal world...hmmm, I think I am going to either delete this right away or leave it up for everyone to see and gaggle. <--is that even a word?! hmmm... GOOD LUCK TO ALL COMPETING THIS WEEKEND!
It's gonna be a good time!

2008-08-27T12:05:00.001-07:00

8/27/08: Half-ass update #892

OMG...I am hopping on the bandwagon.

Maria and Jane, watch out. It looks like I will be joining the blue and white ranks next week...

I'm actually pretty nervous, lol.

2008-08-17T22:18:00.001-07:00

Ironbabe Tri!

Well, what can I say. I took almost 10 minutes off my time from last year. If that isn't improvement, I don't know what is!

Most fabulous of all, the bike, Whitey, is fantastic. We averaged 18.4 mph today, which is a personal best for me on the bike. I will never race a road bike again. Next on the agenda, if she is good, some race wheels:)

More later...must.get.sleep.

2008-08-11T12:04:00.000-07:00

TODAY, 8/11/08:

IMPORTANT: THIS CAN POSSIBLY AFFECT THE LOCAL RUNNING AND TRI SCENE HERE IN AUSTIN!!! READ BELOW:

In short the Austin city council wants to do away with/ limit races in the downtown/urban areas that will effect Austin traffic. Not good. Please clink on the link below and let the city council know this is not a good idea. Link to email the city council:

http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council/groupemail.htm

2008-07-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

Week of 7/14-7/20 Workouts!

7/15/08: 4.5m run With Rob’s Run Club!
heartrate: n/a
weather: hot
Notes: After a much needed day off, I got in a workout with my friend Rob Hill’s running club. We actually did hills, which has been a while for me (well, in a structured workout, I mean). 4x300m or so hill repeats and I was ready to pass out! Haha, it was a great workout though with great company.

Also, a bit of good news, I found out I will be coaching/pacing for Nike in a few weeks! The Human Race will be a 10k of Epic proportions! The race is being hosted here in Austin on 8/31/08. Austin is one of 5 U.S. cities selected to host a race, so this is gonna be good. I'll be pacing/coaching Tuesday's at Gueros (off S. Congress) at 7pm so come by and run with me if you're in the area!

7/16/08: 8m on my mountain bike!

heartrate: n/a

weather: hot
Notes: A nice alternative from the road stuff, I road my mountain bike about 8miles tonight. It kicked my ass. I forgot how tough those heavy beats can be. However, that being said, it was a great workout!

Today is also my birthday, so I am taking tomorrow off! Woohoo for getting older. I’ll be 28.

7/18/08: 2.5m run/30min swim Brick!

heartrate: n/a

weather: hot

Notes: Ran out to Stacy pool, wearing my new Nikes. It looks like they will take a little bit of a break-in time, which I am NOT looking forward to. I already miss my Brooks Adrenaline! :(

2008-07-13T11:12:00.000-07:00

RACE REPORT: Couples Tri!

First off, BIG CONGRATS to Matthew who completed his first tri!!! That Couples course is one of the TOUGHEST tri courses in the area. And he did it for his first one!

My race...my BEST one yet. What a great feeling. A slowish swim, an absolute KILLER bike, and a very respectable run. How killer was the bike? 20.6 average MPH. Holy cow. That can't be right!!!!!!

The bike works! I love my Jave-lero!!!! More later...I don't even care about anything else other than how an awesome bike (Whitey) makes me sooo freaking happy!

Props to the following for all the support (sorry if I forget anyone!): Paulie, JON WALK!!!!!!!Paula and her hubby, the girl that bought my wetsuit, Chau and Jane (sorry we didn't hang out!!!), my neighbors that are triathletes, the T3 crowd (Coaches Chrissie and Maurice) and my tri partner Matthew. I love all of you guys!

Onwards towards the Oly in September!!!!!! More later...
---
EDIT PM: The bike MPH are off (per Jon Walk!) I believe my actual pace was the 16.5 mph my bike computer averaged...ahhh well! : still a great and fun bike though!
---
Overall, this was a great race. Jack and Adam's puts it on so they make it as professional as possible. I have to admit I was nervous going into this race due to racing Whitey for the first time, and also keeping in mind this is where I got my flat tires only a few short weeks ago. Needless to say, I needed to get over that feeling quick.

My swim was okay, I had problems sighting for some reason so I definetely ended up swimming longer than the 800m that we were suppose to do. I need to work on this. A lot. I find myself drifting to my breathing side and once I do it, it's hard to break that habit. I was in the water a while. ha. However, I did almost beat my Danskin time, which is great considering this swim was 50 meters longer than that one.

The bike was actally great. I know the course well, so I managed to stay in my aerobars as much as possible. This will take getting use to, as well. With a pretty aggressive ride setup, it's hard to stay comfortable for very long. Well, I just need to put the hours in the saddle...No flats either! I had to smurk a little coming back into transition...thinking: "Haha, dumb chipseal, you didn't get me THIS time!"

The run started getting hot. My goal was not to walk the entire run, and I did it. Even up that evil hill right before the finish. I felt good finishing though and Jon Walk and Paul were there to cheer for me! I was even able to catch Matthew finishing the race and run in the last 200meters in my flipflops! that was awesome! of course the first thing I said to him was "that was badass, huh? when is your next one?!" He smiled! :)

Overall, a great race. Onwards to one more sprint and the Olympic in September. I can't wait!

The STATS:
800m swim, 11.2 mile bike, 3.1 mile run

32:14/s
2:30 T1
40:52/B (ave 16.5mph)
1:23T2
25:59/R (ave 8:23/mile)

Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: nice

2008-07-13T08:58:00.000-07:00

Week of 7/7-7/13 Workouts!

7/7/08: 3m run (ah yeah)
heartrate: n/a
weather: hot
Total: 27:30
Ave: 9:10/mile
Notes: I felt slow, but I blame the weather! This weekend is another race, so this whole week will be dedicated to getting in all of my workouts and making sure I am the best shape I can be going into the race!

7/8/08: 2.5m run/1000m swim Brick
heartrate: n/a
weather: hot
Total: 23:30
Ave: 9:12/mile
Notes: A nice brick to Stacy Pool. I swam the workout in about 30 minutes. Still don’t feel 100% about my swim stroke, but I’ll get the race done!

7/9/08: 3m run with SoCo run club
heartrate: n/a
weather: hot
Total: 25:15
Ave: 8:07/mile
Notes: Tonight I decided, even though it was hotter than HELL it seems, to race the boys. I didn’t actually get passed by anyone, but still came in 2nd after one of the REALLY fast guys. I think he beat me by at least a minute. It was fun to race…hopefully I’m not too sore tomorrow!

7/10/08: 12mile bike with Blue!
heartrate: n/a
weather: hot
Ave: 16.4 mph average
Notes: Whitey had to go back to shop one last time, so I brought Blue out for a ride. We had a great time and although I didn’t ride much, we had a nice clip while we made our way around the Veloway and the Mopac loop. Hope I get Whitey back in time to race Sunday though…

7/11/08: 2.5m run and 600m swim Brick
heartrate: n/a
weather: hot
Ave: 8:48/mile
Notes: Got in a 22 minute run and (barely) a 30 minute swim at Stacy pool. This is my last workout before Couples Tri on Sunday! I’m excited about the race moreso because I convinced my running partner, Matthew (who is also in Gilberts Gazelles), to do his first triathlon!!! This is going to rock. Haha, all of my friends have nicknamed me “The Tri-ed Piper” because I keep recruiting my friends into triathlon. But what can you say…it’s addictive!!!!!!!!

7/13/08: Couples Tri!
(Read the race report in a separate entry!)

2008-07-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

Week of 6/30-7/6 Workouts!

6/30/08: 4.5m run/800m swim Brick

heartrate: n/a

weather: hot

Notes: The run was slow today. Taking a week off was not a great idea, AT ALL. The swim was painfully slow too. I felt like I hadn’t swim in forever. Ughh..Bck on the horse.

7/1/08: 2.5m run/30 min swim Brick

heartrate: n/a

weather: hot
Ave: 8:48/mile

Notes: Ran to Stacy pool from the house, swam for 30 minutes and ran back home. This will probably very quickly become my favorite workout ever. Nothing beats a hot run then a swim, followed by a another nice run. Run/Swim/Run…they must have a race like this somewhere?!

7/2/08: 3m run with SoCo run club

heartrate: n/a

weather: hot
Ave: 9:10/mile

Notes: Got in a little run with the family at SoCo tonight. The best part: the tacos and libations afterwards!

7/3/08: 22mile bike with Whitey!

heartrate: n/a

weather: hot
Ave: 15.5 mph

Notes: It was really hot today, but I got Whitey back from ATC and decided to give her a nice spin. About $300 and a bunch of Cervelo parts later and I am in love. I have to admit, the new setup (not to mention, working with bar-end shifters) is pretty aggressive. I feel like my butt it floating up in the air! It’s going to take getting use to. However, Ron and the guys did an awesome job. She rides great…the shifting needs a little work but I think its more due to the cabling needing to stretch a little bit. (Blue, my Fuji, was already stretched out when I got him).

It’s going to be a fun rest of race season!!

2008-06-29T08:20:00.000-07:00

Week of 6/23-6/29 Workout!

6/17/08: 15 mile bike ride on Whitey!
heartrate: n/a
weather: hot
Ave: 15.5 mph
Notes: So, I named my bike today. Whitey:) She needs some work and adjustments. I think I am taking her to Austin Tri-Cyclist and upgrading the whole aero setup (Keeping the Campy bar end shifters though) and putting Dura-Ace on her, as well. Yes, she will be a bit of a Frankenbike. I have been told it’s not a good idea to mix Campy and Shimano parts but the Campy parts for the most part on her are really good and I have always wanted Dura-Ace 'cause it's like butter:)

Anyhow, we went for a nice little jaunt. I am eager to have her ready to rock and roll for my next race in July, Couples tri!

So, on the downside, this was the only workout I did this week. Boo.

2008-06-21T08:11:00.000-07:00

Week of 6/16-6/22 Workouts!

6/17/08: 16m Bike/3m Run Brick
heartrate: n/a
weather: hot
Ave: 14.5 mph
Notes: A nice 30 minute or so run followed by a 16 mile bike. The bike was sloooow (14.3 mph) but at least I was out there riding!

6/18/08: 20m bike/4.5m run Brick
heartrate: n/a
weather: hot
Ave: 8:36/mile
Notes: Another scorcher today. Ran 4.5 miles in about 38 minutes…yeah, a little fast, but it felt great. Also got in a 20 mile or so bike. I didn’t bring my bike computer so I am not really sure how far or fast I went.

6/20/08: 3m run/1000m swim brick
heartrate: n/a
weather: hot
Notes: Got in a nice 3 mile run followed by a 1000m swim workout. It was hot. As usual.

6/21/08: 40 mile AM bike ride!
heartrate: n/a
weather: hot
Notes: Harriett and I got up early today to join the ACA for a 40 mile ride. We did Creedmor. I am not sure how fast we averaged, but it couldn’t have been more than 15 mph. Part of ride is in town so it’s tough to get going really fast when you are getting stopped at lights all the time. It felt great to sit in the saddle that long, though (believe it or not).

2008-06-15T10:36:00.000-07:00

Week of 6/9-6/15 Workouts!

6/10/08: 1 hour swim with Paul
heartrate: n/a
weather: warm
Notes: I took yesterday off and decided to get a nice swim in today with Paul. I did 200m repeats at Barton Springs as fast as I could, averaging about 6 minutes per 200m. (Not too bad...) Overall, a great workout and I feel good about my swim stroke at this point. Paul thinks I am doing pretty good, as well.

6/11/08: 3mile Run with Soco!
heartrate: n/a
weather: hot
Notes: I didn't feel 100% today and it was super hot, so I took it easy and ran back with Paul. It was nice to run easy, but I hope I feel better soon.

However, in more positive news: Weight Loss! I did weigh myself today and I am down to an unbelieveable 131. That's 5 pounds I have lost since I have moved to Austin! In 3 months!

My goal for the end of the summer is 130. Maybe I should bump that down to 125...just think if I stopped drinking and actually did some core workouts I might be unstoppable. Or at least in really good shape:)

6/12/08: Southwest Parkway 9 Miles o' Cycling!
ave 15.3 mph
heartrate: n/a
weather: hot
Notes: On possibly the hottest day of the summer (thus far!) Harriett and I rode two loops of the tough (but doable!) Southwest Parkway, a great place for cyclists in (you guessed it!) Southwest Austin. Our trip there was mostly downhill, and we averaged 16.1 mph. However, on the way back, we slowed down to 14.4 mph! Ugh.

We were so hot and tired after one loop we called it a day. Hopefully next time we get out here we can get in more mileage. Today, I'm just glad we tackled it the best we could!

6/13/08: 1 Hour Swim @ the Springs...
heartrate: n/a
weather: hot
Notes: Another scorcher today. Paul and I hit Barton Springs again and that water felt sooo good! (Of course, I had my wetsuit on and was pretty cozy!) My swimming technique is getting stronger, I just need to continue to push myself and work on some drills too.

6/14/08: 10.5 mile run and 17 mile bike!!!!
14 mph on bike
about 1:50 total running
heartrate: n/a
weather: hot and humid on run
Notes: Well, today I felt like pushing myself, so I did! It started with a nice 10.5 mile run (didn't mean to run that far...but I did!) with some nice folks from 26.2. That was the first time I have ran that far since the Austin Half back in Feb:)

Then...17 miles on the bike with Harriett in the evening! The weather was nice and a little hot, but neither of us had a ton of energy, so we took the hilly ride 'fairly' easy. Overall, it was nice to do a double workout today. Hopefully I am not too sore tomorrow.

2008-06-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

LOOK: I BOUGHT A NEW BIKE!

Like I really needed another one...but I got a really good deal on this one. This makes bike #3, and I barely have room for two! I have yet to name her but once I give her a ride and get fitted, I'll give her a proper name and, of course, some custom decals too!

2008-06-09T08:45:00.001-07:00

RACE REPORT: Danksin Tri (Not meant to be?!)

I'll explain more later...I got two flat tires yesterday! But, I had the best triathlon swim I have ever had.
And I actually finished the race!

--
The race started 'innocent enough.' Haha. I had a great spot on the rack right near the bike exit, I was in the VERY first swim wave, and I felt great, no nerves at all. The gun went off and I got to swimming. I actually warmed up this time in the lake before the race, and I must say that was the reason why I did so well today. I DIDN'T PANIC AT ALL!

Although I was in the water a loooong time, I finished feeling good about the swim! Paul was there cheering for me it made me feel good. Now, onwards to the bike. I felt great. I was averaging at LEAST 17 mph or so on that challenging course until BAM!!!!!, a flat tire at mile 8! Luckily, I had a flat tire earlier in the week (hmmm, a sign I guess!), so no problem changing it. Well...while putting air in it, I heard the tire go!!!!!! I must have either pinched the tube putting it back on or it was a bad tube. Hmm, lesson learned, no more cheap tubes.

So, I had to yell to anyone to borrow another tube (cause, I don't carry two) plus another CO2. (Okay, lesson learned there, carry 2 from now on). By then, a mechanic came to help me and I had already been sidetracked over 20 minutes. It was getting hot. I couldn't wait to finish.
I got back on after thanking him and hammered the rest of course. Then I finally saw the finish and threw my bike on the rack. I knew I could have been done with the race by now! I kept in good spirits though, and Paul cheered me up too at the transition. The run wasn't memorable, just hot. I did walk a little up that hill at the end.

Overall, I was happy to finish. I had a good start and end to the race, and I did what I came out to do, and that was IMPROVE. Hell, just having a better swim made the whole race worth it. Even if I had DNF'ed...I wouldn't have been sad. That swim was awesome! Now, enjoy a pic:O)

The STATS:
750m swim, 12 mile bike, 3.1 mile run
29:59s
2:27 T1
46:00B *according to my watch, actual cycling time
2:30T2
26:26r

Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: nice

2008-06-08T21:58:00.000-07:00

Week of 6/2-6-8 Workouts!

6/2/08: 3 Mile Run and 1 Hour swim

total running: 27 minutes or so

heartrate: n/a

weather: warm

Notes: Today was the last day of T3 Swim Clinic. :( After a nice run, we spent our last hour together learning some advanced drills and working on flip turns (which I really enjoy!) Then, onto happy hour to celebrate! Although I will miss everyone (especially Paul and Paula!), we will all be out training for triathlons, so we will all be in touch.

Plus, I think Paul and I are going to continue swimming together:)

6/4/08: 4.5 Mile Run with Soco Run club!

5k: 26 mins

ave for 5k: 8:22/mile

heartrate: n/a

weather: hot

Notes: Ran a 15 minute, 1.5 mile warmup to Docs (where we meet!) and then a 26 minute 5k with the club. It was fast and hot, but relaxed. A great run overall! Missed my crew! Back to drinking:)

6/5/08: A Windy 9 Mile Bike Ride!

heartrate: n/a

weather: windy

Notes: My cycling partner Harriett couldn't make it out to ride so I went out to the Veloway alone today. It was soooo freaking windy, so I rode 3 times around the 3 mile loop and called it a day. Enough was enough! Plus I got a flat tire which took a while to change (my first one ever!) so that took some wind out of my cycling sails too...

I did meet a new friend in a Houston Racing uniform (my old triathlon club!) who at one time was President of the club there! Although he spanked my tush around the loop, (and his hot Cervelo probably didn't hurt...) he was very humble and curtious and we chatted for about 30 minutes before I had to go. Hope to see him again soon!

6/6/08: 1 Hour Swim at Barton Springs!

heartrate: n/a

weather: a little windy

Notes: so this was my first time swimming here since I was a kid. The water, NO JOKE, is 68 degrees, year round. So yeah, a little chilly. I ended up wearing my new wetsuit, lol. Yes, I am a dork, but it's nice having it on, for the buoyany and added warmth (and Paul's laughs at my expense!).

Racing this weekend...I feel ready to kick butt!

6/8/08: Danskin Tri!

(Read about it in a seperate race report!)

2008-06-01T21:47:00.000-07:00

Week of 5/26-6/1 Workouts!

5/26/08: 1 hour swim and 3 Mile brick workout
total running: about 27 mins or so
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: warm
Notes: Nothing was really memorable about the run but I really pushed myself in the pool today. It felt great, but I was really wore out after the workout. Hopefully I can continue to push myself like this on every workout.

5/27/08: 4.5 Mile run!
total running: 42 minutes
aver mile: 9:20
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: warm but nice
Notes: The weather was really great today and I felt entergized as I ran to the Lake and around and back. Ran into a few folks watching the bats, but it gave me a little diversion before I headed home. A great run overall.

5/28/08: 3 Mile Run and 1 Hour Swim Brick!
total running: 27 mins or so
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: warm
Notes: My right hamstring was really tight today so I took the run pretty easy. However, I pushed myself in the pool again and feel like I am finally starting to see the results, I'm pretty excited to see my body transform as I continue to push myself and eat well.

5/31/08: 36 Mile Bike Ride in Houston!
total cycling: about 3 hours
ave. 16.5 mph
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: warm and breezy
Notes: While I was in Houston this weekend, I took advantage of the flat roads out in Katy to get in a nice ride with my good friend Will Neff and two of his co-workers. We had a great time...making a pace line as we went into the headwind and pushed as hard as we could. The ride felt great...I need to ride more often though! The delious and cheap Mexican food after was the real treat! can't wait to ride with them again!

2008-05-25T21:43:00.000-07:00

Week of 5/19-5/25 Workouts!

5/19/08: 1 hour swim
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: warm
Notes: Didn't get a chance to get in my normal 3mile run/1 hour swim brick today, but I am okay with that. After the weekend's activities, my legs felt tired and a little heavy. It felt good to take it easy today:)

5/19/08: 1 hour swim and 3 mile run Brick
total running: about 30 mins
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: warm
Notes: Felt like I had to get back to the grind today with my workouts. Although this is going to be my only other workout this week, I pushed myself on the run and in the pool. Felt good and it will feel good to take this week easy.

2008-05-18T22:21:00.000-07:00

Week of 5/12-5/18 Workouts!

5/12/08: Brick--3M Run and 1 Hour Swim and thinking...

total running: 27 minutes or so
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: cool
Notes: Today was unbelieveably cool, which was a nice change of pace. Of course, this meant that the pool would be cool too. It was a good brick though. I am finally feeling better in the pool. I just need to get swimming more now that I am getting a literal 'good feel' of the water.

Also, i started keeping a food diary. Although I won't be posting it here, I must say I am very happy with my diet since my terrible bought with my sinus infection a little over a month ago. The areas where I am seeing some great consistency and improvements are in my lunches (I always have protein and veggies) and dinner (usually carbs, but always a smalllll meal since I learned not to eat late anymore). Usually I eat 1/2 pita with hummus and some soy milk.

This means two things, I am getting healthier (although I still have a undenying affinity for drinking and *ahem* chocolate or salty snacks. I am gonna blame the Striders for that;)) and that I am actually losing weight! Roughly May 2006 I was sitting at 148. Now, I am happy to report that I am at a healthy 136! More importantly I am losing pant and dress sizes (at least one size on both ends) so I am willing to bet I can buy some new clothes after the summer! My overall weight goal is to stay at 130 year-around. I don't know easy this is going to be during marathon season (tend to eat more, especially carbs) but 130 has been a goal for so long and I am ALMOST there!

I bet I can get there by September 1st! If I can do it...I think I am going to treat myself to a few new cute outfits and new race wheels for my bike! Help keep me accoutable! :)

5/13/08: 3.5 Mile Neighborhood Run
total running: 33:34
ave 9:35/mile
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: humid
Notes: Although the goal was to run 6 miles today (it sure has been a while since I have done 6 as a training run) I had to cut the run short since I had band practice. Ah well. It was a nice run since I did my usual neighborhood route and varied it up with an additional .5 miles of hillwork.

5/14/08: 3 Mile Run and 1 Hour Swim Brick
total runing: ?
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: warm
Notes: Nothing memorable about this run...was my best swim to date though. I have great confidence going into my tri on Sunday. The only thing I am regretting though is not getting in at least one open water swim.

5/15/08: 15 Mile Bike Ride
ave speed: 15 mph
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: warm
Notes: I ended up riding by myself today but that was okay because I was able to really push myself. I still regret not riding long this past weekend (was suppose to be 46 miles!) but that's okay. On the actual Veloway I pushed really hard, riding in my aerobars at least 75% of the time, and hammering the downhills as well as the uphills. Then I felt so good I rode down South Mopac for an additional 9 miles. I actually felt really good on that and wanted to do another 3 miles, but decided that 15 miles was a decent ride considering my race Sunday is only 11.1.

Off to the races! Good luck to all this weekend...I will be completing my own 'Jon Walk' style triple:)!

5/17/08: Congress Ave Mile-a new PR!
(read about in a seperate race report)

5/17/08: Lone Star 5000-a new PR!
(read about in a seperate race report)

5/18/08: Skeese Women's Sprint Tri
(read about in a seperate race report)

Total workouts for the week:
5 Runs, 3 Swims, 2 Bikes (awesome!)

(The pic below is what three races of stuff looks like!)

2008-05-18T10:13:00.000-07:00

RACE REPORT: Skeese Greets Women’s Tri!
First Tri of the Season-Not bad!

I think it's almost comical that I can bomb a swim portion of a tri and still finish 20th out of 70-odd women in my age-group. However, that being said, had I had a good swim today, I could have possibly been in that illusive top-10 bracket. More later...but time to rest off a good bike and a great run:)

--

I was so excited about this race as I got up this morning. I have been training ‘relatively’ hard for it the last few months, and I was ready to compete hard and prove to the world I am ready to take on the Austin Tri Scene! :) haha. Turns out that New Bransfuels though was further away than I originally thought. I barely got to the race site with a much time to prep and set up my transition area. It was a ‘every women for herself’ situation. I luckily found a ‘kinda’ space near a huge mylar balloon and very close to the bike exit. One thing that did bother me is people do not know how to set up their transition areas with their bikes, but I guess when it’s a free-for-all, what do you expect?

The swim looked daunting (even for an out and back) and I was in the first wave. Not sure how many women were in the wave, but at least 100. I situated myself in the front, just as Coach Chrissie advised. The second I got in that cold water though and put my face in that disgusting water, I knew the swim would be tough. The gun went off and immediately I got swam over, punched and kicked. Nothing too bad, but it took me a while to feel ‘comfortable.’ I pretty much struggled the first 150 meters along with a few other poor souls. The water was sooo gross, you really have no idea. Almost black (no visability at all), stinky, and ‘things’ were floating in it. By far the worst swim I have EVER EVER EVER done. At the 200 meter marked I got passed by the next wave’s swimmers, oh well.

I managed to struggle in the water for about 10 minutes, only free-styling about half of that. Ughh. I felt right then that I just wasted all that money on my swim program and that I will never amount to anything in triathlons if I can’t handle a ‘short and simple’ swim. Pretty defeating self-talk. But, I’m not a quitter. I shook it off, commented to a spectator about gross water and I ran out to the bike racks, found my Baby Blue and knew I was going to have to pound this bike portion.

I was in a huge group of women going out on their bikes. Pretty much the whole field of competition from 30-39. I immediately pounded and tried to get away from them. Great motivation. The first portion of the bike is kind of scary though since you are riding on the I-35 feeder road and they recently repaved it so it’s pretty bumpy. Ughh. I passed a lot of people though. The first hill got me a little but I don’t think I got passed. I rode aero about 75% of the ride which not only was very comfty but allowed me to drink out of my Aerobottle and really hammer the straight-aways. I did get passed by the age 40+ leaders on their 4k aerobikes though but it happens.

The first part of the bike I averaged 17 mph and then the rolling hills started happening at mile 6 and they were totally kicking my ass. I got passed by a few girls on road bikes and someone on a hybrid bike and then decided to stop messing around and start to hammer the rest of the ride. I picked up the pace, almost drafting off a few gals (there were some really narrow portions of the ride…so it was almost impossible to not draft, to be honest with you). The last 2 miles were downhill and I hit 30+ mph, which helped me complete an average 16.5 mph bike split. Not great, but considering I passed a lot of people on the bike, I wasn’t disappointed with my pace. Plus my legs felt good.

The run! I was so eager to do it and my legs were shot from my two races yesterday and the hammering on the bike hills. Nevertheless, I ran as hard as I could. 8:03 for the first mile and 7:45 for the second (I just wanted to finish!) I did feel really good finishing this race though, I think this is the first tri I have done thus far where ‘overall’ I felt like I had good energy, drive and push the entire race. I need to figure out this swim thing…and if so, maybe I can place in the top 10 in my age group one day! The other positive though is that my transition times are improving with makes me feel good, although I need to continue to bring down those numbers too.

Congrats to all the first-timers (I was the crazy girl in the purple visor cheering everyone on at the finish)! You ladies inspired me with your energy, drive and desire. You ladies help me realize why I love this sport so much! Don’t ever forget if you aren’t having fun while competing, it’s not worth doing!

The STATS:
300m swim, 11.1 mile bike, 2 mile run
1:12.34 total

20th in 25-29 age group (out of 72)

10:46s (70th)
2:06 T1
42:27b (16th)
1:23 T2
15:50r (5th)

Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: nice.

2008-05-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

RACE REPORT: Lone Star 5000!

So I should mention that this race wasn’t chip timed. And that we were racing at 10:30am. Already two strikes against me going for that elusive 5k PR. Then add to the fact I just ran a I really tough mile and PR’ed. Well…challenges. I needed to get over all that quickly.

It was hot. I was wearing all black. I was lined up about 2 seconds back from the front runners. The field couldn’t have been larger then 300 runners. No one looked to be taking this seriously, so maybe this was going to be more of an interesting race than I thought. I did spot one other runner who was wearing two bibs like me (one under another). It felt good to be in the company of others as nutty as me.

The gun went off and off we went. I knew I would just have to pound this out. My legs felt remarkable well for what I did to them in the mile. I was able to run the first mile in 7:13. A little fast, but it felt really good. Mile 2 was the turnaround and I was so thirsty and missed the cups of water. And then we turned into the sun. I slowed down to 7:30. I was passing people like crazy still, but felt aweful for slowing down. The heat was getting to me.

Mile 3 I just bit my lip, put my head down and picked up my legs even more. We were all struggling at this point. I was running side by side by another triathlete and even drafted off another man for a little while. We rounded the corner and I saw 7:44 on my watch. This was it…I was going to PR! Just the straight-away to the finish! .47 seconds! I slowed down a lot here I felt, but I was pretty much giving everything I had left.

I crossed the finish and Ash saw me and was cheering for me. Turns out I was in the top 10 females to finish. Wow, this must have been a small race! I got a baseball hat as my prize and a smile, then a cupcake and an orange slice. Good stuff. Then we went to go eat afterwards and get me out of the sun. Overall, a great race. 23:16. Almost a minute PR over two years ago. Can’t wait to beat that one again though!

The STATS:
5k
23:16 total

7:13, 7:30, 7:44, .47
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: hot. Maybe mid 80s?

2008-05-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

RACE REPORT: Congress Mile!
TWO PR'S TODAY! A great day of racing!

6:42 in the mile (yes, my results came up with 'no age group' and 'no name') and unofficially 23:16 in the (HOT!) 5k! More later...but sleep and relaxing to commence!

-

This is quite possibly the strangest day of racing I have ever done in my life. A race in which there are 3 other events happening almost at the same time and same location. A 3 mile dog walk. A one mile charity walk, a one mile race (this one I am writing about) and the Congress 5000 (5k race immediately after this). It was absolutely nuts, the amount of people in a single-stretch of downtown bridge-area. Not to mention the fact my heat wasn’t even until 8:55am, which allowed me the opportunity to sleep in (but I didn’t, because who can really sleep in on race day?!)

I get there at normal race time (7am) after riding my bike the mile to get there. There is no one there, lol, and the first heat is at 8am. So I just try to either find a place to take a nap or get some caffeine. I actually found both, believe it or not. A couch under the Red Bull tent, and a cold Red Bull to sip while munching on a Clif Bar. I pretty much hung out and took in all of the sights and sounds that were going on at that time. Dogs EVERYWHERE (I mean, literally 5000+ dogs, you have no idea how loud it WASEN’T!), little kids and tons of high schoolers. Kids jogging strollers. It was almost a mad house.

My wave finally came up and I hoped that the Red Bull wasn’t going to adversely affect me. I have drank Monster before a race before and was fine. Red Bull..ehhh? It gives you wings, though, right? Well, it also makes you need to use the restroom! So I ran the mile with my bladder feeling full! However, I ran fine. Our wave was really small. (18 to 39). I think there were only 20 women in it. The first 200 meters were fast. I definitely wasn’t in the front of the pack. About 400 meters in I passed a few girls but slowed(?) into a “comfortable” pace. I was breathing hard.

600 meters to 1000 meters in were the only ‘technical’ parts of the course where we had to make some turns in order to head back on Congress (yes, they changed the course this year, so we didn’t ‘just’ run on Congress Ave.) 1200 meters in I started to throw down the hammer. There was a taller girl in my striking distance and I knew I could get her. 1400 meters in is just the straight away to the finish. At this point I told my legs to sprint and I don’t know that it happened. I heard another girl right behind me at this point. Ouch. Ouch. My breathing was fast but not sporadic.

I crossed the finish line in 6:42, good enough for 4th in my age group. The girl that passed me around 400 meters in beat me and finished her mile at about 6:30. That’s okay. I’ll take 6:42 today considering I haven’t been doing speed work. It’s still a 15 second PR for me, and a PR is a PR!

Now onwards to my next race today:)

The STATS:
1 mile
6:42/mile

Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: cool and overcast

2008-05-10T07:53:00.000-07:00

RACE REPORT: Jackrabbit Run 4 Hope 10k!
…a PR, but barely!

A PR is a PR…that’s all I have to remember. It sure wasn’t pretty though. The weather was unbelievably humid. I mean…close to 100% humidity. The temperature was probably mid 80’s, but that didn’t matter. We were swimming through that air, and that’s all I have to say about that…

I mentally had a tough time preparing for this race. Honestly, it’s a tricky course. A first mile gradual uphill climb. Then a second mile 150 foot climb (in two sections…but tough!) Then 3 miles of VERY flat but curvy neighborhood roads. With a turn-around. Not easy, because you see the runners that are in front of you finishing the race. Ughh. Then the fun mile 6 downhill. TOUGH. You have to control your legs running downhill or else…Then the last .5 mile or so is a slight uphill to the finish after just beating my quads to death. Nice.

I thought about halfway through the race ‘there goes my PR.’ I kept passing people though, which gave me a little confidence. Pretty much after the first mile I don’t think I got passed at all, except right at the very end…But right at the turn-around before mile 4, I just felt BAD. Morally I was beat because I didn’t remember a turn-around last time I did this race. Then there was the fact that I was pushing harder then I had planned to and was feeling defeated physically because the humidity.

I saw my dad right before mile 6 and gave him a thumbs up. I don’t remember what he said to me as I had my headphones on but I just put my head down and went for it. I passed a guy who was struggling and when his friends saw me pass him, they started giving him a hard time. In turn, he sped up and I gave chase. I had to remind myself to run my own race though…

I finished strong though and my eyes were glued to that timing clock. Could I have PR’ed? I was close…was I one of the first women to finish? I couldn’t tell, but didn’t see anyone in front of me…After walking off the pain, I went to look for something sharp to use to cut my chip off my shoe. I saw the placings then…5th overall female. 3rd in my age group. 3rd?!!!!! It looks like the two women that beat me were my age.

After sticking around FOREVER for our portion of the awards ceremony (like probably an hour later!) we went up there to get our medals. The women that beat me were amazingly in shape and very nice women. The girl that placed first was wearing a Boston singlet, so I guess I have nothing to complain about:)

A good race overall, looking forward to beating 50 minutes someday…just wasn’t in the cards today. Next time!

THE STATS:
6.2 miles

ave 8:14/mile
50:54 total running

8:00, 9:11, 7:58,
8:35, 8:33, 7:13, 1:20

2008-05-10T07:28:00.000-07:00

Week of 5/5-5/11 Workouts!

5/5/08: Brick--3M Run and 1 Hour Swim
total running: 28 minutes or so
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: humid
Notes: My elbow is pretty sore after my little tumble on Saturday. (not to mention my black bruise!) However, I taped my elbow up pretty good and was able to swim with no ill affects.

5/6/08: 6.5 Mile HOT run!
total running: about 1:03 or so
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: warm and VERY humid
Notes: Met up with SoCo Matthew at 6pm on a very WARM day. I actually ran the 1.5 miles to the Lake, which was nice because it’s always nice to feel nice and warmed up before a potentially tough run. Originally the plan was to run only 4 miles or so, but it turned into an additional 1 mile since there was some construction going on (as usual) where we would normally turn around. So I ran a total a total of 6.5 miles and had Matt drop me off since there was no way I was going to run another 1.5 miles, especially when it was probably 95 degrees.

5/7/08: Brick--3M Run and 1 Hour Swim
total runing: about 25 minutes
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: warm
Notes: I pushed on the run despite being a little tired from yesterday’s efforts. Decided that my shoes HAVE to go (they probably have about 430 miles on them…yikes!!!) so I am eager to break in a new pair:) I got some good advice during the swim which I really feel is starting to make a difference in my form. Finally feel like I am becoming a better swimmer! The plan for the rest of the week is going to be different this week since I am going out of town to run the JackRabbit 10k. I am going out of town tomorrow, with plans to maybe get in an easy run before going for a PR on Saturday!

Have a good weekend of racing!

5/10/08: Jackrabbit Run 4 Hope 10k! A NEW PR!
(read about it in a separate race report!)

2008-05-04T19:25:00.000-07:00

Week of 4/28-5/4 Workouts!

4/28/08: Brick--3M Run and 1 Hour Swim
total running: 28 minutes or so
Heart-rate: n/aWeather: humid
Notes: I was pretty tired today for some reason. My legs just had no get-up and go! I still made it through the work-outs though with a smile on my face.

4/30/08: Brick—3M Run and 1 Hour Swim
total running: about 27 mins.
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: warm
Notes: I decided today that combat the ‘tired leg feeling’ and take have a Carbboom before my run and half a Carbboom before the swim. It helped, but my legs still felt ‘dead’ on the swim. I am starting to wonder if maybe my shoes are past their point of being tooooo broken in?

5/2/08: 4 mile run, soooo hot!
total runing: about 40 minutes
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: very humid and hot!
Notes: So today marked another ‘benchmark’ workout that I like to claim ‘makes me tougher,' at my favorite Coach Steeeeeeeeve-ism, 'tough, but doable.' So it’s 90 degrees and 6pm. Sure, a perfect time to get in a run:) Ughh, not really. I probably walked twice during this run. I guess in my defense though, I was running through a pretty hilly neighborhood. Note to self: don’t forget water bottle on next 6pm run. Yikes.

Tomorrow and Sunday will be two bike rides for a total of about 50 miles. I am very excited as it is part of a small tour, so we actually get to ride to the location, camp out, and ride back! Details soon! Should be fun!

5/3/08: 25 Mile Bike Ride out to Manor, TX
total riding: about 2 hours
ave. 13 mph
top 29 mph!
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: decent, sunny but not hot (at noon)
Notes: So my cycling friend Harriett and I decided to do the group ride out to Manor. Other then meeting at noon to ride (but, the weather was nice and almost cool!), day one of cycling was turning out to be great. We were in a group of various ability-level cyclists. Most people were riding modified road bikes/tour bikes and no helmets. Not exactly the safest thing, but at least everyone had a map, and had resolved to stay together. I knew Harriett and I would be at the front of the pack, well mostly. The first 8 miles out of town were slow and leisurely. The traffic at some points really scared me because it was pretty heavy. However, being in the large group made me feel safer--it was so empowering riding in such a large group!

The ride itself was just absolutely gorgeous. The countryside here is so beautiful…miles upon miles of beautiful land. And no chasing dogs! Some great and crazy hills, ala the Creedmoor Cruise, but for the most part, a nice ride. Did get in my aerobars a few time and made up some time then. Didn’t really go faster than 18 mph, but I’ll take that today. The only bad thing about the ride is that I made the mistake of riding my road bike over gravel…DOWNHILL! At the end of the ride…and took a nasty spill! Luckily, I know how to fall and was able to unclip on the left side. So I fell on my right side, caught the ground with my glove, my thigh (ouch-the bruise is out of control!) and my elbow (ripped it up pretty good…) That made for a uncomfortable night of camping…more on day 2…

5/4/08: 25 Mile Bike Ride back to Austin!
total riding: about 2 hours
ave. 14 mph
top 31 mph!
Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: warmer then yesterday
Notes: My elbow got cleaned up well (still sore though!) and my thigh got pretty swollen and black…which meant no aerobars on the way back:( After a good breakfast though (made the mistake of not eating much yesterday, and paid for it with tired legs!) I was ready to ride by 10am. I didn’t get much sleep but that didn’t matter. Too bad we didn’t leave until almost noon though, and the worst part about that today is that it was actually pretty warm.

The ride back was fine, Harriett and I didn’t really wait on the group, so we aggressively (well, I TRIED) attacked the hills and rode pretty hard back. My cadence was much better today and I felt much more confident on the route (just a reverse of that we did yesterday). I wasn’t too sore either after yesterday. Another good thing about where we cycled is that we actually did some of the Danskin route, so that is really going to help me out in a few weeks…yes, ladies, it is a tough bike.

Overall, it was a great weekend of riding. I’m not overally impressed with mph’s but I am proud of myself for riding 50 HILLY miles in 24 hours. Gives me a little taste of what the MS150 will be like next year:) (muahh-haha, yes, I am doing it next year, with the Tough Cookies!) Back to running now…where I KNOW I can aggressively hit the hills!